warning for mentions of offscreen rape

The Boiling Rock is a looming hulk of metal stretching into the sky, surrounded by a sea of lava inside of a volcano. It's pretty appropriately named.

Sokka's been all over the world; he's seen all sorts of prisons. Ones for earthbenders and ones for waterbenders, separating the benders from their element, cutting them off from the world. And now, lo and behold, a prison for firebenders, created by firebenders— a nation imprisoning its own people.

He's not really surprised. The Fire Nation isn't exactly known for its forgiveness.

The inside isn't much better— it's actually probably worse, all dull metal walls and floors and tiny little cells, with guards in menacing armor that all look the same, and the thought that some people will spend the rest of their days living in a small metal box and doing pointless manual labor writes itself high up on Sokka's 'list of things to hate about the Fire Nation'.

And while yeah, the whole 'Zuko, the angry prince that chased them halfway across the world, being here, with the group, with him, risking his safety and possibly his life to help Sokka find his dad' thing is still pretty weird, he's glad for the company. He wouldn't have gotten here otherwise. Once they get out (if they get out), he'll have to put in a good word with Katara, take Zuko on a hunting trip for some manly bonding or something.

But his dad isn't here. And then Zuko's off babbling nonsense about clouds and sandwiches and Sokka's about to say that they need to get out of the prison as soon as possible when he sees her— Suki. She's here and she's alive and he wonders vaguely how long she's been living in this metal trap as he races to find her cell.

Everything goes to hell when Zuko is caught (because of him, Sokka thinks, because he stayed in the cell too long). And goddammit, they didn't sign up for this— he hadn't known what exactly he'd walked into, but it definitely wasn't this complicated in his little half-baked plan.

And then, "The Warden's having a word with the prisoner," is the answer he gets when he asks why there are two guards posted outside Zuko's cell when he goes to talk with him. And he remembers oh yeah, traitor prince of the Fire Nation showing up in a Fire Nation prison, probably wanted by the Fire Nation.

So he turns around and speed walks away and waits around the corner for them to leave and hopes the Warden's really just having a word with him.

They do leave, eventually.

(When Sokka slips in and sees Zuko— on his knees and trembling with rumpled clothes and bloodstained pants hanging low on his hips and he flinches so hard when Sokka uncertainly says his name, eyes rimmed red and blown wide with naked fear that he's never seen the prince wear before— all he can think is that it's his fault, Zuko wasn't supposed to come this wasn't supposed to happen it's all Sokka's fault all his fault all his fault.

It's all his fault.

Zuko barely looks at him. Blinks the hot tears out of his eyes. Doesn't cry. It might've been better if he did.

And Sokka has no idea what to do— he helps Zuko onto the bed, sits next to him, and what the hell do you say to this? What the hell do you say to him? 'I'm sorry' won't change a damn thing and Sokka's still in the phase of horror (he knows things like this happen but he never thought it'd happen to someone he knows and he did this and he's so stupid) and soul crushing guilt.

"The Warden is Mai's uncle," is all Zuko says, voice raw and cracking and quiet and ashamed.

Sokka hates the Warden (it's his fault and it's Sokka's fault and Zuko should've have come he shouldn't have-) and holds his arms open carefully. Zuko leans slowly into the touch. He still doesn't look at him. He shakes and he breathes and he buries his humiliation in the folds of Sokka's guard uniform.

They don't move for the rest of the night.

They don't talk about it when Sokka has to leave the next morning.)

They hatch a plan to escape. Zuko gets himself thrown in the cooler. They find out Sokka's dad might be coming, he might show up, all of this might have been worth it. And hell, Zuko's willing to stay another night, risk whatever's left of his freedom after everything on the slim chance of Sokka's father being on that gondola, and if Sokka didn't feel like the world's most selfish asshole before, he does now.

But Zuko looks at him with those yellow- golden- eyes of his and he knows he has to make this all worth something, he has to make it mean something.

The spirits are kind sometimes and Dad does show up, hatches a plan with him, hugs him laughs with him praises him (if they don't get out soon Zuko could be handed over to his father— there's no way in hell he'll let that happen). The spirits also like to screw them over and Zuko's crazy sister shows up too with her scary blue fire and scarier smile.

(They take the Warden hostage and Sokka feels a kind of sick satisfaction watching the bastard wiggle around, glaring at them with cold hatred, getting a taste- but not enough- of his own medicine and he really wants to throw him into the lava at the look Zuko shoots the man, at the way he stands as far away as possible).

Zuko fights with a passion he hasn't shown since his Avatar-hunting days— fire filled with too much emotion, strong, very strong, too strong.

Mai saves them (the niece of the—) and he sees the guilt on the prince's face as they run (toss the Warden like the trash he is back into the gondola).

And they're alive as they lift off the ground in Zuko's crazy sister's blimp. And they're alive.

The Boiling Rock is a looming hunk of metal getting smaller and smaller, a dot surrounded by a sea of lava inside of a volcano.

Zuko is extremely silent- even more so than usual- on the long ride back. It's all Sokka's fault.

"I'm fine," is what he rasps when Sokka seeks him out with a question in his eyes. Neither of them believe his words, but Sokka won't force any more words out of him— he's had enough taken from him already, and he'll be damed if he takes anything more.

But they've made it mean something- they've rescued Dad and Suki and they've made it worth something.

Sokka wonders if it's enough.

Later, they tell the story around the fire and Katara still looks at Zuko with distain and spirits, Sokka's so sick of it, and so sick of Zuko sitting there and silently taking it like he think he deserves it over and over and over again.

After everyone else falls asleep, Sokka sits next to the prince and stares at the fire with him.

(They don't say anything, because putting things into words means acknowledging those words.)

They'll defeat the Firelord and they'll make it mean something.

(The fire in Zuko's eyes doesn't go out and he doesn't give anything away and he's so incredibly strong it's painful.)

Sokka still wonders if it's enough.