Opposites Attract (Zuko x Reader)

🔥 that's one big mole ❄️

The next day, I was invited by Iroh for tea and something he called pai sho. I didn't exactly know what pai sho was, but I was sure I'd find out.

I met Iroh in the bridge. The old man was alone, save for a single grey-haired crewman.

"Ah, Y/n, you're here," Iroh said. "I don't believe you've met Lieutenant Jee, yes?"

"I haven't," I said, shaking the lieutenant's hand.

"A pleasure, Miss Y/n," Jee said, before turning to Iroh. "I'll go see what we need to restock on belowdecks."

Iroh motioned for me to sit across from him at a low table. The tabletop was circular, with a multicolored grid design.

"So, Y/n," Iroh said. "Are you planning to stay with us for a while this time?"

I frowned as he poured a cup of hot tea and placed it in front of me. "I don't know. I didn't even plan on coming aboard again. But I don't know where the Avatar went, so I guess until I find him, I'm staying here."

Iroh poured his own cup of tea. "You're going to look for the Avatar with my nephew?"

"Well... no. To be honest, I'd like your nephew to stay as far away from the Avatar as possible. I'd just like to rejoin my friends."

"I see," Iroh said. He produced a small drawstring bag from his robe. "This table is a pai sho board. And these-" he poured out the contents of the bag, "are the tiles."

I took one and examined it. It was made of wood, circular, with a painted white lotus flower.

"The white lotus tile is my favorite," Iroh said.

"It's pretty," I said, placing it back down. "So you move the tiles around like checkers?"

"Yes and no," Iroh said. "Here, let me demonstrate..."

He went on talking for fifteen minutes. My head was spinning with all the complex rules and moves of the game.

"Let us play," Iroh said when he was finally done. He gave me a stack of tiles, and I tried my best to remember how he said the game began. I must've been doing okay, since Iroh didn't correct me.

The door to the bridge slid open, and Zuko walked in, just as Iroh poured himself another cup of tea. He offered a cup to Zuko, who took it.

"See, Prince Zuko," Iroh said. "A moment of quiet is good for your mental well-being."

Zuko seemed uncharacteristically calm. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Just as he was about to take a sip, the boat shook, knocking over my stack of tiles and making Zuko's tea fly in his face. The Fire Prince stormed abovedecks, with Iroh and me following to see what the commotion was.

A raven-haired woman sitting atop a giant mole-looking creature had just jumped onto the ship. Lieutenant Jee and a few other crewmembers scrambled away from them. To be fair, I'd do the same.

"Get back!" The raven-haired woman snapped. "We're after a stowaway!"

"There are no stowaways on my ship," Zuko said.

The giant mole ripped a piece of the floor out and tossed it in Zuko's direction. The Fire Prince ducked, and it smashed against the door to the main compartment. Jee, Iroh, and the other soldiers on deck took a fighting stance.

But the mole creature didn't seem keen to fight the Firebenders. It stuck its head inside the hole and sniffed around. A man jumped out from the hole and tried to run, but the mole flicked out its long tongue, and the man fell on his face.