zukki-week

[zukki-week]

I think I’ve now reblogged everything I’ve been tagged in, if I’ve missed your post do go ahead and tag me.

[zukki-week]

here we have a late submission for day 6 of zukki week 2024: heist au (click for better quality)

@zukki-week

more thoughts under the cut

i got back into leverage this week so of course i couldn't not draw zukki as the ot3. i think suki would work better as a grifter than a thief (maybe even a hitter) but yk. i also stayed up way too long thinking about who is the mastermind and who is the grifter/thief remaining and i got to the following conclusions:

song as the mastermind and jin as a grifter just butters up my heart like i missed these girls like crazy and i think it would fit them (also azula as jim sterling is way too funny)

but then we have azula as nate (which i think is equally funny) and ty lee as thief

also mai as nate but thats just because i ship mailee and i wanted them together

[zukki-week]

For @zukki-week, technically still while the week is happening! For the Day 4 prompt "On the Throne", featuring everyone aware that they're in a relationship now, Zuko being all in, Sokka and Suki realizing it's their turn to catch up, Suki getting her turn in the middle, and throne sex.

[“Hey.” Zuko rolls onto his side, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart as he watches Suki rummaging for a clean-enough uniform. “You could—if you wanted, you could move some stuff in here?” He isn’t going to read into Suki dropping her pants in surprise.] OR, Sokka and Suki think they know what it’s like to date Zuko, seeing as they’ve been doing it for six years already. It turns out Zuko aware he’s in a relationship can still surprise them.

[zukki-week]

all i want is the here and now - tap

For day five of @zukki-week: the mortifying ideal of being loved

wc: 765 | rated: T (for language and to be safe) tags: modern au, aspec zuko, love confessions [AO3 link] [prologue] [previous part]

Life continues mostly like it did before the impromptu couch sleepover and the gaining of pet name (and other) privileges that followed.

Suki goes to the dojo, goes to work, goes to the dojo again most days and comes home to eat with her boyfriends (!!). Usually, Sokka will make dinner for all of them and Zuko will help with what he can, sometimes, Suki will cook, her partners at the ready to do any tasks she asks of them. And every day, even if she stays out longer and eats reheated leftovers, either Sokka or Zuko or both make sure to sit with her while she eats because they know she doesn't like eating alone.

They usually ate together before too, but now Zuko and Sokka make a point of ensuring she's got company.

There are other changes too, so small and yet so meaningful, like how their hugs last a little longer now, are a little harder to step away from, how all of them seemingly want to linger just a little bit more. Or how there seems to be an increase in shirts that don't make it back to the right place, but how could she mind if her boyfriends look so cute and comfy in her clothes or when she notices their eyes light up when they spot her wearing one of theirs.

It's the little details really, that make her notice how loved she is, and how much she was already loved before.

But still, a lot stayed the same; they still split the chores the same way, keep their own rooms, and still sleep in their own beds most of the time.

Only now, sometimes, when Zuko can't sleep, he'll pad over to her room in his sleep pants and wake her up for cuddles. He'll hide his face in her neck and let her hold him until he's relaxed enough to try sleeping again, then he'll squeeze her even closer until he reluctantly shuffles out from her arms and back to his own bed before he actually falls asleep.

And Sokka will demand to be woken up with cuddles and kisses on their days off. Which Zuko and Suki gladly provide by sneaking into his bed after their morning meditation and snuggling against Sokka's sides, running their hands over him, each other, through his hair until he slowly blinks his eyes open.

It's on one of those mornings, when Sokka, still sleepy, is halfway turned over to kiss Suki, reaching back to squeeze Zuko cuddled against his back, that he says it.

"I love you, both of you."

Suki's heart explodes. She's known it, felt it through his actions all the time, but hearing the words again feels so good.

She surges forward to capture Sokka's lips, mumbles "I love you too" against them, kisses him again and again and then leans over to affectionately bite Zuko's shoulder, telling him "And I love you too."

But Zuko is frozen, his expression looks torn between freaking out, throwing up and blue screening. Oh no.

Sokka turns around too, seems to clock the issue instantly as his face falls from dreamy smile to concerned care. But he doesn't let go of Zuko, squeezing his hands, keeping the connection up.

"It's okay, baby, you don't have to say it. It doesn't change anything. Just let us love you, yeah?" he says as calm as he can. Suki still notices a slight tremble in his voice.

But Zuko exhales, nods, takes a deep breath again.

"I love you, Zuko," Sokka says once more, very deliberately. "Can I hug you?"

Zuko nods again and moves into Sokka's arms on his own. He presses his face against him, reaching out to pull Suki closer and press against her too.

"I love you, Zuko," she says equally as deliberately.

Zuko breathes out shakily, his fingers flexing against her side.

Tap. Tap tap.

Those were really deliberate touches too.

Oh! Suki recognizes the pattern, noticed Zuko pressing it against her back just before he'd slip out of her bed to get back to his own, noticed him tap-taptaping Sokka when they'd cooked together and thought it a cute quirk of Zuko's. But could it be– has Zuko been telling them "I love you" all that time?

"I love you, cuddlypoops," Suki says against Sokka's cheek. There's a tap-taptap against Sokka's side.

Suki can barely contain her smile, her happiness, all the love she feels between them.

She takes Zuko's hand, puts it against her face and nuzzles into his palm.

"I love you, baby."

Tap. Tap tap.

[zukki-week]

everything has its place (i wonder what space i take)

@zukki-week

written for day 4 of zukki week (relationship negotiations) but this is a part of my pirate au (which is day 5) so i guess take it however you want (be warned that no actual piracy is done)

A few good seconds passed, none of them knowing how to broach the topic. Suki's eyes glassed over with a practiced calm. She should have thought of what to say. She should have known what to say. They'd already danced around it for too long, and it was a miracle they even took the time to sit down to discuss it like adults.

Sokka closed the door to Yue's quarters — the only place on the ship even remotely private — behind the three of them. Suki, plenty familiar with the space, flopped on the bed like it was the most natural thing she could do, while Zuko hovered over her with uneasy, fleeting eyes, before taking a seat beside her slowly, like there was a possibility the bedsheet might burn his ass off. Suki patted her thigh, motioning for Sokka to join them, and he settled with his back against the wall, with his knee pressed to her hip.

In the end, Zuko was the one to break the silence. He was always the blunt one, the one to rip the bandage off and get it over with as fast as possible. "I don't think this is a good idea." 'This' being them, of course. His eyes were set on the blanket Aang had gifted Yue, a poorly knitted thing, well loved by their captain if the rumpled state it was in at the end of the bed was anything to go by.

Daring a look at Sokka, she found him already looking at her. He was expecting — hoping? — she would contradict Zuko, that she would come up with an argument, a sensible solution, an emotionally intelligent response that would prove him wrong.

Could she really when she couldn't help but agree with him?

She averted her eyes.

Sokka'd always been a hopeless romantic.

"Maybe the two of you could make it work, but. I have a responsibility after the war is over, whether I like it or not," Zuko continued after a beat. Right. He would go back to the Fire Nation and fix the damage done by the war as best as one person could and put his country back in the good graces of the world.

After finding out that his uncle wouldn't become the Firelord, Zuko shut down on them, despite respecting his decision. When he betrayed the Fire Nation officially, he gave up on the thought of one day leading his country to greatness. By the time he joined them, he deemed himself inadequate to repair years of propaganda and colonialism. He spiraled into self-doubt for a good few weeks before the crew had a sit down and properly planned how to tackle the issue of the Fire Nation. Now, he seemed to be motivated by this responsibility.

Despite his reluctance, there was a fire in his eyes she couldn't help but look at longingly.

Suki sighed. "I'm not even sure what I'll do after this is all over. Logically, I would go back home and train the next generation of Kyoshi Warriors." Thoughts of Kyoshi Island flowed through her, from before she met Sokka and Katara, from before Zuko's rogue crew found them, before Zhao's destruction touched them. She thought of Hidemi and Shufen and their little Shigeo and Jingyi, who probably wasn't so little anymore, of the warriors' quarters, of food and mountains and unagi. She thought of loneliness and feeling othered, of the elders' decision to refuse aid, which almost led to starvation, of feeling useless in the grand scheme of things. "I don't know, though," she ended softly.

Something heavy settled over Sokka, a sort of finality, a hopelessness she didn't want to think she and Zuko tainted him with. "Yeah, I want to help rebuild my village, maybe even try out for chief after dad retires. I know Katara would have wanted to if Aang didn't put that wanderlust in her, so. Gotta seize the chance before she changes her mind." It felt a little like he was trying to convince himself. To what? To not throw away his future so he could... so he could be with them? She avoided looking at him, again, feeling a sort of shame at her thoughts.

They all avoided looking at each other, still not bringing themselves to say it, instead excusing themselves from the conversation by voicing everything standing between them.

It was kind of pathetic.

Sokka would have said it. He already talked to Yue, and even if Suki didn't know how it went down, she knew Sokka, and how much he felt and how hard it was to keep pushing it down. She knew Yue, and she knew she needed time to find herself, to find the world after living her whole life in a birdcage.

Maybe Suki just needed time, too.

The thought of leaving it all behind and just traveling to her heart's content, of breaking out of the isolationism installed in her by the Kyoshi Island made her feel strangely guilty. The war would end, but it wouldn't truly be over. Healing took a long time and a lot of effort, and starting back up again when it felt like it was all falling apart. She was supposed to be there and help, it was part of her duty as a leader and someone her people looked up to.

But oh, how tempting it was to fuck it all and join Yue, to take her place as her second when everyone would leave to fix their homes into a new normal, to discover everything again by her side like two children falling in love with the outside.

It was a selfish thing to want.

Duty was a hard thing to bear.

"I do... I do like you two. A bit more than I'm comfortable with," she braved out, feeling her heart in her throat. If Sokka could do it, she could. She could face her feelings and get it over with, and maybe after that, she could sleep for the next hundred years like Aang.

"Uhm... me too." Somehow, Zuko surprised her every time. His face was red as a shrimp lobster, the words sounded clawed out, and he frankly looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there, but it was a step forward.

Sokka buried his face in his hands, letting out a whimper. She patted his thigh in sympathy. Taking a deep breath, he uncovered his face, though his eyes were still closed. "I am in love with you!" he raised his voice, loud and clear, as if fearing they wouldn't hear him.

She knew. She knew, but it still felt like a punch in the gut, and warmth began traveling to her head, threatening to boil her brain straight out of her ears. Zuko was in a similar situation, looking at Sokka with big incredulous eyes.

That knowledge had sat in the back of her mind like a coiling snake waiting to strike when she was most vulnerable, but for some time she'd just put the lid over the pot, knowing it wasn't the right time (it would never be the right time). The intensity at which Sokka was able to feel always shocked her.

Tears began pooling rapidly in her eyes, and, in a fit of panic, she slapped Sokka's thigh as hard as she was able in that state.

"Hey! What was that for?" he howled, finally opening his eyes.

"For-for just saying that like that! Jerk!" Zuko snarled in her place, very eloquently, but she agreed wholeheartedly. Being loved was hard to hear, and even harder to accept. She was surprised he didn't straight up punch Sokka for just blurting it out when they barely managed to say they liked each other.

"You're a jerk, jerk," Sokka pouted, rubbing the place she hit him.

"So what do we do now?" Now that it was out in the open, Suki found herself at a loss. The duties that awaited them after the war weighed down hard on their shoulders, with seemingly no future for the three of them together without sacrificing something much grander than themselves.

Zuko, somber as always, pointed out, "There is a possibility one of us might not come back alive."

"I really don't want to think about that right now, Zuko."

Suki sighed, feeling the weight of the world settling on her chest.

"Are we willing to get attached when we know it won't work?" Like it was a certainty that no matter what they would do, it would end in heartbreak.

"Aren't we already?"

Well. Sokka was right, once again.

[zukki-week]

Day 7 - Free day

[zukki-week]

Day 6 - Shopping at 2am and/or Heist AU and/or 5+1

[zukki-week]

Day 5 - Sparring and/or The mortifying ideal of being loved and/or Pirates

[zukki-week]

A WIP snippet for @zukki-week Day 4,"On the Throne"...throne part not yet featured lol. Incoming this weekend!

“Come on, keep up,” Zuko says, tugging Sokka impatiently down the sandy walkway toward the chatter of food stalls. “Let me just—there’s sand everywh—” “You look fine,” Suki says, tugging two chunks of hair out of his hands and grinning at the face he makes when they fall to frame his face again. “You’re going to be late to your own Annual Dumpling Extravaganza.” “To our anniversary,” Zuko corrects, joining the line behind the first stop of the day. “Which means we can’t be late,” Sokka mutters as he ties his hair up in a high tail, but without any real heat as he leans up against the back of Zuko’s shoulder. “Definitionally, the Dumpling Extravaganza—” “Our anniversary.” “—is a date, not an event—” Suki lets out a deeply amused, deeply skeptical noise as she leans up against Zuko’s other side. “You’re saying the Dumpling Extravaganza—" “Our anniversary,” Zuko says happily, scanning the menu. “—isn’t an event?” “Oh, are you celebrating?” the woman behind the counter asks, barely looking up from the three little trays she’s assembling. “Congratulations.” “Yeah, every year we do this whole tour of—” “Once we had these really great—” “It’s our anniversary,” Zuko cuts in, delighting in being able to say it. “Our romantic one. Our romantic anniversary. Of our romance.” The woman glances up, eyebrows raised. “Of course,” she says as Suki snorts out a noise and Sokka presses a giggle against Zuko’s shoulder like he’s trying to contain it. “Congratulations.” A bit more giggle slips free. Zuko beams. “How long has it been for you, then?” Zuko hums, glancing at Suki as she lets out a high noise, Sokka grabbing at his arm. “It’s complicated,” he says, hearing himself sound utterly delighted by the fact.

[zukki-week]

all i want is the here and now - cuddlypoops

For day four of @zukki-week: relationship negotiations

wc: 1137 | rated: T (for language and to be safe) tags: modern au, getting together, pet names [AO3 link] [prologue] [previous part] [next part]

It's seemingly the middle of the night when Sokka wakes up with a crook in his neck and feeling way too hot.

He hears snoring that's somehow too loud to be coming from the next room. He tries removing his blanket, but it clings to him, and his cushion is uncharacteristically hard – and moving?!

He's very clearly not in his bed.

It still takes a while for his brain to wake up enough to clue him into where he is. But once it does, he recognizes the cushion as Zuko's abdomen and the blanket as Suki's arm.

They all fell asleep on the sofa in a pile, limbs around each other and faces smushed into soft body parts. On further investigation, even more body parts start to ache, but it's still too good to want to get away any time soon, he wants to enjoy it just a little longer, just a bit more...

When he wakes up the next time, blearily blinking his eyes open, he's greeted with a quiet "Good morning," in Zuko's raspy voice. And isn't it a treat to hear it even raspier this early?

Sokka even gets to look up at Zuko's smiling, sleep-soft face. He's also still warm and cuddled softly and so comfortable, so he doesn't really think when he answers with, "Morning, baby."

He sees Zuko freeze, almost starts to panic once he realizes what exactly he'd said, but then Zuko smiles even wider. Everything is great and his heartbeat picks up.

"Why does he get to be baby, what if I wanted to be baby?" Suki's voice suddenly cuts in.

"Because you're babe," Zuko's raspy voice supplies unexpectedly before Sokka can think of an answer.

"Mhm, yeah, he's right, babe. But then what am I?" he asks.

"Cuddlypoops," Suki and Zuko say at the same time and then break out in hysterical laughter at Sokka's indignant squeak.

Zuko shakes with laughter so much, it dislodges Sokka from where he was still lying partially on him and when Suki sits up to clutch at her sides, moving around quite a bit, it sends Sokka tumbling to the floor. It also breaks his stubborn pout, and he joins in laughing.

They send each other back into giggling fits a few times. But once they've calmed down a tense silence descends over the living room. Sokka isn't sure, if he really dares to hope or if that was all just friendly banter.

When he chances a glance at his roommates on the sofa, they are kind of holding onto each other and their faces look as guarded as he feels. So he dares.

"Can I–" he needs to clear his throat, needs to try again.

"Can I really call you baby and babe?" he finally asks. There are no protests.

Still, he can't look them in the eyes for the next part, but he needs to add, "And maybe girlfriend and boyfriend too?"

He's met with silence. Fuck.

Then two hands reach out to him, pulling him back on the couch.

Suki puts her hand on his cheek, making him look at her.

"Yes, I would really like that," she offers, stroking along his jaw.

Smiling affectionately at him, she adds, "Please be my boyfriend again."

Sokka's heart beats faster, but this time mostly from how excited he is and only a little out of fear for Zuko's reaction. He still didn't say anything.

But before he can collect the courage to turn towards him, Suki adds, "my cuddlypoops."

She snickers.

"Yes, cuddlypoops, I'd like to be your boyfriend too," Zuko finally answers between more giggles. He reaches out to twin their fingers together.

Sokka can't even be mad about the teasing, he's just so damn happy and feels so at home. He lets them hold onto him, moving closer to feel more of his partners, and they pull him in until he basically sits on their laps squished between them. Despite how he'd like to pepper them with kisses right about now, he closes his eyes again and enjoys the closeness, lets his heart calm down for a bit.

He just got a boyfriend and a girlfriend!

They press closer around him, touching in every place they can, until they are just one lump of bodies. It's perfect.

Then Suki speaks up again, her voice almost too loud in the comfortable silence that settled around them.

"Zuko, would you like to be my boyfriend too?" she asks.

Sokka feels frantic movement somewhere by his shoulder, probably, hopefully, Zuko nodding.

"Yes, I'd like that, babe," he eventually adds verbally.

Sokka's heart melts, explodes, mends itself. He's so happy, now that's actually perfect.

"I'm glad", Suki says, "I'd really like that too."

She's smiling wide and happy, it's obvious in her voice.

"But," she adds, sounding more serious again, "we need to discuss some things."

Oh, oh no.

Sokka wants to protest, doesn't want to get serious when he could instead cuddle with his girlfriend and his boyfriend, kiss them stupid, sleep some more in their arms.

But, once again, Suki is obviously right. He motions for her to continue.

"Most importantly, who gets a bed big enough for all three of us? But also, what about other people? Are we exclusive between the three of us? Do we tell people? What do we tell them?"

It sounds like she isn't done with questions, but Sokka needs to cut in, it's already too much to answer.

"You get the bed, or at least it goes into your room, we could help pay for it if we get to help decide. What do you think Zuko?"

Zuko looks unsure. "I think I'd like to sleep in my own bed most of the time. You know it's hard enough to sleep for me anyways. But otherwise, yeah, and I'll help pay too."

"Yeah, my bed isn't really a bed anyway, that works for me," Suki nods.

"And I'd like to keep it between us for the moment, if that's alright?" Sokka adds carefully.

"But I think I don't mind if we open it up in the future. You could still have a go at my exes, babe," he winks at her.

"My exes too," Zuko adds, "and other people. As long as it's not Jet."

Suki laughs at their offers, Sokka shudders at the memory of the shit show that Jet and Zuko's breakup was.

"So we'll keep it between us for now but talk about it again when the first of us feels like maybe crossing that bridge is what I'm getting? And I get a new bed soon," Suki summarizes.

Zuko nods. "Exactly, yeah," says Sokka.

For a while, they simply enjoy touching and feeling each other.

"Speaking of beds," Sokka eventually speaks up, "how about we all move to mine for now?"

Suki is up before he even finished the question, and when he finally arrives in his bedroom with Zuko in tow, she's already cuddled into his bed and reaching out for them to join her.

[zukki-week]

Day 4 - Sudden child acquisition and/or Relationship negotiations and/or On the throne

[zukki-week]

all i want is the here and now - sandwiched

For day tree of @zukki-week: non-sexual intimacy/relaxing

wc: 647 | rated: T (for language and to be safe) tags: modern au, slice of life, feelings realization [AO3 link] [prologue] [previous part] [next part]

4 weeks, 6 days, and 8 hours after moving in the apartment of their dreams with Suki and Sokka, Zuko finds himself caught between his two roommates on the couch.

They were having a movie night. Zuko got to choose what they watched, and apparently, he's the only one who cares about the movie anymore, because Suki and Sokka abandoned every pretence a while ago in favour of burring their faces into Zuko's neck on either side.

It's a little surreal and a little strange and a lot confusing.

But what was he supposed to do when both of them inched closer independently, ending up cuddled into his side after a while? What was he supposed to do when Sokka squeezed his hand behind his back to move even closer? And how was he ever supposed to change anything when he finally got the courage to drape his arm around Suki and she let out a content hum that he felt? Was he supposed to then push them away suddenly when they let their head rest against him too? Or when their hands met on his chest, holding onto him but also onto each other? Surely not.

So he lets them get as comfortable as they want to against him, lets them cuddle him and hold each other, enjoying his place in the middle.

And he gives his best not to feel guilty about it or as if he's taking too much, tries to silence the voice inside telling him, how he doesn't deserve this much affection. Because he's not that touch-starved teenager anymore that soaked up even the tiniest amount of attention he could get. He's not. Ever since he found those people who actually like him and tell and show him so freely. And especially not after Sokka started to integrate regular hugs back into their lives and Suki started to do his hair for him.

But by Agni, does it feel good to be sandwiched by both of them as closely as he is now.

So, he lets himself have it, allows his body to relax and soak up their warmth and closeness. He doesn't even flinch when Suki's hand somehow finds its way into his hair and Sokka's underneath his shirt. It all just increases the closeness, and the good feelings. And, if he's being honest, it's exactly what he needed too.

Eventually, he even lets his hand move up and down Suki's side, drawing patterns with his fingers and occasionally scratching his nails along. He would also like to stroke Sokka's hair, but he's leaning onto his arm and moving it from between them now feels cruel. He settles for reaching over as far as he comfortably can with his hand and resting it against Sokka's thigh.

They snuggle in even closer after a while, reaching out to hold each other around the waist and essentially trapping him in between.

And despite it being a movie he really wanted to show his friends, and have them like it, he doesn't find it in himself to be annoyed about them falling asleep on him. Suki's quiet snoring and Sokka's mumbling are somehow too cute to be mad about. For once in his life, he feels certain that there will be other opportunities, more evenings the three of them are going to spend together, and other times to watch the movie. So all he does is some scooting around to get comfortable, and more importantly, be a better cushion, watches his movie while his roommates somehow cuddle even closer, and eventually starts dozing of too.

His last thought before he falls asleep, is how he hopes that he'll get to feel this safe and loved for the rest of his life. And how friends might not be the term he really wants to use for Suki and Sokka in the future – neither is roommates.

[zukki-week]

the one with the flower kimono

for @zukki-week day 3: non-sexual intimacy/relaxing feat. salt-and-pepper zukki living their best retired life on kyoshi island. this was also very inspired by one of my favourite zukki artworks of all time by @3cosmicfrogs

[zukki-week]

all i want is the here and now - purring

For day two of @zukki-week: hair

wc: 1006 | rated: T (for language and to be safe) tags: modern au, slice of life, feelings realization [AO3 link] [prologue] [previous part] [next part]

"And there's another hair," Suki grumbles to herself, pinching the offending thing between her fingers and pulling it free from her (her!) sweater. It's dark and long, straight as a rod. So, it's one of Zuko's, this time.

She never would have thought that living with two long haired guys would result in her having their hairs all over her stuff. But after 4 weeks of living together and washing her clothes in the same wash as them about two times, it seems that zero of her shirts are left hair free. It's as if she lived with cats instead.

It's annoying. But secretly, Suki also loves it. As much as she bitches about finding a hair of one of the guys on her clothing, she's secretly thrilled about it. It reminds her that she's always keeping a piece of them close to her, whether she's aware of it or not.

Whether they know it or not, they are marking her. Piece for piece, hair for hair. Suki loves it.

She still proclaims her disdain for the many hairs of her roommates overtaking the apartment and her stuff, especially when it's her turn to clean the shared bathroom – that's actually pretty disgusting.

But she also embraces them. Finds ways to fold carding her fingers through their hair into the affections they share regularly anyway, takes the opportunity to brush her thumb over Sokka's freshly shaven sides when she compliments him on the new cut and offers to braid Zuko's hair whenever he complains about it getting in the way. Or, lately, whenever he lets her.

He lets her more often than not.

When Suki turns to where the hair still between her fingers comes from, she catches Zuko reaching up to tuck a stubborn strand of hair back behind his ear. He's sitting on the couch with a book in his lap, apparently too engrossed in it to do something more permanent to keep his hairs out of his eyes.

The strand slips from his hold almost as soon as he's removed his hand. Zuko scowls, absentmindedly reaches up again, focus never straying from what he's reading.

Despite her fingers itching to get his hair tamed for him, Suki just keeps looking at him, enjoying that she gets to observe for a while without being caught. He looks so comfortable and cozy, like he's actually feeling at home and able to relax in their shared space. It makes something flutter inside of her, happy to see him like this and proud to have at least a part in it.

Zuko reaches up again, makes a little annoyed humming sound, but it's just too cute. She can't keep up the distance anymore.

She plops down next to him and instantly has his eyes on her. He's still smiling softly.

"I can help with that," she offers, holding up a hair tie.

Zuko's eyes light up. Suki's heart skips a beat.

"Mmh, please do," he hums and turns around to sit with his back towards her.

"Just keep reading," Suki tells him. She won't mind as long as he's content.

Zuko hums as she starts carding her fingers through his long strands, detangling what barely needs to be detangled before she starts separating his hair into small sections.

When the first braid is done and Suki tries stealing a glance at Zuko's face, his eyes are closed, and so is the book in his lap. His lips are slightly parted, something between surprise and relaxation. Suki's heart skips another beat at the clear display of trust.

She gets her hands into his hair again before she gets too lost in looking at him; gets lost stroking his hair and massaging his scalp instead. Zuko starts humming after a while, making other sounds of contentment that make her think how maybe she lives with a cat after all with how similar to purring they sound.

When she strokes along his neck, Zuko softly moans.

Suki freezes.

And Zuko whines.

Fuck.

She forces herself to unfreeze, going back to moving her fingers through Zuko's hair before he realizes what just happened. And only once Zuko is purring again, she lets herself spiral a little bit.

Thankful for how practiced her hands are at braiding and unbraiding his hair, she lets muscle memory take over while she replays those sounds again and again in her head, lets her thoughts stray to other contexts where she'd like to hear those sounds in.

"–looks really nice," she hears Sokka saying next to her all of the sudden.

She's snapped out of her thoughts, half-heartedly chastising herself for being so out of it, she didn't notice him getting home, while she tries to assess how incriminating the scene may look from Sokka's point of view.

But when she looks up at him, he's gazing at Zuko with a besotted look and a blush high on his cheeks. Zuko is blushing too, and inclining his head to try and hide his face, effectively pulling his hair from Suki's hands with the movement. Good thing the braids are in a state that counts as done.

Suki briefly considers leaving them alone, trying to figure out how to deal with that emotionally. But before she reaches any conclusion, Sokka turns towards her. The same enamored gaze still on his face, but now directed at her.

Oh.

"Can you do me next?" he asks.

Suki can barely nod.

Oh.

He sits himself down in front of her, or practically in her lap, and offers his wolf tail up to her.

And while Suki lets her hands caress Sokka's head, listening to the content sounds he makes, working and reworking braids into his hair, Zuko simply repositions himself to be out of the way of her elbows, opens his book again and seemingly continues purring.

"This is it," Suki thinks in the easy quiet, "this is why Sokka and I didn't work out last time. We weren't bad for each other, or too much – we were simply missing Zuko."

[zukki-week]

Day 3 - Non-sexual intimacy/relaxing and/or Disability and/or Soulmates

[zukki-week]

Day 2 - Boiling rock and/or Hair and/or Accidental reveal of established relationship

[zukki-week]

day 1 of zukki week 2024: izumi

@zukki-week