now or never || an atla fanfic

𝔞 𝔤𝔲𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔢

His eyes flew open, sitting upright in the chair suddenly. A dull headache throbbed at the back of his head, his mind still foggy and his eyelids still heavy.

His head swiveled around, attempting to familiarize himself with his surroundings. It was still pitch-black dark outside--meaning it was only a few hours since he'd returned to his hotel room. It was only when he spotted a figure standing near the window did his body tense up, entering fight or flight mode.

Hahn nearly fell off his chair at the sight of the Fire Nation Princess in his room.

Leaning against the back wall, she watched him with a calculated glare.

"Don't make this a habit, peasant," she threatened.

His mind flashed to the memories of last night. Upon leaving the ball, the prince felt an odd sense that someone had been following him, and had taken multiple shady routes to shake off the feeling. He no longer even felt safe in his own hotel room, seeing that two people were able to break into it.

He stood up immediately, the wooden chair falling back behind him. "Call me a peasant again and I'll bash your face against the wall," he spat.

Azula only smirked, and Hahn swore he saw a fire dancing in her amber eyes. "I'd like to see you try."

The prince gritted his teeth, forcefully silencing himself. The irony of the situation was appalling--typically he was the one barking orders and demanding silence. How the hell did he get himself into this mess, dirtying his hands with the Fire Nation?

"What? Don't tell me that you're thinking about backing out now?" Azula taunted, tilting her head just a fraction.

He chuckled, his mind recollecting their conversation the previous night at the ball. Everything about this was dangerous. But maybe in order to win, he'd have to play with fire for sometime.

"Of course not. I owe you my life now," he said, offering a bit of praise to rekindle her good graces. The prince even punctuated his sentence with a small smile.

"Cut the flattery," she dismissed, seeing right through his facade. "You weren't dead, just unconscious. You can return the favor by fulfilling your end of the agreement."

Right. Their agreement.

- ♚ -

"In the ten years I've followed the avatar, I have never found a single weakness," she confessed, staring longingly at the night sky through the window. The capital city of Omashu was eerily silent outside, in contrast to the blustering party that was laid out before them.

"Until now," she added, her amber eyes finally meeting his blue ones.

Hahn took a sip of his drink, feeling a sharp chill rattling down his bones. He had a hunch that it wasn't because of his drink.

"Really?" he mused, feigning interest. He'd heard about the rumors that the avatar was alive, but he'd never been able to confirm it.

"Yes. I have found the avatar's weakness, and I intend to exploit it," she stated. "But you and I seem to have similar interests. So I believe we can both be of use to each other."

Hahn remained silent, mulling over her words.

"So...are you in?" she asked, looking up from her glass with sparkling eyes.

His adam's apple bobbed, his eyes struck with fear once he saw the fire dancing on the tip of her finger, circling the cup of tea in her hand in a brief motion that he almost thought he imagined it.