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The world was moving fast after the hundred year war. Zuko felt as if the globe was spinning under his feet. His father was imprisoned, his sister institutionalized.. it hadn’t been easy. Through all of that, Zuko hadn’t expected something to come out of his friendship with one of his dear friends.
Let alone that friend be Sokka. It started a few years after the war, when Sokka would visit the Fire Nation every now and then. He would come down with strategic ideas, advise Zuko about things Zuko didn’t even realize he was faltering in, and spend a nice meal together.
Then Zuko started visiting Sokka back. The first time, he was shivering so hard, even his bending withstood the cold. That was when Sokka had offered him an extra coat, woven straight from animal fur. Zuko had finally felt warm.
He had also blushed. Their visits became more and more common, and sometimes Zuko had made up excuses just so he would have a reason to travel. Just for him to go to the Southern Water Tribe.
Zuko wasn’t proud of the excuses. He knew it was all about seeing Sokka and he could tell Sokka knew the same. None of them said anything for a while. Until one night when Sokka had been visiting the Fire Nation. Zuko had been contemplating, standing by his balcony as lanterns from a celebration in the distance loomed in the sky.
“Hey,”
Sokka’s voice had made Zuko turn, a small smile approached his face. The other man had joined him, standing silently, but closely. “Zuko, how many times are you going to come up with fake reasons to see me?”
Zuko had turned, “Those were not fake.” He had lied straight through his teeth, “…Have you lied to come to the Fire Nation?”
“Yeah,” Sokka had admitted through a laugh, “Like, since months ago.” That made Zuko burst out laughing too. Half nervous, half reassured. They had been doing the same thing.
“Then.. I admit I have also been— lying.”
“You’re a terrible liar,”
“You were also lying!”
“I’m a better liar than you,” Sokka had teased, and Zuko doesn’t know how or why or what— but that was the first time he felt Sokka’s lips on his own. At first, Zuko was nervous, unsure of how he’s supposed to handle the feeling of Sokka’s gentle kisses.
But as he melted into the kiss, he realized the nerves were already long gone. “I’m going to tell you something crazy,” Sokka had said.
“And that is?”
“I actually have a crush on you.”
Zuko had laughed, “I wonder what you could have done to make me believe that.” He said, although his face was still heated up from that mere kiss. “I like you too.”
“So, I should take you out properly then, when we aren’t lying to see each other?”
Then that’s how it started. The secrecy wasn’t planned.
Zuko swears it wasn’t, he and Sokka had talked about it on their second and third dates. They knew they wanted to tell their friends, but with everything— Katara and Aang are so busy with Republic City. Toph is busy as Master, training the new era of Earth and Metal benders.
They couldn’t just go up to them and tell them “We’re dating.” It bothered Zuko a lot, the last thing he wanted was to be a liar.
“We’ll bring it up, soon.”
“I feel bad,” Zuko said one day as the two of them lay together. “They’re our friends— and, Katara’s your sister. You don’t feel bad keeping a secret like this from her?”
Sokka paused, “Look, everyone’s busy and you have your own thing going on. The last thing I want is for you to get pressured for information once something like this gets out,” He says gently, “But I know what you mean. It kills me too. Maybe when everyone gets together, when everything isn’t so busy.”
“Mm,” Zuko had agreed. But that had turned into the next time. And the time after that. The more they waited the more both of them grew nervous to even say anything.
What if revealing it broke the balance of their friendships? Their jobs? So they didn’t say anything. Not just for the first few weeks. For the first few months.
Zuko almost says something before it became a year. But something political came up, and he was silenced again. Then it was longer than a year, and the silence has almost become routine.
Sometimes it ignites the thrill, sometimes it causes their most intense arguments.
Either way, Zuko wasn’t expecting an urgent letter from Aang.
Or for Katara to pick him up with Appa. And with Sokka already on the air bison. “Why is Aang going to Mount Baihu? His letter wasn’t the most clear.” Zuko says as he sits down, in between Toph and Sokka.
“He’s found out about a staff the Denied may be after, and we have to get there before they do.” Katara explains as Sokka stretches his arms out. “We’ll arrive there soon to meet with him and then we can go over more,”
“Alright,” Sokka says, “I want to take the lead on Appa,” He stands, and Katara switches positions, as the group sets out to find Aang.
Everything happens extremely fast. Zuko feels as if a mouthful of rocks are about to hit them and crush them to death but Appa is of course, diligent and strong. Aang lands on Appa with the group turning their heads.
That’s when the Fire Lord’s eyes gaze onto the man who collapsed. “I thought we were coming here for a staff? Who’s this guy?” Sokka points.
“An airbender,” Aang whispers in awe, as Katara and Zuko look at each other, almost nervously.
As the group settled camp, everyone was crowded around the strange man. Aang was explaining to them how he just bended air right before they were about to get seriously injured. “He looks like he’s been in that ice for a long time,”
“He smells good for an old man,”
“Ew,” Sokka cringes at Toph’s comment. “Toph, don’t start.”
“He smells attractive,”
“What?” Katara wants to burst out laughing but she contains herself. “Toph this is serious!”
“Somebody else confirm. Is he attractive?”
“What does attractive even mean?”
Zuko turns towards Sokka, then his gaze on the unconscious man. “He’s very attractive.” He says, “What? He is. It’s all in the bone structure.”
After another deadly hour through an immortal storm, the ship is definitely in need of some repairs. At the same time, Zuko finds Toph and Sokka relaxing instead of helping. That is already ticking him off.
“Um..We’re supposed to be fixing the ship?”
“Uh huh, you’re doing great buddy!” Sokka calls out, making Zuko form a look of annoyance. As soon as Sokka looks up and sees that, he’s on his feet. “I’m coming.”
“Damn right you’re helping.” Zuko huffs as Sokka helps him with the repairs. Awkward silence. “You’re not mad about what I said earlier, right?”
“Huh? About Tagah?”
“Yes.”
Sokka laughs, “No, why would I be jealous?”
“Has anyone seen Tagah?” Zuko sees the way Sokka’s face contorts as he says that, the look of annoyance almost makes Zuko laugh out loud. Sokka turns to look up at Katara, who’s standing by the highest post.
“Yesss we’ve all seen Tagah, so handsome and gorgeous, we understand Katara!” Sokka says as Zuko stifles a laugh. “Oh, I mean yeah I think he went for a walk that way.”
As Katara disappears, Zuko whispers, “You are so jealous.”
“He’s really ugly, Zuko. He really is.” Sokka huffs as Zuko holds his chin in his hand. “He isn’t even that muscular.”
“You’re right.” Zuko says before they quickly plant a kiss to the lips. “You know you’re the most attractive man to me,” He reassures, making Sokka slightly grin.
“So my bone structure isss—”
“Definitely the best.” Zuko finishes Sokka’s sentence before he hears a loud sound from the distance. “What was—”
Sokka is already bolting down as soon as it registers in him that something has happened to his sister. “Katara—! Hey—what the hell?!”
“Sokka, he’s betraying Aang!” Katara exclaims as she gets back up from where Tagah had thrown her down. That’s enough for Sokka to grab his boomerang, chucking it as he runs to join her.
Zuko and Toph are quick to get off the ship too.
“Get your hands off my sister!” Sokka shouts after a swing. Zuko is already aiming fire towards the airbender, with Toph throwing grounds from the earth as well.
Toph raises a large boulder, with Sokka jumping on its side and aiming to hit Tagah. Tagah seems strong— stronger than anything they’ve ever fought before.
Katara seems to dodge a close one, raising lots of water up around her arms. Using them as strong whips towards the backstabbing airbender.
Sokka focuses on jumping and hitting this jerk for all that he’s got. His gaze can’t help but go to his secret lover’s, the way Zuko’s bending and fighting with everything.
When Tagah grabs at Zuko’s hand and yanks him down, Sokka’s eyes darkened. This guy has the nerve to not only land his hands on his sister, but Zuko too?!
“You got a real death wish, you know that right?!” Sokka says as he rushes past, hitting Tagah right at a weak point. Toph seconds that blow with moves of her own.
Zuko raises himself in the air on his feet, flames bursting underneath him. That’s when he sees Tagah building up a lot of air in his fingers. “What the—”
He lands back on the water, before jolting on his feet again at a very close direct attack.
And that’s when Tagah quickly builds up more air in his fingers, and something hits Zuko right on the chest.
“Zuko!”
As soon as that air hits Zuko’s chest, his eyes widened. He felt as his the air in his lungs has been pushed out, and when he hit the ground, he felt light.
The gasp he let out was a hurtful one, eyes closed. Zuko feels as if he’s being pushed deep into the water where he fell. He can open his eyes and move around but— it’s slow. All so slow, and he tries moving a bit to the side but it seems he’s stuck in place.
Then he was being yanked down, quickly. He screams out of fear, and the shock of the velocity.
“Zuko,”
Where did that come from?
”Zuko, come on— just let me try to use more— water—”
It’s coming from up, all the way to the front of the water where Zuko is falling. His chest thumps at the realization. Katara. “Katara?” His own voice comes out muffled.
“Zuko, pull yourself through!”
That’s when Zuko sees a large sum of water zipping past where he was drowning. Before he can think, he latches on, and the water yanks him — fast. Fast before he can even shout.
Zuko sits up, eyes wide and breathing heavily. “Zuko!” Katara exclaims, with Toph quick to hug his bicep to ground him. “You’re okay.”
“What just happened?”
“Tagah— he— he killed us.. he kicked the oxygen out of our lungs.” Katara says, with Toph letting out a small scoff.
The Earthbender rolls her eyes as she keeps her grip on Zuko tight. “He sent us all down when he hit us with the air. We were the first two down, which means we were the biggest threats.” She says with a tiny smile.
Zuko wishes he could smile. This is not something he can smile about. “Breathe, Zuko. The waters are so spiritually charged it channeled my healing abilities to another level— but it’s still a lot to—”
His head whips to the side. Past Katara, there Sokka is.
And he isn’t moving.
Zuko didn’t care about breathing, or taking it easy. He’s on his feet before he knows it, running over. Katara is following suit, “Zuko, Zuko he’s next.” She says, pulling him back. “I was working on you and Toph first because you guys had been down the longest. He’s next,”
He had to force himself to stop, as Katara stepped closer. Katara kneeled down, collecting the water below her palms before she began to move her hands. Even keeping her hands under the water to see if that would charge more energy.
Sokka still wasn’t moving.
“Katara, is it normal for it to take longer?” Zuko asks, trying to hide his nerves but doing terribly at it. “Is it.. does it normally—”
“It took you like ten seconds,” Toph answers before Katara does, and now Zuko’s ignoring the barrier. He’s rushing towards Sokka’s still body, kneeling at the opposite side of Katara.
Zuko acts on impulse, grabbing Sokka’s hand. Sokka’s freezing, his eyes contorting into sadness at the touch. He presses down hard, warming his hands up. It’s a gesture but Katara doesn’t think much of it. Instead her hands focus on working, her own expression turned into stress.
“Oh Sokka, you’re.. he’s freezing,” Zuko says worriedly. “I’ll warm you up.” He says gently, his hands rubbing against Sokka’s.
“I was able to hear you when you were working on me,” Zuko says, and Toph nods for her own confirmation. “I think he could— hear us.”
“It’s worth a try, because I’m..” Katara trails off, “He feels weak.”
“Sokka, look okay— Sokka?” Zuko starts, “Katara’s working her way to help you, okay? You need to wake up.”
Sokka doesn’t move. Of course he doesn’t. He’s practically dead, how Zuko was not even five minutes ago. “Sokka, you’re going to need to talk on and on about this later, okay?” He says nervously, “You’re going to bring this up, even use it in arguments.”
The water under Katara’s palms had grown brighter. Zuko had to pause and listen to the water moving so that he could swallow his own panic.
“We have so much to talk about, don’t we?” Zuko says, looking down at Sokka again. “I don’t even— know if you can hear me,” He says shakily, “We were going to do everything you wanted, right? Don’t you want to go fishing under southern lights?”
Zuko bites his inner cheek, “I’m so sorry I said that the currents would be too strong. They’re never too strong for us to go fishing, right? You’d find a way. You will! You will find a way, right, Sokka?”
Not even a twitch from the other man. “I know, I know what we can do. After this, after you open your— your eyes and wake up, we can go right to the Southern Tribe, and.. and you can show me that new thing you were so excited about! Right? Right, Sokka? You kept telling me about how many times you had to redo the gears, but I’m sure it works great! Right? Don’t you want to show me, Sokka? I really— Sokka—” Every word coming out of Zuko’s mouth starts to feel more and more like desperate, anguished pleas.
Seeing Sokka not respond, not even move, makes Zuko pause for a second. Is this truly happening, all of the sudden? Right when they were just beginning, right when Sokka was so excited to finish his newest innovative weapon? He can feel his hands trembling against Sokka’s cold, practically dead ones.
Katara paused her movements, as if this was taking everything in her. “I’m losing him.” She says, with Zuko already shifting to try and hold Sokka more comfortingly. Katara begins to try again, more energy this time— if that was even possible.
Sokka’s face is too peaceful and too still. “No,” Zuko doesn’t recognize his own voice. “No, no—” He feels Toph approach and grab at his shoulder to maybe get him up. He yanks her away. “I’m staying close!” He snaps.
Katara gives Zuko a small sad expression as she keeps working. Her own hands are shaking and Zuko can see it in her face. Her older brother may not make it. Katara has already accepted that fact, similar to how she accepted she would never get her mother back. Now, she feels that there’s very little she can do to save the only person who was with her before that time, and the only one who stayed ever since then.
The water bender has accepted that. Toph has gone quiet and Zuko can tell Toph has perhaps accepted it too. They may be rushing back to help Aang, and Sokka will not be there. But what will Zuko do? How can he live without Sokka’s humor? His dumb humor? Or his charisma, or his tender kisses? Moments when Sokka demands Zuko stays still for paintings? Is it true, that Zuko is to never experience any of these things.. indefinitely?
Was the kiss they shared, merely two hours ago, their last? How?! This cannot be it, that can’t be how this happens, or how this goes.
“I kind of.. feel his energy but— it’s so far,” Katara says, her own voice softly wavering.
Zuko looks up at Katara and then back down. He’s losing it. His words begin to pour out, all of his begging. All he knows to do is beg, without thinking about what is being said.
“Hey— Sokka, Sokka listen to me— Katara’s working on you right now, okay?”
Nothing.
“Sokka, wake up. Right now. I’m not asking anymore. Please, please wake up. Wake up, right now, so we can all go— you need to hang on, okay? Aang needs us, and I won’t leave without you waking up. Don’t fall all the way down there.”
Still nothing, not even a twitch.
“Sokka, listen— are you even listening to me?! I — you better not give up!” Zuko scolds, his own voice wavering. “My love, you cannot give up, please.”
Toph tenses from where she stands on the ground and she can feel from her feet that Katara has tensed in the water as well. Both of them just got hit with the biggest punch ever.
Zuko and Sokka— lovers? Together? That’s when it reveled on Toph, the waver in Zuko’s voice and the shakiness of his body.
Zuko didn’t even realize he’s slipping it out because he just keeps going. And going.
“You have to hold on a little longer, my love okay?” Zuko pleads, “Sokka, I swear to the Spirits, you cannot do this to us. You don’t get to do this to me, after everything. I want to hear your beautiful voice.”
He stops, feeling the way his throat is closing in on himself. Zuko doesn't know what's overcome him. The water under Katara's palms dim, which makes the water bender’s jaw tighten.
Katara’s eyes widened before she shakes her head. “I’ve lost the energy again.” She says quietly. “..He— Sokka may not make it back.”
“No!” Zuko snaps, “Don’t say that! Don’t—“ He gasps, feeling as if he cannot find the oxygen in his lungs a second time. “Katara, he has to wake up!”
Katara nods her head, exerting more energy.
"Sokka!" Zuko's own volume catches him by surprise. It's too raw and too agonizing, "Sokka, you're irritating me to the bone! You have to wake up, and stop playing around, do you hear me?!” Zuko lamented, shaking at Sokka’s limp shoulder. “Sokka!”
A pause. “Sokka, Sokka my love, I told you I would never become the sun.. remember? From your nightmare?” Zuko practically wept. Sokka had woken up, terrified that night. “Remember, I promised you? Now you have to promise me you will not become one with this.. this water, Sokka! You have to promise me you will not!”
“I feel his energy pulsing!” Katara exclaims.
Zuko’s eyes widen as he looks back down at Sokka’s resting face. “Yes, Sokka. Sokka, my love you can hear me, right?” His hand goes to Sokka’s face, comfortingly rubbing his jawline. “Just come back to us. I can do a lot of things on my own you know that but I can’t do this one,”
“I can’t—“ Can’t explain himself alone. Can’t bear with all of the pains of his past and the burdens of the future alone either. “How could I do any of this without you? I love you.”
When Zuko says that, he practically sobs it. This isn't how he wanted to say it, not at all. It's the worst possible moment, because it is. Zuko's not saying it as they watch lanterns together or over a simple meal. Instead he said the heaviest words for the first time he and Sokka have been together while he's knelt in the water. While he's holding Sokka's freezing face in his warm hands, practically shouting at his lover who isn't moving.
“Come on, Sokka. It can’t be that easy for you to give up on us, please?” Zuko pleas.
He can feel Toph’s hand on his shoulder, and he sees Katara give him a reassuring look.
“Zuko, come here.” Toph says, her voice sweeter, the tone she reserves only for her friends. “I got you right here.” It doesn’t hide her own heartbreak for her friend in the cold waters.
Zuko’s hand falls from Sokka’s face as he just looks down at the spiritually charged waters. “I can’t do this.” He says, turning his head away, leaning into Toph’s comforting touch. “I can’t do this!” Zuko shrieked, with Toph immediately holding his head against her leg.
Katara lets out a small gasp as suddenly, the water pushes back against her. In a similar way it pushed back before Zuko and Toph arose. She jolts her hands back up, using that to her advantage.
“Zuko, he’s reacting!” Katara says as Zuko whips himself back to look at Sokka’s body. “I got him!” Katara shouts, “Sokka?!”
Zuko closes his eyes, before he hears a strong splash of water and—
That’s when Sokka’s entire body convulses, and he shoots up. Sokka’s breathing was ragged, exhausted, and it was the best sound Zuko’s heard all day.
“Sokka!” Katara exclaims.
“Ugh,” Is the first sound to come from Sokka’s mouth. Coughing, aggressive heaving, with his heart starting after being still for a long, risky time. His eyes are wide and tired, before he feels Zuko throw himself onto him. Sokka’s eyes widened before he gasped, wrapping his arms desperately around Zuko as well. “Zuko!”
Sokka’s arms wrapped around Zuko as tight as they could, and Toph’s lips formed a small smile. Zuko’s head is buried right into Sokka’s shoulder, not even caring how a few tears are absolutely staining his clothes. Few tears turns into many, as he wails into Sokka’s shoulder.
Toph and Katara join to hug, with Sokka letting out an exhausted sigh. “I knew you wouldn’t give up easily,” Kaatra says with Sokka letting out a weak, pained chuckle.
“Yeah well, I knew you wouldn’t have given up on me either.” Sokka responds back weakly at his sister.
Katara smiles, before she stands. She knows they need their moment, but right now— “We have to find Aang,” Katara says quickly, her lover could also be in desperate danger, or worse, in a similar situation that they were in. “Find us soon.”
Sokka nods as Toph and Katara rush off. “Hey—”
“You’re okay,” Zuko sobs, muffled into Sokka’s shoulder.
“Of course I’m okay.” Sokka says, his voice still hoarse and a bit out of breath. His heart is going a mile per minute, after being yanked up to the living again. “Hey it’s okay, I’m okay.”
Zuko felt Sokka’s hand go to the back of his head, gently stroking his long hair as he pulled back. “You weren’t responding to anything Katara was doing, and— we actually thought— or I thought for a second—”
Sokka frowns, Zuko looks to be in so much distress. “Oh Spirits and you weren’t moving, and you were just so still and— when I woke up, I couldn’t feel you— I couldn’t feel you at all—”
“Zuko, Zuko—” Sokka starts as Zuko spirals.
“And your hand felt cold. And your face too, I, I tried to warm you, but I don’t know if the water was helping..” Zuko says before he feels Sokka’s hands on his face, making him look towards him.
Sokka gives Zuko a small reassuring smile. “I’m here. I heard you,”
“You did?”
“Your voice brought me the energy I needed to come back.” Sokka confirms as he wipes a stray tear coming down of Zuko’s eyes.
"I meant it, I mean I don't know if this is a.. bad time," Zuko rambles nervously, Sokka having a weary smile on his face. "But I meant it, everything I said, even if you don't want to say it back, right now that's fine.. just, you know because I was thinking- I should have said it sooner, maybe and not when you were, I dunno, dead-- but I was also, dead for a few- you weren't aware during that.. so I don't know where I'm going with this I just, should have brought that up sooner and not in front o-mph!”
Zuko's body did a quick jump as Sokka grabbed his face and silenced him with a deep kiss. In seconds, Zuko goes from tense and panicking to relaxed. The kiss lasts longer than the peck they shared on the ship. Much longer. “I love you too,” Sokka whispers when they pull away.
A shaky laugh escapes the Fire Lord. "You look handsome with your hair down," Zuko whimpers shakily. To that, Sokka laughs in response. Zuko trying to change the subject, cute.
“You look gorgeous with your hair up, love.” Sokka responds with a small grin. The two of them stand, looking towards where Toph and Katara ran off. “Okay, we need to catch up and find Katara. And beat the jerk that did this to us. And then later we can—”
Finally explain themselves.
“Right, later.” Zuko agrees, shaking his hands.
★
Later turns out to be the next day. Because in between fighting the Denied and fighting Tagah, there was no time that day. Everyone was exhausted.
So in the next morning, with some rubble to be dealt with, the group gathered for lunch. “So I’m hearing I missed something when I was also— getting beat.” Aang says with a raised eyebrow. Sokka gives Katara a glance, because he knows his sister was telling Aang everything the night before.
Zuko clears his throat, nagging at Sokka’s side.
“Right, so, guys— we may have been, dating.” Sokka says.
“May have been?” Katara raises her eyebrow.
“We are dating,” Sokka corrects, “And I would like to say, it is an incredible relationship.”
Toph pauses her bites. “How long?”
That’s when Zuko pauses his own bites and looks up from his food awkwardly. “Like, only a year so—”
“Almost two years!” Zuko blurts out, because he feels absolutely awful if they don’t say the most accurate information. “A year and a half!” He exclaims before he covers his mouth.
“You guys what?!” The rest of the group exclaims as Aang’s eyes go wide. “You two?!?” The Avatar yelped.
“We were going to tell you guys—”
“I’ve been sitting next to you two at meals and meetings!” Toph exclaims, her arms going up, “Eugh, and you guys have been— yuck!—”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Sokka?” Katara asks now, her expression mixed with concern. “Did you think I wouldn’t— I don’t know, be supportive?”
Sokka shakes his head. “No, no! Of course not. We just figured because everyone was so busy and then.. with politics, you know we kinda.. got caught in the secret.”
“I’m sure that made the bedroom game thrilling.” Toph grumbles through another bite of her food. Zuko’s face burns up as Sokka turns his head away.
Katara shoots Toph a look before she nudges her arm. “Enough,” she says.
“You know what? I understand, I understand.” Sokka nods his head, making Zuko snicker. “To make up for this year long, um.. secret, we’ll answer any questions you guys have.”
Zuko turns his head sharply, “Do not tell them that,” He hisses.
“Who made the first move?” Aang asks with a wide smile. He looks ecstatic, two of his best friends in a relationship , seeming to enjoy each other’s company. This is the best news the Avatar has gotten today!
“Pft. Me,” Both say at once before they turn to look at each other.
“Uh oh,” Katara snickers.”
Zuko turns his head back towards Aang, “I picked the first date, if that’s a good enough—- non answer to your first question.”
“I have a lot more,” Aang shifts as he sits. “So—”
They are going to be debriefing this all night, aren’t they?