The Walk (Waterbending!Reader x Zuko)
A/N: This is the first thing I’ve decided to write. I’m not great but I’ve had a bunch of ideas that I thought would be neat so here you go! Hope you enjoy! (Hnnnghhh the synposis is so bad im sorry-)
Synopsis: In the lower circle of Ba Sing Se, Zuko finds himself following a group of teens through alleys and passages he didn’t even know there was. Suddenly, he finds himself in a small crowd. Then, everything changed when his eyes landed on her.
Zuko didn’t even know why he was out that night. Maybe the dingy smell of the apartment was driving him crazy, or it was his Uncle talking with the neighbors that stirred him awake.
Either way, it led him outside.
Suddenly, a group of kids his age trotted by muttering about some “waterbender chick”. Zuko’s head shot up, an inkling of hope that it could just be the Avatar’s friend. He watched the group slide into an alleyway, before stealthily following behind.
It felts like forever that he followed the frankly annoying kids. Through alleys and slightly hidden passages that he could’ve sworn weren’t there before. Finally, they made their way into the hidden plaza.
It was extremely bare on the ground, as if a small house was meant to be there. Above, clothes lines held up shabby, dark colored clothes and even some blankets. The walls of surrounding houses were decorated with signs Zuko had never seen before. Towards the middle of the plaza was three large jugs placed in a triangle. About twenty people were scattered about, leaving the middle of the plaza completely.
He snaked along the wall, distancing himself from everyone else. Why am I even staying? He thought, scowling. Just as he went to head towards the exit, water sprouted up from the vases, grabbing his attention. It rose into the air, spiraling about. The three separate streams moved throughout the plaza before moving to an entrance he hadn’t seen before.
A person leapt through the wall the water made, perfectly dry as if they sliced it in half in perfect time. They wore black, baggy pants with slits in the sides up to the knee. The fabric cinched around their ankles and flared out a little. Their top was a matching black, which wrapped around their neck and forming an ‘X’ across their toned back with the fabric. A dark but slightly see-through veil covered majority of their face, and black elbow gloves covered their arms, and coming to a point on the back of their hand.
Zuko scowled, immediately noticing this was not the girl the avatar traveled with. He went to leave again, but the crowd had now gather close, effectively blocking his exit. The person stood in the middle of the triangle made by the vases, a smile seen through their eyes.
“Thank you all for coming,” The person announced, giving an exaggerated bow. “I see quite a few new faces here. I don’t know how you found this place, but let me welcome you, to what we call the Plaza of Freedom. As cliche as it is, we are here to celebrate the good times, and accept the bad! We all need something to forget about the war with the fire nation.”
The crowd cheered while Zuko sunk in on himself. Most of the people here look like they aren’t earth kingdom residents, meaning they are escaping from war-torn villages. Villages destroyed by his people.
“Now, stand back, relax, and enjoy my show..” They drawled, and Zuko swears he could see a smirk under that veil. A person in the corner pulled out a stringed instrument, playing a fun and fast tune.
The performer twirled about the stage of stone. Majority of the water returned to the vases, but they had four small streams following her wrists and feet. They flung their foot up, doing an arch with the high kick, the water trail following it. Drops of water bounced through the air as they flitted about. Zuko stood mesmerized at the amount of control they had. Each step was as precise as the water drifting around. It was as if the dancer had a bubble containing all the water away from the onlookers.
They finished their dance with a pirouette, the water trailing around them freezing as they finished. They held their tip-toed, graceful-armed stance for a few moments, before relaxing. They quickly bended the water back into the vases, before taking another bow. Another performer walked out as the previous started heading into the crowd, right near him.
He started to move, trying to get out of the plaza he never should have found. “Hey, wait!” A hand grabbed his, causing him to violently whip around. The black-veiled dancer stood there, a calm and gentle look in their eyes. “You are new, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, what about it?” He huffed, pulling his wrist away to cross his arms defensively over his chest. The stranger laughed a bit, looking up at him.
They crossed their arms over their stomach, leaning into one hip. “Relax, I’m not some officer interrogating you. If I was I wouldn’t be here,” They attempted to joke. They turned their head, seeing the next person, an earthbender boy who looked to be juggling, was starting. They smiled once again and grabbed his wrist, pulling him through another passage. “Come on, tough stuff. You look like some one who needs to relax!”
Zuko gaped, trying to form a response but no words would leave his mouth. The dancer dragged him around before stopping at a ladder leaned precariously against a house. They started climbing, gesturing for him to follow. Zuko realized with a sigh that he had no clue how to get back to where they were, and reluctantly joined them.
When he got to the top, they were already laying down on the slanted roof of the house. He sat two paces away, knees pulled into his chest and looking away from them. Zuko heard them shuffling, only glancing their way to see they moved much closer, and were looking at him.
“So,” They trailed on, glancing at him hopefully. “What brought you to Ba Sing Se?”
“Well, duh!” They laughed, sitting up and leaning their weight on their right arm. The left came up, unclipping the veil around their face. They looked Zuko’s age, maybe a year or so younger, with an obvious toothy smile on their face. “I mean, what made you choose to come here?”
Zuko looked at them, giving them a look of confusion. “Why wouldn’t I come here? This city is one of the safest places currently, right?”
“Yeah, I guess,” They muttered, looking off into the night. They had their right leg extended, with their left arm perched on top of the bent left leg. “I just always found it odd here. Almost as if everything is too perfect, y’know?” Their eyes had a faraway look, the smile once taking up their face morphing into a small frown.
Zuko looked out to the sky, letting out a quiet hum of acknowledgement. “My name is (Y/N) by the way. Im a waterbender if you couldn’t tell.” They let out a small, pathetic laugh. “How about you?”
“My name is Lee. So, how did you get here? And, get the nice clothes?” Zuko replied, looking away when saying his name. They chuckled at his question, and he felt himself sneaking looks at the bright smile they had.
They laid down on the shingles of the roof, arms tucked under their head. “My parents left the Northern Water Tribe when they were newly-weds. They just wanted to travel around the four nations and learn. They had me in a small village in the Earth Kingdom a few years after they left. In the end, our village was burned down and we were either taken to prisons, or you are one of the lucky ones who escaped. That was my dad and I. My mother wasn’t as lucky…” They trailed off, sad eyes focusing on the starry sky above them. “As for the clothes, they were made by my mother. She loved to perform and we never had the heart to sell them, so when I fit in them I took to dancing in them for tips.”
Zuko gazed at the ground solemnly, fists clenched tightly. “I’m sorry to hear that. My mother left when I was young.” (Y/N) shrugged, lips pulled into a firm line.
“One day, this war will be over, I know it. Ba Sing Se can deny it all they want but it will be on their doorstep at some point. If they man up and actually take down the Fire Nation, then you can bet your ass I’m marching through every prison until I find my mom.” They quickly shot up, crouching down to maintain balance. “Well, Lee, I should probably get you back home. Thanks for listening to an optimistic dancer.”
They slowly walked back to Zuko’s apartment, taking the alleys that (Y/N) seemed to know like the back of their hand. A mindless conversation was passed between the two of them, filling the night silence. Too quickly, they reached the door of Zuko’s complex.
“I hope I see you around,” Zuko smiled at them, a hand coming to rub his neck awkwardly. They let out a small laugh, shaking their head slightly. They leaned close, pecking him on the cheek.
“Come see me perform anytime, lover boy. Just ask someone for the Shrouded Mist!” They joked, skipping into the abyss that the just exited.
Zuko didn’t even know why he was out that night. Maybe the dingy smell of the apartment was driving him crazy, or it was his Uncle talking with the neighbors that stirred him awake.
Either way, he was glad that he left.
A/N: hnnnn- I don’t like the ending it feels super rushed but I didn’t want to lose motivation to finish this so here you go! I hope you enjoyed if you found this and feel free to message me with requests or just to chat! (I can’t promise I speedy response but I will try my damn hardest-)
