Chapter Text
“Aang,” Sokka whined, spinning around in his Lair Chair™ (a Sokka original name for his chair in their crime fighting headquarters) in order to face his friend. “Aang, my best buddy, my ultimate pal, I can’t believe you would betray me like this.”
“It’ll all work out!” Aang said brightly. “Hey, I’ve been trying to find you a new roommate! And then we’ll all have a new friend!”
“Or you could move back in with me. Like someone who is not a backstabbing traitor.”
“I’m not a--here look, I went online and found someone who’d be willing to move in with you,” Aang said, pulling out his phone to show Sokka the string of messages.
“That’s crazy Aang, how do you know he’s not a serial killer?”
“He’s not! Besides, you need to live with someone, and no one we know is going to do it.”
Aang unfortunately was right, and they both knew it. Sokka couldn’t afford to pay for the apartment on his own, but had to live there for six more months because of his lease. He still didn’t understand why Aang backstabbed him and decided to move out earlier than they agreed, but whatever. (That’s not true, he understood why, it started with Katara and ended with ‘s lease ended and she decided she wanted to move in with her boyfriend who never says no to anything she wants.)
Sokka sighed. “Send me their info, I’ll contact them.”
At that moment Katara stumbled into their headquarters, presumably done with her night of crime fighting. She had been tracking down the criminals who had robbed the Beifong Bank on 37th street the week before. A group of five men without powers, she should have been more than able to handle them on her own.
“Katara!” Aang launched himself at his girlfriend, covering her in kisses which Sokka would really rather not have seen, thank you very much.
“Contact who?” she asked.
“Sokka’s new roommate! I met him online!”
Katara untangled herself from Aang. “That’s crazy Sokka! How do you know he’s not a serial killer?”
Sokka scowled. He refused to be called crazy by his sister. “It’s not like anyone we know is going to move in with me, and I have to find someone to do it.”
“Oh yeah? How are you gonna explain all of, you know?” Katara gestured wildly around the room, an underground bunker filled will every gadget a superhero could ever dream of (courtesy of Sokka, you’re welcome). Their uniforms lined the walls--one small green uniform for Toph, one yellow and orange uniform for Aang, one empty case where the blue uniform Katara was wearing would usually go, and one Kyoshi uniform for when they didn’t need Sokka at the base handling the tech side of things and he could actually help fight. His computers took up the center of the room, as did his various experiments.
“If you’re so worried about it, maybe you shouldn’t have stolen my roommate!”
Katara flushed. “Regardless--”
“I’ll just make up a secret girlfriend or something, it’ll be fine.” Sokka said shortly. He knew Katara was probably right, but he just wanted to be done worrying about his living situation. Especially when there were more important crime-fighting this to be worried about.
Katara scoffed. “Sokka, this is still a terrible idea. What are going to do if he finds out! You have no idea who--”
“Would you look at the time,” Aang said nervously. “Don’t you have, er, that thing Sokka?”
“What thin--oh yeah, the thing! Thanks Aang.” Sokka said, grateful for the out Aang gave him. He hurried out of the room without saying goodbye, ignoring the rest of Katara’s lecture.
He had a potential roommate to contact.
***
Sokka waited nervously by the door of his apartment for his new roommate. The things Sokka knew about him were as follows: His name was Zuko Roku. He was 24, a year older than Sokka, and texted oddly formally for someone their age. He was also apparently okay with having a bisexual roomate, responding simply “Okay. Fine by me.” when Sokka asked if he would be comfortable living with a guy who was attracted to men.
Essentially, Sokka knew very little about the man, other than the fact that it was unlikely that he was going to hate-crime him. So Sokka thought it was quite reasonable that he was nervous.
There was a knock on the door. Sokka flung it open to see a pale man who was about his height. The man was tall, with dark hair and golden eyes, and a scar that covered most of the left side of his face. He was also incredibly attractive.
The man awkwardly stuck out his hand, “Hello, Zuko here.”
Sokka blinked at him. Zuko started to pull his arm back just as Sokka realized he was supposed to shake it. Seriously, what 24 year old introduces themselves with a handshake? Sokka thought as he hurriedly grabbed Zuko’s hand before it fully retreated.
Zuko’s hand was surprisingly calloused, and Sokka wondered what activities the man did that made them that way.
“I’m Sokka.” He then realized he was blocking the door and stepped aside. “Here, come in.” Spirits, why was he acting so awkwardly? He was normally so much better at meeting new people. Zuko’s obvious discomfort was doing nothing to help. Or his obvious attractiveness.
Zuko followed him into the apartment, and stood just inside the threshold. He shifted his weight, eyes darting around the room.
Sokka cleared his throat. “Do you need any help moving in?”
Zuko flinched in surprise at the sound of the other’s voice. “No, um, it’s okay. I wouldn’t want to trouble you, or anything like that.”
Normally, Sokka would protest. But the recent difficulties Team Avatar had been having with the Phoenix King’s cronies meant that he had little time for work recently, and he desperately had a meeting to prepare for the next day.
“Alright, well just let me know if you end up needing anything. I’ll be in there.” Sokka said, pointing to the door to his room.
“Thank you.” Zuko said quietly.
“Oh wait! Before you go, I was wondering, I mean you don’t have to, if you don’t want, but my sister and old roommate are having a couple people at their place tomorrow night to hang out. It’s a weekly thing for our group, we used to do it here but, uh, you know.” Sokka cleared his throat. “Anyways, it’d just be so we would be able to get to know each other. We’re going to be living together for a while, and you’ll probably see most of the people there here a lot, so it’d probably be good to meet them.” And maybe it will get Katara off my back. “But no pressure! I just think it could be nice, if you wanted to.” Realizing that he’d been awkwardly rambling for quite a while, Sokka flashed what he hoped was a winning grin at Zuko.
“That sounds good, just send me the info and I’ll be there.” Zuko gave Sokka a nervous smile.
“Oh! Great!” Sokka honestly hadn’t expected him to say yes, but Sokka couldn’t say he was displeased about it. “Okay I’ll just,” Sokka gestured to his room by way of explanation, and then hurried away.
Had he always been this bad at talking to pretty people?
***
The train ride to Aang and Katara’s apartment had been surprisingly pleasant. Like Sokka and Zuko, the pair lived in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, so the trip was a quick one--around fifteen minutes including the walk to the station by Sokka and Zuko’s, the train ride, and the walk from the station by Aang and Katara’s to their apartment.
Sokka and Zuko had headed over together once they had finished work. Sokka had been nervous, anticipating a stilted and awkward conversation for the duration of the trip. Instead, none of the previous day’s awkwardness tainted their conversation, and they exchanged the usual get-to-know-you’s.
Sokka learned that Zuko grew up in Caldera City, but that his uncle also lived in Ba Sing Se. Zuko apparently also worked for said uncle at his tea shop in the Upper Ring, The Jasmine Dragon.
Zuko didn’t mention any other family.
The pair arrived at what Sokka liked to call ‘fashionably late’ (though Katara just called it rude), so Aang, Katara, Toph, and Suki were already all crowded into the common area. Sokka stepped into the room and noticed an integral member of their group was missing.
“Suki! Where’s your girlfriend?” Sokka stepped forward to throw his arms around his best friend.
“Why, are you going to try to steal her back?” Suki teased, pulling away from the hug.
“Hey, maybe I’m planning on taking advantage of her absence to try to steal you back.”
“I can’t believe both Suki and Yue have no taste in men,” Toph said, punching Sokka’s arm.
“Hey!” Sokka playfully shoved Toph in response.
“So we’re all just going to pretend you never kissed me thinking I was Sokka I see.” Suki said dryly.
“Sure, make fun of the blind girl.”
Sokka turned around and saw Zuko standing awkwardly by the door.
“Oh, before I forget, this is my new roommate, Zuko,” Sokka said, dragging the other man further into the apartment. “Zuko, this is Aang, my old roommate. I think you guys talked a bit already. That’s Katara, my sister, and Toph and Suki over there are my friends from college.”
“Hi, nice to meet you all.” Zuko gave an awkward wave, which Sokka was beginning to find
endearing.
“Anyways,” Sokka said, spinning around to face Suki, “you never said if Yue was coming. I want to know if my hair bleaching idea worked.”
“Er, what?” Zuko asked.
Sokka waved his hand dismissively. “Our friend, well and Suki’s girlfriend, Yue, got superpowers after the whole Sozin Lab reactor explosion. Every full moon, she has dreams that come true before the next full moon. So I thought that bleaching her hair might help, make her closer to the moon or something.”
Zuko was doing a terrible job of covering the sceptic look on his face. “And you thought that would work?” he asked incredulously.
“Hey, I’ll have you know I’m a personal friend of Te--” Sokka was cut off by a sharp kick to his shins from Toph. He grimaced. “Anyways, not really, I mostly just thought it would look good on her, you’re welcome Suki. I am always anxious to hear what she saw though.”
“About that,” Suki said, “I don’t...It was bad Sokka. She wouldn't tell me what happened, just that there was nothing we could do about it. When she woke up she looked...anyways, I just don’t think that we should ask about it.”
A familiar voice called out from the door. “Hi everyone, sorry I’m late!” Yue stepped into the room with her customary serene smile that brightened when she spotted her girlfriend. Suki walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
The moment that Yue spotted Zuko, her face paled dramatically, and she sunk against Suki with a quiet “oh.”
Everyone in the room, their attention having been drawn to the girl when she announced her arrival, now completely focused on the girl, and crowded around her in concern.
“Are you okay?” Suki said gently.
“I’m fine I just,” Yue buried her head in her hands, then looked up at Zuko. “I saw you get struck with lightning.”
Sokka inhaled sharply and quickly looked at his roommate. Impressively, Zuko managed to keep his face impassive and Sokka could only guess what the other man was thinking.
“Do your dreams always come true? Should I just avoid going outside for the next month?”
“No you don’t understand,” Yue shook her head. “It wasn’t a thunderstorm. It was the Fire Princess.”
At that admission, the tension in the room could be immediately felt.
“And yes, they always come true,” Yue added miserably.
Zuko’s face changed to one of utter confusion. “That doesn’t make sense, why would she do that?”
Katara scowled and narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, why would a superhero famous for taking out criminals with lightning ever shoot lightning at you.”
“Lay off him Katara,” Sokka snapped.
Aang cleared his throat to cut the crowing tension in the room. “Drinks anyone?”
After that the night never fully regained the light hearted atmosphere it had before, with everyone in the room seeming to have come to an unspoken agreement to not address the elephant in the room. With the environment ruined, everyone headed home much earlier than usual.
The journey back was much more uncomfortable than the one there. It was quiet, and Zuko’s face was again in an unreadable expression. He dodged all of Sokka’s efforts at talking about the incident, and hurried into his room the moment they reached their apartment.
The moment before Sokka fell into a frustrated sleep, his last thoughts were on plans to dig into the Fire Princess’ past.