Too Close

innocence

Iroh gasped when he heard the door open and slam close, he checked the clock and saw it was 2 a.m. and grabbed the bat.

He heard shuffling and turned on the light in the living room and kitchen just as he rose the bat high.

"Zuko?" Iroh squinted seeing the teenager kicking off his shoes.

"Oh your back, I thought you were going to stay the night with Katara," he yawned setting the bat down.

"I don't feel good," he mumbled walking past him and went to his room.

"How was the dance?" Iroh smiled peaking in his room as Zuko laid in bed.

"It went fine," Zuko rasped. "I'm just tired,"

"Okay, you sleep well Zuko," Iroh chuckled closing his door for him.

Zuko felt everything in his body burning.

Of course it was lies. He should've known. He was so fucking stupid to believe anyone. No one is just nice because they're nice. Not to him. Bad people deserve bad things. It was to good to be true, no one stays.. everyone leaves.

It was a lie. It was a stupid fucking lie. He was angry with himself for letting his guard down. He should've known.

"Fuck," he covered his eyes. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck,"

He felt sick to his stomach. Maybe it's because of how he felt or maybe he just wanted to feel something.

He looked to the side seeing durk watching him.

"Of course you're here," he whispered. That cats seen him at his worst more than anyone should.

He pulled the cat over and hugged him to his chest as his throat burned. Closing his eyes tightly and burying his face into the cat that began to purr in his arms. Zuko forced himself to fall asleep hoping this shit of a night would be over. Maybe it wasn't real and inside his head.

He just wanted it to stop.

—

Zuko heard a knock at his door the next day and groaned a little covering his face, he had on his tank top and wore boxers from kicking off the dress shirt and pants in the middle of the night.

He heard someone come in and he could tell it wasn't his uncle.

"Hey buddy,"

Sokka sat on the bed next to him and Zuko looked up seeing Aang, Suki and Toph were there. No Katara.

"How you doing?" Suki asked with a gentle smile.

"Go. Away," Zuko rolled over and covered himself up again.

"Can we talk?" Sokka asked.

He was silent.

"I got you coffee and Cinnabon bites," Toph smiled from the side.

Zuko sighed and sat up with the blanket over his lap, they handed him the ice coffee and bites, he sipped the coffee feeling how dry his mouth was.

"I don't want to talk about it," he told them flatly as Aang and Toph sat on the futon on the side as Suki sat at his desk.

"We.. didn't know," Sokka pursed his lips as he sat next to Zuko.

"And we're not here to boost ourselves about our innocence.. and I'm not saying Kataras friendship was all fake either," he looked at him sadly as Zuko couldn't life his head.

"But I think we count you as one of our friends by now and so we check on our friends," Sokka smiled but Zuko looked more zoned out.

"I don't really care," he mumbled.

"Well your hurt, you do care," Suki insisted.

"No, I don't," he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I don't give a shit if you guys like me or not, only reason I talked to you is because of her, and your not going to drop your sister because she did one bad thing for some douche fuck of a criminal," Zuko snapped at them as he set the breakfast to the side no longer having an appetite.

"I don't want pity, just go away, I don't need you pretending to actually give a fuck," he rolled his eyes with a glare.

"You're doing it again," Aang spoke up from the side.

"What?" Zuko hissed.

"Your pushing everyone away because your upset," Aang explained.

"You did it in middle school and in high school," he pursed his lips.

"What do you even know brat?" Zuko scoffed crossing his arms.

"I know the main reason you beat a bunch of people up is because you were having a break down already, and I watched jet push and push at you till you snapped and-" Aang stopped himself as Zuko put his head down and covered his ears.

"Look, it's not in pity or pretend, we were concerned, because we know you've gotten better, I can tell you've changed and have became a better person," Suki crossed her legs looking at his gently.

"I like who you've became Zuko, your a good friend, a good person, I don't want you falling back that road you use to be on, because last night really sucked, it would put anyone into their bad habits," she sighed gently as he listened.

"You call me a good person but I just can't believe you," he whispered.

"If your not a good person then I'm a fucking devil," Toph said loudly crossing her arms.

"You're literally such a cool dude, I like your spunk and that your pretty laid back but also super sarcastic, it's good to know I'm not the only mellow asshole around here that can take a joke," she shrugged sipping her own coffee.

"Then why does everyone still... what's wrong with me then?" He sighed but saw durk sleeping on the bed next to him.

No one had an answer. It did seem like bad things just kept happening.

"I'm tired," Zuko rubbed his face and laid back down with his back to them.

"Can we get you anything?" Aang asked.

"I can always bring Katara over so you can talk it out?" Sokka offered.

"I don't want to talk to her right now," he whispered.

"Zuko you should talk to her eventually-" "I can't right now," he told them sternly.

"I can't, I told her shit I've never told anyone, not my uncle, not jin, and it's just... it does hurt, a lot, because I thought it was real, my dumb ass really thought someone would just be kind to me for no reason, I should've known something was up," Zuko buried his face in his pillow.

"Actually it's not far off from her, she was the first to bring Aang into the group, so I thought it was just that again," Sokka rubbed his face with a small sigh. "I never thought she would do that,"

"I'm sorry man, I know you liked her a lot," he patted his arm but Zuko swatted him away.

"I don't want to talk about it," he put his face into his pillow.

"I know," Sokka sighed. "Take some time to think it over man,"

Zuko had a couple minutes passed and saw they haven't moved but more looked like they got relaxed to stay.

He groaned pulling the covers over his head as durk crawled under the covers with him with a meow.

"I'm making tea, would any of you like some?" Iroh peaked in with a smile.