Chapter Twenty-Six

"You should come for dinner." Iroh insisted as we sat for lunch in my apartment, I sighed and shook my head.

"He doesn't want to see me, Iroh. We've been over this." I said for what felt like the 100th time this morning. My son was adamant that Zuko and I could come back from this, I wasn't so sure. But, even if we could, it wouldn't happen right away. I'd give him some time, maybe then we could rebuild a foundation. But for now, Zuko was mad, and he looked up to his Father too much to believe me or listen to my excuses.

"Sometimes Zuko just needs a little push. Maybe if I explain it-" I cut my son off.

"Sweetheart, Zuko inherited the stubbornness of all his relatives. No matter who says it, he won't listen. We need time apart, and then maybe, eventually, we can make up. But until then, I need to give him space." I explained, sipping my soup. I hummed in contentment as the warm broth made its way down my throat. It was a spicy Fire Nation delicacy I used to make for the boys on their birthdays, a favourite of our family.

"Are you sure–" This time, Iroh was cut off when the door to my apartment opened, and Sokka walked through. For a moment, everyone froze. Sokka's eyes darted between Iroh and I, Iroh's darted between Sokka and me, and mine darted between the two men.

"Ummmm..." I mumbled, eyes focusing on Iroh. But my son's eyes were trained on the flowers Sokka held in his hand, red and white lilies. My favourite flowers, which grew in the Earth Kingdom, a smile grew on my lips.

Iroh suddenly stood, grinning as he shot out a hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, I'm Iroh." I stared in shock as Sokka reciprocated, shaking my son's hand.

"I'm Sokka, it's nice to meet you as well, Iroh. Ren speaks very highly of you." He smiled, though clearly still confused.

"You love my Mother?"

"Spirits, Iroh!" I huffed, hiding my face in my hands as I rested my elbows on the table. The boys ignored my words.

"Wholeheartedly." Sokka answered, I peered through my fingers at his serious expression, and my heart fluttered. Iroh was silent for a moment, and I could see the worry clouding Sokka's eyes, similar to how I was feeling. What if my son and boyfriend didn't get along?

"I approve." Iroh said, before turning to me and giving me a warm smile.

I stood, with a deep exhale of relief and moved towards my son. "Thank you, Sweetheart." I gave him a tight hug, and he nodded.

"If he makes you happy, I am happy. You deserve something good, Mother." He told me meaningfully, then he turned back to Sokka. "If you ever hurt her, I will hurt you." Sokka sweatdropped a bit, and I chuckled. "I'll leave you two to it." He told us, turning to the door.

"I'll see you later." I told him, giving a little wave.

"It was nice to meet you, Sokka." He said, nodding to us both.

"You too." Sokka responded, and the door closed behind my son. I interlaced my fingers and Sokka's with a smile and turned towards him.

"I love you so much." I told him, giddy.

"I love you too." He grinned, kissing me on the lips. "He won't tell Zuko, right?"

"No, he wouldn't do that."

"Well, then, I like him." He told me, and I smiled.

"Thank you for the flowers, Baby." I said, kissing the side of his mouth.

"These are the ones you like, right? The white lotuses don't grow here, but..."

"They're beautiful. You're very thoughtful." I took the bouquet from him, placing it in a vase of water on my counter. I smiled at them before turning back to Sokka, he was watching me with a look I hadn't seen in many years; complete and utter adoration. And, slowly, I realized I was looking at him the same way.

– Sokka's Point of View

I wasn't actually watching the stars, nor was I fully listening to Ren as she told me the myths associated with each constellation. Instead, I was watching her eyes sparkle with happiness and awe as she lay with her head on my lap, looking up at the night sky above us. We were hanging out on a roof in the lower ring, we'd watched the sunset and now we were prolonging my departure with the stars.

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." I told her when she'd trailed off, realizing I was watching her instead of the stars. She smiled, and I was sure she was blushing in the dark.

"You're not too bad yourself." She said, her hand coming up to caress my cheek. I leaned into her touch and in a moment my hair fell from its ponytail and it was down, surrounding my face. I chuckled at Ren's antics as she began playing with my hair and she smiled wistfully.

"What do you think about marriage?" I asked, and she froze. It had been on my mind a lot lately. I wanted Ren to be my wife, and I wanted to be her husband. In sickness and in health, I wanted this amazing woman by my side forever. Ren's eyes were searching my face in the dark.

"What do you mean?"

"Marriage, what are your thoughts?" I reiterated, brushing a strand of her hair away from her forehead.

"Sokka, I'll be dead-" I cut her off as soon as I knew where her words were leading.

"Stop." It was upsetting, how certain she was of her own demise. It had taken me considerable effort to convince her to start things back up while we were both in Ba Sing Se. She was convinced she would break my heart when she died this summer. But, I was sure she would survive, she had to. Aang had to win and Ren had to survive. There was no other possibility I would entertain. "Can't we just pretend for one night?"

"You want to pretend that I'm not going to die?" She asked, incredulously. I rolled my eyes in response.

"You're not going to die-" Ren groaned and sat up sharply, interrupting me.

"Sokka-" This time I groaned, interrupting her.

"Fine! Fine! Just answer the question, please. We're pretending." I said, reaching out and wrapping my arms around her middle, pulling her back to me. She sighed, letting herself relax. As her head fell back on my shoulder I kissed her cheek and she nodded.

"Fine, okay. We're pretending." She sighed again, letting out a slow breath. "I don't know. I mean, I was married for nearly 70 years. It started out great..." I closed my eyes, being sharply reminded of her daughter's murder. Ren turned and looked behind her, meeting my eyes and continued. "Having someone to spend your life with is special." I grinned.

"Okay, noted. Marriage is good." I stated, factually. She chuckled, narrowing her eyes at me before turning back around, watching the city.

"What are you up to, Sokka?"

"We're pretending, remember?" I told her, kissing her temple. "What about proposals? In the Water Tribe we have betrothal necklaces... What do you have in the Fire Nation?"

"Well, I guess it depends on your class but some sort of necklace is common." She said, her attention shifting as her hand brushed her own bare collarbones. I frowned, about to ask about her wandering thoughts, but she continued. "I never really liked the custom. To me it always seemed more like a man was marking his territory more than his love. And, I know, I know many people pick them out with love... but it always felt wrong to me. Why does the woman need to wear something telling everyone she is taken, but the man doesn't? It just seems unfair." I considered her words for a minute, and slowly, I nodded in understanding.

"You mean, like the love isn't shared? Like it's one sided?" I asked, her eyes jumped back to mine.

"Yeah, exactly. Marriage is supposed to be a partnership, right? So why don't both parties show their respect and love for eachother? Why just the woman?" She said, beginning to get heated, sitting up to face me. "And why a necklace? Huh?" She asked no one in particular. I'd never seen her get so animatedly upset about something I'd always considered so trivial. "They make me think of collars. You know, for animals?" She didn't wait for my response, she just continued. "I'm no one's property, and I'm definitely no one's pet."

"You're amazing, you know that." I told her when she had finished her rant. She just gave me a look, which I grinned at, and then laughed with me.

Yes, this was the woman I wanted to spend my life with.