Fic: show me where my armor ends [ATLA, KuZu, Journey]

[quillpunk]

• Rating: T
• Categories: M/M
• Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Relationship: Zuko/Kuei
• Characters: Zuko, Kuei
• Additional Tags: Ficlet, AU - Arranged Marriage, Fluff, Dorks in Love, AU - Role Reversal
• Status: Complete
• Wordcount: 1059
• Published on AO3: 2021-02-04

Notes: For Monthly KuZu Mini-Prompts 2021, January: Arranged Marriage & February: Dorks in Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any associated trademarks.

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The sound of something falling brought him out of his reverie and Zuko blinked, startled. He turned around and asked his fiance, "What's wrong?"

"Ah, I just slipped," Kuei answered, worrying his bottom lip and looking forlornly down at the mess by his feet. In his defense, the glass floor they were walking on was absurdly slippery, and he was a little bewildered that such a part of Wan Shi Tong's infamous library had such flooring. It meant they had to walk at a weirdly slow pace, but Zuko could already see the end of the hallway coming up. Soon, they'd be back on common flooring.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to take his fiance on a journey to Wan Shi Tong's library; it hadn't been easy reaching it, after all. Going incognito had made it even harder, and the constant threat of escalating battles now that the Avatar had been found had only made it more dangerous. But looking at the enraptured expression on Kuei's face every time the teenager got to look at yet another new scroll ages-old, Zuko found there was no regret in him. Instead, he was filled with a strange feeling of pride—pride, that he had been the one to make Kuei have that expression. It made his chest go tight, and he had to look away before he did something foolish.

This wasn't what anyone had intended, he knew, when he had been engaged to the Earth King. They had used it as a way to get him out of the running for the throne, for no Fire Lord could be married to a non-firebender, much less a man. It had been a way to send him into exile without having to phrase it that. They had surely expected the teenage king to annoy him, for him to find it all a humiliation.

But Kuei was sweet.

That was the first thing about his new fiance that struck him—Kuei was incredibly sweet. He was young and naïve and yes, downright ignorant of the world. He'd been painfully shy at times, and yet shamelessly forward at others. And Zuko could still vividly remember how excited Kuei had been when he discovered that Zuko didn't mind spending hours in silence with him in the ridiculously huge library.

To his father, this was all a farce. But to Zuko, it was a gift.

They reached the end of the glass corridor and the doors before them opened automatically, without anyone having to touch them. He heard Kuei gasp, and had to force himself not to look over. It would be fine—he'd have a thousand more chances to see the wonder on Kuei's face.

Maybe it was strange, how quickly he'd gotten attached. But he'd been trapped on a ship for over a decade, banished in all but name. He'd sailed every corner of the Fire Nation, never settling down anywhere for fear of sparking his father's rage, and then when he was finally shipped off to a place and told it would be his home... well, Zuko wasn't a statue. It was inevitable, that the warmth Kuei so thoughtlessly provided would draw him in.

Wan Shi Tong's library was gigantic, too gigantic for mortal minds to really comprehend. It bent in on itself, and after only two hours in this place, Zuko was already lost. The fact that Wan Shi Tong had even let them in was already beyond his imagination, and letting them traverse it like this was beyond hope.

"Come, come," Kuei snagged his hand as he flew by, dragging Zuko along as he pointed at the shelf ahead of them. Zuko didn't know what he'd seen, but he curled his fingers around Kuei's hand and soaked up the sensation. He allowed himself to be led by a boy nigh eight years his junior and didn't protest as his arms were immediately loaded up with books once they arrived.

While Kuei continued to look through them, Zuko looked around, spotted a corner that looked nice enough, and carted the books off to it. He gently put them down, not wanting to know what Wan Shi Tong's reaction would be if they damaged the books—it wasn't a risk he was willing to take. Done with that, he wandered back to Kuei's side, tracing his eyes over the books in search of something interesting as he went.

He heard Kuei exclaim over something, and saw the teenager shoot off for the corner Zuko had already prepared. Zuko let him go, content in the knowledge that Kuei would call for him if he needed something.

Meanwhile, he found some things he himself was interested in.

It was hours later, the candlelight rapidly depleting, that Zuko looked up and found his young fiance nearly asleep by his side. Zuko blinked, exhaustion having started weighing him down as well, and he moved closer to his fiance, scooting over on the floor to his side. "Kuei," Zuko said, falling to silence as he tried to think of what to say. Kuei looked over at him, his eyes on the edge of closing, and hummed quietly in response.

"You need to sleep," was what Zuko ended up settling on.

Kuei blearily gazed at him, in the end only nodding. He yawned, not bothering to cover it up, and scooted close enough to Zuko to lean on him. Zuko's arm curled over his back and hugged him tightly, feeling the slight trembling Kuei was trying to suppress.

He hoped this journey had helped settle Kuei's heart. After Zuko told him what was really going on with the world, Kuei had retreated into himself a little bit. Not visibly—but when they were alone, he would sometimes fall silent, trapped in his own thoughts. So Zuko hoped this journey had soothed him, that getting to see for himself what life was like outside Ba Sing Se had settled something in him. It seemed like it, sometimes.

Zuko repositioned them on the floor, pulling out the sleeping gear as he went, and laid down on it with Kuei. Like always when they slept together, Kuei clung to Zuko; seeking the warmth his body always provided. Zuko treasured it—coveted it, almost.

It was warm under the blanket with another body laying next to him.

He fell asleep within minutes.