Weakness: An A:TLA fanfic - (9 Parts)

[Hex]

Title: Weakness

Author: Hex

Fandom/Orginal: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I don’t own or make money from any of the characters in this fanfiction, I just make them sneeze

Summary: The South Pole is no place for a firebender.

Authors Notes: I have no beta. Therefore, any and all errors are mine. This takes place pre-first season. I may continue it, I may not. I probably will, though. Be very afraid.

Zuko wanted to show no weakness in front of his troops. He was a teenager, and most of them were battle-hardened men. It didn’t even matter anymore that he was royalty, because banished royalty were less than nobody in his eyes. Even though some of them had been under his command for years, he still knew they didn’t respect him. He tried his hardest to prove his worth, practicing firebending every morning in full view of his troops. And it was starting to work, too.

So, of course, he just had to get sick while in the middle of what the Water Tribe called a homeland and he called a freezing, despicable hellpit of a place. Which meant he was stuck on his ship, in close proximity to a vast majority of the people he never wanted to show any kind of frailty to. It had been hard enough to hide his allergies to those damned Earth Kingdom plants that were veritable pollen factories, and that he had only managed by “accidentally” setting the nearest field of them on fire during training. Now there was nothing to burn, and no remote tent to retreat to.

He just had to tough it out.

At least, that was what Zuko kept telling himself as he stood on the bow of the ship, with the cold sea air stinging his already irritated nose. This was what he normally did. He stood on the deck, looking for some sign of the Avatar. He was ashamed to acknowledge the fact that, right now, he would rather look for a bowl of hot soup and a warm bed. His lunch had been cold and hard, and he had barely managed to choke it down. But he had done it, for the sake of pretending.

He tried to sniff quietly enough that no one would hear him. Sure, no one was standing particularly close to him, but Lieutenant Jee had ears like a wolf-bat. And he especially didn’t want any sign of his illness to be seen by-

“It’s a fine evening, nephew,”

-Iroh. Curse it.

“I would find it better,” Zuko growled through clenched teeth, “if I had the Avatar.” He had to be very careful around Iroh. If his uncle learned that the prince was sick, Zuko would undoubtedly find himself wrapped in sheets and sipping some horrible medicinal tea, being coddled like an invalid while rumors flew about the ship. He could not have that.

“You’re shivering,” Iroh observed calmly, and Zuko’s good eye widened. He tried to will himself to stop. “You should take better care of yourself, Prince Zuko. The South Pole is no place for a firebender.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Stop mothering me and go play Pai Sho with the crew. I think there are some people you haven’t swindled money from yet.”

“I’m hurt!” Iroh said, placing a hand on his heart theatrically. “Surely you know I am skilled enough to win without cheating?”

“I don’t doubt that,” Zuko admitted, resisting the urge to squirm. His nose itched. “You cheat for the fun of it.”

“And it is glorious,” Iroh agreed. “Perhaps you will join me?”

“No. I have... have to watch...” he stumbled over the words, breath hitching. Spirits curse every single cold to ever plague mankind.

Iroh sighed, evidently taking the pauses as a sign that his nephew was distracted by his quest. “Another time, then,” he said, and walked off.

Zuko leaned heavily against the railing when his uncle was inside the ship, propping himself up by the elbows and scrubbing his nose furiously with the back of his hand. His breath stopped hitching, and the tickle eased off. Disaster averted, he sighed and stared at the never-ending glacial sea. He hated the South Pole.

Something moved in the water below, and he was instantly alert, watching the dark shape get bigger as it neared the surface. It broke the surface of the water, and he shot a fireball at it out of reflex. The fire hissed harmlessly as it hit the ocean, and the zebra-seal he had nearly charbroiled poked its head out of the water to howl reproachfully at the Fire Prince.

Zuko growled in anger, and, nursing his pride, stomped into the interior of the ship, hands steaming. A few crew members flattened themselves against the walls, or ducked into side halls when they saw him approach. They knew better to get in the way of Zuko when he was mad. And though they didn’t know it, this time he was mad and sick and far more likely to kill anyone who stood between him and sanctuary.

He managed to make it all the way to his room without incident, slamming the heavy door shut as soon as he was inside. He slumped against it, suddenly exhausted. The little bit of firebending he had done had tired him more than usual. On top of that, his head throbbed, and his nose itched again. Zuko was too worn out to bother hiding his illness, trusting the thick walls to muffle the sounds of his sneezes.

He inhaled sharply. “Hha... h-kssh!” His head snapped forward, and he left it there, feeling another sneeze building. “Huh’chh! Uhn...” He rubbed his nose wearily, catching another sneeze in the back of his hand. “Ngxxt!” Zuko made a sound that, if it came from a person less dignified, might be called a moan. He locked the door, not really expecting anyone to try to come in but taking the precaution anyway. He trudged to the bed and collapsed into a sitting position on the edge. He didn’t have any cloth to blow his nose in, as asking for that would require him to admit he was sick. So he just sniffed miserably, feeling bad and knowing he would feel worse the next day. He hoped this would be over soon. It would be just his luck to finally find the Avatar while battling a head-cold.

Zuko sneezed again, and hissed as his chest muscles clenched uncomfortably. He fell sideways with a bit more force than he had meant to use, head thumping into his pillow. He hated the South Pole.

[Sitruuna]

Pretty nice, gonna continue?

[tFM!]

YAY! An Avatar fic! I love Zuko so much Please continue.

[Sawyer]

DKSJHSDKJHFKFJSDHKA I had like butterflies in my stomach THE ENTIRE TIME I was reading this! It's so good! I love denial in coldfics and this was perfect! You wrote ponytail!Zuko perfectly, all angry and bitter and temperamental. Iroh was great, too! Your characterization was excellent, as were your sneeze spellings. Ah! And when you mentioned his allergies. That was so lovely. He's just the kind of person to have allergies, though, isn't he?

Maybe you could like! Turn this into a series of drabbles? Like, you know how Zuko develops immensely as the series progresses? You could kind of talk about how much he changes and use his dealing with ailments as an example -- either of how every aspect of him improved or how some things haven't changed, like his habit of masking any vulnerability.

BUT I'M JUST THROWING OUT IDEAS because I really want you to continue this. XD Which issss pretty selfish, considering I haven't posted anything in a while... hahaha.

Still though! I loved this and i would loveloveLOVE to see more!

[a red nine]

Okay... verrry cute. And accurate! And I saw your thread, your writing is just fine. In fact, I love it, so I can't wait for an update!!

[Merino Sheep]

DKSJHSDKJHFKFJSDHKA I had like butterflies in my stomach THE ENTIRE TIME I was reading this! It's so good! I love denial in coldfics and this was perfect! You wrote ponytail!Zuko perfectly, all angry and bitter and temperamental. Iroh was great, too! Your characterization was excellent, as were your sneeze spellings. Ah! And when you mentioned his allergies. That was so lovely. He's just the kind of person to have allergies, though, isn't he?

Maybe you could like! Turn this into a series of drabbles? Like, you know how Zuko develops immensely as the series progresses? You could kind of talk about how much he changes and use his dealing with ailments as an example -- either of how every aspect of him improved or how some things haven't changed, like his habit of masking any vulnerability.

BUT I'M JUST THROWING OUT IDEAS because I really want you to continue this. XD Which issss pretty selfish, considering I haven't posted anything in a while... hahaha.

Still though! I loved this and i would loveloveLOVE to see more!

I think Sen Beret said it all.

This was amazing and lol. I hope that you decide to continue writing more. =]

[nolongeractive]

Gaww! Adorable. I lauved it so. As soon as I saw "Zuko" I knew I would. xD And I'm sure he'd really react that way, too! Excellent.

[LeapYearKisses]

Ooh, I love Avatar and when I saw this I just had to read it. This was great! Are you going to continue? I would love to read more of your sneezy Zuko.

[Hex]

(Thank you for your responses! I'm having fun with this.

Oh, and this is my first time writing a fight scene, so try not to hate it too much.)

His head throbbed, his nose felt raw and itchy, and he swore someone had stuffed his mouth with cotton. On top of that, his bedsheets had attacked him. Zuko used some very creative phrases he had learned from the Fire Navy as he attempted to get out of the tangle of sweat-dampened sheets without burning them. All he succeeded in doing was falling off the bed and bringing the whole mess with him. He bit back a yelp at the way his landing had jarred his sore chest and head, and kicked furiously at the sheets. They relinquished their hold on his legs, and he scrambled backwards, panting and mad. Wasn’t that a hell of a way to start his day. Staying crouched on the floor, Zuko regarded his sheets with pure animosity. Stupid things.

“Prince Zuko?” Iroh called, knocking tentatively on his nephew’s door.

“I’m awake!” Zuko called back, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to forestall a sneeze and lessen his headache. He was not in the mood for... well, anything but more sleep. “What do you want?”

“It is almost time for your practice. You are dueling today.”

Zuko tried not to whimper. Every once in a while, his training was supplemented with mock duels against some of the crew. He had to use his firebending knowledge against another, instead of being drilled in the forms. Ordinarily, the duels filled him with a sense of fierce self-satisfaction. He loved to show that he was no novice, that he was a good firebender no matter what anyone else said. But today... “Fine, Uncle. I’m coming,” he said, but made no move to rise from the floor.

He heard the sound of retreating footsteps, and stopped pinching his nose. And was immediately faced with another problem. While he had succeeded in holding back the sneeze, now it was stuck. He could feel it, in the pressure in his nose and the hitch in his breath. But it wasn’t going to budge for a while. And knowing his luck, it would come out at the most inconvenient moment possible.

He rubbed a finger along the edge of his nose lightly, hoping to coax the sneeze out. It tickled, but didn’t do much to help. Annoyed, he flipped his ponytail forward, and tried tickling with that. It worked much better. His breathing became more erratic. His eyelids fluttered, and his head tilted slightly backwards. “Ehh... h- KSHUH!” His body snapped forwards, and he braced his elbows against his knees. “Ih-chh! Hah-CSH!”

Unwinding from his crumpled position on the floor, Zuko was grateful for the fact that his sneezing seemed to have subsided. The last one was far more violent than his usual sneezes, and it had hurt. He got dressed a little more stiffly than usual, and trudged out towards the deck of the ship. This... would not be fun. At all. The hallways were suspiciously clear of people, and that worried him. That meant his opponent was well-liked, which made it even more important that Zuko prove his superiority. He was trying to psyche himself up when he stepped out into the cold air and saw his opponent. His heart plummeted, and he swallowed.

Lieutenant Jee. He was facing Lieutenant Jee.

Iroh walked up to his nephew, usual wide smile gone. “Prince Zuko. You have progressed far in training. I am your advocate in all things. But Lieutenant Jee...” he shook his head, frowning. “Lieutenant Jee will be a challenge for you. I would like you to take some advice. I regret that I have not had time to properly teach you this.”

“What is it, Uncle?” Zuko asked irritably. At this rate, the fight would be over before Iroh got to the point. It was hard enough to face Jee, knowing his reputation in the Navy. Now it sounded like Iroh was as good as telling him he had no chance.

“Fire is the breath. As such, it can be created even if you are immobilized. It will counteract Jee’s signature move. He will attempt to restrain you. Do not let him.” Iroh clapped Zuko on the shoulder. Across the deck, many of the crew were showing similar affection to Jee. The Fire Prince took a deep breath. Yes, he could feel what Iroh was talking about. He attempted to blow fire out of his nose, but all he got was a faint wisp of steam. He turned to ask Iroh for a demonstration, but the old man had stepped back. He faced Jee again, just in time to see the blast of flame that signaled the beginning of the match. Dropping into his fighting stance, Zuko began prowling to the right. Jee stayed in one place, apparently unconcerned with his opponent’s approach. His stance was relaxed, casual even.

That was why there was a collective gasp as the Lieutenant flipped into the air, trailing fire. He thrust a kick in Zuko’s direction, and the flame arced straight for the prince’s face. He ducked and rolled away, cursing himself for enjoying that dangerous flare of heat. Flame shot out of his fists in response, but Jee was already moving. He was fast for someone who looked so old. Darts of flame whizzed from his fingers with every step, every spin, and it was all Zuko could do to avoid them. He... he was being played with. The thought made him furious, and he swung his arm around, sending an arc of fire at Jee. A twist of his foot sent a gout of flame across the deck, forcing Jee to duck and roll. The air sizzled with the unnatural heat produced by the flames.

The watchers started yelling out encouragement and insults. The young prince shook his head, trying to keep from being distracted by the barrage of noise.

“Use the darts again!”

“Dodge faster!”

“Give ‘im a left! A left!”

Zuko roared in irritation at the watchers, punching flame at Jee erratically in an attempt to keep him from getting close. Jee, however, seemed completely unaffected by the commentary and moved through the fire with precision and skill. He started deflecting the blasts with a casual disdain as Zuko became less and less controlled, angry and afraid at the same time. Then...

Zuko threw himself to the ground to avoid Jee’s attack. The crazy bastard had tried to fireball his face, didn’t he know this wasn’t an Agni Kai... And then Jee was crouched over his chest, pinning Zuko’s hands and feet. He couldn’t move enough to firebend.

“Yield,” the Lieutenant whispered.

“Die,” Zuko grated, squirming.

“Yield, little Prince. You’re out of your league.” Mockingly, Jee flipped Zuko’s ponytail into his face, so the hair covered his eyes and brushed against his nose.

The effect was instantaneous. Zuko had been breathing in the steam and smoke for the whole fight, and his nose just itched for release. “Hhaah-!” he inhaled sharply, eyebrows scrunching together as he tried to fight the sneeze. No, this was absolutely not the right moment, no- “K-HAHCht! Fire streamed from his mouth and nose, and Jee yelled in surprise as he tumbled off the prince. Zuko wasted no time in flipping on top of his opponent. “Now,” he said, and smirked. “You yield.”

The Lieutenant looked afraid. Zuko spared a moment to wonder about his appearance. Scarred eye, evil smirk, steam still rising from his nostrils? Yes, that was probably very intimidating.

“I yield,” Jee grunted, and the prince let him go, rising triumphantly in front of a stunned crowd.

Iroh came up to congratulate him. “Excellent use of fire breath, my nephew,” he said, eyes twinkling. “Though that was an... interesting sound you accompanied it with.”

Zuko felt himself blush. “It was, ah,” he muttered. “Just a yell. A way to give it more power.” He was a terrible liar. He knew it, and Iroh knew it. But all his uncle did was smile, and give Zuko a friendly squeeze on his arm before retreating to the interior of the ship.

It was a true feat of self-control when Zuko did not run straight in after his uncle, and instead stayed to accept the congratulations of the crew.

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Oh wow, your characterisation is spot-on and totally awesome. I could totally picture that scene in the series.

And YAY you updated while I was responding! *goes off to read*

So awesome Zuko won the fight by sneezing. Poor him though. I like Zuko.

I love this story. *is not afraid of updates, but would love them*

[Sawyer]

SADJHKFAHLKJAA OH MY GODDD THIS WAS SO HOT. So. Hot! The tickling his nose with his ponytail (although I love Zuzu with that emoboy hair, this MIGHT be enough to sway me a little) and the FIRESNEEZING and asdfhasdkfhajk the "you yield" thing and OH WOW you are amazing. This was just... hnggghjhsfkasdfa SOOO HOT. The thought of him having normally regular sneezes and then sneezing FIRE is just so so sexy, you have no idea. And winning with it too! That arrogance... ohmygoddd.

Wow. You just. You have to. Continue!

By the way! I'm almost finished with my own little... drabble thing. I'll have it posted some time tomorrow!

[Scarlette]

Oh Zuko! You and your angst.

[musiclover90]

I love Avatar! Please continue!

[caligulasArmageddons]

SQUEE!!! -Licks Zuko-

Please, continue!

-Licks Zuko more-

[Hex]

( *dignified look* My loyal people, and my valued newcomers! Thank you for your love.)

(Zuko: *yelps and scoots away from Forgotten Sorceress and her tongue* Agni Ka- hha’tchuh! )

( To make up for the fact that for some reason my state considers public education to be more important than writing fluffy sneezefics (at least I get to pretend “P.E. Dance I" is firebending class (why yes I am that much of a dork)) and I should probably focus on schoolwork for the rest of the week, here is the culmination of my first “Weakness” story. Now with 100% more Iroh awesomeness!)

Zuko paced in his room, quietly at war with himself. While the cause of this particular battle might not seem that important to others, it was very, very important to the young prince.

It was the decision of whether or not to come clean to Iroh about his illness.

He already knows, Zuko thought. He already knows and he’s just waiting for me to confess. Iroh did things like that. Then he turned on his heel, and came up with a counter argument.

If he just waits, and I tell him nothing, no one else will know. This can still be a secret. He whirled again, and the most convincing argument for telling Iroh showed up.

“Hh-huhh...” he began helplessly, turning his head so the sneeze was directed at his armor-covered shoulder. “H’SHHcht! Huh! H’Chuh!” With each sneeze, fire shot out of his mouth and nose, hissing over his armor. While the heat did wonders for his sore, stiff muscles, it was entirely inconvenient. And since Iroh was the one who had caused this to happen, logically, he was the person to go to for help making it stop. This hadn’t happened before he had learned about fire-breath.

“Ahh’kTCH!” He sniffled weakly, hating himself for being weak and needing help. His pride was already somewhat damaged from winning that fight on luck. Now he had to go and admit weakness to someone, in addition to asking for help. Under normal circumstances, this would be intolerable. Zuko’s face crumpled mid-thought, and he had a few quavering half-starts before regaining some semblance of control over his nose. He gave a relieved sigh, then sneezed so quickly he didn’t have time to turn his head. Cursing wildly, he waved his hands and put out the small fire that had started consuming the desk where his meditation candles rested. That was enough to remind him that these were not normal circumstances.

He slunk through the halls, feeling like an invader on his own ship. Luckily, it was midday, so most of the crew were at their posts. He didn’t encounter anyone on the way to Iroh’s room, and sent a brief prayer to Agni that his uncle’s room was empty but for the man himself. Taking a shallow breath through his mouth (breathing too deeply made his nose itch even more), Zuko knocked and stepped in without invitation.

It was another mixed blessing that Iroh was alone. On the one hand, Zuko didn’t have to embarrass himself by asking for a private audience. On the other, he had no excuse to flee. His uncle was reading some thick, age-spotted scroll. “Nephew!” the Dragon of the West said in surprise. “I was not expecting you here. Come to thank an old general for his trick?”

“No,” Zuko said, shutting the door firmly behind him and locking it. “I’ve come to voice a complaind.” His voice betrayed him on the last word, giving Iroh an extra hint to his nephew’s condition.

“Oh?” was all Iroh said in response, setting down the scroll.

Curse him, the Fire Prince thought furiously. He’s going to make me say it. “I can’d,” he paused, cleared his throat, and started over. “I can’t control it. It keeps... coming out.”

“Oh?”

“Is that all you have to say? ‘Oh’?” Zuko yelled, enraged. This was hard enough without that stupid twitch of a smile on Iroh’s lips, the crinkling at the corner of his eyes that said he was trying no to laugh. “Everyone and everything on this ship are in danger because I have an Agni-cursed cold and I keep sneezing fire!”

His uncle chuckled, and Zuko glared at him, livid. Steam rose in curling tendrils from his clenched fists.

“Oh, nephew. All you had to do was admit it. Fire-breath is simple to control, with practice,” Iroh began, once he was no longer laughing. “It will only come forth involuntarily when your mind is turbulent. The best cure for what ails you,” he winked at Zuko, “both of the things that ail you, is rest. No one will begrudge you your rest.”

“I don’t need rest!” the young firebender yelled. “I nee- huhh- need-“ he gave up, and turned his head to the side. “Hha’tCHH! Uhh-k’shh! Chht!” He sniffed wetly, and glared at Iroh with damp eyes.

“Rest and a cup of herbal tea. Rest, Prince Zuko. The illness with run its course quicker if you do not exhaust yourself with protests.” Iroh stood, and gestured to his bed. The unmade, rumpled sheets and over-stuffed pillows looked more inviting than they had any right to. It was all Zuko could do not to moan as he gave in and laid down, curling into a decidedly undignified position.

“The men will not know,” was the last thing Zuko heard before sleep claimed him.

Edited September 22, 2010 by Hex

[caligulasArmageddons]

No. -smuggles Zuko's allergens into The ship when no one is looking-

Now I just have to write a Zuzu fic in Ba Sing Se, and I can imagine them in the actual show.

This is WONDERFUL.

-Snuggles Zuko in allergen covered room-

Its a real shame Iroh has no flowers in his room...Or DOES he?

[Merino Sheep]

The past two chapters were great! You did a wonderful job, especially with characterization and description.

I'll admit I had to look up the word culmination, however I can count that as something knew learned today. lol

[Sawyer]

So much love for this! Ohmygoddd ZUKO'S CONFUSION AND HELPLESSNESS ABOUT THE FIRENSEEZING OKAY WILL YOU JUST MARRY ME NOW this is so delicious and perfect dsajkfhsfafds. IROH IS SUCH A HERO. You wrote him perfectly! I could for real hear his voice while I was reading. Excellent excellent job. MORE? PLEASE?

[Hex]

( SUPER TIME LEAP. Because I had no muse for doing these in chronological order. Seriously. I tried about three different fic settings, but this was the only one I could actually write.

Takes place after The Boiling Rock. Feedback on Sokka, please? This is my first time writing him. This mini-series will be my first time writing a lot of characters, actually, so if you think I should fix or add something, please tell me.

Without further ado...)

“Hu’asht!”

Zuko flinched, and resumed trying to ignore Sokka. However, ignoring Sokka was one of the most difficult tasks in the known universe. And ignoring Sokka when the stupid Water Tribe peasant was sick? Impossible.

I survived facing Azula. I survived facing Father. I survived facing Mai after I had broken up with her. I can survive this. Somehow, no matter how many times he thought that, it never got any more convincing.

“Kataraaaaaa...” Sokka moaned. “I need more blankets.” He coughed piteously, and Zuko wanted to strangle him. He stood up, abandoning the pretense of polishing his swords. Like he could get any work done with all the noise.

“Your sister,” Zuko said, trying to keep his annoyance out of his voice, “went to go train with Aang.”

“Oh. Right.” Sokka tried to push himself into a sitting position, then flopped back into his bedroll theatrically. “I’m so sick. Why aren’t you sick? You were the one in the icebox.”

As a matter of fact, Zuko wasn’t feeling so great himself. There was a weakness in his muscles, hesitation in his words and strikes that hadn’t been there before he went to the Boiling Rock. But he wasn’t complaining, and he was certainly not being as dramatic about it as Sokka. “It was called the cooler,” he corrected, the only thing he could think of to say.

“Yeah, I’ll just call it the icebox. It’s not cooler than anything but the Firelord, am I right?” When all he got was a blank look, Sokka sighed. “Seriously. We need to work on your sense of humor.”

“That was a joke?”

“Come on, didn’t our male bonding in the balloon teach you anything?” Sokka asked, then sniffed wetly. “Man. This sucks.”

“Mmhm.” Zuko crouched down and regarded Sokka. He didn’t understand the other boy at all. They were both warriors (although, being the oldest male in the tribe, Sokka’s training had not been as rigorous as Zuko’s), and so, they ought to have the same outlook on many aspects of life. But they absolutely did not. Sokka laughed at the things that got Zuko angry. Zuko’s jokes, even when he remembered all of the parts, often fell flat, while people would laugh at things Sokka had just made up.

And Sokka was not above using his weaknesses to his advantage, whereas Zuko just wished all of his frailties would disappear.

“Why are you staring at me?” Sokka asked. “It’s creeping me out.”

“Oh. Uh... sorry,” Zuko muttered, and retreated back to where he had left his swords.

“Are you okay? Your eyes look funny. All... shiny.”

The Fire Prince swiped at his traitorous eyes. Yes, there was moisture there, a wetness that gave away the fact that his nose was becoming more and more itchy. “You’re imagining things,” he said shortly, and resumed caring for his weapons.

“No, I don’t think so.” Sokka sniffled again, and Zuko twitched. That noise was driving him insane. Not only was it obnoxious, it reminded him of how much he wanted to perform the same action. “I may be sick, but I’m not hallucinating. Right, Momo?” The lemur looked up from the bag he was going through, in search of something interesting or edible, and trilled. “See? Momo agrees with me.”

“No, he wants to be fed.” The next swipe of the polishing cloth was more forceful than was strictly necessary, but he had to have some way to release his irritation, what with random firebending being prohibited by Katara. “I’m just fine,” he added, voice quavering on the last word. He hunched over his swords and his face tensed. Zuko turned slightly into his left sleeve, and caught the sneeze in his throat. There was no sound, but his body trembled with the effort of containing the sneeze. Before he even had time to move, three more hit. He stifled each one, but it hurt worse and worse every time. Silencing his sneezes was a skill he had learned after being on the run and frequently having to hide, but it made his throat ache and gave him more sneezes to deal with, as there wasn’t even the slightest release of air to dislodge the tickle.

He uncoiled from the position and resumed polishing his swords, unaware of the calculating look he was getting from Sokka.

--

The Water Tribesman hadn’t quite been able to tell that Zuko’s face had been scrunched up, having been presented with the scarred side, but he had seen the trembles. He was a hunter, after all. Spotting little movements was his thing. And there was no freakin’ way that Zuko had gone to the same stupid germy prison as him, and gotten thrown in an icebox, without getting sick. Sokka knew his luck was pretty bad, but Zuko’s was no better. And weren’t firebenders more sensitive to cold or something?

“Mp-PHSHT!” Seriously. He was raised in the South Pole, and being in the cooler had aggravated what might have only been a little sniffle into a full-blown cold. The Jerkbender had to be at least a little sick. And if he was too stupid to admit it...

Sokka sniffled again, then rubbed at his nose, grinning evilly. Well, then he would just have to help, wouldn’t he? He was the Plan Guy, after all.

[blackrose]

this looks promising, and potentially very funny!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Okay, feedback on Sokka: your characterisation is spot on. You write him very well.

And Zuko? Yum.

Awesome story!

[Sawyer]

“I’m so sick. Why aren’t you sick? You were the one in the icebox.” <--- favorite line. EVER.

Oh my god. Oh my god. OH MY GOD I love this so SO SO much, you have no idea. I love Sokka and Zuko's relationship. The awkwardness and the male bonding thing and the fjdkhafjkfhsas YOU WROTE IT PERFECTLY. I love the way you write Sokka. It's phenomenal!! And DUDE, the Western Air Temple arc is my favorite one. Especially the part after the Boiling Rock! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were writing this after searching MY BRAIN. Aaaahh!

I liked the part about Zuko's body convulsing as he stifled the sneezes, too. God, he's so adorable. ALL OF THIS is adorable and hot and just jafhskdfhsdfka okay, for real, it's perfect and I am stoked to read more like you have no idea.

ANDDDDD I'll get to updating mine soon, I promise!

[caligulasArmageddons]

SQUEE! UPDATES!

-Resumes licking of Zuko and nods approval for more-

[Hex]

(( Oh god, an update? Where? ))

Sokka had been watching Zuko very closely ever since he realized that the jerkbender was sick, trying to figure out a way to entrap him. Zuko was tricky, he was. He could vanish like some kind of spirit creature when he wanted to, and Sokka wasn’t quite sure how to rig some kind of long-distance trap under these circumstances and for this purpose.

But he would get him eventually. It was only the evening on the first day he’d found out, after all.

“Great soup, Katara!” Aang said cheerfully.

Sokka mumbled something along the lines of “Mm, soup,” before proceeding to stuff his face. Zuko gave the Water Tribe boy a weird look, but damnit, there was soup and soup trumped all.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Sparky?” Toph asked, elbowing Zuko in the ribs hard enough to make the boy yelp.

He glared at her, not yet having learned the futility of making faces at Toph. “I’ve barely had time to.”

“Eat up, Jerkbender,” Sokka commanded with a mouth full of soup. Katara hit him on the head with a wooden serving spoon. “Ow!”

“Manners,” she said firmly.

Zuko had started eating his soup, evidently worried by Katara and her weapon. He was eating rather oddly, though, taking a breath before sipping from the bowl. It was almost like... like...

Sokka got an evil glint in his eyes. Oh, it could not be that easy. Could it? Could the freaking firebender be sensitive to steam? He tried not to cackle, and succeeded. Mostly. Now, either he could take advantage of this in some sneaky way, or go all-out.

Seriously, why did he even need to consider the first one?

He hated to sacrifice his soup, but it was for a good cause, really. He pitched forward with a loud yell of “AH CHOO!” and all but threw his soup into the part of the cooking-fire nearest to Zuko. Panic flared in bright Fire eyes, and the prince fell over backwards in his haste to get away from the cloud of steam chasing after him. He didn’t let that stop him, though, and scuttled farther away until he realized everyone with functional eyes was looking at him.

“I, uh,” he muttered, turning pink, “don’t want his cold.”

Sokka was too busy mourning his soup to make a comment on that. Everyone else filed the incident under “The Former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation is a Big Spaz” and returned to their dinners.

Sokka was not so busy, though, that he didn’t notice the ripples that once more shook Zuko’s body. He was totally the best Plan Guy ever.

--

Zuko had tried to stay away from hate and anger, he really had. His firebending was really improving, now that he was making an effort to be more focused on maintaining the tranquility of the little sun inside of him than focusing on the obnoxious too-damn-perceptive barbarians that he was sharing a camp with.

At least his room was private. At least he could hide in there. And at least his emotions were controlled enough that he wasn’t sneezing fire anymore.

His breath hitched, and he let it. The release would feel so good, after holding his sneezes for a whole day. “H-ktsh!”

Scratch that last “At least”. He stared at the rapidly dissipating curl of flame, and despair filled him. Great. How was he supposed to stifle his sneezes, or even muffle them, when doing so might get him set on fire?

“ChhSh!” The fire was small, but it was still there. Zuko growled and scrubbed at his nose furiously with the back of his hand. He had to stop, though, when another sneeze threatened. “Hhhh... Ahk’chh!” He winced. Ow. As if his throat weren’t raw enough. No, he had to keep drying the air with each sneeze. He tried to undress quickly, in order to get to bed faster, but was caught in the middle by violent shivering. Oh, no. Please Agni, no, he thought as he tried to heat his body. He couldn’t be this sick already. He couldn’t be this sick at all, it wasn’t fair.

Zuko got dressed in his sleeping robes with a speed that might make even Aang jealous. The tremors mostly subsided as soon as he was clothed again, and almost completely vanished once he was under the bedsheets.

He curled up tightly to warm up faster, and hoped that his illness would be gone by tomorrow.

--

Toph smiled, tapping her chin. She tried not to sense what was going on in other rooms, she really did. It felt wrong, and not in a good way.

But she could hardly ignore the vibrations coming from Sparky’s room. It was just so... abnormal. Either he was light on his feet, or he was tripping over his feet, but he had never just stood in one place and shaken. Once she paid attention, it was easy to identify. She had learned to recognize this type of vibration fairly quickly after Snoozles got sick (she was wondering if she should rename him Sneezles, at this rate). Feeling a similar vibration from Sparky was surprising, but not entirely unexpected.

She wouldn’t do anything about it, though. Not just yet. Let him suffer in silence.

It was much more fun to know something no one else did than go and ruin it by telling everyone, after all.

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Awwww... poor firebender... sensitive to smoke... ... on top of that horrible cold of his...

Great update!