Koete ↠ Sokka

Chapter 10: The Worst Episode - Part 4

Sunset couldn't have come any sooner. Both tribes had walked the same path, unlike in the original episode, and they'd argued the whole time. Thankfully it was only petty arguments and never escalated into a full battle-to-the-death—stuff like 'stop stepping on my shoes!' and 'then stop walking so slow in front of me!'—but she was beginning to see how she and Sokka could occasionally be found annoying.

The two had tried to distract each other with playful debates, although she could only talk for so long before she was both mentally and physically exhausted after walking for at least eight hours. By the end, she was dragging her feet in the dirt, leaving two long lines behind her. Sokka wasn't any better off, at one point lying flat on his back for a few minutes to rest before they'd decided the tribes had gone too far without them. They had to sprint so they wouldn't get lost, which effectively cancelled out the rest they had.

When they'd finally stopped to set up camp, the gang had encountered the problem of realising all their belongings were with Appa—sleeping bags, tent and all—leaving them unsheltered for the night. While the Zhangs and Gan Jins both offered them a spot in one of their tents, neither seemed particularly appealing, leaving the four to sit around the fire. Luckily, the Zhangs had tarps to spare and lent them to the teens as blankets, having not bothered to set them up. Charlie was tired and starving, but at least she wasn't cold.

After the sun had completely fallen underneath the horizon and the sky had darkened, some members of both tribes still remained awake and sitting around the fire. The Zhangs had even offered some of their tarps to the Gan Jins while they sat outside, almost like a peace offering. People sat on the dirt covered in the brown animal-skin tarps, laughing as they told the stories of Ghin Wai, Wai Ghin and the secret orb, how they had become so lost in translation after so many years.

For a short while, Charlie sat on her own, just enjoying the campfire. There was something weirdly wholesome about the night that made her feel at home. Whether really at home or homesick, however—she couldn't tell the difference. The crackle of the campfire made her think of her dad, wondering if he missed her, or if he even knew she was gone. Was her world continuing without her? Or was it just paused, awaiting her return? Charlie hoped it was the latter.

Aang was sitting next to the canyon guide, looking at him with eyes as wide as his smile while they talked about whatever they were talking about. Clearly, it was something interesting, judging by the eccentric hand gestures the guide was making.

Sokka and Katara were huddled together, talking about what seemed to be something serious. Katara was looking at her brother with a small, bittersweet smile, while Sokka sat with his legs propped slightly out, balancing his arms on his knees. He fiddled with his fingers—his nervous tick, she'd recognised. Charlie wondered if they were homesick too. It was their first time away from home, and they still had a long way to go, whether they knew it or not.

Katara said something softly, causing Sokka to recoil and flail his arms rapidly. Charlie chuckled a little bit at the antics she'd gotten so used to over the last few weeks and smiled into the fire, the radiant heat flushing her pale freckled cheeks a light red.

"I don't understand," the Zhang leader began her query, shuffling closer beside her. "You two have been arguing all day, how can you stand each other?" Charlie followed her eye line, finding her looking at Sokka from across the campfire where he and Katara talked casually again under the sound of fire crackling. He suddenly looked her way, seeming somewhat surprised to find her already looking over. Cracking a smile, Sokka gave her a small wave with his fingers while his forearm sat against his knee. Charlie's lips twitched upwards as she gave him a single nod, raising her head upwards slightly before looking back to the Zhang leader.

"I'm not sure how it looks to you guys, but we don't actually hate each other. Sure, we didn't get along for a while, and sometimes we argue for real, but right now Sokka's probably the closest thing I've had to a friend in years," she explained, voice uncharacteristically quiet. She'd begun to regret how childish she'd acted the day before, refusing to help set up camp and pulling the 'silent treatment' card just because of her bias about how she thought it would play out. But after actually having to experience it herself, she thought maybe it wasn't the worst episode after all.

Out of nowhere, a voice said, "Hey," from her other side. Charlie jumped slightly, but let out a small laugh when she found it was just Sokka who'd made his way over while she wasn't paying attention, a tarp tucked under his arm.

"Hey. What are you doing over here?" she asked casually putting her hands on the floor behind her to prop herself up.

"Oh, uhhh, Katara wouldn't stop talking about how the Gan Jins put their tarps up," he gestured towards where his sister was now chatting enthusiastically with said tribe leader, "so I thought I'd come over here instead." Watching how he fidgeted slightly, tapping his fingers rapidly against his thigh, she narrowed her eyes.

"Okayyy," Charlie dragged out slowly with slight suspicion. "Why are you being weird?"

"Weird? Me?" he answered quickly. "I'm not being weird, at least no more than usual."

They both stayed silent for a while, just staring at each other. He was definitely keeping something from her. Ordinarily his behaviour would have bugged her and she would have tried annoying the shit out of him until he spilled, but after an entire day of walking, Charlie was far too tired for that. Instead she shrugged lightly and turned back to the fire. Seeing that she wasn't going to pursue it anymore, Sokka let out a small sigh of relief before relaxing his shoulders and plopping down on the dirt next to her.

He spread the tarp over the two of them, letting it float down and settle. Charlie gave him a small, 'Thanks', rubbing her arms with her hands. Sokka didn't say anything for a while, only looking into the fire which reflected off his deep blue eyes.

"Sorry for being so angsty the last few days," Charlie said out of nowhere, clearly surprising Sokka judging by the expression on his face. "Today was supposed to go a lot worse than it did." She only realised she'd been worrying him after he'd confronted her 'constipated face' while on Appa earlier that day.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled lightly. "But you know... you can always tell me if somethings bothering you. Like if you have a vision that doesn't look too good, or just random everyday things. You don't need to fix everything on your own." He looked at her with an expression she didn't really recognise.

"Thanks, Sokka," she said, nodding earnestly.

Sokka swallowed heavily and nodded as well. "Of course. You're—you're my friend."

The two looked at each other for what felt like the longest time, but in reality, was only a few seconds. "It goes both ways. The—the friend thing, and if you need help." They shared a smile and looked back at the fire, listening to its pops and crackles fill the comfortable silence between them.

Soundtrack (also just a reminder that I have a Spotify playlist set up called 'koete soundtrack.' by Kim Pag, and I'd definitely recommend listening to the songs while reading)

Little Lion Man by Pickin' On Series || Charlie gives a recap of the walk and the wholesome campfire scene. This song's a super cute cover that fits with the campfire vibes and the themes of regret, but also works well for the fluffy parts. If you're going to listen to any while reading, make it THIS ONE

This was the biggest pain to write, sorry if it's crappy. I tried to make it fun but it's the Great Divide so obviously not much I can do there—. As you can see, I kind of brushed over the whole plot and filled out all the blanks in the episode instead so it wouldn't be boring. I mean, you already know what happens so no need to transcribe the whole episode. Aaaand sorry this chapter took so long to get out too. I've been working a lot and watching Psych in my downtime, and I've totally been procrastinating on this chapter. But I'd definitely recommend Psych, fittingly it's about a guy pretending to be psychic.