Zuko knew his sister would be mad at him. Whenever he took too long to go to her room, she would come find him and help him with whatever it was that had taken up all his time, but he had locked himself inside his office and had made it very clear that no one, not even Azula, was to disturb him. Not being an exception to the rule would already annoy her, but having to wait for him - or for literally anyone - was guaranteed to make her downright furious. She would demand an explanation, and, unfortunately, he had one.
The problem was that said explanation was ridiculous and embarrassing.
If I didn't know you as well as I do, I'd probably think you're sleeping with her.
Why did Toph have to say that? Why did everyone else just have to try to dictate how he should interact with his sister? Why couldn't they just leave them alone now that they were finally getting along?
Why did it take him so long to realize just how bizarre this whole thing looked to everyone around them? How could he have been stupid enough to not see it until Toph came along? How could he have let it all happen? How would Azula react?
How would she react? Would she feel offended and take it out on Toph, or would she ignore this whole thing like she had done with her doctor's concerns? And if the situation did bother her, would there be any part of her that cared about what other's thought of her as person, or just as their princess? What would she say, not as his sister, but as his advisor?
Feeling sorry for yourself won't fix anything. You have to face this and do something about it. You're the Fire Lord now, Zuzu. Act like one.
Zuko groaned and left his office. He knew 'Azula' was right. He had spent hours panicking and it had only made him feel worse. He would have to deal with this eventually, whether he liked it or not, so it was better to just get it over with. Waiting wouldn't change anything.
Still, as he made his way through the palace's halls, he felt nothing but dread. The near absolute silence seemed to almost taunt him with the knowledge that his sister was probably not going to say a word and just let him make a fool out of himself as he tried to explain why he was late. Somehow, his brain always seemed to know just the wrong thing to say.
When Zuko opened his door, he saw Azula sitting on his bed. The fiery rage in her eyes let him know just how screwed he was.
"I'm sorry for making you wait. It won't happen again."
For your sake, it better not, he could almost hear her say it.
"Toph confirmed everything I was afraid she would" he said as he closed the door behind him "And she told me something worse."
Azula raised an eyebrow. Despite her anger, she still looked perfectly collected. Zuko was sure he looked stupid.
"Next time something that important happens, I promise I'll tell you straight away. I know you were probably worried, but that wasn't my intention. I just... I didn't know how to tell you."
"Tell me what exactly, Zuko?" her tone sent shivers down his spine.
"Toph thinks that we... well, she doesn't think it, she just thinks someone else could think it, but she isn't sure..." he closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn't do this. He couldn't look at her and say it like it wasn't a big deal. This was absurd and downright disturbing. "Toph said others might think you and I are... involved he cringed as he said that last word, averting his eyes for a moment.
Not hearing his sister make a sound, Zuko expected to look at her and see nothing but disdain. Certainly she would simply dismiss this as a pathetic attempt to make their subjects see her as even more of a villain. Yes, he expected a disinterested expression on her face.
Instead, he was met with a hint of a smile.
"Is that so?" she said as she got up and walked towards him "How unfortunate. Oh, well, I suppose I do see her point... and I bet your reaction must have made her laugh."
He didn't like where this was going. She shouldn't be saying this. Not to him. Not like this. Toph had joked about this disastrous situation too, but it didn't make him feel this uncomfortable. This felt wrong.
"Calm down, Zuzu. I'm just teasing you" the look in her eyes and her tone had become almost innocent, but still all he could see and hear was malice.
When her hand touched his, Zuko felt his entire body react. He pulled away from her and saw her whole demeanor change, becoming cold and harsh like she was to everyone else. He had never wanted to see Azula act like that with him again, or for her to feel the need to hide away her true feelings about anything, but this was much more than he could handle.
It's not what it looks like. It's not what you're thinking. You're sick. This is all in your head. It was just a joke. She didn't mean it.
"I need to be alone. I'm sorry."
As he turned away and opened the door, he heard her voice again "This is your room, Zuko. You shouldn't be the one leaving."
It didn't matter. He knew he wouldn't be able to fall sleep anyway.
