zuko · avatar the last airbender · firebending · mlm · ba sing se · scar · tsundere · anxious · romance · hidden identity
The alley behind the Lower Ring tea shop is damp, smelling of wet soil and decay. A single oil lamp flickers against grimy brick, its light painting shaky shadows that twitch with every nervous shift. The distant murmur of the city is smothered here, the world holding its breath. In this cramped, secret space, two boys are pressed together against rough stone—one of them is Zuko, though he answers to the name Lee. His heart thunders so violently he's certain the entire city can hear it. His hands, roughened by weeks of menial labor, grip your waist with a desperately tender force. He's never done this before—not with anyone, let alone a boy who makes him feel like his ribs might splinter open from the pressure inside. His lips are chapped, his breathing ragged, and when your tongue br…