peacekeeping- zuko

Snowflake

Heyyyyy! This one is the 40k special! I honestly never thought Peacekeeping would have this many reads, but here we are. Thank you so much!!

Oh, yeah, it's a modern AU

Also, they aren't dating in this one...yet.

Servants bustled through the hall of the L/N mansion, as they prepared for the winter. I sipped my hot cocoa, warmth rushing into me. Snowflakes fell, one by one, coating the entire Fire Nation in a fluffy white blanket. From the window, I could see the Palace. The place where the Prince was. Well, now the Fire Lord. After, Avatar Aang and his friends ended the war, Ozai was thrown in prison. Good. I never liked him anyway. Kids ran, throwing snowballs at each other, while others made snowmen in the streets. It doesn't snow very often in the Fire Nation, so I could see why they were so excited.

"Hey! Y/N! There you are!" A familiar voice said. I could sense my friends energy. "Hey, Eri," I smiled over my warm mug. "How'd you- oh-right spirity stuff," she giggled. "How'd you even get in here?" I asked, turning around. "You left the door open," she shrugged, plopping herself down on my bed. "No one answered, but I mean, no one stopped me when I walked to your room, so. I passed a lot of people. You guys are really busy, huh?" "Yeah, my mom's hosting a feast. Since my dad was working with villains, and ran away, we haven't been really trusted, so maybe this'll help our family name."

I looked over at my desk, the fairy lights reflecting off the mini circular mirror. Papers from school, pencils and other junk was all over the surface. Maybe, I should take mom's advice and clean it. Nah. In the right corner of the desk was a clock- Oh shit! I grabbed my jacket off the chair and rushed out of my room, Eri on my tail. "Where we going?!" Eri asked, as she ran behind me. "We're late! Grab your jacket!" I shouted, not providing much information. "Okay?" I served through some servants, almost making one of them drop their plate of a towering cake. "Sorry!" I bumped into another lady, carrying a fresh pile of clothes. "Oops! Sorry!" She giggled, "You seem like your in a rush, ma'am."

"Yeah, I'm late for something," I smiled, rushing away. Eri joined me, now with a coat, at the giant door as I shoved on my boots. "Remember, we're supposed to be at the mall today, for the interview!" I explained. Eri's eyes widened. "Frick." We ran down the busy streets, with multiple people, now from all nations. Some were outside the big shops, buying chocolates and presents, and many other things. I bumped into a tall, feminine figure. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" I rushed. "Sorry? What's that gonna do about my dino nuggies!" She shouted. There were, in fact, multiple dino nuggies on the ground. "I'm so sorry! I'll come back later, and buy you new ones!" I said, about to rush off after Eri. She had gone ahead, not wanting to be late.

"Whatever. Are you a bender?" She randomly asked. "Huh? What a weird question. But, yeah, I'm a fire bender." As soon as those words left my mouth, I couldn't move. It was like I was in the control of something. "Hey! There you are!" Said a voice behind me. The lady turned, dashing off into the other direction, multiple guards following her. "She's a bloodbender," another voice mumbled. "I don't think it's that. The girl wouldn't have frozen like this," a different voice said. The Fire Lord came into view. "Can you talk?" He asked me, titling his head. "Uhh, yeah." "Okay, if she can talk, than I'm pretty sure she can move. I don't know what type of bending this is," the Fire Lord said to the guard.

"What do you want us to do?" The guard bowed. "Go follow the lady. I'll help her," he said, turning to me. The guard nodded, rushing off with the others. "Here, try taking a step forward," he motioned. I stepped forward, only to crumble to the ground. My legs were now jelly, as well as my arms. "Hmmm. I'll take you to Katara. She'll know what to do," he smiled, offering me a hand. I took it as he pulled me up. "I can't walk, though," I muttered. "Oh, yeah. Well, umm-"

*****************

The Fire Lord ended up giving me a piggy back ride to the Palace. "So, that lady was a bloodbender?" I asked. "We don't know what she is. My friend, the one I'm taking you to right now, Katara, has faced one before, and that doesn't seem like an ability they would have. So, honestly, who knows. But, our citizens safety is our main concern, which is why I offered to take you to the Palace," he answered. Snow crunched under the weight of his royal boots, as he stepped forward. I tightened my arms around his neck, afraid of slipping.

"I bet this must be a pretty crazy day for you. Y'know, running into a crazy lady, who has unknown powers, and than getting a piggy back ride from the Fire Lord," he chuckled. "Yeah, it is," I smiled, thinking about Eri, and the interview. I guess I'm not going to it. Though, I know Eri can handle it by herself. "I apologize for this. It probably doesn't look very good. Y'know, the whole letting someone get hurt. I'm the Fire Lord. I should be taking my job more seriously, but here I am." "Hey, your doing fine. I mean, your only like seventeen, right?" I asked.

"Sixteen, actually," he corrected. "Oh. Well, that's even worse. You shouldn't have this many responsibilities. That's a lot of work," I mumbled, more to myself. "Yeah, but I have to deal with," he shrugged, staring at the ground. "I mean, who else is gonna do it?" "Yeah, I guess," I sighed. "What's your name?" He asked. "L/N," I answered. "I-I'm sorry?" "L/N." "Wait, really? Wow, I know you. Well, your family. It must be hard since the whole dad thing...sorry, I shouldn't have said that." "No, it's fine. It's not that bad, actually, since my mom's back," I shrugged. "Hey, I can actually talk to you," he smiled. "What do you mean?" "I usually don't tell people about my feelings. I-um-I kinda..." he trailed off. "Fire Lord?" "Zuko. Call me Zuko," he smiled. "Okay." "Anyway-uh-I was just-go-gonna ask if I could get your n-number," he stammered.

I never thought the Fire Lord himself would ask for my number, but, I'm not complaining. "Sure, Zuko," I giggled. He handed me his phone, and I typed in my number as he carried me to the Palace. "Here," I said, handing him his phone again. "Thanks."