(DISCLAIMER: the last chapter was set in the middle of September, and this chapter is set about the middle of October, so about 4 weeks have passed.)
<Sokka>
I've now been driving Zuko to and from school so that he can have someone to talk to. Also, because I'm his boyfriend and I want to drive him to school. Surprisingly, Katara doesn't like me driving her to school, so Zuko and I get to go to school together on our own.
I pulled up to the Jasmine Dragon to pick up Zuko, who was waiting at the curb.
"Hey, handsome," I said, rolling down the window. "You need a ride?"
"Sh- shut up, Sokka." Zuko said, looking away. He did get in the car, though, so apparently he didn't actually want me to shut up.
When we started driving, Zuko turned to me and asked, "Is it okay if I ask you something personal?"
"Yeah, sure." I agreed, not taking my eyes off the road.
"Where are your parents?"
I flinched a little, but then decided that since Zuko talked about his traumatic past, I should tell him about mine. "My mom died when I was ten, and my dad... I don't know where he his."
Zuko just nodded, and we sat in silence for the next few minutes.
"So, Zuko," I broke the silence. "What are you planning on being for Halloween?"
"Why do I need to change?" He asked. "Aren't I already scary enough with my scar?" He held up his hands like claws and growled.
I laughed. "You don't scare me." I teased.
"It wasn't supposed to scare you." Zuko pouted. He looked over at me. "Sokka, stop staring and keep your eyes on the goddamned road."
"O- oh, yeah!" We arrived at the school shortly after that and headed to our first hour class.
—
Sometimes, between classes when I bumped into Zuko, I'd sneakily give him pecks on the cheek. He hated it. It was fantastic seeing his face go all red. I was so sneaky with it, that no one around him ever noticed.
I'm the king of sneaky. Sneak? Sneaking? Whatever.
Anyway, I make these sneaking powers useful whenever I try to scare my friends. I don't, however, use these powers on Toph or Suki. Suki likes to hit, and Toph has some sort of psychic powers that tell her when people are approaching.
Zuko used a fancy word for Toph's powers. He called them "seismic wave reading". I don't know what that means, so I just call her powers "Sneaky Stopper". I know, 10/10 name, right?
Anyway, where am I going with this?
Oh, yeah! I was walking to lunch with Zuko, and when we were in a hallway alone, I sneakily kissed him on the lips, and walked away. He had to do a double take before he jogged after me.
"You- you can't do that, Sokka!" Zuko complained. "What if someone saw?"
"Don't worry, Zuko," I said, "I made sure no one saw."
Zuko mumbled something that I didn't catch, and then sped up.
I walked behind him into the lunch room and sat down at our table.
"Zuko, are you okay?" Katara asked when he sat down. "You look like you have a fever."
I was a little taken aback by her sentiment. Usually, Katara ignored Zuko. I didn't think she liked him that much. But, there I was, being proven wrong yet again.
"Oh, yeah, I'm okay." Zuko said.
"Okay, good. I didn't want you getting any of us sick." Ah, there's the hating Zuko Katara.
Suki walked over and sat down next to Toph.
"Hey, guys!" Suki greeted.
"Hi, Suki." We all said.
"I have invitations for all of you for my upcoming Halloween party!" She handed us each an envelope. "You can all bring a plus 1 if you want!"
"Sounds great, Suki!" I said. "When is it?"
"It's on Halloween night."
***
<Zuko>
It was the night before Halloween, and I was curled up on my floor having a panic attack.
Sokka was supposed to come over tonight so we could have a sleepover before the party. I was trying to compose myself because I didn't want him to see me like this.
Iroh was making deliveries for the tea shop, so he couldn't comfort me. I was by myself.
I couldn't breathe, my whole body was shaking. My vision was blurry, and that wasn't just because I was sobbing my eyes out. My room was clouded, and I think I felt a migraine coming on. My eye hurt because of my tears. Sokka wasn't here to help.
I wished he were here, but I also didn't want him to see me like this, again.
I tried to calm myself down, but just thinking about the party made me want to throw up. I couldn't stand up. My head was spinning.
After about half an hour of this, someone finally walked into my room.
"Zuko?" Sokka asked, his voice sounded echoey and distant. He ran up to me and held me in his arms. "Zuko, does your scar hurt?" He asked, cupping my face in his hands.
I nodded my head.
"Okay, I'm going to carry you downstairs and we can talk, okay?"
I nodded. My panic started to subside. Sokka was here. Sokka will protect me.
Sokka carried me bridal style, down the stairs and into the kitchen of the Jasmine Dragon. He sat me down in a chair and told me to wait there. He looked in the freezer and brought out a pack of frozen rice.
He walked back over and held the rice against my scar. He then got me a glass of water and told me to drink.
I did as he instructed. I had started to feel a lot better.
"What's wrong, Zuko?" Sokka asked me, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.
"P- party," I forced out. "N- nervous."
"Zuko, those were not nerves," Sokka said. "What's wrong?"
"I- I'm scared of pe-" I paused, and started over. "I'm scared of people."
"It's okay, Zuko," Sokka assured me. "I'm gonna be there. I won't leave your side the whole night, okay? And we can leave whenever you want."
I nodded.
"So, what are we gonna be?" He asked.
"I- I was thinking vampires."
"Oh my fucking spirits, yes!" Sokka's eyes lit up. "We can be like that guy from Twilight!"
"I didn't know you've seen Twilight." I said, skeptically.
"I haven't."
"Oh. Anyway, I have fake fangs that look pretty real when you wear them, so I'm excited."
"Same!" Sokka gushed. "Hey, does your scar feel better?"
"Oh, yeah, it does." I said, moving the frozen rice away from my face.
"Cool, let's go back upstairs!"
"W- why?"
"So we can cuddle and fall asleep together," Sokka said, "duh."
"Oh," I mumbled, embarrassed.
"Or were you thinking about something else..." Sokka interrogated, leaning in close to my face.
"N- no!" I yelled. "CUDDLING! Cuddling is fine! I like cuddling!"
"Haha, okay," Sokka said. "Do you want me to carry you?"
I shoved the rice pack in his face. "I can walk on my own, Sokka." When I stood up, my legs wobbled and I collapsed back on the floor.
Sokka snorted.
"Shut up and carry me," I snapped.
Sokka picked me up and carried me back to my room.
When we got there, I said, "Set me on the floor, I want to stand."
Sokka put me down, and then helped me stand up.
"I feel so fucking weak, I hate this!" I cried, still holding Sokka's hands.
"It's okay, Zuko," Sokka said. "How about we go to sleep, okay? It'll help you feel better."
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Sokka helped me walk over to the bed. I scooted over so Sokka could get in, too.
When his arms wrapped around me, I felt safe. I slept easily after that.
_______________________________
why did i make Zuko cry 2 consecutive episodes in a row? probably because i like bullying the characters i write.
it's fun, you should try it!
also, this episode is kinda short because it's mostly a filler before we get to the fun stuff.
anyway, vote to stop Zuko abuse.
that's all! thanks for reading! -Em