[in garden; locked to snoozles and sparky]

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[While Garden was docked in Dollet, Zuko had no care to wander out like the rest of the cadets had eagerly and curiously done. He stayed inside. Inside his dorm room was more like it, flipping through the pages of one of his textbooks. There was a faint scowl growing on his face and his page-flipping picks up the pace until he's slamming the book shut and shoving it to the other side of his bed.

His roommate was out; he had the entire dorm to himself.

There's a faint noise at the main door of the room itself and Zuko tilts his good ear towards it, listening intently. As silent as ever he rises from the bed and quietly stalks out of his room and into the front area to see a piece of slightly crumpled paper at the door. Crumpled as though someone had struggled to get the paper into the room from underneath the door.

Zuko moves to it and crouches, snatching it up, pulling it open to read familiar characters:

Good Guy,
I think we should talk. Come alone, the training center, 1130pm. Tell no one.

From,
Another good guy.

A quick step out into the hallway reveals no one there and Zuko narrows his eyes, the paper crumpling in his fist as he curls it slowly.]

Comments

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Both of Sokka's eyebrows go up.] Told me what?

/icon keywords......

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Zuko awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. This is really just way too weird for him. Shouldn't he be trying to take this guy down by now?]

... I kind of attacked her. [Pause.] Twice.

Sure, sure. Go tell it to a wood frog.

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Sokka snorts.] Yeah, she told me how--wait.

TWICE??

[And Sokka might be grabbing Zuko by the front of his robe.]

M-maybe he will!

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[And Zuko might not be expecting that! But if Sokka tugs him close to growl and glare in his face, he'll stumble forward, caught off-guard. Maybe at one point in his life, had things been different, he would have been this protective over Azula.]

She started it!

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Didn't think Sokka could be threatening, did you? Just the class clown, isn't he? WELL THINK AGAIN! You don't mess with his sister! Sokka is all up in Zuko's piece.]

Right! And you firebenders are all so level-headed, so you fought right back?!

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

Of course I retaliated! What did you expect?

[Glowers back at him. Love note and tea-time has now turned into a lover's quarrel!

Zuko reaches up to grab at Sokka's wrist, but he doesn't move to pull Sokka's hand from his robes.]

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Sokka don't play that.] SHE'S A GIRL!!

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Now Zuko goes to tear the hand off his robes.] I wasn't going to kill her!

Just teach her a lesson!

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

OH! Because that sounds SO MUCH BETTER. [Sokka's clinging tenaciously and Zuko's just prying his own robe open. With his other hand Sokka pokes Zuko in the chest. Twice, for good measure.] Don't teach my sister anything!

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Was he-- IS HE POKING HIM?! Zuko digs his fingers into Sokka's wrist, baring his teeth and gritting them further with the one poke and then the second poke, growing more and more irritated.] Don't you dare tell me what to do!

She started it and I finished it.

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Ow! Jerk. Sokka doesn't let go of the material, but he tries to shake off Zuko's grip all the same.]

You WHAT???

BHWAHAHAH THAT ICON.

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Sokka. Stop it. Or you're going to have Zuko shirtless. That's the last thing you want.]

You heard me!

Re: BHWAHAHAH THAT ICON.

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[BUT YOU ARE HURTING HIS WRIST AND HE WILL NOT LOSE.] Yeah I did! And I'm asking you what the hell you mean, you finished it?

KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY SISTER! Hey, I know she can be a little overbearing but YOU JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!!

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Battle of the testosterone. Stage one. Fight!] I didn't touch her if that's what you're implying! I just-- she-- WE--

[Zuko can't even finish that. And he's going to just shut up now, cold turkey style like a smoker of twenty-seven years flushing their smokes down the toilet after waking up from a revelation.

He snaps his mouth shut and breaths heavily through his nose, lips pressed tightly together. He glares at the other boy and then looks away.]

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Oh but Sokka's eyes are widening because--]

WHO SAID THAT YOU TOUCHED HER?? DID YOU TOUCH HER? YOU HAVE GUILTY EYES, ZUKO!!!

[Oh hai, here, HAVE A SHOVE.]

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

WILL YOU STOP SHOUTING!!

[Zuko's eyes snap back up to meet his as he's shoved. OH NO YOU DIDN'T, SOKKA. HAVE A SHOVE BACK. WITH BOTH HANDS TO THE CHEST.]

AND I DID NOT TOUCH HER! WHY DON'T YOU ASK HER WHAT HAPPENED! BECAUSE SHE-- [Exhales heavily and gives another shove. FOR GOOD MEASURE.] She was the one--! [Now Zuko holds his hands up in defense because he has a feeling he's really going to get it. Oh. And he takes a step back.]

... She sat on me.

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Sokka stumbles back at the first shove and is almost willing to let that go but then there's ANOTHER and OH NO Sokka is going to punch a fool in the--]

...

SHE WHAT???

[Zuko, consider yourself off the hook.]

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING!!

[His hands go down. Probably a big mistake, but he's too busy trying to fix what just happened. Where did all the love and peace go?]

Listen-- we were fighting. There was a tumble. I went to help her up. More tumbling. Then somehow she was... shewasinmylap-- and then-- [But he just sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, not bothering with the rest.]

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Sokka is holding up his hands to stop Zuko anyway because wow, he really doesn't need to hear any more. Katara is going to get a MAJOR talking to.]

Man. MAN. Please. Look, just--I don't want to know, forget it. Katara is in SO much trouble.

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

I'm telling you-- nothing happened!

[Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose just a little harder and lets the hand fall away, staring at Sokka in disbelief -- Agni-damnit, boy, the new Fire Lord is telling the truth! ... To a degree.]

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Uh-huh. Sokka snorts. Loudly. Then he tosses up his hands up, because, whatever. Katara is still going to get a talking to regardless.]

FINE. She shouldn't have attacked you. I'll tell her that. But you keep your hot paws to yourself, alright fire boy? You're my friend and all Zuko but she's my little sister. So--yeah.

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

I tried to see if she was alright, but she just kept smacking my hand away. [It's a mutter of words and Zuko scowls now. He folds his arms over his chest, his stance taking up a defensive one.

It's going to take a bit of getting used to - this whole "friend" thing. But like his Uncle Iroh would say - keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Or something like that.]

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

Yeah well if you had attacked me just before that then I would have smacked your hand away too.

But... I will talk to her, okay? I mean, if you're actually going to join us then she can't be going around attacking you.

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

I shouldn't be. It's not... right. [He finishes rather lamely. He's struggling with it still and it shows, but at least the scowl has melted away and he's just clenching his jaw.]

[bendthis.livejournal.com]

[Who cares what you think, Zuko? Despite the tiff over Katara, Sokka's mind is good and made up--he can see the future, after all. And he's really not listening.] I'm sure your sister will get over it, I mean honestly I don't think she likes you much anyway. No offense. I just don't think she likes anything very much.