Chapter 4

Sokka broke away from Zuko and stood staring at him, lips parted slightly and panting. The look on his face was like the sky, clouds of emotion chasing each other, first anger, then desire, then fear, then lust. Finally a look of amused acceptance settled and he waited patiently for Zuko to explain himself, arms folded.

Zuko for his part was looking remarkably composed for someone who had just almost literally jumped on someone.

“Well, that was....nice” Sokka ventured, after the silence had stretched seemingly into eternity.

Zuko smiled and nodded. Sokka tried to place a description on how he looked, was it bashful? Confident? Shy?

“Yes it was nice.” Zuko said with a smile, and he added with a sly smile “Hopefully it will be again?”

Sokka didn’t know what to say, where was the introvert? Zuko had long seemed the kind of person with no feelings, except anger, rage. Here, though, was a burning passion. Sokka had glimpsed that passion upon tasting Zuko’s lips and he was craving another.

“Again? Well.... I think that could be maybe arranged”

Sokka moved closer to Zuko and pressed himself against Zuko’s strong chest. Zuko’s arms moved around and held Sokka tightly by the back as they leaned in again, and when they were but a hairs breadth apart Zuko pulled back slightly and leaned in to whisper in Sokka’ ear.

“You know Sokka?” He waited tantalising seconds, making Sokka tremble with impatience. “I really like you”

And with that leaned in to kiss him again, this time Sokka pressed himself into it and felt the heat, like an opening blossom, rush from Zuko’s lips into his, sending a shiver down his back.

They pulled apart for a breath and lay down on their sleeping bags. With consent passing unspoken between them they each pulled their shirt off and came back together again, this time with the contact of skin to skin there seemed to be something more in the kiss. It seemed more real, like this wasn’t a dream, and, in fact, it was actually happening. This thought spurred both boys on and they were pressing themselves onto each other, hungering for the taste of the others lips, hands digging into the others back, trying to get as close as they could.
After an hour of passionate kissing they were laying still, curled together brow to brow. Zuko woke and gazed at Sokka’s sleeping form. Feeling Zuko’s gaze on him, Sokka stirred and frowned. Fluttering his eyelids he slowly woke up to find Zuko looking at him, smiling.

“What are you smiling at?” Sokka slurred.

“Nothing.... You look really cute when you’re asleep.”

Sokka was glad of the dark to cover his blush. He looked up at Zuko, his face shining in the moonlight. As he looked into those amber eyes a tremble ran down his back, a shiver of excitement. What they were doing, it was unheard of. It wasn’t banned, it wasn’t frowned upon. It was just unheard of. What would Katara think? Or Aang? Or even Toph?

What would Suki think?

That made Sokka pause, he settled back and thought about Suki. Azula had said she was in jail, but she always lied. Didn’t she? Did he still love Suki?
Sokka shook his head, he didn’t know, there were too many things to think of right now. Looking back up at Zuko he felt a warmth, he knew this was....right somehow.

Standing up he put his shirt back on.

“What are you doing?” Zuko asked, slightly put out, he had been enjoying the sight of Sokka’s tight, lithe body.

“Going for a walk, it’s always nice walk beneath the moon. Do you want to come?”

Zuko thought for a second and nodded, pulling on his shirt and joining Sokka by the doorway.

They walked side by side around the temple, which glowed quite spectacularly in the moonlight. It was a full moon tonight, and Sokka felt quite strange, walking beneath Yue with Zuko by his side. He wondered what she’d think. Just then he felt Zuko’s hand slip into his and he gripped it tightly, whatever her opinion he thought she’d happy for him. The path of his love was strewn with lots of tragedy. Here he was, and finally he had found happiness, and who would have thought it was with Zuko.

He was so strong, both in body and spirit. And that scar, it captivated him. Zuko obviously thought it was a blemish on his face but Sokka thought quite the opposite. It transformed his face, into something older, wilder.

Zuko and Sokka sat side by side on the courtyard fountain, gazing up at the moon, each lost in their own thoughts.

Sokka shivered in the chill night air, and Zuko put his arm around him. They snuggled up next to each other. Sokka looked at Zuko and in that moment the clouds that were partially obscuring the moon drifted away and the light beamed right at Zuko. In that instant all thoughts of doubt in his mind, burned away by that one ray of cool moonlight. Zuko was perfect, and he cared about Sokka. What more could Sokka ask for?

Smiling at this revelation he slowly moved towards his face and kissed his cheek. Zuko turned smiling towards him and kissed him on the forehead. For a moment their gazes locked and they both saw the same thing in the other’s eyes, a thought that lit them from beneath: This is where I belong.

Their lips found each other and they kissed again, not as passionately before, hot with desire, but this time with tenderness. Sokka felt Zuko’s strong arm sliding across his back pulling him closer. He felt safe, like there was nothing that could hurt him while he was in Zuko’s embrace, beneath the moon.

They cuddled for a while under the star filled sky, kissing occasionally, both euphoric in a calm and contemplative way.

“He accepts me for who I really am.”

“He truly cares about me.”

With these thoughts running through their minds they stood and walked back to their room, to spend the night in each other’s arms.