Chapter Text
If there had been a sliver of hope in finding Sokka, Aang and Katara were starting to grow skeptical. Days on the water were leaving them less than pleased and the sudden thought that they might just never find their missing companion was beginning to loom on their minds. Their verbal exchanges with each other were starting to become curt and far inbetween as they found not much could quell the worry in their hearts and idle small talk would most likely just annoy them.
It wasn't until they saw the reflective glint of a metal ship sailing on the sun-kissed sea that they finally felt a jolt of excitement in their hearts. "Down, Appa, get closer," Aang eagerly commanded, whipping down the reins. Appa bellowed low with a booming voice, whizzing down towards the ship, as if he were also eager to see if his missing friend was being kept there. When they were hovering just above the ship, Katara jolted from her seat and crawled towards the front as well.
"Fire Nation Insignia!" She called out, climbing over Aang to point out the ship's flag. A bright red flame had been painted over the hull of the ship, it's tell-tale plume of blackened smoke lazily swirling out from the exhaust pipes. "I bet you anything that Zuko-jerk brought Sokka onto there! That's probably what June's ShirShu was sniffing out!" Katara shoved Aang to the side slightly, taking up the reins of Appa's harness and whipped him into high-gear. Aang sat back up and watched with awe-inspired wonder as Katara flew them tactfully onto the side of the ship. Appa landed with a hollow boom onto the metal floor, surprising any Fire Nation soldiers that had been on the upper deck. Immediately, crimson fiery canons went whizzing past their heads, but before Aang could even conjure up a powerful enough blast of air to incapacitate them, Katara had gotten into fighting stance. In mere seconds, she motioned her arms and out came great waves of sea water, splashing onto the deck and onto the Fire Nation soldiers. With a clenched fist, Katara commanded the water to freeze instantly, trapping the soldiers under a sheet of crystalline ice. Katara walked up to the closest soldier to her, ice shards as razor thin and sharp as blades followed behind her, floating in the air. She aimed them at the soldier's face, her hardened gaze never wavering, "TELL ME WHERE MY BROTHER IS, YOU BASTARD!"
"Woah!" Aang cried out. He saw a fireball hurl towards him and he sucked gracefully, bending backwards and then popping back upright. He had never seen Katara with such fury before, with such chaos in her eyes. His own eyes were as wide as saucers, his mouth agape as he watched the water bender aim her ice blades right under the Fire Nation soldier's neck, lightly grazing right against his skin, just enough to draw a single drop of blood.
The sound of metal smacking against another alarmed Aang and Katara and they turned their heads to see the galley door had been swung open. There stood Captain Zhao, a smug grin plastered on his thin, cruel lips. He was wearing his battalion armor, most likely having heard the commotion on the deck and quick to spring into action. His exposed skin, though, looked worse for wear. Worse than they had last saw him, back in the North Pole. His skin was a pallid grey color, bandages wrapped around his neck and tinged a sickly yellow-red, like oozing spew coming from his wounds. His eyes were bloodshot, thin, spindley veins spreading out like spiders legs. He looked monstrous to them, like his soul had been brought out to the surface.
"Well," Zhao sneered, his metal shoes clanking against the sun-drenched deck. "If it isn't the Avatar and his little companion. If we had known we would have such company, my soldiers would've been sure to dress up."
"YOU!" Katara growled, her attention leaving the ensnared soldier and instead aimed now at the captain, "We should've know that you'd be behind this all along." The ice shards follows Katara, hurling themselves towards Zhao at lightening speed. They were melted as quickly as they came, though, by two fireballs whirling through the air. Katara was kick to jump out of the way of their fiery path, sliding closer towards the Captain until they were nearly face-to-face.
"KATARA, WAIT!" Aang screamed out, running towards her side. He watched with horror etched into his expression as Katara swung an ice-encased fist towards Zhao, but was quickly rebuffed. The older man dodged the punch and retaliated, punching Katara in the stomach and throwing her back with a loud oof. Aang gasped, throwing himself as hard as he could to the floor to cushion the Water Tribe girl's fall. Katara doubled over in pain, but tried her best to stand back up on her own two legs, like a beaten animal ready to attack.
"You're exactly like your cretin brother," Zhao sneered, a small smirk growing on his lips. "So rude, no manners," he tutted. "But what should I expect from Water Tribe rats, hm?"
"WHERE IS MY BROTHER!" Katara cried out, fighting against Aang's hold on her and trying to break away to run at Zhao again. "What did you do to him?!" Her voice was wavering and broken and no one would be able to see the tears swelling in the corners of her eyes. Aang had never heard such desperation in her voice before and a chill broke down his spine as it rang through his mind.
Zhao scoffed, stalking towards the two kids. The sunlight glinted off of his metallic armour and made the entire deck shine like glass. His boots clicked against the floor with every step, echoing each time throughout Aang and Katara's ears. When he was right in front of their panting forms, he leaned down to them, a cruel grin spreading across his lips. "The little rat is with the two traitors, they took a spare raft out to sea. They're probably still out there, starving to death, cooking alive in their own skin." Katara's face scrunched up in disgust as she let out a blood-curdling scream. She lunged at Zhao, ice shard formations whizzing past her as they impaled Zhao's shoulder and legs and his clothing and pinned him to the floor.
Katara's face was covered in tears, red and swollen and strained as she and Zhao fell to the floor in a heap of arms and legs. "WHERE IS HE??" She cried out as she gripped Zhao's shirt and crumpled it between her fists. Strong hands quickly came and tore Katara away from Zhao, pulling her back so fiercely that she could feel her joints pop and her muscles stretch. The Fire Nation soldiers threw her back from their Captain, their hands scorching her clothes until they were burnt.
"LET GO OF HER!" Aang yelled fiercely, kicking up a gust of wind so strong that it knocked away the fire benders from Katara and nearly blew them off of the side of the ship. He raced over to the girl, taking her by the arm and trying to pull her away back to where Appa had been stationed at the rear of the ship. "Katara! We have to go!!" He yelled, pulling so hard that he was worried he might rip her sleeve off.
"GET THEM!" Zhao growled, tearing out ice shards from his body with bloody agony. The Fire Nation soldiers raced towards the two kids, but Aang was quick to bend an air field around them, where the soldiers were met with a harsh tornado of wind throwing them across the ship's deck. He held Katara in his arms, could see the tears streaking down her face, and knew it was time for them to leave. He picked Katara up as much as he could and hobbled the two of them back to the rear of the ship, jumping gracefully across to where he knew Appa would catch them.
Zhao growled like a caged beast, rushing over to the edge of the ship and watching as Katara and Aang flew off in the distance. "GO! GO FIND THEIR CORPSES!" He he screamed into the open ocean, "GO FIND THE RAT AND THAT FUCKING WHORE! GO! GO FIND THEM BEFORE THEY'RE NOTHING BUT FLOATING SKELETONS!" When he saw that Katara and Aang where too far to hear him, he whipped around to his crew and stalked his way back to the inner hull of the ship. Zhao slammed open the door and forcefully stomped down the stairs. "That fucking little SLUT thinks he can intimidate me?? Sending the fucking AVATAR to kill me. I don't fucking think so!" Zhao yelled to himself as made his way to the interiors of the ship, back to his own quarters.
Zhao sent away the guards that were watching his door with an aggressive swing of his arms a snarling 'get out!' before he slammed the metal door shut again. Zhao, panting, a maddened man, punched the Fire Nation Insignia hanging on his wall. His fist and knuckles grew bloody and bruised as he repeatedly punched. When the flag had been covered by his own blood enough to smear across, Zhao pulled away his hand and stomped over to his desk. He pulled out a roll of parchment and an ink block and brush and hurriedly began to scrawl out a message. His bloody fists were slightly staining the edges of the paper, his red fingerprints sticking to the page as he wrote his letter.
"Fucking unappreciative little whore," he angrily scoffed under his breath. With a quick click of his fingers, he melted a block of wax over the letter and thumbed it down until it shut the letter and sealed it. "I'll fucking find him again, little bitch doesn't die so easily," Zhao mumbled. He got up and stalked out from his bedroom, throwing the door open with a loud bang. "And when I find him, I'll fucking break his legs so he can never fucking run from me again." Zhao was quick to locate a soldier and before they could even remark on the Captain's injuries, the man thrusted the letter into the soldier's hand.
"Captain?" The soldier asked wearily, taking in the sight of Zhao's haggard form.
"Get a carrier falcon and send this to the Fire Lord," Zhao barked out. "Tell him I need his fucking best men to track down the Traitor Prince and his comrades because my crew are INCOMPETENT IDIOTS."
The soldier disappeared quickly with a nod and a 'yessir!' Zhao watched as he jogged away. He could barely even feel the throbbing of his wounds.
----
"Sokka. Sokka! Wake up!"
A heavy thud fell onto the Water Tribe boy's lap, causing him to jolt up in surprise. The palm fronds he had been sleeping on were curled and crinkled underneath him, trodden down from the night-long sleep. Sokka's eyes blearily opened, blinking out the bright rays of sun that shone down and the sea salt that crusted over in the corners. His mouth was dry, his tongue felt thick and pasty as he rolled it around his teeth over and over, searching for any hidden moisture. He searched lazily for the canteen he kept next to him as he slept, but found nothing there. Sokka looked down to his lap instead, yawning wide and fierce, and found what looked like another pile of palm fronds plopped down heavily onto his legs. Looking up, squinting to avoid burning out his retnas, Sokka found Zuko staring back down at him, his arms on his hips, his face twisted into a little sour puma-puss expression. It's been like that ever since they landed on solid ground and it never failed to make Sokka's lips curl with amusement.
"Come on!" Zuko groaned from where he towered over the boy, "Get up and help us!" He walked off after that, a huffy little thing, back to where Nao had been seated nearby. He seemed to be sharpening something, probably the wooden branch spear he had made when they first landed. He has been using it for hunting small rodents and fish, anything they could eat and fill their stomachs. It had been something of a spirits-sent for them to see the rocky shoreline of the Earth Kingdom. Once Zuko pointed out the little sliver of land that was rising up in the distance, Nao was quick to propel them forward with two jolts of fire bending until they were able to jettison all the way to the shore. The first time they hit rocks, Sokka and Nao nearly jumped up for joy, leaving the boat almost immediately and preferring to wade through the shallow, choppy waters until they reached the grounds. The rocks were warmed by the morning sun and felt nice to the touch and Nao and Sokka fell to their knees in the pebbly beach, crying tears of relief at the thought that they wouldn't die a horrifying, watery death on the sea.
"Zuko!" Sokka called out gleefully, "Zuko, come and feel this-" the Water Tribe boy turned back to the boat, his smile fading as he watched the Fire Prince hobbling out carefully, as if he were made of glass. He wobbled on shaky legs, like a colt freshly born, and attempted to fight his way past the gentle rocking of the waves towards them, but would still waver in his stance. A jolt of guilt surged through Sokka's chest and he immediately ran over towards the fire bender. Taking Zuko into his arms, Sokka carefully helped him towards land. He felt weak in Sokka's hold, like a ragged doll, like a jumbled bag of bones. Sokka could hear the boy panting next to him, already out-of-breath from just a few steps. Once they reached the pebble beach, Sokka was quick to dip Zuko down gently until he was laying flat on the ground, then laid down next to him. The two laid there in the morning sun, like bloated and washed up fish soaking in the light and oxygen. It felt nice to be able to stretch out his legs and arms, Sokka thought, without the limits of a wooden boat. He felt suddenly tired beyond his years, like the weight of the world dropped onto his shoulders and all Sokka wanted to do was sleep for a thousand years.
Nao sat down next to him, trudging himself up until he was reclined fully just as the other two boys were. He laid down with a pained groan next to Zuko. "Fuck me," Nao mumbled, putting his arms over his eyes to block out the sun. "Agni, I'm fucking exhausted." He turned over to Zuko, put a gentle hand on the boy's chest. "How are ya holding up, kid?"
Zuko sighed softly, his eyes drifting closed at the touch. His breath was shallow and quick, like a rabbit-cat's heart beat. Sokka turned onto his side to look at Zuko, took in all of his body-- every curve, every scarred cut, every bump of his bones that pressed up against his thin, translucent skin. "I'm tired," Zuko whispered, a barely there breath--and it suddenly scared Sokka, Zuko's weakness, his lethargy.
"We should start making some kind of shelter," Nao murmured, rubbing his hand soothingly over Zuko's chest. Zuko whimpered slightly at the touch, but sank back into his stupor. Sokka wanted to take Nao's hand off of the boy and snap it at the wrist. "I think that should be the first thing we do. We need to rest and recharge and find some food-"
"I'll pick Zuko up," Sokka immediately offered, coming up to his feet. He felt a sudden rush to his head, dizziness filling his eyes. He supposed, though, that was natural considering they hadn't been on un-rocking ground for nearly three weeks now. "Here I'll-" Sokka made moves to scoop Zuko up under his legs and arms, but Nao beat him to the punch.
"No offense, Sokka," Nao began as he pulled Zuko up off of the ground, "You're not exactly much bigger than Zuko. I'm not sure you'd be strong enough to pick him up right now and we can't afford you dropping him and he bashes his head into a rock or something." The former soldier readjusted Zuko until he was being cradled in his arms, head rested against Nao's shoulder and legs dangling off the end.
Sokka tried not to let it leave a bitter taste in his mouth as he watched Nao trudge off into the forest with Zuko in his arms. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second, let the wind caress his face, let the sun warm his bones. The soft lapping of waves crashing on the shore and the sound of birds calling from above filled his ears. Sokka turned to take one last look at the boat they had escaped in, the way it floated gently on the water surface and slowly began to inch further and further back into the sea as the waves took it. He felt a sudden sense of weightlessness, just as the boat was on the water. He owed a great deal to that boat, he owed their survival, their escape, their hopes and fears for a better life. It was the boat that delivered them to safety, it was the boat that delivered his Zuko away from the Fire Nation.
And for that, Sokka would be eternally grateful.
Now, they found themselves in the heart of the forest, setting up camp wherever they could as they made their way to The Abbey. They probably have been traveling for about three days now. Somewhere along the way, with the joint help of Nao's hunting and Sokka's survival ideas, the trio were in better shape than they had been in months. Nearly full stomachs, no longer dangerously dehydrated, Sokka found himself suddenly remembering what it had been like to travel with Aang and Katara. Zuko had been clever enough to realize that animal encounters promised water sources and sooner than later, they were able to follow one deer-squirrel until it led them to a little stream. Zuko and Nao nearly fell on top of each other to drink the water, but Sokka stopped them in their tracks, insisting they boil it first to avoid getting poisoned by unclean water. Nothing would be worse than having to deal with days of stomach upset in the middle of the fucking forest.
The best part of it all was being able to watch Zuko regain strength. He was still not his typical self, fiesty and full of vigor, but he no longer resembled a puppet with its sting cut, no longer limp and lifeless. He walked around by himself, he ensured he contributed in any way he could to the team, and even offered to stay up on the night watch or go hunting with Nao. Sokka and Nao were more than happy to put him on palm fronds duty and have him weave baskets and blankets for them, much to his chagrin. "This is so stupid," Zuko would groan from his spot leaning against a tree, "You know I'm not a little girl, right? I can fucking hunt with you guys, I can make shelter, I don't need to be making fucking shitty little baskets and shit."
"Almost forgot that you had the mouth of a sailor on you," Nao laughed as he roasted a sea-lark bird he caught over the bonfire. "Here I thought for a moment that we'd be stuck with sweet, docile Zuko forever."
"Kinda miss that Zuko," Sokka joked as he tied knots for their makeshift tent. It was crudely constructed out of branches and leaves and rocks and vines and Sokka prayed to the goddess that it held through the night. "Not that I don't love badass Zuko, trust me, I do, but I can't help but like how less bitchy you were when you were sick." Zuko scoffed and gasped from his corner and Sokka and Nao couldn't help but errupt into giggles and laughs.
"Oh yeah," Nao agreed dramatically, "WAYYYY less bitchy. Agni, I could've sworn I was going to jump off the boat if I had to hear you complain about how much you missed your ultra rare phoenix-feather down bed and pillow back at home."
"I cannot fucking believe this," Zuko groaned exasperatedly as he twisted skinny pieces of waxy leaves together and tied them off, "My own friends, betraying me, didn't know I lived amongst traitors!"
"Admit it!" Sokka laughed, "You're soooo high maintenance! Once a prince always a prince, I guess," He turned over to Zuko, saw the growing blush that spread all over his cheeks. He had grown slightly tanned, less pale and porcelain and more warm and golden. It looked nice, Sokka thought. The boy looked healthier, more sun-kissed.
"Whatever," Zuko murmured, the embarrassment making his entire body feel hot. "I'm going to take a bath," he added, getting up from the ground and brushing the dirt off of himself.
"Excessive bathing!" Nao called out as Zuko passed him, "ANOTHER very princely behavior!" He teased. When he watched Sokka get up as well and follow Zuko, Nao let out a little "Hey?! Where are you going??"
"I'm uh...I'm gonna wash up too," Sokka mindlessly called out, wandering towards the stream and watching as Zuko began to toe off the ragged and broken slippers he had kept from his time on the boat. The stream was a little way away from their camp, a decision the team had made to give anyone bathing a semblance of privacy and alone time, something that had been desperately yearned for on the boat. Sokka turned back to glance at Nao, who's figure was growing smaller and smaller in the distance.
"You're going to bathe too?"
Sokka turned back around when he was face-to-face with Zuko, coming to an abrupt halt before he went tumbling into the boy and knocked both of them down. Zuko's face was scrunched up in disbelief, as if it was unheard of that Sokka would wanna bathe at the same time as another guy. As if Sokka hadn't been doing that his entire life back at the South Pole. Community had always been at the forefront of their society and skinship, closeness, nudity--none of it had been considered taboo. Sokka had seen more naked men in his life than what was probably considered "normal", but it had been normal. Normal for him, normal for his tribe. There wasn't....this...this sense of shame that he realized other cultures held. He was a man. So was everyone else. They all had the same parts, so what was really the issue? In a place where survival was dependent on huddling together for warmth, Sokka didn't exactly have the luxury of being picky.
Zuko, Sokka realized early on, felt quite differently about the situation. Sokka wasn't sure what life was like in the Fire Nation, but he was quickly realizing that everyone was quite touchy when it came to the topic of nudity and bodies. Everyone was so prim and proper and formal, Sokka imagined he would be driven to fucking insanity if he had to live in the Fire Nation.
Sokka cleared his throat, "Yeah, uh...I wanted to um....clean...myself. I'm all uh... sweaty."
Zuko hummed in consideration, "Odd. You always told me that bathing every day was a waste of time. More time to be sketching schematics or...what did you say? Make blueprints?"
"Yeah? Well," Sokka scoffed, "I'm like...trying to be a new person, ya know? Wanna smell uh...better."
Zuko raised an eyebrow incredulously, studying Sokka's face. "Ok, whatever," he murmured. A sudden faint bloom of pink stretched across Zuko's cheeks, "I guess I uh...don't mind your...smell, though." Before Sokka could even respond, could even wrap his head around what Zuko just said, the fire bender had already walked off towards the water.
"What the fuck?" Sokka whispered under his breath as he watched zuko walk towards the water. Sokka's entire body felt hot, his heart beginning to stammer in his chest like a thousand penguin-seal skin drums. How was he supposed to react to that type of confession? What did that even mean?? Sokka felt his feet taking him mindlessly towards the stream, towards Zuko, who's inky black hair was glinting off of the sun like a shiny piece of obsidian stone. It was growing back, slowly but surely. Still choppy and short and awkward, but surely better than his ponytail fiasco before.
Sokka began to take off his shirt and pants, leaving him in his undercloths. He turned towards Zuko and saw that he hadn't began changing yet, still staring out at the water with unwavering eyes. Oh, he must still be feeling self-conscious, Sokka thought, still touchy about the whole skin thing. "You can change, you know," Sokka gently mentioned. "I uh...won't look." He turned around, away from Zuko, turning his back to the boy. He could hear the sound of fabric ruffling and soon the splashing of water. When Sokka turned back around, Zuko had waded out far enough that the water completely surrounded him up to his shoulders, looking up at Sokka with his feline-esque eyes. He looked like one of the sea sirens that his dad had told them about as kids, myths of magical spirits that lured sailors to their watery graves. Sokka swallowed down the lump in his throat as he mindlessly followed Zuko into the stream.
Zuko kept a distance between them, much to Sokka's disappointment, but close enough that they could still hold conversation. Zuko tipped his head back, let the water wash over his face before popping back up. His now wet hair stuck to his head like seaweed, shiny in the sun. He looked relieved, Sokka realized, to be able to wash off the dirt of their travels. Sokka followed suit, dunking his head underwater as well and coming back up in a riotous splash. The water was sweeter, fresher and more crisp than the salty cloying taste of the sea. "Can I ask a question?" Sokka gasped out for breath.
"Is it going to annoy me?" Zuko smirked, a cheshire grin on his lips.
"Maybe," Sokka smiled back, "What was up with the whole ponytail thing. Is it like....traditional, or?"
Zuko sighed, pink lips forming a solid line, "More like a punishment, just more embarrassment, I suppose. As if the scar on my face wasn't enough. I used to have um... A lot more hair."
"Yeah, I uh...know... I've seen pictures of Fire Nation guys. Really long hair, huh?"
"It's a status symbol," Zuko explained, a hint of a glow to his cheeks as he spoke, "We....my people take great pride in their appearances. The Royal family especially, we uh...were expected to look a certain way."
"Yeah, I could've guessed," Sokka murmured, floating gently in the water, "Is that why you're like...obsessed with scrubbing yourself clean? Like...royal habits or whatever?"
"Oh," Zuko said blankly, "No, uh...I mean...yeah, it is, sorta...being considered pure is like...a part of the whole...point for the Royal family..like an image thing. Appointed to rule by Agni and all, but I think I just...." Zuko's hands came up to his arms, crossed over as if a wave of chills washed over his body, "I just...never feel...very clean nowadays."
Sokka took in all of Zuko, his eyes roaming the boy's body. He wasn't sure what Zuko could mean, the fire bender was practically spotless, save for the healing wounds. He was so clean that sometimes, Sokka would watch the boy scrub his pale skin until it was bright red, blood pooling at the surface of his skin and scraped until it dripped. Often times, Sokka and Nao had to stop Zuko from hurting himself further, from scratching and scraping at his wounds and scars and healing scabs. "You're kinda...a germ freak, aren't you?" Sokka nervously laughed, running a hand over his wet hair and pushing it back out of his eyes. "Like, the only other person I know who hates dirt more than you is my sister."
Zuko swallowed, nodded numbly. "Yeah...germs. Dirt. That's it."
"Well, don't worry, your highness," Sokka teased, "Once we get to The Abbey, they'll have all of those creams and perfumes and oils and stuff that you like. You can slather it all over yourself and call it a day." He dipped down until he was floating on his back, letting the water gently rock him back and forth. "You can go back to being all prim and prissy and pretty-"
"What's our plan after we get to The Abbey?" Zuko interrupted, his eyes focused on Sokka's body. Sokka leaned his head backwards to look at Zuko, upside down and staring back at him. He splashed in the water to turn right side up again, facing the boy directly.
"What...do you mean?"
Zuko sunk down into the stream again, this time the water coming up to his chin. "I mean..." He bashfully began, "I mean...when we get to The Abbey...do we um...separate?" Sokka's eyebrows furrowed, his face falling into disbelief.
"What--separate? What are you talking about?"
Zuko's looked down, suddenly shy, suddenly unable to look the other boy in the eyes."You need to find your sister and um...A-Aang." He said it as if the name was foreign on his tongue, an intrusive object that took up too much space. "And I need to find my uncle."
A sudden pang of pain bloomed in Sokka's chest. He felt his entire body begin to heat up, his throat begin to tighten. "Yeah? So?" Sokka asked incredulously, "What does that have to do with anything? You...why are you trying to-"
"I don't want you to feel like you have to take care of me, Sokka." Zuko interrupted. He looked down at the water, then back up, "You...and Nao...you've both done me an act of kindness so great that I cannot even begin to imagine how I will ever repay it. But...I would hate to think that you...that you put aside your plans for me." The Fire Prince shrugged, eyes casted down to the water, more focused on each ripple and wave than looking Sokka in the eyes. "Besides, do you think your little ragtag team will really allow two fire bender traitors to come and join their group? I honestly don't think that'll blow over too well with your sister-"
"For you?" Sokka laughed in disbelief. He stopped Zuko in his tracks, totally ignoring his other comments and seemingly stuck on the first one. "What the fuck are you talking about?? We didn't- we didn't put anything aside for you, Zuko." He threw up his arms in confusion and frustration, the still waters beginning to ripple and crash around them. Zuko seemed to shrink further from that, pulling away from Sokka even further. "Spirits, fuck, you are SO annoying, do you know that? Why the fuck did you bring up all of this shit-- what the fuck is going on in that head of yours?" He asked with a groan. Sokka's hand jutted out and grabbed Zuko's pulling him back in closer, until they were nearly a breath away. Zuko's eyes widened, staring and searching Sokka's face as they got pulled so close they nearly touched.
"Sokka-" Zuko mumbled, putting one hand out to push at Sokka's chest and put distance between them, but the Water Tribe boy didn't let his hold go, only pulled them closer again. "Let me go," Zuko groaned frustratedly.
"Listen, Zuko." Sokka firmly deadpanned. "We are not separating. I just fucking got you and I'm NOT letting you go. Do you think Nao and I are being forced to fucking follow you around? NO! Spirits, do you think we couldn't have just fucked off when we wanted to once we got to land? OW! WHAT THE FUCK??"
Zuko's hand on Sokka's chest was ripped off, a soft pink glow left on the tanned skin. "STOP YELLING AT ME, SOKKA." Zuko hissed, now fumingly annoyed.
"DID YOU JUST FUCKING BURN ME?" Sokka gasped, lightly touching his chest with his fingertips and wincing at the sensitive skin.
"Oh please," Zuko rolled his eyes, "If I actually burned you, I would've melted your skin off- HEY!" Zuko was pulled back again, this time into a bone-crushing hug. "Sokka!" He groaned, "Let me go."
"I. Am Not. Leaving. You." Sokka reiterated, shoving his face into Zuko's shoulder. "You're my...." Sokka licked his lips, wet them and tried to get the words out, "You're.... my best friend. And I don't care if that means I'll have to fight Katara and Aang every day until I'm blue in the face to have you come with us."
Zuko stiffened at the declaration. It wasn't that it surprised him, really. Sokka was his best friend as well. Was probably the first real friend he's ever had. Zuko just could never imagine how painful it truly was to hear it come out from Sokka's lips. He felt like crying and he hated crying. It made him feel painful pangs in his gut and his chest like he swallowed a rock two sizes too large. Like he was in the grips of a boa constrictor, like he was melting into the ground and would disappear into the water. But instead of pulling away, instead of pushing Sokka again and running off, Zuko just hugged the boy tighter. He practically wrapped himself around Sokka's entire body, burrowing himself further into the boy's embrace.
---------
That night, the three boys slept under the cloudless moonlight. Nao took to sleeping separately in his own side of the shelter, something both he and Sokka were more than happy about. That let Zuko and Sokka resume their nightly routine, entangled in each other's arms without any intruders interrupting. Nao, left to his own devices, slept like a log and his snores filled the entire tent. Sokka and Zuko didn't seem to mind, though, as they were more interested in each other anyways.
"I'm sorry for...burning you," Zuko whispered, gently petting his fingertips down the Water Tribe boy's skin. Sokka had curled himself around Zuko's lithe form as he usually did, hands perched on the fire bender's back, tracing shapes up and down with feather light touches. "Does it still hurt?" Zuko asked softly, voice so filled with sincerity and remorse that Sokka couldn't help but find it endearing.
"Nah, sunshine. It's barely even a burn, just a little tinge." Sokka smirked, "Have to try harder than that to get rid of me." He remembered Zuko had said that to him once, back on the boat, back when he had thought that Zuko possibly hadn't survived the escape. It brought a small spark of warmth to him to think he could use it to tease Zuko now, when they were finally safe from harm.
"I dont want to get rid of you," Zuko confessed softly as he gently stroked the sensitive skin with his fingertips. It didn't hurt anymore, just tingled. For a moment, Sokka almost wished it had been worse, had burned just a little bit deeper. It would serve as a permanent reminder of Zuko in his life. Right over his heart. "I'm just...worried. You might....well...you might get tired of me and um...we would have to separate anyways, down the line."
"Nope," Sokka deadpanned, the 'p' popping at the end. "Nuh-huh. Never gonna happen. It would be impossible for me to get tired of you. Annoyed? Probably. Incredibly amused? Entirely. But never tired." He squeezed Zuko's middle, relishing in the way the firebender seemed to mold to his body.
"You say that now," Zuko murmured, petting the patch of singed skin with the pad of his thumb, "But you'll end up regretting it. Everyone always does. My dad hates me, my mom abandoned me. Everyone I care about just..." He looked up to meet Sokka's eyes, but found that the Water Tribe boy was already staring at him. They held their taxes for a moment, for one heated second. Sokka could feel Zuko's warm breath wash over his chilled skin, felt himself inching closer.
"I have a few regrets in life," Sokka sighed, "But knowing you will never be one of them."
Zuko could feel his heart beat stammering so quick that he thought he might lose his breath. He couldn't stand it, staying so close to the other boy. His entire body shook and he had sparks running up and down his spine. Zuko knew he couldn't handle staring at Sokka for much longer, would do something incredibly stupid if he did. With extremely clumsy maneuvering, Zuko turned his back on Sokka, letting the embarrassment envelop him entirely. He didn't want the other boy to see his shaking bottom lip, his watering eyes.
Sokka didn't question it, he simply hugged Zuko's waist again and buried himself in the fire bender's neck. The chirping crickets filled in the remaining silence between them. They'd reach the Abbey soon, only maybe a day's time. Zuko tried to ignore the throbbing in his chest at the thought of Sokka leaving. The idea of fresh water and food and a bed to sleep in wasn't as enticing as the thought of Sokka and Zuko being together. Zuko knew that with every inch closer to freedom, the closer he was to losing his two new friends. For a moment, Zuko hoped that they would never find the Abbey. That they would be forced to live in the woods forever, would have to make shelter and survive together. They could make their own rules, their own expectations, their own fun. They wouldn't need anyone else.
But that wasn't right. Zuko knew that. Sokka had a family-- a father and a sister and a...another best friend. Sokka had a girlfriend more or less. He was...wanted. Loved in a way Zuko has never known. It wouldn't be right for him to keep Sokka to himself when he had so many others that were beloved to him. Zuko...Zuko should just be happy knowing that he was lucky enough to know even a little bit of him.
"What are you thinking about?" Sokka sleepily whispered into Zuko's neck. The Fire bender could feel the light movement of Sokka's lips ghosting over his skin, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention.His strong legs entwined over Zuko's and the fire bender was more than happy to turn over and bury his face into Sokka's shoulder. He felt safe there, felt like he could be protected from anything just in Sokka's embrace.
"Nothing," Zuko whispered. "Go to sleep."
"When we get to the Abbey," Sokka murmured lowly, soft and floaty like he was still trapped in a dream, "We'll get strong, eat and sleep and be happy."
"Mhm," Zuko hummed noncommittally, "And then what?" He softly asked.
"And then," Sokka sighed, "We'll head to Ba Sing Sae. That's the next best thing for us. It's a long trip, probably a week or more of travel, but it'll be easier for us to send communications from a big city to Katara and Aang and the rest of the Water Tribe so that they can find us."
Us.
Zuko nodded, "Ok," he quietly agreed. His eyes fluttered shut when he felt Sokka's hands wrap tightly around his waist. Every press, every touch made Zuko's entire body feel light and tingly and hot. Every flinch made their bodies press together tighter and Zuko could feel a familiar warmth grow in his stomach. He let out a light sigh when he felt Sokka's hands skirt down to familiar territory on his body, just on the small of his back, fingers lightly tracing shapes and figures and smoothly sliding down further until they reached the very beginning of the slope of Zuko's ass. It was an innocent touch, a sign of familiarity and affection and comfort.
Wrinkled hands slithering up his body, gripping and scratching and bruising. A searing hot white pain penetrating through his core and making his stomach sick to his stomach. A slimy tongue dragging across his skin, shoving itself into his mouth.
Zuko's eyes snapped open, his breathing growing quick like a rabbit-cat's heartbeat. He was face-to-face with Sokka's chest and his eyes shot up to the see the Water Tribe boy more or less sleeping peacefully. His hands moved out of habit, rote movements that Sokka did mindlessly. Zuko sighed and tried to calm himself, holding onto Sokka tighter and trying to forget the memories playing through his mind. Ba Sing Sae would be different. He could be different. He wouldn't need to feel this way just from friendly touches. He could be someone else. Someone who wasn't in love with his best friend.