Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11504508.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender
  Relationship:
      Aang/Zuko_(Avatar), Katara/Zuko_(Avatar)
  Character:
      Zuko_(Avatar), Katara_(Avatar), Aang_(Avatar)
  Additional Tags:
      Sexual_Tension, One-Sided_Attraction, Sex
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-07-15 Updated: 2017-09-10 Chapters: 3/? Words: 4265
****** A Troubling Fixation ******
by Jinipan
Summary
     Although Zuko has officially joined the group, Aang's recent
     observations are problematic.
***** Chapter 1 *****
Aang's troubles began a few days after Zuko had joined their group.
He had unknowingly triggered them through his own observations, and from his
own desire to understand Zuko better.
He had begun starring at him, comparing and noting all of Zuko's unique
qualities.
Among the first things he noticed was that Zuko was a good teacher. Despite
Aang's protests and general lack of commitment, he had to admit that Zuko was
patient with him. His demonstrations were always perfect and controlled and his
explanations clear. He always took the time to break everything down and
deliver it to Aang at a steady and manageable pace. And while he was harsh when
it came criticizing his performance, he never shied away from giving Aang the
praised he was due.
But while Zuko was a good and confident teacher, Aang observed that his social
skills outside the the training ground were lacking to say the least.
Zuko was shy and awkward, more so he suspected because of the tension his
sudden presence brought to the group. Often Aang would observe him from across
the campfire, noticing how Zuko awkwardly sat to the side in silence while the
rest of the group joked and laughed with each other. During those times, Zuko
would sometimes glance at the rest of the group with a look of longing in his
eyes. The mere sight of it made Aang a little sad inside.
So Aang tried to be diplomatic and bring Zuko closer into the group. At first,
his attempts were not well received by both Zuko and the others. Zuko gave
bland short answers to all Aang's questions while the rest ignored him
completely. But as the days passed and life moved on, Zuko slowly shifted
closer to the group. And while he was still shy and awkward, his reactions
began to vary. Zuko would smile shyly at people's comments, laugh quietly at
people's jokes, and when he was shy, Zuko would turn red and hide his eyes
behind the shadows cast by his long shaggy hair.
He noted how Zuko's actions also shifted with every person he interacted,
although his interactions tended to be limited to Toph, Sokka and himself. With
the obvious hostility, it was only natural that he remained quite and reserved
with the others.
Yet Zuko's change was evident and Aang secretly watched with great fascination
how he morphed into different people.
When Zuko was alone with Toph, he was calm and open. They both seemed to
understand each other and Aang felt that Toph was one of the few select people
Zuko allowed to see his vulnerability. That in itself made Aang very happy. So
with hope that those interactions continued, he tried not to let it show he
knew whenever he caught them smiling.
In contrast, Zuko was competitive with Sokka, treating him like an equal. Aang
knew their mutual love and skill with weapons had bonded them and he would
pause from his earth bending training to see them talking eagerly about swords
or hear the clashing of metal as they practiced.
--------------------------------
And as his observations continued, Aang was surprised to realize how beautiful
Zuko truly was.
Zuko's body was unique. It did not resemble those of the other boys at the
Western Air temple. Although he was not much taller or older than Sokka or
Haru, he somehow looked much more mature, regal and stronger.
During training Aang marveled at the strange mix that composed Zuko's physic.
Zuko was surprisingly slim yet his muscles were more prominent than on the
other boys. The smooth groves and swells on his body revealing his hidden
physical strength.
And as he paused to take a breath, he saw how Zuko's pale skin glowed in the
sunlight. Its vast, smooth milkiness triggered old memories inside him. Aang
couldn't help but think of the Earth Kingdom's fine porcelain and how wonderful
it had felt when he had held a small porcelain cup in his hands. The mere
memory urged him to touch Zuko, curious if his skin felt the same.
And as Aang resumed his training, he continued to admire Zuko from the corner
of his eyes, his gaze settling on Zuko's face.
Like his body, his face also had an elegant beauty to it. Zuko had fine
features: a long narrow nose and thin smooth lips. And although his scar looked
fierce and angry, it complimented the other side of his face, where a thick
dark eyebrow curved elegantly over an almond shaped eye.
His eyes, though, were arguably his best feature. Both eyes, even the one
deformed into a permanent slit, glowed a warm gold, twinkling when he smiled
and unconsciously attracting Aang's gaze.
And the more he stared, the more Aang thought of these things as he ate and
trained with Zuko. His mind logically processing any new information until he
realized that due to his initial deep fear of Zuko he had been blind to his
beauty. He had simply reduced Zuko's image to an omen of danger.
As the days went by, Zuko's place in the group was cemented. The others no
longer looked at him with intense suspicion and hatred. Even Katara had stopped
her protests and only seldomly glared at him.
Everything would have been good and well if it weren't for the way Aang's
continued observations began to puzzle him.
He had not known before how warm Zuko was. His skin was much hotter than anyone
elses'. Aang secretly relished the way the pale skin seemed to be constantly
radiating a soft heat. And soon every accidental brush of an elbow as they ate
around the small campfire or a brush of their fingertips as Zuko handed him
something, brought him immense pleasure.
Aang's urge to touch Zuko's skin was further fed by his discovery of its
complex and varying texture. With every accidental touch, Aang had learned
Zuko's hands were rough and strong with callouses while the skin of his forearm
was smooth and soft like velvet. How wonderful, Aang thought with a smile one
day, and he tried to imagine how the rest of Zuko felt as he stared at Zuko's
pale neck from across the campfire.
--------------------------------
Soon enough Aang had started to feel rather uncomfortable around Zuko. At first
he thought he was paranoid, although he didn't know why. After all Zuko had
done nothing wrong and Aang really, really did enjoy Zuko's presence.
But as he grew further unsure of his feelings towards Zuko, Aang suddenly felt
he could no longer train with him, at least not without something digging at
him inside.
When he stood next to Zuko, Aang would slowly lose focus, and become
intoxicated by his faint scent of soot and fire lilies. His heart would begin
to beat rapidly at the sound of the deep and raspy breaths Zuko took, while his
eyes would follow the small beads of sweat on Zuko's skin, following them with
great intensity as they trailed down his long neck. And whenever he saw Zuko's
skin flush an impossible rosy pink color, Aang would suddenly become breathless
and start squirming.
But whatever it was, it wasn't only eating at him but Katara as well.
Her eyes sometimes lingered on Zuko like his, although hers always had a
strange glossy shine to them. She also seemed to relish the warm feel of his
skin, intentionally brushing Zuko's fingers with her own as she handed him a
bowl during every meal. And out of the whole group only she got up early for
their training, watching them with intense eyes and parted lips.
And when she thought no one was looking, Aang saw her pass by quickly, gently
running her fingers over Zuko's discarded shirt before resuming her work.
For some reason Katara's attentiveness began to bother Aang. His mood would
suddenly sour when he caught her eyes lingering on Zuko a little too long. And
he would stare bitterly at the back of her head on the rare occasions that she
walked side by side with Zuko.
He was not sure why he suddenly felt so angry at his friend, at least not till
a few days later when he woke up covered in sweat and feeling an uncomfortable
tightness in his stomach. Images of pale and delicious sweat covered skin
burned into his he squirmed slightly as he felt a tingling sensation after the
loose fabric of his pants shifted when he sat up.
And Aang noticed that for the first time in his life, that part him was erect
and pressed against his soft flat stomach.
***** Chapter 2 *****
Aang quivered, moaning quietly as he shifted his weight to one side.
Immediately he clamped a sweaty hand on his mouth, trying to keep the lewd
sounds in. Aang glanced nervously at the rest of the group. Despite the
darkness, he managed to see dark mounds of blankets scattered across the camp.
As he realized they remained unmoving, Aang didn’t know whether he was glad or
worried that the group was oblivious to his dilemma. It made him question how
prepared they were for a surprise attack.But he shook his head, no this way was
better. He wouldn’t know how to face any of them if they had heard.
Aang gathered his resolve and took a deep breath through his nose, not trusting
himself to remain quite with his mouth open. Again, he shifted, slowly getting
up with great difficulty due to the intense ache in his groin. Once up, he
quickly staggered away, heading towards the wooden storage chambers of the
temple.
As soon as he reached the chambers, Aang practically dropped himself on the
wooden floor. He opened his mouth and sucked in a breath, knowing that here, in
thick wooden chambers, he was truly alone. Now with renewed confidence, Aang
managed to push himself up and leaned his back against the thick wall. It was
then that he finally noticed what state he was in. He was sweating, thick beads
of sweat running down his neck and bare chest. From the heat he felt on his
face, he knew he was surely a bright red as well.
Aang swallowed, glancing down at the visible tent in his pants and tried to
recall what the monks had taught him many years ago. Aang groaned, suddenly
remembering how awkward the whole thing had been. The monks’ blank faces had
turned serious, almost accusing, and the snickering of the older boys had
lingered in the background during the whole ordeal.
A sudden cool breeze made Aang jerk, effectively bringing him back to his
present dilemma. He bit his bottom lip and slowly lowered his pants, revealing
his throbbing erection. Aang looked at it with both fascination and a bit of
concern as he took note of his penis’s new appearance.
It seemed to be thicker and slightly longer than before, the head completely
visible now that his foreskin had retracted. The whole thing had also turned,
surprisingly, a slight dark pink-red. Most fascinating of all was the bit of
precum that had gather at the tip.
With a slightly shaking hand, he reached for it, dabbing his index finger
experimentally in the precum. Aang shivered at the sensation but didn’t stop.
He lowered his fingers, running them slowly down his length, feeling its new
unique texture. Aang moaned softly as his fingers paused at the base. He slid
down a bit more against the wall, trying to make himself more comfortable
before he warped his now steady hand around his erection.
He fumbled a bit at first, his strokes short and awkward, but soon he fell into
a steady rhythm, steadily sliding his hand up and down his length. And Aang
felt his body jerk as the intense heat inside him grew. His lips parted in a
silent moan and eyelids fluttered as he relished in the new sensations. Again
he slid his hand up, this time pausing to rub small circles on the head his
thumb, before sliding it back down. Unconsciously his mind wandered to the
vivid images of before.
Like in his dream, he imagined Zuko’s long pale limbs shining with sweat. The
vast and soft milkiness of his skin was dusted with a soft pink and Aang
yearned to touch it and trace the soft swells of Zuko’s well defined chest. And
as his strokes became a bit more frantic, his mind slowly started to fill his
fantasy with the other details from his dream.
He imagined Zuko panting, taking deep and familiar raspy breaths, as Aang
imagined his own hands running up and down his warm skin. The pressure in his
belly increased as he gurther imagined running his fingers over pale pink
nipples and up to Zuko’s long neck, lovingly feeling the muscles he had always
admired from across the campfire.
Aang whined and bit his lip, sweat was gathering at his forehead as the image
became more vivid in his mind. He could now smell Zuko’s sweet and smoky scent.
He could see Zuko’s eyes. The warm golden globes were glossed over in the same
manner he had seen Katara’s turn when she stole glances at the prince. And
suddenly he could almost feel it, Zuko’s incredible warmth, his intense stare
and roughness of his hands as he returned Aang’s many touches.
It was suddenly too much. Aang squirmed and his mouth fell open in a silent
moan as he gave himself one last frantic stroke before he went weak from the
intense sensation of his release.
He slid down until he was laying on the floor, his body quivering as the high
of his orgasm passed. For a few minutes he laid still in the dark, taking in
deep and shaky breaths. The drying sweat on his face made the cool night breeze
colder and Aang shivered, slowly coming back to reality. He suddenly frowned.
He was attracted to Zuko. There was no question about it. But when he thought
of the others and then about his own particular relationship with Zuko, he
groaned.
What was he going to do now?
-------------------------------------------
The next morning, Aang woke up late. He was exhausted, deep bags under his eyes
and his body sore. He had not slept at all last night. Instead, Aang had meekly
walked back to his sleeping bag only to lay wide awake all night.
With a yawn, Aang rubbed his tired eyes and stood up. As usual Zuko’s and
Katara’s sleeping bags were both put away, and Aang knew Zuko was waiting
patiently for him. At the thought of Zuko, last night’s events came rushing
back and suddenly Aang felt his cheeks heating up. He wanted to use his earth
bending to crawl into the ground, far away from Zuko. He didn’t think he could
face him, not with the image of a naked and moaning Zuko fresh in his mind.
Aang slapped himself with both hands. As much as he wished to disappear, he
knew that was probably his worst option. If he didn’t show up sooner or later,
an angry Zuko would surely come looking for him. And if he couldn’t stand his
ground against a calm Zuko, he would be completely crushed by an angry Zuko. So
Aang took a deep breath and tried to gather his wits as he walked out to their
training ground.
 
When he made it out on to the bright training ground, Aang was surprised to see
Zuko was not alone. Katara was there with him and she didn’t look happy.
She was glaring at Zuko, growling something as she jabbed her finger forcefully
into his chest. Zuko didn’t seem to like what Katara had said and narrowed his
eyes in response. “No!” he suddenly heard Zuko shout back at her.
The shout scared Aang. Without hesitation, he ran up to them and forced himself
into the narrow space between them.
“Stop!” Aang shouted with a weary voice as he weakly pushed them apart.
Zuko immediately shrunk back and looked away but Katara continued to glare,
body stiff and unmoving as she refused to back down.
“Why are you fighting?” Aang wheezed, suddenly feeling short of breath.
Katara turned to him with piercing eyes but they softened with concern when she
saw his grim appearance.
“Aang?” she asked, reaching forward to cup his face in her cool hands. “Are you
okay? What’s wrong?”
Zuko turned back towards them at the sound of Karata’s concerned voice. As if
he completely forget their fight from before, he stepped a bit closer to them
and observed Aang’s face with a frown.
Aang briefly met Zuko’s eyes and blushed madly. “N…nothing…” He stammered,
avoiding both their eyes. He took Katara’s hands in his own and tried to free
himself from her hold.
But she wouldn’t budge. “No! Katara said firmly. “You look terrible, and you’re
burning up too!”
Zuko reached over and placed his rough fingers on Aang’s forehead for a moment,
completely unaware of Aang’s inner turmoil.
“Katara is right,” he said softly, “Training is cancelled for today. You’re
feverish –you need to rest.”
“Of course I’m right,” she huffed, clearly offended by Zuko’s remarks. “Come -
I’ll make you something and then you’re going straight to bed,” she said as she
pulled him along.
Aang groaned but willingly followed her, secretly thankful for an excuse to
skip out on training with Zuko.
***** Chapter 3 *****
But Zuko was harder to brush off than Aang had initially realized. Instead of
leaving them alone, he followed them to the small alcove that Katara had
designated as their kitchen. And while Katara pulled out various canisters of
herbs, Zuko silently lit a small fire with a flick of his wrist.
Aang sat mortified in one corner, afraid that Zuko’s piercing eyes could read
him. He didn’t even dare to look his direction.
With a shaky breath, Aang focused his eyes on Katara, trying to keep his
thoughts away from Zuko. But with every passing minute, he could feel Zuko’s
intense stare grinding away at the bit of resolve he had somehow managed to
muster.
He was just about to resign himself to the torment when Katara spoke up.
“Instead of taking space in my kitchen, why don’t you do something useful?” she
told Zuko sharply. “Go set Aang’s bedroll somewhere quiet.”
Zuko frowned at Katara, obviously annoyed at her commanding tone, but he left
without protest.
And as Katara resumed her tasks, Aang couldn’t help but slump his shoulders in
relief, glad to finally be free of Zuko.
Aang sighed and leaned back against the stone wall. He quietly watched Katara
work methodically, admiring how she carefully selected and crushed herbs before
placing them in boiling water.
 
----------------------------
 
After a few minutes of quiet observation Aang’s mind wandered back to Zuko’s
and Katara’s earlier confrontation.
“Katara?” he asked his voice making her turn slightly towards him.
“What happened between - I mean, why were you fighting with Zuko?”
Katara paused but quickly resumed her stirring of the basin of herb infused
water.
“I just wanted to remind him of his place here – to make sure he knew that he
was here as your fire bending master.”
Aang frowned, confused by Katara’s statement. “But he hasn’t done anything
wrong – I’m learning a lot. And Katara, he isn’t only my teacher, he’s part of
our group too.”
Katara looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face. “I don’t trust
him Aang –and neither should you.”
Aang furrowed his brow, “Katara –“,
“Drink this, it should make you feel better,” Katara commanded, cutting him
off.
Aang’s frown further deepened.
He wanted to continue questioning her, wanted to know why she was doing this
but he knew it was better to end it here, atleast for now. And so he took the
cup she offered him, He slowly drank it, twisting his eyes shut at the bitter
after taste before handing it back.
“Now off to bed,” she ordered.
 
------------------------------------------
 
Zuko had set his bedroll in a small quite room close to the main camping site.
From it Aang could barely hear the others move around the campsite.
Although he was not particularly tired, he laid on his back and looked up at
the air nomad patterns painted on the ceiling. As his eyes traced the intricate
patterns, his mind wandered back to Zuko and Katara’s earlier fight.
Although it had not been anything extreme, it had been a while since Aang had
seen such open hostility between them and therefore he couldn’t help but be
concerned about it. Moreover, he was especially bothered by Katara’s responses.
They had been too vague for his liking.
But what stood out to him the most was that she had told him to stay away from
Zuko despite all the time Zuko had spent with them and the effort he put to
gain their trust.
Of course, Aang knew Katara and Zuko had issues. He had known that they would
have a tense relationship since the moment Katara had attacked Zuko when he
first presented himself at the Western Air Temple. The fact had only further
engrained itself during the first few days of Zuko’s stay when she had only
glared at him and had flat out refused to interact with him. During those days,
she had not only been angry at Zuko but out right hostile.
Aang winced as he recalled Katara’s reaction to the prospect of them traveling
to the sun warrior ruins to learn fire bending.
Katara had hollered at the top of her lungs in protest. And each of them had
begged and tried to reason with her about it but Katara would not budge. It was
then that Toph had decided to step in.
Toph, stubborn like a boulder, had crushed Katara with the brutal truth of
their situation.
“Look Sugar queen,” Toph had sneered. “I don’t care what sort of issues you
have with fire head. He’s Aang’s master and if he can’t teach Aang properly, we
are all going to be royally screwed.”
“Zuko isn’t –“
“Enough!” Toph had shouted, the stone floor trembling slightly as she
interrupted Katara. With blind eyes she had glared at her and pointed her
finger dangerously close to Katara’s face.
“Aang can take care of himself and Zuko has proven himself quite enough. So get
off your high horse and deal with it!”
And with that Katara had backed down. So while she had still been unhappy about
it, she didn’t dare to stop them.
But despite all her anger at the time, that had also been the last point in his
memory in which he recalled such anger and tension between them.
After that their relationship had mellowed out. Katara had toned down her anger
and Zuko had seemed more open during their limited interactions. Aang also
could not forget the many wishful glances and lingering touches Katara had
given Zuko recently.
And so the more Aang thought about their relationship up to today, the more
sure he became of Katara’s feelings. Katara, he realized, was deeply attracted
to Zuko, and had probably been for much longer than he had initially thought.
But something about the way she lashed out at Zuko today told Aang that she had
been deeply hurt by Zuko.
Aang turned to his side and frowned. He felt deeply concerned and conflicted by
the whole situation.
On one side he was jittery, happy but still trying to figure out what to do
with his sudden attraction to Zuko, and on the other he felt both concerned and
oddly satisfied about Zuko and Katara’s tense relationship. After all, he liked
Zuko, perhaps he even truly loved him. And while he wasn’t sure of the
difference, he certainly knew he was attracted to him and therefore wanted him
all to himself.
But as much as he felt overjoyed by this, he felt terrible when his thoughts
wandered to Katara.
Katara just meant so much to him. She was an indescribable and irreplaceable
figure in his life.
She was his master, the first to teach him water bending and the one who
continued to help him refine his skills. She was also his closest friend. Her
smiling face and warm laughter cheering him up on cloudy days. But most
importantly, she was the first person he saw when he woke up a hundred years
later. She was the only one to believe him. The only one who tried to
understand when everyone else had blamed him for everything that had happened
in his absence. And the only one who readily stood by his side, ready to share
the heavy burden he carried. It was because of all this, because of all she
meant to him, that he had once thought he loved her. Perhaps he truly did love
her although he wasn't sure what type of love he had for her.
And perhaps it was because all this that somewhere deep inside of him, he still
felt that he should want her. That he should be with her despite the incredible
way Zuko's mere presence now made him feel.
And so how could he even dare to push her feelings aside? Or feel some joy from
Zuko's and Katara's fights?
It was just not right. It would not be something Monk Gyatso, who had carefully
raised and taught him about peace, love and respect, would have approved of.
And so Aang buried his face in his pillow and tried to sleep, wishing to
temporarily forget about Zuko, Katara and his many conflicting feelings.
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