Movies and Rain (Zukka Modern AU)

The Blind Bandit

Zuko had all but forgotten about his final task of the day. But the final bell rang and Zuko made his way through the sea of students and out to the courtyard and he spotted them. Two blue clad teens, too alike not to be siblings stood on either side of an energetic freshman in a red beanie with a blue arrow design. To the freshman's other side stood a girl with short black hair that Zuko didn't recognize. He balled his fist at his side and fought back the urge to walk past them and do this another day. As the group reached the concrete stairs leading up to the parking lot, Zuko found his footing. He pushed through the crowd and broke through to the first few steps.
"Hey!" The group turned to him in unison and Zuko felt his grip on himself slip. Three confused faces turned to recognition as they realized who had stopped them. The siblings melted to scowls while the freshman between them cocked his head questioningly to the side.

"Hi, Zuko here," Zuko found himself saying before he could stop himself. He gave a stupid wave. As he met the siblings' glares he wished he could punch himself.
"You're probably surprised to see me," he went on, trying to recover and get back on track.
"Not really, since we go to the same school," the boy with the ponytail, who Zuko knew as Sokka, pointed out.
"Right," Zuko tried to hide his shaky breath. His hands were trembling, so he shoved them into his pockets and flexed his fingers in a vein attempt to calm his nerves.
"Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I get it if you don't want anything to do with me-"
"Good, cause we don't," Katara cut in. Zuko's shoulders tensed. He tried to look anywhere but the angry siblings, and found himself staring directly into the freshman, Aang's, innocent grey eyes. A brand new pang of guilt washed over Zuko. He didn't even seem mad. Why wasn't he upset with Zuko? Why wasn't he furious?
"It's not an excuse, but I felt like I had to follow my sister in everything. I was convinced that it was what she and my dad wanted me to do, but even if it was, it was wrong. So for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Zuko finally looked up and met each gaze with a reluctant nod. Aang took a careful step toward Zuko, but Katara caught his wrist with a huff.
"Let's go, Aang." He glanced between her and Zuko before nodding.
"Right." The group turned and Zuko watched as they all piled into a deep blue Jeep Cherokee before heading to his own car on the other side of the parking lot.

The next day didn't feel much easier. Unlike the day before, Sokka's eyes stayed on Zuko for the entirety of first period. No matter how hard he tried to focus, Zuko's mind remained stuck on the heavy glare. The bell felt like the biggest relief of his life, but yesterday's events replayed in his mind throughout his next two classes.

When Zuko was finally dismissed for lunch, he was stopped by a hard tug on his arm. Zuko turned so fast he almost smashed the girl up against the lockers. She was faster, however and quickly ducked out of the way, letting Zuko stumble before finding his balance. When he finally did, he recognized her. It was the same unfamiliar girl that had been walking with Aang and the siblings the day before. She looked up at him, and as her hair fell around her eyes Zuko realized she wasn't looking at him at all. Her round eyes were milky and she was staring right past him.
"You're Zuko, right?" Zuko blinked and nodded, then caught himself and said, "Uh, yeah."
"Good, so tell me what exactly you had to apologize for yesterday."
"It's sort of a long story."
"I got time," the girl shrugged. Zuko sighed and took a step around her.
"Come on, I'll tell you on the way." Zuko let the girl outside. As he picked a secluded section of the courtyard, he began to explain the best he could.

Azula had outranked Zuko practically since she was born. When his mother was still alive, he managed to escape the whims of his sister. By the time Zuko was a freshman, and Azula an eighth grader, he'd latched onto her. It was a choice between Azula and their father, and Zuko chose his sister. Their father took it as an opportunity to focus on work and have Zuko do menial chores, like walking Azula home from school. One day, when Zuko came to pick her up her and her friends had surrounded a young sixth grader. Zuko wasn't sure what they were doing, but he didn't have time to figure it out before Azula turned heel and headed for home.

The next day, they were at it again. And the next, and so on for nearly two weeks before Zuko finally cracked.
"Who's that kid you guys are with every day?"
"You mean you don't know?" Azula feigned surprise.
"He's part of that church of monkeys-"
"You mean monks?" Zuko corrected. Azula waved a hand dismissively.
"Whatever, that church that's running dad's business into the ground." She explained.
"I don't get it," Zuko said. Azula tapped his forehead with her long painted fingernails.
"You always were the dumb one," she said. Zuko opened his mouth to argue, but Azula continued.
"That kid is the adopted son of one of the head monks. If we can get to him, he can make the church pack up and move somewhere else." Zuko bit his lip, uncomfortable.
"Making a whole church move?"
"Just imagine! If we can get them to leave, father will put us to work immediately! We'll climb the ranks." She mused. It did sound tempting.

The more he thought about it, the more he savoured the idea. His father had brushed Zuko off for as long as he could remember, but if he could just prove his worth. . . Then it hit him. If Zuko could get the church to leave before Azula did, then maybe their father would finally see them as equals.

"When it started out, I'd just join in with Azula and her friends after school," Zuko explained. "But it got out of hand pretty fast," he sighed.
"I started finding Aang at every turn in town, even following him back to the temple. Sokka and Katara were always with him, so they got dragged into it too. But the church never moved, and after about a year I moved on. I've waited way too long to apologize."
"Well, that explains why I've never met you," the girl said. Zuko nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see it.
"And you're right, you were pretty awful." Zuko swallowed an argument as the girl continued.
"But I can tell when people are lying, and you weren't." She waited a beat then added, "I'm Toph, by the way." She extended a hand to him and Zuko hesitated before taking it. She hopped up from where she was sitting and stood over Zuko.
"Thanks for the story, but what made you change your mind?" She asked. Zuko didn't have to think about it.
"My uncle," he said. Toph didn't ask for more details and instead gave him a firm nod.
"Good," she said with a wave, "Well I've got places to be, people to ignore." And with that, she turned and left.