Like his past, Zuko's dreams were wrought with fire.

Powerful, blazing, furious… never any trait he truly mastered. He was weak, after all, he'd admitted as much. So unlike his sister, his father and forefathers. Pitiful, really, despite any false claim he tried to make.

Disdainful eyes, always on him, always disappointed. A piercing amber, the most malevolent he'd claim to have met, on him, always on him. Time and again, a continuous loop, an inescapable cycle. No matter what he said, what he did, who he tried to please, it was all for naught in the end. Nothing ever changed.

Stop. Repeat.

And when the sun rose and the bleariness settled, when the darkness shattered and the burning embers subsided, kind eyes were what he met. Amber still, but so kind and so loving. He'd give himself hope that maybe, just maybe those kind eyes wouldn't be as disdainful, that they'd help and mend the tattered and broken. But then he'd make a misstep. He'd stumble and fall flat on his back and those kind and loving amber orbs would be just so disappointed.

Then he'd wonder in the times after why he even tried, why he put so much faith in kind and loving eyes. It was always the same, after all. A never-ending cycle, a curse on repeat.

Most of all, he'd wonder why it still bothered him, why it still hurt. It wasn't so different from his past, from his dreams. It wasn't so different from everything in life he'd ever received, yet, the pain was still so piercing. Like poison, slow and steady. Flowing unnoticed until it was far too late, until the body fell and never got up again. He'd wonder why the burns felt so fresh, why the sun still sent its fury blazing down on him. It was over, he was as good as dead yet….

"Prince Zuko, I made some tea. Care to join me?"

Those same kind and loving amber orbs now directly on him. Bright like the early morning and excited like never before. For a moment, the thoughts clustering his mind halted in their bustle, staring on, quiet as ever as time drew its chain in loops around his wrists. And he shook his head, clearing those thoughts, clearing the fear of disdainful amber eyes glaring down on him. In exchange, the man before him nodded and turned away, eyes down… disappointed. Always.

"Later, Uncle"

"Very well, Nephew"

And that was the end of it, always.

~Fin~

Am I the winner of lame endings or what?

So yeah, this is SUPER short, like, the shortest I've ever written but... ahhh, I think it's fine? Hehehe

I planned to make it longer, I did, but then I came to the end and I was like... damn that's it. That's all I can squeeze in without repeating! So yeah... that's it!

Hope it's fine, however and til next time,

Ciao!

-Yorky