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alchemicinkI have finally reached the end of my Christmas fics for the year! This was a fun little project for me to do. I've always wanted to write a bunch of holiday fics for multiple fandoms and then post them like a personal fic fest, and this year I actually succeeded. I hope at least one person out there has enjoyed them 🥰
Title: Christmas Cookie Quest
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Sokka/Zuko
Summary: ‘Twas the hours before Suki’s Christmas party and no cookies in sight, Sokka was in crisis mode but Zuko told him things would be alright…
Length: 1.7k
Notes: Alternate Universe - College AU, roommates, fluff and humor, grocery shopping, getting together, unintentional fake dating but only for like three seconds
AO3 link: here
“Zuko, I'm in crisis mode!”
Zuko doesn't respond to Sokka’s loud declaration right away. Firstly, because he's reading in his bedroom and Sokka’s yelling from their front door. And secondly, because Sokka has been in varying states of “crisis mode” since the calendar hit December 1st. Zuko has grown so used to it that he gifted Sokka a homemade card last week during exams that said “Merry Crisis!”
“What’s wrong?” Zuko shouts back after he’d marked the page in his book and put it away.
He hears Sokka’s footsteps thud across the apartment floor a second before he appears in his doorway, grasping at the doorframe to keep from falling over.
“I told Suki that I would bring cookies to her Christmas party tonight because that sounded like the easiest thing to volunteer for, but I don’t actually have any ingredients or anything to make cookies with. This is a disaster!”
Zuko goes over to Sokka and gives him a hug, which is what he usually resorts to when trying to make his roommate calm down. Sokka sighs and relaxes in his arms, burying his face in Zuko’s shoulder.
“Why don’t you just buy some cookies instead?” Zuko suggests. “There’s no shame in storebought cookies. You know Aang and Toph will eat them all before anyone else gets a chance anyway.”
Zuko also knows that both of them can barely cook, let alone do any baking – their kitchen is filled mostly with various takeout menus – so buying cookies is probably the better option anyway. (He does not really want to deal with accidental kitchen fires this close to the holidays.)
Sokka looks up and Zuko watches as his face morphs into a contemplative expression – the same one he makes when he’s theorizing about mixing chemical compounds for his chemistry homework assignments.
“I guess that’s not a bad idea,” he admits. “You wanna go to the store with me to search?”
“Sure.” Zuko isn’t going to say no to spending a little bit of extra time with Sokka before they part ways for the holiday break. He’s going to visit Uncle for a week, and he’s looking forward to that, but it’ll be a lot quieter without Sokka around.
They set off for the little grocery store down the street from their apartment. It’s never fully stocked, but it usually has all the most important essentials at least. But of course, today is not their lucky day.
“Someone else beat us to it, huh?” Zuko says as they stand together in front of the empty shelves that usually have all the cookies.
“Why does the universe hate me?” Sokka whines.
Zuko pats his shoulder, and suggests they head to another store.
*☆*☆*☆*☆*
It’s three more blocks to the next nearest store, one that’s slightly bigger and more crowded than their usual place. A little more pricier too, but they can afford to splurge a little for the holiday.
The cookie corner of the bakery section, however, is as barren as a dry desert. Zuko imagines they'd just missed a bunch of soccer moms passing through like a whirlwind and scooping up every last cookie in sight.
Sokka spins around searching nearby shelves as if the cookies might just be hidden from him. He only uncovers some fancy breads and a package of expired pastries instead.
“Christmas is ruined,” he declares.
Zuko stifles a laugh at Sokka’s dramatics.
“We still have some other places we can check.”
*☆*☆*☆*☆*
They catch a bus that’ll take them to another grocery store a little farther away. Zuko’s only been there once or twice, but he remembers that they have always have a wide variety of things to choose from. The cheese section in the deli, for example, was one of the most ridiculous things he’s ever seen in his life. Why do they even make so many different kinds?
He distracts Sokka from his worrying by voicing this question out loud, and they spend half the trip listing every kind of cheese they can think of and mispronouncing all the French ones on purpose.
When they arrive, they take a quick detour to look at all the cheeses – Sokka has opinions about the pricing of Swiss cheese (“it’s full of holes! You’re paying more for less cheese!”) – but they eventually make it to the section with all the cookies.
Or, rather, the section that would have all the cookies if they hadn’t already been sold out.
“Who is out here buying every cookie in the city?” Sokka laments, throwing his hands up towards the ceiling. Several nearby shoppers cast concerned looks at him as they pass by.
“A lot of people are hosting Christmas parties,” Zuko points out.
“Suki’s gonna ban me from attending any of her parties ever again for showing up empty-handed.”
Zuko is pretty sure that would never happen because Suki and the rest of their friends are kind, forgiving people (Zuko knows from experience) and this isn’t even a big deal. But he wraps an arm around Sokka’s shoulders and gives him a side-hug anyway. It’s nice how Sokka leans into him, even if he’s still pouting a little.
*☆*☆*☆*☆*
They get desperate enough to check three different gas station convenience stores, but none have Christmas cookies to purchase.
Zuko is beginning to think it’ll take an actual Christmas miracle to find what they’re looking for. They’re beginning to run short on time before the party, and Sokka is threatening to buy fruitcake instead.
Even Zuko doesn't want to inflict that on their friends.
*☆*☆*☆*☆*
They decide to check out one last grocery store located on the other side of the city before they finally admit defeat. Sokka sits in his bus seat, wringing his hands together, until Zuko places his hands on top of them to calm his fidgeting. He remembers Sokka doing the same for him the last time he was pacing around their apartment worried about his grades. The reassurance and support had helped, and he hopes he’s able to provide that for Sokka too, even if his worries are overblown and unfounded.
“Please have cookies, please have cookies,” Sokka mutters under his breath as they step inside the store.
Neither Zuko nor Sokka have ever been to this grocery store before, and they quickly discover that the whole set-up is a lot different than the other places they’ve visited today.
“Why isn’t there a standard layout for every grocery store?” Zuko complains as they somehow get lost in the cereal aisle and then the frozen pizza section.
“What if we just get trapped in here forever? Then I wouldn’t have to worry about Suki’s party at all.” Sokka is surprisingly cheerful about the possibility.
“You know Katara would send out a search party to find us eventually.”
Sokka sighs and slumps over again. “That’s true. I guess there’s no escaping my fate.”
Just as they’re about to give up after a shortcut through the pet food aisle, Zuko spots the bakery section from a distance. And squinting at the display, he thinks there might be one package of cookies left, a shining red and green beacon of hope to end this adventure.
Excited, he grabs Sokka’s hand and drags him across the store. By the time, they reach the bakery, they’re practically running with anticipation. Sokka stretches his free hand out towards what is indeed a package of Christmas cookies, complete with green and red icing and sprinkles on top. Perfect for a party.
But another hand, from a stranger, lands on the package at the same time Sokka’s does.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”
Zuko and Sokka both look up to see an elderly lady pushing a shopping cart. She’s laughing as she draws her hand away from the package.
“Oh no,” Sokka shakes his head. “You were here first. You take them.” He offers the last container of cookies to the woman.
She just smiles warmly and shakes her head too. “No, no. I don’t need them anyway. I’d rather a nice young couple like yourselves enjoy them instead.” She gently sets the package back in Sokka’s hands, pats Zuko’s cheek, and then heads off deeper into the labyrinthine store.
The two of them stare after her until she disappears.
“Well that was a thing that happened,” Zuko says, and then steers Sokka in the direction of the checkout, which is blessedly located nearby. “But at least we finally got the Christmas cookies for the party.”
Sokka, however, is frowning as they step in line for the nearest cash register. “Yeah, but she thought we were dating. It feels wrong to lie to a nice old lady like that. It’s like lying to Gran-Gran.”
He sets the cookies on the conveyor belt and then rummages through his pockets for his wallet.
Zuko stares at Sokka for a long moment, thinking about all the times he’s held Sokka’s hand and hugged him and wished secretly for more.
“Maybe it doesn’t have to be a lie,” Zuko suggests.
Sokka blinks, looking confused. “You mean like… fake dating? For a stranger we’ll never see again?”
There’s an awkward pause while Zuko resists the urge to slam his head into the nearest display of candy bars. Sokka is extremely intelligent, but can be dense at the worst times.
“No, I mean like real dating. I’m not… opposed to the idea,” Zuko says, embarrassed.
“Oh!” Sokka brightens up considerably. “Yeah, actually, I’ve thought about it before. I wasn’t sure if you were interested though. But, yeah… I’d love to be your boyfriend… for real.”
Zuko pulls him into another hug, forgetting where they are for a moment, until the cashier says “congratulations” in a bored tone that would rival Mai’s, and then hands Sokka back his change.
“Oh, right! Sorry!” Sokka scrambles to shove his change back in his wallet, Zuko grabs the cookies, and then they do the most embarrassing power-walk out of the store together.
By the time they reach the nearest bus stop, the awkwardness has melted away into excitement, and they’re both laughing as Sokka reaches out to twine their fingers together again.
“You know we can never go back to that store,” Zuko teases.
“Well, I don’t need to anyway,” Sokka replies, squeezing his hand a little tighter as the bus arrives. “I already found the most important thing there.”
Zuko knows he isn’t talking about the cookies.
Title: Christmas Cookie Quest
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Sokka/Zuko
Summary: ‘Twas the hours before Suki’s Christmas party and no cookies in sight, Sokka was in crisis mode but Zuko told him things would be alright…
Length: 1.7k
Notes: Alternate Universe - College AU, roommates, fluff and humor, grocery shopping, getting together, unintentional fake dating but only for like three seconds
AO3 link: here
“Zuko, I'm in crisis mode!”
Zuko doesn't respond to Sokka’s loud declaration right away. Firstly, because he's reading in his bedroom and Sokka’s yelling from their front door. And secondly, because Sokka has been in varying states of “crisis mode” since the calendar hit December 1st. Zuko has grown so used to it that he gifted Sokka a homemade card last week during exams that said “Merry Crisis!”
“What’s wrong?” Zuko shouts back after he’d marked the page in his book and put it away.
He hears Sokka’s footsteps thud across the apartment floor a second before he appears in his doorway, grasping at the doorframe to keep from falling over.
“I told Suki that I would bring cookies to her Christmas party tonight because that sounded like the easiest thing to volunteer for, but I don’t actually have any ingredients or anything to make cookies with. This is a disaster!”
Zuko goes over to Sokka and gives him a hug, which is what he usually resorts to when trying to make his roommate calm down. Sokka sighs and relaxes in his arms, burying his face in Zuko’s shoulder.
“Why don’t you just buy some cookies instead?” Zuko suggests. “There’s no shame in storebought cookies. You know Aang and Toph will eat them all before anyone else gets a chance anyway.”
Zuko also knows that both of them can barely cook, let alone do any baking – their kitchen is filled mostly with various takeout menus – so buying cookies is probably the better option anyway. (He does not really want to deal with accidental kitchen fires this close to the holidays.)
Sokka looks up and Zuko watches as his face morphs into a contemplative expression – the same one he makes when he’s theorizing about mixing chemical compounds for his chemistry homework assignments.
“I guess that’s not a bad idea,” he admits. “You wanna go to the store with me to search?”
“Sure.” Zuko isn’t going to say no to spending a little bit of extra time with Sokka before they part ways for the holiday break. He’s going to visit Uncle for a week, and he’s looking forward to that, but it’ll be a lot quieter without Sokka around.
They set off for the little grocery store down the street from their apartment. It’s never fully stocked, but it usually has all the most important essentials at least. But of course, today is not their lucky day.
“Someone else beat us to it, huh?” Zuko says as they stand together in front of the empty shelves that usually have all the cookies.
“Why does the universe hate me?” Sokka whines.
Zuko pats his shoulder, and suggests they head to another store.
*☆*☆*☆*☆*
It’s three more blocks to the next nearest store, one that’s slightly bigger and more crowded than their usual place. A little more pricier too, but they can afford to splurge a little for the holiday.
The cookie corner of the bakery section, however, is as barren as a dry desert. Zuko imagines they'd just missed a bunch of soccer moms passing through like a whirlwind and scooping up every last cookie in sight.
Sokka spins around searching nearby shelves as if the cookies might just be hidden from him. He only uncovers some fancy breads and a package of expired pastries instead.
“Christmas is ruined,” he declares.
Zuko stifles a laugh at Sokka’s dramatics.
“We still have some other places we can check.”
*☆*☆*☆*☆*
They catch a bus that’ll take them to another grocery store a little farther away. Zuko’s only been there once or twice, but he remembers that they have always have a wide variety of things to choose from. The cheese section in the deli, for example, was one of the most ridiculous things he’s ever seen in his life. Why do they even make so many different kinds?
He distracts Sokka from his worrying by voicing this question out loud, and they spend half the trip listing every kind of cheese they can think of and mispronouncing all the French ones on purpose.
When they arrive, they take a quick detour to look at all the cheeses – Sokka has opinions about the pricing of Swiss cheese (“it’s full of holes! You’re paying more for less cheese!”) – but they eventually make it to the section with all the cookies.
Or, rather, the section that would have all the cookies if they hadn’t already been sold out.
“Who is out here buying every cookie in the city?” Sokka laments, throwing his hands up towards the ceiling. Several nearby shoppers cast concerned looks at him as they pass by.
“A lot of people are hosting Christmas parties,” Zuko points out.
“Suki’s gonna ban me from attending any of her parties ever again for showing up empty-handed.”
Zuko is pretty sure that would never happen because Suki and the rest of their friends are kind, forgiving people (Zuko knows from experience) and this isn’t even a big deal. But he wraps an arm around Sokka’s shoulders and gives him a side-hug anyway. It’s nice how Sokka leans into him, even if he’s still pouting a little.
*☆*☆*☆*☆*
They get desperate enough to check three different gas station convenience stores, but none have Christmas cookies to purchase.
Zuko is beginning to think it’ll take an actual Christmas miracle to find what they’re looking for. They’re beginning to run short on time before the party, and Sokka is threatening to buy fruitcake instead.
Even Zuko doesn't want to inflict that on their friends.
*☆*☆*☆*☆*
They decide to check out one last grocery store located on the other side of the city before they finally admit defeat. Sokka sits in his bus seat, wringing his hands together, until Zuko places his hands on top of them to calm his fidgeting. He remembers Sokka doing the same for him the last time he was pacing around their apartment worried about his grades. The reassurance and support had helped, and he hopes he’s able to provide that for Sokka too, even if his worries are overblown and unfounded.
“Please have cookies, please have cookies,” Sokka mutters under his breath as they step inside the store.
Neither Zuko nor Sokka have ever been to this grocery store before, and they quickly discover that the whole set-up is a lot different than the other places they’ve visited today.
“Why isn’t there a standard layout for every grocery store?” Zuko complains as they somehow get lost in the cereal aisle and then the frozen pizza section.
“What if we just get trapped in here forever? Then I wouldn’t have to worry about Suki’s party at all.” Sokka is surprisingly cheerful about the possibility.
“You know Katara would send out a search party to find us eventually.”
Sokka sighs and slumps over again. “That’s true. I guess there’s no escaping my fate.”
Just as they’re about to give up after a shortcut through the pet food aisle, Zuko spots the bakery section from a distance. And squinting at the display, he thinks there might be one package of cookies left, a shining red and green beacon of hope to end this adventure.
Excited, he grabs Sokka’s hand and drags him across the store. By the time, they reach the bakery, they’re practically running with anticipation. Sokka stretches his free hand out towards what is indeed a package of Christmas cookies, complete with green and red icing and sprinkles on top. Perfect for a party.
But another hand, from a stranger, lands on the package at the same time Sokka’s does.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”
Zuko and Sokka both look up to see an elderly lady pushing a shopping cart. She’s laughing as she draws her hand away from the package.
“Oh no,” Sokka shakes his head. “You were here first. You take them.” He offers the last container of cookies to the woman.
She just smiles warmly and shakes her head too. “No, no. I don’t need them anyway. I’d rather a nice young couple like yourselves enjoy them instead.” She gently sets the package back in Sokka’s hands, pats Zuko’s cheek, and then heads off deeper into the labyrinthine store.
The two of them stare after her until she disappears.
“Well that was a thing that happened,” Zuko says, and then steers Sokka in the direction of the checkout, which is blessedly located nearby. “But at least we finally got the Christmas cookies for the party.”
Sokka, however, is frowning as they step in line for the nearest cash register. “Yeah, but she thought we were dating. It feels wrong to lie to a nice old lady like that. It’s like lying to Gran-Gran.”
He sets the cookies on the conveyor belt and then rummages through his pockets for his wallet.
Zuko stares at Sokka for a long moment, thinking about all the times he’s held Sokka’s hand and hugged him and wished secretly for more.
“Maybe it doesn’t have to be a lie,” Zuko suggests.
Sokka blinks, looking confused. “You mean like… fake dating? For a stranger we’ll never see again?”
There’s an awkward pause while Zuko resists the urge to slam his head into the nearest display of candy bars. Sokka is extremely intelligent, but can be dense at the worst times.
“No, I mean like real dating. I’m not… opposed to the idea,” Zuko says, embarrassed.
“Oh!” Sokka brightens up considerably. “Yeah, actually, I’ve thought about it before. I wasn’t sure if you were interested though. But, yeah… I’d love to be your boyfriend… for real.”
Zuko pulls him into another hug, forgetting where they are for a moment, until the cashier says “congratulations” in a bored tone that would rival Mai’s, and then hands Sokka back his change.
“Oh, right! Sorry!” Sokka scrambles to shove his change back in his wallet, Zuko grabs the cookies, and then they do the most embarrassing power-walk out of the store together.
By the time they reach the nearest bus stop, the awkwardness has melted away into excitement, and they’re both laughing as Sokka reaches out to twine their fingers together again.
“You know we can never go back to that store,” Zuko teases.
“Well, I don’t need to anyway,” Sokka replies, squeezing his hand a little tighter as the bus arrives. “I already found the most important thing there.”
Zuko knows he isn’t talking about the cookies.
