Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"So, have you got everything packed?" Aang asked Zuko as he checked his pack. They were leaving for the colonies in a few days, and Zuko looked at Aang with disbelief.

"We aren't leaving for days. Why would I need to pack already?" Zuko answered, craning his neck to look up and behind at his best friend.

Aang was pacing back and forth across the carpet as they discussed what to do for the past few hours. It had been stressful, so they both took turns walking and lying on the couch. The couch was up against the left wall, and Zuko was resting his head on the arm of the sofa with his feet elevated on the other arm of the couch.

So far, they hadn't come to a decision about what to do. They had toyed up the pros and cons of if it would be better to leave the land as Fire Nation territory or to return it to the Earth Kingdom. The board they had been writing on was full after about the first hour, and they'd run out of space and stopped bothering to write everything they suggested down.

Iroh would be arriving in two days, so Zuko planned to ask for his wisdom when he came. Surely he could give sound advice and help them figure out what to do. They had exhausted what would be better as there was always a downside that wasn't worth the benefit of the choice. It had been difficult, but he hoped that his Uncle's arrival would make him feel better since he would be Fire Lord while he was away and stay for a while to open up a Jasmine Dragon tea shop in the Capital. This would mean he would be here for some time, maybe a year or so at least, while he got everything set up and hired some competent staff so he could return to the Earth Kingdom. Zuko knew he enjoyed living there, so he didn't want to force him to stay in the Capital.

"Well, if you don't pack early, you have less time to ensure you've got everything. Katara's organisational skills have saved me plenty of times. Since I always forget something, it gives me more time to remember everything I need." Aang spoke affectionately for Katara, and Zuko didn't need to see his expression to know he was smiling.

"Ah, she's probably right. She always is. I'll start packing later." Zuko folded his arms over his chest in acceptance.

"How about we call it a night? We've been at it for hours anyway." Aang suggested, and Zuko nodded and got up from the couch.

He nodded and wrapped an arm over Aang's shoulder as they walked towards his chamber door. Both were mentally drained, so having an early night would be a good idea. It was probably only about 9pm, and they had already eaten. Once he'd bathed, he would go to bed and read for a while before he slept. He waved Aang off and watched him walk down the hall for a few seconds before he turned on his heel and let his arm go behind him so the door would be pushed shut as he moved.

Once he had turned on the taps for the water to flow into the bath, he pulled his hair from its tie. It desperately needed a wash, so he figured he had plenty of time to let it dry. His hair had grown below his shoulder blades, and it was only getting longer. He wasn't worried about cutting it or letting it grow; it was just happening with time passing. Suki had told him that he looked more mature with it longer, so he thought it made sense to keep it that way. Thinking back on it, hopefully, Suki had meant it as a compliment. Maybe it was a nice way of her saying that he looked old, and he burst out laughing at the thought.

When the bath had finally filled up, he turned the taps off and stripped off his clothes and threw the dirty clothes into the laundry basket from across the bathroom. His pants landed on the floor, and he made a mental note to pick them up later. Once he hopped in the bath, he let his shoulders relax, closed his eyes, and let his jaw slack. He tilted his head against the tub's edge and enjoyed the hot water. He stayed in bed until he started to doze off and thought it was best to not fall asleep there since he wouldn't get a decent rest. After he got out and dried off, he just put on a small pair of shorts to sleep in and hopped into bed. The book he was still trying to read and had been for the last few months was currently collecting dust on his bedside table. He made a vow to try and read a few pages every other night so he could wind down from the day. Using a bit of fire, he lit the lamps on the wall behind his bed for some light and then lay down. He blew some dust off his book before opening it to the page where his bookmark was and briefly scanned over the previous page to refresh his memory on where he was up to.