"I'm telling you," Sokka said animatedly. "This place is the best. It's a nice, traditional tea shop. I love it."

"So you've said," Zuko said. "What makes it stand out?"

"What do you mean?"

Sokka and Zuko walked down the streets of the city, side by side. Most of their time was spent with Sokka rambling and Zuko listening. The other was the quiet type, Sokka was quickly learning. If he didn't have anything substantial to provide to a conversation, he really didn't say much at all. Sokka had to wonder if he was annoying him, but then again, he'd seen Zuko's grumpy streak at full blast. He was sure if he was annoying him, he'd have been told already. Maybe he was just an awkward turtleduck? Sokka couldn't be sure.

"There's a million tea shops in Ba Sing Se. It's gotta have something special about it for you to think it's the best of them all," Zuko said.

Sokka flashed Zuko a smile. "I don't know, man, it's just got something about it. The drinks are phenomenal. The boba is to die for-"

"You get boba from a tea shop?"

That was the most animated Zuko had gotten this entire trip. He looked personally offended that Sokka would dare to get boba from a traditional tea shop like the one he'd been describing. But he couldn't help it. He loved boba, and he loved the ambiance and aesthetic of the Jasmine Dragon. It was a double win in his opinion. So, boil him in oil for ordering it.

"What?" Sokka asked. "Boba is tea!"

"Not traditional tea," Zuko said.

"It's milk tea," Sokka said.

"With tapioca pearls in it."

"Yeah, they're good."

Zuko raised his brow at Sokka. "Uh, has your throat ever been assaulted by tapioca pearls?" he asked. "It's not exactly pleasant."

"You don't get assaulted if you know to drink it."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Uh huh," he said. "Tell me what else you like about this place. There's got to be something more to it than the boba."

Sokka raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, I get it. Boba is a dime a dozen kind of thing," he said. He chuckled and looked up to the clear, blue sky above them. "I guess it's just the feel of the place. You walk in, and you feel at peace. That, and Iroh, the owner, is literally the nicest man I've ever met."

"Is he now?"

"Yeah! The last time I was in there, he was teaching me how to play pai sho," Sokka said. "I mean, he's way better than I ever will be, but it was just nice to spend some time with him like that. He's got this grandfather vibe about him. Or, like, a really cool uncle."

Zuko hummed at that. Sokka glanced his way and saw a ghost of a smile caressing his lips. If there was one thing that Sokka learned about Zuko thus far into this weird thing that they had, it was that he didn't smile very often. And when he did, it went either one of two ways: a grimace or a fond, little curve of his lips. Right now, it was the fond curve of his lips, which Sokka found odd. The last time he'd seen it, Zuko had been talking about his uncle. Maybe the old tea shop owner reminded Zuko of him?

"Are you thinking about your uncle?" Sokka asked.

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, actually."

"Well, you'll have to let me know what you think about him when we get there," Sokka said. "I wonder if he's anything like your uncle. They sound a lot alike so far. At least, they both like tea."

"From what you've said about him so far, I'm sure they've got more in common than you know," Zuko replied.

The pair of them lapsed into another stint of silence, but it didn't last long. The front doors of the Jasmine dragon were within eyesight now. Sokka sped up just a little bit as they drew closer and then held the door open for Zuko. That earned him another one of those priceless Zuko blushes.

"After you," Sokka said with a grin.

Zuko walked in, and Sokka followed. As the door shut behind them, a little bell tinkled. Sokka took in a deep breath. The smell of tea lingered around them lightly. It was soft and aromatic and honestly perfect. Sokka wasn't much of a hot tea drinker. He really only had it before bed when he couldn't sleep or as a substitute for coffee when work gave him migraines. That wasn't often, but he did love all of the other varieties of tea that the shop owner offered.

Speaking of Iroh, the squat and rotund man was walking around his shop, greeting both regulars and new faces alike. He wore a traditional set of robes that looked way more comfortable than Sokka's jeans and t-shirt, but he'd never admit that. Iroh always wore long sleeves, though. His shop was normally pretty warm from all of the tea, and the heat outside didn't do them any favors - thanks a lot, Agni. When he'd first met Iroh, he often wondered how he did it. And then, he'd seen his arms. They were... Something. They were marked and scarred from a past that Sokka couldn't even begin to guess at. What could this sweet guy have gotten himself tangled into that could leave his arms like that. He'd never asked, of course, because that was rude. He'd just left it alone and pondered it on occasion.

"Iroh!" Sokka called to him with a wave. The older man's face lit up into a 1000-watt smile, and he came over.

"Sergeant Sokka! It's always a pleasure to see you," he said.

Sokka moved aside to introduce Zuko, but he didn't get a chance. Iroh had already beat him to the punch, which was typical of the kindly man. His eyes lit up and he pulled Zuko into a... hug? Well, maybe that's how Iroh greeted other Fire Nation natives? He couldn't be sure. He wasn't exactly well-versed on Fire Nation customs and culture. Maybe he should look into that...

"And I see you've met my nephew," Iroh said once he released Zuko from his hug.

Sokka's brain short circuited. "Uh. Nephew?"

Iroh had said in the past that he had a nephew that was about Sokka's age, but he hadn't put two and two together. A lot of people had uncles, albeit not cool ones with a love for tea. Really, there hadn't been enough information for Sokka to have caught on any sooner. And Zuko had really played it off. Sokka honestly felt a little cheesed that he'd gone to such great lengths to impress Zuko, and the jerk had already known exactly where they were going. That was a betrayal of the utmost kind. Sokka was beyond embarrassed with himself.

Zuko, on the other hand, looked positively flustered. He made a quick attempt to fix his hair that was disheveled by Iroh's strong grasp. As soon as he was done, he crossed his arms over his chest. There was also a slightly irritated yet fond look on his face that Sokka totally understood. It was the look he gave his own sister when she got too mushy.

"Yes, my nephew, Zuko. I told you about him when we first started playing pai sho," he said. "It's been a while since he's come to visit me. Are you too busy with that shop of yours, Nephew, to visit your poor, old Uncle?"

"You are neither poor or old, Uncle," Zuko huffed. "What you are is embarrassing."

The older man smiled knowingly. "You go find a table, and I'll fix your tea."

Zuko took the lead and picked a table in the corner of the shop right by a window. It was sunny and cozy there, and Sokka easily plopped down and made himself at home. As soon as Zuko sat across from him, though, he fixed him with a frown.

Zuko froze. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't believe you let me think I discovered this place!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you," he replied immediately. "You just seemed so excited. I didn't want to burst your bubble."

"Bursting my bubble would have been better than letting me feel embarrassed," he said as his forehead thumped down to the table. His arms were stretched out across it. He had successfully turned into a sad ball of goo, at least in his head. "Just end me now. I've lived a good life, world."

"I'm sorry," Zuko said again. Sokka glanced at him to see that his head was now hanging with apparent shame and apology. "Fuck. I didn't think that through at all. I should have-"

Sokka cut him off as he lifted himself off of the table. "It's okay. I'm making a big deal out of it," he said. "A little wounded pride never hurt anyone. I think I can go on living."

Zuko let out a sigh of relief. "Good," and then, "Do you come here often?"

"Yeah. Usually every day that I'm on shift," he said. "Apparently more than you do."

He really should be keeping a count of how often Zuko blushed because he was doing it again. His head was turned away from Sokka so he could look out the window miserably.

"Work can just get so busy," Zuko pleaded. "And by the time I finish up, Uncle is already closing down. I know I should make time, but it's just hard-"

"Spirits, Zuko," Sokka said with a laugh. "I'm kidding. Sheesh. Don't take it so seriously. I get it. Life is busy, and there just isn't enough time. I'm sure your uncle understands, too."

Zuko deflated a little bit at that. He really did take every seriously. He seemed to be wound up so tight for such a young guy. There was a visible tension in his shoulders. And now that he was looking for the signs, Sokka saw that his jaw was tense, too. Why? Did he not want to be around Sokka? Was he frustrated with him and his humor? Was he pushing him too much? Sure, he knew that it was likely that Zuko would tell him as it was, like Judge Judy, but maybe Sokka hadn't yet crossed that threshold? He couldn't be sure. Maybe that deflation was just saving Sokka from an outburst in the moment. Would it return later?

But then again, Sokka was just reflecting everything back onto himself. Zuko could just have some appointments he needs to get set up for. He could be keeping Zuko from his work. Maybe he was just being nice when Sokka asked him to come out. Maybe he really did have things to do. What if his one o'clock didn't really cancel?

"You know, Zuko," Sokka blurted out. "If I'm keeping you from work, I'm sorry. You didn't have to come if you had other things to do. Heck, even if you didn't want to be here."

"No!" Zuko said quickly. And then softer this time, "No, I don't have work. And I do want to be here. I'm just not good at this."

"At what?" Sokka asked.

"Making new friends, I guess," Zuko said quietly.

Oh. Oh. Sokka had been reading it wrong the entire time. It wasn't that Zuko was annoyed with him. It wasn't that he didn't want to be around him. He didn't even have work to get done. Zuko was tense because for him, this was an unfamiliar situation. It was something he wasn't good at.

"Just be yourself, Zuko," he said.

Zuko raised a brow at that. "Are you sure? I'm not the most interesting person that you could be around."

"You don't know that," Sokka said with a shrug. "I'm still getting to know you, but I want to get to know the real you."

"Okay," Zuko said quietly.

They were saved from an awkward silence with the arrival of Iroh with their drinks.

"Boba for the Sergeant, and a calming jasmine tea for my nephew," Iroh said as he set the two cups before them. He also set down a couple of menus in front of them. "I'll leave you two alone while you decide what you'd like. Give me a call if you need me."

Before Iroh left, he gave Zuko a big smile and a double thumbs up. The action caused Zuko to drop his head into his hands. He emitted a small groan.

"Uncle," Zuko said.

Sokka looked between the two of them in confusion. He didn't get it. But Iroh was gone before he could ask, making his rounds in the shop to check in on his valued customers.

"Uhhh, what was that all about?" Sokka asked, turning back to Zuko.

"Just ignore him," Zuko said without lifting his head.

"But I don't get it," Sokka said. His brows were furrowed down over his eyes and a confused expression rested on his face.

Zuko looked up at him. His eyes looked absolutely miserable, and his face had taken on that rosy color once again. Sokka was beginning to wonder if that was typical because it happened often enough.

"He thinks that we're on a date," Zuko mumbled.

Oh. Oh. Once again, Sokka's brain short circuited. His mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, just like one of the elephant koi near Kyoshi.

When he didn't say anything, Zuko's head dropped into his hands again. "I'm sorry. This is so fucking embarrass-" Zuko stopped short as he looked up again. He abruptly pushed out his chair and stood. "Excuse me for one second."

"Yeah, sure," Sokka said, stunned. "Go ahead."

Zuko left, and Sokka was left alone with his thoughts. He wasn't sure what to say. His mouth wanted to say yes, yes, yes! This should be a date. But his brain, the somewhat rational part of him, told him that no, no, no it shouldn't be a date. He barely knew Zuko. Dates were out of the question.

Besides, Sokka didn't do dates. Just like relationships and one night stands, dates were off limits. Dates led to getting-to-know-you things. Which led to liking the person. That either led to one night stands or relationships. Which, again, he couldn't have. All around, dates were bad. Sokka's fragile emotional state couldn't handle that.

But then again, what if Zuko was different? He didn't exactly know him all that well yet, so he really couldn't rationalize that. But from what he did know, he seemed strong. Not just anyone could suffer an injury like he had and still come out with their head above water. Sokka just didn't know much else beyond that.

He did know, however, that he couldn't live forever with that lingering fear of loss. It happened, and he had to move on. But he was afraid of it, and he couldn't help it. He didn't want to think of what could happen if he let someone in. What his job could do to them. He didn't want that creepy anxiety to get ahold of him like it always did. At this point, avoidance was his best cure.

Sokka was pulled out of his inner monologue by Zuko's shouts coming from the kitchen.

"Stop making googly eyes at us from the kitchen! This is not a date. He's a client," Zuko said. "And all you're doing is making this weird."

There was a pause where Sokka assumed Iroh was responding, and then:

"And stop making out with fucking melons behind his back!"

He nearly did a spit take of his precious boba at that. Making out with melons? Sokka had to force himself not to look because he was sure that if he did, he wouldn't be able to keep it together. Zuko's demands of his uncle had effectively quashed all his anxiety for the time being like a spider roach.

Stomping footsteps signalled Zuko's return to the table. He practically threw himself down in the chair across from Sokka. His face had morphed into this sour scowl.

"So, how'd it go?" Sokka asked in a sing-song voice.

His scowl only deepened. "I don't want to talk about it."

Sokka laughed a deep belly laugh that reverberated through the space surrounding them. Zuko refused to look at him through that, and Sokka knew he should feel bad, but he couldn't help it. The way he was pouting over his uncle's overbearing nature was way too endearing.

When Sokka finally managed to bring his laughter in, he fixed the man across from him with a smile. "I get it," he said. "It's not a date, but I'm not offended or anything."

"You aren't?"

Sokka shook his head. "TMI considering you're my tattoo artist, but I'm bi. I won't get offended by a misunderstanding. It's no big deal"

Zuko breathed out a sigh of what Sokka hoped was relief. "Good," he said, but he didn't elaborate any further.

He wasn't exactly sure which part was the good part. Was it because he was bi? Was it because he understood? Was it the whole thing? He couldn't be sure, but that was just one more mess to add to the list complicated things in his life. He needed something less complicated.

He settled for the menu in front of him and gave it a quick once over. As he'd told Zuko, he'd been to the Jasmine Dragon plenty of times. It was one of his favorite stops when he was on shift. Iroh put as much love and effort into his food as he did his tea, which is why Sokka grabbed lunch often. He scanned over the food options in front of him and picked out his favorite in hopes of satisfying his hungry stomach and avoiding what he'd just heard.

That action only killed a fraction of the time he had hoped, and then he was back to awkward silence. Zuko looked particularly miserable. He refused to make eye contact with Sokka. They'd nearly done so a couple of times already, but right when Sokka was about to crack a smile or say something to him, Zuko looked away again. He felt slightly disheartened. Maybe coming out to lunch wasn't such a good idea... It wasn't like this outing was a date or anything, but Sokka genuinely wanted to become Zuko's friend. He seemed like such an interesting guy when he actually talked. But the way the awkward tension hung in the air now...

"Have you both decided what you would like?" Iroh asked. He'd appeared again while Sokka had been stuck in his head.

He quickly rattled off his usual order with his signature smile and then waited for Zuko. He looked horrified by his uncle's appearance.

"Spicy udon, Uncle," he said.

"Good choices," he said as he collected the menus. "Might I impart some wisdom on you before I go?"

"Agni, no," Zuko moaned.

And simultaneously, Sokka said, "Sure. Why not?"

Iroh seemed to take Sokka's answer over Zuko's. "I once heard that melons are a lot like lovers. Tough and sturdy on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside," he said. "It makes you want to eat them right up."

"Uncle!" Zuko cried. "You're literally the most embarrassing man on the planet!"

Sokka snorted. "You haven't met my father yet."

In hindsight, that was probably one of the worst things that Sokka could have said. You haven't met my father yet? The implications of that sentence alone were monumental. The meeting-the-parents thing happened when two people were in a relationship together. And the yet on the end of the sentence implied that Zuko would indeed meet his father sooner or later. Not at all the best thing to say. If things weren't already weird before - which they totally were - they were weird now. Thankfully, Iroh left them alone with their thoughts. And rather than sit in another stint of awkward silence, Sokka grasped at the only conversation topic that seemed safe at this point.

"How'd you get into tattooing?" he asked.

Zuko seemed to jump on the topic almost desperately. "I like to draw," he said quickly. "At least, I did when I was in high school."

"Did you go to college for it?"

"Not at first, no," he said. "My father wanted me to go to school for business, so I did."

Sokka's brows shot up at this. "But, like, aren't those two completely different things? Would business have made you happy?"

Zuko shrugged his shoulders. "At the time, it didn't really matter what would make me happy, I guess. Just that I was getting into the family business," he said.

"What's so important about the family business that it warrants being miserable for your entire life?" Sokka asked.

"It's complicated, I guess. My father..." he started, but then he seemed to think better of it. "Sorry. I keep giving you all of this loaded information, don't I?"

Sokka waved his hands placatingly. "No. I don't mind," he said. "Saber-tooth moose lion cub scout's honor. I want to know more about you. You don't need to feel like you need to hide anything."

A small smile, one of those fond ones that Sokka liked more than anything, appeared on Zuko's face. "Thanks, Sokka," he said.

"Well, I'm glad you finally got into something that makes you happy." And then as an afterthought, he said, "Tattooing does make you happy, right?"

"Yeah, it does," he said. "It's a lot better than business."

Sokka snorted. "Agreed," he said. "It's so lackluster."

"Shit, art in general is better than sitting in an office all day. I'd probably go crazy."

"When did you make the switch to art school?" Sokka asked.

"Uh, not too long after the accident, actually," Zuko replied.

And there it was. Four years after that fateful date when he'd met Zuko, it had finally resurfaced. A word which had felt right in Sokka's gut. It didn't even feel right now. Accident. Zuko hadn't kept eye contact with him as the word rolled off of his tongue. He glanced out the window right at that very moment, and Sokka's very perceptible eyes only just picked that up.

Once again, Sokka felt as though Zuko was hiding something. He was hiding what had really happened that night in his kitchen, and Sokka wanted to know why. He wanted to know what Zuko was hiding. He wanted to know who he was protecting and how far he would go to continue protecting them. The questions burned inside of him, but the trained, tactful police officer inside of him told him that asking now would only make Zuko run. He couldn't do that to him. He couldn't dangle a friendship right before those golden eyes only to snatch it away with a prying question. He couldn't do it. It was best to leave the past until a day came where Zuko wanted to tell him - if that day ever came.

"Once they determined that my depth perception hadn't been damaged at all and that glasses would improve my sight," Zuko said, rolling on with his story as if Sokka hadn't had yet another great internal debate. "I went back to school for art. I only had two years to go in order to get a degree since I'd already done all of my gen eds. Then Mai and I opened the shop about a year ago. It's been going pretty well so far."

"I'm happy for you," he said. "You really seem to be doing good for yourself."

"What about you?" Zuko asked. "Why did you decide to become a cop?"

"Don't laugh. But honestly, it's because I wanted to be a badass. And cops are badass."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"But you said 'wanted'. As in past tense. As in you don't want that anymore?"

Sokka smiled wryly. "I realized that there was a lot more to being a cop than being a badass the night I found you in that apartment," he said. "It was my awakening, I guess. I realized that it wasn't being a badass that I wanted. It was helping people."

"Well, you helped me," Zuko said.

"I'm glad I did," Sokka replied. "And I won't ever regret it."

By the time Zuko and Sokka made it back to Spirits of Ink, Katara and Aang were walking out the door. He gave a Zuko a wave goodbye and made his way down the road with the pair. They made it around the corner before the interrogation began.

"Aang told me who that was," Katara said in a single breath. "I have no idea how I didn't realize that that was the guy."

Sokka shrugged. "I honestly would have been surprised if you had. Yesterday was the first time I mentioned him to you guys since those first few weeks after the case was closed."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said. "How did your date go?"

Sokka shot her a look. "It wasn't a date, Katara. We just grabbed lunch. In a totally not-a-date, platonic sort of way."

"Uh-huh," Aang said. "And I am a 400 foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

"What?" Sokka asked. "How is that even related?"

"We're just saying that it seemed an awful lot like a date, Sokka."

"It wasn't," he whined. "We just had lunch. Spirits, you're starting to sound like Toph!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever. How did your lunch go?"

He decided to ignore her sarcasm in preference of answering her underlying question. "It went good. I think."

There was a smile playing on his lips because after that initial embarrassment on both of their parts, lunch had been good. They were able to talk about themselves a bit. It was all just basic information, nothing too personal, but it was enough for Sokka to feel like he'd gained ground in this weird friendship they were forming.

He'd learned that Zuko's favorite color was burnt orange. His favorite food was anything spicy. He loved classical music, and his favorite time to draw was first thing in the morning. He meditated daily, and hoped to one day backpack across the four nations.

"Zuko really seems to be doing good compared to where he was when we first met," Sokka said. "All things considered, of course."

"That's good, Sokka. I'm glad," she replied before adding quietly, "You seem to be doing better, too."

Sokka looked at his sister whose crystal blue eyes were trained on him, and he smiled. She'd said that phrase many times over the last year, and right then was the first time he actually felt like he believed her.

"Yeah," he said. "Maybe I am."