𝑺𝑬𝑬𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑹 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

7 ~ hypocrisy

For the last time—he truly hoped it would be the last—he stood on the edge of the city's icy walls and breathed in the cold air. It flowed through his airways, flooding his lungs, and he breathed out, letting it all spill past his lips in one warm breath.

In a little while, he will leave. He will leave this place behind and go out into the world with people he'd met less than two days ago. It was a world he didn't know, a world which wasn't familiar to him. All he knew of were the Fire Nation's heated days and the Northern Water Tribe's icy shores. That was all.

But there was more he knew nothing about.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" From behind him, an aged voice asked.

Guren replied without turning around. "Isn't that what you always wanted?" He didn't hide the scorn he felt for the man. There was no use to. They both knew how Guren felt about him.

"It is."

How fucking unsurprising.

Shifting, he peered back, at the man's blue, blue eyes and his lips twisted in disgust. "Yet you stand there with such an expression. What gives?"

Pakku didn't give an outright reaction to his words, but those eyes of his could hide nothing from him.

Guren knew. Of course he knew. All Pakku saw was his father, but there were traces of his mother in him. That's why he was standing there, looking like he was stuck between pushing Guren off the ledge and pulling him into his arms.

"So you're not going to say anything? Fine, I've got a few things I've gotta say to you," Fully turning so he could face him, Guren stood his ground. "Katara told me about her grandma and you. I wasn't surprised. You do have a habit of pushing people away, don't you?"

That piqued Pakku's interest. "What is that supposed to mean?"

As if he didn't know where Guren was going with this.

"Wasn't that why my mother left?"

And Guren wasn't going to hold back.

His words seemed to struck Pakku as if he slapped him. The man clenched his fists, knuckles paling, but he didn't move. He just stood there, watching Guren, feigning that he was unbothered. "Nuera was like the daughter I never had."

Was she?

"Then I guess that makes me the grandson you never wanted."

The moment he said 'grandson,' Pakku faltered. His eyes widened, his whole posture changed, and he took a small, almost unnoticeable, step back, as if the mere word pushed him away.

Perhaps it gave life to something he denied for years.

"You drove her away, didn't you? With your unchangeable attitude and sexist behaviour. She didn't abide by your rules and went ahead and learned Waterbending even when it wasn't allowed. She didn't care about what you had to say, and she left," Guren took a step forward, nearing the man. "If you hadn't driven my mother away, she never would have met my father and I wouldn't have been born. Guess I should thank you for allowing me to exist. May that existence remind you of your own hypocrisy."

With confident steps, he walked past Pakku, but did not expect to be grabbed.

Wordlessly, they stared at one another.

Wordlessly, Guren tore his arm right out of his loose grip.

"During my stay here, you've been pissing on me without the courtesy of calling it fucking rain!" He exclaimed, unwilling to break eye-contact. "Don't you dare touch me now!"