[Avatar: The Last Airbender] "Gray Areas" | Zuko and Sokka | G
Title: Gray Areas
Author: modestly_not
Pairing: neutral? (But it has Sokka and Zuko!)
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Rating: G
Challenge: White Lie
Disclaimer: Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, owned by Nickelodeon. I have no affiliation with them whatsoever.
Notes: One of these days I will write a SokkaxZuko and not feel bad about it. Today is just not that day.



I've grown up with the notion that all 'bad guys' were bad.

And I still believe that way.

But meeting him, oh boy, after meeting him the truth slowly turns into a lie.

I've grown up hating the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation took away my mother. The Fire Nation sent my father to the battle lines. The Fire Nation robbed my sister's childhood, my childhood, forced us to leap into adulthood without a second glance.

Katara became the mother. I became the warrior.

Though sometimes at night, when we think no one can see us or hear us, we cry silently to ourselves, we silently hate the Fire Nation wishing that it didn't have to be this way.

I've faced him once before, the scarred Prince with fire in his eyes. I hated him then, but not so much now. I threw my boomerang at him, watching as he ducked with ease and sent a flare of flames in my direction. It kisses my skin with a burning sensation and I fall onto the hard ground.

'I'm finished,' I thought, 'I'm finished.'

He stood over me, his shadow fell heavily onto my body. His hot hands wring around my neck, pressing tight enough so that I can feel my violent heart beat pulsate between his fingers but loose enough for me to take in short staggering breaths.

He's going to kill me he's going to kill me he's going to kill me he's going to kill me—

Overhead I hear a gush of wind, the familiar scent of Appa flies toward me.

Zuko lets go, releases his deathly grip on my neck. I look into his eyes and see a fire, burning tiredly.

"This is a secret between you and me."

He kicked a cloud of dust into my face and disappeared into the high sun, almost as though he became absorbed into fire.

Aang lands Appa right next to me, Katara brings out her healing water, Toph tells me I look stupid lying there with dust in my face.

But I can't get up. For the first time in my life, I'm utterly confused.

Weren't all bad guys supposed to be ... bad?