Work Text:
“I’m boooored.”
Zuko looks away from this seemingly neverending stack of paperwork to glance down at Sokka sprawled out on the floor of his study, looking like a starfish-sponge washed up on a beach.
“Sorry you don’t have a whole country to run to keep you occupied. Don’t you have, like, ambassador duties to attend to or something?” Zuko teases, kicking his foot out to nudge Sokka’s leg.
Sokka gently kicks him back, managing to land a hit on his ankle. “Nah, since Toph’s here for the week, I told her she could handle things for a bit. You know, just for fun.”
Zuko winces and makes a mental note to check on any visiting dignitaries tomorrow. Toph’s idea of diplomacy can be… rough sometimes.
“I wish there was like a festival or a holiday or whatever, so we could go out and do something,” Sokka continues whining. “When’s the next Fire Nation holiday?”
Zuko rolls his eyes. Sokka’s been living here long enough that he should know by now. But he answers anyway, since it gives him an excuse to avoid work for a few more minutes.
“The next one is the end of year celebration,” he says.
Sokka groans in frustration. “That’s three months from now! What am I supposed to do before then?”
“Maybe your job?” Zuko jokes, though he doesn’t actually mind when Sokka comes to spend more time with him here in his study instead.
There’s a concerning silence after he speaks which can only mean Sokka is probably coming up with some terrible, wonderful idea. With a sigh, Zuko turns back to the papers he’s supposed to be reading and signing.
"Zuko, you're a genius," Sokka exclaims without warning a few minutes later, shooting up from the floor so fast he almost topples back over once he's on his feet again. "You're right! I'll go do my job." He says that last bit like it carries some hidden meaning to it, and even makes a cheesy-looking pointing gesture at Zuko for emphasis.
Sokka then scrambles towards the doorway without explaining anything else, only taking the time to shout a cheerful "thanks for the suggestion" over his shoulder as he disappears down the hallway.
"Just don't… like, break my country or anything…" Zuko says to empty air.
~~○~~○~~○~~
As it turns out, Zuko is too busy for the next week to dwell on that weird conversation and almost completely forgets about it. During Toph’s visit, she insists on sparring with him any chance she gets. (And she's developed several new bending moves that make her even more terrifying to fight than before. Zuko appreciates the workout.) But between sparring and his regular duties as Fire Lord, Zuko barely even sees Sokka, let alone figure out what he's up to.
So he's pretty surprised when Sokka finally saunters into Zuko's study one evening with a scroll in his hands and a pleased grin on his face.
"I need you to sign this," he asks, unrolling the scroll just enough so Zuko can only see the space for his signature at the bottom.
Zuko shoots him a deadpan stare. "You know I'm not signing that without reading whatever it is."
(Not after that time Zuko unwittingly declared sea prunes as the Fire Nation's national vegetable. Dealing with the aftermath of that had been a headache and a half. They both agreed to never speak of the incident again. Though sometimes Zuko secretly gets the kitchen chef to import enough sea prunes for Sokka to get a surprise specialty meal every now and then.)
Sokka waves a hand dismissively, clearly going to play hard-to-get with the details. "It's just a regular, routine proclamation. You're probably too busy to read all those fancy words anyway."
Zuko elbows him out of the way and they scuffle for a moment over the parchment until Zuko gets the upper hand by jabbing Sokka in the stomach. He lets out an "oof" and drops the scroll.
"Okay, okay," Sokka wheezes, trying to catch his breath. "It’s just something I've been working on."
Zuko scans over the words and blinks in confusion. "You… planned out a holiday?" The scroll contains details of what day it would take place, different ways to celebrate, and other important bits and pieces.
"Well, you said to do my job," Sokka begins with his usual sly grin, "and as an ambassador, what better way to bring people together in peace and harmony than with an excuse to do something fun?" He leans against Zuko's desk as he speaks, gesturing unsubtly to the writing utensil just waiting to sign the paper.
"I didn't mean create a whole new holiday!" Zuko exclaims.
"But it does sound like fun, doesn't it?"
Sokka smoothes out the scroll and starts pointing out different details, and despite his annoyance, Zuko gets swept up in listening to Sokka’s excited explanation. The idea he’s come up with is essentially like a typical festival event, with vendors selling food and other wares as people come together in their local city square or town park all over the country. But what sets Sokka’s idea apart from the usual festivals is that it’s focused on celebrating spirits.
"People put on costumes designed to look like spirits or made-up monsters or other creatures, and then we all hang out and tell fun spirit stories. And people give out treats to the kids, so things won't be too scary for them," Sokka concludes. "I've got it all worked out."
Zuko has to admit, it doesn't sound half bad.
"And does this new holiday have a name?"
Sokka grins. "I'm calling it Spooky Spirit Day."
"...maybe we can think of something better than that later," Zuko relents with a sigh, and then signs the proclamation scroll.
"Fantastic! Thanks Zuko!" Sokka says, and gives him a crushing hug before scooping up the scroll and heading out the door again like he’s a whirlwind whipped up by Aang himself. "Don't forget to find yourself a costume before the end of the month!"
Zuko stares after him, the feeling of Sokka's arms still faintly etched on his skin like phantoms. He feels his face suddenly heat up, though maybe he can blame that on some kind of firebending thing if anyone notices.
"Oh, and pick something that's not the Blue Spirit, okay?" Sokka adds, startling him by sticking his head back in the room. "New holiday, new disguise, right?"
Zuko stands in the middle of his study for another moment – just in case Sokka comes back again – before he starts writing a to-do list for the week. Apparently he's got plenty of preparations to get started on before this new holiday.
~~○~~○~~○~~
By the time the Spooky Spirit Day festival arrives, it feels as though the entire nation is buzzing with excitement, and it seems like he gets a new letter every day updating him on planned celebrations not just in the capital, but all over the land. Not so surprisingly, plenty of people were apparently just as eager as Sokka for an excuse to take a break and have a fun time. After 100 years of war, Zuko supposes more holidays are well-deserved. So he chases away his anxieties with the hopes that the new holiday will take place without any major issues.
He’d rather enjoy the time relaxing with Sokka than have to spend the evening smoothing over disagreements between angry people.
“You ready to go?” Sokka asks, barging into Zuko’s room as usual just as the late afternoon sun starts its final descent towards the horizon.
“I guess so,” Zuko answers, securing a mask on his face. He’d chosen a simple design, just a blank face with eyeholes cut out for him to see through, and one slot for his mouth to make it easier to breathe.
“What do you have against bright colors?” Sokka asks with a laugh, looking him up and down.
Zuko’s mask is solid white in stark contrast to the simple black outfit he’s wearing. They’re the kind of clothes he would have worn during his time in Ba Sing Se while sneaking around at night. It’d just felt right to slip into something without frills.
“Did you want me to wear my fancy robes? If I’m going to be in disguise, I might as well not reveal that I’m the Fire Lord too,” he answers, though he’s already second-guessing himself. “Should I change?”
“Not at all!” Sokka says, and then takes Zuko’s hand. “Your outfit is perfect.”
Zuko relaxes a bit more as their fingers interlock together, feeling the warmth of Sokka’s palm against his own. They rarely ever do something this simple together, especially in public where other people can see and gossip about why the Fire Lord is holding hands with one of his ambassadors. Usually, it’s just late at night when they’re both half-asleep after going over the details of different treaties and such that Sokka reaches out to hold his hand. His touch is always soft, tentative, as if Zuko might pull away if startled.
They don’t ever really talk about it, an unspoken thing that needs more time to solidify before either of them acknowledge it.
But tonight they’re in disguise, so hand-holding is okay even outside of the privacy within their palace rooms. Zuko isn’t going out to the festival as the ruler of his country; he’s just going as himself, someone eager for a relaxing evening with the person he enjoys spending the most time with these days.
"C'mon! Let's go before all the good food gets eaten," Sokka says, tugging him towards the door.
He's chosen to wear a mask that only covers the top half of his face. It's a striking mix of red and blue colors, blending together in colorful swirls that match the mishmash of red and blue in Sokka's outfit. Fitting for a festival, Zuko thinks.
They slip out and head into the city, weaving through crowds of people on the sidewalks, all heading towards the park hosting the festival. Many of them are sporting costumes too, ranging from elaborate robes and scarves to simple outfits and hand-carved masks. There's a tangible energy amongst the crowd, excitement for experiencing this festival for the first time and the carefree attitude of being able to pretend to not be yourself for the next few hours.
Zuko appreciates being anonymous too. He steps closer to Sokka and twines their arms together, catching in the corner of his eye the way Sokka’s lips curl into a satisfied smile.
If the walk to the festival was bustling with excitement, the park itself is double that when they arrive. It's just as Sokka had envisioned the event when he explained it to Zuko. People are laughing and sharing stories, and kids are running around collecting sweets. On a stage in the middle of the park, performers are showing off their skills, conjuring up images of spirits through storytelling and dance in lieu of the real thing.
"Hey, did I ever tell you about the time I got kidnapped by an angry forest spirit?" Sokka says as they settle down on an open patch of grass where they can still see the stage.
Zuko whips his head around to stare wide-eyed at his companion, even if the mask hides his expression. "You what?"
"Oh wow," Sokka laughs. "Can't believe it's never come up in conversation before. It was back in the early days of traveling with Aang. Back when you still had that silly shaved head-ponytail combo."
Zuko just rolls his eyes because he's heard the jibe about his old hairstyle a million times by now. But he listens as Sokka begins his tale about the spirit named Hei Bai and the villagers who got swept away until Aang stepped in to help.
"That sounds like a pretty weird day," Zuko says afterwards.
Sokka nods.
"Do you miss it?" Zuko asks. "Traveling around the world with your friends-"
"Our friends," Sokka corrects, as he has many times when Zuko speaks in a way that separates himself from the group. Sokka is diligent in always reminding Zuko that he's part of the group now too, no matter how things began between them.
"Our friends," Zuko repeats with a nod. "Do you miss traveling with them and stumbling into weird stuff? You've been stuck here in the Fire Nation with me for a long time."
Sokka tilts his head and scratches his chin while he thinks about the answer. "I guess sometimes I do," he admits. "Every now and then, we'd do something fun and it was almost easy to forget about the war and what we had to do to end it. Traveling certainly was an adventure."
He gazes up at the sky as if expecting to see Appa swoop down at any moment.
"But, ya know, what I'm doing now is an adventure too," he continues, shifting his gaze to smile at Zuko. "Just in a different way. And we stumble into weird stuff all the time here too."
"Do we?" Zuko replies, skeptical.
"Uh, yeah!" Sokka scoffs. "Remember last month when we rigged up that food launcher thing for a test spin?"
"I do remember because there are still tomato stains on the courtyard wall that look like someone was murdered there."
Even with half his face covered by the mask, Sokka looks unashamed by this outcome.
"And what were you even trying to accomplish with that machine?" Zuko continues. "You and your crazy inventions…"
"All great inventions involve lots of trial and error," Sokka points out. "Mostly error, if we’re being honest, but this is how progress is made!"
With only an amused shake of his head, Zuko lets the argument drop and returns his attention back to the stage performance where several dancers are recreating some sort of old legend. Sokka scoots a little closer to him, like he's trying to stave off the bit of evening chill that's hanging in the air now that the sun has set.
Feeling bold, Zuko reaches out to wrap an arm around Sokka’s shoulders. He knows he has enough warmth to share for the both of them.
Sokka, surprisingly, doesn't pull away.
He wonders if they look like a couple to any of the other festival-goers.
"I've got another spooky spirit story, if you wanna hear it," Sokka speaks up again after he's made himself comfortable in Zuko’s embrace.
"Of course."
"Okay, so there's this really freaky swamp in the Earth Kingdom…"
~~○~~○~~○~~
The nighttime darkness has blanketed everything by the time they decide to get up and stretch their legs again, leaving the park only illuminated by blazing lights that cast dancing shadows across everything. Zuko would have been content to sit there longer, sharing stories and watching the performers, but Sokka’s stomach growls and they both decide it'd be a waste to pass up the opportunity for fair food.
After they buy a borderline insane amount of noodles to eat, Zuko realizes that Sokka was the smart one when he'd picked out his mask. Most of his face remains covered – his disguise intact – while his mouth remains free to slurp up his food like he hadn't eaten in a week.
Zuko is reluctant to take off his own mask and lose his precious anonymity. It'd probably be bad if people noticed he'd been publicly cuddling his ambassador for the past few hours. He frowns down at the container of noodles in his hands.
"You know you can shift your mask over to cover just the side of your face," Sokka points out, speaking with his mouth full, which would be more disgusting if Zuko wasn't so busy immediately being annoyed at not thinking of the simple solution himself.
"I knew that," he mumbles, and then pushes the mask sideways just enough to keep his scar covered.
Sokka smirks. "Sure you did."
Zuko shoves a bunch of noodles in his mouth before he says something dumb in return, and then focuses all his attention on chewing so he doesn't actually die in the most embarrassing way possible at this festival.
They walk around the park for a while, browsing the vendor stalls and watching how other people are enjoying the holiday celebration. The kids especially seem to be having a good time, running around the park as they duck and weave around the legs of everyone else here. Once, even Zuko is almost tripped up by two kids zipping past him as they chase a third.
Sokka grabs his arm to steady him before he topples over.
"Maybe the 'give sweets to the kids' idea wasn't your best one."
Sokka shrugs, unconcerned. "Like I said before, sometimes true genius takes a bit of trial and error."
Zuko snorts.
As the night gets darker, the festival begins to wind down. Parents start wrangling their children towards home. Vendors start packing up. Even the performers on stage are dwindling down to just the last few. It's probably about time for the two of them to head back home too.
"Hope the spooky spirit tales didn't scare you too much," Sokka teases as they start walking back. "But if you’re scared, you can hold my hand."
"I'm definitely not scared," Zuko declares, and then intertwines his fingers with Sokka's anyway. "But it's a little cold out here though, so I'll keep your hand warm."
Zuko is quite proud of himself for the comeback, even if it's a bit silly to offer warmth to someone who grew up surrounded by ice. Most of his vague attempts at flirting end up sounding extremely awkward anyway, so this is one of his better successes. Sokka doesn't pull their hands apart as they start walking.
Zuko wonders if he should say anything more instead of just teetering on the unspoken edge of whatever feelings are growing between them. Tonight definitely felt like they'd both taken a few steps closer towards that inevitable fall.
But his uncertainty wins out, and they talk about what they enjoyed during the festival as they head back home instead. Eventually even that conversation fizzles out and they're left with only a comfortable silence between them.
Sokka gazes up at the clear night sky for a few minutes, apparently so lost in thought that Zuko has to tug his arm a few times to keep him from tripping once they reenter the palace courtyard.
"You know it was supposed to be cloudy tonight," Sokka says, still looking up into the darkness. The moon, only a small sliver of brightness resembling a lopsided smile, hangs above them.
"Maybe Yue wanted to help out with the festival too, and make sure your idea didn't fail miserably."
Sokka smiles, still gazing up, eyes locked on the moon like he’s having a silent conversation with the spirit he once knew.
"Yeah, she's always looking out for us. And always reminding me to not let opportunities slip through my grasp. To make the most of any time we have."
Zuko doesn't reply to that. He knows most of what happened with Sokka during that battle at the North Pole, but that declaration feels like it holds more weight than Zuko truly understands.
Then, Sokka’s smile shifts into a sly grin and he turns to face Zuko again.
"Tonight was a resounding success, I think," Sokka says, taking a step closer until they're standing face-to-face only inches apart. "But there was one more thing I wanted to do before Spooky Spirit Day ends. Not an official part of the festival, but… something we might both like. Maybe?"
He reaches out to push Zuko’s mask to the side, just like he'd done earlier, just enough to uncover half of his face. Then he leans forward enough to kiss Zuko. Quickly, gently, and then he's stepping away again, as if to check Zuko’s reaction.
Zuko feels like any words he could say right now are suddenly lodged in his throat, so he does the only logical thing and grabs Sokka’s robes to pull him close again to answer with a kiss of his own. He's a little too forceful with his eagerness and their masks knock together with a wooden clunk, but Zuko barely notices.
It's not until the faint smell of smoke reaches his nose and he pulls away again, glancing down to see that his hand had singed a spot in his robe. How embarrassing.
Sokka just laughs. "Well, I guess that answers my question about whether or not you were gonna like that."
"Y-yeah," Zuko replies, stumbling a bit over the word. "I did. I do. Like the kissing, I mean. And, you too. Obviously."
Zuko thinks now would be a great time to kiss again just so he can stop embarrassing himself by simply existing.
"That's a relief," Sokka says, taking Zuko’s hand again and tugging him towards the door so they won't be lingering in the courtyard anymore. "I've been trying to figure out a way to kiss you for a while now. But none of the other ideas I thought of seemed right for it."
"Trial and error?" Zuko teases.
Sokka throws his head back with a full-bodied laugh, and the sound makes Zuko feel warm in a way that his firebending doesn't.
"You could say that," Sokka says. "I'm really glad the festival idea worked out."
Zuko nods, and then stops mid-motion as the implications hit him.
"Sokka… did you invent a whole new holiday just so you could take me on a date?"
"You signed the paperwork!" Sokka replies and then dashes off down the corridor before Zuko can chase him.
Zuko watches him go, and then takes a moment to secure his mask back on his face. It might not be his Blue Spirit mask, but he's got plenty of years of practice in being stealthy around here and knows all the shortcuts. He'll be able to catch up.
It'll make a good spooky story for next year.