you and zuko used to be best friends, but now you canāt stand to be near him.
word count: 4.2k (probably one of the longest things iāve ever written)
warnings: friends to emenies to lovers, nothing else i donāt think!
a/n: i wrote this for nyx @zukochi because i love her very much. this took me like 4 days and i need to stop looking at it so weāre just gonna post and forget it. anyway nyx youāre my favorite and i hope you enjoy (sheās fully already read it.)
āWhat the hell is he doing here?ā you yell, dropping the firewood you held in your arms. Seeing his face made your chest hurt.
āHe was just leaving,ā Katara says, her face stern as she turns back to him.
Zuko looks at you, and the rest of the word goes fuzzy. Tunnel vision, and not the first time heās given it to you. For a second, all the anger melts away. Your new friends are still speaking, and Zukoās talking back, his eyes not leaving yours, but you canāt hear a word anyoneās saying.
You and Zuko used to be friends. Good ones, too. He used to sneak you into the palace at night so you could feed the turtle ducks. You would lay with your backs on the grass, cheeks barely pressed together, creating your own constellations in the stars. You would hide in the bushes when his mom came looking for him, but she always knew you were there, and she never cared.
You push away the memories, he doesnāt deserve the good ones anymore.
āYou need to leave,ā you say calmly, trying to save face. Your friends look back at you as you pick up the firewood youāve dropped.
āy/n,ā Zuko starts, his face pleading.
āNo,ā you say firmly, standing up to step closer to me. āYou donāt get to do that to me.ā Your eyes start to well up. He notices. You reach up to wipe away a tear thatās fallen. āGo,ā you say, turning your back to him.
You hear him start to shuffle away as you brush past your friends, disappearing into the halls of the air temple.
Sokka finds you not long after. āSo what was that all about?ā he asks, sinking to the floor next to you.
You sigh. āI donāt think I want to talk about it,ā you say. You try your best to keep your voice from cracking. āHeās gone, right?ā you ask.
Sokka nods. āYeah, he left right after you did.ā
You press your lips together, closing your eyes. āIām so angry at him,ā you say under your breath. You wipe another tear off your face. āI donāt know why Iām crying,ā you say, letting out a breathy laugh.
Your friends knew that you had known Zuko back when you lived in the fire nation. You had gone to the fire nation academy together, that was no secret. They didnāt know how close you had been, though, and you didnāt intend on telling them. It didnāt seem all that important, until the scene youād just made. Until heād decided he was āgoodā.
Despite Zuko being the prince, you had always resented the war. You knew it was immoral and wrong. The two of you had gotten in countless fights over this. Youād try to explain that Zuko didnāt know any better, heād try to explain why the fire nationās rule was destiny. When he came back as the prince after three years of being banished, having learned nothing, you were so angry that you ran away, in search of the avatar, to teach him the little firebending you knew. You werenāt a terribly qualified teacher, not nearly as good as Zuko or Azula, but you knew that the basics were better than nothing.
But you also knew he needed a better teacher, a stronger teacher.
āI shouldnāt have told him to leave,ā you say to Sokka, cutting through the silence.
āWhat do you mean?ā he asks. āNo one even wants him here.ā He looks at you, an incredulous look on his face.
āAang needs a firebending teacher,ā you say, āa good one. I didnāt learn enough to be that for him.ā You sigh. āWeāre gonna need him.ā
Sokka stands now, confused, and a little angry. āWhy should we trust him?ā he says. āAnd why are you suddenly on his side? Donāt you hate him?ā
You stand to match his height. āOf course I hate him, Sokka!ā You think deep down thatās a lie, and it hurts a little bit to say. āBut Aang needs to learn firebending if weāre gonna stand a chance of winning this war, and Zuko may be the only one who can teach him.ā Sokka huffs.
Youāre not sure if youāre saying all this because you want Aang to learn firebending, or if you want a chance to yell at Zuko, amongst other things. Either way, youāre gonna pretend itās the former.
