[Earth on Fire] Zuko x OC

Chapter 23: The Desert (Part 2)

I stared up at the ceiling of the flower shop, mentally counting the bricks on the rooftop for what had to be the sixth or seventh time. The silence weighed heavily in the air, and the tension was so thick I could almost feel it. I glanced quickly over at Zuko, who was still in the exact same position he'd been in when I'd looked over ten minutes ago - slouched against the wall and staring at the floor.

I heaved a sigh, rolling my eyes. This was ridiculous.

It had been nearly three hours since Iroh had gone in to the other room for his little "club meeting" and Zuko and I hadn't spoken a word to each other in that entire time. At first, I had been content to ignore him because I simply hadn't known what to say to him anymore - it felt like no matter what I said, it would be awkward and uncomfortable.

But after nearly three hours, I would have taken awkward and uncomfortable over the stony silence any day.

I glanced over covertly again, but Zuko still hadn't budged from his position. I didn't understand how someone could remain perfectly still for that long. Already my muscles were stiff from standing still, and I was thrumming with an unused energy that was making me jumpy.

Suddenly, I leaned away from the wall, stepping forward and stretching to work some feeling back into my muscles. Zuko didn't move, didn't look up, didn't even flinch. I put my hands on my hips and glared him, having had enough.

"Is this what it's going to be like?" I demanded, shattering the silence like ice over a frozen lake. Zuko glanced up, his eyes widened slightly with surprise. After three hours of not speaking, my voice was slightly hoarse.

"Are we just going to pretend nothing ever happened?" I continued anyway, getting worked up. "We're traveling together for now, Zuko, whether you like it or not. Are you just going to ignore me forever?"

Zuko turned away, in true form, and ignored me. I clenched my fists and tapped my foot impatiently against the ground, quickly getting angrier. I could feel the words bubbling up inside my chest, but I tried to hold them down.

"You were the one who kissed me!" I finally burst out, feeling a blush rise on my cheeks after I said the words. I sounded like a petulant child accusing someone of stealing my toy, but I couldn't stop myself. "So I don't know why you're acting all... why you think you can..." I trailed off into silence, unable to put my frustration into words.

"Why did you even do it?" I asked after a few moments, my voice quiet. I couldn't meet his eyes, so I kept my gaze on the ground, my face pink.

"Why did you kiss me back?" he retorted. I started for a second, shocked that he had actually answered. Glancing up, I met his gaze, which was both defensive and accusatory, although his cheeks were red. My jaw dropped open incredulously.

"I... I asked you first!" I sputtered, blushing further.

"I asked you second!" he countered, staring at me defiantly with his arms folded.

"Are you kidding me?!" I cried, unable to believe what I was hearing. "You kissed me first, and I asked you first, so therefore you have to answer first!"

"There's no rule like that," he answered stubbornly.

"That's how things work!" I practically shouted, flailing my arms. I was steaming at this point. Who did he even think he was?

"Well... well, you didn't have to kiss me back," he insisted, his face flushing a deeper red. "But you did anyway, so that clearly means you feel something!"

My jaw dropped even further. Was he serious?

"I don't feel anything!" I cried.

"You said you cared about me," he said, making it sound like a horrible crime. I blushed more, my cheeks practically burning at this point.