now or never || an atla fanfic

𝔩𝔢𝔰 𝔠𝔬𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔠𝔬𝔱𝔰

His leather shoes softly tapped against the marble flooring, echoing throughout the corridor.

A few paces ahead of him, a certain auburn-haired girl walked, marveling at the impressionist paintings hung throughout the insurmountable heights of walls.

As it turns out, King Bumi has a soft spot for art.

The lavish architecture of the palace had an old-timey feel to it, but the artworks displayed there were timeless. The construction of the palace itself was a work of art.

One painting in particular, hung in isolation at the end of the corridor, depicted a peaceful landscape of vibrant poppy fields, trees, and clouds, and of a mother and child, walking together through the field.

"It's beautiful," Suki breathed, her eyes glued on the painting, hoping to memorize every detail, every brushstroke with her eyes.

"Yeah, it is," Sokka agreed next to her.

She turned around, her blue eyes looking up to meet his.

"You aren't even looking at the painting, Sokka."

"Who says I was talking about the painting?" he asked, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Her heart skipped a beat, immediately averting her eyes.

"Suki."

She turned to face him, her cheeks warming.

"I have to ask you something."

She felt her heart leap. "Yes?"

"On the day of the ball, for Katara's engagement, I realized that I said some very unkind things while you were undercover."

Her eyes softened, never expecting this from him. She recalled having this conversation weeks ago before they left the Water Tribe, but he hadn't directly apologized to her then.

"I realized that I never apologized for my brazen actions that night," he explained. "I was a rude and inconsiderate man, and regardless of your social standing, I know that no woman should be treated in that manner. I'm sorry Suki."

"Oh my gosh," she covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes stung, touched by the softness of his words. She brushed off the interaction as a drunken mishap, but the fact that he remembered it months later means that his apology was genuine.

"Darling, I really need to know if that means you'll forgive me," he spoke gently, worry pinching his brows.

"Of course I forgive you, Sokka," she said, wrapping her arms around him, and he reciprocate the gesture as well.

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the spirits. I have another question for you."

"Yes?"

"Will you accompany me to his highness's ball tomorrow night?"

She grinned ear to ear.

"I would be honored."

- ♚ -

Aang dug through his cloth bag, searching for his most formal attire to wear for tomorrow night. Although the King offered to give each of them separate rooms, everyone in their group insisted on sharing rooms. Over time, they enjoyed each other's company together.

And Aang didn't trust himself to sleep alone. Haunted remnants of his past, his mistakes, often left him sweaty and sleep deprived in the late hours of the night. He was more than happy to share a room with Zuko. Just the presence of another person helped him sleep better at night.