1 and 15: picturing it as zuko telling sokka this but it could very easily be the other way so whatever works for you :)
Couple #1: Zukka
Prompt #15: “You’re useless”
For the prompt game! (I whipped out my laptop for this one hehe)
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pit pat, pit pat
Zuko's bare feet were a steady rhythm against the marble floor of his room. "Should I go see him? What do I say?" The young lord murmured to himself as he paced.
For weeks he had been working up the nerve to talk to Sokka. The war had only ended six months ago. After that day at the Jasmine Dragon the water tribe siblings had dutifully packed up and headed back to the South Pole to help in the reconstruction effort. Zuko hadn't seen either of them since, in fact- he'd been too swamped trying to assert his station and capabilities that he hadn't even written them. "Stupid," He spat out loud. "He probably won't even want to see you,"
It of course escaped Zuko's rational mind that Sokka had not written him either, but he always placed the weight of responsibility firmly on his own shoulders. He never left even an ounce for anyone else. Whether that came from his "first born son" upbringing or being banished was anyone's guess.
Zuko let out a sharp breath, straightening his tunic and resolving to just walk up to Sokka's room and knock, he could figure out what to say if he got that far.
He all but stomped his way to his chamber door, throwing one open and began his journey down the long corridor. Zuko noticed the family portraits adorning the walls, he wondered if his family might be up there one day. What Zuko didn't notice was a servant rounding the corner with a large tray full of all manner of tea and fresh fruit.
He collided nose-first with that silver tray, and with a loud crash him and the servant both were thrown to the marble floor. Zuko's head hit the floor hard, but not before the hot tea spilled all over him. The servant -who had only handed in a sitting position- blanched and immediately moved to help the young Fire Lord to his feet. She was apologising profusely and insisting that he let her call a healer.
"Your Highness I am so sorry, are you alright? That tea was very hot, please let me at least help you to the healers chamber."
"That won't be necessary," Zuko waved her off. He was finally upright which forced him to take in the scene around him. His head was swimming, his hair and tunic were drenched, and he was hot. Why was he hot? The servant said the tea was hot, but it was more than that. His face was burning.
Noting this, he turned on his heel and rushed back down the hall and threw himself back in to his room. He slammed his door closed behind him. Wiping the tea off his face to see better he tripped on the ornate robes which were left on the floor after his earlier meetings. Zuko fell to his hands and knees in front of the large mirror mounted to the wall beside his bed.
Face burning, tears running down his face, thrown down on to a cold marble floor...alone
The memory of the Agni Kai that started it all came on like a wave. Not a cool refreshing one that washed over him and brought him back to reality, but a dark crushing one that trapped him in its undertow and refused to let go until his lungs were threatening to explode under the pressure.
His gaze lifted to see himself in the mirror. Still drenched, tears mingling with tea, his scar burning like the day he first got it.
"Pathetic," Zuko spat, echoing what his father had called him so many times, during his firebending training especially. "You're useless," with that, Zuko leaned back on his heels, burying his face in his hands, and let the tears flow silently down his face- lest someone hear.
~~~
While no one heard his cry, someone did note the loud slamming of his door and came running. Just in time to hear those last two words Zuko spoke to himself, and stopped in their tracks.
Sokka stood there, roughly fifteen feet away with the door once again shut behind him. Face twisted in confusion and grief, he tried to make sense of the scene in front of him. The water tribe boy had come running because he had thought- well- he didn't know what he thought. Honestly, not much had gone through his head. He had simply heard a threatening sound coming from where he knew Zuko's rooms to be and sprinted out of his own. PTSD can be brutal sometimes, at least- that's what he told himself it was.
"What?" He spoke before thinking. How could Zuko think such things of himself? After everything he did for his nation, for the whole world really. Sokka too sometimes suffered the effects of imposter syndrome, but this was something different entirely.
Zuko jumped to his feet to face the noise, and a weak flame flickered in his hand before sputtering out. Sokka knew better than to be scared of him, but Zuko didn't pull his punch because of him this time. Sokka lurched forward at the same time Zuko stumbled backwards into the mirror, he was lucky it didn't shatter.
A million thoughts ran through Sokka's head at once when his hands steadied Zuko. One on his chest and one on the back of his head.
He's all wet, blood. Tui and La please don't be blood. He looked at the hand on his chest. Okay no blood. He checked his other hand. Wait, yes blood. Curse it all. What did he do? He asked Zuko as much.
"Nothing," Zuko spat, not unkindly, but defensively.
"Let me get a-"
"NO"
"Okay then at least let me clean you up and get you out of these clothes. They're freezing," Sokka threw back, and he wasn't lying. The tea had chilled and Zuko was shivering, although neither of them could tell if it was from the head injury or just being cold. Zuko nodded reluctantly. Sokka slung Zuko's arm across his shoulders and secured an arm around the slightly taller boys waist in support.
"You're a royal pain in the parka do you know that?" Sokka attempted to lighten the mood with his world-class humor. Zuko's head simply drooped onto his shoulder seemingly in defeat and murmured something unintelligible. "What's that?" Sokka inquired.
"I said I know, I'm sorry. I was trying to come see you?" That got Sokka's attention.
"See me? For what?" He asked, now worried that something even worse had happened. After all, Zuko was never one for small talk.
"To apologize, I've been a neglectful Fire Lord and even worse friend,"
"Shh, it's okay," Sokka sat him gently on a ornate cushioned stool at the end of the large bed. He stepped away a moment to call for a servant to bring him clean water. Head injuries were nothing to play with, and it would give him time to get Zuko changed in to something warm. He reached towards the hem of Zuko's tunic first.
"It's not!" Zuko shoved him off suddenly. Sokka wasn't even phased. "It's not okay! I should have been there for you! I should have been stronger, more organized, more diligent, more like Azula," He finally conceded and Sokka finally understood. No stranger to feeling the responsibility of an entire culture, but still not entirely sure what to do.
"Let me get you into something warm," Oh good job Sokka, whatever, just find something so he doesn't get sick and stop talking
Sokka began rummaging through his drawers and closet for anything that could possibly considered warm. "Agni spare me," He fumed to himself. He understood that the Fire Nation pretty much had exclusively warm weather but not one fur lined tunic still seemed a little ridiculous. He huffed, pondering the situation for a moment.
Well he couldn't leave Zuko like this to get something warm from his own clothes, he could fall and hurt himself more, and knowing Zuko he'd do just that. "Oh, duh" He said to himself, and quickly untied the snow wolf-bear pelt from around his waist, striding back to Zuko.
"Here, let's get you out of this, okay?" Zuko only gave a soft hum in response. Sokka took that as consent and pulled the soaked tunic over his head, cold tea spraying him lightly as he did. He then wrapped the fur around Zuko's shoulders. Zuko hummed again, but this time it was one of contentment and relief.
The servant returned as if on cue with a warm cloth and a bowl of clean water, Sokka thanked him politely before shutting the door and quickly hurrying back to Zuko. "This might sting a bit, I'm sorry I'm not as good at healing as Katara," Both of their eyes drifted to the large scar, unmissable in the center of Zuko's chest. A cold chill ran through both of them. Zuko remembering the pain, Sokka remembering the fear that froze his veins when he saw it for the first time. I almost lost you. He thought to himself.
"What?" Zuko asked, voice hoarse. "What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything"
"No- you did. You said 'I almost lost you'" Zuko winced as Sokka brushed an obviously tender spot, and realized he must have said it out loud. Spirits
"I'm sorry I didn't mean-"
"What did you mean then?"
Sokka finished cleaning the wound in silence, it was smaller than he had thought which was a small mercy, but he still had no idea how to respond to Zuko's question
"You scared me Zuko," He finally said, brushing a damp strand of hair from his face. Zuko met his gaze, golden sunlight meeting the deep of the ocean.
"Now? or-"
"Both" Sokka resolved. "Tui and La you don't understand what you do to me when you put yourself in danger, it's like I can't breathe."
"I thought you'd hate me," Zuko seemed to be regaining himself much to Sokkas relief
"Zuko I could never hate you," I flicker of something flashed in golden eyes. "You saved my sister, that is a debt I can never repay, but I will spend the rest of my life trying" A look Sokka couldn't place passed across the pale boys features.
"Oh... right" Zuko pulled the white and grey fur tighter around himself, subconsciously trying to cover the lightning scar. His eye began to burn again and he winced.
"What is it?" The worry in Sokka's voice was palpable.
"It's nothing, I must have gotten tea in my eye," Zuko figured now was not the time to explain how his scar still burned sometimes, and had been burning ever so frequently since last they spoke.
Sokka reached a hand towards his scar, Zuko flinched but steeled his spine. Resisting only ever made his father's punishment worse. Sokka was not his father, he wouldn't harm him, but old habits die hard. Sokka noticed this, but did not stop. His hand cupped Zukos cheek.
Zuko could feel the calluses on his palm, but Sokka touched him so gently and with such reverence that they still felt soft. He melted into other boys touch with a content sigh and closed his eyes.
Something soft touched his lips, not unpleasant but still startling to Zuko's half-fogged brain. He jumped back- eyes wide.
"I'm- I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that. You should rest, I-I'll go" Sokka stood abruptly, it was then that Zuko realized what had just happened. Sokka had kissed him. "You should rest" The water tribe boy repeated before turning on his heel and rushing back to the ornate doors.
"Sokka, wait-" Zuko stood as well, but too quickly. The world went black for a moment, he had the brief sensation of falling before a pair of strong, warm arms were under him. Cradling him to their chest so securely Zuko was sure not even an earthquake could have parted them.
Sokka's worried blue eyes pierced Zuko's soul and stripped him bare. Suddenly, Zuko had a moment of abject clarity. He removed a hand from its home on Sokka's chest, moved it up behind his head. It was reminiscent of how Sokka had steadied him earlier. Zuko had never felt more ungrounded.
"Zuko, what are you-" Whatever Sokka was about to say was immediately lost in Zuko's lips. They were so warm. Sokka felt as if someone had placed the sun inside of his chest. He was warm and fuzzy all over. He knew firebenders ran warmer than the average person but this was just ridiculous.
Zuko then pulled away abruptly, but not far as Sokka was still holding him tight to his chest. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have-"
"Oh shut up" Sokka hissed, and pulled the fire lords lips to his once more.
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this is literally so long MY BAD, but I hope you enjoy anyway. xoxo
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