Honour to us all
Team: Mega-Team
Challenge: Romantik/Intimität: Joker (“eine Verbindung eingehen“ vom 17.05.19) (Päckchen #12)
Fandom: AtLA
Charaktere: Sokka, Toph
Wörter: 1060
A/N: Fortsetzung von dieser Fic. Sokka is going to find Zuko a wife. Even if it's going to kill him. Or he has to enlist a little help of his friend(s).
Und wenn das hier ein Mehrteiler wird, werde ich halt in jedem Teil verkappte Mulan-Zitate unterbringen.
Sokka had a list.
That, in and of itself, was hardly a surprise; he was very much a ‘plans and lists’-kinda guy. No, the problem was the content of this list which was haphazardly titled ‘Wife qualities’. It enumerated classics like humour, shared beliefs, fertility, great public speaker and proficient in at least one martial art right next to likes turtle ducks (not for food) and possibly flame-retardant (?).
Sokka hated that list.
Hated that he actually cared, hated that the first thing he’d done after striking down the last of the assassins in Zuko’s bedroom with his trusted boomerang had been to add proficient in at least one martial art to the list, hated that no one, ever, was going to be good enough for the Fire Lord.
Councilwoman Ha shook her head in something that Sokka suspected to be pity.
“The choice of a wife is not one to be made lightly” she said wisely and Sokka fought down the urge to stick out his tongue at her. At this point, Councilwoman Ha might have been the last ally he had in this endeavour. And also possibly the only woman in the Fire Nation he had not yet proposed to on Zuko’s behalf. Well, they would have to make concessions on the fertility point, seeing as she was at least seventy.
“Do you by chance know how to swordfight?”
She huffed, indignantly. “Certainly not.”
“Thought you might say that. At least now it’s official, there’s no woman in the Fire Nation good enough for your-Wait a second.” One, often overlooked, fact was that Sokka was indeed a genius. “The marriage of a Fire Lord is a strong political symbol, isn’t it?”
The councilwoman nodded gravely. “I’m glad you noticed.”
Sokka made a face at her. “Sarcasm is my thing, please. That notwithstanding, Fire Lord Zuko’s reign has been all about bringing peace back to this great nation and mending a-hundred-year-old wounds.” He waited for the councilwoman to nod. “So, what greater symbol of unity and peace could there be than a literal union between the Fire Lord and a woman of the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribes?”
The councilwoman tilted her head, thoughtfully. Sokka counted it as a victory for his exceptional political speech writing that she didn’t start spouting profanity at him. That and the fact that he’d probably driven her to the brink of insanity in the past months.
“That is… unconventional.”
“Unconventional as the Fire Lord himself.”
“His people will expect an heir who is a fire bender.”
“Well, that’s just setting themselves up for disappointment.”
Councilwoman Ha’s stink eye was the stuff of legends. Only weeks ago, Sokka would have faltered and crawled back to Republic City. Now, however, he gave her one of his most blinding smiles. “The blood of Zosin’s family is strong” she decreed with the conviction installed in her over decades of propaganda.
Sokka smiled. “In that case, no need to worry even with a little earth bender blood mixed into the line, hu?”
Councilwoman Ha sighed.
Sokka was a genius.
Okay, so, maybe Sokka was an idiot and was man enough to admit it to himself.
“All the women in the world, Toph, all of them!”
Toph, true to form, merely laughed at his misery.
“I did not think this through.”
“You never do, Snoozles, you never do.” She had her feet propped up on his desk and, consequently, missed his shoulder by a good bit when she went for the comforting patting. Or she had originally intended to pat his butt. With Toph, chances were fifty-fifty. “You know, in Gaoling, we have lovely women doing your job professionally.”
“What, being ambassadors to Republic City? You realize that I do that professionally? Like, I’m literally getting paid for that!” At least he thought he was still being paid. Either that or he was freeloading in the Fire Nation Palace which, all things considered, was cool with him.
“No, stupid. Match makers.” Toph’s grin was acidic. “Powerful women whose only purpose in life is to ruin other people’s lives for political and monetary gain.”
Sokka lowered his eyes at his friend. “Toph?”
“Hu?”
“Did you wanna tell me something?”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and drew in a sharp breath. “Not particularly, no.”
“Toph.”
She huffed. “I’m supposed to get married to some guy. Pa Xaming or something. Apparently, we’re a perfect match.” Her voice went pitchy at the last words.
“Ambassador Pa Xaming?”
Toph shrugged. “He’s rich and powerful, I’m rich and blind, a perfect match. I’ll yet bring honour to my family.”
“Your parents can’t force you to-Can they? They can’t! They couldn’t force you to not train the Avatar!”
“Didn’t stop them from bloody trying, did it?”
Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to say something smart. Or thoughtful. Something that was emphatically not Screw them and screw Xaming!. “Toph…”
“Yeah. I know.” Her voice was taut as an erhu’s string just before it snapped. “So, how about Sparky’s future wife? Any hot candidates? If you hand me the portraits, I’ll help you choose.”
Had Sokka recently mentioned that he was a genius? Because he was a genius.
“Toph? You don’t want to get married, do you? Like, not only not to Xaming but…”
She turned her head to him, the raise of her eyebrow letting him know that she’d been done talking about her feelings roughly a week before travelling to the Fire Nation. “Not particularly, no.”
“So, if you don’t have any better candidates, what would you say if I told you I had an idea that will definitely get your parents off your back?” And Councilwoman Ha off his. But Sokka was being selfless here.
Zuko and Toph were friends. Toph would not take shit from anybody and would definitely not let Zuko get away with his awkwardness and self-doubt and all that crap. They could adopt a few fire bender kids and reign supreme over the whole nation. And she’d personally metal bend the cuffs around any assassin’s neck.
“Why do I think that I’m going to hate your plan?”
“You’re not! It’s perfect because I’m a genius!” Which was true. Toph literally checked every box on Sokka’s list. Only thing left to figure out was why he kind of hated his perfect plan.
Challenge: Romantik/Intimität: Joker (“eine Verbindung eingehen“ vom 17.05.19) (Päckchen #12)
Fandom: AtLA
Charaktere: Sokka, Toph
Wörter: 1060
A/N: Fortsetzung von dieser Fic. Sokka is going to find Zuko a wife. Even if it's going to kill him. Or he has to enlist a little help of his friend(s).
Und wenn das hier ein Mehrteiler wird, werde ich halt in jedem Teil verkappte Mulan-Zitate unterbringen.
Sokka had a list.
That, in and of itself, was hardly a surprise; he was very much a ‘plans and lists’-kinda guy. No, the problem was the content of this list which was haphazardly titled ‘Wife qualities’. It enumerated classics like humour, shared beliefs, fertility, great public speaker and proficient in at least one martial art right next to likes turtle ducks (not for food) and possibly flame-retardant (?).
Sokka hated that list.
Hated that he actually cared, hated that the first thing he’d done after striking down the last of the assassins in Zuko’s bedroom with his trusted boomerang had been to add proficient in at least one martial art to the list, hated that no one, ever, was going to be good enough for the Fire Lord.
Councilwoman Ha shook her head in something that Sokka suspected to be pity.
“The choice of a wife is not one to be made lightly” she said wisely and Sokka fought down the urge to stick out his tongue at her. At this point, Councilwoman Ha might have been the last ally he had in this endeavour. And also possibly the only woman in the Fire Nation he had not yet proposed to on Zuko’s behalf. Well, they would have to make concessions on the fertility point, seeing as she was at least seventy.
“Do you by chance know how to swordfight?”
She huffed, indignantly. “Certainly not.”
“Thought you might say that. At least now it’s official, there’s no woman in the Fire Nation good enough for your-Wait a second.” One, often overlooked, fact was that Sokka was indeed a genius. “The marriage of a Fire Lord is a strong political symbol, isn’t it?”
The councilwoman nodded gravely. “I’m glad you noticed.”
Sokka made a face at her. “Sarcasm is my thing, please. That notwithstanding, Fire Lord Zuko’s reign has been all about bringing peace back to this great nation and mending a-hundred-year-old wounds.” He waited for the councilwoman to nod. “So, what greater symbol of unity and peace could there be than a literal union between the Fire Lord and a woman of the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribes?”
The councilwoman tilted her head, thoughtfully. Sokka counted it as a victory for his exceptional political speech writing that she didn’t start spouting profanity at him. That and the fact that he’d probably driven her to the brink of insanity in the past months.
“That is… unconventional.”
“Unconventional as the Fire Lord himself.”
“His people will expect an heir who is a fire bender.”
“Well, that’s just setting themselves up for disappointment.”
Councilwoman Ha’s stink eye was the stuff of legends. Only weeks ago, Sokka would have faltered and crawled back to Republic City. Now, however, he gave her one of his most blinding smiles. “The blood of Zosin’s family is strong” she decreed with the conviction installed in her over decades of propaganda.
Sokka smiled. “In that case, no need to worry even with a little earth bender blood mixed into the line, hu?”
Councilwoman Ha sighed.
Sokka was a genius.
Okay, so, maybe Sokka was an idiot and was man enough to admit it to himself.
“All the women in the world, Toph, all of them!”
Toph, true to form, merely laughed at his misery.
“I did not think this through.”
“You never do, Snoozles, you never do.” She had her feet propped up on his desk and, consequently, missed his shoulder by a good bit when she went for the comforting patting. Or she had originally intended to pat his butt. With Toph, chances were fifty-fifty. “You know, in Gaoling, we have lovely women doing your job professionally.”
“What, being ambassadors to Republic City? You realize that I do that professionally? Like, I’m literally getting paid for that!” At least he thought he was still being paid. Either that or he was freeloading in the Fire Nation Palace which, all things considered, was cool with him.
“No, stupid. Match makers.” Toph’s grin was acidic. “Powerful women whose only purpose in life is to ruin other people’s lives for political and monetary gain.”
Sokka lowered his eyes at his friend. “Toph?”
“Hu?”
“Did you wanna tell me something?”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and drew in a sharp breath. “Not particularly, no.”
“Toph.”
She huffed. “I’m supposed to get married to some guy. Pa Xaming or something. Apparently, we’re a perfect match.” Her voice went pitchy at the last words.
“Ambassador Pa Xaming?”
Toph shrugged. “He’s rich and powerful, I’m rich and blind, a perfect match. I’ll yet bring honour to my family.”
“Your parents can’t force you to-Can they? They can’t! They couldn’t force you to not train the Avatar!”
“Didn’t stop them from bloody trying, did it?”
Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to say something smart. Or thoughtful. Something that was emphatically not Screw them and screw Xaming!. “Toph…”
“Yeah. I know.” Her voice was taut as an erhu’s string just before it snapped. “So, how about Sparky’s future wife? Any hot candidates? If you hand me the portraits, I’ll help you choose.”
Had Sokka recently mentioned that he was a genius? Because he was a genius.
“Toph? You don’t want to get married, do you? Like, not only not to Xaming but…”
She turned her head to him, the raise of her eyebrow letting him know that she’d been done talking about her feelings roughly a week before travelling to the Fire Nation. “Not particularly, no.”
“So, if you don’t have any better candidates, what would you say if I told you I had an idea that will definitely get your parents off your back?” And Councilwoman Ha off his. But Sokka was being selfless here.
Zuko and Toph were friends. Toph would not take shit from anybody and would definitely not let Zuko get away with his awkwardness and self-doubt and all that crap. They could adopt a few fire bender kids and reign supreme over the whole nation. And she’d personally metal bend the cuffs around any assassin’s neck.
“Why do I think that I’m going to hate your plan?”
“You’re not! It’s perfect because I’m a genius!” Which was true. Toph literally checked every box on Sokka’s list. Only thing left to figure out was why he kind of hated his perfect plan.