Sokka hadn't seen Zuko in over five years, and as far as he could recollect he hadn't even given the young Fire Lord much thought, either. After the war, everyone drifted quickly back into their own worlds. Sokka and Katara returned to the southern water tribe with their father, even if Katara did eventually become Aang's constant travel companion as he floated between nations. Toph had gone back to her family, though only because they promised she would be less sheltered and more available to do things like help repair the damage done by the fire nation and enter the occasional wrestling tournament. Even Suki returned to her Kyoshi warriors and what was left of their island, though she wrote to Sokka constantly in the beginning of that time and even just a few months after the war he knew that they'd mostly restored the Kyoshi temple and the surrounding village. Then there was Zuko, who had remained on his throne as the Fire Lord.
It wasn't like Sokka intended to forget him, or any of his friends. Over the following years, Suki and Sokka wrote each other less and less, and eventually they'd stopped all together. The last he'd heard of her, she was planning to marry an Earthbender, but that was as much as Sokka could remember about him. He'd wanted to write Toph, had even begun to write a few letters, but in the end he wasn't sure what to say to her knowing that her likely response would be some form of her usual one-lined banter and so gave up.
With Zuko, it was a mixed feeling. He never started a letter to him, never had any kind of message for Katara to transpose when Aang would come to fetch her up. In the end, Sokka felt it best not to try to retain his relationship with the Fire Lord. After all, Zuko would have his hands full with repairing all the damage his great-grandfather had caused when he started the war. Sokka didn't think doing something like trying to reverse 100 years of war would leave someone with a lot of personal time.
Yet, still, five years after the war, a messenger from the fire nation delivered a letter addressed specifically to Sokka. From the Fire Lord himself.
Sokka felt immediately guilty on receiving it, his friendship with the Fire Lord hardly a memory, and yet here... Zuko had thought about him, even if briefly, enough to write him a letter. That feeling only increased as he read it, realizing almost sadly that his choice to keep his distance from the Firebender was a mistake. Zuko explained his reluctance to write, at first, fearing that perhaps Sokka hadn't been quite as interested in Zuko as Zuko had been in Sokka, yet Zuko confessed that he needed Sokka's leadership and strategy for a very specific mission, and so had no choice but to write him and ask if he would give up a month of his time to help him out.
The letter was brief, and Zuko didn't exactly define what the mission would entail, but Sokka knew immediately that whatever Zuko needed, Sokka could provide. He'd been a negligent friend for five years, and he owed it to him.
Besides, the village was much too peaceful for a wild man like Sokka. He needed a dose of adventure, an escape from the domesticity he'd been subjected to after the war ended. Or rather... he'd subjected himself to the life he was currently living. At only sixteen, he'd resigned himself to never leave the village again. After all, he may have been the Avatar's friend but he was no bender, no true warrior. He had been too young and too inexperienced then.
When he approached his father about the matter, Hakoda was quick to support his trip. "You're too much like I was when I was your age. You can't stay cooped up here in this village, especially after all the traveling you did with the Avatar." Sokka eagerly agreed.
Though Sokka was immediately excited to leave, he found that he couldn't go anywhere for nearly three weeks after. He'd replied in kind to Zuko's letter only to receive another in return explaining that Zuko planned to leave the fire nation after he finished a particularly tense negotiation with a village in the earth kingdom. At which point, if he was successful in appeasing both sides, he would pack a ship and head immediately for Sokka.
The worst part was that Sokka couldn't be sure exactly how long it would take. It could have been a few days or a few months or even a year, and every day that went by left Sokka more and more restless. He found himself roughhousing with the village children, going out more often to hunt, and even Gran-gran commented on his inability to sit still for even a second.
By the time Zuko finally arrived, the entire village was ready to throw Sokka into the ocean for all the trouble he was causing.
His good-bye was almost ironically befitting of him, given that most people were sighing in relief just seeing the fire nation ship docking, while others were cheering and laughing.
Gran-gran, of course, simply smiled and hugged him, promising him a hearty dinner on his return.
Hakoda was the only one unnaturally calm about the whole ordeal. When the ship's plank dropped he pulled his son into a tight embrace. "I hope you find what you're looking for out there," he said before pulling away. "And don't break too many hearts wherever you go."
Sokka scoffed at that. "Oh, please, dad, how many hearts do you think there will be to break on a ship full of fire nation soldiers and their hot-head prince?"
A hand dropped on Sokka's shoulder and he yelped. "I think you mean hot-head Fire Lord, don't you?"
Hakoda let out a loud laugh.
Sokka spun around, now face to face with Zuko, who he hadn't seen in a good long time. He gave a small laugh, but it faltered just a bit, his mind too busy trying to connect this tall, much more regal, Zuko to the awkward, sulky, Zuko he'd once known. Because, now, his friend looked so mature, so... sure of himself. He wore his crown like a well-seasoned Fire Lord, as if he never spent years in banishment, as if he never knew what it was like to live like a peasant or fight in a war.
Of course, many things remained the same. Zuko's scar was still his prominent feature, though the edges were a little more faded.
And then Zuko pulled Sokka into a hug and for a moment Sokka tensed up at the contact before returning the gesture, however awkwardly. "It's been a long time," Zuko said quietly as he pulled away.
"Not long enough, if you ask me," Sokka blurted out, and then guffawed and patted Zuko good-naturedly on the shoulder when the Fire Lord fixed him with a clueless stare. "I'm just messing with you, jerk. Now let's get going before the village decides I should just swim my way there."
Zuko rewarded him with a small smile as the two boarded Zuko's ship, Sokka's only belongings in a ruck-sack draped across his shoulder. It almost felt like the old times. Maybe this is what would have happened if Zuko had been on their side from the beginning. But Sokka didn't like to think of that time. In the beginning of their friendship, just forgetting had made liking Zuko that much easier.
Once on-board, Zuko turned and glanced briefly at Sokka's ruck-sack. "Is that really all you're bringing?" Though his words seemed almost snide, his tone of voice was more innocent, as though he really were surprised that Sokka didn't plan on taking more than what was absolutely necessary.
Sokka smirked. "Well, what do I need, really? You're the freakin' Fire Lord after all."
Zuko sighed. "You're right about that, I am the freakin' Fire Lord." Then he shook his head, rubbed the back of his neck, and then straightened up just a little. "Well, let me show you where you'll be sleeping."
He led Sokka down into the ship as it pulled away from the Southern Water Tribe. Sokka barely had time to see his home fade into the distance, consumed by the water as the ship sailed away, but he was grateful for that, too afraid that he might change his mind and spill the beans to Zuko that he wasn't sure he was the right person for whatever it was Zuko needed.
As Zuko led him down stairs and down a long corridor, he knew it was too late to speak up. What was done was done, and for better or worse he was stuck with Zuko just like Zuko was stuck with him, at least until they completed this mission or Zuko found someone better to help him out and sent Sokka back home.
"You'll be sleeping here," Zuko finally piped up, standing in front of an ornate door made of dark metal, the Fire Nation insignia appearing almost alive in the firelight. And then he opened the door and Sokka nearly gasped in surprise to find that the inside was absolutely nothing like the outside.
In fact, he was almost embarrassed to find that Zuko had gone through the trouble of decorating his temporary room in the colors and furnishings of a typical water tribe room. The only real difference being that no water tribesman would sleep in a room as big as what was being offered. An entire hut may have been that large, but certainly not a single room.
Zuko, at least, looked rightfully sheepish as Sokka walked in. "I... figured you'd be more comfortable sleeping somewhere that might remind you of home." And of course he was right, but Sokka wasn't sure what to make of Zuko's thoughtfulness. It only piled onto his already rather heavy guilt about this whole thing.
Instead of offering Zuko thanks, Sokka casually dropped his ruck-sack on the floor and turned to the Fire Lord. "Well, now that I have a bed, let's get down to business!"
For a split second, Sokka saw Zuko's face light up but it was so quick he wasn't even sure he'd seen it in the first place. Zuko's skin was endlessly pale, and it was possible the firelight was playing tricks on his mind surrounded by the polished black metal of the walls of his room. Then he spoke, "right, let's... head to my chambers. I already have a map and a strategy ready."
Sokka wanted to ask, then, why Zuko needed him if he'd already created a plan but the words died in his throat before he could voice them. He wasn't sure why. He just followed the Fire Lord, across the hall, and into his own ample chambers.
It appeared that Zuko was occupying his own little apartment, with a front room and possibly a bedroom to the back hidden behind a door left casually ajar enough for Sokka to see the elegant bed against the back wall draped in heavy red blankets and pillows.
Zuko pulled his attention back to the front room, to a messy desk off to the side where he shuffled a few scrolls and even shoved some to the floor to deal with later while he spread out a slightly worn map of the world.
"So... what are we even doing?" Sokka finally asked, searching the map for clues, though from what he could tell they were likely to be searching for something. Several places were dotted and crossed out, though a few dots remained untouched. Some were erased completely.
"My... my mother," Zuko finally said, licking his lips, his voice a little strained. "I... I think I know where she is, and... I don't know, you're the best hunter I know so I figured you would be invaluable for this mission."
"O-oh. Yeah," Sokka said awkwardly. He stepped closer to the desk, leaned his hands on the edge as he looked more closely at the map. "So what do you have so far? What's our leads?"
Zuko cleared his throat. "Well, so far... not much. You can see I've already tried several places," to which he ran his fingers over one of the many crossed out dots, "but... every single time it wasn't her.
"It was only recently that I found out she could actually be alive. My father told me right after the war that Azula had tracked her down before I could and killed her, but I know now that's not true. Azula was lying about killing her, but she really did find my mother, even if briefly. Right now, all I know is that she's somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, but it's so vast, and with no leads I'm not sure where to begin again." Zuko glanced up at his friend, caught his gaze. "This is where you come in. What do I do?"
Sokka broke eye contact to return to the map, looking over the spots marked in the Earth Kingdom and for a long moment he just studied the patterns that formed between the locations. "Do you have any other leads? I mean, we definitely know where she's NOT, but... just knowing she's in the Earth Kingdom is..."
Zuko sighed. "I know, it's not much to work with. However, my uncle seems to think she's taken up living in the most deserted place possible. My father made her leave, made her hide somewhere deep in the Earth Kingdom and she simply... never came home."
Sokka frowned, gently resting a hand on Zuko's shoulder, which sagged considerably under the weight of his hand. "Zuko-"
"I know, I know, she really might be... gone... but there's still hope. I mean, look at all we've accomplished. I never... It's just that Aang... he's so optimistic, like he knows something, and I want to find out what it is. He told me, right after Azula confessed, that I should go find her. He wouldn't tell me to go on a wild possumgoose chase like this unless she was really alive, right?"
Zuko's eyes were full of expectant hope, and Sokka almost cringed under the weight of his gaze. Of course, he knew Aang, he knew that he wouldn't put Zuko up to a mission like this unless Zuko's mother truly was still alive. But at the same time, Aang was still young yet, still full of childhood optimism that could likely cloud his sense of reality. Sokka didn't know if Zuko's mother was alive or not, but at least he knew that was something he couldn't say to Zuko. "Of course, Aang's the Avatar after all. It's like it's his job to make stuff like this happen, isn't it?"
The Fire Lord's mouth split into a grin at that, and Sokka couldn't help but smile back.
"Now, if Iroh thinks she's in the middle of nowhere in the Earth Kingdom, then that's probably the best place for us to start." He dropped his finger on the map, to an area landlocked and deep in nothingness. "This area here is all forests. There might be a few very small family-sized communities, and she's likely among them." He traced his fingertip across the area in a specific pattern. "If we're smart about it, we'll strategically comb the area for signs of life and then signs of your mother. Though if you had more men this would be easier."
Zuko shook his head. "No, I want this to remain a small operation. I don't want her to get involved in anything hostile, and I'm afraid if the whole world knew I was looking for her the wrong people might take that as an opportunity to use her as a bargaining chip for whatever it was they were after."
Sokka nodded. "That makes sense. But... what do your people think you're doing right now? Did you tell them you were taking a little vacation on a battleship with a small army of soldiers or... what?"
"Yeah! How did you know?", Zuko asked, feigning excitement. He then nudged Sokka with his elbow. "Really, though, you think I couldn't come up with a better excuse than that? No, no one but a few trusted military officials know that I'm on this ship right now. Everyone else thinks I'm on a luxury cruiser with Mai celebrating our engagement."
The news almost took him by surprise. Then he said, "oh wow, man, congratulations! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Zuko's lips curled up just a little, almost sadly. "It's... it's not really something to celebrate. Our parents have been planning for us to be married ever since we were kids.
"But that's not important. I'm going to inform the crew of our new coordinates. Feel free to look around and familiarize yourself with the ship. I'll come find you before supper."
Sokka nodded as Zuko rolled up the map and headed for the door. Sokka followed.
Once in the hall, the pair took opposite routes, Sokka thinking it best if he give Zuko space instead of crowding him. They were likely to spend a month or more together, there would be time to annoy Zuko later, after he knew where everything was located.
True to his word, Zuko found Sokka hours later, poking around the small collection of scrolls in the defunct war room aboard the ship. Instead of being the place for plotting violence it now functioned as a storage room for excess equipment and information. Sokka's eyes brightened seeing all the dusty scrolls organized along the wall and he immediately planted himself on the floor and began thoroughly devouring everything from battle techniques to one particular scroll that described the best way to make jerky from a sabertooth moose-lion.
Zuko chuckled, startling the water tribesman. "How did I know I'd find you here?"
Sokka stood, rolling up the scroll. "Ohhh I dunno. It's just always been my DREAM to find Fire Nation war secrets... not to mention I found this recipe for moose-lion JERKY..."
Zuko couldn't help the smile that crept onto his lips to see Sokka's childish enthusiasm for knowledge. Though just as quickly as he spoke, Sokka's stomach made a very insistent growl and for that, Zuko outright chuckled. "I guess reading those old recipes made you hungry. C'mon, the kitchen saved us some plates. We were both rather distracted for a while," he admitted with a shrug, leading the tribesman out of the old war room and down to the mess.
True to word, the mess was near-completely devoid of soldiers. The two young men quietly grabbed their plates.
Sitting down, Sokka took a deep whiff of the Fire Nation staple food. "Ahh, fire nation cuisine. I definitely didn't miss THIS!", he joked.
Zuko frowned, fork paused mid-way between mouth and plate. "What's wrong with our food, huh?"
Sokka shook his head as though the dish of rice and pork in front of them were a matter of wisdom and Zuko didn't quite understand the lesson. "It's not that fire nation food is BAD, necessarily, but nothing beats eel soup and stewed seaprunes."
The dignified Fire Lord made a childish face of disgust. "Stewed... seaprunes?"
Sokka nodded, enthusiastic about his favorite childhood dish. "Oh, it's the BEST, after two days of cooking, the seaprunes get all salty and SLIMY-"
"Please! Sokka," he said, more gentle, "I get it, you like your people's food better than mine." There was a moment of silence, where Sokka shrugged and then quickly dug in while Zuko took measured bites. Then he paused his fork at his mouth. "Though, if you like, I'm sure we could take a detour and make something a little more to your taste."
Sokka could have blushed at the offer, but Sokka wasn't some delicate maiden. He couldn't, however, stop the small grateful smile that formed on his lips.
"Except for stewed seaprunes. I can't imagine eating anything slimy." Zuko shuddered.
The water tribesman immediately glared at his friend. "Hey now, you don't even know what they taste like! What if you really like them, huh?"
Zuko exaggerated a look of deep concern, setting his fork down determinedly. "You're absolutely right, I shouldn't discriminate against a dish I haven't tried. Especially one described as salty and slimy." Again, for a split second, Zuko cringed imagining it.
Sokka rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, I think it takes some getting used to. Aang never seemed to like Katara's water tribe dishes much either."
Hearing that, Zuko stifled a laugh. "Aang's told me that. Apparently she tries to get him to eat water tribe food every once in a while, and every single time he has to force himself to eat it for Katara's sake."
They shared a laugh at the Avatar's expense. "Poor Aang. My sister can be really driven when she's in the mood for it."
Zuko sighed, a rueful smile on his lips. "Trust me, I know what you mean."
"Aww, Zuko, you know she likes you okay now. She just didn't know you back then, that's all." Sokka snickered. "You know she writes about you in her letters, when her and Aang are at your palace."
The Firelord perked up a little at that. "Oh yeah? What kinds of things does she say?"
Sokka tapped his chin. "Well, it's mostly things like... 'Oh that Zuko is still just as gloomy as ever.' and 'If Zuko frowned any more his mouth would fall off his face.'"
"Your sister really said that about me?"
Sokka shrugged. "I know, it's hard to believe Katara would make a joke, but we do have the same dad and all."
Zuko nodded. "Chief Hakoda does have a... peculiar sense of humor."
Sokka laughed.
The first three days aboard the Fire Nation battleship where the slowest days of their journey. By the end of the first full day, Sokka had devoured the scrolls in the war room and moved on to the scrolls Zuko kept for himself. He'd also explored nearly every nook the ship had to offer, finding little except for the small hidey-hole that was probably there for Zuko's sake in case the ship were ever captured.
By the end of the second full day, Sokka's boredom was beginning to reach epic proportions, and he wondered why he'd forgotten this part of traveling. At least, here he was on a full ship instead of just the carry basket fastened to Appa's back, which did offer a load more to do than simply stare at his traveling companions all day.
Still, being bored was still being bored whether it be on the back of a flying bison or in his temporary room on a war ship, and all the while Zuko was either busy doing work from home or writing letters to ambassadors or... whatever else it was that occupied so much of Zuko's time. Zuko didn't dish out too many details about his work. They only saw one another at meal times, and at night after dinner they were able to hang out for a few hours, but they never did much more than talk.
On the night of the third day, Sokka burst into Zuko's room with determination on his face and his hand on the hilt of his space sword. "Let's spar!"
Zuko was startled by the abruptness of the order, but Sokka could tell that this was exactly what Zuko wanted anyway by the grin on his face as he collected his dual blades and nearly raced Sokka to the deck where they'd have ample room to fight.
The deck was mostly empty save for a few soldiers milling about, and Zuko and Sokka were quick to take advantage of that, each drawing their weapons and getting into a fighting stance.
They each paused for a second, eying the other for weak spots, for the opportunity to strike, before Sokka launched his attack with a battle cry. He swept his blade across Zuko's torso, or what would have been had the other man not jumped back.
Zuko wasn't passive for long, taking advantage of the lag Sokka had to take to bring his blade back around to position himself behind his friend, moving in to draw the back of one of his blades hard on Sokka's back, though Sokka was mostly built like a tank and so only stumbled instead of dropped.
Turning around, Sokka swung at Zuko, feet planted firmly. His steel was met with Zuko's, momentarily, before the space sword slid off and down and Zuko quickly caught Sokka across his wrist causing his sword to slide hard across the deck.
It had only taken Zuko a minute to disarm him, but Sokka wasn't entirely weapons-free without his weapon. He was still a soldier, and he proved just that by ducking hard under Zuko's swords and catching his friend by the waist, dropping him to the ground only out of surprise as Sokka's hands scrabbled to free Zuko's of his blades as well.
With a heavy clunk, they were both suddenly disarmed.
Sokka only hesitated a fraction of a second before gathering Zuko up around his neck, trying to put him in a chokehold, but the Firelord was fast, and smooth, and easily slipped out of the Water Tribesman's grip only to wrestle him down underneath him so he could reverse their positions.
Sokka struggled against Zuko, who was planted firmly on top of him by locking his hips against Sokka's, his legs clamped down Sokka's legs while his arm locked tight across Sokka's throat.
Sokka wheezed, his fingers digging into Zuko's forearm for mercy while his body writhed under his friend's, and something happened, something strange, before Zuko was suddenly up and off him, maybe apologizing, but Sokka hadn't realized just how much your vision blurred or your hearing was muffled just from being put in a chokehold.
Of course, the feeling didn't last long enough to leave an impression and, before Zuko even finished a sentence, Sokka was getting to his feet. Then he said, "I am REALLY out of practice," and retrieved his sword for round two.
Their second fight lasted quite a bit longer—it seemed that Sokka suddenly remembered much of what he'd learned about technique, being able to block most of Zuko's swings while delivering one or two of his own. He'd even succeeded in rending Zuko down to a single sword until he managed to maneuver himself to gather up the lost blade only minutes after losing it.
It was this fight that set the pace for the rest of their evening. Both men displayed great care for their swords—that was obvious—and for their own techniques in handling these weapons, and even without them they were near-equally skilled.
Of course, Sokka had no way of knowing that part of Zuko's strict regimen his first three years as Firelord included extensive combat training, while Sokka had only the weathered warriors left from a war that ravaged all families alike. Most times, he would be fighting his own father if he fought at all.
By the end of the night, Sokka regretted making the suggestion to spar in the first place. He'd never felt so sore in his life, not even after they'd defeated Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko, on the other hand, looked rejuvenated somehow, as though there was a subtle bounce in his step that hadn't been there before they started.
Once down the hall, Sokka leaned heavily on his door for a moment. The Fire Lord let out a small chuckle. "You were telling the truth, I see."
Sokka raised an eyebrow. "About what?", he asked as he turned to lean his back against the door so he could look at his friend.
"About being out of practice," Zuko said casually, leaning against his own door across from Sokka.
The man could have blushed. "Yeah, well, it's just me and the older soldiers back home, and they basically never wanna spar with me."
"Well... " Zuko started awkwardly, but then smiled just a little, "at least now you have someone to spar with."
Sokka couldn't help smiling back just a little. "Yeah, you're right," he said, and then he made his way into his room and collapsed on his bed as soon as the door shut. Sokka was asleep the second his head hit the pillow.
The next night ended much the same. Sokka lost nearly every fight, and when it was over he was sore in some awkward places, but he knew it would be worth it in the end. He wanted desperately to improve his skills, had wanted only that even as a child, and Zuko was the perfect opponent simply because he was better than Sokka.
It was a full week before they finally docked at a small Earth Kingdom village. Unfortunately, they were only there so Zuko could sign some documents in front of the village's leader. Even more unfortunately, Zuko had to spend three days prior to signing some documents watching historical seminars that explained the village's rich history and political background.
And what would be the cherry on top of this whole stop was that Sokka couldn't even go with him which meant that Sokka would be left to his own devices in the middle of no where.
Of course, when they finally docked, they all surprisingly found that the village was also host to an extravagant carnival. They could see the lights far off in the ocean, and as they'd grown closer they found lines and lines of funhouse tents, fortune tellers, food, games...
That was exactly where Sokka wanted to be, and he made Zuko know that the second he'd realized it was a carnival by nearly jumping on the Fire lord's back and demanding to be taken to the carnival immediately.
Zuko spluttered at the assault, trying to dissuade Sokka mutely while detaching the Water Tribe man from his back simultaneously. Though after a moment, the Firebender had quite enough of that and all together shoved Sokka off him. "If you want to go so bad, just go! Why are you jumping all over ME?"
Sokka looked confused, and then a little sad. He held his index fingers together, eyes on the ground, playing the part of the perfect little innocent. "I just thought that... maybe we could go together?"
The firebender let the smallest of smiles break his mood. He crossed his arms. "Okay, but... it'll have to wait. I'm supposed to be getting ready to meet the chief." Then he casually waved the Water tribesman away. "Now, go play games and get drunk all day why don't you."
Sokka sighed. "Fine, fine, go... sit and be bored all day why don't you. And by YOURSELF, even," Sokka added with a pout.
–
Though loathe to admit it, Sokka didn't think he entirely minded going to the carnival alone. Zuko mentioned alcohol, which meant there were likely women, which meant that Sokka could either make an ass of himself or a casa nova, depending on the local ladies.
Once in the carnival, however, it was an entirely different matter. He hadn't expected so many games of strategy and strength and skill... it was a huge testing ground, and each test he passed would result in some kind of adorable little prize (but the prize meant that he had won the game, and he certainly didn't care at all about how fluffy and cute those prizes were!).
The first game he came to was a simple hammer and a pedestal meant to be hammered. The goal seemed to be to get a small ball in a net held high up. Rubbing his hands together, Sokka set out to spend all the money he had with him.
He picked up the hammer.
–
Sokka didn't remember how he'd gone from playing games to drinking, though he was sure finding a firewhiskey cart just a few booths down had something to do with it. In the end, he'd had maybe one shot too many, and after unsuccessfully playing a few more games and spending way more money than he realistically should have spent he decided he should do his best to make it back to Zuko's ship.
The only trouble was, he couldn't remember which way to go through the village. He could see the ship, and the ocean, but the roads didn't seem to make perfect sense in his head, and somehow he ended up across town instead of down at the docks.
It was well into the night, but somehow, some of the streets were still dimly lit up by candlelight. He could see a figure emerging from a building, and for some reason... he recognized them, decided that clinging to whomever it was would be the best course of action and used his wolf-like instincts to tackle his prey.
In the morning, Sokka wouldn't remember how Zuko tenderly helped him to his feet and wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him like a toddler back to the ship where he laid him on his bed to sleep off the firewhiskey.
In the morning, instead, all Sokka could remember was the hard taste of alcohol on the back of his tongue, and with that something new, an ache that ran from the top of his head to the bottom of his stomach. As though his whole body were revolting against him.
He immediately went back to sleep, not willing to wake up until he felt like he were actually alive and not really in hell or something.
–
It was Zuko that woke Sokka next, huffing into his room, thumping down on the opposite side of his bed. Sokka rolled over lazily and eyed his friend. "What happened to you?" he grumbled.
Zuko eyed him back. "I could say the same," he retorted, eyebrow rising almost smugly. He resumed pouting when Sokka shot him a glare. "It's just..." He growled in frustration. "I don't mean to be crass, but.. this village is boring! It's... beyond pointless sitting through their history. Ha, you know what they showed me my first day in that playhouse? They made me sit through eight hours of describing, in amazing detail mind you, the process for milling rice! It was maddening!" He flung himself down next to Sokka. "I don't think I can do this again," he admitted quietly.
Sokka reached up and dropped his hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Dude... that sucks."
Zuko gave Sokka a long glance. "Thanks," he spat in return.
–
The next morning started with Sokka bursting into the Fire lord's bedroom well before dawn. The dark-skinned man jumped enthusiastically on top of his sleeping friend, Zuko nearly shooting up like a rocket from the assault, giving an undignified yelp.
Sokka burst out laughing, easing off now that Zuko was awake. "I figured it out!"
Zuko frowned deeply, rubbing his eyes in an effort to understand why in all hell Sokka couldn't WAIT to bother him. "Figured WHAT out?"
"How to get you out of going back to the playhouse!", he announced happily.
Suddenly, Zuko wasn't quite so mad at his friend. Instead, he sat up a little more, his frown near gone at the news. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, look, you just have to... pretend you're sick or something! Like you... have the fire measles!" Sokka smiled glamorously.
Zuko slumped a little. "That might work except there's no such thing as fire measles. And there's no such thing as a sick day when you're the Fire lord."
Sokka sighed, threw his hands up. "What, you can't just be like... 'everyone leave me alone today!' or whatever it is you do for privacy?'"
"And, what?, get stuck in here all day? I'd rather sit through another day at the playhouse, thank you very much!"
Zuko went to stand, but Sokka pushed him back down, moving to straddle his waist to more effectively convince him of his idea. Sokka licked his lips. "We'll go to the carnival! You can wear a disguise, okay!"
The Fire Lord's face went a little paler, though Sokka pretended not to notice. He also didn't notice the warmth of Zuko's hand on his thigh, keeping him steady on his lap. "Yeah? What kind of disguise do you suggest?"
Sokka thought for a moment, studying Zuko's face. Then he smiled an evil, thoughtful, little smile. "I got it," he said, and he reached behind Zuko's head and freed his ponytail, adjusting the silky black locks that fell into Zuko's face. Zuko was entirely unprepared for the feeling of Sokka's fingers running through his hair, trying to part it differently so that it mostly covered his scar. Zuko sat helplessly still while Sokka worked, and released the grip he didn't seem to realize he was holding on Sokka's knee when the other man was done.
"There! Now, I bet if you wore some Earth Kingdom clothes, you'd be all set!"
Zuko could only hope for that much to be true.
Nearly an hour later, they'd found an old Earth Kingdom outfit, though it was hardly befitting of a Fire lord. For disguise purposes it was perfect, however. And Sokka thought the vibrant greens really brought out the gold of Zuko's eyes, and it made his hair look even inkier black than the Fire Nation reds he normally wore.
Sokka was in the room when Zuko declared he was too sick to even leave his bed, and Sokka played the part of the concerned friend when he slipped out to declare that he would take care of him.
Zuko couldn't tell if Sokka was just that good of an actor, or if his adviser was secretly consenting to his playing hookey from an important meeting—either way, it allowed them to move on to the next phase of their plan: escaping the ship without being noticed.
Of course, and without even really entirely planning it, they happened to approach the deck at a time when nearly all of the soldiers aboard had already taken off for the carnival, and those that remained were still sleeping. Getting into the village was a pleasant cake walk, and Sokka thought it almost unreal that they were really really going to get away with their half-assed scheme to mess around all day.
It all sunk in as soon as Sokka saw the familiar lights, already bright as ever in the middle of the day. Zuko looked only slightly stunned to see it, though Sokka couldn't imagine that the Fire Nation didn't have something ten times grander than this carnival to offer in its borders.
But they did everything. Even though they were supposed to be playing low-key, Zuko still brought more than enough money, and so they did their best to drain his funds in the game booths winning the cute prizes and then giving them away to the local children. It had been Zuko to suggest it. Sokka didn't want to admit that the only reason he didn't have any prizes from the night before was that he had forgotten them after his last shot of firewhiskey.
Not that he really minded. He could always get others. Even though he named them. Sniff.
As they browsed the booths, there was one particular stuffed plush that kept appearing at the games, and Sokka felt his want for the fluffy thing grow exponentially every time they passed it. A fluffy unicorn, with pink tufts of fur. So adorable!
"Let's try this one," Zuko suggested, moving up to the ball toss stand. Sokka could see the pink unicorn hanging from the wall. Zuko paid for a game, took aim, and knocked all three bottles to the ground with one well-focused throw.
The man smiled, though Sokka could tell he was a little surprised. "Go ahead, young man, pick your prize!"
Sokka had to wonder what Zuko was thinking. Other than the prized unicorn there only seemed to be scaly bullfrog pillows and snakes that were otherworldly colors. "That," Zuko said casually, taking the coveted unicorn in his hands when the man gave it to him. He only held it for a moment, though, before turning to Sokka, offering the fuzzy thing tentatively. "Here, I saw you looking at it. I didn't realize you were such a girl," he snorted, turning away, looking almost embarrassed.
Clutching the impossibly soft unicorn, Sokka indulged for a moment. It was more amazing than he'd imagined. Still, he was a man. And men did not cuddle stuffed pink unicorns. "Yeah uhh... I didn't realize we were on a date, Sparky!", he shouted, hurriedly, trying to appear nonchalant but feeling as though he stumbled and just looked stupid.
But Zuko just snorted again and brushed it off, leading them on to the next conquest of the day.
–
"Oh, c'mon, Sokka, please? I'm begging!"
"Nuh-uh, no way!" Sokka protested, arms crossed.
Before them was a contraption of Fire Nation invention, and in the years since the war the carnival had gotten their hands on it. And rightly so, since the machine was more or less a rotating wheel with evenly spaced baskets pinned to it.
And Zuko wanted to get into one of those baskets. And he wanted Sokka to get in with him.
Sokka's whole issue was with the durability of the thing. It didn't look sturdy enough in the slightest, and there seemed to be a line a mile long with people expectantly waiting their turn to board and overcrowd the towering deathtrap. Like all things Fire Nation, it was outfitted with black steel, which definitely didn't help its image.
"Just trust me, it's not going to blow up or fall over or whatever you're thinking. I've ridden one of these thousands of times!"
Sokka frowned just a fraction. "So why do you want to get on it again?"
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Just... just get in line with me and quit pouting," he argued.
Twenty minutes later, and Sokka still wasn't sold on the hulking pile of metal, but he found himself getting on it anyway. The small door on the basket closed and Sokka felt like it was the door closing on his life or something.
Zuko smiled. "See? Not so bad."
Then it started moving, slowly, almost dragging, as it turned to fill the next basket, and then the next, and then it began spinning in earnest, and it was all Sokka could do to just lean into Zuko, trying to escape the view presented by the rotating wheel. Up, down, up, down...
He was vaguely aware of a child shrieking with laughter a few baskets away, and Sokka envied them for enjoying it.
Zuko put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Sokka glared at it.
After his humiliation on the wheel, Zuko reluctantly pointed out the firewhiskey stand. "You wanna get a bottle to split?", he offered. And what kind of man would Sokka be if he refused?
Well, after being publicly terrified of a ride that children gleefully enjoyed, and after almost cuddling Heehaw the unicorn in front of Zuko, he felt that maybe he couldn't exactly consider himself a man anymore. Especially because he named his pink unicorn.
Sokka held up the unicorn, taking hold of its hooves and gesturing them like hands. "Heehaw like firewhiskey! Heehaw approves!", he cheered, his voice a full two octaves higher as he emulated the voice of what he imagined a pink unicorn might have.
Zuko pulled a face. "Heehaw? You named it Heehaw?"
Sokka lowered the stuffed plush to stick his tongue out at the Firelord childishly. "I don't think his name is important. How about that firewhiskey?" Sokka bared his teeth in a wide grin.
–
Zuko chuckled, but it was a little slurred, a little drawn out. "I-I'm gonna be in soo much trouble once we get back on the ship!"
Sokka shook his head. "They'll probably blame me!"
The Firelord snorted in his small fit of laughter. "Yeah, yeah... you... you're a terrible influence." Zuko smacked his lips, cautiously refilling his glass of the firewhiskey. Taking note that Sokka's glass was also empty he filled that as well.
"Man, I don-don't remember ever drinking this much."
Zuko grinned, his eyes an eerie luminous yellow. Sokka couldn't look away. "I don't know," he said, "you were pretty wasted the other night. I had to-to basically carry you." He sighed. "It was pretty cute."
Sokka stood up, wavered slightly, and leaned heavily on the table. "We need to... we should..."
Zuko stood as well, though a lot more gracefully than his friend. He wasn't entirely steady, but he was clearly more stable than Sokka. "You're right!", he admonished, quickly taking hold of Sokka's arm and, together, they stumbled away from the table.
But then Zuko stopped and Sokka whined. "Wait, wait... " He left Sokka alone momentarily, returning to the table and retrieving the pink unicorn. Only now, the pink was much brighter than before, and in Zuko's arms it never looked more ridiculous. Sokka burst out laughing when the other man handed him his plush. "Wouldn't want to leave Heehaw behind, right?"
It seemed like forever before they were back on the ship. It was too late for anyone to notice. Or too early, depending on who you asked. Zuko was pretty damn sure he'd seen the better half of his crew still drinking wildly at the carnival.
They stumbled arm in arm into Sokka's room, collapsing on the bed together. Zuko hiccuped, Sokka giggled. Somewhere in between, they met in the middle of the bed. Zuko wormed his arm under Sokka's side, Sokka draped his hand along Zuko's waist, their knees interlocked, and they fell immediately into a drunken sleep.
End part one.