Aang sighed, sitting on the couch in his apartment, his eyes fixated on the TV which he had to admit he was bored of. He looked out the window of his one-bedroom apartment, it was stormy and dark out, the wind could be heard as the trees bent over with the powerful force.
"Since when was Valentines so gloomy?" Aang muttered under his breath as he stood up to grab a glass of water as all of a sudden, there was knocking on the door, the young man turned to the door, confused, he hadn't invited anyone over, he had sort of needed time on his own since he had just gotten out of a toxic long-term relationship with his ex-boyfriend. Aang nervously walked over to the door, looking through the peephole just to be sure it wasn't anyone he didn't know. Once verifying who it was he opened the door "Zuko? Why are you here?" Aang asked, he gave Zuko a weak smile, it was all he could muster up.
Zuko returned the smile, he had been a lot happier recently but everyone just assumed he had gotten into a relationship and told no one, which, Aang of course though would be odd since Zuko practically tells him everything. Aang moved out of the way for Zuko to come in then he closed the door, forgetting to lock it.
"Just wanted to see you, it's been awhile." He said Aang walking over to sit on the couch with him. Aang sitting with him, Zuko moving closer to him and putting his arm on the back of the chair behind Aang.
"That's nice of you to drop in, I have to admit I've been isolating again, I'm sorry about that" Aang responded, crossing his arms and pulling his legs up onto the chair. Zuko shrugged.
"You had a reason, right?" Zuko asked, Aang paused then nodded "What was it?" he questioned further as Aang crossed his arms and looked down.
"I uhm, I broke up with Ichigo" Zuko's eyes widened a little with shock. He didn't think Aang would break up with him.
"You finally broke up with that asshole? When?" Zuko responded, Aang looked at him and sighed.
"About a month ago." Aang stood up "Do you want tea?" he asked, Zuko stood up.
"Yeah, please" Aang nodded.
"But yeah, I broke up with him, I got fed up of his bullshit" Aang said, pushing the button down on the kettle to boil.
"Took you long enough, you put up with him for what? Two- three years?" he groaned, walking over to the counter where Aang was putting the tea bags into the cups.
"Yeah, it took a toll on me when I realized it wasn't a healthy relationship, I don't even know how or why I let it go on so long" Aang sighed, picking up the kettle as it finished boiling, being alerted by the click. He poured the hot water into the cups, Zuko liked his tea black while Aang liked herbal teas, particularly green or peppermint.
"Still drinking the peppermint, huh?" Zuko smirked, Aang nodded.
"I get the teabags from your uncle, he somehow gets a hold on the best ones, these don't just smell of peppermint, they taste of it" he smiled, sipping the drink.
"Really?" Zuko responded curiously as Aang grinned.
"Here, try it" Aang said handing Zuko his cup, urging him to take a sip, Zuko did and looked surpised,
"that's actually good" Zuko said, taking another sup of the drink which made Aang laugh, Zuko realized and handed the drink back to Aang "Sorry about that" he chuckled.
"It's just tea, I don't mind sharing" he smirked, drinking some of the peppermint tea from the cup "Besides, it's no different from me drinking the wine from your glass when we're out" he laughed, Zuko nodded, laughing himself.
"I suppose not, huh?" he grinned, picking up his own tea and drinking it.
The two continued to chat for awhile catching up on a few things, Aang told Zuko how he wasn't too busy while Zuko was the opposite, overwhelmed with work, he was a business man from what Aang was aware, Zuko wanted to go into illustration but due to his family he was forced into being a company owner, taking over his family's business. Aang listened to Zuko ramble on, he smiled, leaning on the Firebender's shoulder as he they sat on the couch.
"You've had one hell of the month, I gotta sa-" Aang paused when there was a loud knock on the door. He stood up, Aang had let his guard down since Zuko was now in the apartment, Zuko had a bending licence, allowing him to use his bending in public and in self-defence. If you don't have a licence then you can get arrested even for something simple as lighting a cigarette with a flick of his hand.
"Hello-" Aang gasped then tried to slam the door shut as fast as he could, a foot stopped him from doing so, Aang kicked at the person's foot to get it out the door, Zuko noticed the Airbender's struggle. He got up and rushing over to him, a hand grabbing the door from the outside to push it open, flinging Aang to the ground as a tall man walked in.
"Aang! Are you alright?" Zuko leaned over, grabbing his hand and helping him up. Aang groaned, he had hurt his head when he was knocked down.
"Yeah my head just got a bang, nothing major" he said quietly, rubbing the back of his head. Zuko narrowed his eyes, turning to the man at the door, he paused when he noticed who it was.
"Get the fuck out of here, Ichigo, no one wants to deal with your bullshit, got it?" he said sternly. Ichigo rolled his eyes, pushing past Zuko.
"Babe, why's he in our apartment" he narrowed his brown eyes at Zuko.
"This is my apartment, Ichigo, I broke up with you over a month ago!" Aang yelled, Ichigo laughing.
"Yeah and you fucked my stuff out the window and changed the locks" Zuko was getting pissed off even more with his guys entitlement.
"If that was me you and you shit would be on fire so get outta here before I actually set you on fucking fire" Zuko responded, going in front of Aang, clenching his fists.
"Shut it, fire boy, you come from money, I get it doesn't mean you can tell me what to do in my home with my boyfriend" he huffed, getting all up in Zuko's face.
Aang nervously looked at both men and got in between them.
"Can we not do this in my apartment?" Aang said sternly, Zuko looked at Aang then grabbed Ichigo by the collar.
"Yeah, let's not do it in his apartment" Zuko threw Ichigo out the door into the wall in the hallway, Zuko is stronger than him making it harder for Ichigo to overpower him "Aang, stay inside, got it?" Zuko said as he grabbed Aang's door handle.
"No, Zuko are you craz-" Zuko slammed the door, holding the door shut. Zuko glared down at him.
"Okay, listen here you asshole, if I see you come around here again, I won't hesitate to kill you." Zuko stated. Ichigo groaned as he stood up, glaring at Zuko.
"Yeah right, like you'd actually-. . . k-kill me" Ichigo paused, Zuko pulling a pistol from his waistband. Ichigo moved back "W-where did that come from?" he said nervously as he patted himself down, looking for the same gun Zuko had within his hand, the Firebender's face was stone cold. His eyes momentarily darted to the gun then back at Ichigo.
"Like I said, I'll kill you." Zuko wasn't serious, he wouldn't actually kill Ichigo. There all empty threats but Zuko wasn't going to tell him that "Or maybe worse, I'll ruin your life and leave you with nothing, do you understand? I'll get you fired and make sure you can never get another job or earn a living or worse, get you arrested, I'll make sure no relationship you get into in the future ever goes on for long, I'll have you on the streets before the end of the month you'll be wishing I did kill you." His voice was full of malice as he grabbed the man by his dark brown hair.
Ichigo gulped, feeling a lump form in his throat as he nervously backed up as far against the wall as he could, Zuko let him go.
"So, get the fuck out of my sight you useless waste of a man and never come around here again, you hear me?" he hissed, Ichigo running off as Zuko put the gun back into his waistband and turned around, going back inside the apartment.
Aang stood there, looking at him. Zuko raised his brow.
"Is something wrong?" Zuko asked as Aang walked over to him, lifting his shirt and taking the gun.
"You never told me you carried a gun on you!" he yelled, Zuko slammed the door shut and locked it.
"It's not my gun." He responded as Aang angerly clenched the gun.
"Really?! So, you just have a random ass gun on you to threaten a man with?! I get he's an asshole but come on Zuko!!" Zuko sighed, walking over to take the gun which Aang refused to give him.
"I'm not going to actually kill him, it's all just empty threats, if I didn't threaten him he would of came back and killed you." Zuko responded, Aang looked confused.
"what do you mean?" Aang asked, his demeanor changing. Zuko sighed.
"It's his gun, Aang, I noticed it in his pocket earlier on when he first walked in, I was able to snatch it from him before he got a chance to notice, it's not a coincidence he never owned a gun beforehand" Zuko stated, taking the gun from Aang and opening the chamber, it was full, bullets in every single one. Aang froze, staring at the gun.
"O-oh my god- I- oh my god. . ." Aang looked down, nervously looking around "I don't feel safe in my own home now" Aang said, scared out of his mind.
"It's fine, you can stay at mine for a while, pack a bag, just because I scared him off doesn't mean he won't come back, I think he's just stalling till I leave." Aang nodded, rushing to pack a bag.
Zuko looked out the window, Ichigo's car still parked outside Aang apartment. This might be more out of hand then he though. Aang rushed out his bedroom with a packed bag and a box.
"come on, let's go" Zuko grabbed Aang hand as they left the apartment, Aang locking the door the walked to the parking lot behind the building to Zuko's car. Zuko put Aang's bags in the back then got into the driver's seat.
Zuko went around the building so Ichigo wouldn't see them leave.
He had a bad feeling about leaving Aang alone and he was not taking any chances at all.