𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. | zuko x sokka

3

A few hours into Zuko's shift, he saw Sokka and his girlfriend come in and sit at a table. He sighed deeply as he took tea to another table. He took a deep breath before walking over to Sokka's table. "Hey Sokka, what can I get you?"

"Hey Zuko! This is Suki." He introduced his girlfriend, and Zuko nodded. "It's... It's nice to meet you, Suki." "It's nice to meet you, too!" Suki spoke. She seemed to have a bubbly personality. Zuko soon took their tea orders, before telling his uncle what they wanted at the counter. He took another order of tea to another customer and smiled at her.

"Thank you," she spoke to Zuko. "I'm Jin." She spoke, smiling warmly at Zuko. "I'm... Uh, I'm Zuko." He spoke, scratching the back of his neck as his cheeks flushed. He didn't want to break it to her that he was gay publicly, because the only person who knew in the shop was his uncle. "Would you like to hangout sometime?" She spoke, locking eyes with Zuko.

Zuko made eye contact with her before glancing back at Sokka. Zuko sensed his eyes on him while he was talking to Jin, but Sokka looked away as soon as Zuko looked at him. Zuko inhaled deeply and soon nodded. "Sure, I wouldn't mind that." He spoke and smiled. "Alright! I'll meet you tonight at sundown in front of the shop. I'll see you then. See ya, Zuko." She spoke before leaving, and Zuko's face flushed once more.

Zuko soon brought Sokka and Suki their tea, and Sokka acted kind of cold towards him. This confused Zuko, because he didn't understand why Sokka would act like this. Was he jealous? He thought to himself. He couldn't be. He has a girlfriend. He said to himself. His shift was soon over, and the sunset was just ending.

He hung up his apron and said goodbye to his uncle before he left the shop. He headed outside, and smiling as he saw Jin. "Before we hang out, there's something I should probably tell you first." He spoke, and Jin nodded. "I'm... gay. So, I hope it's okay if we're just friends." Zuko spoke nervously, shaking a bit as he did. Jin nodded and smiled at Zuko, pulling him into a hug. "Of course!"

Zuko smiled in relief and hugged her back. "You don't have a problem with it? Or see me any differently?" He asked, making eye contact with Jin. She shook her head. "Of course not, Zuko. And anyone that would for that reason is dumb." She spoke and laughed.

Zuko laughed as well and smiled widely, nodding at her words. They took a walk through town, and stopped to get coffee. Once it had been getting late, they exchanged numbers and went their separate ways.

Once Zuko got home, he plugged his phone in since it had died, changed his clothes and laid down. He was still upset about Sokka, but spending time with Jin helped him feel a bit better. Once his phone turned back on, he noticed a text from Sokka. "How'd your date go?" It read. "It went pretty good." Zuko replied with a light chuckle before he set his phone down.

He didn't want Sokka to know he was gay just yet, and this was the perfect way to hide the fact that he was. And, he had a feeling it made Sokka jealous, considering the look he gave Zuko when Jin asked him out.

He soon fell asleep. Once he woke up the next morning, he dressed in a black shirt, a red flannel, and jeans. His usual outfit. He did his routine of talking to his Uncle before he left.

He skimmed the class room as he entered, and sat in his usual spot next to Sokka. As he was setting his bag down, Sokka spoke to him. "So you went on a date with that girl from the tea shop?" Zuko nodded at his words. "Mhm, she was really sweet. Her name is Jin." He spoke, not wanting to admit that it wasn't a date just yet.

"I'm glad you had a good time." Sokka spoke, and fake-yawned before putting his head down on his desk. Zuko furrowed his eyebrows at Sokka's words. He genuinely didn't understand why Sokka was acting like this towards him. They didn't speak for the rest of the period.