I'm sorry for the gaps between updates, I've just been so busy lately and lacking inspiration, but I promise that I haven't abandoned my stories! Also, a warning, this is a different ship. Don't ask me why, I just felt like writing something different. I hope you can appreciate the angle and enjoy!

Unexpected

"Don't walk away from me," Aang cried out, stomping his foot on the ground. A large wall of stone rose gracelessly from the ground, effectively trapping Zuko in the small space. Fists clenched, Zuko turned around, his face hot, and his heart racing. He stared at Aang, and the feeling in his stomach only worsened. It was an unnatural, unwelcome feeling, and he wished it would go away, and quit bothering him. But he knew it never would. No matter how much distance he put between himself and the Avatar, he would always wind up back to where he was.

As he looked at Aang, who had grown tall and strong in the five years since the war, he felt his face shining with a nervous sweat. The way Aang looked at him with such concern almost made Zuko believe that Aang reciprocated the unnatural feelings. But Zuko knew how in love Aang was with Katara, and so he shoved the thoughts away, like he always did. Still, his throat was dry with nerves. He fought with all his strength against the urge to run up and shove Aang against a wall and tell him how he really felt about him.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked through gritted teeth, a bit of smoke escaping in little tendrils. Aang held his staff out next to him, accentuating his arm muscles, taunting Zuko. "Why do you always leave?" Aang asked, his voice worried. It made Zuko want to laugh and cry all at the same time. Instead, he walked towards Aang, his eyes fierce and stinging. His heart would not stop racing.

"Are you really that oblivious?" he asked, the words falling out of his mouth before he could stop them. He had never ever revealed in the slightest his feelings toward Aang, and he didn't know why he was now. Perhaps it was because he had run out of room inside of him, and now his mind was overflowing with the thoughts, and he couldn't hide this part of himself anymore. Not that he was ignorant to suspicion, because he wasn't. He knew for a fact that the earthbender was aware of his sinful tendencies, but she kept it to herself, for Zuko's sanity.

Aang tilted his head, his tattoos shining in the moonlight. His robes fell the to the wayside a bit, and his upper torso was revealed, causing Zuko's eyes to drop unconsciously. "What are you talking about?" Aang asked harshly. Zuko quickly looked away from Aang, training his eyes on the ground. He couldn't stand to look into Aang's eyes right now, not when his emotions were running so high. "Nothing, it's not important," he murmured, turning around and walking away. Before he could take two steps, he felt Aang grab his hand. It was an unusual gesture, for Aang typically didn't initiate any sort of intimate physical contact between anyone except for Katara. But he held Zuko's hand gently, his fingers wrapped around Zuko's palm, pulling him back to him. Zuko's breath caught in his throat, and he felt his resolve disintegrate right then and there. He knew exactly what was going to happen if he allowed Aang to turn him around.

He should've dropped Aang's hand, forced him to, firebended, something, but he didn't. He relished in the pressure and softness of Aang's hand, and he let him turn him around. The moment he did, he locked eyes with Aang, and he felt a rush of energy unlike any he had ever felt before. In that moment he lost all inhibition, and he wasted not a second. He twisted his hand in Aang's so that their fingers were intertwined, and then he pulled him roughly forward, lifting his left hand to Aang's face and leaning in quickly.

He pressed his lips to Aang's, and the ball in his stomach unraveled and his heart sped up and relief coursed through him. He was finally satiating the desire within him, and it felt not necessarily wonderful, but more relaxing. The beast inside of him was tamed. His eyes slid shut, and he kissed Aang more. He expected to be shoved away at any moment, but to his utmost surprise, he heard Aang's staff clatter to the ground and Aang opened up his mouth, allowing Zuko entrance. Aang's free hand wrapped around Zuko's waist and the two stumbled up against the mountainside, where Zuko's left hand trailed down Aang's chest, and Aang tangled his fingers in Zuko's messy hair.

It was heated, blissful, and passionate. All the unspoken words and the tension was released, and the two boys were finally able to express their feelings without worry. Zuko thought it would never end, and he was just picking up the pace when it happened. All of a sudden, a huge gust of wind caused Zuko to fly backwards and land rudely on his back, his hands scraped and his eyes wide with confusion.

Startled, Zuko looked at Aang, who was breathing heavily and wiping his mouth, an expression of pure shame on his face. "What was that for?" he called, wiping his mouth too. It didn't help. The taste of Aang would exist in his mouth forever from now on. Aang shakily picked up his staff and smooth his robes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he said softly. Zuko stood back up, brushing himself off. Where a minute ago he was full of relief, now the knot was back in his stomach and he began to question his interpretations of Aang. Strange enough, anger coursed through him.

"What're you talking about? You shouldn't have kissed me? Or you shouldn't have let me kiss you? Sages, you're so confusing sometimes," Zuko said, his face turning red with anger. Aang looked at him as if he were an injured child. "I can't be with you, not like that, Zuko, it's just too unnatural," he said. Zuko looked at him, amazed. Aang wasn't a person who bowed down to the traditions or rules, why was he acting like this?

"Is it because of Katara? Because I'll talk to her if need be," Zuko pleaded, lifting his hand to reach for Aang. Aang shook his head, turning away from Zuko, the ultimate form of rejection. "I think we just need to bury this moment, and move on. I don't want this to ruin our friendship," he said. Zuko sputtered for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. Aang had played with Zuko's feelings, and that wasn't okay with Zuko.

"How can you possibly be alright suppressing who you truly are?" he asked coldly. Aang stiffened a bit before answering. "I don't know who I am yet, Zuko. I love Katara, but I'll admit that I feel something with you too. I just need time to figure it all out," he responded. Zuko's muscles clenched, his jaw taut.

"Oh, and I'm just supposed to stand back and wait until you make your decision on who you choose?" he asked, venom seeping into his voice. Aang turned back around at that, his eyes glistening. "Of course not," he said, his voice breaking. Zuko faltered a bit. "I just don't know what to feel right now. Of course I don't want you to leave, there will always be a part of me that feels something stronger than friendship with you, regardless of who I choose. I don't want it to be a choice, I want it to be something I just know, intuitively, but that's going to take time. And I don't want you to be halfway across the world when I figure it out, okay?"

Zuko hesitated. He understood completely where Aang was coming from, the inner turmoil. Zuko was familiar with that, he had fought it his entire life, from when he was a little boy and he laid eyes on the first boy he ever had a crush on. He had denied himself happiness for nineteen years, and he knew deep down that he would wait forever for Aang, no matter how painful it was for him. And so, in the dimming light, Zuko nodded. Aang smiled gently, and then opened his glider, glancing over his shoulder once more at Zuko before taking off into the night sky.

And when the two returned to that spot nearly a year later, and shared another kiss, a gentler kiss, Zuko didn't care that he had to wait for him, didn't care that he had to deal with the awkward glances and the stolen meetings, because it had made it easier for Aang to figure out what he wanted. And though the road would be full of obstacles and judgements and regret, Zuko wasn't afraid, because he finally found the one person who understood him in this world, and he didn't have to worry anymore.

It was an unexpected love, and one that would last for the rest of their lives and into the next.