There was nothing Hakoda wanted more in life than to see his children happy. He would dive to the darkest depths of the ocean, sail to the ends of the earth, just to see Sokka and Katara smile. They would never ask him to, but he would.
His heart was content seeing his grown children walk through their growing village, no fear of war or violence in their eyes. Katara walked hand in hand with the Avatar (who knew that his daughter would someday marry the Avatar of all people) down the main road, one hand gently resting on her slowly growing stomach. Hakoda had cried when they told him he would be a grandfather before next winter.
Sokka was on his way back from walking the perimeter wall, holding hands with the Fire Lord. He had once been wary of this new friend of the children, but the young man proved to be humble and earnest. The first time Zuko had visited the Souther Water Tribe after the war, a few months after his coronation, he had a panic attack in front of Hakoda during a reparations meeting. The boy had cried into their Chief's shoulder, whispering how scared that he was going to mess up, scared that he might become like his father, feeling lost and lonely. There was no way for Hakoda to feel guarded against Zuko after that, at his core he was a father and this was a child trying to lead a war-torn nation. He was able to calm the boy down after a time, soothing him with stories of his own mistakes in leadership. After the visit, Zuko and Hakoda started writing letters regularly, the Chief offering advice and encouragement as the Fire Lord slowly gained confidence and experience.
It also probably helped that Sokka had gone to stay in the Fire Nation a few years after the war. After breaking up with Suki (amicably), he said he needed a change in scenery, and took on the role of Ambassador. Sokka had taken to the position naturally, and Hakoda's letter's from Zuko suggested that having him there had really helped with the Fire Lord's stress levels. His son was nothing if not a protector, and Zuko really needed someone to help take care of him. No more passing out at meetings because he was forgetting to eat.
Hakoda smiled as he saw the two men laugh at some inside joke, headed towards the igloo were staying in for their visit. As much as Sokka was probably helping Zuko, he knew this friendship was good for Sokka too. It was good for him to have another guy to hang out with. He was close to Aang, sure, but Hakoda doubted that Sokka really wanted to only be friends with the guy making out with his sister. Zuko was someone he would really just be friends with. Bonding over guy things. Hakoda knew that was what made his friendship with Bato so great. They had known each other since childhood, and could just relax around each other, not putting on a show.
He watched Sokka quickly peck Zuko on the cheek before ducking in the door, Zuko squealing about how it was too cold. Sokka had always been very tactile, always ready for a hug, a touch on the hand, an arm around the shoulder. It was nice that the Fire Lord had finally warmed up to Sokka's touch over the years, clearly the man liked it. He didn't seem to mind much even when Sokka did things like give him a friendly kiss on the cheek, or hold his hand while they walked around. Hakoda was the same, always looping his arm around Bato's or leaning his head on the taller man's shoulder when they sat by the fire together. It always gave him a warm feeling inside to have physical contact with the man. He was sure that Sokka felt the same. It was wonderful to see his son have such a close friend.
After dinner that evening, Zuko asked if he could speak to Hakoda privately. The younger man seemed nervous, but a little giddy, and so did Sokka. His son gave his friend a hand squeeze before they walked into Hakoda's room and shut the door. They settled on some cushions on the floor, and the Chief extended a hand to invite Zuko to start the conversations.
"Hakoda, I would like your blessing to marry Sokka."
Out of all the words that could have come out of the Fire Lord's mouth, these were probably the last that Hakoda ever imagined hearing. He felt his spirit leave his body momentarily while he tried to process the sentence he just heard.
"Excuse me?"
"We've talked about it, and we decided that we want to do it, but call me old fashioned, I kind of wanted your blessing." The young man blushed. "We were in Ba Sing Se before this, and Sokka asked my uncle for his too."
"You…want to marry my son."
"Very much. I know that there are certain traditions involved, and I would be honored if you could teach me how to carve a betrothal necklace. Sokka said I didn't have to, but I really want to, it's important to your culture."
Hakoda had not heard all the words that Zuko had just spoken, mind still trying to rationalize why Zuko would want to marry Sokka. Finally, it clicked. Of course.
"Zuko…you really don't have to marry him if you don't want to."
The Fire Lord looked wildly confused, and possibly a bit hurt. "What-what do you mean?"
The Chief sighed and put a hand on the other's shoulder. "Has the council been getting on your ass about securing an advantageous marriage with someone outside the Fire Nation? I can understand why they thought of Sokka, but I'm sure we could figure something else out."
Naturally, Katara had been out of the question. The North had lost their only heir, and the Earth king had no children of his own. But Hakoda was sure he could help Zuko argue that he didn't necessarily need to marry royalty, there was plenty of nobility in the Northern tribe and in the Earth Kingdom that would be more than happy to offer their daughters for marriage.
"What on earth are you talking about?!"
"There are tons of nobles with daughters who would love to marry you to help secure peace between nations."
"Hakoda, I-"
"I mean worst case scenario, we could always-"
"Hakoda, that's not why I want to marry Sokka!"
The confusion had returned. "Huh?"
"I want to marry him because I love him!"
Ah, that made a bit more sense.
"I supposed it would be easier to marry your best friend instead of a stranger, at least you know that you two will get along, and there's plenty of room in the palace so Sokka would still have his own space. I had hoped he wouldn't have to have a political marriage, but if he's agreed to it-"
The young man had a frustrated look that Hakoda didn't understand. "Agni help me. Sokka's not just my best friend,I am IN love with him!"
Oh. Poor Zuko.
"Zuko…I don't know if this is a good idea."
A look of pure misery suddenly came over the Fire Lord's face. "What?" His voice sounded thick with sadness.
"Sokka's straight, he's never going to feel the same way about you. If it was just politics I could understand, but it would just be hurting you and it would be weird for Sokka, and I don't want the two of you to ruin the friendship you have."
Misery melted away back to confusion, then to frustration, then something in between amusement and anguish. Suddenly, Zuko stood up and began pacing the room, head in his hands. "There's no way this is happening. This is not how this conversation was supposed to go. We rehearsed every scenario, and you not even realizing that we have been dating for THREE YEARS was not one of them!"
No that didn't sound right.
"What in the name of Tui and La are you talking about?"
Zuko fisted his hands through his hair as he sat again, staring in concentration at the floor. "Isawthe letter Sokka sent, Agni I helped him write it. It was perfectly clear. We haven't been hiding anything this whole time! I mean sure we've tried to turn down the PDA because it's only polite, but we haven't done anything drastic!"
"What letter?"
The young man looked up, eyes wild and wide. "The letter Sokka sent youtwo years agotelling you that we were dating!"
Hakoda furrowed his brow. He thought of all the letters he had exchanged with his son over the years. None stood out. "I never got a letter like that! He tells me about his work, and how he enjoys spending time with you, and the adventures you two have, but he never said you were dating! And why would you be dating? He's not gay! Sokka was dating Suki for a few years, he clearly likes girls."
"Yeah, but now he's datingme." Zuko said emphatically.
Oh, did Sokka think that Hakoda would be mad about him being gay? He really wasn't against it, he was just confused. That couldn't stand. "Ok, so he was dating Suki because he thought he liked girls, but then he realized that was gay so now he's dating you, I think I get it now, I'm sorry."
"What, no? Just because he's dating me doesn't mean he isn't still attracted to girls!"
This conversation just kept getting more confusing.
"So…he's straight, but thought it would be a good idea to date you for some reason?"
Zuko's hands scrubbed his face. "He's not gay, he's bisexual, he told you that too, this is impossible…" He looked very seriously at Hakoda. "Have you received any sort of head injury lately? This is the only possibly explanation I can think of as to why you don't know these things."
"No, I haven't had any head injuries lately." Hakoda rolled his eyes, and then paused. "Wait, what's bisexual mean?"
"It means that he is attracted to boys and girls."
What kind of nonsense was that?
"Zuko, that's not a thing."
"Wha-how-yes it is?!"
"I think I would know if that was a thing."
"IT IS."
Hakoda thought hard. Growing up, he was always told that he would someday figure out what kind of person he wanted to be with romantically, either a boy or a girl. He always thought that all the people in his tribe were really nice and pretty, but he liked Kya more than everyone else and liked spending time with her (almost as much as he liked spending time with his best friend Bato) so he figured that he must like girls. They got married, and that was the end of it. He never heard of anyone who liked a girl like that andalsoliked a guy like that. This was a real head scratcher.
Zuko had clearly gotten impatient while Hakoda was thinking. He opened the door and leaned out. "Sokka I need back up!" Sokka quickly entered, looking concerned.
"What's going on, is everything ok? Is he not giving you his blessing?"
"Spirits Sokka, we couldn't even get to that, the mandidn't even realize we were dating."
Sokka gave his father a shocked look. "What?! But I told him years ago! Babe you saw me write that letter! I clearly stated, 'hey dad, I really, really like Zuko and he really likes me back and we are together now'. He wrote back, remember? He said he was glad that I have someone in my life that I like a lot! And it's not like we've been hiding it!"
"Apparently he just thought we were very good friends." Zuko sank back down to the floor, pulling Sokka with him. "He didn't even realize you were bi."
"Now that's some bullshit." Sokka was near livid. "We had a whole conversation while fishing, and he even told me thatheis bi!"
That pulled Hakoda back into the conversation. "When on earth wasthatconversation? I didn't evenknowthe word bisexual until a minute ago!"
"IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO DAD!" Sokka shouted waving his arms. "I was really nervous, and I was like 'hey dad I like boys and girls' and you were like 'I like all people too, son"!"
Hakoda vaguely remembered this conversation. Sokka had been weirdly happy and excited afterwards, which he had thought was weird. "I thought you just meant you liked them in general! Not that you wanted to date guys and girls! Like, obviously people of both genders can be attractive in general, but typically you just choose the one you like best!"
Sokka looked at him like he had grown a second head, or maybe some tentacles. "Dad how can you be confused by this? You've been dating Bato foryears!"
The Chief's thought process came to a crashing halt. "Wh-what in Tui's name are you talking about?" His heart was beating out of control. "I-I'm not attracted to guys, I married your mother! A-and wouldn't I know if I was dating someone?"
The two younger men looked at each other, stunned. "I'm not dreaming this conversation, right?" Sokka whispered.
Zuko shook his head. "Agni, I wish I was."
Sokka cleared his throat, and took a deep breath. "Dad, you and Bato share the same house."
"Yeah, we like spending time together, and neither of us have children who live with us, so it just made sense to share."
"You go hunting for him."
"Of course! Ever since his injury, he has a hard time keeping up, especially in the winter."
"You give him handmade gifts, like all the time."
"They make him happy, and it's fun."
"The two of you are always touching or holding hands in some way."
"I show my love for others through physical touch, same as you Sokka."
"You refer to him as your partner."
"He's my best friend! We've always been partners in what we do!"
"I've literally seen you kiss each other on the cheek!"
"We're practically family, that's how family shows affection! I kiss you and Katara on the cheek!"
Zuko gave a low whistle. "Wow this is bad." Sokka looked like he was about to burst laughing.
"Dad…how do you feel when you spend time with Bato."
Warmth. Happiness. "I feel good, he's my best friend."
"How do you feel when you don't get to see him for a long time? If you think something bad has happened to him?"
Despair. Panic. Misery. "I feel bad, and I worry about him."
"Do you think he's attractive."
"I mean, he's a good looking guy, anyone can see that." Especially in the early morning, when the light shines on his face as they look out at the village together. Like a breathtaking painting.
"When he shows you affection, how do you feel?"
Safety. Delight. "Really happy, I guess?"
Sokka took another breath again. "Ok, now think about how you felt with Mom. How did it feel to spend time with her? To see her in danger? To see how she loved you?"
Hakoda did, letting the memories wash over him. "Ok…"
"Now compare those feeling to the ones you feel about Bato."
This was a very strange exercise, what was Sokka trying to-
Tui and La.
Holy Shit.
The feelings were exactly the same.
He had always felt those feelings for Bato, even before Kya.
He just thought that was how it was supposed to feel with your best friend.
He was in love with Bato.
Zuko was smiling now, clearly reading Hakoda's emotions on his fact. "I think maybe he's starting to get it." He whispered to Sokka.
"Oh sweet tide of the ocean." Hakoda barely breathed.
"Ok, so Dad, are you starting to see how all the thing I said before match perfectly with how two people might act if they were in a romantic relationship?"
Oh he sure was.
"Like, how many of those things are literally traditional parts of courting another person?"
"Yeah I think I'm starting to see that, son."
"Great, glad we've finally established that. Now can we talk ab-"
"I need to go talk to Bato." Hakoda stood quickly and grabbed his parka, practically running out the door.
Sokka and Zuko ran after him, stopping at the front door as the Chief rushed out. Zuko poked his head out.
"HEY SO CAN I MARRY SOKKA OR WHAT?"
"YEAH SURE THAT SOUNDS GREAT." Hakoda yelled, not looking back.
Bato was on watch duty that night, polar leopards roaming close to the village this time of year. Hakoda found the man alone in the watch tower, smiling as he saw the Chief enter.
"Hey you, everything ok?" Hakoda was bracing himself on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Damn, he wasn't young anymore.
"Batoarewedating?"
"Are we…what? Yes?"
Hakoda shot his head up at the response. "Tui help me I am dumb as shit." He said, eyes wide.
"Koda, what are you-" Bato had no time to finish his question, because Hakoda let his body take control and was now kissing him.
It was a desperate kiss, as if Hakoda was drowning and Bato was air in his lungs. The blood in his body pumped steady, chantinghome, home, home. Bato was stiff for just a moment, but soon relaxed, winding his arms around Hakoda and leaning down slightly so the shorter man didn't have to strain himself.
They finally pulled apart, just barely, still holding each other close. Bato laughed, "Not that I'm not thrilled, but what was that for?"
Hakoda flushed. "Ok, so don't get mad, but it's quite possible that I didn't realize that we were dating until like five minutes ago."
The taller man pulled back slightly more and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sweet summer waters, are you kidding me Koda? We've been dating for some time now."
"Yeah, I know that now, I just didn't realize that the feelings I felt for you were actual romantic feelings and not like feelings you feel towards your best friend. I mean, you're still my best friend, I just thought that everyone felt that way towards their best friend, but apparently that is incorrect."
"Wow. Just. Wow."
Hakoda's eyes narrowed. "Hey, it's not like you ever tried to kiss me or called me your boyfriend or something moreobvious."
"Yeah, I don't call you my boyfriend because we are damned adults, we introduce each other to people as our partner!"
"That could have meant partner in work!"
Bato rolled his eyes hard. "And I never tried to kiss you or push you into being more physical because I felt like you wanted to take things slow. You never dated anyone besides Kya, and I thought maybe you were still trying to get used to the situation and also be respectful to her by taking your time. But it's not like you weren't physical at all, you kiss me on the cheek and hold my hand and shit all the time."
"Yeah my brain rationalized that it was just because you're basically family so I could get away with that." Hakoda smiled sheepishly. "Guess it was because I didn't realize I actually wanted to kiss you properly."
"Well now that all that's straightened out," Bato pulled himself back closer. "Are you ok with this? Do I get to keep kissing you?"
"Yeah yes yup absolutely please go back to doing that." Hakoda rushed as he leaned in again.
Their second kiss was more heated, but before he could get carried away, Hakoda pulled back again suddenly. "Hold on, wait, how long did you think we had been dating?"
Bato thought for a moment. "Hard to say. I mean I felt like there was something going on between us since around the end of the war, but I didn't try making any solid moves until maybe a couple years ago? And then maybe two years ago I straight up told you that I liked you, and you said you liked me too, but somehow your dumbass brain must had misinterpreted that."
"Yikes." Hakoda was red with embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm a whole dumbass. And we can keep discussing all the ways I misinterpreted our years old relationship, and we probably should, but if it's the same to you I'd like to go back to what we were doing before."
Bato sighed, returning to the kiss. "Polar leopards be damned." He murmured against Hakoda's lips. "I've picked the stupidest man to fall in love with."
"You don't have to be in love with me." Hakoda murmured back with a smile.
"Nah I'm gonna."
"So when do you think we should break the news to your dad that I have a vagina?" Zuko asked flatly. He was leaning against Sokka's chest, watching the fire crackle.
Sokka took a long sip from the bottle of plum wine before passing it back to Zuko. "Yeahhh I think we're gonna have to wait on that one for a hot minute. Too much shock might overload his brain and kill him, and we haven't figured out who's gonna take over now that I'm not."
"That's a solid plan, I vote that you get to tell him because I'm not ready to answer any of his questions on that. Thanks for giving up your future title for little ol' me by the way, I don't think I tell you enough how much it means to me."
"Of course baby," Sokka pressed a kiss to the side of Zuko's head. "I always thought I wanted it when I was a kid, but now I realize I just thought that because I didn't think not doing it was an option. I love my people, but I would lose a lot of freedom. Plus, I get you out of this."
Zuko hummed. "Fair enough, but I'll still make sure you get a fancy title. Just because I love you."
"Aww I love you too best friend!"
"Sokka don't even-"
"It's so great that we are pals."
"Please-"
"Just guys who get to be dudes."
"Sokkaaaa,"
"Dudes being bros."
"Shut up."
"Make me."