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When he'd first set foot into Ba Sing Se, Zuko had never realized what a privilege it had been for him to blend into the masses of people there. Quite the contrary, Zuko had despised it. He had struggled with the inner chasm of being the invisible Fire Nation's crown prince and the perceived Earth Kingdom refugee. Now, while walking at the edges of the bustling streets with a dark hood drawn deeply into his face and non-descript Fire Nation clothes which were just noble enough not to give one of his guards a heart attack, Zuko longed for the anonymity.
A few steps in front of him, guard-captain Teneng was stomping through the masses of people as if he had to clear the Fire Lord's way through dense undergrowth. It really was a wonder they had stayed unnoticed until now. Then again, Teneng's sheer size probably let everybody assume him to be a very grumpy earthbender rather than a royal guard from the Fire Nation.
Zuko sighed and quickened his pace. The faster they reached his uncle's tea shop, the better. If it hadn't been for the three more guards trailing behind him with some distance and the two servants carrying all their things, Zuko would have taken the next alley to the right and would have been at the Jasmine Dragon in half the time. He'd lived here, for Agni's sake! He knew how to get around here. Well, maybe he'd have to climb a yard fence or two. And that would be rather hard to do unnoticed for somebody like Teneng. Zuko dismissed the idea and accepted his fate with a sigh.
Just like he'd expected -- and Teneng hadn't believed -- their walk through the upper ring to the Jasmine Dragon went without any hiccups. As advised by Iroh, they'd timed their arrival for just after noon. According to Zuko's uncle, that was the time when the least people would come in -- lunch was over, and it was too early for afternoon tea.
As they approached the tea house, Zuko noticed several large crates in the backyard. His uncle must have already packed most of the things he was going to transfer to the new shop. Zuko still couldn't quite wrap his head around Iroh's decision to leave the Jasmine Dragon on Ba Sing Se behind to open a new one in Caldera. His uncle had just finished re-building the shop at Ba Sing Se and hiring a whole team of servers, some people for cleaning and had even gone to great lengths to find a tea brewer whom he deemed worthy of taking over his job. Why all the hassle? Sure, Zuko understood the concept of expansion; of course, he did. Still, there were a lot more people and, therefore, potential customers here than in Caldera. He'd have to talk to his uncle about it again.
Zuko knocked on the nondescript back door that led from the tea shop to the backyard. After a few moments, it swung inward, and a stocky, thin man in an apron stood before him. For a moment, his eyes wide open, he seemed torn between a greeting smile and the impulse to fall to his knees. Instead, he bowed deeply and said:
"I'm Shon, the new tea brewer in charge here. Welcome, Li. Please come, come. Your uncle is waiting in the back room."
Zuko couldn't help but grunt in surprise at the name. Shon had managed to emphasize his old alias as if he were addressing him by the title of the great spirits themselves.
"Um, thanks, Shon. You can...I know where to go."
For a brief moment, Zuko felt weirdly unsure. It was one thing to give commands to your own servants; he was used to having to tell people to go back to their jobs and not cower in front of him. But Shon was not one of his servants; he was not even a man of his people.
Luckily, Shon seemed to understand, too, for he bowed once more and then disappeared through the swinging double doors that led to the kitchen. Zuko walked purposefully past the door that was still swinging behind the tea brewer, down the narrow corridor that ran along the outer wall, where it ended in a single, small door of dark wood.
He knocked again briefly, but this time he didn't wait until someone opened the door and had already pushed it half-open when his uncle's voice reached him from the room.
"Come in, come in."
Zuko had hardly closed the door behind him, still internally despairing over the question of how he should best greet his uncle when he was suddenly pulled forward by strong, warm hands on the upper arms. The smell of tea leaves and comfort enveloped his senses, and Zuko involuntarily sank into his uncle's embrace.
"Hello, Zuko. It's so nice to see you."
Something inside Zuko ruptured, stealing all the air from his lungs and strength from his muscles.
He wanted to say hello, but the thought of meeting his father on his knees made his throat tighten.
He wanted to return the hug, but the memory of too warm, too strong hands around his wrist glued his arms to his sides.
He wanted to reply that it was nice to see Uncle again after almost three weeks. But a sudden, cruel realization hit him like a blow - a flaming hand - in the face and shattered something inside him.
Zuko involuntarily gasped. He was desperately looking for an anchor, any other thought. He wanted to tell Uncle that Sokka was stupid for thinking pranking Toph into riding down Omashu's earthen mail-shoot would bite him in the ass magnificently. And that was important because, because...his mind trailed off as Uncle tightened his hug in surprise as if he could hold Zuko's suddenly trembling body together.
All that managed to do was break the dam and, with it, Zuko's last stand. He opened his mouth, taking a breath to reassure Iroh that everything was okay, that nothing was wrong, but only a gasp followed, and then another, each one seeming to bring less oxygen than the one before, and Zuko couldn't find words to form anymore.
"Uncle-"
Zuko didn't know what to say anymore. He couldn't think anymore. He felt like Uncle's warm arms were all that held him here, as if his spirit was about to disappear.
"What's the matter, Zuko?"
Zuko swallowed, opened his mouth, and wanted to tell Uncle everything was fine – because everything was fine Agni! But instead of words, a sobbing sigh fell from his mouth, and Zuko dropped his head on Iroh's shoulder as if he had a chance to bury the sound in there before it reached his uncle's ears.
"Has something happened with Lady Mai?" Iroh's voice sounded so careful, so worried. Zuko shook his head and buried his face even deeper into Iroh's robes. Having his uncle caring so much and him being so involved in his life made things so much worse.
Zuko wanted to tell him that Mai had stayed at the palace to keep things in order while he was away. Agni, if he was honest, she was better at it than himself. She supported him and was at his side. Like Uncle, like the Avatar, Aang, and all his other friends - he had friends! Unlike…
"He didn't even hug me hello." The words burst out before he'd even thought them, and the tears followed. "Three years and he didn't --" Zuko gritted his teeth, holding his breath, trying desperately to bury the pain. A single sob stole his breath, then another one, and another.
Suddenly, Iroh's hand slipped through his hair and gently cupped the back of his head, just as he had done when he had hugged Zuko after his half-baked apology for his betrayal.
Love.
Years of instinct born in the dark years of his exile screamed at Zuko to flee from it. But unlike before, when his uncle had given him space and distanced himself after the slightest rebuff from his nephew, his strong arms now withstood Zuko's half-hearted resistance.
Time and space seemed to dissolve. Only pain and love, Ozai's ghost and Uncle's body washed away and blessed by Zuko's tears seemed to exist. Zuko couldn't tell if only moments or the whole day had passed when his thoughts returned to the tea shop, his breath now flowing through him deeply and calmly.
He leaned back carefully, his uncle's hand still protecting his head, and wiped the tears from his face in vain. He met Iroh's gaze, and any explanation or apology was burned to ash on his tongue as he saw only understanding and love in Iroh's eyes. Zuko leant back in and wrapped his arms around his uncle once more.
"Hello, Uncle. It's so nice to see you."