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

Butter-flies

I placed the tray on the ground and began to walk towards my cabin. I... Need to think right now.

§∆———————v———————∆§

                         ??? P0V

You hopped out of my bed and cautiously stepped up to your door. You had heard a strange noise. You opened it, only to see a tray of food. Confused, you looked out the doorway to see Zuko walking away.

He... Did this? Hesitantly picking up the tray, you sat on your bed. Why did he do that? He... Hates you, doesn't he?

You bit your lip and shook your head. "Don't think about it..." You muttered. It was hard for you to get any sleep. Everything would just come crashing down at you, making you restless.

You heard a knock on your door. "Come in." You said. You looked up to see Iroh. "May I sit down beside you?" He asked. You gave him a stiff nod.

"You've been stressed lately. Have you been able to get any rest?" Iroh questioned, an expression of concern on his face. You shook your head and took a few bites of your food. "What's on your mind?" He asked, placing a hand on your shoulder.

"...Remember what you told us? During the storm. About..." You let out a sigh. "About my nephew?" He finished your sentence. "Yeah. Before that, I... I was honestly pretty mad at Zuko. He kept saying I abandoned him. But now I realize... He was right."
You mumbled, closing your eyes. "If I hadn't left... None of that would've happened to him. I could've done something to help. I lied to him. I told him I'd always be by his side, but then I just... vanished. I really did abandon him. What happened... Is my fault. I can't say I'm not upset with how he was treating me, but now I..." Your voice trailed off.

"And what made you leave the Fire Nation?" Iroh hummed. "Well, one... My family. I had to reunite with them. Had I known what that'd do to Zuko... I would've tried to find another way, or maybe talk to him before I left. And two..." You glanced at the ground and anger formed on your face, "Ozai becoming Fire Lord. It... was a threat to me and my family's safety."

"Do you know who put the idea of you abandoning my nephew into his head?" Iroh quizzed. "...No? He was the one to believe it, right?" You muttered, slightly confused. "It was most likely— no, definitely my brother. Prince Zuko's father." Iroh stated. You clenched your fists. "Then... He was right."

"No, Y/N. Tell me again, who threatened your family and threatened you?" You glanced at the ground. Firelord Ozai. "Who drilled the idea that you never cared about Prince Zuko into his head?" Firelord Ozai. "And who was the one who hurt Prince Zuko in the first place?"
...Firelord Ozai.

"I am not telling you that my nephew is completely innocent. He should realize the harm in how he treated you, and be held accountable. But what I want you to understand is that the both of you were put in an unfortunate situation, as young children no less."
Iroh said.

"Taking the blame for the errors you did not commit will only place a burden on your shoulders. When you hold the correct person accountable, the burden and pain is lifted from both of your shoulders. All that's left is a small puddle of the bad memory which you can avoid, rather than a vast ocean of guilt."

"I hope this conversation has helped you, Y/N." Iroh stood up with a smile. Before he could utter the words "goodbye", you gave him a bear hug.
"Oh dear, my spine-" You let out a soft chuckle at Iroh's words.

"Thank you, Iroh. Back when I first met you in the Fire Nation, I thought you were a dangerous person. Looking back, I feel pretty dumb. You're quite literally the world's best uncle." You grinned.