The Thief And The Healer

Episode 1: Not So Cute Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar:the Last Airbender.
Author's note: After showing my friend (babyinkling) ATLA for the first time, she was upset that her ship did not come to pass. As her writing friend, I rose to the challenge.

Hope you enjoy the results.

Cover photo by nymre

Zuko should have noticed it the second he walked in the door and everyone was already seated in the classroom. He should have realized it when the teacher started with a lesson right away rather than going over the syllabus like all his other teachers had done the past three years as a business student attending White Lotus University. But it wasn't until they were assigned a weekly quiz and a paper due in two days that he knew something was terribly wrong.

As soon as he got home, Zuko plopped face down on his bed and grumbled into his pillow.

His roommate swirled around at his desk. "Bad day?"

"I thought you said this class was going to be easy," Zuko grumbled.

"It was!" Sokka insisted.

"We have a quiz and a paper due this Friday," Zuko countered.

Sokka shrugged. "Maybe it's the teacher you signed up for."

"Yeah, maybe."

Sokka held up his old schedule and looked it over, then grabbed a second schedule that was on his desk and held it up to compare the two.

"Uhh, what was the class code again?"

"BIO 113."

Sokka's face puckered. "I may have discovered the problem."

Zuko groaned. Past 'discoveries' with Sokka had taught him to expect the worst. "What?"

"You picked up the schedule off my desk?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah?"

"And signed up for the Intro to Biology class listed?" he continued.

Zuko's voice had more frustration in it this time. "Yes."

"It wasn't my old transcript you were looking at. Katara gave me a copy of her schedule this year...the code you used was for my sister's class."

Zuko blinked. "Your sister who is studying to be a doctor?"

Sokka nodded slowly with a grimace.

"I'm in a Pre-Med biology class?!"

"Yeah..." Sokka trailed off. "That's rough, buddy."

"This is your fault! You and your 'senior year can be fun' and all that. This was supposed to be my easy semester."

"Hey!" Sokka dropped the schedules back on his cluttered desk. "Don't blame me, you could have double checked at sign-ups." He paused and took a deep breath. "But no worries. My sister will help you out."

"I didn't even know your sister went here, wasn't she at the North Tribe campus?"

"Yeah…" Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "But she transferred to West Nation this year so she could help out with the bakery."

"And you're just telling me this now?" Zuko demanded.

"I didn't realize it was important!" Sokka replied. "She's coming over on Friday, by the way."

Zuko turned back to his pillow to muffle his exasperated scream.

The two boys had been roommates since sophomore year when they'd moved into this small apartment off campus. It was about a fifteen minute walk to class each day rather than the two it would be if they lived on campus, but the money saved was well worth it.