A nineteen-year-old teenager turned his truck silently down the street on which he lived. He sipped the coffee he'd just stopped and gotten. Just as he was rounding the first curve of the road, he saw a dark-haired male walking on the side of the road. Aang Kaze felt compelled to slow his truck and roll down the window near this stranger on the side of the road. "Hey, need a lift?"

The golden-eyed stranger looked at him coldly. "No."

Aang scowled as the stranger walked away, briskly. He took his foot off the brake, rolling the truck forward in pace with the stranger. "How else am I to know you got to your destination safely? Thing is; now I'm involved. If you end up dead on the side of the road, I'll have been the last person to see you alive. The police will investigate and I'll be suspected for murder. So do me a favor and get in."

"I won't die." The stranger glared ahead, not looking at Aang.

"Who are you to know your destiny?" Aang asked, grinning.

The stranger stopped, looked at him, his eyes flashing with surprise. Aang watched as he smothered the look with indifference, his truck coming to a halt. Aang also noticed the rather prominent scar covering the area around the left eye on the stranger. The stranger sighed. "Fine."

The stranger wrenched open the door and slid in to Aang's battered pick-up. Aang grinned. "Thank you, kind sir."

"Zuko." The stranger said.

"Huh?" Aang's eye's slid to the road as he sped onto the road again.

"My name's Zuko Uryuu." Zuko stated.

"Oh."

Silence reigned for a few prolonged moments of country music playing. "So, where you headed?"

"3568 Maple Street."

Aang looked surprised, then grinned brighter. "So, you're the new neighbor? I was wondering who moved in."

"You're my neighbor?" Zuko's eyebrow arched into his brown hair.

"Guess so."

Aang swiftly pulled into his new neighbor's driveway. Aang grinned. "So, same time tomorrow?"

Zuko stopped for a moment, answering, before closing the door. "Perhaps."

Aang watched as Zuko entered his house before pulling out, and into the next driveway, parking in his garage.

0o0o0

The next day found Aang driving home at the same time, the same way, except slower, anticipating an extra passenger. He grinned as he noticed a shock of brown hair, and striking golden eyes. Aang stopped his vehicle next to Zuko, rolling the window down again. "Hey, stranger."

"Hey." The golden-eyed male greeted climbing into the passenger seat.

They rode in silence, country music playing in the background again. Fields of wheat flew by as Aang pushed his decrepit truck to its limits.

"You like coffee?" Zuko questioned, eyeing his styrofoam cup.

"Sure do."

"Me too."

Aang pulled into Zuko's driveway, taking a sip of his coffee. "So, how do you take your coffee?"

0o0o0

Two days since meeting his new neighbor, Zuko, Aang stood in his favorite coffee shop, Northern Water Tribe Coffee. A good friend of his owned the place and gave him a discount.

Katara Mizu stood at the counter of the small café, smiling as Aang walked in, right on time. "Hey, Aang. How was college today?"

"Ugh, two words. Chemistry kills."

Katara laughed gently. "The usual?"

"You know it." Aang grinned.

Katara turned to Sokka, Katara's brother, and gave him the order. As Katara turned back, Aang's face lit up. "Oh yeah, can I get another?"

"Sure." Katara smiled and called for another, turning to Aang with a grin. "So, who's it for?"

"A stranger."

Katara gave him an odd look, causing him to laugh. "This guy, Zuko; I picked him up after school a couple days ago and found out he lives next to me. So I picked him up again yesterday, and he noticed my coffee, so I figured I'd be kind enough to get him one too."

Katara went in the back for a moment and returned with to Styrofoam cups of coffee. "Have fun now."

Aang smiled as Katara waved him farewell. Aang fumbled with the door handle for a moment before opening it and placing the coffee in cup holders. He climbed into his truck and sped off down the road, eager to get to Zuko, and see his reaction.

He spotted Zuko easily, and grinned as the male climbed into his truck. As soon as he was settled he offered the coffee.

"Thanks." Zuko offered, before sipping tentatively at the amber liquid. "It's good."

"Mm-Hm! My friend owns the place and gives me discounts. The best place ever for coffee."

"Is that so?"

"Yup!"

Aang pulled into the now familiar driveway, smiling as he suggested an offer. "You know, I could give you a ride in the morning, if you'd like."

"I think I'd like that." Zuko's eyes brightened as he left.

0o0o0

The next morning Aang pulled into the driveway next to his. He walked up to the door and knocked gently. Zuko pulled the door open and grabbed his wallet before stepping out and closing it.

"So, where you headed this morning?" Aang asked cheerfully.

"School. Pheonix Uni."

"Oh, really? I go to Destati Uni. Those two usually throw joint bashes." Aang observed idly.

"Huh."

"You know," Aang looked over to Zuko, "You really don't seem the fun type."

"Hey!" Zuko defended himself poorly.

"Come on. How many parties have you been to?"

"…One."

Aang lit up. "Well, you know what? There's a party tonight. Come by my house and we'll go together. Nine o'clock. If you don't show up by then, I'll know to leave without you."

0o0o0

Aang stood by his window, watching the neighboring house intently. Idly, he wondered if that was considered stalking. He decided that to go to the living room and watch his fish float lazily around their tank was the best way to pass time. He jumped, startled and excited, when a knock sounded at his door.

He opened the door to reveal a slightly agitated looking Zuko, nursing a cut hand. Worried, Aang dragged the golden-eyed male in. "What happened?"

"I slipped on the grass on the way over here and sliced my hand on the sprinkler that caused me to slip in the first place." Zuko growled.

"Well, come here." Aang guided Zuko to his bathroom, where he washed the cut with antiseptic and wrapped it in gauze.

Zuko eyed it warily. "That's a bit excessive, isn't it?"

"I don't think so. Now, come on or we'll be late."

Zuko let himself be dragged all the way to a club the university's rented out. They paid to get in. The music was shaking the walls and floors. Aang walked out onto a floor of writhing bodies, dragging Zuko with him. The gray-eyed male started dancing while his companion just stood there with a dazed expression.

Aang laughed. "It's not that hard. Just move your body."

Aang grabbed Zuko's arms and began moving them in hopes of getting him to move. When Zuko hardly budged, Aang sighed, all to eager for his "extreme measures". He turned his back to the golden-eyed male and pressed himself up against the other and began moving. He twisted around and wrapped his arms around his friends' waist and began guiding him.

Zuko moved hesitantly as Aang pressed their torsos together and began moving him. He liked the feel of Aang's body heat against his cooled, already sweating skin. He started moving on his own and instantly regretted it. Aang backed away from him, nodding approvingly. "That's it!"

Zuko stopped moving. "I'm getting something to drink."

"Oh, I'll come to."

Zuko weaved his way out of the sea of bodies and to the bar on the side. He took a seat on a stool, Aang doing the same. He waved a bartender down.

"I'll take a coke with rum, heavy on the rum." The bartender nodded to Zuko and looked to Aang.

"Strawberry daiquiri."

The bartender grinned. "Coming right up."

Moments later he returned with the ordered drinks. Zuko downed his quickly, while Aang only drank half of his.

"You know, I don't even know how old you are." Aang prompted.

"Twenty."

"M' nineteen."

Zuko's demeanor had changed, Aang noticed. He was looser. Aang downed the rest of his strawberry daiquiri, as Zuko finished his second rum and coke. "Wanna dance?"

Zuko shrugged. "Sure."

Zuko led Aang to the center of the dance floor and pressed up against Aang and began dancing closely, weaving himself against the smaller male. Zuko smiled at Aang as the latter grinned.