ONE-SHOT

jesus fucking christ i fixed it so shut the fuck up about the goddamn name

people write fanfiction for free for their own enjoyment, you don't get to be an entitled piece of shit about it

xx

Healing

xx

"Father, no, please!"

Zuko woke with a start. His yellow eyes were wide, scanning the darkness. His ragged breathing was the only thing he heard. He shivered, drenched in a cold sweat.

"Oh, gods."

He kicked off the sheets and stared out the window, where the moon was shining her soft light on the sleeping world. It really sucked, hiding out like this. He didn't even have his uncle to talk to anymore.

But it wasn't like he needed anybody. He was fine on his own.

And yet, it got lonely sitting by a tiny fire night after night, watching a brilliant sunrise with no one but yourself to share it with… Zuko flicked a finger at a lantern and hung it above the armchair. He picked up a book and opened it to a dog-eared page near the end. He always read when he couldn't sleep. But he couldn't even focus on that.

Something was wrong.

He squinted into the dark corners of the cabin.

The door. He grabbed the lantern and dimmed the flame. Even expected, the knock at the door made his heart jump. Why am I so jumpy? The knock came again, more urgently. Carefully, drawing himself up to his full height, he opened the door. The lantern flared, widening the circle of light.

"State your business." The figure at the door pulled off his hood.

"Please, it's my friend, he's hurt." Zuko glared. The Avatar. Aang realised who he was talking to. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Zuko hissed. "What's wrong with your friend?"

"He was fighting and got wounded."

"Figures. Good night, Avatar."

"Wait!" Aang sounded on the verge of tears. "Please, can't you help him?"

"I don't do that healing thing. Get the short girl to help him."

Aang waited. "She…she was captured. I was hoping you could take care of Sokka while I rescued her." Zuko closed his eyes and exhaled, swallowed his pride. Oh, gods, here I go again…this is what got you into trouble last time, you bastard—he cut himself off.

"Alright. Where is he?"

Aang stepped away from the door. Zuko picked up the still, bloody body and carried him inside. "Avatar, help me out. Get some water in a bowl."

Aang acted accordingly.

Zuko watched him for a minute. "Alright. I'll take care of him. You have my word. Go rescue your princess."

Aang smiled. "I knew there was still some good in you."

Zuko snorted. "Yeah right," he said. "I just have nothing better to do. Now leave. Time is wasting." Aang hurried out. Zuko shook his head. His face almost looked sad, watching Sokka's nearly lifeless form. He was breathing shallowly.

Zuko cleaned the wounds and bandaged them. He repositioned the boy on his bed, covered him with a blanket. After making sure he was still breathing, Zuko took his lantern and hung it above his favourite chair, wanting to dive back into his book and forget all this. The Avatar would be back soon, could take his friend and go away, and Zuko would be alone again.

Just how he liked it.

Sokka opened his eyes slowly. It was dark, but soft light illuminated the pillow on which his aching head rested. "Uuunnngh…" Crap. Where the hell was he? He turned his head painfully and caught sight of a pale figure, curled in a chair under a lantern. The large book he was reading hid his face, but Sokka knew that ponytail anywhere.

Yeah, I'm just dreaming again. Come on, body, wake up.

Sokka closed his eyes for a few minutes, but when he opened his eyes again, restless and worried, Zuko had lowered the book and had set it aside. "Oh, gods," Sokka whispered, "what did I do to deserve this?"

"Deserve what?"

"Agh!"

Zuko raised an eyebrow as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you feeling better?"

"Feeling better from what?" Sokka thought back to when he had last been conscious. "What happened?"

"Well, something happened, judging from the lacerations on your torso and the blade stuck in your calf," Zuko muttered.

Sokka's face paled in the dim light. "Oh, shit. Where's Aang? And my sister?"

Zuko wondered whether or not to lie to him, but the Avatar would absolutely destroy him if anything happened to the loser. He shouldn't risk it. He sighed. "The Avatar brought you here and said your sister was captured, so he was going to save her. You were a fountain of blood, so he asked me to take care of you until he came back."

They stared at each other for a while before Zuko looked away.

"Are you hungry? I'll go make some soup or something."

"Sure."

By the time Zuko had the soup boiling, Sokka had fallen asleep again.

"Aang!" Sokka was being forced back by the ring of fire. "Hurry up!" The boy was taking too long. At this rate, they had already lost Katara. But it was broad daylight, and her powers paled in comparison to the fire benders'. Sokka stumbled as an iron star was lodged in his leg. "Aang, damnit! Talk to me!"

"Retreat!" Aang yelled, and Sokka rushed back toward the woods, dodging a sword, but came face to face with another soldier, who aimed at his stomach. All Sokka saw at this point was the smirk of the soldier, and the edges of his vision fading to black. Aang rushed at the man with a blade of ice, and Sokka's consciousness left him.

Zuko started when Sokka's gasp sounded throughout the one-room hut. It sounded loud in the darkness of the early night. Sokka coughed a couple of times, and Zuko got him a mug of water. Sokka's breathing was heavy and ragged.

Zuko turned concerned eyes on Sokka. "What's wrong?"

Sokka shook his head. "Had a dream…" Zuko stood up and brought back two bowls of lukewarm soup, gave one to Sokka. Sokka glared. "Why are you so concerned?"

Zuko shrugged. "I'm not." He settled back against the foot-board and slurped his soup. He swirled the bowl in his hands to mix up the noodles. There was silence for a while, as Sokka contemplated the soup. "I didn't poison that, you know."

"How can I trust you, of all people?"

"Because the Avatar would go psycho on my ass if anything happened to you," Zuko said with a lopsided grin. "And besides, it doesn't pay to kill a hostage."

Zuko put down his bowl and grabbed both of Sokka's feet under the covers to stop him from jumping up. "I was joking, only…joking…" His smile annoyed Sokka. "I can't have anyone else coming to this place besides the Avatar. I can't draw any attention to myself."

"Because you're stupid and everyone hates you and wants to kill you?" Sokka asked nonchalantly. Zuko aimed a fist at his head. It began to smoulder.

"Say that again, and I really don't care what the Avatar does to me. You can say goodbye to the world of the living." Sokka relaxed against the pillow.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Zuko lowered his arm and stared at the floor. "Everyone does hate me, though. That's why I'm out here in the middle of nowhere. My sister's after me because my father sent her to kill me. And that self-righteous bastard Zhao has always wanted to kill me."

"I'm sorry."

Zuko's eyes blazed. "Don't. Just…don't. I don't want your sympathy." Zuko took his empty bowl and set it on a table near the stove, and went back to curling up in his chair, trying to ignore Sokka.

Sokka frowned into his bowl of soup.

The moon shone brightly through the thatched window slats. Sokka really needed to go out. Er. Yeah. Nature called. He really needed to answer it.

He grunted, trying to pull himself out of the warm bed onto the cold dirt floor. "Ugh! Stupid body…move!" A strong pair of arms pulled him up and a voice with warm breath muttered, "Where ya goin'?" Sokka balanced on one leg and tried not to lean into Zuko.

"Nature calls," he said cheerfully. "It's really important, I have to take this one. Got a bathroom?"

He could feel Zuko's grin in the darkness. "Nope."

Zuko walked about thirteen paces away and called, "Is this far enough for you, sir?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that's great."

"God, I feel like I'm walking a dog," Zuko whispered. I may be lonely, but at least I'm not alone. The hut made funny noises at night when the wind blew and the rain pattered against the roof. He hated being alone.

Zuko started at Sokka's scream, but immediately came rushing to his aid, dagger held high. The ex-prince had the messenger pinned to a tree before he could say "mercy!"

"State your business!"

"Taking a letter from the Emperor to a General and his troops."

"Stationed where?"

"I can't tell you!"

"I think you can," said Zuko, pressing the dagger into the boy's throat.

"Five miles north of here."

"Give it to me." He handed the letter behind him. "Sokka, read it out loud."

"No, don't!"

Sokka unfurled the letter, mumbling as he read it. "The emperor wants these woods burned for any last trace of resistance."

"He can't do that. We'll all die…You saw nothing," Zuko whispered, as the man's blood dribbled from a cut in his neck.

"Yes, yes!"

"There is no need to send this letter because he is not burning these woods. Just think of your job as done." And just to make sure, Zuko sliced his head neatly off.

Sokka leaned against a tree and sighed tiredly. "You want this?" he asked, holding out the letter. Zuko took it, picked Sokka up in his arms and carried him hurriedly back to the hut.

"We can't risk being seen out here." He looked down at Sokka. "You were finished, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

Zuko slammed the door shut.

"Scoot." Sokka shifted his legs so Zuko could sit on the end of the bed.

"Did Aang say when he'd be back?"

Zuko shook his head, and stirred some tea. He gave it to Sokka. "Here. Make sure you drink all of that."

Sokka sniffed it, and made a revolted face. "Ew. What is it?"

"It's some herbal stuff…nutrients and stuff…help you heal." Zuko shrugged. "It's just in a labelled jar on the shelf. My uncle makes it all the time." He fell silent and pensive.

Sokka put it gingerly to his lips and took a gulp. It burned all the way down, but warmed his body considerably. He started to feel sleepy. "Not bad," Sokka said quietly. Zuko slid off the bed and took the mug. Sokka felt dizzy as he laid his head back on the pillow. "Am I supposed to feel dizzy?"

"You're supposed to feel sleepy. Good night." Zuko turned down the lantern, and watched with a sad smile as Sokka closed his eyes. He bent down and kissed Sokka's forehead softly. "Good night…Sokka."

Sokka wondered deliriously if Zuko had tried to poison him. He wanted to ask, but he suddenly felt so tired…his tongue wouldn't move, his limbs were as dead pieces of meat. He closed his eyes and began to sink into a hazy sleep…he could have sworn lips had just brushed his forehead…nah, that's stupid. Zuko didn't care for him any more than a weasel cares for a python.

xx

Sokka grimaced as he felt the bright sunlight on his face, but then it subsided. He relaxed, then opened his eyes slowly. Zuko was staring at him, concernedly, the back of his hand to Sokka's forehead, his cheek.

"Hi?"

Zuko smiled. "Hi." It wasn't an evil smile, or one that even hinted at any sort of bodily harm. And this smile scared Sokka the worst. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Cold."

"Great, because those bandages have to be changed." Sokka looked down, and saw that the bandages around his stomach were stained with huge splotches of dried blood.

"Great. Hey, that star wasn't lodged too far in my leg?"

Zuko shook his head. "No. And you need to try not to move, or it's going to hurt worse."

"Ah, I'm a man, I can take it—OW!"

"Stop moving! And you may not want to look, your wounds are still pretty raw."

"Well, yeah, it feels like you've peeled off all my skin!"

Zuko glared at him. "Do you want my help or not?"

Sokka glared back with eyes full of tears, grabbed a fistful of blanket, and closed his eyes. "Do your worst."

Zuko rolled his eyes and continued replacing the bandages and healing salves.

"Oh! That's cold!"

"Shh." Sokka wondered at Zuko's light touch on his stomach. Why was he being so gentle? It wasn't because Aang would hurt him considerably. "Stop moving," Zuko whispered, and Sokka laid stock-still. After a while, he said, "You can sit up now, if you want to."

Zuko stared intensely at the laceration on Sokka's leg. "You got it worse than I thought." Sokka giggled. Zuko looked up at him, annoyed. "Sorry."

After a minute or so of Sokka's uncontrollable giggling, he sighed and barked, "What is the matter!" Zuko shook his head. "You're ticklish, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

Zuko smiled, and continued wrapping up Sokka's leg.

"Man, what's up with you? You don't even act evil anymore," said Sokka, scratching his head. "I mean, …really."

"You wouldn't understand," said Zuko quietly. "And it's not even that you wouldn't understand, it's just that you wouldn't accept it either."

"Well, I can try to understand."

Zuko finished the bandage and sat on the edge of the bed, facing Sokka. "I have been out here on my own for not such a long time as it feels like. When you're alone, it feels like eternity, and eternity alone is empty. And, for lack of a better word, it sucks." Sokka watched Zuko's yellow eyes watching his own baby blues. "I'm sick of being alone," he whispered, their faces resting only inches apart.

Sokka got the hint, and looked off toward the window. "Oh," he said.

"See?" Zuko whispered with a fatalistic smile. "I knew you wouldn't accept it." He walked away, to his chair, and stared off at the door with a mug of coffee in his hands. Sokka shivered for lack of warmth. He mentally kicked himself, and pulled the blanket back over his body.

"Your friend should be back soon," Zuko said quietly.

"Figured you might want something substantial before you leave," said Zuko, offering a plate of some sort of roasted bird. Sokka mumbled a thanks, and he tried to make himself eat a sliver of it, at least. Zuko just sat on the other side of the table and watched the window like it was doing something interesting.

He looked back at Sokka as he set the fork down. "Um…look, about this morning?" Zuko closed his eyes, and opened them again. Bring it on. "I know I acted kinda frosty, but I really um, do appreciate you helping me out, you know?" He smiled cheerfully, and Zuko attempted a smile, but it fell without any emotion to fill its sails.

"You're welcome." Sokka grabbed his hand as Zuko reached for his drink.

"Um." They stared at each other for a moment. "I don't want you to be alone anymore, either." Zuko smiled painfully, aware of how close he was to tears. He never cried. Never. NEVER. Not even when –no. No thinking about that. His father was the enemy. Both of them stood up, and Sokka put his arms around Zuko's neck, each of them holding the other close.

"Thanks," whispered Zuko. They both looked up as someone knocked on the door. Zuko quickly kissed Sokka, and hurried to the door. He opened the sliding hatch to see who was there. "State your business!" He glared, turned around and shrugged at Sokka. "It's your friends."

He opened the door, and Sokka smiled wearily. "Hey, guys." Aang and Katara rushed at him, both talking happily at once. Zuko scanned the surrounding trees and quickly shut the door.

"You must all leave quickly," Zuko said, picking up Sokka's coat and boots from their spot on Zuko's other chair. "And be careful, he's not completely healed yet." Aang watched him suspiciously. "I can't have you blowing my cover. No one is supposed to know I'm here. I'm leaving soon anyway."

"Where are you going?" Sokka asked, pulling on his coat.

Zuko looked at him with mournful, wistful eyes. "I don't know. Somewhere."

Katara looked at both of them in turn, with suspicious eyes. "What's going on, you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, before the siege, you were good old enemies and now you're …more than civil." Sokka frowned at her.

"Well, things change. And we need to go." Sokka put his boomerang safely in his sheath and shooed Aang and Katara to the door. He walked over to where Zuko stood watching them, shoulders no longer straight and tall with the confidence of a prince.

His friends' eyes bulged as he and Zuko hugged, for the last time.

"Thanks again."

Their faces contorted with revulsion and confusion as they kissed, deeply and with the horrific passion of two lovers who know they may never see each other ever again.

"Any time. Now go. You still have time to escape the Fire Nation's forces." He pointed at Aang. "Look out for him. I don't want this world under the control of the Fire Nation."

"Will do." Sokka saluted, smiled, and pushed Aang and Katara out of the door.

Once the door shut, Zuko furiously packed what little belongings he had and strapped them to his back. The chair would have to go. But the blanket, the one that still smelled of Sokka, would go with him. With the flying bison and his riders miles away already, he stood outside the hut, and set it on fire.

He would find somewhere else to go. And he would not be defeated. Because, after all, he wasn't alone. Zuko smiled, sadly, and turned away from the blaze. His footsteps faded after a while, and he began to wish after a couple hundred miles that he had a flying bison or something.

xx

fin.

xx

I wasn't even going to do this, I only came back here to get Magnetism all neatly tied up but I went through a bunch of old reviews and got pissed off. So whatever, fine. You won. Congratu-fuckin-lations. Assholes.

Just know? If you came here and bitched us out and insulted us all over a spelling preference? You're a fucking dickwad, and I hope every fic you read leaves you feeling empty and hollow.

With one exception: Crazy Dyslexic Nerd, thank you for the spelling on Zhao. I've never studied any Chinese so had no idea what the proper transliteration for that sound would be. We appreciate your kind and civilized input.