After the war

Contention and contempt

"Good to see you Sokka!" Hahn exclaimed, extending his arm for a handshake.

"Hahn" Sokka nodded icily at the Northerner, not accepting the handshake.

"Sokka, why are you being so rude?" Zuko hissed, leaning closer to his boyfriend.

"Because he deserves it Zuko" Sokka whispered back with pleading eyes, trying to get the Firelord to see the error of Hahn's ways.

"And why is that, Sokka?" Zuko narrowed his eyes.

Zuko had called Sokka by his name, he was on thin ice. The non-bender gulped as he stared into his boyfriend's golden eyes that were glowing with impatience and annoyance.

"Yes, Sokka, why is that?" Hahn asked with crossed arms and anger sitting in his narrowed eyes.

"Because you treated Yue like an object!" Sokka accused Hahn.

Zuko's eyes widened in shock and he felt jealousy and anger stirring from deep down inside him.

"Though if you were upset that she died because she'd left this world, I could have forgiven that. But you didn't! You only cared that she died because it stalled your career! She was a brilliant, amazing, wonderful woman who was extremely caring and beautiful, and you took her for granted and made her feel awful and trapped!" Sokka was yelling now and could feel the anger and pain coursing through him.

"Sokka!" Zuko scolded in a firm tone, drawing all attention to him. He felt Ra disappear inside his shirt, scared of the sudden raising of Zuko's voice.

"Sorry Zuko" Sokka hung his head in shame, the anger and harshness in his boyfriend's face causing him a lot of pain and regret as he realised his Yue rant must have hurt Zuko's feelings.

"Don't apologise to me, apologise to Hahn!" Zuko ordered at his boyfriend.

Sokka turned to the Northerner and when he opened his mouth, he couldn't get the apology out, Hahn didn't deserve it.

"I can't" Sokka glared at Hahn and bumped his shoulder with his own as he stormed out of the room. He couldn't look at Zuko while the firebender's face was full of anger.

"Hahn, General Fong, I am so sorry for Sokka's disrespect, I'll go have a talk with him! Uncle please look after our esteemed guests and show them around the palace" Zuko tried to placate his guests and went after his boyfriend.

The Firelord opened the door to his room and found Sokka sat on the bed, seething in anger.

"Want to tell me what the hell that was about Sokka?" Zuko snarled in an icy tone, extremely annoyed with him. The firebender felt Ra peaking his head out of his shirt.

"Zuko, I'm sorry, I know that made you look bad and everything, but those guys, they did awful things to Aang, Katara and I!" Sokka tried to reason with the incredibly angry firebender stood before him.

"You know that's not what I was talking about" Zuko was speaking with a low voice, trying to keep the boiling pot of rage inside him at bay. He reached his hand up to scratch Ra's chin as he felt the small dragon settle on his shoulder.

"Then, what are you talking about?" Sokka tried to feign innocence.

"Yue" Zuko spat her name out his mouth and glared at his boyfriend. "Sokka, you have a boyfriend who loves you unconditionally, do you really think I'm going to appreciate you going off on a passionate rant about the unfair treatment of a woman you had a crush on?"

"Zuko, I'm so sorry I hurt your feelings, you know I love you"

"Do I Sokka? I'm starting to think you love Yue more than you love me!" Zuko couldn't keep the anger at bay anymore and he was blinded by rage.