Avatar: The Last Airbender Oneshots (X Reader)

Azula || Cherish (I Promise Pt. 2)

"So, as General Azula said before, would we be able to exchange some of our elite guards for a few of the Earth Kingdom's Kyoshi Warriors? We believe that they would be better suited for the job of protecting the southern gates, and you would still have soldiers to watch over your citizens," Fire Lord Zuko explained. 

Today was the day that Zuko, Azula and I were to meet with the leaders of the other nations to discuss different solutions to any problems within our communities. Fortunately, the Fire Nation's representatives were well prepared, but this was not without cost. 

It was obvious that all three of us had been working day in and day out to make sure that everything was ready, and it took a toll on our bodies. 

Anyone could tell by how tense we were, along with the poorly concealed yawns from our section of the table, that we were utterly exhausted. Still, duty calls. 

Throughout the entirety of the meeting, I busied myself with writing notes so that I would not accidentally fall asleep. As for the others, they had to stand and present information every so often, which was enough to keep them awake. 

To say it was boring was an understatement. I would probably rather watch paint dry, or unravel a ball of yarn. Alas, it was something that was necessary for the world to continue on the path to peace. 

Once the meeting was finished, we made our way towards the vehicle that had carried us here, and got in. Azula sat to my left, and Zuko sat across from the two of us. 

Now that we were all finished with our duties, it seemed that exhaustion had finally caught up to us. As the driver started the car, a comfortable silence fell upon us. We were all content to just peer out the window at our surroundings, or go over what had happened in the meeting in our heads. 

However, I quickly became aware of just how tired Azula was, so I offered a solution. 

"Princess, you can sleep on my shoulder if you'd like," she turned to face me, and nodded softly. Azula rested her head there, her hair tickling the side of my neck as I placed my head atop of hers. My hand, which was resting with its palm against the smooth seat below me, became acquainted with Azula's. 

The touch was light, but it was there. Like a quiet "thank you." Then, before I knew it, her soft snores echoed in my ear, and her hand that was right up against mine went limp. A small smile graced my lips, then I remembered that we weren't alone. 

I looked up to see Zuko looking at the two of us with a knowing smirk. 

"Ah," he nodded, "I know that look." 

An annoyed breath pushed past my lips, and I feigned ignorance. 

"I don't know what you mean," of course, he didn't believe me. There was nothing I could do to convince him that I actually didn't know what he was implying. 

"I'm pretty sure you do, but in case you don't, let's just say that it's the same look Katara and Aang give each other all the time." 

I rolled my eyes, but ultimately I knew he was right. It was obvious that I cared for Azula in a way that no subordinate would normally. However, she herself hadn't seemed to pick up on it, so either I wasn't being obvious to her, or she was choosing to ignore it. 

My gaze flicked to Azula for a split second, before I looked down, sighing. 

"Who knows?" I hadn't phrased it as such, but he was smart enough to know the real question behind what I had asked. Does she know?

"Only uncle and I as of right now, unless you've told someone." 

"I haven't."

"Then only uncle and I," relief coursed through me. So maybe I wasn't that obvious.