Chapter Text
Breakfast the morning after Aang and Toph left for Huli Village was something of a reprieve for the three remaining members of the gang at the palace. A much-needed one after the chaos of yesterday where they juggled the panic of the court and various rumors flying around.
Sokka couldn’t even enjoy dinner last night because it had been with a few of the higher-ranking court members: lords, ladies, and governors and whatnot. One in particular, a governor Sokka thought, had been pestering Zuko the entire time about marriage and making very pointed remarks about “scandalous relationships”.
It had soured the otherwise delicious komodo-chicken on Sokka’s plate, his emotions turning bitter.
Zuko politely ended the dinner the moment it was socially acceptable.
When that particularly annoying governor protested, insisting on another round of rice wine, he was quickly silenced by a look from Zuko, who clearly would only be polite up to a point.
Poor Zuko. He clearly hadn't slept well either. He had walked into breakfast with bags under his eyes and nursing a massive headache.
At least he was looking a little better now as they all chatted easily over their meal.
"By the way, Sokka," Zuko said. "Do you have a moment to look over something with me after breakfast?”
Sokka glanced up from his rice porridge and eggs and looked at Zuko on his right.
“Sure?” He said and then frowned. "Does it have to do with the steel refinery visit? I already sent a messenger hawk yesterday, letting them know I would have to reschedule-“
“No, not that.” Zuko shook his head and winced, his headache apparently not totally gone yet despite the medicine Katara had given him for it. "It’s something else. We’ll go to my office after you're done.”
He waited for Zuko to elaborate. Instead, the man just continued peeling the lychee nut in his hands. Sokka raised a brow in question at Katara and Iroh, as if they knew, but Katara shrugged and Iroh (who was a nice presence to have around the palace lately) just gave him that savy old man smile that he had.
“Are you going to tell me what it is?” Sokka huffed, setting his bowl down to grab his own lychee nut from the giant bowl of fruit on the table.
Zuko smirked a bit. “It’s a surprise. You’ll like it. I hope.”
“Aw, come on, just tell me! I hate waiting,” Sokka groaned. “Wait, is this about the painting? Are you going to let me paint a portrait of you for the palace?”
Katara choked on her porridge.
“You’re letting Sokka paint a portrait for you?” She spluttered, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “Oh spirits. Please let me be there when you show it to your court. I want to see the look on their faces when they see it.”
Sokka glared at her. “What are you implying, Katara?”
“Nothing, Sokka,” she fluttered her big blue eyes at him, the picture of innocence. “I’m just saying that your… style might not match the rest of the paintings in the palace.”
“Well, that’s exactly why I should do it. They need a little more creativity and variety around here!”
“I think it is a fine idea,” Iroh said, inhaling the steam of his tea, hands cupped around it. “I like the way you draw Zuko’s hair.”
“My hair doesn’t even look like that!” Zuko huffed, almost sounding offended as his smirk turned into a frown. “I’ve never had spiky hair.”
“Creative liberties,” Sokka insisted. “You’re cool, therefore you have to have cool hair.”
“Is my hair not coo- Wait, you think I’m cool?”
Sokka laughed and nudged Zuko. “Well, duh! You’re handsome, strong, and can fly with your firebending like a firework rocket. And you are a master with twin dao! Even though you’re a great firebender, you’re also a great swordsman and I think that’s all pretty cool. I bet I could capture all of that in your portrait… too…” He trailed off as he caught both Katara and, oh no, not Iroh too, giving him knowing smiles and his cheeks went warm in embarrassment as he looked down, trying to get through the stubborn rind of the lychee nut.
He didn’t dare look at Zuko.
There goes that mouth of his again, just saying whatever it wanted before his brain could tell it to think twice.
It wasn’t his fault that he had a thing for cool people, okay? Suki was cool and strong. Yue was cool and mysterious. Zuko was cool, mysterious (well, not really, but the vibe was there, alright?) and strong.
Too bad they often ended up being unattainable for someone as regular as Sokka. Sokka was just a regular man (currently, slightly less regular, but the point stood) amongst superhumans and, tragically, in love with one of them.
“Well, that isn’t the surprise,” Zuko said, clearing his throat. “I’m still thinking about your… offer on the portrait.”
“Boo,” Sokka said. His nails slipped on the rind of the lychee again. Fed up, he patted for the pouch on his belt to get the small ulu knife he kept there.
Before he could get it, Zuko placed his perfectly peeled lychee on Sokka’s plate and wordlessly held out his hand to Sokka.
“Oh, thanks!” Sokka smiled, handing over his fruit.
“No problem,” Zuko said, starting to peel that one as well.
For some reason, Katara giggled into her osmanthus juice.
“By the way, Sokka, how are you feeling?” Iroh asked. “Katara tells me that you've been in good health during your morning check-ups despite your... changes.”
“I’m… fine as I can be, I guess.” Sokka popped the sweet pulpy flesh of the lychee into his mouth, savoring it. It was hard to get these in the South Pole. “I'm itchy, crampy, and… weirdly feral at times. But it’s getting easier to fight back against the weird urges at least.”
Well… kind of. It was really testing him right now. Even as he sat here, he was actively having to restrain that whining side of his brain that was begging to climb into Zuko’s lap and savor that beautiful smoky spice of the man. This morning, he had walked into the dining room and smelled better than ever, somehow.
Iroh stroked at his beard and picked a grain of rice from it. “I see. It's good to hear you’re feeling alright. Just don’t fight too hard against it.”
Sokka made a face. “What? Why not?”
“This yin energy is stronger than you and its influence is clearly growing over time. If you continue to push back and fight against it as it gets stronger and stronger, it could cause extra stress on your body, which is something we want to avoid until Aang returns and we can find a solution.”
Sokka must have been wearing his doubt plainly on his face at Iroh’s dubious advice because the man hummed in thought.
“Let me ask you, Sokka. Suppose you’re out in a canoe by yourself and you’re caught in a strong ocean current. What do you do? Do you try to paddle against the current?”
Sokka snorted. “Well, obviously not. You’re supposed to stay calm and work with the current and let it carry- oh.” He tapped a finger against the table, thinking over Iroh’s analogy. "Alright, I get what you mean. This energy is stronger than me, so fighting it will just wear me out. But this isn’t just some current.”
Letting go and just letting it do what it wanted felt dangerous. Just letting go of control over his body was… unsettling and he automatically wanted to buck at the idea.
Who knew what this energy would do next before they found a fix for it?
Then again… it had been so nice when he did give in for that little bit with Zuko on the balcony. He had let himself sink a little into the hormones that flooded his brain. And it was still him. He was still Sokka. Still able to tread water while letting the yin energy carry and guide him in this weird new way.
“It is just an idea,” Iroh said calmly. “If you don’t like that idea, I could try teaching you some meditation techniques for managing your energy that could help.” He glanced at Zuko. “Or Zuko could if he is willing.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Zuko said, shooting Iroh an odd look (to which the old man just sipped his tea). “Maybe… later tonight?”
“Ugh.” Sokka itched at the inside of his wrist. “Well, I’m willing to try anything to somehow get this under control until Aang and Toph come back.”
It had only been a day since they left, but he hoped that would be sooner rather than later.
Zuko finished peeling the second lychee and placed it directly in Sokka’s hand before reaching for another and peeling that one too.
Sokka munched on the lychees, accepting one after another as Zuko set them on his plate or in his hand.
Neither of them noticed Katara leaning over to Iroh to whisper something before sharing an understanding nod.
They were both hopeless.
-
After breakfast, feeling pleasantly full on lychees and rice porridge, Sokka followed Zuko to his office, eager to see what he had to show him.
He threw out a few random guesses as they went just to watch Zuko smirk and smile, clearly proud of himself that Sokka hadn’t guessed it yet.
“Take a look,” Zuko said, handing Sokka a scroll from the top of a giant pile of stuff on his desk.
“Whoa, that’s a lot of paper,” Sokka said, eyeing the mountain of work over Zuko’s shoulder.
“I’m trying not to look at it right now. Just read.”
Sokka quickly unrolled the paper and read what looked like a proposal to the financial advisor’s council. Huh. Not exactly exciting, but alright. Open land North of the Capital… abandoned mining area…blueprints… power plant… Blue eyes went wide as what he was looking at finally dawned on him. A huge grin spread across his face.
He started rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet excitedly as he kept reading, resisting the urge to leap into Zuko’s arms and kiss him for this.
And that wasn’t a feral yin energy urge. That was all Sokka.
Or maybe it was both.
That yin side of him wasn’t objecting to that idea either.
“You’re actually going to propose my power plant idea to your advisors?” He held the paper carefully, almost afraid of wrinkling the scroll that contained something he had worked so hard on. This would be the first power plant of its kind. If it worked, he could propose it elsewhere. It could benefit thousands and thousands of people without the need for the upkeep of large and expensive dams!
Zuko gave him a soft smile and tapped the top of the scroll with a finger. “This is just a draft proposal; there are a few problems I’d still like to work on, like the availability of lightening benders, but yes. I’ve been thinking about what you said when you first got here. About non-benders. I’ve been a fire bender all my life, so it is kind of a blind spot for me.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I didn’t think about that when I first read your pitch. This would really benefit my people and I think it’s worth advocating for and pushing it to the advisors and council to get it approved. If you'll help me, I think we can do it.”
Sokka just kept smiling like a loon as he stared at the paper and then back up to Zuko. How was this beautiful and kind man real? How was this the little punk hotheaded teenager he first met? How had he grown up into such a fine (not so little and only occasionally hotheaded) leader?
Why did he give Sokka so much of his time and attention when he was just… a regular guy?
Delight swelled in his chest, pressing up against the inside of his ribs so hard he feared it would burst out of him, revealing his pounding heart to Zuko. He felt honestly giddy, his mind already coming up with various ideas for the proposal to tinker with.
Like always, just like when he called Zuko beautiful, self-control just went out the window, and honestly, fuck it. Sokka was happy, and dammit, he would let Zuko know!
This was the best piece of news he had gotten all week!
He rolled up the scroll and leapt at the other man, flinging his arms around that thick neck. Zuko grunted at the impact but took it like the brick wall that he was. One brawny arm came up around Sokka and the other was placed back on the desk to help balance them. His hold was carefully placed, respectful, but it felt amazing to be held, and for once, Sokka and his yin side were on the same page, the divide between the two blurring.
He’d make a good mate.
Sokka was so thrilled that he didn’t even question that thought.
He sure would.
“I take it you’re happy?” Zuko murmured, deep voice close to Sokka’s ear. “It was a good surprise?”
“No! I hate it!” Sokka laughed, tipping his head back to look at Zuko properly. "This is the worst surprise ever! You’re letting me build my full prototype for a lightning bender power plant on your land? Terrible. Awful!” He reached up with one hand and tugged on a lock of long dark hair by Zuko’s face. “Yeah, you big softie, of course I’m happy!”
Zuko’s eyes were a bright liquid gold, clearly pleased with himself. Sokka could smell Zuko’s own happiness, flaring off his scent like arcs of electricity. It was amazing. It was like a feedback loop that just heightened Sokka’s high. He couldn’t stop the purr in his throat or the way he nuzzled into Zuko’s neck.
The other man gave a choked sound. “Oh, I guess you are happy.”
“Shut up,” Sokka said, but the purr kept going.
Maybe Iroh had a point.
He didn’t have to hide this. He didn’t have to fight this.
Not around Zuko.
It felt so right.
The larger man’s arm tightened around Sokka’s waist.
And that was when Sokka became aware of another scent amongst Zuko’s. A scent that struck him as familiar. Like the smell of home. He wanted to rub it into Zuko’s skin. Add it and have it mix with the smoky spice.
Where was it coming from? It was quickly overpowering the air, smothering Zuko’s scent.
“Have you… always smelled like this??” Zuko mumbled, his face buried in Sokka’s neck now. Sokka’s purr broke as he gave a startled squawk at how sensitive those new glands felt with Zuko’s hot breath on them. His mind was in a haze as that now familiar heat suffused his body, spreading through him and lighting up every nerve and settling low in his abdomen.
"I.. uh… what do you mean?” Sokka tipped his head back, baring his neck more to Zuko. He dropped the scroll in his hand.
Somewhere, alarm bells were going off in the back of Sokka’s head. That rational side was telling him to stop. That whatever this was, it wasn’t normal.
But how could he stop when it felt so nice in Zuko’s arms?
Zuko was mouthing at his neck and sending little sparks of pleasure that made Sokka's toes curl.
Wasn’t this everything he ever wanted?
“You… have this scent on your skin. It's strongest here,” Zuko pressed his nose into one of Sokka's new glands. Sokka almost bit through his lower lip with how hard he had to hold back making a sound as pleasure shot through his bones. “It’s like… the ocean. Tangy sea salt and… apricots? I think. It smells good.”
Oh. That was why it smelled like home and was so familiar. That scent in the air was Sokka’s scent. Sokka had a scent.
Not just a scent.
Pheromones, he dimly recalled the word. Strong, potent pheromones that quickly overwhelmed the room with its sea salt taste and fruity scent.
The yin energy. This was yet another effect of the yin energy.
Zuko… was he doing this because of Sokka? Was Sokka, or rather his pheromones, making him do this?
Sokka blinked rapidly, trying to get control over himself as the implications of that soured some of the happy heat in him. His scent faded in response and he wondered if this had been triggered by his own uncontained joy.
How do you stop this? How was he supposed to control his own scent?
“Zuko,” he croaked out, trying to push himself away to give him some space to think and catch his breath
But Zuko was stronger. His arm was like iron around Sokka, keeping them chest to chest. Sokka swore he could feel and see steam rising up around Zuko’s head from where his mouth was in the crook of Sokka’s neck.
Then that hot tongue licked at where his scent was the strongest.
Sokka couldn’t bite back the sound in his throat this time. A high keening trill, barely human-sounding, burst out of him. It was so bizarre and animal that, combined with Zuko fucking licking him, both of them froze.
After a moment, Sokka took the moment of stunned clarity and patted Zuko urgently on the shoulder.
“Let me go,” he wheezed.
Zuko obliged, letting Sokka get his feet back under him, and Sokka kept himself an arm's length away from Zuko.
The two of them stared at each other, taking in the other and what had just happened. Zuko's face was flushed. His golden eyes were bright, and his long hair messy from where Sokka had, at some point, gotten his fingers in it.
Sokka's own face was still hot. His scent was still thick in the air. He could feel Zuko's saliva cooling on the skin of his neck and he was desperately trying to will the throbbing of his half-hard dick down and hope that Zuko hadn't noticed it under his long tunic.
He broke the awkward silence first.
“I… uh... I think I need to go see Katara and Iroh. Like... right now.”