Drabble that came to me earlier when reading hc’s about the steam babies:
Kya whirled around the kitchen grabbing various tea leaves. She expertly arranged the tray and swept past the counter to serve another customer.
She loved working at her Grandpa’s tea shop. It was refreshing and so different from the palace she was used to spending her days in. This place was absolutely bustling with activity and here she had more freedom than she ever did back in the Fire Nation. Here, she wasn’t Kya, Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, she could just be… Kya.
Iroh smiled as he watched her work. He loved the summers he got to spend with his granddaughter. She was always so keen to help out and was a ray of sunshine to his days.
She rushed past him again pulling a funny face and Iroh laughed.
She put her dirty tray down and bumped into Ran at the sink. “Hey, watch it Ky!” he complained as the bump knocked his arm straight into the sink.
“Are you a waterbender or aren’t you?” she teased, reaching for her notepad and pen.
“Yeah, but doesn’t mean I like being soaked,” he replied sulkily. “How come you get to serve and I’m stuck doing the washing up?”
“Wanna swap? There’s plenty of people who’d love to chat with the Prince of the Fire Nation out there,” she said, offering the pen and notebook with a knowing smile.
Ran rolled his eyes and tipped his head back with a weary sigh. “Why did Mum and Dad send us to work here again? You know I could’ve been at Ember Island with Shomo and Raoko right?”
“Doing really productive things I’m sure,” Kya said sarcastically.
Ran huffed, his fringe flying away from his face as he went back to his reluctant cleaning.
Kya bent under the counter to pick up a dish rag.
“Excuse me?” came a voice from above.
“Just a second,” she said, before she tossed the rag back in the sink behind her (feeling satisfied at the groan from her brother) and turned back to see the most gorgeous face she had ever seen in her life. She didn’t know eyes could be that green! He must be an earthbender, surely.
She suddenly realised she’d been gawping at him completely silent.
“Uh, what can I do for you?” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and tugging the ends nervously, a habit she seemed to have picked up from her mother.
“Can I get a ginger tea please?” he asked.
“Oh yeah sure!” she said a tad too loudly. “You sit down and I’ll be right with you!”
She hastily made her way to the kitchen to make the tea, knocking the whole pot over in the process. “Shit…” she muttered to herself.
She jumped at Iroh’s voice. “Yep, absolutely fine!” she said a little too quickly.
She prepped the tray, steeled herself and made her way out into the seated area. She caught his eyes and felt herself smile. Then she tripped over the green rug in the middle of the floor. With lightning reflexes she managed to right herself just as a tan hand appeared to steady the tray. “Are you ok?” the boy asked.
Kya’s eyes widened. She laughed awkwardly. “I’m fine, just fine,” she said, feeling the tips of her ears burn with a blush as she took the tray from his hands and placed it on the table. “Sorry, I spilled your tea a bit,” she said, “I can get you another-”
“No no, it’s alright,” the boy said with a kind smile.
“Ok, um, great,” Kya said. She nodded her head at him and made her way back to the kitchen as fast as possible.
The next few days the boy returned every day. One afternoon Kya was leaning on the countertop lost in her imagination.
Iroh watched from his usual seat. He followed her gaze to the handsome Earth Kingdom boy sitting by the window and chuckled to himself.
He rose from his seat and joined his granddaughter at the counter. “It appears we have a new regular!” he said.
Kya was startled from her daydreaming. “Oh, uh, yes. I mean… who?”
Iroh gestured. “He is a handsome boy is he not?”
Kya blushed. “I… wouldn’t know. I guess,” she said, winning the award for worst nonchalant answer in the world.
“Shame he always sits by himself,” Iroh said. “I would have thought he would have a girlfriend.”
“Do you think he does?” Kya asked a little too quickly.
Iroh laughed to himself but kept his features neutral. “I shouldn’t think so,” he said.
Kya’s face melted with relief. “Ok. That’s good. I mean… that’s fine. Why would I care?”
They stood in silence for a while. “I’ll take over for a while my dear, you could do with a rest,” Iroh said. “Why don’t you go and accompany our new patron?”
“What?” Kya said, instinctively clutching the notebook and pen to her. “No no no, I couldn’t do that, I couldn’t possibly-”
“Make polite conversation with our new, generous customer?”
Kya paused, stumped for a response. “Uh- no-”
“Great! You have a rest,” Iroh said, taking the notebook and pen from her gently but firmly and shooing her away from the counter.
Kya stood frozen, wrestling with herself for a bit.
She turned to face the table. She sighed and drew herself up straighter and made her way over.
“Uh, hi,” she said. The boy looked up at her and smiled.
“It’s- uh- nice to see you again. Here. You’re a- um- good customer,” she said. Her brain screamed at her.
The boys lips quirked up into an unfairly gorgeous smile. “Uh, thanks,” he said. “Are you… still working?”
“Me? Oh, um, my Gra….boss just said- it-it’s my break,” she managed.
The boys face lit up. “Oh well, please feel free to join me,” he said, gesturing to the chair opposite.
“Ok, thanks,” she said, managing to get through at least one sentence without stumbling over her words. Short as it was, she’d count it as a victory.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” the boy said.
“Oh yeah, I’m just here for the summer,” she replied.
“Where are you from?” he asked.
“The Fire Nation,” she said.
“Ah, I thought so. I mean, I didn’t want to assume, but-”
“Golden eyes gave it away huh?” she said. It was a pretty dead giveaway, even if her lightly tan skin and curly hair gave away her Water Tribe heritage.
The boy nodded, smiling a bit sheepishly. “Firebender?” he asked.
She nodded. “Earthbender?” she asked.
He smiled and nodded too.
Kya readied herself for her night out.
“You tell anyone I went out, you’re dead,” she threatened her brother.
“Sheesh, calm down, I’m not telling on anyone,” he said from his position lying on the couch. “Just… be careful Kya ok?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’ll be fine,” she said.
“Oh and you better not bring him back here, ok? I’m not sharing an apartment with you and your new lover.”
She threw a pillow at him. “Same to you and your new fancy lady!” she retorted.
Ran’s face fell. “I- what?”
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you sneaking out last week!”
“I didn’t- she’s not-” Ran began before his face fell into a scowl and he growled in frustration. “Real nice, blackmail from the future Fire Lady, that’s comforting.”
“Shut up,” she retorted with a smile. She took one last glance in the mirror before she set off.
Later that night she crept back into the tea shop, a soft flame burning in her palm to light the way. She could hear her brother’s loud snores from outside the room. She carefully put her pack on the side and went to grab some water from the sink.
Suddenly a loud snore from the sofa made her jump and almost drop the cup. She quickly caught it and snapped her head round. She silently made her way to the sofa and peeked her head over it.
Iroh was fast asleep on the couch.
She breathed a sigh of relief and carefully crept back to the kitchen, putting the cup back in its place before quietly going back to her room.
The door closed with a soft click.
The snoring from the sofa ceased and Iroh carefully lifted his head to glance around the room. Then he chuckled to himself.
“Ah, you are both here!” Iroh said, greeting the Fire Lord and Lady enthusiastically. “We have had the most wonderful time! Ran’s been working hard in my shop and Kya has been wonderful as always. She’s even made some new friends,” he said. He glanced over at Katara with a twinkle in his eye.
Katara caught his look. She knew that look. Her gaze flicked over to her husband who, as usual, hadn’t noticed his Uncle’s tell tale signs of having some juicy gossip.
“Sit down, you must tell me all about your trip over,” Iroh said, shooing them into seats around the table.
Just then the door opened and Kya walked through, lost in a world of her own.
“Kya!” Zuko said excitedly. Kya jumped, startled at the sudden presence of her parents.
“Dad! Hi!” she said, her startled face melting into a smile.
“How’s my little sunbeam?” Zuko asked, coming over to give her a hug.
“Great, Dad,” Kya said as he squeezed her tight. She made her way over to Katara giving her a hug too.
“Had fun with Grandpa?” Zuko asked.
Kya beamed. “Of course! I actually said I’d look after the kitchen this morning though so…” she said, backing towards the door.
Zuko smiled. “Of course, I’ll come and help get heaters going.”
“Dad, I’m a firebender, you haven’t had to help me with that since I was like three,” she complained.
“Let your Dad be of assistance if he wants,” Katara said, with a patronising pat on Zuko’s shoulder. He arched an eyebrow at her and she nudged him playfully before turning back to his daughter.
Katara eyed Iroh suspiciously over the rim of her cup as Zuko and Kya left the room. Iroh’s face was impassive, as always, but Katara knew he was dying to tell her something.
Iroh looked around conspiratorially and leaned in. “Kya’s got a boyfriend,” he said excitedly.
Katara laughed. “Who?” she asked.
“There’s a handsome boy who comes to the tea shop, you should see her, she’s been daydreaming about him all day every day since she first laid eyes on him!”
“Oh spirits,” Katara said in mock despair.
“Reminds me of a Water Tribe girl I once had working here who could barely make the right orders because she was too distracted by the other server.”
Katara’s face suddenly became amusingly affronted. “I did not make the wrong orders! And I was not ogling Zuko!” she said.
Iroh laughed. “I believe I said ‘distracted’, my dear,” he said.
Katara blushed, as if the idea of being attracted to her husband of twenty years was still embarrassing, making Iroh laugh even more.
“What’s this boy like?” Katara said, a hint of concern in her voice. She knew her daughter could handle herself but she was all too familiar with how vulnerable feelings for someone could make you, and how much it could hurt when it didn’t go well.
“He’s very kind,” Iroh said reassuringly. “You know the day she met him she tripped over, spilled his tea everywhere!”
Katara laughed. “Oh spirits, I’d hoped she wouldn’t take after her father in this respect…”
Zuko walked back in and the two quickly fell quiet and went back to sipping their tea.
Zuko paused by the table. He regarded them both suspiciously.
“What did I miss?” he said, his tone heavy with suspicion.
“Nothing, my son,” Iroh said dismissively. “I was just telling Lady Katara here that it is important to spice up a marriage after such a long time together.”
Katara choked on her tea.