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“We should go ice skating when we get there!” Sokka had suggested on the ship. “It’s been years since I last skated. It’ll be fun!”
Zuko didn’t have the heart to tell him no, not when he was being taken there as an esteemed guest of the Southern Water Tribe, not when his fiancé was so eager to spend time with him. He put on a smile and told him that they would.
The reason for being on the ship was a series of meetings in the Southern Water Tribe; it was all about making sure that the Southern Reconstruction Project was still going swimmingly and spending a week together—and seeing Hakoda.
Sokka missed the Southern Water Tribe dearly. Even if he wrote letters to his father often when in the Fire Nation, it wasn’t quite the same as seeing him in person.
Zuko wanted to support Sokka in any way he could, which meant taking a week to attend the meetings and visit. He hadn’t seen Hakoda in person in several months, not since he and Sokka had gotten engaged and they visited to tell him. It would be nice to see the Chief and congratulate him on a prosperous city.
The initial meeting went off without a hitch. Anyone they met for the first time was quick to congratulate them on their engagement. It was almost touching, knowing that the citizens were… happy about it. Not worried, not disappointed, not angry. Happy. Zuko had thanked them all with a sincere smile, and Sokka had quickly bragged about how excited he was. There was no rush, but hearing Sokka mention it made Zuko warm with joy and anticipation.
Hakoda wasn’t able to see the pair alone until the initial meeting was over. He was so excited to see them that he forgot all of the formalities of a Water Tribe Chief and a Fire Lord and hugged both of them. Even with other officials there that silently judged, he didn’t care; it was his son and his future son-in-law. He had every right to be excited to see them.
It wasn’t long after seeing Hakoda that Sokka expressed his desire to take Zuko ice skating. “He’s never been before, Dad, he needs to learn from the best!” he had teased.
Hakoda had rolled his eyes, but he assured them that there was a secluded area of the Water Tribe specifically for ice skating. It had become a popular pastime for nonbenders and benders alike, and he had a good feeling that Zuko would enjoy it.
Zuko, however, disagreed.
He had never been ice skating before in his life. There wasn’t anything like that in the Fire Nation, no ice anywhere in sight—for obvious reasons. Zuko had been to both Water Tribes on many occasions, and trying to stay on his feet in regular shoes was difficult enough for him. He didn’t think it possible for him to skate on ice, on shoes with blades on them. He had seen photos of ice skates before, and the blade was so small… It didn’t even seem possible to skate in them and stay upright. It sounded like the complicated physics that Sokka brought up sometimes that went right over Zuko’s head.
Hakoda led them to a shop and bought both of them a brand new pair as a gift. He even managed to find Zuko a red pair. “If you ever build a rink in the Fire Nation, you can show them off!” Hakoda joked. Sokka thought it was hilarious; Zuko faked a laugh for their sakes.
He did want to put a rink in the Fire Nation, though. It would be a fun activity for his citizens. But he couldn’t think about it. He had to think about not embarrassing himself in front of Sokka.
Out past the shop, an area was secluded from the rest of the city by a low wall of ice. There wasn’t anyone there, but it was clear to Zuko’s eyes that it was the rink that they would be skating at. It wasn’t the traditional rink that Zuko had pictured—his mind had supplied a whole building—but it looked pleasant and plenty big enough for many people to be skating at once.
Hakoda gestured to the area once Zuko and Sokka stepped beyond the wall. “Just be careful not to get hurt! We have healers, but I would rather not bother them,” Hakoda advised. “Have fun!”
“Bye, Dad!” Sokka waved his father off and watched him head back to the city before sitting down on a bench. Zuko followed suit and removed his boots, shivering instinctively at the cold weather before slipping his skates on. “Aren’t you excited?!” Sokka asked eagerly.
“Yeah,” Zuko lied. He avoided Sokka’s eyes and stared at the strings of his skates, unsure of where to even start with lacing them. “Just nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Sokka removed his shoes and started to put on his skates. “I get that. I was really nervous the first time that I skated. I was really little, but I can still remember refusing to let go of my dad when we got on the ice the first time.” Zuko watched in awe as Sokka laced his skates with incredible speed, tightening them and tucking the laces in the shoe. “I bet you’ll be a fast learner!”
Zuko watched as Sokka stood up and moved across the ice. He glided as if he was in the air, as if wings carried him. He looked like a professional, moving around the edge of the ring near the wall, and he even did a small spin near the entrance that left Zuko stunned. He skidded to a stop in the middle of the ice to look at Zuko with a grin. He shredded ice off of the surface of the ice, and he sprayed it in Zuko’s general direction. Zuko stared at his fiancé in awe.
“I… You’re really good at this,” Zuko managed.
Sokka waved a hand. “I’ve been doing it my whole life. It just comes naturally at this point.” He skated over to the bench where Zuko still sat, holding the laces of one of his skates as if he were going to tie them. Sokka kneeled down and gently took the laces from his gloved fingers. “Need some help with your laces?”
“Yes, please.” Zuko leaned back on the bench, grateful that his hands were protected by his gloves. “Thank you, honey.”
He noticed the blush on Sokka’s cheeks immediately. Pet names were something reserved for when it was just them, and they always left Sokka flustered. Zuko was equally flustered with the sentiment whenever Sokka addressed him in such a way.
Within a minute, both of Zuko’s skates were laced up, and he was ready to get on the ice. Sokka backed up a bit to give Zuko room to stand. When the Fire Lord was on his feet, it was… weird. Even if he knew that his ankles were strong, he could feel them start to fold beneath his weight. Maybe it was the thinness of the blade beneath his feet. Maybe it was his fear of falling around Sokka. Maybe it was the nerves eating at his stomach at the thought of moving.
Sokka watched him for a moment before sliding forward, extending a hand to him. “I can get you started,” he offered.
Immediately, Zuko took his hand, gripping at his fingers far tighter than he usually would. With a kick, Sokka moved the two of them closer to the center of the ice. Zuko focused on his grip on Sokka’s hand and the trembling in his legs. He didn’t want to fall. He didn’t want to embarrass himself.
They made it to the center of the ice before Sokka let Zuko’s hand go. “Do you wanna try kicking out and skating on your own?” Sokka asked. “I’ll be right here if you start to fall.”
In truth, Zuko did not want to try that. He wanted to keep holding Sokka’s hand. But he knew that he had to try on his own if he was going to be better, so he forced himself to nod. Remembering how he had seen Sokka do it, he lifted his right foot and kicked off of the ice with his toe, sliding forward a few inches. He went to use his left foot in the same way, but he quickly lost his balance. His right ankle rolled under his weight, and he nearly fell on the ice. Thankfully, Sokka caught him before he could get that far.
“Woah!” Sokka was laughing goodheartedly, holding his fiancé up by his shoulders. Zuko was focused on the ice beneath them—and trying not to set his gloves on fire. Sokka pulled him into a proper standing position, holding his shoulders and looking him over. “You good?”
Zuko nodded hurriedly. “Just… not that good at this,” he said sheepishly.
“You’re doing great! I’ve seen worse from the people in the tribe.” Sokka looked behind his shoulder, even though the two of them were the only ones out there, and whispered, “Bato? A horrible skater. He can get around, but that’s it, and he can barely even do that.”
Zuko chuckled at the mental image of Bato falling on the ice. He stood up a little straighter and gently nudged Sokka off of him. “I-I want to try again,” he said. “Don’t go too far!”
Sokka grinned, skating back a few more inches to give him space. “Of course, baby. I’m right here if you need me!”
Zuko tried to not get flustered at Sokka’s pet name. He stared down at his skates for a moment before kicking off with his left foot. He slid forward a few inches before kicking a second time, and he looked up at his fiancé with a small smile. He was delighted to see Sokka grinning at him. “You’re getting the hang of it!” he said excitedly. He stopped sliding near the edge of the rink, gesturing towards himself with his hands. “See if you can get over here to me without falling. You got this, baby.”
Zuko outstretched his arms to maintain his balance and kicked out once again. He was focused on the ice beneath his feet, on not falling. He took a steadying breath as he skated closer to Sokka at a crawling pace. He knew that there was no rush, that Sokka didn’t care if he sped, but he wanted to go faster. He kicked out a bit harder with his right foot, doing his best to keep his left leg from trembling. How was he able to do complicated firebending moves and even the occasional acrobatic move, but he wasn’t able to move across the ice on a blade? It made no sense. Not to Zuko, at least.
He was so focused on his feet that he didn’t even notice Sokka telling him to slow down a little. He kicked out harshly with his left foot, and in a flash, he lost his balance. His upper body flew backward as his feet went out from beneath him. Panicking, Zuko gasped as he fell, holding his arms out beneath his torso to catch himself.
Unfortunately, his mind did what it always did in times of trouble—produced fire.
Before he even knew what was happening, Zuko’s ass hit the ice with a loud smack. Instead of his hands hitting the ice in the same way, heat surrounded Zuko’s palms, and before he knew it, his fingertips were submerged in ice water.
He had melted the ice when he fell. He had melted the ice when he fell.
Zuko was stewing in his embarrassment when Sokka skated over, sitting down beside him. He looked worried, but he also looked like he was doing everything in his power not to laugh. With that in mind, he was on the verge. “Are… Are you okay?” he asked carefully. “You landed pretty hard.”
Zuko removed his hands from the two new holes in the ice, and he looked down at his palms in disdain. His gloves were as good as ruined, remnants of them remaining on his wrists from the sudden flames. He pulled them off, tossed them to the side, and looked up at his fiancé. “Oh, you know… I’d say I’m doing good.”
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Other than my pride? No.”
Sokka covered his mouth with one of his gloved hands, hardly able to contain his snickers. Zuko’s cheeks heated up in embarrassment. He knew that Sokka wasn’t laughing at him, but it was still embarrassing to him nonetheless. Sokka was able to compose himself pretty quickly, and he leaned over to look at the ice. “I’m glad you’re not hurt. The ice, on the other hand… I’m sure we can get a waterbender to fix it.”
Zuko’s eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the ice. Agni, he couldn’t believe it. “I should have focused harder on my firebending as well as not falling,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
Sokka reached over to grab Zuko’s hand, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “Zuko, baby, do not apologize. Ice skating is hard! Not everyone is good at it on their first go.”
“Yeah, but… I melted the ice.” Zuko used his free hand to gesture to the holes on both sides of him. “That’s not exactly what I planned on doing, you know.”
Sokka giggled. “If it helps… I think it’s funny.” He leaned forward. His eyes were sparkling with all the love in the world. “I know you don’t see it, but you will one day. I promise. It’s not a big deal.”
Zuko sat in silence for a moment before he squeezed Sokka’s hand. “Can we give it another go? But… don’t let go of me this time.”
Sokka grinned, rising to his feet and pulling Zuko to his feet. “I’ll never turn down a chance to hold your hand.”
Zuko had to smile at that. Sokka led them away from the holes and towards the edge, leaning his calves against the wall when they stopped. “Maybe the issue is that you’re focusing too hard? Like, you gotta just… go with it. It’s all about the movement.” Sokka grabbed his other hand and turned them around. “Since I’ll be able to catch you, don’t even worry about your skates. You have the motion down. You just gotta perfect it. Try and get us both moving.”
Zuko didn’t think that it was actually possible, but he had to give it a try. He kicked off the ice with his right foot, and much to his surprise, both he and Sokka began to move across the ice. He gaped at Sokka for a second before he kicked with his other foot, keeping them moving at a steady pace.
“Yes! Zuko, you’re doing great,” Sokka assured. He slid himself further back from Zuko, putting space between them. He helped them turn so they wouldn’t collide into the wall. He squeezed Zuko’s hands as he kicked a third time. “You got this. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
Zuko realized very quickly that not thinking about his skates was pretty easy. He found his mind occupied with the perfection that was his fiancé.
He was still smiling, still looking Zuko in the eye as they skated. His eyes were captivating in every way, shining with admiration that Zuko hardly felt that he deserved. His hands, even through his gloves, were firm, strong, an assurance that he would be there for him every second that they were on the ice—and every second for the rest of their lives. There was nothing more certain than that.
Zuko momentarily forgot that they were even skating. He could only feel Sokka’s hands around his, feel his feet doing… something. It didn’t matter.
Sokka was in charge of turning them so they wouldn’t collide into the wall. Zuko continued kicking, the motion coming as naturally to him as walking after a while. Sokka kept Zuko’s hands in his, the white fabric cold against Zuko’s bare skin. But he didn’t mind.
Sokka laughed whenever one of them slipped, and it echoed in Zuko’s mind, a reminder of good things. Zuko found himself laughing, his earlier embarrassment entirely gone.
“You seem pretty focused,” Sokka said idly after a few minutes of silence.
Zuko scoffed. “It’s not on my skates, at least.”
Sokka quirked a brow. “So you listened to my advice? What are you so focused on, if it’s not your skates?”
There was a pause while Zuko contemplated his words. He eventually smiled. “You.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You. You and… all of your perfection,” Zuko continued. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
Sokka was temporarily stunned before moving one of his hands around Zuko’s torso, pulling him into a hug. Zuko stopped kicking, allowing them to simply drift across the ice. “I’m glad you’re here with me,” he said softly. “I love you.”
Zuko kissed his neck, returning the hug with a hand on his back. “I love you too. More than anyone in the world.”
The momentary lapse of attention proved to be their downfall. In the midst of their affection, neither of them realized that they were moving towards the two holes in the ice. It was Sokka’s skate that caught on the edge, sending both of them to the ice. Their skates tangled in the fall, and they fell together, Sokka on his back on the ice and Zuko on top of him.
Zuko sat up from Sokka, looking down at him in worry. “Sokka, are you okay?!” he asked hurriedly.
He was relieved to see Sokka smiling, a hand over his eyes as he struggled to hold back his laughter. He uncovered his eyes and reached up to Zuko, pulling him down to rest on his chest. He was soon laughing aloud, and his chest heaved with thrilled giggles. Zuko couldn’t hold his laughter in for too long, laying down on his chest and laughing himself.
They were soon breathless, red-faced and happier than ever. Zuko felt as though he fell a little further in love.