Random x Male Reader Oneshots

Zuko x Reader

Avatar: The Last Airbender
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This was never how I wanted to feel when I looked at my best friend but here I was, staring at Zuko like he was the answer to all my problems. He hadn't noticed I was here yet, spying on him from across the courtyard and watching the way he walked through the crowd of festival enjoyers like the prince he was. Ever since coming back to reclaim his honor, he's surely been different...changed in more ways than one.

After he left when he was first disowned and banished, my heart had broken in a way I never thought possible, the agony stretching on for three painful years. I cared about him, growing up and helping him through all his ups and downs. I held him when he cried for his mother, watched him lash out when he was frustrated with his father and was there to listen when he complained about his sister. Through it all, I've been nothing but loyal and he had, in return, shown his own hidden kindness and care through small gifts and quiet courtesies that would make my pulse quicken.

Now seeing him after years spent apart, worrying constantly about where he was and if he was alright, he was here at one of my favorite festivals and looking too handsome for his own good as well as mine. My eyes were still wide in shock of the feelings swirling within me at the mere sight of him. I don't recall my face always heating up just looking at him but it was sure doing it now. And that was before his eyes snapped to meet mine as if urged by some invisible force.

My whole body tensed up when his gaze turned intense, his own demeanor shifting right before my eyes as I watched helplessly as he moved through the crowd to make his way towards me. It was too late to run and hide by the time he stumbled to a stop a few spaces away from me. He was too close and yet not close enough as I softened my expression to try to hide my bashfulness.

"Y/n," he breathed out as if he couldn't believe who he was seeing. When I focused on his features, I could see all of my own anxieties and fears playing across his face, the same fears I had felt when he had gone away. And of course I couldn't brush off the way he had said my name, like a plea. It made me shiver a bit.

"Zuko," I smiled back, incapable of trying to hide the relief of seeing him. His expression softened instantly, a shy grin twitching at the corner of his lips. I'd never known him to be bashful, if he wanted something then he made sure to get it in any way possible but now looking at the soft blush on his face, I felt myself falling a little more despite my desperate attempts of avoiding these feelings.

"You look nice. I like the arm band," he stated a bit awkwardly. I gave my own nervous nod, glancing over at my arm as an excuse to avoid looking into his eyes. Recognition snapped in my head as I realized the specific arm band I was wearing, the gold metal glinting with the ruby shining like a fire in its center. It was actually a gift from Zuko, one of the last ones he gave me before he disappeared and left me alone with no explanation.

"Thanks. It's actually from you, the one you gave me...before you left," I mumbled a bit sadly. He instantly picked up on my mood change, his own shy smile turning to an expression of regret and shame when my eyes lifted to look at him again. It was clear on his face that he didn't enjoy leaving me behind and it made me glad that he hadn't intentionally set out to hurt me. There was still an ache in my chest though of the time spent that we'd never be able to get back again, three years we could've had together.

"Y/n, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you behind or hurt you in any way. I just couldn't bring you along with me and drag down your own reputation. I thought you'd be better here," Zuko whispered forlornly. It was much more than that though. It didn't just hurt, it was beyond any pain I'd felt before. I was left alone as a servant with no allies, getting sidelong looks from people who knew I was close with the banished prince. Even Azula had started to target me when she happened to be around, the horrible words that she would spit out still leaving behind a sting almost as painful as the times when she would lash out at me.

"I was so scared something had happened to you, that you lost your way somewhere and would never return. A part of me even wondered if you were going to abandon me and settle somewhere else. I missed you so much Zuko, I don't think I can handle if you left me again," I teared up, holding back my cries considering we were still in a public space with plenty of nosy onlookers.

Zuko seemed to sense my distress as he gently took my hand in his, guiding me away from the festival and to a hidden corner where we would be alone and away from prying eyes. Who knows what rumors would arise if someone saw the prince with a lowly servant, one with a slight blush and the other close to tears.

When Zuko looked over his shoulder to ensure we were alone, he instantly turned back to me to pull me into a surprising embrace. I felt myself hugging back eagerly, all the fear and pain of missing him for so long barreling into me with fresh tears spilling down my face. My body shook with small cries, Zuko's hold on me tightening fiercely in response as if he could chase away the negative swirl of emotions with just his touch.

"I missed you too. So much," he whispered into my ear, his own voice cracking with similar relief. His breath against my skin caused goosebumps to emerge along my arms. After three years spent without him, I was sure I needed at least three hours in his hold to recover. He was my best friend, my protector, my ally, the center of my world and I was starting to discover...my first love.