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vampirella-1990 · 7 months ago

Text

Slowly budding love

Here my new Jinko/Zujin/Jiko One-shot. Original is german so i put this text in a translater.

have fun :D

A date should probably be the most normal thing for a young teenager. You would arrange to meet the opposite sex, find out if there were similarities and whether those similarities could lead to getting together.

Well, that's pretty much how a date should be. But that wasn't the case with the banished prince. He had been more than taciturn. He tried to pay as little attention to Jin as possible, but she seemed to have a never-ending optimism and wouldn't be put off. In some way he found it interesting how persistent the girl was. But it wasn't surprising either; It is also said of the people of the Earth Kingdom that they

were quite persistent.

And she hadn't wanted to break off this appointment. She even wanted to show him her favorite place: the firelight fountain. Something that must have been very close to her heart, because Zuko remembered how her eyes had sparkled when describing what she said was her favorite place. And how she had pulled on him. He hadn't thought she had that much strength to pull him through the alley. He almost stumbled a few times.

Zuko shook his head. He had told her after their kiss that it was complicated and left. And that was right! He was not an Earth Kingdom resident. He wasn't a juggler from some traveling circus. But

While he was getting dressed to go back to work with his uncle at Pao's tea shop today, he licked his lips. Whenever this energetic girl came to mind, he thought of the kiss and he felt like he could still feel her lips on his. A gentle tingling sensation. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his uncle's voice.

“Coming.”

Zuko left the room to eat breakfast in the living area.

Uncle Iroh had just filled the second bowl with rice when his nephew came in.

“You’re just in time for breakfast. Here.” His uncle handed him the bowl. He was just filling the bowl and waited for Zuko to sit down next to him.

While Zuko typically ate his rice without any comment, he noticed Iroh looking at him the whole time. Okay, maybe he shouldn't have said anything when he got back from the date last night! He should have just bottled up his frustration and kept his mouth shut. No, instead he let out “It was nice.” And nice was something that was never really in Zuko's vocabulary. The Dragon of the West actually knew his nephew differently: quick-tempered, grumpy and very limited in his social ability to interact with normal people.

So he approached it very slowly and remembered that he had told him that the evening had been nice, but what exactly was the nice thing about this nice evening?

Zuko sighed. Why had he said anything at all? The evening wasn't completely chaos. How happy Jin had been when he lit the lights for her. She was really glowing and seemed so happy. He was also happy to see her like that. A sad face didn't suit her. It was the first time he had done something good with his fire. He hadn't destroyed anything that hurt other people around him. That fire that evening had not caused any harm, but rather had the purpose of creating something that had a positive effect. And this had been something Zuko had been very proud of.

But now there was no turning back. Uncle Iroh would continue to bother until Zuko didn't tell everything.

While the old man listened to his nephew, he poured himself a cup of tea and found out how his nephew's yesterday evening went. Every now and then the old man smiled, but he hid it behind his cup when he sipped it.

At the end of Zuko's story, Iroh laughed quietly.

“What’s so funny, uncle? I would like some advice. What if she comes to the store today? I went away and left her standing at the well..."

"Zuko, don't worry about it...it was your first time dating a girl."

Iroh put his cup down and sighed heavily. “You know, my dear nephew, my first dates didn't always go in my favor... I made mistakes too. And leading up to a perfect date, I had experienced many ups and downs. But it was worth it…” yes, the old man had had the perfect date with the woman who was also the mother of his son, Lu Ten, who unfortunately died much too early.

Zuko still didn't seem entirely convinced, but he couldn't think about it any further because they had to make their way to Pao's shop.

The banished prince tried to distract himself by arranging all the chairs correctly when they arrived at the shop. His uncle was at the back putting the tea water on and thinking about which teas he would make first for the first guests.

Every time the front door rang, Zuko's eyes peered there, but the girl he had met yesterday was not among them. Okay, then she wouldn't come today and that was good for him. He didn't have to justify himself when she wasn't in the store. So he could also banish Jin from his thoughts, at least for today.

The next day he still looked at the door again, but not every time the doorbell rang; he concentrated on doing his job as best he could. Because that was how he would get through another annoying day in the tea shop.

"Disappointed?" Zuko jumped when he heard Iroh's voice. He looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “What are you talking about, uncle?” he began innocently.

“Are you disappointed that your girlfriend didn’t come?”

“Jin is not my girlfriend...she asked me out and we dated. There’s nothing more!” he growled and continued sweeping the floor. “And that’s why you’ve been cleaning the same thing for five minutes

Tile, unless there's something in particular that's bothering you." Iroh was putting the last chair down on the table. Zuko pushed the broom aside and looked at the tile. Yes, he really had stayed there for five minutes.

"The tile was very dirty. The last customers had forgotten to wipe their shoes properly. I'm done now too," and with these words Zuko placed the broom next to the wall and left the shop. He had to get this girl out of his head. Getting involved with her was wrong. She would just make sure he stayed here. That he would see Ba Sing Se as a home and forget his real home, the Fire Nation.

"My honor... is not here..."

The third day wasn't really any better than the other two. There were many guests coming and going, but it wasn't Jin who was among them.

Zuko had just taken an order when he noticed two boys. Her clothes were neat and her hair was neat too. The people from the lower ring wore clothes that were coarser and less thick. And the people's clothing here was always somewhat stained with dirt. The ground was soggy in some places that it was impossible to avoid getting dirty. But these clothes were on one or the other

Place decorations that even had a small stone on them, such as a yellow stone on the sleeve. Nobody from the lower ring could afford something like that. People from the middle class were more likely to be eligible; they had the necessary change to go to a tailor. There they could add one or two unusual accessories to their clothing and thus stand out from the lower class. Small, common symbols common to the Earth Kingdom were immortalized on the fabric. Badger moles and the symbol of the Earth Kingdom adorned the partly fine and light fabric.

The two looked at the tea shop with a more or less very appraising look. The only grumpy one

Waiters in this establishment assumed that the two probably belonged to the middle ring and were rarely in the lower ring. The two sat down at the left corner table.

It was Jin's table.

In fact, he couldn't care less where they sat. He would serve them, and he and his uncle would have new customers. But what if Jin came now? She would see that her seat was taken and would be sad. Sad... just like their night... Zuko shook his head. He had to get her out of his head and remember to serve the customers before Pao complained that he was too slow.

Nevertheless, he wanted to do something about Jin's table problem. And so the young firebender made his way to the two boys who were looking at the menu.

"Sorry... But you can't sit here," Zuko said immediately.

The two people addressed looked at him questioningly. “But as you can see, we are already seated. “Why shouldn’t we sit here?” asked one of the boys.

He had short brown hair and blue eyes with which he studied Zuko. “Well... it doesn't work because... the table has a termite problem, a really bad one. We just discovered that this morning... and that's why you can't sit there... it's... in danger of collapsing... well, now imagine you're having your tea and the table collapses." Zuko tried to save the day and hoped that he managed to convince them both.

The guests looked from the waiter to the table, and then they looked at each other. You were probably just weighing up how trustworthy this news was. After all, nothing had been set up that this table could not be occupied.

“Hmm… I think he’s right. “I have to go to a party today… I can’t use any stains,” said the other and got up.

The blue-eyed man sighed and let his friend lead him to a new table. Inwardly, Zuko was happy that he had done it. If Jin came today, she would have her table to herself.

“The tea selection really isn’t bad, but tell me, Dai, do you think it’ll still be here today?”

The blue-eyed man frowned. “I hope I wanted to invite you to the shooting star night after all. That's in a few days. And I wanted to convince myself of this oh-so-great tea that she raved about so much here,” said Dai and shortly afterwards ordered two jasmine teas.

When Zuko tried to give his uncle the order, his uncle stopped him. “Here for our new customers. In the last few days we have fallen slightly short of our quota due to the lack of guests. "That's supposed to encourage them to come here and promote us." Iroh held out a few papers to Zuko.

Upon closer inspection, he realized they were coupons for a free cup of tea. Just like the coupon Jin got on their date. She had gotten this because she was her best customer... and if Jin saw more people with this paper... she would feel like she was being lied to. That she was just some customer who they just wanted to win over to the tea shop. Why was he so worried about this girl? Maybe he liked her after all? Yes, Jin had been nice and very patient with him.

Zuko shook his head and turned away from the counter. However, he knocked over the pot that his uncle had just put in front of him. And it also fell to the ground. “I’ll deduct that from your salary,” he heard Pao shout. This man, who unfortunately was also the boss of Zuko and his uncle, had probably made it his mission to wear Zuko down until he retired. No matter what mishap caught him. Was it that he hadn't cleaned a table properly or that one of the guests asked where the tea was? Pao's voice sometimes shrilled so much in Zuko's head that he wanted to cover his ears.

“I’ll go get the broom.”

“It should have been left outside while I was sweeping,” said his uncle, who was now looking for a new pot. The firebender emerged from the teahouse and searched the facade of the building for the broom. Iroh had left the broom at the side of the shop. Zuko held out his hand, but paused for a moment. He took a few steps into the small alley and hid in the shade there. He looked behind him and noticed that there weren't really many people walking towards the tea shop. Zuko reached out and created a flame. Then he held the coupons inside. With a slight smile, he watched as the papers burst into flames and the pieces of ash flew through the air. His uncle didn't need coupons. He was able to win people over with his nice and calm manner. People would really appreciate his. His understanding and good-natured nature was better than these scraps of papers. People would feel more than comfortable and would visit the place because they could relax there. And to achieve that, he didn't need these papers. Or maybe the disguised firebender was just telling himself that so he wouldn't remember that he actually did it for the girl he left standing at the well. "LEE, how hard can it be to find a broom!" Zuko gritted his teeth. Oh how he would love to set Pao's clothes on fire. Well, maybe not set it on fire, then the Dai Li would be there faster than he could see.

But maybe a little bit of center punch, that would be nice. Just the apron a little.

Zuko strolled through the market the next morning. Iroh said yesterday after the store closed that they needed new leaves for jasmine tea. The tea that Jin liked too. He remembered that the restaurant they had eaten at also offered jasmine tea. She ordered it full of anticipation and told him that it was her favorite tea. And when she tasted the tea, she grimaced a little and explained that the tea here couldn't compete with the tea from Pao's shop. In general, he and his uncle had ensured that the quality of the tea had improved a lot. Zuko couldn't judge, everything tasted the same to him.

"That's very nice, Dai, but I can't accept your invitation." Zuko stopped.

Was that Jin's voice just now? He followed the voice and saw Jin behind a few people who had blocked his way, followed by that Dai who was in the teahouse yesterday! “What’s wrong, Jin? We've known each other for so long. What is so bad about it? "We're just going to look at some stars?" Dai had taken a step towards Jin.

The girl, however, narrowed her eyes slightly and gave him a slightly angry look. "Dai... I don't want to look at the stars with YOU... why is this so hard for you to understand..."

“Why don’t you give us a chance? We haven't even tried it together yet. Let’s see what happens with it.” Dai tried to put his hand on her cheek, but the brown-haired woman slapped it away.

“I said NO,” Jin emphasized the last word clearly and just glared at him. If there was one thing Zuko couldn't stand to death, it was when people didn't even begin to understand no. And this Dai was probably not used to being rejected. His lips pulled into a thin line and he took a step towards her.

Zuko walked towards the two with quick steps. He grabbed Dai by the shoulder and pushed him away from Jin. The girl looked at the tamer in surprise. "Lee? … “What… are you doing here?” her eyes were wide open and her mouth remained open for a moment.

“Running errands for Uncle. But tell me, can you tell me why you can’t come to the tea shop?”

“You know each other?” Dai said, confused. “Shut up!” Zuko growled and

turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. itself. “And do you know how difficult it is to keep your table free, the left corner table? I have to bend over backwards to stop people from sitting there all the time.” Jin listened carefully to Lee and bit his lip slightly. “Or is it because you lost the coupon I gave you on our date at the well?”

"Wait a minute... you two were dating?" Dai still looked at the two confused, trying to understand the connection they both had to each other.

"You're on break, so shut up," Zuko glared at the man from the middle ring.

“And if you haven’t lost your coupon after all, then tell me why you don’t redeem it? During our meal you told me that our tea was much better than the one you had in the restaurant in the middle ring." Jin looked away briefly, then looked back at him.

“And Uncle wants to give coupons to all the people, but they're not our best customers... they only come in once or twice a month at most. But you? You’ve been there almost every day, so damn why you don’t finally redeem that coupon!”

Zuko had worked himself into a rage. He waited for Jin to answer him. That she told him why she suddenly stopped coming. Jin looked away again and then back at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but what she said confused him...

"Lee, be careful!" Zuko turned his head to the side as Jin pointed next to him. Dai probably didn't want to give up and tried to close him

hit. Zuko took a step forward, reached out and grabbed him by the arm and side, spinning him a few times before throwing him away. Dai landed on the ground and glared at him.

"Before you attack... aren't you missing something?" Zuko asked, waving something in his hand.

It was a belt and it looked suspiciously like his... when Dai looked underneath him, he realized that the tea waiter had managed to steal his belt. Jin burst out laughing. She took the belt from his hand and threw it to Dai. Then she grabbed Zuko's arm and ran.

They ran for a while until Zuko finally pulled him away from her. "So, I'm waiting for an answer?" Zuko crossed his arms over his chest.

“The reason why I don’t come to your teahouse? Well, I... I had the feeling that you didn't like the date at all, that you found my presence more of a nuisance... and about the kiss... I'm sorry... I didn't want to take you by surprise." Jin bowed apologetically him.

Zuko didn't even know what to say. She hadn't done anything wrong! He had been acting like a damn saber-toothed moose in a ceramics shop! He hadn't been able to really have a normal conversation with her. How? He had spent the entire three years since his banishment on a ship with adult humans. He hadn't even come close to having contact with his peers to have any idea what "normal" was. How to make friends. Or rather, how to make friends.

"Jin... you... didn't do anything wrong..." Zuko began, shuffling his feet on the ground a little.

“I am... but the one who left you standing at the well. I have to apologize to you, Jin. You know... I've never really been into anything like dating... My life is very complicated... and I don't know... how to behave on dates... But... the evening... was really nice." Zuko stroked the back of his neck and looked at Jin awkwardly.

"Please accept my apology."

Jin crossed her fingers and tapped her cheek. "Let me think...the apology is accepted...under two conditions." Zuko nodded and waited eagerly for his answer.

"We're going to the Shooting Star Night and...at some point when we're back at the fountain, you'll light the lights for me if they don't light up anymore."

Zuko looked at Jin and nodded.

"Yes, we'll do that." Zuko was happy that he got a second chance.

She had been nice to him. And he wanted to be more open. He wanted to have a new person in his environment, even if he still had his secrets. Maybe he would tell one thing or another, with a little lie in between. After all, he still had to be careful about Dai Li.

“With pleasure… I have to go back to Mushi now, he’s waiting for his tea leaves.”

“I’m coming with you, after all I have a voucher here that’s waiting to be redeemed.”

#avatar last airbender #zuko #prince zuko #atla jin #jin atla #jinko #zujin #zuko x jin #jin and zuko #zuko and jin #Jiko #Jinko

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