Find Me | Zuko x reader | Avatar the Last Airbender | Book 1

Chapter 15: Bring Me With You

          "Eh, we'll see. I have a long way to go, and a lot to learn." Zaji said, sitting down next to them to watch the game play out. "Right now, I'm under the command of a banished prince."

          "The prince is pretty good at leading, not gonna lie, given that he's what? 16? He does hesitate sometimes though, but when he sets his mind on something, it either gets done, or becomes an unhealthy obsession." Amo said, watching in amusement as Y/N made a terrible move.

          "Yeah, I mean, sometimes I just get confused, because he tells us to do something, then goes and does it himself, or switches plans." Zaji cringed as Amo blocked Y/N off, earning a frustrated groan from her.

          "Yeah, actually, it was hilarious, after he pulled you out of the water..." Amo watched Y/N sit and think for a moment, before she realized.

          "Wait, me?" She asked. Amo nodded.

          "When the prince pulled you out of the water, General Iroh asked one of us with medical training to come forward to help." Amo looked slyly at Zaji, who smacked him lightly.

          "What happened? I don't remember." Y/N prompted, ignoring her turn for now.

          "Nothing." Zaji said, but Amo shoved him playfully aside.

          "Well, you were unconscious, obviously, your heart wasn't beating." Amo continued. "Zaji had medical training, so when General Iroh asked for someone who knew CPR, he stepped forward to offer his help, but then Prince Zuko looked all confused, and said he would do it, so Zaji stepped back, but then he like, hesitated, so Zaji came forward again, and the prince looked like he was gonna yell at him or something. I was trying so hard not to laugh, I was concerned you were dead, but it was just so awkward."

          "He wasn't doing anything!" Zaji defended, throwing up his hands. "So I was going to do it, but then he looked at me like he was going to give me a matching scar, but on both sides of my face! When he kept pausing, I thought he just wanted you to die!" He tugged at the ends of his curly hair, something he seemed to do a lot when he was nervous.

          "It was so funny!" Amo laughed at his panicked state, then turned back to Y/N. "Aside from the fact you were dying, of course." He added. Hold up...

          "Wait... does that mean Zuko gave me CPR?" Y/N asked.

          "Zaji totally got clobbered by this one pirate though, so I wasn't sure if he was in the right mind..." Amo had already been speaking, and Y/N brushed it off.

         "I had this terrible headache for like, two days. These helmets are useless." Zaji complained, knocking on the hard metal of his helmet, which lay on the ground by his feet. Y/N snorted, finally making her move, and Amo looked disappointed.

          "I hoped you wouldn't see that." He pouted, playing with an extra piece as he studied the board. Zaji stole some of his friend's punch, leftover from the night before.

                             —|〰️〰️〰️|—

          "Should we be concerned? The sun's going to set in an hour, here." Amo pointed out, holding up a hand to signal to Y/N and Zaji to stop sparring. 

          "We have no idea where they went." Y/N shrugged. "It's not like we can go after them." She bent the water back into her containers, closing the corks. 

          "Yeah, but he's got a point. All Prince Zuko said he was going to do was get payment back." Zaji commented, relaxing his fighting stance and walking over to the railing to join Amo, Y/N close behind.

          "Unless... he wasn't looking for money." Y/N realized, smacking herself in the forehead. "I should've known! He's gone after the Avatar on the shirshu! I knew something felt off, I'm so stupid." She pouted, leaning on the railing. "If that disaster of a boy lays a finger on my siblings while I'm not there I'll assassinate him myself."

          "That's tricky, cause I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be wary of you for saying that." Amo speculated. "I like you a lot, but you're still a random waterbender that the prince is allowing to tag along, here, and you aren't exactly on our side." 

          "You can kill me if we're fighting, yunno, on our sides, but right now, I'm not currently with my siblings or the Avatar, and you aren't trying to kill them, so I think we good." Y/N frowned at her own statements, confused. "This war makes everything complicated."

          "Well, without it, I probably wouldn't have met you." Zaji looked at Y/N with a wide smile. Y/N chuckled and nodded, but frowned when a messenger hawk landed on the railing next to her. She quickly took off the message, and sighed as she read it.

          "Suit up, boys, we've got an angry prince to pick up."

                             —|〰️〰️〰️|—

                              Zuko's POV

          The Avatar has escaped about an hour ago, and Zuko and June were still paralyzed, laying on the stone abbey floor. The people living there, despite Zuko's wishes, sent a messenger hawk to the boat for someone to pick them up, saying they "didn't want two firebenders laying in the abbey for three more hours".

          "I hope you had fun, you scrap of barnacle scum." Zuko couldn't turn his head, but recognized her voice before she came into view.

          "I know, I know. Just get me back to the ship." He grumbled. Y/N smiled down at him, gently scooping her hand underneath his head in preparation to pick him up. He caught a glimpse of Zaji in the corner of his eye. What's he doing here? 

          Y/N carried him, bridal style, towards the rhino they had taken to get there, supporting his head so he could still see her.

          "Bring me with you next time, flameboy."