#psyscha

“I can’t believe,” Sokka says, deciding to keep his eyes on Zuko’s face instead of the starlit sky, “That you were going to propose to me after this.” Sokka doesn’t know if he’s ever been this full in his life. He had to fall back onto the sand because he couldn’t take the idea of bending over.

“Something about your carnal enthusiasm for roast meets gets me,” Zuko murmurs, lips twitching, and Sokka huffs a little laugh--ow--going to roll into Zuko's side and stopping with a groan the second his abs flex.

“Know that I intended to kiss you for that,” he says, carefully easing himself back down. Maybe a bit too much carnal enthusiasm, in his general excitement for the day…

“Duly noted,” Zuko says, dry, like he wasn’t right beside Sokka, refilling his plate and pointing out new meats and sides and desserts and drinks and it was all so good. Sokka could eat those ribs for weeks, the dry rub was like a religious experience...

“If you tell everyone I proposed yelling at you,” Zuko interrupts his reminiscing--he isn't hungry again, but part of him wants to be--expression thoughtful on the starlit sky when Sokka glances over, “I’m going to tell everyone you celebrated by eating yourself so immobile you couldn’t sit down without help.”

Sokka purses his lips, contemplating the fact that technically that's true for a moment, then, “…Make up a story for everyone that’s really heartfelt and sweet at like, a planetarium or something?”

“I mean, not the place you would have proposed to your high school girlfriend. But otherwise, sure, yeah. Deal.”

“Deal,” Sokka echoes, holding out his hand to make it a pact and grinning when the new armband sitting just above his elbow shifts with the movement, grinning when he notices Zuko smiling sappily down at it too.

“You know,” Sokka says, keeping hold of Zuko’s hand, tugging it up slightly so he can admire the armband around Zuko’s bicep again, something fluttering in his stomach—not indigestion—at the way they so clearly go together without matching, “I was going to propose to you, too.”

“Yeah,” Zuko snorts, nudging Sokka's foot with his own, “Sure you were.”

Maybe not today, but the plan was in the works. And besides, “I was going to do it so much better than shouting it at you from the living room,” he can’t resist poking, as if the fact that Zuko responded like that to his teasing doesn’t make him nearly giddy to think about.

“I don’t know,” Zuko says, lips twisting into a smirk, “Seems like it was a pretty good one if it left you insensate on the ground by the end of the day.”

“I’m conscious," Sokka rolls his eyes.

“Barely.”

“And that, my good hot man,” Sokka continues, leveling a finger from their clasped hands, “Is blatantly implying certain things that you have not delivered on.”

“I’ll get you on them tomorrow,” Zuko says, smug and confident in that way that always takes Sokka's breath away, adding after a considering pause, “Or maybe the day after.”

“The day after,” Sokka agrees quickly. He…is absolutely going to need to be helped up off this beach. “Let's schedule it for the day after.”

“Deal,” Zuko says, squeezing his hand, and Sokka hums in contentment, pulling Zuko’s hand over to press it against his lips, smiling at the happy little sigh it gets him.