When Sokka was ten, he didn't want to believe in soulmates.
He saw his father collapse in pain when his mother died, and he knew that he should believe in them, knew that they're real, knew that he had one, but he didn't want to believe in them.
If the Spirits were in charge of soulmates, then he didn't want one. They took his mother from him, so they must have hated him. They'll give him a bad soulmate.
He told his father this much, and Hakoda chuckled, pulling his son in closer. "The Spirits, Sokka, are mysterious things. They have a plan for each and every one of us. Mine involved your mother, and your's will involve a soulmate as well. No matter what, you'll always have me and Katara, but sooner or later, you'll have your soulmate too. And you'll love them just as much as I love your mom."
"Thanks, Dad." Sokka had yawned, snuggling closer to his father. He fell asleep there, tucked tightly into the crook of Hakoda's arm, and for only a moment, the world was right again.
~~~~
When Sokka was twelve, he was forced to believe in soulmates.
He woke up one night with phantom flames licking up half his face, feeling like he was being burned from the inside out. He had learned over two years how to cry silently, and he did just that, but hoped, silently, that someone, somewhere, could feel his sob's in their chest.
And deep, deep within him, a hatred started brewing. A hatred for the nation of flames, the nation that killed his mother and then tried to take his soulmate as well.
Because he was going to believe in this person now. Because he could feel how they'd been hurt, and he couldn't ignore that.
~~~~
When Sokka was sixteen, he wondered if his sister had her own soulmate.
Because Katara had never felt anything, not even the smallest prickle of phantom pain, so unlike the feelings that were getting more and more common for Sokka.
Sure, he'd felt them from childhood, but had still been trying to ignore them then, so he would push off the far-away feelings of a scrape on the knee or a bruise on the upper arm, pretending that they didn't exist.
But after that night when he was twelve, when he'd felt the burn, the pain had been getting more and more normal. And more intense. When he was fourteen he had shared the first emotional pains of his soulmate, late at night, a sadness so deep that Sokka couldn't see the bottom of it.
That was becoming more common too. The sadness, often accompanied by anger.
So he had his doubts about Katara's soulmate. But that all changed when the fucking Avatar exploded out of an iceburg, and when they got back to the villiage, Aang stepped in a snow-ditch by accident and Sokka watched as Katara experienced her fist soul pain.
He stopped in his tracks for a moment, and just looked between his sister and the motherfucking Avatar (Had he mentioned that yet? That the Avatar was alive ). Aang was busy rubbing at his sore ankle, and Katara was cursing a bit under her breath, neither of them looking like they had yet picked up on their bond.
But then, there was a ship on the horizon and black snow in the air, and Sokka had to push aside the thought of his sister having a soulmate and confront the fact that the Fire Nation was in their village.
Someone who looked like the leader of the troops walked down the gangplank, knocked Sokka over, and demanded to know where the Avatar was. There was something familiar about the man- the boy , Sokka realized, because he couldn't be any older than Sokka himself- something that he just couldn't put his finger on.
Sokka didn't dwell on the sharp phantom pain that struck in the back of his head when the boy was hit by boomerang, nor did he pay any attention to the gentle thudding that remained there for a few days afterwards.
~~~~
They went to Kyoshi Island, and Sokka found himself wishing that Suki was his soulmate.
He wished that she would wince in pain when she knocked him off his feet, wished that he could've felt the strike of bruises that he noticed on Suki's hand while she did his makeup.
But he saw her wince with a pain that wasn't hers or his, it belonged to someone else entirely.
And he knew that they weren't meant to be.
He kissed her anyway.
~~~~
They went to the northern tribe, met their almost-grandpa, and watched the moon die and then come back to life again.
Sokka watched Yue die, and wished with his whole heart that he could've had her for longer, even just one more day. Wished that he could once again see her perfectly-lipped smile, admire the way her eyes shone in the moonlight, feel the softness of her white hair underneath his fingertips.
He'd hardly known her, but he missed her with his whole heart.
He loved Yue, and part of him wished that she was his soulmate. Another part of him was glad that she wasn't, because he would never want to deal with having his soulmate die.
~~~~
"-Sokka, you with us?"
Katara's voice cut through his thoughts like one of her ice daggers cut through Aang's air scooters. Sokka had been mindlessly tracing circles on the inside of his left wrist for a while now, soothing the sting of phantom burns that always seemed to show up on his soulmate's skin.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Sokka asked, looking up at his sister.
"Oh, I was just wondering what was wrong with your wrist." She said, gesturing towards where his forefinger was still tracing over the stinging skin.
"Just soul pains," he sighed, "I'm not sure why, but ever since we got to Ba Sing Se, there's been this burning sensation on the inside of my wrist every morning and night. It's not very painful, just a bit uncomfortable, I guess."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Katara murmured sweetly, spooning another helping for rice into Toph's bowl. "Do you maybe want to write to Suki and make sure she's okay?"
"What? Why would I write to Suki?"
"Oh- I guess I just thought you two were soulmates," Katara blushed. "I mean, you did kiss her, didn't you?"
"Well, yes, but we're not soulmates." Sokka supplied, looking back down at his aching wrist. He had taken to rubbing gentle circles over the burning skin once the sensation had calmed down a bit, trying his hardest to assure his soulmate that they were not alone. That Sokka could feel their pain too.
"Do you know who your soulmate is?" Aang asked softly. "I always thought I never had one, because I never felt anything, but then you and Katara found me, and all of a sudden I could feel."
"I don't know them yet," Sokka said, "But I'll find them one day. That's how it goes, right? Everyone is destined to meet their soulmate one day or another."
"That's how it goes," Aang sighed wistfully, turning towards Katara and smiling, then blushing profusely. "What about you Toph? Have you met yours?"
"Yeah, I have." She said quietly. "She lives in the village outside of the manor. I used to sneak out at night, and she would usually be out by the communal fire, cooking something or telling a story to some of the little kids. Her name is Lin."
"Awww, Tophie," Sokka teased, throwing an arm over her shoulder and poking her playfully in the side. He was fully prepared for the punch that she threw at his arm, and gently shoved her away, smiling softly. "That's really sweet, y'know. When do we get to meet her?"
"You will meet Lin-" Toph paused, taking a deep breath for effect, "-When we get to meet Sokka's soulmate. That's the deal."
"Fine," Sokka sighed, reaching out and grabbing Toph's hand into a handshake. "Deal."
~~~~
The night air was crisp and silent, and sorrow was hanging heavy over Appa's saddle, almost as heavy as the bison himself. Sokka and Toph were the only ones left awake after fleeing Ba Sing Se; Katara having passed out from soul pains not long after Aang.
Sokka was sitting towards the front of the saddle, steering Appa through the clear sky, and Toph was sitting farther back, leaning against the edge of the saddle and breathing heavily.
It was quiet.
Blindly, suffocatingly quiet.
Their group was never quiet. There was always someone laughing or planning or telling a story or cracking a joke, and even if it was late at night and they were all drifting off to sleep, Aang might have been whispering something over the sounds of Appa's dull snores, and the sounds of a forest or a city would echo around them, and there would be some sort of noise.
It was never quite as silent as it was then, no wind, no birds, no snores, no whispers, only air whooshing by a flying Bison and the deep breaths of two teens.
Then Sokka felt it.
The soul pain in his wrist, it was back, but this time it didn't come in gradually and string for only a moment. This time, it felt like his skin was being set fire, which he realized with a gasp it probably was. The fire was accompanied by a deep pang of guilt, something that went so deep and felt so complex that Sokka felt like he was intruding on his soulmate by feeling it.
"You okay?" Toph's voice cut through the silence like a knife, and Sokka turned to her, willing his heartbeat to calm down.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Are you sure about that?" she asked gently. "Your heartbeat's going through the roof."
"It's just soul pains, I'll be fine."
"...Okay."
~~~~
Adding Zuko to the group was an interesting dynamic.
Sure, he was good now and all, but Katara still wasn't trusting him, and Toph and Aang were on the edge. And Sokka-
Sokka wasn't sure how to feel.
He was sure that Zuko couldn't have switched sides for no reason, knew that there was still a chance that he was just there to sabotage them from the inside out, but there was this pull , this familiar gravity that seemed to surround the prince, something that Sokka just couldn't put his finger on.
And then, before he could even think about the weird and conflicting feelings that he got around Zuko, they were on a war balloon together, and Yue was rising over them, and Sokka found himself rubbing a finger over the inside of his wrist, searching for a pain that had stopped arriving.
"What's with your wrist?" Zuko asked quietly.
They were sitting against the wall of the balloon, and Sokka looked over at Zuko, only to see him looking up at the moon herself. "Just soul pains. Or, I guess, lack thereof. For a while, I would get these soul pains in my wrist in the morning and at night, but recently they've gone away. I guess that's a good thing though. That my soulmate isn't in pain anymore. I haven't felt anything in a while, actually, now that I think about it."
Zuko looked over at Sokka and smiled softly. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"Do you know who your soulmate is?" Sokka asked. "You said you had a girlfriend back at home, right? Mia, or something? Is she your soulmate?"
Zuko chuckled. "It's Mai, and no, she's not my soulmate. We were really only together because it would've worked politically, but now that I'm a traitor to the nation I don't really have to worry about my relationships working out politically, I guess. The breakup was a long time coming anyways."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's fine, really." Zuko assured him. "She already knows her soulmate, and I'm sure they'll be happier together than we ever would have been. I'll always love her, but never as more than a friend."
"Yeah, I can understand that." Sokka sighed. "My first two girlfriends both had other soulmates, but I let myself love them anyways, which just made leaving harder. I mean, Yue's soulmate was Tui, because she was always meant to be with the moon, and I'm pretty sure Suki's soulmate is another Kyoshi warrior."
"That's… kinda sucky."
"Yeah, but what's a guy to do?" Sokka breathed, looking back up at Yue in all her glory. The night was clear, the sky an inky blue black, stars sparkling above them, Yue shining brightly. "She's still just as beautiful, you know." he sighed, gesturing towards the moon. "Honestly, I think that the moon just became more beautiful when she joined it."
Zuko followed his gaze to Yue and let out a soft sigh as he took in the sight. "It really did."
"Yeah," Sokka agreed, "It really did."
~~~~
Fighting with Zuko felt right .
Zuko was swift, egger, ready to take a blow. He fought off Azula's blue fire with orange flames of his own, and Sokka took every chance he had to strike at her.
And then Sokka tripped, and Zuko reached out an arm to catch him, and something in Sokka just clicked as he looked down at Zuko's wrist and noticed for the first time a barely-there scar, shaped perfectly by Zuko's own fingertips.
And then he remembered something that Aang had mentioned Jeong Jeong teaching him, about firebender's meditation, pressing one's fingers to their wrist at sunrise and sunset, letting their inner flame focus to one point on their fingertip, let the fire rise within them and reach their skin, linger for long enough to leave only a gentle sting.
The kind of gentle sting that had graced Sokka's wrist every morning and night for so many weeks.
But that meditation wasn't enough to leave a scar. And Zuko's wrist had a scar.
At that thought, Sokka remembered the night after Ba Sing Se, when his wrist had erupted with pain, something that only fire could've caused. Fire that wasn't meant to be controlled, but instead meant to leave a mark.
A mark that Zuko bared on his wrist.
A mark that Sokka had felt the impact of.
Sokka looked up at Zuko, saw for what could've been the hundredth time the scar that adorned his face, and had a flashback to a night that no one but himself knew of, a night of pain flaring across his face and crying silently in his pillow, and everything slotted itself into place.
Zuko was his soulmate.
Holy shit.
M. M. M. M. M. M. M.
When Zuko was ten, he prayed to the Spirits for a soulmate.
He wanted so badly for someone to understand his pain, wanted someone to listen to him when he told funny stories that he made up, wanted someone who would love him for who he was.
He told his mother this much, and she smiled down at him, hauling her up into her lap. "The Spirits have blessed you already, my dear. Everyone will get a soulmate, but you have to understand that as a prince of the Fire Nation, your duties to the nation will always come first. You, my strong and brave boy, must understand that to have a soulmate is a birth right that everyone has, but to be a prince of our nation is something special, that's just for you. You mustn't take it for granted. Promise me you'll never forget that."
"I promise, Mom." he said, before bounding out of her lap and off towards the turtleduck pond. Ursa watched on as her son and daughter splashed in the pond, and prayed too, for Zuko to have a soulmate.
He needs someone who understands him and all he is capable of , she thought to herself as she noticed Azula bragging about her superior bending skills.
Ursa was gone the next day.
--
Zuko never did forget not to take his position for granted.
He praised himself for that when he was thirteen, half-blind, hald-deaf, and banished, a disgrace to his own nation.
He sat on the bow of his ship and practiced a new form of meditation that Uncle had taught him, something that he was supposed to do at dawn and dusk, to focus his inner flame, or some other bullshit.
He was supposed to let his flames gather to his fingertips until he felt a slight pain, and then he was supposed to draw them quickly away and let his flame spread back to the rest of his body.
Zuko never let himself get that far; never let himself feel the pain.
Or, rather, he never let his soulmate feel the pain. He'd already pained them enough.
They deserved better than him, whoever they were.
They had to be better than he was.
--
When Zuko was sixteen, he invaded the tiny inner villages of the Southern Water Tribe, because he finally, finally had a lead on the Avatar, and like hell was he going to let that go.
It was, frankly, quite sad.
There he was, a whole ship full of sailors and soldiers at his disposal, up against a single warrior that couldn't have been older than him.
Zuko stepped off the gangplank, and the lone warrior charged at him, an attack that Zuko fended off easily. They continued their pitiful scuffle for a few minutes onwards, and Zuko never really wanted to fight, he just wanted to get the damn Avatar and leave, and that's what he told the boy as he snapped his spear in half.
And then, whoop de-doo, the Avatar handed himself in, but not before Zuko could get hit in the back of the head with the warriors boomerang.
--
When Zuko was still sixteen, he kissed Jin and wished that his life could be easier, wished that he could have had someone like her as a soulmate.
He kissed her, and it felt like a lie.
He went home that night, and did the breathing exercises that uncle had taught him, but this time he finally let himself feel the sting of a burn, because he deserved it. He'd played with the heart of an innocent bystander, and he deserved nothing but to burn.
Zuko felt his fire gather to his fingertips, and held them down until he felt the slightest sting. He drew them away, and by the time the stinging had subsided, there was a gentle phantom pressure that replaced it.
A soul pain , Zuko thought to himself. Well, more of a soul comfort .
He sent a silent thank you to the Spirits, and drifted off to sleep.
--
Zuko betrayed his uncle.
He betrayed uncle, and he betrayed the Water Tribe girl, and he went with Azula to the Fire Nation, because that was the right thing to do. He swore to himself that he wasn't making a mistake.
They were on a ship, sailing to the Fire Nation.
Sailing home, Zuko reminded himself. The Fire Nation is home now .
But that would never be true. The Fire Nation would never be home for Zuko. Uncle was home for Zuko, and tea was home for Zuko, and a tiny apartment in the Earth Kingdom was home for Zuko. The Fire Nation was not home for Zuko.
He sat in his chambers on the ship, and practised the mediations that uncle had taught him, but every time he got far enough into it that he was lost in his mind, all he could feel was guilt.
It didn't help that his soulmate was feeling failure too, wherever they were.
And then Zuko was lost in his thoughts, and all he could see was uncle's face when he fought with Azula, and the Water Tribe girl's face when the Avatar was struck, and his mother's face, and Azula's face and then-
Then he realized that he'd been pressing down on his wrist for too long, and he'd burned himself.
Zuko cursed under his breath as he hastily pulled his finger away from his arm, blowing cool air onto the burning skin.
And then, just as it had when Zuko was in Ba Sing Se, a gentle pressure was rubbed into the same spot from someone somewhere, and Zuko promised himself that no matter how he cherished the small comfort of his soulmate's presence, he wouldn't let them feel his pain again, if he could help it.
He didn't meditate again after that night.
--
"It's pretty out here, isn't it?"
Mai's voice startled Zuko out of his thoughts, and she settled next to him on the railing of the balcony, leaning against his warm body and exhaling deeply.
"Mai," Zuko whispered. He wasn't ready to let her go, not yet, but he knew they had to have this talk. "We've got to- we need to talk."
"I know," she sighed, letting him wrap an arm around her waist. "I know."
They sat in silence for a moment, wary to wake Azula or Ty Lee. "Who's yours?" Zuko asked finally, his words quiet enough that Mai had to strain her ears in order to hear them.
"Ty Lee." Mai said simply, not looking away from the beach in front of them. "What about you?"
"I'm not sure yet," Zuko replied honestly. "I don't think he's Fire Nation though. I've never really felt any burns, or anything."
"He?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm pretty sure it's a guy." he replied. "I've never seen myself happy with a woman, especially one who's not you. And even then, it feels wrong to even think about separating either of us from our soulmates for 'the good of the nation', or whatever."
Mai hummed in agreement, snuggling closer to Zuko, if only for his warmth. "I love you, you know that right? Like, fully platonically, but if we do have to end up together 'for the good of the nation', you'll still be my best friend."
"I love you too," Zuko sighed, and then, "I thought Ty Lee was your best friend?"
"I can have more than one best friend, dumbass!"
--
"Alright, c'mon people, it's time for some obligatory campfire gosip!"
Toph grabbed Zuko from where he'd been sharpening his daos, and dragged him over to the little circle they had created around the fire, sitting down and pulling him with her. She clung to his arm like a magnet, enjoying the heat that he radiated.
It reminded Zuko of Mai.
Katara sat down as far away from him as possible, shooting Zuko a glare over the fire. He sighed out of his nose and unconsciously rubbed a circle into his scarred wrist, wondering what his soulmate might do in a situation like his.
Just grin and bear it, he thought.
Toph started telling a story about how Sokka got his butt whooped by a girl, and then proceeded to 'chug respect women juice' (his words) for the rest of his life.
"Ah, Suki." Sokka sighed, leaning back onto his arms. "She really is a force to be reckoned with."
Zuko chuckled at that, his mind once again going to Mai. She, too, was a force to be reckoned with, and he'd be damned, but he missed her. Her, and Ty Lee, and uncle, and maybe even Azula.
Maybe.
"You good, Sparky?" Toph asked quietly, under her breath so that only Zuko could hear.
"Hmm?" he murmured, turning towards where she was still pressed into his side. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking about home, is all."
"Really?" she asked. "I thought you hated it there."
"Well, yeah, but I did have some friends." he said, smiling softly. "There was Mai, and Ty Lee, who were more my sister's friends than my own, but I did still like them, and I had Azula, of course, but I'm not sure what our relationship really was."
"Huh," Toph hummed, as if she was considering something. "That's nice." she said finally, and the two of them sat in silence for the rest of the night, listening to Aang's stories about the monks, and Sokka's stories about the Water Tribe.
--
"Do you ever miss them?"
Toph's quiet voice startled Zuko out of his thoughts, and he turned to face her, watching as she earth-bent a seat for herself on the edge of the cliff.
"Miss who?" he asked, looking up at the moonlit sky. It was late, late enough that Zuko assumed they were the only two awake. He had always been a light sleeper; late night visits from Azula, years on a ship and on the run, having his mother leave him late at night, all of that contributed to his sleeping habits. The nightmares didn't really help either.
"Your friends from back home." Toph supplied, leaning back on her arms and letting a cool breeze blow her bangs across her forehead.
"I didn't really have friends," Zuko sighed.
"I get what you mean," Toph said. "I was never really allowed to leave the house, but when I stuck out for tournaments there was always this one girl who would come to see me. Eventually, I got sick of not talking to her and I followed her to the village. Turns out, she was my soulmate and she'd been feeling a lot of pain on my side, which just kinda comes from earthbending. She decided to come to the tournament to figure out who I was, and then she just kept coming 'cause she wanted to make sure I was okay. I wonder what happened to her after I left."
"Huh," Zuko hummed. "That's cool, that she came to see you. I never really had anyone who did stuff like that."
"Do you not know who your soulmate is?"
"I-" Zuko paused. He thought about lying, saying that he didn't have any ideas, maybe saying that Mai was his soulmate?
"Spit it out, Sparky."
Zuko thought again about Mai, but then his thoughts drifted to Sokka, who he felt a mysterious pull to, who had a habit of running fingers over his wrist, who Zuko knew was different from others. "I don't know for sure, but I have a hunch."
"Is it knife girl?" Toph asked,
" Knife girl ?" Zuko repeated, a shallow chuckle escaping his throat. "If you mean Mai, then no, it's not her. We dated for a bit when I was still at home, but we're not soulmates. My father would've liked us to marry, if only for the politics of it, and I do love her, but not like that. She's one of my best friends."
"Aww, you do have a heart!" Toph teased, socking him in the arm. "And here I was, thinking that we were just going to have to bully you into talking about your feelings!"
"Toph!" Zuko cried, rubbing his sore arm. "Spirits, you're such a gremlin."
"Shut it, Sparky."
--
"Mai." Zuko's voice was quiet, almost unbelieving.
"Listen," Mai whispered, "I need to give a whole speech about how you broke my heart, but then we're gonna talk about getting you out of here." She raised her voice to a yell. "Guards! Close the door, I need to talk to him alone."
She put on a big show of yelling and pacing, and even let a few fake tears drip down her face, so that the guards who were standing outside the door and looking in through the window would think that she really was chewing Zuko out for breaking up with her, but in reality, she was just trying to understand what was going on.
"How the hell did you get in here?" she asked, brandishing a fake letter in his face. "Why the hell are you even here?"
"It's a long story," Zuko started, trying to look as dejected as possible, "But it goes along the lines of: I joined the Avatar and I'm teaching him how to firebend, one of his friends who I think I might have a slight crush on thought his dad might be here, so I may have cracked under pressure and let him drag me here on the slight chance that his dad could've been here too. Turns out he's not, but his ex-girlfriend-not-soulmate is, so we're busting her out instead."
"Spirits." Mai exclaimed, trying her hardest to look heartbroken. "That- that's- wow. Who is this guy anyway? And why would his dad be here? Why would he need to get his dad out of here, won't you release all of the good guys once you win?"
"Well, yeah- also, thanks for the vote of confidence there- but he lead this failed invasion on the day of Black Sun, and his dad and a bunch of warriors from his tribe got taken prisoner, so he's got the same kinda honor-restoration-fever that I had, but for better reasons."
"Woah." Mai breathed. "That's hardcore. Alright, how're we gonna get you outta here?"
"I think Sokka already has a plan," Zuko said, "But can you promise me one thing?" Mai nodded. "If anything happens to stop us from getting out of here- whether that be your uncle, or, I dunno, my sister, will you do your best to try and stop it?"
Mai took in a sharp breath. "If there's anyone I'm willing to commit treason for, it's you." she said finally, before gesturing towards the guards to open the door. Then, she raised her voice again, wiping invisible tears from her eyes. "And the next time you want to break your soulmate's heart, at least do it to my face, not in a stupid letter! I'm done here- he has nothing useful anyway. Guards, take the traitor back to his cell. I hope you feel my pain, Zuko!"
"Mai, wait!" he called after her. He always was an actor at heart.
"Let's go, you heard the girl!" a guard called, picking Zuko up by the back of his shirt. "Back to your cell!"
--
"Oh my Agni, she wasn't lying." Zuko breathed as he watched Mai stop the guards from cutting the line.
"What do you mean?" Sokka asked as he followed Zuko's gaze to where Mai was standing, watching as Azula and Ty Lee got closer to her.
"When she- when I saw her again, she promised me that she would help me escape, no matter what." Zuko said, looking up at Sokka who was staring back at him with a vacant look on his face, as if something in his world had just rearranged. "What?" he asked, "Why're you looking at me like that?"
"Huh?" Sokka blinked, breaking out of his stare. "Oh, sorry, it's nothing."
"Okay."
Zuko decided to leave it at that, but he couldn't help but feel that something in his world was about to rearrange too.
--
"Hey, wanna spar?"
"It's kinda late."
Sokka, Zuko, Suki, Hakoda, and Chit Sang had returned from the Boiling Rock earlier that day, and only the two boys remained awake, sitting on a cliffside, Sokka with his head on Zuko's shoulder.
"Well, I guess it is late, but you can always light a lantern, right?" Sokka joked, playfully elbowing Zuko in the ribs.
"Fair enough," Zuko agreed, shaking Sokka off and standing to get his swords. He picked up a lantern as well, and lit it with a small flame from his fingers, holding it up so that Sokka could find his own sword. They walked into the woods with their weapons, Zuko's flame lighting the way as they headed towards the clearing that they usually spared in.
They reached the clearing, and Zuko set down his lantern, the fire lighting up the space just enough for both of them to see. Sokka drew his sword, and Zuko drew his doas, and then they fell back into the familiar rhythm of a fight.
Sokka was always good at picking out his opponent's weaknesses. He knew how to detect if they had a weak side or not, if they were a bender, if they were trained in the art of the sword, or in the art of protecting themselves.
Zuko, on the other hand, was all about finding his opponent's strong suits, and then targeting the opposites. He could tell if someone was right handed or left handed, and then strike them on their non-dominant side. He knew when someone had a proficiency of kicking with their right leg, and would knock them in their left knee so that the under-used joint would collapse under unusual pressure.
They had opposite fighting styles, which made sparring all the more interesting.
Eventually, Zuko got Sokka pinned up against a tree, the dull side of his blades pressing down into his neck. Zuko worked on slowly increasing the pressure, and confusingly found pressure growing on his own throat, in the exact same spot that his blades met Sokka's neck.
"I yield," Sokka finally choked out, falling dramatically to the ground once Zuko let his blades go.
"Good job," Zuko muttered, splaying out on the forest floor next to him. "You've really gotten good with a sword. I was never that good when I studied with Piandao."
Sokka hummed nonchalantly, boneless and half-asleep after their fight. He mindlessly rubbed a circle into his wrist, and something in Zuko short-circuited.
The circles in his wrist. The pressure on his throat. The affection towards his father that had never been Zuko's own. The bumps on the head and scrapes on the arm, marks of the clumsy person that Sokka was at heart.
Oh. Oh oh oh oh oh.
Sokka was his soulmate.
Holy shit.
M. M. M. M. M. M. M. M
Watching Zuko and Azula fight was one of the most frightening moments of Sokka's life. Their flames burned so hot; blue and red, consuming one another.
And then the siblings were falling, and Appa caught Zuko, but Azula looked helpless, soaring through the air. "She's not going to make it." Zuko whispered, looking conflicted. But then Azula caught herself on the cliff side, and he muttered under his breath, "Of course she did."
"You good, Zuko?" Aang asked from his seat on Appa's head.
"Yeah, I'm good." Zuko chuckled. "I have to say, it's nice to beat the family prodigy twice in two days."
"Don't scare me like that again, Sparky." Toph said, punching him in the arm. Sokka winced.
Zuko moved to sit towards the back of the saddle with Sokka, who looked over at him with a small smile. He wasn't sure if Zuko knew about their bond yet, so he didn't want to mention it, but he had a feeling that he would be able to ignore it either.
"Don't do that again." He said quietly, looking away from the firebender.
"No promises."
~-~
"What you said was wrong, you know."
"Really?" Katara's tone left no room for error. Zuko swallowed. The two of them were somewhere in between the Fire Nation control tower and Whale Tale Island, sitting quietly on Appa's back. "Because you're such an expert now, on what's right and what's wrong?"
"No, what you said to Sokka, that was wrong." Zuko said softly. "He loved her just as much as you did. Just because he doesn't want revenge doesn't mean that he didn't love her the same."
"How would you know that?" Katara spit. "You know nothing about my brother."
"I know more than you think," Zuko murmured, looking away from the waterbender and up at the sky. "When she died, he blamed himself for it. I know him, Katara, and I know that he still does."
"That's a lie!" Katara insisted. "Why would he tell that to you, and not me?"
"He didn't have to tell me Katara." Zuko whispered. I could feel it. "Just trust me on this one, okay?"
"Because you're so trustworthy ."
Zuko said nothing.
~-~
"Okay, what's the deal?"
Sokka startled, looking over at Suki from where he'd been pacing throughout their campsite, lost in thought. "What? There is no deal. Nothing needs to be dealt with."
"Sokka, I know you." Suki insisted. "Something's up."
Sokka shook his head, walking briskly out of the campsite and towards the beach. Suki followed him, sitting gingerly down on a rock and watching him pace. "Sokka, you're going to wear holes into your shoes if you don't stop pacing soon."
"It's just-" Sokka finally slowed his pacing, turning towards his friend. "I don't know. I really don't know why I'm so worked up about this."
"Well, if it's bothering you this much, then maybe talking about it could help?"
"Fine. I know who my soulmate is."
"Oh, Sokka that's great!" Suki exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I'm so happy for you!"
"But- there's just- here's the thing." Sokka stammered, blushing. "I'm not sure if they know yet. Like, I know, but I only just found out, and I've known them for a while so, I don't know if they knew before me, or if they don't know at all-"
"Sokka," Suki interrupted him, "For Agni's sake, just ask them. It's not like they won't believe you. And if they don't, just pinch yourself."
"Fair enough. Thanks, Suki."
~-~
"They're back!" Aang shouted. Sokka and Suki rushed to stand with him on a hill just next to the campsite, and the three of them watched as Appa landed with Zuko and Katara in tow.
"Oh, thank Spirits," Sokka muttered, running to grab Katara into a hug as soon as she jumped down from the sky bison and ignoring a dull pain in his side. "Did you do it? Did you kill him?"
Katara let her brother wrap his arms around her and exhaled deeply. "No. I didn't kill him." She pulled back from the hug. "You were right Aang. Revenge wasn't what I needed. It was clairity."
Aang beamed at her, and launched his body at her's in a hug, nearly knocking Zuko over. Sokka stood back as Katara and Aang embraced, choosing instead to walk towards Zuko.
"You good?" he asked softly. Zuko looked over at him and smiled slightly, tugging the scarf that had been over his face down around his neck.
"Yeah, I'm good." Zuko sighed, leaning against Appa and closing his eyes. The pain in Sokka's side didn't waver. "I'm good."
Sokka nodded at him, before heading off to talk to Suki about heading into town to get supplies.
By dinnertime that night, the dull ache beneath Sokka's ribs had sharpened into a stabbing pain, and Zuko was nowhere to be found.
"Ah, fuck." Sokka muttered under his breath. "Why didn't I think of that earlier?"
He quietly left the campfire and headed for Katara's tent, grabbing a canteen of purified water, a roll of bandages, and a towel. He snuck out of his sister's tent and walked across the camp to the opening of Zuko's.
"Zuko?" he called out, "You in there?" He heard some gentle shuffling, felt another stab in his side, and then heard a meek 'Yeah.' from inside. "I'm coming in."
Inside of the tent, Zuko was leaning against the rock wall that Toph had sent up, trying his best to conceal his discomfort. Sokka was not so easily fooled, and noticed the hand pressing into his left side ribcage, just above his hips. (And he could feel the pain, of course, but that was a worry for another time.)
"What's up?" Zuko asked wearily. "Did I miss a team meeting, or something?"
"No, no, I just came to make sure you were okay." Sokka said, sitting down next to him.
"I'm fine." Zuko insisted, wincing a bit.
"Your face says otherwise."
Zuko turned to glare at Sokka, accidentally pulling at the skin around his wound. They both winced.
"Alright, the jig is up." Sokka sighed, reaching over to haul Zuko into his lap. At the firebender's indignant sputtering, he explained, "I know you're hurt, and you and I both know that hiding it is going to get you nowhere. I also know that you don't trust Katara enough to let her do shit for you, so I'm going to have to clean you up myself."
"Sokka, really, I'm fine." Zuko tried again, groaning weakly as Sokka's hand found his half-open wound.
"Tui and La, Zuko, how are you still standing?" Sokka muttered, peeling back Zuko's blood-stained shirt to discover a narrow cut that stretched shallowly from the space right beneath Zuko's ribs to directly above his left hip. It slanted diagonally, red blood contrasting pale skin.
"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before." Zuko murmured weakly, letting Sokka rest him gently onto his unmarred side.
Sokka let some of the water from Katara's canten run into the wound, cleaning some of the dried blood away, before he pressed the heels of his hands over it, applying pressure in order to stop the bleeding.
Zuko let out a groan at the feeling of Sokka's callused hands pressing against his cut, and Suko muttered an apology, despite the fact that he was in pain himself. Once he had managed to staunch the bleeding, he washed out the cut more thoroughly, and then wrapped the bandage around Zuko's abdomen, securing the end before leaning back to admire his handiwork.
"Better?" he asked softly.
"Yeah," Zuko whispered, looking as if his day had caught up to him. Sokka let him rest his head on his lap, sighing as Zuko finally relaxed. "Thank you."
"Any time, Zuko." Sokka murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Any time."
~-~
The floor beneath his knees was cold and harsh, a striking difference from the tears streaming down his face.
"Please, father. I am your loyal son."
There was a figure looming over him. He cowered underneath the shadow of his father, looking out to the audience for help.
"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher."
Once more, he felt the hard ground underneath his hands and knees, and then all he could feel was pain.
Sokka was up late, reading through maps and plans and statistics he had gathered over the year, a single candle lighting up his bedroom in the house on Ember Island. His hair hung loosely around his face, and his feet were tucked under his knees, his breaths deep and slow as he tried to relax.
Breathing, however, was getting increasingly harder for Sokka. He wasn't sure why, but his chest seemed to tighten with every breath he took, and there was a panicked pain throbbing dully in the back of his head.
He paused for a moment, looking up from his maps, before letting out a quiet gasp.
Zuko.
Of course.
Harsh bandages over open wounds, almost as harsh as the words that were cycled through his head.
"Your sister was born lucky. You were lucky to be born."
The iron of an unforgiving ship, grey and black and red, the colors of a war that he had come to hate.
Lucky to be born. Lucky to be born. Lucky to be born.
He repeated it over and over, burning the words into his mind.
Lucky to be born.
Sokka quietly opened the door to his room, and slipped out into the hallway, looking for any signs of a fight. There was nothing, only dust on the walls and the sounds of Toph's snores from a few doors down.
He continued to Zuko's room, opening the door and stepping inside. It was pitch black, the only light being that of the moon shining through the open window, but Sokka could still make out a shivering figure on the bed, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Sokka kneeled down next to Zuko's bedroll, hauling the crying boy into his lap. Zuko's tears soaked quickly through his pants, but Sokka didn't let that bother him, choosing instead to ignore it and run his fingers through Zuko's hair.
Lucky to be born. Like a mantra, it ran circles around his head.
He walked to the top deck of the ship and looked out at the endless ocean, a sea of deep blue uncertainty. As the sun set, it cast a dark red color over the whole world, and then all he could see was blood.
Blood of the people he'd hurt, blood of the people who'd hurt him, blood of people who had gotten caught up in his mess without ever seeing his face.
The blood of the soldiers of the 41st Division.
Lucky to be born. Lucky to be born. Lucky to be-
"Zuko."
Someone's voice.
The blood didn't go away. It got deeper and deeper, creating a new ocean right in front of his eyes.
Lucky to be born. Lucky-
"Zuko, c'mon, you've got to wake up."
No. No, this wasn't something he can wake up from. This wasn't a dream, or a figment of his imagination. This was all real, he'd done this, he'd hurt these people, he'd-
"Zuko, it's just a dream, that's all. Please, just open your eyes. I'm here."
Zuko awoke with a gasp, opening his eyes to find himself in his room on Ember Island, his head resting in someone's lap.
"S-Sokka?" he murmured, catching the familiar scent of ink and seawater that Sokka always seemed to carry with him.
"It's me." Sokka said, continuing to run his fingers through Zuko's hair. "I'm here, it's okay."
Zuko heaved another sobbing breath, turning so that his face was pressed into Sokka's chest. "What are you doing here?"
Sokka paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. "I could feel it." he whispered. "My chest- your chest. It was tight. And it was getting hard to breathe."
Another tear slipped down Zuko's face, and Sokka couldn't help himself from reaching out and brushing it away with his thumb.
For a moment, they were silent. Then, "Thank you, Sokka." Zuko breathed, tucking his head into Sokka's neck.
They fell asleep like that, Zuko with his head resting right over Sokka's heart, the gentle rhythm under his ear pulling him into a peaceful sleep.
~-~
The night after that, Sokka went up to his room, waited until everyone else was asleep, then crossed the hallway and slid into Zuko's room, a quill tucked into his hair, and a map tucked under his arm.
"Sokka?" Zuko murmured, sitting by his window and meditating with his hand on his wrist. He'd stopped doing the portion of that particular exercise that involved burning himself, but the breathing parts of it always reminded him of uncle, so he kept those as a part of his routine. "What're you doing here."
"I'm sleeping here, that's what." Sokka says, tossing his map down onto the floor and sitting down next to Zuko. "I'm not letting you deal with yourself alone."
"Sokka, really-"
"Nah ah." Sokka interrupted him, "No if's, ands or buts. You just sit there and do your fire bender's thingys, and I'm going to sit next to you and hash some shit out, and then we're going to go to sleep, next to each other. I won't hear a word against it."
And, Zuko found that he couldn't argue with that.
~-~
The next night, Sokka didn't need to go to his room to get his maps and quill, so he stayed out at the campfire in the courtyard until he and Suki were the only ones awake, and then bid her goodnight and headed straight for Zuko's room.
Zuko, he found, was already laying in bed, half-asleep, so Sokka decided to forgo the maps and instead slid into bed right next to the prince, curving his body around the other's.
"Sokka?" Zuko whispered, turning over to face him.
"The one and only." Sokka murmured back, brushing a stray lock of hair away from Zuko's forehead.
Zuko murmured sleepily, nuzzling into Sokka's neck and pulling his hair out from it's wolf tail. "Sleep." he said, barely audible from where he was still pressing his face into Sokka's shoulder and neck.
"Your wish is my command." Sokka said quietly, wrapping his arms around Zuko's waist and pulling him impossibly closer. Sleep was pulling him down, and in his hazed state of mind he hardly even noticed pressing a kiss to Zuko's head.
Zuko noticed.
M. M. M. M.. M. M. M. M
One night, too close to the comet for comfort, Zuko woke up alone. The cold was what startled him into consciousness, an unfamiliar sensation on his skin that he'd become unfamiliar with after sleeping with Sokka's warmth for so long.
There was a familiar shaking in Zuko's chest as well, something that he had come to recognize over the years as the feeling of silent sobs. He stood up quietly, wary to wake any of the others, and padded silently down the hallway and out into the courtyard. He looked up and noticed with a start that it was a full moon.
Oh.
Yue.
Of course.
Zuko jumped over a few boulders and headed down for the path to the beach, where, as he expected, Sokka was sitting on a flat slab of rock, looking out at the sea with tears streaming quietly down his face.
Wordlessly, Zuko came to sit next to him, wrapping a gentle arm around his waist. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly, letting comfort leach into his tone.
Sokka sniffled, pressing his face into Zuko's shoulder. "I just-" he was interrupted by another sob. "I just feel like I could've done better. Like I could've pr-protected her from it. It's just- e-e-everytime I see her like this, like she was when she first went, it's just like everything from that night comes back to me. Zhao, and the red moon, and you, and then all I can see is her face, and- and- and-"
"Hey, hey, shh, shh, it's alright." Zuko soothed, moving Sokka so that his head was resting right above his heart. "You told me yourself that her soulmark was the moon. It was always her destiny to be with Tui, and, as much as you miss her, she'll always be there for you, right over your head. And, just like she's got Tui, you've got me, and I'll always be there for you, right next to you. I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm right here, love. Always will be."
Zuko leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Sokka's head, pulling the hair tie from his wolf tail and ruffling his hair a bit. Sokka looked up at him with a watery smile, and let Zuko take his hand and lead him back up to their room, curling into him once they were back in bed.
"I'm here, and I promise you, I'm not going anywhere. Don't you ever forget that." Zuko murmured as they drifted off to sleep. He thought for a moment that his promise had fallen on deaf ears, but then a gentle kiss was pressed to the base of his collarbone, and he could finally relax, sinking into the blissful oblivion of sleep.
~~~~
Aang was out on a bank nearby the house, practicing his waterbending during the full moon, when he heard them. The voices of his two friends could be heard clearly as coming from the opposite cove, and he wondered for a moment why they were out so late. Neither of them were waterbenders, it wasn't like they had some special connection to the full-
Oh.
Aang didn't mean to overhear, he really didn't, but when he heard Sokka crying- something that he'd never heard before- he couldn't help but become curious. He bent himself an airscooter and went to hover over the cliffside, but once he came into view of the beach he stopped short, looking over the scene that was playing out in front of him.
Sokka was sobbing openly into Zuko's chest while the other boy comforted him quietly, just loud enough for Aang to hear.
"- her soulmark was the moon. It was always her destiny to be with Tui, and, as much as you miss her, she'll always be there for you, right over your head. And, just like she's got Tui, you've got me, and I'll always be there for you, right next to you. I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm right here love. Always will be."
But wait.
Does that mean that-
Oh. Oh oh oh .
Everything made more sense in that moment, but Aang decided to leave before he could intrude anymore, airscootering away from the beach and back towards the house. He walked silently from the courtyard and into his bedroom, falling asleep almost immediately once his head hit the pillow.
When he woke up the next morning and the last night's events caught up to him, he decided not to mention them, instead he just smiled extra brightly at Sokka over breakfast and took all of Zuko's critiques with no pushback.
They had enough going on in their lives, anyways.
--~~~
Sokka sat up gently, careful not to jostle Zuko from where he was still asleep next to him. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the firebender's soft hair, and then stood from bed, moving to tie his hair back into it's usual wolf tail and grabbing a map and a lantern on his way out.
Despite having moved almost fully into Zuko's room (not that anyone else knew that), Sokka still tended to work late into the night, but he knew that Zuko wouldn't fall asleep without him there, so he got used to laying with him until he was out, and then sneaking into the courtyard to work. That night was going to be just like any other night. Sokka slipped out of the doorway and paused to light the lantern, before holding it up in front of himself and then almost dropping it.
"Suki!?" he whisper-yelled, eyes wide. "Wh-what are you doing up?"
"I could ask you the same thing, boomerang boy," she smirked, grabbing his arm and dragging him out to the courtyard where they wouldn't be overheard. "Alright, what the hell, what were you doing in Zuko's room, I need to know now, spill the Spirits damned beans, Sokka."
He looked at her for a moment, just looked at her , and then sputtered and mouthed around words that wouldn't appear, his warm breaths making steam in the cool night air. "I- I don't- what?" he stuttered, blinking quickly. Suki didn't back down. Finally, after a moment or two, Sokka relented. "Zukohasnightmaresandthey'rekindapainfulbuthesleepsbetterifI'mtheresoIusuallyjuststayuntilhefallsasleepandthenIcomeandworkouthereandwhenI'mdoneworkingIgobacktohimbecauseIsleepbetterwithhimtoo." He said it all in one breath, blushing furiously, and Suki stared at him until he was finished, took a deep breath, and started to cackle .
"I- I'm sorry, it's just- you? And Zuko? Cuddling? It just- it gives me so much joy to think about that, Sokka, you have no idea." she wheezed, clutching her sides with laughter.
"What!?" Sokka exclaimed, looking indignant. "I don't- we do not cuddle, it's just, erm, dignified and close bed sharing!" he insisted. "And yeah, so maybe I think it's kinda cute when he does the thing where he nuzzles into my neck and sighs a bit, but that means nothing!"
"He nuzzles?!" Suki wheezed, still gasping for breath. "Zuko, the burly, rough and tough, aloof prince of the Fire Nation, nuzzles?"
"Shut up!" Sokka yelped, blushing crimson. "Y'know what, I'm going back to sleep. Don't you dare mention this, Suki, or I swear, I will sick Zuko on you."
"Ohh, the nuzzling prince, so threatening," Suki teased, bumping her shoulder into Sokka's. "Honestly, Socks, I think it's kinda cute." When he turned to look at her she smiled, before pushing him out of the courtyard. "Go, go, get some sleep. We're all gonna need it."
As Sokka walked back towards the house, Suki moved to follow him, before she stopped in her tracks, taking in a sharp breath.
Zuko has nightmares, Sokka had said.
Zuko has nightmares, and they're kinda painful.
If his nightmares were painful, and Sokka knew about them, then that could only mean one thing.
Sokka and Zuko were soulmates.
Oh .
--
"Zuko, Aang, could one of you add some fire to the campfire?" Katara asked, rummaging through a bag in order to find her favorite cooking pot. Despite the fact that they had a kitchen handy, camp cooking was something that they had all gotten used to over the past year, a familiar comfort that they didn't want to let go of. Because of that, they decided to make a campfire in the courtyard most nights, and sit around it on benches that Toph would bend out of the ground while they cooked and shared stories, trying to distract themselves from the impending comet.
"I'll do it, Aang," Zuko said, moving to get closer to the fire. "I've been wanting to try and regain more of my breath control anyways."
Sokka watched with awe as he took in a deep breath and the fire swelled with every movement of his lungs, growing until Katara deemed it a proper cooking flame. Once his work was done, Zuko moved to sit next to Sokka, relaxing into his side.
"Hey," Sokka murmured, toying with the hairs at the nape of his neck.
"Hey," Zuko whispered back.
"That was pretty cool, what you just did there," Sokka sighed, enjoying the way that Zuko melted into him. "Some hot stuff, if you ask me."
"One day, I'll figure out a way to rid the world of your horrible puns," Zuko sighed, nuzzling into Sokka's neck. He didn't miss the look that Suki shot their way. "She knows, doesn't she?" he asked, looking up at Sokka with a petulant glare.
"Uh, maybe?" Sokka squeaked, looking down at the firebender. "She may have caught me coming out of your room the other night." He paused, looking around to make sure that Aang, Toph, and Katara were out of earshot. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure if you wanted to keep it a secret, or-"
"Sokka, really." Zuko murmured, "It's fine. We don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to, but we shouldn't lie about it either. It doesn't have to be a secret, but if someone asks then we should tell the truth. I won't lie. Not about this. Not about you."
Just as Sokka was about to reply, Toph and Aang came running into the courtyard, nearly knocking Katara into her cooking fire. "Guys, look at this!" Aang cried, holding up a poster. "There's a play about us! Toph and I saw ads for it all around town!"
"What?" Katara asked, looking up from her soup. "What do you mean there's a play about us?"
"The Boy In The Iceberg is the newest work by accomplished playwright Pu-on Tim…" Aang began, reading off the scroll before finishing with a flourish. "There's a showing tomorrow night, I think we should all go and see it! I could be a great way to decompress for a bit, y'know, relax before the comet comes."
"That's actually a really good idea, Aang," Katara praised, a shine in her eyes as she admired the smile that she'd put on Aang's face.
"Wait, who did you say was performing?" Zuko asked, extracting himself from Sokka's side and going to look at the poster himself.
"Uh, the Ember Island Players, or something like that." Aang supplied, looking back at the poster for reference.
Zuko groaned. "Ugh, not those dunderheads. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every damn year! My mother used to make us all go see it when we visited here for quote unquote family bonding time . It obviously did us no good."
Sokka smiled slightly at the fact that Zuko was casually mentioning his mother, before moving to comfort his boyfriend (Boyfriend? Soulmate? Good friend that he happens to cuddle with every night? Best bros who lived for little forehead kisses? ).
"Oh, I'm sure they've only gotten better with time," he soothed, wrapping his arm around Zuko. "You said it yourself that you haven't been back here in years. Surely they've had plenty of time to practice since then."
"Okay, okay, stop flirting, boys, we've got some dinner to eat," Toph interrupted, flopping down next to Suki. "I'm hungry!"
Sokka and Zuko both blushed, but said nothing else, putting a safely platonic distance in between themselves. Katara spooned a fresh helping of rice and vegetables into everyone's bowls, and then settled down next to Aang, leaning into his soft body.
"Do you ever wonder what it feels like to be with your soulmate?" Toph asked after a few moments of silence. "And I don't mean, like be near them, because we all know that Sweetness and Twinkle Toes over there are soulmates and they're shit at hiding it." When the two aforementioned teens said nothing, Toph smirked. "I can feel your heartbeats, you know. They're going through the roof." She paused again, taking a deep breath. "But, what I mean is what does it feel like to know and acknowledge it. What's it like to fall asleep next to that person every night, and wake up next to them every morning. To see them fall down, or trip over something, and feel the pain that you are watching them feel. What's that like?"
Everyone was deathly silent.
That is, until Sokka , of all people, decided to speak up.
"It's like living and dying in the same moment, when you see them feel the pain you share." he whispered. "Falling asleep next to them and waking up wrapped up in each other feels like being home for the first time in your life. To know and acknowledge it is like holding a breath. You don't realize that you were missing anything until you take the first inhale, and then you wonder how you ever lived without your lungs being full of air. Having that kind of connection, that kind of relationship with someone, it's so hard to put into words, because it just goes so far past the surface of anything that you've ever felt before, and it changes you from the inside out."
After he finished, everyone was silent again.
Until, of course, Zuko broke the seal.
"For me," he started, "being with them feels like being complete. There was so much fear, so much doubt, that I had in myself before I met them, but when they came into my life, it was like everything fell into place. They make me feel whole in a way that I've never felt before, like they're the final piece to the messy and previously incomplete puzzle of my life. When they hold me in their arms, it's like the world has stopped turning, and when they whisper secrets into my ears, it feels like every star in the sky shines a bit brighter. They make me who I am, and I'd never want anyone else to fill their place."
The silence returned.
Toph sunk into the depths of her mind, searching a scanning for anyone she knew that could be either of their soulmates. Sokka's, of course, could've been Yue, or they could've been Suki, or maybe someone from back home or in Ba Sing Se. Her vote was for Suki. And as for Zuko, she knew that they weren't knife girl, no one from back in the Fire Nation, so maybe it was someone from Ba Sing Se as well?
Her mind was spinning, but she let it quiet down for a moment, just one, in order to listen to the heartbeats of the group. Suki's was calm and relaxed, simple as always; Aang's was slow and deep, tranquil and gentle; Katara's held the same soft rhythm as always, flowing like the water that she bent; Sokka's was jumpy, as was to be expected; and Zuko's was as well.
But. But .
There was something off.
Zuko and Sokka, their heartbeats were in sync.
That was something that Toph had only ever heard between Katara and Aang, and occasionally, her own parents. People who were soulmates.
But that ment-
Oh, Toph thought.
"Oh," she said.
The rest of dinner was quiet.
"Why the hell are we sitting all the way up in the nosebleeds?" Toph complained, sending Katara a dirty look. "My feet can't see a thing up here!"
"This way, it'll be easier for us to go unnoticed," Katara sighed. "And, don't worry, I promise I'll tell your feet exactly what's happening."
Just as she said that, the theatre lights began to dim, and the curtain raised on a set of what was supposed to be the South Pole.
The first third went a little bit like this:
Katara cried about hope, Sokka was hungry, Aang was a woman, Katara cried some more, Sokka cried about meat, Aang was an "Incurable Prankster", Zuko was Angsty, Iroh liked cake, Suki appeared on stage for half a second, Sokka did drag for half a second, Bumi happened, Katara cried some more, Yue happened, real Sokka cried a bit, Aang won the Siege of the North, and then it was over.
"So far, this intermission is the best part of the show." Zuko muttered as they all congregated on a staircase near one of the snack stands. Then, he turned to Sokka. "I told you that they hadn't gotten any better."
"I-I-I didn't think it would be this bad!" Sokka sputtered, letting the prince curl into his side.
"Honestly, you guys, it's not that bad," Toph sighed, leaning back against a wall and stealing one of Aang's fire flakes. "It's just artistic licence in use. "
"Yeah, Toph's right," Katara said, "It is just artistic license. It's not like I'm some preachy crybaby who can't help making over emotional speeches about hope all the time." she scoffed.
The rest of the group stayed quiet, all raising their eyebrows at her.
"Oh- shut up!"
"I mean, Katara does have a point," Sokka sighed. "They make me look like some dumbass who tells bad jokes about meat all the time!"
"Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other things!" Suki teased him, easily evading a piece of flying jerky that came her way.
"Yeah, and I'm not a woman!" Aang exclaimed, scrubbing a hand over his face.
"Oh, c'mon Twinkle Toes, you've always been more in touch with your feminene side anyways!" Toph cackled, flicking a pebble at Aang's head.
"I'm not !" Aang insisted.
Soon enough, Katara had managed to calm everyone down and corral them back into their seats. They settled into the same seating arrangement that they'd had for the first third; Zuko and Katara sitting next to each other, Sokka on Zuko's right and Aang on Katara's left, with Suki and Toph sitting next to each other in the second row.
The second third of the play passed in a flurry of bad acting, and before they knew it, Actress Katara and Actor Zuko were in the caves beneath Ba Sing Se.
"Oh, Prince Zuko, I really do find you attractive," Actress Katara said.
"I thought you were the Avatar's soulmate!" Actor Zuko proclaimed.
"The Avatar?" Actress Katara laughed, "Of course not! Why, I think of him only as a little brother. I certainly don't think of him the way that I think of you , Prince Zuko."
"It is you who's pain I have been feeling!" Actor Zuko gasped. Real Katara and Real Zuko moved awkwardly away from each other, accidentally pushing themselves into Sokka and Aang. "No one can know that my soul is paired with that of a Water Tribe Peasant!"
Zuko tried not to notice the way that Sokka tensed next to him, but couldn't help feeling the way that he stiffened up.
"But Zuko," Actress Katara sighed, "No one has to know about this ."
As the two actors swept each other up in an over-dramatic embrace, Sokka stood, excusing himself from the theatre.
"Oh, Tui and La, I'm so going to kill this playwright if I ever see him again," Zuko cursed, watching Sokka's retracting back and missing the warmth that the other boy provided him with.
Then, Zuko had to watch as his greatest mistake was acted out in front of his eyes, without Sokka's comforting presence by his side. Next to him, Katara, now tucked comfortably underneath Aang's arm, looked at him with a confused expression.
"I hate you uncle!" Actor Zuko yelled, shoving Actor Iroh. Real Zuko cringed. "You smell, and I hate you for all time!"
"You didn't really say that, did you?" Katara asked him gently.
"I might as well have," Zuko whispered back, not looking away from the stage.
Actress Aang was struck with Azula's lightning, and with that, the second third of the play was over.
They headed out towards the staircase they had rested on earlier, expecting to find Sokka waiting there, possibly with snacks in tow. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found, and Zuko groaned internally, externally smacking his forehead.
"What?" Katara asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I think I know where he is," Zuko sighed, getting up from the staircase and heading towards the balcony that faced the bay. "I'll be back in a bit, okay?"
"Okay," Katara said, smiling slightly. She turned away from the firebender and back towards Suki, Aang, and Toph, settling down next to her friends and stealing a handful of Aang's fireflakes.
Zuko walked away from the familiar chatter of the group and continued on towards where he knew Sokka would be, leaning against the balcony and looking up at the moon. Zuko came to stand next to him silently, leaning against Sokka and letting a gentle arm wrap around the other boy's waist.
"You- you didn't- did you really mean that?" Sokka stammered, refusing to make eye contact. "What you said in there, about not wanting anyone to know that your soulmate is Water Tribe?"
"Sokka," Zuko whispered, "that wasn't me. That was an actor, who was playing me. You and I both know that, yes, maybe a year or two ago, I wouldn't have wanted anyone to know. But now? Now that I've got my priorities figured out, you're number one on that list. When we win this war and Aang defeats my father, I won't give a flying fuck about people knowing who my soulmate is. Because he is brave, and he is strong, and there is no one else in the world I'd rather have by my side. You're special, Sokka, and I've told you once, I'll tell you a thousand times, I'm not lying. Not about you."
Sokka let out a breath that he'd hadn't even realized he was holding, letting his head drop to Zuko's shoulder. "Thank you." he whispered.
Zuko pressed a kiss into his hair, and then, with a sudden burst of confidence gently tilted Sokka's chin so that they were face to face, eye to eye, lip to lip.
"May I?" he asked softly.
Sokka nodded once, shortly, and that's all it took for Zuko to finally press their lips together, letting everything else drift away as they were both sucked back into nights of secret touches and forehead kisses and tangled legs and bare chests. Of tears and nightmares, of smiles and cuddles, of a connection between two lost boys who'd finally found each other. As the world drifted away, Sokka and Zuko drifted together. Twin souls, one of the sun, one of the moon, coming together in an eclipse of a lifetime.
They pulled apart after a long moment, both of them smiling and blushing bashfully.
"Hey," Sokka whispered.
"Hey," Zuko whispered back.
Sokka tucked his head back into Zuko's shoulder, smiling into his shirt, and Zuko wrapped his arms around Sokka's waist, grinning into his hair.
They stayed like that for a moment, before linking hands and walking back into the theatre.
~~~~
"I should probably go and get Sokka and Zuko," Katara sighed, extracting herself from under Aang's arm and standing up with a stretch. "The last part is gonna start soon. You guys go back to the seats without me, I'll go and get the boys and we'll meet you there."
"Okay!" Aang agreed brightly, standing up alongside here. Suki and Toph soon followed suit, and the three of them headed off to their seats while Katara wandered along the sprawling balconies, looking for her brother.
She was about to give up hope and just head back herself, when she heard two familiar voices coming from the balcony adjacent to her. Katara walked quietly over towards the cause of the noise, and was about to quietly interrupt their conversation, but instead she stopped short in the doorway, accidentally overhearing their conversation.
"-we win this war and Aang defeats my father, I won't give a flying fuck about people knowing who my soulmate is." Zuko was saying. Katara gasped quietly, grasping onto the doorframe so that she wouldn't fall over. "Because he is brave, and he is strong, and there is no one else in the world I'd rather have by my side. You're special, Sokka, and I've told you once, I'll tell you a thousand times, I'm not lying. Not about you."
Katara sucked in another sharp breath, backing quickly away from the balcony and into the hallway just outside of the theatre.
Sokka and Zuko were soulmates.
Her brother's soulmate was going to be the next Firelord.
Her brother's soulmate was the angry guy with the ponytail that chased them around the world for a year and then cut off his hair and joined their side.
Sokka and Zuko were soulmates.
Oh, Tui and La, this was going to be a wild ride.
M. M. M. M. M. M. M. M
Sokka paced quietly outside of the tent that Zuko and Iroh were in, his footsteps wearing tracks into the ground beneath him. Zuko had gone in almost an hour ago, and it was hard not to worry. What if something went wrong? What if Iroh didn't forgive him? What if someone committed treason?
Fucking royals .
Sokka's hands fiddled with the leather holster that boomerang sat in, and he drew in deep breaths, trying to distract himself from the phantom feeling of sobs ripping through him.
Zuko would be fine. He was strong, he was smart, he'd be fine.
He had to be fine.
Sokka startled as he heard a pair of footsteps approaching him, his hand immediately drawn to the sword at his side. When he saw who was walking towards him, however, he breathed out a sigh of relief, smiling slightly at his sword master.
"Sokka," Piandao greeted him, gesturing for him to sit down on a nearby boulder.
"Master," Sokka said, bowing slightly before sitting down next to him.
"I was afraid you were going to pace holes into the earth there, young man," the master chuckled, looking fondly over at Sokka. "You needn't worry about Zuko, although I find it's hard not to. I remember the summers when he would come to study with me, and some evenings I would find him in his quarters, the poor boy, sobbing because he was grieving his mother. It always confused me so much, until years ago when I realized that it wasn't his mother who had passed away, but his soulmate's. Zuko has so many layers to him, he's quite hard to pull apart, but on the inside all he does is care."
Sokka gave him a watery smile, looking up at the moon and remembering his mother. She, too, cared, for anyone and everyone, no matter where they came from, or what they did to her. She was not unlike Zuko himself.
"My mother died when I was ten," Sokka started, still looking up at the stars and away from Piandao. "So Zuko would have been eleven. I remember being so angry at my soulmate, because just when I began to feel like I could breathe again, they started grieving their own mother. I don't think Ursa is dead, though, I'm pretty sure that she got out. I think she wants Zuko and Azula to find her, one day. I hope she wants to be found."
"Oh, Lady Uras is out there somewhere, I'm sure of it." Piandao chuckled, following Sokka's gaze to Yue. "She did what she had to for her children to survive."
"Any parent would sacrifice themselves for their child, I think," Sokka sighed wistfully, looking back towards the ground. "Any good parent, that is." he corrected himself. "Ozai can eat dirt."
Piandao laughed softly, and Sokka winced as he felt another phantom sob rip through his chest, looking back towards the tent.
"I can't help but worry about him," he whispered. "He gives so much of himself away. He's so rich, in soul and in heart and in mind, and I'm worried that he doesn't know that. He thinks that he's here for everyone else, but really, he's here for himself too, y'know? He hardly ever sleeps on his own, and when he's not training Aang, he's sparring with Toph or Katara or Suki, or going over plans with me, and I'm worried that he'll forget to breathe, sometimes. I know that he has a deeper sense of self than I give him credit for, but I still worry that he'll give himself up for his nation, once he becomes Fire Lord."
"You'll just have to be there then," Piandao stated, like it was the simplest thing in the world. "You can make sure that he doesn't."
Sokka let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, turning his head towards the stars. Yue was there, bright and shining and beautiful, and Sokka couldn't help the tear that rolled down his face as he smiled, remembering 'do you want to do an activity' and 'a bunch of girls?' and 'let's go break my dad out of a maximum security prison together'. He really was a horrible flirter.
"Don't let yourself get lost, Sokka," Piandao told him. "Your friends are relying on you to guide them."
With that, the old master stood, bowing to Sokka and walking back across camp. Sokka watched his retreating back and sighed.
Old Man Advice never made any sense.
It was nearing midnight when the sounds of a tent flap opening startled Sokka out of the shallow sleep he had fallen into. He sat up straight and looked around for the source of the noise, his eyes landing on a shakily smiling Zuko.
"Was it good?" Sokka asked, standing quickly. "I don't have to throw hands with your uncle, do I?"
Zuko shooks his head wearily, walking straight into Sokka's chest and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. "It was good. I'm good."
"Good," Sokka whispered, wrapping his arms around Zuko's waist. He pressed a kiss to Zuko's hair, and they stood there in silence for a moment, swaying slightly. "C'mon, we should probably try and get some sleep."
Zuko nodded, letting go of Sokka and grabbing his hand. They walked in tandem across camp, ducking into the tent that they'd claimed as their own and laying down on the bedrolls. Zuko turned so that his head was tucked into the crook of Sokka's shoulder, and tried his hardest to drift off to sleep.
He couldn't.
Thoughts kept drifting around in his head, what if's and who knows. What if one of them didn't make it out? What if Zuko had to kill his sister? What if Aang didn't return? What if, what if, what if.
What if Zuko wasn't enough?
He let the questions drift around in his mind for a while, teetering on the edge of consciousness, but still unable to fall into sleep. He could feel Sokka's still shallow breaths next to him, and knew that his soulmate was still awake next to him.
"Sokka?" he whispered into the darkness. "You awake?"
"Yeah," Sokka mumbled, nuzzling into Zuko's hair. "What's up?"
"Can we talk about the future?" Zuko asked breathlessly. "Not the tomorrow future, but the, like, future future. What's going to happen to this? To us? It's not like I can just give up the throne and move to the South Pole, but I can't expect you to leave your family behind and move to the Fire Nation. Neither of us can exactly give up our cultures, can we?"
"Well, no, but that doesn't mean that we can't be flexible." Sokka said quietly. "I don't have to become chief, you know. It's not an inherited position. There's a number of challengers that come to fight the person who's in line for it, and whoever wins those fights gets the position. I could just tap out of those fights and let the villagers pick their own chief. And even then, that won't be for many, many years. My dad's got a lot more life in him. And anyways, I want to be anywhere that you are. You're right, neither of us can give up our cultures, but neither of us has to. I could spend most of my time with you, and some of it at home, be an Ambassador of sorts. Whatever I do, I know that you're it for me, Zu, you're my soulmate and you're everything to me, nothing's gonna change that, okay? You don't have to worry about me leaving you. I won't."
Zuko let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I think the Ambassador thing is a good idea. We could have a council of sorts, a delegate from each of the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom city states in the Fire Nation, an Ambassador from all of the Fire Nation states in the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, and so on and so forth. Unite the world in a peaceful way."
"You come up with the best middle of the night ideas, did you know that?" Sokka mumbled, sounding like he was falling back asleep.
Zuko hummed in response, and finally let himself drift into oblivion as he felt Sokka's breaths evening out, sinking into a dreamless sleep with his soulmate by his side.
The morning of the comet was tense and quiet, but Sokka and Zuko still managed to find a moment of peace in which to spar. They walked hand in hand to a sparring ground on the east side of camp, and pulled their weapons out quietly, facing each other and bowing.
On the other side of camp, the members of the White Lotus were slowly waking up, and four of them were grouped together at the campfire, quietly eating breakfast and drinking tea.
"Master Piandao," Iroh said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. "The Water Tribe boy, he is the newest protege that you speak of, yes?"
"If you mean Sokka, then yes, yes he is." Piandao confirmed, looking up from his porridge and towards where the boys were sparring.
"How can you be so sure that this boy has the talents that you say he does?" Pakku sneered. "I met him months ago, at the North Pole. He courted Princess Yue for a time, absolutely horribly, I might add. He's just a bumbling child," Pakku spit, "with none of the raw talent of his sister or the Avatar."
"Ah, but Master Pakku, when you met Sokka, he'd only suffered one great tragedy," Piandao sighed, "as you see him now, he's been through many more. When you met him, he'd lost his mother, but now he's suffered through the loss of Princess Yue, and the loss of the Invasion of the Black Sun, which he, a sixteen year old young man, single handedly lead, need I remind you. He's grown tremendously, and, not only is he the only non-bender of the Avatar's group, but he is the strategist, the planner, and the protector. He showed up at my home with nothing but himself, no offerings, no displays of grandeur, just his strength and determination. He studied hard, and proved himself able to beat myself in battle, which, on it's own, is quite the feat. And now," Piandao paused, gesturing towards where Sokka and Zuko were fighting, "I can see that he's gotten even better."
The other White Lotus members looked at the boys in awe, taking in their display of sheer skill. Zuko's fighting was as swift as ever, maybe even swifter than it had been in Ba Sing Se, but Sokka's was something that none of them had ever seen before, light but grounded, a beautiful juxtaposition.
Sokka and Zuko twirled around one another, their swords moving as an extension of themselves. They were moving quickly, striking out at each other, but never making contact.
"It's peculiar, the way that they fight without contact," Pakku mused, thoughtfully stroking his beard. "I've only ever seen you two fight that way before," he said, gesturing at Piandao and Jeong Jeong, who were holding hands atop the log that they were sitting on. Both blushed. "But that's just because of your soul bond."
"Why don't you stop to think about that for a moment." Piandao offered. He and Jeong Jeong shared a private look.
" Oh ," Iroh breathed suddenly, looking at Sokka with a different kind of gaze. "Why, everything seems to make a bit more sense now. Agni, everything seems to be coming together, doesn't it? Who would've thought that all of those fighters would end up related one day?"
"What do you mean by that?" Pakku asked.
"Well, it's obvious to me that the waterbender is the Avatar's soulmate. She seems to have a false sense of calm, which I can only assume the Avatar has adopted for today, and she keeps pinching herself, as if she's trying to make sure that her other half is still there. She's Sokka's sister, which means that she will end up related to Zuko by marriage. And, for the earthbender and the Kyoshi warrior, I'm not sure why, but I get a feeling of relation not from them, but from who they will raise. As if their children will end up with those of the Avatar and Prince Zuko. I could be wrong though."
The rest of breakfast passed in silence as the Order of the White Lotus watched the two boys spar fluidly. In the end, it was unclear who won, but both boys bowed to each other, and then Sokka grabbed Zuko's hand and pulled him away from the sparring ground and over to where Toph, Suki, and Katara were going over strategy. The five children sat down in a circle, and began to plan for battle.
Just as the group was about to split for battle, Sokka grabbed Zuko's wrist and pulled him away from the group, towards the tents. As soon as they were out of view of the other's, he pulled Zuko into a bruising kiss and held on for dear life, as if he let go Zuko would slip away.
"Don't' you dare die on me," Sokka breathed once they'd pulled apart, his forehead still resting against the prince's. "Don't you dare. Promise me that you won't do anything stupid and noble that gets you killed, and promise me that you'll let Katara heal you when it's all over. There's nobody who's more important than you after that battle, because if you die then the throne will go to Iroh, and Azula after him. You can't die, Zuko, promise me that you won't."
"I promise," Zuko whispered, even though they both knew it wasn't his choice. "I promise."
And with that, they parted.
Fire.
All Sokka could see was fire.
The forest below them was on fire, the soldiers were making fire quicker than they could breath air, Ozai was blasting Aang with fire, everything was ablaze.
And then, as soon as it had started, it was over.
Sokka gasped in pain as Suki put a splint on his broken leg, gripping tightly to Toph's hand. "This hurts like a bitch, Su," he grit out, trying his hardest not to bite down on his tongue.
Suki hummed affectionately, taping the end of the bandage down. "You're all done, Sokka. Let me help you up."
He stood gingerly, careful not to put any more pressure onto his fucked-up leg, and leaned against Suki's side. They watched from the airship with bated breath as Aang energybent Ozai, blue and orange lights shining above them. Then finally, finally, finally, it was over.
The comet was gone, and they'd won.
Sokka steered the airship down to the rock where Ozai and Aang were, letting out the gangplank so that they could join them. He hobbled out, still leaning heavily on Suki, and Toph trailed behind them, a steely resolve in her eyes.
"Did you- y'know, finish the job?" Sokka asked, kicking Ozai slightly with his good leg.
"I'm not dead ," he spit, glaring up at Sokka with as much disdain as he could muster.
"I took his bending away," Aang said simply. "He can't hurt anyone anymore."
"That was a bad idea, Aang," Sokka scoffed, "because now I can make sure that he feels the pain that he deserves." Then, he turned to Ozai. "I'm going to kill you slowly. Over years and years, I'll wear you down until you're just bones. You don't just get to mess with family and not pay for it."
"What does a Water brat like you know about my family?" Ozai snarled, baring his teeth. Aang and Suki exchanged a look.
"Oh, much more than you'd like me to know." Sokka muttered, backing away from him.
"We should get going," Suki said, leading Sokka back towards the airship. Toph pulled a strip of metal out of her pocket and bent it around Ozai's wrists, before getting another one and doing the same for his ankles. Aang used a spinning torrent of air to get Ozai into the airship, and then Toph bent another strip of metal through his wrist cuffs, attaching him to the airship.
Just as they were flying out of view from the forest where the battle had been, Sokka stiffened with pain at Suki's side, muffling a groan in her shoulder.
"Sokka?" she asked, her concern growing when she didn't get an answer. "Sokka, what's wrong? Is it Zuko?"
"Y-yeah," Sokka grit out, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't know what it is, but something's wrong."
"Is- is he-" Aang stopped, keeping himself from asking the question that was on everyone's mind.
Sokka groaned again, and Suki rubbed a gentle hand across his back, looking grimly over his shoulder at Aang. Shaking, Sokka took two of the fingers of his right hand, and pressed them firmly against the inside of his left wrist. He stood silently, waiting for a response.
He'd almost given up hope, when, very lightly, two fingers pressed back.
"He's alive." Sokka breathed, a tear sliding down his cheek. "Thank Spirits, he's alive."
When their airship touched down at the palace, Sokka practically dragged Suki along with him as he rushed to get to Zuko, still leaning on her for support. Aang and Toph were behind them, busy with forming an earth-prison for Ozai, so the two older teens carried on without them, rushing towards the inner courtyard.
When they got there, Suki gasped quietly, her eyes immediately going to Azula, who was still spitting flames. Sokka, however, didn't see her.
All he could see was the boy who he loved most in the world, the boy who was the second half of his soul, the only person who understood the complexities of what he'd been through, laying on the ground, half-conscious with a grimace on his face, electricity coursing through his body with grim sparks.
Sokka was going to kill Azula.
But not yet. First, he had to make sure that Zuko was okay.
He walked as quickly as he could with one useful leg, and once he reached his sister and his boyfriend, he practically collapsed to the ground, hauling Zuko's head into his lap. Suki backed away respectfully, going to help Aang and Toph keep watch over Ozai.
"What happened?" Sokka whispered frantically, searching Katara's face for some sort of give. "Kat, what the hell happened?"
"Azula," Katara breathed. The girl in question was still chained to the sewer grate, breathing sparks and sobbing freely, and it was only then that Sokka noticed the unhinged look in her eyes, the uneven cut of her hair, the way that she looked to be seeing things that weren't there. "She- she used her lightning. And she was aiming for me."
Sokka sucked in a sharp breath, closing his eyes. He looked down at Zuko, whose eyes were closed tightly, face still contorted with pain. Sokka brushed his hand over Zuko's forehead, combing through his soft hair, and leaned down to press a single, gentle kiss to his head, before looking back up at his sister. "He jumped in front of it, didn't he?"
Katara nodded, a single tear slipping down her face.
"I- that's what I thought, because, just before the pain, there was this moment of pure hatred that he felt, and after that, this feeling of remorse that I couldn't put my finger on." Sokka said softly, looking down at Zuko, who had finally given into the pull of unconsciousness. "It was because he hated his sister for everything that she's done, but he felt remorse for hating her, because she's still his sister."
Katara nodded slightly, a terse frown on her face. "We're all just kids, Socks." she whispered. "Even Azula. She deserves our pity and help just as much as she deserves our hatred, and it's our responsibility to make sure that she gets the help that she needs."
Sokka shook his head gently, scoffing a bit as he looked down at his soulmate. "Aang should've killed Ozai, because I'm just going to make sure that he dies a slow and painful death by my hand."
"You and me both," Katara sighed, before pulling her water away from Zuko's chest. "That's all I can do for now. I don't want to try anything else for a while, because we both need to rest. Can you take him to the infirmary? I'll go get everyone else, and we'll meet you there in a bit."
"Yeah, I can do that," Sokka said, standing. He looked down at his leg with a glare of contempt, before putting the slightest bit of weight on it and reaching down to pick Zuko up off the ground. He hobbled across the courtyard, wincing with every step, but he didn't stop until he'd reached the infirmary and placed Zuko down on a cot. Once he'd made sure that the prince was comfortable, Sokka collapsed in a chair and grabbed Zuko's limp hand, rubbing gentle circles over his knuckles.
"S-Sokka?" came a weak voice from the bed. "Is that you?"
Sokka looked over sharply, and, seeing Zuko's golden eyes staring at him wearily through barely parted eyelids, sighed slightly, finally letting his tears fall. "Oh, thank Agni," he breathed, squeezing Zuko's hand.
"Is it over?" he asked quietly. "Did we win?"
"Yeah, it's over," Sokka promised, "we won. Aang came back, and he took away your father's bending, and Suki and Toph and I took out the airships, and Katara got Azula after you passed out, and it's all over now."
Zuko smiled softly, and something in Sokka broke at the look of pure relief on his face, because he leaned over to press a kiss to warm lips, and whispered breathlessly, "I love you, Zuko."
"I love you too, Sokka," Zuko murmured back, leaning in for another kiss. "So much."
He pulled the blankets back on one side of the cot, gesturing for Sokka to get in beside him. When the Water tribesman looked at him like he was insane, Zuko scoffed lightly, pulling back the covers even more. "C'mon Sokka, I was struck by lightning, not resurrected. You can snuggle with me."
Sokka blew out a breath through his nose, before standing shakily and grabbing onto the rail of Zuko's cot for support. He sat down next to Zuko, and then stretched out, moving so that he was laying on his uninjured side, his broken leg lying just to the side. Opening his arms, he gestured for Zuko to lay his head on his chest, and wrapped his arms around the prince, pulling the covers back up to their shoulders.
"Rest, Sokka," Zuko breathed into his ears. "You did good. You deserve it."
The last thing that Sokka registered before falling asleep was Zuko nuzzling into his neck and sighing slightly, before wrapping his arms around his waist and squeezing.
Sokka smiled sleepily. Everything was in its place.
M. M. M. M. M. M. M. M
Dad!" Katara yelled, launching herself across the courtyard and into her father's waiting arms. "Oh, thank La, you're alright!" Behind Hakoda, Bato and the other warriors who were captured looked around the opulent gardens in awe, almost as if they couldn't believe they weren't dreaming. Katara had to say that she shared that sentiment.
"Hey, Kat," Hakoda said warmly, holding her tight. "Where's your brother? I have to see him if you want me to believe that he's alright."
For a moment, Katara stilled. "Um, about that…" she didn't particularly want to tell her father where Sokka was, but only because he hadn't moved since last night, and was most likely still curled up in bed with the soon-to-be Firelord. Did Hakoda know about their bond? Was it her place to tell him? The answer to both questions was most likely no, but she found that her dad was still hard to argue with. "He's still sleeping." she finally settled on telling him. "You can try to wake him up if you want to, but only if you also want to be on the receiving end of a face full of fire."
Hakoda pulled back slightly, looking at his daughter with raised eyebrows. "What?"
Katara shook her head. "Nothing. It- it's nothing. I have to go and check on a few patients, but I'll be back in a bit to show you your rooms, alright? I'll try and wake Sokka up so that he can come and say hi, and I'll send Aang and Toph and Suki out here too."
Just as she was about to turn away, Hakoda grabbed her wrist. "Katara," he asked quietly, "how's Zuko? We heard about the Agni Kai, is- is he going to be okay?"
Katara breathed out quietly through her nose, closing her eyes at the memories. When she opened them, she was greeted with her father's concerned face. "He's doing okay. He'll be fine, eventually, but it's going to scar. He's resting for now, and the coronation is set to be in a week or so."
"I'm sorry, the coronation ?" Hakoda sputtered, looking at his daughter like she had two heads. "They're making Zuko the Firelord ? He's only seventeen!"
"I know, Dad," Katara sighed, her voice sagging. "But just like Aang's the Avatar, Zuko's the Prince of the Fire Nation. It was always his destiny to be the Firelord, and if it has to happen when he's seventeen, then so be it. He can't change that."
Hakoda still looked upset, but he hummed in resignation, letting go of Katara's hand. "Listen to you, all grown up, talking about destiny."
She chuckled wetly. "I guess I've had one too many cups of tea with Uncle Iroh."
Hakoda shook his head lightly. "Alright then. Go and treat your patients, we'll wait here."
Katara walked quickly away from the courtyard, waving to her father and the other warriors. She was alone in the hallways, and the sounds of her feet on the tile echoed around the marble walls as she headed towards the palace infirmary. As she stepped through the doors and into the sterile, white room, she was greeted with an armful of energetic Avatar.
"Katara!" Aang cheered. "We did it! Can you believe that we did it!?"
Katara hugged him back lightly, shushing him as she shut the door. She gestured over her shoulder to Sokka and Zuko, both of whom were still asleep. "Quiet," she gently reminded Aang.
"Oh, sorry," he whispered. "Are Hakoda and the warriors here? Suki told me last night that you sent for them. Are they alright?"
"Yeah, they're all doing well," Katara said. "Did you sleep well? I woke up last night to heal Zuko for a bit, and you were sleeping like a rock."
She and Aang caught up for a few minutes, waking up Suki and Toph in the process. After a few moments, Katara sent the three of them to the courtyard where her father was, and turned to the bed in the furthest corner of the room, where Sokka and Zuko were both still sleeping soundly, curled up around one another.
It was, if she was being honest, sort of adorable.
Zuko was lying mostly on top of Sokka, despite the lightning wounds on his chest, with his fact tucked snugly into the juncture of Sokka's shoulder and neck, as if it was meant to fit there. He had one of his legs tucked in between Sokka's, and he kept mumbling in his sleep, nuzzling into Sokka's dark skin. Sokka was laying flat on his back, his uninjured leg wrapped snugly around Zuko's waist, chestnut hair spilling onto the pillow behind his head. His arms were tucked around Zuko's chest, holding him in place.
Begrudgingly, Katara crossed the room towards their bed, moving to wake them up. "Boys," she said gently. "It's time to get up."
Sokka groaned lightly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Zuko yawned, pressing his face further into the crook of Sokka's neck.
"No," Sokka mumbled, looking blearily up at Katara. "We won a war yesterday, let us sleep some more."
"Oh, shit, I have to do Fire Lord shit, don't I?" Zuko said suddenly, sitting up quickly. The motion pulled at the skin around his lightning wound and caused both him and Sokka to wince.
"Alright, slow down, I've still got to heal Sokka's leg before either of you can do anything," Katara interrupted, pushing Zuko gently so that he laid against the pillows on the bed. Sokka followed suit, wincing as he jostled his broken leg. He leaned his head onto Zuko's shoulder, nosing at his neck while Katara ran an orb of water along his leg, aligning the bones and then binding them together again. Sokka winced at the feeling, and Zuko did too.
"Okay," Katara said once she'd finished, "you're all healed up. Well, you've got to keep the splint on for a while, but it should hopefully heal faster now that I've gotten a hold on the breaks. Zuko, let me just do another pass over your chest while we're here."
Zuko nodded, and Katara gestured for him to sit in between Sokka's legs, leaning against his chest. He moved to do just so, and once he was comfortable, Katara began unwrapping the bandages that stretched across his chest. Zuko tipped his head so that it rested on Sokka's shoulder, closing his eyes. He'd rather not have to see another scar that was caused by his family before it was even done healing.
Sokka's heart clenched in his chest when he looked down, seeing the new branches of burnt skin that stretched across Zuko's torso like an imperfect flower. It was beautiful, in a way, this new scar, in how it symbolized a new beginning, not only for Zuko, but for the world. He may have gained another scar from a family member, but he'd also gained a whole new family in the process.
Katara pulled the water away from his chest, feeding it back into her hip flask. "Alright, both of you are cleared from my ward. Don't do anything stupid for a few weeks, no, erm, activities , and you'll be good. That's gonna scar, Zuko, but it shouldn't leave any lasting damage, internally."
Zuko still had his eyes closed, but he whispered a thank you, letting Sokka's arms come to wrap around his re-bandaged torso.
"You okay?" Sokka whispered into his ear. "You seem tense."
"I'm really scared, Sokka," Zuko confessed, a tear slipping out of his good eye. "I'm really, really scared. What if I fuck this all up? What if I end up just like my father? I'm just a kid, I can't be in charge of a whole nation."
"Hey, don't think like that," Sokka whispered, rubbing circles around Zuko's shoulders with his thumbs. "You're right. You're just a kid. We're all just kids. And y'know what, a bunch of kids just won a war that's been happening for a hundred years. The Avatar is a kid. The head Kyoshi Warrior is a kid. The best earthbender in the world is a kid. Hell, the best waterbender in the world is a kid. So what if the Firelord is a kid. He'll be the best Firelord in a century, and he'll rule longer than any of the tyrants before him, because he's getting an early start. And he's gonna kick ass, alright? I promise you, Zuko, you're going to be the best Firelord that the world has ever seen."
Zuko sniffled again, but then he smiled slightly. "You forgot one," he said quietly, happily.
"What?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"You forgot one of them." Zuko repeated. "One of the kids. The Water Tribe warrior. The master swordsman. The plan guy. He's just a kid too."
Now it was Sokka's turn to sniffle. "Yeah," he mumbled, pressing his face into Zuko's hair. "I guess he is."
--
Suki smiled as Sokka and Zuko finally emerged into the courtyard, leaning heavily on one another. Sokka still had one arm that was supporting a crutch, and the other was wrapped around Zuko's waist, using him for balance. Zuko winced a bit with each step, whether that was because of Sokka's leg or his own lightning wound was unclear. The majority of Hakoda's warriors had retreated to their rooms, but the Chief and Bato remained outside with Suki, Katara, Aang, and Toph, waiting for the boys to make their entrance.
"Hey, lovebirds!" Suki called out, waving the pair towards them. Zuko cracked a weary smile at the group, whispering something into Sokka's ear. Sokka snorted, murmuring something back. They walked together towards the group, settling against a wall once they reached the corner of the courtyard where everyone was grouped.
"Boys," Hakoda greeted them warmly, a gentle grin stretching across. To his great surprise, Zuko cracked a small smile back.
"Hey, Dad," Sokka said gently. "I'd hug you, but this one's not detaching himself anytime soon, so you'll have to wait your turn."
Hakoda chuckled as Zuko turned beet red, tucking his face into Sokka's shoulder.
"Ah, I understand," he teased, an understanding occurring in his head.
Sokka and Zuko.
Sokka and Zuko.
His son and the Firelord .
Oh. Okay.
"Has anyone heard from the White Lotus?" Zuko asked suddenly, emerging from Sokka's shoulder. Hakoda nodded.
"There was a hawk from General Iroh this morning. He said that there was no one lost in this siege of Ba Sing Se, but there were many injured, so they'll be staying there for a few more days to heal the wounded. He did promise that he'd be back for your coronation, though."
Zuko groaned. "Who the fuck signed me up for this Firelord shit?" he mused, making everyone break into laughter.
"Probably Momo," Aang choked out between laughs, causing Zuko to join in on the giggling. Hakoda smiled at the group of teenagers, slinging an arm around Bato's waist. His soulmate relaxed into the contact, sighing slightly.
It was good to be home.
--
"Zuko, there's someone here to see you!"
Zuko turned towards the sound of Katara's voice, his eyebrows furrowed. Sokka turned as well, looking off to where Katara was pointing. "Hey look!" he called. "It's knife girl!"
Zuko's eyes widened as he realized that it was, in fact, Mai. He stood up carefully, wary of his still raw lightning wound, and started limping towards her.
"Hey," he rasped out once they met in the middle. Mai looked as gloomy as ever, with deep bags under her eyes, but instead of her usual, heavy robes, she was wearing something that appeared to have belonged to Ty Lee, with her hair up in a loose bun and her bangs pinned back. She had a weary smile on her face as she greeted Zuko, pulling him into a gentle hug.
"Hi, dumbass," she whispered into his ear. Zuko chuckled lightly, pulling back and placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Thank you," he whispered. "For saving us that day. I don't know what I would've done without you."
"Neither do I, you idiot," Mai smirked, bringing her hands up to grab onto Zuko's. "Anyhow, it turns out that spending time in prison with your soulmate can be very edifying."
Zuko snorted, glancing over to where Sokka was talking with Suki. "Yeah, I guess it is. How'd you get here, anyways? I thought I was going to have to bust you and Ty Lee out."
"Eh, when all of the guards are firebenders trained in nothing but bending and they get that power taken away, two highly skilled warriors who happen to be trained with hidden knives make a great escape team. Ty Lee chi blocked everyone that got in our way, and I either struk little veins to knock them out or pinned them to the wall." she deadpanned, before following Zuko's gaze and grinning slightly. "So you and waterboy, ey? Master Piandao said that he was a good one."
"I'm sorry, you know Piandao?" Zuko blanched, his eyes widening.
"You idiot, who do you think taught me how to throw knives like arrows?" Mai scoffed. "Ty Lee and I were on the run for a bit before we ended up with him and Jeong Jeong. He said that the Avatar had been through a while back, and it made me think of you, so I figured I should visit once the dust had settled."
"Speaking of Ty Lee, where is she?" Zuko asked, finally releasing his grip on Mai's shoulders and moving to walk towards the turtleduck pond. She wrapped her arm around his waist and let him lean onto her as they walked through the palace gardens, silence flowing around them.
"Ty's good," Mai said after a while. "She's trying to get back into touch with her family. Right now she's in the village that her grandparents are from, because she thinks that that's where her parents went when they had to go into hiding. She'll be back for your coronation though, don't worry about it. She did mention something about joining the Kyoshi Warriors, and I don't think I'd join, but I'd certainly like to spend some time by the sea. I'll go where she goes, I guess."
Zuko hummed, settling down by the banks of the pond. "Does he make you happy?" Mai asked suddenly, quietly.
"Yeah," Zuko whispered. "More than you could know."
And that, frankly, was enough for Mai.
--
"Zuko, Sokka, Aang, the White Lotus is here!" Toph's voice rang through the halls of the palace, and the trio rose from their seats in what had been turned into Zuko's makeshift office but was actually just a small study that faced the courtyard that housed the turtleduck pond, making their way towards the courtyard that Toph's voice sounded from.
It had been nearly a week since the comet, long enough that Sokka's splint and crutches were no longer necessary, and the bandages on Zuko's chest had been removed. Both of them still felt the semblance of pain from their respective injuries, as well as the occasional sparks of phantom pain that moved through their bond, but it had been, all in all, some of the best few days in their lives. Zuko's coronation was scheduled for two days from then, and preparations were nearly complete for what would be the most colorful and beautiful coronation day that the Fire Nation had ever seen.
Zuko breathed an outward sigh of relief when he finally laid eyes on his uncle, letting go of Sokka's hand and running across the courtyard and into Iroh's arms. Across the courtyard from them, Pakku was talking to Hakoda, Bato, and Katara, Bumi and Toph were still arguing about who was the better earthbender, Jeong Jeong was talking to Aang about his firebending, and Piandao was leaning against the wall, smiling slightly. Sokka walked up towards his old master, settling next to him.
"You've lost your sword," Piandao noticed, still looking away from Sokka and out at the courtyard.
"It was worth losing it for Toph's life." Sokka said simply, hand twitching towards where his sword was supposed to be resting on his right hip. The space had felt empty in the days since the battle, but something inside of him promised that he'd find his sword, one way or another.
"Nothing is more important than your friends to you, I've noticed," Piandao said. "That proves your good character."
"Actually, there is someone that's more important," Sokka murmured, eyes landing on where Zuko and Iroh were still tearfully reuniting. "He is."
"I see," Piandao murmured. "There is nothing like love, Sokka." his gaze strayed to Jeong Jeong. "You've got to hold onto it, and tightly. And when it feels like it's slipping through your fingers, that just means that it's planning to come up from behind you. Never feel like it's going to disappear forever, because a soulbond is something that can never be broken. Not in a thousand lifetimes."
Sokka nodded once, shortly. His eyes moved again to Hakoda and Bato, who were holding hands. "Master- you don't- do you know if it's possible for someone to develop a second soulbond? Maybe after their original soulmate dies?"
"Anything is possible, Sokka. The Spirits work in mysterious ways, so I presume that yes, it is possible for someone to develop a second soulmate. Why do you ask?"
"No reason," Sokka replied absentmindedly. Piandao followed his gaze and his eyes widened.
"I see."
--
Zuko sighed deeply, glancing once more at himself in the mirror. The full Firelord regalia looked unusual on him, a strange contrast to his new normal of a loose-fitting tunic and pants with comfortable black leather armour thrown over it and his swords strapped to his back. The Fire Sages had begrudgingly agreed to let him wear that more comfortable attire on the day to day after the coronation had passed, so long as he wore the Firelord's hairpiece in his topknot everyday.
In the mirror, Zuko could see Sokka moving about the room behind him, tying a sash around his waist. He paused to stand next to Zuko, carefully securing his wolftail in place with a band of red ribbon.
"How're you feeling?" Sokka murmured, resting his chin on Zuko's shoulder and wrapping his arms around his waist. "Nervous?"
"Yeah, I'm nervous, of course I am, but I'm also pretty excited," Zuko said quietly, leaning back into the warm feeling of his boyfriend's body wrapped around his own. "I can't wait for the official start of an era of peace."
"Me neither," Sokka said brightly. "Also, it's gonna be so fun to brag about how my boyfriend is the Firelord."
"Oh, shut up."
At that moment, Lin, a staff member from the palace gardens poked her head through the door. "Prince Zuko, Master Sokka, it's time. Master Sokka, your sister is waiting to accompany you to where you two will watch the ceremony, Prince Zuko, Avatar Aang is waiting for you by the entrance to the balcony."
The pair nodded at her, smiling. "Thank you, Lin," Zuko said, "and please, it's just Zuko. Sokka and Zuko."
"Of course, Pri- Zuko," Lin said quietly, correcting herself halfway through the sentence with a small smile. She left the room with a bounce in her step, and Sokka watched her go with a grin, turning to Zuko.
"Look at you," he said, "already erasing the fear out of your citizen's hearts. I'm so proud."
Zuko blushed, looking down at his feet. "Shut up."
Sokka chuckled under his breath, extending a hand that Zuko took gratefully. They left the bedroom that they'd been staying in, heading for where Aang and Katara were waiting for them. The two couples met up outside of the door to the balcony where Zuko would be crowned, all of them with wide smiles on their faces.
Sokka leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to Zuko's lips. "Good luck, love."
Zuko nodded at him, smiling slightly. Beside them, Katara pressed her own kiss to Aang's cheek, making the young Avatar blush. The siblings turned away from their soulmates, walking together towards the viewing grounds for Zuko's coronation.
Together, they watched as Zuko was crowned under the sunset, Agni getting ready to rise on a new age.
--
Zuko smiled into his pillow as he flopped down onto the bed, feeling Sokka's familiar weight doing the same on the other side. His boyfriend leaned over and gently pulled the Firelord's headpiece from his hair, setting it down onto the nightstand and gently combing his fingers through Zuko's hair.
"How's it going down there?" Sokka murmured, leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to Zuko's burnt ear.
"Good," Zuko whispered. "It's good."
"Yeah?" Sokka asked, grabbing Zuko by the hips and flipping him gently around, so that they were face to face.
"Yeah," he breathed, leaning up for a kiss. Sokka happily obliged, placing a gentle hand on his chin, tilting his face upwards.
After a moment they parted, and Sokka sat up, grabbing Zuko's hands to pull him up as well. "C'mon, Mr. Big Scary Firelord," he joked, "let's get you to bed."
Carefully, Sokka undressed both himself and Zuko, until they were both comfortable in a pair of sleep pants. Then, Sokka gestured for Zuko to sit on the edge of the bed, facing away from him.
Ever since they'd gotten to the palace, Sokka had made a routine of carefully brushing and braiding Zuko's hair every morning and every night. In the mornings, he'd brush out the inky strands and then comb them into a topknot, occasionally tucking in a Water Tribe braid or two.
At night, though. At night, Sokka would spend as much time as he wanted to weaving intricate braids into Zuko's raven hair, all of them with different significance and meanings. There was the brotherhood braid on the left side of his head, curling around his ear, and the leadership braid, arching across the top of his scalp, but Sokka's personal favorite was the soulmate braid, that went directly across the right side of Zuko's head and into the main fishtail braid that he always tucked the ends into.
By the time that he was finished with Zuko's hair, the sun had long since set over Caldera City. The two of them got into the gigantic bed, Zuko mindlessly tucking himself into the curve of Sokka's spine.
"Zuko?" Sokka whispered into the skin of his neck.
"Yeah?" Zuko whispered back. He rolled over so that he could tuck his face into the crook of Sokka's neck, like he'd done every night on Ember Island. Carefully, he threaded his hands through the strands of Sokka's soft hair, combing out the stress of the day.
"I love you," Sokka murmured. His heart felt like it was in his throat, but Zuko didn't pull away, made no move to distance himself from Sokka, so maybe, just maybe, he hadn't ruined the best thing that he'd ever had.
Zuko's breath hitched in his throat. "I love you too."
Together, they drifted off into sleep. The next day, there would be duties to deal with, people to meet with, problems to solve. But then, in that moment, two boys were wrapped around each other, one with blue eyes and one with gold, two souls winding together. Across the world, a tribe was being rebuilt after a century of pillaging. Across the world, a secret organization was coming out of the shadows to help save a walled city. Across the hallway, a mixed up family slept, finally getting a moment of peace after years of battle.
The world would always need saving. But Sokka and Zuko, Aang, Katara, Suki, Toph; they promised to always be around to save it.
The world would continue to turn, the sun would continue to rise, the moon would continue to pull at the tides. And at the center of it all, there were two boys, two lost souls, together after years of being torn apart, soulmates intertwined.
M. M. M. M