Opposites Attract (Zuko x Reader)

🔥 inside the walls ❄️

The ferry docked and we all filed off, heading for the train station. After another long wait in line, Zuko, Iroh, and I finally got to the front and presented our papers. Iroh had insisted that I come with them, saying it wasn't proper for a lone young girl to be wandering alone in a massive city.

"So," the ticket lady said. "Mr. Lee, Miss Y/n, and Mr. umm... Mushy, is it?"

"It's pronounced Mushi," Iroh corrected.

The woman gave him a dirty glance. "You telling me how to do my job?"

"Uh, no, no," Iroh said, propping his elbow up against the ticket booth. "But may I just say you're like a flower in bloom. Your beauty is intoxicating."

He did not just-

Zuko looked just as disgusted as I felt.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome," the ticket lady said flirtatiously. "Raorr! Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

I almost fell over.

Zuko snatched his and my ticket from his uncle. He shoved my ticket at my chest.

"I'm gonna forget I saw that."

"You weren't kidding about Iroh getting all the old ladies," I mumbled, stuffing the ticket in my pocket so I wouldn't accidentally drop it.

"Shut up, Y/n."

We found a little bench carved into one of the pillars at the station and sat down. I glanced to the side, seeing Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot talking a few yards away. I turned as to not make it too obvious that I was watching them, but I made sure I could still see them out of the corner of my eye.

Turns out I didn't need to discreetly watch them after all. Jet walked right over and sat next to me, trapping me between him and Zuko. I shifted away from him and towards the scarred boy.

"So, Y/n," Jet said. "Do you believe me now that I've changed since last time we met? I know I was wrong to do all that back in the valley, but you and the others really made me reconsider. That's why I left. I'm looking for a new beginning."

He put a hand on my hand, and I went to shake him off, but Zuko's fast reflexes beat me to it. He grabbed Jet's wrist and twisted it in a way that did not look comfortable.

"Look, I don't know exactly what the history between you two is," Zuko said. "But you're clearly making her uncomfortable, Jet. Give her some space."

I shot Zuko a confused look which he ignored. Jet pulled his hand back and shook it out. "Sorry. Didn't mean to. Anyway, do you have plans once you're inside the city?"

"Not really," I mumbled. It was a half-truth. I knew what I wanted to do, I just had no idea how I was going to do it.

A tea seller walked by, pushing his cart. "Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!"

"Ooh!" Iroh raised his hand. "Jasmine, please!"

The tea seller poured some tea into a leaf cup and handed it to Iroh. He turned to me. "Any for you, young lady?"

"Um... I'll have some green, I guess."

I received a cold leaf cup. Zuko and Jet both declined.

Iroh sipped the tea, making a face.

"Blaugh! Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it! What a disgrace!"

I sipped my own tea. Even if it had been hot, it still wouldn't taste that good. I set the cup aside.

"Hey," Jet said to Zuko. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Zuko stood and followed him. I sat back, pretending to look for something inside my knapsack, but I constantly glanced up at the two, in case Jet tried to put his twin hooked swords to use.

They exchanged a few words that I couldn't hear until Zuko turned and walked back towards Iroh and me.

A warm waft of air hit the side of my face. My eyes widened. Iroh's tea was now steaming hot.

Jet stormed away. He'd seen it too.

Shit. This wasn't good.

Zuko knocked the cup out of Iroh's hands, spilling the tea onto the stone floor.

"Hey!" Iroh protested.

"What are you doing firebending your tea?" Zuko hissed. "For a wise old man, that was a pretty stupid move!"

Iroh sniffed. "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but... it's so sad!"

"Last call for Ba Sing Se!" The train conductor yelled.

Zuko, Iroh, and I stood, grabbed our bags, and headed for the train. I saw Jet marching towards a different car, Smellerbee and Longshot following.

Iroh and I sat next to a couple with an infant. I tried to make room for Zuko, but there was only so much room on the seat. And Iroh took up most of it.

"What a handsome baby," Iroh said, oblivious to my attempts to get him to scoot over.

"Thank you," the woman smiled.

I stared out the window at the approaching giant wall.

What am I gonna do once I'm inside?

"Hey," Zuko mumbled. I looked up, not really sure if he was talking to me or not, but his amber eyes were fixed on mine.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"You looked pretty spaced out. Everything okay?"

I didn't know why he cared, but I wasn't going to snap at him. There really was no reason to.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"I've been doing a lot of that recently..."

I smirked. "A first for you, huh?"

"Hey!" he protested, making me laugh quietly. "I can think!"

"Sure," I crossed my arms. "You can, but you just don't."

He huffed. "I regret asking if you were okay."

"What about you?" I asked after I managed to stop smiling. "What are you gonna do?"

"No idea. Hopefully I won't be here for long."

"You don't want to start a new life here?"

"I can't imagine living a peaceful, mundane life inside an enemy city. I can't imagine going the rest of my life under a fake name, hiding who I really am."

"You'll figure it out," I told him. "It always works out in the end."

"Yeah. Yeah... I guess it will."