A/N: I got the idea from the Rise of the Guardians movie, though it doesn't exactly take place in that universe. It's also based on the ImagineYourOTP prompt on Tumblr. Prompt is "Imagine person A of your OTP having really long hair and person B happily brushing it every morning for them when they wake up."

Warning/s: AU, OOC-ness maybe?

Day Three: Spirits

The sound of a familiar tinkling laugh was what rose Zuko out of his restful state. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was already a little past dawn, with the sun slowly making it's way over the horizon. From his vantage point on the branch of a tall fir tree, the sight of the sunrise was beautiful for Zuko, the purple sky slowly bleeding into an orange color. He had always loved to watch the sunrise and sunset. It was probably the best part of his day.

The tinkling laugh drifted through the air again and Zuko tore his eyes away from the sight to look for the owner of the laugh.

"Aang, I know you're there," the summer spirit said, looking up, down, and around for his good friend.

Another giggle and then a bald boy with arrow tattoos and wide gray eyes appeared upside down in front of Zuko. He brought with him the scent of a wakening forest, wet moss, and flowers and his grin was just as blinding as the sun's. It made Zuko smile though, which almost never happened when he himself first became the summer spirit. That changed when he met Aang and the other seasonal spirits.

"Morning Zuko!" Aang chirped, spinning into an upright position and hopping onto the branch in front of the other teen.

"Good morning Aang," Zuko replied, shifting in his seat. "What brings you to my lonely corner of the world?"

"I hardly think Canada is a lonely corner, but whatever." Aang sat on the branch in front of Zuko, adjusting the long wraps of his monk robes. Zuko wondered why he was wearing that today when he – and the other seasonal spirits – usually went with something lightweight and easy to maneuver in. "I just wanted to see you that's all. How's the summer going?"

"Great. I've made deserts scorching, beaches just a bit below, and I've seen tons of people enjoy my weather while others complained about it."

"That's good to hear. Don't make it too hot though. I've got acres of plants that need to grow and be harvested by autumn. I don't want them to be withering away because of drought and Toph will be pissed at both of us, you know that."

Zuko smiled at the banter. It was a familiar routine, but a welcomed one all the same. He remembered back in his first year as being a seasonal spirit. He had been a little too exuberant with his powers, setting forest fires with the heat and bringing a wave of heat strokes to people. That was when he had been ignorant of his purpose, but it was thanks to Aang that he was brought in the know. The younger boy (older actually, but he looked younger than Zuko) had tracked the summer spirit down to the Sahara and basically screamed at him for ruining his vast gardens of plants because of the heat wave. Zuko had only stood there with wide eyes because it was the first time in months that someone could see and talk to him.

"I can make no promises," Zuko said, continuing their conversation. "You know that Mother Nature as an agenda of her own, despite us."

"Yeah, yeah," Aang waved a hand. "Just don't overdo it too much."

"I'll try."

"That's all I ask."

Zuko shifted closer to his friend, leaning against the smaller shoulder. It still surprised him that he was the youngest of the four seasonal spirits yet he looked the oldest. Aang looked twelve as opposed to his hundreds of years of being a spirit. "So, how's Katara?" Zuko asked, breaking the minute silence.

"Oh, she's pissed that she can't go to her regular haunts now that summer's here."

"She's pissed every time summer's here.."

"Exactly! I don't know why she's complaining though. She has Alaska, Greenland, Russia, the North and South poles, all those places to bring about snowstorms and hail."

"She just doesn't like the thought of melting, though I wouldn't want to understand her way of thinking."

Aang laughed his tinkling laugh again and the sound made Zuko's heart flutter and his stomach flip. He was really grateful for Aang. If it wasn't for the boy confronting him all those years ago, he would have been alone today and probably made a wreck of the planet with his powers. He remembered not being very sociable in his past life, almost to the point of avoiding people, but since Aang made the first move and knocked down those walls, Zuko was much more sociable. He joked with Aang, wrestled with Toph, snarked with Katara, and actually had fun with bringing summer to every place that summer could be. It was as perfect a life as Zuko could have.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Aang's voice snapped Zuko out of his little trance and he watched the boy fumble with the folds of his robes, looking for something in them.

"Why are you even wearing those?" Zuko asked, laughing a little.

"Eh, I just felt like it," Aang answered with a shrug just as he pulled out a brush from the depths of his robes. "Aha! Found it!"

Zuko quirked an eyebrow. "Where'd you get that?"

"Borrowed it from Katara."

"By borrow, do you mean 'take without permission'?"

"Same difference. Now c'mere!"

Aang bounced in his seat a little as he beckoned Zuko closer. The summer spirit did so a little apprehensively, but he was curious as to what the spring spirit wanted.

"What are you going to do?" Zuko inquired as he was positioned and turned around with Aang sitting behind him. He felt the boy pull off his hair tie and run a small hand through his waist-length hair. Zuko had to fight to keep his eyes open. He loved it when someone played with his hair.

"What do you think I'm gonna do?" Aang said, pulling out some bigger tangles with his fingers. "I'm going to brush your hair of course! I've always wanted to do that."

Zuko let out a noncommittal hum and he closed his eyes as Aang began to run the brush through his dark hair. He felt the bristles scratch against his scalp and he couldn't help but lean into it, loving the feel. He couldn't remember the last time he brushed his hair or even the last time someone else brushed it for him. As a spirit, he really didn't need to groom himself much (though Katara did it everyday for some reason) but with Aang brushing his hair so gently like that and running nimble fingers though the dark locks felt wonderful.

"Hehe, you sound like a big cat Zuko," Aang teased and through his relaxed state, Zuko realized that he had been purring contently at the spring spirit's ministrations.

"Just keep brushing," Zuko said indignantly, not wanting the sensation to stop so soon.

Aang just laughed softly and stopped the brushing, just for a moment, to lean forward and place a sweet kiss on Zuko's cheek. "You got it," he murmured into the summer spirit's ear before leaning back and continuing his grooming. Zuko just smiled, feeling content and happy.

And he hoped that he would stay that way for the rest of his immortal life.