A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, seriously thanks they made me really happy. This lovely little one-shot was born after I got the image of Sokka taking care of a sick Zuko. Sorry if it doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm currently looking for a beta, anyone interested?

Chapter title: Sick

Characters/pairing- A little Sokka/Zuko fluff. And a little bitch!Katara (sorry Katara fans.)

Summery- With a little help from Katara, Zuko gets sick. To make up for his sisters attitude Sokka takes it upon himself to nurse Zuko back to health.

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar: The last Airbender. If I did Zuko would have been a girl, and it probably wouldn't have been allowed on Nick.

It was rare for a firebender to get sick, due to the elevated temperature of their bodies. Firebenders didn't catch colds or get attacked by viruses easily. The only time they got really sick was if their body temperature was lowered to a dangerous level. It had happened to many of the men under her control those three years she had been banished. She thanked Agni for her Strong immune system many times.

They only time she had ever gotten sick was when she was little. It was horrible. Bed ridden for weeks, feverish, and unable to keep anything down. She remembered her mother covering her in heavy blankets and creating a nest of pillows so she would be comfortable. Just like a turtleduck, her mother would tell her with a smile.

She remembered Uncle Iroh sitting with her playing Pai-sho and drinking tea. Even Lu-ten visited her to share stories of his travels. Azula and her father never cared to see her, but she was fine with the company she did have. Even though it hurt to know that they didn't care enough to make sure she was well. (Azula never got sick. Zuko was weak for getting sick.)

The healers eventually found out where her illness came from. Once she was better her mother had scolded her about 'playing' outside during the rainy season. ('But I wasn't playing, Azula locked me out!') ('Oh, poor ZuZu, did you get in trouble again?') That was before Lu-ten died and everything went to ashes.

Before her mother left and she only had her Uncle to shield her from her sisters taunts (you're the reason mother left ZuZu!') and Ozai's indifference ('I have no time to deal with such nonsense Zuko!') Since then she had never allowed herself to fall ill again.

Well, except for right now. Right now she was very much sick, and very miserable. (And yet again it wasn't her fault.) The night before they had all decided to relax and swim in a little stream Toph discovered. They swam and played for several hours. When it got dark everyone begged her to use her firebending to make a little hot spring of sorts.

Everyone except Katara. Instead of relaxing into the water like everyone else, Katara decided to glare at her. One by one everyone left to go to bed, until they were the only two left. Immediately Zuko was barraged with threats and insults. She tried to speak and defend herself, but Katara acted before the first syllable formed.

The first thing she registered was something solid and unyielding squeezing at her like a vice. Then freezing cold settled into her senses. Shocked, Zuko had looked down to find herself encased from her shoulders down in Ice. Then, when she tried to express her outrage at being in a block of ice (which was extremely dangerous for her.), she found herself gagged by even more ice.

Immobile and unable to speak she settled for glaring indignantly at the approaching water bender. Katara had smirked at her, gleefully taking in her bound appearance. (Zuko couldn't help but compare her to Azula.) To further her humiliation, Katara had leaned into Zuko, speaking right into her scarred ear. Full of smug amusement, she gave Zuko a warning. ('Remember ZuZu, not a word to mother.')

"You're going to stay here, don't think about firebending your way out of this. I'll personally toss you off the highest point in the temple if you do. I'll be back in the morning to release you. Sweet dreams, Zuko." The threat left her colder than the ice she was stuck in. ('Stay here ZuZu, I'll come get you in the morning')

She watched Katara leave with a shudder (Azula walked off, leaving Zuko sobbing in the rain.)

For hours she stayed in the ice, drifting in and out of consciousness until she heard rustling in the bushes to her left. Stuck as she was, she had no way to defend herself against anything, so she reverted to the childish philosophy 'if I can't see it, it can't see me.'

She prayed to Agni that it was just one of the gaang (preferably not Katara.) Apparently Agni had decided she'd been tortured enough for one night because once the rustling stopped she heard twin gasps and the sound of two sets of feet running into the water.

She felt the ice around her mouth melt back into water, followed shortly by the ice rendering her immobile. She had collapsed into someone's arms and was barely able to hear panicked voices call her name before she passed out.

That's why she was currently hacking her lungs out, bundled up next to the fire. The only good thing that came from her horrible situation was the sound of Katara being lectured by Aang and Toph. (Azula never got in trouble, even when Zuko showed Ozai her bruises.)

Having Sokka take care of her was a nice bonus. Zuko had woken up that morning to six angry voices (Which didn't really help the pounding in her head.) She had tried to sit up, only to find herself wrapped tightly in thick warm blankets. ('Now you're just like a turtleduck Zuko!') By this time the arguing reached a volume that completely decimated what was left of her head. Zuko groaned, and buried her head under the blankets.

Soon she was surrounded by six worried faces, being bombarded left and right with questions. Her response to the questions was rolling over and making a whining sound that would normally make her embarrassed. She heard somebody chuckle at her, prompting a louder whine followed by the mother of all coughing fits. A cool hand touched Zuko's forehead, and she opened her eyes to find herself face to face with Sokka.

She soon found herself immersed in a staring contest with him. Zuko was close to winning when she felt it. A slight tingle, then a twitch, followed by a tickling sensation and she scrunched her nose up to prevent the inevitable and-sneezed. Right. In. Sokka's. Face.

The poor victim of her traitorous nose blinked in shock, then jerked back, yelling and whipping at his face. Zuko heard laughter erupt around her and she buried her head in shame.

Katara was still off moping in the temple somewhere, so Sokka was left to cook their lunch. Since it was his sister that froze her in a block of ice, the resident 'Meat and Sarcasm guy' had taken it upon himself to nurse her back to health. A surprisingly sweet gesture, since neither of them really spent any time together.

Normally Zuko would've stubbornly insisted that she could care for herself, but deep down she really liked the attention (Mao wasn't the kind of guy to outwardly show affection, even if she was sick.) Despite Sokka's usual dorky comments, clumsiness, and general idiocy(that was kinda growing on her) he was one of the best cooks she had ever seen. And he was a pretty decent care taker(not that she would ever admit it to his face.)

After lunch Aang and Toph went to look for Katara and Sokka suggested (more like demanded) that she lie down and sleep. At first she refused, very firm in her belief that naps were a weakness, but Sokka eventually convinced her. She was tucked in by gentle hands, and just before she was asleep, she felt warm lips upon her own.

A/N: Yeah, didn't turn out at all how i wanted. I am going to do a continuation of this one, because i had planed on this whole big nightmare scene but it kinda got to dark for the overall tone of the one-shot. The parts written like this are little mini flashbacks that center around the nightmare. So keep a look out for it. Please review, and if you have any questions i'll be happy to answer them.