Dirty Laundry
Summary: Set after The Ember Island Players, Sokka discusses his relationship problems with Zuko and Katara, and other issues crop up. Written for Zutara Month 2018, Day 9: Fake Dating.
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, otherwise Zuko and Katara would've happened.
"Ah, just who I was looking for! Flameo, Hotman!"
Zuko cringed as he walked into the dining room, shrugging on his tunic. One of these days, he's going to have to talk to Aang and Sokka about what the antiquated slang actually meant. He didn't know where the innocent twelve-year-old picked up that word, but now Sokka was adopting it to refer to him, and it was not okay.
"Um… what's up?" he replied, toweling his face and rolling his shoulders. Aang was still reluctant about their plans with the Fire Lord, but after the play last night, Zuko will be damned if the Avatar died by the hands of his father just because Zuko didn't train him enough.
Apparently, Toph had the same idea. Aang barely made it through the door to get lunch when the little earthbender dragged him out again.
"You have a girlfriend, right?" Sokka waved his spoon at Zuko, flecks of jook flying onto the table. "The gloomy girl who saved us?"
"Mai," Zuko said, reaching for a moon peach. He examined its fuzzy exterior thoughtfully. "She hates the color orange."
The Water Tribe boy snorted at the information. "Figures. Hey, what would you do if, like, Mai asked you to leave home?"
Zuko crossed his arms gruffly. "I did leave home, and she wasn't too happy about it, remember?"
"No, no," Sokka said, laying his spoon down. "I meant, if she asked you to leave home so you could be with her?"
"We practically live next to each other," he replied, sitting down beside the boy. "I don't even have to take a palanquin to visit her if I wanted to."
Sokka scratched his head. "Okay, so imagine your girlfriend wasn't Fire Nation, then. Like, what if she was someone who lived somewhere really far away, like— Katara!"
"What?" Zuko sputtered, before he realized Sokka was just calling for his sister, who'd passed by the doorway.
"Katara!" Sokka called again. "C'mere! I need your opinion on something!"
"Is it about how you should wash your own clothes once in a while?" Katara popped back into the room, arms full of dirty clothes. "Because, yeah, I have an opinion on that."
"No, this is way more important," Sokka picked up his spoon again and slurped his food. Katara rolled her eyes and sat down on Sokka's other side, setting down the laundry on the table. She raised an eyebrow at Zuko.
"What's this about?"
Zuko shrugged. Sokka pushed away his bowl and belched loudly, patting his stomach.
"Okay, I gotta ask," he looked pointedly at Katara. "What're your plans after the war? Would you go back home with me and Dad? Or would you travel travel the world with Aang while he does his Avatar duties?"
A dark look passed over Katara's face. She crossed her arms across her chest.
"Why does everyone act like my future belongs to Aang?" she cried indignantly. "Shouldn't we be figuring out how to survive the war first?"
"Ooh, touchy," Sokka raised his hands appeasingly. "All I'm sayin', sis, is we gotta face the future at some point in case we do win, which we will, if we follow my awesome plans."
Katara threw her arms up in frustration. "What does this have to do with anything?"
"Yeah, this whole impromptu meeting seems like more 'time-wasting nonsense', and we all know how your last idea turned out," Zuko agreed, and Sokka pouted at him.
"Alright, alright," he sighed, shoulders slumping forward. "Last night, after the play, Suki and I got to talking—"
"Just talking?" muttered Zuko, and Sokka scowled at him.
"Suki and I were talking, about what would happen to us after the war, y'know, blah blah blah, and she said she couldn't leave her duties as a Kyoshi warrior, and I said I couldn't leave the South Pole because I need to help rebuild and stuff."
Katara's brows furrowed in concern. "So where does that leave you guys?"
Sokka slumped even further and rested his chin on the table. "That's sorta where our talk ended and we decided to move on to… other things."
Zuko snorted and Katara grimaced.
"Ew, Sokka, I don't ever want to hear about that," she shuddered.
Sokka laughed half-heartedly and started tracing patterns on the wooden surface before him. "But, see, I still need a plan, after the war. How would we stay together if we can't… stay together? You know?"
Katara bit her lip uncertainly. "I— I don't know, Sokka… I really hope you two will work it out, but..."
He waved his hand dismissively at her. "Aw, right, you've never had a boyfriend. Jet doesn't even count."
"Hey!"
Sokka ignored her protest and rolled his head to look at Zuko, who leaned back warily. He knew what was coming.
"What about you, Hotman? As someone who has a girlfriend, what's your advice?"
"I—" Zuko ran a hand down his face. Why do people always ask him for advice when they know he's never been good at it? "Well, Uncle always said that you can't run away from destiny. It will always come back, if it's something you're meant to have. At least, that's how I understood what he said. So, I guess, maybe— uh— if you two are meant to be together, love will always come back?"
"Like a boomerang," Sokka snapped his fingers, eyes wide.
Zuko shrugged noncommittally. "Sure. Like a boomerang."
"What if your feelings change, though?" Katara mused under her breath, speaking more to herself than to the others.
Sokka didn't seem to notice when he pounced on the question with panicked eyes.
"Yeah, what if you grow apart? Like, you're not the same people anymore, and things get complicated, and you're kept in the dark about what they're feeling because you guys aren't with each other—" he gestured wildly and his empty bowl clattered across the table— "What if the other person meets someone else who's, I dunno, totally cool and awesome and they forget all about you?"
"I don't know!" Zuko rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I just know what Uncle told me! And he wasn't there when I left Mai to join you guys, and it wasn't like I was thinking we'd get back together when I saw her again!"
Sokka straightened up and pointed a finger at him. "So you're the one who changed and she was the one who got left in the dark."
Zuko squirmed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes. I guess so."
Sokka rested his chin on his hand and Katara mimicked his posture across the table. Two sets of blue eyes regarded him with disbelieving expressions. Zuko bristled.
"Look, I was preoccupied with finally doing the right thing! And if doing the right thing meant hurting her— I didn't know she'd be that mad— Ugh! Uncle was right, I don't think things through."
"So, what then? You just told me love was like a boomerang!" Sokka threw his arms up in frustration. "Now you're telling me you threw a boomerang and when it came back, you realized you didn't want it anymore? What kinda love is that?"
"Well, maybe that thing with Mai wasn't love, okay?" Zuko nearly shouted. He sighed and pressed his fist against his forehead. "I went back home and she still liked me and I liked her and it was really nice, okay? But she didn't really understand how things have changed. How I have changed. It made it easier to leave."
Sokka's jaw worked, as though he was going to retort, but he ended up just thumping his head resignedly against the table.
"Maybe that's all there is to it, Sokka," Katara piped up. She poked her despondent brother in the arm. "Maybe you and Suki just have to trust that you're gonna be there for each other, despite all the changes. Even if you're far apart or not."
"Is that how you and Aang are gonna handle it?" Sokka asked, voice muffled by the dining table.
Katara glowered. "Why is it always about me and Aang!"
"Uh…" Sokka swiveled just so Katara could see him roll his eyes. "Because he's the Avatar and you saved him from the iceberg?"
"Well, I'm no longer the girl who saved him from the iceberg, and he doesn't see that!" She wrung her hands agitatedly before crossing them tightly over her chest. "And I don't think that's ever going to change."
"Okay, so will you be staying in the South Pole after all this is over?" He waved his hand over his head like the war was just an annoying fly, "Will you go home whether or not you get together with Aang?"
"I want to," she replied, voice small. "I miss Gran-Gran."
Zuko flinched at the mention of the old woman he manhandled when he barged into their shores, but neither sibling took notice.
As it was, Katara's lower lip was trembling and she looked resolutely away. Sokka leaned over the table and gave her a quick hug.
"I know," he said seriously. "I miss her, too. And the tribe needs us after the war. But Suki—"
"I'm sure Suki understands," Katara said, rubbing the corners of her eyes discreetly. "She has stuff to rebuild in Kyoshi, too. And she knows you understand the bind she's in. I mean, if I were dating someone who couldn't understand that my duties come first, I wouldn't be dating them at all. I'm sure Suki's the same."
"Yeah, you're right. But I think I need a guy's perspective." Sokka tugged on his wolf tail and turned to face Zuko. "Y'know what I mean, Zuko?"
He wagged his eyebrows suggestively and Zuko slapped a hand to his forehead with a groan.
"What now?" he said, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. Sokka stared at him like he should know. He did, he just didn't want to give advice on that problem.
"I don't wanna have blue ba—" Sokka yelped as Katara pinched his ear.
"Okay, okay! I won't talk about that!" Her brother promised, frantically trying to detach himself from Katara. "But I still don't know what to do! I'm gonna miss her so freaking much and just thinking about it is driving me crazy!"
She finally let him go at that, and he turned his attention back to Zuko, rubbing his red ear. "Didn't you miss your girlfriend when you were away?"
Zuko blinked.
"No," he replied in stunned realization. Why hadn't he missed Mai when he left? Fleeting as their relationship was, he was still supposed to miss her, right? Sure, he didn't exactly plan on seeing her again, and he did regret breaking up with her over a note. When he saw her again at the Boiling Rock, he knew he was supposed to be elated, but… all he felt was dread.
Sokka and Katara exchanged looks and Sokka coughed into his fist.
"Okay, this Mai thing clearly isn't working out," he half-joked, and Zuko scowled at him. "Alright, picture this instead. You're the Fire Lord, right, and you gotta stay home to do your Fire Lord duties. But say you got a girlfriend who lives far away and she has to stay there 'cause, well, everyone's gotta do what they gotta do, right? And let's assume, for the sake of me getting the answers I need, that you miss her when she's not around. How would you manage that?"
"I guess—" Zuko cleared his throat. "I guess we'd— we'd write letters and stuff. Plus, messenger hawks can carry more than letters, right? I mean, I could— I could send her gifts, or anything she wants, really. Jewelry, clothes, food, whatever. But if she wants to just spend time together and hang out or something, that's fine, too. There's a lot of ways to spend time together even if you live far from each other, right?
"I-I mean, we could, I don't know, go on a vacation somewhere, maybe here on Ember Island, or— or maybe we could just visit each other. I'd visit her and she'd show me her favorite places around her village or something, and she'd visit me and I'd show her around the Capital. But she has to understand that I could be really busy, too. Being the Fire Lord after the war would be time-consuming. But I'd try to make time for her, of course! I'd try really hard so she doesn't feel neglected or anything. I'd introduce her to Uncle, and to the council, too, if she's going to be Fire Lady—"
He clamped his mouth shut at the growing smirk on Sokka's face, but he couldn't fight the blush that crept up on his cheeks.
It didn't help that Katara beat Sokka to the punch and actually cooed.
"Awww, who knew you could be so sweet, Zuko! Did you think about all that when you were with Mai?"
She clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles, Sokka guffawed and slapped a hand on the table, and Zuko felt the heat spread from his cheeks to his ears and neck.
Agni, kill me. Kill me now.
"Yeah! Too bad that was all just for a hypothetical girlfriend." Sokka clapped a hand on Zuko's shoulder, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Man, who knew Jerkbender here could come up with all that?"
"You asked me what I would do! So I did! And I didn't even want to tell you! Ugh!" Zuko stood up, face still flushed. "Next time, go get relationship advice from someone else!"
He stomped out of the dining room with half a mind to ask Toph if she could bend him a hole to die in. He could still hear the Water Tribe siblings laughing about "the future Fire Lady" and Katara calling out after him saying they "didn't mean it," but then Sokka mumbled something that sounded like "cuddling" and the two burst in raucous laughter.
Zuko groaned and slammed the door to the courtyard.
He was deep into meditating when he felt a presence behind him. Judging by the light footfalls…
"Please tell me you didn't come here to make fun of me again," he said without turning around.
"Hey, I wasn't making fun of you," Katara sat down beside him on the porch. He opened his one eye and raised an eyebrow at her. She just rolled her eyes and set aside the pile of laundry she was carrying. "Honest! I really thought it was sweet. All that stuff you said."
"Yeah, well," was his smart response.
"And if you ever decide to get back together with your girlfriend, I'm sure she'd love all that," Katara continued, leaning back on her hands. "I mean, any girl would."
"Not Mai," Zuko snorted. "I've known her since we were kids, but I still find her so hard to read. Half the time I didn't know if she liked what I did because she was always so… bored. And she doesn't like gifts, either. When we were here on Ember Island—"
Zuko scowled at the empty fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Katara hummed knowingly.
"Didn't you say you thrashed a house here or something?"
He shrugged. "Yeah. I… Before that, we were hanging out on the beach, I saw this shell and I thought it was pretty, so… I gave it to her, but—" He coughed, embarrassed again. Why can't I keep my mouth shut?
Katara caught on, though, and she had that teasing look on her face again, but this time it was softer. "That's so cute, Zuko. Did she like it?"
Zuko shook his head. "She said only stupid girls liked getting gifts."
Katara crossed her arms defensively. "Well, I like gifts and I'm not stupid!"
"No, you're not. And maybe I was the stupid one, trying to do stuff for her when she clearly didn't appreciate them," Zuko sighed and leaned back on his hands. "I did all these things thinking it would make her happy— or at least express something— but it all blew up in my face. Like everything does. I keep messing up."
"Well, you're not messing up now, relationships aside," Katara playfully nudged him with her shoulder. "And, just so you know, it seems pretty hard to see you mess up that hypothetical relationship you talked about earlier."
He laughed humorlessly. "Give it time. My imaginary girlfriend would probably leave me because I don't pay enough attention to her or something."
She frowned at him. "That's not fair. What if your imaginary girlfriend was busy with her own life, too? Would you hate her for that?"
"Of course not," he answered without hesitation. "We all have duties after the war."
"See? Now all you have to do is find a girlfriend who thinks like you do." She stretched and stood, gathering up the dirty clothes beside her.
Zuko stood up as well. "You need help with that?"
"Sure," Katara beamed as he took half the bundle from her. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."
He smiled and shrugged shyly.
"It's no problem. You work hard enough as it is." His nose wrinkled at the small of the laundry. "Although you should really force Sokka to wash his clothes. Payback for dragging us into that whole dating conversation."
Katara sniggered mischievously as they made their way to the stream.
"I actually just finished doing that."
"So what I'm saying is, love is like a boomerang that can come back even though everything's changed," Sokka explained, but Suki's nose was wrinkled in disgust as she sat on their bed beside the pillow.
"Sokka—"
"Look, I know, you have to do your duties as a Kyoshi warrior, and I have to do my duties in the South Pole, but we could write letters and stuff, I can send you gifts, clothes, jewelry, seal jerky—"
"Sokka—"
"We could go on a vacation together here on Ember Island and visit each other all the time! You could show me your favorite places on Kyoshi Island and I could take you on a tour of the South Pole!"
"Sokka—"
"And, yeah, okay, I'll be very busy rebuilding our village, but I'd try to make time for you, I swear, and I'd make sure you don't feel neglected or anything—"
"Sokka!" She grabbed his face with both hands, her smile tender, but a bit strained. "Everything you just said is really, really sweet, and yes, I think we could make it work, and I love you, but would you please go wash your socks otherwise I won't sleep here tonight because the stench is killing me."
"Wha—? I thought Katara already took them!" Sokka sniffed around in his room and grimaced. "Where's the smell coming from?!"
Suki idly lifted the pillowcase to reveal his socks instead of his pillow. Sokka groaned.
"KATARA!"
Suki followed her irate boyfriend as he stormed to the stream with his sock-filled pillowcase in hand, and she smiled as Katara flicked sudsy water at Sokka's hair and Zuko blocked his attempts at sneaking his socks into the wash pile.
Yeah, Suki thought, they could make it work. And yeah, she'd come back to him, no matter what. But first, he needed to clean out his room. Who knows what else Katara stuck in there?
A/N: Okay, so this is a sort-of continuation of my previous Zutara Month entry, "Wanted". I kinda felt sad that I didn't include Sokka in that story, so here we have a whole chapter mostly with him! And I know this doesn't technically fall within the Fake Dating trope, but I decided to interpret it a different way. Hope you guys liked it! Tell me what you think, and if I should continue with this timeline for the other prompts!