Chapter Text
“Uncle, I’ve already told you, I’m not even friends with any of these kids. Just because ‘everyone at school’ is invited doesn’t mean I should actually go!” Zuko exclaims in frustration, tightening the strap on his blue spirit mask angrily and glaring down at his car keys place on the kitchen table.
How his Uncle even found out about the Halloween party is beyond him, but his Iroh always seems to know about these things. Someone at the tea shop probably tells him. He’s practically forcing Zuko to go, even though Zuko keeps telling him that he’s not really invited.
‘The Whole School’ generally doesn’t include people who have spoken to maybe 8 other students.
“Well all the more reason to go, Nephew, after all, a new friend is always waiting behind a stranger’s face,” Iroh states calmly, putting a hand on Zukos’ shoulder and giving him a reassuring smile. “You may find yourself pleasantly surprised by your peers if you only give them a chance.”
With a scoff, Zuko turns away, glad he has the mask to hide the embarrassed blush that spreads across his good side. “I doubt that.”
Uncle has good intentions, but Zuko has not had the most pleasant experience with his new school thus far. A few months has been plenty to show Zuko he just needs to keep his head down and try to avoid attention as much as possible for the rest of the year. Then he can graduate and never think of the cursed building again.
(The only roadblock in this plan is Jet, but he can handle that on his own.)
“At least try?” Iroh requests, and Zuko caves. “Alright Uncle…” he shifts “but if no one recognizes what the mask is from I’m leaving.”
His uncle gives a hearty laugh at that, amused by what a theatre snob his nephew (not so) secretly is.
____
Sokka grins and adjusts the large, somewhat awkward plastic belt he’s donned for his costume.
Katara blinks as he walks downstairs. “What are you supposed to be?”
He feigns hurt, holding a hand to his heart “I’m wounded. Really and truly wounded. I’m clearly The Boulder.”
Katara raises an eyebrow “No offense, but you just look like you’re wearing a weird hair tie, and not wearing a shirt.”
Sokka crosses his arms “You just don’t understand because you don’t appreciate the art of pro wrestling. Besides,” he looks her Harry Potter Esq robe and oversized hat up and down “what are you supposed to be.”
She puffs up “I’m a mage!”
Sokka smirks and Katara rolls her eyes. “Let’s just go, we still have to pick up Aang and Toph.” and Sokka nods, adding “We wouldn’t want to be late to get your little boyfriend.” with a petulant grin.
Hakoda watches the two siblings banter as they head out towards his son’s car, and calls out “Be careful. And be home by midnight! And no drinking!” which earns him two groans of annoyed agreement.
When he had kids, he had failed to mentally prepare himself for the horror that is having a senior and sophomore living under the same roof. “Teenagers”
He can’t hide his amused smile at the antics of his children as they leave though.
____
Zuko was right about this party. He’s never been so bored and he shouldn’t have come. He could be at home, reading a book, or watching something, or working out, or just anything that isn’t standing around by himself at a party surrounded by people he doesn’t know.
He can’t even sip on the spiked punch for several reasons. Uncle would be disappointed if he came home tipsy, and he won’t admit it out loud but he hates disappointing the old man, he would have to come back here to get his car the next day because he would never drive drunk, and Jet is here and didn’t recognize Zuko behind this mask so it’s staying on, which means unless he tries to sip through the hole in the mask, no punch.
He’s really just grateful that Jet didn’t realize who he is. The less he has to deal with that prick the better.
Still, he feels awkward just standing here, and his skin is starting to crawl with discomfort. He’s not a huge fan of crowds either. He hasn’t spoken to anyone all night and he’s pretty sure no one even knows he’s here. He sinks into his hoodie, his hands fidgeting nervously with the fabric in the large pockets.
He sighs under the mask, imaging that he’s on some sort of stealth mission, and the reason he’s made his presence at this stupid party completely unknown is out of necessity rather than out of a lack of social skills.
He’ll stay for a few more hours and then go home. Uncle doesn’t need to know just what a failure this has been on the ‘making new friends’ front.
“What’s your costume supposed to be.” a loud voice exclaims into his ear and Zuko jumps. He hears the voice laughing loudly and bristles, turning to the asshole who startled him.
“Don’t you know not to sneak up on people!” he growls and the boy just laughs harder, his grin lighting up his whole face.
“I was hardly sneaky, you were just too busy brooding to notice me coming over here.” the strangers’ tone is light and Zuko finds himself relaxing slightly.
“Fair enough…” he calms slightly and pauses to take in the other boy properly and finds himself flushing a little when he realizes he’s talking to the star of the schools’ soccer team, which Zuko had learned at the start of the year, is a big deal in this small town.
Jet had harshly denounced the team as worthless and full of try-hard losers, but Zuko had actually gone to a game in September when he was still only known as the ‘new kid with a scar’ around school. He doesn’t know much about the game, but he doesn’t object to watching hot guys running around and he’d actually enjoyed himself.
Now he’s looking right at one of those hot guys he had admired.
The kid is popular, and every girl in school wants to date him. Zuko can see why as he takes in the strong face, ice-blue eyes, soft chocolate hair, smooth, blemish-free dark skin, firm muscles that suggest hours of training, and a soft comfortable smile that seems so at home on his face… Zuko flushes slightly at the thoughts, annoyed at himself for letting himself even think something like that.
“Well, what is your costume man?” the boy asks again.
Zuko looks away in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment “It’s a character from the play Love Amongst Dragons. I doubt you’ve seen it.”
The other boy shrugs “I should probably be offended, but you’re not wrong soo,”
Zuko takes in the costume the stranger is wearing.
His hair is tied up in a strange green band, he’s shirtless and wearing some sort of pants with a loincloth? Over the top. There’s a big green and gold plastic belt over the top of the pants.
“What’s your costume?” confusion tints his voice and the other boy groans “Why does everyone keep asking me that? I’m clearly The Boulder!”
Zuko stares at him blankly and his eyes widen “You know, the wrestler!”
Zuko does not know and the other boy picks up on this and gasps
“He’s only the most famous pro wrestler to come along in years. He’s won almost every competition he’s been in.” His tone is indignant and Zuko just shrugs “I don’t watch wrestling.”
“Then your life is incomplete. Wrestling is the best thing in the whole world and The Boulder is the best wrestler to ever grace the earth…” he pauses and looks around, almost as if afraid “Except for my friend Toph. She’s stupid strong, it’s actually kind of terrifying. She’s a freshman at our school.” he looks for recognition on Zuko's face and finds none.
“You must live under a rock or something dude, I don’t know how you haven’t at least heard of Toph. She became the star of the wrestling team before the end of her tryout.”
Zuko shrugs “I’m not really a big sports person.” he admits awkwardly and Sokka nods. “I can’t say I relate, but that’s fair.”
They lapse into silence for a moment, and Zuko wonders if he should say something when the stranger comes to his rescue.
“I’m Sokka by the way,” and Zuko shifts awkwardly, not offering up his name. He’s managed to become… somewhat well known around school due to a mixture of Jets bullshit and rumors about the giant burn scar on his face. His reputation isn’t a good one, and he doesn’t really want this conversation to end.
‘As if being all weird like this is going to make this guy want to keep talking to you.’ He can’t help but think, slumping slightly against the wall.
Sokka waits a few moments and finally shrugs. “Okay Mr. Mystery, want to go sit outside with me?” Zuko’s eyes widen under the mask, but he nods despite his confusion.
They make their way onto the patio of the house the party is being thrown at and plop down on the steps. The cool night breeze makes Sokka shiver a bit, and he wraps his arms around his body. Zuko looks at him and realizes the other boy isn’t even wearing a shirt.
With a sigh, he pulls his hoodie over his head, his hair sticking up after having been stuffed down under the hood for hours. He’s careful not to knock the mask off and smooths his hair down, making sure it covers his bad ear properly.
“Here,” he says simply, holding the jacket out to Sokka who blinks. “Oh. Thanks.” his voice is soft and he blushes. Zuko does too, not that Sokka can see that.
Once he’s shrugged the jacket on he looks over at Zuko. “Something tells me you’re not usually a party kind of person.”
Zuko lets out a surprised laugh “What gave that away?”
“Well, I figured it out somewhere between you brooding in the corner for hours and you nearly pissing yourself when someone actually spoke to you.”
Zuko huffs in annoyance “You snuck up on me.” he smirks suddenly “Hours? Have you been watching me.”
Sokka’s fading blush comes back full force. “N-No! It wasn’t like that! You were just-” he pauses “Whatever, shut up asshole.”
Zuko can tell he’s just kidding and he smiles, feeling lighter than he has in ages for seemingly no reason at all.
“I’d say that would be awkward, but with how much you talk I doubt you’d even notice.”
Sokka laughs “Where’s the lie though.”
They lean in towards one another a bit.
“I’ve never talked to you before. I would remember if I had.” Sokka says softly and Zuko shrugs. “I haven’t been in town for too long. Plus I keep to myself for the most part”
Sokka hums “Where are you from?” and Zuko sighs “I was living on Ember Island for a while before I came here, but I lived in Caldera for almost all my life.”
Sokka looks surprised “That’s super far! Why would your family want to move from such a big city to a paradise, then to a small town in North Dakota? This place isn’t exactly a tropical island.”
Zuko looks down, studying the grain of the wood that makes up the deck. “It’s pretty complicated stuff.”
“Father, wait! Please! I will never disgrace you again! I am your loyal son-”
He swallows, brushes the memories away and turns back to Sokka “It wasn’t a big deal anyway, I don’t miss it.”
Sokka seems surprised “You didn’t leave anything behind? What about your friends?”
He misses some things for sure, and he longs for his family to go back to how it once was, but he’s moved on. There’s nothing for him in Caldera anymore, except maybe Mai and Ty Lee, but they were always Azula’s friends, not his.
He simply shakes his head. “I didn’t really have many. I was homeschooled by my mother until a few years before I left, and I didn’t get to know anyone before I moved.”
He doesn’t think of the one person he had thought he’d gotten to know. He doesn’t.
Sokka hums “Why’d you stop being homeschooled?”
Zuko shrugs “My mother passed away.” he flushes at the confession, recognizing that it’s a heavy thing to drop on someone he’s just met.
‘This is why you don’t have any friends, you idiot.’
Sokka puts a hand on his shoulder though, and the gesture reminds him of Iroh, but it feels different coming from a hot guy his age than it does coming from his Uncle. “I understand. My mother passed away when I was young too.”
The darker boy gives a slightly bitter laugh and flashes a watery smile
“My first girlfriend did too. Pretty rotten luck right?”
Zuko takes that in, his heart giving out at the sad expression on the usually cheerful jock's face.
“That’s rough buddy.” is all he can think to say, and immediately realizes how awkward and tone-deaf it had sounded.
He goes to apologize, but Sokka lets out a surprised laugh. “Yeah, it is.”
They’ve scooted closer to each other over the duration of the conversation, and now they’re close enough that Zuko can feel the warmth of Sokka’s body.
They’re looking at each other, Zuko taking in Sokka’s beauty and Sokka trying to catch a glimpse of Zuko’s eyes behind the mask. The silent chill of the night mixed with the drowned out music and warmth coming from the party behind them feels strangely intimate.
It almost feels like they’re being drawn together by some unknown energy, and suddenly they’re pressed together, and their hands are touching.
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to take that thing off?” Sokka breathes out softly and Zuko shakes his head.
Sokka goes to ask why when the door behind them crashes open. The privacy and tenderness of the moment shattered. They both jump in surprise, separating.
They look to the door and Zuko takes in the bald kid standing there. He has a strange arrow tattoo on his head and is holding some kind of glider prop with his costume. Zuko can’t tell if the tattoos are part of his costume, but they look real.
“There you are Sokka!” the kid exclaims and just as soon as he’s said that a blind girl dressed as a zombie or something pops up behind him. They both look young and must be freshmen.
“Your sister’s gonna have your head Snoozles. It’s 15 til and you vanished.” The girl sing songs and Sokka’s eyes widen. “Shit!” he rises to his feet quickly, sparing a look back towards Zuko.
“I’m sorry! I have to go! But we’ll talk again soon?” the boy looks at him, his eyes begging for some kind of affirmation. Zuko just stares at him silently.
“Come on Sokka!” the bald kid grabs the older boys arm and starts dragging him away.
“Okay, Okay!”
Sokka spares Zuko one last look before he’s gone and Zuko sits there for a moment. The silence no longer feels comforting, and now seems to be creeping in on him.
Belatedly he realizes Sokka still has his hoodie, which makes him smile softly.
He sits there for a while, before digging his keys out of his pocket and heading off to find his car.
A failure to make a new friend indeed.
______
“I can’t believe you almost got me grounded for some boy and you didn’t even find out what his name is.” Katara rubs a hand over her face in exasperation.
Sokka whines “I’ve already told you, we had some sort of connection!”
“Sugar Queen you left out the best part” Toph jumps in, “He didn’t even find out what this guy looks like!” the blind girl laughs hysterically and Sokka crosses his arms petulantly.
“It’s not funny! He was a cool guy when he wasn’t being all mysterious about his identity.”
Aang chooses that moment to pipe up, “I think it’s kind of romantic. Like Cinderella, but if it took place on Halloween, and was in modern times, and no one was royalty. And if the prince was the one who left Cinderella but still wanted to find her…” he pulls a face “So not really like Cinderella, but it’s still romantic.”
Sokka hesitantly nods “Well, at least Aang is on my side.”
Toph laughs even harder “He just thinks it’s like one of those cheesy romance movies you both like so much.”
Sokka puffs out his cheeks but doesn’t deny it.
“Maybe you met a spirit, and that’s why he wouldn’t take off the mask!” Aang suggests and Sokka groans, his head thudding on the table they’ve all gathered around.
He glares at the ugly grain texture the plastic cafeteria tables have. Stupid cafeteria. Stupid school. Stupid party. And especially stupid guy he can’t stop thinking about for no good reason.
He draws the hood of the jacket he accidentally stole over his head in irritation…
Yes, okay he is wearing the mystery guys dark hoodie. It’s kind of creepy, but he was hoping the guy would approach him wanting it back. No such luck… It also smells nice.
“Awww, Sokka got himself a magic spirit boyfriend!” Katara coos with a devious grin and Sokka bangs his head on the table repeatedly.
“This is what I get for eating lunch with my sister and her friends. I could sit anywhere, why do I continue to subject myself to this?” he complains dramatically and Aang pats him on the back.
“I’m sure you’ll find him Sokka. It’s not like our school is that big.”
Sokka’s eyes light up “Hey you’re right! I’ve just gotta search.”
Aang nods, “Yeah, he’s bound to turn up.”
Toph smiles in a way that seems to mock him, and he doesn’t know how she does that but he hates it.“This is bound to be a disaster.”
Katara just rubs her hands over her face again, frustration mounting.
Zuko, meanwhile, is sitting outside the cafeteria, leaning against a pillar, and attempting to blend into the background as much as possible. He doesn’t want to interact with anyone. Why would he?
He can’t help but keep glancing through the cafeteria windows at Sokka though.
He’s being stupid and he knows it. He already decided to get through high school alone. Besides, Sokka wouldn’t want to talk to him if he knew who he was.
Even without Zukos’ reputation, if Sokka knew what he looked like, he definitely wouldn’t have been scooting up so close to Zuko and looking at him like he had been on Halloween. Sokka is well-liked by his community. He’s a star sports player, he’s incredibly attractive, he’s funny, and he’s kind. What isn’t to like.
Zuko is like the polar opposite of Sokka in practically every way. He’s not out of shape, but he’s no sports star, he’s seen as a freak and a horrible person at school, he knows no one could be attractive with a giant burn scar stretched across their face, he’s awkward, and doesn’t know how to make friends.
Still, he can’t deny the fact that Sokka is wearing his jacket, and that makes his throat close up, and his heart pounds too quickly.
Zuko huffs and forces himself to look back down at his phone, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and pointedly not looking at anyone who walks by. They all look at him, and he feels exposed without a hood to draw up over his face.
His scar is on full display and he glares at his phone angrily as people walk by, staring and whispering to their friends openly as if he can’t see and hear them.
He gets it, there’s a giant ugly burn covering half of his damn face. He knows.
The things people come up with for where it came from both amuse him and secretly, way back in the back of the most closed-off parts of himself, hurt a little.
“I heard he got it when he burned down his old school.”
“Really? I heard he got it when he was a kid.”
“Oh yeah, didn’t he like, burn his home to the ground with his whole family in it?”
“I heard that too! I wonder what actually happened”
Every conversation sounds the same, the rumors of the atrocities he committed ranging from him having been the ruler of a gang that was ambushed, leading to him getting his burn from a flamethrower to him having burned down an orphanage…
Okay well, no one has actually said that last one, but the gang member one is popular.
He knows it’s a weirdly shaped scar, so it’s only natural people are speculating. The rumors weren’t even that bad until people saw him hanging around Jet.
He hadn’t known what kind of person he had been dealing with at first. He had thought he had made his first friend at this school…
He’s always been so naive.
“Heyy Zuko.” a voice drawls.
He growls. ‘Speak of the devil… or think of the devil in this case.’ he thinks in annoyance.
“What do you want Jet?” He looks up at the brown-haired boys’ smug face.
“I’m hurt. I thought we were pals. Chums. Friends if you will.”
Zuko stands and scoffs. “I don’t feel like dealing with this shit today. What do you want?”
Jeet shrugs “Well, what I want is a quick fuck in the bathroom, but somebody’s cranky. What’s got you all pissy.” with a roll of his eyes he gestures at Zuko, who tenses in anger.
“I’m not having sex with you again Jet. Why the fuck would I want to do that after what you did?”
Jet just shrugs “Because I’m a good fuck, and you don’t exactly have many options, do you Zuko?” he gestures around the school. Zuko knows what he’s referring to, and Jet isn’t wrong that no one else here would want to sleep with him, but he doesn’t care.
“Besides” Jet continues “With a face like that, you might never have options. I won’t always be around you know. I’m going places after high school.”
Zuko rolls his eyes. Jet is convinced his band, The Freedom Fighters, is going to be famous because they have a few thousand subscribers on youtube.
Even when Zuko had thought they were friends, he was skeptical of Jet’s plan to take his band on tour after high school. Back then he had pledged his support, but now he just laughs cruelly.
“Sure you are dickwad.” he turns and starts to walk away, but Jet grabs his wrist tightly, hissing in anger “You don’t fucking walk away from me.”
Zuko can’t help the flinch and curses himself for showing weakness. He knows Jet will latch onto it. He stumbles forward as Jet pushes him and he growls.
He turns to snarl and say something to defend himself, but Jet is already walking away, throwing a cocky smirk back at Zuko as he goes.
Everyone is watching, probably hoping for another fight between him and Jet but he just growls, grabs his backpack, and stomps off.
He glances in the cafeteria and sees everyone is watching. He seeks out Sokkas’ eyes and flinches away. Sokka is watching him with the same expression he gets from everyone else in this stupid school.
Fear and disgust.
He deserves it but it still hurts. Why does he keep putting so much faith into strangers? Friends just waiting to be made or whatever his Uncle had said on Halloween his ass. Other people are useless and he doesn’t need them.
He grits his teeth and stomps a bit harder, making his way back in the school, sneaking past the security guards that are meant to keep students from wandering around during lunch, and finds a secluded bathroom.
He locks himself in a stall and double-checks that he’s along before letting out a shuddering sigh. He’s so angry, and he’s so lonely. He knows he is.
When he had started school here, he had tried to approach people, but he was a bundle of nerves with no social skills. He’d been failing horribly at making friends when Jet had approached him in early September.
He had thought Jet was his only friend for an entire month. He wasn’t Azulas’ friend, or someone who talked to him out of a legal obligation, or someone who was using him to get his dad a better standing in his father's company.
He’d really thought he had finally found a friend.
Zuko feels so stupid looking back. Why would anyone willingly approach the new freaky kid with a fucked up face? He should’ve known there would be ulterior motives?
He had publicly associated himself with Jet, drawn in by his smooth charms, wit, and good looks. He had gone to Jets foster home and he had slept with Jet. If Jet had kept the facade up for another month or two maybe, Zuko would have probably spilled all his angsty life bullshit to him.
Jet is well known around town for being a troublemaker. He and his friends have been arrested, and not for minor things like possession of weed. They’ve mugged people. They’ve hurt people in the community Zuko had secretly hoped to join.
The moment Zuko became associated with Jet, he had been branded a monster by his peers, and he had a scary, angry-looking scar to go along with the reputation he unknowingly made for himself at school.
Zuko had been partnered with a girl in Physics in early October for a project and she had responded to his awkward smile and wave with a glare. Zuko had been taken aback by her hatred and as they were wrapping up their project he finally asked what he’d done to her.
She had glared and responded, “Your friends broke my dad’s leg and stole everything he had a few months ago, so you tell me.”
Zuko had been shocked but quickly thought to himself that she must be mistaken.
In History class later that day, Zuko confronted Jet about it. Casually asking if his friend had actually mugged somebody. It had seemed so absurd to him at the time he had phrased it as a joke.
Jets' face turned serious though. “Zuko look, I don’t expect someone like you to get it, but I’m alone, and all these people, they don’t even care. Everyone in this town, no everyone in this fucking country has failed me, so I take what I need from them.” Jet shrugs. “It’s survival of the fittest.”
Zuko had sat there in shock “So you just… what steal from and hurt people? That haven’t even done anything to you?”
Jet had scoffed, “I knew a sheltered rich-boy like you wouldn’t get it.” the teens’ voice had hardened “You’re just like your damn father.”
Zuko had flinched back in shock “What?”
Jet had just smirked “Yeah, I recognize you. You’re that rich CEO guys son. The one who recently got sued for workplace discrimination and harassing a bunch of female employees?”
Zuko had swallowed thickly. At the time he’d thought he might be sick. “J-Jet I-”
Jet had cut him off. “I’ve known who you are this whole time Zuko, and I’m not actually your friend. I was only fucking around with you to get the satisfaction of hurting the son of the guy who fired my mom. ”
Jet had glared at him and sneered “It’s all your fucking dads fault that my moms an addict now. Your family got me stuck in the system and you think I want to be buddies with you?”
Zuko had blinked in confusion, but before he could say anything else, Jet had lunged at him. He was thrown off the desk and instinctively punched Jet in an attempt to defend himself. He rolled Jet over and hit him again, and then Jet had kneed him. Zuko had clumsily fallen over and anger had overtaken him.
They had rolled around on the floor for a while, and security came in to intervene.
Zuko had panted as he was dragged away from Jet. He’d looked at his terrified classmates, who were lined up against a wall of the room fearfully, and slumped in defeat.
He should’ve known better. He knows how to take a beating and he hates himself for not diffusing the situation. Uncle taught him to reign in anger and not lash out and he’s a failure, as usual.
He hadn’t told his Uncle exactly what happened, but his uncle seemed to have recognized it was something that opened a not yet healed wound again.
Zuko had seen the disappointment his only family member had been unable to hide and he had gone up to his room, refusing to leave or eat for days.
Now he’s seen as a complete maniac in school, fueled by rage and destruction.
He’s a deranged gang leader and a baby killer and god only knows what else.
He doesn’t care though. He can deal with Jet harassing him all the time, and he can deal with everyone hating him, and he can deal with being a disappointment to the only family he has left.
He can.
He slumps down onto the bathroom floor and is horrified to find tears welling up in his good eye.
He shakes his head and mentally chants “I’m okay. I don’t care. I’m okay. I don’t care.” over and over again.
He almost wishes he were back on Ember Island in the hospital again. At least there he could just ignore everyone for days on end. Sure there had been therapists trying to fix his brain and people trying to force him to do physical therapy exercises, but they were easy enough to tune out.
The bell rings, signaling class is resuming. He sighs, wipes his face off, and steels himself. He still has to get through the rest of the school day, his homework, and his shift at Uncles tea shop.
_________
Sokka has asked around the entire school, and he has found no new guy from Caldera who is into obscure theatre and is super awkward. It’s been three weeks since the party and he swears he must have asked everyone in the entire building, of course with the exception of Jet and his lackeys.
How that absolute asshole got anybody to blindly follow him is beyond Sokka, but he just stays away from all of that. Really Jet should be in prison, but his foster mom is a lawyer so he’s gotten away with a stupid amount of shit since he came to town a few years back.
There’s also scarface, but Katara would kill him if he went anywhere near that guy. His sister is a smart cookie, so of course, she skipped a few years in some subjects. History is one of them, so she had unfortunately been there for the huge fight Jet and Zuko got into.
She had been shaken by it, and Sokka hates to see his sister look all scared. She had tried to hide it, but Sokka could tell it had freaked her out. She said that both boys had been vicious, and she almost thought they might kill each other.
Katara hates scarface more than most. She already hated Jet after the time he had led her along in order to get her to help him cheat on a test, and scarface was now lumped into that small group of people his little sister would castrate without a second thought.
So yeah, he isn’t going anywhere near the angry kid, because if he was spared by scary dude, Katara would kill him.
He’s lamenting his lack of luck on the car ride home, and Katara looks at him in concern. “Sokka… you’re becoming kind of obsessed with this, aren’t you? I mean you barely even know this guy right?”
Sokka shrugs “Yea but I feel connected to him somehow. I don’t believe in Aangs spirit mambo jumbo but… I don’t know I really like him”
Katara sighs. “I know but… I think you should consider the possibility that he doesn’t go to our school or something.”
Sokka hunches in on himself, focusing on the road and saying nothing. The rest of the short ride home goes by in silence. When they pull into the driveway they both hesitate for a moment. Turning to her with a frown that looks out of place on him Sokka sighs. “I know you’re right Katara. I’ll let it go...”
She nods. She doesn’t can tell he’s hesitant, but she trusts her brother to look out for himself. All she says is “Okay, but please don’t get hurt over this.”
Her brother grins bitterly “I think it’s too late for that.”
She doesn’t get it. Sokka never gets like this. He hasn’t even dated casually in years. Not since he sat in the hospital and watched Yue die. Now he’s suddenly obsessed with some strange boy whose face he hasn’t even seen.
She doesn’t get it and she’s concerned.