Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

384. Chapter 384: Negotiations Compromise 6

A/N:

Today might be the brightest or the darkest day for my country. I damn near forgot to post this chapter altogether, no matter how happy I was to do it, because I couldn't stop worrying about the current political crisis. At times like these, when everything seems to fall apart, putting something good (hopefully) out into the world might be a way to keep your chin up in case everything else fails.

So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter... and please, hope for the best for Venezuela.

Negotiations and Compromise

6

"I didn't expect you to turn against me. Not that way," Sokka admitted. Azula breathed deeply and nodded. "It felt… like an unthinkable outcome. The worst possible thing that could've happened to me. Up until that point, it was that much easier to fathom that you'd been coerced, forced to do things that you didn't want to. But even if that could very well still be the explanation for your choices… I wasn't as convinced this time around. The way I saw it then? You… you had a perfect chance to get out of your father's grip. You could've betrayed him, handed Yu Dao over to the right people…"

"And who would that have been?" Azula asked.

"I guess it's obvious," Sokka sighed. "Doesn't mean I would've been right to assume so, though. And of course, I just… ignored your point of view completely. Willfully, even. Even though I'd fought in Ba Sing Se, facing the guilt that came from dealing with Jin's outrage, Myeung's anguish, I… I blindly assumed that you'd make the same choice I had. That you'd stomach it, endure their resentment and move on. Instead… you chose to brew mine. You had me lose my center over your choices… you chose to protect the very people I had become despised by."

"I don't think… I mean, most people didn't despise you," Azula said, eyeing him with uncertainty. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"They should have. I would have, if I'd been in their shoes. I certainly despised Iroh for ruining our placid lives… despised Ozai, for ruining the tenuous peace in the South Pole, too. Whether I had more reason to do it than others… always a matter of perspective. But I didn't… didn't care more about their rage than I did about putting a stop to the war. I was fighting for something greater. The consequences didn't matter… and yet, at no point did I consider you might have felt similarly."

"Because I didn't," Azula said, frowning. "The greater purpose I served was just… keeping as many Fire Nation citizens alive as I could manage. I wasn't doing anything more profound or thoughtful than that… I was just serving my people."

"And I didn't think of it that way," Sokka said. Azula eyed him remorsefully. "The way I saw it? You… you were betraying me. You were choosing them over me, for the thousandth time, and I saw red. I… I wanted you on my side. The last thing I ever wanted was to be your enemy again… and yet that was where your choices were going to land us. So… when we received the message that explained what had happened, what you'd done, I… I lost it. I just ran off, frantic, to the oasis. It's supposed to be intensely spiritual, so… I figured it'd work. It had to let me reach you… and I should've just wanted answers. But I… I was blind by my outrage. I… I said things I surely wouldn't have, if I'd thought about things with a cooler head, but I couldn't at that moment. So… even though you tried to placate me, I just lost my temper. I… I'm sorry for that."

"Don't be," Azula said, lowering her gaze. "It would've been… well, entirely absurd if you'd felt any differently. I know I wouldn't have, if I had been in your shoes… I mean, you were doing the right thing, I knew you were, and I still had it in me to get mad about it."

"I was blinded by emotion. By… by my need to have you on my side," Sokka said, closing his eyes tightly. "I never… never fathomed that the day would come when we would have to be enemies again, Azula."

"Neither did I," Azula said, mournfully. "And I know that my choices made it so. I do, Sokka, I… I've never denied it. Fear over whatever might happen, should I choose anything else, is no excuse. I knew I'd hurt you… I just assumed it'd be safer to hurt you than to betray my father."

"Well… you weren't wrong to think so, I'd say," Sokka sighed. Azula swallowed hard.

"Maybe… but I couldn't help but feel that, in doing what I had, even if you succeeded, even if I miraculously survived, I'd never… never be worthy of you again," Azula said, closing her eyes and rubbing her brow with her fingertips. "I knew you wouldn't hurt the people I cared for… not willingly, not deliberately. But… I also knew I was risking everything we ever had been. The bond we wanted to rescue… it was never at greater danger than it was after I started to work with my father, and there's simply no pretending otherwise. I know, yes, it wasn't what you wanted either… but I'm not blaming you."

"You might not… doesn't change that I'm responsible, in some way. Even if your father's responsible in far more ways than I am," Sokka scowled. "Point is, anyway… I lashed out at you. I could tell you were hurt, heartbroken by it, but… I was, too. I was too selfish, though, obsessed with my own pain…"

"Don't say that," Azula sighed, looking at him mournfully. "What I did was awful, Sokka. Saying that you couldn't possibly think about my pain at the same time…? It's natural. It's logical. I never thought about how much pain my father was in when he was hurting me, now, did I?"

"You…" Sokka scoffed. "You're not your father."

"Well… that much is true," Azula said, eyeing him with uncertainty. "But what I mean is… you can't berate yourself for not thinking of how bad I had it, right then and there. It would have made no sense for you to feel bad for me under those circumstances, Sokka. Don't berate yourself for being human, for crying out loud."

"I felt awful about it, though," Sokka grimaced.

"So did I. Doesn't change that I hurt you far more than you hurt me," Azula said, shaking her head. "You're not wrong… we did talk about rebelling. We talked about reaching out to the White Lotus to that end. That I didn't particularly love the idea doesn't change that we discussed it as a possibility. I… I sure felt betrayed because you made that choice, but I knew exactly why you were doing it. You… you expected better from me. We both know why you did. I made a thousand promises that I couldn't keep. I've spent this entire year breaking all our vows in a myriad of ways, Sokka, and… and I'm not so selfish or so stupid as to pretend that my remorse means you should forgive me for all of it. I may be sorry, I may hate myself forever because of it… and you have every right to feel the same way."

"And I have every right not to, just as well."

Azula shivered. She met his gaze: his own remorse couldn't have been more palpable.

"I said… rough things to you on that day," Sokka said. Azula shook her head.

"So did I."

"You didn't, at first. You… you were sorry. I lost my temper… and it felt like the last things you said, that challenge, that defiance, was but a consequence of how I'd treated you," Sokka frowned. Azula scoffed.

"It… it wasn't. I just…"

"You wanted me to kill you."

Azula froze up. Hearing it in his words… it stung harder.

"Sokka…"

"There's no sugarcoating it, much less when you've admitted it often throughout this conversation," Sokka sighed, resting against the couch's backrest anew. "You wanted it to be me who did it. I suppose… you must have thought it'd be a better death than anything else that could've awaited you."

"I did, but… I thought that was the only way, the only reason why we'd ever cross paths again," Azula said, tears burning in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sokka, I… I shouldn't have pushed you that way, I know I shouldn't have, but… I was blind, too, by my sins, my grief, my remorse. Putting you in that position… it wasn't fair, I know it wasn't, but… I did it anyhow."

Sokka breathed deeply, closing his eyes and shaking his head. The exhaustion of the past year, it seemed, was finally taking its toll on him.

"You said what you said that day… convinced that was the only outcome," Sokka whispered. "You grew to believe that was what you deserved from the moment you helped your father in that war meeting. Right?"

Azula gritted her teeth, but she nodded.

"I didn't… didn't deserve better," she whispered. "I couldn't have thought I did. Marrying Zhao, that horrible night… they were bad enough betrayals, and I made it even worse then. I was responsible for all those deaths… still am. Even if you think it was a matter of time, it might not have been if I hadn't done what I did. Everything… everything boils down to the fact that, when I made choices, they were wrong. I was coerced? Sure, but… if I was dead, no one could coerce me into fucking anything up anymore. That… that gave me some peace."

She sniffed, wiping her tears angrily. Sokka frowned, looking at her remorsefully.

"It wasn't fair to you… it was selfish to wish that it'd be you who did it. The way I spoke to you…" Azula continued. "I was just trying to push you to that position all the more. It wasn't right. It was cruel. And I'm sorry that I did it… but when I heard you speaking to me that way, it convinced me that my time was up. I-if… if the one person in the world who believed in me, no matter what, had finally lost his faith in me? Then… it meant my fate was sealed."

"It wasn't," Sokka whispered. Azula shook her head.

"Maybe it should have been."

"Do you still think so? Even now?" Sokka asked. Azula huffed, humorlessly.

"You expected me not to?" she asked. "Thinking back on all of it again, I… I still don't know how you had it in you to spare me. You're far more compassionate than I ever would be."

"Azula…" Sokka said, staring at her in disbelief. "Your father spent over a year putting you through hell and you still broke into that Throne Room to convince him to surrender, all be it to save his life. Don't tell me that I'm more compassionate than you when you were capable of something like that."

"I… I know I did that, but…" Azula said, snarling. "I just wanted to avoid this outcome. This… this feeling of emptiness, upon knowing that he's gone. And I know I shouldn't feel that way, I do, but…"

"He was your father," Sokka finished. Azula sighed.

"Either way, that's not the point here. I'm ashamed of everything I've done, Sokka… enough to think that you deserve better than anything I could've offered you. So…"

"That's rich," Sokka said, with a small smile. Azula eyed him begrudgingly.

"I know you won't listen to reason, but…"

"Maybe I should get angry now. Call you, uh… what was it? A waste of space? Kick this very table at you?"

Azula's eyes widened as Sokka tapped it with his foot. He folded his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows.

"Then, I'd just keep goading you into fighting, we'd get into it in the backyard… and the next thing either of us knows, we'd be making out like the world is ending and then going back to my room, yep. And once we're done… I'd tell you to never, ever, ask me to replace you again. Yeah. That… that sounds about right."

The memory of their first intimate tryst dawned on Azula gradually as Sokka described it. She covered her face with her hands, tears spilling past her fingers: it hardly seemed real… and yet every new moment drove further across that she had somehow taken up Sokka's self-destructive tendencies, those she had spent ages fighting against. She knew his position now, all too well… she understood his despair, his anguish, his guilt in ways she couldn't before.

"H-how…?" she asked, sobbing. "How did you ever… ever get out of this mindset? How did you find a way to live with yourself? B-because I… I can't figure it out, Sokka, I can't, I… I attacked you. I…! I nearly killed you, I knew it was you, I heard your voice just as the fire spread…!"

Sokka frowned: she had skipped ahead… but he couldn't blame her for doing so. He nodded, breathing deeply as he resisted the urge to take her into his arms right now.

"I… I realized it was the Barge from afar," Sokka said. "Recognized it. I'd set out on the ships, with the waterbenders… we were going to meet up with the rest of the troops in The Slate's island. But when I spotted you… I led my ship away from the rest and told the others to keep going onwards, in case I failed. I didn't want to ruin our chances of success, but… I really hoped you'd be there. I thought that, if you were, you'd finally prove… that you weren't doing any of it willingly. That you'd make the better choice, if it was offered to you."

She sobbed quietly next to him. Sokka sighed, sinking in his seat.

"I… was stupid. There's no denying that," he said. "I knew what your circumstances were… that you couldn't betray Ozai at that point should've been obvious, to begin with. But, beyond that… you had no way of knowing it was me right away. Refusing to fight back, reacting any less aggressively, would've been a danger for you too. I should've thought about all those things, I know that, but… my mind was blank of everything besides you. The only thing I could fathom… was seeing you again."

Azula shook her head. Sokka smiled sadly.

"It was a mistake. Everyone around me was worried about it," Sokka said. "I should've listened. I didn't… out of impulsiveness, instinct, stupidity, you name it. I was desperate to be with you again, I have been ever since the first time we were apart… and I'd never been closer than I was then. My wishfulness blinded me, completely. Obviously, I knew I was taking a huge risk, but I did believe back then that it would pay off… and that's when your forces shot that barrage of bombs at us. Everything was on fire, and… and I saw your blue flames joining the rest. I did, for a moment, and… and I guess my heart broke. All my stupid hopes that you'd turn on your father, that you'd fight beside me, went up in smoke."

"Sokka…" Azula said, her voice breaking under the power of her tears. Sokka sighed.

"The waterbenders saved most of us, even if the ship was lost," Sokka said. "If I hadn't been quite so stupid, I wouldn't have wasted the lives I did anyway…"

"I gave the command. Don't… d-don't blame yourself for…"

"I knew how reckless I was. I knew that wasn't a sound choice. I'd already clashed with you in our spiritual connection, hadn't I?" Sokka said, sternly. "You'd as good as challenged me… and I simply forsook everything entirely, all in the hopes that you'd want to be with me so much more than you'd ever wish to save the lives of everyone Ozai would still hold as hostages against you. I knew what you'd done in Yu Dao… I didn't have any real reason to believe this would be any different."

"I loved you," Azula sniffed, shaking her head. "That… that should've made it different."

"It wouldn't, though," Sokka said, with a shrug. "It didn't. And… the consequences were what they were. I… I was angry, at you, at myself, at everything. It felt like I'd come as far as I had… for nothing. That you'd rejected me one more time, just one more… and that when we clashed on a battlefield directly, inevitably, you'd be ready to kill me. It hurt, of course it did, but… mostly I was frustrated that I hadn't had the sense to prepare for this, in particular. You see… back when we were about to set out, Zuko and I had a talk. He told me… that I had to be ready for you to have changed. For your experiences to shape you into someone I might not recognize quite so easily. He was talking from experience, too, after his ten years away from home… but I thought that I knew you. I didn't expect you to ever betray what you stood for, who you truly were… I didn't anticipate how dark Ozai's grip upon you would be. So, after that happened? I… I felt like I'd win a war just to lose you in the end. And that… that hardly sounded like a cost worth paying.

"But I reasoned with all of that after finding the gladiators in the Black Cliffs. I knew gladiators had gone missing, vanishing from their cities… but I didn't expect to find them at all, much less there. Frustrated as I was over our situation… when they challenged me to prove I was, truly, worthy of being the King of the Gladiators, basically? I took on Gang Hong and, well, I prevailed."

"King… of the Gladiators?" Azula repeated. Sokka smiled and shook his head.

"Evidently not a real title, but…"

"Sounds about right, though," Azula said, swallowing hard. "The best of them… without a doubt."

"I don't know about that…" Sokka said, eyes downcast. "It was a wild brawl… Gang Hong and his supporters, those who didn't want to join the war, fought against me and those who supported my cause. We won by a landslide and…. Renzhi fought alongside me."

Azula's tearful eyes widened as she glanced at him. Sokka sighed in defeat, sinking in his seat.

"He… he helped me," Sokka said. "That night, when I processed everything about our clash… I told him about it, and he helped me see sense, I'd dare say. He told me… I didn't need you."

Azula winced: the words were harsh… no matter if she agreed with them. To her surprise, Sokka smiled.

"Hence, my choice to still fight to return to you was entirely mine. I was strong enough to challenge you… to fight you, if need be. If I did? I'd be able to prove… that what I believed in, what I fought for, was worth my while. It was up to me to spare you or not… to forgive you or not. He asked me if I couldn't love you anymore, after all we'd done, and… I realized then, upon hearing that question, that not loving you was impossible for me, no matter what. You teased me a few times about our unconditional love… it truly was that, in the end. I only realized just how unconditional then, because… you challenged me in ways I'd never been challenged before. You pushed me into the worst of corners, stuck having to fight you in order to save you… and Renzhi helped me put all of that into perspective. He made me embrace my strength to shape my fate, and in doing so, that of so many others… including you, of course. He didn't judge me at all for choosing you… only for being quite so foolish as to act like I had no power over what was happening, I guess. My mind was cleared by that conversation… my determination even stronger. I still didn't know what your choice would be… but I was ready to face you."

"And you did," Azula said, choked up. "I guess… we owe him a lot. Aonu's devastated by his death…"

"Renzhi died at peace with himself… it's more than most people can say," Sokka whispered. "He said, right at the end… that he was the second-best among the gladiators. And that he liked it that way. He… he was humble, smart, a wiser man than so many others. I wish he'd been here to see… well, whatever will come next. But I know that… that he'd be really proud that we did the right things that night, after he was gone."

Azula sniffed and nodded, dabbing at her eyes. Sokka sighed.

"I suppose… on your end, things weren't any more cheerful than that," he said. Azula scoffed.

"I was even more ready to die than I had been already," she said. "I didn't fathom any other choice after… after what happened. I thought I'd killed you, Sokka, I… I wanted to die too. If I'd done it… then it meant everything I'd fought for was pointless. I couldn't have had Hotaru go to you, I… I would've failed at everything I had set my mind on. But after returning to the Palace, and reporting to my father… a message from the Dragon's Pit arrived. Confirming that you were there… that you were alive. I was relieved, and yet… and yet I believed it meant you had every reason to want me dead after what I'd done to you. So… it was a relief, and yet, it wasn't one just as much. My father gave me time… he realized I couldn't possibly be of use when my mind was in utter disarray. I… I went to the basement. There were no bombs there yet… but Seethus did turn up. He was worried that I'd kill myself… and we had a conversation. A hostile one, as usual… I told him what I was really thinking. That I was ready to die by your hand, just as much as he would die by my father's command. He was… shocked by that. He seemed to want to keep me and my father safe… but he still wished to know if Hotaru was your child. I told him that wouldn't matter anymore. Once we were defeated, after the Fire Nation fell… why would it matter at all if my daughter was yours or not? And he was going to die too, I thought… same as my father. He didn't… didn't like hearing that.

"I… dared look under his hood."

"What?" Sokka frowned. "You…? Why?"

"I suppose… curiosity. He didn't push me away," Azula said. "He might have been older than he looked… or younger, too. His body was drained, it seemed… dry, with nothing but corruption crisscrossing under his skin. I thought… being the one other person who understood, truly, what corruption felt like, it meant I was looking in the mirror of what I could have become. And even so… it wasn't quite as heinous as everything I'd done, it felt like."

Sokka sighed. Azula shook her head.

"I said farewell to him then. Whatever plans he and my father hatched later… I was unaware of them until the final battle," she said. "I went to my room, where the girls were waiting for me… they'd come secretly at some point, escaping from the Barge with Renkai's help. I wrote my final letter to you, and then, I accompanied them with all our most important valuables all the way to Mai's house. It… it hurt, saying goodbye to everyone, not knowing if it truly would be the last time, but… I had to do it. I… I left your necklace to Hotaru… and I hoped that Anorak would still be able to bring her to you."

"My necklace? You gave it to her?" Sokka's eyes widened. Azula nodded.

"I thought it'd be safer… yet again," she said, with a sad smile. "I keep pushing necklaces away, I guess… but it was something to ensure that you would know she was your child, no matter what might come next. Nevertheless, after that I just… went back home. I joined a meeting with my father, Aonu and… and Shaofeng as well, the blasted piece of shit. We planned ahead for what you'd do… I gave my father my insight, again, betraying you. Again, earning myself the fate I thought I deserved… and after that, I was to wait in the Palace until you arrived. By then… I figured I'd meet my end. But…"

"But that didn't happen," Sokka breathed deeply. "I called the Gladiator Army to the Black Cliffs… while there, we prepared our strategies too. Whether you read through all of them or not, I don't know, but… we set out with gladiators ready to serve as the frontline. It… was quite chaotic."

"I can imagine," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "I wouldn't have wanted to face that."

"A lot of those who dared, well… didn't live past that fight," Sokka sighed. "We were ruthless. We didn't pull our punches. I did order for no attacks underground… I knew that was where the civilians would hide. Only Zuko's side would go underground, to find your father, but he wasn't hiding in some secret bunker this time. I guess we'll have to get the exact details from them, but Zuko, Aang and Katara were supposed to head over to fight your father. Zuko… he was set on killing him himself."

"I figured," Azula whispered.

"It wasn't merely out of revenge," Sokka said. Azula frowned. "A part of him certainly hated Ozai enough for that, but… he didn't want me to do it because he knew that would hurt you. Even if everything was bound to hurt… he didn't want things between us to fall apart, in case you couldn't possibly love your father's killer, I guess."

Azula's eyes widened. Sokka sighed, leaning forward on his knees.

"Renzhi died while we were pushing ahead. Happened… shortly after Aonu stopped fighting for the Fire Nation. He seemed terrified, what was left of his army seemed to turn against him… but Renzhi rushed in to keep him safe. It… it didn't work out for the best, as you already know. The other gladiators… they thought Aonu had to be killed too, he was a highly ranked Fire Nation official, for all they knew. I told them to leave him be… to let him mourn Renzhi. I'm relieved they listened to me. We just moved forth… and the rest of the way into the city was as good as an avalanche of violence. Your defenses couldn't withstand our offense… and that's how I wound up at your doorstep, when I got there."

Azula nodded. Sokka eyed her from the corner of his eye: she seemed so downcast, withdrawn even…

"If there's anything else you need to explain about that… not that I know if there is, guess this is the time for it," Sokka said. Azula shook her head.

"I… I really thought you'd do it," she said. Sokka frowned. "Gave you too little credit, I guess… but I didn't mind. If I was to die by your hand… that was terribly generous, all in all. So… I just allowed it to happen, but I wanted you to be the last thing I saw. I… I didn't care if you'd cut me down, I didn't even think that you might not wish to, all that mattered to me was that… that it was you, right in front of me, for the last time."

"You couldn't use lightning," Sokka pointed out. Azula huffed. "Or gold fire."

"I wasn't level-headed enough to avoid it backfiring, when it comes to the former… too heartbroken for the latter," she said. "I tried to goad you into fighting as hard as possible… it felt like it worked after a while, but even now…"

"It did, simply because I was sick of fighting you," Sokka sighed. "I never… never once conceived the idea of killing you, Azula."

"I… I suppose not," Azula sniffed, shaking her head. "And yet I put you in that position and…"

"It's good that you did," Sokka said. Azula shook her head more violently still. "I'm serious, though. If you'd gotten anyone else to do it, they might have taken you up on that and I'd be tearing this entire world down by now. I'd have cared for nothing if you were gone…"

"You wouldn't…" Azula sighed. "But I didn't… didn't want anyone else to do it anyway. I didn't think redemption of any kind was possible. I didn't think that any compassion could be in the cards for me. I… I'm so sorry I put you through that. I'm so sorry I had such awful expectations of you, Sokka, I just… I messed up, constantly, and it felt like nothing made sense in the world until I was in your arms again. I didn't feel… didn't feel all that strong yet, but my heart… it seemed to start beating when you held me as you did. When you gave me a chance… whether deserved or not."

"The world would've ended if I'd made a different choice, you know?" Sokka said. Azula winced. "And I don't mean because I would've destroyed it myself. If you hadn't survived… well, this entire city, my army, yours? Seethus would've done away with all of it. He damn near did. As for your father… I didn't realize I'd let this happen, your conversation with him, your attempt to reason with him, until you asked that of me. I truly despise him, Azula, still do even after he died, I… I know that, if he had lived, we would have never truly forgiven each other. But… I guess I stood true to my vow to your mother in the end. It wasn't necessary for him to die… it even seemed like him surviving could've helped, provided he actually made the right choices after listening to you. I hated him, I did… but I loved you so much more than I could hate him."

Azula shivered. She dared meet his gaze, and Sokka breathed out slowly: the vulnerable, heartbroken Princess that sat beside him could cloud his judgment and clear it without even trying.

"Is… is there anything else we need to talk about?" Sokka asked. Azula gritted her teeth before shrugging. "Anything you were desperate for me to know before any choices are made, I mean…"

"I can't… think of anything urgent," she said, running a hand over her hair. "But… I suppose now you'll have to decide where you stand with all of this."

"Me?"

"Sokka… if you take me back after everything I've done, it won't be against my will," Azula said, sniffing. "I'm… I'm not selfless enough to refuse you. I've pushed you away so many times only to wind up hurting in places I hardly knew I had in me. I should've learned my lesson ages ago, but I didn't. And… and now you know that I've chosen the Fire Nation, and my father, over you as many times as I did. If you're fine with that… i-if you can still love me, in spite of all that? Then… then I'll be the luckiest piece of shit there ever was. Won't change, in the end, how I feel about myself… but I won't have it in me to do better than cling to you for good, if that's what you choose to do."

Sokka sighed. Azula met his eyes with uncertainty as he nodded. She shivered as Sokka shifted on his seat, angling his body towards hers.

"Look… this isn't going to be easy for either of us," he said. Azula's heart clenched at those words. "Everything you've explained, everything I did… it can't be denied that we've done things that the other might struggle to forgive. I get it… I went against your nation, and that made us enemies until last night. It connects to what we talked about, having lost balance between us… and that's what we have to do, right? Find that balance again?"

"How?" Azula said, sniffing and dabbing at her tears anew. "I… I mean, one way or another, we'll have to turn our backs on something. We can't be together and… and live in both our nations. Unless we just lived in neither…"

"Doesn't sound like what you'd want to do," Sokka said. Azula grimaced and lowered her gaze.

"What other choice do we have? Taking turns? Traveling constantly back and forth?" she said. "I don't know, Sokka, I… I don't even know if we're both ready to go forward, as things are. I mean… I'm yours. If you'll have me, I will be, but… I'd understand it if you didn't. If… if you couldn't want me as you used to anymore."

"I… I do want you. In every way I could," Sokka said. Azula winced, tears burning in her eyes. "But… I don't know if you're ready for that."

"Me? What…?" Azula blinked blankly.

Sokka sighed, turning towards her fully, taking her face in his hands. His touch was a tender balm after sharing some of the worst moments of their story… but it wouldn't be enough to settle Azula's anxiety. Her heart pounded in her chest as Sokka pressed his brow to hers.

"You're in pain, lots of it. I know what that's like. I know that what you went through far outdoes the pain I faced, in many regards… just so, I think I understand a fair amount of it. You've faced challenges that pushed you to the very edges of your strength… and you don't have to keep putting up a strong front anymore, love. If you're overwhelmed, if you don't know if you can go on… I'm here now. You can let loose. You can just give yourself to the sadness, to the anger, to whatever you're feeling now: I'm here. I won't go anywhere… but I know that you might need more time than this to get used to what we are. To bring yourself to accept that whatever love I offer you isn't undeserved…"

"I don't… I don't know. I mean, I… I know you believe in me, Sokka, in the best of me, I just…" Azula said, shaking her head. "I don't know if I can be that person anymore… if I ever was, to begin with."

"You burned your home to the ground to save as many lives as possible," Sokka said, cupping her face. Azula flinched. "We didn't talk about that, but… that's not a sacrifice anyone would be ready to do. Terrible things happened in that Palace… but it was still your home. You're pretending nothing you've done could ever compare to what the rest of us have had to sacrifice? You've sacrificed just as much, if not more, than many of us did. You just… feel guiltier about it because you were born to the Fire Nation Royal Family. Because your damn father finally listened… and you wish he had done it sooner. Maybe… maybe you even think it's your fault that he didn't. That if you'd done anything differently…"

"Maybe," Azula admitted, sniffing. Sokka sighed.

"It's not the case," he said. She shuddered. "You did everything you could. His choices were his own. You don't deserve to torment yourself for the rest of your life because your father fucked up massively, Azula. Hell… considering the choice he made at the end? It's all the more reason not to give up now. He… he wanted you to survive, even if he didn't. Doesn't that count for something?"

Azula sighed before shrugging half-heartedly. Sokka's fingers trailed down her cheek.

"I want to be with you," he said. Azula shivered, meeting his gaze with hope and fear alike. "I love you. That hasn't changed… but I accept that maybe you have."

"I love you too," Azula said, almost desperately. "I still do, Sokka. And I… I've missed you, I never wanted to be away from you, I…"

"You chose to split us up," Sokka said. "You did it because you knew the consequences of staying together would be worse. Now you know just how much worse… and now you see why, as painful as it was, your choice might just have been the right one all along. We're… we're back together, within a year, rather than twenty or thirty. We're both alive… our daughter's alive. The war's over. All things considered? The pain we suffered… it was bad, still is, but now we have a chance to heal. And that… that's what I want us to do now."

"Heal? How?" Azula asked, swallowing hard.

"Guess we'll figure that out little by little," Sokka said, stroking her hair kindly. "It makes no sense for us to not be together now, okay? It doesn't. If you didn't want me to love you, you really would be out of luck. If you still feel the same way about me? Then we move forward, together. As I always meant for us to do. If anything has changed… if you can think of a real reason why we should stay apart, and by that, I mean anything besides 'I'm not worthy of you', then…"

"I'm not worthy. But… it seems to matter as little to you as it did to me, back when you used to think the same thing of yourself," Azula whispered. "Not that you were ever right to think so, but…"

"You're not now, either. But it takes a lot for someone to accept that," Sokka said.

"What about… the way we'll be judged, reviled, for what we are?" Azula asked. Sokka frowned. "Zhao's utter madness, thinking we'd plotted everything all along… other people will spread that kind of drivel around too. It's not going to be easy…"

"I don't need it to be easy," Sokka said, simply. Azula raised her gaze helplessly towards him. "I just need it to be us. We've always been stronger, better together. I don't know what's ahead, Azula… I just need to know I'll face it with you, and that will be enough for me."

She swallowed hard and nodded. Sokka's hand trailed gently over her cheek, wiping the tears that coursed down her face.

"I… was ready, or I wanted to think I was, t-to… to hear you say you couldn't do it anymore," she said, closing her eyes tightly. "Maybe I… maybe I would've never truly recovered. Maybe if I'd lost you for good, I… I would've been as helpless, as hopeless, as I was at every point when I thought you were dead, but… but I wanted you to make that choice freely, Sokka. I still do. I-if this… if this is what you want? Then… I'm far luckier than anyone in my position should be. I don't want this to ever be over, I really don't, I just…"

"I know," Sokka smiled. Azula sniffed, shaking her head.

"If you're sure… then we'll figure things out together," she said.

"At our own pace. In our own way," Sokka insisted, and Azula nodded. "If you ever want space, to talk about difficult things, if you ever need anything at all from me… just ask."

"Same for you," Azula said. "If this stops working somehow, i-if you suddenly wake up and have a realization that I'm truly as much of a monster as…"

"That's not a realization, that's a leave of my senses…"

"Right, well, say you stop thinking so," Azula sighed. "Don't lie to me. Don't pretend things are fine if they're not. Be honest… as honest as you ever have been. We… we need to be completely true to ourselves and each other, as we always were…"

"I think I can handle that challenge," Sokka smiled. Azula swallowed hard and nodded.

"So… f-for now, we… we go slow," she said. Sokka nodded too. "We take our time. We… we have time now. We do. Or we will, after… after all things are sorted out, right?"

"Right," Sokka said, softly. "No one is going to force us away from each other anymore. No one would dare."

"They better not," Azula said, raising her own hand to cup his cheek. "Our love has always… always been ours. Nobody else is allowed to interfere."

"Nobody," Sokka smiled. "And if things don't work out, sure, we'll talk about it too. But… unless that happens, we're sticking it out together. It's… it's you and me, Azula."

"As it always should've been. As… as we were meant to be," Azula said, meeting his eyes with her tearful own. "On our terms."

Sokka nodded. Her breath hitched.

Even now, there was something tight, tense, between them. Something was missing. One simple thing… one final push. Once done, everything they'd determined now would be realized… but not until then.

Long ago, an impulsive Princess had dared kiss her Gladiator at the wrong time. Their partnership had never been entirely normal... but that single act, when she had succumbed to an urge that couldn't be contained, had changed their lives forever. Blind by her need of him, by the fear of losing him, she had been nothing but determination on that day…

Now, she wavered. Now, she trembled. Where being rejected by him would have hurt on that day, in the waiting rooms of the Grand Royal Dome, today, it would destroy her. But even if he wanted them to take their time, he could forgive her for a moment of reckless self-indulgence, couldn't he?

She leaned in, slowly, carefully, brushing his lips softly in a fragile kiss. It wasn't intense, powerful, overwhelming as the first had been… but the same fear from that day still gripped her, no matter how many times he had kissed her across their conversation. This time, she seemed to stake everything on the contact between their lips, still unsure if their love would still survive the toil that would come next…

His hands slid down, to the back of her neck, and he pulled her in.

Azula released a light, relieved sigh when he responded. He wasn't wrong: she might never feel worthy of their love again. But she couldn't be so selfless, couldn't make the right choice… she needed him far more than she could bear. If he wouldn't reject her, she would make the most of it.

They breathed out once they parted, brows pressed together.

"On our terms," Sokka repeated. Azula breathed out slowly, nodding.

"No one… no one else gets a say upon it," she said. Sokka nodded too.

"Not anymore," he whispered. "We're free, Azula. You and me both… we're free."

She nodded: he leaned in, angling his face differently, pecking her slowly, tenderly, and her pained heart fluttered with each blissful caress.

"Is there anything else you…?" Azula asked: he cut her off with another kiss. "Anything you wanted to…?"

"Share?" Sokka finished, speaking against her lips. "Can't think of anything now…"

"Right…" Azula said: her hand fell upon his chest.

"You?" he asked, as she gripped his shirt. He pulled back only briefly, meeting her eyes tenderly, but he didn't so much as let her compose an answer before kissing her again.

Every brush of their lips tasted of wonders. That he would offer this physical comfort so readily… he had needed her just as much as she needed him, of course. It made sense, no matter how difficult it was for Azula to fathom that she could ever be this lucky. Her hands slid through his hair, so much longer than ever before… it was beautiful. Curses, he had such good hair, always did… what a simple bliss it was to finally run her fingers through it once again. The manly scent of his body, his warm breath… all of it enveloped her with the dawning, powerful awareness that he was hers still. That he had come back to her… and that he still wanted her, just as much as she wanted him.

She leaned in again: this time, hers was a more desperate kiss, even if his was placating, reassuring. She breathed heavily, leaning closer to him, obeying instincts and urges she couldn't seem to restrain: Sokka's arms wrapped around her waist though. Instead of pushing her away, he brought her closer still.

His hands rose over her back, trailing the soft fabrics of her tunic until his fingers rose high enough, finding her face once more. She gripped his shoulders, steadying herself as she sat on his lap. Whenever they parted, Sokka's earnest, kind gaze stirred her heart deeply, convincing a reckless Azula to cut the distance between them once again…

"Azula…" he called her: any moment now, he'd tell her to calm down. To ease up… he had asked for distance. He had told her they had to take their time, they needed to heal, and… she was doing it all wrong. She was causing unnecessary trouble, wasn't she? This was pathetic of her, pointless… they couldn't just go back to what they used to be. They needed time to process things, to understand each other…

She forced herself to slow down. Knowing that he still wanted her had to be enough for now. Knowing she could kiss him this way still, no matter how awful her choices had been. Truthfully, at this point, anything he asked of her, she'd give it to him. Whatever he might wish for, she was his for the taking. And if he wanted nothing from her… she would accept that, too.

But when she pulled away, defeated but accepting the terms of their renewed bond, he caught her off-guard when he pressed his lips against hers anew.

Azula shivered: the hands upon his chest tightened on the fabric of his shirt. If he wanted to uphold said terms, he wouldn't reel her in so closely, cleverly angling his face in order to kiss her deeply…

She caved in, following his lead: her tongue darted out to touch his, lightly…

Sokka groaned, hoisting her in his arms as his tongue responded far more daringly, reaching into her mouth, exploring her as much as he could so far. But then he pinned her down on the couch, much as he had done so thousands of times in the past: she clung to him, legs sliding up to his waist, wrapping around his body to ensure that he would remain as close to her as he could possibly be.

Her scent flooded him, just as it had the first time they had dared exchange such bold kisses on this very couch, so long ago. There was no cramp to hamper the experience… no impending dread of a wrongful marriage for Azula, dangling over their heads, compelling them to act on their feelings when they feared they could never do so, not completely. The warmth of her body enveloped him now, much as it had then. Her soft cries, the grip of her fingers… Sokka groaned softly, the sound far more vulnerable than he intended. Curses, he had missed this closeness, this intimacy. He had needed her desperately…

He conveyed as much with every keen, thorough kiss that helped him rediscover the familiar territories of her body, prompting her to moan: the sensuality of her sounds blinded him, and suddenly the blood rushed at haste through his system, urging him to keep going, to roll his tongue over hers some more, to lap away at the roof of her mouth, prompting her sounds to grow more urgent, for her hands to slide down his back, towards his rear…

He gasped, breathless, as he pulled back only slightly, meeting her gaze. Azula shivered under his eyes, cheeks flushed, lips reddened after their passionate kisses.

"I…" Sokka whispered. Azula swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry. You… wanted space and… time to heal," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"I did, did I?" he said. "We… we could do that."

"We should do that," Azula said, nodding. "You're… you're bound to be exhausted. It's been… it's been the longest day for you. You should be resting. W-we… we could go back to Mai's…"

The words hadn't even left her lips and she was already regretting them: go back now? Did she truly wish to do that? Yes, Hotaru surely needed her, but…

She met Sokka's gaze anew to find similar uncertainty in his eyes… but it was swept away quickly when he let out a soft chuckle again.

"I mean… we could do that. Do you want to do that?"

"I… what I want isn't…" Azula said, breathing heavily: Sokka leaned close, lips brushing against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she gasped in bliss. "Sokka…"

"What you want is very… very important," he said, pressing his lips over her cheekbone, over her closed eyes next. She shuddered: the memories of the first time when he had dared kiss her this way, in Ember Island, returned to her right away. "So… if you want me to back off, I…"

"I never… I never said that," Azula whispered, turning her face in time to catch his lips in hers.

"Then… you don't want me to?" Sokka inquired. Azula bit her lip.

"You wanted… healing," she said. "I don't know how you want to go about it, but if that's what we should do, then…"

"Heh, well… there's only one healing technique I've ever been any good at," Sokka said, caressing her face gently.

Azula shivered. Her eyes gleamed with hope… with need. Sokka smiled kindly.

"Are you… are you sure?" she asked.

He answered her question with a heartfelt kiss.

Azula's breath caught as she embraced him, still, with arms and legs, desperate for his closeness and warmth: a dam seemed to break over his eagerness, over this invitation he appeared to extend for her. Her heart pounded, fast and wild… as it had the first time. As it hadn't in so much longer than she cared to remember…

He never failed to soothe her worst fears, chasing them away as nothing else could. Whether they soared across the skies or sailed upon the seas, Sokka was her center, keeping her upright in the most fearsome storms, the true north she followed, knowing he would never lead her astray.

Though as much as he served as a magnificent source of stability for her, she knew he might need this just as much as she did. He wasn't merely comforting her out of selfless generosity towards her, and nothing more….

That selfish longing to love and be loved was exactly what had guided her in the first years of their relationship.

It was how she had saved Sokka from his own darkness, long ago, without her awareness.

She pushed in, her embrace so desperate and so genuine that it seemed to catch Sokka by surprise. He responded eagerly, cradling her face in his hands. He had to know that nothing was off-limits, they had shared all levels of intimacy in the past already… but he didn't dare test all boundaries yet. He was nervous… maybe uncertain of what differences he'd find, or fearful of making any moves she wasn't ready for yet.

Even so… this was a miracle. Azula's heart pounded affectionately for him… knowing, naturally, that his cause, his war, had been about goals far greater than merely coming back to her, and yet here he was, stretched atop her, kissing her devotedly, unconcerned with interruptions, with any duties he had yet to uphold. His exhaustion seemed to have been replaced by a new burst of energy, judging by the enthusiasm of his lips and tongue, by the soft groans that left his throat… her hand slid down his chest, and she smiled upon feeling his strong heartbeat against her palm.

Her fingers slid lower then, caressing her way over his ribcage, his abdomen… she only slowed by his pelvis, which jolted under her touch. She dove in deeper with the next kiss, as though to reassure him… to let him know that she meant to continue riding the wave of relief and excitement that surged between them, the desperation to be joined as one, after what had felt like an eternity apart…

She tugged his sash gently. Once it came undone, her fingers slowly rose to unbutton his tunic next.

She moved at such a calm pace, as though waiting for his approval, as though expecting him to eventually refuse her. His breath hitched, his heart racing ever faster… he trembled atop her with anticipation. This wasn't the ideal position for him to return the favor… but he dared, nonetheless, to thumb the large sash over her abdomen. At a lack of rejection on her part, Sokka pulled back away solely to sit up on the couch, hoisting her with him, ensuring to keep her as close to him as possible.

He couldn't seem to stop kissing her or touching her anymore. His deft hands took apart the binding of that sash, letting it slide down her body, resting on her hips at first… he tossed it aside, and her dark, long tunic was but a moment away from spreading open, exposing most of her body for his eager gaze.

Azula's breath hitched when he paused, still holding her sash in one hand. Their eyes met, aglow with hope, with eagerness, with unrestrained love. No sounds could be heard besides their agitated breathing… Sokka dropped the garment on the floor before raising his hand to cup her face.

"Is… is my room…?" he asked. Azula swallowed hard and nodded.

"Dusty, maybe. We… we hadn't cleaned up in a while, but it should be… should be alright," she admitted. Sokka nodded.

"Good. Shouldn't be much dustier than this, then," he said, with a weak grin.

Azula bit her lip, trying to stifle a smile of her own when he picked her up, rising to his feet almost effortlessly. He still had the strength to carry her without wavering. She hugged him tightly, face buried in his neck… more memories flooded her, of the countless times he had carried her this way to the privacy of his room. On the very first time, she had been unable to stop kissing him. On the others, they had typically laughed like fools as Sokka made a display of his strength by carrying her…

Every moment they had shared in this house seemed to come back to life that night. She relived them with such intensity that they struck Azula as a bolt of lightning might. Sokka pressed soft kisses upon her shoulder, walking towards the stairs, and she shivered pleasantly. A part of her couldn't believe yet that he would make her his fully once again. It was that insecure side of herself, the one that feared he would tear aside her clothes and find her changes unsightly…

And yet the nostalgic side, the hopelessly smitten side, urged Azula to forego that other voice entirely: the man she loved, the one she had devoted herself to across years, despite the distance that sought to tear them apart, was here once more. He wanted her still… he loved her, still. He had learned everything she had needed him to know, and he had chosen to be with her even so… who was she to argue against it? What fool would reject this kind of generosity? Certainly not her… not ever again.

Her hot tears trickled over his body, seeping through the fabric of his clothes, but she didn't withhold them, even so. Her hands gripped him tightly as he climbed his way to his room, breathing her in, holding her against his warmth, comforting her with his very presence. His room's door was closed, so he leaned down slightly to push it open, holding Azula against himself with a single arm: he shifted her weight across his arm for stability's sake, and his lips caught hers once more after he succeeded. If he tasted her tears, it seemed not to deter him at all as he marched into the room.

He didn't bother closing the door. He walked blindly towards the bed, with Azula's hands framing his face, kissing him with familiar eagerness, reminiscent of the very first time they had dared do this… he smiled at the similarities in both instances, as he reached the foot of the bed and leaned forward. Azula didn't loosen her grip on him, not even after he placed her on the soft mattress.

She relished this position, trapped willingly and delightfully between the man she loved and whatever surface she wound up on… this bed, or that couch, or a wall, a natural one like in the Cave of Two Lovers, or that of a building, like it had been in numerous other places. Some of such places, the Palace, the Grand Royal Dome, were gone now… but the love that had guided them then still thrummed between the two, promising to outlast the very stars that shone above them.

She gave herself mindlessly to their long kisses, lost in the countless wondrous memories they evoked until Sokka slowed down, parting from her. She raised a hand to his bedside lamp, lighting its oil quickly with a fast burst of her bending, to confirm he was alright.

The tears in his eyes gave away that his thoughts hadn't been too different from hers, and she caressed his cheek affectionately.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to stop, I just… Fuck, I missed you," he said, his voice thick with tears. Azula nodded, pressing her brow to his.

"I missed you too," she whispered. "This is… it's so familiar it's almost as though…"

"As though none of it had happened, but it did," Sokka finished. "We… we were apart, for so long, and I… curses, I needed you. I needed you so badly…"

"Sokka…"

"I don't even care. I achieved whatever I did? It… it still doesn't feel like any of it should've happened the way it did. A life without you… it wasn't worth a damn," Sokka said, shaking his head. Azula bit her lip.

"Still… still think it tasted of, uh, regurgitated ashes, was it?" she asked, with a small smile: Sokka couldn't stifle one of his own, as well as a gentle chuckle.

"Yeah. I still stand by it," he said. "I know how hard I made things for you…"

"I didn't make them any easier for you either, Sokka…"

"I still… couldn't have stayed away. Not for long," Sokka said. "If my father hadn't told me to come find you… I would've decided to do it myself anyway. I… I need you. I want to be with you. And… and I don't care what comes next, Azula, I… i-if you still want me too, I'm… I'm never letting go again. Ever."

"Don't," Azula smiled, tears in her eyes too. "I don't want you to let go."

He smiled tenderly before moving in, reprising their earlier affection: her arms wrapped around him firmly as she accepted his feelings, powerful and overwhelming as they were. He breathed heavily when they parted, quickly starting a new kiss when the last ended. Once breathless, he buried his face in her neck… and he breathed deeply, upon doing so. Azula bit her lip at the sensation.

"Don't know if… if you're actually trying to smell something," she muttered. "But I'm sure I must stink. I haven't washed in… ages."

"Smells like you. That's all I want… all I need," Sokka smiled, kissing her neck sweetly.

"Well… you'd probably like it better if I…"

"It's perfect, I said," Sokka reiterated, rising to kiss her lips again. "Your scent is the best in the world, Azula."

"Really?" she asked, a teasing smile spreading over her face. "Better than… a meat feast?"

Her question caught him by surprise. He snorted, leaning in and kissing her again.

"Yes. No question about it," he determined. "What? You're not going to say you'd rather smell… what, spices, instead of me, or are you?"

"I… wouldn't. Spices for me are more about the flavor than the scent, but…" Azula started: his amused, skeptical stare brought her to chuckle. "Oh, curses. Ask me again in three months. Maybe by then I'll be used to you again and… and I'll be able to lie just to annoy you."

"Well, I don't want you to do that, so I won't be asking again after all," Sokka smirked, kissing her again as she laughed against his lips. "My teasing, clever Princess…"

"My handsome, properly bathed Gladiator…" she sighed. "You do smell better than I do, just saying…"

"Don't think much of it," Sokka smiled. "You should think about… about all the days I spent on the road, getting filthy and disgusting. I didn't bathe at all for multiple days at a time, see?"

"Ugh. Shameless," Azula sighed, shaking her head. Sokka chuckled. "Even when it comes to being unhygienic, you just have to go and beat me at it, don't you? Curses, Sokka…"

"What kind of relationship would this be if we weren't always challenging each other, huh?" Sokka teased her, kissing her briskly. Azula laughed.

"Don't know… but it wouldn't be our relationship," she smiled, her fingers raking his face again.

Azula certainly didn't feel like much of a Princess that night, she hadn't for longer than she would be able to pinpoint… so many of her dignity's demands had gone forgotten, but she could forsake them willingly by now. She had no pretenses to keep, no glamour or luxuries to her name: she had lost her home, much of her riches, countless clothes, makeup, bathing salts…. she had once considered all such things essential to her peace of mind, but they truly weren't. The truly essential component to bring true beauty and balance to her heart was the man atop her, whose smiles gradually gained the shape they used to have, whose teasing slowly grew to resemble that of their golden days.

His heart was as good as bleeding out right now, as he poured his affection relentlessly upon her. His tears spoke for themselves, no matter if he still sought to amuse her, still trying to lighten this moment of fulfillment as best he could.

Sokka rolled off Azula, simply to turn on his side, and she ensured to follow his lead once more, facing him. His lips never failed to find their mark, but while there was a desperation to each exchange, it wasn't the eagerness of release that guided them, as it had been many times in the past. As much as he had suggested physicality as a means of healing, much as it had served that purpose for Azula to combat chi corruption in the past, it wouldn't be the arousal, the resonating energy between them that would heal them this time. Eventually, all their kisses would succeed at convincing them that this was no mirage, no waking dream…

Tears escaped their eyes on occasion, and they laughed softly together when they noticed as much: Azula kissed the ones spilling down his cheeks, and Sokka returned the favor, his heart burning with the blissful relief of finally reclaiming the bond that had become the very center of his life.

Sokka hooked an arm around her waist, reeling her as close to him as possible. Their legs tangled together, carefully wound as an act of pure intimacy, of finding comfort in each other's arms and warmth… but that closeness brought something into sharp focus, and Azula smiled for it.

"You… you're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Sokka's lips, brushing hers repeatedly, slowed down upon hearing those words. He blinked blankly, eyes fluttering down to his own groin.

"If you hadn't said it, I wouldn't have noticed," Sokka smiled. Azula laughed. "I'm so happy to kiss you again that for a second I didn't remember I have a dick…"

"Really?" Azula chuckled: he returned to doing it indeed, trailing his lips over her face sweetly, tenderly.

"I'm sure you're not too different," Sokka said, smiling. "Or… is this having no effect on your body?"

"I… I mean, it surely is, but you're more obvious, I guess," Azula admitted, blushing slightly. Sokka grinned.

"I missed your blushing cheeks," he said. Azula laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"You really can't help yourself, huh?" she said, covering her face with a hand. Sokka laughed, pulling her in to kiss the top of her head.

"You're adorable," he concluded.

"And you're more adorable, still," she determined. He laughed and shrugged.

"Let's agree on being equally adorable, then…"

"Wait, you accept it now? Truly?" Azula gasped playfully. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"Right now… I think I'd embrace anything and everything if it's coming from you," he said. "I… I love you so much. I love you more than I can bear. That's the best thing about sex, isn't it? Helps you exteriorize that when there's no other way to do it…"

"Sure does," Azula smiled, kissing his neck softly.

"Do you… do you want to go further?" Sokka asked. Azula's heart jolted. "It's okay if you don't… I get it if it's a little trickier than it used to be, but…"

"You remember what happened, when you hesitated on our first time," Azula smiled, raising her head. Sokka blinked blankly. "You thought I would have enough with you eating me out… as if that made any sense. I told you I wanted to go all the way, and when you still doubted things…"

"You told me to shut up," Sokka finished. Azula smirked. "Well, well. Someone's getting feisty, isn't she?"

"Well, I'm not saying you should shut up yet…"

"Well, then, before you do…"

Sokka dove in, catching Azula's laughing lips with his own. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him climb over her once more… and this time, his hands dared be bolder than before. Even though her sash had been undone downstairs, he hadn't dared tug her outfit open… the temptation to do so overcame him by then.

As much bravado as she might put on, Azula's self-awareness certainly increased when he slid his hand between the lapels of her tunic. Her breath hitched, and for a brief instant she wanted to tell him to hold back… but she didn't dare. A part of her decidedly wanted this… and it seemed louder than the part that was growing increasingly conscious of the differences between her current body and the one Sokka would likely remember vividly…

"Azula?" he slowed down. She bit her lip as she met his gaze: he had realized she was hesitating now. "You okay?"

"Well… I guess I am, but…" she said, with a nervous smile. "It's just… it's not bound to be as you'll remember it. Pregnancy's… complicated."

"Ah… huh," Sokka blinked blankly before smiling at her. "Now I'm curious. I want to see even more now, you know, just to see if it really changed at all…"

"Ah, just to check? Really?" Azula smirked. Sokka chuckled, sitting up on the bed before clearing his throat.

"And now it shall be my greatest pleasure to unveil nature's grandest, most beautiful creation…!" he said, in a haughty, teasing voice that brought Azula to laugh while covering her blushing face.

"Could you stop?" she chuckled. He smiled: there truly was a long road ahead of them, but he suspected the better way to heal would be by giving each other as many reasons to laugh as possible.

"Come now, that's what you are, always have been. An utter miracle that someone as beautiful as you could be real at all," Sokka said, leaning close again to kiss her, too tempted by her laughter not to do it. "I love you. Nothing can change that."

Azula breathed in, meeting his tender gaze with her expectant eyes. She bit her lip but closed her eyes in surrender… and so, Sokka tugged her clothes open slowly, from the fastenings of her neck, gradually descending over her torso…

But he stopped rather abruptly, not even halfway down, once he laid eyes upon her bound chest. Azula opened her eyes, puzzled by the astonishment apparent across his face.

"Sokka…?"

"Those… weren't like that, the last time I saw them," he said, pointing at her chest: the smile that spread across his features suggested he didn't find the change disagreeable… Azula snorted, looking at him skeptically.

"That's just…! It's supposed to be perfectly normal and common when you're pregnant, and when you're breastfeeding your child, so…"

"Right. I… I guess so," he said: his perverted smile seemed to grow wider, and Azula couldn't hold back a chuckle of disbelief.

"That's your daughter's food, you dork," she said. Sokka snorted.

"I have no doubt she's eating the best meals with you," he said. "But I really… had no idea this would happen, okay? I'm not complaining, not at all…"

"I can tell you're not. Pervert," Azula smiled. Sokka snickered.

"You used to like that about me…"

"Never said I didn't. I'm just stating a fact," she said. Sokka chuckled as he leaned in, kissing her lips softly.

"If that's what you were worried about… well, clearly you have nothing to worry about," he said: he leaned lower, pressing his face against her chest even over the bindings. Azula shivered.

"It's not just that, but… be careful," she said, nervously. "I think they might just be more sensitive than usual…"

"That's okay. I'll be nice," Sokka smiled, softly kissing the top of her mounds: that alone was enough to send her mind flying, her body reeling over the bursts of pleasure he evoked upon her skin.

"You… you always are," Azula sighed: he continued to move downwards, though, spreading her tunic open little by little… reaching a part of her body she had far more doubts about.

She tensed up, pushing herself up on her elbows as Sokka hovered by her abdomen, hands caressing her flanks. She swallowed hard, knowing he'd be looking at some changes she had picked up on, too…

"Stretch marks," she said: Sokka hummed, trailing a finger over the small ripples of uneven skin over her belly. "I… didn't really know about those. Song says it's normal too, my skin was spread more than ever, so…"

"I get it," Sokka smiled, nodding. "They're not too noticeable… I had to grope you to pick up on them, how about that?"

"Well, that's…" Azula said, biting her lip: he caressed one of the lines over her skin, and she shivered in grateful bliss. "You don't think they're unsightly…?"

"I'm too shallow to grope something I find unsightly, so no," Sokka smirked. Azula snorted and shook her head. "Which also means I… should grope every inch of your body altogether, to drive my point across…"

"You don't need to…" she sighed, smiling gratefully. Sokka chuckled, kissing her abdomen sweetly. "I suppose… I should just think of them as battle scars of a sort. Evidence of…"

"Of having fought a fierce battle to bring the most adorable little girl to our world? Yes, that's what this is," Sokka finished, grinning. "And you're incredible for having achieved that. Don't doubt it."

"Hard not to doubt some things, but… I'll try," Azula smiled, running her fingers over his hair.

They slid through his scalp, finding the hair tie that she removed slowly. Sokka tensed up, but he allowed her to continue… and once she finished, his dark hair cascaded around his face, in that elegant way that never failed to thrill her. She smiled warmly, her heart churning with excitement at the sight of her lover's loose hair… it was often a sign of intimacy between them, for he rarely removed it otherwise.

"Still handsome?" Sokka asked, with an unusually shy smile. Azula chuckled.

"You don't know how not to be, clearly," she said. He laughed, leaning closer to kiss her lips softly. "And it's still so soft…"

"Haven't used the right hair product in ages, though," Sokka pointed out. Azula chuckled.

"You will again. Surely there's enough left in the bathroom," she said. He bit his lip guiltily.

"Hey, now… that sounds like a great idea," he said. Azula smiled as he pecked her lips teasingly.

Sokka's hands had continued to rake her abdomen, finding a lighter pronunciation of her muscles as opposed to what it had been like, during the height of their relationship. Azula shivered under his touch once he caressed her navel, and he leveled a puzzled frown at it moments later

"Your navel's different too," he pointed out. Azula sighed.

"Is that bad?" she asked.

"It's interesting… hell, I never thought about these things before," Sokka chuckled, trailing his fingers over the oval-shaped navel… and Azula shuddered with pleasure. "You still seem to enjoy being teased like this, though."

"I… I mean, it tickles a bit when you touch me that way…" she said, biting her lip and smiling. "That's not an invitation for a tickle attack, worth noting…"

"Heh. No worries. I'll reschedule it for later," Sokka smiled. "It's not as much fun if you're expecting it."

"Oh, please," Azula scoffed. Sokka chuckled, his hand rising over her torso again, caressing her chest all the way to her neck: he pulled her close for a heartfelt kiss, and Azula moaned sweetly into it. "You don't mind, t-then…? I… I don't know if things changed down there too, by the way. I… I don't really know."

"Haven't checked?" Sokka asked, with a gentle smile. Azula shrugged, grimacing.

"Didn't feel like… like it'd matter," she said, earnestly. Sokka's grin waned. "Never expected this, so I… I didn't really try to stay appealing for you, sorry to say…"

"Good. That way you can see you don't need to try at all," Sokka grinned. "You're more than appealing just as you are."

Sokka kissed her reassuringly. Her heart pounded nervously as his fingers approached her pelvis, tugging at the border of her underwear…

A dark flash crossed her mind.

A bad thought… an unnerving one.

A memory she certainly didn't want to evoke now.

She shivered, pulling away from his touch by impulse… and Sokka frowned before stopping, outright.

"Azula…"

"I…" she gritted her teeth, pressing her face to his shoulder. "Sorry. Fuck, I… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. If you're not ready…" Sokka said. Azula shook her head.

"I… I am. I want this, I just…" Azula said, snarling: curse her mind for its dark paths. Curse it for those unwanted thoughts, returning at the worst possible timing. "It's… it's all the guilt. I… I'm so sorry."

"Guilt?" Sokka repeated, as she dropped heavily on the mattress, covering her face with her hands. He sighed and nodded, pulling his hand upwards again, setting it reassuringly by her ribcage. "Look… it's okay if you need more time. We can take it slow. We were going to, but, uh… I guess we didn't do it so far. It's okay, though. I know… what you've been through is hard to shake off. Willpower alone might not cut it."

"I… I hate that… that you weren't the last one to…" Azula said, wincing. Sokka hushed her reassuringly, rolling off her again, only to hug her snugly once they laid on their sides together. "I… I only ever wanted it to be you, I…"

"Well… for what it's worth?" Sokka said, kissing the top of her head. "I wasn't thinking about that in the least. Which, I guess, tells you that… I wasn't thinking he'd ruined you or anything of the sort. He couldn't hope to steal your worth and your value, no matter what he might dare do…"

"I don't know about that, I…" Azula said, shivering as she gripped Sokka's shirt. "I want this. I do. I… I might just get over all of it, if… if we do this now."

"Maybe you will, but… if it doesn't feel right, you shouldn't force yourself," Sokka whispered. Azula shook her head.

"What doesn't feel right is… me. Not anything you've done," she said. "I just… stupidly want things to go back to what they were. To erase the worst of it and just…"

"Well… maybe think of it differently, then," Sokka said, cupping her cheek and kissing her brow. "What you did with him… was transactional. Neither of you wanted it. It… it barely counts as anything at all. A true betrayal would have been voluntary… what you did never was."

"I… I guess so, but…"

"So… for me? It doesn't count for shit," Sokka said, holding her warmly, his lips trailing down her nose, over her eyelids. "He didn't love you. Beats me what kind of braindead buffoon would have a chance to be with you and not love you, but he didn't. But I do… and that changes everything. It gives this meaning… while that had none. You were saving our child, Azula… your body isn't corrupted, or soiled, or whatever you might have thought it was just because that bastard touched you. If I could erase that pain for you, I would… but I love you. I will always love you. I know we belong together. If you're not ready now… I'll always be ready when you are."

"Always?" Azula asked, raising her tearful gaze towards him. Sokka smiled kindly.

"I said I loved you. I mean it, girl. I always have," he whispered, dabbing at her tears with his thumb. She sniffed, breathing out slowly.

"T-then… the sooner we do it, the better," she determined. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Otherwise, I… I'll just hate myself for wasting time. If… i-if you don't feel I'm any worse now than I ever was, then… I should just go forward with it. I should…"

"You don't have to, Azula…"

"I want to feel you," Azula said, breathlessly. "I… I miss you. Everything about you… about us. I don't know if this will fix everything that's still pending, maybe it won't, but… I want to try. Just… j-just go easy on me, if anything isn't as you remember…"

"It'll be fine, love. It'll be fine," he said, hugging her reassuringly, running his hand over her back.

She sighed, pressing against him, still trying to stave off the inadequacy that threatened to shatter this moment. It would be so much easier to forget herself… to focus only on making him happy, but her treacherous heart had dragged her down a wrong path.

Sokka was slower now. The hand that had cupped her cheek slid to her neck, fingers trailing over her collarbone gently. He caressed her bandaged chest, too, and Azula's breath hitched as he touched near her nipples, even if he didn't quite go for them. Their eyes met, and he kissed her softly again.

"Can I take these off?" he asked. She nodded.

"You… you can, though…"

"What is it?"

"It's just… not fair."

"Azula…"

"You're still too clothed, compared to me."

He froze up at her sudden statement. She stared at him, simply, as though her complaint should have been obvious.

"Ah. That's what you meant, huh?" he said, amused. Azula smiled a little and nodded, pressing her brow to his.

"You've… rediscovered me. Found if I've changed since then, or if I haven't…" she whispered. "I'd like to do the same. I-if… if there's any scars I hadn't seen, maybe, or…"

"Oh. Well… you might just be disappointed to know that that's not really the case?"

"Disappointed?" Azula repeated. Sokka smiled awkwardly and shrugged.

"I… didn't take that many wounds. I mean, sure, I fell off that airship but the waterbending healing was so good that I didn't really get a scar from it, as far as I know. Not even on my head, and it bumped against the ice. Guess I'm still thickheaded, huh?"

"Maybe," Azula smiled. "But then… you really don't have many new scars? You… didn't get hurt much, if at all?"

"Uh… nope. If anything… maybe if Katara's healing was sloppy, last night's wounds could wind up becoming scars, at most?" he said, awkwardly. Azula grimaced.

"So… your sole scars would be the wounds I gave you. Fun."

"Hey, that just proves you're the only one who was strong enough to get me. You should take pride in that," Sokka said, haughtily. Azula smiled, shaking her head. "It's true!"

"I don't care. I wish I'd never hurt you," she said, with a sigh. "But it is what it is."

Sokka reassured her again, kissing her softly. Azula sighed against his lips, hands trailing over the bandages upon his body, even reaching up to the half-healed wound on his forehead.

"It'll be fine. You know I'm sturdy," he said. "If you really think you'll enjoy looking at my body, then… sure. I'll strip too, if you insist…"

"I can't count the number of times I was completely naked while you were fully dressed still…" Azula smiled. "It's quite unbecoming of me to be so easy to strip out of my clothes and dignity, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, come on. Your moans have always been very dignified, don't be modest…" Sokka smirked: his teasing elicited her laughter as he kissed her enthusiastically anew, easing her out of the dark paths she had trailed through moments ago.

Sokka relished her caresses as she stripped him on her terms, gradually exposing more of his body, of that dark, beautiful skin she had craved and adored. Her breath hitched as she touched him directly, and he braced himself beside her while she tugged his tunic off one of his shoulders. Her tender smile was marked by recognition and familiarity, and he smiled back, shaking off the tunic, before taking her in his arms again to press his lips to hers.

"Less unfair now?" he asked. "If anything, I'm the one who ought to complain this time… my chest is exposed while yours isn't."

"I suppose…" Azula smiled a little. Sokka chuckled, kissing her brow.

"Whenever you're ready," he said. Azula bit her lip before sitting up, startling Sokka.

It was a more comfortable way to undo the bindings, for it would be irksome to do it while laying on her side. She breathed deeply, chest heaving as she tugged the bandages loose without much struggle – she had taken to wearing them more loosely as of late, for she often had to feed Hotaru at any given moment.

Thus, her large breasts were quickly exposed to his greedy gaze.

"Woah," he said, lying on his back, eyes locked on those erect, large nipples. Azula smiled awkwardly… and she glanced at his groin, finding it stiffer than before.

"Guess I'm doing a number on you, huh?" she said. Sokka failed to bite back a shameless grin, and Azula scoffed at his reaction. "Curses… I should've thought you'd be that much of a pervert over this, but for whatever reason, it didn't cross my mind…"

"Is it a bad thing?" he asked, his smile softening: to his delight, she smiled to herself, shaking her head. "Aha…"

"Shut up," she said. He chuckled.

"You were worried things wouldn't go back to normal? Well, I'm still a pervert, you still tell me to shut up when you're embarrassed… I'd say it's going great," he smirked. Azula laughed, shaking her head and eyeing him from the corner of her eye.

"We still have… more ground to cover," she said. Sokka nodded.

"And I'd gladly do it next, if you'd be so kind…" he said, pushing himself upright as well and sitting by her, cupping her face in his hands.

She could tell he was itching to touch her. He did his best to contain himself, but the tension in his body afforded no other explanation. His roughened palms hosted the proof of his hard work with his weapons in the past months… they were the hands of a warrior, a man whose heart was as strong as his body, if not more so. She wanted to feel him… and so, she clasped his wrists and helped him on his way down, so he would slowly set his palms upon her breasts.

His breath hitched, eyes widening as he caressed the soft skin: Azula closed her eyes, her heart racing recklessly… she brought his hand closer to the center of her chest, certain that he would feel it. He smiled, pressing a gentle kiss upon her lips as he caressed her gently.

"Let me know if I overstep any boundaries," he said, sliding his hand lower… cupping her left breast and holding it carefully. Azula bit her lip, closing her eyes.

"That… feels good. So far," she said, with an awkward smile. Sokka grinned. "I suppose it's heavier…"

"Probably," Sokka chuckled. "It's as good as I remember it… just, bigger, heh."

"Good to know," Azula said. "Somehow still feels like they fit in your hand…"

"Got big hands," he smirked. "All be it so I can grope you properly."

"No doubt that's the sole usefulness of having big hands," Azula chuckled against his lips. "It's probably an agreeable turn of events for you, perverted man that you are, but…"

"I'll restrain myself, yes. I won't steal our baby's food," he snickered. Azula rolled her eyes but smiled. "No worries, no worries, I'll wait until you're done nursing her to do naughty things to them with my mouth, you'll see…"

"That's very thoughtful of you," Azula remarked, amused. "You really sound more and more like yourself with every passing moment…"

"And you like yourself, finding my ridiculousness terribly charming… I love that smile on your face," he said, leaning in to kiss her grinning lips. Azula chuckled, holding his head in place.

He tilted her back carefully, so she'd lie across the mattress anew, with him atop her. He took it slow, cautious, ever careful not to go overboard with his touch… but his hands trailed, nonetheless, over her dark nipples, stirring her excitement further. Then, he led those fingers to caress her ribcage, every ridge, curve and line across her body. Every stretch mark upon her skin, too, all of them the signs of a miracle…

He kissed his way down her chest, over the valley of her breasts, and Azula gasped as he moved lower still.

"Sokka, you don't have to…" she said, nervously: it would be better if he didn't so much as look at her so intimately, she had no idea what she would look like now… not that she thought it had ever been pretty, truthfully, but she didn't want to risk disgusting Sokka, if anything there had changed in any way.

"I wanted to do it again, though. As you know… it's a non-negotiable relationship practice."

His actual intent caught her off-guard: his lips fell upon the stretch mark to the left of her navel, and Azula shivered as she watched him with gratitude and amazement. He hummed, moving over each line, tracing them with his lips and fingers. Tears sprang in her eyes, triggered by a mix of guilt for not expecting him to cherish her body's changes, as well as how moved she was by his tenderness. If only he had been there, kissing her growing womb this way while she carried their baby to term…

"I… I'll do it again," she said, choked up. Sokka raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. "As long as… as nothing down there is awful, a-and you want to go all the way, not just now but… but whenever? I… I'll do it. Another pregnancy… another baby."

He bit his lip, but he couldn't stifle the eager grin that spread across them. Azula smiled too, tears escaping her eyes as Sokka continued his process, hands rising now to find hers.

"We can take our time to get there… you're still nursing the first one, after all," Sokka chuckled. "But… we'll need practice, you know? To get it right, when we're ready."

"Practice?" Azula asked, amused.

"Yeah, well… we had a lot of close calls, chances to conceive babies out of recklessness, but it never happened then. Only when we were in prison, apparently…" Sokka remarked. Azula snorted, covering her mouth with a hand as she chuckled at his statement. "Mind you, I'd prefer it if prison isn't our magical ingredient to conceive kids, so…"

"I don't think that's… I really don't think that could ever be the case…" Azula laughed. Sokka smirked: making her smile was already a blessing, but full laughter from her felt like the most beautiful miracle.

He took his time, moving over her abdomen multiple times, frequently teasing and even daring to lightly tickle Azula by now. The Princess laughed, hands slipping into his hair, keeping him in place while he as good as worshipped her body. One of his palms fell upon her thigh, rising towards her hips… and Azula shivered. The urge to feel that touch in the most sensitive part of her body gained strength… enough of it that she could set aside her misgivings. He had been so thoughtful, so earnest…

"Sokka…" she called him. He hummed in response. "Do it… t-touch me. Touch…"

He kissed her navel, glancing upwards for confirmation: she was impulsive now, no doubt aroused, hoping to sate her need of him in a hurry, now that he had been bolder than before… should he humor her? Would she reject him once he tried? Would her heart's darkness cloud matters over once again, if he dared…? He bit his lip… deciding to try, nonetheless. If she changed her mind, he'd stop. He would abide by her decisions, whatever they might be.

His fingers rose, finding purchase on the hem of her baggy pants. He slid them down carefully, pulling back to remove her shoes, her socks, and finally those pants. Her beautiful legs were exposed to his greedy gaze, but his eyes shifted towards her groin, nonetheless. Azula had asked him to tend to her needs… and he meant to deliver exactly what she wanted.

She shivered as he moved in, making a first stop to kiss her lips softly. Without removing her underwear, he touched her pelvis slowly and dipped his fingertips under the fabric. Her chest heaved before he reached her core over his touch, as she struggled to conciliate her darker impulses as they warred against the intimacy she craved. His fingers didn't dip right into her folds, instead choosing to cup her crotch with his palm, to accustom her to that invasive warmth. Her cheeks flushed… and it was her choice, hers alone, to spread her legs wider, welcoming the direct caresses of his hand upon her soaked nether lips.

Sokka let out a deep breath of his own: that wet, slick warmth immediately stirred his need to plunge inside her… but not until she was ready. He didn't need to push things any further… only to relearn his way over her body, even if he still remembered it vividly.

He allowed his fingertips to glide through her folds, smoothly dipped in her wetness, until he trailed her entrance. But before daring do that… Sokka's fingers left her inner labia, moving up over her slit to find the familiar, swollen nub of her clit.

All the while, her chest rose and fell at a fast, intense rhythm. Moans slipped out of her lips, and now, a rather loud gasp did, too. Sokka smiled as he recognized her reaction, eyes closed, eyebrows drawn together, upwards, lips parted as her breathing lost its steady pace…

"That's a sight that never fails me," he chuckled. "Look at you… my beautiful Princess."

He leaned in, kissing her softly. Azula shuddered, slowly bucking her hips to find more of the excitement he had brought back to her. Her trembling hands still held his head, in place.

"I-is it… t-the same…?" she asked against his lips. "Does it feel right… f-for you…?"

"I'm not sure I'm the one who should be answering that question," Sokka laughed. "Feels great to me. You're soaked, huh…?"

"Your fault," she said, with a proud grin. Sokka laughed.

"I'll gladly own up to that," he teased her. "What's my punishment for making you wet, eh?"

Azula laughed against his lips, and Sokka pressed his brow to hers.

"Probably… getting inside me. Once you're ready," she said, biting her lip. Sokka smiled.

"Gladly. But… you're the one who's not ready," he said, frowning playfully.

"Didn't you just say I'm…?"

"Has it really been that long?" Sokka smiled, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "You're not getting out of here with just one climax, Azula. That's not the way this relationship works…"

"S-Sokka…" Azula said, with an uncertain smile: curses, hearing him say as much triggered even more excitement out of her, even if this was no true surprise. He had been that generous a lover since their very first time.

He kissed her fiercely again, tongue dipping inside her mouth: his fingers dared slip down to her opening, and his fingertip smoothly slid into her walls. She gasped at the welcome friction, soon joined by that of a second finger… and Sokka closed his eyes in quiet ecstasy: he knew her body so well… if there were changes, it seemed to him that they'd be so subtle that even a connoisseur of her blissful depths, such as himself, would not be fazed by them. This was the marvelous entrance to her core… he relished returning to it after what had felt like an eternity of being deprived from her body.

"Please… tell me I'm not doing anything stupid…" he said, breathing heavily against her. "B-because hell, Azula…"

"You're doing… d-doing wonderful," she whimpered, closing her eyes again, throwing her head back: in doing so, she led his mouth to her neck, and Sokka wasted no time kissing and sucking on her skin, groaning at the blissful joy he felt upon breaching into her intimacy as he had… "Don't stop, just… d-deeper. Touch me more… t-touch me…"

Her request unleashed even more bliss inside his mind: his fingers probed her, exploring her as they ever would, expertly tracking down the weaknesses he had often exploited before: the length of his fingers came in handy when he caressed that sweet spot that made Azula thrash in bed, gasping and moaning in rushing excitement.

"There… there," Sokka smiled, rising to kiss her as she breathed heavily. "Don't worry. I've got you…"

"N-not… worried…" she said, shivering, hands gripping his hair desperately. "M-more… more, Sokka…"

He smiled, rising to her lips, kissing them sweetly. Azula shivered still, her heartbeat pounding against his chest as he received her moans directly into his mouth.

"Don't hold back…" he spoke against her mouth. "I like hearing your voice… I like your every sound…"

"S-Sokka…" she moaned, hands raking his back, legs sliding up to settle in place, by his hips.

He groaned: he could feel her shudders, the jolts of her walls around his fingers… a part of him wanted to be slow, but another greedy, eager one, was overcome by the desperate needs she elicited within him. The pad of his thumb fell upon her moist clit, and Azula's newest moan was the most desperate, eager of them so far. He flicked the clit from side to side, dipping his thumb on her spilling juices, coating it with them before bringing her essence to her clit: her arousal seemed to burst into flames by then. Sweat spilled down her brow, and her chest continued heaving: he knew he only needed to go a little further, just a little more…

She cried out his name, with that desire and despair she ever would in the past. A burst of emotion joined her voice, too… twin tears slipped from her eyes, as her body, mind, heart and soul appeared to be overwhelmed with arousal.

She finished with a violent shudder, with nails clawing into his skin, with interrupted, arrhythmic panting that excited Sokka beyond belief. He kissed her neck, feeling its vibrations with every moan, and he rose towards her lips once she started to ease up… once her walls weren't squeezing his fingers as delightfully anymore.

Her breaths crashed against his face, and he took them in before stealing another kiss from her lips. Azula's arms looped tightly around his neck, tears still spilling freely from her face.

"M-more… more…" she said. Sokka smiled. "I want you… I want you… I…"

"I want you too," he said, kissing her briskly. "I love you. Curses, I missed this so much…"

"I did too, Sokka, but… I… I still miss you inside me, so…" she said. Sokka chuckled.

"If you're sure… but take it easy, okay?" he said, kissing her softly before climbing off her, removing his hand from her core, leaving her wanting for but a moment.

So much of what was happening that night appeared to mirror the events of their first time: once more, Sokka removed his clothes while she laid down, utterly overwhelmed by the excitement so far. She watched him shamelessly this time, though, as his shoes, socks and trousers came off… as he undid his fundoshi, too, smirking at her over his shoulder before revealing his risen, stiff cock to her eager gaze: a shameless smile spread over her lips, and she bit the lower one before raising her eyebrows at Sokka.

"That's… a magnificent sight," she said. He laughed, shrugging.

"It's what happens to a man who's been deprived from the love of his life for too long… and finally gets her back," he said, climbing back over the bed and kissing her softly.

"I can't believe I was ever scared of seeing it," Azula chuckled, smiling warmly at him. "Now it even looks beautiful to me."

"Beautiful? That? Uh… not sure that's the right word for it, but if you say so…" he said.

"Well, mine's not bound to look impressive, I… I haven't been very careful about some things," Azula admitted, cheeks flushing: no doubt he already could tell she hadn't shaved the area much, once he touched her earlier…

"Guess I'll have to see what that means now," he smiled. "Can I…?"

"Do it. Please…"

Sokka breathed deeply: she pushed herself, he knew as much… she wanted him to get it done, hoping that it would suffice. Hoping that her fears and anguish would fade to oblivion once the blissful intimacy between them was finally restored.

So he caught the hem of her underwear in his fingers and slid it down her thighs. Azula focused her eyes on his, on him, as he tugged her underwear off her ankles. Dark thoughts could be kept at bay that way… if she clung to reality, if she didn't let it go. If she cherished him, if she didn't let anything else control her anymore.

Sokka raised an appreciative eyebrow upon spreading her thighs open. Azula bit her lip, bashful, but resisting all urges to pull back, still.

Going by the delighted smile across his face, he didn't take issue with her current appearance one bit.

"If… if I weren't about to burst? I'd eat you out right now," he admitted. Azula smiled, cheeks red as he leaned in and kissed her lips willfully. "But if you really want this now, then I…"

"I do," she said, smiling tenderly. "I want you. Come on. Just… just do it."

"I don't know why I'm holding back anymore," he laughed, kissing her warmly again. "I've wanted this… fuck, I've waited for this, I…"

He closed his eyes: tears burned in them again. Azula caressed his cheek, pressing her lips to his brow. Sokka's whole body shook with a shudder, as rushing, mixed emotions threatened to tear apart whatever semblance of sense he still had left.

But when he met her gaze anew, he found unexpected clarity, certainty, across her golden eyes. He shivered… then, he strengthened his resolve.

He angled himself carefully. Her hand found his, over his shaft's base, and she helped him point in the right direction when his emotions overwhelmed him. As much as her hand might tremble, she still kissed him repeatedly, his cheeks, his brow, his lips. Emotional as he remained, Sokka laughed along the tears, gazing at her with earnest affection: they knew this would be worth every struggle, every impulse they resisted or obeyed. They just had to move in, go for it… once they did, that final hurdle to reclaim what they had been would finally be left behind in their wake.

"Okay… okay. Let's go," Sokka said, finally. Azula nodded.

She held back her impulses, the dark thoughts that threatened to arise anew: they would have no more power over her. She wanted this… she wanted him.

His tip breached her entrance, and the two of them groaned in unison, holding each other close as he sank deeper, slowly but certainly, inside her.

It seemed as though the beauty in the world would finally bloom again after a dark, unsettling period of cold and cruelty. Her breath hitched, her moans grew more desperate… and her walls squeezed him as he pushed his way deeper inside her core, shuddering with joy as he filled her gladly. His hands found hers, fingers intertwining, and he pinned her down fully on the mattress as he swayed his hips, rolling them into hers. Azula gasped: Sokka stopped when he was sheathed to the hilt inside her… and with that, he collapsed atop her.

Azula breathed heavily, her cheek pressed to his: this blissful fulfillment, this completion, wasn't a matter of physicality. Their hearts finally lined up again, finally echoing each other's feelings blissfully, without fear, without doubts, just as it had been in the past. A joyful, trembling gasp left her lips as she sought to kiss his cheek… finding more tears spilling down his face. Her own throat burned with the urge to cry, and he rose slightly to look at her through clouded, misty eyes.

"I… I missed you so much…" he said, vulnerably, earnestly: it was done. The fear of unworthiness, the shame Azula had endured, finally seemed to fade… giving room for him to truly bare his heart to her. "I love you so much, I… fuck, I'm so glad. I… I never knew if I'd get to…"

"I didn't… d-didn't think we would either, but…" Azula said, smiling through the tears too. "I'm yours. I'm… I'm all yours. It's what I always wanted to be. W-whatever comes, Sokka, whatever's next, I…"

"I'll be with you," Sokka finished: she smiled with blissful acceptance, and he kissed her briskly. "We're… we're never going to be apart again."

"I'll never… n-never choose anything but you again…" Azula sniffed, shaking her head. "I want you. I… I want you. I need you. You're… you're my world, damn it…"

"And you're mine," Sokka said, chest heaving too against hers as he smiled warmly at her. Azula shivered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'll always be yours," she said, kissing him repeatedly. "I'll always belong with you… belong to you. I'm never breaking… never breaking another vow to you. Never again…"

"Nor will I. It's us… us, okay? It's you and me. As it always should have been…"

"As it always will be," Azula smiled, tears spilling still. "My gold fire…"

"My every sunrise…"

"My inner flame…"

"My guiding light."

"My Gladiator."

"My Princess."

The shared an earnest, heartfelt smile again before kissing warmly, deeply, conveying an affection that transcended all possibilities, all realities, all limits they had thought could exist for two people who had happened to fall in love, as had been the case for them. Together, they had created something extraordinary.

Sokka rocked himself atop her slowly, pushing ever so slightly inside her, hardly reeling back for each thrust, eager as he was to feel her walls around him, for as long as possible. She joined him in thrusting, purposefully choosing to move in opposite ways so that he would stir her excitement further once their bodies collided in the center of that conjunction between them. Their lips didn't break apart from the blissful comfort, the rushing excitement, the renewed connection between them, in which their hearts beat at the same wild rhythm, where their souls thrummed with the same energy… for they were one. They had chosen to be.

His hands slid down her flanks, settling for resting upon her rear, between her and the mattress. It offered him new ways to control their thrusting, to ensure that each penetration would be more blissful than the last. Azula cried out, her sounds pouring into his mouth… she wanted to say so many things, to convey just how much she had needed him, all over again… but she finally had him now. Her core squeezed him intentionally, leading him to groan and nearly lose his rhythm at the pleasant sensation, but he kept going, even so…

His pace started to speed up. She kept up, aided by his hands, lips brushing against his a thousand times, legs trembling, locked around his waist…

He slowed down for a moment, hands sliding higher, wrapping her into a full embrace before pushing himself up, still deeply locked inside her. He rolled them on the bed, and Azula was briefly atop him, though unwilling and incapable of leading when her body was shot with more pleasure than it remembered how to process.

But Sokka sat up, keeping his position in her depths as she sat on his lap, legs crossed behind his back. His willful mouth trailed over her shoulders and collarbone until he settled her in the right position, so that they might embrace each other fully.

She didn't protest the change: she simply dove in to kiss him repeatedly, again and again, ensuring that Sokka would keep going. He started thrusting into her from below, and she shifted as much as her energy allowed her to, atop him: her hands cupped his face, desperate to feel him in every corner and inch of her body. Their lips grew ravenous, hungry for more, as tears continued to spill down their faces, as arousal surged alongside the barrage of emotions that this return to their relationship entailed: they were together in the very location of their first time, giving themselves to each other completely, utterly enthralled, deeply thankful that a moment like this could ever happen at all.

They didn't want it to end. The climax couldn't be too far away, but they wished it were. They didn't want a break, didn't need rest… they just wanted more of this connection, more bolstering of their bond, more acceptance, more relief, more comfort. One day, they would return to their old sense of normalcy… one day, the fact that they were touching each other at all would stop feeling as a miraculous development, no matter how grateful they might be for it. By then, this would become a habit as it had been, in the past: their new normal would be their shared love and happiness, and nothing would mar it…

But for now, that desperation, that delight upon being desired, needed, wanted, rushed them down as a storm might, overwhelming them as they continuously gave each other their bodies, their souls, their energy…. their hearts.

Azula didn't warn him: he would read her body just fine, and when she cried out more intensely than before, throwing her head back, he knew she was at her peak: the shuddering of the walls continued to be the most gratifying sensation he had ever experienced, and he moaned too upon feeling it squeezing his ready, hardened shaft that was moments away from bursting…

He could hold it back. Just a moment longer. Just a little longer…

Her second orgasm, mere instants after the first, was too strong to resist. Sokka cried out, diving forth to suck on her neck, and his hips convulsed as he unleashed himself in her depths.

He didn't stop shifting, plunging into her, until he was fully spent. His chest heaved, he held himself in place as best as he could… but it wasn't long before he fell back on the mattress, still hugging her tightly, still breathing heavily.

Azula struggled to calm down, her body overwhelmed by bursts of fulfilled joy and arousal still… she was weak for many reasons, but their last exertions certainly had taken a toll on her remaining strength. She breathed heavily as she found her way to his mouth again, and she kissed him while moaning still, keeping his head in place with her hands. Sokka's eyes closed, he struggled to catch his breath as she covered his mouth with hers… but he smiled, nonetheless at the feeling of her lips smoothly pressing against his.

"I love you," Azula whispered, breathlessly. "I love you, Sokka…"

"I love you too," he smiled.

He opened his eyes, meeting her eager own, and he smiled with unrestrained warmth and affection. Tears slipped past her eyelids anew as she leaned in, kissing him warmly, and Sokka responded in kind.

If there was forgiveness to be earned and found yet, it would be done past the confines of the home they had built for each other. If there was more they needed to do to prove themselves worthy of the bliss they had just indulged in, they'd prove it once they left their haven. For now, they were safe, warm, comforted… all the distance between them, the doubts, the fears, had been dispelled. There was so much more they still needed to do, but right now…

"We're back," Sokka said, with a gentle smile. Azula nodded, grinning too between her tears. "Going at things evenly? Equals?"

"Everything you ever want us to be… we will be," Azula said, pressing her brow to his. "It's you and me… as it always should have been. And whatever comes next…"

"We face it together," he said. Azula smiled.

She hugged him fully, and he did the same, burying his face in her shoulder as they held each other tightly: bursts of disbelief, of incredulity, still caused them to occasionally lose their grip on their emotions… for this return to each other was nothing short of a miracle. Everything had been stacked against them… and for all they knew, many things would continue to be, in the future.

But they no longer feared having to face that future while broken apart: their renewed commitment, their certainty, their mutual understanding had brought them to a new peaceful, wonderful place. The trust between them would overcome every worrisome challenge that might rise next… they would prevail, they would thrive, for they meant to stand side by side until the end of their days, come what may.