Book 3: Fire (Sokka Love Story)

Book 3: Chapter 9: Me and My Homies Hate the Warden

Hey everyone hee-hee. So I'm back and lazier than ever. I got my exams starting soon, fuck statistics, honestly, I hate that math shit. But yeah, May is for my final exams, and June should give me more time to write (I've been saying that since December omg). 

I feel like I  have forgotten something. I don't know what but it seemed important. Oh well. 

I enjoyed seeing y'all cry in the previous chapter. It was fun, but I think things are really gotten lighten up around here. 

Also, /tw: abuse, and light mentions of torture/

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'Courage and strength. You have it. I've seen it.'

"I want to go home."

'You will. I can take the burden whenever the Warden is here, but you need to stay strong when we're alone.'

(Y/n) presses her palms to her eyes, trying to stop the wet sob from clawing out of her chest. "I'm so tired."

'I know. I'm sorry. But I need you to hold on. For us.'

She was exhausted. She got plenty of sleep, but that's about the only thing she's got. She doesn't know how long she's been here, except that it's cold, and she's hungry, and she misses her friends. Their hugs and their laughter. It feels too distant now. It's dark here. They don't bother lighting the tiny fire lamp some days, and just let her sit in the darkness.

'Get up.'

(Y/n) screws her eyes shut. "Please, just-"

'Get up. Now.'

"I can't do this now."

'Yes, you can. You need to. You cannot stay like this anymore. You're wasting away. Now. Get up.'

Her limbs protest, and the floor is cold as she steps her bare feet on them. She can only make out the bed she'd gotten up from, but the cell is tiny, too, and once (Y/n)'s on her feet, she realizes it's been a little too long since she so much as stretched her muscles, and they're all cramped up.

Slowly, Kim begins directing her to curl her toes. To circle her ankles, and to stretch her calves. Her muscles tremble, and many times, (Y/n) wants to just flop back on the bed and curl up, but Kim is insistent, is there – she's always there, and it's the most comfort she's gotten by far.

'Morning routine.'

(Y/n) sucks in a breath. She's lightly sweating already. "Right now? Kim, I don't feel like-"

'You never will.'

"What?"

'If you don't push yourself now, you will never feel like it.' There's something pained in Kim as she speaks. 'And as long as I am here, I will not see you fall into this sad pit. I've been there.'

(Y/n) flashed to Kim's past, and it's like the memory itself was tinted grey, and she could feel how Kim felt. How depressed and terrible, how it felt like she was doing everything wrong and all she wanted to do was cry. The only thing holding herself back was... she's never been allowed to. Her parents, even at such a young age, were never there for her, and Kim had spent so long being their perfect little fighter instead of their daughter.

And it affected her terribly, because the more she stayed with Master Shang, the better she felt. She felt like a child again, like a student, and like a daughter with how Master would dote on her like his own daughter. But it felt like a betrayal; to whom, she didn't know. Maybe to her parents for feeling more comfortable with the enemy, or towards Master Shang for lying to him. Maybe it was both.