Suki couldn't help but marvel at the opulence of the zeppelin. She knew that for the average citizen, the Fire Nation was the wealthiest nation on the planet. But this was a step beyond anything that she could have thought up. Gold leaf covered the edges and corners of not only the furniture, but doorways as well. Stained wood railings lined the corridors, and the cushions in the rooms were sumptuous velvet and silk. They'd kicked off the half dozen staff that Azula had brought with her at the Boiling Rock, and between Sokka and Zuko's intuition they managed to get the zeppelin underway.

She'd wandered unaided for a while before stumbling across the lounge. Presumably so that the officers wouldn't have to mingle with the crew, it was well appointed with all of the luxuries that she'd expect. Predictably, Sokka had found the stash of booze. Hakoda had gently chided him before Chit Sang convinced the other man to let 'the kid' indulge a little. Not everyday you break out of prison, indeed.

Smiling at the antics of father and son, she almost missed Zuko sitting in the corner, a snifter of amber liquid in his hand as he looked at the pair, Chit Sang laughing beside them, with a strange look on his face.

"So I see that the terrible two found the alcohol stores." She said, sitting on the plush sofa beside him. "I certainly hope that you didn't have any plans on having left over."

He raised the bottle of amber liquid that he'd slipped between the wall and couch beside him. "Uncle always had a bottle of huó dù aboard the Wani." She gave him a blank look, and a hint of color appeared on his regal cheekbones. "The Wani was my ship. Before Zhao hired pirates to blow it up while I was still aboard." She tried to school her expression, but judging by the look he gave her, she'd failed.

"I guess.. Say what you will about the Fire Nation, they're as ruthless to each other as they are to the rest of us?" Saved it. Whew. Way to go, Suki.

"No, that's just Zhao. Well, that was Zhao. And the rest of my father's cronies. The Fire Lord could choose to keep the previous Fire Lord's council or pick his own, and Ozai replaced most of grandfather's men." He snarled and had to visibly compose himself before offering her the bottle. "There's a few more glasses in the cabinet beside you, if you're interested."

She took it and sniffed the open bottle, shoving it away at the caustic scent, much to Zuko's amusement.

"Really? And here I was thinking that you were a badass." He raised his own glass and sipped at it, laughter dancing in his eyes.

Suki never could resist a challenge. Locking eyes with him, she lifted the bottle and drank a mouthful straight from it.

Fire. My throat is on fire. Eyes watering, she could feel her chest heaving as she tried to hold back the cough. The shock in his eyes had faded back to amusement. "Looks like you get to keep your reputation, Miss Angwar." Damn right, I do. This isn't that much worse than the rotgut they serve at the tavern back home.

She took a moment, letting the potent alcohol settle and the burn fade from her throat. Zuko's attention drifted away from her and back to the Water Tribe pair and Chit Sang. They'd cracked into another bottle of huó dù, and Hakoda was slapping Sokka on the back as he handled his first drink a lot worse than she had.

"Hey Suki? Can I ask you a personal question?" He kept his eyes on the others, maybe unwilling to look her in the eyes.

"I don't see why not. I feel like I owe you, after you helped get me out of the Boiling Rock."

He scowled, but didn't turn to her. "That's not why I did it. It was the right thing to do. So if that's why you'll answer, don't bother."

"Whoa, touchy, aren't we?" She'd set the bottle down on the floor beside her, and gently set her hand on his tensed shoulder. "I didn't mean anything by it. Hit me."

"Sorry. It's just… court is all about how you say things, and more importantly what you don't say. It's taking some time to get used to normal people again." He took a deep breath. "So Sokka and Hakoda… is that normal?" Zuko gestured at them, the alcohol coating the sides of his glass as it rocked back and forth.

"From what I can tell… yeah. I wouldn't know." She shrugged. She'd long since come to terms with growing up without a father, and knowing the truth now, she felt like she was likely better off for not having known him. "Growing up, it was just me, mom and Sena. There was Elder Oyaji for some things, but it just wasn't the same, from what I could tell watching the other families."

Zuko shuffled awkwardly for a moment, setting down his glass and holding his arms out. "It's not something that I'd offer just anyone, but… do you need a hug?"

Her body moved before she could even process it, snuggling in underneath his arm, leaving it lying over the back of her neck as she grabbed his other arm. "Oh Zuko, you really are learning to live with us barbarians, aren't you?" She could feel the tension and indignation roil to the surface, so she did the first thing that came to mind.

She turned up her head, stretched, and kissed his cheek.

A long moment of silence passed between them as both of their faces instantly burned a bright crimson.

Oddly enough, she didn't feel the need to automatically retreat and apologize, and even more strangely, he just sat there, stunned into silence. She could distantly feel the thundering of his heart against his chest with her arm

"I think… I think that Uncle was more of a father to me than my own." Zuko broke the silence at last. She looked up resist the urge to kiss him again and noticed him rubbing his eye. No, not his eye, his scar. Her heart broke again as she remembered when Oyaji had told her the story, the real story, of why Zuko had been out hunting for a person thought lost to history, a mission with no real chance of success. His own father. She snorted. Hey Zuko, we both have monsters for dads, want to go find a dark corner and cuddle for a while?

He shook her out of her thoughts with a light poke against her stomach. "What's so funny?"

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing. Just funny how things work out sometimes, you know?" She gave him a little smile and settled deeper into his arms. This time, when the silence fell between them, it was comfortable. Not filled with tension like it'd been that time at Full Moon Bay, or horrifically embarrassing like it'd been a minute ago when she'd kissed him. No, this was an easy silence, one filled with a quiet acceptance.

"Hey lovebirds, you're looking pretty cozy over there." Chit Sang's voice boomed through the room as he laughed, and the Water Tribesmen finally looked over to see them sitting on the loveseat.

Their twin blushes that had finally managed to die down erupted back onto their faces, and Suki reluctantly pulled herself from Zuko's arms, getting up and giving him a rueful smile. Well, it was nice while it lasted. He's weirdly warm, but it's kinda nice? When she turned back around, she just barely caught the look of betrayal and hurt spread across Sokka's face as he left the room at a speed that was just barely below what could be considered fleeing. She sighed and ran her hands through her hair, cursing silently.

I'm going to have to talk to him.