TLA Zuko Fic

[v a n i l l a]

Would anybody be interested in reading a Zuko fic? (From Avatar the Last Airbender) Let me know if you would!

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

Yes !!!!!

[v a n i l l a]

@DeathNoteOwner: Lol, yay! Just a warning; I suffer from severe procrastination. But I'm gonna try to get the first part up ASAP!

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

@DeathNoteOwner: Lol, yay! Just a warning; I suffer from severe procrastination. But I'm gonna try to get the first part up ASAP!

. Yay

[Yakisobifish]

Yeah, this forum needs more airbender fics

[v a n i l l a]

(This takes place right after Zuko joins the group, just after they visited the Fire Temple, before Zuko and Sokka rescue Suki and Sokka's father, when the group is at the Southern Air Temple.)

"Alright, Zuko. Now that you've learned your little dance routine, how about teaching Aang some real firebending," Katara remarked, her tone icy and condescending, as she still hadn't exactly 'warmed up' to Zuko yet. Zuko clenched his fists, but knew better than to shoot back a cool remark, as he needed to get the group to trust him. Instead, he simply nodded stiffly and motioned for Aang to follow him, as he didn't trust himself to respond without loosing his temper. Not wanting to let an argument brew between the two, Aang obediently followed Zuko. Zuko lead the Avatar down the various hallways until he reached an enclosed space that, for what he was about to teach Aang, was ideal. The ground and walls were composed of some sort of slate stone material, so they most likely wouldn't burn, though there were some crates in the room that would, if they were needed.

"We'll practice here," he informed Aang, his tone level and flat.

"But, Zuko, not that I'm saying this isn't a good place to train, but aren't we supposed to practice firebending somewhere... open? Like, outside?"

"Normally, y-yes, but for what I'm about to teach you, this spot is perfect." To be honest, he had no clue what had made his voice quiver all of a sudden to cause him to stumble on the word yes, but he wasn't going to pay any attention to it. "I want to teach you to control your firebending, so that you can use it, but keep it under control. This isn't like any of the other elements. If you loose control over it, it could cause massive destructi--"

"Yeah, I know," Aang interrupted, his voice dropping in volume and energy, thinking back to when he burned Katara accidentally when he had first learned how to firebend. Zuko suddenly felt a slight irritation ebb at his sinuses, but he placed those thoughts aside once more.

"Alright. Then you must understand how important this is to master. Let's start simple. Create a ball of fire and keep it under control. Don't let it shrink or expand, just like at the fire temple," he referenced, recalling that that had not gone so well, which was why he wanted Aang to master it. His thoughts were interrupted once more by another tickle entering his nose, but he forced himself not to dwell on it. He was drawn out of his thoughts when he noticed Aang's fireball expanding rapidly. "I said contain it! What are you doing!" Aang's eyes widened in alarm as the flames spilled from his grasp and onto the floor. Startled, he shot a blast of air to dowse the flames, as airbending was quite obviously his strongest element. The flames were extinguished, but another problem had sparked, as Aang had, in the process, blasted a thick layer of dust from the tops of the crates. Zuko cringed, realizing that the dust had been what was bothering him. He cringed, the irritation of his sinuses much more than he could handle. He quickly stifled a silent sneeze into his elbow. To his relief, Aang was too distracted to notice, but there would be a lot more than just one sneeze. "How could you be so careless!" Zuko snapped. "I told you to contain it!"

"I-I'm sorry, I tried, it's just... really difficult," Aang objected. The young boy raised an eyebrow in slight confusion as he noticed Zuko's expression waver slightly, but he knew better than to say anything about it. Zuko rubbed his knuckles beneath his nose swiftly, hoping that Aang hadn't noticed.

"Here, I'll show you how you're suh- huh..." Zuko cleared his throat and forced back the urge to sneeze before proceeding to speak. "-supposed to do it," Zuko grumbled. Aang's expression grew confused as Zuko stammered, but, again, he didn't say a word. Zuko conjured a petite sphere of flames and kept it contained within his palms. It did not quiver until the tickle in his nose decided that it would not simply linger any longer. He ducked his head into his shoulder, stifling a sneeze into it. "Hei'mppsh." The ball of fire flickered, gradually increasing in mass. Zuko struggled to maintain the globe of sparks, but his nose wasn't done with him yet. "Heh'itsch'ah! He'itscho! Hea'mmp'kschoo!"

"Uhhh, Zuko?" Aang began warily. "Are you alright?" He didn't want to get Zuko upset again, but if the other choice was having the room burn down, he'd risk the first option.

"I-I'm fi.. hi... Ea'tschkk'auoo! Iah'rhschoo!" The inferno fully escaped his grasp, attempting to envelop the room in an avalanche of crimson sparks. Zuko yelped as he felt a strong jet of water plunge into Zuko's chest, knocking him to the floor. He burst out coughing, though not entirely from having swallowed water. "What was that fo-ho... heh... f-for?" demanded the hotheaded prince.

Aang felt his temper rise slightly. "I was trying to keep the room from bursting into flames!" he objected, though he extinguished his irritation as he realized that Zuko was not in any shape to be scolded right now. The lanky boy was now doubled over, attempting to confine his sneezes into stifles, and failing miserably.

"Hump'schoo! Hur'euschoo! Hea'ktschuu! Ehtkschoo!" Aang knelt beside his firebending teacher.

"Are you alright? Are you getting sick?" he inquired tentatively, knowing that Zuko getting sick would cause a lot of difficulty as far as training goes, and also, despite their past, he truly didn't want to see Zuko suffer.

"N-No, it's not that, I... Hep'nstchh! ...I'm fine, it's nothing." Aang narrowed his eyebrows.

"Come on, Zuko, even Toph could see that something's wrong," Aang reasoned.

Zuko appeared perplexed for a moment before he registered what was wrong with that sentence. "Ha, ha. Very fuh... huh... Hem'pkstch. Very funny."

"Look, you don't have to deny that there's something wrong. If you're sick, ju--"

"I'm not sick, alright? I just... need some fr-fresh air." Before Aang could object, Zuko fled the room, tilting sideways a bit as he walked, as he was beginning to feel quite lightheaded.

"What're you doing? You're supposed to be training Aang, not wandering around the Air Temple. And what the heck happened in there?"

"Why, have you been watching us?" Zuko demanded, his fiery temper flaring up as usual.

"Of course not! I heard all the commotion and I came over to make sure you guys were alright!" Katara snapped, offended by his accusation.

"We're fine. There was just a little... incident." Zuko decided it was probably best not to mention Aang's screw-up, as Aang was keeping his allergies away from the group for him.

"Then how come your nose is as red as your scar? You look like you got beat up by Azula or something. What happened?" She used an accusatory tone, though there was a slight layer of concern lapping at her words.

"Nothing happened, would you just lay off?" he scowled, cringing at the mention of his sister. He grimaced as he felt the tickle return in his nose, and he cursed under his breath as he ducked his head into his shoulder. "Hih'mktsh. Heh'rshoo! Hih... heaa... Hea'KTCH'schoo! Eah'TKSChoo!" He doubled over, trying to suppress his sneezes as well as he could manage.

Katara appeared taken aback, her eyes widening in alarm. "Zuko, are you okay?!" she demanded. Zuko attempted to shoot back a curt response, but he was interrupted by a fit of thick, wet coughs. "Are you sick?" The accusatory tone had vanished from her voice, as her motherly instincts had taken over. She swiftly pressed her palm against his forehead, only to be immediantly swatted off.

"No, I'm not sick. I just..." He let his voice trail off as he suppressed the urge to sneeze. He figured that there was no point in hiding the truth. Katara would discover what was wrong sooner or later. "It's allergies, alright?"

Katara smirked. "Yeah, sure. Look, Zuko, you don't have to lie to avoid admitting that you're clearly sick," she retorted irritably.

Zuko gave her a bewildered glance. "What!? I'm telling you the truth, Katara! I'm allergic to dust! What do you want me to do, pr- pro... puh... Pk'krsch! ...-prove it to you!?"

"Well, that would definitely be amusing, but--" she mused, though she had no real intention on making Zuko 'prove it'.

"Fine," he snapped, storming over to one of the bookshelves that lined the walls, swiping a flurry of dust towards his face with a single movement. Katara rolled her eyes as the hotheaded boy burst out sneezing once more. "Eh'tsch'ah! Humpk'tschoo! Erh'tschoo! HEPT'schoo! Huar'STCHOO!"

"I was kidding, you idiot. I didn't actually mean that you had to prove it. And since you are allergic to dust, we should probably get you outside before you pass out or something." As if to prove Katara's point, he stumbled slightly, catching himself by clinging to the bookshelf to keep himself from toppling over. Katara materialized beside Zuko, placing her arm around him to keep him from collapsing. She lead him through the hallways, heading for the outdoors, where he could have a bit of fresh air.

"Hey, uhm, Katara?" he stammered softly, not daring to look up at her. It was embarrassing enough that he was putting a decent amount of his weight onto her shoulders.

She glanced down at him, caught off guard by his gentle tone. "What is it, Zuko?"

"Can you, erm, not mention this to the others? The whole... allergy thing. I just,--"

Katara cut him off, a grin curling at her lips. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

...To be continued? :3 I have further plans for Zuko... >:3

[v a n i l l a]

Asdfghjkl. I was origionally going to have Zuko confide in Aang, but I changed it to Katara, because I ship Zutara, but I forgot to change one of the parts. Where it says this:

Zuko decided it was probably best not to mention Aang's screw-up, as Aang was keeping his allergies away from the group for him.

It should say this:

Zuko decided it was probably best not to mention Aang's screw-up.

I can't edit posts yet, otherwise I'd just edit it.

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

Good good I like it

[Hissybella]

OMG MOAR PLOX IS THIS AWESOME! Moar allergies please! This is wonderful. One can never have too much Zuko. ^w^

[Yakisobifish]

Nice sneezes. It's not often that Zuko is written with allergies. Normally it's just colds. Are you going to write more?

[Sawyer]

I loooove this. I have such a soft spot in my heart for Zuko. Please please more.

[v a n i l l a]

I have a good portion of the next part written up, but I'm gonna be somewhere that has no internet for tonight and tomorrow morning, so I'll post it tomorrow. (:

[v a n i l l a]

(This portion of the story takes place after Zuko and Sokka rescue Suki and Sokka's father from the Fire Nation. I seperated the different POVs with - - -.)

It was a typical morning for the group. Well, aside from the fact that they were now accompanied by Sokka and Katara's father, Suki, and a former prisoner. Katara was brewing some sort of meal, Aang had disappeared to look for something to feed Appa, and Toph was poking Sokka with a stick to wake him up.

"Come on, Snoozles. Wake up." Sokka groaned, the sound muffled by his sleeping bag. Toph poked him once more in the side of his head, and the drowsy boy rolled over on his side, as if that would somehow stop Toph from bothering him. Seeing that poking him wouldn't work, Toph shot him into the air by having the ground bellow him protrude sharply upward. Sokka yelped in alarm as he crashed back down onto the floor.

"Why do you keep doing that!?" he moaned, rubbing at his eyes. "And how come I have to get up? Zuko's not even up yet."

Katara glanced up from her cooking in surprise. "He's not?" she inquired, glancing around at the group. Her brow furrowed and she stormed off, as the fact that Zuko had just 'disappeared' bothered her. She still hadn't warmed up to him, despite treating him slightly better during his allergy attack a few days prior. He had seemed a lot less intimidating and menacing when he was in such a state of vulnerability like that. Almost... cute. In a "cute puppy" kind of way, not attractive cute. Accompanying Sokka free her dad wasn't enough to fully convince her that this wasn't some sort of a trick. Having her father and Suki here could be part of some sort of plan, for blackmail or something. She hadn't exactly worked out how he would do that, but she didn't care; she simply didn't trust him after everything he'd done. "I'll be right back," she mumbled, abandoning her stew.

"But Kataraaa. I need foood!" Sokka whined, only to be hit again with Toph's stick. Katara ignored him and headed inside and over to Zuko's room. She didn't bother knocking before she barged in, and she was surprised at what she saw. Zuko was buried under two blankets, yet still shivering a bit. However, the weirdest part was that he was still asleep. Zuko was usually the first one awake, and she'd been up for a few hours now. She smirked, the sight a bit amusing to her. After running from the Fire Prince for so long and being terrified to encounter him, it was pretty weird to see him asleep, which, again, exposed his vulnerability.

"Get up. You need to train Aang," Katara ordered. Her tone was much stricter and sharp when she spoke to Zuko, rather than someone like Aang or Sokka. Zuko stirred slightly, blinking his eyes open sluggishly. "That is why you joined us, right? To train him?" The soporific boy rubbed at his eyes, gradually pulling himself up. He mumbled something that Katara couldn't catch before dragging himself out of bed.

"I'll be out in five minutes," he mumbled, his words slurred together. Katara scowled, but said nothing more as she departed, slamming the door behind her.

- - -

Zuko felt absolutely awful. He couldn't breathe through his nose, his throat felt like it'd been rubbed with sandpaper, and he felt like his head was full of helium. And, to make matters worse, he had a lingering sensation in his plugged nose, as if he needed to sneeze, but it refused to come out. He'd figured that being stuck in that cooler would end up biting him in the butt later on, and he was right. However, he was in no position to object to Sokka's plan at the time, so he'd gone along with it, even though he'd predicted the outcome. Once he was sure Katara was gone, he doubled over in a thick coughing fit, feeling the mucus rise in his throat, which grossed him out. He looked around for something to blow his nose with, but there was nothing. 'Great,' he thought miserably. 'Just great.' He absentmindedly changed into his usual clothing and stored his pajamas in an antique, wooden dresser before exiting the building and heading over to the group. Katara glanced briefly up at him before refocusing her attention onto her food.

"So, I'm guessing you're Snoozles number two now?" Toph mused, figuring that it would agitate Zuko. She was correct.

"Heeey! That's my nickname!" Sokka complained. Toph ignored him.

"I just slept in. It's not a big deal," he scowled, taking a seat on the floor beside the others.

- - -

Toph became perplexed as she felt Zuko's vibrations quite different from usual. It was almost as if he were trembling, but that didn't make any sense, because it was pretty warm outside. She didn't question him though. She figured that, if there was something wrong, Zuko wouldn't admit it, even if she asked. Besides, she could have some fun with this before he admitted to whatever was bothering him. She just had to figure out what it was.

"Hih'mmpxh. Mmp'tch." Two nearly silent stifles. Toph grinned slightly as her questions became answered. It wasn't that it was odd for someone to sneeze, but the effort that it took for Zuko to stifle his sneezes was much greater than it should have been, and he seemed to shiver after each sneeze, which was really odd. She was pretty sure that she was the only one who had noticed, but she preferred it that way. It was more fun.

- - -

Zuko winced upon sneezing, hoping that no one had noticed. Thankfully, it didn't seem like anyone had. However, just in case, Zuko departed from the group before anyone could say anything. "Come on Aang, we need to train." Without waiting for a response, he departed from the group, rubbing his knuckle under his nose. A bit disappointed about not having finished his meal, Aang rose to his feet and followed Zuko.

"Hey, what happened with you the other day? You started sneezing a lot, and then you just... left." Aang glanced up at his teacher, genuine concern in his gaze. Zuko shrugged.

"Just something in the air that was bothering me, I guess. It's not important. Look, right now, let's just traid." Zuko cringed as the congestion seeped into his voice, causing him to mispronounce 'train'.

"Er, alright," Aang replied unsurely. "What did you have in mind?"

"You need to be able to defend yourself in actual combat. No one's gonna be there to save you if you screw up or loose control. Dow, attack me." Once again, the congestion decided to make him sound stupid again. He felt a tickle build in his nose, but he knew that he couldn't sneeze; it would just prove to Aang that he was sick, especially after his allergy attack from the day before. He was determined to suppress the sneeze. Aang was unsure about attacking Zuko. He looked pretty out of sorts, but he couldn't exactly tell why. He seemed paler for whatever reason, and he seemed to be swaying slightly. However, he did as he was told and shot a column of fire at Zuko. Zuko leapt out of the way at the last second, realizing immediantly what a poor idea this had been. He shot a jet of flames back at Aang, but his aim wasn't as good as usual, and he missed him by about a foot. The tickle in his nose began to grow more and more intense, and he was having difficulty holding it back. Eventually, he just gave in, attempting to suppress a sneeze into his elbow, which lead to a couple more. "Heh'nrgsh. Hei'pktsh. Hih'mmpksth!" Unfortunately, Zuko had timed the sneezes very poorly, as a jet of flames hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

"I'm so sorry!" Aang blurted out, blasting a cylinder of water towards him, drenching him. He rushed to Zuko's side and extending one arm out to him to help him up. Zuko was about to accept Aang's assistance when he broke out coughing once more, doubling over. "Are you okay!?"

A shiver ran down his spine, and he sheepishly glanced up as he sheepishly mumbled, "Yeah, I'm fide. Can we just, uhm, take a break?" he inquired shakily. Aang looked taken aback. Zuko never showed weakness, ever. Even if it was blatantly obvious, he did all he could to hide it. Now, Aang was sure that something was wrong.

"Oh, uh, sure. Zuko, are you sure you're alright?" Zuko simply nodded as he shakily pulled himself to his feet.

"Yeah... I'm just gonna go dry off," he mumbled under his breath, not making eye contact with Aang as he departed. The younger boy called after him, but Zuko ignored him as he headed inside. He normally would have just conjured a small fire to warm himself up, but he was too wiped out to even attempt that right then. He settled with changing into warmer clothing and heading back out. To be honest, he wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed and sleep for a few days, but he knew that he couldn't afford to miss any practicing with Aang, what with the war being so close, and he knew that if he admitted that he was sick, he'd be confined to his bed until he got better. Reluctantly, he shuffled back outside with the others, but he was relieved to see that there seemed to be no one there. Relief flooded him as he sat down, resting his head on the wall of a pillar.

"So, instead of training with Aang, you decide to take a nap?!" Katara snapped, folding her arms in irritation.

Zuko jolted upright, his eyes wide in alarm, as Katara had startled him. "What? No! I--"

Katara cut him off. "I know, I know. He told me what happened. But l still think you should have kept training him. We've hit you way harder than that in actual battle, and you were fine. If you have no real intention of helping Aang, then you should just leave now and save us the trouble."

"Fine! Look, if you wh-... whaa.. want me to keep training Aang, then I'll traid him!"

"He left with Toph to go practice earthbending. You took too long."

"Whatever. I'll just traid hib when I get back." The congestion had returned to his voice, which infuriated him.

"Hey, why does your voice sound weird?" she inquired in confusion, purely out of curiosity.

"It doesn't sound weird," he remarked distantly. He was going to say something else, but he was interrupted with another irritation in his nose. He rubbed the bottom of his nose with his knuckles, but this just made the tickle even stronger. He cupped his hands over his mouth. "Heh'nrgsh. Hmk'trxsh. Huh'mnkch!" Katara was about to say something when she was interrupted by a fit of thick coughing.

She sighed impatiently. "Is it your allergies again?" she inquired, a very slight element of concern lacing her words. Zuko nodded, not meeting her eyes. He felt bad about lying, but he wasn't about to admit to being sick. "Try going up higher on the mountain if its bothering you. It's probably less dusty there," she informed him, somehow managing to keep a condescending tone as she spoke. Zuko nodded meekly and departed, stifling another coughing fit as he did so. He decided to go into his room for a bit. Katara had promised to keep his allergies a secret, and, as she thought that he was suffering from his allergies at the moment, she would probably cover for him. Or at least, he hoped so. He tore off a piece of his charred, saturated clothing and blew his nose into it, though the burnt material made his nose burn and turn a bright crimson hue. He lied down for what felt like a few minutes until Toph banged her hand on the door and informed him that dinner was ready. Zuko groaned softly and forced himself to roll out of bed. Obviously Toph couldn't see how bad Zuko looked, but she could tell by how much he was shaking. It was like he'd swam at the South Pole or something; he was obviously sick.

"Look, Sparky, if you're not feeling too good, you can just stay in bed," she offered.

"I'b fide, Toph! I'b just not used to the altitude yet; it's harder for firebenders to be in high altitudes like this." Normally, he'd come up with a better excuse, but he honestly just couldn't at that moment. He dragged himself out of his room and over towards the others, rubbing at his good eye. He was a mess. His good eye had dark circles around it, as if a kid had drawn on them with ebony chalk. His skin was sheet white, except for his nose and a tinge on his cheeks, which were bright fuchsia. And he couldn't even breathe out of his nose anymore. When he took a seat with the others, he immediantly slumped over, moving the spoon around the bowl with his fingers. Toph made a point of sitting next to Zuko, in order to have her plan unfold correctly.

"Hey, Sparky, can you read this for me?" Toph requested, keeping her voice at a volume that everyone could here.

"Why can't you read it yours--... Sorry, I forgot," he mumbled sheepishly. "Sure, I'll, uh, read it for you." Toph's lips curled into a lopsided grin. She expanded the scroll, shaking it a couple of times for good measure. A flurry of dust rapidly enveloped Zuko. She had no clue that Zuko was allergic to dust; she just figured that being sick would make his reaction much, much worse, proving to everyone that he was sick.

Zuko clamped a hand over his mouth, desperately trying not to breathe in the dust, but it was pointless. He'd already inhaled deeply through his nose, and he knew that there was nothing he could do now. "Hur'mnktch! Hea'tsxch! Hua'rhgx'schoo! Iah'hptsxh! Eah'kxt'tschoo! Hur'tsx'shaah! Huh... Hiaaa... Hia'TSHOO!" A jet of flames expelled from his mouth, scorching the cloth on his arm and creating a massive puff of smoke. "Eah'RSCH'schoo! Huar'rhxtshoo! Hestxschoo!" He doubled over entirely, coughing a disgustingly wet cough that tore at his throat. "Wha... Hah... Hea'TXSH'ahh! What did you make it so duh... Huh... Hih'mrxth! --dusty for?!"

Toph had gotten sprayed quite a bit by the sneezes, but she was too busy laughing to care. "Oh, that was awesome, Sparky! Or, actually, I should probably just rename you Sneezy, huh?" Zuko immediately grew cross.

"Wait, how-- You made me sneeze on purpose?! What the heck?! And Katara, I thought you said you wouldn't tell anyone! This whole tuh... huh... Huh'NTXG'tsghh! This whole time, you're talking about how you can't trust me. But maybe it's you guys who can't be trusted!" he snapped, storming off furiously, trying to keep his balance as he did so.

- - -

"How did you know he was allergic to dust?!" Katara pressed incredulously.

Toph shrugged. "I didn't. I knew he was sick though. I figured the dust would make him sneeze, but not THAT much."

Katara felt as if someone had slapped her across the face. "Zuko's sick!? That... actually explains a lot. I'll be right back." And, with that, she dashed after Zuko. It wasn't very difficult to catch up with him. Sick people didn't exactly move fast. "Zuko! Wait!"

The ill boy spun around, staring Katara down as well as he could while feeling like he was going to pass out. "What?" he snapped coldly.

"Look, I didn't tell Toph anything. She just figured that the dust would set you off because she could tell that you're sick," she explained, her voice developing a compassionate sort of tone.

"But I'b not sick!" he objected, his voice raspy and weak.

"Oh, come on. I'm not gonna fall for that. I've never seen someone sneeze that much before, and I know it wasn't just from allergies, because during your allergy attack, you never sneezed fire. Why didn't you just tell me you were sick in the first place?!"

"Because, the only reason you allowed me to join your group was to train Aang. And I knew that you'd have me sleep all day or something if I told you I was sick, and the comet is coming really soon. Aang needs training right now, more than I need to rest." Compassion penetrated Katara's emotions. As much as she distrusted Zuko, she knew he was being genuine when he said that.

"Zuko... You shouldn't have to pretend to be okay just to keep training Aang. It's not like he only needs to practice firebending. And besides, it's not like we would kick you out of the group just for being sick. It's more important that you rest now and get better than be sick when the comet arrives. Right now, you need to rest." Zuko's throat was causing too much discomfort to speak, so he just nodded and attempted to stand, though he looked pretty unsteady. "Here, you can lean on me, okay?" she offered. Zuko gave her a perplexed glance. "Unless you think you can get back inside on your own, that is." Tentatively, Zuko obliged and leaned up against Katara's shoulder, coughing vigorously into his elbow. Katara winced as she felt his skin come into contact with hers. "You're burning up! How did you manage to hide this from us for this long anyways?!" Zuko merely shrugged, letting out a weak fit of half-stifles.

"Huh'NGxsh'ah! Hmmpx'tschah! Hea'TXSCHOO!" A weak flare expelled from his mouth, but he didn't have enough energy to create anything more, thankfully. Katara wrapped her arm around him and continued to lead him inside. She ignored the flurry of inquiries that shot after her as she brought Zuko into his room, allowing him to lie down on top of the covers. She knelt beside him, placing one hand on top of his forehead. Zuko glanced up at her, slightly irritated, but mostly confused. He tried to mumble something to her, but Katara stopped him.

"Be quiet, I'm seeing if I can heal you," she informed him, the usual sharpness that she would typically use when speaking to him nonexistent. "I can help drop your fever a bit, but you're gonna have to wait this thing out." A chill traveled through Zuko's spine, and he subconsciously turned over onto his side so that he was facing Katara. He felt a sharp tickle brew in his sinuses, but he was much too exhausted to stifle, or even cover them.

"Huh'ptxch. Hep'ptschoo! Heh'ktsch!" Zuko's eyes darted open as he realized what he had done. Fortunately, he hasn't sneezed fire, but this did not make him any less mortified. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine," Katara assured him, a slight chuckle in her voice.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just... For so long, you've been hunting us down, trying to kill us and capture Aang, and trying to never show weakness. But now, it's kinda funny to see you lying here all vulnerable and sneezy. It's kinda... cute," Katara mused.

"Hea'rgxsgh!" Katara scooted backwards a bit to avoid getting sprayed again. "Yeah, for whatever reason, I fail to see how me sneezing all over you is 'cute'," he muttered, half to himself. "It's gross. I hate being sick."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Get some sleep, Zuko," she replied simply as she rose to her feet and left him alone to get some rest.

To be continued . . . ?

[Hissybella]

Lovely~ Moar Allergies please

[Yakisobifish]

hehe, Toph is picking on Zuko.

[darkness-is-the-light]

Continue, this is amazing!

[v a n i l l a]

Zuko rubbed weakly at his eyes, letting out a brief cough. He peeled his eyelids opened and glanced at the window. Sunlight had filtered through, making it impossible for him to fall back asleep. His head had cleared a bit, but he still felt pretty out of sorts. His nose wasn't entirely blocked up like before, but that made it a bit itchier than before. He remembered bits and pieces of the previous day, but it was a bit hazy. He recalled Toph tricking him into having an allergy attack, which he would definitely have to get her back for. He also remembered Katara helping him back to his room, which he still didn't understand, because he was fairly certain that she hated him. He also recalled Katara saying he was 'cute' when he was sick and sneezy, but he wasn't sure if he'd imagined that or not. Figuring that it was useless to remain in bed, he disentangled himself from the covers and got to his feet, heading towards the others.

"Hey look, Prince Sneezy's awake!" Toph announced, though there was her usual tone of laziness and disinterest lacing her words. Zuko looked nonplussed, his eyebrows furrowing.

"What are you talking about?! How long have I been asleep?" he demanded, though the fact that his voice was pretty scratchy made his words fairly unintimidating.

"About two days, I think," she estimated with a brief shrug.

"Two days!? Why didn't anyone wake me! We need to prepare before the comet arrives!" he exclaimed furiously, though his yelling was definitely doing a number on his throat, and it caused him to burst out coughing, so he decided it would probably be best to stop. He stopped to think for a moment. If it really had been two days, that would explain why he felt a lot better than when he'd gone to sleep a few days back. His coughing wasn't as thick and gross as before, which was definitely a good sign.

"Because, Prince Sneezy, when you finally admitted you were sick, you couldn't even stand on your own without leaning on Katara and you had a really high fever. Do you really think you were fit to train Aang feeling like that?" Zuko sighed in submission. There was no point in arguing with Toph. You might as well quarrel with a wall. They're equally stubborn.

"Whatever. Where did the others go? How come you're the only one here?" he queried in an attempt to change the subject.

"Sugarqueen and Twinkletoes are training. Sokka and Suki left without saying where they were going." There was a sharp edge to Toph's words as she said the last part about Sokka and Suki, an element of jealously bleeding through. Zuko could tell Toph was irritated, but he knew better than to pry, so he left it at that. "Anyways, I doubt any of them will be back soon, so you can go back to sleep if you want to." Zuko shrugged slightly.

"I'll just wait for Katara and Aang to get back," he decided. The hotheaded prince glanced down at the fire pit and realized that it had gone out, so he ignited the coals a bit to keep it going, now that he had the energy to conjure fire again. He glanced up in astonishment at Toph as she broke into a coughing fit.

"Hey! Prince Sneezy! You made it all smoky over here!" she complained, creating a wall of stone between her and the fire. Zuko cast his gaze towards his fire. It didn't seem big enough to bother anyone, but he made a mental note not to do that again. He was about to say something to Toph when he was interrupted by a sharp increase of sinus irritation. He clamped his hand over his mouth, expelling a couple of stifled sneezes.

"Hip'mnxtsh. Hua'ngrsh! Hip'mnsxh!" He moaned faintly, gingerly lying down on the coarse terrain. He'd just gotten comfortable when Katara's voice penetrated the silence.

"What are you doing out of bed!?" she pestered, her voice caustic and severe. Zuko cringed upon hearing her tone. He had difficulty placing an emotion to it. She was irked, quite obviously, but beneath that, she actually sounded... concerned. Perhaps, just perhaps, she didn't hate him as much as she appeared to.

"I've been asleep for two days, Katara. I think I'm well enough to--" Zuko scowled as Katara interrupted him.

"Obviously, you aren't, because you still look awful."

"Katara, I'm fine. I'm just a little sneezy right now, alright? It's not like I'm insisting on training right now or anything. I just don't want to be stuck in my room all day. Why are you so uptight about this, anyways? You don't even like me!" Toph demolished her smoke barrier to butt into the conversation.

"That's true. You've always kinda hated him. And besides, it is just a cold," she pointed out, though her words were a bit monotone, a bit more than usual, which probably just meant that she was bored with the conversation. Aang chewed at his lower lip awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Katara's face flushed slightly to a soft carnation shade. "That's because I don't want to see any of you guys sick, even if I don't particularly like Zuko. And if he doesn't lay down and rest, it could develop into something worse that can't be cured with a couple days of rest." And with that, Katara took a seat on the floor, fuming silently. Zuko attempted to lie down and enjoy the renewed silence when it was broken by another fit of coughing, presumably by Toph by the sound of it. His suspicions were confirmed when a pint-sized chuck of stone pelted him on the side of his head.

"Can you please get rid of the stupid smoke!?" Toph snapped grumpily. Aang tilted his head in confusion.

"There's no smoke, Toph. The fire's basically dead," he pointed out.

"Whatever," Toph muttered, half to Aang, half to herself. Zuko enjoyed the long awaited silence and dozed off for a bit, aroused from his sleep just as Sokka and Suki returned, though neither of them seemed to be in a very good mood. Zuko decided that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep, so he reluctantly sat up, rubbing gently at his nose, which caused it to obtain a deeper shade of coppery red than before. He glanced over at Suki and Sokka and realized that Suki's eyes were tinged with crimson, implying that she'd been crying. Without saying a word, Suki departed from the group and headed into her designated room. Katara glimpsed behind her at Suki, then turned back to the group.

"Uhm, is Suki oka--" Katara began, but Sokka immediantly cut her off.

"Yeah. She's fine." Katara glanced up in astonishment upon Sokka's severe tone. He never spoke like that, unless he was really, really upset. She was about to question him when Toph beat her to it.

"Gosh, Snoozles. What's up with you?" she demanded, casting her sightless gaze onto Sokka.

"Nothing! Just... Just leave it alone, okay?" Sokka flared.

- - -

Though Toph couldn't see Sokka, she could obviously tell something was bothering him. Something about him was... off. Other than his temperament. Something had happened between him and Suki.

"Dinner's ready!" Katara announced, passing out bowls to everyone. The group began consuming their food, though Toph hesitated a moment, her spoon pausing halfway to her mouth. Her face crumbled as she succumbed to a sneeze.

"Hea'ngx'tchoo! Nh'rxsgh'ah!" Toph wrinkled her nose in an attempt to expel the remainder of the irritation in her nose.

"Bless you," Katara acknowledged absently, as a couple of sneezes was not an uncommon thing to hear. Aang, Katara, Toph and Zuko finished their meals before long, but Sokka had hardly even touched his, which was strange. Very strange.

"Alright, Snoozles. Follow me," Toph ordered suddenly as she rose to her feet and strode away from him without waiting to ensure that he was following. Once they'd gotten far enough away from the others, Toph turned around to face him. "Alright, spill it. Something happened to you and Suki. And don't lie, I know when you're lying." Sokka was about to object, but he decided against it. If this were Zuko, Aang, or even Katara, he would insist that everything was fine. But he couldn't do that with Toph. For a number of reasons.

"Yeah. Something did happen. She... She's leaving. And I told her that I wanted her to stay here, to fight with us, but she started talking about how she wanted to fight with the other Kyoshi Warriors, and we both started saying stuff we probably shouldn't have said, and I... I think we're broken up, but I don't really want to ask." Toph bit her lip. Comforting wasn't exactly her strong suit, but she'd have to try something.

"I'm sorry, Sokka... I know that it doesn't seem like it right now, but maybe it's better that she doesn't come with us. And, before you start yelling at me for saying that, just hear me out. I mean, when we go into battle, the Fire Lord and his troups' main focus will be us, because we're with the Avatar. Maybe it'll be safer for her if she's with her warriors," she pointed out. Sokka hesitated, then took a deep breath.

"Yeah... Yeah, I guess you're right. You know, you're a lot more compassionate than people give you credit for," Sokka acknowledged. As reflex, Sokka winced, expecting Toph to throw some chunk of rock at him for giving her a compliment, but, to his surprise, she just smiled.

"Thanks, Snoozles." Just then, Sokka did something that few dared to do. Hug Toph. As he expected, she attempted to wave him off, but he didn't stop.

"Aw, c'mon, Toph. It's a hug. You won't die," Sokka teased, his old personality bleeding through.

"No, Sokka, I... Hih--" Toph objected, her breathing hitching as the irritation in her nose was renewed. She attempted to hold it in, but she doubted that that would end up working. Completely ignoring Toph's warning, Sokka proceeded to wrap his arms around Toph. Toph cringed, realizing that she wouldn't be able to keep herself from sneezing any longer. She ducked her head downward, trying not to spray Sokka in the face. "Hih... Huh'EXH'tscha! Hip'mnxsth!" Toph grimaced, absolutely mortified. "Sorry! I was trying to warn you, Snoozles!"

"It's fine, you didn't get me," he assured her as he pulled away gradually. Actually, she had, but he figured that it would make the situation less awkward if he said she hadn't, though he was inwardly somewhat grossed out. "But, in the futur--"

"Hup'nxsh'ah! Hea'kxt'schoo!" Toph broke into Sokka's sentence, releasing two more half stifles that were followed by a chill running down her spine.

"Hey, Toph... Are you alright?" he inquired hesitantly. Toph rolled her eyes. Or, at least, she attempted to.

"Of course I'm fine, Sn-Snoo... Hip'mnxsch! ...Snoozles," she insisted, though the extra sneeze definitely did not help her case. Sokka's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Don't tell me. You caught Zuko's cold," he assumed.

"Gosh, Snoozles. I'm not that predictable. There's just something in the air I guess. Don't start acting like your sih... hih... Hup'mnxsh! ...sister." Before Sokka could respond, she rose to her feet and started heading back towards the others. Or, at least, she tried to. After about five steps, she slammed right into a wall.

- - -

"Toph! Are you okay!?" Sokka exclaimed, getting up off of the ledge to assist her.

"I'm fine! I can take care of myself!" she snapped, storming off. Sokka sighed. Obviously, Toph was sick. And she obviously wasn't going to admit it.'Toph, accept help from someone else? Fat chance,' he thought to himself.

(Sorry for the lack of sneezing in this part! I had to get Suki out of the way for my Sokka and Toph fluffiness to unfold :3 )

[Yakisobifish]

Nice sneezing, although it seems a little dangerous for Suki to be out on her own. Aren't they still in hiding?

[v a n i l l a]

@Yakisobifish: I wouldn't say that they're in hiding. The group went to go see a play about themselves, and they went on various mini trips like when they went to save Sokka and Katara's dad and Suki, and when Katara and Zuko went to find the person who killed Katara's mom.

[darkness-is-the-light]

Great story, continue.

[Merino Sheep]

I always love me some sick Zuko. And a sick Toph is icing on the perverbeal cake. Hope to read more soon. I'm really enjoying this.

[v a n i l l a]

Sorry, I've been meaning to add more, but I've been out of town. I'm gonna write some more up but I can't post until I get back home.

[Yakisobifish]

Hey, I know about expected delays. No need to rush.

[Hissybella]

um.. bump?

[redbluemoon]

AH! I love ATLA! Bumping this up in hopes that it continues! I love this place =33 What great fiction!