Good Fortune

Rating: T

Canon-Compliant or Canon-Divergent

Content Warning: vaguely sexual kissing between children, implied sex w/ indeterminate ages

A ten-year old Zuko was laying on his bed in his chamber, staring at the ceiling. He had no studies of any sort today, he'd just eaten his late-morning snack and Uncle Iroh was away with Father in a war meeting. He wasn't sure where anyone else was, probably keeping themselves occupied with other things.

He was bored—and unbelievably so. He often was these days now that his mother was gone. One less person to spend time with, and she had actually been nice to him too, unlike certain other members and friends of his family. He wondered if anything interesting at all would happen before the day ended. Almost as though his wish had been granted (but with an annoying twist) his eight-year old sister suddenly barged into his hidey-hole.

She walked up to one of the wooden columns of his bed and leaned against it, looking at him with a mischievous smile on her face. That could only mean one thing.

Zuko: "What is it, Azula?" He asked her unassumingly.

He was too bored and sluggish to even care that she probably had something awful in store for him.

Azula: "You're bored, aren't you?"

Zuko: "And what if I am?"

Azula: "Well I could be too. I could also have a game in mind that'll be fun for both of us."

Zuko: "Yeah right, we all know how your games tend to go."

Azula: "Don't pretend you haven't had fun at times. I think you'll like this. But you have to play it correctly and not be so quick to ask questions. Now follow me to my room, the game is waiting."

Zuko: "I don't know ab—"

Azula: "Come on don't be a pandaslug."

She began leading the way to her chamber.

Zuko: "I am not a pandaslug! See how fast I am now?"

He followed closely behind her.

Azula: "Yes, it's wonderful that you have working legs like the rest of us", She quipped.

They'd made it to her door.

Azula: "Well here we are."

She looked at both the guards that were assigned to protect her chamber as they stood near the door. They shook with comical fear and turned their heads away to avoid eye contact.

She smirked with pride, then opened her door and waited for Zuko to walk in as well before closing it. Sunlight was peeking in through her metal-work window panes, giving them enough light to see in the large room. They went up to her bed and sat down in front of it. Zuko caught sight of the large amount of scroll paper cut-outs now at their feet.

Zuko: "What are these?"

Azula: "You're about to find out, dum dum."

She looked down at the pieces before them.

Azula: "Okay so the game is called fortune telling, and it's not really a game. It'll predict your future. These face-down paper bits you see are the tarot cards that'll have your fortune on them. They'll give you information for events happening today.

Zuko: "Really? So how does it work and who starts?"

Azula: "It works by you choosing a tarot card from your "deck" and me picking it up and reading it to you, and we'll both do this for each other. You can be the first to choose."

Him first? This couldn't be good.

Zuko: "Okay, I choose...this one."

He pointed at one near the far right on his deck.

Azula picked it up and read it aloud.

Azula: It says, "you will kiss the girl sitting right across from you in a few moments".

His eyebrows raised in confusion.

Were these truly real fortune tarot cards?

Zuko: "Are you sure that's what it says?"

Azula: "Completely sure."

Zuko: "Oh, so I have to...do it?"

Azula: "Of course you do, it's your fortune ZuZu, your destiny!"

Zuko: "Right but that seems like a really weird fortune. The only girl in front of me is you."

Azula: "Uh huh. So are you going to fulfill your fortune now?"

Zuko: "Azula this seems wron—"

Azula: "Stop trying to fight your destiny, and kiss me!"

Her voice was needy, demanding and commanding all in one.

He rushed to press his lips against hers and the moment they made contact, she moved to firmly place her interlocked fingers on the back of his head to keep him from pulling away.

Zuko: Mphf.

Azula: Mmm.

She held them both together for many seconds. Eventually Azula opened her eyes and noticed Zuko's were closed. Good. She broke off the kiss.

Zuko actually breathed heavily for a moment. He hadn't imagined it would last that long and so hadn't thought to hold his breath. Otherwise, that wasn't so bad. He wasn't soaking wet or covered in food, nor had she rudely teased him. He also felt an odd but welcome, warm and fluttery sensation in his face and abdomen respectively.

He wondered if this would change their relationship in any way.

He looked straight at Azula and noticed a slight pink hue to her cheeks, the same one on his own.

Was she actually…?

Azula: "Okay, now it's my turn."

I choose this one.

She pointed at a card close to the middle of her deck.

Zuko picked it up and read it aloud.

Zuko: It says, "you will kiss the boy sitting right across from you in a few moments.".

Azula snapped towards him and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Zuko: Mmm.

Azula: Mmm.

He could feel her chi warm up her lips during the kiss. This made it all the more irresistible.

Azula broke it off first again.

Azula: "Looks like my fortune came true a bit faster", she joked.

Azula: "So do you wanna keep at it?"

Zuko: "..Yes…", He replied quietly, sheepishly, while looking at his feet.

She smiled at him with her eyelids lowered, feeling satisfaction.

Again he pointed at another card and again she read it. It said the same as the first card had.

He was beginning to see a pattern.

They continued on with their little "game" for the next few minutes before they found something else to do.

He just knew she hadn't been honest about the purpose of it, but this time he didn't mind. Like she promised, he did like it. He only wished more things they did together were like this. Wrong as it may be.

He sat in the night at his study, fire in one palm of his hand as light, trying his best to focus on the words of the pamphlet he was holding.

He yawned. It was so boring.

The door to his study slowly opened and inside she came.

He turned to look.

Zuko: "Azula?"

Azula: "Evening Mochi, bored of The Rules of Ruling pamphlet yet?"

Zuko: "Since the moment I picked it up."

He could tell she'd just washed up. She looked and smelled enchanting.

He noticed her hair was undone and that she was wearing her favorite long-fabric, silky night robe. It was tied tightly enough in different areas that, likely no one would get to see what was underneath, unless she allowed it.

He wondered if she was wearing anything else.

Azula: "Well that's a bother. Being bored is never pleasant."

With her other hand on her hip, she looked up towards the ceiling and placed a finger at the side of her jawbone, then lightly tapped it, pretending to think up something to do about the situation.

Azula: "Oh! I know what to do about your boredom. Come with me."

She led the way while he placed the sewn together papers down on his desk, and gladly followed suit.

They walked into their shared quarters taking care to close the door behind them.

When they got to the bed he saw that situated on top of it were a bunch of facedown paper cut-outs, some appearing newer than others.

His mouth gaped in awe. He grabbed up a faded looking one before asking questions, and studied it.

Same old handwriting, same old words.

Zuko: "You...you still have these."

She remembered.

Azula: "Don't mention it. Really."

She picked up his hand and placed it on the first knot of her night robe. She leaned in to whisper in his ear.

Azula: "You can choose first."