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randomfandomimagine · 4 years

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The Truth (Zuko x Reader)

Characters: Zuko, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender

Tags: Reader Insert, Gender Neutral Reader

Warnings: Spoilers about Book 3 and Zuko’s backstory

Word Count: 2,1k words

Summary: Suspicious about Zuko’s intentions, the group comes up with a plan in which Y/N finds out the truth about his reasons. They just didn’t know it would also means to learn the truth about his scar.

Zuko x Gender Neutral Reader

“I’m not so sure about this...” You muttered once again, staring at Zuko calmly sitting by the fire. Alone. In silence. Distant from you.

“We need to know if he has an evil plan against us” Sokka replied, but upon noticing your frown, he insisted. “Do you want Aang dead, Y/N?! Is that it, do you want Zuko to kill him?”

“No!” You replied to defend yourself. “But Toph said he wasn’t lying, maybe he was being genuine”

“Appa seemed to like him...” Aang sided with you, shrugging a little in an attempt to talk him out of his plan. “And he hasn’t tried anything yet”

“I’m with Twinkle Toes” Toph agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. “He doesn’t seem to mean us any harm”

“Well, I’m not so sure about that” Katara was with her brother, however. She averted her gaze, wary about the situation. “He did try to trick us before”

“I don’t know, guys...” You vehemently shook your head.

“There’s no harm in trying” Sokka pushed you a little. “Go talk to him!”

You struggled against his attempts, trying to remain hidden by the big pillar you were all gathered behind.

“Agh...” Sokka groaned from the effort, not giving up. “Come on, Y/N!”

“Why me?” You complained, sinking your heels in the ground not to be shoved any further. “Why couldn’t anyone else do it?”

“Because out of all of us, he seems to like you more” Katara replied, tapping her chin in a thoughtful gesture. “I don’t know why”

Sokka desisted from his efforts. You threw him a glare before glancing at Katara to respond to her.

“Maybe because I’m the only one that hasn’t openly said I hate him?”

“Toph hasn’t either, she defended him...”

“And he burned her feet!”

“I sneaked up on him, it was an accident!”

“What if it wasn’t?”

“Fine!” You exclaimed to break up the argument, then lowering your tone and hoping Zuko didn’t hear you. “I’ll do it”

Sokka smirked in satisfaction, gesturing for you to get moving. Katara frowned in determination as well, only Toph and Aang seemed to feel a bit guilty about the whole plan just like yourself. You didn’t like lying and deceiving.

But you did have to find out the truth. Why had he changed his mind all of a sudden? What happened to make him want to stop trying to capture the Avatar? Especially since he had been tirelessly chasing him for years. You had to admit it didn’t make any sense. It was a little suspicious.

Those thoughts and questions floated in your head as you approached Zuko.

The distance that separated you was quite large to ensure your previous conversation with the group was confidential. While you slowly walked over to him, your footsteps gave your presence away.

“Hey” He looked up at you. “Have you seen everyone else?”

“N-No” You stuttered, resisting the urge to look at them over your shoulder. “I don’t know where they are”

“That’s strange...” Zuko’s ambers eyes followed you as you completely closed the distance that separated you. “They all dissapeared at the same time”

“They probably all went to do different things” You shrugged to try and appear nonchalant. “You know, Aang with his glider, Sokka to fish or something...”

“I suppose” He shrugged himself, lowering his gaze to the fire burning before him. “It’s just getting late”

You stared at him, smiling a little. He seemed to notice, but looked up to the dark starry sky instead of into your eyes.

“Are you worried about them, Zuko?”

“I didn’t say that”

Still smiling, you went to sit down across from him. Zuko cautiously looked up at you now. He seemed to sense you were meaning to say something.

“Hey, uh... Now that the others are gone...” You took a deep breath, preparing for what was to come. “I wanted to ask you something”

“What is it?” His tone was soft and gentle, welcoming almost.

You gulped, feeling a pang of guilt in your chest, knowing that you weren’t alone as he thought. From a safe distance, the whole group was listening to your conversation. Damn Sokka and his plans...

“Why are you here all of a sudden?” You made a great effort to hold his gaze. “Why do you want to help the Avatar now?”

Zuko grew quiet for a moment. Given his silence, you thought that the plan had failed already. He wouldn’t talk, he was going to refuse to, he...

“Why are you asking me this?” To your surprise, when he spoke his tone remained gentle. It didn’t hold any anger or resentment.

“Because...” Unable to hold his gaze any longer, you looked away. “I want to trust you”

“You’re the only one that seems so open...” Now he sounded almost sad, but not resentful. “Everyone else...”

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you now” You insisted, locking gazes once more.

He paused. After several seconds in which you felt your heart racing in anticipation, so much so that Toph could probably sense it, Zuko spoke up.

“It’s because of my father”

“Your father?”

“Yes. He wanted me to capture the Avatar, that way he would restore my honor”

“I don’t get it, why did your honor need restoring?”

“Because my father banished me, I was only trying to do what he wanted”

“You were banished from the Fire Nation? Then why would you join us now, if you wanted to please your father?”

“I realized it was useless. I’ve been looking for the Avatar for five years... for nothing”

“But Sokka and Katara found Aang only three years ago... Was your father so sure that he would come back?”

Zuko showed you a bitter grin. His eyes were full of sorrow as he looked at you. Suddenly you were even more against the plan. Toph would confirm it, but you were almost convinced that he was pouring his heart out to you.

“He probably didn’t think I would ever find him” Zuko shook his head, causing his long dark bangs to fall against his eyes. You thought that he seemed to be talking more to himself than to you at the moment. “He never meant to take me back after he banished me”

“I’m sorry, but...” You politely interrupted him. “I’m completely lost”

“Then I should explain to you how I got my scar” He replied with determination, reaching out to press his fingers against his burned cheek.

Your heart skipped a beat at his words. He was pouring his heart out, he was telling you all this in confidence and you were betraying his trust.

“Z-Zuko... You don’t have to do that” Shaking your hands in front of you, you quickly tried to silence him. It wasn’t fair for him...

“You said you wanted to trust me” He nodded in determination. “I want to tell you”

“And... have you told the others?”

“No, but... If it helps them trust me... I suppose you can tell them”

“Okay...”

You could barely speak, feeling a tight knot forming in your throat. Zuko didn’t seem to notice, although he did stare at you for a moment. His expression, however, was absent even after directing his gaze towards the fire.

“Do you know what an Agni Kai is?” He began after several more seconds of silence.

“N-No...” You admitted, fearing what he was about to confess to you.

“It’s a firebending duel” Zuko’s hands were shaking a little as he mindlessly held a small flame in the palm of his hand. “He challenged me to one when I was thirteen”

“Thirteen?!” You couldn’t help but to exclaim. “Why would he do that?”

“For talking out of turn” He clenched his jaw, harshly extinguishing the flame. “For saying it was wrong to use his new recruits as bait and let them die. Those people had a life of their own, they had families... but he didn’t care”

“Is that... Is that how you got your scar?” You dared to ask, almost fearing his answer. “Was it an accident during the duel?”

“Not exactly... I refused to fight my father, but he wanted me to learn my lesson” His brow furrowed, his face holding many expressions at once. None positive. “He said suffering would be my teacher and... he...”

You gasped, shaking your head and hoping he understood the gesture. Even if you had been rendered speechless, you had heard enough. Luckily, Zuko respected it and stopped talking. You could imagine the rest. Shivers crawled up your spine just imagining how harrowing it must have been for him. For a thirteen year old boy to be deliberately burned by his own father. It was cruel and wrong. You stared at him in shock. Tears gathered in your eyes seeing the pain in his.

“I knew Firelord Ozai was ruthless but...” You could barely form words, and you stuttered until you managed to finish your sentence. “But do to that to his own son... especially for being kind...”

Zuko shook his head, agreeing with you. What you didn’t know was that Ozai didn’t think of that moment as kindness. For him, it was weakness. For him, it was like his son was only another subject trying to antagonize him. Daring to defy him.

Instead of replying to that, he continued speaking like you never did. It was easier that way, it was easier trying to ignore what you said.

“I realized I would never regain my honor that way. Even if I was back, he would never accept me for who I was”

“So... it was never you... you never wanted to harm Aang” Your voice broke when a sob shook in your throat. “You were only doing it because of your father”

Zuko nodded, confirming your words. Confirming that all the sorrow you were feeling now after hearing his story, he had felt before. Times ten.

“That’s why I wanted to join you” Even though his eyes were shining under the firelight, there were no tears in them. “I wanted to make it up to all of you and teach the Avatar firebending”

Zuko’s voice shook, and he refused to look up at you again.

“I’m so sorry...” You said in response to his story. To his past, to that tragic moment that literally scarred him for life.

Still, you didn’t realize you were also sorry for something else until a voice broke the heavy silence that established.

“He’s telling the truth” Toph came out from behind the pillar, reminding you of everything. You had completely forgotten about them and about the plan.

The other three joined her, anouncing their presence as they went to stand beside her. They all had similar regretful expressions in their faces.

“What?” Zuko recovered from his apathetic state, his voice now leaving that low tone behind. “You were here the whole time?”

“I said your plan was stupid, Sokka!” You exclaimed with tears still in your eyes.

“It wasn’t stupid, it worked!” He contradicted you, then sheepishly rubbing his nape. “But... I will admit, it was a dirty trick”

“I didn’t mean...” You mumbled, too ashamed to meet Zuko’s amber eyes. “I didn’t know you would...”

“It’s okay” He slowly stood up, facing the four people who had listened to his every word. “Now you know...”

“I knew that guy was a jerk” Sokka said, trying to fix it by talking against Ozai.

“We had no idea, Zuko...” Katara told him as well, apparently forgiving all his sins. She had told the group about her encounter with him in the crystal cave. All that had been true as well.

“Does that mean...” The aforesaid timidly asked. “That you trust me now?”

Aang took a step forward, closer to Zuko. He held his hand out for him to take, complimenting it with a friendly smile. Zuko squeezed Aang’s hand, and at that moment you felt all the tension that floated in the air dissapear.

“Welcome aboard” Aang smiled as they shook hands.

Moved by an urge after the not so intimate moment you and Zuko shared, you stepped up as soon as they let go of their peacemaking gesture. You threw your arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

Zuko gasped in surprise, but after a brief moment of awkwardness he chuckled a bit. His arms sweetly wrapped around you, accepting your affection.

“Thanks for trusting me” You whispered in his ear, still holding on to him.

“You too...” Was his response, letting you linger as long as you wanted.

When you finally broke away, you exchanged a quick smile with him. Then Toph butted in, wanting to have a little exchange with him as well.

“See?” Toph ran to him, clinging on to his arm, much to Zuko’s embarrassment. “I knew I liked him!”

Everyone laughed at how tightly she was hugging him, especially so when he blushed a little by all this attention and fondness. You sighed in content as Zuko clumsily tried to say something. You knew from now on, things would be different. For the best.

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