I don't own these Characters.

AN: Just a quick something that's been sitting on my hard drive half finished. I obviously did finish it and decided it was so cute i should post it. enjoy!

0-0

Human contact was something that Zuko always found himself wary of. It was a general rule that, anyone besides Uncle- who didn't really feel the need to be too affectionate -, wanted to touch him in order to harm him, and so Zuko had grown an aversion to skin on skin contact. With anyone.

Mai was an anomaly. Someone he liked enough to touch back, and hope that she would keep touching, her thin cool fingers running through his hair, or over his shoulders, leaving shivers and desire in their wake.

With the rest of his friends, Sokka and Katara usually respected the bubble he erected around him. Contact was fleeting and far between. Just a slap on the back, or a healing touch. He was ok with that. What he shirked away from was Aang and Toph's huggy feely attacks. For that's what they were. It was like they conspired together and made a pact that whenever he was in the vicinity, they'd conglomerate on him. This should have died out as the years passed, but it didn't. Every single time he saw them, they'd jump him.

"You know," Aang turned his head up to listen better. "It used to bother me more when you did this." A strong hand rubbed a bald head. "…So can you please stop already?" Zuko was flushing now. Expressions of affection always made him unbearably flustered.

Aang grinned up at him. "Even if you say that Sifu, I like hugging you. And so does Toph. We're not going to stop anytime soon."

Zuko shifted unhappily in the Avatar's embrace, wondering if shoving at the other would do any good. Probably not. Aang was like a monkey, and he didn't want to risk hurting the other. It would be bad for foreign relations. Several moments passed. "Katara's going to start getting jealous if this hug goes on any longer you know." Aang gave him a confused look.

"Why? Friends hug each other all the time. Why would she be jealous?"

Twenty and still this naïve, Zuko sighed. "Never mind. Just do as you like. It's not like you're going to listen to anything I say anyway."

Aang smirked before letting go. "You know. This did start out as a game of some sort, a way to get you used to being affectionate. I'm glad that your phobia is better."

Watching the other run down the hall laughing, Zuko pondered how Aang managed to come across and understand the word "Phobia." He decided it didn't really matter.