Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Avatar the Last Airbender.
Author's Note: This is my first try in writing yaoi. It was quite fun actually. I don't know if I support this shipping, I kind of support everyone but have my favourites, of course. The only ones I really can't like is Zuko/Iroh and Sokka/Katara or Aang/Sokka. Those just feels… too wrong. Azula/Zuko is almost… no, I change my mind, they are more then almost!
In this one, the dialog is slightly inspired by Cold Case.
Anyway, review, please! And please some ideas on one-shots. And, the song is from "Fields of Gold" by Sting.
Phritzen
Field of Gold
The sunset truly was beautiful today.
The whole sky was painted in different, soft colours. The clouds was pink and purple over the golden sky, were the fiery sun just was swallowed by the deep, dark ocean. Who needed firework when the sky would paint masterpiece of colours like this? Like it was celebrating too. The war was over, Lord Ozai was defeated and peace would be raised over the world with his son and the Avatar.
Aang smiled by the thought. He leaned against the railing to the royally balcony. The party was going one inside of the palace to celebrate their victory and the new era that was beginning, but when Sokka and Iroh started sing a duet of "The four seasons" Aang decided to take a break and enjoy the sunset in peace. The sound from the waves from the beach beneath him made him close his eyes. It was a calming, steady sound, it made him a little sleepy. After fighting the evil Fire lord for years he thought he deserved a while of safe, undangerous sleep.
"If you are tired you should go to you chamber, not to the balcony" a harsh voice said behind him. All sleepiness disappeared from Aang as he spun around to face the voice.
"Lord Zuko" he greeted, and then he remembered to bow.
Zuko scowled. "You want to force me to call you Avatar Aang?" he muttered and glanced at Aang, who flushed and looked away. Even if the two of them helped to defeat the Fire Lord and now were good friends, Aang could never really relax around the severe young Fire Lord. His uncle was so much easier to spend time with, the old man always had time for a cup of tea or a talk of advice.
Zuko went over to the railing and leand against beside Aang. "You have any idea how easy it is to assassinate someone from a balcony?" he asked, staring out over the ocean.
Aang swallowed. "No… I…"
Zuko snorted. "You just thought no one would be interested in assassinate you when the war was over?"
Aang didn't respond the Lord's mockery words. The true answer was that he hadn't thought at all. "Perhaps" he said weakly and joined Zuko in his admiring of the nature's beauty.
"But you work isn't over yet, is it?" Zuko asked. "You will be staring to travel out in the world again as soon as the celebrations are over, that was the earth bender told me"
Aang couldn't hide the scowl that crept over his otherwise cheerful face. He looked away from Zuko, didn't want him to think he couldn't do his job as the Avatar. Even after they had success in saving the world it was obvious that the Fire Lord thought little of the Avatars competence.
But nothing escaped the golden eyes young man. "You are not happy travailing the world?" he assumed.
"I am happy here" Aang answered before he could stop him self. Zuko throw a the younger boy a hasty glance, but didn't say anything. Aang stared out over the ocean, and with courage he didn't know he had, at least not in front of the Fire lord he continued.
"Don't you want to go somewhere else sometimes?" he asked. "Do you always want to be the might Fire Lord? Don't you just want to get out sometimes?" He looked at Zuko, the red clothing and the royal artefact. He truly looked like a king, a proud, handsome king, just like in the tales.
The Lord didn't answer, just gazed over the sea, as the suns last light went out. "No" he said then. "I am the Fire Lord"
"Well, I know where I want to go if I could" Aang said bitterly. For some reason, he was hurt that Zuko didn't understand what he was talking about, and determined to make him to.
"It was on my first ride with Appa…" he began. "We were out the whole day, and behind a forest we found the most beautiful place I ever seen… it was horses on a field, not bird-horses, not dog-horses… just… horses" He took his eyes from the sea and turned to Zuko, and found to his surprise that the Fire Lord was watching him, with those stern golden eyes.
"That's were I want to be" Aang smiled. Zuko didn't answer, just stared at him. Aang felt his cheek heat under the Lord's intense gaze, but he didn't look away. They were like fire, glowing, but they also reminded him of the yellow grass on that field. Where the horses ran, and he had been nothing but cheerful, were he had not been the Avatar, were he had just been Aang, just a boy, not a hero. Were he had been nothing but happy, lying in that field of gold.
"You want to come with me?" he asked him, without planning it, without wanting it. He saw Zuko's golden eyes widening with surprise as he stared at him, those sparkling, glittering, deep, golden eyes that meet his.
The sunset they had been watching faded away, its beautiful colours over the sky suddenly wasn't important anymore. The sky, shaded in red, purple and pure gold, the very reason they had got out of the party to the balcony, stopped matter. The fact that golden met grey was the only thing that did.
Then Zuko looked away.
Why did he feel so empty when those stern eyes didn't meet his? "What are you talking about?" he half laughed, like he didn't understand. Why did it hurt so much? Aang didn't understand, but his chest seemed to be too small to his heart, his aching heart. The soft thunder from the beach was for a second the only sound between them. Aang couldn't even breathe.
"You're the Avatar, you can't go anywhere that doesn't help the world" Zuko said a matter-of-factly.
Aang smiled and looked down, trying to pretend he didn't feel the broken pieces inside of him. "You are right, I can't" he mumbled and felt so… empty, hopeless. He never wanted to be the Avatar, and even after they had saved the world, he wasn't free. He would never be free.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, and slowly looked up.
And meet the golden eyes of the Fire Lord.
Without a word Aang laid his own hand over Zuko's one, comforting. None of them said a word, just stared in each others eyes. Pearlgrey meet pure golden, as the first star lit over their heads.
Aang felt his heart hammer beneath his flesh and blood, like the drums from the party inside, but faster, so much faster. The heat from Zuko's hand under his own, cooler. The smooth, pale skin, the steady pulse under it. He could feel it all as clearly as his own heartbeat.
Zuko held his gaze, even if Aang felt his cheeks heat again, was it just Aang's imagination, ore did they looked much softer. Then, Aang's heart skipped a beat, Zuko caressed his hand with his own fingers, gently, slowly.
"Ask me again" he whispered, the hoarsely voice send shivers down Aang's backbone. His mouth was dry as a desert, he couldn't get a word out.
"I… I…"
"Aang! There you are!" yelled Sokka and waved at them from the door. "You are missing everything!"
Aang peeked at Zuko, but the Fire Lord had turned his face away. It was in the shadow.
Aang's hands felt cold.
Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in the fields of gold