Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Amber ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: Greetings, my long-lost readers! I want to start this off with an apology. I AM SORRY. I AM SO SO SORRY. I did not mean to be gone this long. There were a lot of external factors since last July working against me. One last CPA exam, a new job, my first busy season in public accounting, death in the family, a mild case of writer's block, and the travesty that just occurred on May 8th in my home state of NC. Two things kept me going: YOU and all of your really encouraging reviews and MAXINE (Maxine101), my wonderful wonderful Beta. She stuck with me through thick and thin, listened to me when I was going through a lot with my family, and is basically just a kick-ass human being. You have her to thank for a lot fewer mistakes, better flow, awesome ideas, etc. This chapter goes out to her, please give her your love, too!

I really REALLY hope that this chapter will make up for the long absence, although it is not as exciting as the last chapter (Forgive me! There was just really no way to make it as action-packed because that would have been awkward in the flow of the whole plot). I look forward to everyone's thoughts and thank you so much for sticking with me. Jeezy Creezy I'm nervous.

I just realized while looking at my story stats (yes, I have been stalking all you readers), that this chapter is... exceptionally long compared to the first seven. Heh heh. Whoops.

E's Playlist during this chapter: Edge of Heaven, Breath Carolina; Not Your Fault, AWOLNATION; Young Blood, The Naked and Famous; It's Time, Imagine Dragons; Around My Head, Cage the Elephant

Sokka backed into his room on the airship awkwardly with his two bags slung criss-cross over his chest, struggling to keep a third off the ground. There was no way he was going to need all of this stuff, but Iroh had over-packed for him. According to the old fire-bender, one never knew where the path of one's life would take you, and should you be finding yourself in need of a formal tea ceremony robe, Iroh believed in being 100% prepared. Sokka wasn't so convinced. Holding the heavy metal door open with his hip, he heaved the luggage over the high threshold and into the dark cabin. A shiver worked its way up his spine when the musty dank smell of the cramped quarters hit his nose. No matter how fancy these machines were decorated, they always felt (and smelled) like an ice cellar.

It was no small amount of relief when he slung the larger bag up on a side table bolted to the wall. Dumping his shoulder bags unceremoniously onto the ground with a thunk, he collapsed face-first onto the mattress. His body sunk into the welcoming down, eliciting an involuntary groan of pleasure. The plush feather comforter was positively decadent. He hadn't exactly been roughing it while sleeping in the Fire Lord's chambers and everything, but his bruised and battered body felt like he'd spent a month sleeping on the hard ground whilst chasing bandits across the four nations.

He felt his visitor enter rather than hearing him, as the well-oiled door swung to a shuddering close. A slippered foot poked him in the thigh, forcing a grunt out of him.

"You alive?" Zuko's raspy voice was laced with amusement. Sokka flopped a limp hand in response. "Where's your wash bag? I think Uncle put some of my soap into your stuff instead of mine." Sokka flicked a finger towards the light blue canvas sac closest to the bed without lifting his head. "You know, you should probably give a bath some serious consideration too; you smell like boarcupine shit and you look like Foggy Swamp Tribe." It was an epic struggle, but he managed to lift his entire arm into the air, along with a solitary middle finger. Zuko gave an un-Fire Lord like snort. "Suit yourself, Water Tribe." Sokka grunted again as a hard, grimy ball of fabric hit the back of his head and settled next to his face. It had a truly unpleasant fragrance oozing off of it.

Unable to stop himself, he cracked the corner of his eye in time to see a broad back unbend from rifling through his pack. Pale skin danced over muscles as they stretched and contracted. Sokka buried his face again as Zuko turned towards the door and slipped through the thick steel port, presumably off to showers unknown. As soon as the metal slammed shut again with a ringing finality, Sokka winced and shifted his hips uncomfortably to try to release some of the pressure that had been growing in his lower regions ever since he'd come off the adrenaline high of battle. Zuko's presence just now had only managed to exacerbate his problem. Plenty of men had succumbed to this same strange little quirk but this was his first time really experiencing it.

After a few seconds of consideration, Sokka hopped off the bed and padded to the metal door and slid the bolt into place. He flopped back onto the mattress and decided to take pity on himself, if he could even really call it that. The knot in his belt easily slipped loose and he worked his hand into the coarse trousers. It didn't take long before the image of Zuko's pale skin sprang unbidden into his mind. His body became perceptively harder, if possible. With a hiss, Sokka grasped himself and ran a thumb roughly over the tip. He shuddered at the sensation and with only a moment's hesitation, the swordsman unleashed his imagination.

Two broad hands tugged his unfastened trousers down to his ankles and pushed his knees apart. Amber eyes caught and held his gaze, watching every involuntary twitch of his face as pale fingers lightly traced down the tanned skin where his chest was exposed. The striking contrast between the alabaster hand and his dark skin was heady and the teen sucked in a ragged breath as he watched the fingers dance across collarbone, down to his nipples, and then even farther down to his trembling stomach, leaving firey tattoos in their wake. Sokka's heart was thumping heavily against his ribcage and his eyelids flickered when Zuko's long fingers traced the sensitive ridge of muscle from the top of his hip to his groin.

Sokka was shocked at how vivid the latent fantasies being suppressed in his subconscious were, just waiting for this moment to manifest.

Every muscle in his body was contracting, trembling with anticipation. He was so hard he ached and he really had to hold it together before the fantasy ended too soon. Sokka watched helplessly as Zuko coaxed open the edges of his shirt, revealing an expanse of caramel flesh burning to be touched. He almost came when Zuko's hands grasped his hips and dug into the tender flesh before sliding up his slender waist.

With a growl, the fire-bender dropped to his hands and knees and stalked up the length of Sokka's body. Capturing the glazed blue eyes once more, the pale teen watched his face intensely as he rested his elbows on either side of Sokka's head, trapping him inside a plush cage of feathers and body heat. Without any further warning, the fire lord lowered his hips to meet Sokka's sweat-slicked skin and thrust upwards.

A high-pitched keen escaped his throat as his head slammed back into the mattress. Zuko was so hot it was igniting his skin, turning his insides to liquid. The sweet friction was causing other sparks to flare low in his belly and he struggled against the intense pressure was building up behind his eyes.

Sokka's pulse jumped even higher when he felt the aristocratic nose brushing the over-sensitized skin at the base of his neck. The keening turned into a low moan when the fire lord's lips dragged a hot, sloppy wet path up the column of his neck, breathing him in deeply and nipping at the tender flesh. The entire time, the slim hips above his had been keeping up a steady but punishing rhythm, sliding slippery flesh together with delicious results. Sokka almost became completely undone when he felt the breath tickling his ear as that luscious mouth latched onto the sensitive shell and bit down gently on the cartilage.

He couldn't suppress it anymore when that same mouth let out a deep, carnal growl that shot straight through a direct connection between his ear to his throbbing hardness. One snowy hand lifted off the bed and reached between them while the other braced against the headboard, grasping both members together in the broad palm and pulling. Before he knew it, his back was arching off the mattress and he spilling into Zuko's hand, hot and sticky.

As his body continued to convulse with the intense release, Sokka collapsed back into the bed, panting and unable to move. The fantasy Zuko his imagination had conjured hovered above him for a second before disappearing as the glow of his orgasm wore off. Sokka was left alone on the bed, feeling empty, wet and kinda pathetic. Sweat was cooling rapidly on his body and he shivered. Staring at the aftermath in disgust, Sokka quickly finished shedding his shirt and cleaned off the guilty evidence from his lower half and palm.

The entire sticky bundle was tossed into a corner as he gingerly tiptoed across the room to unbolt the door. Racing back to the warmth of the covers, Sokka threw an arm over drooping eyes and mulled over his most recent life changes. They were fighting for their lives with a quasi-unknown enemy, headed to a secluded villa in the rural regions of north-western Fire Nation territory. A spirit was playing practical jokes on them and the best part was that he was getting his ass handed to him on a regular basis. Add on top of that the fact that he'd just jacked off while thinking about his best friend mere hours after he'd come to realize he loved him.

He was going to have to invest in some much stronger tea. Glancing at his discarded shirt in the corner, he sighed. And probably some extra tunics.

xxxxXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

"Sokka. Sokka." He was rocking gently on Appa's back in time with the bison's giant breaths. Katara didn't have any sense of what made a decent hour of the morning. The rocking became more insistent until Sokka finally jerked himself up onto his elbows irritably and blinked at the dim light. "Sokka" the voice whispered insistently.

"Wusssss goin' on?" he mumbled. His throat felt as dry as sandpaper. "Tell Aang if he's asking me to show him that damn birth mark on my ass one more time I'm gonna take my sword. And I'ma shove it up his ass." Sokka struggled to crack one eyelid open. The other one was stubbornly sealed shut. It tasted like something had died in his mouth.

There was a silent pause before the voice asked curiously, "You have a birthmark? ….on your ass?"

"Yes, Katara," he whined desperately, "Of course I do. You've seen it, like, thousands of times. Shaped like a little koalaotter. Could you piss off now? That'd be A+. Good night." He had to cling to the fog of sleep before it completely escaped him or he would never get back to bed.

A throat cleared. "And uh, can you remind me how exactly it is that, uh, Aang has seen it? I think I forgot." the last bit sounded a little strangled. Sokka frowned, processing the words. Using his one open eye, he contemplated his hand a moment before lifting it to his face and vigorously scrubbing. He finally managed to get some semblance of full vision going and stared hard at the dark figure looming over the side of his bed. "Can I see it?" Sokka shot straight up. After a few desperate moments of intense focusing, Sokka flicked his eyes downward toward the thing he'd been sleeping on and confirmed his worst suspicions. Definitely a bed. If it was definitely a bed, then it was most certainly not Appa. And if this wasn't Appa, then that probably wasn't Katara.

With agonizing slowness, Sokka raised his eyes to the frank amber gaze staring at him with rabid curiosity. Dropping them back down, he studied the bright red sash in front of him like it held all the answers to the universe. Maybe if he ignored the question he could pretend like this had never happened.

Swallowing hard, he slowly ventured, "So uh, I guess there's no way to convince you that you didn't hear that, is there." It wasn't even a question. Zuko opened his mouth to respond then snapped it shut and settled on slowly shaking his head side to side. He grimaced in response. "We're here already?" The head roll moved to a nod.

Face burning, Sokka rolled off the bed onto his knees and began gathering the soiled clothing he'd managed to discard sometime during his nap. Glancing over his shoulder, he lost his balance and hit his head on the side of the bed as he caught Zuko staring pointedly at his ass. It was a wonder his pants weren't catching on fire.

"Zuko." He said firmly, "We are best friends. There are many, many things that we share. Food. Clothing. A personal distaste for neo-modern Earth Kingdom paintings. An intimate familiarity with my ass is not one of them." Mostly because he was desperately afraid his body would insist on an 'I'll-show-you-mine-if-you-show-me-yours' moment. He tried not to relive his guilty little thrill from the night before. Certain parts of his anatomy were slowly stirring to life at the memory.

Zuko pouted and looked away. Sokka began to gather his things in relative peace until a mutter almost made him drop his bundle of clothing. "…I bet Toph's seen it."

Zuko easily ducked the boot Sokka threw at his head. "Toph's blind, dipshit. Out." He was smothering a laugh, but pointed to the door in relief. He was fiercely happy to have a reason to run the other man off before things got embarrassing. Zuko grumbled as he levered himself off of the wall where he'd been propped, practically dragging his feet behind him. His expression wouldn't have looked out of place on a five year old in timeout.

With Zuko out of the room, Sokka made swift work of packing the few things the firebender had pulled out when they'd first arrived. For all his dread of the balloon ride, it seemed he had slept through almost the entirety of it.

Slinging his two bags back over his shoulders with a weary sense of déjà vu, he poked his head out of the door and into the hallway. Zuko was now leaning against the metal wall of the corridor, arms crossed in front of his chest and lost in thought. Sokka felt the coil of lust begin to unwind in his belly again. If he stared too long he was going to get a stomach ache. Ducking back inside, he grabbed his big bag with both hands and slid it off of the table. It landed painfully across his shins but he managed to keep it upright. Holding the door open was more of a challenge this time around as his body had grown stiff during sleep. The Fire Lord quirked an eyebrow at the overstuffed luggage.

"Iroh," Sokka grunted. Zuko grimaced in sympathy. Pushing off of the wall, he pried the handle out of Sokka's fingers and after a brief struggle, Sokka released the bag reluctantly. Tossing it over his shoulder almost effortlessly, Zuko started down the hallway, earning a nasty glare from Sokka who trailed behind.

Water Tribe men were warriors through and through. Showing any sign of weakness was something that had been relentlessly, sometimes ruthlessly, beaten out of them. Even over the past few days and despite his significantly accelerated recovery, Sokka was still finding himself focusing over half his energy on keeping the signs of his physical distress to a minimum, if not undetectable. It may have been imperceptible, just a friend helping another friend with their luggage, but he was still left with a sense of unease after years of Water Tribe training. He trusted Zuko implicitly in his choice of guards to accompany them but in the current situation nothing was a given.

They made their way onto the open-air deck as the balloon dipped low into the mountain range. If the cold gust of air hadn't already done it, the sight around them would have been absolutely breathtaking. The balloon swept through low-hanging patches of mist over lush forests that stretched for miles and miles. Emerald trees slowly gave way to snow-kissed mountain peaks that looked as dangerous as they were beautiful.

The wind whipped around his head, snagging strands of hair out of his messy wolf's tail and lashing them into his face. The air here smelled so much crisper, cleaner than anything around the Capital City with its industrialized towers and mechanical tang. The swordsman felt practically giddy with excitement. His blood sang at the very prospect of running through the woods more wild, and free than he'd been able to be in months.

Smoke that curled lazily over the lowest ridge directly ahead of the vessel was the first sign of civilization, and their destination. As they crested the ridge, Zuko and Sokka stood side by side at the railing of the deck in comfortable silence. The scene unfolding before them was enough to provide Sokka a welcome momentary distraction. The village was nestled in a deep valley cradled between two of the tallest peaks.

The rough dirt path beneath them meandered up towards the village with the swells of the land rather than cutting straight through them. Drawing closer, he began to pick out recognizable buildings - a forge, a storehouse with a number of silos clustered nearby, a livery where he could pick out pens of ostrich horses, eel hounds and even a single dragon moose lion. A bustling cluster of open-front buildings had to be the market. Sokka's mouth twitched in an involuntary grin. Where there was a market, there was shopping. The smallest villages always had the best stuff, too.

About half a mile from the village proper, the winding road began to turn into a cobbled city street. All of the businesses were clustered off of this main road, with roughly two rows of houses lined up behind both sides. The houses were simple and sturdy, with thatched roofs of golden wheat and solid wood lapped siding set on stone foundations. There seemed to be an inordinate number of houses in proportion to the mercantile areas.

For all their practicality, the business and houses all shared one feature in common: large panes of glass started from the foundation and reached the tops of the doors. Each window was made up of mottled colors: panes of green, blue, red, yellow, clear, all thrown haphazardly together. The overall effect was of twinkling bursts of color that caught the light from the steadily dropping sun, bathing the streets in a flickering rainbow.

A flock of small children ran up the street, tripping over each other and the uneven stones in excitement as the giant metal contraption barreled above them. Their wild peals of laughter echoed up the street, erupting into enthusiastic cheers when Sokka, grinning, lifted an arm in a giant wave as the balloon swiftly surpassed them.

Looking back toward the front of the ship, he caught Zuko sneaking a peek at him from the corner of his eye. The firebender quickly looked away but couldn't quite smother the smile on his face. Within moments, they reached the city courtyard at the top of the village. They all looked up as the balloon approached, but much to Sokka's surprise they weren't slowing down.

He wasn't entirely certain what he expected, but he had never been to a mountain-side villa before. It should have occurred to him that it wouldn't have been part of the bustling town, but instead set farther up and away. His eyes followed the small road that led out from the town courthouse and slid through the trees above the village. He was rewarded when the forest cleared once again to reveal giant, rolling fields. This was no ostentatious royal beach house like where they had squatted during the war, this was a working vineyard and estate winery.

Sokka chided himself inwardly. He should have expected no less from Ursa, or from Zuko. Acres upon acres of the open land were covered in neat rows of trellises. The lines of vines looked like they had been drawn down the hills with the teeth of a giant comb. Workers were scattered in the aisles, moving slowly from plant to plant tending the spindly trunks. The disproportionate number of houses to businesses was suddenly no longer a mystery.

The balloon finally crawled to a halt, hovering over a patio next to the stable where various ostrich horses were being lead out equipped with baskets of tools and various supplies slung over their haunches. Before they could drop the ramp, Sokka ignored the pain in his body and grabbed hold of the rail, vaulting over the edge and onto the brick below. He landed in a crouch, wincing as his injured leg screaming in protest and settled into a dull, throbbing twinge. The crossed bags on his shoulders were still heavy and it took a moment to completely straighten.

He almost went down again when his bloated duffel bag landed to his left, followed shortly after by a graceful fire-bender loaded with an assortment of supplies. Sokka eyeballed Zuko almost enviously as he landed and uncoiled immediately with absolutely no effort or sign of physical exertion. Irritation was quickly replaced when he spied a particularly ugly ostrich horse over his friend's shoulder. There was something naggingly familiar about the unfortunate looking creature. The feathers around its face were permanently ruffled and stuck up at odd angles, giving the animal a crazed appearance. As if sensing his attention, the sharp eyes snapped towards him and the beast clacked its beak repeatedly in what had to be the ostrich horse version of a maniacal chuckle.

When a ragged ear flicked sideways to dislodge a fly, Sokka suddenly knew where he'd seen that foul horse before. Keeping his eyes locked with the beast's gaze, he took two steps sideways before turning and dashing towards the vaulted threshold that he really hoped would lead to the rest of the building. If that ostrich was here… Sokka shook his head. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but if it meant what he thought it meant, he was going to have to ditch some of his load so he could run faster.

Sokka heard his name being called out from behind him and as he struggled to discard his bags in the paved stone hallway. The teen cursed in frustration when the straps kept catching on the various toggles clasping his shirt together. Zuko skidded to a stop beside him and asked breathlessly, "Sokka-did you see-?"

Sokka grunted at him, unable to respond from both excitement and the frustration of being unable to untangle himself. Snapping, he reached behind him and yanked his outer tunic up and over his head, dumping the whole twisted mess onto the ground. He kicked it to the edge and allowed himself to be jerked forward by Zuko's hand, which was clamped around his bicep like an iron band. Zuko dragged Sokka behind him with the confidence of familiarity. Finally, Zuko skidded to a halt and grabbed his other forearm to keep the water tribe boy from sailing past.

"Kitchen." Sokka slapped his forehead. No shit.

Zuko let go and slid one hand down to clasp Sokka's palm and took off. Despite the platonic nature of the handhold, he caught himself blushing furiously. Spirits, he hoped his fingers weren't getting sweaty.

Sokka knew they were on the right path when they heard the first snort of obnoxious laughter. The search became a race as Zuko dropped all contact and the two boys pushed each other out of the way in their attempt to get to the kitchen entrance before the other. Zuko made it to the door first but overshot the entryway and slipped past it into a slide. He hopped up immediately but Sokka had already braced himself on the door jamb before he could completely recover. They fumbled with the handle, the fire-bender trying to wedge himself in front. In the end the door swung open abruptly and the two pitched forward into a heap of legs and arms on the floor.

"BAHAHAHA! What's up fuckers? What the hell took you two pansy asses so long to get here? By the way Zuko, this is some good shit your family makes up here. I've never had spiced wine before. Sokka, you look like a cart wreck. Dude, I heard you got your ass handed to you! You're getting way too soft without me around to toughen you up." The shit-eating grin on Toph's face as she slapped her bicep was one of the most beautiful things Sokka had scene in days. Suddenly, things didn't seem so impossible anymore as they were reunited with two more members of the old gang.

Despite her words, the smiles stretched across Toph and Chit Sang's faces as they sprawled out insolently in the chairs spoke greater volumes than anything else could have.

"Toph, ladylike as always." Zuko untangled himself from Sokka and rested on his forearms. His grin looked like it was one millimeter away from cracking his face as he stared up at her from the floor. "Chit Sang! You tired of life with the gremlin, yet-" The slate floor underneath Zuko's stomach jumped underneath him and he broke off, wheezing.

"Naw, man. Been like the son I never had." Zuko chuckled but looked faintly green.

Sokka basked in the feeling of the moment. The only thing that could penetrate his fog of happiness was one niggling question. "Hey Toph… why are you here?"

The earth-bender's expression sobered considerably, and she shared a solemn glance with her companion. "Well…" she began slowly, "this area has been pretty quiet for a while. Actually, for like, ever. I'm sure you remember from the good old days before you abandoned me for the life of a lapdog," Toph earned herself a nasty glare, "but there haven't been a lot of bandits in this area because it's so remote. Unfortunately, with the trade routes opening back up and the huge demand for the valley's wine, there's been an upswing in incidents on the roads and in the forests. Iroh sent us out here to join you guys, but we also need to check it out. I doubt this is related at all to your problem, but nothing's impossible." She shrugged a delicate shoulder.

Sokka nodded, business-like. This was good. I mean, it was bad, but it was really good. It would be easier to hold himself in check if they were too busy to think. "We have a lot of work to do on our end, but you know we'll lend you a hand if you need it, Toph." Toph nodded in understanding. They all had their own shit going down, that was fair. "Either way… I'm really glad you're both here!"

A faint blush crossed Toph's cheeks and since no sincere deed went unpunished, a whacking huge rock shot out of the wall and laid a solid hit upside Sokka's head.

"Whatever." Toph grumbled as Sokka blinked away the stars.

"You OK?" Zuko muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. Who needs a skull anyway, right?" Zuko snickered and shoved him with his elbow. Sokka could feel the warmth radiating between their shoulders. He blushed and stared at the ground. After he'd cooled the flames of his face, he glanced back up at Toph and Chit Sang, who'd begun squabbling over the last piece of fireberry sweetbread. Toph's sightless eyes were staring in his direction with a piercing, narrow gaze. The moment passed quickly when Toph smacked Chit Sang's hand away from the pastry and let out a string of epithets, but it left a lingering uneasiness in Sokka's stomach.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sokka raised an eyebrow in question (a useless gesture, but one Toph could probably pick up on it anyway). He began to push himself to his feet and dust off the fine dirt that had transferred from the stone floors onto the front of his clothes. "I took the liberty of procuring us some entertainment for tonight." Four fluttering red tickets with gaudy gold script were fanned out between her fingers. The look of half-amusement, half-dread on Chit Sang's face added to Sokka's growing sense of trepidation, and he shared a worried look with Zuko. Toph's idea of entertainment was often… questionable, at best. "I've been looking forward to this shit all week, so you two better clean your happy asses up by 8:00 tonight or I'm gonna keep your nuts in a jar. Forever. Iroh gave his blessing," she added happily. Iroh clearly trumped Fire Lord in Toph's book.

Shuffling closer cautiously, Sokka's worst fears were confirmed. He and Zuko shared twin looks of horror. He saw the Fire Lord's fingers twitch and sparks of flame fizzled off of his fingertips. Sokka fought the urge to grab Zuko's hand and use it as a fire starter, with the tickets as the kindling. It would have been a mercy killing.

The gleeful imp's grin was positively evil. "8:00 sharp, gentlemen."

Every choice bears a consequence. Every action returns an equal and deathly serious reaction - even when those reactions are not necessarily apparent or even seemingly related, at the time. Undoubtedly, the punishment of suffering through a night of the Ember Island Players' Musicale Especial was the direct result of some heinous crime he had committed during a past life.

It would have been nice if the villa staff had chosen to deliver his belongings to his room rather than the kitchen. Struggling into a room for the second time in less than 24 hours, Sokka took a moment to appreciate the rustic charm of his surroundings. Under different circumstances, this entire experience would have been something he could have appreciated to its fullest. As it was, his mind was racing with lists - lists of things that needed to be done, important details that needed further thought, ways to stay a step ahead of their enemies. Oh, and the way his back had so effectively memorized the contours of Zuko's chest in painstaking clarity. He gripped the leather handles tighter. If they were going to survive the next few weeks, he was going to have to cut these thoughts out of him like a cancer before they spread - distractions were deadly and in his particular case they were utterly pointless as well.

The room really was a vision of bucolic appeal, though. Wooden floorboards creaked as he moved towards the modest bed topped with a well-worn quilt. Sokka couldn't resist dropping his bag to finger the soft cotton cloth. Someone had taken a lot of time and care to piece that blanket together, and it was apparent in the construction. Sawtooth pinwheels zigzagged merrily in a cheery array of warm oranges, browns and rusty reds. As he knelt to rip open his bag, the faint scent of sunlight and crushed pine needles wafted pleasantly in his face from the open window.

The rest of the room was open and bright with afternoon sunlight filtering onto the roughly woven rugs. The only sound came from the forest outside and an old gold clock ticking away atop an old wooden dresser. The sound was rhythmic and soothing and Sokka felt himself relax a bit. An old painted rocking chair and a side table stacked with worn tomes were the only other furnishings the room had to offer. Sokka sighed and began to slowly relax his muscles, one by one.

Soon enough, he was resting lightly on the balls of his feet, feeling like he had shed 10 pounds and about 8 years of stress. At a much slower pace, he began dividing out his belongings into neat piles of related items. As he stacked his trousers and socks, the tips of his fingers grazed a small portrait set into a finely carved Water-Tribe style frame. He pulled out the picture and stared at the smiling faces of his sister and Aang. They had sat for this portrait less than 6 months ago, on their latest diplomatic visit to the Northern Water Tribe. He traced the strong lines of Katara's jaw and the top of Aang's big bald head.

A rueful lopsided grin picked at the corner of his mouth as he studied the happy couple. There sure was a lot he was missing out on, in his sister's life, in Aang's life - even in his father's life. It seemed so long ago that they had all been traveling together, a constant in each other's everyday routine. It had been rough but it had been good, and he allowed a moment of sadness for a chapter that had closed and would never be reopened. Obviously it was better this way. The four nations, or what was left of them, were better this way. But he could still look back on a lot of their adventures with fondness and, to be honest, some longing. With a shuddering sigh, he set the picture on the squat nightstand next to the small brass gas lamp.

Turning his attention back to his luggage, he became acutely aware that company had joined him. Apparently it was open season on entering his room unannounced. Toph was leaning against the doorway, and seemed to be watching his every movement. He almost felt chagrined at being caught in such a weak moment until he remembered. Yeah, he totally was not falling for that trick again. Hello - blind. Instead, he opted to flip her off.

Toph shifted her foot minutely and her lips twitched. "I can see that, you asshat." Sokka sneered and returned to unpacking. "These rooms are pretty comfy, huh." The way it was worded left Sokka little opportunity, or inclination, to respond. He opted for a manly grunt as he stuffed a couple piles into the dresser. Toph took this as invitation enough to fully enter the room and flop onto Sokka's bed, bouncing as the mattress adjusted to her weight.

"Sooo…" Toph studied her nails. Sokka frowned at her. Wasn't that kind of pointless? "You know if we get him drunk enough he might not be entirely unwilling. Shit, he may even be enthusiastic. I'd say I'll help if I get to watch but neither of us really gets a choice in that matter, unless you could strategically be swimming at the time." Not comprehending, Sokka stared at her for a few awkward moments before her words registered. He was fiercely thankful she could not see the delightful shade of red he had become.

Toph spread her hand out before her and tilted her head to the side. "I mean, let's be realistic. You are funny, loyal…funny, and um, a somewhat decent hunter, I guess, all of which I can admire—in a best friend." She swiveled her head to look at where Sokka was standing, mouth working overtime to impersonate a dying fish. "But face it, when it comes to men—complicated men—you've got no game," Toph finished with a yawn.

"How…" His brain-to-mouth function seemed to have an irreparable glitch in it. Giving up on speech as a functional motor skill, Sokka sighed and joined the side of the bed where Toph was sitting. He slid to the floor and leaned his back against the mattress beside her slender legs.

"That obvious, huh?" his head came to rest against the tiny girl's knees.

"Yup," she popped the p for emphasis. It was a nice touch.

"You think I stand a chance?"

"Sure, just be yourself like when you're trying to charm a chick…just without being yourself. And he's not a chick."The earthbending master shrugged a delicate shoulder. A shoulder that could easily smash boulders, Sokka had to remind himself.

"Reassuring ,Toph, thanks," he muttered. Sokka tugged at a loose thread in the hem of his tunic. Toph knocked the pout right off his face with a sharp smack to the back of the head. Bells were ringing a merry tune in his ears and he turned to glare at her.

"Stop being such a baby, Snoozles." Toph's tone was sharp and reprimanding. "You probably have some dumb-ass idea that there's no way he'd like you, he's a guy, he's the Fire Lord, blah blah blah, stupid crap, stupid crap, stupid crap. Right? Bullshit! If you're writing him off before you give him a chance then your watery ass doesn't deserve him. Since the end of the war, when has Zuko done anything just because it was what everyone else expected? He doesn't. Besides having a great set of buns, Zuko does what's right because it is right, not because it's what everyone else thinks." She smacked him in the back of the head again. He was going to end up with a concussion if this conversation didn't end soon. "Why would you think love wouldn't count?"

Sokka tilted his head up and eyed her warily. "It's like you're grown up or something, but that can't be right, can it?"

"Naaa, na. You just imagined it."

Sokka nodded uneasily and kept her in the corner of his vision.

"Besides," he looked at her sharply, "I wanna know who tops." Sokka stared at her. Toph stared right back. "Crazy. It's like I can actually see the wheels in your mind turning, Snoozles." Top…topping…dear spirits. He'd never even considered that. He cleared his throat.

"Now don't get all bent out of shape right now, that's just gross. You gotta get unpacked so that we can get to our concert tonight!" Toph rubbed her hands together in anticipation as Sokka watched in disbelief. She sprung off the bed and dashed for the door in girlish excitement. It was positively disturbing.

Sokka asked a question that had been nagging him. "Hey… how do you know what his ass looks like, anyway?"

"Pffft, are you kidding? I'm blind but even through the Earth I can tell you could bounce a copper piece off of that butt." Her smile was predatory. "I've tested that theory, too." Sokka gave her a weak smile.

When she was almost out the door, Toph paused and turned back to face him. Her face had dropped all traces of humor.

"I didn't mention this earlier but I do think you should know and Zuko needs to know, too, that Iroh didn't call for me and Chit Sang just to keep you guys company, help you torture prisoners ,or use this place as bandit-hunting HQ or whatever the shit we're supposed to be doing, There's something else going on, too." Just what they needed. Complications. "I know you both have a lot of shit going on, but we're going to need you to keep your eyes open and your ears perked while you're here. These bandits seem to have really uncanny timing. They're hitting at least two thirds of the shipments every month. The shipments have been random, Sokka." Toph paused to let that sink in. "There's no way this isn't an inside job. Two men were killed in the last hit and one wounded - they all had families."

Sokka sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He probably had enough knots in his back to rig a ship. "You sure?" The question was futile. They both already knew the answer.

"As sure as you are about your assassin. We both have rats in our houses. And I know you already know, but Chit Sang and I are here for whatever you need. Once we're done here, we're with you all the way back to the Capital 'til these dickfucks are caught."

She gave him a shit-eating grin. "Besides, I've been missing kicking some serious douchecopter bandit butt with you these days."

Sokka smiled broadly. "Yeah, I love you too, Toph."

Toph snorted at him and flicked him off. "Yeah of course you do, why the fuck wouldn't you." Turning on her heel, she sauntered out of his door and disappeared down the hall. He shook his head slowly. That one was turning into one dangerous woman.

The rest of his unpacking went by uneventfully, without a single peep from the rest of the gang. Trying to ignore his anxiety, Sokka carefully considered his wardrobe for that night. While he certainly hoped no one was going to take this performance seriously, he didn't want to show up in rags. They were adults and he really wanted to show Zuko that he could be classy for a night on the town. Sokka groaned. It would only be more obvious if he grew a tail and some fur, stuck his butt in Zuko's face and said 'meow.'

Hakoda had sent him a package recently, complete with a brand-new boomerang and only slightly less important, new duds. The tunic was a dark blue with silver hems, similar to their armor. It was much deeper in tone than the light hues Sokka typically wore and showed a little more skin. The outfit was making him feel either slightly chic or slightly tacky. The jury was still out on that one.

It didn't take long to finish getting ready. After fiddling with his laces for the third time, Sokka decided to bite the bullet and head over to Zuko's room. Trotting the short distance down the hall, he hesitated for a moment before entering. He was still unsure about the dress code for the evening and he crossed his fingers that he'd made the right choice. Sucking in a breath, he ducked his head and marched in. One glance and he was spinning back around to brace against the wall where he bit down hard on his knuckles. He started to count to twenty. It ended up being fifty.

Forget delectable. Zuko looked mouth-watering. He must have also felt the chill from outside, because he had shed his usual short red undershirt in favor of a sleek, form-fitting black long-sleeve shirt with a simple gold trim that crossed over itself in the front. His red tunic had been replaced with a deeper burgundy, sporting gold flames along the stiff hem. A simple braided gold belt, black pants, and a pair of tall burgundy boots completed his ensemble. Sokka had never realized what a good combination of black and red could do for a nice set of porcelain skin. Or better yet, what naked could do for porcelain skin.

Whew, hold that thought. Zen. Breathe.

Sokka dropped to a crouch and sucked in a few frantic, deep breaths. His libido had slipped its chains and was dancing naked around a fire with giddy glee, in nothing but his boots. This was ridiculous. Drawing on all his willpower, Sokka clamped down his face and plastered on a smile and reentered the room before his balls failed him. "Zuko? You ready?" If Zuko thought his voice sounded a little strained, he didn't mention it. "I think it's about time to meet them, we don't want to piss off the princess or you can bet tomorrow's breakfast that the door to the bathroom will conveniently disappear at an exceedingly well-timed but inopportune moment."

"I would laugh, but that's probably too close to being true." Zuko was struggling with the braided belt which kept slipping the knot he tied it in. After a painful moment of watching the Fire Lord's ineffective attempts to create a stable knot, Sokka walked over and slapped Zuko's hands away.

"Just stop. You're only making it get wrinkled. Geez, do they not teach you knot tying in school? We learned this crap before we could crawl." With speed and efficiency that even Bato could be proud of, Sokka had undone and retied the knot by the end of his scolding. That sucker wasn't moving even if Zuko went swimming with the Unagi. "There," he said smiling. He gave the knot one more tug and was satisfied, put his hands on his hips and admired his handiwork. "If you have to go to the bathroom tonight, you just pull this corner here…you know what, never mind. Just don't drink anything." He grinned up at Zuko's face only to find it dangerously close to his own.

His eyes widened and the room became painfully bright, causing his eyes to water. He cursed and scrubbed at the sting in his eyes with the back of his hand, using the motion to ease away from the firebender, his heart racing.

"Sorry man, you surprised me." He squinted and blinked away the salty tears to find Zuko staring hard at him.

"You uh, you look really nice. I didn't know you had that kind of outfit. Why haven't you worn it at the palace?" Zuko eyes kept flickering down to Sokka's chest. He had to resist the urge to tug the open lapels to cover up a little bit more of the exposed skin. He couldn't tell if he should be pleased or embarrassed by the scrutiny. Sokka forced his shoulders and arms to relax and hang by his sides.

"Oh, well, it was a present from my dad. Got it pretty recently and I guess I just never thought about wearing it. I dunno. Maybe I was thinking about wearing it to Katara and Aang's party." He shrugged. Glancing down at himself, he frowned. The choice had seemed appropriate at the time but based off of Zuko's reaction, he wasn't a hundred percent sure it had been the right one.

"Should I change?" he asked uncertainly.

"No!" Zuko shouted and lunged at him. Startled, Sokka jumped back and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay…"

"Sorry. No. No, not 'no' as in 'I'm not sorry,' 'no' as in 'don't change.' Sorry. Spirits, never mind, let's just go." Zuko spun away from him and Sokka could see the back of his neck was stained red. Interesting. The Fire Lord glanced at Sokka again and reached out to brush the side of Sokka's face. He realized that his friend was running his thumb over the blue glass beads he'd added to the two tiny braids he'd put in his hair.

"It kept coming out of the wolf's tail, and I thought I'd give the style a try. It seems to work for my dad well enough." It was ridiculous to feel shy at his age.

"I like it," Zuko breathed, "you should keep it. It suits you." Sokka swallowed and nodded, causing the beads to bump against his cheek. Zuko smelled really good, that same spicy flavor that he remembered from a few days ago.

"You uh, you look really… really good, too." I jacked off thinking about you this afternoon. Sokka smiled so wide it felt like his face was going to crack.

In an attempt to guide his thoughts to safer waters, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Do you know what time it is?" Zuko froze. Sokka could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed.

They were out of the room and down the hall before you could say 'quick as an antler bunny.' They reached the kitchen in record time, which seemed to have been transformed into Toph's unofficial base of operations.

"Well, well. Look who decided to show up." The earthbender looked amazing, cleaned up in her native finery. She also looked amazingly irritated, tapping her foot on the ground in an erratic manner. Sokka noted that although Toph had dressed up for the occasion, her choices were still notably loose, allowing for freedom of movement and with few unnecessary frills.

"Sorry we're late." Zuko managed to sound much more sincere than Sokka could have pulled off. Luckily, the fire-bender was also brave enough to voice the question that had plagued him since Toph had brandished the miserable red tickets. "Toph, I know we haven't seen each other in a while, and it's probably good to get out and get our minds off things a little. But are you certain, given the circumstances, that we should be going out tonight with the bandits, a traitor, and an assassin all at large? I just think we should consider our responsibilities."

"Indeed, my dear Fire Lord." Toph sashayed over and threw an arm around Zuko's shoulders. Zuko glanced at Sokka nervously. Not a good sign. "As I am certain that you have by now already deduced for yourself, this is a calculated move and you know it. It gives us the opportunity to canvas the area, meet the locals, maybe get some of the dirt on these people or an in with the crowd. Plus, you're the Fire Lord, you need to make an effort to get to know your subjects. We also need to establish a cover story for why we're here - tourists or some horseshit."

She waved her hand around, squeezing Zuko's head a little tighter with her arm. "Only a couple people know who we really are, even though it appears that you brought half your fucking army. We'll just have to make up some Council or Ambassador horse and pony crap, though I suppose for Sokka that's pretty much true." Sokka's mind was racing. She was right. If they were too secretive it would raise more suspicions than necessary. Toph also wouldn't be able to complete the mission she was sent for with only partial knowledge of the area, if this was truly an inside job. He'd been too distracted with his love troubles to think these things through carefully.

She had begun gently guiding Zuko towards the door as she spoke and Sokka shuffled sideways to trail behind with Chit Sang at a safe distance. The bulky man's square jaw was set, like he was preparing to do something particularly distasteful. One could only describe it as a battle face.

"So," Toph concluded with a crow, "since you clearly need a cover story and I clearly need information, there's only one reason you would possibly be asking this question. You wouldn't be trying to avoid going would you? Wasting my hard-earned tickets, hmmm?" Zuko's shoulders slumped in defeat.

They'd passed down the long hallway connecting the kitchens to the rest of the winery. Sokka shot a look at Chit Sang. "Chit Sang," he muttered, "You ever been to an Ember Island show?"

"Once."

Sokka grunted in response. After a beat, "So, uh, how did you like the… show?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm bringing a flask." Sokka nodded. Made sense.

"Enough for two?" Hope was a candle, ever burning.

"Enough for ten."

They fell into a companionable silence after that, listening with bemusement as Toph extolled on the wonders of the Ember Island Musicale to her unwilling escort. Sokka glanced around him with interest as Toph led them on an impromptu tour of their temporary home. When they'd been dashing through the halls earlier, he hadn't had a lot of time to really take in a lot of the villa and they had skipped most of it by entering through the back of the winery. The large building was set up in a series of blocks dedicated to one activity or another. All of the areas connected to a large corridor that was offset to one side of the villa.

About one third of the entire footage was dedicated to a cathedral-like room full of giant metal vats. Wooden barrels lined the walls, stained purple and red where some of the sweet liquid had splashed out. The temperature was considerably lower than the rest of the building, and Sokka could feel the frigid temperature creeping through his boots from the smooth stone floor under his feet as they looked around.

Guest wings, where they had taken up residence, were located centrally in the layout of the house on the opposite side of the main hall than the vat rooms. A cluster of smaller rooms, for temporary use by workers staying overnight or more economical travelers were located farther back. The remainder of the winery, on the same side and adjacent to where the grapes were happily fermenting, were the rooms of the long-term residents and caretakers. A pocket of rooms towards the front held equipment for experimenting with fermentation methods, new machines to de-stem the fruit, revolutionary ways of testing the sugar, acid and alcohol contents. These rooms were part of the winery tour, which was quickly becoming a booming second business for the busy estate.

The walk to the village was pleasantly brusque, and the night sounds of the forest helped soothe Sokka's frazzled nerves. The air in the mountains seemed sharper, cleaner. When they finally rounded the last bend, the lights of the town twinkled merrily with dancing colors from the glass windows. They were on the receiving end of a few cautious glances but for the most part, the citizens seemed to be unfazed by the sight of such an odd band of travelers. The winery tours obviously drew a diverse crowd.

They wound their way through the crowd, past an eclectic assortment of metal shops and bakeries. The smell of oil and warm pastries wafting through the throng of people was unusual but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Most of the village seemed dedicated to the local trade, and Sokka spotted more than one shop with odds and ends relating to grapes and wine. They finally arrived at what appeared to be their destination. Sokka let out a tiny sound of relief and a silent prayer of thanks when it became obvious his choice to err on the side of caution with his wardrobe was the right decision.

The theater's patrons were made up of a colorful mixture of nationalities. A handful of upper crust Fire Nation nobles were standing in a loose circle. They were an elegant bunch and seemed to be laughing and chatting with carefully studied ease.

Green and gold blocks of Earth Kingdom families were the most abundant of the audience. The wine trade probably held a certain appeal to the benders, who had such a close connection with nature. Sokka was certain that the estate had probably even drawn a few permanent residents, evidenced by some of the more skillful landscaping and architecture present.

The Water Tribe denizens were conspicuously absent from the group. He wasn't terribly surprised, as any visiting Water Tribe folk would feel an acute discomfort at being so far out of their element. With a jolt of surprise, Sokka smiled contritely as he had to take back his own thoughts. Standing off to the side in their own little world was a couple, a little younger than Katara and Aang.

The girl was dressed in the finery of the Northern Water Tribe, with the trademark thick chestnut hair plaited in a long rope down her back. The boy was just coming out of the awkwardness of youth and looked like he was still adjusting to his newfound height. They kept stealing glances at one another when they thought it was safe, their hands hanging unnaturally between them with constant brushes of their knuckles. Finally, the girl shyly slid her hand into the young boy's, and Sokka had to choke back a snort as the kid got a totally blissed-out look on his face. Times were certainly changing. It was crazy to think that they had all been younger than those two when they'd waged war on the Fire Nation. These kids looked so naïve, so innocent. It almost made him feel a tiny pang of regret for having to grow up so early. A glanced at Zuko's laughing face as Chit Sang pointed out a wine bottle stopper shaped like Aang's head wiped out any lingering remorse.

Toph sidled up to him and bumped him with her hip. He smiled down at her, knowing she could feel the sentiment, or at least the curve of his lips, through the earth. He was feeling the warm glow of happiness as they filed into the dimly lit theater, and he took a moment to appreciate the lavish red seats fanned out around the dark stage. This venue was definitely a step up from his first viewing of these same players so many moons before.

Solemn stone goddesses stared down at them with various emotions dancing across their smoothly carved faces as they depicted scenes from epic stories long forgotten. He felt the even warmer burn of lust as Zuko settled on his right in the aisle seat, only slightly cooled as Chit Sang occupied the left. He was unaccountably content. It felt like someone had slipped him a drug and for a moment he forgot what they had come there for. At that moment, the lights chose to drop into darkness, and the stage was lit dramatically in stark white light while the curtain drew up to reveal the small troupe of musicians seated behind instruments of varying size and peculiarity.

Sokka had the uncomfortable feeling that he'd pushed something very important to the back of his mind. That feeling was confirmed when Chit Sang whipped out the largest flask he'd ever seen, threw it back for four… six… nine seconds, then passed it Sokka.

Toph leaned around Chit Sang and gave Sokka a withering stare before disappearing back into her seat. Sokka eyed at the amber liquid swirling around in the container, through the round metal lip.

"One, two, three!" A shrill voice counted from the stage.

Then the horror began.

A/N: I always love your reviews! Please...be gentle. :)