Chapter Text
~Actually Establish That You Are Dating~
The first week of his new… status? Relationship? Is interesting.
Sokka had been slightly worried that agreeing to it would mean he would quite literally be unable to leave, but when he quietly asked about it the morning after, Zuko had just looked scandalized.
“I’m not a barbarian .”
So even after Sokka nervously explains the ins and outs of his work, and that he has his own apartment that he wants to keep, and practically spews out his tabled concerns while sitting cross legged in the nest, Zuko just kneels in front of him and gently cups his face. “You have a life that is your own, and I would never keep you from it. Being kept is not the same as being chained.”
And then the dragon almost folds in on himself a bit, eyes darting to the side quickly before returning to meet his gaze. “Just… you will come back?”
Sokka really doesn’t know what to say, but his chest gives a horribly tight twinge at the hopeful look he is favoured with, and he ultimately just blurts out, “ I would really like to date you, actually? ”
And like, the horse has well and truly bolted, and he is still swinging the stall door shut, because it seems very upsidedown to ask to be someone’s boyfriend after having god-tier, hours long sex.
But Zuko just blinks at him, oddly surprised, before his head cocks lightly with interest. “You… want to do that? With me?”
And Sokka feels abruptly like he is missing some part of this conversation because, what . “Oh, I don’t know, I just had the best sex of my life, with the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, and he spent the entire thing being impossibly sweet to me, so what- no, obviously I do !”
Zuko’s face brightens a bit, tail flicking lightly against the nest behind him as he nods before his expression turns thoughtful. “I can’t really say I know much about the human etiquette side of things? I’ve never really been someone’s…”
“Boyfriend.” Sokka supplies, grinning a bit at the pink that hits the tips of Zuko’s ears. “And I don’t know the first thing about being a dragon treasure, but I’m sure we will figure it out.” He stretches a bit, languorous in the softness of the bedding beneath him, smirking a bit as Zuko follows the movement of bare skin with a hungry look.
And. Well.
It’s not as if Sokka doesn’t already know how good he is at feasting .
Leaning up to catch Zuko’s jaw feels like the easiest thing in the world, and the immediate give to the pressure as Zuko just nuzzles his hand has calm tiding into Sokka like liquid warmth. Zuko’s lips press to his fingertips, his palm, his wrist, and then the need to have him properly overrides everything else.
It is a thing he is not all that familiar with. To want. To be brave enough to ask.
But Sokka doesn’t feel any of the restless warnings poke at him when he tugs Zuko down, meeting his lips with a smile as the dragon makes a pleased noise and pushes him flat into the nest. The weight of him is welcome, settling heavy into the cradle of Sokka’s hips, and he hums appreciatively as he hooks his calf over Zuko’s thigh.
Everything is just the warmth of skin on skin, lips on his, dragon purs rumbling softly against his ribs, and not for the first time in the last twenty four hours, Sokka is almost certain he must be dreaming.
Even more so as Zuko parts from him, nosing along his throat and jaw to nibble at his pulse. “Do you need to go soon?”
Sokka sighs, closing his eyes and leaning into the slight sting of teeth. “Too soon for anything fun, unfortunately.” The fact that he has to go and sit at a desk to file insurance claims, and not sit on Zuko’s cocks instead is actually a crime, really.
Teeth dig a little bit harder, sensation a bit brighter, before Sokka can feel the smile against his skin. “That would imply that this isn’t fun, and I would have to disagree.” And then there is just pressure, as his skin is sucked by an impossibly hot mouth, and Sokka hisses as his fingers tangle into Zuko’s hair to hold him there.
He can feel Zuko’s tail at his ankle, snagging a loose loop around it as Zuko’s hand strokes smoothly down his flank, and Sokka is half a second from losing any remaining will. “Mm, okay yes, I do have to go though, and you are making it very difficult.” Arousal is already sitting greedy in his belly, not at all helped by the firming cocks he can feel resting in the crease of his hip.
Zuko sighs, levering up onto his elbows with a quick searching look. “When can I have you back?”
Sokka stifles a snort, reaching up to run his thumb along the bottom of Zuko’s pout, and studiously ignoring the automatic reaction to just say fuck it , and stay.
Because this seems far too good to be true, and he has plenty of experience with his dreams getting crushed and corrupted.
“How about I text you, and we work on a first date?” He says it quietly, hope curling around the words as he blinks up at him.
Zuko just nods, stretching sideways slightly to retrieve his phone and hand it to Sokka expectantly.
Sokka dutifully adds his own contact, shooting a text to it and hearing his own chirp from somewhere in the penthouse in response, and immediately a thought occurs to him.
“I… don’t have any clothes.” He sends a pointed look towards Zuko, belatedly remembering the tattered fabric that is all that remains of his outfit from yesterday.
If he expected the dragon to look at all remorseful or embarrassed, he was wrong.
Zuko grins, sliding a hand up his chest to grip Sokka’s neck and pull him to kiss once more. “Oh no , how horrible.” He sits back a bit to kneel, holding out his hands in offering. “Come on, sweetness, you can raid my closet for something.”
Getting dressed is more of an event than Sokka would have thought.
Aside from the absurd collection of clothes, he has to endure softly heated dragon eyes for the entire affair, watching him with open hunger as he tries on a few things, before ultimately settling on a pair of plain jeans and a slightly too big hoodie. “Quit looking at me like you want to eat me.”
But Zuko just smirks, tail flicking lazily against the armchair he has taken roost in. “No.”
~~
Walking out into the street afterwards feels like coming out of a dream.
It had still taken a bit, and Sokka had still ended up pressed against the penthouse door, squirming and breathless as a tongue slid hot along his own, before Zuko had finally relinquished him, nuzzling and crooning softly as he spoke. “You will text me?”
Being so obviously wanted nearly had Sokka’s resolve turn to dust, but he already knew Suki was outside waiting, so he had just nodded, heading down the stairs and past a horrendously judgmental eye roll from Mai, before getting back outside.
Suki is no better.
The laughter that greets him the moment he opens the door to her car is near hysterics.
“Shut up.”
“You look like you were mauled . Your hair Sokka.” She reaches over to try and tame it back, completely unsuccessfully. “You look like you had a good time, considering how carefully you were trying not to limp, and the fact that those clothes are definitely not yours.”
Sokka is bright red. He can feel himself reaching tomato status instantly , and it does nothing to quiet her relentless giggles. “I…” And really, he wants to bluster, but at this point? “I did, actually. He’s just-” Beautiful, impossibly caring and incredible in bed. “-Amazing.”
She smiles then, putting her car in gear and heading off. “Well, I will hold any judgment for now, but he is already in my good books just for intervening with that fuckwad, so, uh, congratulations?”
“Thanks.” Sokka pulls out his phone, thumbing over the newest text and tapping the screen with his fingernail as he hesitates for a moment. He turns a sly look back towards Suki, leaning back and turning on her heated seats for emphasis. “Did you know dragons have two dicks?”
The choking noise that follows is obscenely satisfying, even when Sokka thinks he might have to steer for her while she struggles to recover. “Fucking spirits , are you okay?”
“My crotch feels like it went through the Olympics.” Sokka grins, still achingly sore but so deeply satisfied he can’t be bothered to be upset about it. “I deserve a medal.”
Suki continues to snicker throughout the drive, though she does stop at Dunkin to celebrate Sokka’s ‘pussy shattering sex’ with an ice coffee.
Sokka smiles around his sweet drink, pulling up his phone once again and snapping a picture, sending it before he loses the nerve.
My friend has rewarded my ability to take dragon cock with a caffeinated beverage.
The reply is instant, and Sokka can see the three little dots appear as Zuko types back faster than his own anxiety can regret the send.
[Zuko DD] Well deserved! ❤️
Sokka’s grin doesn’t stop the entire way home.
~~
His resolve is weak at best, as it turns out.
Returning home that night after a mind-numbing shift, and going through the motions of a quick shower before plopping into bed has Sokka questioning why on earth he didn’t just stay in a comfy dragon nest all day instead.
But the worry is ever present.
He knows what it is like to be trapped in a spot with no way out, and even though his gut is insistent that Zuko is not like that, the habits he built to protect himself are hard to break.
Still, it doesn’t stop him from sighing in disappointment as he slips into his cold sheets, turning sideways to unlock his phone once more.
I don’t want to sound needy and tell you I miss you, but my bed is decidedly lacking a dragon furnace.
Sokka has a split second to wonder if that will be annoying, considering it is almost midnight, but his phone chirps in his hand before it can gain any traction.
It's a picture of the den, in dim cozy light, just the way he remembers it.
[Zuko DD] I can relate. My nest is decidedly lackluster without you in it.
A pause, and Sokka can’t help the little smile that tugs at his lips as a bit of happiness pokes at his chest.
[Zuko DD] Also it is not needy to express yourself, I would rather know how you are feeling than not.
It is that , that does it.
Combined with the stress and trauma from the day before, and the insane whiplash of emotion that happened in the wake of getting fucked to within an inch of his life. Of feeling cared for and wanted, for the first time in a long time.
Sokka’s throat tightens, and he sniffs quietly in the dark of his room, curling up tighter around his phone.
Can I see you tomorrow night?
[Zuko DD] Anytime you like. I’m home all day.
~~
The following day cannot go by fast enough.
To the point that Sokka feels like he is a decade younger, staring at the clock in a school classroom as he waits for the hours to tick by, and then bolting out as soon as his shift is over.
The subway is crowded and terrible, and Sokka faintly regrets not running home first to at least shower , but it’s too late for that now, stepping out of the station and up to the platform only a single block from the Crimson Wing.
The place has a few patrons when he steps in, more filing in by the moment on a Friday night, and he is just about to quietly head towards the stairs when Mai flags him over to the bar. “Welcome back.” She shoots him a knowing look, smirk barely visible but still sharp. “He’s in the bathhouse.”
Sokka pauses, bewildered. “Bathhouse?”
She just rolls her eyes, reaching into her dress pocket and retrieving a strange little gem. “Instead of going up, head down two flights to the bottom. This will give you access.”
She hands the little pink crystal to him, and it sits with an odd warmth against his palm. “Is that… okay? I’m not, I don’t know, trespassing on territory or something?”
Mai shoots him a look as if he is impossibly stupid, but it softens after a moment as she considers. “You are exempt from that sort of rule.” She nods to the line up behind him. “Now get out of here, I’m busy.”
She does not have to tell him twice, and Sokka turns heel to head to the stairs, nerves suddenly alighting as he gets closer to what he has been desperately wanting since the previous morning.
Heading through the door to the stairs cuts out the background noise, and it is both a relief and not, because now the only sound is his own footsteps as he heads down, and his heartbeat in his throat.
It is fairly obvious where he is supposed to go, both since it does not go down any further, and because the door is the same beautiful ornate obsidian as the penthouse, only this time interspersed with twinkling pink and purple crystals. Sokka isn’t exactly certain what to do, but he holds up the little gem Mai had given him, and watches the rest of the door glow briefly before swinging gently inwards.
The first thing that reaches him is heat .
Not uncomfortable, but the steam and warmth that hits him catches him off guard for a second as he takes a step in and glances around. The space is huge, dark cut stone sprawling outwards past what he can see, only dimly lit by the subtle glow of more crystals jutting from the rock.
The ‘baths’ are far more close to a small lake of hot springs as far as he can tell, and it looks so inviting Sokka has to stop himself from just throwing his clothes off and jumping in. He finally spots Zuko after a moment, a length of black hair flowing lightly in the pool behind him as he floats with only his face free of the water.
Sokka’s mouth parts to speak, but he pauses as his nerves rear their heads once more, confidence failing in the space of a different day.
The issue is solved for him though, as Zuko’s voice rings out gently across to him. “Are you coming in?” The dragon rights himself, standing up and turning towards him, though the water is still half way up his chest, wings stretching out before slowly sinking down once more.
He is so fucking beautiful Sokka’s heart feels like it’s about to burst.
This can’t be his life.
“I… sorry, I didn’t want to intrude on you.” He is thankful for the heat, since it is likely doing a good job at hiding the flush that hits his face.
Zuko frowns, slinking into the water to swim across the short distance and standing back up at the edge where Sokka is standing. “You are welcome here, not intruding. I just thought you might like to join me, but if it is not to your taste-”
“-What?! No!” And Sokka is grabbing at his own clothes like they are on fire , shrugging out of them in a way that has no chance at being sexy, but Zuko doesn’t seem to agree, grinning up at him and offering a hand to assist him down.
Even just that, the simple press of Zuko’s palm against his fingertips has Sokka’s pulse gaining speed, eyes widening as the dragon immediately pulls him in, claws gentle along his jaw as he tilts him up for a kiss.
In the back of his head Sokka had been certain that he had misremembered their night together, that it couldn’t have possibly been that good .
It… would seem he was wrong.
Because he can hardly remember how to think right now, in the warm comfort of the water, with the heat of Zuko’s body pressed against his, searing tongue slipping between his lips to cover a gasp as he throws his arms over Zuko’s shoulders.
Zuko hums happily into his mouth, pushing him back gently until his hips contact the stone wall behind him. He pulls back a little to nip at Sokka’s lip, eyes dark and heavy as one of his hands slips down to get a grip on Sokka’s ass. “Hm, I may have overestimated my self control.” He kisses across Sokka’s jaw, teeth snagging lightly on his earlobe as Sokka makes a questioning noise. “I just thought it would be nice to have you down here to take a bath with me. It's a… bit of a dragon thing.”
Sokka scrambles to get any thoughts in order, hands slipping into Zuko’s hair just to have something to hang onto.
“But fuck, look at you , you gorgeous thing.” Zuko leans back a bit, gaze raking down and back as he grins. “I should’ve known getting you naked would throw any of my good intentions out the window.”
Sokka shakes his head, loosing a strained laugh as Zuko pulls him flush to him, half hard cocks dragging upwards against his thigh. “Your chivalry can wait. Bath after.”
Zuko laughs. “You don’t have to tell me twice, sweetness, and honestly that is probably a better idea.” And then his face turns absolutely devilish, leaning in to press kisses down Sokka’s throat and chest before glancing up with a sharp look. “I can hold my breath for nearly an hour.”
Sokka only gets part way through a ‘what ,’ before Zuko drops to his knees beneath the surface, gripping Sokka’s thigh to hook it over his shoulder and spreading him wide enough for access.
And then Sokka is scrambling , grabbing at the stone ledge behind for anchoring as that tongue, that fucking tongue , drags up through the length of him, parting his folds where they are already hot and swollen before pressing in, and in, and in .
His breath cracks on a whine, thigh tightening to a vice as he feels Zuko hum happily against him, vibration shooting gently up into him until he is gasping out into the echoing chamber. His first orgasm hits him like a freight train, building so fast and so strong he barely has any warning before he is arching into Zuko, bucking against his face. “ Fuck , oh my-”
And there is no break, only the quick burst of relief before another builds right on its heels at the relentless drag of Zuko’s tongue.
Sokka is going to break. He is going to fall apart like this, gasping and breathless, even more so as Zuko grabs his other thigh and lifts it too, leaving him wide open and without a single bit of leverage to be had.
He loses touch after that, breathing and shaking through each one until he is so desperate for Zuko he is almost in tears, freeing one white knuckled grip from the stone to grab his hair and pull with insistence.
It does get his attention, and he lets Sokka’s legs slide down and off of his shoulders before he pulls his tongue free.
Sokka pants open-mouthed into the steamy air, the relief at the pause coupled with the hollow feeling left behind leaving him aching.
Zuko stands back up, face red from friction, licking over his teeth as he raises a brow in question. “Alright?”
But Sokka is so done , using the grip he still has in Zuko’s hair to drag him close, half snarling at him. “ Fuck me . You need to, I need -”
Zuko just smiles, leaning down to get a grip on Sokka’s thighs and pick him up, the movement letting Sokka feel those wonderfully hot cocks press against his belly, before walking over to a shallow seat, depositing Sokka across it to splay on the warm stone. “Are you sure? You aren’t too sore from last time?”
Sokka makes a frustrated sound, using his legs to draw Zuko tighter against him and hooking his ankles together behind his back to keep him there. “Just leave my ass alone, the rest of me is fine .”
“Noted.” Zuko’s voice is warm, eyes soft as he leans in to kiss him once more quickly, before reaching down to line himself up and press in.
Sokka hisses, head dropping back at the stretch, and yes maybe actually he is a bit sore, but it is so worth it. The thickness of him, the heat of him, opening him up inch by careful inch as Sokka squirms, helped as Zuko’s other cock slides up against his clit, ridges bumping and gliding over it with little shocks of pleasure until he fully seats himself. It is both relief and a desperate aching that comes with Zuko’s pelvis pressed flush to his, and Sokka’s back arches as his legs tighten of their own volition. “ Please .”
And Zuko just leans in, claws drifting light beneath Sokka’s eye until he opens them to meet his gaze. “Shh, beautiful, you never have to beg me. Anything you want is yours.”
Sokka is falling apart, he is falling apart , but there is the slow draw back of Zuko before he thrusts in hard, and Sokka just doesn’t even care anymore. Everything is pinpointed to spots of sensation, Zuko’s claws on his hip, lips on his throat, cock dragging thick and perfect inside him as the other grinds relentlessly against his clit, and Sokka just breathes and hangs on for dear life .
He comes two more times before they finish, body sore and ribs aching, shouting out into the echoing baths, but Zuko isn’t far behind. His wings lift fully free from the water, dripping as they span out and flex as Zuko snarls, hips snapping before he stills, cocks pulsing.
And it is a new thing to see from this angle, and feel it as the one poking below his navel contracts and releases, over and over as he floods Sokka’s skin with more and more cum until he is partially drenched in it.
It is fairly gross, but also weirdly hot, especially as Zuko pants openly against him, shuddering with each continuous pulse as he buries his face in Sokka’s throat. Eventually he calms enough to pull back, smiling sheepishly at the mess he made. “I would apologize, but fuck if that isn’t a perfect image.”
Sokka swats at him halfheartedly, too full of satisfaction to actually be upset, but he winces a bit as Zuko pulls back, slipping free with a gush of even more cum before offering a hand to him. Sokka eyes it warily. “This is going to destroy your bath water.”
Zuko just shrugs, beckoning with his fingers until Sokka obediently takes the grip and gets eased down into the blissful heat to sit on one of the outcropped benches. “Mai enchanted this to self clean. She apparently had enough of me returning home ‘stinking of fish and incompetence.’ ”
Sokka laughs, overused muscles aching in response. “Fish?”
Zuko sighs, reaching over to him and pulling Sokka’s legs over his lap to run his fingers lightly up and down the length. “I like diving for tuna sometimes, it’s one of my favourite foods.”
Sokka can’t help but grin, relaxing into the hold to let his head rest against Zuko’s outstretched arm. “Same. Granted, I don’t turn into a massive dragon and dive into the ocean for it, I just buy tuna steaks at the market.”
Zuko grins, leaning in to nuzzle lightly at his cheek. “You’re missing out. Fresh is so much better.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Sokka tilts up to catch his lips quickly, before stifling a yawn as he settles back. “Sweet spirits , you sure know how to wear a guy out.” Exhaustion is quick to crash into him in the wake of the endorphin high, helped by the warmth he is currently basking in.
He shuts his eyes, fully intending to drift for a bit when he is fully circled by arms and lifted clear from the water. “Hey!”
Zuko just snorts, walking to a small set of steps and carrying Sokka out of the bath entirely. “Bodies of water are not for sleeping.” He shoots Sokka a pointed look, half amused and half warning. “And there is an empty nest upstairs calling your name.”
Sokka’s irritation only lasts a second, as the thought of getting to return to that unbelievably comfortable blanket pile overrides anything else. He at least gets a towel chucked on him before they leave, and buries his head against Zuko’s chest as he dozes, too tired to even appreciate that the dragon is carrying him up several flights of stairs.
He must be out of it for longer than he realizes, because the next thing he knows he is being set down, and his towel is getting tossed off in favour of being draped in a few layers of heavy silk. Sokka blinks blearily as Zuko settles in beside him, pulling him close and draping his wing over them just as he had done that first night, and he cuddles him right back, throwing an arm over his side and shoving a leg between his.
Zuko huffs a laugh, tucking him in tighter against his side. “I’ve been doing some research.” He continues at Sokka’s mumbled questioning. “About human dating. I’m… just a little worried that I won’t be very good at it.”
Sokka pauses, managing to force his eyes to open back up and focus as he stares into the inky black gaze, because that has to be the stupidest thing he’s ever heard. “Coming from someone who has dated some truly terrible people, no. You’re fine.”
Zuko shoots him a dry look. “I am hoping the bar is set higher than what I am imagining.”
Sokka sighs, leaning up to catch a quick kiss before settling back down and getting comfortable once more, shoving his face into Zuko’s chest as he mumbles. “You’re wonderful.” He pats clumsily at Zuko’s hip. “Best dragon boyfriend ever.”
And he doesn’t reply, but Sokka can feel lips press to his forehead, and a low purr start to rumble against his cheek, as well as a tail looping firmly around his leg, and drifting off is the easiest thing in the world after that.
~~