dracomaleficium gets gay hunting trips for her birthday
So. Long overdue fic for dracomaleficium's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I HAD NO CLUE WHAT TO WRITE FOR YOU! So here is an unnecessarily long, probably boring, awkward Zukka story. I'm not sure why but I wanted to try writing them. I used to be neutral on them together, but after doing lots of... um... research for this fic I'm kind of a Zuko/Sokka shipper. Just a little.
But anyway, I hope you like this, not totally sure if it's up your alley or not but I HOPE SO, next time I think I'll just ask for a prompt or something so I don't have to write so blindly. :D
Rating: R for some sex moments
Word Count: ~6,000 oh jeez I don't know why it's so long
Characters: Zuko, Sokka, some poor jackalopes
Summary: Zuko tags along with Sokka on a hunting trip, and they have some male bonding and cliche fanfic moments. Set when the gaang is at the Western Air Temple.
Into the dappled light of the clearing the jackalope stepped, nose twitching constantly, eyes wide and wary. Unbeknownst to it, the rabbit was being watched intently by two very hungry hunters. They held their breath as the creature inched closer and closer to the berries carefully piled at the edge of the clearing.
The jackalope paused for one more moment and raised itself onto its hind legs to survey its surroundings, before finally deciding the coast was clear. It hopped over to nibble at one of the berries. The trap sprung. Before it could react, the length of twine that lay hidden in the leaves snapped tight around its leg.
Blinded by fear, the jackalope thrashed and tried to run. The trap didn't let it get more than a few inches, but it kept trying anyway, desperate for freedom.
Zuko and Sokka abandoned their hiding place and rushed over to their capture.
"Yes! I told you it would work!" Sokka said, punching the air enthusiastically.
"Six time's the charm, I guess," Zuko said dryly. He watched as the jackalope tired itself out and simply lay there, chest heaving, accepting its fate.
"So I had to work a few kinks out of the design." Sokka took out a knife and knelt by the tired creature after giving Zuko's criticism a dismissive wave. "I figured it out."
After a full day of hunting with nothing to show for it until now, Sokka's stomach was rumbling. His hunger made him able to ignore the pathetic look the jackalope was giving him, he did murmur a quick apology before he slit its throat, carefully in an undertone so Zuko couldn't hear- it might be considered unmanly to apologize to a kill. After an incident earlier that day where the two of them had gotten chased by a boarpig Sokka had stumbled on, he was trying to conserve all of the dignity he had left.
If Zuko noticed the apology, he didn't mention it.
"That thing looks pretty small. It's not going to feed much," Zuko said. Big words coming from someone who didn't even know how to set a trap until Sokka had shown him.
Sokka scowled, his mood dampened slightly by Zuko's pessimism.
"Hey, it's a start, isn't it? We can go back and check the traps we laid earlier. They probably have something."
Zuko made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. At least he wasn't complaining.
Sokka had been surprised when Zuko volunteered to go hunting with him that morning. Surprised, but not exactly unpleasantly so. Sokka didn't know Zuko well enough yet to be able to tell if he would be a good hunting partner, but Zuko had survived out in the Earth Kingdom wilderness for a while, hadn't he? Surely he knew a thing or two, and Sokka was always looking to broaden his knowledge.
Once they got away from the temple and out into the woods, though, it was obvious that Sokka was actually going to be the teacher today. Zuko was fairly good at picking up a trail and following it, and he was stealthier than Sokka, but he was pretty useless at everything else. For their first hour on the hunt, Sokka had to keep yelling at Zuko to get downwind. He was completely clueless about making any kind of trap.
Zuko had managed to capture a badgerfrog after two hours of fruitless searching. He brought it over to Sokka, looking proud of himself.
"What's that for?" Sokka had asked.
"For...eating." Zuko looked confused. He had just chased this thing through a mud puddle, and Sokka was looking at it with disgust.
"Bleck! I'm not eating that! They're poisonous, Zuko, are you trying to kill us all?"
"Well, at least I caught something!" Zuko snapped as the frog squirmed out of his grip. It hopped away, croaking indigently.
Zuko had slumped down on a fallen log, his scowl firmly set back into place, spirit broken.
Sokka decided, for the good of both them and this trip, that Zuko needed to lighten up.
Growing up, hunting for Sokka had been both an honor and a necessity. He could remember the pride he felt when his father had decided he was old enough to go on his first hunting trip, and how much he had learned back then. How much closer he had felt to everyone upon returning. There was a special bond that came about when man teamed up against nature in an effort to provide for their families. So far, he and Zuko weren't really making that bond. They just kept getting frustrated with each other and their lack of success.
"I'm sorry," Sokka began. "I just thought... you know, with all of the time you spent hunting Aang, that you'd be better at actually...hunting."
Zuko scoffed. "I really didn't get that much practice. When Uncle and I had to fend for ourselves, I stole to get what I needed. But I don't want to be that kind of person anymore." He hesitated, then added, "Sorry I'm kind of a useless hunting partner."
Zuko looked so dejected; Sokka felt bad for him. And wasn't that new. It was going to take a while to get used to having all of these friendly feelings for Zuko.
"It's okay," Sokka said, to cheer him up. What he really wanted to say, though, was 'why did you come?' Why had he given up an entire day to come hunting with Sokka, of all people, when he figured he wasn't even worth more than a passing glance from Zuko? Zuko was still very much an enigma to Sokka.
After the badgerfrog incident, Zuko paid much closer attention to what Sokka was saying. And, Sokka noticed, he actually picked up very quickly on what Sokka taught him. By noon, Zuko was building traps almost as good as Sokka's. Perhaps this would be a productive trip after all.
Then a few more hours passed, with barely any game in sight, and Sokka began to get discouraged again. They had spotted the jackalope just when he was considering calling it a day and going home. Now, with the pack on his back finally feeling the weight of meat, Sokka's enthusiasm was back. He was an easy to please guy. Feeling excited to check the rest of their traps, Sokka remembered why he liked hunting.
Many of the traps, unfortunately, turned out to be another disappointment-- most of them hadn't even been touched. One or two had experienced a scuffle and been broken. But three of the traps had meat: two more jackalopes and a vole.
"This is enough for a good meal for everyone, at least," Sokka said cheerfully after he had gotten everything packed away. "I've had worse days."
Zuko had been so quiet for most of the hunt, it was hard to tell if he was enjoying himself or not. A lot of the time his face was creased in intense concentration as he tried to remember everything Sokka told him. The rest of the time he just looked bored, though there had been the possibility of a smile on his face when Sokka pointed out that one of the traps that caught a jackalope was one that Zuko had set.
With the skies growing dark, it was time to head back.
"I didn't think it was that late," Sokka said, squinting up at the bit of sky he could see through the trees. It was hard to keep track of time when he was deep in the woods and couldn't see the sun. "Time flies when you're having fun, I guess."
Zuko made another one of his neutral noises. He was leading the way this time, on the lookout for the small marks they had made on the trees in order to find their way back through the woods.
They hadn't gotten far when a fat drop of rain landed on Sokka's nose. The air was soon filled with the sound of water hitting leaves, and more rain splashed down on them.
"Aww, really?" Sokka was hoping for an uneventful trip home so they could cook some dinner. It looked like the universe had other plans, as it always seemed to where Sokka was concerned.
The temperature was dropping as rapidly as the light. Within minutes the two of them were soaked to the skin and Sokka was shivering.
"I don't think we can travel in this," Zuko said. Sokka could barely hear him over the sound of the rain, but he agreed.
"Where are we supposed to go?" Sokka hugged his arms around himself, trying to keep warm. Water kept trickling down the back of his neck and into his shirt, making him shudder, and all he could think about was getting out of the rain.
Zuko, ever the prepared one, pulled a rolled up tarp out of the pack on his back. Sokka helped him tie the edges to a few trees, though it was hard to knot the rope with his numb fingers. In a matter of minutes, their shelter was set up, and Sokka dove under it gratefully. He was so wet that he barely felt the squelching of the ground beneath him; it was just a relief to get out of the barrage.
He had to move over when Zuko got under the tarp, as it wasn't large. There was barely enough room for the both of them and Zuko's knee bumped against Sokka's as he got himself settled.
Sokka drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, trying to warm himself up again. Zuko watched him out of the corner of his eye. It was a minute or two later, when Sokka realized he had stopped shivering, that he noticed there was heat rolling off of Zuko in waves. Sokka's clothes were still wet and clung to him unpleasantly, but his arm and leg next to Zuko's felt warm. He relaxed slightly, coming out of his cramped up position, even letting his thigh rest against Zuko's to leech out more of that wonderful warmth- Zuko didn't seem to mind.
"I guess Firebenders can be good in a pinch," Sokka said. Zuko nodded slightly but didn't say anything.
It was almost cozy in their little sanctuary under the tarp. The rain tapped steadily against the top of it, making their silence less awkward with its noise, and Sokka's clothes were slowly drying. He shrugged off his pack and got comfortable, since the rain appeared to be doing the same outside and didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon.
Sokka tried to think of something worth saying to break the silence; he figured, since they were sitting so close to each other with nothing else to do, they might as well try to get to know each other better.
To his surprise, it was Zuko that spoke first.
"I'm sorry this trip didn't go as well as you hoped," he said.
Sokka chuckled. "Who says it didn't go that well? This is the most meat I've ever caught," he admitted. Zuko looked at him in quiet astonishment.
"Well, I've never had to hunt for so many people," Sokka explained. "For a while it was just me and Katara, since Aang doesn't eat meat. So I'd just catch us some fish. Or Katara would." As he spoke, Sokka brought his pack around to the front and opened it so he could take out the meat and start skinning it.
"My dad taught me to hunt in the South Pole, but it wasn't that hard. There's nowhere to hide on the ice, and the tigerseals aren't really that fast. All you had to do was follow their trail and you'd probably find them sleeping on some glacier. Or you could find their breathing hole, and all you had to do was wait."
Sokka wasn't sure why he was suddenly telling Zuko his life story. All he knew was that Zuko was listening quietly, he looked interested, and they had to find some way to pass the time. His fingers and knife worked deftly on the skin of the jackalopes, but his mind was only half on the task. The rest of him was back home, on the hunt with his dad and the rest of the men of the village.
"I guess the best part of hunting was just getting to go. For so long I was too young, it was too dangerous, and then one day my dad just said, 'Get your things ready, we leave at dawn'. I felt so grown up." Sokka's hands slowed.
"It wasn't too long after that when they all left to go fight the Fire Nation." His nostalgic smile faded at the unpleasant memory.
"And I couldn't go with them. I was old enough to hunt tigerseals, but I couldn't fight with them." Sokka's voice suddenly shook alarmingly--like he was on the verge of tears-- and he stopped talking quickly. He had said too much already, anyway; wasn't he trying to be manly in front of Zuko?
Zuko was quiet for a moment, no doubt digesting the information Sokka had just loaded him with. Sokka focused his mind on skinning his kill, hoping that Zuko didn't mind the show of emotion. It was the first time he had really had a chance to talk with Zuko and tell him his back story. He wondered if Zuko remembered the first time they met, when Sokka had dressed himself in war paint and failed miserably at making Zuko leave his home. As the only male left in the Southern Water tribe, Sokka had duties that he took very seriously.
"You had to stay and protect everyone," Zuko said, almost as if reading his mind. Maybe he did remember what he was like back then.
"Except I didn't really do a good job of protecting, did I?" Sokka said bitterly, putting down his knife and looking at Zuko for the first time. "When you got there I could barely do a thing. You captured Aang anyway."
"What are you talking about? You put up a great fight," Zuko said.
Sokka rolled his eyes.
"Thanks."
"Aren't you still kind of protecting them, anyway? By helping Aang? If he succeeds, your people will be safe," Zuko continued.
Sokka blinked. Zuko was trying to make him feel better. He was looking at Sokka so earnestly, desperate for his words to have an effect, and Sokka couldn't help but grin.
"I guess you're right. Thanks, Zuko." It occurred to Sokka then that Zuko had never heard him talk like that before; this was by far the longest conversation they had ever had. There was something about the rain and being under the cozy tarp that made him open up like a girl. So much for being macho. But other than that, things were going rather well.
It was time to steer the conversation away from himself, so Sokka decided to ask the question that had been bothering him all day.
"So, I appreciate the help and all, but why did you want to come hunting with me?"
Zuko was taken aback at Sokka's abruptness. He cast his eyes around the surrounding trees as if looking for an answer there, and it took him a moment to speak.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he said slowly. Sokka continued to stare, eyebrows quirked skeptically, waiting for a better answer. Hunting with him could have never 'seemed like a good idea'; he didn't buy it.
Zuko shrugged, and went on carefully.
"I thought it would be…nice. Sometimes I feel like I'm on trial down there, with the rest of the group. It's like everyone's just waiting for me to screw up so that they can have an excuse to throw me off the cliff." Zuko looked wary, as if he wasn't sure he should be saying these things in front of Sokka. "There's just so much pressure."
It was hard for Sokka to imagine what exactly Zuko was feeling, but he did a good job of explaining it. He still wasn't really sure what that had to do with Zuko coming hunting with him, though.
"So...You came with me up here because you don't think I want to throw you off the cliff?" Sokka asked.
"Well, yeah. I don't get that feeling from you as much. Plus, if it came down to it, I know I could beat you in a fight if I needed to," Zuko said dismissively.
Sokka felt his face redden.
"What?! Who says I couldn't beat you? I could!" He was on the verge of reaching for his boomerang and challenging him to a duel when his anger evaporated. Zuko was only being honest, not hurtful; he looked stricken when he realized that what he said was offensive to Sokka.
"Well, you're right about one thing," Sokka said, deciding to let it slide. "I'm not going to be pushing you off any cliffs unless you really ask for it. And the same goes for everyone else." He hesitated before he went on; did he really want to compliment Zuko? After another look at Zuko's open, honest, slightly squinty-eyed face Sokka decided yes, he did, the guy looked like he could use a compliment. And a friend. "It took a lot of guts to do what you did, coming up to us like that. But we're not as bloodthirsty as you make us out to be. We're giving you the benefit of the doubt, so until you screw up, you're safe."
Zuko visibly relaxed at that, and even smiled a little. "Thanks. That's good to hear."
Sokka resumed his work with the meat. One of the jackalopes had been reduced almost completely to thin strips of meat, and his stomach started to rumble.
"Stupid rain," Sokka grumbled to himself. "I could be back at the temple, enjoying this lovely meat, but nope." He heaved a dramatic sigh.
Zuko stared, unsure whether Sokka was talking to him or not. "Well...We could just cook it out here, if you're hungry."
"Oh yeah!" Sokka looked up, beaming, all traces of melodrama gone. "Firebender! Fire it up, then."
It only took a few moments to get the strips of meat impaled onto a few sharp sticks, and then Sokka held the makeshift kabobs over a flame that Zuko formed in his palm.
Sokka sighed in bliss as he watched the meat cooking.
"You really do come in handy. It would have been nice if we could have added a firebender to our group way before this...You won't believe the time it takes for normal people to set up a fire."
"I'm glad I could help," Zuko said. "It would have been a shame to let it go to waste, anyway."
"Yes! Thank you! Finally someone I can see eye to eye with," Sokka said, happy to find someone else to appreciate good meat.
Zuko kept the flame in his palm burning carefully, at just the right temperature; all Sokka had to do was hold onto the stick. It was the easiest meal he had ever cooked. His eyes were free to wander over to Zuko. Sokka never would have imagined, this morning, that his day would end underneath a cramped tarp with Zuko, cooking the day's kill with the two of them close enough to bump knees frequently. Even more surprising was that it wasn't even a bad way to end the day.
Zuko had been good company. He listened carefully to the instructions Sokka gave him while hunting, and pulled them off so easily. It was a nice change to not have to hunt alone. And, despite some paranoid expectations that had been helped along by Katara, Sokka had never felt in danger being alone with Zuko. He realized then that he trusted him.
Sokka was staring at Zuko without even noticing what he was doing. He looked carefully over his face, since he had never had the opportunity before, and for the first time he really looked at Zuko, looked past his scar and saw the noble features he possessed. He was a good looking guy, Sokka could admit that. Zuko's gaze was fixed downward, at the cooking meat, watching it with his usual calm and stoic expression. It didn't look like being stuck out in the rainy woods with an almost complete stranger bothered him, and Sokka appreciated that. Did Zuko trust Sokka as much as Sokka trusted him?
Zuko's eyes flicked upwards, meeting Sokka's stare suddenly and unabashedly. Sokka saw his eyebrow tilt upwards in surprise to find himself being looked at, and his cheeks tinged a light pink, but all he did was return his eyes quickly to the food.
"I think this stuff is done," Zuko said softly. Sokka jerked his own eyes away and gave a stiff nod. Just in time, too, he definitely needed an interruption when he was staring so closely at another dude.
He checked the meat and nodded his agreement, so Zuko extinguished his palm flame and sat back on his haunches.
"Finally!" Sokka said with relief. "I've been waiting for this all day."
They split the food between them and spent the next few minutes eating in quiet contentment.
"I remember missing being able to eat outside when I was home," Zuko said thoughtfully. "There's just something so...free about it."
"Really? I'd take eating prince food over this stuff any day," Sokka said. "But it does hit the spot when you're as hungry as I am."
By the time they had finished eating, the woods around them were completely dark. The tap-tap of rain on the tarp had let up just slightly, and it was still wet enough out there that Sokka really wasn't keen on trying to get back to the temple just yet. He didn't have any problems with hanging out alone with Zuko for a little while longer anyway. Nothing wrong with a little male bonding time.
Zuko was the first to break the comfortable, full silence between them, and Sokka felt a funny fuzzy feeling somewhere in his stomach when he did. Maybe it was the way that Zuko looked over at him, more open and friendly than he had ever seen him.
"I think I should thank you for taking me on this trip, Sokka," Zuko said. Sokka was also pretty sure it was the first time he had said his name. He liked the way it sounded in Zuko's raspy throat.
Sokka shrugged it off, acting like Zuko's thanks was no big deal.
"Clearly you don't know how much of an easygoing guy I am. I'm probably the nicest person on Team Avatar. It's no problem." Sokka grinned. "But you can thank me for passing on the sacred Southern hunting ways. It's an honor for an outsider to learn them."
"Really? Was setting off that trap on your own foot this morning part of your sacred ways?"
Whoa, Zuko was actually smiling. A for real smile. Too bad it had to be at Sokka's expense.
Sokka grimaced. He had hoped that Zuko hadn't seen that. "That…was just a warm up."
A quiet fell on them again, and Sokka was surprised that it didn't bother him. He didn't like silences, and usually tried to fill them with some sort of inane joke or banter. But Zuko had a way of just being, of sitting so still and quiet that Sokka felt like he would be disturbing something sacred if he interrupted it with a lame joke. So Sokka took a leaf out of his book and enjoyed himself, letting Zuko simply keep him company.
Sokka couldn't remember falling asleep, or even deciding to, but he must have at some point because the next thing he knew, he was waking up with his face in a pile full of leaves. Weak gray light filtered through the canopy overhead: it was almost dawn. Sokka could still hear the occasional drop of rain hitting the tarp, but it had stopped for the most part, and the air was clean and calm-- and cold.
Zuko slept scarcely a foot away from him, curled loosely on his side. The cold was probably what woke Sokka up. It was a shame that Zuko couldn't heat him up while he was asleep.
It was also strange to be up this early; Sokka couldn't remember a time when the world had felt this quiet and still. It was a similar feeling that he had gotten last night with Zuko. The rest of the group must have been worried about the two of them, but while Sokka didn't want them to worry, he couldn't really find it in him to care at the moment. Right now, here in the pre-dawn woods with fog settling in on all sides, it felt like he and Zuko were the only people that existed. It wasn't a bad fantasy to indulge in for a moment. He felt more safe and at peace under the tarp with Zuko than he had in a long time. Maybe he was still dreaming; maybe he hadn't actually woken up yet, or maybe waking up so early was messing with his head. He felt too sappy for his own good.
He looked over at Zuko, at his dark lashes resting on a pale cheek, at his slightly parted mouth and the way his chest rose and fell with each slow breath. Again, Sokka felt that trust-- Zuko must trust him back, too, to be able to sleep so peacefully, right next to him, with no weapons nearby.
Sokka's eyes traveled lazily downward, until they reached a familiarly awkward and jarring shape poking out from between Zuko's thighs. He laughed before he could help it, and automatically turned his eyes away, to respect Zuko's modesty. Nice to see that this prince who had chased them ruthlessly all over the world was still a slave to his hormones, just like everyone else. Sokka was all too familiar with that inexplicable, embarrassing phenomenon that happened to him some mornings, that made him glad his sleeping bag was so thick. The joys of being a teenage boy.
The rational Sokka- a Sokka that didn't exist before daybreak- would have left Zuko alone, maybe feigned sleep when he woke up so he could deal with his problem in the way he saw fit. But the Sokka that was awake right now was curious. What would it hurt, anyway, to help Zuko out when he had helped him out yesterday?
Sokka was never one to deliberate for long. He acted on instinct usually, and right now his instinct was to reach out a hand and stroke Zuko's hip, then turn it and let his knuckles brush against his morning erection.
There was a twitch against Sokka's touch, then Zuko was inhaling sharply and waking with a jerk, scooting back in surprise.
"What are you doing?" Zuko asked. He didn't sound angry or annoyed; he sounded sleepy. And a little confused. Sokka couldn't really blame him. He tried to come up with a non-weird way to explain himself, then decided there wasn't one.
"I...uh...woke up and saw that you had a problem. I decided to help you out with it." It was a lot harder to explain out loud. Sokka couldn't find words to tell Zuko about the instinct thing, or how he couldn't come up with a reason not to. It would have been even harder to explain how he kind of felt like he was dreaming, and that like no one else existed right now except the two of them, and Sokka was just glad to see proof that Zuko was really only human.
Zuko was quiet for a long, embarrassing moment, just staring at Sokka until his eyes focused and lost their sleepy look. Sokka couldn't help but notice that the shape in his pants didn't change.
Since Zuko looked so unsure, Sokka decided to make up his mind for him. He moved forward again, slowly, so Zuko didn't get freaked out, and placed a hand on his thigh. It was warm and solid under his touch, the muscles flinching slightly at first contact and then relaxing.
"What are you doing?" Zuko asked again, brow contracting like he really couldn't figure it out.
"Relax," Sokka said. "I just wanted to do you a favor." He started to move his hand back and forth, making soothing circles on Zuko's thigh. Zuko licked his lips; with nerve or anticipation, Sokka couldn't tell. There was no backing out for him now. He had touched Zuko's dick; his intentions were clear, it was up to Zuko what happened next.
"Why?" Zuko asked, slowly, still looking confused. Sokka really didn't want to have to spell it out for him. Awkward.
Instead of coming up with some seductive, persuasive answer, he said the first thing that came to mind.
"Because I want to." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Sokka knew they were true. He wanted to do this with Zuko, to share this moment of closeness with him. They were alone under a tarp in the middle of the woods- they weren't going to get another opportunity like this again.
Zuko swallowed; Sokka found his eyes drawn irresistibly to the movement in his throat.
"Okay," Zuko said, easy as that.
So now he had consent. Zuko was still hard, and all the way awake now, and looking at Sokka expectantly. Sokka hoped he didn't expect too much, because Sokka's experience with these sort of things was limited.
But he was good at improvising. He swallowed the nerves that had been bubbling ever since Zuko had woken up and given him that look. Sokka got himself off all the time; it couldn't be that hard to do Zuko, right?
Except it was, because the prospect of jacking off Zuko came with all sorts of other questions and challenges. Did Zuko want some foreplay, or was he supposed to go straight for the target? Where was he supposed to look? Was Zuko going to undress himself? Sokka tried to remember the feeling of abandoning his inhibitions that he had had a moment before, when he had reached out to touch Zuko without even thinking about it. It was just hard to do when Zuko was staring at him like that.
"You think too much, Sokka," Zuko said softly. Sokka wasn't sure how to respond to that-- maybe Zuko was just getting impatient with him.
"You're right," Sokka said simply, then closed his hand around the tent in Zuko's pants.
It was very warm. Sokka traced his fingers lightly up and down, feeling out the familiar but strange shape. His other hand was still on Zuko's thigh, and he could feel the muscles tensing again; he was so sensitive that Sokka's exploratory touches were already making his breaths come up short.
Things went easier when Sokka turned off his brain. If he stopped to think about what he was doing, and who with, he would lose his nerve. Instead he relied on his feelings and the first idea that popped into his head. He moved his hands up to Zuko's waistband, tugging at it, and in the next second Zuko's eager hands had come up to help and then his pants were out of the way and Sokka was touching another guy's cock, working it up and down in his hand and watching the soft skin pulling taught over the hardness underneath. Sokka felt himself harden in response, so quickly that it alarmed him a little.
It was a strange thing to do; Sokka was used to doing this to himself, not to having it out in front of his face like that; the movements were reversed. Luckily, Zuko didn't seem to have a problem with anything that Sokka tried. He had dropped back onto his elbows, chin resting on his chest so he could look down his body and watch what Sokka was doing to him.
Sokka remained on his hands and knees over him, still with one hand on Zuko's leg, the other exploring all of the places that had just been revealed to him. He traced the soft hairs on Zuko's navel, ran his fingers along the juncture between groin and thigh, then finally went back to business. Zuko seemed to like it all equally well; his response to everything was heavy breathing. At least his face was expressive. Sokka watched it carefully, every furrowed brow and bitten lip guiding him.
He wanted to kiss Zuko. Again, this was something easiest to do without thinking too much about it. Sokka just dragged himself up Zuko's body and pressed their lips together. He had somewhat expected Zuko to be surprised or resistant, he didn't think Zuko would open his mouth pliantly to Sokka's and let him stick his tongue right in. But he did, and it was hot, so much so that Sokka took his hand away from Zuko and used it to brace himself on the ground instead while he covered Zuko's body with his own. When Zuko's hip jutted into Sokka's neglected erection, it was all downhill from there.
Sokka thrust forward again, seeking more contact, and this time his groin lined up with Zuko's. When their erections ground together, he broke the kiss with a gasp.
"I think we should do that again," Sokka said. Zuko smirked at him, grabbed his hips, and did just that.
It was sloppy and quick and the best thing that Sokka had ever felt. They didn't get much of a rhythm going; both of them just sort of drove against each other at whatever speed they felt was best. It didn't matter, though, the friction more than made up for that, and their bodies fit together so well. Sokka couldn't have stopped if he wanted to; all of his thoughts were centered on grinding down against Zuko, feeling the sharp press of his hipbones, the fabric of Sokka's pants still in the way and somewhat restricting but somehow adding to the whole thing. Zuko's breath was very hot on his face, his grip on his hips tight but not guiding him, only giving him something to hold onto.
Sokka watched as Zuko's eyes squeezed shut and his head fell back against the ground. The air was filled with their pants and Sokka's quiet moans. Zuko started jerking his hips up harder, his fingers digging almost painfully into Sokka, his breaths finally taking an edge to them.
"I think I'm gonna-"
"That's the point, isn't it?" Sokka interrupted breathlessly, impatiently, before reaching down to steal a quick kiss. He felt Zuko tense underneath him, then come with a groan, flooding the front of Sokka's pants. Sokka couldn't find it in himself to care at the moment; in fact, the feeling of Zuko's cock twitching against his made him grind his hips down one more time before his own orgasm pounded through him.
All Sokka could do for a while was lay there on top of Zuko. That was okay; Zuko could take it, and he was using his hands to stroke soothing circles on Sokka's back that made him want to fall asleep again. They caught their breath together like that, and finally the uncomfortable wetness between them made Sokka roll off, onto his back. He stared up at the underside of the tarp. Around them, dawn had broken, and the forest was bright and filled with the sound of birds.
"Everyone's probably looking for us," Zuko said eventually; whether minutes or hours had gone by, Sokka couldn't tell.
"Good thing for us they didn't stumble on us a little while ago," Sokka said. Zuko actually gave a dry chuckle at that.
"Yeah. I guess we better get back, though," Zuko said. Sokka sighed. Neither of them moved. Sokka felt tired, down to his very bones, but it was a satisfied, content feeling that he hoped Zuko was sharing. He was sure he had surprised Zuko when he woke him up like that-- but Zuko had barely even hesitated. He participated with enthusiasm, not missing a beat, which made Sokka happy that he had gone with his instincts.
With difficulty, Sokka pushed himself up to sit. He looked back over his shoulder at Zuko, who was still sprawled out on the bed of leaves, face flushed, eyes closed.
"Best morning ever, right?" Sokka asked. Zuko opened one eye and just looked at him. "So we're doing this again soon?"
....Oh hey 4 am, it's been a while!
But anyway, I hope you like this, not totally sure if it's up your alley or not but I HOPE SO, next time I think I'll just ask for a prompt or something so I don't have to write so blindly. :D
Rating: R for some sex moments
Word Count: ~6,000 oh jeez I don't know why it's so long
Characters: Zuko, Sokka, some poor jackalopes
Summary: Zuko tags along with Sokka on a hunting trip, and they have some male bonding and cliche fanfic moments. Set when the gaang is at the Western Air Temple.
Into the dappled light of the clearing the jackalope stepped, nose twitching constantly, eyes wide and wary. Unbeknownst to it, the rabbit was being watched intently by two very hungry hunters. They held their breath as the creature inched closer and closer to the berries carefully piled at the edge of the clearing.
The jackalope paused for one more moment and raised itself onto its hind legs to survey its surroundings, before finally deciding the coast was clear. It hopped over to nibble at one of the berries. The trap sprung. Before it could react, the length of twine that lay hidden in the leaves snapped tight around its leg.
Blinded by fear, the jackalope thrashed and tried to run. The trap didn't let it get more than a few inches, but it kept trying anyway, desperate for freedom.
Zuko and Sokka abandoned their hiding place and rushed over to their capture.
"Yes! I told you it would work!" Sokka said, punching the air enthusiastically.
"Six time's the charm, I guess," Zuko said dryly. He watched as the jackalope tired itself out and simply lay there, chest heaving, accepting its fate.
"So I had to work a few kinks out of the design." Sokka took out a knife and knelt by the tired creature after giving Zuko's criticism a dismissive wave. "I figured it out."
After a full day of hunting with nothing to show for it until now, Sokka's stomach was rumbling. His hunger made him able to ignore the pathetic look the jackalope was giving him, he did murmur a quick apology before he slit its throat, carefully in an undertone so Zuko couldn't hear- it might be considered unmanly to apologize to a kill. After an incident earlier that day where the two of them had gotten chased by a boarpig Sokka had stumbled on, he was trying to conserve all of the dignity he had left.
If Zuko noticed the apology, he didn't mention it.
"That thing looks pretty small. It's not going to feed much," Zuko said. Big words coming from someone who didn't even know how to set a trap until Sokka had shown him.
Sokka scowled, his mood dampened slightly by Zuko's pessimism.
"Hey, it's a start, isn't it? We can go back and check the traps we laid earlier. They probably have something."
Zuko made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. At least he wasn't complaining.
Sokka had been surprised when Zuko volunteered to go hunting with him that morning. Surprised, but not exactly unpleasantly so. Sokka didn't know Zuko well enough yet to be able to tell if he would be a good hunting partner, but Zuko had survived out in the Earth Kingdom wilderness for a while, hadn't he? Surely he knew a thing or two, and Sokka was always looking to broaden his knowledge.
Once they got away from the temple and out into the woods, though, it was obvious that Sokka was actually going to be the teacher today. Zuko was fairly good at picking up a trail and following it, and he was stealthier than Sokka, but he was pretty useless at everything else. For their first hour on the hunt, Sokka had to keep yelling at Zuko to get downwind. He was completely clueless about making any kind of trap.
Zuko had managed to capture a badgerfrog after two hours of fruitless searching. He brought it over to Sokka, looking proud of himself.
"What's that for?" Sokka had asked.
"For...eating." Zuko looked confused. He had just chased this thing through a mud puddle, and Sokka was looking at it with disgust.
"Bleck! I'm not eating that! They're poisonous, Zuko, are you trying to kill us all?"
"Well, at least I caught something!" Zuko snapped as the frog squirmed out of his grip. It hopped away, croaking indigently.
Zuko had slumped down on a fallen log, his scowl firmly set back into place, spirit broken.
Sokka decided, for the good of both them and this trip, that Zuko needed to lighten up.
Growing up, hunting for Sokka had been both an honor and a necessity. He could remember the pride he felt when his father had decided he was old enough to go on his first hunting trip, and how much he had learned back then. How much closer he had felt to everyone upon returning. There was a special bond that came about when man teamed up against nature in an effort to provide for their families. So far, he and Zuko weren't really making that bond. They just kept getting frustrated with each other and their lack of success.
"I'm sorry," Sokka began. "I just thought... you know, with all of the time you spent hunting Aang, that you'd be better at actually...hunting."
Zuko scoffed. "I really didn't get that much practice. When Uncle and I had to fend for ourselves, I stole to get what I needed. But I don't want to be that kind of person anymore." He hesitated, then added, "Sorry I'm kind of a useless hunting partner."
Zuko looked so dejected; Sokka felt bad for him. And wasn't that new. It was going to take a while to get used to having all of these friendly feelings for Zuko.
"It's okay," Sokka said, to cheer him up. What he really wanted to say, though, was 'why did you come?' Why had he given up an entire day to come hunting with Sokka, of all people, when he figured he wasn't even worth more than a passing glance from Zuko? Zuko was still very much an enigma to Sokka.
After the badgerfrog incident, Zuko paid much closer attention to what Sokka was saying. And, Sokka noticed, he actually picked up very quickly on what Sokka taught him. By noon, Zuko was building traps almost as good as Sokka's. Perhaps this would be a productive trip after all.
Then a few more hours passed, with barely any game in sight, and Sokka began to get discouraged again. They had spotted the jackalope just when he was considering calling it a day and going home. Now, with the pack on his back finally feeling the weight of meat, Sokka's enthusiasm was back. He was an easy to please guy. Feeling excited to check the rest of their traps, Sokka remembered why he liked hunting.
Many of the traps, unfortunately, turned out to be another disappointment-- most of them hadn't even been touched. One or two had experienced a scuffle and been broken. But three of the traps had meat: two more jackalopes and a vole.
"This is enough for a good meal for everyone, at least," Sokka said cheerfully after he had gotten everything packed away. "I've had worse days."
Zuko had been so quiet for most of the hunt, it was hard to tell if he was enjoying himself or not. A lot of the time his face was creased in intense concentration as he tried to remember everything Sokka told him. The rest of the time he just looked bored, though there had been the possibility of a smile on his face when Sokka pointed out that one of the traps that caught a jackalope was one that Zuko had set.
With the skies growing dark, it was time to head back.
"I didn't think it was that late," Sokka said, squinting up at the bit of sky he could see through the trees. It was hard to keep track of time when he was deep in the woods and couldn't see the sun. "Time flies when you're having fun, I guess."
Zuko made another one of his neutral noises. He was leading the way this time, on the lookout for the small marks they had made on the trees in order to find their way back through the woods.
They hadn't gotten far when a fat drop of rain landed on Sokka's nose. The air was soon filled with the sound of water hitting leaves, and more rain splashed down on them.
"Aww, really?" Sokka was hoping for an uneventful trip home so they could cook some dinner. It looked like the universe had other plans, as it always seemed to where Sokka was concerned.
The temperature was dropping as rapidly as the light. Within minutes the two of them were soaked to the skin and Sokka was shivering.
"I don't think we can travel in this," Zuko said. Sokka could barely hear him over the sound of the rain, but he agreed.
"Where are we supposed to go?" Sokka hugged his arms around himself, trying to keep warm. Water kept trickling down the back of his neck and into his shirt, making him shudder, and all he could think about was getting out of the rain.
Zuko, ever the prepared one, pulled a rolled up tarp out of the pack on his back. Sokka helped him tie the edges to a few trees, though it was hard to knot the rope with his numb fingers. In a matter of minutes, their shelter was set up, and Sokka dove under it gratefully. He was so wet that he barely felt the squelching of the ground beneath him; it was just a relief to get out of the barrage.
He had to move over when Zuko got under the tarp, as it wasn't large. There was barely enough room for the both of them and Zuko's knee bumped against Sokka's as he got himself settled.
Sokka drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, trying to warm himself up again. Zuko watched him out of the corner of his eye. It was a minute or two later, when Sokka realized he had stopped shivering, that he noticed there was heat rolling off of Zuko in waves. Sokka's clothes were still wet and clung to him unpleasantly, but his arm and leg next to Zuko's felt warm. He relaxed slightly, coming out of his cramped up position, even letting his thigh rest against Zuko's to leech out more of that wonderful warmth- Zuko didn't seem to mind.
"I guess Firebenders can be good in a pinch," Sokka said. Zuko nodded slightly but didn't say anything.
It was almost cozy in their little sanctuary under the tarp. The rain tapped steadily against the top of it, making their silence less awkward with its noise, and Sokka's clothes were slowly drying. He shrugged off his pack and got comfortable, since the rain appeared to be doing the same outside and didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon.
Sokka tried to think of something worth saying to break the silence; he figured, since they were sitting so close to each other with nothing else to do, they might as well try to get to know each other better.
To his surprise, it was Zuko that spoke first.
"I'm sorry this trip didn't go as well as you hoped," he said.
Sokka chuckled. "Who says it didn't go that well? This is the most meat I've ever caught," he admitted. Zuko looked at him in quiet astonishment.
"Well, I've never had to hunt for so many people," Sokka explained. "For a while it was just me and Katara, since Aang doesn't eat meat. So I'd just catch us some fish. Or Katara would." As he spoke, Sokka brought his pack around to the front and opened it so he could take out the meat and start skinning it.
"My dad taught me to hunt in the South Pole, but it wasn't that hard. There's nowhere to hide on the ice, and the tigerseals aren't really that fast. All you had to do was follow their trail and you'd probably find them sleeping on some glacier. Or you could find their breathing hole, and all you had to do was wait."
Sokka wasn't sure why he was suddenly telling Zuko his life story. All he knew was that Zuko was listening quietly, he looked interested, and they had to find some way to pass the time. His fingers and knife worked deftly on the skin of the jackalopes, but his mind was only half on the task. The rest of him was back home, on the hunt with his dad and the rest of the men of the village.
"I guess the best part of hunting was just getting to go. For so long I was too young, it was too dangerous, and then one day my dad just said, 'Get your things ready, we leave at dawn'. I felt so grown up." Sokka's hands slowed.
"It wasn't too long after that when they all left to go fight the Fire Nation." His nostalgic smile faded at the unpleasant memory.
"And I couldn't go with them. I was old enough to hunt tigerseals, but I couldn't fight with them." Sokka's voice suddenly shook alarmingly--like he was on the verge of tears-- and he stopped talking quickly. He had said too much already, anyway; wasn't he trying to be manly in front of Zuko?
Zuko was quiet for a moment, no doubt digesting the information Sokka had just loaded him with. Sokka focused his mind on skinning his kill, hoping that Zuko didn't mind the show of emotion. It was the first time he had really had a chance to talk with Zuko and tell him his back story. He wondered if Zuko remembered the first time they met, when Sokka had dressed himself in war paint and failed miserably at making Zuko leave his home. As the only male left in the Southern Water tribe, Sokka had duties that he took very seriously.
"You had to stay and protect everyone," Zuko said, almost as if reading his mind. Maybe he did remember what he was like back then.
"Except I didn't really do a good job of protecting, did I?" Sokka said bitterly, putting down his knife and looking at Zuko for the first time. "When you got there I could barely do a thing. You captured Aang anyway."
"What are you talking about? You put up a great fight," Zuko said.
Sokka rolled his eyes.
"Thanks."
"Aren't you still kind of protecting them, anyway? By helping Aang? If he succeeds, your people will be safe," Zuko continued.
Sokka blinked. Zuko was trying to make him feel better. He was looking at Sokka so earnestly, desperate for his words to have an effect, and Sokka couldn't help but grin.
"I guess you're right. Thanks, Zuko." It occurred to Sokka then that Zuko had never heard him talk like that before; this was by far the longest conversation they had ever had. There was something about the rain and being under the cozy tarp that made him open up like a girl. So much for being macho. But other than that, things were going rather well.
It was time to steer the conversation away from himself, so Sokka decided to ask the question that had been bothering him all day.
"So, I appreciate the help and all, but why did you want to come hunting with me?"
Zuko was taken aback at Sokka's abruptness. He cast his eyes around the surrounding trees as if looking for an answer there, and it took him a moment to speak.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he said slowly. Sokka continued to stare, eyebrows quirked skeptically, waiting for a better answer. Hunting with him could have never 'seemed like a good idea'; he didn't buy it.
Zuko shrugged, and went on carefully.
"I thought it would be…nice. Sometimes I feel like I'm on trial down there, with the rest of the group. It's like everyone's just waiting for me to screw up so that they can have an excuse to throw me off the cliff." Zuko looked wary, as if he wasn't sure he should be saying these things in front of Sokka. "There's just so much pressure."
It was hard for Sokka to imagine what exactly Zuko was feeling, but he did a good job of explaining it. He still wasn't really sure what that had to do with Zuko coming hunting with him, though.
"So...You came with me up here because you don't think I want to throw you off the cliff?" Sokka asked.
"Well, yeah. I don't get that feeling from you as much. Plus, if it came down to it, I know I could beat you in a fight if I needed to," Zuko said dismissively.
Sokka felt his face redden.
"What?! Who says I couldn't beat you? I could!" He was on the verge of reaching for his boomerang and challenging him to a duel when his anger evaporated. Zuko was only being honest, not hurtful; he looked stricken when he realized that what he said was offensive to Sokka.
"Well, you're right about one thing," Sokka said, deciding to let it slide. "I'm not going to be pushing you off any cliffs unless you really ask for it. And the same goes for everyone else." He hesitated before he went on; did he really want to compliment Zuko? After another look at Zuko's open, honest, slightly squinty-eyed face Sokka decided yes, he did, the guy looked like he could use a compliment. And a friend. "It took a lot of guts to do what you did, coming up to us like that. But we're not as bloodthirsty as you make us out to be. We're giving you the benefit of the doubt, so until you screw up, you're safe."
Zuko visibly relaxed at that, and even smiled a little. "Thanks. That's good to hear."
Sokka resumed his work with the meat. One of the jackalopes had been reduced almost completely to thin strips of meat, and his stomach started to rumble.
"Stupid rain," Sokka grumbled to himself. "I could be back at the temple, enjoying this lovely meat, but nope." He heaved a dramatic sigh.
Zuko stared, unsure whether Sokka was talking to him or not. "Well...We could just cook it out here, if you're hungry."
"Oh yeah!" Sokka looked up, beaming, all traces of melodrama gone. "Firebender! Fire it up, then."
It only took a few moments to get the strips of meat impaled onto a few sharp sticks, and then Sokka held the makeshift kabobs over a flame that Zuko formed in his palm.
Sokka sighed in bliss as he watched the meat cooking.
"You really do come in handy. It would have been nice if we could have added a firebender to our group way before this...You won't believe the time it takes for normal people to set up a fire."
"I'm glad I could help," Zuko said. "It would have been a shame to let it go to waste, anyway."
"Yes! Thank you! Finally someone I can see eye to eye with," Sokka said, happy to find someone else to appreciate good meat.
Zuko kept the flame in his palm burning carefully, at just the right temperature; all Sokka had to do was hold onto the stick. It was the easiest meal he had ever cooked. His eyes were free to wander over to Zuko. Sokka never would have imagined, this morning, that his day would end underneath a cramped tarp with Zuko, cooking the day's kill with the two of them close enough to bump knees frequently. Even more surprising was that it wasn't even a bad way to end the day.
Zuko had been good company. He listened carefully to the instructions Sokka gave him while hunting, and pulled them off so easily. It was a nice change to not have to hunt alone. And, despite some paranoid expectations that had been helped along by Katara, Sokka had never felt in danger being alone with Zuko. He realized then that he trusted him.
Sokka was staring at Zuko without even noticing what he was doing. He looked carefully over his face, since he had never had the opportunity before, and for the first time he really looked at Zuko, looked past his scar and saw the noble features he possessed. He was a good looking guy, Sokka could admit that. Zuko's gaze was fixed downward, at the cooking meat, watching it with his usual calm and stoic expression. It didn't look like being stuck out in the rainy woods with an almost complete stranger bothered him, and Sokka appreciated that. Did Zuko trust Sokka as much as Sokka trusted him?
Zuko's eyes flicked upwards, meeting Sokka's stare suddenly and unabashedly. Sokka saw his eyebrow tilt upwards in surprise to find himself being looked at, and his cheeks tinged a light pink, but all he did was return his eyes quickly to the food.
"I think this stuff is done," Zuko said softly. Sokka jerked his own eyes away and gave a stiff nod. Just in time, too, he definitely needed an interruption when he was staring so closely at another dude.
He checked the meat and nodded his agreement, so Zuko extinguished his palm flame and sat back on his haunches.
"Finally!" Sokka said with relief. "I've been waiting for this all day."
They split the food between them and spent the next few minutes eating in quiet contentment.
"I remember missing being able to eat outside when I was home," Zuko said thoughtfully. "There's just something so...free about it."
"Really? I'd take eating prince food over this stuff any day," Sokka said. "But it does hit the spot when you're as hungry as I am."
By the time they had finished eating, the woods around them were completely dark. The tap-tap of rain on the tarp had let up just slightly, and it was still wet enough out there that Sokka really wasn't keen on trying to get back to the temple just yet. He didn't have any problems with hanging out alone with Zuko for a little while longer anyway. Nothing wrong with a little male bonding time.
Zuko was the first to break the comfortable, full silence between them, and Sokka felt a funny fuzzy feeling somewhere in his stomach when he did. Maybe it was the way that Zuko looked over at him, more open and friendly than he had ever seen him.
"I think I should thank you for taking me on this trip, Sokka," Zuko said. Sokka was also pretty sure it was the first time he had said his name. He liked the way it sounded in Zuko's raspy throat.
Sokka shrugged it off, acting like Zuko's thanks was no big deal.
"Clearly you don't know how much of an easygoing guy I am. I'm probably the nicest person on Team Avatar. It's no problem." Sokka grinned. "But you can thank me for passing on the sacred Southern hunting ways. It's an honor for an outsider to learn them."
"Really? Was setting off that trap on your own foot this morning part of your sacred ways?"
Whoa, Zuko was actually smiling. A for real smile. Too bad it had to be at Sokka's expense.
Sokka grimaced. He had hoped that Zuko hadn't seen that. "That…was just a warm up."
A quiet fell on them again, and Sokka was surprised that it didn't bother him. He didn't like silences, and usually tried to fill them with some sort of inane joke or banter. But Zuko had a way of just being, of sitting so still and quiet that Sokka felt like he would be disturbing something sacred if he interrupted it with a lame joke. So Sokka took a leaf out of his book and enjoyed himself, letting Zuko simply keep him company.
Sokka couldn't remember falling asleep, or even deciding to, but he must have at some point because the next thing he knew, he was waking up with his face in a pile full of leaves. Weak gray light filtered through the canopy overhead: it was almost dawn. Sokka could still hear the occasional drop of rain hitting the tarp, but it had stopped for the most part, and the air was clean and calm-- and cold.
Zuko slept scarcely a foot away from him, curled loosely on his side. The cold was probably what woke Sokka up. It was a shame that Zuko couldn't heat him up while he was asleep.
It was also strange to be up this early; Sokka couldn't remember a time when the world had felt this quiet and still. It was a similar feeling that he had gotten last night with Zuko. The rest of the group must have been worried about the two of them, but while Sokka didn't want them to worry, he couldn't really find it in him to care at the moment. Right now, here in the pre-dawn woods with fog settling in on all sides, it felt like he and Zuko were the only people that existed. It wasn't a bad fantasy to indulge in for a moment. He felt more safe and at peace under the tarp with Zuko than he had in a long time. Maybe he was still dreaming; maybe he hadn't actually woken up yet, or maybe waking up so early was messing with his head. He felt too sappy for his own good.
He looked over at Zuko, at his dark lashes resting on a pale cheek, at his slightly parted mouth and the way his chest rose and fell with each slow breath. Again, Sokka felt that trust-- Zuko must trust him back, too, to be able to sleep so peacefully, right next to him, with no weapons nearby.
Sokka's eyes traveled lazily downward, until they reached a familiarly awkward and jarring shape poking out from between Zuko's thighs. He laughed before he could help it, and automatically turned his eyes away, to respect Zuko's modesty. Nice to see that this prince who had chased them ruthlessly all over the world was still a slave to his hormones, just like everyone else. Sokka was all too familiar with that inexplicable, embarrassing phenomenon that happened to him some mornings, that made him glad his sleeping bag was so thick. The joys of being a teenage boy.
The rational Sokka- a Sokka that didn't exist before daybreak- would have left Zuko alone, maybe feigned sleep when he woke up so he could deal with his problem in the way he saw fit. But the Sokka that was awake right now was curious. What would it hurt, anyway, to help Zuko out when he had helped him out yesterday?
Sokka was never one to deliberate for long. He acted on instinct usually, and right now his instinct was to reach out a hand and stroke Zuko's hip, then turn it and let his knuckles brush against his morning erection.
There was a twitch against Sokka's touch, then Zuko was inhaling sharply and waking with a jerk, scooting back in surprise.
"What are you doing?" Zuko asked. He didn't sound angry or annoyed; he sounded sleepy. And a little confused. Sokka couldn't really blame him. He tried to come up with a non-weird way to explain himself, then decided there wasn't one.
"I...uh...woke up and saw that you had a problem. I decided to help you out with it." It was a lot harder to explain out loud. Sokka couldn't find words to tell Zuko about the instinct thing, or how he couldn't come up with a reason not to. It would have been even harder to explain how he kind of felt like he was dreaming, and that like no one else existed right now except the two of them, and Sokka was just glad to see proof that Zuko was really only human.
Zuko was quiet for a long, embarrassing moment, just staring at Sokka until his eyes focused and lost their sleepy look. Sokka couldn't help but notice that the shape in his pants didn't change.
Since Zuko looked so unsure, Sokka decided to make up his mind for him. He moved forward again, slowly, so Zuko didn't get freaked out, and placed a hand on his thigh. It was warm and solid under his touch, the muscles flinching slightly at first contact and then relaxing.
"What are you doing?" Zuko asked again, brow contracting like he really couldn't figure it out.
"Relax," Sokka said. "I just wanted to do you a favor." He started to move his hand back and forth, making soothing circles on Zuko's thigh. Zuko licked his lips; with nerve or anticipation, Sokka couldn't tell. There was no backing out for him now. He had touched Zuko's dick; his intentions were clear, it was up to Zuko what happened next.
"Why?" Zuko asked, slowly, still looking confused. Sokka really didn't want to have to spell it out for him. Awkward.
Instead of coming up with some seductive, persuasive answer, he said the first thing that came to mind.
"Because I want to." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Sokka knew they were true. He wanted to do this with Zuko, to share this moment of closeness with him. They were alone under a tarp in the middle of the woods- they weren't going to get another opportunity like this again.
Zuko swallowed; Sokka found his eyes drawn irresistibly to the movement in his throat.
"Okay," Zuko said, easy as that.
So now he had consent. Zuko was still hard, and all the way awake now, and looking at Sokka expectantly. Sokka hoped he didn't expect too much, because Sokka's experience with these sort of things was limited.
But he was good at improvising. He swallowed the nerves that had been bubbling ever since Zuko had woken up and given him that look. Sokka got himself off all the time; it couldn't be that hard to do Zuko, right?
Except it was, because the prospect of jacking off Zuko came with all sorts of other questions and challenges. Did Zuko want some foreplay, or was he supposed to go straight for the target? Where was he supposed to look? Was Zuko going to undress himself? Sokka tried to remember the feeling of abandoning his inhibitions that he had had a moment before, when he had reached out to touch Zuko without even thinking about it. It was just hard to do when Zuko was staring at him like that.
"You think too much, Sokka," Zuko said softly. Sokka wasn't sure how to respond to that-- maybe Zuko was just getting impatient with him.
"You're right," Sokka said simply, then closed his hand around the tent in Zuko's pants.
It was very warm. Sokka traced his fingers lightly up and down, feeling out the familiar but strange shape. His other hand was still on Zuko's thigh, and he could feel the muscles tensing again; he was so sensitive that Sokka's exploratory touches were already making his breaths come up short.
Things went easier when Sokka turned off his brain. If he stopped to think about what he was doing, and who with, he would lose his nerve. Instead he relied on his feelings and the first idea that popped into his head. He moved his hands up to Zuko's waistband, tugging at it, and in the next second Zuko's eager hands had come up to help and then his pants were out of the way and Sokka was touching another guy's cock, working it up and down in his hand and watching the soft skin pulling taught over the hardness underneath. Sokka felt himself harden in response, so quickly that it alarmed him a little.
It was a strange thing to do; Sokka was used to doing this to himself, not to having it out in front of his face like that; the movements were reversed. Luckily, Zuko didn't seem to have a problem with anything that Sokka tried. He had dropped back onto his elbows, chin resting on his chest so he could look down his body and watch what Sokka was doing to him.
Sokka remained on his hands and knees over him, still with one hand on Zuko's leg, the other exploring all of the places that had just been revealed to him. He traced the soft hairs on Zuko's navel, ran his fingers along the juncture between groin and thigh, then finally went back to business. Zuko seemed to like it all equally well; his response to everything was heavy breathing. At least his face was expressive. Sokka watched it carefully, every furrowed brow and bitten lip guiding him.
He wanted to kiss Zuko. Again, this was something easiest to do without thinking too much about it. Sokka just dragged himself up Zuko's body and pressed their lips together. He had somewhat expected Zuko to be surprised or resistant, he didn't think Zuko would open his mouth pliantly to Sokka's and let him stick his tongue right in. But he did, and it was hot, so much so that Sokka took his hand away from Zuko and used it to brace himself on the ground instead while he covered Zuko's body with his own. When Zuko's hip jutted into Sokka's neglected erection, it was all downhill from there.
Sokka thrust forward again, seeking more contact, and this time his groin lined up with Zuko's. When their erections ground together, he broke the kiss with a gasp.
"I think we should do that again," Sokka said. Zuko smirked at him, grabbed his hips, and did just that.
It was sloppy and quick and the best thing that Sokka had ever felt. They didn't get much of a rhythm going; both of them just sort of drove against each other at whatever speed they felt was best. It didn't matter, though, the friction more than made up for that, and their bodies fit together so well. Sokka couldn't have stopped if he wanted to; all of his thoughts were centered on grinding down against Zuko, feeling the sharp press of his hipbones, the fabric of Sokka's pants still in the way and somewhat restricting but somehow adding to the whole thing. Zuko's breath was very hot on his face, his grip on his hips tight but not guiding him, only giving him something to hold onto.
Sokka watched as Zuko's eyes squeezed shut and his head fell back against the ground. The air was filled with their pants and Sokka's quiet moans. Zuko started jerking his hips up harder, his fingers digging almost painfully into Sokka, his breaths finally taking an edge to them.
"I think I'm gonna-"
"That's the point, isn't it?" Sokka interrupted breathlessly, impatiently, before reaching down to steal a quick kiss. He felt Zuko tense underneath him, then come with a groan, flooding the front of Sokka's pants. Sokka couldn't find it in himself to care at the moment; in fact, the feeling of Zuko's cock twitching against his made him grind his hips down one more time before his own orgasm pounded through him.
All Sokka could do for a while was lay there on top of Zuko. That was okay; Zuko could take it, and he was using his hands to stroke soothing circles on Sokka's back that made him want to fall asleep again. They caught their breath together like that, and finally the uncomfortable wetness between them made Sokka roll off, onto his back. He stared up at the underside of the tarp. Around them, dawn had broken, and the forest was bright and filled with the sound of birds.
"Everyone's probably looking for us," Zuko said eventually; whether minutes or hours had gone by, Sokka couldn't tell.
"Good thing for us they didn't stumble on us a little while ago," Sokka said. Zuko actually gave a dry chuckle at that.
"Yeah. I guess we better get back, though," Zuko said. Sokka sighed. Neither of them moved. Sokka felt tired, down to his very bones, but it was a satisfied, content feeling that he hoped Zuko was sharing. He was sure he had surprised Zuko when he woke him up like that-- but Zuko had barely even hesitated. He participated with enthusiasm, not missing a beat, which made Sokka happy that he had gone with his instincts.
With difficulty, Sokka pushed himself up to sit. He looked back over his shoulder at Zuko, who was still sprawled out on the bed of leaves, face flushed, eyes closed.
"Best morning ever, right?" Sokka asked. Zuko opened one eye and just looked at him. "So we're doing this again soon?"
....Oh hey 4 am, it's been a while!