Takes place more or less directly after The Boiling Rock. This was written as gen, but you could probably see Sokka/Zuko pre-slash if you wanted to.

Last of the cross-posts from AO3! Now I am all caught up. Hooray!

"You're still awake, Zuko?"

"What—oh. Hi, Sokka. I thought you'd still be with your dad?"

"Eh, Katara wanted to talk with him alone. Which is only fair, I guess, cause I had him for the whole journey here. I would've thought that you'd be asleep, though, considering that you took the last shift with that war balloon."

"It takes more than a couple of fire bursts to tire me out. Anyway, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd stay out here."

"Oh, yeah? What're you thinking about?"

"Just…things. You know, I still can't believe we made it out of there."

"Yeah, well, no plan like a Sokka original, huh? Although I guess we would've all fallen into the volcano and died if it hadn't been for…what was her name again?"

"Mai."

"Mai. Right. What happened? I thought you guys broke up? Seems weird that she'd help us."

"We did break up. I don't know…I honestly don't know why she helped us. And she's probably paying the price for it right now. Azula doesn't like to share her toys."

"Oh, no. I didn't think about that. What do you think your crazy sister is doing to her? No offense."

"Believe me, I've called her worse. I don't know what Azula would do, and I'm trying not to think about it. She's always had a vindictive streak. I really hope Mai's okay, but I'm worried that she's not."

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's not your fault. If anything, it's mine. I'm the one who…right before I got to the prison yard, I was talking to Mai. Or I guess having the end of an argument with Mai. It must have been something I said that made her change her mind."

"Huh. What did you say?"

"Just…about why I left, I guess. Why I left her. And why I left the Fire Nation. She thought I was a traitor, which I was expecting, but I didn't think that she'd turn right around and betray Azula. I can't understand it."

"It's not your fault, Zuko. She sounds like someone who knows her own mind, and whatever happened out there, I'm sure that she weighed all the factors and made her choice."

"I know. It doesn't stop me from worrying, though."

"We'll just have to beat the Fire Lord that much faster, then. Take down your sister, kill your father…"

"…"

"…sorry. That one was my fault, wasn't it."

"No. You're right. We do have to kill Ozai. One way or another, he has to go."

"And you're…you're okay with that?"

"It wasn't like he was that great a dad to begin with."

"I know, but…he was still your dad, right? I mean, my dad, he was missing for a lot of years fighting the…uh…"

"You can say it. Fighting the Fire Nation."

"Right. Uh. Well, anyway, he's still my dad. That's why I had to go and rescue him and everything."

"It's not quite the same for me. If Ozai fell into a volcano, I'd let him burn there. It'd be really convenient if that happened, actually, although I wouldn't put it past him to rise from the lava just to come back and haunt me."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"Was he the same to your sister? I guess she's more like him or something…?"

"She's the firebending prodigy. Of course she's his favorite."

"Ouch. Azula's really that much better than you? You've got some pretty fancy, you know, woo-woo stuff up your sleeve."

"She's way better. I'm older than she is, obviously, but she could firebend before I could. It was a massive embarrassment at the time. Probably still is, but that's not my problem anymore."

"I kind of know what you feel. Back in the South Pole, all the men were off to war, and then Katara had her super water magic powers, and all I had was a boomerang and a bunch of soldiers who were constantly asking for potty breaks. That kind of thing can get a guy down, you know?"

"Potty breaks?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I was trying to train a bunch of younger kids from the village. The youngest boys were probably six or so, so it wasn't the fiercest force you can ever imagine. And then some jerk from the Fire Nation showed up, and we were all soundly beaten into the ice."

"…sorry."

"Hey, no worries. You've changed. And then Aang beat you up and escaped, so it's all fair."

"He didn't really beat us. He sort of…distracted us long enough to escape."

"Yeah, yeah, he beat you all with his hands tied behind his back. Little kid just defrosted from a hundred-year sleep kicks the butt of trained firebending soldiers and one Fire Nation prince. Two, if we count your uncle. Sounds about right."

"He's the Avatar! Plus, I'll bet you anything that Uncle wasn't even trying. We were…oh, never mind. It's not going to sound any better, is it."

"It really isn't. What happened to your uncle, by the way? The last time I saw him was in Ba Sing Se, and Katara said that he bought her time to get away with Aang after Azula shot him with lightning. What happened to him?"

"I…I don't know."

"What? Oh. Is he…you know…"

"He's not dead, if that's what you mean. He was imprisoned while I was in the Fire Nation. On the day of the eclipse, I went to his cell to try to free him, but he had already escaped. The guards said that he was like a one-man army when he broke out."

"Hah! That's great."

"Yeah. They don't call him the Dragon of the West for nothing. But as to where he is now…I don't know."

"I'm sure he's okay. If the man can break out of prison, he can probably fight off anything."

"I know. I just wish…I wish I could see him again."

"You will. He'll find you when the time is right."

"You sound awfully confident about that."

"The man came to us for help in rescuing you when you and Katara were in the caverns under Ba Sing Se. And he stuck with you on your crazy find-the-Avatar quest, didn't he? He's not just going to leave you forever."

"I hope you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm Sokka. How could I not be right?"

"Hah. You're awfully full of yourself."

"I'll have you know that this confidence was hard-earned. I have been through so much this past year, let me tell you."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Who would've thought that finding a kid from a long-lost culture frozen in an iceberg would turn your life upside down? But this past year, I've been to the North Pole; I've been to Omashu and Ba Sing Se; I've trained with this amazing swordsmaster and made this really awesome sword. And then I invaded the Fire Nation. Sort of. I mean, it didn't go too well, but…yeah."

"Azula knew about the invasion long in advance."

"Yeah, she told us. Kind of depressing when we found out."

"She told you? When?"

"When we were looking for the Fire Lord. Aang went to the Fire Nation palace but nobody was there, so we went to this volcano with a bunch of underground tunnels, and this guy told us where the Fire Lord's chamber was, which was awfully nice except he neglected to mention that the Fire Lord wasn't there. Instead, we found Azula with a bunch of Dai Li agents, and then she kind of…uh…well, you know how she is, right? She distracted us until the eclipse was over, and then we had to get out of there."

"I do know how she…wait. You were in the volcano on the day of the eclipse?"

"Didn't I just say that? What's the matter?"

"It's just…I was in the volcano that day too. Talking to my father, actually. I guess if we'd met each other in the tunnels, this whole thing would've been resolved a whole lot faster. I would've been happy to point you in the right direction, believe me."

"Huh! Lost opportunity, I guess. What were you talking to him about? That was right before you started chasing us again, right? And I say 'chasing' in a good way, of course."

"Right. Well, I went to talk to him about a lot of things. Mostly about how he was a terrible person and a horrible father."

"Really?"

"Really."

"That's great! And how did he take that?"

"He shot lightning at me."

"Oh. That's, uh…that's not good."

"No kidding. And then I left to find Uncle, but he was already gone."

"And then you went on your war balloon and came to find us, and then we chased you away, and then Sparky Sparky Boom Man tried to kill us, and then—"

"Sparky Sparky Boom Man?"

"Oh. I mean Combustion Man."

"That's not that much better."

"Hey, people who send assassins after other people are not allowed to comment on what the assassin-ees call the assassin!"

"It's such a stupid name!"

"He could make sparks! And they went boom! What's so stupid about it? Anyway, I don't see how you have any room to talk. You've made tons of dumb decisions in your life."

"Yeah, but at least I didn't call anyone Sparky Sparky Boom Man. No matter what I've done, at least I can take pride that I never stooped to that level."

"Oh, shut up, jerkbender."

"Peasant."

"Ooh, I'm so scared."

"I'd challenge you to an Agni Kai if I thought you were a worthy opponent. As it is, I'd rather not even bother."

"Hey, I can totally take you in an Agni Kai! Come on, let's do it, right here, right now."

"…do you even know what an Agni Kai is?"

"I assume it's some sort of stupid Fire Nation fight. Whatever it is, I can beat you."

"It's not a 'stupid Fire Nation fight'. It's a traditional Fire Nation duel for honor—"

"Same thing!"

"—done with firebending, and the most serious fights only end when one side is dead."

"…"

"Yeah."

"What is it with you Fire Nation people and honor and killing people over it? Seriously?"

"Obviously we're not the only ones hung up about it. You're the one who wanted to break into a Fire Nation prison to regain your honor."

"I was trying to put it in terms that you would understand! I just—wow. You guys are crazy."

"Runs in the family."

"Runs in the nation is more like it. Is everyone in the Fire Nation as obsessive as you? You who spent, like, ten years looking for the Avatar for honor or something?"

"It wasn't ten years, it was more like…three. Maybe. Probably a little less. And no, not everyone in the Fire Nation is like that."

"Thank the spirits. Although, I guess I should've known already. We met some Fire Nation people these past couple months. They were pretty nice. Like...just people, ordinary people. Aang attended a Fire Nation school and then we threw a party for all the kids, and that was a lot of fun."

"You threw a party? That's smart, seeing as you weren't on the run or anything."

"Oh, whatever. It was worth it. I thought it was a dumb idea at the time, but it turned out to be a pretty awesome dance party! And then Aang and Katara did this really cool dance together, and then it was just weird because they were doing a really cool dance together. Seriously, I get that you're the Avatar and super special and everything, but she's my sister! Couldn't you—"

"A dance party."

"What? You make it sound like we skinned puppies alive or something."

"I just—wow. Okay."

"Hey, the kids enjoyed it. We put some happiness into their lives, which was nice. You guys don't do much dancing, do you?"

"A lot of the more traditional arts have faded out as the past couple Fire Lord have put more emphasis on the military. My father is no exception. So no, we don't really dance anymore."

"But hey, you guys learned the Dragon Dance, right? That's pretty neat. And I bet Aang would be more than happy to teach you dances if you asked. And once the war's over, things will change-you can change things when you're being all Fire-Lord-y. Bring back the arts and all that."

"I'm not going to be Fire Lord."

"Wait, what?"

"Uncle was supposed to be Fire Lord until Ozai took his place. He'll take the throne again once this is all over."

"You sound very sure about that."

"It's the way it was supposed to be. I can't imagine how different things might have been if Lu Ten had survived. We wouldn't be in this mess, that's for sure."

"Who's Lu Ten?"

"Lu Ten is…or, well, I guess he was my cousin. He died in the siege of Ba Sing Se. Uncle was a different person after that—he gave up the siege after that and came home, and Ozai convinced Azulon, my grandfather, that since Uncle didn't have an heir anymore that Ozai should become Fire Lord instead. And the rest is history."

"Your dad really is an awful person. And your grandfather was just fine with that?"

"I wouldn't say that he was okay, but…it's complicated. Long story short, he died right after that, so it wasn't a problem anymore."

"That's convenient. Did your dad kill him?"

"…"

"What?"

"He must have. I can't think of any other explanation for it. The day of the eclipse, he said that my mother killed him in exchange for…anyway, she killed him, and she was banished. He must have been lying, though. The mother I remember wouldn't kill anyone."

"Do you remember her well?"

"Yeah…she was a great mom. The one shining spot of the Fire Nation royal family, aside from my uncle. The rest of us have so many problems that it's hard to know where to start."

"Hey. Don't knock yourself down. You're not too bad. I mean, you were, but now you're helping us, so…that's an improvement?"

"Thanks. I think."

"You're welcome. Someone's got to make up for your sister, anyway."

"I'm not sure there's enough sanity between the two of us to make one normal person, but I'll try my best."

"That's a start! Small steps and all that. And I have more than sanity to go around, believe me, so if you ever need some, just let me know. I will have you know that I am single-handedly responsible for keeping this crew on track."

"Really?"

"Really! I made a schedule and everything. It was a great schedule! I even color-coded it, but no one appreciated it as much as they should have. My life is hard. Even from the early days, I had to deal with Aang getting sidetracked, and then Katara stealing random shiny objects, and then once Toph joined, there were fights between the two of them, and then people started taking vacations, and then there was the whole 'let's stop and help random villages!' thing Katara wanted to do that ate precious days from our schedule. It's tough being the leader of an expedition."

"You must have had such a difficult time."

"And then there was this guy chasing us for a lot of it that made everything a lot more complicated. You might know him? Super angry, always yelling about honor, constantly throwing fireballs our way…"

"…fair enough. You're going to hold that over my head forever, aren't you?"

"Only if you make fun of the schedule. No one makes fun of the schedule."

"All hail the schedule, then."

"Thank you! It needs to be appreciated more. Although I guess the schedule doesn't really matter anymore since we're…well, since the invasion failed and everything. There's just 'teach Aang firebending' now, but that's mostly your job. How's that going, by the way?"

"We're both stronger from what we learned from the dragons. I've been practicing a lot of the more advanced katas that Uncle's taught me, and Aang's a quick learner that he should be able to pick them up easily. Especially now that he's not afraid of fire anymore; that's a big step."

"Yeah, I can imagine that being afraid of fire would make you a pretty lousy firebender. Has that ever happened, by the way?"

"Has ever what happened?"

"A firebender being afraid of fire."

"Like you said, that would make you a pretty lousy firebender. It probably has at some point—firebending training can be pretty intense, especially in those first stages when you don't know how to control it. But you learn to either control it or get burned."

"Is that how you got burned? A training accident?"

"…"

"…Zuko?"

"…No. That was something else entirely."

"Oh. Okay."

"Yeah. It's a long story."

"Hey, I get it. That's fine."

"Okay."

"I've got more than enough long stories to pass the time by. Have I ever told you how I made this amazing space sword?"

"Space sword?"

"Yeah! Want to see it?"

"Sure."

"Hang on, I'll be right back."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"…okay, here we go. Look at it! Isn't it beautiful? I made it myself, you know."

"Wow. This is excellent craftsmanship."

"Why, thank you."

"What's the metal? I don't think I've ever seen it before."

"It's a meteorite! Hence, space sword. Toph and the others helped me bring it to the crafting area and Master Piandao helped me some, but I did most of the work myself."

"Master Piandao? You worked with him?"

"Yeah! You've heard of him? He's absolutely amazing!"

"He trained me how to use the dual dao swords. I couldn't learn nearly as long as I wanted to because of...well, other things, but he was a brilliant swordsman. It was an honor to learn from him."

"That's great! He taught me how to fight with a sword, too. Hey! We should have a go sometime. Me with space sword, you with dual dao."

"Sure. After Aang and I are done practicing tomorrow, let's do it."

"Awesome! And no firebending. That's cheating."

"I'm sure generations of firebenders would say otherwise. But fine, I won't firebend. I don't need to, anyway. I can still beat you easily."

"Dream on, jerkbender."

"Don't need to dream. It'll just happen."

"Ha, ha. Why you'd learn the dual dao, anyway? Most firebenders don't learn weapons, do they? That's why the eclipse was such a good opportunity. Everyone was helpless without their bending."

"I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I were a better bender, to be honest. Like I said, Azula learned how to bend long before I did, and I had to do something to keep myself busy. The swords were a diversion at first, but eventually I became better and better. They're a part of me now, really, and I use them and firebending hand-in-hand."

"Huh. Well, I guess overreliance on bending isn't just a Fire Nation thing. Katara was pretty helpless when your sister's friend chi-blocked her. So was I, but Katara was, like, especially helpless. Yeah."

"That was Ty Lee, right?"

"Is that her name? She's the one who wears pink and giggles a lot."

"Yeah, that's Ty Lee."

"Huh. Where'd she learn to chi-block, anyway?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm guessing the circus, but it was sometime after I was banished, anyway. I've never really asked."

"Oh. Well, it sounds like it would be a useful skill to have. I want to pick it up."

"You're free to ask her if you can corner her long enough. And if she isn't acting as bait for Azula."

"Urgh. I'd almost forgotten about your sister for a few happy moments."

"I wish I could do that."

"You guys really don't get along, huh?"

"That would be putting it mildly. What about you? Doesn't Katara drive you crazy sometimes?"

"Ha! She does! She sometimes really drives me up a wall, especially when she's being all strict and fussy and no fun at all. But I mean, she's my sister, right? And she's there for me when I need her, and I'd do the same for her."

"That must be nice."

"It works out somehow. Katara's nuts, but I wouldn't have her any other way."

"I don't think Katara likes me very much."

"It's that obvious?"

"Subtlety isn't the Water Tribe's strongest suit, evidently."

"Oh, ha. The Fire Nation has more than enough flaws to go around, I'm sure. But yeah, she really doesn't like you, huh? She'll warm up to you eventually. Someday. Maybe."

"That's reassuring."

"Well, she's kind of wary, and probably for good reason. I don't know exactly what happened under Ba Sing Se, but apparently you talked to her and made her feel all sad for you, and then you went and joined Azula. And then Azula shot Aang with lightning and almost killed him, which can put a damper on anyone's day. That's the secondhand version of what I got from her."

"…that sounds about right. It's not the wisest choice I've ever made."

"So why'd you do it? You knew Azula was, you know, who she is, right? Why go with her?"

"I did know. But…well, she offered me something that I'd wanted for a very long time, and I was stupid enough to think that it was something I should still be striving for. Uncle and I, we've been away from home for a very long time, and I wanted to…anyway. I was stupid. Basically, that's why."

"Being homesick is nothing to be ashamed of. Everything else, yeah, but not that. I know that I miss the South Pole a lot."

"That was part of the reason. The other part was that I had the wrong idea of what honor is."

"And here we are, back to honor again."

"It's a big deal. It took me a very long time to realize that honor is something that you earn for yourself, and that I didn't need my father to restore it. Once that realization clicked, everything else fell into place."

"Eh. I still don't really get it, but if it got you over to our side, I guess it works for me. You're not as horrible as I thought you would be."

"That is the greatest compliment I have ever received, ever."

"That's right! You're welcome, by the way."

"Ha. I guess you're not too awful, either."

"Why, thank you, Zuko! I am moved. Deeply moved."

"I'm sure you are."

"So you enjoying our little merry band of misfits so far? Aside from Katara hating your guts, of course. But Aang seems to like you, especially after your little field trip with the dragons. Toph's having fun with you, too, isn't she? Making you give her piggyback rides all day long…"

"Her feet have got to be healed by now."

"Yeah, Katara fixed them up ages ago. Toph's just messing with you because you're so easy to mess with."

"Ugh."

"Hey, it's cute! Sort of. In a strangely funny sort of way. It shows that she's not mad at you anymore, at least. Although, if she were actually mad, you would've been crushed to a pulp ages ago. Toph can take care of herself."

"I know. She's a tough kid."

"I am so, so glad we added her to the team, let me tell you. She's saved us so many times."

"I believe it. Aang's lucky that he has her to teach him."

"Well, I don't know so much about that one. Earthbending practice can get kind of brutal sometimes, and the poor kid has a hard time of it. I mean, I'm glad she's part of the group, but I'm also so glad I'm not the one getting taught, you know? Aang would always be so exhausted and beaten up at the end of the day. Toph's not a fan of the whole 'gentle' aspect."

"I'm not surprised. Earthbending's not a gentle art. Neither is firebending, for that matter. You have to be forceful and decisive when you firebend. If you hesitate, you're not going to get anywhere."

"Oooh, is that Sifu Zuko I hear? Tell me your firebending secrets."

"It's not much of a secret. It's just common sense. Uncle taught me how all the elements can learn from each other, and the Avatar should be able to hold a balance between all of them. But when it comes to each individual art, you have to exemplify the heart of what they are."

"Such mystic secrets. I'm swooning here."

"Oh, shut up. You asked."

"I'm just messing with you."

"I knew that."

"No, you didn't, prince pouty. But it's okay. We'll mellow you out yet."

"Prince pouty?"

"If the name fits…"

"I just—ugh. Fine. Whatever. We'll see who's pouting tomorrow when I beat you at swords."

"Ha! That'll be the day."

"It will be the day. Tomorrow, to be exact."

"I'm not scared of you, big scary Fire Nation prince with your fancy firebending magic stuff."

"That's good, actually. It's not me you should be scared of."

"...oh. Aw, Zuko. Why'd you have to remind me?"

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I mean, I guess we've got to all remember why we're here in the first place. Got to take down the Fire Lord, save the world, etcetera etcetera. No pressure, right?"

"…"

"Maybe just a little pressure."

"That's still putting it pretty optimistically."

"Well, I try to be an optimistic guy. Someone's got to be a ray of sunshine in the midst of all this doom and gloom. And there are some good things, right? Aang's learning firebending. No one's dead yet. I got my dad and Suki back. And you're here with us."

"I guess."

"Smile, Zuko. I know you can do it."

"No."

"Come on."

"…"

"See? That wasn't so bad. Okay, it was more like a grimace, but you're getting there. Someday you might even laugh. Wouldn't that be a shocker!"

"I laugh! Sometimes. There's just not a lot to laugh about at the moment."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed."

"You're just running away from the conversation."

"Call it what you like. Aang and I have dawn meditation tomorrow."

"Is that a firebender thing? Waking up with the sunrise? Cause no one else does it."

"We draw our power from the sun, so yes. Anyway, meditation's just a good thing to practice in general. It teaches you breath control and gives you peace of mind."

"Yeah, you could use some peace of mind."

"We could all use some peace of mind. Maybe I'll wake you up at dawn to meditate."

"Ugh, no. I like sleeping in."

"Lazy peasant."

"Haughty jerk."

"Whatever. Go bother your dad or something. I'm sure he'd appreciate your witty banter."

"Wow, Zuko, are you calling me witty? With some practice, you might get to half my level."

"There are plenty of other things I'd rather spend time on, thanks all the same. Incidentally, one of them is sleeping. I'm off to bed."

"You're no fun."

"Ask me if I care. You want me to start up the fire again before I go, or are you good?"

"Nah, I'm fine, thanks. These coals are warm enough."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

"Sure. I'm not letting you run out of our fight."

"Running is the last thing I'd do, believe me."

"Weirdly enough, I do. Good night, Zuko."

"Good night, Sokka."