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Title: The Return
Pairing: Zuko/Aang
Fandom: Avatar
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine
Notes: late entry for the challenge over at![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-userinfo.gif)
aangxzuko; maybe it'll help get me out of my writer's block, in any case. XD
Zuko sat at his desk, eyes narrowed as he started at the piles of paper in front of him. There were letters from the three remaining Nations; the ones from the Water Tribe were either demanding the Fire Nation to give up it’s military power, demanding monetary contributions for their suffering, or complaining about the continued Fire Nation presence in their villages (though it was not military; Zuko had ordered all military subjects to return to the Fire Nation immediately). The letters from the Earth Nation were more of the same, though their letter were more threatening than the Water Nation’s.
The remaining letters from Zuko’s own Nation; they were either declaring him a traitor for siding with the Avatar and dethroning his father or declaring him a coward for ending the war.
Zuko could feel panic and anger course through him and with it, a tiny thread of helplessness. What am I doing? he thought. I’m not prepared to lead a country that already hates me. Briefly he thought back to when the war had just ended; he had been more sure of himself then but that probably had something to do with Aang’s presence.
Aang, he thought, hands clenching into fists. They’d grown…rather close at one point but then the Avatar had disappeared. Zuko glared down at the papers, feeling his temperature rise.
A tap at his door drew his attention and Zuko looked up, both relieved and annoyed at the interruption.
“What?” he said curtly and a servant stepped in, bowing.
“My Lord, you have a visitor,” she said, voice quiet.
“Send him or her away,” Zuko said, not in the mood for sycophants or smug royals.
“I would sire, but he’s…” she trailed off and the door opened wider.
Zuko gasped and immediately hated himself. Aang he thought, an annoying, ridiculous ache rising in his chest. “You may leave,” he told the servant. She bowed out, closing the door with a quiet snick.
“Aang,” Zuko said, relieved that his voice was steady.
“Hey Zuko,” Aang said, walking forward with long strides and sitting down at the chair in front of the desk. “How’re you doing?”
Zuko stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded, before his eyes narrowed in a lethal glare. “What are you doing here?” He practically spat out the words.
Aang blinked, eyebrows raised. “I’m…here to see you,” he said slowly, as if he wasn’t sure he should say it or not.
Clenching his fists, Zuko said, “Really? To see me?”
“…Yeah.” The word was drawn out.
Zuko was attempting to reign in his temper; he was never very good at doing so. “To see me. How considerate of you. You help me kill my father, end the war, and assume the throne and then disappear.” Zuko got up and walked around the desk. “I really could have -,” wanted, needed “-benefited from having you around, Avatar, but you were gone!” These last words were yelled and the temperature in the room had risen a few degrees.
Aang stood. They were both taller now and loser in height but Aang still had to tilt his head a bit to meet Zuko’s eyes.
“I was off doing my duties as the Avatar,” he said. “You knew I had to leave.”
Zuko shook his head. “Yes, I knew you had to leave but you disappeared. I didn’t hear anything from you; the only information I had was hearing people talk about where you were and what you were doing. It was incredibly-” careful, careful “-irritating.” Ha. And maddening, and insulting and, and hurtful.
Aang, at least, had the grace to look uncomfortable. He glanced away. “It’s very hectic, trying to help people who are too busy hating and fearing each other to do anything productive,” he said. “But I’m back now!” He grinned winsomely at Zuko.
Zuko snorted. “You’re back,” he said, frowning. “What if I don’t want you now?”
Stunned, Aang blinked; as if the idea that Zuko might not want him anymore had never occurred to him. The damnable thing was that Zuko was holding himself back, fighting the urge to fling his arms around Aang and bind the Avatar to him, to demand that he never leave again.
Aang bit his lip before taking a step towards Zuko. “But…I’m back,” he said and something about the way he said it made Zuko pause and star hard at Aang; as if he were trying to read his thoughts.
Aang nodded and help out one hand entreatingly. “Really,” he said. “Everything that I needed to do is done now. The nations can handle themselves without me. Well,” he grinned and shrugged one shoulder. “For a while, anyway.”
Taking a deep breath, Zuko reached out and took hold of Aang’s hand. Jerking him forward, he looped his other arm around Aang’s shoulders and drew him close.
“I…I don’t care if you keep to your obligations, even if that means having to leave,” Zuko said, even though it was a lie; he cared much more than he wanted to, “But if you leave, you have to tell me where you’re going.”
He felt Aang smile against his neck before strong arms wrapped around his waist. “I promise,” Aang whispered and Zuko let out a shaky breath, finally feeling as if he had some footing.
END
NOTES: Yeah, that kind of sucked. I’m having serious writer’s block, yo. It’s annoying and headdesky. May it go away soon. :(
Pairing: Zuko/Aang
Fandom: Avatar
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine
Notes: late entry for the challenge over at
aangxzuko; maybe it'll help get me out of my writer's block, in any case. XD Zuko sat at his desk, eyes narrowed as he started at the piles of paper in front of him. There were letters from the three remaining Nations; the ones from the Water Tribe were either demanding the Fire Nation to give up it’s military power, demanding monetary contributions for their suffering, or complaining about the continued Fire Nation presence in their villages (though it was not military; Zuko had ordered all military subjects to return to the Fire Nation immediately). The letters from the Earth Nation were more of the same, though their letter were more threatening than the Water Nation’s.
The remaining letters from Zuko’s own Nation; they were either declaring him a traitor for siding with the Avatar and dethroning his father or declaring him a coward for ending the war.
Zuko could feel panic and anger course through him and with it, a tiny thread of helplessness. What am I doing? he thought. I’m not prepared to lead a country that already hates me. Briefly he thought back to when the war had just ended; he had been more sure of himself then but that probably had something to do with Aang’s presence.
Aang, he thought, hands clenching into fists. They’d grown…rather close at one point but then the Avatar had disappeared. Zuko glared down at the papers, feeling his temperature rise.
A tap at his door drew his attention and Zuko looked up, both relieved and annoyed at the interruption.
“What?” he said curtly and a servant stepped in, bowing.
“My Lord, you have a visitor,” she said, voice quiet.
“Send him or her away,” Zuko said, not in the mood for sycophants or smug royals.
“I would sire, but he’s…” she trailed off and the door opened wider.
Zuko gasped and immediately hated himself. Aang he thought, an annoying, ridiculous ache rising in his chest. “You may leave,” he told the servant. She bowed out, closing the door with a quiet snick.
“Aang,” Zuko said, relieved that his voice was steady.
“Hey Zuko,” Aang said, walking forward with long strides and sitting down at the chair in front of the desk. “How’re you doing?”
Zuko stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded, before his eyes narrowed in a lethal glare. “What are you doing here?” He practically spat out the words.
Aang blinked, eyebrows raised. “I’m…here to see you,” he said slowly, as if he wasn’t sure he should say it or not.
Clenching his fists, Zuko said, “Really? To see me?”
“…Yeah.” The word was drawn out.
Zuko was attempting to reign in his temper; he was never very good at doing so. “To see me. How considerate of you. You help me kill my father, end the war, and assume the throne and then disappear.” Zuko got up and walked around the desk. “I really could have -,” wanted, needed “-benefited from having you around, Avatar, but you were gone!” These last words were yelled and the temperature in the room had risen a few degrees.
Aang stood. They were both taller now and loser in height but Aang still had to tilt his head a bit to meet Zuko’s eyes.
“I was off doing my duties as the Avatar,” he said. “You knew I had to leave.”
Zuko shook his head. “Yes, I knew you had to leave but you disappeared. I didn’t hear anything from you; the only information I had was hearing people talk about where you were and what you were doing. It was incredibly-” careful, careful “-irritating.” Ha. And maddening, and insulting and, and hurtful.
Aang, at least, had the grace to look uncomfortable. He glanced away. “It’s very hectic, trying to help people who are too busy hating and fearing each other to do anything productive,” he said. “But I’m back now!” He grinned winsomely at Zuko.
Zuko snorted. “You’re back,” he said, frowning. “What if I don’t want you now?”
Stunned, Aang blinked; as if the idea that Zuko might not want him anymore had never occurred to him. The damnable thing was that Zuko was holding himself back, fighting the urge to fling his arms around Aang and bind the Avatar to him, to demand that he never leave again.
Aang bit his lip before taking a step towards Zuko. “But…I’m back,” he said and something about the way he said it made Zuko pause and star hard at Aang; as if he were trying to read his thoughts.
Aang nodded and help out one hand entreatingly. “Really,” he said. “Everything that I needed to do is done now. The nations can handle themselves without me. Well,” he grinned and shrugged one shoulder. “For a while, anyway.”
Taking a deep breath, Zuko reached out and took hold of Aang’s hand. Jerking him forward, he looped his other arm around Aang’s shoulders and drew him close.
“I…I don’t care if you keep to your obligations, even if that means having to leave,” Zuko said, even though it was a lie; he cared much more than he wanted to, “But if you leave, you have to tell me where you’re going.”
He felt Aang smile against his neck before strong arms wrapped around his waist. “I promise,” Aang whispered and Zuko let out a shaky breath, finally feeling as if he had some footing.
END
NOTES: Yeah, that kind of sucked. I’m having serious writer’s block, yo. It’s annoying and headdesky. May it go away soon. :(