Focus. The word itself eluded Sokka's mind, along with everything that wasn't Azula. His favorite thing in the world became her sweet voice insulting everything about him. Sokka wanted to make something happen. To make anything happen.

After one of their morning arguments, Azula walked away with her normal look of superiority, but Sokka noticed her turn her head as she stood in a doorway. He smiled at her. He noticed her mouth twitch and her face turned red for a split second. Azula quickly looked away. Sokka couldn't believe it. He was ecstatic. He had to know more but didn't want to risk his standing.

It was all Sokka thought about throughout the day. Thoughts of does she like me? and how can I be with her more? ran rampant through his mind. He lay awake at night wondering what to do. Sokka hadn't been sleeping much, but his thoughts of Azula are a better alternative to him.

The next morning, before Azula could say a single thing, Sokka smiled at her. Azula's mouth twitches again and Sokka knew she was holding something back. He knew this because of how much he's learned about her from their arguments.

"What on earth are you smiling about, peasant?" Azula asked tauntingly.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just having a nice day is all," Sokka said, continuing to smile.

Azula raised an eyebrow, but her expression remained neutral. Sokka knew this to mean she's confused, but also that she's forming a string of thoughts in her mind. "Finally getting used to not being around Daddy all the time? Finally becoming a big boy?" she taunted, trying to press the nerve of Sokka missing home, which was no secret around the palace.

"Eh, I'm used to it. I didn't see my father for a long time during the war, so this really isn't much different."

"What about your mother?" Azula smirks.

Sokka started to fume. His arguments with Azula were his favorite thing, but comments like that were still exhausting sometimes nonetheless. He turns his back to her. "Have a good day, Azula," he said.

Azula's smirk turned to a look never seen on her face. Her face softened and her mouth opened slightly, clearly shocked. Sokka never saw, as he walked back to the doorway of his room, turned his head back to her, and smiled softly.

Sokka sat back down in his bed. He hoped Azula didn't really want him to feel hurt. Sokka realized his heart was still racing. Sokka figured the best thing to do was to keep trying to be nice to Azula, and so he did.

Every morning for the next week, Sokka greeted Azula with a smile and refrained from insulting her. Azula started to struggle to come up with any insults. Sokka noticed her face start to turn red more, and her golden eyes perked up in the morning when she first saw him.

A week of trying to be nicer had passed and Sokka felt like he may actually be getting somewhere with Azula. He left his room in the morning excited to see Azula, but to his surprise, she wasn't there. Sokka's mood instantly dropped. He sombered into the dining hall.

"I figured I'd find you here," a familiar voice said.

Sokka looked up. "Azula?"

"Why are you acting this way?" she asked, wasting no time on pleasantries.

"Like what?"

"Being, well, nice to me. After I've done nothing but hurt you and your friends."

Sokka was dumbstruck. He had no idea what to say. He bit his lip, carefully searching for an answer.

Azula saw right through Sokka. "You don't have an answer for me," she observed.

"I, uh," Sokka couldn't help blushing.

Azula gasped. "You have feelings for me," she said, with a tone somewhere between surprise and amusement.

Sokka just looked at her.

"How pitiful. You really think that you could have anything with me? I'm the princess of the Fire Nation and you're just a measly Water Tribe peasant," she said, smirking.

Sokka's mood fell along with his head.

"Oh please, get over yourself. You should've known you had no chance with me."

Sokka didn't want to hear more. He stood up and left, but still used the line he ended each of their days with. "Have a good day, Azula."