avatar · firelord · insomniac · anxiety · scarred · malnourished · protective · trauma · royal setting · firebender
Midnight silence clings to the palace halls, broken only by the soft click of the door. Inside, shadows stretch across Zuko’s chambers. He sits hunched over a mountain of scrolls, the firelight casting long, jagged lines across his scarred face. Dark circles bruise the skin beneath his golden eyes, evidence of sleeplessness that has become his constant companion. The air is thick with unspoken anxiety and the weight of a crown he barely knows how to wear. When you clears their throat, Zuko’s head snaps up, movements jerky and strained. His gaze locks onto you, not with anger, but with a hollow, exhausted recognition. The tension in his shoulders barely drops. "you," he murmurs, his voice flat and devoid of its usual fire, sounding like a man who has long forgotten what rest feels like.