You walked alongside your childhood friend, looking around the capital city as Zuko stopped in front of the large palace doors. Looking to Zuko, you raised an eyebrow. "Why did you stop? I don't know about you but I kinda wanna go inside and wash up." You looked down at your dirty clothes from your travels. "Like… Now."
You had been brought in as a child to live with the Fire Lord and his family when your parents died. Luckily for you, Fire Lord Ozai was close friends with your father and didn't exactly hesitate to bring you in. You weren't looked upon as his child of course, but you did become quite close with the family. Mainly Zuko.
"It's just been so long… What if Father doesn't want me back…?" Zuko asked, staring at the doors.
"Well you're never going to find out if you just stand out here." You began pushing him towards the doors. "Just go! You helped kill the Avatar! Of course he'll want you back!"
He didn't say anything as he took a small step forward before walking inside. You followed behind him, casually throwing your arms behind your head. "Gee, you'd think your dad would redecorate every once and awhile…" You stated as you looked around at the familiar walls and paintings. "It was cool when we were kids but now it's just boring."
Zuko smiled slightly, looking back at you. "Of course you'd think that, but not to many people are so fond of change."
You simply shrugged as you stopped by a door. "Well, this is my stop." You stated turning to face him. You gave him a sincere and reassuring smile as you turned to him. "Good luck talking with your father."
He frowned and looked down the hallway where his father would be waiting. "I don't know if I can do this… I didn't catch the Avatar… What if he doesn't restore my honor…?"
You sighed, resting a hand on your best friend's shoulder. "Look Zuko, you may not have caught the Avatar but you were chasing him for three years straight before helping your sister in killing him," You smiled. "Because of you two, he won't ever have to worry about the Avatar again. That's more than enough to redeem yourself."
Zuko took a deep breath before smiling at you. "Thanks (y/n)..." He trailed off as he stared at you, as if contemplating on what to say next. "I… I've been meaning to tell you something lately… Something I've been wanting to say to you for a long time actually..."
You raised an eyebrow at him. "What's up?"
He took another deep breath before looking at you, straight in the eyes with a look of both fear and determination. "You've always been there for me. Even after I was banished you stuck with me and despite knowing it was wrong, you tried to help me capture the Avatar. Even after all the times I was rude to you, or shot you down, you never left me… You always stayed by my side… I just-"
"Well if it isn't Zuzu and (y/r). What an excellent surprise." Azula cut Zuko off as she walked over, a smirk plastered onto her face. "Oh I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"
Zuko immediately scowled as he looked over at his sister. "What do you want Azula."
The girl in question sighed, obviously expecting to have more fun than she was. "Father wishes to see you. He's waiting for you now."
Zuko immediately stiffened and went rigid. You sent him a small, reassuring smile causing him to nod and take a deep breath before leaving. You were about to then tell Azula you were leaving but she put a hand on your shoulder, ushering you into your room. "Come (y/r), we have something to talk about."
You raised an eyebrow before she shut the door and sat you on your bed. Looking up at her, you sighed. "What's this about Azula. I want to wash up!"
"You'll have plenty of time to wash after I leave." She rolled her eyes before smirking down at you. "So you like Zuzu?"
It was more of a statement than a question, causing you to inwardly curse. "W-What makes you think I have a crush on Zuko?"
"I don't think you have a crush on my brother, I know you do." She stated, the same smirk on her face only growing. "It's quite obvious you know. You two are always so close, never leaving the others side. I'd almost find it cute if it weren't my brother you liked."
You scoffed, looking away from her. "Okay, you're right, I have a crush on Zuko."
"Well no duh, that's the whole point of what I just said." She rolled her eyes.
"Alright, then why are you still here?" You asked, narrowing your eyes in annoyance.
She smiled at me. "Well I wanted to see what your reaction was when I told you that I plan to tell Zuzu."
Your eyes widened before you stood up, glaring at her. "No… Don't you dare tell him Azula!"
She laughed at you, taking a step back towards the door. "Geez, don't get so worked up. I was only joking." And with that said, she left your room.
With a deep sigh, you went and washed up, a clear look of worry about Azula was all over your face the entire time before you got changed into a red and orange dress that reminded you of the sunrise. Deciding to put your mind at rest, you walked outside your room and into the gardens, planning to get all this worry off of your mind.
_Time Skip to sunset_
You were feeding the turtle ducks when you heard footsteps behind you. You frowned, looking back to see Zuko. An immediate smile came to your face as he sat down beside you, staring at the water. "So how'd it go?" You asked him.
He smiled slightly at you. "It went fine. It was a lot better than I had expected in the least."
You smiled brightly before it slowly contorted into a small smirk. "Told you soo~"
He chuckled, giving you a slight nudge in the shoulder. "Oh zip it."
You gave a small laugh before getting serious. "Hey, you never got to finish what you were telling me earlier."
His face immediately went red and he looked away. "O-Oh… Yea."
He was silent for a few good minutes causing you to chuckle. "Anytime now your highness."
He immediately turned to with a glare. "Don't ever call me that again…!" You only laughed, causing him to sigh and look back at you. His face slightly red. "Well, what I wanted to say before was… You've just always been there for me. No matter what. You've never given up on me even when I've given up on myself… You've always been there to cheer me up and motivate me, but I've never been able to do the same for you… I've never even said thank you…" He paused, a small blush coming to his face. "So… I'm hoping this might… Well… Make up for it."
Before you could even question what he meant, he leaned over, kissing you. Your eyes were wide and an immediate blush came to your face as you returned the kiss. After a few long seconds, he pulled away. A small, embarrassed smile on his face. "Sorry…"
You shook your head, a small chuckle coming out of your mouth. "It's fine… To be honest with you, I don't even mind…"
"I had a feeling, from what Azula told me at least." He smirked over at you.
Your eyes widened before you looked away, cursing under your breath. "Damn it… I knew she would tell you…"
He smiled, putting a hand under your chin as he turned your head to face him. "It's fine.. I can't say I didn't feel the same way after all."
You smiled and before you knew it, you leaned in and the two of you kissed. This time, there was no hesitation, no shock, no embarrassment. It was just the way you had dreamed it of being. You and him. Forever.