Bastards & Peasants

Fic Rating: M {For suggestive and mature homosexual themes and language}

Pairing: Sokka/Zuko

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am not in any way affiliated with the producers, directors, etc.

A/N: Find the Beatles quote and you will get many hugs.

It was a cold autumn night and Zuko was avoiding his campsite. The Avatar had started to get on his nerves during the late hours of the darkness with his incessant talking and noise-making. Zuko just needed to be alone.

It just so happened that he found himself near the river that they had found, about one-hundred yards away from the green tents that they had pitched earlier in the day. With a snap of his fingers, Zuko lit a nearby branch on fire. He relished in the action. He breathed in the thick, dark smell deep into his lungs. It was relaxing to him, immensely so. The smoke rose in tendrils above his head. He blew into the smoke and watched it disperse all around him. Tracing the air with his calloused fingers, the seething blaze began to die down. He was too tired to keep it going. In an instant he was angry at himself for being so weak.

In thinking about weakness, a certain face plagued his mind. Dark face, dark hair, light eyes…

Sokka.

"Damn it," he said. In his internal fury, a nearby tree burst into flames with a thrust of his palm.

In no way was Sokka weak; he knew that for himself. In fact, Zuko thought the complete opposite. He believed Sokka to be everything that a man should be--tall, broad, strong, amicable, a provider, skilled, a fighter…

He shook his head to rid himself of the ongoing thoughts.

Zuko had been raised in strict family. The feelings that he was harboring for another male was completely out-of-the-question. They were impossible feelings, those of which were disgusting.

Perhaps it was the impossibilities that he hated and loved one in the same.

Zuko wasn't exactly sure what was so attractive about Sokka. He wasn't exactly sure why he had suddenly realized his potential, either. He wasn't the most beautiful human being he'd seen. He was actually quite annoying at times, and his voice was a tenor that didn't belong to his face…

And he loved it. He loved the way that he tried to press friendship on him. It was hard to admit it, but through his annoying personality, his depression faded, if only for a little while.

Zuko did in fact realize that he had been ignoring his feelings for the entire time he'd teamed up with the other teens. His heart ached for Sokka. His vision blurred with tears but he kept them from spilling over. Picking up the burnt stick from the ground, he turned it over in his palm until it was covered in soot.

He wasn't sure of Sokka's feelings for him. Some days he was perfectly content with ignoring Zuko, and others he couldn't seem to stop staring at the Fire Prince. Shivering, he stood on the loose dirt and scuffed it with his bare foot. With a breath of relief, he began to walk back to the camp, surrounded by darkness. He knew exactly where he needed to be.

.|*.|*.|*.|.*|.*|.*|.

Zuko had insisted on sleeping in his own tent. The others feared his potential, so they didn't put up much of a fight against it. For a moment, he regretted his early decision.

Ninety feet left. He would be able to see Sokka's face.

Sixty feet left. What was he going to say? 'I'm in love with you?' No.

Forty feet left. This was possibly the costliest decision of his life. The strangest, to say the least. Tell him what he felt or suffer in silence?

Ten feet left. He was so deep in anticipation that he suddenly felt sick. Fire Nation weren't sick people--what was he thinking?

Standing in front of the tent that belonged to Aang and Sokka, Zuko inhaled quickly. The winds picked up as he stayed stationary. His shirtless torso was bitten by the cold air and he shivered again. His stomach fluttered.

Putting on a stoic and indifferent face, he pushed the half-open flap-door of the tent and entered. To his left, Aang was asleep, arms thrown over his head. To his left, Sokka was staring at him. Zuko's heart pounded when Sokka's eyebrows shot up.

Zuko couldn't help but notice that Sokka's hair was down. He reached up to his own head and ran his fingers through his messy, short hair and sighed.

"What do you want?" Sokka whispered. His arms were crossed.

"I can't sleep."

"Why did you come here?" His voice was full of suspicion.

"I don't know." Zuko shifted his weight.

"Well?" Sokka said after a minute of the stillness in the air.

"Can you come to my tent?"

More silence ensued.

"Excuse me?"

"I just want to talk to you." He tried to make his face as serious as it could possibly be. Zuko waited for an answer for longer than he preffered to. He was cold and tired, even though he had told Sokka that he couldn't sleep. He gave up and turned around. Just as he was about to lift the flap of the tent, he heard Sokka's throat clear.

"Wait."

Zuko stopped but kept his back to the darker teen.

"I'll go to your tent."

"Thank you."

A continuous sound of rustling came from behind him. Wondering why all the noise was being made, he saw Sokka with a heap of blankets in his arms.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"It's going to rain."

"So?"

"So if I'm staying in your tent, I might as well bring this stuff. I don't want to have to walk fifteen feet in the pouring rain and try to go to sleep again."

Zuko didn't understand the reasoning behind his words but said nothing else. He held the flap open for Sokka and led the way to his own empty tent.

"What if the Avatar wakes up and finds his tent vacant?"

"I don't think he'll wake up. A lightning bolt could hit two feet away from his body and he'd just snore and roll over."

"Ah," was all Zuko said in reply.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Zuko watched Sokka laid his belongings on the foundation of the tent. He saw the muscles of his back flex as he stretched the blanket out as far as it would go. When Sokka looked up at him, he quickly averted his eyes and snorted.

Thunder boomed outside of the tent and the rain started to fall heavily against the canvas sides.

"Told you it was going to rain."

"Water Tribe thing?" Zuko tried his hand at being humorous, but it backhanded him right in the face.

"No, common sense and the ability to read nature."

Sokka went down to the floor and exhaled. Zuko's tongue went dry when Sokka removed his shirt. Of course he'd seen Sokka shirtless before in sparring sessions, they had been around other people. Now that they were alone, his attraction seemed stronger than ever. When he swallowed, his throat became scratchy. When he concentrated hard enough, he could hear Sokka's quiet, shallow breathing.

"Zuko?"

"Yes?"

"I thought you needed to talk."

"I do."

"Then say something," his voice was becoming impatient.

"I need you." Zuko's heartbeat quickened at his own words. He felt himself blush for the first time in years.

Sokka propped himself on one elbow and stared at Zuko through the darkness. Sokka could see the whites of his eyes. He licked his lips and blinked.

"Come here, Zuko." Sokka sat up and patted a portion of the blanket about two feet away from himself. Zuko, with a renewed confidence, went to him and sat almost exactly where Sokka had motioned him to go. The broken flashes of light from the story invaded the tent. The floor absorbed the light, and so did the boys' faces.

The both of them were shivering from the cold, but were both shaking from anticipation. Zuko tensed when Sokka brought his torso forward and wrapped his tanned arms around him. He was holding on so tight that his muscles were straining. When his right mind returned to him, Zuko returned the hasty embrace. The two stayed there for quite some time, feeling each other's heartbeats against their chests, smelling hair, pressing cheeks against necks.

Then Zuko suddenly realized what he was doing and his mind became frenzied.

"Get off of me," he said as he roughly pushed Sokka off of his bare chest. Zuko retreated to his side of the tent and glared at the confused Sokka.

"What the hell was that for?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Did I ask you to touch me?"

"No."

"Then why did you?"

"Because you wanted me to, bastard."

"No I didn't."

They were quiet for some time. They stared into each other's eyes, softening and hardening every once in a while.

"I see the way that you look at me, Zuko." His voice was suddenly husky.

"I don't look at you."

"You do, Zuko. All the time. And when you're not looking, I stare at you, too."

"Why?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

"No."

"Don't be so stubborn. I'm attracted to you."

"You're disgusting," Zuko spat out. He waited for a reaction in Sokka's features but found none.

"If I'm disgusting, you're an abomination."

Zuko was surprised to say the least.

"Now why is that, peasant?"

"Because you never stop thinking about me."

"What gives you that idea?" Sokka just smiled and leaned forward.

"You dream about me," He said simply.

"What?" Zuko felt his cheeks flame.

"I hear you, you know. I'm not the only one who can't sleep sometimes. You say my name. A lot."

"Do not speak about that. I forbid you."

"Oh, you forbid me? The Fire Nation Prince forbids me?" He feigned shock.

"I'm exiled," Zuko whispered underneath his breath.

"Oh, that's right. Poor Zuko. I'm leaving."

"Why?"

"Will you quit with the questions? You know why. You knew the answers to just about every question I've asked you."

Zuko knew that Sokka was right. Sokka gathered his things in his arms once more and started to walk towards the front of the tent. With a few quick movements, Zuko got up and stepped in front of Sokka, blocking his way out.

"Move, bastard."

"I will not, peasant."

"Zuko, move."

"No," he insisted. His voice broke in the middle of the syllable. He was completely surprised at himself when he felt the beginnings of a sob lodge itself in his throat.

"What's wrong?" Sokka's face adopted a softer expression.

"Nothing." Zuko composed himself and stepped away from the flap of the tent. "You can go now. I won't stop you."

Sokka huffed and shouldered Zuko as hard as he could.

"What are you doing?" Zuko said in disbelief.

"I have to go."

"No, you can stay here, Sokka." The other boy stopped cold.

"You never call me 'Sokka'." He said.

"I just did."

The tanned teen promptly dropped his blankets, stepped in front of Zuko, and kissed him full on the lips.

When he pulled away, he saw that Zuko's eyes were wide open in astonishment.

"I'm sorry." Sokka began. "I shouldn't have done that."

Instead of acting angry like he knew he should have, Zuko placed one hand on each side of Sokka's face and pulled him forward in one fluid motion. When their lips met, Sokka held Zuko tightly around the waist. Their formerly chaste kiss turned deeper when Sokka bit down on Zuko's lip.

It felt like hours that they had stayed like that. Zuko's racing heart had calmed, his mind had processed the situation, and he realized that there was nothing wrong with him. Nothing on the surface, at least.

Sokka was infatuated with him, and he knew that. He was also aware that Sokka disliked him, too. Zuko ignored his creeping mind and let himself be taken away in his emotions.

Zuko felt his skin heat up--it felt as if a wildfire had started in his stomach and his chest, and he felt his skin burn underneath the surface. Sokka suddenly leaned away from him and started to kiss his neck.

Zuko stared at the top of the tent and became conscious of the fact that he was happy and that he was content for the first time in years.

"I love you," he said. The new trepidation and fear he had tightened in his chest and refused to let go. The words hung in the air for a few moments.

"I know." Sokka replied, holding one of the hands that Zuko had on his face. He clutched it in silent affection. "You have nothing to worry about, you know."

"Are you sure?" Zuko whispered.

"Yeah, I'm sure. We're not like everyone else."

"How so?"

"You're a reject and I'm a loudmouth," he laughed at himself. "I don't know why nobody told you how to unfold your love. You've been avoiding it for so long."

"I make mistakes all the time."

"At least you learn from them."

"What do you think the others will think?"

"I'm not sure, Zuko." Sokka pulled him down to the floor of the tent and pulled him to his side. Laying flat on his back, he wrapped his arm around Zuko, who was on his side, head resting against his bare chest.

"I don't want people to hate me more than they do."

"We don't hate you. We did, but none of us do anymore. You really did us a great favor by coming to us."

"You think?"

"Yes. And I've noticed something about you."

"What's that?"

"You're not as arrogant anymore."

"I was never arrogant. I can be arrogant if you want." Zuko's skin flashed with heat due to his growing anger.

"Fine, you were never a cold-hearted Fire Bending jerk on a mission to kill me and my friends. Never." He smiled.

"Never. I want to forget about that."

"This happened really fast," Sokka suddenly said, his sentence overriding Zuko's.

Zuko blinked. "It did. What are you going to do about Suki?"

"What do you think? You're supposed to be the smart one."

"You aren't just going to abandon her, are you?"

"Zuko, what else do you expect me to do?"

"Be with her and ignore me."

"No, I'm not going to do that. You think I'm going to go back to her when all I've been thinking about is you? That's hardly fair."

"All right."

"All right? That's it? Throw a party, why don't you," He said sarcastically.

"I would if I wasn't so arrogant and cold-hearted," he casually joked. They let themselves fall into one another. They were like shadows, blending and blotting into one another, savoring the space they were taking and the space they were flaring upon.

"Everything will be all right," said Sokka. "This will work."

"It probably won't." Zuko wanted to be realistic, but his words were highly offensive to the boy next to him.

"What?" His eyes went wide as he shifted away from Zuko. "Great, thanks for being hopeful." He pushed Zuko off of him and threw his arms into the air.

"I'm sorry," Zuko said. His scar ached.

"I really thought you had changed, bastard."

"I have changed," he insisted. "I'm sorry. I'm just a--"

"Pessimistic bastard?"

"Exactly," He pointed out.

Sokka felt his anger cool down and he sat cross-legged down in front of Zuko.

"You better not say things like that anymore, or I'll be really pissed."

"I know. I'm sorry, peas…Sokka." Sokka caught his almost-mistake and punched him playfully in the arm.

"Son of a bitch," Sokka said before reaching forward and pulling Zuko onto his lap; he kissed him passionately and the heat started to flare up. Zuko pushed Sokka's shoulders down roughly and took control--though he didn't realize that Sokka was only letting him do that.

Zuko moaned when Sokka used his body-weight and flipped them over.

"Sokka…" he breathed in between kisses. Their tongues intertwined and caressed each other before becoming more urgent and frantic.

The air was getting thick and hot, and just as Sokka reached down to untie Zuko's pants, they heard a small noise.

Out of breath, Sokka asked, "What the hell was that?"

They both looked around the tent but saw nothing. Instead of staying on guard, Sokka went right back to what he was doing an started sliding Zuko's pants off of his hips.

"Zuko…" Sokka moaned when Zuko thrust upwards. Zuko's pants were completely off in no time and Sokka's were removed just as quickly.

.|*.|*.|*.|.*|.*|.*|.

"Toph?" said Aang. Her previously sleeping figure scratched the back of her neck.

"What do you want, Aang?" she said irritably.

"I can't find Sokka."

"The twit is probably peeing."

"No, he's been gone for a long time. I can't find him."

"Did you check the other tents?" She said in a more interested voice.

"Well, that's what I'm planning on doing. That's why I went to yours first."

"Ah." she pushed herself up to a standing position. "Let's go find him, Twinkle Toes."

As they approached Zuko's tent, they heard various muffled noises.

"Is Zuko talking in his sleep?"

"No," said Toph with slight trepidation. "He's very quiet when he sleeps. I hear everything, you know."

"Fuck!" they heard Sokka's strained and moist voice from inside of the tent.

"Well, there he is. I'm leaving." She turned around but Aang grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back to his side.

"Let's see what's happening."

"God, Aang. You're way too innocent," she muttered under her breath. Before she could stop him from opening the flap, he did.

For comedy's sake, she peeked in too, though she couldn't see a thing. She could sense, of course. Though Aang saw more than he really needed to, he stared at the two very naked boys who were seemingly connected. They obviously had no idea that Aang and Toph were there…until the Avatar chose to speak.

"Oh…holy crap." he said. Toph smacked him on the back of the head.

Both Zuko and Sokka snapped their heads to the front of the tent. They caught sight of the intruders and Zuko exclaimed in protest.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"What the hell are you doing, Aang?" Their sentences ran together, but Sokka screeched in a very strange voice as he tried to shield what the two boys were doing. "Get out!"

Aang didn't move. His eyes were staring straight at Zuko's face.

"I didn't know where you went, so I looked for you, Sokka. I guess…I found you."

"Yes you did. Now get out!"

Zuko's eyes flashed at the Avatar and cursed under his breath. Aang left immediately and his hearty laughing could be heard only a few feet away. Toph was left standing at the front of the tent.

"That means you too, Toph." warned Sokka.

"Don't you worry yourself, Snoozles. I'm leaving." She wrinkled her nose up, her blind eyes staring forward. "It smells like sex in here."

After they were both safely out of earshot, Sokka whispered to Zuko, "I'm never going to live this down!"

"I'm worse off, idiot. You know why?" the pale teen said angrily.

"Why?"

"Because you were on top."

A/N: I know this wasn't too graphic (Yes, I know, disappointing) but I didn't think the story would flow as well if it was. Sorry, but that's how it is.