A story I started where Jein (a name for an airbender who always has it Rough) is Aang's brother and commits suicide. That's not the point of the story, as you can tell, but it does impact Aang because Lu-Ten was Jein's friend and they died together, and anyway-it's about Aang and Zuko realizing they don't have to hate each other for forever. In the end Zuko moves to Aang's school for reasons (I think it's a punishment?), and they have to talk to each other, and it's hard, but it's okay. Anyway. Also Aang needs to realize that he doesn't have to be happy when, like, he's actually had a hard life. He has a therapist, but he really tries hard to avoid hard emotions (if I don't I'll get Sad and Then What Will Happen sorta thing) but, uh, yeah. He figures it out.

Aang had first met Zuko years before. It had been in kindergarten, on his first day, when he'd been young and vulnerable and didn't know his way around the school.

That had been a long time ago, but he could remember some of it. He remembered how much he loved his teacher, who smiled at him every day, and asked him his name and how he was and how his older brother family was doing, and if he had enjoyed the homework provided. He could remember the playground. That was the year he and Lehn had become friends and spent all day every day swinging and making up cool stories with each other, and - if they were lucky - his brother some of the older kids. That all might have combined with some of the other early years, but it started in kindergarten.

That was also the year he'd learned to write, and to count. He… couldn't remember that part, exactly, but he was grateful for it, because he loved it now. Unfortunately, he hadn't started anything on music, but that had come later (rather than never coming), so it was okay.

That had also been the year he'd met Zuko. On the first day, Zuko saw him and gave him a look. He still remembered that look, though he didn't think about it very much. It had been the kind of look that meant, oh look, it's a punk who thinks he can get through school! Ha, you'll never make it. Aang had smiled at him and quickly pulled on his father's hand, because he didn't like the look, and they went to class.

That was the first time he met him. It wasn't the last.

He saw him occasionally during lunch, once he got into first grade and school lunch was a thing, but he didn't say anything. Still, he had that special look of complete contempt saved just for him every time they passed. He was a grade older than him, though, and in elementary school, that was a lifetime away. He decided he would probably be fine.

When Aang was in third grade and Zuko was in fourth grade, they had finally really met, and had finally had the chance to actually talk. It hadn't been very positive, and after that, Aang carefully avoided him in the halls. They only had to talk to each other a few other times and then Aang was in fifth grade and Zuko was at another school for junior high. He'd even gone to some fancy private school up north, so Aang didn't see him in junior high, either.

And then his pictures were in the paper and his brother other people had known him and things fell apart, and Aang wasn't exactly sure what to do. At that point, family issues took over, and he did not care about Zuko again for quite some time.

He didn't think about him, either, and life went on. Lehn was a good friend, even though he was an orchestra kid (barf) and he made other friends in the band. He enjoyed himself and worked through his problems, and smiled at school and was honest and didn't go in a downward spiral and showed that it was possible to be happy throughout adversity and was all in all a good kid.

He got all As but didn't have to worry too much about it, which was really nice, and teachers were willing to work with him during the hard times. He learned time management and how to write well and how to do all sorts of things. He got an awesome score on the AP test (but he wouldn't share it because he didn't want to brag), and got one department award (in social studies). He got a good counselor therapist thing who he could rant at. And then he joined marching band.

Marching band was awesome. He had amazing friends and did amazing things and it was literally the best thing ever. He felt really bad for the other, like, thousand kids who had never joined. Their lives were missing literally so much. His first show was called Shattered and it was really really cool.

At his first competition, emotions were high and he was having the time of his life and people asked how he did and he hadn't gotten the solo but the mello who had had done literally amazing and so he was happy and they were happy and he was pretty sure they'd get second place but it was still the best thing ever.

And then. And then. There was a kid from that private school that didn't even have a marching band but still sometimes sent people to see the shows so maybe enough would join (100, to them, which was silly, Aang's band had 68 and it was fine) came over and started… loitering. Or watching them interact; whatever you wanna call it.

And he stared at Aang and Aang knew him from newspapers and other things and he didn't want to see him. So he smiled at a sophomore trumpet who was looking at him kinda oddly and went on the bus to put shako away. After that, he went to the back of the line of food and stopped talking to the super cool seniors. The super cool seniors followed him, and… so did Zuko.

And that was when Aang met Zuko again, and it was super super awkward because he reminded him of his brother things he didn't want to think about. So when he went home he stopped thinking about it, and was able to be happy again. (He hoped Zuko came to approximately 0 more competitions.)