No Time To...

Hopeless

"See, you don't have to spit your food out you little heathen," Zuko fed his 11month twins as they sat on the floor with him as Zuko had mashed up vegetables and a little spoon. Hakoda stopped by to help Zuko with knowing what to look for with baby's. Knowing hiccups wasnt them dying and that baby's sometimes just cry wasnt something the prince of the fire nation was aware of.

It's been a year and he hasn't killed the twins, yet.

He finally got them to sit up, sit still, and eat from a spoon instead of crawling away and leaving baby hand prints of food everywhere.

"Alright aito, you have to swallow your food if you want more, I just did the laundry and don't want your clothes being more stained than they are now," he yawned with his hair hanging around his shoulders and a mess. His hair just kept getting longer as time went on, it wasn't his top priority as long as the twins didn't pull on it as much.

"Wait where's Ren? That little fuck crawled away again," Zuko gasped seeing only one baby. One baby is bad usually. "Aito why didn't you say anything?"

"Bah bah da da da," aito spit back.

"Dont dada me, you lost him first," Zuko pointed the spoon back.

"Bahhh ahhhh!" The blue eyes baby babbled.

"You're about to be on my shit list with that attitude," he huffed standing up to hunt down the other one.

"Stay," he looked down at aito.

"Ah,"

Zuko stuck out his tongue and went to see Ren holding onto the side table around the corner. Zuko stood there watching confused what the child was doing, he knew the boys were in the stage of trying to stand or crawling like their lives depended on it.

"Whatcha doing Ren?" Zuko squatted down a few feet from him.

Suddenly Ren took a step forward, then another one, he almost took another step but fell into zukos arms.

"Holy shit you walked! Those were your first steps!" Zuko yelled shocked as he lifted Ren in the air.

"You took your first steps what the hell bud?! Youre so amazing!" He peppered his baby's cheek in kisses as aito laughed on the floor while Ren babbled.

"Your next aito, I can't believe you walked!" He spun with Ren close to his chest and hugged him tightly.

Zuko was zoned out watching the clouds as they flew in silence on appa. It's only been a few hours as Sokka fell asleep.

"So we're going after Azula, what's the plan for that?" Zuko nudged Sokka awake as everyone looked over at them.

"What? Why me? Toph rounded us up," Sokka yawned as Zuko kicked at him again.

"Youre the idea guy, I assumed you both had something," Zuko said flatly with his arms crossed.

"Yea what is the plan?" Katara turned around.

"We did come up with a few bit didn't want to make a for sure one with everyone, such as if we're going in straight for azula or taking steps," Sokka hissed a little as he looked up at the sky but the two benders looked at each other wide eyes.

"You have no clue what the plan is do you?" Katara glared, her and Zuko knew better than knowing Sokka won't look at them when he lies.

"It's Azula! I can't predict the future!" Sokka yelled in defense.

"Sokka!"

Zuko stayed silent with his hands over his face to contain everything in his mind.

"So your telling me, everyone convinced me to leave my toddlers, to face the woman that's tried to kill me, the avatar and took down the capital of the earth kingdom... and we don't have a plan," Zuko pulled his hands down off his face.

"Toph please help me out, Suki?" Sokka squeaked seeing the twos confusion and anger bubbling up.

"Hey Zuko tell us more about your life! You have kids, wow, how does that happen?" Toph tried to move the conversation away from the topic, the diversion didn't work.

"We have no plan, awesome, kat, turn the bison around," Zuko glared a little.

"No we're doing this!" Toph cried out.

"No we're not!" Katara snapped.

"What if I told you someone knows where Aang is?"

Everyone went silent.

"I call bison shit," Katara growled back immediately spinning completely to them.

"I've been looking for Aang for years! It's all I was doing for a while and now you know where he is?" She glared harshly.

"It's a rumor, someone said a strange kid came around some village and it has to be Aang..." Toph put her hands up in defense as Zuko looked at Sokka wide eyes.

"A loud laughing homeless lookin brunette that was hanging around some kids, but not in a creepy way, I've heard this kid a few times and I know it's Aang, it has to be," she explained to them all.

"I went to the last village that Aang might've been at, that's when I found You Zuko, as Lee, Aang might've been at your village," she sighed and Kataras head snapped towards the fire bender.

"Did you see anyone that's like Aang?" Katara gulped.

"No, if I saw someone with blue arrow tattoos I would've said something by now," Zuko frowned.

"But he could have his hair long, a head band, a hat, he knows how to cover up his tattoos," Katara pursed her lips as she slid down to the saddle.

"No Katara, I didn't see Aang or anyone like him, I was busy with a bar and raising my children," he snapped back at her with a growl.

"Look guys, as nice as it is to see you all again, I want to go back to my boys as soon as I can and to take them home, but we don't have a fucking plan to win the war and still don't know where Aang is," Zuko crossed his arms getting more irritated.

"But now we have one of the best inventors slash strategists, master water and earth bender and the one guy who can track down the avatar as a profession, we're not as hopeless as we've been in the past," Toph pushed clenching her fists.

"Or are we forgetting what we've done as literal children? We did more as children then hopeless dumb adults and where are we now?" She spat at them.

"Now get it through everyone's dumb thick brains and get your shit together, we're not done saving the world," Toph had a wicked grin and something devious in her blind eyes
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