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1:
It was Ambassador Jin’s first time traveling to the Fire Nation and he was. . . confused about some things.
He’d been warned that the Fire Nation was still a little attached to tradition, and they were in some ways, but not entirely. They took meetings in a grand board room, but the fire lord didn’t have the overdone throne like he heard his predecessor had. There were the old foggy advisors he expected, but there were others who he wouldn’t expect to be in a palace in a position of power, let alone as an advisor. There were people from all nations, spread out amongst the table at seemingly random intervals.
The Southern Water Tribe ambassador sat on the fire lord’s direct right. Like, there were two seats at the head of the table, and one of them was filled by Ambassador Sokka. That felt strange, and yet no one looked surprised or upset by this. Disgruntled, yes. Exasperated, a little. But shocked or aghast? Apparently that was just Jin.
He made sure that he wasn’t staring too much because he didn’t want to seem rude and offend the fire lord. Luckily, Ambassador Sokka often had good points, giving him an excuse to study him. Which turned into studying them because Ambassador Sokka was, for lack of a better phrase, playing with the fire lord’s hand while spoke. The points were well thought out and innovative, and he was moving gold rings around the fire lord’s fingers or tracing the lines of his hands or any manner of absentminded touch. And the fire lord was allowing it. He just sat there, hand in Ambassador Sokka’s (if that was even the correct title?), expression serene and listening to council.
During one of Jin’s moments of gaping at the two of them, in what he hoped was a very reserved and respectful manner, he realized the two of them had matching hair pieces. It wasn’t the royal headpiece, but it looked like a set of Earth Kingdom hair sticks. The fire lord used his to hold his crown in place, which felt sacrilegious, but once again, no one commented on it. Sokka’s was more of an accessory than to actually hold his hair in place, but they were definitely the same. The fire lord’s was silver and the ambassador’s was gold. He was almost positive his friend had bought similar ones for him and his girlfriend as an anniversary gift.
At some point, he glanced at the two during a dry argument over an inane subject. The ambassador was leaning in to the fire lord, whispering something in his ear. The fire lord smirked at whatever he said then seemed to be scolding the ambassador when he kissed his cheek. During the meeting.
Jin decided he shouldn’t look at the fire lord or his ambassador for the rest of the meeting.
During a recess, he talked to a fellow Earth Kingdom ambassador in a low voice.
“Has the Southern—”
“We don’t know how long they’ve been together,” she interrupted, amused. “We just know they are very in love.”
He nodded slowly. “And the Fire Nation is okay with this?”
“The fire lord banished that antiquated decree during his second or third year on the throne. The people celebrated. The old advisors have finally come around or been removed. We’re all just waiting for them to announce a date for the royal wedding.”
This was a lot for Jin to take in. He would need to reevaluate his notes and send a few updates back home.
“You want in on the betting pool?”
He barked a laugh and rubbed a hand over his face. “Maybe once I’ve finished processing.”
2:
Fire Lord Zuko stopped by the kitchens more often than Mila ever thought he would, which was not at all when she started at the palace.
Mila thought all nobles were allergic to the underbelly of a palace, but he seemed to lurk around it regularly. At least once a week he was in the kitchens. The first time she noticed him sitting in the corner of the kitchen, mostly hidden and keeping to himself, she startled so bad, she dropped her tray. The fire lord didn't even look up. The cook yelled at her for wasting food and time.
"It can come out of my pay," the fire lord said just loud enough to be heard.
A brief silence overcame the kitchen before someone guffawed and then scattered laughs rolled through the room. Mila was glad no one was yelling at her anymore. It wasn't unreasonable to be startled by nobility being amongst them. She ducked to pick up everything she dropped. The spill was louder than it was messy, so she made quick work of the fallen dishes, thankful she wasn't holding anything that could shatter.
Mila glanced up at the fire lord again. She was curious, sue her. His hair was pulled back messily, a small braid caressing the side of his face, and his gold eyes intent on her. She froze, but the fire lord simply smiled and went back to his paperwork.
The fire lord continued to pop up in the kitchens, and Mila continued to be stressed until she was used to the way he was tucked away and minding his business. She started to think he was hiding down here. He didn't ask anyone for anything. He just sat, read papers, occasionally wrote things, and picked at food and tea he collected himself before anyone could offer to get him anything. The fire lord didn't bother anyone and she figured he should have time to not be bothered in return. Mila couldn't imagine always being needed by someone all the time.
When some of the others invited him to gossip with him late in the evening, she became nervous again when he shyly agreed. But Fire Lord Zuko was mostly quiet and surprisingly funny, though he didn’t seem to realize this. He always looked puzzled but quietly pleased when they laughed at his quips, like he didn't know why they were laughing but was happy that they were happy. It was surprisingly endearing.
Ambassador Sokka also came to join him in the kitchens every so often. He mostly came to scold the fire lord about not resting like he should or to join the staff for gossip. He often had more information than they did. Neither of them bothered hiding their affection for each other. There was rarely a time the ambassador wasn't touching the fire lord, even if it was just a leg pressed to his. The fire lord gave him loving looks and sat plates of food and cups of tea in front of him. He accepted the touches without complaint but did protest when Ambassador Sokka tried to kiss him. Mila had heard stories about the fire lord and Southern Water Tribe ambassador being romantically involved, and their time in the kitchens only proved that.
When they weren't around, the staff gossiped about whether they thought the two would actually marry or if the fire lord would make a different political marriage. Mila heard that there were at least two betting pools, but she didn’t want to bet on anyone's personal business, even if they were the nation's leader. It felt rude. Especially when she knew that he was on the hunt for the spiciest snacks possible and didn't actually like tea despite the fact that he drank it everyday like it was a cure-all.
Mila caught him boiling water late at night as she returned to the kitchen to create a snack platter for one of the huffier ladies visiting from the Earth Kingdom. His hair was loose and he was wearing a surprisingly ratty pair of pajamas and no shoes. She felt like she had to think of him as Zuko when he was barefoot.
"Your majesty," Mila greeted with a hurried curtsey.
"It's too late for all that," he grumbled.
Mila smiled quietly, as he always said something similar whenever he was in the kitchens. It didn't matter what time of day it was. She grabbed one of the silver trays and looked over what they had lying around in the pantry. Hopefully that woman didn't expect her to actually cook anything.
"Can't sleep?" Zuko asked sympathetically.
"I can always sleep," she sighed. "Lady Riva requested refreshments."
"It's after midnight," he said slowly.
"Yes, sire," Mila agreed wearily.
Suddenly Zuko was next to her. He was rubbing the space between his eyes and holding out a hand for the tray. "I'll take that."
Mila blinked rapidly in confusion. "I'm sorry?" Maybe she was still asleep.
He took the tray out of her hands gently. "You're a bender, right?"
"Yes?" She no longer knew what was going on. She watched in growing distress as Zuko loaded the plate easily like he had experience.
"If you wouldn't mind, could you watch that kettle for me? It shouldn't come to a full boil. I left the leaves over there. They should only steep for three minutes. I think. If you know anything better, you can do that instead. And I'll take this. I appreciate your help. I'll be back soon."
And he disappeared before she could tell him not to, leaving Mila to monitor a kettle of water. The door opened before the water was at the correct temperature, so it couldn't have been Zuko yet. A sleepy looking Sokka—if she could call the fire lord by his given name, she could call the ambassador Sokka—trudged in and looked around. Then he looked again. He gave Mila a lost look.
"Good evening. The fire lord went to visit Lady Riva."
The ambassador blinked slowly. "What?"
Mila explained what had happened, though she was still confused about it herself, but she watched as sleepy confusion was replaced by delight in Sokka's eyes.
"He's going to Lee her!" he laughed.
"I'm sorry?" she asked.
"Uncle Iron runs a tea shop," he explained, as if that clarified the situation at all. "Speaking of, are you making that tea for Zuko?"
"Yes."
"I'll do it. He probably gave you the wrong instructions." Sokka took the water off the heat, poured a little water into the teapot, swirled it around, emptied it, then added more water before adding the leaves. "Zuko worked for his Uncle for a while at the shop. When we go to the Earth Kingdom for diplomatic reasons we also go work for Uncle for a day or two. Sometimes we only go to hang out with Uncle. Don't tell the Earth Kingdom ambassadors. He has a beautifully terrifying customer service voice. I'm sure Lady Riva won't be making any more unreasonable requests of you all after tonight. He hates when the guests treat you all like you don't need rest."
"Oh. Well. . ." Mila wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.
"It'll be fine," Sokka assured her. "How's your family? Zuko said you had a new niece?"
It was too late and there had been too many surprises for Mila to be startled by the fire lord remembering the birth of her niece or the fact that he had apparently shared it with his partner. She told him how her niece and her sister-in-law were doing.
"When she's a little older, you should bring her over here. Zuko loves babies."
Mila smiled slowly. This wasn't her brother's first child, so they wouldn't be as careful about keeping her away from everyone until she was a year old. They'd be more willing to let her out of their sight when she was strong enough. Mila made it her mission to bring both her niece and nephew to the palace. It would help her family and give the fire lord another chance for a break.
Sokka talked about his own niblings and his future plans for babies. He was excited to be a dad, but seemed primarily excited to watch Zuko be a dad. Everyone who was a part of the bet would be having a field day with this information. It was unfortunate for them that Mila would be keeping this conversation to herself.
Zuko came back with the customer service smile still pasted to his face and the empty tray under his arm. It melted into something soft and warm when he caught sight of Sokka.
"Sweetheart, why are you up?"
"I was cold," Sokka pouted.
"So you left the bed and blankets so you could become even colder?" Zuko teased.
The ambassador glared. "It sounds like you don't want the tea we made you."
Zuko laughed softly. "I was coming back," he admonished gently as he moved towards the sink.
Sokka trailed after him, pressing his chest again Zuko's back and murmuring to him while he washed the tray. Mila was having trouble processing how she had been woken up to serve a visiting lady and the night ended watching her fire lord and the Southern Water Tribe ambassador, lovers, flirt in the kitchens. She didn't remember that she shouldn't be letting the fire lord wash any dishes until he was done. Well. That was enough of whatever this was.
Mila cleared her throat, smiling as she watched them remember what she was there. "If you don't need anything else?"
"Of course, you should go to sleep," Zuko said earnestly. "Thank you for the tea. Let me know if they try and do that to any of you again."
"He already told those people not to bother his staff after hours unless it's an emergency," Sokka chimed in, resting his chin on Zuko's shoulder. "You'd be helping reinforce the fire lord's decree."
Mila gave them a demure smile and curtseyed. As she turned to leave, she heard Sokka say something and Zuko let out a small gasp.
"Mila, your family would be okay with you bringing the babies here?" Zuko called out eagerly, probably too loud for the time of night, but the most important person in the palace wasn't disturbed and Mila liked seeing his excitement.
"Yes, it shouldn't be a problem. I will try and bring them by once she's allowed to be held by strangers."
"Oh, will you?" he breathed.
Mila laughed and nodded. "Soon."
The Fire Lord was adorable. Sokka, watching Zuko softly and with love in his eyes, was also cute. Mila wasn't going to bet on them, but she did think they would marry. Maybe soon, maybe in a few years, but it would happen.
3:
The whole open secret of the fire lord's relationship was a big security issue.
Since he wasn't an official consort, they couldn't give him a personalized guard. And yet, he very clearly needed a guard. Sokka was everywhere all the time. He talked to everyone, he went on unplanned trips on whims, and generally did whatever he wanted.
That would be all fine and good if he was just a small ambassador, but people had to know about the fire lord's fondness for the Southern Water Tribe ambassador, including enemies. They didn't hide it well. Not that they had to. But it was hard to bring up casually.
Ever since Fire Lord Zuko started dating—or was it courting when you were important to upholding world peace?—Ambassador Sokka, his personal guard kept waiting for him to bring up additional security. As an ambassador, Sokka should have already had a personal guard, but he always insisted he wasn't important enough for to warrant assassination attempts. As if he hadn't been instrumental in stopping the tyranny of the last Fire Lord. Or helped invent multiple machines that had revolutionized the world since he was fifteen. Or was known to be best friends with the Avatar. None of that hit him as important enough to need protection, so he continued to come and go as he pleased.
When they could, they tried to have a couple guards shadow him at a distance, but the ambassador always lost them. It would be impressive if it weren't causing Shen to gray prematurely. This was the last straw.
She knocked firmly on the fire lord's office door. Normally she'd try and get on the schedule before doing something like this, but some weird anti-progress cult had actually been stalking Sokka while he was "doing research" by strolling with some old ladies around town. Sokka hadn't managed to evade the shadow guard this time and that was who had prevented an incident. Thank Agni for the meandering paces of old women.
"Come in," came Zuko's voice.
Shen entered promptly and stood at attention in front of the large desk, though nowhere as big as the one his father used to use. It was only as big as it was now because of coaxing from Ambassador Sokka. Sometimes he would work in here as well, but he was not present now. Probably still out shopping.
"Captain," Zuko said in surprise. "Is there something wrong?"
"Not immediately," she allowed, "but yes."
He put away what he was working on and gestured for her to sit. "What can I do?"
She sat carefully and braced herself. This wasn't going to be a good conversation. "We need to discuss security."
Zuko frowned, eyes shifting around warily. "Again?"
"Not for you," Shen assured him quickly. There were so many assassination attempts during the beginning of his reign, the fire lord was still wary of surprise security meetings. She shouldn’t have come without preparing what she would say beforehand, but she was here now.
She explained about the cult members they apprehended and Sokka's tendency for wandering off and dodging guards, being careful to make it sound like facts instead of a complaint. And yet the longer she spoke, the more Zuko's expression drew downward. Hopefully it was more perturbed than angry.
"Where are his guards?" Zuko asked when she was finished.
Shen wasn't sure how to answer. She hadn't expected him to ask that question. "He refused guards when he took the job as ambassador," she said slowly. "So—"
Shen cut herself off because now the fire lord looked truly angry. "Sokka should have been assigned guards last year," he bit out slowly.
She tried to remember any sort of order detailing that, but was coming up empty. It was one thing when Zuko was frustrated and yelling to vent. But when he went cold, that was when it was time to grovel if running wasn't an option.
"I'm very sorry, Fire Lord Zuko. I—"
Zuko waved his hand sharply to silence her. He was grinding his teeth as he grabbed something that looked important, flipped it over, and wrote a list on the back. Smoke spill out of his mouth as he pushed it across the desk to her. "That's Sokka's guard. If they also have problems fulfilling their duties, send them to me. Where are the people you apprehended staying?"
"Cell Block A." Shen wanted to speak more, to defend herself, but the fire lord stood, so she did too. They'd be leaving soon.
"You let everyone else who has a problem with Sokka know that I offer excellent severance pay and their duties will no longer be needed," he ground out, spitting sparks.
Oh, he was pissed. She hoped whoever had fucked up was smart and no longer worked here. She hoped he didn't think it was her who made the blunder. How did she prove her innocence?
"He is a permanent fixture to the Fire Nation and the Four Nations as a whole and disrespect will not be tolerated."
"Fire Lord Zuko, I highly respect Ambassador Sokka. I would never—"
"I know, Captain," Zuko assured her, though his voice was still severe. He patted her shoulder as he passed. "I'm sure someone lost the decree. I will find out who it was," he said softly, the threat clear in his voice without needing to see his expression.
Shen followed the fire lord out the door and began to reckon with the fact that someone was going to be eviscerated for carelessness or worse soon, and she would have to watch. His anger was justified though, so she wouldn't feel that bad about it. If Sokka ever got hurt because of someone's prejudice, everyone would suffer.
She really hoped Zuko would marry Sokka soon. It probably wouldn't help with the threats to the two of them, but it would be easier for the guard to openly protect them both.
Pao looked at her expectantly as he fell in line with her to follow their fire lord. Shen didn't know how to convey that they would get their wish but someone was going to die with her face. Instead she just hissed, "Later."
They passed Sokka on Fire Lord Zuko's warpath. He stopped so suddenly, newbies would have ran into him, but Shen and Pao knew he was going to stop as soon as they heard Sokka humming as he turned the corner.
"Babe! I got such a good deal on—"
In an uncharacteristic display, Zuko grabbed Sokka, looking him over. "Sokka, are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sokka asked in bemusement.
"Turn away," Zuko ordered.
The guards turned on their heels and took four steps away. The guards stopped listening while the couple whispered to each other.
"Is he getting guards?" Pao whispered to her.
"Effective immediately. Or after the fire lord interrogates the prisoners. I have a list in my pocket." Shen should have skimmed it, but she had been kind of scared for her life. It was an understandable lapse in her usual attentiveness.
"Thank Agni," he sighed.
Luckily, Niwa rounded the corner on patrol. Shen whistled sharply, summoning them. She gave them the list.
"Find everyone on that list and let them know they are expected on Ambassador Sokka duty immediately. Let whoever is most senior on the list decide on a rotation. And spread the word to everyone working in the palace that anyone who has a problem with the Southern Water Tribe ambassador need no longer stay on staff, per orders from the fire lord."
They eyed her warily. "How mad?"
"Spitting fire. Go."
Their eyes widened comically wide before they turned on their heel and hurried to collect the guard. Shen almost wished she could follow them, and from Pao's expression, he did too. Whatever was about to happen in the holding cells wouldn't be pretty.
The fire lord and ambassador really needed to announce their engagement soon, for the sake of Shen's nerves if nothing else.
4:
Katara was fed up.
She had been watching Zuko and Sokka circle each other since Zuko joined their group. Maybe before that, as he had accepted the prince into their group much too easily in her opinion. Then after the war, Sokka became a Fire Nation ambassador. Zuko was always awkward around their group, but doubly so with Sokka. And that had transitioned into lots of blushing and clumsy flirting. Every time Katara saw the two of them together, they were always doing some combination of touching and whispering to each other.
Something had changed within the last year, and when Katara and Aang came to visit, the two were holding hands and practically on top of each other all the time. It was disgusting. It was worse when Katara caught them making out by the turtle duck pond.
While she was glad her brother had pulled his head out of his ass, he hadn't done anything about it yet. She got that everyone could move at their own pace, however, Zuko and Sokka not even bothering to discuss marriage was driving her crazy. The two of them were basically married already and she didn't understand why they didn’t just commit. Now that she had dragged her brother away, guards he hadn't had before shadowing them at a distance, she would get her answers.
She shoved him on a bench in the empty courtyard and pulled out the snacks she packed for them. Sokka was always in a good mood when food was involved.
Once she felt her brother had stuffed his face enough, she started on her interrogation questions.
"So. How's Zuko?"
Sokka beamed. "He's great! We finally got rid of that asshole I was telling you about last time, so meetings are going much more smoothly now. And we're choosing stops on the anniversary tour—"
"I mean with you. You and Zuko. How is that?"
Sokka was still smiling, but he arched an eyebrow. "Still great. Things are great. Why, is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Katara assured him quickly. "I was just trying to. . . make sure things were going well."
Now he looked suspicious. "Is Dad trying to marry me off or something?"
"No," she said, then winced. Maybe she should have said it was true. Maybe it would have motivated him. Katara should have made Toph do this for her. She sucked at lying.
"Is Bato trying to marry me off?"
"No one is trying to marry you off," Katara said in exasperation.
Sokka raised his eyebrow at her and she caved immediately. It was good that he didn't realize she couldn't stand up to that expression. He would use it so much more liberally if he did.
“Okay, I’m trying to marry you off.”
Sokka clicked his tongue and looked at her from the side. “Bad sister,” he scolded. “You know I’m taken.”
A jumping off point! Good.
“I do! So. . . when are you planning on carving an engagement necklace for Zuko?” Katara asked.
Sokka shrugged. “It’s kind of too late for that.”
What? “What?”
“It’s a shame because I came up with a cool design after the fact, but you know. Hindsight and all that.”
Katara thought she was being straight forward, and yet she still ended up confused and lost.
“You love him?” Katara confirmed.
“Of course,” Sokka said simply. “He’s the love of my life.”
Well. She would let whatever was happening there go then. They would come around when they were ready. Katara didn't understand how it could be too late for an engagement necklace, but she would be able to send word to her family that Zuko was basically family now. Dad couldn't be mad when he'd been doing something similar with Bato since she was ten.
They’d figure it out eventually.
5:
Iroh was happy in his shop. He was finally living up to his true life's calling as a tea master. He enjoyed the simplicity of his life now. He drank and sold quality tea, watched others slow down and enjoy themselves, and socialized with someone new everyday. No wanted anything from him that would result in needless slaughter.
The one negative was that he no longer lived close to his nephew, but he still wrote regularly and he would come by whenever he had business in the Earth Kingdom, whether that business was in the city or not. When his nephew came to visit him nowadays, he always brought a guest. Though with how often he came, sometimes without Zuko, and the intel he got from the White Lotus agent in the capital, it was hard to keep referring to him as so.
Recently, Zuko had let him know that he had to come to Ba Sing Se and that they would stop by and say hello towards the end of their trip. So Iroh wasn't surprised when he looked up one day to see that his two nephews were coming in through his front door, dressed in greens and tans. Zuko was wearing a wide brimmed hat he was sure Sokka had sweet-talked him into.
"Hi, Uncle!" Sokka greeted cheerfully. He came and hugged Iroh with no hesitation. "How’s business?"
"It pays the bills," he said humbly.
Sokka snorted. "Oh, I’m sure." He skillfully maneuvered the tray out of his hand and nudged him towards his actual nephew. "I’ll take this."
Before Iroh could protest, he was taking orders and checking in on guests.
"He’s so friendly," Iroh remarked pleasantly.
"Yes, he is," Zuko said warmly. "Hi, Uncle."
Zuko also came in for a hug, lingering much longer than Sokka had.
Iroh patted his back fondly. "Nephew. You’ve lost weight. Is your ambassador not making sure you eat?"
"He’s the only reason I haven’t lost more weight."
He hummed and made his way behind the counter since his part-timer and Sokka had the floor covered. Zuko followed behind him, taking his hat off and stowing it away. While they caught up, Iroh watched how his nephew watched his. . . had he ever said they were boyfriends? Did kids still say that? It felt like they were friends for so long and then one day he finally wrote him a letter saying they were more. Whatever they called themselves, they were sweet together. It was clear that Zuko felt strongly for Sokka in his letters, but it always relieving to see that it was both true and reciprocated. Sokka flirted with Zuko at every opportunity possible. Zuko kept telling him not in front of customers, but Sokka didn’t listen. Whenever he was free, he would come back to the counter and try a new tea related pick-up line on Zuko, who rolled his eyes and shooed him off, despite the fact that he was smiling.
Right before the lunch rush appeared, Sokka came with his worst line yet.
"Can I be the milk to your tea? Together, we can create something even better," Sokka said with an audacious wink.
Iroh had to chase him off after that frankly offensive line, even though that one did make Zuko laugh out loud. He was glad they had moved into the backroom so he could take proper time to recoup from hearing something so terrible. Milk did nothing but muddy a tea's flavor. The audacity of that one.
Once Iroh had recovered from the blow, he felt he could finally ask his nephew the question he had wanted to ask him for a while now.
"Nephew, when are you going to make it official?
"Make what official?" Zuko asked absently, turning back to the dishes Sokka had distracted him from.
"Your relationship. Surely the advisors aren’t still giving you pushback?"
Zuko stopped washing dishes to squint at Iroh. "What do you mean?"
Iroh sipped his oolong, trying to figure out if his nephew was being purposely obtuse or if he was just confused. He decided to give him grace and explain himself.
"Sokka would be a beautiful addition to the Fire Nation legacy."
Zuko frowned. "I know, but why would it need to be official? Isn’t marriage the most official it could be? Is there a second marriage we have to do?"
For once, Iroh was lost for words.
"You’re. . . married? To Sokka?"
"Yes?" Zuko nodded slowly. "For almost a year now."
"And you didn’t tell me?" Had Iroh lost his favorite parent privileges? Was it because he insisted on calling him nephew?
"I thought you knew already. It was impulsive, but the Sages were supposed to let all the important nation reps know an alliance had been filled. They know they’re supposed to send you something too. Did they not? I have to talk to them. Sokka!"
"Yes, beloved?" Sokka said, poking his head in the back.
"Remind me to ask the Fire Sages why they don’t think a former Fire Nation prince and general is worthy of Fire Nation updates."
"Sure," Sokka chirped, his voice contrasting Zuko’s severe tone so aggressively it snapped Iroh out of his stupor.
"Nephew, I think you should check in with the Sages."
"Oh, I will," Zuko said hotly. "Things like this keep happening and I think—"
"No, I mean about your nuptials. Just to confirm everything is the way you believe it is."
Because he was right, the Sages did know to let him know about any big changes and advances to the nation. He also was still tuned into the White Lotus network and they never let him know about a marriage, secret or otherwise. And that was a shame because his nephew seemed to think they were married and had been married for a while.
Zuko was pacing back and forth, talking more to himself than to Iroh, before turning to Iroh suddenly, looking particularly devastated.
"You didn't hear anything at all?" he asked.
"I'm afraid not, nephew. And I have a lot of sources."
Zuko grasped the hair at the back of his head with both hands and shut his eyes tight, the picture of distress. Iroh went to comfort him. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he guessed that meant he wouldn't be missing his nephew's wedding, assuming breaking the news to him didn't kick him out of the favorite parental figure spot.
+1:
"Sokka, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yeah, what’s up, firelight?" Sokka prompted, currently lying half upside-down on the chaise in their rooms while reading a scroll.
"Uncle asked me when I was going to seal the deal."
"Which one? Is it for the reparations? That one is almost done, I just need to see if I can get two of your advisors to die sooner, so I can slip in my more intelligent replacements. If not, we go with Plan C and it should be through within the next couple months."
"No, with you."
Sokka finally deigned to look up at him. "What?"
"He asked me when I was going to marry you," Zuko said slowly. It wasn’t to help Sokka understand. He himself was struggling. He tugged on his hair, like it would help him make sense of any of this. It didn't. He tossed the crown to the side and that didn't help either.
"You told him we already did that, right?" Sokka prompted.
Zuko couldn't stay still any longer. He should have called Sokka to the training ring. This was a conversation to have while sparring, but alas, he would have to cope by pacing. "Yeah. But then I started thinking—"
"Oh no."
"—and I went to check the records."
"There are records? You know about all the marriages in the Fire Nations?"
"I mean, I can, but the royal family has always tracked family ties with the Sages. We aren’t in their book."
Sokka sat up and put his scroll to the side. "Are we in a different book?"
"I had someone look through all the nearby marriage registers. We aren’t in any of them."
"How are we not married? We have the same memory!"
"I don’t know!"
A few different expressions flitted across Sokka's face. He seemed to land on forced amusement. "Oh shit, does this mean we’re fucking out of wedlock? Are you setting a bad example for all the little Fire Nation children?"
Zuko stopped pacing to whirl on him. "Stop! It’s not funny, I want to be married to you."
Sokka immediately sobered and reached a hand out to him. "I know, I’m sorry. Come here. I don’t know how we fucked that up."
Zuko wanted to be mad, but he was incapable of telling Sokka no. So he took his hand and let him pull him between his legs.
They thought what happened during a festival last year. After Zuko could stop being the fire lord, Sokka snuck him out the palace. The disguise helped them ditch Zuko's guards and blend in with the commoners. Any other holiday, it wouldn’t have worked, but this one included masks. So after acquiring Blue and Red Spirit masks, Zuko and Sokka moved around in anonymity. They ate and collected trinkets and drank. They drank a lot.
At some point, they had bought two bottles of something absolutely delicious with a surprisingly high alcohol content, and took it into a park. The park was closed, but Zuko was the fire lord. He owned everything, so they couldn't trespass. Under a willow tree, they shed their masks and drank more, chatting and giggling in the way inebriated people do. At some point, Sokka crawled onto Zuko’s lap, so he could talk to him better. Zuko never objected. They were mostly friends at the time. Best friends who flirted, who had feelings for each other, but weren’t sure about how the other felt.
Sokka, comfy in Zuko’s lap and bolstered by mystery drinks and tasty wine, leaned into Zuko and said conspiratorially, "I have an idea. A great idea."
"Yeah?"
"We should get married."
"Okay."
"They keep trying to marry you off to women, but you aren’t into those. I’m not a woman," Sokka explained solemnly. "And I’m technically a prince, so it’s not like you’re marrying down."
Zuko nodded. "Okay."
"I won’t make you miserable either because we're best friends. It’s also a sick reparation for the Water Tribe. And I get access to an unlimited bank account. And I’m a little bit in love with you. A lot a bit. It’s a win-win-win-win!"
"We can be married," Zuko said.
Sokka heard him this time. He lit up and pressed a quick kiss to Zuko’s lips. The brief press of lips turned to more, and they were distracted by the newness of kissing their best friend that they had been in love with for a while. Breathlessness and giggles made them part.
"I promise I'll make you happy forever," Sokka promised, clumsily smoothing back Zuko's hair from his face.
He stared at him for a long time, maybe soaking in the words, maybe forgetting to respond. Then he said, "I can marry us tonight. Follow me."
And they both swore they went to the Fire Sages and married that night. They thought that was the beginning of their relationship. The marriage hadn’t technically been consummated until much later, but it was definitely consummated. Thoroughly. Zuko brought him to all the events a consort would attend. He moved Sokka into his rooms and let him choose a new wardrobe. He sat by his side during all the important meetings and events. Sokka made him stop working so they could take baths together. Sokka carried his seal and signed documents on his behalf. They were discussing what they wanted to do regarding heirs. They were almost done drafting their first year anniversary Fire Nation tour. All of that, and they weren’t even married?
Sokka kept pulling at Zuko until he was curled up in his lap. "We’ll talk to the Sages. They probably didn’t marry us because we were incredibly drunk or someone is going to lose their job," he said reasonably. "They definitely should have followed up, and you can yell at them about that regardless, but everything is fine. We can still get married."
"I just feel stupid," Zuko said into Sokka’s neck.
"Then we’re both stupid," Sokka shrugged. "We both thought we were married all this time. Knowing we aren’t doesn't change how I feel about you. Does it change things for you?"
Zuko shook his head.
"So we’re okay. You’re still my best friend. I still love you. I’m still sleeping in your bed and spending your money. And we’ll be married eventually. We'll cancel the tour and reallocate the funds to a future wedding fund." Sokka press his lips to Zuko's cheek and smiled. "Now I get to carve you a proper engagement necklace."
Zuko leaned closer, silently asking for more affection before his face fell and he gasped. "This whole time, I should have been calling you Ambassador Sokka," he lamented. He was cringing belatedly now that he realized he had been breaking so much protocol.
"I’m not retaking my old seat," Sokka declared haughtily. "Hontang smells like old meat. It's disgusting. He should be kicked off the council for that alone. I will remain beside the fire lord so I can easily share my wisdom."
"All you do is tell bad jokes and try and fondle me."
"Not true. That’s only how I spend half of my time. I am your best advisor and you know it."
They bickered until Zuko felt better. And then they began to plan a proper royal wedding. If they hadn’t eloped as they thought, they might as well do it right this time around. A fusion wedding would be fun.