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Ever since Fire Lord Zuko had taken the throne, the Fire Nation had seemed to become a brand new nation.
Gone were the days of anger and war and fear. In their place was peace and acceptance and caring. At first, it was hard to accept. So much of the Fire Nation’s ideals were rooted in war and anger that suddenly having nothing to fight against sent some people into a tailspin while others jumped at the chance at peace. For a while, there was so much division within the nation that some thought the nations couldn’t live without a war. However, as time went by with Fire Lord Zuko promoting peace at every turn, slowly, the Fire Nation came to terms with things.
No longer are people jumping at the chance to fight and burn in their anger. Instead, the people are choosing to burn with a different kind of passion; one fueled by care and love, no longer afraid to live their lives for themselves and not their nation.
A side effect of this new era of peace has been an upsurge of marriages and more public relationships.
(It was no secret during Ozai’s rule that publicly caring for someone or having a family automatically put those people in danger if you angered the wrong person. But now that Fire Lord Zuko has taken charge and the people trust him, no one is afraid any longer to love as deeply as they wish.)
It’s only natural that in this time of peace and love, the people want their Fire Lord to find love as well.
It starts off innocently at first. Little questions here or there towards Fire Lord Zuko trying to get him to confess to having a lover or maybe wanting one. Pointing out a good-looking individual just to see the Fire Lord’s reaction. Somewhere along the way, it turned into various members of the palace staff attempting to set the Fire Lord up with anyone they deemed worthy enough. (Granted, there weren’t that many people the palace staff found worthy of their Fire Lord, but they still tried.)
Very quickly, the staff realized that Fire Lord Zuko was not interested in the men and women they were attempting to set him up with.
They did realize, however, that Fire Lord Zuko very obviously had feelings for Ambassador Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe.
After a quick debate that wasn’t really a debate at all, any staff interested in Fire Lord Zuko’s love life (which was most of them if they’re being honest) agreed that Ambassador Sokka was worthy enough of Fire Lord Zuko to warrant a relationship between the two.
And thus, Operation: Get the Fire Lord a Boyfriend was born.
The first ones who were brave enough to try and subtly get Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka to realize their feelings for each other were a group of official advisors to the Fire Lord. They attended nearly every meeting that the Fire Lord did, as their job was to offer Fire Lord Zuko different perspectives on what was being said in an effort to help him see all sides of opportunities. Because they were present at nearly every meeting, they got to witness first hand just how often Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka seemed to gravitate towards each other, always backing each other up and defending the others’ ideas or stances.
It was Jian who was bold enough to suggest the very first attempt at The Operation.
His plan was simple enough, perhaps even too simple, but he was sure that it would be enough to spark the first thoughts of a possible relationship between the two men. The plan simply was to make sure that Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka always sit next to each other during meetings.
(“Are you serious?” Guwen, another advisor says when he tells them his plan. “How in the world do you think something as simple as that is going to work?”
“Because,” Jian defends. “Haven’t you ever sat next to someone you have a crush on before? You become so aware of every little thing they do, it’s like everything is amplified. If we make sure they can sit next to each other, they’ll be more aware of each other, and it might start the cogs turning in their minds.”
“I think you’re reaching a little there, buddy.”
“And besides,” Jian continues. “Don’t you notice how touchy Ambassador Sokka is normally? If they sit next to each other, that puts Fire Lord Zuko within prime touching distance. Something will have to come of that.”)
This plan, however simple it may be, did come with its own unique problem.
Meetings held within the palace usually adhered to a seating chart, so to speak.
Higher ranking officials usually sit closer to the Fire Lord, with his advisors somewhere in the middle, and any guests near the end of the table. The problem here being that Ambassador Sokka technically ranks as an advisor and thus should sit near the middle. Away from Fire Lord Zuko.
So Jian has his first problem.
The other advisors that Jian has spoken to are on board, probably because they’re not really doing anything major, and there’s no real fear of getting in trouble. So he won’t have any trouble from them when he starts his meddling. It’s the stuffy generals who think they’re better than everyone who poses a challenge. So, Jian thinks of something that might work.
Because Fire Lord Zuko is as respectful as he is a workaholic, he’s always early for meetings, and with him comes Ambassador Sokka. If Jian and the other advisors get to the meetings before or at the same time, he should be able to convince Sokka to take a place next to Zuko instead of his regular spot. It can’t be that hard, right? He thinks to himself. Surely Ambassador Sokka would jump at the chance to sit next to Fire Lord Zuko.
The first meeting after Jian and the other advisors have decided to meddle comes not a week later. Adrenaline gets the best of them and they prepare greatly ahead of time, heading into the meeting room before even Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka get there. Jian takes a seat as close to the Fire Lord’s seat as he dares, taking in the number of places set around the table and mentally going over who else is set to attend this meeting.
The door pushes open and Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka walk in, surprise overtaking their faces when they see that the room is already occupied.
“Good afternoon Fire Lord Zuko, Ambassador Sokka,” Jian says respectfully, bowing his head, the other advisors filing suit.
“Good afternoon,” he says back, slowly taking his seat. Sokka makes to take a seat down the table from him and Jian steals his nerves before speaking.
“Actually, Ambassador Sokka, I’ve heard that we may have another general in attendance today. If you’d be so kind as to take a seat near Fire Lord Zuko here so we can squeeze an extra place in on the other side of the table,” Jian says with as much fake casualness as he can manage.
“I haven’t been told about that,” Fire Lord Zuko says when Ambassador Sokka hesitates to take a seat anywhere.
“You know how General Pao is, My Lord,” Jian says, shaking his head. “He can be very forgetful at times.”
The Fire Lord hums but decides to let it go. “Just come sit over here, Sokka. I’d rather sit next to you than General Pao anyway.”
“You sure? Isn’t that, like, against the rules?” Ambassador Sokka questions, but takes a seat next to Fire Lord Zuko anyway.
Fire Lord Zuko raises an eyebrow. “I make the rules of this nation, do you really think anyone is going to make a fuss about some arbitrary seating order that I rarely ever enforce anyway?”
Little by little, other advisors, generals, and other guests start to trickle into the room. A few generals shoot Ambassador Sokka confused or slightly miffed looks, but no one outright questions it.
General Pao never shows up to the meeting, because he was never supposed to be there in the first place. Fire Lord Zuko gives Jian a confused look, but Jian pretends not to notice it.
Throughout the meeting, Jian catches Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka staring at each other, even when the other isn’t speaking multiple times, and has to stop himself from nudging one of the other advisors next to him when Ambassador Sokka places a casual hand on Fire Lord Zuko’s shoulder.
This may be easier than he originally thought.
For the rest of the meetings that week, Jian and the others keep making increasingly obvious excuses for Ambassador Sokka to sit next to Fire Lord Zuko.
(“Oh, you don’t want that cushion, Ambassador Sokka, it’s terribly lumpy. Sit here instead.”
“That side of the table would be dreadfully hot, sir, it’s right next to the window. Better to sit by Fire Lord Zuko where you’ll get a draft from the hallway.”
“Ambassador Sokka, would you mind sitting over here, actually? I saw a rat earlier and honestly, I don’t trust Jian to not scream in my ear at the sight of it. You’d have no problem with that, right?”)
Ambassador Sokka gets more comfortable at his spot next to Fire Lord Zuko, getting bolder and more frequent with his casual touches. Jian holds back his smugness because regardless of the fact that they’ve kept this up for weeks now, there seems to be no change in their relationship.
And then they stop sitting next together, despite Jian’s and the other's best efforts.
***
“Hey,” Sokka says suddenly from his spot lounging on Zuko’s bed. “Have you noticed that your advisors keep getting us to sit next to each other at meetings?”
“Yes, I have noticed,” Zuko snorts. “It’s not like they’re exactly subtle. The rat excuse was particularly inspired, though.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Sokka makes his way over to Zuko, wrapping his arms around him from behind. “I’ll protect you from any big nasty palace rats that may appear.”
“My hero,” Zuko deadpans, turning his head and pressing a kiss to Sokka’s cheek. “Come on, we have to go.”
“Hey, I wonder why they’re doing that, though. It’s kinda weird, don’t you think?” Sokka wonders.
“If gossip is to be believed,” Zuko says. “They’re trying to set us up. Like, get us together kind of set us up.”
Sokka laughs, “Wait, really?”
“Apparently people think we’d make a good couple.”
“Well, we do, don’t we?” Sokka pouts at him. Zuko smiles and gives him a quick kiss.
“Of course we do, love,” he says. “Now come on, we’ll be late.”
“Wait,” Sokka says, pulling on Zuko’s hand. Zuko turns to see a bright mischief in Sokka’s eyes. “Wanna mess with them a little bit?”
***
Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka are late for the meeting.
Perhaps not late, but they’re not as early for this meeting as they usually are. Jian and the others find this strange since neither man is exactly one to forget or be delayed. Most of the attendees of this particular meeting are already here, they’re only waiting on one or two more generals and then Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka.
When the two finally walk in, neither says a word. Fire Lord Zuko takes his place at the head of the table and Ambassador Sokka takes a place near the end, ignoring the open seat next to Fire Lord Zuko that Jian and the other advisors have painstakingly saved.
One of the generals, one who’s not in on Jian’s meddling looks questioningly around the table. “Ambassador Sokka, sir, are you not going to be sitting in your regular spot?” The young man asks, seemingly having gotten used to Ambassador Sokka sitting next to the Fire Lord. A win for Jian.
“No, it seems I’ve gotten a bit too comfortable in my acquaintanceship with Lord Zuko,” Ambassador Sokka says. “I suppose it’s unseemly of me to be sitting so close to the Fire Lord when I’m not as high a station as him. My apologies.”
The questioning looks turn to Fire Lord Zuko now instead. No one actually thought that Lord Zuko would be so strict about seating, especially since he’s said before that the doesn’t necessarily care for it.
“It’s more trouble than it’s worth,” Fire Lord Zuko says. “People are getting uppity about it and it’s giving me a headache. It’s not worth the fighting.”
After that, the meeting goes on as normal. Or, well, some semblance of normal. It seems to Jian that Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka are going out of their way not to look at each other. And they are still supporting each other’s positions, sure, but not as vocally as before. From what Jian can tell, Lord Zuko is treating Ambassador Sokka like any other advisor or dignitary, maybe even a little less. And while Lord Zuko never gives Ambassador Sokka any special treatment per se, there is an obvious lack in their interactions with each other.
It seems Jian’s plan may have backfired if he’s ended up causing more problems for them.
After the meeting, on his way back to the offices to confer with the rest of the advisors, one thing comes back to Jian.
“Acquaintances?” He bursts out, shocked.
“What?” One of the others says, not following his line of thinking.
“Ambassador Sokka,” he explains. “He called Fire Lord Zuko an acquaintance. What the hell was that?”
“Maybe they don’t feel more than that towards each other.”
No way, Jian thinks. There’s no way we misread that so completely. And then, a thought strikes him. Oh, they completely caught on.
Well, he laughs to himself. That’s what we get for trying to outthink the greatest tactical minds of our generation.
After word of Jian’s failed plan gets around the palace, it quickly becomes a challenge over who is going to get Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka to realize their feelings for each other.
The advisors are not ready to admit defeat so easily, however.
“Don’t worry,” another advisor, Miyu, says one day. “I have a much better plan.”
“And what would that be?” Jian asks skeptically.
“Flattery,” she replies with a smirk.
“Flattery?” Jian says, crossing his arms over his chest. “And what exactly do you mean by that?”
“I mean, saying something nice and complimentary about one of them to the other. Get them to realize how great the other is. It’ll probably spark some type of feelings realization.”
“Good luck with that one.”
***
Miyu begins her plan with confidence, recruiting some of the other advisors and a military official or two to help her along. She’s sure that this will work, maybe not immediately, but she’s okay with playing the long game for this one. Plus, she has the added advantage of personal experience with this one.
(A friend of hers may or may not have gotten her to realize her feelings for her current fiance by casually mentioning positive and admirable things about him whenever they spoke. After some time, Miyu had realized that she had a lot of feelings for the man and her friend casually bringing him up all the time made her heart flutter. She’s positive that if Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka feel anything for each other, this will spark a realization.)
So, Miyu has faith in this plan.
Miyu is an advisor to the treasury of the Fire Nation. She’s not in charge of the finances, that job goes to the Fire Lord himself, but Miyu is the one he confers with before making big decisions regarding the Fire Nation’s spending. Because of this, she is in attendance at many of the meetings because more often than not, the budget is mentioned. She also oftentimes visits Fire Lord Zuko’s office to check on his progress regarding financial matters and what his line of thinking is.
Which is all to say, Miyu is in the position to witness both Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka in meetings and be able to later visit said men in their offices and not have it seem out of character.
The first time she does anything that could be considered meddlesome, a meeting had just finished regarding the curriculum and spending about schools in the Fire Nation. Some of the schools in the colonies have not yet changed their curriculum to be more historically accurate, and many schools are complaining about not having sufficient funding to adequately provide for the students. During the meeting, Fire Lord Zuko had mentioned struggling with what to do with the schools because he has no real experience with them, and so he doesn’t quite know what would be best for them. Ambassador Sokka had suggested giving the schools and students an anonymous questionnaire so they can report first hand what they want and need without having to worry about being reprimanded by anyone.
Miyu thought it was a brilliant solution to get the ball rolling.
Later that evening, Miyu made her way to Fire Lord Zuko’s office, intending on asking him if he had given the matters any more thought, and if she should start drafting a new education budget.
She’s let into the office, and silently celebrates when she sees that Ambassador Sokka is not in the room for once.
“Good evening, Fire Lord Zuko,” she says, stopping in front of his desk.
“Miyu, you’re still working, I see,” he responds good-naturedly.
“Of course, we discussed a lot of important things in today’s meeting,” she responds. “I was wondering if you had given the education reforms any more thought? Ambassador Sokka offered a very brilliant idea as to how we can figure out where exactly the budget should be redirected.”
Subtle, yet direct. Mention Ambassador Sokka’s idea, while complimenting how it could help them.
“I suppose he did offer us a good place to start, didn’t he?” Fire Lord Zuko muses. “It’s not a bad idea. Making sure it’s anonymous. I’ve mostly been worried about asking because I don’t think people are quite ready to tell me when I could be doing things better without fear of being punished.”
“Sooo,” she draws out.
Fire Lord Zuko huffs a laugh at her. “So,” he says. “I’ll come up with a questionnaire. Send it to all the schools. And when we get the results we’ll start discussing what we’ll change and how.”
“Perfect,” Miyu says with a smile. “It seems Ambassador Sokka came up with our saving grace just in time.”
Perhaps a bit too much, but hey, go big or go home.
Fire Lord Zuko hums, nodding his head a bit, but not replying verbally.
Miyu leaves the office after saying her proper goodbyes and is even more confident that her plan will work.
Once Miyu has broken the ice, she and a few others that she’s recruited begin complimenting one of them as soon as the other is not present.
(“That was a very insightful take that Ambassador Sokka offered during that last meeting, don’t you think so Fire Lord Zuko?”
“I suppose so? He does have some interesting insights sometimes.”
“Fire Lord Zuko really is very thoughtful when it comes to his people, wouldn’t you say so?”
“Well, he cares a lot, so I’d hope he’d be thoughtful about what you guys need.”)
It’s not until two or so weeks pass that they start getting different responses to their comments.
***
“The staff is being weird again,” Zuko says as he makes his way into Sokka’s office.
“Oh, thank Spirits, you’ve noticed too,” Sokka sighs, putting down his quill and giving Zuko his full attention.
“They keep complimenting us when the other isn’t around. It’s starting to get a little weird,” Zuko complains.
“Are you saying you don’t agree with the compliments they’re giving me?” Sokka teases. Zuko shoots him a withering look, but Sokka keeps the teasing smile on his face.
“Unfortunately, I do seem to be agreeing with them. They do make some valid points,” Zuko suddenly gets a teasing look of his own and makes his way over to Sokka, climbing onto his lap from where Sokka is sitting on his desk chair.
Sokka gulps.
“You are very smart, and clever, and most definitely the best tactical mind of our generation,” Zuko whispers, pressing kisses to any bit of Sokka’s skin that he can reach. “You have unique solutions to problems that other people would never even dream of thinking of. You’re kind, and you care about your people, but you care about mine, too.” Zuko ends, kissing Sokka on the lips and Sokka sighs into it.
“Are you trying to sweet-talk me to get me into your bed?” Sokka tries to tease but it just comes out breathless.
“Hm, I don’t think I need to sweet-talk you to do that,” Zuko counters, a sly smirk on his face.
“No, you most certainly do not,” Sokka breathes, pulling him into another kiss.
“Hey,” Sokka says suddenly, pulling away from Zuko.
“What?” Zuko asks, shocked and maybe a little offended. Whoops. Sokka hugs Zuko a little tighter in apology.
“Wanna mess with them again like we did last time?”
***
The next time Miyu speaks to Fire Lord Zuko, she’s met with a much different response than last time. She’d been speaking to him about the results of another meeting, and had casually said;
“Ambassador Sokka is very intelligent with his ideas, don’t you think? We’re very lucky to have him around to help us.”
“Well, yesterday I watched him get his hand stuck in a glass jar, and then stare at it for half an hour before he broke the glass to get his hand out instead of trying to wiggle it. We’re lucky his ideas usually work out.”
Well.
That was not what she expected.
It goes on like that for some time longer, both Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka give responses like that anytime one of them offers the other a compliment.
(“Lord Zuko is very kind and cares a lot about his people, wouldn’t you say?”
“I mean, he’s kind of a jerk, but he’s the closest thing you guys have got to a sane Fire Lord, so sure.”
“Ambassador Sokka comes up with some great plans, don’t you think?”
“His plans revolve around how many times he gets to throw that boomerang of his, so jury’s out on that one.”)
And on and on, until Miyu finally can’t take it anymore. She doesn’t understand where she went wrong or when things started to change. She’s sitting in her office at home, recounting every interaction between the two men that she’s had since she came up with her plan. In the end, she can only come up with one idea.
They figured her out.
It would make sense. Jian suspects the same thing of happening to him, and it’s not like she’s been exactly subtle lately. So, she and her accomplices have been made, and Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka have decided to turn her game against her.
It shouldn’t surprise her, really. But she is wondering why they decided to tease her right back instead of letting her know that a relationship isn’t something the two of them want.
The next staff member who tries to get them to admit their feelings to each other is the head cook Kenji. Everyone agrees that Kenji may have one of the best chances of succeeding by virtue of having known Fire Lord Zuko since he was a child and still being a person that Lord Zuko chooses to be close to.
If anyone can do it, Kenji can.
The plan Kenji comes up with is simple. It’s a one-off, something that the others haven’t thought of trying. But, Kenji is confident that his plan will spark enough curiosity that the two will then take matters into their own hands.
Kenji plans to make a full meals worth of dishes of things that he knows are Ambassador Sokka’s favorites, and then mentions that he knew they were favorites because Fire Lord Zuko talks about him so much.
Simple, quick, and just revealing enough to hopefully spark some curiosity in Ambassador Sokka.
So, Kenji does just that.
He picks a day when he knows it will be just Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka who are having dinner and prepares the menu accordingly. Kenji won’t exactly be lying by saying that Fire Lord Zuko talks about Ambassador Sokka a lot; he most certainly does. Before Ambassador Sokka had moved more permanently to the Fire Nation, Lord Zuko tended to spend a fair amount of his spare time in the kitchen spending time with anyone who was in there. More often than not, Kenji was one of the last workers still in the kitchen, and so he’s spent a lot of time just talking with the Fire Lord.
A hot topic of conversation with Fire Lord Zuko had always been his friends and what they were up to. Rarely did the conversation ever turn political, Lord Zuko preferring to spend his free time thinking of anything other than politics, so Kenji has heard more than one tall tale of the kind of adventures he and his friends get up to.
(And if most of those tales consisted of plenty of sighing wistfully about a certain ambassador, well, Kenji just wants the best for his Fire Lord.)
Since Kenji is often around for Fire Lord Zuko to wax poetic about his friends to, Kenji has a unique knowledge of what these friends are like. It’s simply happenstance that Kenji is the head cook and so he and Fire Lord Zuko sometimes talk about the different kinds of foods from the other nations that Lord Zuko has visited. This has led to conversations about what food he and his friends have liked best during their travels. And so, Kenji knows exactly which foods to make that Ambassador Sokka will enjoy, and, even better, that knowledge was given to him by Lord Zuko himself.
(Kenji isn’t exactly sure the young man realizes just how much he talks about Ambassador Sokka, and how brightly his face lights up when he does. Kenji can tell there are feelings there, it’s just a matter of when those feelings will be acted upon.)
Kenji spends a day preparing dishes, sending prep cooks to markets to get fresh ingredients, and batting away nosey staff members trying to get in on his plan. Kenji refuses to let any of the advisors in the kitchen to mess with his flow; they’ve had two chances already and both of their plans led nowhere.
Kenji is not letting them mess this up for him.
Kenji ends up making a few different dishes, some traditional Fire Nation dishes that Lord Zuko mentioned Ambassador Sokka having a soft sport for, an Earth Kingdom noodle dish that he’s never made before but turned out pretty nicely if you ask him, and a single Water Tribe dessert consisting of some kind of sea prunes. When he tries it to taste test it, Kenji himself doesn’t care for the taste, but it does seem like what Fire Lord Zuko described to him once (“really salty with this undertaste of sweetness. It was really weird but pretty good.”)
He sends the food out, not yet going out himself, content to wait until the end of the meal to go and bother them. He lets them have their peace for now, even though Kenji is sure Fire Lord Zuko is to be suspicious as soon as he sets eyes on the spread of dishes.
He lets an hour or so go by, until most of the dishes have come back empty or near empty, before going out into the dining hall himself.
When he enters, Kenji is pleased to note that Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka are sitting much closer to each other than would be considered proper under normal circumstances. The two are huddled on one side of the table, Fire Lord Zuko completely ignoring the more regal place setting that is usually set up for him in favor of a simple cushion next to Ambassador Sokka. Right now, the two are idling chatting, but not so caught up in themselves to miss when Kenji enters.
“Good evening, you two,” Kenji says, bowing his head slightly.
“Hello, Kenji,” Lord Zuko responds with a small smile while Ambassador Sokka shoots him a blinding one.
“I was wondering how you two liked the meal? I thought I’d try my hand at some new recipes, so I’m hoping for some feedback,” Kenji asks under the guise of innocence.
“Oh, it was great!” Ambassador Sokka says. “I don’t know where you got a recipe for that Water Tribe dish, but it was practically perfect.”
“Practically?” Kenji asks, and well just because Kenji didn’t really like the dish doesn’t mean his pride will allow anything other than perfection.
“Well, you can’t expect me to say it was better than my Gran’s, can you? She’d find out somehow and then flay me alive,” Ambassador Sokka jokes.
“Wel, I suppose I’ll take it,” Kenji acquiesces. “Especially since I didn’t really have a recipe. I was mainly going off what Lord Zuko has told me about things that you like.”
Kenji sees Fire Lord Zuko’s eyes widen and he shoots Kenji a panicked look. Kenji pretends not to see it.
“Oh? Things that I like, hm?” Kenji can see the teasing light in Ambassador Sokka’s eyes and decides right then and there that he approves of this boy.
“Yes, Lord Zuko does tend to talk about you a lot, so I figured I would try my hand at some new dishes and try to get on the new Ambassador’s good side.”
Sokka barks out a laugh as Fire Lord Zuko’s cheeks burn a bright red. Kenji shoots both men a smile, deciding to make a tactical retreat.
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed. I’ll be leaving you two now. Have a good night,” Kenji says as he backs out of the room.
“Good night!” Ambassador Sokka calls out brightly, Lord Zuko’s own, softer good night nearly being drowned out.
Kenji has a good feeling that Lord Zuko is about to be teased by Ambassador Sokka. He just hopes it leads to something.
***
Sokka cannot stop giggling.
He’s still quietly laughing to himself as he follows Zuko throughout the palace halls, on their way to Zuko’s private rooms. He’s laughing when he enters, and he’s laughing when he goes to flop on Zuko’s bed.
“It’s not that funny,” Zuko grumbles from across the room where he’s working on removing his more formal clothes in exchange for comfortable ones.
“But, babe,” Sokka teases. “You talk about me to your staff. You have a crush on me.”
Zuko glares at him, but he can’t hide the blush on his cheeks and it makes Sokka smile even more.
“Is this talking to people about me a new thing, or has it always been like that?” Sokka continues to tease.
“I didn’t realize I talked about you so much that people actually started to remember the things I was saying,” Zuko says. He’s finished changing and climbs onto the bed next to Sokka. “But I guess it was an always thing.”
Sokka ‘awww’s at him, wrapping his arms around Zuko’s waist and pulling him into his side. Zuko hides his blushing face in Sokka’s shoulder, hugging him back.
“That’s cute,” Sokka says. “That you apparently talked about me so much people started learning things about me through you.”
“If he keeps doing things like that, I’m not gonna be able to handle it,” Zuko mumbles into Sokka’s shoulder.
“I don’t think we have to worry about this one continuing,” Sokka assures him. “It seemed like more of a one-off.”
Zuko huffs but doesn’t respond, instead snuggling deeper into Sokka. Sokka secretly hopes the staff keeps doing things like this. As much as Zuko pretends it annoys him, Sokka knows that Zuko thinks these little things are harmless. Sokka likes knowing that the staff approves of him enough to keep trying to set them up. He knows how protective they are of Zuko, so having this approval feels almost as good as when he got Uncle’s blessing.
Plus, it’s fun to see Zuko flustered.
After it’s clear that nothing between Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka changes after Kenji’s little experiment, the staff seems to lose a bit of hope. They’d been sure that if anyone could do it, Kenji could.
(“He didn’t even try that hard,” someone complains. “A one-off? Did he really think a one-time thing was gonna get through their thick skulls?”
“Hey, he probably had more success than anyone else has so far. And it’s not like we see you coming up with anything!”)
For a while, the staff loses momentum. With the beginning of the summer months, things around the palace become a bit busier. There are more people running around, new hires, more errands to run, more diplomats visiting, and just more overall work for everyone.
No one is busier than Fire Lord Zuko is, though.
With the sudden bluster around the palace, Fire Lord Zuko has been so bogged down by work, the staff has hardly even seen him. The man has been holed up in his office when he isn’t locked into meetings with advisors and ambassadors and generals. If he isn’t working in his office, he’s taking his work back to his quarters and continuing there.
So, the staff’s meddling gets put on hold for now.
At least, until the perfect opportunity presents itself.
It happens on a night when Lang and Tian are working the night shift around the palace, both women roaming throughout the different rooms and cleaning up after various meetings. They head to the dining room, only to find it empty and already clean. Or rather, like it was never dirty in the first place.
“Do you think Fire Lord Zuko skipped dinner?” Lang wonders aloud.
“Probably, with how focused on work he’s been lately,” Tian says. “Should we go check on him?”
“Might as well,” Lang shrugs. “This was the last room we had to clean, but it looks like there’s nothing to do here.”
They make their way to Fire Lord Zuko’s office, nodding to the guards posted outside the room and gently knocking on the door. When they hear Fire Lord Zuko’s soft “Come in,” Lang opens the door, scanning the room. She sees Fire Lord Zuko at his desk, head bent over a mound of paperwork. Across the room, at a smaller table, she sees Ambassador Sokka also working on a pile of paperwork.
“Sorry to bother you, Lord Zuko, but it seems as if you’ve skipped dinner this evening. We were wondering if you’d like us to bring you anything from the kitchens,” Lang says.
Fire Lord Zuko seems surprised, looking over at one of the candles in the corner to see how low its flame has gotten. “Oh,” he says. “I didn’t realize it had gotten so late. I guess some food would be nice, if it’s not any trouble.”
“Of course not, Lord Zuko,” Tian jumps in. “We’ll be back with something for you and Ambassador Sokka shortly.”
With that, they leave Lord Zuko’s office and head back to the kitchen. On the way there, Lang puts a hand on Tian’s shoulder, stopping them in the hallway.
“Tian, I just had the most brilliant idea,” she says.
“What?”
“How about we turn their late-night paperwork push into a nice, private dinner date?”
The two women share a conspiratory smile. Tian heads to the kitchen to grab food while Lang heads to one of the storage closets where she knows extra candles are.
This is going to be good, she thinks.
***
Zuko pulls his head up from where it’s buried in his paperwork when he hears another knock on the door a few minutes later.
“Come in,” he calls.
Lang and Tian open the door and enter his office, and Zuko is immediately suspicious.
Instead of just a tray or two of snacks like he expected, it seems the two women have brought… supplies.
Tian is holding a few trays of food, which she quickly sets down on the low tea table in the corner of the room. Lang’s arms, however, are laden with things like candles, cushions, and even a blanket.
What even, he thinks, watching Lang walk around the room and set up candles and placing down cushions. He catches Sokka’s eye from across the room and sees that he’s looking just as bemused as Zuko feels.
“Ah, our apologies for being so bold, Lord Zuko,” Tian says. “But, it was quite dark in here, so we thought bringing in some more light may help. It’s not good for your eyes to read in the dark, you know.” Tian finishes placing down the food on the small table, then spreads out the blanket next to it, placing the cushions on top.
“There,” she says proudly. “Now you won’t have to struggle to eat on that small table. Plus, it’s kind of cozy, don’t you think?”
“I guess?” Zuko responds, still confused. By now, Lang has finished placing and lighting all the candles and she lets out a wistful sigh.
“Isn’t sharing dinner with someone under candlelight so romantic?” she says, folding her hands under her chin.
Zuko is stunned into silence, his jaw dropping. He sees Sokka clamp a hand over his mouth, most definitely holding back laughter. Tian clears her throat pointedly, and Lang’s eyes widen, blushing furiously.
“I mean, well, um,” she stutters out. “Anyway, we’ll be going now!” She grabs ahold of Tian’s arm, pulling the other girl out of the room with her.
***
“Huh, the panicked innocence was a good touch,” Tian says as they’re speeding their way away from the office.
“Thank you, I took drama classes in school,” Lang says, and both of them start giggling.
***
“So,” Sokka says in the silence of the room. “Impromptu date night?”
After that, no one else seems to have the gall to try and continue setting Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka up. Nothing they’ve tried has worked, and they’re close to coming to the conclusion that the men are being purposefully obtuse, or they just don’t want to be together.
Until head guard Ming decides that enough is enough and takes matters into his own hands.
***
Ming has been a personal guard to Fire Lord Zuko since the young man had first taken the throne. Because of this, Ming has witnessed first hand Lord Zuko in all kinds of different occasions, and throughout all of them, one thing stays constant.
Fire Lord Zuko spends a lot of his time with Ambassador Sokka.
Ever since the young Water Tribesman has moved to the Fire Nation more permanently as his position required, Ming has noticed that Fire Lord Zuko seems to spend nearly every waking moment with the man.
The two work together, eat together, train together, and spend their free time together. Ming has seen them laugh together, fight together (or sometimes with each other), cry together, and comfort each other.
Despite this, Ming is not sure they’re dating.
Ming swears the two men are perfect for each other and are secretly in love. He’s seen the sweet looks sent when the other isn’t looking, the longing looks from across the room, the blushing cheeks when one of them in caught looking (Ming has noticed that most of the blushing is coming from his Fire Lord, whereas Ambassador Sokka seems to embrace being caught. Ming isn’t quite sure what to make of that, but he’s sure it’s important). Ming has seen the jealousy in both of their eyes when dignitaries or nobles get too flirty or too touchy to one of them.
Ming knows the two are overprotective of each other. Fire Lord Zuko is the first to fiercely defend Ambassador Sokka when his competency is called into question by people who are unable to see the ingenuity in Sokka’s ideas, regardless of the fact that Sokka is more than capable of defending himself when it comes to a battle of wits. Ambassador Sokka is the first one to defend Fire Lord Zuko the moment there is a hint of danger, regardless of the fact that Zuko is one of the strongest fighters out there and is more than capable of taking care of himself. Ming has seen the both of them absolutely destroy (both verbally and physically) anyone who dares underestimate the other.
But still, Ming has no concrete proof that they’re dating.
(“You don’t have proof that they aren’t dating, either though,” his wife, Heli, says one night when he’s filling her in on the palace gossip. “They could be dating and are just keeping a low profile for now.”
“Honey, I think I would know if they were dating. I’m with Lord Zuko almost all the time.”
“You’re not with him now,” she points out. “And you’re never in his room with him at night. Ambassador Sokka is a great warrior and Fire Lord Zuko knows the palace like he knows the back of his hand. Maybe they’re sneaking out at night to meet each other.”
“Sweetheart, I love you, but I’m going to ignore your valid points and go ahead and move on with our plan to get them together.”
“Have fun with that, and when Fire Lord Zuko laughs in your face, I want a play-by-play of all the details.”)
So Ming, along with some of the other guards, devise a plan.
The plan, in theory, is very simple. Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka tend to walk to meetings together, meaning they walk around the palace together fairly often. So, in theory, it wouldn’t be that hard to just. Shove the two of them in a closet and claim there were signs of danger. And keep them in there for an undetermined amount of time and hope they work out their feelings for each other.
It may be childish, but it also might work.
The other guards give him shit for it when he first tells them his plan, but they’re just as big of meddlers as he is. It helps that they all want Fire Lord Zuko to be happy, and if that means meddling to get him together with the Water Tribe Ambassador, then so be it.
(“Are you sure this will work, Ming? It seems like it has a pretty low chance of succeeding,” one of the guards says.
“Oh, come on,” one of the younger ones says. “Didn’t you ever play seven minutes in heaven as a kid? It’ll work.”
“The kids got a point,” another one says. “We’re in, Ming. Operation: Get Our Fire Lord Laid is a go.”
“Please don’t call it that,” Ming begs. “Literally anything but that. Please.”
“Well we can’t call it ‘Operation: Get the Fire Lord a Boyfriend’! Everyone else has used that name and they haven’t succeeded. We’ve got to break the mold!”
“And we are trying to get him laid, amongst other things.”)
Ming is aware that other palace staff are also trying to get the two men together. He’s witnessed some of the tries first hand, and he’s heard of all the others. The most successful so far may have been the two servants, Lang and Tian, who had seized the opportunity to turn one of Lord Zuko’s and Ambassador Sokka’s late nights into a romantic dinner, which, genius on their part. But Ming is determined to take home the win on this one and be the one who made those two realize their feelings for each other.
Ming knows Lord Zuko’s schedule as well as the man himself, so it’s easy for him to find a meeting that Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka are both set to attend and will most definitely be walking to together. He plans a few possible routes to the meeting room, calculating which path they are most likely to take, and if there are any closets suitable for shoving their Fire Lord into on the way to the meeting room. Ming ends up scouting the locations himself, taking it upon himself to clean out and organize a few of the storage closets himself so that there’s enough room for two grown men, but not so much room that they won’t still be forced close to each other. Ming prepares a few of the other guards to be in those hallways at the time, so that when they pass the storage closet, they can send the signal and give Ming an excuse to push them into the closet.
He’s planned, he’s prepared, and he’s ready to put his plan into action.
Ming realizes he may be going a bit overboard, but he can’t find it in himself to care.
The day comes, and Ming has to fight to act normally and not let the excitement get to him. Fire Lord Zuko was shooting him worried glances earlier, and Ambassador Sokka had asked him if everything was okay. Ming had mumbled out some excuse of drinking too much coffee that morning and being jittery because of it, but it didn’t seem like either man believed him.
Get it together, he tells himself. You’re acting like a nervous child. You’re going to make them suspicious.
The meeting is set to take place at one in the afternoon, so shortly after noon, Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka ready themselves from where they had been working together in Lord Zuko’s office, and prepare to head to the meeting. They leave the office, Ming leading the way in front of them and his co-guard following slightly behind Lord Zuko. Ming keeps his eyes forward, no matter how badly he wants to survey the surroundings to see how close they are to the target destination. Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka are idly chatting behind him, but Ming pays their conversation no mind, eyes locked on the storage closet he can see coming up on his right.
Right on cue, two of the guards down the other side of the hall shout, “Intruder! Prepare the guards!”
Without hesitation, Ming whirls around, taking in Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka’s surprised faces, and pushes them into the conveniently opened storage closet, shutting the door behind them.
There’s a moment of stunned silence. Ming and his co-guard because holy shit they actually just did that. Ming is certain that the silence from Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka is out of shock and surprise at being shoved into a closet.
The silence doesn’t last long.
“Ming!” Fire Lord Zuko’s voice comes out slightly muffled through the door, but Ming can clearly hear the annoyance and disbelief in his voice.
“My apologies, My Lord, but I’m afraid you’ll have to stay there for the time being, until we sort this out,” Ming says trying desperately to keep his voice even.
“Ming, you will open this door right now,” Lord Zuko orders, voice hard.
Ming and his co-guard freeze, sharing a worried look.
“I’m very sorry, sir, but the door seems to be locked and we must go check on that disturbance. Please, forgive me for this,” Ming stutters out. The guard next to him looks at him in shock as Ming backs away from the now locked door.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” the guard whispers to him.
“Neither can I,” Ming whispers back.
“How long are you going to keep them in there?”
“...I hadn’t really thought about that.”
“Ming!”
***
Zuko cannot believe his head guard just shoved him and Sokka into a storage closet in the middle of the palace. Zuko is stunned into silence and he hears Ming’s muffled footsteps as he steps away from the door. The wood of the door is thick enough that Zuko can’t really hear much beyond it.
Zuko hears muffled laughter from behind him and turns to shoot Sokka a glare.
“Oh, come on, don’t look at me like that. This is funny and you know it,” Sokka says, not bothering to hide his laughter anymore.
“Sokka,” Zuko says exasperated. “We are locked in a tiny storage closet with no windows and no means of escaping, while a supposed intruder runs around the palace.”
“Hm, we might be able to break the door open if we work together,” Sokka ponders. “You could heat the hinges while I push at it. That would probably work but if we end up lighting the door on fire then we’re fucked.”
“I wouldn’t set the door on fire,” Zuko mumbles.
“Baby, any other time I would agree with you, but you’ve been on edge all day and steam was coming out of your nose when you were talking to Ming just now. I don’t think we should take the chance.”
Zuko glares again and huffs out an irritated breath, even more annoyed as Sokka is proven right when a puff of steam comes out with his breath.
“Fine, so we wait. Still, this seems more dangerous than being in the hallway would have been. Right now we’re sitting turtleducks,” Zuko grumbles, leaning against the door.
That makes Sokka’s eyebrows furrow as an idea clearly pops into his head. “What are you thinking?” Zuko asks.
“I’m thinking you have a point with that. And that Ming has better instincts than to put you in a vulnerable position like this,” Sokka says, crossing his arms over his chest. Zuko can tell he’s not done yet, so Zuko stays quiet while he works through his thoughts.
“Do you really think there was an intruder? Or do you think this is another one of your staff’s plans to ‘get us together’?” Sokka asks.
Zuko blinks, his jaw dropping when it all clicks.
“Are you fucking kidding me,” Zuko says at the same time Sokka bursts into laughter.
“Sokka, this isn’t funny!” Zuko hisses. “My staff is literally interfering with meetings with dignitaries to try and get us together when we’re already together! ”
“It’s kind of funny,” Sokka says softly, coming closer until he and Zuko are pressed together. “They just care about you. Want you to be happy. And they’ve decided that I can make you happy, so excuse me if I’m not that angry at them for approving of me.”
Zuko feels his face soften at that, looking up at Sokka and wrapping his arms around Sokka’s waist.
“I guess,” Zuko sighs. “I suppose I can be glad people approve of a relationship between us enough to meddle.”
“That’s the spirit,” Sokka smiles at him, pulling Zuko closer. “Now, how long do you think we’ll be locked in here?”
“Depends on if I managed to scare Ming or not,” Zuko ponders. “Usually he doesn’t care when I snap at him, so we might be in here a while. Why?”
Sokka smirks at him. “Wanna make out a little? We seem to have some sudden free time.”
And well, Zuko can’t exactly argue with him, can he?
***
Ming can hear some muffled conversation between Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka, but the wood of the door is too thick to make out the words. After some time though, the two men seem to fall into silence, since Ming can no longer hear any sounds coming from in the closet.
Ming rests against the wall across from the door while his co-guard paces nervously. Ming gives up on trying to reassure the younger guard that they probably won’t get in trouble, and even if Lord Zuko is annoyed or mad, Ming already said he would take the fall for it.
Ming must leave the two locked in that small room for more than an hour before Ming gives up and decides to let them out. They’ve been silent for so long that Ming wouldn’t be surprised if he was about to open the door to see them asleep on the floor.
Ming makes his footsteps loud as he approaches the door to signal his approach. “Lord Zuko, we’re back,” Ming calls. “I can open the door now.”
Ming unlocks the door, pulling it open. Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka immediately make their way out. Ming does not miss the pointed annoyed look Lord Zuko sends his way. Ming straightens himself, looking Fire Lord Zuko in the eyes.
“So,” Lord Zuko says, voice flat. “An intruder?”
“Well, you see, sir, it turns out there was no danger,” Ming says. From just behind Lord Zuko, Ming sees Ambassador Sokka clap a hand to his mouth, no doubt holding back laughter. Lord Zuko’s eye twitches.
“Nothing was wrong?” Lord Zuko asks.
“No, sir. It just happened that a new servant was recently hired and some of the guards didn’t recognize the new worker and came to some rash conclusions.”
“Really?” Lord Zuko says incredulously, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.
“Yes, sir,” Ming maintains.
“So you shoved us into a closet, interrupted an important meeting, and wasted more than an hour’s worth of time because of a misunderstanding?”
“I panicked?” Ming tries. Lord Zuko opens his mouth to reply, but Ambassador Sokka claps his hands on Lord Zuko’s shoulders.
“Let this one go, Zuko,” he says. “No harm was done, and everything’s fine.”
Lord Zuko sighs, but ultimately drops his angry posture. “We’re going to start that meeting. Alone, Ming.”
Fire Lord Zuko walks away, Ambassador Sokka on his heels, and they continue down the hall toward the meeting room. Ming dreads having to go home and tell Heli that his plan failed.
It’s not until the two are already gone that Ming realizes that both Lord Zuko’s and Ambassador Sokka’s lips were swollen and red.
Zuko had been working non-stop for longer than he cared to admit. He knows he got up early this morning and went straight to work in his office, leaving a tempting, warm, and cuddly Sokka in his bed.
(“Damn firebenders and their rising with the sun bullshit,” Sokka mumbled as Zuko untangled himself from Sokka’s limbs and slipped out of bed. Sokka turns over, grabbing Zuko’s pillow and cuddling up to it. Zuko places a kiss on Sokka’s forehead before he leaves the room, and doesn’t miss Sokka’s soft smile in return.)
He’s been to four different meetings today, only one of which Sokka was in attendance as well. After his meetings finished, Zuko had gone straight to his office to keep working, trying to tackle the mountain of paperwork that seemed to just keep growing on his desk. He’s been at it for a few hours, at least. No one has come to check on him or drop by his office for anything, so he couldn’t have been there for more than four or five hours at the most.
He’s thinking it might be time for a break soon, though. His eyes are burning from reading so much, his back is hurting from being hunched over in his desk chair (just because he’s the Fire Lord, doesn’t mean his desk chair is the most comfortable thing there is), and his stomach is empty enough that he’s moved past hunger and is just feeling sick.
Just as Zuko is taking a quick break to rub at his eyes, a knock sounds on his office door.
“Come in,” Zuko calls out, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the upcoming headache. The door opens, and Zuko looks up long enough to see Sokka’s head pop through the door. He takes one look at Zuko and comes fully into the room, closing the door softly behind him.
“Hey,” Sokka says quietly. He makes his way over to Zuko, stopping beside him and leaning on the desk.
“Hey,” Zuko says back just as quietly, turning in his chair so that he’s facing Sokka. Sokka reaches towards him, loosening the tie of his hair a bit, easing the pressure on his skull, and pushing some bangs out of his face.
“You’ve been in here most of the night,” Sokka says. “You missed dinner again. Kenji’s feelings were hurt. He made some new dishes and I think he wanted to tease you again.”
Zuko wrinkles his nose at that, but leans into Sokka’s hand, now massaging his head softly. “I’ll apologize the next time I see him.”
“Think he’d rather you take care of yourself,” Sokka counters. “I would too, for the record.”
“Sokka, don't,” Zuko sighs, pulling away and turning back to his desk.
“Hey, hey. None of that,” Sokka says, gently grabbing Zuko’s face and pulling him back. “I didn’t come here to start a fight, I came to ask you if you wanted a midnight snack and then to maybe convince you to go to bed with me. But I’ll settle for just getting you to eat, if you really wanna stay up and work.”
Sokka is looking at him with the softest eyes that Zuko has ever seen, his hands going back to combing through Zuko’s hair, and Zuko’s heart swells.
“Spirits, I love you,” he says. “Alright, let’s go get something to eat, and then we’ll go to bed.”
Sokka smiles, pulling Zuko up and kissing his forehead. “Love you, too, sweetheart.”
They walk hand in hand to the kitchen, Zuko’s guards not saying a word as they follow silently behind. His guards stay put outside the entrance while Zuko and Sokka go inside.
For once, there’s no one else there, the kitchen quiet and empty.
“How late is it?” Zuko asks as he and Sokka work in tandem to start fixing together some kind of late-night meal.
“Late enough that even the workaholics have decided to go to bed,” Sokka says.
“I guess I’ve been more stressed than I thought,” Zuko admits quietly, sitting down at one of the kitchen islands once they’ve finished putting something together. Sokka sits next to him, scooting closer until their knees are touching, grabbing hold of one of Zuko’s hands and eating with the other.
“You’ve been really distracted with the new reforms and everything,” Sokka says. “You’ve been working pretty much nonstop. You’ve got to remember to take care of yourself, too. I know you’re running a nation, but the nation can’t run without you.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’ve got you here to help me with that, hm?” Zuko says, leaning closer to Sokka.
“Always,” Sokka whispers, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. “Always.”
***
It’s the middle of the night, practically early morning when Mimi gets sent to the kitchen to refill the water jug in the servants’ quarters.
She’d gotten up for a drink, noticed the jug was empty, and was fully prepared to go back to bed for a few more hours, regardless of her thirst. But then, one of the older servants had gotten up for a drink as well. Mimi had offered to go refill the jug quickly, not about to let the women go without a drink, even if it would be just a few hours until morning.
The thing is, Mimi has no problem with working in the palace during broad daylight, but walking through the palace halls at night was a completely different story. It’s dark, and cold, and the portraits of the different Fire Lords hanging around the halls freak her out.
She takes the servant's entrance, rather than going through the main entrance. She knows this path better, and the servants’ entrance gives her just a smaller bit of comfort. She makes it to the kitchen, quietly pushing open the door, only to freeze right in her tracks at what she sees.
There, in the middle of the kitchen, is Fire Lord Zuko practically snuggling with Ambassador Sokka. She watches, spellbound, as the two seem to gravitate towards each other, leaning into each other’s space like they belong there. She sees Ambassador Sokka pull Fire Lord Zuko closer, sees him press soft kisses to the Fire Lord’s skin, run his hands through his loose hair, and she watches as Fire Lord Zuko returns the soft touches with a small, happy smile on his face.
She feels like a voyeur, suddenly, watching this moment that is so obviously private and only meant for them. As quietly as she can, she pulls the door closed, jug in her hand forgotten. She slowly backs away from the door, until she’s far enough away that she’s confident no one will hear her footsteps.
She goes back to the servant’s quarters in silence, lost in her own thoughts.
“I’m sorry,” she tells the other women when she gets back. “But I got to the kitchen and Fire Lord Zuko was in there, I got a little too nervous, so I left.”
“Oh, you young ones,” she says. “Fire Lord Zuko wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone one of his staff. Next time, don’t be afraid to speak to him.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she says, and climbs back into bed, facing the wall and thinking of if she should say something about what she saw.
The next morning, Mimi is on breakfast duty. She heads to the kitchens early and refills the water jug that she didn’t last night, gratified when the people in the kitchen are all staff members. She stays in the kitchen, waiting for the chance to bring a dish out to the dining table. One of the chefs hands her a platter, and she takes it, making her way into the dining room.
Entering the dining room, she sees Fire Lord Zuko at the head of the table, Ambassador Sokka close at his side, and a few other dignitaries farther down the table. She sets the platter in between Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka, lingering for a moment.
“If I may interrupt for a moment, Lord Zuko?” she says very quietly, so only the three of them can hear.
“Is everything alright?” he asks, concerned.
“Yes, everything is fine. I only wanted to make a quick suggestion.” They’re both looking at her curiously now. “Perhaps, send someone to remind you for dinner tonight? That way you and Ambassador Sokka don’t have to keep making late-night kitchen trips.”
Mimi then has the shock and gratification of watching both men go a bright red. Fire Lord Zuko opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
“Of course,” Mimi continues. “I won’t breathe a word of what I saw. And besides, I left quickly when I saw you both there. However, the next person who sees you may not be so kind.”
And then, Mimi can’t stop the small smile from crossing her face. “You two are a bit of hot gossip, you know. It’ll be a field day when people finally realize about you two. Enjoy your meal.”
***
“Well, shit,” Sokka breathes out a chuckle as the girl walks away. “I guess we’ve been found out.”
“Spirits,” Zuko mumbles, trying to get his blushing cheeks under control. “That was not what I was expecting. To be honest, I was prepared for the worst.”
“Was that not the worst?” Sokka asks cautiously.
“Sokka,” Zuko says seriously. “I was prepared for her to tell me that one of the dishes had been poisoned, not that we got caught canoodling in the kitchen last night. If you wanted, I would kiss you right here and now so everyone knows we’re together.”
“You would?” Sokka asks breathlessly.
“In a heartbeat,” Zuko confirms.
Sokka takes Zuko’s hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and pressing a kiss to his hand. It doesn’t seem like anyone around the table notices, or if they do, no one reacts.
“Maybe during dinner,” Sokka jokes.
He leaves their hands tangled together on the tabletop for the remainder of breakfast.