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Sokka turned, throwing one of his hands down to help guide his body into the sharp angle. That was one advantage the teen had on the Earth Nation thugs. He was all willowy limbs and lithe speed. They were made to make tunnels in rock. He lept, seeing the fire escape ladder right where he hoped it would be. He barely made it off the ground when the earth itself stopped him in his tracks.
Sokka hit the ground hard, the air knocking painfully from his lungs, his head spun a moment.
"Hnh." Sokka flipped over, pushing himself to his elbows. "You know I don't have money. Why torture me so?" he groaned. He recognized at least one of the thugs.
"You water savages don't belong here." The one in the middle grinned at him.
Sokka groaned, "really this one again?" He rubbed at his temple, feeling a headache coming. "We're all on the same side, you know the one against the Fire Nation?"
Another laughed, "what do we have against the Fire Nation? They didn't melt our entire nation back to where it belongs." Sokka went ridged at the words, being reminded of all his people had lost.
Sokka was at his feet, hand reaching for a weapon he didn't allow himself to carry in public. He'd have to use his fists. It'd be a fast, unfair fight but as long as he could make it home to Katara she would be able to heal him. The earth benders in front of him laughed, exchanging amused looks.
"What's going on here?" A deep, rasping voice said from the mouth of the alley. The men paled, turning on their heels quickly.
"L-Lee!" They fumbled about, trying to pass the newcomer. "We were just helping this guy out. Right buddy?" It was no less threatening than the look Lee was giving them.
"Yeah," Sokka answered, not trusting his voice to say more. His body was shaking from the sudden adrenaline loss.
"Get out of here." It was clear who Lee was talking to. Sokka thinks they would have swallowed themselves with earth if they could. "Are you alright?" Sokka was not prepared to have golden eyes focused on him.
"Um, yeah. You stopped them before they could kill me." Sokka's eyes widened, realizing that might have actually been true. "Wow. Thank you so much. It's bad enough having to dodge the fire-ass nation, got earth thugs everywhere too." They both winced. "Not- not that all earth nation is bad. Sorry." Sokka rubbed at the back of his neck.
"We're all just trying to find our place," Lee spoke after a moment. Sokka finally got a good look at his saviour and was taken back. He was just a teenager like him, maybe a year older. How had this guy scared those others. His hair was black and shaggy and hung over the left side of his face deliberately. He had nondescript Earth Nation clothes, much like Sokka's if not a little nicer and cleaner. "Come on, I'll walk you home."
Sokka didn't feel the need to argue that he was a big boy and could take himself home. He knew those guys might be still lurking around. And who knew what they would do to Sokka now that they had been embarrassed in front of him. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
"Don't worry about it." Silence fell between them but for once Sokka didn't feel the need to fill it with mindless chatter. He didn't think Lee would appreciate it anyways. He seemed the strong silent type.
Sokka wasn't though and finally his need to fill empty space over took. "So how'd you get those guys to piss their pants?"
Lee looked startled for a moment, maybe he wasn't the kind of guy to be questioned a lot. "They know what I'm capable of."
"That is very ominous," Sokka laughed. He was rewarded by a slight smile from Lee.
Lee waved his hand, "I live in the upper ring now but before when my Uncle and I first came here as refugees we lived here. They know me from then."
Sokka whistled, "upper ring? Why come slum it with us peasants?" He had meant it as a joke but the sharp look Lee gave him told Sokka it fell flat.
"Never forget where you come from." The words hung between them before Lee looked horrified. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"Hey," Sokka cut off what looked like the beginnings of a panic attack. "You didn't say anything wrong. Trust me, this water savage is never forgetting where he came from." Sokka slapped his chest, feeling pride well deep in him. One day his people would return to the South Pole and rebuild.
"Don't call yourself that." Lee glared at him, "the only savage is the Fire Lord and those blind enough to follow him without mercy. Ozai and his predecessors black marks that should be burned from the history books and forgotten." Sokka was shocked at the venom in Lee's voice when he spoke of the Fire Lord.
Sokka doesn't know where it comes from but he reached out and touched Lee's shoulder. "If we forget the atrocities, history will repeat itself." Lee turned his head fast at those words and for a moment Sokka glimpsed the covered side of his face. There was a deep, marred scar across most of Lee's left side. The sort of burn that could only be made by someone cupping the flame to Lee's face. As quickly as it was revealed Lee was smoothing his hair back in place.
"Looks like we both have our reasons, huh?" Sokka finally broke the tense silence.
"Yes," was the only response Sokka received.
Sokka looked up at the setting sun. "You should go ahead. You might miss curfew."
Lee looked as well and sighed, "I already have."
They continued on in silence. Sokka cursed the entire day leading to this encounter with a stranger. "You can stay with me. I have a sister, so we'll have to bunk up." Sokka already knew he wouldn't sleep at all.
"That is very generous," Lee finally said.
~
"Katara?" Sokka called walking through the door. They toe off their boots. Sokka shed his jacket and held his hand out for Lee's.
"You're late Sokka!" His sister called from her room. There were already aromas in the air from dinner being prepared. Katara caming storming into the main room and stopped at seeing their guest. "Hello?" she looked at Sokka.
"Lee helped with some Earth thugs today. Missed curfew." Sokka's short words spoke nothing of the siblings eye contact. Katara returned to the kitchen and Sokka gathered items for Lee to sleep and carried them toward the back of their small apartment, motioning for Lee to follow him.
"My room is the first on the right. Bathroom is right after. Katara's is the last door." Together they laid out the extra futon. Sokka's room was not large and with two futons down it was cramped. But Sokka did not feel comfortable allowing the stranger to sleep unmonitored in the main room.
"Thank you for allowing me to stay. My uncle will be worried but this is not the first time I have missed curfew." Lee stood awkwardly in the room, his eyes moving over the cramped but filled space. Sokka's boomerang was on top of his dresser with a few ceremonial beads that he was able to salvage from home before what was left of his tribe moved northward. Most of what filled the room now were possessions gathered since coming to Ba Sing Se.
"You never did say why you were in the lower ring." Sokka prompted, hoping to get some answers from Lee.
Lee turned to Sokka, looking him over. "I told you. To remember where I've come from."
"You said you and your uncle were refugees. Where did you come from originally?" Whatever dark emotion Sokka's question unearthed they were saved from untangling it when Katara knocked on the jarred door.
"Dinner," she called, barely sparring them a glance as her nose was stuck in a thick tome.
"Thanks Katara!" Sokka called, he looked at Lee and gestured for him to lead. Lee's emotions settled and his face was carefully blank now.
Dinner ended up being a quiet affair. Sokka always approached food with a single-mindedness. His sister's cooking reminded him of home and so he savored every bite. Lee was polite and ate what was given to him but did not ask for any seconds. Katara was engrossed in her book and barely looked up to get her fork to her mouth.
"Katara wants to go into medicine." They wouldn't mention to this stranger that she was a water bender and healing came naturally to her.
"My uncle says medicine is a selfless duty." Katara looked up and smiled at that. "Were you studying before?" It was a careful question and Sokka felt a twinge in his chest for this stranger.
"I'd only just started. My gran was going to be my teacher. Maybe one day I'll have the opportunity to start again." Sokka reached over and covered Katara's hand with his own. Losing GranGran in the destruction of their village was still hard, more so than the not-knowing they had for their father. They hoped he was still out there fighting the Fire Nation.
Lee had that look, like he had had when he told Sokka to not forget where he came from. It spoke volumes of the empathy the teen held, as if the destruction of the South Pole was his entire doing. Lee pushed back from the table, "if you'll excuse me. I would like to lay down. I can not thank you enough for your generosity."
After Sokka's door was quietly shut Katara turned to look at her brother. "He's odd."
"Tell me about it." Sokka cleaned up the plates from the table and washed up. He and Katara fell easily into their evening routines. And before long they too were ready to retire to their rooms.
"I have to be at the skins shop at six, I'll make sure Lee leaves with me and lock up." Sokka stoked their small fire. Ba Sing Se would never be the South Pole cold but the warm fire was just another reminder of home.
Katara hummed, already curled in the one comfy chair they had. "Try to get some sleep. Lee's odd but he doesn't give off murder-vibes." Katara chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't stay up all night reading." Sokka checked the locks once more before dropping a kiss on the top of Katara's head as he passed her.
"I won't make promises I can't keep." Her laughter followed him to his room.
There was a lump on the futon they laid down for Lee and from an untrained eye they would accept the teen as being asleep. Sokka was a hunter in what feels like another lifetime and can see how tense Lee is. Instead of adding to the thick air Sokka got ready for bed in silence and laid down himself. Forcing his eyes closed he concentrated on his tasks for work in the morning, starting his nightly routine of organizing his tasks for the next day. He started at easiest to hardest, then shortest in time to longest, and before he could make it to "in order that it can take the longest to accomplish each task"; he drifted off.
When Sokka woke next it was still dark but late enough to be called morning again. He sat up, head tilted trying to figure out what had disturbed his slumber. He glanced to his left and saw that Lee was sleeping now as well, if the soft, even breathes were to go by. He laid back, maybe it had been Katara finally going off to bed. Now that he was up though and so close to when his body clock would have woken anyways, he didn't think he would fall back into that surprisingly peaceful slumber he had found.
It was strange. He hadn't felt so comfortable around another person in years. Katara and Sokka were inseparable, had been long before most of their village was slaughtered. After the betrayal of Jet and having to move on from what they had thought would be a new family, the siblings had closed themselves off more. When they finally made it to Ba Sing Se, more than a year since they were forced from the South Pole they promised only to rely on each other. And that promise had served them well.
He shook his head. It didn't matter if he had slept peacefully next to Lee. Lee was from the upper ring and the Water Tribe siblings would never make it there. He wasn't someone he could trust because they weren't ever going to see each other again.
With a sigh he turned to his companion. "Lee," he said softly. "Lee." The teen stirred and sat straight up, his unruly hair revealing the scar more in the dim light.
"Sorry," he grunted, smoothing his hair back in place. "I'm not use to-"
"Yeah," Sokka rubbed the back of his neck, "I know what you mean."
The silence between them wasn't awkward and it was Lee to break it, "Thank you, again. Usually I end up in some alley when I miss curfew." That upset Sokka more than he thought it should. It wasn't just that it was dangerous, it was… He didn't know.
"Well, you're always welcome here, if it happens again." The words tumbled from Sokka's mouth completely against his will but he meant every single one.
Lee looked surprised too but the small smile after the shock wore off wasn't. "Thanks."
The remainder of their morning was silent as Sokka prepared a small, simple breakfast for himself after Lee declined. Stating he would eat before his shift at his Uncle's tea shop. "It's how we made it out of the lower ring. Uncle's tea is very persuasive." They laughed softly together.
Outside the small apartment the space between them felt much larger. "Maybe I'll see you around?" Sokka finally spoke up, reluctant to end their time together.
"Yeah," was Lee's soft reply. They separated, Lee heading for the closest gate and Sokka in the opposite direction to his workplace.
~
Sokka was complaining right through the door that evening. His shift had been long and filled with Earth and Fire Nation assholes breathing down his neck, reminding him at every turn he should be a grateful water savage, any time his facial expressions ran away and showed his true feelings. He was shoving his boots off, while fighting his coat when he finally looked up, the words spilling from his mouth coming to a stuttering stop.
Katara was not alone. Lee was sitting at their cramped table a hot cup of tea in front of him. Katara smiled tightly and grabbed Sokka by the arm and excused the siblings.
Once in his small bedroom Sokka was horrified to see in the early morning calm they hadn't cleaned up Lee's bedroll. Katara gave it then Sokka a look. "Have we acquired a stray, Sokka?"
"No," he choked out. "Um."
"He says he missed curfew again. I think he might be lonely. Set some boundaries." Katara left and Sokka groaned. When he came back out Katara wasn't in the main room.
"Katara went to the market. I'm sorry." Sokka waved the apology away. "I shouldn't have imposed."
"Next time, if I'm not here, wait outside. Please," he tacked on, realizing he sounded short. "We don't trust easily. We've been burned too many times." Sokka winced at his poor choice of words but didn't retract them.
Lee nodded, "something I understand." His hand drifted to his face but pulled back before touching his hair.
Sokka moved to the stove to check on what Katara had started for dinner. He didn't think too hard on the comfortable silence that fell between them.
~
Lee showed up two more times that week and then it was a full week before Sokka saw him again. When he did it was in the market, Lee didn't notice him at first and Sokka took a moment to observe him. Lee made little conversation with the vendors he interacted with, little eye contact as well. He seemed completely different than the teen who had sat next to a fire with Sokka and discussed current events and politics. It had been pleasantly surprising to find that Lee had an interest in the on going occupation of the Earth Nation beyond wanting Ozai scorched from history.
"Lee!" he called once Lee broke away from the main hustle of the market.
Lee turned and when he caught sight of Sokka he smiled. Sokka nearly tripped at the swooping his stomach did at the sight. "Sokka, hey. I-I was actually headed to your apartment."
Sokka couldn't stop the grin, "really, well me too." He laughed, taking one of Lee's bags from him. "What's with all the food?"
"It's for you and Katara." Lee's cheeks were red. "I know feeding me for four nights must have been...and I wanted to...I hope I didn't assume too much."
"Can you afford this?" Sokka couldn't believe that Lee had spent in one day what he and Katara usually stretched for three weeks.
Lee looked away, his cheeks still aflame. "Yeah, don't worry about that."
Sokka couldn't wipe the smile from his face. He had seen some of the foods Lee had gotten. It would be the best he and his sister had ate since their time with Jet. When the meat was still warm and the vegetables picked the same day. He turned his thoughts, as wonderful on the surface it had been, Jet had betrayed them none the less.
"Thank you, Lee." Lee looked at him then, blush gone. "This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has done for us since the South Pole was destroyed." Lee's eyes went wide and a bit glassy but neither shed the tears they felt prickling.
The rest of their walk was quiet and comfortable. Sokka realized he had missed Lee. Maybe he was a little starved for brotherly friendship but this didn't feel the same as the mischief he got into with Jet and the gang. Honestly he couldn't wait to pick more of Lee's brain on guerrilla tactics against powerful fire benders in a fight.
"Katara!" he called immediately through the door. "I have lots of surprises!" He couldn't stop the exaggerated wink he gave Lee.
"What are you-" She stopped seeing them standing there with three bags of market goods between them. "Lee wanted to thank us for our hospitality!" He deposited his bag on the table and motioned for Lee to do the same.
"Wow," Katara's eyes were huge, looking over the different foods as Sokka pulled them out and started putting things away. His heart felt as full as their ice box at the moment and Sokka might kiss Lee before the night was over damn the consequences.
He left out a piece of meat and some root vegetables. "Shoo shoo, tonight's my treat." Sokka started making dinner. Katara motioned for Lee to take the chair and she headed back to her room to complete whatever task Sokka had disturbed.
"You can cook?" Lee broke the silence.
Sokka laughed, "GranGran wouldn't have it any other way. The South Pole wasn't an easy place to live, you gotta know how to take care of yourself top to bottom." Sokka was mortified for a moment at how stupid that sounded out loud.
Lee laughed but before Sokka could be totally engulfed in humiliation, he spoke, "my Uncle is the same way." Lee stood and helped himself to making tea and Sokka felt settled that Lee knew his way around. "But I'm not much of a cook. Tea on the other hand."
The comfortable silence that fell over them as they worked side-by-side wasn't interrupted until Katara came back out. She took one look at them working around each other in the cramped kitchen and smiled. She took a seat in the chair and picked up her latest medical text.
By the time dinner was done Lee had set out three steaming cups of tea and had set the table as well. Katara sat first and thanked both of them for a lovely meal. They ate in comfortable silence and when dinner was done it was Katara's turn to shoo them away while she cleaned up.
Lee went to the fireplace and started building it back up. The cold nights were seeping in and they seemed to affect Lee more than the Water Tribe siblings. Sokka and Lee took a seat in front of the fire while Katara retook her seat in the chair.
Sokka and Lee spoke softly of tactics and formations. They talked of effective weapons. And when it was late and Katara had long since retired to bed, they did as well. They got ready for bed with their backs turned to each other and Lee didn't question why his bedroll was still neatly stacked out of the way in Sokka's already cramped bedroom. If when Lee put it down it was closer to Sokka's roll, neither of them mentioned that as well.
"Goodnight Sokka," Lee whispered between the small space.
Sokka hummed, turning to see the slight glint of Lee's eyes. "Goodnight Lee, thank you for everything."
~
After that it wasn't uncommon to come home from a long day at the skins shop to find Lee already occupying a seat at the table or curled in the comfy chair. Katara had told him after the night he brought them more than a month's worth of food that he was welcome inside, even when Sokka wasn't home. When asked if his uncle would worry, Lee assured them his uncle knew he was somewhere safe. The knowing look Katara gave them some nights as she went off to her room, told Sokka enough that he didn't need to be jealous.
And jealous he definitely would be. He had started to think of Lee as his . If the soft looks Sokka got before bed and in the early morning hours were to go by, then Lee thought the same of him. So it felt completely natural while they sat in front of the fire one night that Sokka covered Lee's hand with his own. Their cheeks went pink but Sokka refused to move his hand. And that night when they went to bed the little space that had been left between them disappeared.
There were a few awkward starts while they tried to figure out where their arms should go but once they were settled the warmth that settled over Sokka was worth it. Lee had his head on Sokka's shoulder, his left arm wrapped around Sokka's waist. His hair had fallen away from the scar.
"D-does it hurt?" They never spoke of the scar.
Lee sighed, snuggling further into Sokka's warmth. "Not so much." There was silence again before Lee spoke, voice almost impossible to hear. "A fire bender, someone I thought I could trust, punished me." Sokka's arm tightened around Lee's back. "I thought for a long time that I needed to earn my honor back." Lee's raspy voice filled the silence. "But I know now, that my honor is my own. And one day, I'll prove it to them too."
"You have nothing to prove to a worthless fire bender." Sokka felt Lee tense and with effort the older teen relaxed. Lee didn't speak again and Sokka was drifting off before he could articulate how much honor he knew Lee had.
~
Weeks turned into months and before the three teens knew it they were celebrating the new year. Lee wasn't able to join them the night before, it had been him and his uncle for a long time and he didn't want to leave the old man alone for the new year. But the next morning he showed up bright and early with still-hot tea and fresh pastries from his uncle's tea shop.
Sokka greeted him with a kiss, they had long let Katara know about their budding relationship. Even though she had rolled her eyes, she had seen them becoming closer long before they had.
"I'm sorry I couldn't spend the evening with you." Lee wrapped his arms around Sokka and pressed his nose against Sokka's neck.
Sokka laughed, "it's okay. You're here more than your own place as it is. I'm sure your Uncle was happy to have you to himself." Sokka couldn't stop himself from stealing another kiss.
"Come on," Lee urged him toward the door once their tea and pastries were consumed. "Let's go to the market and get something fresh for lunch. My treat." Sokka thinks in another lifetime he might be put out by the way Lee spoiled him and Katara. But in this life he was thankful.
They had the market to themselves, most people still slumbering from the festivities the night before. They were able to pick out the best cuts and freshest produce. They were joking and laughing, fingers brushing with every step. Sokka's cheeks were aching from smiling. He hadn't thought three years ago when the siblings were forced from their home in the middle of the night, watched their GranGran fall and not get back up, that he'd ever find something like this again. Something that felt like family.
It happened fast. One minute Lee was telling an amusing tale of his uncle's, Sokka hanging on to every word, laughing loudly. The next their bags were spilled across the empty street. Lee had Sokka pushed behind him and he let out an undignified yelp at being suddenly manhandled by a surprisingly strong Lee. It had been so long since anyone had really bothered Sokka. Other than a few of the nastier looks from earth natives. When he had his sister, Lee, and a warm apartment to come home to, everything else seemed trivial.
"Look who we have here." Sokka didn't recognize any of the men standing in front of him and he had a sinking suspension that they had been looking for Lee. "I thought I was clear last time, Lee , that I didn't want to see you down here."
"I'm free to move about the city as I please," Sokka barely recognized Lee's voice. There was a dark edge to it.
The men laughed, looking between themselves. "Is that right? You think that fancy tea shop gives you that much freedom." The man stepped forward. "No matter how you dress it up, how well you think you wear the clothes. You and your uncle are just Fire Nation hiding amongst the sheep."
Sokka felt the ground fall away from him, his eyes bore into the side of Lee's head. Fire Nation , he could barely think but a million small things Lee had done flashed across his scattered mind. Sokka swallowed his misgivings, "it's not illegal to be fire nation, so leave us alone." Sokka stepped forward making himself shoulder-to-shoulder with Lee. He knew Lee was feeling shocked, Sokka had never said anything good about Fire nation or their people. But Sokka knew Lee.
The man leading looked at Sokka like he was finally realizing he was even there, then he laughed, spittle flying from his mouth. "Dark skin, dirty hair. Have you found yourself a pet , Prince? Have you even trained it yet."
Sokka was ready to fight all of four of them, damn the consequences of it being an unfair fight, he wouldn't stand to be called an animal. But Lee had gone perfectly still next to him. All the color had drained from his face. For all the warmth Lee usually gave off, Sokka's right side was cold.
"What did you call me?" Lee's voice was ice and Sokka could swear he saw actual steam billowing from his nostrils.
The ring leader seemed egged on by Lee's reaction but his companions were starting to shift from side to side. " Prince Zuko , isn't it?"
"Boss," one of them warned. "You didn't say all that. You just said the shit was a bender."
And there went the earth again, swooping from under Sokka, leaving him floating in the unknown. "Bender?" he whispered. "A f-fire be-bender?"
Lee looked at him and the horror in Lee's eyes was proof enough of the truth. "I can explain."
"Oh, this is-Agh!" The ground around them went into flames with the flick of Lee's wrist.
"Get out of here now ." There were flames licking around each word Lee said. He turned back to Sokka reaching out for him but he recoiled when Sokka flinched hard enough to hit the wall behind them. "Please, Sokka, please let me explain."
"What?" Sokka whispered, "what can you explain?" Lee hung his head, "is your name even Lee?"
Anguish took over Lee's expression, "I can explain."
"I can't. Not right now, please let me go home." Sokka was shaking, his whole being felt ready to fly apart. "I need to go home."
Lee- Zuko ? stepped back, his head hung and he didn't try to make eye contact with Sokka again. The last thing Sokka heard before he broke into a run was, "I'm sorry."
When Sokka stormed through the apartment door he startled Katara enough she dropped her book. "Hey, where's Lee? Are you okay?"
Sokka stopped and looked at Katara and the tears he had done so well to hold back came pouring out. He didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around her tightly and sobbed into her shoulder. "Hey, hey whatever it is. We'll get through it." He isn't sure how long he stayed there clutching at Katara but it was long after the tears dried up.
When he was finally able to speak he kept it simple. Katara loved Lee and Sokka didn't want to ruin that for her. It was enough that his heart was broken. "Lee wasn't who said he was. I just need some time but I don't think he'll be coming around any more. I'm sorry."
"Oh, Sokka. Whatever it is, don't you think you could work it out?" Katara was petting his hair.
"I don't think it's something we can work out. I'm really tired, I'm going to go to bed." He pushed away from Katara, not wanting her to see the fresh tears coming.
Once in his bedroom he wondered why he was so quick to escape when all there was were reminders of the last months with Lee. They'd long put away the second bedroll preferring to crowd together on Sokka's. Lee had extra clothes in the drawers and there was even a tea cup left from the last time Lee slept there. Sokka felt little satisfaction as it shattered on the far wall. He crumbled on to his bedroll and pulled the covers over his head.
~
Sokka allowed himself five days to sulk. Katara hadn't said anything when he asked her to tell his boss he'd be out for a while. When he woke up on the sixth day of the new year he decided enough was enough and got up and ready for work. Katara was surprised to see him but only commented by pushing a strong brewed tea in front of him. Breakfast was quiet. Sokka had refused to explain any further what had happened between him and Lee.
He was pulling on his coat when a knock came. Sokka felt anxiety flood his system. He had thought about what he would do if Lee had shown up at the door a million times, had every possible scenario worked out in his head.
The knock sounded again. Sokka yanked it open and had to choke back letting out any sounds when there was only an old man on the other side.
He was shorter than Sokka, hair completely grey. His earth tone yutaka was nice enough to stand out. It was the worry plainly etched across his face that knocked Sokka back to reality.
"Can I help you?" He asked kindly.
"Are you Sokka by chance?" He asked, hopefully. At Sokka's nod he sighed in relief. "Is Lee here? He hasn't been home since the morning of the new year." Katara gasped behind him, Sokka was having the world ripped from under him anew. Lee was missing?
Katara pushed past Sokka, the look she gave him was hurt. "Please come in."
"No!" Sokka hadn't meant to yell but the idea of a powerful fire bender anywhere near his sister ran his blood cold. Katara was glaring at him, ready to tear into him but the older man took the choice from him.
"Ah, so you know the truth then." Lee's uncle looked so much older for a moment.
"Sokka what is going on?" Katara pleaded. Sokka stepped back and motioned the old through the door.
"Tell me what's going on right now, Sokka." Katara demanded as soon as the door was shut.
Sokka looked past her to Lee's uncle. "Lee's not from the Earth Nation." He swallowed, "I found out Lee is a fire bender."
Katara gasped and sat heavily at the table. She looked at Lee's uncle but there wasn't the fear Sokka thought he would see there. "We'll help you look for Lee." She stood up and gave Sokka a sharp look. "You said it wasn't something you could work out." He felt ashamed that his sister could find it in herself to forgive, when Sokka still struggled.
"Please give Lee a chance to explain himself." His uncle said before all three were out the door. The siblings went one way and the old man another.
The siblings were quiet but the silence between was filled with questions and accusations. "How can you just brush it off?" Sokka finally asked.
Katara stared ahead and when she spoke it was quiet, "I'm not brushing off anything. We haven't seen much kindness since we left the south. It's all Lee's ever shown."
Sokka walked faster, pulling his coat tighter. "I feel like it was all a lie."
Katara scoffed, glaring at him. "You really think all those nights spent by the fire were lies? I thought you loved him."
"How can I know it's love when I wasn't even calling him by his name."
Sokka felt all twisted up inside. He wanted to forgive and move on. He wanted Lee back. But that wasn't even his name and if he hid behind a fake name why wasn't it possible other aspects were made up. Sokka thought about late nights cramped on one bedroll, tangled together. Someone wouldn't make all that up. Could they.
"Let's split up. Cover more ground." Sokka ordered instead of facing answers he didn't have yet. He broke away from his sister. Lee said he had spent time in alleys. Sokka hoped he could find him there and apologize before his uncle could find him and Lee would disappear to the upper ring and maybe never come back this time.
He still had no idea what he would say to Lee. Or how he felt. He knew what his heart was saying. It wanted to forgive. His brain wasn't ready to agree. He wandered aimlessly for close to an hour before he stumbled across the alley he first met Lee in. That felt like a lifetime ago now.
Not thinking he grabbed the lowest rung of the fire escape and started to climb. It wasn't some amazing spot to view the city, as there weren't any spots like that in the lower ring but it did provide privacy. And Sokka could use a moment to clear his head.
Once up and out of the way he started to pace. He knew he loved Lee. Sokka had fallen hard and fast for the older teen. Lee was sweet and kind and so smart. And for all Sokka's joking around he needed someone that could keep up with him mentally. And Lee had never disappointed.
In frustration Sokka tugged at his hair and groaned. "Why does everything have to be so hard !" he shouted.
"Maybe it doesn't have to be?" If there had been any doubt before how Sokka would react if he had the chance to hear Lee's voice again. There wasn't now. His heart beat faster, his stomach was in knots so tight he might be sick. Sokka turned and found Lee tucked in a corner of the roof. Easily out of sight and Lee could have remained that way. "Please give me a chance to explain?"
Sokka sighed, it's what he should have done in the first place. "Maybe we should find Katara and your uncle first."
"Uncle I-Mushi is looking for me?" Lee could not possibly ever be the cruel fire benders of Sokka's nightmares.
"Well what do you expect? You've been missing for days." Sokka couldn't help but bite out.
Lee looked ashamed and hung his head for a moment. "I wanted to clear my head, I must have lost track of time." Sokka finally took a good look at Lee. The teen looked like he was barely standing, his yutaka that had been pressed and clean the last Sokka saw him was now dirty and rumpled and obviously slept in for many days.
"C'mon," Sokka took Lee by the elbow since it looked like a slight breeze might knock him over. "Let's go home. I'll find Katara and Uncle Mushi and then we can all talk. I'm sorry I didn't let you explain before."
"I wanted to tell you the truth a-"
Sokka cut Lee off with a finger against his chapped lips. Lee was paler than usual and the scar stuck out more prodomeditely. "I believe that. C'mon you look like you're going to pass out."
Once they were back on the ground Lee leaned heavily against Sokka. They had their arms around each other's waist and Sokka only stumbled a bit before he was able to accommodate Lee's weight. They didn't draw too many stares and Sokka longed to live in a place where people minded their own business.
"Sokka!" Katara was coming toward them and she broke out into a run when she saw Lee. "Lee!" She wrapped her arms around him, almost taking all three of them to the ground. Lee's eyes were wide and tears were gathering but he managed to hug Katara back. "Come on, I just saw Uncle Mushi." Katara took up Lee's other side, crowding him between the siblings.
All four of them were cramped in the small apartment, Lee had a hot tea and plate of food in front of him. No one was speaking. Once Lee pushed the plate away and finished his tea, Sokka was at his side again helping him to the bathroom.
"Go ahead and get washed up, I'll put some clean clothes in here for you." Sokka thoughtlessly reached out and grabbed Lee's shoulder and pulled him close. "We'll be here for you when you're done." He risked a chaste kiss to the corner of Lee's mouth.
The living space of their small apartment was thick with unspoken words. Sokka wanted nothing more than to interrogate the old man. But he also knew that he needed to hear this story from Lee. He needed to know his side of it all first.
To fill the silence Uncle Mushi asked Katara safe questions about her studies. Apparently Lee had told him a lot about the Water Tribe teens. He offered his condolences of their ruined home when Katara said she couldn't find a medicine master to take her on, her nationality holding her back. It stung and Sokka wanted to argue that the old man had no room to offer condolences when it was the very Fire Nation that had destroyed it.
Before Sokka could lose too much of his temper Lee was re-entering the room. He still appeared pale and shaky but at least now there wasn't a layer of grime also marring him. He immediately came in the room and stoked the dying fire, both siblings flinched when Lee did not hide his use of fire bending to bring it back to life. Lee sat there, in front of the fire. Sokka followed, his body on autopilot and his heart yearning for the other teen's presence finally close again.
"My name is Zuko," was the first thing he said. "And I was banished from the Fire Nation by my father, Lord Ozai." Katara trembled but she joined them on the rug and took Zuko's hand. Sokka took the other, Zuko looked at their entwined fingers and then Katara's hands that were clasping Zuko tightly.
"I was going to tell you that I wasn't Earth Nation but by the time I worked up the courage I was afraid it would ruin everything." Sokka squeezed Zuko's hand, ashamed that he had made Zuko's fears a reality. "And then," Zuko looked at Sokka. "I felt like I had too much to lose, if I lost you."
"I am so sorry," Sokka wrapped his arms around Zuko and held him tight.
"You have no good reason to trust a fire bender." Zuko pointed out.
"But you've been nothing but good to Katara and me. I shouldn't have judged you, I at least should have let you explain." Sokka pulled Zuko closer and wrapped his arm around him.
"Zuko," Katara said it slowly, trying it out for the first time, "you said someone you trusted burned you." Zuko flinched, his gaze moving to the fire. His eyes were distant looking off at memories.
"I spoke out against a general during a war meeting." Each word was spoken carefully, this was obviously not something Zuko spoke about. "My father wanted me to participate in what's called an Agni Kai. I thought it would be the general I was fighting. Instead, it was my father. I begged for forgiveness and was rewarded with this." He gestured to the scar. Sokka did not stop himself when he reached out and brushed his fingers along the edge, where soft skin met the hardened burn tissue.
"My mother and Uncle Iroh are the only people who have ever cared for me. Until you two." The crackling of the fire was the only sounds for some time.
Uncle Iroh came and went and began dinner. Zuko had long fallen asleep. His head in Sokka's lap, body stretched across the floor, warmed by the fire. Katara had moved to Sokka's other side and was curled into her brother, head on his shoulder. They were speaking softly of home.
When dinner was complete Sokka gently shook Zuko awake, he brushed loose strands of hair away from Zuko's eyes, the gold glowed in the fire light. Sokka smiled and leaned down, brushing his lips against Zuko's. Sokka unfolded himself and stood in one motion, he reached down and pulled Zuko to his feet. He huffed when Zuko's arms wrapped around, hugging him tight.
It was cramped around the small table that the siblings thought would never seat more than them. But it had become the three of them over the last months and Uncle Iroh spoken of as if he was right there but out of sight. Sokka and Zuko were closer on one corner, elbows brushing. Katara and Uncle Iroh were continuing a conversation from earlier about Katara's medicine when Zuko interrupted softly.
"Uncle, could we talk about...that discussion?" Zuko was fidgeting with his drinking glass.
Iroh sat back, expression thoughtful. "We may."
"I asked Uncle if he would be your benefactor. You both could move to the upper ring with us. We have the rooms."
"Mine?" Zuko's eyes had been focussed on Katara.
"Uncle's spoken with a healer who wants to train you. They are interested in your knowledge of water tribe healing."
"I don't know what to say." Katara was looking at Sokka.
Zuko followed her gaze, "There would be opportunities for you as well, after, after some time." Zuko looked frustrated, but continued on. "But we can work in the tea shop, together."
Sokka didn't care if he cleaned bathrooms, this was an opportunity for Katara and he'd never let her down. "Maybe I should stick to bussing tables, so Uncle Iroh doesn't go out of business."
Iroh laughed heartily at that, "The art of tea making can be learned by any who find it worthy to know." He smiled at them. "So, Katara?"
"I-yes, I mean." Katara laughed. "Thank you, both you." The siblings stared at each other a moment before jumping up to wrap each other up in a crushing hug. They didn't bother to hide their happy tears.
~
Sokka fell back on his bed, exhausted. The extra shifts at the weapon's shop was tiring but worth it. The owner was teaching him weapon handling after hours. He didn't need the extra money, Uncle Iroh took care of their necessities. One night, late when they should have been asleep he and Zuko had spoken about getting their own place. They both longed for the closeness that the little apartment in the lower ring had offered. So the extra was being put away for now. It wouldn't be anytime soon, maybe once Katara was comfortably on her own. If it was still what Zuko wanted.
He sighed, Zuko hadn't been himself the last two weeks. Spending many evenings out, only making it back in the nick of time to not miss curfew. Sokka's gut twisted uncomfortably not wanting to think where Zuko might be if he did miss curfew. Sokka huffed, annoyed with himself.
The door to the apartments opened. Sokka knew Uncle Iroh was going to be late with an important party for the evening and Katara was being escorted home after curfew by her healer teacher. So that left Zuko, who was home much earlier than usual.
"Sokka?" Zuko called out and Sokka sat up at the sound in his voice. He seemed excited, breathless.
"Back here," he was just too tired to move now. Zuko came hurrying into the room. He had several scrolls stuffed under one arm. "What's up?" He was taken by surprise when the first thing Zuko did was kiss him.
"I have a crazy idea." Zuko dropped to the floor and started spreading the scrolls out. Sokka started to recognize the shape of the land. "I think the Avatar is in the South Pole."
"Huh," but Zuko didn't give him the chance to say more.
"When I was first banished my father told me to find the Avatar and my honor could be restored." Sokka nodded, he hadn't gotten to see this side of Zuko often. It was that same buzzing energy when he showed Sokka how to make jasmine tea the first time. "Uncle convinced me that my honor was my own and that's how we ended up in Ba Sing Se." Sokka knew that story, the Avatar stuff was new.
"When I first heard of the destruction of the South Pole I couldn't understand why my father even cared about it. The Southern Water Tribe was all but gone, no known water benders were left." Zuko stopped there and hung his head. Sokka touched his shoulder. Zuko would never be like his father.
Zuko lifted his head and continued, "I had pretty much forgotten all about the Avatar. My father is a cruel man and had wanted to send me out to my death. But this thought came to me, that maybe he had been looking for something there. So I started asking," here Sokka made a distressed sound, "around. Ozai was looking for the Avatar. He sent...my sister," he whispered, "to the South Pole. I am so sorry." Sokka thought of the fire bender at the front of the line, small, efficient. Deadly.
"I don't understand. What do you want to do with this?" Absolutely everything was about to change.
"Uncle can arrange transportation and man-power. And I think. I think we could build something along the way. We-we've talked about it before."
Sokka recalls a hundred memories around a cramped fireplace, an old wooden table, the kitchens of the tea shop, hushed voices with Katara and Uncle contributing in the spacious living space.
"You want to leave Ba Sing Se, travel across the Earth Nation amassing a following, travel to the South Pole...and find the Avatar?" Zuko dropped his head, hand rubbing at his neck.
"Yeah."
"Okay."