The next day, Toph and Katara would not stop arguing. Toph insisted that Aang needed to go out alone and train using just his other senses. Katara adamantly believed that he would end up getting hurt.

Zuko was also worried that Aang would hurt himself. He knew that Toph 'saw' with her feet and had taught Aang how to do so, but being completely blind changed the situation. Aang claimed it was a gift.

Even as a young boy, Iroh had taught him that he should always accept gifts politely, even if he didn't like them. This was one gift he wanted to give back.

For now, Aang made a compromise by taking a hold of Zuko's hand, but still moving around the town a bit. It didn't stop the arguments between the other two benders, but at least it kept them from a physical fight. Katara had insisted on joining them, so the others had decided to tag along as well.

With Zuko's hand held tight by Aang, Suki quietly pointed out that Zuko was blushing, and found it rather adorable in a disturbing way. Zuko had glared at her, but she had only grinned at him. At least she kept her thoughts mostly to herself.

The comment made Zuko think about how things had changed. There were the little things, such as how Aang had grown taller, and all of them were older. Hopefully wiser, though sometimes he wondered about that. Then there were the big changes. He never would have imagined himself beside the Avatar as he was now.

He remembered the obsession to find the Avatar, how it consumed him and kept him up at night. He remembered the anger he felt not only towards himself, but the anger he would not admit he felt towards his father and sister. There was the loneliness he felt at being abandoned, though he had never really been alone, and the drive to capture Aang and defeat his little posse overtaking him and nearly losing his uncle in the process. But always in the background was the uncertainty, the young child that told him this was wrong…that was the young child that had gotten him kicked out in the first place.

Now, he knew he never should have forgotten that young boy that he had once been, even if it had led to much of his pain. He had let bitterness take so much out of his life, and hurt countless people. He had changed, but it had taken quite a while for it to happen. The truth of the matter was that if Aang had not woken up, then he probably would have continued to be bitter and hateful, words always harsh and unforgiving.

Of course, at the end of the war, he thought he'd settle down with Mai, try to find his mother, and eventually have kids and die.

"Where are you anyway, Zuko?" said Aang beside him. He frowned, looking down at their interlocked hands, and then looked at how the others had drawn away a bit, as if to give the two some privacy. It took him a moment to realize Aang wasn't talking about physically. Still…

"What do you mean?"

"I called you, but you didn't answer. I'm guessing you were brooding again?"

"You're starting to sound like Mai," said Zuko. It felt a bit odd that he had been thinking of Mai, and now Aang almost seemed to be channeling her. That is, he was until he suddenly burst out laughing, causing Sokka to raise an eyebrow and for Toph and Katara to stop for just a few seconds in their heated discussion.

"Am I now?"

"Well, maybe a little." He glanced at Aang, frowning when he noticed how clouded Aang's eyes now appeared. "I was thinking of the past, and about us."

"That's rather vague," said Aang, earning a scowl from Zuko despite the inability to see.

"I was thinking about the war and how I was beforehand, and how things are not what I expected."

Aang nodded, and squeezed his hand. "I'd say I'm sorry, but as much as it's a surprise for me, I'm rather glad things turned out this way."

Zuko felt his face flush, and decided it was a good time to switch topics quickly before embarrassing himself further. "I'm a bit concerned about your eyes, though. I know you say it's a gift, but I'm not sure I agree."

"I guess you could say…my eyes were getting in the way. Earth bending…isn't necessarily about what you see right in front of you, but also the unseen. It's really about the other senses, especially touch. I need to be able to really feel things in order to fully master Earth bending."

"I thought that was exactly what Toph taught you."

"She did, but I'm nowhere near as good. I probably will never be, but I can definitely get better at it…and…perhaps learn to metal bend."

Zuko nearly tripped over something, since he was busy looking at Aang. Toph snickered.

"See, she's able to tell that you nearly tripped by the rhythm of your feet. She can probably even tell a bit about our emotions by sensing small changes. I'll probably never be able to do that, but I'd certainly like to try."

Zuko sighed. "Well, I suppose there's no turning back now."

Aang had always thought of himself as a decent fighter. Surely he had to have been one, since he defeated Ozai.

Still, without his eyes, Aang realized that there were many things he still had to learn. He had a feeling he was getting more bumps and bruises than even before he had known he was the Avatar. Where Toph could move around with very few difficulties, he was consistently unable to sense things in his way. If Zuko had not helped him, he was fairly certain he would have made a complete fool of himself.

It was rather frustrating, and nearly as bad as the first time he was attempting to learn to Earth bend. He had a feeling that Toph was correct, and that he did indeed need to face training without any aide from the others, but apprehension still made him hesitate.

"Tomorrow," he said, softly.

"What about tomorrow?" asked Zuko, as they both entered the bedroom they were temporarily using.

"I'm going to have to try and figure this out without help…or at least with less help. And don't frown about it."

Zuko was quiet for a moment, and Aang wondered if perhaps he had caught Zuko off-guard.

"How did you know?"

This time, it was Aang's turn to remain silent for a moment. He heard Zuko sit on the bed, the soft sound of the bed springs and the rustle of sheets indicating which direction he should be facing in general.

"I guess…even when I don't realize it, I'm always watching you. I knew that'd be your reaction." Aang felt his face heat up at the admission. "I did not just say that…"

Zuko cleared his throat and Aang wasn't certain if it was embarrassment as well, or a way to hide the fact that he was laughing.

"You did, but I guess it's okay. I'm watching you, too."

Aang shivered. It was frightening how easily he was aroused by so few words.

After Zuko had admitted to his thoughts earlier, Aang had begun to think about his travels as well, starting with the day he had woken up to this new life. He remembered how he had seen Katara first, admiring her young beauty, and how later he had admired her strength and strong will. He remembered how he and Zuko had met, and the Blue Spirit, how much distrust he had when Zuko first joined them, and how very important he had become. He could not deny that he had changed greatly.

But perhaps the most shocking of changes really was how much his feelings towards Zuko had changed. He had always wanted to be his friend, but he had never imagined he would become his lover.

He took careful steps towards Zuko, carefully 'seeing' where he was going through the vibrations in the ground. He listened to how Zuko's breath hitched just a little as he drew closer.

"Aang?" Zuko asked as he stopped inches from him.

"Shh. Don't talk," Aang said softly.

He could tell that Zuko was still sitting. He gently toed at Zuko's foot, silently asking him to move his legs apart. There was a rustle and he drew near, moving to stand between Zuko's legs.

He shivered again as he touched Zuko's face gently and carefully. He certainly didn't want to poke Zuko's eyes and ruin the mood. He felt the asymmetry of Zuko's face, how one side felt as if the skin was tighter and uneven, while the other side was smooth and soft. He explored Zuko's face with only his fingers, and knew that it probably was a bit unnerving for Zuko. Nonetheless, Zuko did not move away, though he shivered a little at the touch.

Aang slowly moved his hands down to Zuko's neck before his hands slipped lower to coax Zuko to remove his shirt. When that was done, Aang's hands moved back up, to Zuko's shoulders, and began his study again. He felt each of Zuko's scars, memorizing them, and trying to remember if he knew where the particular scar came from. Some he knew for sure, and others he could only guess. A smirk spread across his face as his fingers ran along one of Zuko's nipples, and he could feel the shiver.

"Tease," Zuko groaned softly. Aang had the urge to laugh a little.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk?"

Aang was fairly sure that Zuko muttered 'asshole' along with the gentle exhale, but he figured that since he was teasing a bit, he probably deserved it. He laughed, but his hands didn't move away from Zuko's body.

"Hey, move onto the bed."

Aang could once more hear the sound of the bed shifting under Zuko's weight. What he didn't expect was the foot that ran up his leg and around to his butt, and up his back. He shivered, and Zuko chuckled. Aang wasn't entirely certain what made him shiver more: that chuckle that was just a bit deeper than normal, or the hint of how flexible Zuko was.

In retaliation, Aang swiftly grabbed the rest of Zuko's clothes and yanked them off. He was about to climb onto the bed when he had a sudden thought. His smirk was back.

He removed his shirt first, throwing it carelessly behind him, but then ran his hands from his waist, slowly up, repeating how he studied Zuko's body with his hands, but on his own body. He imagined Zuko on the bed, his eyes focused entirely on him. He pinched one of his nipples, and that earned him a groan from Zuko.

He slipped off his own pants and underwear before pulling a small jar from his traveling bag. It took him far longer than he would have liked since he knew vaguely where he had left it, but was impatient. He could hear Zuko's quiet laughter at his expense.

When he stood up again, he uncapped the jar, slipping his fingers inside to gather some ointment, before carefully putting the lid back on and placing the jar on the bed. He smirked, before slowly moving his hand to his own cock.

The laughter stopped. He heard the sound of the sheets rustling as Zuko moved. Aang couldn't help but wonder if Zuko was touching himself as he watched. He decided that if he wanted to continue with his previous plans, he had to stop. A bit reluctantly, he stopped stroking himself, wiped his hand off on a towel they had purposely laid on a nearby table, and climbed onto the bed.

He forced himself to slow down, listening and feeling his way towards Zuko. His hands ran along Zuko's waist and down, continuing his studies of the man's body. He paid attention to what made Zuko gasp softly, or what made him laugh. He studied not only the scars, but the feel of Zuko's skin beneath his fingertips. When Aang finally stopped, they were both breathing a bit faster.

Aang moved so he was between Zuko's legs again, running his hands up and down Zuko's waist. Zuko moved one leg to Aang's shoulder as Aang moved forward slowly.

"Does it ever bother you?" Aang said quietly, leaning down to whisper in Zuko's ear, then nibbling on it gently as he rubbed their cocks together. He purposely moved slow, wanting this to last.

"What…?" Zuko managed before apparently deciding he didn't need to say anything else.

"Me doing this to you."

There was only the sound of panting as they rocked against each other.

"I thought about it," said Zuko softly. "I had dreams about it before you…pursued me. I didn't want to think about it at the time. It was too painful, thinking you would never want me that way."

Aang felt Zuko arching his back by the way his legs shifted, using them to brace himself, as he pushed a bit harder at those words.

"But you took me instead. It's very rare I don't have dreams of you in me, now."

Aang groaned. He shifted Zuko's legs and slid inside.

"Damnit," Aang cursed softly. "I shouldn't have asked…"

Zuko chuckled, though it was a bit breathless, moving underneath Aang, meeting his thrusts. With all the teasing they had done, however, it didn't take them long. They were both surprisingly quiet this time and far more gentle, however. Aang hoped that there wouldn't be any complaints against them this time.

He could no longer bend, that was true, but that did not take away his mind, nor the ability to regain his strength.

He sat in his cell, reading the simple slip of paper that his 'healer' had managed to give him during their meeting.

Things were going slowly, but exactly as planned. Soon, he would make sure that not only was his son utterly destroyed, but the Avatar with him. Ozai would become ruler once more, whether he could bend or not.