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Sokka looked at his left wrist, his soulmark staring back at him, and sighed.
It had been a light orange circle with two wavy lines on each side, and so far it only brought him heartbreak.
His first girlfriend in middle school had been a beautiful white haired girl, who came from his sister town. Her family was worshipping the ancient moon and ocean spirits, and seeing how she was named after the moon, Sokka thought that Yue had been his soulmate. But after talking for a little while, he didn't really feel the connection other people described when meeting “the one”, and then she moved back home. They decided to keep in touch, as friends.
His second girlfriend too was named after the moon. Suki was witty and strong, and the first time they met in high school, she was humiliating him by putting him into a headlock. He immediately fell for her, and thought maybe the soulmark was referring to her. They had dated for a while, and Sokka really did love her. And yet, something still didn't click. Their soulmarks didn't match either, so it was just a matter of time.
Eventually, when it was time to choose what university they were going to, they broke up as well. Shortly after she actually did find her soulmate, Ty Lee. They met at the martial arts lessons Suki was teaching, quickly realizing who they were to each other.
Sokka was happy for the two of them, but inside, he was incredibly jealous. Ever since his parents taught him about the meaning of soulmarks, he had wanted to find them. And he had found two people who were connected to the moon already, which he thought was already a blessing as well as a curse because how was he supposed to find another one?
A hand on his shoulder made Sokka jump, seeing how he was deep in thought, and quickly turned around to see his roommate stand behind him.
“You didn’t answer when I called your name”, Zuko apologized before sitting beside his friend. He placed his hand on Sokka’s elevated wrist, right on top of his soulmark, which gave Sokka goosebumps all over his body.
“What’s wrong?”, Zuko asked, “Is it about your soulmark again?”
Of course Zuko knew about Sokka’s thoughts and worries. They knew each other since high school, though they didn’t become friends for a little while. Zuko had started a one sided rivalry with Aang, who had at that point just recently moved to their town and immediately had gotten top scores in every class they shared, while being way younger than him. Meanwhile, Zuko’s father had been pressuring him to surpass Aang, and punished him when he got a glance at Zuko's grades. Thankfully, his father was very busy with his business and constantly away on work trips, so it was easy for Zuko to hide tests and exams from him.
After another failed exam though, his father decided that all the previous punishments were way too tame and burned one side of Zuko’s face. That gave his uncle the opportunity to finally apply for emergency custody, eventually winning full custody.
And this was when Zuko had approached Aang and apologized for his previous behavior. Aang had been confused, but accepted it before forcing Zuko into his friendgroup, introducing him to Sokka, Katara and Toph.
Sokka had been sceptical at first, but they quickly grew closer and when they were accepted to the same university, they decided that it was going to be easier if they just became roommates. Living together made them become even closer, with them exchanging physical touches often, even if it was just their arms touching while watching TV, their knees bumping against each other while they were eating or their hands meeting when they were cooking together.
Every time they touched, Sokka was feeling feelings he couldn’t place, but it wasn’t that he didn’t like them. He enjoyed it. But it couldn’t mean anything because he was convinced that his soulmark was showing the moon, and Zuko was in no way connected to it, quite the opposite. Zuko’s ancestors were worshipping the sun, and even he says that the warmth of it was somehow comforting to him.
Additionally, Zuko refused to show his soulmark to anyone, and Sokka respected that. He didn’t need to know it anyway. So why was he still thinking about it?
“I just think my luck’s run out”, Sokka admitted as he realized there was a cup of tea in front of him. “Where did that come from?”
“That’s why I was calling your name”, Zuko smiled and sipped on his own tea before his face became serious again and he said “Look, I know you’ve met two people who seemed to match your soulmark but then didn’t, but you will the one for you one day, of that I’m sure. And who knows, maybe they’ll appear in front of you when you least expect it!”
He leaned back and smiled again. “That’s what happened to Katara and Aang after all.”
Sokka just nodded. Aang basically just appeared out of thin air, and Katara tried her best to just focus on her studies. But when they first met, Aang immediately fell for her and it didn’t take Katara long to reciprocate his feelings. They were now living together, their apartment not far from Sokka’s and Zuko’s, and already planning their wedding while they weren’t even engaged yet.
Thinking about his sister reminded Sokka that she was currently at their childhood home visiting their dad, and he had wanted her to bring something that he had forgotten when he had moved out.
He finished the tea Zuko had made him, thanking him for both the tea and their conversation before returning to his room and calling Katara.
A few days later, Katara was sitting in his living room, unpacking everything she had brought from home. Sokka and her talked about how their small hometown had changed since they had moved away, how the kids were missing them both and how they really seemed to like Aang.
“Dad by the way told me that you should bring Zuko next time you go visit him”, Katara suddenly said, and Sokka raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”, he asked confused. She just shrugged, but he could tell that his sister was hiding something from him. Though before he could interrogate her, she finally pulled the item he had asked for out of her bag. His eyes lit up and he took his boomerang that his father had gifted him when he was seven years old out of her hands, hugging it tightly.
“Oh Katara, you’re the best!”, he exclaimed before grabbing his sister’s shoulders and pressing a quick kiss on her cheek. She grimaced and lightly pushed him away, while scoffing “I know I am. But why did you need it so badly?”
“Ah…”
Sokka finally let go of her to avoid her eyes, and murmured “It just reminds me of home…”
He was so excited to move out, so to admit that he was a little homesick was a little embarrassing, even in front of Katara. And that weapon had always been by his side. His most important memories with it were the times his father taught him how to use it, and how after their mother passed away, he had practiced fighting with it on his own to keep his grieving thoughts away. Everyone at their little town knew him with the boomerang, nicknaming him “The Boomerang Guy”. But moving had been incredibly stressful, making him forget it at home.
She stared at him for a second, before pulling him into a hug. That made Sokka let go of his boomerang in shock, but he quickly hugged her back, burying his face into her shoulder.
They stayed like this for a while, until they heard “Sokka, I’m home!” being yelled from the front door.
Zuko appeared in the door to the living room and gave them a small wave.
“Oh, Zuko”, Sokka said as he rubbed his eye, hoping that it wasn’t too obvious that he had been a little too emotional just now, and smiled.
“Hey Zuko”, Katara greeted their friend, “How are you doing?”
“Pretty good, thanks for asking”, Zuko replied before excusing himself to go wash his hands and put everything he had brought from his short trip away. He joined them in the living room after that, and sat down on the couch while the two siblings stayed on the carpet.
“So, how is Uncle Iroh doing?”, Sokka eventually asked, his eyes focused on Zuko’s happy and calm expression that he usually had every time he visited his uncle’s teashop.
“He’s doing well. Gave us a few new tea blends we should try out”, he explained and turned to Katara, saying “If you want to, I can give you a few of them as well.”
“I’m pretty sure we have enough for now. He gives us free samples whenever we visit too after all”, Katara laughed. They fell into a comfortable conversation about tea and Uncle Iroh, while Sokka was just watching Zuko. He was smiling softly, which was infectious and melted Sokka’s heart as it started racing. Seeing Zuko like this was always so incredibly distracting, but in a good way.
When they started talking about how Hakoda was doing, Sokka suddenly remembered his boomerang, which was laying forgotten in between all the snacks and other things from home. He had told Zuko about his most priced possession, without ever saying what it actually was to keep the element of surprise, and now it was finally time to show it to him.
“Zuko!”, he interrupted the conversation between his friend and his sister, grabbing the boomerang and holding it right in front of his nose, grinning widely. “This was what I wanted to show you for an eternity now!”
Suddenly, he became incredibly pale, his eyes big. “Is.. this…?”, Zuko whispered, his voice trembling. Sokka raised an eyebrow and nodded, confused. “Yeah! That’s my personal boomerang. The most important thing I own! I’ve told you about it a while ago?”
But Zuko just stared, murmuring “It can’t be…”, before carefully pushing the weapon away from him. He was obviously panicking, but there was something besides that in his eyes that Sokka couldn’t place, and his heart started racing.
“I have to… go into my room”, he stuttered, slowly getting up from the couch and walking out of the living room, his legs shaking. “Sorry.”
Katara watched him walk away, frozen. Meanwhile, Sokka’s hands already started shaking. He didn’t actually move though until they heard his bedroom door being slammed close.
“What was that?”, Katara asked, confused, but instead of an answer, Sokka just quickly stumbled up and followed him, his boomerang forgotten on the carpet once more.
He didn’t understand what had just happened, but he knew he was responsible, which made him feel even worse. What about the boomerang was so traumatizing for Zuko that he reacted that way? Maybe it was connected to his father in a way?
He arrived at Zuko’s room very fast, and didn’t even think when he just grabbed the door handle, pushing it down and throwing the door open with a loud “Zuko!”
The sight in front of him though made him stop.
Zuko had taken off his shirt and thrown it on the ground right in front of the door. He himself was standing with his back towards his mirror, meaning his eyes immediately locked with Sokka’s. Though something caught Sokka’s attention, and his eyes went to the reflection in the mirror.
And there it was, on Zuko’s left shoulder blade.
It stood out due to its grey color already, but the shape was way more important. Sokka’s eyes followed each line, taking in the full picture, his brain screaming different things at him and confusing him.
Then, their eyes met again and Sokka froze.
He should have hugged Zuko, made him sit on his bed and talked to him. Telling him everything’s fine. Trying his best to take away all the pain in his eyes.
But instead, he shut the door and ran.
He ran back into the living room, grabbed his keys, phone and sister’s hand. And then, he ran out of their shared apartment.
“Sorry for crashing at your place, Katara”, Sokka said as she grabbed the pillow out of his hand and placed it on one of the ends of their couch. After realizing that Sokka couldn’t think clearly, she suggested returning to her and Aang’s place and staying there for now.
“Don’t worry about it”, she just replied, “Aang is still out, so I texted him that you were here.”
Sokka nodded, though his mind was still back in Zuko’s room.
His sister watched him carefully, but the fact that she didn’t ask made him think that she had an idea of what had happened. They finished preparing the couch for Sokka to sleep in, and Katara left shortly after that, hugging him tightly before that and turning off the light.
The moment his head hit the pillow, he breathed in deeply and tried to organize his thoughts.
One, he had seen Zuko’s soulmark.
Two, there was a specific reason why Zuko didn’t want to show it.
Three, the soulmark was definitely a perfect copy of Sokka’s actual boomerang.
It confused him. The soulmark was obviously supposed to symbolize Sokka, but he had only told Zuko about having a very important item that he claimed made him into the man he was today, though he never mentioned that it had been a boomerang. Therefore, the reason for hiding it couldn’t have been to not expose Sokka as his soulmate. Additionally, Sokka had always been sure that his soulmark was the moon.
So how were they supposed to know that their souls were intertwined?
At the same time, he was comparing his general feelings for Zuko to those he had felt with Yue and Suki. He had tried to ignore them ever since they started, as he was focused on finding his soulmate. But now he realized that every damn thing that happened between them, from simple touches to intense eye contacts, had been way stronger than whatever he had felt with his previous partners combined. And now that he was finally letting himself think, even not being in the same apartment as him was making Sokka’s heart yearn, something he had been suppressing until now.
He had always wanted Zuko close, to have him right where he could see him, to listen to his voice and touch his skin.
“God damn it, Sokka”, he cursed and hid his face underneath his hands, his eyes slowly filling with tears. He was in love with Zuko. He always has been. And he wouldn’t have realized it if he hadn’t seen his soulmark.
It made him mad. There were enough people who were so obsessed with being with their soulmate, they rejected everything and everyone just to be with them, even if their soulmate had someone else they loved, hurting so many people in the process.
But Sokka finally figured he loved Zuko way more than he could any other person, and he just got lucky that the love of his life and his soulmate were the same person.
“Sokka, you’re still awake?”, a voice suddenly came from the dark, and Sokka squealed. The light was turned on again and there was his best friend Aang.
“Sorry, you probably won’t be able to fall asleep after this”, he apologized before giving him his signature grin. Sokka sat up and sniffled “It’s okay, I already figured that this night was gonna be sleepless.”
Aang took this as an invitation to sit down beside him. And now that Sokka had finally gotten a moment to breathe, the tears immediately just streamed down his cheeks. He could feel Aang’s arm around him and just let himself relax, as he sobbed “I’m in love with Zuko. I’m in love with him, damn it.”
He kept repeating it, his mouth not letting him say anything else for that moment. And Aang held him close, trying his best to comfort him.
“And that’s… bad?”, Aang asked with a quiet voice after Sokka only sniffled, giving him a tissue from the living room table. That made Sokka shake his head violently before he inhaled deeply, and explained “I only realized because I saw his soulmark.”
“Oh”, was Aang’s response, which made him suspicious. He blew his nose and questioned “What’s with that response? Don’t tell me…”
His friend’s apologetic grin already told him everything, so he just gasped, pointed at him and exclaimed “You knew?! You knew he had my boomerang on his back and you didn’t tell me?!”
“First off, I only accidentally saw it. Even Zuko doesn’t know that I know. Second, When I first found out, you were still with Suki, and you were happy. And third…”
Aang grabbed Sokka’s left wrist, turning it so that Sokka’s own soulmark was visible to them both and let go.
“I didn’t think it mattered that much because it was obvious that you love him, and that he loves you back.”
Sokka stared at the light yellow dot.
“How could I be so stupid?”, he whispered as he touched the sun on his wrist. That made Aang chuckle. “You just clung yourself onto one interpretation because both people you liked were fitting your idea”, he said.
“But you and Katara… didn’t you immediately know you were soulmates?”, Sokka asked, which made Aang laugh out loud this time.
“Well, I was hoping for that”, he giggled, “But I fell for her the moment she helped me up when I tripped in the hallway. I accepted her in my heart first before I realized she was my actual other half. And you remember how much I cried when I found out. Because it was either going to be her, or no one, even if we weren’t destined to be together.”
Sokka’s heart began racing, hearing the exact words he was feeling out loud. He should have just listened to his heart instead of trying to find whoever was fitting his wrong interpretation of his soulmark. In the end, it would have led him to him anyway.
Now though, he wasn’t sure if Zuko wanted to ever talk to him again after walking out on him, leaving him all alone.
“Hey, Sokka? I would go get ready for bed as well if you’re okay with that?”, Aang eventually said and got up.
“Yea, of course”, Sokka replied. So they wished each other a good night, and Sokka made himself comfortable once again, this time actually trying to fall asleep. He needed to rest to calm down properly, and then get back to Zuko as quickly as he could. But before he could fall asleep, one little thing Aang had said was finally arriving in his head.
“Wait, Aang! Aang?! What did you mean by "Zuko loves you back?!” Aang!!!”
The keys slipped out of Sokka’s hands for the third time, and he cursed. He had left Katara and Aang’s place immediately after breakfast, ready to finally confess to Zuko, but the closer he got to their building, the more his hands began to sweat.
If he was too nervous to even unlock the door, how was he supposed to talk to Zuko about his feelings?
He wasn’t really good at giving presentations, and if he really thought about it, wasn’t declaring one's love almost the same? Researching, connecting key information and comparing them, figuring out how to put it into words, and then presenting both yourself and what information you’ve gathered.
He bent down to pick up his keys again, when an arm suddenly appeared in front of him and picked it up before him.
“Ah, thank you!”, Sokka exclaimed and lifted his head, only to be met with amber eyes. Sokka’s heart jumped and his knees went weak.
Meanwhile, Zuko just nodded, and then stepped back to wait for his roommate to open the door. To make his hands stop shaking, Sokka held his wrist with his free hand, and finally got the right key into the hole.
They entered together, and only when they both had taken off their shoes and jackets, Zuko finally spoke.
“I asked Uncle Iroh if I could move in with him”, he said while avoiding Sokka’s glance.
“What?”, Sokka croaked, feeling like someone had stabbed his heart with a knife. “Why?”
He walked behind Zuko and placed his hand on his shoulder, which made Zuko shut his eyes tightly. “I just…”, he whispered with a raspy voice, “I don’t want it to be awkward between us, so I thought…”
“So you thought you should run away instead of talking to me?”, he got interrupted by Sokka. He was mad now, especially because usually, Zuko never gave up without a fight. Sure, he was an awkward person, disliked big crowds and preferred to be alone. But if he really wanted something, he was going to fight. Unless…
“I don’t know why I should.” His voice was cold, but Sokka could still sense sadness in it. “You gave me your answer already.”
Then, he tried to walk away, and Sokka let his hand slip off his shoulder. Though before Zuko could leave, the same hand snapped forward and grabbed Zuko’s fingers. His legs finally gave in, making him kneel. The words he had tried to prepare last night all vanished and all Sokka could get out was “I love you, Zuko.”
Zuko froze, then slowly turned around and stared at the man in front of me. “You… don’t mean that”, he said, “You only say this because I’m your soulmate.”
Sokka only grabbed his other hand and shook his head. “But I do love you. I really do.”
His eyes started filling up with tears, but he kept looking at Zuko’s eyes. Oh, his beautiful amber eyes that he always found himself lost in.
“I don’t care if you’re my soulmate or not”, he continued. He could only feel their hands touching, and if one of them let go, he felt like the ground would turn into the ocean, making him drown.
“I was so focused on finding someone who was related to the moon, so I couldn’t realize what was in front of me, and how you already walked into my heart, locked it from the inside and then swallowed the key. Zuko, please. I love you, and I’m embarrassed to say it took me so long to figure out. I don’t care if you’re my soulmate or not, as long as you’re by my side.” Tears were now streaming over his cheeks, but he ignored them. His voice had started shaking as well, but nothing mattered except for Zuko's answer.
Their eyes were still focused on the other, and Sokka squeezed his hands tighter. It was quiet for a while, and neither moved a muscle. After a few minutes, Sokka got even more desperate and opened his mouth to say more. But suddenly, there was a loud thump in front of him. The touch of their hands was interrupted, only for Sokka’s head to be grabbed instead, and a pair of lips met his.
He gasped as he dropped his arms in surprise, before carefully cupping Zuko’s cheek with one of his hands and clenched the other one into a fist when it got wet.
Their kiss was careful, with a slightly salty note, but neither of them cared.
Sokka let his tongue run over their lips and carefully separated them, only to make their foreheads touch. They caught their breath, both of them exhausted from crying.
Then, Zuko’s hands tensed up and he whispered “I love you too.”
Finally, Sokka smiled. He put his lips onto his once more before putting his head to the side and pulling his love into a hug.
“Thank you”, he whispered.
They found themselves on their couch, holding their teacups in their hands. After they had finally calmed down, Sokka had suggested to maybe sit down with a cup of tea and talk, which made Zuko quickly retreat into the kitchen. It didn’t make him overthink this time though, because he knew that both of them needed a second alone to process what just had happened before they could look at each other again.
At first, they just quietly sipped on their tea, not knowing what to say. They had confessed to each other, they had kissed and they had cried together.
So Sokka decided to just start with the biggest mystery to him, and outright asked “Why did you hide your soulmark?”
That made Zuko choke on his tea, and Sokka immediately handed him a tissue while his hand grabbed his. “I’m sorry!”, he yelled, but Zuko just shook his head and coughed.
“I’m okay, don’t worry”, he muttered before clearing his throat, and then explained “It would have just distracted both you guys and myself. Also, I…”
He stopped for a second, his face suddenly turning red.
“I knew what I was feeling, and no soulmate would have been able to change that. After meeting you, I didn’t even care if they even existed. So while you and others were trying to find theirs, I was just… trying to quietly like you. I just never imagined you were my soulmate…”
“Oh Zuko…”
Sokka squeezed his hand. His heart was beating fast, and he could not stop smiling.
“So if we really think about it”, he suddenly said, grinning, “It’s kind of your fault that we didn’t get together earlier.”
Zuko’s response to that was a flick against Sokka’s forehead, and an angry “Don’t you dare put the blame on only me! You were the one who didn’t deal with his own feelings!”
“You’re right, I’m sorry! It was a joke”, Sokka tried to defend himself, laughing as Zuko watched him with an unimpressed expression, only to be hit against the forehead one more time. But before Sokka could complain, he was once again kissed.
“Thank you for loving me”, Zuko whispered against his lips, a little smile on his face, which was immediately reciprocated by his partner. And this time, it was Sokka’s turn to blush slightly, as he replied “Thank you for letting me love you.”