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☽𖤓
𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 their swift return to sea after the defeat of Zhao, and Zuko 'saving' Touka from a fate worse than she was already enduring, things turned out differently than she had anticipated.
Touka had expected that the Prince would chain her up again and throw her into the dark, stuffy cell aboard the metal ship. To her surprise, he only did one of those things. Instead of being locked away, she found herself never out of his sight for more than a few minutes at a time.
Zuko kept her confined in his quarters for most of the day. While he meditated and plotted his schemes—at least that's what she called them—Touka would close her eyes and lean back against the cold, metal wall.
The chains around her wrists clanked with every slight movement, causing Zuko's eye to twitch in frustration as he sat before the flames. His eyes were closed, and he maintained a steady breath, but just as he was about to enter a deep meditative state, Touka would shift, disrupting him and forcing the process to start over. The tension in the room was palpable, each clank of the chains a reminder of her presence and his struggle for control.
Whether she was doing this on purpose or not was something only Touka knew. The subtle smile, however, gave away the answer.
After the third time, the flames suddenly burst higher and angrier when Zuko released a frustrated sound and turned towards her with narrowed slits for eyes.
Touka simply smiled innocently, blinking those crystal blue irises of hers at him. The water bender could practically see the steam flowing from his ears in anger, his face and neck red. The tension in the room was almost tangible, the air thick with the heat of his frustration.
"The steam coming out of your ears every time you look at me must keep your head warm, baldy." she teased, her voice dripping with mock innocence.
That comment had veins popping on his forehead. His fists clenched at his sides, and he took a step towards her, the flames behind him flickering violently as if mirroring his rage. "I'm going to kill you." he growled, his voice low and dangerous.
The girl pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side while crossing her legs. "Aw, so soon?" she replied, her tone playful and unbothered by his threat. She leaned back against the wall, her chains clinking softly with the movement, and watched him with a bemused expression.
His eye twitched once more before he managed to take a deep breath, turn around, and close his eyes. "Another sound and I'm throwing you overboard." he warned, his voice strained as he tried to regain his composure. The flames began to settle, but the room remained charged with the unspoken tension between them.
