In this story, Aang's captured by Zhao who tortures him for a long while, but then he gets out (because it was illegal for Zhao to be doing that) and Kuzon's family helps him, and that's all you need for this scene.

In the end Aang gets mentally better (yay!) and goes back to live with the (remaining) airbenders.

Idk I've written a lot of story descriptions in the past like hour.

Kuzon does not like having an incompetent idiot in his home, but he doesn't hate it. He could - he knows how easy it would be to just… hate him, and call him names, and watch him slither away into fear like he literally always does, but he doesn't. He's honestly not entirely sure why he doesn't choose to hate him, and to hate that he has to live in his home.

He's never ever considered himself a good kid, and it's not because he's dumb. He's messed up, and he's hurt others, and he knows this. Yet - he thinks there might be a measure of… something good, or something, resonating inside his soul that allows him to not-hate this kid. Like, he's been tortured, okay? He's actually afraid. No one could be heartless enough to hate a kid like that.

But then, when he thinks about it, it gets confusing, because someone was heartless enough to do that. In fact, they made him the way he is now. Kuzon's met other winapi before, and they don't act like this kid does. (He allows himself to use that word because they literally were winapi - or slaves - so it really shouldn't be offensive).

It's also strange because something screams at him that he should love this kid, or at least have his best interests at heart literally all the time. He tries, for a day or so, but it doesn't quite work. He's not entirely sure why, but there is a reason. He's never met someone like this - someone so hurt and afraid - and it confuses him.

He doesn't know how to react to this kid in his home. It feels unreal. It feels like someone else's story, or something you read in a text book. You know the story - there was a kid tortured in a basement for a bit, but then he got out, recovered, and took over the world. It's a good basic storyline, but it wasn't ever supposed to fit into Kuzon's life

So he can't like the fact that this kid is in his home - can't like that he can't go to school for the next… bit, until he's better. He can't accept that this kid will stay with him for maybe forever, or at least until he gets himself a home. Yet, he cannot hate it, either. He cannot imagine trying to hurt or scare him. (He scares him at least 40 times a day, but it's not on purpose.) He cannot imagine throwing him back to the people who literally broke his leg. And he can't imagine running away to go to school without him.

Kuzon doesn't like him. But he doesn't hate him either. So when Aang looks up at him one day, and asks why he's being helpful, because doesn't he hate him, he can tell, it's an interesting question. Kuzon knows it's probably harmful to hear such truths in his vulnerable state, but he decides to tell Aang the truth anyway.

"You know, you're almost kind of right. I do not like you. You get in the way and you disrupted my life. You're not supposed to be here, and you get… scared too much. But you're also very wrong. I don't hate you. I don't think I can hate you, as much as I'd like to. I also have a responsibility to my family. So I won't hurt you, and I won't try to scare you, and I'll do my best to help you - so someday, you can go home." And then he leaves the room to get more water for him. Because seriously. How much does this kid drink?