Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim the rights of, any Avatar: The Last Airbender character or plot-line. I make no money from writing this.

A/N: This is the real story part. I hope you enjoy this brief glimpse into there lives from my perspective. After you're done reading please let me know what you think.

Sokka slipped into the room. He was simply curious. It wasn't that he thought he wasn't welcome; he just didn't want to disturb the proceedings. Zuko lay on the bed with Katara standing over him and Mai at his side holding his hand. Katara was using her bending to heal an ugly wound Zuko'd received from Azula.

Sokka could see the Fire Lord (it was still an odd concept to him that he was friends with a Fire Lord) was pale and tense. He couldn't imagine the pain he was in.

Sokka turned his attention to his sister and pride welled within him. She was truly the best. She was infinitely compassionate, yet stronger than most people he knew. Of course he'd never tell her that. Her head might swell.

"Alright, done for today." Katara stood and motioned the water back into a bowl at her side.

"Thank you, Katara." Mai said for the breathless leader. Katara nodded.

Zuko tried to sit up but Katara pressed a hand on his shoulder. "Rest now. You need to recover a little before you get up again." Zuko reluctantly acquiesced and lay back down gingerly.

Katara busied herself securing Zuko's bandages and finally noticed her brother had entered the room. "Sokka. Did you need me?"

He shook his head, "I wanted to talk to Zuko if you don't mind."

Katara looked at Zuko then at Mai, they both inclined their heads that it was alright. "Fine, but not too long. He doesn't need you tiring him out." Katara said as she picked up the bowl. Mai gathered the extra bandages and the two women left, giving the men some privacy.

Zuko's breathing had leveled out and he motioned for Sokka to sit. He did and for a minute there was silence.

"What did you want to talk about?" Zuko asked. His tone gave indication that he already knew the answer to that question.

"I want to ask about your wound." The blue eyed man leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Zuko regarded him solemnly and remained silent. It was the response Sokka was expecting. "You said that Azula's fire caused the burn, but I've seen that specific burn pattern before. It was caused by lightning."

Zuko held his gaze on Sokka like he was trying to size him up. "So?"

"So, funny thing is we all know you can redirect lightening. That started me thinking that there was something about your story that didn't add up."

Zuko leaned his head back and let his lids slide closed. He looked more tired than Sokka had ever seen him. Perhaps he'd always been this weary and now, once they were done and victorious, he let it show. "What do you want me to admit, Sokka? That Azula got the best of me? That for one moment in time I wasn't the best fighter?" there was a resigned bitterness in his tone.

Sokka was silent until the newly crowned ruler looked at him again. Zuko raised his head slowly, as if it were weighed down by something. The Fire Lord sat up fully, leaning against the headboard. "That is a possibility," there was a glint of humor in Sokka's eyes but it didn't reach his mouth for a smile, "but I think it's more likely that you'd been distracted by something and weren't able to redirect it properly."

The two men stared at each other for a few tense minutes. Zuko's expression gave nothing away.

"Did Azula do something that knocked you off your guard? Did Katara get in the way?" At that last question a change came over the wounded man. He became stiff and he shifted his gaze away from his friend. Sokka sprang to his feet. "What happened out there Zuko? I know that whatever it was it had something to do with Katara!"

"What do you know." It was a statement of derision rather than a question.

"I know both you and my sister are hiding something! That's what I know!" He pointed an angry finger at the man on the bed.

Zuko narrowed his eyes and for a minute and Sokka was sure he was going to deny everything. Zuko took a deep breath. "Your sister and I came to an agreement after the battle. Telling others what happened would, at best, make things awkward. We decided to leave some things out of the account."

Sokka sat down again; it was his turn to be silent. Zuko told him all that'd happened, not leaving a thing out. After he was done the silence descended between them again, but this time it was contemplative.

"You saved her. You saved Katara's life." There was awe in the Water Tribe warrior's voice. He looked at Zuko with new eyes, his understanding and appreciation of the man had expanded exponentially.

"The way I see it, it was mutual." Zuko again fell silent, letting the reality sink into his friend. His hand came up to brush over the bandages on his chest.

"You could've been killed." Sokka couldn't hold the quiver from his voice, as much as he wished he could.

"I was simply doing what you asked."

Sokka had no words at that point. He stood and quickly wrapped Zuko in a firm embrace. Zuko returned it unflinchingly.

When they separated they smiled at each other in understanding. Things didn't need to be explained to the others, Zuko was right; it would only make things awkward.

There was a soft knock at the door and Katara poked her head in. "Is my goofball of a brother bothering you, Zuko?" She smiled and stepped into the room.

Zuko returned the smile. "No more than usual," he said in a light tone.

The waterbender laughed at her brother's grumpy expression, knowing that a moment later it would melt into a smile. "Dad was looking for you and I had to make sure you weren't tiring Zuko out."

"Coming." The two men shared a glance before Sokka joined his sister. The siblings said goodbye to Zuko and shut the door behind them. Halfway down the hall Sokka stopped Katara with a hand on her arm.

She looked up into his suddenly soft eyes with an unasked question in her own. He swiftly kissed her on the forehead.

Her mouth dropped a little in surprise at the unprecedented affectionate action. "What was that about?" she asked in a flutter.

"Can't a guy show his sister he cares?" With a lopsided grin he then turned on his way again, leaving a speechless Katara in his wake.

Something in Sokka's expression told her not to ask what brought this on, but Katara was definitely going to check his temperature later.

The End

A/N: Short but hopefully sweet. Thank you for indulging me in my mind-wanderings! Peace to you!