Little Soldier Boy

Tough love

Jay ducked as he stumbled back but grunted when a foot collided into his chest and sent him back against a tree. He gasped dodging another kick as he rolled to the side. Zuko blocked his punch as they didn't use bending to train, he grabbed jay by the wrist and pulled him close to slam his knee into his gut. Jay cried out and fell to the ground trying not to hurl.

"Zuko 5, everyone else 0," one of the men tallied in the dirt as jay groaned in defeat.

Zuko held out his hand to help jay back to his feet.

"Damn your fast," jay huffed rubbing his stomach a little as he took the boys hand.

"Your just slow," Zuko told him.

"Who's next?" Jay rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh and one of the older men, akio, walked over, he was middle aged and much bigger than Zuko.

"Come on runt, I'm not going easy on you like the other wimps," akio chuckled stroking his goatee. He let out a scream when Zuko kicked behind his knee and shoved him forward with his foot on the old mans back and his right arm raised behind him, ready to break if the teen would like too.

"I thought you weren't going easy?" Zuko raised a brow confused.

"Get off runt," the man huffed but yelled when Zuko pushed his arm up further.

"Say it," Zuko said calmly.

"It was a practice round! I'm not saying it!"

Zuko raised the arm the slightest more to get him to scream.

"Fine! I'm a stupid bastard!" He cried.

"And?" Zuko asked innocently.

"... and I wet the bed still," akio mumbled. He groaned when Zuko let go and got his foot off him as all the other men burst out laughing.

"Zuko 6, everyone 0," the man laughed again.

"No wonder you went on the mission, your a damn good fighter," akio sat on the ground rubbing his arm. Jay looked at Zuko concerned.

"Dude to soon," a younger man hissed as Zuko sat in the grass calmly.

"It's whatever, I'm over it," Zuko closed his eyes.

"Wha- that's not something to just get over," one of the men blinked confused.

"Well I am so shut up," Zuko snapped harshly. It was an obvious lie just to get them to stop talking about it, it's only been a day since they found out.

"Lee wouldn't just let it go," jay rolled his eyes but gasped when a hand grabbed the back of his neck and slammed him into a tree face first.

"I said, shut the fuck up," Zuko snarled in his ear sending a fearful shiver down jays spine.

"Sorry," he grunted a little as Zuko let go aggressively.

"Don't bring up names, got it," akio nodded a little.

"If this is all you guys want to talk about then go somewhere else!" Zuko snapped at them with rage.

"I don't want to fucking listen," he glared.

Everyone was silent as Zuko sat back in the grass. It's not surprising Zuko didn't want to talk about it, he's always been a guy that kept to himself, Lee barely got anything out of him, but he was the closest one that could get Zuko to cave. They all knew better than to question why Zuko was extra aggressive, probably for a while, just like when he was first recruited.

"Hey halfie, let's go again!" Jay called wiping his cheek as Zuko looked bored.

"I'm going to kick your ass," Zuko told him annoyed.

"Doubt it, or are you to chicken, chicken boy?" He taunted as a couple men chuckled. Zuko got up with a sigh and walked towards jay calmly.

Not even a minute later jay was on his back with the wind knocked out of him and Zuko went back to sit.

He closed his eyes with a sigh feeling a headache coming on. He covered his ears a little at the sound of water swishing in his ears.

"Hey!" Someone screamed at the top of their lungs and a loud splash in the water, Zuko jumped a foot in the air.

Zuko gripped his hair wide eyes at the sudden loud noise. He gulped a little as he didn't look up to see what happened.

Akio noticed how stiff Zuko was in the grass as the men laughed loudly, he looked back at jay who had his eyes on the boy as well. Jay nodded a little and akio sat with the youngest.

"Do you know how old I am?" Akio asked as Zuko stayed still. No answer.

"I'm 39, I actually went to school with Xai before he joined the military, I didn't join until I was 20," he smiled a little as Zuko didn't look at him.

"I've seen a lot of shit, but it doesn't come close to what you went through, you lost your brother, someone you chose to be family not by blood and not because you had too, you let Lee be family to you, none of us can imagine what you gone through," he pursed his lips a little not knowing how far he should go without the kid snapping on him.

"But you knew this war was going to take someone from you sooner or later, you can't start slacking now," akio sighed a little and Zuko looked at him finally with anger in his eyes.

"I'm slacking? I'm slacking after I got back from watching hundreds of thousands of our people get slaughtered by the avatar!?" He raised his voice and everyone had their attention on them now.

"I lost everything before I came here! I lost half my face! And every fucking week I lose another man I had dinner with the night before! And now i lost ten friends that had faith in me! Our friends! That somehow actually gave a damn if I ate or slept or if I even died!" He yelled harshly as akio scooted back wide eyes at zukos rage.

"You can go straight to hell for all I fucking care! Don't ever say I'm slacking or I'll put you on your ass in the dirt again!" Zuko stood up quickly and went back to camp without another word as everyone stood there shocked.

"Dude what the fuck did you say?" Jay hissed down at the older man.

"Don't try the tough love thing on Zuko, it doesn't work," akio sighed shaking his head.