Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon, however, does.
Zuko looked at Sokka.
Sokka glared at Zuko.
"So…" Zuko started awkwardly, running his fingers idly along the fur of Appa's back.
"So." Sokka repeated irritably, arms crossed in front of him. Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, closing his eyes in mock pain at the air rushing past his face.
"I see you're….angry…" he trailed off, looking behind Sokka. His eyes had no where else to roam. He couldn't raise them to meet Sokka's eyes, nor could he close them again. He had already used that excuse enough. And a certain figure rested behind Sokka, eyes closed and fast asleep.
"I see you're pointing out the obvious…" Sokka said.
Zuko's mind went completely blank at that.
A moment of awkward silence past between them. Awkward for Zuko at least.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" Sokka suddenly asked sounding far more irritable than he had only moments ago.
Zuko blamed the silence.
"Well….no…" Zuko started, feeling a tingly sensation at the back of his neck.
He had a sudden instinct to check for boomerangs on their way back to their owner.
Still, he didn't turn from Sokka's abnormally serious face.
"Do you really underestimate me that much?" Sokka asked with a dangerous undertone. Faintly Zuko could hear a snore from the figure.
He smiled.
Said smile was immediately wiped from the fire bender's face upon the sight of Sokka's own.
"I trusted you" Sokka said "and you betrayed my trust"
The anger on Sokka's face was so evident, that Zuko had the feeling that if he were to touch Sokka with a twenty foot pole, said pole would be ripped from his hands and used to mark his grave.
"But" Zuko started.
"Don't defend yourself to me" Sokka interrupted.
"I didn't" Zuko tried to argue.
"Yes you did" Sokka once more interrupted.
"We told you though" Zuko finally managed to get out.
The anger on Sokka's face did not dissipate.
Again, Zuko got the boomerang feeling.
"I still trusted you, you broke my trust" Sokka maintained his argument.
"But she was so sweet" Zuko pleaded.
"Doesn't matter"
"I love her, and I'll take care of her." Zuko promised.
Sokka ignored this sentiment.
"I thought you were more responsible than that!" Sokka yelled loud enough for Aang to hear. The boy looked over at the group and shrugged.
Best not to get inbetween when a yelling, boomerang throwing Sokka is involved. Peace making Avatar powers be damned.
He saw Momo chattering to the figure,
Going back to the duo, Zuko further pleaded with the stubborn Sokka.
"No, I don't trust you!" Sokka would yell.
"We did nothing wrong!" Zuko would yell over the wind and Sokka's screaming.
"You're not responsible enough, I don't trust you!" Sokka yelled at the top of his lungs.
"You've said this repeatedly!" Zuko groaned aloud "pick a different argument!"
"She needs to go back home, she wants to go there" Sokka switched points.
"But she's almost the last of her kind, she needs us, all of us"
At this point, Zuko looked over at the chattering Momo, who still chatted away to the figure.
"You betrayed her trust too, though" Sokka told him.
"Trust me, she wanted to"
"What're you guys yelling about?" Katara sat next to Zuko.
"You know" Sokka looked pointedly at her. At first Katara was confused.
"I do?" then her face took on a look of clarity "Oh…"
Her face adopted a bright red shade, quite different than her brother's angry red.
"But she's so cute…" Katara defended herself.
"Yeah…Momo needs some company" Zuko agreed.
"But we don't need another!" Sokka disputed.
At the point, the sleeping figure awoke and starred at Momo.
Almost instinctively, Sokka looked at her face. Her tired and lonely face.
He sighed.
"Alright, she can stay. But no more secrets!" Sokka commanded.
The two nodded, but crossed their fingers behind their backs guilty, staring at each other.
"You know we would have let her stay anyway, but thanks for the support, big brother" Katara smiled.
The three disbanded to opposite corners of the saddle as the figure and Momo began to chatter.
From the background, in her own corner Toph's ears perked up at the incessant chatter.
"Oh great" she muttered "Another one"
Toph groaned and stuffed her walnuts beneath her.
"The last thing we need is two nut stealing lemurs" she murmered.
"Couldn't agree with you more" Sokka groaned in sympathy
And the two "nut stealing lemurs" continued to chitter chatter. About what, is anyone's guess.