I've Been Saving Your Place
For TheDivines: Thank you for (almost) never failing to review a chapter of my last fic :)
She doesn't show up the day after their horrible, horrible, horrible date and he swears that he only panics by a little bit.
It's not that he cares about her or anything. In fact, he's actually sort of relieved that he doesn't have to deal with whatever awkward conversation that will follow. He knows that what he did last night was really, really stupid because there is not a single circumstance in the world where leaving a girl in the middle of the night to walk back to her place alone is acceptable. He messed up and he knows that and his uncle knows that (and the man never, ever lets him forget it) and he's going to try really hard to make up for it. He's even been practicing for the perfect apology.
But it's already late in the afternoon and she still hasn't shown up.
He's only slightly concerned because she always shows up, no matter what, and her not being here is just weird. He spends the rest of the day distracted as a million different scenarios start running in his head. She could have met an accident on her way here or she could have been kidnapped or mugged or—he thickly swallows because he can't even believe that the thought has crossed his mind—she could have been killed.
(Shut up. Ba Sing Se's a very dangerous place for girls to walk around, alone in.)
As they close their shop up, he mentions it to his uncle.
His uncle gives him an amused smile and laughs and Zuko scowls, thoroughly annoyed, because this is a serious matter and his uncle is laughing and making jokes.
"What?" he irately snaps.
"Or she didn't show up today because she's embarrassed," his uncle says as he takes his apron off.
"What? Why would she be embarrassed?" Zuko says as his locks all the drawers. "If anyone's going to be embarrassed, it should be me. I'm the one who made a fool of myself last night."
He inwardly cringes when he remembers the entire juggling incident and that ridiculous lie he had told her. The whole night was a disaster and he can't even bring himself to think about it without feeling like a complete idiot.
His uncle shrugs and gives him a pointed look. "Well, you did leave her all alone after she kissed you. It's been a long time since I've been with a woman but from my experience, running away from a girl after a kiss doesn't exactly do wonders for her self-esteem."
His brows pull down in slight irritation and he turns away from his smiling uncle. "I never should have told you about it."
His uncle pats his palms against the front of shirt as they walk out of the front door. "Why are you so concerned, anyway? I was under the impression that you weren't interested in Jin."
"I'm not!" he defensively replies.
"Sure, you aren't," his uncle disbelievingly says. He loudly laughs and shakes his head. "I can tell by the way you kept looking at the door today."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbles under his breath.
His ears turn into a violent shade of red and if anyone is to ask him about it, he will vehemently swear that it's from the heat.
The next day, they run out of Jasmine tea leaves and Pao says that they don't have enough to buy a new bag and that they should just wait for a whole week before going out to get some.
He's a bit annoyed and he argues with Pao over it because firstly, Jasmine tea is a bestseller of theirs and it's pretty stupid of Pao to not have any stock of it for one, whole week when it's in big demand. Secondly, it's Jin's favorite tea and it's what she orders, always, since the beginning and if she shows up and it's not there, he knows that she's going to be disappointed.
And look, this isn't about Jin, okay? It isn't. It's about keeping good rapport with the customers. He's not really interested in business or tea and Agni knows that he doesn't have any concrete plans to stay in Ba Sing Se forever. But this teashop thing is important to his uncle and they're going to be stuck here for an indefinite amount of time so he figures that the least he can do is try to keep as many customers as he can, happy. And Jin's like, the ultimate customer. His uncle and Pao are always yammering about how she contributes so much to the business and they both really love her and are always trying to keep her as happy as she can be when she's in the shop.
So yeah, that's the only reason why he's concerned about the Jasmine tea.
He swears that it is.
Pao finally stops arguing with him and gives him the money and tells him to buy three grams at the market.
He goes out and buys the bag of tea leaves quickly, coming back in time before rush hour starts. His uncle brews a batch and for a moment, he loses himself into the everyday motion of collecting money, wiping tables and serving tea.
One of the customers calls out to him and says, "Can I please have some Jasmine tea?"
There's only a cupful of Jasmine tea left and she still hasn't shown up. He's about to nod his head and say yes but what comes out of his mouth instead is, "I'm sorry. We ran out."
The man frowns and after a moment of contemplation, he says that he'll have some green tea instead. Zuko's kind of irritated because it's all her fault that he had turned the customer down and saving up the Jasmine tea for her is very difficult when at least five customers want it.
By the end of the day, he still has that cupful of Jasmine tea left.
When Pao asks him about it, he isn't really sure what he's supposed to say.
He scowls when his uncle gives him a knowing smirk.
It's a little past noon the next day and someone sits on the table at the far corner.
He starts feeling a little edgy because she always shows up a few minutes past noon and the table at the corner has always been her table. He's just worried because she might show up and her table won't be available for her if she does. Even though she can always sit somewhere else, he knows that she especially likes that corner because it's near the window and she likes watching the people passing by.
(Shut up. She mentioned it once to him, okay?)
He thinks that he shouldn't be so worked up over something so little but he can't stop thinking about it. He knows that it's stupid because it's been three days now and she still hasn't shown up. She obviously doesn't want to be here and he shouldn't care because that's what he wants. If she's not here then he doesn't have to worry about awkward conversations or constantly check himself to make sure that he doesn't reveal anything too incriminating about him and his uncle. Her presence is a nuisance and a life without her is so much easier. He should be happy that she hasn't come back. And besides, it's not as if he wants to start anything with her—people make friends (or girlfriends) when they intend on keeping them and he has no plans of staying in Ba Sing Se forever.
Still, he finds himself walking over towards the customer seated at her table and saying, "Um...excuse me sir...but I think that you should move. This table is...erm...infested with roach-termites. We're actually planning to have it replaced—''
The man stands up and doesn't let him finish. He speedily moves to another table and thanks Zuko for warning him.
He feels like an idiot but at the same time, he doesn't really care, because at least she'll have her table waiting for her when she comes.
It's the fourth day in a row and she still hasn't come back.
Pao has finally noticed her absence and he's loudly grumbling about the fact that one of their best customers has completely gone missing. Zuko knows that he has something to do with it and he's a little angry with himself for being such an idiot to her. She's been such a good sport about the disastrous evening and she didn't once complain despite the fact that he was, admittedly, being so rude towards her. The way he treated her was very unbecoming of a prince and there's absolutely no excuse for it. He knows that. She would never want to see him again, unless it's so she can cause a scene and give him hell for being such an ass to her.
But still, he tries to tell himself that maybe she will come. She has to come. He did give her the coupon after all and surely, she will want to use it. And besides, she loves his uncle's tea and there isn't a single place in the whole of Ba Sing Se where she can find tea as good as his uncle's. Perhaps, she's been meaning to come back and she just didn't find the time.
He tries to ignore the fact that he's making excuses or that he's being ridiculously hopeful or that he actually wants her to come back.
He thinks that he wouldn't mind her coming back, even if she does so only to slap him or curse him or yell at him for embarrassing her.
When she doesn't come back the next day and he feels a spasm of disappointment, he realizes that her absence actually, does sort of, maybe matter to him.
"Are you looking for someone, nephew?" his uncle says as he takes a bite out of some cornbread.
"No," Zuko waspishly retorts. He's annoyed that his uncle is asking him all of these questions because it's nobody's business but his. And this whole thing with Jin isn't really much of a big deal anyway.
"Are you sure? You've been looking at the door for the past thirty minutes," his uncle calmly says.
Zuko's jaw tightens and he says through gritted teeth, "Yes. Just looking out for some customers."
"Are you sure you're not looking for a particular customer?"
"Uncle!"
"What?" his uncle innocently asks.
"Ugh!"
His uncle happily smiles to himself and takes another bite out of his cornbread as Zuko furiously wipes at the counter. He feels annoyed and upset although he doesn't really understand why.
"You know..." his uncle sagely says. "I think that this whole thing would be straightened out if you just go on and apologize to her..."
He looks at his uncle for a moment, his brows furrowed in contemplation. He's actually considering taking up his uncle's suggestion but he doesn't really know how to go about it because 1) he has no idea where she lives or works or how he's supposed to find her, 2) she doesn't go to the shop anymore and 3) he's horrible at talking to girls. Actually, he's horrible at talking to people in general.
"She's not even really mad at you at all. She's just a bit embarrassed and she's under the impression that you don't want to talk to her anymore. In fact, while she was cutting up the cornbread I had bought from her—''
"Wait, what? Cornbread?'
His uncle nods his head, completely missing the excited (and hopeful) expression on Zuko's face. "Yes. She's an excellent baker. In fact, I've been meaning to try some of her pork buns. I hear that they're very—''
"She's a baker?" Zuko asks. He blinks once.
"Oh, yes. She works in a bakery, not too far from here, down the street. She's currently enrolled in the University on a scholarship fund. She's a very hardworking, young lady. In fact, she only ever has the time to enjoy a nice, cup of tea in between her breaks from school and work," his uncle says as he hums a little from under his breath.
Zuko stares at him incredulously. "How do you know all this?"
There's an edge to his voice and he swear that it's not from jealousy. It's not.
"She told me during one of our very many discussions," his uncle says. He takes a pot and pours some steaming tea into the cup. "She's adorable. And very charming. It's a shame that you never talk to her as much. as I do"
Zuko folds his arms and defensively barks, "I talked to her! A lot! During our dinner!"
It's not true but he doesn't really care right now. It's unsettling that his uncle knows so much more things about Jin than he does. It makes him realize that he knows absolutely nothing about her and it sort of makes him cringe because it's not as if he never had the chance to ask her about this stuff. She's always coming over to shop and asking him things about himself and he's had a whole night alone with her. It makes him wonder what the two of them have been talking about throughout their entire date.
"And besides, how the hell am I supposed to talk to her when she's never here?" he snaps as he looks away.
His uncle gives him a small smile and says, "Well, why don't you do something about it?"
He takes a sip of his tea and smiles at Zuko from the corner of his eyes. "I would hate to lose such a valuable customer."
The bakeshop she works in is small but it is neat and tidy, tucked away underneath a rickety, old building. There are a couple of moldy, old tables and chairs at the front where a few men are sitting down and eating some bread with beer. He bristles because the men all look very shady to him with their numerous tattoos and piercings and weapons. He inwardly thinks to himself that a girl like Jin shouldn't be working in a place where she's very susceptible to danger. He's suddenly irritated because seriously. She shouldn't be working in a place like this. Those men could take advantage of her and she could get attacked and who would be there to help her, then?
(Not that he cares or anything.)
He squares his shoulders, grits his teeth and comforts himself with that the thought that as soon as he finishes with his apology, he can get on with his life and focus on more important things (like finding and capturing the Avatar).
He sees her emerging out of the bakeshop, her hair hitting against the sides of her face, flour dusting the hems of her shirt and he suddenly decides to back out. The carefully planned apology he's been crafting in his head immediately turns into a jumbled mess and he hates himself because he can't even get through one conversation with a girl without screwing it up.
He decides to leave because it's pointless and stupid and why the hell is he even here?
He's about to turn around when he sees her enter another teashop, just across from her workplace. He blinks once and watches her sit down on a table and order a cup of tea.
And then, he's mad.
Seriously.
She's drinking tea in another teashop. A teashop that's their number one competitor. He and his uncle and Pao have slaved away to give her the best tea and service they can give her and she just goes on and drinks tea in the next shop she finds. Where is her loyalty?
And no, he isn't over exaggerating.
He's isn't.
He's just upset because it's not fair of her to just move on to another teashop without giving him the chance to apologize. It's his fault that Pao and his uncle lost one of their most valuable customers and they shouldn't have to suffer for his mistakes. She didn't even bother to give him a chance to fix it. And for Agni's sake, he even gave her the coupon! If he knew that she wouldn't have gone back to use it, then he would never have given her one in the first place.
He stomps over towards the teashop and storms inside without giving the waiter another glance.
When Jin sees him, her eyes widen and she makes an embarrassed squeak. Her cheeks flush and the expression in her eyes is a cross between shock, confusion and embarrassment.
"Lee!" she says, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her sleeve.
When he steps in front of her table, he suddenly loses his nerve. He opens his mouth and closes it, as he tries to figure out what to say next. He curses at his poor impulse control because obviously, storming into a teashop and standing in front of a girl you have just left behind on a first date is a horrible, horrible, horrible idea.
"You never used your coupon," he blurts out.
She stares at him, open-mouthed, confused. He shifts in his place, thoroughly embarrassed.
"W-What?" she sputters.
"The coupon I gave you. You never came back to use it," he stupidly says.
(Stupid, stupid, stupid—Agni, what is he saying?)
"Oh." She looks down, the red tainting her cheeks growing deeper. She bites at her bottom lip and awkwardly meets his eyes. "I was planning to but...um...I wasn't really sure you wanted me to be there."
She's looking at him but not looking at him at the same time and he can tell that she feels just as uncomfortable and as embarrassed as him. There's this thick sort of silence that's swallowing him whole and he's trying to find the words that will get him out of it.
She eyes him carefully, silently waiting for his response.
"I want you to be there," he finally says. Then, he flushes and scratches at the back of his neck. "I mean...I've been waiting for you to come back to use it. Do you know hard it is to save the last cupful of Jasmine tea for you? It's a bestseller and everyone always wants it but I never give it away because I know that you'll want it when you come to use your tea coupon."
"Jasmine...Jasmine tea?" she faintly says as she gives him a blank look.
Frustration creeps up on his voice. "It's your favorite flavor! You always order it when you come by! Every single time! I always make sure that we have enough Jasmine tea leaves and that uncle always brews some so that it's there waiting for you! Do you have any idea how many cupfuls of Jasmine tea I've thrown away because you didn't show up? What is wrong with you?"
The corners of her mouth tug upwards into a smile. The confused and awkward look in her face is replaced by one of amusement. She tells him, "I'm sorry."
"And do you have any idea how difficult it is to save your place? I had to come up with a stupid, inane excuse every single day to keep people from sitting at your table!" he says as he voices rises octaves higher with every word.
Jin opens her mouth to say something but he cuts her off.
"And do you know how many people want to have coupons for uncle's tea? Everyone's literally fighting over them and you just go on and waste yours by never using it!" he continues. "If you never planned on using your coupon then I never should have given it to you in the first place—''
"Lee—''
"That has an expiry date! If you don't use it before the expiry date, then you can't ever use it at all and it will go to waste—''
"Lee—''
"And how could you just go to another teashop! The tea here isn't even very good! If you're going to abandon our teashop for another one, then you might as well pick one that actually serves decent tea!" he hotly says.
"Lee," Jin says in a calm voice. She has a hand over her mouth and it looks as if she's trying to contain herself from breaking out into laughter. "I don't think that you should be saying that. The manager is two steps away from you. And besides, the only reason—''
"Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to wait for a person who's never coming back!?" he says. He stops himself when he realizes that Jin is breaking out into laughter and everyone else in the shop is staring at him. He sheepishly tucks his hands into his pockets and tries reel himself in from his incredibly long, nonsensical, insane outburst.
"I was supposed to apologize," he says after a beat.
"Oh," Jin says as she looks up at him from beneath her lashes. The corners of his lips twitch. "That was certainly an...interesting apology."
"I shouldn't have left you in the fountain," he mumbles.
"Yeah, that was a pretty rude thing for you to do," she says, her mouth quirked into a half-smile.
He hesitantly looks at her. "Are you mad?"
"A little," she says. She tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear. "But I'm mostly just...really embarrassed. That's why I didn't go back to your teashop. I figured that there's no point in me going there when you made it obviously clear that you don't want me to come back. I actually thought of coming back a few times. That's why I always have the coupon with me. It's just that...I don't know. But I really like tea and this was the nearest shop next to the place where I work so..."
"I'm sorry about that night."
"It's okay. I'm sorry for...er...not using the coupon." She giggles and despite himself, he can feel his smile widening.
"It's not that I didn't like it. I actually had a good time with you. It was...it was...nice..." The words stumble against his tongue. Agni, why isn't he shutting up? "It's just that...when it happened...I panicked and I'm not used to stuff like that and...um...it doesn't mean that I don't like you. I do. But...but not in that way...I mean, sort of in that way..."
He clears his throat. "I'm just really bad...at those kind of things."
"Yeah, I figured," she shrugs. She gives him a disarming smile as she breezily waves her hand. "But it's okay."
"Not, it's not," he insistently says. Then, to his horror, he says, "Maybe, I should do something to make it up to you."
What did he just say?
Her smile widens. She says in a half-joking voice, "Maybe you should give me more free coupons."
He frowns, slightly disappointed, because it's not the kind of answer he had been hoping for. "That's...okay...I guess."
"Or," she says as she gives him a mischievous look. "You can take me out to dinner again and not leave me in the middle of nowhere, at the dead of the night, without a proper explanation."
His grin widens and he tries to restrain himself because he really shouldn't be smiling right now. "I could do that."
She stands up, her smile bright. She places a hand in her sleeve and pulls out the coupon. "So...can I still use this or has the expiry date already passed?"
He clears his throat and says, "No. You can still use it."
Her hand suddenly finds its way onto his shoulder and she's suddenly steering him out the door. "Great! I've been dying to drink some of your uncle's tea!"
She leans in closer and he stiffens when her breaths fans across the lobe of his ear. She conspiratorially whispers , "You're right. The tea here is terrible."
He laughs and then he pauses because he can no longer remember the last time he has laughed like that before.
"I hope you still have some Jasmine tea left."
"Of course."
He looks at her from the corner of his eyes and sees her smile and he thinks to himself that starting a thing with this girl is one of the stupidest things he has ever done.
But then, she sort of gives him this look with her green, green eyes and her nose twitches and the corner of her lip quirks and he thinks to himself, that maybe it's not so stupid after all.
Author's Note: Just a silly, little oneshot. If I were Jin, I'd probably never go back to the teashop xD And I always felt like Zuko's a bit of a tsundere hahahaha
To answer Suki17's question (assuming she's read this): I don't know if I'll write a sequel. Maybe, I will. I sort of have something in mind. But I have another multi-chap fic lined up so we'll see xD
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this! Please give me some feedback if you have the time :)