A Hand to Hold (Zuko x Reader)

12. The Servant's Quarters

"You don't have to do anything like that," you tried to assure him, not expecting him to look after you. He was a Prince; you were sure that he'd never done anything like this before and rightfully so.

"No, it's fine. I'll look after you," he insisted, directing his attention to the tray of food. Reaching for the small tea pot, he poured out a cup of tea before handing it to you. Taking the cup in your hands, you couldn't help letting out a little laughter.

"You're pretty good at this, maybe you should be my attendant," you joked, earning a small smile from Zuko. He let a little laughter out to accompany his smile, letting it die down shortly after.

"I couldn't so what you do, I mean I can barely firebend," he expressed, not realising the self-deprecating nature of his comment. But you picked up on it immediately, your eyebrows furrowing with worry. You didn't want him to be insecure about anything like that, knowing that Zuko was capable of a lot.

"Everything comes with practice, I have faith that you'll get better," you encouraged, offering him a reassuring smile. Hearing your words and seeing your expression, he lowered his gaze to his lap and smiled gently.

"Thank you," he offered, feeling happy that you had shown him so much support. Now paying attention to the teacup in your hand, you blew gently on it before taking a sip. You let out a quiet hum as you appreciated the flavour, liking the warm feeling both in your hands and throat. But this quickly spread to your cheeks when you felt something touch your forehead. Snapping your eyes open, you were met with the sight of Zuko pressing his hand to your temple.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, paying attention to the temperature of your forehead. Initially, you panicked. Your face was red, and your heart was racing, a feeling you didn't know how to describe. Taking a deep breath, you refused to look up at the boy before you.

"Uh well, I feel hot all over and my heart is beating really fast," you managed to get out, not sure how serious those symptoms were. Hearing them, Zuko hummed as he pulled his hand away.

"It doesn't sound too bad, and your face doesn't feel all that hot," he described, briefly meeting your gaze before you looked away.

"It was a lot hotter earlier this morning, but it went down so I think I'm getting better," you rambled, wanting to fill the silence. Zuko noticed your strange behaviour, immediately writing it off since you were unwell.

"Well, I hope you get better soon so that we can hang out some more together. My sister always wants me to play with her and her friends, but I hate it," he told you, his face lighting up after earning a laugh from you.

"It's gonna be hard hiding from her, I'm sure Azula would find you wherever you went," you joked, feeling like Azula wouldn't be the kind of person to give up easily. If she was looking for Zuko, she wouldn't stop until she hunted him down.

"That's true, but I could hide here with you, and she'll never find me," he said, looking hopeful. With a heart beating so rapidly and a face that could be mistaken for a tomato, you were struggling to think rationally. One half of you was jumping at any opportunity to have him around and the other was reminding you that he was a Prince, and you were merely a servant.

"But a Prince shouldn't be in a place like this," you tried to argue, hoping he would understand. You tried to continue your train of thought was but quickly silenced as Zuko spoke up.

"It doesn't matter where it is, I just want it to be with you," he expressed, not realising how that sounded. Hearing that, your face reacted immediately. Zuko noticed this colour change, leaning closer to press his hand against your forehead once again.

"You've heated up quite a bit, I think you should lay down and get some rest," he encouraged, noticing that you were staring at him. You continued to sit up, looking at him as if there was something you wanted to say. Giving it a moment, you eventually spoke up.

"But what will you do?" you asked, not sure what he planned to do while you slept. Maybe he'd go back to his room, but he also didn't want Azula to find him. You'd never seen him do anything else other than hang out with you, feeling curious as to what he'd spend his free time doing.

"I'll stay," he said with a smile, not looking bothered by what he'd said.

"But- "you tried to argue, immediately being silenced by Zuko. He placed his hands on your shoulders, pushing you back to lay on the bed. You weakened your body, allowing him to make you lay down. You watched as he pulled the blankets up over you, making sure to remove the teacup from your grasp beforehand.

"Don't worry about it. Just get some rest and feel better soon," her assured, moving the tray of food so he could relocate to the chair beside your bed. He pulled it closer and made sure you were comfortable, this immediately aiding you in your quest for sleep. Your eyelids became heavy, the comfort of the bed and having Zuko by your side making you relax. You wanted to fight against it but it wasn't long before you let the sleep take over.

Sorry, It's been a while since I updated last. I've planned out a good amount of the upcoming story and have an ending planned out too, just need to link the 2 parts. Probably gonna rewatch the last part of ATLA just s I can tie things into those events later. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)