Torn Heart (Zuko x Reader)

Chapter 15

No One's POV:
The three finished their soup, much too slow for Zuko's liking, used the last bit of money they collectively had to buy supplies and a cart and ostrich horse, and set off. The journey was quickly determined to be unpleasant for Zuko in the center of the bench between his uncle and...whoever Y/N was to him—with them talking and laughing over him.
He knew without a doubt now that these "friends" of Y/N's were the Avatar and his gang. He told himself that was why he offered to continue to travel with her. That he didn't know what he would do when they caught up, but it was too good of an an opportunity. But another voice, that he pushed down, reminded him of the other night, admitted he wasn't ready to let go of her, that he didn't know what he would do when he was face to face with the Avatar, because one way or another he would be breaking Y/N's heart.
Besides that, if and when Uncle Iroh found out, he was in for one hell of a lecture. He knew as soon as they sat down with him that he could see right through them.
Sure enough, when they stopped to rest, and     Y/N went off into the trees to relieve herself, Iroh jumped down from the cart and turned to Zuko, "Y/N and I are getting along famously! And she is so pretty, Prince Zuko, you two make such a nice couple!"
"Wha—?! Couple?!" Zuko echoed, "I think you've gotten more out of touch since we've been apart."
Iroh paused in shuffling through their supplies, "You can't fool me, Nephew. I see the way you two look at each other. Does she know how you feel?"
Giving up, Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, "She does...I think."
"And she knows at least some of who you are. And she's still around,"
The corners of Zuko's mouth twitched up, "Yeah. She's okay with everything."
"Then you need to hang onto her!" Iroh cried.
"I can't! It's...It's complicated!"
"You love her, she loves you. Don't make it more complicated than that,"
"It's not that easy. Y/N is—"
"I'm what?" Y/N asked, coming up just then.
"A good traveling companion," Zuko said quickly.
She grinned, hoisting herself back onto the bench, "Damn right."
They continued on. As the sun started to set, the temperature began to drop. Iroh pulled the blankets from the cart and they draped them around themselves. Y/N started to sway more and more with the jostling of the cart. Zuko watched her eyes slowly drooping with sleep (so cute!) and her hands loosening around the blanket she held around her shoulders. "Not exactly a smooth ride, is it?" she commented, groggily.
"No, but it's better than walking," he replied.
"I didn't think I could miss my friends more, but I do. I miss Appa,"
Now this was new. "Whose Appa?"
She gave him a sleepy grin (he thought his heart would explode), "You won't believe me, but Appa is a giant flying bison. Crazy, right? And...he's...adorable."
She slowly settled her head on Zuko's shoulder, succumbing to sleep. But on his other side, Iroh's mouth had fallen open. Zuko quickly made a slashing motion across his throat, and they resorted to angrily and silently gesturing until finally Y/N mumbled, "What's all the gesturing over there?"
"Nothing," Zuko pulled on the reins, "We should stop and make camp."
"I'm too tired to make shit,"
"You stay here and sleep, child. We'll set up camp," Uncle Iroh offered, followed by Zuko,
"We will?!"
"We will. Waaay over here," he dragged his nephew out of the cart by the sleeve and out of earshot.
          "I do not believe this,"
          "Uncle, it's not like that,"
          "You can not do this to her, Zuko,"
           "I don't have a choice. This is my chance. An opportunity like this doesn't fall out of the sky,"
           "So you have no feelings for her?"
           Zuko hesitated, but he couldn't lie about this, "No, I do. I really like her. And I didn't know that she was the Avatars friend when we first met."
           "When did she tell you?"
           "She didn't tell me. I sort of slowly figured it out until this morning she said her friend was the last air bender and I knew it could only be him. Don't you get it? You're the one always talking about destiny. Was it coincidence that we met?"
             "You are going to break her heart!"
             "I know! And I don't want to, but—"
             "Then don't!"
             "There's no way this doesn't end awful, Uncle. I can't leave her, I just can't. She wouldn't go for it if I asked her to stay with us. And if we catch up with them—what am I supposed to do? Say 'hey, it's Zuko. I'm all good now'? No,"
              He turned and started back towards the cart. "It wouldn't be easy any way you look at," Iroh said, "You're right about that. But you have a choice. You always have a choice."
              They had reached the cart and he had dropped his voice to a whisper, but Y/N was out cold. Zuko paused next to the cart. He believed that invariably what he wanted most was to go home, have his honor back. She was the key. But his uncle was right: this would break her and he was nearly unwilling to do that.
               It seemed Y/N was slowly becoming what he wanted most.