Sokka set the electric kettle aside, saving that for when he boiled the water. He opened the pantry, and promptly sorted through the many boxes of teabags Zuko had bought over the last few weeks.
"Hmmm...lemon zest or peppermint?" he wondered aloud. He did a quick smell test, and chose lemon zest. As he began to the boil the water however, he noticed the teabag looked much smaller than he had expected.
"That looks way too small. Maybe I should put two in?" Sokka returned to the pantry, and the peppermint caught his eye. "Ooh, I could mix it up with two different ones!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. He dumped a lemon teabag and a peppermint teabag in the brew and let it sit for about fifteen minutes.
When he lifted the cover, a strange, black bubbling concoction awaited him, smelling like a lemon bar from hell. He poured it into a mug, and took a tentative sip. He gagged almost instantly, and the tea didn't even make it to his throat. It tasted as though you washed a candy cane with battery acid, melted it down, and served it in a cup. The texture was gummy, which was odd, because it was a liquid. It had a distinct aftertaste of charcoal.
"Eh, good enough."
Sokka hurried over to the left bedroom, his mad science experiment in hand. He peered through the door, and saw a sleeping figure twisted up in his sheets. His face was still green, which was concerning, but he had stopped throwing up for a while. He'd put his new jacket in the wash twice already, and the vomit still wasn't coming out.
"Hey buddy, how are you feeling?" Sokka chirped. A irritated groan echoed from underneath the covers.
"I'm feeling like I just want to keep sleeping," Zuko mumbled, pulling the blanket over his head.
"I made some tea for you, if that makes you feel any better!" Sokka rang in, determined to be a good friend.
Zuko paused for a moment, then slowly sat up. "I suppose tea wouldn't hurt. What kind is it?"
"Taste it and find out!" Sokka handed Zuko the mug, and his reaction wasn't exactly what he had hoped.
"Um, why does it smell like a tube of demonic toothpaste?" Zuko asked, squinting at the drink wtih disgust.
"It does not, just try it."
Zuko shot a pleading look at Sokka, begging him to change his mind, but Sokka's mind wouldn't be swayed. Zuko looked down at the mug, and took the tiniest sip he could possibly take. Even that was too much for Zuko apparently. He spat it out all over the sheets, leaving a black stain all over, before hacking up a storm.
"Oh sweet Agni, what is this?"
"Just some lemon zest and peppermint brewed for fifteen minutes. It's not half bad for my first try."
Zuko went dead serious, then said, "We have a lot of work to do." He handed Sokka the mug. "No offense, but I'd like you to burn the kettle you brewed this in."
"It wasn't that bad..." Sokka muttered, though he knew in his heart it was that bad.
"Why did you brew it for so long? I thought everyone knew you weren't supposed to do it for more than a few minutes," Zuko asked, curious.
"I'm more of a coffee guy personally, and my family is too, which is probably why I've never had it before," Sokka mentioned casually.
Zuko went still as a statue, then immediately rose out of bed, forgetting his exhaustion. He threw on a hoodie, slipped on some sneakers, and grabbed his keys. Where did he think he was going right after a hangover?
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Sokka asked, immensely confused.
To his surprise, Zuko grabbed Sokka's hand in response, which sent a flutter through him. "To the nearest tea shop in town. This is an emergency, Sokka. Don't you understand?"
"U-um...it's just tea..."
"Look, you want me to get better, right? I feel most refreshed after a nice cup of tea, and you still owe me after last night. Come on, it's not far." Zuko had already dragged Sokka out of the dorm, so it wasn't like he could say no.
...
As they neared the tea shop, Zuko couldn't help but feel a little homesick. The familiar hush of the customers, the aroma of spices and herbs drifting through every nook and cranny. The soft whistle of a kettle, the gentle clink of china against the wooden tables. It was a sensory overload, and Zuko loved it.
They walked in the door, and went up straight to the server. "Sorry, but is it possible to get a flight of teas?" Zuko inquired.
The server stared back at him, dumbfounded. "You mean...like little servings of every tea?"
"...yes."
"Er...that'll be forty yuans."
"Thanks." Zuko reached for his wallet, but Sokka stopped him.
"I got this one. You're right, I still owe you for last night," Sokka interjected, oblivious to the weird looks the server gave him.
Zuko turned beet red with embarrassment, and whispered in Sokka's ear, "Sokka, that sounded really inappropiate."
Sokka looked at him with a confused expression, then realization began to dawn on his face. "Oh! We're not...we didn't..." He cleared his throat, excusing himself with a menu covering his blushing face. "Thank you for the tea."
Zuko couldn't but help but laugh at his awkward display. He was used to seeing Sokka as the confident cheapskate, so it was a nice change of pace to see him act like...well, him.
They chose a booth by the window, and Sokka began to strike up a conversation before they could even sit down. "Why do you know so much about tea?"
"Well...back home, I used to work as a server at my uncle's tea shop. My uncle's the best tea maker on the planet, and he's the one who made me appreciate it more. I was kind of like you, actually."
"Gorgeous and charismatic?"
"I was going to say rude and ignorant, but I suppose that works too."
Sokka had the decency to look ashamed. "Yeah, well, considering recent events, I guess that's fair."
An awkward silence filled the room.
"Actually, speaking of recent events...there's something I've been wanting to ask you about. When you were talking to Jet-"
Zuko was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of their tea. The poor server was holding three different trays, all filled to the brim with cups of tea. He was trying to desperately not to drop them all. Sokka immediately stood up to help him, balancing one of the trays for him.
"Thanks, man," he gasped, neatly setting the trays out on the table.
"No problem," Sokka replied, chipper.
Zuko smiled at him, pleased that Sokka was being the nice guy Suki had claimed he was. He supposed she wasn't that far off.
Sokka stared at the assortment of teas, seemingly overloaded with choices. "So...what do you think I should start off with?"
Zuko paused, taking in the shop's selection. "I suggest you start off with the more gentle, calming flavors before moving into the stronger, earthier ones. My first choice would be a nice ginseng, then some soothing jasmine, and work way through the trays until you get to stuff like matcha and black."
Sokka clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "Great! Um...which one's ginseng?"
For the next couple of hours, Sokka taste tested different types of tea accompanied by Zuko's 'expert' opinion. Sokka's personal favorites seemed to be the middle tray, such as green and Earl Grey. The stronger ones appeared to be his least favorite of the bunch. Zuko had to laugh out loud when he tried the matcha tea.
"Aaauggh...who decided it was a good idea to distill dung into a liquid?" Sokka spluttered angrily, drinking a glass of water to rinse his mouth.
Zuko chuckled at his reaction. "That was only a taste of what you served me this morning." After Sokka's indigniant protests died down, Zuko brought the conversation back to what had been on his mind.
"Sokka...from my foggy memories, I can still remember your confrontation with Jet last night. Based on what you said, it sounded you like knew him. I hope I'm not being too intrusive, but I just really wanted to know how you knew him."
Sokka's usual bravado diminished, and he fiddled with his napkin anxiously. "It's...a little complicated. The gist of it is that Jet used to be my sister, Katara's, boyfriend. I never liked him that much, because I mean, what kind of pyschopath eats a burger with a knife and fork? But he made her really happy, and as long as that stayed, I wasn't going to interfere. Then one night, Jet went to a party without her. Katara decided it would be a fun idea to surprise him there, because she was originally too busy with school to come. She arrived, and she saw him pulling that same stunt he pulled with you. He didn't even notice Katara was there that night. I still remember sitting in my truck, about to drive off, when all of a sudden Katara runs after me, bawling her eyes out. Jet never saw that, and I don't think Katara ever told him what she saw. She simply texted him the next day to tell him that they were over. What did Jet do? Nothing. Suki saw him with another girl about a week later. Now he shows up here, and he's still up to his old tricks, thinking he can talk to me like I'm his best friend." Sokka practically spat his words out at the end.
Zuko shifted in his seat, thinking about his story and what it said about Sokka as a brother. Would Azula ever care that much about him? Please. The idea of her even giving him a hug out of her own free will was laughable.
"Thanks for telling me about this. I know it's probably uncomfortable seeing him again, then recounting your experience to me the very next day."
"It's not a big deal. I probably would have told you about it at some point anyway. Speaking of sisters...do you have any siblings?"
At that very moment, Zuko 'accidentally' dropped his teacup, causing the cup to shatter along with Sokka's train of thought. After apologizing to the server, and thinking they'd probably outworn their welcome by now, they paid up their forty yuans and left the store.
"You know, I think I might actually like tea more than coffee," Sokka exclaimed, excitedly explaining tea experiment ideas.
Zuko laughed and shoved him. "Next time, let me help you. We don't want you poisoning me again."