Avatar the Last Airbender x Reader Short Stories

Zuko x PlantbenderReader Part 2

Y/N - Your Name
H/C - Hair Color

"Zuko!" You shouted, stepping into the clearing. You smiled and waved at him, walking towards him. "It's so good to see you, remember me?"

"Of course, Y/N." He smiled a little bit and you nearly lost your balance. He'd never smiled! "It's good to see you too. What are you doing here? Who is running the Jasmine Dragon?"

You looked away, remembering how the Dai Li stormed into the tea shop and forcefully questioned all of the employees. You were put in a cell until the call came in that the Avatar's friends were going to invade the Fire Nation without him. You prayed that the Universe helped the poor Dai Li agent that let you out and sent you to Sokka and Hakoda. "I believe the Jasmine Dragon is under new management. I was put in a cell and then later smuggled out of Ba Sing Se by the Dai Li. I was at the invasion and fought with some waterbenders in leaves. Now I'm here." Zuko nodded, and almost looked guilty. You didn't blame him. Azula must have put him in a difficult situation. "I saw your... conversation with Aang."

"They were right to turn me away." He interrupted.

"No, they weren't. Despite the mistakes you have made, you still came to them on your own. You were vulnerable. You know that, and they knew it too."

"But I chased them all over the world, constantly trying to kill them!"

"And Aang disappeared from the world for one-hundred years, allowing millions of people to die for this war that his past life failed to stop. And Sokka probably just condemned a hundred soldiers, including his own father, to what could be their deaths when his plan failed. And Katara may have said she trusted you, but to her you'll just be the Fire Nation. She's all too happy to judge a person for their past, but overlooks the mistakes of those who have done far worse, probably because she refuses to let go of her own past." You crossed your arms to keep your wild gesturing to a minimum. "They're the ones that are wrong, this time. Not you. If they listened to me at all, they know that now."

"You spoke to them on my behalf?" He asked quietly. "I- thank you."

"Well they were wrong to turn you away. We need you, and besides, after all this time it'd be nice to work together again." You sighed, laying down on your stomach in the grass. Zuko quickly took a seat near you as you curled your fingers into your hand, palm up. You had been practicing the plantbending move with the leaf-waterbenders in preparation for the Solar Eclipse. You and Zuko watched as the White Dragon flower grew and bloomed in a matter of seconds.

"That's beautiful. I had no idea you could do that! What flower is it?" Zuko asked. His enthusiasm surprised you. You'd only seen this once when Zuko was sick. He seemed fine now. Is this what happy-Zuko is like? It was so cute! You let out a quiet laugh and answered him.

"After spending time with the waterbenders from the swamp, I realized I could grow full plants, more than just the leaves I grew for Iroh. I practiced making the technique quicker, and more precise. I was the one that grew all of the seaweed offshore so that weird guy could become some sort of seaweed demon." Zuko moved to lay on his stomach to get a closer look at the flower. "Anyway, this is the White Dragon flower. Most of the time it is confused with the White Jade, but I grew it so I'm sure."

"I think I remember my uncle saying something about this once while we were on the run..." Zuko trailed off, seemingly searching for the memory. He must have remembered because a second later, he shuddered and looked utterly disgusted. You didn't even want to know what he was thinking about.

"This is supposed to make a great tea. Should we ever go back to the Jasmine Dragon, we should try it." Zuko nodded in agreement. Zuko pulled the flower out and stared at it for a moment. What is he-? 

"Either way..." Your heart jumped into your throat as he tucked the flower behind your ear and let your H/C hair fall over the stem to keep it in place. "It's still a beautiful flower." Oh Spirits! You felt your face heat up, but regardless you pulled your body closer to him. You started to close your eyes as Zuko cupped his hand around the back of your neck, guiding you. You relaxed and quickly closed the distance on instinct, surprising both of you. He was quick to kiss you back. So this is what it was like to be kissed by royalty... Zuko ended the kiss, somewhat reluctantly for both of you. A curt cough ripped you away from the moment.

-End Flashback-

"Iroh said the leaves from the White Dragon bush makes the best tea, so when I found some, I brought it to Ba Sing Se. Iroh was the genius who suggested to make it a milk tea. I just used the petals to decorate the tea." You explained quickly. Two of the three women nodded. The other was still skeptical.

"Isn't that plant poisonous, though? Drinking a tea with that much poison could kill someone. Are you sure you have the right plant?" She asked haughtily. You took a deep breath and nodded, keeping your composure. Iroh would be so proud. If she wasn't a customer, you probably would have considered switching the plants, just to spite her. Or, at least you would pretend it was the wrong one. Whatever would freak her out. Instead you opted for a fake smile and simple explanation.

"Oh, no. The White Jade is the poisonous one. The White Dragon used to look different, but it adapted to look like the White Jade. Predators started to stay away from the plant since it looked so similar. But no, the plant isn't poisonous at all." This seemed to please the woman and all three ordered Jasmine teas. Seriously? You relayed the order to Iroh and repeated the conversation to him. 

"Ha! I wouldn't worry too much about it, Y/N. They don't know what that flower means to you and Zuko. You had it handled, though." He replied. You glanced at him, wide-eyed and in a bit of a panic. You hadn't said a word about what happened between you and Zuko. How does he even know that? How much does he know? Iroh answered your questions before you could ask them. "While he is the Firelord now, Zuko is still my nephew. When we were reunited at the White Lotus camp, he told me everything while we were catching up." You opened your mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, you grabbed a tea tray and shuffled away, completely red-faced.

~~~

Hey readers! It's been a while, my fault entirely. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Finals (and if you are in any American public high or middle school, midterms) are coming up soon, and the overall stress where I am is nearly palpable and still growing. I wish those of you studying for exams good luck! Anyways, because of exams I won't have the time to write. Luckily, once finals are done, I'm on break and can do some more writing. Remember to vote and comment!

Stay flamin'!