Might I offer some dad!Vaatu in these troubling times?
Here is where I got the prompt from~
Note- Zuko and Vaatu are entirely separate entities, so no Avatar!Zuko here.
CW for child abuse, panic attack and blood
"How much for a tomato, sir?" Zuko asked, counting the few coins in his palm. The jolly old man who sold the vegetables gave Zuko a warm smile, and handed him a full basket of various veggies.
"On the house, kiddo." He said, smiling warmly. Zuko looked up at the man.
"Really? Thank you!" He beamed. The small boy bowed and quickly began making his way home.
As the sun began it's descent, the small boy quickened his step. He didn't need Vaatu coming out and looking for him, he only barely managed to get the spirit to let him out of his sight. Zuko contemplated trying to run away. He kept his face even as his pulse increased. He wasn't sure running would do him any good, Vaatu would just track him down and carry him right back "home." Really, all Zuko could do was bide his time. He saw the missing posters, he knew his family was looking for him and the Fire Sages were working on warding off Vaatu.
Though, Zuko wasn't so sure how well one could ward off an all powerful spirit.
Suddenly Zuko became aware of footsteps trailing behind him. He whipped around.
"Who's there?!" The boy demanded, trying smother the fear in his voice.
"Don't be alarmed, child." A man stepped forth from the shadows. "You are Prince Zuko, yes? I've come to take you home." Zuko fell to his knees, his legs felt numb. Three years, it had been three years since Vaatu had interfered in his training lesson and ripped him away from his family.
And now, he could finally go home.
By the time Zuko had come back to his senses, the man was already pulling him to his feet and leading him away.
"Come on, we don't have time to loose, that thing could appear at any moment."
Zuko looked up, and back at the abandoned and spilled basket. He quickened his pace. Night was setting in and Vaatu would likely come looking for him soon.
As the darkness got heavier and the trees of the surrounding woods only got more unfamiliar, Zuko felt an awful feeling in his gut.
"Where are we going, exactly?" But the man didn't answer Zuko's question. Only tightened his grip on the boy's wrist and starting moving faster. Zuko grit his teeth and dug in his heels. "Hey! Where are we going?!"
He suddenly found himself violently thrown to the ground. He tried to get up, only to get a kick to the face. The boy cringed and curled up as he received several stomps to the side.
"Heh, all I had to do was say I was taking you home and you just bought it. Hook, line, and sinker." The man gave a vicious chuckle. "Yeah, I'm taking you home." He ignited a pair of fireballs in his hands. "In an urn, that is." Zuko looked up at the man.
Of course, his rescuer turned out to be an assassin. But Azula wouldn't have needed a rescuer, she would have fought Vaatu off all on her own. Only someone weak, and pathetic like Zuko would need to be saved.
"Oh, don't give me that face." The man spat before punching Zuko. He wrapped his hands around Zuko's throat, grinning. "Ya know, I was gonna just burn you to a crisp, but strangling just feels oh so good. And that way, I get to see the light fade from your eyes."
Zuko feebly grabbed at the man's wrists, darkness was edging into his vision. He couldn't let it end like this, no he'd prove himself. He'd make it back home in one piece, prove his worth to his father. Consciousness fading, but determination burning ever hotter, Zuko summoned heat into his palms. The man released his throat and Zuko coughed as he forced air back into his lungs. As the man made another move for Zuko, he summoned a weak flame and threw it into the man's face. He screamed as Zuko ran off.
Zuko dashed frantically into the dark night, he was completely lost and he knew it. Without the sun, his sense of direction was shot, and he knew the man would be looking for him. His heart throbbed as he spotted Vaatu's cottage in the distance. Without thinking, he burst right in turning around and slamming the door shut behind him, before collapsing against it. He went stiff as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
"Larva, what's wrong? Where were-" He turned Zuko around and took a good look at his face. Vaatu's expression flashed from shocked to stern. His ominous red eyes betraying his immeasurable rage. He gently tilted Zuko's head up, getting a better look at his busted face. With a surprising gentleness, he thumbed away the tears gathering in Zuko's eyes. His eyes narrowed. "Don't move." He hissed, making his way into another room. He returned with a small, dampened cloth and proceeded to gently wipe the blood from Zuko's face. Wrath rolled off the spirit like mist rolling over a morning lake. Zuko's heart thundered as Vaatu began to patch up his wounds. His heart nearly stopped as Vaatu looked him dead in the eyes. The burning gold of his own, meeting the blood and darkness of Vaatu's dead on.
His gaze was absolutely soul piercing.
Then, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Vaatu spoke.
"Who did this?" His voice was tense, and only a step above a demonic growl.
Zuko's mind desperately searched for some way to answer. Vaatu is obviously angry with him, not only did he come back much later than he promised, but he'd also gotten himself into trouble. And judging by his injuries, Vaatu could obviously tell that Zuko was weak and pathetic and couldn't even defend himself. But what should he do? Lie? Vaatu would probably be able to see right through it, and punish him accordingly. No, he had to tell the truth, he had to be honest and tell Vaatu he tried to run off with someone he thought had come to rescue him. Only, he found himself unable to speak. He desperately tried to will the words out. Delaying will only make the punishment worse. He tried to steady his breathing, but it kept coming in shorter and shorter gasps, hot tears flowing down his face as he stumbled out incoherent phrase after incoherent phrase.
Don't cry, Zuko told himself. Crying only makes the punishment worse.
And Vaatu is a spirit. He can punish Zuko in ways Ozai could only dream of.
Next thing Zuko knew, Vaatu had picked him up and was laying him on his bed. Zuko tried to reach out to him, desperately trying to tell him, but Vaatu was already leaving, shifting into his normal black, flatworm-esque form and retreating into the night.
Zuko curled in on himself, his mind raced.
He should have just told Vaatu the truth, gave him the answer he was looking for. Now only Agni knows what that spirit is going to do to him. Welp, there was no point in sticking around now, whatever punishment he got for trying to escape couldn't have been as worse than what he's about to get. Zuko scrambled up and clawed uselessly at the windows. He couldn't breath or focus, everything was f a l l i n g a p a r t.
Of course, Vaatu came back much earlier than he was anticipating, as Zuko felt his arms wrapping around his small frame.
"There, there." The dark spirit cooed, cradling Zuko. The boy struggled harder and screamed for help when he realized how utterly soaked in blood Vaatu was. The dark spirit held him tighter, shooshing him. "It's alright, that man won't be bothering you again." He rubbed Zuko's back until the boy eventually calmed down and fell asleep in his arms.
Vaatu knew right away that his larva had returned. He said he'd be back before dusk, that he was just grabbing some food from the market. Vaatu wanted to think that it was natural for him to feel worried when dusk came and went without his larva's return. The black haired humanling had been so adamant that Vaatu trust him, that he decided to wait when he hadn't shown up. He'll be back soon. He told himself. Nonetheless, he worried.
Then he did return. Panting and looking rather scruffy. Vaatu tried to pry as to his larva's distress, however, he hadn't expected to see his larva beaten and bloodied. His rage burned, as he cleaned his larva's wounds, he only became angrier.
He asked his larva what happened, but the small humanling panicked. Vaatu wasn't sure what to do with this. Raava would have been able to sooth the poor larva, but Vaatu, her opposite, was incapable of such a thing.
His aura was unsettling, not soothing.
He laid his panicked larva down for a nap and went out to... do some business.
Vaatu returned to his larva frantically trying to escape from him. Had, had he given the poor humanling the wrong impression? Did Zuko think that Vaatu was angry with him? The dark spirit tried to think of what Raava might do in this situation.
...Probably chide him for letting his poor defenseless larva wander about on his own. And then soothe said larva.
(Spirit of Light and Peace? More like, Spirit of Chiding and Nagging.)
Mmm- Vaatu wasn't very good at soothing, but he supposed he had to try. He grabbed the panicked humanling and held him close, rubbing his back and cooing at him. Eventually, he calmed down and fell asleep.
Three years, it had been three years since Vaatu rescued his larva from the wretched human. A man who was about to kill his own son for power.
Vaatu would protect his new larva, no matter the cost.
