Schmoop Bingo - Building a Better Everything - Part II
Title: Building a Better Everything - Part II
Prompt: Nurse Back To Health
Medium: fic
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sokka/Zuko
Summary: When bronzerider Z'ko is injured fighting thread, Sokka finds ways to help him through the recovery. Written for avocado_love in her Queen Flight universe, an Avatar: The Last Airbender/Dragonriders of Pern crossover. Part of schmoop_bingo .
Part I | Part II
"So what about this one?"
Z'ko stared. Since he'd been moved to Sokka's quarters, he'd been pestered with questions about dragon tack. Sokka had wanted to know the name, function, and alignment of every scrap of leather and every buckle, no matter how small. He'd taken apart at least three harnesses that Z'ko knew of, starting with Honorath's broken one, examining the stress and wear and construction. He'd asked A'ang, Katara, and Toph the same questions when they came to visit Z'ko, and had filled his workbench - what Z'ko could see of it, at least - with sketches and models and scraps of leather.
It had irritated Z'ko, until the long afternoon when Sokka convinced A'ang to take him to the tanner's hall to examine the leather that would be cut into straps for the weyr's tithe. Z'ko had been glad of the silence for all of half a candlemark before boredom and loneliness set in, and had since tried to be more appreciative of Sokka's attempts to keep him occupied.
This, though…
"You put Goldie… in a harness?"
The fire lizard's indignant chirp matched Sokka's wounded scowl. "Goldie is wearing a prototype, of my improved design for fighting straps." He scratched Goldie's head. "He doesn't understand brilliance when he sees it, does he, Goldie?"
Z'ko rolled his eyes and extended his arm. Goldie obliged him and hopped up to perch on his wrist and Z'ko brought her in for a closer look. The harness did look improved over the ones he was familiar with. "Is her keel as deep as a dragon's?" he asked, prodding Goldie's chest.
"Almost. The dragons I measured -" and that had been a sight to remember, Honorath standing stiff-legged while Sokka crawled over him with a ruled tape and Z'ko watched from a wheeled chair "- showed individual variance, but overall conformed to a predictable pattern. Within the color classes, they're even more predictable."
Z'ko nodded, interest piqued despite himself. "Stretch your neck out, Goldie." She chirped and steadied herself on his hand as she dipped her head and lifted it. The straps moved with her, not bunching or restricting her movement. "Fly for us?" She launched herself into the air, tucking her forelegs against her body as she flapped her wings to hover.
Sokka held out his own wrist and she came to him, accepting the bit of meat he offered. "That's my girl, that's my good girl, Goldie."
Z'ko crossed his arms. "It's a good prototype," he admitted. "But you'd have to test it on a dragon before you convince anyone to wear it to fight thread." And what dragonrider would be fool enough to -
Sokka grinned. "One step ahead of you, lover."
***
"I should have guessed," Z'ko muttered.
"What was that, Z'ko?" A'ang called from Appath's back.
"I said, 'you're crazy,'" he called.
"Always the pessimist," Katara said from her seat beside Z'ko.
"Which of us has the broken leg?" he asked.
"Now that," Sokka said from where he adjusted a strap, "Is what we call 'glass half empty' thinking."
Z'ko rolled his eyes - again - and leaned back in his wheeled chair. He hated the chair, but he hated being confined to Sokka's quarters and the infirmary even more, and so he tolerated the chair.
The healers say your leg is healing well, Honorath rumbled from his perch on Aquariath's weyr. You'll walk soon enough.
"Ready?" A'ang called.
Sokka tightened one final strap and slapped Appath's flank. "Ready!" Appath waited until Sokka ran clear of his wingspan, then bunched his hind legs into a crouch and launched himself into the weyr bowl. He caught a thermal and dragon and rider spiraled high, fast, almost out of sight.
"He'll be okay, right?" How Katara could still be concerned after A'ang and Sokka's constant reassurances - or why she would bother to repeat the question, again - was beyond Z'ko, but Sokka seemed disinclined to answer, staring up at the sky and the flash of Appath's wings.
Z'ko cleared his throat. "Appath is the smartest, most agile blue I've ever met. Even if the harness fails - and it won't - A'ang will be fine. Appath would skip between to catch A'ang if he had to."
Katara nodded, but reached out to take his hand and squeeze it hard. Z'ko glanced over and saw she'd taken Sokka's hand in her other, and both siblings had a white-knuckle grip on the other. I thought I was the pessimist, he thought.
***
"That went well," Sokka sighed, much later, as Z'ko settled back into the bed they shared.
"You certainly talked to A'ang long enough about it."
"Awww, are you jealous? Or just grumpy that you had to go let the healers poke your leg while I got to drink klah and talk about my brilliant design?"
"I am not grumpy. And if you're that interested in finding out how your sharding harness works, why don't you fight thread in it?"
Sokka paused. "About that."
"Sokka," Z'ko warned.
"I wouldn't have asked, except A'ang suggested it. Actually, he said that Appath suggested it. I swear, that dragon could be a smith with the way he was answering my questions -"
"Sokka!"
Sokka closed his mouth. Z'ko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me you're not going to fly threadfall with A'ang."
The silence stretched and Sokka tried not to fidget. At least Z'ko's eyes were still closed.
"Sokka."
"I can't tell you that. I already agreed."
Z'ko's mouth pressed into a thin line, his brow wrinkled in the familiar scowl. Months ago, Sokka might have worried, but their relationship had been tested by far greater stresses than this.
"If you do this," Z'ko began and Sokka's gut tensed, "You can never call me 'you stupid dragonrider' again."
Relief washed over Sokka. "I'll agree to that." Z'ko had opened his eyes and Sokka met his gaze. "Until you do something stupid again."
Z'ko rolled his eyes and Sokka grinned. "Hey. I've been working on something else, too."
Z'ko arched his brow and waited, arms still crossed, as Sokka stepped back into his workshop. The crutches lay where he had hidden them under his workbench, and he kept them behind his back as he returned to the sleeping room. Z'ko hadn't moved.
"The healers say you're ready for these." Sokka held out the crutches and watched the expressions play across Z'ko's face. Annoyance, affection, weariness - ah. There. Gratitude. Replaced quickly by annoyance.
Sokka grinned. "Wanna go for a walk tomorrow?"
***
"I changed my mind," Z'ko muttered. "I don't want to go for a walk."
"Too late. Now watch it."
Z'ko shook off Sokka's offered arm and focused on swinging his injured leg out and setting the crutches down. The leg had been splinted again and the healers said the break half-healed, but he still imagined pain with every halting step.
"That's it, lover. You're doing great."
"If you don't shut up," Z'ko said through grit teeth, "I'm going to take one of these fine crutches you made and beat you senseless with it."
"That's the spirit."
An eternity later, Z'ko made it to his goal: Honorath's snout, where the big bronze again crouched by the entrance to the Lower Caverns. He dropped his crutches to lean against Honorath's great head. "I hate this," he whispered.
It will pass. Honorath rumbled deep in his chest. Now scratch there - yes, there.
"Honorath getting itchy?"
"Mm…" Z'ko replied, working to balance himself as he scratched and Honorath twisted in pleasure. "I haven't scrubbed him properly in weeks. He still smells like the last threadfall."
I do not.
"You know, the next threadfall isn't until the day after tomorrow, and I'm still excused from my normal duties to play nursemaid to you." Z'ko held his tongue as Sokka looked up at Honorath and scratched his neck. "Do you think Honorath would like a good scrubbing tomorrow?"
Z'ko, if you do not tell him yes, I will enlist Aquariath's help and ensure that you and her rider are never apart.
Z'ko swallowed what remained of his pride. "Honorath would like that very much. I… would too." He flushed and dropped the crutches. "I'd like it if you scrubbed Honorath - I don't need you to scrub me! I can at least do that myself!"
Sokka laughed and stooped to retrieve the crutches, then leaned in for a kiss. Z'ko sighed and rested his forehead on Sokka's shoulder when they broke apart. "Thank you. For putting up with me. For helping me when I don't want your help."
Sokka kissed his temple. "Never change, Z'ko," he whispered, then pulled back. "What did Honorath say just now? Your face was priceless."
***
This isn't so bad, Sokka thought the next morning. The weather stayed fair and clear and the weyr's lake held less chill than the sea beside his childhood hold. Still, Honorath was a very large dragon, with a very large hide to scrub.
"Isn't this what weyrlings are for?" Sokka muttered. Honorath rumbled, whether in response or in pleasure Sokka had no idea.
"Honorath says that if you don't stop talking and start scrubbing, he's going to shove you into the water," Z'ko called. He sat on one of the benches set back from the lake, his arms crossed and scowling with the crutches propped up beside him.
"You said no such thing, didn't you," Sokka said to Honorath, then raised his voice for Z'ko. "What was that? I can't hear you, seeing as I'm working and you're just sitting, all the way over there." Honorath rumbled again and this time Sokka was sure it was in amusement. "Your rider is one cranky bastard, isn't he. What say we ditch him? I could be Dragonrider S'ka, rider of bronze Honorath."
Goldie hissed a protest from where she scrubbed Honorath's neck ridges.
"You're right, Goldie. S'ka is a stupid name. Thank all the fish in the depths that I'm not a dragonrider. There." Sokka slapped Honorath's flank. "Go rinse off, you great beast. I've scrubbed every inch of you that's reasonable to scrub." Honorath rumbled a thanks and lumbered into deeper water, and Sokka waded from the lake. To his surprise, Z'ko offered him a towel.
"Thanks," Sokka said as he dried off. He glanced at Z'ko, who watched Honorath wallow in the lake. His scowl couldn't hide the flush on his fair cheeks, though, and Sokka grinned as he finished with the towel.
***
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Sokka raised his eyebrows, and Z'ko scowled. "You heard me."
Sokka leaned back against his workbench. "I thought I heard the illustrious bronzerider Z'ko offer to help this humble journeyman smith out in his latest pet folly."
"I never said it was folly."
"Yes, you did."
"You put Goldie in a harness."
"That was after you called it folly."
Z'ko glared at the wall. "I asked," he said, each word sharp and precise, "If you could use any help making up your next prototype. And then I said that I've spent the last four years mending harness and wouldn't mind helping. But I suppose -"
"I'd love the help," Sokka said, and if it had been anyone else, Z'ko would have wondered at the motive behind that easy agreement, but it was Sokka. "And you're probably better with the stitching, anyway."
The afternoon passed in pleasant busyness and by the time they broke for dinner, Z'ko had new respect for Sokka's talent for innovation and invention. "Right," he explained. "The main strap has an auxiliary built into it, as well as a separate auxiliary."
Z'ko nodded. "That's actually… a really good idea." It was, in fact - an elegant and simple solution. Then he realized how he'd meant it and glanced up, expecting to see Sokka's face tight with annoyance again. Tactful as always, Z'ko, he thought, but Sokka's face held quiet pride.
"Thank you."
Prompt: Nurse Back To Health
Medium: fic
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sokka/Zuko
Summary: When bronzerider Z'ko is injured fighting thread, Sokka finds ways to help him through the recovery. Written for avocado_love in her Queen Flight universe, an Avatar: The Last Airbender/Dragonriders of Pern crossover. Part of schmoop_bingo .
Part I | Part II
"So what about this one?"
Z'ko stared. Since he'd been moved to Sokka's quarters, he'd been pestered with questions about dragon tack. Sokka had wanted to know the name, function, and alignment of every scrap of leather and every buckle, no matter how small. He'd taken apart at least three harnesses that Z'ko knew of, starting with Honorath's broken one, examining the stress and wear and construction. He'd asked A'ang, Katara, and Toph the same questions when they came to visit Z'ko, and had filled his workbench - what Z'ko could see of it, at least - with sketches and models and scraps of leather.
It had irritated Z'ko, until the long afternoon when Sokka convinced A'ang to take him to the tanner's hall to examine the leather that would be cut into straps for the weyr's tithe. Z'ko had been glad of the silence for all of half a candlemark before boredom and loneliness set in, and had since tried to be more appreciative of Sokka's attempts to keep him occupied.
This, though…
"You put Goldie… in a harness?"
The fire lizard's indignant chirp matched Sokka's wounded scowl. "Goldie is wearing a prototype, of my improved design for fighting straps." He scratched Goldie's head. "He doesn't understand brilliance when he sees it, does he, Goldie?"
Z'ko rolled his eyes and extended his arm. Goldie obliged him and hopped up to perch on his wrist and Z'ko brought her in for a closer look. The harness did look improved over the ones he was familiar with. "Is her keel as deep as a dragon's?" he asked, prodding Goldie's chest.
"Almost. The dragons I measured -" and that had been a sight to remember, Honorath standing stiff-legged while Sokka crawled over him with a ruled tape and Z'ko watched from a wheeled chair "- showed individual variance, but overall conformed to a predictable pattern. Within the color classes, they're even more predictable."
Z'ko nodded, interest piqued despite himself. "Stretch your neck out, Goldie." She chirped and steadied herself on his hand as she dipped her head and lifted it. The straps moved with her, not bunching or restricting her movement. "Fly for us?" She launched herself into the air, tucking her forelegs against her body as she flapped her wings to hover.
Sokka held out his own wrist and she came to him, accepting the bit of meat he offered. "That's my girl, that's my good girl, Goldie."
Z'ko crossed his arms. "It's a good prototype," he admitted. "But you'd have to test it on a dragon before you convince anyone to wear it to fight thread." And what dragonrider would be fool enough to -
Sokka grinned. "One step ahead of you, lover."
***
"I should have guessed," Z'ko muttered.
"What was that, Z'ko?" A'ang called from Appath's back.
"I said, 'you're crazy,'" he called.
"Always the pessimist," Katara said from her seat beside Z'ko.
"Which of us has the broken leg?" he asked.
"Now that," Sokka said from where he adjusted a strap, "Is what we call 'glass half empty' thinking."
Z'ko rolled his eyes - again - and leaned back in his wheeled chair. He hated the chair, but he hated being confined to Sokka's quarters and the infirmary even more, and so he tolerated the chair.
The healers say your leg is healing well, Honorath rumbled from his perch on Aquariath's weyr. You'll walk soon enough.
"Ready?" A'ang called.
Sokka tightened one final strap and slapped Appath's flank. "Ready!" Appath waited until Sokka ran clear of his wingspan, then bunched his hind legs into a crouch and launched himself into the weyr bowl. He caught a thermal and dragon and rider spiraled high, fast, almost out of sight.
"He'll be okay, right?" How Katara could still be concerned after A'ang and Sokka's constant reassurances - or why she would bother to repeat the question, again - was beyond Z'ko, but Sokka seemed disinclined to answer, staring up at the sky and the flash of Appath's wings.
Z'ko cleared his throat. "Appath is the smartest, most agile blue I've ever met. Even if the harness fails - and it won't - A'ang will be fine. Appath would skip between to catch A'ang if he had to."
Katara nodded, but reached out to take his hand and squeeze it hard. Z'ko glanced over and saw she'd taken Sokka's hand in her other, and both siblings had a white-knuckle grip on the other. I thought I was the pessimist, he thought.
***
"That went well," Sokka sighed, much later, as Z'ko settled back into the bed they shared.
"You certainly talked to A'ang long enough about it."
"Awww, are you jealous? Or just grumpy that you had to go let the healers poke your leg while I got to drink klah and talk about my brilliant design?"
"I am not grumpy. And if you're that interested in finding out how your sharding harness works, why don't you fight thread in it?"
Sokka paused. "About that."
"Sokka," Z'ko warned.
"I wouldn't have asked, except A'ang suggested it. Actually, he said that Appath suggested it. I swear, that dragon could be a smith with the way he was answering my questions -"
"Sokka!"
Sokka closed his mouth. Z'ko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me you're not going to fly threadfall with A'ang."
The silence stretched and Sokka tried not to fidget. At least Z'ko's eyes were still closed.
"Sokka."
"I can't tell you that. I already agreed."
Z'ko's mouth pressed into a thin line, his brow wrinkled in the familiar scowl. Months ago, Sokka might have worried, but their relationship had been tested by far greater stresses than this.
"If you do this," Z'ko began and Sokka's gut tensed, "You can never call me 'you stupid dragonrider' again."
Relief washed over Sokka. "I'll agree to that." Z'ko had opened his eyes and Sokka met his gaze. "Until you do something stupid again."
Z'ko rolled his eyes and Sokka grinned. "Hey. I've been working on something else, too."
Z'ko arched his brow and waited, arms still crossed, as Sokka stepped back into his workshop. The crutches lay where he had hidden them under his workbench, and he kept them behind his back as he returned to the sleeping room. Z'ko hadn't moved.
"The healers say you're ready for these." Sokka held out the crutches and watched the expressions play across Z'ko's face. Annoyance, affection, weariness - ah. There. Gratitude. Replaced quickly by annoyance.
Sokka grinned. "Wanna go for a walk tomorrow?"
***
"I changed my mind," Z'ko muttered. "I don't want to go for a walk."
"Too late. Now watch it."
Z'ko shook off Sokka's offered arm and focused on swinging his injured leg out and setting the crutches down. The leg had been splinted again and the healers said the break half-healed, but he still imagined pain with every halting step.
"That's it, lover. You're doing great."
"If you don't shut up," Z'ko said through grit teeth, "I'm going to take one of these fine crutches you made and beat you senseless with it."
"That's the spirit."
An eternity later, Z'ko made it to his goal: Honorath's snout, where the big bronze again crouched by the entrance to the Lower Caverns. He dropped his crutches to lean against Honorath's great head. "I hate this," he whispered.
It will pass. Honorath rumbled deep in his chest. Now scratch there - yes, there.
"Honorath getting itchy?"
"Mm…" Z'ko replied, working to balance himself as he scratched and Honorath twisted in pleasure. "I haven't scrubbed him properly in weeks. He still smells like the last threadfall."
I do not.
"You know, the next threadfall isn't until the day after tomorrow, and I'm still excused from my normal duties to play nursemaid to you." Z'ko held his tongue as Sokka looked up at Honorath and scratched his neck. "Do you think Honorath would like a good scrubbing tomorrow?"
Z'ko, if you do not tell him yes, I will enlist Aquariath's help and ensure that you and her rider are never apart.
Z'ko swallowed what remained of his pride. "Honorath would like that very much. I… would too." He flushed and dropped the crutches. "I'd like it if you scrubbed Honorath - I don't need you to scrub me! I can at least do that myself!"
Sokka laughed and stooped to retrieve the crutches, then leaned in for a kiss. Z'ko sighed and rested his forehead on Sokka's shoulder when they broke apart. "Thank you. For putting up with me. For helping me when I don't want your help."
Sokka kissed his temple. "Never change, Z'ko," he whispered, then pulled back. "What did Honorath say just now? Your face was priceless."
***
This isn't so bad, Sokka thought the next morning. The weather stayed fair and clear and the weyr's lake held less chill than the sea beside his childhood hold. Still, Honorath was a very large dragon, with a very large hide to scrub.
"Isn't this what weyrlings are for?" Sokka muttered. Honorath rumbled, whether in response or in pleasure Sokka had no idea.
"Honorath says that if you don't stop talking and start scrubbing, he's going to shove you into the water," Z'ko called. He sat on one of the benches set back from the lake, his arms crossed and scowling with the crutches propped up beside him.
"You said no such thing, didn't you," Sokka said to Honorath, then raised his voice for Z'ko. "What was that? I can't hear you, seeing as I'm working and you're just sitting, all the way over there." Honorath rumbled again and this time Sokka was sure it was in amusement. "Your rider is one cranky bastard, isn't he. What say we ditch him? I could be Dragonrider S'ka, rider of bronze Honorath."
Goldie hissed a protest from where she scrubbed Honorath's neck ridges.
"You're right, Goldie. S'ka is a stupid name. Thank all the fish in the depths that I'm not a dragonrider. There." Sokka slapped Honorath's flank. "Go rinse off, you great beast. I've scrubbed every inch of you that's reasonable to scrub." Honorath rumbled a thanks and lumbered into deeper water, and Sokka waded from the lake. To his surprise, Z'ko offered him a towel.
"Thanks," Sokka said as he dried off. He glanced at Z'ko, who watched Honorath wallow in the lake. His scowl couldn't hide the flush on his fair cheeks, though, and Sokka grinned as he finished with the towel.
***
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Sokka raised his eyebrows, and Z'ko scowled. "You heard me."
Sokka leaned back against his workbench. "I thought I heard the illustrious bronzerider Z'ko offer to help this humble journeyman smith out in his latest pet folly."
"I never said it was folly."
"Yes, you did."
"You put Goldie in a harness."
"That was after you called it folly."
Z'ko glared at the wall. "I asked," he said, each word sharp and precise, "If you could use any help making up your next prototype. And then I said that I've spent the last four years mending harness and wouldn't mind helping. But I suppose -"
"I'd love the help," Sokka said, and if it had been anyone else, Z'ko would have wondered at the motive behind that easy agreement, but it was Sokka. "And you're probably better with the stitching, anyway."
The afternoon passed in pleasant busyness and by the time they broke for dinner, Z'ko had new respect for Sokka's talent for innovation and invention. "Right," he explained. "The main strap has an auxiliary built into it, as well as a separate auxiliary."
Z'ko nodded. "That's actually… a really good idea." It was, in fact - an elegant and simple solution. Then he realized how he'd meant it and glanced up, expecting to see Sokka's face tight with annoyance again. Tactful as always, Z'ko, he thought, but Sokka's face held quiet pride.
"Thank you."