Opposites Attract (Zuko x Reader)

🔥 explosion ❄️

I didn't know why Zuko had let me back aboard his ship. Once the toxins had worn off of June and me, he and Iroh had turned back for the ship. June went to find Nyla.

"Y/n?" Iroh said, looking at me over his shoulder. I was sitting against the well, hugging my knees, wondering where I was going to go next. I thought there was no chance Zuko would let me come with him after I'd fought him.

"Aren't you coming?" Iroh asked.

My head snapped up, confused. But Zuko stopped and glanced at me over his shoulder before turning back around and walking into the forest. He didn't yell at me or his uncle. He didn't forbid me from coming back to the ship.

So I stood, walking with Iroh behind Zuko as he went back to his ship without a word. I didn't dare say anything. He was probably angry that Aang had gotten away again.

That had been a half week ago. I'd barely seen Zuko since. He'd stayed cooped up in his room.

Lieutenant Jee was mad that I'd snuck off, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Taijin, Jiro, and Hayumi were just glad I was okay, although Taijin did call me an idiot, plus a few colorful modifiers. Hayumi had just laughed and placed a hand on his arm. He calmed instantly.

I had my suspicions that those two weren't 'just friends'.

Now we were moored at some random dock by a forest. After dinner on deck with the crew, I turned to head back to the med bay/my unofficial quarters before Jiro walked up from belowdecks.

"Aren't you staying for music night?" He asked.

I frowned. "Music night?"

"It's something of a tradition," he said. "General Iroh insists that at least once a month, sometimes more, we all enjoy a night of singing, playing, and dancing. It's one of the few things to look forward to."

"Oh," I said. "That's tonight?"

"Yup. You're coming, right?"

"Uh, I guess."

A few crewmembers, including Lieutenant Jee, had pulled out musical instruments.

"I'll go see if Prince Zuko would like to come up," Iroh said. "He's quite good at the tsungi horn."

"Is that true?" I whispered to Hayumi.

She laughed. "Oh, yeah. Though he hates playing in front of people."

"So he has other interests besides hunting the Avatar," I said.

"Eh, that's definitely his main one," Hayumi said. She pulled out a strange pear-shaped stringed object from a crate.

"Do you know how to play the biwa, Y/n?"

"Um, no. I've never even seen something like this before."

"Well, you just press down on the strings up here and pluck the strings down here," she said, demonstrating a position before handing it to me. "Here, you try. Put your fingers there, and strum down."

I tried. The object made a strangely pleasing vibrating sound. After a few minutes though, my fingers were beginning to hurt from pushing all the strings down. I handed the instrument back to Hayumi.

"Maybe I should let you handle it."

She smiled and took it, joining Lieutenant Jee in whatever song he was playing. Iroh emerged from belowdecks and sat on a spare crate. I guessed Zuko would not be joining us for this music night.

Iroh began to sing along to the instruments, while a few crewmembers danced. Once the song ended, Taijin tapped Hayumi on the shoulder and whispered something in her ear. I didn't know what he said, but Hayumi smiled, put down her biwa, and joined him in dancing to the next song.