Day 1: Swords

Genres: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship

Rating: K+

Setting: Fire Nation Palace courtyard (after North & South)

Swords

"DAMN IT!" Sokka cried before throwing his sword down at his feet and storming off.

"Sokka, come on! It was just a…" Despondence fell upon Zuko as he watched his friend walk away, shoulders hunched, hands balled into fists, neck stretched forward. He sighed.

The Fire Lord wasn't sure why his wolf-tailed buddy would take the loss of a silly "swordbending" match so hard, but nevertheless, he was determined to find out. He found the sulking boy sitting by the turtle-duck pond with his knees pulled to his chest.

"Sorry I overreacted," Sokka muttered.

"That's okay…" Zuko took a seat next to the blue-eyed warrior. "What's going on?"

"It's stupid."

"Well, if you ask Azula, stupidity is my area of expertise."

He chuckled, smiling halfheartedly. "It's just… ever since the war ended, I've just been feeling kinda… unimportant."

"Unimportant?" The firebender raised an eyebrow. "Is this because of – "

"No, it has nothing to do with Suki, but that certainly doesn't help."

Zuko frowned, concerned.

"During the war, I was the plan guy, but now… I'm just ordinary."

He opened his mouth to interject, but Sokka kept on speaking.

"It's just hard being best friends with some of the most powerful benders in the world, constantly surrounded by greatness. Katara is a master waterbender, Toph invented metalbending, Aang is the freaking Avatar, and you – you learned firebending from the dragons themselves! I… I thought after my training with Master Piandao that I could at least be the sword guy…" He looked down at his boots and shook his head. "But I can't even have that."

"Hey." The Fire Lord tentatively placed his hand on his grieving friend's back. "You've gotten a lot better – you're probably just getting in your own head. If you still had your space sword, I'm sure you'd – "

"Stop." The warrior brushed Zuko's hand away. "That's not what I want to hear right now."

"Okay. Then you should hear this." He took a deep breath. "To me, you're anything but ordinary, you're – you're who we all aspire to be."

Sokka turned his head to face his friend.

"Without you, there's no way we would have won the war. You don't need to be the sword guy or the anything guy because you… you're everything. You're the most intelligent, witty, attractive, funny – "

"Wait." He blinked, blushing a bit. "Back up a second."

The firebender's cheeks flushed.

"What was the last thing you just said?"

"You're funny…?"

"No, before that."

"Witty…?"

"No. You said I was attractive." Sokka smirked. "You think I'm hot!"

"That's not what I – "

"What is it that you find so appealing?" he teased, "My smile? My baby blues?"

"Shut up," Zuko laughed. "I was just trying to make you feel better."

"Well." He slapped his hand down on his embarrassed buddy's knee. "Mission accomplished."