A Hand to Hold (Zuko x Reader)

8. Secret

You approached Zuko's room with Xiaoli by your side, the older woman insisting that she accompany you to the room. You had told her that you could make it there yourself but she wasn't having that.

When she first met up with you she scolded you for looking sloppy, demanding to redo your hair. Nuo had fixed it this morning, only a small piece at the front being loose, irritating Xiaoli.

Stopping in front of the door, she knocked firmly before entering. You walked in after her, immediately spotting Zuko sitting on the edge of his bed. You knew better than to look at him while Xiaoli was there, being able to feel her watching you like a hawk as you entered. Heading to your designated seat, you made sure to sit in the position that was expected of you and keep your eyes downcast.

Seeing that you were behaving accordingly, Xiaoli bowed to Zuko before leaving. The sound of the door clicking closed made you feel a lot better, your body relaxing since all the pressure had been taken off of you. Getting off his bed, the Prince hurried over to your side. Offering his hand, you took it and allowed him to help you to your feet.

"Do you know why she wanted to come in with you?" Zuko asked, feeling a little confused as to why the older woman even bothered coming in if she was just going to leave immediately after. You sighed as Zuko lead you over to the other side of the room, sitting on a couch which resided on the other side of his bed along with a few bookcases. You took the space beside him, leaning back against the expensive material.

"She probably wanted to make sure I was following the rules," you told him, being reminded that you weren't supposed to be friends with Zuko at all. Your relationship was supposed to be that between a Master and their servant, not a friendship. There was no way your relationship would be accepted by others.

"I think it would be best if we hid that fact that we're friends from everyone, Zuko," you followed up. He turned to you with a look of confusion, trying to think of the purpose of why you had said such a thing before asking for himself.

"But why?" he questioned, looking like whatever you would say next would possibly hurt his feelings. Not wanting him to be upset, you placed your hand on his shoulder and smiled softly at him.

"I'm scared of what will happen if others are to find out that we're friends, not just to me but you too. I can't imagine what would happen if they found out that the Prince was friends with some..." you paused, not knowing what to refer to yourself as.  You could've easily slipped up and revealed that you were from the Northern Water Tribe, feeling thankful that you had stopped yourself before saying too much.

"Uh, some servant girl," you finished, adding to the narrative you had already started. Hearing your explanation, Zuko nodded understandingly. It surprised you how compassionate he was. You were initially unsure about mentioning it since you had agreed to be friends with him, not wanting to ruin that by saying that you wanted to hide your relationship from everyone else. It was something you understood to be easy to misunderstand. Reaching for his hand, you gave it a gentle squeeze to accompany your grateful smile.

"Thank you," you said, noticing that he looked a little confused.

"There's no need to thank me," he expressed, returning a soft smile of his own. Seeing him look at you so kindly should've made you feel happy, but somehow it dug deep and made you feel sad. It made memories of life back home with Yuka and your brother resurface, it reminding you how alone you felt now that you weren't close with them anymore. But now you had Zuko and you were very thankful for that.

"But I want to thank you, Zuko. Without my friends and family around it's been really lonely, being able to be your friend makes me really happy," you expressed. Being able to get that off your chest, you lifted your head and offered Zuko a wide smile. Seeing you looking at him like that, the young Prince turned away with heated cheeks. Noticing the blush, you couldn't help but giggle, offering his hand a small squeeze of reassurance.

"As your friend and attendant, I'll help you in any way that I can," you offered, wanting to show how much you appreciated his friendship. Hearing you say that, Zuko couldn't help but smile, gently squeezing your hand back.

"I'll do the same for you, I want you to feel happy and safe here. I don't want you to be lonely... cause we're friends," he reciprocated, finally turning back to look at you. His smile was contagious, making a large one appear on your face.

You were very thankful that Zuko was the kindhearted person that he was, feeling reassured after discovering that he wasn't the scary Prince you had initially envisioned him to be. You knew that it was a shame that you would have to hide your friendship from others, but this was the safest way.

It's been a bit since I updated this story and I'm happy to get another chapter up. I've had a hectic week of university work, that being my own fault cause I got a bit behind. But oh well, we catching up. Anyway, hope you're enjoying the story so far :)