White Hot Flames (ZukoxOC)

47

        Rezalia was not at all impressed with Katara's attitude. It was clear that she was pissed about a variety of things and taking it out on Zuko. Zuko, who noticed and, for the most part, ignored it. She made a snide comment, he bit his tongue. She needed help, he offered it and turned a blind eye to the way she rejected it. Everytime, Rezalia stood by to run her fingers through Zuko's hair and pick his spirits back up.

Until the day that he ran into Rezalia's room, where she was staring up at the carvings on the cieling. "I figured it out!"

She tilts her head to look at him. "The Katara thing?"

"Yeah!" he exclaims as Rezalia sits up and moves to face him. "Katara is really upset about the death of her mother, right? And somehow she's transferred the blame to me so if I can help her get closure on that, then everything should be good!"

Rezalia smiles. "It's defineatly worth a shot, Z. Need me to tag along?"

"No. I think this is something I need to do by myself."

She nods and stands. "Okay. Let me know if you need anything from me. Try not to kill anyone if you can help it." Zuko laughs and squeezes Rezalia's hand as he leaves.

Sokka is the one to burst into the room a while later. "Can you believe them?" He doesn't wait for an answer. "Katara wants to go track down the man who killed our mother and Zuko is just gonna help her? Can you believe that? They're planning on killing that guy!"

"Sokka-"

"I mean, I'm not happy about Mom's death either but we can't just go around killing people! And Zuko! Zuko's never killed anyone before so why the hell does he think this is a good idea?"

"Sokka-"

"Not to mention that this is going to draw so much attention to us! We are so close to finally ending this and they want to go make the biggest scene anyone has ever made! This has seriously got to be the stupidest thing that either of them have ever done and from what you've told me, that's a really big milestone for Zuko! I thought Zuko was done with the whole revenge thing. Doesn't this totally screw up his whole redemption arc? I mean-"

"SOKKA!" Rezalia shouts, reaching out to shake the boys shoulders. "Relax! Zuko is not going to let your sister kill anyone, okay? He's gonna give her the option and she's absolutely going to chicken out. Katara is not a killer."

His shoulders sag. "How do you know she won't let her anger control her?"

"Because Zuko wouldn't let that happen. Just...trust me. I know Zuko better than anyone else and you know me, right?" Sokka nods. "So relax. And trust Zuko."

Sokka nods again and wraps his arms around Rezalia's shoulders. "Thanks, Lia. They're defineatly planning on sneaking out, aren't they."

"Absolutely."

Sokka sighs and begins to sway the two of them back and forth. "I really want to trust him. I do. I just..."

"I know. Believe me, I know. And Z understands that. He knows that trust doesn't just materialize, all he wants is a chance. I really apprieciate that you guys are giving him a chance."

"He means a lot to you, Lia."

Rezalia laughs as they rock back and forth more and more violently.

~*~

Zuko comes to find Rezalia many hours later. She holds out her hand for him to take. "All good?"

"Yeah," he murmurs, pressing his face to her hair. After a moment he speaks again. "Zali, we gotta talk."

Rezalia pulls away and looks up at him, confused. He smiles sofltly and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear before gently pulling her to a secluded area outside. "What's going on, Z?"

"You never told me why you were upset back at the prison."

"Oh." She frowns. "Seriously, Zuko, it's nothing."

"If it was nothing, you would've told me by now."

Rezalia sighs. "It's really not a big deal, Z. I just...you never told me that you and Mai were together."

Zuko blinks for a moment, mouth forming an 'o'. Then, he shifts so that he was facing Rezalia more. "Zali, Mai dumped me."

"Yeah, she mentioned."

"No, Zali, listen for a second? Please? Mai dumped me for the same reason that the earht kingdom girl said she wanted to just be freinds."

"And that reason is?"

Zuko laughs a bit as he talks. "Because I am chronically incapable of shutting up about you! I told you that I was hearing your voice in my head. Mai basically told me that she couldn't be with me because I was always thinking about you and the earth kingdom girl kept a running tally of everytime I mentioned you. It was a lot."

"Oh." Rezalia ducks her head. Zuko takes her hand and runs his finger over her knuckles.

"Rezalia." She looks up at him, cheeks tinted pink. "Can I kiss you?"

She doesn't answer verbally, instead opting to practically tackle Zuko off the bench. Zuko cradles Rezalia's head as she tilts it to better slot their lips together. He doesn't seem to mind the rocks and dirt under him, focused soley on moving his lips against hers.

Rezalia doesn't know how long they laid there in the dirt but it was Suki that found them. She instantly lets out a loud wolf whistle. Rezalia rolls over and off of Zuko, laying back and laughing to the sky. Zuko grins and covers his eyes with his hands. "What's going on over here?" Aang asks curiously.

"Rezalia and Zuko finally got their shit together," Suki replies, wiggling her eyebrows at the two.

Sokka hums. "Out in the open? Ballsey."

Rezalia kicks at him. "Ew, you freak. We didn't fuck."

Zuko blushes at the insinuation, rolling over to hide in his girlfriend's hair. His girlfriend.

~*~

Being at the beach house again was certainly an experience for Rezalia. She'd loved this place as a kid. It was far smaller and warmer than the palace back in the Fire Nation. Although it was now oddly devoid of any family portraits, it was still mostly the same. Zuko wasted no time jumping back into Aang's lessons, this time held in the courtyard and usually with spectators. Rezalia would be the first to admit that she loved watching Zuko bend.

Eventually, they all decide to take a bit of a break even though only two people had really been working in the first place.

"Doesn't it seem kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara muses from where she and Toph laid on the ground.

Zuko wipes his head with a cloth as Rezalia comes to sit next to him on the fountain. "I told you, my father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us."

Katara watches as Zuko finishes toweling himself off and wraps his arm around Rezalia's waist. "You two seem comfy."

Rezalia just offers a smile and leans into Zuko's hold. He grins, pressing a kiss to Rezalia's temple. "I'm going to go shower, Zali. See you in a bit?"

"Sounds good," she replies, a smile playing on her lips as she watches him go.

Toph makes exaggerated gagging sounds causing Rezalia to roll her eyes as Katara giggles.