Disclaimer: I haven't written any zutara before but I've read tons... eheh.

yes it's me i've risen from the grave and this time i shall attempt drabbles. i attempted xmen once and that fic is still up if anyone's interested but for now... have some amateur drabbles of my favorite ship. my sister (Oblivionxx) and i have decided to do a daily drabble thing. we choose one word as a prompt and write for a ship- zutara for me and dramione for her. so go check her's out! it should be up.

on to the storyyy

23-16 prompt 01: Ugly

The cool water was as still as a sheet of glass, reflecting the sky above in its blueness. A quiet breeze eased its way through the clearing, making the small pool ripple as it passed.

Zuko waited for the water to settle. He fiddled with the small blade in his hands; fingers restlessly running across the sharp metal.

It glinted in the sun and the light pierced at his left eye.

His bad one.

Grimacing he ran a weary hand through his shaggy hair. It looked like he hadn't bathed in days. No matter how hard he'd tried to convince his new 'team' that he had in fact showered, the long dark bangs found a way to constantly retain an aura of filthiness. Maybe it was the length; maybe it was the heat- nothing stopped Toph from calling him Slime-man now. Sokka had picked it up from there and kept asking whether he could teach him how to look so sleazy. Zuko had told him he didn't need to try.

But the hair had become a real issue now that it was getting past his eyes, and Sokka had begun suggesting he use Toph's headband or create hair loopies like his sister. He couldn't even use the banished at sea for years excuse anymore- and frankly that had never worked because he had had a great ponytail back then, in his not-so-humble- opinion. Aang seemed to agree on that fact, but he didn't put it past the kid to agree to eating meat just to stay on someone's good side. The kid even complimented Katara's horrible stews!

The thought made him want to retch almost as much as the feeling of his hair tickling his shoulders did. He sighed in resignation and fiddled with the knife. The blade felt sharp. Sokka had given it to him a few days back for the New Year. He had said he'd keep it close in case he needed to stab the water tribesman one day. Katara had not taken that well. He winced a little at the memory and the side of his face stung a little as if it remembered.

With slight resentment towards Uncle Iroh and his apparent lack of disapproval for his overflowing beard, Zuko raised the blade to the nape of his neck. Snick. Simple.

Actually it wasn't- he realized soon that he had missed an entire chunk from the left side and had to cut that separately and then he found that it wasn't even, and one half of his hair ended higher up his neck than the rest. Great. He hated menial work. He hated Sokka for giving him the knife. He hated the water girl's food. And spirits be damned, he hated himself for feeling so goddamn vulnerable with half his mop of hair gone.

He felt the air at his neck and frowned. The bangs covering his eyes had to go as well- but that was what bothered him. They covered his eyes. Mostly. And if that wasn't a shelter, he didn't know what was. These people had seen him at his worst, at his most fearsome, at his strongest and at his most pathetic states. He'd fought them and now he fought with them; he had hunted them and now he wanted them safe. He had cried, bled, nearly died with them. He'd lost his fire and found it with them. There was nothing about him they didn't know. And he hated it.

He had no secrets. He was open. And they could see all the darkness in him and they were in constant doubt and fear because of it. He could tell. He repulsed them. And now, without his little fringe, he wouldn't even be able to pretend he didn't see their wary stares and sidelong glances. The small indications they'd make with their eyes when they wanted to pass on the responsibility to confront him. The way they'd never look him in the eyes. He felt as if he couldn't blame them entirely however. If he didn't look like such a mangled fire-breathing monster then maybe things would be better.

It was all twisted up in his head and he didn't have the energy to untangle it at that moment. Instead, he nodded resolutely and brought the shiny blade to level with his eyes. The more he saw of his face in his reflection in the pool, the more hideous he felt.

He finally made it back to where the gang were all lounging in the forest- he hadn't expected much of a dramatic reaction, and he didn't get one. Aang beamed appreciatively, Sokka snorted disappointedly when he noticed, and Toph never really did notice. Momo accepted his uneven semi-buzz cut and greeted it by resting atop his head. At least until Katara marched up from the river and dropped all the fruit she'd collected on to the floor. The lemur-monkey attacked them on sight.

The water peasant glared at his face for a full minute, until he realized she was in fact staring. The fact didn't alleviate the unease.

"What's wrong, Sugar Queen?" Toph asked. "I can hear your heart it's like you've seen-,"

"I didn't recognize him that's all!" she intervened. "I thought he was a threat."

Zuko grimaced. "It's not that bad."

"At least you can see?" Sokka offered helpfully.

"What's going on?" Toph demanded.

"I think it's great!" Aang said solemnly.

"Me too."

It was Zuko's turn to stare at the waterbender.

"Practical! I mean it's practical!" she yelped. "We can see your eyes now- I mean, you can see your eyes- I mean… you can see! Yes. That's great! Imagine how useless you would've been… blind… in battle... ha ha. That's a laugh."

An awkward beat of silence drifted in as each pair of eyes flittered over to glance at the grinning earth bender. Sokka shot his sister a well-deserved glare that seemed to scream, La, Katara just be a little more insensitive why don't you while Aang wrung his hands as if he were waiting for Toph to suddenly rise up in anger with a string of profanities. An abrupt burst of laughter broke the silence, causing everyone to quickly divert their eyes.

"Yeah Hotman, you look… practical," Toph agreed slyly, shooting Katara a sideways glance.

And while Katara huffed and Aang hurried to help her, Zuko felt a little less restricted in his own skin. Everything was back to normal, and he wasn't sure if it was the use of his old nickname or the waterbender's strange babble- but he felt a little more comfortable with his face.

a/n: is this too long to be a drabble? *hides*

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