Book I: Earth. The Fire Bender.
Verse: Avatar 'verse
Book: Earth
Rating: PG
Pairings: Bike Chanderson friendship, Klaine
Word Count: ~1000
Summary: Blaine has never seen a fire bender before, and he's certainly never seen one with eyes like this.
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: So I sort of forgot about this 'verse, and then someone was kind enough to remind me of it. Fancy that. (;
The Fire Nation is different than anything Blaine has ever seen.
It's to be expected, of course, because fire is the opposite of water. It's so warm that Blaine can't even imagine ice ever existing somewhere among the islands and, for the first time since he left home, Blaine feels completely out of his element. It doesn't help that Mike and him stick out like a pair of bright blue sore thumbs. The people of the Fire Nation are more fair-skinned than them and dressed in various shades of red, brown, and black.
It's not as if they treat them with hostility, but the crowds part for them and they're the subject of hushed whispers and wide-eyed stares. Blaine wonders if this is what it will always be like for him. He wonders how much worse it will get when these people find out who he is.
It might also have to do with Pav; Blaine knows that Polar Bear Lions aren't common.
"So what now?" Mike asks, his voice low as he looks around. Blaine can understand. Mike is a warrior and he's always a bit on the defensive.
"I honestly have no clue," Blaine responds, a little guiltily. After all, coming to the Fire Nation had been his idea. If anything happens to them, it will be his fault. What happens if someone attacks the Avatar? He'd rather not find out. He feels a nose bump into his shoulder and he reaches back, threading his hands through Pav's mane, trying to soothe him.
"Should we... Go introduce ourselves to the Fire Lord?" Blaine asks, tentatively. "I mean, the Nations have probably already been told that the Avatar has been selected. It would be rude to come here and not say anything, right?"
Mike's mouth sets into a thin line as he thinks, but already their path is being carved towards the palace.
"It couldn't hurt," he decides. "You're probably safer there than you are here. I don't like how these people are looking at us."
Blaine isn't so fond of it himself.
The Fire Nation palace is grand and ornate and, well, not made completely of ice and snow. But it's not made of fire, either, which is enough to put some of the myths from his childhood to rest. After all, fire benders aren't magically immune to burns the way water benders can escape the horror of frost bite.
The actual palace is surrounded by what can only be described as it's own city and it absolutely takes Blaine's breath away. The Fire Nation is so big. Blaine can cross the entirety of his home in a day but he knows that he's only seen a glimpse of all the Fire Nation contains.
But then he really does glimpse something.
His footsteps slow as they pass some sort of courtyard, or garden, Blaine isn't quite too sure. But it's not the place the catches his interest; rather, it's what's going on inside of it. Blaine has never in his life seen fire bending; he's heard stories and seen pictures and imagined things to the wildest reaches of his imagination. None of it came close to actually seeing it, though.
He's not quite sure if it's a fight or a duel, or perhaps just training, but it's absolutely captivating. Where water bending is loose and fluid (no pun intended), body movements that curl with the elements. But fire bending, from what Blaine can see, isn't like that at all. It's still a dance, but it's sharp and quick and sudden. Unlike water or earth bending, fire bending can happen anywhere and it takes Blaine's breath away.
"Wow," Mike mutters beside him, and Blaine can only nod in agreement. He can't even begin to think what it will be like when he gets there, when it's his time to learn fire bending. It's beautiful, but absolutely terrifying.
There's a shrill noise and the duel ends, both participants stepping back and bowing to one another. Blaine leans more on the barricade of the courtyard, head held in interest as two more benders take the field. Blaine's eyes are suddenly drawn to the boy, not only because he's beautiful (beautiful like no boy Blaine has ever seen), but because unlike almost everyone Blaine has seen in the fire nation, the boy's eyes are the most vibrant shade of blue.
It's a color that is so familiar to Blaine because it's the color that reflects from the eyes of the Water Tribes. It's a color that Blaine, himself, is lacking, his mother originally hailing from the Earth Kingdom. The boy looks up, meets Blaine's eyes, and looks equally surprised. But the moment ends when the shrill sound echoes through the courtyard again, the benders springing into action.
Blaine can't stop watching him.
He moves with a grace his opponent is lacking, but is just as fierce, if not more so. The boy's face remains eerily calm the entire time, emotionless as he releases torrent after torrent of flames. Blaine can't help but wonder how they aren't hitting one another; every strike they cast seems deadly. But the longer he watches, the more he realizes that that seems to be the point. Fire is unruly, uncontrollable, everyone knows that. To be able to control it is what they say makes someone a fire bender, and Blaine can only imagine that the true sign of mastery is to fight and not hit an opponent.
It's enthralling.
The boy moves quickly, dodging flames in a way that makes Blaine's heart jump into his throat. If it was him, he no doubt would be covered in burns. But moments later, it's over, as the boy pins the girl's arms behind her back and traps her legs with his own. The noise sounds and the boy throws his hands up in frustration. The girl says something to him, spits, and he glares at her before stalking out of the field. Blaine blinks at the confrontation, eyes following the boy until he looks over at Blaine with a questioning glance. Then he's gone.
"Come on." Mike tugs on Blaine's sleeve and he turns to look, startled. "Lets get going. We're here for a reason, right?"
Right. To see the Fire Lord. Of course.
Blaine resists the urge to find the boy with the beautiful eyes.
Book: Earth
Rating: PG
Pairings: Bike Chanderson friendship, Klaine
Word Count: ~1000
Summary: Blaine has never seen a fire bender before, and he's certainly never seen one with eyes like this.
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: So I sort of forgot about this 'verse, and then someone was kind enough to remind me of it. Fancy that. (;
The Fire Nation is different than anything Blaine has ever seen.
It's to be expected, of course, because fire is the opposite of water. It's so warm that Blaine can't even imagine ice ever existing somewhere among the islands and, for the first time since he left home, Blaine feels completely out of his element. It doesn't help that Mike and him stick out like a pair of bright blue sore thumbs. The people of the Fire Nation are more fair-skinned than them and dressed in various shades of red, brown, and black.
It's not as if they treat them with hostility, but the crowds part for them and they're the subject of hushed whispers and wide-eyed stares. Blaine wonders if this is what it will always be like for him. He wonders how much worse it will get when these people find out who he is.
It might also have to do with Pav; Blaine knows that Polar Bear Lions aren't common.
"So what now?" Mike asks, his voice low as he looks around. Blaine can understand. Mike is a warrior and he's always a bit on the defensive.
"I honestly have no clue," Blaine responds, a little guiltily. After all, coming to the Fire Nation had been his idea. If anything happens to them, it will be his fault. What happens if someone attacks the Avatar? He'd rather not find out. He feels a nose bump into his shoulder and he reaches back, threading his hands through Pav's mane, trying to soothe him.
"Should we... Go introduce ourselves to the Fire Lord?" Blaine asks, tentatively. "I mean, the Nations have probably already been told that the Avatar has been selected. It would be rude to come here and not say anything, right?"
Mike's mouth sets into a thin line as he thinks, but already their path is being carved towards the palace.
"It couldn't hurt," he decides. "You're probably safer there than you are here. I don't like how these people are looking at us."
Blaine isn't so fond of it himself.
The Fire Nation palace is grand and ornate and, well, not made completely of ice and snow. But it's not made of fire, either, which is enough to put some of the myths from his childhood to rest. After all, fire benders aren't magically immune to burns the way water benders can escape the horror of frost bite.
The actual palace is surrounded by what can only be described as it's own city and it absolutely takes Blaine's breath away. The Fire Nation is so big. Blaine can cross the entirety of his home in a day but he knows that he's only seen a glimpse of all the Fire Nation contains.
But then he really does glimpse something.
His footsteps slow as they pass some sort of courtyard, or garden, Blaine isn't quite too sure. But it's not the place the catches his interest; rather, it's what's going on inside of it. Blaine has never in his life seen fire bending; he's heard stories and seen pictures and imagined things to the wildest reaches of his imagination. None of it came close to actually seeing it, though.
He's not quite sure if it's a fight or a duel, or perhaps just training, but it's absolutely captivating. Where water bending is loose and fluid (no pun intended), body movements that curl with the elements. But fire bending, from what Blaine can see, isn't like that at all. It's still a dance, but it's sharp and quick and sudden. Unlike water or earth bending, fire bending can happen anywhere and it takes Blaine's breath away.
"Wow," Mike mutters beside him, and Blaine can only nod in agreement. He can't even begin to think what it will be like when he gets there, when it's his time to learn fire bending. It's beautiful, but absolutely terrifying.
There's a shrill noise and the duel ends, both participants stepping back and bowing to one another. Blaine leans more on the barricade of the courtyard, head held in interest as two more benders take the field. Blaine's eyes are suddenly drawn to the boy, not only because he's beautiful (beautiful like no boy Blaine has ever seen), but because unlike almost everyone Blaine has seen in the fire nation, the boy's eyes are the most vibrant shade of blue.
It's a color that is so familiar to Blaine because it's the color that reflects from the eyes of the Water Tribes. It's a color that Blaine, himself, is lacking, his mother originally hailing from the Earth Kingdom. The boy looks up, meets Blaine's eyes, and looks equally surprised. But the moment ends when the shrill sound echoes through the courtyard again, the benders springing into action.
Blaine can't stop watching him.
He moves with a grace his opponent is lacking, but is just as fierce, if not more so. The boy's face remains eerily calm the entire time, emotionless as he releases torrent after torrent of flames. Blaine can't help but wonder how they aren't hitting one another; every strike they cast seems deadly. But the longer he watches, the more he realizes that that seems to be the point. Fire is unruly, uncontrollable, everyone knows that. To be able to control it is what they say makes someone a fire bender, and Blaine can only imagine that the true sign of mastery is to fight and not hit an opponent.
It's enthralling.
The boy moves quickly, dodging flames in a way that makes Blaine's heart jump into his throat. If it was him, he no doubt would be covered in burns. But moments later, it's over, as the boy pins the girl's arms behind her back and traps her legs with his own. The noise sounds and the boy throws his hands up in frustration. The girl says something to him, spits, and he glares at her before stalking out of the field. Blaine blinks at the confrontation, eyes following the boy until he looks over at Blaine with a questioning glance. Then he's gone.
"Come on." Mike tugs on Blaine's sleeve and he turns to look, startled. "Lets get going. We're here for a reason, right?"
Right. To see the Fire Lord. Of course.
Blaine resists the urge to find the boy with the beautiful eyes.