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The first time it happens, Zuko just barely manages not to make a complete buffoon out of himself in surprise.
He and Sokka are sparring at the Western Air Temple, less out of need for training and more out of need to distract themselves and pass the time until the big war they’re barreling towards comes to an end, no matter what that end looks like. Because Sokka has only been training with a sword for a few months, and Zuko has trained for years, Sokka rarely wins. In fact, one could count the number of times he’s managed to best Zuko in sword fighting on one hand.
This time, he manages to score his fifth win by knocking Zuko’s right sword out of his hand and then quickly sweeping his legs in that brief moment of disorientation, pointing his colloquially-named space sword proudly at Zuko’s throat with a smile on his face.
“That was good,” Zuko says from his position on the ground. He finds that it’s helpful to give verbal positive feedback to reinforce good behavior — boosts morale. At least, that’s his experience with Aang, who soaks up kind words like a flower takes in water. He’s getting used to it.
Chest slightly heaving as he pants from the exertion, Sokka wipes a hand across his sweaty forehead, still brandishing his sword in the other. Finally, he lifts it from Zuko’s direction and resheathes it, then offers his hand for Zuko to use as leverage to stand back up. Zuko takes it gratefully, and on his way up, Sokka says, “Sorry, sweetheart, better luck next time.”
Unlucky for Zuko, he’s still in that precarious moment of trying to regain balance when he hears this, and so stumbles on his feet and barely stops himself from falling back down. Sokka, oblivious to it all, has already turned away to go find and then bother someone else, probably, as Zuko is left alone to swallow down his shock.
Sweetheart. Now, where did that come from?
He’s never heard Sokka say anything like that to anyone before, but the nonchalance with which he said it and the casualness with which he turned on his heel and walked away tells Zuko that it must be familiar to him. Meaningless, probably. But Zuko can’t help but feel a flutter in his chest, an aching desire for that kind of easy affection he once saw in an Earth Kingdom couple who used to visit the Jasmine Dragon every day when he and Uncle had worked there. They would sit in the corner talking quietly to each other, holding hands over the table, one of them ever so often reaching over to caress the other’s face or play with the other’s hair. Uncle had caught him watching them a few times, would offer a sly comment of, “You know, you’ll find yourself a sweet girl someday, too, Zuko.” And Zuko would ache with want.
He forces himself out of that train of thought, unsure as to whether he’s feeling this way over a general craving for that kind of companionship, or if he wants that with Sokka. He quickly convinces himself that Sokka is just the person who happened to spark the reminder of his repressed yearning, an unfortunate recipient of a misdirected thought, and forgets about it.
-
It was Katara’s idea to spend the night on the beach on Ember Island, even though they had a perfectly good (in fact, very sizable) house to stay in just yards away. Zuko wonders why she’s so eager to go back to camping and sleeping on the ground surrounded by her friends when they’d been doing that for the better part of a year now, and Zuko personally knows from the time he’s spent with them that it’s certainly not comfortable. But everyone else agrees with her, so he’s not going to argue.
“It’s beautiful out,” she says as they set up blankets over the sand and Zuko gets a fire going. He looks up from where he’s piling the wood to find her, as well as the others (save for Toph) looking wistfully up at the moon. He has to admit, it’s pretty nice. He’s starting to understand the reasoning behind this arrangement. There’s a newfound collective appreciation for the simple peace and beauty behind something like sleeping under the stars with your friends, the semblance of normality in it, especially so soon before Sozin’s Comet arrives. There’s comfort in it.
Once the fire is set up, they all sit in a circle around it, basking in its warmth and light as they share sparse yet easy conversation. Sokka sits with his arm around Suki, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. Zuko’s chest hurts looking at them, so he averts his eyes. Aang and Katara sit close together, a spark of something clearly there, so Zuko doesn’t look at them either. He decides his safest bet is looking directly into the fire. It’s familiar.
Zuko wonders for a moment how he could possibly feel lonelier now, surrounded by his friends, than he did when he was completely alone in the Earth Kingdom.
“I’m just saying, when all this is over, I should be entitled to an all-you-can-eat meat buffet for, you know, saving the world,” Sokka is saying dramatically.
“Yeah, right,” Katara jokes back. “Aang is going to be saving the world, you’ll be lucky if you get to take out one Fire Nation lackey with your boomerang.” Aang laughs and Toph nods in agreement.
Sokka scoffs, affronted, and looks to Suki, who just shrugs sheepishly. He looks back at Katara. “I’ll have you know that Boomerang is a very useful tool, and has taken down many a formidable opponent, present company included,” he says, gesturing to Zuko, whose eyes are still fixed on the flame, not paying attention. Sokka takes notice of his furrowed brow and hunched shoulders. “What about you, Zuko?”
Zuko jolts to attention. “What?”
“What are you going to be treated to when we save the world? Food, gold?”
“Uh…” Zuko hesitates. He isn’t really expecting a reward, and Sokka isn’t really asking. But his skills at comedy are still too elementary to come up with a funny response on the spot, so he just sits there.
“There’s gotta be something. C’mon, pretty boy, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind a few ladies gushing over how much of a hero you are,” Sokka says, and winks. Suki giggles next to him, and Zuko realizes they’re making fun of him. It’s not enough to stop the furious blush that comes to his face, however, and he hopes it can’t be seen in the dark of night. He looks away from their prying eyes.
It must be hilarious to them, to make a mockery of the emotionally stunted boy who simultaneously craves and is completely embarrassed by affectionate words. Sokka is perfectly comfortable, holding onto his sweet girlfriend, dancing around Zuko’s explosive emotions and dodging the mines with ease. It’s always fun to make others uncomfortable when you’re invulnerable to it. And tonight, Sokka is on one side of the wall and Zuko is on the other. Zuko is always on the other side. Maybe one day, he’ll find an opening.
He lets conversation drift somewhere else before he leaves, so as to not make it so obvious how disturbed he is. He won’t give them the satisfaction. He mumbles something about being exhausted from training and needing a real bed, shrugging off their questions, assuring them they can stay there, happy and comfortable in each other’s company. He curls up in a huge bed under silk sheets and can’t get to sleep for hours. He dreams of the word pretty, curling around a quick tongue.
-
Zuko is content. He’s also bone-tired.
He hasn’t had a day off in weeks, still wrapped up in finalizing new laws and diplomatic agreements. He’s staying in Ba Sing Se for a few weeks to make negotiations with the Earth Queen, and his skin itches with impatience. He always said he would never end up like his father, but right now, Zuko just might kill for a vacation.
And then, the Earth Queen cancels a meeting that was supposed to run all day on account of some kind of freak accident with… a family of escaped hogmonkeys? Zuko didn’t really catch all the details, stopped listening as soon as he heard that he had the day to himself.
Zuko sits in his room for twenty minutes just thinking about how he wants to spend his day. Now that the break he wanted so desperately is actually here, he’s not really sure what to do with it. He finally decides to walk out of his dwelling, at least, because his time is better spent sightseeing than locked up in a room. He leaves his crown behind, changes into clothing more appropriate for walking around the capital of the Earth Kingdom, and wears a hood on his head. Better not to attract attention.
He finds himself wandering through a market, taking in the sights and smells and sounds of the outdoors. It’s much preferable to what he experiences most of the time, namely enclosed walls, ink and sweat, and the voices of old men arguing.
He’s just thinking about how much he’s enjoying himself, looking down at a stall of exquisitely crafted jewelry, when he feels someone touch him. At first, he thinks it might be a mistake, a simple brushing by that is typical at crowded markets, but then they firmly grasp his arm, and he gives in to the fact that the peace might be broken, if this is someone who recognizes him. He still hasn’t seen who it is out of his periphery, because they’re on his left side, and they haven’t spoken. They’re also not letting go, in fact, they’re getting even closer and their grip on his arm becomes more loose and comfortable.
“There you are,” says a very familiar voice. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“Sokka?” he says, surprised, and turns to find none other than the son of the chief of the Southern Water Tribe. “What are you doing here?” Zuko looks him over as discreetly as he can. It’s only been a few months since he last saw him, but he’s definitely grown taller, now reaching Zuko’s own height. He’s gained some weight, not a lot, but just enough that Zuko knows he’s well-fed and content down in the Southern Water Tribe. Not much need for vigorously trained and buff warriors when there’s no war.
“Well, you rudely ran off without me, so I came to find you,” Sokka says, smiling. He’s putting on some kind of act for some reason, but Zuko is in just enough of a good mood to let it happen rather than question it.
“Sorry, I was just so excited to see everything,” he says, gesturing to the jewels laid out before them. Sokka looks down at them and his eyes light up. Zuko remembers someone offhandedly mentioning that Sokka loves shopping, and momentarily fears he’s created a monster.
“Wow,” he whispers, eyes carefully taking in each of the wares. They come to rest on something with green stones, maybe emerald, though Zuko doesn’t know much about rocks. Sokka picks it up gently to examine it closer, revealing that it’s a beautiful bracelet. He tries it on his wrist, and it looks like it belongs there. He gasps in awe.
“Li,” he says, the merchant watching them both with anticipation. “I need it.”
“Then buy it.”
Sokka gasps dramatically. “You would make a boy buy his own jewelry?”
“Uh… yes?” Zuko furrows his brow.
Sokka looks at the merchant, gestures incredulously at Zuko. “Can you believe this guy? Romance is truly dead.”
Zuko manages to furrow his brow even more, enough that he might get stuck that way forever. “Excuse me?”
“Li, dear,” Sokka says slowly, patiently, like he’s making a lick of sense. “Usually, people treat their lovers to nice gifts. It’s chivalrous.”
Zuko shakes his head, trying to reset his brain to a state where it might understand what language Sokka is currently speaking. “Excuse me?” he repeats.
Sokka grabs a hold of his arm again, in a way that definitely betrays comfortable affection. Zuko is at a loss for words. With the other hand still wearing the bracelet, he slowly brings it up to caress Zuko’s cheek.
“ Honey,” he draws out, tone progressively getting sweeter (whinier). “Pretty please?” He bats his eyelashes for good measure. Zuko gapes.
He buys Sokka the stupid bracelet. It’s definitely worth it for the big grin on his face as they walk away and continue to explore the markets together, still arm in arm. Zuko doesn’t bother to ask what that was all about, realizing Sokka was likely just making a sucker out of him to get something shiny and expensive. And he fell for it, as a sucker does.
They walk together for another hour before Sokka says, “You know, it gets pretty boring down in the South. What do you say I go back with you and stick around in the Fire Nation for a while?”
They both smile.
-
It’s quiet out, save for the occasional gust of wind rustling the leaves and the chirping of birds. The sun is out, but it doesn’t feel hot. It’s like the stars have aligned to create the best possible atmosphere for the single most peaceful day in Zuko’s life.
He’s been entirely unproductive and he can’t find it in himself to regret it.
His eyes are closed as he takes slow, deep, relaxed breaths, feeling like he could drift off to sleep at any moment. All the tension in his body has blown away with the breeze, and his mind is thoughtless and blissfully quiet.
His head rests on Sokka’s lap as Sokka gently caresses his hair, having kept uncharacteristically silent for the last… however long they’ve been here. Sokka sits with his back up against a solid oak tree in Zuko’s mother’s garden, and the leaves above give them shade from the sun’s rays.
The world could explode right now somewhere outside of the little bubble they’ve made for themselves, and neither would pay it any mind.
Zuko’s mind drifts listlessly before Sokka breaks the silence.
“Your hair is getting long, baby,” he says, continuing to run his long fingers through the soft strands.
And just like that, Zuko is a flustered teenager again. He turns his face away to try to hide the impending blush but doubts its effectiveness.
“What?” Sokka asks, smiling, bringing his other hand to Zuko’s chin to gently nudge him to face him again. Zuko looks right into those beautiful blue eyes and loses any semblance of bravado.
“Nothing. Just. Baby.”
“What about it? Ohhh, have I never said that?” His hand still rests on Zuko’s chin and begins to lovingly pet him as the other remains in his hair. Zuko’s receiving caring, soft touches in multiple areas and he doesn’t really know how to react. He’s learning how to accept the love that is so freely given to him by someone with such a big heart and such a capacity for it but who still chooses to share it all with Zuko. It’s overwhelming.
“No. Well…” He drifts off. It’s not really important.
“Well?” Sokka pushes.
“You’ve said… others. Honey.” He’s blushing all over again.
“When was that?” Sokka looks off into the distance and tilts his head ever so cutely as he tries to remember. Agni, Zuko is so gone.
“When you pretended to be my lover to scam some jewelry off me, remember that?” he teases.
“Oh yeah,” Sokka says, grinning proudly. “I was pretty obvious, huh?”
“Not to me.”
“Well, no. You’re pretty clueless. Everything gets past you.” Zuko slaps at his shoulder half-heartedly. “You’re lucky you’re cute. I’m the brains in this relationship.”
“Brains and brawn. You can’t hog it all, it’s selfish.”
“What can I say?” Sokka finally lifts his hand from Zuko’s face to flex his muscles. Zuko would be lying if he said it didn’t do something for him, even though Sokka’s just joking. Zuko rolls his eyes anyway.
“Sure, you’re a big, strong man, whatever. Get back to…” He drifts off, suddenly embarrassed at saying it out loud. Instead, he grabs Sokka’s hand and drags it back down to his cheek.
Sokka raises an eyebrow and Zuko prepares for the relentless teasing, before he simply says, “You’re adorable,” and bends down to kiss him, full and loving. When he pulls back, he doesn’t go far, eyes roving over Zuko’s entire face as if inspecting a work of art. He can’t help but smile.
“Baby.”
-
Being the Fire Lord’s husband doesn’t exempt Sokka from his duties as Ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe. Trust him, he’s tried.
While it’s hard to make the switch in his mind from seeing Zuko as… Zuko to seeing him as the Fire Lord, who needs to be spoken to in a completely different manner, he’s got it down pat by now. It’s not that they’re hiding their relationship — everyone from the Capital to Ba Sing Se to the villages in the Southern Tribe whose populations consist of three people and a polar bear dog knows that the Fire Lord and the son of Chief Hakoda are wed (due to both the absolute spectacle Zuko made of their wedding, clearing a whole week out for public celebration throughout the nation, and the constant bragging to anyone with ears on Sokka’s part). It’s just that, diplomatic meetings require a certain kind of professionalism. Sokka is a professional.
While he is a professional, the one thing he still struggles with is the Fire Nation language. He’s given up all hopes on ever becoming orally fluent, but he does require knowing how to read and write it on account of his very important role in the healing of the crucial bonds between the nations. And while he’s pretty much able to hold his own, he still forgets things sometimes. He’ll occasionally wonder to himself just who was in charge of making the language so needlessly complicated and seemingly self-contradictory.
In the middle of a meeting, as all the other leaders and ambassadors and otherwise important people have gone silent to read over the proposal and come up with feedback, Sokka turns to Zuko next to him and quietly asks, “Lord Zuko, does this say ‘negotiations’?” just to be sure.
Zuko looks up, quickly reads over where Sokka’s finger is pointing on the page, says, “Yes, my love,” and immediately goes back to reading his own copy of the proposal.
The sounds of flipping pages and scribbling quills comes to a halt as everyone takes in what the Fire Lord has just said. Sokka practices some self-restraint for once in his life and does not smile. He waits for Zuko to notice.
After a few moments of suspicious silence, Zuko slowly raises his head to examine everyone else around the table. “Is there a problem?” Sokka knows that tone. It’s the amused yet feigning impatience tone.
“None at all, Lord Zuko,” says Sokka’s buddy, or more importantly, a representative from Kyoshi Island, Emiri, who is trying yet failing at hiding a snicker. She looks at Sokka in amusement, and he winks at her from across the table.
He turns back to Zuko, who is now looking at him and barely masking a smile. He rests his hand on Zuko’s hand where it rests on the table, practically inviting him. “No problem, dear.”