:P

The image was so pleasurable that he made sure to commit it to memory for when he was alone. What he saw wasn't something he could appreciate every night (unfortunately), in fact, it was quite the opposite.

Aang, his best friend and now his lover (if he wanted to put a name to whatever was happening between them), was the Avatar. The most important and powerful man in the entire world, and even though they were in a time of complete peace and harmony, he was still the Avatar. Everyone needed him in one way or another, and that included Fire Lord Zuko.

Although Zuko didn't need him as the Avatar, a supreme and sacred being in every sense, but rather the earthly part of him, the person who contained that great power: Aang.

He approached the edge of the bed and sat carefully beside the warm body that still rested peacefully in the world of dreams. He smiled, observing his firm, toned back, comparing it to that of the scrawny dwarf he had known when he was only twelve, that insufferable brat he had chased across the world to deliver to his father and, finally, redeem himself. And now he slept naked, in none other than the Fire Lord's bed.

Aang had completely changed Zuko's life. From being a tormented, furious, and lonely teenager who had lost everything in the Fire Nation, he became the Avatar's ally in defeating his own father, and thanks to him, he was able to reclaim his title, his purpose, and his honor.

How could he not fall in love with him?

Of course, it wasn't immediate. At that time, Aang was just a child, and he was a teenager assuming a throne that had been consumed by war and his father's atrocious decisions. He had to focus on rebuilding what remained of his nation, and Aang became his best friend and his support in achieving that.

It was impossible for feelings not to develop over time. He owed him so much, in every sense. He had completely turned Zuko's world upside down.

And what had initially been blind gratitude intensified over the years into a profound admiration and then into boundless devotion.

And Aang didn't make it easy for him. The most annoying parts of Aang that he had known in his childhood, the parts that had driven Zuko crazy as a teenager, were now the fire that fueled his heart. His joy, optimism, kindness, and compassion now shone with a different light in Zuko's eyes. What he had considered a weakness when they first met was now what he loved most about Aang.

The physical changes Aang underwent in his teens didn't help either. Zuko thought he remembered that when Aang turned 17, he was already taller than everyone else on the Team Avatar, and that's when he truly saw him. After months apart (maybe a year), when they reunited, Zuko was so impressed by his best friend's transformation that he was speechless when Aang unexpectedly hugged him. Aang had left his childhood behind and had become a tall, handsome young man with a deep voice who whispered in his ear, "Flaming Hotman, it's been so long!"

Aang was everything he had ever wanted to be: someone incorruptible, who put his ideals above all else, who believed in the goodness of others, even in Zuko himself, who had lost all hope when he was burned by his father as a child.

Each time he saw him again, Zuko's heart slowly warmed.

He was a light in all his darkness. He still was today.

Whatever it was, however much he had to share with the world, he didn't have to share this. At least not for a few nights. Only for a few nights did Aang belong to him completely, and Zuko grew more greedy with each encounter.

* That's all, just a drabble I couldn't get out of my head. Maybe someday I'll turn it into fanfiction, maybe.