Hello everyone, thanks for the reviews and to everyone reading! Zingfox guessed the song that inspired the previous drabble; How to Save a Life by the Fray! No one's been giving me ideas for what to write for future drabbles though. :( I am willing to consider any idea! Anyways, on to the next one!

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA.

Zuko hadn't seen Aang in almost six months and it was killing him. The thirteen-year old monk had been traveling all over, trying to find a trace of any other remaining airbenders. After finding the group of Sky Bison, Aang's search for his people had been undertaken with increased vigor. The nations were in a state of peace, at the moment anyways, so the Avatar was able to focus on this task. Appa and Momo were his only travel companions. While he would have loved to have his friends join him, they had their own duties to attend to and the nomadic lifestyle did not suit them as well.

The Fire Lord had received a messenger hawk almost a week ago with a note from his young airbending friend stating that he was going to take a brief break and visit Zuko at the Fire Nation Palace. Zuko missed Aang more than he ever thought he would and he couldn't wait to see the other boy. Today was the day Aang was scheduled to arrive, and everyone in the palace was preparing the estate according to Zuko's orders. He wanted to make sure that Aang would have a relaxing stay. And, hopefully, a long one.

Zuko was busy signing papers in the throne room when a guard came in to announce that Appa had been spotted, the Avatar at the reins.

"Thank you. Be sure to have the stables readied for the Avatar's bison."

The guard left the room and Zuko stood, pushing the papers into a neat pile. He would sign the rest of them later.

Aang and Appa landed in the gardens, a habit of the monk's that Zuko had tried to break. It always scared the turtle-ducks, but Aang claimed it was the nicest place to land. Appa greeted Zuko with a friendly groan and the eighteen-year old reached up to rub the bison's forehead affectionately.

Aang airbended himself down from Appa's head and beamed a smile at Zuko. The monk had grown taller and looked even more grown up from when Zuko had seen him last.

"Aang! It's great to see you!" Zuko walked forward, arms spread wide to give his best friend a hug. Zuko had learned quickly that Aang did not accept a bow as a proper greeting. And Zuko certainly didn't mind. Aang rushed forward into the embrace as he normally would, but he didn't hug quite as tightly as Zuko had come to expect. As he embraced Aang, he suddenly felt a weird protrusion on Aang's chest. Zuko stepped away and got a good look at Aang. He was wearing his normal orange and brown monk robes, but he had a darker brown sling across the front of his chest. And there was something moving in the sling. A pudgy little fist shot out and a shrill cry rang through the gardens.

Zuko's mouth fell open. "Aang, do not tell me there is a baby in that sling."

Aang blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Umm…" He patted the baby soothingly and bounced up and down on his heels until its crying subsided. "The thing is… there is."

"Ok… is this baby yours?" Zuko didn't expect the monk to be a father so soon, especially since he knew Katara and Aang were no longer together, but after all girls did practically throw themselves at the "world's savior" and Aang did need to repopulate his race if he couldn't find any airbenders. He felt bitter jealousy rising in his chest.

Aang's arms tightened possessively around the baby. "Yes, she's mine. Ok, well, not biologically mine. But I'm her father now." He peered down at the baby with tenderness in his eyes.

"So you just found a random baby somewhere?"

Aang frowned. "She's not a random baby. Her name is Emi."

Zuko's eyebrows rose. "Would you and Emi like to come inside? Dinner will be served in just a few minutes."

Aang nodded with a smile and followed Zuko inside the palace. "I'll tell you her story at dinner, ok? Judging by the sound of her cry just a few minutes ago, she needs her diaper changed."

Zuko looked down at Aang. "You don't need any help, do you? I have no experience whatsoever with babies. I mean, I was only two when Azula was born and she wasn't exactly a normal baby…"

Aang laughed. "Don't worry, you don't have to help! I've changed her dozens of times by myself. Am I in the same room as always?"

Zuko nodded. He was still trying to get the concept into his brain that Aang had a baby strapped to his chest and that he was apparently playing father to. They arrived at the room that had been prepared for Aang and walked inside. Aang undid the sling and nestled the baby into the crook of his arm as he pulled some clean cloths out of his shirt. He spread one out on the bed and laid Emi beside it. Expertly, he removed the baby's pants and clearly soiled diaper. Water was drawn out from the pouch that was secured to his hip and he cleaned the infant before wrapping her in the fresh cloth diaper and pulling her pants back on. All this was achieved in under five minutes. The baby gurgled as Aang picked her up again and turned to face Zuko.

"All right, we're ready to eat!"

Aang could tell that Zuko was more than a little shocked that he had shown up with a baby. He prepared to tell the story of how he and Emi had come to be together. First, he settled the girl on his knee and proceeded to spoon a selection of mashed vegetables into her mouth.

"I was in a small Earth Nation village where I had decided to spend the night. This was about two weeks ago; a week before I sent you the hawk telling you I was going to come visit. Anyways, I was looking for somewhere to stay. An old lady named Wei invited me to her house and said she had an extra room, if I didn't mind sharing it with a baby. It was either that or the forest, so I accepted. I was running low on supplies and she told me she always cooked plenty of food for dinner in case any travelers were passing through. At dinner, she told me about Emi, the baby she was taking care of." Aang looked down sadly at the baby in his lap. "Emi's family was killed in the war. Wei knew Emi's mother so she decided to take care of the baby. Wei's not as young as she used to be though, as she likes to put it. She did her best with Emi, but she can't care for a baby at her age. She's been doing it for almost six months now. Emi's nearly twelve months. I saw how worn down Wei was…. So, I volunteered to take Emi to an orphanage in one of the bigger cities nearby."

Zuko's food was growing cold as he listened intently. "But you didn't. Why not?"

"Well, we flew there. The orphanage was really nice. But there were so many kids there already. When the lady who runs it reached out to take Emi, I couldn't do it. I couldn't give her up."

As if she knew they were talking about her, Emi let her head fall back and looked at Aang with a goofy smile on her face. Emi's eyes were the color of jade and the small amount of fuzzy hair she had was dark brown, but the expression on her face right then was one Zuko had seen many times before on Aang. Aang smiled back at the baby.

"She didn't have anyone left in the world. I knew what it was like to feel that way. I didn't want her to grow up alone. So I told the people at the orphanage that I had made a mistake coming there and that Emi belonged with me. Then I wrote you that letter and came straight here."

"So you're going to raise her." However touching Aang's story was, Zuko couldn't see how Aang's Avatar duties would fit in with raising a baby. Not to mention, the boy was only thirteen. "Aang, you can't travel around the world with a baby."

"I know. I wanted to talk to you about that." Aang's voice was hopeful. "I want to stay here, if you'll let me. Of course I'll have to leave sometimes for Avatar stuff, but I'd like this to be Emi's home. And my home. But, only if you're ok with it! I mean, if you don't want a baby in the palace that's totally fine and we can just, you know, find someone else to stay with and-"

Zuko cut off Aang's rambling. "Of course you can stay here!" Zuko didn't add that he missed Aang with every fiber of his being when they weren't together and that he would be ecstatic to have the boy live with him. The palace seemed very empty sometimes. He also didn't add that he had finally realized, with his uncle's help, that the feelings he had for the young Avatar were much more than platonic. Uncle Iroh had urged his nephew to act on those feelings, but Zuko refused to. There was no way Aang felt the same way and he didn't want to scare his best friend away for good.

Aang stood up from his seat at the table and shifted Emi to his right hip. "Thanks Zuko!" He stepped around the table to give his friend a one-armed hug.

Zuko smiled. "It'll be nice to have you here. We can find a good nurse-maid to take care of Emi for those times when you have to leave."

"Do you want to hold her?" Aang beamed happily at his friend and held the baby out to him.

Zuko hesitantly took the baby and cradled her in his arms. She cooed up at him.

"Dada! Dada, dada, dada!" Her small hands reached towards his face.

Zuko looked at Aang, his eyes wide. "I think you better take her!" He handed the baby back to Aang.

Aang laughed. "She's been doing that for a while now."

Emi repeated herself, looking back and forth between Aang and Zuko. "Dada! Dada!"

Aang looked down at her with adoration. "Yeah, sweetie, you have two dadas now." He looked at Zuko. "I hope that's ok. She can't actually pronounce people's names yet."

Zuko swallowed. "Dada works."

Luckily, a crib was found and placed in Aang's room and he was able to put Emi to bed. She fell asleep quickly and Aang snuck out of the room. Zuko stood outside in the hallway. Aang greeted him with another hug, this time wrapping both arms tightly around Zuko's waist. "Thanks again! Emi and I are so grateful."

Zuko tried to ignore the feelings of desire rising in him as they walked right across the hallway to his own room. "You really care a lot about that little baby, don't you?"

"Yeah. Like I said, I'm her father now. I won't let her grow up as an orphan."

They entered Zuko's large quarters and Aang flopped on the bed. "She can be quite a handful though. Luckily she's gotten pretty good at sleeping through the night."

Zuko removed his heavier outer robes and sat down next to the airbender. "You still seem tired."

Aang yawned."Yeah, I don't know how Wei did it at her age." He sat up and leaned into Zuko, his head coming to rest on Zuko's shoulder. His eyes closed as he yawned again. "Did I tell you how much I missed you?"

Zuko felt a blush creeping over his cheeks. "I missed you too, Aang." He resisted the urge to kiss the top of the monk's head.

With another yawn, Aang stood up. "I guess I should probably get to bed. I'll see you in the morning?"

Zuko wanted to grab Aang and kiss him, tell him that he didn't have to leave, he could sleep right here if he wanted to. But he didn't. He stood and said good night like a normal friend would. Aang left, and Zuko went to sleep with regret.

A loud wailing woke Zuko a few hours after he had drifted off to sleep. He got out of bed and put a robe on before heading across the hallway to Aang's room.

Aang was standing by the crib, wearing only a pair of sleeping pants. He turned as Zuko came into the room. Emi was in his arms, her face red and scrunched from crying.

"Sorry! I think it's just because she's in a new place, she's having trouble sleeping." He rocked back and forth, rubbing the baby's back soothingly.

Zuko rubbed the remnants of sleep out of his eyes and sat down on Aang's bed. "It's ok. But if you can make her stop before she wakes up the whole palace, that would probably be good."

Aang grinned sheepishly. "Ok, I'll do my best." He sat down on the bed and cradled the girl. "This usually works." He started humming, and eventually began to softly sing.

"Moon river wider than a mile

I'm crossing you in style someday

Oh dream maker, you heartbreaker

Wherever you're going I'm going your way

Two drifters off to see the world

There's such a lot of world to see

We're after the same rainbow's end

Waiting 'round the bend

My huckleberry friend, moon river and me."

Emi was fast asleep by the time he was finished and Zuko found himself almost asleep too. Aang stood slowly and placed the baby back in her crib gently. When he walked back over to the bed Zuko didn't resist his impulses anymore. He pulled Aang down towards him and kissed the boy briefly.

Aang stood, his mouth slightly open. Zuko was just about to flee from the room when Aang suddenly cracked a smile and whispered something.

"I guess you like the old Air Nomad lullabies too?" He sat down again and looked at Zuko coyly.

Since Aang wasn't screaming, Zuko took it as a sign that he wouldn't mind if he kissed him again. So he did just that, this time leaning more into the kiss and moving his lips a little more urgently. He almost exploded in happiness when he felt Aang responding.

Before either of them knew what was happening, Zuko 's robe was on the floor and Aang was on top of him, his legs on either side of Zuko's hips, hands tangled in the Fire Lord's hair. They kissed passionately, finally breaking apart for air. Aang rolled off and lay on the bed next to Zuko. He curled himself into Zuko's side and whispered something that Zuko could barely hear.

"I love you, Zuko."

Zuko turned and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, and uttered the words he thought he would never say. "I love you too, Aang."

Aang lifted his head and kissed Zuko again."Now Emi really does have two daddys."

Zuko smiled and pulled Aang even tighter against him. "I'll try to be the best father I can to her. I don't have a lot of experience, but I promise I'll do my best. This might certainly be the weirdest family that has ever lived in the palace." He finished with a quiet chuckle, being careful not to wake Aang's, and now his, daughter.

Aang pressed his forehead against Zuko's. "You know, there are a lot of kids who were left orphaned by the war or for some other reason. I never thought it would be fun being an only child…"

Judging by the look Aang was giving him, they might turn out to be the largest family to ever live in the palace as well. Zuko saw many trips to orphanages in his future…

Yeah, ok, so the song in this one's a little obvious... Please review and let me know what you think! And give me an idea for the next one, it doesn't have to be Zukaang but I do feel like that's the pairing I write best. Thanks!