The Fire Within - an atla fanfic (Zuko x OC)

He's Just a Poor Boy

"It smells like old lady in here." Zuko blantantly complained as we entered the house Li and Lo were letting us stay in. I wasn't quite sure who they were, other than Azula's firebender teachers. They were very odd.

"Gee, I wonder why." Mai said sarcastically, looking at Zuko.

I looked at a picture on the wall and twisted my face in disgust. It was of two women in a really weird pose. Ty Lee walked next to me. "Who are these two beautiful women?"

"Can't you tell It's Li/Lo and me." Li and Lo both said, striking the same pose.

I shared a disgusted glance with Zuko, which seemed to raise his spirits.

Ty Lee laid down on the bed next to me. "Ooh, I love this seashell bedspread!" She said as she hugged a pillow.

"Are you serious? It looks like the beach threw up all over it." Mai replied.

I mustered a laugh, even though I had been trying to ignore Mai for the most part. "I'm pretty sure beach throw up is Ty Lee's aesthetic."

This caused Azula to crack up, and Mai even seemed amused.

"We know you're upset that you were forced to come here this weekend. But Ember Island is a magical place. Keep an open mind. Give it a chance... and it can help you understand yourselves and each other. The beach has a special way of smoothing even the most ragged edges." Lo and Li both spoke, every once in a while speaking at the same time.

I'm pretty sure we all listened to them in boredom, well, maybe not Ty Lee.

"Time to hit the beach!" The twins said again in sync, throwing off their robes and revealing their swimsuits. They went off, and I glared at them as they left in disgust.

"What is this, Golden Girls?" I questioned myself in my head.

"Are we going to the beach?" Zuko asked, breaking the silence.

I sighed. "Wait, I forgot to bring a swimsuit, Azula do you have an extra?"

She glanced down at me for a split second. "My swimsuit wouldn't fit you."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Thats not-"

Ty Lee basically jumped in front of me. "I brought an extra!" She handed it to me and I looked down at it.

"Two piece... great." I said, looking at the two red bikini pieces. Not that I was that insecure about my weight or anything, I just didn't want any questions about the few scars on my stomach. "You guys can go, I'll catch up." I stated. Apparently I was the only one who wasn't wearing a swimsuit under my clothes, because all the girls took their robes off and left.

I glanced over at Zuko. "Those old ladies are pretty weird." I commented.

"Yeah, they are." He said with his usual frown.

I started changing and glanced over at Zuko. "In a bad mood, huh?"

"I don't know." He answered. "It isn't the same here," he added.

I finished changing into Ty Lee's suit and pulled it up to hide my newest scar from when one of my kidneys was taken. "Remember when this happened?" I said, referring to my absent kidney.

"Yeah. On the ship."

"That was fun, wasn't it?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, I was worried you were dying or something." Zuko responded.

I smiled slightly. "Don't ever worry about me dying, Zuko, I'm basically superhuman with everything I've been through."

"I'll always worry about you." Zuko said. He meant it in a loving way, but it more so came out as an insult.