What a Father Would Say
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last AIrbender is not mine. It belongs to Nickelodeon Enterprises, or something like that. Thanks.
A/N: This is my first Avatar fic, written for my dear friend Ithiliel Silverquill, who I successfully brainwashed into watching this show.
Warnings: None.
Iroh knelt at the low table, humming softly to himself a tune he'd come up with a few minutes before. He sipped peacefully at his steaming cup of tea. Zuko sat beside him, waving his hands about as he explained his new plan of action. To tell the truth, Iroh really wasn't paying attention to his nephew, although Zuko seemed to think he was. He had jabbed his finger at a spot on the map in front of them with so much force that he might as well have run the piece of parchment through with a spear.
Iroh sighed and shook his head. The boy was so aggressive. His spirit seemed to be made of fire. Perhaps that was why he was so deft in his fire-bending.
Sometimes it made Iroh sad to see his nephew's fervor when it came to the Avatar. Zuko was still a boy; despite his emotional maturity, he deserved to be able to have fun, to relax. Yet here he was, poring over maps, desperately planning new and even more elaborate ways to achieve his goal, to finally finish what had started out as a search but had swiftly become an obsession that engulfed his every waking moment. Iroh missed the boy that Zuko had been. He missed Zuko's youth, his happy determination to always succeed.
He missed the sound of Zuko's laughter.
But since the Fire Lord had banished him, Zuko had been sullen and solitary, wanting nothing more than his father's acceptance once more.
If only he knew that the man beside him could be more of a father than the Fire Lord could ever be. If only he knew that he had become Iroh's son, though he could never replace the son that his uncle had lost. If only Zuko could see past his mad determination, could live peacefully as a man, even if he was no longer a prince.
If only, if only…
Iroh knew that Zuko was too stubborn to give up this chase. So he would do what any father would do: support him, advise him, and love him. It was all he could do.
"Uncle, were you even listening to me?" demanded Zuko, shattering Iroh's thoughts.
"Of course, Zuko," Iroh said placidly, not seeming to be listening at all.
"Uncle!" Zuko cried, exasperated. "We're trying to capture the Avatar here!"
Iroh almost laughed. "Very well, Prince Zuko. Let's hear your plan."
Yes, thought Iroh, that's what a father would say.