[image description: Iroh, Sokka, and Zuko are sitting in the Jasmine Dragon, post war. Zuko is serving tea. Iroh is showing off Zuko’s baby photos while Sokka laughs in the foreground. Zuko is embarrassed. //End ID]
summary ☞ During their time in Ba Sing Se, Zuko is forced to work in a tea shop while his uncle lives his best life surrounded by herbs. However, he didn't expect for their cover to be blown when a Fire Nation girl unexpectedly walked in, and for his heart to leap up at her sight.
word count ☞ 2.8k+
warnings ☞ fluff, set into book two, lee junior should have its own warning, zuko is awkward and doesn't know how to flirt to save his life, iroh jumps in and plays matchmaker.
mene's notes ☞ previously posted on @/selenewowww. lee from the teashop should have its own warning. remember, make tea not war
dividers by ☞ @cursed-carmine, @cafekitsune
Zuko did not like his current situation. And he did not like tea. Much less working in a tea shop.
Unfortunately for him, though, it was necessary. He and his uncle were refugees in Ba Sing Se, they had to earn the bare minimum to survive, in order to live decently and not as savages. Their house was in the Lower Ring, he wasn't used to living in such conditions. He was a prince!
Zuko was already a broody boy, never seen not frowning or complaining under his breath. Not to mention the foolish cover name his uncle had oh so kindly given him.
Lee Junior. Lee Jr. That's such a plain name! Everyone in the damned Earth Kingdom was called Lee! He knew he couldn't use his own name, but couldn't his uncle come up with a better name? Ugh.
Ugh. That's Zuko's mindset whenever he put foot in the tea shop and tied the stupid apron. He didn't get where his uncle’s hype for tea came. At the end of the day, tea was just hot leaf juice. Nothing less, nothing more. However, he didn't dare to repeat it with Iroh around. Last time he had the audacity to say it, the wise man had fully gone mental, yelling how “a member of my own family could say something so horrible!”.
He had got used to working at the Jasmine Dragon, though. It was a matter of time, after all. Just needed time to settle in and get the hang of it all. Sweeping the floor, taking orders, serving the clients. At that point, it was more of a routine. His thoughts never lingered much on the clients. Why would he? Most of the customers were old women, merchants and overall adults. Everyone had the same characteristic green eyes, olive skin and brown hair. Nothing caught his attention. Until that day.
Zuko was busy tending to a kind old lady, putting her cup of rose tea and slice of pie in front of her, offering her a distracted smile. A bell ringing sound got to his ears, coming from the entrance to signal a new costumer. He had immediately felt something in the air, he could feel something out of the ordinary in the air, his instincts told him so. It was… Familiar, in some way?
He then turned to face the entrance, taken aback when he was met with the lovely face of a girl, seemingly around his age. Her age wasn't what caught his interest, though. It was her eyes. Her appearance.
The first thing he noticed were her eyes. That strangely resembled his. He was mesmerised by her eyes, her golden eyes. The purest gold poured in her irises, the sweetest honey made from the most delicate flowers.
Golden eyes that hid a repressed flame.
He was left frozen in his place. Eyes and mind not able to avert from her eyes. Eyes that were not like anyone else's. How could they attract him so much? Why did he feel such a pull towards them? What was this force telling him to drown in that gold sea?
He was taken back to reality by the kind lady speaking up, mirth dancing freely in her eyes marked by age, a knowing look in them. “She's such a flower, isn't she? Reminds me of a flower my gran used to gift me from her trips to Fire Nation... I can't seem to remember the name, though… Ah, being old is not for the weak, young man”, she had said in a motherly voice, of someone who had lived their life to the fullest and dedicated it to the family.
“Fire Lily”, he had blurted out, still a bit dazed by the intensity of the girl's eyes.
“Ah, yes, yes! That was the name! Fire Lily. Oh, such a rare beauty…”, she added in a nostalgic tone.
While the old lady reminisced in memories long gone, Zuko followed the golden eyed girl to an empty table with his attentive gaze. With a newfound confidence, he reached for his notebook in the apron's pocket, taking long strides to her table.
When he stopped in front of her, she looked up from Jasmin Dragon's menu, eyes resting on his face for a few seconds before averting to his left eye. When she laid eyes on his scar, her whole face seemed to lit up, like a flower relishing in the sunlight, recognition dancing in her expression.
“Prince Zu—!”, she started, whispering in utter belief, her mind not understanding what the banished Prince of Fire Nation was doing in a tea shop in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se.
Zuko widened his eyes momentarily, and promptly covered her mouth with his hand to avoid letting her finish her sentence.
‘How does she know me? Bad Sing Se shouldn't have recent information about Fire Nation. They don't even know about the war! Is she…’, he theorised in his head.
When he was sure the wide–eyed girl wouldn't blabber anymore and had relatively calmed down, only then he removed his hand, subtly glancing around to make sure no one had seen their interaction.
“I'm Lee, and I'll be serving you today. What can I get you?”, he asked with a pointed look, telling her to drop the matter.
Still reeling from seeing him, she nodded absentmindedly and muttered fascinated her order. “Uh… A Jasmine tea and a slice of, uh, strawberry cake. Please”
He nodded and headed to the kitchen to give Iroh the order. Once he was inside, he shut the door and rushed to approach his uncle.
“Uncle! Uncle!”, he whispered–yelled with urgency.
Iroh had a serene smile on his face, calmly pouring the Jasmine leaves in two cups of steaming water. Once he was done, he set the cups aside and turned to his nephew.
“What's troubling you, Zuko?”, he asked with his usual wise tone.
“Uncle, there's a Fire Nation girl! She recognised me!”, he told him, sure that his uncle would understand the gravity of the situation.
“Oh, how lovely! I must get a look at such a beautiful girl”, Iroh’s smile widened.
“She could rat us out— Wait, beautiful? I—I never said she was pretty”
“My dear nephew, your mouth may have not, but your eyes speak louder”, he said with a teasing light in his eyes. “And the pink hue on your cheeks tells me otherwise, too”, he elbowed Zuko lightly.
Iroh then placed a steaming cup of Jasmine tea and a plate of strawberry cake, passing it to Zuko.
“Now go and serve that lovely girl. She'll appreciate your kindness, I'm sure”, he smiled widely.
Zuko, still slightly blushing, took the tray from his uncle and turned around to head to the tearoom. He heard his uncle gasping and rushing to him with a strawberry in hand, placing it on top of the cake with a teasing wink.
Zuko blushed more and rolled his eyes at his uncle’s antics, and headed out for good this time.
He approached her table with steady steps, knuckles turning white with the strength he was gripping the tray and glare fixed on her face. Once he got in front of her, he placed the tray on the small wooden table with a thud, almost spilling the yellow tea.
She looked up and locked eyes with him. Gold on gold. Honey on honey. For a second time, he felt that sensation of warmth, of wanting to drown in those eyes and never get out.
He didn't know who she was. Didn't have a name. She was surrounded by a cloud of glittering mystery. But she was Fire Nation, wasn't she?
“Here”, he said curtly.
“Thanks, Lee”, she smiled up at him, a knowing look evident on her face.
He nodded, not trusting his voice to come out steady.
“You know, uh… You're free later?”, she asked hopefully.
His mind stopped working altogether. He stayed on his spot, silent, speechless, frozen. She was left answerless, gazing up at him with confusion written all over her face, lips pulled in a slight smile. She was about to add something else when Iroh exited the kitchen and saved his nephew from further humiliation.
“Oh, my nephew was not exaggerating when he told me a beauty that could rival every flower was our costumer!”, he complimented her. “I'm Mushi, my flower lady”
She smiled brightly, thriving under such compliments thrown her way. “Your tea is merely the best I've ever tasted, General”
Iroh blushed, glad. “Oh, finally someone who appreciates the delicate art of tea!”
Zuko rolled his eyes at his uncle’s subtle jab at him, but Iroh only smiled wider.
“Would you bless us with your presence at dinner tonight? I make a fine roasted duck”
She smiled at the invitation, sneaking a look at Zuko before nodding. “I must accept such a kind offer”
On the other hand, Zuko was panicking internally. She? In their house? Absolutely out of the question. He was not ready to have her so close to him. And what if she was sent by Azula to turn them in? But Iroh seemed to ignore every panicked glance he was giving him, and assured her that Zuko would accompany her to their house after their shift.
He sneaked a glance at her, and noticed her smiling warmly at him, the fire once reprimed in her irises, was now burning free, inviting him in. His raging heart had calmed down significantly, mind stopping spiralling altogether. He found himself not so anxious about having her over anymore.
What if she wasn't a threat? If she was just another refugee, to whom was presented a chance to escape the horrors of their mother country, and took it whole–heartedly. Perhaps she was just a scared girl, all alone in the biggest city of the Earth Kingdom.
While Iron had long returned to their house, Zuko had to stay overtime to clean the tables and floor.
To say he was exhausted was an understatement. He was a Prince, he wasn't used to all this cleaning stuff. He had maids in his palace who cleaned after him.
After the last table was spotless, he took a relieved sigh and headed to the door, already wishing for the day to be over. But once he locked the door behind him, he was met with those eyes that had such a force over him staring back at him.
“We're closing”, he said curtly, confused as to why she was standing in front of the tea shop.
“I know. You're supposed to walk me to your flat, remember? Your Uncle invited me to dinner”
Upon hearing that, Zuko wanted to facepalm himself for forgetting their dinner. “Yeah, uh, right. Follow me, I guess…”
She chuckled under her breath and fell in step with him, arms brushing from time to time. They walked in silence, the only sounds being the occasional bird chirping and some kids playing in the distance. Until he decided he had enough of that awkwardness and broke the ice between them, blurting out what had plagued his mind since the first time he saw her.
“You’re Fire Nation”, he stated simply.
Her lips lifted in a small amused smile, “So are you”
He turned to her, both staring at each other without saying anything. Just… Observing.
“You're the Banished Prince”, she said out of the blue, mimicking his earlier tone.
“... I am”, he admitted. “Did Azula send you to taunt me?”
“No”, she stated simply, smiling carelessly.
“… Okay”, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
“You don't sound so sure. Look, if that was my intention, I wouldn't have tried to ask you out, no?”
His eyes widened, almost comically, halting in his steps. “When did you do that?”
She returned his shocked face, just more incredulous than stunned. “Earlier? Before the General interrupted us? Come on, I literally asked you if you were free!”
“Oh…”, he said while trying to get back to that memory. “That was you asking me out?”
She burst into a fit of giggles, looking as radiant as the morning sun, sounding like the flowery wind of mid–spring. “You haven't got any experience with girls, huh?”
Seeing her so carefree around him, he allowed himself to smile too, pouting slightly at her incessant laughter.
“Hey, stop laughing. I'm your Prince, you're my subject”, he complained with a playful smile painting his face.
She tried composing herself, straightening her back and holding back her chuckles. “No, you're right. I'm sorry, Your Highness. I shouldn't have been so inconsiderate of your feelings”, she played along with a solemn voice.
Their walk was now filled with laughter and flowing with easy conversation, almost as if they weren't strangers to each other. And most importantly, his doubts regarding her had subsided completely, forgotten in the back of his mind.
After their walk under the soft silver light of the Moon, he wasn't worried about how dinner with her would go.
On the contrary, it had gone pretty smoothly. Iroh, true to his word, had managed to cook a real delicacy, and his tea was beyond the shadow of a doubt the better. ‘The best she had ever tasted, even back in the Fire Nation’, she had flattered Iroh.
Despite the occasional teasing comment or glance from Iroh, Zuko had to admit she was pretty nice. And pretty beautiful. She had enchanted him, put some kind of spell on him. And his uncle, as wise and nosy in his nephew's love life as he was, had to trick him into asking her to take a stroll out. He had no escape from it, not when her eyes met his with so much joy in them. Not when those hopeful and star–struck eyes were reserved for his eyes only.
Therefore, he grabbed a cloak for the both of them and draped it on her shoulders when they were met with the chilly wind of sunset. They walked in silence, only the echoes of their steps on the stone floor of the streets as their background music.
He had to confess, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. With her face bathing in the pink–red light, features sharpening but seeming even softer, his cloak swallowing her body and shielding her from the wind, she was a jewel.
A flower. The most beautiful, the most delicate, the kind that bloomed once in a lifetime, but was worth every year of waiting from how angelic it was.
His train of admiration thoughts was broken the moment he felt the soft skin of her hand shyly reaching out for his own, interlocking only their pinkies together, almost as if holding his hand was too much for her.
He turned to watch her, the softest smile to ever come from him adorning his face. She felt his stare, and reciprocated his stare, cheeks a light pink from her action.
No words were spoken between them, they weren't needed. However, that bounding silence was broken by a fit of laughter, floating in the air like a cherry petal on a soothing morning.
His laughter followed her shortly after, blending perfectly together, two notes on a dramyin.
After their chuckling faded, both were left with a glittery light in their hearts, like a little sun warming their bodies from inside out. That sensation made a wave of courage flow over Zuko, telling him to proclaim his infatuation with her.
So that's what he did.
“I'm in love with your eyes”, he said sincerely, standing in front of her, taking her hands in his and squeezing them lightly.
His words made her blush, the pink colour seeming darker with the sunset shining on her like a ray of love. “As I am with yours”, she muttered back, shyly looking up at him through her eyelashes.
His hands left her hands, coming to rest on her cheeks, holding her face like one’d do with a delicate Fire Lily.
“Every time I lay eyes on them, I never want to look away. It'd physically hurt me to do so. I feel like I could drown into them”, he whispered in utter admiration, his lips only a few inches away from hers.
He waited for a few excruciating seconds before finally letting his lips brush against her pink ones. All he could think about was how her lips tasted of jasmine tea, a flavour he could get addicted to. The atmosphere around them felt serene, calm, like an afternoon in spring.
He reluctantly broke the kiss, resting his forehead on hers, gaze fixed on hers, golden eyes meeting with golden eyes.
“I would love it if you were to ask me to be your girlfriend, my Prince”, she muttered with a small smile playing on her lips.
“I'll make sure to do that when the time is right, my flower”, he answered with the same low tone.
Working in his uncle's tea shop wasn't so bad, after all.
Because I refuse to watch the leaked movie, I’m going to revisiting all the official ATLA media and read series I haven’t yet.
And while rereading The Promise, Uncle Iroh invented boba! Why was this never mentioned in Legend of Korra or talked about in the fandom more? This is such a cute detail.
I think it would be a good change if Natla made Iroh stay with Zuko in the fire nation after he’s coronated to help his an adviser and maybe opens The Jasmine Dragon and gifts it to Jin to run or something
I get the poetic epilogue nod the OG was going for by making Iroh run a quaint tea shop in the city he once tried to conquer, but since we now know the ATLA story goes on, it just makes no sense to think Iroh (who gave his life to follow zuko into exile) wouldn’t stay and help him navigate being fire lors at the very least for both Zuko’s sake and the world’s (zuko clearly did a great job on his own but the poor guy is 17 and still dealing with his own trauma he just began to unpack and now navigating pulling a country o it of a century of war and imperialism)
