Another small time-skip to this one to finish off the series, though their moments together are not over of course - they're in their fifties here.

(Nothing at all.)

Sokka paused just inside the bedroom door, biting his lip. Zuko was lounging in their bed, his hair falling loose around his shoulders, wearing only a half robe over loose trousers and reading.

Sokka closed his eyes for a moment, taking a slightly shaky breath as a few half-cooled tears were forced out with the gesture. He opened them again, feeling . . . not much steadier, really, but willing to pretend.

Zuko looked up, his eyes curious and sharply observant. He put aside his book, shifting a little higher in the bed, though he didn't sit up fully, and opened his arms, holding them out.

Sokka gave a choked little sound that wasn't quite a laugh or a sob, but was somewhere between, and went to him. Zuko's arms were warm and familiar and welcome as Sokka collapsed onto his husband, letting the steady support he always knew was there if he needed it buoy him up. Zuko stroked his hair, rubbed his knuckles down along Sokka's spine, let him stretch out and just lean on his husband.

Sokka took that support and breathed it in, calming slowly. Zuko's fingers ran through his hair, free hand resting low on his side.

Sokka reached for it, twining their fingers, and shifted his position, sliding away from Zuko's shoulder - his robe was a little damp there, though damp never stayed on Zuko for long if he cared about it - and down the bed a little, lying more against his body.

Sokka lay there, soothed by Zuko's hand running over his hair, down his neck - pausing to caress the silk band of his engagement necklace from time to time - and smoothing down his back, over and over. He squeezed Zuko's hand from time to time as well, their linked fingers resting on Zuko's thigh.

"Zuko?" Sokka tilted his head up to look at his husband from where he was lying almost in Zuko's lap, head against his stomach. It was kind of unfair how Zuko's abs still felt the way they had more than thirty years ago. Not that Sokka was in bad condition himself, but. . .

Zuko.

Zuko looked back down at Sokka, tilting his head to one side. "Mm?"

"Thank you." Sokka said, and Zuko's eyebrow rose, a quizzical look lighting his eyes. "For . . . being here, like this. Always." he said, clearing his throat against a bit of thickness that had lodged there.

Zuko just smiled at Sokka, shaking his head slightly, and bent, drawing Sokka up to meet him, to give him a soft kiss.

(Because sometimes, no words are needed.)

I don't know why Sokka was distressed this time - but that makes a rather nice ending for this one, I think. They have been together for a long time, obviously, and this is a more generic scene after a series of very specific ones, showing how they are together and almost (though not explicitly) slots as an epilogue.

All ten parts of this story were written (from outline to final words) in ten hours on the last day of NaNoWriMo - although of course editing has been done since then. It really wanted to be told, evidently!