Shhh
Just...shut the fuck up.
Pictured
It was hard work, but Sokka was used to that.
He had been working on it for weeks. And weeks and weeks. Any spare time that he had was spent working on it (unless he was hungry). Whenever someone came up to ask him questions, or to just talk to him, he scrambled frantically to hide what he was doing. It was important, and it was hard work, but most of all, it was a surprise.
It had been several months since the Fire Lord's take-down and Zuko's ascension to the throne. What was once viewed as break-time turned out to be highly stressful and exhausting clean-up work, especially when it came to the Fire Nation and their colonies. At times like this, especially when he would catch the occasional glimpse of Zuko, or even Aang, Sokka was glad that his feet were firmly planted in the Southern Water Tribe's tundra. Both Fire Lord and Avatar looked much older than they were.
But this surprise wasn't for them, although Sokka wondered if perhaps he should make one for at least Aang (Zuko would probably just stare at him for a while before barbecuing him). No, this was for one special person, one that he knew would appreciate it and give him the credit it deserved.
He hoped.
"Ugh, you're still doing that?"
Sokka almost crumbled the charcoal in his hand from his shock. He looked up and glared at his sister. "How do you do that?" he demanded furiously. "I didn't even hear you come in!"
Katara grinned. "I have ways," she replied.
Both siblings were together again, finally home in Southern Water Tribe lands. It was something to get used to again, needless to say, when Sokka first laid eyes on the place beside Hakoda and Bato. Due to the migration of some waterbenders from the Northern Tribe, the Southern lands had never looked better. They had buildings, ones that didn't melt in the summer thaw. They had wells, and storage warehouses, and they even had more than one latrine. It was a kind of luxury that both siblings, who had grown up in near-poverty, were just not used to, but found themselves enjoying just the same.
Sokka had chosen a small, serviceable home for himself. It, too, was made of ice, and it boasted several storage units (ones he needed to store his assortments of knickknacks and collectibles gathered from his travels). It was also near the lookout tower, since old habits died hard, and this one also provided a soothing sound of water in the late hours.
It was home, and he was proud of it. But there were times he wished he could lock it up.
Sokka decided to deflect Katara away from the topic. "Where's Aang?" he wondered, grinning and drawing out the young Avatar's name as long as he could.
Katara rolled her eyes, but her cheeks did redden a little. Despite their age differences, the experiences that they had gone through had brought them together, and it was a rare moment indeed that the young waterbending woman was seen without her airbending friend. They had grown close, shared several kisses, and stayed close, as close as possible.
Sokka had had the privilege of watching it all, from the start, and while he enjoyed teasing his sister mercilessly about it, he had to admit that it was a rather keen match. He just hoped, deep down, that they would grow together, instead of grow apart, which wasn't unusual for young couples. He liked to think he knew better, especially when they were together and saw the shared joy in their eyes, but he worried. She was his younger sister, after all.
"Aang is still trying to knock some sense into those idiots in the Fire Nation," Katara replied evenly, walking over to Sokka and sitting in front of him.
Hurriedly, Sokka snatched up what he was doing and shove it behind his back. "Still?" he wondered, trying to deflect Katara's eyes from his hands. "Haven't they worked it out yet?"
"Of course not," she replied. "Centuries of self-centred ignorance and superiority can't be yelled out of people, no matter how much Zuko strains his voice."
Sokka blinked. "He yelled again?"
Katara rolled her eyes again, this time harder. "With expletives."
Sokka whistled. He then chuckled, imagining not only the advisor's faces, but Aang's as well. "Poor Aang. I bet that was a hard mess to clean up."
Katara's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Stop hiding," she snapped. She held out her hand. "Show me, now."
Sokka felt the blood leave his face, and he inched backwards away from her, his hands behind his back. "No way," he answered. "You'll just make fun of me, and I've been working really hard on this to stop now."
His sister growled. "Come on, I already know what it is. I've seen the ones you've thrown away. Let me see!"
"No!" he snapped. "It's not done yet!"
Katara's eyes flashed, and he winced. He knew what was coming, and he also knew he had brought it on himself. And he was right. Katara raised her hands, held them flat, and jerked them to the side. The ice from the floor heeded her pull and reached up, snagging Sokka's arms and pulling them down and behind his back. His fingers loosened, and his hard work was dropped.
"Argh!" he grunted. "Katara, it's not fair!"
Katara scooted behind him and snatched it up. He kicked at her, but she darted to the side, getting to her feet and unraveling the long, slightly-crumpled piece of parchment. He shouted at her, words that would have made Gran Gran blush, but she merely ignored him, her eyes widening at what she saw upon the parchment.
"Sokka," she said softly.
He groaned, slumping backwards. He shut his eyes. "It's terrible, I know, but I'm really trying, and I really want to finish before she visits. I only have a few days left."
"Sokka, it's good."
He opened one eye, and saw that Katara was being sincere. She was in fact smiling. "Not only can I tell that it's Suki, but it's also a really nice Suki."
Somewhat mollified, Sokka muttered softly, "The makeup is so hard to draw, so I didn't."
'It' was in fact a drawing of the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors herself, from her shoulders up, in dark charcoal. She was without the trademark makeup and ornaments that set her and her warriors apart, but there was a hard light depicted in her eyes that revealed the warrior within.
Granted, the lines were crooked, and some of the proportions were uneven and somewhat awkward, but Katara hadn't been lying; it was a vast improvement from the horrible drawings she had seen in Ba Sing Se.
Suddenly, the ice dissolved, and Sokka was free (and now wet). He pulled his arms away and moved from the wet spot now on his floor, but didn't get mad. Instead, he looked up at his sister, feeling somewhat exposed and paranoid.
In a small voice, one that Katara was used to hearing, he wondered, "Do you think she'll like it?"
Katara carefully rolled up the picture and held it in her hands. She knelt down in front of him and lightly tapped him on the head with it. "Of course she will," she replied kindly.
"I just miss her so much, you know?" Sokka looked away, frowning. "It's hard, being apart. I know she has duties on Kyoshi, and I have duties here, but that doesn't stop me from missing her. You know?"
Katara nodded, her smile also gone. "I know," she said quietly.
Sokka looked up at her then. He smiled wryly. "We're idiots," he admitted, "falling for people who have to travel and do their own things."
Katara blushed again, but still looked wistful. "At least we can appreciate the times we have together, don't you think?" she wondered, holding out the parchment. He took it, and she sat back. "However short that time may be…"
Sokka carefully put the picture aside, then leaned back on his hands. "You miss him a lot, too, huh?"
Katara nodded, not looking at him. "Every day," she agreed.
He chewed his lip, trying to find a way to words his thoughts as carefully as he could. When he thought he had it, he said, "Well, you're both so young, and who knows what will happen! Maybe someday you won't have to worry about feeling sad that he's gone, because he'll always be gone!"
Katara stared at him, her eyes wide and flashing with anger and hurt.
Okay, so that apparently wasn't the way to word it.
Sokka held up his hands. "What I mean is, since you're both still sort of kids, there's no way to know that you'll be together forever, so you shouldn't dwell too much on it, you know?"
Katara gritted her teeth, and he winced. He opened his mouth to try a third time, but she exploded.
"What do you mean we're both 'still kids'?" she fumed. "I mean, yes, okay, we're still young, and I suppose you could say children, but what we've been through together, what we've both seen, and fought, and have had to go through just to be together and where we are now…are you saying that counts for nothing?"
"Katara, calm down, that's not what I'm saying."
"What are you saying, then?"
Sokka grimaced and cowered. "I'm stupid, please don't freeze me!"
The words broke through her anger, and she managed to collect herself. But only just. "You are stupid, but you still have to explain yourself," she snapped.
"Look, I'm not saying that you don't love Aang, nor am I saying that he doesn't love you, either," he began. "But even you both have to admit that people can change, and so could you. All you need to do is look at our current Fire Lord to understand that."
"I'm not Zuko, and neither is Aang," Katara answered curtly.
Sokka couldn't help himself. "Do you sometimes wish he was?"
The punch to his arm was hard, merciless, and furious. He squawked with pain and fell over. "I am not interested in Zuko!" she shouted. Sokka opened his mouth, but realised that, inadvertently, he had started a rant. "Why does everyone keep saying that? Why does everyone keep asking me that? I don't even find Zuko remotely attractive, and yet everyone wants me to marry him? All he does is push my buttons and challenge my own point-of-views! It's not attractive; it's annoying!"
Sokka waited until Katara caught her breath before trying again. "Okay, so you don't like Zuko, I get it." He sat up and looked her right in the eyes, completely serious. "And I know that you and Aang have been through hell and high waters together. But is it enough?"
Katara opened her mouth for a moment, before managing to ask sharply, "Is what enough?"
"Is it enough to base a lifetime off of?" he elaborated. "How can you even look at each other without being reminded of all of that agony and blowing-up-ity?"
Katara froze, appearing to take his question seriously for a change. "Because, Sokka," she said, her voice so soft that it dried up any words he had left in his throat. "Because when I look at him, I see hope, I see joy, and most of all, I see someone who has gone through so much, been through so much pain and anguish, and yet he still manages to laugh and find pleasure in the smallest of things…"
Sokka stared at his sister with new eyes. Her own eyes were full, and she had a small smile on her face. She wasn't looking at him anymore.
There was a small silence.
Sokka fidgeted a little, unsure of what to say. He knew that he had shoved his foot down his throat when he had made that offhand comment, and he also knew that he had hurt his sister by challenging something that she was, obviously, struggling with herself.
He sighed, reached over, and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. She stiffened, then relaxed, squeezing back. His apology had been accepted.
Katara pulled her hand away and sighed in return. "When is Suki due to arrive?" she wondered, finally looking at him. "And how far away should I go so that I won't hear things that would humiliate us both?"
Sokka felt his face burn, and she laughed.
Pictured
It was hard work, but Sokka was used to that.
He had been working on it for weeks. And weeks and weeks. Any spare time that he had was spent working on it (unless he was hungry). Whenever someone came up to ask him questions, or to just talk to him, he scrambled frantically to hide what he was doing. It was important, and it was hard work, but most of all, it was a surprise.
It had been several months since the Fire Lord's take-down and Zuko's ascension to the throne. What was once viewed as break-time turned out to be highly stressful and exhausting clean-up work, especially when it came to the Fire Nation and their colonies. At times like this, especially when he would catch the occasional glimpse of Zuko, or even Aang, Sokka was glad that his feet were firmly planted in the Southern Water Tribe's tundra. Both Fire Lord and Avatar looked much older than they were.
But this surprise wasn't for them, although Sokka wondered if perhaps he should make one for at least Aang (Zuko would probably just stare at him for a while before barbecuing him). No, this was for one special person, one that he knew would appreciate it and give him the credit it deserved.
He hoped.
"Ugh, you're still doing that?"
Sokka almost crumbled the charcoal in his hand from his shock. He looked up and glared at his sister. "How do you do that?" he demanded furiously. "I didn't even hear you come in!"
Katara grinned. "I have ways," she replied.
Both siblings were together again, finally home in Southern Water Tribe lands. It was something to get used to again, needless to say, when Sokka first laid eyes on the place beside Hakoda and Bato. Due to the migration of some waterbenders from the Northern Tribe, the Southern lands had never looked better. They had buildings, ones that didn't melt in the summer thaw. They had wells, and storage warehouses, and they even had more than one latrine. It was a kind of luxury that both siblings, who had grown up in near-poverty, were just not used to, but found themselves enjoying just the same.
Sokka had chosen a small, serviceable home for himself. It, too, was made of ice, and it boasted several storage units (ones he needed to store his assortments of knickknacks and collectibles gathered from his travels). It was also near the lookout tower, since old habits died hard, and this one also provided a soothing sound of water in the late hours.
It was home, and he was proud of it. But there were times he wished he could lock it up.
Sokka decided to deflect Katara away from the topic. "Where's Aang?" he wondered, grinning and drawing out the young Avatar's name as long as he could.
Katara rolled her eyes, but her cheeks did redden a little. Despite their age differences, the experiences that they had gone through had brought them together, and it was a rare moment indeed that the young waterbending woman was seen without her airbending friend. They had grown close, shared several kisses, and stayed close, as close as possible.
Sokka had had the privilege of watching it all, from the start, and while he enjoyed teasing his sister mercilessly about it, he had to admit that it was a rather keen match. He just hoped, deep down, that they would grow together, instead of grow apart, which wasn't unusual for young couples. He liked to think he knew better, especially when they were together and saw the shared joy in their eyes, but he worried. She was his younger sister, after all.
"Aang is still trying to knock some sense into those idiots in the Fire Nation," Katara replied evenly, walking over to Sokka and sitting in front of him.
Hurriedly, Sokka snatched up what he was doing and shove it behind his back. "Still?" he wondered, trying to deflect Katara's eyes from his hands. "Haven't they worked it out yet?"
"Of course not," she replied. "Centuries of self-centred ignorance and superiority can't be yelled out of people, no matter how much Zuko strains his voice."
Sokka blinked. "He yelled again?"
Katara rolled her eyes again, this time harder. "With expletives."
Sokka whistled. He then chuckled, imagining not only the advisor's faces, but Aang's as well. "Poor Aang. I bet that was a hard mess to clean up."
Katara's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Stop hiding," she snapped. She held out her hand. "Show me, now."
Sokka felt the blood leave his face, and he inched backwards away from her, his hands behind his back. "No way," he answered. "You'll just make fun of me, and I've been working really hard on this to stop now."
His sister growled. "Come on, I already know what it is. I've seen the ones you've thrown away. Let me see!"
"No!" he snapped. "It's not done yet!"
Katara's eyes flashed, and he winced. He knew what was coming, and he also knew he had brought it on himself. And he was right. Katara raised her hands, held them flat, and jerked them to the side. The ice from the floor heeded her pull and reached up, snagging Sokka's arms and pulling them down and behind his back. His fingers loosened, and his hard work was dropped.
"Argh!" he grunted. "Katara, it's not fair!"
Katara scooted behind him and snatched it up. He kicked at her, but she darted to the side, getting to her feet and unraveling the long, slightly-crumpled piece of parchment. He shouted at her, words that would have made Gran Gran blush, but she merely ignored him, her eyes widening at what she saw upon the parchment.
"Sokka," she said softly.
He groaned, slumping backwards. He shut his eyes. "It's terrible, I know, but I'm really trying, and I really want to finish before she visits. I only have a few days left."
"Sokka, it's good."
He opened one eye, and saw that Katara was being sincere. She was in fact smiling. "Not only can I tell that it's Suki, but it's also a really nice Suki."
Somewhat mollified, Sokka muttered softly, "The makeup is so hard to draw, so I didn't."
'It' was in fact a drawing of the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors herself, from her shoulders up, in dark charcoal. She was without the trademark makeup and ornaments that set her and her warriors apart, but there was a hard light depicted in her eyes that revealed the warrior within.
Granted, the lines were crooked, and some of the proportions were uneven and somewhat awkward, but Katara hadn't been lying; it was a vast improvement from the horrible drawings she had seen in Ba Sing Se.
Suddenly, the ice dissolved, and Sokka was free (and now wet). He pulled his arms away and moved from the wet spot now on his floor, but didn't get mad. Instead, he looked up at his sister, feeling somewhat exposed and paranoid.
In a small voice, one that Katara was used to hearing, he wondered, "Do you think she'll like it?"
Katara carefully rolled up the picture and held it in her hands. She knelt down in front of him and lightly tapped him on the head with it. "Of course she will," she replied kindly.
"I just miss her so much, you know?" Sokka looked away, frowning. "It's hard, being apart. I know she has duties on Kyoshi, and I have duties here, but that doesn't stop me from missing her. You know?"
Katara nodded, her smile also gone. "I know," she said quietly.
Sokka looked up at her then. He smiled wryly. "We're idiots," he admitted, "falling for people who have to travel and do their own things."
Katara blushed again, but still looked wistful. "At least we can appreciate the times we have together, don't you think?" she wondered, holding out the parchment. He took it, and she sat back. "However short that time may be…"
Sokka carefully put the picture aside, then leaned back on his hands. "You miss him a lot, too, huh?"
Katara nodded, not looking at him. "Every day," she agreed.
He chewed his lip, trying to find a way to words his thoughts as carefully as he could. When he thought he had it, he said, "Well, you're both so young, and who knows what will happen! Maybe someday you won't have to worry about feeling sad that he's gone, because he'll always be gone!"
Katara stared at him, her eyes wide and flashing with anger and hurt.
Okay, so that apparently wasn't the way to word it.
Sokka held up his hands. "What I mean is, since you're both still sort of kids, there's no way to know that you'll be together forever, so you shouldn't dwell too much on it, you know?"
Katara gritted her teeth, and he winced. He opened his mouth to try a third time, but she exploded.
"What do you mean we're both 'still kids'?" she fumed. "I mean, yes, okay, we're still young, and I suppose you could say children, but what we've been through together, what we've both seen, and fought, and have had to go through just to be together and where we are now…are you saying that counts for nothing?"
"Katara, calm down, that's not what I'm saying."
"What are you saying, then?"
Sokka grimaced and cowered. "I'm stupid, please don't freeze me!"
The words broke through her anger, and she managed to collect herself. But only just. "You are stupid, but you still have to explain yourself," she snapped.
"Look, I'm not saying that you don't love Aang, nor am I saying that he doesn't love you, either," he began. "But even you both have to admit that people can change, and so could you. All you need to do is look at our current Fire Lord to understand that."
"I'm not Zuko, and neither is Aang," Katara answered curtly.
Sokka couldn't help himself. "Do you sometimes wish he was?"
The punch to his arm was hard, merciless, and furious. He squawked with pain and fell over. "I am not interested in Zuko!" she shouted. Sokka opened his mouth, but realised that, inadvertently, he had started a rant. "Why does everyone keep saying that? Why does everyone keep asking me that? I don't even find Zuko remotely attractive, and yet everyone wants me to marry him? All he does is push my buttons and challenge my own point-of-views! It's not attractive; it's annoying!"
Sokka waited until Katara caught her breath before trying again. "Okay, so you don't like Zuko, I get it." He sat up and looked her right in the eyes, completely serious. "And I know that you and Aang have been through hell and high waters together. But is it enough?"
Katara opened her mouth for a moment, before managing to ask sharply, "Is what enough?"
"Is it enough to base a lifetime off of?" he elaborated. "How can you even look at each other without being reminded of all of that agony and blowing-up-ity?"
Katara froze, appearing to take his question seriously for a change. "Because, Sokka," she said, her voice so soft that it dried up any words he had left in his throat. "Because when I look at him, I see hope, I see joy, and most of all, I see someone who has gone through so much, been through so much pain and anguish, and yet he still manages to laugh and find pleasure in the smallest of things…"
Sokka stared at his sister with new eyes. Her own eyes were full, and she had a small smile on her face. She wasn't looking at him anymore.
There was a small silence.
Sokka fidgeted a little, unsure of what to say. He knew that he had shoved his foot down his throat when he had made that offhand comment, and he also knew that he had hurt his sister by challenging something that she was, obviously, struggling with herself.
He sighed, reached over, and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. She stiffened, then relaxed, squeezing back. His apology had been accepted.
Katara pulled her hand away and sighed in return. "When is Suki due to arrive?" she wondered, finally looking at him. "And how far away should I go so that I won't hear things that would humiliate us both?"
Sokka felt his face burn, and she laughed.