Iroh isn't sure what to make of his nephew's traveling companions.
The Avatar is less stately airbender than he expected and more twelve-year-old boy. He has his moments, certainly, but Aang is definitely a child, and the more time he spends in the boy's presence, the more aware of it Iroh is.
The others are children as well, and while his first thought is that perhaps it's good for his nephew to be around other children, some of them his age or at least close-his immediate next thought is that Zuko is not a child, and has not been for a long time.
On the surface, they all seem to get along. Nonetheless, Iroh is wary, and something about their little group-he's not sure what, yet-sets him on edge.
He's proud of his nephew. And grateful-so grateful-to have found him again. Zuko's smile as they embrace is genuine. His pain as he apologizes even more so.
He's a lot quieter now. Calmer. Better at reigning in his emotions, and better at hiding them.
The waterbender keeps sneaking glances in Iroh's direction during their noonday meal-and doesn't seem to think he'll notice. She doesn't say anything, though, and the group is friendly enough, even to the banished prince who once chased them all over the world trying to capture the Avatar.
An Avatar who nearly plows Iroh's nephew over in his haste to escape the table before he can be reminded that it's his turn to help with the dishes. Zuko dodges, huffs, and offers to help in the younger boy's place.
"It's his turn." The waterbender points out, frowning. Zuko shrugs.
"I don't mind," he says.
Iroh wonders if the girl realizes that she's standing in the young firebender's blind spot as they start cleaning up. It occurs to him a moment later that the rest of the group is most likely unaware of the vision loss-and other problems-that came with his injury.
Zuko got very good, over three years, at pretending he didn't have a blind spot. His crew got very good at pretending not to notice while also staying out of it. The way these children are constantly on his left, stopping where he can't see him, talking as if he doesn't have hearing loss on that side, suggests that they don't know.
Zuko quite clearly has not told them, and he's been very good at keeping them from figuring it out as well. He's also, based on the way he's interacting with the waterbender-Katara, very good at pretending not to care that he can't see her, and most likely can barely hear her.
He keeps turning toward her, likely so he can hear better, but any distress is carefully hidden.
Zuko sits down next to his uncle when they're finished, but since the boy has never been much for conversation, they end up sitting together in silence. Still, Iroh appreciates the attempt. He also appreciates the opportunity to spend time with his nephew.
The Earthbender-Toph-plops down in Zuko's blind spot without warning, elbowing him as she does.
"Scoot over and quit hogging Uncle," she demands. Zuko winces and shifts away from her bony elbows.
"He's not your uncle," he points out. The girl simply turns and beams at him. The smile is more feral than friendly.
"He is now."
Zuko doesn't argue. He doesn't say anything when the boy from the water tribe-Sokka- unceremoniously flops to the ground on his other side either. When he and Toph start monopolizing the conversation, he lets them.
He manages to only flinch a little bit when Sokka nearly hits him in the face while they're talking. The boy's arms start flailing as he gets more excited, and Zuko shifts to get out of reach, but otherwise doesn't react.
Nobody else seems to notice.
Iroh would love to believe that Zuko has found friends. That he hasn't said anything about the way they keep invading his space and stepping into his blind spot and talking at his bad ear and knocking him around because he's comfortable around them and genuinely doesn't mind, but the far more likely explanation is that he's only gotten worse about hiding his discomfort and refusing to let himself be vulnerable since they parted ways.
Zuko is not, however, in any immediate danger, so Iroh watches. And waits.
Dinner is practically inedible, but Zuko eats it anyway. So does everyone else. Nobody says a word either, until the Avatar looks around and sighs.
"It's awful, isn't it?" The twelve-year-old sounds devastated, but then again, the food is terrible.
"Not as bad as when Toph cooks," Zuko answers. Clearly he still has not learned that sometimes it's better to lie-or at least remain quiet. He lets out a yelp almost immediately, and Iroh is fairly certain that the girl just kicked him under the table.
"Toph," Katara says, but Iroh doesn't miss the way her eyes flicker his way.
Sokka closes his eyes, briefly, then speaks. "Zuko would eat dirt if Toph put it in a bowl and called it dinner," he tells Aang. "And we've all tasted what he calls cooking."
Zuko actually looks annoyed, but only mutters something under his breath that Iroh doesn't catch, but Toph does. The girl cackles but doesn't explain.
They gravitate toward the fire after dinner, and once again the earthbender demonstrates an uncanny predilection for sitting right in Iroh's nephew's blind spot, as well as a blatant disregard for his personal space.
The water tribe siblings are bickering as they sit down as well, and Iroh doesn't miss the way his nephew watches them out of the corner of his eye as if waiting for the argument to blow up.
He's distracted by the blind girl as she shifts her foot to kick him in the shin. "I should serve rocks for breakfast," she says, grinning. "Make them sweat."
"That's not very nice," the Avatar says, leaning across the young firebender to look at her in spite of the fact that she cannot return his gaze. Toph cackles. He then tilts his head to stare up at Zuko. "Was dinner really that bad?"
Zuko looks down at him for a long moment. "You're getting better?" he tries, and the Avatar-Aang-deflates. Katara pauses mid-sentence to level a glare at Iroh's nephew, then goes right back to arguing with her brother.
Toph laughs again, and punches Zuko in the arm.
She also follows him when he tells them he's tired and leaves. Iroh wants to follow as well but knows that at some point his nephew is going to have to figure out how to stand up to the girl-and the rest of this group.
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender does not belong to me.