Sky
Suki’s favorite pastime, until recently, has been to poke at Zuko until those sturdy walls of his come crashing down. It kills two birds with one stone. First, she gets a kick out of his initial, petulant responses. He’ll groan, he’ll tell her to piss off and that she mind her business, and eventually he’ll bluster at her about a million and one things to see if he can annoy her and convince her to leave. All of it is in vain. Eventually, he collapses, he gives up and he talks to her about whatever is really on his mind on that particular day. Second, she gets to have her friend back, the one beneath all of the angst, the one she wishes she could see all day and every day.
Of course, it’s a bit of an effort to crash through his defenses. So if Suki wants to sustain herself and have the energy needed to get through to him as often as she can, she needs her own energy supply, her own resources and her own support. These past few weeks, that’s come to her in the form of Sokka.
The two’s first meeting had been a bit peculiar, at least in her eyes. If one could see them, without having known them at all beforehand, they’d probably think the two have known each other for a while. It’s only been a few days, though. She’d stumbled upon him in the campus library with a mutual friend. Aang, she hadn’t seen him for quite some time until then. She’d wanted to approach, but noticed an unfamiliar character sat across from him at their small table, boasting about how easily he coasts through his classes and how he’d just die for someone to come along and truly challenge him. She’d cut into the conversation with a snarky comment or two, berating his arrogance, and he’d responded in kind, with something smooth. She’d pretty quickly realized that he couldn’t be awful if he’d been hanging out with Aang.
So now, whenever Sokka sees her, he cheers her name, throws his arm around her shoulders and follows her around for however long he can manage. She likes him quite a bit. He’s attractive, of course, and he’s very charming. More than both of those things, he’s astoundingly intelligent. But what comes to mind the most when she sees him, is how much she thinks Zuko would like him.
She knows he’d hate it if she told him this. But she also knows that she’s right, she knows Zuko well enough, and from what she’s seen from Sokka so far, she’s got a serious hunch that the two of them would play off of one another quite well. And wouldn’t it be fun, the three of them spending time together? She’d have someone else’s support in knocking down those annoyingly strong emotional walls.
Though, maybe it;s not necessary. Even if he believes he’s somewhat of a lost cause, Zuko always finds a way to weasel himself out of just about any dilemma. He texts her very suddenly, writing: I’m going to submit a story.
She smiles. She may not know exactly what’s led to this firm decision, but she’d like to think her little arranged meeting has something to do with it. She hopes she’s not giving herself too much credit. Emboldened, she texts Sokka. What did you think of Zuko?
He writes back: he’s a character.
Suki: be serious.
Sokka: no like actually he’s a character. Very intriguing. I’d like to know more.
Suki sighs. She’s not sure how to proceed. If she actually wants these two to collide properly, to attach to one another, she’ll need to be careful about how she approaches this. There’s still some time before classes get super busy and before they have to submit their Kyoshi applications.
She plans on getting shit done.
Each day that passes, Zuko feels a strange contrast. On one hand, he feels like he could tear his hair out of his head, and for a number of reasons too. For one, Sokka keeps appearing and he seriously suspects that his dear friend Suki has something to do with it. And all this business about writing a short story for the magazine is wearing down on him. As soon as he’s in need of ideas, everything eludes him. He keeps drawing blanks. On the other hand, an increasing sense of calm is emerging from within him. Where’s it coming from, he’s not entirely sure. It could be him getting better adjusted to his circumstances as time passes, or it could be the effect of finally indulging his writing in a way that feels productive. Whatever the case may be, despite all the chaos that seems to be unfolding around him, he doesn’t feel too thrown off by it all.
He spots Suki and Sokka together at the library today. It’s the perfect example of this recent calm. Instead of feeling that horrid dread that tugs at him from within his gut and makes him feel heavier, he only feels the urge to roll his eyes at Sokka’s sly grin. Suki, noticing Sokka’s expression, turns around in her seat. “Zuko!”
“Hey Suki,” he greets her, hugging her lightly and pulling up a seat. Sokka frowns and stares at him. “...Hey Sokka.”
“You don’t wanna greet me?” The boy asks, playfully pouting.
“I didn’t notice you there.”
“Right.”
Suki leans in towards Zuko and Sokka mirrors her, perhaps wanting to feel involved. She asks, “How’s the short story stuff going? Do you know what you plan on writing yet?”
“Not yet. But I’m trying not to stress about it yet. They haven’t chosen the three they want to compete yet, so I might not end up having to write anything anyways.”
“You will,” She assures me. “I’m sure you will.”
“I’m not sure that you will,” Sokka adds on. “But I’d like to see you try.”
Zuko crosses his arms. “Very funny.”
“I’m not playing! Suki keeps playing up your skill. I want to see it. And besides, wouldn’t it be cool for all three of us to be writing for the same issue of the magazine?”
“It totally would be!” Suki exclaims. The two of them run their mouths, going back and forth about how fun it’d be to be co-writers. Zuko shrugs, but internally, he feels heat bubbling up from inside of him. Writing, for him, is usually a solitary act. What would it be like, doing it with his best friend and this new little tag-along? Zuko smiles.
“I guess that it would be.”
Sokka, suddenly, cheers, throwing his arms around Zuko from where he sits. “That’s the spirit!”
Zuko tenses, he clenches his teeth and closes his eyes, hoping Sokka will let go within a few seconds. But Sokka keeps cheering, taking too much advantage of their being on a non-quiet floor of the library, and keeps shaking Zuko along with him. Zuko opens his eyes and sees Suki, leaning back in her seat, smiling warmly. Finally, Sokka lets go and leans back into his seat as well, eyes shining as he stares at Zuko.
What has he gotten himself into?