Title: Anniversary

Author: Risa

Pairing: Zuko/Aang

Rated: K+

Disclaimer: ATLA isn't mine.

Word Count: 2,750

Summary: A gift fic for the LJ fic exchange comm himitsu_santa, "Aang, Zuko - friendship piece (can be ship-y, if inspiration strikes)"

It had become a custom in the Fire Nation to celebrate the end of the war annually, for even their loss was really more of a blessing in disguise when just and fair Fire Lord Zuko took the throne. Diplomats from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe would head for the Fire Nation each year and take part in their celebration as well, but perhaps most importantly the avatar always came.

Zuko knew that they mostly came because Aang did, and that Aang's frequent presence in the Fire Nation was what kept everyone's heads on straight. Also, it kept the faith that the Fire Nation wouldn't turn evil again in the other nations. Never mind that Zuko finally got what he wanted, to succeed his father as Fire Lord, and to treat his people with decency. He'd earned much of it back, but not all of his followers treated him well in return. Some men were still loyal to Ozai, and even Azula, despite her outbursts at the end of her (abysmally short) reign, and caused Zuko a lot of trouble. Crime rates and poverty were on the rise since the Fire Nation chose a life of peace, though some of the colonies in the Earth Kingdom were kind enough to allow the civilians to stay where they were, as long as they became legal citizens of the Earth Kingdom. Some people were indifferent, others furious, and not many seemed pleased.

They weren't easy decisions, but someone had to make them.

So Zuko wasn't the popular one on the holiday dubbed Avatar Return Day, Aang was. They ran it for three years straight successfully, and this would be the fourth. Though it stood for something that meant the world to Zuko, the festivities did nothing for him. He didn't like to dance, he didn't like how mild the fire flakes had become, he didn't like the circus performances, he didn't like the guy who always complained about his cabbages being "victimized", and most of all he couldn't stand the girls. Since he and Mai had gone their separate ways Zuko had been swarmed by eager Fire Nation women, and even a few Earth Kingdom ones. Not a one of them suited him, for most thought that being too bony and too ditsy and too loud was supposed to be cute. Others thought being too stiff and polite was proper. None of them were the right balance. It was rather annoying.

Though what was most annoying wasn't the attention he received. No, what Zuko perhaps found most annoying was the attention Aang received. Quite unlike Zuko, though, Aang was happy to comply with all of their attention garnering and eyelash batting. He'd have to put on a show of manipulating all four elements, and his firebending was still sloppy! Zuko was forced to witness how his friend and pupil had been slacking off. Then perhaps worst of all everyone would start to dance, and Zuko would be forced to sit in the corner looking awkward and grumpy. He would engage in polite small talk with the ladies, dine with them, and listen to them brag about how their fathers served in a war that Zuko technically fought against in the last stretch. If there was one thing he wouldn't do, though, it was dance, except at the end when he and Aang performed the Dance of the Dragon. That was typically the only memorable interaction he and Aang ever had at these social gatherings.

Zuko couldn't help but notice Katara's absence from Aang's side after a couple of years. She used to be glued to his side, always butting in on their training, and then Sokka would sometimes be there, too, telling Zuko not to be such a hot head (ha ha.) Gradually she slipped away as Aang had grown taller, older, and oddly handsome given his (normally) humble appearance. It ate away at him somehow. She had once been protective enough of Aang to confront Zuko face-to-face, unwilling to let anything hurt Aang. Now she seemed to be the hurt one. He watched the way she looked at him while his attention was completely usurped by the festivities and the people. He couldn't imagine that it felt good.

So rather than offer another nobody his half-listening ears, he took a trip to the cinnamon punch bowl where she stood and tried to strike up a conversation. All he could muster was "hey."

"Hay is for bison," said Katara, taking a sip of punch. Clearly she had been spending too much time with her brother, because only he could come up with a joke so bad that it was almost funny. He supposed it was a Water Tribe thing, because if there was something a resident of the Fire Nation typically wasn't, it was funny.

"It's, ah, been awhile."

"Look at him-" said Katara, ignoring Zuko with a seemingly practiced ease. He felt small all of a sudden, though Katara was good at making him feel that way. She was really something else. Mai would have liked her if she were any good at making (sane) friends. "-don't girls in the Fire Nation have lives?"

"Not really." Zuko poured himself a glass of punch. Even the cinnamon punch had more zest than the fire flakes, and that was just silly. "His firebending is still sloppy. Does he ever practice when I'm not around."

"Not much." Katara's eyes were downcast. "Without you, he doesn't much trust in his firebending abilities. At least, as far as I know.

"After all this time." Katara put down her punch and looked at her hands for some reason. "It still bothers him."

"What bothers him?"

"Nothing, it's in the past," Katara crossed her arms and frowned, trying to bite back a tear that just refused to be held back. Zuko always felt awkward when he saw a girl cry, especially if he had somehow caused it. He didn't even know where to begin to apologize for whatever pain he'd caused her (had he caused it?), but when she ran off he figured the only thing he could do for her was let her go. Katara wasn't Zuko's biggest fan, never had been. They worked well together as a fighting team, and that was about it. He didn't know how to connect with her on any other level, which brought him to one of his biggest problems with parties. He didn't really know these people. Everything was either business, small talk, complaints, or just plain awkward. In four years Aang very well could have been Zuko's only real friend, aside from his uncle, who was off at another stand serving tea and playing pai sho. He and Mai were barely on speaking terms, though he supposed she counted. Sadly she had more of a personality than some of the other girls that sought him out. The girls he had met in the Earth Kingdom in his days as a fugitive were much more interesting, though he supposed that the nobody named Lee that he was acting as didn't garner as much insanity as Fire Lord Zuko did.

"Hey hot stuff-" said Toph, giving his upper arm a swift jab. A very sudden and painful one at that. Where did she come from anyway? "Pour me some punch, would ya."

"Is that any way to speak to royalty?" said Zuko, complying with Toph's request anyway. When she chugged it in one gulp and belched he almost couldn't believe she was a girl. Well, more of a growing woman now, and not bad looking either. Her parents must have dressed her up for the occasion. She never changed, though. She earthbent her cup into a ball and kicked it toward some punks playing ring-around-the-cabbage-cart. Too bad the only thing she hit was the cabbage cart. That would be the third complaint this week.

"Oh, did I get 'em? It's hard to "see" with all these people around.

"I hate parties."

"I know what you mean," said Zuko, taking another look at Aang. Fa Rong the fire juggler was showing him tricks and Aang was doing them wrong all right. One of the curtains even caught on fire. Aang was such an airbender. So carefree it was rather annoying to watch. How could someone so talented and so powerful be so... silly? And how could Zuko learn to tolerate such attention as Aang could? Well, perhaps tolerate wasn't the word, seeing as hehad no choice but to do that for a living. Zuko needed to learn to enjoy the company of those he surrounded himself with. He thought he could enjoy Katara's company, but apparently she thought otherwise. Then came Toph, who had such and obvious crush on him. Of course, had she been a little older and a lot less rough, he'd consider her. A marriage between the Fire Lord and a noble of the Earth Kingdom would bring much hope to the world, but it was also bound to have repercussions. Perhaps lethal ones. He wasn't sure if the Fire Nation was quite ready for that.

Still, Toph wasn't stiff, and she wasn't stupid. He could talk to her, at least until Sokka stopped by. She had an even bigger crush on him, although Sokka always seemed to have a girlfriend. Suki, was it? Well, whatever Sokka was up to these days, Zuko was sure that he was going to get an earful. Sokka never tired of tangents and sarcasm.

"Juggling, am I right?"

"No," said Zuko, shoving a cup of punch into Sokka's hands. Half of the spiced drink flew out and lapped at Sokka's clothes. Before he could ask Zuko what his problem was the disgruntled Fire Lord took off in a daze. Sokka stared out, and Toph laughed at his dismay.

"What's up with him?" said Sokka. "And where's Katara? I need her to bend this out of my good shirt before it gets all crustified!"

"I think he's in love. I could see his heart pounding." Toph smirked, and Sokka smacked his forehead. That's what Toph always said when Zuko was in one of his moods. It was only a matter of time before Zuko's "love" killed them all. He had already gotten to the splash-drinks-on-the-innocent part.

Toph couldn't be more wrong, though. The very issue at hand was that Zuko wasn't in love. Because he wasn't in love he didn't know how to talk to any of the girls. He didn't even want to try. A proper Fire Lord needed to produce a legitimate heir, but it wouldn't be fair to marry just anyone. What if his kids turned out to be like him? Or their mother? Or worst of all, Azula. His people were pushing for him to find a wife, as it was typically custom for Fire Nation royalty to marry before coronation. In the desperate battle his and Azula's respective coronation ceremonies were both exceptions, so the pressure was on.

He thought everything was all set with Mai, but one too many disagreements and misunderstandings later she called them quits and he had since become the bachelor of the nation. He had spent his life more or less trying to please his father, but now that his father was less than soil to him, and his uncle lived in Ba Sing Se, he had little guidance. Little drive to do things that didn't require immediate care. If he kept this attitude up he would lose the faith of his people. It was so hard trying to please everyone, and having no time-no right, even-to please himself. He just didn't know what to do, but he knew one thing that would satisfy him and a few others for the moment.

"And this is what I call the arrow blast!" said Aang, sounding perky, albeit exhausted. With the largest crowd this event has seen yet it was a wonder how Aang hadn't collapsed beneath the weight of so many eyes and ears.

"Wrong," said Zuko, yanking his arm more outward. "Shoot that and you'll blast yourself half way to the Southern Air Temple."

"Oh, hey!" said Aang, giving Zuko a bone-crushing hug in front of thousands of people. Would they perhaps wonder about the avatar being the only person Zuko had come into any intimate contact with throughout the evening? Ridiculous, but Zuko blushed anyway and peeled Aang away. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Come on! We have to go practice our form!

"It's very important that Zuko and I have absolute privacy, or it'll ruin the surprise!" said Aang to the crowd. He flipped out his glider and nodded toward Zuko. "Grab on to my shoulders, sifu hotman! Stand back! Back! And away we go!"

In a most impressive blast of air with a touch of fire he and Aang were launched into the air, all the way toward the highest point in the Fire Nation, the palace astronomy tower. Thanks to Sozin the people of the Fire Nation took to stargazing so they could anticipate the arrival of the next comet. It would make little sense for he and Aang to retreat there, other than it being strictly forbidden by those who weren't part of the royal family.

"Where are we going?" Zuko shouted, displeased with the way stray bits of hair whipped around his face. Also, the hem of his robes were singed, and he really disliked how this must have looked from above. It clearly looked like they were taking off for the sake of taking off. Alone. Together. For some reason that could only spell trouble in Zuko's mind.

"The tower! I want to be alone with you for a minute."

Zuko didn't want to argue with that, but this already looked bad, so he may as well keep going along with it.

Once they reached the window he and Aang hopped down, and he was out of breath. It must not have been easy bending air for two, but this had to be important for this kind of retreat, so Zuko was all ears.

"Whatever this surprise is, it had better be good. Those people don't want to have Avatar Day without an avatar, you know."

"I know," said Aang, flopping his backside against the cold, stone ground. "I just wanted to take a break.

"Usually I'd sneak away with Katara, but she doesn't seem to want to talk to me right now." Aang frowned, and Zuko felt a headache creeping along. He couldn't even procure a decent girlfriend for himself, let alone help anyone else out. Not to mention Katara wasn't looking too thrilled that evening. Nothing he could tell Aang would be good.

"I don't have to kiss you, do I?"

"What?" said Aang, as though Zuko had pulled the unagi out of his backside. Then there was a period of heavy silence, feet shuffling, and very forced laughs from Aang. "Good one, Zuko."

"Everyone's a kidder today," said Zuko, forcing very broken laughs himself. Generally he didn't laugh, so Aang gave him a long and puzzled stare. Then he took Zuko by the arm and pulled him into another hug. A real one this time, not just one to satisfy the world's desire to know that they were friends. Best friends at that.

"You and I saved the world four years ago today, but for the past three I hardly ever got a chance to thank you."

"For what?" said Zuko, slowly but surely returning Aang's embrace. For the first time that evening he felt at peace. No more pesky thoughts and worries whirring and buzzing and striking at him from all angles. No more aversion toward intimacy, or fear of not knowing what he needed to be, or how he needed to be it. Something about Aang made him feel like everything was going to be all right. Like everything he had ever hoped and dreamed meant something. He supposed that what ever surprise he and Aang had in store for the crowd this evening would be satisfying, as long as they worked together.

"For making my destiny possible," said Aang, pulling away from the close embrace. "You're the best Fire Lord ever."

"Ah... thanks?" said Zuko, biting his lip in embarrassment. It really wasn't true, at least not relative to his ancestry before Sozin. Definitely not the best, but if nothing else he tried his best. "Well, you're the best, ah, Avatar ever."

"Thanks!" Aang took Zuko's hand and smiled. "And we're the best team ever."

"You're right," said Zuko, looking down at his bright and festive nation. From afar it was the most beautiful sight in the world, and he had been responsible for it for four long years. It truly was amazing. "So let's show these people what the best team ever can do."

"Yeah!"

Rejuvenated, the two of them took off back down to the festivities, comfortable at last in each others' company. Parties were always better with a friend.

END