Zuko touched his palm to his sister’s forehead.
The girl was burning up—and not in that empowering, frightening way that she usually was. No, this was a different kind of burning. A feverish burning.
He looked Azula over. She was bundled up tightly, holding her blankets close to her body. Her face was rather flushed and her nose red—likely from rubbing it with so many tissues, tissues that where uncharacteristically scattered all over the floor. When Azula was sick it was literally hit or miss in that regard, if she was able to successfully land them in the trash if not…well, she was too lazy to pick them up.
A second glance revealed a pair of tired eyes. Being the older brother, Zuko knew very well that Azula was a light sleeper. On a normal day the slightest bump or knock could wake her up. So when the girl was ill, sleep was hard for her to attain.
She sat up and coughed into her sleeve. Once…twice…thrice. And then it became an all-out coughing fit.
He could tell by the very sound of her coughs that her throat was sore and her voice would come out hoarse.
Zuko seemed to cringe at every cough.
He knew he shouldn’t have taken her to the Southern Water Tribe with him. He also knew that he should have been more insistent on her wearing her coat.
“I’m so sorry Azula.” He whispered.
Azula’s voice came out just as hoarse as Zuko expected. “Don’t be so dramatic Zu-Zu.” She laughed. The laugh only served to throw her into another fit of coughs before she continued. “It’s just a cold.” She burrowed her head deeper into the pillow beneath it.
“But what if it gets worse?” Zuko asked.
“And they said I was the paranoid one.” Azula muttered. “I’m fine Zu-Zu…well I will be after you get me—or have the servants get me—a cup of warm tea. You know, for my throat.”
“I suppose I could do that for you.” Zuko smiled. Truth be told he wanted to make it for her himself. The two certainly haven’t always gotten along, but since the Comet he and Azula had made amends of some sort.
It took the pair a while but without much vocalization—and with Zuko making frequent trips to visit and consul Azula in the asylum—both had come to realize that perhaps so many years of bickering simply wasn’t worth it, that they could simply accomplish much more together. And both seemed to place the rift in their family on their father.
For that reason Zuko wanted to take care of his sister by himself—maybe he wasn’t a good older brother before, but he would be now. He’d make up for the problems in they had in the past.
“Zu-Zu, add some cherry to it if you will.”
“I’ll try to remove the pits.” Zuko gave her a lopsided grin. Azula gave him a light kick, but she did so with a playful smile.
“I’ll be back in a second or two.” He gave her a slight nod and made his way to the kitchen. Truth be told Zuko didn’t quite know how to make tea, that was always uncle’s job. He’d just have to hope that years of watching Iroh would pay off.
If he made the tea right, Azula would sound less hoarse after drinking it. When the two were just kids, Azula used to claim that nice hot tea would make her throat feel better. That was one thing he hopped didn’t change.
Zuko returned to her bedside with the tea. “Careful it’s…”
Azula snatched the cup and took a rather large sip.
“…Hot.” He finished.
“Isn’t that the point Zu-Zu?” Azula asked. She continued drinking the tea.
“Do you like it?”
“Hmm?”
“The tea, do you like it? I made it myself.”
“Not enough cherry, but it’s good enough.” Azula replied between sips. She sniffled. When she finished the tea, she set the cup on her nightstand and rolled onto her side.
***
Azula woke up to a pounding in her head and a dull ache in her stomach. Wincing, she curled up into the fetal position.
Mistake.
Her stomach lurched, she felt a wave nausea.
She stood up and headed for Zuko’s room. With each step her head seemed to pound more furiously. She stumbled into his room and sat down on his bed.
At first he didn’t seem to notice her. But when Azula shifted positions he bolted upright. “Azula!? What are you doing in my room?”
“I’ve got a headache. And if I can’t sleep, you can’t either.” She shrugged.
Zuko rubbed his eyes. “I’ll see if I can get you some kind of herbal remedy. Aang told be about these frogs he found when Sokka and Katara were sick…you suck on them and…”
“Zu-Zu. Do I look like the kind of person who will suck on a frog, under any circumstance?”
Zuko sighed. “Alright fine, you and I can just stay up all night.”
“No thanks.” Azula replied and put her head on his pillow.
“What are you…?”
“You’re bed is more comfy.” Truth be told, Azula just wanted someone to be there in case something happened. And whether she liked to admit it or not, her older brother was rather comforting to be around. “Night, Zu-Zu.”
Zuko ruffled his hair. Apparently he’d be sleeping on the floor tonight. “Goodnight Azula. I hope you feel better in the morning.”