Jealousy
Chapter summary: Azula and Sokka wake up naked in bed together after getting wasted at a party. While struggling to figure out what this means for them, a series of misunderstandings leads them to the answers they need.
Chapter rating: M
Chapter genres: Humor, Romance
Sokka awoke to what he thought was an earthquake. He was shaking, the bed was creaking, he felt disoriented, someone was yelling… his eyes begrudgingly fluttered open. The sunlight peeking in through the curtains was giving him a blinding headache. He felt sick to his stomach and like he needed to sleep for another decade or so. Realizing he had partied way too hard the night before, he closed his eyes again and tried to ignore the voice that was bothering him.
"Don't you dare go back to sleep on me, water peasant!"
"Too… loud…"
"I can't believe this," she grumbled. "I can't believe I let you do this to me. I'm such a fucking idiot, I swear – "
"What happened?" he asked listlessly, just wanting to go back to sleep. Of course, he knew whose bed he was in and who was yelling at him, but his mind was currently drawing static as he tried to replay the events of the previous night. All he could remember was going to Zuko's weird apology party for Jet.
"What do you think happened, genius?!"
"I drank too much…"
"Yes, clearly, as did I. But why do you suppose we're in bed together naked?!" She released an aggravated sigh.
"I always sleep naked," he said nonchalantly. "Wait…" Slowly, he rolled over to his side and faced the angry woman keeping him awake. Seeing that Azula was still naked, though covered by a thin bedsheet, he grinned. "Oh, that's right. We fucked. That's so awesome."
"Maybe for you," she huffed. "I can't remember a damn thing."
"I'm happy to refresh your memory," he said suggestively, his grin spreading. "After I'm not so hungover…"
"Is that what you'd like?"
"I mean…" He chuckled. "I'm not opposed to it."
"You're unbelievable," she said indignantly, wrapping the bedsheet more tightly around her as she sat up.
"What? Oh, come on. So we hooked up, what's the big deal? You were the one who seduced me, after all."
"I did no such thing!"
"So what you're saying is that I seduced you?" he challenged, smirking.
"Ugh," she groaned, getting up out of bed. She proceeded to get dressed for the day.
Despite the heaviness of his eyelids, he couldn't help but watch her. She was so breathtakingly beautiful. Too bad she was so upset. And he had no idea why. He didn't think he had done anything wrong.
"I'm going to get breakfast – "
"Wait. Just… why are you mad at me?"
"I'm not," she muttered unconvincingly.
He raised his eyebrows. "You're not… in love with me, are you?" he teased.
"WHAT?! Have you lost your mind?!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Geesh." He sighed exasperatedly. "But in all seriousness, did this… mean something to you?"
"Did it mean something to you?"
"I asked you first!"
She rolled her eyes. "This is pointless." She stormed out of the bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.
Frustrated, he pulled one of her pillows over his head to block out the sun. Regret instantly washed over him. 'What's the big deal?' he had asked her. What a stupid thing to say. It was a big deal. It was for him anyway. Azula was the first woman he slept with since Suki left him. For Ty Lee. About a year ago. While he had been on some dates with other women since then, they never really went anywhere. Something was missing. That yearning, that flame. The flame that he had evidently felt for Azula, at least last night. Or maybe it had just been the alcohol talking…
Azula cursed at herself as she made her way to the dining room. She had acted irrationally. She really didn't have a good reason to be angry with Sokka, and yet, she was. But why? Delving deep into her emotions was never her strong suit, but she clearly had some issues to figure out.
She had never reacted so volatilely before after spending a passionate night with someone. Not that there had been many of those occasions, only a modest handful. Ever since her return to the palace, serving as her brother's political adviser, and creating a new reputation for herself – one that wasn't so… unhinged – she has had her choosing of male suitors. It took some getting used to, having men pursue her for once, but the change was a welcome one. And from time to time, she'd find herself in bed with the best and brightest. However, all of them eventually seemed to fall flat for her. She'd grow bored. These men were refined, well-spoken, intellectual, easy on the eyes, and yet… they lacked something. Something that Sokka, a mere peasant from the Southern Water Tribe, possessed. The ability to make her laugh.
Things were just easy with Sokka. He had been skeptical of her at first, as anyone in their right mind would have been, but after seeing how much Zuko improved as a world leader under Azula's guidance, he warmed up to her. Before long, Azula began to look forward to his visits to the Fire Nation. And truth be told… she may have developed a little crush on him. This crush was nothing more than a nuisance, however. Sokka and Suki had been going strong for years… up until they weren't. Azula had celebrated in silence after learning that Suki had broken up with Sokka for Ty Lee. But just because Sokka was single, that didn't guarantee he'd be interested in her. Even after she was able to get him into bed, that didn't guarantee anything. If his night had been anything like hers, he probably didn't remember much of it.
Maybe that's why she was so upset. Sokka was not the target of her anger, even if she acted like it. She was frustrated because she didn't remember sleeping with the man she'd been crushing on for so long. And she took her anger out on him for no good reason. She had probably completely blown her chance with him, if there had been any such chance at all. Stupid, stupid, stupid…
Azula slumped down in a chair in the dining room and sighed, neglecting the two other people who were already sitting there at the table.
"Rough night?" Zuko asked as he was finishing up his breakfast.
"You could say that…"
"Do you… want to talk about it?"
"No, I really don't," she murmured. "Although, there are some administrative tasks we need to discuss – "
"Let me get you some breakfast," he interrupted. "We can talk administrative stuff later."
"Fine." She had acquiesced only because she knew she was in no state of mind to talk about work, not while she was nursing her hangover. But she knew Zuko was trying to shirk his responsibilities too. He'd been doing so for the past few weeks. It had started with little things here and there, but soon Azula found herself covering for him much more than she should have been. She knew she had to get to the bottom of it, but… maybe that was a problem for tomorrow.
The handsome young man who was sitting next to Zuko pulled up a seat next to her as she waited. "Good morning, princess."
"Good morning…" She quickly scrutinized his face. "Please excuse my impoliteness, but have we met?"
"I'm Jet," he laughed. "We met last night. At the party."
"I'm so sorry," she chuckled softly, "I don't remember…"
"Yeah, you were pretty wasted."
"My apologies, I really don't drink that often – "
"Hey, no need to apologize for having a little fun." He flashed her a charming smile.
"Thanks…" She wondered for a second if he was trying to flirt with her. She'd never really been great at interpreting such things. "So how exactly do you and Zuko know each other?"
"Oh, you mean he didn't tell you?"
"Lately Zuzu's been keeping me in the dark about a lot of things…"
"We met during the war, on a boat to Ba Sing Se," Jet explained. "I had caught your uncle firebending his tea, and then when he and Zuko set up their own tea shop, I called them out for being firebenders, and then Zuko kinda had me arrested by the Dai Li. I was brainwashed, forced to fight against the Avatar, Long Feng nearly killed me, I spent the better part of a year in a coma and then had to undergo some intense physical therapy and actual therapy to get my brain, well, descrambled… but now I'm better and happy to be alive."
She stared at him blankly for a moment, at a loss for a proper response. "I, uhh… you make my time in the asylum seem like a walk in the park."
"Neither of us have had it easy," he said with a shrug. "Zuko's told me a lot about you, you know."
"Has he now? Well, he hasn't really mentioned you much at all. He sprung this 'apology party' on me with only three days' notice."
"That's Zuko for you," he laughed.
"So… has his 'apology party' worked? Have you forgiven him?"
Zuko made his way back to the dining room holding a plate of toast, eggs, and komodo sausage.
Jet looked up at him and smiled softly. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He turned his attention back to Azula. "Well, I don't want to get in the way of your breakfast. It's been a pleasure talking to you." He got up from his seat.
"Likewise."
He placed a hand on Azula's shoulder as he walked behind her. "I think we should get to know each other a little better. Maybe just the two of us." He gave her another disarming smile.
"Umm…" There was something shady about Jet, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her intuition told her he was a man of secrecy. She could also see straight through his charming act. He wanted something from her, but what? Yet another mystery for her to figure out. But if anyone could decipher what was going on, it was her. Worst case scenario, she would spend some time alone with a handsome man, one with whom she hadn't blown her chance yet. "Sure, that sounds lovely."
After sleeping for another hour or two, Sokka's stomach finally decided it would allow him to take in food and let him know with a loud rumbling. Groggily, he got himself up and dressed and started for the dining room. However, getting there without any disturbances was not in the cards for him.
"YEOW!" he yelped as he was suddenly yanked by his shirt and dragged into a bedroom.
Ty Lee closed the door behind her before crossing her arms and leaning against it as a barricade. "Okay, Sokka. Spill it."
"Spill what exactly?" he asked innocently, though he guessed Azula had already filled Ty Lee in on the hot gossip.
"Come on," she tried to coax. "I know what you did."
"Well if you already know, then I don't have much to tell you, now do I?!"
She narrowed her eyes at him, though she was never great at appearing threatening.
"Look, Ty, I don't know what you want me to say. So it happened. Azula and I had sex. I don't want to talk about it, and even if I did, I really don't want to talk about it with you, no offense – "
"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" she squealed, jumping up and down with delight.
"Wait… what's happening right now?"
"You and Azula have been doing this song and dance for so long, it was just a matter of time – "
"You mean you didn't know?! Azula didn't tell you?!"
"Well no, I mean, I'm sure she would have told me later today, but I just assumed from the way you two were flirting and unable to keep your hands off each other at the party last night that you spent the night with her…"
Sokka sighed and stretched his arms behind his head.
"So how was it?! Don't keep me in suspense here. Are you two dating now?!"
"I hate to disappoint you, but neither of us can really remember what happened last night, and now Azula's mad at me for some reason. As for dating, I don't think that's gonna happen…"
"Well do you want it to happen? You'd be the cutest couple ever!"
"You don't have to do this, you know. I already told you I forgive you for stealing Suki away from me. You don't need to feel guilty, and I don't need a matchmaker. I'm over her – "
"I know, I know," she assured. "And I'm not doing this for me, or for you for that matter. I'm doing this for Azula because she's my friend and I don't want to see her get hurt."
"Wait, so…" Suddenly it felt as if his hangover mystically disappeared and he was left feeling warm and giddy. "What you're saying is that Azula has feelings for me?"
"I didn't say that!"
He wasn't buying it.
"All I'm saying is that Azula is one of the world's most eligible bachelorettes. She's being pursued by super hot, elite men left and right, so you need to figure out how you feel about her before it's too late. She's not going to wait around forever. Sooner or later, someone will sweep her off her feet. Now, do you want to be that person or not?"
That was the question indeed. He and Azula had been flirting heavily for years, probably even before he and Suki called it quits if he were being truly honest with himself. He loved her laugh, her smile, the way her golden eyes sparkled in the sunlight. He loved her quick-witted nature and how she challenged him intellectually. He loved spending time with her and talking about anything and everything.
But as often as they flirted, they bickered. Sometimes their flirting and bickering were one in the same. It was complicated and confusing. He and Suki rarely fought, and he wasn't sure if that was something he wanted in a relationship. Not only that, but Azula never made herself vulnerable around him. She was always so guarded. And he was guarded too. While he was completely over Suki and happy for Suki and Ty Lee, the breakup had been difficult for him, the feeling of being so close with someone one moment and then losing that connection. Azula had the potential to break his heart, and he knew that. Their relationship could end up in flames, but did that mean she wasn't worth fighting for?
Azula tried to carry on with the rest of her day as normally as possible, and for the most part, she succeeded. She meditated, worked on her breathing exercises, trained, socialized with the rest of the house guests who were still in town for the party, and had a long chat with Ty Lee about what had transpired last night. Talking things out always made her feel a bit better, though she still had a lot of questions cycling in her head. She decided to try to gain some clarity in her usual thinking spot out in the royal gardens. When she got there, however, it appeared Sokka was trying to do the exact same thing. Her first instinct was to yell at him for being in her spot, but considering how she had acted this morning, she decided to take the high ground.
"Hello, Sokka. Lovely night, isn't it?"
"Oh, uh hey, Azula," he squeaked. "It sure is…"
"What brings you out here tonight? Stargazing?"
"Not exactly. I, umm, just had a lot on my mind."
"I know the feeling," she said, trying her best to sound sympathetic. "Well, if it will help put your mind at ease, I'm not mad at you anymore."
"Oh, well that's a relief – "
"Mind if I sit?"
"By all means," he smiled warmly at her, scooching over to make room for her.
She took a seat next to him on the bench overlooking the fire heliconias. They were quiet for a moment. Even through the vast field of flowers, she could smell his wintery scent. She had to fight the urge to rest her head on his shoulder.
"Was there something you wanted to talk about, princess?"
"Yes, actually."
He waited for her to elaborate.
"What can you tell me about Jet?"
"Wait… that's what you want to talk about?" He sounded bothered.
"Well, yes… unless there's something you'd like to talk about…" She hoped he would take her up on the offer, but she didn't get her hopes up.
"I, w-well you see, I guess – " he stammered before giving up and sighing out loud. "What did you want to know about Jet?"
Her lips thinned into a line. That was the problem with Sokka. He never opened up to her. Not about feelings anyway. Though, it's not like she opened up to him about her feelings either. "I don't know, what's his deal? What's he like?"
"Well, I've never really been the biggest Jet fan, though I am happy to see him alive and well. He did some sketchy things during the war, but I guess we all did, didn't we? The last time I saw him, the Dai Li had brainwashed him to fight Aang, but he broke through his compulsion and Long Feng tried to kill him and very nearly succeeded – I thought he was dead, though it was really unclear. All in all, Jet did stick his neck out for us when it mattered, so I guess he's a good guy. Why do you ask?"
"We had a conversation this morning and he mentioned wanting to spend some alone time with me," she shrugged with a slight smirk.
"What?! Alone time?! For what?!"'
"I'm not so sure, that's why I was asked for your insight…"
"W-Well, I guess I probably should have mentioned that he also tried to drown out an entire town in the Earth Kingdom just to take out the Fire Nation soldiers who were stationed there. Oh yeah, and also he made out with my sister, though he only did it to manipulate her. He's a charmer, that's for sure – "
"So what you're saying is that Jet's a good guy, but he's also a manipulative charmer." Her smirk spread upon hearing Sokka's change of tune.
"He can't be trusted."
"He can't be trusted, or you don't want me to trust him?" she challenged.
He opened his mouth to counter, but nothing came out.
"So he almost killed a bunch of innocent people during the war. Don't you think it's possible that he's changed since then? We've all changed, have we not? Don't you… believe in second chances, Sokka?"
"I do," he answered assuredly, gazing into her eyes. "Just… be cautious around him, okay?"
She nodded. "I will."
Maybe it was Ty Lee's warning about how Azula wasn't going to wait around forever, or maybe it was learning that Jet might be taking an interest in the Fire princess, but Sokka awoke the following morning with clarity. He liked Azula. And he wanted to be with her. He had probably known this for a while but refused to admit it to himself. But now it was time to swallow his pride and confess his feelings for her, however difficult that may be.
He shaved, fixed up his hair, dressed nicely, and confidently walked over to Azula's bedroom. This was it. He took a deep breath and knocked on her door. A few seconds later, she opened it wearing nothing but a tiny satin bathrobe. He smirked.
"Well, good morning, princess."
"Good morning, Sokka. You seem well-rested. Much more so than yesterday morning, that is," she teased.
"I am indeed," he smiled. "Mind if I come in?" He started pushing the door open before she could answer.
"Actually now isn't the best – "
"Huh?!" His stomach dropped. "Jet?!"
Jet was sitting cross-legged on Azula's mattress, wearing one of Azula's satin bathrobes. Since he was much taller than her, the robe barely covered him up at all. What the hell was he doing there?! Had he already made his move? Had he slept there last night?!
"Oh, hey, Sokka," Jet casually greeted.
He stood there in the doorway dumbfounded.
"Sokka," Azula tried to explain, "this isn't what it – "
"Save it," he cut her off, holding up his hand. "It's none of my business anyway." He stormed off, kicking himself for taking so long to ask her out. This was entirely his fault. And now it was time to drown his sorrows in food.
"So what do you think?"
"Huh, what?"
Azula's jaw clenched as her fingers tightened around the stacked papers in her hands. Recently, getting Zuko to do any work was like pulling teeth. And it was very clear that his mind was currently elsewhere, far from his responsibilities as Fire Lord.
"What do you think of the proposed treaty?"
He was quiet for a moment. "…What do you think?"
"Did you even read it?!" she snarled.
"Ummm…"
"Zuko! I am sick and tired of doing your work for you. You need to get it together! What is going on? Why are you so distracted?!"
"Azula, Azula, calm down," he tried to assuage, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "I am working… just not on that particular piece of legislation, which no, I did not read. Yet."
"Then on what exactly are you working, hm?"
"Well…" He gave her an awkward smile. "It's kind of a surprise."
"A surprise?" she asked incredulously.
"Yeah. I have a big announcement coming up, you'll see."
"No, I 'will not see'! I'm your political adviser, damn it! You can't keep these things from me!"
"All I can tell you is that I'm going to be repealing some outdated law and replacing it with a new, more modernized one."
"Tell me now," she demanded.
"I can't."
"My reputation is at stake here!"
"So is mine," he said gravely, staring intently into her eyes. "Look, I… I have to run."
"Zuko, no – "
"Don't worry. I'm making my announcement tomorrow." He smiled confidently. "Just be patient, okay?"
"No, are you kidding me?!" But it was too late. He was already out the door. Azula nearly lit the documents in her hands on fire. This was the final straw. Her brother was not allowed to keep secrets from her, not when it came to matters of the Fire Nation. She was going to find out once and for all what he was keeping from her, so, naturally, she followed him.
After bossing around the kitchen staff, Sokka walked into the living room with a plate full of various assorted Fire Nation meats. Fire Nation meat, in his humble opinion, was the best kind of meat. So spicy and flavorful.
He took a seat across from Mai, who was enjoying some afternoon tea. She gave him a weak smile, but it was pretty clear from her expression and lack of words that she would rather be left alone with her tea and not engage in conversation. However, given Sokka's mood, he decided to sigh dramatically at his seat to see if he could coerce her into asking what was wrong. Fortunately, she took the bait.
"Is everything okay?" she asked unenthusiastically out of politeness.
"No," he pouted, sighing again.
"You know, we don't have to talk about – "
"Come on, I'm sad!"
"Fine," she exhaled. "Tell me what's wrong."
"So, uhh, Azula and I kinda slept together after the party, and – "
"What do you mean 'kinda'?" she interrupted.
"We were both so drunk that neither of us remember doing it."
"Hm. Well I can't say I'm surprised. Honestly I'm a bit shocked you two didn't hook up sooner, given the way you two have been flirting so obnoxiously for so long…"
"Yeah, I guess it was pretty obvious to everyone but us," he chuckled half-heartedly. "I had finally worked up the nerve to tell her how I felt about her this morning, but it seems I'm already too late."
Mai's brow furrowed slightly.
"When I went to her room, Jet was on her bed and they were both wearing bathrobes…"
"What? No, that can't be right."
"I saw what I saw."
"But Jet is – " She stopped herself. "I was under the impression Jet was seeing someone else."
"Really? Who?!"
"I, uhh, it doesn't really matter who, but I have it on good authority that he's taken."
"That bastard," Sokka muttered, standing abruptly from his seat.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to confront him about this!"
"Sokka, I don't think that's a good – "
"I don't want Azula to get hurt."
"But what about your meat plate?"
"You can eat my meat – "
"Yeah, that's gonna be a 'no'…"
It was a good thing Azula had all that practice sneaking around the Fire Nation palace as a child. Her stealth skills were sure coming in handy. She stayed a good distance away from Zuko as she followed him, keeping out of his line of sight whenever he checked behind him. Eventually, he led her down one of the palace's many secret passages. She knew this passage would eventually open up to a large old portrait of one of the past Fire Nation royal families, behind which hid a rusty door that led to a bedroom of sorts. It was one of the few hidden safe havens in case the Fire Nation family was suddenly attacked. But what was Zuko doing in that room?
She didn't wait to find out. She cracked open the door to find… nothing. Zuko wasn't even in sight. She pushed the door open a little more to get a better view, but no one was in the room. There was an adjoining bathroom, however, so Zuko must have been in there. Hmm, how odd. Why would he opt to use this inconveniently placed bathroom when he could use a perfectly good one much closer to him? Was the Fire Lord bathroom shy?
All of a sudden, she heard water running and panicked. She crept inside the room the rest of the way, closed the door carefully behind her, and flung herself into the closet. The closet door was grated, but given the way they were angled, it would be difficult to see inside. She sighed with relief. Now all she had to do was play the waiting game.
Just as she had let her guard down, a strong, forceful hand clasped over her mouth and pulled her backwards. She tried to scream, but it was muffled by the hand. Instinctively going into fight mode, she formed a fist at her side, readying herself for an attack.
"Shhh, shhhh," a voice hissed in her ear. "It's just me." He spun her around to face him; she responded by forming a fire dagger in her fist and held it to his throat. "Whoa! Cut that out or you'll light this whole closet on fire."
"Sokka?" she asked, her voice in a loud whisper as she extinguished the flame in her hand. "What the hell are you doing in here?!"
"I could ask you the same question!"
They glared at each other in burning silence, neither one of them wanting to cave to the other. But eventually, Sokka gave in.
"I followed Jet here."
"Jet?" she questioned, wrinkling her nose. Nothing was making sense.
"Yeah, weren't you doing the same thing?"
"Why would I follow Jet?"
"Because you probably found out what I just found out."
"Which is…?"
"Oh shit, you really don't know?" He gave her a sympathetic look. "Jet's seeing someone else."
"Someone else? Sokka, I'm not seeing Jet – "
"But I saw you two this morning! In matching bathrobes!"
"Nothing like that happened between us! We just gave each other facials – "
"WHAT?!"
"Not those kinds of facials, ugh, if you had just let me explain instead of running away you would have learned that we were just having a spa day!"
"A spa day?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah, you know, facials, manis, pedis…"
His incredulous stare intensified.
"He said he wanted to get to know me better, and I thought it would be a fun bonding experience. And it was."
"And you didn't even think to include me?!"
"You want to have a spa day with me?"
"Of course I do! You know I love to be pampered!"
"Okay then, we'll have to do that sometime!"
"Great, I'll look forward to it!"
"Great, then why are we whisper-yelling at each other?!"
"I don't know," he said, his tone softening. "Because it's what we do. We fight."
It was just then that it finally registered how close he was standing to her in the closet. She pretty much had him backed up against the wall. Her heart was beating so quickly.
"So… if you weren't following Jet, then what were you doing?"
"I was following Zuko," she explained. "He told me he had some big announcement to make and some law to repeal, but when pressed about it, he refused to give me any information. So I thought I'd tail him and find out."
"And now we're both stuck in a closet."
"Indeed we are."
"So now what – "
"Wait," she cut him off by putting her finger to his lips. "The water stopped. Are… Jet and Zuko both in the bathroom together?"
"Yeah, I guess. I didn't know that was a bathroom, but I saw Jet go in there."
"They're definitely up to something. I don't like it one bit."
"What could they be possibly doing in there?"
She shrugged, but the lingering question was answered within the next minute, because Jet came bursting out of the bathroom in the nude holding Zuko up by his bare ass while Zuko had his legs wrapped around Jet's waist.
"Sweet Spirits!" Azula gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth as she turned to Sokka in horror.
"What? What's going on?!"
"They're… they're fucking!"
Sokka's blue eyes doubled in size. "No way!"
"I didn't know… did you know Zuko was gay?"
"No! And I'm mildly offended he didn't tell me… or hit on me!"
"Well what do we do now?! Do we just… wait for them to finish?" She stole another peek out through the grated door.
"I don't know, I've never been in this situation before! But whatever it is we do, we probably shouldn't watch them. Azula…"
"What? It's a morbid curiosity!"
"You know…" A sly smirk spread across his face. "…they don't have to be the only two to get lucky right now…"
"Are you serious?!"
"Well, I – " He sighed exasperatedly. "Look, I know this is the exact wrong time to tell you this, but… I like you, Azula."
Her heart stopped at the words.
"I'm crazy about you. I guess I have been for some time but couldn't bring myself to admit it. I was going to tell you this morning – that's why I went to your room, but then – "
"You saw Jet and thought we were hooking up."
"Yeah, which seems silly in retrospect, but I had no idea Jet was gay or your brother was gay and that they were doing it. In the butt," he added with a chuckle.
She rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's shitty that we can't remember our first time jumping into bed together, and I think we should fix that. What do you say?"
"I say…" She snaked her hands around his neck. "Fuck me right here in this closet."
Fervidly pressing his lips to hers, he shoved her up against the wall.
Perhaps several misunderstandings had led to this moment, but if one thing was certain, hooking up with Azula sober was infinitely better than having her while drunk. Not that it was a high bar considering he didn't remember much of it, but this, taking her hard in this closet was something he'd remember for the rest of his life. It didn't matter how cramped it was in there, or how they had to struggle to keep quiet so they wouldn't get caught, it was finally happening and Sokka was going to make the most of it.
Or so he thought. Somehow in the heat of it all, a change of positions caused some unsteady footing, and before either of them could come to a satisfying finish, they tumbled through the closet door onto the floor in a naked heap. Unsurprisingly, Zuko and Jet started screaming.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Zuko shouted, covering himself up on the bed.
"I think they're doing what we were just doing…" Jet said under his breath, shifting uncomfortably.
"I can see that! But what are they doing here?! Zuko glared at the naked couple on the floor.
"Do you really want us to answer that now, or shall we put on some clothes first and then discuss?" Azula asked, holding Sokka close to her as not to expose herself.
Sokka gave the boys on the bed an awkward grin.
"Go get dressed," Zuko muttered.
Jet and Zuko shielded their eyes as Sokka and Azula scrambled back into the closet to throw on their clothes. Getting cockblocked like this sure wasn't ideal, but Sokka figured it was probably worse for the two gentlemen they so rudely interrupted by scaring them half to death.
"Okay," Zuko huffed, wasting no time getting back into the interrogation. "Now who's going to tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Sokka followed Jet here," Azula blurted before flashing an innocent smile at Sokka.
"W-Well you followed Zuko here – "
"Sokka," Jet cut in. "Why were you following me?"
"Because…" He sighed. "Because after what I saw this morning, I thought you and Azula were hooking up, which was obviously, obviously way off base, but then I ran into Mai, and she told me you were seeing someone else but she wouldn't tell me who, so I-I guess I thought I'd catch you with this other mystery person and confront you about it. And in a way, I guess I did."
"Why didn't you just ask me about it, you know, like a normal person?"
"I don't know! I got upset because I just didn't want to see Azula get played. And also… I guess I was a bit jealous. I'm sorry."
Jet shrugged. "Well that tracks."
"It doesn't explain why you were following me though," Zuko said to his sister, casting her a suspicious stare.
"It's because you've been so cagey with me lately! I needed to know what you had planned. I am your political adviser after all. But I guess… now that I've figured out your plan, I guess I should have trusted you more."
"And I shouldn't have been so careless with my Fire Lord responsibilities," he admitted. "I was clearly distracted…"
"And now I know why," Azula smiled.
He smiled back at her. "So, since you think you've put it all together now, what do you believe my announcement will be?"
"You're going to repeal Sozin's homophobic law outlawing same sex marriage."
Zuko nodded and then looked at Jet panicked. "N-Not that we've been talking about getting married or anything. We're still just getting reacquainted. But I just felt it would be hypocritical for me to continue to rule while this law was still in effect. I'm going to replace it with a new marriage equality law."
Azula nodded respectfully. "That's quite admirable."
"Yeah, Zuko. I'm proud of you," Sokka added.
"Thanks, buddy."
"And for what it's worth, I think you two make a handsome couple," Azula said with a proud smile.
"And what about you two, hm?" Zuko questioned.
"Yeah," Jet agreed. "Are you two gonna stop acting like idiots around each other now?"
Sokka reached for Azula's hand and held it gently in his own. "Yeah, I think so."
"I suppose," she said softly, giving his hand a light squeeze.
"That's great, and I'm really happy for you two and all, but now that you've figured yourselves out, can you kindly get the fuck out of this room so Jet and I can finish?" Zuko put his arm around his boyfriend.
"Ew," Azula scowled.
"Yeah, yeah." Sokka started pulling Azula toward the door. "We're leaving."
Azula was giddy with excitement as she and Sokka made their way back through the secret passage. She had finally landed herself a boyfriend, and not just any boyfriend. It was Sokka. After pining for him for so long, she finally had him. And it seemed he was just as crazy about her as she was about him.
"Okay, okay, who should we tell first?" Sokka grinned.
"Unfortunately, I think we're going to have to keep this secret a little while longer…"
"What, why?!"
"Look, I want to tell the world about us more than anything, if only to get all the suitors off my back, but with Zuko's upcoming announcement… I wouldn't want ours to overshadow his."
"Oh yeah. That's a good point."
"Thanks for understanding," she smiled up at him.
He returned the warm smile. "I was also thinking that maybe we should try and take things slow…"
"Were you now?"
"Well, we almost screwed things up by jumping into bed without thinking about it. I don't want to screw things up, I really want this to work out – "
"I'm not sure I can do that Sokka," she purred. "It's going to be really hard to keep my hands off of you."
"Well when you put it like that…"
"I was thinking we should finish what we started in that closet… but if you really want to take things slow – "
"Eh, you know what, that was a dumb idea," he chuckled. "Forget I said anything."
"Shall we reconvene in my bedroom then?"
He smirked. "I'd like nothing more."
Author's Note: I can't believe Sokkla Saturdays 2021 is over! It flew by so quickly. Thank you so much to everyone who read my stories, it really means everything to me. If you enjoyed my work, please feel free to leave me a review and/or favorite. It would be greatly appreciated! I'm going to go back to writing Helter Skelter, but after that I think I will continue the Prince Sokka, Peasant Azula AU. Thank you for your support!