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Sokka would like to say that his views on gender were rather progressive, if only in that they were progressing .
He was not ashamed to admit that he may or may not have recently (as in within the last couple months) been a sexist. The first step toward recovery, though, was admitting you had a problem, and Sokka had more or less taken this first step on Kyoshi Island – and donned a dress while doing so.
Yes, he’d seen the error of his ways. But he was a changed man, now, a champion of equality with the Avatar’s endorsement. It mattered not to him whether someone was male, female, alpha, beta, omega, or anything in between. He was a man of the future, for certain.
But he wasn’t perfect.
And with imperfection came, sometimes, assumptions. Assumptions that depended on an antiquated way of thinking, of course, but Sokka was still on his learning journey. And sometimes these assumptions were fair.
Because in what world would anyone assume that the homicidal maniac prince hellbent on finding them and capturing Aang was an omega?
Like, come on . Sokka wasn’t trying to be sexist in assuming that Zuko was, at the very least, a beta, if not an alpha. The dude was a prince . A flamethrowing, sword-waving, honorbound prince! That doesn’t exactly scream evolved-for-child-rearing to Sokka.
(And yes, Katara, he does understand that not all omegas want to rear children, and no one dynamic is actually a better parent than another. But that doesn’t negate the fact that the jerkbender literally gets baby fever.)
So, really, no one could blame Sokka for being reasonably surprised when Zuko began purring around the fire the night he and Katara returned from hunting down and not killing Kya’s murderer.
It was the first time in weeks they’d all sat down for a meal that wasn’t thick with tension, barring that first one after rescuing Hakoda and Suki, and they had an unspoken agreement to stay up later than usual. They’d long stopped talking and were enjoying each other’s easy presence in the dim light of the fire’s embers. Every so often, one of them would yawn or hum a tune, but no one mentioned going to sleep.
Just as Sokka decided that it was probably time to turn in, the ground by his feet began to vibrate. Sitting straight up, he looked to Toph in panic, expecting her to announce incoming enemies, but no one else seemed to have noticed.
“Did you guys feel that?” He asked, a tad breathlessly.
Katara frowned. “Feel what?”
“The ground was, like, vibrating, and I could hear, like, a rumble or something. I thought it might be something.” He debated rebuilding the fire. Not being able to see beyond their circle made him uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to risk drawing attention to themselves, if something was happening.
There was a brief pause before Toph spoke: “I can’t sense anything. You sure that wasn’t your stomach, Twinkletoes?”
“No!” Sokka protested, if a bit petulantly. It was not his stomach – this time. “It definitely came from the ground. I dunno, it was– wait.” He put his hand up.
“Sokka, c’mo–”
“ Shh!”
Katara balked. “Did you just shush me?”
Sokka shushed her again.
Scoffing, Katara turned to Suki and said, “He just shushed me!”
“Some men are just asking to die,” Suki said with a resigned shrug.
“Guys,” Sokka whined. He crossed his legs, getting into his Plans Guy thinking position, which incidentally pressed his thigh into Zuko’s side, who’d spread out by the fire. “I’m being serious here. There’s something vibrating the flo–”
A loud purr cut him off. It ended just as Zuko swiped a bug off his face in his sleep, snuffling softly. Then the purring continued.
And it was purring : barely there rumbles that were more suited for an animal Momo’s size than a 17-year-old recently reformed ex-prince. Sokka’s mouth dropped in shock.
Zuko was an omega.
Sokka’s brain did something complicated in that moment, something that he suspected fast-tracked his way through to the next level of puberty. Something that he was going to most definitely have to re-examine alone.
Zuko was an omega .
“Aw,” Toph said playfully, “he’s purring. Makes me wanna pet him.”
Sokka sputtered at her. “You knew?”
“Uh, yeah? It’s kinda obvious, especially the way he is around animals. You should hear his heartbeat when he cuddles Momo – it’s almost like he’s dead, he’s so relaxed. I’m a little afraid of what a baby would do to him.”
Sokka whirled around to look at Katara and Aang. “Did you two know?”
Katara turned her nose up. “I did not, not that it’s any of my business,” she said primly, as if she wouldn’t have been furious at Zuko for keeping secrets not 24 hours prior.
Aang shook his head with a bright smile. “I had no idea! This is so cool. I’ve never met anyone who was part flying lemur.”
“What?” Katara, Sokka,Toph and Suki chorused.
Aang shrugged. “Or I guess it might not be lemur, but something else that purrs. Like a crococat!”
Sensing more than seeing Toph open her mouth, most likely to impart wisdom upon their young Avatar in the most gratuitous way possible, Sokka cut in, leaning over to clap a hand on Aang’s shoulder.
“Remember, buddy,” he said in his most mature voice, “when he had that talk in the woods – the one about trees and fruit?”
He watched Aang hunch his shoulders and blush, sneaking a quick glance toward Katara before nodding bashfully.
Sokka nodded his head. “That’s what we’re talking about here. Zuko’s a fruit-bearing tree.”
“Oh,” Aang said, looking decidedly less excited. “Well, I guess that’s cool, too.”
“Well, I obviously didn’t know,” Suki said, leaning back on her hands. “Wouldn’t have seen that coming in a million years, if I’m honest.”
Sokka nodded his head in agreement and eyed the sleeping prince.
An omega .
He bid everybody goodnight and told Suki to wake him in an hour after she offered to take first watch. Trying hard to ignore the kitten soft purrs coming from less than a foot away, Sokka shut his eyes and fell asleep.
Now, Sokka didn’t talk a lot about his own status as an alpha. In general, he had sort of mixed feelings about it, particularly as he addressed some of the biases he had, but also because he’d relegated his dynamic presentation as something for another day. He would have another couple years until his first rut, and hopefully by then, the war would be over. Mates and knots and omegas – that all could wait for peace times.
But knowing that Zuko was an omega recontextualized a lot of what Sokka knew about him. None of them knew the details of how Zuko got his scar, but the fact it was there – and had, presumably, been there for years – carried a lot more weight with the previous night’s revelation.
Which.
Having your face melted off sucked, regardless of gender. Sokka knew that. But for as much as Katara railed against dynamic stereotypes, there was something to them, and a primal part of Sokka, even as an unpresented alpha, bared its teeth at the idea of someone using such violence against an omega. Even one like Zuko.
Which wasn’t to say Zuko was a bad omega or somehow deserving of violence. Not that there even could be a good or bad omega (or beta or alpha); not that anyone deserved violence.
But Zuko was Zuko.
He was brash and short-tempered and yelled a lot, but he was also a badass swordsman and a helluva bender, nevermind that crap he said about not being as good as Azula. Nothing about him really screamed fragile . So it was almost impossible to contend that image of the banished Fire Nation prince, Blue Spirit, jerkbending menace with the instincts Sokka knew he himself felt, which meant Zuko felt them, too.
How does one do that to an omega? And how does an omega survive it?
Sheer stubborn will, Sokka supposed as he cast his eyes over where Zuko had been going through katas and drills for the last three hours. Sokka had joined him for the first half, wanting to practice with his space sword, but he only had so much stamina.
He continued to watch Zuko, every so often observing the temple around them so as not to be caught staring. By the time Zuko was finishing up his cool down meditation, Sokka still hadn’t come to terms with Zuko’s gender.
Ugh. This could be a problem.
It wasn’t like he was trying to obsess, or that he thought it was bad that Zuko was an omega. He didn’t actually care about Zuko’s gender, only the realization that there was an omega (an omega allergic to plans and safety) in their group, one whom he’d recently accepted as an ally (and potential friend), and it really nagged at his instincts.
What was it that Aang was always telling him to do when he had a problem with someone? Pretend like the problem didn’t exist and ignore it until you can’t ignore it anymore and then you explode?
He hung his head and sighed.
He was going to have to talk to Zuko, wasn’t he?
Getting up with a groan, he walked over to where Zuko sat with his legs folded in a way that was visually confusing and made Sokka wince in sympathy. That couldn’t be comfortable. Zuko didn’t acknowledge him immediately, but Sokka had expected that. Ever since Zuko and Aang went to that sun warrior temple, Zuko had started taking his meditations, like, extra seriously. And the guy had already been waking up at the crack of dawn to do it!
Seriously, Sokka did not get that spirit mumbo jumbo crap. He didn’t need to practice breathing, he did it every day, 24/7 – he couldn’t get much better than that!
As he waited for Zuko to open his eyes, Sokka took in his appearance. Even with the scar, Zuko was objectively hot. And not just hot, like beautiful hot. He had long limbs and broad shoulders and a narrow waist; his lips were full and naturally pouted in an attractive way (Sokka had noticed during their air balloon ride to Boiling Rock that Zuko’s top lip was bigger than his bottom, which explained that). His ink black hair contrasted nicely against his milky skin, his eyes shone like liquid gold, and his scar added to the whole enigmatic appeal he had going on.
Basically, Sokka should have guessed Zuko was an omega on looks alone.
But that would have required acknowledging thoughts he’d been mentally beating down with a stick ever since they met Jet. That was another thing to worry about after the war was won.
Eventually, Zuko peeked one eye open, giving Sokka his version of a patient look. “What do you want, Sokka?”
“Hey, buddy,” Sokka said a bit awkwardly, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. “I was thinking that you and I could have a bit of a talk, y’know, man to man.”
“If this is about sex, I don’t know any more than you do. Uncle made sure the crew censored themselves around me.”
Sokka squawked in surprise and jogged his jaw several times, trying to think of something coherent to say while ignoring the blood roaring in his ears. “What?! Why would you think I wanted to ask you about sex?”
Zuko shrugged and re-closed his eye. “Aang congratulated me on being a ‘fruit-bearing tree’ this morning during our meditation. He then explained the ‘man-to-man’ conversation you had with him in the Earth Kingdom, so I assumed that’s what you meant. Is it not?”
“No . Besides, I don’t know why you think I’d need to ask you ,” Sokka replied with a scoff and an eye roll. He crossed his arms and tilted his chin up. “I know plenty about sex, probably more than you, anyway. In fact, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.”
“I’m good.”
“What?! Why not?”
“Because I don’t have any questions?” Zuko frowned. “Didn’t you need something?”
Sokka hung his head and sighed again, frustrated but not surprised that the conversation had derailed so quickly. Nodding, he said, “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about your dynamic. Or, well, our dynamics.”
This time, Zuko opened both eyes and watched Sokka with a closed off expression. “I don’t present for another year, at least, and neither do you. There’s only weeks until Sozin’s Comet. I don’t see why we would need to discuss this.”
“You’re right,” Sokka agreed, sitting down before Zuko. “We won’t have to worry about our presentations for a while, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re an omega, and I’m an alpha, and that means something for our daily lives. While the other three don’t get it ‘cause they’re betas, Toph knows as an alpha how important things like physical touch and community are for us, and I need you to know that you have that, if you want it.”
There was something hard in Zuko’s expression when he said, “Explain.”
“See, I like hugs. I think they’re great and awesome, and what’s not to like? Katara and Aang also like hugs, so they let me hug them and put my arm around their shoulders and stuff like that to, I dunno, reassure me or whatever. It makes me feel good when I can hug them and, like, physically check that they’re OK.”
Sokka shifted his position slightly, leaning in closer to Zuko, who, for once, didn’t immediately lean back to keep the distance. He continued: “Toph, on the other hand, doesn’t like hugging. She’s OK with it every so often, but she prefers to sleep on her own and doesn’t like to touch people that often. But she needs it. So her work around is hitting people (which saying out loud sounds kinda bad, but you know what I mean). When she smacks us around, it’s, like, with care? It’s how she communicates that she considers us friends, ‘cause otherwise she’d actually try to hurt us. Does that make sense?”
Zuko nodded hesitantly. “You want me to let Toph hit me?”
Sokka visibly deflated, placing his head in his hands. Looking up, he took a steadying inhale through his nose and tries again: “You understood when I said that alphas and omegas need physical contact to maintain a healthy balance, yes?”
Zuko nodded more confidently this time. “Yes, Uncle said the same thing. Then he’d usually try to force a hug on me, but I didn’t like it.”
“You didn’t like it?”
“Uh.” Zuko tilted his head and flickered his eyes away. “I wasn’t used to it, I guess. It didn’t feel bad or anything, but I just–” He shrugged. “I don’t know how to hug?”
Sokka absorbed that piece of information with a straight face, internally willing himself not to burst into tears and launch himself at the omega in front of him. ‘ I don’t know how to hug’ – now that’s sad.
“OK,” he said neutrally. “Well, first, there’s no right or wrong way to hug. It’s a hug. Second, I’m understanding that to mean that you have little to no experience with positive physical touch.”
It wasn’t a question, but Zuko nodded, anyway.
Sighing for the third time, Sokka shook his head and resolved to kill Ozai himself if Aang didn't. “You’re in luck, then, Prince Zuko.”
“I’m not a prince anymore.”
“Doesn’t matter. What matters is that from this day forward, I am volunteering myself to be your hugging buddy.”
“My what?”
“Your hugging buddy. A buddy you hug. What don’t you understand?”
“Why?”
“You said you’re not used to hugs, and, like I said, I love hugs. It seems perfect.”
“So you’re going to hug me?”
“Nope.”
“You’re my hugging buddy, but you’re not going to hug me?”
“Exactly,” Sokka agreed, leaning back on his hands with a smile. “ You’re gonna hug me .”
“I don’t understand.”
“Being your hugging buddy means that you are allowed to hug me whenever, however, and for however long you like. You control these hugs.”
Zuko furrowed his brows and frowned, though the lack of perma-homicidal mania had definitely demoted “frown” to “horribly endearing pout.”
“But what if I don’t want to hug you. Wouldn’t that defeat the point?”
Sokka hummed. “Right again. That’s why I’m requiring you to hug me at least once a day. It can be super quick, but you have to do it once a day. Does that sound manageable?”
Zuko didn’t respond for several moments, and Sokka could appreciate that he was at least taking this seriously. Otherwise, offering a fellow 16-year-old boy to be his hugging buddy would be pretty mortifying.
It still kinda was.
“OK,” Zuko agreed quietly, not looking Sokka in the face.
Sokka frowned. “Hey,” he said softly, “if you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to, but I also know that you deserve to know kind touch, and I want to help you with that. Are you sure you’re OK with this?”
“I’m sure,” Zuko said with a blush. “It’s just a little embarrassing.”
Oh. And wasn’t that just adorable.
Tamping down a smile, Sokka reached his hands out. “Would you like to start now or later?”
Zuko placed his hands in Sokka’s, using the counterweight to stand up. “Now is fine.”
“All right,” Sokka agreed easily, holding his arms out to receive Zuko.
Except Zuko didn’t hug him.
No, instead he did something so incredibly worse (better), something that would keep Sokka up at night thinking about, something that, once again, pushed Sokka through to another stage of hormonal.
Zuko, son of the Fire Lord, curled himself against Sokka’s chest. Like, full contact, chest to chest, cheek to shoulder, nose to throat curled against Sokka – and it was the cutest frickin’ thing that had ever happened in Sokka’s entire life.
And though Sokka didn’t consider himself to be one of those alphas (at least, not anymore), he’d be lying if he said it didn’t soothe something deep within his being to have an omega lean on him like this, seeking comfort from him like this. It was how he imagined winning this war would feel like. Satisfying.
Without thought, he brought his arms down to wrap them securely around Zuko’s back. It trapped Zuko’s hands down by his side, and while they both knew that Zuko could overpower Sokka in less than a blink, the show of trust was astounding. Unbidden, Sokka’s chest rumbled with a growl alphas used to soothe omegas.
Before he could stop himself and apologize, cheeks flaming with humiliation, he felt Zuko’s chest vibrate with a responding purr, and the combination made it feel like they were buzzing with contentment.
Zuko eventually pulled back. (Sokka couldn’t be sure how long they’d stayed like that, though not long enough for the rest to have come to look for them.) They both avoided eye contact with each other, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, unsure of how to acknowledge the strangely intimate thing they just did.
“Well,” Sokka said, clearing his throat, “I’m gonna go look at my maps. I’ll, uh, see you around.”
Zuko nodded his head, looking slightly relieved. “Right, yes. I think I’ll meditate for a little longer. I, uh–” He coughed. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
Neither one moved.
“Yep.” Sokka threw his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll just, uh, go.” He took a backwards step before pivoting on his heel and taking a few steps toward the stone entrance. He paused halfway there and turned around, marching back up to a surprised looking Zuko. “Remember, it doesn’t only have to be once a day. You can hug me whenever you want to. I don’t mind, so don’t, uh, feel, like, bad or anything. If you need to hug me a lot, that is. For your health.”
“Right,” Zuko agreed, seeming bewildered. “You’d said.”
“Yes, I did say that.” Sokka nodded. “But I just wanted to make it clear. Sometimes someone will offer me a favor, and I’ll worry, like, ‘what if they don’t mean it,’ and I wanted you to know that I do. Mean it, I mean. So you don’t have to worry.”
“Oh. OK. Yeah, uh, thanks, Sokka.”
“Yeah, yeah. ‘Course. We’re friends.”
“Friends.” Zuko sounded shocked. Was he shocked?
Oh, shit. Did Zuko not consider them friends? Even after everything that had happened at Boiling Rock; after becoming hugging buddies? This was so embarrassing.
Before Sokka could retract that statement, Zuko pushed back into his space, leaning once more against his chest.
Huh. Maybe Zuko wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t know how to hug, not that Sokka was complaining. Frankly, it was just as awesome the second time around.
This hug didn’t last nearly as long, just enough for Sokka to understand that Zuko did , in fact, consider them to be friends. Which, Sokka decided, was his third win of the day.
It was significantly less awkward this time when they separated.
“I’ll, uh,” Sokka said around a smile, “see you in a bit, hugging buddy .”
Zuko laughed softly, and Sokka was pretty sure that was the first time he’d ever seen Zuko smile, let alone laugh . The smile was a 10/10 stunner (even though it was hardly more than an upturn of his lips), and the laugh was some sort of creaky giggle that was grossly endearing.
“Yeah,” Zuko said, “see you. Hugging buddy.”
When Katara saw him an hour later, she couldn’t restrain herself from asking Sokka why he was smiling like an idiot.
“Oh, y’know,” he said with a shrug, “friendship.”