Set: #4
Week 6: Saturn (Discipline, responsibility, structure, limitations)
Genres: Romance, Drama
Rating: T
Setting: Fire Nation Royal Palace (post-comics)
Saturn
Discipline, responsibility, structure, limitations
Azula had a secret…
…and she really wish she didn't. Not this one. What the hell did she just witness?! How could they be so foolish? How could they do this to Sokka?! For once, she wished this were just a hallucination, but no, the image of her reckless brother fucking his bodyguard on his office desk would be permanently etched into her brain.
What was she supposed to do with this information? Past-Azula surely would have held this indiscretion over their heads to get something she wanted, but she was better than that now, and she didn't really want anything. Well, that wasn't exactly true, but what she wanted most had always seemed like an impossibility.
Sokka.
She should tell him, right? He deserved to know. While Zuko and Mai had been on-again, off-again for years, she was fairly certain they were currently "off". But Sokka and Suki? They were definitely still together. She would know. Especially after the thing that almost happened…
Ever since Azula had taken the position of Zuko's political adviser, she and Sokka had developed a somewhat flirty rapport. Sokka's periodic visits to the palace always led to them getting into some battle of wits, rife with teasing and tension. At some point she started to look forward to his visits and found herself thinking of snarky retorts to made-up conversations.
She had thought that perhaps the perceived flirtation was all in her head, until one night when everyone had gathered to celebrate the summer solstice and a palace-wide game of manhunt broke out. When it was her team's turn to hide, she figured no one would dare enter her bedroom, but when she squeezed herself behind some clothes in her closet, she was surprised to find Sokka already hiding there. Her instinct was to leave and find another spot, but Sokka insisted it was okay for her to stay. They were quiet in the darkness for some time, moving inconspicuously closer to each other every time footsteps neared. She could feel the heat radiating off his body; she could feel his breath graze the top of her head. Their eyes met and he leaned down, angling his head slightly. She rose to meet him, closing her eyes as their noses touched.
But nothing happened. He rested his forehead against hers, chuckling nervously to himself before pulling away. Guilt had probably gotten to him. They never talked about it.
And as much as Sokka deserved to know about Suki and Zuko, Azula would not talk about this either. Not only was Zuko her responsibility as his political adviser – he was her brother too. He had given her a second chance when no one else believed she would change. He trusted her when no one else would. He was the reason why she had her family back, the reason why she had friends. For him, she would keep this secret.
Sokka would inevitably find out. And she would be right there when the dust settled.