To Save a Warrior | A:TLA

❀ fifteen ❀

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
DISCOVERED

"You still have yet to tell me about this 'Fin' guy," Katara mused from behind Nami, her fingers nimbly pulling the teen's hair into three simple braids. Nami rolled her eyes at the teasing tone of the younger girl though she couldn't stop the flush rising up her neck.

"There's nothing to really tell, honest—OW, Katara!" Nami exclaimed at the pull on her hair, sighing heavily as Katara laughed mockingly at her expense.

"Oh please, you can't fool me, I saw the look in your eye when you mentioned him!"

"Mentioned who?" The girls blinked at Aang's sudden appearance in front of them, his eyes bright and wide. From his crouched state in front of them, he smiled innocently, glancing between the pair of girls. Katara blinked a few moments, feeling a small flush rise up her neck, though she was quick to resume the braiding of Nami's hair,

"No one!" The girls shouted simultaneously, leaving the boy to blink at their obvious cover-up as they shadily shifted their gazes away. After a few more moments of terse silence, the boy got up with a small shrug. Aang walked back towards Sokka who was fidgeting with a knot Nami had tied too tightly the night before. I teach her how to pitch a tent ONCE and she's an expert, Sokka huffed to himself, wait not like that! He flushed red at his own thoughts, shaking them away quickly as he noticed Aang's almost immediate dismissal from the edge of the forest.

"What just happened?" Aang shrugged his shoulders at the teen, who sighed at the kid's lack of words. "Well, did you tell 'em we're leaving soon?"

"I didn't even get a chance," Aang explained, swatting Sokka's hands away and easily untying the tricky knot before glancing over his shoulder, finding the girls enraptured in quiet conversation. "They shooed me away before I could say anything; 'sounded like they were talking about some guy."

"Some guy?!" Sokka asked almost a tad too quickly, wincing as Aang turned toward him with a sly grin. He decided against mocking him for it,

"That's what it seemed like." The Avatar covered his chuckle with a small cough as Sokka immediately rose to his feet, tent forgotten on the ground. The Southern teen's hands rose to rest on his hips as he began storming toward his friend and sister, and Aang thought Sokka looked to ready to scold his children, not his friends.

"Would you girls hurry up with your girl stuff, already? We need to get moving!" Sokka exclaimed in annoyance, though he would never miss an opportunity to be a complete ass about things. The girls shared a look of sharp agitation at the Southern teen. Katara moved to stand but Nami stopped her with a tight grip on her wrist, pulling her back down to sit.

"Sorry, what was that?" Nami asked, tone sickeningly sweet, brow poised at his rudeness. Sokka faltered for a moment, glancing between his sister and friend.

"I-I just said—" He stopped himself with a short cough, voice slightly cracking under her deep stare. She was staring at him like he was something interesting to look at, and somehow something so simple and so lighthearted pierced him to the core, made his nerves and his voice and his thoughts jumble into pure chaos. He looked to his sister for some level of support but she only poised her brow with a small scoff, glancing away, and he noticed from the corner of his eye the discreet smirk Nami sent his sister. "We'll be leaving soon."

"Much better," Nami nearly purred, smirking proudly at the red flush rising up his neck. Spirits what is she doing to me?

"Y-yeah, right," Sokka agreed, continuing to fumble slightly as Nami looked out towards the forested area to her right, as if she was suddenly disinterested in the entire conversation. His heart began thumping hard against his ribs, out of agitation or embarrassment he couldn't be sure. "So...you'll be ready soon?"