in which you get into an argument with zuko II
-
After my conversation with Aang, I knew finding Zuko was what I needed. Avoiding him was beginning to eat at me; not only was he my boyfriend, but he was my best friend. We knew each other better than anyone.
If I knew Zuko, there was one of two things I could find him doing; sulking alone or training it out.
Based on the smoke rising by the edge of camp, I figured it was the latter.
The Fire Prince was hitting melon targets with fireballs and slashing through the air with whips of bright orange.
If he noticed me approaching, he didn't act like it. I leaned against one of the target posts, waiting for him to say something to me, to yell at me for being in his way. He kept to his regimen like I was invisible, aiming at other targets and working around me. His movements were precise and powerful; everything a great Fire Nation warrior was made of.
He'll make a beautiful Firelord.
After a few minutes, I grew tired of being ignored. I countered Zuko's next strike, catching him by surprise.
"I thought you might need a partner," I said, shooting my own fire his direction. It came close, nearly singeing his sleeve.
"It's been too long."
He closed the distance between us easily, relying on his speed to take the upper hand. I threw flames on the ground, creating a circle around us. Soon, we were locked in a dangerous game; we sparred together many times before, and it was always best if no one else was around to act as collateral damage. Zuko and I were both powerful benders, and when we dueled, it was all or nothing.
I tried to kick his legs from underneath him to trip him up, but he knew my tricks. He dodged me without thinking, pushing me back with a wave of heat. I almost fell into the fire circle surrounding us.
"Looks like you need more practice, Y/N," Zuko smirked, "you've lost your game."
I dug my feet into the dirt to regain my balance, and formed a wall between us. I knew he could clear it easily, so I ignited both of my hands, anticipating his attack. When he made it through my barrier, I charged him.
But Zuko was anticipating my moves as well.
He caught my hand, pinned the other behind my back, and held me to him. In that moment, I lost all concentration. His eyes burned into mine like embers.
Those golden eyes.
"You win," I mumbled.
Dark clouds were beginning to loom overhead, and I heard thunder in the distance.
"It looks like it's going to rain," Zuko said, tearing his eyes from mine.
"We should head back to the tent."
He let go of me, freeing my hands.
It began to rain just as we were finishing our silent journey back to camp, and we had to sprint to avoid getting soaked by the sudden downpour. The tent was dim due to the lack of sunlight, and after sitting long enough to catch our breath, Zuko lit candles with a wave of his hand.
The tension within the small quarters was thick enough to swim through.
Zuko cleared his throat, "Some storm, huh?"
"Did you sleep with Katara last night?"
Great job, Y/N. Just get it all out there.
My abruptness caught him completely off guard. His eyes widened.
"Wh-what?"
"Did you sleep with Katara last night," I repeated, forming my words carefully. Despite trying to handle this calmly, I felt my face heat up. The thought of my boyfriend sleeping anywhere near Katara sparked a feeling I couldn't pinpoint.
"I didn't sleep with Katara," Zuko looked at me like I was crazy.
"Then why were you out all night? And why did you walk with her to breakfast this morning?" Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes just thinking about it.
"Yes, I went to talk to Katara," he said, "but I left. I slept on Appa last night."
I looked at the floor. I was too embarrassed to even face Zuko.
He reached over and lifted my chin, "Do you really think I'd do that to you?"
"I mean after our argument last night you were really upset, and I don't know I guess I just started thinking--"
Zuko pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me.
"I would never do anything to hurt you," he said in my ear.
I buried my face in his chest.
"I'm sorry about how I reacted last night," I pulled away, "I should have explained what I was feeling instead of shutting you out."
He frowned, "What were you feeling?"
I remembered what Aang and I discussed earlier. I had to be honest with Zuko to truly be understood.
"All the talk about our future really bothered me," I started, fiddling with my ring.
Honesty.
I fixed my eyes on his golden orbs. They helped me focus.
"The truth is, the future scares me. It's not about the responsibilities or uncertainties. I'm scared of what will happen to us when you become Firelord. I'm terrified that things will change between us," my voice broke, "and I can't stand the thought of losing you."
I waited for his reply, but it never came. Instead, Zuko kissed me.
"Y/N," he said against my lips, "I'm not leaving you behind once I become Firelord."
He broke the kiss.
"Because you're going to rule right alongside me."
I grinned as he pulled me onto his lap.
"Firelady Y/N," I poked my nose in the air, "has a nice ring to it."
Thunder clapped outside as the future of the Fire Nation leaned in for another kiss.
"Sounds perfect."
~
this took me SO LONG it was absolutely ridiculous. i finished part one of this imagine in about a day but this one took me a little over 3 to fully complete and reach a version i was happy with. originally, a lot of other characters made appearances, but i really wanted to focus on zuko here because part one was lacking in the zuko department.
i like the idea of zuko being with a firebender in this version but it could definitely have turned out different if he was with a bender of a different element or even a non-bender. there's going to be a lot more featuring zuko with a non-bender reader because i like the dynamic.
i hope you guys enjoyed part two, this is the final part so i can move on to bigger and better things! thank you for sticking around til the end, i know it started to get too long.
more to come.
xx,
sophie