Zuko took a breath before smashing the pot in his small desk. He sat on his bed and put his head between his hands.
Agni, his teeth hurt.
The prince had gone to the Fire Nation's best orthodontist earlier that day.
He didn't think the braces were a big deal. Of course, he knew they would most likely be uncomfortable for a while, and it would take some getting used to. Also, there was his appearance. He'd stop caring so much about that after he got his scar, but somehow, that scar symbolised the fight in him. A warrior's scar. The braces would be a lot different, and Zuko was afraid that it would make him look much younger, or make him look like a nerd.
The procedure wasn't so bad until it was halfway done. It actually felt nice when the assistant removed the spacers wedged between his upper and lower molars, that had been causing so much discomfort for the past days. After that, metal bands were attached to his rear teeth, and square brackets were glued to each of his teeth. The orthodontist stopped for a bit and told Zuko to take a break, drink some water, and the assistant handed him a mirror so he could take a look at the work done so far.
Zuko grimaced as he found out the brackets were much more noticeable that he thought they would be. He clenched and unclenched his teeth, and was relieved as he barely felt pain. Deciding not to think much of it, he sat back in the chair, so that the doctor could continue.
Next was the archwire. The orthodontist placed a stainless steel wire, sliding it in the tubes on the bands placed on the molars. 'What color would you like for your rubber bands?' The boy seemed to think for a bit before asking for red ones. After all, since most if his clothes were red, and red was the Fire Nation's color, why not go ahead and make it match?
The worst part started when the rubber bands were applied, one by one. Zuko's teeth felt tight, and the pressure in his mouth was increasing fast. The assistant tugged a small part of the archwire to see if it was tight enough. Apparently, it was not, because after that, Zuko only felt a jolt of pain on his upper jaw as the pressure increased dramatically. He groaned in pain when he felt the same being done on his lower jaw.
After two hours, Zuko was finally back to the Palace. The actual pain from the braces was finally settling in, and he had a feeling it would get a lot worse later. Locking the door in his room, he tried to calm himself down before taking a look at the mirror.
Immediately after the first glance he looked away, frowning.
It looked so much worse than before.
Now with the red rubber bands holding the archwire, Zuko's teeth were barely visible. He turned to the mirror once again, with his mouth closed. Because of the brackets, his lips bulged out more than they should, creating a pout like lower lip, and the whole area around his mouth seemed to stick out a little. Zuko attempted a smile, hissing as one of the wires cut the inside of his cheek. The braces did make him look younger than his fourteen years. He hated it.