Lovers in a Dangerous Time

A/N: First off, massive thanks to my beta's, Empress, Aurora Atantaqui and Aurora's mom N.J. I'm such a bad speller I need three beta's!!!! I'm so sorry this took so long but I've been massively busy lately between my 4 jobs and everything else. I hope that the next chapters come together a little faster but I can't make any promises..... Please stick with me people. If you would like me to e-mail you when the chapters are ready please e-mail me at kitsune_girl@yyhmail.com. I would be happy to e-mail anyone with updates. As I promised last time, I have thanked every one who has e-mailed me or left a comment after the story. Enjoy!!


Standard Disclaimer: I do not own anything from avatar. If I did my awesomeness would be unmatched!


- Lovers in a Dangerous Time -

This was the beginning of a big change for both boys. There was no longer that unbreakable silence between them. Their lessons spilled into their everyday lives.

Iroh was the first to notice this. Though the boys were only discussing battle strategies, this looked like the start of a friendship. As usual, he was right about this.

The talks about strategies somehow turned into talks about other warriors from either boy's nation, then a discussion on different warrior traditions and eventually about themselves. Though Zuko conveniently left out information on his family life.

Yet Iroh was hard pressed to ever see them trade physical contact with one another except in training. Even then, if Zuko's touch was anything but a firm grasp meant to grapple his opponent into submission or a hard punch at the other boy Sokka would flinch away as if avoiding something highly dangerous from touching his skin.

The old man also noticed that as soon as training was finished, Sokka's personal space bubble suddenly grew to the size of half the Earth Kingdom. This annoyed the old general to no end. It was the second time his plan seemed to be thwarted by the stubborn teens. The problem was very much an enigma to Iroh. He couldn't very well force contact between the two. If there was one thing the Dragon of the West was good at it was working in secret till the perfect moment was presented to him, then he would strike. The boys wouldn't know what hit them.

Iroh supposed he could always leave the boys to their own devices. This had brought them together as friends when they seemed more intent on beating the living daylights out of each other. If the fates were on his side, maybe they would help him deal with the pigheaded boys.

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Within a week, Zuko resumed his early morning meditation ritual. This was somewhat annoying to Sokka, who had taken to sleeping late into the morning since he didn't have the same responsibilities as when he was with Aang and Katara.

Zuko would start by putting his bedding away to make room on the floor. The cabin felt far smaller now that it was accommodating two people instead of one. The prince would then light his candles This is what woke Sokka up. The light from the sun still had that watery early morning quality to it, easy to sleep through but Zuko's candles cast enough light to wake up the other boy.

The Water Tribe boy grumbled and burrowed deeper into his blankets. Zuko ignored this and sat in front of the table. He started with slow even breaths, then began to take deeper breaths, making the flames wax and wain with his breathing.

Sokka couldn't sleep with the lights flickering the way they were and Zuko's breathing was causing distractions as well. Thoughts of ways, other than meditation, to make Zuko's breath come in short pants would keep anyone awake. The peasant retaliated by grumbling loudly and readjusting himself along with his blankets and pillow on his futon.

This always caused a falter in Zuko's meditation. He was use to being alone when he practiced. The prince tried to circumvent the issue by growling a mantra in hopes of returning the peace he had lost while his roommate made so much background noise. The only thing his mantras would earn him was Sokka's pillow being hurled at the back of his head.

Most mornings Zuko would fling an insult or idle threat at the other boy to which Sokka would retort by pulling his blankets tighter around himself till he resembled a large hedgehog curling into a protective ball rather than a teenage boy. Annoyed at not being able to get an adequate response from his unwanted guest, the prince would hurl the pillow back at the ball of blanket and boy then huffily leave the room. To relive the pent-up anger, Zuko would yell at the first person who wished him good morning, this was usually Iroh.

Sokka, now too awake from annoying Zuko and rather smug about said annoyance, would get up and get dressed. After putting his bedding away he'd go to the galley to inquire about breakfast.

This morning was different. The prince would not be bested by some smug peasant. He tossed the pillow in the open bedding closet then yanked the covers off the other boy, dragging Sokka to his feet.

"H-hey! W-what do you think your doing?" The Water Tribe boy protested. He thought for a moment that Zuko's idle threats might not be so idle.

"I'm sparring with you like Fire Nation soldiers do, I've shared the traditions of my people and now I'm going to teach you how to meditate." The prince unceremoniously pushed the peasant down so he was sitting in front of the table with the candles on it.

"Ow." Sokka yelped rubbing his rump where he had landed so hard. "I don't want to." he complained.

Zuko stooped down next to the peasant, "I don't care." He began to arrange Sokka's legs in a proper position for meditation.

"HEY!!!! Get your hands off me!!" Sokka yelled when he felt the Fire Nation prince touch his inner thigh, right above Sokka's right knee. He kicked at the prince unsuccessfully.

Zuko placed a firm hand on either of Sokka's thighs. He held them down and growled at the peasant, "Stop acting like some virgin girl every time I touch you. It annoys me."

Blushing, Sokka stopped fighting the hold on the tender flesh of his inner-thigh. "I do not act like that when you touch me." he pouted.

To prove his point Zuko reached out a hand to touch the other boys face. Sokka eyed it like a poisonous tarantula then batted it away before it could touch his flesh. "See!" Zuko exploded then went back to rearranging the peasants legs. "Stop it. It isn't becoming of a warrior."

The peasant begrudgingly allowed the contact. One part of his brain was trying to convince his leg to lash out at the prince, the other enjoyed the contact. He was use to travailing with two rather touchy feely companions. His body had gotten use to being punched rather than reassured by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Sokka was returned to the here and now when he felt warm hands on his biceps. He suppressed the want to jump away. He watched with an unreadable expression on his face as Zuko ran his hands down his biceps to his forearms arranging his arms in the classic meditation fashion.

The prince took Sokka's hands in his own. Zuko turned them palm up. "Relax your hands. You have to be relaxed for this to work." He held the other boys hands for a moment waiting for the tension to leave the digits and palms. When he felt Sokka relax he sat beside him. "Close your eyes." Zuko added calmly after retaining his meditation position.

With a roll of his eyes, Sokka complied. He thought about scooting a few inches away, his knee was almost touching Zuko's. In that moment he was thankful for the two layers of cloth separating them. The Water Tribe boy knew Zuko would tease him mercilessly if he moved away so Sokka stayed put. He only wished he had worn a shirt to bed last night or that Zuko would put a shirt on.

"You're not concentrating." Zuko grumbled. "and sit up straight."

How am I supposed to concentrate when I've got a shirtless you sitting next to me?! Sokka thought angrily. He complied and tried his best to concentrate. Anyone who knew Sokka knew this wouldn't last long. Within a few minutes he was slumped over and thinking about what he should have for breakfast.

Zuko opened his bad eye and glared at his companion. "You're letting your mind wander again AND your slouching."

"Sorry!" Sokka grumbled. He was loosing his patience with this. "I can't concentrate the way you can."

"Yes you can. You're just not trying." the prince said turning to look at Sokka.

The Water Tribe boy still hadn't opened his eyes. At the moment he was rather surprised at the vote of confidence, albeit roughly administered. He sat up straight again and was even more surprised when he felt Zuko climb to his feet. Sokka was suddenly overwhelmed with the wish to prove himself. "Get back here, I want another try!"

Sokka felt the other boy sit directly behind him. The darker boys breath caught in his lungs. "I wasn't leaving. I was only changing position so you can't slouch anymore." Zuko's voice was even and calm. This was a little unnerving to Sokka but what he was saying was true. The Water Tribe boy couldn't help but sit up straight with Zuko's back against his own. Sokka opened his eyes and tried to look at Zuko's expression. He was unable to but that doesn't mean he still didn't try. "You can't see the candles from there."

"It's not about seeing." Zuko stated. His voice was still even and Sokka was starting to like it a lot. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. His cheeks burned bright red. "This is about looking inside yourself. Finding the strength and trust within you."

The Water tribe boy thought about this for a moment, then voiced his opinion,:

"Well, that's stupid."

There was a small growl from Zuko and the Sokka was glad too hear the return of the annoyed grumble the prince usually used when addressing the him. "I tried being calm and nice, that's not working. I guess I'll have to be more aggressive."

Suddenly the flames on the table burst away from the wicks, surrounding the two boys in flames. Sokka pressed himself against Zuko's back, trying his hardest to get as far away from the fire as possible.

"Listen, if I take back the stupid comment can we go back to calm and nice and forget aggressive ever happened?" Sokka bargained, his eyes darted around, looking for an escape route.

"No." Zuko answered curtly. He was using that calm meditative voice again. It aggravated Sokka that he could feel this way towards the prince when it was the same prince who was putting him in such a potentially dangerous situation. "I'd start focusing if I were you. If you can't focus, I can't concentrate and if I can't concentrate... well, lets just say this fire might become a little too over powering for me."

"Okay! Okay!" Sokka yelped as he felt the ring of flame tighten around them.

The warrior closed his eyes and sat up as straight as he could. He focused on his breathing, on his heart beat, but nothing could distract him from the fire flickering rather closely or the very attractive boy sitting even closer. He let out a worried whimper.

"You have to trust me. Trust that I wouldn't purposely hurt you." the prince offered as way of help.

Sokka clenched his eyes shut. Trust... I can do trust. He thought anxiously. Look inside myself... I think I can do that too.

The entirety of Sokka's brain focused on the beat of his heart. Soon it was all he could hear. BA-bum, BA-bum, BA-bum. To the boy's amazement he could hear another sound. It was so quiet at first. Soon he could hear it loud and clear. It was Zuko's heart. Their hearts were beating together. Sokka could feel their lungs moving in perfect synchronization as they performed their meditative breathing.

Then something, born purely of emotion, clicked into place. Both boys felt it. The feeling of emptiness being filled to overflowing with new hope.

"I trust you." Sokka whispered to the flames. He opened his eyes and when he saw the fire he wasn't afraid. He knew in his heart that Zuko would never hurt him. He watched the beautiful flames dance and in that time he felt more comforted, excepted and safe than he had in a long time.

Zuko was now free to manipulate the flames as he saw fit. First it was a simple expansion and contraction of the circle. Then, apparently out of nowhere, Zuko had a mad urge to show off. He began to shape the fire into animals and paraded them around the circle of fire like a ring master for Sokka's entertainment.

In front of Sokka's eyes the animals morphe and danced. He was utterly amazed yet he refused to break his own meditative state. His favorite was the great bird that swooped and circled before him. The tips of the fire birds wings nearly touched his nose. Sokka never moved, His confidence in Zuko was so encompassing he knew nothing of fear, only trust, patience and a deep sense of calm.

Soon the animals reformed themselves into the walls of fire, then the fire returned to the candles. Sokka felt very cold all of a sudden. He remembered the room being pleasantly cozy when the prince first yanked him out of bed. Now it was so cold. he pressed himself closer to the warm body behind him. All to soon the warm mass stood and moved away.

"I'm cold. Come back here." he pouted at the prince.

"I'm not leaving, I wouldn't leave you." Zuko surprised himself with the tender caring in his voice. He grabbed the forgotten blanket off Sokka's bed and wrapped it around the other boy. "If you keep meditating your body will eventually become use to the temperature changes."

"You mean you'd let me meditate with you again?" Sokka asked, his eye looked up hopefully at Zuko. The Water Tribe boy hadn't wanted anything this badly since his father had gone off to war and he had begged to go along.

The prince felt one of the carefully built walls around his heart crumble at the look in those silver eyes. He had never been frightened like this. Such strong feelings were foreign to Zuko. He wished to hold the other boy in his arms and kiss him, heaping praise upon him for trusting the prince so implicitly. The fear that Sokka would not feel the same way and the thought of letting such raw emotion be shown was overwhelming at best.

Zuko walked to the closet where the two boys kept their clothes. He pulled out one of his silk shirts and put it on. Then he took one of Sokka's shirts along with one of his own robes. He returned to the other boy and dressed him quickly in the shirt. He wrapped the robe around Sokka's slim shoulders. "Wear this. It will keep you warm."

"Zuko!!" Sokka yelled in an annoyed voice, "Can I meditate with you again or not?"

Looking away from Sokka's pleading eyes, Zuko mentally kicked himself for starting all of this. After heaving a heavy sigh, he turned back to the Water Tribe boy. "Fine. But you have to get up by yourself and if you decide you don't want to practice anymore, you have to be quiet so I can concentrate or I am allowed to drag you out of the room by your pony tail, got it?"

Sokka released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you." he smiled at the other boy. Zuko turned away for fear of those overwhelming emotions again.

"Whatever." the prince growled. "I'm only saying yes because if I hadn't you probably would have ran to Uncle and told him I was being mean to you." Zuko walked to the door, then stood there watching Sokka expectantly. "Well, come on don't you want breakfast. You're always starving so I can't believe that this morning is any different then any other morning."

For the very first time in Sokka's life he was happily quiet. He stood and walked to Zuko in the door way. "I mean it. Thank you."

The prince felt like his heart would burst. "You're welcome." he said breathlessly.

Sokka's smile widened as he exited the room. "I wonder what kind of tea Iroh has for breakfast this morning."

"I hate tea." Zuko said mostly out of reflex. After that he felt back to normal, though Zuko knew that after that encounter he'd never be completely back to normal.

"Sure you do." Sokka added as he rolled his eyes.

"You doubt my words, peasant??" The prince followed the other boy up the stairs.

Both boys emerged on the bright ship deck and Sokka could not remember the last time he felt this content. "I saw you drink three cups of tea at dinner last night. You didn't seem to hate it then."

Zuko bristled. "It was the only thing to drink on the table and I was busy with those important reports."

"Yeah right, when do you ever get any important anything." said Sokka with a rather pompous attitude.
The prince's face turned bright red. He grabbed the Water Tribe boy by the arm and pulled him closer intent on giving him a good berating. When his eyes fully took in Sokka's face the unbidden wish to kiss the other boy senseless reared its ugly head and Zuko was painfully aware of how Sokka felt in his grasp. Firm muscles with the soft silk of the robe over it. He couldn't breath, he could barely think. "You are such an aggravation." he growled then quickly moved away from the other boy. Huffing and grumbling he slumped off.

Sokka smiled at the prince's back. The smile faltered shortly after. How could someone feel so good yet so miserable at the same time. He liked Zuko touching him, he liked it when Zuko was angry and annoyed at him, Sokka even dared to think that he liked Zuko. The Water Tribe boy knew this was wrong though. How do you build a family with two men.

There would be no woman around to cook or clean or sew. How could I survive like that? Sokka thought mildly panic stricken. And what about a family? An image of his father's face after being told that Sokka, his first born son, would never give him any grandchildren flooded his mind. Sokka suddenly felt nauseous.

Would it harm anyone to be Zuko's friend? And if a certain amount of touching happened to go on between them, well Sokka would just have to endure that now wouldn't he. Of course the prince would NEVER be interested in someone like him. The peasant didn't have that kind of luck so everything was fine. Sokka would admire Zuko from afar and the prince would never return his affections. As sad as it seemed it suited Sokka just fine.

He smiled and quickly caught up to Zuko, asking what he thought they'd have for breakfast.

Little did the peasant know that the prince was having similar thoughts about Sokka but was more interested in making those thoughts come to life. Now if only Zuko had the courage to see it through.

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In the week that followed the boys began to initiate physical contact between each other.

Iroh was surprised when he saw Sokka grab Zuko's hand and dragged the other boy to the side of the ship so as to show him a school of dolphins swimming beside the vessel.

The old man was even more surprised when he watched Zuko lean across the lunch table one after noon to wipe some grains of rice from the corner of Sokka's mouth. Iroh blamed his old eyes when he thought he saw Zuko's fingers linger a moment to long on the others lips. He watched Sokka mumble his thanks as a blush spread across his face.

Iroh knew that same sex lovers were not allowed among the Water Tribe people but surely the boy could not think a simple touch could lead to that... Could he? Iroh's suspicions were confirmed one day while watching the boys teach each other as he took tea on the deck.

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"I'm going to show you an easy move for capturing a Fire Bender. I'll do it to you slowly first then you can do it to me." Zuko thought he was an excellent teacher, though he had to admit he had a very apt pupil. "Put your arm out like your throwing a punch at me."

Sokka extended his arm with his hand in a fist. Zuko took the other boy's wrist and slowly spun him around so the Water Tribe boy was facing away from him. In the process of spinning Sokka around Zuko grabbed the boys other wrist so now both were grasped in strong hands. Zuko pulled the appendages close to Sokka's body, the hands right under the darker boy's chin.

"See, it's not hard, even you can do this." As Sokka struggled a little against the Fire Nation prince to test his strength, Zuko watched the muscles shift under the skin, as both boys preferred to train with their shirts off. His eyes fell on the back of Sokka's neck and the only thought that was going through Zuko's head was how it must feel to kiss that patch of skin at the nape of the other's neck. His arms subconsciously pulled Sokka flush to him.

Sokka never noticed this preoccupation the prince was having . He was just marveling at how simple the move was and why didn't he think about it before. "That was really good. Can you show it to me again? Faster this time?"

Sokka turned his head and all thought of training flew from his mind. He was suddenly aware of Zuko's panting breaths and he couldn't pull his eyes away from the prince's lips. Sokka closed his eyes and tried to think of anything that would make the issue in his ghi pants go away. Gran-gran in her undergarments, Katara and Aang kissing... actually that was making him mad but it was helping.

When Sokka thought he had himself under control he looked at Zuko with every intention of telling the other boy to take his hands off him but when he saw how Zuko was looking at him all thought was gone.

Zuko could not pull his eyes from the other boys lips. He thought if he just leaned forward a few inches he would finally feel those lips against his own.

Iroh's brow furrowed. The boys had been very quiet while he fixed himself another cup of tea. He turned to see his nephew and the Water Tribe boy locked in an odd embrace.
At first Iroh assumed the boys were glaring at each other, trying to stare each other down. Then the general looked closer. The looks on the faces of both boys had nothing to do with training. The way Zuko was tilting his head towards Sokka was also giving Iroh the impression that fighting was the farthest thing from either boys mind. This would have been fine with Iroh, It had been what he had wanted from the beginning. Yet there were so many crewmen who had stopped to watch the lesson for lack of something better to do. Iroh decide that the boys would not appreciate sharing this moment with most of the crew.

Iroh cleared his throat very loudly. "The air in these parts is so bad for my old lungs." he said, once again much louder than he needed to. He wanted to make sure the boys realized they were not the only two on the deck. Their eyes locked for a second, then they broke away from each other, mumbling some thing about things they had to do. Iroh sighed happily and settled comfortably into his chair. The sun felt warm on his back as he continued to sip his tea. "Ah, to be young and in love." he mused.

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For the next few hours the boys avoided one another and most of the next morning. They both needed time to sort out their feelings. Around mid-afternoon, Iroh insisted they dock so he could get some things he needed for tonight. Tonight's Music Night was going to be perfect, if Iroh had anything to say about it anyway.

Sokka asked if he could come along and, after Iroh calmly threatened to lock him back up if the Water Tribe boy tried to run he allowed Sokka to accompany him.

Zuko, as usual, stayed on the ship. The only time he tended to leave was when he was chasing the Avatar. The prince was surprised when Sokka showed back up on the ship, helping Iroh carry a large pile of supplies. He had thought for sure that the peasant boy would run as soon as Iroh and the guards had their backs turned. Yet here he was hauling boxes with the old man leading the way. The prince could not say he was entirely upset that the boy was back, though if Sokka had run it would have uncomplicated things considerably.

Before Zuko noticed what he was doing he walked over to the Water Tribe boy and took some of the packages. Sokka looked at him surprised. Then turned his face away, blushing.

"Don't get all gushy on me peasant." Zuko said sternly, never turning to the other boy. Sokka shot the prince an annoyed glare but behind his defenses he was a little hurt.

"I can't expect a weakling like you to carry all these heavy things." Zuko added, then shot a half smile at Sokka.

The Water Tribe boy looked at the Fire Nation prince with a puzzled look on his face for about half a second. Then started laughing. "I didn't expect a spoiled brat to help me with the heavy lifting." Sokka quipped back smiling widely.

In front of the boys, Iroh was smiling as Sokka started a shoving battle between himself and the other boy, trying to knock the packages from the other.

Everything was back on track.
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That night was Music Night, and Zuko was in hell. This was ridiculous as far as he was concerned. The prince sat on the deck of the ship, his back against the railing.

Even though Zuko was hating this experience, he did find some amusement in watching Sokka try to learn the Fire Nation native dances.

The prince assumed that the Water Tribe dances were comprised with more fluid movement and were made up of uniform steps. Every song had a specific choreography, as every stream has a specific flow. Fire Nation dancing is very free form, for every flame dances it's own dance. Sokka seemed to have a problem wrapping his brain around this concept. He kept mimicking the men standing nearest to him but had difficulty making the movements look correct. He looked more like he was writhing than dancing. Which to Zuko's complete surprise made the boy look even more desirable then he already was.

The prince knew he was nursing an attraction for the other boy, he was ready to admit that to himself now. Of course, he would never admit that to anyone else especially not said boy

So lost in the musings of a writhing Sokka, Zuko didn't notice the boy of his most recent fantasies come over to him after the song ended.

"What's with you? Royalty not allowed to dance in the Fire Nation?" Sokka teased the boy he was inclined to call his friend.

Zuko looked up and blushed, realizing who was standing in front of him. "This is ridiculous. I can't believe my uncle would allow such... such... debauchery aboard my ship." He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look as disgruntled at possible.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Come off it. You just don't know how to dance and you know I'm a better dancer than you." An absolutely smug look spread across the water tribe boys face.

"That is ridiculous!" Zuko stood up and started making fun of Sokka's dancing, doing his best to make every movement look more like an epileptic fit than any dance.

Sokka glared at the prince. "Yeah, thanks for the ego boost, oh Lord of Dance."

Zuko smiled. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile. This caught Sokka off guard. He knew Zuko was attractive but the Water Tribe warrior never thought the prince could be described as handsome especially with that scar or his face. He blushed then smiled back at Zuko.

When the prince realized why the other boy was smiling, he forced a frown then grabbed Sokka's wrist. "Come on, I'll show you how a Fire Nation warrior dances."

He pulled the other boy out to where the rest of the crew was dancing and started instructing Sokka in proper dance movements. This meant Zuko's hands were allowed to linger on the Water Tribesman's shoulders, arms, the small of his back and his hips. Needless to say, the bordering on intimate touches were making Sokka rather hot and bothered.

When Iroh's eyes landed on the two boys he nearly dropped his precious sungi horn. This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. He could hardly wait for the song to end. When the clapping died down Iroh stood and addressed the group. "I am sure I am not the only one here who would like to request that Lieutenant Ji honor us with yet another song, preferably a love song like last time."

There was another loud round of applause as the lieutenant humbly stood and approached the band. The crew and the two boys seated them selves comfortably on the ships deck or on crates.

The lieutenant turned to speak with the band. There was a murmur of agreement and Lieutenant Ji turned back to his audience. He cleared his throat and the musician began to play.

From his seat on a crate Zuko felt Sokka lean his head against the prince's calf. The boy sat on the deck with knees pulled up and his arms resting on them. Sokka sighed. "I hate this song."

Zuko looked down at the other boy. "Your joking, right? This is the perfect song for a bleeding heart like you." As soon as he said it Zuko wished he could take it back. Why do I always have to screw up perfect moments like that??

The peasant looked up at the prince. "What do you mean by that?" he said with a perfectly excited pout.

Zuko had to look away for a moment because he felt himself start to get hard. The boy was just too cute, pouting and sitting so close to him. The prince quickly composed himself. "I mean the story in the song. The Earth Kingdom maiden and the Air Nomad falling in love. When no one will except their love they plan to run away together."

Sokka rested his head on Zuko's knee again. He knew full well he might be pushing his boundaries with the prince but so far, Zuko hadn't pushed him away so Sokka made himself comfortable. "The end is sad though. Before they can run away together a great darkness descends upon the land. They give their lives to protect the world. Then they die in each others' arms."

"But they meet again in the after life. They get to spend eternity together. Through their reincarnations, their love only renews itself in each new life." Zuko looked at the moon over the sea and waited for the other boys response.

Sokka snuggled closer to Zuko's leg. "Well,... it's still kind of sad." he mumbled just enjoying Zuko's closeness.

The prince chose to throw caution to the wind. He jumped from the crate and extended his hand to Sokka. "Dance with me."

The peasant boy looked at Zuko like he had three heads. "This is a slow song. I'm not dancing with you to this!"

"That was a command not a request peasant." Zuko said through gritted teeth. He was feeling rather foolish at the moment and felt Sokka was the cause of it.

"Maybe if you asked nicely and used my name then I might want to dance with you." Sokka grumbled back, then crossed his arms in protest.

With an angry huff, Zuko turned away. Sokka was sure the other boy was going to walk away but nearly fell over when Zuko turned and bowed to him.

"I'm sorry for my impertinent behavior. May I have this dance, Sokka?"

People were starting to stare and Sokka felt a blush move over his cheeks and cover his whole face. "O-okay." he stammered, then took the hand Zuko offered him.

They walked to the dance area and Sokka looked at Zuko suddenly panicked. "I've never done this before." he whispered to his companion.

Zuko graced Sokka with a small smile. "Don't worry. I have." With that he placed Sokka's hand that he was holding on his shoulder. Zuko softly placed his hand on Sokka's trim waist, then took Sokka's other hand in his. The prince lead the peasant boy through the steps, dancing in large lazy circles across the ship deck.

At first Zuko thought Sokka was ashamed of dancing with another boy because he had his head down. After a moment he realized that Sokka was looking at his feet as he danced, not hanging his head in shame.

"Sokka." the prince intoned quietly. He had the same calm voice he used during meditation and it made the Water Tribe boy feel tingly all over. Sokka looked up at Zuko. "Don't look at your feet. It will hinder your dancing. Don't let your eyes leave mine."

Sokka nodded and though he kept his face at level with Zuko's his eyes kept shifting downward.

Zuko chose to rectify the problem by pulling Sokka closer and, after placing the boys other hand on his shoulder, wrapped his arms around the warriors waist. "There, now you can't see your feet."

They danced in silence for some time. Their hearts beating against each other louder than the music. Both boys could feel the heat of the others body through the thin material of their ghis.

Zuko leaned his head against the other boys forehead. "I think this is the longest I've ever heard you keep your mouth shut."

Sokka pouted a little but didn't pull away. "For your information I'm only quiet 'cause this is the first time you've been so nice to me."

"I promise to be a lot nicer to you Sokka. I know you've had to endure my short temper but I'll try and watch it from now on." Zuko said seriously.

"And I promise not to bother you so you don't get so angry at me. Could you tell me what brought on this change of heart ?"

Mustering up the last of his courage Zuko said, "I like you... a lot."

Sokka's jaw dropped. "Zuko." he mumbled. The peasant couldn't believe his ears. The boy he had been lusting after liked him too. How awesome is this!!!!? Sokka was bordering on the verge of giddy. Though he would never use the word 'giddy' to describe his feelings. Wait! Not awesome! This is bad... Gran-gran would kill me if she knew and what would Dad think? He'd never-

His thoughts were cut off by Zuko's voice. "Sokka, How do you feel about me? I want to know. I won't let anyone judge you here."

"Here isn't what I'm worried about." Sokka whispered, looking down.

Zuko held him tighter. "I won't let anyone judge you, or harm you ever... I promise." He tilted the other boys head up so he could look into his eyes. "Answer my question."

"I like you." Sokka whispered. His heart beat a rapid tattoo inside his chest.

Zuko was just about to claim Sokka's lips in a kiss when the song ended. The crewmen clapped and cheered. They had either not noticed the two boys sharing an intimate conversation or they chose to pretend they hadn't noticed.

They broke apart and looked into each others eyes. Zuko took Sokka's hand in his. "Let's go back to our room." he said.

Sokka nodded mutely and followed the prince into the bowels of the ship.

Thank you!!!!

Tesgura: Thank you for reviewing both chapters, I'm so glad I've written something that makes people come back for more

alokcin: I'm glad I could brighten up the day for you :)

Justin: I'm so happy your enjoying this!!! Don't worry, chapter 4 is were the tension is gonna get realized.... though I have to remember that hot spring idea.... *Jots it down in note pad of yaoi ideas*

YuriNeko_chan: The lemon is in the 4th chapter..... but I'm hoping this gave you something wet your appetite till then!

Bookworm Federation Unlimited: Yes, Iroh is a genius... and a crafty one at that.

Taggurit: Don't worry... I will not abandon this fic!!!! I've already have a sequel planed... now if only I can get it out of my head and on to the computer!!!!!

GhostWriter92: Thank you so much for reading my fic!! I'm glad your enjoying it.

ShinigamiFish: Thanks for pointing out the typo... I'll fix it one of these days.... I need all the help I can get!!

dawn: I'm glad you enjoy it! Please come back for more!!