Schmoop Bingo - Niecelet
Title: Niecelet
Prompt: Baby - Feeding
Medium: fic
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sokka/Zuko
Summary: Z'ko considers Katara's child, and Sokka, for once, knows what to say. Set after Third Flight and Daddy Two.
Written for avocado_love in her Queen Flight universe, an Avatar: The Last Airbender/Dragonriders of Pern crossover. Part of schmoop_bingo .
The child was born late one night - or early one morning - a healthy baby girl who roused much of the weyr with her first angry cries. By the time Sokka and Z'ko were allowed to visit, however, she lay peaceful in her mother's arms. Katara looked tired but radiant in the way of new mothers, and smiled at both men. A'ang sat beside her, his grin just as wide but perhaps not as weary.
Sokka rushed forward to coo at the infant and buffet Katara and A'ang with questions and embraces, but Z'ko hung back at the doorway.
The child is yours, Honorath said before Z'ko could think of anything at all. He tried to block the great bronze out of his mind, then, but he felt that Honorath lingered, watching the scene through his rider's eyes.
Z'ko swallowed and stepped into the room.
***
Weeks later, Sokka volunteered he and Z'ko to watch the girl and allow her parents some much needed time to themselves. Of course, Sokka being Sokka, this meant that no sooner had they returned to their weyr, Sokka pushed Z'ko into a chair and handed him the infant and a bottle.
Z'ko stared at her, frozen, terrified of her as he had never been of threadfall.
Sokka rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you'd think you'd never held a baby before."
"As a matter of fact -"
"Here." Sokka pushed one of Z'ko's arms into a curve and guided the other - holding a bottle - to the infant's mouth. "Just hold it for her until she's done. Easy, right?"
"Right," Z'ko croaked, but Sokka had already turned away and swept into the back room.
The child is yours, Honorath repeated for an uncounted time, rousing from his doze just enough to hear Z'ko's thoughts.
"No," Z'ko murmured. "I don't think she should be."
To that, Honorath had no reply, giving Z'ko only a faint sense of amusement at humans and their definitions.
For A'ang, who had grown up in a weyr, son of an unnamed man and a green rider who had died in childbirth, who had been fostered by the whole weyr, there was no question. Aurora was his daughter, named for the lights that danced in High Reaches skies in winter, and the matter stretched no further.
Z'ko wished it were as simple for him. Aurora's hair was dark and her skin was light - too light, perhaps, for the daughter of her parents, but her eyes remained sea hold blue rather than Ista tawny.
Just as well, he thought, as she released the bottle and smacked her lips. If my father or sister knew there was one of my blood… but he stopped the thought before he could think it.
Sokka swooped back into the room and plucked the baby from Z'ko's arms. "How's my little niecelet?" he cooed, and she burbled a response. Sokka laughed and gave her back to Z'ko, then swept out again.
Niecelet, Z'ko thought. The word brought with it regret, somehow, for not having more claim to her. Then again, the relationship would protect her, from the pain of his past, from bitter hold politics, from his father and ambitious sister.
Niecelet, he thought again. "Aurora, my niece," he whispered. She stirred in her sleep, making an infant sound of satisfaction.
Sokka came back into the room and set two steaming mugs of klah on the table between them, then flopped down in a chair. "A mark for your thoughts."
"A smith hall mark?" Z'ko asked absently.
"Mmm… no. A weaver's hall mark."
Z'ko leaned back, shifting Aurora in his arms. "You're right."
Sokka sipped his klah and set the mug back on the table. When he spoke again, his voice held no apprehension, but Z'ko still heard the faint tension beneath his words. "About what?"
"Niecelet." Z'ko smiled down at the infant again. "Aurora. My niecelet. Our niecelet."
Sokka smiled.
Prompt: Baby - Feeding
Medium: fic
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sokka/Zuko
Summary: Z'ko considers Katara's child, and Sokka, for once, knows what to say. Set after Third Flight and Daddy Two.
Written for avocado_love in her Queen Flight universe, an Avatar: The Last Airbender/Dragonriders of Pern crossover. Part of schmoop_bingo .
The child was born late one night - or early one morning - a healthy baby girl who roused much of the weyr with her first angry cries. By the time Sokka and Z'ko were allowed to visit, however, she lay peaceful in her mother's arms. Katara looked tired but radiant in the way of new mothers, and smiled at both men. A'ang sat beside her, his grin just as wide but perhaps not as weary.
Sokka rushed forward to coo at the infant and buffet Katara and A'ang with questions and embraces, but Z'ko hung back at the doorway.
The child is yours, Honorath said before Z'ko could think of anything at all. He tried to block the great bronze out of his mind, then, but he felt that Honorath lingered, watching the scene through his rider's eyes.
Z'ko swallowed and stepped into the room.
***
Weeks later, Sokka volunteered he and Z'ko to watch the girl and allow her parents some much needed time to themselves. Of course, Sokka being Sokka, this meant that no sooner had they returned to their weyr, Sokka pushed Z'ko into a chair and handed him the infant and a bottle.
Z'ko stared at her, frozen, terrified of her as he had never been of threadfall.
Sokka rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you'd think you'd never held a baby before."
"As a matter of fact -"
"Here." Sokka pushed one of Z'ko's arms into a curve and guided the other - holding a bottle - to the infant's mouth. "Just hold it for her until she's done. Easy, right?"
"Right," Z'ko croaked, but Sokka had already turned away and swept into the back room.
The child is yours, Honorath repeated for an uncounted time, rousing from his doze just enough to hear Z'ko's thoughts.
"No," Z'ko murmured. "I don't think she should be."
To that, Honorath had no reply, giving Z'ko only a faint sense of amusement at humans and their definitions.
For A'ang, who had grown up in a weyr, son of an unnamed man and a green rider who had died in childbirth, who had been fostered by the whole weyr, there was no question. Aurora was his daughter, named for the lights that danced in High Reaches skies in winter, and the matter stretched no further.
Z'ko wished it were as simple for him. Aurora's hair was dark and her skin was light - too light, perhaps, for the daughter of her parents, but her eyes remained sea hold blue rather than Ista tawny.
Just as well, he thought, as she released the bottle and smacked her lips. If my father or sister knew there was one of my blood… but he stopped the thought before he could think it.
Sokka swooped back into the room and plucked the baby from Z'ko's arms. "How's my little niecelet?" he cooed, and she burbled a response. Sokka laughed and gave her back to Z'ko, then swept out again.
Niecelet, Z'ko thought. The word brought with it regret, somehow, for not having more claim to her. Then again, the relationship would protect her, from the pain of his past, from bitter hold politics, from his father and ambitious sister.
Niecelet, he thought again. "Aurora, my niece," he whispered. She stirred in her sleep, making an infant sound of satisfaction.
Sokka came back into the room and set two steaming mugs of klah on the table between them, then flopped down in a chair. "A mark for your thoughts."
"A smith hall mark?" Z'ko asked absently.
"Mmm… no. A weaver's hall mark."
Z'ko leaned back, shifting Aurora in his arms. "You're right."
Sokka sipped his klah and set the mug back on the table. When he spoke again, his voice held no apprehension, but Z'ko still heard the faint tension beneath his words. "About what?"
"Niecelet." Z'ko smiled down at the infant again. "Aurora. My niecelet. Our niecelet."
Sokka smiled.