Ah, the beauty of one-shots. No need to continue on, yet provides just enough entertainment.

WARNING: MILD SLASH. Don't like, don't read. That's all I have to say.

Please let me know what you think, as this is my first story. Thanks.

By the Fire

The night air was cool and crisp, and the gang was lying down underneath the stars, immersed in their slumbers. Each of them was dreaming a faraway dream, in a place where they no longer had to worry about anything. In a distant land, they resided peacefully. All was calm.

Suddenly, the blind Earthbender sat up, spreading her fingers in a fan upon the ground in an attempt to detect the oddity that had awoken her. Realizing exactly what it was, she uttered, "Fire Nation."

In a much louder tone, she screeched, "Wake up, wake up everybody! We gotta go!"

The Avatar, along with Katara, Sokka, and Zuko, awoke with a start, looking around with frightened looks on their faces. Aang made an effort to feel the ground as well, confirming Toph's fears.

"She's right. We don't have much time. We—" Aang was cut off as a fireball pierced the night, sending a wave of heat through the camp. With a yell, the Airbender propelled it before it could hit Katara. About two dozen Fire Nation soldiers entered the camp, led by none other than Azula herself along with her two cohorts, Mai and Ty Lee.

"Perfect," Zuko said with a snarl, preparing to fight his sister. The others, excluding Sokka, were attempting to load Appa's saddle and avoid the blows that were upon them. Sokka, being a natural warrior, wanted to stay and fight.

Katara noticed the two older boys preparing for battle, and she shouted with a fear in her voice. "What are you doing?" she yelled anxiously. "Let's go!"

"Get out of here!" Zuko shouted back while attempting to wrestle a sword-wielding soldier off of him. "We'll hold them off."

"But—"

"Just go!" Sokka replied, giving Appa a push in an attempt to force him into the air. The flying bison leapt off the ground, carrying only three passengers, leaving the remaining to behind to fend for themselves. The two warriors didn't have time to watch them disappear into the distance, however; for Azula and her army were wasting no time in their attack.

"Well, if it isn't my wonderful brother, Zuko," Azula's icy voice sneered.

"What do you want?" the Firebender growled, shooting a flame at one of the soldiers.

Azula simply stood while her soldiers fought, openly mocking her brother. "It's still not too late for you. You still have a chance to join me," she replied.

"Over my dead body!" Zuko growled, lighting a small tree on fire and using it to block the path, while grabbing Sokka by the shoulder and saying in an undertone, "Come on!"

"After them!" Zuko's sister shrieked, and the two knew they did not have much time until her small army caught up to them. They ran in the night, stumbling over tree roots and fallen branches, having nothing but the light of the full moon for guidance. Sokka quickly spotted an open cave not too far away and hissed, "In here!"

Zuko hadn't noticed until now that Sokka was clutching his left side painfully. Their running distance was brief, so it was not a large enough distance to cause a cramp in one's side. Becoming worried, he urged the Water Tribe boy to continue on.

As they entered the cave, they could hear shouting not very far off, and quickly squished themselves behind a large boulder. Sokka moaned quietly, pressing both hands to the underside of his ribcage. Dark blood was seeping out between his fingers, and he whimpered softly.

"Shh!" Zuko hissed, just below a whisper. "Do you want them to find us?"

At that very moment, low voices were heard outside the cave entrance, murmuring sounds. Sokka emitted a low groan once more, and Zuko pressed a finger to his own lips, initiating silence.

"Find them." Azula's voice cut through the darkness like a knife, piercing the air. "My brother I want alive, but you can dispose of the other one."

Sokka's eyes opened wide as the shadows of four men entered the cave, reflected on the walls by the moonlight. Zuko glanced at the younger boy quickly, praying that his companion would not make any more noise. Stay quiet, please stay quiet, please…he thought to himself repeatedly.

The pain was becoming nearly unbearable for the smaller warrior, and he wanted to scream, to yell, to escape it all. Zuko could see the look on his face, for it was one he knew well. He closed his eyes and remembered the pain he had felt from getting burned so many years ago. Knowing Sokka was well near shrieking, he thought quickly, and realized there was only one thing he could do to silence the teen.

He took a deep breath, leaned down, and pressed his lips to Sokka's.

It worked—the boy froze under him, completely immobile; Zuko doubted that he was even breathing. They remained still for moments on end while the cave continued to be inspected, but none of the soldiers came near the boulder behind which two boys were locking lips. Neither dared to move an inch or let out the smallest breath. Their lungs were almost ready to burst, though they restrained, begging for release.

"There's nothing in here except a bunch of stupid rocks," one soldier remarked. "We're leaving."

Zuko waited a good five seconds, which felt like five hours, before pulling apart and gasping for breath. Sokka stared at him through the darkness, at a loss for words.

"Uhh…" was all that he managed to emit.

Before he could say another word, Zuko stood up and mumbled, "Keep pressing your hands to that wound. It's too dark and dangerous to head out now, plus you are injured, so I'll start a fire," leaving the bleeding boy to tend to himself. Though it was still dark, Zuko managed to find flammable debris scattered on the cave floor, and quickly shot a flame at the gathered material. A dim, orange light erupted in the cave, and he stoked it quickly, attempting to bring some warmth around them. He then returned to Sokka, who was moaning softly.

"Are you all right?" Zuko asked, though he knew it was rather rhetorical.

Sokka answered with a moan once more, keeping his hands pressed to his side. The Firebender knelt down and said rather lowly, "Sokka, remove your tunic."

A bewildered look appeared across the younger boy's face, and he found his voice once more. "What…?"

"So I can see the damage," Zuko growled. "Go on, move your hands."

Slowly, and rather reluctantly, Sokka took his hands away from the bloody cloth and, with a wince, peeled the sweaty fabric away from his chest. The blue cloth was tossed aside, and Zuko had a full view of Sokka's upper body. Though the two were both male and had seen each other's chest before, it was strange in the light, as the flames danced upon his skin. Zuko quickly averted his gaze and was distracted by the puckered wound on Sokka's ribcage. Blood was still seeping out of it, and the Firebender reached for the discarded fabric.

Tearing along one of the seams, he created the tunic into strips, and said to the younger boy, "Can you sit up?"

Nodding, Sokka grunted and hoisted himself into a sitting position, allowing Zuko to wrap his arms skillfully across his middle, pressing the cloth firmly to the wound. His fingers brushed the Water Tribe boy's skin a few times, and Sokka felt the redness rush to his face, grateful for the fact that Zuko's eyes were fixated upon his task.

Tying the material in a knot, the older teen sat up as well. "This should stop the bleeding," he mused.

Glancing down at the bandage, Sokka sighed and said, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," came the reply, though its speaker was not looking directly at Sokka.

Silence overcame the two, and the only noise that could be heard was the crackling of the fire, filling in spaces where words should be. It was soon filled, however, by a low, grumbling sound. Sokka pressed a hand to his abdomen and remarked, "I'm hungry."

Rolling his eyes, Zuko stood up, brushing some of the cave dirt off of his clothes. "I'll go see what I can find. Stay by the fire, okay?"

With a groan, Sokka attempted to stand up, but felt a sharp pain in his side with the minor movement. "Yeah…I can do it." Truth be told, he was biting his lip in order to prevent tears from escaping his eyes, and was nearly ready to collapse. Before he crumpled to the ground, he found himself being lifted by two strong arms.

"Here, let me help you."

Sokka blushed once more. "No…it's fine…I can…"

"Just take small steps," Zuko said, helping the younger boy over to the fire, where he sat him down carefully, so as not to hurt him. "I'll be back momentarily. Keep warm."

He made an about-face, and left the cave.

It was still dark when Zuko arrived later to find Sokka huddled by the flames, shivering slightly. Though the fire was warm, it must have slipped the Firebender's mind that the younger boy no longer was wearing a tunic. Feeling guilty, he hoped that the food he brought would make up for it.

Instantly smelling it, Sokka's mouth watered as Zuko plunged a stick through the rabbit he killed. "Meat…" he said hungrily.

"Can I at least cook it first?" Zuko grumbled, cutting a few sticks with his sword to form a V-shape to rest the meat-laden stick on. Sokka watched, unblinking, forgetting about his pain for a few moments as he looked at the rabbit with earnest. Noticing Sokka's face out of the corner of his eye, Zuko could not help but crack a small grin. "Watching me prepare it will not make it go any faster."

Muttering to himself, the Water Tribe boy repositioned himself on the ground, as close to the fire as he could get without getting burned by the flying sparks. He shivered slightly and felt the cold chill run through his body, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling. Ignoring Zuko's sigh, he did not notice at first when a warm cloth was spread around his shoulders. Sokka glanced up to see Zuko wearing only a thinner shirt; he had taken off his own tunic and wrapped it around his companion.

"I don't need your shirt," Sokka growled, embarrassed. He did hope rather half-heartedly that the prince wouldn't take those words to heart, for the tunic was already spreading the warmth through his upper body.

For the second time that evening, Zuko rolled his eyes. "You're shivering. Just take my shirt and stay warm, will you?" Ignoring Sokka's mumbled "fine", the older boy began skinning the rabbit with his knife gently. It was quiet for a few moments, minus the soft swiping noises that the blade created against the rabbit's flesh, and of course the ever-crackling fire.

Wrapping the tunic more securely around his shoulders with his left arm, Sokka was feeling bold. Glancing up at the prince, he watched as Zuko was illuminated with deep reds, oranges, and golden hues as the fire roared. His pale northern skin contrasted nicely with the colors, and Sokka shivered once more, though it was not from the cold. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he inhaled sharply and said, "Why did you kiss me?"

Zuko's face turned bright red, and he scowled. "I did not kiss you. I was trying to keep you silent, with all your moaning and groaning over there, we would have been caught in no time."

Sokka shook his head in disbelief. "No, I think you kissed me."

Anger was building up in the Firebender's body, and he knew what would happen if he became too furious. Attempting to keep a level head, he shoved the rabbit onto the stick's ledges and argued. "I did not."

"Did too." Sokka could hear the childish feeling in his voice, but he didn't care.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did t—"

An action was repeated a second time as well as Sokka was silenced once more. He made a small noise of surprise as he felt the older boy's lips against his own, pressing with slight force. Sokka didn't quite know how to react, and his eyes shot open. He didn't have the strength nor the willpower to force Zuko off of him, so he waited until the other boy pulled away, glaring at him.

"See! You did it again." Sokka's voice was triumphant despite the awkward situation.

"No, I was proving a point," Zuko fired back. "I did not kiss you there; I was silencing you again, because you have the inability to stop talking or making noise in the worst situations." The scarred prince turned his attention back to the rabbit, which began smelling quite good as it roasted over the fire. Unfortunately for him, Sokka was determined to win the argument.

"That was definitely a kiss," he snarled, biting his lip roughly. He felt the aura of the room become more and more uncomfortable as time went on, and made an attempt to distract himself from it.

A groan of frustration made its way out of Zuko's throat, and he turned to face the opposing boy, who equally returned the defiant stare. "That was not a kiss, you idiot. This is a kiss."

Without any warning, the prince leaned towards Sokka, cupping his face in one hand, and quickly, but gently, reunited his mouth with the Water Tribe boy's once more, ignoring the quiet whimper from Sokka. All of Zuko's anger and fiery passion and frustration for the boy he put into the kiss, and moved his hand from Sokka's cheek up to his loose wolf's tail, fingering the small threads that had come loose. He felt a sigh emit from the warrior, and took this as an excuse to carefully slip his tongue into the other boy's mouth.

Sokka, on the other hand, was quite frozen on the spot. Not knowing whether to react to Zuko's strange manner or to push him away, he simply stayed put, unprepared for going any farther. He hesitated when he felt Zuko's tongue press against his lips, but allowed him access, blushing furiously.

After a few moments of tender yet real kissing, Zuko pulled away for the third time that night and stared at Sokka, an expressionless look upon his face. The darker-skinned warrior was much in shock, and could hardly form words.

"What did you…why…how…?" were the only few phrases that made its way out of his vocal chords.

Zuko did not blush, as the other boy had, but merely let out his breath in an anticipated sigh, much like the one his companion had made just minutes before. Unable to create full sentences himself, he merely responded with a shrug, and began removing the rabbit from the fire, carefully picking pieces of it apart and handing it to Sokka. Still in a daze, he accepted the meat, though he did not bring it to his mouth instantly as he had wanted to when it was first in his sight. He watched as the Firebender ate some himself, and then shot him a glance.

"Well? Aren't you going to eat anything?" Zuko raised an eyebrow at Sokka, curious as to why he wasn't eating. Usually food disappeared before his eyes when it was in the hands of Sokka, though that was not the case at the present time.

The normally talkative Sokka was silent, simply staring at Zuko. Swallowing his pride, he spoke in what he hoped was a demanding voice, but it actually came out as more of a whisper.

"Why did you kiss me?" he repeated.

Groaning loudly, Zuko set down his leg of rabbit and leaned his face close in to the other boy's, though his expression was one of anger. "I was proving a point to you, and I was correct. So why can't you just let the matter drop and get over it?"

Sokka thought for a moment, thinking deeply, something he did not do quite often. "So you mean to tell me," he spoke slowly, "that you didn't…feel anything?"

Constricting his eyes into small slits, the older boy stared at him, confused by Sokka's interpretation. He blinked a few times, scratched his ear, and then said, "No."

"I see," Sokka said, almost inaudibly. He focused down upon his piece of rabbit and began to eat it slowly, but Zuko wasn't fooled. There was something in his voice that Zuko could not detect, was it disappointment?

Curiosity bubbled inside the exiled prince, and he focused upon Sokka with multiple questions buzzing around in his head. Carefully selecting, one, he said, "Why…did you?"

Grateful for the dying fire and the loss of light, Sokka hung his head and blushed once more, trying to avoid Zuko's gaze. Saying nothing, he merely fiddled with a loose hem on his pants, not noticing that Zuko had moved until he realized that he was sitting right next to him.

"Come on, tell me. I'll understand," Zuko pleaded, though he knew it was a lie. Sokka could tell also, for he snickered underneath his breath.

"Yeah, right," he muttered, turning his body carefully so that he was not facing Zuko. He still winced in pain as he felt the muscles stretch under the binding, but hoped that the other boy did not notice. To his dismay, he was unsuccessful.

Sighing, Zuko carefully outstretched a hand and slipped it under his tunic, placing it on Sokka's side, being gentle enough to not press hard on the wound. He could feel the blood pulsating underneath his palm and, not knowing exactly what he was doing, caressed it tenderly. "That hurt?" he murmured.

"Mmm…" came the response. "No." He turned his head so that he was staring directly into Zuko's golden eyes, not hesitating at all. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered.

Sokka's deep blue pools were working their way into Zuko's mind, and he responded with a tone equally as low. "I don't know, I just…like being next to you, I guess. Your skin is so warm…" Not realizing what he had said, Zuko averted his gaze from Sokka's eyes and instead bored a hole into his shoulder, trying his very hardest not to blush. However, his attempts were failed, and the redness crept to his cheeks as well.

"Look at me." Sokka's voice was fierce, but calm. "Look at me, right now, and tell me what you feel."

Hesitant, but not wanting to disappoint his companion, Zuko raised his head to see Sokka's face, clear of emotion and calm. "Well," he said, with extreme weight and care for each of the words, "I'm thinking…of how nice it was to kiss you, and…" His voice trailed off, becoming nothing in the night air.

"You think so?" the Water Tribe boy replied. "Because I…well, I…" Sokka's words faltered as well, though Zuko pressed him for information.

"Say it."

Looking one more time into the Firebender's eyes, Sokka adjusted his body slightly, and closed the gap between them a final time. The world was forgotten around them as the two shared yet another kiss, but this one was much deeper, much more passionate; neither one was holding back. The pain in his side was nearly forgotten as Sokka's fingers laced through Zuko's tendrils, the silky strands gliding through easily. This caused the older boy to respond with just as much emotion, and removed his lips from Sokka's, only to place them on the delicate skin of his neck. A low moan escaped from the younger boy's mouth as Zuko kissed up and down, covering as much area as he could.

"Don't…" Sokka's voice came in a hiss as he closed his eyes in pleasure.

"Don't what?" Zuko said softly, afraid that he had gone too far, and paused.

Sokka let out a very tiny gasp, and it took all of his strength to form two words. "Don't stop."

The other boy grinned, and resumed covering his skin in kisses, sucking gently when he could and leaving his mark upon the warrior, feeling more and more passionate with each of the sounds his companion made. He was pleasuring him, he could tell, and grinned with confidence and success. When he grew tired of this, he took one last look at Sokka, continuing to smile widely.

"That was…brilliant," Sokka gasped. "I wish that I could make you feel as good as this."

Chuckling to himself, Zuko mused, "Don't worry about me. I enjoy making you happy."

Sokka pouted, his lower lip sticking out, which caused Zuko to laugh slightly harder. "But I want you to have the same feeling as well…"

Keeping the grin plastered on his face, Zuko looked at Sokka, and said, "Well…there is one thing I do want." He shuddered as Sokka pressed his own lips to Zuko's in return.

"Anything."

Pulling the Water Tribe boy closer, so that he was nearly on top of him, Zuko remarked, "I want you."

Laughing seductively, Sokka said, "If it is me you want, then it is me you will get."

And with that, the two spent the night in the darkened cave, needing only each other and the light of the fire to guide them to where they needed to be.

Fin

The ending is up to you, whatever you believe it implies. Hope you enjoyed it. See that little review button down there? Clicky please :) I don't really care if you flame me or not, so long as it's honest.