Ohhh what, remember this story?? I took way too long to update this so I sped things along for you guys and got down to the nitty gritty. Enjoy the build up and the pronz. I've got like five other projects on my plate so I can't guarantee how regular updates on this story will be but I'm not abandoning it, promise.

Thank you to Kari Twilight Mist for suggesting the name for Zuko's horse!

He ran his fingers lightly over the crystal bottle of brandy sitting gingerly in his aristocratic hands, clutched against his chest like a life preserver. It was a good bottle, imported, expensive, too much for the situation but his uncle had insisted, practically shoving it into his arms. He hadn't even had a chance to ask how the old man had managed to get something like this all the way out in the middle of nowhere let alone why he was so eager to see it go to waste at a pitiful dinner for a too young sheriff.

A dinner he was currently on his way to attend.

He'd given up trying to understand his uncle's actions long before he'd come to Avatar, before he'd run out of other places to go. Iroh was eccentric at his best, giving up his illustrious military career and his substantial inheritance to run a shoddy saloon in a town that most of the country couldn't be bothered to know even existed. And the worst part was that the old man seemed so happy.

He could ignore the disapproving looks that Iroh sent his way whenever he complained and the sad, wistful looks he received when he refused to speak all together, but it was impossible to pretend that the only blood relative he had left who would take him was anywhere near as miserable as he was.

It annoyed him to no end even as he could feel his uncle's enthusiasm slowly eating away at his own carefully built walls, but he wasn't about to admit it. Not even as he begrudgingly made his way toward the mayor's modest house on the edge of town, dressed in his best, ebony stallion plodding dutifully behind him.

Iroh had tried so hard to get Zuko to dress up for the occasion.

You're a guest nephew! You should look nice! You've never had any qualms about such events before!

Of course he hadn't. Because before he'd been obligated to attend such tedious things as fancy dinners and balls and the like and it hadn't mattered in the least whether or not he was enjoying himself because it was expected of him. And he'd been so good at playing his role as the obedient son, the perfect heir, the dashing aristocrat. He'd only faltered once and that one mistake had cost him everything.

Nevertheless, it hadn't taken much prodding on his uncle's part to get him to iron his best shirt and clean the mud off of his boots and out of the spokes of his spurs, such presentations were bred into him after all. But he had drawn the line when Iroh had attempted to smooth his hair away from his face and the old man's expression had softened in understanding and he had let the issue be. Zuko had set his jaw and forcibly kept himself from saying something unkind that he didn't actually mean because, deep down, he knew that the old man loved him and was probably the only person left who still did.

"This is just reconnaissance, Agni. This has nothing to do with that fool sheriff. I'm only going to get closer to the Air Nomad, to see where he lives. That's all." He addressed his horse under his breath and received a nudge against his shoulder for his trouble. Agni rubbed his head against Zuko's shirt and looked at him sideways with one great big, chocolate eye that seemed to reinforce Zuko's own knowledge that every word out of his mouth was a lie.

"Don't look at me like that!" He hissed, angry that his own horse seemed to be judging him the same way everyone else was. Agni snorted and Zuko's paranoia made him almost swear that the animal was laughing at him. He snarled and kicked at a small bud of cacti growing tenaciously in the barren earth. "What do you know about it anyway? You're a horse. A big, stupid beast of burden. Ow!"

He received a rather sharp nip on his shoulder for his comment and nearly dropped the precious bottle in his grip. "Damnit Agni!" He spun on his heel and glared at the horse, narrowing his good eye until it was open no wider than the permanent slit of his scarred one.

"Hey Zuko! Who are you talking to?"

Zuko cringed at the unnaturally upbeat voice and the hot, wet breath on his neck. He was only thankful that the Air Nomad didn't seem to have heard what he'd been saying.

"Why are you standing so close to me?" He spoke slowly and evenly and it took every fiber of his being not to reach for the knife in his pocket.

"Oh! That's not me. That's Appa!" Zuko turned, tentatively, and found himself staring into the dripping snout of a giant, albino buffalo that promptly opened its jaws and licked him with its massive tongue. "Haha hey! He likes you!"

"Wonderful." Zuko deadpanned, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and vigorously wiping his face with it. He would have been more satisfied with a fistfight but he had the presence of mind to know that attacking the Nomad in front of his own home would no doubt result in his arrest and he did not feel like spending the night in a dank and rusty cell. Thought it did sound somewhat more pleasant than spending the night attempting to make civil niceties with a bunch of backwards frontiersmen. Actually a night in jail sounded much better than facing this excuse for a celebration that he wished he could conveniently forget he'd agreed to attend. He was in the midst of weighing the pros and cons when he realized that the Nomad was currently attempting to lead Agni into an empty stable stall around the side of the house.

He snarled and dashed forward, expecting to find the kid on his back in the dirt, two perfect hoof prints embedded into his suede clad chest. He stopped short after skidding around the corner and finding the normally tempestuous equine actually following the shorn headed native willingly and nuzzling his clothes. Zuko grit his teeth and tightened his grip on the bottle. The nomad glanced at him and smiled widely.

"He's a great horse. Just followed me right over here!"

"He doesn't ever behave like this. He never responds to anyone but me." He spat out through a clenched jaw, disbelief and frustration etched all over the clear side of his face.

Aang scratched the side of his head and led out a jovial laugh before running his hand along Agni's snout in what would have been a calming gesture had it been any other animal and yet Agni did seem calm, much calmer than his master.

"I'm really good with animals. Always have been. Like with Appa. I found him when he was just a calf, separated from his herd, and he's stayed by my side ever since! The elders said it was a sign that I was blessed by the spirits." His expression dampened and he cast his eyes down, remembering. "I guess they were right… even though it doesn't feel like it sometimes."

The situation became uncomfortable, made no less so by the fact that Zuko was still simmering quite hotly, but then he was nearly bowled over by a muddy brown and white ball of fur heading straight for Aang and the Nomad brightened considerably within an instant.

"Momo! Hahaha, hey buddy! Zuko this is Momo." Aang beamed and the ball of fur turned its attention to the uninterested barkeep. Zuko raised his brow and studied it. It seemed to be a dog. He was forced to leap backward as the dog attempted to land its front paws on his thighs, choosing to sniff him profusely when it failed.

Zuko turned his lip up with distaste for the dog's clear lack of training. "Can it actually herd?"

"Oh yea! Momo's real smart, he's just a little exuberant and I guess a bit spoiled. Actually, I don't know if he's ever tried to herd anything before, but I'm sure it's instinctive."

Zuko snorted and opened his mouth to say something disparaging about the dog's supposed intelligence but he was silenced by the sight of the animal on its hind legs, front paws busy unlatching the gate to the buffalo's enclosure, which it promptly entered, curling up comfortably next to the much larger animal. Only Aang's laughter caught his attention and reminded him to close his gaping mouth.

"We should go inside before Katara gets mad."

Zuko could only nod and follow behind the younger man, aware that he seemed to be in for the quite the night. The interior of the house was smaller than the exterior hinted at but it was still fairly spacious at two stories. A long hall led straight through from the entryway to the back patio, opening up to the sitting room, dining room, and a small guest room. Zuko followed behind Aang, eyes narrowed, and attempted to take everything in and to ignore his heart beating a rapid tattoo against his chest.

"Katara, let me help you!"

"No Sokka! This is your birthday. You're the guest of honor, now act like it!"

"Katara, you know I don't like you fussing about me like this. It's just a damn birthday! Let me help!"

"Don't you swear in my house, Sokka."

"It's Dad's house and he ain't here so I'll swear all I want to! Damn, Damn, Da-oomph!"

They exited onto a large patio and found a small number of people already gathered beneath what shade was offered. The two combatants in the previous argument were standing off to the side, just outside of the kitchen, and even Zuko had to try hard to stifle a laugh at their demeanor.

Katara stood with hands on her hips, brandishing a large wooden spoon and glaring at her brother who was backing away with one palm up in surrender and the other massaging a growing goose egg on his forehead. Everyone seemed to be in uplifted moods despite the entertainment, or perhaps because of it, and Zuko took a few moments, grateful that he had not yet been seen, to scope out his surroundings.

There was really only a small group in attendance and Zuko recognized most everybody from encounters in town, namely at the Jasmine Dragon, or from the Summer Solstice festivities. He clutched at the brandy bottle tighter and wished for the ninety ninth time that he hadn't agreed to come to this and then again for the hundredth time when he finally felt the sheriff's eyes on him.

Sokka slowly lowered his hand from his head and gaped in shock at the open doors of his childhood home.

"Close your mouth! You'll let the flies in." He heard Katara hiss at him but he was hard pressed to do anything that would have been considered normal functioning as his mind attempted to stumble over and grasp the fact that the exact person he had spent the last week avoiding was now standing on his family's property, with what seemed to be a gift, and looking nervous to boot.

"What is he doing here?" He hissed right back once he'd finally gathered his faculties. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Zuko seemed to shift uncomfortably and grumble to himself. He looked nice, more put together than Sokka had ever seen him which was saying a lot because Zuko always seemed to look put together, and Sokka could easily imagine him in this exact same setting but in a suit and in a mansion and with a beautiful girl on his arm. He angrily bit his lip to expel such ridiculous images from his head and turned back to his sister who was giving him her 'You're being ungrateful' glare. He'd ended up with a wooden spoon across his face for making her look at him like that not more than a few minutes prior so he automatically took a step back.

"I had Aang invite him. You two seemed to be getting along so well at the party and you need friends."

"I have friends! What do you call all these people?"

"I mean real, close friends. Someone you can talk to. You spend so much time working and in that jail, your closest friend might as well be Jet."

"Jet ain't my friend."

"But Zuko could be."

"No he can't. And I have to work, Katara. With Dad and Bato in Ba Sing Se, I'm the only one left 'round here that can take care of things."

"I'm just worried about you. Anyway, why can't you be friends with Zuko? He seems nice enough."

"Yea well, there's something off about him." Sokka chose to keep the events that occurred after the party from his baby sister. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"Really? And what makes you think that?" Katara crossed her arms over her bosom and furrowed her brow at him.

"Intuition." He spat back at her, impatient with the conversation.

"Oh hmph. Intuition? That's it?"

"Don't you write it off! I was right about Jet when he first came to town and you thought he was your knight in shining armor, wasn't I?"

Katara's eyes widened and a furious blush crept across her cheeks. Sokka didn't see the spoon coming until it connected with his shoulder

"Ow!"

"That is in the past. I was just a girl back then. I didn't know any better." She whispered furiously at him before storming back into the kitchen.

"You're still just a girl!" He bellowed back, louder than he'd meant to. He found himself laughing nervously as the entire group looked at him with amusement in their eyes.

"And what exactly do you mean by that, Snoozles?"

Sokka whipped around to see the Bei Fong's blind daughter making her way, eerily easily, toward him. She was smiling but Sokka could hear, in her tone, that there was no chance he had the right answer. He scrambled around in his brain for the words that would make him look the least like an idiot but luckily for him, with a wink and a smile, Teo chose that exact moment to wheel up behind Toph and quite literally sweep her off her feet. She let out a resounding laugh and didn't bother trying to act dignified as she punched him in the arm. Her parents would have been horrified at her behavior but, honestly, they didn't know her very well.

Sokka took that opportunity to escape one uncomfortable situation and dive right into another.

"Aang." He said, nodding to the native companionably, as he approached the awkward pair. Zuko looked as if he couldn't decide between being petrified or furious at the situation. Aang had been chatting away amiably to the stiff bar hand who hadn't so much as even nodded to feign attention since Sokka had noticed his presence.

"Hey Sokka! I found Zuko outside when I was putting Appa away. Have you seen his horse? He's a beauty and he's so nice!"

"He is not nice!" Zuko hissed, finally breaking his golden gaze from Sokka's face. The sheriff smirked and pretended to be interested in the conversation. "He was just lethargic today. That's all."

Aang smiled through Zuko's outburst, unfazed by the young man's searing temper.

"Hey Aang. I think Katara might need your help in the kitchen. Don't know if she's quite got the hang of making a meal out of that rabbit food you insist on eating." He kept his eyes steadfastly fixed on Zuko as he spoke, sure the Nomad would not catch the undertone in his words. Aang blushed as Zuko blanched and Sokka couldn't help but smile at the small lovesick grin on the boy's face.

"Oh really? Well okay then. I'll see you later Zuko!" And with that Aang bounded away. Sokka only hoped that Katara would not chew his hide later for sending the boy to get in her way.

With Aang gone, he took a step closer to Zuko, invading the other man's space, a darkly amused expression on his face.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

Zuko looked down and away. "Uncle made me come. He thinks I need friends."

"Funny. That's exactly what Katara said about me."

Zuko grumbled something under his breath and suddenly seemed to remember the brandy in his hands. He shoved it towards Sokka with a noncommittal grunt. "This is from Uncle."

Sokka took and inspected the contents through the tempered glass of the bottle.

"It's…"

"Brandy."

"It's beautiful."

"It's expensive. I don't know where he got it but you shouldn't waste it."

"Shouldn't waste it as in I should drink it?"

"No."

"So… I shouldn't drink it?"

"No. You should drink it but you shouldn't get drunk off of it like you tend to do."

Sokka tore his enamored gaze away from the amber liquid in his hands and quirked an eyebrow at the bartender, face full of suspicion. "How do you know that I tend to do that?"

Zuko's head snapped up. "You fool. It's obvious."

Sokka looked taken aback but he didn't turn away. His eyes narrowed as he inspected Zuko's face and widened again, clearing of any immediate turmoil. "Is it? I guess you would know wouldn't you?"

Zuko didn't respond. This entire situation was becoming increasingly impossible to tolerate. The sheriff's imposing presence and the lack of space between them. He could feel the electricity from the other man's body and it was too much for him to handle.

"Huh. Well if it's fine by you I'm going to drink it anyway. I s'pose proper etiquette mandates I share this with you."

"It does." Zuko said stonily, responding automatically before thinking the situation through.

"Fine then. Since we're friends." Sokka turned away from the paler young man and headed into the house, cradling the brandy in his arms like a newborn babe.

They barricaded themselves in the sitting room, each taking a seat on a plush chair as far apart from each other as they could get while still within arm's reach of the bottle. Sokka retrieved two snifters from a cabinet and set them on a small, nudging them towards Zuko.

"I assume you're the expert at this. I wouldn't want to insult you with my overenthusiastic pouring. I probably would miss the aroma or something like that. Whatever it is that matters with brandy."

Zuko glared at him but took the glasses anyway. "You're right. You would screw something as simple as this up."

He passed a glass to Sokka and held his own in front of his mouth to hide the stubborn smile that kept insisting on twisting his lips. The sheriff eyed him and took a sip out of his glass.

"Oh! This is glorious. Your uncle is my new favorite person in the entire world."

"Idiot."

"That may be but I can die a happy idiot now." Sokka closed his eyes and leaned back against his chair, stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankle.

"A happy idiot who sleeps with his mule."

The sheriff cracked one eye and looked Zuko up and down. Zuko realized his mistake instantly but there was no taking his words back. Sokka could either let it die or remind him of the very large mistake that he'd made that had kept them from facing each other for the past few days.

Sokka merely smiled and closed his eye again. "I was comfortable until you started making all that noise."

Zuko's chest constricted. He didn't want to go any further with this. Kissing the sheriff had been a huge lapse in judgement. He had no business creating ties to this place, especially of that kind. He already had a life and he'd had a plan and he'd be going back to it.

He took a swig of his brandy, drinking it in exactly the way he'd demanded the sheriff not do, and cleared his throat against the pleasant burn at the back of it. If his face was a little ruddier than normal he could blame it on the liquor.

"I suppose we both may have been acting out of character that night." He finally said, slow and calculated, face down but eyes cut upwards to watch Sokka's reaction.

The lawman's expression darkened briefly and Zuko felt a flutter in his chest, but as quickly as he was able to register the look of displeasure it was gone and the sheriff was back to grinning against his glass. To anyone else not looking closely enough it would have looked normal but to Zuko, who'd spent more time than he liked to admit watching the young man, it was strained and he could see the dark glint of his previous expression still flashing in his sky blue eyes.

The two were saved from any further discomfort by the sound of heavy footsteps in the hall. Sokka laughed and pushed his lanky frame out of his chair, grabbing the brandy bottle off the table before anyone else could see that he had it. He gestured in Zuko's direction with it before turning to the thick oak cabinet behind him and hiding the bottle away.

"This'll be our secret. Everyone else won't know what they're missin." He offered Zuko a conspiratorial smirk before retaking his seat. Zuko found himself smirking back, comfortable, and he barely noticed how he his shoulders had started to relax.

He looked up sharply when he sensed another presence in the doorway, almost a little disappointed, despite the awkward turn that the situation had almost taken. Haru stood there with his arms crossed, an amused smile on his face.

"Katara was wondering where you two got to. You're just begging to get a beating today, aren't you Sokka?"

Sokka barked out a laugh and brushed the comment off, more aware of how to handle his sister's wrath than anyone else.

"Why do you think we've been hiding out in here? I'm trying not to get beat. But I figure I can brave my sister if supper's ready."

"Well then you're in luck. That's what she sent me in here to tell you."

Sokka made a scene of holding his stomach as if he'd been starving for days and launched out of his chair, careful not to spill even a drop of his drink.

The dinner was lively, louder and more raucous than any Zuko had ever been to. The guests shouted at each other from across the table, speaking over the voices of others, laughing and clapping and full of joy. There was nothing formal about it, nothing strict or unyielding. There were no old men smoking imported cigars and discussing the merits of westward expansion, or finger bowls filled with lemon scented water; no servants in starched uniforms ducking in between the guests to switch out their courses. And for once, he wasn't forced to bite his tongue and listen to the conversations around him while keeping his own opinion locked tight away behind closed lips.

It felt wrong but he liked it. He could express his opinions and people listened. They asked him questions and joked with him and bit by bit he felt the tension he'd been carrying around for so many months, ease. He was ushered into the seat next to Sokka's when he attempted to sit closer to the foot of the table and when he offered to help Katara serve the food, she laughed and slapped at his gesture, insisting that he was a guest. But he couldn't be comfortable sitting still and eventually she'd given in, acknowledging that she could use the help.

He noticed Aang give him an uneasy look after Katara giggled a little too loudly a few too many times but by the time he'd taken his seat next to the sheriff the moment had passed and the little nomad was back to smiling jovially.

When they'd cleared the dishes and opened a fifth bottle of wine and most of the guests had gone, Zuko found his tongue loosened further than it had been since he'd gotten his scar. He found himself smiling and laughing along with the siblings and the native, and when he felt a warm hand on his knee beneath the table, he didn't startle and he didn't shake it off. His belly was warm and the flutter just above his groin wasn't so unpleasant anymore. He leaned into the warm body next to him and when the party looked like it was officially over, he found himself reluctant to leave.

"I want to show you something." Sokka leaned into him and whispered breathily into his ear when Katara and Aang weren't looking, grip on his knee increasing in pressure ever so slightly.

Zuko's eyes were unfocused and his chest was tight but he nodded, dark hair shifting to obscure his face and the rosy blush covering his cheeks. He wasn't drunk, at least not on alcohol, and he could tell that Sokka wasn't either but neither made a move to dislodge themselves from the intimate seating arrangement they'd shifted into, as if they had an excuse to behave so inappropriately.

When Sokka finally got up, Zuko immediately felt chilled and almost curled in on himself to try and recover some of the heat that he'd lost with the other's presence. He watched, almost sadly, as Sokka wrapped his arms around his sister's waist and lovingly kissed her forehead. She blushed when he told her that she was the best sister ever and her eyes watered when he lowered his voice and whispered about how proud their mother and grandmother would be if they could see her now.

When Sokka returned to his side he was already standing, prepared to go wherever the sheriff wanted to take him. Some of the walls that he'd built stone by stone around his heart were still standing, he could feel them, but he could also feel them crumbling slowly and something warm replacing them.

They lead their mounts out of the stables; Sokka spared a piece of beef that he had pocketed for Momo and a piece of cake for Appa; before they kicked up into their saddles and galloped off into the night. Nothing thrilled Zuko so much as feeling the breeze whipping against his skin as Agni's hooves dug into the hard packed earth and propelled them forward. He could see the same exhilarated look on Sokka's face and he grinned wildly against the wind.

He reigned Agni in when he saw Sokka and Sassy slow to a trot at the edge of the plateau they were on. The stars twinkled above them and lit their way, creating an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that Zuko had been hard pressed to appreciate up until this point. He slid gracefully to the ground and watched with mild surprise as Sokka did too. He could see the warm glow of fires peaking over the rocky edge and when he stepped forward the outlines of huts and horses and people became clear.

"Who are they?" He murmured when he felt Sokka come up beside him, breath on his neck. He felt a certain sense of déjà vu at the feeling but found he didn't care so much this time around. Sokka's presence felt comfortable, right.

"The Kyoshi."

Zuko's eyes widened and his heart thumped. "They're violent. How can you feel comfortable living so close to them?"

He'd heard stories of all the different tribes that littered the land, from the mouths of his father's business partners, from the cowboys he'd encountered in his travels. Anyone with a tongue to wag was willing to spin a tale. Some, he knew, were blatantly false. The ones that claimed the Air Nomads had brought about their own violent end, that they'd raped non-native women, scalped the men, and kidnapped the children to raise in their wild ways. Zuko knew those weren't true but he'd seen evidence of what the Kyoshi could do. They were warriors.

He felt Sokka's arm slip around his waist and a hand rest on his hip. His stomach twisted but he didn't pull away. The scene before him played out like a series of images in one of the books in his father's library. He could see a group of mothers feeding their children by the largest of the fires, old men sharing a pipe and stories by one of the huts. A few older children raced around the camp in a game of tag that looked no different than how he'd played as a child.

A group of young women stood off to the side of the camp and swayed in synchronized movements, honing their skills as warriors and Zuko knew he should find it unsettling but he was mesmorized.

"They're no more violent than we are." Sokka whispered in his ear; it tickled and sent a shiver across Zuko's skin. The obvious leader of the group looked up at their position, her auburn hair sparkling in the moonlight. Zuko startled, afraid that she could see him, but when Sokka stood still and rested his chin on Zuko's shoulder, he calmed and stayed where he was.

"That's Suki."

"You know her?"

"I thought I was in love with her once."

Zuko set his jaw and tensed, attempting to pull out of Sokka's grasp without being too obvious. Sokka only let out a breathy chuckle against his skin and pulled him in tighter, his back flush against the sheriff's front.

"They're people, same as you and me. They just have different customs and different beliefs but they have the same values. We respect them and work with them and they give us the same. They're just trying to defend their way of life."

"You don't agree with the war." Zuko mused, no judgment lacing his voice.

Sokka sighed and squeezed Zuko's hip. "It's hard to, living here… knowing them. Can you agree with it? You've been on your own long enough to understand that the views on the east coast are skewed."

Zuko shook his head and turned in Sokka's embrace so that he was facing the somewhat slighter man. His fingers found their way to the sheriff's trim waist and slipped beneath the hem of his shirt to trail along smooth, warm skin. He met Sokka's gaze and held it.

"I don't know anymore." He answered truthfully and Sokka smiled before pulling him close and kissing him.

He could taste the wine and brandy and steak on Sokka's lips, a symphony of flavors that masked his natural taste or mixed with it to create something that Zuko found to be more delicious than anything he'd consumed during the dinner.

After what felt like forever and no time at all, Sokka pulled away. His eyes sparkled like the stars, even clouded with lust, and Zuko's heart attempted to beat right out of his chest as his dick sprang to attention beneath heavy denim. He watched, confused and tingling with arousal, as the sheriff struggled to pull a thick blanket from behind his saddle without undoing the leather thongs holding it in place. Sokka grumbled under his breath in embarrassment but Zuko only laughed, a light and foreign thing that felt good in his chest. When Sokka finally turned around, blanket in hand, Zuko had already dropped his vest to the ground and was working on the buttons of his shirt.

Sokka's mouth went dry at the side. He was willing to ignore how familiar the movements of those hands were to him, willing to ignore how easily he could place the lithe, pale body before him in dark clothes behind a haunting mask. He ignored these thoughts in favor of the snake of arousal coiling low in his belly and sinking its fangs into his heart.

He spread the blanket across the ground and tried not to cough as the dust rose up in protest. It was rumpled and crooked but he didn't have a chance to fix it. Zuko was already on him, pressing his back into the wool, hands working at the buttons of his shirt and the buttons of his fly, pressing the hard seems against his already engorged cock. He gasped and arched up against the body on top of him, finding Zuko's mouth with his own and invading with his tongue. His fingers found Zuko's hair and the strong muscles of his back, the waistband of his pants and the lumpy material of his button fly.

They were a tangle of limbs and sweat slicked skin, connected by their mouths and their groins. Nither stopped to think about consequences or misgivings. It was all about the pent up passion they'd been dancing around for months.

Sokka toed off his boots as Zuko struggled to yank his pant legs down his thighs. The air felt cool where sweat had pooled at the junctions of his hips and the backs of his knees. His shirt hung awkwardly off his shoulders, his bandana still tied in a tight knot around his neck. His hat lay in the dirt some ways off, forgotten. He pushed at Zuko's shoulders, at his pants, at his hips. Zuko's hand wrapped around his cock and he moaned, a choked off sound that reverberated through his chest.

Zuko bit at the curve of his neck and licked the sweat from his skin. It was the same, the grip around his cock, too familiar but the hot mouth on his flesh was different and desperate and reflected the exact war of feelings raging inside his own mind. He wanted this, more than he'd even known. It wasn't about proving that Zuko was an outlaw or an aristocrat or anything more than he'd ever pretended to be. He just wanted this feeling, the slide of Zuko's chest against his, the warmth of someone else's hand around his erection.

"There's stuff… oil… the saddle." He panted, fingers digging into Zuko's scalp. The bar hand froze for a second and then lifted his head from where it was resting against Sokka's shoulder. He looked the sheriff in the eye and waited a beat for reassurance, then pushed to his feet and sauntered over to where their horses were standing calmly, chewing at the weeds that poked out of the cracks in the clay. He dug around for the oil, chewed his lip when his fingers finally closed around it, then turned back.

"Are you sure you want this?"

Sokka laughed and smiled widely, sure. He rose up on one elbow and watched as Zuko made his way back, the bulge in his pants angry and apparent. He fidgeted for a second before holding out the little jar of leather oil and waiting. The sheriff's eyes widened but he took it, fingers brushing against Zuko's and hesitating.

"So you really are like that, huh?"

Zuko scowled and sunk to his knees. "Does that matter to you?"

He was tensed, prepared to grab his things and run in a second. Sokka reached out and brushed his knuckles against Zuko's cheek, extending his fingers to slide into his ebony hair and pull him down to lay with his back against the blanket. The wool scratched Zuko's skin and Sokka's fingernails scratched his hips and thighs as he pulled the pale man's pants down his legs.

"Turn over."

Zuko inhaled sharply and complied, resting his weight on his forearms and his knees, his head hanging and eyes closed. Sokka dipped his fingers into the oil and laid his clean palm against the small of Zuko's back. Zuko's breath hitched as he pushed the first finger in and crooked it, pushing at his inner walls. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the swell of the pale man's hip as he added the second finger, moving them slightly in and out. Zuko grunted and pushed back against him and he slipped a third finger in, fighting the tightness that tried to keep his fingers in or push them out.

He spread the digits and curled them and Zuko moved beneath him.

"More." He panted. "More."

Sokka pulled his fingers free and grabbed himself, spreading the oil across his skin, and positioned himself against Zuko, gliding in slowly and panting at the tightness, the overwhelming heat. Zuko pushed back, eager, and buried his face in the crook of his elbow to muffle his moans. Sokka reached around and squeezed Zuko's cock, pulling on the organ with a downward motion to distract the man from the slow snap of his hips.

He choked as Zuko unconsciously clenched around him and couldn't stop himself from thrusting forward, deeper into the impossible heat.

"Fuck." He groaned out, biting the skin of the bar hand's back. He pulled out slowly and thrust back in hard, hilting himself and causing the man beneath him to shudder and cry out. Zuko's cock jumped in Sokka's hand and he squeezed harder and twisted his wrist in reflex. There was no rhythm, they weren't synchronized, but they felt right, felt good.

Sokka moved against Zuko sort of awkwardly, trying desperately to keep from coming too soon. Zuko pushed back against him, tried to meet him thrust for thrust, and curled his fingers in the blanket, clutching the wool in his hands. Zuko spread his legs a little wider, angled his hips a little higher, and the next time he thrust in Zuko almost sobbed and shook. Sokka altered his thrusts to hit that same spot again, harder and faster, and tightened his grip around Zuko's cock, sliding his thumb over the head at the same time their hips slapped together with enough force to echo out across the canyon.

Zuko howled and came hard, collapsing onto the ground and pulling Sokka with him. He clenched around Sokka's cock and pulled the sheriff's orgasm out of him. The younger man buried his mouth in Zuko's hair and yelled, his grip on Zuko's waist hard enough to bruise. He pulled out after a tense few seconds spent attempting to catch his breath and rolled over onto his back so that he could look up at the stars. Zuko stayed on his stomach, his arms folded beneath his head and his face angled so that he could see Sokka's profile.

"It's nice like this." Sokka said softly. He turned his head to the side and grinned at Zuko, angling closer so that he could press an awkward kiss against the other man's lips. Then he turned his attention back to the sky.

"It is." Zuko whispered, eyes heavy lidded and heart full.

Back in the day a man was only considered a homosexual if he was penetrated, hence why Sokka says "you really are like that." meaning homosexual.