#ok normal again. I need to draw the ant again before I explode | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chitsangenthusiast · 3 years

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ok so back in june i was blessed with getting to see @ducktollers's touchy-feely zukka art on my dash again, and i ended up getting a burst of creativity to write this lil snippet for it!

(then completely forgot to share it until now lmao anyway thank u ant for the food and i hope you enjoy 🧡🧡)

—

Sokka is in the middle of expounding on some point about boat mechanics to Katara when he drapes himself over Zuko’s back.

It’s not an unexpected surprise; Zuko knew it was coming the second Sokka took his usual step back to get behind him, and with the many years of their friendship he’s long gotten used to all the casual touching that the move happens so easily, so naturally he barely blinks.

But knowing it’s going to happen and being internally normal about it are two completely separate things, and he’s extremely grateful for the unspoken understanding that he’d be able to contribute absolute squat to this particular conversation because any meager attempt in following along goes right up in smoke.

His heart rate instantly goes into overdrive and his lungs constrict a little from the sheer force of how much he likes feeling that comforting warmth on his back—and from knowing just how much Sokka likes doing this too.

“No no no, Katara you’re completely off the mark—” Sokka starts, briefly catching Zuko’s eye in amusement before continuing on with his point, and he’s suddenly shifting his stance as he talks, making himself at home and angling his body so that the only thing Zuko’s shoulder needs to hold up is his chin. Hands then slide around his waist to settle on his stomach, Sokka’s fingers weave together, thumb and pointer finger even lightly pinching at his hoodie to keep themselves from slipping, and Zuko can’t stop himself from tensing up.

The entire move has caused him to fall back slightly into Sokka’s chest, and this—this is new. This is a different kind of held that Zuko hasn’t experienced before, hasn’t prepared himself for, and his utter shock over it has him standing as still as possible despite how staccato hard his pulse is running, because he swears he can feel Sokka’s own heart against his spine through all their layers and he’s not about to do anything that would make him let go.

He wants to savor this—in fact, he wants Sokka to pull him in even more, to snake his arms completely around his body to hold him tighter. He also wants to rest his forearms against Sokka’s own instead of leaving them awkwardly hanging at his sides, and his hands twitch in aborted desire.

He especially wants to work up the nerve to be able to hold Sokka like this too, so that he knows what it feels like to be so grounded within his arms.

“Zuko, hey, you agree with me, right?” Sokka suddenly asks, shaking him slightly to bring him back into the conversation. Not that it’s all that successful, because he had tilted his head to instead rest his cheek on Zuko’s shoulder as they started swaying, and his attention swiftly derailed at the barely-there brush of lips so close to his neck.

“Huh?” His skin feels like it’s burning where the ghosting breath of Sokka’s soft chuckling lands, and the fact that he’s inordinately jealous of his own neck receiving such nice treatment compared to where he really wants it is stupid. “Wait, what?”

Sokka laughs just a bit louder and gently presses his clasped hands into his stomach. “Just say yes if you agree with me.”

“Yes.” It goes without question.

Katara’s immediate noise of disgust is what finally rockets him back to reality, though any flaring embarrassment is quickly tamped down by quickly rising bewilderment at her obvious exasperation. “That’s cheating, Sokka. You can’t do that!”

“It’s not cheating, it’s two against one!” Sokka crows back, and then he is pulling Zuko into him more, wrapping an arm entirely around his chest to support him as he tilts them forward and points a goading finger at his sister. “Zuko just knows when to admit I’m right, is all!”

Zuko’s hands fly up to find purchase on his arm, sharply inhaling at all the extra contact between their bodies, and then chokes even harder when Sokka presses their cheeks together as a sign of unity. His nerves are thrumming, there’s a pretty solid amount of nervous excitement swirling in his chest, but his voice doesn’t betray any of that because—again, years of practice.

“Alright well now I’m siding with Katara if you’re going to start exaggerating.”

“See?” she demands, throwing out a hand his way to emphasize his point, and rolls her eyes hard at Sokka’s returning scoff.

“Nope, he already said he was on my side! No taking it back, I win this, Katara!”

“Oh, you are so full of it!” she shoots back, and Zuko thinks he might actually side with her anyway just to make everything more dramatic. But then she’s drawing herself up to her full height, planting her fists on her hips, and when she firmly meets his eye he inwardly groans because he knows that look. He’s about to wish that he had made his escape earlier when their argument had first started picking up traction.

“Zuko, go ahead and repeat Sokka’s last point was for me then. Here’s a hint, it has to do with seasonal constellations,” she says, and heat instantly explodes over his cheeks.

When the hell did she get Sokka to start arguing about astronomy, of all things?

“Uh—”

“Don’t fall for her trap!” Sokka hastily cuts in, craning forward to shoot him a pleading look before going back to nestling into the junction of his neck and shoulder. “Don’t answer that, just simply bask in the awesome feeling of sweet, sweet victory with me, dude.”

And—it’s the small charming smile thrown his way, the prolonged eye contact, and the pure, steady confidence in continuing to hold him that has Zuko breathing out a slow, pleased exhale and reaching backwards to carefully fold his hands over Sokka’s hips.

“Yeah,” he mumbles. A few of his fingers sneak through the belt loops on his pants, and Sokka beams at him. “Okay. I can do that.”

#once again my usual disclaimer of pls look at this w kind eyes bc i don't edit anything as much as i do for ao3 fics lol #BUT #ant finding out it was your bday is what made me remember this lmao #wasn't sure if it's chill to post this under the art itself or make a separate post so hopefully this works!#anyway seeing that art and getting the creativity was a wonderful balm on what had been a really terrible day for me in june lol <333 #zukka #zuko #sokka #my writing

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