Fandom 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓷 ( rawry & finchieboy )

[rawry]

finchieboy

Sokka stared up at the banner that towered above his head. The banner pictured Zuko in his new Fire Lord garb, serene and extravagant, with bold, warm-colored threads that weaved and twisted around each other. The complete piece stretched from the high ceiling above and reached just Sokka’s shoulder-height, impressive in both detail and scope.

Sokka laughed a little to himself as he scratched his ear. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Zuko with a peaceful expression in my life. He looks good, though.

The likeness was actually uncanny. Ignoring the expression on Zuko’s face, it mirrored how Zuko had appeared just an hour or so ago when Sokka had stepped onto the palace grounds with the other representatives of the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko’s regal dress, the metal piece in his hair denoting his status, and his upright posture — it was all Sokka could do to keep from bursting out laughing, even as he admitted to himself that it was a handsome look.

Sokka had been elated to see his friend again. He had hoped just to run up and greet Zuko, but Zuko — or, he supposed, the new Fire Lord Zuko — had made some sort of speech receiving them. The Fire Nation, apparently, had prepared a ceremony for their arrival, in which the Fire Lord had given a speech about hopes for reparation and repayment for his father’s untold horrors.

Needless to say, even Sokka could read that he probably shouldn’t approach Zuko as he normally would.

So he had just bowed with the others and listened to his father make his returning speech, then was ushered into the palace along with the other members of his tribe, whose irritated comments towards their Fire Nation hosts continued even as they were getting settled into their rooms. Deciding that he could use a bit of fresh air, Sokka had made some excuses before heading out to see if he could track down Zuko somehow.

He doubted he’d be able to find the Fire Lord, but he figured, if nothing else, it couldn’t hurt to get a scope of the palace from a fresh perspective. After a bit of wandering the halls, the banner he stood before now had grabbed his attention, causing him to turn and admire it for a few moments.

Huh. This banner is actually way different than all the other ones. Maybe Zuko’s room is somewhere around here? Sokka turned and began to hopefully look around at the idea that there was some significance to the banner’s placement.

 

[finchieboy]

Zuko had never been good with feelings. Or at least, not in a very very long time. Especially when there were a lot at once, he easily got overwhelmed. But he was the Firelord now, and he had a job to do. Important responsibilities. And Zuko intended to fulfill them.

He was learning, luckily, how to manage. When he had free time, he almost always spent it alone, either in his quarters or somewhere else quiet and peaceful. He would take deep, calming breaths, and prepare himself for what he needed to do next. Or, in some cases, ease the stress of whatever he was dealing with. Council meetings, especially, often called for extensive breaks after, for Zuko to collect himself.

A visit from Water Tribe ambassadors wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, it was a huge step in the right direction. Even better, it was bringing Sokka and his father back to the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, he didn’t anticipate the others being so friendly.

Greeting the ambassadors was almost painfully formal, when he simply could have shaken Hakoda’s and the others’ hands, and perhaps given Sokka a hug - he was a hugger, after all. But tradition demanded that he give a welcome speech for the new arrivals, and the court, and any nobility currently in the Capital. So he did. And then Sokka and his people were being lead away to their rooms, so Zuko returned to his.

After that speech, Zuko collapsed onto his bed, letting his hair down and running his hands through it. And had grown an inch or two since he’d last seen Sokka. But he wore it up most of the time now, anyways. It was the proper way to do it.

Eventually, Zuko figured Sokka and the others must be settled in by then, and decided to go greet his best friend properly. It had been a long time. Too long, in Zuko’s opinion. He retied his hair, and carefully put his hair piece back, then straightened his robe and left his room. He had barely turned the corner towards the guest rooms when he spotted familiar blue clothes, and an even more familiar face.

“Sokka!” Zuko greeted, eyes wide with surprise. “What are you doing in this part of the palace?” He asked, but he didn’t particularly care about the answer, striding towards Sokka with a bright, unabashed smile on his face.

 

[rawry]

Sokka’s eyes lit up, and an equally bright smile sprouted on his face. He rushed forward and swept up Zuko in a tight hug, even managing to lift the other boy a couple of inches off the ground in his excitement. “Zuko,” he crowed, his voice a mixture of laughter and a shout, “My man! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

He set the prince down with a shake of his head, although he kept his hands on Zuko’s shoulders while his face still beamed. “It’s been too long — let me get a look at you! You were too far from us in that dumb ceremony.” He took a step back and put a hand to his chin, humming to himself and nodding while he surveyed his friend. “Hmm.. mhm.”

Sokka himself had a bit of a growth spurt since Zuko last saw him and now stood a couple of inches taller than before. He had changed out of his ceremonial Water Tribe clothes that he had worn during the reception, replacing the fur-lined robes and weapons carved from sharkwhale bone with the trademark outfit that Zuko would recognize, although the water tribe boy had grown leaner beneath it.

Sokka’s hand shifted from holding his chin to pointing its index finger towards Zuko. “… you look like the biggest nerd I’ve ever seen.” He snickered. “Gonna be honest, I never got with the top knot.”

 

[finchieboy]

Zuko happily wrapped his arms around Sokka, but gasped in surprise when he felt his feet leave the floor. “Sokka!” He cried, trying to sound annoyed but laughing in spite of himself. It had been months since he’d laughed like this. Months since he’d had a proper hug, too.

He smiled fondly as Sokka looked him over, and found himself analyzing his friend in return. He looked different, in some ways. Taller, for one. The last time they had seen each other, Zuko had been taller than his friend - if only by a bit. Now, he was eye-level with the middle of Sokka’s nose. And though he was wearing familiar clothes, he didn’t look quite the same in them as he had when they parted.

Zuko smiled crookedly at Sokka’s antics. He rolled his eyes, but it was all in good fun. He brought a hand up to his hair defensively. “It’s traditional,” he insisted, adjusting his hair piece. “It’s regal. If I wore it down, it would always be in my face.”

 

[rawry]

Sokka kept grinning widely, unable to help himself — the fact that Zuko and his sense of humor remained the same brought the Water Tribe boy comfort. Not much time had passed since they had parted ways, all things considered, but Sokka had still worried that Zuko’s duties would’ve sobered him and siphoned his levity. Zuko’s acceptance speech intensified the worry even more, which made the relief feel like a weight was lifted from his chest.

He scrunched his nose playfully towards his friend. “Regal, schmegal,” he shook his head, “why make it regal if it looks dumb? Maybe you should wear it like mine.” He ran a hand over the top of his scalp, posing briefly with a grin. “That way you can keep it out of your face and be stylish.”

With a soft laugh, he lowered his hand and looked at Zuko again, his grey eyes full of warmth. “But, for real — how have you been, man? You’re the Fire Lord now; things must be crazy! What’s it like?”

 

[finchieboy]

Zuko rolled his eyes again, but he couldn’t help but smile. He had missed this, more than he’d even realized. When he was working, everything was serious. He had to be serious. It was refreshing, to have Sokka’s humor and energy back in his life.

“I’d rather keep it long,” Zuko insisted. “It’s symbolic.” Hair held a lot of significance in the Fire Nation, especially in the old families. It was a tradition that wasn’t talked about so much, any more, but it was still looked for, especially from a leader, like himself. And for Zuko, personally, his hair growing back had felt a lot like a physical display of the growth he’d done, himself.

“Crazy is a good word for it,” Zuko admitted, smiling sheepishly. “It’s… a lot of things. Exhausting, usually. But we don’t need to stay out here, come on, my room’s right around the corner.” He nodded down the hallway, and led the way, opening the door to his chambers and beckoning Sokka inside. “You’re welcome to sit, but I understand if you did enough of that on the journey here,” Zuko said, pointing out the couch and armchairs in the sitting area, as well as his dining table.

 

[rawry]

"Oh!" Sokka perked up in surprise as he followed after Zuko; he'd been thinking along similar lines, but expected to be brought to a different section of the palace to talk, not Zuko's own room. He leaned over ever-so-slightly to peek through the door, unable to resist his curiosity. "I'm -- I'm allowed to be in there? I mean, I guess you're the Fire Lord, you can do whatever you waaa..."

The gigantic space of Zuko's room shoved the rest of Sokka's sentence to the back of his mind. He'd seen the palace before -- run though it, in fact -- so he knew how big the halls and public rooms could loom. The idea boggled his mind, however, of anyone having so much space as their personal quarters. His eyes swept the room - across the multiple armchairs, couch, dining table, and the king-sized bed placed against the wall of the far end - and the boy had to take a moment to process everything.

Zuko's words snapped him out of it, and Sokka's spine snapped straight suddenly, his fists clenching tightly at his sides. "Are you kidding?!" He laughed, sprinting and practically throwing himself on the couch. "Like I'd ever pass up a chance to lie on this! Woah, it's so soft." He sat up from where he lay strewn on the couch and pushed down the cushions beneath him. "It feels like I'm sitting on otter penguin fur."