Happy Birthday
...............
Zuko snuck off to his room with his food so he didn’t have to awkwardly sit by himself with strangers who looked at him like he was a ghost.
He breathed a sigh of relief once he closed the metal door. This room was his only safe place on the ship......kinda.
He sat cross legged on the bed with his bowl, placing the map he had grabbed from his desk in front of him.
Considering Zhao had said that they were stopping at their last port soon, it meant they were close to the North Pole, probably somewhere near the Northern Earth Kingdom.
He knew the shortcut, he had taken it before when he left Katara and Sokka. Zhao couldn’t use it because of how massive his fleet was, but he could. Not to mention, if he managed to leave while they were stopped at port, he could get there more than a day earlier.
He slurped up some of his noodles, accidentally flinging juice onto the map.
“Shit,” he whispered to himself.
As for how he would get there, he had done some investigating in the many, MANY boring days he spent on this ship.
The escape boats held in the hull would have to do, powered by coal to which he had an unlimited resource to ignite. If he went at the right time of time, patrols would be low and he could leave undetected.
And it would all go according to plan.
..................................
“You’re telling me a firebender caught you waterbending?”
“Yup?”
“And you managed to escape?”
“More like outrun him.”
Princess Yue seemed thoroughly impressed by Katara’s wondrous tales of adventures on the high seas (and she didn’t mind impressing her).
“You’ve had more adventures at 13 then most people would have in their whole lifetime,” she said in awe, her bright blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight.
“Well technically I’m basically 14. My birthday is actually tomorrow,” she explained.
“Oh wow congratulations,” she said as she rather awkwardly tapped her arm with her elbow, “I’ll make sure we have a lovely celebration.”
She affectionately touched where Yue’s arm had hit her, her cheeks turning a bit pink,
“Oh, you guys don’t have to.”
The princess quickly shook her head in retaliation,
“No, I insist. I think someone as remarkable as you deserves it.”
She felt butterflies in her stomach as she turned softly to face Yue.
“You think I’m remarkable?”
She smiled, avoiding eye contact,
“Of course I do, Master Katara,” she said with a tinge of playfulness.
“Well, not quite yet. Hopefully soon.”
She gave the waterbender a small grin, before taking her hand in hers,
“Well in my mind you are.”
She had to be floating right now, or on fire because her face was red beyond belief, and there was absolutely no way the princess didn’t notice it.
“Shall we walk some more?” She asked innocently, still holding Katara’s hand but facing away from her.
“Y-yeah of course,” she stuttered out. SHIT usually she was never this awkward, but Yue was the exception.
And unfortunately, she didn’t notice the small grin and blush the princess had as they continued their icy stroll.
.................................
The next afternoon a few of Zhao’s ships made it to an Earth Kingdom harbor as a “stop.” In other words, the men were restless and wanted alcohol and women.
Zuko didn’t even notice his own ship being among the ones to stop, and he wonders if his uncle purposely did so because......
“Zuko!” His uncle’s cheery voice called out to him from behind.
“Uncle,” he replied, not admitting he was relieved to see someone familiar.
The older man ran up as fast as he could and wrapped his arms around his nephew tightly.
He had no idea what to do with his arms, so he just resorted to patting him on the back.
“It’s good to see you too, uncle.”
Iroh finally let go and looked at Zuko’s face affectionately, before his own face turned serious.
“You are going to tell me right now what is going on young man.”
When his uncle got that face, he knew he didn’t have much of a choice.
“Ok, but we have to go somewhere private, probably on our ship, okay?”
His face softened, before nodding in agreement with his nephew.
...................................
His uncle had an indescribable expression on his face as Zuko explained everything, and he began to feel scared;
Was he upset? Did he look down on him for the decisions he was making?
“.....so, yeah, that was pretty much everything,” he finished, taking a deep breath.
It took a few moments for Iroh’s face to move, almost like he was thinking deeply and how to respond.
“Zuko.......,” there was a pause, and his own heart beat fast,
“I am so proud of you,” and he smiled, small but sincere.
“You are?” He replied with surprise.
“Of course I am,” he placed a hand on his shoulder, “you’re becoming your own man. You saw something that was wrong, something that not only would harm people you love but also other innocent people and took action. You are much wiser than the leaders of our nation.”
He smiled at the older man’s words, before talking in hushed tones,
“Uncle, do you agree with me? About the Fire Nation being wrong?”
He took a deep breath, looking at the ground as he did so,
“Many years ago, I was a conqueror like Zhao. I wish there was someone like you to take me down. Ignorance and lust for power are weaknesses that have poisoned the Fire Nation for far too long,” he finally met eyes with his nephew, “so yes, I agree with you.”
It was relieving to know that he wasn’t the only one who felt like this, especially that person being someone he looked up to as much as Iroh.
“The only thing I can advise you to do, Zuko, is to please be careful. If something happened to you....”
He cut him off, “I’ll be fine.”
He gripped his hand, “please.”
He nodded softly, hoping to placate his uncle. He patted his hand before letting it go.
“I almost forgot. Today is a certain someone’s birthday.”
“Whose?” He asked with real confusion.
“Yours! If I can remember, you’re sixteen.”
There was absolutely no way that he could have forgotten his own birthday, but with everything that’s been going on, he definitely did.
“Oh,” was all he could respond with.
He was 16.
Cool.
“Come on,” Iroh patted him on the back, “I’ll take you out to the market as a celebration.”
It wasn’t much of a celebration considering how much he hated shopping, but he would give in for Iroh seeing how happy he was.
Just this once.
.....................................
“Happy birthday Katara!” Sokka yelled at his sleeping sister.
She groaned as she swung her arm at him, missing terribly with her half-awake state.
“How old am I?” She murmured.
“You’re fourteen.”
“I’m fourteen,” she repeated, a sleepy grin now spreading on her face.
And from there on, the day continued as any other day, except that Katara was a year older.
It was....disappointing to say the least. Not like any of her birthdays had been all that eventful in the Southern Water Tribe though.
Sokka was a good brother though, so when Katara was off on a rendezvous with Yue, he went on the hunt for some sea prunes, which were her favorite dish. Apparently, sea prunes were much less popular in the Northern Water Tribe (probably because they could afford other food).
He finally found some from a local seller, who was friendly enough to not overcharge him.
She was an older woman named Ahnah who had a warm grin that reminded him of Gran Gran.
“I hope these sea prunes are for a special someone,” she said with a mischievous smirk.
Sokka chuckled as he grabbed the basket,
“No, actually it’s my sister’s birthday. It’s her favorite thing to eat.”
She quirked a brow at the comment, half endeared but somewhat lost,
“Well, what a fine young boy you are, I’m sure one day you will be bringing those home to a special someone.”
Although it was with good intention, he still felt a twinge of sadness with her words.
“Yeah, maybe,” he replied, then turned to return home.
Maybe she really was right. Maybe one day he was going to be returning home to cook for someone he loved, not loved like Katara but love like a......like a soulmate. Maybe his love life still had a chance maybe—
Maybe it was Zuko.
Woah.
He nearly dropped the sea prunes he was about to place into the boiling water as he came to this realization.
Zuko wasn’t a love like Katara. He wasn’t even platonic at all. He wasn’t even a small crush like Suki was.
He was in love with him. Fuck, he definitely was. Even if he was a firebender. Even if he was a boy.
He did. He loved him.
But it didn’t even matter because Zuko probably never felt the same and even if he did.....nothing would have happened and it definitely couldn’t now.
Hey, maybe he wasn’t totally lost. Maybe he would meet someone here and be able to finally settle down....enjoy his life and move on.
Katara walked through the door as he finished his thoughts and the cooking of the sea prunes, and he put on a happy face.
“Surprise!”
She looked more than surprised, out of the world happy to see what he was making. That was enough to put a real smile on his face.
“Where did you find sea prunes? I’ve been looking everywhere for them?”
He shrugged his shoulders as he replied,
“A guy knows his ways.”
They both ate the food with great contentment, before they finished rather quickly.
They sat there for a moment, both staring off into space in silence.
“Hey you know what I just remembered when I was walking home?”
“Huh?”
“Me and Zuko share a birthday. So today is his birthday too.”
He pretended to be disinterested in the fact, but it made his heart leap hearing someone say his name out loud.
“Cool,” he replied quietly.
Then he looked up at the icy ceiling, up at the sky, and mouthed to himself,
‘Happy birthday Zuko.’
.........................................
The sun was setting by the time the two fire nation royals made it out of the marketplace. If it weren’t for Zuko’s insistence, they would have walked out with half of the stands worth of stuff.
“You know, you didn’t have to say no to everything I offered to buy you,” Iroh said to Zuko with disappointment.
“And you didn’t have to tell everyone today was my birthday, but you did!” He replied with feigned enthusiasm. Upon seeing his uncle’s frown however, he relented.
“Hey, I did let you buy me some Jasmine tea,” he added.
Once Iroh smiled at his response, he did too.
“Well, I think I’ll be heading back to Zhao’s ship now,” he said as they made it to the dock.
Iroh sighed deeply, before hugging his nephew tightly,
“I know I don’t usually say this, but I love you Zuko.”
He felt his throat tighten at his uncle’s words. No one had said anything like that to him in far too many years.
Iroh had certainly never.
“I love you too Uncle,” he quietly responded.
A few more seconds until Iroh let go, giving Zuko a sentimental gaze.
“Just—I can’t stress this enough. Be safe, and you know where to find me.”
“I’ll try.”
Once they had parted ways, he made his way back to his room on Zhao’s ship. On his way there, he ran into Kaito.
“Prince Zuko.”
“Captain.”
The two stood there for a moment as Kaito subtlety ate some sort of....pastry? It didn’t matter but Kaito seemed less tense than usual which was nice to see.
“I heard it was your birthday,” he said as he bit into the delicacy.
“How’d you know?” He asked rather suspiciously.
The Captain chuckled as he wiped his mouth,
“Your uncle made a point of telling everyone. I’d be surprised if someone on this ship didn’t know.”
Zuko rolled his eyes at that, both embarrassed and slightly amused.
“So what have you been up to for your birthday?” Kaito asked casually.
“Oh,” he paused,
I was just planning an elaborate escape attempt to the capital of the nation we are trying to invade without getting caught or seen.
“I just hung out with my uncle. Nothing crazy,” he added with an awkward laugh.
He gave Zuko a small smile and took another nibble out of his dessert,
“Well I hope the rest of your night goes well, Prince Zuko.”
“Thanks.”
He waited until Kaito was out of eyesight to return to his room.
Once he got back inside, he started putting his things into a small pack. He had made his decision that tonight was the night to leave.
The ships would not leave until morning, making sure all the men returned from land from their “activities.” That combined with the shortcut he was taking would put him at least a couple days ahead of the Fire Nation fleet.
He put in his clothes, a water pouch, the tea his uncle had gotten him, and a map.
Before he closed up his bag, he noticed the faint glint of something under his bed.
He grabbed it, surprised at the cold weight of it.
Sokka’s boomerang.
He smiled at it before shoving it into his pack. Perhaps he would return it to him once he saw him again at the North Pole.
Wow, he hadn’t even thought of it, too distracted by the thoughts of his plan to escape.
He gave him some extra motivation to say the least.
After doing so, he laid on his bed, waiting for the right time of night where he could sneak into the hull without detection.
It must have been hours of waiting, and the boat was getting quieter now.
He would just wait a little longer and then he would leave.
His stomach started growling however, and he realized he hadn’t eaten dinner yet. He would eat his rations, but those were precious, only to be used while he was on the water. He groaned as he rolled out of bed.
Just grab some food from the dining area, head back to his room, then leave.
There was hardly anyone in the main area, so it had to have been close to or past midnight.
He snuck into the kitchen and noticed some leftover dumplings that were sitting out. His mouth watered as he snatched one of them, quickly devouring it before grabbing another and eating it as he walked out of the doors.
He was startled when he noticed Admiral Zhao leaning against the table in the dining area by himself, nursing a drink.
For a moment, he had thought the man didn’t notice him, but he was wrong when he made direct eye contact with him.
“Admiral,” he acknowledged him, hoping to rush back to his room.
There was a moment when he thought he was free, until he heard Zhao’s glass hit the table.
“Prince Zuko, may I speak to you in private?”
He froze, then turned to face the older man.
Something was off, he couldn’t tell what but something was. Zhao seemed.....aggravated, angry. It was very easy to tell when he was.
“Yeah we can talk...”
“In my room.”
This didn’t feel right. He should just say no and leave.
No, no he couldn’t say no to Zhao. Not in this situation.
“Umm I was actually hoping I could go to sleep I—“
He cut him off again,
“That wasn’t a question.”
Damnit. Shit. Spirits above.
“Ok,” he quietly responded. He followed behind the man to his room, the room he had been in once when he had lured him here while he was drunk.
He still remembered the smell, and the warmth, and the blood red sheets on his bed that he had wondered how they felt.
It all came back to him when he walked through the doorway. This time he made sure he was the one standing closest to the exit.
“So...what did you need to discuss?”
Zhao was silent, pouring two cups with the same strong alcohol he had given him at that dinner back in the summer. His stomach was feeling all sorts of things right now.
“Zhao?” More silence.
He finally turned around and handed Zuko the drink, to which he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“I heard you turned 16 today,” he finally said, the persona of friendliness present on his face that felt nothing short of unsettling.
“Yes, I did.”
Zhao took a sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving Zuko’s as he did so.
“You’re practically a man now huh?”
He wasn’t sure how to answer the question so he just nodded as he stared into the amber liquid in his glass. He took a small sip, just a small one, just so Zhao would ease up a bit.
He took his eyes off of it when Zhao easily glided past him to softly close the door.
The door shut with a sense of finality that made his heart drop.
Zhao also stood in front of the door, so even if he wanted to leave, he’d have to get through him first.
“What’s going on Zhao?” He asked with a waver to his voice that made him want to punch himself.
He took one more sip of his drink, before grabbing Zuko’s cup and placing both glasses near one another on his desk.
“Do you remember a man by the name of Tai?”
His eyes widened at the mention of that man’s name. Tai. The man who had tried to kill Katara all those months ago when he caught her waterbending during the storm.
“He was a healer on my ship for a while. I removed him when he acted violently towards some of my crew members.”
“Like the waterbender?”
What?
WHAT?
His heart must have stopped when he asked that. How...how could he possibly know....how.....HOW??
“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about,” was all he could think to say.
Zhao’s amber eyes bore right through him and his lies, and boy did he look pissed.
“Yes you do. Because I spoke to Tai at the village today and he told me everything. He said he and a few men had been traveling for a while after being banished by Prince Zuko. Ironic, isn’t it?”
Shit, the universe really hated him, and there was no way to get out of this even if he tried. The truth might be the only way out of this.
“Waterbender or not, he tried to kill an innocent girl.”
The heat in the room seemed to increase after he said that, and Zhao raised his tone,
“Innocent? She’s from a group that was supposed to be wiped out by us decades ago!”
“She’s from the colonies not the Southern Water—“
“Don’t lie to me Prince Zuko!” He growled as he took a step forward.
He was trying his best to keep it together, but he was sure his poker face was failing.
Zhao got quieter as he continued, which terrified him more,
“He also said you were aiming for the North Pole. That’s where you were dropping off your “guests”.”
“I was just doing them a favor. I was heading for there either way.”
Zhao didn’t seem to be buying anything he was saying, and he was losing faith in being able to even leave this room.
“You just so happen to finally want to join my plan to defeat the Northern Tribe after you dropped your buddies off? That doesn’t seem like a favor to me?”
Before he could respond, Zhao seemed to come to the realization of the truth on his own, and Zuko could see it in his eyes.
“Oh. Oh I see,” he chuckled to himself, a flicker of insanity lacing it.
“This wasn’t about helping me was it? This was about helping them,” he said mostly to himself.
He finally turned back to Zuko, who looked horrified.
“It was that boy. That savage with the ponytail. This was more than helping out a “buddy”.’”
Zuko pretended to act confused, even if it wasn’t going to do much,
“What are you talking about?”
The older bender walked around the teenager, ferocity in each step,
“I saw you two at the dinner, and trust me, I am not a fool.”
He felt himself sweating underneath his clothes, it was warm and he was so nervous he felt like he was going to pass out,
“You’re ridiculous.”
He ignored him, instead getting in his face,
“How would your father react if he knew his son was a degenerate? Hm?” He gritted with venom, “especially for a savage. A savage boy.”
He bit his lip so hard he was sure he tasted blood,
“Stop.”
He was unrelenting, pressing forward so that there was barely an inch between them,
“You were never loyal to me. You’re nothing more than a traitor. No better than the vermin you consider friends.”
He shut his eyes tightly,
“No, no that’s not true!”
Suddenly, Zhao was grabbing both his arms and shaking him,
“Then look me in the eye and say you’re loyal to me!”
His amber eyes had nothing but fire in them, his pupils so small that they were merely tiny black dots lost in the color.
Zuko controlled his breathing as best he could, telling himself to not fight Zhao. He forced a lie through his teeth,
“I am loyal to you Admiral Zhao.”
His pupils grew large at his response, and he thought Zhao’s grip would loosen, and that this was all done.
Instead, his fingers dug deeper into his skin, and he winced, pushing his hands against Zhao’s chest as he pressed against him.
He whispered against the skin of his cheek, which turned his blood to ice,
“Then prove it, Zuko.”
Before he could even comprehend an answer, he was being shoved onto Zhao’s bed full force.
The shock and the whiplash made him take a few seconds to figure out what was going on, but Zhao was climbing on top of him and shit he was heavy and what the actual fuck was happening-
The first thing he could think to do was try and push the man off of him, so he slammed his fists against his chest,
“Zhao get the fuck off of me!”
He pinned his wrists against the mattress, grinning at him as he struggled beneath him,
“I should’ve known you’d be a fighter, Prince Zuko. It’s cute really,” he chuckled, before grating his teeth against Zuko’s neck.
“What the fuck is wrong with you!” He yelled as he tried to free his wrists, which Zhao was gripping so hard he was sure they were already bruising.
He tried to use his own body to shove him off, but he was lodged between his legs and he was so fucking heavy.
“Now usually I don’t have to do this but since you’re not being a good boy, I have to.”
Shit he wanted to puke.
He saw him grab a chain with one hand, which made him struggle harder,
“Zhao I’m fucking serious don’t do this.”
He seemed more endeared then intimidated by the comment, chaining the teenager to the bed with ease even as he fought and scratched as hard as he could.
Almost like he’s done this before.
He was looking down on him again, giving him that awful grin. His heart was pumping so fast he could hear the pounding in his head.
Zuko wanted to bite his fingers off as he touched his cheek affectionately, his other hand reaching up his shirt with a violently soft touch.
“Isn’t this what you wanted that little water rat to do to you? Hm? I’m sure no one has ever even touched you like this before.”
He cringed as Zhao’s hand went further, his hips grinding down on him. He brushed his lips close to his ear and whispered,
“I promise I’ll make this good for you if you make it good for me.”
Zuko refused to look at him, staring off into his own world, one where he had control, not Zhao.
He wasn’t getting out of this, so he definitely didn’t want to be present when it did happen.
He vaguely heard Zhao’s belt unbuckle and his own skin being exposed, and he suddenly felt like crying.
This wasn’t happening this wasn’t happening this wasn’t happening—
“Looks like you’re not as much of a fighter as I thought,” Zhao chuckled before pressing forward.
There was a knock against the door that brought Zuko back to the present, and everything became real again.
He panicked when his senses came to, and he tried to find it in himself to scream.
Zhao’s hand was clamped over his mouth before he could think of it.
“Don’t even think of it,” he whispered sharply at him, before calling out,
“Yes?”
His voice dripped with irritation.
“An important message came in from the Fire Lord regarding the invasion. We thought we should call a meeting,” a soldier, an unfamiliar voice, replied.
Maybe the universe had some kindness left.
“Can’t it wait until morning?”
There was a moment of silence, and Zuko prayed to Agni that the man didn’t agree.
“It says it’s urgent and requires an immediate response.”
“Fuck,” Zhao whispered under his breath,
“Call the other officers to the meeting room. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“I’ll be right on that sir,” the man replied, then his footsteps retreated down the hall.
Zhao removed his hand from his mouth. Looking down at the boy beneath him with irritation, like he’d been inconvenienced.
“Don’t be too excited. I’ll be back for you soon enough.”
And he finally got off of him, and Zuko felt like he could breathe a little easier just for a few moments. He let out a few shallow, shaky breaths as he shifted on the bed to push his pants back up.
“Zhao let me go. I won’t tell anyone what happened I fucking swear I—“
Zhao didn’t seem to care, he just buckled his pants and fixed his disheveled appearance.
He gave the prince one last glance before marching out of the room, locking the door behind him.
“Wait!“ he called out, but he was already gone.
What just happened?
He was screwed. Horrendously and horrifically so. This...this was so far off from how he expected his plans to go. He should’ve just left the boat when he had the chance and never looked back.
But instead, here he was, chained to Zhao’s bed, trembling and more vulnerable than he’d ever been in his whole life.
He attempted to comprehend what had almost happened....what was most definitely going to happen once Zhao returned. The thought in itself made him struggle violently against the cuffs on his wrists, but to no avail.
For now, all he could do was hold in his tears, and pray that a miracle occurred.
That was the only thing that would save him now.
................................