#sokklasaturdays

Waking up after a peaceful sleep felt different. Waking up in his arms felt safe. Sokka was still asleep and Azula watched him. She took in the masculine, yet at the same time soft details on his face. A strand of hair was hanging loosely on his forehead. She couldn’t fight the urge to touch it and wondered how he looked with his hair down.

He stirred and she instantly took away her hand. When he opened his blue eyes, she grew bashful.

“Good morning.” Sokka said smiling.

“Good morning.” she said quietly.

After a moment of gazing, Sokka broke the silence.

“Seems like the storm has stopped. Didn’t hear anything.” he said awkwardly.

“I guess so.”  Azula said, still quietly.

Not knowing what else to say, and growing aware of his arms around her, Azula moved to sit up. Sokka instantly let go. He would have loved to keep holding her though.

“Do you want breakfast?” he asked.

“Breakfast sounds good.” Azula replied.

“Good.” he said, smiling, “I should wash my face.”

She felt silly for standing up, when in fact she would have loved to stay in his arms, it felt so good. Sighing, she stood up and started getting ready for breakfast.

Upon reaching the dining room, they were greeted by another face.

“Good morning Your Highnesses.” Katara greeted them.

“Katara?” Sokka said surprised, “I didn’t expect you today. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything is fine. Is this how you greet your sister?” Katara asked, sipping her coffee.

“No.” Sokka spread his arms, smiling.

Azula smiled. She loved her brother, but Katara and Sokka seemed to have a special bond.

“I hope you’re faring well.” Katara said, after they all sat at the breakfast table.

“I am.” Azula said, “The island is beautiful.”

“Already getting used to it?” Katara asked, giving her brother a meaningful look, which he returned.

“I haven’t seen everything yet. But I got used to the house.” Azula explained.

She sensed mistrust coming from Katara. Behind her nice façade, there was awareness. No doubt she was informed about Azula sneaking to the harbor.

“I saw Ty Lee. She enjoys her time a lot here. And she told me she is going to stay in the hut with the girls.” Katara said.

“She does. Ty Lee can cope well with changes.” Azula said.

“How are mom and dad?” Sokka asked.

“Busy planning their wedding anniversary.” Katara said.

“Oh, I totally forgot about that.”

“Not surprised.” Katara said, aiming her gaze at Azula.

Sokka coughed. A warning.

“They can’t wait to meet their daughter-in-law.” Katara said.

Azula didn’t know what to say. Since their parents lived in the Northern Water Tribe, she didn’t want to mention anything related to the Spirit Oasis. Not when they were on good terms with Sokka now.

She felt him staring at her expectant.

“Me too.” was all she said.

They enjoyed their breakfast with Katara and Sokka bantering. It was strange. She saw Sokka’s powerful gaze many times. Both siblings could get serious. But they acted silly around each other.

After finishing breakfast, Sokka and Katara waited for Azula to dress up at the front door. Upon seeing her, Sokka smiled brightly to which his sister raised her eyebrows. Azula assumed they had talked about her when she was getting ready in her room.

“Sokka, the guards are ready.” The Captain of the Royal Guards. Azula recognized him. He was there at their wedding ceremony.

“Azula, I shall introduce you to Keano, Captain of our Royal Guards,” Sokka said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Your Highness.” Keano said, bowing his neck.

“Likewise, Captain.” Azula said.

Like Katara, Keano also looked at her with awareness. She needed to be more careful around those two.

“And to our Royal Guards.” Sokka said.

The rest of the guards were lined up and they introduced themselves one by one with their names. Unlike Keano, they actually smiled at her. Azula greeted them friendlier.

“Alright, let’s go.” Sokka said.

He stretched out his hand, smiling and looking expectantly. Azula looked at his stretched hand trying hard not to smile in front of everyone. She slid her hand into his. And like the first time, at their wedding ceremony, she felt sheltered in his strong hand. It felt better now still. Warm and … she didn’t want to think of that now.

They walked on the front, with Katara and Keona right behind them. All the other guards sided up. Some islanders still gave her looks of mistrust. Others greeted the new Royal Pair with genuine smiles. They introduced themselves and congratulated them. Wishing them a happy marriage and healthy babies. Azula looked appalled at that, while Sokka smirked mischievously her way.

The day passed quickly. After eating together, Sokka asked Katara and the guards to stay behind. He took Azula up a hill. The stars lined up the sky, making the sea glow with light.

“The most stars shine this time of year.” Sokka explained.

“It looks beautiful.” Azula said.

“Not as beautiful as you.”

Azula turned her face to him. She surely didn’t expect any of this when she sailed away from her homeland.

“Did you like today?” he asked.

“Yes. But I wouldn’t do it every day, I mean, meeting so many people.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

Sokka raised a hand and gently put it on her cheek.

“I thought you were beautiful the moment I saw you.” he said.

Azula was sure he was feeling the heat on her cheek. She had mixed emotions but most of all, hope shone in her eyes.

She teared her eyes from him and looked at his lips.

Sokka neared his face slowly to Her’s until their foreheads touched. Azula closed her eyes at that. He kissed her. A tender and slow first kiss. Sokka pulled away, just a bit. He needed to see her face, to read her eyes before kissing her again. He dove in. Still tender but with more confidence. He pulled her closer with his other arm, and she put her hands on his chest. The kiss grew firm.

Their moment was interrupted by Captain Keano with a cough.

“Apologies, but there is a problem.” he said, looking towards Azula.

Sokka didn’t like that look, “What is it?” he asked annoyed.

“Zuko entered our waters at Whaletail Island, “Keona explained, “Without even asking us for permission.”

Azula’s face lost color.

“How… Why? Do you know why?” Sokka asked, while they all started walking down the hill.

“The recent message I received states he wants to see his beloved sister.” Katara interrupted.

If a look could murder, Azula would be dead under her stare. Sokka looked at Azula warily.

“We haven’t seen each other after the marriage decision has been made. I don’t know exactly why, but … I should talk with him Sokka.” Azula said.

Sokka scanned her eyes. They were glassy. What could go wrong he thought. This might be their first test in their marriage. A test to see if he could trust her, to make her happy. And a test to see if she would betray his trust in any way.

“Send word to our soldiers to let Zuko’s ship sail to Kyoshi Bridge. But only as far as Kyoshi Bridge, we’re going to meet him there.” Sokka said Keano.

“Have you lost your mind?” Katara asked appalled.

“You’re not thinking clearly boy. This could be a trick. The entrance on the wedding day was strictly planned and overwatched. This is not. We have rules: No one can enter our sea without our permission and no one except the Royal Barge last week, is allowed to pass Kyoshi  Bridge.” Keona explained.

Kyoshi Bridge was a control point between Kyoshi Island and Whaletail Island. The Northern Water Tribe had several controlling points on their sea as well as their mainland.

“I know!” Sokka raised his voice, “But Zuko never broke the law. He was also not informed by us about this marriage and if he acts like this there is clearly a reason behind it. I am not saying he can sail comfortably on this island: just as far as our control point and we meet him on the ship! We don’t need to be geniuses to know that Zuko and Ozai are very different.”

Azula gained strength by his stance.

“What are you waiting for? Get our ship ready.” Sokka said.

When nobody moved he got mad.

“This is an order, and nobody has a say against my decision! Get the ship ready and send word to Zuko and our soldiers on Whaletail Island and Kyoshi Bridge right now!”

The tone of his voice startled even Azula a bit. Keano gave her one last look of mistrust and turned around to leave.

“I need to have a word with you Sokka.” Katara said and walked near a house.

Azula nodded at Sokka, and he went to his sister.

“Katara…”

“Listen, do not forget that you don’t know her.” Katara started.

“Katara”

“You’re mislead by your soft spot for her! I was fearing this might happen, but I didn’t expect it so soon.” Katara said.

Sokka put his hands on her shoulders.

“Everything will be fine. I need you to stay by my side as my sister, like you always did Katara. It’s our waters, we are in control of the situation. And we know Zuko.” he said.

“But…”

“Katara, if the roles had been reversed, I would destroy the things on my way just to see if my sister is alright.”

That bastard was pulling on her heartstrings now. Because she knew he would do that for her.

So, she nodded.

“Oh, and one more thing: I am not mislead by anything and have not a soft spot.” Sokka said and walked to Azula.

“Yeah, right.” Katara said to herself.

When they reached the dock, Sokka helped Azula on the ramp of their ship. He pulled her close to him, not letting go of her arm and stared directly into her eyes. There it was. The look she saw days ago when he caught her sneaking. The warning look of Crown Prince Sokka, not gentleman husband Sokka she grew to like.

“I trust you.” he said.

A gentle warning. But she also sensed fear coming from Sokka. Fear that the last two days may not have changed anything.

...................................................................................................

Fire Nation was rich in technology. Their ships were the best. Water Tribe ships were very good and stable too, but they needed some of the new inventions. Which hasn’t been possible so far because the Fire Nation didn’t want to share. But things might change from now on.

They stopped next to Zuko’s opulent royal ship. The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, now his brother-in-law, which felt weird to Sokka after years of politically meeting the guy, signaled his crew to open the ramp that would connect their ships. Automatic ramps. Unlike his, which would take a little longer to open. From the outside it looked like a small battle of ego. Zuko with his luxurious ship and inventions, Sokka with his massive security system and signals as well as connections with his islands and control points. And all without the Fire Nation Technology. He worked hard for all of this. His parents and sister worked hard. His soldiers worked hard. But seeing the luxury of the Fire Nation annoyed him a bit. Never ever did it annoy him. But right now, it did and he knew why: He didn’t want Azula to think of him as incapable or less or anything of the sort.

Silence was in the air. Everyone staring at the people on the other ship.

“Azula, come.” Zuko said. His demeanor changed when he looked at her. The harshness fading.

Azula moved her head sending signal to her brother. Zuko understood.

“You can come to my ship too Crown Prince Sokka.” he said mocking. Then he looked to Katara, slightly smirking, “Princess Katara, of course you’re welcome too.”

She sent her murder glare to him.

Captain Keona wanted to protest, but Sokka stretched out his hand to stop him. Nodding at Azula, they crossed the ramp to Zuko’s ship. His crew and guard regarded Azula with respect.

“Zuko what are you doing here?” Azula asked bitterly.

“Why wasn’t I informed about this marriage?” he demanded.

“I would have thought Ozai would inform you.” Sokka said.

“I’ve always tried to work peacefully with you. Despite everything that happened in the past. I deserved to hear it from you.” Zuko said.

“I know and I always appreciated it to have you as a trusting partner. But how could I know there was lack of communication? We had our own problems here Zuko. And they weren’t small.” Sokka explained.

“I’ll speak to my sister alone.” Zuko said.

Azula went to the railing followed by Zuko.

“Azula, be honest with me: Did you agree with this?” he asked.

“I did. I mean… yes I did.” she answered.

“You can come back with me. I’ll try to find a way out of this.”

“Zuko no, I can’t.” she said, “Listen, this is a good thing. It’ll help everyone I think.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow at her statement.

“Do you want to stay?” he asked.

“We both have a role.” Azula said.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Zuko said.

“I want to stay Zuko.”

“Do they treat you well?”

“Yes. Sokka is the one who allowed your ship to sail here and made it possible for us to meet. That’s no small feat I’d say. I mean, you broke their rule.”

Zuko sighed.

“Father will ask you about the Spirit Oasis Azula, keep that in mind. But I officially have a place on his right from now on. My tasks on the outer cities were successfully fulfilled.” he said.

“That’s great. You earned it.” Azula said proudly.

“And my priority is to keep you out of this. And working with Sokka, with the Northern Water Tribe has always been my wish anyway.”

Azula asked him about the attack on Whaletail Island, and they talked about their father.

Sokka tried to give them privacy. He really tried not to listen, but he heard Zuko ask Azula to go with him. It strained his nerves. What would he do if Azula refused to go back to Kyoshi Island with him? The thought made him feel dizzy and frustrated.

“Do what makes you feel good. Do what you believe in is the right path Azula.” Zuko told her earnestly. “And don’t forget, that you have a brother who will have your back.”

“It goes the other way around too.” Azula said smiling.

They were good. Especially after Ursa left, their bond became stronger. But he has been away often. And now she was away.

Azula jumped and hugged him powerfully. He hugged her back. She managed to keep her tears in her eyes. She didn’t know when she would see him again.

They returned to the others. Sokka kept his gaze on Azula. She didn’t seem sad when she said goodbye to her father. But now he saw tears in her eyes. Which showed that she cared about Zuko. Another reason for Sokka to maintain a good friendship with him.

“We had an agreement and similar opinions as well as goals in the past. But this is different.” Zuko told Sokka.

“I know. You really needn’t worry Zuko. Azula’s wellbeing is my priority.” Sokka said, determined.

“We’ll write each other. And we’ll meet.” Zuko said to Azula. But he looked at Sokka, silently expecting him to understand that his sister would have the freedom to write him letters.

“Have a good sail Zuko.” Azula and Sokka said.

“You too.” Zuko said, then turned to look at Katara, “Goodbye Princess Katara.” he mocked again.

She stared at him distastefully.

Azula watched her brother’s ship sail away in the darkness. She turned to Sokka and smiled brightly, which warmed his heart.

“Thank you Sokka. For all of this. For making us meet, for not doing anything to my brother.” she said.

“Thank you Azula.” he said smiling.

They waited there. Just gazing at each other brightly. Until Azula gave him a hug. Burying her face in his neck. After trying to understand what happened and keeping his surprise in check, Sokka hugged her back. He closed his eyes and smiled. This felt good. He felt good.

Katara and the guards were taken aback. That they would grow close in such a short amount of time was unexpected.

Was it instinct or something else, Sokka didn’t know. But he wanted to open his eyes and look in the direction of Zuko’s ship. In time to see an arrow directed at them. Sokka jerkily turned around with Azula in his arms. The masked man was far away on a moving ship, but his arrow struck Sokka’s left shoulder perfectly. He groaned loudly at the pain.

“Sokka!” both Azula and Katara screamed.

A group of guards were already on the move to Zuko’s ship, where the attacker still was.

Katara examined Sokka’s shoulder, a worried Keano next to her. Azula held Sokka’s hand.

“We need to get out the arrow for me to heal you.” Katara said, tears in her eyes.

Sokka kept groaning. Azula felt like crying while she watched him pain. Katara pulled out the arrow with the help of Keano and Sokka let out a scream squeezing Azula’s hand.

Then, Katara pulled out a bottle and slowly poured it over his wound to start the healing process.

“I don’t have enough.” Katara said crying, “It’s not enough for the first process for the wound to start closing. We need to go the Oasis quickly.”

“Let’s get ready everyone, we’re sailing to the Water Tribe!” Keano announced to the crew.

Then he glanced at Azula.

“Somebody has to stay with the Crown Princess.” he said.

“No!” Sokka groaned.

“She can’t come with us Sokka. We’ll make sure she is safe on Kyoshi Island.” Katara said.

Before Azula could protest, Sokka yelled with the last drops of his strength, “No!”

“Azula is coming with us. It’s an order.” he said.

“But Sokka.” Katara said.

“Katara please.” he said.

Deciding to trust her brother and with the worry about his condition getting worse if they lingered any longer, they all sailed to the Northern Water Tribe. To the Spirit Oasis. Giving their enemy the perfect opportunity.

Azula didn’t let go of Sokka’s hand, didn’t leave his side. Not only because he was wounded, but she felt alone. People staring at her, not trusting her, thinking she might have something to do with all of this. She turned to look at Zuko’s ship, hoping her brother was all right. Who has that been? She looked down at Sokka again and who gazing at her. He was in pain, losing blood, endangering his life to keep her safe. And yet, he was smiling up at her, squeezing her hand, to encourage her.

...................................................................................................

Sokka smiled when Kya opened the door to his home, when he and Azula arrived: his mother's eyes gleamed with excitement, so much so that the sunken cheeks and bags under her eyes seemed diminished in comparison to her usual appearance.

"Welcome!" she said, eagerly. Azula offered her an uneasy smile, perhaps pleased by the reception, but unable to set aside her awareness of Kya's condition. "Oh, you're Sokka's new partner, aren't you? Oh, please, do come in, do come in…!"

"She is," Sokka smiled, urging Azula to come inside: her bag of belongings hovered yet again in a platform she had borrowed from the academy for the purpose of her new move: with any luck, it'd be the last until graduation. "Her name is Azula, and she's…"

"You."

Everyone by the foyer fell silent when that word drifted towards them, from the balcony in the house's upper floor: Katara, wearing a towel over her head and a bathrobe, stared at them with utter confusion, pointing a finger at Azula.

"You're that girl, the one from… from the Premier ceremony," she said. "She's your partner, Sokka? Seriously?!"

"What can I say? Looks like fate wanted us to meet beforehand, or so," Sokka grinned carelessly. Azula smiled, shaking her head.

"Your brother is supposed to be the only person in the solar system whose skills come anywhere close to mine, so… he's stuck with me. If just for the time being," Azula explained. Kya gasped, gazing at Azula in wonderment.

"Does that mean that you're a very skilled pilot?" Kya asked.

"I'm a cadet, still, but… hopefully, I will be one soon," Azula nodded, sagely. Sokka snorted.

"Hopefully, my ass. Everyone knows she's a piloting prodigy," he said. Azula couldn't hold back a smile upon hearing those words. "Anyway, I know bringing her here on such short notice is a little crazy, but… you guys won't mind, right? Means more company! And another person who can join us in game nights, and…!"

"Oh. I heard nothing about that particular condition until now," Azula pointed out, eyeing Sokka skeptically. "Just so you know…"

"Yeah, yeah, you're probably the best at those, too. No big deal, we'll play in teams, you'll be teamed with Katara and then she'll drag you down and you'll lose and…!"

"Hey! I'm better at those games than you!" Katara exclaimed, cheeks flushing. "At least… at most of them!"

Sokka snickered, glancing at Azula to gauge her reactions to his family: to his relief, she didn't seem uncomfortable… though he found her looking at him, instead. Her golden eyes were kinder than he had ever seen them, and there was a small but genuine smile touching upon her features…

Then, however, as quickly as it happened, it ended. Azula swallowed hard, breaking off eye contact and turned away from him. The way she looked at him just now sent a strange burst of excitement through his body… he hadn't imagined it, had he?

It took very little time for Azula to set up in one of the available rooms in the house, and perhaps even less time for her to shed her unease as Katara and Kya made sure to welcome her. While Sokka couldn't know if the pleasant mood would last all across Azula's stay in Mars, he relished it for the time being as they enjoyed Azula's grand welcoming dinner, courtesy of Katara – a feast of hot dogs and burgers, easy enough to cook and quite fulfilling, as well. Katara seemed somewhat unsure of what to make of Azula at first, but she warmed up to her quickly, asking many questions about what to expect in her coming years in the Academy – she was two years behind the two of them, and she, too, dreamt of flying into the stars sooner than later.

From that day onwards, their partnership improved progressively as they teamed up for even the simplest of tasks be it at home or at the academy, working side by side so they'd understand one another's train of thought, predict it, adapting and adjusting to each other as best as possible. They trained physically together in the house's small gym just as they did in the academy's much larger one, they studied star charts and exoplanet codenames, they even shared all the classic Martian meals Sokka decided Azula needed to sample. Across all that time, what had started as a tense bond, and then shifted outright into animosity, turned into a promising friendship instead… albeit one where they'd both catch each other in occasional longing glances, in which something remained unspoken and only seemed to grow stronger as time continued to pass.

To their utter delight, as well as that of their instructor, the results of their improving partnership and full-blown teamwork showed in spades during their exercises and tests: they finished all simulated individual and dual flights, be it of core pods or stellarships, they powered through every gravity training course as well, even through the training flights between Earth's and Mars's respective Spaceport Stations, the stations that orbited the planets, the final checkpoint before most stellarships launched into lightspeed trips.

Within two years, they were ready to graduate with flying colors as the best recruits Mars had ever seen.

"And to think we started out as poorly as we did," Sokka laughed, as they lounged side by side next to one of the main rivers in the city, a common picnic area for the residents – as well as a dating escapade for young couples, frequently glimpsed by the more secluded areas of the riverbank. "It's crazy, don't you think?"

Azula smiled, reading the official holographic diploma they had been granted for the umpteenth time: it carried an official commendation from the Academy's director, a rare boon granted only to the very best of recruits.

"So now… just the harvest, then our first flight, and we'll be official members of the Fleet afterwards, huh? Provided we succeed, which we will, of course." Sokka said, with a careless smile, as Azula finally tucked the diploma away. "Say, how high do you think you'll climb?"

"What, ranks-wise?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm. How high do you expect me to climb, I wonder?"

"You? Eh… you'll become Paragon, of course," Sokka said, beaming as he closed his eyes: Azula let out a bark of laughter. "You'll command the entire fleet before long, I bet. And I'll be right there, along for the ride, making the most of being your sidekick."

"You're not my sidekick," Azula said. Sokka yelped.

"Say what? Still plan on getting rid of me? After everything we've been through…?!"

"Sokka… you can pilot core pods yourself," Azula pointed out: Sokka rolled on the grass, turning to look at her skeptically. "You pulled off many core pod flights in simulations on your own. Why wouldn't you become a big renowned hero for it, yourself?"

"I… guess I hope I can become one without doing that?" Sokka said, with a shrug. "I know you think it's the coolest thing ever, but… core pods are pretty damn scary. The idea of just… plunging down into a planet's core, dumping a bomb there and having to run for your life in a matter of, I don't know, thirty seconds if you're lucky? It's terrifying."

"It's exhilarating," Azula said, smiling proudly and dropping on the grass beside him.

"I've always had my suspicions that you're a bit of an adrenaline junkie," Sokka said, raising his eyebrows as he propped his chin on a hand, studying Azula intently. "You want to chase the wildest and most powerful emotions, don't you?"

"And why shouldn't I?" Azula said, glancing at him with amusement. "You love this planet, don't you? Only reason why you get to live here is because some adrenaline junkie like me planted a Lifeseed in it about three thousand years ago. So… you'd do best to respect adrenaline junkies, wouldn't you say?"

Sokka smiled, shaking his head: Azula's smug smirk couldn't have been more inviting…

He had never been immune to her beauty, much less to her wickedness. Where she had a sense of humor that most people would find off-putting, he only found himself sharing it all the more as they spent time together. Perhaps, if she were merely beautiful, he could admire her in silence without feeling the uncanny pull of attraction that now lured him, closer still…

He stopped upon feeling her breath near his lips.

"What is it?"

Her question surprised him: it wasn't a rejection. It wasn't a dismissal, it was… confusion, perhaps. Did she realize what he had been about to do, led by pure instinct?

"N-nothing, I just…" Sokka said, biting his lip and rolling back on the grass. "You always say I lack self-discipline. Same old, same old…"

"You aren't exactly forbidden from kissing me, you know?"

His cheeks reddened, and his entire body burned with a mix of excitement and embarrassment. He glanced at Azula to find her smiling knowingly at him. He swallowed hard.

"I… I guess not. Good to know?" he said, breathing deeply. "I guess I just… well, I shouldn't. It's not… uh, appropriate, for partners. We're professionals, right?"

"Not asking you to marry me. Just saying you can kiss me."

She couldn't seem to stop smiling in that wicked way, and Sokka felt his innards bursting with the urge to follow through… oh, but he couldn't. Not like this, not so simply, not so carelessly…

"I… might. When the time is right, again. Sometime. I think I ruined the moment," Sokka said. Azula laughed, reaching down to clasp his hand: he had assumed the occasional moments when she'd do that were but a sign of camaraderie, in the past… but after this, he couldn't help but wonder if she had done that as affection, all along. "Do you… want something to happen between us?"

"Hmm. Do I?" Azula said, intertwining their fingers. Sokka swallowed hard, hoping his palm wouldn't be too sweaty as it came into full contact with hers. "I wouldn't be opposed to it. You're most certainly the man I'm most comfortable around, goes without saying. We're pretty much a matched set at this point… you can't get two people to work together to the extent we have and not expect some kind of intimacy to be born from it, can you?"

"I guess not," Sokka said, biting his lip. "You make it sound so… casual, though. Like it's just some matter-of-factly thing…?"

"Well, I'm curious, truth be told," Azula said, glancing at Sokka wistfully. "So many people rave on and on about kissing and sex and all those things… guess I wonder if it's really as good as they pretend it is."

"I hope so," Sokka said: his honest answer made Azula smirk.

"Want to find out?"

As much as he had thought the moment was gone, it came back in full force when she asked that question. Sokka swallowed hard, moving slowly towards Azula, closing the distance between them clumsily, as he refused to let go of her hand, and…

He brushed his lips lightly against hers.

Azula raised her eyebrows when he pulled away.

"You're not planting a Lifeseed, you know?" she said: Sokka blushed. "You can afford to linger for more than one second…"

"W-well… why don't you do it, if you're so much better at it?!" Sokka squeaked, embarrassed.

She laughed wickedly before startling him: Sokka wound up straddled by his partner within moments… then, she kissed him long and chastely. Azula lingered in place as though to make a point pertaining what kissing should be like…

When she pulled back, he pulled her in again, and now they found a slow, steady rhythm. Azula angled her head carefully, seeking the better ways to bring their lips together… Sokka tentatively opened his mouth slightly, and Azula dared slip her tongue through, teasing his with a gentle touch.

Sokka pulled back, dropping his head in the grass as nervous giggles spilled from him. Azula stared at him in surprise as he covered his blushing face with his hands.

"S-sorry, sorry, I… holy shit. How are you even…? What are we doing?" he laughed.

"Making out, or at least, I thought we were. Apparently, you have different plans," Azula smiled. "What's the matter, huh? You weren't half bad so far…"

"I just… we've been working together for two years," Sokka said, heart racing so hard he was sure Azula could read it, past the noise of their surroundings, be it the voices of other people by the riverbank, or the gentle trickle of the river below. "And you've been living in my house for this long, and…"

"And you're thinking we could've been doing this all along, and wasted so much time we could've made the most of, instead?" Azula said. Sokka bit his lip. "Wrong."

"W-what do you mean, wrong?"

"I did want to try this. With you," Azula said, poking his chest. Sokka grinned. "But I wasn't about to jeopardize our academic career for it. If it fails now, if anything goes wrong… well, we can always change partners in the future, after our graduation trip is over. But we weren't going to get away with that during our time in the academy for the reasons we know, so…"

"Ah. So, you merely decided to jump my bones as soon as it was practical to do so, did you?" Sokka said, with a deadpan stare. Azula shrugged and smiled. "… It's fucked up of me to think that's sexy, isn't it?"

He felt her shiver atop him when he said those words. Her eyes darkened, and the longing in them matched the one she had been casting at him so often, all across their partnership. That strange, intrigued gaze that seemed to hide something… perhaps even from herself. She wanted him, wanted this… but where it was easy enough to lead and be forward when Sokka was being goofy, it seemed his boldness triggered a wholly different reaction within her, instead.

"I'm not sure if it is, but… maybe it's fine to be fucked up, then," Azula said. Sokka smiled knowingly at her.

"You… you really don't know how much I like you, do you?" he asked.

"Think I have some idea… more so now."

Her thigh shifted against his manhood. Sokka swallowed hard as he realized, a little too suddenly, that it had stiffened considerably under her weight. Azula smiled at him again, moving in to kiss him softly.

"But… perhaps we'd do best to hold off from going any further," she said. Sokka yelped. "We are in public view, after all, and… our big trip is in two days. We shouldn't risk being in bad shape for it."

"I…! I mean, you have a point, but still!" Sokka squeaked. Azula chuckled. "Shit, we shouldn't have done anything at all. How do you think I'm going to get any rest after this, huh?"

"Why… I guess you'll have to hypnotize yourself to sleep with music as I used to," Azula smirked. "I can send you the melodies that worked best for me, if you like."

"Heh. Fun," Sokka said, curtly. Azula chuckled again before cupping his face…

She offered him another kiss, slow and sensual, one that unleashed a blissful, fizzling sensation throughout Sokka's body as their lips moved together in the smooth, perfect rhythm Azula set for them. Sokka's hands rose, trailing over her waist, her hips…

A soft moan escaped her lips, and Sokka groaned before pulling her closer for a tighter hug.

She relented once he flipped them, once he dove in for a deeper, wilder kiss. She responded gladly, moaning in that unexpectedly erotic way… was she truly that aroused, or was she doing it to drive him crazy? Whatever her reason, though…

He had understood the fact that he very likely loved her, and had fallen fully in love with her, across the years of working side by side. But right now, the affection he felt for her, the bond that bloomed between them, was slowly overcome by a slightly less pure emotion… by savage, eager lust that he found Azula was more than happy to stoke in his gut, to stir in his heart, to…

He gasped as he pulled back: he was lightheaded, eager, and aware that this was far from the most romantic or appropriate way to move forward with any kind of relationship. More so when there was no clarification pertaining what their relationship's nature truly was…

"Are we…?" he asked. Azula hummed, glancing up at him in confusion. "You know. We… we're a couple now?"

"I… don't know that we are. Do we have to be?" Azula asked. Sokka bit his lip.

"I would think… I mean, it makes sense for it to be the case if we're going to be doing this kind of thing… right?"

"Friends with benefits exist," Azula said, pushing Sokka off her and sitting upright. "You don't need to make it a bigger deal than it is, Sokka, seriously…"

"I… I guess I shouldn't. It's just…" Sokka said, breathing deeply. "I'd rather we're on the same page?"

"Well, my page is 'it's fun to kiss him,' so if you'd like to be in any other page, do let me know. I might get back to you on the subject in, give or take, nineteen years, but…"

"Ha-ha," Sokka said, eyeing her skeptically. Azula smiled and reached over to pat his hair.

"Maybe ask again once we're in the Stellar Fleet's Headquarters in Ross 128 b, as fully initiated officials. I can't guarantee I'll have another answer by then, but you're free to try anyways," she said. Sokka hummed, but he nodded. "You alright?"

"I think so. Well… as alright as I can be like this," he said, glancing down at the tent in his pants. Azula smirked at the sight of it. "Your fault entirely, you know? Can't do this kind of thing to a guy and expect anything else…"

"I'm pleased. Flattered, even," she said: she moved in quickly, pressing her lips to his cheek. "Come on, then. We'll be traveling soon, and we'd best get ready for it."

Sokka whimpered, watching her rise to her feet: she offered him her hand, and he clasped it without hesitation. The strange tension that had always existed between them had only grown stronger, wilder now that they'd acknowledged it, acted on it – to a fault. But where Sokka wondered if she'd reassure him by holding his hand all the way back home, Azula did no such thing: she focused on the diploma again, as though wanting to memorize every word, even if the digitalized file was already available within her neural chip.

"Oh, congratulations, you both!" Kya welcomed them with a group hug, even if a fragile one, as they crossed the house's threshold. "I'm so proud of you!"

Sokka smiled, glancing down at Azula: where others might find her cryptic, hard to interpret, he had no trouble reading her reaction to his mother's onslaught of affection and approval. She wasn't unfamiliar with such parental gestures of affection, exactly… but she might have craved to hear words that acknowledged her prowess and efforts, all the same.

He hugged Kya, but he ensured to pat Azula's back gently. She swallowed hard as she allowed herself to be engulfed in a bigger hug once Katara jumped in too, prompting them to laugh at the cluster they'd turned into.

Dinner was as lighthearted and pleasant as ever, with Katara groaning and complaining about how many chores would fall to her once Sokka was gone – Azula occasionally helped too, but she wasn't obligated to do so, in virtue of being deemed a guest, even after two years. Kya urged Sokka and Azula to enjoy their experience as pilots, to relish the opportunity to be part of space history… the two accepted all advice graciously, trying to focus only on their duties, their upcoming adventure, rather than the dam they had pierced merely a few hours earlier.

It was obvious, however, that something was different once it was time for bed: Azula lingered by her door, gazing at Sokka intently for one moment, lips parted… was she pondering whether to kiss him or not before bed? He would certainly not refuse the chance to…

She smiled, then slipped through her room's door, closing it quietly and slowly.

Sokka let out a heavy sigh: all these mixed signals were going to drive him to madness. Was that Azula's intent, or…?

"What's going on there, huh?"

Sokka stiffened, turning to find a smirking Katara leaning on a wall by the corridor, arms crossed.

"I… I wish I knew," Sokka admitted: his earnest reply saw Katara snorting with amusement before urging him to follow her downstairs again.

They shared a cup of tea in the darkness of the house's backyard, as the night drifted by. Katara sighed as they gazed at the reddish dark sky, with stars barely visible among the city's lights and the clouds drifting above them.

"So…?" Katara said. Sokka sighed.

"We kissed," he said. Katara snickered, sipping on her tea.

"Knew it."

"It's not what it sounds like, though? I guess? She doesn't want to make anything official," Sokka said, with an awkward smile. "Which makes me a bit uneasy. But, then again… it's her we're talking about. She never wanted a partner to begin with, never thought she needed one… that she was willing to kiss me at all is probably completely out of her calculations, as far as her plans for the future go."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked, puzzled. "You think she's going to ditch you as soon as you're officially initiated in the Fleet at this point? That's not very likely…"

"Her goal was always to go it alone," Sokka said. Katara hummed. "I think… well, our paths are likely to diverge eventually. And in this day and age… could just mean we're going to drift too far apart eventually. Might be she'll go on some solo trip and by the time she comes back, it'll have been fifty years for me, right?"

"Not impossible, I guess," Katara reasoned, frowning. "What do you want, though?"

"I… I don't know. I mean, other than her?" Sokka said, with a sad smile. "I wanted to do right by our family. I wanted to be a proper member of the Fleet. I impulsively switched into the Cosmic Forces when… well, when that happened, but…"

"I still don't understand what your plan was, exactly. You'd gain enough ranks and reputation to go up to Atsuko Takei and tell her she's a bitch for ditching Mars?" Katara asked, amused. Sokka's cheeks flushed, his eyebrow twitching. "Sounds a bit silly now, doesn't it?"

"Sure does, but… I would like to have a good enough rank so I can take care of our planet anyway, regardless," Sokka said, proudly. "So I can follow on Dad's footsteps… someday. Harder to make that make sense when he's been off-planet for nearly five years now, of course, but…"

"Yeah," Katara sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "But you would've gladly taken his place, right?"

"Right. But here I am now," Sokka said, with an awkward smile. "And I'll be off to the Spaceport Station in two days."

"You'll do the harvest first, though, right?" Katara said, with a sigh. Sokka grunted. "You know, that's what I hate the most about this whole space travel thing… the infertility. The idea that, if I go on a stellarflight, my body will get messed up in such a way that I'll likely become barren? It's horrifying."

"They do say humanity's population was going overboard. Guess this is a fucked-up way to control our population density, huh?" Sokka reasoned, with a grimace. Katara scoffed.

"There should have been better ways to go about it, not… this," she sighed. "But it's an inevitable side-effect to space travel, I guess."

"Maybe in a few years they'll find a way to counter it. A proper balancing dose that can be used to fix it?" Sokka said, with a shrug. "But, until then… we harvest."

"You and Azula will go together, I figure?" Katara said. Sokka nodded: his cheeks flushed again the minute the conversation turned towards his partner. "You know, you have the right spirit already. Just get her to stare at you the way she did just now…"

"Katara!"

"You'll be ready to make your donation in no time!" Katara teased him, with a wicked smile. Sokka groaned, burying his red face in his hands.

"Shut up!"

The harvest was a mandatory practice for any pilot who would set out beyond the confines of the Solar System. Due to the severe strain bodies would endure upon being subjected to a lightspeed flight, health repercussions followed, and this was the most common among them: pilots and crewmembers would often lose their reproductive potential, and the odds of losing them only increased further after multiple jumps.

Upon realizing the risk, a system was implemented by the Stellar Council: they started the Stellar Fertility Institute, a massive egg and sperm bank that kept all such reproductive resources stashed safely, for the sake of any pilots who might return home while feeling ready to start a family. Should it be necessary, in case the potential mother was barren after too many flights in space, the child could be fully grown in an artificial womb: it was the only way to circumvent the unwanted consequences of what many had deemed the plague of sterility that haunted all spacefarers. Some religious groups asserted that it was God's punishment to mankind for daring abandon its perfect, intended home world…

Sokka certainly felt punished, whether divinely or not, as he and Azula approached the harvesting laboratory by the next morning: he had barely slept, whereas Azula looked the epitome of perfection… when didn't she, anyway? She glanced at him at times, without as much affection as on the previous day… no doubt judging him for looking as worn out and tired as he did.

"You'd better get proper rest tonight, if nothing else," Azula warned him, as they rose to the right floor of the building in the elevator. "Or else it'll be me piloting the stellarship tomorrow…"

"Well… we could switch, then. You do the flight to Proxima Centauri b, and I'll do the one back to Mars," Sokka said. Azula snorted.

"I thought we'd agreed that I was the better candidate for the second flight, precisely due to my superior skills?" Azula said, with a smug smirk. Sokka's eyebrow twitched… so did his manhood, at the sight of that expression on her face. "I won't risk you blowing us up by messing up anything in the return flight, so… either you do the first one, or I'll do both. And if that last thing happens, you'll have to graduate with the guilt of knowing that I carried you all the way. Have you no pride, Cadet Harkin, truly?"

Her mockery should have infuriated him… but, instead, it spurred him on for the task ahead of them on that day. His chest heaved as the doors of the elevator finally opened, and it was time for them to undergo their procedures.

Azula's side of the harvest would be far more invasive, Sokka knew, and he didn't envy her one bit for it: the extraction of eggs was a difficult, drawn out process, one she seemed to take very seriously, and perhaps even dreaded, to some extent.

"Well, that's another reason why I'd best do the return trip," she said, as she scanned the possible aftereffects of the extraction on a holographic sign on the wall. "Looks like I might not be in the best of shapes tomorrow."

"Right," Sokka said, downcast: here he was, excited like a fool at the hope that something would come from their developing relationship… Azula would be in no shape for any sort of intimate fun for the foreseeable future, that was for sure. "Do you need anything? Moral support, at least?"

"Do you?"

Sokka froze up. Azula glanced at him with a smirk.

"You know… you're supposed to do a few rounds. The more you can make, the better the odds are that you'll be a father one day," Azula said, teasingly. "You strike me as the type of person who would want that, right?"

"I… guess. Maybe?" Sokka said, cheeks flushed. Azula smirked.

"It might be too bold of me to offer, but… I can join you, make sure yours goes well. Then, you'll have to carry my drained body all the way back home after mine, I expect," Azula sighed dramatically. Sokka snorted.

"So… what are you saying? You want to join me in there and, w-well…?" he said. Azula shrugged.

"Why not?"

His loins sizzled at the thought. His manhood stood at full mast at once… more so as Azula glanced down at it, and then crooked an eyebrow with a proud smirk.

"T-this isn't the way I thought you and I would, umm…" Sokka said, his voice small.

"Thought about it much, did you?" Azula asked, stepping closer to him. His tension only worsened by the second. "Well… you can tell me all about those fantasies once we're in the harvesting room itself, don't you think?"

"I… I…" Sokka breathed quickly, heavily…

"Harkin! You're up!"

Azula smirked. Sokka's shocked, wide eyes only amused her further.

He could barely believe it when Azula was authorized to accompany him to what was, for most people, a solo venture. The room was awfully cold, uncomfortable, crafted with metal, with nothing but a few vents, one long seat, and three small containers waiting to be filled…

"Hmm," Azula picked up one, angling it sideways… she glanced down at Sokka's groin, smirking slightly. "I wonder if you'll overflow these. They seem kind of small…"

"Keep being like this and I'm sure it'll happen," Sokka said, breathing deeply. "This isn't normal, is it? Two people coming in here…"

"Oh, as far as I've heard, it's more normal than you think," Azula said. "A lot of men find it terribly uncomfortable and off-putting, so… sometimes their, uh, significant other is asked to assist. That's why the chair is ample enough for two, see?"

Sokka swallowed hard and nodded. Azula smiled, stepping up to him and placing her hands on his chest.

"You don't have to take everything off. Might be better if you don't, too. It's cold here," she said.

"True, but… I'm not sure I feel cold, myself," Sokka said, swallowing hard. "I… this is unreal. Kind of like a fucked-up fantasy, but yeah…"

"We won't go all the way, not like this," Azula whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips softly. Sokka groaned, moving in for more. "I want this, but… not like this, you're right about that. Still… we have to follow regulations and rules. So…"

Sokka whimpered: Azula smiled, forcing him down on the chair before climbing atop him, grinding herself against his hardened shaft.

She allowed him to touch her as he pleased, burying his face in her chest among more helpless, happy groans. They kissed with abandon often, basking in each other's breath and the intimacy they had long denied themselves… but as could only be expected, Sokka's release approached, and Azula was quick to react to it once he warned her.

"I'm almost there, I…" he said. She nodded, kissing his cheek.

She climbed off him, watching intently as Sokka unfastened his trousers: her eyes gleamed with desire at the sight of his manhood. Sokka let out a slight, happy giggle at her reaction.

"Yeah… keep looking at it like that. Good plan… holy shit," he groaned: he placed the container at his tip, and he spilled himself within it in no time.

Azula licked her lips at the sight. She moved in to kiss his cheek, towards his earlobe, too…

"I wanted to help, you know?"

"I… y-you did help. A lot, I might add…"

"Let me touch you."

Sokka's eyes widened. Azula's lustful smile ensured his manhood wouldn't truly deflate after his last release.

It was surreal, truly, to find himself caressed so intimately, even if for a practical purpose, by the woman he had come to love so deeply. This wasn't enough, it wasn't the way they should have ever come to be together… but the accumulated excitement from across two years couldn't seem to hold back for another second as he wound up filling all the necessary vials, as expected, in what Sokka suspected was a speed record… perhaps not something for him to be too proud of, but Azula certainly seemed delighted upon how easily he had pulled off the feat with her assistance: she smirked upon closing the filled, small containers as Sokka breathed heavily, sweat spilling down his brow.

"You keep up that spirit in the future and we'll have a good time properly, some day," Azula said.

"No, no, no. You're not getting away with that."

She was startled by his sudden statement… more so when he lunged for her, kissing her far more fiercely than he had so far.

Azula moaned, finding him so much more energetic than she had expected him to be… more so as he slipped his hand inside her own trousers, quickly tugging her underwear out of the way: he couldn't help but laugh at the soaked folds he found, as Azula clung to him, arms locked around his neck.

"You… you want me too," Sokka whispered. Azula moaned and nodded. "I wanted to do this somewhere else… the best exoplanet we could find, maybe, or… or on a stellarship, instead. Where we could be alone… where we could just do what we pleased, no consequences. I just wanted you…"

"D-did you ever… think about crossing your house's corridor, and just…?" Azula asked, with a wicked smile on her face. Sokka smirked.

"Fuck, yeah, I did," he said: a careless fantasy, but one she seemed delighted to hear about. "Would you have liked that?"

"I… I wanted it… I wanted you, but I couldn't… we couldn't… oh, Sokka…!"

He couldn't help but smirk as his fingers, dipping into her depths, felt the quaking of her walls, squeezing him in earnest as she moaned and came undone around his touch. Sokka sighed happily, prodding his nose against hers.

"Debt's not fully paid yet, but… I'll make it up to you some more later. When you're up for it," he said. Azula hummed, smiling groggily before dropping her head on his shoulder.

"You didn't have to pay it back at all just yet, but… I appreciate that you did anyway," she said. "If this is just the appetizer…"

"Very hefty appetizer it was, mind you," Sokka laughed. Azula smiled, moving in for a kiss.

"I can't wait to fulfill your fantasies… once we're out there."

He could've gone again after hearing those words, but Sokka knew it was Azula's turn to be harvested, next. He had to hold back… and so he did, kissing her wantonly one more time before they fixed their appearances and stepped out of the male harvesting room. It shouldn't have been such a thrilling moment, Sokka suspected… but it was certainly his most erotic experience so far. And to think there'd be more to come…

Of course, all such excitement dwindled easily when it came to Azula's own extraction: she was sedated for the process, and the lab's team took around forty-five minutes to harvest the contents of her ovaries. Sokka had wanted to be there for support, but he was only allowed into the recovery room, where he sat by her side until she woke up again, groggy, tired and pained.

"You did it. Not as much fun as my round, of course…" Sokka said, with a sad smile. Azula snorted.

"Men always seem to have it easier. Bastards…" she said, though she stroked his hand gently as though to soften her harshness. Sokka smiled, leaning in and pressing his lips to her brow. "You'll carry me?"

"Of course I will. Always."

Sokka was relieved that it helped to be held by him, that he could embrace his partner as they rode a hovervehicle back to the house. He saw to it to pack for the two of them while Azula rested on the couch at home, at first merely napping, later watching television with Kya and Katara, who offered her as much comfort as they could. Sokka smiled as he watched them from the foot of the stairs… as he reasoned that Azula, as much of a loner as she might want to be, had inevitably become part of their family. And going by the smile on her face, she might just enjoy being part of it after all…

She slept soundly through the night: so Sokka did, now that some of his tension was gone. By the next morning, a hovervehicle awaited to bring them to Mars's land-based Spaceport… from where they'd launch up to the planet's own Spaceport Station. After that, it'd be a matter of a few hours before they reached Proxima Centauri b, one of the Council's bases beyond the solar system and the closest exoplanet to Earth.

"You're sure you're ready? You have everything?" Kya asked Sokka, nervously. Sokka smiled fondly, hugging his mother tightly.

"Well… won't have you along, unfortunately. Hate having to leave you behind, Mom…" Sokka whispered. Kya laughed, shaking her head.

"My good, sweet little man… not so little anymore, of course," Kya said: Sokka smiled as he pulled back. "You'll be writing your name across the stars. I know you wanted to follow on your father's footsteps in many ways, dear… but your father always believed you would reach greater heights than he ever did."

"Heh, well…" Sokka smiled a little. "I'm going to the same place he was at. He should be back here before I am, of course… Katara will be free to go on her own graduation trip by then, right?"

"Right," Katara said, with a sigh. "Kind of wish we could all just go with you two right now, though. It's… it's going to be lonely without you."

She smiled sadly at Sokka before moving in to hug him: Azula heard the words, but she stayed at a distance regardless, unwilling to intrude in Sokka's last moments with his mother and sister.

"I'll be back soon. Or… as soon as I can," Sokka promised. Kya smiled and cupped his face, kissing his brow.

"You're on your way to becoming an amazing member of the Fleet, my dear. Who knows how far you'll go?" Kya said. "Maybe you'll be a Paragon, one day…"

"I don't know about that," Sokka chuckled. "But… I'll try. I'll make sure to be the best pilot I can be, first… and maybe one day I'll get to be a Task Master like Dad that way. Right?"

"Right," Kya said, hugging him again. "I'm going to miss you."

"I know. I… I'll miss you too."

He meant the words… but Sokka knew that what would take place across days for him would amount to almost a decade for his mother. Worse yet, even if a part of him was certain that his father would succeed, he couldn't know for sure that Hakoda would come home with the proper cure for Kya. If he failed…

He didn't want to think of that. He couldn't let himself think of that.

He glanced through the vehicle's window as it sped up into the sky: even after his mother and sister were too far to be seen, Sokka's eyes remained set in their direction, hoping deeply that this would not be the last he'd see of them… hoping to come home to them very soon.

Yet again, he found unexpected comfort when Azula's hand linked with his.

Sokka slipped his fingers through hers, and Azula moved closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"You… you could've said goodbye along with me too," he whispered.

"They're your family," Azula said. "We spoke last night anyway, and… I don't want to intrude."

"You've been living with us for two years. I don't think that qualifies as an intrusion anymore," Sokka said. Azula hummed.

"More like it does… I've intruded for two years, no less," she said. Sokka smiled, shaking his head as Azula smiled, too. "They'll be okay. We'll make it back here soon."

"In eight years and six months… yeah," Sokka swallowed hard and nodded.

They had gone on training flights before: the large land-based Spaceport on Mars was familiar to them for more reasons besides being the place where they had met again, when Azula relocated to Mars. A special section of the Spaceport was reserved for the Stellar Fleet's Academy's purposes: that was where they were headed, with building, strengthening resolve, until they reached their ship's gate.

Stellarships traveled across the galaxy at lightspeed, a feat believed, for a long time, to be well beyond humanity's ability and scope. The essence of the journey was often described as the temporary transformation of the entire vehicle, and all of its contents, into light. The composition and molecular integrity upon reformation had long been a cause for concern and the biggest complication to resolve, but across the years of scientific progress, the development of motion fetters, inertia dampeners, integrity cores and the use of casting plasma ensured that whatever launched from one end of space would reach the other side without major damage… at least, provided that their charted course for the stellarflight was correct. That often would be the main complexity of these journeys.

"Alright… just got to make sure we don't fly right into Rigil Kentaurus, and so on," Sokka said with an awkward smile, after finishing setting his bags in a safety rack. He marched across the piloting cabin, and he dropped on the pilot's seat. "You'll handle navigation, then? No swapping roles so far?"

"No. I'll do the return flight," Azula said, reaching the navigator's seat and sliding into it too.

The two seats weren't the only ones available on the ship, even though they would be the only crew on it for this particular trip. Most the Academy's ships would be used for training larger groups of cadets, but for now, this stellarship would serve its purpose for their trial by fire. Either they would reach their destination, or they wouldn't… and both of them intended to ensure their success.

"First trek… to Mars's Spaceport Station," Sokka said. "Ready to go?"

"Go ahead," Azula said, firing up the radar systems of the ship: Sokka began the process of igniting the ship's engines: smooth, whirring sounds gave away that they had started hovering already.

"Mars Command, this is Cadet Harkin, aboard Stellarship RST-920015, requesting permission to depart."

"Copy. Stellarship RST-920015, you are authorized to fly to the Station. Good luck, cadets."

"Copy. Thank you, sir!"

With that, Sokka took hold of the steering wheel, a silver orb comprised by multiple rings that allowed him to manually manipulate the ship's directions and motions seamlessly: with that, he launched them out of the Spaceport and up into the sky.

The speed increased gradually as Sokka tested the ship's limitations and possibilities as subtly as he could: the buttons for the stellarflight options lingered by the panel, tempting his impatient heart to press them already… not yet. He had to wait. There was a protocol to be followed, an acceleration period before the launch, he knew that…

"Nervous?" Azula asked.

"Think I'd have to be dead if I weren't," Sokka responded, breathing deeply. "Though… not as nervous as I felt while in a harvest room with you, not going to lie."

"Good. Means you'll be fine, then," Azula smirked. Sokka smiled too, but he chose to leave the matter to rest: this wasn't the time to figure out whatever was happening in their evolving relationship.

Their initial flight would only last a little while longer: after quickly docking in the Station's Spaceport to check on their fuel reserves, and receiving further confirmation that their flight could proceed, Sokka and Azula drifted out into the deep, dark void of space, where innumerable stars blinked in the distance: they lingered on the verge of the greatest jump of their lives so far.

"You ready?" Sokka asked.

"Doubt it, but… as ready as I will be until I experience it? Does that count?" Azula said. Sokka smiled.

"Sure does. Alright, then… I'm sorry."

"What? Why?"

"Preemptive apology in case I fuck this up?" Sokka said. Azula scoffed, shaking her head.

"We're not going to die on a failed stellarflight. We're far too good at piloting for that," she said, proudly. "Now… we're slightly off angle. Adjust…"

Sokka followed her instructions without hesitation: he lined up for the intended trajectory after a moment, and once he succeeded, they were ready to set off.

"Beginning acceleration in three, two, one…"

The smooth sound of the engines whirred pleasantly as their vessel gained speed: once the base engines reached their maximum functionality, it would be time to activate the lightspeed propellers instead.

Both cadets were properly fastened in the safety of their seats, breathing slowly, trying to remain calm. Many pilots grew distressed over the seemingly long period of acceleration and subsequent deceleration, which was but a fragment of the time they'd spend beaming through space at unprecedented speeds. The loneliness, the unfathomable emptiness that sprawled infinitely, the time displacement and its consequences, all of them contributed to the unfortunate diseased that was commonly labeled as space madness. Recovering from the emotional and psychological effects of space travel proved far more complicated than what a lot of people could handle, even after humanity's three thousand years of stellarflight trips.

"You alright so far?" Sokka asked: the inertia dampeners ensured the acceleration wouldn't feel as potent as it truly was: their speed kept rising, climbing steadily towards the lightspeed they were chasing after.

"All good," Azula said, breathing deeply, defocusing her gaze, a recommended tactic to ease the body into its next, dangerous stage. "You?"

"I'm good too," Sokka responded: he kept an eye on the speed log, confirming they were well over a thousand kilometers per hour by now. "Still more to go."

Azula nodded: breathing grew more challenging by then. Two thousand, four thousand, eight thousand… Within another few moments, Sokka would press the button for the stellarflight…

"Activating rings…" Sokka said, eyeing the log carefully: the speed number surged, and it would reach a limit it would only surpass through the extra boost of the rings…

When the log reached twenty-thousand kilometers per hour, Sokka pressed the button.

"Now!"

The speed surged higher: a brilliant light poured through the ship's windows, as good as blinding them as the stellarflight began in earnest. Even though there was no sound in space, an echoing, booming noise seemed to drum in their ears, even when they were protected by safety helmets.

There was no more chance to speak as the cabin was flooded with a gelatinous substance: protective casting plasma surrounded them, glowing brightly too, matching the rings and spreading through the entire vehicle as every component within it turned into light…

Their stellarship vanished from the Solar System.

Four years and three months later, it rematerialized as per their calculations in a different, distant location within the Milky Way.

The rings powered down slowly once they reached their intended destination: the casting plasma drained as well, vanishing quickly through specialized drains that converted the remnants of that plasma into fuel. The pair crewing the ship seemed to breathe again as they reclaimed their natural existence once more: exhaustion immediately clung to them, for the components of their bodies seemed to shake still, resentful after the intense pressure they had been subjected to.

"Decelerating… now," Sokka managed to say. Azula shivered beside him, still dazed by the bright light that had spread before them mere moments ago. She closed her eyes, struggling to settle down while ravaged by the aftereffects of the intense high speed, still.

Sokka blinked, shaking his head as he forced himself to read the logs: the report of their position allowed him to confirm all expectations… his unsettled eyes could barely focus. He shook his head, glancing to his left…

The window beside him offered a perfect glimpse of a bright, red star.

"Fuck," Sokka said, his heart in his throat. Azula hummed. "We're… that's Proxima Centauri. This is… we made it. We made it…"

"Course we made it… where would we be otherwise?" Azula said, swallowing hard as she forced herself to look, too: unlike Sokka, astounded by the sight, she smiled at it instead. "Our first… first red dwarf, huh? Whole galaxy's full of those…"

"I know. It just… blows my brains," Sokka said, smiling and shaking his head before returning his focus to the logs. "We're slowing down still. We're on our way to Proxima Centauri b… we ought to be landing in about two hours."

"Good." Azula said, breathing out slowly. "That was… intense."

"Way intense," Sokka concurred. "We crammed a trip across forty trillion kilometers in… in the blink of an eye, pretty much."

"It's insane… it's insane that we can do this," Azula said, with a proud smile. She dropped her head back and rested against her seat, comforted by the awareness that they'd succeeded at their task. "And we're going to do it many more times, too."

"Sounds like you liked getting squished through space," Sokka said, amused.

"Didn't you?"

"I'm still undecided. Might be an acquired taste," Sokka smiled. "Alright… there's our stop."

Proxima Centauri b, a rocky planet, gleamed in the distance. Once they reached a safe threshold of speed, Sokka steered manually towards the planet's own Spaceport Station: after docking there, they'd descend safely on the exoplanet.

"First time we're going to walk in a planet well beyond our system, huh?" Sokka said, after confirming their permission to dock in the Spaceport when they were finally within its range. "Excited?"

"Evidently," Azula smiled, glancing down the window towards Proxima Centauri b: lights gleamed across the surface, giving away the location of human settlements among the rough, rocky terrain, the lakes and the seas. "Kind of a shame that we're not very likely to see our families here, though. Zuko should be back on Earth by now… your father's bound to be halfway back to Mars as well."

"Yeah," Sokka said, lowering his gaze. "Well… with any luck, we'll see them again once we go back. I guess your brother's bound to be jumping about with the Fleet, but my dad… he should stay home. Will be older, but…"

Sokka's chest tightened: so would his mother. He hoped, desperately, that Hakoda had found the remedy she needed after all. He ought to take his time to confirm it, once they reached the planet's base for the Fleet.

They docked into the planet's Spaceport Station safely: they'd both settled down slightly after the strenuous flight by then, and they were welcomed by the staff with a grand applause.

"Well done! Your first flight's complete!" one of the Corporals in the station congratulated them, clapping their backs. "Feel free to take off your helmets, you're all safe here! How are you feeling?"

"Mostly good, I think," Sokka smiled, following the man's suggestion.

"Take a little break in the station. You'll go down in a bit, spend a day or two in the planet…" the Corporal said. "Once you guys are ready, you'll go right back home and you'll graduate. And, by then… well, I guess you'll go to Ross 128 b on your next trip, but feel free to come back here anytime you like!"

"If any future missions decree it, we shall," Azula nodded. "Thank you for receiving us."

Their break was well and truly needed: they lingered in the station for a few hours, their neural chips checked in case they might have suffered any damage through the jump, and they were given food and drinks that would help them settle their stomachs. After that, they climbed on a different vehicle: a descent pod, piloted by a Corporal assigned to the Station, that sped its way down a light rail, directly connected to the planet's Stellar Fleet base.

Proxima Centauri b's eventide sky was simultaneously red and blue, a combination owed to the star that the planet orbited around. The system's sun hardly seemed to be far away at all: an orb over twice as big as the Sun in Mars's sky appeared to glare menacingly upon the biocatalyzed planet: it was the parent red dwarf of this particular solar system, Proxima Centauri. Not too far from it, the gleam of two smaller suns caught their eye…

"Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman," Azula recited, smiling a little. "I can barely believe we can see them directly… most people used to think the Alpha Centauri system was but one gigantic star."

"And it just so happened that the smallest of the three was the one with the first exoplanet that humanity biocatalyzed, huh?" Sokka smiled. "Well, then… want to check the place out, or would you rather just take a nap?"

"We'd best go sightseeing tomorrow. I'm beat after all that," Azula said, with a slight smile. "But it was worth it. As prepared as we were, it still surprised me."

"Just… try not to get too addicted to the sensation of your molecules nearly splicing off each other?" Sokka smirked teasingly at her. Azula rolled her eyes. "I mean, we've established you're an adrenaline junkie, so the warning's fairly necessary, I fear…"

"Shut up," she smiled, bumping him with her shoulder as they continued to pace the Stellar Fleet's base, side by side.

The similarities between Proxima Centauri b and Earth saw to it that gravity, while slightly different, was not much harsher than what Azula was used to… it wasn't quite the case for Sokka, who had spent over twenty years in Mars's gravity instead. He felt dragged down into the mattress of the quarters he was assigned temporarily, in rooms intended for Academy pilots who would only spend a few days on the planet. Azula nestled in the same room as him, but where he could've been tempted to act on their unfinished promises, it was impossible to do so while their bodies were still leveling out after the consequences of stellarflight travel. He relaxed, thus, and played Azula's favorite sleep hypnosis melodies in his neural chip until he drifted off to a properly restful sleep.

Their days in Proxima Centauri b weren't too busy, and they had a chance to traverse the main city on the planet: while this was one of the oldest human settlements beyond their original solar system, not many people had migrated there. The bulk of Proxima Centauri b's society gathered by a city, founded at the most convenient location that received just enough sunlight and not too much radiation, the optimal choice in a tidally locked planet: one side of Proxima Centauri b never saw the light of its parent star. Local scientists had explored the hidden side of the planet plenty by now, harvesting whatever resources could be found there, but nobody would remain in the cold and dark side of Proxima Centauri b for very long if they could help it.

A report about their flight's success was sent through the Extranet, all the way to Mars, while they waited to depart anew. The message would reach the Academy merely a few days before their return, conveyed at lightspeed across the Extranet, the network of satellites that connected every planet across the Stellar Council's control through an online web. Communications were still subjected to lightspeed constraints, naturally, but it was the most effective method for the different planets and systems to exchange information across the galaxy, regardless.

Thus, about five days later, Azula and Sokka returned to the Spaceport Station and boarded their ship: while their time in their first exoplanet had been intriguing and exciting, nothing was quite as thrilling as finally coming home and claiming their well-deserved honors as fully initiated members of the Fleet.

This time it was Azula sitting at the helm, following Sokka's projected navigation, based on planetary predictions to ensure the swiftest return possible to Mars: furnished in their traveling suits, helmets properly fastened, they shot each other a meaningful glance before Azula launched them into space, gradually accelerating…

It would never become a pleasant sensation, Sokka thought, but perhaps since they knew what to expect now, their second jump felt a lot less disturbing than the first, as the plasma drained out anew and they had a chance to catch their breaths. A few hours later, their ship was back in the safety of Mars, by the familiar yellow star around which circled the planets they called home.

Their return proved to be a grand success: the Academy's instructors congratulated them proudly, and their graduation ceremony would be ready to be held two days upon arrival. They were fitted for their uniforms, and the medical appointment in which they'd get their mandatory IV sockets was established for the day after graduation.

But as triumphant as they felt upon returning home, Sokka's excitement faded quickly upon checking his pending messages within his neural chip.

"Something the matter?" Azula asked him, as they filed together to the Academy's doors.

"Yeah… yeah," Sokka said, breathing deeply. "Got any word from your family?"

"Zuko's gone," Azula confirmed. "Off to Ross 128 b's Fleet Headquarters, it seems. My parents were traveling there too, last I knew, so… nothing from them. But, what about…?"

"My mom made it."

Azula's eyes widened. Sokka smiled sadly, but he sighed again.

"But apparently… I don't know. Seems like Dad's decided to change branches or so. He took her on a trip… don't really know where," he said. Azula frowned.

"On a stellarflight?" Azula asked. Sokka nodded. "Well… could be to Proxima Centauri again, maybe she needed more treatment? Or somewhere else. Maybe a galactic vacation, of a sort?"

"Maybe, but… it's strange anyway," Sokka frowned. "It's not bound to be quite what Liu and his assholes do, but… uh, no offense to your family."

"Offense taken and appreciated," Azula said. Sokka smiled.

"I just don't know if my mom ought to be traveling around in her condition. And Katara was two years behind us in the academy, she's off on her own trip to Proxima Centauri now… house's empty."

Azula gazed at him with uncertainty. Sokka sighed and shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's going to feel weird. I… I don't know. Maybe this is what space madness is all about," he said. "Knowing you might never see your family again… knowing that maybe, if you do, everything's going to be different by then. It's not a fun feeling."

"No, I suppose not," Azula said, biting her lip. "But that's why they send people like you with people like me, see? I'll be your constant in life, and as I don't particularly care much about my family…"

"You care more than you want to admit, but… they're just not worth it. At least, your dad isn't. Guess your mom and brother are their own thing," Sokka said. "Anyway… we'll have to cook for ourselves, or do you want to go out and find something? Or…"

"We can go out. Then rest, then… spend tomorrow resting more," Azula said, though her tone compelled Sokka to raise an eyebrow.

"Resting, you say…?" he repeated:

He wasn't surprised, but his heart jolted in his chest, nonetheless, when Azula smirked knowingly at him.

A day's worth of rest had certainly been necessary after their flight… but Sokka was antsy by the next day, eyeing Azula warily as she found some quick cereals to eat for breakfast.

"So, umm… what exactly do we do today?" Sokka asked, casually. Azula closed the cabinet and poured the cereals on her bowl.

"What do you want to do?" she asked. Sokka twitched.

"I asked first."

"I have no strict plans in mind. If you do, feel free to share," Azula said, with a smirk. "Want to go check how our uniforms are coming along?"

"I… n-no need for that."

"To the movies, then?"

"Bet there's nothing good to watch."

"Amusement park, then."

"Azula…"

She smirked at him: she poured milk on the bowl, and Sokka's eyes drifted towards the sight, watching the small cereals rattling in the bowl under the liquid… had the two of them looked a little like that, back when the plasma had filled the cabin of their stellarship?

"If you want something in particular, Sokka… all you have to do is say it."

Sokka winced, raising his gaze towards her again: she leaned towards him, across the breakfast bar… her loose pajamas, strategically chosen, Sokka realized, allowed him a rather generous view of her bosom. He swallowed hard.

"So…?"

"I… want you."

Azula's smirk only gained further strength upon hearing that.

Within an hour, they had finished their meal and wound up on the living room's couch: where Sokka had turned on the television to fill the room with pointless noise, trying to make the situation more casual after he was done brushing his teeth, Azula turned it off and pounced on him without a second thought, climbing his lap and kissing him relentlessly.

This time, there would be no slowing them down. This time, they meant to make the most of their proper first time, as well as having an entire day to enjoy each other to the fullest. Sokka peeled Azula's clothes off easily – she had purposefully not changed out of her pajamas, after all, and she had worn no underwear intentionally, giving Sokka full freedom to devote himself to pleasuring her right away. He buried his face in her breasts, covering her torso, her neck, with eager kisses…

This was needed, not only for the sake of fulfilling unfinished business between them, but to keep his mind off dark thoughts. Perhaps it wasn't what partnerships were meant to be for, in the Fleet… but most people didn't have partners as utterly delectable as Azula was: her moans gained intensity as he fondled her folds, seeking the same reaction he had found in her mere days ago… or rather, eight years ago.

He snarled, forcing himself not to think of how much objective time had passed as he continued to pleasure Azula, kissing her cheeks and neck until she came undone under the touch of his fingers.

They rolled across the couch, changing positions based on whatever they wished to do: Azula knelt between Sokka's legs when she took his shaft into her mouth, much as he did the same when he delivered oral gratification to her wet core. His own manhood was as stiff as could be by the time it finally filled her, and by then…

He expected Azula to clench up in pain: he didn't anticipate the wild, thrilled grin instead.

"Yes… yes, that's what I want, don't stop…!"

She might not love him, Sokka knew… but she certainly lusted for him, in ways he didn't quite understand. Perhaps he was underestimating himself… for, if a woman as impressive as Azula wanted him, it couldn't be for no reason. And while he knew his own heart held deeper affection for her rather than merely desire, he nonetheless felt no shortage of lust of his own, lavishing Azula with eager kisses as he thrusted with abandon, recklessly giving himself to their mutual pleasure until finally, after such a long time holding out, they found the pinnacle of bliss in each other's arms.

"So… was that good?" Sokka asked, once they were finished, lying across the couch and holding each other, with Azula's back against his chest. She smiled.

"Not sure. Might need another round to determine the proper value of this particular transaction…"

"A transaction, was it?" Sokka smiled, kissing her cheek. "You really awaken weird things in me, girl. I should want you to say sweet nothings… but then you start using technical lingo and I'm putty in your hands. How do you even know what I'm into when I didn't know I was into it, huh?"

"I… didn't, really," Azula admitted, amused. "I always assume you're going to push me off when I say stuff like this, but… you're weird. Seems like you like it."

"Seems like I like you," Sokka said, lips trailing over her cheekbone and ear slowly. "And you… you lust for me, which means you like me to some extent too."

"Hmm. Don't put words in my mouth," Azula said, teasingly.

"Huh. Should I put my mouth on your mouth instead, then?"

"Probably a wiser choice, yes."

Sokka laughed as he kissed her again: Azula beamed, rolling around…

Raising her leg over his hip. Sokka froze on the spot as Azula smirked at him.

"Um… again?"

"Again."

Their graduation ceremony, as it turned out, would be a rather public affair among the Stellar Fleet: Sokka wasn't quite expecting to turn up to it with bags under his eyes, feeling even more exhausted than after the initial flight – he and Azula had gone at it all day, again during the night, and even one more round that morning. To his utter astonishment, his lover was insatiable. Sokka couldn't help but suspect she fed off his energy based on how bright, clear and energetic she seemed to be compared to him.

"Well, they do say men are weaker in some regards," Azula teased him, as they approached the changing rooms where their new uniforms awaited them. "I suppose it wasn't a nonsensical, mocking claim after all…"

"Mind you… women are voracious, dangerous and irresistible, if so," Sokka said. Azula cackled. "It's true! How am I supposed to know how to say 'no' to you, huh?"

"Aw, poor Sokka. He had it so rough last night…" she mocked him, wrapping an arm around his waist and reeling him closer to her.

Sokka growled before moving in, kissing her briskly. Azula beamed as she pushed the door open, finding their folded uniforms waiting on a shelf.

They both approached slowly, eyes wide: the dark grey uniform featured no badges or highlights so far… such was the uniform for the lowest of rank in the Fleet, the Operatives. The trousers matched the jacket's color, which featured four pockets distributed across the chest and abdomen, a thick collar meant to safeguard the neck, and the logo of the Stellar Council on the upper left arm… Azula tugged the sewn logo loose easily, confirming that it opened the way to a gap in the uniform.

"It's convenient for the IV socket. Just tug it loose, plug in the nutrition shot… and that's your meal for the day," she reasoned. Sokka sighed, taking his own uniform. "You really have to stop being so miserable about this. Doesn't mean you're never having proper food again, just… you'll have to adjust to resorting to nutrition shots whenever we're on missions. Simple as that."

"Doesn't sound simple to me," Sokka pouted, but he shrugged off his jacket and readied himself to dress up.

"And you're just… doing that in front of me now?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows appreciatively.

"You've explored my naked body so much that you could make a 3D holographic replica at this point," Sokka smirked, tugging his shirt off too – his body was covered in red marks, and Azula eyed them proudly while scanning his strong torso appreciatively. "If you're embarrassed to see me naked now…"

"No, no, please… do go ahead. I'm merely enjoying the show," she said, with a wicked smile. Sokka snorted.

"I will, too, when you do it as well…"

"You won't, because I'll go to a proper cubicle and…"

"Hey!"

She actually made good on that, although in a playful manner: she dragged Sokka into the cubicle with her, kissing him eagerly as he finished fastening her jacket, after undressing her with much delight moments ago.

"It looks great on you," Sokka whispered, gazing down at her.

"Same for you," Azula smiled, patting his chest.

"Bet yours will look even better soon… when you have all the decorations and whatnot," Sokka said, with a sneaky smile. "Paragon Azula Homura, with her gold arrows and fancy black highlights… while I'll just be a measly Operative forever."

"Hmm. My favorite measly Operative, though," Azula said, kissing him again. "Think it'll be a problem with the Fleet if they find out we're being intimate once we're… what, ten ranks apart?"

"Eh… might be, come to think of it," Sokka said. Azula laughed, shaking her head. "They're certainly not likely to let us get married, heh. Guess you had a point when you didn't want things between us to be that serious, but…"

"I did have a point, and… why does that seem to bother you?" Azula asked, amused.

"Because…" Sokka said, breath catching in his throat. Despite himself, he smiled at her. "Because I'd like to be yours for good. And if we stay partnered up, guess I will be anyway, but… it'd feel right if we did get married, I suppose. Maybe it's just me…"

"It is just you. We have no idea what's coming, and… maybe some things will change, going forward," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "What if I get space madness? You'd have to sacrifice your career for my sake if that happened, and…"

"I'd do it."

Azula froze. Sokka stiffened, cheeks red.

"Not that I think you'll get that, but… well. In a sense… we're family," he said, with a shrug. "Even if you didn't want me this way, I'd feel like we are. We've spent all this time together, and then some, and… if you needed me to watch over you, I would."

"Like… like your father does, with your mother?" Azula asked. Sokka bit his lip. "Well… I guess you live up to your family's reputation and good name, Sokka. Which… is a rarity, in our day and age. But as much as we may jump into space and fly into the future… we can't know what's to come. So… don't chain yourself down to me. Enjoy this for what it is, and… remember your actual purpose. Your duty to humanity… it isn't about marrying me or anything of the sort. We're pilots… and we're going to help humankind fly to the stars beyond. Okay?"

Sokka smiled at her and nodded. He kissed her brow… she raised her head, kissing his lips intentionally. He chuckled as he accepted the unforeseen turn gladly, cupping her face in the middle of their kiss.

"Though we can certainly continue to enjoy this sort of thing until we do fall apart, right?" Azula said, with a small voice. Sokka scoffed.

"Until? You seem so sure we're not sustainable in the long run…" Sokka said, skeptical. Azula smiled.

"Want to prove me wrong?"

"When don't I?"

She laughed as she clasped his hand, leading him out of the changing cubicle. Her fingers squeezed his gently one last time…