Zukaang Week
Warmth
(A/N: This chapter is from Aang's POV.)
Aang lay in bed beside his boyfriend. His boyfriend. Just thinking the words sent shivers of pleasure through Aang. He had loved Zuko for years, just had never quite had the nerve to tell the older boy that. It turned out that Zuko felt the same way. That he had felt the same way for a while now. It also turned that Katara had been completely wrong about Zuko. He was not a jerk. Well, not to Aang anyway. And he hadn't gotten his scar in a fight over a girl. Or over anyone else for that matter. He had gotten his scar because his father was an abusive bastard, too. The main difference was that Ozai was a rich abusive bastard. And possibly a murderer. Which, Aang had to admit, scared him a little. And pissed him off more than a little. How could someone like Ozai still be free? He belonged in a tiny little cell, eating bologna sandwiches, stale bread and mushy vegetables for the rest of his life.
Right then, Zuko was lightly running his fingers over Aang's upper body. Which, quite frankly, was making it rather hard to think. It was also making Aang feel warm all over. He sighed and snuggled even closer to Zuko, eyelids drooping over grey eyes. Aang drifted off to sleep cocooned in a feeling of warmth, security, and love that he hadn't felt since his mother had been killed by a drunk driver.
"My nephew? Aang? Are you two awake yet? Breakfast is almost ready." The words intruded on Aang's pleasant dream, a dream in which his mother was alive, his father wasn't an abusive homophobic drunk, Uncle Gyatso wasn't in a nursing home, and Zuko was his boyfriend. As Aang came farther awake he realized that he was in a strange bed. He was also in someone's arms. A male someone's arms. If his father caught him in bed with another guy…. Aang jerked bolt upright. Where was he? Who was he with? He gazed around, eyes wide with fright as he struggled to clear out the sleep fog from his mind and remember.
"Aang? What's wrong, love? Did you have a nightmare?" The voice was warm with concern, and sounded familiar. Aang twisted around to look. Zuko. The fog finally cleared from his mind and Aang remembered the previous night. His father had been going to beat him again. Zuko had shown up out of nowhere and rescued him. The golden eyed senior had then told him he loved him, and his uncle was letting Aang stay with them. Right now he was staring at Aang with concern. Aang smiled brightly at him.
"I'm fine, Zuko. I was just…a little disorientated waking up. That's all." He placed a hand on Zuko's chest and leaned over to kiss him. Kissing Zuko was even better than it had been the night before. Especially when Zuko wrapped his arms around Aang's waist and deepened the kiss. He pulled Aang forward unto his lap and explored the inside of his mouth with his tongue. His right arm tightened around Aang's slender waist pulling him even closer while his left hand slipped under Aang's shirt.
"Boys! Breakfast is ready!" Iroh's voice drifted up the stairs causing the pair the pull apart. "Boys? Are you coming down?" Zuko stared at Aang, slightly flushed. He gave him one last quick kiss.
"We'd better get downstairs. Uncle usually uses that tone when he's been calling upstairs for a while." Taking his hand, he tugged Aang gently off the bed. They held hands the whole way downstairs.
"So, Zuzu, how was it finally losing your virginity? Did you or Watanabe top?" Azula seemed to be doing much better. The swelling was definitely down, and the bruises didn't seem like they were going to end up all that dark. Of course she could be wearing makeup to hide them.
"While Zuko and I slept together, Azula, it's none of your business beyond that. What happens in our bedroom, as long as we're both consenting, stays between us." Iroh and Zuko both suppressed snickers. Azula just stared at him with her eyebrows raised for a long moment, then she smiled slightly and nodded briefly. Aang realized that he'd passed some sort of test in the girl's mind. 'I wonder what would have happened if I failed her test?' he thought.
"Well, that answers that question. Watanabe definitely topped." Aang looked at Zuko to see what his reaction to his sister's words were. He was scowling. He quite frankly hoped that when he and Zuko were intimate that Zuko would top. At least the first time. Judging by Zuko's reaction, he felt the same. Aang had known since he was twelve that he was gay, but he didn't have the foggiest idea how to go about having sex. The only adult he really trusted to have that conversation with was his uncle, and Aang was not having that conversation in a nursing home. His father's drunken attempt at "The Talk" had been confusing at best. It had also been all about having sex with girls. Aang was pretty sure that it would be different with boys, he just wasn't sure how different it would be. Iroh might be able to help, but Aang just didn't know him well enough to bring up the subject. He could always hope that Iroh would broach the subject, but who knew how long that could take? And if there was one thing making out with Zuko had taught him, it was that Aang was far closer to being ready for sex than he had thought. He wasn't sure how to tell Zuko, though.
"I think all three of you should go to the police and report the abuse you've been suffering. Today." Iroh's words jerked Aang out of his increasingly dirty thoughts. Azula's eyes flashed to him questioningly. Why did she think he was moving in with Zuko? What other reason, besides abuse or neglect of some sort, would justify a seventeen year old high school junior moving in with his eighteen year old boyfriend of less than twenty-four hours? True, he was technically moving in with Iroh as his legal guardian, but still. "I can't guarantee that you, Zuko and Azula, will get anywhere due to my brother's money and influence, but having the reports on file will help if Ozai decides to claim I 'kidnapped' you two or some such nonsense once he realizes you aren't coming home. Aang, you should definitely have better luck. Also, having a report of abuse on file will prevent your father from being able to force you to return to his home." Azula squirmed uncomfortably.
"You can't honestly be thinking of moving back in him, Zula! It will only get worse, you're smart enough to realize that."
"Maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe-"
"That's utter bullshit and you know it, Azula. You just don't want to admit it." Zuko was angry, and Aang knew exactly why. He loved his little sister dearly, and didn't want to see her get hurt. Azula glared at him.
"Who are you to try and tell me how to live my life, Zuzu?" Zuko opened his mouth to reply but Aang beat him to it.
"He's telling you 'how to live your life,' Azula, because he's your big brother and he loves you. He doesn't want to see you go through years of abuse at the hands of your father. And he's right. It will only escalate. If he beat you because he's a homophobe and you're gay, then he'll keep right on beating you until you either escape, or are dead. What happened to you last night is only the beginning, Azula. If you move in with your uncle now, then you can prevent that before you have permanent scars. Zuko and I weren't that lucky. You can be. If you're as smart as everyone says you are you'll realize that, and you'll go to the police station with Zuko and I later on." Azula stared for a long moment at him and then nodded. Aang turned to Zuko.
"After we're done at the police station, I want you to meet my Uncle Gyatso. I think he'd really like you."
"I'd like that, too, Aang." He heard Azula mutter something that sounded like 'Watanabe definitely tops,' but decided to ignore it.
Filing the reports took hours. Aang was getting worried that visiting hours at Windy Acres Nursing Home would be over by the time all three of them were finished with all the paper work, photos, questions, and yet more paper work. Iroh had been given the papers he would need to have when he filed for emergency guardianship on Monday when the courts were open for business. In the meantime, Detective Brown assured them that the abuse reports would be enough for Aang, Zuko, and Azula to stay with him without their fathers being able to forcibly take them back home. They had already decided Iroh would drop Aang and Zuko off at the nursing home and take Azula home. Zuko had promised to call when they were ready to come home.
"Uncle Gyatso? I want you to meet someone." Aang tugged Zuko's hand and led him to his uncle's wheelchair. "This is my boyfriend, Zuko. I'm kinda…living with him now. At his uncle's house."
"So you're finally getting away from that bastard, Aang? I've always regretted the fact that I couldn't take you in permanently myself, but with my income and my health, he would have won back custody in an instant."
"I know, Uncle. But you provided the next best thing, and I always knew that you would do more if you could." Aang hugged him tightly. Uncle Gyatso was the sweetest, gentlest person Aang had ever known. He'd always felt a little guilty that he couldn't find a way out of his father's house sooner. Gyatso beamed at Zuko.
"So, you're the handsome young fellow my nephew's been telling me about for a few years now. You're even better looking in person." Zuko blushed bright red and glanced at Aang, who looked sheepish.
"I've never been able to keep a secret from him. Once he figured out I was interested in someone he didn't rest until I told him everything I knew about you. I didn't tell him what Katara said, though. I figured that was hearsay, and since it turned out to be false anyway…" Aang let his voice trail off. He had known that Uncle Gyatso would like Zuko. He was thrilled to find that Zuko genuinely liked Gyatso as well. Uncle seemed extra thrilled to have a new person to tell all his bad jokes to. Zuko even seemed to like them. Aang couldn't be happier.
"Hi, Aang. Visiting hours are over now, I'm afraid. But we'll see you on Monday for water aerobics, I hope?"
"Of course, Song. Wild horses couldn't keep me away." Aang beamed at his Uncle's favorite nurse. "Come on, Zuko. We'd better go. We'll see you again soon, Uncle Gyatso." Aang gave his beloved a tight hug and kissed his cheek. Zuko tried to give him an awkward handshake but got pulled into a hug instead.
"Uncle Gyatso's stronger then he looks, huh, Zuko?" Zuko just smiled at him and slipped his arm around Aang's waist.
"I hope Aang lets me visit you again soon, Gyatso."
"Oh, he will. I know my nephew. He'll drag you along at least once a week. Bring your uncle next time. I want to meet the man responsible for taking care of my beloved nephew. Oh, and you can call me Uncle Gyatso if you'd like."
"Will do, Uncle Gyatso." As they were walking out the front door, Zuko turned to Aang. "I'm going to hazard a rough guess here and say that Gyatso is from your mother's side of the family?"
"He's her uncle. I knew he'd like you." Zuko had called Iroh on their way out of the building so now they just had to wait for him to show up. Aang rested his head on Zuko's shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
