No Time To...

Mess

"How's that?" Katara smiled pulling the water away from aito. He coughed in his hand but nodded.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, thank you ma'am," aito nodded rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Yea I think once you get some fluids in ya and a good night sleep you'll be good as new," Katara touched the side of his face and his forehead feeling he was still warm.

"Your hands are cold," aito giggled pushing her hand on his face more enjoying the touch. Katara gulped a little wide eyes seeing how he liked her touch, he was a sweet boy, but she pulled her hand back.

"I lived in the South Pole for so long I guess it just kept me cold permanently," she joked poking his nose and aito giggled a little.

"Pops and Ren are always to warm, but papas like a heater," he smiled brightly up at her as he sniffled his runny nose.

"No kidding, back in the day all of us use to snuggle up to your dad when the nights were cold and he hated it cause he just got to hot," Katara smiled At the memory and aito laughed more.

"Papa looks big and scary but he's not mean, I like that he's scary looking because he's so nice, sorry he was yelling at you before," aito nodded gently as he rubbed his nose.

"I yelled too, I know he's not mean, if you don't know him I guess his scar can be kind of scary, misguided before but he's a good dad it seems like," Katara nodded.

"I think the mark on his face makes him look tough," aito puffed out his small chest a little.

"It kind of looks like the birth mark on my shoulder," he pulled his shirt to the side to show her the larger mark on his shoulder that was surrounded by more freckles.

"Yea could be a sunspot, it's pretty common," Katara pulled her pants up a little to show him a birth mark on her ankle.

"Cool!" He gasped.

"Dad dad dad! Miss has a spot too!" Aito called over to Zuko who was in the kitchen with Ren. Katara immediately put her pant leg down even when Zuko pretended to be amazed.

"How are you feeling ai? You're moving more so I'm guessing less sore," Zuko handed him some juice and kissed the top of his head, he could feel he still was having a fever.

"Yep! I'm just tired and she said I still have a fever," aito reached to be picked up and Zuko did so knowing he liked cuddles when sick.

"Say thank you to Katara," Zuko told him gently, despite the past Zuko wanted to make sure his boys would at least have manners and be gentlemen.

"Thank you Katara," aito smiled as he laid his head on his fathers shoulder.

"Make sure he gets rest and eats a little more before sun down, drink water," Katara stood up and Zuko nodded.

"They are sweet boys Zuko, you did good for being on your own with them, you're doing really good," she stopped in front of him.

"I know my words hold no value but sometimes you just need to be told that once in a while, especially if you didn't have much experience before with kids," she looked up at him calmly, he must've grown an inch or so taller in the past four years. Maybe just finally fixed his posture.

"Yea, my number one fear is becoming like my father, left with twins when you've never held a baby before is terrifying," he scoffed shaking his head. He didn't need her praise, he figured most of it out and when he did need help there have been strangers that helped him out, that's how he met yuna.

"I'm opening the bar at 3, you guys start paying for drinks then got it?" Zuko told her as he rubbed his sons back gently.

"Got it... does Iroh know?" Katara pursed her lips.

"No... I never told him I had kids," he gulped.

"Does anyone actually know?" She rubbed her neck awkwardly.

"Your dad does actually, Hakoda was looking for you when the twins were first born and he was the one that told me you weren't coming back," Zuko shrugged as aito looked at her with his arms tucked close to his chest as Zuko held him.

"My dad knows..? Sokka doesn't even.. I never told anyone," Katara was shocked.

"We'll be asked why one of them has blue eyes," he raised a brow.

"He's also dropped by on their birthdays but we haven't told them who he is to them," Zuko covered aitos ears and made sure Ren wasn't listening.

"Wow... my dad never mentioned he knew about it, and he hasn't treated me different," Katara covered her mouth a little bit Zuko turned away.

"I waited a long time kat, and I defended you for a long time too, Hakoda was disappointed but I told him what happened and we thought you just needed time when hatsumi died," he shrugged her off and she teased at the name.

They lost their first born of the supposed triplets, the only girl, but she didn't make it through birth and was buried still, Katara wanted to name her still and Zuko let her chose. They agreed on the name for aito but Zuko chose Ren's name and changed aito's name. She wasn't upset, she understood and she didn't care what he named them, they were his and she respected that.

"Yea I thought I just needed time too, but I guess I needed a lot," Katara inhaled a shaky breath as she remembered her screams and the way Zuko cried when she woke up. The was the most traumatizing thing she's ever been through, her heart stopped beating for a minute. Zuko thought she was dead.

"I'm going to be down stairs, I need a drink," Katara blinked the burning feeling in her eyes away and went downstairs not looking back.

Zuko felt guilty a little seeing the panic in her eyes. He can be civil for the time being but he still felt betrayed by her. He didn't know if he was even ever going to tell the boys about the truth, maybe when they're adults but would Katara even want them to know? She didn't tell him anything before she ran off.

He heard a small snore in his ear and looked to see aito sleeping against his chest. Drool was leaking onto his shirt.

"Gross, Ren it's nap time," Zuko called back to the other son who was sitting on the counter eating. He popped the rest of the blue berries in his mouth and jumped off to run over.

Zuko will never get use to how kids are so messy most of the time.