Black Jade - Zuko X OC

Oh me oh my

The next day someone was sent to pick up Dai Yu's laundry. As soon as they came back the Wani sailed out of Yu Dao.

It had taken exactly one night with half the crew away on shore for everyone to know about her fight with Zuko. Kairo thought the whole thing was hilarious. He was still in his civvies from last night, and faintly stank like alcohol but looked better rested than she felt. "You have no idea how happy it makes me. Agni what I wouldn't give to have been on deck to hear it myself."

"You could have told me what it meant." She huffed. Uncle had taken her aside that morning and gently explained that the word she'd so loudly called Zuko, in front of half the crew, didn't mean exactly what she thought. Well it did, but also meant...something else. She hid her face in her hands when he said 'female genitalia' and kept hiding as he tried to ask about who'd said that to her. She'd eventually convinced him that no one in particular said that to her, and she'd just overheard it.

"You didn't ask." He took a bite of her food. "So, you really don't have your own money?"

They were sitting in a random cargo bay, by his suggestion. Cloudy skies, a light drizzle and chilling winds from the north made it too cold to eat outside, despite the fact that It was already firmly the beginning of summer.

"No."

"Huh...well, did'ya have fun?" He said in a tone mocking the way a relative might ask about a child's day out.

Dai Yu spent a lot of time last night thinking about whether her criminal excursion had actually been worth it. She sank her teeth into a spa cake, it was a little stale on the outside at this point, but still moist and sweet in the middle. "Yeah."

"Hah, good."

The door of the cargo bay swung open and Daisuke stepped in followed by Lee, another seventeen year old. Daisuke stopped when he spotted them, mumbled something like an apology and started to turn back towards the door.

"What, you too good to eat with us?" Kairo shouted.

Daisuke glanced at her, and then to Lee. Lee was quite a bit taller than either Kairo or Daisuke, and had a square jaw and cheekbones that reminded her of the man on the covers of a book series cousin Mari liked. (She liked them so much in fact that she kept them hidden in the back of her wardrobe and made Dai Yu pinky swear not to tell Uncle Jaeyu).

Lee shrugged. "If Kairo hasn't managed to get thrown overboard yet, we should be fine."

"I don't think it's a coincidence that he's permanently on the nightshift now," Daisuke responded.

"Maybe I like the night shift, ever think of that, asshole?" Kairo had been on night shift ever since the trip to the western air temple, instead of the usual week on week off schedule. So after they ate breakfast together Dai Yu wouldn't see him again unless they ran into each other by chance before she went to bed. She hadn't given it much thought until now, assuming Lieutenant Jee put him there because he was the least likely to start fights with other people that way.

Lee seemed to have made up his mind, crossing the room to sit across from Kairo on Dai Yu's right. He gave her a friendly smile. "I'm Lee, by the way."

"I know," She said.

He smiled wider. She felt her face heat slightly and turned her attention back to her cake.

Daisuke seemed to give in and followed his friend, sitting across from her between Kairo and Lee. "Do you also like being dragged into the mountains to sort through air nomad junk after not sleeping all night?"

Dai Yu examined Daisuke. This was the first time she'd been able to see him this close without him trying his best to leave. He reminded her a lot of her mother. Granted, before she left home most fire nationals did, with their black hair and warm eyes. But something about the specific combination of Daisuke's features: round jawline, dark lashes, slightly upturned eyes. He really looked like mom.