Avatar Zuko

Chapter 41

“This is a terrible idea.” Zuko repeated for the eightieth time, sighing as he carried Katara and Sokka's bags down to the beach, attempting to avoid eye contact with anyone outside of their group.

“Come on, Zuko! What's the worst that could happen?” Asked Aang cheerily, bumping shoulders with him and smiling- he wasn't being forced to carry anything.

“I could get recognised, we could all be killed or tortured and then my Father will destroy the world.” He replied dryly, scowling at their three friends in front of them, who were skipping along the sandy shore without a care in the would.

“Don't be such a downer! No one here is gonna notice you- they're having too much fun!” That was fair, the Prince supposed, since currently Ember Island was being exclusively occupied by the children of war generals who were still working, probably helping with his Father's continued enslavement of the earthbenders of Ba Sing Se. These teenagers were probably too wrapped up in their own snobby lives that they couldn't have picked his face out of a line up. “Besides,” Aang continued, “You're worried about them noticing your scar, right? Well this is the Fire Nation! More than just you will have a burn scar.”.

Zuko frowned more deeply but nodded all the same, letting his long fringe cover up the majority of his face. His hair had been growing out, and now he wore it in a ponytail most of the time, so it wouldn't get in his eyes (and also because Sokka seemed to like it).

They kept trailing over the beach, until Toph decided she'd found the ‘perfect’ spot, and sat down abruptly. The group were only on the Island because it was only a slight detour from their route, and somehow they were ahead of schedule and Aang had decided they needed a break. Zuko had told them, several times in fact, that they were all idiots- but to no avail.

“Ahhhh, isn't it great to be able to relax for once?” Asked Katara, eyes closed as she leaned back against the sand on their almost deserted patch of beach. She held her hand out and Zuko dropped her ridiculously heavy bag on her chest, to which she grunted. “Hey!”.

“That's what you get for making me carry it all the way down here.” He smirked as she pouted, crossing her arms and sitting back up, before he passed Sokka his bag gently.

“And why does he not get moaned at?” She bit out venomously (though without any real heat), looking at the non-bender not like he was her brother, but like he had killed her grandmother and then her puppy-cat.

“Because I'm his boyfriend.” Sokka drawled out with a smug look, holding out his arms for Zuko to collapse into, so that they were cuddling on top of his towel.

“I think I miss when you two were trying to keep this thing secret.” Toph faked some gagging, which Katara laughed at, before beginning to build a sand castle (with earthbending, which was fine since they were far away from anyone else).

“Don't be like that, Toph! Love is beautiful!” Aang practically sung, before sitting down next to the waterbender and blushing as she offered him a drink.

Zuko too, pantomimed throwing up.

__

The firebender regretted everything in his life up to this point. Somehow, Sokka had managed to talk him into playing couples volleyball against Katara and Aang (even though the latter two would not admit that they clearly liked each other). And they were losing, miserably.

“Take that, bitch!” Yelled Katara, jumping up in the air and hitting the ball, slamming it down over their net before either of the boys could move in retaliation.

“How many wins is that, Aang?” The girl smiled, as if she wasn't aware of the number.

“24 to 1.” The airbender replied, similarly smug as he got into a stance, ready for their next match.