Standard disclaimers apply.

Pairing/s: Zuko/Aang
Rating: M (for Underage tag)
Genre: AU
General Warnings: Yaoi, Kissing, Language, Underage (Shota)
Author's note: Please heed the warnings.

Original Published in 2006.
Re-write Published in June 2009.

If you guys have read the story before, you know that I've been trying to re-write this fic for the longest time. It took me a while to finish rewriting and updating because of RL. Right after I decided to rewrite this, I got swamped with things to do with my job. And then I suffered about a month of writer's block which, no matter what I did, it wouldn't go away (damn the thing). In an effort to get the creative juices flowing, I started playing with my Photoshop and I ended up making some sort of header. So I decided that while I wait out the writer's block, I would work on a site-slash-blog. Surprisingly, it actually worked. Halfway through making the site-slash-blog, I got my writing game back on. :)

I re-wrote this fic because it was running away from me. So I took each chapter, re-read it and then re-wrote it. Mostly, I just wanted to lengthen the chapters and add more details to the story without making it too wordy. I'm not sure I accomplished the 'not too wordy' bit but at least there's much more detail to this than it had previously. For example, I gave a name to the school (Omashu High) which I couldn't really think of the first time I was writing this. And then I also added Bumi into the mix as Aang's grandpa, though he has yet to make an appearance.

I tried to keep to the original story (which I did, I think). I just had to tone it down a bit, because it struck me that in this fic I wrote Aang to be an actual 11-year-old boy (though he's 12 in the series) and not a 100-plus-year-old in a kid's body. I didn't think it was right for a kid that age to be going about naked and seducing older guys, in a school, no less. But not to worry, because I didn't take out the Zuko/Aang action. I just modified it a bit. Plus, I gave Zuko a bit of a moral dillemma with his wanting a kid. I just wanted to make him suffer a bit, but have fun at the same time. Haha

So there. I hope you guys enjoy this new version of And Then There Were Two.

PS: Also, Aang is no longer bald. I made him bald (like in the early part of the series) in the original story but I don't think it worked for this fic (I thought) so I gave him hair (the way he was in the latter parts of the series). Zuko also has hair and his face was never burned. So he's a real hottie. :))

Chapter 1: First Day of School

Zuko never really liked school. Not that he hated the work, he loved to study and learn actually. It was the enormous amount of attention he receives on a daily basis that gets on his nerves. He didn't really understand all the fuss. Well, maybe he did. Billionaire father and all that. But really, he'd give anything to go to a school where no one knew who he was. It'll be such a blessing to be able to walk peacefully through the halls as he was doing now without getting up before sunrise.

He sighed. Going to school two hours early for class could get tiring, but he would rather do this than face the hordes of girls and boys who, for some reason, declared themselves his fan club. He shuddered at the thought. He really wasn't much of a people person, and he always thought fan clubs were only for celebrities. He surely didn't consider himself a celebrity. Admittedly, having almost the entire student body at your beck and call does have its perks. It's just sometimes he wished that he was not the heir of Ozai Corporation International, maybe then life wouldn't be so... complicated. He didn't even know why his father picked him to be the heir. Well, he knew. It was because he was a boy and his sister was, well, a girl. He didn't understand it. He and his father both knew that Azula is a genius at the business and that he was just crap. Sure, he went to all the private lessons his father forced down his throat about business, politics, economy, management, foreign languages, and who knows what else and he learned all the technical skills he needed and the theoretical framework that was required of him. But he didn't have the instinct for these things like Azula did. He only knew these things on paper and in theoretical settings, and that doesn't mean anything in the real world of cutthroat business!

He stopped in front of the classroom door and scowled at it when he realized just how sour his mood had gotten because of his earlier train of thoughts. It was too early to be thinking of such things. Not that there's ever a good time of the day to be thinking of those things. In fact, he should quit thinking about anything even remotely related to that. He shook his head. At least he'd get to have his two hours of blessed silence to calm down before classes started. He always looked forward to his alone time during school mornings. It gave him the chance to just sit back and relax. Even if it is in the classroom.

He opened the door prepared to take his usual seat in the front nearest the window. He stopped at the doorway when he realized that someone - a boy probably no older than ten or eleven - had not only spoiled his alone-time but also invaded his seat. What was an elementary school boy doing here? The last time he'd checked, elementary students aren't allowed in the high school area.

"Are you lost?" he heard himself say, which was odd. He never initiates conversation. It's not like his usual seat was all that important, he could just pick another seat by the window. But he felt somehow compelled to talk to the boy and maybe help him back to the elementary campus. The boy turned slowly to face him, and Zuko promptly lost his train of thought. Those eyes were evil he was sure. This was probably his father's rivals way of brainwashing him. Send a boy with amazing eyes to his school and have him rob Zuko of his thoughts and senses with just one look. Yes, that must be it. Zuko shook his head again and mentally laughed at himself. That was just absurd. The boy just startled him with those big innocent eyes of his. Really. But why wasn't he answering?

"Are you lost?" Zuko repeated. The boy seemed to suddenly come to his senses. It was like watching a fogged mirror or window suddenly clear; the boys eyes became brighter, if that was even possible. Zuko watched as the boy shook his head a little, brown strands of hair suddenly falling into his eyes.

"I'm sorry. No, I'm not lost. I'm a new student here," he said softly then turned his gaze to the table. "I thought I'd come early, before everyone else, to avoid trouble. I'm not really good on first days of school."

Zuko raised an eyebrow elegantly. "You don't look like a high school student to me."

The boy blushed. "Ah, yeah well you could say that I'm... an advanced student."

"How old are you?"

"Er.. eleven," the boy said softly. He hated telling people his age. It always resulted in unwanted attention. Most girls fawn over him. They baby him and coddle him. Sometimes, he thought they acted like he was one of their stuffed toys. The boys, on the other hand, usually just give him the cold shoulder which he didn't mind. But there are boys who dislike being bested by a kid so they act out by bullying him. They make fun of him, play pranks on him, push him around, and sometimes even beat him all because he was smarter than them. He was startled when a hand appeared under his nose. He looked up to see the older boy smirking at him and extending his hand out for a hand shake.

"I'm Zuko," he said, keeping his hand extended.

The boy blushed, for reasons unknown to him. This older boy seemed to be really nice. He was good looking too with his black hair framing his face and gathered in a small ponytail at the base of his skull.

"When someone introduces themselves to you, I believe it's more polite to introduce yourself too and shake their hand than stare at them."

The boy turned even redder. This older boy - Zuko, he reminded himself - looked much better when he smiled. "I'm sorry. You startled me. I'm Aang."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Aang," Zuko said with a smile as he and Aang shook hands, his earlier bad mood completely forgotten. Aang tried to force his blush away, but couldn't manage it. In fact, he turned even redder when Zuko decided to plant his hands on the desk and lean down towards him. Aang wondered why the older boy was so close. He was going cross-eyed trying to keep his focus on Zuko's face. He leaned back a little to put some distance between them but Zuko followed his movement, removing his hands from the desk and reaching for the younger boy.

"It... it's nice to meet you too," Aang stuttered as he continued leaning back. He didn't realize that he was tilting his chair back as well, balancing it on two legs, until he lost his balance and the chair toppled over. He gasped and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for his back and maybe his head to impact the floor but it never happened. He opened his eyes only to see Zuko smirking down at him. He felt the older boy's left arm wrapped securely around his waist, while his right hand was still holding Aang's wrist from when he pulled the boy out of the falling chair.

"Careful there," Zuko whispered. His smirk grew when he saw Aang turn even redder, which he didn't think possible but it was, apparently.

Aang moved away, hurriedly put the chair back in order and sat down again. He kept his gaze on the desk. "Thanks for helping me."

Zuko would've grinned to himself as he plopped down on the seat beside Aang. The little devil stole his seat, but that's alright. He'd gladly give up his seat as payment for what is shaping up to be an interesting year.

To Be Continued

Please review and lemme know what you think of this new version of the fic. Thanks for being oh-so-patient with this remiss author. You can also send me a review through email. Thank you! :)