[fic]: Business Trip
Title: Business Trip
Author: Dark Puck
Characters: Teo and Zuko
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: During a business trip to the Fire Nation, Teo runs into Firelord Zuko. Teo/Zuko; WAFF.
Notes: Takes place three years after Sozin's Comet; runs concurrently with Making Change by beckyh2112. Written for Round 1 of atla_crackfic
Teo broke off a piece of bread and tossed it into the turtleduck pond, enjoying a cool autumn breeze.
When he and Haru had started their joint shipping company, they hadn't quite realised the difficulty they would have with it. Still, Open Sun Shipping was doing quite well now, earning him and Haru, as well as their patron, a tidy sum of money.
Teo liked making money. It was much more satisfying than fighting, though he and Haru certainly got their fill of that, too. Sometimes he thought Haru enjoyed the occasional pirate attacks. But then, the older man still had some unresolved issues stemming from the last year of the war - especially with how they'd all been shoved aside so close to the end.
Well, that was three years gone now. Teo preferred to look to the future, and the future looked bright indeed.
"Teo?"
Teo twisted in his chair at the familiar voice, and grinned to see the Firelord. "Zuko!" he cried, manoeuvring his chair around to face him before bowing as best he could. When he straightened, he noted that Zuko was looking rather poleaxed. "Something wrong?" he asked.
"No," Zuko replied. "I just… didn't expect to see you here." He hesitated, then added, "You look… happy."
Teo grinned. Apparently being Firelord hadn't improved Zuko's people skills much. "I am." He took a moment to look Zuko over. The one-time banished prince had grown taller, he thought, and his hair was longer than he remembered. How long had it been since he'd last seen Zuko, anyway?
Probably too long, if his last clear memory of it was Zuko's coronation as Firelord. But then, they'd both been busy - Teo with forming his company, and Zuko with Firelording, getting married, and then having a son. Well, he'd attended Zuko's wedding, but hadn't really had a chance to see him then. He'd had some travel problems, and then he'd got caught up in the crowd and been unable to bid Zuko his congratulations on the marriage.
"You look good," he added. Very good. Wow. Long hair suited Zuko.
"Thanks," Zuko said. He rubbed the back of his neck, as if seeking something to say.
Teo offered him some of the bread. "Want to join me?" he asked, grinning.
Zuko blinked, then a small smile crossed his face. "Sure." He accepted some of the bread and waited for Teo to turn himself around.
They fed the turtleducks in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Zuko asked, "How's business?"
"Pretty good," Teo said, glancing at him. His patron, Daimyo Osamu, wasn't precisely friendly to Zuko's reign. Katara had already made her feelings on the matter clear, but he had no idea how Zuko himself felt about it.
"I'm glad," Zuko said after a moment.
Teo beamed. It was really nice to know Zuko hadn't taken his and Haru's partnership with the daimyo as anything more than a business relationship. "How's Mai? And Hitozi?"
"They're both fine," Zuko answered with a faint smile. "What about you? Any girlfriends?"
Teo flushed slightly. "Me? No. Haru gets most of the attention." He sighed and tossed some more bread to the turtleducks. "I'm just 'cute'. At this rate I probably won't get kissed until I'm twenty."
Zuko was giving him a weird look.
"…what?"
"You shouldn't sell yourself short like that," Zuko said quietly, kneeling beside his chair.
Teo shrugged. "I don't think I am. I spend most of my time cooped up with the papers, anyway, so I don't rea-"
Zuko kissed him.
Teo's eyes flew wide, but he didn't push the older boy away. When Zuko finally drew back, Teo was mostly confused. "Z-Zuko…?"
A corner of Zuko's mouth curved up. "I told you you shouldn't sell yourself short, Teo."
Was he blushing? Teo was positive he was blushing. "I… you… Mai…?"
"She likes you," Zuko said.
"That wasn't what I-"
"I know."
Teo blinked. "Then…"
Zuko's smile broadened. "Why not join us tonight?"
"I. Uh. Um." Why was finding words so hard right now? "Okay," he finally said.
The Firelord kissed him again. This time, Teo kissed back.
Author: Dark Puck
Characters: Teo and Zuko
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: During a business trip to the Fire Nation, Teo runs into Firelord Zuko. Teo/Zuko; WAFF.
Notes: Takes place three years after Sozin's Comet; runs concurrently with Making Change by beckyh2112. Written for Round 1 of atla_crackfic
Teo broke off a piece of bread and tossed it into the turtleduck pond, enjoying a cool autumn breeze.
When he and Haru had started their joint shipping company, they hadn't quite realised the difficulty they would have with it. Still, Open Sun Shipping was doing quite well now, earning him and Haru, as well as their patron, a tidy sum of money.
Teo liked making money. It was much more satisfying than fighting, though he and Haru certainly got their fill of that, too. Sometimes he thought Haru enjoyed the occasional pirate attacks. But then, the older man still had some unresolved issues stemming from the last year of the war - especially with how they'd all been shoved aside so close to the end.
Well, that was three years gone now. Teo preferred to look to the future, and the future looked bright indeed.
"Teo?"
Teo twisted in his chair at the familiar voice, and grinned to see the Firelord. "Zuko!" he cried, manoeuvring his chair around to face him before bowing as best he could. When he straightened, he noted that Zuko was looking rather poleaxed. "Something wrong?" he asked.
"No," Zuko replied. "I just… didn't expect to see you here." He hesitated, then added, "You look… happy."
Teo grinned. Apparently being Firelord hadn't improved Zuko's people skills much. "I am." He took a moment to look Zuko over. The one-time banished prince had grown taller, he thought, and his hair was longer than he remembered. How long had it been since he'd last seen Zuko, anyway?
Probably too long, if his last clear memory of it was Zuko's coronation as Firelord. But then, they'd both been busy - Teo with forming his company, and Zuko with Firelording, getting married, and then having a son. Well, he'd attended Zuko's wedding, but hadn't really had a chance to see him then. He'd had some travel problems, and then he'd got caught up in the crowd and been unable to bid Zuko his congratulations on the marriage.
"You look good," he added. Very good. Wow. Long hair suited Zuko.
"Thanks," Zuko said. He rubbed the back of his neck, as if seeking something to say.
Teo offered him some of the bread. "Want to join me?" he asked, grinning.
Zuko blinked, then a small smile crossed his face. "Sure." He accepted some of the bread and waited for Teo to turn himself around.
They fed the turtleducks in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Zuko asked, "How's business?"
"Pretty good," Teo said, glancing at him. His patron, Daimyo Osamu, wasn't precisely friendly to Zuko's reign. Katara had already made her feelings on the matter clear, but he had no idea how Zuko himself felt about it.
"I'm glad," Zuko said after a moment.
Teo beamed. It was really nice to know Zuko hadn't taken his and Haru's partnership with the daimyo as anything more than a business relationship. "How's Mai? And Hitozi?"
"They're both fine," Zuko answered with a faint smile. "What about you? Any girlfriends?"
Teo flushed slightly. "Me? No. Haru gets most of the attention." He sighed and tossed some more bread to the turtleducks. "I'm just 'cute'. At this rate I probably won't get kissed until I'm twenty."
Zuko was giving him a weird look.
"…what?"
"You shouldn't sell yourself short like that," Zuko said quietly, kneeling beside his chair.
Teo shrugged. "I don't think I am. I spend most of my time cooped up with the papers, anyway, so I don't rea-"
Zuko kissed him.
Teo's eyes flew wide, but he didn't push the older boy away. When Zuko finally drew back, Teo was mostly confused. "Z-Zuko…?"
A corner of Zuko's mouth curved up. "I told you you shouldn't sell yourself short, Teo."
Was he blushing? Teo was positive he was blushing. "I… you… Mai…?"
"She likes you," Zuko said.
"That wasn't what I-"
"I know."
Teo blinked. "Then…"
Zuko's smile broadened. "Why not join us tonight?"
"I. Uh. Um." Why was finding words so hard right now? "Okay," he finally said.
The Firelord kissed him again. This time, Teo kissed back.