Title: let it burn while I cry
Disclaimer: not my characters; title a misquote from Adele; one idea borrowed from Vathara's 'Embers'
Warnings: AUish
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 245
Point of view: third
Prompt: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko, I set fire to the rain (the Adele song)
His father is the Phoenix King. His sister is the greatest firebender in the nation. His uncle is the Dragon of the West. His mother is missing.
Zuko plans with the Avatar, with the greatest earthbender in the world, with a waterbending master, and a nonbender who thinks so oddly Zuko can't help but be impressed.
He's not sure what he offers them. Yes, he is a firebender; but he was never the best. He's always been adequate. Surely, the Avatar needs something better than merely adequate.
He stands in the rain, breathing slowly and surely. Katara is making the rain dance; Toph's face is upturned to catch the water on her tongue. The nonbenders they seem to have adopted are chasing each other, flinging handfuls of rain. Sokka laughs at the shapes Katara contorts the rain into.
And Aang, the most powerful bender in all the world, is watching Zuko. "I remember something Gyatso told me once," Aang says softly, stepping up to Zuko's side. He holds out a hand, calling water and wind, making a little storm in his palm. "There's lightning in every raindrop."
"Really?" Zuko murmurs. Uncle mentioned something like that once; it was long ago, before his mother left, before Azula went from his baby sister to his enemy.
He cannot control lightning yet, not like Uncle, not like Azula. But now that he's feeling for it… yes. there.
Zuko opens his eyes and watches the rain in Aang's hand burn.