Summary: In which Sokka finds out about the Blue Spirit, writes a play, and makes Zuko laugh.

"Out of curiosity," Sokka said the morning after he heard the story of Zuko's scar, "Is there any other secret you've been keeping that might traumatise us?"

Zuko had a lot, but his eye caught Aang's and he could help but grin.

"I'm the Blue Spirit."

"You're WHAT?"

"I'm not talking to you."

"Okay," Zuko replied, turning back to his swords.

Zuko would have made a bigger deal about it, but his focus was on trying not to laugh. It was way too much fun to see Sokka pouting around the house, caught between trying to ask him more questions than he can handle, and giving him the silent treatment.

"Katara, could you tell Zuko that his face looks uglier than usual today."

"TELL HIM YOURSELF!" she yelled back.

Sokka grumbled and went back to his art.

"Are you drawing the Blue Spirit?" Aang asked, and Zuko could just hear the teasing in his voice.

Sokka's ears turned red, "NO!"

Zuko choked back a laugh, disguising it as a cough best he could.

He could feel the glare digging into his back.

Zuko huffed, turned his right eye towards the other boy and glared back.

"What." Zuko demanded.

"You're the Blue Spirit!" Sokka yelled back, like it explained everything, "Katara, explain to him!"

Katara closed her eyes and slowly let out a breath, "Aang. Training. Now."

Aang whined, but let himself be dragged out of the Ember Island house. Suki and Toph had already left, citing the markets and information gathering. It was just Zuko and Sokka now. Sokka grumbled something under his breath.

Zuko went back to his swords, moving with careful, practiced movements as he -

Thunk.

"Did you just throw your monstrosity at me?"

"What do you mean monstrosity!" Sokka raged, "My drawings are art."

"Then why did you throw it?"

"Because - " Sokka paused, mind catching up to his actions, "Because!"

Zuko smirked, "I thought you weren't talking to me."

"I'm NOT," Sokka yelled back, sitting down next to him with a huff, "Are those - the - swords?"

Zuko bit his lips, trying to channel his inner Mai, "Great observation."

Sokka bumped his shoulder against Zuko's, "Don't be a jerk! This is why I still can't believe you're the Blue Spirit!" Sokka threw his arms up dramatically, "Just. What."

Zuko was starting to get offended by his disbelief, "I think we've already been over this."

Sokka scrunched his nose up, "Can't believe I had a crush on them …"

Laughter bubbled out of Zuko as heat climbed Sokka's face. He doubled over, trying not to embarrass the poor guy further.

"Is that why - " he gasped, trying to get himself under control, "The posters - "

"Shut UP!" Sokka shoved him, face red, "That was a LONG TIME AGO!"

Zuko clutched his stomach, shoulders shaking with mirth. His cheeks hurt - he couldn't remember the last time he had laughed this hard.

"Shut up, you jerk," Sokka mumbled.

Zuko leaned in, just close enough for comfort, grinning smugly, "Does that mean you had a crush on me?"

Sokka shoved him away roughly, heating up again, "You and the Blue Spirit are SEPARATE ENTITIES!"

"That's not a no - "

"SHUT UP!"

In the Water Tribe, stories were passed through word of mouth. Grandparents gathered the young ones around fires in the main hut and wove stories that had been passed on for generations. Sokka and Katara, when they had been old enough, had passed on those stories as well, under the supervision of Gran-Gran. Story-telling was a skill that the Tribes had long-since mastered.

The Earth Kingdom wasn't like that. They put their stories to paper, and though Sokka loved having something tangible to come back to, sometimes he found himself missing home. Missing the stories around fires, huddled together and speaking in hushed tones under the stars.

He stumbled across the Blue Spirit by accident.

It was late in a little village they stayed at, at the center of three crossing trade routes. It was more of a make-shift home to these people than an actual settlement, always ready to move as the war drew closer and the traders shifted.

There was a bard there, who told stories every night. That night, the bard sang about them.

See, the Blue Spirit wasn't a story, they were a legend. They travelled from town to village, port to city, running with the wind and sea. Elusive and ever-changing, shrouded in mystery and showing up only when the world needed them the most. They were not a story, they were a phantom, cast down by the heavens to bring balance to the world.

To some, they were salvation. To others, a mere pest. But to all, they were a tale for the night, huddled around fires against the chill of war.

Like the Water Tribe, the stories of the Blue Spirit were passed around by word of mouth, traveling in taverns and merchants and dancing out of reach from Fire Nation soldiers. A vigilante of the night, a harbinger of rebellion, a thief and a scoundrel, all in one.

And then, Aang admitted to being saved by the Blue Spirit.

"Tell me everything," Sokka demanded.

So. He had a little crush on the scourge of the Fire Nation. It wasn't a big deal, really.

The Ember Island Play was a bust. Sokka felt guilty for ever suggesting it.

Aang went to bed early and for once, so did Toph. Katara and Suki talked in low tones for a while, and fell asleep on the sofa - Sokka made sure they were comfortable before leaving them there.

Zuko was sitting outside, watching the ocean. Yue had not blessed them tonight, clouds rolling in as a sign of upcoming rain.

Sokka hesitated by the door before taking a seat beside him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

The silence between them was comforting. Sokka stared up at the sky, watching the clouds shift with the winds. His mind brought him to the Blue Spirit, how their stories would ride the winds as well, how they would follow the group all across the world.

"Oh," he said.

"Oh?"

"I just realised why the Blue Spirit's stories would always crop up near us."

Zuko gave him an amused look - jerk. He learned all that from Sokka, and now he used it against his own master.

For shame.

"That play was really something, huh?" Sokka said, "Can't believe you met the Blue Spirit."

"Handsome fellow, doesn't talk much though."

"Unlike someone."

Zuko bumped his shoulder against Sokka's, "Talking about yourself? You'll get an ego."

Sokka huffed. After a moment, he admitted, "I think that was the worst part of the play."

"Your ego?"

Sokka swatted at him, "No! The Blue Spirit! They didn't do them justice. Er - him - you - ?"

"Them," Zuko shrugged, "I guess. I don't know, I've always thought of them as a separate entity from me," he looked away, hands clasped together - something that Sokka had come to understand as a display of nervousness - "I don't know how to explain it."

Zuko hesitated, and Sokka could tell there was more to the story than he was willing to tell. With Zuko, there always was.

"The mask belonged to my mother," he said eventually, "I had it with me when I left. The ship's funding was low, and I was too well-known to go out as I am, so I used them instead."

"Humble beginnings," Sokka grinned, "When did you start becoming a vigilante then?"

"I met this awful Earth Kingdom noble once, a puppet minister for the Fire Nation really, and I stole from him. Gave it back to the people, and somehow they took that as a sign to rise up for themselves."

"Sounds like you - er, the Blue Spirit gave them hope."

Zuko shook his head, picking at the wood on the stairs they were sitting on, "No. They gave it to themselves. The Blue Spirit isn't much, just a mask."

Sokka would've tried to deny it. Would've tried to tell him the stories he knew about the Blue Spirit, the ones that they whispered in port-towns and little villages in the middle of nowhere.

But Zuko had that far-away look in his eyes, the kind that told Sokka that there was no getting through to him this time.

So instead he asked, "What was your favourite mission?"

Zuko's eyes lit up, lips turning up into a smirk, "Anything with Zhao, but this one time …"

Sokka found out that Zuko was a terrible story-teller (unless talking about his traumatic past, apparently), and he also found out that he didn't care, as long as he could hear the other boy speak.

Sokka's love for stories didn't come from his father, like everyone thought it did.

In fact, it didn't come from any man in the Water Tribe, though he was quite fond of their war stories as well.

It came from his mother.

This was something he held close to his chest, something only he truly knew. Katara had been too young then, to remember. They used to gather on Mom's lap, so small then that they could just about fit. Katara would doze off immediately, but Sokka would stay up.

Mom told the best stories, even better than Dad. Even better than Gran-Gran.

Her voice was soft in the beginning, but it would slowly build until it reached the climax, like music reaching a crescendo. She didn't tell tales of gritty battles, but rather the stories of Spirits, of divine beings that were unfathomable. The stories of Tui and La, of Agni and the domain he built to shelter the world, of Oma and Shu's love conquering the world.

Sometimes, Mom would get too enthusiastic, and wake up little Katara. Sokka and Mom would giggle quietly until she fell asleep again, before continuing their stories.

"I want to tell stories, when I grow up," Sokka said firmly, "Even better than your ones!"

Mom laughed, "And you will, Sokka. One day you will tell a great story, one that people will tell for years to come."

Only a few years later, Sokka would abandon his childish dream, as the spirits had abandoned him. What did he care for Tui and La, when his mother was dead and his Tribe was as good as? What did it matter, that Oma loved Shu, when his father was gone and he had a little sister to protect? Where was Agni, when his own children were the cause of this war?

The only Spirit Sokka ever grew to care for was the Blue Spirit.

They were cast aside from the very heavens that abandoned Sokka as well, after all.

It wasn't until after the war that Sokka got to sit down with Zuko again and talk.

You know. Man-to-man.

"I don't really like this colour," Sokka mumbled, looking in the mirror, "Too red."

Zuko hummed, fingers deftly undoing the ribbon in his hair and picking a new one, "What were you saying?"

"Oh yeah! Suki was in the colonies right? She sent me a letter saying a bunch of copy-cat Blue Spirits have been popping up there. Doing low-level crimes and not doing you justice."

The Firelord pouted, "Why didn't she tell me?"

"Because you were busy, jerk," Sokka grumbled, "Always too busy for your friends these days."

Zuko blanched, "I - I didn't mean to be - I mean - "

Sokka turned around placing a gentle hand on the other boy's arm, "I was kidding. She said her letter keeps getting lost down the line, so maybe look into that."

Zuko sighed, "I'll put it on my list."

"You have a list?"

"Of course I have a list."

"I have a list too!" Sokka gasped, "We can be list-buds."

"No."

"You're no fun," Sokka said, admiring the blue ribbon in his hair, "Can I do yours?"

"I have a meeting in five minutes - "

Sokka gave him a look. Zuko gave in. Sokka happily pushed Zuko into the chair and grabbed the comb.

"Are you going to do something about those Blue Spirits?"

"If they're only doing low-level crimes, I'll let the locals handle it."

"No I mean - " Sokka marveled at how utterly soft Zuko's hair was - Royal morons, and all that - "It's tarnishing their legacy!"

"What legacy?"

Sokka spluttered, "Your legacy. The Blue Spirit's legacy! Of justice and perseverance and - "

"The Blue Spirit died with the war," Zuko dismissed, a little terse, "And anyway, they weren't a saint. They stole too."

"Hush, no one needs to know that."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "I really don't understand what you see in m - them."

"You don't - " Sokka shook his head in disbelief, "How can you not understand? When I was traveling around the Earth Kingdom, they inspired me. Inspired so many people! Not to mention their ninja skills - "

Zuko shook his head, "How could they inspire anyone? They were too much of a coward to show themselves," his hands curled against his knees, "A faceless freak with too much time and no direction - "

There was a knock on the door. Zuko shot him an apologetic glance, "Sorry, meeting. Are you joining?"

"To glare at your ministers? Heck yes," Sokka swiftly tied Zuko's half-Water Tribe wolftail into a topknot.

"What is that supposed to be?"

"Multiculturalism."

Zuko shrugged. He walked into the meeting a proud Firelord, and Sokka glared at anyone who looked like they would dare to comment on his gorgeous new look.

But as the meeting progressed, Sokka could help but wonder about the Blue Spirit, about how Zuko had spoken about them. It was strange, how much Zuko seemed to hate themselves without even knowing -

"Holy Yue."

"What?" Zuko whispered, alarmed.

"You're the Blue Spirit," Sokka felt dazed, like after having too many sea prunes, "Wow, the Blue Spirit is the Firelord - "

It was very well known that the Firelord held his friends in high regard.

It was also well known that not even his friends were immune to being kicked out of the Firelord's court for being idiots.

Sokka kicked at stone grumpily, wandering into the courtyard where the rest of his friends were.

"I have an idea!" he declared to them.

Aang whooped, tired circles under his eyes telling Sokka that the kid really needed to get away from this Avatar business for a while, "What idea?"

"Zuko has been self-deprecating again - " Katara gave a motherly hiss - "And so we need to prove to him that the Blue Spirit was kind of awesome. So, we're putting on a play!"

"That's nice," Toph said, "But none of us know how to act."

"I know how to act," Aang offered, and no one was going to break his heart by disagreeing.

"We're not acting," Sokka explained, "We're going to write the script. See, the Blue Spirit's influence is in the colonies, and along the Earth Kingdom coast. We're going to collect their stories and put them together into one massive, kick-ass play. Who's with me?"

They were all with him, of course.

Sokka was right.

The Blue Spirit was special to the people in the coast and the colonies. They had brought more to them than they would ever know.

"They saved my daughter from this man - "

" - returned the grains to us - "

" - overthrew this nobleman - "

" - when a famine broke out - "

" - they sort of glared and those guys sort of ran away - "

"Broke into the stronghold," the Fire Nation general huffed, "Thrice."

Sokka smiled and waved as the guy walked away, seeming more impressed by the Blue Spirit's feat than angry. Toph whistled lowly as Sokka wrote down the latest account.

"I know you liked them," Toph said, "Didn't realise why."

Sokka nodded enthusiastically, "And we need to show Zuko. Since our words won't get through his thick skull …"

Toph snorted, "You are so dramatic. Reminds me of someone."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Kidnapping you is way too easy. You should look into your security, Zuko."

Zuko sank lower into the chair and glared at Suki, "It's not security that's the problem here."

Suki gave him an all too innocent smile. She settled into the seat next to him, "Wow, it's been a while since we came to one of these, huh?"

"Why are we here anyway?" Zuko asked, looking around the unfamiliar theater. From the people coming in, he had a feeling they were somewhere in the Earth Kingdom.

Suki sniffed, "Why can't you say thank you for the wonderful surprise, Suki, you're such a good friend."

"Thank you for kidnapping me."

Suki waved her hand dismissively, "No problem. Oh look, here are the others!"

Aang was the first to join them, smiling wide, "You wouldn't believe how much of a panic the Fire Nation is in!"

Zuko pouted, murmuring, "Maybe because you kidnapped their Firelord."

"Don't worry," Katara soothed, possibly the only one of them Zuko trusted right now, "I handled it."

"I made it worse," Toph said, way too proud.

"I hate you all."

"You're a terrible liar," Aang said cheerfully.

"And you're hanging out with Suki and Toph too much!" Zuko eyed the others, "And Sokka. Where is he, anyway?"

Katara frowned, "Good question. Wonder if he's backstage."

And really, that was all the warning Zuko got before the lights of the theater began to dim. Sokka arrived not a moment later, apologising for his tardiness. He didn't even glance at Zuko as the curtains opened.

It started with a man playing the duduk, and it was then that Zuko got the feeling he knew what this was about.

"Cast down from the heavens, from the Spirit World they came," the narrator began, his voice hauntingly soft, "Born to shadows and justice, abandoned by those who raised them. A balance of evil and good, at war with themselves. They came upon this Earth to enact vengeance to those who left ashes in their wake.

"This is the legend of the Blue Spirit."

Zuko felt his heart seize. He glanced at his friends, only to see them grinning back at him.

He didn't deserve this. And yet -

He settled back in his seat to watch, feeling something warm settle in his chest, as it often did when he was around these people he called family.

The story in the play was an exaggerated one, of spirits and justice and honourable comeuppance.

Only they knew what happened.

The Blue Spirit was born from a boy. They were not forged in the Spirit World or cast down from the heavens. Rather, they were born in a little room in the Fire Nation palace, where the boy sat with his mother, fascinated as she recited story after story, for every mask that she owned.

"I wish I could act again," Mother said ruefully.

Zuko, in the infinite wisdom of a five year old, said, "You can join the Ember Island Theater! I can join you too."

Mother laughed, "You'd make for a great actor."

Zuko pouted, "But Azula's a better liar than me."

"Acting and lying are not the same thing," Mother explained, "To be an actor is to become someone else entirely. To walk in the shoes of a thousand different people, to live a thousand lives."

She looked at him, her eyes serious, "To act, Zuko, is not to lie, but to reveal a truth many overlook."

"And they have to see it," Zuko prompted, "Because they're forced to watch! They paid for it after all!"

Mother smiled, "Yes, exactly. Who do you want to be, Zuko?" she asked, and later Zuko would remember that she wasn't looking at him anymore.

Zuko reached out tentatively, small hands grasping the blue mask, "I want to be like them. The Spirit of Justice, the scourge of evil and bringer of peace!"

Mother laughed lightly, "And you shall be."

Less than a decade later, the Blue Spirit would crop up in an Earth Kingdom village, corrupted and dying by Zuko's own nation's sins. They would bring justice, bring hope, bring peace, and they would leave before they even knew that they had done. Less than a decade later, the Blue Spirit would become a myth, then a vigilante, then a legend.

Less than a decade later, Mother would be gone, Zuko would no longer be a child, and the Blue Spirit would be so much more than a character in a play - they would be him.

They were cast aside from the very heavens that abandoned Zuko as well, after all.

After the play, the group took one look at Sokka and Zuko and bounded off to the surrounding markets. The moon hung above them, drowned out by the fiery glows of the lively street. Aang and Suki had run for a game that involved more shooting than Zuko was strictly comfortable with the two participating in, and Katara and Toph had headed for food.

Sokka gestured to a private bench, a little further away from the lights, and Zuko went willingly. He still hated crowds, and he couldn't imagine the scandal that would be caused if someone found the Firelord in the Earth Kingdom.

"Did you like it?" Sokka asked, uncharacteristically nervous.

I loved it. It was amazing. How can I ever repay you? Thank you. There were simply too many things to say, so Zuko blurted out dumbly, "Yeah."

Sokka grinned like he understood, "I'm glad. A lot of people came together for it. Like I said, the Blue Spirit is pretty popular."

"They are," Zuko marvelled.

"Finally got it through your thick head, did I?"

"Your head is thicker," Zuko retorted, maturely.

Sokka laughed it off, sinking into his seat bonelessly, half of him leaning against Zuko.

"You know, I never asked - well - why do you like them?"

"Huh," Sokka said, staring up at the sky, "I suppose I've always felt a kinship with them."

"You?" Zuko asked, wondering how the Avatar's Master Strategist had anything in common with the Blue Spirit at all.

"Yes me," Sokka huffed, "Non-bender vigilante who had epic ninja skills. Who didn't seem like they belonged anywhere and who … seemed to try so hard, despite the odds."

"O -Oh," Zuko stuttered, "Are we still talking about the Blue Spirit?"

"In a way," Sokka gave him an amused glance, "You know my favourite story of theirs though? The one where …"

Sokka was a really good story-teller, which Zuko already knew of course. But even if he hadn't been, Zuko knew he wouldn't have minded listening to the other boy speak for hours.

Ember Island hadn't changed much since all those years ago, keeping its rustic, get-away charm. The beaches were more populated now, and the house Zuko had built in place of Ozai's old one stood proud still. He had planned to give the land back to the people, but his fond memories of his real family kept him from doing so. Now, his family used it for holidays - when Aang needed a break from being the Avatar, or when Suki wanted to train her newest recruits, or when Toph wanted to practice sand bending, or when literally any of them just wanted an excuse to be together.

Zuko sat on the porch, staring fondly over golden sand. He was getting old, if the pain in his back was any indicator. But he didn't want to move, bathing in Agni's light as he was. Izumi was a gem, letting him get away for a little bit while she handled state matters. Soon, Zuko would be ready to hand over the crown to her.

The first female Firelord. Azula would be proud, even if she would make a snide comment about it somewhere down the line. Not that anyone minded anymore, far too used to her.

Things had changed so much, since they had all been so young. Before Sozin's comet, it had felt like he was all grown up. But now, even at this age, he could see that there was still so much growing up to do.

"Hey," a voice said from behind.

Zuko craned his neck and smiled at Sokka, "Hey."

The other man takes a seat next to him, grumbling about his knees. The silence that settled between them was familiar and comforting.

"Been a while since we could get away like this, huh?" Sokka said.

"Yeah," Zuko glanced towards the theater, its tickets for the next show having been sold out days ago, "We should go see a play sometime."

"Avatar state, yip yip!"

Zuko laughed, "I wish they still showed that in theaters."

"Nah, they show something better now," Sokka gestured with his arms, making a great show of being a commentator, "The Legend of the Blue Spirit! In theaters, now!"

"I'm pretty sure they stopped showing that ages ago as well."

Sokka scrunched up his nose, "They wouldn't know amazing stories if it hit them! Kids these days … didn't know the Blue Spirit like we did."

Zuko bumped his shoulder against Sokka's, "No, they didn't."

"Handsome fellow," Sokka winked, "Doesn't talk too much though."

"Sounds like someone I know."

Sokka grinned, shifting so that they were pressed closer. They began settling back into the quiet again -

"Oh my Yue, I can't believe you're the Blue Spirit - "

"Sokka..."

"I'm sitting next to the Blue Spirit - "

"Sokka."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop."

Zuko huffed, relieved.

"Just one thing - "

Zuko groaned.

"Can you sign my Blue Spirit mask?"

"I already did - "

"It's not like I get to see you often."

"We literally live toge - "

"Please?"

Zuko closed his eyes, and knew he had already given in.

"Yeah, this Painted Lady figure," Suki was saying, "Took down a factory. Kind of badass."

Katara smiled, "Oh, that. That was me - "

"Huh. Epic."

A/N Sorry this took so long!

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