White Hot Flames (ZukoxOC)

43

        Later, that evening, everyone had settled down around the fire, talking as Zuko made and passed out tea. "No one can make tea like Uncle, but hopefully I learned a thing or two. Would you like to hear Uncle's favorite tea joke?"

Sokka looks at Rezalia incredulously but she just shrugs at him. "Sure," Katara agrees as she accepts her cup. Aang and Toph pipe up as well.

"Okay. Well, I can't remember how it starts, but the punch line is 'Leaf me alone, I'm bushed!'" Nobody says anything because, truly, what was there to say to that. "Well, it's funnier when Uncle tells it."

Rezalia snorts. "That might be because he actually knows the whole joke." Zuko scowls at her but she can tell it's all for show, his eyes lighting up as everyone around them laughs.

"Maybe," he murmurs as he takes a seat across the circle from her.

Toph clears her throat and reaches behind her. "Hey, Lia, you should sing us a song." It wasn't exactly a request as she held out Rezalia's guitar.

"Uh...sure, I guess," Rezalia replies as she takes the instrumant. "Requests?"

"That one you finished writing like, a week ago," Sokka says and Rezalia gives him an unimpressed look. 'Grovel,' he mouths and the firebender rolls her eyes but complies, strumming the first notes. As she did so, Toph used the nearby rubble as makeshift drums.

"I used to think one day I'd tell the stroy of us, how we met and the sparks flew instantly, and people would say 'they're the lucky ones'. I used to know my place was the spot next to you, now I'm searching the room for an empty seat 'cause lately I don't even know what page you're on."

Teo bobbed his head to the beat as Haru and the Duke drummed the beat with their fingers. Sokka was as subtle as an elephant mammoth in the way that he kept looking at Zuko but the prince was as oblivious as always and didn't even notice.

"Oh, a simple complication, miscommunications lead to fall-out." Rezalia watched as Zuko cringed a bit as the meaning of the words sunk in. "So many things that I wish you knew, so many walls up I can't break through. Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking and I'm dying to know- is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah? I don't know what to say since the twist of fate when it all broke down and the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now."

Haru sits up more fully as he catches on, looking between Zuko and Rezalia with renewed interest. Aang seemed prepared for a fight to break out.

"Next chapter. How'd we end up this way? You see me pulling at my clothes and trying to seem busy and you're doing your best to avoid me." Zuko flinches a bit. "I'm starting to think one day I'll tell the story of us- how I was losing my mind when I saw here but you held your pride like you should've held me. Oh, I'm scared to see the ending why are we pretending this is nothing? I'd tell you I miss you but I don't know how." Zuko's eyes fly up to Rezalia's face from where he'd lowered them.

"I've never heard silence quite this loud. Now I'm standing alone in crowded room and we're not speaking and I'm dying to know- is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah? I don't know what to say since the twist of fate when it all broke down and the sotry of us looks a lot like a tragedy now."

Rezalia and Toph slow the music in unison, the blind girl having heard the song throughout the entirety of it's creation.

"This is looking like a contest of who like they care less but I liked it better when you were on my side." Zuko blows out a stuttering breath, hand tightening around his cup. "The battle's in your hands now but I would lay my armor if you said you'd rather love than fight. So many things that you wish I knew but the story of us might be ending soon!"