A/N: Thank you so much for all of your support and reviews throughout this looong story! I hope everyone enjoyed it; I definitely enjoyed writing it and rewatching the series as I did. I love this pairing so much, and this was a good chance to practice characterization for them. I feel like the last couple of drabbles are a little OOC, so drop me a note on some advice. Here's the last chapter to the story! I hope the ending satisfies all

Everything in the palace seemed to be intimidating. The doors, the windows, everything was draped in the finest silks Sokka had ever seen. As he carefully made his way down the corridor, he felt someone walk briskly past him, and he had to turn around to see who it was. Mai. Sokka's stomach dropped as he watched the black haired girl walk down the hall and out the door he had just entered. The war had made him almost forget that Zuko still had a girlfriend to return to. He looked down at his blue robes. They were some of the finest that the Water Tribe offered. He had felt great until he had seen her. Should he go to see Zuko? Was he still with him? What would become of their relationship?

Suddenly Zuko appeared from around the corner. He was wearing a red silk robe and matching pants. Sokka looked down at something imaginary near his feet, avoiding looking at Zuko. He was so unsure of what would become of them now that Zuko was back in the Fire Nation. "Sokka!" he exclaimed, running towards him and hugging him.

Sokka was careful not to hug him too hard in return, knowing Zuko still had a wound on his chest from his battle with Azula. When they pulled away, Sokka looked closely at the Firebender. "I saw Mai…"

Zuko went pale. "Oh, right. Sokka, I—"

Turning away, Sokka felt himself begin to tremble. He knew what Zuko was going to say, and he didn't want to hear it from his lover. It was too painful. "I know. Okay? I know you're still together and that I need to go. I saw her leaving here, and I know that you're done with me. Sorry I'm not a Fire Nation noble." Without another word, Sokka turned and begin quickly down the corridor.

Before he could get too far, his wrist was caught, and he felt himself being pulled back to the warm body of the Firebender. The other teenager's breath was on his neck, and Sokka shivered. He wanted him so badly. "Sokka!" Zuko turned him to face the Firebender's golden eyes. "I broke up with Mai."

"You what? But I saw her leaving here…"

"Did you happen to notice how fast she was walking? It doesn't exactly go well when you break up with a girl after they tell you 'Don't ever break up with me again'," Zuko explained, squeezing Sokka's hand as he moved his own hand down to grasp it. "It's all over. The war. The girls. We're together."

Sokka felt a ton of weight lifted off of his shoulders. Without a thought, he grabbed Zuko into the most passionate kiss he had given the other boy. When their lips finally parted, he smiled. "Zuko…I was so scared, I thought that…I'm so glad this is all over."

Zuko nodded. "I've never been happier, Sokka."

They held hands, walking into the hallway Zuko had entered from. Sokka looked around him, taking in the beauty of the Fire Nation. After sixteen years of hating the nation, it was the first time he had ever recognized beauty in it. The corridor was beautiful, red and gold, and a bright sunlight shone in through the long windows. He felt at peace. "It's really…pretty here, you know? Considering that these place housed a bunch of evil guys for a hundred years, it really relaxing."

"Then how would you like to stay here…with me?" Zuko asked.

Sokka widened his eyes, taking in his surroundings and then looking back at Zuko. It would be a big change, and he had a lot of explaining to do to his family, but in the end, it sounded worth it. He had long stopped caring about what others would say or think. He loved Zuko, and Zuko loved him. That was enough. "Yes, I'd love to."

They walked a little down the corridor. "Don't you have places to be, oh grand Fire Lord?" Sokka asked, jabbing Zuko in the arm, careful not to hit anywhere near his wound. "Or jerkbending to practice?"

It was Zuko's turn to jab Sokka. "I think Toph has rubbed off on both of us," he replied chuckling. "And yes I do, but I have time for you too."

"Mm," Sokka hummed in reply, enjoying the quiet time they had. "So Ba Sing Se…."

"Let's pretend that didn't happen," Zuko quickly said.

"Zuko, it happened. How can you pretend it didn't? That was the beginning of…of us!"

"I like to think that we began when I joined your group."

"Why?"

"Because…because in Ba Sing Se I wasn't on your side yet. I betrayed you there."

"And I left you," Sokka added, stopping to look at Zuko. "It's okay, Zuko. You need to learn to forgive yourself. Everyone else has; now it's your turn."

"You're right," Zuko said with a sigh, picking their walking back up.

"I'm always right."

"Not always!"

"Fine, we won't talk about that, but you have to answer my next question!"

"Oh gods," Zuko groaned. Sokka could still see a hint of a smile beneath his gloomy exterior. "What is it?"

"Did you have feelings for me before Ba Sing Se?"

"I thought you said we were done talking about that!"

"Just answer my question!"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"I did," Zuko admitted. Sokka felt a little relief, knowing that his feelings prior to their meeting hadn't been strange. Zuko had had them too.

"When did they start?"

"You don't give up, do you?" Zuko sighed. "It was during the Winter Solstice that I first realized that I was actually attracted to you. I…" The Firebender blushed, his face turning a crimson red. As he described his first attraction, Zuko seemed more like the awkward teenager that had appeared at the temple than the Fire Lord. "You were wearing these blue leggings, and I…well let's just say that I knew that I found myself attracted to you no matter how wrong I felt it was." Sokka held back the urge to laugh, thinking about how he could use that outfit later on to tease Zuko. "Now that I've embarrassed myself, you tell me the same thing!"

"Well, when I first started to think about you, I thought it was jealousy that you were so much stronger and more powerful than I was, or, at least, that's what I had convinced myself it was. But, when I first kissed Suki on Kyoshi Island and I still thought of you…I think that's when I knew. Plus, I had this dream about you, and at first it was just us fighting but then when I was sick and I had this horrible fever, I had the dream again and…well I blamed it on the fever." Sokka found himself blushing as well.

"Prince Zuko," a voice shouted from behind them. Immediately, the two boys pulled their hands apart, turning to see a small man, obviously a servant of the palace, running towards them. "We need you to be fitted for your robes for the ceremony. The dressers want you in your chambers now!"

Zuko looked annoyed, but he politely dismissed the servant, assuring him that he would be there. When the servant was gone, Zuko turned to face him, and Sokka smiled. "I guess I better be going, huh?"

"I guess so, jerk."

"I'll be back." Zuko cupped Sokka's cheek, and warm lips covered his own. Nobody was as warm and inviting as Zuko was, and when they pulled apart, Sokka immediately missed the warmth. "I won't be away too long. I promise."

Sokka nodded, kissing Zuko one last time before he hurried off to get his robes fitted.

As Sokka walked back through the corridors, his mind wandered. So much had changed in a year. So much had changed for the better.