No time to Die

8

"How's that?" Katara smiled pulling the water away from aito. He whined rubbing his throat 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, no more fever tomorrow," 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 papa gives toasty hugs when it's cold," 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 think hes funny cause people think he's scary, papa is so nice he makes my favorite dinner sometimes, sorry he was yelling at you before though," aito nodded gently as he rubbed his nose.

"I yelled too, I know he's not mean, he loves you boys very very much," 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 like 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.

"Papa pa papa! 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 sleepy and she said I still have a fever," aito reached to be picked up and Zuko did so knowing he liked cuddles.

"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 miss Katara," aito smiled as he laid his head on his father's shoulder.

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

"Okay, I will," he looked at aito as he touched his forehead under the thick hair of the boy.

"Did you struggle with them as baby's? I know you didn't have experience with kids in the past but..." Katara was curious how Zuko handled being a single father. He now picked up the kids with ease and no fear of even dropping them. He had a special bond with the twins.

"Yep, my number one fear is becoming like my father, so when I was left with twins when I've never held a baby before is terrifying," he scoffed shaking his head. He didn't need her praise, he had help here and there but figured most of it out. The times he did need help there have been women 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 if you stay, got it?" Zuko told her as he rubbed his sons back gently.

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

"Yea, he's comes for holidays and their birthday," he gulped.

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

"Funny you ask, my uncle and your uh.. your dad knows, Hakoda was looking for you a month after you disappeared, and came back another month later and was the one that told me you weren't coming back," Zuko shrugged as he covered aitos ears and the boy allowed it knowing it was not a conversation for him.

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

"Hakoda connected the dots pretty easily since he knew we dated," Zuko whispered so no one else heard.

"He's also dropped by on their birthdays with my uncle but we haven't told them who he is to them, just say it's their grandfathers friend," Zuko kept aitos ears covered 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 had hope for a bit Katara, 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 fumiko died," he shrugged her off, she pressed her lips in, her heart hurting 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 names for each of the children but Zuko changed them when he knew she wasn't coming back, a way for no one to find him as Lee, aito and ren.

She remembered them when she knew them as jun and kanji, it makes sense why she didn't recognize ren as her first son when she saw him in the beginning.

Katara 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 don't have excuses for why I didn't," 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. But he was hurt by her choice, betrayal was still painful. 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.