lol wat
Story Title: The Discards
Fandom: A:TLA
Characters: Suki, Mai, Aang (implied Zuko/Katara, Toph/Sokka, with eventual Suki/Mai/Aang)
Summary: As relationships change and shift as people grow older, three individuals are left behind to deal with the mess. However, instead of moping and wallowing in self-pity, Suki, Mai and Aang find themselves making the best of things.
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter One - It Takes a While to Come Together...
Mai usually didn't get horrible hangovers. She was oddly blessed with the kind of body that took the assault of alcohol well enough at the time and felt the need to recover quickly once water replaced the offending liquid. The few times that she had gotten drunk - either with Zuko or Ty Lee - she had woken up the next day to find herself dehydrated but lacking the usual headache and need to vomit.
The morning she woke up to find herself in a foreign bed in a foreign place, she realised that this time, she wasn't so lucky. Her entire mouth tasted like sawdust wrapped in cotton, and her head was one huge throbbing pain with hair on it. When she opened her eyes, she winced and shut them, the dim light peeking from underneath the rough curtains too much to bear. However, on the heels of that discomfort came the all-told nausea, and she lurched from the bed and scrabbled for the closest thing she could puke into - which ended up being an empty drawer.
This wasn't fair, she thought grimly, wiping her mouth and sitting on the floor. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't classy, and if Mai could never be both she tried to be at least one or the other. Now she was neither, and it hurt. What is wrong with me, getting worked up like this over some guy?
She made a face at that, resting her chin on her knees and wrapping her arms around her folded legs. Zuko wasn't "some guy", but it helped to put things into that mentality. It was akin to a splash of cold water, really, since for the first time in her life, she was really at a loss - she had no idea what to do with herself.
One thing is for sure, she thought sourly, reaching out and pushing the soggy drawer shut, I can't live like this.
Suki reached the shores of Chin just as the sun was breaking through the clouds. She watched it with a wistfulness she hadn't felt in years, and she wondered dimly what it was like to be a cloud.
It didn't last. She made a face at such a thought, changing it to a scowl as one of the villagers sent her a confused look. Clouds don't have to worry about being cheated on, though, she thought grumpily. Clouds don't have to expect their lovers to stay faithful; or, in the very least, break up with them first before going to someone else - and then breaking up in a letter.
She should have known, really. Out of anyone, she should have expected something as stupid as this from Sokka. While he was a fierce warrior and a brilliant scientist, he was a moron when it came to feelings and emotions. It probably never occurred to him until the last minute to let her know that he wasn't coming back, and the letter was probably an afterthought.
But really, was it took much to expect that he would think of her as more than that? She tried to look at it objectively, especially since a year had passed since the letter had come. But when she tried, her emotions got tangled into any thought she had, and she couldn't do it - she still got angry and hurt.
Objectively, she possibly could understand a little shred of where he was coming from. After all, hadn't Toph spent most of three years traveling the world and learning new things? Hadn't she become a hardened warrior in the process? And, damn it all, hadn't she grown up into something spectacular? No one would have guessed that Toph would grow up and become a knock-out - albeit a dirty and unkempt one - but she had, and Sokka had noticed. Suki should have really seen it all coming, because really, since when was Sokka immune to hot girls?
No one bothered her as she walked through Chin. It was still early, so only a few sleepy merchants were awake to get a start on the day, but even they took no real notice of her, since she had decided not to go in full Kyoshi uniform. She was sure that if she had, she would hear about it, no matter what Aang said about "making Chin see the light".
Oh, yeah - Aang. I wonder how everyone is? I've been sort of in my own world for the past year…
As she left Chin, her mind lingered on that thought.
Aang woke to the pleasant sound of the birds chirping a greeting to the rising sun. He was surprised - when was the last time he had slept through a sunrise since becoming a firebender?
But then, just how often had he woke to find himself dumped by the woman of his dreams, for his best friend in the whole world?
Aang sighed, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes. His movement brought Momo out of his own sleep, and he chittered a complaint before curling up into another ball and returning to his slumber. Aang stared at him, envying this.
He knew it was foolish to mope and sulk about what had happened. After all, what was done was done, and there was really no going back from it. Nothing he could do or say would change anyone's mind, so why dwell on it at all?
Because I'm still in love with her? He answered his thoughts back. Because I still want to be with her?
But then his mind suddenly offered him a dose of reality, which no one in love ever likes to have given to them.
Things hadn't been roses and moonbeams all the time for Aang and Katara - he knew that. Katara was focused on helping rebuild her home, while Aang was busy traveling and making due with other places in the world that needed him. For the most part, they saw each other in passing moments, fleeting moments that didn't last long enough for either of them. This had gone on for about a year and a half.
When Katara finally felt comfortable with how things were for the Water Tribes, she accepted Aang's offer to stay in the Air Temple with him when he was there, and travel at his side when he wasn't. For a while, it was almost like a honeymoon; they traveled the world, together seeing new and exciting things, everything tinted with the rose-coloured fantasy of love.
That only lasted a few months. After a while, Katara started dragging her heels, offering comments about how nice it would be to settle down in a place of their own. Aang was a little miffed - after all, he never made it secret that he was a nomad - but for her, he complied. They went back to the Air Temple, set on making a life together.
Aang slid off of Appa's back, walking to the bison's head and giving him a huge hug, one that got a short groan of appreciation in reply. He sighed into Appa's fur, shutting his eyes. He had been willing to give up a lot for her in the end, but she was still restless. Nothing he could do could fix that. He would always be lacking.
And now he knew why.
There was no comfort in being played a fool for so long, and he wondered just how long he had been played. It was at that moment, with a surprised jolt, that he realised that he wasn't the only one in the world feeling this kind of pain right now.
That's right… Mai and Zuko are still married. Mai must be feeling this way, too.
He thought of Mai then, wondered how she was holding up. Probably with lots of sharp objects and targets shaped like Zuko, he thought with a grim smile. He remembered how her whole life had been shaped for Zuko, and everything she did had been for him. So where is she now?
Aang pulled away from Appa slowly, his fingers lingering on the soft fur of his head. He thought it sickly ironic that now he had all of the time and freedom in the world to travel to his heart's content.
Well, fine, he thought. Let's travel.
Mai left the inn in mid-morning, overpaying and not caring. She still had her royal chop, and she intended to use it until Zuko cancelled it or until the money ran out. It was her right, after all. And technically we're still married, in name if not in anything else, she thought acidly.
The sound of her feet crunching over baked summer leaves seemed impossibly loud to her, but she dealt with it. If it meant being as far from the inn as possible before the owners found the vomit-drawer, it would be well worth the earache.
The mood of the people around her made her irritated; they were all so happy, so delighted in five years of relative peace. She wanted to slap them all; didn't they realise what this day would forever mean now for her?
Selfish thoughts, she knew. Selfish...and yet she couldn't help it. She was mad at Zuko, mad at him for ruining things, especially things she used to like, like sunsets, and fruit tarts. Now she hated them all. She really just wanted to hate him.
I'm making myself sick, she realised with a roll of her eyes. It wasn't just the hangover that was making her queasy; it was the thoughts she had as well. For most of her life she had never let herself be ruled by her emotions, either by choice or otherwise. Now she was letting only her emotions rule her, and it left a sour taste in her mouth, worse than the cotton-covered sawdust of the morning.
One thing was for sure, though: no matter how sick she felt now, she was never, ever going to get that drunk again, ever.
She caught a glimpse of a happy couple necking in front of a jewelery booth and her stomach clenched.
Well, maybe not ever...
It was Suki who found Mai first. She barely recognised the older girl, who seemed to almost be a shadow of herself and not at all like the immaculate woman she had grown to know and like. It was just outside of Chin, in a tiny hamlet, when she saw Mai's familiar figure standing a few feet away from an inn, her face dark and scowling as an amorous couple declared their intentions for one another.
Seeing Mai display emotion so openly was one thing. Seeing her scowl in the face of romance was another.
Suki made no hesitation when closing the distance between them. She called out, "Mai!", which in turn startled the other girl out of her wits and made her wince. When Mai turned and saw who it was, she relaxed, her face looking pale but grateful. "Hey," she replied back.
"What are you do all the way over here?" Suki wanted to know.
A carefully-placed blank look suddenly came over Mai's face, and her eyes dulled to something even blanker. "I was just around," she answered flatly.
"Just around?" Suki echoed. She knew a load of crap when she heard it. "This is the backwaters of the Earth Kingdom. Why would you be around here?"
Mai's eyes sparked, which relieved Suki - the blank look was too eerie. "Because I just am, okay?" she snapped, her mouth set in a snarl. "Can't I do anything without being judged for it?"
"Yes," Suki answered, nonplussed. "But I'm not judging you. I'm just asking you. Mai, what the hell is wrong with you?"
For a moment, Mai's face flash with a look of pure dismay, something she couldn't cover fast enough. It was replaced with a look of sudden panic. Suki felt a bite of sudden rage and hurt in her gut; she knew all to well what that look meant, sine she had seen it every single day from her own mirror. Now everything made sense.
She put her hands on Mai's, holding the cold fingers tight. "Tell me everything," she demanded.
Mai looked about to protest, but only for a moment. Her face twisted into a mask of pure fury, and in sharp and short words she spit it all out, her hands shaking and going hot within Suki's grasp. Suki listened with growing dismay and disbelief. When she was done, the older girl was crying silently, her face still set in its angry mask.
Suki's only way to react was to hug her, hard. Mai resisted for a moment, clearly not accustomed to such a form of comfort, but then eventually relaxed, hugging back lightly. When Mai took in a deep breath and exhaled ti shakily, Suki took that as a hint to pull away.
Then she blurted, "yeah, me too."
Mai's eyes flared. "Zuko slept with you too?" she growled.
"No, nonono!" Suki threw her hands out in case Mai reacted with sharp things faster than she could talk. "I mean, I was dumped by a jerk, too. For someone else."
Mai blinked. "Sokka? And..." She blinked slowly. "Oh. Huh."
Suki fought the urge to sigh. Does everyone know things before me? Was I the only one who didn't see it?
Mai then suddenly laughed. It startled Suki. "I give them a month. She'll eat him alive."
"It's been a year," Suki answered flatly.
"Wow," Mai had the decency to look sorry. "Who could have guessed that? And why didn't you tell me?" she reached out and flicked Suki's nose. "I thought we were friends."
Suki blushed. "We are. I haven't really told anyone. It was too embarrassing."
Mai nodded. She apparently understood. "Are you hungry? It's on me. Or rather, it's on Zuko." She held up a chop with a royal insignia stamped on it, waving it with an impish grin.
Suki grinned in return. "Why yes, suddenly I'm feeling very famished."
Mai laughed again, leading the way to the closest restaurant.
That's where Aang found them, oddly. He just walked in to the closest place for something to eat for both him and Momo after dropping Appa off at the closest stable, and his eyes instantly fell on two women that he recognised.
He knew that there was no such thing as chance in this world, especially when it came to fact that Mai was there, only hours after he thought of her, proved as much. The fact that Suki was there was a little odd, but he figured there was a reason for that, too.
With a faint smile, he gave Momo a gentle pat. "Think you would mind more company?" he wondered, his eyes fixed on the two. Momo looked up from his place around Aang's neck and gave a bored squawk, which Aang took as a no. With a soft sigh, he made his way over, wondering what fate had in store for him this time.
Fandom: A:TLA
Characters: Suki, Mai, Aang (implied Zuko/Katara, Toph/Sokka, with eventual Suki/Mai/Aang)
Summary: As relationships change and shift as people grow older, three individuals are left behind to deal with the mess. However, instead of moping and wallowing in self-pity, Suki, Mai and Aang find themselves making the best of things.
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter One - It Takes a While to Come Together...
Mai usually didn't get horrible hangovers. She was oddly blessed with the kind of body that took the assault of alcohol well enough at the time and felt the need to recover quickly once water replaced the offending liquid. The few times that she had gotten drunk - either with Zuko or Ty Lee - she had woken up the next day to find herself dehydrated but lacking the usual headache and need to vomit.
The morning she woke up to find herself in a foreign bed in a foreign place, she realised that this time, she wasn't so lucky. Her entire mouth tasted like sawdust wrapped in cotton, and her head was one huge throbbing pain with hair on it. When she opened her eyes, she winced and shut them, the dim light peeking from underneath the rough curtains too much to bear. However, on the heels of that discomfort came the all-told nausea, and she lurched from the bed and scrabbled for the closest thing she could puke into - which ended up being an empty drawer.
This wasn't fair, she thought grimly, wiping her mouth and sitting on the floor. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't classy, and if Mai could never be both she tried to be at least one or the other. Now she was neither, and it hurt. What is wrong with me, getting worked up like this over some guy?
She made a face at that, resting her chin on her knees and wrapping her arms around her folded legs. Zuko wasn't "some guy", but it helped to put things into that mentality. It was akin to a splash of cold water, really, since for the first time in her life, she was really at a loss - she had no idea what to do with herself.
One thing is for sure, she thought sourly, reaching out and pushing the soggy drawer shut, I can't live like this.
Suki reached the shores of Chin just as the sun was breaking through the clouds. She watched it with a wistfulness she hadn't felt in years, and she wondered dimly what it was like to be a cloud.
It didn't last. She made a face at such a thought, changing it to a scowl as one of the villagers sent her a confused look. Clouds don't have to worry about being cheated on, though, she thought grumpily. Clouds don't have to expect their lovers to stay faithful; or, in the very least, break up with them first before going to someone else - and then breaking up in a letter.
She should have known, really. Out of anyone, she should have expected something as stupid as this from Sokka. While he was a fierce warrior and a brilliant scientist, he was a moron when it came to feelings and emotions. It probably never occurred to him until the last minute to let her know that he wasn't coming back, and the letter was probably an afterthought.
But really, was it took much to expect that he would think of her as more than that? She tried to look at it objectively, especially since a year had passed since the letter had come. But when she tried, her emotions got tangled into any thought she had, and she couldn't do it - she still got angry and hurt.
Objectively, she possibly could understand a little shred of where he was coming from. After all, hadn't Toph spent most of three years traveling the world and learning new things? Hadn't she become a hardened warrior in the process? And, damn it all, hadn't she grown up into something spectacular? No one would have guessed that Toph would grow up and become a knock-out - albeit a dirty and unkempt one - but she had, and Sokka had noticed. Suki should have really seen it all coming, because really, since when was Sokka immune to hot girls?
No one bothered her as she walked through Chin. It was still early, so only a few sleepy merchants were awake to get a start on the day, but even they took no real notice of her, since she had decided not to go in full Kyoshi uniform. She was sure that if she had, she would hear about it, no matter what Aang said about "making Chin see the light".
Oh, yeah - Aang. I wonder how everyone is? I've been sort of in my own world for the past year…
As she left Chin, her mind lingered on that thought.
Aang woke to the pleasant sound of the birds chirping a greeting to the rising sun. He was surprised - when was the last time he had slept through a sunrise since becoming a firebender?
But then, just how often had he woke to find himself dumped by the woman of his dreams, for his best friend in the whole world?
Aang sighed, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes. His movement brought Momo out of his own sleep, and he chittered a complaint before curling up into another ball and returning to his slumber. Aang stared at him, envying this.
He knew it was foolish to mope and sulk about what had happened. After all, what was done was done, and there was really no going back from it. Nothing he could do or say would change anyone's mind, so why dwell on it at all?
Because I'm still in love with her? He answered his thoughts back. Because I still want to be with her?
But then his mind suddenly offered him a dose of reality, which no one in love ever likes to have given to them.
Things hadn't been roses and moonbeams all the time for Aang and Katara - he knew that. Katara was focused on helping rebuild her home, while Aang was busy traveling and making due with other places in the world that needed him. For the most part, they saw each other in passing moments, fleeting moments that didn't last long enough for either of them. This had gone on for about a year and a half.
When Katara finally felt comfortable with how things were for the Water Tribes, she accepted Aang's offer to stay in the Air Temple with him when he was there, and travel at his side when he wasn't. For a while, it was almost like a honeymoon; they traveled the world, together seeing new and exciting things, everything tinted with the rose-coloured fantasy of love.
That only lasted a few months. After a while, Katara started dragging her heels, offering comments about how nice it would be to settle down in a place of their own. Aang was a little miffed - after all, he never made it secret that he was a nomad - but for her, he complied. They went back to the Air Temple, set on making a life together.
Aang slid off of Appa's back, walking to the bison's head and giving him a huge hug, one that got a short groan of appreciation in reply. He sighed into Appa's fur, shutting his eyes. He had been willing to give up a lot for her in the end, but she was still restless. Nothing he could do could fix that. He would always be lacking.
And now he knew why.
There was no comfort in being played a fool for so long, and he wondered just how long he had been played. It was at that moment, with a surprised jolt, that he realised that he wasn't the only one in the world feeling this kind of pain right now.
That's right… Mai and Zuko are still married. Mai must be feeling this way, too.
He thought of Mai then, wondered how she was holding up. Probably with lots of sharp objects and targets shaped like Zuko, he thought with a grim smile. He remembered how her whole life had been shaped for Zuko, and everything she did had been for him. So where is she now?
Aang pulled away from Appa slowly, his fingers lingering on the soft fur of his head. He thought it sickly ironic that now he had all of the time and freedom in the world to travel to his heart's content.
Well, fine, he thought. Let's travel.
Mai left the inn in mid-morning, overpaying and not caring. She still had her royal chop, and she intended to use it until Zuko cancelled it or until the money ran out. It was her right, after all. And technically we're still married, in name if not in anything else, she thought acidly.
The sound of her feet crunching over baked summer leaves seemed impossibly loud to her, but she dealt with it. If it meant being as far from the inn as possible before the owners found the vomit-drawer, it would be well worth the earache.
The mood of the people around her made her irritated; they were all so happy, so delighted in five years of relative peace. She wanted to slap them all; didn't they realise what this day would forever mean now for her?
Selfish thoughts, she knew. Selfish...and yet she couldn't help it. She was mad at Zuko, mad at him for ruining things, especially things she used to like, like sunsets, and fruit tarts. Now she hated them all. She really just wanted to hate him.
I'm making myself sick, she realised with a roll of her eyes. It wasn't just the hangover that was making her queasy; it was the thoughts she had as well. For most of her life she had never let herself be ruled by her emotions, either by choice or otherwise. Now she was letting only her emotions rule her, and it left a sour taste in her mouth, worse than the cotton-covered sawdust of the morning.
One thing was for sure, though: no matter how sick she felt now, she was never, ever going to get that drunk again, ever.
She caught a glimpse of a happy couple necking in front of a jewelery booth and her stomach clenched.
Well, maybe not ever...
It was Suki who found Mai first. She barely recognised the older girl, who seemed to almost be a shadow of herself and not at all like the immaculate woman she had grown to know and like. It was just outside of Chin, in a tiny hamlet, when she saw Mai's familiar figure standing a few feet away from an inn, her face dark and scowling as an amorous couple declared their intentions for one another.
Seeing Mai display emotion so openly was one thing. Seeing her scowl in the face of romance was another.
Suki made no hesitation when closing the distance between them. She called out, "Mai!", which in turn startled the other girl out of her wits and made her wince. When Mai turned and saw who it was, she relaxed, her face looking pale but grateful. "Hey," she replied back.
"What are you do all the way over here?" Suki wanted to know.
A carefully-placed blank look suddenly came over Mai's face, and her eyes dulled to something even blanker. "I was just around," she answered flatly.
"Just around?" Suki echoed. She knew a load of crap when she heard it. "This is the backwaters of the Earth Kingdom. Why would you be around here?"
Mai's eyes sparked, which relieved Suki - the blank look was too eerie. "Because I just am, okay?" she snapped, her mouth set in a snarl. "Can't I do anything without being judged for it?"
"Yes," Suki answered, nonplussed. "But I'm not judging you. I'm just asking you. Mai, what the hell is wrong with you?"
For a moment, Mai's face flash with a look of pure dismay, something she couldn't cover fast enough. It was replaced with a look of sudden panic. Suki felt a bite of sudden rage and hurt in her gut; she knew all to well what that look meant, sine she had seen it every single day from her own mirror. Now everything made sense.
She put her hands on Mai's, holding the cold fingers tight. "Tell me everything," she demanded.
Mai looked about to protest, but only for a moment. Her face twisted into a mask of pure fury, and in sharp and short words she spit it all out, her hands shaking and going hot within Suki's grasp. Suki listened with growing dismay and disbelief. When she was done, the older girl was crying silently, her face still set in its angry mask.
Suki's only way to react was to hug her, hard. Mai resisted for a moment, clearly not accustomed to such a form of comfort, but then eventually relaxed, hugging back lightly. When Mai took in a deep breath and exhaled ti shakily, Suki took that as a hint to pull away.
Then she blurted, "yeah, me too."
Mai's eyes flared. "Zuko slept with you too?" she growled.
"No, nonono!" Suki threw her hands out in case Mai reacted with sharp things faster than she could talk. "I mean, I was dumped by a jerk, too. For someone else."
Mai blinked. "Sokka? And..." She blinked slowly. "Oh. Huh."
Suki fought the urge to sigh. Does everyone know things before me? Was I the only one who didn't see it?
Mai then suddenly laughed. It startled Suki. "I give them a month. She'll eat him alive."
"It's been a year," Suki answered flatly.
"Wow," Mai had the decency to look sorry. "Who could have guessed that? And why didn't you tell me?" she reached out and flicked Suki's nose. "I thought we were friends."
Suki blushed. "We are. I haven't really told anyone. It was too embarrassing."
Mai nodded. She apparently understood. "Are you hungry? It's on me. Or rather, it's on Zuko." She held up a chop with a royal insignia stamped on it, waving it with an impish grin.
Suki grinned in return. "Why yes, suddenly I'm feeling very famished."
Mai laughed again, leading the way to the closest restaurant.
That's where Aang found them, oddly. He just walked in to the closest place for something to eat for both him and Momo after dropping Appa off at the closest stable, and his eyes instantly fell on two women that he recognised.
He knew that there was no such thing as chance in this world, especially when it came to fact that Mai was there, only hours after he thought of her, proved as much. The fact that Suki was there was a little odd, but he figured there was a reason for that, too.
With a faint smile, he gave Momo a gentle pat. "Think you would mind more company?" he wondered, his eyes fixed on the two. Momo looked up from his place around Aang's neck and gave a bored squawk, which Aang took as a no. With a soft sigh, he made his way over, wondering what fate had in store for him this time.