12/13/14

Hello All!

Tomorrow is the official start of Zukaang Week hosted by tumblr blogger zukaanggang. To kick things off I wrote a oneshot using all the themes which are:

DayBreak, Skin, Honor, Forgiveness, Change, Heat and Hope.

This story is post-show and "The Search" comic series.

Enjoy!

All Themes

The hundred year war had been over for three years now, Zuko the Fire Lord for just as long, and he still rose with the sun. He had learned quickly that his position had much to do if he wanted things done properly and after the reign of the last three Fire Lords everything had to be done just right to fulfill the promise of his coronation speech.

Unlike Azula, Zuko still preferred to dress himself but there were occasions that someone else did his hair for him. Really there was only one person Zuko allowed to do this; someone whom also rose early from years of rising at dawn to gather for meditation and training at the temple, a habit that stayed with him in his travels and through the years.

That someone was currently staying at the palace with him and had taken on the habit of pouting if Zuko did his hair before Aang finished his morning meditations and came to do it for him. The time since Aang came to stay at the palace had been less than a month but Zuko had already gotten used to the feeling of the airbender's fingers running through his hair to gather it up for the top knot, usually preferring to do that than use a comb.

Though Zuko was enjoying having Aang with him, he felt a certain level of guilt at the pleasure, for the reasoning Aang was there had not been a pleasant thing for his friend. Shortly before Aand's arrival in the Fire Nation Aang's three year relationship with Katara had come to an end. According to Aang it had been a mutual decision, that they still loved each other, but had realized it hadn't been in a romantic way like they thought.

The announcement of Aang becoming available again did nothing but make Zuko feel all the guiltier for the news had made him rather happy. It wasn't as though Zuko thought Katara wasn't good enough for Aang or hated her in the least, Zuko still considered Katara one of his dearest friends, but that friendship had been fuel to his guilt and did nothing to tame the green eyed monster he had living inside of him for all these years.

There was no way of knowing how or when or even why but at some point Zuko had fallen in love with Aang. He had hidden it, particularly from himself, until he had introduced Aang to his mother, happy that two of the most important people in his life were finally meeting, even though he couldn't say they were all together since his uncle Iroh was not there that day.

Still the thought had baffled Zuko and when he looked at Aang again, he saw the Avatar in a whole new light. Aang had not been a prize to be captured to regain his honor for a long time but he no longer saw simply his student and friend anymore; it had changed to something entirely different. What Zuko saw he couldn't even think of words to try and describe it but it had taken his breath away; and he immediately tried to lock those feeling deep down inside of him.

At the time Aang had only been twelve years old, dating a common friend, was, and still is, a boy. Even if Zuko could ignore the age difference and had tried to separate them, which he never could even imagine attempting since they were both his friends and happy together, he could not look past Aang's gender. With their positions in the world, they were both expected to marry and have children. Both of them needed to have children, especially with Aang being the last of his people and having to pass down the line of air bending to save his culture and to keep the Avatar chain of reincarnation breaking many years from now.

This had made it easy for Zuko keep the feelings at bay, to ignore the longing and just be friends with Aang. He had even been able to become friends with Mai again, even though his feelings for her had changed and the courtship they shared a pleasant memory. His friendship with her had even helped keep unwanted would-be-brides at bay for many people thought they would get back together.

Yet the moment the Zuko knew that Aang was available, that Aang had come to him after his break up, poisonous hope bubbled up inside of him, cracking open the feelings he had tried for so long to ignore. Every time Aang touched him, leaving Zuko's skin heated for hours later without the use of firebending, or smiled at him, leaving him with an adrenaline that could not be spent sitting at meetings especially when he could not stop thinking of them, became Zuko's guilty pleasures, wanting more and dreading when Aang would leave to continue his duty as the Avatar and leave Zuko's hope properly crushed.

There was no telling Aang his feelings. There was nothing they do about them even if Aang felt the same. As Zuko had thought many times before they both needed to continue their lines, to honor their people and their nations and they could not do that together.

"What are you thinking about?" Aang voice reached Zuko just as his fingertips brushed along Zuko's cheek and ear, leaving a trail of heat wherever he touched, starting to gather up Zuko's hair as he stood behind the seated Fire Lord, as he had been sitting at his vanity as he waited.

Using the mirror's reflection, Zuko gazed at Aang. The now fifteen year old Avatar had come to his room shirtless again, flaunting what Zuko could not have and hoped the spirits would forgive him for wanting. Aang's skin, adorned by the comfortingly familiar blue arrows, stood within reach, undoubtedly soft and warm and something Zuko could get addicted to if given the chance. The Avatar had also grown taller, more than likely he would surpass Zuko soon enough, and stronger but still kept his lithe form for speed and agility over strength.

The gentle smile on Aang's face, so content at simply doing Zuko's hair for him, almost made Zuko forget that Aang had asked him a question; one he hadn't answered yet. Over the years of denying his feelings he had learned partial truths worked best, especially whenever Toph was around.

"You and Katara," Zuko thought that answer would be plausible enough.

"What about it?" Aang questioned further, losing hold of some of Zuko's hair and having to start over, distracting Zuko all over again.

"I guess I'm still a bit surprised by it," Zuko gathered his thoughts after a moment. "You two seemed happy together."

"We were," Aang said, "It wasn't a bad relationship by any means and as I said before we still love each other it just wasn't the love we thought it was. When we were discussing it Katara had suggested that maybe if neither of us found someone to have a family with down the line we could still get married and have that family together but we both deserved a chance to find someone we were truly in love with."

"You would marry her, even if you didn't love her that way?" Zuko asked, surprised.

"The monks never married," Aang started as he started to form the top knot in Zuko's hair. "They fell in love and had partnerships, sometimes with multiple people, obviously, or there never would have been any children, but marriage in general is a foreign concept to me. Still I know there are multiple agrees of love and you can love several people and it won't change due to a contract but marriage is important to Katara's culture and if we were to have children together I would do what would make her most comfortable."

Zuko drank up the information greedily, thinking it over as Aang finished doing his hair. When he finally spoke he spoke to Aang via his reflection, unable to look directly into his real face, "So you could, in theory, be married to Katara and have a family with her but still have a separate relationship with someone else; even if that person was married to have a family?"

"If Katara was fine with it yes," Aang spoke to Zuko's reflection in return. "And whoever this other person was married to; I wouldn't sneak around behind anyone's back."

"But if everyone was okay with it, would you?" Zuko could barely look into the reflection of Aang's eyes anymore; he didn't want to reveal his anxious hope which wanted to lash out of him and latch onto Aang with a desperation Zuko hadn't felt since his banishment.

"If everyone was okay with it, then yes," Aang's reflection nodded.

Zuko would never forgive his hope if it had lead him astray in this moment, making him turn and look into Aang's real face, look into his real eyes and ask, "Could the other person be another man?"

If the question took Aang by surprise, he didn't show it. Instead he rested his hand on the vanity and leaned in, hovering just above Zuko who could feel the heat of Aang's breath against his skin.

"It depends," Aang returned Zuko's gaze, "Is the other man you?"

Not trusting his voice, Zuko nodded.

"Then yes, it could," Aang's voice had gone softer, Zuko swore he could hear a hope echoing his own, "If you wanted it to be you."

Part of Zuko wanted to yell at Aang, why would he ask if he didn't want it to be him while the other part wanted to pull Aang down, into his lap if possible, hold him there and kiss him until the Avatar had no thoughts of escaping him.

Luckily it was the other part that won out and Zuko found that Aang fit quite nicely onto his lap and his own touch could cause Aang's skin to heat up and change to a lovely shade of red.