Written for day 6 of my Valentine's soulmate AU fluff project!
"Nah, Arnook's pretty reasonable actually. Most of the time." Sokka said, nodding a little to underline the point. "Although . . . how's GramPakku doing back home? You could send him along to help negotiate. And make your point."
"Sokka! That's not very . . . peaceable." Hakoda shook his head.
"Effective, though." Sokka snorted, propping an elbow on the table. He'd learned all kinds of things travelling with Aang, and then settling into the Fire Nation court. Sokka had never been too attached to the idea of playing nice - not completely - and spending too much time with generals and nobles and advisors had certainly done nothing to encourage it further.
Hakoda looked at the page of notes - in familiar Water Tribe script; it made Sokka faintly homesick even if it was written in the soft black inks of the Fire Nation, with a narrow calligraphy brush - near his right hand and tapped a fingertip on the table. "Maybe." he said, with a frustrated sigh.
Sokka smiled, then looked away as a flare of heat spread up from his right arm, a feeling of mingled concern and impatience and curiosity coming with it. He raised his hand, turning it palm upwards to look at his spiritmark, a crimson dragon curled in on itself and breathing a swirl of flame. There was real fire rising from the deep red mark, though it was small and not very bright.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Hakoda asked, looking warily at the puff of flame on Sokka's wrist.
Sokka's first thought was to say no more than when he touches me with his fire when he's physically present, but he bit it back quickly because he really didn't want to see his dad's reaction to those implications. Hakoda had come so far as to be mostly okay with Sokka's soulmate being a firebender, and even with him being the Fire Lord - Sokka didn't want to stress that any further. "No, it's fine." he said with a smile, running his thumb over his spiritmark.
The little sparking flame flared brighter with the touch and nearly wound around his thumb lovingly.
Zuko's fire was always a little . . . freer with the influence of his emotional state through their bond than any other time he used his bending. Sokka hummed fondly.
"If you say so." Hakoda said, and Sokka looked up at his dad again, faintly surprised and then embarrassed at himself for being so easily distracted. Although it was very late, he was probably not at his best. "What, ah, what does he want?" his dad asked, and then almost instantly looked like he regretted the question, expression turning wary.
Sokka frowned slightly, wondering at the reaction. "He thinks I've forgotten how late it is." He sat up and stretched, then stilled. He had suddenly remembered one incident - he had been in a meeting and felt Zuko's emotions flare through their bond, sudden and unpredictable, as sparks had flown from his spiritmark, and had worriedly and hurriedly excused himself. After running back to their rooms, he had found Zuko sprawled naked in their bed, sweaty and flushed and gasping, tiny flamelets dancing on exposed skin and playing around his fingers as he stroked himself to climax.
Certainly he had not been in any trouble.
They had used their bond to tease each other in similar ways on purpose several times since then and Sokka did not want to think about why his dad might think of something like that. But if it had occurred to Hakoda, that would be one very good reason his dad might not want to know what Zuko was thinking right now. Sokka suppressed any thoughts in that direction.
"Jerkbender might actually have a point this time." he said with a grimace. "We've been working on this for a long time, maybe we should pack it in for the night."
"Probably so; I didn't mean to keep you up late, kiddo." Hakoda said, resting a hand on Sokka's shoulder. Then he pulled it back to cover his mouth as he yawned.
Sokka laughed. "Yeah, you either, dad." he said, leaning closer and wrapping an arm around his dad's shoulders. "We can talk some more about it tomorrow, after we both sleep?" he suggested, and Hakoda nodded, hugging Sokka firmly.
After a few minute to clear up their work, Sokka bid his dad a good night and headed slowly towards the royal wing. Where several corridors met he hesitated and made to turn towards the kitchen - he'd had dinner, but he was hungry again - but one of his guards coughed pointedly and nudged his arm. Sokka looked around at him.
"Would you like to send for a snack, my lord?"
Sokka paused, then sighed and nodded and allowed himself to be nudged back on course, directly for the royal wing.
"Very good, my lord."
Sokka grumbled but didn't comment as one of his guards peeled off, presumably to go and fetch something from the kitchens, or possibly wake some of the kitchen staff. Hopefully not the latter, Sokka thought, frowning. Probably there was someone in the kitchens already awake, he thought, though.
Adjusting to the things that were considered perfectly normal in the Fire Nation Palace had been quite the series of shocks for Sokka, and many of the things about living here still felt rather strange to him.
Sokka smiled at the guards that stepped out of his way as he opened the door to his own rooms.
"Good night, my lord."
"Thank you. Good night." Sokka replied, waving absently before he stepped inside. He closed the door behind himself and rolled his shoulders as he moved into the combination study and lounge that was the first room of the Fire Lord's suite.
Zuko was still awake - hardly a surprise, despite the hour; after tugging at Sokka through their bond, he had doubted Zuko would go to bed before he returned for the night - and seated on the couch, a scroll in his lap. His heavy official robes were nowhere to be seen, and his shaggy hair was loose around his jaw. Sokka smiled a little. "Hi sweetheart." he said, sighing.
Zuko lifted his head and looked around over his shoulder. "Hello stormlet." he replied with a smile that somehow made Sokka feel a little less tired.
He crossed the room, sliding his hands over Zuko's shoulders. "Worried over me?" he asked, kneading absently at Zuko's shoulders.
Zuko snorted lightly. "How long would you have kept working without a reminder? It seems like your father isn't any better about such things." He shook his head slightly, elegant fingers tapping at the edge of the scroll he held.
"Because you never forget how long you've been working." Sokka said, eyebrows arching. "And stay over your desk until you pass out over it, or your head is pounding, or the sun comes up. . ."
"Never." Zuko said, straight-faced, leaning back a bit against the couch and tipping his head back until he was looking up at Sokka directly.
"Hmph." Sokka leaned down even further and kissed Zuko's cheek. He hummed when Zuko reached up and back, catching hold of him to tug him down and closer, meeting him with an awkwardly-angled, almost upside-down kiss. "You're just as bad." he muttered as he drew back again.
"Only sometimes." Zuko said, almost playfully, and Sokka couldn't help grinning at that. He liked to think he had a good influence on Zuko, after years of being stiff and angry and . . . well, guilty all the time. "Did you finish?"
Sokka cocked his head. "I was still working for you to poke at," he pointed out, prodding Zuko's shoulder, "so no. We can pick it up tomorrow though. Ah," he paused, suddenly remembering, "after I go with you to that-"
Zuko hooked a hand behind his neck, tugged him down, and kissed his cheek before releasing him. "You don't have to come with me, it'll be all right." he said, then turned away and rose from the couch, stretching. "And I thought you might just be enjoying spending some time with your father while he's here." he said in a slightly softer tone, turning to face Sokka.
Sokka opened his mouth, then closed it. He had been, after all, even if they had been working as well.
"It's all right." Zuko said gently, looking concerned. "I know you miss him, stormlet." He slid a hand over Sokka's shoulder and drew him close.
Not as much as I'd miss you, Sokka thought, and smiled crookedly, leaning into Zuko. "We were working," he said as he slumped and rested his chin on Zuko's shoulder, and Zuko hummed acknowledgement, "but if you don't need me tomorrow . . . I would like to spend it with dad."
"I'll be fine." Zuko promised, and hugged Sokka close, their bond flaring again, this time with quiet affection and reassurance. Sokka wrapped his arms around Zuko in return, letting his own affection rise and spill into the bond and grinning when it prompted a soft almost-purr from Zuko.
A quiet knock at the door startled them both, and Sokka straightened as Zuko stepped back at an angle, one arm remaining around his waist although the other came up in a defensive stance. "Are you expecting. . ." he looked at Sokka.
"I asked for a snack." Sokka said, though he'd forgotten.
Zuko relaxed again, and Sokka shook his head, kissing Zuko lightly and wishing that the tension wasn't actually a reasonable response. Even with things mostly settled under Zuko's rule by now, things still went crazy on a regular basis.
"Are you sure about tomorrow?" Sokka asked as he went to the door and let in a boy with a heavy tray. "There is fine." he directed, pointing towards a table when the boy hesitated. "Thank you."
"Yes, stormlet." Zuko said, crossing to his side and kissing his cheek, arms curling around his waist. "Spend the time with your father. I'll need you in council again the day after."
"All right." Sokka leaned into him as the boy bowed and hurried out. "I'll be there if you need me, though." he added, nuzzling Zuko's cheek affectionately. "Now let me go, I'm hungry."
Zuko laughed, squeezing him tighter rather than allowing him to slip away, which Sokka should probably have realised he would. "Zuko…"
Zuko cupped his cheek and kissed him lightly, then let go entirely.
Spirit rather than soul mark sounded like a better fit with the Avatar world in general.