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The Fire Lord’s Palace, 5 months before Zuko’s banishment
“Oh, come on Zuko, it’s no big deal.”
Legs crossed and leaning against the back of her chair, Mai inspected her nails, not looking up at where Zuko was pacing in front of the fireplace.
“No big deal?!” The flames in the hearth spluttered as Zuko repeated the words, equal parts incredulous and affronted. “You’re flirting with some general son in front of everyone when they all know very well that you’re my soulmate! The future Fire Lady!” He gestured wildly with sharp, rigid fingers. “What do they all think of me now, that I'm some weakling who can't even keep his own soulmate in check?!”
Mai rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Zuko turned to her, eyes blazing. “Whatever? What were you thinking?!”
“I was bored.”
“BORED?!” Zuko was full-on raging now, pacing over the rug and stomping his feet like a komodo rhino in captivity. “OF COURSE YOU WERE BORED, YOU’RE ALWAYS BORED! IF YOU’RE SO FUCKING BORED OF ME WHY DON’T YOU GO BE WITH MISTER DUMBASS AND LET EVERYONE SEE JUST HOW MUCH MY REPUTATION MEANS TO YOU?! LEAVE AND SEE HOW INTERESTING THAT’LL BE?!”
Mai shrugged. “Eh, he’s just another general’s son, he’s already boring me too. And besides,” she said, still not looking up from her nails, “I won’t just leave because you scream a little; you’re gonna have to try a bit harder to get rid of me.”
Zuko took this as an affront, as he did with everything. He turned around and jabbed a finger at her, the fire roaring up behind him. If it had been Azula, Mai might have cared. Stiffened in her seat, maybe, eyed the threat before her with caution. Tensed her jaw and try to hide her trembling fingers, itching to reach into her sleeves and pull out her knives, itching for a fight, for something that might make her feel. She would never do it, of course, but it was a thrilling thought, a promise of something exhilarating against the dull greyness of reality.
“I’M NOT THE ONE TRYING TO GET RID OF THE OTHER,” he shouted, “BUT MAYBE IF THAT'S HOW MUCH YOU CARE, I MIGHT!”
Mai rolled her eyes. “Oh, you know you won’t,” she said. “You need me.”
“AND WHAT FOR EXACTLY DO I NEED YOU WHEN ALL YOU EVER DO IS SIT IN THE CORNER COSPLAYING A DEPRESSED STONE?!”
Mai suppressed a yawn. “Without me you would never have been able to keep a flame for longer than a second,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Do I need to remind you of that time when–”
It was like Zuko hadn’t even heard her. Just continued on ranting, waltzed over her like a steamroller. “WELL YOU WOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY KNIVES ANYMORE WITH THE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS YOU WOULD’VE INJURED BY NOW!”
“I suppose.”
Zuko threw his hands up, sparks shooting from his fingertips. “DOES NONE OF THIS MATTER TO YOU?! DO YOU NOT CARE AT ALL?”
That was the problem, wasn’t it? Around Zuko, Mai had a hard time caring about anything. It all ricocheted off of her like arrows off metal armour, every crevice welded shut, no way in. Steel-faced Mai, who said nothing, did nothing, who didn’t care about anything except herself. If even that.
So different from Zuko, who seemed to have been born without any armour at all. Zuko, who let every comment, every action seep in through the gaps in the protection he’d learned to build over time, who let every instance of unfairness boil him from the inside with anger, only to let it loose and burn everyone in his vicinity too, drag them down with him. Zuko, who spoke out against injustice, fought against it. Who cared so much it got him into trouble.
They clashed, unmeltable material against limitless flame, infinite heat. And it only increased when they were together, taking everyone else down with them in their endless fighting. We have to make this work versus what if I don’t want to?
Mai didn’t care, Zuko did. Protection or heartlessness? Admirable or foolish?
Soulmates amplified both your strengths and flaws. Which one was it? What was a flaw, anyway, except a strength turned on its head, the other side of the coin? Medicine became poison when one ingested too much of it. What was a bad trait but a good one taken too far?
“I don’t see much to care about here,” was all she said.
Zuko’s eyes seemed to be at the point of bursting out of his skull—now that would be interesting. His hands, first curled like claws, finally completely balled into fists. He pounded one on his chest. “ME?!” Sparks flew from his mouth, almost setting the carpet aflame. “DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT ME?!”
When she didn’t answer, he let out a slow, incredulous laugh, shaking his head. “Oh right. The only person you care about is yourself.”
He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him, and Mai felt nothing.
The Gaang’s camp for the night, a week after the Siege of the North
Flying at night, he could see the moon overhead. The wind in his face felt the same as their last kiss had when she faded into the night.
“I’ll always be with you, Sokka.”
Well she was, because the thought of her was always at the back of his head and he couldn’t sleep on new moons, the feeling of her fading in his arms still far too real for the fear of losing her to leave his mind, or on full moons, because the memory of her, with her beautiful smile and genuine kindness, was so loud that it hurt his skull and tore at his heart.
He had only known her for a few days but he would’ve killed for her, died for her. That had been his job, because Chief Arnook had known, seen it in his eyes, that he would’ve given anything to keep her alive and a part of this realm. But there he was, sitting in the cold on the back of a flying bison, unable to sleep because everything he thought he’d known had been thrown out the window in one night.
Well, sure, a lot of it was already gone since they met Aang and flew off to the North with him, but Sokka had always, through all that time, kept to the idea of finding his soulmate and settling down with her. Building a house next to his parents’, having a few children, becoming chief and leading his tribe and his family. He had even accepted the possibility of his children being benders by now (bending had turned out to be pretty practical during their travels after all).
So having his soulmate die in his arms when he was fifteen and had only met her a few days prior? It turned his entire worldview on its head. What was he supposed to do now? How would he ever find happiness?
Of course the chances of him settling down with his soulmate and having a peaceful life had been slim with the mission he was currently on, but he had still hoped for it. How could he not? It’s the dream life for everyone, to build a family with the person so made for them it made them better to be with them.
He sighed at the thought and whispered a promise for Yue to hold him to. He would protect the family he did have—Katara—and her chance at this perfect life and lifelong happiness in the form of a bubbly, twelve-year-old Avatar.
He might never have the chance to build a life with his soulmate, to be happy and grow old with her, but, Sokka vowed as he watched Aang stir in his sleep to snuggle closer to Katara, he would make sure they would.
(“My soulmate turned into the moon.”
“…That’s rough, buddy.”)
At the Boiling Rock
“I love Zuko more than I fear you.”
The words hit Ty Lee like a blow to the stomach. She stared wide-eyed as Mai jutted her chin upward defiantly, hair whipping around her face.
It sounded stupid even as it echoed in Ty Lee’s head. Why was Mai suddenly so reckless? She was a reasonable person, she must’ve realised that saving Zuko wouldn’t be worth letting the enemy escape, and especially not her own life. Please, Mai, don’t be stupid. She wanted to say something, do something, but she could only watch in terror as the words registered in Azula’s mind and her face contorted with rage.
Azula rose to her full height, but no matter how much she tensed her muscles, she couldn’t hide the way she trembled at the open betrayal. “No, you miscalculated!” Her shrill voice echoed through the prison, and the sharp, wild glare burning in her eyes sent a shiver down Ty Lee’s spine. “You should’ve feared me more!”
Well, yes, Azula was probably the scariest person she knew and the scariest person in all four nations, but as she prepared to strike, Ty Lee saw the fear and determination in Mai’s eyes, and all that paled. She wasn’t going to back down. Ty Lee’s fear for Mai turned to desperation as the fear for her own life turned to determination, and the knowledge that underneath it all Azula was human, with muscles that could be paralysed and qi that could be blocked, wedged itself into her brain.
She moved before she could stop herself, her arms hitting the right spots as she had done so many times before. It felt as though she was watching herself in a trance, floating beside her own body; time seemed to slow down, and Azula hit the floor, shock flashing through her eyes. Her lightning died at her fingertips as nothing but a few harmless sparks.
She looked so betrayed, so hurt Ty Lee almost wished she could say she was sorry and that she regretted it. (But she wouldn't lie. Not this time.)
And then, as she saw her again, met Mai’s eyes—first full of fear, then surprise and finally devoid of emotion once again—she understood. Understood what Mai had said, why she had saved him; understood the notion of love conquering all else; realised she loved her more than she feared Azula, the rest of the Fire Nation, and death itself.
The Western Air Temple, a few days later
“So, uh, you’re pretty good with that sword, huh?”
It had been a few days since they had rescued his father and Suki from boiling rock and the first time everyone seemed to be busy with something somewhere else—except for him and Zuko. Sokka had been sharpening his space sword when Zuko, who was sitting at the fire, keeping the flames low to make tea, raised the question without looking up from what he was doing.
“Uhm, I guess?” Sokka shrugged awkwardly. “I haven’t been trained much but I had a pretty good teacher when I first made it.” He hadn’t been able to fight much in a fair sword fight since Piandao first taught him, so he really couldn’t be sure how good he was objectively.
Zuko’s eyes widened in surprise. “You made that?!” he yelped. “Spirits, are you some kind of gifted kid as well?” The rhetorical question was followed by some mumbled comment about ‘being surrounded by kids with too much power for their own good’.
Sokka felt heat rise to his cheeks at the comment. “Yeah, well, Piandao was a pretty good teacher, and to be honest he did a lot of the work as well,” he said, scratching his neck. “We found this space earth and Toph–”
Zuko's eyes widened even further and the fire next to him sputtered. “Wait, you trained under Piandao?!”
Sokka frowned. “Yeah, you know him?”
“He taught me!” Zuko’s voice swelled with excitement, the flames rising with it.
“Oh, I didn’t realise he was a bending master as well.”
Zuko shook his head rapidly. “No, no, he taught me sword fighting.”
Sokka blinked. “Wait, you can sword fight?”
“Yeah,” Zuko said, scratching his neck and looking away, almost like he was embarrassed, “with dual broadswords.”
“Really?!” Sokka leant in, eyes wide, excited at having found someone else who knew sword fighting and could maybe even train with him. “Can you show me?”
“Uh yeah, I guess,” he said, thrown off by Sokka’s enthusiasm. “Wait, I’ll go get them.” He scrambled to stand, letting the flames falter.
When Zuko came back, he was carrying just one sheath—to Sokka’s surprise—and a few other things. Sokka had already gathered his things as well, so they walked over to the training area they had for Aang's bending. They lay their gear on the ground at the edge of the area and Zuko unsheathed his swords.
“See they’re two seperate blades”—he did a quick combo against the air—“but they are one weapon.”
“So how do you strike with those?”
“It’s more like slashes than stabs like you would do. Wait here, I’ll show you. Just try to block me, alright?”
Sokka stood in the middle of the court, took his stance and raised his sword in anticipation. Zuko held both his swords to his right, swinging them swiftly and hitting hard against Sokka’s, sending him staggering backwards.
“Okay, now you try to strike at me,” Zuko said while Sokka collected himself again. He raised his sword over his head to swing down at Zuko, who had raised his left sword to face Sokka with the flat side, while his right sword was supporting it at an angle, lying flat against his right arm. He parried the swing easily, as well as the next one from the side.
“That’s super cool!”
“Uhm, thanks.” Zuko shrugged awkwardly, “Do you wanna spar, maybe? It’s been a while since I got to train.”
“Oh, yeah, same. Sounds fun!”
Zuko turned around to take off his shirt, small beads of sweat were already running down his neck and down his back. Sokka could see the muscles in his shoulder flex as he ran a hand through his damp hair. The way his back moved as he turned to grab something to the side was fascinating and Sokka had to swallow hard when he turned around again. The sunlight made his bare chest glisten in the sun and the sheer amount of muscle packed on this guy was making Sokka jealous. He barely heard Zuko speak as he walked back on the court. “You ready?”
He swallowed once more for good measure and cocked his head up. “Show me your worst.”
Zuko threw up one of his swords in the air and caught it again, facing back now. “Your wish is my command,” he threw back just as provocatively. That was all the warning Sokka got before Zuko was charging at him, swinging at his side. He blocked quickly, stabbed at Zuko from his left. Block, swing, block, stab, thrust, block.
During the entire fight, Zuko’s muscles kept moving in beautiful patterns that Sokka would have spent hours admiring had he not also been swinging blades his way. In the midst of their almost even fight, Zuko started turning quickly, gaining speed and hitting against Sokka’s sword twice with every turn. He had to grab the top of his sword with his left to stabilise but was still driven backwards and thrown off balance, so when Zuko suddenly hit with both his swords at once again, Sokka fell over landing square on his ass.
Looking up at Zuko now, sweating, panting, holding a blade to his throat, Sokka was reminded of the first time he sparred with Suki on Kyoshi Island. The way she had beat his ass so easily had really done it for him (and humbled him considerably) and this, with Zuko, felt no different. To play over this realization, he quickly sat up. “Another one?”
“You wanna lose again?”
“Nah, but I won’t!” Sokka swore, jumping back up into his fighting stance.
They started circling each other slowly, waiting for the other to launch their first attack, looking for an opening in the other’s defense. Sokka stepped further in, decreasing the space between them and subsequently increasing the tension. Just as Zuko was about to do the same, he flung his sword at him, launching the fight and starting a row of strikes that Zuko blocked easily.
They fell into the fight like it was an old habit—just even movements like muscle memory. Sokka walked slowly, still swinging his sword, producing rhythmic clangs with every strike. Zuko held his swords up in front of him. He walked cautiously, always keeping his balance. As he blocked Sokka’s hit from the right, he swung his own sword to strike at his open side and had him scrambling to block. He had lost himself in the rhythm, lowering his guard, but so had Zuko. Sokka increased the speed of his attacks, flinging his sword at Zuko quickly, driving him back a little.
Soon enough, Zuko caught himself again, countering with his own tirade of strikes. Sokka walked backwards, scrambling to keep up with both of Zuko’s swords with his single one. Zuko was stepping forwards more confidently, caring less about his balance and more about the choreography of their dance.
Sokka waited just a second longer to make his next step backwards. He moved just his upper body back, leading Zuko further, his foot moving right above the one Sokka hadn’t moved. As Zuko stepped on his foot, Sokka went over into aggressive offense again. This knocked Zuko off balance and gave Sokka the advantage to land a strike at his side. He held his sword there against Zuko’s stomach and waited for him to hold up his hands in surrender.
“Alright, alright, you win,” he said, panting heavily. “You wanna do one more to decide?”
Sokka grinned. “You’re on!”
They started circling each other again for a short time, panting heavily, until Toph walked into the training area. “Hey guys!” she said, her tone indifferent. “Katara wants to make tea and the fire is almost out, Zuko.”
All the tension left them as they got up out of their stances and packed up their gear again. “I’ll be right there,” Zuko told Toph over his shoulder.
Just before they arrived back at camp, Zuko looked at Sokka once more. “We’ll determine a winner some other time.”
“Yeah…” was the only thing Sokka could come up with before Zuko was off to take care of the fire.
A Fire Nation prison, at the same time
“Do you think Zuko will come back for us?”
Mai looked up from the floor to where Ty Lee was sitting on the bed. The cell they were in was damp and dingy, dark except for the moonlight filtering through the small hole carved high up into the wall in lieu of a window. The bedding smelled rotten and Ty Lee was pretty sure she’d seen a rat slipping through the metal bars that marked the end of their cell, but at the moment, neither of them seemed to care.
Mai watched her intently for a moment, surprised by the shakiness of her voice. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “Why would he?”
Ty Lee’s eyebrows knitted together. “You’re his soulmate! You saved his life!”
Mai shrugged. “He broke up with me,” she said tonelessly, but an emotion Ty Lee couldn’t quite decipher flashed in her eyes. “He left without a goodbye. We’re not good for each other—we’re soulmates but we make each other miserable. Why would he come back to that?”
“But don't you belong together?”
Mai gave her a pointed look. “Do you and Azula?”
Ty Lee stiffened involuntarily. She clenched her jaw and averted her eyes, as if Mai had just poked a particularly sore bruise. Her breath felt shaky in her lungs. “I—I suppose not,” she admitted, “but we’re soulmates, how can we not belong together?”
Mai made a movement in between a shrug and a nod. “I don’t know, who cares what the universe thinks. Zuko has more important things on his mind right now than me, and you betrayed Azula. All we have right now is each other.”
Ty Lee closed her eyes at the mention of her betrayal, then opened them again to look for any clue of what Mai might be thinking on her face, but as always, her eyes were bereft of emotion. “That's not that bad,” she said finally, “we’re a good team.”
Mai tipped her head towards the door, impassive as ever. “We‘re still stuck here.”
Ty Lee shrugged, allowing a small smile to curve her lips. “Yeah,” she said, nodding, “but that's ok if it’s with you.”
Something flickered over Mai’s face, but it was gone so quickly Ty Lee wondered if she’d imagined it.
It was quiet for a moment after that. Ty Lee played with the edge of the moth-eaten blanket and Mai turned her attention back to the floor until Ty Lee decided she couldn’t bear the silence and broke it.
“What do you think you’re gonna do when we get out of here? When this is all over?” When, not if. Call her foolish or naive, but she needed to believe, needed to hope, needed to have faith that they would get out of here, that things would get better, or she would go crazy. “Are you going back to Zuko?”
Mai studied her. Moonlight flitted over her face, and Ty Lee couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked. Even in the prison clothing, barely more than terracotta rags clinging to her body, and with her hair unwashed and full of knots, she still gave off an aura of regality. Hair like the midnight sky streamed down her back and framed her face, but instead of softening her features, it accentuated them, in the way the darkness of the night makes the moon shine brighter. The high curve of her brow and the sharp line of her jaw, the dangerous gleam in her eyes as she narrowed them. Something unnamed swirled in the ink-dark depth of her eyes.
There was a difference between looking at someone and seeing them, but when their eyes met, they both knew which option this was. An unspoken understanding spread in the space of the silence between them.
The corner of Mai’s mouth turned up a little, an emotion that gleamed like moonlight on snow on her usually so inexpressive face, but it wasn’t as much a slip-up as an intentional reveal. A secret wilfully shared. She held her gaze and said, soft but deliberate, “I’m not so sure.”
Caldera Port, two months after Sozin’s Comet
A few weeks after his coronation, Zuko stood on the docks in the harbour, a funny feeling crawling inside his chest. The brunt of the negotiations were over, and most non-Fire Nation citizens that had been here for them but weren’t truly needed for the problems that had yet to be solved were going home.
It had been strange to see the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe ships docked there, to see the colours of the former enemy flying proudly between the Fire Nation’s, but now it was even weirder to see them leave.
“Zuko!”
Zuko just saw a hint of blue flash in the corner of his eye before someone crashed into him, arms flinging around his neck and knocking him backwards.
His eyes widened. “Sokka!” he spluttered as he tried to regain his footing, the docks slippery underneath his (pretty but not too practical) shoes. He tensed, evened out his breathing. Steady. He was not going to slip and fall and make a fool of himself right in front of everyone.
Sokka probably felt the way he stiffened, and stepped back. “Oh, uh, sorry buddy,” he said, scratching his neck. “Just wanted to say goodbye.” His eyes brightened at that, and he grinned. “Can you believe I’m finally going back home? I haven’t been there in so long—not since we set off to rescue Aang when you captured him”—he ignored Zuko’s murmured apology—“and I can’t wait to see Gran Gran again. Oh! I wonder how much bigger the kids have gotten. Has little Calluk gotten better at throwing his spear? He was already improving when I left, and his dad’s back now and I know he wanted to make him proud–”
“Sokka,” Zuko said. He laid his hands on his shoulders, gripping him firmly and looking him in the eye. “Breathe.”
“Right.” Sokka laughed. He rubbed his hands together, and Zuko noticed how he was tapping his foot on the ground, an outlet for the restless energy Zuko had become so fond of. “It’s just…” He trailed off, looking at a spot just behind Zuko. Then he looked him in the eye again and continued, gesturing animatedly. “No offence, it’s nice here and all, but I haven’t been home in, like, a year, and I can’t wait to be with my family again, see how much the Tribe and the kids have grown already, y’know?”
Zuko smiled, though it felt strained. “None taken.” Why did he feel this way? He should be happy for Sokka, and he was, but something about having to say goodbye to his friend made his heart tighten in his chest. Made him want Sokka to stay, or, the other way around, to go with him. But he couldn’t. Wouldn’t. He ignored those selfish thoughts and tipped his head. “You’d better go,” he said, a hint of humour in his voice. “Wouldn’t want them to leave without you.”
Sokka followed his line of sight to where the ships were ready to set sail, and his eyes widened. He let out a curse. He turned around, before turning back and pulling Zuko into another hug, tight but short. “Bye!” he called over his shoulder as he ran towards the Water Tribe ships. “See ya!”
Zuko had stiffened at the hug, as he always did (physical contact was still Not His Thing, even if he’d gotten better at tolerating it with the ever-huggy Aang around), but for some reason he wished it had been longer, now. He folded his arms, rigid enough to look regal, but his fingers rested right where Sokka had embraced him. A lingering touch.
He ignored the pang in his heart as he watched the ships set sail, standing there on the docks until the last one had disappeared behind the horizon. If he closed his eyes, he could almost still see a figure standing underneath a blue sail, waving at him.
He barely noticed his guard talking to him as they returned to the palace, lost deep in thought. Why did seeing Sokka leave hurt him so much?
He’d become accustomed to Sokka’s presence. To his loud voice and belly laughs, the jokes that somehow always managed to make Zuko snort no matter how bad they were, staying up late with him, drinking tea and poring over manuscripts and trade proposals when the rest of the Gaang had already gone to sleep.
Being around him made him feel safe, like he didn’t have to defend himself, didn’t have to guard his feelings. His mind wandered to one of his favourite plays, in which the main character had described love as a comfort, as protection. A warm coat to drape over each other, shelter from the rain. Warm tea on stormy days, safety found in each other’s arms. He had lost that protection, that was all. He’d just–
He was sitting at his desk when it hit him.
Eyes wide, he dropped the scroll he’d been reading, watched it roll over the dark wooden floor of his study.
Wait.
That play had been describing love. Did he–? Was he–?
…Oh.
He groaned and let his head fall on his desk, bonked it against it. Just his luck, to be…into? (be in love with? have a crush on?) a guy who had just left and wasn’t coming back for a long time (if ever), and who had a girlfriend. He folded his arms over his head and groaned harder.
When he had regained his composure a little, he sent a page to look for Uncle. He had only just discovered these…feelings, but if he didn’t talk about them with someone, he would explode.
The Fire Lord’s palace, one year after Sozin’s Comet
Zuko was already tired from greeting hoards of guests coming into the palace for the one year peace celebrations and renewed discussions of rebuilding, trade, and political disputes and there were always still more people arriving. Over the polite chatter filling the courtyard he could hear a bigger group come in with no regard for a polite volume or appropriate amount of laughter and his smile turned more genuine as he recognized his friends chatting under a larger tree. Sokka was in the middle of telling a story and gesturing animatedly when Toph elbowed him and pointed over to where Zuko was standing.
He turned to greet the next guests a bit too quickly, but his gaze wandered back eventually to Toph and Suki laughing at Teo’s joke, while Katara stood by Haru, Aang leaning against her shoulder and showing an excited Ty Lee and slightly amused Mai his marble tricks. He had missed the Gaang dearly after they all left for different parts of the world to help rebuild their homes. Aang and Katara had managed to visit a few times while travelling on Avatar duty. It had been nice to see them, but their presence always also reminded him of Sokka.
Sokka, who he’d missed the most out of all of them; his jokes, his excitement, sparring with him, staring at him for a little too long hoping he wouldn't see his blush when he looked away. Exactly that Sokka was standing just a few meters away now chatting with Suki and Haru. Because Sokka had a girlfriend and was straight and his friend, Agni damn it. Zuko hadn't seen him in a year and still he couldn't let go of something that had never even been.
Soon enough the group had made their way over to where he stood at the entrance. Katara was the first to throw herself around his neck instead of the appropriate bow as greeting. Aang joined their hug as Toph hit his arm a tad more forcefully than strictly necessary and when he was finally let go, the others started greeting him, all with smiles (or in Sokka's case, a huge grin) on their faces, all telling him he looked great and it was great to see him. He was almost nervous when Mai started approaching him, her face as unreadable as ever until her lip quirked up a little.
“Mai,” he said with a bow.
“Your Sparkyness,” she said with the same gesture, her mask only barely slipping at the ridiculousness of her address.
“You have been around Toph too much.”
“Actually, Sokka told me to call you that.”
“Oh.” Why did that surprise him? It didn’t. Not really. Of course she would have seen Sokka a lot in the last year. She and Ty Lee were living on Kyoshi Island now, as was Suki, Sokka’s girlfriend. He probably visited a lot, especially with the short distance between them and the Southern Water Tribe. Something heavy bubbled in his stomach and his mouth suddenly tasted bitter at the thought of Suki and Sokka spending happy days on Kyoshi. A strange image of them and Mai with Ty Lee on some weird double date at the beach came to his mind and he felt sick at it.
“Zuko!” was the last thing he heard before his thoughts were interrupted by Ty Lee’s signature attack hug. He scrambled to regain his balance but smiled at the enthusiastic greeting.
“Good to see you too, Ty Lee,” he said, the sound muffled against her braid.
“Oh this place has changed so much since I last saw it, you simply must show us around!” she gushed, bouncing on her feet. “There’s so much light everywhere!”
It was true, he had ordered the Palace and gardens be reworked to represent the new beginnings he was hoping to bring to his nation. Most things had changed from the way they had been as he grew up, except the little pond behind the palace where the turtleducklings he had fed with his mother had grown up in his absence and formed families of their own.
“I will find the time in just a bit, if you let me finish greeting all my guests,” he said without any sign of exasperation.
“Oh yes of course, see you!” She reluctantly let go of him and dragged Mai with her to rejoin the rest of the Gaang.
A few days later, when they were all free of conferences for once, Zuko showed Ty Lee, Mai, Sokka, and Suki around the palace. Aang and Katara had taken the day to return to the school Aang had visited before the end of the war and Toph had gone her own way, not wanting to spend the day “walking around and listening to people look at things”. They had instead taken Haru and Teo to watch the Ember Island Players’ newest version of The Boy in the Iceberg.
After he had shown them every part of the palace and the gardens surrounding it, Zuko came to a halt back at the front gates. “So, what do you want to see next? Caldera is a big city there’s a lot of things we can check out.” he said, since it was only noon and they had nothing else planned for the rest of the day.
Ty Lee suggested the market and Suki and Sokka both seemed to be very enthusiastic about the idea of going shopping. They did insist on splitting up however, which seemed a little odd, since their relationship had been going fine until now. Zuko agreed though, not wanting to cause a scene, and led them down to the market near the haven where the girls went their way and he trailed Sokka.
He realised that Sokka and Suki had kept some distance for most of the day already. Sokka kept closer to him, while Suki and Mai had mostly followed Ty Lee, who admired all the changes he had made to the palace.
“Are you and Suki good?” Zuko asked as soon as the girls were out of earshot. He knew he shouldn’t get into their business but they had seemed just fine so far and now Sokka had been so insistent on splitting up that Zuko could only think of two explanations, both of which tugged at his stomach in different ways.
One, Sokka and Suki were in fact not good and there was something going on that somehow came out just a moment before, or two, Sokka was planning something that did not involve Suki, most likely something along the lines of searching for an engagement gift, as there was really nothing else that he wouldn’t let her in on beforehand. Of course Zuko didn’t want his friends to break up, and he didn’t think that would do their friend group any good, but them getting engaged didn’t sit right with him either. No matter how happy he was for the two of them, seeing Sokka get married would…sting.
Sokka hummed, absentmindedly rummaging through crystals at the closest stall. He frowned slightly at the question. “Yeah, of course. Why do you ask?”
So he was looking for a pendant for an engagement necklace then.
“That fire agate might be very pretty but it would be very difficult to carve,” he said, hoping he could ignore his feelings if he concentrated on being helpful. “They tend to splinter a lot.”
“Oh, yeah, I was just looking. That isn’t really my colour anyway.”
“Yeah, green and black with some gold would be much more fitting I suppose. Although, red would go well with the eyes.”
Sokka’s face lit up at that, his expression hopeful. “You think so?”
“Yeah!! Maybe try a bloodstone, that would fit the outfit and the face paint.”
“Wait, what?”
“Well it’s red and green, like the Kyoshi uniform and make up. So I thought it could fit well.”
“Why the Kyoshi uniform? I'm not a Kyoshi warrior anymore.”
“But she still is right? Or did I miss something?”
Sokka blinked. “Who?”
“Suki???”
Sokka looked at him like he’d just suggested they hop around the market as if they were kangaroo-frogs. “Why would I buy a stone for her?”
Zuko’s brows furrowed. “Because you’re gonna make a necklace for her? Is that not why you wanted to split up?”
Sokka blinked. “I wanted to split up because we will buy the same things if we walk past the same stalls,” he said slowly. “It’s a Thing. What did you think?”
“I thought you had a fight, or you wanted to make her a betrothal necklace, like the one Katara has.”
Sokka looked flabbergasted. “Why, by Tui and La, would I propose to Suki?”
Zuko gestured vaguely. “I mean you’ve been dating for like one and a half years now. I thought you’d basically settled in together already. It's not like I’ve seen you much the past year.”
Sokka blinked. “Suki and I aren’t dating.”
“What?!” Now it was Zuko’s turn to look flabbergasted. “But—you guys—she and you—never?!”
Sokka shrugged. “I mean, no, not really,” he said. “She kicked my ass when we first met and then we kissed like once, but that was about it.”
Zuko coughed. “Sooo, you’re single?”
“Yeah.” Sokka sighed. “I know it’s not a bad thing, but seeing Katara and Aang like that does make me miss Yue sometimes.”
Wait, wait, him? Did Sokka say he missed him? But he pronounced it funny, like you-ay. What–? Ohhhh, his soulmate, of course. He was an idiot, why in the world would Sokka mean him? “Yeah, I get that,” he said, looking at the ground. I’ve missed you every day for the past year.
Sokka had woken up early from the heat, the stuffy, too hot, annoying heat of summer in Caldera. They should have waited until winter to defeat Ozai, this heat was worse than another half year of war. He decided that he might as well go practice if he was already sweating like a sheep-pig on the grill. As he arrived at the sparring court, he saw Zuko already swinging his dual swords in a fight of life or death against the air.
"You know, we never actually determined a winner." His raised voice got the other’s attention and he stopped in his tracks.
A smirk formed on Zuko’s lips when he realized who had spoken. "Oh come on, I clearly had the upper hand in that last one."
“Yeah, sure,” Sokka said, already getting ready to fight the other. “Let’s see about that.”
When he was ready he stepped in the middle of the court, opposite of Zuko and swung his blade at him a few times experimentally to warm up. Their swords clanked lazily as they hit and blocked half-heartedly, getting used to the feel of their weapons again. They concentrated more on each other and the feel of their motions than the actual swings themselves. With their muscle memory for a guide, they easily fell into old movements and rhythms.
Suddenly, Sokka sped up his swings. Eyes wide in surprise, Zuko hurried to block each blow, his hits growing more aggressive in turn.
“Okay, wait.” Sokka took a big step back, holding up his hands. “I’m already sweating more than it rains here all year. How is it so hot in this place?!”
He pulled his tunic over his head, flexing his arms and revealing more and more of his toned stomach. Zuko could see the hint of definition in the soft flesh that his skin was now stretching over. He had obviously been working out recently and his hormonal glow-up only helped to increase the effects, although he was still much slimmer than Zuko himself. He could see the flex in Sokka’s shoulders as his taped chest started showing and realized he'd been staring as Sokka slid the garment off his arm. Shit. He looked up into Sokka’s eyes again and the fucker had the audacity to wink.
As Zuko was still trying to get his focus back to his sword, Sokka attacked again, his technique and pace challenging Zuko, who hadn’t had much time to train apart from his morning forms recently. He matched him blow for blow but Sokka was driving him back. Each of his movements flung sweat at the sand of the sparring area and Zuko couldn’t help but notice the trails it left on his neck and chest.
The swing from above took him by surprise and he had to block it with his swords crossed in front of him. He managed to stand his ground but Sokka kept coming closer, pushing his sword and trying to gain the upper hand. He looked Zuko in the eyes over their crossed swords and Zuko had to swallow hard at the look of concentration he gave him. So when Sokka added even more pressure, Zuko stumbled back again, falling over the foot he hadn’t noticed Sokka place behind his leg and dropping one of his swords. It sailed away from him, landing a few meters out of reach.
He didn’t have time to mourn the loss as Sokka reached to put his sword at Zuko’s throat, and there was no way he would let him win this easily. Zuko sat up, striking at Sokka’s sword above him and quickly blocking Sokka’s next tirade of blows, now at a clear disadvantage.
Sokka drove him back once again, kneeling over him as Zuko leaned back, head barely above the ground. With a twist of his wrist, Sokka managed to push Zuko’s sword above his head, holding it there with his own. He had pinned Zuko’s torso with his hips by now so their faces were uncomfortably close. Their hot breaths mingled, Zuko could smell Sokka’s breakfast and sweat mixed with the signature scent that got him more out of breath than any fight ever could.
“Alright, you win!” He put his hands up in surrender, desperate to get Sokka off him again despite how often he had daydreamed something very similar. A deep blush had creeped onto his cheeks and he already knew he wouldn’t be able to get this image of Sokka out of his mind.
Sokka got up slowly with a triumphant smile. After he brushed the sand off his pants, he stretched out his arm towards Zuko to help him up.
Zuko dusted himself off, eyes glued to the ground, trying to compose himself. When he raised his chin there was a new determination in his eyes. “Another one?” he asked, smirking.
“Oh, don’t worry I can kick your ass again,” Sokka shot back, confident after the clear defeat.
They got into their starting positions and Sokka quickly attacked again. This round, Zuko evaded more than he blocked, concentrating on his technique and precise movements instead of the strength of his hits as this was clearly not his advantage anymore. They danced around each other, Zuko seemed to have the upper hand. Despite barely dealing any blows, he led Sokka to dance to his melody, trailing him like a lost polar bear puppy.
Sokka’s movements were starting to slow down, his attempts at striking at Zuko growing more half-hearted and his steps less determined. They had been sparring for quite some time now and Zuko could feel his own focus slipping.
At another bare attempt to stab at him, Zuko swung both of his swords in opposite directions, one hitting at the tip of Sokka’s sword, the other near the hilt, dislodging the weapon from Sokka’s grip and sending it flying out of his hands. Sokka stood there for a moment too stunned to speak and only seemed to realize what had happened when he could feel the blade under his chin raising his head until their gazes met.
Neither broke eye contact for a while until Sokka finally choked out his surrender and Zuko lowered his sword. They agreed to another round despite both being rather exhausted already. The fight was more even than the last two rounds, each having learned the other's strengths and it seemed like it was gonna be another long round.
When Sokka tried to block a particularly hard swing, his stance broke and his knee twisted upon impact. His leg gave out and he fell to the floor, his face contorted with pain.
Zuko immediately dropped his swords to kneel beside his friend, desperate and unable to help. “Sokka, Sokka, please, is there anything I can do?” He knew that Sokka’s knee never properly healed but he hadn’t ever seen a flare-up happen himself.
“It’s fine, I’m gonna be fine, I just gotta–” Sokka tried to get up again but groaned under the pain and fell back to the ground. “Katara has tried healing it but it doesn’t work. I just gotta rest it a bit, I guess.”
“Do you want me to bring you back to your quarters?”
“How, when I can’t even stand up?”
“I can carry you if you want. Unless you want to keep lying here like this until you’re better.”
“Oh, yeah, ok.” Sokka breathed out, his cheeks darkening a little at the suggestion.
Zuko helped him to stand on one leg and then easily picked him up—bridal style. He was careful not to hold his knee and slid his arm higher instead, holding him by his back and thighs. He tried not to think about the close proximity or Sokka’s still naked chest pressed to his and especially not the things people might say if they saw him carry Sokka this way or how much he wished they were right.
The South Pole, three years after Sozin’s Comet
Sokka had been anxious all week, busying himself, always near the port to be the first to see when a ship came sailing their way. A few other diplomats had arrived as well, but Sokka had barely paid them any mind. The anniversary treaties had included a two year rebuilding plan for the Southern Water Tribe and those two years were up now. Diplomats from all other nations were to come and inspect the progress they had made.
The Tribe had grown a lot in the last three years since the war; Katara and a few benders from the North had built up the village again and with the men back, they had some hard workers. They could fish for more than they needed and trade had reluctantly started up again. He had designed the new port specifically to suit those needs and explained every detail to Katara so they wouldn’t miss anything. Even the ambassador from the Northern Water Tribe—fucking Hahn—had been a little impressed. Now the only person missing to inspect their efforts was the Fire Lord himself. Zuko had sent an ambassador ahead of him but promised to join them as soon as he could.
So when Sokka spotted the Fire Nation ship, not the royal fleet but a simpler long distance traveller, his nerves reached new record highs—but he was sure it was just because he was excited to see his friend. They hadn’t seen each other in two years, only communicating over frequent letters, but somehow Sokka hadn’t managed to move on. Pushing his worries aside, he ran to the docks to help the sailors secure the ship, practically vibrating until Zuko finally stepped on land. Once in reach, Sokka immediately wrapped him into one of his trademark hugs and talked his ear off. Sokka eventually let him go again, not stopping his ramble to show him the coolest part of the port design and start leading him around town.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Zuko looked up, stopping dead in his tracks. He’d been listening to Sokka’s ramblings with a smile, but Sokka’s question shook him out of his reverie. “Huh?”
“You’re only wearing a cotton coat,” Sokka said, “and the spirits know you Fire Nationals don’t know how to make a good warm parka.”
Zuko huffed out a breath. “I’m a firebender, I–”
Sokka cut him off. “You run hot, yes I know.” He rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t stop you from freezing to death.” He crossed his arms. “Well, if you don’t mind, Your Majesty, I’m gonna get you some clothing actually suited for this weather. Unless you’d rather freeze your royal ass off, of course.” He turned on his heel and stomped through the snow to his family’s igloo, sticking out his tongue at Zuko just before he turned around the corner.
He used the moment he took to rummage through his clothing as a breather. His crush on Zuko was over. He could do this. When he returned with a light blue garment he knew was slightly too big for himself, he dumped it in Zuko’s arms. “Here.”
Zuko grumbled, but pulled on the parka nonetheless. When he blew a strand of hair out of his face, Sokka felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks—how did Zuko look so good in blue?! It was simply unfair. He coughed. “Well, that’s better, right?”
Zuko rolled his eyes, though Sokka could see him nestle fully into the warmth of the parka. “I could also just have done this,” he sniped. He breathed in slowly, and when he breathed out, flames in colours Sokka never knew fire could be billowed out of his mouth in a vibrant burst.
Sokka felt his cheeks growing hot at the repeat of that moment at the Boiling Rock, only even more, well–
Sokka coughed again, turning to the other side so Zuko couldn’t see the redness of his face. “When did you learn to do that, anyway?” he asked when he was sure his voice wouldn’t crack, wiggling his fingers. “The colours, I mean.”
“Oh, that? Well–”
As Zuko launched into a cheerful recount of the time he spent mimicking the fire he’d seen the dragons make, Sokka’s thoughts swam and pounded through his head like a school of orca-mackerel.
Perhaps his crush on Zuko was not quite as over as he thought.
When the formal dinner that evening was finally over and as Zuko stood up to leave, Sokka called after him. “Zuko, Zuko, I wanna show you something, come!”
Zuko was taken off guard, but he could never really say no to Sokka. “Oh, alright, where are we going?”
“You’ll see, just put on your parka and come!” His tone was secretive but playful, the kind that promised an adventure.
They walked in silence, Sokka bouncing ahead and Zuko walking hurriedly after him. He didn’t complain, though, too confused to mind. Sokka led him out of the village into the snowy landscape beyond. He was glad for all his layers now, even if he had his trick to heat up if he really needed it. As they trotted along, the lights behind them faded, the air grew colder and the darkness pulled tighter around them but it didn’t seem to deter Sokka, only spurred him on.
“Come on, we're almost there! Just up that hill.”
“What are we doing here, Sokka?” he asked, confused still. He knew that when Sokka had an idea he wasn’t going to be talked out of it but he still would like to know what the two of them were going to do in the middle of an ice desert in the middle of the night.
“You’ll see. It’s cool, I promise!” And what more could he say to that? When Sokka started up the hill, Zuko followed him. He had given up trying to tell himself he wouldn’t follow Sokka anywhere without knowing where they were going or why a while ago.
Up on the top of the hill, Sokka pulled out a picnic blanket and sat down on it, patting the space next to him for Zuko to follow his lead.
Zuko was tired and exhausted from the walk. He was not in the mood for a midnight picnic in the middle of nowhere. “What the actual fuck, Sokka. What in Agni’s name are we doing here?”
Sokka put on his best puppy eye look, basically pleading with Zuko (and how could he refuse at that?) “Please just sit down? Lean back, relax.” He lay down, his arms folded under his head, his eyes still fixed on Zuko. Zuko followed because he was just that for gone for him and because he knew nothing better to do with himself, now that he was already this far out here anyway. Just when he was lying there, finally letting himself relax like Sokka had said, and letting his eyes wander up he saw the night sky filled with countless stars blinking back at him. The pure beauty of it, the sheer amount of stars he could see, the brightness of the full moon above, it all enchanted him instantly.
Sokka seemed to notice this and, with an air of wonder, asked, “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Wha—oh…” Yue, of course. How had he not realised? It was a full moon, that’s why they were here. Or at least, that’s why Sokka was here; he wasn’t sure why he had got to join, too.
“You see so many more stars out here than in the village, or Tui forbid in the big cities…” Sokka carried on in a conversational tone, clearly proud of the stop he had found here.
“Yeah, I’ve never seen this many in Caldera. I really never understood why people cared so much about the stars. To me they were only ever good for navigation. I get it now, though. She really is beautiful.”
They fell into a comfortable silence looking up at the stars next to each other, both lost in their own thoughts.
Sokka let his gaze fall on Zuko. His hands were folded behind his head as he looked up at the night sky, a smile on his lips. A few strands had fallen out of the braid that was swept over his shoulder, a river of ink streaming through the snow, and Sokka itched to run his fingers through it, to brush the rogue strands out of his face, tuck them behind his ear. He looked so peaceful, so happy, and Sokka wanted nothing more than to bottle this moment and keep it forever, close to his heart—wanted nothing more than for this to be a familiar sight, to be the reason for his happiness.
Just lying next to Zuko, Sokka could feel the closeness and desperately wanted to touch him, hold him. He wondered if he could reach his hand without being suspicious—if it would be weird if Zuko caught him looking at him instead of the stars above, if he could pass it off as being tired if he leaned his head against his shoulder.
His thoughts kept spiralling until his mind suggested he act as if he were cold to touch Zuko, or get him to lend him his coat, or make a fire. Zuko was his friend, he shouldn't let himself think these things about him. Maybe if he got that under control he would get over him and could go back to being his friend and being happy with that alone.
Hah, as if! a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Toph chimed in, You’re too far gone already, not even the spirits could save you now. Yeah, he supposed he was, but what else was there for him to do? There was no way Zuko liked him back and no way he could be with anyone else when he still felt this way about him.
You could just tell him, you never know, and if he really doesn’t like you, I’m sure you could work it out! Now it sounded more like Suki, the way she rolled her eyes at him fondly every time he came to her to ramble about Zuko’s last letter popping up in his mind’s eye. His optimistic side wanted to hope for the best so badly he almost thought he might have a real chance. And she was right, wasn’t she? He and Suki had been fine after what happened between them, had become best friends, so why shouldn’t it be the same with Zuko?
Ugh, just tell him already, or at least shut up about him and concentrate on literally anything else! Yeah, Katara was probably right, even if she didn’t have to be this rude about it. (At this thought his mind supplied him with an image of his sister sticking out her tongue at him). He knew Zuko deserved to know, though, so he could decide whether it would be a problem in their friendship and so Sokka could maybe, hopefully, start actually getting over him. He had to tell him, however hard it would be.
He took a deep breath before speaking up. “Zuko?”
“Yeah?” he answered without looking away from the sky, seeming perfectly relaxed, unaware of Sokka’s inner turmoil.
“I, uh…” He fidgeted with a loose thread on his parka before steeling himself, letting out a sharp breath. Here goes nothing. “I gotta tell you something.”
The awkward tone in his voice must’ve alerted Zuko, as he sat up abruptly, frowning. “Sokka? Are you alright? Is something wrong?”
“I'm alright, just…please don’t be mad at me, yeah?” His voice came out small and weak and he hated it.
“What did you do?” Zuko asked, concern and amusement apparent in his voice and probably in his expression, but Sokka didn’t look up to check. He just kept staring at his hands as if not seeing Zuko’s reaction to what he was about to say would make it any better.
“Nothing, nothing I…just kinda may like you—like a lot.” It was as if a dam broke loose and the words started pouring out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “I know that you don’t feel the same and that's alright, I don't expect you to. I just wanted you to know, you know? And if you’re disgusted with me now or you don't want me around as much anymore, I get that and I swear it's just a little crush and I can get over it soon–”
“Sokka–”
“But I just thought it’d be better if you knew so you can set boundaries if I get weird and, uh, I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t plan this or anything and I’m sorry for making things awkward between us and ruining our friendship I know it’s weird–”
Zuko took Sokka’s hands in his, gently, and looked at him with an intensity that made him stop dead in his rambling. “Sokka,” he said. “Breathe.”
So he did, practicing what Aang had shown them, breathe in through the nose 1, 2, 3, 4, hold, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, out through the mouth 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and repeat. It helped to calm him down, and when his breathing slowed, Zuko started talking hesitantly.
“Sokka,” he said, shuffling around and letting go of Sokka’s hands to gesture slowly but emphatically. “I’m not mad, or disgusted, or weirded out, alright?”
Sokka’s brows furrowed. “Okay?” It came out like a question, like he didn't really believe him.
When Zuko spoke again, his voice was calm and measured. He was talking with his diplomat voice, choosing his words carefully, keeping his emotion under control and expressing himself as clearly as he could. “I'm actually quite delighted, Sokka, because contrary to what you just said, I do feel quite similarly about you, too, and I’m glad you told me, because I would've never been able to work up the courage to tell you otherwise.”
Sokka’s eyes widened. “Wait—really!?”
“Yup.”
His mouth dropped. “You like me?!”
“I do.”
“You’re not fucking with me right now?”
He sighed, bracing himself. He would really have to spell it out, wouldn’t he? “I really thought I was being obvious there but here goes again: I like you, Sokka, romantically, and I would like to kiss you and call you my boyfriend, alright?”
Sokka smiled at that, the words finally sinking in. “Go ahead,” he said, his mouth pulling upward into a cocky smirk.
“Kiss you or call you my boyfriend?”
At that, Sokka turned shy again, his tone almost hopeful as he spoke. “Both?”
That was all the invitation Zuko needed. He reached out to Sokka with his free hand to hold his cheek softly, never looking away from his eyes and slowly leant in. As Sokka mirrored the movement, Zuko repeated the word through his smile.
Just before their lips touched Sokka whispered, “Both is good,” like the words were precious to him.
Republic City, 40 years later
Zuko woke to the sunlight filtering through the windows, bathing the room in a soft morning glow. It made patterns dance across the floor, and he watched lazily, curled up in the blankets; cotton for the weather, light and airy and perfect for late spring’s gentle warmth.
He turned around, faced the man beside him. Sokka was still asleep, brows unfurrowed, pillow lines pressed into his cheek and mouth slightly open. He looked peaceful, all worries wiped off his face.
Zuko tucked a loose lock behind Sokka’s ear, smiling. There was a steel grey glow to it, now, and Zuko knew his own once-dark hair was threaded with silver too. They were getting older. He could feel it in his bones, in the way he was cold more often. He could see it in the lines etched into his skin, on his forehead and around his eyes and mouth, the lines that became deeper with every passing day and crinkled when he laughed.
He’d just decided to get out of bed and make something of the day when Sokka cracked an eye open, a grin on his face. “Morning, sunshine,” he said. His voice was rough from sleep.
Zuko smiled. “Morning, love.” He pressed his lips to Sokka’s temple. “Just wanted to get up.”
At that, Sokka wrapped his arms around him. “No,” he whined, pouting, which was quite a ridiculous thing to see a man his age do, “stay.”
Zuko rolled his eyes, but let himself be pulled back into the bed’s warmth. “I have to get up sometime, y’know.”
Sokka hummed. “Hmm, yeah, but not yet.” Then he buried his face in the crook of Zuko’s neck, and Zuko wrapped an arm around him and let his head fall back onto the pillow. Getting up could wait.
After a while, he felt his eyes fluttering shut. “We should really get up,” he whispered.
Sokka groaned. “Okay, okay.”
Zuko swept aside the blankets, then laughed when Sokka yelped at the sudden cold. Sokka threw a pillow at his head in retaliation, and he shot it out of the air out of reflex, then groaned when the singed remains fluttered to the ground.
“You’ll have to replace that,” Sokka pointed out evenly.
Zuko glowered at him. “No thanks to you.”
“You were the one who burned it.”
“You threw it.”
Sokka shrugged, barely even fighting to keep the shit-eating grin off his face. “I thought your reflexes would be slower—y’know, like an old man’s reflexes should be.”
”I’m barely even a year older,” Zuko grumbled, which Sokka replied to with a shrug and a smile.
“Yes, like I said: an old man.”
Zuko rolled his eyes. “You’re so annoying.”
Sokka smirked. “You love me.”
“Sadly.”
Sokka let out an offended gasp. “Take that back!”
“Or what?”
Sokka threateningly held up another pillow.
“Okay, okay.” Zuko groaned, but he couldn’t fight the smile pulling at his lips. He sat down next to Sokka. “How could I not love you?” he said with a hand on his chest and smiling, a little too saccharinely to be completely genuine.
Sokka grinned. “Yeah, I truly am irresistible.”
Zuko promptly stood up and walked away, massaging his temples. “I’m coming back when your head can fit through the door frame!” he called over his shoulder, leaving Sokka to feign offense.
When he came back, balancing cups of tea and plates and bowls in his arms, Sokka was still in bed. He yawned exaggeratedly as he saw Zuko, his arms above his head, and Zuko could see the familiar bronze skin of his chest stretching above the blankets. The many scars that broke up the plainness of it, from his fights as a warrior and accidents alike, along with the twin horizontal ones running across the upper half.
Zuko rolled his eyes. “You’re not seducing me into staying in bed.”
“But we can eat breakfast in bed?” Sokka pouted, which looked ridiculous but still made Zuko’s heart melt.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “You’re not spilling food on the bed again.”
“That was one time!”
Zuko raised an eyebrow. “I seem to recall more instances than that.”
“Ugh,” Sokka groaned. “Fine.” He shuffled into his slippers (a truly horrendous fuzzy and bright green pair that had been a gag gift from Toph, but Sokka loved them), wrapped his robe tighter around himself, and joined Zuko at the table. He just wanted to take a sip of his tea (Zuko’s tea-making skills had vastly improved in his grief since his uncle’s passing), when Zuko leant across the table and kissed him, and said, “Happy anniversary, love.”
Sokka smiled against his lips, tea momentarily forgotten. “Happy anniversary.”
Spring was ending, but there were many seasons yet to come. Summers they would travel to all corners of the world, autumns they would spend in each other’s arms, winters they would brave together. They were getting older, but they still had so much time left; time they would spend together, like they had chosen to. They might not be destined to be together, to love, but they had chosen to, and that, Zuko decided, was all he ever wanted.