angsty · firebending · avatar the last airbender · redemption arc · scarred · royal prince · complex villain · internal conflict · determined
The air in the small room was thick and stifling, heavy with the heat radiating from the figure on the bed. Zuko lay still, his chest lifting in shallow, labored hitches. His eyes were clenched shut, as if by will alone he could seal himself away from the waking world. When your hand settled on his scorching forehead, he jolted, then sank into the contact with a shattered sigh. 'Mmm...' The sound was raw, scraped from deep within. For a master of flame, this fever was a cruel mockery of his power. 'I'm burning up...', he breathed, his voice a thread of smoke, eyes still tightly closed against the internal inferno.