jasmine dragon: atla/lok imagines

↠ zuko (1)

in which you get into an argument with zuko
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"Why do you have to make things so complicated?" I called after Zuko, who stormed out from our tent.

There was a dark spot where he had thrown the entrance open and charred the fabric. When Zuko was angry, he tended to get more heated than usual, in a literal way. I'm surprised he didn't burn the entire tent to a crisp.

When Zuko and I argued, it usually didn't end horribly; he'd walk away to simmer down and when he returned, we would make up. The Fire Prince was known for having a quick temper, but he was capable of coming to his senses.

Zuko didn't return to our tent, leaving me to believe that he made camp with Sokka for the night. It's normal for Zuko to spend the night with Sokka every now and then. He'd have to come back eventually, and we would figure things out in the morning.

I put out my candles and decided to go speak to Suki. She was my best friend, and talking things out with her always made me feel better. Suki's tent was past Katara's, right next door to Sokka.

As I was passing Katara's tent, I heard a familiarly low voice.

I saw Zuko's figure, silhouetted against the firelight inside. He was running his hands through his hair and pacing. He was still angry, but trying to be quiet. I couldn't make out what he was saying.

Camping with Sokka. Yeah right.

Feeling a mixture of betrayal and jealousy, I turned away and stomped back to our tent.

When morning came, I woke up early and joined Aang by the fire for breakfast. Other than me, he was the only one who was awake, doing some sort of meditation.

"Morning," I managed.

"Y/N," he said, without opening his eyes, "I can feel your negativity without even looking at you."

"It's nothing," I lied.

I wonder where Zuko slept last night.

"Sure."

Toph was the next to join us by the early morning fire, followed by Sokka and Suki, who sat on either side of me.

Katara and Zuko walked to breakfast together. When I saw them, I looked away.

Sokka shot me a puzzled glance, but I shrugged him off.

Zuko made sure to sit the furthest away from me as possible, as if he couldn't make our situation any more obvious. The only one oblivious to the tension around the fire was Toph, who was popping berries in her mouth.

"Let's talk about our game plan today," she she leaned back on her hands, "we have a lot of training to do."

"Coming up with a plan is always a good start to the day," Aang agreed.

Across the fire, Zuko scoffed, "Some people have their own opinions on plans."

"Well," I crossed my arms, "some people just aren't ready to make life-changing decisions yet."

"Some people need to learn how to commit to something."

"Some people need to lighten up and enjoy the moment!" I stood up. It was my turn to storm off.

I walked away from the breakfast fire, hoping that no one would follow me. I trekked down a trail to the shore. When I made it there, I sat in the sand. The sun was climbing into the sky over the water, beginning to warm the day. It was beautiful, but my mind was elsewhere. The bright circle reminded me of Zuko's fire.

I felt a slight breeze around me, and Aang appeared by my side.

He didn't press me to say anything. He joined me in staring out at the water, leaving it up to me to talk when I was ready. Aang was a good friend.

"Zuko and I got into an argument last night," I said.

He nodded, inviting me to continue.

"We were talking about the future. Plans that he had for transforming the Fire Nation, what he's going to do when he becomes Firelord," I recounted the events from last night, "but I don't think I'm ready for a future like that. Responsibilities, and all."

I could see gears turning in Aang's head.

He didn't speak for a while.

"I think I hurt his feelings when I told him I wasn't ready to discuss it," I added.

"Well," Aang started, "are you being honest with yourself about why you're not ready?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is the reason you're not ready just because of the responsibility? Or is it because you're afraid of change?"

I realized I wasn't afraid of the responsibilities the future held: I was afraid of Zuko becoming Firelord. We've been able to live a free life together for so long; I wasn't sure what would happen when he became the leader of our nation.

"I guess I'm just afraid things will change between us when he becomes Firelord."

The young airbender's eyes were soft.

"You need to be honest with Zuko," he told me.

I stared at my hands, twisting the ring Zuko gave me on my finger. It was forged out of iron, representing how strong his love for me was. It reminded me of everything our relationship represented.

"Thank you for giving me advice, Aang. I'm sorry I lied earlier."

Aang smiled, "It's okay. You can always tell me when something is wrong. It's what friends are for."

I hugged him.

"Is there anything else bothering you, Y/N?"

Zuko in Katara's tent last night.

"Don't worry, Aang. I'm getting past it."

-

part 2 coming soon

this one turned out A LOT longer than i was planning, but i kind of took the idea and ran with it. i'm really enjoying where this one is going and i didn't want it to get too long for you guys, so i'm splitting it into two parts. it's nearly 1,000 words.

also, let me know what you all think about the first person narrative. i can always experiment with second person where i say "you" a lot, but i personally think the first person narrative is a lot neater.

i'm sorry that this one didn't feature a lot of zuko interaction, but it's a good build up for the next part.
thank you so much for reading!!

xx,

Sophie