#where you might think suki calms them down but she ends up going WAY harder than all of them and hijinks ensue | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

atlabeth · 3 years

Text

transferred part twelve - atla smau

masterlist | part eleven | part thirteen

this takes place about 2 weeks after the last chapter

summary: trying to run from your past is hard, but falling for your brother’s roommate is even harder. little do you know that he’s falling for you as well.

wc: 3.6k

a/n: i’ve been writing bits and pieces of this since the start of this series so. enjoy. that’s all im gonna say lmao

warning(s): cursing, mentions of familial death, mentions of abuse, some angst but also some fluff. this is kind of a heavy chapter because both zuko and y/n talk about their past, but there is fluff at the end.

~~~~~~~~

You pushed your hair out of your face and tried to blink the sleep out of your eyes, catching a glimpse of the time on the corner of your laptop.

3:23 AM.

You should’ve been asleep a long time ago, but all of your professors had decided to schedule tests in the same week so it was one of many, many late nights you had had lately. You thought that they would cool down because midterms were coming up, but BSSU professors kept proving you wrong. Late nights like these were becoming a regular occasion, and right now you just needed a break.

The tea dates with Zuko were the only things keeping you sane. But could you even call them dates?

It was the two of you, together, sitting and talking over tea for hours, and they were happening multiple times a week. In fact, you and him had gotten tea together exactly 9 times in the past two weeks — and that wasn’t even counting all the talking during your shared shifts.

Katara, Suki, and Toph told you that they were dates, you wanted them to be dates, but there was a part of you that was so incredibly scared that you were wrong — that moving past that bridge would ruin the friendship that you cherished so much with Zuko — that you kept things solely platonic. No matter how much you wanted to kiss him every time he gave you that smile.

But thinking about the complicated relationship you had found yourself entangled in with Zuko wasn’t a break, no matter how many times you had pondered over it before falling asleep in the wee hours of the night.

You closed your laptop and grabbed your jacket that had been carelessly tossed on a stool at the kitchen island, making sure to sneak out of the apartment as quietly as you could. You opted to work in the living room, choosing to camp out on the sofa whenever you had to stay up as late as this, just so you wouldn’t wake up Sokka. Your brother had no idea how much you did for him.

The cool breeze hitting your face and the shining stars in the sky were a welcome change of scenery from the lifelessness that was your apartment at night and your computer screen that you were sure was going to cause you eye issues later in life with how bright it was.

You took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling the crisp night air, and started to walk. You were sure you looked like a mess. You were wearing some flannel pajama pants, a BSSU tank top, tennis shoes, and Zuko’s jacket. He had never asked for it back after that night at the party, and when you had showed up to one of your hangouts wearing it, he told you that you could keep it — “it looks better on you anyways” — so you did.

There was something calming about the atmosphere. You knew that a lot of women were anxious about going out at night, especially alone, but that was why you had taken self defense classes. Being friends with Suki was a self defense class in its own, and it was very much appreciated. You allowed yourself to get lost in your thoughts, trying to give yourself the break that you deserved, when the hairs on the back of your neck stood up.

“You know, it’s not safe to be out alone at this hour.”

You let out a scream at the unexpected voice and whirled around, your fists already up to defend yourself. When you saw who it was, you laughed, completely shocked, and hit your hands against your legs, trying to calm your rapidly beating heart.

“Holy shit, Zuko, you can’t just sneak up on someone like that!” you wheezed. You had no doubt that he only had good intentions, but for a second you thought someone was going to try and kill you. You had to admit, the scare was worth it to see the mix of horror and embarrassment on Zuko’s face.

“I’m so sorry!” His hands were held up placatingly in front of him and he let out a nervous laugh as well, but it did nothing to cover up the wide eyes he stared at you with. “I am so sorry, I didn’t even think about that. I- I was just up studying too, and I heard you leaving so I thought you could use some company- I swear, I wasn’t trying to scare you or anything!”

You shook your head but couldn’t stop the smile on your lips, gesturing for him to come closer while you caught your breath. “It’s fine. Come on, walk with me.”

He fell into step beside you and the two of you walked in silence for a while, the only disruptions being the occasional car that drove by. It was eerily quiet, but with Zuko, it was nice.

“So-”

Both of you laughed when you each interrupted the other, and when you motioned for Zuko to go first he shook his head. You paused for a moment, the question on the tip of your tongue, before you decided to take the plunge.

“I’ve been wondering since I got here; how did you end up as friends with—” You gestured around with your hands. “—this whole crew? It’s kind of a weird combination of people, so I guess I just wanna know how you became a part of it.”

Zuko sighed and ran a hand through his hair, causing your eyes to widen a little bit as a stammered apology came out. “You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to-” He gave you a tight smile and shook his head.

“No, it’s fine. You should know about my life if— if we’re going to keep living together.” He knew the moment he met you, the moment he agreed to let you live with all of them, that he would have to explain his past to you. Hell, your siblings might have already told you some of it — he could only hope you’d still want to be his friend after he was done.

“”I.. I wasn’t the best person in the past. I was a horrible person actually, and I consider myself extremely lucky that I was given so many chances to change. I hurt people. Bullied people. Got into fights just because I could. I was just- horrible is the only way to describe it. But your siblings, Toph, Aang? They were all people that decided to give me one of those chances, and they’re a huge reason that I am who I am today.” Zuko spoke slowly, and you could tell that this was something he didn’t open up to many people about. You smiled softly at him and nodded, letting him know that he could go on.

“I don’t know how much you know about my father, but he’s the CEO of our family company. He’s been this huge presence in the business world for as long as I can remember, and he’s responsible for all the wealth and fame that our family has today. And when I was younger, I idolized him. I thought he was the greatest man in the world, that he could do no wrong, and I just followed him blindly. He was the most important person in my life, but.. I was nothing to him.”

“He didn’t care about his friends, or- or his family, he only cared about power. My mother left when I was young, we haven’t heard a word from her since, and- and I don’t even know if he cared. My father would do whatever it took to become as powerful as he could, and that meant—” Zuko’s voice was getting louder and he cleared his throat, trying to keep his cool. There was a certain hollowness behind his eyes, and it tore you to pieces. “That meant hurting anyone that went against him. Including his children.”

“I have a sister, Azula. She’s a prodigy in every sense of the word, and my father used it, used her. She was clearly his favorite, and it drove me insane. I mean, I did everything for his approval, but he only cared about Azula. We had a good relationship when we were younger, but my father molded her into the kind of person he wanted her to be, and— and I was jealous of her. He used that against us, purposefully staked the fire of our competition, one that I thought I could somehow win. But we had both already lost the second we started fighting against each other.”

“It took me a long time to realize that.. that he was abusing us. I mean, he gave me this scar all because I spoke out of turn, and— and I still thought that I could earn his favor, that he deserved to earn my favor! He threw me out of the house when I was thirteen, and I went to live with my uncle. It took an even longer time, but with his help, and the support of your siblings and their friends, I was able to break the cycle. I was horrible to them at first, all of them, and I hated my father for what he did, but it was probably the thing that saved me.” “And Azula.. leaving her will always be my biggest regret. My biggest mistake. I should’ve forced her to come with me when I was kicked out, I should’ve done something sooner, because maybe she wouldn’t have turned out the way she did.” He swallowed hard, his voice strained. “I came back for her once I was stable, and I helped her get out. I helped her get a therapist. It’s been a long process, but she’s getting better every day. But not a day goes by where I don’t think about what I could’ve done to help her more.”

You instinctively reached out for Zuko’s hand, and to your surprise, he took it without question. You gave his hand a small squeeze and led him over to a nearby bench — without realizing it, the two of you had entered a public park that was near the complex. When you sat down together, you moved so that one of your legs was crossed in front of you and the other was hanging down so you could face him.

“Zuko.. I am so, so sorry. I don’t think any amount of apologies will be able to get how I feel across, but.. you didn’t deserve to go through that. No one deserves to go through that.” You took both of his hands, thankful for the warmth they provided. “Listen to me. Are you listening to me?”

He gave a pained smile and nodded. “Yes, Y/N. I’m listening to you.”

“You are not who you were in middle school. You are not who you were in high school. Okay? Your father is a horrible man, and you wouldn’t have done any of those things if it wasn’t for him. What you did when you were younger wasn’t okay, but the fact that you have so much remorse for it today proves that you’re a good person. Zuko, you are a good person, one of the best men that I’ve ever met in my life, and I’ve only known you for a few months.”

You were subconsciously rubbing calming circles into the back of his hands — hands that were still holding yours — while you talked, but it was all Zuko could think about. “I know you feel guilty about leaving your sister, but you did what you had to do to get out. You came back for her, and you’ve helped her get better. She’s grateful for it, Zuko, I know that much.”

“Everyone else has forgiven you,” you murmured, staring deep into the fire he held in his eyes. “You deserve to forgive yourself.”

The silence that passed while you gazed into each other’s eyes felt like it lasted an eternity, when really it was only about a minute. Zuko was the first to break it, clearing his throat and looking everywhere but at you as his words tumbled out. “I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to dump all of this on you at once.”

“It’s okay, Zuko, really. I understand; sometimes you just need to talk to somebody. You don’t know how much it means to me that you trusted me with all of that. And.. if we’re still baring our souls to each other, then I guess I have some things that you should know as well.”

You bit the inside of your cheek; were you really about to tell Zuko about what happened? Most people knew that your mother was dead — killed in a drunk driving accident when you were ten — but you had never told anyone, not even your father or your siblings, about the full effect it had on you. But his eyes told you more than he ever could, and in that moment you knew it would be okay. You could trust him with something you had never trusted anyone else with.

“I’m sure you know that my mother died when I was young.” He nodded and you swallowed, trying to get rid of the sudden dryness in your throat. “It was.. hard. Really hard, on all of us. It was just so unexpected that we didn’t know what to do. We didn’t really have any money to spare, so my dad had to keep working, and I had to take care of Sokka and Katara. I was only eleven, but I basically had to take over the ‘mom’ role. Our grandmother came down to take care of us so we wouldn’t just be a bunch of kids living on our own, but even with her and Katara’s help, it was still hard. Sokka and Katara had to grow up much faster than they should’ve, even though I tried to shield them as much as I could.”

“It was.. a lot. I won’t lie to you, it was a lot. Maybe too much.” A mirthless laugh hung in the air and you had to blink back the tears threatening to spring. “My mother was.. amazing. She was the only one who truly got me, you know? She was just this— this beautiful spirit in the world, and she brought light wherever she went. And when she died, it left this.. huge, gaping hole in my heart, one that I’m still trying to fill. I- I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fill it. I thought as I got older it would be easier, but i-it’s not. The three of us joke around by calling Katara mom because of how she is, and they sometimes do it to me, and I know that’s all they are, jokes, but some part of it still hurts.”

You were rambling now, spilling your soul to Zuko, going into the most mundane details that you had never told anyone. You had taken away the dam that had been holding back the waters of your emotions for so long, and now Zuko was going to drown in them. But you couldn’t stop.

“It’s the reason why I didn’t drive for so long. I didn’t want to, I was terrified of it because of what happened to my mother, but someone needed to be able to take Sokka and Katara around. And- and as I got older, and I started going to parties and people started drinking, I never did. I couldn’t, I was always the designated driver, because I couldn’t leave that in someone else’s hands. I had to be in control, because if I let someone go, then it was like I was killing my mother all over again, and it’s the reason why I always have to be the one driving—”

You paused to take a deep breath, and as you looked down at your hands, you realized they were shaking. Not just your hands, but your entire body. What the hell were you doing? You let out a tearful laugh, covering your mouth with one hand and shaking your head. “God, I am so sorry, I— I don’t know what got into me.”

Zuko’s eyes never left yours, his own glassy, and he shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize. Like you said, it helps to tell someone. A-and— I know how you feel, what it’s like feeling like you have to give up the world for your siblings. But you have to take care of yourself too. You’re not just what you can give to other people. You are your own person.”

He was thankful that you trusted him enough to tell you something like this about yourself, something that your own blood didn’t even know, but it also made him realize that you had always trusted him.

Your point about driving. You liked to be in control so that if something did go wrong, there wouldn’t be any thoughts of what you could’ve done. If something happened, it was because of you and only you. And on your first day of classes, and many trips since, you had let him drive. It was something so small, so insignificant to anyone, but to you it was a sign of trust.

You trusted him.

“You’re shivering.” Your voice snapped Zuko back to reality and he shrugged, the smallest smile playing on his lips.

“I wouldn’t be if someone had given me my jacket back,” he joked. You elbowed him in the chest and stood up, holding out your hand for him to take to help him up as well. Zuko took it and you ignored the butterflies that erupted, setting a steady pace as the two of you walked.

“We should get back to the apartment. It’s late, and you need to sleep,” you chided.

“You have bags the size of baseballs under your eyes. I think you need sleep just as much as I do.”

“I’m special,” you shot back with a grin.

Yeah, you are, Zuko thought.

The walk back to the apartment was shrouded in comfortable silence and intertwined hands, something that neither of you made any move to change.

~~~~~~~~

Soon enough you had gotten back to your rooms — such a small apartment meant that they were right next to each other — and as you turned on your heel to face him, a shy smile played on your lips. “Thank you. For, uh- coming after me. For listening to me.”

“Of course,” he nodded. The two of you stood in silence for a while, and then Zuko reached out his hand. Your breath caught in your throat as he brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear, and the close proximity combined with the surprisingly intimate act caused your cheeks to heat up once more. It was like you were caught in a trance.

Your gaze flickered from his eyes to his lips for just a moment, and you could’ve sworn that he did the same. The air between the two of you was crackling with unseen electricity, and before you could question yourself you were leaning forward.

You felt him lean in as well as your eyes fluttered shut, and his lips ghosted over yours. Your eyes snapped open and you stared at him, your lips slightly parted in disbelief — he just kissed you. Zuko just kissed you. It was like time had stopped — and then it all came crashing down. His lips came back to yours with an intense fervor, cupping your face in his hands to get as close to you as possible.

It was bliss in the purest sense. You reciprocated immediately, tangling a hand in his dark hair, letting out a soft gasp as your back hit the wall. Despite how many times you had imagined this moment, nothing could compare to the real thing. It was passionate but gentle all the same, and the warmth that spread through your whole body was familiar — it was Zuko.

Your mind was a jumbled mess. It was split a million different ways; one part suddenly very worried about how your hair looked, one hoping that Sokka and Aang couldn’t hear you, another that didn’t care, but most of them were just screaming about how oh my god you were kissing Zuko.

You knew your whole face was flushed when you finally pulled away, and the warmth of his lips lingered as the two of you stared at each other, breathing slightly labored. You tentatively reached out your hand and softly, carefully traced your finger over a part of his scar. He flinched at the contact instinctively, but you felt him relax and even lean into your touch. It meant more than you could ever say, especially knowing what you knew now.

“You’re so beautiful,” you murmured, your touch impossibly soft against the cracked skin of his scar. “And you’re stronger than anyone knows. Than you know.”

You kissed him again, shorter and sweeter than the first but just as tender, trying to memorize the feeling of his lips against yours as he returned it. You smiled at him and pushed your door open behind you, equal parts nervous and exhilarated about what just happened. “Goodnight, Zuko,” you whispered, shining eyes never leaving his until you closed the door.

As soon as you were in your room you turned around and leaned against the door, smiling to yourself like an idiot. Your hand ghosted over your cheek, the spot where his hands had been, and you sighed dreamily. You had no idea how you were going to be able to finish studying.

This was definitely more than a small crush.

~~~~~~~~~~

perm taglist: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin

taglist: @ourbestfriend-mishacollins @lil-lex1 @xxshad0wxb1rdxx @zuko-is-the-sun @akiris @irohs-teapot @thatarthistorynerd @charlenasaxen @minninugget @marvel-ousnesss @count-thotticus @what-ye-egg @furblrwurblr @thesstuff @mariachiii @ietss @dizzy-miss-lizzieeeeee @xbarrjallenx @tommy-braccoli @dreamsluvrr @floofybread @thelovelylolly @lin-biefong-is-my-life @tiffanyy-21 @sistheselenophile @theincredibledeadlyviper @bakugouswh0r3

send an ask, a dm, or reply if you want to be added to the taglist!

also i am so sorry i suck at writing kiss scenes dont roast me please

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla #zuko #atla smau #social media au #zuko smau #zuko x reader #smau #atla fic #zuko fic #zuko x you #zuko x y/n #avatar fic #avatar the last airbender fic

241 notes · View notes

just-jordie-things · 4 years

Note

Maybe 11 and 73 w Sokka please🥺

prompt 11: “i almost lost you” kiss prompt 73: height difference kisses where one person has to bend down and the other is on their tippy toes ___

Well, this isn’t how I thought I was going to die today.

Although the actions you took that led you to this consequence were... instinctual and probably idiotic- oh, and life threatening- it was for the best, you decided.

Because had you not leapt at Toph and yanked her behind you with all your might, she probably would have fallen to her death. The metal beneath her was giving out, and there was no time to do anything else.

You saw a friend in trouble, and you did what you had to in order to save them. In your book, that was the right thing, the good thing.

But it only took an instant for your course of life to change.

You lunged for Toph, gripping her wrist so tight that she would have a bruise in the shape of your hand there later, and all but threw her behind you. Hard enough and fast enough that she flew back and rolled against the ground, her head hitting the metal railings of the walkway pretty roughly.

There was only a second for you to process that she’d gotten hurt, but the more pressing issue was you hadn’t calculated what to do once you’d gotten Toph away from the danger, which you were now smack in the middle in.

But there was no time for you to race back to safety, because you were already stumbling, and you couldn’t even scream as you felt your foot give out beneath you, sending you backwards through the opening of the ship.

Just as you desperately tried to claw at the rledge, a hand grabbed onto yours, and your body was dangling in the air, with only Sokka’s grip keeping you from falling to your death.

“Hang on!” He shouted to you, grunting as he struggled to hold your weight with just one hand.

You looked up at him wildly, in shock that he’d caught you in time, in fear that if you were to fall now, he’d blame himself forever.

“Okay” You said, voice cracking from the burning in your throat.

You reached your other hand out to grab onto his, hoping that if you anchored yourself better he’d be able to use his own weight to pull you back up.

But his other hand was gripping onto the ship, keeping himself from going over the edge with you. That left him no room to move to pull you up, and you realized this pretty quickly.

But as Sokka struggled to figure out a plan, you could tell the gears in his head were turning too fast to allow him to see this problem. He was facing a wave of denial, and neither of you had the time to deal with it.

“Sokka-” You called, and by the drop in your voice alone, he knew what you were going to say.

“No,” He replied before you could start, his tone gravely serious, but you could see the tears glossing over his eyes. “No, don’t do that, just- just hold on, I’ll figure something-”

“Sokka,” You said again, your voice cracking, and your hands squeezing his arm. “It’s okay”

“No-”

“I mean it,” You cried out. “It’s okay”

“Don’t- don’t talk like that! Just give me a second- Toph!” He turned to look over his shoulder, shrieking at the unconscious girl. “Toph, help me!”

You tried to blink away your tears, but they had already fallen. They streaked down your cheeks, and plummeted to the ground a thousand feet below.

“Sokka, just let me go, it’s okay, you can’t-”

“Yes, I can!”

“You’ll kill yourself!” You argued, your shriek echoing throughout the chasm below. “You have to do this- you have to let me do this!”

Your crying was making it hard not to slur your words, but you tried your best, because Sokka was growing weak from holding on so long.

“Just... let go”

“I can’t,” Sokka cried, shaking his head, the first tear falling. “I can’t, I can’t, (y/n)-”

“Then let me let go” You murmured, only making Sokka tighten his grip as much as he could. His fingers dug so deep into your skin that you worried he’d snap your wrist before he’d let you go.

“No, no I can’t do it, I’m not losing you!”

Fuck, you love him, you think, as you begin to sob, you love him so much that you’d die for him.

And here you are.

“I know,” You said softly, nodding at him, your body shaking from your crying and the all-consuming fear of death. “I know, Sokka”

For a moment he’s comforted. He feels calm and centered, because you’re so soothing, and the way you look at him makes him feel like there’s all the time in the world, that everything will be fine, and you’ll be okay.

But then he snaps back to reality, and he’s shaking his head at you, unable to form any more words.

Deep down, he knows there’s nothing he can say to convince you not to do what you’re about to do.

He just can’t accept it.

“(y/n), please,” His words are strangled, and he’s got nothing left. “Please”

"I’m sorry, Sokka,”

You take in a deep breath.

“Forgive me”

The world goes to slow motion then, you’re sure of it.

As you launch your legs up so you can kick yourself out of Sokka’s hold, he screams something awful, the sound heartbreaking, and just as your hands break free from his, you wonder if you’ve made a mistake.

But you’re already falling, regrets be damned.

You think the last thing you see will be the pained look on Sokka’s face as he still struggles to try and reach for you.

This isn’t how I thought I was going to die today, you thought, and you close your eyes so you don’t have to look at Sokka like that anymore.

Just as you think you’re about to be embraced by a painful death, you crash.

That definitely wasn’t a thousand foot plummet into rocks, you thought as you groan, and peek your eyes open.

“(y/n)!”

Suki is standing above you, a shocked but excited look on her face.

“Suki-?” You whimper in pain.

“Spirits, did you just jump off that ship?” The Kyoshi Warrior asked, and helped you to your feet, before signaling up to Sokka, who stood thirty feet up on the platform, holding a half-knocked out Toph on his back.

“I- I-” You struggled with your words as you rubbed your head.

“Good thing I came when I did!” Suki said, checking you over to make sure you didn’t have any serious injuries. “You could have died!”

You scoffed at the irony, holding your head in both hands as you tried to still your spinning brain.

“Holy shit, (y/n)!”

Sokka was before you in an instant, only dizzying your vision more. You barely registered him helping Toph over to Suki, before he was waving his hand in front of your face.

“Hey, stay with me, you alright?” He asked softly, one hand steadying your shoulder as the other held a couple fingers in front of your face. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Three?”

“Good guess,” He grumbled, knowing you were making up an answer. “Spirits, don’t you ever do something like that again, okay? Ever”

“Sorry” You whine, your eyes screwing shut as you press your hands harder against your skull.

You couldn’t tell if your headache was from your harsh fall, or from the adrenaline washing over you too late.

“Sorry’s not good enough,” Sokka muttered.

He was angry, but he was also incredibly worried about you. So while he grumbled a string of curses and scoldings, his hands were cupping your cheeks and pushing your loose hair out of your face. You only heard a handful of the things he was saying, but you heard enough to get the gist.

“Yeah yeah,” You mumbled, opening your eyes in hope you could see clearly.

To your delight, you were met with his bright blue eyes in your face, and you were convinced that alone straightened your vision.

“No self sacrifices,” The rest of your sarcastic remark comes out in a mumble. “Got it”

Sokka shakes his head at you, and he wants to scold you some more, but he can’t help himself but lean down and kiss you.

You almost died for fuck’s sake. He needs to have said he kissed you at least once.

He’s bending over and you find yourself shooting up to the tips of your toes to meet him in a kiss. It’s quick and a little rough because you don’t have all the time in the world, but it’s everything.

In the four seconds it lasted, you just needed to convey every pent up emotion you’ve felt for each other in the last four months. Maybe even longer. And somehow in such a short span of time, you both managed to do so.

“Seriously,” Sokka whispers, his eyes locking on yours so you knew he meant business. “You ever try to die again, I’ll kill you, got it?”

All you can do is shakily nod back at him, now reeling from the near-death experience and the hot kiss he’d just laid on you.

“I’m not losing you, and you’re stuck with me” He tells you, and you nod again, a smile spreading on your lips this time.

“I can work with that”

“Good,” He nods back, and takes your hand. “Now let’s go make sure this war ends right, so I can take you out”

You’re back in the action all too soon, but for some reason, you find yourself fighting even better than before. Your coordination and swiftness as you take down the rest of the Fire Nation fleet better than they’ve ever been before.

You must really want to live to make it to that date.

#atla #sokka #sokka x reader #sokka imagine #sokka scenario

174 notes · View notes

the-last-cuddlebender · 4 years

Note

Since I don't really enjoy character death fics (I'm an absolute crying mess after reading them😂😭) I request a fluffy fic where, a few months after bumi is born, the gaang get together and they all want to carry bumi after not seeing him for so long😂🤷‍♀️

Character death fics chip away my soul I stg (tho I might just make that fic a coming-home fix since I left Aang’s death kindof dubious👀)

This prompt was a lot more fun than I anticipated lol. I’m still a tad loopy from my fever, so grammar may or may not be optional😅. I hope you enjoy my hot mess madness tho!

(Bestuncle!Sokka? Bestuncle!Sokka😤)

Words: 1,023

*******************************************

“Sokka.”

“No.”

“Sokka...”

“No.”

“Sokka—!”

“You just had him! It’s my turn! Besides, I’m his favorite.” Sokka bumped his nose with Bumi’s and tickled his tummy with his fingers. Bumi was hardly as big as a loaf of bread, but his laugh was as loud as Appa’s happy-groan-growl. “Isn’t that right, Boom-erang? Yes, it is. Yes, it is~ Ow!”

Bumi didn’t let go of Sokka’s finger even as Sokka stomped his foot and bit his lip to hold back a curse that would have given Katara more than enough reason to end him. Bumi may not have any teeth, but, Spirits, did the kid have some jaw strength.

“That, Snoozles, is called karma.” Toph simultaneously scooped Bumi from under his arms and bumped her hip to Sokka’s; and though the touch seemed light, the Water Tribe warrior left a dent in the wall as he flew from the blow.

(Zuko winced and probed Sokka’s drooling, almost-broken form. Sokka clung to life...but just barely.)

Maternity suited Toph just as beautifully as Katara, and Bumi smiled a supernova when she cradled him in her arms. His grasping hands reached for her face and patted her cheeks to feel the curve of her smile.

“Awwww, look at you, little warrior,” Suki cooed. She offered her fingers for Bumi to latch onto, and his giggle reached crescendo as she wiggled his little fists. “You are absolutely adorable. You’ve grown so much!”

“He’s heavier, too.” Toph frowned. “And a little cold. Hey, Flames-for-Brains—”

Zuko was a shadow at Suki’s shoulder and already curling his hands under Bumi’s bum and back. It had taken him a while to learn how to hold Bumi just right, but now Zuko accepted the transfer with ease.

Bumi froze, looked shocked, and then turned to bury his face in the little sun holding him.

Suki cooed some more. “Looks like you’ve got some best-uncle competition, Sokka.”

Sokka was on his feet in the next second. He looked at Suki like she just grew a third head. “What?!” he cried, his voice cracking like when they were kids.

They all laughed, Sokka sulked, and none of them thought anything of Sokka’s (or their own) volume until Bumi flinched and sniffled.

Then he started to cry.

And Sokka looked ready to throw himself on a pyre to save his nephew from even one more tear.

“Sokka!” Suki hissed. Zuko looked as ticked as she sounded.

“Oh, nononono, it’s okay Boom-erang. It’s okay. I’m sorry.” Sokka tripped over himself to offer his hands to the babe in a small sign of apology. “It’s okay. Uncle Sokka was just being silly.”

Bumi’s tears thinned to small streams...

...but not before the Avatar tore through the temple to save his crying little world.

Aang turned the corner at such a high speed and at such a sharp angle that he slid, parallel to the ground, into the adjacent wall. He was shirtless, shoeless, and so flushed with panic that he rearranged his facial anatomy with how wide he made his eyes.

“Bumi?” He fell twice before standing. “Guys, where—What’s Bumi—?”

“Calm down, Twinkletoes. Bumi is fine. Sokka is just a moron.”

“It was an accident!” Sokka pleaded in a whisper.

Aang teleported to Zuko’s side. Bumi turned to his father like a sunflower did to the sun—knowing where he was and grasping for him even though his eyes were closed.

Once Aang had little Bumi safe in his arms, his world stopped tilting all crooked. His baby boy’s cry was broken by a comforted sound—content—that muted his next whine into a dull whimper. Smacking his lips, Bumi cuddled into the warm safety that held him, but he squirmed when he found no robe to hold onto.

“Shhh, shhh, shhh...It’s okay, Boom-Boom. Daddy’s here. Shhh…” Aang held Bumi high enough so one of his hands could anchor onto his prayer beads. Bumi’s other hand flailed until it found the fingers of Aang’s free hand, and Bumi finally—finally, bless the Spirits—calmed. He almost looked on the verge of sleep. He curled into his father’s chest, bodily hugged Aang’s hand, and gently gnawed his fingers.

Then it was quiet.

Then Toph smacked the back of Sokka’s head.

Then Suki did, too.

“Ow! What was that for?”

They said nothing, but their glares said everything. Zuko walked up, pinched the bridge of his nose, and flicked between Sokka’s eyes.

“Seriously?!”

“Hehe!”

They all looked over at father and son. Bumi giggled again and held Aang’s finger a little bit tighter.

“There’s that smile,” Aang said. He kissed Bumi’s head and blew a small raspberry that made his son giggle even louder and squirm even more.

Then Aang stopped.

And Bumi looked at Sokka expectantly.

Then Bumi started to cry.

Suki turned on Sokka. “What did you do?!” she demanded in a whisper that shook the room like a shout.

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Sokka!”

“I swear, Zuko! I swear!”

Toph smacked the back of Sokka’s head again.

And Bumi…Bumi giggled.

Toph smiled something evil. “I think Bumi thought that was funny.”

Zuko pinched between his eyes and mumbled a dozen different prayers to a dozen different deities. Sokka backed up like he wanted to do the same, especially when Bumi cried again.

“Now, now, come on, guys, let’s not—Come on, Suki, I know at least you can’t…u-um…”

Katara rounded the corner so fast that a wind like a bite-sized hurricane chased in her wake. The way she slid into her brother should have sent Sokka through the wall, but the Spirits Zuko had prayed to cushioned Sokka’s travel through the air by catapulting him among the sacks of flour and grain.

Bumi laughed like he was born to do nothing else but smile. Katara melted, weighed down by a relieved grin, as she vanished and reappeared at Aang’s side.

She kissed her husband and son, gave Bumi one extra just because, and turned to the others like she was a spirit that demanded a blood sacrifice if she were to remain benevolent.

Katara looked to Suki for an answer. Suki shrugged and pointed to Sokka.

...Toph grinned something even more evil than evil.

...Zuko sighed again but with passion and sulked into a corner to alert the mortal coil that everything was about to go to shit.

Sokka paused his struggle of getting free of the grain bags, shivered from the sudden cold rippling through the weave of the universe, and pulled himself out with a plea at the ready.

“Katara, listen, I don’t know what they said, but it’s not—”

The universe was merciful and Katara was all-knowing, but Sokka didn’t know what to think when his sister dragged him by his scruff to an awaiting Aang and a fitful Bumi.

Then Bumi looked at Sokka expectantly.

And Aang put his baby boy into Sokka’s arms.

Sokka still didn’t know what to do even as Bumi smiled and squirmed, his hands reaching for something.

“I’m sorry, Boom-erang. Uncle Sokka didn’t mean to scare you. He promises not to—Ow!”

Bumi smiled around Sokka’s finger. Spirits, the kid had some jaw strength.

The world got a little lighter as Sokka’s once impending doom retreated back into the form of his sister. Katara was shoulder-to-shoulder with him and making Bumi smile even wider when she brushed the fine hairs on his head.

“...You’re lucky you’re his favorite,” she whispered.

Now it was Sokka’s turn to smile, and he couldn’t care less when Bumi gnawed a little harder.

“That’s my little Boom-erang~” he cooed. “I knew you would come back around.”

*******************************************

I’m still trying to get a knack for writing Sokka. He’s the member of the Gaang I struggle the most with idk why. I would have thought he’d be the easiest for me, but nope

(And, yes, that was a shameless Ice Age reference in there lol)

(Also! I’m trying to do these prompts in order (IM NOT IGNORING ANY OF THEM I SWEAR I LOVE AND APPRECIATE THEM ALL DEARLY), so up next: kataang pilot AU!)

#bumi ii #sokka #katara #suki #toph #aang #zuko #kataang #avatar the last airbender #the legend of korra #bestuncle!Sokka #atla #my eyes are so watery I can’t see my frickin screen someone end my suffering ahhhhhhhhh #cloudfamily #gaang #fic request #answered #myfanfictiontag #post

40 notes · View notes

chaoticevilbean · 4 years

Text

Firebender!Sokka AU

Just a Scene Part 1/?

Pakku and Katara separated from their hug, smiles still firmly in place. Katara opened her mouth to continue their conversation, but snapped it shut as a realization hit her.

“Where’s Sokka,” she asked, her head swiveling to look for the other. Pakku’s brow furrowed as the waterbending master came to the same thought. The boy hadn’t come over, despite his sister’s exclamation at the sight of her old teacher and now grandfather.

“He’s over there, Sugar Queen,” Toph pointed from where she stood by Zuko and Suki. All three seemed at least slightly confused and waiting for some sort of explanation. Katara glanced over at where Toph pointed, seeing her brother speaking with the masters, and strode over to the rest of the team. It would be better to clarify the situation now instead of waiting.

Master Pakku did not walk over to another person. He did not call after his student and granddaughter. He did not move in any way besides turning to face the other adults. His mind was reeling at the sight before him.

Sokka was speaking to Piandao with more respect than the waterbender had ever seen the boy use. He spoke in a similar manner to Jeong Jeong, but he was also looser with the former admiral, occasionally nudging the man on the shoulder in a playful way. Bumi did not receive any formality or the respect he might elicit as a king. Instead, the royal threw his arm around Sokka, and even from his distanced position, Pakku could hear the terrible jokes his colleague was interjecting with. All four of the people were acting friendly with each other, and Sokka fit in with them like the winning move in a game of Pai Sho.

Pakku had heard about the other masters’ experiences with the Avatar and his friends. He had shared his own at the same meeting. He would’ve joined the group if it had just been the strange behaviors. He was not in any way prepared for when Jeong Jeong threw a fireball at Sokka’s head and the teen caught it, laughing like it was an inside joke.

His grandson… his Water Tribe grandson… was a firebender. A strong one if he could catch such a close attack with the ease he did. And had he not been informed from the others about the firebender of non-Fire Nation heritage? The very same men now conversing as though there had been no fire, no strangeness to the situation. His grandson, the very same he had passed off as an annoyance; who he’d assumed was as idiotic as his actions; who was cocky and was cut from the very mission he’d joined despite having a team to protect; that very same boy was one of the most powerful, if not the most, powerful firebender in the world.

And the boy hadn’t even greeted Pakku in passing. He’d simply joined the other elders and struck up easy conversation. It hit home in him more than learning that he’d attacked his granddaughter. More than finding out that Kanna had left him and married another. It somehow even hit harder than realizing he had driven his love further away by not fighting for what she’d believed in so passionately. Sokka had no reason to greet the waterbender. When had Pakku been anything but brusque with him? Shown any interest in the boy or his life? He’d ignored him for Katara and her strong bending.

It seemed Pakku was destined to keep driving his family away.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Sokka wasn’t paying attention to his sister’s reunion with her teacher. He knew she’d missed the grouchy old man despite the fact that he was, well, grouchy. Sokka could now understand it better himself, having missed Jeong Jeong after their group had had to flee. So he gave the two space and instead moved over to greet his friends and masters.

“Master Piandao,” he greeted, bowing to his mentors, “Master Jeong Jeong… Bumi.” For the last man, he changed the bow to that of the Earth Kingdom, beaming at the King as he did so. It really was just for show when it came to the royal.

The bows were instantly returned, despite the superior positions of the elders not demanding it. Jeong Jeong rose swiftly from his, making intense eye contact as he did. Sokka remained calm, remembering the first time he’d been subject to the almost-glare.

“Is there something you need, Master Jeong Jeong?” he tried. It was apparently the wrong move as the deserter’s gaze hardened sharply.

“You’re injured.”

“No…”

“Then why did you call me by name?” Sokka frowned before the question clicked.

“You seriously think I’m injured just because I didn’t call you J2?”

“J2,” Piandao repeated, a grin forming quickly at the nickname.

“We can discuss my questionable naming skills later,” the younger firebender intervened before the conversation could wander. “Now is the time to discuss what is going on and what is going to happen before we try to avoid dying tomorrow.”

“When did you develop aangxiety?” Bumi asked as he threw his arm across the teen’s shoulders. A few chuckles escaped before he could stop them, not that he was trying that hard.

“I’ve always had anxiety. Then I got a little airhead and suddenly I can’t go a day with aangst.”

“Agni, there’s two of them,” Piandao muttered, running a hand down his face. Jeong Jeong let out a huff of amusement at the duo, who were giggling at the puns. “What is it you wished to talk about, Sokka?” the master swordsman continued, now making his own attempt at changing the subject. The Water Tribe warrior raised an eyebrow at the mock pain in his master’s expression but obliged the man.

“I wanted to discuss what you’re all doing together, as well as the plan for Sozin’s Comet. Both Aang and Momo,” Sokka directed that last part at Bumi, “have disappeared. We know that Aang will likely show up when the Comet comes to fight the Firelord, but we don’t have a solid plan. Until Zuko informed us of Ozai’s plan to wipe out the Earth Kingdom, Aang was going to wait for the Comet to pass before he fought.”

“So our intel was correct,” Jeong Jeong stated solemnly. “Ozai plans to destroy the other nations as his grandfather destroyed the Air Nomads.”

“It will be easier to thwart the plan if Aang handles the Loserlord,” Bumi earned himself a couple of snickers at that, “and we have these kids to help.”

“I believe it would be best to discuss this with the other masters.”

“There are more of you?” Sokka asked curiously, wondering what other old people had gathered.

“There are a few, but only one will likely be available with all of our preparations. General Iroh, the Dragon of the West.” The teen nodded at that. It fit with what he had seen of the group's apparent association.

“I’ll go get the others and then you can lead us to your camp. I’m guessing you’re going to take back Ba Sing Se?”

“Yes. We will wait,” Piandao told his former pupil. Sokka bowed once more to the trio before hurrying back to his team. He passed Pakku again, surprised that the old man had not joined his companions seeing as Katara was no longer speaking to him. He ignored the thought in favor of addressing his friends.

“Gaang, pack up quickly. We’re gonna head to the old people camp and plan for tomorrow. Do any of you want to forgo the meeting?”

“I’m coming and you can’t stop me,” Toph stated firmly. Sokka nodded and looked to the others.

“I’ll sit this one out,” Suki said. “I think I’d be better with helping preparations.”

“I’ll sit out, too,” Katara added, drawing surprised faces from her comrades. “I don’t think I’ll be much help with the planning.”

“Alright. Zuko?”

“I don’t know. I’m not one for planning but I know more about the Fire Nation.”

“Well, your uncle is here, and he’ll be at the meeting.” The prince startled slightly at the comment, likely remembering their parting. He’d never mentioned the terms they ended on, but the group assumed they weren’t good ones.

“I’ll go,” Zuko finally decided. “But I might leave.”

“Understandable. I’ll keep that in mind. Now put the gear away and we’ll head out.” The team split up seamlessly, heading to do the jobs they each unspokenly had. The only ones who didn’t move to join were Toph and Sokka, the latter because the earthbender had latched onto his arm.

“Not so fast, Snoozles.”

“What’s the matter, Toph?” Sokka studied his younger companion. For the first time in a long while, she appeared uncertain or uneasy. The firebender couldn’t figure out which.

“Why don’t you like your grandfather?” she inquired quietly. It was so uncharacteristic of her and, coupled with the weird question, caused the young chief to pause.

“My grandfather? Both my grandfathers are dead,” he informed the girl before him.

“Pakku’s marrying your Gran-Gran, at least according to Katara.”

“Oh.” He paused again. “I don’t… not like Pakku. It’s just that I don’t really have anything to talk to him about. He’s closer to Katara than me.”

“But you ignored him.”

“He was talking to Katara.” Toph opened her mouth to continue, but Sokka cut her off, feeling the conversation was going nowhere. “Is this all you were concerned about? Because he’s a good man, if still a little sexist. And I have no problems with him. So let’s help the others and then we can head out. If you’re still worried, talk to him on the way over.” The preteen huffed, blowing her bangs to the side as she turned on her heel and stomped away. Sokka sighed as he went over to pack up his tent and help Katara with the sleeping roll. He would definitely need to watch how he acted around his apparent-grandfather.

~_~_~_~_~_~

The Gaang were at the large camp where the Order of the White Lotus, the group that the masters belonged to, had set up for the taking back of Ba Sing Se. Suki and Katara quickly left to lead Appa to a safe place and begin aiding in the preparations. Zuko and Toph noticeably pressed closer to Sokka, drawing comfort from the father of the group. He noticed their tension and discreetly started rolling his tile, knowing that the motion would likely only draw attention from his teammates. Predictably, the flanking duo relaxed at the sight of the round piece of wood. Sokka would need to paint it again after the meeting.

Piandao walked off to wake up Iroh, who had taken an early night, while the others entered a large tent with a table and exactly eight chairs within, one on each end and three on either side. A map was weighted on the wooden surface, several Pai Sho tiles marking different spots of the world. Jeong Jeong and Bumi sat on the right side of the table with Pakku across from them, a seat saved for Piandao next to the waterbender. Sokka moved to sit near Jeong Jeong but found Toph pushing Zuko into the chair. Upon moving to sit across from the prince, Sokka was shoved out of the way by Toph, who smirked as she made herself a rock stool.

“Toph, from the bottom of my heart, why?” She smirked more.

“You’re forgetting that I’m nobility. I know how we’re supposed to be seated, Snoozles.”

“Yeah, I do, too,” he retorted. “The most important people go on either end, and the ones on their right are the second most important. But I’m not the highest in position. Zuko is.”

“Zuko’s a prince,” Toph smiled smugly. “And I’m a lady.”

“Exactly. So why did you reverse our positions?”

“You are absolutely right. I’ll fix that for you.” With a stomp, the stool was pushed back into the ground and Toph stalked over to Zuko. She tugged him up and dragged him over to the other side of the table, pressing him into the chair she’d just vacated. With yet another smirk, she sat in his old seat, feet once again propped up.

“Toph, I’m not higher than a lady, and definitely not a prince.”

“Oh really?” Sokka did not like that look. “Remember when you and Katara told us about the Southern Water Tribe’s hierarchy? Well, I do. Actually really interesting to learn about the Water Tribe since no one ever thought to teach me. You’re going to teach me more when Loserlord’s dead. Anyways, you and Katara are royalty by your Tribe’s standards. You’re the children of the Chief. Only, Katara told us something after you left to meditate.”

“She didn’t,” the firebender groaned out, throwing his head back in annoyance.

“She did,” the little earthbender responded proudly. “You, Snoozles, are the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, which means you not only outrank me, but also everyone else here including our resident prince.”

Sokka didn’t attempt to fight it at that point. He simply sat down at the head of the table between his two friends, resigned to just accept Toph’s unusual behavior. Normally, she would take any opportunity to be the one in charge, but here she was, pushing the lead onto the older kid.

“Sokka, are you really the Chief?” Pakku’s questions caught three adolescents off guard, Zuko having been fully invested in seeing who would win the argument.

“Yeah,” the boy confirmed, settling back as they waited for Piandao and Iroh. “Dad left with the other warriors, so I was made Chief. Gran-Gran’s Chief in Absence.”

“She told me such, but I assumed her son was still leading.”

“That was Dad. He knew that they weren’t going to be back for a long time, so he seceded the position to me. He was following tradition and passing it to me as I was the eldest male and his son. Should’ve just given it to Gran-Gran.”

“But you’re fifteen,” Jeong Jeong interrupted, leaning forward with a glare. “How long ago did you become Chief?”

“It was about four years ago. I was eleven.”

“Wait, you ran a nation at eleven?”

“Not you, too! C’mon Zuko!”

“You ran a nation at eleven! Yet when I came for Aang, you said you were a warrior, not a chief!”

“Why are you all shouting?”

Everyone sitting at the table jerked towards the entrance to the tent, staring in surprise at the duo standing there. Piandao walked in first, sitting between Pakku and Zuko and peering around the prince at his old student. General Iroh entered after, moving to take his place across from Sokka, at the other head of the table.

“Apparently no one but the Gaang knew Sokka’s a king.”

“Toph! Chief, not king!”

“Same thing.” There was a loud thud as the teen’s forehead hit the wood, which was repeated at a lower volume as he began to bang lightly with his skull against the surface. It continued for about thirty seconds with the others staring amusedly at him, before Zuko slid his hand between the two opposing forces. Sokka looked up at his friend with a tiny pout before exhaling and pulling himself upright.

“Whatever, let’s just start this meeting. General Iroh, what are your plans for tomorrow?” The atmosphere snapped into a tenser feel, a seriousness falling over the group.

“Earthbenders will aid in our entrance, with all firebenders directly behind. Once we are within, we masters and the more experience benders will combat those aided by the Comet. All other warriors will begin taking down the lesser threats, such as nonbenders and earthbenders. We assumed your team would have a plan for fighting my brother.” Sokka nodded, lips pursed in concentration as he studied the map. He was able to figure out what most of the pieces marked, and it was with that that his mind worked out a strategy. He began rolling his tile again, something he had stopped when entering the tent. It was a movement done under the table but still visible to his friends.

“There’s going to be an airfleet, correct?” Iroh tipped his head in confirmation at the inquiry. “That means that they can travel far and fast in the relatively short time of the Comet. And they could split up easily to cover more area. It’s a given that Ozai will be there with the fleet. When Aang comes to fight, that will separate them from the ships. We’ll then need to take them out, or else the destruction will be exponentially larger.”

“No one but powerful and loyal Fire Nation engineers ever saw the blueprints,” Piandao commented. “We don’t have the time to get them and figure out how to take them down or find a way around the crew.”

“Why would you- oh, you guys don’t know. Makes sense.”

“What don’t we know?”

“I invented airships. You won’t need to get blueprints, I’ll just go there myself. They’re made of metal, so Toph will need to come as well. A smaller team will be better, so us and maybe one or two more people. That will nullify the fleet and prevent most of the destruction. Someone will need to take out Azula as well. She’ll be controlling the Fire Nation while Ozai makes the attack. I would suggest Zuko for that, as he’s got the best knowledge of the Caldera and Azula’s tactics.”

“Regarding your attack, I think that it would be best if you sent your most powerful earthbenders underground with a strong group of warriors. If you go deep enough, only the Dai Li could possibly sense you and you could make an attack from within the city, forcing the soldiers to fight on two fronts. From what Zuko told me, most of the Dai Li went with Azula. Maybe all of them but it’s better to assume some are there. They could be defeated easily by Bumi, so he definitely should go. If the nonbenders went through the tunnels after the main group, then some of the weaker earthbenders could make separate paths and pop up at different places throughout Ba Sing Se. Not only would that ensure that they aren’t attacked by Dai Li, it would also allow them to sneak up on the nonbenders and any other combatants they might meet. Warn them that some people have been brainwashed. We don’t have a way to figure out who and with the Fire Nation, who knows what they did with that technology.”

“Healers and medics should remain behind for the first ten minutes or so before following the second group underground. That way they won’t be attacked. They should wear something to distinguish them from soldiers. Maybe have them wear white, as it’s not going to be a color that blends in. If they help everyone regardless of the side they’re on, then they also won’t be attacked.”

“When did you have the time to plan this?” Jeong Jeong asked, his tone shocked.

“He’s the Schedule Master,” Toph spoke up in glee. She always loved seeing people on the opposite side of Sokka’s plans.

“Right now, it doesn’t matter when I made the plan. We just need to figure out who will go and where they’ll go to. Toph and I for the airfleet, Aang fighting Ozai, and Zuko with someone else against Azula. Katara can take on the role of both healer and fighter, so she can fit anywhere, and Suki’s a great warrior.”

“Very well.” Iroh moved a few of the markers around, rearranging them to represent the modified plan. A white tile in the Caldera’s location was moved to the center instead of the outer edge and a yellow one was placed on top of a red. Zuko and Aang. Without waiting to see the tile that Iroh would move for himself, Sokka took his white lotus and placed it on the coast of the Earth Kingdom most likely to be attacked.

“I see you kept the tile,” Piandao mused, a proud look in his eyes.

“Yes. You gave it to me, after all.” It came to the boy’s realization that the Order of the White Lotus probably had some special meaning to the tile, especially since they held Pai Sho in such a high regard that even Jeong Jeong had a board.

“Piandao was right to do so,” Bumi stated with a finality that moved them back to the plan.

“The strategies would work, and it is a thought none of us had to include healers in our battle. A fine idea to lessen any causalities on both sides. However, we need to decide on the whereabouts of your team. And we need to discuss the effects the Comet might have on you, given your peculiarity.”

“Katara can go with Zuko. She’ll fight with him and keep him alive. That’s extremely necessary, both because he’s a friend and because he’s next in line. Zuko, you’ll need to take over as fast as possible. The Fire Sages should be there due to Azula’s possible coronation. I don’t really understand how all that works, but if they’re there and you defeat her, you still have the most right to the throne outside of your father and any position held by Azula is rightfully yours. They’ll listen to you if Katara’s there to yell at them.”

“Are you sure we can take my sister? She’s insane and incredibly powerful.”

“Who knows dragon fire? Not her. Who is the only person Lan stays with besides myself? Not her. You are powerful enough to stop her in a fight, and you have the world’s greatest waterbender to aid you if anything goes wrong, which it will. You can do this.”

“Who is Lan?” Sokka, Toph, and Zuko all stared at Pakku for a moment, before their expressions changed. Toph was grinning with mischief, knowing perfectly well how the reactions would go. Zuko became utterly embarrassed as he would have to admit he was special when it came to the little Bluey. Sokka was grinning like Toph, but his was in pride at the thought of showing off his baby. With steady hands, the Spirit-touched boy reached into his shirt and withdrew the complacent being.

What occurred next was hysterical in many different ways. Jeong Jeong tipped over his chair as he jumped back in his seat, and Bumi barely managed to get out of his own before it, too, was knocked over. Piandao fell into Pakku, who caught the man and tilted back as far as he could go. Iroh sat frozen and tense at the end, eyes unbelieving. A huge slew of expletives exploded into the air from various masters, drawing Toph into a cackling fit. Sokka was clutching Lan protectively against his chest, angry at how no one seemed to appreciate his baby, and Zuko was trying to comfort the boy without breaking down into laughter.

Lan, sensing her caretaker’s distress and woken from her nap, wrapped carefully around Sokka’s neck and growled. When the attention was successfully drawn her way, she moved further up into the black hair above her, and hit her small paws against the firebender’s head. It was an action that somehow conveyed “be nice” without any previous knowledge of Lan’s antics.

“You all need to be nicer to my baby,” Sokka pouted, gently tugging said baby into his arms again. “She deserves better.”

24 notes · View notes

bellatrixobsessed1 · 4 years

Text

The Art Of Remembrance (Part 33)

Azula slaps her her arm, she watches the mosquito-fly buzz away and resents that she has slapped herself for nothing. It is growing harder to focus on the map between all of the insects swarming her and the increasing heaviness of her waterlogged attire. Next to her Sokka is battling his own cloud of bugs and seems to be faring worse than she. His flailing does nothing to fend them off.

“It’s not that much further, is it?”

“Sokka, we’re not even close.”

He groans.

The day is humid and muggy she can see it in shimmering waves in the air. Or maybe that is the beginning of the swamp’s games. All around her, from within the tangled cicada-mantis sing their unrelenting drone. It is a constant and never ceasing hum that plays in the background under various croaks and chitters. Every now and again, some type of fish springs itself from the water and flops back in. On one occasion one smacks Sokka from behind leaving him to grumble, “and here I thought that nature hated you.”

She shrugs, “it hasn’t thrown a fish at me yet.” She hopes that she hasn’t spoken too soon. The carpe had struck Sokka hard enough to leave a scaly imprint upon his skin that grows increasingly red.

“If only Katara were here.” He grumbles.

Azula must admit, some waterbending on her collection of mosquito-fly bites would be nice. The skin on her arms is growing quite lumpy with them. She has quite a few of them upon her neck as well.

“Ugg, If I have to pick one more elbow leech off…” she plucks a sizable one off of her calf. “This one didn’t even aim right.”

Sokka busts out laughing. She tosses the leech at him. He gives a little yelp when it splats on the back of his head and falls back beneath the surface. At his exclamation, she returns with a laugh of her own.

“This swamp is dumb.” He grumbles. “I hate swamps.” He tries to continue in a stomp but his feet suction into the mud.

“Come on, stop doing that.” She rolls her eyes as she helps to free him from the sludge.

“This is so gross.” He squeals. She can’t exactly make fun of him for that being as she is about a minute away from doing the same. Frankly it is undignified to be stuck waltzing through bog water. If Sokka had told her that she were a princess now, she wouldn’t have bought it.

“Hey, so I need to make a stop, if you know what I mean.”

“I’ll wait here.” She props herself up against a tree. As he wanders off to take care of himself, Azula inspects her nails. She cringes, they have so much mud caked under them. Though she doesn’t think it would be worth cleaning them now when they will only grow dirty once more. When she grows bored with her nails she tosses a little flame around.

“You almost done?” She calls. Honestly, she isn’t sure why it always takes him so damn long to go to the bathroom. Though this time, ‘getting lost in there’ is a very real possibility. “Sokka?” She heaves herself away from the tree.

.oOo.

Sokka jolts, “Suki?” He speaks just quietly enough to not draw Azula’s attention. And then he collects himself. He pulls up his pants as Suki’s image fades. “Ha. Ha. Nice try swamp, I know your tricks.”

“And yet you fall for them anyhow.” Comes that slick, sweet voice he knows so well.

“I thought that you were going to wait by the tree.”

She rolls her eyes, and puts her hands on her hips. “You took too long.” She shifts her weight from one leg to the other. “This way.” She beckons him forward.

“I thought that we were going…” He points back they way they’d been heading before he’d gone off to answer nature’s call.

“Your break gave me a chance to study the map better. It’s this way.” She slowly trails her fingers over his neck.

“What are you doing?” He asks. “Not right now.”

“Boring.” She sighs with another eye roll and a dismissive wave. He tags along as she slinks deeper into the swamp where the gloom is notably thicker. The hum of the cicada-mantis grows fainter and he shudders.

“Would you mind making a little fire?” He asks.

“We can make all the fire you’d like.” She tosses a look back at him and winks.

“Seriously.” He grumbles. He is beginning to think that he shouldn’t have confessed his love for her, if he knew that it would be a go-ahead for this. “I want a real fire, it’s really dark in here.”

“A real fire?” She cocks her head and a small smirk plays at the corner of her mouth. A feral, vicious smirk. Her voice dips into a growl. “I’ll give you a real fire.” She holds her fingers up to a low hanging strand of ivy. It is as tiny as a match flame, but the world around him is ablaze in an instant.

He cries out.

.oOo.

Azula snaps her head in the direction of the shout and curses. Of course the dolt has wandered into what has to be the gloomiest, dankest, most inhospitable part of the swamp.

“Sokka, where the hell are you?”

He doesn’t answer, leaving her to wonder if the swamp is muffling her voice. The acoustics of the place are dreadful. She pushes her way through the thickets, towards where she thinks that she his voice may have come from. But it is very plausible the the swamp is distorting its direction.

She scans the dimness around her, finding reassurance when she spots a path of battered vines. Sokka must have taken his machete to them. She follows the path of chopped vines until they fall short. She rubs her temples in agitation.

“You foolish girl.” Comes a voice, though she can’t place from exactly where. She shudders, she thinks that she knows this voice. At the very least, she is sure that she should know it. She rubs her temples as it comes again, “did you think that you could get away from me.”

The voice must belong to the head of the Vine Research Facility, or at least one of the many that have operated on her. Her tummy flutters with anxiety. How had she downplayed that she is in their domain? Back in the tundra it was all that she dreaded, them emerging from the snow to drag her back to the facility. Somehow it had slipped her mind to fear them emerging from behind one of the mangroves.

“It’s that boy.” The voice scowls. “He distracts you.” It finds a new part of the mire to lurk in. “Come back to me and we’ll get you back on track.”

Her stomach sinks further still. “Perhaps I could if you’d stay still.”

“But of course.” It replies smoothly. “I’m over here, just in front of you.”

She pushes back a curtain of hanging moss and vines.

.oOo.

Her laughter echos in his ears as he shambles out of the ring of fire. He finds himself waist deep in cloudy brown water. He tries to catch his breath, to calm his unease. But that smirk, that cruel smile and that wicked glimmer in her eyes...he can practically see it reflected in the water.

He slumps down against a tree stump, trying to remind himself that it wasn’t her. Not the real her.

“But it can be.” Her voice is suave and cunning as she stoops down to drawl lazily into his ear. “It will be soon.” Her hands trail down his neck and over his shoulders. She massages them carefully. “Do you really think that I’m going to let myself be buried? Do you think that a few massages and backrubs are going to be enough to keep me at bay?” She brings her hands down his arms. “I’m much stronger than that.” She purrs

“You’re not her, you’re not…”

“But I am.” She carefully moves her pointer across his chest. “I was here first and I’ll be here again.”

“That’s not true, it doesn’t have to be.”

“Honestly.” She says flatly. “What you have is fake. It means nothing.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m me. Who knows me better than I?”

He swallows. “Right now, I do.”

She chuckles it is a low and sinister thing. “Well aren’t you bold?” She asks. “How about this, take me there and we’ll find out whose right.” She nods her head to the left.

He follow the nod and finds himself face to face with a drainage pipe.

“Follow that and you’ll find the compound. You’ll find yours truly?” She gestures about her body. Her dainty and measured chuckles break of into a wild fit of laughter. The swamp water around her bubbles and boils.

.oOo.

Azula peers up at the man. He is large and imposing and built like a soldier. His hair ripples down his back in lush black waves. He boasts a beard that is just as pampered and pomp. He reaches out and pushes her bangs to the side, “look at you, you’re filthy.” He tsks.

“I’m in a swamp.” She points out.

“So am I.”

She is certain that she should know him. She brings herself to look him in the eyes and her stomach turns all over again. Those eyes, their hue, their shape… She swallows.

His hand brushes over her hair. “It’s time to stop acting like a child.”

“Father?”

His lips curve up.

“You burned Zuzu…”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I suggest that you don’t disappoint me or I might have to do the same with you.”

“You won’t.” She shrugs. “You can’t. You aren’t real.”

“At least you still have your wit about you. For now.”

“For now?”

He beckons for her to follow. But she keeps herself rooted in place.

“Don’t be so stubborn.” He growls. “I’m trying to help you.”

“Help me?”

.oOo.

“I think that we can still make it work.” These are her parting words. “Really, we’re the same, you and I. We’re both monsters. We’re both killers.” It is a harsh whisper and it echos faintly as her body shifts. The muscles in her arms twitch grosequely as her lean frame swells. The muscles she has now are too bulky for her otherwise petite frame. He follow the length of her right arm, it ends in glistening metal.

When he looks back at her face, he finds a different one entirely. Three eyes burn into him, but only briefly before his body contorts and finds itself buried beneath the clouds and flames of an explosion.

Sokka backs up, tripping over a rock he lands hard on his tailbone. Water soaks into his pants.That which doesn’t invade his clothing begins to gurgle and bubble. A dozen faces rise with glassy eyes and gaping mouths. They look up from the waters, expressions strained as they fight to keep at least their noses above water. They reach out desperately and grasp at the air.

“What did we do?” They chant in unison. “What did we do.”

“It was my birthday…” He might have laughed at the absurdity if he weren’t so thoroughly disturbed.

Suki shakes her head. “I can’t be with a murderer.”

.oOo.

“Follow me.”

“Not a chance.” Azula stands with her hands clasped behind her back.

His face bunches up in rage. “You dare defy me.”

She shrugs, “you can’t do anything to me. Nothing real, anyways.”

His face smooths once more, this is when ice works its way into her veins. “Oh, I can do things that are very real.” He throws back another curtain of vines, pleasuring her with the view of a hunched figure.

Her father steps to the side and continues to hold the vines parted. If he could hold them in place they must also be a part of the illusion. She watches the figure shift, its shoulders tremble. They tremble violently before the figure looks up. Azula meets her gaze and goes tense. She doesn’t like the unhinged look of those eyes.

The figure screams. The sound of it is drowned beneath a fountain of blue flame. Azula bunches her hands and holds herself up right, looking away only to meet her father’s merciless stare. She turns back feeling dizzy and ill. “It’s not real.” She repeats.

“Oh, but it is, just not in this moment.” Her father shrugs. “This is who you are. You are an animal.” Another voice wraps itself around her father’s. It is a soft feminine one, “a monster.”

And in the same way that she knows that he is her father, she knows that what she is seeing is a manifestation of the truth.

“I can give the rest of your memories back to you.”

“I don’t want them.” She shouts, sounding almost as shrill as the screaming figure in front other. It is the first time she has managed to admit it out loud.

“But you will take them. It is what you came here for.” He replies evenly, unphased by her outburst. “You are persistent, I’ve almost never seen you walk away from a mission with it left incomplete.”

He offers no further warning. Her head whips back as visions fill her mind. She sinks to her knees gripping her head as she exerts all of her energy into throwing her walls up. A few more memories leak in--a fight with her brother, “you should have feared me more”, a white room and a straight jacket--before she is able to block them out.

She lays in the stagnant water, breathing heavily. Her head beats from the onslaught of memories and the effort of keeping them away. This mission is a mistake. She has made her decision; they will make the arrests and she will burn the research notes away. Her vision goes fuzzy.

.oOo.

Sokka sits with his head buried in his knees and his hands clutching his head. He can’t help but think of Azula who tends to assume the same position when in distress. He wonders if she is doing it right now.

He is trembling so terribly that he can barely lift his head, let alone get to his feet. They are still around him chattering and begging for mercy. Please becoming more wet and gurgly as water fills their lungs.

“Stop it!” He screams. “Stop it!” He doesn’t know how long he’d been screaming it. Long enough for him to be tracked down and found.

He watches her drag herself out of a tangle of vines. He knows that it is her--the real her-- because she is shaken and her eyes are watery. Even still, she is in a better state than he. She approaches as quietly as the marsh will allow and drops herself down next to him.

He thinks that she wants to be held and talk about what is troubling her. Instead she wraps her arms around him and squeezes him tighter than anyone has in a while. He isn’t sure if she is trying to comfort him or herself.

He can’t bring himself to hold her back. He wishes that he could, but part of him is still afraid. She is holding him now and burying her face in his hair. But as soon as they follow those pipes, her hands will move from abdomen to his throat.

#Avatar #Azula #Sokka #Sokkla #Fanfiction

3 notes · View notes