Written for Onoheiwa, for a request from a list of super sappy prompt lines.
Zuko ducked a little, making a face as one of the branches caught at the insignia in his hair. He freed himself from it without pulling anything loose, and ducked lower to slip out from beneath the tree.
"Sokka?" Zuko called softly as made his way into the clear area around the turtle duck pond. Sokka wasn't where he'd expected, though. Zuko frowned, pausing by the pond for a moment. The younger turtle ducks paddled towards him, making hopeful noises, and he smiled again, crouching at the water's edge.
He didn't have anything for them, but he dabbled his fingers in the water and the turtle ducks investigated his hand thoroughly before giving little huffy noises and fluffing their tails. Zuko delicately traced a fingertip over the head of the most permissive one, then down the smooth back of her shell.
She huffed again, pecking at his fingertips, but it wasn't enough to sting and she didn't swim away either. She and her nestmates had been the first clutch hatched here, the year after his coronation when he had returned a few adults to the pond, and though Zuko was fond of all the turtle ducks, he had a special soft spot for these.
"You are adorable." Sokka said, and Zuko looked up, surprised. Sokka had come from the other side of the garden, evidently, now watching him from across the pond. He cleared his throat, stroking over the turtle duck's head again - she didn't bother to complain this time - and then drawing his hand back.
She muttered at him darkly, and Zuko's lips twitched as he apologised to the turtle ducks for not having brought them anything. His mother would have said they were old enough not to need the help, he supposed, but he didn't overfeed them, and he liked bringing them treats. Zuko stood, wiping his hands against his surcoat and making his way around the pond towards Sokka.
Whatever Zuko might have said faded from his mind as he realised that Sokka looked anxious, twitching in tiny fidgety shifts and not quite looking Zuko in the eye. Zuko glanced around - they were alone in the small garden, of course; it was his mother's garden, and after Zuko had restored it, had been understood to be largely restricted to the royal family. It was one of the quietest places in the palace.
"Sokka," Zuko brushed his hand over Sokka's forearm, "is something wrong?"
"Wrong?" Sokka repeated immediately, laughing awkwardly. "Why would anything be wrong?"
Zuko frowned, letting his hand drop as Sokka shifted from foot to foot. "Er. . ."
"No I-" Sokka licked his lips and shook his head rapidly. "I wanted to talk to you. About something," he paused, "important."
"All right. . ." Zuko said slowly, nodding, though Sokka was only sort of looking at him.
Sokka brought his hands together in front of him, twisting around a small pouch. "I have something- I made . . . you something." He swallowed visibly, then finally met Zuko's eyes.
"Sokka?" Zuko prompted softly when he didn't continue.
"I carved you an engagement necklace." Sokka said a little too quickly, pulling a handful of gleaming white and brilliant crimson out of the pouch while Zuko was still processing the words. "It's . . . a tradition in the Water Tribes; something men do when they. . . Well." Sokka smoothed out a broad strip of what looked like red silk, straightening the almost silvery white disc fastened to its centre. There was a swirling, spiked design carved into its face. "You . . . carve it for the one you love and then . . . giving it is a- proposal."
Zuko nodded faintly, lips beginning to tug into a smile despite his shock. He actually knew some of this, though mostly not from Sokka.
"I- I understand if you don't want it," Sokka said, his voice faltering a little, but coming too quick, and Zuko was still staring at the gleaming, carved disc and band of silk in Sokka's hands, but he frowned a little at the words, "or- or if you can't take it, even if you- If as Fire Lord, I mean, you probably can't-"
"Sokka." Zuko said, and cleared his throat when it came out a little rough.
"I'm Water Tribe and this is a very Water Tribe thing and probably even if you could accept it otherwise, even if you wanted it, which- but even if, the Fire Lord probably isn't allowed to-"
"Sokka!" Zuko shouted, and Sokka jumped, his gaze finally rising from where his fingers had curled tightly around the necklace.
"I'm sorry! I know you're not a girl and this is kind of a- Well I mean it's mostly women who get-" Sokka gestured formlessly with the hand cradling the necklace. "But I love you and I," he was deeply flushed now, "I wanted to make it for you - I, uh, I needed to, even if you never-"
"Sokka! Shut up!" Zuko said, fondly exasperated, and reached for Sokka.
He flinched. "It's okay if you don't want it." Sokka said again earnestly, tight lines around his eyes, and Zuko shook his head, grabbing Sokka's shoulder. "I understand-"
"Sokka, shut up and kiss me." Zuko said, pulling him closer. Sokka's eyes widened. "And then help me put on your gift. Please. All right?" he asked, smiling.
Sokka blinked, then grinned, wide and crooked. He stepped closer, lifting his empty hand to Zuko's face, stroking along his jaw and then cupping the back of his neck as he kissed Zuko, eager and warm and long. Zuko purred, folding his arms around Sokka's waist and letting himself feel giddy with the surprise and delight of Sokka's gift - the question Sokka had asked with it - until he was almost giggling against Sokka's mouth.
Sokka pulled away - just barely, just enough to breathe - and he raised his eyebrows, giving Zuko a concerned look, but then he stifled a small laugh too. Zuko met his eyes, grinning, and then kissed him again, unable to resist; it was awkward, they were both smiling too widely for their mouths to really mesh, but Zuko didn't care.
"I do want it. And you. Always." Zuko said, rubbing a hand over Sokka's hip before letting go.
"I- Really?" Sokka asked, his tone a little odd. "You want- I mean." He laughed again, but this time a little bitterly, and Zuko reached for him again.
"Really, yes. Thank you." Zuko gripped Sokka's shoulder a little tighter. "It's beautiful, and I love you, and I would-" his voice wavered. "You want to marry me?" he asked softly.
"Zuko. . . Yes." Sokka said sincerely, stepping in close and resting his brow against Zuko's. "I love you so much."
Zuko closed his eyes, nudging close against Sokka and sighing softly.
Sokka stroked his cheek with a light touch. "You really want to wear it?" he asked, pulling back just enough to look down at his open hand held between them, the necklace tucked into his palm.
"Sokka, yes." Zuko said, pulling him forward and kissing him again, firmly, as he let out a small, strangled yelp of surprise. "I would be proud to wear it. Please?" He stepped back, tilting his head.
Sokka bit his lip and nodded, gesturing for Zuko to turn, and Zuko smiled, relaxing a little and obligingly turning his back to Sokka.
It took a moment before Sokka actually moved up behind him, and Zuko flexed his fingers, trying to keep himself calm.
Then Sokka was standing close at his back, reaching over his shoulders and around in front of him. The silk shimmered slightly in the sun as Sokka smoothed the necklace out, then brought it up towards Zuko's neck. He reached up to pull his high collar out of the way, glad it was loose and open enough to leave room for this.
Sokka's fingers might have been trembling a little as he gently settled the necklace around Zuko's neck, but then, Zuko felt like he could only barely breathe, his chest tight. The silk was sleek and warm against his skin, and the carved pendant was polished perfectly smooth where it rested just above his collarbone.
Sokka's hands pulled away, smoothing over Zuko's shoulders, and the necklace remained where it belonged, snug around his throat. Zuko reached up and rubbed his thumb over the pendant as he turned back towards his lover. It felt like bone.
"Lion whale bone." Sokka explained, cupping his hand around Zuko's on the pendant. "Stone or bone are traditional," he said, clearing his throat and meeting Zuko's eyes again, "and I thought this suited you better. I helped bring in the lion whale with the rest of the hunters last time I went back to visit Dad." he added, shrugging awkwardly.
Zuko's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded understanding. He tried to imagine hunting a lion whale from a Water Tribe wood-and-hide ship and shuddered inwardly. Besides that, though. . . "You," he paused, ducking his head, then raising his gaze to Sokka's, "you knew," he stroked the band and let his fingers trail over the carved bone, "then, that you wanted to. . ."
Sokka's flush crept back a little and he nodded. "I knew- Well, I've been working on that for a while." he admitted, with a slightly crooked smile. "I knew I wanted to carve you one, um," he paused, and Zuko made an encouraging noise, "a . . . couple of years ago. Maybe. I'd been here with you for a more than a year and I just remember thinking, 'Sokka, man, been in the Fire Nation for kind of a long time now' but I wasn't thinking I wanted to go home - go back - even then, it was just . . . 'I want to stay here with Zuko forever' and . . . well."
"Sokka." Zuko said, and he shrugged, clearing his throat. Zuko cupped his face and kissed him again, hard this time. The necklace shifted around Zuko's throat as he tilted his head, but it wasn't uncomfortable, just . . . noticeable.
Zuko rather liked the feeling.
Listen, you can take the Zuko wearing an engagement necklace headcanon for this 'ship away from me when you can pry it from my hands. . (As I told my friend M when I was working on this last week, I will eventually probably write at least seven engagement necklace stories; she is still not in this fandom, but I assure you she did nothing to discourage me from doing such.)
The prompt line was "shut up and kiss me" of course.