your love is my oxygen - Zuko x reader

The Day of Black Sun

Zuko's POV
As I stepped out of the war meeting, Y/N was stood waiting outside with Mai.

Y/N waved at me, "hey, Zuko! How was it?"

I felt my mood brighten at the sight of her, "Y/N. It was okay, what are you two doing here?"

She made her way over to me, smiling, "we were waiting for you, obviously!"

And there they were again, those butterflies in my stomach that I'd been getting all the time when she was around.

Before I was able to respond, she spotted Azula behind me and patted my shoulder, "I'll come and find you later, then you can tell me all about it. Hey, Azula!"

"Oh... right, see you later, then."

And she left with my sister.

"You like her, don't you?"

I turned to Mai, with my eyebrow scrunched, "what!? No. Don't be ridiculous."

She sighed, shrugging, "you make it kind of obvious, I used to think she liked you, too, when you first got back to the Fire Nation."

Used to?

"What changed?"

"I dunno. Maybe that's just how she is with people, or maybe it's because you don't hang out as much as you did when you were on the road. Or maybe I'm wrong, it's whatever."

Y/N's POV
It wasn't until early the next morning when I finally made my way to Zuko's room where he was kneeled on the floor, "I know I've made some bad choices, but today... I'm gonna set things right."

He was wearing a cloak and had a bag packed.

"Where are we going?"

He jumped at the sound of my voice, "oh. Y/N."

"Is everything okay? Why are you dressed like that?"

He sighed and sat down, gesturing for me to sit beside him, his voice was so low, almost a whisper, "I'm leaving to find the avatar and his friends; I'm gonna break my uncle out of prison, then I'm leaving."

I hesitated before placing my hand on his shoulder, "Zuko, Aang is dead-"

"He's not. He's alive. I know it. The water bender with them, Katara, she had this special water that she offered to use to heal my scar, she said it had special properties. I know the avatar is alive."

I took a moment to process what he was saying before nodding, "and when you find him, then what?"

"I'm going to help him end this war. Things are about to get so much worse, you have no idea what the Fire Lord is planning. He's going to wipe out the Earth Kingdom the same way Fire Lord Sozin did the Air Nomads."

Another genocide?

I didn't reply, I just stared at the wall in front of me trying to process everything.

And then I felt his unusually cold hand grasp mine and I turned to face him; our eyes met and we had this intense moment of silence before he finally said, "come with me, Y/N."

I could hear my heart beating out of my chest, he didn't break eye contact with me as I tried to form a response.

"I was going to look for you as soon as I was done here, the invasion is taking place soon and all the guards are going to be focused on defending the palace, it'll be the best time to break uncle out and run."

I broke our eye contact as I sighed, laying back onto the floor, "I am so sick of running all the time."

"What?"

I pulled my arms over my eyes, "I just- I've been running for so long. I was running from the monks when I was a fugitive of the Western Air Temple, I was running from the Fire Nation when you became a fugitive, I was running from the people in the Earth Kingdom and hiding that I was an air bender because you were a wanted criminal... I was so relieved that we had finally stopped running, and now you want me to start running again?"

"Don't you think I understand that? Do you know how long I was searching the world for the avatar? I spent three years trying to get back here, trying to get my father to love me, trying to get him to accept me... you're a good person, Y/N, you shouldn't be here. My father... this nation... they ruin people's lives, they're murderers."

I sat up and muttered, "I need to find Azula. If you'll excuse me."

And I left without another word.

I wasn't an idiot. I knew that the Fire Nation was in the wrong, I knew that they were killing people and I knew that all of this- this whole war- was their fault.

But I was just trying to look out for myself.

I'm not the avatar, I'm not a high monk, I'm not royalty: the responsibility of the world didn't fall on my shoulders.

Nobody has ever looked out for me, I've always been made to fend for myself.

If the Fire Nation was willing to welcome me with open arms, to offer me a home and provide for me, why was I expected to say no?

I paced through the palace looking for Azula, but it was strangely empty.

She was the only one who knew everything and thought no less of me for it.

"Azula?"

"Hello?"

"Anybody here?"

But it was completely empty.

I could hear the sound of bombs and fighting outside, the world was in complete chaos, and I had been turning a blind to it all again and again.

And Zuko thought I was a 'good person'

So many people were probably laying down their lives out there, Fire Nation soldiers and those resisting them alike.

It was sad, and I did feel guilty, but it wasn't until I heard one particular sound that everything finally clicked together in my head- Appa's roar in pain.

I didn't even hesitate as I turned on my heel and sprinted towards Zuko's room.

"Zuko! Wait! I'm coming with-"

But he was gone.

"- you."