Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender

Note: I'm just so in love with atla right now! And Zuko is my little fire prince 😍😍 (honestly I just stan any poor broken boy with fire abilities and daddy issues 🤣🤣🤣) So, I thought up this real cute idea! It'll include my atla ocs, mainly just through little mentions (Miko and Lin) and maybe I'll put it in my atla fic (Defiance) when I get to book three. We'll see! Anyway, enjoy the fluff because it's adorable!

----

They're distracting him. He knows this, he just can't figure out why they're distracting him. There's not even enough time to think. Every time Zuko turns around Sokka wants to practice sparring with the new swords they'd gotten a hold of after fending off those Fire Nation troops three days ago. Or, if not the Water Tribe boy, it's Aang wanting to practice his fire bending training, even though they already practiced earlier that morning and Aang hates practicing fire bending. (And Zuko is pretty sure he's been messing up on purpose so this extra training takes even longer.)

He hasn't seen Katara or his cousin Miko all day either, which is also strange. Katara is always so reluctant to leave Aang's side, especially when Zuko is around. (She still thinks he's going to try something to hurt the Avatar even after that "life changing field trip" they'd take to find her mother's killer.) Miko might have been off somewhere gallivanting with Lin (they do so often enough these days), but she usually comes around every now and again. It's not like her to just disappear. (After all, she's the only real reason Aang and his friends have let him stick around this long.)

The Earth bender, Toph, hasn't made a peep either. Which is really strange. She always has something -- some snarky comment usually -- to say. The girl is always around, always cackling, always taunting everyone or just plain making fun of them. The silence is a nice change, but still. It's suspicious.

"Oh, monkey feathers!" Aang suddenly lets the flames in his palms extinguish; it's on purpose, but he acts like it's an accident. His tone couldn't be more obvious. "Zuko, I'm just not getting it! How about another demonstration?" He is definitely up to something, and everyone else is in on it, even his own cousin! Zuko wonders if its some sort of pay back for hunting the Avatar and his friends for the last three years... Maybe Katara has Lin and Toph with her, and the girls are preparing to jump him as soon as Aang and Sokka get his guard down. Or maybe the Avatar is trying to hurry up and master fire bending and leave Zuko far, far behind him. Its no secret the team dislikes him, and they're a long way from forgiving him, he thinks, especially Katara. (But he's been trying!)

Zuko would like to believe Miko wouldn't let them do that to him, but he's not sure about anyone in his family anymore. Maybe she cares for them more than she cares for him.

When Sokka nods the movement is so quick Zuko wonders how it doesn't break his neck. "Yeah, and when you're done with that, you can show me that cool jabby move again!" He poorly mimicks the move, jabbing his fist in the air wildly; he's making unnecessary sound effects.

"And then, we can take Appa for a ride," Aang suggests. "He hasn't gotten to fly around a lot lately."

"Exactly!" Sokka is quick to agree. He slings one arm around Zuko, his other around Aang, tilting his head to the sky in a dramatic way only he seemed to possess. "We can fly him somewhere far far away from here for the rest of the day -- or at least for another three hours -- because there is absolutely nothing interesting going on here!"

"Nope! Nothing at all!" It's Aang's turn to nod so vigorously it should have snapped his tiny neck.

The pair don identical grins, big and wide; their eyes are equally twitchy. Zuko's pretty sure he can see beads of sweat forming on both of their temples. He shoves Sokka off and narrows his eyes at the two of them. What are you up to?

"You're hiding something," Zuko accuses. "Both of you!"

"What? Us?! Hiding something?" Aang gaps. It's not at all subtle, which just proves to Zuko even further that they're planning something.

Sokka jumps in to help, but he's even less subtle than Aang is. He doubles over, hands on his knees, laughing loudly, too loudly. It's not a real laugh. "Good one, Zuko!"

"Yeah," Aang lets out a weak sort of chuckle, "what would we possibly be hiding from you?" He grins. It's more crooked and somewhat genuine, Zuko guesses, but it's still all too... Azula-ish. All he sees is that innocent little smile she always gives him, the one she puts on when she's plotting something unspeakably horrible, the one she shows off when she's lying to him.

But Zuko can't answer. The truth is he has no idea what the Avatar and his friends would be hiding from him or why they'd be keeping it from Zuko (other than the fact that they clearly still didn't completely trust him -- what else did he have to do to prove himself to them?!) He just feels it, he knows they aren't telling the whole truth. Why else would they be acting so...strange?

Sokka and Aang are still giving him those stupid smiles, still twitching. Zuko huffs. Fine, if they don't trust him, he'll make it easier on them and just go. "Forget it." He starts off, heading for his family's old house, where they've been hiding out for the past several weeks. He's going to get his belongings and leave, since he's clearly not wanted here.

Only before he gets too far, Aang's air bending himself in front of Zuko, and Sokka's attached himself to the prince's arm. They're both screeching, "WAIT YOU CAN'T SEE IT YET!!!"

"See what?" Zuko frowns as the duo exchange glances with each other.

"Uh...uh..." Aang struggles.

"Toph's toe nail clippings?" Sokka suggests meekly.

"It's pretty, um, toe nail-y?" Aang tries.

Zuko rolls his eyes. If they were going to lie to him they could at least make it a believable one. Still, he wonders what it is they don't want him to see. A plan to take down the Fire Lord? Do they think he'll switch sides again and go running to Ozai with the information? It's itching at him, making him the fidgety one. He wrenches himself free from the Water Tribe boy -- again! He tries stepping around Aang, but the Avatar just pushes him back.

"Let me through!" Zuko snaps. What is with them?

"But we still have so much fire bending to practice!" Aang insists.

"Yeah, there's absolutely nothing going on in the house anyway," Sokka adds, which just makes Zuko think there is something going on inside the house. "Just the girls doing some stupid dumb girl-y things, like doing their hair and prepping for par -- omph!" Whatever he'd been about to say is cut short when Aang jams his elbow in to Sokka's ribs, reinforced with a bit of air bending.

Zuko doesn't miss the mistake though. He latches on to it. They are keeping something from him.

He stares them down, Sokka rubbing his ribs and groaning while Aang is glaring back at him with a look that said, shut up before you blow it!

"Spa days!" Sokka says, changing course quickly. "I was going to say prepping for spa days before someone rudely interrupted me with unnecessary force!!" The last part is shouted at Aang, who just gives a sheepish little grin. Zuko knows that's not what Sokka had been about to say though. He's not that stupid.

"What are they really doing in there?" Zuko demands. "And why have you two been keeping me busy all day?"

"What? We haven't been doing that!" Aang tries uselessly. "We both just really wanted to practice with you!"

Zuko grumbles to himself, not missing how Aang had narrowly avoided answering his first question. He tries going around Aang again, but Sokka's charging him from behind. (He might have managed to surprise Zuko had it not been for that unearthly screech of his.) Zuko turns, moves mostly by instinct, and flips Sokka over his shoulder. It's a parallel to when Zuko had done the same when he invaded the Southern Water Tribe a year ago, when they all first met. He only realizes this after it's over; he winces at the memory.

Sokka doesn't seem to notice the similarities in the attack, just jumps to his feet again, screams again. He jumps on Zuko's back and covers his eyes with his hands.

"What are you doing?!" Zuko complains, trying to throw the other boy off, but Sokka is persistent. Zuko hears Aang giggling somewhere off to the side. So helpful.

"Aang, quick!" Sokka yelps as Zuko finally throws him to the ground again. He's seething. What is wrong with him? "Pin him down with some rocks or something! We can't let him see the party before it's finished!"

Aang stops laughing, eyes going wide. "Sokka!" he scolds.

It takes Sokka a moment to realize his mistake, and when he does he smacks himself on the forehead. "Shoot! Uh, maybe he didn't hear me!" He looks at Zuko. "You didn't hear me right?"

"How could he not hear you? He's standing right here!" Aang protests, gesturing at the banished/fugitive prince. He has his head in his hands, sighing heavily.

"Maybe we can do what they did in Lake Loagai!" Sokka wiggles his fingers in Zuko's face. "There is no surprise birthday party in your family's old vacation home!"

"Sokka!" Aang complains again.

Zuko can't move for a moment. The words seem to get stuck in his head. Surprise birthday party. He hasn't even realized his birthday was getting so close, he's been so distracted with everything -- first hunting the Avatar, then running from his own people, that whole metamorphic sickness thing, and then going home eventually betraying his own father in favor of seeking out Aang and everyone else's forgiveness in hopes of joining their group... He just hasn't had the time to worry about it. But after a quick count in his head, he finds that, yes, it is indeed his birthday. How did they know that?

Miko's told them, no doubt.

And that's when the words truly register for the prince. Miko's been going on and on and on about it for the last three years, ever since the initial banishment, that first year they set out to sea. Zuko had never let her throw him a party before. "We can celebrate after I find the Avatar!" he always told her. Apparently this year she's neglected to ask for his permission first. And she's roped everyone else into too.

"Can't you just pretend you didn't hear anything?" Sokka says. "Aang and I were supposed to keep you from finding out about the party, and I'm sure if Miko finds out we --"

"We?" Aang interjects.

"I mean if Miko finds out I ruined the surprise," Sokka corrects himself, "she's going to be pretty mad. And I've never seen an angry Miko before! And I really don't want to!" He waves his hands around wildly. "So, just act all surprised when you see it!"

Zuko doesn't need to act, as it turns out. The decorations are surprising enough, even if he was expecting something. He wasn't expecting this.

There's banners hung all around happy birthday, Zuko! written in great big characters across them. The table's filled edge to edge with food from all over the four nations -- Fire Flakes, fruit pies, dumplings, seaweed noodles, kale cookies. There's even various assortments of teas in honor of Uncle Iroh.

Streamers hang all around the room, and one of the girls -- Zuko guesses Katara -- has filled a bunch of colorful rubber up with water to make some sort of party water balloons. They've broken out the fanciest clothes in the house, and there's a massive four layered cake -- and four tiers, each decorated to mimicked the colors of the four nations. Gold and red, green and brown, yellow and orange, white and blue. 

It's not at all what Zuko expects, but somehow -- with everyone haling from one of the four nations -- it seems appropriate. He doesn't mind it.

The girls stand by the cake, shout, "Surprise!" when Zuko walks in. Sokka and Aang join in too, like Sokka hasn't already spoiled everything.

"Don't you like it?" Zuko doesn't realize he hasn't moved until his cousin says that. She's staring at him, her golden eyes carrying the smallest of sparks. That strange one Zuko could never quite figure out, the one that made it seem like she thought everything in existence was the most exciting thing ever, like everything matters, like he matters. Strange, the way his own sister never shared the same expression.

Zuko can't find the words to express himself. Even with all the riches he's had growing up, all the years of being pampered and given whatever he wants merely because he is royalty (was royalty) he's never had anything this nice before -- at least, he's never had anything this genuine before. No one's ever put in this much thought, this much effort -- not for him. Azula maybe, but not him. "I, uh..."

"Oh, yeah, he likes it!" Sokka grins. "And he's totally genuinely surprised because Aang and I totally did not spoil the surprise!"

"That's...technically true," Aang shrugs.

"Let's eat!" Sokka makes a beeline for the food, because of course he does.

The rest of the night is spent laughing and telling jokes among friends. Friends. Zuko doesn't think he's ever had any of those before. Toph and Lin make a show out of some arm wrestling game they've made up. And when Sokka starts eating too much, Katara gets all motherly warning him of stomach aches and choking, but of course he ignores her. She and Aang sneak off to dance together when Miko breaks out her old tsungi horn. At some point Appa pokes his head in through the window to take a huge hunk from the cake, and Momo steals a few berries for himself. The "birthday boy" jokes are never ending, but Zuko somehow doesn't care so much about that.

There's this unfamiliar sense rising within him. He hasn't felt anything like it since his childhood -- or maybe he's never felt anything like it at all. It's warm and comfortable, like a breeze on a summer day. It's light too, like maybe he could start floating away at a moment's notice -- which is completely ridiculous given that he's not an air bender. But, dare he admit it, he sort of likes it.