This is AU, Zukaang. Ways in which it is AU: 1) There is no Avatar. Aang is just an airbender. 2) There is no Sozin's Comet. 3) This is AU in other ways, but those will mostly reveal themselves as the story goes on.

This is a chapter many of you have been waiting for for a long time. ;)

Enjoy Chapter 28!


The next morning, he made sure that Aang had slept through the rest of the night peacefully, Zuko went off to tell his uncle what had happened with Kurohi the previous night. Meanwhile, Aang decided to take a bath. While their activities last night were amazing, the airbender felt a little gross and wanted to wash the grime away.

Aang was honestly shocked that he didn't feel dirty in a completely different way. He was expect that doing such things with Zuko would trigger something darker within him; bring up all those reasons from the last few years why he was nothing but a dirty whore.

But doing those things with Zuko turned out to be completely different. Every single sensation, while similar, was utter different at its core. He didn't feel frightened or empty at all. It had been the most intense, pleasant experience he had ever had. And while a part of him still felt like the pathetic creature he had once been, he found that part was just a bit smaller than it had been the day before.

Feeling cautiously optimistic, he quickly scrubbed his body down in the cold water that fell from an offshoot sticking out of the wall of the bathroom. Feeling sufficiently clean, he stepped into the hot pool of water, sighing as the heat relaxed his muscles.

After soaking for a bit, Aang got out, dried himself, and put on clean clothes before returning to his and Zuko's room. When he got back, he found Zuko and Iroh standing outside the door. Taking note of Aang's wet hair, Zuko said, "Took a bath?" At Aang's nod, Zuko ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah... I could probably use one, too."

"This can wait if you wish to bathe now," Iroh said.

"Well... that depends." Zuko gave Aang a nervous look. "Aang... Uncle and I are going to go back to see the dragons. We'd like it if you came too. But you don't have to!" he quickly added.

Aang, while feeling an uncomfortable pit in his stomach, nodded. "I'll come with you."

Zuko smiled, visibly relieved. "Great. Then let's head down now."

As they made their way down to the dragons' cavern, Zuko and Iroh chatted about the bond that they shared with their respective dragons. Zuko excitedly asked questions about the new sensations he was feeling. Iroh gladly answered his questions and shared some of his own experiences, both the good and the bad.

Aang, however, was hardly listening. They didn't seem to notice that he was trailing behind him by a couple of paces, for which Aang was relieved. He didn't want either of them to know just how apprehensive he was about seeing the dragons again.

He knew that once they got down there and once Zuko was over sharing the excitement of his bond with Kurohi, the pressure would be on for him and Shiroku to try and bond. While he knew it wasn't exactly a secret, he didn't want to admit aloud that he was terrified at the thought of it. He didn't even know why he was terrified of it. Logically, he should be excited at the prospect. After the last few years of utter loneliness after losing Appa, he should be thrilled at the idea of having that kind of companionship again. To feel what Zuko was feeling at this exact moment.

So why was he so scared?

When they arrived at the cavern, Hoshi flew up to meet them. She greeted Aang and Zuko as she did before then turned to Iroh. She seemed a little anxious.

"Yes, I am fully aware what happened between Kurohi and Zuko," Iroh responded. "And no, I think it's wonderful. For both of them."

Hoshi's eyes narrowed, but a distant rumble caught their attention. Turning, they all saw Kurohi and Shiroku approach. Hoshi seemed to let out a small huff before taking off, leaving them behind in the dust before the twins arrived.

Iroh sighed. "As I mentioned to you before, Zuko... bonding does not mean that you will suddenly share each other's beliefs and values. In fact, I doubt I will ever be able to convince Hoshi to accept her children."

With that depressing thought in mind, Kurohi and Shiroku landed in front of them. Unlike Hoshi, Kurohi ignored the others completely and went right up to her companion. When she lowered her head, Zuko smiled and stroked the top of her muzzle. As Aang watched, he could tell by the way they were looking at each other that they were silently speaking. Aang's bond with Appa had not been quite like that. They had never shared actual words with each other, but they did understand each other. Aang always knew when Appa was upset and Appa seemed to know when Aang needed him. Aang would sometimes talk to Appa like a regular person, and Appa would always respond appropriately.

After a lengthy period of silence, Iroh cleared his throat. "Prince Zuko."

Zuko flinched at the sudden address and quickly stepped away from Kurohi's head. Blushing a little in embarrassment, Zuko cleared his throat and muttered an apology.

Iroh chuckled. "It's perfectly understandable, my nephew."

Aang realized that he couldn't see Shiroku moments before he felt a hot gust of hair blow against the back of his head. Letting out a yelp, he spun around and jumped back, only maintaining a standing position by using his airbending.

Shiroku was staring very intently down at the airbender. He slowly moved his head side to side, as though appraising him carefully.

Aang, a little too apprehensive to move, swallowed the lump in his throat and stuttered out a weak 'hi'.

The dragon's deep gray eyes narrowed, his lip curling up as he snarled. Aang quickly stepped back, but realized that he wasn't actually frightened. For some unknown reason, he was angry.

Kurohi growled back, her jaw lightly snapping at her brother. Shiroku lowered his head and looked ashamed, but Aang knew that he was more annoyed than anything else.

"What is it, Shiroku?" Iroh asked.

Zuko gave Kurohi a skeptical look. "I don't know..." Zuko said, "... Kurohi is only saying that he's being an idiot." Kurohi nodded, affirming the statement.

For a brief period of time, they watched as Kurohi and Shiroku spoke with each other. They could only watch their facial expressions and hear them growl at each other. From what Aang heard from Zuko and Iroh's conversation earlier, he knew that even Zuko couldn't hear what was being said between them.

With an annoyed huff, Shiroku turned back to Aang, eyes still narrowed. He's definitely annoyed... Aang thought to himself. Annoyed and frustrated.

Shiroku lowered his head so it was level with Aang. He simply stared at the airbender for a moment, sizing him up, before thrusting his whisker forward.

Aang stared at the tip of the white whisker stupidly for a solid minute before he realized what Shiroku was trying to do. Quickly shaking his head, he stepped back. "I... umm..."

Zuko was standing next to him a moment later, arm around his shoulders. "Aang?"

Aang let out an exasperated sigh. "You can't seriously think that I'm somehow destined for him, do you?" Shiroku growled and jerked his whisker forward again.

"Just try," Zuko encouraged. "Just pretend like you're greeting him like any of the other dragons."

Figuring that there wasn't really any harm in trying, Aang nodded and stepped back forward, hesitantly raising his arm and presenting his palm to the white dragon. Shiroku, clearly impatient, closed the distance and touched the palm.

Aang felt his palm warm up and let out a small gasp, bracing himself for the bond to happen. But it didn't. His palm got warm, like it did with the other dragons and nothing else happened. He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Visibly satisfied, Shiroku brought his whisker back and lifted his head. Kurohi let out a little growl, which Shiroku responded with his own sharp hiss, not allowing himself to be cowed by his sister.

"What's their problem?" Aang asked, turning to Zuko.

Zuko frowned. "I'm not sure..."

Iroh sighed, stepping forward to stand beside them. "Perhaps... my hypothesis was incorrect."

Aang tried not to let it show how relieved he was.


Zuko was frustrated. He knew he shouldn't be frustrated, that it was unreasonable for him to be so, but he couldn't help it.

It turns out the silent spat Kurohi and Shiroku were having were in regards to Shiroku's attitude towards bonding.

He can feel the beginnings of the bond forming, Kurohi had told Zuko. In the same way that I felt it after we first met. I'm sure the little airbender can feel it in the same way you had as well, but may not realize that's what he's feeling.

"If that's the case, why didn't they bond?" Zuko had asked. "If it's already there, what's keeping it from fully forming?"

Kurohi didn't have an answer.

When Zuko told his uncle and Aang what Kurohi had told him, his uncle seemed hopeful again and Aang seemed a bit dejected. That's when Aang first verbalized his aversion to creating the bond.

"I mean... the bond is already there," Zuko had said. "There's no avoiding it now. It just needs to be... I don't know, completed?" This did not seem to to make Aang any happier.

Still, probably realizing it was unavoidable, Aang allowed himself to be dragged down to the cavern nearly every day. Zuko went primarily to be with Kurohi, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't also trying to get Aang and Shiroku to bond. And they tried. Almost every day, the two of them would join together. And each and every time, it failed.

Zuko had no idea what the problem was. It had been easy for him and Kurohi after the first vestiges of the bond had been made. For whatever reason, there was something blocking Aang and Shiroku's bond from coming to a completion.

However, Zuko's frustration was accompanied by a deep sense of victory. He and Aang's physical relationship had been taking leaps and bounds in the last few weeks. Zuko was letting Aang take the lead in terms of how far they would go, and Aang seemed content not going all the way. Honestly, Zuko was perfectly fine with that. He was just thrilled that Aang seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself without being haunted by his past.

With the exception of the struggles they were having with Aang and Shiroku, everything seemed to be consistently getting better. Aang and Zuko were both what would be considered a normal weight and were now starting to build muscle. Aang was also starting to get older looking. He no longer had his perpetually childish features, his features lengthening and sharpening. He was even starting to get taller, to the point that Zuko was starting to worry about Aang outstripping him.

Yes, things seemed to be constantly improving at this point.

Now if only he could figure out how to get them to bond...


"I want you inside me," Aang breathed, grinding his naked body against Zuko's.

Zuko paused in his devotion to the airbender's nibble, giving his lover a careful look. "Are you sure?" he said quietly. "We can wait as long as you need to."

Aang shook his head vehemently, finding it a little difficult to form words. He had been thinking about it for the past few days. With everything they had been doing recently, the idea that what he was doing with Zuko was not even close to everything he had done with his clients and Azula was more and more solidified. He was now confident that sleeping with Zuko would be nothing like sleeping with his clients. Or Jet. Zuko loved him. Zuko would never hurt him. Of this, Aang was certain.

Zuko came back up so his face was hovering just above Aang's, staring straight into his eyes. "Aang?"

"I'm sure," the airbender said, trying to sound as confident as possible. He grabbed one of Zuko's hands and licked his palm slowly, smiling when the firebender shivered. "I trust you... completely."

Zuko smiled and nodded, dipping down for a deep kiss. A hand trailed down Aang's side, until his fingers slithered over his hip. Kneading the flesh, his hand made his way around to grip Aang's buttocks.

Aang reflexively smiled, excitement stirring low in his belly. Zuko kissed and lightly bit his shoulder, his light stubble tickling him. His half-hardened dick quickly becoming harder, Aang spread his legs. "Zuko, please..."

Letting out a breathy laugh, Zuko brought his hand up to spit on them before lowering them back. When his fingertips brushed over his puckered hole, he glanced up once more to appraise Aang's potential uneasiness. Still smiling, Aang quickly nodded. Smiling back, Zuko slowly slipped a slicked finger in.

Aang let out a small gasp of surprise, letting out a small nervous laugh. It was strange. As Zuko slowly wriggled his finger around, Aang kept expecting sharp pain or sudden cramps. Not because he thought Zuko would purposefully try to hurt him, but because he assumed that it would always be extremely painful. Even as the second finger made its way inside and there was a slight sting, Aang would have never expected such pleasure to shiver and spread through him.

Zuko slowly worked his fingers in and out, rubbing gently against the sides of his insides. He worked himself deeper and deeper, making sure Aang was still okay. Then, his middle finger flicked over a spot of intense pleasure.

Aang jerked, taking in a quick stuttered breath. He was familiar with this sensation, but it was so much more intense when it wasn't tainted with pain and fear. It was almost as if it was completely different; so different that his memories were incapable of breaking through this scene of wonderfulness.

Finally, Zuko removed his fingers and moved himself so his erection lined up with Aang's buttocks. "Ready?"

Probably breathing a bit too fast, Aang quickly nodded with a small whimper. Blood pumped hard in his ears and his groin, taking away all capability of higher thought. "Please..."

A soft laugh escaping Zuko's throat, he wrapped a hand around his erection and guided it so its tip brushed against Aang's entrance. With a final glance up to the airbender, he slowly pushed himself in. Aang took a deep breath, working through the initial sting. It was a sting, but a good sting.

"You... okay...?" Zuko asked with difficulty.

"Yes... yes, deeper, Zuko..." Aang begged.

Inch by inch, Zuko slowly pushed himself in, constantly checking Aang's reaction. He was consistently encouraged by Aang's continued enjoyment. Once he was all the way in, he slowly started to pull back out.

Aang scowled in frustration. "Faster... Zuko, faster..."

Zuko complied, beginning to pump himself in and out. He shifted a few times, probably to get a more comfortable position. After shifting his weight to one knee, he thrusted back in and his penis hit that spot of pleasure inside of Aang. Aang let out a small squeak of surprise followed by a nervous laughter. He pushed himself against Zuko, humping in time with Zuko's thrusts.

Zuko's breathing became harsher and harsher, his thrusting harder and more insistent, Aang responding in kind. Zuko had a hand around the airbender's erection, pumping it eagerly. The firebender varied his rhythm, keeping the airbender present and with Zuko at all times.

"You here?" he would ask breathlessly.

"I'm here," Aang would respond, equally breathless.

It felt like an eternity had passed, yet that no time had passed at all. However much time passed, Aang found himself whimpering his need to come, his lower belly feeling unnaturally warm and his legs shaking with exertion. Feeling Zuko's pace increase, the airbender found himself temporarily preoccupied with the idea that Zuko, the most wonderful man in the world, was taking his pleasure deep inside of him.

Zuko leaned forward so his mouth was pressed to Aang's ear and whispered, "Come for me,"

White light exploded before Aang's eyes as he came into Zuko's hand. A few seconds later, the firebender trusted deep into Aang and released his seed inside of him. After a few more pumps, Zuko collapsed on top of Aang, both of them hot, sweaty, and breathing heavily.

While he barely had enough energy, Aang smiled, the weight of Zuko's body on top of him and his softening dick still inside of him making him feel safer and more loved than ever before.

"Agni, I love you so much..." Zuko murmured. He gently pulled himself out and re-collapsed on his back next to Aang.

Still panting, Aang nodded. "I assure you... the feeling is completely mutual."

Zuko chuckled, sitting up for just a moment to place a chaste kiss on Aang's cheek. "You're beautiful."

Aang just smiled, knowing no more words were necessary. As they both laid there, revelling in their post-orgasmic bliss, Aang could feel a wave of inexplicable calm wash over him. He was mildly confused at first until Iroh's words echoed in his head.

I assure you that my nephew will also remain to think well of you.

"Zuko?" Aang said quietly.

The firebender let out a small questioning grunt in acknowledgement.

"I think I'm ready."

There was a beat of silence. Then, Zuko slowly sat up so his upper body was supported by his left arm. He looked down at Aang with a look of slight confusion. "Ready for what?"

Aang took a deep breath. "Ready to tell you... everything."


'Bout time you guys got a lemon, right? I'm not overly confident in my sex scene writing skills, but I hope it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Leave a review to let me know what you guys think!