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It was late in the evening, the sun already lost to the mountains. The sky was covered in a dark blanket, with stars that shimmered.
Zuko had no idea how long he’d shut his eyes for, but he knew he couldn’t sleep. It irritated him. Zuko tossed and turned.
A soft noise made Zuko stop, now confused. He rose from his bed and moved to the flap of the tent to exit, welcomed with a cold breeze. Zuko decided to go on a stroll, hoping the calm night would help him fall asleep.
As Zuko walked, the noise didn’t disappear. It sounded similar to a hurt animal, and it was distressing to Zuko. Because of this, Zuko investigated the area. Zuko walked around the tents, and stopped once he heard the culprit.
The tent that Zuko stood in front of belonged to Sokka. Zuko stepped closer, entering quietly.
Sokka heard the rustling of the tent, and he covered his mouth with his hands. His eyes were glued shut. Sokka trembled under the covers, holding his breath so he wouldn’t sniffle.
Zuko crouched down to Sokka’s level and sat down, placing a hand on his shoulder “Sokka.”
Sokka refused to answer. He stayed hidden underneath the warmth of his covers with no intention on coming out. Sokka removed his hands from his mouth, and his breath hitched immediately.
Zuko sighed, pulling the covers down. Sokka felt too weak to keep it in place. Zuko saw Sokka, and Zuko softened at the sight. Sokka’s eyes gleamed with red, and were unbearably puffy. Sokka’s cheeks were flushed, and previous tears lingered.
Zuko’s brows furrowed in worry. “Sokka…”
Sokka’s eyes met Zuko’s, and he wiped away the snot from his nose with his tunic.
Zuko shook his head in disapproval. He stood up to get a handkerchief from his tent when he felt the touch of something, or someone.
Sokka gently tugged onto Zuko’s clothes, a mellow expression on his face. Zuko was put to a halt.
“You’ll stay, won’t you?” Sokka whispered, his voice breathless.
Zuko pushed the thought of retrieving a handkerchief aside, completely focused on Sokka. Zuko nodded, and he laid down onto the ground. Zuko curled onto his side and his eyes finally met Sokka’s.
Sokka’s lips were raw and swollen, a deep red. Zuko gazed at them, tenderness overwhelming him. Everything in Zuko’s body told him to close the distance between him and Sokka. But Zuko stopped himself from doing so. Zuko didn’t want to suffocate Sokka. Sokka looked so vulnerable in this moment, Zuko didn’t want to confuse or scare him.
Another idea appeared in Zuko’s mind, and it seemed to be the better alternative. Zuko leaned in close to Sokka, and embraced him. Sokka was taken aback, his gloomy eyes now wide. Sokka involuntarily let out a sound that would’ve left him embarrassed in any other circumstance. Sokka gave in, melting into Zuko’s touch.
Zuko held him tight, pulling Sokka into his chest. Sokka felt safe, grounded, and steady. Zuko rested his chin on Sokka’s head. Sokka allowed it all, as Zuko’s actions were sincere.
Zuko inhaled Sokka’s scent, and exhaled with a smile. Zuko was slow and gentle, and exactly what Sokka needed.
Sokka felt Zuko’s heartbeat, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he had an effect on Zuko. Zuko had an effortless demeanour, and he was the same right now. Sokka wished he could emulate Zuko, as Sokka was flustered, glad his face wasn’t visible. Sokka tried to rehearse a sentence to say to Zuko, but his mind didn’t let him. All Sokka could think about was Zuko’s arm draped lazily over his waist.
There was no need for Sokka to feel so shy, since Zuko didn’t seem to mind. Sokka gained enough confidence to cuddle Zuko. Zuko couldn’t contain the excitement within his heart, and moved swiftly. Zuko hovered over Sokka, who laid on his back.
Zuko planted a kiss onto Sokka’s neck. Sokka jolted, and frowned at Zuko. Zuko grinned at Sokka, and returned to his neck. Zuko moved up to Sokka’s jaw, before he kissed Sokka on the lips. The kiss was faint, a test to see how much Sokka could handle. Zuko miscalculated.
Sokka pulled Zuko down to give him a kiss, their breaths equally warm. Sokka’s hands cradled Zuko’s face, and Zuko took that as a sign to go further, and deepened the kiss. Sokka sighed, everything was so tender.
Sokka gasped for breath when Zuko let go, and Sokka shook his head. “I...I’ve had enough.”
Zuko laughed, falling down onto his back. Sokka blushed and muffled Zuko’s laughter with a hand over his mouth.
“Shh! You’ll wake everyone up!” Sokka whispered loudly.
Sokka glared at Zuko, but it held no hostility.
Zuko rolled his eyes, and held Sokka’s wrist. “Me? What about you? You sure do make a lot of noises.”
Sokka smacked Zuko’s head with a pillow before he hugged it. Sokka turned the other way, his back to Zuko.
Zuko was miffed, but he didn’t throw a fuss. “I’m sorry.”
Sokka held onto the pillow, a silly replacement to Zuko. “Shut up and go to sleep.”
Zuko followed, but if Zuko was going to fall asleep, he had to cuddle Sokka. Sokka pretended to be annoyed, but he was elated.
The tension before was long gone, replaced with the love Zuko and Sokka had for each other.
The birds chirped a lovely tune, and the sun began to rise. Everyone had awoken from their slumber. Katara was ready to start the day off on a positive note. Katara went up to each member to greet them a good morning. Aang had a wide smile when he heard Katara’s voice, while Toph groaned dramatically.
It was Zuko’s turn to be greeted. Katara seriously loathed Zuko, but she knew she couldn’t keep feeling this way about him. Katara knew that she and Zuko had a complicated past, but to be fair, they did meet in bad circumstances. It was then Katara decided to be kinder to him.
She opened Zuko’s tent to see it empty.
Katara was perplexed. “Huh?”
Aang and Toph took note of this. They headed over to Katara to see.
Aang tilted his head. “That’s strange, Zuko always sleeps in.”
Toph butted in. “He may be training. Who knows, who cares?”
Katara ignored Toph’s remark.
“Fine then, I’ll go ahead and greet Sokka.” Katara gleamed with a hopeful joy.
The two followed Katara. They smiled as they thought of seeing Sokka. They stopped when Katara reached Sokka's tent. She opened it.
Aang, Katara, and Toph stood in front of Zuko and Sokka, who slept together. They were relaxed, especially Sokka. Zuko’s hold on Sokka remained for the night. It was adorable, but a bewildering sight to the three who saw it.
Aang blinked, unsure if what he saw was real. “So, uh, are you two seeing what I’m seeing?”
Aang was shocked, but it left him feeling fond of the two boys. Aang giggled, receiving a glare from Katara.
All of the resentment Katara held towards Zuko returned. Katara seethed with anger. She grabbed a pillow from Sokka’s tent and slammed in onto Zuko’s face. Zuko jolted up.
“Hey, what the hell?!” Zuko complained, groggy.
Katara folded her arms and raised her head. She examined Zuko.
When Zuko was no longer disorientated, he realised that his friends were right here, staring at him and…
“Wait!” Zuko blurted out, a hand in the air.
Toph’s mouth was wide open, her finger pointed at Zuko and Sokka. “Scandal!”
“You’re damn right it’s a scandal. Get up and think about what you’ve done.” Katara and Toph got Zuko onto his feet and shooed him away.
Sokka was still asleep. At this point, it was impressive.
“What else have these two been doing behind closed doors?!” Toph exclaimed as she paced away, and stories formed into her mind.
Katara grimaced at the thought. “Jeez, Toph, I don’t want to think about that so early in the morning.”
“Come on, Katara. Don’t you think it’s sweet?” Aang asked with a carefree smile, and it seemed as if he was in a dream.
“No! I don’t know what Zuko’s motives are, but he needs to know his place.” Katara answered.
Toph went away to do her own business, probably still thinking about the two. Katara got herself busy with laundry. She brought a pile of it to the river, with Aang who followed behind her.
Once they arrived, Aang grabbed a pair of Sokka’s socks and squeaked at the stench. “Yuck!”
Katara crouched down and placed her fur coat onto the wooden board. She brought out a bar of soap and scrubbed the coat. Aang did the same with Sokka’s socks, looking the other way to avoid the smell.
“But seriously, what was Zuko doing with Sokka?” Katara sighed.
“Maybe Zuko comforted Sokka and they helped each other sleep at night. By, you know, cuddling.” Aang said in a calm tone.
Katara looked at Aang curiously. “And how would you know?”
Aang grinned at Katara. “Why would I ever tell you?”
Katara stood up and grabbed a handful of Sokka’s unwashed socks. Aang knew what that meant and bolted away. Katara chased him with determination throughout their camp.
“Katara, I’m sorry!” Aang yelled.