storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2010-08-31 09:46 am
storypaint) wrote2010-08-31 09:46 am
Entry tags:
[Avatar] a bitter tonic (Zuko gen)
Title: a bitter tonic
Fandom: Avatar
Length: 318 words
Prompt: there's so much more to solitary refinement for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
chibidl's birthdayfic
Pairing: Zuko gen
Other: Set pre/during book 1.
Excerpt: It's not that he can't think with Uncle around, but that Iroh seems determined to distract him from the bigger things.
It's not that he can't think with Uncle around, but that Iroh seems determined to distract him from the bigger things. There's always something - tea, pai sho, music night - and it's completely maddening. Maybe - maybe his father has sent him off on a wild turtleduck chase after someone who hadn't been seen for a hundred years, but Iroh doesn't have to act like that's true. This isn't a tour of the world. It's a mission.
Zuko needs his honor back so he can lead the Fire Nation proudly. He misses home, a slow burn in his chest, memories that seem so far away. It's been three years but it feels like an entire lifetime. His father looms in his dreams, delivering the thick pain that limits his vision every day, and he fiercely refuses to wonder why he wants to return to a relationship like that. He will accomplish this. He will find the Avatar.
"Leave me alone," he growls at Iroh. His uncle accepts his annoyance with his usual good humor. Nothing seems to make him angry, and somehow that only serves to increase Zuko's irritation. Iroh nods and leaves him to his thoughts, but Zuko's thoughts chase after each other like wolflions after their own tails. He sighs loudly into the dimness of the room. Somewhere, water drips on his ship, and the relentless tapping catches hold of his attention. He throws an arm over his eyes and broods over everything for a while, mapping out his plans and contemplating schemes.
When he emerges from his quarters, several hours later, Iroh is still there at his pai sho table, still drinking tea, still perfectly serene. Zuko accepts the offered cup without question.
Once in a while, he concedes to himself, a break is necessary. A refreshed mind can fight a stronger battle. (That almost sounds like something Uncle would say, he realizes, torn between admiration and concern.)
Fandom: Avatar
Length: 318 words
Prompt: there's so much more to solitary refinement for
chibidl's birthdayficPairing: Zuko gen
Other: Set pre/during book 1.
Excerpt: It's not that he can't think with Uncle around, but that Iroh seems determined to distract him from the bigger things.
It's not that he can't think with Uncle around, but that Iroh seems determined to distract him from the bigger things. There's always something - tea, pai sho, music night - and it's completely maddening. Maybe - maybe his father has sent him off on a wild turtleduck chase after someone who hadn't been seen for a hundred years, but Iroh doesn't have to act like that's true. This isn't a tour of the world. It's a mission.
Zuko needs his honor back so he can lead the Fire Nation proudly. He misses home, a slow burn in his chest, memories that seem so far away. It's been three years but it feels like an entire lifetime. His father looms in his dreams, delivering the thick pain that limits his vision every day, and he fiercely refuses to wonder why he wants to return to a relationship like that. He will accomplish this. He will find the Avatar.
"Leave me alone," he growls at Iroh. His uncle accepts his annoyance with his usual good humor. Nothing seems to make him angry, and somehow that only serves to increase Zuko's irritation. Iroh nods and leaves him to his thoughts, but Zuko's thoughts chase after each other like wolflions after their own tails. He sighs loudly into the dimness of the room. Somewhere, water drips on his ship, and the relentless tapping catches hold of his attention. He throws an arm over his eyes and broods over everything for a while, mapping out his plans and contemplating schemes.
When he emerges from his quarters, several hours later, Iroh is still there at his pai sho table, still drinking tea, still perfectly serene. Zuko accepts the offered cup without question.
Once in a while, he concedes to himself, a break is necessary. A refreshed mind can fight a stronger battle. (That almost sounds like something Uncle would say, he realizes, torn between admiration and concern.)