Its about time I submitted something for AtlA! So, this takes place during the time when Zuko and Iroh were working at the teashop in Ba Sing Se, starting the night of Zuko's date with Jin. This is half AU, since it takes place during a time that was much shorter in the TV show, but later on it'll continue from after the season finale.
NOT PURELY A ROMANCE STORY. Sure, it'll have some on-and-off Zujin, and it'll have some vague, implied Zutara at the end, but that's not the whole point of the story. Basically, I'm trying to add more depth to Zuko's character and experiment with the whole, "what if?" scenario.
It may sound like it's getting off to a slow start, but trust me
when I say it'll be picking up! There are some OCs in this story, but
it's not a ZukoOC, nor will there BE any OC romance. No Mary Sues and
Gary Stus here, either. It makes a reference to someone looking like
Azula, but it's all for pure irony. Until the last chapter, the Gaang won't be making hardly any appearances except for next chapter, but they won't be adding to the story until then other than the whole "I must catch the Avatar" thing on Zuko's part.
And that's enough rambling by me! Please, review! All comments appreciated, especially constructive criticism! And I don't own Avatar - those evil bastards, Mike and Bryan, do. OH, and did the tea shop manager have a name? My memory fails me.
"Come on, nephew - I have tea!"
"That is one word I cannot stand to hear at the moment, Uncle."
The infernal pounding on Prince Zuko's door ensued, and he was in half a mind to Firebend it to smithereens.
"Zuko, just open up! For my sake." Ex-general Iroh pleaded, not about to give up hope on his nephew, who has just recently began to open up to the world. "If you said your night out was nice, then there must be nothing to hide!" After a few moments of murderous silence on the other side of the room, Iroh's grin spread from one end of his face to the other when he noticed Zuko sliding his door open and beckoning him to enter, and he pointedly ignored the miffed expression on his nephew's face.
"Thanks for the tea," Zuko muttered, barely audible as he begrudgingly followed his uncle into his sleeping quarters and accepted his uncle's Jasmine Tea. As Iroh took a seat next to the bed and began sipping his own beverage, Zuko climbed back into his bed, set his tea aside, and stared at the ceiling with his hands folded on his chest. "So, what was so important, Uncle?"
Iroh's eyes bugged out and he nearly choked on his tea - God forbid it! "Why, I just wanted to know more about your date tonight! Surely you haven't already forgotten!"
Zuko sighed, and the truth of the matter is that he wished he could forget about the night. Aside from the whole "you eat a lot for a girl" comment, he figured the date went rather nicely ñ but that was the problem. "I told you, it was nice. What else do you want?"
Iroh set down his tea, letting out a groan of frustration. "I want to know what happened! First thing you do is barge into the room, slam your door, and then you tell me 'it was nice'? Come on, Prince Zuko," Iroh leaned over and patted his nephew's shoulder heartily, "tell Uncle Iroh all about it." Sensing little response from Zuko, he continued in a jesting manner, shaking his index finger at him. "Don't make me force the information out of you!"
Zuko closed his eyes, trying his best to block out his uncle. The least he needed right now was his relentless teasing. Meanwhile, Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Let's see… did she dump you?"
No apparent response was detectable by Iroh.
"Did you dump her?"
Zuko turned on his side, away from his uncle, and propped himself on his pillows, resting the side of his head on his hand. Iroh smirked; knowing his second plan of action would surely get his nephew to spill something. In Zuko's case, embarrassment was the best method of provocation.
"Zuko," Iroh gasped in shock as his nephew reached for his cup of tea, then adapted a stern, condescending tone, "I knew it! You two didn't use protection!"
A piercing shattering of glass reverberated in the miniscule room, and Iroh nearly caused his bottom lip to bleed due to his trying to restrain himself from hysterics after seeing Zuko's response. His nephew, thoroughly humiliated and consumed by a feeling of utter repugnance, had reflexively dropped his cup of tea on the floor below. An awkward silence later, Iroh grinned sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.
"I suppose I came to the wrong conclusion?"
"Later, Uncle." Zuko shook his head in shame, his face still beet red, but he wasn't sure if he was more ashamed of his uncle or himself through relation. "I really want to sleep," he insisted, praying that his uncle might allow the matter to rest for at least another day.
Understanding his nephew, Iroh nodded, still basking in his glory of his previous taunting. Teasing the Prince was simply too easy nowadays! "Okay, nephew, I'll let you go for now. Goodnight." With that, Iroh bounced out of the room, bubbly as ever, much to Zuko's dismay.
Still mortified by his uncle's crude implications, he mumbled a hushed "goodnight" and switched off his lamp. His thoughts immediately drifted to the few hours he spent with Jin, and had to admit he enjoyed his night out. But, deep down, he knew he couldn't settle down in this petty little town in Earth country! He had an Avatar to track down, honor to restore, and a whole nation to return to. He shouldn't be idling around in Ba Sing Se, working in a tea shop and receiving such a salary that barely supports his uncle and himself. Besides, suppose that he did remain in Ba Sing Se and live an average, sedentary lifestyle. What if his identity was somehow revealed to the public? It was a given that his uncle and he would be treated as refugees, and they would have to start their lives over again, most likely creating new aliases for themselves, once again.
This whole "new life" business was simply too risky on too many levels for Zuko. To top off all his worries, he remembered the incident at the firelight fountain, when he foolishly lit all the lamps with his Firebending. If he were Jin, he would have definitely peeked immediately after being told not to; plus, his uncle had once informed him that women have a natural streak of curiosity embedded in their beings. They were ruined! His uncle and he should already begin packing their bags, considering their previous luck. Before he wasted more energy reflecting on his life mistakes, he fell asleep, not even remembering to change out of his dress clothes.
"Come on, Lee, get the led out! Your girlfriend and a few of her friends just walked in." Iroh piped, slapping his snoozing nephew hard on the back, and he jolted out of his slumber in a defensive posture. Soon realizing where he was and sensing several concerned gazes on him, Zuko's shoulders slumped and last night's lack of sleep began having an effect on him. Too groggy to be bothered by Iroh's subtle jokes, he whipped out his notepad and sauntered over to Jin's table.
"Hey, kid, you look like you haven't got sleep in weeks. Say, you don't work night shifts, do you?" Zuko shifted his attention from the beaming Jin to the boy sitting across from her in the booth.
"Uh, no."
The boy responded with a sarcastic smirk. "Wow, Jin, he sure does have a way with words." He cast a meaningful glance in Zuko's direction before resuming, "so, did you have any more luck in the sleep department, Jin?"
He continued laughing despite Jin smacking his arm. It took all of Zuko's willpower to restrain himself from burning the cocky kid's shaggy, chestnut-brown hair right off his head - then he'd be the one laughing.
"Daichi - you sarcastic snot! - I don't want to hear any more innuendo out of you for the next five minutes. Can you manage?" Replying with a look of utmost feigned innocence, she frowned in disproval before turning to Zuko, who was glaring daggers at "the sarcastic snot."
"Lee, I'm terribly sorry for one of my friend's complete disrespect," she paused and glowered at Daichi, "but you can start taking our orders, and I speak on his behalf when I promise he won't be rude anymore," she finished, not yet taking her eyes off the teenager, who was currently chatting with another boy at the table about the fact that girls can't take a joke. "So, what do you recommend for today, Lee?"
"Well, I hear that 'Today's Specialty' sounds pretty good – "
"You're today's specialty, hun, and I'd like some white tea," the girl next to Jin stated matter-of-factly, wiggling her eyebrows. Jin shook her head in disapproval, wondering why two-thirds of her friends decided to completely embarrass her in front of Lee, the quiet, handsome stud at her local tea shop. By now, it was almost a lost cause for Zuko to even attempt at regaining some sense of dignity.
"Maiko, please refrain from further humiliating us and the poor guy over there. As if his job isn't hard enough," a low, drawling voice came from another boy in the corner, catching Zuko off-guard. "I'd like some Jasmine tea, please, and 'Wonder Boy' over here," he gestured to Daichi sitting next to him, "has already drained the whole pitcher of water over here. I'm sure he'll live."
Relieved that there was someone other than Jin he might be able to see eye-to-eye with, Zuko nodded his head and finished jotting down everyone orders. "Alright. I'll see you get your orders in no time," he said in the customary monotone, picked up their menus, and walked back into the kitchen, in dire need to speak with Iroh. He had forgotten to warn him about Jin's knowledge of his Firebending! Finding his uncle finishing up another order of tea in the back, Zuko strode over to Iroh and pulled him aside, whispering furiously to him.
"Uncle! I was right - Jin knows we're from Fire Nation!"
Paying little attention to his nephew, Iroh sighed wearily and walked out of the kitchen and over to the counter. Furious, Zuko stormed out of the kitchen and waited impatiently for Iroh to finish exacting change for one of the customers. Once the man paid for his tea, Iroh beckoned Zuko to follow him back into the kitchen.
"Nephew, how many times do I have to tell you? As long as she hasn't seen either of us Firebend – "
"That's the problem!" Zuko flung his arms in the air, whispering angrily. "She saw me Firebend! I know she did!"
Interested, but still retaining his composure, Iroh exhaled slowly, his eyes closed in concentration. "When did this happen?" Iroh asked evenly. He knew his nephew was often times brash, but the Prince rarely demonstrated this degree of foolishness.
For a second, Zuko regretted informing his uncle of this, knowing he had to reveal some details of the events that took place last night. "It happened near the end of my night out with Jin," Zuko spoke softly, not removing his eyes from the kitchen door. "She wanted to show me something, a fountain, but it wasn't lit. She sounded really upset, so…" his voice trailed off, ashamed of his behavior, "I lit the lamps with Firebending. I told her to close her eyes, but there's still a good chance she might have looked," he bowed his head in disgrace, and waited for his uncle to reply.
"Well – "
Iroh's answer was cut short when the double-doors leading into the kitchen flew open. Their manager, beside himself, stomped up to the duo and motioned to the exit.
"You two - OUT! We have some very important people coming in today, and they've been waiting to be served for the past five minutes! Get. Moving." Not sparing another second of his valuable time, the livid man stormed back outside, mumbling something about "senile old men" and "lazy teenagers."
Before the two headed back outside, Iroh grasped Zuko's shoulder firmly, a slight smile gracing his lips. "Lee, I assure you, that even if Jin did see, I highly doubt she would have told anyone. She's still too busy swooning over you to worry about anything else!" Disregarding his nephew's piercing stare, he winked and they both walked out to the diner; however, what they saw next caused Zuko's heart to momentarily cease it's rhythmic beating.
A whole troop of Dai Li, in all their glory, waited inside of a large booth. The next series of events seemed as though they transpired in slow motion, and Prince Zuko could have sworn he heard the Jaws' theme playing in the back of his head, increasing in volume and speed as the menacing group of soldiers approached the counter with each step they took.
Iroh, who astonishingly managed to maintain his usual easygoing poise, casually removed his strong grip on Zuko's shoulder, not taking his eyes off the men. "I'm sure this is a mere coincidence, nephew. However, if there is a one-in-a-million chance that I am wrong, I want you to head out through the back of the kitchen, and I'll meet you at the city gates," he said lowly, and without further ado, strolled right up to the Dai Li leader. Although he wasn't fully reassured in his uncle's confidence, Zuko learned to trust the older man's judgment and he decided to drift near the kitchen door. Iroh plopped the palms of his hands on the countertop, not a hint of doubt lingering within his cheery disposition.
"Hello, good protectors of Ba Sing Se! What can I do for you?"
Without warning, the soldier in front thrust a closed fist at Iroh, who had little time to dodge such a sudden movement. Then, little by little, the gaunt man opened his fist, to reveal a large bundle of money.
"Ten orders of 'Today's Specialty'." It was not a request, it was a statement.
"Y-yes, right away - nephew! Ten orders of 'Today's Specialty,' and let's get a move on it!" Choosing not to make small talk with arguably one of the most powerful men in all of Earth Country, Iroh bounded for the kitchen, dragging his oblivious, perplexed nephew by the sleeve with him.
"Uncle, that was hell."
"It wasn't all that bad - well, yes it was. We're on break right now, nephew, so why don't you talk with those friends of yours? I insist."
Not even possessing ample energy to retaliate, Zuko trod over to Jin's table in the corner, rather than his usual haughty stride. Dragging a chair over to the table, he soon collapsed into it. Daichi reached across the table and slapped him hard on the back, cackling all the while.
"Cheer up, bud! Suppose that's why they call 'em the 'Die Lee,' huh?" Realizing that he was the only one in the group who found his quip amusing, he crossed his arms and glared at the silent boy next to him. "Geesh, Kenji. Did your bad mood rub off on everyone or something?"
Kenji, the supposed mute of the group, faced the rogue-ish young man next to him. "Don't blame me for your idiotic jokes, and for the fact that you are the only one who finds them funny."
"Oh, come on, stop being so joyful, it's making us a little uncomfortable."
Daichi's jubilant grin only seemed to further aggravate the sullen boy. Zuko, feeling a little uncomfortable himself by the interaction between the two, averted his attention to the two girls, who, as Fate would have it, were having a pleasant chat about the "Die Lee".
"No wonder 'Cutie' over there's wiped out! Serving the First Squadron of the Dai Li has to be really exhausting!" Maiko, the exuberant girl seated next to Jin, received disapproving looks from her best friend when mentioning "Cutie." As the two continued to babble, Zuko took a closer look at Maiko - she wore her hair in a black bun with two locks of hair bordering her thin, attractive face; despite her onyx eyes, he could have sworn she was Azula's twin when concerning external appearance.
"By the way, how's your dad been doing?" the Azula look-alike rattled on, twirling a wisp of hair with her index finger. "Hear they've been tracking down fugitives lately – it's pretty surprising he'd have time for his team to stop at a tea shop!"
Jin smiled benignly, making eye contact with Zuko, who was slowly absorbing the information Maiko was revealing. "Well, I guess all guys have to have their tea! He's coming right now, if you want to talk to him."
Zuko's head snapped back so fast he pulled a muscle in his neck. Massaging the sharp, throbbing pain in his lower neck, he watched as the Dai Li troop began heading in their direction, greatly intriguing and scaring Zuko; he prayed that Jin's father maybe, just maybe, was the harmless fellow walking adjacent to the squad, and not the daunting, sinister leader wearing an unreadable scowl plastered on his angular face, marching towards the five teenagers with his cronies following suit.
"Hey, Dad!" Jin called out, and to Zuko's surprise and disappointment, the front man raised his hand in acknowledgment. His prayers were not answered. When they finally arrived at the booth, Jin began making small talk with her father, while Zuko was thanking the gods that the scar less portion of his visage was facing the man. Eventually, the men parted, the man in charge stating that they were to report that they had no leads on the Avatar. For the next ten minutes, Daichi and Maiko insisted on questioning Zuko about his hobbies and background, forcing him to tell an awkward tale of his life in the circus with his uncle. He suffered extreme humiliation when Jin brought up the "juggling" incident, and he was somehow coerced into having a second shot with disastrous effects.
True, he would rather be spending his break trying to eavesdrop on bits of conversation considering where the Avatar had last been spotted, or catching up on some reading or other leisurely activities, but at least he had a break.