Unknown and Unrequited
They were in love; it was as simple as that. Zuko could tell by the way they looked at each other, the way her face brightened at the sight of him, the way his eyes sought her out when he heard her voice. He could tell by the way his lips quirked into a smile when she was happy, or when her brow furrowed in sorrow when he was depressed. Zuko could go on and on about all the things he noticed, all the evidence that those two were in love. He could write a novel that a simple touch was proof of such a deep devotion that no one could take away from them. If he wanted to, Zuko could scream it to the world, and no one would be able to offer dissent.
And Zuko hated it.
He tried to be happy for them, he really did. He forced a smile onto his scarred face whenever he saw them together, he offered them words of advice when they were needed, and he kept his feelings to himself, hoping they would disappear before too long.
Zuko knew they wouldn't.
So when they started dating, Zuko put on his best smile and clapped Aang on the shoulder and told them how he always knew they would end up together. And he did. He knew it before even they realized their own feelings.
Zuko wishes it wasn't so.
He wishes he was ignorant. He wishes he was deaf, so he would be able to fall asleep without hearing them whisper and coo and declare their undying love. He wishes he were blind, so he wouldn't have to see them look at each other, to see their eyes filled with love, and know that they will never look at him like that. He wishes he was totally and completely oblivious so that he wouldn't have his heart break every single time he looked at them.
Zuko could barely go on.
And then when Aang came to him, in tears, saying that he had gotten Katara pregnant, and didn't know what to do, Zuko calmly gave him a ring, the one his mother had given him to give to the one who he loved, and told him to ask Katara to marry him. Aang could hardly contain his joy at the solution. He was bouncing off the walls when he suddenly became serious and asked Zuko, the Fire Lord, if he would do the honors of marrying the two. Zuko sadly consented.
It was breaking him.
It was a boy with pale skin and striking grey eyes. Katara knew before too long it would have lovely brown hair, the same shade as her own. He remembered them walking into his office after months—nine to be precise— of no communication to show him the baby. He remembered holding the small child in his arms, having the baby cling to his shirt and gently fall asleep. He remembered when he asked the child's name, and Aang's voice rang out in his head.
Baby Zuko.
And after years of trying to hide his love, Zuko felt his heart break into a million tiny shards that pierced his entire being, but all Zuko could do was force a smile on his face and insincere words of kudos and thanks to flow from his lips.
And Zuko never felt so alone.
A/N: Thanks for reading the first fanfiction Mor'ranrFricai has had the courage to post. She'd really appreciate any feedback you had, so please feel free to leave a review. Thanks again!