The words never said

Liar, liar

Zuko

"Awwwwww! Little Widdle Zuko had a turtle-duck doll to sleep with!"

Aang is hugging my old stuffed animal that he got from the "memories-box" that I kept under my bed, and I've never thought about how good his bald head would look if it spontaneously blew up until now.

"It's not a doll, it's a 'cloth-pet'!," I yell, "And give her back to me!" I take the stupid thing off from the stupid kid's hands.

"Is it a girl?"

"Shut up!"

"Cloth-pet," Sokka muses from the courtyard's stairs, "Cloth like this tiny baby Zuko's pajamas over here?"

Him, Toph and Suki all laugh in unison as he holds one of my old pajamas in his hands.

"Give me that, too!" I rip it from his hands and push the two damned things back inside the box. I should have burned all of these stuff! I should push these bunch of fatheads inside the box and burn them with it! I take the idiotic thing in my hands to take it as far away from them as possible.

"Speaking about cloth," Suki says, looking ashamedly at her raggedy clothes – the Boiling Rock's inmate uniform that she hasn't got a chance to change yet – "When do we head out to get me some Fire Nation clothes?" She pulls at the end of the hem of her shamefully dirty shirt, "I'm tired of wearing this thing."

"Don't you worry, Sooks," Toph shakes a hand dismissively, "As soon as Katara gets out, we're doing some 'Wardrobe Renovation'. Team Avatar's style."

"Now that you mention it," I intervene, "how did you guys get Fire Nation clothes in the first place?"

I was kind of shocked when they just changed into them a while ago. ("Just in case someone spots us", they said.) It's bizarre to see all of them walking so casually in typical clothes from my home country. Especially Aang with his airbender tattoos coming out through the sleeves and the neck of his shirt.

They all stare at me and exchange looks between each other. Sokka is the one to answer. Sort of. "We... uh..."

"You know what," I cut him off, "I don't really want to know."

"Excellent decision!"

"Why is Katara taking so long?" Toph crosses her arms over her chest, "C'mon, Sugar Queen!" She yells towards the inside of the house. Sugar Queen?, I think. "We gotta get going before people start putting their clothes on!"

"Sorry," Katara steps out of the house adjusting a topknot in her head, "I was having trouble fixing my hair."

She has changed into her own Fire Nation attire as well. She's now wearing a skintight scarlet red off-the-shoulder top that exposes all of her stomach, and a long skirt that reaches down to her calves.

The box in my hands hits the ground.

Or rather, it hits my foot! – "Ouch!"

"Everything okay, Sparky?" Toph asks my way.

"Yeah. Totally," I mutter.

Everything is far from okay, I shouldn't feel so damn aroused from seeing Katara's bare stomach! She's just a kid! (Well, she really isn't, but...) She's my friend! (That's not necessarily an impediment for this that I'm feeling.) I have a girlfriend! (I don't have a girlfriend.) Ugh!

"Wait," I turn to Toph, "Did you just... call me 'Sparky'?"

She shrugs nonchalantly. "If you're gonna be in the group, you're gonna need a nickname," she gestures towards everyone in the group as she speaks, "Snoozles, Sooks, Twinkletoes, Sugar Queen; the only one that's left is you. I was thinking about 'Zuzu', but that would be lame."

I don't even know how to answer to that.

"Oh, sure," Katara breaks in. She lets go of her hair and drops her arms at her sides; save for her topknot and a pair of tied thick strands, her hair is loose and more wavy than usual. I am decisively keeping my eyes on her face. "Because 'Sparky' is just so original for a firebender."

Toph frowns and grabs her chin in a pensive pose. "Yeah, you're right, Sugar Queen. I can totally do better than that. Let me think; what about 'Drama King'? – No, no, no! Drama Prince!"

"Stop it," my words come out through clenched teeth.

She shrugs. "Sparky it is. Guess you're still our only 'inside-royalty', Princess." Katara scowls at the comment directed to her.

Princess? It fits her.

"That silk robe is beautiful, Katara!" Suki's eyes light up at the sight of clothes that are... not trashy.

"Thank you," Katara spins around for Suki – and, indirectly, me – to get a full view. The curve of her bare back is a sight of beauty. I bite my bottom lip, painfully. "We'll get you something just as nice. If not, better."

"I hope so."

Sokka is one lucky guy. I would have killed for having a girlfriend and a sister that got along that well.

Katara's eyes wander through the courtyard and meet my own, observing her. We hold each other's gaze for a couple of seconds.

Then, my eyes drift down to her uncovered stomach.

I still remember when I waited outside her tent to talk to her about her mother, I wondered what her bare skin would look like. I don't have to wonder anymore.

Her skin is much darker than most Fire Nation citizens. It's intriguing. It's harmonic with the shade of red she's wearing.

"You sure you're okay, Sparky?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?" I hate how breathy that came out!

"Your pulse just skyrocketed."

What sense does it have lying to someone who can tell when you're lying? "It's nothing," I say.

"I can tell you're lying."

Have you ever thought that people doesn't need you poking in their lives?

"Toph, we have to get going to look for clothes for Suki," Katara interrupts us. She and Suki are standing up and heading to the door. "And we should also look for something to cover Aang's head arrow, too."

"Yeah," Toph agrees standing up from her seat as well, "I don't think the headband will work anymore now that Baldy cut off his hair."

He had hair?

"And make sure not to pick up anything preppy-style," Sokka adds, "We don't have time to get infiltrated into another Fire Nation school."

They got infiltrated into a Fire Nation school?

"This house would be amazing to organize a dance party, though," he exclaims, admiring the surroundings.

Dance party? These guys were organizing dance parties while inside the Fire Nation?

"Got it!" Toph gives him a thumps-up, "All right, let's head out, girls! Let's leave the boys alone to grow some facial hair or something."

She whispers when she brushes past me, "Or takea cold shower."