When you first met Avatar Aang and the others, you were against them. You were working under Prince Zuko to try and capture the avatar. At the time, you didn't realize how wrong you were. Growing up in the Fire Nation, you grew up thinking the Avatar was the enemy and that fire was superior among the other elements.
When you first fought Team Avatar, you were against an older boy named Sokka. You had thought it would be an easy fight considering the only thing the non-bender had to defend himself was a boomerang, but he had put up a hard fight. He managed to escape just as you were about to cast a bolt of lightening.
To say you were furious, would have been an understatement. However, like your friend Zuko, you soon realized you were going down the wrong path. A few months later, and a lot of forgiveness, you were now considered a valuable member of Team Avatar yourself.
A lot of problems arose by this. Not only were you considered a fire nation enemy, but Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai, all of which were your old close friends, now only viewed you as a traitor. Although you were a very skilled bender, you were no match for Azula.
Nobody was.
"Y/n are you okay?" Katara whispered to you. Everyone was outside sitting together and Katara noticed your worrisome look. You faked a smile and nodded to the younger girl. Though she wasn't much younger. You were right in between the two siblings meaning one year older than Katara and one year younger than Sokka.
You looked around to make sure nobody else noticed your expression and was relieved until your eyes landed on Sokka. Speak of the devil, you thought.
He eyed you intently with a look you couldn't quite read. He held eye contact with you for a few seconds until something Suki said caused him to break it and begin a conversation with everyone. You got up a few minutes later, deciding you no longer wanted to be around the gang anymore.
You usually didn't mind their optimism and laughter but tonight was different. The weight of everything seemed to crush down on you and you just wanted to set everything on fire. Stupid fire nation, stupid Firelord, stupid life, stupid friends. Oh stupid friends, you thought angrily.
But you knew the truth.
As much as Azula was evil she was still your friend. And Mai always acted like she didn't care but she was always the first to realize if you were upset. Ty Lee always listened to you rant or cry about the dumbest things while she did your hair.
You missed them.
You missed them because if they were here right now Mai would ask you what's wrong. Ty Lee would come sit behind you and start braiding your hair while you cried about how much it hurt to see him with her. How he wrapped her in his arms like he did you, and how he make jokes now solely to see her laugh.
And of course, Azula would half jokingly ask who you wanted her to shoot lightening at.
"Are you okay?" A voice asks. You jump slightly at the person that startled you. You hadn't even heard them walk up. "Oh that was a stupid question, of course you aren't. You're crying."
You quickly wipe your eyes to rid the tears you didn't even realize had fallen. After you dried up, you looked up to the girl that somehow knew you were crying even though she was blind. "Oh I'm fine, Toph." You muttered shifting slightly. You felt uncomfortable with her looking at you in your weak state even though she couldn't even see you.
"You know, as bad as my parents were, I still missed them." The small black haired girl spoke. She walked right up beside you and sat down, pulling a tissue out of her pocket and handing it to you. "We all get homesick sometimes."
It was silent for a moment. You didn't speak, partly because you didn't want to and partly because you didn't know what to say. Toph opened her mouth waiting a second to talk as if she was debating on actually saying it or not. Finally, the question slipped out. "But being homesick isn't really what's bothering you, is it?"
You glanced at her with a shocked expression before dropping it back to a blank stare. But Toph had noticed the sudden movement and that alone confirmed her suspicions. "You know, my tent was beside Sokka's. I always felt someone entering and leaving it at night. I never said anything because it wasn't my place but I noticed how it suddenly stopped the night Suki showed up."
You again, stayed quiet. Toph took this as a sign to keep talking. "After that, I noticed how everything changed."
When Toph didn't elaborate further, you finally spoke. "Everything changed huh? What do you mean by that?"
"You stopped laughing, and only spoke when people spoke to you. Before you were always quick to tell people off but then you shut down." She replied, pausing before continuing. "And Sokka. Well he just started acting strange. At first I didn't know what he was doing until I realized he was lying. Almost everything he says is a lie. He doesn't even laugh anymore."
"Sokka doesn't laugh?" You scoff. "Please like he actually ever stops laughing."
"You misunderstood." Toph kicked a pebble somewhat frustrated. You didn't know that she was frustrated with how native you were. "He laughs but it isn't a genuine one. Trust me I know, he had plenty of those when he was with you."
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"I'm blind, not stupid." Toph replied. You cracked a smile at her words before watching her get back up and walk into the direction of the others. Who were all still surrounded by the fire, laughing and sharing stories. Talking with Toph didn't make you feel any better about Sokka but it did make you realize that although you missed your friends, you had made other ones that were worth it.
You started to follow Toph back to the fire until you realized one person was missing. Zuko. You quickly turned your heel and walked over to his tent, knocking gently, before allowing yourself in.
Failing to notice the glare from a certain blue eyed, dark skinned boy as he watched you enter Zuko's tent.
"Is the laughing too much for you too?" You asked him, not bothering to ask if you could join him. You instead just plopped down without a second glance.
"Yeah. It's not like that back home, is it?"
"No. It isn't." You replied. You rubbed your hands together. They weren't cold, you just sometimes did it out of a nervous habit. "I miss them. Isn't that something?"
"I miss her." Zuko agrees. You knew he was talking about Mai. He and his sister never had a great relationship and I think a lot of that plays into their parents actions. Favorites always lead to problems.
All Zuko wanted was his dad to be proud of him, and all Azula wanted was a mother's affection. But neither got it, sadly. And they both envy's the love and attention the other got so much it only drove them apart.
"I miss them all. Mai, Ty Lee, Azula." I replied, "It's like having everything you always knew ripped from you. I guess you know that feeling more than anyone." You regretted the words as soon as they left your mouth, but Zuko seemed unaffected.
"Yeah, you're right."
"It sucks. I can't sleep sometimes because I question if I made a mistake in leaving. I know it's wrong. I love Aang and everyone else. But it's hard, you know?" You asked, although you didn't wait for a reply before continuing. Before Toph was the one who babbled and now it's you. "I know you don't like talking about your feelings or anything but I need to get this off my chest."
Zuko nodded, he understood.
"The people I use to go to are gone. No more Mai, no more Ty Lee, and no more Azula. I lost my family a long time ago. That's irrelevant. But they were my family. And now I need a new shoulder to cry on and a new person to braid my hair and a new person to threaten to shoot lightening at people for me. And you are the only person left, Zuko."
You glance at Zuko after you speech and are taken back by the expression of fear on his face. "I can't, I can't- You know I can't shoot lightening right?"
"It's a metaphor Zu-" The smile that stretched across your lips was dropped when you turn your head to meet Zuko. Because instead of meeting his eyes, you were too taken back by the ocean blue eyes that stared back at you. Behind the fire nation prince, stood the water tribes boomerang prince. "Sokka, I didn't know you were here."
You were the first to break eye contact, lowering your eyes to pick at your shirt. Zuko noticed the change, the tension between the two of you, and shifted uncomfortably at the harsh glare Sokka was sending him.
Zuko recognized the glare and heat radiating off the boy. It reminded him of himself not long ago, when those boys had hit on his girl at the beach. He knew jealousy well, but what he didn't understand was why Sokka was jealous.
He was more absent minded than Toph.
"Zuko, Katara asked me to get you." You heard Sokka say. Your eyes never left your lap, and because of that you never noticed how his eyes never left you. Even as he spoke to Zuko, he stared at you. "She needs your help training Aang or something."
It wasn't until Zuko found Katara that he realized Sokka had lied to him. The water tribe girl didn't need any help training Aang, nor did she need anything from Zuko at all. It wasn't til then did Zuko realized he had been ran out of his own tent for no reason at all except to give Sokka privacy with you.
"What were you two talking about?" The words slipped past his lips before he could stop himself. His voice sounding angry and nervous- nervous to know if something was going on between the two of you. Fearing that you had moved on like he had.
"Nothing." You answered quickly. You didn't know why, maybe because you still cared for him, but you felt like explaining yourself. You wanted him to know nothing was going on between you and Zuko- even if it would make him feel like how you felt when you saw him with Suki. "We were just talking, that's all."
He was quick to respond, "About what?"
"Why does it matter?"
The question must have caught him off guard, because his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. He blubbered for a minute, trying to find a reasonable answer, but ultimately just dug himself in a deeper hole.
The entire act only furthering your fury. You didn't even process what the affect of your next words may be before they spewed out of your mouth. The look on Sokka's face after made you realized how bad you had fucked up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, I- I was just."
"You think there something going on with me and Suki?" His voice raises, but not with anger, it got higher- squeakier. Almost as if it was the craziest idea ever.
"Isn't there?" You rebuked, after a short pause.
"There was." Sokka lowered himself down, sitting on his knees to be eye level with me. He placed his hand gently on my face, and used it to motion my head back to his. "But that was before I met you. If this is because of how I've been close to her, I swear it's only been so I could explain why I couldn't be with her anymore."
"You've been ignoring me." You pointed out, still refusing to meet your eyes with his. It was true, though. Since Suki's been back with team avatar, Sokka wouldn't even look your way when Suki was around, let alone talk to you.
"That's because I don't want to make her upset." He signs. He reached up and rubbed his face stressfully. "Look, I still care about Suki- but not the way I care about you." He begins, "She's a friend, and I don't want to rub my happiness- our relationship- in her face. So, I distanced myself a little."
You finally looked up into his eyes, but with a glare. He nervously chuckled before correcting himself, "Okay. I distanced myself a lot." He looked at you sincerely, "But I promise you it wasn't because I have feelings for Suki. I promise you that because I love you. I swear, I only have eyes for you."
There was a pregnant pause as you took in his words before you finally responded, "You can be so dumb sometimes. But, I love you too."