Title-- In Any Other Situation
Prompt--059. Save
There was a week of travel to account for. And then the sudden shift of being thrown headfirst into a battle they didn't even know the reason for; all that mattered was that they stayed alive. Every inch of his body already aches, and he knows he'll be very sore the following day.
But his biggest problem lies in his right arm. His remaining working arm, after the left was dislocated in the fight. His arm is burning and it that had nothing to do with fire. It feels like it's about to be ripped from its socket as well, but he keeps his hand closed and tight.
Above, Sokka grunts. One hand on Zuko's, the other on a black, leafless shrub growing from the cliff face they dangle against. It can't hold both their weights. Moreover, Sokka can't hold both their weights...
"Sokka," Zuko says.
There's no answer for a moment, and at first, Zuko thinks he wasn't heard.
Then, Sokka's voice comes out, grinding between his teeth. "What?"
"Sokka, I need to tell you something."
"Oh, well, I'm pretty sure you can save it for later!" Sokka snaps, his grip tightening painfully. But his arm is trembling with strain...
Zuko feels himself smile and continues anyway. "I love you."
Sokka's laugh is sharp and bitten, but still entirely made up of mirth, if not sheer exhaustion. "It takes hanging off a cliff...about to fall to our deaths...for you...to finally admit it!"
"...Not 'our' deaths."
He thinks the blue of Sokka's eyes is wonderful--soft and clear--and what he likes most is how expressive they are, how they light up with each rush of emotion through the Watertribe boy. Now, there is realization. Shock. Panic. "Wait. Zuko--"
"Tell Toph I love her, too. Please."
The eyes glare at him, wide and fierce. "Don't you dare..."
"I love you both."
"Zuko, don't--"
He lets go and slides easily through Sokka's sweat-slicked grip--and the hand flexes out immediately, trying to reach him even though it's too late.
"ZUKO--!"
And then, he's being slammed up against the hard rock of a ledge that hadn't been there before; his tail bone gets the worst of it and the rest of his body jolts at the sudden stop, following limply after.
Through the pulsing world of pain at the rear of his skull, Toph's distant voice is breathless and relieved: "Gotcha!"