Little Soldier Boy

Bitter work

"Hey Toph do you know if the soldier boy is awake yet?" Katara asked coming back from the pond as Aang went to go find Sokka.

"Yea," Toph was laying on a rock in the sun.

"Where is he?" Katara looked over at the tree he was resting under, was now empty.

"He went for a walk I think, I don't think he likes to talk much, sweetheart thou," Toph yawned sitting up.

"What?" She blinked shocked.

"What? He's not our prisoner, dudes been alone for a bit, and no offense you guys are a lot to handle," Toph shrugged not getting down.

"Toph he's literally a trained soldier that wants to hurt Aang, for all we know he's going after him right now!" Katara cried out worried.

"Aang isn't helpless, and the soldier guy is in a lot more pain than he seems, he's not going to do anything that won't result in hurting himself," Toph waved her off.

—

Zuko walked down a trail in the rocky valley with a glare as he was trying to fix his shirt with the burn hole in it where he was shot. He can't believe after three years his own sister would still try to kill him.

It's not like he was surprised by it but at least now he knew she'd go that far.

He didn't know where to go now since he already was closer to the avatar than Azula will be for a long time. He could trick them into getting close to the fire nation and surrender the avatar to them. Or bring him back to the troops so they could help.

But they'd never buy that. For hiding his life from men he's spent years with, he still wasn't the greatest liar.

"Lee what would you do?" Zuko groaned covering his face as he walked.

He definitely wouldn't have gotten shot in the first place.

Could he get into contact with his uncle?

No. He'll be sent to a prison as soon as a letter got to the fire nation. Either way unless he delivers the avatar himself by himself he'll be sentenced away for the rest of his life.

Zuko gripped his chest at the thought of seeing his father again. To see the man from last time, and next time he'd see the fire lord he'd be sentenced to death or life long prison.

"Fuck!" Zuko punched a rock next to him in frustration.

"I just- ahh! Fuck what do I do?!" Zuko yelled in anger at no one. He was so lost. He's been lost as soon as Azula tore him from his troops. He was lost when he returned from the north.

"Hey, helloooo, fire bender that's throwing a temper tantrum!" a voice called to him and Zuko spun around wide eyes.

"Oh, the boomerang guy?" Zuko saw Sokka stuck in a hole with his arms stuck and body gone, neck and up exposed with a baby moose lion on his head.

"Yep that's me, hey buddy while you punch rocks and scream to the spirits can you help me out?" Sokka wiggled his fingers as the soldier walked over frowning.

"Why... how..?" Zuko blinked looking down at him.

"Oh right, soldier guy, this is fufu cuddly poops, fufu cuddly poops this is some soldier that doesn't like us," Sokka motioned to the baby moose line to Zuko.

"It's Zuko," he said flatly.

"Well I'm Sokka, and now since we're all friends can you help me out of here?" Sokka whined wiggling in the hole.

"Why should I?" Zuko raised a brow crouching down to him.

"Call it a favor? Man we just saved your ass from the crazy fire lady, just do me a solid I'm starving!" Sokka cried out and Zuko groaned grabbing sokkas wrist and the two boys grunted trying to work together.