An Innocent Spark [Zukka]

Chapter 58: The Special Tour

Zuko had arrived at the throne room exactly when the meeting was set to start, but there was no one else there. The representatives from the other nations were never late, and normally he wasn't either.

He took his seat on the throne, not bothering to ignite the flames in front of it. As the time passed by he grew more impatient. The thought of getting one of his servants to find the representatives crossed his mind, but he decided against it. Instead, he stood up and walked out of the throne room and down the long hallway.

He turned a corner and just as he did Sokka came crashing into him. They both fell flat on their butts and Zuko rubbed his head after bumping it into Sokka's.

"Zuko! You're just the person I hoped to run into. Well not literally run into but..." Sokka said rapidly.

"What's going on? Do you know where the representatives from the other nations are? I was supposed to be having a meeting with them five minutes ago," Zuko said, not wanting to waste time with Sokka's shenanigans.

"Yeah, about that," Sokka said and averted Zuko's eyes, "some important Avatar business came up that required their attention."

Zuko raised his eyebrow, not believing for a second that what Sokka said was the truth. Sokka just grinned and turned Zuko around and started walking slowly down the hall back towards the throne room.

"You know how you promised to give me a tour of the whole palace a while ago? Well, I'd like to cash in my long overdue raincheck and get to see the special underground river underneath the palace," Sokka said like it was more of an obligation than a request.

"Sokka, I have important Fire Lord business I need to be attending to. Your tour can wait until afterwards, and Katara and Aang can join us as well," Zuko replied.

The bright, happy sparkle in Sokka's eyes faded away, and his grin shifted into a subtle frown that made Zuko's heart sink too.

"Alright, alright, I guess the tour doesn't have to wait. Besides, the meeting wasn't going to amount to anything anyway," Zuko said. Sokka's eyes regained their glimmer and a smile once again lit up his face.

"Lead the way your highness," Sokka said, causing Zuko to lose the serious expression and laugh a little.

---

Zuko lead Sokka down a tight spiral staircase that led deep underground. The only light they had was the small flame he kept lit in his open palm.

"How did you find out about this place?" Sokka asked, carefully trailing behind Zuko.

"I found it when I was young. I went exploring one day and noticed that one bookcase wasn't flush against the wall. I went and got Azula and we were able to open the passageway enough for us to both squeeze through," Zuko explained. The staircase was covered in patches of moss and it had a distinctive musty odor due to how much moisture was able to collect in the air.

Zuko still felt uneasy about being alone with Sokka. He still was in love with Sokka. Every time he saw him, he felt a spark, but it was that same innocent spark that caused him to allow the water tribe boy to break his heart in the first place.

Still, it was hard to deny that last night was the first night in six months that he had gotten a good night's rest. Being near Sokka made him feel safe, it made him feel happy, and it made him feel loved. It was clear Sokka still loved him too, but what was less clear to Zuko was whether or not their love would stand the test of time.