#soft-zuko

AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT! 

Zuko checks the clock and the hot frustration built up in his chest freezes into a bone chilling disappointment. Four hours? How is it possible that he has four hours left of his shift? It feels like he has already been here for an eternity. He was hoping he had two and a half hours to go, tops.

“You look like you could use a hug.”

Zuko jumps and his eyes snap up from the clock on the register monitor (that he wants to throw against the wall) to make eye contact with--

“It’s you,” he says, before his brain can conjure up some normal greeting for him, like, “Oh hey! Nice to see you again! It’s only been a week since we met but every day since then I have been hoping for another group function so that I could see you and get to know you better...”

Okay. Hopefully more normal than that.

Sokka laughs, and - oh, yes, that’s his name. “Sokka,” Zuko says. “Aang’s friend.”

Sokka smiles at him. “The one and only. I came in too late to see all the action, but I saw Miss I-Need-To-Speak-To-Your-Manager walk away with her wrinkly chin held high and you looking like you wanted to drown yourself in the lemon water, so I think I can piece it together.”

Zuko laughs and wonders if he’s imagining it, or if Sokka’s smile widens at the noise. “Yeah, let’s just say I am not excited about being stuck here for another four hours.”

“Four hours?” Sokka’s eyebrows shoot up. “Man, that should be illegal on a Saturday evening.”

Zuko shrugs. “It’s okay, I had no other plans.”

“Really? What are you doing after this?” Sokka asks curiously.

“Oh, you know, I’ve got a hot date with my favorite pair of sweatpants and whatever movie sounds interesting enough to entertain me through a dinner of leftovers.”

“As fun as that does sound,” Sokka starts, now leaning over the counter and closer to Zuko, “wouldn’t the next four hours go by quicker if you had something else to look forward to?”

“Uh.” Zuko blinks, distracted by the fact that Sokka’s brown eyes are a tad lighter around the pupils. “Like what?” 

“Like, I dunno, a date?” Sokka asks, looking hopeful. Zuko stares at him in stunned silence for all of two seconds before Sokka quickly adds, “Or, well, if you’re not interested that’s cool, we can hang out only as friends. I just think you’re cool but if I made you uncomfortable and now you don’t want to spend time with me at all--”

“A date sounds perfect,” Zuko interrupts. 

Sokka’s mouth snaps shut, then his smile reappears. “Sweet! Okay! Okay, that’s great. Um, I can come meet you here in four hours to pick you up?”

Zuko can’t speak for a few moments, only nodding excitedly before saying, “Sounds good. I’ll see you in four hours.”

Sokka beams and turns to walk out the door. Zuko watches him go, waving at him when Sokka glances over his shoulder one more time before leaving the building. Zuko leans against the register and sighs happily. He doesn’t know why he ever had violent tendencies toward this register. He doesn’t remember why he was feeling angry at all, really. 

Suddenly very aware that at any moment anyone in the tea shop could turn and see the cashier melting into a pile of goo, Zuko clears his throat and grabs a washcloth, wiping down the counter for something to do. 

He looks up when someone approaches the register. It’s Sokka again, smiling sheepishly.

Jas your tags on this are killing me jdbdkdbdkdbdsjbdbd

we can be plants and have a lil ecosystem together 🌱✨☀️

He is the BEST BOY (I’m unbiased)

Well that’s not very specific lol, but if we go off canon I think it would be like this:

____

They finally admit their feelings for each other after Ty Lee gets pissy about Mai getting yet another casual boyfriend through flower shop clientele rotation. A huge argument ensures and it ends up with Ty Lee screaming at the top of her lungs “I DON’T CARE ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS I HATE SEEING YOU WITH OTHERS” 

Mai is flabbergasted for a few beats and then just throws her hands up “IF YOU LIKED ME YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID SO YEARS AGO!!”

“IT WAS ILLEGAL I- wait... what?”

(Zuko and Suki, that were in the back of the shop: quietly file out taking Mai’s aunt with them. Shop sign flips to closed.)

They end up making out between flowers and greenery, and then sitting on the floor just holding hands, looking at each other, giggling (in Ty Lee’s case) and smiling shyly (in Mai’s case). Finally they realize they’re hungry because Ty Lee’s stomach growls, so they leave the shop and go out for greasy street food, barely saying a word through the whole evening, just holding hands, stealing glances at each other and blushing. Seriously, so CUTE you’d get cavities just being in their vicinity. 

At some point Mai is sucking on her fingers to clean off the sauce, but before she can get to her pinkie Ty Lee swoops in and sucks on it herself. They both blush furiously, but Ty Lee is determined so she grins like a lil gremlin, and that’s an invitation for more making out if Mai’s ever seen one.