[FIC] Sense and Sensibility (15/16)
Title: Sense and Sensibility, Chapter Fifteen
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Eventual Zutara, mentions of Sokka/Suki
Wordcount: 1397
Warnings: none
Summary: Four years after the end of the war, Fire Lord Zuko is told he has two weeks to choose a bride from a group of five girls. Luckily, Uncle Iroh stacked the deck.
Author's Notes: I'm archiving things, so this one (which is my longest finished story to date) was written before season three premiered. Thus it is technically an AU. Chapter titles are from the musical Camelot, because I am a giant dork.
---Chapter Fifteen: Camelot (Reprise)---
The group of six waited patiently as the ramp was lowered so they could at last disembark. Toph was dreading leaving the comforting metal of the ship, which was the second best thing to having real dirt beneath her feet, and entering the land of ice and snow Katara and Sokka came from, where she would be completely blind. The second the ramp was down, the new Fire Lady pushed her friends aside and ran forward, reaching the ground before them. Everyone stared at her. Katara laughed and met Aang’s wondering eyes. “I told you I’d be here before you got back, didn’t I?”
Aang remembered the promise she’d made and laughed too, though he had to admit that this was not what he’d expected when she left almost a month ago. Toph, having taken her first few steps into the snow, suddenly fell, and Aang helped her up, a smile still on his face. He didn’t mind.
Hakoda was there to meet them, and he smiled as he embraced his daughter. “What took you so long, Katara? From Sokka’s letter, I expected you a week ago, at the latest. Was the ship delayed by storms?”
Katara blinked. “No… Didn’t you get the invitation?”
Hakoda frowned. “What invitation?” He noticed the rest of their party. “Hello, Aang. I assume these lovely young ladies must be Suki and Toph, but who...?” He looked at Zuko and then turned to Katara. She blushed.
“Dad, this is Fire Lord Zuko.”
Zuko stepped forward to shake Hakoda’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet my father-in-law,” he said with some hesitation.
Hakoda’s eyes narrowed. “Father-in-law? Katara, what is he talking about?”
It was almost funny. The Chief of the Southern Water Tribe looked rather angry, while the Fire Lord looked ever-so-slightly afraid. Zuko was a few inches taller than Hakoda, but Katara and Sokka’s father was broader in the shoulder and thicker in the waist; he also had the advantage Zuko’s confusion.
The Fire Lord turned to his wife. “Katara?”
She bit her lip. “He didn’t get the invitation. I should have known, when Lady Junbi said he wasn’t coming, but…”
“Invitation to what?” Hakoda shouted.
“Our wedding,” Katara said. “Zuko and I got married.”
“You what? You can’t be married. You’re too young.”
Katara sighed. “I’m almost nineteen, Dad. Besides, you knew that Zuko was supposed to be picking his wife when I went there.”
“You said he wasn’t going to choose you! You said you were only going as a friend!”
“Um, Chief Hakoda?” Aang piped up.
Katara’s father turned toward him, but not before glaring at Zuko again. The Fire Lord seemed to have regained his confidence and now had his arm wrapped firmly around Katara’s waist. “What is it, Aang?”
“It’s kind of too late to really be upset about this, since they’re already married. Katara’s happy, so shouldn’t you just be happy for her?”
Hakoda blinked. Suki giggled, but stopped immediately when Sokka elbowed her. She elbowed him back and he fell into the snow. Everyone else ignored them.
Hakoda sighed deeply and faced Zuko again. He held out his hand. “Welcome to the family, Fire Lord Zuko.”
They shook hands briefly. Then Katara laughed and flew at her father, hugging him tightly.
--------
Aang caught Toph as she stumbled in the snow for the umpteenth time since they had landed. He had only barely managed to convince her to wear boots, using the fact that her feet would freeze as his best reasoning. He enjoyed being so close to her, but eventually…
“Oof!”
Toph tripped again, only this time she somehow managed to knock Aang over as well, falling on top of him. She grinned. She was, for once, totally and completely blind in this cold, wet stuff, and yet she had to admit, she was kind of having fun.
Katara giggled, and Zuko pulled his wife closer. She was used to the snow and cold, but he still liked to try to keep her warm. Not to mention that it was quite funny to see the faces Sokka made when the newlyweds acted all “lovey-dovey,” as he called it when he whispered furiously to Suki. She just smacked the back of his head, causing the warrior to fall flat on his face.
Aang looked around at his friends. This, of everything he had ever experienced, was the only thing that came even close to perfect.
--------
Sokka and Suki’s wedding was celebrated in true Water Tribe fashion, with the ceremony performed outside at moonrise. It was followed by a great deal of dancing and drinking around the campfire. A rather drunk Sokka leaned on Aang’s shoulder sometime near midnight, a huge grin on his face. “Ishn’t she purty?” he slurred, swaying a little as he gestured towards Suki. Aang smiled; the Kyoshi warrior was talking to Toph, who laughed loudly at something. “Yeah, she is.”
Sokka’s blue eyes acquired a sneaky glint. “So, when’re you an’ Toph gonna get married, huh?”
Aang blushed. “Me? And Toph? No, no, it’s not like that.”
“You’ve been saying that for years,” Sokka replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Why don’t you two admit that you’re together already?”
Aang’s cheeks reddened even more. “Because we aren’t like that,” he protested.
“Uh-huh. I’ve seen the way you look at her, Twinkletoes,” Katara teased, appearing from somewhere behind them. She frowned at her brother. “Sokka, you’re completely sloshed.”
“No I’m not! I only had…” He tried to count the number of drinks he’d had on his fingers, frowning when he couldn’t come up with a definite number. “No I’m not!”
Zuko was now standing next to Katara. “Further proof that yes, you are,” the Fire Lord told his brother-in-law with a smirk. He turned to his wife and held out his hand. “Dance with me?”
She smiled. “I thought you didn’t like dancing.”
“Only when I’m being watched by people who care more about politics than personalities.”
Katara laughed and took her husband’s hand. They twirled away, joining the other couples dancing with happy exuberance. Suki and Toph had apparently finished with their discussion; the new bride grabbed her husband’s ear and dragged him away, ignoring his drunken protests. Toph leaned against Aang, who looked at her in surprise.
“It’s cold,” she explained.
He didn’t ask how she knew he was standing there, or even how she knew what sort of look he’d given her. It was Toph, and Toph knew everything. Instead Aang smiled, and so did she.
“You know what Suki asked me?” Toph said suddenly.
“What?” Aang asked, curious.
“She asked when you and I were going to get together.”
Aang fought off his returning blush. “She wasn’t drunk, was she?”
Toph frowned, though Aang wasn’t sure whether it was from the question or because she could feel his quickening heartbeat. “Not that I could tell. Why?”
“Because Sokka is, and he asked me the same question.” More or less. No need to disturb Toph with what Sokka had actually said; Aang had enough trouble trying to hold her off anyone else that suggested they were romantically involved. They were both quiet for a moment. The Avatar watched the people dancing; the greatest earthbender in the world listened to his heartbeat and breathing, the dance music only background noise to her.
“What did you say?” Aang asked, breaking their silence.
Toph grinned. She knew his curiosity would eventually get the better of him. “I laughed and said we were still too young for that. Besides, we’ve only seen about three-fourths of the Earth Kingdom. After we’ve seen all of it, I want to see the rest of the world before I settle down with anyone.”
Aang laughed a little. “You, settle down?”
“Yeah, it’s a funny thought, isn’t it? Are you going to come back here anymore, since Sweetness will be in the Fire Nation and Snoozles will be in Kyoshi?”
Aang looked at Toph, surprised by the change in subject. “No, I don’t think so. I suppose seeing the rest of the world again could be fun.”
“That’s right, you’ve been everywhere already.” There was just a touch of jealousy in Toph’s voice.
“Yeah, but most of the time the Fire Nation was after me,” Aang reminded her. “Visiting all those places again as a tourist might be nice.”
Toph leaned closer, smiling again. “Yeah…nice.”
---End Chapter Fifteen---
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Eventual Zutara, mentions of Sokka/Suki
Wordcount: 1397
Warnings: none
Summary: Four years after the end of the war, Fire Lord Zuko is told he has two weeks to choose a bride from a group of five girls. Luckily, Uncle Iroh stacked the deck.
Author's Notes: I'm archiving things, so this one (which is my longest finished story to date) was written before season three premiered. Thus it is technically an AU. Chapter titles are from the musical Camelot, because I am a giant dork.
---Chapter Fifteen: Camelot (Reprise)---
The group of six waited patiently as the ramp was lowered so they could at last disembark. Toph was dreading leaving the comforting metal of the ship, which was the second best thing to having real dirt beneath her feet, and entering the land of ice and snow Katara and Sokka came from, where she would be completely blind. The second the ramp was down, the new Fire Lady pushed her friends aside and ran forward, reaching the ground before them. Everyone stared at her. Katara laughed and met Aang’s wondering eyes. “I told you I’d be here before you got back, didn’t I?”
Aang remembered the promise she’d made and laughed too, though he had to admit that this was not what he’d expected when she left almost a month ago. Toph, having taken her first few steps into the snow, suddenly fell, and Aang helped her up, a smile still on his face. He didn’t mind.
Hakoda was there to meet them, and he smiled as he embraced his daughter. “What took you so long, Katara? From Sokka’s letter, I expected you a week ago, at the latest. Was the ship delayed by storms?”
Katara blinked. “No… Didn’t you get the invitation?”
Hakoda frowned. “What invitation?” He noticed the rest of their party. “Hello, Aang. I assume these lovely young ladies must be Suki and Toph, but who...?” He looked at Zuko and then turned to Katara. She blushed.
“Dad, this is Fire Lord Zuko.”
Zuko stepped forward to shake Hakoda’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet my father-in-law,” he said with some hesitation.
Hakoda’s eyes narrowed. “Father-in-law? Katara, what is he talking about?”
It was almost funny. The Chief of the Southern Water Tribe looked rather angry, while the Fire Lord looked ever-so-slightly afraid. Zuko was a few inches taller than Hakoda, but Katara and Sokka’s father was broader in the shoulder and thicker in the waist; he also had the advantage Zuko’s confusion.
The Fire Lord turned to his wife. “Katara?”
She bit her lip. “He didn’t get the invitation. I should have known, when Lady Junbi said he wasn’t coming, but…”
“Invitation to what?” Hakoda shouted.
“Our wedding,” Katara said. “Zuko and I got married.”
“You what? You can’t be married. You’re too young.”
Katara sighed. “I’m almost nineteen, Dad. Besides, you knew that Zuko was supposed to be picking his wife when I went there.”
“You said he wasn’t going to choose you! You said you were only going as a friend!”
“Um, Chief Hakoda?” Aang piped up.
Katara’s father turned toward him, but not before glaring at Zuko again. The Fire Lord seemed to have regained his confidence and now had his arm wrapped firmly around Katara’s waist. “What is it, Aang?”
“It’s kind of too late to really be upset about this, since they’re already married. Katara’s happy, so shouldn’t you just be happy for her?”
Hakoda blinked. Suki giggled, but stopped immediately when Sokka elbowed her. She elbowed him back and he fell into the snow. Everyone else ignored them.
Hakoda sighed deeply and faced Zuko again. He held out his hand. “Welcome to the family, Fire Lord Zuko.”
They shook hands briefly. Then Katara laughed and flew at her father, hugging him tightly.
--------
Aang caught Toph as she stumbled in the snow for the umpteenth time since they had landed. He had only barely managed to convince her to wear boots, using the fact that her feet would freeze as his best reasoning. He enjoyed being so close to her, but eventually…
“Oof!”
Toph tripped again, only this time she somehow managed to knock Aang over as well, falling on top of him. She grinned. She was, for once, totally and completely blind in this cold, wet stuff, and yet she had to admit, she was kind of having fun.
Katara giggled, and Zuko pulled his wife closer. She was used to the snow and cold, but he still liked to try to keep her warm. Not to mention that it was quite funny to see the faces Sokka made when the newlyweds acted all “lovey-dovey,” as he called it when he whispered furiously to Suki. She just smacked the back of his head, causing the warrior to fall flat on his face.
Aang looked around at his friends. This, of everything he had ever experienced, was the only thing that came even close to perfect.
--------
Sokka and Suki’s wedding was celebrated in true Water Tribe fashion, with the ceremony performed outside at moonrise. It was followed by a great deal of dancing and drinking around the campfire. A rather drunk Sokka leaned on Aang’s shoulder sometime near midnight, a huge grin on his face. “Ishn’t she purty?” he slurred, swaying a little as he gestured towards Suki. Aang smiled; the Kyoshi warrior was talking to Toph, who laughed loudly at something. “Yeah, she is.”
Sokka’s blue eyes acquired a sneaky glint. “So, when’re you an’ Toph gonna get married, huh?”
Aang blushed. “Me? And Toph? No, no, it’s not like that.”
“You’ve been saying that for years,” Sokka replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Why don’t you two admit that you’re together already?”
Aang’s cheeks reddened even more. “Because we aren’t like that,” he protested.
“Uh-huh. I’ve seen the way you look at her, Twinkletoes,” Katara teased, appearing from somewhere behind them. She frowned at her brother. “Sokka, you’re completely sloshed.”
“No I’m not! I only had…” He tried to count the number of drinks he’d had on his fingers, frowning when he couldn’t come up with a definite number. “No I’m not!”
Zuko was now standing next to Katara. “Further proof that yes, you are,” the Fire Lord told his brother-in-law with a smirk. He turned to his wife and held out his hand. “Dance with me?”
She smiled. “I thought you didn’t like dancing.”
“Only when I’m being watched by people who care more about politics than personalities.”
Katara laughed and took her husband’s hand. They twirled away, joining the other couples dancing with happy exuberance. Suki and Toph had apparently finished with their discussion; the new bride grabbed her husband’s ear and dragged him away, ignoring his drunken protests. Toph leaned against Aang, who looked at her in surprise.
“It’s cold,” she explained.
He didn’t ask how she knew he was standing there, or even how she knew what sort of look he’d given her. It was Toph, and Toph knew everything. Instead Aang smiled, and so did she.
“You know what Suki asked me?” Toph said suddenly.
“What?” Aang asked, curious.
“She asked when you and I were going to get together.”
Aang fought off his returning blush. “She wasn’t drunk, was she?”
Toph frowned, though Aang wasn’t sure whether it was from the question or because she could feel his quickening heartbeat. “Not that I could tell. Why?”
“Because Sokka is, and he asked me the same question.” More or less. No need to disturb Toph with what Sokka had actually said; Aang had enough trouble trying to hold her off anyone else that suggested they were romantically involved. They were both quiet for a moment. The Avatar watched the people dancing; the greatest earthbender in the world listened to his heartbeat and breathing, the dance music only background noise to her.
“What did you say?” Aang asked, breaking their silence.
Toph grinned. She knew his curiosity would eventually get the better of him. “I laughed and said we were still too young for that. Besides, we’ve only seen about three-fourths of the Earth Kingdom. After we’ve seen all of it, I want to see the rest of the world before I settle down with anyone.”
Aang laughed a little. “You, settle down?”
“Yeah, it’s a funny thought, isn’t it? Are you going to come back here anymore, since Sweetness will be in the Fire Nation and Snoozles will be in Kyoshi?”
Aang looked at Toph, surprised by the change in subject. “No, I don’t think so. I suppose seeing the rest of the world again could be fun.”
“That’s right, you’ve been everywhere already.” There was just a touch of jealousy in Toph’s voice.
“Yeah, but most of the time the Fire Nation was after me,” Aang reminded her. “Visiting all those places again as a tourist might be nice.”
Toph leaned closer, smiling again. “Yeah…nice.”
---End Chapter Fifteen---