@honorabledragon || cont.
Zuko stood back, giving his friend space to say or do whatever he felt comfortable with. He'd been there himself, and he knew the last thing you wanted was a knock to the ego while you were down.
"That's okay, Sokka," Zuko said calmly, standing in his friend's igloo beside the fire. "Are you all right?" he asked, trying to coax Sokka into opening up, even a little.
"Why don't you sit down a minute? I'll grab you a glass of water."
Sokka huffed out a short, humorless breath, already shaking his head before Zuko even finished talking. “I said I’m fine,” he muttered, a little too quick and a little too sharp, as if he said it fast enough, it might actually be true.
He didn’t sit when Zuko asked him to. Instead he paced once across the small space, boots scraping faintly against the floor, one hand dragging down his face before settling at the back of his neck. The other curled tight at his side, fingers flexing because he didn’t know what to do with them. “It was just—” he started, then stopped, jaw tightening. His gaze flicked toward Zuko then away just as fast. “Hot air. Haven’t slept. Probably forgot to eat or something.” A weak excuse, even he didn’t think it sounded convincing.
He let out a quiet scoff under his breath, trying for something lighter that sounded like him. “You know me. I’m built different. Totally unshakable.” The corner of his mouth twitched. His shoulders rose with a slow inhale, but it hitched halfway through; something caught in his chest that refused to move. He pressed the heel of his hand briefly against his sternum, a subtle movement he hoped Zuko wouldn’t notice.
“I just—I don’t do that. I can’t. Katara gets to fall apart. That’s—she’s…” He trailed off, swallowing hard.