Status Quo

By ZAFO

Summary: Aang and Zuko fall into a trap in the Sun Warrior ruins, and their 'life-changing' trip takes an awkward turn as they try to find their way out. Eventual Zukaang.

Edited 12.04.15


[1.]

"...Zuko, I think the past is trying to kill me!"

Aang quivered violently, but the fire prince merely rolled his eyes before bending down to take the thick, black wire into his hands. He examined it closely, impressed by the craftsmanship of the hundreds of fine fibers wound together.

"I can't believe it." He muttered, in awe. "This booby trap must be centuries old...and it still works!"

"T-there's probably a lot more!" Aang stuttered skittishly, eying the spike pit he had flown over. "Maybe this means we shouldn't be here!"

Zuko scoffed, then took several steps back to prepare himself for a running start. Then, leaping on the wall nearest to him, he ran in a short, accelerated burst of speed—defying gravity—before landing neatly next to Aang.

He dusted his clothes off smugly.

"Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking abou—"

Suddenly, the stones beneath them became no more, falling through the vast abyss that lay under and taking with them the two benders they had been supporting. Hidden tiles rigged to cover the subsequent gap shifted over. Aang and Zuko screamed as they plummeted through utter darkness.

Fortunately, the avatar had good instincts. Using the same maneuver that had saved him from getting skewered earlier, Aang inhaled deeply—grabbing onto a protesting Zuko's sleeve and pulling him closer—before blowing a puff of air towards the earth big enough to cushion them both.

"OOF!" He grunted, as both boys finally ate dirt, rolling to a stop on top of one another.

The impact still hurt, of course, but well, it could have been worse. A lot worse.

"Get off me!" Exclaimed Zuko, angrily shoving Aang off his chest nonetheless.

"Gee, you're welcome!" Aang snapped sourly, blindly groping stone tiles as he tried to get up.

"Ugh!" The older boy groaned. "Whatever!"

As expected, Zuko gave a few choice mutterings before concentrating a small, crackling flame into the palm of his hand, slowly extended it upwards.

The light, however, never reached an end.

He and Aang stared at the seemingly endless expanse of darkness above. A severe, all-consuming sense of realty crashed down on them both.

"...I told you!" Aang wailed shrilly, his eyes suspiciously moist. "All these booby traps—we shouldn't even be here!"

"Well we are here!" Zuko snarled, flustered. "And we're going to get out. So stop crying!"

"I'm not crying!"

"Well you're whining, and that's the same thing!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"IS TOO!"

Zuko's last retort had came out in a near-roar, and so the airbender swiftly shut his mouth, fuming.

Satisfied, the fire prince turned his back, then began to roam the space they had become enclosed in. Despite his resentment, Aang soon stuck himself close to him.

"We're gonna get out of here." Zuko said again, this time with quiet seriousness. "We just have to find the right way to."

"Okay." Aang replied, still sulking.

Nonetheless, though Prince Zuko was kinda scary, Aang knew he was a good guy. He trusted him. The teenager had just been misguided before, and despite Katara's lingering distrust and hatred, Aang knew goodness and sincerity when he saw it.

His trust was soon confirmed as Zuko paused, focusing the light before an odd, textured wall before them. The teenager knocked the hard stucco, murmuring something about hollowness and a possible passageway behind it, and Aang felt a burst of relief… until, literally looking up at the larger picture, it fizzled out like a dying flame.

The raised, textured edges of the wall were actually part of an enormous carving—of two men, in close embrace. Their lips were obviously touching.

Aang blanched, but Zuko continued to examine the portrait in ignorance.

'This is a trap.' The monk realized, dazed. 'This is a trap trap trap trap tap.'

This was the same trap!

Their situation suddenly became all-too familiar. Vivid memories of his early travels with Sokka and Katara returned to him, and while those memories were wonderful, the thought of reliving them with the prickly teenage fire prince made Aang want to faint, and not in the I'm-swooning-from-happiness sort of way.

"Oh no." He croaked.

Zuko—who had only quirked a brow upon taking in the whole of the image—glanced to him, curious.

"What? What is it?"

Aang didn't answer, his whole body shaking as Zuko grew increasingly concerned for his bald friend. The firebender clapped a free hand on his shoulder.

"Aang!"

"...have you ever heard of the Cave of Two Lovers?" The monk asked finally, his voice wavering.

"No." Zuko replied flatly.

Aang gulped.

"It's...umm…it's actually a bunch of tunnels located under of the Kolau mountain range. In the center...me and Katara...we found the tomb of Oma and Shu."

"Oma...and Shu?" The fire prince asked skeptically.

Aang nodded, vaguely irritated that the prince was so surly.

"Yeah." He replied. "Omashu. They earthbended the tunnels in their time so that they could meet in secret, 'cos they couldn't meet in broad daylight."

"Okay." Zuko said slowly. "That's nice. What's it got to do with us being stuck here?"

This was the part he had been dreading most.

"W-well..." he stuttered, "Katara and I...we—we uhhh..."

"Spit it out already!"

"WE KISSED!" Aang blurted.

Zuko grimaced immediately at the mental image. Aang was just a tiny bald kid, and Katara was just an overdramatic pre-teen. Weren't they a bit too young for that?

Then again, maybe it was just Aang.

Then again, maybe it was just the whole monk thing in general.

"That's great." Zuko said simply, but the airbender merely shook his head.

"No, it's not!" He moaned, his voice taking on a whining inflection. "We did it because that was the key to getting out. And we knew that because on the walls..."

Zuko felt the blood drain from his face. He wasn't stupid. He knew where Aang was going with this.

His teeth clenched, and his hand recoiled from the boy as if he were on fire.

"Aang." He gritted. "These are just bad carvings done by a bunch of naked savages hundreds of years ago. They don't have to mean anything."

"Yes they do!" He wailed.

"No, they don't!"

"Then why are they here?"

"What? How should I know!?"

"You don't!" The monk hissed. "But I do!"

"I am not kissing you!" Zuko snarled.

"Well you have to! And—not that I have a problem with it—but shouldn't this be easy for you?"

Zuko looked affronted.

"What?"

Aang squirmed, looking grossly uncomfortable.

"Well...I mean...I am the Avatar. I like all cultures. Isn't this like, Fire Nation tradition or something? I know we've just moved past the whole wanting to capture me thing—but I really do want to be your friend!"

The offense on Zuko's face abruptly turned to horror.

"...what the HELL are you talking about, Aang!?"

The airbender threw his arms up, exasperated and embarrassed.

"Oh, just kiss me Zuko! I don't wanna die here!"

"No!"

"Do you wanna die here?"

"I said no!"

"'Cos I don't wanna die here!"

"I don't care, I'm—"

Zuko didn't get a chance to finish the sentiment. Deciding to act before the prince got belligerent, Aang took a chance and propelled himself over; then, quickly looping his arms around the other boy's neck, Aang smashed his lips haphazardly against Zuko's.

The flame went out, and Zuko felt his brain short-circuiting.

Oh my god this is Aang.

Oh my god we're kissing.

Oh my god I'm a pedophile.

"—BLAARGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Zuko retched, as soon as Aang parted from him.

Aang felt no better, nearly hacking his lungs out after the fire went out.

"UGGHHH! BLAAHHHH! BLECCHHHH!" Coughed Aang. "YOU TASTE LIKE ASH!"

"HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT ASH TASTES LIKE!?" Zuko sputtered. "YOU—YOU..."

Zuko couldn't even continue. His rage had rendered him nearly mute, and his mouth was flapping open and shut like a dying fish.

"BECAUSE OF KUZON!" Aang yelled, in his own disgust. "HE MADE ME KISS HIM ONCE IN THAT—BLEEHHH—I'M SORRY! THAT WEIRD FIRE NATION FRIENDSHIP CEREMONY!"

"...FRIENDSHIP CEREMONY?!'" Zuko exploded. "WHAT FRIENDSHIP CEREMONY!?"

It was still dark (apparently he had been wrong and the kiss hadn't worked at all) but even if he couldn't exactly see Zuko's expression at the moment, Aang could still sense the furious incredulity in his voice.

Well, shit.

Now he knew why Bumi had been sniggering so much when he and Kuzon had first met.

Aang suddenly felt very small.

"Oh." He said meekly.

"Oh? OH? IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY!?" Zuko roared.

"I'm sorry!" Aang shouted defensively. "I-I thought that would work!"

"WELL IT DIDN'T!"

"I'm sorry!"

"SO AM I!"

"WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?!" The bald boy shouted. "I'M SORRY!"

"ARGGHHHHHHHH!" Zuko screamed. Flares of angry, red-orange fire blazed briefly from his fists, temporarily lighting their faces once more.

When the pitch black overtook them again, Aang shut his eyes in humiliation. Not that it made any difference.

"Zuko, please—"

"—Mai is going to kill me." His friend moaned.

Aang wisely kept his silence when he heard a light thunk! a little ways away. Knowing Zuko, it was probably by the older boy knocking his head against the wall. Vaguely, he wondered if that gloomy girl was the one who had gotten Zuko into an apparent smoking habit that he hadn't known about 'til now, and he wondered if that was why their voices were so raspy.


A/N: ...you know, (cigarette) smokers really do taste like ash...

please review! :")