"Zuko! Your roasted duck is ready!" Iroh's muffled voice called from the kitchen. The sweet smell of dinner made Zuko's stomach churn.
"I'm not hungry!" Zuko shouted back through the bedroom door. He couldn't shake his anxiety. His gut wrenched, and the knot in his chest made it hard to breathe. Aang would be there soon. As comfortable as he felt around Aang, Zuko couldn't quell his nerves. The buzzer made his heart catch in his throat. "I've got it!" He yelled, scrambling into the hallway to the intercom. "Hello?"
"Hey! It's Aang. Can I come up?"
"Yeah! I mean, of course. I'll buzz you." Slightly embarrassed, Zuko pressed the button and waited for the knock at the door several minutes later. Feeling lightheaded and nauseous, he opened it to the familiar grin.
"Hi, Zuko! How've you been?" Aang's warming smile made Zuko feel a more at ease.
"Good. You know just working and, uh, stuff." Aang stepped past Zuko into the apartment. "Would you like something to eat? My uncle just made dinner." Zuko offered.
"Oh, no thanks! I just ate. Lets just go find something for you to wear." Aang beamed, looking around. "This is a really nice place."
"Thanks. Uh, my room is just in here." Zuko lead Aang inside. "You can go through my closet if you want. And thanks for offering to help, I've never been to a club."
Aang was already milling through the hangers. "Why not? They're a lot of fun! You get to dance and meet new people and it's nice to go out with your friends."
"It just never seemed that appealing to me, I guess." Zuko blushed a bit. "My ex used to try to drag me out, but I never wanted to."
"Well, I'm glad you decided to go with us." Aang turned and tossed a few shirts at Zuko, who caught them on his head with a grunt of surprise. Aang snickered to himself. "At the very least, you'll have fun hanging out with your friends. But if it does get too boring for you, I promise we can leave." Aang smiled and turned back to the closet. Zuko's heart was racing. He had been excited to go out with Aang and his friends, but going somewhere alone with him would be ten times better. Zuko began to debate if he should just feign boredom at the club even if he enjoyed it.
"That sounds good." Zuko said, catching a pair of jeans.
"Alright, now lets see em." Aang made his way over to Zuko.
"Uh, you're just going to stand there?"
"Unless you need my help dressing," Aang said with a laugh. "Don't be so shy, we're both boys. Now put on the shirts so I can tell which ones the best."
Silently grateful Aang had only chosen one pair of pants, Zuko began changing. He deliberately faced the bed when changing his pants, which he tried to do as quickly as possible in the hope that Aang wouldn't notice how pale his legs were. It didn't cross his mind that the tattooed boy might want to see them. Aang hoped he wasn't blushing. He watched as Zuko's briefs tugged where his thighs met his hip, watched the muscles in his legs ripple slightly as he bent. Unfortunately, Zuko's foot snagged on the jeans as he was pulling them up. As he began to topple, Aang reached out to grab him. Because he was lighter than Zuko, he just ended up falling too. After forcing himself to roll off Zuko's soft back, embarrassment struck Aang.
"Sorry! Sorry!" He blurted, waving his hands in defense against the anticipated anger.
Zuko rolled over and pulled up his pants in one hasty motion. "No, no, it's ok. I pulled you down." He chuckled a little and looked at the boy on his bed. "Really, it's ok."
Aang smiled back into those amber eyes, not even noticing he was drifting closer. Zuko felt like Aang's were pulling him in, making his fingers numb with nerves. Aang's light kiss swept away Zuko's anxiety. He gently held the back of Aang's head, kissing back with increasing force. He could tell by the way Aang tugged his hair that the younger boy's desire matched his own. Zuko bit the boy's lip, producing a breathy moan that heated Zuko's blood. He moved aggressively on top of Aang, playfully flicking his tongue into the other boy's mouth. While Aang still maintained a grip on the dark hair, he couldn't stop his other hand from roaming down Zuko's chest and clawing gently at his back, pulling him closer. Aang's soft but firm touch fueled the hunger in Zuko. He shifted to the side to nibble on Aang's ear, lightly brushing his teeth on the lobe. More throaty moans relayed Aang's pleasure, and Zuko felt as if they egged him on. Trailing small kisses and gentle bites across Aang's neck, Zuko tried to keep his hand steady as it moved down Aang's chest. Firmly pressing his fingers into Aang as he went, Zuko's hand moved to the top of the boy's pants. He paused for a moment, rubbing his hand back and forth along Aang's stomach with unbearable anticipation, before he pushed his hand in. Almost immediately, Aang grabbed Zuko's arm and drew away.
"W-wait. We should stop." Aang was clearly fighting back his desire.
"Why?" Zuko brushed Aang's ear with his fingertips, hoping to ease the boy's tension.
"Because I normally don't move this fast. It makes me uncomfortable." Aang was trying his best to ignore Zuko's touch, so he let his hand fall to Aang's on the bed.
"Ok, that's fine." Fighting the urge to press Aang a little more, Zuko dropped the subject and pushed away his frustration. He smiled at the blushing boy.
Aang returned it and pecked Zuko one last time. "Thanks."
"Yeah. I mean, uh…" Still trying to calm his blood, Zuko struggled to change the topic. "So anyway, what do you think?" Zuko pulled a bit at the bottom of his dark red shirt, a little embarrassed by his awkwardness.
Aang tried to make his hesitation look like observation. "Oh, yeah, don't think we need to try on any of the other shirts. This one's great!" He immediately regretted the words when Zuko smiled and stood up. He wanted to stay in the room a little longer, watching Zuko's porcelain skin as he changed shirts. But Zuko was already heading towards the hallway, so Aang followed. He hoped Zuko wasn't too frustrated with him, and hoped he was still interested. Zuko created a fire in Aang he'd never felt before, and he wanted to keep it going.