Work Text:
“What are you saying?” Zuko asked, still standoffish, but a little more open with curiosity.
Sokka leaned a little closer and looked deep into those golden eyes. “I’m saying that I think you’re the most fascinating person I’ve ever met. Everything you do is so interesting to me, and I want to spend more time with you and get to know every amazing thing about you. You captivate me.”
Sokka didn’t know what he expected, but he was still taken off guard when Zuko frowned and looked away coldly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He spat, a deep bitterness in his voice.
Sokka didn’t know how to respond, but he wasn’t about to let Zuko’s cold angst cockblock him, so he tried to lighten the mood. “Yeah I do. It’s my feelings. I know them better than anyone!” Zuko shot him a look. “ I mean you don’t know me . If you did, you would leave me alone.”
Now Sokka was confused. Why would Zuko say something like that about himself? “Well, I want to get to know you. Maybe I won’t hate you as much as you think.”
“Just take my word for it.” Zuko scowled.
“But I don’t want to take your word for it! I really like you and I want to spend more time with you.”
“You like me?” Zuko asked that question with disgust and doubt. “What could you possibly like about me?”
“Well, back when we were still in prison and you were explaining firebending to Aang, you were so articulate. I felt like I could feel my own inner flame, I felt like I could firebend you out myself! You’re just so good with words.
“And you’re so organized and composed, even when you’re in a terrible situation, you always act like you’re in control and you take advantage of any opportunities so well it makes it seem like you planned them.
“And I know you pretend to hate Appa and Momo, but you’re really sweet with animals. Back when we were still enemies I always imagined you as the kind of guy who would kick a dog or something, but you’re actually really kind to them.
“And you’re so dedicated and ritualistic, I really admire that about you. I could never get up at the same time every day just to meditate or whatever it is you do that early, and you always have such good manners, and it’s just a part of you. Like, the chopsticks thing, I thought you just insisted on doing that to piss off Katara, but then you were doing it when you were alone, too, and I was like, ‘wow, he really does just do that because it’s a habit for him.’ I just think that’s so cool because I could never do that.”
[A/N: Sokka is refrencing a fight Zuko and Katara had in the original fic. Zuko eats with his right hand even though he is a lefty and Katara thinks that’s pretentious]
By this point in Sokka’s monologue, Zuko looked dumbstruck and his cheeks were pinker than flowers, and Sokka could definitely make his move, but he was just so impassioned, he had to keep going.
“And you’re so cool and such a good fighter! Like, you do firebending, which is SO cool but also kind of scary, but then you do swords too?! When we were escaping from Zhao and those two guards jumped you, I thought for sure you were done for, but then you beat both of them and started using their swords?! That was so badass!
“I just think you’re so cool and talented and smart and articulate and you have really good handwriting and I think that even though you act mean that you’re secretly really nice and I also think you’re kind of cute and handsome and have a really pretty face...”
Sokka looked away in shyness and blushed on those last comments, because he might as well have just said “I have a crush on you” but to his shock and dismay, Zuko’s face turned from dumbstruck flattery to mean and bitter anger on those last lines. “Listen, Sokka, I know you hate me, but you don’t have to mess with my head, okay?! Just leave me alone!” He snapped and turned away.
Sokka didn’t know what to say. What kind of a reaction was that?! Is this what he got for being brave and opening up to his crush?! What the hell! “What are you talking about? I just said I really liked you!”
Zuko turned around to face him again and glared. “Yeah, and you also said you thought I had a really pretty face. Do you think I’m stupid?! I know what I look like, you don’t have to pretend like you don’t notice it. Nobody thinks I have a pretty face, and I don’t blame them.”
Now Sokka realized. Did Zuko really think that whole impassioned rant he just did was just a gateway to make fun of his scar? Of course he was insecure about it, how could Sokka say something so thoughtless!
“Wait, Zuko, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant!” He tried, but Zuko just turned away again.
“Yeah, right. Listen, you can save it, because I’ve heard it all before.”
“No, I’m serious, I really didn’t mean it like that! I’m sorry I said something so thoughtless, I should have known you were sensitive about your scar.”
Zuko said nothing. So Sokka continued. “....I wasn’t lying, though. I really do think you have a pretty face.”
Zuko glared harder. “Just shut up!” He snapped, but Sokka refused. “No, I’m serious! I... I really do think you’re handsome. You have such pretty hair and eyes and your skin is so perfect, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you have a single blemish. Aside from, you know... the big one. And your eyebrows — I mean, uh, eyebrow — is really expressive and your eyes are so big and pretty... I mean. The one is kind of-“
“Just stop talking.”
“Okay.”
Zuko looked bitter but solemn out across the water, and for once, spoke unprompted. “I know what I look like, and I know that no one will ever find me attractive because of it, and I’ve accepted that. So you don’t have to pretend to see past it in some grand, romantic gesture, because I really don’t care. No one will ever love me in that way, and I’m used to it, so just give up and leave me alone.”
That statement stuck somewhere deep inside of Sokka, and he began to see Zuko in a whole different light. As he looked at him sitting there on that rock, eyes averted, his scar purple in the moonlight, Sokka couldn’t help but see a deep sadness in the fire prince. “Do you really think that you’re unlovable because of the way you look?” Sokka asked genuinely.
“Well it certainly doesn’t help. Especially if you knew the story behind it.”
“But if someone loved you, do you really think they would let a scar turn all that around?”
“Why would someone love me?” Zuko asked. That statement really took Sokka by shock. “What do you mean why would someone love you?! I just listed like ten reasons!”
Zuko’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, but you don’t love me. You think I’m cool because I’m a firebender and you’re not. But you don’t love me. Why would you love someone who’s your enemy? I stand for everything you hate. I want to imprison the Avatar! The one chance for world peace! I’m rude, I’m mean, I’m unpleasant, no one likes being around me, and I have a massive fucking scar covering half of my fucking face! Who cares if I have good handwriting? I’m an asshole, everyone hates me, and you should too!”
Sokka was shocked. “Is that really how you see yourself?” He asked, horrified.
“It’s the truth, isn’t it?!”
“Not to me it’s not. I mean, yeah, you can be a jerk sometimes, but I don’t mind that. I’d rather you be a jerk with a personality than a boring loser who’s nice to everyone. I can tolerate you being mean sometimes if it means I get to hear you talk about stuff and read your handwriting and see you give treats to Appa when you think no one is watching.”
Zuko’s face softened for a moment, and he looked like he actually wanted to believe what Sokka was saying, but then, to Sokka’s dismay, he snapped himself out of it. “You wouldn’t think that if you really knew me.” He said bitterly.
Now Sokka was getting frustrated. Why couldn’t Zuko just accept that Sokka liked him?! “Well so what?! I don’t ‘really know you’ and I don’t care! Don’t you want someone to love you?”
Zuko frowned and got defensive at Sokka’s outburst. “Well yeah, of course I do, but it’s never gonna happen, alright?! So just leave it alone!”
“But it’s happening right now! I love you! I love you, Zuko! And you can push me away and tell me it’s not true all you want but it won’t change the fact that I love you . I love you, and I want to show you how it feels! Don’t you want to know how it feels to be loved?” Sokka turned tender on that last phrase and leaned forward, putting his hand on Zuko’s cheek. The firebender was completely taken aback; jaw dropped, flushing wildly. He seemed frozen by Sokka’s declaration.
Sokka leaned closer. “Will you let me show you how it feels?” For once, Zuko looked completely defenseless. “I - I - uh -“ He stuttered, unable to to form a sentence even if he knew what he wanted. “Please?” Sokka asked, touching his hair, looking deep into his eyes. “.....Okay.” He said, still sounding unsure. Sokka couldn’t believe it! He was so happy! But also, he was serious. This was going to be his first kiss, and it had to be Zuko’s too, and Zuko was so nervous and unsure... He had to do this right.
Very gently and very tenderly, he leaned forward, placing his other hand on Zuko’s warm shoulder for balance. He looked back up at Zuko’s eyes one last time before going in. They were huge. Soft. Doe-eyed. Somehow this grizzled, scarred, Fire Nation killing machine looked so innocent and gentle and soft in the pale moonlight, and Sokka wanted nothing more than to kiss him.
So he did. It was like kissing a god. Zuko’s pale face was so smooth and perfect, his lips felt like flower petals, his mouth was so hot and inviting from the cool of the night. Sokka’s hand tightened on his shoulder, the silk of his shirt bunched up. Sokka thought he felt Zuko lean into it, but he couldn’t be sure.
He wanted to stay there forever, but they had to pull apart. Sokka sat back and looked at Zuko’s face, trying to gauge a reaction. The prince’s doe-eyed expression hadn’t changed, but now his lips were wet from kissing and his mouth was parted slightly.
Sokka blushed. “So... did you like it?” He asked shyly. Zuko’s cheeks pinkened as well and he looked away with the faintest hint of a smile on his face. “It was nice.” He said softly. And then looking away even harder, he added, “Thank you.”