zukka, bitches! (oneshots)

feeling

"How are you feeling?" 

"I don't have feelings. I take them to an abyss deep within my soul and throw them off a cliff."

"..that was oddly specific."

in which sokka wants to show zuko that he cares about him when he joins the gaang, but zuko refuses to be vulnerable. sokka becomes determined to get the other boy to talk to him. 

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it was the third night after zuko had joined their group. everyone was still wary about his presence. aang tried making the best of things, toph would do her usual teasing, and katara was, understandably, in a bad mood whenever he was around or was mentioned. 

as for sokka, well.. sokka just wanted to understand. 

everyone had already eaten dinner and gone off to bed, leaving sokka and zuko alone. sokka decided now would be best, as no one else could possibly interrupt. 

"so," he said, walking over to zuko and sitting down next to him, "how are you feeling?"

zuko looked over at him quizzically. didn't anyone ever ask him stuff like this? 

"i don't have feelings," he deadpanned, "i take them to an abyss within my soul and throw them off a cliff." 

"..that was oddly specific," sokka replied, caught off guard by the answer, but ultimately not surprised. that was incredibly on brand for the fire nation prince. "so, um.. what's up?"

"why are you talking to me like you care?" zuko asked, looking away, "the least you could do is not pretend and act like the others. it'd hurt less." ouch. 

"i just want to get to know you, because you're apart of the group now and all," sokka explained, "and i, uh, kinda have to care. comes with the territory." another quizzical look. "..never mind."

they sat in silence for a while longer, until zuko spoke up. 

"..did i ever tell you why i hunted you and your friends?" he asked quietly, looking up at the night sky. the sudden question took sokka off guard. 

"uh.. no?" he responded, "i knew you hated us, i guess, because the fire nation and all, but.. no."

"i.. needed to regain my honor," zuko said, "i was banished by my father.. it was the only thing i could do to be allowed back home." 

sokka was stunned. why would the fire lord have his son do something that, at the time, was impossible? did he really hate his son that much? he knew the fire lord was a heartless guy, but not even caring about his own kid? 

"i was out there for three years," zuko explained further, "i was so desperate to go home.. i did anything i could to capture the avatar.. i'm so ashamed of all i've done." 

"hey, bud," sokka said gently, placing a hand on zuko's shoulder, "it's not your fault.. it never was, okay? it was your dad. the blame lays with him, no one else."

"but.. i burned down your friend's village," zuko countered, seemingly growing more and more upset, "i attacked you all on multiple occasions, i.. joined azula and fought against you. i made all those choices. i did all those terrible things--" 

"hey, it's okay," sokka assured, "i don't think i can speak for the whole gang here, but i forgive you. you've made good choices, too. you're a good person, zuko. i promise." 

they sat in silence for a moment or two longer.

"..thank you, sokka," zuko said, looking at the other boy, "i.. i know that, right now, i can't really think of myself like that. i'm.. just glad that someone else does." it had been such a long time since someone new had shown him compassion. for the longest time, it was only him and his uncle. 

"you're welcome, zuko," sokka smiled, standing up, "i'm gonna head off to bed now. i'm free to talk anytime, if you want." zuko nodded, watching sokka as he left. it was just him again, alone with his thoughts. this time, they had a much more positive light. 

he thought about sokka. how he cared about zuko when seemingly no one else in the group did, how he assured zuko that he was good, his gentle and caring touch.. zuko felt his face warm, and he began getting a fluttery feeling in his stomach. 

oh no. 

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i wish i could have a sokka, honestly--