You're killing me( A Zutara Hanahaki Fic)

Burn down the tea

My eyes widened, realizing I had just hit someone with the door.

I offer my hand to the person before looking down. 

 -"I am so sor-... "My voice left my throat as I frowned at the young man laying on the ground. He stared back at me. "What are you doing here Zuko?" I snap my hand back.

He turned his gaze away from mine, getting back on his feet without my help. Fair skin glistened under the sunlight emanating from the window, only broken by the trail of scarred pinkish tissue around his left eyes. Now to his full height, he towers slightly over me, forcing me to tilt my head up to look at him.

-"I work here now Katara", his face was calm as he looked me down "I hope that won't be too much of a problem for you."

My attention dropped to the badge at his chest identifying him as a fellow physician working here. He cannot be serious right now.

-"Aren't you supposed to be abroad? I thought this place wasn't good enough for you?" I crossed my arms, the expression on my face probably telling him to f*ck off.

He didn't seem too suprised to see me, and I couldn't help but wonder why he was back in city. Zuko made it abundantly clear he believed this place was too low for someone of his status the last time we talked. If the best hospital in Ba Sing Se city wasn't good enough for him, I wasn't the one who was going to stop him from going somewhere else. He had no reason to stay anyway. It certainly was not a childish promise that was going to change that.

-"Well, there has been a change of plans." He looked over my shoulder at the staircase ,"Now if you'll excuse me, I want to take my break in silence." His expression seemed blank compared to the one he usually adorned in medical school... or well the one I remembered. A slight crease forming between his eyebrows.

Zuko tried to pass between me and the door frame but stopped as I extended my arm to block his path.

-"This is the emergency staircase" I deadpanned.

-"I know." He lingered for a moment. Meeting my eyes as he ultimately pushed my arm away, stepping down the corridor to the staircase.

I rolled my eyes.

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For some reason the reception room smelled faintly like burned mint as I left the hospital, which made me wonder which one of the staff member burned tea this time.

The last time someone attempted to make tea there, the whole building almost got evacuated because of the smoke. Ever since then, tea making has been forbidden in the reception room and all drinks have been strictly bought from the small tea shop from across the street.

A smile tugged at my lips, the smell of fruits and tea filling my nose. The silent of the night is a refreshing contrast to the nosy hours at work. Checking my phone, the home screen makes me pause in my steps. The picture of me and Aang at Sokka's and Suki's wedding illuminating the screen. It was approximately a year ago from now if I remember correctly. The wedding taking place in the middle of spring, I had to wear a trench coat which, unfortunately, hid my dress in most pictures we took outside that day, including this one. It was Sukki who had picked it out for me, saying the pastel blue of the dress would make my eyes pop. I stare at the photo for a second more before turning my phone off completely and continuing the small walk to the tea shop.

My legs gave out from under me as I finally reached a table inside the 'Jasmine Dragon'. The countless hours of running around the hospital having finally taken a toll on me. Throwing my head backward, I sank into a chair. The urge to close my eyes and sleep right there and then only ignored because of the rudeness such act would be considered to be. I nevertheless closed my eyes for a minute, just enough to rest my eyes for a bit. I deserved it after the rollercoaster ride this day was.

It's only after I felt my thumb go over the small petal a second time that i realized I took out the flower petal out of my pocket once again. Opening my eyes, I noticed it having slightly lost its color. The once deep purple of the petal now resembling a grayish violet color.

The gentle sound of approaching footsteps made my eyes snap up from my hand, where an older gentleman smiled as he greeted me, "Katara, how nice to see you here today." His smile widened.

-"I come here every day" I say. Despite my tiredness, I could not help but reciprocate the smile he gives me.

-"It doesn't change the fact that I am happy to see you here" Iroh leaned forward, giving me an encouraging squeeze to the shoulder. "Do you want the same as usual?"

I nod just as his eyes catch the purple shape in my hand. His eyes shining in delighted curiosity. "I wasn't aware you were a fan of flowers" he vaguely pointed to my hand. I hand the petal over to him. Gently, he brought it closer to him, seeming to examine it with great care.

-"Do you think you could identify from which flower it's from?" I tilted my head, looking around at the shop.

The small shop is painted a sage green color, small wooden tables surrounded us, reminding me of a field of flowers. The flowers painted on the tables accentuating the feeling of being in the middle of a meadow. From the outside, the shop looked more like a small old temple rather than somewhere you would go to buy a drink. The tall colones at the entrance accompanied by the screened door and windows were a blast from the past. A welcome change to the otherwise mundane surrounding of the hospital.

-"This looks to be from a purple Hyacinth to me" He nodded, the calm smile never leaving his face. "They are in season right now"

Iroh handed me back the petal, "You know, those flowers are usually given as an apology. They represent a deep sense of guilt and sorrow. I hope you can forgive whoever gifted you this flower," he finished, starting to walk away.

-"Oh no, you're mistaken. No one gave it too me."

He looks back at me, stopping." Is that so? Because you were staring at that poor petal with such anger in your eyes. It seemed to me that you weren't pleased to see it." He looked back in the direction of the kitchen" I am sure some tea will fix your bad mood." He let out an earthy laugh as he walked away.

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╰(*°▽°*)╯ Second chapter done!

Sorry for the late uptade, I almost burned down my house so I needed to deal with that first.

Btw do any of you know if plastic fumes are actually that toxic? Because I spent three hours breathing them while trying to clean everything up. The internet says it's toxic and that I should've stayed out of the house for a few hours after airing the house out but i didn't do it. All I had was a slight headache at the end but I don't know if it was related to the fumes or if that was just me getting a cold ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyways, I am happy I am done with this chapter. I am trying to write them to be on the shorter side but do tell me in the comments if you would rather I writte them to be longer.

word count: 1138 words