elvenavari

Mismatch | Truth

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Zuko/Sokka
Prompt: Instincts

Aang and Katara were helping rebuild in some areas were the Eastern Air Temple when the first ripple had pulsed through the spirit world. Aang stilled, waiting to see if anything else followed but nothing did immediately.

“Aang?” Katara questioned giving him a concerned look.

Aang didn’t like the feel of that ripple. Something wasn’t right. “I think we should take a break,” he said. He didn’t even wait for any agreement, just moved to a rock and got into a meditating position. Katara’s concern grew; it wasn’t like Aang to drop the work they were doing so quickly. But she couldn’t question him until he came out of his meditation.

The disturbance ripples came more clearly now that he was in the spirit world. “Roku?” Aang questioned. “What’s happening?” There was no answer and that worried Aang, Roku or… someone always came when he called. Suddenly the spirit world seemed to give a violent shake and things cracked around him. Aang felt himself wrapped in a cool embrace and looking over his shoulder he found Yue holding onto him. “Yue? What’s going on?”

The moon spirit didn’t speak until the shaking had stopped. She let him go and Aang started to feel the dead passing from the mortal realm into the spirit world. His eyes widened. “What happened?!”

“A large earthquake has struck the Southern Water Tribe,” she stated. Aang’s eyes widened further and he immediately started searching for Sokka’s life thread. It had been so weak after Nazomi’s birth but in the past few months it had grown much stronger. “Sokka is fine, scared but fine,” Yue said just as Aang found the warrior’s life thread. Aang let out a sigh of relief. “They need your help, quickly.”

“Right,” he agreed and pulled out of the spirit world. Aang was immediately on his feet and Katara was by his side. “We have to go.”

“Where? Why?” She asked.

“The Southern Water Tribe. There’s been a big earthquake… lots of people have died, I saw them.”

Katara’s eyes widened, a hand coming up to her mouth. “S-Sokka? Naz?”

“Fine, but we need to hurry,” Aang replied. Katara whipped into action, explaining to the villagers why they had to leave so suddenly. Aang saddled Appa and when Katara jumped on she urged Appa to go as fast as he could.

xxx

Zuko stared at Sokka, not sure he had heard the other man right. Finally he blinked and shook his head. “Me? What the hell do you mean me?”

“You’re the one who gave me Nazomi,” Sokka replied.

Zuko continued to stare at Sokka. His mind was whirling. “Sokka… I’m trying to comprehend this but you’re missing one very obvious point. I am a guy.”

Sokka snorted. “Oh believe me, that’s one point I’m not missing. That point is what stuck me and gave me this kid.”

“But we’re guys Sokka! Two men cannot create a child together!”

“Another fact I am very aware of,” Sokka stated. Zuko growled and fixed him with a glare. Sokka sighed. “Listen Zuko, I’m being honest with you. Nazomi is yours. I haven’t been with anyone since I left you, much less someone from the Fire Nation.”

“How do I know that?” Zuko regretted the words instantly but there was no taking them back. “You’ve been gone for almost a year. How do I know you didn’t spread your legs for some other Fire Nation man? Hell men.”

Sokka tensed and his face went red with rage. He stood, fists clenched at his sides. “How…” Sokka struggled for words. “How dare you! The only one I’ve ever given myself to is you… you… you asshole!”

“Two men cannot create a child!” Zuko stated again.

“Well we did!” Sokka still looked close to punching Zuko, his blue eyes burning brightly with anger. “Look, I didn’t come here to have my honor questioned. Nazomi is your daughter and I thought you might like to meet her. I guess I was mistaken so you can give me my daughter back and we’ll leave. You won’t have to worry about either of us.” Sokka stepped forward to take Nazomi from Zuko but the Fire Lord stepped back.

Zuko knew Sokka was being honest, the tone of his voice told Zuko that. He looked back down at Nazomi who was staring at him with those mismatched eyes. “But… how?”

The other man sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as he sat on the bed again. “I wish I had all the answers, I really do. All I know is when we were in the garden that night the few days before I left; the full moon was shining down on us. I remember thinking about Yue. You remember Yue right?”

At one point the mention of Yue had made Zuko jealous. He knew how much Sokka had loved her. But he had come to peace with the past relationships that Sokka had had. Though, he didn’t like the thought of Sokka thinking of her while they were engaged in… that. “The Northern Water Tribe princess who became the moon spirit after Zhao killed the other.”

“Yeah well, I was thinking of her, wondering if she was liking the show.” Zuko smirked, he couldn’t help it, that was so… Sokka. “A few months later I was gaining weight and then I felt something move. Freaking out is an understatement. I thought I was possessed!”

“How did you determine otherwise?” Zuko questioned.

“Yue came,” Sokka answered. “She said she had seen how happy we were, not just in the garden. She knew as Fire Lord you would have to provide an heir so she gave me this gift.”

Zuko stared at him. “So… this could happen again?”

“Full moons, when her power is at it’s strongest,” Sokka confirmed. Zuko looked down at Nazomi again, her eyes were closed and she had a tight grip on his robe with one hand. Her free hand was near her mouth and she was sucking her thumb. “Beautiful isn’t she?”

“She is,” Zuko agreed softly. After having such a rotten childhood, other than the love his mother gave him of course, he had always wanted a family of his own. A chance to do things right. Then he had found Sokka. Because they were both men it was… had been impossible. Of course, they both knew that their affair couldn’t last because of that fact, which was why Sokka had left to begin with. “How old is she?”

“Just turned eleven months.”

Zuko tensed and stood sharply causing Nazomi to wake. He fixed Sokka with another glare. “My daughter is almost a year old and you didn’t think it was right to tell me?!” He demanded.

Nazomi didn’t like the tone of Zuko’s voice and started to cry. He glanced down at her before unconsciously moving to the table, ranting to Sokka all the while, to get the bottle he had requested for her. Sokka watched as Zuko adjusted Nazomi in his arms and started feeding her; he couldn’t help the smile that came to his face.

“What are you smiling at Sokka?”

“You, look at yourself Zuko.”

Zuko looked down and realized what he had done on instinct. Marveling over the fact that he was taking care of his daughter so easily, Zuko sat at the table that the food had been spread on. Sokka moved to sit on the other side of the table and started to eat. When Nazomi finished her bottle Zuko looked at Sokka unsure of what to do.

“Lay her against your shoulder and rub her back in slow circles and she’ll burp. Don’t bounce or rock her though or you’ll end up with milk all over that fine robe.”

Zuko followed the instructions, smiling when Nazomi burped for him. “Tell me Sokka, I want to know everything. Why didn’t I know sooner? You could have sent a hawk, a messenger, something.”

Sokka stared down at the table. “I almost died. That’s why you didn’t know.”

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