Tabula Rasa: Zuko, bb!Azula, and Iroh

[o_tea_p]

Years of experience have taught Iroh not to indulge in "what might have been," but watching Zuko with the little Azula, he can't help feeling like he has stepped into an alternate reality, one where they had reached a fork in the road and chosen a different path

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[irisewiththesun]

"It does, doesn't it," Zuko agrees, and he can't imagine a way this could get any more surreal, sitting here with his uncle and his very little sister, about to have tea.

Well, he can, he just really doesn't want to go there.

"Can I help you, uncle?" he says, in an attempt to keep from brooding.

[o_tea_p]

Iroh is sympathetic to his nephew's discomfort. "The tea is just about ready," he says. "But maybe you can rustle us up some cookies.

"Would you like some cookies, Azula?" It's amazing how natural it is to talk to her like a little girl, as though everything she had put him through, had put Zuko through, had never happened.

[irisewiththesun]

Zuko looks down at Azula at the tug on his sleeve. "Yes, just be careful not to splash," he says, his lips twitching in the very start of a smile. He knows what their father would say about her question, but he doesn't care. Ozai isn't there right now, and Azula is four. As far as Zuko is concerned, she can dip her cookies all she wants.

[o_tea_p]

Iroh pours the tea out into cups, adding a little cold milk to Azula's so that she doesn't burn her tongue and puts the cups on a tray to carry them to the table.

"Would you like some honey in your tea, Azula?" he asks.

[irisewiththesun]

Zuko brings the cookies to the table, sitting next to Azula as he knows she wants him to. It's still beyond strange, this whole situation, but it seems a little easier to deal with, now that Iroh's here too. Zuko takes a sip, and even though they're not at home and this is island-made, his uncle's tea is just as good as he remembered. Not at all like hot leaf juice.

[o_tea_p]

Iroh carefully spoons some honey some honey into Azula's cup and takes one of the cookies.

"What would you like to do today, Azula?"

[irisewiththesun]

Zuko can't remember the last time he and his sister actually willingly played games together, and it's a strange kind of heartache to hear she wants to do so now. "Sure, we can do that," he says, trying to look a lot more calm than he feels.