Burn a little brighter (Zukka - Soulmate AU)

Chapter 3

[Split up chapter 2 because it was kind of long]

Sokka stumbles through the village, mind so far receded he can't remember how he got there. The instant he spots a brown braid, he takes her wrist, hearing her squawk in confusion as he drags her to the walls.

"Sokka- What are you- Where are we going?"

"Please just follow," he says, and maybe it's the desperation in his voice that leaves her nodding.

They make it to the open plane. It'll be dinnertime soon, and Gran Gran likes them all eating together, but Sokka isn't worried about that.

"Sokka?" she asks hesitantly.

He points out at it, waiting until she looks. "Do you see anything?"

She scans across. Unease is bubbling inside him, getting more acidic as not a hint of understanding breaks through. "Like what?"

"Like a place where someone could have fallen in? Like a big hole in the ice?"

Her voice turns worried. "Did you fall in?"

"Can you see a place where I could've?"

She squints, putting a hand on her hip and leaning forward, and that's when dread slithers down his throat like a slimy eel. It plops into his stomach. Numbing and cold. "No? But if you fell in, we need to get you checked right now," she urges. "You could have hypothermia."

"I thought I fell in," he confesses, sounding far away even to his own ears. "I hit the water. For a moment I thought I was going to drown. I did what dad taught us and what I remember from falling in when we were little. I got out."

"Spirits-"

"My clothes were dry," he continues, sounding almost hysterical. "There's no hole in the ice I could have fallen in. I should have lost my club in the water, but I still have it. There is absolutely nothing to suggest that I ever fell in in the first place." He sinks down to the ground. "I think I have a severe case of midnight sun madness."

"Are you sure it was here? Maybe it shocked you so badly-"

"I always come here. It had to have been here."

"You were tired this morning. Maybe you fell asleep and-"

"Hallucinated?"

Katara thumbs at her coat. "Maybe?"

He groans. "I'm going crazy. I'm really losing my mind."

"Sokka," she says. She sits down beside him, taking that tone that reminds him so much of their mother. "You're not crazy. We've all had times where we've thought something happened when it didn't. It's normal."

He gawks. "Wait, when did you hallucinate something?"

"Not- not hallucinate," she stammers, stiffening up, and that doesn't reassure him at all.

"Yeaaah, you don't sound as convincing as you think you do."

"I don't know!" Katara says. "Just- sometimes when we're in the canoe, there's this... spot. I guess. It's..."

She doesn't need to tell him. He knows exactly where, and that puts him more on edge. "The place you always want to go fishing?"

She nods. "Yeah. And it's like for a second, I feel- I'm not sure how to explain it. Trapped? Warm but surrounded by cold. It's the worst feeling in the world."

"Then why do you drag us there all the time!"

Katara looks away. "This will sound crazy."

"Well, that's a great way to start."

He hears a huff and feels her push his shoulder. "Are you going to listen? Or are you just going to keep mocking me?"

"No, no. By all means, keep telling me your totally normal story." He raises up his hands in surrender, but she is frowning so deeply he thinks she really won't say anything, is about to apologize until-

"Something pulls me there, okay? Every time. And though I hate the feeling, it also-" Her expression melts quickly... into a face Sokka can't really explain. Couldn't form the words even if he wanted to. "-feels right? Like I'm... in the right place."

"This is so creepy," he groans, throwing his hands up to the sky. "I hate this! It's like our nightmares are coming to life. You sound insane, Katara."

She flinches, face getting red. "Not as insane as you! Mr. Fell-in-a-mysterious-disappearing-hole."

"Don't mock my disappearing hole! At least I'm not insisting on going fishing just to blankly stare at the water all day!"

"I don't stare at the water all day! I get more fish than you!"

"Okay," Sokka says, rising up to full height even though he's unfortunately not that much taller. "We're both a little tired right now and saying obviously crazy stuff. Let's go to your creepy spot and get this sorted out."

Katara tightens her lips, standing up too. "No."

"Why not?"

"Why do you want to?"

"I don't know!" he exclaims. "Because apparently, we're both losing our minds and I've just realized it. Why not embrace it!"

He waits for her to get angry. Maybe snarky. Maybe just yell back at him with the same shared frustration. It would make the most logical sense for the situation.

So of course, Katara doesn't do any of that. She covers her mouth with her gloves, eyes scrunching up. And giggles. It's a quick sound. A little nervous. A little acknowledging this mess. A little relieved.

It echoes off the glaciers, traveling through the world, and Sokka finds his own chuckle trapped in his throat. He knows it's partially from hysterics, (mostly from hysterics), but maybe there's some crazed consolation that he isn't actually alone in this. It passes quickly, but there's weight that's lifted off him. Makes him feel almost normal again.

"Tomorrow," she promises, bringing her gloves down. "We'll get the canoe ready and check it out."

"Might as well go fishing while we're there," he remarks. "You still need to learn the proper way to catch a fish. And then after that, maybe we can both go to Gran Gran and get our heads checked."

"Sounds like a plan."

They head back together. Sokka puts an arm over Katara's shoulder and doesn't let it deter him when she pushes it off.

"Y'know, little sis, I'm starting to think we need to talk more often."

What are you supposed to do when a strange, tattooed bald kid collapses from an iceberg? Sokka sure doesn't have a clue, but he knows a threat when he sees one. That's why he pokes his head straight away with the bone end of his spear, not sure what he's expecting but letting his instincts lead the way.

Katara doesn't approve, but Sokka really feels like he was onto something there.

It doesn't take long for his sister to become enamored with the stranger, and while Sokka keeps his eye on him, he also has other things to do- for one, stare at the huge bison lumbering around their village. Yeah, he's not letting that one slide.

It's stressful, but in a way, it's the most fun Sokka's had in years. Stress-fun, he could call it. Yeah, that sounds about right.

He's so distracted, he almost doesn't hear it. It's a thin, drawn-out noise, like something is whizzing through the air, and he spins to face the west of their village, where an old ship has loomed over them since long before he was born.

A beautiful light explodes in the sky, creating a golden ring around it that splits up and falls gracelessly back to the earth.

Things aren't fun anymore.