This one-shot was written in honor of Seyary and her ongoing love for these two in one of the best, most well written Fanfics I have ever read: "Gladiator".

-Icewhisker

A bouquet of roses.

Her amber eyes took in the bright red petals...sharp thorns...and dark green leaves that followed each individual stem till it was lost behind pretty tissue paper wrapped in a ribbon. She then looked at the nervous man who stood before her, trying his damned hardest to put on a good facade.

An elegant eyebrow rose "What is this?" Of course she knew what he was doing. She just found it amusing to watch him stumble.

"Uh...they're roses" He stated, fidgeting where he stood. Dark blue eyes shifted back to examine the flowers quickly, wondering if one of them had suddenly died. It would only be his luck that such a thing would happen.

Azula rolled her eyes, as she crossed her arms "I know what they are idiot. What I want to know is what you are trying to do."

Sokka blushed, "I'm- well, they're for you." He held them out to her as he stuttered "I mean obviously you must know they're for you, because why would I just randomly show up with roses. They're certainly not to confess my love for you or anything." He just wanted to run back the way he had come. Why couldn't he just get the words out right? He must have recited this a thousand times to himself before showing up to the palace. Today was important and he wanted to get it right.

Azula smirked, loving every second of this "No, most certainly not. Why would you want to confess such a thing to your former enemy?"

Sokka shook his head, getting the rest of his nerves together "Listen Azula, we've been dating for a year now and today's our anniversary. I'm not good at planning anything romantic, so instead I got you fifty roses." He handed them over to her.

"Don't you think that's a bit too much? What am I supposed to do with them?" Azula asked, taking them from him. They were…pretty, she guessed. What was the point? They would just blend in with the rest of the traditional Fire Nation red decorating every inch of this palace. Besides, she didn't care for such insignificant things. He must know that by now.

Sokka grinned, glad that she asked "Ah, but you see, they're not just for pretty decoration. Fifty roses is a show of eternal love."

Azula blushed lightly, hating how his charm suddenly seemed to kick into gear, shifting the control in their interactions. "What are you trying to say…?"

"It's exactly as it sounds…" he smiled affectionately, loving whenever her tough exterior wavered. It allowed him to see what no one else was privileged to witness and that's just the way he liked it. He took the flowers from her and placed them on a table nearby. He then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. His right hand reached up to brush aside her hair gently "You mean more to me than any words can express. A novel wouldn't even be close enough to cover it all."

Azula scoffed, her face heating up even more. She couldn't decide whether this was the cheesiest thing he had ever said or the sweetest. Neither answer would quite sum up the unique personality he had. "You're such a dork…A novel? Is that the best you can come up with?"

Sokka laughed, "Oh no, there's more…" He then reached into his shirt and pulled out an entirely different flower. It was smaller than the roses with white pedals and black lining the edges. "This is a panda lily. You're supposed to give it to the person you have deep feelings for to win them over."

"And you haven't?" She asked, trying to suppress the stupid smile on her face. Damn him.

"I think I have…" He grinned, placing the flower in her hair "Perfect. Brings out your eyes and that smile I adore so much. My dear, you are truly breathtaking."

"All right," Azula pushed against him playfully "Now you're just over selling it."

"I probably am but there is no limit to expressing how much I care for you." He leaned down to kiss her lips softly. His arms wrapped securely around her, making sure that there was no space left between them. Azula returned the affection with just as much passion, her hands reaching up to play with his wolf's tail. The kiss was long and deep, both of their hearts hammering loudly but just enough so only the other could hear it. Breaking their kiss, Sokka whispered "Happy anniversary Azula. I love you."

Azula shook her head, hating and loving the way he could make her feel so special. It was moments like this that reminded her of how lucky she was to have him "I love you too."