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“How long are you gonna drive for again?”, Aang’s voice came from the car speakers. Sokka glanced at his phone for a second to check what Google Maps was telling him, before focusing back on the street in front of him and said “About two hours, though it’s saying there’s a high chance we’re going straight into a traffic jam.”
Next to him, Zuko scoffed.
“And this is why I suggested taking the train instead but no-”, he complained, “But you wanted to show off your brand new car…”
“Hey, that’s what a car is for, isn’t it? C’mon, back me up here Aang”, Sokka tried to gain another vote. Instead, Aang just went quiet before saying “Oh, sorry guys but Katara needs my help- Two hours you say? Okay, drive safe, byeee!”
And with that, Aang ended the call and Sokka’s driving playlist started playing quietly. Due to life happening, it had been a while since Sokka and Zuko had visited Aang and Katara, but the couple had a huge announcement that they wanted to tell them in person. So Sokka and Zuko, who were living together out of convenience, took a week off from work to go visit them.
The argument over how they would go went on for at least three days, but was ultimately won by Sokka, who had argued that if they went by train, one of them could be late, making them miss one of their connections and possibly having to wait even longer for the next one. And if that kept happening, all those delays might have them be at their final destination very late into the evening.
Meanwhile, if they took the car, they would arrive at Aang and Katara’s place with no issues at all. The fact that the vehicle was new was just a coincidence.
“Hey Zuko, could you feed me some of those pretzels we got?”, Sokka suddenly asked as he steered towards the exit of their town. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw how Zuko lifted his eyebrow, before he said “We’re not even on the highway yet.”
“And? I’m hungry!”, he pouted. That made Zuko sigh, but he still grabbed one of the bags they had bought for both the drive as well as for their meetup, opening it before holding one of the mini pretzels against Sokka’s lips.
It was something that happened pretty frequently- Sokka liked driving his car, and almost every time forced Zuko to join him, but Sokka sometimes needed to chew something while he drove, so he asked Zuko to feed him- from gum and little sweet treats to actual food. Usually, Sokka just gets what he wanted without any complications. Though it does happen that Zuko misses his mouth thanks to being blind on his left side, and his fingers end up touching Sokka’s lips, just like it was doing now.
Sokka gasped quietly before moving his head to get the mini pretzel into his mouth. He could feel his cheeks heat up a little and tried to focus on the road in front of him, not noticing that Zuko’s face had turned a little pink as well.
After that, they were quiet for a while, with both of them trying to forget about the moment by listening to the music playing. When they finally were on the actual highway, Sokka quickly changed lanes, ending up on the very left one and started speeding up, while Zuko next to him started to hold onto both his seat as well as the handle above the car door, which made Sokka smirk. Though his happiness didn’t last long
The songs playing didn’t fit the moment, so he asked Zuko to change the playlist, when the cars in front of them suddenly started to slow down, their hazard lights blinking away.
“Oh, c’mon!”, Sokka exclaimed as his fingers hovered above the hazard lights button to turn it on and off, his foot getting off the gas pedal and making them drive behind the huge line of cars slowly.
Meanwhile, Zuko breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed in his seat. “Well”, he said in a mocking tone, “It can’t get worse than that, am I right Sokka?”
“Shut up”, Sokka replied with clenched teeth. He really had looked forward to speeding on the highway, wanting to show off his perfect driving skills to Zuko, since that was the first time they were actually driving a further distance than usual and he really wanted him to admire him for something.
They followed the traffic slowly, occasionally even having to stop. And after a short call with Aang, and 40 more minutes, they finally were able to speed up again. But before Sokka could even change the gear, there was a sudden loud explosion right next to his ear, and he gripped his steering wheel tight, a sudden cold wave of panic going through his body.
“Hold on tight”, he grumbled towards the confused Zuko, who was holding his left ear, before carefully steering towards the emergency lane on the right. When he turned the motor off, he threw his head back and bit his lip to suppress a scream, his heart was racing and his hands were shaking.
“Sokka, what-”, Zuko started, but Sokka lifted his hand and shook his head, signaling him that he needed a moment.
He was stressed out of his mind, and he really didn’t want to yell at his friend.
After a minute of silence, which he used to only gain enough strength for his next actions, he once again turned on the hazard lights and stepped out of the vehicle, though his face was frozen up. Instead of looking at the actual damage, he purposely first went to the back, grabbing everything he needed before opening Zuko’s car door and placing a safety vest into his hands. He asked him to put it on and to give him his phone, walking a few meters away to continue the protocol one had to follow when a car emergency happened, and dialed Katara’s number.
“Sokka?”, her voice went through, and Sokka’s anger and anxiety suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced with tears in his eyes. “Hey Katara”, he choked up, hoping that Zuko stayed in the car to not see him this pathetic. “Sokka, oh my god, did something happen? Are you two okay?”, Katara immediately panicked, and Sokka could hear a loud “What?!” in the background. “No, we’re fine… I just… Sorry.”
His sister was one of the only people who could actually calm him down when he was stressed, and while Zuko made him feel safe as well, he knew breaking down in front of him would just make him anxious as well.
“Just take a few deep breaths first… and then you can tell me what happened”, Katara said in her calming voice. Sokka did as she said, his heart slowly calming down.
“Sorry, I must have freaked you out”, he finally continued after a bit and let out a raspy laugh, “We’re fine though- I just… had to think about mom and her car accident, so I got really worked up and…”
He sighed, realizing that even after so much time had passed, their mother’s passing was still affecting him greatly, before turning around to see Zuko now standing next to the car, looking at him in worry. That for some reason made Sokka smile, as he finally explained “I’m pretty sure I’ve popped a tire. It was loud, so I got scared and I just freaked out a little.”
“Oh that’s not good”, Katara mumbled, “Can we do anything? Call anyone or something?”
“Nah, I have a spare in the car so it’s all good. I just needed to hear your voice. And we had to tell you that we’re gonna be late.”
It was quiet on the other side of the call for a second, and Sokka watched the highway. Then Katara asked “Are you sure you’re alright?”
Sokka threw another glance at Zuko, who was still watching him and nodded.
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m not alone after all.”
After telling him to call in case they needed something else and that she loved him, they ended the call, Sokka now being ready to face Zuko without bursting into tears. Before Zuko could ask the same question as Katara, Sokka smiled at him and grabbed his hand.
“I’m gonna need your help”, he said. Next, he just pulled the still confused Zuko to the other side of the car, where Sokka’s suspicion was confirmed.
“Oh”, Zuko blurted out when his eyes fell onto the popped tire, which was still releasing air.
“Yeah.” Sokka grinned. “Should have checked the air pressure before our trip.”
Zuko stared at him, then looked back down.
“So…”, he started, but Sokka interrupted by just grabbing his hand again, bringing them back to the trunk of the car.
Together, they got everything they needed and Sokka started changing the tire, with Zuko watching him attentively, holding the bolts or even occasionally putting tools into his hands.
And after Sokka finally had turned the final bolt into its place, he quickly turned his head to his side to smile at his friend. But he didn’t expect him to be so very close to him.
The tips of their noses touched, and both of them froze. They stared at each other, their eyes widened, and they could feel the other’s warm breath on their lips. That was the closest they have ever been, despite knowing each other for so very long, and honestly? Sokka didn’t dislike that. He was hoping Zuko was feeling the same, and if he did, he maybe wouldn’t mind if they got even closer…?
However, Zuko suddenly stepped back, his face deep red.
“Sorry! I-”, he stuttered, his hands awkwardly trying to hide his face. “I uh-”
That made Sokka blush as well, and he brought his arm up to his mouth. “It’s alright, I didn’t mind”, he spoke while getting up, ignoring the urge to bite into it in frustration. They awkwardly stood there for a while, not knowing what to do or say, before Sokka got back down to collect his tools.
“Let’s just… get back on the road”, he said. Zuko nodded and helped him place the kaput tire into the trunk.
Once they had collected everything, Sokka took a deep breath and was about to get back into the car, when he suddenly was pulled away from its door and found himself pressed against Zuko’s chest.
“You know”, he could hear him speak, “You don’t have to hide away if you’re not okay. I can be strong for the both of us, alright?”
He pushed himself away to look at Sokka’s face, one of his hands all of the sudden cupping his cheek.
“You can trust me”, he whispered, a gentle smile on his lips. Sokka stared at his friend, his gorgeous and kind friend, and smiled back.
“I know.”
He pulled him close one more time, though this time his mouth was right by Sokka’s ear, as he whispered “I also didn’t mind.”
Following that, he let him go and quickly returned to his seat, letting Sokka stand there on his own. Shocked, he could feel his cheeks turn pink, subsequently whispering “I know” once more, before finally sitting beside him.
They continued driving in a comfortable silence, the radio now having been turned on. And at some point, Zuko placed his hand on top of Sokka’s, intertwining their fingers, making them both smile softly.