His arm was numb. The little earthbending girl, Toph, he reminded himself, was wrapped around it like a spider-snake, giving off enormous fake snores as the rest of the Avatar’s companions slept on oblivious. As he felt the sun rise, he tried to ease her arms down to slip his free, but she just tangled around him tighter, eyes still closed. “I know you’re awake,” he hissed.
“Yeah?” she whispered, “I know I’m awake too.”
“Let go!” He yanked his arm, and she obliged, waving as he rolled backwards down the bison’s side and onto the ground. The bison rumbled.
“Uh!” A spire of rock punted him back into the saddle.
Toph clicked her tongue. “Not at all rooted, are you, Sparky?” Before rolling back over, the Water Tribe boy blinked sleepily at them both. Zuko summoned up a scowl. Toph had latched back onto his arm.
~*~
Zuko spent the day brooding in the saddle, occasionally peering over the edge to watch the Avatar failing to learn to earthbend. When the Water Tribe girl dropped a bowl in front of him, he picked it up listlessly, and put it back down. “Toph’s right, you are skinny.” The Water Tribe girl narrowed her eyes. “What, haven’t you been eating?” Zuko glowered.
The Water Tribe boy glanced over. “Hey, you gonna eat that?” Zuko handed it over.
“Sokka!” she yelled. “Don’t you dare.”
Sokka froze. “But Katara!”
“Give it back.”
“I don’t want it, okay?” Zuko snapped, launching himself over the side of the saddle and sliding down to the ground. A pillar of stone hit him as soon as he landed, boosting him back into the saddle. “Stop doing that!” he cried. “Just let me leave, okay?”
Another rock spike deposited Toph next to him, and she threw her arm around his shoulders.
“You’re not going to try to capture Aang again, are you?” Katara eyed him sharply.
“No.” He tried to shrug her off, but Toph hung on tight.
“I can tell you’re lying!” Toph sang.
“Just let me go!”
The Avatar fluttered down into the saddle on the last word. “What’s going on?”
“Where would you go, anyway?” Sokka asked, spearing a piece of meat out of Katara’s bowl when she wasn’t looking. “We’re nowhere near the coast, your ship’s gotta be,” he spread his arms wide. “Weeks away on foot.”
“It got blown up.”
“Seriously?” Sokka snickered.
Zuko hunched his shoulders.
“What about your uncle?” the Avatar asked cheerfully.
“He’s dead, okay?” He shouted, but as soon as the last word left his mouth, his face crumpled. “He screwed up and...” Tears poured from his good eye and splattered on the saddle leather.
The earthbending girl, Toph’s, arm moved lower until she had pulled him into a tight hug. He didn’t know what to do. Before he’d even realized it, his arm was around her and he was sobbing into her shoulder. The others stared. He could feel them staring.
He tried to catch his breath, but it kept catching in his throat as whines. At last, he swiped the tears off his cheeks and broke away, voice hoarse. “I guess you think I’m part of your gang now.”
The all looked away.
“Yeah, well, I’m not,” he muttered. Toph grabbed back onto him.
Continuation: Zuko breaks down in front of the Gaang
~*~
His arm was numb. The little earthbending girl, Toph, he reminded himself, was wrapped around it like a spider-snake, giving off enormous fake snores as the rest of the Avatar’s companions slept on oblivious. As he felt the sun rise, he tried to ease her arms down to slip his free, but she just tangled around him tighter, eyes still closed. “I know you’re awake,” he hissed.
“Yeah?” she whispered, “I know I’m awake too.”
“Let go!” He yanked his arm, and she obliged, waving as he rolled backwards down the bison’s side and onto the ground. The bison rumbled.
“Uh!” A spire of rock punted him back into the saddle.
Toph clicked her tongue. “Not at all rooted, are you, Sparky?” Before rolling back over, the Water Tribe boy blinked sleepily at them both. Zuko summoned up a scowl. Toph had latched back onto his arm.
~*~
Zuko spent the day brooding in the saddle, occasionally peering over the edge to watch the Avatar failing to learn to earthbend. When the Water Tribe girl dropped a bowl in front of him, he picked it up listlessly, and put it back down. “Toph’s right, you are skinny.” The Water Tribe girl narrowed her eyes. “What, haven’t you been eating?” Zuko glowered.
The Water Tribe boy glanced over. “Hey, you gonna eat that?” Zuko handed it over.
“Sokka!” she yelled. “Don’t you dare.”
Sokka froze. “But Katara!”
“Give it back.”
“I don’t want it, okay?” Zuko snapped, launching himself over the side of the saddle and sliding down to the ground. A pillar of stone hit him as soon as he landed, boosting him back into the saddle. “Stop doing that!” he cried. “Just let me leave, okay?”
Another rock spike deposited Toph next to him, and she threw her arm around his shoulders.
“You’re not going to try to capture Aang again, are you?” Katara eyed him sharply.
“No.” He tried to shrug her off, but Toph hung on tight.
“I can tell you’re lying!” Toph sang.
“Just let me go!”
The Avatar fluttered down into the saddle on the last word. “What’s going on?”
“Where would you go, anyway?” Sokka asked, spearing a piece of meat out of Katara’s bowl when she wasn’t looking. “We’re nowhere near the coast, your ship’s gotta be,” he spread his arms wide. “Weeks away on foot.”
“It got blown up.”
“Seriously?” Sokka snickered.
Zuko hunched his shoulders.
“What about your uncle?” the Avatar asked cheerfully.
“He’s dead, okay?” He shouted, but as soon as the last word left his mouth, his face crumpled. “He screwed up and...” Tears poured from his good eye and splattered on the saddle leather.
The earthbending girl, Toph’s, arm moved lower until she had pulled him into a tight hug. He didn’t know what to do. Before he’d even realized it, his arm was around her and he was sobbing into her shoulder. The others stared. He could feel them staring.
He tried to catch his breath, but it kept catching in his throat as whines. At last, he swiped the tears off his cheeks and broke away, voice hoarse. “I guess you think I’m part of your gang now.”
The all looked away.
“Yeah, well, I’m not,” he muttered. Toph grabbed back onto him.