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Perfect days are rather a new phenomenon for Zuko, but obviously not an unwelcome one. Even his near-incoherent rambling isn't messing it up, because Sokka—
Sokka doesn't mind.
Sokka smiles, even.
Sokka smiles when Zuko talks.
It's incomprehensible, this pleasure they're managing to find in each other.
They're outside, the sun is setting, the grass looks blue around them and the fire lilies are in bloom, and Sokka is just smiling on the bench beside Zuko, as though he's having a perfect day, too.
"I'm eager for you to try it," Zuko is saying. "I used to sneak in the kitchens when I was little and help Chef Jia Li make it—she got fired for doing that eventually—but I haven't had them since then so I hope they're as good as I remember. Then again, maybe don't get your hopes up—"
"In the name of the spirits, Zuko, enough about the noodles. Least 'til they get here. If I get any hungrier my stomach might eat itself."
"Oh, sorry," Zuko says, going a little pink.
Sokka slings an arm around him. "Then again, I could just eat you instead." He pokes a finger into Zuko's chest ("Hey!"). "Brisket is best when it's smoked."
"I am not smoked. And—you can't eat me. I'm the Firelord, you'd be banished, or worse."
"Pulling the Firelord card now, are you? I see how it is. You're His Majesty Zuko, son of who's-its and what's-its, Firelord of the Fire Nation, and I'm just a lowly Water Tribe peasant, cursed to be hungry forever."
Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose. After a beat, he mutters, "Star-crossed lovers."
Sokka barks a laugh. "You just like me for the poetic theatre of the whole thing, don't you? Don't even try to deny it—I've seen Love Amongst the Dragons now."
"Hardly; that production mangled the relationship dynamics between—"
"The dragon guy and the dragon lady, I know, I know. I've heard it all before."
"And the Dark Water Spirit was—"
"No where near as threatening as he should've been, yes—"
"And the—"
"Masks were completely wrong, uh-huh—hey, jerk, do you listen to anything I say?"
Zuko flounders, but his response is cut off by the arrival of a servant carrying a tray with two large bowls and two sets of chopsticks atop.
"Your scorpioviper dan dan mian, Your Majesty, My Lord." She hands them the bowls and chopsticks respectively, then bows and takes her leave.
"They're, uh, very red," Sokka says, pulling one noodle out with his chopsticks. He eyes it warily, and Zuko watches with a gentle smile.
"I think that's the chili paste... or the scorpioviper?"
Sokka shoots him a look. "What part of the scorpioviper is in this exactly?"
Zuko feigns nonchalance, rubbing at the back of his neck and saying, as casually as he can, "The venom, if I... remember correctly."
"Ah," Sokka says, also feigning nonchalance. With that unsettling new information, he crams in a whole mouthful of the stuff. Zuko's eyes widen as Sokka chews and swallows, as Sokka's face becomes a very unnatural maroon color. Sokka sets his bowl and chopsticks on the bench beside him just as he begins to sweat.
"Zuko," he says, then begins to cough. Zuko shifts his own bowl and chopsticks to one hand so he can use his other to slap Sokka on the back. "Zuko," Sokka tries again, "I think these are poisoned."
As tears spring to Sokka's eyes, Zuko startles. He can't quite tell if Sokka was joking, but even if he was, how is he supposed to tell if Sokka actually starts dying? There have been more assassination attempts again recently. Hiding poison in something spicy would be smart—the target would be less likely to taste something off beneath the strong flavors, and an adverse reaction could be written off until it's too late—
Sokka snatches the bowl from Zuko's hands, trying to smile through his tears.
"You can't eat this!" he gasps. "No one should ever, ever eat this! What the heck, Zuko?"
Zuko takes a deep breath and calms a bit. It's not that likely to actually be poisoned, he tells himself. Sokka is just dramatic. "It can't be that bad." He reaches to get his bowl back, but Sokka holds it farther away.
He coughs again. "Scorpioviper, Zuko. Whose idea was—" he sniffs back some of the snot running down his face—ew—"Whose idea was eating scorpioviper venom?"
Zuko frowns and goes for his bowl again. "It's in a lot of Fire Nation dishes."
Sokka sits up high on his knees and holds the bowl as far as he can above his head. "Nuh-uh, no venom for you."
"Hey!" Zuko cries, scrabbling to get his bowl back before Sokka drops it. He's too lazy to get on his knees like Sokka, though, so he ends up uselessly scratching at Sokka's arms. And jabbing them with his chopsticks.
"If you weren't so cute I'd assassinate you myself for this," Sokka says with a cheeky, snotty grin.
Zuko rolls his eyes and drops his arms.
The solution is right in front of him. He reaches around Sokka and steals his discarded bowl, shoveling a heaping spiral of noodles into his mouth before Sokka has time to properly react.
When he does, it's just to slink back down, Zuko's old bowl in his lap, eyes huge as he apparently eagerly waits for Zuko's spice-induced misery.
Zuko glares right at him, suppressing a smirk with all his might, while no such misery comes. He takes another bite. "It's good," he notes, to rub it in.
"This isn't fair," Sokka pouts. "This doesn't count."
"What are we counting?" Zuko asks around half-chewed noodles.
"You can breathe fire. This doesn't count."
Zuko's brow shoots up. "Are we having some kind of competition that I'm not aware of?"
"Ugh," Sokka grunts, sets the bowl down, and crosses his arms. "Just 'cause you're a big deal, special jerkbender—"
"This isn't a firebending thing. It's a Fire Nation thing. It's not my fault the Southern Water Tribe prefers their food flavorless and—"
"Not flavorless, hey." Sokka scowls. "There's... salt and stuff."
"Okay," Zuko says, opting to let it go.
When Zuko's bowl is empty, he moves it aside and pats Sokka's back. More gently than last time. "Why don't we head back and find you something you can actually eat?"
"I can eat it just fine. I'm just choosing not to... to pay respects to that chef you got fired."
They get to their feet. "Mhm, yes, I'm sure."
Sokka doesn't seem to be thinking when he loops his arms around Zuko's waist and goes in for a kiss. He also doesn't notice Zuko's growing smirk while he does it.
It lasts all of two seconds before Sokka stiffens. "Zuko," he sputters, untangling himself and stepping back. Zuko is fully grinning by now. "Zuko, you're... spicy. You've poisoned me. How could you? How could you again?"
Zuko's laugh sounds embarrassingly like a giggle. "Come on. Maybe we can find you some milk, too."
