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sketchsanchez · 5 months

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WiP Wednesday: Ba Sing Se Body Swap

Who doesn't love a good enemies get body swapped fic? In which Aang is not prepared for Zuko's chronic pain or the realities of retail life and Zuko has more trouble controlling his airbending than expected.

The first thing Aang became aware of was pain. His head was killing him as he blearily opened his eyes to the first rays of dawn shining through his window.

Except it wasn’t his window, it took him a moment to realize. He was not where he’d gone to sleep last night – nor was he with his friends, which was greatly concerning. What was going on?

He groaned, rubbing his face in hopes of soothing the pain. It didn’t work, but it did reveal that his face felt weird. The skin around his left eye was all tight and textured and touching it just made the pain worse, so he quickly lowered his hands, looking around for a mirror.

What he saw when he found one did not make sense. Firstly, he had hair, which just felt bizarre. Secondly, it was not his face looking back at him. But it was a face he recognized (though the hair was new), and he chewed on his lip, trying to figure out why Zuko was looking back at him in the mirror.

There was a knock on the door and someone called, “are you up? Our shift starts in an hour.”

“What?” Aang blurted out, beyond confused. What was even happening!? His head felt like it was splitting apart and nothing made any sense and–

“At the teashop,” the other person said. Aang didn’t think he recognized the voice – but when he hesitantly opened the screen door, the old man who followed Zuko around was standing there.

“Good morning, Nephew,” the old man greeted, smiling at him.

Aang stared.

“Let’s eat breakfast,” the old man invited and Aang followed him numbly into a small living space with a couch across from a table with two chairs.

Aang sat down in one, wondering what was going on.

“Are you all right?” asked the old man – who was apparently Zuko’s Uncle? Because he’d called Aang ‘nephew’, only it wasn’t Aang he had spoken to at all, because Aang’s face was currently Zuko’s.

His sense of bafflement and confusion was not helping with the pain. “My head hurts,” he managed to grunt, pressing a hand against his forehead as though that would do anything.

The pain spiked when the heel of his hand pressed against the scar tissue and Aang kind of wanted to cry.

The old man’s lips pursed in concern. “I have some of the pain relieving tealeaves still,” he said, voice quiet.

“Yes please,” Aang managed, closing his eyes.

He could hear the old man rise and begin to bustle around the room, but it barely penetrated his notice, so caught up was he in the pain. He couldn’t even think about what was going on or why he was Zuko somehow. All he could focus on was the way he ached, like white hot fire was pulsing through his head.

So he startled when the old man touched his shoulder lightly, holding a cup of tea and guiding him to sip at it. It tasted awful, but Aang didn’t have the wherewithal to resist and after a few minutes, it actually seemed to help.

The pain lessened enough that he could open his eyes – and he found that Zuko’s Uncle had closed the shutters, keeping out the bright sunlight. That and the tea made it slightly more bearable to exist at the moment and Aang let himself lean into Zuko’s Uncle, accepting what comfort was being offered. It was weird that it was Zuko’s Uncle holding him – but it was also weird that he was Zuko for some reason and it made sense that Zuko’s Uncle would be worried about his nephew. Even if that wasn’t who Aang was, he needed comfort desperately enough that he didn’t care.

Was this what it was like to be Zuko? Maybe that was why he was so angry all the time. Aang mostly just wanted to cry, but Zuko seemed like someone who would get mad in response to overwhelming stimuli.

“You should stay home and rest,” Zuko’s Uncle said softly. The words were genuine, but there was anxiety on his face that made Aang think that there was a problem with that plan.

Zuko’s Uncle had said something about a shift at a teashop. “But – work?” Aang managed.

Why was Prince Zuko working, anyway?

“Your health is more important,” Zuko’s Uncle said. He hesitated and then added, “I wish I could stay and take care of you.”

So did Aang, though he wished even more that this weird day would just stop.

He didn’t really want to be separated from the one comforting and familiar thing around him at the moment, though, so he shook his head – and oooh, bad idea, and his “I’ll come with you,” was slurred.

“Nephew,” Zuko’s Uncle said, voice terribly gentle.

He was so clearly going to say something about needing to stay and rest, but once the world stopped spinning and making his stomach lurch, Aang whispered, “please.”

That made the old man freeze in surprise, but after a moment, he agreed, murmuring, “if you’re sure, Nephew.”

Aang knew better than to nod now, so he said, “I’m sure.”

“Then let us eat so we can be off,” Zuko’s Uncle said, slowly pulling away from Aang-in-Zuko’s-body to putter around the kitchen, preparing them food. Aang was absolutely no help, but all he could manage at current was sipping more of that awful tea.

By the time they were getting ready to leave, Aang’s head was actually feeling a lot better, though the world had taken on an odd hazy quality. It was kind of nice, making the glare of the bright sunlight more bearable.

It took him a moment to realize that he vaguely recognized the area where they were. Was – was Zuko in Ba Sing Se for some reason? How!?

He didn’t have time to question it too much before they arrived at what was apparently their job. The teashop was small, but tastefully decorated in greens and browns and Aang was growing more and more certain that he was really in the Earth Kingdom capital. Or rather, that Zuko – the Fire Nation Prince – was in the Earth Kingdom capital. Had he somehow followed Aang and his friends here!?

As much as Aang wanted to ask, he didn’t have the chance before there were suddenly customers in the teashop and he was expected to make tea for people and he didn’t know where anything was and there was a line forming and oh spirits, he really, really wanted to cry.

––

Iroh was worried. He had many reasons to worry, but chief among them was concern for his nephew.

It was rare for Zuko to admit to so much pain that he needed the pain relieving herbs. Iroh was just glad he still had them after their time spent on the run.

But part of the reason Zuko avoided asking for the tea was its slight narcotic effect. He didn’t enjoy being incapacitated in any way, Iroh knew, and it made him sad that his nephew was so guarded that he’d rather be in pain than vulnerable.

So Iroh appreciated that Zuko was willing to take the pain relieving tea, even if it worried him. Unfortunately, it also had an ill effect on Zuko’s ability to remember tea orders correctly.

It was excruciating to be stuck brewing tea instead of comforting his nephew, but they needed the income these jobs provided.

Iroh hated it. There was nothing wrong with a simple life – so long as it provided shelter for his nephew. And they’d only managed to acquire housing on an advance, so they really couldn’t afford to miss a day of work.

So he dealt with irritated and impatient customers and tried to take over what he could of Zuko’s job as his nephew slowly prepared drinks for people.

It was at least an hour before the teashop emptied and they had a moment to breathe. It was a very long hour and when the last customer stepped out the door, Iroh moved to hustle Zuko into a seat.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.

Zuko just groaned, dragging a hand down his face (and avoiding his scar).

“Do you need more tea?”

Instead of answering, Zuko asked, “is this real? Because it hurts too much to be a dream, but what is going on!?”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean, Nephew,” Iroh said, brow knitting with worry.

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Zuko said. “I’m not your nephew. But I’m in his body? It makes no sense. What are you guys even doing in Ba Sing Se!? Did you seriously chase us all the way here!?”

Iroh’s concern grew. “Nephew?”

“I’m not Zuko,” his nephew said, staring at him with eyes that were intent, if slightly hazy. “I’m the Avatar.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m not Zuko. Somehow I’m in his body and I don’t know what’s happening or why it hurts so much but I’m not him. I’m kind of the opposite of him.”

Iroh stared, blinking intermittently. “Excuse me?”

“Is this real?” his nephew asked again. “Because it feels real and how is that even possible!?”

In all honesty, Iroh had no idea what to think. Was this a side effect of the pain relieving herbs?

“You’re… claiming to be the Avatar?” Iroh repeated uncertainly.

“I am the Avatar,” Zuko said, a stubborn frown on his face. “My name is Aang.”

“...okay,” Iroh said eventually. Perhaps it was best to just go with it. The important thing was that his nephew was able to sit and hopefully have time to recover before the next rush hit. If Zuko wanted to pretend to be the Avatar for some strange reason… well, he had always liked theatre.

He was quite skilled, too. His facial expressions, his body language, all of it was very not-Zuko. Iroh was rather impressed, honestly. Worried, but impressed.

Unfortunately, the midmorning rush was soon be upon them. Zuko was a bit better now, picking out the correct teas for each customer’s order. He was still a little slow and Iroh had to take over cashing customers out, but they were gradually working out a rhythm to the system.

Naturally, that was when the door to the teashop was wrenched open and the Avatar stood in the doorway, expression livid.

“You!” Zuko shouted, pointing at him.

“You!” the Avatar snarled in return.

The numerous patrons stared between the two of them and Iroh foresaw the possibility of losing their jobs – and possibly their covers and therefore their lives – fairly quickly.

“Boys,” he said, “let’s take it into the back room.”

The Avatar huffed and clothing rustled all around the shop. “Fine,” he said, stomping towards the counter and past it, choosing the correct door to reach the kitchen (the other door was the owner’s office and was kept locked at all hours). Zuko sighed loudly in response and followed without protest.

Baffled, Iroh followed after them. He really shouldn’t leave the shop unattended – especially with customers present – but right now, he had bigger concerns. If Zuko attacked the Avatar and revealed their firebending…

“What did you do?” the Avatar demanded as soon as the door was closed behind them.

“Me?” Zuko asked in disbelief. “What did you do!?”

“It’s obviously your fault,” the Avatar said. “You’re the one with weird spirit powers.”

What?

“But I haven’t done anything!” Zuko insisted. “What are you even doing in Ba Sing Se?”

“That’s none of your business!”

“I’m in your body,” Zuko said, flailing his arms uncharacteristically. “It’s definitely my business! How do we fix this!?”

Iroh frowned.

“How would I know!?” the Avatar snapped, and when he gestured, a sudden breeze swept through the room.

“Careful,” Zuko reprimanded. “Strong emotions make bending volatile.”

“I am careful,” the Avatar grit out. He did refrain from moving this time, and no wind appeared.

Iroh looked between them, utterly baffled. “Nephew?”

Both boys turned towards him.

“What–?”

“He’s in my body!” they both said at the same time, pointing at each other.

Iroh stared, gaze shifting from his nephew, who looked stressed and upset, to the Avatar, who just looked furious.

His scowl was exactly like Zuko’s.

“I think I need to sit down,” Iroh heard himself say faintly, and it was the Avatar, not his nephew, who rushed to his side, helping him to a stool. Iroh couldn’t help but stare. “...nephew?” he asked, feeling unmoored.

“Yeah,” the Avatar agreed. “It’s me.”

“What – how–?”

“I dunno,” his nephew – who currently looked like the Avatar – said. “It’s obviously his fault.” He gestured at Zuko – or rather, Zuko’s body – and a breeze rustled Zuko’s body’s clothing.

“Is not!” Zuko’s voice said immediately. “Why would it be my fault!?”

“You’re the spirit bridge,” the Avatar’s voice snapped. “Obviously a spirit is messing with us and it’s your fault.”

Zuko’s chest puffed up in offense and Iroh interrupted them.

“Children!”

They both turned to him with frowns on their faces.

“Let us not worry about blame,” he said rationally, “but rather, perhaps we can figure this out. What happened?”

“I woke up this way,” Zuko said in the Avatar’s voice. “I thought it was a nightmare, but the Avatar’s earthbending teacher convinced me this is real. She’s keeping his friends distracted.”

“Why?” the Avatar asked through Zuko’s mouth. “They could help!”

Zuko’s scoff was unmistakable, even in a foreign throat. “Why are you even here!?”

“Why are you here!?”

“I asked first!”

“Children,” Iroh said again, voice stern. “Let us discuss this civilly over tea.”

“But–”

Iroh leveled his best disapproving look at each of them and they grumbled, but said nothing when he moved to one of the teapots, lighting the fire with spark rocks rather than bending.

Aside from the stool, there was nowhere for them to actually sit in the kitchen – the one couch meant for employee breaks was just behind the counter, in full view of the customers – but that didn’t mean they couldn’t drink tea, and Iroh poured a cup for each of them.

Zuko – in the Avatar’s body – took the teacup, but did not drink it. The Avatar – in Zuko’s body – accepted it gratefully, draining it quickly.

“What do we do?” he asked, clearly stressed. “How do we fix this?”

“First thing’s first,” Iroh said, “we need to get through this day.”

“You want me to go back out there?” The Avatar looked like he might cry and the expression was very odd to see on Zuko’s face.

“It’s not that bad,” Zuko said.

“Then why don’t you do it?”

“‘Cause I’m you right now!”

“So what? It’s your job, not mine!”

“Boys,” Iroh interrupted before they could devolve into a fight. “Why don’t you both help get through this shift? Many hands make light work.”

“Fine,” Zuko huffed, causing a mini whirlwind that made the china around the room rattle.

“Fine,” the Avatar echoed, “but you have to stop that.”

“I’m not doing it on purpose!”

“You must be serene, allowing the emotions to move through you rather than control you,” Zuko’s voice said, sounding wise.

Zuko himself did not care for that wisdom at all and looked like he was about to burst.

“Let’s just do our best,” Iroh said hurriedly. “We should get back to the customers.”

Zuko growled under his breath, which honestly sounded kind of funny coming from the Avatar’s throat, but Iroh kept his amusement to himself.

There were several disgruntled customers, unhappy at being left unattended so long, but Iroh pasted on his best smile and dealt with them.

Zuko did not find his center of calm and before long, the entire Lower Ring seemed to be gossiping about the airbender working in Pao’s Teashop. They got more traffic than usual as a result, leaving them no downtime to discuss anything. Which may have been a good thing. Fortunately, though the boys snipped snidely at each other, they limited their shoving to knocking shoulders.

Honestly, it was kind of sweet to see Zuko acting more like a child than his usual, even if it was with the Avatar’s face.

The hours until the end of their shift seemed endless, and when it finally arrived, they were more than ready to leave.

“Let’s go to the apartment,” Iroh suggested, and the Avatar’s expression was sullen (not an unusual look on Zuko’s face), but he agreed.

“What is going on!?” the Avatar in Zuko’s body cried out as soon as they were back inside the apartment. He reached up and tugged on Zuko’s hair. “How is this real!?”

“Stop that,” Zuko – in the Avatar’s body – snapped.

then I think the Dai Li come by for a chat bc they hear about the airbender in the teashop and realize who it is and find them. "Aang" has to bluff HARD, and that is not his strongsuit.

Also, Zuko really struggles to control his airbending and Aang is annoyed by it because it's not that hard! Except it is for Zuko and hearing that Aang figured this out at like 5yo does not help his self-esteem. But maybe ultimately, he figures out how to be a lil more like... emotionally balanced??? Honestly, I have no fucking clue where this fic is going.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

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