[Fic]: Escape
Title: Escape
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters: Haru, Zuko
Summary: Haru escapes Prince Zuko's ship.
Notes: Written for the atlaland Nation Swap challenge
It wasn't noise that stopped Haru in the midst of his escape, but rather water.
In the months of his incarceration aboard Prince Zuko's ship, the young man had found that he could sort of tell when anyone was approaching his cell. Time and surreptious practice led to the ability to determine individuals, though the only man aboard he could distuinguish from the others with any accuracy was Lieutenant Jee.
Time and practice had also led to him knowing just about where everyone was on the ship, which he planned to use in his escape. When everybody save for one person left the ship, Haru immediately implemented his escape plan. He froze and destroyed one of the chains keeping him to the wall, and had just started on the other when he detected more people arriving on the ship.
After a moment, he realised that they weren't arriving from the docks, but from the water.
Weird.
He hesitated, then resumed blowing cold air on the second chain, trying to get it cold enough to shatter like he had the first.
Just as he snapped the second chain, he felt the person who had remained on the ship start to move around.
Fishbones.
He gathered the ice that had collected on the chains and let it pool in his hand as water, then moved to the door. With any luck, it hadn't been barred on the outside...
He fed the water through the door cracks and around the latch, then froze it once more and shattered the metal. He repeated the process for the hinges of the door, then backed up and shot his small amount of water at the bottom.
The door fell inward.
He caught it across his shoulders and fell to his knees, surprised at the weight and his own weakness. Still, it was better than a metal door slamming against the floor; he was making too much noise as it was.
Carefully, Haru lowered it to the floor, then stepped over it, making his way to the deck. By the time he reached it, only he and the other person who had originally been on the ship were left.
Something about that seemed off, and -- fishbones, the other guy was too close!
He bolted for the rail, but fire flared in front of him and cut him off. He whirled to see Prince Zuko. "What did you do to my ship?" the prince demanded.
"Nothing," Haru said, taking a step back towards the rail. "You should talk to those other guys who were here."
The prince scowled. "What other guys?"
Haru shrugged. "They just left," he said, and pointed in the direction he'd felt the group leave.
"Liar," he growled.
"If you hadn't been sulking in your room when everybody left, maybe you'd've seen them." Okay, so Haru had no way of knowing that's what the prince had been doing, but it was Prince Zuko. The odds were in his favour. "You're a damn poor guard, by the way."
The prince snarled, and flames licked out of his mouth. "Shut up. Just shut up! You don't know what you're--"
Both of them heard the parrot-lizard cry out. Zuko looked up; Haru ran for the rail. As he launched himself over the side, the world exploded.
He vaguely thought he could hear screaming, but the roar drowned everything out.
His world was red and orange and hot -- and then suddenly it was black and freezing. Was he dead?
No, if he was dead he wouldn't hurt.
He tried to swim for the surface, but his arms and back locked up with pain. Haru screamed and inhaled water.
Vaguely, he was aware of an arm wrapping around his chest and of being pulled up, then his head broke water and he gulped in air -- then started choking. His rescuer swore and tried to keep both their heads above the churning water. "Should've let you drown," he muttered.
"P-prince Zuko?" Haru choked out.
The prince didn't answer; he was focused on getting them to shore. Haru didn't fight him, though he did wonder how the hell he was firebending enough to make the water glow.
At least the pain was receding; Haru suspected the freezing water was making him go numb.
After minutes that seemed like hours, Haru and Prince Zuko dragged themselves ashore and collapsed. Weakly, Haru turned to the prince and jerked in surprise to see that somehow, he had escaped injury.
It was his last thought before he passed out.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters: Haru, Zuko
Summary: Haru escapes Prince Zuko's ship.
Notes: Written for the atlaland Nation Swap challenge
It wasn't noise that stopped Haru in the midst of his escape, but rather water.
In the months of his incarceration aboard Prince Zuko's ship, the young man had found that he could sort of tell when anyone was approaching his cell. Time and surreptious practice led to the ability to determine individuals, though the only man aboard he could distuinguish from the others with any accuracy was Lieutenant Jee.
Time and practice had also led to him knowing just about where everyone was on the ship, which he planned to use in his escape. When everybody save for one person left the ship, Haru immediately implemented his escape plan. He froze and destroyed one of the chains keeping him to the wall, and had just started on the other when he detected more people arriving on the ship.
After a moment, he realised that they weren't arriving from the docks, but from the water.
Weird.
He hesitated, then resumed blowing cold air on the second chain, trying to get it cold enough to shatter like he had the first.
Just as he snapped the second chain, he felt the person who had remained on the ship start to move around.
Fishbones.
He gathered the ice that had collected on the chains and let it pool in his hand as water, then moved to the door. With any luck, it hadn't been barred on the outside...
He fed the water through the door cracks and around the latch, then froze it once more and shattered the metal. He repeated the process for the hinges of the door, then backed up and shot his small amount of water at the bottom.
The door fell inward.
He caught it across his shoulders and fell to his knees, surprised at the weight and his own weakness. Still, it was better than a metal door slamming against the floor; he was making too much noise as it was.
Carefully, Haru lowered it to the floor, then stepped over it, making his way to the deck. By the time he reached it, only he and the other person who had originally been on the ship were left.
Something about that seemed off, and -- fishbones, the other guy was too close!
He bolted for the rail, but fire flared in front of him and cut him off. He whirled to see Prince Zuko. "What did you do to my ship?" the prince demanded.
"Nothing," Haru said, taking a step back towards the rail. "You should talk to those other guys who were here."
The prince scowled. "What other guys?"
Haru shrugged. "They just left," he said, and pointed in the direction he'd felt the group leave.
"Liar," he growled.
"If you hadn't been sulking in your room when everybody left, maybe you'd've seen them." Okay, so Haru had no way of knowing that's what the prince had been doing, but it was Prince Zuko. The odds were in his favour. "You're a damn poor guard, by the way."
The prince snarled, and flames licked out of his mouth. "Shut up. Just shut up! You don't know what you're--"
Both of them heard the parrot-lizard cry out. Zuko looked up; Haru ran for the rail. As he launched himself over the side, the world exploded.
He vaguely thought he could hear screaming, but the roar drowned everything out.
His world was red and orange and hot -- and then suddenly it was black and freezing. Was he dead?
No, if he was dead he wouldn't hurt.
He tried to swim for the surface, but his arms and back locked up with pain. Haru screamed and inhaled water.
Vaguely, he was aware of an arm wrapping around his chest and of being pulled up, then his head broke water and he gulped in air -- then started choking. His rescuer swore and tried to keep both their heads above the churning water. "Should've let you drown," he muttered.
"P-prince Zuko?" Haru choked out.
The prince didn't answer; he was focused on getting them to shore. Haru didn't fight him, though he did wonder how the hell he was firebending enough to make the water glow.
At least the pain was receding; Haru suspected the freezing water was making him go numb.
After minutes that seemed like hours, Haru and Prince Zuko dragged themselves ashore and collapsed. Weakly, Haru turned to the prince and jerked in surprise to see that somehow, he had escaped injury.
It was his last thought before he passed out.