Zuko felt his chi stir as his uncle clutched at his tattered shirt desperately. He couldn't believe that his uncle had come back to him after all of this. After all he had done. He was the only thing he head left...the only good he had left.
"Uncle?" Zuko wheezed out as wisps of smoke trailed out of his mouth.
Iroh leaned back, cradling Zuko's head in between his soft, warm palms, "yes, Prince Zuko?"
Zuko smiled at his title and laid his cold palm on his uncle's warmer ones, "shouldn't we ah," his gold eyes glitter in the dark light, "probably...leave Zhao's ship?"
Iroh laughed deep and throaty and Zuko smiled. This felt like he was wait-
Was that...?
He squinted. Inhaled. Exhaled.
A hand. There was a hand, the hand that was in his mouth, the hand that he tried to eat because he was so so hungry and his inner fire burned in him from the inside out. Hungry, starving.
He gagged, a small line of drool dribbled out of his mouth. He wiped it away quickly, he was royalty after all (he couldn't stand to loose that.)
"Why is there a uh" he gulped "a hand?"
His uncle did that sad smile at him. The smile he gave him after Azula, young as she was, was already starting to show more promising signs of restraint than he was. The smile he gave Zuko when he heard that the Fire Lady vanished into the night. The smile he gave Zuko as puss leaked out of his infected eye, body temperature running higher on the inflamed area than the rest of his already heated skin.
"I took somebody's hand off," he sat there, numb. It made sense after all. He was a fool that he believed that he could have changed. That the healer was wrong, he wasn't turning into a beast. A loose cannon about to go off at any time.
Iroh glanced over at the shredded hand with a grimace, "come on, let us go. We need to get lady Aaida, I believe they had took her."
Zuko worried his lip between his fangs, "Aaida? How would they have took her too?"
Iroh stood up with a sigh and heaved up the too skinny boy, "they either took her or..."
Killed her.
Zuko dusted himself off and stumbled towards the open door to his cell. Glancing down he saw the food slot at the very bottom of the door.
A boot comes down, snap. He snaps his jaws, snarling at the person on the other side. How dare they-
"Nephew?" Zuko turned to see his uncle frowned at him, concerned. Agni damn him, he didn't need pity.
"Come on," Zuko snapped as he shuffled out of the cell and into the hallway, "let's find Aaida before Zhao returns." He growled out Zhao's name like it was an insult, spitting out sparks.
He stumbled towards the end of the hall where the other cells were, he peeked in. Suddenly a hand landed on his elbow and interrupted his glaring into the empty cell. He hissed at the sudden pressure and turned to see his uncle's surprised face, hand outstretched.
"I'm sorry I startled you nephew, I-"
Zuko's eyes narrowed down at the shorter man, "I don't need your pity," he spat. Sparks of all colors flew out of his mouth this time, the color surprised Zuko and Iroh both.
YOU ARE READING
Pretty Little Monster
Fanfiction(ORIGINALLY POSTED ON AO3 by ME under the username: zimny) Zuko is a monster. He's known this since the moment he was old enough to know. His father had whispered it in his ear as held Zuko's clawed hand in his own. Azula used the word like a whip...
