#i also got a single little teapot charm but i just thought it was cute and have no plans for it :3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

demiboydemon · 5 years

Text

Iroh’s Gourmet Teas and Teapots

What if Zuko had stopped chasing the avatar sooner? What if he realized that his father was oppressive, and that the only one who could restore his honor was himself?

Notes:

I’ve had this in my drafts for almost a year now, and I finally decided to stop nitpicking the details and post it.

Zuko sighed contently. It had been exactly one year since his banishment, and six months since he had stopped caring.

His uncle had been a big help in making Zuko realize that the whole avatar thing was a wild goose chase. He had been upset at first, but then he realized that Iroh was right. It was a wild goose chase.

Even if it was possible to find the avatar, why would he want to?

It’s not like Zuko wanted to rejoin the fire nation. Iroh has made him realize that, too. He was much happier without Azula or his father. The fire nation was oppressive, and he was better off being banished. Ever since his mother had died, his home had become a house of abuse and painful memories. Azula was the golden child, and Zuko..... Well, Zuko was closer to flying buffalo dung in his father’s eyes.

After he decided he was done chasing the avatar for his father, Zuko felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had never felt so free.

Even when Zuko heard about the avatar being found in an iceberg, he stayed out of it. He was busy working in his uncle’s tea shop.

It was a cute, small shop, built into the ship that had once belonged to the fire nation. Now it belonged to Iroh’s Gourmet Teas and Teapots, a quaint shop in an Earth bender colony, one that hadn’t been overtaken by the fire nation.

It was a nice life, not being involved in his father’s pointless war. Being free to be himself without the fear of not being enough. He had a peaceful life.

The ladies were all over Zuko, but he wasn’t interested, no matter how much his uncle tried to get him to get a girlfriend. He wasn’t sure if he wanted a boyfriend instead, or if he’d rather be single, or if he just hadn’t met the right woman yet, but he didn’t really care.

“Zuko!” Uncle Iroh called out.

Zuko poked his head out of the closet he was hiding in. “Yes, Uncle?”

“A very nice girl came to see you. Her name is Zi Lee. She’s a tailor. She was very disappointed that you weren’t here. Where were you?”

“I was hiding in this closet.” Zuko replied.

Iroh looked taken aback. His brow furrowed. “Why were you hiding?”

“Zi Lee is a great girl,” Zuko explained, “She’s smart and pretty, and her family is fairly respectable. But I’m just not interested in romance at the moment.”

Iroh shook his head, but he was smiling. “Oh, Zuko. Why, when I was your age, I wanted nothing more than to conquer nations and charm beautiful women. But not everyone is the same. You’ll meet someone one day, and they will be wonderful.”

Zuko noted that his uncle said ‘they’ And not ‘she.’ He wondered if this was a conscious decision made, or if his uncle had simply had a slip of the tongue.

“Anyway,” Iroh said, “It’s time for dinner. I made cabbage soup and rice.”

Zuko lowered himself out of the closet. “That sounds great, Uncle. But why cabbage soup? You hate cabbage.”

Iroh nodded. “Yes, but the cabbage vendor looked so sad. He said his cabbages kept being knocked over. I wanted to make him a little happier, so I bought a cabbage.”

“That was very nice of you. I hope it made him happy.”

“I hope so, too. It’s always nice to brighten someone’s day.”

Zuko was taste-testing tea for his uncle the next day when the story broke.

“Hmm.” Zuko said, “I think it needs something. Maybe a little bit more ginger?”

Iroh nodded. “Ginger. Got it. Does it need any more lychee?”

“No, it’s good lychee wise.” Zuko replied. “Maybe some tapioca would give it some texture, but then again, it’s tea, so it doesn’t really need a text-”

“The avatar!” A voice from outside cried. “He’s back! He was freed from an iceberg, and now he’s back to defeat the fire nation!”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Another rumor starter. People need to stop believing everything they hear from some random guy screaming in the streets.”

“And he’s here, in our little colony!” The man outside yelled. Zuko rubbed his hand to his forehead, willing away the headache that came with thinking about the avatar.

“He’s searching for someone to teach him firebending!”

Zuko sighed and shook his head.

“Probably a tourist, trying to stir up trouble,” Iroh sighed. Zuko nodded in agreement.

‘Even if it was the avatar,’ Zuko thought, ‘My days of chasing an impossible goal are over.’

The next day, Zuko went out to the marketplace. He needed to get something for him and his uncle to eat for dinner.

He was looking at some buying elephant koi when someone bumped into him from behind.

“Agh!” Zuko said.

“Sorry!” A boy’s voice said.

Zuko turned around. Behind him was a short, bald boy in air Nomad clothes was behind him. He had a blue arrow on his head.

“No worries,” Zuko responded, “Where’d you get your clothes? They don’t look like they’re from here.”

The boy smiled at him. “Oh, they’re from the Southern Air temple.”

“Oh, cool. You get them from an antique shop or something?” Zuko wasn’t sure why he was asking. He didn’t really care. He guessed he was trying to be polite.

“No, I got them before the fire nation destroyed it.” The boy said.

Zuko shook his head. Kids and their sarcasm. “Sure, kid.”

A guy ran up to the boy. He was tan and lean, with hair pulled into a small ponytail. He was handsome, and he was carrying a man purse. That took a few points off his total attractiveness tally, but he was still cute.

“Aang, there you are. Kartara was looking for you, she wants to practice waterbending with you.”

The bald boy, Aang, Zuko assumed, turned to the other guy. “I’ll go find her in a minute.”

“Waterbending?” Zuko asked.

The unnamed boy looked at him. “Yeah. What’s it to you?”

“A little far from the Southern water tribe.” Zuko said, narrowing his eyes. If this guy was going to be rude to him, he was going to be rude right back.

“Yeah, no shit.” Said Unnamed boy.

“What’re you doing so far North?”

“Um, you ever heard of the avatar?” The unnamed boy leaned against the stand selling elephant koi.

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Who hasn’t?”

“Well, Aang here just happens to be him. And I’m Sokka, his mentor.”

Aang looked up at Sokka. “You’re not my mentor.”

Sokka glared at him. “Aang,” He whispered through gritted teeth. Zuko was pretty sure that he wasn’t meant to hear what Sokka was saying, but it’s not like Sokka was being quiet. “Aang, I’m trying to impress the hot Earth Nation boy. Can you not ruin it for me?”

Zuko looked around, wanting to see the hot guy. The marketplace wasn’t too crowded, so it shouldn’t be too hard. The only problem was, there were no hot guys around them. Everyone surrounding them was either really old and saggy or female. One person was both.

‘Wait,’ Zuko realized, ‘Am I the hot guy?’

“Yeah, so,” Sokka said, “I’m traveling with my sister and the avatar. Also this girl named Toph, who seems mean at first, but she grows on you.”

‘The avatar?’ Zuko thought, ‘Uncle was right. When I stopped looking for him, he found me. But I don’t even want to find him any more.”

After a moment of consideration, Zuko said, “Good for you.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem impressed.”

Zuko shrugged, “I’m pretty much over the avatar. He’s way overhyped these days.”

He looked to the avatar, Aang. “No offense.”

Aang shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s not as fun being the avatar as people make it out to be.”

Zuko nodded. Then he walked away, because he didn’t care about hunting down the avatar anymore, and he didn’t want to get drawn back into that mindset. He went back into his and Iroh’s house, which was attached to their tea shop.

“I got some diced elephant koi.” Zuko gestured to the bag in his hand. “Also, I met the avatar.”

Iroh dropped the kettle he was holding. Hot water spilled over the tile floor. “What?”

“Yeah. The rumors were true,” Zuko said, “He’s in our town. I talked to him a little, but then I left.”

Iroh got a mop and began to mop up the spilled water. “I’m proud of you, Zuko. I know how hard it is to give up something you once wanted so badly.”

Zuko shrugged. “Thank you, but you were right all those months ago. The Fire Nation isn’t something I want to be a part of.”

Zuko went out on a walk late that night. He needed to clear his head. He kept thinking about the avatar.

‘No,’ Zuko thought, ‘I’m not thinking about the avatar, so much as the guy who was with him.’

Zuko looked around the square. It was dark and empty. The street lights weren’t lit. He sighed and rolled his eyes. The town officials weren’t very good at remembering to light the lanterns at night.

It was getting darker by the minute. Zuko looked around the square. He didn’t see anyone.

Cautiously, he lit up his hand. Just a small flame, so if anyone saw him from their windows, they would assume he was holding a candle.

From behind him, Zuko heard a gasp. He turned around and saw the bald arrow-headed boy from earlier.

Zuko quickly extinguished his light. “I can explain,” He stammered.

“Didn’t I see you earlier?” The boy, Aang, Zuko remembered, interrupted him.

“Yeah,” Zuko said, “But listen, I didn’t-”

“You’re a good firebender!” Aang said excitedly. He grabbed Zuko’s wrist and started pulling him, “I told Katara they still existed. C’mon, you gotta meet my friends.”

Zuko yanked away his wrist. “Woah! Sorry, Avatar, you seem like a nice kid, but I’m not getting wrapped back up in this war.”

Aang looked disappointed. “But we’re fighting for good, and I need someone to help me learn firebending.”

Zuko shook his head. “I’m not your guy.”

“But what about the greater good?”

“I work in a tea shop. That’s the greatest good I ever want to get.”

Aang sighed. “Just come meet my friends. Please?”

Zuko realized that he wasn’t going to be able to make this kid leave, and he probably couldn’t outrun an airbender. “Fine,” He relented.

“Great! I’ll take you to our camp site.” Aang said, dragging Zuko behind him.

The campsite was on the edge of town, on the beach. There was a girl making shapes in the air with water, and another standing with her feet in the ocean. The guy from earlier, Sokka, was sitting on the sand shouting out guesses to what the water bending girl was trying to make.

“Beaver-duck!” He shouted.

The girl shook her head.

“Platypus-pigeon!”

“Nope!”

“Come on, Katara,” Sokka whined, “Give me a hint.”

“It can fly,” The girl, Katara, Zuko assumed, said.

“Appa!” Sokka yelled.

The water figure dropped from the air back into the ocean when Katara saw Aang and Zuko walking toward them.

“Hey, guys!” Aang said. “I found a good firebender.”

Zuko watched in amusement as both Katara’s and Sokka’s faces took on expressions of shock.

“The guy from the elephant koi stand?” Sokka asked, waving his arms around indignantly, “No way he’s a bender!”

“Is too!” Aang argued.

“Is not,” Sokka countered.

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Guys,” Katara interrupted, “Even if he is a firebender, how do we know he’s trustworthy?”

Everyone looked to Zuko, as if he had wanted to be here in the first place. He shrugged, “I never said I was.”

Aang made a sound like a betrayed child. “Wha- But I saw you firebend! Now you’re saying you’re not a bender?”

“I’m just saying that I never wanted to come here in the first place. I already told you that I’m not teaching you firebending. I’m not getting caught back up in my father’s war.”

“Your father?” A new voice asked. Zuko turned to see a girl with black hair who had walked up to them way too quietly.

“Yeah,” Sokka said, “What does your father have to do with this?”

Zuko mentally cursed himself. ‘Well, at least after they know, they’ll let me leave.’

“My father is Emperor Ozai,” Zuko declared. A gasp rang through the gathered people. “I am Prince Zuko, and I have no intention of ever fighting on either side of this war.”

No one said anything for a few seconds. ‘Finally, I can go home,’ Zuko thought. He turned around and started marching back up the beach, toward the town.

“Idiots,” The unnamed black haired girl said. “Zuko is the banished prince. Emphasis on banished. Have you guys never been to a party? Or even read a newspaper?”

“You’ve never read a newspaper, either, Toph,” Sokka pointed out.

“Yeah,” The black haired girl, Toph, replied, “Because I’m blind. But you guys aren’t, so none of you have any excuse to not know about the banished prince.”

Zuko started walking away faster. ‘Maybe if I walk fast enough, I’ll be gone by the time they get to the embarrassing bits of that story.’

“He got banished for standing up to his father. It was a big scandal,” Toph explained as Zuko further picked up his pace. “My parents would talk about it whenever gossip was low.”

Zuko broke into a run. Maybe if he got away fast enough, they wouldn’t be able to follow him.

Unfortunately, sand is hard to run on and airbenders are fast.

“Hey, Zuko!” Aang shouted across the beach.

Zuko pretended not to hear him.

“Zuko!” Aang said, now much closer.

Zuko groaned and rubbed his temples. “What?”

“I know you don’t want to get caught up in this war, but it’s really important that I learn to firebend before Sozin’s comet. If I don’t, I won’t have any way to save the world.”

Zuko wanted to say that that wasn’t his problem, but deep down, he knew it was. After all, he lived on the world. If the fire nation took it over, (only a matter of time, really,) then Zuko was as good as dead.

“Why can’t someone else teach you firebending?” Zuko asked. Surely there was someone else who this responsibility could fall to.

“Because you’re the only one who’s willing to,” Aang responded.

“What part of ‘no’ screams ‘willing’ to you?”

“If you don’t teach me, no one will,” Aang said, “And then the world will all be taken over by your dad and we’ll all die.”

Zuko considered this. The kid made a compelling point. He sighed.

“Fine,” Zuko relented, “But as soon as you get it, you’ll leave me alone, okay? I don’t want to fight in this war. I just want to work in my uncle’s tea shop.”

“Deal!” Aang shouted.

Zuko groaned. He glared at the avatar. “You’d better be a fast learner.”

Uncle Iroh took the news surprisingly well. “You’re going to teach the avatar firbending?”

Zuko nodded. “Unfortunately.”

“That way he can defeat the firelord.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Zuko said, “But I didn’t want to do it. The avatar wouldn’t stop pestering me until I agreed.”

“I was going to say that I support you, Zuko,” Iroh said. “I am proud of your for doing what is right.”

“Plus,” Zuko said, hoping he sounded casual and nonchalant, “There was this really cute guy with him...”

Iroh sipped his tea with a happy look on his face. “A cute guy, huh? Tell me more.”

Zuko grinned upon hearing his uncle’s support. He hadn’t wanted to get involved with the avatar, but he supposed it would be fine.

After all, like his uncle said, destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out.

#sokka #zuko #zukka #Avatar The Last Airbender #fanfiction

236 notes · View notes

thebiasrekkers · 4 years

Text

Let Me In | JJK

Requested by Anon

Plot: Unexpected feelings come at unexpected times and in unexpected ways.

Rating: PG-13 // SFW

Genre: One-Shot/Drabble | FriendstoLovers!AU | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jeon Jungkook x Reader

Warnings: Mild Language

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 1,685

A/N: I have to admit, I thought this was really cute. And it actually has the potential to become a series. Will it? Who knows… Probably not though since I have something else lined up in the works for the rest of you lovely people. Enjoy!

“Hey,” he said, flashing his trademark grin at you, “I need a place to stay.”

The sigh that escaped your lips was on reflex. It was the same shit and on a different day. Part of you wondered why you entertained this fiasco at least twice a week, but the other part already knew why. In fact, you’ve always known the answer. It wasn’t like it was rocket science at this point.

It was because Jungkook was your best friend. When have you ever been able to say “no” to him? Nothing’s changed in the last twelve years. It wouldn’t change for the next twelve years, either.

Yet there you stood, gripping onto the doorknob and debating if today would be the day when you finally did, in fact, say “no” to his stupid, charming smile.

But like always, you relented. Stepping to the side, you gave an over dramatic flourish with one arm. He danced across the threshold, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder like he didn’t have a single care in the world. There were times when his nonchalant way of carrying himself could get under your skin. He’d been like that since you first met him in grade school. In fact, you were even a little jealous.

It was sheer luck that his parents happened to be close friends with yours. You were his childhood playmate. It was the same well through your adult years.

You closed the door, shuffling into the kitchen to finish brewing the pot of tea you were preparing. He slung his jacket across the back of the couch, the duffel in its place on the side of it. He’d already kicked off his shoes and was now making his way toward one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

“I want some,” he called out, “make me a cup too.”

You rolled your eyes. “You don’t even like tea.”

He pouted, his brows furrowing as you focused on pouring the hot water over the leaves in the teapot. “That’s not true.”

You give him the look, the one he knew all-too-well. “Since when?”

“Since today.” He flashed a cheeky grin at you and you shrug, pulling out two mugs. Jungkook gave small claps of victory. “You’re the best, Y/N.”

Shaking your head, you focus your energy on making sure that enough hot water is in the teapot. Mentally making a note to let it steep for a few minutes, you turned toward the fridge to pull out the plate of fruit you’d peeled and sliced earlier that afternoon.

Because you worked from home, you had the luxury to do things at your own pace. You’ve always preferred it that way. You knew from a very young age that you could never work for some big company; squared away in a cubicle where people referred to you by an ID number. Your parents said you were foolish for breaking away from societal norms, but Jungkook praised you for wanting to strike out on your own and live your life on your own terms.

Jungkook was already spearing through one of the apples with the dessert fork he squirreled from the utensil cup on the counter. For a while, all you could do was look at him as he chewed. He definitely was a man now, but there was a boyish air that continued to linger over Jungkook in his adult body. He was popular with the women, charismatic enough to draw in the men, and as someone who pursued his dream of painting, he was the definition of “starving, attractive artist”.

It wasn’t fair that he was your best friend. Who asked him to come into your life and stay there? Everyone else left and walked their own paths. It almost seemed archaic and unrealistic to maintain a “childhood friend” sort of relationship. No one was genuine anymore, willing to hide the truth behind plastic smiles and false promises. You expected Jungkook to be the same. People changed. Why shouldn’t he?

Yet there he was…

“So what happened this time?” you asked suddenly, pulling him from his fruit-induced moment of bliss. “Did you tell Marisa that she looked fat in some outfit again?”

“Huh?” Jungkook stopped in mid-chew, a piece of the apple poking out between his lips. “Marisa? We broke up, like, a week ago?”

Why weren’t you surprised?

“Besides, I learned my lesson on that front. Not all people appreciate honesty the way that you do.” Jungkook grinned. “If I said you looked fat in something, you’d either flip me off or make me help you pick something out that flatters your figure.”

“Gee, thanks,” you said as you poured the tea into both mugs, your sarcasm quite evident.

“You don’t fall for my pitiful acts either. In fact, I don’t think I could ever pull a fast one on you.” He tilted his head slightly as he looked up at you. “Is it because you know me so well?”

You scoffed as you hold out the mug of steaming tea toward him. “I can see your bullshit from a mile away. I don’t know how girls keep falling for it every single time.”

He chuckled, cradling the mug between his palms. “Yeah, I don’t either.” Jungkook blew the steam away a few times and then took a sip. He sighed happily.

“You still haven’t told me why you need a place to stay.” You raised the mug up to your face, scrutinizing him. “Again.”

“Oh, that?” He shrugged. “I just got into a fight with my Old Man.”

You slowly raised a brow. That was odd, considering that you knew how well Jungkook got along with his father. In fact, you couldn’t remember a time where they ever fought. Jungkook told you everything. Literally. It would have been a little odd to omit something like that.

“What for?” you asked, sliding into the chair beside him at the table. He passed a dessert fork with a strawberry on top of it.

Shrugging, he laughed as he polished off the apple and stabbed a piece of banana. “Honestly, it was really the stupidest thing. He said I was wasting my life on my art. That my career was too unstable to maintain.” He air-quoted around the words, his brows furrowing in contrast with the smile on his face.

You bit into the strawberry, savoring the juices. It would definitely balance out the herbal flavor of the tea. “Then just marry a rich person.”

The comment was clearly a joke. You knew he wouldn’t take it seriously. But as you lifted your mug of tea up to your lips, you spotted the look on Jungkook’s face. The amusement was gone from his features and he suddenly looked his age - petulant as the gaze was.

“That’s not funny, Y/N,” he said, his tone even and flat.

As the tea slid down your throat, you winced slightly at how it scalded the inside of your mouth. You quickly set the mug down on the table, suddenly uncomfortable with how hard Jungkook was staring at you. Since when did he take anything you said seriously? It actually irritated you.

“I was only joking, geez,” you snapped, tucking some of your hair behind your ear, “what’s your problem?”

“How can you even suggest that?” Jungkook folded his arms across his chest. “I’m going to marry for love, not for convenience.”

“Then love someone who happens to be rich so you can marry them!”

“Then I’ll marry you!”

The anger that was steadily boiling inside of you suddenly deflated. For a handful of seconds, all you could do was stare hard at one another. Finally, you balked at the idea, dissolving into a small fit of laughter.

“Wait, what?” You continued laughing, feeling a slight pain digging into your side. “What?! That’s crazy.” You slowly slid your fingers around your mug, averting his gaze. “You’re crazy.”

Suddenly, you felt his hand around your wrist. Before you have a chance to ask him what he’s doing, he’s already pulled you into his orbit. You had an idea of what you wanted to say to clapback at him, but his lips were already sealing over yours in a heated kiss. Your hand curled into a fist, unsure of what you were feeling at that moment. All you could focus on was the sweetness from the fruit he’d just eaten and the lingering herbal flavor of the tea.

But there was no urge to pull away. Strange. Did you want this to happen? Had you wanted it for some time?

He silently urged your mouth to open wider, wanting to get a better taste of you. In the same vein, you also wanted to taste him. This was your first kiss with Jungkook, after all. Out of all the relationships he’d had in the past, you were starting to get a better idea of why the other girls continuously fell for his nonsense - hook, line and sinker. There was a dark part of you that suddenly despised those other women.

They’d gotten a chance to indulge in his mouth long before you had. It wasn’t fair because you’d known him for almost half of your lives. Shouldn’t this moment have always been yours?

As Jungkook pulled away from you, you suppressed a whine of protest. He must have sensed it because he flashed his devious grin at you; the one that said he already knew what you were thinking. He had a way of being able to read you like an open book. Then again, you had the same skill when it came to him.

That didn’t make his face any less unnecessarily handsome or his kiss any less addicting.

“Hey, Y/N,” Jungkook whispered. He leaned in to press his nose gently against yours, causing your eyes to cross. “…I need a place to stay.”

Regardless of how hard your heart was jack-hammering against your ribs, you laughed. You both did. And then he pulled you in even closer, pressing your chest against his, so that he could kiss you once more.

#bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #btswriterscollective #mknlinenet #kwordsmiths #bts #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts modern au #bts friends to lovers #jungkook x reader #bts imagines #bts imagine #jeon jungkook x reader #thebiasrekkers #bts thebiasrekkers #jeon jungkook #jungkook bts #bts jungkook

52 notes · View notes