At this point he couldn't even begin to recall each and every one of the myriad encounters that he had had with the Princess. Sokka remembered the first liaison well enough. It was in the training grounds, late in the afternoon. The imperial firebenders had finished their practice for the day and the grounds were empty except for Azula and himself. They had fought before of course, while the war still raged. When they were still kids, really.

It was impossible for him to ever forget the memory of their first time together. When it started, Sokka wasn't sure if she was attempting to kill him or seduce him. With the Princess, maybe there was never a difference between the two. They had been fighting for what felt like hours. Azula's bending which was already impressive, had grown to new heights with her new found mental acuity. Having a stable relationship with her brother and newfound sister had brought Azula the peace of mind to hone her skills to a level beyond she had ever been.

Sokka hadn't been idle after the conflict ended either. He traveled the world with Master Piandao for a couple of years, helping the White Lotus settle disputes and establish balance in the world. Afterwards he had settled in the newly founded Republic City. He honed his physical talents by helping Toph train her band of nascent metalbenders. Sokka was no longer the scrawny boy who had invaded the Fire Nation all those years ago. He was a councilman, a leader of men, a great warrior.

Naturally, he had been getting his ass kicked, absolutely. Her attacks were powerful and precise. It had taken every ounce of his ingenuity and skill to avoid and bat away her attacks. Against a firebender of her abilities, his only hope was to reach the Princess and engage her in close combat. By the time he had closed to within striking distance he was panting. His limbs ached and protested with every movement. He swung the blunted training sword towards her torso, hoping to land a debilitating blow.

Azula twisted away from him spinning like a ballerina, a feral grin standing out against her otherwise perfect features. Sokka had gulped nervously, aware that his defeat was imminent. The Princess had continued her pirouette, a leg dropped low and took out his footing, knocking him on the flat of his back.

She jumped atop him, straddling his waist and pinning his arms above his head forcefully. Sokka was stronger than her by leaps and bounds. Even in his exhausted state that much was true. Yet, as he lay under her, he thought that it wasn't quite so bad. Azula glared down at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

She really was the most beautiful woman in the world. Suki, Ty Lee, even his once beloved and subsequently lost, Yue paled in comparison. None of them could hold a candle to the ethereal brightness that was the Princess of the Fire Nation. Sokka's will was broken before her lips came crashing against his.

For almost two weeks after their first dalliance, Azula basically ignored him. That wasn't anything new in particular. They never really had conversations other than sniping back and forth at dinner or debating the finer points of logistics at council meetings. The last three of the aforementioned council meetings, the Princess had withdrawn and displayed none of her customary derision at the plans proposed by Zuko. It had fallen to him and him alone to try and reign in the Fire Lord's worst impulses and decisions.

His head was fuzzy everytime that he looked at the Princess. She was like no one he had ever been with before. That one encounter was enough to ruin all other women for him. He wanted more, he needed more. Her scent was intoxicating. His thoughts were filled with the memory of their bodies, sweaty and pressed against each other.

Sokka left the Fire Lord's office alongside the Minister of the Treasury. Izail was a harsh man, but Sokka respected his acumen, even if the pair didn't always agree. They often had fundamental disagreements on the value of tariffs, especially in regards to trade with the nascent Republic City.

The two were chatting animatedly as they walked down the hall. They were interrupted by a loud clearing of a throat. The pair turned around and Izail quickly bowed low in a sign of deference. Princess Azula came between the two advisers. She inclined her head slightly.

"Minister Izail, thank you for your words of wisdom today. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to borrow the councilman. He has some expertise on a matter that only he can satisfy." Azula finished with a tone that brooked no disobedience. She was sending away the Minister.

Izail for his part, understood instantly what was occurring. He completed another customary bow and vacated the hallway with some haste. Azula waited for the minister to round the corner, before she glanced both ways down the hall before dragging Sokka into an unused meeting room. Sokka was confused, and half expected her to attack him, for some slight that came from their lovemaking a fortnight ago.

Instead, she jammed a wooden chair against the door handle, blocking entry for any interloper. Azula turned around and glared at him. She eyed him greedily, like a piece of meat at the butcher. Like he was waiting to be carved up and delivered. The Princess impatiently tapped her foot with her arms crossed.

"Peasant, you should have already been disrobing, you're wasting valuable time, and we both know you have to be in Zuzu's office in thirty minutes." Azula drawled.

Confusion at how Azula knew the ins and outs of his daily schedule was replaced with thoughts of lust. She wanted him to disrobe. She wanted him again. Thoughts of that night with her had filled his every waking dream. Azula lingered on his mind and in his thoughts. She was like an itch he couldn't quite scratch. After their first tryst ended, Sokka was wistful and mournful that their time together had come to a close. Even in the middle of their carnal act, he knew that he would never find a woman as magnificent or fantastic again.

Yet now, she had sought him out again. An emotion more powerful than any other in the world, rose unbidden in his chest. Hope. He had never stripped out of his clothes faster.

For the next meeting, Azula waited far less time to enact her plan. Sokka had been on the way to the kitchen for a late night snack. The chefs and the rest of the kitchen staff were already in bed, but somehow the Princess was waiting for him. She was wearing only a crimson silk robe that was open down the middle, revealing everything that mattered. She didn't have to say a word. She did, however, slap the biscuit that Sokka smuggled out of the tin and had tried to eat out of his hand as she pulled him close and against her body.

That night was the first time that the pair had almost been caught. One of the chefs had come in early to begin preparing the various pastries that would be served at breakfast. Azula, thankfully knew a side exit used by some of the servants and they were able to slip away and out of the kitchen. Azula had categorically denied allowing him to spend the night in her room, to minor grumbles from Sokka.

Their fourth time was the very next evening. The Kyoshi Warriors had returned from an overseas trip to Ba Sing Se at Zuko's behest. They had a small feast in honor of their return and Zuko and Suki were shameless in their outward displays of affection. Only matched perhaps by Ty Lee's open flirting with him. Sokka might have been more receptive to her advances as he had once been, but ever since his relationship (if it could even be called that) with Azula had started, he didn't want to look in the direction of another woman, much less dare to do so with Azula so nearby.

The acrobat had made a beeline to sit next to him, only to be scared off with a glare from the Princess. The two had never been on good terms since the incident at Boiling Rock. Azula sat next to him for the entire dinner, only making a few scathing comments about his lack of table manners and decorum. Yet, again when they left the dining chambers, Azula pulled him discreetly into an unoccupied closest and proceeded to have her way with him.

After another month of occurrences similar to those, it began to dawn on Sokka that what they were doing wasn't entirely a physical relationship. Sure, they were having sex, mind-blowing, unbelievable, passionate sex, but they were also enjoying each others company more and more. They lingered after each encounter in each other's embrace longer and longer. They had never spent the night together, but he thought Azula had come close.

She had taken him forcefully in his office in the middle of the day, making him late for a meeting with the Minister of agriculture, so Sokka had assumed he wouldn't see her again until the next day. However, that night she had snuck into his personal bed chambers wearing naught but a dark onyx robe. As the pair basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking, (a name that Sokka referred to their activities as, and that constantly caused Azula to roll her eyes or scoff) Sokka thought she might actually spend the night with him. He dozed off with her in his arms, yet when he awoke the firebender was gone, vanished into the darkness of the night.

Their affair continued off and on over the course of the next year. Surviving even when Sokka had returned to Republic City. The Princess visited the city with some regularity, as an ambassador working on behalf of the Fire Nation. He still wasn't sure the specifics of how she had convinced Zuko or his ministers to allow that one, but Azula was the very definition of scary when she was determined to get what she wanted.

Sokka visited the Fire Nation capital as often as he could, oftentimes on the flimsiest of pretenses, but thankfully Zuko in all his obliviousness never noticed. One evening after a vigorous session of lovemaking on the royal balcony, Azula snuck into his chambers at the hour of the wolf and settled into the bed next to him. She hadn't said a word, merely threw her arm over his body and nestled her head against his chest. Sokka figured it was as close as she would ever come to admitting they were in a relationship.

Loud stomping and voices on the other side of the double oak door, shook Azula and Sokka from their intimacy. The Princess grabbed the bed sheet and rolled under the bed in a fluid motion. She left Sokka with only a pillow that he draped poorly over his crotch. The door opened and the only possible person it could be, entered the room.

"Uhhh, hey Zuko. I kinda lost my clothes and I need to borrow yours." Sokka said weakly.

He thought he heard a groan or maybe it was a stifled laugh from underneath the bed. He kicked the post of the bed in response.

"I knew you were lying about being over Suki!" Zuko exclaimed in an accusatory manner.

Sokka threw up his hands in protest, before realizing that he bared himself to the world, or at least his friend. "Hey, I haven't been with Suki for a long time. I'm pretty sure the only one whose slept with her in the last year has been you, Fire Lord."

He had to admit he enjoyed the look on Zuko's face as he sputtered out a denial. "H-H-How'd you find out? Why would Suki tell you?" the sovereign whined.

"She didn't tell me, that'd be weird if she was disclosing that. No, she told Ty Lee. You know how the Kyoshi Warriors are...I hooked up with Riyu once after Suki and I… broke up, somehow they all knew in twelve hours. Absurd, right?"

Zuko ignored him, face reddening. "But why would Ty Lee tell you?"

Sokka shot his friend an incredulous look that was the equivalent of asking "Really?"

"Okay. Yeah, you're right Ty Lee told probably everyone didn't she?" Zuko rubbed his forehead in a manner betraying his stress levels.

"Yup. I'm pretty sure at this point even the Earth King knows." Sokka shot back at him whilst grinning.

Zuko gave a groan of dismay before eyeing the water tribesman warily. "That still doesn't explain who you were here with. AND IN MY BED SOKKA!" Zuko's voice rose as he recognized that he would assuredly need his sheets changed, as well as maybe a new mattress before going to sleep tonight.

Sokka felt Azula's hand tap impatiently at the top of his foot. The Princess clearly was not enjoying her hiding place under the massive four poster bed that they had just recently defiled. "Well, it's not really that important Zuko. I uhhh- I apologize for being in here. It won't happen again." Sokka did his best to appear bashful.

Azula pinched the top of his foot sharply and he grimaced. "Okay it was someone really important, but I can't tell you about it, because errrrr- reasons?" He finished lamely.

Zuko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean important…" The Fire Lord's voice was low and demanded an answer.

"Uhhhh- well I can't tell you. She'd kill me. Or you'd kill me. Or Katara would kill me. Somebody would kill me. You gotta understand." Sokka responded.

"You know what? I don't care about this anymore." From under the bed, her voice was muffled, but was still more than loud enough for both he and Zuko to hear it.

"What was that?" Zuko glanced at the floorboards near Sokka's feet.

"Nothing, I think you're hearing things!" Sokka shouted loudly, knowing full well what was about to occur.

The Princess rolled out from underneath the bed, and stood alongside her lover. "Really Zuzu, it took you this long to figure it out. We've desecrated every room in the Palace except for this one, and now we finally have completed the set. I wonder if any other royalty can say they completed such an act?" Azula smirked at her brother, while she was clad only in a loose bed sheet.

Zuko made no sound. Twice, the Fire Lord opened his mouth but words did not emanate. Disbelief marred the monarch's features. Disbelief that quickly turned into indignation and finally at last, rage.

"Well then, I have to prepare myself for the feast. With your leave, Lordship Zuzu." Azula bowed as low as her makeshift clothing would allow, sarcasm dripping on her voice.

She pushed the side of a painting, stepping into the hidden passageway that only she and Sokka had been aware of. Zuko's eyes bulged in indignation at learning how his sister and friend had entered his private bedchambers.

It was nearing time for the feast. His brother-in-law and his sister had arrived yesterday. They were celebrating the end of the war. The anniversary of their victory was part of the reason he had been spending the day clandestinely with Azula. She didn't like to dwell on the past and seeing the Avatar and Katara would likely only remind the royal of the loss she had suffered all those years ago.

Sokka hurtled down the hallway, reasonably confident that he had lost Zuko somewhere near the gardens. The Fire Lord was a talented bender, but his time on the throne had left him in worse shape than Sokka. He had been able to outrun his friend and clothed himself in his friend's robes.

When Azula vanished from the Fire Lord's bedchambers, all of Zuko's wrath and anger had been focused on him. A pair of priceless paintings from the renowned Earth Kingdom painter Ni Wong were burned to a crisp in an attack. He had barely managed to escape from the room with all of the hairs on his head. He grabbed a formal outfit that was strewn on the floor as he escaped and had managed to robe himself while on the run.

"SOKKA!"

Okay. Maybe he hadn't succeeded in shaking Zuko.

He barged through the large oak doors to the grand dining room of the Fire Nation Palace. The Fire Nation royal family sans Zuko and Azula were already seated on the dais along with his sister and Aang. They were joined by Toph and her boyfriend Luren, as well as Ty Lee and Haru. A few startled questions were launched at him as everyone took in his state of dishelvement as well as the fact that he was wearing clothes that normally would be seen only on the Fire Lord's person.

Disregarding all of them as he hurried to Katara's side, Sokka wrapped his sister in a hug. "What-what are you doing?" she asked him.

"Do you remember when I saved you from falling into the fishing hole when you were five years old?" Sokka said breathlessly.

"Yes…" Katara answered, confusedly.

"Remember, how you said you always would owe me, and once you learned waterbending you would protect me one day? Well. Uhhh that day is right now." He finished, his voice reaching a high frightened pitch.

"What did you do?" Katara snarled at him, dangerously.

"Nothing! Err- Nothing that bad! He's totally blowing this way out of proportion and you need to protect me." Sokka begged his only sibling.

Next to Katara, the Avatar looked nervous. "Oh no." The Air Nomad said, realization dawning on his face. "He knows doesn't he?"

His sister looked indignant at being kept out of the loop. "Who do you mea-"

"SOKKA!" Zuko roared in anger as he entered the dining hall.

At the high table, Kiyi responded in fright, never having seen her brother act in such a manner. Ursa reached a hand out to rub her youngest child's shoulder in a protective manner. "Zuko! Stop this." She chided her eldest in a disapproving tone.

"No, Mother! I won't stop. This snow savage was defiling her in my bed chambers." Zuko's face was turning a particularly impressive shade of purple as the Fire Lord frothed in rage.

"Oh, Zuko." Ursa sighed and shot a disappointed look at Sokka.

Katara pushed Sokka away and turned to glare at him. "I can't believe you would do this to Zuko. You knew he and Suki were just starting their relationship!" She bended water from her goblet and tried to create a whip to hit her brother. Sokka rolled under the attack and mercifully his brother-in-law bailed him out by placating Katara.

"Did everyone know?!" Zuko asked, a tinge of a whine present in his voice.

He looked at his mother who only nodded sadly in the affirmative while the Fire Lord groaned. At that very moment either by coincidence or an act of providence, Suki entered the room wearing a stunning red hanfu and without the traditional Kyoshi warpaint. The earth kingdom native looked confused as she strode forward to stand next to Zuko. They had chosen tonight to announce their relationship to the world and she was nervous at the dirty looks being sent in her direction from both Ursa and Katara.

"Uhh- what's going on?" Suki inquired meekly.

Zuko at last noticed her, as she drew level beside him. He reached out a hand to Suki, who gratefully accepted. Now Ursa and Katara were the ones to display confusion and Sokka thought that maybe this would be his best time to make an escape. Unfortunately for the water tribesman the opulent dining hall of the Fire Nation had only one entrance and one exit, and the Fire Lord was blocking it.

"I found Sokka naked in my room! On my bed!" Zuko bellowed "Doing it With-with-w." The Fire Lord stuttered in his fury.

"With who, dear? It clearly wasn't Suki. Why are you so worked up?" Ursa asked kindly, still flummoxed at what had set her son off in such a manner.

"WITH YOUR DAUGHTER!" Zuko exploded, at last revealing the pertinent information. Across the dining room, jaws dropped to the floor.

Ursa glanced at her thirteen year old daughter, Kiyi in a bewildered manner, before gasping. Noren grabbed his wife's hand as she tilted in her seat, dangerously close to falling out of her chair. Kiyi giggled, while Ty Lee clapped excitedly at the information.

"Azula, really Sokka?" Katara scoffed at him.

Aang nervously grabbed his wife's hand and she turned on the airbender, her bright blue eyes flaring dangerously. "You knew!" She accused him.

"It wasn't my place to say honey." Aang responded sheepishly.

Zuko looked as if he was debating whether to attempt an attack while Sokka was surrounded by so many of their shared friends. Toph had approached the water tribesman and punched him square in the shoulder. "Good Job Snoozles. Now I don't have to pretend to not smell her scent on you everyday." Toph said in between uproarious laughter.

Sokka grimaced as he saw the scandalized expression on Ursa's face. Azula never had a great relationship with her mother, even after the matriarch returned. It seemed as if he would start off on the wrong foot with the former Fire Lady as well. Of course, being on Ursa's bad side might just endear him to Azula all the more…

Sokka was shaken from his thoughts as Zuko approached him menacingly. Suki reached out an arm to slow her new beau, and he felt a surge of gratitude for his ex. Unfortunately, her action did little to deter the enraged monarch. "Give me a reason, I don't add a charred swordsman to the dinner menu tonight, Sokka." Zuko said threateningly.

Sokka gulped worriedly, glancing over to see if either his sister or Aang would provide any support. The couple were too busy continuing their argument. Apparently Aang would be paying for many days for daring to have the audacity to keep his best friend's secret from his wife. Looking over at his sister distracted Sokka from noticing the newest person to join the festivities.

"I wouldn't do that if you value your life, sweet Zuzu." Azula's voice rose to challenge her older brother.

The Princess was outfitted in her traditional Fire Nation royal armor and stood with her hands on her hips a few meters behind her brother. Suki dropped Zuko's hand from her own and ran up to stand behind Ursa who looked back and forth between her two eldest children with a worrisome glance.

"What's that supposed to mean, Azula. Have you finally decided to try your hand at regicide?" Katara said bitingly from the table on the dais.

The Princess just rolled her eyes at the waterbender. "Surely you don't believe her lies, brother. If I wanted your throne I would have already taken it." Azula said with her trademark smirk.

"What you and Sokka did was unacceptable. And seeing how I can't do anything to you, he needs to be taught a lesson." Zuko had started to turn to face Sokka, who had silently been approaching to try and reach Azula and the promise of safety.

The Fire Lord growled and warningly ignited flames in the palm of his hand. Sokka leapt backwards, bumping into a chair and stumbling. Azula leapt in front of him and lit her own, unique flames in response.

"I have better things to do than lust after your throne, Zuzu. Whatever you might think of me. If I had wanted it, I would have it by now with the savage at my side. It was an enticing idea, and I must confess I thought of it. But his goody-goody nature was enough to deter me. I'll be good." Azula mock shuddered at the last word. "And play by your rules but you won't harm a hair on his perfectly groomed head." Azula's flames danced all around her.

Zuko extinguished his orange fire and Azula followed suit with a satisfied grin. "Besides," She began. "It's illegal for a member of the Fire Nation royal family to cause harm to another member of the family isn't it? Sure, our Mother had her banishment rescinded, but I wouldn't test the Fire Sages, dear Zuzu."

The Fire Lord looked at her confused and Sokka himself found himself at a loss, they had never really discussed this before. Azula laughed aloud, joined only by Toph.

"I was wondering when you were going to tell them. I noticed it this morning at breakfast." The earthbender exclaimed in between chortles.

"Yes, if Zuko were to wound Sokka, that would be grounds for removal from his throne. What a scandal it would be if the Fire Lord tried to injure the husband of his poor little sister and the father of their child."

The room went deathly silent for a moment before a cacophony of sound and bustling began. Outrage and glee poured out from the various attendees of that night's eventful dinner. Zuko looked as if he might faint. Katara's face was turning a particularly impressive shade of puce while Aang beamed happily beside his wife. Ursa was scolding Kiyi, who was clapping excitedly, she had always had a certain fondness for him.

Sokka's first instinct had been to reel back in shock, but he knew that he needed to be there for Azula. What she had done in front of so many that didn't care for, was perhaps the bravest thing the Princess had ever done in her life.

Sokka wrapped his arms carefully and lovingly around her stomach and pulled her flush against him in a caring embrace.

"I love you, Princess." He whispered in her ear, trying to convey the millions of emotions he felt all at once.

"And I've decided to tolerate carrying around you spawn for the next half year or so. You already owe me more than you could ever imagine, savage." She turned inside his arms and looked him in the eyes, azure met gold and something unspoken passed between them.

Azula didn't have to declare her love, for Sokka to know that it was real and true.

A/N: Hey everyone! I decided to take part in Sokkla Saturdays for the next couple of months. Each Saturday I'll be posting a new story based on some of the pre chosen prompts. Week 1, I chose "I lost my clothes and I need to borrow yours."

Next week will actually be the prompt I nominated and I'll be posting chapter 1 of my newest story based on that prompt. Never fear War and Laughter will remain my focus, but I just want to get chapter 1 up for you all next week. Hope everyone's enjoying and that this story brought them some joy. As always feel free to chat with me here or on Tumblr at Deaddirector. Take it easy everyone!