Fanfic #157 Dumplings Over Flowers by EvieFuller(AvatarTheLastAirbender)

This fanfic is an au of Avatar the Last Airbender following a Zuko that wasn't banished. I really like this fic because it has really good character development based on this au and it has great world building.

Synopsis: Ozai knew trained assassins who would not have been able to sneak past the guards into this part of the palace, let alone his office. It seemed his son might be a prodigy at something, even if it was an unconventional talent for royalty. Ozai recognized Zuko's potential early. That changed things. (AKA Zuko is a ninja. Featuring a more subtly abusive Ozai, co-dependent Zuko & Azula, and general badassery.)

Rated: M

words: 40k

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24883087/chapters/60204094

Here's the first chapter:

Prince Ozai snarled as he shoved back from his desk. Tottori Province was filled with idiots. What were those morons thinking raiding their own colony! And for moon-peaches of all useless things!

Fruit. That's what this madness mocking him in the form of several large stacks of reports had been started over. Minister Mitsuo even had the audacity to imply it was the crown's fault this stupid conflict had escalated. He was the chief idiot, Ozai decided, and the prince was going to ruin him. He was going to figure out what the man cared about most, and he would destroy it.

His wife? Ozai could engineer an infidelity or a death.

His children? Mitsuo could weep as they were sent to the front lines.

Money, power, status? The fool could kiss his chances for all three goodbye.

A knock at the door cut off his internal rant, and Ozai turned to bid whoever it was enter his office. A young royal courier stepped in, a scroll clenched in his lightly trembling fist. He strode forward and tripped on the golden edge of the rug, then scrambled into a kneeling position and held out the parchment.

Ozai sneered at the pathetic display and snatched the message out of the courier's hand, fighting the urge to roll his eyes when the teen flinched back.

It was from his father demanding his presence in one hour for an update on the Tottori conflict.

"You may go," Ozai dismissed the boy, face carefully blank until he was alone, then he released his irritation with a sharp breath of fire.

It did not help.

They'd only gotten news of the issue today. He'd had less than four hours to mull his way through the intelligence, and already his father wanted an update, like some of this could have already been solved. It was always that way though, wasn't it? His older brother could waste hours hunting for the perfect jasmine blend and the Fire Lord would ask Iroh to share the brew with a smile. If Ozai didn't make inhumanly fast progress on every task placed before him, Fire Lord Azulon would start breathing down his neck like he suspected incompetence or treachery behind every wasted minute, that is if his work didn't simply go completely unacknowledged.

Not that Azulon was wrong to think Ozai might be plotting something, but still.

Ozai breathed deeply, one, two, three times. But each inhale only stoked the fire bubbling in his chest. With a growl he flung a blast at the mostly empty cabinet in the corner of his office, perfectly happy to sacrifice a few spare robes to his anger.

A yelp rang out as the fireball engulfed the piece of furniture, and a little body came tumbling out, small hands batting at the sparks dancing over black sleeves. Shock cooled Ozai's temper better than any amount of firebending could have.

He strode over to pull the boy to his feet, a quick scan assuring him his son was unburnt. "Zuko? What are you doing here?"

Pale gold eyes peered up at him nervously. "Father! I was just, um…we were playing a game…hide and explode…and I, uh…"

Ozai narrowed his eyes. "How long have you been in here?"

"J-just a couple minutes," Zuko mumbled, dropping his head down to stare intently at the golden scrollwork stitched along the edge of the office's red carpet.

Ozai looked around the room contemplatively. There was only one set of doors, on the other side of which four guards were stationed at all hours of the day. One large window looked down into a courtyard two stories below, which also contained four guards charged with protecting the palace from nefarious activity. And for all Zuko's royal status, the seven-year-old was definitely not allowed in state offices: no guard would have granted him entrance.

"And how did you get in?"

Zuko darted a glance up, biting his lip for a second before pointing at the window and saying softly, "I climbed down from the roof."

"Without any of the guards spotting you?"

The boy fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "Yes sir," he almost whispered.

"And I was already in here?"

Zuko seemed to shrink in on himself even more, but he still looked back up, and he didn't break eye contact once it was established. "Yes sir."

"So you hid away in that cabinet," Ozai pointed at the still smoldering piece of furniture, "without alerting me?"

"Yes sir."

Ozai moved to sit back down and drummed his fingers on his desk, the rhythmic thunk thunk thunk a soundtrack for his racing thoughts. "How is your firebending coming along? Which kata are you working on now?"

Zuko stared at him with wide, shining eyes, his mouth open in a little 'O' of surprise. Then he swallowed and leaned forward slightly, simultaneously eager and apprehensive. "Pierce the Heart."

Ozai nodded slowly.

"I could show you?" Zuko offered. His father waved him off, so the boy continued to stand there, anxiously wringing his hands.

Pierce the Heart, that was slightly ahead of the curve for a seven-year-old, but it was the same form Azula was working on. A prodigy firebender his son was not, not like his little sister. But he wasn't terrible, and more importantly, Ozai knew trained assassins who would not have been able to sneak past the guards into this part of the palace, let alone his office. It seemed his son might be a prodigy at something, even if it was an unconventional talent for royalty.

However unorthodox it may be, though, the third in line for the throne was not in the habit of snubbing useful skills.

Zuko would need weapons training, something more understated than firebending, something that he could use covertly. Ozai would send the boy to Master Piandao. Swords and knives were weapons of the night, though he couldn't let any child of Sozin's line neglect his firebending training either. He would have to send a tutor to accompany his son.

It wouldn't be the flash of Azula's bending, but perhaps that was for the best. This had the potential to be useful. Complimentary talents would make his children a much more deadly team. Yes, Ozai nodded to himself as plans started piecing together in his mind, he would make Zuko the smoke to Azula's flame.

Zuko watched as his father finally turned to look at him again. The man smiled, and Zuko did not flinch…even if his heart did skip a beat.