Azula didn't think she could possibly miss anything from the years when Zuko and her barely even talked to each other at all, despite living at the same home and going to the same school, yet seeing his new 'girlfriend' monopolizing his attention AND trying to be friends with her, made Azula suddenly miss the times when the only interaction she had with Zuko was the two of them taking their anger and frustration out on each other. At least then she wouldn't have had to pretend she liked Jin.

And the worst part is that the girl was likeable. She was kind, funny, smart, and didn't take herself too seriously, which made talking to her unbelievably easy. Or at least it would have, if she wasn't trying and succeeding to steal Zuko, and all right in front of Azula. The girl could have at least had the basic decency of being absolutely detestable so Azula could truly hate her, instead of just being jealous of her for getting the one thing she had wanted her entire life, yet was always out of reach.

But thankfully the object of her desire was close enough for Azula to watch him like a hawk - being there for him when he needed someone, seeing him have fun with his friends, putting up with the rest of their family when he wanted her to play the role of the kind little sister, helping him with school, listening to his problems like he listened to hers - she was always following him like a shadow, keeping a close eye on him.

And nothing compared to the sight in front of her at that moment. Zuko at the beach, smiling, the sunlight on him almost making him glow, excited to spend time with the people he cared about. Relaxed. Happy. And whenever he looked at her as sweetly as he was doing, her heart melted.

Of course, seeing him shirtless was always something she appreciated.

"I can help you with the sunscreen if you want" Jin offered, smiling at him, her eyes roaming Zuko's body just like Azula's had.

I'll drown you if he says yes.

"I've got this" he answered without even looking at her, which pleased Azula enough to prevent her from snapping at the poor girl. If his 'girlfriend' minded being turned down, she didn't let it show. She supposed that any girl who wanted to have a chance with Zuko needed to keep in mind that he could be unbelievably dense at times.

But he could get somethings right, like planning this day at the beach. Despite of everything, they were all having fun. Azula was sunbathing, talking to Mai who was close to her, putting on more sunscreen despite being in the shade. The two of them were quietly observing the rest of the group - they had never been good at interacting with too many people for too long. Aang and Katara were in water, Toph was making sandcastles with Sokka, Suki and Ty Lee, while Zuko and Jin were a bit more distant, laughing together and obviously flirting.

Truly a disgusting sight.

But Azula did genuinely have a great time once the group decided to play volleyball together, especially because Jin was talking with Toph instead of joining them. Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee were her team, of course, and her brother's friends were good opponents, which was a pleasant surprise. It was much more fun to destroy a worthy enemy than to annihilate an easy target. As she had expected, Zuko was a key factor in her victory - they were truly unbeatable together.

Then, of course, something had to ruin her good mood. Zuko's smile, like hers, died the second they heard Chan's voice.

"It's true, then" the young man said, walking up to them, either oblivious of the discomfort he was causing or not being bothered by it "My favorite lunatic finally escaped the nut-house!"

She didn't even have the time to be upset. Zuko instantly got in front of her, as if protecting her from an attack, even though Chan didn't seem to be trying to pick up a fight - he was too much of a coward for that. He was just an inconvenient moron who was under the delusion that he was funny.

"What the fuck did you just say?" she had not heard Zuko sounding so angry in years.

"Easy, man" he said, raising his hands and laughing "I'm just joking around! I'm glad she's doing better! And I'm even happier to know she won't stab me for turning her down!"

Azula had to fight the urge to strangle him. Chan just loved bringing up the fact that he turned her down after she assumed that their kiss during a party meant they were dating.

Almost as much as he loved to lie and tell people that they fucked after that party.

"Apologize to her and leave, or I swear I'll kill you."

"Come on, I didn't mean to upset anyone! You know I like your sister!" he gave her a gross smirk "And boy, does she like me."

Before Azula had the chance to put him in his place, her brother punched Chan, making him end up on the ground, where he was kicked several times, before getting punched again. Over and over. It took nearly all of Zuko's friends to rescue Chan, and they basically dragged her brother away as the people around them tried to help that barely conscious jerk. Azula smirked as she heard that her Zuzu had beaten him so badly that the crowd was too afraid to touch Chan, who was definitively going to have to spend at least one night at the hospital.

"You shouldn't have done that" Azula reprimanded as she took care of her brother's hand. Now that she had calmed down, she was worried that this incident could get Zuko in trouble "You almost killed him"

"He deserved it" he still sounded unbelievably mad "What did you ever see in him?"

"Nothing. I never liked him"

"Then why you did hook up with him?"

Because you were dating Mai.

"I don't know. It felt like everyone was hooking up with somebody, and for some reason Chan was popular in our school, so I thought it'd be a good idea" she couldn't help but sound bitter. That had been one of the most embarrassing moments of her life "Clearly I was wrong."

Zuko got close to her, pulling her in for a loving embrace "You didn't do anything wrong. It was his loss. You'll find someone much, much better than him" he paused for a moment "That's not exactly hard, but you know what I meant."

She chuckled and kissed his cheek "Thank you, Zuzu. For everything"

"You'd do the same for me"

"Of course I would" she rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying being so close to him again - it had been over a week since they had shared a bed "And you're right. I deserve someone better. In fact, I deserve the best of the best."

Good thing I have you.