"I still cannot believe you got me to leave my workspace," Zuko grumbled as he leaned his head into the palm of his hand.
"Aw, come on, Fire Lord Grump, you're always cooped up in that little, dingy office room signing papers, it sounds pretty boring to me!" Sokka replied as he took another sip of his drink. Zuko sighed.
"It's not fun, Sokka, it's boring as hell, but someone has to do it, otherwise the Fire Nation is going to go up in flames," Zuko retorted.
"Hah, up in flames! Fire Nation! That's a good one!" Sokka said while snorting as he slapped the young firebender on the back.
"It wasn't- I didn't- oh, forget it," Zuko grumbled.
"You're freaking out too much. You never leave that depressing throne or office room or you're at a council meeting. When was the last time you did something for, well, fun?" Sokka asked.
"Never." Zuko stated bluntly and Sokka scowled.
"I see." Sokka responded as he beckoned the bartender over for a refill on his drink. "Hit me and Mr. Fire Lord Misery again would ya?"
"Sokka, I don't need another drink," Zuko protested.
"Sure you do! You need it way more than I do!" Sokka argued.
"Ugh! I knew I should've stayed discussing the treaty agreement with Aang!" Zuko moaned.
"Aang encouraged you to go!" Sokka rebutted.
"Yeah, so, it still was a dumb choice, I don't know how I caved," Zuko grumbled.
"It wasn't until your mommy made you!" Sokka laughed and Zuko shot him a glare.
"Maybe I did want to come," Zuko mumbled.
"Oh?" Sokka said sarcastically, "So, little mama's boy coincidentally gave up the stubborn decline of coming with me to get a drink downtown after his fiancée, uncle, and best friends begged him, but just by a stroke of luck, changed his mind when his mother told him to?"
"…I'm going to punch you, Sokka," Zuko groaned and Sokka smirked. Zuko's reluctant laughter then faded into a frown when he saw the dismal expression on his friend's face.
"I'm just joking, you know?" Sokka said with a sigh. Zuko was puzzled by the seeming apology. He always knew that half the things Sokka said were jokes, why was he pointing it out this time? Was it the drink getting to him?
"I know, you always are," Zuko said with a smirk behind the neck of the bottle he was drinking. Sokka sighed.
"If my mom was back, and told me to do something, I'd do it in a heartbeat too," Sokka stated glumly. Zuko felt a pang of empathetic pain in his chest by Sokka's dour statement.
"I'm sorry," was all Zuko knew to say.
"No, it's not your fault," Sokka said, "I know when were kids Katara said things, but she doesn't believe them."
"Huh, I'd ask Katara," Zuko replied.
"She's my sister, I know her," Sokka stated as his brow furrowed in contemplation, "She used you as a scapegoat because you were chasing us and you were the prince of the nation that held the division that killed our mom."
"I know…" Zuko muttered.
"She forgave you six years ago, Zuko," Sokka said and Zuko smiled a little, he remembered helping Katara put her resentment to rest. "Zuko, I'm happy you found your mom, I am, but I just wish I could find mine too, that I had hope, you know?"
"Yeah, I know, Sokka. I'm sorry," Zuko stated.
"At least my dad made a friend," Sokka said with a shrug.
"There's something you have I don't, well…one that doesn't want to kill you, I suppose," Zuko said.
"I'm not trying to compete with you, Zuko," Sokka stated.
"I know, I know, I'm just saying that you've got a sister and a father who'd go to hell and back for you, and well, I've got a father and sister who'd send me to hell and never turn back," Zuko said wryly and Sokka stiffly smirked. At least he'd accomplished getting Zuko's mind off of work, he was laughing-well, laughing as far as Zuko goes, again. It'd been awhile since his friend looked at ease, and not frazzled enough to explode.
"It's weird how close friends your mom and my dad became though," Sokka said as he chugged a cup of cactus juice-his fourth shot of the night.
"It is a bit weird, but they hit off right from when we introduced them to each other when I found my mom a little over a year and a half ago. They're both keeping track of my paperwork now together," Zuko said. Sokka winced at what he knew was to come. "Ugh, my paperwork," Zuko growled as he buried his head in his hands. Sokka scoured the area as he took a couple strong shots of cactus juice and threw them into his friend's drink while he wasn't looking with his head down. If this didn't completely loosen him up, nothing would.
"Katara and Aang are there too, calm down, they know how to read the papers," Sokka waved him off. Zuko then sipped from his drink again and pursed his lips and clapped his tongue to the roof of his mouth to examine the slightly off taste to the beverage.
"My drink tastes…strange," Zuko noticed as Sokka stiffened.
"Erm…I guess it just happens after awhile," Sokka rolled with that and Zuko shrugged as he went on finishing the alcohol. The night went on, and as it did, Zuko began acting stranger and stranger as the cactus juice kept setting in further. Sokka and Zuko both laughed and reminisced of their teenage years and practically got into a sword match again. As the hours went on, it became late, and finally Sokka took notice.
"Hey, Zuko, buddy, it's getting late," Sokka said as he glanced down at his watch.
"Nah, we got plenty of time!" Zuko said laughing as he waved him off. Sokka grumbled beneath his breath, maybe he'd put too much cactus juice in his drink. "Zuko, what about your paperwork…" Sokka reminded reluctantly, feeling as though he was speaking to a child who'd forgotten their homework.
"To hell with it!" Zuko declared.
"Ugh, come on, Zuko," Sokka complained as ne nudged his shoulder and Zuko flung his upper body across the bar table. Sokka sighed as he flung his friend's arm over his shoulder and began dragging him out of the bar, knowing this was his own fault anyway. Zuko moaned, feeling sick and queasy as they began their march back to Air Temple Island from Republic City.
"I'm gonna kill you when I'm sober," A drunken Zuko moaned.
"Maybe you'll be hungover enough to forget," Sokka teased.
"You're so damn dead, Sokka," Zuko groaned as he held his stomach.
"Your mommy can tend to you, don't worry," The slightly tipsy Sokka commented with a beaming grin.
"That's it, agni kai," Zuko grumbled, still feeling nauseous.
"That'll work, considering how great of a firebender I am," Sokka mocked.
"I know you did this to me, Sokka," Zuko shouted allegedly.
"Hey! I could've left you there and had the headlines say 'Fire Lord Gets Hungover While He Should be Working'!" Sokka rebutted.
"You're a bastard, Sokka, you know that?" Zuko moaned.
"I know, you're a bastard too, Fire Lord. But I'd call you my brother in all but the family knot if push came to shove," Sokka said earnestly and Zuko sighed, but hid the slim smile on his face.
"That's really touching, Sokka. Can you please get me home before I puke all over you?" Zuko mumbled, and then he mumbled beneath his breath. Sokka finally managed to drag the intoxicated Fire Lord back to where they all were staying on Air Temple Island. Katara saw the two coming up the path and walked towards them, looking disturbed and slightly horrified, with a tint of happiness.
"Are you two okay?" Katara exclaimed, her weird expression transforming to her worried mother-state.
"We're fine," Sokka grouched as he tossed Zuko's arm off his shoulder and rubbed it; it was sore from the pressure.
"You may be, but what on earth did you do to Zuko!" Katara cried as she examined him like a nurse and fussy mother.
"Sokka, we told you to help him relax, not get him so drunk he wouldn't remember his own name!" Aang yelled as he made his way over.
"Sorry! I'm just surprised his mommy isn't over here having a cow…" Sokka said rolling his eyes.
"Ughh, I'm fine," Zuko fibbed as he clutched his stomach. Katara's face grew back to its perturbed demeanor it held earlier when they'd returned.
"What?" Sokka asked.
"Just…go inside, Sokka," Katara said as she shook her head.
"Take Zuko with you and kill two birds with one stone," Aang said with a smile, he was the only one who looked joyed to the contrary of the others.
"Aang, how do you find this so entertaining?" Katara snapped and he shrugged with his wide smile. Sokka dragged his drunk friend into the house on the island and called for his father.
"I hear talking in from the living room," Zuko groaned as they walked over to the room. What they witnessed made both of their jaws drop straight to the floor. Even Zuko, drunk as he was, was stunned by the sight.
"DAD!" Sokka screamed in shock.
"MOM!" Zuko screamed in the same respect. Hadoka and Ursa pulled back from their kissing.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're home!" Ursa said, "Did you and Sokka have a nice time? I was worried about you, you work too hard! You need to take a break with your friends more often!"
"OKAY, BUT YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK FROM MY FRIEND'S FATHER'S FACE FOR A SECOND AND EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS GOING ON!" Zuko shouted.
"I SECOND HIS LORDSHIP!" Sokka yelled.
"Calm down, honey. You may be Fire Lord, but you're still my son and I'm still your mother, and you're still practically a child, you're but a mere twenty-two," Ursa said calmly.
"Your mother's right, Zuko, take it easy, son. And, Sokka, you calm down too, I'll explain," Hadoka said in the same calm conduct.
"YEAH, PLEASE, GO DO!" Sokka shouted and Zuko nodded with feverous agreement. Forget the alcohol content in their bodies, they both felt like barfing from what they'd just seen.
"Alright, well, Zuko's mother and I have become very close, as you two know, in the past year…and well, maybe while you haven't been paying attention, we fell in love," Hadoka confessed as both boys' eyes widened to taking up half their faces as Zuko stared at his mother, eyeing her, startled. As he scanned her expression that held a humble smile, he noticed a blue necklace that was extremely similar to Katara's around his mother's neck and his eyes bolted back open wide.
"Mom!" Zuko shouted, interrupting Hadoka, who'd Sokka had toned out too, in shock.
"What, honey?" Ursa asked, laughing at her son's reaction.
"What in the name of God are you wearing?" Zuko asked bluntly.
"Oh, of course, like Ha-Sokka's father has been saying, we love each other, Zuko. I really love him, I never truly have had this before…well…your father, as you know…Well, Hadoka proposed to me tonight, and I accepted! Isn't this wonderful! We'll both be getting married, Zuko!" Ursa explained, and Zuko felt like he was going to pass out and sat down.
"YOU TWO ARE GETTING MARRIED?" Sokka shouted and they both smirked and nodded as Sokka plopped down on the floor next to Zuko. Katara, who'd been eavesdropping all along then came in and she crouched down to their level.
"I cannot believe this. Is this something the cactus juice Sokka wired me on did?" Zuko asked, testing his perception of reality.
"Nope," Katara said, "And, I thought we were close before," Katara said as she leaned her arm against Zuko's shoulder.
"How…Katara…Sokka…what…Hadoka…Mom…I…" Zuko mumbled aimless from his mouth.
Then Sokka sighed and spat out, "Well, it looks like I really can call you brother, family knot and all now, Zuko."