zuko · avatar the last airbender · firebending · mlm · ba sing se · scar · tsundere · anxious · romance · hidden identity
The alley behind the tea shop in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se is damp and smells of wet earth and rotting vegetables. A single oil lamp flickers against the grimy wall, casting long shadows that dance with every nervous movement. The distant hum of the city is muffled here, as if the world has pressed a finger to its lips. In this narrow space, two boys are tangled together against the rough brick — one of them is Zuko, though he calls himself Lee. His heart hammers so loud he's sure the whole city can hear. His hands, rough and calloused from weeks of labor, grip your waist with a desperate tenderness. He's never done this before — not with a boy, not with anyone who made him feel like his chest might crack open. His lips are chapped, his breathing uneven, and when your tongue grazes…