Date Completed: 4 March 2009

Pairing: Sokka/Zuko

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Summary: When Zuko asked to join the Gaang and teach the avatar firebending, he mentioned that there was "not very much time left," and they assumed he meant until Sozin's Comet. But what if there was another restriction on his time –one he hasn't told anyone about? (Much angst, drama llama, and romance-smut. Oh yeah, and a good dosage of omg NOOO! )

AN: No, I haven't given up. I just hit a MAJOR writer's block with this one, and … I'm still not happy with how it turned out. But the next one will be more excited, dramatic, funny, etc. You can think of this more as... filler? Sure. Let's go with that.

The pale and pearly moon stood sentinel over the intricately hanging towers, casting it's iridescent light across the ivory beams and painting its pathways in all shades of gray. Dust motes, that had lain in wait for the early morning hours' glow danced white in the silvery beams. It was completely silent save for the sounds of sleep and the trickling water, its inhabitants lost in the realm of their dreams. Only one was unable to find solstice in the night.

A young man – hardly sixteen and already knowing too much of the horrors of this world – lay shivering in his cot. Although there wasn't enough of a breeze to stir the visible fluffy tufts of ebony hair, his covers were wrapped up around him like a shield against his imaginary foes, and a few beads of perspiration lingered along his cheeks and clung to the edge of the pointed chin. Or perhaps those were tears, as another crystalline drop followed its brothers' trail down the pale-as-night face. He let out a weak whimper and huddled farther into his cocoon. Unease painted his features as eyebrows pulled together, fists clenching the blanket, dusty pink lips caught in a pained grimace.

...worthless...

Another moment passed, perhaps two, before he whimpered again, pulling his legs and arms closer to the heat of his body. Firebenders naturally emitted a high level of body heat, something he had always taken for granted. Now his body wasn't doing its job, and even the raging fire inside couldn't warm the toes and fingers farthest from his core. But then again, Uncle had always said that a sickness would get worse before getting better.

Still, there was something unsettling in the ember beneath.

He drifted somewhere in between the seas of sleep and consciousness, wanting nothing more than to fade off into his dreams. But something lurked in the darkness, something with a deadly voice and poison words to steal away his soul.

...you're useless to them now...

There it was again, the shadowy caress tickling at the edges of his consciousness. It was always there, dragging him down into his turbulent seas whenever he lost, when he wasn't smart enough, strong enough, good enough... It had crept into the back of his mind after his banishment, whispering to him the frayed ends of the terrible truth; that his life wasn't worth anything to anyone.

...pretty soon they'll get tired of you too...

Uncle had tried (over and over and over again) to tell him that he was wrong, that he was loved and meant the world to the old man, but it was blaringly obvious that everything bad that happened in their lives was due to his weakness. The older man, however, had never given up, and one day Zuko had grown to believe it. Sure, his nation hated him and most of his family wanted him dead, but at least he still had Uncle.

Then he was given the glorious opportunity to be forgiven for all his past failures and welcomed back into his family and birthright with open arms, and there was no way he could refuse. Wasn't this what he had always wanted? To be loved? But somewhere in the bottom of his heart he knew that he already was, and that he was betraying the only person who honestly cared for him.

...and then you'll be all alone...

Zuko pushed back his sopping bangs with a groan, falling back to lean against the faintly green slate wall. A piece of stone shifted and cracked behind him, erupting dust at the pressure. The air temple's bathrooms were in need of some major renovations.

The acrid taste burnt at the back of his throat and he leaned over again, porcelain bowl at the ready. Unfortunately, he hadn't been as lucky the first time around; Katara was sure to pitch a fit if she caught wind of the mess he had unintentionally made when he first awoke that morning. To his defense, there wasn't a bowl anywhere in sight. By now he couldn't even say what was causing him to get sick so violently. At first, it had been after eating a large meal, which could easily be explained away by the persistent cold he'd been fighting for way over a month by now. Over two months, even.

But then his body had grown accustomed to making him miserable, and didn't sit idle while he learned the new routines.

A bead of sweat or something just as foul crept along his left temple, sliding down the pert slope of his nose to drip into the pot he was clinging to like a lifeboat. Slowly his stomach started to settle, and he leant his forehead against the smooth stone for a moment to make sure the sickness had passed. Something told him that "I didn't think I'd get sick again" wouldn't be a reasonable excuse as to why he threw up all over Katara's hallways. There was already enough animosity towards him as it was.

He was honestly amazed that they hadn't kicked him out yet.

Sure, he was (just as he had said) the only firebender around who could possibly teach Aang firebending, but besides that he had very little else to bring to the proverbial table. He couldn't cook like Katara, couldn't hunt like Sokka, and the only joke he had tried to tell had been met with an awkward silence and that slack-faced expression that screamed, "this is Zuko. Zuko's the only firebender willing to help you. On top of that, he's an idiot too. " At least Sokka wouldn't be alone in that category anymore.

Idly, he ran the bitten remains of a once well-groomed nail along the gold flecks still clinging desperately the trim along the bottom of the wall. Pieces flaked off at the slightest touch. A small smile graced Zuko's face at the irony of it all. For all Aang's talk about how selfless and un-materialistic the Air Temple Monks had been, their very bathroom walls had been decorated with expensive gold leaf, even if it was in small amounts. And then there were the (smashed remains of) ornate pottery and magnificent wall murals that must have cost an arm and leg to have done. But his people had made it commonplace to wear robes costing more than most peasants' yearly wages, and eating food befitting royalty. Well, he amended, he had been royalty...

But when it came down to it, the pricy décor had done little to save the Air Civilization. Perhaps they would have been better off fully embracing their extravagant side.

Outside, the sun was starting to rise. The first ray slid up over the wide windowsil and fell to the floor, splashing it with the warm yellow light. Seconds later another followed it, then another, until the only shadows left were hiding in uppermost corners of the eastern wall. Down below, Zuko could hear the morning's beginnings; snores were tapering off, a crackling yawn, lilting laugh... Someone must've fallen asleep in an awkward position again, then. Toph was an unusually churlish girl, and if she was laughing it was always at someone else's misfortune. Plus, with all the teens (and pre-teens) sleeping in the same place, it was strange to wake up with someone not entangled in your sleeping mat or hugging your arm. Zuko would have been jealous if he weren't afraid that Katara would drown him in his sleep.

Okay, so maybe he was a little jealous.

Regardless, his separation from the group was for the best. He wasn't exactly comfortable sharing his feelings or dreams – as the rest were wont to do – and if he slept so close, he'd keep them all up with his nightmares. And it'd be a little more difficult to hide ...whatever was wrong with him, too. Nobody would believe "I'm fine, really" if he followed it up by getting dizzy or throwing up.

Still, the childish heart inside cried as he stalked back to his room to get ready for the day, hidden away from the cheerful laughing down below.

Thunk

Sokka scowled, batting the maplecone out of his hair, and shot a dark look up to the grinning teen above him. Why Zuko was perched in the tree, he had no idea, but if the pale teen wanted to play with him, he had a few ideas that would probably be funner than chucking maplecones at each other. Better for his 'do, too.

Thunk

Sneaky little rat... Sokka hadn't even seen him move that time. He contemplated a return attack, but sighed and gave up at the 'innocent' act the other boy was pulling; head tilted against the base of the tree, long pale legs swinging careless over the edge of the thick branch. Hopefully he'd learned his lesson?

Thunk

"Mmpfh. Zuu, cut it out..." he groaned. He couldn't locate the spiny nut in his hair, but he'd felt it strike, so he knew it was there... somewhere...

The tree-borne teen let out a laugh, eyes crinkling, and for a moment Sokka could imagine what he would've looked like without his infamous scar. He would have been one cute kid. Still, the laugh curled up at the ends like a fake mustache, and Sokka found himself frowning. Zuko's laugh was usually low and bark-like, as though he had only meant to chuckle but the sound had somehow forced its way up anyway. No, the face was the same, the body was the same, but the laughter was definitely not Zuko's.

No, that sounded more like...

"Toph?"

Sokka finally opened his eyes, blinking at the sight before him. Toph stood by his head, a pebble floating inches from his face and fingers poised to snap once again. That's right, he recalled guiltily, snapping himself out of his dream, we're still in a war. Damn.

Obviously he wasn't doing something she wanted him to do, since she poked him hard in the side with her big toe, 'glancing' down at him with a feral grin. "I'm not Princess, but you're gonna miss him if you don't get your lazy bum up. They were leaving for the Sun Warrior Temple right after early breakfast, remember?" She paused briefly, as if to give him time to acknowledge her truth, but didn't wait long enough for him to even nod his head. "Well, we ate while you were dreaming about Zuko, and–"

"Did they leave yet?!" he demanded, flinging himself out of his sleep roll, which he found in annoyance had entangled his legs as he slept. His fingers felt thick against the thin cords, and he cursed the designer of these wretched things. Didn't they realize that the sleeper would be completely vulnerable until they could free themselves from the monstrosity?

Toph's grubby foot tapped on the edge of his vision, and he chanced a peek up into sightless eyes. Definitely angry about being interrupted, then. Seeing as how he had lived a good majority of his life surrounded by women of all ages, he should know how to avoid confrontation by now. Unfortunately, he was a slow learner, and the first few lessons were always painful.

"No, they did not leave yet. Maybe if you carry me there I'll tell you which temple they're flying out of."

Of course. Everything was for a price with Toph. "Sure thing. Hop aboard the Sokka-Express!" She snorted at the ridiculous title, but leapt onto his back regardless, dirty ankles clinging around the sides of his ribs and a fist firm in his wolf-tail. Perhaps a bit too firm, as his eyes started watering and he had to forcibly resituate her hand to his shoulder. Which she clung to just as savagely. "If you don't trust me to not drop you, why'd you want a salmonpiggy-back ride?"

He couldn't see her face, but he could feel her warm breath ghost along the base of his neck. "I do trust you."

"Thanks, Toph," he said softly, locking away this moment in his mind and heart. The younger girl was like another little sister, and although she didn't give her trust easily, when she said she trusted you, you couldn't help but feel like you were invincible. Kind of like another raven-haired teen he knew... "So," he reminded, bouncing her gently with a hop in his step, "where'd the rest of the gaang go off to?" He simply couldn't help himself. "Get it? GAang? 'Cause we're a group, and Aang's the Avatar?"

He was swatted on the head for his trouble, and a small arm shot out over his shoulder in the vague direction of the Eastern doorway. "I can't feel where we're going too well from up here, so just head to the bison stables." Obediently, he trotted out the doorway and down three flights of stairs – getting spurred on by dirty heels all the while – before something occurred to him. As though sensing his question she stated, "yes, they're taking Appa. Don't you ever pay attention to what we talk about?"

"Yeah, it's just... I can't believe I couldn't figure that out for myself."

"Eh, it's still morning. It's too early to think. Besides, I got a free ride out of it."

"True."

Katara stood low in a waterbending stance, bending the dirty water out of a very drenched Appa's fur, while Aang hovered opposite her, blowing tufts of fur away and across the wide, open ceiling. Quite a bit clung to his monk robes, and he had fashioned himself a beard and full mustache with the arrant fluff. Sokka considered making a goatee of his own when he noticed Zuko, diligently packing what looked like little green rocks into the sacks they were to bring with them. Everyone was going about their daily business, and obviously the group wasn't going to address the fact that they were about to lose two of their members.

Just go about as normal, and you can forget all your problems, huh?

He bent down to let Toph down and strode as confidently as he could fake it, to his new friend's side.

"What're those?" he intoned, reaching around the shorter's shoulder to grab one of the 'rocks' from the nearest stack. For his part, Zuko jumped at the sudden appearance, but at least he didn't squeal like Sokka was prone to doing. Sokka mostly ignored the other's reaction, instead centering on the squishy green... thing in his hand. Despite being leather dry on the outside, Sokka got the impression that if he were to squeeze, he'd end up with a hand full of mush. The shell was light green and covered with raised vein-like ripples, and smelled faintly of mint and smoked cedar. Or maybe that was just the shoulder of the boy he was resting his chin on.

Pale fingers plucked the ball from his hand, and turned his head slightly to catch Sokka's eye with his gold one. "It's a lettuce wrap," Zuko informed him, voice taking on the 'holier-than-thou' tone that had chased them for years. It could get annoying, but the ex-prince only spoke that way when he was trying to teach something, and since Zuko seemed to really enjoy sharing the information, Sokka couldn't fault him for the way he said it. At least the pale boy was enjoying himself. "Well, it was supposed to be a lettuce wrap, but Aang doesn't eat meat, and we had cabbage instead of lettuce, but they still taste pretty good, I guess."

"If you like vegetables."

"That's a big part, yeah."

Zuko's breath was sweet against his cheek, and Sokka suddenly realized how close they were. It wouldn't take much to close the distance between them, just a slight turn of the head. It probably wouldn't even be that hard, Zuko's warmth leaning gently against his chest almost subconsciously. He could even blame it on the heat. Or the early hour. Or he could call it another 'friend thing', like he had with the first hug, and the first time he had eaten dinner in Zuko's room, curled up on the bed beside the thin teen. He had accepted all the other excuses so far, so why wouldn't he this time?

Because friends don't kiss each other.

Immediantly, Sokka felt ashamed at his own ability to manipulate his new friend. He was always preaching about how the Fire Nation was full of monsters and that they'd do whatever they could to get what they wanted, but here he was, about to kiss his Fire Nation friend and say it was completely normal. What was worse was that he could've gotten away with it too. Not only was he taking advantage of a friend, but it was Zuko, who had had so few real friends in the past that he couldn't determine what was 'friendly behavior' or not. Sokka was pretty sure that most of the things he pulled fell a bit beyond just 'friendly'.

And this is why Suki should be here right now. If she were here I wouldn't have to lust after my newest friend.

"...Sokka? Are you okay?"

Sokka came back to himself, noticing that Zuko had turned around fully between his arms so that he could see Sokka better. The move had also considerably lessened the space between them, and Sokka felt fire flood his knee and foot that were leaning playfully against those of the other boy's. Zuko didn't seem to notice it at all though, and Sokka cursed his own manipulative heart. "Yeah, I'm fine. You're just gonna come back looking like a stickleafbug if you only eat those veggie ball things. Wanna stay a bit longer so I can bring you back a rabbitsnake or something?"

"I can handle it," Zuko argued, turning around to plop the last of the 'lettuce wraps' into the food bag. "We ate less in Ba Sing Sei and besides, if we wait any longer we won't get there until way after nightfall."

Right. They want to leave as soon as possible. "Oh, yeah," he mumbled. Gently he removed his arms from around Zuko's shoulders, stepping back to give the other boy his space. Zuko's shoulders slumped in what Sokka assumed was relief.

It's not like he really likes me or anything...

Behind him, Aang and Katara were wrestling with a few brushes, trying to comb out some of the dead fur still clinging to Appa's coat. His sister, too, was now covered in Sky Bison fur, and she looked like any minute she would freeze the beast and call it quits. Time to intervene.

"Hey, Zuko, I'm gonna go help my sister and Aang brush Appa," he informed, plastering a smile across his tanned face. Hopefully it didn't look as over-stretched as it felt. Either Zuko didn't notice, or didn't feel it was his place to point it out. A single golden eye peaked over the crimson-clothed shoulder at him, but Zuko jerked back around the moment he caught the ocean blue eyes.

"Oh... Okay then."

Sokka hesitated for a moment, waiting to see if maybe the paler boy would ask for him to stay, but Zuko had already gone back to loading up foodstuffs, so he left the other to his work and shuffled over to where his sister and Aang were now playing more than brushing. The stray tufts of fur were still mostly matted with water, and so Katara was launching bits at a laughing Aang, who – being able to control all the elements except firebending – was having a much easier go at defending himself. Sokka hadn't seen who started the fight specifically, but he had a pretty good guess. A particularly muddy chunk of fur collided with the side of Katara's head via airbending; he had to admit, his sister could let loose and be a teenage girl when around the monk, at least. She really was too serious for her own good sometimes. Again, the pair were acting as though Aang wasn't about to leave them for the first time in nearly a year. He wouldn't be the one to burst that bubble.

Grinning, he hefted a plate-sized brush up in one hand. "Need any help here?"

Aang jumped, letting the water he was bending crash back to the soaked marble floor distractedly in his rush to look innocent before his crush's older brother. 'Of course I wasn't flirting with your sister or drenching her with water when she's conveiniently wearing her summer clothes', his smile tried to say.

Nice try, Kid. If I hadn't tried the same thing so many times in the past, I probably would believe it, too.

"Sure!" he agreed, enthusiastically as always, even if the smile didn't quite make it to his eyes. "Appa's coat takes forever to brush out!"

Katara snorted playfully, resting her hand on her jutted hip. "It probably wouldn't take so long if we could brush him without getting into a wet fur fight." here Aang blushed apologetically. She pointed up near the horns where the fur stuck out in every direction. "We haven't gotten his horns yet, so you can go ahead and start there."

Mentally, Sokka groaned. He hated brushing by the horns. The creature's dome-shaped head was slippery right after a bath, and there hadn't been a time yet when he hadn't ended up falling on his face. That was probably why Katara kept putting him on horn duty. He also took the longest, and that, more than anything, said volumes about how she felt about Aang leaving. "But you know how much I hate brushing by Appa's horns..."

"Quit whining," she brushed off his complaints. "Besides, you're a warrior, right? Grow up. And you don't wanna look stupid in front of Zuko, do you?"

She had hissed out 'Zuko' the same way she said 'Fire Nation' and 'Firebenders', and Sokka just grumbled and conceded anyway, grabbing great handfuls of semi-damp fur and hoisting himself up to sit on top of the animal's huge head. Bits of waterlogged fur clung to his now damp pants, arms, feet... but Appa's head was a good two or three feet above the heads of the rest of the gang, and he could easily keep an eye on them all from his vantage point between the two great horns. Off to the side, Toph had joined Zuko and the two were conversing fiercely in muted tones. So maybe they weren't as dedicated in trying to make everything appear mundane... If he slowed down his brush, he could just make out some of what Zuko was saying.

"...to wake him... didn't care to see... could've just left."

Toph rolled her eyes, shaking off the hands that had flown to her shoulders mid-conversation. She obviously had a different point of view on things. "...go while he was sleeping... if he woke up... you just gone–"

"That's not it!"

"–then what is it, then?" she asked slowly, clearly enunciating her words as though she were talking to someone much younger than her. Zuko appeared cowed, and mumbled something incoherent to her.

Sokka started to lean forward to hear better, but the wet fur beneath his hands gave way at his weight, and he went tumbling down over Appa's great head. Thankfully (or perhaps, unfortunately), a large pile of sodden Sky Bison fur softened the fall. Still, he landed hard on his back, gazing blankly up at Appa, and subsequently, up the huge animal's nose. They might need to clean that out too, by the look of it.

Aang flit over to where he lay, arms waving wildly, but not being much of a help in assisting Sokka back up. "You okay Sokka? It's a good thing we had already brushed around his front, otherwise you would've landed on the ground. That probably would've hurt! You alright?"

"Yeah, sure... I just slipped, I guess." And missed whatever Zuko was telling Toph. I bet they were talking about me...

With an echoing thunk, Katara's brush joined Aang's abandoned one on the floor, and her padded footsteps were easily audible in the sudden silence that had broken out from his unexpected fall. Toph and Zuko were both staring at him, having ended their hushed argument the moment it was obvious they were being eavesdropped on.

The carefully constructed carefree atmosphere had cracked and shattered somehow, dying at the revolution that two of their group were going to leave them soon, and no amount of pretending could disquise that fact. Internally, Sokka berated himself for his fall; it was irrational, sure, but somehow he felt that if he could've just kept up with the facade of normalcy, everything wouldn't feel so... wrong. They had started off separate of course, but over the years brought together, they were a family. It would hurt to see one of them go. Zuko might have been new to the group – and in Katara's case, a completely unwelcome addition – but he had still made an impact in their social structure, and Sokka wondered what it would be like to go to bed that night without spending at least an hour lounging on Zuko's bed, discussing girls, the stars, food, anything.

How could I already be so dependant?

Unbidden by Sokka's revelation, Zuko slung the food bag over his shoulder and turned to Aang, "We'd better get going before it gets too late to fly. It'll take a while to get there." His tone left no room for argument, and even if Aang wasn't the type to agree to everything anyone told him, he wouldn't have spoken up anyway with the closed-off gleam in Zuko's golden eyes. While the short monk airbent the huge saddle back onto the Sky Bison's back, the ex-prince turned to face Katara, who was toying with the cap of her waterbottle in an attempt to remain calm. Obviously she was still indecisive about the upcoming trip. "I know we talked last night, but I think you need to hear this again: I'm on your side, I want to help Aang, and he's not going to get hurt while we're gone. Even if I have to protect him with my own life." The steely-faced girl nodded sharply. She wouldn't care if he returned safe, so long as Aang was okay.

"If you betray us, I can assure you that you won't live to do it again."

The old Zuko would've bristled at the threat and responded with a choice few of his own, but he had been through a lot since then, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile at her harsh words. "If I were to betray him again, I'd kill myself before I could do it again."

"Uh... I got his saddle on. Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Aang ascended with the natural grace of an airbender, landing loftily on Appa's head, while Zuko made use of the large iron buckle securing the saddle to the creature's back. He may have followed them for years on all matter of transportation – ship, air balloon, komodorhino – but he'd never ridden on the back of a flying animal, and he clung shakily to the side of the saddle, face slightly green even though they hadn't even left the ground yet. Vaguely Sokka wondered, still laying on the ground where he had fallen, how he'd handle actually flying. It would seem both Zuko and Toph had the same problem in that aspect.

Aang grabbed hold of the long leather reins with both hands and gave them an experimental flick. Appa bat his wide tail impatiently. "Alright, buddy, yip yip!"

With a roar, the two-ton bison beat its tail again, pushing a wave of air out in all sides. Within seconds they were off, fading into a mere speck in the distance, amazingly fast despite the huge size.

A toe poked his side, and Sokka looked up into foggy green eyes. "They're gone now, you know. You can stop flopping on the ground like a cowsnake and go do... whatever it is you do during the day."

"Yeah," he replied distractedly, pushing himself up off the ground with a sigh. Over the last week he had spent near every minute with the Fire Nation teen, and he felt lost without this constant, like a bender without their element. All the free time in the world with nothing to occupy that time. Sokka wasn't a bender, but he was still bored. He could always sleep...

Toph plodded off to go join Katara, probably to annoy her, and Sokka was left alone again, contemplating lying back down.

He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.

Airships were large, slow, and despite the way they floated precariously on gusts of hot air, remained relatively stationary from the passenger's standpoint. Even the smaller balloons, which were known to sway and ripple with the breeze, had some degree of stability to them. Ex-prince Zuko of the Fire Nation had ridden nearly every kind of airship the nations had to offer, and prided himself on having a steely gut to match his frozen heart.

He hadn't, however, anticipated the effect a moving, breathing body could have on his resolve.

The first hour wasn't so bad, and he had gotten through it with much controlled breathing and glances at the harness to assure himself that no, the saddle wasn't going to tumble off and send him to his death. But then Aang had gotten bored, and had decided to show Zuko some 'tricks'. "There's lotsa fun stuff you can do on a Sky Bison! Check out this Barrel Roll!" It had only taken one glance at the firebender's green face to calm him down again. Sometime after the third or fourth turbulence zone though, Zuko's stomach was starting to protest again, and his head hung heavy over the edge of the saddle, arms limp across the flatness of the saddle's edge. Up at the front, Aang was smiling and content, and Zuko was tempted to knock him off the side to see how calm he'd be then.

He might have switched sides, but he could still have hostile thoughts every once in a while.

A tentative hand on his shoulder had him looking up, gulping audibly when his sense of balance teetered with the changing background. "I know you said you wanted to get there as soon as possible, but are you sure you don't want to take a break for a bit? Maybe take a walk or something?" Aang asked, concerned, but Zuko clenched his eyes closed. The frantic movements of the over-emotional airbender weren't helping his fragile hold on his meager breakfast. Although he probably would've lost it anyway with the way he'd been getting sick so much lately. "Toph usually needs to feel solid ground again by now, so it's not really a big deal..." the boy trailed off, obviously uncomfortable with having this conversation with the older, moodier teen, and was desperately trying not to offend him. "It's not like I'd think anything less of you if–"

"Aang," he interrupted with a scowl, rubbing away determinedly at the pulsing pain that was beginning to build its nest in his temples, "just because we're not all airbenders, doesn't mean we can't handle a little height. It's just... does it have to move so much?" As if to illustrate Zuko's point, one of Appa's back right feet came up to scratch behind the knee before it, and the saddle shook with each scratch, and Zuko's fingers were once again white-knuckled against the saddle sides.

The airbender laughed and patted the older teen on the back, a motion Zuko both appreciated and detested. He was older than the other boy, and had ridden in many more flying means of transportation than the young monk, but still couldn't handle the Air Nation's most famous animal.

Well, technically he's the older one, if you count the years he was frozen, he thought, then shook the idea away. He might have been from a hundred years ago, but his maturity level was more on par with Toph's 'let's poke it with a stick and run' philosophy. Except for times like now, when he could be both comforting and unintentionally condenscending, and just generally driving the ex-prince crazy.

"Is that all?" Aang chuckled, smiling as though Zuko had just told him that he was afraid of sticks, or something equally as dangerous. "Appa's not gonna hurt you, and at least if you fall off him, he can come and scoop you up before you hit the ground."

The boy had a point. But then the beast shook itself again, and again the firebender's hands flew to the saddle sides.

Sky Bison had their benefits, but he'd take an airship any day.

Thunk

Thunk

Thunk

"WHAT? Can't a guy relax in peace every once in a while?"

"Nah, you should've learned that by now. And Sparky's gone, so why are you still hanging out in his room? Isn't that kind of creepy-stalkerish? "

Sokka glanced about the sparsely decorated room with no small amount of feigned amazement and a gasp, as though he hadn't been aware of where he was until that moment. "Really? Here I thought this was my own..."

"It's not like you've actually slept in your room for a while..."

Laughter and innuendo dipped her vowels, and he had had enough experience with the girl to know when she was trying to imply something. And he didn't like what he was hearing. "I SO haven't been sleeping with him!" he argued, realizing the more... sexual... connotations moments after the smirk reached her blank eyes. "I meant that I haven't been sleeping in this room! You know I've been sleeping with all of you, out by the fountain," he defended. Sure, the firebender was (pardon the pun) hot, but he was also a friend – one that came from a nation raised to shun the unique or unnatural – and he didn't want to ruin whatever fragile friendship camaradarie they had going on between them. Even if he was already taking more than what the ex-prince was probably comfortable giving to a friend.

And he had Suki. He was just craving the water because the wine was too far.

"And why do you always have to throw rocks at me? Why can't you just call my name like a normal person?"

"Because," she replied hautily, flicking another pebble at his forehead, smirking at his scowl, "I'm not a normal person. And Katara wants you, by the way. Something about making a fire since Princess isn't here to bend one."

Sokka scowled at Toph's favorite nickname for his new friend. "You guys could probably do it yourself if you tried hard enough..."

"But it's so much funnier having you try – and fail," she commented dryly, and held out a hand which he took after a moment of inspecting the dirt encrusted fingernails. How her small form could haul him up from the bed, he had no idea. "And you can't just sit here moping around in his bed until Sparky gets back here, you know. Katara'd freak if she knew where you were all morning..."

He could feel his cheeks coloring, but he fought to keep it showing on his face and pressed on, "so what if I want to lounge around for a bit? What else is there to do, anyway?"

"In Zuko's bed?" she retorted, clearly not buying it. Heat engulfed his face and he realized it didn't matter if it was visible or not; she didn't need to be able to see it anyway.

"I– It's got the softest bed, alright?" the excuse was feeble, and they both knew it. But for some reason unknown to both of them, Toph didn't push the issue for once. Maybe she realized she was treading on the edge of something a bit more personal than funny sleeping patterns, but Sokka was glad for the reprieve. It would be difficult to answer to her when he could hardly answer to himself.

"Go and help Sugar Queen anyway," she ordered, walking in her shuffling step back toward the wooden door she had left open upon finding him, "or I'll earthbend you down there myself."

Sometimes he wished he was a bender, if only to be able to avenge all the times he had been bullied by some sort of element. Thankfully he hadn't had much experience in the hottest one, but with Zuko on the team now, it was only a matter of time. Then again, he could probably still get his revenge without bending; he wasn't the team's plan guy for nothing...

Up in the sky, the world was grand and blue – a giant canvas for anyone who knew how to manipulate it. Fluffy cumulus clouds could become a turtleduck or mousehawk with a wave of a hand. It was removed from the rest of the world, a silent, flowing current that was similar to water, now that he knew how to bend both. And most importantly, from above the clouds he couldn't see the world, and the world couldn't see him.

Zuko was tossing about in an uneasy sleep in the corner of the saddle behind him, and he felt guilty for not thinking to warn him not to look directly up as they flew. From the side, the clouds were being pushed with the wind as fast as they were, and the world seemed to slow down, but the currents above and below the furry animal were still going at their own rates, and could make even the most experienced air-traveler queasy. Personally, Aang had always loved trying to spot the quickly moving shapes in the clouds, but that might have more to do with him being the Avatar.

Stomach of Steel. Just one of the Avatar's many unknown talents.

The firebender had finally nodded off about twenty minutes before, after fighting off a round of airsickness that had him green and reeling yet again, leaning heavily against the side of the saddle like a drunken sailor. Everything in Aang screamed at him to do something, to help, but he knew of the ex-prince's stubbornness firsthand, and figured the best he could do was to let the weary teen sleep off whatever had been bugging him since this morning.

The ride from the beginning was only slightly awkward, mostly because Zuko hadn't seemed to be very interested in conversation. Zuko replied in single syllables to everything he had thrown at him, and even those syllables had been more half-hearted grunts of the distracted variety. By the time he had asked if the other boy wanted a break, he was pretty sure he was being ignored, even if he didn't know why. At least now he knew that it wasn't necessarily because Zuko didn't like him.

An uneven row of chipped marble began sprouting from the hilly ground below, and it wasn't until they had progressed to crumbling pillars that he realized that they had finally made it to the Sun Warriors Temple.

Aang's hand hovered over the slightly shivering shoulder, feeling the flickering heat that was always present when you got close enough to the moody teen. "Zuko," he whispered inaudibly despite the fact that he needed to wake the firebender up. It was as though he thought Zuko wouldn't be as angry if he was woken up quietly. "We're here... and you look like you wanna sleep, but you did say to wake you up when we got here... so..."

Foggy amber eyes blinked open and he sat up and nodded groggily, unsuccessfully hiding a wide yawn behind the wrist pressed to his mouth. That was another thing he was quickly discovering. Firebenders awoke with the sun, sure, but slept by it as well, and the sun was already low in the sky. It was no wonder he had fallen asleep halfway there.

They landed between two huge stone pillars, and Aang started airbending most of their supplies behind a large statue of some sort of royal-looking man – one of their gods, maybe? – while Zuko searched along the hillside for anywhere they could stay for the night. He was still exhausted, and it was obvious even to Aang that they couldn't start looking for clues until the morning came to rejuvenate them both.

"I think I found somewhere we can sleep," Zuko's voice muttered weakly from somewhere behind one or two of the many fallen pillars. He followed it to an opening in the hillside obscured only slightly by a wall of thick-growing ivy; a cave wide enough for even Appa to fit under with a bit of room to spare. The ex-prince was already dragging his bedroll over to their sleeping spot, and curled up against the animal's soft fur once Aang had finally convinced Appa to follow them into the cave.

Within minutes, Zuko's breathing had evened out, and Aang leaned back against his oldest friend (by years) with a small smile as he closed his eyes for sleep as well. He might not be a natural firebender, but they had a big day ahead of them tomorrow, and they could use all the sleep they could get.

Night had him creeping into out of his bedroll and up the rickety stairs to the long golden hallway, bathed in bronze in the silvery glow of the moon peering in through the tall window at the furthest end. He found the door he was looking for, and held the edge of his shirt against the knob as he turned it, to muffle the sound that would surely be picked up by Toph otherwise. The light from the moon fell in through the open doorway, and across the worn covers of the bed, where he threw himself with a sigh.

He didn't get his daily dose of 'guy talk' and so now he couldn't sleep. The scent of cinnamon and firewood surrounded him, and he closed his eyes, breathing it in deep. He hadn't been lying when he had told Toph that Zuko's bed was comfortable, even if it wasn't the comfiest in the whole temple. Something about the lumpy ferretgoose down reminded him of Gran-Gran, reminded him of home.

But it was also where he and Zuko had spent hours, talking about everything and nothing, and that was pretty comfortable too.

In the back of his mind he knew that he needed to go back to his own bedroll before he fell asleep, but he was just too relaxed, and tired now despite still not getting the pointless conversations he so desperately desired. Maybe he could just lie there a little bit longer...

He couldn't implement his plan until tomorrow anyway.

AN: chapter fin. And it took forever (nearly a month). I apologize again. Writer's block really sucks.

There were 7,751 words.

Next chapter we'll get to see what Sokka has planned for Toph and Zuko and Aang get to see the Sun Warrior's Temple-place.

See you then!