The Archer [Zuko]

➳ 8 ➳

The sun is slowly going down in the sky as we reach the palace. We spent the whole day out and about, going from one merchant to the next. Azula didn't buy anything, which is weird. Ty Lee bought a small pendant and Mai bought a new knife, but that is about it. I did manage to steal the pink bolt of cloth for Ty Lee, and I'm trying to think of a way to give it to her without her realizing that I stole it. I don't want to give it to her with Mai and Azula here, though. It's a good thing that they both are chatting up ahead.

"Ty Lee," I say, tapping her on the shoulder. She glances at me with a smile on her face. The soft torch light dances across her face in the long hallway we're walking down.

"Yeah?"

"I got something for you," I tell her, producing the pink bolt of cloth from behind my back. Her eyes go wide in happiness. 

"How'd you even afford this? It was super expensive."

"I have my ways." Her wide eyes narrow slightly, but she soon holds the bolt against her chest and sighs happily. I can't help but smile at how happy she looks. "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Ty Lee shakes her head. "I love it. Thank you, Heiza. You're a great friend."

For some reason, a pang of guilt hits me right in the center of my stomach. She throws her arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. The pang of guilt grows more when she does that. Slowly, I wrap my arms around her waist, sucking in a deep breath. Her flowery aroma overwhelms me, but it's better to focus on that instead of my guiltiness. 

Ty Lee pulls away from the hug but keeps her arms around my shoulders. "Are you alright?" Her lips are turned down in a frown. "You look so sad."

"I'm fine," I say, forcing a smile onto my face. Her frown slowly dissipates, and I say, "If there is anything wrong with me, you'll be the first one to know."

"Good. I don't want you to get wrinkles later in life because you kept in bad vibes." She shudders slightly, holding her bolt of fabric close to her chest. "Good night, Heiza. Have sweet dreams!"

"You, too."

Ty Lee turns toward the hallway, and I realize how close we are to her room. We must have been walking while we were talking, though I didn't watch my surroundings. That's not a good thing. As a thief, I need to be able to watch my surroundings even in the midst of conversation. I shake my head, though, and start my trek away from Ty Lee's room. 

"Heiza!" I slowly stop walking when I hear someone calling my name. The only person that is near me is Ty Lee, but she's already in her room by now. My bow is already in my hand by the time the person gets near me. "It's Zuko, by the way."

I drop my bow when I see him standing behind me. The shadows in the hallway cover his face from my view, but his eyes are shining in the soft torch light. He pushes himself off of the wall so he can stand in front of me.

"Why are you up so late?" I ask him with a frown.

"I could ask you the same thing." My lips twitch in surprise. I did not expect him to joke with me. He also looks surprised that he joked with me because his eyebrow shoots up into his hairline for a second. "I wanted to check on you."

"Check on me?" I ask. My frown deepens, and my heart rate picks up a little. I have no idea what he means by that. I hope he hasn't seen through my façade yet. "Check on me about what?"

"Earlier, you said something that worried me," Zuko says awkwardly. He shrugs. "I wanted to see if you were doing okay or not."

I stare at him and smile softly. This is working better than what I had planned. He's making this so easy for me to get closer to him because he does actually care about other people. That was why he got banished in the first place; he stood up for innocent people when no one else would. Of course, I never witnessed this happening because I had gone back to the Pohuai Stronghold by then, but I did hear about it.

"You said that you enjoyed reading because you'll get your happy ending there," Zuko continues quickly. "That's what made me worried about you." He pauses for a second, meeting my eyes with his. I allow some of my pain to rise up so he can see it in my eyes. That way, I can get him to feel sorry for me. The best way to lie while being undercover is to tell a part of the truth with the lie so it can seem more real. "Are you not happy here?"

My eyes flick around before I take a step closer to him. He doesn't move away from me, which is a good thing. "Between me and you," I whisper to him, "I've never really been truly happy before."

His lips curve downward, and I can see his own pain flash in his eyes. "Honestly? Me either."

"Oh, look at that." I grin, placing a hand on his arm. He tenses up beneath my touch. "We have something in common. It may not be a good thing, but it is something." 

Zuko shifts underneath my hand, but he doesn't pull away from me. He takes another step closer, saying, "Why aren't you happy? I thought you had a good life with the Yuyan Archers."

"They don't really get me." I pout, and for some reason, my eyes tear up slightly. "I'm not a boy, which is what the Yuyan Archers are made out of."

"They shouldn't judge you based on your gender."

"That's what my father thought, so he taught me everything he knows." I gesture to my face with my free hand. "That's why I have the tattoo, since I am a true Yuyan Archer and all."

"All my father ever did for me was give me this scar," Zuko says, pointing to the one on his eye. I nod slightly at him. "Though, he has taken me back in as the Prince, so I guess that's something."

Zuko and I continue staring at each other in silence. We are standing so close to each other that I can feel his breath fanning across my face. In the dim light of the torches burning around us, I kiss him. He grows very stiff for a second before kissing me back. 

I never really expected to get close to him like this, but what better way to get close to a boy than to fulfil their physical desires? This way, I can get him to spill the secrets of the Fire Nation to me. I know it'll be easy, especially because this is Zuko I'm with. He's always had one foot out the door, ready to run away. It's my turn to take advantage of that.