Chapter Text
It was well-established that the GAang drew trouble to themselves like turtleducks were drawn to water, or the moon drew in the tides, or the sun drew out strength. This was true when Zuko had been the harbinger of trouble chasing them halfway around the world, and remained true even after he’d permanently switched to their side.
Case in point: The whole GAang was currently surrounded. Zuko didn’t recognise the crest they carried, but then again Aang’s arrow tattoos were quite obvious and it wasn’t like it was hard to guess the value of their little misfit group of companions.
Appa was a roar in the distance. “Any bright ideas, Snoozles?” Toph asked, small fingers tense in as she held up a makeshift stone shield around them. Even as she spoke the shield shook dangerously, bits of it crumbling from the heavy attack of fire outside.
Sokka looked around at them all, his eyes calculating. None of the GAang were in top form, struggling through lack of sleep and having narrowly escaped Azula’s troops in a mad dash the night before. “We need to get to Appa,” Sokka said tersely. “We can’t afford a long fight right now- Toph !”
“Ah!”
The barrier Toph had made gave way under the next blast. Toph moved quickly enough to push another out while Aang let out a burst of air to fan the flames the other way, but it wasn’t enough-
Zuko inhaled deeply. He brought both hands together, cupped them around his mouth…
-and he exhaled.
His next breath was an inferno.
There were shrieks and shouting around him as everyone, friend and foe, backed away in shock. Zuko took advantage of the newly cleared breathing space to turn in a circle, breathing more fire out from his lips.
Gold eyes met ocean. Zuko shook his head at Sokka, the only one who didn’t look downright stupefied at his apparent ability to breathe fire. “It won’t hurt anyone I don't want it to,” he promised urgently. “Go, get the others out of here - I’ll hold them off.”
“Hold them o-” Sokka’s face did something fascinating but Zuko didn’t have time to think on it - “Zuko, you can’t fight against an entire division -”
“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing!” Well, that was a lie, Zuko didn’t know what he was doing at the best of times, but he wasn’t about to tell them that in the middle of a battle.
“Zuko, wait -”
Zuko didn’t. He leapt forward, balancing on the hut of rock between the GAang and the rest of the crowd, and he roared .
Fire answered him. But where it had once been out of control and explosive like his anger, it now flowed with Zuko like the dragon’s body, like the phoenix’s wings. Hints of colour sparked along his flames, circling around the people he meant to protect - his friends , Zuko’s mind whispered at him- and driving back the soldiers.
Driving them back, but not actively burning them.
Because Zuko hadn’t forgotten that these Fire Nation soldiers out to get them, even though they were under orders to capture and maybe even kill him, were still his people.
“Get out of here!” Zuko shouted, and this time, he wasn’t speaking to Sokka or any of the GAang. “This is not your battle to fight! By order of your Prince, leave this place and leave the Avatar be!”
Agni, please make them listen , he begged. Because Zuko didn’t want to hurt them, he didn’t-
From afar, he could hear the telltale sounds of Appa preparing for flight, and wasn’t it a truly hilarious thought that once that sound brought him endless frustration but now heralded only relief?
“It’s Prince Zuko!”
“It’s the one-eyed dragon!”
“Traitor!”
“You bring disgrace to the Fire Nation!”
Zuko pushed down the twinge of pain- they were right for now, at least, and denying it wouldn’t be of any use - and shouted, “Get out, leave! This is not your fight!”
He felt rather than saw something from the left and Zuko spun, fingertips alight and ready, but it was Sokka’s grim face staring at his-
“Sokka- what -”
“Cmon, jerkbender, we’re not leaving without you.”
“Aang and the others-”
“-are safely out of the way, it’s just you, let’s go --”
Sokka grabbed his arm, and at any other time Zuko might have flinched at the contact, but now he let himself be tugged along-
-His right ear, sharp from being heavily relied on for the last three years, caught a strange whistling noise in the air-
He yanked Sokka’s arm so hard the other boy let out a yelp, but Zuko didn’t have time to check on him as he pulled the other boy behind-
Zuko felt rather than saw the flash of orange-hot light- felt the blistering heat of it searing his skin. Hethrew up his arms just in time to prevent the flames from hitting his face, but his chest erupted in pain and the sickeningly familiar scent of burning flesh rose in the air-
He laid prone on that stage, hair singed behind him as people cheered, as Father reached out a tender hand
Breathe, Zuko . He told himself firmly, pulling his mind back. Breathe.
But Father was angry.
Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!
Someone was shouting, pulling at his arms, and Zuko flinched back-
-Father was always so rough-
-But it was what Zuko deserved-
Zuko was pulled onto his knees but he couldn’t hold his own weight- Father was going to be so angry-
“Sparky!” “Zuko!”
He felt himself slip away.
***
Zuko was injured. Bad.
Sokka had lost track of what happened -between yelling at Zuko for being a martyr of an idiot for throwing himself between Sokka and some fireballs and dragging said idiot onto Appa- but the moment they were up and flying he grabbed Katara’s arm and urged her towards Zuko.
“Katara- Zuko’s hurt, you’ve got to help him -”
“Sokka-”
“I know you don’t like him, but he was protecting me-” Sokka babbled.
“I saw,” Katara’s voice was calm like Sokka wasn’t. Uncle Iroh was already moving to Zuko’s side with a frantic kind of energy. “Uncle Iroh, please siphon the worst of the heat away, I need to know what I’m working with.”
Sokka didn’t know much about burn injuries, but this looked- bad. His gaze fell upon the left side of Zuko’s face and he shuddered, wondering what burn had left that much scarring.
“This will be invasive and probably painful,” Katara warns. “I need your help to hold him still.”
“Is there no other way…?”
“If he thrashes…” Katara bit her lip. “I might do more damage than good.”
Iroh nodded, but his face was tight. “Let us continue, then. I will adhere to your guidance, Master Katara.”
Katara got straight to work, slipping straight from the emotional little sister Sokka knew into her no-nonsense healer mode. “We need to remove the cloth covering his skin,” she instructed briskly, hands already moving to collect water from the waterskin at her hip. “I don’t want to heal over it and cause an infection.”
Sokka watched as Iroh reached out to peel Zuko’s tattered robes away from his ribcage, and Spirits peel was the right word for it because the cloth seemed to have melted into the skin-
Sokka swallowed. He would have averted his eyes, but… he owed Zuko one. He remembered liquid gold eyes meeting his own, Zuko’s sharp smile lit up in flames as he looked up from the cooler that should by all accounts have kept a lesser firebender down...
“I’ll help,” Sokka offered.
Iroh’s expression was calm enough but his eyes were sharp, scrutinising Sokka. Sokka held up his hands, before remembering what Zuko had said, what felt like forever ago on the balloon - raised hands aren’t necessarily a sign of peace in Fire Nation - and immediately dropped them.
“Zuko helped me get Dad and Suki out of Fire Nation’s worst prison. The idiot threw himself in front of fire just now to protect me.” Sokka tried to infuse as much honesty as he could into his words. “I owe him one.”
He spared a moment to thank Tui and La that Zuko was at least unconscious for this. Sokka and Iroh got to work, divesting Zuko off his top. Sokka tried to keep his fingers as gentle as possible, but it was hard when the cloth was literally stuck to his skin. The moment they managed to free any skin, Katara began to work her wishy water magic.
Of course, that had to be the moment the contrary stubborn jerbender had to begin to stir, a low hiss slipping from his lips. “Ah…” Sokka’s hands worked carefully at another layer, grazing heated skin, and Zuko flinched away, trying to curl in around himself.
“No, stop, it hurts-” Spirits, the other boy was pleading, “please stop father it hurts -”
Did he say…?
Sokka’s breath stopped. He looked up at Iroh, wondering if he’d actually heard what he had, but the elder man only had eyes for Zuko.
“Nephew, you’re safe,” Iroh’s voice was strained, as they watched Zuko trash as the water covered his body. “Please be still, we’re trying to help-”
“Please father I meant no disrespect- I’ll do better, I meant no disrespect-”
...father?
“Prince Zuko-” Zuko flinched hard, and it didn't escape Sokka how hastily Iroh changed his term of address - “Nephew, please stay still for me? We only want to help you. Nephew. ”
The last word was enunciated carefully, loudly, as if... Iroh was trying to remind Zuko where he was and it wasn’t with his father. Sokka's mind began to run wild, but he shook his head-- whatever questions he had, there would be time for them later.
“C’mon, jerkbender,” he said, trying to put as much gentleness as he can into the nickname. Iroh and Katara both glanced a him, but Sokka paid them no mind. “Stop being so difficult, yeah? We’re trying to help-”
But Zuko didn’t seem to hear them. His eyes glazed over like...
Like he was lost in some memory...
“Please, I meant no disrespect-” the other boy whimpered.
It was hard to watch the older boy like this. Zuko always seemed so formidable, even when he had become their uneasy ally. Times like this were when Sokka couldn't help but admired his little sister: Katara's hands were steady in fluid motion as the water she wielded, the twist of her lips and her bright eyes the only indication of her unease.
“Keep him still, the next part will likely hurt the worst,” Katara warned quietly. She looked as uncomfortable as Sokka felt, even without Sokka’s newfound fondness - it was hard to see a former enemy like this and still hate him, and Katara had always had more of a bleeding heart than most.
Zuko’s voice rose in a sudden shriek as the water glowed around him, effectively cutting of Sokka’s thoughts-
“No please stop - I meant -” Zuko begged, his voice high and young and nothing like the raspy gravel Sokka was familiar with. "Father pleaaaaase -”
Sokka’s breath caught again, sure what he’d heard this time. He looked away, knowing that Zuko would have hated for them to see this. But it wasn’t like there was anywhere to walk away to- they were hundred of feet in the air, for spirit’s sake -
“I’m so sorry, my nephew,” Iroh whispered, sounding destroyed. “So sorry.”
Even Katara was biting her lip.
“Okay, we’re done,” Katara said, after what felt like an eternity later. “He’s going to need a lot of rest and recovery, but he shouldn’t be dropping dead any time soon.”
She was swaying from exhaustion. Big brother instincts flaring, Sokka reached out to steady her. He himself felt like he’d aged ten years. Zuko had mercifully passed out again at some point, his whimpers slipping into silence, but Sokka would never be able to forget the terror in his gaze, and the way he’d begged for them to stop.
…Well, not them .
-Please, father-
Sokka closed his eyes. Zuko’s shriek had sounded so young, so pained.
“Master Katara, esteemed Sokka,” Sokka opened his eyes to see Iroh bowing low to them both. “You two have my utmost gratitude.” The older man looked as weary as Sokka felt, nothing like the jolly tea-loving man Sokka had him down as. “My nephew is all I have left. Without him, I…”
“It’s fine,” Sokka said into the silence. “Zuko helped me get Dad and Suki back. I owe him one.”
“...That is a generous assessment after all your shared history,” Iroh said, in what was in Sokka’s opinion a real whimsical way to say wow, really ?
Sokka almost laughed. “Yeah, don’t get me wrong, he’s not getting my vote for favourite person anytime soon, but…” Sokka shifted, looking at the old man carefully, “I get the feeling we don’t know all of his history either.”
“That is wise. Often we assume what we see is all there is, when seldom it is so.” Iroh exhaled. “My nephew has not had the easiest life,” the older man admitted quietly, thus winning Sokka’s award for most obvious statement in the world.
No shit , Sokka thought, watching Zuko’s exhausted, sleeping face. “I’m glad he has you at least,” Sokka said.
Rather than looking flattered, Iroh looked almost… regretful. “I was.. Not always there. Not when he needed me the most. It remains one of my biggest regrets.”
Sokka found himself tracing the line of Zuko’s scar, torn between asking and remaining in the dark. Something in his heart twinged. Everything he’d seen and heard over the past few hours was painting a picture he really, really didn’t like.
“I knew Ozai was a warmongering homicidal jerk,” Sokka said conversationally, “but he’s really even worse than I thought, isn’t he?” He glanced at Iroh and decided to just ask outright. “Is… it true? Everything just now, is it…for real?”
“It is not my story to tell.” Sokka only just managed to tamp down on his frustration as Iroh hesitated. “However, evidence has a way of speaking for itself… and my nephew is not known for his guile.”
“Yeah, no, we figured out early on that Zuko’s pretty solidly terrible at lying.” Sokka winced at the slight fondness that slipped out, hoping that Uncle Iroh wouldn’t have caught it. “...He’s been hurt a lot, hasn’t he? Even...” By his own family , Sokka wasn’t brave enough to say yet, but he hoped the implication was enough.
Uncle Iroh’s eyes were molten pools of knowing amber as he replied. “All of you children have.” The older man’s tone was said. “He’s carried much of the hurt within him, and much of it manifests as rage.”
“Zuko’s not so bad when I get past the layers of fire and rage. Awkward as heck, but he’s one of the bravest people I’ve met, and…” endearing somewhat, Sokka didn’t say, but Iroh must have seen something in his eyes, because the older man smiled.
“Courage is something my nephew has never lacked, sometimes to a fault.”
“Yeah,” Sokka snorted, “I thought Aang was reckless, then I met Zuko. It’s like the guy’s been born without the slightest sense of self-preservation.”
Okay, this time, Iroh definitely caught the fondness in his tone. “You seem to have bonded with my nephew,” the older man commented. “Enough for him to want to protect you from fire.”
His tone was light and curious, not accusatory in the slightest, but Sokka felt the twinge of guilt anyway and let his head thump back against Appa’s saddle.
“We… bonded over the Boiling Rock prison break,” he admitted.“I guess. It’s really weird, you know? I used to think of him as this shouty ponytailed freak with a weird obsession with the Avatar. I hated him because he made it so much harder to survive and help Aang. I hated him even more after Ba Sing se.” He risked a glance. "And then... he comes and joins us, does all these stupid risky things and I can safely say we’d be fried meat several times over by now if he hadn’t been here.”
Uncle Iroh has a strange little smile on his face and wow, if Sokka could capture the tender look in the old man’s eyes right then in a painting, he would frame it and give it to jerkbender who clearly had no idea how much he was loved.
“I understand and respect that it’s not your story to tell, Uncle, but… Zuko saved my life, and he’s done a lot ever since he joined our group. I just want to understand him better.”
“That is very kind of you, Sokka. It may then be a conversation you should have with Zuko yourself,” Iroh suggested gently. “Trust is a gift between friends that can move mountains.”
Sokka stared down at Zuko’s sleeping face. “I don’t… want to trigger anything bad for him.”
Iroh hummed. “Prince Zuko had lived most of his life around people with hidden intentions and deceit. Perhaps, he would appreciate your directness and honesty.”
Sokka stared for a moment. “Why didn’t Zuko get any of your wisdom?” He asked jokingly, but humour faded as quickly as it came.
Please, father, I’ll do better please…
“I’ll, yeah. I’ll talk to Zuko.”
***
Sokka must have drifted at some point- he hadn’t fully recovered from the Boiling Rock breakout and had been in the thick of the fight. A jolt from Appa shook him awake, but Suki’s voice told him it was a safe place for them to land and take shelter, so Sokka drifted off again.
When Sokka woke up properly, it was to find the whole group sprawled around within the confines of a cool boulder. Together with Katara’s water magic, he attempted to cover the entrance with foliage and make it look like it wasn’t the Toph-erected cave-but-not it actually was.
“Well, I guess this is as good as it’s going to get,” Sokka muttered, twirling a leaf vein, before slipping back inside. Katara handed him some porridgey thingy for dinner that she’d tried to sweeten with some weird berry thing she’d deemed safe. It wasn’t the best thing Sokka had tasted, but he was willing to take anything by that point so he wolfed it down.
“Sugar Queen really earned her nickname with this one,” Toph commented.
“If she hears you, I’ve nothing to do with it,” Sokka hissed. The earthbender was sat by Sokka’s side, both of them casually close to where Uncle Iroh hovered over Zuko’s prone form. Sokka had never figured out what or why or how she viewed the hair-trigger jerkbender of their group, but she’d clearly developed a protective streak for 'Sparky' a mile wide from the get go. Zuko did seem to have that effect on a lot of people, to be fair, Sokka mused as he looked up at Suki’s prowling firm.
It felt both like ages and not enough when Zuko finally shifted, his head lolling back. He must have been really out of it, because he didn’t even try to struggle out of Iroh’s gentle grasp when Iroh gently reached out to correct the angle of his neck.
Zuko let out a low moan of pain at the contact, a sound he would never have let escape him otherwise. Sokka doubted he even realised the rest of them were there.
“...Uncle?” Zuko rasped, his breathing laboured.
“Yes, nephew. I’m here.” The other boy’s frame relaxed minutely at that. “We are on friendly territory, and you are safe with me.” Uncle Iroh shot them a gentle but firm look that left no doubts as to his utter willingness to happily throttle them should they make a sound. Sokka kept his mouth shut.
“The… the others…? Sokka?” Sokka jolted at his name, but kept quiet. "Are.. they..."
“Are perfectly fine, no small thanks to your valour.” Zuko appeared to be trying to shake his head, but clearly gave up not a second after. “Breathe, Nephew. How are you feeling?”
“‘m tired,” Zuko murmured, eyes still shut. “So tired, Uncle.”
“As is expected. A good rest will do you wonders, nephew,” Iroh said kindly, rubbing little patterns on Zuko’s palm. Zuko shook his head and murmured something.
“I’m sorry, nephew, can you repeat that?”
Gold eyes opened into small slits as Zuko smiled almost deliriously at his uncle.
And it was like something sparked in Sokka’s mind, that he hadn't really seen the other boy smile before, not unless it was in some twisted version of anger and pain, and Spirits Sokka had to up his friendship game a bit- yeah, he was the meat and sarcasm guy, but Zuko was supposed to be the jerk, not him-
Sokka was so busy having a mini crisis that he didn’t quite catch what Zuko mumbled back, but Uncle’s whole face changed.
“You could never upset me,” Iroh hastened to reassure him, which Sokka thought was quite generous because yeah, it was well-established that normal Zuko was a jerk even though sleepy Zuko was kind of adorable to watch.
“Tired...wish I was dead,” Zuko whispered. Sokka almost dropped his bowl in shock; only Toph’s quick action saved it from smashing into the floor.
Iroh’s eyes were wide, reflecting the firelight. “Nephew,” he breathed out. “What- do not speak like this-“
“Should have died on that stage, Uncle...Wish I did,” Zuko murmured, eyes hazy with fever. “Wish he just... killed me... got it over with...”
“No.” Iroh’s voice was fierce, and now Sokka could finally see how they were related. The royal firebenders had the same glint to their eyes when they were in the throes of fury. “Your father cannot be allowed to win.”
There it was, the word Father again.
“You will get through this, nephew. You will. You just have to push a little further-"
“Been pushing... all my life, Uncle,” Zuko rasped, his voice exhausted. “Just... want it to end...”
What in the Spirits ’ name-
Sokka’s eyes met Aang’s, standing guard at the mouth of the cave. The kid’s gray eyes were wide and uncomfortable. If they could have gone anywhere to give the two some privacy they would have, but as it was, it was a luxury none of them could afford.
“I do not think you want to discuss this now,” Iroh said in the firmest tone Sokka’s ever heard from him, his hands moving to soothe back a lock of Zuko’s hair off his forehead. The gesture was gentle, but Zuko flinched away with a small honest-to-spirits whimper.
“-please, don’t-”
Iroh paled. “I’m sorry, my dear nephew. You know I will not hurt you.”
Zuko gave what was the prone approximation of a nod. “I’m sorry, Uncle,” he whispered. “Just… not right now. I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologise for,” Iroh told him,, fingers clearly twitching in an aborted motion at giving more tactile reassurance. “I understand. Please try to rest some more. Perhaps you will be in a better state of mind when you are better-rested.”
Somehow, Sokka doubted this was something that could be solved with more rest. Toph clearly thought along similar lines, because she snorted.
Alright, jerkbender, Sokka thought grimly. When you’re feeling better, you and I are going to have a talk.
***
The next time Zuko woke up, he was a lot more lucid, and a lot more cranky, judging from the sound he made as he moved.
“Hey, jerkbender,” Sokka said by way of greeting. Zuko hummed back tiredly.
“Aww, someone’s still sleepy,” Sokka teased, feeling somewhat endeared by the rare sight of bed rumpled royal hair. Said fire bender blinked at him, grumpy and very much alive.
He thrust a closed palm in front of Zuko’s face, risking it getting bitten off. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
Zuko blinked at him slowly. “Is... this a trick question?”
Sokka’s smile widened. “Is that a trick into making me give you the right answer?”
“...what?” Zuko shook his head and scowled. “Stop messing with me.”
“Okay, his royal surliness is back to normal now,” Sokka announced to the group at large. He just about caught the sound of Aang cheering. Zuko tried to bring himself up, but pain lanced through his chest, and his features creased in a wince. “Yeah, maaaaaaybeeee don’t move too much just yet. You’re still healing from those big bad fires, which, thank you, by the way, but next time maybe think twice before you turn yourself into a jerk-kebab for me.”
The memories of the last few hours must have only filtered in, because Zuko started like he’d just been shocked and began running his hand through his abdomen.
“I’m… not dead…?” Zuko looked utterly stunned, like… like he really had not expected to come back from any of this alive. It made something heavy settle in Sokka’s chest that he refused to think about until later
“No, despite your best efforts to the contrary, nephew.” Iroh’s voice was calm as ever, but he had a look in his eyes Sokka hadn’t seen before. Looking between the two royal firebenders, Sokka had the feeling this wasn’t a conversation he should be here for.
“I’ll, uh,” Sokka started, moving to his feet. “Just… leave you two alone for a bit, yeah?”
Zuko sounded almost panicked. “No, wait!” Sokka paused. “Uh, are you- are you okay?”
He’s the one who got fried and he’s asking about me.
“Yeah, thanks to you,” Sokka replied. “But seriously buddy, next time, don’t take fire for me. I would be a lot less okay if you had died. Just redirect the flames or something.”
Sokka tried to keep his tone light, but Zuko flinched anyway. “I was acting on instinct, and there wasn’t time to think-” he defended.
“And therein lies the problem, nephew,” Iroh said. “You never think things through.”
Which, yeah, that was fair and accurate for Zuko, who was scowling at his uncle like a mutinous stormy teenager with a temper, nothing like the whispering child he had been earlier.
Sokka took pity on him and said “Thank you, again, but next time let’s try things that don’t involve as much dying in the process, okay?”
Zuko shifted. “No promises,” he muttered, but his lips were tilted up in an almost wry smile, so Sokka took it as his win.
***
Zuko watched Sokka leave, biting his lip. His heart fluttered strangely. Maybe he was imagining things, but there had been something different in the way Sokka had looked at him, something different, almost softer, in the way he had spoken.
Zuko was often reckless, and single-minded to a fault, but he wasn’t stupid. Something had changed.
He turned to his uncle. “What did I say?” he asked, his voice tight.
“What do you mean, nephew?”
“Earlier, what did I say?”
Uncle Iroh sighed. "You are not going to like this conversation." Zuko felt the immediate instinct to run as Uncle's gaze becomes piercing. “You said you wished for death, Nephew.”
Zuko's heart stopped.
“Zuko. Please. Has it become that bad?”
Zuko stayed quiet, because that always made unwanted conversations go away.
”Zuko.”
He’d never been able to outright lie to Uncle. “I had thoughts, Uncle. Not a plan.”
“But you want to die.”
Zuko fidgeted. “Not… Die. But I have nothing much to live for.” He looked up at Uncle. “You’re here now, you can teach Aang firebending. You’d be a better teacher.”
He had never seen Uncle this stricken, not even the time when he'd called tea a hot-leaf juice. “It’s not about that, Zuko.”
He gave up pretending. “Then what is it about, Uncle?” Zuko asked tiredly.
"Your value is not just as a firebending teacher! You have so much to give, Zuko-"
“I have nothing left to give." It was weird how calm he felt, but then, Zuko was resigned. "I want to see the war end, play my part to end it, then that’s it, that’s all.”
“Zuko. Nephew.” Zuko hated Uncle’s tone like this, like he’d personally been wounded. “This is not just about ending the war. This is about you deserving a chance at a better life, after the war-”
“I don’t,” Zuko said before he could think better of it.
I don’t deserve it.
Of all the things Zuko had said, this was the one Uncle reacted most strongly to. When he spoke again, his voice was so soft, like it would hurt less against Zuko’s jagged edges. “Nephew. You do, you deserve it and so much more." Zuko couldn't handle the amount of love and fondness in those amber eyes, things he wasn't worthy of, so he looked away. "You have no idea just how special you are.”
Zuko smiled bitterly. “I’ve been told, Uncle.” though special wasn’t the word he’d use. Special carried positive connotations. Special was Azula. Zuko was just...
-lucky to be born-
But Uncle was shaking his head. “No, Zuko. You are special. You have no idea of the strength of your heart-”
“-I don’t want to hear it, uncle-”
“How kind you are-”
“Uncle, stop, that’s not-”
“-how pure your heart is-”
“-Stop! Shut UP! I don’t- I’m not -” Zuko’s voice cracked.
“But you are, nephew. You are all that and so much more.”
Zuko shook his head, trying furiously to blink the brightness away from his eyes. “Of course you’re going to think that, Uncle,” he said, proud for how steady he was keeping his voice. “You’re Uncle.” And you love me, he didn’t say, because somehow verbalising it made it more real, and that meant it could be taken away.
“I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, nephew.” Uncle sounded sad. “There are precious few who could have gone through what you did and kept their heart intact. But you did.”
Looking at that wizened face, Zuko felt a surge of fondness. Even though uncle was wrong, it was hard not to love someone who insisted on seeing the best of his broken parts. “That’s nice of you, Uncle. But I’ve done horrible things, stupid mistakes I never should-”
“To err is human,” Uncle said quietly. “You have made mistakes, and will continue to make them. That does not mean you deserve death. You only need to look to me. I am an old man, well past my prime and I have made my own mistakes, and I will continue to make them until it is time I meet Lu Ten again.”
Zuko choked, unable and unwilling to imagine a world without the light that was Iroh. “D-don’t talk like that, Uncle,” he pleaded. “Please, can we not talk about this? I don’t want to talk about this.”
Uncle hummed, his eyes sad. "Very well, nephew. I hope of you will one day find the strength to forgive yourself." Zuko wanted to scoff- this wasn't about strength, he wanted to say, it was about deserving it, and Zuko didn't- "Let us cease this talk of death, for now. You must be hungry- let us feast."
All dark thoughts fled Zuko's mind and swiftly morphed into embarrassment when Uncle insists on trying to spoonfeed him like he's a three year old again.
"I can hold a spoon, Uncle! I'm not that badly injured!"
Unbeknownst to both firebenders, a pair of blue eyes watch their antics from a distance away, his gaze a troubled one.