Chapter Text
Zuko has a stool to sit on when he works at the register of the teashop. The bathroom has a chair for Zuko to sit on when he showers. Zuko has a few pairs of adapted chopsticks (because despite the fact that he is ambidextrous, his left hand is actually his dominant… and also his bad hand).
He even has a lightweight, foldable power chair for days when his mobility particularly sucks ass. And a hearing aid, because his left ear can’t hear squat without it.
Not to mention, Zuko has friends. Actual friends - not just the girls Azula hangs out with.
Really, Zuko is now living the life he should have always had. It’s not perfect, but it’s good. He has accommodations to fit his needs, a caring guardian, people to hang out with, a sister who finally cares about him… so, yeah. Pretty good.
Yet, he still can’t help but feel like something is missing.
What, though, he doesn’t actually know.
Today, he doesn’t feel that missing feeling. He had woken up to birds chirping outside his open window, sneezed as pollen attacked him, ate a good breakfast that Uncle Iroh had made, and then hitched a ride from Iroh to the teashop. A nice morning, he has to admit. Except for the pollen, that is.
He sits on his stool at the teashop, drumming the fingers of his good hand against the counter. People move in and out of the shop, chattering loudly. It annoys him, kind of. His hearing aid amplifies the hearing in his left ear, but it doesn’t clarify much. So the sounds of the shop are just a loud wave against his left side.
Agni, why does his left side have to be so shitty?
“Hi, Zuko!” comes a far-too-chipper voice, drawing Zuko from his musings.
“Hey, Aang,” Zuko says, sitting up straighter.
Aang smiles at him, broad and cheery. Zuko can’t help but give a small smile back.
Back when Zuko first moved to Ba Sing Se, he had hated Aang. Every morning, they’d sit next to each other in the Accessible Learning classroom at school, and for the first year, Zuko had detested Aang’s sunny disposition. How could someone be so happy to be disabled? Zuko didn’t get it, after living with his father for so long, and it had made him resentful towards Aang.
But then he met Teo, who seemed just fine with his wheelchair, and then Toph had moved in, too. Toph wouldn’t let anyone walk over her for her blindness. And she seemed perfectly content being blind, too. With Teo, Toph, and Aang (and obviously Uncle Iroh), Zuko had learned that his cerebral palsy wasn’t a bad thing. He finally got out of his internalised ableism, escaping his father’s cruel teachings for good.
Now, the three of them are his best friends. Teo isn’t around so much anymore - he had graduated a year ahead of everyone, taking his big brain off to university before anyone else. But Aang, Zuko, and Toph would join him after this summer ends. They’d all be together again, which is what keeps Zuko going when times get tough. He doesn’t know what he would do without them.
“Two ginseng teas, please!” Aang says, once more pulling Zuko from his thoughts.
Zuko puts the order into the register. “Is Katara coming?”
“Yep!” Aang grins, pulling out his phone to check it. “She said she’ll be here in a bit. Her brother’s coming, too, but I don’t know what he wants. She never responded to my text.”
“Do you want me to wait with the order, then?” Zuko asks.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Aang sighs, and Zuko deletes the order. “But, hey, do you wanna join us when they get here?”
Zuko looks back to where Uncle Iroh is making tea. “Umm…”
“I’ll ask!” Aang says, hurrying over to Uncle Iroh before Zuko can say anything.
Well, at least it saves Zuko from having to get up.
Aang zooms back, grinning. “He said it’s fine - Yijun can take over for you. Then he said-”
“I don’t want to hear his proverbs,” Zuko says quickly. “They don’t make any sense.”
“I think they make sense! I think you just don’t have the brain for them.”
Of course he doesn’t. His brain is a mess.
“That’s okay!” Aang says, bubbly as ever. “I have the right brain for it. I live for analogies.”
Of course Aang does. His brain is a completely different sort of mess.
“I can translate for you,” Aang continues. “It was basically like… well, something along the lines of that saying where ‘all work and no play makes someone a dull person.’ You know?”
“Um,” Zuko says. “Sure.”
“Anyway, you’ll know when he gets here,” Aang says.
“Who?”
“Katara’s brother!”
Oh, right. That’s where the conversation had started. Zuko has forgotten about that. He isn’t exactly keen on meeting this guy - Katara had hated Zuko for hating Aang when she first met him. This brother of her’s would probably start off on the same foot, for all Zuko knows. And he has just gotten Katara to tolerate him. He doesn’t want to start all this over again.
“He looks just like Katara,” Aang says. “Only, he’s a guy.”
“That’s usually how siblings work,” Zuko says.
“I dunno,” Aang says thoughtfully. “I’ve met some siblings that look nothing alike. And I didn’t even know you and Azula were related until she mimicked you that one time. But Sokka looks like Katara, I swear.”
“Right,” Zuko says.
“Okay, I’m gonna go grab us a table!” Aang says. “See you later!”
Zuko slumps on his stool as he watches Aang zoom away. Today is getting less pleasant as it goes on. Seeing Aang is great, but seeing Katara and her brother might just make it horrible. What if the guy really does hate him? Or worse - what if he makes fun of Zuko? Or says something mean? Or says he’ll pray to Agni or Tui and La or whoever else to make Zuko “get better?” Zuko really isn’t in the mood for a smack of ableism today. He just simply is not.
In heedful wariness, Zuko keeps an eye on every customer that comes in after this. He looks them dead in the face - something he detests doing - and makes sure they look nothing like Katara. None of them do, for the first half hour.
Zuko has pretty much given up on staring people down by the time the bell rings next. He sighs, doodling on some old receipt someone left behind, and begins his usual, “Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. What can we brew for you today?”
“Hi,” says a genial voice. “Watcha got for boba?”
Zuko looks up, bored.
And then, very quickly, he is not bored.
The young man standing in front of him is gorgeous. Zuko has no other word for it. He’s just… gorgeous. Dark tan skin and bright blue eyes, brown hair pulled back into a wolf tail, tall with lean muscles, and… Agni, Zuko is just listing off obvious things in his head. Still, when those obvious things are that attractive… Zuko forces him to stop rambling to himself in his head. But not before he notices that the lines of the guy’s face will turn into a strikingly chisled face when he reaches full bone-structure in like five years.
Agni.
Just… Agni .
The guy’s gorgeous.
“Uh,” Zuko says.
“Boba?” the guy asks again. “You do have it here, right? My sister says the owner invented the stuff, but I don’t know if I believe her.”
“No, that’s right,” Zuko says, zoning back in to defend his uncle. Zuko may dislike the stuff - awful texture, in his opinion - but Uncle Iroh is proud of his invention. “He made it. Would you like some?”
“Yes, please,” the guy says, smiling. Oh, Agni. Zuko may die. “What kinds do you have?”
“We have lychee, strawcherry, jasmine, taro, and brown sugar,” Zuko says.
“Ooh,” the guy says, rubbing his hands together. “Lychee, please.”
“Right,” Zuko says. He puts that into the register as fast as he can. “And a name for the order?”
“Sokka,” the guy says.
Zuko stops. And then he stares at the guy again.
Sokka. Aang had said that name.
“Katara’s brother?” Zuko asks.
“You know my sister?” Sokka frowns.
Zuko doesn’t know why he didn’t recognise it sooner. Sokka does indeed look like his sister. The Water Tribe blue eyes and tan skin give that away instantly - not many Water Tribe people live here - but more so the face. He has the same nose and eyes. Same eyebrows, really.
Of course, Zuko had been too busy ogling at the guy for other reasons to notice all of these things before.
“I’m Aang’s friend,” Zuko says.
“Oh, you must be Zuko!” Sokka says.
“Yeah,” Zuko says. He hopes he isn’t blushing when he puts down Aang and Katara’s ginseng teas in the register (and adds his own jasmine tea with).
“Nice to meet you,” Sokka says, holding out his hand.
Zuko does not take it. He only embarrasses himself when he shakes people’s hands.
“You, too,” he says instead, pulling out the receipt as it prints. He gives it to Sokka, placing it in the outstretched hand.
Sokka’s face crumples somewhat, then springs back to its jovial attitude again as if the moment had never happened. “You coming to sit with us, then?”
“Yeah,” Zuko says. “Give me a second. I have to go give my uncle the order.”
“Right,” Sokka says. “See you in a bit, then!”
Zuko watches the guy go. He doesn’t stare at Sokka’s ass. No he doesn’t. He’s staring at… not his very nice ass.
Shaking himself out of it, Zuko grabs his forearm crutches from where they lean against the counter, slipping his arms into them.
“Yajun,” Zuko calls. “Your turn on the register.”
The man slips into Zuko’s spot seamlessly, not exactly paying Zuko any attention. Yajun doesn’t like to talk when he doesn’t have to. He’s happily lonesome.
Zuko takes the order slip to Uncle Iroh, allowing his body to go at the pace it needs. He wants to rush, wants to go see what this Sokka guy is about, but he knows rushing isn’t right. Physical therapists since the age of two have been trying to get him to be kind to his body, and he finally needs to start listening to them.
“Uncle,” Zuko says. “I’m going to go sit with Aang.”
“Excellent,” Uncle Iroh says, looking up from the oolong he brews. His smile is kind and genuine, and Zuko feels, as he always does, a small warmth in his chest under his uncle’s gaze. “I suspect two ginseng and one jasmine?”
“And one lychee boba,” Zuko says.
“Oh?” Uncle Iroh’s eyes go wide. “A friend of yours who finally appreciates my bubble tea? Who is this friend?”
“He’s, uh, Katara’s brother,” Zuko says. He can’t stop the blush threatening his cheeks.
“Aaah,” Uncle Iroh says, far too knowingly.
“Anyway,” Zuko says quickly, “I’m off. See you later. Um. Bye.”
And then he flees as fast as his body allows him, cheeks burning.
Aang has, predictably, chosen the farthest table from the register. He, Katara, and Sokka sit at the table in the corner of the shop, secluded from the rest. It’s nice for friendly, private conversations, but it’s also way out of the way for Zuko.
“Zuko!” Aang cries as he finally reaches the table.
“I just saw you, like, half an hour ago,” Zuko says.
“I know! But I’m still excited to see you!” he says, grinning madly. He pulls out the chair beside him, then pats it. Zuko takes it. Aang then points to Sokka, who is sitting… across from Zuko… oh, Agni. This will be interesting. “Zuko, this is Sokka!”
“We just met,” Zuko says.
“Oh, nice! Great,” Aang says. “Finally, all of my friends know each other now!” He turns back to Katara after that, chatting happily away with his girlfriend.
“So,” Sokka says as he and Zuko sit facing each other, forgotten by the two lovebirds.
“So,” Zuko repeats.
“Your uncle owns the Jasmine Dragon,” Sokka says, nodding appreciatively. “Nice.”
“Yeah,” Zuko says. “I guess.” Shit. Why is he so bad at conversation?
“I’ve always wanted to come here,” Sokka says. “I’ve just been busy at university, you know? Never had time to get out.”
“You go to BSU?” Zuko asks.
“Yeah,” Sokka says. “I was going to go to NTU, up in the north, but since Katara and I just moved here two years ago… I figured I’d stay here. Family’s done enough splitting up in the past.”
“I see,” Zuko says, though he doesn’t quite. “How old are you, then?”
“Oh, eighteen. I skipped a few grades.”
Zuko wonders, briefly and bitterly, how he keeps surrounding himself with prodigies and geniuses. It’s just… not fair.
Whatever. His therapist says not to compare himself to others. He’s still working on that.
“How did you know my name?” Zuko asks, desperate to change the topic.
“Oh! Aang talks about you,” Sokka says.
That makes sense to Zuko. Aang talks a lot. But…
“He hasn’t said much about you,” Zuko says. Then he internally cringes. This is the sort of blunt thing Uncle Iroh is trying to work on him with. He sometimes accidentally says rude things.
Sokka waves it off, clearly unbothered. “Probably because he’s had more reason to talk about you to me than he does about me to you.”
“What do you mean?” Zuko asks, confused. If anything, Aang would talk about his girlfriend’s brother more than just some guy he knows from school.
“Oh, well,” Sokka says, then stops. He considers something for a moment, then says, “Well, you know Teo, right?”
Something sours within Zuko. He’s had this conversation too many times before, each ending in the worst result.
“Right,” Zuko snaps, “because every disabled person knows each other.”
“No, no,” Sokka says quickly, waving his hands. “It’s just that Aang knows you from school, and Aang also went to school with Teo…”
“Oh,” Zuko says, feeling a bit guilty. “Oh. Yeah. He’s my wheelchair buddy.”
“Wheelchair?” Sokka asks, eyes glancing over to the crutches resting against the table. “Do you use one?”
“What, I can’t use more than one mobility aid?” Zuko says, rage surging again.
“That’s not what I meant,” Sokka says quickly. “Sorry, I phrased that wrong. I just mean… well, okay. So, I work with Teo’s dad, right? I’m doing independent study with him, as an engineering student. I work on accessible design, and also help the Mechanist out on developing mobility aids. I’ve worked on Teo’s chair with Teo and his dad, so… well, I guess I’m just curious about yours, a bit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Oh,” Zuko says, the guilt returning tenfold. He’s just insulted someone who spends all his time trying to help people like Zuko. And someone who, right from the very start, hasn’t belittled or invalidated or infantilised Zuko at all (a low bar, but a bar people rarely meet). All of this, and he’s hot, and Zuko was just… rude to him. “It’s okay. I’m sorry for snapping.”
“No, I get it,” Sokka says. “You must get a lot of wrong questions.”
“You have no idea,” Zuko mumbles.
“Anyway,” Sokka says, “I’ve been working on Aang a lot, trying to figure out some custom bionics for him. And he talks a lot to Teo about you and Toph, and also to me about his disabled friends, you know?”
Zuko stares at him for a second, confused, until he remembers Aang had been the topic of this conversation all along. He had gotten lost in the heat of the moment.
“Oh,” Zuko says again. “Makes sense.”
“So, it’s just that I get a lot of, like, logistical talk,” Sokka says. “I’m sure you don’t get that.”
“No.” Zuko fidgets somewhat. “So, you knew about my CP all along?”
Sokka shrugs. “I mean, yeah. Logistical talk and stuff, you know?
Zuko fidgets again. He thinks about that low bar again, feeling a twinge of something upsetting. It’s nice that Sokka knew about his cerebral palsy and was still kind, anyway. Not seeing him as just his disability, or whatever. But maybe Sokka’s just had practice at that, and isn’t coming into this with fresh eyes, and not seeing Zuko for who he is immediately, not…
But that’s a stupid line of thought, Zuko admonishes himself. On-the-spot things aren’t any different than previous knowledge. Besides. Sokka clearly would have treated him well no matter what, if he works with Teo and Aang on their mobility aids.
So why is he being like this? Is he just upset he didn’t get to meet Sokka first?
Well, that’s quite a big jump, Zuko thinks to himself. But why does that feel like the right answer?
“I’ll be going to BSU this fall,” Zuko says in order to force himself out of his dumb thoughts.
“Oh, really?” Sokka says. Zuko tries not to think too hard about the way Sokka perks up at that. “That’s cool! I suppose I’ll be seeing you around more often, then!”
“Yeah, I guess,” Zuko says. “I’m rooming with Aang in the accessible housing, so… probably, yeah.”
“Nice!”
Agni, why is Zuko so excited about the way Sokka sounds excited?
Just then, Uncle Iroh comes over with the teas.
“Ah, so you are the man who orders my boba,” Uncle Iroh says, beaming down at Sokka. “It’s good to meet a friend of Zuko’s who has good taste.”
“Wait, I don’t have good taste?” Aang asks, zoning in on the conversation. “I like ginseng! That’s your favourite!”
“But you do not like my boba.” Uncle Iroh shakes his head in mock sorrow. “It is so sad for my nephew and his friends not to like my drinks.”
“I’m sorry,” Aang says. “I tried to like it!”
Iroh simply sighs, continuing on his upset gimmick.
“Well, I love boba,” Sokka says. “Nice and chewy.”
“A man after my own heart,” Uncle Iroh says, placing a hand on his chest. “You are welcome in my teashop anytime.”
“Uncle,” Zuko says, exasperated, “it’s not as if he wouldn’t be welcome. It’s a teashop. Anyone can come in.”
“Yes, but he is now one of my favourite customers,” Uncle Iroh says, smiling.
Sokka sits back in his seat, folding his arms. Agni, why does that have to show off his muscles so nicely? “I do like being a favourite.”
“Perhaps you should hang out with my nephew more often,” Uncle Iroh says, “so that I may see my new favourite more often.”
“Uncle!” Zuko hisses, heat rushing to his face. “Don’t you have tea to brew?”
Uncle Iroh laughs and leaves, but not before giving a reassuring squeeze to Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko blushes harder.
“He seems nice,” Sokka says. “You must be lucky to have him.”
“Yeah,” Zuko replies, eyes dropping to his tea. “He is. I am.”
A silence passes over them.
“Soooo,” Sokka says after a bit. “Aang and Katara. Weird, huh?”
“Hey!” Katara says, pausing her conversation to glare at Sokka. “We’re weird? I’m not the one who flexes at my reflection! Aang doesn’t talk to his food!”
Sokka shrugs. “I’m just saying. Sister dating best friend… little weird.”
“My sister’s two best friends are dating each other,” Zuko says. “It’s a little weird.”
“See?” Sokka throws his hands out at Zuko. “Thank you!”
“But does Azula think it’s weird?” Aang asks.
“Azula thinks everything’s weird,” Zuko says with a shrug.
“Fair point,” Aang concedes.
Since the conversation is about his sister, Zuko suddenly remembers that he needs to text her. He pulls out his phone and types out a message, asking her if she’s taken her meds. She probably has, and probably will yell at Zuko for this, but he wants to make sure, anyway. A year ago, she detested the drugs. Granted, Zuko and Uncle Iroh have long since helped her come to terms with needing help, enforcing that it is okay to accept it, that it doesn’t make her weak or lesser-than. He still likes to check, though. For his own sake.
Azula does indeed yell at him over text. He smiles at it, then slips his phone away.
Zuko sits back and listens to the conversation unfold beside him. He drinks his tea, keeping his good eye on Sokka most of the time.
Does Sokka know how beautiful he looks when he laughs?
Zuko blushes at his own thought.
He rejoins the conversation eventually, talking about what their lives might be like when the fall starts. Aang and Zuko are supposed to host game nights, Katara and Sokka say, because they’ll have the best dorm rooms.
“Perks of having no legs,” Aang says cheerfully, “is that I get the best housing.”
“You say that now,” Zuko mutters, “but wait until we have to join the real world. Stairs suck.”
“Not if you can fly!”
“You can’t fly,” Zuko says.
“But my feet never touch the ground,” Aang says.
Sokka laughs at that, though Zuko doubts that this is the first time Sokka has heard this joke. It’s one of Aang’s favourites to tell. Still, Zuko can’t be upset by this - Sokka’s laugh is wonderful. Snorts and all.
Oh, shit. Zuko really does have a crush, doesn’t he? Double shit. That’s bad.
“Just because they’re fake doesn’t mean that the prosthetics aren’t your feet,” Zuko tells Aang, avoiding his own thoughts. “And don’t they make stairs worse?”
“You’re ruining my joke,” Aang says, folding his arms.
“Toph tells better ones,” Zuko says.
Aang sticks his tongue out at Zuko.
“Oh, that’s Dad,” Katara says to Sokka as her phone lets out a chime. “He wants us home soon. Gran-Gran’s got her appointment.”
“Welp,” Sokka says, sighing as he pushes his chair away from the table. “Duty calls.”
He and Katara stand, Aang joining them.
“It was nice meeting you,” Sokka says to Zuko.
“You, too,” Zuko says, managing a small smile.
“See you around, I guess!” And Sokka begins following Katara and Aang out of the shop.
“Yeah…” Zuko murmurs to himself as he watches them disappear from view. “See you.”