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Zuko was attached to his Blue Spirit mask. The stark blue paint, fierce expression, and detailed carvings all burned into his memory. One of the remaining keepsakes from his mother, remembering her passion for theater arts and the different masks she hid in her closet, the vivacious blue drew him in — a mesmerizing, captivating, powerful blue. The Blue Spirit mask was dear to Zuko, its character and personality transforming on his journey along with him.
Well, now that Zuko and his uncle were living as refugees in the poorer outer rings of Ba Sing Se, Zuko had a lot of free time to reflect on his goals and his own identity, as well as his alter ego as the Blue Spirit. His uncle had always opposed the blue mask, warning against it for its hypnotizing charm, but Zuko was nevertheless attached to it. For some reason, behind the blue mask, he didn’t have to worry about anything. No one could recognize him, no one could fear him or belittle him. He could be whoever he wanted to be behind that blue mask.
After work, sometimes Zuko would wander around the streets with it. Tonight was just like any other night — bustling crowds, clinking glasses, and all sorts of polluting noises littering the filthy streets. Even the Dai Li wouldn’t come out here to tend to the commotion; it was too crowded and too raucous and too poor. The Dai Li concentrated their efforts on the upper echelons of the social hierarchy in Ba Sing Se, the inner rings of the city. Zuko honestly preferred that, because this way, he wouldn’t have to be on guard all the time. Even now he still kept getting his fake name confused — Lee — remembering his fumbling date with that girl, who still stopped by the tea shop to tease him about it every now and then.
As rowdy men gruffly passed by, brushing past him with a grunt, Zuko kept walking, following the endless string of lanterns in front of him.
On the tattered walls, there were all sorts of flyers and posters, advertising for poetry clubs, the latest flavor of tea, or bounties — even his and his uncle’s — Zuko quickly tore it off the wall. He wanted to burn it. But he didn’t, throwing it into a garbage bin and walking on.
A little self-conscious now, Zuko pulled the blue mask onto his head, not quite covering his face, but he positioned it hanging it over his eyes, ready to pull it down at any moment. The shade under the mask helped conceal his face.
Ba Sing Se was an ocean of green and gold. Green buildings and clothes and people, illuminated under golden lanterns. Zuko could blend right in with his green garb refugee disguise, but right now he had this blue mask on his head. A beacon of blue in a sea of green.
Zuko knew the Avatar was now in Ba Sing Se. He had seen posters of their missing bison all across the city, some even flying into his face, as if to mock him. But Zuko was determined to finally catch the Avatar while he was unable to escape on his flying bison.
The only issue was — Zuko didn’t know where the Avatar was. Ba Sing Se was the biggest city in the world. Growing up in the Fire Nation capital, Zuko was familiar with the hustle and bustle of city life, but always within the regal comforts of the palace. Of course, having since gone rogue with his uncle, Zuko had learned the ropes soon enough. Scavenging and even stealing, much to his uncle’s disapproval. Now, Zuko’s challenge was to collect information on the Avatar’s whereabouts, and given the kid’s global fame and currently missing bison, the Avatar has definitely crossed city residents’ minds. All Zuko needed to do was dig.
This is where the Blue Spirit came in.
During the day, Zuko was a refugee named Lee, working at a tea shop with his perfectly content uncle. But at night, Zuko donned his mask and let the Blue Spirit do his bidding.
He needed to find out where the Avatar was — in his current state, the Avatar was immobile and would remain in the city indefinitely, because these “lost bison” flyers around the city would suggest that the bison was still within the city walls. Zuko needed to find him or the bison before they find each other. Since the Avatar was a famous figure, and the bison was missing, it made more sense to locate the boy first. That was who he was after anyways.
Tonight, pulling the mask on once again, the Blue Spirit emerged from the shadows.
Sneaking around alleys and sitting at bars, the Blue Spirit listened and asked questions to the drunk men with smelly breaths, slowly engaging in more useful conversation with the barkeeper, who was eager to correct the slurred words of their patrons. Most people seemed to be aware that the Avatar was in the city and that his bison was missing, and from what Zuko could gather, he was residing in the inner ring, with the aristocrats.
Of course.
Getting to the secure inner rings of Ba Sing Se would be a challenge, but the Blue Spirit would find a way. The city had tunnels and train tracks, where he could weasel and weave his way into the tightly guarded aristocratic quarters of the city. His next issue was where in the inner rings was the Avatar staying, followed soon by the issue: how to get past the guards and his companions.
Taking a deep breath, Zuko thanked the bartender for her time and tossed a gold piece, which she happily accepted. He stepped out of the bar full of half-conscious men, trying to concentrate and think of better ways to dig for more classified information. Who would know where in the aristocratic quarters the Avatar was staying?
None of these commoners, Zuko sighed, who could only guess or imagine what the aristocratic quarters even looked like, since no one from the outer rings would ever have any business there — they probably wouldn’t even be able to afford going there either. Zuko grimaced, carefully considering his options and calculating his next move.
“Hey, move it!” A burly man nudged past him angrily. Zuko almost engaged with him, still learning to be patient and control his anger, but opted not to — he was the Blue Spirit right now. And the Blue Spirit was elusive, like the night sky or the silent breeze.
Maybe a better vantage point away from the chaos of the streets would help, Zuko figured, scaling the wall of an alley as he jumped nimbly on boxes and carts and window sills, grabbing the edge of the roof and pulling himself up. He leaned down, almost sitting, perched on the roof and scanning the crowds below.
Nothing but a sea of green, mostly adults, and some older men and women. The street was a section of Ba Sing Se’s red light district, full of bars and brothels, which was why it was so busy. It was also the best place to gather intel, because drunk men around scantily dressed women were the most loose-lipped — easy sources of information. Still, aside from what he’d already gathered, at this point Zuko would be grabbing at straws. He needed to find someone he could squeeze more detailed information out of, someone who was more qualified to know the Avatar’s true whereabouts within the city, someone close enough to know the Avatar himself.
Sighing at the futility of his mission, Zuko kept moving.
Quickly and silently in the night, the Blue Spirit leapt from roof to roof, carefully observing the crowds of people below. The roof shingles scuffed under his agile feet. He was still lurking within the red light district, seeing men grovel at girls dolled up in fancy clothes inviting them inside the brothels. Some men were much more aggressive and forceful, yanking girls who would cry while trying to free themselves. Zuko’s gaze caught one such scenario unfolding down the street; the girl was crying and pushing the man away. Zuko winced and almost looked away, but then amid the mess of green, he caught a spark of blue.
Zuko immediately honed in on that one speck of blue, realizing it was the Water Tribe boy that hung around the Avatar — Zuko almost couldn’t believe it.
As if drawn into the blue, beckoned by the blue, the Blue Spirit leapt in their direction.
“She said no!”
The Water Tribe boy was tiny next to the angry green man who was trying to drag the hapless girl with him. Zuko was catching glimpses of them between the crowd of heads curiously turned to look their way, listening keenly to their voices.
“What’s it to ya? You’re not even from around here, are ya?” The man spat, shoving him back. His hand was big enough to cover the Water Tribe boy’s chest, and he stumbled backwards. “Mind your own business, ya little brat, or I’ll snap ya like a twig!”
“She said she’s not from the brothel, she’s just going home!” He tried to reason again, gesturing, holding the girl under his wing, carefully. She wept on his shoulder. “You can’t force her to come with you!”
From within the surrounding crowd, Zuko noticed his bag was stuffed with papers of the missing bison — he must have been putting up flyers.
The man growled and fumed, stomping his feet. “I ain’t listening to a lil’ kid! I said I wanted her, so I’m gonna have her!”
There was a yelp and the girl shrieked, when the man came pummeling towards them. The Water Tribe boy was about to duck, swinging himself around to protect the girl, but just in time, the Blue Spirit swept in and knocked the aggressor with a clean hit to the back of his neck, stunning him into a momentary daze. With his bare hands, the Blue Spirit whipped around and bent the man’s arm back, forcing him to plummet to the ground with a heavy thud. His grimy face against the stony cold floor, the man groaned in agony, defeated.
When he eventually pleaded for forgiveness, the Blue Spirit released him. The man yelled obscenities at them before scurrying away, nursing his arm.
The Blue Spirit looked back, witnessing the Water Tribe boy helping the girl back on her feet.
“Are you okay?” He asked her, and she nodded feebly. She was trembling. The Water Tribe boy turned to give their rescuer a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
Zuko almost answered, but he didn’t want to give away the sound of his voice, and settled for a curt nod.
A woman from the crowd came rushing to the girl’s side and led her away, thanking the boys for their help.
Hearing the rustle of loose leaf paper, Zuko looked to the ground, where a mess of missing bison flyers were scattered all over the floor. The Water Tribe boy was bending down to pick them up, muttering to himself about how much it cost to have these flyers made.
The Blue Spirit quickly offered to help, picking up and collecting a pile of flyers in his arms. When he had finished collecting, he approached the Water Tribe boy again, offering the pile of flyers to him.
“Oh. Thanks,” he said warily, accepting the stack of flyers. He had an inquisitive look on his face, his eyebrow raised, as he began to tuck the flyers back into his bag. “You’re awfully nice...stranger.”
The Blue Spirit shrugged.
“And your mask isn’t scary…at all.” His words dripped with sarcasm. When he closed the bag and threw it over his shoulder, he cleared his throat. “Um, but thanks. For your help and everything. It’s good to know there are people like you around here. You’re a good guy.”
The Blue Spirit didn’t answer, hesitating and lingering on that last comment — “good guy” — and how ironic it was, considering their complicated history as enemies and occasional allies. When the Water Tribe boy said goodbye and started walking away, the Blue Spirit vanished into the wind, like he usually did. He would keep an eye on him from afar and then follow him home.
Patiently watching the Water Tribe boy put up a few more flyers down the street, Zuko tailed him for a while. What this boy was doing in such a promiscuous place full of adults, he didn’t know, but he focused on the task at hand. Zuko realized how much of a slow walker he was, as the minutes dragged on and on, watching him put up flyer after flyer. His progress was so slow, it felt like watching paint dry. No one would even see these flyers, where he was choosing to place them. He should just hurry back and regroup with the Avatar already!
Zuko groaned inwardly.
To make matters worse — the Water Tribe boy was easily distracted. By everything. He would put up a flyer one minute, and then for the next twenty minutes, get distracted by food stalls, trinket shops, and pretty girls giggling amongst themselves in the windows. In one especially excruciating moment, he was hailed down by a shop vendor just by throwing compliments at him, and for the longest time he stared at the arm band the shopkeeper was on the verge of selling to him for an unreasonable price.
Exasperated, Zuko sighed. If he could just get a move on —
I can help.
The Blue Spirit could speed things up. The Water Tribe boy had already seen him and would recognize the mask. The Blue Spirit was a friendly face…kind of. Maybe he could offer to keep him on task, help put up the rest of the flyers, and get him back to the inner rings of Ba Sing Se. That way, he wouldn’t have to fuss around with this leather arm band, seeing what it would look like from a different angle, this way or that way. It was a little infuriating. This boy was seriously testing his patience.
As the Water Tribe boy adjusted the arm band around the other arm this time, there was a nearly silent swoop beside him. Noticing the slight breeze and the feeling of a somewhat menacing presence beside him, the Water Tribe boy turned around.
Startled by the unexpected neighbor and his intimidating mask, he jumped with a shout.
“ Spirits! You again,” He gasped loudly and sighed, holding his chest, trying to calm his racing heart. The shopkeeper snickered at his reaction, holding onto the arm brace, determined to sell it to the poor gullible sap. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
The Blue Spirit pointed at the flyers sitting in his bag.
“What, these?” He pulled one out and handed the flyer to him. All of a sudden, a spark of hope lit up in his face. “Do you know where Appa is?”
Appa must be the bison’s name.
The Blue Spirit shook his head, and the Water Tribe boy’s face fell. “Well, that’s okay. I’m glad you’re interested in helping us find him. If you know someone who’s seen him around, he’s about this tall, this wide, but about ten times that.”
He was gesturing wildly with his arms, despite them both knowing he was far too small to demonstrate the massive size of the flying bison with just the length of his arms.
“He’s got stripes and a slimy mouth, but he’s a good boy,” He continued. “He grows on you.”
Zuko tried not to sigh, rolling his eyes under his mask, holding out his hand impatiently.
“What?” He answered, raising an eyebrow. “Do you want another flyer?”
He handed him a second flyer. Now he had two flyers.
The Blue Spirit kept his hand out, waiting.
“I can’t give you all of them, I need to put these up.” The boy answered petulantly.
This was getting nowhere.
In a spur of decisive action, mostly out of exasperation and impatience, the Blue Spirit took over and grabbed the boy’s hand, pulling him away from the bustling crowds and busy streets full of distractions. Losing their customer, the shopkeeper shouted for them to come back, but the Blue Spirit pulled them out of earshot. No more distractions.
Before the Water Tribe boy could make sense of what just happened, the Blue Spirit found a blank space on a wall, snatched the paste from the boy’s bag, and slapped the flyer onto the wall. Right after that, the Blue Spirit grabbed his hand and pulled him along again, a little further down the street, and did the same for the second flyer. When he had finished, he turned to look at the bewildered Water Tribe boy, who was gawking at him, pleasantly surprised.
Suddenly, he beamed. “If you wanted to help me put these flyers up, you could’ve just said so!”
For some reason, the pure joy and excitement on his face made Zuko’s heart skip a beat.
Together, they tackled the streets, putting up flyers everywhere that looked like they would get a lot of passing traffic. They even turned it into a game, putting up the flyers as quickly as possible and judging their placements and who did a better job. They even passed Zuko’s tea shop. He desperately tried not to draw attention to it, walking quickly past it and pulling the Water Tribe boy with him.
“Wait!” He protested, digging his heels into the ground, yanking at the Blue Spirit’s arm. “This building has lots of good spots. We should put up a flyer here.”
Good grief.
His uncle was upstairs, asleep.
Zuko grimaced, letting the excitable Water Tribe boy paste a flyer right next to the door, just below the sign. The inky image of the bison on the flyer stared back at them with beady eyes, peering right into his soul, and Zuko shuddered. He knew he was going to be haunted by this bison, seeing its face throughout the night, after pasting all these flyers. And now, its eyes would follow him around in the daytime too, as he worked serving tea.
Stepping back and admiring his handiwork, the Water Tribe boy burst into a smile. “Looks good! I hope this tea shop gets busy during the day. It would be good publicity for Appa. You been here before?”
The Blue Spirit lied and shook his head.
“I wanna go to more fun places like around here. There’s so many more things to do, and it doesn’t feel stuffy or formal. The inner rings are too…fancy. Can’t relax around all the fancy people.” He babbled. “Doesn’t help that I’m Water Tribe. The fancy people don’t like that very much.”
This boy was chatty. This was perfect.
“At least around here, everyone acts normal. I feel more comfortable just being myself.” He slowed down, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Sorry, I’m probably just spewing nonsense. You can stop me anytime.”
The Blue Spirit shook his head, urging him to continue.
“You’re a good listener.” He smiled, walking beside him. “But you don’t talk very much, do you?”
The Blue Spirit shook his head again.
“We’re perfect for each other,” He joked, laughing. “I talk too much and you don’t talk at all!”
They continued putting up flyers, burning through half the stack. Sometimes the Water Tribe boy would point to a hard-to-reach spot, and the Blue Spirit would nod obediently, grabbing the flyer and scaling the wall, nimble and agile, pasting it in the spot he pointed out. The Water Tribe boy was always really impressed by his display of acrobatic skills, applauding the Blue Spirit enthusiastically for his talents. Seeing the admiration and fascination in those blue eyes was really rewarding to Zuko, for some reason, flattered by his compliments. There were stars floating in the ocean blue of his eyes.
Zuko almost drowned in those blue eyes, but he was shaken out of his reverie when the Water Tribe boy admitted how much he wished he could do the same.
And boy, was he eager to try.
In an attempt to mimic the Blue Spirit’s acrobatic feats, the Water Tribe boy wanted to try putting the flyer up somewhere cool and dangerous himself and began climbing the wall. Or, more like, he tried to climb the wall, grasping at air and reaching for nonexistent grips. And then he would try to lean forward and use his own weight to build momentum to hoist himself up, grunting and struggling. He was very clumsy. He swung his leg up onto a window sill, forcing himself up, but he had noodle arms. And now his one leg was propped up, while his arms clung onto the ledge for dear life.
The Blue Spirit held in his laughter, biting back a smile, as he watched the scene unfold with his arms crossed.
After about half an hour, the Water Tribe boy had climbed about four feet off the ground.
When the Blue Spirit approached, he was met with a lot of resistance.
“No, don’t come any closer! I can do this! I don’t need your help!” He was shouting to the ground as if he were hanging from the roof of the building, his eyes squeezed shut. It was easy to tell he was losing his grip, because his foot was slipping, and his hands were shaking. Realizing the sudden peril he thought he was in, the Water Tribe boy quickly changed sides, a bit panicked. “Uh — wait, actually, I could use the help…”
The Blue Spirit chuckled and took a step forward, his arms outstretched to catch him. Well, at the height he was at, all Zuko had to do was walk up and grab him. Once his arms were around him, the Water Tribe boy let go of the ledge, dropping into the Blue Spirit’s arms.
Realizing the small distance he was from the ground, the Water Tribe boy flushed with embarrassment. “Oh, I guess I wasn’t that high up…”
For some reason, seeing the Water Tribe boy’s embarrassed face sent the Blue Spirit’s heart pounding wildly in his chest, feeling too tight. He was really warm, holding him in his arms like this, and the Blue Spirit suddenly felt warm all over and his heart was racing, overwhelmed.
He slowly lowered him back down onto his feet.
“I’ll trust you with the hard-to-reach places, then,” He patted the Blue Spirit on the shoulder, still embarrassed.
The Blue Spirit was smiling under his mask.
After this fun little fiasco, they put up a few more flyers down the street. The Blue Spirit sometimes couldn’t help but tease his companion and show off a little, scaling walls with flips and tricks, making it all look effortless. The childish pout on the Water Tribe boy’s face was priceless.
He would even try to teach him some tricks too, demonstrating where to find footholds and how to grip onto the wall, showing him how to carry his weight while climbing. He pointed to the parts of the body where to concentrate the weight, instructing him on how to hold and bend his fingers, curling his hands around his. His hands were warm. He watched the visible confusion on the Water Tribe boy’s face, his knitted eyebrows, noticing how hard he was concentrating and trying to understand his silent lessons.
Most of the time it ended in failure, because Zuko wasn’t explaining anything with words, just showing by example and holding his hands. Once again the Water Tribe boy was now flailing helplessly on a ledge.
“I swear you’re just trying to make fun of me,” He muttered and kicked his dangling legs. “Get me down from here!”
The Blue Spirit walked over and wrapped his arms around his dangling body, grabbing him around the waist. As the Water Tribe boy let go, falling into the Blue Spirit’s arms, they both flushed, feeling their bodies pressed against each other again. Neither of them were expecting to be all wrapped up around another boy tonight, that was for sure. Zuko felt especially embarrassed to realize how much he liked how warm he felt in his arms, hugging him around his skinny little body. His blood rushed south at the thought — oh, how his imagination liked to play games with him at the worst possible times.
They tried not to dwell on it for too long, looking away as the Blue Spirit released him and they pulled away from each other.
Their bashful silence was soon interrupted by a loud growl from the Water Tribe boy’s stomach.
“Sorry,” He smiled sheepishly.
Zuko had already eaten back at the tea shop, before he left. He supposed this was dinnertime for some people, searching his pockets for food. When his hands came up empty, save for a few crumbs and lint at best, he shook his head in apology. And then there was the growling again.
In the nearby distance, the noise of bustling crowds, accompanied by the smell of various treats from food vendors, flooded the streets. The Water Tribe boy was holding and rubbing his tummy, frowning pitifully. “Can we eat?”
The Blue Spirit nodded reluctantly. He really didn’t want to sit through dinner, especially since he would be running the risk of exposing his face, even if it was just his mouth. But for some reason, his willpower loosened up around this needy Water Tribe boy whose name he still didn’t know. He was still caught up in his blue eyes and the warmth of his body. Zuko swallowed nervously.
Driven by hunger, the Water Tribe boy wandered towards the smell of food, Zuko following closely behind. He looked curiously around the streets, inspecting the different options. “Everything smells so good…”
When the Water Tribe boy found something that he wanted, they stopped in front of the food stall and he bought them each a meat bun. He chewed on it happily, with both cheeks filled to the brim, puffed out almost as round as the meat bun itself.
The Blue Spirit was amused at the sight, watching him bite off more than he could chew, and proceeding to struggle to swallow all the food in his mouth. Realizing his mistake, the Water Tribe boy started laughing and tried to contain that laughter, worried he might choke on all the food in his mouth. The Blue Spirit didn’t know how to help, snickering at the boy’s misfortune. He patted and rubbed his back comfortingly, and then patted it again.
Eventually, with enough effort, he finished his food and recovered, bouncing back with more energy. For some reason, they both found it hilarious, their shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Wait, it’s really good, you should try it!” He was smiling so brightly. And although the Blue Spirit had initially rejected the offer of the meat bun, he realized the boy was persistent. He pushed the meat bun towards his face, while his other hand was slowly reaching for the mask.
To avoid getting exposed, Zuko quickly lifted the bottom of his mask and took a bite from the meat bun as the Water Tribe boy held it out to him. He quickly pulled the mask back on, chewing gratefully, not realizing how much he’d missed the flavor. Food did taste better in good company, the thought suddenly occurred to him, and he blushed under the safety of the mask.
Trying to distract himself, the Blue Spirit held the boy’s hand and pulled him to another food stall, showing him the tteok-bokki stand and pointing at the rice cakes dipped in spicy red sauce.
They ordered that too.
The street food shopping went on for a little while, getting drawn into each stand’s offerings and irresistible smells. The Water Tribe boy had gotten into the habit of buying two of everything, eating one and then holding the other out for Zuko to hurriedly take a bite from under his mask, in a panic. Even after they had both gotten their fill, the Water Tribe boy got a little carried away and was now carrying a hefty paper bag full of snacks in one arm. The other was holding his hand.
“Make way! Wagon!” A sudden clamor resounded beyond them, and the crowded street slowly dispersed to make room for a passing wagon full of boxes brimming with cabbages, some of which dropped to the floor. Bumping shoulder to shoulder, people squeezed against the walls.
Caught in the mayhem, Zuko and the Water Tribe boy were pushed with the waves of people and found themselves pressed against the wall. The mask was the only thing keeping their faces from actually touching. The Blue Spirit realized he hadn’t been this close to someone else’s face since he kissed that girl on their awkward date. He blushed, safely concealed under the mask. Why was he thinking about that? This wasn’t a date.
This close, he could hear the Water Tribe boy’s breathing and his own heart beating rapidly in his chest, focusing on his dark skin and noticing the few loose strands of his brown hair sticking to his forehead. He was suddenly obsessed with all the details. As the clamor of the street continued, the wagon moving painfully slowly, his gaze fell on the boy’s blue eyes.
When he first arrived at the South Pole, a banished Fire Nation prince in exile, this Water Tribe boy’s blue eyes were the first blue eyes he had ever seen. And now, pressed up against him, he realized his blue eyes were even more beautiful up close. He thought he could drown in them, just by staring.
Zuko felt his face getting hot, maybe from all the body contact and heat, maybe from embarrassment, he wasn’t sure.
Flustered, he tried to look away and give them some space, especially considering the paper bag full of food between them; he could accidentally crush the treats inside. Every second was excruciating, holding his breath, staring helplessly at the boy in front of him. He wanted to tell him how beautiful his blue eyes were, but he knew he could never. There was something lodged in his throat. It was probably his heart, beating so wildly.
“Jeez, is it stuck or something?” The nameless Water Tribe boy chuckled nervously, squinting to see the wagon’s progress. It was about to pass them, causing a ripple effect on the jostling crowd surrounding it, pushing them closer together.
Suddenly, their faces were actually touching — the boy’s lips against the mask’s carved grin — and they both went silent.
They weren’t even really kissing, but it definitely felt like they were, overcome with a newfound embarrassment. Their cheeks flushed, still pressed against each other as the wagon continued on slowly, dropping a few more cabbages.
In that moment, perhaps one of the most bizarre moments of their lives, time slowed down. Lips pressed against the mask, they locked gazes, or well, Zuko did. The Water Tribe boy blinked, blue eyes searching for the other pair of eyes hidden behind the mask, and squeezed his hand. The Blue Spirit squeezed back.
Their hearts were pounding, beating against their chests so loudly, they could hear the other heart beating back. The body heat and the heat from the food stalls stifled the air around them, and everything felt hot. Their holding hands were hot. Zuko focused on the light sheen of sweat on the Water Tribe boy’s face, wondering how salty it would taste, watching a bead of sweat slide down his dark skin. Their lips were so close to touching.
The Blue Spirit raised his other hand, struggling to free it from the crowd, reaching up to his own face, and eventually touched the mask. Silently, he pushed it up and exposed his mouth.
Without a word, they leaned forward, closing the gap between them, and pressed their lips together.
Indulging themselves a little more, they kissed, slowly opening their mouths to one another while the wagon carried on slowly behind them.
Maybe because they were engrossed in the kiss, savoring the lingering taste of the other, catching hints of the different flavors of street food they had moments earlier, the wagon seemed to move a lot faster. They breathed each other in, holding hands, sighing into the other boy’s mouth, clinging to this moment.
The wagon moved on and just like that, time resumed at its normal pace.
Suddenly out of breath and their hearts ready to jump right out of their chests, they pulled away naturally as the crowds dispersed. Zuko pulled the mask back over his face, which was flushed a deep red. When he looked over at the Water Tribe boy, he looked a lot more disheveled. He noticed his lips were wet and had turned a darker color after their kiss.
The Blue Spirit swallowed nervously.
Looking down, the food in the paper bag had definitely been crushed between them, especially during the kiss. The contents had smeared onto their clothes, most of it dropped to the floor, some of the remainders splattered on their shoes.
“Sorry,” The Water Tribe boy was biting his lip, looking at their dirty clothes, still flustered about the kiss. He couldn’t look him in the face. “It’ll wash out…”
A loose strand of hair that had fallen out of his hair tie hovered over his eyes, and he quickly brushed it back behind his ear. But he didn’t get them all, the other rebellious strands of hair were still sticking to his sweaty forehead, and it drove Zuko crazy. In a heated daze, Zuko’s hand moved on its own and brushed the hair out of his face for him, feeling the heat of his body, his face, against his hand. Zuko was really hot under his mask.
Because it was crowded, the Blue Spirit reached out and grabbed the other boy’s hand, so they wouldn’t lose each other in the sea of green. He pulled them out of the street and walked up to a well, where they collected water and rinsed themselves off. The water was cold and they both shuddered.
The Blue Spirit reached out and grabbed his hand. His hand was so warm.
“Spirits, you’re freezing!” His blue eyes widened. And then, blushing, he squeezed his hand. “We should get out of these wet clothes.”
There was that warmth blooming inside his chest again. The Blue Spirit nodded.
They settled into the nearest available inn, borrowing one room with the intention of drying their clothes and leaving promptly afterwards. The night was still young. Waiting for their clothes to dry wouldn’t take long, maybe a little over an hour, so they could still go home for the night. That was their intention, but their mouths were kissing again, pressing their shirtless bodies against each other on the bed. The mask stayed on, somehow, managing to conceal his true identity while they indulged themselves. A secret agreement. This was their secret.
They drowned in blue.
The bed sheets pooled under their sweaty bodies, sliding and shifting as the Blue Spirit blended into the Water Tribe boy, squeezing noises out of his lithe body and drowning in their pleasure. He rocked his hips, rolling into him, over and over again. His mask was barely hanging over his face, freeing his mouth so they could lock lips, breathing each other in and touching all over. They were painting stories with their lips. Blue poetry. And then they would pull away, holding each other in their hands, pressing their manhoods against one another, all slippery and hard and sweaty.
The Water Tribe boy marveled at where they were touching, how hard and aroused the masked boy was, biting his lip at how he looked down there — so hard, it was almost blue. He smiled, bashfully, as he wrapped his hand around him. His heart jumped, feeling the masked boy throbbing and pulsing under his fingers, his own throbbing impatiently between his legs.
At his mercy, Zuko let out a shaky sigh and nodded, helplessly. His hands touched the Water Tribe boy’s waist, and he pulled him closer and closer, their hips touching. Leaning into him, he pressed his lips against his neck, drowning in blue, in the pleasure. So much blue. They both rocked their hips towards each other, over and over again. Zuko felt desperate to do something, anything, but at the same time, desperate to let the Water Tribe boy do whatever he pleased.
As they stroked one another, hands pumping, drinking in the pleasure, their lips found each other again. His lips found lips, and they melted, their mouths opening up for each other. The Blue Spirit groaned into their kiss, lips vibrating against his own. Everything felt hot, as if he were running some kind of blue fever, he was burning up, on fire. He saw the marks that had successfully stuck to his perfectly dark skin, and it made his heart race, catching the half-lidded look in those blue eyes, glossy with pleasure.
The room was bathed in blue. He couldn’t get enough of his blue eyes. And Zuko wanted to tell him, wanted him to know he was beautiful. His blue was so beautiful.
But his lips were sealed, and he just hoped the Water Tribe boy knew through their connected mouths, their interlocked lips. Zuko mouthed the words into the kiss, again and again, feeling him wrapped up all around him, tightly, tightly, hugging him, squeezing him. The sound of their skin sliding against each other filled the room, joining the smell of their sweat and the rising heat. It was an intoxicating blend of blue pleasure in the air, and it was dizzying and hypnotizing and Zuko was obsessed.
The blue mask was barely hanging onto his face. He was holding and grabbing the Water Tribe boy everywhere he could, running his hands down his long legs, long body, long arms, but he was just so slippery. That didn’t stop him from loving everything about this moment, how beautiful he was, groaning at the feeling, how he randomly squeezed around his cock and how his muscles tensed reacting to Zuko’s movements.
Zuko was drawn in — a wave was washing over him and pushing him forward, like a strong current, as the Water Tribe boy pulled him in, and Zuko sank inside slowly. As if commanded by the ocean tide, he would pull back and push forward when the wave washed over him again. Back and forth, pushing and pulling, over and over. Everything was hot and wet, and he was swimming, swimming against the Water Tribe boy, swimming inside him, drowning in each other.
The pleasure continued to build inside of him, feeling the mounting desire begin to settle deep within. All of a sudden Zuko was groaning and heaving, thrusting and thrusting, deeper and deeper, harder and harder, as deep and as hard as he possibly could. Zuko was going faster, pounding faster and faster, panting, pulling a few noises out of the boy under him, and he could feel it, he could feel it coming—
With a groan, the Blue Spirit burst with pleasure. He felt the surges, spewing sticky white ropes, filling the Water Tribe boy, smearing his insides and making a mess of his skinny body, and he could feel the heat swallowing them whole. The Water Tribe boy moaned with him, hands pumping and stroking and easing him into ecstasy, over the edge, bringing him to the same blinding pleasure as he released all over between them, all over their torsos, relaxing and melting into a puddle of pleasure. His legs and arms were pulling the masked boy towards himself as he felt the heat swell deeper inside of him. It was sticky and hot, and Zuko was groaning and grunting at how incredibly overstimulating it all felt, together. The Water Tribe boy sighed, breathing deeply, his lower half trembling from the sensation, as Zuko continued to pump him full.
This carried on until they could no longer carry their weight, melting into one another as the fatigue washed over their slickened bodies.
And then the blue faded back into green.
Their clothes had dried.
After cleaning themselves up at the inn, they returned to the streets in a daze. They only had a few flyers left. There were far less people outside now, scattering and filtering home to retire for the night. Lanterns were dimming, one by one, but the warm glow was soothing. The lighting looked good on the Water Tribe boy, the luminescent glow blanketing him, over his blue robes and tan skin. He looked warm. Zuko wanted to hold him.
They put up the last remaining flyers, closer to the train stations, which would be helpful, since transit naturally saw a lot of traffic. The Water Tribe boy strained to reach a higher spot on the wall, standing on his tip-toes, attempting to paste the flyer on the wall. The Blue Spirit leapt to his side, gripping and latching onto the wall and finding footholds to place his feet, scaling the wall for a bit more height. He helped paste the last flyer securely onto the wall and dropped back to the ground.
“Thanks,” The Water Tribe boy sighed appreciatively.
The Blue Spirit shrugged, blushing under the mask.
“Okay, well, that was the last one.” He said, closing his empty bag with a sense of finality about it. He shook the masked boy’s hand, but then he held it for a little while longer, squeezing tightly before letting go. “Thanks again for all your help tonight.”
Zuko’s heart ached inside his chest. But the Blue Spirit said nothing and simply watched him, fastening his bag and putting it over his shoulder. When he started walking to the train, the Blue Spirit followed meekly. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but his legs moved on their own, trailing after the Water Tribe boy, drawn to his beautiful blue.
The train station was flanked by uniformed officers with badges. Not the Dai Li, but they were definitely going to be troublesome to deal with. The Blue Spirit moved with the flow, blending into the darkness, a part of the Water Tribe boy’s shadow.
“State your business.” The officer at the window demanded, tired and weary, barely even looking at the boy through the bars of the window.
“Returning to the inner ring.” The Water Tribe boy answered, sliding his paperwork to show the officer; proof of his credentials and affiliation with the Avatar, no doubt.
The officer barely touched the paper, just skimming the brushstrokes on the page and the official stamp in the corner, before harrumphing his approval. “Train arrives in 20 minutes. Stand behind the lines.”
The Water Tribe boy nodded and was about to step through the gates—
“Wait.” The officer grunted, his brows knit over the bridge of his nose, gesturing to his follower. “Is he with you?”
The Water Tribe boy turned and looked at the masked boy, the same expression he’d seen throughout the night, that blue mask baring its teeth in a grin. He was as silent and mysterious as ever, but oddly enough, his presence was comforting.
“He’s with me.” The Water Tribe boy confirmed, grabbing his hand. But before they could get through the gates together, the officer grunted again, almost exasperated by the whole transaction.
“Gonna need to see his papers too. It’s past curfew. No one’s allowed on the trains to the inner rings without proper identification.” He grunted. “We’re under strict orders by the Dai Li. Either he shows the paperwork or he stays here.”
The Water Tribe boy turned and looked expectantly at the masked boy, who shook his head dejectedly. There was disappointment in his blue eyes, turning back to the officer.
“Can he at least wait for the train with me?” He pleaded.
Giving them a look, the officer grunted one last time and waved them off, leaving them to their own devices.
They entered and stood waiting for the train behind the yellow lines, obediently following instructions. A few lanterns were posted at the corners of the station. Not many people were there at this hour, especially since these trains were running inbound, to the inner rings, where not many people had access.
They stood in silence, just them, at this train station. It was cold, and they squeezed the hand they were holding. The Blue Spirit watched the boy next to him, appreciating the way the dim lighting cast over his face, his skinny silhouette, the lines of his body. His eyes were so blue. He wanted to drown in his blue.
He wanted to kiss him.
Lights were blinking faintly in the distance, and suddenly, a train came rushing towards them, propelled by the earthbenders pushing the rock forward. It grinded to a halt at the station, illuminated by the lanterns inside.
“Thanks again for all your help tonight,” The Water Tribe boy said, releasing his hand. He leaned in to kiss his masked lips one last time, and the Blue Spirit blushed. “I had a lot of fun.”
The Blue Spirit nodded, watching listlessly as the boy walked onto the train. He held his gaze, hypnotized by his blue and the fleeting warmth of his hand, until the train finally pulled away and he was once again just a blue speck in the distance, a beacon of blue in a sea of green, disappearing into the light.
And then the blue was gone.