Chapter Text
“Are you sure this is a good idea, you are already dying, and it will be even hotter there.” Suki wiped at the sweat that was traveling down his back and it made him shiver, remembering when she used to touch him in very different ways. “You don’t like heat.”
“I know,” Sokka grabbed a towel and wiped down, “but to be fair we were sparring that adds to the sweat.”
“Suki looks great sweaty,” Ty Lee said from where she had been watching them. “Really great. I think we need to have a conversation alone great. Like right now.”
Suki threw a wink and Sokka knew he was going to be abandoned shortly. He didn’t mind, he was happy Suki was happy. And he and Suki were first loves, nothing ever could break that bond. But that was so long ago, it was just soft and fuzzy memories that they both cherished.
“Sokka, I know you want to see Zuko, but seriously height of the summer season? There is a reason in all your travels you’ve never gone at this time of year. You melt. You will actually become a Sokka puddle and they’ll put you in a bucket.”
“I’m not that bad with the heat!” He had to protest, but also they were kind of right. He didn’t do great with heat. Desert he survived because the nights got cold. He had lead an expedition a few years to try to find the library of all knowledge again. They hadn’t but they had found some texts and urns that had gotten spit up by the force of the sinking and that was something. “I spent those three springs at Master Piandao’s keep, that was hot.” For more than just the weather but he hadn’t ever told anyone about those experiences. Those were also good memories.
Almost twenty years of building good memories to combat the bad ones. He was happy that he only woke up sweating from a nightmare once or twice a month now. He and Zuko had made sure to never go more than a couple years without seeing each other and they wrote so many letters. He just knew one day they’d end up in a university library being studied the friendship of the war heroes, the fire lord and you know that guy who had been with them. He was realistic about his place in history.
Whenever they met though, it had just worked out it was never during summer in Caldera. And Zuko had written saying he had an idea that needed Sokka’s input. And that he was actually going to take a week off and Izumi’s tutors decided to also go on vacation and please don’t leave him alone with his daughter who was almost a teenager.
Sokka loved Izumi tons so easy call to go visit his best friend. Even if, fine, he would absolutely melt. He went to say something to Suki but he was alone. Must have gotten lost in his thoughts enough they decided to just leave him there. Fair.
He whistled as he went to the beach, the bay would cool him off and seriously it couldn’t be that much hotter in Caldera than it was on Kyoshi island and he was almost managing this heat. He’d be fine.
He was not fine.
Tui and La protect him, he was not going to be fine. Fuck, how was the air this heavy? The boat was approaching the harbor and he had come out from his room because he always loved the entrance to the city and had immediately choked on the air. It was soup. A couple sailors laughed at him, which was not fair, they need he was from the southern water tribe, his blood was not thin enough for this.
It got even worse as they docked. Seemed the city trapped in the heat. He hadn’t actually told Zuko a specific day he would arrive, because when he did that there was a ceremonial fuss. Lee begged him to just show up years ago because he was the one who had to plan the fuss and he was too busy to fuss over Sokka.
A minister saying that would have been about racism. Lee saying it was because that guy really needed a nap how hard he worked for Zuko. So he had started making sure to just show up at the palace unannounced. And it became a game with Izumi anyways, see if he could leave her a surprise in her room and how long it took to find it and once she found it, she would scream and everyone knew he was there.
Sokka walked through Caldera and got some waves and shouts of welcome. He nodded to people, and couldn’t help but notice that people were wearing frankly not a lot of clothes. Fire nation had always shown more skin that other places, but it seemed this much heat equaled as little as possible.
He sneaked into the palace, knowing the guard rotations well - he had designed it after all. Into Izumi’s room, and opened the Kyoshi fan lay it delicately against the pillows on her bed. He paused. Frowned.
There weren’t any plushie animals on the bed anymore. He looked around and they were on a shelf, no dolls on the floor, and was that make up by the mirror? Sokka rubbed a hand over his heart that ached. Zuko’s girl was growing up. It hit harder than it did with Katara’s kids, or Toph’s girls, though he couldn’t say why.
He went out to the balcony into the shadows to wait like he usually did. Back into that soup that they were calling air. There was no breeze. He was going to die. The door opened finally, thankfully. Steps too light to be a servant carrying anything.
A soft “ohhh,” but no scream. “Sokka?” the voice called out. He didn’t answer. “Sokka, as future fire lord I order you to appear!”
Like fuck he was answering that bullshit, because no way was his Zum acting entitled like that.
“I’m sorry, that was wrong, please don’t tell Papa?”
“Better,” he called out and entered the room frowning. “You trying that sort of thing out regularly?” She hunched a bit and well he remembered being twelve and trying to call his dad Koda instead of dad. Wanting to feel important and grown up. But still. “Power serves it doesn’t command,” he said in a stern voice and tried to ignore how tall she had gotten. “You have glasses.” That got flames at her fingers and he guessed they were a sore point for her. But she was gorgeous, like she always was. “My Zum,” he said and opened his arms.
“Izumi, Sokka,” she scowled a bit but the flames disappeared and she ran into his arms. He picked her up and spun around and was relieved when it got a laugh. She wasn’t too grown up to fly yet. He spun a few more times and put her town. “I missed you,” her arms were tight around his neck.
“I missed you too. Let’s go find your dad.” He smiled at her. “The glasses look great.”
“They are stupid.”
“Not seeing is more stupid,” he pointed out and that got a tongue stuck out at him. “Too big to ride?”
He laughed as she was on his back before he could finish the sentence. Sokka knew though, this would be the last visit where he gave her a piggy back around the palace. He wouldn’t cry, not until he left after the visit anyways.
There were happy greetings from servants and guards as they went through the building and Sokka noticed that the summer uniform for the guards seemed to be shirt optional. He did not object to that look in the least.
They found Lee before Zuko who took one look at Sokka, and wagged a finger, “What are you doing here in the summer, you’ll melt!”
Lee, like the rest of the fire nation, was wearing very little to combat the heat, and it was disturbing that a guy who felt like an uncle was actually decently fit. “He wrote, about taking time off, so I had to come!”
The arms around his neck squeezed tightly. “He’s staying. Dad is being weird and Sokka will keep him normal.”
“Why Zuko being weird?” Sokka asked.
“I got my first period, and he is all my daughter is growing and blossoming womanhood and treating me weird.”
He almost dropped her at the words first period, and Lee gave him a sympathetic look. No wonder there had been a tinge of desperation to Zuko’s letter. But he was made of stern stuff and didn’t let Izumi see or feel a reaction to those words. “Well, you know me, if anyone on the planet can stop Zuko from being weird it is me.”
That got a truly impressive noise of derision to arise from Lee. “He is in his study, trying to get as much as possible wrapped up before he starts his vacation in a couple days.” There was a bow and Lee was off down the hallway.
“So really weird huh?” he asked as he turned the corner.
“So weird,” Izumi agreed. He could feel her head rest on top of his for a moment. “He keeps looking at me all sad and stuff? And I don’t understand why.”
Sokka had taken one look at her and knew. “You’ve lost your baby fat on this last growth spurt. Your jawline is the same as Azula’s now. He catches a glimpse of it sometimes I am guessing and remembers. You are just about the age it all went bad for him. He is seeing a mix of the past and future in you, Zum.”
“Izumi.”
“Izumi, and he regrets how it all played out, and hopes for more for you in the future.”
“I never met her,” Izumi said. “She was a monster?”
“I mean she was a bitch,” Sokka replied. He could see Zuko’s office door and they had to end this story before then. “I want to be clear, Tui and La she was a bitch. Ozai was the monster, she was what monsters create and then destroy.”
“Will I be a monster?”
Sokka put her down and turned to cup her face. “Nope. Your dad isn’t a monster. Uncle Iroh wasn’t a monster.”
“Uncle Iroh commit genocide.”
“Okay so like he was a bit of a monster,” Sokka winced, “but he learned, changed, atoned.” He looked at her, could really start to see the woman she was going to become. “I know from monsters kid, and there isn’t so much as a single tentacle or claw in you.”
That got an eye roll but also clearly a weight off her mind. She moved away and knocked on the door. “Papa? You busy?”
Sokka as he always heard when Zum, Izumi, asked that question, “Never too busy for you. Unless it involves maths.”
She opened the door and Sokka followed her in. Zuko was working hard, writing notes upon notes and in concession to the heat all his hair was bound up in elaborate wraps and braids. It looked cool. “Hey, jerkbender,” Sokka called and he saw the small smile on Zuko’s face even though the guy didn’t look up. “You busy?”
“Too busy for you,” was the reply, which made Zum, fuck he had to remember to start thinking of her as Izumi, giggle. But the work was put down and Zuko stood.
He wasn’t shirtless, but that made it somehow worse. It was sheer, a long something, and it was red with gold thread embroidery all over and completely see through. The embroidery seemed designed to highlight nipples not hide them, and it also didn’t close so there was a deep v of skin to a thin toggle closing it right at the belly button.
“Yeah, busy,” Sokka said. Why was Zuko gorgeous? Why was he thinking that? It was Zuko, his best friend. The pants weren’t sheer but low, like super low; he could almost see hipbones. Why was he even thinking about Zuko hip bones?
Zuko was hugging him and he hugged back and just why did this hug feel different, they had had hundreds of hugs over the years. “Thank you for coming, I am lost,” was whispered against his ear, the only warm air that Sokka hadn’t hated in the last couple days.
He threw a quick prayer in his mind to Yue to help him out here, because the heat had somehow melted his brain and he needed it back. “I’ll find you, buddy,” he promised. He let go and punched Zuko’s arm lightly. “So naked is the look here in summer, huh?”
“Ew, no,” Izumi shuddered. “No naked Papa thank you. Besides in the cities there are nudity laws. Some counties though allow it at this time of year.”
“And we will be headed to Ember Island in two days, the beaches are now nude optional on the west side of the island,” Zuko added. “We will be sticking to the east side.”
“We can stay in the city if you need to,” Sokka said, “but just for curiosity’s sake - Ember Island uhh, cooler at this time of year?”
“No,” Zuko said, and Sokka tried not to make a face of horror at that. “But the water stays relatively cool, which balances it out. And the ocean breeze off the water helps at night. You’ll survive better there.”
“I can make it through.”
“No you can’t,” Zuko and Izumi said at the same time.
“Fine, I can’t,” he agreed.
“I’m going to go pack,” Izumi said. There was a last hug and she was gone.
Sokka looked at Zuko, “How you doing, buddy?”
Zuko collapsed on the chaise against the wall. “This is why you are here. I had an idea, you will make time stop so she doesn’t grow up more.”
Sokka sat next to him, and froze when Zuko rested his head on Sokka’s shoulder. A thing that had happened countless times, and shouldn’t feel different. It shouldn’t. “I’m pretty smart and clever, but not sure I can actually do that, Zuko.”
“I know,” was huffed and grumbled. “But you’ll try?”
“I’ll try,” Sokka promised. He squeezed Zuko’s hand and thought how well they fit together. A stupid thing to think about his best friend. “She’s pretty great, you know.”
“I know,” Zuko smiled a bit, “but also terrifying. I am so glad I have you.”
“Uh-huh,” Sokka agreed, “best friend always.” He was just having a weird episode because of the heat. Once he hit the cool waters of Ember Island, he’d be fine.
“And don’t worry, one day when she gets busy with friends, I’ll take you to the beaches on the west side of the island.”
Sokka was not going to be fine.