The carpet was ruffled under his constant pacing, excitement sending frequent shivers through his body.

"How long are they gonna be?" He muttered under his breath.

His companion sighed, pushing off the wall he was leaning on to grasp Sokka by the arm and hold him in place.

"Just wait, Sokka," Zuko instructed.

The Water Tribesman scoffed, but stopped in his tracks. He looked his friend in the eye for a moment, before wilting under the burned gaze.

"I've been waiting long enough. Months, even. Can't a guy be excited to see his only family?" He asked, a touch of petulance in his voice.

The Fire Lord's lip curled and he shook his head in annoyance.

"They'll be here soon enough, I'm sure Appa is flying as fast as he can. The North Pole is quite far, after all."

Sokka's lips quirked into a grin, and he drew a deep breath.

"Yes, isn't it? In fact, it's a long, long way-"

Zuko's hand shot forward, clamping over Sokka's mouth and cutting off his impromptu singing.

"Please no. I heard that blasted song so often during my exile that I ended up burning three pillows to ashes in frustration," the young monarch confessed. "Besides, it doesn't even work for the North Pole."

Sokka shrugged, prying the fingers off of his mouth and pouting.

"Fine. But if something doesn't happen soon, I'm gonna go crazier than a guy on cactus juice. It's bad enough that 'Zula holed herself up, can't even amuse myself there."

Golden eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"'Zula?" Zuko questioned, the use of the pet name raising flags in his mind.

"Uh. Azula, I mean," Sokka chuckled nervously.

"Hmm. In any case, I told you not to antagonise her," Zuko stated.

"You wound me Zuko, I would never do such a thing. After all, I like my face to be as handsome as it is. Not everyone can pull off the scarred look like you - I don't have the angst for it," Sokka teased.

Zuko grit his teeth in irritation for a moment, before relaxing and rolling his eyes.

"You're just jealous; women go for the whole 'dark past and injuries' thing, you know. Not that I would care, happily married as I am," his eyes darted around, checking the shadowy corners in fear.

Sokka let out a bark of laughter before hurriedly swallowing it just in case. He'd heard the screams coming from Zuko's bedroom the last time the Fire Lady had been unhappy, and for a brief moment he'd actually felt sympathy.

"What exactly is my sister doing locked in her room, anyway? The ball's not for another week," the scarred man continued.

"I'm not entirely sure, but if I had to guess… preparing. You know how ladies get, it's all gotta be perfect. And that goes triple for Azula," Sokka offered.

"Of course," Zuko nodded.

The pair stood in silence for a few minutes, before a question Sokka had long considered resurfaced in his mind.

"So, your Fire Lordiness, how long have you had booze stashed in your throne?" He wondered.

Zuko smirked, his golden eyes twinkling with humour.

"Now you're definitely jealous. As it happens, the compartment has been there for centuries. It helped my ancestors get through the day."

Sokka let out a low whistle.

"Well, that explains a lot. Which reminds me, I was speaking to the Mechanist a few months ago about a device that can hold water on your head and feed it to your mouth. I was thinking about putting bee-" He cut himself off, glancing up at the sound of a low bellow.

Far off in the distance, silhouetted against the blazing sun, was the unmistakable profile of a flying bison.

He surged forward, grabbing his friend by the lapels of his robes and lightly shaking him.

"They're here!" He whooped.

"Yes, I can see that. My vision isn't actually as bad as you think it is," Zuko mumbled, pulling free of the tribesman's fervent grip. "Sometimes I think you get Toph and I mixed up."

"Nah, she's far more fun," Sokka casually explained, hopping from foot to foot in his excitement.

"You're getting far too worked up over this," Zuko said, ignoring the insult.

"Maybe. But I haven't seen my pregnant sister for nearly a year, cut me some slack," his friend chided. "Oh and Aang, I guess."

Another bellow sounded out, louder and closer than before, and Sokka couldn't contain himself any longer. He rushed out into the courtyard, making a beeline for the landing Sky Bison.

"Oh Appa, I've missed you," he said, rubbing the giant mount's nose. An enormous tongue burst free of his mouth, sliding across Sokka's face.

He stood there for a moment before shuddering.

"I haven't missed that though," he whined in disgust.

"Hey Sokka!" A voice called from above.

The brown-skinned man glanced up to see the smiling face of his brother-in-law.

"Aang! How've ya been, airhead? Have fun at the North Pole? Hope you said hi to Arnook for me. All that spirit business sorted out?" He shot off his questions quickly.

The bald Avatar's face darkened slightly at the mention of spirits, but he shrugged.

"I'll tell you about it later, I need to help Katara down," he explained, his head retreating into the saddle.

"I can get down just fine by myself!" The irate tones of his sister were music to Sokka's ears. Especially since it wasn't aimed at him, for once.

A white shape erupted from the saddle, but it was too fast for Sokka to accurately decide what it was before it landed on his face, completely rendering him blind. A chittering sound in his ear was all he needed to identify his new headgear.

"Hi Momo, good to see you too buddy," he greeted the lemur, his voice somewhat muffled.

The primate utilised his nose and ears as handholds, climbing to the top of Sokka's skull before he managed to grab the marauding pet and pull him off.

"Guess who else is back in town?" He whispered, petting the lemur behind the ear. "An old friend."

Momo squeaked in reply, melting under the tribesman's touch. Sokka turned at the sound of aggravated voices, and froze in place at the sight of his little sister.

Before howling in laughter. Katara's eyes narrowed as Momo fled, gliding over to a confused Aang. Sokka bent over double, completely consumed with mirth.

"What's so funny?" Katara hissed, her voice cold enough to freeze lava.

"Y-you… You look like you've swallowed a kuai ball!" He choked on his own amusement.

A low growl escaped the angry woman, her clenched fingers curling into claws as she grasped the waterskin on her hip. Just as the water began to slide free, Aang caught his wife gently by the arm.

"You're not supposed to exert yourself, remember? Besides, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. Did you Sokka?" Aang glared at his friend.

Cackling and wheezing was his only reply. The Avatar glanced at his wife for a moment, before discreetly sending a gust of air to knock Sokka off his feet. Katara smiled.

"Aang, I'm glad to see you," Zuko said, shaking his head at Sokka as he whined about his now-sore backside.

"Zuko!" He bowed to his royal friend before grabbing him in a hug. "It's nice to be back."

Zuko squirmed uncomfortably in the Avatar's grip, before relenting and patting him somewhat awkwardly on the back.

"And where's the Fire Lady?" Aang continued.

Zuko smiled, greeting Katara before turning back to Aang.

"She's inside, overseeing other matters. I'll have someone take care of Appa, follow me," he directed.


They retired to a beautifully decorated lounge that Sokka hadn't even before. They settled onto plush scarlet cushions, with glasses of wine passed around, though Katara declined in favour of mango juice.

"I'm grateful you've come so early, it's important that the world sees that the Avatar is behind us," Zuko began.

Aang nodded, stroking his chin.

"Of course, anything to help. Are those rebels still causing trouble?" He asked.

Zuko made a noncommittal noise, taking a careful sip of his wine.

"We've been making progress, though it would be easier without the Earth King breathing down my neck. Nonetheless, I expect we will have the matter dealt with soon enough," he explained.

"I can't believe that there are still Ozai loyalists. The war's been over for years," Katara muttered.

"Sadly, his influence was deep-seeded. Even if I were to parade him before the world and make him swear allegiance to me, the so-called 'true Fire Nationals' would still despise me," Zuko said wearily. "Not that I would. Or could. But enough of that, have you heard from Toph? She never responded to my letter."

Aang grinned, his face lighting up.

"We actually happened across one of her students on the way here. She should show up in a few days, hopefully," he said.

"That's good to know. It'll be just like the old days, then," Zuko said, a note of reminiscence in his voice.

"Hah, I hope not," Sokka interjected. "Took me a while to get used to sleeping properly after the war's end."

Katara snorted.

"Oh please, you've always slept like the dead. I used to slap you with snow on my fingers when we were kids, and you didn't move a muscle," she explained to the laughter of the others.

"I always wondered why I'd sometimes wake up with a wet face, that was you?!" He pouted, betrayed. "What other things have you done to me?"

A mysterious smile was his only response.

"Hmph. Well, I'm gonna go check on Azula again, just in case," Sokka said, pushing free of the silky embrace of the cushions with some reluctance.


His fist tentatively knocked on the door.

"'Zula? You there?" He whispered.

The door slid open a crack, and golden eyes stared at him from within the darkness,

"What is it?" She ordered.

Sokka took a small step back, before shaking his head to clear it.

"Just wondering if you were okay, you've been hidden away in here for a while. What are you doing?" He asked.

She glared at him lightly for a moment, before her lips curved wickedly.

"Oh, you'll see. You'll all see!" She laughed cruelly before closing the door.

He stared at the painted wood in confusion for a moment.

"Well, that was ominous."

Still, he was relieved that the woman hadn't gotten into a fight with Mai, or something. Worries slightly eased, he headed to seek the company of the only thing that truly made sense in this world - a decent meal.