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

Butter-flies

                          Zuko P0V
§∆———————×———————€§

"Uncle, why is this happening!?" I yelled, going to him for advice. "Well, the Avatar is a very powerful person. Capturing him is no easy task." My uncle hummed.

"Not the Avatar. With Y/N! She hasn't come out of her cabin for almost the whole week, and when she does come outside, she looks miserable!" I groaned. "Oh my... Prince Zuko, could it be you-" I let out a sigh and turned around. "No." I huffed. I don't... I don't care about her. Since... She doesn't... care about me.

"Prince Zuko, you didn't even let me finish my sentence. Since you are so worried about-" I turned my head a bit to stare at Iroh, "...About whatever she may be up to, perhaps you should deliver a meal to her and see what the issue is." He gave me a patient smile.

"That... That might work. Thank you, uncle." I began to step towards the kitchen. "Be sure to give her a cup of tea!"

§∆———————————————∆§

I walked up to her cabin's door, tray in hand. It was... Weird, being the one to carry the tray to another person, but I figured it would be better for me to try and to talk with her. 

The moment I tried to knock on her door, I heard shuffling. I slightly opened the door to see her... Tossing and turning in bed. What was I supposed to do!?

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." I heard her whisper. Tears were falling out her eyes. Why... Was she crying? Who was she apologizing to?

Guilt began to crawl into my heart.

No. My father wouldn't have lied.

So, then... Why do I feel so bad for her?

She woke up in a sweat, hyperventilating. She covered her face with her hands and cried,"It's all my fault... I-I... I never wanted to abandon anyone..." My eyes widened.

She... Was talking about me?
She never wanted to abandon me?

Is that really true...?

No... Why would my father lie to me? It... Can't be... Can it?

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, unsure of what to believe.
I glanced up at her trembling figure, unsure of what to do. I clenched my fists, unsure of what I was feeling.

But then... She held something in her hands. It was...

A small, red, plastic butter-fly.

A single tear fell from my eye.

She still... Has it? No, she doesn't care.

But then... Why would she be crying about abandoning me?

She hated me. That's why she left.

But then... Why would she still have that butter-fly?

I slammed my eyes shut, and clenched my teeth, confused.

She... Cared about me. This entire time. But then... Why did my father... Lie?

It... Must've been an accident. Maybe he just believed that was true.

But I... I've been hurting her this entire time? I've been treating her like a liar and manipulator, when in reality... She never stopped caring about me.

I... I'm an idiot. I believed that she was a liar, when she was nothing but caring towards me. I believed that she hated me... When she showed me nothing but compassion.