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mystic-kitten-writer · 5 years

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Limerence [M] ︳02

Pairing: Zuko x OC

Genre: Romance, mainly fluff with future smut, and if you squint hard enough - you’ll find some angst.

Rating: SFW

Words: 4300+ (Chapters will be longer as we go along - trust me).

Notes: As noted before - I plan on re-writing chapters one and two in the future (or after I’m done writing the series), the content will be the same, just written ‘better’. Thanks for the likes and reposts my awesome buns <3

Masterlist ︳01 ︳ 03

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

Limerence: (English/n.) the state of being infatuated with another person.

The moment their eyes locked they knew - the flames within him twisted while the water within her turned. It was a connection, a connection that would lead to love, adventure, and drama.

Cheiloproclitic

(English/adj.) Being attracted to a person’s lips.

~ Fire Lord Zuko ~

“Smile - it's the key to unlocking people’s hearts, Zuko.” Uncle Iroh said with a great smile on his face, his hands placed in front of him. I looked at him and scoffed, “What hearts do you think I'll be unlocking during my visit Uncle?”

We stood at the edge of the pier. It was early in the morning, the sun starting to rise and cast a vibrant range of reds and yellows along the water. Everyone was set to depart for our journey to the Southern Water Tribe, well, expect me.

I stood on the dock with Uncle Iroh as the guards and servants stood off to the side, waiting at the ramp for my departure. Uncle Iroh chuckled, shaking his head at my refusal to 'unlock people's hearts'. “It’s an old saying I heard long ago, but I have good feelings about this trip. I feel like you’ll return as a different man.” A tiny smile flickered across my lips as I crossed my arms across my chest, “That’s the point, a nice vacation. Spend some time with old friends.”

I was genuinely excited about the trip but also apprehensive.

The notion of leaving the kingdom for a bit was not unnerving to me; I was leaving the Nation in good hands. Instead, it has been a while since I could relax, and I wondered if I could even handle such a simple task anymore. Suddenly political meetings seemed more straightforward than kicking back and letting the sun soak in my skin…or cold in this case.

“You left the Nation in good hands, and maybe when you come back I'll have a new holiday set in place, Oolong Tea Appreciation Day…” Uncle Iroh mused.

I let out a sigh, “Something tells me you aren’t joking…”

Uncle Iroh must have heard as he let out a hearty laugh, his hand falling upon my shoulder. My eyes widen, completely caught off guard. The sudden contact was foreign, and for split second, I found myself as stiff as a board. I never realized how isolating being Fire Lord was until moments like these, moments of affection. Uncle Iroh noticed, his playfulness disappearing, a look of sympathy erupting as he gave my shoulder a soft squeeze, “I'm proud of you Zuko. Now go and enjoy yourself…”

Without thinking twice, I reached over and hugged him, something I haven’t done in a while. I could feel the smile Uncle Iroh held as he hugged me back instantly. Not a single word was spoken between us as the hug itself spoke plenty already.

Slowly we parted, and with that I walked towards the ship, ready for my long voyage. Standing at the ramp, I turned around one last time, Uncle Iroh waving gleefully.

“Fire Lord Zuko, permission to depart?” A guard spoke from behind me.

I waved to Uncle Iroh, bidding him my final farewell, before I noticed a figure standing off in the distance, near the main gates. Long black hair, half buns, red robes that were too long…Mai. My shoulders tensed as I could feel her piercing glare from inside the ship. My waving hand dropped to my side once again, my lips pressing together tightly, forming a thin line on my face. The last time we spoke was our argument.

“Permission granted,”

The guard huffed, beginning to raise the ramp. Although the ramp raised speedily, it didn’t seem fast enough - feeling the lingering glare from Mai.

“Fire Lord Zuko, may I offer you some tea?”

I turned around to see a petite maid standing next to me. My forehead scrunched up; she seemed familiar as if I had just seen her… “You were the maid who offered me tea in my office after Countess Mai left, correct?”

Her eyes widen, most likely amazed I remembered her. “Yes, Fire Lord Zuko.” She stuttered out. I couldn’t exactly be upset at her evident shock. There were many servants present at the kingdom; it was at times difficult to remember faces let alone names. But unlike my infamous father, I did treat my servants with some respect and insured they were given a safe place to rest for themselves and their families. I couldn’t stop the cold shiver that ran up my spine remembering how cruel Fire Lord Ozai and my lovely sister, Azula, were to them.

“What’s your name?”

“Lia, Fire Lord Zuko.”

“Are you new?” I asked.

“Yes, Fire Lord Zuko…that day I offered you tea was my first day…” She softly spoke. I was stunned; she’s pretty courageous to offer me tea on her first day. “I see…” I muttered, but the wheels in my head were turning. Lia was nice, offered and gave me some amazing tea, and she didn’t seem like such a traditional maid. She may be my ticket to relaxation…“How would you like to be my personal maid during my stay at the Southern Water Tribe?”

Lia looked taken aback by request. It was a bold request, and a considerable jump given her current position. But she seemed like the type who wouldn’t follow my every damn move during my vacation, something the more senior servants would do. I could actually relax, let loose, not worry if someone is watching me from the sidelines.

“I would love too, Fire Lord Zuko. But I would need to get it approved by the head-”

“When you grab my tea, tea of your choice, bring it to my study with any paperwork that I would need to fill out,” I spoke quickly. Lia nodded her head, looking rattled as she nervously patted her hands against her dress, “Yes Fire Lord Zuko, I will leave to get everything set.” I nodded, “Thank you, Lia.” I turned around – Lia standing there alone in shock, couldn’t blame her. She went from a simple tea maid to Fire Lord`s personal maid in seconds; all because she makes some great tea.

I let out a huff as I began walking to my office, ready to start reviewing Earth Nation paperwork regarding the United Republic of Nations. My hand anxiously ran through my hair; I couldn’t possibly have that much work left to complete…Two guards opened the large metal doors to my study as I walked in, documents and papers already stacked up on the wooden desk at the center of the room. I groaned, annoyed. These piles never seem to fucking disappear. Maybe I could just ‘accidentally’ burn a pile or two…

I plopped myself upon my chair, defeated. This is why I needed a vacation – time to myself. Time to just relax and not spend hours on end scribbling my damn signature. Another week and half of sailing Zuko. That’s it, then you can relax. I reached in my study drawer to grab ink and pens, but a canvas stopped my movements, preventing me from grabbing my tools.

It was a small painting, primarily painted with different hues of blues and whites. I raised it and smiled softly; it was a family portrait of Katara, Sokka, Hakoda, and Aang. It was a gift Aang had brought to me during one of his visits, and I kept it in my office as a random souvenir. It was at last year’s Winter Solstice festival, but the more I let my eyes gaze around the painting, I couldn’t help but notice another figure standing beside Sokka…Ying Yue.

I heard countless stories from Sokka and Aang about her.

She was mixed ethnicity: Fire and Water Nation, and from what I grasped she was a bender. Probably a Firebender…only a Firebender would have golden eyes that shined as brightly as hers. But before I realized, I was staring at the painting longer than I had attended, wholly fixated on Ying Yue. She was beautiful; like Fire Nation royalty. Her long black hair cascaded well beyond her hips and she bore such an innocent smile that reached her eyes. The royal blues against her milky skin made her look like a delicate flower: a Hydrangea.

I put the picture back in the drawer, ready to get to work. As curious as I was to know about this mysterious Ying Yue, I was smarter than to trust a painting when it came to her appearance. The painter could have easily made Ying Yue look like a goddess. But…what if she did look like that…

‘Smile - it's the key to unlocking people’s hearts, Zuko.’

I shook my head and scoffed, “as if I'll be unlocking any hearts…”

Day after day, I worked away on paperwork in this forsaken office. Days became nights after sailing so aimlessly, and soon, the days became nothing more but a blur. That was why when Lia woke me up and told me that we were due to arrive in another hour I was surprised.

Everyone on the ship was vigorously preparing for anchoring. The guards and servants seemed eager to get off the boat, and I could empathize with them, it was beginning to get stuffy, and the thought of walking on land was something I was starting to miss. I'm beginning to understand Toph’s love for Earth.

That led me to where I was now — standing tall and proud at the end of the ramp in my uniform. Guards and servants were dressed a tad bit more formal than usual, their heads up high as they carefully lined behind me, “Fire Lord Zuko, permission to drop ramp?” a guard shouted. I sucked in a deep breath, excited that the moment has finally come. On the other side of this door was my friends, and a break from my responsibilities.

“Permission granted.”

I could hear the masses from outside of the vessel, not surprised that my arrival had attracted a crowd. The last time I came here, I tried to capture the Avatar. I chuckled to myself and watched in a daze as the ramp lowered. A smile snuck its way upon my face as I began feeling the cold air entering into the ship, a strange feeling against my warm skin. The sunlight shined and illuminated the boat the further the ramp was dropped, and I could begin seeing crowds of people from either side of the ramp.

With a final thud, the ramp dropped, and I was astonished at how different and modern everything has become since I last came. The landscape was unquestionably striking, the sun illuminating the endless fields of snow and ice and highlighting the magnificent structures that were built in place of the huts that once stood. But I quickly redirected my gaze to the small group of people eagerly awaiting in front of me.

Team Avatar stood together, Hakoda and Aang standing at the front with large smiles as they watched me approach them. I beamed, my boots scrunching over the thin layer of snow as I eagerly walked forward. I could feel the heavy boots of my guards following suit, the feeling of snow melting on my skin feeling wonderful, I could get used to this. My gaze fell over everyone, but I caught myself slightly tripping over my feet when I spotted her.

My breath hitched as I took in what I was seeing.

She stood delicately beside Sokka as she wore a stunning red dress, a Fire Nation dress. The dress hugged her body like a glove - accentuating curves that could make any man or woman go mad with lust. Her black hair was tied up with well ornate Bu Yao, small pieces of hair loosely framing her face. Her skin glistened under the sunlight, reminding me of the pearls fishers find during their voyages. Despite the distance, I could still make out her soft, delicate features: golden eyes that could make a man stop dead in his tracks. That can’t be her…she’s gorgeous, beyond gorgeous.

I quickly shifted my gaze elsewhere, awkward teenage Zuko starting to bubble out at the sight of a beautiful woman. You’re Fire Lord you dumbass, act like one. Entirely taken aback by her beauty, a beauty that was memorizing - tantalizing to the eye, I hadn’t noticed how close I was to the group. Aang’s facial hair had begun to grow in from the last time I saw him, but it had been some time since I last saw Hakoda. He had aged, a few wrinkles beginning to form around his eyes and lips, but he still stood tall, and it was clear he was in charge of everything.

“Fire Lord Zuko, I hope the journey here was smooth?” Hakoda spoke, his hand outstretched before me, which I grabbed as we shook hands. “Hakoda- it was rather quick, faster than I realized,” He grinned, pleased to hear, “It’s great to have you here.” I moved over to Aang; his hands pressed together in front of his chest as he took a deep bow. I mimicked his movements and held my bow as long and as deep as his.

“Someone fell in love…”

The distinct sounds of hushed voices and some chuckles coming from behind Aang caught my attention, my ears perking up at the sounds. The laughs and whispers all too familiar, Toph and Sokka. I began to straighten out, letting my eyes wander to the left of me. Sokka and Toph were suppressing massive grins on their faces, and as if Toph had felt my gaze upon her she placed her hand over her heart, moving her hand up and down while pointing in front of her.

I cocked a brow upwards, trying to understand what she was trying to hint at, looking at where she pointed. Why is she pointing at her? Her cheeks were flushed a bright red, seemingly flustered about something.

No, it can’t be…

I quickly faced Aang, “It's a pleasure to have you here Fire Lord Zuko.” Aang said, his voice sounding different from the frequent informal conversations we shared. I nodded, “Thank you for letting me stay,” I spoke as I gazed back at Hakoda. But from the corner of my eyes, I could still see Toph grinning madly, entertained about something. I moved to greet Katara, she smiled as she excitedly greeted me.

Is Toph trying to hint at what I think she is…?

I moved onto Sokka as he gave me a quick bow before shaking my hand, “I’m happy to see you again Fire Lord Zuko.” He said with a smile. I smiled back but quickly raised a brow and eyed her. Sokka seemed to have gotten the hint because a devilish grin painted his face. He stood beside me, and before I knew it, I was standing directly in front of her, “Fire Lord Zuko, I would love to introduce to you my adopted sister, Ying Yue Jiang.”

All of my assumptions were true; she was Ying Yue. As I looked at her up-close I realized that I was right, the painting indeed didn’t do justice regarding her appearance.

The painter only captured what seemed to be a sliver of the beauty she held.

Judging by the looks Toph gave me, and the way Sokka emphasized the word love, I think…I got it. She was totally checking me out, did she think I was attractive?

Her golden eyes meet mine as she gave me a shy smile, “It's a pleasure to meet you Fire Lord Zuko.” Her voice was honeyed, so sweet; I found myself craving to hear it once more. But the faint blush that painted her cheeks didn’t disappear, instead intensified the longer I stood in front of her.

A large coy smirk played along my lips, realizing how much fun I could have with a bit of teasing if I were right about her infatuation - which was not one-sided granted. Although a part of teenage Zuko awkwardness wanted to pop out again, another side wanted to have fun: to see how fun-to-tease she was as Sokka and Aang spoke about to me.

Without thinking twice, I knew what I had to do.

Before Ying Yue could process what was happening, I went down on one knee and gently grabbed her hand. Her skin was soft to the touch; not even the most exquisite silk could compare. Ever so slowly, I pecked her hand. I could feel her heartbeat beating erratically, and mouth slightly open ajar in shock as my fingers played along with her wrist. A proud grin erupting from me; she totally likes me.

Slowly inching away, my lips still hovering over her hand I spoke, “The pleasure is all mine, Ying Yue Jiang.”

~ Ying Yue Jiang ~

The moment the main doors closed Sokka and Zuko exchanged a huge hug, “Oh man, I can’t believe you’re actually here!” Sokka exclaimed. Zuko grinned, “Trust me, you owe me one. The amount of paperwork I had to do to get here…I deserve a vacation.” Aang had his arm wrapped around Katara, who laughed ecstatically, “Zuko, it’s been so long! Who is watching the Fire Nation in your place? How is your mom and little Kiyi?” Katara spewed, throwing question after question.

I stood back as the gang surrounded Zuko, flooding him with inquiries while I tried to gain my composure. He kissed my hand! My hand was still tingling, and I could still feel the heat from his soft pink lips. Not once during their stories did they tell me he was a tease, I knew he was sarcastic but not so…so…

Sokka wrapped an arm around Zuko, completely ignoring the flooding array of questions Katara sprung towards him. “Hey Zuko, I have a bone to pick with you. What was up with that kiss?” Sokka said with a grin. Zuko smirked devilishly, making it hard to believe those lips were the same lips that were on my hand just a few moments ago. Zuko smugly shrugged his shoulders causing Sokka’s arm to slip off, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t kiss anyone.” He spoke confidently.

I could feel someone suddenly grip my hand and raise it, “Maybe this is a reminder!” Toph shouted, a grin plastered upon her face. I blushed, why me? “That’s my sister you kissed!” Sokka shouted protectively. Zuko laughed, and before I could even bud-into the conversation, I could see Zuko slowly making his way towards me, “Sorry Ying Yue, I just had to make sure I gave a good first impression.”

I crossed my arms and pouted, “A warning would have been nice…” I grumbled - still embarrassed by the events. Zuko grinned cheekily, stretching out his hand in front of me, “Hi, my name is Zuko, Fire Lord of the Fire Nation. A pleasure to meet you.” I was surprised, but soon realized what he was doing. With a smile, I grabbed his hand, “Hi Zuko, my name is Ying Yue Jiang, the adopted daughter of Hakoda.”

With a tight squeeze, Zuko slowly let go, but I could still spot the hint of mischievousness twinkling in his eyes, “You don’t want to kiss my hand?” This asshole. My eyes widen, and without thinking twice, I smacked his arm - hard. Zuko yelped, surprised by my outburst, “You guys told me she was sweet, not abusive!” He shouted. I blushed, flustered by everything. I didn’t think he was going to tease me, let alone tease me as much as he did. “Serves you right!” I huffed.

Aang laughed in the background, Suki speaking up, “Hey Sokka, don’t kids tease each other when they have a crush on each other?” This time it was Zuko’s turn to look stunned, his cheeks flushing ever so slightly, did he have a crush on me?

“What does that mean?” I asked, “Does Fire Lord Zuko have a crush on me?” I teased out, mimicking the same tone he had. Zuko looked taken about at my outburst, and Toph gasped, “The Princess is fighting back!” I crossed my arms and was about to speak before a booming voice interrupted.

“Lunch is almost ready! Ying Yue, do you mind showing Fire Lord Zuko his room to change? It's near yours and Sokka’s.” Dad spoke with a soft smile. I quickly nodded my head, “O-oh, of course...” I muttered under my breath.

Dad nodded, waving his hands around and pointing the way to the dining hall, “The rest of you can make your way to the dining hall. I asked Kima to show Fire Lord Zuko’s maid, Lia I believe, the way to his room, so you should bump into them. Your items should already be inside the bedroom.” Zuko nodded, “Thank you so much Hakoda.” Dad smiled and waved us off before beginning to walk off to the dining hall.

Zuko looked at me, suddenly raising his arm; I lifted at a brow at him. He couldn’t seriously be thinking…“Well Princess, are you going to show me the way or not?” He said as he cocked his head at his arm. I huffed and linked my arm grudgingly with his. Although the blush on my cheeks gave away my unspoken delight to connect arms with him, I could feel his muscles as we linked arms, don’t you dare start drooling Yue. I could hear Toph and Suki giggling like school girls as we walked off, me leading the way. Can they be any more embarrassing?

It was not till we were out of sight Zuko finally spoke up, “I seriously do apologize if I took you off guard with the kiss on your hand. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…” Zuko mumbled. I looked up at his face as he looked straight ahead, and I couldn’t help but notice how shy he was now that we were alone. I shook my head, “It's fine… Although I think Sokka may hurt you in your sleep, so keep an eye open tonight.” I said with a giggle.

Zuko looked over at me and laughed. I could spot the twinkle in his eyes as he laughed, a cute dimple appearing ever so slightly if you looked carefully on the right of his face when he smiled. His smile was just spectacular; so sincere and always seemed to reach his eyes. Zuko gave me a searching look, and that was when I realized I was staring for a bit too long. I quickly looked in front of me and hoped he did not notice the faint blush reappearing, gosh my cheeks are going to be permanently flushed if this keeps up!

“I think I can deal with a Sokka if it means getting to know you,” Zuko said gently. My eyes widen, did I hear right? I raised my brow at him, and he grinned, “I’m curious about you, I’ve heard many stories about you whenever they came to visit me.”

“I guess that makes two of us; I was super curious to meet you,” I said back.

“Hopefully I met your expectations,” Zuko said playfully – oh, he’s sly alright. But before I could respond, I noticed we were already in the bedroom hallway, “Oh-! That door over there is yours! Across from you is Sokka’s and my room is the door right beside yours.” I said enthusiastically as I began dragging him behind me. Zuko gasped, surprised at my strength, as I quickly pulled him. His door was slightly ajar, and I swiftly pushed the grand white doors to his room, revealing some of his luggage already set in place.

“The rooms on this side of the house have a beautiful view of the sea. In the night you can see the Southern lights reflecting on the water, and it’s simply breathtaking.” I gushed.

Zuko looked at me and smiled, letting me ramble on. “Sometimes during the night I sneak off to the edge of that cliff over there-” I spoke as I pointed through the floor to ceiling windows, “from there you can see the whole town light up! And the way the stars twinkle above, gosh. It’s just…stunning.” Zuko chuckled as he looked at me, “You have to take me there some time…” He said softly. I looked at him and noticed our position. We looked like lovers, linking arms as we looked out the windows.

I couldn’t help but look at those pink pouty lips of his; his tongue running along his bottom lip. It took me a minute to realize that we were both looking at each other’s mouths, his head slowly moving down towards mine. My heart throbbed loudly in my ears, my hands getting clammy, oh my gosh, he is going to kiss me! What do I do?! Instinctively I closed my eyes, and I could feel his hot breath on my cheeks...and a gust of wind hit the side of my cheek, what the-

I opened my eyes surprised, only to see Zuko grinning, “Sorry Princess, you had something on your face, had to blow it away.”

My face heated up, I’m an absolute idiot. Before I could utter out a word, the sound of footsteps caught my attention. Kima waltzing in with another unfamiliar maid at that exact moment. “Miss, I didn’t expect to see you here- Fire Lord Zuko.” She quickly froze and gave a low bow. The young lady beside her did the same, wearing contrasting colours of red and gold. Kima stood up and gave me a confused look as I stood awkwardly, my arm still linked with Zuko’s.

As if he could tell, Zuko leaned over once again in my ear and chuckled, “Oh Princess, you're too cute when teased.”

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 5 years

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Wan High Weeping (Part 50)

Sorry for the delay all. It’s been wild. http://bellatrixobsessed1.tumblr.com/post/182721163856/boy-howdy-everyone On the plus side I used that time to type some chapters. I just didn’t have internet connection to post it with.

Zuko took a step back to appreciate his work. The forest green chip was fixed into the teacup next to one of a bright purple. It had been a pain to not only fit them all onto the tea cup but to get them to stay put. It was a feat that required him to heat each coin up until they were soft enough to bend. More than once he had earned himself a minor burn or two. By month ten, he had gotten pretty good at avoiding that. He set the teacup back on his shelf amid the other knick-knacks uncle had bought for him.

He hurried to dress himself. He could smell the sweet aroma of hot maple splashed with a touch of blueberry. He smiled to himself. She remembered.

Of course she remembered.

Blueberry waffles had been his favorite since he was a child.

It was a meal she had cooked for him on his first day of school until she left. “Good luck today.” His mother greeted as took his seat.

“You too.” He returned. Today was the day she’d be holding a signing for her second novel. “I’ll try to swing by if I have time after class.

“Don’t rush, dear.” Ursa replied. “I want you to earn your GED, if you miss my book signing you can always come to the movie premiere, like Azula is.”

“Azula can’t come to your signing either?”

“She has school until two, remember. The signing ends at three.”

“Right.” Zuko replied. “Well, my prep class ends at twelve so I should be able to make it. I’ll see you then, mom.”

She gave him a quick hug and with a text from Azula, he was on his way.

.oOo.

“Is your brother dressed?” Michi called from down the hall.

“He was.” Mai grumbled. She’d left him for about five minutes and he already had his socks and shirt off once more. “Tom, you’re a first grader now. First graders keep their clothes on.”

He looked up at her with big grey-brown eyes. “Not this first grader!”

“Yes, this first grader.” She forced the shirt back over his head. “You like this shirt, remember? It’s the one with the Brontosaurus.”

“It’s a Apatosaurus.” Tom-Tom corrected.

“Right. Apatosaurus.” Mai replied as she led him to the breakfast table. She poured him a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk. “Now, don’t spill it this time.”

“First graders don’t spill milk.” He said with Mai.

“Good.”

“I’m gonna get my whole sticker chart full soon.” Tom-Tom declared.

“I’m sure you will.” Mai replied as she fixed her own breakfast. She peered and Tom-Tom and quickly slipped up to her room to stuff the rest of her supplies into her backpack. “Azula is going to be here soon, mother.” She noted on her way back to the kitchen.

“Alright, let me know when she gets here.”

It was progress. Mai still felt as though she was doing most of the hard work when it came to Tom-Tom, but at least her mother was putting in some effort now. It would probably take a few more family sessions to make her understand why she needed to put some more effort into raising her son, but it was a start.

A text appeared on her phone and Mai called up to her mother. She turned to Tom-Tom. “Be good for mom, and maybe next time Azula, TyLee, and I go to the mall, I’ll get you a surprise.”

“Okie!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up, nearly knocking his milk over in the process.

Mai sighed and headed outside. It was nice to see Azula’s car there again, there was a sense of comfort that came with it. A sense of normalcy. And a bigger sense of that in noticing TyLee in the passenger's seat. “Really, TyLee? One of these days you’re going to have to let me ride shotgun again…” her front seat odds didn’t look so good, with she and Azula living together. “And let me chose some good music.” She added while she was at it.

“How can you, hate this?” TyLee asked as she cranked it even louder.

“I will jump out of this car and walk.” Mai replied with an eye roll.

They parted ways where the hall split. Azula had a locker on the opposite side of the school and TyLee had the misfortune of getting a second floor locker. Her phone buzzed and she noticed a text from Zuko. She sighed to herself. One of these days she was going to have to talk to him.

She peered at her arm, the slashes on it were mostly healed, some turning to scars. She decided that it was time to let her relationship with Zuko do the same.

.oOo.

‘Tonight is going to be busy. Does the weekend sound good?’

Truth be told, he had plans with Hahn, but he figured that he could put those to the side. Hahn was pretty understanding about things like that.

He texted Mai back with a simple, ‘yes, it sounds great.’ And then he selects Azula’s number. He would tell Hahn about the change of plans in person. He types a small thing or two about how so far things were going pretty smoothly.

For the most part things had been going well for him. They had been since the week after the trial. The first week after the trial was hectic. They had been escorted to Ozai’s estate with a police entourage, so that Azula could gather the rest of her possessions that had been left there.

The man had been oozing with cruel things to say to all three of them as they made their way in and out of the house. Mostly his words fell on deaf ears, it was the ranting and ravings of a bitter soul. The sort of thing that wasn’t worth paying attention to.

The man had broke the terms of his restraining order several times, contacting he and Azula both and Ursa as well. Even Iroh wasn’t spared a nasty word or two. Eventually the messages grew less frequent, and Zuko was left to assume that Ozai was running out of money to blow on fines. The trial was a rather public matter and the outing of how he had led his son to heroine and his daughter to bulimia did hefty damage to his company. One by one, headlines came about various companies breaking their partnership with Ozai’s.

Headline, by headline, Zuko felt more at ease.

The man was losing his power.

He had lost his power when Zuko had made his escape.

He stuffed the remains of his lunch back into his lunch bag and hurried to finish the final half of his first day of prep class.

.oOo.

The rest of her day was quite a drag, save for Moo-Chee making a scene about how he was the dark one and he would have respect. Over the summer, the boy had upped his poser game. Taking it from simply leeching off of the goth scene to pretending to worship the devil. The boy was a constant source of entertainment. He was mostly harmless these days, save for the constant threat of secondhand embarrassment.

Only after she found Azula’s car in the parking lot, did she remember that the girl was staying later for volleyball practice. She made her way back inside. She recalled that TyLee was going for the poms team again. That left her to figure out how she wanted to spend her time. She considered simply going to the gym and watching Azula.

Instead she found herself wandering down the hallway in search of another club. Poetry didn’t sound too awful and they only met on Mondays. It would give her a distraction if she needed one but it wouldn’t take up enough time for her mother to pitch a fit.

Naturally when she stepped into the room, she spotted Moo-Chee. Perhaps she could make the boy a side project. Help shape the boy into less of a poser.

The club members welcomed her warmly and the instructor motioned for her to take a seat. “I am Macmu-Ling, welcome to the Five-Seven-Five society. Right now we are working on introductory poems.” She paused. “Write a little something about yourself in the form of a hiku, and then we will read aloud, what we have come up with.”

Mai nodded. She wasn’t a hiku type of person, but she was willing to give it a try.

.oOo.

Zuko helped Ursa take down what remained of her signing set up.

“Thank you for joining me today, Zuko. How about I treat you and Iroh to some tea and coffee?”

It sounded perfectly charming. “I’d love that.” He replied as he packed the last of the books away. He would wait a little longer to text Azula, if he remembered right, she was probably still in the middle of practice. But he was curious as to when she planned on stopping by next.

“You think that this book store is hiring?” Zuko asked.

“GED first.” Ursa said sternly with a dip of her head.

Zuko lifted his hands. “Just asking.”

“That’s the last of the boxes.” Iroh spoke. “Let’s brew some tea!”

“Would you like to invite Hahn, dear?”

“He’s already on his way.” Zuko hoped that this invitation would make up for cancelling their weekend plans.

.oOo.

Azula had dropped her off at home only a few hours ago. Apparently she had something to take care of before the three of them went to the movies. If she didn’t hurry, they’d end up having to watch the midnight show. In which case, Mai was fully prepared to suggest that they see a horror movie instead. Suddenly, she wanted Azula to take her sweet time. She hadn’t seen a good horror movie since last year. Of course she would be avoiding the body horror sub-genre. She was in the mood for ghosts and demons, a little something to give her insult ammo. She was going to need it if she was going to pursue a friendship with Moo-Chee.

She received a text from Azula, stating that she was on her way.

“I’m going out, mother.” She called.

“Would you mind taking Tom-Tom with you? Your dad and I have an important meeting tonight.”

Mai sighed, horror movies might be out of the question. “I guess I can, but next time…”

“Next time, I will bring him along.” Michi promised.

“Alright, Tom, c’mon.” She picked him up. “Do you like secrets?”

“Mmmhmm.”

“If you keep a secret for me, I’ll let you see a scary movie with my friends and I.”

Tom-Tom gasped. “A scary movie!?”

“Shhh. Not so loud. If you’re too loud you won’t get to go to the big boy movie.”

“I wanna go to the big boy movie.” Tom-Tom whispered.

Mai smirked. “Great. When mommy asks you what movie you went to see, tell her you saw the one with the dinosaurs.”

“Kay, Mai.” He smiled as she fastened his seatbelt.

She strapped herself in. “Tell me all about your first day of school, Tom.” She smiled softly to herself as her new partner in crime told her all about first grade.

.oOo.

It was nightfall by the time they reached the cafe. Azula had finally answered his text, she was planning on dropping by either this weekend or the next, stating that she would carpool with Mai. From the sound of it, Mai was doing much better.

It weighed heavily on him to hear that she had contemplated suicide. To think that he might have had a hand in it, though she insisted that it wasn’t his fault. He still felt obligated to make it up to her somehow.

He didn’t yet have an idea of how to do so, he supposed that he would have to just let things fall into place. That’s what Iroh had told him; just let things happen. So far it was a working method. His sessions with Jeong Jeong had left him with similar advice. He had to accept things for what they were.

So he would. He would accept whatever happened with Mai over the weekend. Just like he was accepting that his heroine abuse had happened. He ran his fingers over the small pockmarks, he no longer had a desire to rid himself of them.

A self-respecting man wouldn’t try to hide such a large and important part of his life.

And Zuko had decided that he was going to be a self-respecting man.

The sort that would show Ozai that he had completely lost.

The sort that would earn a GED and make something of his life.

#Avatar #Zuko #Azula #Mai #TyLee #Suki #Katara #Toph #Sokka #Fanfiction

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