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“If you die, what am i supposed to do!?”
“Keep living. I can only hope.”
It's summer in the Fire Nation, the sun is high and mighty in the almost cloudless blue skies. The birds chirp and sing jumping from tree to tree as the green grass slowly shakes back and forth with the gentle wind. At his early seventies, former Fire lord Zuko has not much excitement going on his daily life, luckily he had come to enjoy peace as his younger years were mostly spent on fight or flight mode.
If sixteen-year-old Prince Zuko could see what he grew up to be, Zuko could only hope that he would be proud and happy about it. He would tell his younger self that they no longer seek approval from Ozai, that they rebuilt the Fire Nation to a glorious and respected nation other than the tyrannous and feared nation it was when they were growing up; Zuko would also tell his younger self they managed to find their mother and even mend his relationship with Azula – Though nowhere near what usual siblings relationships look like, it was still far better than before.
But most importantly, Zuko would tell him about the loves of his life. He was sure his teen self was still dreaming about marrying Mai and start a family with her, he wouldn't blame him for it, Mai had stayed in his life as one of his best friends and a godmother to one of his loves: His daughter, Izumi.
If Zuko's teen self saw the three of them together he was mostly sure to think his dream family had became true and, in some ways, it really did. But soon in would come a certain Southern Water Tribe Chief with a big grin and even bigger personality, to be entirely honest, Zuko was also surprised that the one to steal his heart wasn't Mai but Sokka.
They started as opposites in many ways, but as time went by it was clear they met in the middle and created their own perfect balance. A place of peace they both longed for. Sokka was all bright smiles and positivity, but he was also incredibly centered and responsible, he was the plan guy and his plan was to never let Zuko escape his arms again –The Fire Lord most obviously complied to that.
“What are you doing sitting there all contemplative?” Sokka's voice came behind him, accompanied by a quick kiss to his cheek.
“I was thinking of us.” Zuko replied simply, giving his husband a smile.
“Oh you big ol' sap! I leave you for five minutes and you instantly isolate yourself to think about us.” Sokka laughed pinching Zuko's cheeks.
“I didn't isolate myself!” The former Fire Lord protested earning only more laughter from Sokka.“I was just thinking about how teen me would react to us being together and having Izumi.” He completed, cheeks inflating a bit.
“That depends, it's this teen Zuko pre or post the whole 'i gotta capture the Avatar to restore my honour!'?” Sokka asked, sitting beside Zuko.
“Post. Obviously.” Zuko said, crossing his arms.
“Well, your grumpy attitude hasn't changed that much so i think the biggest surprise would probably be me?” Sokka said scratching his chin. “Teen you would have a heart attack knowing i made you fall head over heels for me!” He joked, laughing loudly.
“Ah yes, i forgot your lifetime dream was to be married to the Fire Lord.” Zuko pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe I'd be a bit surprised too!” Sokka pouted, not to happy about losing the upper hand.
Zuko was about to comment on his pouting lips when he noticed Sokka's skin was strangely paler, his blue eyes were sunken and opaque. Zuko tried to speak but his voice wouldn't come out, Sokka just kept staring at him with his pouted lips as he grew paler and paler, he was now shaking and blood started to ooze from his side.
“What? You keep staring at me with that funny look on your face!” Sokka's brows were knitted together, his mouth a light shade of blue.“I got it, you win this time. Just don't get too used to it, hotman!” Blood started to come out of Sokka's lips as he spoke, Zuko's heart hammering against his ribs.
He tried to speak with all his might and still couldn't utter a single sound, Sokka's image started to get blurred as Zuko's eyes were filling up with tears. There was not a single castle staff around to ask for help, the world seemed to stop as he watched Sokka die slowly right in front of his very eyes. It was bizarre and terrifying, everything was perfectly well just seconds ago. Why was Sokka bleeding? Why was he hurt? Why couldn't Zuko speak?
“Why couldn't you save me, huh?” Sokka said, voice low paired up with a dark expression. “You said you loved me, Zuko!” He got up, bawling his fists on Zuko's tunic.
A million voices started to scream in unison “LIAR!” as Zuko's breath became more and more difficult. His heart pounded and his head was spinning so quickly his mind couldn't keep up with it, he tried to speak once more, this time his voice finally came out.
His eyes opened to stare at the ceiling of his quarters. The slight creek of the door brought an eye framed by red makeup and white face paint looking inside for any signs of an invasion, the Kyoshi Warrior quickly closed the door once they realized Zuko was experiencing yet another nightmare involving Sokka. It had been years since he had laid Sokka to rest after a direct confrontation with the Red Lotus and in every single day after losing Sokka, Zuko had had constant and excruciating nightmares with his love. Be it one where Sokka comes to remind him of how Zuko watched him die and did nothing, like the one on tonight, or just Zuko reliving each second of the battle that claimed Sokka's life, they were all his brain could play whenever the former Fire Lord closed his eyes.
Izumi had ordered him to visit Master Katara again, to seek healing from not only an old friend but someone who shared the grief he was caring. Zuko paid no mind to his daughter's worries, he knew Katara could very well help him and yet he was devastatingly afraid that cure could cause him to never see Sokka again because, yes, although the pain of rewatching his death was horrendous, living in a world where he could no longer hold to any piece of Sokka was way worse.
Zuko got up from his bed, hearing his joints crack. His heart still pounded in his chest and his head wasn't quite back into normal yet, but he couldn't just lay in his bed. That was the place he once shared with Sokka, it held too many memories.
“Excuse me? Lord Zuko? Everything alright in there?” Came the voice of the Kyoshi Warrior who guarded his door.
“Yes Ban, thank you for your concern.” Zuko replied not wanting to bother them with his problems.
Unlike his dream, the night was cold and starless. As dark as one's heart tend to become when too much hurt is pushed inside with nowhere to escape, as dark as life became after Sokka's death. Zuko looked out the window, wondering what would've happened if the roles were reversed, Sokka had always been better at emotions than him, maybe he wouldn't be so plagued by guilty and sorrow as Zuko was.
“I've been told you had another bad nightmare.” Izumi opened the door without knocking, examining her father from head to toe. “How are you feeling?” She asked, fixing her glasses.
“Glad to know you've been spying on me.” Zuko joked, earning nothing more than a raised eyebrow. “Tough crowd, huh?” He sighed.
“Father you know i worry about you, please tell me how you're feeling.” She said in a calmer tone, getting close enough to hold both Zuko's hands in hers.
“I apologize, i didn't mean to worry you.” Zuko gave her his best "please don't worry about me" smile, knowing it wouldn't work at all.
“I'm your daughter, of course i'm gonna worry about you.” Izumi shook her head negatively. “Was it about dad... The dream, i mean.” She asked in an almost whisper.
“It's always about him, my love.” Zuko replied sincerely. “I guess my old age gets in the way of getting over his death.” Izumi looked at him with such a sad expression that made Zuko regret ever opening his mouth.
“You're allowed to miss him, you know? Nobody is expecting you to get over it and never mention him again. Is quite the opposite, i would feel way more worried if you didn't show any emotions at all.” Izumi rubbed circles in the back of her father's hands. “I dream about him sometimes too, he always comes to tell me i'm too tall while he is getting shorter with the age.” A small tear ran down her face. “Is weird, isn't it? He is not aging anymore, there is no reason for him to say that.” She stared at Zuko, sniffing.
“He might not be aging, but he is watching his babygirl do. I can say is quite the emotional experience.” Zuko wiped her tear stained cheeks. “And your dad has always been a bit dramatic.” He says, laughing as he perfectly pictures Sokka getting pouty and mad at him for that comment.
“He really was, wasn't he?” Izumi laughs too, hugging her father. “Will you go see auntie Katara? I really think it would be good for you, even if you just talk to her.” She says in a small voice, almost like she did when she was little and was afraid of getting in trouble.
“If it will put our most esteemed Fire Lady at ease, then i shall do it.” He distanced himself enough to cup Izumi's face in his hands.“He would be so proud of you, we both are. Never forget that, my love.” Zuko kissed her forehead earning a somewhat shy smile in response.
Izumi seemed contented with her father finally agreeing to go see Katara, she gave him yet another quick hug before heading back to her own quarters. Zuko decided to not risk sleep again, instead he sat at his table with paper and ink and decided to write to Katara telling her about his visit, it had been far longer than acceptable since the last time they saw and talked to each other; Zuko feared his presence opened wounds on Katara. He knew her presence certainly caused some level of pain on him, even though he would never voice that feeling to her or anyone for that matter, but he also couldn't control it, looking at her was like reliving every moment he shared with Sokka.
Zuko sighed, there was no escaping it now. He had worried Izumi far too much, he owed her at least trying to get a bit better.
The South Pole was as bright and cold as Zuko remembered. As quickly as his dragon landed he jumped from it's back, locking eyes with Katara as she welcomed him with a warm smile and open arms. A long time ago, they'd just never share a hug that wasn't fundamentally awkward, however, after Aang and Sokka's death, Zuko and Katara became each other's anchors, not that the rest of them couldn't understand the pain of losing those two, but it was different for them.
“Greetings, master Katara.” Zuko bowed formally earning a scoff from Katara.
“Your sense of humor is still terrible after all these years!” She laughed, much like Sokka, bear hugging him –Like Sokka would do.
“I'll have you know many of my personal guards believe i'm very funny!” Zuko protested, hugging Katara back.
“You're their boss, i don't think they have much choice there, buddy.” She distanced herself enough to get a good look at Zuko.“When was the last time you slept a full night? You look worse than when your whole personality was hunting us around the world.” Katara touched the unscarred part of his face looking concerned.
“Straight to medical business, i see.” Zuko sighed. “Izumi told you?” He asked, not knowing how much have been revealed.
“She only said she was worried you might be isolating yourself, the rest i'm gathering from just looking at you.” Katara said honestly.
”Is that bad, huh?”
”I know you for what? Seventy years? You could say i know a thing or two about you.”
“Well, can we at least get inside before i get questioned? You know me, can't deal that well with the cold.”
Katara nodded as she looped her arm around Zuko's elbow, conducting them both inside. Zuko's heart started to ache, the memories quickly invading his mind without permission. Sokka smiling at him as they get inside after a long time of not seeing each other, Sokka kissing him stupid right as he got off his dragon, Sokka starting a snowball fight with the kids just to prove to Zuko he could beat them all without getting hit –He lost in the first thirty seconds.
Sokka, Sokka, Sokka.
Every corner and crevice of the Southern Water Tribe held a piece of memory, something to remember, something to miss. Something to long for so deeply it would actually cause physical pain and yet Zuko was there again, trying his best not to fall to the floor and sob at seeing Katara and Aang's house, the same where he had drunkenly confessed his love to Sokka in front of their whole friend group and also the one where they announced their engagement years later. Zuko looked at the many portraits and paintings surrounding the living room, he appeared in many of them, being Katara's brother-in-law, which meant Sokka was in those pictures as well.
Smiling wide and bright, being distracted looking directly at Zuko, holding one of his nephews, kissing Izumi on the cheek.
This was all becoming too much for Zuko, he could feel his blood pressure getting higher just from how overwhelmed he felt. Katara must have felt too as she stopped and looked back at him, an empathetic look on her face as if she was telling him she felt the exactly the same inside her own home.
“Let it out. You don't have to pretend around me.” She turned her back to him, walking them to the dining room.
“Believe me, if i could, i'd had let it all out ages ago. But, is not as simple as it seems.”
“That is because you have the bad habit of trying to solve everything yourself. You still have friends, people who care for and love you.” Katara said, pulling a chair and sitting down.
“I've been like that since i was born, i'd argue it is rather late to change now. Don't you think?”
“You did change, when Sokka was here you learned to talk about your emotions and feelings.”
“Is this necessary?” Zuko pinched his nose bridge trying to keep his breathing leveled so that he won't faint then and there.
“Are you just never going to talk about him again?” Katara poured tea for the two of them.“Don't worry, is not medicinal tea.” She gave him a nod and a smile as she pushed the tea cup in his direction.
“I understand your concern, but it really isn't necessary to dig deeper into this.” Zuko sighed. “Let Sokka rest, his done his part in our stories now we must complete ours.”
“Do you believe never mentioning him again would make the nightmares disappear?”
“So Izumi did tell you about it.”
“She did not, have you forgotten you're not the only one who lost someone important?” Katara quietly sipped her tea as Zuko wanted to quite literally be wiped out from the face of the earth. “ Although i do understand it must've been more traumatic to you since you're there when it happened, he was still my brother.” She concluded raising her eyes to meet his.
It was too much, this was definitely a bad idea. Zuko only wanted to put Izumi at ease, she shouldn't be worried about her father having nightmares like a child that read too many scary stories before bed time. He also shouldn't be here having Katara relive the trauma of losing her only brother because his husband mind wouldn't just let him live without him. It was extremely unfair to the both of them, Zuko should've stayed at the Fire Nation and simply dealt with it himself, he had done it for years before Izumi found him clutching his chest and having difficult breathing after a particularly bad nightmare.
He could put on a facade, he had done it for years back when Ozai was still around. It was the absolute worst way of dealing with something this serious, but it seemed the easiest and since Sokka wasn't there to gently but firmly make him open up about his struggles, it was also the only way Zuko could think of to save face and solve this mess.
“I'm terribly sorry, Katara.” He chose to say, ashamed of himself.
“You don't need to be, Zuko. I only worry you're not sharing your burden afraid that nobody else can quite understand what you're going through.” Katara sighed. “I know you and Sokka had a different connection and i am in no way trying to replace or mimick what you had with him, but i do wish to help you.” She held her hand on top of the table, waiting for Zuko to clasp their hands together.
“We were thinking about retiring to Ember Island.” Zuko says, eyes not daring to meet Katara's.“But then Zaheer came and he said 'We must make sure Korra is safe. It will be our last mission, she is all we have left of Aang, we owe him that much.' And now there is nothing left of him.” His memory wandering to Sokka's smile as he said that, convincing Zuko that it was only their last mission, and not the last time they'll ever be together. “I don't know where to go from here.” He added, eyes already rimmed with red.
“When we lost Aang i felt the very same way and quite frankly i still do.” Katara confessed. “It didn't got exactly easier with time, i still have bad and good days, but the important part is to keep trying, keep going.” She finished with a shaky voice.
“Your brother said something terribly similar to me.”
“Did he?”
“We were young and had a complication in a mission together. Sokka got hospitalized for days, when i asked him what would i do if he died he simply replied 'Keep living. I can only hope.'” Zuko smiled at the memory. “I Just had no idea it would be this difficult.” He reached his hand, finally taking Katara's.
“You're not alone, it has been terribly difficult living without Sokka's visits with his questionable sense of humor and new inventions.”
“Tell me about it, his last invention was an umbrella that actually rained on you. He said he never got used to the high temperatures of the summer in the Fire Nation.”
“He told me about that! I told him it was ridiculous, but he then reminded me that he could not bend so that was his most efficient solution.” Katara laughed loudly and, for a split second, she sounded exactly like Sokka.
”Can't blame him, can we?” Zuko said, laughing with her.
After some time discussing the old times and going on and on about memories they both had of Sokka and Aang, Zuko could admit Izumi was definitely right. This helped ease a bit of the constant bad thoughts running around his mind, although every time Katara did or said something that reminded him of Sokka, a sharp pain was manifested in Zuko's heart. It was a bittersweet sensation, he did miss Katara a lot, being in her company has always brought some sort of comfort and soothing to his whole being, but since Sokka was gone she was a strong and constant reminder of someone he would never lay eyes on again.
Zuko said his farewells to Katara at a much later time in the evening than he initially anticipated, he should've been used to this by now, whenever their group got together time became a insignificant concept, all the hours blended together. Zuko flew through the night sky rapidly as his dragon growled, thrilled to be in some sort of action after so many days of being more like a pet than anything else. They got back in the Fire Nation in record time, landing peacefully as the Kyoshi Warriors surrounded them to welcome Zuko back.
“How was the trip, Lord Zuko?” Ban asked offering him a helping hand which he politely accepted.
“Same as always, i suppose. After you get old you don't have any news, all you do is talk about the old times.”
“In a good or bad way?”
“Both, good and bad memories are part of life.” Zuko sighed walking back to his quarters with Ban by his side.
Zuko entered his room with tiredness making his shoulders hang low, at least his chest was lighter so he could count his trip as a successful one. The former Fire Lord lay in his bed after dismissing Ban's extensive list of concerned questioning, his eyes almost immediately shut down.
Something exploded way too close to Zuko, making his ear ring in an extremely annoying way. He dodged Ming Hua's water bending and managed to hit her with a fire ball before another explosion almost hit him, the Red Lotus were exceptional benders and fighters, he had to give them credit for that.
Zuko took a deep breath kicking Zaheer straight in the chest when he heard Sokka scream in pain, his attention went directly to his husband seeing P'Li standing as Sokka lay on the floor holding his side.
Zuko's distraction earned him a hit on the back from Ghazan, knocking him to the floor and making his vision blurred and confused. Zuko tried to shake his head, he needed to go to Sokka, he needed to make sure both of them would make it out okay. He heard some of the White Lotus benders run to their aid as one more explosion took place then it all went black, Zuko heard many voices mushing together, he felt hands helping him up, he saw droplets of blood staining the perfectly white snow.
However, he didn't see Sokka. Zuko fought to get out of the hands holding him, he heard someone screaming that he shouldn't go, but how could he not go? Sokka was laying there somewhere, P'Li was restrained from what he could make out of the voices, but not a single one of them said Sokka's name.
“What good it'll do to go there now?” He heard Sokka's voice coming from behind him.
Zuko turned slowly, praying to whatever God who was listening that he wouldn't see something horrifying when his eyes land on Sokka. His prayers fell on deaf ears, Sokka was covered in blood, pale and hollow.
“If your plan was to save me, you shouldn't had gotten knocked out, Zuko.” Sokka sighed, blood oozing out of his side. “You're always a moment too late, aren't you? Wasn't it the same with your father? With Iroh, Azula. Even with your own mother. You're never there on time.”
“That's not true, Sokka! I was going to...”
“You're going to fail. As you did every single time you tried to save someone.”
“No... Sokka please, listen to me.”
“And hear another string of nonsensical apologies? I know better than that, give up already.”
“My love... I...”
“You did this, Zuko. Don't you dare forget it.”
Zuko's eyes opened to see the ceiling of his quarters once again, he looked at the pile of pillows next to him, Sokka's obsession with sleeping with a bunch of pillows only to end up laying on Zuko's chest has made their bed look like a child owned it. He sighed loudly seeing how the first rays of sunshine were just staring to paint the sky with yellow and orange tones, he had barely gotten any sleep before his nightmares made sure he would be miserable for another day.
He slowly sat on the bed, waiting for the creek on the door. It took less than a minute for Ban's eye to show at the door, they gave him an empathetic look and a small nod before closing the door again. It had become routine by now, all of the castle staff knew about Zuko's night terrors and how the former Fire Lord never quite got over his husband death, in many occasions he heard the staff talking about how disappointing it was that The Lord Zuko had been converted into a recluse and sad old man; he paid no mind to such comments, there was no bitterness surrounded him when the grief and longing took over his whole being. Grief is often said to be love with no place to go, Zuko was brimming with love for Sokka, he saw Sokka in every little detail of his life and yet he had no way to tell him how one of the turtle ducks head's feathers reminded him of Sokka's wolf tail. He couldn't say that he saw a stupid looking Earth Kingdom patterned bag and it immediately crossed his mind that Sokka would've loved it, he couldn't even tell him about how he saw a teenager discussing if his belt made some difference in his outfit or not and it reminded him of when they were teens as well.
His love for Sokka had nowhere to go, every detail that brought a memory also brought excruciating pain. It brought scary questions Zuko was not sure he was ready to answer, was he prepared to leave Izumi behind in order to finally see Sokka again? Only he knew how much losing Uncle Iroh had affected him, but then again, wasn't he supposed to be used to death by now? His parents, Uncle Iroh, Aang, Azula and Sokka. He was well into his eighties, death wasn't a new concept at all, it didn't made it any easier though. With each loss, Zuko lost a piece of himself and he had no idea if he could ever regain them.
His eyes fell into the pillow pile again, he decided to lay on top of them, hugging one of them. They had long lost Sokka's scent and carried none of his warmth, but they were his favorites, he had bought every single one of them himself always aiming for the perfect night of sleep and then saying none of them would ever compare to sleeping in Zuko's arms.
Sleep slowly crawled back into Zuko's mind, he thought about Sokka's warm and his big smile.
Zuko woke up to a pair of extremely familiar blue eyes staring patiently at him, his vision was a bit blurry but he still could recognize that face and hair tied in a wolf tail even if he went blind. Sure, he looked way younger than the last time they saw each other, but there was no mistaking it. That was definitely...
“Sokka!” Zuko said throwing himself at the arms of the man he missed so much.
“Hey babe!” Sokka hugged him back letting out a small chuckle. “You sure took your time, or maybe I was too early...” He joked. Zuko's eyes started to prickle with tears, that was something Sokka would definitely say, his Sokka.
“I haven't dreamt about you in this way in so long, I missed you so much!” Zuko buried his nose on Sokka's neck, breathing in his scent and trying his best to memorize everything about it.
“I don't wanna scare you, but this isn't a dream.” Sokka held Zuko by his shoulders distancing the former Fire Lord from himself, staring at him with some amount of concern, although all Zuko could truly focus on was how much he missed that face.
“You do look younger, but I haven't done a single thing to result in time travel. How is this possible?”He cupped Sokka's face, still mesmerized by his beauty.
“Try something a little bit more plausible, my love.” Sokka laughed in disbelief, Zuko was a bit more slow than he remembered.
Zuko stared at Sokka for a minute more, trying to recall whatever he did that landed him right back at the arms of the man he loved. He had visited Katara and spent hours talking about their past and how to deal with their grief, got back to the Fire Nation and had a quick chat about his trip with Ban he then went to sleep with the warm feeling of nostalgia and a deep sense of loneliness for not having Sokka to share each of this memories with. That was it, then he opened his eyes and Sokka was right in front of him. Younger, as good looking as he remembered and making fun of him for being a bit slow. Zuko is also not in his bedroom, they are outside and the sky has all these beautiful shades of blue, pink and lilac; the grass is green and soft and the weather is nice and warm and oh.
Oh.
“I'm dead.” Zuko's eyes widened as he stared at himself, noticing how he also looked much younger.
“Took you long enough, hotman.” Sokka laughed ruffling his hair. “Welcome to the spirit world!” Sokka opened his arms waving around as Zuko expression got more and more surprised.
“I'm dead? But... But how?” Zuko's head was spinning it was almost as if...
“You're not gonna get sick are you?” Sokka seemed to read his mind. “Cause if you think you are, don't worry that's not actually possible here with us being spirits and not having stomachs and all that.” He waved his hand around his tum, eyebrows knotted together as he tried his best to explain.
“Izumi! What about Izumi? We were just together, i can't just be dead the next morning. I didn't said my farewells to our daughter, Sokka!” The former Fire Lord panicked looking around as if searching for a way to get out.
“Worry not! Izumi is with Suki and Katara, she is surrounded by people who love her very much.” Sokka's expression softened as he held both Zuko's hands in his. “And if you're wondering how i know that, a spiritual fella delivered the news a bit before you woke up. Courtesy of the Avatar herself, she knew you would be worried about our girl.” He comforted Zuko, kissing his knuckles.
The former Fire Lord finally let the air out –Though breathing isn't exactly required for spirits. He thought about Izumi surrounded by family, he wished he could've said his goodbyes and tell her just how proud and honored he was to be her father, Zuko could only hope he had always made that clear throughout their life together. Izumi was his pride and joy and even though she was older now and very much capable of looking after herself, she was the fire lady after all, he still saw her as their little girl. The little girl who would run to her daddies every time she learned something new or got better at bending.
Zuko felt the tears threatening to fall again, as much as he was heartbroken to have left Izumi alone, he was just so so relieved of finally being with Sokka again. It has been far too long, for years he analyzed every second of their last day together, he blamed himself, he blamed others, he blamed even Korra at some point. He felt broken and hopeless, surrounded by this barrier that never truly let him enjoy things as he used to.
And now it was over, Sokka was right in front of him. Holding his hands and smiling, waiting for him to process all the information he just received.
Sokka.
His Sokka.
“Fuck. I missed you so much.” Zuko let himself break down crying as he hugged Sokka again.
Their bodies so flushed together they were almost becoming one. It was like breathing again after holding your breath for far too long, like eating after starving. Taking a sip of water on an extremely hot day. It was genuinely like being alive again, as ironic as it sounded.
Zuko lived years feeling lukewarm, never cold, never hot. Perfectly balanced in the middle, missing the thrill of sharing your life with your loved one. Being constantly bombarded with memories of a time where everything was so much easier and happier. He focused his energy on Izumi, on making sure she would feel supported in the time of their loss, so he never properly healed his own wounds, which is why his mind so often drifted to the day he lost Sokka. Time moved on, Zuko got older, wiser and more respected; but Sokka wasn't there to see any of that so all he felt was more and more hollow.
He put on a mask of a man who was far too used to losses and faced the death of the love of his life as if it was another mission, a task to accomplish. A duty he must honor. In reality, all the sorrow from years of buried tears and memories was hitting him right in that second.
“I know, I'm so incredibly sorry Zuko. You have no idea.” Sokka's voice was but a whisper, his fingers carding through Zuko's hair in a calming manner. “I regretted being the first to go. I never planned to leave you and Izumi, please forgive me.”
“Sokka i have nothing to forgive you for. Sure, life without you sucked but I still got to live with you. I wouldn't change that for nothing in the whole world.” Zuko distanced himself enough to hold Sokka's face in his hands, drawing circles with the pads of his thumbs. “Look at you, you're even more beautiful than i remember. Sorry it took me too long to come back to you, I just had to make sure our girl was set in her path.” He said, leaning in to kiss Sokka's forehead.
“I got to attend many of your uncle's tea parties while I waited for you, don't worry.” Sokka smiled. “But i gotta admit, nothing really has taste when you're not around.” He said putting his hands on top of Zuko's.
They stared at each other's eyes, communicating without the need for words. Just Zuko and Sokka, how it should be and how it would go back to being now.
Sokka was the one to close their distance finally having Zuko's lips perfectly fitting his. A kiss worth thousands of unspoken words, of promises of a love that survived death and continued to grow even in opposite worlds.
And just like that, they became Zuko and Sokka again. For eternity this time.