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Sokka came crashing back into Zuko’s life at just the right time. Zuko was struggling. A lot. He had thought the war had been the hardest thing he’d have to go through, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the first year of being Fire Lord. He missed his friends; something he’d never imagined being a problem for him. The constant crushing pressure on him was beginning to take its toll when there was no one around to talk it through. How could he be expected to do the right thing for his people when he barely knew what the right thing was half the time?
He wished his uncle could’ve stuck around a little longer. It was something he was trying very hard not to be bitter about. Rationally, he knew that there was no one that had earned a peaceful life more than his Uncle Iroh, but he couldn’t help but miss him. This whole ordeal had been far more isolating than he’d expected. Maybe it was because he now knew what it was like to have proper friends and then suddenly, they weren’t around anymore. He’d even decided with Mai that they should go their separate ways. Everyone just felt so far away. He knew if he were to reach out then they’d be there for him, but they all deserved to be able to do their own thing without having to worry about him. It was part of the reason why he was so shocked to find a guard outside his door one Friday morning, claiming one of his friends had arrived for a visit.
“Are you sure?” Zuko asked the guard. Had he forgotten someone was visiting?
“He says that his name is Sokka, My Lord,” the guard confirmed. Zuko’s heartrate spiked at the mention of his friend’s name.
“Thank you. Please tell my guest that I shall be out in a moment,” Zuko stumbled over his words a little, still reeling from the shock. What was Sokka doing in the Fire Nation?
“Yes, My Lord,” the guard nodded. Zuko shut the door and stood there for a moment to process it all. Sokka was here. In the palace. Why was he here? Had something happened? Zuko snapped himself out of his panicked thoughts and hurried over to his mirror. He wasn’t sure why he even cared, but he wanted to look presentable when he saw Sokka. He put it down to wanting the younger boy to think he was doing well. It would be embarrassing if Sokka knew from just looking at him what a mess he’d become. All he saw in his reflection looking back at him were exhausted eyes and pale skin. He sighed and tried to school his expression into something more cheerful. It seemed to be a lost cause. Instead, he straightened up his hair and clothes – at least they were something more easily fixed - before going to greet Sokka.
Zuko entered the Great Hall and despite the various other people in the room, his eyes were drawn to Sokka. How did the boy always manage to demand attention without doing anything at all? Perhaps it was just the Water Tribe outfit Sokka sported sticking out like a blue flag amongst the red. Zuko reckoned it was something more.
“Zuko!” Sokka exclaimed. He had turned when he heard the doors open and a smile spread across the younger boy’s face.
“Sokka, what are you doing here?” Zuko crossed the room to where Sokka was stood. He noticed the bag at the other boy’s feet and wondered if he was going to stay. Zuko hoped so.
“I don’t really know,” Sokka said, “can I hug you or will your guards impale me?”
“Yes, you can hug me,” Zuko shot the guards a warning look and let Sokka pull him into one of his strong hugs. He’d gotten used to them before everyone had left, but it took him off guard now.
“I’ve missed you, buddy,” Sokka’s voice was muffled into Zuko’s shoulder. He squeezed him tighter. Zuko took a deep breath before stepping back. Sokka smelled like fresh sea air and memories of nights round campfires. It was a little overwhelming. Sokka was still smiling, but there was something else there that Zuko couldn’t quite decipher.
“Do you want me to show you to a room? Will you even be staying?” Zuko asked. His brain was still going at a speed that made things hard for Zuko to concentrate on one thing.
“If you’ll have me,” Sokka looked uncharacteristically uncertain.
Zuko couldn’t help his answering smile, “of course! You know you’re always welcome here.”
The pair caught up on the way to the guest quarters. Sokka told Zuko that he’d been travelling with Katara and Aang, but he’d wanted a break from it. He’d spent the last month back with the Southern Water Tribe and when his sister and the Avatar had visited, he’d asked them to give him a lift to the Fire Nation on Appa.
“They send their regards,” Sokka said, “they wanted to drop in too, but couldn’t fit it in.”
“That’s okay,” Zuko was disappointed they’d not been able to, but he understood. “Are you not going to visit Suki at some point too?”
“Don’t really have a reason to anymore,” Sokka said. Zuko got the meaning behind it. That was news to him.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. He stopped outside the door to the room Sokka would be staying in. Zuko knew it was the biggest guestroom and the one Sokka had used before.
“Don’t be, we’re still friends,” Sokka shrugged, “is this my room?”
“Yes,” Zuko pushed the door open, “I know you stayed here last time. I thought that you might like it again.”
“Thanks, Zuko,” Sokka reached out and squeezed Zuko’s arm. Zuko placed his hand over Sokka’s tanned one and patted it a couple times. Why did physical contact always make him act so awkwardly? He hid his blush by turning his face away from the other boy.
“If you need anything, just ask. I’ve got a meeting to attend, but after we could eat together?” Zuko offered.
“I’d like that,” Sokka dropped his hand from Zuko’s arm and hesitated before entering his room. “I meant it when I said I missed you. It’s really good to see you.” He closed the door, leaving Zuko feeling flustered and confused.
The next few days passed by in a blur for Zuko. He felt lighter. It was as if Sokka had brought a breath of excitement and life to the palace. The hallways no longer felt like endless mazes to Zuko, and the shadows cast at night were just shadows again. Not some lurking monster ready to destroy everything Zuko had fought so hard to keep. He’d spent the first couple days showing Sokka all the progress that was being made. It was mostly paperwork but seeing how Sokka’s face lit up with each positive change helped Zuko realise that all of it wasn’t for nothing. He only wished that he’d had more time free to just relax with his friend, but they’d still managed to fit in a lot around Zuko’s schedule. It wasn’t until the Wednesday after Sokka’s arrival that Zuko finally had half a day free to properly spend with his friend.
“Hey, Sokka,” Zuko said at breakfast, “would you like to come with me to see a Fire Nation production this evening?”
Sokka looked up from his plate and grinned around a large mouthful of food, “uh, definitely!”
“Good, I’ll arrange that for us,” Zuko shook his head at Sokka’s lack of table manners, but it was more of a habit. Sokka’s enthusiasm for food more amused him than annoyed him these days.
“It’s not gonna be like that other play we saw is it?” Sokka asked.
“What play?”
“You know, that one we saw about us that time,” Sokka swallowed another giant mouthful of food. “The one where Aang was a girl and your scar was on the wrong side.”
“I think I might have repressed the memory of that,” Zuko grimaced, “thanks for reminding me.”
“I mean, it was entertaining,” Sokka laughed, “wow, that feels like forever ago.”
“Yeah, a lot has changed,” Zuko said. He remembered it like it was yesterday, but sometimes those days felt like a completely different life to his. “I don’t think anything will ever be quite like that play, though. Don’t worry.”
“Maybe I should go into acting,” Sokka mused, “I did give the guy playing me some great pointers.”
“I don’t think it counts if you were just telling him about yourself. It doesn’t really require much talent,” Zuko pointed out.
Sokka huffed, “you’re just bitter about how they portrayed you still.”
“Sure,” Zuko smirked, “as much as I’d love to explore your new career path with you, I have a lot of paperwork to do. I’ll see you later.” He wasn’t lying about the paperwork, but now the plans had been made there was no way he’d be able to concentrate on anything other than what to do that evening.
Zuko wasn’t sure why he was so nervous about seeing the show with Sokka. He’d been sat on his bed worrying about what to wear for far longer than he’d ever like to admit. He didn’t want to overdress and make Sokka feel awkward, but he also wanted the evening to be special. It didn’t help that most of his Fire Lord outfits made him look like he was about to star in a stage production himself. Why couldn’t he have something a little more practical as part of his Fire Lord attire? He caught his reflection in the mirror and shook his head at himself. He looked pathetic; like a teenager getting all flustered over their first crush. He grabbed a semi-casual top from his wardrobe and put it on before he could change his mind again. He doubted that Sokka would even notice what he was wearing anyway. As he redid his hair, he noticed how his cheeks had a little colour in them again.
Sokka was waiting outside, chatting to a guard when Zuko emerged from his room.
“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” Zuko apologised. He watched the guard quickly fall back into position.
“It’s okay, I was trying to get some gossip from your guard here,” Sokka winked. “Unfortunately for me, he’s good at his job and wasn’t willing to let anything slip.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Zuko shot the guard an awkward smile.
“You ready to go?” Sokka asked.
“Yes, come on,” Zuko realised he looked extremely awkward, just lingering in the doorway. “There’ll be a couple guards following behind us, but I’ve asked them to give us space for the evening.”
“Sounds good,” Sokka nodded, “what show are we going to see?”
“A comedy. I’ve not seen it before, but I thought that it might be your kind of show,” Zuko said. He nodded to the guards. “We should probably hurry, we haven’t got that long before it starts. I usually like to get there a little early so I can good seats.”
“Can’t you just…” Sokka made a vague gesture, “you know… steal the best ones with your Fire Lord perks?”
“If there were any Fire Lord perks,” Zuko laughed, “I’d have used them a long time ago.”
Zuko enjoyed the show, but he enjoyed Sokka’s reactions far more than anything that had happened on the stage. Sokka had spent the whole time letting out loud snorts of laughter, his blue eyes dancing with the fire that lit up the stage. Usually, Zuko would be embarrassed to be sat with someone making so much noise, but seeing the other boy look so untroubled made it hard to care about what other people might think. It helped that every so often Sokka would glance over at Zuko with these adorable crinkles by the corner of his eyes. When the show was over, Zuko wasn’t ready for the evening to end. Instead, he took them a long route back; winding through some of his favourite places in the city. It was the first time since becoming Fire Lord that Zuko felt like he could fully appreciate the world he was helping build for everyone. He stopped them a little while away from the palace, wanting them to be able to take in the city at night.
“I’m not sure why I ended up here,” Sokka said after a while, “but it’s the most alive I’ve felt since the war ended.” He turned his body to face Zuko.
“I’m glad you did,” Zuko pulled his friend into a hug, “I needed someone to remind me what it is I’m doing this all for.”