Well, hi there! Whether you've come across this story just because or you know me from "I'm Honest", thanks for visiting this fanfic and I hope you enjoy!


Chapter one: Misery Buisness

"It's been three days and he still hasn't called me up for a meeting!" an upset, but still fairly handsome and charming sounding voice exasperated. Suki sighed and rolled her eyes at her overdramatic and tense boss.

"Stop pacing, Zuko, it'll be fine," she reassured, balancing the cell phone on her shoulder as she trotted around his office, scooping up any important looking file she could find and shoving them into his overstuffed briefcase.

"How do you know I'm pacing? You're on the other end of the line," he replied.

"I know you, Zuko, so stop pacing. You'll get the promotion," she retorted smartly. Zuko grumbled to himself as he slumped back down into the cafe seat in a defeatist fashion. He shoved one hand in his pocket and stirred his steaming hot cup of coffee.

"How do you know?"

"Because you've been working on getting this promotion for the past three years and you deserve it," she explained. "I've got your briefcase and laptop for you, by the way," she added, heading out of his glassy, elite office, locking the door behind her. She acknowledged her slacking co-workers as she passed the water cooler just outside their cubicles.

"Thanks, now download all those files onto a back up disc, please," he mentioned, scraping his thin fingers through his shifty black hair.

"Already done," she beamed, smirking on the other end of the line.

"Suki," he said, "you're a lifesaver, you know that?"

"Of course I do," she smiled, "that's why you're taking me to the top with you, right?" she joked. Her boss let out a stifled chuckle on the other end of the line and she head him take a sip of his usual 'I'm-freaking-out-so-I-need-a-drink' coffee.

"Did you know Chief is thinking about promoting that Aang kid instead of me?" he got back to the important subject. Just then he heard a beep on the other end of the line and then a dial tone. He gave the cell phone an angry expression, figuring he lost service. Just then the clicking of fancy high heels entered the small cafeteria and Suki placed his briefcase down by his feet and set the laptop on the table.

"I've heard rumors," she said, answering his question as she took a seat.

Zuko slouched down unprofessionally. "My uncle and mother paid a lot of money to send me to business school and they certainly didn't do it just to see my spot as a predecessor get snatched away by some show off, overachieving child."

"Yeah, it's so terrible to be an overachiever," Suki snickered. "Besides, he's only three years younger than you are, Zuko, and he isn't a show off. Aang is kind and humble and that's exactly why he's being considered to get the promotion," she told him, opening up the laptop and pressing the power button.

"So you don't think I'm kind or humble?" Zuko asked her cautiously.

"Of course you are," she complimented, "but he's kinder and more humble, that's all."

"That's a lot of 'all', Suki," he reminded her, guzzling down some more of his coffee. "Maybe it's just because he's got that new, rich assistant," he said crossly, figuring when he's down she should feel down, too. Suki frowned in response, slightly the reaction Zuko had craved for.

"I am just as good of a secretary as that Toph girl is. Secretary's don't get their boss promoted; they make them look, sound and act good and do all the things they don't have time for," she snapped back, "don't take out your frustration on me when you know I've been the only loyal employee you've got."

Zuko sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry," he apologized. She nodded in acceptance.

"You should be. I've put up with a lot," she ranted on, "even more than your old secretary, Ty Lee."

Zuko groaned. "Please do not bring up my sister's friends."

She pursed her lips. "Sorry, I forgot about Mai--"

"Suki!"

"Sorry!" she fell back. Zuko angrily slapped his hand down on the small, clumsy table. His Styrofoam cup of coffee shook and tipped over onto Zuko's crisp, white Oxford shirt. Zuko groaned and cursed under his breath. Suki snatched a couple of napkins from the table behind her and tossed them onto his lap.

"Fantastic," he mumbled angrily.

"Hey," Suki began, looking up from the laptop, "calm down, you're going to get this promotion, I know it. Chief Hakoda has been keeping his eye on you lately, and you're definitely a better pick than that Aang kid," she assured him.

Zuko threw the soggy napkins onto the table and buttoned his blazer so the coffee stain was unnoticeable.

"You think?" he asked insecurely.

She nodded in response with a warm smile. "Of course. In my opinion, although Aang is a great worker, he can be a bit too goofy at times. You're much more serious and put together and you've always got your mind on the right things. There's no possible way Hakoda would pick him over you, Zuko," she told him.

Zuko hid a relaxed smile.

"Maybe I will get this promotion deal," he said softly.

"Maybe?" Suki challenged.

Zuko chuckled. "Alright fine, I will most definitely get this promotion," he told her calmly. Suki nodded an approval just as his phone blew up with a vibrate. Zuko quickly regained composure and good posture and cleared his throat a few times before grabbing the phone and flipping it open.

"Hello?" he said in a elegant, collected voice, "yes I'm available right-- really? He would? Okay. Alright-- yes, I'll be right there. Thank you," Zuko shut the phone with an excited, quivering grin falling into place on his lips.

"Chief wants to see you?" Suki asked, typing away on the laptop, not bothering to look up. There was cocky, buttery smile on her face that was just as big as the one on her boss's. Even though she'd never admit it, Zuko and her were very competitive with the other co-workers. They knew they worked the hardest and thought they deserved every raise and promotion out there. She was excellent at hiding behind a sweet, innocent poker face.

"I'll see you later," Zuko snatched his brief case off the tiled floor and raced out of the cafeteria.

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"Sit there while you wait," his boss's secretary pointed to a slick, black leather couch just outside of his office. Zuko cleared his throat and nodded.

This office was much more ritzy and luxurious than Zuko's was, which was actually saying a lot. With Zuko's heavy, expensive mahogany desk, complete glass encasing walls and an amazing view of the rushing city, he thought his office was the one to beat…clearly not.

Zuko shifted nervously and tightened then loosened his blue tie. In his opinion, that dark blue tie was the ugliest of his vast collection of ties, but this wasn't about him. That ugly blue tie was Chief Hakoda's favorite, exactly the reason Zuko had worn it consecutively for the past three days.

The microwavable French toast and coffee he had for breakfast was sloshing around in his upset stomach, making him even more anxious. A scenario of him vomiting all over his boss's desk played in his mind and he cringed, clutching to the arm of the couch and praying that would never happen to him.

Finally, the office doors opened and out walked Aang. He looked over at Zuko with a friendly smile-- too friendly, if you asked Zuko. Zuko returned his grin with a fake one and stood up. As he walked by Aang, he noticed his bright green and white tie. Zuko snickered. Aang called to him with a good luck, but Zuko pretended not to hear it, hoping that wouldn't jinx anything for him.

"Chief Hakoda," Zuko greeted, swaying into the room. Hakoda and his business partner Pakku stood up as a welcome.

"Good morning, Zuko," Hakoda greeted in response. He motioned Zuko to the identical black leather couch Zuko had sat on outside the office. "Please, take a seat."

Zuko hurried over to the couch and Hakoda sat back into his large desk chair. Pakku remained standing, which for some reason made Zuko even more anxious and uncomfortable. He wished he would just sit down and stop mocking and prodding at him.

"How has your day been going?" Hakoda started, which was his usual beginning statement during meetings.

"Great, and yours?" Zuko responded in a professional manner. He looked over at Pakku in acknowledgement and politeness. Pakku scribbled something down on the clipboard he was holding and that made Zuko shake like a leaf. He felt personally attacked and taunted by each stroke of the pencil.

"Zuko, let me cut to the chase," Hakoda ignored his question, "you're here because of a promotion, correct?"

Zuko nodded rapidly in reply.

"And you are aware the decision came between you and Aang, yes?"

Zuko nodded again.

"Well, there were terms and conditions needing to be met in order to receive my promotion," Hakoda told Zuko.

"Okay," Zuko retorted, feeling he needed to say something there.

"In all honesty, we were not going to promote you, Zuko," Hakoda said. Pakku wrote some more on the clipboard and Zuko tried hardest not to look of at Pakku anymore, knowing it would further upset his queasy stomach.

"You see, Zuko, we feel you are just a bit too serious and tense for this position," Pakku started in, "actually, we still do."

"Oh, well I-I'm--" Hakoda put his hand up, signaling Zuko not to speak anymore. Zuko clamped his mouth shut tight, becoming very tense and serious, which only made him angrier with himself.

"But Aang has declined the terms and conditions that are coupled with this promotion," Hakoda explained.

"He declined the slot?" Zuko asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Hakoda replied, "so we will offer you the terms and conditions and if you abide by them and your 'judge' --who is an honest person and a very good judge of character...someone I know and trust very well and fondly-- gives us the okay, we will promote you."

"I'll do anything for this promotion, sir," Zuko loosened up, adrenaline flowing through him.

"Good attitude," Pakku noted, scratching something off from the clipboard. Zuko felt smug and triumphant of that. He felt like jumping on the couch cheering and pointing his finger at Pakku screaming 'yeah, bitch!', but he generously refrained from acting like a complete idiot.

"So what must I do?" Zuko asked sternly, wanting to be cut to the chase. Hakoda cleared his throat and casually crossed his hands and leaned back into his swirling office chair. Pakku was so vigorously scratching the pencil down on the paper that the tip crunched. Pakku grabbed the infamous enemy of Zuko called a black ball point pen from his pocket and Zuko felt sweat forming on his hair line and the back of his neck. Hakoda cleared his throat again for Zuko's full attention, their eyes burning into each other.

"Date my daughter."

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Just a note: NOTHING is going on between Suki and Zuko…this is a Zutara story.

Pakku and Hakoda don't have much to do with the rest of the story, neither do Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. Toph and Aang and Suki will be secondary characters.

I think Zuko works at some law firm or high corporate business and Hakoda is the CEO, but it's not completely relevant where he works.

Anyway, please review and tell me what you think so far! The explanation for the ending of this chapter will [obviously] be in the next one. (:

-Sam