Love and Luck
Pairing: Zuko x Jin x Ty Lee
Ah, here is the first chapter of the concluding part of this makeshift trilogy. This one is not quite up to my own standards, but maybe it will improve next time. Anyway, late at night a few days after Zuko's mistake, he's agonizing over it (character trait, after all). Thoughts always welcome. Enjoy.
As the glow of the late night television programming bathed the open room, a dark haired young man found himself unable to focus on the images that flashed across the screen. No sooner did the television settle on a channel than he clicked the channel up button, moving the programming to the next option playing. Brief clips of sound filled the room as he clicked around, the uncomfortable uncertainty having settled heavily on his mind.
Gold toned eyes reflected the whitish glow of the television's light, glimmering in the otherwise darkened living room. Shadows flickered into being only to disappear back into the inky surroundings each time he clicked to a new channel. His mind refused to focus on the entertainment center in front of him, instead swimming seemingly endlessly over the events that had unfolded only a few days earlier.
The murky depths of his mind seemed to mimic the surroundings, illuminated one moment by a flash of happiness and calm only to be dragged back into a terrifying darkness. Within his mind he saw stone tinted eyes, glittering impossibly with a happiness he hadn't known was possible for someone who spent so much time around his sister. And himself, truth be told.
Wisps of chocolate tinted hair seemed to flutter in front of his mind's eye, followed by a long braid that seemed always present in her company. A deep growl sounded in his throat as he shut his eyes, trying to push the images from his mind. Leaning forward upon the large, usually comfortable sofa, the young man buried his face in his hands. Strong yet slender fingers gripped his temples beneath his messy tuft of black hair after he clicked the television off, the mat of normally soft hair having been frayed by the constant pressures of this gesture.
"Ugh, what am I going to do?" he asked to no one in particular, his fingers pressing more firmly against his head as he ran them up along his head, letting the waves of hair slip between them as he went. Guilt, shame, fear, and any other item on the negative end of the emotional spectrum seemed to fill him all at once, all paired with the thoughts of a single event.
But along with the fear came a second image, of a second girl. A different, yet somehow oddly similar young woman. Equally soft wisps of brown tinted hair, pulled into a very sweet ponytail as opposed to a long, teasing braid. Olive colored eyes that seemed to glow with a constant sense of mischief and passion that he had always been lacking. A soft, feline smile that always seemed to bring trouble, but never unwanted trouble.
The two young women seemed to occupy the entirety of his thoughts, his body growing exhausted with the constant thoughts of the pair. Life seemed to truly enjoy putting him in impossible situations, just to see how he would possibly deal with them. To see how miserable he could make himself with his poor decision making.
"Nephew?" the scarred young man nearly groaned out loud as his head lifted, his amber toned eyes drifting towards the opposite end of the large living room. The young man's eyes strained to make out the barely lit silhouette of his dear uncle. The soft white light from the older man's bedroom served as the only illumination in the home, barely outlining his sturdy frame.
"Uncle. Sorry, did I wake you?" the younger man asked, forcing a weak smile to his face as he made apology to his wise old uncle. Even without being able to clearly see the older man's face, Zuko could tell the older man was frowning in concern at his nephew. It was just something that had become a nature after spending so much time with his uncle.
"That is not what worries me, Zuko. The last few days you have not seemed yourself. Is there something troubling you?" Iroh asked, clicking the lamp on as he walked past it towards his nephew. Zuko felt his heart begin to beat faster, never enjoying these emotional types of talks.
"It's nothing. I just need to sleep it off," he excused, hoping that his uncle would decide to leave the matter be. But since he had been awakened from his slumber by the young man's ponderances over his situation.
"Now, Zuko. It is not like you to be up late at night, watching television while wondering what you should do. So, I will make some tea, and you can tell me all about it," Iroh said, clasping his nephew's shoulder before shuffling happily into the kitchen. Zuko found himself smiling despite his frazzled state of mind. He always thought that his uncle could survive anything as long as he had tea and someone to play Pai-Sho with.
"It's kind of embarrassing," Zuko muttered as he heard his uncle bustling around in the kitchen. The loud clicking of cabinet doors gave way to the clinking of pots and cups as his uncle set about preparing his tea.
"I am sure it is not so embarrassing. What has happened that makes you so frustrated?" Iroh asked, his loud voice bellowing from the kitchen as he filled his pot with water before setting it atop the pristine looking stovetop. The sound of the flame bursting to life faded, soon followed by the first wisps of brewing tea through the air.
"It's… about a girl…" Zuko said, silently cursing himself for just caving. He really didn't want to bother his uncle about his petty problems, for all the older man had done for him. It really was his own problem, and he should deal with it himself.
"Ah. Would it have to do with the lovely Miss Jin?" Iroh's jovial voice filled Zuko's ears, bringing a disturbing emptiness to the pit of the young man's stomach. The bright smile of the girl in question brought itself fully to the front of his mind, the innocent pigtails draped over her shoulders accompanying the image.
"Sort of," Zuko said, the guilt overwhelming him as the images of his girlfriend began to dissipate, becoming a collage of images in his mind accompanied by thoughts of the other girl. The young man's body tensed, and he wished he could just hit something, destroy something to take out his frustrations with himself.
"Sort of? Is something going on between you two?" Iroh asked worriedly, handing Zuko a cup of tea as he took a seat in the large reclining chair to Zuko's left. The escape of air from the large cushion filled the room along with the scent of his uncle's tea. Zuko gripped the cup, watching his murky reflection within the cup of dark liquid.
"Yeah. It's kind of hard to say," the scarred teen spoke, trailing off a bit as his hair fell in front of his golden eyes. The yellowish-white light of the lamp glanced off the walls, filling the room with its soft slow. Zuko's fingers gripped the cup tighter, causing more ripples to run across the surface of the tea.
"I hope you two have not begun to grow apart," Iroh said, sipping his tea as his sincere words sounded in Zuko's mind. Panic set in, replacing the guilt at the thought of losing the sweet, happy smile of the young girl.
"I hope not. But I did something… stupid, a few days ago," Zuko said, turning his head towards his uncle, catching the serious look of concern on the older man's face. The young man thought back, wondering all over again why his uncle had so readily agreed to let the young girl stay with them those few weeks earlier. He couldn't imagine his father ever approving of such a move.
"Zuko, are you saying what I think you are saying?" Iroh asked, setting his cup of tea down on the coffee table before settling his gaze on his nephew. The younger man slumped forward a bit more, his head simply bobbing forward in agreement.
"Yeah. I don't really know why it happened, and I feel really bad about it, but I can't stop thinking about her. And I really don't want to mess things up with Jin either. I don't know what to do," Zuko said, his voice cracking a bit as his emotions threatened to get the better of him. Iroh sat back in his chair, stroking his beard as he considered the situation.
"Hmm, that is indeed a tricky situation. Well, do you care for the other girl?" Iroh asked, his tone not quite what Zuko had imagined.
"Of course. Ty Lee has been a friend for as long as I can remember," Zuko said, his nerves relaxing a bit as he caught the sly, somewhat teasing look on the face of his wily old uncle. Somehow he got the feeling that his uncle wasn't exactly disappointed with the turn of events. If he didn't know better, he might think the older man was actually entertained by the situation.
"Ah. I thought it was strange that miss Ty Lee did not show up when she said she would," Iroh said, reaching out for his cup before taking another sip of the fragrant tea.
"Well, she did show up. Then we started watching some DVD's, then she took a shower and then things just got out of control," Zuko said, growing more frustrated and confused with the situation as he recounted it. It certainly didn't give him a high opinion of himself given how things unfolded. But the smile on his uncle's face only seemed to deepen, like the older man was somehow enjoying his nephew's agony.
"That is not too surprising. I have noticed that Miss Ty Lee does bring out some of the better qualities in all those around her, including yourself," Iroh said, his ashen gray facial hair catching the eerie whitish light from the lamp, making him look somehow wiser than he did usually.
"She is a very positive person. And she was always so nice to me, even when I was nothing but mean to her when we were kids," Zuko said, his voice dipping into a tone of sadness as he recalled some of the moments they had shared as kids.
"Well, do you still have feelings for Miss Jin?" Iroh asked seriously, causing Zuko's body to tense in a near defensive manner, as though it were an insult to even ask such a thing.
"Of course I do. If I didn't then this wouldn't be making me so crazy. I don't want to ruin things, but I can't just hide it from her either," Zuko said, his fingers resting the empty cup upon the coffee table before resting lazily on his knees, gripping the somewhat knobby joint through his red silk pants.
"My nephew, there is an old saying that I believe you should keep in mind. He who holds two birds holds none," Iroh said in his usual cryptic tone, hoping that the words would put Zuko to thinking over things in another way.
"Are you saying… that I want to have both of them? And that I have to choose one or the other?" Zuko asked, watching the subtle nod of his uncle's head.
"That is possible. I trust that you will make the correct decision, Zuko," Iroh said, watching his nephew's brows knit together in concentration, stifling a snicker at the younger boy's expense. He really hadn't expected the young man to set to thinking about it so quickly. But then again, Zuko was never one to procrastinate on something important.
After wishing his nephew pleasant dreams, Iroh collected the cups, shuffling towards the kitchen to set the dirtied items in the sink. A warm smile crept across the old man's face, thinking over the unique problems of the heart that cropped up with youth. After running the dishes under a small current of water, Iroh excused himself, earnestly hoping that his nephew would find the correct way to fix the mess he had made and come out of it happy himself.
Once he was left alone, Zuko continued to worry about things, wondering what exactly he should do, what he should say. He imagined how heartbroken or furious Jin would be upon hearing of his infidelity, and his heart sank with the thought.
"Ugh, none of this would have happened if Ty Lee hadn't shown up," he muttered darkly, his hair flopping backwards as he turned in place, falling back onto the seat of the large sofa. Wisps of charcoal tinted hair fell to either side of his face as he looked up at the ceiling, taking in a deep breath as he settled on his course of action.
It certainly wasn't going to be easy, but as he felt sleep drifting over him, Zuko figured that he would just come clean and let things play out however they were going to.
Ah, that Iroh. He loves giving Zuko advice. Anyway, next time Jin comes back from her vacation, and Zuko spills all the goods. Until then, good readers.