Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Appa was missing, Aang was distraught, and there was an important mission to warn the Earth King of.

All in all, a normal day thus far into Team Avatar’s stay in Ba Sing Se. And, just like every day, they went their separate ways in search of Appa. He was, of course, their main priority. Dealing with the Fire Lord could wait until they had their friend, safe and sound, again.

This was the only reason why Sokka was in Ba Sing Se’s lower ring, hoping that someone had seen or heard something new since the previous day.

And, just like every day so far, there was nothing. Sokka was starting to wonder if Long Feng and the Dai Li had Appa, if they were planning on using him as a bargaining chip to get them to leave the city without seeing the Earth King.

The thought made him sick to his stomach, but still. It wasn’t that remote a possibility. Sokka still had hope, however, that that wasn’t the case, so here he was, searching.

But, he was getting nowhere, and it was lunchtime.

Sokka had been trying a new little shop each day. None of them quite hit the spot, so he keeps trying new ones. Today, he was heading into a small tea shop. It was quite normal, from the outside, and Sokka wasn’t paying much attention. He noticed that they were selling some breads, so he intended on getting a couple rolls to tide him over on his way back to the upper ring. He looked at the menu as he waited in the reasonably long line, picking out a nice, slightly fruity tea. He had his order in mind as he finally got up to the counter, only to see someone he wasn’t expecting.

Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and Heir to the Throne, stared back with wide eyes.

“Sokka.” He said, and even the Water Tribesman could see the way he was slightly trembling.

“One of the Spiced Apple teas, three regular rolls, and one explanation as to what the hell is going on.” Sokka did his best to keep his voice calm, and level, not trying to cause a widespread panic. He could take Zuko on himself without any innocent people getting hurt, if it came to that.

“S-sure.” He stuttered, and Sokka frowned. He didn’t know Zuko all that well, but one thing he did know was that the Prince was always the angry type, not the nervous type.

“Go sit at a table, I’ll bring you your order. I’m off in half an hour, and I’ll explain then, okay?” Zuko silently pleaded with Sokka, who nodded. Something here wasn’t normal - this wasn’t like Zuko at all.

The half hour passed quickly, Sokka watching Zuko apprehensively. Clearly, the man was nervous, but other than that, he seemed… well, he seemed like a normal person, working their job, doing their best. Sokka just couldn’t figure out the angle. So, after a half hour, when Zuko was done sweeping and picking up the rest of the tables, he put the closed sign on the door, came over to Sokka’s table, and sat down.

“Uncle will be here soon, he was out shopping for herbs to make some new blends.” Zuko said matter of factly. Sokka nodded in understanding.

“I’ll wait for him, too, then. Is there anyone else from… your home, here in Ba Sing Se?” Zuko shook his head.

“I hope not.” He said ruefully, making Sokka look at him wide-eyed. The last time Sokka had seen Zuko and his Uncle was when they were fighting Azula, and the time before that was at the siege on the Northern Water Tribe. And true, Zuko’s Uncle had fought with them and Aang, and had attacked Zhao at the North Pole, but still. This was the Crown Prince, shouldn’t he be letting the troops of the fire nation into the walls of the city or something?

Sokka was confused, and still mulling over the seemingly innocuous statement, when the bell jingled. Zuko’s Uncle - Sokka really needed to learn this man’s name - put down his shopping bags on the counter and turned to them.

“Hello!” He said, friendly and warm. The warmth surprised Sokka, to say the least.

“Hello. I - Zuko said he would tell me what you two are doing here in the city, and I’m going to listen. I don’t want to see more people hurt, or cause a widespread panic, which is the only reason I haven’t dragged you to the Earth King myself, yet.” The last point was directed directly at the prince in question.

Zuko’s Uncle nodded, coming to sit down next to his nephew. “My name is Iroh, I don’t know if Zuko here told you.” Zuko blushed a tiny bit, shaking his head.

“I’m Sokka. Now, what is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and the Fire Lord’s brother doing in Ba Sing Se?” He looked at them expectantly.

“It’s a long story.” Iroh said.

Zuko looked conflicted, emotions flickering between fear, anger, and sadness. Sokka was admittedly slightly surprised to see an emotion other than fear or anger on his face. He just looked… upset with himself.

“You don’t know already?” Zuko asked softly. Sokka shook his head, confused.

“Know what?”

“We aren’t those, not anymore.” Iroh said, simply. Sokka’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

“What?”

“I was banished, dumbass. Uncle came with me, and now he and I are on the run. We had two choices; come to Ba Sing Se as refugees, or go to the Fire Nation and be turned over to my sister - Princess Azula, if you didn’t already know. Obviously, we chose Ba Sing Se.” Zuko stated, annoyed now.

“Not that long a story, I guess.” Iroh said. Sokka cracked a smile at that.

“I mean, that’s fair, your sister is scary as all get out.” Sokka winced in sympathy, returning his mind to Zuko’s statement. Katara was scary too, but she would never kill anybody. Azula, though? She would without any hesitation.

“So, you two are here as refugees, and you aren’t here to capture the world’s last hope for peace?” Iroh nodded, as did Zuko. Sokka was surprised, an emotion he had felt a lot during this conversation already.

“Zuko, why did you try and capture the Avatar? How long have you been banished?” Sokka asked, trying to understand.

Zuko winced, looking to Iroh to explain. He couldn’t. Not to Sokka. Iroh glanced between them for a moment, before speaking.

“He was banished before attacking your tribe,” the ex-General said, slowly, looking to his nephew to see what was okay to say. Sokka nodded, thinking he gets the picture.

“So if I have this right, you were basically trying to capture Aang so that you could, go home? Spirits, Zuko, that’s… kinda fucked up.” Sokka was in shock. Again.

Zuko nodded, ashamed. Iroh snorted. “My brother is more than kind of fucked up, Sokka.” He was bitter, something neither Sokka or Zuko was expecting.

“I mean, I know, but still. So - what does this mean; are you giving up on going home? Are - if you don’t want to continue trying to capture Aang, what will you do? Be on the run for the rest of your life?” Sokka was trying not to rant, but he couldn’t help it. Everything he had been through had been because these two were trying to capture the Avatar, his friend, the boy who was basically his little brother at this point. And now, here he was, feeling sorry for them? What if they were lying?

But even as Sokka thought it, he knew it wasn’t true. He had never heard of Zuko being anything close to soft before, knew that Iroh wasn’t usually bitter. They were telling the truth. Did that mean… that they were now on the same side?

Sokka’s thoughts were interrupted by Zuko.

“We intend to live here, peacefully. I… I miss home, but I’ve realized, the longer I’ve been away, that I miss mostly the memories of when we were happy. But, if I went back…” Zuko shook his head.

“I don’t want to be the Crown Prince. Not anymore.” He said, seeming to shock even himself. Iroh was smiling.

Iroh whispered something in Zuko’s ear, making him flush, but clearly with pride. Iroh stood up.

“Sokka, would you like some tea?” Sokka nodded, thanking him, as the old general went to make some, leaving the two teenage boys sitting at the table as the sun gently began to set on Ba Sing Se.

“I’m surprised, I’ll admit. You two aren’t the same people who chased us. Well, Iroh might be, but you certainly aren’t.” Sokka admitted. Zuko snorted.

“Yeah, Uncle’s always been like that. And I appreciate him for it.” Zuko said, smiling softly in his Uncle’s direction. Sokka felt warm, getting to see that smile, getting to see Zuko be vulnerable. It was decidedly weird.

“I’m sorry. I automatically assumed the worst of you two, but I can tell, you’ve changed. I won’t tell the Earth King you’re here.” Sokka looked Zuko in the eyes as he spoke. Zuko held his gaze, pointing out that there was, in fact, a reason why Sokka didn’t trust him.

“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t have trusted me either. And I really appreciate that.” Zuko smiled, but a small thought occured to him.

“You won’t tell the Dai Li either, right?” Sokka looked at Zuko like he had grown two heads.

“Are you kidding me? Long Feng is the worst, I would never sell you out to someone like him even if I was gonna sell you out!” Sokka ranted passionately, stopping to take a breath only once he finished.

“Long Feng? Is that the head of the Dai Li?” Sokka nodded at Zuko’s question, glaring sourly at the floor.

“I hate him. I hate him so much.” Zuko chuckled.

“I can tell.” Sokka blushed at that. Iroh came back with tea. Zuko studied Sokka for a moment as all 3 men sipped their tea. “May I ask why? And… why are you in the city?”

Sokka sighed, unsure if he should tell the truth or not. He decided to; Zuko and Iroh trusted him, and… Zuko had a lot of experience tracking Appa….

“Appa, our flying bison, was stolen from us when we were in the Wan Chi Tong Desert.” Sokka began.

“How’s the young Avatar?” Iroh asked, concerned. Sokka grimaced.

“It hurts, and badly. Appa isn’t just his animal companion; he’s one of two or three tangible connections Aang still has to the Air Nomads. To lose him, on top of trying to train to defeat the, well, you know, it hurts.” Sokka grimaces at the mention of defeating the Fire Lord, given the company he was talking to. Still, he continues. “It hurts all of us. Appa is a member of the family.”

Zuko and Iroh nod. “You said he was stolen in the desert?” Zuko asked. Sokka nodded.

“By Sandbenders. We found them, and got them to tell us that they traded Appa to some merchants, who were likely to sell him in Ba Sing Se. And Aang is pretty certain that he’s here. But Long Feng and the Dai Li have been trying to stop us asking questions, and they say it’s against the rules to put up missing posters. We’re gonna do that anyway, and while Aang works on getting the posters, I have been checking the Lower Ring, Katara has been checking the Middle Ring, and Toph has been checking the Upper Ring. It’s been weeks, and no one has seen anything.”

It broke Zuko’s heart to see Sokka so hurt, and he doesn’t know why, but he reaches out and grabs Sokka’s hand anyway.

“I’m sorry. I, uh, have experience tracking him, and can try and help find him if you want me to?” Zuko blushes, still holding Sokka’s hand, gently.

Sokka blushes too, but nods. “That’d be appreciated, no one’s better at tracking us than you.” He cringes at saying that, but Zuko just laughs a little.

“If you think the Dai Li have him, then I have an idea on how to find him.” Sokka nodded, ready to talk strategy. Before he could, however, Iroh interrupted.

“Stay safe. Sokka, nephew, I wish you all the luck. I, however, have a Pai Sho game, so I will now take my leave.” Iroh bowed, Sokka and Zuko standing up and bowing in return.

Iroh hugged Zuko, and then put his hands gently on Sokka’s shoulders. “Thank you.” He winked, and left.

Sokka didn’t have to ask for what.

Sokka turned to Zuko, and smirked.

“Let’s go get Appa.”

Chapter Text

“So, if we suspect the Dai Li have him, then we should just ask one of their members.” Zuko suggested.

Sokka looked at him. “You know that they’re not going to answer to you, or to me, right?” Zuko nodded.

“That’s part of the reason why I have this.” He goes into the back rooms, breathes to steady himself, and grabs his Blue Spirit mask. He brings it out, and Sokka gasps.

“You? You’re the Blue Spirit?! You’re the one who saved Aang from Admiral Zhao?!” Sokka whisper-yelled excitedly, mindful of the people walking outside and not wanting to totally bust Zuko’s secret secret identity. Zuko blushed a little, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

“It wasn’t like, out of kindness or anything. I wanted to capture him instead, at the time. But… he saved me, even once he saw it was me. And he asked if in a different time, we could have been friends. I… I blasted fire at him and he left, but it did make me wonder, even back then.” Zuko told Sokka the story. Sokka whistled.

“Aang told Katara and I that he had no idea who was behind the mask, that you two ran away from the base and you left him at the river. He never said… wait, how did he find out it was you?” Sokka asked, confused.

“I, uh, got knocked out by one of the archers. The mask came off, and Aang saved me anyway. He’s a good kid.” Zuko smiled, softly, and something in Sokka burst of happiness at seeing that soft smile on someone usually so reserved. “I wish now that we could be friends, honestly.”

Sokka nodded, before grinning and punching Zuko’s shoulder lightly. “You don’t seem all that bad, honestly. And your Uncle makes great tea. I’m sure we could become friends with you, as long as you don’t turn evil and try to capture us again.” Zuko laughed.

“Yeah, no. Like I said earlier, I don’t want to be that kind of guy anymore. I want to be more like Uncle. He’s so good, and kind, and more of a father to me than anyone else has ever been.” Zuko blushed, pausing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to unload my trauma on you there.”

Sokka giggled. “It’s fine by me, dude. I think I’d like to get to know you more. You seem like a surprisingly decent guy.” Sokka blushed too, now, before clearing his throat and turning back to the map of Ba Sing Se laid out on the table.

“So, you’re gonna attack a Dai Li member as the Blue Spirit, and, what, ask where Appa is?” Zuko shook his head.

“No, I’m going to figure out where their headquarters are, and how to get in undetected. Then, you and I are going to go there, find Appa, and free him. If that’s alright with you.”

Sokka sighed. “It’s the best plan we’ve got, I think. Though I feel like we should bring in the rest of my friends in on this. You can come to our place, we can have backup in case something goes wrong, and Toph is there in case we need an earthbender, which is fairly likely given the Dai Li.”

Zuko nodded, though anxiety whirled through him. “Is it… do you think they’ll be willing to trust me?” Sokka snorted.

“Aang will. Katara won’t. I trust you not to sell us out, based on how long you’ve been living here, and if you betray us, we can beat you again. Lord knows we have before.” Sokka laughed. Zuko did too, blushing.

“Yeah, I really don’t want to be on Katara’s bad side, though. Don’t tell her I said this, but she can kick my ass any day. She’s scary as hell.” Sokka grinned.

“I won’t tell her if you promise not to tell her that I agree with you.” Zuko giggled.

“It’s a deal then. I’m gonna write a note to Uncle, and then we can head to your house, okay?”

“Sure thing, Zuko.”

Chapter Text

As he walked to the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se with Sokka, Zuko couldn't help but admire him.

When Zuko first met Sokka, he hadn't thought much of him. Not the fiercest warrior in a head on fight, but annoying to face nonetheless. Back then - was it really only a few months ago? - Zuko had had no consideration for who he was facing off against, thinking only of the Avatar and going back home with his honor. But then he started taking notice of not just how to fight the Avatar, but how well the three friends fought against him. Aang was obviously a master airbender, powerful in even just that one element alone, yes. Katara, as soon as she got her hands on that waterbending scroll, became more formidable even than Azula, which was saying something. And Sokka?

Zuko's breath hitched at even the thought of the boy he was walking through Ba Sing Se with right now. He was beautiful, on the inside and outside. When they were fighting, Zuko had noticed the fact that he was handsome - his hair looked so soft, and made Zuko want to card his fingers through it. His skin was warm in tone, like he had been blessed by the Spirits since birth. Zuko wouldn't have been surprised to find out that Agni herself had blessed him, he looked so good. His eyes were more blue than any oceans, but Zuko had never felt threatened by their depths. Rather, he felt as though he could stare into those eyes forever and always notice new things that would only make Sokka seem even more wonderful. And his lips looked soft and inviting. Zuko wondered how Sokka would taste. Of course, these things were nothing compared to Sokka's brilliant mind. He was quick, sharp, witty, and kind. Zuko felt as though he could hang onto Sokka's every word for hours, listening to him in all his passion, beauty, and kindness forever. Even back at the tea shop, when Sokka had even seemed a little awkward, Zuko didn't feel annoyed with him. How awkwardness could become endearing, Zuko didn't know, but Sokka made it work. Zuko wondered how he had ever dismissed Sokka in the past. He was a great warrior and an even better leader. Sokka was everything Zuko had ever wanted to be, or had wanted.

That thought brought up Zuko short. He knew that he had liked boys, no matter how "shameful" and "disgusting" Ozai had said it was. It was one of the few things that he and Azula had agreed on - that the whole ban on liking the same gender was stupid. He and Azula had helped each other come to terms with the fact that they would never like the opposite genders, in one of the extremely rare moments where they had actually acted like siblings. But thinking about Azula made Zuko sad, sad that he hadn't been there to protect his baby sister from their father - so he stopped thinking about her for the moment. Instead, he focused on what he had been thinking about Sokka a few moments before, which was only marginally better. Zuko wasn't surprised that he liked Sokka - it wasn't like he often thought about friend's lips (no matter how many few friends he had) - but he had been surprised by just how much the crush was growing.

Just then, Sokka poked him. "We're here!" Sokka said brightly. This jolted Zuko back into the present, where he was standing in front of a large house in the Upper Ring. Zuko felt his heart beating faster, anxiety beginning to overtake him. He took some deep, slow breaths to calm himself down, before nodding to Sokka. It was surprising, how quickly they'd fallen into this easy camaraderie. Sokka nodded back, opening the door. The inside was nice and roomy, although still cozy. Katara, Aang, and Toph all sat around a low, circular table that had maps and Missing Appa posters spread all around it. Momo rested on Aang's shoulder, though pounced over to them as soon as he noticed Sokka. Sokka laughed and petted the lemur, making Zuko blush at the sound. He would never get tired of hearing Sokka laugh, he decided.

"Oh good, Sokka, you're back, is there any new from the Lower Ring?" Katara asked, only then looking up. Her gaze widened and then turned icy, opening her water skin and bending the water inside around Zuko and solidifying it into ice, trapping him just like she had at the North Pole. Aang and Toph were on their feet, though Toph didn't look surprised that he was there. It was then that he remembered Uncle telling him that he had met Toph and she had told him about seeing with her earthbending, so it made sense that she could feel him coming. But why hadn't she warned Katara or Aang? Then Sokka spoke in a voice that surprised Zuko a lot.

"Let him go, Katara." Sokka's voice had a hint of anger to it, which made Zuko look over at him in shock. Why would Sokka be defending him against his own sister? That made no sense!

"What? Sokka, what's going on?!" Katara snapped, clearly hurt. Zuko cleared his throat, turning all attention back to him.

"It's okay, Sokka" he said first. Sokka huffed but nodded. Aang and Katara looked between the two with confusion, while Toph looked like she was 3 seconds away from earth-shattering laughter. Zuko continued, this time adressing the others,"I am not here because I am hunting you down or intend to destroy Ba Sing Se. I have been living with Uncle in the lower ring as refugees from the Fire Nation, for obvious reasons. I decided that I didn't want to try and stop the Avatar any more. Sokka came into the shop that Uncle and I work at this afternoon, and asked us to explain ourselves. We did, and Sokka mentioned that your flying bison, Appa, had been stolen. I've offered to help try and find him. I am very sorry for not only chasing you down, but all the pain and suffering I've caused along the way. I'm so so sorry, and will make it up to you if you let me." Zuko finished by bowing to them, all the way to the floor. He waited, trying not to think of the last time he had bowed like this. He knew that the Avatar and his friends were nothing like his father, but that didn't stop the anxiety completely.

Sokka grabbed his arm and pulled Zuko up. "You don't have to bow to us, Zuko." Then Sokka looked over towards the others with Zuko idly following his gaze.

Aang looked stunned, while Katara looked like she had been slapped. The ice melted back into water and she idly bent it back into the bag, closing it off again like she had done it a thousand times. She glanced over at Toph.

"Is he lying?" Her voice still sounded furious enough to make Zuko wince. He felt worried after showing weakness in front of such a strong bender, but quickly reminded himself that Katara was not going to hurt him the way Azula had - the way that Ozai had forced her to.

"Nope. I say we accept his offer, after all, he chased you guys halfway around the world, which I'd say is a pretty good track record for finding Appa. Plus, he's not going to hurt us." Then she bounded over to Zuko and punched him in the arm. "Hi! I'm Toph!" She said.

Zuko glanced at Sokka, rubbing his arm. That punch had hurt. "Um." He said eloquently after turning back to Toph. "Zuko here?"

Everyone laughed at that. Aang bounced over, striking Zuko with the fact that the kid was so young. Agni, he was a bastard for having tried to take him to the Firelord. "Can you really help us find Appa?" Aang's eyes were open and trusting. Zuko suddenly felt that he would do anything to make sure this kid was never hurt again.

"Yeah. Sokka and I came up with a plan." Zuko noticed Katara glaring at him.

"If you ever hurt anyone here again, I'm sending Toph after you." She said, before sitting back down and gesturing for him to take the seat next to her. Zuko swallowed in fear.

"Noted," he said meekly. Sokka laughed that wonderful laugh of his again, before throwing an arm around Zuko's shoulders. Zuko felt himself blush harder, and ignored Toph's clearly knowing smirk. Zuko sat down next to Katara, and was relieved when Sokka sat on his left. He hated anyone but Uncle being on that side, where he could neither fully see nor fully hear them. Sokka was okay though, he was loud enough to hear and Zuko (perhaps foolishly, he though) trusted Sokka not to hurt him. Zuko sighed, focusing back into the group as Sokka finished outlining the plan.

"So once we get the info, we head straight for the Dai Li and Appa." Aang was saying. Sokka and Zuko nodded. Aang had a glint in his eye that suddenly reminded Zuko that this child was the most powerful person on Earth. Katara turned to Zuko, a question clear in her eyes.

"Do we know for certain that the Dai Li have Appa?" Toph snorted in response, answering before Zuko could get a word in edgewise.

"Are you kidding me?! Who the fuck else could have him? He isn't anywhere else in the city! And the Dai Li didn't want us putting up missing posters! Obviously, they are the ones who have him!" Zuko nodded in agreement. Katara looked satisfied.

"Where are you going to find a Dai Li agent, and how are you going to get him to talk?" Aang questioned Zuko and Sokka. The boys looked at each other, with Zuko opening his mouth to respond, before another voice responded.

'I think I can help with that." Zuko turned to see a boy with familiar touseled hair, a stupid smirk, and that awful grass in his mouth standing in the open doorway.

"Jet." Katara said distastefully. Zuko looked him in the eye, at that awful smirk, and he couldn't help himself. He punched Jet straight in his stupid mouth.

Chapter Text

Holy Shit.

As Sokka watched Zuko punch Jet, all he could think about was how absolutely amazing Zuko looked. His form was lithe and graceful, like a dancers’. His aim was dead on, and even at the incredible speed that Zuko was punching Jet, Sokka swore he could see the individual muscles flex. His eyes were alight with fury and fire, but for once, Sokka didn’t find that off-putting. Instead, it only made Zuko more attractive in Sokka’s eyes. Sokka saw Zuko’s lips pull into a tiny smirk that anyone who wasn’t looking would have missed.

Jet crumpled to the floor. Sokka swallowed.

That was the hottest thing he’d ever seen in his life.

And oh, that was the funny feeling he’d had in his stomach. Every time he saw Zuko, his nerves would alight with a certain something. Sokka had thought that those nerves were just because Zuko was chasing him and his friends, that they were his instincts warning him of danger. Now that Sokka took a moment to think about it, however, he realized quickly that Zuko was the only person he’d ever felt some of those nerves around, and that they hadn’t gone away even after Zuko assured him that he wouldn’t chase them anymore.

Sokka felt those nerves dance in his stomach like little butterflies.

Well, fuck.

Sokka had no issue with the fact that he liked a guy. In the Southern Water Tribe, there were people of all genders, and no one really cared what gender you liked as long as the partners were treating each other well. It wasn’t limited to just two people either, which was something that apparently both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation dictated. Sokka remembered Toph explaining that to him and Katara, both of whom had found it weird. Aang had heard of rules like that, but thought that said rules were stupid. The Air Nomads believed, much like the Southern Water Tribe, that you could love whatever gender you wished. Aang also pointed out that the monks and the nuns could live in whatever temples they wished, do whatever jobs they wished, and that gender had no bearing on who did what. Love is love, gender is gender, and that was that. Toph, Katara, and Sokka had all been quick to agree that the Air Nomad’s attitude made the most sense. After talking about that together, Sokka had been confident in sharing that he knew that he liked both guys and girls. Therefore, Sokka wasn’t surprised or scared at the thought of liking a boy.

He was just surprised that he was crushing on Zuko, of all people. If you had told him a few months ago that he would have a crush on the prince of the freaking Fire Nation, Sokka would have hit you upside the head with either his club or his boomerang. But now? Sokka couldn’t help his crush. Not when Zuko had just punched one of the most annoying people Sokka had ever met. Not when he wasn’t even breathing heavily, like knocking Jet to the ground was no big deal. Not when those warm, golden, sun-like eyes hit his own, and Sokka couldn’t stop staring at just how amazing and beautiful Zuko looked. Even when chasing them across the world, Zuko had always looked good doing whatever he was doing. It was something Sokka thought he had found incredibly annoying about the firebender, but now he realized that it was more than that. Sokka… liked Zuko. When Zuko looked his way and caught Sokka staring, he couldn’t help but blush under Zuko’s gaze and look away to Jet, who was just getting up.

“What the hell was that for?!” Jet stood up, and Sokka saw with satisfaction that his lip was split right down the center.

“Zuko, is your hand okay?” Katara asked before Zuko could answer Jet. Looking down at his hand, Sokka saw blood on the knuckles. Zuko looked at it, and wiped the blood off.

“It’s not mine. I’m fine.” He said, a little shyly. That was too adorable for Sokka, who decided that he had to ignore these feelings for the moment - at least until after Jet left - if he was going to get through this evening without exploding. Jet scowled at Zuko and then looked at Katara, an obviously faked pleading expression spreading across his features.

“Katara! I just wanted to come help find Appa-” Jet began, but he didn’t get to finish his sentence. She waved her hand and bent the water from her skin threateningly close to Jet’s face. He flinched and moved back. Zuko scowled at Jet, and Sokka nearly laughed at how closely Zuko’s expression matched his sister’s. Swallowing hard, Jet looked at Zuko. “I’m willing to forgive you for punching me even though I don’t know why you did, but really, I’m here to help.”

Zuko and Katara scoffed. Sokka was getting really concerned about how the two were acting so similarly. It was kind of cool and kind of creepy at the same time. Then Zuko spoke.

“You say you don’t know why I punched you?” Zuko’s tone was calm and level. It was far, far scarier than if he had yelled. Sokka also found that super attractive. Damn, was he going to notice every tiny thing about Zuko and how amazing he was from now on? That would be incredibly annoying given the circumstances right now. Realizing that he had lost the thread of the current plot, Sokka focused back on the conversation in time to watch Jet shake his head.

Zuko began speaking again. “You mean, you don’t think the attempted arrest of Uncle and I might have something to do with it? Or the fact that you stole our spark rocks in an attempt to get us to out ourselves as firebenders? Or when you decided that it was okay to insult Uncle to your friends behind my back? Or-” Zuko cut himself off, a hint of pink starting to stain his cheeks.

“Or what? Of course I insulted your Uncle, he’s stupid and lazy and-” This time, Jet couldn’t finish his dumb sentence because Toph surrounded him in a small dirt tent with her earthbending.

“No one insults Sparky’s Uncle and gets away with it.” She announced. The others nodded in agreement while Zuko offered her a small smile that made Sokka’s stomach clench. Even though she couldn’t see it, Toph seemed to know it was there because she punched him in the arm gently. Katara glanced at Zuko, seeming to debate with herself if she should ask him whatever question she clearly had. Sokka, being an amazing older brother who definitely didn’t want to know more about Zuko himself, decided to step up and ask Zuko a question so that she would feel more comfortable to do so.

“So, Jerkbender, how do you know this piece of shit?” Sokka asked, laughing a little. Katara sighed and put her head into her hands while Aang giggled and Toph snickered. Zuko kept growing even redder.

“Um. I may - or may not - have, um. Met him on the ferry here? And I may - or may not! Have helped him steal food from the captain and give it to the refugees who were being fed scraps while he was eating actually good food. And it’s possible that there was some dating involved until he saw Uncle firebending to heat up his tea a couple of weeks after we got here.” Zuko’s face was redder than an apple now, and he seemed actually embarrassed. Sokka couldn’t ignore the skip in his heartbeat, looking at how cute and shy the firebender was. Sokka almost laughed out loud at himself. A month ago he had thought of the prince as loud, ugly, and annoying as shit. And now, all he could think of was how nice it might be to go on a date with the prince himself and have a nice time in the markets of Ba Sing Se. Sokka shook his head as Katara spoke, bringing Zuko’s attention away from him.

“You dated him too? What was he like with you?” She asked, before blushing a little herself. Zuko laughed.

“You too, huh? At first he seemed so suave and charming, but then I saw how he viewed others and how he acted. He just turned out to be such an ass.” Katara nodded along, clearly agreeing with him. Hating Jet for being so nice at first was familiar to everyone there except Toph. She cleared her throat.

“Not that it’s not great to see you two bonding over the asshole in the tent, but he did say he might have an in to the Dai Li. We might have to trust him on that to get Appa back.” She pointed out, somehow managing to be apologetic and assertive at the same time. Katara and Zuko nodded, giving each other a look that said ‘we will bitch about his sorry ass some other time’. Sokka was honestly relieved - both that Zuko and Katara were now getting along, as well as there being a decent distraction from how cute Zuko’s blush looked. Aang, however, wasn’t convinced.

“Come on Toph, he wasn’t telling the truth. I know you weren’t able to see the look on his face, but it was so fake! I don’t trust him one bit.” Aang seemed a little guilty at saying this, but his tone was calm and resolved. Sokka nodded in agreement, before remembering that Toph wouldn’t be able to see that either.

“Yeah,” Sokka began. “He tried to be all pleading. Not a good look. Besides, couldn’t you tell he was lying with your heartbeat earthbending sense thingy?” Sokka would have aimed a judgemental look at Jet, but being inside an Earth tent with no escape, the look would have been wasted. So he sighed loudly, pointedly pretending not to notice the tiny upward curve at the end of Zuko’s mouth. Spirits, Zuko was too attractive. Ignoring that train of thought, he listened as Toph began to answer his question.

“That’s the thing. Yeah, he was clearly lying about not knowing why Zuko punched him. But he wasn’t lying about wanting to help or knowing about the Dai Li. I think… I think he might know where the headquarters are.” Katara moved towards Aang as Toph spoke, quietly taking his hand and gently lending him her support. Toph directed her tone towards Aang. “It’s up to you, Twinkletoes. I think that we can let Zuko and Sokka get the information out of another Dai Li agent if it makes you feel better, and see if that story matches up with whatever Jet wanted to say. That way, we have confirmation about the info, and can see if Jet really means to be helping us or is leading us into a trap.” Toph tapped her foot impatiently. Aang glanced over at Sokka, clearly asking what he thought. Sokka took a moment to consider it just to make sure, but his instincts told him that what Toph had suggested was the best course. He looked back at Aang and nodded once. The Avatar sighed.

“We’ll do that, then. Katara, I’m going to lower Toph’s tent, but only when you and Zuko are ready. I also want your help in keeping an eye on Jet while the others are off confirming the information he gives us, just in case.” Katara nodded, gently squeezing Aang’s hand before letting go and readying her bending water. Aang looked over at the others. “Does everyone understand the plan?” When they all had grunted some form of ‘yes,’ Aang looked at Katara and Zuko. Zuko fell into an easy stance, his gaze not leaving Jet’s tent once.

“I’m good when Katara is,” Zuko said.

“Do it now, Aang,” Katara spoke with a slight edge to her voice. Aang took a deep breath, bringing his hands up and then down to lower the earth. The tent lowered back into the ground, but Toph quickly put dirt handcuffs on Jet so that he couldn’t attack.

“Come on.” Jet groaned, but shut up under the glare Zuko gave him. Katara looked at Zuko approvingly, something that totally didn’t make Sokka’s heart clench.

Katara spoke. “You said you have an in with the Dai Li. Do you know where their headquarters are and how to get in?” Jet nodded. “Then tell us.” Katara instructed. So Jet did.

“It’s a place called Lake Laogai.” Sokka gasped, as did Aang.

“That’s where Joo Dee said she went on vacation.” He remembered. She had seemed so different after that… no wonder. Aang, Toph, and Katara shuddered at the same time as Sokka, evidently coming to the same conclusion. There was something that the Dai Li did to people there. Zuko seemed slightly confused, but quickly shook it off.

“Where is Lake Laogai at?” Sokka asked Jet. Jet pointed to their map of Ba Sing Se that was on the table. Sokka grabbed it and held it up for Jet to see. He nodded at a large body of water in the Lower Ring, on the South Eastern side.

“They took me there too. After… I fought ‘Li.’” He nodded at Zuko, who blanched.

“I’m sorry that the Dai Li took you Jet, I thought you just were in a cell until Longshot and Smellerbee broke you out or something.” Zuko seemed guilty, genuinely, and Sokka was having none of it.

“Zuko, there was no way you could have known what was going to happen. You were protecting yourself and your Uncle. Also, Li?” Sokka had moved over to Zuko as he spoke and put his hand on Zuko’s shoulder on pure instinct. Sokka’s lips quirked up as he tested out the fake name. Zuko blushed a little, and if that wasn’t the cutest shit ever. Sokka blushed too once Katara pointedly cleared her throat.

“My idiot brother is right.” She said. Sokka protested half-heartedly, knowing she was teasing. Zuko tensed under his hand.

“He’s not an idiot, Katara.” Zuko said with an intensity in his voice that Sokka had never heard before. It shook him down to his core, and Sokka wanted nothing more in that moment to kiss Zuko. But, he had to make Zuko stand down. Sokka realized that Zuko didn’t know that Katara was teasing, which made sense given that his own sister was Azula of all people. Sokka squeezed Zuko’s shoulder, turning the man to face him.

“It’s okay dude, she’s teasing.” He whispered. Zuko’s eyes widened in understanding, before turning back to Katara.

“Sorry.” He muttered. Katara nodded, evidently having come to the same conclusion as Sokka.

“No problem.” She nodded. Sokka was glad that Katara was quickly getting along with Zuko. For some reason, he wanted them to be nice to each other. It totally wasn’t because he was worried about how Katara would react to him liking Zuko if she still hated him. Nope, not at all.

Sokka turned back to Jet, who seemed to be watching Zuko and Katara with something like sadness. Sokka glared at Jet, who glared back. It made him feel a little better.

“Do you know how they guard the entrance?” Aang asked Jet. Jet nodded.

“Only an earthbender can open the tunnel.” Everyone looked to Toph, who smirked.

“I bet once we get there it won’t be a problem.” Aang, Sokka, and Katara laughed at that, knowing that she would be just fine. Even Zuko cracked a smile - he had seen her fight Azula, and he knew better than to underestimate the greatest Earthbender in the world. Jet nodded.

“Look, guys, I am sorry. I’m trying to be better and not be so angry all the time anymore. It’s why I came to Ba Sing Se in the first place. Katara, you inspired me. And Li - Zuko - I am sorry about trying to out you as a firebender. I felt betrayed, but you haven’t hurt anyone here the way I have.” Jet seemed to genuinely be apologizing. But there was one more thing.

“You still haven’t apologized for what you said about my Uncle.” Zuko glared.

“Well yeah, I mean, I was right -” Before Zuko or even Toph could get a hit in, Sokka moved and hit Jet with his boomerang.

“That’s for my sister, my friends, and Zuko’s wonderful Uncle you absolute piece of shit.” Sokka said, before realizing that Jet had crumpled to the floor. Unconscious. Sokka turned to face the rest of the Gaang, blushing a little.

“Hell yeah, that’s my big brother!” Katara rushed in and hugged him while Aang and Toph laughed. Sokka barely noticed that though, watching Zuko as his jaw dropped… while looking at Sokka. Katara let go of the hug, rolled her eyes, and hit the boys upside the head.

“Flirt later. Confirm Jet’s story now.” She said. “Aang and I will find Longshot and Smellerbee - there’s no way they’re super far away - and will let them take Jet back to his house. Toph, he doesn’t need those cuffs anymore. He’s out.” She laughed. Toph obliged, smirking at Sokka.

“Nice hit, Snoozles.” Sokka grinned, wild and free. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zuko staring, and flushed a pretty shade of red, still grinning.

“Zuko and I will find someone else to confirm the story now.” He said, grabbing Zuko’s hand and hauling them out into the cool air of the Earth Kingdom night. Zuko was laughing, a sound Sokka didn’t think he would ever tire of hearing.

“That was amazing. Thank you,” The firebender grinned openly, and Sokka wanted to see that smile and hear that laugh for the rest of his life if he could get it. Sokka smirked.

“No problem. Now, let’s go get us a Dai Li agent.” Zuko put his Blue Spirit mask on, though not before smirking at Sokka. Zuko leapt up to the rooftop in a graceful movement, and Sokka watched in awe. At that moment, however, someone attacked.

One man in a Dai Li uniform quickly tried to hit Zuko, who punched him just as effortlessly as he had Jet. The man slid off the roof, Zuko following, as Sokka grabbed the guy. Toph, sensing the fight, came out and bent a pair of cuffs on his hands and feet. Sokka dropped the man, secured, and stepped next to Zuko.

“You didn’t even need me with you, you liar.” Sokka teased. Zuko huffed, a little smoke coming out of the mask’s nose. Toph came up and punched Zuko in the arm.

“Remind me that we have to spar sometime, Sparky.” Zuko quickly agreed, and Sokka felt his heart swell a little more at how well Zuko was getting along with everyone else already. The Dai Li agent groaned, reminding Sokka why they were outside.

“Oi. Your headquarters location, now.” He said. The Dai Li man scoffed.

“Like I would ever tell.” Sokka grinned menacingly at that. He lowered himself, squatting threateningly next to the man.

“Buddy. I have the greatest earthbender in the world and the man who knocked you off a roof with a single punch right here. And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve got my weapons, too. Talk, or we can see how many more times you can fall off a roof.” Sokka didn’t mean it, of course, but he knew that fear would be the easiest way to get the Dai Li agent to talk. Sokka knew how to be threatening without really meaning it - bluffing was a great way to stall someone attacking you, after all. But his tone of voice brooked no argument.

“Okay, okay! Please don’t hurt me! It’s Lake Laogai. You just have to earthbend the tunnel open from under the lake. Otherwise, it’s unguarded. Please don’t hurt me!” The man looked like he wanted to bolt, but couldn’t. Sokka relaxed his stare and posture, standing up.

“Dude, we weren’t actually going to hurt you. That would have been cruel.” Sokka said. Truth be told, he was starting to worry about how much he had made the man freak out. He saw Toph roll her eyes, earthbending the cuffs away from the Dai Li agent who remained frozen. Sokka softened his look completely. “You’re free to go. Seriously, I didn’t mean to freak you out that bad. We just wanted the information.” Sokka apologized, holding his hand carefully out to the Dai Li agent. The man took it, swallowing hard. He got up with Sokka’s help before quickly earthbending himself the hell out of the street by their house. Toph laughed.

“Damn, Sokka. Nice going.” Sokka stared after the man guiltily.

“It didn’t feel nice. I really didn’t mean to scare him that bad.” Sokka felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and turned to come face to face with Zuko.

“Sokka. You did what you needed to to get the information we needed. You said yourself, you were never going to actually hurt him. And the fact that you still care about your enemies, still treat them like human beings, even after all the hurt you and your family have been put through, is amazing.” Sokka heard the unspoken part - the hurt you’ve been put through because of me. Somehow, though, Sokka felt better. He leaned into Zuko’s touch, a small thank you escaping his lips as Zuko hugged him gently. Sokka hugged Zuko back, just as gently, thanking the spirits that Zuko was there beside him. Behind them, Sokka heard Toph, talking quietly with Katara and Aang, who had evidently already got Jet back to his friends. Katara turned to them.

“It’s time. We want to leave now to get Appa back as fast as possible.” Her tone was a little apologetic, Sokka thought. Zuko pulled away from him, Sokka already missing the closeness and warmth of the firebender. Zuko and Sokka both nodded, blushes light on their cheeks, as the Gaang started the long walk to Lake Laogai in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. Sokka knew Aang was anxious - it was obvious. He walked up to Aang quickly.

“He’ll be okay, Aang. We’re going to get him today.” Aang nodded. Zuko came up on Aang’s other side.

“I’m going to help you however I can. Sokka’s right - we will get him back.” Sokka didn’t know if it was the quiet confidence, the small speeches, or the way Zuko had said we. All he knew was that as he grabbed Zuko’s hand and smiled at him, everything felt like it was finally clicking into place.

Chapter Text

As they approached Lake Laogai, Zuko wanted to use his bending to fly for the sheer joy he was feeling. Uncle had been right - this group of people was where he felt like he could finally be himself without being judged or hurt for it. Zuko didn’t even know that a feeling like that was possible, and had previously thought that if it was possible then it certainly would never be directed at him. But as he ran next to Aang and Sokka, all he could feel was happy and exhilarated.

Zuko never would have expected this group to let him help so quickly, and certainly not to let him run freely while he was there. But here he was. He had meant what he said to Sokka, and Toph had sensed that he was telling the truth. Aang had asked if they could be friends even while Zuko had been chasing him, so he wasn’t as surprised by Aang’s willingness to let him help. Katara had been the person Zuko worried about the most, but they had begun bonding over their mutual hatred for Jet, and Zuko could tell that somehow Katara was starting to trust that he had changed. And as for Sokka…

Zuko glanced over at the warrior beside him. Sokka looked wild, like a wolf running with its pack, and the look suited him so well it made Zuko wish that he could paint a picture of him. Sokka’s hair was still in the wolf tail, though it was blowing behind him from the wind as they ran. There was a small smile on Sokka’s face, though whether it was from hope about Appa or the happiness of running so freely, Zuko couldn’t tell. Before he knew it, the five of them had arrived at the lake.

Toph pointed a little to the right and ahead of them. “Over there, when we’re ready.” Aang marched forward, but Katara put a hand on his shoulder to pause him.

“Aang,” Her voice was gentle as she spoke to him, “We need to be subtle and careful. We all know how tricky the Dai Li are. It will be best to see if we can sneak in.” Zuko saw how Aang tensed at that, clearly just wanting to get Appa back as soon as possible. He glared at a pile of sand, and Zuko walked in front of where Aang was looking, making sure that the airbender could see him.

“Aang. We all will do whatever we can to get Appa back. But Katara is right - it will be easier and quicker to get him out if no one knows that we’re here.” Aang glared a little at Zuko, but turned his head away and nodded silently. Zuko pretended not to notice the tears threatening to spill over. Katara glanced at Zuko as she gave him a tiny, grateful nod. Zuko copied the motion, turning back to Aang.

“Open the tunnel, please.” Aang spoke to Toph, who had already bent the bridge to it up. Aang moved forwards first, though his footsteps felt and sounded lighter to Zuko, more like how he had heard them in the past. As Zuko moved by Toph, she punched him gently in the arm. It was a form of her affection, and Zuko smiled to himself at receiving it. Once they were all inside the tunnel with the entrance closed, Zuko lit a small flame so that they all could see. To his surprise, the flame was gold in color, not his usual orange and yellow. The gold looked like the exact color of the Fire Lord’s crown, and Zuko momentarily freaked out. Then Sokka spoke quietly next to him as they walked down the tunnel.

“I’ve never seen your flames that color.” Sokka whispered. It was quiet enough in the tunnel with none of the others talking that Zuko knew they could all hear every word that was said. He didn’t really mind though. Zuko’s flames flickered with his emotions, and so Zuko took a deep breath to help himself regulate both.

“Neither have I. Golden flames are very, very rare. It has always meant only one thing, even though that thing changed with the war.” Zuko whispered back, just as quiet as Sokka. Sokka gave a curious hum and the other’s ears perked up, clearly wanting Zuko to continue. So he did.

“Before Sozin’s time, a golden flame meant one was blessed by Agni, or by the dragons in Her name. Everyone thought of it as a blessing, especially if the person was a member of the Royal Family. It meant you had to listen to them, because Agni believed that they were doing the right thing. My great-grandfather changed it all, though, just like with everything else. After his reign, almost no one has been able to produce a golden flame, including himself. Sozin was angered by this, believing that since it was clearly his divine right to rule the world that the golden flames being Agni’s blessing was a bunch of crap. He decreed that anyone who had them was actually a traitor to the Fire Nation and should therefore be imprisoned for life and tortured for the rest of their existence. He didn’t want death, because in the Fire Nation, death is a mercy. This is something my father whole-heartedly agreed with.” His new friends looked concerned, and like they were absorbing this information in and considering it as carefully as they could.

“Who had the golden flames before you, then?” Sokka had clearly asked this question instead of saying whatever he was actually thinking, but still respecting Zuko’s privacy. Zuko smiled a little, grateful that Sokka was concerned about him. It was a nice feeling, and one he really wasn’t used to having. He also saw that quick brain of Sokka’s at work again, and found he couldn’t help but admire the man next to him. Zuko cleared his throat to help himself focus before answering.

“Almost all of the ancient Sun Warriors - a tribe in the fire nation of those who devoted themselves to bending fire like the sun and the dragons - had golden flames. They were destroyed along with the dragons by Sozin. Since then, I have only seen one other person who could bend flames of gold if he wanted to.” Zuko looked in Sokka’s eyes, and Sokka understood.

“How long has Iroh been bending them? And how did he manage to not get imprisoned or tortured with it?” Zuko smiled, thinking of just how brilliant his uncle was.

“I think it was when he disappeared. After he halted the siege on Ba Sing Se, when Lu Ten - my cousin, his son - died during it, uncle couldn’t be found. That’s how my fa- I mean, how Ozai became the Fire Lord and I became the Crown Prince, even though uncle was the rightful heir. Uncle was gone for a year. I don’t know what happened to him then, but I know that he is rumored to have visited the Spirit World. Knowing him, I’d be surprised if that rumor wasn’t true. When he came back, he was so different. He had always been kind to me and Azula, and never had laid a hand on either of us. Now, though, he seemed even more gentle and kind. He decided to train me, and he’s the best teacher I’ve ever had by far. One night, before I was banished, he took me out on the ocean at night time. We went to a tiny, deserted island not too far from Caldera, but it was so small that no one had ever bothered settling it. We were the only ones there, inside a little cave in the hill that took up most of the island. In that cave, uncle showed me his usual flames, and then made them turn gold. I was so surprised, and wasn’t sure what to do. I had always thought that the ancient ways were right, that the golden flames were a sign of Agni’s blessing, but I also knew what my father thought of them and what the law was. I decided not to tell anyone else, and told uncle so. He hugged me, and told me that he loved me. It was so amazing, getting to keep a secret with him, away from my father. He showed me that he trusted me, that night. This is the first time I’ve ever told anyone else.” He concluded. They had all stopped in the tunnel, listening to Zuko’s whispered story. Sokka smiled at him, looking proud. Zuko was starting to flush red again, before he felt a small, feather-light hand grab his own.

“Hey, Zuko, um. Avatar Roku is telling me that he wants to speak with everyone, but especially you. He says it can wait until we have Appa back, but I thought you should have the choice.” Aang’s eyes were hopeful in the darkness, though they needn’t have been. Zuko already knew his answer.

“Appa first. Then we can talk to Roku. Deal?” Zuko barely finished his question before Aang was hugging him enthusiastically. Zuko hugged Aang back for a moment, before Aang was pulling away and walking forward again. The rest of the group followed, but after a minute Zuko felt Sokka take his hand. Zuko tried not to shake from excitement too much, given the fact that his crush was holding his hand.

“Sokka, what is it?” Zuko whispered, stopping. Sokka stopped too, and the others were all ahead, far enough now that Zuko knew that they couldn’t hear the conversation.

“Zuko, I - I wanted to say something.” Zuko’s guts twisted, wondering what he had done wrong, but he nodded anyway. Sokka took a deep breath before beginning again. “I think that you are really, really brave. You’re going against everything you were taught, and that takes major guts. You are standing up for what is right, and you’re so brilliant at it, even though it must be hard. I can’t imagine what it’s like, but I wanted to say thank you for doing it, and that I want to be here for you if you ever need to talk. I know you have your uncle, but I want…” Sokka took a deep breath, “I want to be someone you can rely on.”

Zuko’s heart clenched hard. Spirits, he had never had someone say something so nice to him or about him before. And to hear it from someone who by all rights should hate him after everything Zuko had done to him, his tribe, his family - it shook Zuko to his core. He didn’t realize he was crying until Sokka swore.

“Shit, I - I’m sorry, Tui and La, I didn’t mean to make you cry -” Sokka’s hand left his, but Zuko grabbed it back and shushed Sokka.

“No, no, you’re fine, I - that is literally the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I just - I want to be someone you can rely on too, and Spirits, you are just so - so-” Zuko couldn’t finish the sentence for fear of ruining the new found friendship. Luckily, Sokka didn’t seem to mind. He squeezed Zuko’s hand, and nodded at him in understanding and solidarity. Zuko nodded back. Without speaking, they ran to catch up to the other three, who were looking in confusion for the two of them after they had noticed that Zuko’s flame was no longer lighting up the tunnel around them.

“Why did you stop?” It was Katara asking, and Zuko had automatically braced himself to hear hostility in her voice. He was surprised when there wasn’t any, despite the question being directed at him. All of them were so trusting of him so quickly… he felt like he didn’t deserve it. Then he felt Toph punch his arm as a show of support, and Zuko relaxed a little.

“Oh, just talking.” Sokka answered. Katara nodded, seemingly satisfied, and that was that. Toph spoke.

“We’re nearly there.” Just as she said it the tunnel began to shake. Of course this couldn’t be that simple. Luckily, Zuko realized what was happening just in time.

Zuko felt the earth rise against him. He leapt into the air, pulling Sokka with him, as two of the Dai Li and Long Feng blasted through the earth in front of them. Toph had also felt the shaking of their earth bending, and leapt out of the way, and quickly bent the Earth around the three Dai Li agents to hold them in place instead. Aang broke his feet free and then Katara’s. Long Feng broke Toph’s bending around himself, leaving his other agents to fend for themselves as he squared up to fight them.

“I see you found our headquarters. How fortunate for me. It would have made far too much of a scene to kill the Avatar in the open in Ba Sing Se, but here you are, all mine.” Zuko snarled, a wall of golden fire erupting between Aang and Long Feng.

“You will not hurt him,” He rumbled aggressively while stalking towards Long Feng like a dragon on the hunt. Long Feng looked panicked, clearly not expecting the group to have a furious firebender with them. Zuko growled, a sound deep in his throat that sounded like a volcano waking up.

“Leave us be and let Appa go. Or. Else.” His words were strong and commanding, and Long Feng flinched back at them. Despite flinching, however, he smirked and got into a fighting stance just as the other two Dai Li men broke free from Toph’s earthbending.

Toph quickly dealt with them again, surrounding them in earth once more and gluing them to the ceiling with it. Katara’s water whipped around Long Feng’s arm, pulling him off balance as Zuko sent a blast of flame towards his feet. Long Feng fell as Aang pulled earth on top of him. Katara used her water to cover the rock and turned it to ice, adding an extra layer to make it harder for him to escape again. And just like that, it was over. Zuko let out a short breath.

“Quick. More will come running if we don’t act fast. We need to get Appa and get out now.” Zuko started running. Aang quickly surpassed him and led the way, earthbending the last bit of the tunnel himself. Sokka threw his boomerang, knocking out the other two Dai Li who were still struggling despite Toph having caught them, and quickly followed behind with Katara and Toph running next to him. The group burst into a main room, where dozens of the Dai Li agents were waiting in a large semicircle around the tunnel’s entrance.

Zuko took a deep breath and set a small wall of fire between the group and the agents so that the Dai Li couldn’t get too close. Toph bent the earth beneath them and their friends, stopping any attacks from below. Aang stopped each of the rocks thrown at them from the Dai Li, not even blinking as he did so. Sokka threw his boomerang, hard, and it flew around the room knocking every Dai Li agent unconscious as it went. The others stopped bending, and Zuko looked at Sokka in astonishment and awe. Sokka caught his boomerang as he smirked back, and off they all ran, unimpeded this time.

They followed each door, Toph and Aang both sensing where the largest room in the underground headquarters was. The team burst through the door, and Aang started sobbing.

Appa was lying, in chains, near the back of the room. Appa immediately rose and tried to run towards them, but was stopped by the chains. Aang ran towards Appa, jumping onto his head to hug him. Zuko swore he could feel the bison purr at finally, finally being reunited with Aang. Zuko walked forward slowly, pulling out his swords as he went. He stopped just before Appa and bowed, silently asking permission to free him. Appa nodded his head with Aang still holding on. With six quick and deadly precise strokes of his dao swords, he broke the cuffs of Appa’s chains, freeing the bison. Everyone quickly surrounded Appa and hugged him, and Appa seemed to melt into it. Zuko smiled at them, glad that his new little family were so happy and had their bison back. As he turned to give them space, he felt Appa lick him from head to toe. Zuko groaned, but didn’t mind as he heard the others giggle. He felt Sokka pull him into the hug with Appa, right next to him. Zuko gently hugged the bison happily, but pulled away sooner than he would have ideally liked.

“We need to get him out of here before anyone else shows up. Plus, he’s a sky bison. He shouldn’t be kept underground.” Zuko pointed out to Aang. The other nodded, still holding Appa. There was no saddle on Appa’s back, like usual, but Zuko looked around and spotted it by the door the group had come through. With everyone’s help, they got Appa’s saddle back on. Aang bent the earth open above them, creating a hole large enough to fly out of after they all were in the saddle. Katara kept the water from flowing in as Sokka shouted for Appa to fly.

“Yip yip!” Sokka yelled as yet more Dai Li agents burst into the room. Appa flew out from under the lake, and Zuko was glad that he was hanging onto the saddle or else he thought he might have flown off. They flew into the bright sun, and Zuko calmed down as Appa flew a few times around the lake. Zuko looked at Sokka and grinned, glad when the warrior gave his own fierce smile back. Zuko had never felt more alive. After a while, Appa landed on the edge of the lake where Long Feng was waiting, bit his leg, and threw him out to the lake. Aang bent the rest of the agents into the lake as well, where Katara created a wave that sent them to the distant shores on the other side.

The group slid out of the saddle to properly hug Appa again, and this time, Zuko didn’t hesitate.
He pointedly ignored Aang’s whispered “I missed you, buddy,” knowing that the simple statement would hold more for both Aang and Appa than Zuko could understand. Aang backed away slightly, and let Appa settle down just behind him when the group decided to sit in a circle on the sand.

“I’m so glad to have him back,” Katara said, petting Appa’s fur from where she sat next to Aang. Toph sat next to her, a hand on Appa’s leg too. She looked like she was about to cry, and since she was next to Zuko, he nudged her.

“Toph, what’s wrong?” He asked. She sniffed. That wasn’t like her at all, so Zuko did the only thing he could think of and punched her gently in the arm. She laughed a little, and it seemed to help loosen the tension in her entire body.

“The others know this, but it was my fault that Appa was captured. I’m so, so sorry I couldn’t protect you.” She told the sky bison, whose head had turned to face her. The others all made noises of protest, but it was Aang who spoke.

“Toph, you chose to save us. It wasn’t your fault.” Zuko saw a tear trace its way down Toph’s cheeks. Aang seemed to notice this too, because he continued. “I didn’t mean what I said in the desert, I was upset and looking for someone to blame it on. I am so sorry I said that, but it really wasn’t your fault. We wouldn’t be here without you.” Aang spoke gently, and Toph sniffed a little again. Then she was licked by Appa, who had made his way over to her to reassure her. Toph buried herself in Appa’s fur, hugging him and crying. Zuko did the best he could to comfort her, and rubbed her back gently the way he always had wished someone would do for him.

“I think that if there was anything to forgive - which I seriously doubt there is in the first place - Appa has just forgiven you for it.” Toph chuckled, and let her hand rest on Appa’s fur as she turned back to face the group.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice sounded so small, but Katara answered her this time.

“It’s okay, Toph. Are you going to be alright?” Toph took a moment to consider the question before nodding. “Good, because we have things to discuss.” The others nodded, and Aang spoke up.

“Look, I know we have to talk to the Earth King, but Avatar Roku is really insistent on talking to us now that we have Appa back.” The others nodded, and Zuko felt himself nodding too as Aang turned to him. “Zuko, are you ready?”

Once Zuko took a deep breath, he said yes. Then Aang’s tattoos started glowing. His usually blue tattoos turned silver-white like when he was in the Avatar State. Zuko looked on in shock, listening as a voice that wasn’t Aang’s spoke from the air bender’s body.

“Hello Prince Zuko.” Avatar Roku’s voice said. The silver glow became blue, peeling away from Aang until Roku’s spirit sat in front of all of them. Aang looked like he was himself again, glancing between Roku and Zuko. “And hello to all of you - Sokka, Katara, and Toph. And Aang, it’s nice to properly speak with you again.” All of them bowed to Roku as best they could. Once they rose from that bow, Zuko did his best to speak.

“Wha- huh?” Was all Zuko could manage. Roku laughed gently, placing a gentle hand on Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko expected the hand to go right through him, but instead, he felt the warmth of the hand as though Roku was alive.

“Sozin was wrong, as I know you are aware, but Agni is allowing me to explain on her behalf. Plus, I wanted the chance to properly meet my great-grandson.” Zuko’s mouth dropped open in tandem with Aang’s, as they looked at each other before glancing back at Roku, who’s eyes were dancing with mirth.

“I’m… very confused.” Zuko said slowly, after a moment. Roku nodded, the warmth and laughter never leaving his eyes.

“Then allow me to explain, as I came here to do. Sozin was your father’s grandfather, while I am your mother’s grandfather. I am here to tell you important information that will help you understand yourselves, how the war began, and maybe even how to end it.” Roku paused and the group fully relaxed, settling in for the story. “Keep in mind, this is the short version. I have a longer version that I will be able to show you all if you ever visit my home island.” Aang nodded, and by a single glance, Zuko could tell that they would all be going there fairly soon. For now, though, they listened.

“Sozin and I were best friends, as children. We shared so much in life, until we found out that I was the Avatar at our 16th birthday. I left for over a decade to train, and became a fully realized Avatar after 12 long years. Sozin had become Firelord when I finally returned home, and he greeted me as though I had never left. We were still the best of friends. I got married to the love of my life, Ta Min, and it was at my wedding reception that he told me that he wanted to “share the Fire Nation’s wealth and prosperity with the rest of the world” by colonizing it. I said no and that it was wrong. Truthfully, I was shocked that my best friend could suggest something like that. I warned him that I couldn’t let that happen. He ignored me, and despite another warning, he continued. In the end, I died fighting a volcano with him. The toxic gasses had poisoned me, and even after fighting with me he left me to die there. I am telling all of you all of this because it is important to understanding how to end this horrible war. Aang, Zuko, I am so sorry that you two are the ones to inherit my mistakes. But together, I believe that you can not only save the world, but change it for the better.” Roku finished.

Zuko and Aang looked at each other again, and Zuko realized that he would help Aang however he could. Of course he would, he was already starting to see the young monk like a little brother, even if Aang was technically his great-grandfather. Aang seemed to come to the same conclusion, and held his arms out to Zuko for a hug. Zuko accepted, scooting over to him and squeezing Aang so softly, the way he had never been held as a child. They let go, smiling at each other, knowing that their destinies were intertwined, and that neither of them would have it any other way. They turned back to Roku, bowing in sync in the Fire Nation style. Roku, to Zuko’s surprise, bowed back just as respectfully.

“Now, Zuko, that you have decided of your own accord to join the Avatar, Agni has given you her blessing - not just to fight alongside Aang, but to teach and guide him as well. She also believes that you need to be the one to take the throne at the end of the war.” Zuko’s eyes widened.

“Wait, but I’m not even that good a bender! Shouldn’t someone like Uncle teach him? Besides, I don’t even want to go back anymore!” Zuko argued desperately. Roku gently shook his head.

“No, Zuko. You are an amazing bender, and one who has been learning to draw on peace, kindness, and love, like fire is meant to be drawn from, instead of the rage and hate that so many others use for their firebending today. You are destined to teach Aang firebending, and not only that. You are destined to restore the honor of the Fire Nation. Agni herself has blessed you because she believes you to not only be strong enough, but to be worthy of her blessing. You, Zuko, are the only one who can once again bring peace and kindness to the world. Aang’s destiny is to end the war. Yours, my great grandson, is to rebuild the world from the devastation left in your ancestors’ wake, if you so choose. You are only 16, so I will not force you to do this if you truly do not wish to. But I believe that if you have the chance to be the Fire Lord, without Ozai and with your friends, you would be the greatest Fire Lord of all. You have always loved your country, and the Spirits and I believe that you are the best chance that the world has. As I said, I will not force you, because you deserve the chance to have your own choice. But know, my great grandson, that I believe in you.” It was being given the freedom to choose his own destiny more than anything that made Zuko decide. He was finally given a choice. He had had no choice in the past, with people like his father deciding what he was allowed to do and what he wasn’t. Avatar Roku, his great grandfather, was telling him, just like Uncle had, that Zuko could choose his own destiny. That he could be whatever and whomever he wanted to be.

Zuko drew himself up to his full height, and spoke with the passion of the sun in his heart. “If Aang lets me, I will teach him firebending. I will learn how to draw on fire from passion and love, the way the Ancient Sun-Warriors did. I will bend from the breath like my Uncle has taught me, not from the hate and destruction of the previous three Fire Lords. When Ozai is defeated, I will take the Throne, and try to rebuild the world into an era of peace, hope, and kindness. I recognize that it will not be easy, but you are right, Great Grandfather. It is my destiny. I will do my best, and learn from any mistakes I make. I am Zuko, heir to the Fire Nation and her throne. Should the group around me accept my offer of peace and help, then by Agni’s divine light, I will make Her as proud as I can.” Zuko hadn’t planned for any of that to come out of his mouth, but it all felt right. Roku bowed to him, and as he turned, Zuko saw the rest of them bowing too. He felt more than a little embarrassed by it. Roku stood with the rest of the group, and hugged Zuko. Zuko felt his warmth, and was glad that he got to meet his great grandfather. Roku pulled away, smiling, and put one hand on his and Aang’s shoulders.

“Remember, I will always be with you both.” And with that, Roku and Aang began to glow in the Avatar State again, before Roku’s spirit melted back into Aang. Aang opened his eyes, gray again, and smiled at Zuko.

“I didn’t know we were related,” Aang quipped, and Zuko laughed silently. He started trembling a little, overwhelmed by all that had happened. He felt someone’s arms around him, and that grounded him as he felt truly safe for the first time in a very long time. Coming back to himself, he noticed that it was Sokka who was gently holding him like he was precious. Like he was worth something. It nearly made him cry, but they were happy tears. Zuko felt Aang’s arms around him too, then, and suddenly, the whole group was crying and laughing and hugging each other.

“In case it wasn’t made obvious by that, we’re family now.” Katara declared. Zuko chuckled.
“So, will you all let me stay with you? Aang, will you let me teach you Firebending?” He was mostly sure that the answer was yes, but there was still a tiny amount of fear in his voice. Toph quickly squashed it, though.

“Um, I think I speak for all of us when I say: Yeah, Duh!” She laughed brightly. The others nodded their agreement, including Aang. They pulled away from him, but Zuko held on to Sokka’s arm for a moment.

“Sokka -” Zuko didn’t know how to express what he wanted to say. Sokka turned and looked at him, staring into Zuko’s eyes. Zuko looked back and saw a fierce, loving warrior whom he wanted to protect and be protected by. That’s all that either of them needed, because suddenly both of them were hugging each other once more. Katara laughed a little and stood up, dragging Aang and Toph with her to Appa’s saddle again.
“You two have fun with your little talk! Zuko, signal us when you want us to land!” WIth that, they took off, Appa flying around the lake once more. Her voice was both teasing and knowing, which confused Zuko because he had no clue what was going on. He turned back to Sokka, who was very obviously trying to avoid his eyes. Zuko cleared his throat, blush high on his cheeks.

“Um.” Zuko said eloquently, and they glanced at each other for a moment before breaking into snorting laughter. It subsided eventually, and Zuko saw Sokka looking at him with a fond expression. It was so tender that Zuko felt his blush deepen.

“Zuko, I need to tell you something.” Zuko’s heart dropped. Of course Sokka didn’t feel the same way. He probably only liked girls. Before Zuko could get too lost in the spiral, though, Sokka continued. “I like you. Like, really, really like you. As in, I realized that I’ve had a crush on you for at least a couple months now and you’re so pretty and I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable because I know the group just accepted you but I needed you to know.” Zuko was stunned. His brain just went sort of blank, except for the words Sokka had said bouncing around in his head. ‘I like you. I like you. I like you.’ But then Sokka turned away, and Zuko realized he’d been staring silently for too long. So he spoke quickly

“Sokka, I like you too. Like, a lot. You are so good at everything, and for a while I thought that oh, I just wanted to be like you. But then I figured it out. I want to be with you, if you’ll let me.” Both of them were blushing now and leaning closer. Zuko’s heart was beating so fast he thought it might beat itself right out of his chest. Sokka’s lips looked so inviting. Zuko kept staring at them as Sokka spoke again.

“Can I kiss you?” Sokka asked it so gently. Zuko had never met someone who always asked and was so considerate of him and what he actually wanted before. It was a feeling he was quickly getting addicted to.

“Yes, please.” Zuko answered. The words had only just left his lips before he felt Sokka’s on his own. Their first kiss was relatively chaste and gentle. Sokka’s lips were warm and smooth. They were going slow, exploring each other softly. Zuko moved to press his lips against the corner of Sokka’s mouth, opening his eyes to find Sokka staring at him with his mouth open a little. Zuko smiled into the kiss, moving back to the center of Sokka’s lips as Sokka closed his mouth and eyes again. Then Zuko felt Sokka taking control.

Sokka pressed into him a little harder in a way that made Zuko gasp a little. Sokka pulled back, clearly worried that it was too much. Zuko chased after him, wanting more. Sokka laughed a little, diving back in. It was still soft, but Sokka was a little more insistent this time. He pressed his lips against Zuko’s heavily, and nipped at his lower lip. Zuko groaned, pushing himself harder into the kiss. They both broke apart after a little while, panting hard.

“Woah.” Sokka said, blushing. Zuko blushed too.

“Woah yourself.” They laughed, and Zuko shyly held out his hand. Sokka took it immediately, moving until he had his side pressed against Zuko.

“So, can I ask what we are now?” Sokka’s voice held a note of fear in it, though he did quite a good job of making it steady. Zuko gently kissed his cheek.
“Can I be your boyfriend, if you’re okay with that?” Zuko was rarely so bold, but he trusted Sokka with everything he had. Sokka’s blinding smile was worth it.

“Of course, Zuko. Oh! Does this mean I get to call you pet names?!” Sokka laughed, and any trace of the former fear in his voice was completely gone. Zuko laughed too, a large smile of his own answering Sokka’s.

“I suppose. Just nothing too embarrassing, okay? And please keep it to a minimum in front of your sister. I don’t want to get on her bad side again.” Sokka laughed, squeezing the hand that was still holding Zuko’s.

“Right back atcha, baby.” He smirked. Zuko kissed the corner of Sokka’s mouth again, gently, and they watched for a few minutes as Appa flew around the lake. Zuko knew that there was hard and bitter work ahead of them, but he had a family now. He had Sokka. He decided that there was nothing that would stop him from protecting the people he loved as best as he could. As he and Sokka kissed again, all Zuko could feel was happiness, hope, peace, and a fulfilling sense of love that made him finally believe that everything would be alright.