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Zuko wasn’t a coffee drinker - maybe that was his problem to begin with. He would slowly nurse a mug of earl grey tea each morning, but that was about as much caffeine as he ever drank. But with the final exam for his art history class opening tonight at 5pm, and being due exactly at 11:59pm, he’d need all the caffeine he could get today to ensure he’d be able to stay awake that long. He was worried because he usually got ready for bed at 8pm, liking to curl up under his blankets and read until his eyes grew heavy. In fact, this was his routine every night, and he wasn’t confident in his ability to stay up much past that.
Which was another thing, as much as he loved art history - his primetime for studying was always early in the morning, why did this exam have to be so late in the day? Or shouldn’t the students at least be able to choose if they wanted to take it earlier in the day? Whatever the reason, he was now saddled with what his professor had described as a “monumental feat of an exam” that had to be completed during his least productive hours of the day, and had to be finished by midnight tonight. Well, exactly one minute before midnight - like an extra sixty seconds would really help him here. The fact that it was an open notes exam was far from comforting considering Zuko was a terrible note taker.
This continuous monologue played on a loop behind Zuko's eyes as he gradually joined the land of the living. It was an overcast day, with his room blanketed in grey light, and he wished he could simply stay under the weight of his comforter, enjoying the gloomy day from his nest of comfort. Glancing at the clock hanging above his desk in front of his bed, it read 10am - some quick math told him he had exactly 7 hours to be ready for this exam - that he’d been studying for all week. Knowing that cramming at this point wouldn’t do his brain any good, he opted to do some light stretching, maybe take his roommate’s dog for a walk, and spend the day rereading his notes.
But what about the actual problem - how would he stay awake that long?
Zuko hummed to himself, mulling this issue as he pulled on a pair of soft joggers and lifted a hoodie from the floor where it had been discarded last night. Tugging on a pair of fuzzy socks, he padded into the kitchen wondering if his roommate would be awake yet. Sokka, said roommate, worked at a local sandwich shop on the weekends, and as an EMT during the week when he wasn’t in class. Zuko and Sokka had become best friends when they met at Zuko’s Uncle’s tea shop, Sokka always came in and asked for what might be considered a grenade of high potency caffeine, and Zuko, usually a morning shift barista, was always there to craft whatever wild concoction Sokka had come up with that day. Over the months, they both realized they were studying for their bachelor’s degrees at the same local university. Sokka was going for a degree in architecture, while Zuko was studying - you guessed it, art history.
The boys had decided to be roommates when Sokka came into the shop one day huffing about how his little sister, Katara had let him know she would be moving in with her boyfriend Aang, leaving Sokka to fend for rent on his own unless he wanted to move. He was having a hard time finding a roommate given his chaotic work schedule and even weirder EMT sleep schedule. Most nights during the week he was on call, which meant leaving the apartment at all hours of the night. The whole thing worked out though since Zuko had recently broken up with his girlfriend, Mai, and was sleeping on their couch until he could find a new place. Zuko had moved in at the end of the spring semester and the rest was history - art history?
Zuko chuckled at his own pun as he swung open the fridge door to grab at a bag of bagels and some peanut butter. He switched on the electric kettle, waiting beside his assortment of teas, skimming his options and eventually eyeballing Sokka’s coffee bean grinder. Sokka had told him once if he ever wanted some to help himself, but Zuko had shrugged and said, “I’m a tea guy, but thanks”.
Leaning against the counter as his bagels toasted, Zuko frowned in thought, wondering if today might be a good day for him to be a coffee guy. As he considered making a cup, he realized there was a note taped to the kitchen table, squiggly handwriting that belonged to none other than his chaotic roommate.
“Got called in to work, good luck on the exam today! Instructions for the coffee press are on the back ~sokka”
Zuko flipped the note over and found his the instructions written out by his executive dysfunctioning roommate to be as chaotic and littered with spelling errors as he had imagined:
“1. Weight out coffee beans using the food scale (it’s in the cupboard above the fridge,
1.b grind up coffee beans heat hot water
2. Grind up beanz and pour into press
C.pour hot water into press let water c00l down a bit, then pour a little over the coffee grinds so that they ~bloom~
3. After 2-3 mins pouf the rest of the water in + let coffe grounds settle, then pres down filter + pour!
P.s. the longer you let the coffee steep the longer it’s going to be you are literally a barista forget i said any of this x_x
P.p.s good luck !! sokka”
Zuko smiled to himself as he read the note, realizing that Sokka had preemptively thought of exactly what he was now considering. He slipped the tea packet back into the container and reached into the freezer for the coffee beans Sokka kept stored there. The toaster popped up with the bagels as he skimmed the back of Sokka’s notes.
Zuko followed the steps carefully written out by Sokka and soon after had a fresh cup of coffee steaming next to his breakfast bagel. He squeezed a tiny amount of agave into the mug before bringing it back to his bedroom. Taking a sip of the beverage, he wrinkled his nose, remembering the taste took a bit getting used to since it had been awhile since he’d had coffee in any shape or form.
Alternating between working on his breakfast and doing some relaxation stretches, Zuko felt more clear headed and ready to face this exam after about an hour. He had finished the cup of coffee, and decided a second one couldn’t hurt to get into his system now. Hoping the caffeine would last him until after the exam, Zuko poured another generous cup and settled at his desk to re-read his notes.
That afternoon Zuko latently realized he’d missed lunch, his brain had zeroed in on the task and he felt more focused and alert, and more confident about this exam going well tonight. He popped into the kitchen for a light lunch, noting it was now 3pm - only two hours to go until the exam opened.
He shot off a quick text in his group chat with a few other students and Aang, who was in the same class:
Zuko: “T-minus 2 hours to go, how’s everyone feeling? :]”
Aang: “Stoked! I’m ready to ace this thing! :D :D :D”
Suki: “heh, ace xD. Like garbage, i’m spending today trying to cram as much as I can because i still can’t keep my timelines straight!’
Zuko grinned, his tongue presse between his lips as he typed a reply,
Zuko: “that’s about the only thing you can keep straight ;)”
Suki: “you and me both, buddy! R u ready for tonight?”
Zuko grinned, “bi rights! And I dunno, i think so - worried about staying up that late honestly, but I’m havin’ coffee now”
Aang: “Mighty morphin’ caffeinated queeros take on ARTHIS 485! ^_^ ”
Suki: “I’m going to fail but it was an honor to serve with you all, mighty morphin’ queeros”
Zuko: “RIP MMQ x_x”
Tossing his phone on his bed, Zuko turned back to his desk, holding the lukewarm mug of coffee and checked the time, it was now 4:15pm, less than 45 minutes before the exam opened. He set an alarm on his laptop for 4:45pm to get logged in and turned back to his notebook for one final review.
A generic beeping startled Zuko out of his studying, a while later, resetting the alarm on his laptop, he clicked over to the exam to get logged in. The exam was going to be open notes, but Zuko was still worried about even being able to find the information he needed in his notes- and without getting distracted. Time management wasn’t his strong point since his brain loved to zone out and get distracted, especially when he was tired, but he could feel the caffeine buzzing on his skin, and he hoped it would be enough to keep him awake.
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Zuko lifted his head as he heard the apartment door slam - it was 7pm, and Sokka was just getting home from work. The first two hours of this exam had been brutal, and there was still five hours to go. Sighing to himself, he typed out a quick message to Sokka,
“Still going, I’ll probably be done at midnight - wanna order food?”
Not bothering to wait for a reply, he settled in to push through the rest of the exam. He glanced at the question counter, and realized he still had 53 questions to go, and he was going to need to answer the questions a lot faster. With a sigh, he moved on to read the next question.
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At exactly 11:55pm Zuko clicked to submit the exam.
“Are you sure?” blinked onto the exam page, and without hesitating Zuko clicked “ok”. He instantly wiped a hand over his face, the scar over his left eye ached, and he could feel the pounding of a migraine behind his eyes, probably from staring at the screen for so long. He also felt a little nauseous, and his skin felt prickly. “I probably just need something to eat,” he thought to himself as he went to open his bedroom door and when he walked out of the kitchen he saw Sokka in the living room. A controller in his hand, Zuko saw Sokka was rebuilding his island in animal crossing.
Sokka’s hair was loose, his hair tie secured on his wrist. He had dark bruises under his eyes, alerting Zuko to the fact that he hadn’t been sleeping much. He was dressed in blue basketball shorts with a faded vintage x-men shirt that was a little too big hanging loose on his shoulders. A bowl of his usual pad thai was next to him on the couch, and his dog, Boomerang, was lying suspiciously close to it. Boomerang heard Zuko leave his room though, and began to thump his tail in greeting, not leaving the spot by the couch for fear of losing his chance to steal some noodles.
Zuko noticed a take out bag with his name on it sitting on the counter by the fridge, and eagerly opened it to find his favorite order of potato curry.
It took a minute for Sokka to realize Zuko had emerged, but upon hearing the bag rustling, he asked without looking up, “Hey! How was the exam?”
“Thank you so much for the food- and it sucked. I think it went okay, but I won’t know how I did until next week” Zuko replied, grabbing a carton of rice and heading to the living room to plop down on the floor. He gave Boomerang a quick pat on the head before digging in.
Sokka nodded, and then glanced over to Zuko, who was working on adding some rice into the bowl of curry, “I’m surprised you’re still upright, aren’t you normally zonked out by now?”
Zuko nodded, “Oh yeah, definitely - but the exam was going to be so late, I had some coffee this morning to help keep me going.”
Sokka frowned, “not the coffee beans in the freezer - right?”
Zuko returned the frown, glancing up from his curry, “Yeah - why?”
Sokka sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, “dude, you’re gonna be wired for hours - those are extra dark roast, did you read the label? I only use those on days when I haven’t slept in 24 hours and get called in to work!”
Zuko’s eyes grew wide. He glanced down, frowning at his curry, and then shrugged, “well, shit.”
“Like, you know I have an awful sleep schedule, but you like, actually get up early and go to bed on time - so, should I be worried? You seem wired, let alone-” Sokka nodded to where Zuko’s knee was bouncing erratically, “giving the energizer bunny a run for his money?”
“I’m fine, I’m going to finish this ‘cause I haven't eaten real food yet today, and then I’m going to bed.” Zuko replied, “I should be able to sleep, I feel exhausted,” he said, yawning.
Sokka grinned, “Well, if you need anything, I’ll be up - work was pretty slow after the morning rush so I've got energy to burn before I try to sleep.”
Zuko nodded, scooping the last bite of his curry into his mouth before stacking his dishes and dropping them into the trash on his way through the kitchen. He flicked the overhead lights off, and headed into his bedroom. He slipped off his sweatpants, opting to keep his hoodie on and boxers as he curled up under his covers. He reached out to tap his bedside lamp off, and lay in the dark, eyes open and watching the ceiling above him. The only problem, his mind was racing at a hundred miles a minute. Glancing at the clock above his desk, the time read 1:42am.
Zuko sighed, and brought the covers up over his head, rolling over to curl around the body pillow he slept with each night, hoping the darkness and pressure would remind his mind it was time to sleep. A few minutes later, however, his entire body felt like it was on fire, he was instantly too hot, the migraine pounding behind his eyes flashed like stars across the backs of his eyelids. He instantly felt overwhelmed, like his skin was prickly velcro. He tried to rub the sensation away, but it became overwhelming. Recognizing the early stages of a caffeine meltdown, he sighed.
Throwing back the covers, Zuko reached for a mug of water next to his night stand and felt relieved at the cooling effect it had as it poured down his throat. He pressed the cool mug to his forward, groaning at the momentary relief he felt. The migraine and irritated feeling on his skin was still an issue though, so he moved to lay on top of the blankets, hoping it would help to cool him down. He glanced distractedly at the clock and noted it was now 3:02am and he groaned, realizing the bitter taste at the back of his throat was coffee. He rolled his eyes, thinking about the two cups from earlier that day - actually, yesterday….morning. He remembered this distractedly as he ran a hand through his hair, noting the ends were knotted and in need of some attention.
He tried laying back down and doing some deep breathing techniques he had learned from his uncle. Visualizing a rock being lifted and then let go underwater, breathing in and holding his breath while he watched it sink to the bottom. This worked for about ten seconds until he forgot what he was doing and felt his whole body tense up again. His toes twisted in anxiety, and his feet twitched with the aftershocks of a caffeine rush.
Zuko grabbed his phone, flicking over to a white noise app, hoping the dull static would lull his brain to sleep as he laid back down, curling into his pillow. He laid there for what felt like an hour, his mind still doing cartwheels, until he glanced up at the clock, realizing it had only been ten minutes. Seeing the time, he shot a quick text off to Aang,
“hey, having a hard time getting to sleep - can we postpone our coffee hang tomorrow?”
Groaning, he slipped on some slippers and without a second thought, grabbed a throw blanket from the bed and stalked out to the living room.
A cool breeze washed over his bare legs, as he stepped out into the kitchen and he realized that not only was Sokka still awake, but that he had opened a window in the living room. Sokka had pulled on a hoodie and was now sitting on the floor, his back leaned up against the couch. His loose hair blew in the breeze, and his face seemed relaxed and calm as he clicked through the videogame on the screen, muted because of the hour. The cool summer night air made Zuko shiver and he sniffed as he felt his nose grow cold.
Sokka noticed him standing by the couch, “oh, hey - uh, what are you doing up?”
Zuko sniffed again, pressing the blanket bundle closer to his chest, “I think the coffee is keeping me from going to sleep - can I sit out here with you?”
Sokka nodded, patting the couch cushion behind him, “Of course, can I make you some tea? It’s almost 4am, you don’t have to work tomorrow do you?’
Zuko shook his head as he laid down on the couch, spreading the blanket over his legs and rolling on his side to meet Sokka’s blue eyes, “no, I don’t. I was going to go over to Aang’s but if I can’t fall asleep then there’s no point.”
Sokka looked worried, his eyebrows furrowing, “Does your head hurt? Oh and- tea?”
Zuko let his eyes slide closed, “yeah, i think i’m in a caffeine meltdown, some tea would be nice - if you don't mind.”
Sokka pressed pause for the TV and hopped up, his hoodie riding up his back before he yanked it back down. Zuko found himself glancing at the toned muscles there, the tanned skin reflecting the glow of the moon through the window. Zuko shivered again, stuffing down the pining he felt rising up in his chest.
Oh, did he forget to mention he has had a whopping crush on Sokka going on three years?
Anyways.
Zuko tucked a pillow behind his head and glanced at his phone screen, it was 3:47am and the pounding in his head screamed at him to put the phone away despite the low brightness. Powering his phone off, Zuko watched Sokka move through the kitchen, boiling the water and steeping the tea. He had flicked the light above the stove on, so the warm glow outlined his silhouette as he worked. As soon as he was done, he flipped the switch and walked back to Zuko, two mugs steaming in his hands.
Sokka handed one of the mugs to Zuko’s waiting hands, and a whiff of peppermint greeted Zuko’s nose as he went to sip the tea. The peppermint instantly relaxed the tension in the front of his brain, and he kicked himself, remembering how peppermint was helpful for relaxing.
“How is it?” Sokka asked absentmindedly as he went to power off the TV.
Zuko grunted, “it’s helping, thank you. Are you going to bed?” he asked, looking up from his mug to where Sokka stood in the living room.
“Uh, no actually - I was wondering if you wanted some chill company? I know how screens can make migraines worse, so I figured we could just talk? Or if you wanted me to like, I dunno, rub your shoulders-'' Sokka spoke while anxiously rubbing his hands together, listing off more things, but Zuko’s brain had shortcircuited after the last thing he offered.
Feeling the tension in his upper back and neck, Zuko realized that might actually help - the only problem being Zuko was as likely to cuddle up with somebody as a feral house cat - or maybe a cactus? Whatever, he loved being cuddly with friends but never really knew how to ask without making it weird or confusing, but there were a few issues here, 1- he had a major crush on Sokka and 2- the idea of Sokka touching him, let alone rubbing his anything was enough to make Zuko blush furiously. Not to mention his skin was already on sensory overload and he could very easily freak the fuck out.
Sokka had trailed off, his hands now shoved deep into his pockets, when he offered, “or, hey, I can let you be and just head back to my room - no worries!” and he turned to leave just as Zuko finally returned to this plane of existence enough to squeak out a reply,
“No, wait, sorry - actually my shoulders really do hurt. I’m not so great with the talking, but the massage might be good.”
Sokka paused then, his face unreadable for a moment before he grinned, he turned back towards the couch. He grabbed the TV remote and clicked through the menu to turn on a lo-fi playlist. The soft beats filling the silence, and the ringing in Zuko’s ears was a little less loud.
Boomerang chose that moment to make an appearance, wandering out of Sokka's bedroom, he jumped up on the couch, circling twice before laying his head to rest on Zuko’s lap, his long tail thumping against the side of the couch where it hung down towards the floor.
Zuko sat up then, the blanket bunching around his waist as he moved forward, making room for Sokka to sit behind him. He moved to tie his hair up out of the way, when Sokka cleared his throat and whispered hoarsely, “I can do that if...if you want”.
Zuko froze, before dropping his hands back into his lap. He passed the hair tie back to Sokka, “uh, sure, thanks” he replied, his fingers anxiously kneading the blanket in his lap. He held his breath as he felt Sokka reach to gather the loose strands of his hair together. His fingers brushed the backs of Zuko’s ears, and he felt a rush of heat in his chest.
Sokka worked silently and methodically, gathering up the stray hairs and gently pulling the bunch through the hair tie, just lifted off Zuko’s neck. Sokka cleared his throat again, louder this time, dropping his hands from Zuko’s hair, “uhm, where does it- uh, where does it hurt?” He tried to speak clearly.
Zuko shrugged, reaching a hand up to outline the side of his neck, and reaching further towards the backs of his shoulder blades, “uhm, I guess, sort of here”.
Sokka nodded, not realizing Zuko couldn’t see him. He reached up and met Zuko’s hand in the place he had indicated and Zuko visibly stiffened at the contact. Zuko inhaled sharply, and Sokka spoke up,
“Are you okay?’
Zuko didn’t reply but nodded sharply, bringing his hand back into his lap, grateful Sokka probably couldn’t see the blush furiously spreading across his face. Sokka waited a moment, and then pressed gently but firmly into the warm skin of Zuko’s back, his thumbs working circles into the tense muscles.
In that instance, Zuko's shoulders sagged, and he started to visibly relax under Sokka’s hands.
After a few minutes Zuko sighed, his head sagging as he focused on smoothing the fur of Boomerang’s face, now resting in his lap, methodically working on massaging the pup to distract himself from how good Sokka’s hands felt on his skin.
Sokka hummed along to one of the songs playing in the background as he quietly moved his hands, massaging deeper circles into Zuko’s shoulders, and eventually working up the sides of his neck. Zuko lifted his head instinctually, leaning into the pressure. A blissful groan escaped from his mouth before he could stop it, and flames rose in his cheeks.
Sokka took a quick break, flexing his hands and reaching for his mug of tea to take a sip - but not before he noticed Zuko watching him. His golden eyes gleamed in the shadows of their apartment.
“Oh, I’m not done, unless you wanted me to be?” He said, raising his eyebrows as he took another sip of tea.
Zuko shook his head wordlessly, and reached for his own mug before replying, “Only if..if you’re up for it. It feels really good, I don’t even feel as tense anymore.” As he spoke the lids of his eyes slid closed as he sipped his tea, his face looked so relaxed, Sokka was surprised he was awake at all.
“Yeah, no problem buddy. I’ll keep going for a bit, but it looks like you might be getting sleepy.” He chuckled, rubbing his arms along Zuko’s upper arms before returning to massage the muscles in his neck.
Zuko sighed contentedly again, finishing the last sip of his tea. Boomerang was fast asleep, his head tucked preciously in Zuko’s lap, and Zuko stroked his ears gently, eyes slipping closed as he relished the pressure along the back of his neck. He listened quietly to Sokka’s focused breathing, and was surprised to note how his own heartbeat had quieted, maybe the caffeine had finally worked its way through his system.
Zuko wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but Sokka suddenly lifted his hands and Zuko felt the couch shift as he got up to stretch,
“I just need to pee quick, and maybe make another mug of tea, if that’s alright?” he said.
Zuko nodded, handing him his own mug, as he said, “thank you, I really appreciate you doing this.”
Sokka smiled gently, patting the top of Zuko’s head affectionately before heading to the bathroom.
Zuko reached over to pet Boomerang again before laying down to take the pressure off of his lower back. He stuffed the pillow back behind his head, and felt his eyes drift closed as he rubbed circles in the soft fur of Boomerang’s ears. Without meaning to, he felt sleep roll over him like a weighted blanket, and within minutes, he was sound asleep, all the tension of the day drained from his body.
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Sokka finished drying his hands and headed for the kitchen, but not before checking on Zuko at the couch. He smiled as he took in the scene, his adorable roommate cozied up with the best dog in the world, clearly passed the fuck out. Zuko’s face was so relaxed, and his ponytail had slipped just enough so his dark hair was splayed out, framing his face. Sokka reached down and tugged the blanket over Zuko’s chest and smoothed the bangs from his forehead gently. Sokka paused for a minute, watching Zuko breathe deeply in his sleep, and surprising even himself, he leaned down to press a soft kiss to Zuko’s brow. Sokka felt the heat of zuko’s breath on his face, and leaned back, a deep blush creeping up his neck.
Maybe one day he’d come clean about how much of a thing he had for his adorably angsty roommate, but that day wouldn’t be today.
He set a timer on the TV to turn off in a few hours, and flicked off the light in the kitchen before returning to his own room. Curled up under the bed covers, his last waking thought was how incredibly soft Zuko’s skin had been, before sleep pulled him under to dream.