Fiery Familiarity - Part 3

Fiery Familiarity - Part 3

hey guys!! sorry it took longer than i expected to get this part out, i’ve been busy at work lol. also i realized i forgot literally like 3 paragraphs at the end of part 2 ;; they’re there now and they’re not crazy important but it’s something lol. enjoy part 3!!

words: ~1.9k

prologue | part 1 | part 2 | part 4

You resorted to carrying Toph, having her bend through the ground to tunnel closer to the camp. You stumbled out and fell to the ground, holding her defensively to shield her from more harm. “Katara, we need some help over here!”

“Toph, Y/n! What happened?” Katara cried, crouching at Toph’s side.

“My feet got burned!”

“Oh no, what happened?”

Toph’s sass started to come back, “I just told you, my feet got burned.”

Katara glared, “I meant how.”

Toph hesitated, “Well… We kind of went to see Zuko last night.”

“You WHAT?!” Aang yelled.

“Zuko?!” Katara cried incredulously.

Sokka let out a noise before Toph continued, “I thought he could be helpful to us.” Katara began to heal her feet. “And if I talked to him, maybe we could work something out.”

“So he attacked you?” Sokka asked.

“Well, he did, and he didn’t. It was sort of an accident.”

Aang had to ask, “But he did firebend at you?”

Toph sighed, reluctantly responding, “yes.”

Sokka started again, “See? You trusted Zuko, and you got burned. Literally!”

You needed to say something. “It wasn’t all his fault, Sokka! He was asleep and thought we were someone coming to ambush him. He tried to apologize, but she’d already been hurt.”

“It’s gonna take a while for your feet to get better,” she paused her healing, putting her water away. “I wish I could have worked on them sooner.”

“Yeah, me too,” Toph grumbled.

“Zuko’s clearly too dangerous to be left alone. We’re gonna have to go after him.”

You stopped listening as Aang and Sokka spoke, choosing to help support Toph and carry her to the fountain for some rest. But of course, you couldn’t get a moment's rest, as an explosion sounded moments later.

You all panicked, grabbing Toph protectively.

“Stop!” You all turned as you heard Zuko’s voice. “I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore! The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop.” Zuko tried to block Combustion Man, only to get shoved aside as he let off another explosion even closer to you.

You watched in vain as Zuko tried to stop him. When Combustion Man turned, you felt like everything went in slow motion. Your heart stopped as the explosion pushed Zuko off the ledge, you couldn’t help the scream you let out.

“Zuko!”

Sokka forced you down behind the fountain, only letting you back up once the explosion passed. You almost cried in relief when you saw Zuko had managed to catch himself on the roots hanging between the rocks.

As Aang and Katara used their bending to shield the group, you helped Sokka carry Toph behind the pillars as fast as possible.

“He's going to blast this whole place right off the cliff side!”

Katara tries to peek out, only for another explosion to set off, “I can't step out to waterbend at him without being blown up and I can't get a good enough angle on him from down here.”

You see Sokka’s eyes light up, “I know how to get an angle on him!” He grabs his boomerang, watching before aiming and winding up. “Alright buddy, don't fail me now!”

The boomerang whips into the distance and you hear Sokka cheer as it hits Combustion Man in the forehead. He tries to set off an explosion, but it backfires, and he only succeeds in blowing himself up along with a whole pillar of the air temple. You watch with bated breath, only releasing it when you see Zuko climbing up the root and onto stable ground.

You wait with the others as Zuko makes his way to you.

Aang looks up, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but… Thanks, Zuko.”

Sokka poses as he speaks up, “hey, what about me? I did the boomerang thing.”

“Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday, I've been through a lot in the last few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me.” He paused, looking down before continuing. “But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want to do now is play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world.”

Aang’s face softened with those words, and you could feel hope rising in your chest at the sight.

Zuko turns to Toph, “I'm sorry for what I did to you.” He gave her a bow, “It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild, so as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally.”

You could tell that hit Aang in the heart, the memories of his first attempt rushing to the surface as his eyes widened and he looked down in quiet contemplation. He looked up, “I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara, and after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love.” Aang bows to Zuko, “I'd like you to teach me.”

Zuko smiles, bowing back. “Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group.”

“Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them.” Aang turns to Toph, “Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?”

She grins, pounding her fist to get palm jokingly, “Go ahead and let him join. It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet.”

Aang smiles and looks at you, “Y/n?”

You hesitate, looking into Zuko’s eyes as you speak. “I know that there is good in his heart. He deserves a chance to show it. He’s the best shot you have at learning firebending.”

Aang nods, looking to the left, “Sokka?”

Sokka shrugs, “Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then, I'm all for it.”

Aang nods once more, looking at the final person. “Katara?”

You watch sweat roll down Zuko’s face, a look of pure hope and fear in his eyes. She glares as she speaks, “I'll go along with whatever you think is right.”

Tension bleeds from Zuko’s shoulders as he steps forward. “I won't let you down! I promise!”

You carry Toph as the group bleeds out of the area, watching as Sokka tells Zuko to grab his things.

You hear Sokka calling to Zuko, something about lunch, after he shows him to his new room. As he slips out of the room, you watch Sokka turn to Aang and say, “Okay, this is really, really weird.”

You slot yourself behind a pillar, watching silently as Zuko pulls a photo out of his bag. You stay quiet for a moment as you watch his thumb rub against it. You see Katara lean against the doorway, his head whipping up as he feels her eyes on him. He stands as she begins to speak.

“You might have everyone else here buying your... transformation, but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past.” You watch as she walks toward him, standing inches from his face as she sneers, “So let me tell you something, right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends... right then and there. Permanently.”

You watch as hurt blooms on his face, his eyes wide and sad as he watches her leave. You hide behind the pillar as she slams the door. You wait until her footsteps and mumbled curses subside before you approach the door.

You knock on the door softly, “...Zuko?”

You hear shuffling before the door opens, a disheartened look on his face.

“Have you come to give me a piece of your mind, too?”

Your eyes softened before you shook your head. “Can I come in?”

He watched you with an indiscernible look before he stepped to the side and opened the door, giving you more than enough room to step inside. You slid in, taking a deep breath before you spoke up, “I’m sorry for Katara’s… outburst. I’m sure you can understand it comes from a place of love for her friends, but her protective nature comes out more threatening than it needs to.”

He looks down, “No, she has every right to be angry. After the things I’ve done, what my nation put them through… I don’t blame her for being mad at me.”

You nodded sadly, trying to find something else to take his attention off of the past. Your eyes lit up as you looked down at the bed, “Is that your uncle Iroh?”

His eyes snapped to meet yours, “I… Yes, it is.”

You picked it up gently, studying the painting. “Tell me about him.”

You could feel Zuko’s eyes studying you, but when you turned to meet his eyes, they were focused on the photo. “He is… the closest thing to a real father that I’ve ever known. He stood by me, no matter how childish, stubborn, or foolish I was. He cared for me in a way that my father never could. He is crazy and wise and tea obsessed, but I wouldn’t have made it this far without him. He loved and supported me, and I still couldn’t see it. I just wish I could go back and make things right.”

You studied his face as he spoke, awed at how beautifully he’d grown into himself. The sharp cut of his jaw, the gentle slope of his nose, the way his hair fell perfectly, long enough but somehow not in his eyes. And his eyes, Spirits, his eyes shined like gold, even in the muted sun. He looked ethereal. You could still see the youth in his face, just the slightest bit of softness left in his cheeks even with how active he was. You could see how the years had worn him down, his face full of worry lines even at 16. Even his scar, the skin now healed and rough, his left eye permanently squinted just so. He was perfect.

You realized he stopped speaking, looking at you with a sadness in his eyes you couldn’t bare. You traced the edge of Iroh’s portrait softly as you whispered, “You really love him, don’t you?”

Zuko inhaled sharply, his eyes widening as he searched your face. He smiled almost imperceptibly, “I guess I do.”

You held your breath, wanting so badly to hug him, reassure him that Iroh would forgive him, that everything would be okay… but you didn’t know him that well, not anymore. So you settled for a reassuring hand on his shoulder as you handed the portrait back. “The next time you see him, tell him. I’m sure he feels the same.”

You paused for a moment before slipping your hand away, beginning to trail towards the door. His raspy voice made you pause.

“What was your name again?”

You stopped in your tracks, inhaling sharply before casting a glance over your shoulder. “Y/n.”

You walked out before you could see his reaction.

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