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

I Love You

You smiled at the sight of everyone together. In an odd way, it was relieving.

You sauntered out to one of the outdoor areas of the tea shop, walking past the tables and resting against the railing of the balcony.

Gazing upon the scenery, you let out a soft sigh. The greens and golds from Earth Kingdom buildings of the Upper Ring were but a collage on the horizon, the sky a deep orange and pink.

Clouds drifted past, light shining through their puffy bodies. Cherry blossoms trees stood strong around the tree shop, bushes waved slowly, their leaves rustling quietly. Flowers swayed, soaking in the light from the sun.

The zephyr winds were warm, blowing your hair and dancing with your gown. The railing of the balcony was smooth and slick, and the smell of freshly brewed tea lingered in the air.

"Y/N?"

You turned to look behind yourself and saw Zuko standing by the door. He set the tray in his hands on one of the tables to his left and stepped over to you.

"What's got you out here all alone? Everyone else is inside." He hummed, leaning against the railing.

"I thought I should take a moment to process all of this. The war played such a big role in all our lives, and now it's finally over." You mumbled, furrowing your eyebrows as you looked up at the sky.

You sighed and shrugged, "It's a good thing—A great thing—But... I guess I'm just scared of the unknown. Of what comes next."

"Yeah. It can be confusing." Zuko muttered, narrowing his eyes as if recalling a bad memory.

Smiling, you placed your hand on his back. He chuckled softly and pulled you closer to himself, one hand playing with your hair.

"What are you going to do after all this?" You inquired. "I'm going to fix the terrible things my father has done, and I'm going to find my mother." Zuko replied, "What about you?"

"I'll probably visit my dad and Gran-gran, maybe check up on the kids in my village," You responded, "Hopefully I'll get the chance to learn more about my powers."

Zuko sighed, "Your answer was so... Mostly normal." You giggled, "You're a prick with some problems to sort out. No need to be ashamed of the fact you're a weirdo."

He playfully glared at you, "You're calling me the weirdo? At least my existence doesn't break reality."

You snorted and nudged his shoulder, "Bullying isn't cool, Zuko." He scoffed, "You started it!" Blowing a raspberry, you giggled, "Couldn't help it."

The wind blew through the deep, dark locks of Zuko's hair, the sun shining in his golden eyes. You could see the hope and determination in his gaze. He had a gentle smile on his soft lips as he looked upon the foliage and tranquility of the city.

You brushed a few loose strands of your hair back and glanced at the floor of the balcony, humming softly. "S-So...! Speaking of the, uh, future..." You had a dorky smile of your face, your cheeks a faint pink.

Zuko nodded and chuckled at your expression, "Mhm?" You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. "What's going to happen to... Us, going forward?"

He looked surprised for a moment, his cheeks reddening a bit. But then he looked away, glancing at the ground. "I... I don't know."

You twiddled your thumbs, gazing at him, "...Are you not ready?"

"It's not that I'm not ready, it's just..." Zuko furrowed his eyebrows and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know how it'd work. I mean, your home is in the Water Tribe, right? I can't take you away from that."