The Preparations
What do I do when my love is away?
Does it worry you to be alone?
How do I feel by the end of the day?
Are you sad because you're on your own?
No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Sokka was walking down the hallway in the Fire Nation palace, heading to Zuko’s study to let him know the happy news. He greeted the Fire Lord personal guards who bowed to him: “Welcome back, ambassador Sokka”
“Thank you, and, please, just call me Sokka, guys…”
“How easy it is to spot the ones born from nothing in the middle of royals…”
“Good morning, Mai! I’m happy to see you too!” Sokka replied with a sarcastic smile as his new friend was walking out from Zuko’s office: “How’s he doing?”
“Same old Zuko… You should probably know he just got a letter from your sister and her fiancée–”
“Wait, how do you know?”
“I’m not stupid, Sokka. I recognised the signatures and while he was reading I could spot the words ‘engaged’ and ‘best man’… Good luck dealing with him”
“Thanks, Mai…”
He smiled to her, trying to hide the anxiety, and stepped inside to find a very troubled Zuko reading some papers pacing around the room. Nothing new.
He went and sat on Zuko’s desk: “So, how’s the best Fire Lord in the last hundred years doing? I’m happy to see you managed to survive two weeks without me…”
“Oh, hi Sokka, welcome back!” Zuko finally looked him in the eyes. Was it Sokka seeing what he wanted to see or Zuko’s eyes were brighter than usual?
“Thank you. I thought being so full of work as you usually are, you would have starved without me reminding you eat every once in a while!”
“I heard you and Mai talking, stop trying to change the subject…” he said with a knowimg smile.
“Damn, you really are the Gossip Lord…”
“Sokka.”
“Fine, fine! So, what do you think? You happy?” he asked with a giant grin: “I know I am! Did you know I was the mastermind behind their proposal plans, both of them! We were at Toph’s and I was finally sleeping for more than three hours straight when–”
“I’m not going to be the best man.”
“… I’m sorry, I must have misheard, did you just say I’m not going to be the best man?”
“You heard me. You know what happened the last time the Fire Lord was the avatar’s best man…”
He replied as he was sitting on his chair. Sokka knew him too well to know without looking at his face how concerned he actually was.
“But Aang isn’t – well, he kinda is, it doesn’t matter – and you’re definetly not Sozin! The guy was crazy: he started the war, which, by the way, you ended!”
“I know, but… What if I screw everything? It’s Katara and Aang’s wedding!”
“Well, if you screw it, Katara’s totally gonna bloodbend you…”
Zuko looked at him scared and angry at the same time: “Not helping.”
“… Buuut that’s not gonna happen - she promised she would do it only in extreme situations-... Besides, there’s nothing to be worried about: your speech is gonna be awesome! I can already see everyone crying…”
“This isn’t any Fire Lord speech, it’s a best man speech! You know I’m not good with emotions… And words… And describing emotions with words…”
“You don’t say…” muttered Sokka: “I can always help you with that!”
“It’s too much pressure!”
“You talk about pressure? I have to do the man of honor speech! Mine comes after yours, there’s gonna be comparison! And everybody knows it’s easier to make people cry than laugh!”
“I’ll think about it…”
“C’mon! Politically speaking, it would show how the Fire Nation is changed and open to the other cultures, plus… Aang told me it would be an honor to be married in Caldera and have you as his best man...”
Zuko looked at him annoyed.
“Really?”
“I don’t know if he wrote it in the letter, but he told me…”
“You’re really playing the honor card right now?”
Sokka got down from the desk and went to place a hand on Zuko’s shoulder.
“You’re not that hard to convince, Hotstuff”
Zuko gave him a serious look.
“Pleeaaaseee? If not for Aang, do it for your favorite ambassador”
Sokka continued with what could only be describes as puppy polar bear-dog eyes. And Zuko, although would have never admitted it, found impossible to resist to those big blue eyes.
“Fine, I’ll be the best man! You happy now?”
“Very much so” Sokka hugged him quickly: “Also, I want to be the first person to hear your speech, and you will be the first to hear mine!”
“Agreed.”
There was a moment of silence and Zuko felt Sokka’s stare on him and sighed.
“You want to tell me about that mastermind plan of yours, don’t you?” he looked at him again in the eyes and fought back a smile.
“I thought you’d never ask!”
He jumped back on the desk and started telling the story.
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“Sokka, no.”
“Sokka, yes.”
“I’ve never eaten meat in 120 years of my life and I’m not starting at my wedding, okay?!”
“Boys, calm down: we can prepare both the classic food with meat and the vegan variation, there is no need to argue over food! Food should unite people, not divide them, especially in occasions like a wedding!”
Thanks to the spirits, Uncle Iroh was there to save the wedding from pointless fights mostly caused by the increasing stress everybody was under. Some years ago, Zuko gave him the idea to expand his business, and now The Jasmine Dragon wasn’t just a tea shop, but the most visited inn in Ba Sing Se. When he received the invitation to the wedding, he immediatly offered his services and was back in Caldera with his best cooks ready to take care of the big meal.
The wedding was a week from now: Toph had rejected over 27 different orchestras because “THEY’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH WHEN THEY SHOULD BE AT LEAST PERFECT”, Katara’s dress still needed a few adjustments, Aang had to choose his outfit, Zuko’s speech wasn’t ready, as well as Sokka’s, and they just finished arguing over the food.
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“Katara, you’re ready… And perfect!” said Ty Lee looking at the final result.
Katara turned to face the big mirror and gasped at the sight of her. She was wearing a white dress with long sleeves, the edges embroidered with red details, just as the neckline and the bodice.
“I almost can’t believe we managed to make it this beautiful! All those years tailoring and sewing the Kyoshi warriors’ uniforms had good use!” said Suki with a satisfied smile.
“Who knows, maybe someday you’ll sew your own wedding dress!” commented Ty Lee with a malicious grin to her girlfriend.
Suki blushed.
“Ty Lee, please: whatever you have in mind, don’t make grand gestures in front of an audience…”
“Promise!”
Katara laughed. Even when she was with Sokka, she had always been the more quiet of the couple, same thing now with Ty Lee. She must have a thing for more extroverted people…
“Thank you so much, girls: this means everything to me! I’m so nervous for this wedding: seeing that at least we have this beautiful dress helps a lot!”
“Stop worrying, everything is under control! You’re going to marry the man you love and that’s all that matters!”
“Besides, Toph just told me she finally found the perfect band…”
֍֍֍֍֍
“Please, tell me this is a joke…”
“Trust me, they’re the best!”
“Really? They’re the best?”
“Are you questioning my taste in music, Snoozles? I can hear better than everyone…”
“Out of all the bands in the world, you chose them?”
“Sokka! It’s good to see you, man! How’s it goin’?”
“Hey Chong! Who’d have thought we’d see you again!” Sokka said, embarassed to meet again those nomads who tested his patience at the Cave of Two Lovers all those years ago.
“Hey, I can feel you’re stressed… Don’t worry, as long as you love each other, nothing can ruin your wedding day!”
Sokka smacked his forehead.
“What? No! This isn’t our wedding…”
“… Although, I have to admit, she had a big crush on me back in the da- ouch!”
Sokka’s self flattery was interrupted by Toph punching him.
“… Anyway, what brings you to Caldera city?” he changed the subject, while rubbing his arm.
“We had never been in the Fire Nation before and we thought: “Why don’t we go there, since the war ended?”… Wait: it ended, right?”
Sokka smacked his forehead, again.
“Yes, it ended and you’re going to play for the avatar’s wedding, so… GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND PLAY AS BEST AS YOU CAN, YOU HEAR ME?”
“Yes, sifu Beifong!” they said and walked away to their spot.
“You introduced yourself with your title?”
“It gives me an aura of respect!”
“Why didn’t we meet you sooner?”
֍֍֍֍֍
“So, what do you think Appa? Blue or grey?”
Appa groaned. He looked bored.
“Momo, what do you think?”
Momo chirped and kept eating his mango.
“C’mon guys, you’re useless! You’re my friends, you should help me in this situation!”
“You should pick the grey one: it matches your eyes”
“Zuko! Thanks spirits, you’re here!”
Zuko moved from the doorframe he was leaning against and walked in the room. For the important occasion, Zuko offered his ospitality in the Royal Palace during the days before the wedding. He made sure everybody had their room, and that Aang and Katara slept in different chambers as tradition wanted. Aang’s in particular had a big balcony so that his sky bison could stay near him.
“You’re right, the grey one suits me better! Huff…” he flew to lay on the bed: “I’m so nervous about the wedding, I can’t even pick an outfit!”
“Katara would marry you no matter what, you’ve got nothing to worry about”
“You’re right, love is really all we need… Speaking of” he sat so that he could look at his friend who was sitting on the bed next to him: “how’s it going with your secret boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend… And well, could go better.”
“You’re never going to tell me who is it, are you?”
“No. Everybody knows you can’t keep a secret...”
“Try me”
“Stop it.”
“Alright… But, if it matters, I think you should tell him how you feel… What if he likes you back? You’d be waisting so much of your time”
“Trust me, he does not like me back… I’m just a friend to him”
“Well then, he’s an idiot. He doesn’t know what he’s missing, and not just ‘cause you’re the Fire Lord: you’re a great catch!” he said squeezing his friend’s shoulder.
Zuko smiled and tried to hide his blush when Aang changed immediatly the subject.
“By the way, how’s the speech coming?”
“Good… Really good… I’m not here because I’m stuck in the middle and needed to be distracted… It’s… very emotional…”
“I can’t wait to cry, then!”
֍֍֍֍֍
The night before the wedding, everything was perfect: the decorations, the dresses, the food, the music… Everything except for one little thing.
“SOKKA! STOP WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING I NEED YOUR HELP!” Zuko bursted through the door.
Sokka freezed as he was getting into his bed, then, he grabbed his robe and put it on: “Well, I have to give this to you, Jerk Lord, your timing is impeccable: I was trying to go to sleep, but apparently it’s impossible here”
“We promised that we would hear each other’s speeches first… I’m a man of my word.” He said all serious while his eyes betrayed him with hope.
“Alright… Show me what you got, hotshot” he said smiling.
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“SOKKA, I’M GETTING MARRIED TODAY!” Katara yelled bursting through the door to her brother’s chambers: “MOVE YOUR ASS, YOU PROMISED YOU’D DO MY HAIR! YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES!”
She left as she came.
Sokka was pretending to be barely awake when he felt someone else in the bed moving and a head with terrible bed hair got out of the sheets: “Do you think she saw me?”