Sokka woke up alone, as usual, stretching in the huge ornate bed before going to grab his breakfast. He bit into a fresh, crunchy apple, watching out the large window as other people went about their day. It was looking to be another hot day, and Sokka was glad that he had kept his Water Tribe clothes. With the sleeves off, his clothes were actually really comfortable for hot Fire Nation days. But on days like this, where even the morning sun made the air shimmer off the roofs of the houses, he fully planned on staying inside, where shade and good ventilation kept the palace fairly cool.

Dressed and fed, he made his way to Iroh's library again. He had kept the key (after all, Iroh had left it there for him), and the door opened smoothly. He shut it behind him, finding his comfy seat again and plucking another book off the shelves.

Huh. Fire Nation history. Sokka knew a thing or two about Fire Nation history, but it had all been filtered through the Water Tribe and what Aang had told him about his communion with Avatar Roku. It could be interesting to see it from the perspective of actual Fire Nation people. So he opened it up and started reading.

It started out to be pretty boring. Well, for a violent history. Seems like those firebending guys were always getting up to evil sorts of things, even before Sozin bit the big one. For the first few chapters it was just so-and-so overthrowing so-and-so, then being overthrown by so-and-so. It mostly blurred together in his head.

Then he found something interesting.

"Kinky old guys," he muttered, smirking. Apparently, back in the old days, Fire Lords kept harems. There was a chapter on them, full of illustrations of beautiful girls all veiled and scantily clad. Seemed like a pretty nice setup. The book said that the Fire Lord was required to sleep with all the girls so he'd be sure to produce more than one heir, just in case the Crown Prince kicked off. So the girls were kept in a wing of the palace that Sokka didn't recognize, lounging around all day and waiting to have sex. He snorted, thinking it sounded a lot like what he did.

And then he was struck by a plan. An awesome, terrifying plan that, if it worked, he'd probably have to give Iroh a kiss for simply letting him into the library. It had the possibility of spectacular, monumental failure ending in getting deep-fried by his moody work-a-holic of a boyfriend, but if it worked … well, then, Zuko probably wouldn't want to go to work for a few days because one or the other of them would be busy getting pounded into the mattress.

Book in hand, he left the library in pursuit of the old harem wing.


It took kicking down a boarded-up door to actually reach the place, and even then Sokka wasn't sure if he could find his way again through the warren of the older parts of the palace. He had the vague impression of being underground, but that could have just been because the windows were all shuttered tightly. It seemed like he spent most his exploring trudging through dust that came practically to his ankles, making him leave a trail behind him. At least he could follow that back to the areas that were actually occupied.

Once he kicked the door down and finished coughing on the dust, he lifted his torch (necessary for sneaking around a Fire Lord's palace if you weren't a firebender) and looked around. It was dusty, disused, and definitely not as pretty as it once had been, but through the moth-eaten swathes of gauzy fabric Sokka could imagine what the place looked like back when it was in use. There were elaborate tapestries on the walls, fine thick rugs on the floor, and cushions everywhere. There was an extensive tea set on some shelves which looked like it could serve at least ten people.

Sokka went to the windows, opening up the shutters and coughing when that released more dust into the air. The suite had a magnificent view of the countryside and a wide verandah, though there were parts where the wood looked old enough that it would disintegrate under any pressure. With the light from the windows and his torch, Sokka set about exploring the rooms.

He found two very important things. One, the one he had been looking for, was an old trunk full of clothes. Preserved from the effects of humidity and insects, the clothes were practically new and still smelled of the faded sachets in the trunk. Sokka buried his hands in the clothes, feeling how soft and fine they were. They would be absolutely perfect.

The second thing he found was something he hadn't expected – it was a book. And not just any book, an age-faded and torn book all about protocol and behavior. Sokka very carefully thumbed through it, finding it to be some sort of how-to guide to the harem life. There was even a detailed diagram of pressure points useful for massage. He couldn't believe his luck. He'd expected to improvise, maybe come up with a few sexy dances that would distract Zuko away from his work, and proceed to have his brains fucked out. Instead, he could do the whole thing properly.

But first, he thought to himself, they'd need a place to do it. Not that there was anything wrong with Zuko's room, but with a little bit of work, the harem suite itself could become a nice little getaway. It could be their own little place, away from the rest of the palace where no one could bother Zuko with little Fire Lord things. It could be perfect … with the verandah redone, they'd have a nice little outdoor area to hang out. There was plenty of space in the main room for a bed and enough left over that they could probably practice with their swords. And there was even a pool off to one side. In the old days it had probably been heated by firebenders from below, but Sokka figured he could rig something that would keep the water hot without outside help.

Yup. A little bit of work, and it would be the best hideout ever. The Plan was looking better by the minute.


Later that day, Sokka appeared outside the council chambers as usual, leaning against the wall while he waited for Zuko. As always, Zuko was the last out, looking even more beaten-down than usual. Still, Sokka smiled, trying to lighten the mood enough to put one of those rare smiles on Zuko's face.

"Hey," he said, walking with him back to their room. "How was today?"

"Long," Zuko said shortly.

"Decide anything important?"

"Yeah."

"Like what?"

Zuko turned to him, frowning darkly. "Can you just shut up about it for two seconds? The last thing I want to do is talk about what I did today." His face softened slightly. "That's why it's good for me to be around you afterwards. I don't have to think about it."

Sokka blinked, not expecting such an explanation. He wasn't quite sure if he should be insulted, but Zuko probably didn't mean to insult him, so it was okay. "Uh … okay. Well, you'll never guess what I did today. Your uncle gave me the keys to this awesome –"

"Actually, can we just be quiet for a while?" Zuko asked, opening the doors to the room. "I've got a headache."

"Oh," Sokka said, immediately quieting down. They went through their usual undressing routine, but this time Sokka's mind was busy with something other than his raging hormones. The whole harem deal was a fantastic idea, and he wanted to tell someone, but how much better could it work as a surprise? He tried to picture Zuko's face, walking in to see the whole place set up just for him … and honestly, he couldn't. But it would be pretty awesome to surprise him like that. Okay, that was settled. The Plan would remain a secret until Sokka was done with it and ready to present it to Zuko.

"You're quiet tonight," Zuko noted over their food, as he was picking at his own plate.

"You told me to be quiet," Sokka pointed out, picking out more of the spicy seafood onto his plate.

"You usually ignore me." Zuko paused, chewing another bite. "Is something up?"

"Nope," Sokka said smoothly. "Nothing's up. You know me, I just spend my days wandering around and drinking your uncle's tea."

The corner of Zuko's mouth twitched slightly. Almost a smile. "Of course. And you're not too bored? I know I'm leaving you alone most of the time."

Sokka considered answering honestly, with the fact that he was so bored that he was planning to renovate part of the palace. But no, that had to stay a secret. So he lied. "No, I'm not too bored. I practice with my sword a lot. And I still have exploring to do."

Zuko nodded, looking relieved. "Good. I would invite you to the council chambers, but I think that really would bore you to death. It nearly kills me."

"Yeah, I can see that," Sokka said quietly.

Zuko frowned slightly, looking right at him. "This isn't going to turn into another attempt to make me take a day off, is it? Because I told you, Sokka, I have responsibilities and things I have to do."

Sokka shook his head, putting his hands up. "Nope. You won't hear another word about that from me. Your uncle might say something, though. He's worried about you."

Zuko snorted and shook his head. "Uncle worries too much. I'm fine."

Sokka could see the lines of tension in Zuko's face, the bundled stress in his shoulders, the decreasing appetite, and he disagreed completely. But he didn't say a word, as promised. It would all be better after the Plan was implemented. And that night, tucked tight against Zuko and feeling him breathe, visions of harem girls and Zuko danced through his head.