pt2: Zuko x firebender!(f)reader angst!
(pt3)
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Dawn came too quickly.
The sky was still purple at the edges when you met in the courtyard, travel packs secured and weapons ready. Zuko was already there, of course, because apparently Fire Lords didn't need sleep. Or joy. Or basic human kindness.
He looked you over with those infuriatingly observant eyes. "You brought your entire healing kit."
"And you brought your entire attitude," you replied sweetly. "We all have our essentials."
"It'll weigh you down."
"Your concern is touching. Really. I might cry."
His jaw tightened. "I'm not concerned. I'm being practical."
"Right. Because you're so practical." You adjusted your pack straps. "That's why we're walking into a region where half the population wants to mount your head on a spike."
"They want to mount my head on a spike because I'm trying to undo a hundred years of damage my family caused," Zuko said, his voice dropping low. Dangerous. "Some of us are trying to fix things instead of just making jokes."
The words hit harder than they should have. You stepped closer, close enough to see the gold flecks in his eyes, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his skin.
"Some of us use humor to cope with caring about people who are too stubborn to care about themselves," you said quietly.
Something shifted in his expression. Softened. His lips parted like he might actually say something real, something trueβ
"We're losing daylight," he said instead, turning away. "Let's move."
You wanted to scream. Or cry. Or waterbend him into the nearest fountain.
Instead, you followed.
The Earth Kingdom was beautiful and brutal in equal measure.
You'd been traveling for hours through dense forest, the canopy so thick it blocked out the sun. Zuko led the way with Aang, while you hung back with Katara and Sokka, trying to ignore the way your eyes kept drifting to the Fire Lord's shoulders, the confident way he moved through the terrain.
"You're staring," Katara whispered.
"I'm keeping watch," you hissed back.
"At his ass?"
"Katara!"
She giggled, and you wanted to splash her. Would have, if you weren't trying to conserve energy.
The attack came at midday.
One moment you were walking through a clearing, and the next, arrows were whistling through the air. Zuko's hand shot up, fire bursting from his palm to incinerate the projectiles before they could hit.
"Ambush!" Aang shouted, his staff already spinning.
They came from everywhereβvigilantes in mismatched armor, Earth Kingdom rebels who saw Zuko as nothing more than Fire Nation royalty. A threat to be eliminated.
You pulled water from your pouch, forming it into a whip that cracked through the air, disarming the nearest attacker. Beside you, Katara moved in perfect sync, ice daggers flying.
But there were too many.
"Zuko, left flank!" you screamed, watching three vigilantes converge on his position.
He spun, fire erupting in a devastating arc that sent them scrambling. But he was focused on the threat in front of him, his back exposed to the forest.
That's when you saw him.
The archer, hidden in the trees, arrow nocked and aimed directly at Zuko's spine. The angle was perfect. Zuko would never see it coming.
Your body moved before your mind caught up.
"ZUKO!"
You ran, water already forming into a shield, but you knewβyou knew you wouldn't make it in time. The archer's fingers released.
So you did the only thing you could.
You threw yourself between the arrow and the Fire Lord's back.
The impact was white-hot agony.
The arrow punched through your shoulder, the force of it spinning you around. You heard Zuko shout your nameβactually shout it, raw and desperateβas you hit the ground.
The world tilted. Blurred.
Through the haze of pain, you saw Zuko's face above you, his hands hovering over your body like he was afraid to touch you. His eyes were wide, terrified in a way you'd never seen.
"You idiot," he breathed. "You complete idiot, why would youβ"
"You're welcome," you managed, tasting copper.
His hand pressed against your shoulder, trying to staunch the bleeding. "Don't talk. Don'tβ" His voice cracked. "You're going to be fine. You hear me? You're going to be fine."
"Bossy," you whispered.
"Katara!" he roared. "KATARA, NOW!"
The battle raged around you, but all you could see was Zuko's face, the way his mask had finally, completely shattered. The way he looked at you like you were the only thing in the world that mattered.
"Stay with me," he demanded, and it sounded like a prayer. "Please. Stay with me."
Your vision was darkening at the edges, but you managed a smile. "Still... hate you..."
"I know." His thumb brushed your cheek, so gentle it made your heart break. "I know you do."
Liar, you thought as the darkness pulled you under. We're both such liars.
The last thing you heard was Zuko's voice, broken and desperate, calling your name like a promise.
Like a confession.
