Fan the Flame (Zuko X Reader)

Promise

      I sat behind the university, heart pounding in my chest. As much as I hate Ba Sing Se at night, I needed to see Zuko. The fear that gripped my chest waiting here alone felt worth it, because there was a chance I'd see him. 

  I had been antsy all day, waiting for tonight. As much as I tried to hide it, I'm sure Toph picked up on it. I cringed remembering our interaction earlier today.

   "(Y/N), are you okay? You've been really shaky today." Toph asked, voice full of concern. I knew that Toph would tell if I was lying, but if she had any idea why I was nervous, It could ruin everything.

   "Yeah, I guess I'm just in a weird mood today." That wasn't the full truth, but I was In a weird mood. Toph scrunched her eyebrows. She must have known something was up. 

  "You know that you can talk to me right? Please just tell me what's going on." I hated this. I hated shutting out one of my closest friends. Tears stung my eyes.

   "Please, Toph. Just drop it." I said through a shaky voice. 

   "(Y/N)..." Toph started before she shook her head in frustration "Fine." She stormed out of my room, slamming the door behind her. I was left with tears running down my face as I slowly sunk into my bed.

   Tears brimmed my eyes again as I relived the memory. If only I could tell her, or the gang for that matter. I felt like such a liar.

     "(Y/N)?" A raspy voice said from beside me. My heart leaped in my chest. I pulled down my hood, meeting eyes with the prince.

    "Hey." I smiled. "I'm glad you showed up."

    "I'm glad you invited me." He grinned back. "The last time we spoke was--"

    "The cave." I finished, images from that night flooding back. I remembered how he had asked me to come with him, and that I turned him down. "Zuko, I just wanted to say I'm sorry I didn't go with you. These last few months have been hell without you." 

    "I understand, (Y/N)." He said, amber eyes gazing into mine. "You care about them too much to leave them behind. Your friends, I mean."

   "I care about you too, Zuko." The question lingered in my mind. I had to ask him, I couldn't bear it anymore. 

  "Do you still love me?" I said, Zuko's eyes flashing with shock.

  "Of course, I do." He said warmly. "What in the world made you think I didn't?"

  "I don't know." I sighed. "I guess I just wanted to know if the feelings were mutual." I smiled up at him. He smiled lovingly back at me, glancing at my lips. He moved closer to me, his gaze moving from my eyes to my lips. I broke the tension and pressed my lips against his. Fireworks went off in my chest as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, placing a hand on the side of my face. He gently pulled away, our eyes meeting.

  "I wish we didn't have to keep this a secret." He mumbled.

  "I know." I said. "But it has to be this way."

  "Will you meet me here at midnight every day from now on?"

  "I will." I planted a kiss on his forehead before pulling my hood over my head. Zuko and I stood up from where we sat. I leaned in, embracing him tightly. "I'll see you tomorrow night, Zuko."

"Do you promise?" He asked

"I Promise." I whispered into his shoulder.

______________________________________________________

   "Where did you say we were going?" I asked Kumi as we walked down the busy street as the sun set, retreating into dawn. I had a gut feeling I knew where we were going, since this was the same path we took the other day.

   "It's a surprise." She smirked. We drew closer and closer to the sign that hung in the distance. The words written on it, "The Jasmine Dragon", became easier to read with every step we took. My stomach churned with worry as the smell of tea filled the air. I hated pretending that Zuko meant nothing to me when I saw him in public.

  "We're here!" Kumi exclaimed.

   "Uh oh." I muttered under my breath. Apparently I spoke a bit too loud, because Kumi turned back to me, face stricken with concern.

   "Do you not like this place?" She asked. "If you don't we can go somewhere else. I just chose this place because it's my favourite tea shop right now."

  "No!" I lied. "I don't have a problem with it at all. If you love this place, then I do too." I smiled.

  "Great! Well then lets go!" She grabbed my arm, pulling me into the store. Kumi guided me to a table along the wall, sitting me down in a chair across from her. Zuko made eye contact with me from behind the counter, a puzzled grin forming on his face. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He probably thought I was stalking him. He walked towards our table. 

   "What can I get for you two?" He asked.

  "Two peppermint teas, please." Kumi said.

 "That'll be right out." He said, writing it onto the notepad he held.

 "Thanks, Zu--" Zuko subtly shook his head, pointing to the name tag on his chest that read "Lee".

"Lee! Thanks Lee." I said. Zuko nodded in response before starting back to the kitchen. Kumi glanced over at the door. 

  "Hey, (Y/N). Isn't that one of your friends I met yesterday?" I turned around to face Toph who stood in the doorway. She hurriedly walked over to our table. I remembered our interaction earlier, guilt growing in my heart.

 "Toph, I'm so sorry for the way that I acted." I said. "I know that you were just trying to look out for me, and I appreciate that more than you know." 

 "I forgive you, (Y/N)." Toph sighed. "Actually, I came here to apologize as well. I was prying, even though you were acting super weird, dude." I smiled, reaching out to give her a hug. 

  "I'm tired of waiting." An abraded voice said from behind us. I turned around to see Jet, shaking with anger. "These two men are fire benders!" He gestured towards Zuko and Iroh. The entire shop gasped. I glanced over to Zuko, who looked at me with worry. This wasn't what Jet and I agreed to in the alleyway. He told me that he would leave Zuko and Iroh alone. Something wasn't right. Jet turned to me, pointing to where I stood.

  "And this girl? She knows." He said. "Her and the boy are working together, and I'm not keeping your little secret anymore."