Thanks and a Prez.
I would like to thank everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday. That was extremely sweet of you. *feels loved* I would have replied to all of your individually, but my friends took up my entire weekend time. Haha. They are such a nuiscance. (Just kidding, peeps.) And I had to work on my next Chapter of Beware and on littlebratt's birthday present.
And talking about her birthday present, I finished it!
He had seen her shopping peacefully, a woven basket in her left arm and a sweet smile on her beautiful young face. He had seen her hold up an apricot, observing its size and color and then pay the man the owed money before walking off.
He didn’t know where the boy or her brother was gone to and it angered him so much that they had left her with such carelessness. Yes, she was powerful, but she was not armed at the moment. The usual leather flask that hung beside her waist was gone, leaving her vulnerable to anybody who wanted to attack her.
In any other circumstances, the Prince would have stalked up to her and ordered her to tell him where the boy was. He imagined her furrowed brow as she said no in that indignant tone of hers. He imagined calling her a “filthy water peasant” and grabbing her arm to express how urgent and necessary it was that he knew where the Avatar was. But she would probably just scoff and say something to insult him, wrenching her arm away in disgust.
But today, as he walked down the unusually empty road, he stopped to watch her being harassed by a tall tanned boy. He watched her face change expressions as she looked straight into his eyes. He observed the man’s hand grab her fragile arm with such a fierce that it made her wince and drop her basket, its fruit scattering across the road. He watched her try to get away from that boy, her expression becoming increasingly frightened.
And although Zuko was no hero, he became angry with the way that the man was treating the waterbender. He took a deep breath and walked over to them, fixing his face to a suitable expression. He didn’t want to look like he cared about her, when he most certainly did not.
“Let her go,” he had ordered sternly, mentally kicking himself when his tone sounded sincerely concerned. He ignored it, not caring what they thought of him at the moment, and kept his expression as it was. “Now.”
He felt her eyes on him, asking him millions of questions. He braved a glance at her face and felt his rhythmic heart skip a beat when she gave him the smallest of smiles.
“And who are you?” the boy had asked, a piece of straw between his teeth and his brown eyes looking at him with a hatred so pure that it disturbed him the slightest bit.
He was about to answer when her voice interrupted his thoughts. “He’s no one, Jet,” she had said. “He’s just trying to help, that’s all.” She sounded afraid, her voice sounding much like a plead.
The Prince looked at her, an eyebrow raised. He thought that she had needed his help. She had looked so terrified, so desperate to get away from this man. And by the look of her face, she was still afraid. “The Avatar is looking for you,” he said automatically, hoping against hope that the man would let go of her at the name of the most powerful being on Earth.
But hope was lost when he noticed the man grip her harder, causing her to whimper. “Let her go,” he ordered once more. “Let go of her now.”
The boy just laughed at him. “You think I’m stupid or something? I know that the Avatar isn’t here.”
“You’re hurting her; let her go,” Zuko ordered once more, taking a subconscious note that the Avatar was not on the island.
“Or what? You’ll burn me?” Jet mocked and dangled the waterbender in front of him, humiliating her.
He lit his fists, twisting his lips to his usual smirk when surprise flashed through the man’s brown eyes. “Let her go.” His tone was low and dangerous and he tried with all his might not to look at the confused look on the girl’s face. And although he would never admit it, he found himself trying to impress her.
The man reluctantly let go of the waterbender, his hands lifted in mock surrender. “Okay, you win,” he said and glanced at the girl, giving her an evil glare upon locking eyes with her. But she returning his gaze with the same intensity before picking up her basket, slightly stricken upon seeing her groceries scattered across the ground.
Zuko watched the boy leave, before picking up the apricot that he had watched her chose from the stand. He frowned upon seeing an ugly bruise on its skin; his conscience telling him that if he had not acted quickly, the girl would have ended up the same way. He tore his eyes away from the fruit and felt his heartbeat quicken upon noticing the waterbender staring at him with a confused admiration.
And for the first time in a long time, he felt awkward.
“Thanks for…saving me,” she had whispered, her voice so shy that the words barely reached his ears.
He blinked. He didn’t know how to respond to that. ‘You’re welcome’ sounded strange and ‘It was nothing’ would be straight-out lying. So he did what any normal teenage boy would do in his situation: he shrugged and handed her the bruised apricot, his golden eyes making a strict effort not to look at her blue ones.
He began to walk away, before hearing her run after him. “Wait,” she said and touched his arm, causing him to pull it away on instinct. “Aren’t you going to ask me where the Avatar is?”
“No,” he answered curtly and walked on, noticing that she looked somewhat disappointed. “There would be no point in that. We would fight, exchange insults, and get hurt. You won’t ever tell me where he is and I will never stop chasing him.”
She frowned and stopped walking. “I don’t think it’s pointless,” she said and watched him stop walking, his foot softly kicking at the dirt before turning around to face her. “I get stronger every time I fight you.”
He crossed his arms and looked at her, his stomach filling with butterflies when she gave him a soft smile. And despite the fact that she was below in him in society, he thought she was absolutely gorgeous. He reprimanded himself for thinking such thoughts, for it was not his way to admire the appearances of women while knowing that he had a task at hand. “I can’t be wasting my time sparring you when I have an Avatar to capture.”
“Well, I shouldn’t be wasting my time talking to you but I still do.”
He didn’t smile. He didn’t smirk. He didn’t chuckle lowly and walk off, shaking his head. He didn’t even bother making an attempt at friendship, though he knew that if he did she would accept it. He simply sighed and walked towards her, his arms falling to his side.
The hunter watched her swallow dryly and take a step back, a hand placing itself over her chest. He felt the urge to mock her; ask her if he made her nervous and grab her wrist in a seductive manner. “What are you doing?” she asked uneasily and looked both ways.
“Where’s the Avatar?” he asked determinedly and grabbed her wrist forcefully - yet tenderly.
And although he would never admit it, he felt something blossom inside him when she smiled.
Happy Birthday to you littlebratt!!!
*wishes that someone had written her something*
And talking about her birthday present, I finished it!
He had seen her shopping peacefully, a woven basket in her left arm and a sweet smile on her beautiful young face. He had seen her hold up an apricot, observing its size and color and then pay the man the owed money before walking off.
He didn’t know where the boy or her brother was gone to and it angered him so much that they had left her with such carelessness. Yes, she was powerful, but she was not armed at the moment. The usual leather flask that hung beside her waist was gone, leaving her vulnerable to anybody who wanted to attack her.
In any other circumstances, the Prince would have stalked up to her and ordered her to tell him where the boy was. He imagined her furrowed brow as she said no in that indignant tone of hers. He imagined calling her a “filthy water peasant” and grabbing her arm to express how urgent and necessary it was that he knew where the Avatar was. But she would probably just scoff and say something to insult him, wrenching her arm away in disgust.
But today, as he walked down the unusually empty road, he stopped to watch her being harassed by a tall tanned boy. He watched her face change expressions as she looked straight into his eyes. He observed the man’s hand grab her fragile arm with such a fierce that it made her wince and drop her basket, its fruit scattering across the road. He watched her try to get away from that boy, her expression becoming increasingly frightened.
And although Zuko was no hero, he became angry with the way that the man was treating the waterbender. He took a deep breath and walked over to them, fixing his face to a suitable expression. He didn’t want to look like he cared about her, when he most certainly did not.
“Let her go,” he had ordered sternly, mentally kicking himself when his tone sounded sincerely concerned. He ignored it, not caring what they thought of him at the moment, and kept his expression as it was. “Now.”
He felt her eyes on him, asking him millions of questions. He braved a glance at her face and felt his rhythmic heart skip a beat when she gave him the smallest of smiles.
“And who are you?” the boy had asked, a piece of straw between his teeth and his brown eyes looking at him with a hatred so pure that it disturbed him the slightest bit.
He was about to answer when her voice interrupted his thoughts. “He’s no one, Jet,” she had said. “He’s just trying to help, that’s all.” She sounded afraid, her voice sounding much like a plead.
The Prince looked at her, an eyebrow raised. He thought that she had needed his help. She had looked so terrified, so desperate to get away from this man. And by the look of her face, she was still afraid. “The Avatar is looking for you,” he said automatically, hoping against hope that the man would let go of her at the name of the most powerful being on Earth.
But hope was lost when he noticed the man grip her harder, causing her to whimper. “Let her go,” he ordered once more. “Let go of her now.”
The boy just laughed at him. “You think I’m stupid or something? I know that the Avatar isn’t here.”
“You’re hurting her; let her go,” Zuko ordered once more, taking a subconscious note that the Avatar was not on the island.
“Or what? You’ll burn me?” Jet mocked and dangled the waterbender in front of him, humiliating her.
He lit his fists, twisting his lips to his usual smirk when surprise flashed through the man’s brown eyes. “Let her go.” His tone was low and dangerous and he tried with all his might not to look at the confused look on the girl’s face. And although he would never admit it, he found himself trying to impress her.
The man reluctantly let go of the waterbender, his hands lifted in mock surrender. “Okay, you win,” he said and glanced at the girl, giving her an evil glare upon locking eyes with her. But she returning his gaze with the same intensity before picking up her basket, slightly stricken upon seeing her groceries scattered across the ground.
Zuko watched the boy leave, before picking up the apricot that he had watched her chose from the stand. He frowned upon seeing an ugly bruise on its skin; his conscience telling him that if he had not acted quickly, the girl would have ended up the same way. He tore his eyes away from the fruit and felt his heartbeat quicken upon noticing the waterbender staring at him with a confused admiration.
And for the first time in a long time, he felt awkward.
“Thanks for…saving me,” she had whispered, her voice so shy that the words barely reached his ears.
He blinked. He didn’t know how to respond to that. ‘You’re welcome’ sounded strange and ‘It was nothing’ would be straight-out lying. So he did what any normal teenage boy would do in his situation: he shrugged and handed her the bruised apricot, his golden eyes making a strict effort not to look at her blue ones.
He began to walk away, before hearing her run after him. “Wait,” she said and touched his arm, causing him to pull it away on instinct. “Aren’t you going to ask me where the Avatar is?”
“No,” he answered curtly and walked on, noticing that she looked somewhat disappointed. “There would be no point in that. We would fight, exchange insults, and get hurt. You won’t ever tell me where he is and I will never stop chasing him.”
She frowned and stopped walking. “I don’t think it’s pointless,” she said and watched him stop walking, his foot softly kicking at the dirt before turning around to face her. “I get stronger every time I fight you.”
He crossed his arms and looked at her, his stomach filling with butterflies when she gave him a soft smile. And despite the fact that she was below in him in society, he thought she was absolutely gorgeous. He reprimanded himself for thinking such thoughts, for it was not his way to admire the appearances of women while knowing that he had a task at hand. “I can’t be wasting my time sparring you when I have an Avatar to capture.”
“Well, I shouldn’t be wasting my time talking to you but I still do.”
He didn’t smile. He didn’t smirk. He didn’t chuckle lowly and walk off, shaking his head. He didn’t even bother making an attempt at friendship, though he knew that if he did she would accept it. He simply sighed and walked towards her, his arms falling to his side.
The hunter watched her swallow dryly and take a step back, a hand placing itself over her chest. He felt the urge to mock her; ask her if he made her nervous and grab her wrist in a seductive manner. “What are you doing?” she asked uneasily and looked both ways.
“Where’s the Avatar?” he asked determinedly and grabbed her wrist forcefully - yet tenderly.
And although he would never admit it, he felt something blossom inside him when she smiled.
Happy Birthday to you littlebratt!!!
*wishes that someone had written her something*