Zuko woke early the next day after a fitful sleep. He sat up and rubbed sleep from his eyes. He sighed heavily as he realised where he was and what he'd done all came flooding back to him. He'd joined the Avatar. There was no going back.
His stomach rumbled.
Right, he hadn't eaten in… actually, he couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten. The plate Sokka and Hakoda had given him sat on the side. It didn't look that appealing, cold and probably stale. Zuko clambered to his feet and picked the plate up.
Poking his head out of the door, he found the corridor empty. Good. He really didn't want company. He kept his steps as silent as possible to avoid attracting attention. Though he hadn't been given a tour, the ship was easy enough to navigate. He stepped into a wide, open space that he assumed was some sort of kitchen area.
What he was not expecting was the Waterbender to be there. Zuko froze in place, but before he could back out of the room, she'd turned around and was smiling wanly at him.
"Hey Zuko." She said. Exhaustion hung heavy in her voice and the usual spark in her eyes was dim.
"Uh…"
That drew a weak chuckle from her. "Do you want breakfast?"
"Uh…"
"Sit down and I'll make you something, alright." She ordered, gesturing to the table. Zuko didn't think it was a good idea to argue with her. He let her take his cold food and obediently sat. The Wate bender placed a glass of water in front of him, which he sipped from silently.
She then ladled two bowls from the pot she'd been stirring and set one down for Zuko. She sat opposite to him. Now that he could focus on her scent, his nose tickled with snow and sea salt, with a flowery undertone. Another Alpha.
"It's porridge. I don't know what you're used to but…"
"It's fine," Zuko muttered, already taking a spoonful. "How's the Avatar?"
The Waterbender sighed. "He's still unconscious but he's stable. For now, at least."
"He's strong. He'll pull through."
"I hope so. We need him. And Zuko… I'm sorry about your scar, about saying I could heal it."
Zuko shook his head, brushing the damaged skin with his hand. "Don't be. The Avatar is more important."
"I know. But still, I…"
"If you had used your Spirit Water on me, the Avatar would be dead. And it would be over for good. Besides… I don't know if I would have accepted your offer. I hate my scar but… it's part of me now."
"Oh."
"But I appreciate you trying to help me. It- it really meant a lot."
She smiled again, a little bit of light returning to her eyes. "Don't mention it."
Zuko just nodded and turned is focus to his porridge. It was bland but it was surprisingly good. He'd grown used to plain foods whilst in the Earth Kingdom compared to the heavy flavouring and spices of the Fire Nation.
"My name's Katara, by the way. I don't know if you knew that."
"Uh… I didn't actually."
"Well, now you do. I can introduce you to everyone else later if you want."
He didn't really, didn't want to be exposed to their mistrusting glances and warning glares. But he probably deserved it, and he'd be better off ingratiating himself sooner rather than later.
"Maybe."
They fell into silence for a few minutes. In an attempt to break the awkwardness, Zuko asked, "What are you doing up so early?"
Katara shrugged. "I couldn't sleep but I needed to get away from Aang's room for a while. I figured making breakfast for everyone would be a good distraction. What about you?"
"Firebenders rise with the sun," Zuko shrugged, "and I didn't sleep well either."
"Sokka told me that Firebender girl was your sister. I wouldn't blame you."
"Hmm." Azula was the last thing he wanted to talk about. He might throw up if he did.
Another girl padded into the kitchen. The blind Earthbender. He vaguely remembered flashes of her skills during their escape from the Earth Kingdom and the fight with Azula before that. She paused for a moment, before plonking herself into the seat next to Zuko. She smelled of dirt and oak; and thankfully, she was a Beta.
"I'm Toph. Nice to meet you, Sparky."
"Uh… thanks?"
"Are you sticking around then?" she asked.
Zuko didn't know what to make of her rough bluntness, or how to react to her. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Good. Hopefully, you'll be less of a dumbass than these other idiots."
"Toph!" Katara chastised.
Toph just shrugged uncaringly.
Katara just sighed. "Do you want any porridge?"
"Sure."
Katara rolled her eyes but filled a bowl out for Toph none the less.
"Thanks." Toph grunted. "You seem tired, Sparky." She commented casually.
"Uh… my name's Zuko."
"Like I said. Sparky. You're still tired."
"I'm fine."
"Sure."
Her flippant dismissal grated on Zuko's nerves more than he was expecting. "I said I'm fine!" he snapped.
Toph grunted unflinchingly and Katara seemed too tired to care about Zuko's temper. Still he softened and forced himself to calm down.
"Sorry." He mumbled.
"It's fine," Toph said, "But you are proving my point. Go back to bed, Sparky. There's nothing to do around here. You might as well catch up on some sleep."
His bowl was empty, anyway. He'd practically scraped it clean. He supposed the girl was right, even if she was bossy and rude. Though it was hypocritical of him to criticise her on it.
"Alright," he grunted, "Wake me up if you need me."
"Get some rest, Zuko." Katara called after him as he made his way back to his room. When he got there, he immediately collapsed face first onto the bed. Which sent a pang of nausea up from his stomach. He curled up onto his side and groaned. The writhing feeling vanished just as suddenly as it appeared. Zuko shrugged it off and allowed himself to fall asleep.
When he woke, he was even groggier than he had been the last time. But he felt far more refreshed. After a quick rake through his hair with a comb, he padded out of his room.
"Hey, Zuko!"
Zuko turned to see Sokka waving and jogging up behind him. He stopped while the other boy caught up with him.
"How're you doing?" Sokka asked cheerfully as he kept on walking past Zuko.
Zuko stuttered in confusion, before hurrying to catch up. "Uh…"
"You're a lot less talkative when you're not trying to capture us. Huh." Sokka remarked.
"Sorry." The warm rush in his cheeks shattered all Zuko's hopes of not blushing in embarrassment.
"It's okay. I'm over it."
"You're… what?"
"Over it," Sokka repeated, "You helped Katara and Aang back there, against your own people- against your own family. That's pretty redeeming in my eyes."
"Really?" Zuko searched Sokka's face for any sign of deception or dishonesty. He had been an enemy of these people only a few hours ago. There was no way they were going to just trust him after everything he'd done. But Sokka's eyes gleamed so sincerely. It almost knocked Zuko off his feet entirely. He was so used to a world where everyone lied and only did things for their own agenda. For a long, long time, the only eyes he'd been able to trust were his uncle's. But Sokka's eyes were so beautiful. A piercing sapphire blue, that shimmered with intelligence and spirit.
Zuko was completely entranced.
"Yeah, really. You're on our side now. You're part of our group now."
Agni, the boy's smile was beautiful.
Wait- what was Zuko thinking?
He'd been so distracted by Sokka's looks that he hadn't realised they were heading on deck. There was only a handful of people but it was enough to make Zuko's chest thrum nervously. He wanted to duck back under deck, but he didn't think Sokka would let him.
The bison was curled in one corner and let out a friendly rumble when it saw Zuko and Sokka. At least Zuko thought it was friendly. And it was probably more to Sokka than him.
Sokka smiled again. "Come on."
Zuko just nodded. Obeying seemed to be the best course of action. Sokka lead them over to the bison. Toph was there, alongside a tiny child and a much bulkier and big one. Zuko didn't remember ever seeing them before.
"Zuko, this is Pipsqueak and The Duke. Pipsqueak and The Duke, Zuko." Sokka introduced. He'd pointed the small one as The Duke and the larger one as Pipsqueak. Zuko didn't know if he'd misunderstood, but he wasn't going to question it.
"Uh, hello. Nice to meet you." He stuttered.
"You're from the Fire Nation, aren't you?" Pipsqueak said.
And there it was.
"Yeah. I am."
"But you left them?"
"Yeah, I did."
"That's good, then."
"But I still got my eye on you!" The Duke warned from Pipsqueak's shoulders.
"Yeah, that's sensible. I don't blame you." Zuko muttered.
"Hey, now!" Sokka interrupted, "Try not to look so gloomy. That's not what Aang wants to see when he wakes up."
"I doubt he'll want to see me at all," Zuko groaned in self-pity, "He once said we could be friends and the first thing I did was attack him- Ow!" He rubbed his smarting arm. Toph's fist dropped back to her side.
"What was that for?" Zuko yelped. He could practically feel his arm bruising.
"What's done is done. Quit whining about it." She retorted.
Zuko just sighed. He hadn't seen much of what she could do, but the simple fact that she was there in the group showed she was strong, and he didn't want to test her. Even if they were on a boat in the middle of the ocean, his instinctive reaction was to avoid fighting her.
Footsteps thudded on the wood behind him. Zuko spun around, already raising his arms defensively. Hakoda and another Water Tribe warrior stood there. Hakoda chuckled, his hands raised in surrender. But Zuko could see the glint in his eyes that was certainly not any kind of humour, but he couldn't place it.
"Steady on there, Zuko. We come in peace."
Zuko felt a blush rising in his cheek, as his heart hammered in his chest. "Sorry," he mumbled submissively, "I'm just jumpy, I guess."
"Don't worry about it," Hakoda rumbled, "I just thought you needed to be filled in our plan. Everyone else has."
"Oh."
"And this is Bato, by the way." Hakoda said, gesturing to the other man next to him. Bato nodded to Zuko. His arm was scarred. Zuko looked away.
"We're going to draw too much attention on these ships and we're not equipped to handle battle right now," Hakoda continued, "So we're going to take a Fire Navy ship."
"Oh."
"What do you think?"
"I- uh- well," Zuko cleared his throat, "It can be done. But you'd need to be quick. Not give them any time to react."
Hakoda nodded. "We've plotted out the Fire Navy patrols so we can be in the perfect position to strike."
"What do you need me to do?" Zuko asked heavily. He already had a feeling of what he would be expected to do: bait, a distraction, a scout. Whatever they needed to keep their own people as safe as possible.
Hakoda looked surprised by his question. "You don't need to do anything, Zuko. You've had a rough enough time already. Leave it to us."
"Oh. I- I thought you'd- never mind." They didn't want him to anything? Then what was he there for? They said he wasn't a prisoner so, why were they keeping him if he wasn't going to be useful?
"You don't need to do everything, Zuko. You're still a child. Let us take care of this. You're among friends here." Hakoda said gently.
Zuko didn't know what to make of his words. His heart was thundering away in his chest.
"We'll leave you to get settled, now." The other man spoke up- Bato, was it?
Zuko nodded silently. He didn't have the voice to say anything else. He felt his heartbeat calm slowly as the two of them retreated away.
"Not much of a social butterfly, are you?" Sokka remarked in a mix of teasing and concern.
"So!" Zuko glowered defensively.
Sokka held his hands up in surrender. "Just an observation."
Growling wordlessly, Zuko stormed away across the deck, retreating into a quiet, empty corner. Thankfully, no one tried to follow him. His head was still spinning from the whirlwind of events his existence had been until that point and he really didn't need to entertain company while trying to adjust.
Agni, he was tired. His eyes ached. Who knew switching sides would be this exhausting. The idea of sneaking away to go back to sleep crossed his mind, but he pushed it aside. He didn't want to disrupt his sleep schedule any more than strictly necessary. His early days of banishment when he was still healing was proof that that was a bad idea, never mind his time as a refugee where there was no schedule to be had.
Instead, he watched the comings and goings of the Water Tribe. There weren't many of them that he could see, but there two other ships he hadn't noticed when they'd landed the night before. Still, it was incredibly small for what he understood to be the whole fleet. Could three ships even be called a fleet? Maybe he should have scoffed and laughed, but instead he felt a swell of awe that they were still fighting, despite the hopeless odds. He wished he could be so brave. His scar twinged with a reminder that he was the furthest thing from brave.
Footsteps thudded past him and he flinched back but was ignored. Everyone seemed to be leaving him alone. He was expecting gawks and glares, taunts and jeers; but no. He was left to himself in his corner. He appreciated it.
"Uh, hey, Zuko."
Zuko looked up to see Sokka standing before him.
"What do you want?" he sighed resignedly.
Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Lunch. Unless you're not hungry."
Zuko ignored the jab. "How- how long have I been over here?"
Sokka shrugged. "Couple of hours. I wasn't sure if you were still awake or if you could sleep with your eyes open or something."
"No, I can't." Zuko replied.
"Right. So are you coming to eat or not because I'm starving?"
Zuko nodded. He was not so proud as to refuse food when there was no reason to. Before he could get up, a hand was thrust into his face. He stared up in confusion.
"You want some help up?" Sokka asked, "You haven't moved in, like, two hours. You've got to be pretty stiff."
He was right but Zuko didn't want to admit it. Eyes narrowed suspiciously, he grasped Sokka's hand and let the other boy pull him up. His legs were numb, but Zuko refused to show it.
"Come on," Sokka grinned, "We don't want to be late."
Zuko just hummed and followed Sokka down to the kitchen room. Compared to the emptiness of that morning, it was near packed with Water Tribe warriors. Adults. Alphas. Looking at his scar. Muttering. Zuko whined softly under his breath, staring at the floor and trying to distract himself.
Sokka eyed him worriedly. "Hey. How about we get ours and then go back up on deck? You can never have too much fresh air."
Zuko nodded gratefully. He didn't dare speak. He didn't even want to move further into the room to get food. He could go without food, that was fine. He could do that. He'd retreated into his head so much that he hadn't realised Sokka had left his side until the Water Tribe boy returned, two bowl in hand, and was leading him back up on deck.
"Thank you." Zuko croaked once he could breathe again.
"Don't worry about it." Sokka smiled. And Zuko was promptly mesmerised. He barely noticed when Sokka passed him a bowl and guided him over to the bison. Zuko eyed the fluffy creature warily, but it just rumbled quietly.
"You haven't been properly introduced to Appa, have you?" Sokka asked. "Well, Zuko meet Appa. Appa, meet Zuko."
"We've already met," Zuko mumbled, ducking his head shyly- wait what? What was wrong with him? He wasn't shy- "When I set him free under Lake Laogai."
As if on cue, Appa leaned his head up and- "Ugh!"- a huge, wet, slimy tongue dragged over Zuko's body. He just barely managed to shield his food from the monsoon of saliva.
If he wasn't so disgusted, he would be laughing at the astounded expression on Sokka's face.
"That was you?!"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Zuko just shrugged. The reason was simple; his uncle. The gaping ache in his chest burned. Leaving him behind had left a raw, open wound that hurt too much to recount the tale.
"It just seemed like the best course of action at the time." Zuko muttered after realizing he should give Sokka a better response.
Sokka eyed him but didn't fight him on it. Instead he just sat down and patted the floor beside him. Zuko obediently sat.
"I don't know what you're used to, but its better than nothing, right?" Sokka joked.
Zuko knew that feeling all too well. Phantom hunger pains gripped his stomach as his refugee days flickered in his mind. "I know."
"It's fish stew, if you were wondering." Sokka said.
Zuko didn't care. At least it was food. Who knew if his uncle was being given anything? Guilt turned his stomach before he could take a bite. He dropped his spoon back into the bowl and bowed his head to hide his trembling lip. He bit into it to try and hold the tears back. He clenched his fists. His nails dug into his palms painfully.
"Zuko, are you okay?"
Zuko attempted a nod but a sob burst from his chest before he could stop it.
In a last desperate attempt to salvage his pride, he buried his face in his hands.
The arm that settled on his shoulders nearly made him jump out of his skin. A warm weight settled at his side- his right, he was glad of- and Zuko couldn't help but lean into it. Soak up as much of it as possible. Sokka didn't say anything and just let him cry. Zuko was thankful for that. There weren't any words the Water Tribe boy had to comfort him. Instead, the Alpha just hummed a quiet tune that Zuko didn't recognise. Maybe it was a Water Tribe song? Or something Sokka made up?
Zuko didn't care either way. It was a nice tune and did help ground him away from the painful memories and fears. After a while, his tears were spent, and he raised his head. Wiping his face roughly, he glanced at Sokka. The Water Tribe boy was looking at him with concern and kindness; but no pity. Zuko felt a rush of gratefulness. His time in the Earth Kingdom had been filled with the pity of strangers. He absolutely despised it.
"Sorry…" he rasped. He winced out how pitiful his voice sounded.
"Don't be," Sokka said gently, "It's good to cry it out once in a while."
"My uncle…" Zuko whispered, so horribly exposed to the agony in his chest, so horribly exposed to the judgements of others. "I- I don't know what's going to happen to him. He's a traitor- Azula- she's- Arhg! Why did I leave him behind! I should have- I should've stayed with him! Now I don't even know if he's-"
Sokka pulled him into another hug, Zuko's face pressed into his chest. Zuko expected to be seething with anger and panic: but he wasn't. He found that he didn't care. No. that he liked the feeling. Liked the embrace, feeling protected and comforted.
His chest burned.
"I get it," Sokka said, "When my dad went away to fight after- after my mum was killed. It felt like I was losing everyone I cared about. For so long, I had to be the man of the village and protect everyone. And I took it really seriously because I just couldn't stand to lose anyone else."
"I- I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
"But-"
"You didn't send those soldiers to raid my village. You didn't kill my mother. You didn't take my father away."
"Well, I-"
"Okay, so you attacked once, but you didn't do that much damage and you didn't hurt anyone. And you realised it was wrong. And I forgive you."
"Oh…" Zuko nuzzled into Sokka some more, inhaling his strangely calming scent. If Sokka was bothered by it, he didn't show it. "I am sorry. Really sorry."
"I know."
"I just- I just wanted to go home."
"Huh?"
Abruptly, Zuko pulled away to compose himself. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
Sokka looked sceptical but didn't question him. Desperate to cut the tension that now lingered over them, Zuko blurted out, "Thank you. For the hug, I mean. I think I needed that more than I realised."
Sokka smiled encouragingly. "No problem. You're part of the group now. We take care of each other."
"Oh. I- I don't think I'm… very good at… that." Zuko groused lamely. He'd never taken care of anyone in his life and had no idea how. There weren't exactly many people who'd ever tried to take care of him: his mother, who'd left him when he was only a child, his uncle, who he'd pushed away at every turn. He supposed his crew on the Wani had tried to take care of him in the very limited way they could. He missed them. Far more than he would've ever thought he would.
Sokka just laughed and ruffled Zuko's hair playfully. "That's okay. We can teach you."
Zuko blushed as he realised how close they were. Now he wasn't crying his eyes out, were they meant to be that close together? Sokka seemed to realise that as well; he pulled away from Zuko, face a brilliant red.
"Oh, uh, just so you know, we're uh, ambushing a Fire Navy ship tonight, so uh, yeah." Sokka stammered, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Thanks for telling me."
"No problem."
Sokka glanced at Zuko's full bowl and his mostly full one. "We should really eat up. It's probably cold though." He sighed morosely.
"I could fix that if you wanted." Zuko offered. He held his hand out. A small flame rose up from his palm. Sokka's face lit up. Zuko's chest swelled with an odd sense of pride that he was able to bring that expression to Sokka's face. It was nice.
"By all means. Heat away, Sunshine, heat away."
A blush promptly rose in Zuko's cheek, matched by Sokka when they realised what he said. Still, Zuko took Sokka's bowl and held it over his flaming hand. When the liquid steamed, he handed it back.
"I hope that's okay. And careful, the bowl's hot."
"Thanks," Sokka took an experimental sip and grinned, "Delicious! Thanks, Zuko. You're really useful to have around."
"Uh, really, it's nothing… nothing special…"
Sokka scoffed. "I've seen you in action. You're really cool. Besides, at least I'm not getting soaked."
"Huh?"
Sokka laughed and launched into the story. "Well, when Katara was trying to practice Waterbending when we were kids, I'd always end up getting drenched. Every time! And this was the South Pole, so the water was really cold. This one time-"
Zuko didn't know how long he spent being regaled by tales of Sokka's childhood sufferings at the hands of his sister. Some of the stories blurred together, but Zuko found that he wasn't bored at all. Watching Sokka reminisce about his happy memories was fun. And so was learning more about the Water Tribe's culture. Who knew after all the time he'd spent scorning his uncle's appreciation for the other elements, he'd be contently enraptured by a Water Tribe peasant.
Eventually, Sokka yawned and stretched out. "I should get going. We gotta plan our next move and work out the invasion plan. See you later."
"Uh, bye." Zuko replied dumbly to Sokka's retreating back. As soon as the Water Tribe boy disappeared from view, Zuko dropped his head into his hands and groaned. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Ugh."
Why did he have to make a nice conversation end awkwardly? Why did he want Sokka to come back so badly? And what invasion plan? Ugh, he was way too tired for this.
Appa rumbled beside him and Zuko flopped against the fur with a sigh. It was softer than he was expecting, and he buried himself in it. Appa huffed. Zuko didn't think the bison minded him, so he stayed there.
"Thanks, Appa," he mumbled, "This is nice."
Thankfully, he didn't fall asleep. He just stared up at the clouds passing by overhead. It was nice. Peaceful. In the back of his mind, he could feel the rising anxiety over not being useful. But no one had given anything to do. Sokka didn't care that he wasn't doing anything. But Sokka was a child. Even though his father was in charge, how much power and authority did he have? Zuko reminded himself that no one had given him anything to do or told him off, so he was probably fine.
Besides Appa was comfortable. So comfortable. Zuko really didn't want to move.
"Hey, Zuko. Are you still awake there?"
Zuko glanced to the side as a shadow fell over him. Sokka, Katara and Toph were standing beside him. Zuko sighed and sat up. "Yes, I'm awake."
"Can we steal Appa away from you? We're dropping the Earth King off in the Earth Kingdom so he can travel. We'll be gone for a while." Sokka said.
Reluctantly, Zuko stood, giving Appa a friendly pat. He watched as the three of them mounted easily, Sokka taking the reins.
"We'll be back soon," Sokka called down, "Appa, yip, yip!"
The bison floated upwards, and over to one of the other ships. The Earth King and his bear clambered aboard, and they climbed higher into the sky before disappearing.
Zuko pushed down the sudden swell of abandonment.
"Zuko!"
Zuko flinched.
Hakoda paused at Zuko's left side. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
Zuko shook his head, still trying to calm his racing heart. "It's fine, I'm fine. What do you need?"
Hakoda still looked concerned, but he allowed Zuko's deflection. "As soon the sun goes down, we'll be taking a Fire Navy ship."
"Okay."
"Katara and Sokka won't be back for a while. I need you to stay with Aang until we've taken the ship. He won't wake up, but if we fail, we'll need you to protect him should the ship be overrun. Can you do that?"
Zuko nodded. "Yes."
Hakoda smiled. "Thank you."
Zuko's pounding heart calmed as Hakoda walked away. Sighing, he lowered his head to avoid any gazes on him and made his way down to Aang's bed.
The Avatar was laid in a quiet corner, on soft blankets and furs. He was paler than Zuko had ever seen him. His face was lax, with dark circles under his eyes. He looked dead. Zuko had to look very closely to see Aang's chest rise and fall slowly. Shallowly.
Zuko sat down and closed his eyes to meditate. He had been neglecting the practice during his time in the Earth Kingdom severely. He'd had to hide his bending then, but now he needed it, needed to be as strong as possible. He certainly needed the practice. His erratic breathing was clear evidence of that. He needed his control back.
The rolling of the ship helped. It was calming, familiar. Something to distract his mind from the nagging guilt. But Aang was alive. He would heal. They hadn't lost yet. The hope that bloomed in Zuko's chest was cautious and tentative, but it was there. The Avatar was alive. Zuko had a place. A purpose. He was tolerated, if not accepted yet. Maybe they could win. Maybe they could end the war and save the world.
A small smile graced Zuko's lips. He allowed it to stay there. He liked the new warmth in his chest. He hoped it would stay.
It was two hours later that footsteps pulled him out of his meditation. Hakoda and his second in command- Bato, was it?- entered the room.
"We've taken the ship." Hakoda grinned.
Zuko cautiously let himself smile back. "That's great news, sir."
"We're going to take Aang across now. Thank you for looking after him."
"It- it was nothing."
Zuko shifted to the side to allow Hakoda and Bato to hoist up Aang's pallet. The boy barely stirred; just a slight twitch of his face. Zuko watched them make their way to the stairs, suddenly unsure of himself. Hakoda glanced back at him.
"Are you planning on staying here?" he teased, sounding a lot like Sokka, "Come on."
Nodding early, Zuko pulled himself to his feet and followed after the two older Alphas. Stepping onto the Fire Navy ship nearly knocked the air out of his lungs. So familiar, yet so alien. So safe, yet so dangerous. The conflicts nearly made his head spin. In a desperate attempt to distract himself, he turned to Hakoda and Bato.
"I uh- I think I know where the larger quarters are. That would be better for the Avatar- for- for healing."
Hakoda smiled at him. Zuko's chest twisted. "Thanks, Zuko. That would be really useful."
Zuko nodded and lead the Alphas down dim red lit corridors that were entirely too familiar. The ship wasn't the same as the Wani, but it was similar enough that Zuko could navigate it with ease.
"Here. This should be alright." He mumbled at last, sliding the door open. Inside was indeed a warm, spacious room. Hakoda and Bato set Aang down on the bed carefully. Zuko gazed across the room at the Fire Army banner hanging on the wall.
"Are you alright? Zuko?"
"Hmm? Sorry, what was that?"
"Are you alright?" Hakoda repeated. "You seem very lost in thought."
"I'm sorry, I just…"
"It wasn't a criticism. You don't have to apologise."
"Sorry."
Hakoda sighed. He looked almost… sad. Maybe Zuko was reading him wrong. Why would Hakoda feel sad?
"It's fine. You've had a difficult time. Get some rest. You look like you need it."
"Uh, okay. Come and find me if you need me." Zuko said as he backed out of the room. He wandered aimlessly down the corridors until he found a small, tucked away room at the end of a dark hallway.
He relished the blissful silence and solitude. His eyes ached with a sudden wash of exhaustion. He collapsed onto the bed and curled up beneath the blankets. He practically cocooned himself in them. He steadfastly refused to acknowledge the part of his mind imagining a warm embrace around him. His heavy eyes didn't stay open for long and it didn't take long for him to slip into a restful sleep.
It was the sound of loud knocking on his door was what woke Zuko up. Grumbling under his breath, he padded over to the door. Opening the door revealed Sokka's wide grinning face.
"Morning, Hothead. Sleep well?"
"Uh, yeah… What, uh, are you doing?"
"Well, it's way later than you were awake yesterday and I wanted to make sure you're okay and-" Sokka leaned in and sniffed the air, "Wow, you smell really good."
"I- I- I do?" Zuko gave his shoulder a quick sniff and realised his scent was obvious. Oh Agni, he'd run out of his scent blocking ointment. And he had no way of getting more. It was a miracle his lost dose had lasted this long. But now…
"You're an Omega?" Sokka exclaimed with wide eyes. "Seriously? I thought you were a Beta."
"Well… I'm not… I'm an Omega…" Zuko croaked weakly. He coiled back, ready to spring, eyes tracking Sokka carefully.
Sokka stared back for a long moment. Then he leapt backwards, hands clasped over his nose. "Are you in heat? Is that why your scent is so strong?"
"No. I'm not in heat. I just don't have my scent blockers anymore. Is- is it going to be a problem?"
"No, no, no, no," Sokka laughed nervously, waving his hands dramatically, "Sorry, it just surprised me is all. Did I mention you smell really good? Like lilies and honey and warmth. It's nice."
There was no hiding Zuko's furious blush. "Uh, thanks."
"Oh, and don't worry. No one's going to bother you. I promise."
"Thanks, Sokka." Zuko smiled.
"No problem," Sokka grinned back, "Now let's get some breakfast."
True to Sokka's word, no one said anything about Zuko's newly revealed scent. Toph's slight smirk made Zuko suspect she already knew, but that was it. It was nice.
For so long, his Omega scent had drawn scorn and dismissal, pity and coddling. Being treated like an equal for the first time in his life was refreshing. Zuko almost burst out laughing. He reined himself in and let the chatter of his new companions wash over him. The peace wasn't enough to completely calm the nervous stutter of his heart that was waiting for something to go wrong, for him to do something wrong and it all to be snatched away from him- but it was a start.
It was two weeks before the Avatar awoke. Zuko had somewhat settled into life with the group. Seeing them dressed in Fire Navy garb was somewhat disconcerting. Several times, he thought he was back on the Wani with his crew and is breath would hitch in excitement. Then he'd blink and the faces would shift back to the Water Tribe warriors. He missed his old crew. He didn't even know if they were still alive after the siege of the North Pole. He had managed to... liberate a pair of duel dao, which was a comfort.
He was not expecting the Avatar to come crashing up from bellow deck. He paused in grooming Appa to look over at the dazed Airbender.
"Twinkle Toes," Toph exclaimed excitedly, "That's gotta be you!"
She and Katara ran towards him joyfully. Zuko's lip quirked up as relief uncoiled a slight amount of the tense twisting of his chest. But he hung back, deciding to let them have their moment and not overwhelm the Avatar. Just yet at least.
"Aang you're awake!" It was nice to hear so much happiness in Katara's voice.
"Are you sure?" the Avatar mumbled, "I feel like I'm dreaming."
Katara slammed into him for a full force hug. "You're not dreaming. You're finally awake."
"Aang, good to see you back with the living, buddy." Sokka greeted from under his stupid Fire Nation helmet. He pulled Aang into a hug of his own; albeit much more gentler than his sister's had been.
"Sokka?" was the Avatar's only response. His eyes swam and rolled in his head.
"Uh oh, somebody catch him!" Toph warned, "He's gonna…"
The Avatar's body hit the deck with a thud. Katara wasted no time in pulling him onto her lap protectively.
Appa hefted himself to his feet with a grunt and ambled over to check on his master. Zuko sighed heavily. He sat down and glanced up at the clouds in the sky.
It didn't take the Avatar long to wake up again and was sequestered away in the corner of the ship with Appa and his friends. Zuko watched them from across the deck but they paid him no mind. It stung more than Zuko felt it should. He didn't begrudge them their time together. If he ached to be included and not sit alone and go back to running his hands through Appa's soft fur- well, that was his problem and not theirs.
The Avatar quickly started spouting out a fountain of questions. He sounded so tired and sat so still. Zuko missed the Beta boy's usual exuberance and energy. He hoped it would return with time.
Toph and Sokka walked away and left Katara alone with the Avatar. They made their way over to Zuko and sat down beside him. One either side.
"Hey, Sparky." Toph grunted as she sat.
"How're you doing?" Sokka asked kindly.
"Uh, I'm fine." Zuko muttered. Why were they asking him that? Shouldn't their worry be saved for the Avatar. "I'm glad the Avatar is awake."
"You know, you can call him Aang," Sokka pointed out, "Since you're friends now."
"I- uh- no- but we haven't- I mean, I don't know if he'll forgive me yet. You all have, but it was him I was trying to capture. He might not want to be friends with me after everything I've done. I know I wouldn't."
Sokka and Toph laughed. Agni, Zuko's heart melted a little every time Sokka smiled.
"Oh, trust me: I know Aang. He'll be thrilled to have you aboard." Sokka grinned.
"If you say so…" Zuko sulked doubtfully. He watched as Hakoda approached Katara and Aang and how Katara tensed up and turned away. Heart skipping a beat, he tensed too. Preparing to spring up and get in between them, protect Katara. Preparing to run from two angry Alphas.
Toph punched him on the arm.
"Ow! What was that for?" he growled, but it was nowhere near her usual force level.
"Keep outta your head, Sparky." She said, "There's nothing to worry about right now. Enjoy it."
Zuko wanted to snap back that there was everything to worry about. But he didn't. Instead he sat back and sighed. He didn't untense, but he turned his attention to maintaining his breathing.
Hakoda didn't look angered by Katara's attitude. Just resigned like he always was when it came to her acidic bite. She had been sharp with him for the entirety of Zuko's time on the ship. He didn't know if that was how their relationship always was or not. All he knew was that he didn't even want to think about what his own father would do to him if he behaved like that. He steadily ignored the worries about how far Hakoda's patience would go, how long it would be before he snapped and….
No, no, no, no, no.
He wasn't supposed to think like that. Hakoda was different to Ozai. Ozai wasn't how fathers were meant to be. Hakoda was. He didn't have to fear for Katara and Sokka. Sokka looked concerned about Hakoda and Katara but not scared. That meant everything was fine, right?
"Sparky!" Toph snapped. "I said, do you know any good Fire Nation food Appa might like?"
"Oh. Sorry. I- uh- I don't know…"
Aang was breaking the tension with his standard friendliness. Good. Zuko allowed himself to relax. "He might like zazzberries or sarjin peppers."
But Katara snapped back at her father and he left in defeat. Aang looked confused, but it was quickly overridden by his grimace of pain. Katara quickly pulled him away back to his room.
It was strangely easier to breath with them gone. Zuko stood and walked back over to Appa. The bison always greeted him with a friendly rumble and it always brought Zuko's nerves down.
"Hey buddy. I bet you're really glad to have the Avatar back, aren't you?"
Appa grumbled and grunted in what Zuko thought was agreement. But nevertheless, the big bison tilted his head towards Zuko for scratches. The young Fire bender allowed himself to laugh.
And he decidedly ignored Sokka and Toph watching him with smiles on their faces.
The Avatar didn't appear again that evening and Katara stayed with him for most of that time. For Zuko, bed did not come soon enough. He wasn't sure why the day had been so harrowing, but he was exhausted. Of course, his luck had him chasing sleep for far longer than he wanted. The darkness that followed was restless and disturbed, so Zuko was no less exhausted when the sun rose and tugged him up with it.
As a result, he was not in the mood to be dragged around by Sokka that morning. And yet the Alpha shoved a bowl of breakfast into his hands and yanked him onto deck with a wild grin. Zuko's grumbles and protests were completely ignored: and as was becoming increasingly and frustratingly obvious, he had problems saying no to Sokka. Probably just because he was an Alpha, but still. Annoying.
As he was towed across the deck, Zuko's eyes widened as he realised what Sokka was doing. "Sokka, no! Don't you dare!"
He was promptly ignored. Of course.
"Hey, Aang!" Sokka yelled, waving for too madly for Zuko's liking, "Look who we found!"
The Avatar was talking with Katara and Toph. He looked so odd with brown hair. Zuko hadn't really noticed before but it was glaringly obvious under the bright sun. The Avatar's eyes widened as they met Zuko's.
"Zuko?! What are you doing here?"
"I- uh, well, I- I sort of joined the group. That is- if uh, if you'll have me."
"Well, yeah, sure. But I thought you weren't interested. Last time I offered to be friends, you shot fire at me." The Avatar said.
Zuko was struck by how casual the Avatar was. Like his enemy at his mercy and trying to join his group wasn't a big deal to him at all. "I am really sorry about that. But I've changed. And I want to be better. And help you stop the Fire Lord."
The Avatar broke into a wide smile. It warmed Zuko's heart, but not quite as much as Sokka's did. "Great! We're really grateful to have you with us, Zuko." The Avatar's nose twitched, and his eyes widened, but he said nothing.
"Thank you. I promise I won't let you down."
"Great!" Sokka interrupted, "Now that's out of the way, it's time for a strategy meeting!"
And that was how Zuko found himself sat on the floor between Aang and Toph while Sokka got a box to deliver his speech. But seeing Sokka so excited was strangely endearing and Aang did need to know their plan for the net move. A necessary evil that Zuko would have to hear it all over again. He supposed he should be glad of the step of accepting him into the group.
"After what happened in Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety. We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King decided he wanted to travel to travel the world alone, so he set off alone. Well, not completely alone. Soon the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it or disguise. Since then we've been travelling west. We crossed through the Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."
"So what now?" Aang asked.
"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan." Hakoda replied.
"It's Sokka's invasion plan." Katara said icily.
Zuko flinched slightly at the angry Alpha pheromones she was leaking.
Hakoda just backed down but Zuko could see how his daughter's temper was weighing on him. "Yes, Sokka's plan. We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable."
Zuko knew what their plan was, but he still felt sick to hear it. To hear them discussing his weakness, his vulnerability to use against his people unnerved him. He knew that most of the Fire Nation was innocent of their ruler's crimes, but they were lumped in with him anyway.
"So we're planning a smaller invasion," Sokka continued, oblivious to Zuko's discomfort, "Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke."
"Good to see you again, Aang." Pipsqueak greeted.
"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage. We have a secret." Sokka stage whispered conspiratorially. Zuko didn't know why since everyone on the ship already knew about the Avatar.
"You."
"Me?" The Avatar repeated.
"Yep, the whole world thinks you're dead. Isn't that great?" Sokka cheered.
The look of sheer horror on Aang's face said otherwise.
"The world thinks I'm dead?" he spluttered, "How is that good news? That's terrible."
"No, its great." Sokka said. How he could be so oblivious, Zuko had no clue. Even he wasn't that socially awkward, for Angi's sake.
"It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore."
"Speak for yourself." Zuko muttered sulkily under his breath. There was no way his father or Azula was giving up on him. He was ignored though if anyone even heard him.
"And even better, they won't be expecting you on the Day of the Black Sun."
"No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea. This is so messed up!" Aang cried, but the blare of the foghorn interrupted him.
"I'll handle this," Aang declared as he reached for his staff, "The Avatar is back." But then he groaned and clutched at his chest. Still. He tried to climb onto his glider.
"Aang wait. Remember, they don't know we're not Fire Nation." Katara said.
Aang reluctantly folded away his glider.
"Everyone, just stay calm," Hakoda instructed, "Bato and I will take care of this."
They donned their helmets and Zuko pulled up the hood of his red cloak. Pipsqueak and The Duke deftly rolled the tarpaulin over Appa. Zuko, Toph, Aang and Katara ducked into the hold.
"I hate not being able to do anything." Aang grumbled.
"Hopefully, you won't need to." Toph whispered back as Sokka climbed down with them.
The plank hit their ship with a loud clang and a trio of soldiers made their way across.
"Commander, why are you off course? All western fleet ships are supposed to be moving towards Ba Sing Se to help with the occupation." The commander demanded.
"Actually, we're from the eastern fleet. We have orders to deliver some cargo." Hakoda lied.
"Ah, eastern fleet. Well, nice of Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."
Admiral Chan. Not anyone Zuko had come across before.
"I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, sir." Bato said.
"I mean, how har is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?"
"Next time we'll send two hawks to be sure you get the message." Hakoda joked and bowed.
One of the foot soldiers said something to the commander. Zuko couldn't hear what it was but he had a sinking feeling it wasn't good.
But Toph could.
She leapt out from the hold, yelling, "They know!" she grabbed hold of the metal floor and twisted it. The plank fell away, and the soldiers dropped downwards. Katara pulled massive wall of water up. With a grunt of effort, she pushed the other ship away.
They accelerated. Fireballs came hurtling at them from the other ship. Toph hurled boulders back at them. The ship lurched as they were harpooned. Katara iced over the holes almost immediately. But Zuko was rattled enough and starting to worry about their chances.
"I'm gonna give us some cover!" Katara yelled.
They were engulfed in mist before Zuko had time to blink. But the fireballs still crashed down on them. Toph's rocks were blasted into smithereens. Sokka was fighting with Aang to get him to stay put. Zuko's attention was being pulled in every direction.
"How we doing?" Toph called out.
"Things couldn't get much worse." Sokka groaned back.
And then of course, a giant sea serpent erupted from the waves. Typical.
"The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?" Sokka whined.
"You make it too easy!" Toph jabbed.
The sea serpent reared up: only to be smacked in the face by a fireball. With a roar, it plummeted back under water. Zuko watched with dread as the dark shadow surged towards the enemy ship. He could barely breathe as it coiled around the ship and shrieked, constricting the vessel even more.
"Thank you, The Universe." Sokka breathed in relief.
Zuko felt none of it. Would those sailors survive the serpent's assault? He had no idea. But leaving his people like that turned his stomach. But he had no choice. His companions would never agree to go back for a Fire Nation ship that had just been shooting at them. What could they even do against a creature like that anyway?
They docked into the nearest port. Zuko didn't feel like helping repair the ship. He slunk down to his room and bundled himself in the blankets. His eyes burned with tears. He fought against them, but a few slid down his cheeks anyway. He wasn't sure how long he lay there for before a knocking on his door disturbed him.
The door creaked open and Sokka's head poked into the room. Zuko hastily wiped away his tears and sat up.
"What do you want?"
If Sokka was offended by his flat, disinterested tone, he didn't show it. "We're going into town for dinner. Wanna tag along?"
"No thank you." Just the thought of leaving his little bubble of safety on his bed made his heart race.
"Okay then. We'll bring you back something."
"Alright." Zuko didn't care. He wasn't hungry, but just wanted Sokka to leave so he could be alone.
"Bye. See you later."
And with that, Sokka was gone and Zuko was alone again. The silence made his ears ring. Groaning softly to himself, he curled up and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for sleep to find him.
He was being shaken. "Zuko! Zuko, wake up!"
Zuko's eyes snapped open. Heart leaping, he lashed out with a blast of fire.
"Hey! What was that for?"
Zuko blinked. "Sokka?"
"Who else?" Sokka snapped from the floor, where he'd managed to roll away from Zuko's attack, "What did you do that for?"
Zuko felt sick. His eyes were scorching. "I- I'm sorry. You just- you startled me."
Sokka softened from indignant to worried. "Don't apologise, it was my fault. I'm sorry. I won't do that again, I swear."
Sokka was apologising? Why? But before he could ask, Sokka interrupted.
"Aang's disappeared because he thinks he has to do this alone so we're going to find him and make our own way to the Fire Nation and meet back up with Dad for the invasion. Are you coming?"
"Yes."
"You don't have to. You're welcome to stay here."
"I'm coming with you."
Sokka smiled. It was softer than Zuko had seen before and twisted his chest tightly. "Let's go then."
They flew for hours across the ocean. It was only at daybreak that they found the Avatar lying on a tiny volcanic island. The others all flocked to his side, but Zuko stayed back. He doubted he was welcome in their reunion.
"You're okay!" Katara gasped as she pulled Aang against her. The others quickly enclosed them, joined by Appa and Momo.
"I have so much to do." Aang sighed determinedly.
"I know," Katara smiled, "But you'll have our help."
"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph teased.
"What about the invasion?" Aang asked.
"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse." Sokka explained.
"Hey, what's..?" Toph exclaimed, pulling some driftwood from the water. "Oh. Its your glider."
It was; ragged and broken. It was quite sad, if Zuko was honest.
Aang took it from her and sighed. "That's okay. If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. Its better for now that no one knows I'm alive."
With steely eyes, Aang jumped onto a ledge and twirled his staff above his head like Zuko had seen him do countless times. Then he stuck it into the ground and leapt down just as it burst into flames.
"Wait, Zuko?" he exclaimed, staring at the Omega in confusion, "You came too?"
"Obviously." Zuko sighed.
"Great! Welcome to the group."
