"I Needed Her First." Zuko X OC

Loving You (Part 27)

"...so what really happened with you and Zuko?"

Shiloh's <POV>

My heart beat quickens, losing track of my breathing. Swelling forms in my throat. I bink a couple of times to distract my eyes from crying.

"What do you mean?" I say swallowing my pain as I plaster on a smile.

I don't want to admit to it...

Not yet.

"Not really anything, I was just curious why would you return to us?" Sokka questions reading my face as I avoid his eyes.

Aang turns to us, and then looks at me now. I back up a little bit, trying to compose myself before I answer.

"I—" my voice starts but someone cuts me off.

"She just missed us, we left each other quite bitterly last time. She doesn't need a reason for coming back."

Aang said defensively now in front of me. Letting me take a breath to calm my heart rate down.

"Oh okay, well I missed ya too Shiloh! I need someone to laugh at my jokes." Sokka said with a chuckle.

Aang backs away, giving me an empathetic smile. I mouth 'Thank you'. Katara moves closer to me, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm glad your back." She said softly.

I smile at her, as we move to prepare dinner. We chop up some vegetables and fry some rice, served with a bowl of a soup. I clean up as everyone eats, before collapsing onto Appa.

"Aren't you going to eat Shiloh?" Sokka says poking my sleeping form.

"I'm too tired..." I mutter, with a small yawn nuzzling closer into Appa's warm fur.

It wasn't a lie, I must've walked tens of miles throughout the city to escape the events from earlier.

But the thought of eating made my stomach sick after what happened.

I saw them together, there's no explanation.

But a part of me yearns for what Zuko wanted to tell me. When he yelled my name, was he expecting to hold me the same way he always did?

If I had stayed... and heard him. Would we be okay?

Would we be loving eachother at this moment?

Lying...

Cheating is lying...

It hurts.

It always hurts.

The same way it always has, but I never thought he would lie. I heard his heartbeat, it was whole. He's always been honest.

Why would he do this then...

Am I the one who is mad? Or sick in the head?

Is it normal to still love a person after this?

Sokka's <POV>

I heard her. Shiloh's cries in her sleep. It keeps happening. My heart aches with every sob.

I couldn't protect her, I know something happened with Zuko. Aang can't try to hide her pain from me, neither can she.

She's hurt, really hurt.

I understand how she felt clutching onto Aang. Like how I do to Katara, it's so human. We get more attached to the one thing as more things that we care about leave us.

Both of our families are gone, I know my dad is alive somewhere but it still feels like he's gone. I know Katara feels it too.

I shift awake in my sleeping bag, keeping my eyes on the girl as she sleeps uneasy. I want to know what shes thinking.

I wish she would tell me, I want to do everything I can to help her. Even if that just means making sure no one hurts her, more then she already is.

I wouldn't mind this unrequited love, as long as I can see her smile freely.

I stare at her before her body bolted up, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

"Sokka...?" She muttered softly noticing I was awake.

"Yeah I'm here." I said sitting up as I patted a spot on my sleeping bag for her to sit.

Her small figure made its way over as she sat down close to me. Hugging her knees closer, her body slightly leaning on me.

"...It was because of Zuko right?"

The girl paused for a moment, but then nodded. I let out a sigh, as I pulled her body to be fully supported by mine.

My arms tightly wrapped around her, and my face nuzzled into her neck I whispered.

"I'm sorry..."