Like Lovers Do (A Zutara Fan Fic)

A Ship is Just a Boat

Why do I always get myself into situations I don't want to be in? Zuko yelled internally.

Zuko bounced his knee anxiously as he waited for everyone to get their stuff together. He had been up all since dawn broke. Growing up in the royal family taught him to be overly gracious to those who would one day be useful to him. His uncle taught him to be overly gracious to everyone because people, no matter who they are, deserve respect and kindness. Even if they had spent all night with their hands on the girl you wanted. Sometimes he hated being a good person. Life was worse, but arguably easier when he was a spoiled prince. Katara seemed mad that he offered to help Panuk, which confused Zuko. She had been so happy to show Panuk his room and get alone time with him. She had let him rub his hand up and down her leg all night. Zuko wished he could tell what she was thinking.

"It was really nice of you to let us use your ship," Aang said, appearing next to Zuko. Momo chittered on his shoulder. He jumped from Aang's shoulder to Zuko's and nuzzled Zuko's cheek. Zuko pet the lemur behind the ears.

"Yeah, well, it's been known to happen," Zuko joked.

"Come on, Zuko. You know that's not what I mean." Zuko smiled and nodded. "Are you excited to see Zuko's ship, boy?" Aang asked Appa. Appa let out a low growl.

"Don't be like that, Appa. My crew will take good care of you. I had someone go into town to get you the finest hay around," Zuko said, petting the bison's leg. Appa licked Zuko's face, drenching him in spit. "Ah, yuck."

"You know, I've heard being drenched in Bison saliva is supposed to be good luck," Sokka said, coming out of the house with Sukki and Toph.

"Who told you that?" Aang asked.

"You did!"

"Yeah, Sokka, I was making fun of you," Aang said. Sokka's jaw dropped, but he laughed with Aang.

Behind Sokka, Suki, and Toph, Zuko could make out the approaching figures of Panuk and Katara. Panuk was carrying Katara's bag, and he had his arm around her shoulder. Katara was laughing at something he said. Her smile was big, but her eyes weren't as scrunched as they usually were when she thought something was genuinely funny. Once again, he wished he could tell what she was thinking.

The group wasted no time mounting Appa and settling into the saddle. Katara was right, they would've been too cramped on Appa. The middle of the saddle was a mess of limbs, and that was with Suki sitting on Sokka's lap. He made a joke about how uncomfortable he was but everyone could see how happy he was to have Suki snuggled into his arms. Zuko felt jealous of how easy love came for the two of them.

"Do we have to call you 'Your Highness' on your ship?" Sokka asked. Zuko first thought that was a weird question, but realized it was kind of valid. They'd be around Fire Nation naval officers and Zuko's personal staff. They'd all visited him in the Fire Nation, but this was different than hanging out in Zuko's private quarters, or at one of his vacation homes.

"No, I'd prefer it if you didn't. It makes me uncomfortable when you guys refer to me that way in a serious context. My staff might say something like that, though, no matter how many times I ask them not to."

Zuko's staff was full of exceptionally kind and honorable people. When he asked them to call him Zuko in casual conversations, they had a hard time with it. He didn't really blame them, though. Both his father and Azula had been obsessed with titles and separating themselves from the "lowly peasants' they ruled over. Zuko, however, wanted to be a man of the people. The only person he could get to call him Zuko was Ming Lee, who was the chief military advisor and accompanied Zuko on all of his journeys. He was sure that Ming Lee wouldn't refer to him as Zuko around his friends, though.