The following day, I avoid Zuko for a while in order to gather my thoughts. But he seems to be avoiding me, too.

Unfortunately, as large as the palace is, there are only so many corridors that are familiar to me, ones that I keep walking down over and over again to keep from getting lost. So, eventually, Zuko and I spot one another.

We end up meeting in the royal bathhouse, a large, steaming room with pools – big and small – full of heated water. It is meant less to bathe oneself and more to relax and calm oneself. The monks had one of these, too; only we called them 'hot springs,' since they were naturally formed in the high mountains of the Southern Air Temple, where white, red-faced monkeys would lay in them to keep warm in the winter.

"…Hi, Zuko," I say a hair awkwardly as I settle into the water beside him in the main pool. Nobody else is here, probably to give the Fire Lord privacy. For once, I wish I weren't someone 'important,' because then I wouldn't be allowed into such places without question or restraint.

Technically, you're supposed to be naked in these pools, but I kept a towel around me. And now I'm glad that I had, because I didn't know it was Zuko until I stepped into the water, in which case, it had been too late to turn around in order to avoid him.

"Hi, Aang," he replies, and his face is pink, but it must be the heat. "How're you today? Did you try practicing that fire tornado?"

I shake my head. "No, not yet. But I guess I'm doing okay. What about you?"

He glances down into the water, his hands dropping below the surface to adjust his seating, and I realize that unlike me, he must not be wearing a towel because he thought he wouldn't be having any company. I flush, and I know it's not because of the heat. Damn it! Why am I getting so embarrassed? It's not like he has something I don't already have on m own body. No big deal, right?

I frown at my thoughts. You're wrong, Dummy: every boy is different, and you know that. I shiver again, an odd feeling washing over my frame, like a ripple of subtle electricity ghosting just below the surface of my skin.

Zuko answers my question after a pause. "I'm doing well, I guess. I didn't have much work to do today, so… here I am. And… here you are."

There is something hidden in his tone, but the cloak is done so well that I can't tell what. So I opt to agree, a means of prying for another hint as to what he's hiding. "Yeah, here I am. Is that alright with you? That I'm here? I could leave, if you like."

"No," he says, a bit too quickly. He corrects himself. "I mean… you don't have to go if you don't want to, Aang. I don't mean to push you away." His voice lowers to a softer tone. "I always end up pushing people away."

I tilt my head, waiting for him to continue. I know if I just give him time, he'll open up to me like Ursa wanted. Because now I know that there is something bothering him deep down, and for the past few days he's been concealing it with a clever smile and laugh that almost fooled me completely. But I knew that a smiling, laughing Zuko wasn't the real Zuko, even if he has changed a great deal throughout the years.

He shifts his position to lower himself to the floor of the pool, his chin barely above the water when before he had had nearly his entire torso above it. His eyelids lower, although I can hardly tell from this angle; I can only see the profile of his left side, the scarred half of his face, which distorts his expressions at times. But I can see his droplet-tipped eyelashes from the other side of the bridge of his nose, and I can see them lower a notch. I'm mesmerized, watching for every little movement he makes, and it makes me a little sicker inside for being so entranced by the strange beauty of my friend.

Oh no, I thought the B-word. Beauty. That's not a good sign, since this time, I'm using it to refer to another male. Another shiver rattles my bones, but not violent enough to make Zuko to peer sideways at me.

Finally, Zuko speaks, saving me from thinking anything further about him. "I don't mean to push people away, but it has become a habit for me. I pushed away my uncle for years. I pushed away you when you subtly asked if we could be friends. I pushed Katara away when she offered to heal my scar, to let me join your group. I pushed away Toph when she came to see me the night I was rejected by your group later on. I even pushed away my own mother, after years of waiting to have her back, and all because I've been lost in my own mental slump over one teeny-tiny detail in my life that has refused to go away since after I joined your side."

My face bunches in puzzlement. "I'm not following you with that last part," I say at length, hoping that Zuko will explain himself.

Instead, he changes the subject. "I apologize, Aang; I was eavesdropping on you last night. But it's been bugging me since then, and I need to know: how do you feel about me? In all honesty."

I'm not sure I want to admit to myself where this might be going. I'm smart, but not this smart. I can be very dense at times, and at the moment, I've never felt denser. But I know that I have to answer Zuko soon, because he's slowly lifting his head from the water, sitting back up on the bench below the surface. He's staring at me, his face blank but his golden eyes expectant. They look copper in the lighting.

I swallow hard, the caterpillars back in my stomach. I clear my throat. "Um, well… I've never disliked you, if that's what you mean. Even when you fought me, chased me, threatened my friends; I never once hated you. I knew that you had a reason, no matter how contorted, and Sokka told me once – after I saved you from the oncoming blizzard at the North Pole – that I'm too caring for my own good. He said that my heart is too soft. He still thinks so, I'm sure; after all, I couldn't kill your father, could I? And Sokka thought that it made me weak."

I sigh and run my hand over my bald head, my eyes scanning the empty water and not looking at his face. His handsomely flawed face. I blush again.

I go on to say, "I dunno. I guess I always had the idea that we were never meant to be enemies. And then Roku showed me how he – the Avatar – was best friends with the Fire Lord, and I thought to myself: well that's weird, because Zuko is the Fire Prince, and later on, you became my friend. Without question, I became the first to trust you, really trust you, more so than Toph. I liked you; underneath your tough exterior, you were a kid, just like us. I saw that, and for some reason, it made me happy. But years pass, right? And feelings change. And… sometimes for the better, or… or maybe for the worse. I'm not sure. I'm really not sure anymore."

He absorbs this, and only now do I look over to see his facial expression. He looks… glad. Warmly glad, but also a little confused. "So… what are you saying, Aang? – And I want the truth, remember."

My breathing trembles when I exhale. I think he knows what I'm saying, but he wants to hear me say it aloud to be positive. But I don't think I can say it. I've never been good with expressing my feelings into words, directly. I always beat it around the bush, and when I try to confess, it's either a daydream that never happened or something whispered when the person is asleep, or not even around at all to hear it.

Zuko seems to scoot a little closer, although he appears unsure of himself. "Want to know how I feel towards you?"

His voice, as raspy as it is, sounds husky and calm in this moment. I feel my heart skip a beat. "S-sure," I stutter. Part of me really wants him to say what I can't seem to. And the other part of me wishes that he would stop, stop this right now, because things are spiraling out of control, like a flame catching on a twig in the forest, scorching every tree in sight after a while.

"I used to hate you. I tried to hate you on purpose, to ignore the fact that the old man I thought was the Avatar was in fact a child, a twelve-year-old, prepubescent boy. But I couldn't hate you, not really. You were an obsession to me, you still are. Whether I like it or not, you plague my thoughts. At first, because I thought you were the answer to my problems. And, maybe, I wasn't so far off base back then, even though you don't solve the same problem."

Zuko leans in slightly, watching me. I'm frozen stiff. The water around my skin begins to mimic my feelings, freezing on contact. But as he comes a bit closer, Zuko warms the water right back up again. I hold my breath, and he speaks again.

"But after some time, some incalculable amount of time, and after those two days we spent alone together on the Sun Warrior's island, I had an epiphany that altered quite a few things for me. I never showed it, of course, because I thought it would ruin everything if I did, but I think it's safe to chance it now. Do you think so?" Zuko wonders, and I myself am wondering if he can possibly be going there. If he can possibly be asking me, or if it is rhetorical. I pray that it's rhetorical. But no, he's waiting. Waiting for me to say something.

I lick my dry lips, my body releasing a bit of tension now that my throat isn't as dry. "Yeah… y-yeah, I think you can chance it."

He smiles gently, his eyes surprisingly soft, but his voice comes out sounding dead serious as he leans back and looks me dead in the eye. "I understood, back then, that my obsession over you paired with the kindness you showed me had blossomed into love. I realized that I love you, Aang. And it's been killing me to hold that information in for so long, to the point where the pain was beginning to depress me, and make me more irritable than usual. But when you magically showed up at my bedroom door a few days ago… I felt lie myself again."

He scoffs at himself, a snort grunt forming on his lips as he shakes his head at his own pathetic feelings.

…At least what he thinks is pathetic.

"So, now you know." He sighs regretfully. "I just hope that I didn't just royally fuck things up, no pun intended."

I'm in such mind-numbing awe that I almost don't catch the pun, a play on words of his political position. Royal. Ha, that's a good one. So good that my nerves explode and I start to giggle, my laughter flimsy and alien-sounding. Zuko frowns at me, thinking that I'm laughing at him.

I clamp my hand over my mouth, swiftly silenced. I shake my head as my hand drops. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you, Zuko. I'm just…" I take a shallow breath as I search for a semi-proper term to use. "Uneasy. I'm uneasy, because at this very second, I'm resisting the urge to… do something incredibly foolish." I use the same phrase I had last night, knowing that, having eavesdropped, he'll understand. I glance up at him briefly, wondering what he'll do, since I'm too timid to do much of anything. It's all so crazy and peculiar, him loving me.

…And me loving him back.

Extremely crazy and peculiar, since I know that I should want to repopulate the airbending race, but how can I? In order to do so, my family would have to commit incest in order to continue carrying the gene, because bending is a very difficult gene to pass on. Katara and Sokka are proof of that: one can bend, the other cannot.

But I can't help it that I feel this way. So screw it, I won't bother trying to do any more worldly justice, any more Earthly favors. I knew the second I discovered that I was the last airbender that the art would die with me, save for the next Avatar, whom will have to learn airbending from another source. Therefore, I'm going to be selfish for the second time in my life. I'm going to be selfish, because I want Zuko. I want him so badly that I'm a little disgusted with myself for being so needy and dependent on another person, someone of the same gender or not.

Snapped out of my thoughts by a vague touch, I awaken my senses with a handful of eye-clearing blinks to find Zuko leaning over me, his mouth by my ear. "Then do you mind if I do something incredibly foolish instead?"

I smile despite myself. I close my eyes soon afterwards. "I don't mind at all," I tell him, my voice barely above a whisper.

I'm not surprised by the aggressive kiss that takes over my entire mouth. I'm not accustomed to the way he greedily eats my lips, sucking as nibbling the second he got a response from the moving of my own kiss back to him. But just because I'm not surprised or not accustomed doesn't mean I can believe this is happening or that I don't like it. In truth, this experience is new and unbelievable to me, but wonderful all the same.

Zuko presses his lips harder, his tongue searching for an entrance. I give him one, my lips and teeth parting. I've never tongue-kissed before; I hadn't wanted to when I was with Katara. It hadn't felt right. But here and now, it feels right. Wet and slippery and warm, like our tongues can't seem to grasp one another, but keep trying nevertheless.

I bring a hand up to the back of my – friend's? boyfriend's? – head and ties my fingers up in his wet hair to anchor myself against the onslaught of kisses being placed so passionately and tenderly upon my lips. The moisture in the air I try to breathe when we part for a moment brings me back into reality, reminding me of where I am, and how scantily clothed we both are. I feel myself shiver again, tingles running down my spine.

Zuko's hand had fallen to my back somewhere in our clash of mouths, and I find myself drawn to the feeling of his fingers grazing over the scarred tissue in the center. I copy him by letting my hand at the back of his head drift around to his own scar, my thumb brushing the bottom of it where it covers his cheekbone.

We stare at one another for a moment, and I can ell by the way he's looking at me that he's thinking the same thing I am: we're both marked. Me for being the Avatar, always wanted dead; and since I had been in the Avatar State at the time, it's a wonder the Avatar continues to exist. And him for being a rebellious prince, always looked down upon by his father; and considering the merciless hunt he was sent on, it's a wonder he didn't end up going insane like his sister.

Zuko's hand slips slightly because of the water on my skin, and the purposely slides around the front of my body as he leans in for another kiss, this kiss being slower than the last. He thumb grazes over my nipple, causing me to jerk forward. He seems to catch me, awaiting this reaction, and hold me there for a second, my hand long since fallen from his face and simply holding onto his shoulder.

The steam from the heated water begins to make me dizzy. It doesn't help that the temperature in here is increasing, and whether that's due to Zuko's firebending, possibly my own unconscious firebending, or the natural state of things, I do not know. But then again, I find myself caring less and less about anything except Zuko with each passing moment. Who knew that I could feel this way, that I could feel this secure and elated?

Problem is, the Fire Lord feels how I sway and cling to him, knowing that the heat is getting to my head. "We should go to my chambers," he says with heavy concern lacing his words, but there is also the backdrop of lust mingled in.

I feel a little too vulnerable at the moment, and overly agreeable. If I'm not careful, I might lose myself. But this thought is fleeting, and I find myself humming my consent. "Mm-hmm. Let's go."

Zuko seems satisfied with my answer, and helps me out of the burning water, which feels too hot all of a sudden, and my legs too wobbly. I stumble out of the pool, my brain reminding me not to glance over at Zuko, especially not downwards. I obey, because I have to preserve at least some of his Highness's modesty.

We quickly dress in the delicate cotton robes provided in the royal bathhouse, their fuzzy, cleansing texture and the cool air of the outside refreshing me. Zuko grips my hand, his expression composed, but his eyes teeming with happiness. And I take pride in that happiness, because I know that I'm the sole person who put it there.

Zuko and I coincidentally pass Lady Ursa on our path towards Zuko's room, and she suddenly understands everything, and she winks at me, as if to say, 'Well done, Aang; I know you could do it.' And then she bows respectfully, but the way she glances at me with a small, loving smile, tells me, 'Thank you for helping my baby boy.'

When we approach his room, the implications of the place and Zuko's tightening grip of anticipation suddenly hit me with clarity. I hesitate a moment – only a moment – before walking inside after the one I love and longed for. But because I love him and have needed him all this time is the reason why I'm not afraid.

The door is locked, an automatic 'don't come near me, I don't need you' message to the servants and whoever else.

I feel fuzzyheaded in that mystically comfortable way as Zuko immediately locks his lips back onto mine. I fall backwards onto his bed with him hovering over me, pulling down the cotton robe and planting kisses where he sees fit. It's still strange, being like this; I never expected to be with another man, or anyone in general so soon, but I am not at all complaining.

A moan falls from my mouth, surprising me. I hadn't even known I was going to make a sound, let alone that I could sound like that! I flush a bit, but don't have much time to recover from my embarrassment because Zuko is suddenly eager to elicit another sound from me; I can tell by the renewed fervor in his actions. He runs his hands down my sides, pushing away my robe completely. And his mouth – his mouth will surely drive me insane, because as it explores my neck and collarbone and chest, I ant help but make another noise by mistake.

The firebender pauses a moment, as if debating something with himself. But I don't appreciate the lack of movement, so I take this opportunity to grab his shoulders and roll over, succeeding in switching our previous position. "Something wrong?" I ask, my voice sounding odd to me; it's low and daresay seductive, and I don't know where it's coming from. I guess Zuko brings out the worst in me. But it's kind of funny, since I tend to bring out the best in him in return.

He shakes his head, his face flushed. So he really had been blushing before, hadn't he? I could giggle right now, knowing that I'm probably one of the few people who can make the great Fire Lord Zuko blush. I restrain myself, however; I don't want him misunderstanding, thinking that I'm laughing at him again.

"Well, I thought there was," I inform him. "Know why? – Because I don't like being captured so easily. You of all people should know that." And I smile down at him and catch the sound of a light chuckling response. Then I return the favor of being smothered in kisses, the irresistible connection of soft lips and wet tongue and nipping teeth with pale skin.

A sigh escapes the older boy beneath me; something that sounds like it is on the brink of being a moan with how content and gruff it sounds. I use this to my advantage. I shimmy a ways down his body, making him tremble, before laying a wet, half-suckling kiss on his abdominals. I try not to think too long or too heavily about what it is I'm doing; for once in my life, I forcefully rid my head of riddling, trivial airbender thoughts about logic and reason, and instead allow my rarely-used hormones to take over. I can almost feel the blood rushing through my veins, excited at the idea.

My nimble fingers massage along Zuko's hips, and he jerks in response, my name a whisper caught in his throat. I can see his arousal through the undergarments he put on, the sole thing either of us are wearing besides this pesky cotton cover-up. I lean upwards, my eyes asking him permission as my fingers dig into the blanket on his bed.

Zuko doesn't hesitate this time, because since I'm the one actively initializing each further step, he doesn't feel like he's taking advantage of me. I know that this is what he had paused and debated over. I am only fifteen, after all; there is a good four-year difference between us, and unlike others of our time, Zuko strongly feels these years like a rift. So I eased the tension for him, playing as though I were joking.

I think he understands. So he nods, and I peck a kiss on his cheek to distract him while I remove his last piece of clothing in one swoop of airbending. He shivers. "Oops," I murmur apologetically, "Guess I forgot how breezy that must feel."

He glares up at me. I bite away a smirk as I learn down to nuzzle his neck while a free hand of mine drifts down to feel rather than see him. I would probably turn a tomato red if I saw, so I opt to feel my way around instead. Zuko's eyelids flutter when my hand reaches its destination, and a loud moan escapes from him. He automatically arches into me as I move my hand lower, my lips brushing the pulsing artery in his throat. I can feel his heart-rate speed up when I trail my fingers along his member. He moans again, but he turns his head to muffle the sound. Poor Zuko, who knows if he's ever done anything like this with another person. The Heavens know that I haven't. You would think with his status and age that he would get any girl (or guy, I guess?) to do this for him, but maybe not. Zuko is a man of honor, and maybe because of that, he wanted to wait for somebody special.

I soften from he inside out. 'Somebody special' to him, I realize, means me. Always me.

I kiss a line up to Zuko's jaw as I start to pump him with my hand. I've only recently lost my innocence enough to touch myself and know what feels good and what doesn't. I try to reenact my best experiences on him. I twirl my thumb in a haphazard pattern downward, and then jerk quickly upwards, nearly pinching the head. Zuko whines, very close to my ear, and I feel a little guilty. Maybe he doesn't like it fast. So I slow my hand down, and don't grip as tight. But then he whimpers softly, barely audibly, and I realize that he must miss the unpredictability. So I'm back to the random, quick movement, and pretty soon, I have him panting, his eyes closed above me. He's close.

…And he looks amazing when he orgasms.

I still grimace at the feeling of sticky fluid on my hand, like I tend to when I'm by myself. I wipe it off on my discarded robe, swearing silently to burn it later. Discovered evidence never fails to be too humiliating to bear.

Zuko tries to catch his breath as I lean off to the side to watch him. I chance looking downward for a second, and am impressed to find my lover still hard. I hide a laugh behind my free hand as I lay on my side, my elbow and hand propping up my head to get a clear view of Zuko's face.

He opens his clouded gold eyes, and after a second, links them with mine. There is such love in those eyes, even past all of the lust. It makes my breath hitch for a second, because I wonder if I deserve that kind of love, despite the good I've done. But I'm sure Zuko is wondering the same thing about me at this very moment, wondering how we, as an essence, came to be, and if he deserves it after all the wrongs he's committed in his past.

I don't stiffen in shock as he pushes me over, successfully pinning me to the bed. He looks down at me as if I were a mirage again, like he had when I first arrived. I lift my brows in concern. I touch his face, the unblemished side. "I'm not going to up and disappear, Zuko," I remind him. "Just because I'm born as the wind doesn't make me just as fleeting."

I feel so secure here, below him. As mush as I wouldn't like to admit it, I do. And, I think, he feels safe with me as well. Zuko smiles, although a tad sadly. "I know you're not going to disappear," he murmurs, "But I just don't want you to leave, ever. Can't you stay here in the Fire Nation, Aang? So that we can be like this all the time? – If you miss the others, they can visit. And… and if the people don't approve, then fuck them. I don't want anybody's approval anymore except for yours, my mother's, and my uncle's. Your three opinions of me are the only ones I need to keep myself in check."

I grin brightly. "I'm glad to hear that. And don't worry, I wasn't planning on leaving the Fire Nation. There isn't much else out there for me besides what's here. You're right; our friends can visit if they want to. But they all separated to be with the ones they love, so why can't I?"

"That is my point exactly," Zuko smirks, and he doesn't say another word more. He proceeds to remove my underwear, and as the heated air ghosts over my exposed self, I start to feel self-conscious.

But my lover isn't one to mock or tease. I know by the look in his eyes that he treasures me no matter what, and that sentiment alone is enough to make he feel completely comfortable again.

Zuko's dry palm smoothes over the skin of my thigh, his thumb tickling the inner side as he spreads my legs. I suck in a shaky breath, because I don't know what he's going to do. I know that no matter what he wouldn't do anything to make me distrust him, but I'm nervous all the same.

"It's alright," he whispers softly, his eyes glancing up at my face for a moment. "I know what I'm doing."

"That's what I'm afraid of," I joke. "You plan on turning me into Aang Pudding, don't you?"

He doesn't respond, but the amused look on his face tells me all. He bends down. And then…

And then, faster than I can process in my state of mind, Zuko engulfs the tip of my length, and I temporarily lose my mind as his tongue swirls and travels all the way down the shaft, mapping it out. I barely contain my surprised squeak, but I can't help the gasp and low, drawn-out moan that come out.

But something isn't right. Something… And then I feel it: a little tickle, and then a prodding sensation just below the swarm of pleasure. His fingers, I realize. Zuko is preparing me.

I don't mean to, but I tense up from this revelation. But Zuko is a master at distractions, and firebending. He nearly brings me to a climax with whatever he does with his mouth on me next – I can't see it, my eyes are closed, but I can sure as hell feel what it does to me – and simultaneously he heats his finger to relax my muscles, and then I'm melting; melting into Aang Pudding.

I'm vaguely aware around my climax of the second and third fingers, and the addition of lotion he somehow reached when he leaned up to kiss me on the mouth. I get a brief taste of myself, and it is far from pleasant. But the manner of which Zuko begins to thrust his fingers in and out of my entrance is enough to make me forget instantly.

I make an indescribable noise, and then plea for more without knowing what I'm saying until I say it. I'm a little disgusted wit myself once again, if only because of how greedy I sound. I get my wish, however; I get more. Much, much more.

My eyes fly open as something thicker than a couple fingers enters me. Except I don't feel much pain, and zero violation. Instead, I feel sweltering heat from the inside out, and completion. I never knew how much I've wanted – needed – Zuko inside of me until this very second.

My hands search for him, and he bends down to hold me as he sheaths himself to the hilt. I cling to him, my legs hugging his pelvis. Involuntarily, I arch my back and grind my hips, back and forth. Acting purely on instinct, Zuko follows my movements until I give up and let him take over. He thrusts just as powerfully as he bends and tames fire; and this moment couldn't be any closer to bliss if it tried.

We ride out our second comings, mine late because I only got friction, and his early because he's never done this before. He pulls out and leans back a moment to give me time to adjust. I can hear his labored breathing, and through the vibrations in the bed, I can feel every quiver running down his body.

When I can sit up again, I slink back and pull Zuko with me to the top of the bed so that we can get under the covers and rest. We might be benders, but we're not superhuman (even the Avatar is susceptible to exhaustion). We need some sleep, now. I feel like my limbs have been reduced to some wobbly mass, and my skin is slick with sweat. This doesn't make for very restful sleep, but damn it if I need it anyway.

I flop myself onto Zuko's side. He turns to cradle me to his chest instead, a small kiss being planted on my forehead, right around where my arrow should be. "Thank you for this," he breathes out, his tone deep and low.

I don't know why he's thanking me. I love him, don't I? And I enjoyed it just as much as he did. So why thank me? Unless he doesn't mean the lovemaking, but for listening to his problems, and accepting his love, and cheering him up. And for those things, I reply with a heartfelt and yet still teasing, "You're welcome."

[Fin.]