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Sokka's first mistake is thinking he can go one day in this accursed walled city without something happening. He longs for the days before he met Aang where he could get up and go to sleep every day for weeks with nothing significant happening anywhere between those two points.
He's joking, mostly. He wouldn't trade friendship with Aang for the world. He would like a break, though.
His second mistake is listening to the old man at the noodle shop. His noodles had been pretty good but the tea he ordered with them had been so bitter he had spat it right back out. An old man sitting next to him had told him that if he wanted real tea, he should check out Pao's tea house because their new brewer was some kind of tea genius.
Sokka had entered the tea shop and sat down at an empty table without taking in much of his surroundings, and this proves to be his third mistake. All of this comes to a head as he looks up at his server, menu clutched in increasingly sweaty hands. His server is frowning down at his notepad, listing the specials in monotone, not even sparing a glance at his customer. His customer, who is not at all listening, all his energy spent on trying not to scream. Because this server is none other than Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai and Ursa, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. He looks different with short, choppy hair instead of his ponytail, and a plain, somewhat dirty serving uniform instead of his armor, but Sokka would recognize that face anywhere. He doesn't even need the scar at this point, one look at those piercing gold eyes and that sharp jawline and he's left stiff in his seat wondering what in Tui and La the guy's doing here of all places. Is it another ploy to get at Aang, somehow? Is his crazy sister here too? Well, probably not, considering how they'd treated each other last time he'd seen them together. Or maybe battles to the death were normal for Fire Nation siblings.
"Well?" Zuko asks, shaking him out of his musings. He glances up from his notebook, and suddenly he's frozen in shock, gold eyes widening and face paling even further than usual.
"Do not say anything," he growls before Sokka can even open his mouth. "Can you - Meet me in the back at sundown. That's when my shift ends. Do not tell anyone else." He looks like he's struggling not to vomit for a short while, and then, so quietly Sokka almost misses it, "Please."
Sokka is still puzzling through the Fire Prince working shifts like some kind of plebian, and the please almost bowls him over. He takes a second to consider his options, realizes that yeah, something is definitely up with Zuko and he should probably get to the bottom of it, thinks, life with Aang is already so spirits damned weird, this might as well happen, and says, against what is probably his better judgment, "Sure. See you then."
Let the guy explain himself into a corner, then inform the nice Earth Kingdom guards. That doesn't mean he's not sitting right here to make sure the prince doesn't make a break for it, though.
He orders the most complicated thing he can think of, too, just to watch Zuko's face twist in annoyance. The second he possibly can, Zuko leaves him be, and Sokka sits back to watch the prince flit between tables, taking orders and writing checks, and generally suffer through regular human interaction.
He probably should have alerted someone the second he recognized the firebender. He probably should have run back to Aang and gotten the kid out of there before Zuko could go after him. He has any number of options, even now, to get rid of this threat as soon as he can. But something about Zuko had stayed his natural response to danger. Somehow, some way, he feels, deep in his gut, which has never been wrong once, that Zuko's not up to anything, at least right this second.
He can at least hear the guy out, and then move on from there.
When Zuko returns with the tea, he refuses to look at Sokka when he places it in front of him, only mumbling, "It's on the house," before moving on to his next table. Sokka sips his tea idly, wondering at the mysterious brewer who had waived the probably exorbitant price. Probably Zuko's uncle, that old man who had always been with him. From what he'd seen, the two were rarely separated, and he doesn't see the old guy anywhere. Likely in the kitchen, then.
A table in the corner gets filled by a group of guards, obviously fresh off duty, near the end of Zuko's shift. Sokka watches them laughing boisterously and downing their tea and thinks he could walk over and turn Zuko in right then and there.
He doesn't.
Zuko gathers the empty cups from where some girls had been sitting and makes eye contact with Sokka from across the room, nodding his head toward the kitchen. He's off now, then. Sokka moves to get up too, but before he can even take a step, the door bursts open.
The person second to last on Sokka's list of people he'd expect to see in a tea shop in Ba Sing Se, first being Zuko, of course, is standing in the doorway, bristling with anger, hook swords clutched in his fists.
Jet.
The guards, Sokka notices as he drifts out of Jet's immediate, hateful line of sight, are no longer joking around. They all have hands on their weapons and serious expressions.
"That man is a firebender!" Jet yells, pointing one sword directly across the room at Zuko.
Zuko freezes, dropping the cups he's holding to the floor.
Jet isn't wrong, obviously, but Sokka isn't liking how this situation is playing out. Sure, he could just sit back and let Jet expose Zuko to the guards, and he'd be gone and no longer a problem and Sokka won't have to feel bad because it's not like he did it. But something about the way the guards don't even take their eyes off of Jet makes him think it won't be that easy.
"Won't admit it?" Jet mocks. He shifts into a fighting stance. "I'll just make you!"
Zuko looks like he's about to take him up on that offer, and Sokka realizes it's up to him to de-escalate the entire situation.
"He's not a firebender," he says, hurrying over to Zuko's side.
"You?!" Jet asks incredulously.
"You?!" Zuko asks, also incredulously, which, rude, he's trying to do damage control here.
"It's not what you think, Jet," Sokka says, because even though it is, he knows what Jet would do if he's proven right, and considering the way the guards are eyeing Jet and Jet alone, that will not end well.
"Oh yeah? And why should I believe you?" Jet takes a step forward and Zuko jerks out a hand to - Sokka isn't sure what Zuko had intended to do, because he's grabbing his hand in a desperate attempt to get everyone to just calm down for a second, spirits damn it, and that's when he has an idea. A massively insane, probably-going-to-end-in-failure, idea.
"Because he's my boyfriend," Sokka says, tightening his grip on Zuko's hand to keep the other boy from yanking away as he clearly wants to do.
"What?" Zuko asks, thankfully so quietly he's the only one who hears it.
"What?" Jet barks, eyes narrowed.
"You know me, Jet," Sokka says, brain running a thousand miles an hour to back up his cover. "Whatever happened in the forest, you know I wouldn't date a firebender." At this point, he might as well go all in. Sorry, Zuko. "I mean," He sends an exaggerated wink at the prince next to him, frozen in shock and brain clearly shorting out trying to comprehend what's happening, "If he were a firebender, I guarantee you, I would know by now."
Jet seems to want to retort, but, thankfully, he finally notices the guards that are decidedly closer to him than they had been at the beginning of this confrontation, so he makes a couple of affronted noises and storms out. The whole shop breathes a sigh of relief. Including Sokka.
Not included in this relief is Zuko, who seems to have entirely lost the ability to think, judging by the way his mouth opens and closes with nothing coming out.
"Come on," Sokka says, squeezing the hand he's still holding. "Let's go to the back and talk."
That seems to jolt Zuko out of his trance and he nods sharply, turning and leading the way through the now-empty kitchen and out the back door. Sokka is dragged behind them, their hands still linked.
Zuko pushes through a back door and pulls Sokka out to stand beside him next to the bags of trash behind the tea shop. Sokka holds himself back from mentioning that this isn't the ideal place for a date, but just barely.
"What was that," Zuko grinds out. "Why did you say we were -" He runs his free hand down his face. "Nevermind. I told you I'd explain, so. I guess I should."
Sokka waits patiently. He absolutely does not make any motion to alert Zuko of the fact that their hands are still joined.
"We're refugees - me and uncle," Zuko says, finally. "Really refugees. Not - it's not a ploy, or some sort of trick or anything. We're -" his face twists in what looks to be a hurt expression, unlike anything he’d ever seen on Zuko’s face. Anger, sure. General angstiness, many a time. But hurt is new. "We're traitors now," Zuko finishes quietly, so quietly Sokka can barely hear him.
"You? The Crown Prince?" Sokka can't quite believe what he's hearing.
Zuko scowls. "I was banished for years, you know, before. Now there's no chance I can go home, not even with the Avatar." It's then that he seems to notice their hands, still joined, and he drops Sokka's hand and yanks his own away. He tries to hide it, but Sokka sees the little blush on his cheeks. Interesting.
Sokka narrows his eyes, putting those thoughts aside for later. “I don’t quite buy that.”
“What?” Zuko looks honestly surprised, but Sokka pushes on.
“This seems plausible, considering how you’ve been acting recently, but I’m still suspicious. It’s awfully convenient how you just happen to be in Ba Sing Se the same time we are. I know you’re up to something, and, I promise you, I will find out what.”
Zuko’s eyes narrow as well and they stare at each other for a long moment, before Zuko sighs. “Whatever. Do what you want, you won’t find anything. Because I’m not up to anything, I’m just working at a tea shop. It’s exactly what it looks like.”
Sokka frowns at him for a long moment, but can’t find anything in his expression that gives away his game. He decides to leave it for now. He’ll uncover Zuko’s plan in due time.
"So what's the deal with Jet?" Sokka asks, leaning against the dingy back wall of the shop and regretting it immediately after feeling something sticky that he has no desire to examine further under his shoulder.
"We met on the ferry to the city," Zuko explains. He curls his arms around himself, an almost unconscious gesture of discomfort. "He - we - I thought we were going to - you know. But then he saw Uncle warm his tea - with, you know. And ever since then he's been stalking me. I have no idea how to get him to stop."
Sokka thinks for a second. "Okay. Here's the plan: we pretend to date."
Zuko looks bewildered. "What? Us? Why?"
Sokka starts to list points on his fingers. "First, it'll back up what I said back there. Jet knows I'm with Aang, he knows I wouldn't date an enemy. Second, we can probably get him to back off with enough PDA. Make him feel oogie, you know." Zuko clearly doesn't, but he powers on anyway. "Third, this gives me a way to keep an eye on you." He narrows his eyes. "You might be keeping your head down now, but that doesn't mean I trust you to keep it that way. This way I can watch you to make sure you're not up to anything evil." Zuko seems like he's none too pleased, but he nods.
"Right," Sokka says, nodding. "So we pretend to date until Jet goes away and I know what your plans are. This way we both get what we want." He sticks out a hand. "Deal?"
Zuko glances to one side, then the other. He clearly deliberates for a while, then sighs. He shakes Sokka's hand. "Deal."
The next day, Sokka wakes up bright and early to get to the tea shop. Katara asks where he's going, but he says something about meat and she's content to leave him be, and that's thankfully his only distraction on his way. He slides in the door of the shop and waves cheerily at the two groups of customers sitting at tables, making a beeline for the counter where Zuko is counting out change, already looking bored.
"Hello, sweetie!" Sokka crows, leaning over the counter and smiling up at his fake boyfriend with all the fake affection he can muster.
Zuko jolts back in surprise, dropping coins to the ground. Sokka throws his head back and laughs as he watches the prince scramble to pick them all up, grumbling grumpily.
"Can we talk?" Zuko asks quietly, once he's finished cleaning up all his coins.
Sokka's face turns serious and he nods. He moves to follow Zuko into the back once again, but not before sending an exaggerated wink to the customers who are trying their hardest to pretend to not be paying attention. He's gotta keep the act up in front of the audience, after all.
Back in the alley once again, Zuko rounds on Sokka. "What are you doing?"
"I'm pretending to be your boyfriend," Sokka replies. "Didn’t we just go over this?"
Zuko runs a hand down his face. "Okay. Okay. I think we need some sort of guideline. You can't just - you can't just surprise me like that."
Sokka nods, thinking it over. Perhaps they should hash out what's okay and what's not. This fake relationship won't work out if they just end up fighting all the time, after all.
"So, no surprise visits," Sokka starts. "What else?"
"Holding hands," Zuko says immediately. "That's - that really sells it, right? When I'm not working, we should, I guess."
Sokka nods slowly. "Right, right. But that means we have to go on dates, right? So I can hold your hand." At Zuko's suddenly red face he adds, "It doesn't have to be much, we can just get dinner or something. I mean, you get a free dinner out of it, at least."
Zuko nods, face still red.
"So hand holding and dates are a go," Sokka says. "What about pet names?"
Zuko's face twists in disgust, which Sokka takes as a no.
That's truly unfortunate, but Sokka will spare him the barrage of cutesy pet names he's been building up in his head ever since the two of them had agreed to this deal. He's nice like that.
"Alright. Last but not least, what about kissing?"
Zuko's face goes an even deeper red Sokka hadn't thought possible. "Kissing?"
"Yeah. If that's too much, that's totally fine. I just wanted to put it out there."
Zuko looks down, still very, very red. Sokka wonders if it's some kind of firebender thing. "I - I kind of - I don't know. I haven't - I've only kissed one person before. I don't know how I feel about it."
"We don't have to do it," Sokka assures him.
Zuko shakes his head. "No - no, let's do it. I'm just saying I'm going to be bad at it. Let's still do it."
Sokka hesitates. "Do you want to - do you want to try? Right now? Do a test one where no one's watching?"
Zuko looks up, wide-eyed. "Um - yeah. Yeah."
Sokka gently cups Zuko's face. His jawline feels just as sharp as it looks, and his skin is far softer than it has any right to be. Zuko's eyes flutter closed as he stills, clearly unsure, and he wraps his arms around Sokka's waist. Sokka just barely feels Zuko's muscles through his shirt, but can't spare the energy to be jealous. He leans in, his own eyes closing, and then they're kissing. Zuko's lips are as soft as his skin, and they move against Sokka's hesitantly, but with growing confidence. Sokka pulls himself closer, deepening the kiss, then gently slides a tongue along Zuko's lower lip. Zuko's mouth tightens in response and Sokka closes his own lips. That's totally fine, this is just as good. He hums softly, rubbing his nose against Zuko's cheek and sliding his hands into his hair. It's short but still just as soft as the rest of him seems to be, and that's totally unfair. One of Zuko's hands wanders up his back to the back of his head and gently buries itself in his hair, and Sokka lets out a moan into Zuko's mouth. Zuko slides away from his lips and plants a trail of kisses down his chin and neck, pulling his other hand from Sokka's waist to join the one in his hair. Sokka tightens his grip in Zuko's hair, but at the answering grunt, he loosens his grip and slides them down to Zuko's waist.
Eventually Zuko pulls away, breathing hard, eyes hooded. Sokka is breathing hard too, mind spinning. That had been - wow. And to think Zuko had only kissed one other person before.
Sokka takes a deep breath and tries to get his thoughts in order. They have a deal, after all. "Now that's convincing. Jet will leave you alone in no time."
Zuko seems to jolt into awareness. "Jet. Right." He sounds almost disappointed, for some reason, but Sokka doesn't dwell on it.
"You should get back to work," he says.
Zuko nods, seeming almost reluctant. "Will you - would you meet me at lunch? I get off early today. Can we - can we go on a date?"
Sokka nods. "Sure. I'll be here. Let's put our plan into action."
Once again, Zuko seems disappointed, but he turns and goes back into the shop before Sokka can analyze his expression too much. He gently touches his lips, feeling the lingering sensation of the kiss, and then turns around to find something mindless to do until lunchtime rolls around.
Sokka finds himself back in the tea shop earlier than planned, unable to distract himself. He sits in a corner and takes his tea from Pao, watching as Zuko manages the lunch rush up at the counter. He looks harried, and irritated, and just as pissed off as he had the day before, but this time, their kiss fresh in Sokka's mind, he almost looks cute. Almost, Sokka repeats, reminding himself of the fact that this is just a pretend relationship to get rid of Jet and to make sure Zuko isn’t up to any schemes. Zuko doesn't expect anything more than that, and Sokka shouldn't either. This is all just a means to an end.
As he tells himself this, a small smile finds its way onto his face as he watches Zuko frown into the cash box as he carefully counts out a man's change. His brow is slightly furrowed, and his tongue is just poking out of his mouth as he concentrates. If this were any other situation, and this were any other boy, Sokka would call his expression cute. Obviously, he doesn't find the Fire Prince cute. He tells himself.
Finally, finally, the stream of customers thins out and Pao motions for Zuko to leave. He almost bolts from behind the counter, ducking in and out of the kitchen and ridding himself of his apron in the process. He takes a sweep of the shop, and the smile that forms on his face when he sees Sokka has Sokka reminding himself of the terms of their deal.
The prince really does look a lot better, and a lot less murderous, when he's smiling.
Sokka stands and takes Zuko's hand, pulling him out of the shop and into the crowded street. The two of them hurry through the mass of people, Sokka leading the way to the noodle shop where he'd first heard of the tea shop. He'd been thinking of the noodles ever since he'd left the place, and, as planning the first date had been left up to him, he'd wanted to share this with Zuko.
"Have you been here before?" he asks as he pulls the two of them to a stop, belatedly realizing that, unlike him, Zuko lives here in the Lower Ring and has probably explored much more of it than he has.
"I've passed it, but I've never been inside," Zuko replies, glancing over the sign.
Sokka grins, squeezes Zuko's hand, and pulls him through the door. The two of them find an empty table and look over the menu as they wait for the harried waiter to come by.
"So how do you like your noodles?" Sokka asks. He feels a little awkward all of a sudden, unsure of himself. He knows Zuko, but he doesn't really know Zuko. They'd been enemies for most of their acquaintance, and now their only truce is in the form of a fake relationship. He's not really sure what to talk about, if he's being honest.
"Spicy," Zuko responds, scrutinizing the menu. "But they don't make it spicy enough here, not like -" He glances around. "Not like my hometown."
Sokka nods in understanding. As much as he thought he’d hated the saltiness of Water Tribe food, surrounded by unfamiliar dishes as he is now, he misses it. He's sure Zuko feels the same way about Fire Nation cuisine.
"My sister tried to make sea prunes like Gran Gran used to, once," he says. "They didn't turn out right, but they were closer than anything in the Earth Kingdom. I never liked them when I was home, but now…"
Zuko hums. "You start to miss the small things," he says quietly, almost as if to himself.
Sokka is reminded of Zuko's story about being banished, and almost wants to ask, but decides this isn't the place for it. Maybe later, maybe when they're alone.
The two of them order and awkwardly hold a conversation in fits and starts, neither of them quite sure what to talk about or how deeply to pry. By the time the noodles arrive, Sokka is feeling pretty disappointed with how this date is going.
Zuko, it seems, has a similar opinion. "This isn't working. Maybe we just aren't meant to be together." He jabs a chopstick into a chunk of meat with particular relish.
"Maybe lunch just isn't our thing," Sokka says, thinking. "We should do something."
"We are doing something," Zuko replies sullenly.
"We're just eating. We should do something, something exciting. Let's go - I don't know. I don't know what's out there. But it's gotta be better than sitting and eating and not talking about anything that matters."
Zuko glances up, and then a slow smile spreads over his face. "I know just the thing."
They finish their noodles with renewed vigor - because a meal is a meal and these noodles do taste great - pay, then Zuko gently takes Sokka by the hand and leads him from the shop through a maze of side streets and alleyways to a small courtyard surrounded by a ring of ramshackle houses.
"Uncle and I live around here," Zuko says, but before Sokka can respond, a voice cries out.
"Li! You came back!" A grubby child runs out of one of the houses, carrying a dirty ball in his hands. He's trailed by two taller boys and a little girl.
"I said I would," Zuko responds. He gently pulls Sokka forward. "This is -" He pauses, and Sokka realizes he isn't sure what name to call him. He has to hide his identity, and he isn't sure if Sokka is doing the same.
"I'm Sokka," Sokka says, smiling at the children.
Even farther down on his list of things he expects to see Prince Zuko doing from working in a tea shop is hanging out with kids, but the firebender has been nothing but surprising ever since he'd started paying attention.
"Is he your boyfriend?" the little girl asks excitedly, bouncing up and down.
Zuko and Sokka share a glance. Lying to Jet is one thing, but lying to children?
Sokka runs a thumb over Zuko's knuckles, giving him a slight nod. Sure, he feels a little bad lying to these kids, but this will only help spread their story.
He ignores the part of himself that wants these children to approve of him as Zuko's boyfriend. Because that part doesn't matter. Because this is all pretend. He tells himself.
"He is." Zuko answers the girl, but his eyes are fixed on Sokka's, warm and bright and soft. His smile is still on his face and Sokka is seized with the impulse to kiss him again, despite their audience.
"Gross, stop staring like that!" one of the boys calls out.
"Yeah!" the one with the ball says, "You can't play if you're just gonna be staring the whole time, dummies!"
Sokka breaks eye contact first, heart suddenly beating fast, and turns to the kids. "So what're the rules?"
The game that the kids had roped the two of them into playing involves kicking the ball around the courtyard and trying to get it into conveniently placed buckets. It's simple, and, as it turns out, very fun. The children break off into teams and make Zuko and Sokka each captain. Sokka ends up with the girl, whose name is Ming, and her older brother, Yang. He uses his genius strategies, honed in battle against the Fire Nation, to direct his two disciples around the field towards sure victory. Yang mostly just wants to kick the ball as hard as he can with little regard to direction or strategy, but Ming hangs off his every word like a diligent student. She even offers up her own knowledge of the weaknesses of the brothers who make up their opposing team in order to make Sokka's strategies that much more effective.
The six of them spend much of the afternoon running around the courtyard, the kids shrieking with excitement. Sokka is in the middle of executing a complicated move to get the ball to Yang when, suddenly, Zuko is in his way. Sokka's leg, outstretched in order to get at the ball, tangles with his, and the two of them go down hard. Sokka lets out a soft gasp as his back hits the ground, but any hope of the breath returning to his body is gone when he looks up. Zuko is crouched over him, arms braced on either side of his head to keep from falling on top of him, face twisted in worry.
Sokka smiles softly and Zuko relaxes, glad he's okay, but doesn't move off him. Sokka finds himself drawn to the firebender's eyes, golden and shimmering, and almost doesn't notice when Zuko lets out a soft breath. Slowly, giving Sokka all the time in the world to stop him, he leans down gently, and -
"Hey! No gross stuff!" one of Zuko's teammates shouts.
Zuko pulls away to placate the kid, and Sokka is left lying on the ground, feeling almost disappointed.
They go back to the game with no more distractions until the sun begins to set and a woman comes out of one of the houses to call the kids in for dinner. She invites Zuko and Sokka to join them, but Zuko tells her his uncle is waiting and she nods in understanding.
As she herds the children inside, Zuko reaches back and gently takes Sokka's hand. "Do you - Would you want to eat with me and Uncle?"
Sokka smiles softly. "Of course."
Zuko leads him out of the courtyard and into a small, deserted street, then glances around. No one seems to be nearby, so he turns to Sokka with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Come on," he says, then scales the wall with practiced ease.
"Of course you're a master ninja, that just checks out," Sokka grumbles as he makes his own way up with significantly more difficulty.
Zuko takes his hand again once they're on the roof. "I mean, I did break the Avatar out of Pohuai Stronghold on my own," he says casually, as if he isn't referencing something that had happened while he was still being evil and that Sokka had been absolutely sure he'd been nowhere near.
"You what?"
Zuko pauses. "He never told you?"
Sokka shakes his head, and Zuko shrugs. "Well, that was me. I didn't want Zhao to have him, because he was my only way home. So I broke him out, and then he ran off to hunt down frogs, for some reason. And now Zhao is dead, and he's here, but it probably doesn't even matter anymore because I'm officially a traitor." His voice becomes gradually more bitter, until he's glaring holes into the tiles and clenching tightly to Sokka's hand.
Sokka gently rubs a thumb over his knuckles. He isn't sure what to say. He's stuck between not wanting to believe what he’s hearing, because all this just supports Zuko’s story and the part of him that’s suspicious is telling him this, too, is trickery, and comforting Zuko, which is the part of him that sprang up after the two of them hatched this plan, and that part wants to hug the guy and never let go. And also kiss him again.
Zuko takes a deep breath and sets his shoulders. "Let's get going," he says, and moves to leave, but Sokka stands firm. Something about what Zuko said had stuck out to him.
"You said you needed Aang in order to go home?"
Zuko shifts. "Yeah. Those were the terms of my banishment. I had to capture the Avatar in order for it to be lifted." He moves to leave again. "But since I'm a traitor, capturing him won't get me home anymore, so it doesn't matter. Can we go?"
Sokka wants to stay and talk about this more, but for Zuko, the conversation is clearly over. He decides to let it go. He needs to run it over in his head a bit first, anyway. "Alright."
Zuko leads the way, leaping over gaps in the rooftops and scrambling up and down the sides of buildings with enviable ease. Sokka doesn't do half bad, trailing behind him, but Zuko takes it to another level.
Finally, Zuko stops on the roof of a building that looks exactly the same as half the buildings they'd leaped over. "This is it," he says, looking over his shoulder but making no move to climb down. Sokka meets his eyes and takes a step forward. Their hands connect again, almost by instinct.
They stare at each other for a short while, then both lean in at the same time. The kiss starts chaste, but this time it's Zuko who runs an experimental tongue against Sokka's lips. He opens his mouth eagerly and their hands break contact to tangle in hair and clothing, the two of them pulling each other closer with all the strength they can muster. Zuko breaks off first, breathing heavily, and leaves a line of sloppy kisses down Sokka's throat. Sokka tilts his head back to allow him better access and lets out a gasp, hands fisted in the firebender's shirt. Zuko moves back up to his mouth and they're kissing again, but it's softer this time, gentler. Zuko shifts position to get a better angle and tightens his grip on Sokka's hair, causing him to gasp in his mouth.
Finally, out of breath, they pull away, looking into each other's eyes. A lock of Sokka's hair, loosened by Zuko's fingers, falls over one of his eyes.
They smile goofily at each other until a window being opened loudly below them jolts them out of their little world. Sokka tucks the lock behind his ear and lets Zuko lead the way down from the roof onto a balcony, and from there into a small living room where an old man is boiling some tea on the tiny stove.
"Nephew, how many times have I told you to please use the stairs?" the man says, the amusement in his voice clear. He turns.
Sokka had known, objectively, that the “uncle” Zuko is always speaking of is the infamous Dragon of the West, the scourge of Ba Sing Se. The old man facing him now, eyes briefly wide in surprise before his whole face breaks out into a smile, is incredibly difficult to reconcile with the ruthless general he had heard of. He just looks… like an uncle.
"You didn't tell me we would have a guest this evening," he says to Zuko.
Zuko shrugs, pulling out a small table and pillows and setting them up in the middle of the floor. "We were out longer than I expected, so I thought -"
He seems uncertain all of a sudden, his eyes darting up to watch his uncle's face.
The old man's smile never falters. "The more the merrier."
He turns to put some meat in a pan, and Sokka is surprised to note he uses spark rocks to start the fire. He uses them so smoothly, too, Sokka would think he'd used them his whole life if he didn't know better.
He doesn't have time to think about it before Zuko is dragging him into helping set the table, and soon Iroh is joining them with plates and cups of tea.
"You work at a tea shop all day and you still want to make tea in your free time?" Sokka asks.
Iroh laughs heartily over Zuko's deep sigh. "Tea is a passion of mine, one I have been trying to get my nephew to appreciate for some time now."
He smiles at his nephew, who rolls his eyes, but can't hide his own small smile.
Dinner continues along those lines, with Sokka and Iroh exchanging banter and Zuko acting affronted but clearly enjoying himself. The Sokka of a week ago would have never expected to have a friendly dinner with two Princes of the Fire Nation. The Sokka of a day ago would never have expected to enjoy it so much.
This is all for the plan, of course. He tells himself.
As the meal goes on and he finds himself smiling easier and laughing harder, it becomes more difficult to remember he even has a plan.
When the sun is almost set, Iroh begins to gather up the dishes. "If you want to catch the train, you should head out now," he says.
Sokka blinks. He hadn't even realized he's been out pretty much all day, and if he doesn't catch the last train and make it back to the house he's sharing with the others by curfew, the Dai Li would probably come looking for him. He doesn't even want to think about what would happen if they found Zuko.
"I'll walk you to the station," Zuko says.
"That would be great," Sokka replies. The fact that he wouldn't be able to find it on his own doesn't even cross his mind.
Zuko leads him out the front door this time, and takes his hand again as they descend the stairs. Sokka trails behind him through the darkened streets. The station is not far, and all too soon they come to a stop right outside it.
Zuko turns to look at Sokka, face unreadable. “Today was… really nice,” he says.
“It was,” Sokka agrees.
They both lean in at the same time, but get no further than a quick brush of lips before a voice calls out a final boarding call. Sokka pulls away and runs to the platform.
Just before he enters the train, he turns back. Zuko is standing on the street, one hand raised in a goodbye.
Sokka raises his own hand, and then the train jolts to a start and he’s gone.
Sokka returns to the tea shop near daily, but it’s festival season and Zuko works long hours that leave him too exhausted to be up for anything much after the work day is over. Still, Sokka finds himself in the main room of the shop more often than not, spending far more on tea than he ever thought he would. It’s all worth it, though, for those scant moments he gets with Zuko, who always manages to be the one serving him no matter who else is working.
They barely manage to exchange much more than a few words while Zuko is delivering his tea and carting his cups away, but much more is said through their long glances and the way their hands linger while exchanging tea and coin.
Sokka finds himself missing Zuko when he’s not there. He imagines his past self laughing at him for it, but he still can’t shake the thrill that runs through him when he meets Zuko’s golden gaze from across the shop or the tingle that lingers on his fingers long after they’ve touched hands.
Finally, after a long day after a long week of working, Zuko slumps into the chair opposite Sokka.
“It’s the last night of the festival, and Pao is letting me off early, for once,” he says. “Want to come with me?”
Sokka agrees without a second thought.
The two meander through the stalls, finding things to snack on and look at along the way, but most of the time is spent talking. Zuko complains about his job and Sokka complains about Joo Dee and all the creepiness associated with her and he feels at ease for the first time in a long while.
Hand in hand, Zuko and Sokka walk through the streets. The sun is fading fast, but it is quickly being replaced by lamps. Sokka watches the flame spark and dance, cheerily lighting their way.
The street widens out and they find themselves in a square with a fountain in the center. It's dark here, clearly abandoned, anyone who may have lived nearby obviously caught up in the festivities.
Sokka leans in to inspect the structure in the middle of the fountain. “Huh. These look like little lanterns. I wonder what it would look like all lit up…”
“Watch this,” Zuko says.
Sokka glances at him in surprise. Zuko cups his hands together and a small flame blossoms between them. With a sweep of his arms his hands separate, and the flame bursts into smaller flames, scattering across the structure in the center of the fountain and catching on the wicks of the candles. They glitter prettily, the small flames dancing in the slight breeze. The water shimmers with the glow of the fire and the moon high above, gold and silver mixing together. Zuko stands to the side, watching the display, a small smile on his face, his golden eyes glinting in the firelight. Sokka thinks he is the most beautiful part of the tableau.
“Wow,” Sokka breathes.
Zuko turns to face him.
Sokka reaches out a hand to gently cup Zuko’s cheek, and the firebender leans into his touch, eyes fluttering closed. He steps forward and gently captures Zuko’s lips with his own. Their kiss is soft and sweet, and the arms Zuko wraps around Sokka’s waist are light. Sokka feels the heat of the lanterns on his skin and inside his heart, filling him with warmth. He deepens the kiss, pulling Zuko closer to him and wrapping a tight arm around him. Zuko strengthens his hold in response. They break away to gasp for breath for a moment, and Sokka finds himself pushing at Zuko, who moves willingly until his back is pressed up against the wall. Hungrily, Sokka dives back in for another deep kiss, pushing Zuko harder up against the wall. Zuko moans in assent, pulling Sokka closer to him.
They break apart again, breathless, and Sokka glances over his shoulder at the fountain. He watches the small flames dance and wonders for a second at how he had never before seen how beautiful fire can be.
He feels a hand on his jaw and a thumb brush his cheek, and allows Zuko to gently turn his head back to face him. Zuko’s eyes are shimmering with some sort of emotion, but it seems, to Sokka, very sad. He leans forward and gently rests his forehead against Sokka’s. Sokka grips the wrist of the hand holding his face and lets his eyes close again. They stand like that for some time, just breathing, until Zuko pulls away and gently eases out from where he’s caged against the wall.
“I should go before it gets too late,” he says, but Sokka notes the reluctance in his voice.
“Come to the Upper Ring with me,” Sokka says on impulse.
Zuko’s eyes widen - or, one of them does. “What?”
“Let’s just go. Tonight.” Sokka isn’t thinking straight, his mind a fog of Zuko and an unidentifiable emotion. “Forget the stupid rules, if I tell them you’re with me -”
“You want me to go to the Upper Ring?” Zuko asks, frowning slightly. “I wouldn’t have expected - I mean, the terms of our deal -”
Sokka takes a step back, reality washing over him like a cold ocean wave. How in the name of Yue had he forgotten? This is Zuko, the Prince of the Fire Nation, and whatever messed up circumstances that had led to him being declared a traitor and left as a refugee in Ba Sing Se, he had still chased them all over the world for a chance to get at Aang. And Sokka had just offered the Avatar to him on a silver platter. He had started this whole fake relationship in order to keep Zuko away from the Upper Ring. He can’t believe he had forgotten.
What kind of a leader is he if all it takes is some fancy lights and a pretty smile for him to sell Aang out like this?
He steps back further, arms coming out in front of him, holding an unmoving Zuko back. “I - I should never have -” He straightens his shoulders. “I think we’ve done enough. We haven’t seen Jet in forever, so it should be safe to say he’s off your back. I’d say that means our deal is complete, don’t you? We should just end this now and go our separate ways. I mean, it’s not like we were actually dating or anything, right?” He forces out a laugh. “This whole plan was a mistake. We should never have done this.”
Zuko looks very, very hurt, but Sokka tells himself he didn’t see that, and heads out of the square and toward the train.
He doesn’t turn back.
He refuses to acknowledge the burning behind his eyes or the ache in his heart.
The next morning, Sokka finds it very hard to get out of bed. Even the thought of going back to the Lower Ring to see Zuko sends a shot of agony through his heart, so he doesn’t even attempt to slip away as Joo Dee rouses the lot of them for another meaningless tour of some Upper Ring attraction. He had given up on learning anything actually useful during these excursions, but the thought of staying at the house alone, stewing in his thoughts, is equally distasteful, so he decides he may as well spend the day with the others.
“Look who finally decided to join us,” Katara says, hands on her hips, the second he walks out of the house to get in the carriage.
He feels irritated at first, but it fades away as he takes in her expression. She seems annoyed, but he knows his sister too well to fall for that. She’s missed him, he realizes. He’s spent all his time with Zuko, he’s barely spent any time with her or Aang or Toph.
Aang seems just as chipper as usual when he bounces out to join them, but Sokka sees his positive mask for what it is. He’s still torn up about Appa, and Sokka suddenly feels like the worst friend in the world for spending all that time in the Lower Ring and never once seeing if he could find anything about the bison.
Toph spares him little more than a punch to the side in greeting, and Sokka realizes that she, too, has missed him. He feels guilty all over again.
The group clambers onto the carriage, and Joo Dee, seated at the front, launches into a history lesson, which Sokka quickly tunes out. “Look, guys, I’m sorry I haven’t been around much,” he says.
“Oh yeah?” Toph asks, crossing her arms. She’s glaring hard at his right shoulder. “What’ve you been doing that’s so important?”
Sokka hesitates for a long second. Telling them Zuko is in the city would lead to a lot of questions, first and foremost being how he knew and why he hadn’t said anything earlier, all of which would just lead to more questions. Not only that, but Joo Dee would probably overhear something she shouldn’t and Zuko would potentially get caught.
Sokka wonders why keeping Zuko from getting caught is so important to him. Their deal is complete, he shouldn’t care what happens to the firebender now. But something stops him from telling them the truth right then. Something had shifted that night at the fountain, something indescribable had happened between him and Zuko, and now he finds himself unwilling to risk anything that might endanger the other.
He stares meaningfully at the back of Joo Dee’s head. “Oh, you know. Just stuff.”
Katara’s eyes narrow in a glare. She’s even more suspicious now, and her interrogation is only going to get worse the longer she has to stew on it, but it’s not like he has a choice. She, too, doesn't quite trust Joo Dee.
“Maybe you can tell us over dinner!” Aang pipes up for Toph’s sake. The kid is optimistic and likes to see the best in everyone, but Sokka is glad to see he’s managed to pick up some degree of discretion over the time they’ve been together.
Toph turns to frown in the direction of Joo Dee as well, catching on to the hidden message. She frowns at Sokka one last time as if to tell him this isn’t over, then goes back to staring sightlessly at the landscape passing by.
Aang gives Sokka a grin, but he looks curious and a little concerned, so Sokka resigns himself to three separate interrogations that evening.
Joo Dee continues her monologue, not even seeming to notice the events inside the carriage.
As they pass a print shop, Aang suddenly calls out for them to stop.
“What is it, Avatar?” Joo Dee asks in her usual neutral tone, but Sokka notes the sudden tense set to her shoulders.
“I just want to pick up some art supplies,” he says, and Sokka frowns slightly. Since when has Aang been into art?
Katara and Toph don’t seem surprised, and Sokka feels lost, out of the loop. What else had changed while he’d been off in the Lower Ring with Zuko?
Joo Dee still seems less than happy, but that creepy smile doesn’t leave her face, and she stops the carriage. The four get out and head into the shop.
Immediately, Aang makes a beeline for poster paper. Katara joins him, and together the two of them fill their arms with the parchment.
Toph gets Sokka’s attention with an elbow to the ribs. “Do you see any ink and brushes?” she asks.
Sokka startles, but guides her to the shelves with the appropriate jars. Per Toph’s instructions, he gets all the black ink he can carry, and points her to the shelf that contains the brushes. They join Katara and Aang at the front where Aang is paying for the haul, and it is only then that Sokka puts two and two together.
Aang is making wanted posters for Appa.
Katara seems to notice his expression. “We didn’t get anywhere trying to ask Joo Dee or anyone else,” she says. “So we decided to see what we could get if we started putting these up everywhere.” She frowns. “Of course, we probably would have gotten better luck if you had helped us,” she adds, and Sokka avoids her gaze guiltily.
Aang wraps up his purchase and he and Toph use earthbending to move the boxes filled with supplies out of the shop and back toward the street. Joo Dee gets out of the carriage and begins to lift them into the back, telling them it is her job to help them like this.
As she works, Sokka is distracted by a noise of surprise coming from behind him. He whips around, only to see nothing but an alleyway beside the shop. He heads down it, the others falling into step with him without him having to say anything.
Despite everything, he misses their teamwork. They all work together seamlessly, even after his absence.
Sokka rounds the corner, only to see Jet, hooked swords in his hands, slinking away. Katara lets out a shout and suddenly Jet is frozen to the wall and encased in a block of ice.
“Really? Again?” he grumbles.
“What are you doing here?” Katara demands. Behind her, Aang is getting in position for a fight, and Toph is in her ready stance, despite her obvious confusion.
“I came here for a new start, not to get all up in your business again,” Jet replies, struggling futilely against the ice covering his limbs. “I was just leaving , anyway.”
Sokka takes a step forward, one hand on his boomerang. “What were you doing in the Upper Ring, then?”
Jet’s eyes narrow, and then a smirk slides over his face. “Where’s your firebender boyfriend? You guys having a fight?”
“Uh -” Sokka is afraid to look at his friends. “Uh - I mean, my what?” He lets out a forced chuckle.
Jet knows he’s won, though, and his smirk grows. “They don’t know you’ve been canoodling with a firebender in the Lower Ring, huh?” He laughs. “That’s what you told me, right? About how the two of you -”
“Stop lying!” Katara shouts, splashing him with a tendril of water, which succeeds in shutting him up. Sokka is frozen, one part embarrassed, one part worried at how his friends will react.
“He wasn’t lying,” Toph says slowly.
“What?” Katara whips around to face her.
Toph shifts awkwardly. “With my feet, I can feel his heartbeat. I know when someone is lying. He - he isn’t.”
Katara clenches her fists and glares at Jet, but before she can demand any answers, Joo Dee’s voice rings out. “Where are you, Avatar and friends? I wouldn’t want you to get lost…”
Katara sends one last hateful glare at Jet, but turns and follows Aang and Toph diligently back around the corner to the carriage, none of them wanting to see what would happen if Joo Dee gets “worried” about their whereabouts.
Sokka is just about to leave, but he’s stopped by a shout from Jet. “You’re really going to leave me here like this?”
Sokka scowls at him. “And what if we did?”
“The Dai Li will get me, that’s what,” Jet’s eyes show obvious worry, and Sokka is instantly on edge. Not even the threat of capture by the Fire Nation had gotten Jet like this. “They’ve been after me since that stunt I pulled in the tea shop - they’re still after me, even though I didn’t go near you and your stupid boyfriend the whole time. The things people say about them, what they do to you if they see you causing trouble -” He shudders as much as he can, trapped under ice. “If they catch me here, bothering their precious Avatar, I don’t even want to know.”
Against his better judgement, Sokka pulls out his club and gives the ice a solid whack, and Jet forces his way free, rubbing his cold limbs. “Thanks. We’re even now. I’ll leave you alone, I swear. I don’t even mean to be here in the first place, I just -”
“Wait,” Sokka cuts him off. “You’ve been avoiding us since you saw us in the tea shop?”
“Yeah,” Jet says, shrugging. His eyes narrow. “I still swear that guy is a firebender. Maybe you just refuse to notice. But I haven’t been able to get any evidence with the Dai Li on my tail.”
Sokka blinks, frozen for a moment, and barely even pays attention to Jet making his escape. That whole time, that whole ruse had been for nothing? He had spent his days in the Lower Ring, growing closer to the Fire Prince, and Jet hadn’t even been there?
He can’t even make the excuse that it had been to keep an eye on Zuko, since he’d so obviously messed that part up when he had offered to take Zuko to the Upper Ring with him.
“Sokka?” Aang calls out, peeking around the corner, and Sokka realizes he’s been gone too long. Aang clearly notices Jet’s absence, and he gives Sokka a quiet nod, turning back to return to the others. This time, Sokka follows him. Neither of them mention Jet as they get back in the carriage, and, although Katara is obviously bursting to ask, she holds herself back and glares at the back of Joo Dee’s head instead.
When they finally, finally get back to the house, Sokka waits for the inevitable interrogation. He helps the others carry their supplies inside and Joo Dee bids them a creepy farewell, and then he knows his time is up.
“Okay,” Katara says, hands on her hips. “Spill. What ‘firebender boyfriend’ was Jet talking about?”
Sokka thinks, for one wild second, about lying, but his conscience gets the better of him. Hiding this much already makes him feel disgusting, he won't dig himself further into a hole. Besides, as Toph had just revealed, she would know if he doesn't tell the truth. “Zuko’s in Ba Sing Se,” he says.
There is a long, tense silence. Toph stands between Sokka, who is avoiding eye contact, and Aang and Katara, who are stiff in shock. “Maybe you should explain,” she says.
Sokka sighs. “I was getting tea at this random shop in the Lower Ring, and he was working there. Jet came in, shouting about him being a firebender - and I don’t know any of that story, I never asked, but - things were going to end really badly if I didn’t do anything.” He shrugs. “I guess I just - I told him Zuko and I were dating.” Katara’s eyes narrow and he holds up his hands in surrender. “But that’s all over now! We’re done with - all of that.” He very carefully doesn’t mention what ‘all of that’ had entailed.
Aang seems to buy it, but Katara’s facial expression doesn’t change. “And you just left him there? Free? To hunt down Aang again?”
“He won’t come after Aang,” Sokka says, and realizes he’s absolutely sure of that fact. Despite everything, despite their history, despite the poor way he had left things with Zuko, he finds he now trusts that Zuko’s Avatar-chasing days are over. “He’s done with all of that. He’s a refugee, banished from the Fire Nation.” At Katara’s disbelieving glance, he adds, “It’s crazy, but I really think it’s true. And after the way I ended things, I highly doubt he'll want to have anything to do with me anymore, either.”
He ignores the pain in his heart at that, and hopes the others don't notice the catch in his breath.
Katara clearly doesn’t believe him, but she throws her arms up in surrender. “Whatever. Just - just don’t, I don’t know, do that again.”
The four of them fall into a tense silence, and then Aang moves to open the boxes. He passes everyone a brush.
“What are we painting, self portraits?” Sokka tries for a joke.
“Wanted posters for Appa,” Aang replies, and Sokka knows the kid’s mad at him if he won’t even play along with his jokes.
Sokka sighs and grabs a piece of parchment and a bowl of ink, settling in to get down to work.
After a tense few hours of poster-making, Katara distributes tea. Sokka takes his cup and gently sips it, then spits it out. It’s not the worst he’s ever had, but after all that time with Zuko, drinking Iroh’s, frankly, experty brewed concoctions, this tea doesn’t do it for him anymore.
Katara narrows her eyes at him, but doesn’t comment. Sokka is glad for that, because the tea reminds him of all his time spent with Zuko, all their soft touches and lingering glances. He wonders when he had stopped seeing Zuko as the enemy. He wonders when he had crossed the line between keeping up appearances for their plan and had started really, truly, enjoying their time together.
With a sinking, twisted feeling in his chest, he realizes that somehow, along the way, he had developed real feelings for Zuko.
A hand on his arm startles him out of his inner turmoil, and he jolts back to the present. Katara is crouching next to him, face twisted in worry.
“I won’t ask,” she says quietly, “But I trust you. We all do. We’ll support you, no matter what.”
Sokka blinks at her in surprise. She smiles wryly. “I don’t like it, but I don’t like to see you unhappy, either.” She hands him one of the posters. “I know you’ll do what you think is best.”
Sokka stares at the poster for a long time, then makes a decision. He thinks he’ll probably regret this, but he won't know until he tries, right? His plans might seem out there, but they usually work out well enough.
He hopes this plan doesn’t hurt him like his last one had.
Sokka slips away early in the morning, used to avoiding Joo Dee and the guards around their house by now after all his visits to the Lower Ring. He takes the familiar train out through the walls separating the rings, devoid of his usual excitement.
The route from the station to the tea shop is just as familiar. Sokka wishes it were raining, because that would certainly fit the mood, but the sky is annoyingly sunny and bright. He pushes through the crowds, everyone seemingly more cheery than they have any right to be.
Sokka steps through the door to the tea shop, and freezes where he stands. There’s Zuko, working the counter, looking worse for wear. He seems like he hasn’t slept since they’d last seen each other, and, while he could never be described as happy while at work, he’s distinctly more pissed off than usual.
He looks up, and his eyes meet Sokka’s, and shock fills his face. Almost the second it’s there, though, it’s gone, and he glares down at the coins he’s counting. The customer in front of him glances between the two of them, eyes wide. Zuko puts the change in the man’s hand with more force than necessarily, then whirls on the next, equally surprised customer. The man who had been paying heads out, stopping by Sokka.
“You should talk to him,” he says. “He’s been messed up since you broke up with him.”
“I didn’t -” Sokka tries to defend himself, but the man is already gone.
Sokka turns back to watch Zuko. He had thought Zuko was angry, but the more he watches him, the more he realizes he’s trying to hide his hurt.
He wonders when he had become so close to Zuko that he can read him like this.
Sokka takes a deep breath, and reminds himself that, whatever bad feelings are between them, he has a mission here. He walks up to the counter.
Zuko is talking to a customer, but she takes one look at Sokka, shoves her coins across the counter, tells Zuko to keep the change, and leaves.
Zuko avoids looking at Sokka, looking around for another customer to attend to, but the patrons in the shop are all carefully absorbed in their own activities.
Pao sticks his head out of the kitchen, and his eyes widen when he sees Sokka. Zuko glances over his shoulder, and his boss motions for him to go. With a deep sigh, Zuko removes his apron and leads Sokka around the counter and out the back.
As they pass through the kitchen, Iroh looks up from where he’s attending to the teapots, and his eyebrows raise in surprise. His expression softens into a knowing smile, and he gives Sokka a wink. Sokka blinks in confusion, but Zuko is already disappearing into the alleyway, so he quickly follows.
“What are you doing here?” Zuko asks eventually, voice harsh.
“We -” Sokka sighs. “We need to talk.”
Zuko closes his eyes and lets out a huff of air. “I thought this whole thing was over. I didn’t expect you to want to have anything to do with me after - after that night.”
Sokka wrings his hands, looking for the right words. “Look, I - that ended badly. Honestly, it started badly. This whole thing was a mistake.” At Zuko’s hurt look, he holds out his hands, begging him to let him explain. “This was all just a mess, and it’s mostly my fault, and I’m sorry. It was my idea, and I’m the one who kept showing up, and making you -”
“You didn’t make me do anything,” Zuko cuts in. “I wanted to -”
“No, no, just - look.” Sokka digs in his bag and pulls out Appa's wanted poster, handing it over.
Zuko takes a step back, surprised, eyes flying over the text. “This is…”
“That’s why we’re here, in Ba Sing Se,” Sokka explains. “Appa was taken - stolen - and we’ve been looking at him, and now we’re here, because we heard he was here too. We’ve been trying to get information, but no one wants to tell us anything.” He takes a deep breath. “I - I never thought I would be saying this but, can you help?” He huffs out a laugh. “You tracked Aang well enough.”
Zuko is silent for a long moment, face unreadable.
Sokka goes on, “Let’s make a new deal. You help us, and we take him and go. We’ll leave you and your uncle alone, and you never have to see Aang or me or any of us again. I - I believe you, you know. About being a refugee. And I think it would be better for both of us if we just left and you won’t have to worry about us getting in your way again.” He refuses to acknowledge the part of himself that aches at the very thought of leaving Zuko behind.
Zuko’s fingers clench around the poster, crinkling it. Sokka feels a little miffed, pretty sure that it’s one of the ones he’d made. Zuko lets out a long, shuddering breath, face pinching in thought. Finally, he speaks: “No.”
“No?”
Zuko looks right at him, eyes shining with new determination. “I don’t accept your deal.”
Sokka’s mouth is hanging open in surprise, so he quickly closes it. “Wh - what?”
Zuko pushes the poster back into his arms, and Sokka takes it on instinct alone. “I - I’ll help you find Appa. I can do that much, at least, but -” He falters, suddenly uncertain. “I - I don’t actually want you to leave.”
Sokka is frozen in shock, eyes wide. Zuko gives him a wry smile and suddenly he’s cupping Sokka’s head with his hand, thumb stroking his cheek.
“This might sound crazy, but, even if it was fake, dating you was - it was really nice. I think I like you. For real, actually.”
Sokka takes a long, long moment to process what he’s hearing, and then he brings up a hand to gently wrap around Zuko’s wrist. “I think I like you too,” he says slowly. “For real. Actually.”
Sokka isn’t sure who leans in first, but suddenly they’re kissing. It’s not like they haven’t kissed before, but this time is different. This time there’s no deal, no ruse involved. It’s simply the two of them, together, their feelings real and laid bare before them.
They break away and Zuko gently takes the poster from Sokka, reading it over again.
“This shouldn’t be too hard,” he says. He reaches out a hand. “Will you come with me?”
Sokka takes his hand and intertwines their fingers together, smiling softly. “Lead the way.”
They kiss again, then, just because they can.