Ficlet: Midnight Sun
Title: Midnight Sun
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Rating: PG
Characters: Sokka/Zuko, Yue (OC)
Warnings: Fluffy like cotton candy.
Summary: Sokka has Ulterior Motives for bringing the Fire Lord home for the holidays.
Notes: Written for takatohedgehog in the atlasecretsanta contest.
Merry belated Christmas, Takato!
Okay, Zuko had to hand it to Sokka. Spending midwinter on the South Pole was probably one of the best ideas he’d come up with in a long time. He fluffed more at the pack and rearranged it behind his back, shutting his eyes and tilting his head back. Sunlight all day long? This was his idea of a holiday. Even with Sokka’s admittedly eccentric family running around and braiding his hair. Crazy Water Tribe kids and their braids. It was an improvement on his eccentric family, anyway, considering Ozai was still in prison and Azula was still in the mental hospital. There was no way that holiday would turn out well.
So Zuko took the chance to relax, soaking up the bright sunshine. It was supposedly late in the day, but Sokka had informed him that around midwinter the sun often stayed up for days, or set for only a few minutes before rising again. And yes, it was still colder than Zuko would ever be comfortable with, even wearing a thick parka and sealskin boots, but it was all worth it for so much sunshine. And spending time with Sokka. That was also a nice perk.
Sokka snuck up on Zuko, a small smile on his face as he focused on not crunching on the icy snow. He wanted to catch Zuko basking … he had accomplished it before, if it was sunny at the palace. Zuko really liked to bask, just like a lizardbird, and he looked so peaceful when he did it. That was one of Sokka’s prime motivators in suggesting the South Pole for their midwinter celebration, right alongside seeing his family again.
And there Zuko was, stretched out on the snow with his head pillowed on his pack. His eyes were shut and a peaceful, happy look was on his face. Sokka smiled softly, glad to see him looking so content.
“So was this a good idea, or a good idea?” he asked, approaching quietly.
Zuko chuckled. “Definitely the first one. I don’t know why we haven’t done this before.”
“Because you said you didn’t like the cold.” Sokka sat down next to him, grinning. “I see Yue got her hands on your hair.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Zuko sat up a little more, reaching up to touch the beaded braid and the wolftail. “Looks dumb, I bet.”
“Nah. I like it.” Sokka’s grin grew wider. “You look good all Water Tribe-ified.”
Zuko lifted his eyebrow skeptically, brushing at a couple of loose strands from his wolftail. “If you say so. I’m not sure it’s so appropriate for a Fire Lord…”
Sokka swooped in, kissing him soundly on the lips. “Stop talking crazy, Mr. Fire Lord,” he murmured against Zuko’s warm lips. “I like your hair like that.”
At last another smile broke over Zuko’s face, and he shifted to lean against Sokka. “Mr. Fire Lord. I like that.”
Sokka smiled and brushed at the tuft of Zuko’s wolftail. “What’re you doing out here? You disappeared after dinner, and this is kind of the middle of nowhere.”
“I wanted to watch the sunset.”
“The sun doesn’t really set this time of year…” Sokka said skeptically. As should have been pretty obvious. It was late in the day, and yet the sun still hovered above the horizon.
Zuko tilted his head back, basking some more. “You know what I mean. When it almost sets. I like watching that. It just bounces right back up.”
Sokka rolled his eyes a little, amused. “Looks like you’ve got midnight sun madness,” he joked, punching Zuko lightly on the shoulder. “I’ll take you back to the Fire Nation and you’ll be all googly and useless. They’ll lock you up in the funny farm with Azula, but we’ll tell everyone you died. I’ll say your eulogy … ‘It was the midnight sun that got him in the end,’ I’ll say. Tragedy. The Ember Island Players will have to write a play for you.”
“You got into the seal jerky again, didn’t you?” Zuko accused, glaring playfully. “Your imagination always runs wild when you get into the seal jerky.”
“What can I say,” Sokka said with a shrug, “I’m a man of simple tastes. And you love me anyway.”
“Mmm,” Zuko snorted in agreement, leaning in for another kiss. “Good thing, too, or I’d’ve thrown you overboard five minutes into the trip.”
“Well, you are a very lame Fire Lord when it comes to Music Night. The crew definitely appreciated my rendition of ‘The Girls in Ba Sing Se.’”
Zuko vaguely remembered the song. Skilled though Sokka was in many areas, music was not one of them, and it had been a mistake to give him the tsungi horn. Still, the bawdy lyrics had been a hit with the sailors, and if nothing else Sokka had the enthusiasm of an entire band. So Zuko had to smile and nod. “Of course. Whatever you say.”
Sokka rested his mittened hand on the back of Zuko’s neck, watching the horizon. “So we’re waiting to watch this sunset?”
“Mmhmm,” Zuko sighed.
“Can you tell when it’s going to happen?”
“Yeah. Pretty soon, just a few minutes.”
Together they watched the sun sink in the sky, painting the distant clouds brilliant pink and orange. Slowly it dipped down, just barely touching the horizon, and then began its gradual return up.
Sokka tilted his face down for another kiss. “Good morning,” he murmured, brushing his hand against Zuko’s jaw.
“Morning,” Zuko replied, settling comfier against him. “Thank you for watching the sun set with me.”
“No sweat.”
The peaceful quiet of the early morning was broken by a loud screech and the sound of boots bounding over the ice. “Momma! Dad! I found Uncle Sokka!”
Zuko groaned quietly, glancing back at Yue as she approached. “How does she always find us?”
“I think Katara sets her on us,” Sokka said, turning so he could catch his niece as she came skidding over a slick patch. “Good morning, Yue.”
Yue grinned, displaying her missing tooth, and pointed at Zuko. “Did you see? I made Uncle Zuko all pretty.”
“I did notice,” Sokka said, grinning at Zuko. “Thank you so much.”
Zuko just smirked and shook his head, leaning back again to watch the sun rise.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Rating: PG
Characters: Sokka/Zuko, Yue (OC)
Warnings: Fluffy like cotton candy.
Summary: Sokka has Ulterior Motives for bringing the Fire Lord home for the holidays.
Notes: Written for takatohedgehog in the atlasecretsanta contest.
Merry belated Christmas, Takato!
Okay, Zuko had to hand it to Sokka. Spending midwinter on the South Pole was probably one of the best ideas he’d come up with in a long time. He fluffed more at the pack and rearranged it behind his back, shutting his eyes and tilting his head back. Sunlight all day long? This was his idea of a holiday. Even with Sokka’s admittedly eccentric family running around and braiding his hair. Crazy Water Tribe kids and their braids. It was an improvement on his eccentric family, anyway, considering Ozai was still in prison and Azula was still in the mental hospital. There was no way that holiday would turn out well.
So Zuko took the chance to relax, soaking up the bright sunshine. It was supposedly late in the day, but Sokka had informed him that around midwinter the sun often stayed up for days, or set for only a few minutes before rising again. And yes, it was still colder than Zuko would ever be comfortable with, even wearing a thick parka and sealskin boots, but it was all worth it for so much sunshine. And spending time with Sokka. That was also a nice perk.
Sokka snuck up on Zuko, a small smile on his face as he focused on not crunching on the icy snow. He wanted to catch Zuko basking … he had accomplished it before, if it was sunny at the palace. Zuko really liked to bask, just like a lizardbird, and he looked so peaceful when he did it. That was one of Sokka’s prime motivators in suggesting the South Pole for their midwinter celebration, right alongside seeing his family again.
And there Zuko was, stretched out on the snow with his head pillowed on his pack. His eyes were shut and a peaceful, happy look was on his face. Sokka smiled softly, glad to see him looking so content.
“So was this a good idea, or a good idea?” he asked, approaching quietly.
Zuko chuckled. “Definitely the first one. I don’t know why we haven’t done this before.”
“Because you said you didn’t like the cold.” Sokka sat down next to him, grinning. “I see Yue got her hands on your hair.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Zuko sat up a little more, reaching up to touch the beaded braid and the wolftail. “Looks dumb, I bet.”
“Nah. I like it.” Sokka’s grin grew wider. “You look good all Water Tribe-ified.”
Zuko lifted his eyebrow skeptically, brushing at a couple of loose strands from his wolftail. “If you say so. I’m not sure it’s so appropriate for a Fire Lord…”
Sokka swooped in, kissing him soundly on the lips. “Stop talking crazy, Mr. Fire Lord,” he murmured against Zuko’s warm lips. “I like your hair like that.”
At last another smile broke over Zuko’s face, and he shifted to lean against Sokka. “Mr. Fire Lord. I like that.”
Sokka smiled and brushed at the tuft of Zuko’s wolftail. “What’re you doing out here? You disappeared after dinner, and this is kind of the middle of nowhere.”
“I wanted to watch the sunset.”
“The sun doesn’t really set this time of year…” Sokka said skeptically. As should have been pretty obvious. It was late in the day, and yet the sun still hovered above the horizon.
Zuko tilted his head back, basking some more. “You know what I mean. When it almost sets. I like watching that. It just bounces right back up.”
Sokka rolled his eyes a little, amused. “Looks like you’ve got midnight sun madness,” he joked, punching Zuko lightly on the shoulder. “I’ll take you back to the Fire Nation and you’ll be all googly and useless. They’ll lock you up in the funny farm with Azula, but we’ll tell everyone you died. I’ll say your eulogy … ‘It was the midnight sun that got him in the end,’ I’ll say. Tragedy. The Ember Island Players will have to write a play for you.”
“You got into the seal jerky again, didn’t you?” Zuko accused, glaring playfully. “Your imagination always runs wild when you get into the seal jerky.”
“What can I say,” Sokka said with a shrug, “I’m a man of simple tastes. And you love me anyway.”
“Mmm,” Zuko snorted in agreement, leaning in for another kiss. “Good thing, too, or I’d’ve thrown you overboard five minutes into the trip.”
“Well, you are a very lame Fire Lord when it comes to Music Night. The crew definitely appreciated my rendition of ‘The Girls in Ba Sing Se.’”
Zuko vaguely remembered the song. Skilled though Sokka was in many areas, music was not one of them, and it had been a mistake to give him the tsungi horn. Still, the bawdy lyrics had been a hit with the sailors, and if nothing else Sokka had the enthusiasm of an entire band. So Zuko had to smile and nod. “Of course. Whatever you say.”
Sokka rested his mittened hand on the back of Zuko’s neck, watching the horizon. “So we’re waiting to watch this sunset?”
“Mmhmm,” Zuko sighed.
“Can you tell when it’s going to happen?”
“Yeah. Pretty soon, just a few minutes.”
Together they watched the sun sink in the sky, painting the distant clouds brilliant pink and orange. Slowly it dipped down, just barely touching the horizon, and then began its gradual return up.
Sokka tilted his face down for another kiss. “Good morning,” he murmured, brushing his hand against Zuko’s jaw.
“Morning,” Zuko replied, settling comfier against him. “Thank you for watching the sun set with me.”
“No sweat.”
The peaceful quiet of the early morning was broken by a loud screech and the sound of boots bounding over the ice. “Momma! Dad! I found Uncle Sokka!”
Zuko groaned quietly, glancing back at Yue as she approached. “How does she always find us?”
“I think Katara sets her on us,” Sokka said, turning so he could catch his niece as she came skidding over a slick patch. “Good morning, Yue.”
Yue grinned, displaying her missing tooth, and pointed at Zuko. “Did you see? I made Uncle Zuko all pretty.”
“I did notice,” Sokka said, grinning at Zuko. “Thank you so much.”
Zuko just smirked and shook his head, leaning back again to watch the sun rise.