The Hopeless Writer

it was subtle at first — just a flicker of realization — but it quickly turned into full-blown horror, like he had just witnessed the collapse of his entire legacy before his eyes.

"...did you just grunt?" you ask finally, breaking the silence. your tone is calm, but your face gives nothing away.

"no...?" he replies immediately, too fast.

"you absolutely did," you say at once, not letting him escape it.

"i didn't," he snaps, a little sharper now, shifting his grip slightly like he's trying to prove a point. "i adjusted my stance."

you keep staring at him.

he refuses to meet your eyes.

your hands slowly rise, gently cradling his face so he has no choice but to look at you. his jaw is tense, his ears faintly red, his entire composure hanging by a thread.

despite his obvious distress, you smile softly.

"are you calling me heavy?"

his shoulders drop a little.

he exhales, trying to recover.

okay. maybe he was overreacting.

it was just a grunt, you smiled. maybe it wasn't that big of a deal. maybe you had nothing to be upset about.

yeah.

"no, love," he says, forcing a small smile.

then your fingers press into his cheeks, squishing them together as you study him very seriously.

"then put me down and pick me up again," you say, tone flat, deadpan. "without the grunt."

his eyes widen slightly.

he fakes a cough, trying to hide the sound of his fast heartbeating, as if you can hear it.

At the center of the cavern sat the elders, and beside them, your mother. Her expression alone broke your heart.

"Tell us it isn't true," she said softly. 

Silence answered for you. A murmur spread through the gathering. Your mother closed her eyes briefly. 

One of the older mermaids spoke up. "We saw you sitting beside him."

Your chest tightened.

"Holding his hand, bringing him to the tide pools."

You looked down.

The tide pools. You hadn't realized how serious that was. Those places weren't shown to outsiders and not even most mermaids visited them freely and you'd taken a human there.

"He is not what you think," you said quietly.

The chamber immediately erupted. Several mermaids began speaking at once but your mother raised a hand and silence returned.

"He is human."

"And humans are capable of kindness," you replied.

You knew it was a mistake the second you saw their expressions. They had heard that before. An elder spoke up, swimming towards you as she did so. Her tail was silver with age, scars marking one shoulder.

"You are young," she said. "I am old enough to remember the hunters."

The cavern grew still and you held your breath, no one interrupted her.

Years ago, she explained, another mermaid had trusted a human sailor. Not a lover, but simply a friend. The sailor had been injured and the pod had helped him, protected him and fed him. But when he returned to his people, he told them where to find the reef.

The elder's voice remained steady.

Her eyes darkened as she recounted the story. "They came with nets and spears. Some never returned home."

You felt your stomach twist. The cavern was completely silent and the grief hung in the water, still alive despite the years. When the elder looked at you again, there was no anger in her gaze, only fear.

"We do not forbid these things because we are cruel. We forbid them because we remember."

"He is different," you whispered.

The moment the words left your mouth, you regretted them.

Several mermaids exchanged looks.

Your mother's face fell.

Like she'd expected exactly that.

"He is different."

The elder repeated the words quietly.

Then sighed.

"Every generation says the same thing."

You lowered your gaze.

"He listens."

"He is human."

"He is kind."

"He is human."

"He would never hurt us."

"He is human."

The conversation ended there and your mother finally spoke. The disappointment in her voice hurt more than any anger could have.

"You will not answer when he calls. You will not sing near the cove."

The knot in your chest tightened as she continued.

“And you will not approach the cove again."

The words echoed through the cavern. You stared at her, unable to answer or promise. Eventually the gathering dispersed, leaving you alone with the ache growing steadily inside your chest. Much later, after everyone had gone, you slipped away to the edge of the reef where the water was quiet. Only the distant hum of currents and the glow of drifting sea lanterns accompanied you.

Slowly, you reached into the woven kelp purse wrapped around your waist for travel, and pulled free the coral comb. Your fingers traced the carved handle, remembering how he'd relaxed beneath your touch. Your eyes burned as you stared out into the darkness beyond the reef. Wondering if he had gone back to the beach. Wondering if he was looking for you and wondering if he would miss you at all.

Three very long days passed. Zuko told himself he wasn't waiting and that he simply preferred working from the balcony overlooking the cove. The fact that he checked the rocks every few minutes was entirely unrelated. The fact that every report took twice as long to finish was also unrelated.

"Lord Zuko?"

He looked up from the report he hadn't been reading to see one of the estate guards standing in the doorway.

"The fishermen from the harbor are requesting permission to dock near the western cliffs tomorrow," the man said.

"The western cliffs?" Zuko frowned.

The guard nodded. "They've been searching for something."

Zuko set his brush down. "What?"

"A sea spirit, apparently."The guard chuckled. "The fishermen claim they've been hearing singing at night."

Zuko's stomach dropped as the guard continued speaking.

"Probably gulls." The guard laughed again.

The rumors spread quickly. By the following afternoon, sailors and fishermen alike seemed to have their own version of the story. At lunch, Zuko overheard at least four. One swore he had seen glowing eyes beneath his boat and another claimed something had followed him through the fog. Iroh listened to each story with polite amusement.

Zuko sat rigidly beside him, silent and listening.

"I'd like to see it," said a man while several others laughed.

"See it?" another said. "I'd like to catch it."

The table erupted in agreement. Zuko's hand tightened around his teacup hard enough that it cracked.

Slowly, Zuko set the broken cup down, "I don't think hunting something you've never seen is particularly intelligent." 

The next morning, evidence appeared. A fisherman brought it to the estate. He held up a scale proudly, small and iridescent and shimmering blue-green beneath the sunlight.

Zuko nearly stopped breathing. He recognized it because he'd seen hundreds of them beneath the moonlight. The fisherman proudly displayed it for anyone willing to look. By midday, half the harbor knew and by evening, everyone did. It was something real and something worth finding.

That night, sleep refused to come so Zuko paced instead.

The estate had gone quiet hours ago. Moonlight spilled through the hallways as the ocean crashed softly against the cliffs below. Restless, he wandered toward the lower courtyard then stopped when he heard voices from the guard station. The door stood slightly open and inside, several men sat around a table with maps spread before them. Zuko recognized the cliffs from the cove and his chest tightened.

"We'll start here." One guard pointed directly toward the rocks where you'd first appeared. "Nets should work."

Zuko went cold as the men continued talking, discussing routes, gathering equipment and search patterns.They were planning a fishing trip as though the creature they were discussing wasn't someone who laughed when he steamed. Someone who hummed while brushing his hair and trusted him.

He trudged that night, down the cliff path, across the moonlit beach, toward the cove.

The night air burned in his lungs. The shoreline was empty. You hadn't appeared in days. Still, he searched the rocks, the tide pools, the hidden inlet. Nothing, only darkness.

For a moment, despair threatened to settle in his chest. Then he heard it so faint he almost thought he imagined it. A familiar melody drifted across the water, beyond the cliffs and the safety of the shoreline he heard a  lonely song. Mournful and beautiful.

You were out there somewhere beyond the rocks, close enough for him to hear but too far away for him to reach.

The song carried on the wind for only a few moments before fading back into the ocean leaving him alone beneath the moonlight. But now he knew you were still there, and worse, you had no idea what was coming. Zuko stared out at the dark sea toward the place where your voice had vanished. 

He found a small wooden boat not too far off the shore and he took it and pushed it into the sea.

Clouds pressed low over the water like a warning but  Zuko rowed anyway.

The thought of you being out there alone, after everything he’d overheard, after everything he’d seen was worse than the storm forming on the horizon.

“Y/N.” His voice vanished into the waves. When nothing answered, he kept going.

You saw him before he saw you. “No…”

You surfaced in a rush, water spilling from your hair as you swam hard toward him.

“Zuko!”

He turned sharply and the second he saw you, relief hit his face so fast it almost made you angry.

“There you are.”

You stopped just beside the boat, gripping the edge. “What are you doing out here?”

“I came to warn you,” he said

“…Warn me?”

His eyes flicked toward the dark horizon. “There are boats near the cove. Nets. Hunters.”

“I know.”

He frowned. “You know?”

“Yes. That’s why you should not be here.”

“That’s why I’m here.”

Your grip tightened. “No. That’s exactly why you need to leave.”

“I’m not leaving you out here alone.” Zuko’s jaw tightened.

“I’m not alone!” The words came sharper than you meant so you swallowed, forcing your voice lower. “I have my pod. I have my family. I have people who understand this world.”

“And I don’t?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

The boat rocked from the sea and a deeper pull underneath.

Zuko noticed it too, his hands tightening on the sides.

“…Something’s wrong,” you say as you look around.

The water had changed color and another wave rolled in closer and stronger.

“Zuko,” you said quickly, “you need to go back right now.”

“I said I’m not leaving—” A sudden gust cut him off. The wind hit hard enough to shove the boat sideways, jolting the both of you. Rain slammed down and the waves became restless. Lightning split the sky so bright it turned everything white. Zuko grabbed the edge of the boat as it lurched violently.

“Y/N!”

“I told you!” you shouted over the wind, “you shouldn’t be here!”

Another wave crashed into the side and water flooded in.

The boat tipped and Zuko lost his balance, nearly sliding.

“Hold on!” You surged closer, bracing the boat with your hands in the water, stabilizing it with strength that wasn’t human.

You spotted lantern light far off through the rain. The boats were too close.

“Zuko, listen to me,” you said urgently, grabbing the boat harder, “you have to leave now. They will see you. If they see you here, they’ll—”

A massive wave rose behind him, your eyes widening at the sight. 

“ZUKO!” You shoved the boat hard sideways just as the wave hit a little too late. The force caught the edge anyway. Wood cracked and the boat spun violently. You reached for him, but the ocean pulled him under the chaos of the storm, dragging the boat away from you.

The boat shattered under the wave with a crack that disappeared into the storm. You called out for him but your voice was swallowed over the sound of the waves and then he was gone.

For a moment, everything was white and cold. Zuko surfaced hard, gasping as the ocean dragged him under again. The rowboat was gone, splinters spinning in the dark from the wreckage.  He coughed, choking on saltwater, fighting to stay above the surface as another wave slammed into him.

“Ungh—!”

His hands flared, fire exploded from his palms. A burst bright against the storm.

It should have stabilized him but it didn’t. The wind scattered it and the rain swallowed the heat.

“Zuko!” Your voice was distant. He turned his head, trying to find you through the rain and was met with nothing but darkness and lightning.

“Y/N!” he shouted back. Another surge hit him from the side and he went under. The cold swallowed him completely. He forced it outward underwater, a sharp burst of heat exploded around him, pushing water away just long enough for him to kick upward again.

He broke the surface gasping. The hunters were close enough that he could hear them shouting over the storm.

“There! Something in the water!”

“Keep the nets ready!”

He shouted again for you, voice cracking through the wind. Another wave hit and for a second he was underwater again. He erupted upward and a column of flame burst from his body. Steam exploded around him as water recoiled and the hunters in the distance saw it.

“What is that?!”

“Fire?!”

“There is something there!” 

Zuko used the brief opening, forcing another blast outward, propelling himself forward through the waves in desperation.

He dove in, but underwater, he saw a net sinking too close to where you were moving. Zuko surged toward it, fire building in his chest before he released it underwater in a concentrated burst. The heat hit the rope and it cut, fibers snapping under the thermal force.The net collapsed mid-drop, useless.

Above him, he heard shouting, and below him, the ocean pulled again. He broke the surface again, gasping, rain slamming down on his face. Another wave rose between you. The hunters were still coming and the storm wasn’t stopping. And now, he was burning in the middle of the sea, alive but only barely.

A wave hit from behind. It struck Zuko hard enough to knock the breath straight out of him. He barely had time to register it before something else followed. A jagged piece of wood, tossed in the storm’s rage caught him at the side of the head.

His fire went out and the ocean swallowed him without resistance this time.

You saw it happen, the light disappearing. You dove into the violent water, still shaking from the storm above, but beneath the surface it was colder.

He was sinking fast and unconscious. You reached him just in time, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him close to your chest. He didn’t respond to your touch. You pushed upward anyway. Your body burned with effort as you dragged him through the water, away from the chaos above.

Eventually, the storm noise dulled around you as you slipped into a narrow opening beneath the cliffs, hidden, carved by currents and time in a safe underwater cave.

You broke the surface inside it with a gasp, pulling Zuko up onto a flat rock just beneath the waterline.

“Zuko…?”

Nothing. Your hands shook as you pressed them against his chest. The injury on his temple had already begun to darken.

You looked down at him, cupping his face. You closed your eyes and leaned forward, lips brushing gently against his.

A soft glow spread beneath your skin, the markings along your scales illuminated. Tiny streams of light flowed from your hands into him. Into his lungs and the water trapped inside.

Zuko jerked violently as water spilled from his mouth. He coughed hard over and over again till his entire body shook as he dragged in a desperate breath of air.

Slowly, Zuko's eyes fluttered open and the cave ceiling swam into view. There was a pounding ache behind his eyes before he saw you. Your face hovered inches from his, expression filled with fear and relief.

His hand lifted weakly, resting against your wrist. You watched confusion slowly give way to recognition in his eyes.

"You saved me," he stated softly

Before you could think of what to say and before you could retreat, Zuko leaned forward slightly, cupping your cheek as he pulled you in. He kissed you slowly and gently, probably because he was still in pain. His lips tasted like sea water against yours but he didn’t mind at all.

When you finally pulled apart, you rested your foreheads against one another. For a long moment, Zuko simply looked at you before a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"I should almost drown more often?" he asked teasingly.

Your mouth fell open. "No!"

His laugh echoed through the cave, weak from exhaustion, but alive.

Dawn broke gray and the storm had finally passed. Zuko emerged from the hidden cave just before sunrise. Every muscle ached from swimming to shore,  His head still throbbed where the wood had struck him and his boots were gone. Despite all of it, he couldn't stop thinking about you.

He would fix this, the hunters. He had to.

The moment he reached shore, something felt wrong. The beach was crowded with soldiers, fishing crews and supply carts. The cove looked less like a sanctuary and more like a military operation.

Evidence littered the shoreline. Anger hit his body after a moment. 

By noon, the entire estate knew that he was furious. Orders flew from every corner of the estate.

The searches halted and many ships were recalled. Anyone caught hunting sea creatures near the cliffs faced immediate punishment.

For the first time since becoming Fire Lord, Zuko used every ounce of authority he possessed and still it wasn't enough because laws took time. Time the pod didn't have.

Far beneath the surface, conch shells sounded throughout the reef. The call echoed through caves and coral forests.

The decision had finally been made that the pod would relocate. Entire generations gathered belongings. Families abandoned homes carved into reefs centuries old, treasures were collected, shell archives secured. Nobody wanted to leave. The migration began at sunset. Hundreds moving together through deep ocean currents. A river of silver tails disappearing into darker waters.

Away from him, but you looked back only once, the distant cliffs were barely visible. 

You wondered if Zuko was looking for you and if he'd come to the cove tonight. The guilt that this was all your fault consumed you as you swam. You felt the current shift. A section of underwater rock weakened by the storm began to collapse without warning. Stone exploded through the water and you noticed a youngling in the way. You pushed her out of the way first but the rock meant for her struck you instead.

The pain was immediate and blinding and everything went dark

Hundreds of miles away, Zuko stood on the cliffs overlooking the empty cove. The laws had finally been drafted and the official decrees were waiting for signatures. He did everything he'd promised himself he would do.

The shoreline was peaceful again with no boats on the waters as he approached it nervously. He waited until moonrise, sitting close to the water as it brushed his feet. The ocean remained silent through the night as he fought sleep, determined to see you.

By morning, the new protections would become law, the hunting would end and the cove would be safe. But there would be nobody left to tell because the pod was already gone. And somewhere within that endless sea, you had also disappeared with it.

Zuko would spend the rest of his life believing you'd left without saying goodbye.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rights to any Characters mentioned nor do I consent to plagiarism of any kind. Thankyou ;) ☆Tags: @strangeprincessblog @cinnamongirlkisses @amethyst09 @skyavyel @butterflygirlblogg @rubyyworld @maee67 @clockworkgraystairs @averypr3ttylady1 @uchihabbynic @allinitformofusand @annichka ☆Line divider: @uzmacchiato AN: So glad I did this and got it off my chest, Anywhooo. Epilogue soon.