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This was the third girl in a week with a panda lily in her hair. The first two had claimed a date was meeting them there and he’d never come. They’d seemed nice and left him a decent tip but, other than the flower, Zuko hadn’t found anything remarkable about them.

Today’s girl, however, had the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. Plus she actually tried to joke with him when she ordered her hot chocolate and requested extra whipped cream. He could stand to bring her at least a second cup on the house (he’d saved up his free drinks and his uncle...would probably encourage him giving them to female customers).

He choose a lull in activity to make her drink. He placed it right in front of her (she was looking down at her phone) and said “on the house,” before picking up her used cup and walking back behind the counter.

“Wait what?” She shouted to the mostly empty coffee house. There was the usual grad student in the corner who bought pots of coffee like he was going to run out during finals week and a pair of women in the other corner.

Zuko, deciding not to advertise his giving out free drinks, walked back to her table. “On the house,” he said.

She glared at the cup. “I don’t need any sympathy.”

“It’s not. You’re nice and I get three free drinks a day. I just choose to spend one on you. I can take it back if you want.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” She sighed and ran her finger over the rim of the cup. “It’s just...this was my first time trying out online dating and he seemed so sweet. I guess I just got my hopes up.”

“It’s not a total bad day, you got a free hot chocolate,” he tried to sound upbeat but felt like he was failing miserably.

She gave him a weak smile. “I guess I’ll have to.”

Zuko went back behind the counter and tried his best to look busy. Unfortunately the coffee was fresh and the bake case was mostly full. He placed a few more cookies in the display before starting to walk back and forth behind the counter. The girl was checking her phone constantly and he guessed she’d be here for another twenty minutes before she left. He could bring her another cup but that might be too weird. He could clean up near her and try to figure out which dating site or app she’d used and try to find her that way.

“Why don’t you give out some samples?” His uncle asked.

“Of what?” Zuko asked. He hated doing the samples.

“Cinnamon scones. We have a few extras today and I already cut one up for you.” He handed Zuko the tray. “Go entice the customers.”

The grad student took two and the ladies declined. “Sample?” He asked the girl.

“Oh, thank you.” She popped it into her mouth and made an approving noise. “These are my favorite.”

“Mine too,” he said immediately.

“You’re just saying that because I like it.”

He shook his head. “No I really do like it. You can ask my uncle.”

“Uh...sure?”

“He owns the place.”

“Then bring him out here.”

Zuko was beginning to think the girl might be slightly full of herself when his uncle chose that minute to come walking up behind him. “Nephew it’s time for your break!”

“No its-”

“Yes it is Zuko and here, a chi tea.” He set the cup down on the table. “You can continue your conversation if you’d like.” With that he winked and walked away.

Zuko felt his neck heat up. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, “Uncle Iroh is, well, he does things like this.”

“It’s kind of sweet.”

“Yeah, look I’ll just go drink this in the back-”

“He’s already twenty minutes late and I’ve probably been stood up so just stay so I don’t feel like a complete loser.”

“I wouldn’t stand you up,” he heard himself say as he sat down.

She laughed. “That was really cheesy.”

Zuko hung his head. “I know.”

“Do you always say things like that?”

“My ex told me I do. I’m Zuko by the way.”

“Katara, unless you remember that from when I ordered.”

“I remember drinks more than names,” he admitted.

“That’s kind of cute.”

~*~*~

“Not you too,” he said with a groan as Mai walked in the door the next day with a panda lily in her hair.

“I can’t come in here now that we’ve broken up?” She drawled.

“Like it’s stopped you before,” he replied. “No what I was talking about was the fact that you are going to get stood up.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You’re the fourth girl this week with a panda lily in her hair and all of them have been stood up. Why didn’t you tell me you joined OkCupid?”

“First of all I don’t have to tell you anything because we broke up-”

“I thought he were friends.”

She rolled her eyes. “We are but I’m not going to tell you about online dating. Second of all Ty Lee did it and she’s also making you a profile.”

“Not necessary,” he said with a smirk.

“Oh? Are you trying to build up the muscles in one of your arms?” Mai joked.

“No! Katara and I have a date tomorrow night.”

“And who is Katara?”

“The girl who got stood up yesterday. Uncle subtly set us up.”

“Drink to the table?”

“Exactly. You’re going to be disappointed.”

Mai tapped her chin with her finger. “How about we bet on it? If I win you owe me free fruit tarts for a month and if you win I give you the guy’s name.”

“Katara was going to tell me but deal.”

A half an hour later Mai pulled up the guy’s profile for Zuko. “When I find that scum bag,” she muttered as she handed her phone to Zuko.

“That’s Jet!”

“That guy you fired?” Mai asked. “He worked here, what? Two weeks maybe?”

“Yeah because he was stealing and he said he’d get back at us but why this?”

She shrugged. “How should I know? It’s not like you can do anything either.”

“I can. The new place he’s working called us because he stupidly said they could contact us. I asked if they were still going to give him the job but they guy muttered something about second chances.”

“So where is it?”

“Chong’s Music Store.”

~*~*~

“Why did you want to go here again?” Katara asked as she slammed the car door. Zuko hoped she’d still want to go to dinner after this but he also wanted to have an audience. Jet was an asshole, had taken advantage of his uncle, and had stood up now five girls (the fifth was today).

“Just a quick stop then we’ll go,” he said as he pulled the door to the shop open. “After you.”

He watched Katara go off into the aisles of cds before scanning the store for Jet. Luck seemed to be on his side because Jet was with a customer. Zuko watched Jet finish up and strode towards him. “Hey,” he said angrily.

Jet turned around and said “can I help you?”

Zuko liked that he gulped when Jet saw him. “Yeah you can tell me why you’re standing up girls in my uncle’s coffee shop.”

Jet raised his hands. “I’m just deciding not to go on dates with losers. Have you seen their profiles?”

“Five of them?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why do you even agree to dates?”

Jet shrugged. “Have to get them to stop messaging me somehow. Besides, maybe word will get out that getting invited to your little coffee shop for a date is code for rejection. Now wouldn’t that be a shame?”

Zuko’s anger got the better of him and he punched Jet. “My uncle has worked hard to make sure his place is welcoming to everyone! You’re trying to turn it into something it’s not!”

“You punched me!”

“So?”

“You’re going to regret doing that! I can press charges!”

“I don’t think so,” a female voice said sweetly. Katara came and stood next to Zuko. “From what I saw Zuko didn’t even touch you. You just tried to make it look like he did.”

“And who’s going to believe you, sweetheart?” Jet asked as he rubbed his jaw.

“My dad, who’s a cop.”

“That’s...that’s…”

“Not fair?” Katara supplied. “Well life’s not fair and what you’re doing is terrible. Either figure out a way to reject girls on your own or get off that sight and stop trying to ruin the reputation of the place that serves the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. Come on Zuko,” Katara said as she grabbed his hand, “we’re going.”

She dragged him out of the store. Once safely in the car he said “that was amazing.”

She smiled. “It kind of was. Very exciting first date.”

“You still want to go out?”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Yes I do. Don’t make me regret standing up for you.”

“Fair enough,” he started the car. “So you’re dad is a cop?”

“Let’s wait for dinner until we start talking about our parents and people who may or may not be in law enforcement.”