Reborn In Water || ATLA

Bleed

Bato of The Water Tribe - Fin

"I feel like I'm drowning in ice water, my lips have turned a shade of blue. I'm frozen with this fear that you may disappear before I've given you the truth." - Hot Chelle Rae

🌊 🌋 🔥 🌪

It should've felt good, amazing even. In all of the stories and plays sparks would fly and time would stop all around. The first kiss with someone should be magical. So why wasn't this one? After her initial shock, Aelita closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. Sokka wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled into her lips. For him it was perfect. Ever since the night he decided that Aelita might not be so bad Sokka had found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her. He assumed her lips would be soft, which they were. He imagined they would be warm against his, which again they were. He thought it would feel good but instead, it felt great. Deep down Sokka knew Aelita had a duty to the rest of the world that meant she had to follow Aang, but he hoped maybe this could be enough to change her mind so she'd follow him instead.

Aelita wanted the kiss to feel good, so she kissed Sokka right back. After all, why shouldn't she? He was kind, kept up with her banter, made her laugh more than she would ever admit out loud and she couldn't deny he was handsome. So why did she feel so guilty? Why did it feel like she had just taken a rusted knife to the chest? Aelita tried to tell herself it was because she wasn't sure when she'd ever see Sokka again, but in her heart, she knew that wasn't it. The truth was no matter what, Sokka wasn't Zuko. She tried her damnedest to push the thought aside. Sokka was the one to finally pull away, still in awe that Aelita had actually kissed him back. As he opened his eyes he studied her face, her stunningly beautiful face. Her lips were pink and slightly pursed, her eyes still closed, framed by dark lashes.

Aelita let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. When she was certain her heart wasn't going to beat out of her chest, she opened her eyes to see Sokka smiling down at her. She pushed herself out of his arms faster than she had fallen into them. Somehow her heart had convinced her when she opened her eyes it would've been Zuko's she had been staring into. Sokka couldn't figure out why Aelita looked as if his touch psychically hurt her when she had just been kissing him back.

"Aelita..." he said as he reached for her but she took another step back.

"Sokka I...it's just..." Aelita stuttered as she continued to back away. "I can't do this. I'm sorry."

With that Aelita turned and ran, disappearing out the gates of the abbey, as far away from Sokka as her feet would take her. Across the courtyard, Katara made her way to stand in front of Aang and Appa. She had so many things to say to him, but no words to say them. She wanted to say she was hurt and she was angry but that she understood why he did what he did and that she forgave him. She wanted to call him dumb for thinking so little of her that she would just up and leave him behind, but she also wanted to say she believed in him. She wanted to say that she would miss him more than she could ever describe, but the waterbender didn't say any of those things.

"Good luck." Was all she said to the monk sat atop the sky bison's head.

"Yeah," Aang replied as he tried to stay strong. He too had so much to say but no words to say them. "You too."

Katara gave the Avatar one last sad grin before walking away to join Bato and Sokka. She noticed the hurt and confusion on her brother's face but assumed it had to do with Aang's betrayal. The three members of the Southern Water Tribe left the abbey without another word. Aang thanked Superior and led Appa out of the abbey, Momo on his shoulder. Aelita was waiting for a few yards from the gate, Mushu in her arms as she sat partially hidden behind a tree.