|•|W I T 卄 E R||•| Zuko X Reader ⚠SLOWBURN⚠

The Ember Island Players

"Isn't it kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara inquired, watching as Zuko and Aang worked on their firebending together.

You, Toph, and Katara were sitting in the shade on the steps as the two practiced. The courtyard was in surprisingly good condition for being unused for so long.

Despite being under the shadows, the stone slabs beneath your palms were still warm. The early summer breeze blew through, though spring's efforts were still reminiscent in the red lilies and foliage.

The hot gusts of air from the plumes of fire were certainly bracing-You were fanning yourself to keep cool.

With a final strong blast of flames, Zuko sat down on a enpty fountain and wiped his head with a cloth, "I told you, my father here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us."

Suddenly, Sokka and Suki ran into the courtyard, large, excited grins on their faces. You noticed the rolled up poster in Sokka's hands. "What's up with the paper? Did something good happen?" You asked.

"We're in a play!" Sokka exclaimed, opening the rolled sheet. "We were just in town and we found this poster!" Suki explained.

It had a painting of Aang, Sokka, Katara, along with Zuko's face in the background. But for some reason, his scar was flipped.

"What? How is this possible?" Katara whispered, intrigued. Sokka read the text on the side of the poster detailing how the playwright got their information.

"Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players." Suki finished. Zuko groaned, "Ugh! My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered Love Amongst The Dragons every year!"

You laughed and whispered, "Theater kid." Zuko huffed and glared at you, which only made you laugh louder.

"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about purselves?" Katara questioned.

"Come on, a day at the theater? This is the kind of time‐wasting nonsense I've been missing!" Sokka smiled sheepishly, using his forbidden tactic-Puppy dog eyes. Only true masters could use such a skill against Katara.

"I think it'd be a good idea to get our minds off of things," You said, "And hey! If it sucks, we've got something to joke about! A forbidden play that no one will ever talk about!"

"Sounds... Eerily familiar." Aang shuddered, "I feel like my name got mispronounced."

Katara trembled, "I feel like someone just stripped me of my character."

Sokka cringed, "Someone took away my meat and sarcasm."

You, Toph, and Zuko all glanced at each other. (Well, Toph glanced with her feet.) "Shared delusion?" Zuko shrugged.
_____///

The seven of you entered the theater and sat down in seats rather far from the stage. Zuko sat down next to Toph and Katara.

"Hey, uh... I wanted to sit there." Aang said. "Just sit next to me. What's the nig deal?" Zuko inquired.

"I was just-I wanted to... Okay." Aang sighed. You peered at Katara, then back at Aang. Realizing what was going on, you hid your necklace under your seat and exclaimed,
"My necklace! It's missing! Zuko, could you help me look for it?"

As soon as Zuko got up, Aang dove for his seat. Sokka raised an eyebrow, "Wait, you put it-"

You pointed at his boomerang and then made a slicing motion to your neck.

"You monster..." Sokka whispered, shocked.

"Y/N, did you do something stupid so Aang could have my seat?" Zuko asked, stepping over to you. You folded like a deflated ballon. "...Well, it wouldn't be stupid if it worked."