http://banished-prince.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
banished-prince.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lucetilogs2007-12-21 09:32 am
banished-prince.livejournal.com) wrote in lucetilogs2007-12-21 09:32 am
(no subject)
Who: Zuko and Aang.
When:Saturday, December 22th. (Yes, this will happen tomorrow.)
Where: Somewhere on the forest.
Summary: Since Iroh oh so politely asked, Aang takes Zuko out for some 'exploring' and relaxing. But getting attacked was certainly not in the plans.
Rating: PG-13.. ?
When:Saturday, December 22th. (Yes, this will happen tomorrow.)
Where: Somewhere on the forest.
Summary: Since Iroh oh so politely asked, Aang takes Zuko out for some 'exploring' and relaxing. But getting attacked was certainly not in the plans.
Rating: PG-13.. ?
-------
Aang woke long before Zuko - quite possibly before even Iroh. But he couldn't help it, he'd always been an early riser (much to Sokka's dismay.) Added to that was his excitement about his play-date with Zuko, and it was no wonder he was out of bed before the sun had even finished rising. He rolled out of bed immediately and reached over to Zuko's bed, shaking the sleeping boy's shoulder gently. "Zuko, hey, Zuko, wake up," he urged.
Zuko was definitely not a morning person. Sure, while he was travelling in his quest to find the avatar he barely slept, but if someone dared to interrupt his precious sleeping hours with anything that wasn't news about the avatar, that person would've gained a nasty burn for it.
However, as he spent time on this new world (just as it happened in Ba Sing Se) he had found himself fond on sleeping in actual proper hours, not seeing the case of waking up so early when the sun wasn't entirely out yet either. The peacefulness of his current life quickly was making himself settle.
He let out a small growl and rolled to his side, moving out a hand in an attempt to shoo the other boy away.
It quickly became obvious that Zuko would require more persuasion than mere words. Aang observed him thoughtfully, and leaned further out of bed, placing his lips about six inches above Zuko's ear. Then, he blew. Hard. That should wake 'im up, he thought smugly.
That gained an startled 'gah!' from the fire prince as he shuddered, practially jumping on his bed and nearly falling out of it. He immediately sat down and glared to the avatar. "What the hell!"
"Sorry," Aang said sheepishly, although he didn't look entirely sorry. "You weren't waking up." Seeing Zuko scramble around all undignified like that had given Aang a secret thrill. "And today's the day."
Zuko let out that sounded between a sigh and a growl while he rubbed his temples. "Maybe, just maybe because I didn't want to wake up just yet." He said in annoyance. "And I know, why I don't get is why do we need to get up so damn early? Not even uncle gets up at this hours." He pointed. The sun was just starting to come out for lord's sake!
"Come on," Aang whined, "we don't want to still be outside at night. We'd get cold. This way we can get everything done and then come back and have some nice cocoa and dinner and then sleep in warm, cozy beds." Aang rose out of bed, wearing only his underwear, and began packing a satchel with things for their 'trip.'
Knowing he couldn't argue with that, Zuko moved to sit down at the edge of his bed as he passed a hand through his hair and slightly rubbed his eyes. He mentally agreed with the boy, he didn't want to be outside with this damn cold weather; besides he couldn't get back to sleep now, not after that. And he had to admit that he was slightly curious to see what the avatar had planned, if he needed to pack that variety of things...
Aang was used to packing camp in minutes, with only minutes' warnings, and so it didn't take him long to gather everything he thought they might need. After he had finished packing, he began to get dressed, pausing to look at Zuko with amusement. "Come on, slowpoke - do I have to blow on you again?" he teased.
Zuko quickly stood up and glared a little, nearly pouting. "Shut up." He walked towards the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, absentmindedly arranging his messy morning hair with his left hand. Then coming back to the dorm and quickly changing his robe with a red clean one (or as quickly as he could seeing how he was still getting used to his wings). He didn't had many changes of clothes, most of them had been given by his uncle, but he always liked to keep using clean ones.
Aang was dressed by the time Zuko returned, and simply sat on the bed waiting for him. His newly constructed glider lay beside him; it didn't fold up as well, but he had managed to make it carriable.
"Going out for flying, huh?" Zuko commented as he raised an eyebrow at the glidder, finishing tying up his robe. At least he was ready now.
"Well... I figured we could try it while we were out," Aang said with a smile, standing up and shouldering his pack. He had walked to the forest before, and so he led the way, allowing Zuko to follow at his own leisure.
After grabbing some random pastries that were on the kitchen table as his improvised breakfast, Zuko followed the avatar without another word. It even surprised himself hot patient he seemed at all this, following this kid without asking any major questions (like where were they exactly going, for example). He had figured it couldn't be worse than being stuck on the village, besides it give him a little time to ponder within his thoughts. Yet his patience did start to wear out after they had been walking for a while. "Aren't we there yet?"
Aang looked quizically over his shoulder. "'There'?" he repeated, his tone of voice making it clear that he had not had any particular 'there' in mind when they set out. He had been enjoying the scenery, and it hadn't really occured to him that Zuko was waiting for a destination.
That response made Zuko hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Yes, the place we're going to!" He said and a exasperated tone. "It was the whole idea of 'today's plans' wasn't it?"
"Uhm..." Aang trailed off, his face flushing in embarassment as he realized his mistake. "Actually, I had just kind of planned for... you know, for us to hang out and explore... together." The idea suddenly seemed so much sillier now, and he looked at his feet, then off into the trees.
Zuko sighed. He knew he should've expected that, he just knew it. "I'm not really used to this... 'exploring'." He admitted. To be honest it sounded more like a kid's game to him.
"Oh... well, then... maybe... we'll give it a try. You might enjoy it- if not we can uh... play tag?" Aang offered lamely, and then mentally kicked himself, wondering why he had such a hard time imagining Zuko doing something other than chasing after him. I mean, it wasn't like he was -born- chasing the Avatar.
"Tag?" Zuko repeated in a disbelieving tone, quickly deciding that would have one of their last resourses, one of the very last indeed. "No err…rather…" He scratched the back of his head. "What do you exactly do while you're at this 'exploring' thing?"
"You just... relax, and enjoy," Aang said, spreading his arms wide to gesture at the surrounding forest. "If you see something that makes you think 'what if'.... you find out the answer. No worries. Just you and your surroundings - or, if you're with someone, you, your surroundings, and them."
"… okay." Zuko said after a while as he tried to familiarize with the idea, yet he kept feeling the concept was flying way too out of his grasp. "So we just keep walking until we get lost."
Aang laughed at that, continuing forward. "Well... that's the other good thing about exploring... once you've been through a place once, you won't get lost in it again."
"Of course," Zuko mumbled. "You wouldn't dare to take a step on it again if you manage to get out." He said in a slight attempt to joke as he, once again, followed the avatar. "You can try this exploring thing first, then I can watch."
"Why, Zuko, you sound almost... afraid," Aang said teasingly, smirking over his shoulder.
Zuko frowned at him, his cheeks adquiring a pale tint of pink. "I'm not afraid." He wasn't really afraid… it was just the very normal feeling of awe one gets against the unexpected. Plus he truly didn't know what to do. It was like when you ask for the rules to a game you don't know but then are ashamed to ask again because you didn't fully understood them at first.
Aang's grin widened uncontrollably at Zuko's blush. He really did like seeing the older boy flustered and vulnerable like that - it helped him to see Zuko as more than the shadow lurking over his shoulder, or the lion in the underbrush. "Well, then... there's a clearing up ahead. Wanna try to fly?"
"I suppose…" The older boy said after a small indignant 'hn'. It could be entertaining and he was already getting tired of walking.
"Great!" Aang exclaimed and darted forward, running the rest of the way through the trees until he came to the sinkhole where the treeline broke. He began unfolding his glider, waiting for Zuko to catch up.
Geez, did this kid always had that much energy? Zuko followed soon after, but now bothering to run behind him. He stopped once he was almost infront of the avatar, casually putting his hands over his hips. "Well, try it then." He said.
Aang put the glider in position and leaped up. He had no trouble traveling the length of the sinkhole, looping over, and coming back. He landed with a grin, and then turned his back to Zuko. "Okay, climb on and get ready to be blown away!"
Zuko followed the Avatar with his gaze as the boy flied in the sky, allowing himself to smile a little. Well, at least he wasn't crashing down into the ground.
But even then, he still had his doubts if that thing it would carry them both. "Are you sure?" He asked, his arms crossed.
"C'mon, Zuko - I chose this spot carefully. Even if you're too heavy, we just land in the snow drifts, see?" Aang said, gesturing to the thick snow. "Don't back out now," he prodded.
Oh yes of course. That would have been great if you don't counted the fact that snow wasn't his most favourite thing in the world. Shaking his head in disbelief that he was agreeing to this, he awkwardly moved into the smaller boy's back, grabbing into the glider as well.
Aang's heart skipped a beat when Zuko pressed him, fighting the fleeting feeling of being a trapped animal. That instinct quickly passed, however, and he nudged Zuko's feet into position with his own. "Okay, on the count of 3. One...two..." and without warning, he jumped up into the air with a wild laugh, sending them flying.
It would be a lie to say that their sudden leap into the air it didn't startle Zuko. In fact it terrified him. If he had not been grabbing the glider he would've suddenly hugged onto the other boy, and he couldn't stop himself from pressing closer into the avatar's body. His stomach wasn't helping either,as he wasn't used to fly at all. But soon all the uncomfortable feelings disappeared, replaced with an eerie one that could've been 'joy'. He let out a light chuckle.
The first few seconds were a struggle, as Aang adjusted to the added weight on the glider. But he was surprised by how quickly he adjusted, and how comfortably Zuko fit on the glider with him. It reminded him of their escape from Admiral Zhao; it was like there was an unspoken balance between them. Aang heard Zuko laugh lightly - an actual, happy laugh - and he joined in with a laugh of his own. >
"Hold on!" he said gleefully, and then did a twist as he rounded the clearing, and followed it with a large, upside-down loop.
Zuko only had time to let out a small yelp in surprise. The movement made his stomach flip and a not so pleasant way. "Hey!" He said in protest.
"It's okay!" Aang said, "I won't go too fast and your stomach gets used to it." He strained to carry them higher, pushing them up so that Zuko could see out over the treetops.
Zuko would've wanted to protest more, he wasn't sure if he did want to get used to the sudden loops, but the words died on his throat as he felt enthralled by the view. From this angle he could almost think the snow made all somewhat… pretty. How it covered and tinted the ground, with seldom splashes of different greens from the trees all over. It was.. really nice. "It's beautiful." He said breathlessly.
"I know," Aang said, his voice as affectionate as if he were talking about a child or sibling. The glider wobbled slightly as he strained to keep them aloft, wanting to give Zuko the chance to enjoy the weightless feeling he enjoyed so regularly. He lapped the clearing a few more times, throwing in a few more gradual, less stomach-jarring spins and flips, and suddenly, he couldn't hold them both up anymore. The glider faltered again, and they fell - he caught them about ten feet from the ground, and then they fell the rest of the way, crashing into the snow.
Zuko let out a startled sound as they suddenly fell, he barely had had time to turn them around so the crash wouldn't hurt as much. At least the snow did soften the hit as they landed on his back. After wards he rolled into the ground a little as the force of the falling died. "Ugh. Wonderful."
Aang rolled free from the glider and lay panting in the snow, out of breath. He felt its cold seeping through his clothes and into his skin, but he was too exhausted to sit up. "Ngh... crud," he muttered. "Sorry, I think I overdid it."
Zuko remained laying into the ground as well, even if his clothes were getting soaked; that had been quite a falling. "Oh, you think?" He said, wanting it to sound like a reproach but sounding far too amused. He chuckled again, somehow suddenly finding funny the whole situation.
"Sorry," Aang mumbled, blushing. "I just wanted... I wanted you to get to see things like that. Prob'ly should have not rushed it..." Aang was embarassed at his failing, but Zuko seemed genuinely happy, and that made it worth it.
"Hmm." Actually, the experience had helped him a little to understand the younger boy better. Up on the air he felt to nice, so light, so free. It was as if he could push aside all his thoughts and problems, forgetting about the war without feeling too guilty, ignoring the fact that they were stuck in another world as test subjects of those twisted people (or whatever they were). "Perhaps back at our world it wouldn't have ended with a crash." He finally commented.
"Are you kidding? This was -nothing-. Back home I could've shown you even more. When we go home, we'll do it again, and do it better," Aang said, looking over at Zuko with an affectionate smile. "I'll give you the ride of your life," he added.
However his trail of thought abruptly ended as he heard the boy's last sentence. He almost jolted into a sitting position, his cheeks turning bright pink in a second. "B-beg your pardon??" He stuttered.
Zuko coughed at this, turning away from the other boy to hide his flushed cheeks, hoping he would make it look like it was 'cause of the cold. "It's not that, I know it'll be a nice rid- I mean it was nice ride with the glider! And I wouldn't mind riding yo- with you sometime again! That's it.. yeah.. agh." Stupid, stupid. Why was he blurting out such stupid things? He was almost convinced the snow had to had something in it.
...Aang blinked. Zuko's continuing discomfort was baffling. But his ramblings weren't making it any clearer. Aang decided he must be embarrassed by the fact that he had enjoyed himself, and decided to let it go. He shivered and yawned.
Zuko sighed miserably and decided to stand up. Using his firebending, he quickly dried his clothes, leaving a nice warm steam behind. He walked towards Aang. "Want help or can you do it without setting your clothes on fire?" He asked, hoping they would left behind the awkward previous moment in which he practically made a fool on himself. He knew the Avatar could use his airbending, but it wouldn't help with his shivering.
"N... I don't think I can bend right now," Aang admitted quietly, feeling embarrassed about admitting how weak he was. He had -really- pushed himself for that glider ride.... he just didn't want Zuko to know that. Still shivering, he started to climb to his feet, using his glider as a staff to help himself up.
Zuko let out a sigh. Oh he was supposed to stop doing that, right? Whatever. "Idiot." He said in a somewhat affectionate way that sounded weird even to himself. Leaning towards the boy a little, he helped him a little, quickly firebending his clothes dry. A sudden thought struck him as he finished. Why did he care? "There."
"Um," Zuko certainly didn't expect that. He could only remain still in awkward silence for a moment. "Um, yeah, you're welcome." He mumbled. Okay, he wasn't much of a hug person, in fact he only pretty much allowed his uncle to hug him. But that hadn't been... too bad. And sudden noise made him violently snap out of his trance, he turned his head around to look in the direction he heard it and gasped.
"Move!" He said while grabbing Aang by the shoulders and pulling him down into the ground. A lightning immediately passed to where they had been, sharply hitting the ground with a snap.
Aang let out an 'oof' as the air was knocked out of him, He looked around, dazed, trying to find where the attack had come from - ridiculously, his first thought was that Azula must be nearby.
Zuko narrowed his eyes as he trying to look to their attacker, but another lightning suddenly flew in his way. He quickly rolled from his spot and kneeled, having to jump away as another one tried to hit him. He blinked, were they after him? "Show yourself!" He roared sending the best wave of fire he could towards the general direction of the the attacks where coming from.
Aang scrambled to his feet, heart pounding furiously in his chest. He was weaker than he had been since Ba Sing Se - maybe even weaker. Not a good time to be caught in a fight. And if their opponents weren't fellow captives... "Zuko! Back to town!" he yelled, using what bending strength he had left to sirbend a huge gush of air into the snow and obscure everything in white. He grabbed Zuko's hand and ran for the treeline, dragging his glider behind him. He could only hope the snow would hide them.
As they ran back into the deep forest, Zuko kept looking back over his shoulders. He couldn't see anything, nothing that could look like an attacker, there were too many trees and he couldn't tell if all the shadows were from the same. Then another lightning shot right at their backs. He immediately tackled Aang down to prevent them from being hit. Once it passed he stood up almost as soon as he hit the ground, turning around to face the next strike.
"Damn you." And it came, but this time he was prepared. He took the lightning with his fingers, forced to back away by it's strength but then managed to return it; making the light strike into a nearby tree and set it on fire.
He should've know there would be something wrong after using that technique on this world, because, while he wasn't hurt, he felt like if most of his energies were drained from him. He fell into his knees, exhausted. "Damn."
Aang saw Zuko's exhaustion, and felt fear seize his heart. If they were both too weak to fight... he clutched his glider tightly, waiting for anything to approach. He was not expecting an attack from behind, however - something reached out from the trees at his side, and he barely had time to turn his head in its direction before something wrapped itself around his wrist and yanked him with surprising force into the trees - hard enough for him to hear the 'pop' of his own shoulder dislocating.
Zuko only had time to turn around and see the avatar disappear into the woods. He felt his heart clench painfully.
"No! STOP!" The managed to stood up shakily and run towards the direction he lat saw the younger boy, but his legs weren't responding too well. Shit, shit, shit. He had to lean into a tree.
"Goddamnit. Bring. Him. BACK!" The only response was another lightning. One he barely managed to dodge. It hit him on the side of his torso.
"Agh!" He ungracefully fell into the ground as he felt the pain starting to fill his senses, yet he stubbornly still tried to get up. Yet suddenly forcefully warped around his ankle and send him an electric shock. Blackness immediately surrounding him as he lost conscious.
Aang woke long before Zuko - quite possibly before even Iroh. But he couldn't help it, he'd always been an early riser (much to Sokka's dismay.) Added to that was his excitement about his play-date with Zuko, and it was no wonder he was out of bed before the sun had even finished rising. He rolled out of bed immediately and reached over to Zuko's bed, shaking the sleeping boy's shoulder gently. "Zuko, hey, Zuko, wake up," he urged.
Zuko was definitely not a morning person. Sure, while he was travelling in his quest to find the avatar he barely slept, but if someone dared to interrupt his precious sleeping hours with anything that wasn't news about the avatar, that person would've gained a nasty burn for it.
However, as he spent time on this new world (just as it happened in Ba Sing Se) he had found himself fond on sleeping in actual proper hours, not seeing the case of waking up so early when the sun wasn't entirely out yet either. The peacefulness of his current life quickly was making himself settle.
He let out a small growl and rolled to his side, moving out a hand in an attempt to shoo the other boy away.
It quickly became obvious that Zuko would require more persuasion than mere words. Aang observed him thoughtfully, and leaned further out of bed, placing his lips about six inches above Zuko's ear. Then, he blew. Hard. That should wake 'im up, he thought smugly.
That gained an startled 'gah!' from the fire prince as he shuddered, practially jumping on his bed and nearly falling out of it. He immediately sat down and glared to the avatar. "What the hell!"
"Sorry," Aang said sheepishly, although he didn't look entirely sorry. "You weren't waking up." Seeing Zuko scramble around all undignified like that had given Aang a secret thrill. "And today's the day."
Zuko let out that sounded between a sigh and a growl while he rubbed his temples. "Maybe, just maybe because I didn't want to wake up just yet." He said in annoyance. "And I know, why I don't get is why do we need to get up so damn early? Not even uncle gets up at this hours." He pointed. The sun was just starting to come out for lord's sake!
"Come on," Aang whined, "we don't want to still be outside at night. We'd get cold. This way we can get everything done and then come back and have some nice cocoa and dinner and then sleep in warm, cozy beds." Aang rose out of bed, wearing only his underwear, and began packing a satchel with things for their 'trip.'
Knowing he couldn't argue with that, Zuko moved to sit down at the edge of his bed as he passed a hand through his hair and slightly rubbed his eyes. He mentally agreed with the boy, he didn't want to be outside with this damn cold weather; besides he couldn't get back to sleep now, not after that. And he had to admit that he was slightly curious to see what the avatar had planned, if he needed to pack that variety of things...
Aang was used to packing camp in minutes, with only minutes' warnings, and so it didn't take him long to gather everything he thought they might need. After he had finished packing, he began to get dressed, pausing to look at Zuko with amusement. "Come on, slowpoke - do I have to blow on you again?" he teased.
Zuko quickly stood up and glared a little, nearly pouting. "Shut up." He walked towards the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, absentmindedly arranging his messy morning hair with his left hand. Then coming back to the dorm and quickly changing his robe with a red clean one (or as quickly as he could seeing how he was still getting used to his wings). He didn't had many changes of clothes, most of them had been given by his uncle, but he always liked to keep using clean ones.
Aang was dressed by the time Zuko returned, and simply sat on the bed waiting for him. His newly constructed glider lay beside him; it didn't fold up as well, but he had managed to make it carriable.
"Going out for flying, huh?" Zuko commented as he raised an eyebrow at the glidder, finishing tying up his robe. At least he was ready now.
"Well... I figured we could try it while we were out," Aang said with a smile, standing up and shouldering his pack. He had walked to the forest before, and so he led the way, allowing Zuko to follow at his own leisure.
After grabbing some random pastries that were on the kitchen table as his improvised breakfast, Zuko followed the avatar without another word. It even surprised himself hot patient he seemed at all this, following this kid without asking any major questions (like where were they exactly going, for example). He had figured it couldn't be worse than being stuck on the village, besides it give him a little time to ponder within his thoughts. Yet his patience did start to wear out after they had been walking for a while. "Aren't we there yet?"
Aang looked quizically over his shoulder. "'There'?" he repeated, his tone of voice making it clear that he had not had any particular 'there' in mind when they set out. He had been enjoying the scenery, and it hadn't really occured to him that Zuko was waiting for a destination.
That response made Zuko hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Yes, the place we're going to!" He said and a exasperated tone. "It was the whole idea of 'today's plans' wasn't it?"
"Uhm..." Aang trailed off, his face flushing in embarassment as he realized his mistake. "Actually, I had just kind of planned for... you know, for us to hang out and explore... together." The idea suddenly seemed so much sillier now, and he looked at his feet, then off into the trees.
Zuko sighed. He knew he should've expected that, he just knew it. "I'm not really used to this... 'exploring'." He admitted. To be honest it sounded more like a kid's game to him.
"Oh... well, then... maybe... we'll give it a try. You might enjoy it- if not we can uh... play tag?" Aang offered lamely, and then mentally kicked himself, wondering why he had such a hard time imagining Zuko doing something other than chasing after him. I mean, it wasn't like he was -born- chasing the Avatar.
"Tag?" Zuko repeated in a disbelieving tone, quickly deciding that would have one of their last resourses, one of the very last indeed. "No err…rather…" He scratched the back of his head. "What do you exactly do while you're at this 'exploring' thing?"
"You just... relax, and enjoy," Aang said, spreading his arms wide to gesture at the surrounding forest. "If you see something that makes you think 'what if'.... you find out the answer. No worries. Just you and your surroundings - or, if you're with someone, you, your surroundings, and them."
"… okay." Zuko said after a while as he tried to familiarize with the idea, yet he kept feeling the concept was flying way too out of his grasp. "So we just keep walking until we get lost."
Aang laughed at that, continuing forward. "Well... that's the other good thing about exploring... once you've been through a place once, you won't get lost in it again."
"Of course," Zuko mumbled. "You wouldn't dare to take a step on it again if you manage to get out." He said in a slight attempt to joke as he, once again, followed the avatar. "You can try this exploring thing first, then I can watch."
"Why, Zuko, you sound almost... afraid," Aang said teasingly, smirking over his shoulder.
Zuko frowned at him, his cheeks adquiring a pale tint of pink. "I'm not afraid." He wasn't really afraid… it was just the very normal feeling of awe one gets against the unexpected. Plus he truly didn't know what to do. It was like when you ask for the rules to a game you don't know but then are ashamed to ask again because you didn't fully understood them at first.
Aang's grin widened uncontrollably at Zuko's blush. He really did like seeing the older boy flustered and vulnerable like that - it helped him to see Zuko as more than the shadow lurking over his shoulder, or the lion in the underbrush. "Well, then... there's a clearing up ahead. Wanna try to fly?"
"I suppose…" The older boy said after a small indignant 'hn'. It could be entertaining and he was already getting tired of walking.
"Great!" Aang exclaimed and darted forward, running the rest of the way through the trees until he came to the sinkhole where the treeline broke. He began unfolding his glider, waiting for Zuko to catch up.
Geez, did this kid always had that much energy? Zuko followed soon after, but now bothering to run behind him. He stopped once he was almost infront of the avatar, casually putting his hands over his hips. "Well, try it then." He said.
Aang put the glider in position and leaped up. He had no trouble traveling the length of the sinkhole, looping over, and coming back. He landed with a grin, and then turned his back to Zuko. "Okay, climb on and get ready to be blown away!"
Zuko followed the Avatar with his gaze as the boy flied in the sky, allowing himself to smile a little. Well, at least he wasn't crashing down into the ground.
But even then, he still had his doubts if that thing it would carry them both. "Are you sure?" He asked, his arms crossed.
"C'mon, Zuko - I chose this spot carefully. Even if you're too heavy, we just land in the snow drifts, see?" Aang said, gesturing to the thick snow. "Don't back out now," he prodded.
Oh yes of course. That would have been great if you don't counted the fact that snow wasn't his most favourite thing in the world. Shaking his head in disbelief that he was agreeing to this, he awkwardly moved into the smaller boy's back, grabbing into the glider as well.
Aang's heart skipped a beat when Zuko pressed him, fighting the fleeting feeling of being a trapped animal. That instinct quickly passed, however, and he nudged Zuko's feet into position with his own. "Okay, on the count of 3. One...two..." and without warning, he jumped up into the air with a wild laugh, sending them flying.
It would be a lie to say that their sudden leap into the air it didn't startle Zuko. In fact it terrified him. If he had not been grabbing the glider he would've suddenly hugged onto the other boy, and he couldn't stop himself from pressing closer into the avatar's body. His stomach wasn't helping either,as he wasn't used to fly at all. But soon all the uncomfortable feelings disappeared, replaced with an eerie one that could've been 'joy'. He let out a light chuckle.
The first few seconds were a struggle, as Aang adjusted to the added weight on the glider. But he was surprised by how quickly he adjusted, and how comfortably Zuko fit on the glider with him. It reminded him of their escape from Admiral Zhao; it was like there was an unspoken balance between them. Aang heard Zuko laugh lightly - an actual, happy laugh - and he joined in with a laugh of his own. >
"Hold on!" he said gleefully, and then did a twist as he rounded the clearing, and followed it with a large, upside-down loop.
Zuko only had time to let out a small yelp in surprise. The movement made his stomach flip and a not so pleasant way. "Hey!" He said in protest.
"It's okay!" Aang said, "I won't go too fast and your stomach gets used to it." He strained to carry them higher, pushing them up so that Zuko could see out over the treetops.
Zuko would've wanted to protest more, he wasn't sure if he did want to get used to the sudden loops, but the words died on his throat as he felt enthralled by the view. From this angle he could almost think the snow made all somewhat… pretty. How it covered and tinted the ground, with seldom splashes of different greens from the trees all over. It was.. really nice. "It's beautiful." He said breathlessly.
"I know," Aang said, his voice as affectionate as if he were talking about a child or sibling. The glider wobbled slightly as he strained to keep them aloft, wanting to give Zuko the chance to enjoy the weightless feeling he enjoyed so regularly. He lapped the clearing a few more times, throwing in a few more gradual, less stomach-jarring spins and flips, and suddenly, he couldn't hold them both up anymore. The glider faltered again, and they fell - he caught them about ten feet from the ground, and then they fell the rest of the way, crashing into the snow.
Zuko let out a startled sound as they suddenly fell, he barely had had time to turn them around so the crash wouldn't hurt as much. At least the snow did soften the hit as they landed on his back. After wards he rolled into the ground a little as the force of the falling died. "Ugh. Wonderful."
Aang rolled free from the glider and lay panting in the snow, out of breath. He felt its cold seeping through his clothes and into his skin, but he was too exhausted to sit up. "Ngh... crud," he muttered. "Sorry, I think I overdid it."
Zuko remained laying into the ground as well, even if his clothes were getting soaked; that had been quite a falling. "Oh, you think?" He said, wanting it to sound like a reproach but sounding far too amused. He chuckled again, somehow suddenly finding funny the whole situation.
"Sorry," Aang mumbled, blushing. "I just wanted... I wanted you to get to see things like that. Prob'ly should have not rushed it..." Aang was embarassed at his failing, but Zuko seemed genuinely happy, and that made it worth it.
"Hmm." Actually, the experience had helped him a little to understand the younger boy better. Up on the air he felt to nice, so light, so free. It was as if he could push aside all his thoughts and problems, forgetting about the war without feeling too guilty, ignoring the fact that they were stuck in another world as test subjects of those twisted people (or whatever they were). "Perhaps back at our world it wouldn't have ended with a crash." He finally commented.
"Are you kidding? This was -nothing-. Back home I could've shown you even more. When we go home, we'll do it again, and do it better," Aang said, looking over at Zuko with an affectionate smile. "I'll give you the ride of your life," he added.
Zuko started contemplating the probability as the boy talked. He had to admit it would be nice, even if the avatar's friends would be giving him this death glare. Even if it would be plenty awkward, he felt like wanting to see what kind of faces they would put.
However his trail of thought abruptly ended as he heard the boy's last sentence. He almost jolted into a sitting position, his cheeks turning bright pink in a second. "B-beg your pardon??" He stuttered.
Aang pushed himself weakly up onto his elbows - not that it did much good in the deep snow - and looked at Zuko curiously. "What? What's wrong? I said I'll give you the best ride of your life." Aang tried to figure out what had caused such a violent reaction and finally decided on jealousy. "I mean... that is, if you enjoy it... if there's something else you enjoy riding on more..." he trailed off, bewildered.
Zuko coughed at this, turning away from the other boy to hide his flushed cheeks, hoping he would make it look like it was 'cause of the cold. "It's not that, I know it'll be a nice rid- I mean it was nice ride with the glider! And I wouldn't mind riding yo- with you sometime again! That's it.. yeah.. agh." Stupid, stupid. Why was he blurting out such stupid things? He was almost convinced the snow had to had something in it.
...Aang blinked. Zuko's continuing discomfort was baffling. But his ramblings weren't making it any clearer. Aang decided he must be embarrassed by the fact that he had enjoyed himself, and decided to let it go. He shivered and yawned.
Zuko sighed miserably and decided to stand up. Using his firebending, he quickly dried his clothes, leaving a nice warm steam behind. He walked towards Aang. "Want help or can you do it without setting your clothes on fire?" He asked, hoping they would left behind the awkward previous moment in which he practically made a fool on himself. He knew the Avatar could use his airbending, but it wouldn't help with his shivering.
"N... I don't think I can bend right now," Aang admitted quietly, feeling embarrassed about admitting how weak he was. He had -really- pushed himself for that glider ride.... he just didn't want Zuko to know that. Still shivering, he started to climb to his feet, using his glider as a staff to help himself up.
Zuko let out a sigh. Oh he was supposed to stop doing that, right? Whatever. "Idiot." He said in a somewhat affectionate way that sounded weird even to himself. Leaning towards the boy a little, he helped him a little, quickly firebending his clothes dry. A sudden thought struck him as he finished. Why did he care? "There."
Aang felt the warmth of the firebending and relaxed into it, comforted by it. If he had tried such a thing himself, it would have been uncomfortable or hot; Zuko seemed to know just the right amount of heat to use. He tried to rub the sudden blush out of his cheeks, smiling.
"Thanks." Maybe it was something about snow that lowered his inhibitions, but he found himself suddenly leaning forward and wrapping his arms around Zuko in a loose hug. He gave the lightest of friendly squeezes and then pulled away, blushing even more, hoping he hadn't upset Zuko with the sudden show of affection.
"Thanks." Maybe it was something about snow that lowered his inhibitions, but he found himself suddenly leaning forward and wrapping his arms around Zuko in a loose hug. He gave the lightest of friendly squeezes and then pulled away, blushing even more, hoping he hadn't upset Zuko with the sudden show of affection.
"Um," Zuko certainly didn't expect that. He could only remain still in awkward silence for a moment. "Um, yeah, you're welcome." He mumbled. Okay, he wasn't much of a hug person, in fact he only pretty much allowed his uncle to hug him. But that hadn't been... too bad. And sudden noise made him violently snap out of his trance, he turned his head around to look in the direction he heard it and gasped.
"Move!" He said while grabbing Aang by the shoulders and pulling him down into the ground. A lightning immediately passed to where they had been, sharply hitting the ground with a snap.
Aang let out an 'oof' as the air was knocked out of him, He looked around, dazed, trying to find where the attack had come from - ridiculously, his first thought was that Azula must be nearby.
Zuko narrowed his eyes as he trying to look to their attacker, but another lightning suddenly flew in his way. He quickly rolled from his spot and kneeled, having to jump away as another one tried to hit him. He blinked, were they after him? "Show yourself!" He roared sending the best wave of fire he could towards the general direction of the the attacks where coming from.
Aang scrambled to his feet, heart pounding furiously in his chest. He was weaker than he had been since Ba Sing Se - maybe even weaker. Not a good time to be caught in a fight. And if their opponents weren't fellow captives... "Zuko! Back to town!" he yelled, using what bending strength he had left to sirbend a huge gush of air into the snow and obscure everything in white. He grabbed Zuko's hand and ran for the treeline, dragging his glider behind him. He could only hope the snow would hide them.
As they ran back into the deep forest, Zuko kept looking back over his shoulders. He couldn't see anything, nothing that could look like an attacker, there were too many trees and he couldn't tell if all the shadows were from the same. Then another lightning shot right at their backs. He immediately tackled Aang down to prevent them from being hit. Once it passed he stood up almost as soon as he hit the ground, turning around to face the next strike.
"Damn you." And it came, but this time he was prepared. He took the lightning with his fingers, forced to back away by it's strength but then managed to return it; making the light strike into a nearby tree and set it on fire.
He should've know there would be something wrong after using that technique on this world, because, while he wasn't hurt, he felt like if most of his energies were drained from him. He fell into his knees, exhausted. "Damn."
Aang saw Zuko's exhaustion, and felt fear seize his heart. If they were both too weak to fight... he clutched his glider tightly, waiting for anything to approach. He was not expecting an attack from behind, however - something reached out from the trees at his side, and he barely had time to turn his head in its direction before something wrapped itself around his wrist and yanked him with surprising force into the trees - hard enough for him to hear the 'pop' of his own shoulder dislocating.
Zuko only had time to turn around and see the avatar disappear into the woods. He felt his heart clench painfully.
"No! STOP!" The managed to stood up shakily and run towards the direction he lat saw the younger boy, but his legs weren't responding too well. Shit, shit, shit. He had to lean into a tree.
"Goddamnit. Bring. Him. BACK!" The only response was another lightning. One he barely managed to dodge. It hit him on the side of his torso.
"Agh!" He ungracefully fell into the ground as he felt the pain starting to fill his senses, yet he stubbornly still tried to get up. Yet suddenly forcefully warped around his ankle and send him an electric shock. Blackness immediately surrounding him as he lost conscious.