Commencing Combat: Chapter 2
Finally! I wrote the second chapter of Commencing Combat. I'm so sorry it took so long. I have more time now so hopefully I won't go that long without updates again. I strongly suggest at least reading the first chapter of Commencing Combat before reading this (click "Another Battle Series" link to the left). Another Battle and Prelude to War are both part of this series but each story can stand alone. At least at the moment they can.
Title: Commencing Combat
Chapter Title: Friendly Fire
Author: hakuryu08
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters/Pairing: Sokka & Zuko
Prompt: Lonely
Rating: T
Genre: Angst/Friendship
Word Count: 1,240
Disclaimer: Still don’t own ATLA or Sokka or Zuko. If that ever changes, I’ll let you know.
Summary: Modern AU. This is in the “Another Battle” series that I started. Three years after Zuko’s mother died Sokka moves to Zuko’s school. This is the friendship (and trouble) that follows.
Author's Note: I was having trouble with this story so I joined a prompt community on LJ for inspiration called 10_hurt_comfort.
Commencing Combat
Chapter 2: Friendly Fire
“Sokka! Dad’s on the phone!”
Sokka jumped off his bed and dashed down the hall so fast Katara had to blink a few times to clear the blur from her vision. The 11-year-old handed the phone off to her extremely hyper older brother and then skipped down to her own room, still smiling from her talk with their father.
“Dad!” Sokka practically yelled into the phone. “Are you there?”
There was a soft crackle from the other end, most likely the warning of a bad connection, but it didn’t stop Sokka from hearing a deep, joyful laugh before his father said, “I’m here son,” with humor clear in his tone.
Sokka threw himself at the sofa, unable to contain his excitement. He and his sister had lived with their Gran Gran for almost two months now and it wasn’t often that their father was able to call. It had become sort of a treat for Sokka when he was able to speak with the older man.
Starting the conversation, Sokka asked his father about work and about the places he travelled. He moved to more comfortably lie on his back as his father regaled him with stories of the countries he had been to and the people he had met. He told stories about other ambassadors that made Sokka laugh and he even talked about some of the landmarks that he knew Sokka would have loved to see.
It wasn’t long before his father began asking about his life and Sokka told him how well he was doing in his classes and how much he was enjoying them. He did not mention the way some of his peers still looked at him or how some of the boys treated him. His father was proud when Sokka originally told him he had skipped ahead a grade and he didn’t want to disappoint the man. Instead he focused the conversation on what he was learning; making sure to concentrate on how much he loved the material so his father wouldn’t detect anything in his voice that would cause him to worry.
Sokka took a breath when he ran out of classes to talk about and waited for his father to continue with a different topic. He winced as he thought about the possible matters his father could bring up and realized that the most likely topic was his social life. Sokka had only made one friend so far and they didn’t even talk much outside of school. He put so much effort into his time spent with Zuko that he barely interacted with anyone else, and Sokka didn’t see anything wrong with that. He enjoyed talking with Zuko during their lunches and he actually felt like he and Zuko were close to becoming friends.
“Sokka?” His father’s voice was surprisingly hesitant and Sokka’s mind immediately focused on it. He knew that voice.
“Is something wrong, Dad?” Sokka asked, hoping he had misheard his father’s tone.
There was a moment’s pause before his father answered. “I have some bad news.” Sokka heard his father take in some air, as if he was trying to put off what he was about to say. “There’s a conference that I’ll be required to attend in a few months.”
At hearing this, Sokka became more confused than worried. “Why is that bad?” He asked. “You go to conferences all the time.”
Sokka’s father sighed before continuing. “This one starts in the middle of May and will last a few weeks.”
Sokka shot up into a sitting position. “But that means you’ll miss my birthday.” He stated, tears welling up in his eyes. He reined them in quickly, knowing they wouldn’t help the situation, and forced himself to listen to the apology his father was currently giving him.
“…you’re upset but I promise your present will be there before your birthday and I’ll call the day of so it will almost be like I’m there… Sokka?”
“I’m here, Dad.” Sokka’s voice was strained but he held it together. He knew his father didn’t have a choice and he didn’t want to make the man feel guilty. “It’s okay. I understand. You’d be there if you could.”
Sokka heard his father sigh again and he knew the man wasn’t sure if he should continue his apology or end the topic. “So, where are you heading next?” Sokka asked, making the decision for him.
The two talked a bit more but it wasn’t long before the Ambassador was pulled away for a meeting and Sokka was forced to say his goodbye.
____________________
“What’s with you today?” Zuko asked as he watched Sokka pick at his food. Usually, Zuko couldn’t even tell what the other boy was eating because it was gone so fast.
“I’m fine.” Sokka stated, defensively. He immediately began shoveling food into his mouth in an attempt to prove his declaration.
Zuko wasn’t convinced. Putting his pencil down, he gave Sokka a hard stare, not yielding until the younger boy put his fork down and looked up to meet his eyes. Zuko had become accustomed to Sokka’s cheerful nature so it was easy to see the difference today. He wasn’t even trying to keep his smile in place.
“My birthday’s in a couple months.” Sokka said, looking away again. “I’ll be thirteen.”
Zuko continued to stare, now even more confused. “Umm… That’s great. Mine’s not ‘til September.”
“I was really looking forward to it.” Sokka continued. “But I don’t really care anymore.”
“But it’s your thirteenth. You’ll be a teenager.” Zuko gave Sokka a rare smile, uneasy with the lack of one from the other boy. Whatever was going on, it seemed like Sokka was giving up and that worried Zuko the most. Sokka wasn’t the type to give up on anything.
“It doesn’t matter. Neither of them will be there.” Sokka stared down at the table, his lunch completely forgotten, while Zuko considered his words. Zuko was already aware that Sokka’s mother died fairly recently. Unfortunately, he had no idea who the second person could be. The most he knew about the other’s family was that his father was an ambassador and he lived with his grandmother and sister.
“My dad called yesterday.” Sokka broke the short silence, knowing he owed Zuko a bit more of an explanation. “He has a big conference in May and he won’t be able to be here.”
Zuko’s eyes widened as he realized exactly what Sokka was saying. Not only would this be his first birthday without his mother, but it would also be his first without his father.
“Did you have plans?” Zuko asked and winced as he realized he was probably making things worse.
“Not really.” Sokka answered, sadly, shaking his head. “I just wanted to see him.”
“So… No party?” Zuko cocked his head to the side slightly to emphasize his question.
Sokka shrugged keeping his eyes on the table. “You’re the only person I would invite if I have one. I don’t really know anyone else around here. It probably wouldn’t be much of a party.”
“I’ll be there.” Zuko stated with confidence.
Sokka’s eyes widened in surprise and he glanced up at Zuko uncertainly. “Really?” He asked, searching Zuko’s face to be sure.
“Why wouldn’t I be there?” Zuko paused to ready himself for what he knew he needed to say. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Sokka’s smile lit up the whole cafeteria. “Yes. Yes, we are.”
________________________________________
Title: Commencing Combat
Chapter Title: Friendly Fire
Author: hakuryu08
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters/Pairing: Sokka & Zuko
Prompt: Lonely
Rating: T
Genre: Angst/Friendship
Word Count: 1,240
Disclaimer: Still don’t own ATLA or Sokka or Zuko. If that ever changes, I’ll let you know.
Summary: Modern AU. This is in the “Another Battle” series that I started. Three years after Zuko’s mother died Sokka moves to Zuko’s school. This is the friendship (and trouble) that follows.
Author's Note: I was having trouble with this story so I joined a prompt community on LJ for inspiration called 10_hurt_comfort.
Commencing Combat
Chapter 2: Friendly Fire
“Sokka! Dad’s on the phone!”
Sokka jumped off his bed and dashed down the hall so fast Katara had to blink a few times to clear the blur from her vision. The 11-year-old handed the phone off to her extremely hyper older brother and then skipped down to her own room, still smiling from her talk with their father.
“Dad!” Sokka practically yelled into the phone. “Are you there?”
There was a soft crackle from the other end, most likely the warning of a bad connection, but it didn’t stop Sokka from hearing a deep, joyful laugh before his father said, “I’m here son,” with humor clear in his tone.
Sokka threw himself at the sofa, unable to contain his excitement. He and his sister had lived with their Gran Gran for almost two months now and it wasn’t often that their father was able to call. It had become sort of a treat for Sokka when he was able to speak with the older man.
Starting the conversation, Sokka asked his father about work and about the places he travelled. He moved to more comfortably lie on his back as his father regaled him with stories of the countries he had been to and the people he had met. He told stories about other ambassadors that made Sokka laugh and he even talked about some of the landmarks that he knew Sokka would have loved to see.
It wasn’t long before his father began asking about his life and Sokka told him how well he was doing in his classes and how much he was enjoying them. He did not mention the way some of his peers still looked at him or how some of the boys treated him. His father was proud when Sokka originally told him he had skipped ahead a grade and he didn’t want to disappoint the man. Instead he focused the conversation on what he was learning; making sure to concentrate on how much he loved the material so his father wouldn’t detect anything in his voice that would cause him to worry.
Sokka took a breath when he ran out of classes to talk about and waited for his father to continue with a different topic. He winced as he thought about the possible matters his father could bring up and realized that the most likely topic was his social life. Sokka had only made one friend so far and they didn’t even talk much outside of school. He put so much effort into his time spent with Zuko that he barely interacted with anyone else, and Sokka didn’t see anything wrong with that. He enjoyed talking with Zuko during their lunches and he actually felt like he and Zuko were close to becoming friends.
“Sokka?” His father’s voice was surprisingly hesitant and Sokka’s mind immediately focused on it. He knew that voice.
“Is something wrong, Dad?” Sokka asked, hoping he had misheard his father’s tone.
There was a moment’s pause before his father answered. “I have some bad news.” Sokka heard his father take in some air, as if he was trying to put off what he was about to say. “There’s a conference that I’ll be required to attend in a few months.”
At hearing this, Sokka became more confused than worried. “Why is that bad?” He asked. “You go to conferences all the time.”
Sokka’s father sighed before continuing. “This one starts in the middle of May and will last a few weeks.”
Sokka shot up into a sitting position. “But that means you’ll miss my birthday.” He stated, tears welling up in his eyes. He reined them in quickly, knowing they wouldn’t help the situation, and forced himself to listen to the apology his father was currently giving him.
“…you’re upset but I promise your present will be there before your birthday and I’ll call the day of so it will almost be like I’m there… Sokka?”
“I’m here, Dad.” Sokka’s voice was strained but he held it together. He knew his father didn’t have a choice and he didn’t want to make the man feel guilty. “It’s okay. I understand. You’d be there if you could.”
Sokka heard his father sigh again and he knew the man wasn’t sure if he should continue his apology or end the topic. “So, where are you heading next?” Sokka asked, making the decision for him.
The two talked a bit more but it wasn’t long before the Ambassador was pulled away for a meeting and Sokka was forced to say his goodbye.
____________________
“What’s with you today?” Zuko asked as he watched Sokka pick at his food. Usually, Zuko couldn’t even tell what the other boy was eating because it was gone so fast.
“I’m fine.” Sokka stated, defensively. He immediately began shoveling food into his mouth in an attempt to prove his declaration.
Zuko wasn’t convinced. Putting his pencil down, he gave Sokka a hard stare, not yielding until the younger boy put his fork down and looked up to meet his eyes. Zuko had become accustomed to Sokka’s cheerful nature so it was easy to see the difference today. He wasn’t even trying to keep his smile in place.
“My birthday’s in a couple months.” Sokka said, looking away again. “I’ll be thirteen.”
Zuko continued to stare, now even more confused. “Umm… That’s great. Mine’s not ‘til September.”
“I was really looking forward to it.” Sokka continued. “But I don’t really care anymore.”
“But it’s your thirteenth. You’ll be a teenager.” Zuko gave Sokka a rare smile, uneasy with the lack of one from the other boy. Whatever was going on, it seemed like Sokka was giving up and that worried Zuko the most. Sokka wasn’t the type to give up on anything.
“It doesn’t matter. Neither of them will be there.” Sokka stared down at the table, his lunch completely forgotten, while Zuko considered his words. Zuko was already aware that Sokka’s mother died fairly recently. Unfortunately, he had no idea who the second person could be. The most he knew about the other’s family was that his father was an ambassador and he lived with his grandmother and sister.
“My dad called yesterday.” Sokka broke the short silence, knowing he owed Zuko a bit more of an explanation. “He has a big conference in May and he won’t be able to be here.”
Zuko’s eyes widened as he realized exactly what Sokka was saying. Not only would this be his first birthday without his mother, but it would also be his first without his father.
“Did you have plans?” Zuko asked and winced as he realized he was probably making things worse.
“Not really.” Sokka answered, sadly, shaking his head. “I just wanted to see him.”
“So… No party?” Zuko cocked his head to the side slightly to emphasize his question.
Sokka shrugged keeping his eyes on the table. “You’re the only person I would invite if I have one. I don’t really know anyone else around here. It probably wouldn’t be much of a party.”
“I’ll be there.” Zuko stated with confidence.
Sokka’s eyes widened in surprise and he glanced up at Zuko uncertainly. “Really?” He asked, searching Zuko’s face to be sure.
“Why wouldn’t I be there?” Zuko paused to ready himself for what he knew he needed to say. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Sokka’s smile lit up the whole cafeteria. “Yes. Yes, we are.”
________________________________________