ZERA'S TALE » Sokka x OC

1.13

I'm back! This chapter doesn't correspond to any episode and might be poopoo garbage but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things again. Thank y'all for your kind words and being patient with me, I love you guys 💕 I can only write in small bits before I get headaches still, so updated will still be slower than before, but I'm feeling a lot better!

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The moon was bright overhead as Zera sat alone poking the dying campfire. There wasn't an assigned watch for the night, but any attempts at sleep were futile with her racing thoughts. It had only been yesterday that Sokka had thrown his words like knives into her heart, and the wounds were still aching in time with her pulse.

What had caused him to snap so suddenly, and so aggressively? He knew exactly how to hurt her, and he hadn't hesitated to use that knowledge against her. Who's to say he wouldn't do it again? At least when Katara got mad and tried to pick a fight, it was only petty comments and passive aggressive remarks. Sokka had gone straight for the killing blow, regardless of how much he knew it would hurt.

Was it Zera's fault for letting him get so close in such a short period of time? Nobody had ever managed to get past her defenses so wholly— aside from Uncle and maybe Zuko, back before their mother had gone missing.

As she stared into the embers hoping for an answer, an overwhelming loneliness choked up her airway. As nice as that kiss had been a few nights ago, now wasn't the time. Fate seemed to keep finding ways to remind Zera that her and Sokka were born on opposite sides in her father's war. Just when they'd find a good flow, something always seemed to come along and throw them off balance, and it always seemed to take a long time to get back on course. Only for the whole process to start all over.

The sound of someone shuffling in their bedroll pulled Zera from her thoughts. She looked over to the other three where they slept near Appa, noting that Sokka had reached out to her empty bedroll in his sleep and was fumbling around blindly searching for her. When he couldn't find her, he peeled his eyes open and looked around in confusion before spotting her by the fire. Between heavy blinks, he forced himself out of his sleeping bag and crawled over to her with a soft whine, before worming his way into her lap. His cheek was pillowed against her thigh and he was pressing his forehead into her hand to get her to play with his hair as he tried to keep himself awake.

"Wha's wrong?" Sokka mumbled groggily, his words a husky rumble against her leg. She had relented to his whining and was undoing his topknot to play with his hair as he snatched up her other hand and began twiddling her fingers.

"I think there's something wrong with me. I should be furious with you still, but instead I'm just... just tired." Zera sighed forlornly, tangling her fingers into his loose hair and lightly scraping her fingers along his scalp. He all but purred at the feeling before her words registered in his sleepy brain, making him roll onto his back to stare up at her.

"Zera, please talk to me. Yell at me, get mad, do whatever; just please don't shut me out." Sokka begged as his eyebrows pulled together, searching her face for any clue of how she was feeling. She only held a faraway look in her eyes as she continued to stare into the fire, her features as smooth as sea glass.

"I just want my best friend back. No leaving each other, no secrets, no fighting." She rushed out in one breath, letting her eyes stay glued to the firepit in front of her instead of having to face Sokka.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I— I just... after what happened the other night, I thought you'd be on my side when Aang fessed up. I was hurt and I took it out on you, and that wasn't right." Sokka confessed, his sorrowful blue eyes staring up at her face.