A Hand to Hold (Zuko x Reader)

7. Change

Waking up, you rubbed your aching neck. It seemed like you had fallen asleep in your required sitting position, causing your head to hand as you slept. Your vision started off blurry, first seeing your thighs and then something before you as you looked up. It took only a second for you to realise that the thing before you was a person.

Prince Zuko to be specific.

Seeing him there, you jolted in fright, internally panicking as you tried to think of a way to defuse this situation. Not knowing what else to do, you bowed your head lowly.

"I'm sorry, Prince Zuko. I didn't mean to fall asleep, it will never happen again" you promised, gritting your teeth as you remembered that speaking without being spoken to was another rule broken.

"You looked so relaxed as opposed to before," he chuckled, not sounding angry at all. Lifting your gaze, you meet his dark eyes, seeing not a Prince but a boy. He seemed so normal, making you unconsciously lower your guard.

"Well, Xiaoli said that I need to be presentable, so she said I have to sit like that and walk a certain way too," you explained, eyes widening as you realised what you had done. You broke the eye contact rule for the second time, lowering your gaze quickly.

"And I notice that you refuse to look me in the eye," he commented, waiting for your explanation on that one.

"Um, I was given some rules to follow this morning. So I wasn't allowed to make eye contact with you or talk unless you ask me something," you admitted, feeling a little embarrassed. Zuko sighed, taking a seat in front of you.

"They're always like that around here. I understand why they do it around my father, but I don't like it that way. I kept turning away the attendants they brought me because they acted more like babysitters than attendants. So, can you be less formal with me?" he asked. You were surprised that he was asking you, not shouting demands as you had expected.

"Less formal?" you repeated, curious as to what he meant by that.

"You can talk to me since we'll be around each other a lot and we can have eye contact. Also, call me Zuko," he finished, awaiting your answer. You timidly lifted your head, meeting his gaze.

"Is it really okay?" you asked, testing the waters. The dark-haired boy nodded his head, leaning back to rest his weight on his arms behind him.

"Of course. Besides, I requested an attendant around my age so that I could have someone to hang out with. My sister has two friends but I don't get along with her, but they've been the only ones I've been allowed to be around. They're really annoying," he ranted, pouting as he thought about the girls. Seeing his expression made you giggle, loosening you up a lot more.

"They probably annoy you because they like you," you teased, placing a hand over your mouth to silence your laughter. Zuko shrugged his shoulder, eyes shifting to the roof as he thought.

"I mean, Ty Lee and Mai are tolerable but my sister is the worst," he complained, soon returning his gaze to you.

"Well um, I'm happy to be around you. So, if you feel the same then I'd like to keep being your attendant," you told him, cheeks heating up after saying something you found really embarrassing. You braced for rejection, feeling shocked after seeing his lips curve upward into a smile.

"Hey, I feel the same. Thank you." Not knowing what else to say, you remained silent for a moment. But that was quickly ended by Zuko, the boy having questions to ask you.

"So, what is your name?" he asked, looking interested in your answer.

"Oh, it's (Y/n)," you informed, having another questioned fired at you right after.

"And how old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Wow, same here. They really found someone my age, I thought they wouldn't' be able to find anyone suitable," he thought aloud, his voice becoming quieter as he directed the words to himself as opposed to saying them to you. But even though he had assured you it was fine, you were still really unsure about this.

"Are you sure it's okay to talk like this? Xiaoli was really serious about the rules and I'm scared of getting punished," you expressed, meeting Zuko's gaze in uncertainty. You were surprised as you watch him reach forward, patting your shoulder reassuringly.

"No one here is going to hurt you and if anyone tries, I'll protect you," he declared. His words made you smile, allowing you to feel more optimistic about being there in the Fire Kingdom.

"Thank you, at first I was very nervous about doing this. Meeting and getting to talk to you like this has made me feel a lot better," you admitted.

"Well, it's better this way, right? So we can talk to each other like friends," he confessed, his cheeks becoming flushed. Yours heated up to match his, your gaze shifting to the side out of shyness.

"You want to be friends with me?" you questioned, hoping that you hadn't misheard him. Zuko was hesitant in answering, nodding his head quickly to get it over with.

"I've always been stuck in the palace with only my sister and her friends as company. And besides training, there's nothing else to do. I'm all alone here, I have no one," he whispered, keeping his voice down in hopes of not showing too much vulnerability. It was something oyu hadn't expected to hear, Zuko was around your age and he was still just a kid. He wanted friends, he wanted to play and have fun like everyone else. Even though you were restricted to the people you could hang out with back home in the Northern Water Tribe, you still had your older brother and Yuka. But Zuko didn't have anyone like that in his life, leaving him all alone.

"Hey um, I'll be your friend if you'd like," you offered, having the sad looking boy lighten up.

"Do you have many friends already?" he asked, sounding genuinely interested. Now that he was asking personal stuff about you, you'd have to tread carefully. There was no way he could know that you're from the Water Tribe.

"Uh not really, I only had one friend."

"And where are you from?" he asked, waiting patiently for your answer. There was no way you could admit your true home so you wracked your brain for a suitable lie.

"I lived on one of the Fire Nation's islands, it's one to the uh... south. My parents were really busy and never really had the time for me so I only had my one friend and older brother. But uh... then my brother died..." you trailed off, only now realising how real it had gotten.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you run away from home?" he questioned, sounding concerned. Not knowing what else to say, you nodded your head.

"I did."

"But why you run away if you still have your friend, won't they be lonely without you?"

You remained quiet, not knowing what to say. Right now you felt angry, trying your best not to express it on your face. How you would have loved to stay home with your 'friend', but all of that was ruined when the Fire Soldiers kidnapped you. If it weren't for them you'd still be there. Snapping yourself out of it, you knew you needed to find an answer.

"They were the ones who encouraged me to go, to start a new life somewhere else," you lied, now feeling quiet down after being reminded of the reality of your situation. But you were quickly brought back to the moment, after feeling a pair of eyes on you. Looking up, you met Zuko's gaze, noticing the soft smile on his innocent face.

"Well, don't worry. Your new life here will be so much better," he enthused. Hearing him sound so enthusiastic once again, you couldn'y help but laugh.

"Thanks once again, Zuko."

Zuko and (Y/n) are now really starting to hit it off. You could classify him as a bit out of character in the beginning but this is how I'd imagine him to be when he was younger. Very innocent, just a wholesome child and pretty lonely since he's only got his sister and her friends around. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's great to finally be writing again.