𝘼𝙈𝙀𝙍𝙄𝘾𝘼'𝙎 𝙎𝙐𝙄𝙏𝙀𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙎 | 𝙯𝙪𝙠𝙖𝙖𝙣𝙜.

𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡.

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⠀Aang had never really had the time to make friends out of his inner circle he made once he moved here, the only other friends he's made aside from Katara and Sokka were the people they've met and brought into their gang. Toph and Suki being his outer circle, but people he still trusted. His foster parents used to nag him that working towards a high GPA his entire high school career would be a waste of time and that he should enjoy his youth with his friends- but Aang always felt the need to be at his best, that his foster parents didn't deserve anything less.
⠀So yes, Aang was lonely but he got used to it. Maybe that's why he was so interested in the new kid, because he was once one himself, and knew how isolating it could be. Especially in a small town, when being the talk of the town wasn't always a good thing. Aang fell face first onto his bed, his face planted in the pillow, a soft grunt all that was spoken before he fell asleep for the night.
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⠀The following morning Aang didn't have any classes, but that didn't keep him from waking at the crack of dawn to avoid the mass of dirty college students that would invade the communal showers into the later hours of the morning. Aang liked to always stay positive, the fact he didn't have any hair kept him from staying an extended amount of time in the grimy tile chambers. He peeked into the empty shower room before rushing in, going to the furthest stall before changing out of his pajamas and twisting the cold metal knobs that offered him the comforting warm water from the showerhead above. The hot steam warmed his insides and made him feel sleepy again, but he powered through the haze and washed up. He had been here at campus for about a week and a half before his classes started, and while people could still see the blue arrows that lined his body any other time during the day, the showers seemed to be a hotspot where other people would eye the tattoos and made him feel vulnerable. One senior of his even reached out to take the towel from his waist while he was brushing his teeth, wanting to see where the arrows lead.
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⠀As he looked in the mirrors, carrying out his skincare routine, he couldn't help but think about his grandfather, Gyatso. He had passed away when Aang was quite a lot younger than he is now, the one who had given him the arrows that represented the Chi paths that run through the body. He doesn't remember much else about the spiritual things Gyatso told him, but Aang did know that Gyatso was his last biological family member and Aang was honored to have these tattoos despite the looks from others it gave him.
⠀ As he headed to his room, he figured the least he could do was drop by the restaurant he visited last night to see if the new kid was there so that hopefully he could apologize for his friends behavior and maybe invite him out to do something mild to get him more familiar with the town. He figured it wouldn't be open, but if he did have some luck maybe someone would be there to let him in.
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⠀Aang slipped a faded peach color beret over his head and whipped the coat that hung on the back of his door around his small body, padding the pockets for his glasses before he left his dorm room. He thought about texting Katara to come with him, but he figured that he should stop bringing his friends for back up, that he could at least do this alone.
⠀It didn't take him long to get to the restaurant, the most taxing part was walking across campus to the bus stop in the cold air that irritated his throat. He spent his bus ride resting his head against the rattling windows of the empty bus and thinking about his afternoon classes. Though, as he peered into the glass of the restaurants storefront to see if anyone was inside, he felt the spike of anxiety drum in his heart. Just as he thought, there sat the older man who had finished serving him and his friends last night was sat at the bar with a cup of what seemed to be tea, a newspaper in his opposite hand.

He rushed to the locked door and knocked gently, rubbing his hands together to keep warm as he watched the old man glance his way before sliding out of the leather bar stool and walk his way. "Can I help you?" the man inquired, asking before he had opened the door to let him in. "I was coming to ask about a boy? he has long dark hair, kind of a cold look to him? I mainly came to apologize." The old man paused to look at Aang through the glass before unlocking the door and swinging it open to let him in. "Come on in, have some tea." Aang followed him to the bar, timidly taking a seat next to the man in tense silence. "I don't think I have ever seen anyone come to apologize to Zuko, to be fair, Zuko was a bit of a grumpy kid and sometimes a bit of a bully back home. He was the person who should have done some apologizing." Aang had no idea what to say, so he elected to just listen and take a sip of the tea that had just been poured for him. At least he knew the new kids name now...it was Zuko.
⠀"My name is Iroh, I am Zuko's uncle. It's my pleasure to have you here! Any friend of Zuko's is a friend of mine." Aang couldn't help but blush and hold his hands up in defense, "We aren't quite friends yet. To be fair, one of my friends kind of called him a thug last night and I think he heard, and I think you're the one who finished serving us the rest of the evening." Iroh just laughed, a jolly one that echoed inside the brick interior. "He is a bit of a thug, your friend was right. Zuko just has a bit of a temper, but he should be here in about an hour if you're wanting to speak to him." Aang nodded gratefully, wrapping his hands around the warm cup in front of him. "I'd love to! but, do you need help with setting up or anything?" Aang wasn't sure what time the restaurant opened, but chairs were still stacked on tables and he figured he could help at least a little to pass the time.
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