Too Close

enough

"I already spoke to your head, leave us be," Ozai glared at the officer.

The cop stood there confused and glanced over at the boy in the cell. Zuko was breathing a little faster as his hands shook while grasping the girls hand, that wasn't normal.

"I said leave," Ozai barked making everyone jump.

"Kat go," Zuko whispered.

"No she can stay,"

Zuko started to hyperventilate as Katara stepped closer to the cell to move out of the way of the cop that went to leave.

"I'll be right outside if you kids need anything," the officer sighed gently.

"What's your name?" Zuko asked quickly before Ozai could stop him.

"Officer chey," he smiled back at him before leaving.

"Let Katara go home, she's sick, she already called her family that she was coming home early from school," Zuko said quickly even if it was a lie.

"Now why would I do that if she's just going to go cry to iroh?" Ozai grinned.

"What are you going to do? Shoot us? We're surrounded by cops," Zuko huffed.

"Azula told me about that last night, your little fuck up, I'm tired of you Zuko, I'll go and tell the police every thing you've done and you're going to spend your days behind bars," Ozai shoved Katara back and grabbed his son by the shirt to slam his face against the metal.

"That was all under your order!" Zuko snarled back trying to push away.

"You think your the first person I've gotten convicted as a criminal? That was under my order? You're pathetic," Ozai smiled down at him.

"Get the hell off of him, Zuko has multiple alibis from multiple hours, your stupid stories won't match up with people who are telling the truth," Katara ripped his hands off her boyfriend and stood in front of his cell.

"You're a fucking idiot," she hissed.

Ozai glared down at her but sighed grabbing keys from his pocket and unlocked zukos cell. The boy immediately ran out of the cell and grabbed Katara to pull her behind him wide eyes. What the fuck was she thinking?

"Let's go," Ozai looked down at them with something deadly in his eyes as he looked at the children.

They looked at each other, Zuko shook his head at her but Katara held his hand tightly even if Zuko tried getting her off. They knew exactly what the other was thinking, Katara glared at him but stayed close, she covered her mouth when she coughed again harshly. She knew her fever was getting higher but if she let Zuko stay alone with his father who knew what would happen, at least if she stayed with him her family would notice just as fast and go to Iroh. If they stayed together they'd be found sooner.

"Anyone comes, the boy is still in jail for the next 24 hours," Ozai dropped cash at the front desk as he didn't even bother stopping.

Officer chey watched the two looking fearful almost through the faces that they tried to seem brave with. 

"Boss, what do we do?" Chey whispered when the three left the building, seeing they got into a plateless vehicle.

"You heard him, the boys still in his cell, don't say a word," the chief waved him off.

Chey inhaled deeply keeping his mouth shut, it was noon, he'd file a missing person report if the boy didn't show up to school tomorrow. But there was a sickening feeling that tomorrow wouldn't come soon enough.