2014 Zukaang Week 1

Daybreak was aptly named because it damn near broke Zuko to rise so early, especially on a Saturday when he could have been sleeping in. Still there were things to do to get his uncle's tea shop open in time for the early birds. Then there was the thing that Zuko actually liked about getting up in the morning.

Around the time Zuko swept out the entrance of the tea shop a boy would run by across the street. It didn't matter what the weather was the boy would run by, usually wearing some combination of yellow and orange jogging clothes, a beanie with a blue arrow on it and giant headphones as he listened to music. The boy had yet to miss a Saturday since Zuko started to help out at his uncle's teashop and had been running by each Saturday for a while according to his uncle.

Even with the bright colors Zuko probably wouldn't have noticed him if it hadn't been the fact that the boy sang while he ran, very loudly and even when he didn't know all of the words. The first time it was "Walking on Sunshine", Zuko jumping at a sudden, loud "whoa" and surprised to see the source without a hint of embarrassment at causing such a display.

The boy wasn't a bad singer but he definitely would not make any sort of school choir any time soon, even with all his practicing. Still Zuko had to admire the boy's confidence, not caring who heard him or how he sounded. Not to mention the fact that the boy could run and sing at the same time, meaning the boy had to have really strong lungs.

Each day it was usually a different song, Zuko sometimes rehearing ones from before, but it was always something upbeat and usually older. His co-worker, Jet, had commented that the boy had "old man taste" in music when Zuko had asked if he knew the song. After that Zuko jotted down whatever lyric the boy had sang that day and looked it up later on his computer.

The best thing though was the giant smile on the boy's face whenever he ran by. He didn't care if it was cold or raining or windy; he was just happy to be outside running though he did seem to smile bigger on warm days, when it would be sunny as the sun rose higher into the sky, Zuko wanting them more for just that reason.

From across the road Zuko wasn't sure exactly how old the boy was. Definitely younger than him, but not so much younger that they couldn't be in the same high school, yet he never saw anyone who stood out like the boy did in the hall. Granted he didn't know everyone in the school and it was possible they just had classes in the wrong parts of the school to run into each other but he didn't want to seem like a stalker by asking around about him. He got enough stalker quips from Jet, like he was one to talk with that group of kids he hung out with and the trouble they pulled. At least it was minor stuff for the most part that Iroh was sure Jet would grow out off and Zuko certainly hoped so for he was sick of his uncle sticking up for Jet to the authorities when things got bad.

Still Zuko was curious; he wanted to know about all the old songs and the running so ungodly early and why he sang. He also wanted to know the boy's name.

Unfortunately Zuko only saw the boy at daybreak, the boy either taking a different route home from his run or running by when Zuko was too busy working to notice. And despite Zuko's curiosity he wasn't about to go chasing the boy all over the place to talk to him.

Luck, however, must have been on Zuko's side for as he was being treated to another round of "Walking on Sunshine" when the boy suddenly stopped, almost directly across from the tea shop. The boy took out an old MP3 player and messed with it a bit, before opening the back to take out the battery that must have just died.

As the boy dug around in his other pockets looking for a new battery, Zuko saw his chance. He barely looked for traffic before he ran across the street to him.

The boy must have saw him approaching out of the corner of his eye, turning to him as Zuko reached the side walk. Looking curious, the boy took off his headset, revealing that he had sort of big ears but they sort of suited him too.

"Hey, um, are you okay?" Zuko asked lamely.

Instead of looking at him oddly like Zuko expected, the boy smiled and answered, "Yeah, I'm fine; my MP3 player just died and it looks like I forgot a spare battery."

"I might have a battery you can use," Zuko said without thinking. He didn't carry around electronics like that anymore, just his cell phone and it was rechargeable.

It was too late to take back the lie when the boy grinned and thanked him, so willingly following him over to the teashop; Zuko thought it was amazing the boy had never been abducted before now. He ignored Jet's sneer and asked the boy to wait as he checked his bag for a battery.

Desperate, Zuko all but ran to Song and asked for her help. Again luck smiled on him that Song had an old MP3 player like the boy and had some AAA batteries in her purse. He promised to pay her back and, more calmly walked back out to present the battery to the boy.

When Zuko found the boy now sitting at the counter, drinking tea with his uncle, Zuko wished he had ran back out. He would never get a word in with his uncle being, well, his uncle on going on about tea or something about inner peace that Zuko never really understood.

Iroh spotted Zuko first, smiling and waving him over, "Zuko, why didn't you tell me you befriended our morning songster?"

The boy chuckled, not the least bit embarrassed about being known in such a way, "We actually haven't been properly introduced to each other yet." He turned his chair so he could face Zuko, still smiling like he did when he sang, and held out his hand, "I'm Aang."

Zuko almost dropped the battery in his eagerness to shake Aang's hand in return and introduce himself.

"I know," Aang smiled, "You're in a few classes with my friend Sokka."

In his head, Zuko knew the name sounded familiar but he couldn't place it. He thought over the people in his classes and tried to put names to faces but he honestly could name anyone besides one or two people per class.

Something vaguely made a connection in his mind and he ventured a guess, "the guy with the ponytail?"

Aang laughed again, "He calls it a warrior's wolf tail."

Despite himself Zuko smiled, not even making a sarcastic comment on Sokka's weird name for his hair style, "So we do go to the same school."

"Yeah," Aang nodded, "I guess we just never ran into each other because you're a senior and I'm a freshman."

Though Jet was badly disguising his "jailbait" jab as a cough, Zuko was grateful when Aang didn't seem to hear it.

As Aang drank the tea Iroh had given him, Zuko was able to scratch the surface of all the things he wanted to ask the younger boy. The boy ran so early Saturday mornings because he wanted to get home in time for Saturday morning cartoons, completely unashamed of his very outward inner child, talking a bit about his favorite ones, which mostly consisted of one's about superheroes and a couple of magical girls, just smiling when Jet snorted and ignoring him beyond that.

The music was something Aang was particularly fond of. This was because the songs were all ones he originally heard on a jukebox, which had belonged to his father, when he was much younger. Whenever the upbeat songs played his father would pick him up and swing him around, sometimes tossing Aang into the air and pretending that Aang could fly. Though the jukebox needed repair and currently could not play music anymore it was something his Grandfather had held onto and still had in their living room.

From the way Aang spoke it didn't seem like his father was dead but Aang didn't seem to live with him anymore. Instead he lived with his grandfather Gyatso, whom, as it turned out, was part of Iroh's pai sho group that often met at the White Lotus community center.

Before Zuko could ask more it was time to open the shop and Aang had to get going to finish his run. Iroh refused to take Aang's money in return for the tea, saying Aang gave them plenty for brightening their Saturday mornings every week with his singing.

As he was leaving Aang thanked Zuko for the battery, saying he would come back the next morning to return it.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk to allow some of their first costumers of the day inside, Zuko watched as Aang ran down the street, picking up his singing of "Walking on Sunshine" without missing a beat.

With the knowledge that he would get to see and speak with Aang again tomorrow, Zuko found himself looking forward to daybreak.