Torn Heart (Zuko x Reader)

Chapter 18

No one's POV:
       Zuko woke up to blinding sunlight dancing silver off the rolling waves. He and Y/N were tangled up in a mess of bare limbs and blankets. He could hear shouting far down the beach close to the town—and sniggering very close by. He sat up and squinted to see two boys standing a few paces away laughing.
"Hey!" he jumped to his feet which only made them laugh harder as they ran screaming. He looked down and was reminded that he was completely naked!
"Shit!" Zuko yelped, grabbing for his clothes. But before he could cover himself a hand cracked him on the behind, causing another yelp. He whirled around to see Y/N sitting up, holding the blankets to herself and laughing.
"Good morning,"
"Good morning," he replied, already grouchy.
The two pulled on their clothes and traipsed back down the beach. As they got closer, Zuko spotted the source of the shouting—a group of men were working to drag a boat out to sea just a little ways passed the three smoking piles of coal from last night. As they got closer still, he recognized one of the workers.
            "Lee! Y/N! Come help us!"
            "Uncle?!"
            "Good morning, Mushi!" Y/N called, breaking into a jog to reach the boat.
            "Good morning, my dear," Iroh grinned, before one of the men with them assigned them each a job. Zuko seized the rope beside his uncle and started pulling. "Had a good night, Prince Zuko?" his uncle asked, in a hushed voice, "You didn't come back to the house? You or Y/N..."
            "We...spent the night on the beach. It was nice,"
            "I see," Iroh said slowly, before leaning in and saying even quieter, "You failed to mention this relationship was physical or is this a new development?"
            "None of your business," Zuko hissed.
            Iroh sighed and shook his head, "You're in way over your head, my boy."
            The next moment, the tide caught hold of the boat and lifted it off the sand, before dragging it into the sea. Everyone cheered, including Y/N who still stood on the boat, before jumping off the edge and wading back to shore in the knee deep waves.
            "Come on, let's get breakfast! I'm starving!" she cried, throwing one arm around Zuko's waist and leading him up to the house.

"For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow,
"And it's time for us to leave her!"
With a squeal, Y/N erupted into applause which Iroh returned with a hearty laugh. The little house filled with both their singing voices after the sun had set. The little sitting room was only lit by the fireplace. Shaking his head, Zuko reached over to take the kettle from over the fire as both of them had erupted into another song.
"What about this one: My mother told me,
"Someday I will buy..."
Iroh joined in, "Galley with good oars,
"Sail to distant shores,"
They sang the rest of the song together, and Y/N asked, "Oh, where did you learn these shanties, Iroh?"
"You pick them up after traveling so long. We used to have music night on our ship. Remember that, Prince Zuko?"
"I wish I could forget," the prince grumbled, stretching out next to Y/N, with his feet on the last empty chair.
"Oh, come now," Iroh pouted, "You used to love my shanties."
"Yeah, when I was five," Zuko snorted.
Shaking his head, Iroh turned back to Y/N, "Whenever I would come home, I would teach the shanties to my family—attempt to, that is. Not everyone is as musical as I, if you've noticed. Oh, but Ursa had the prettiest voice. She would sing with me—if only you could hear it."
Y/N grinned politely, asking, "Who's Ursa?"
But given the way Zuko tensed, she could have guessed, "Ursa was—" he winced, squeezing his eyes shut, "—is...my mother."
"Oh, I see,"
"He didn't tell you his own mother's first name?"
"It's not something that comes up in normal conversation," Zuko retorted.
"Fair enough," Iroh went back to his stories, "We tried to teach Zuko and Azula, but Zuko was so shy—"
"Was not?!" he burned red.
"—and Azula—well, she always lacked that sort of...tenderness,"
"And who's she?"
Now Iroh gaped at his nephew, "You never mentioned your sister?"
"I didn't know you had a sister," Y/N chimed in.
"Me and Azula aren't exactly close, Uncle," Zuko met Y/N's questioning gaze. She was waiting. He sighed, "Azula is my little sister, okay?"
Y/N shrugged, "What's she like?"
He shrugged back, "I mean, she's—"
"She's a psychopath," Iroh cut in.
"Completely insane,"
"That's an awful thing to say," Y/N said.
"You haven't met her," Zuko laughed, "We hated each other as kids."
"Well, that's not true," Iroh amended, "You were typical brother and sister as far as I could tell. Me and Ozai didn't get along very well as boys either."
"She tormented me,"
"How did she torment you?" Y/N asked, probingly.
"She insisted on calling him ZuZu," Iroh said into his tea.
Y/N's mouth fell open, "Awe! ZuZu?! Zuko, that's adorable!"
"No! No, it isn't!" he cried, indignantly, which only spurred her on.
"ZuZu, ZuZu, ZuZu! I'm calling you that from now on!"
"Please don't," he moaned.
Y/N opened her mouth to taunt him further, but instead a chorus of screams sounded outside. "What the hell?" Zuko questioned, getting up and pulling the curtains aside. Through the trees, he could barely see the town a ways off. A few roofs were ablaze, smoke pouring into the sky, people ran through the streets in a panic.
Cursing, he grabbed his scabbard, threw open the door, and raced out. Iroh and Y/N jumped up too, the latter grabbing her new bow and quiver, and chased after him. "Zuko, what—?" Y/N started, then,
"No!"