Clearing the Air

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

Who: Aang & Sokka
What: Interrogating Aang!
When: Yesterday, after Zuko is settled in the clinic
Where: The Tea Shop; Aang's room
Summary: Aang promised to answer Sokka's questions regarding the nature of his relationship with Zuko; unfortunately, Sokka is a master of awkward questions.
Rating: PG, probably

What Aang had told Zuko during their Valentine's Day outing still held true; he didn't care what other people thought about their relationship. But he still wasn't quite ready to deal with the hullabaloo that Sokka would undoubtedly make once he found out. And if Sokka knew, then Katara would find out... that idea terrified him, even though he hadn't been trying to keep anything secret to begin with. It was only now that he was confronted with exposure that he realized how insecure the whole thing made him feel. He knew his feelings for Zuko were real; but having to justify them to his friends was downright intimidating.

He entered the Tea Shop slowly, dragging his feet, looking around the room to find Sokka and half-heartedly hoping the other boy wouldn't be there.

Comments

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

When Aang arrived, Sokka was sitting at one of the tables of the Tea shop. As soon as he had arrived to the place, Iroh had insisted him to do so. He wasn't sure what was so great about tea, to him it only tasted like hot leaf's juice, thank you; but, without realizing it, he was considerabily calmer than how he was at the clinic. However, he was still determined to get some answers.

He waved at his friend when he saw him. "Over here."

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

Once Aang spotted Sokka, he reluctantly made his way over to the table, glad to see that there were no other patrons in the shop at the moment. He took his time getting settled in the chair across from Sokka, fiddling with it and repositioning it several times, dragging out the inevitable.

"Zuko's asleep now," he muttered.

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

"Good for him," Sokka replied. Placing his tea cup aside and outting both arms over the table, waiting for Aang to start. "Well?"

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

"Well, um... what do you want to know?" Aang asked evasively.

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

Sokka sighed. "What I asked you at the clinic. What is going on between you two?" He asked, again, not as demanding as he has done at the clinic.

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

"Well... I told you, we're friends now. He's on our side. Hold on," Aang said and then slid out of the chair, walking (again, deliberately slow) behind the counter and carefully making himself a cup of tea.

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

Raising an eyebrow, Sokka walked to the counter himself, leaning over it and facing Aang again; watching him carefully. "I'm not buying that, Aang." He started. "So, okay, the jerk has changed sides, or at least tries to; I know that much from the time I come from. But here," pauses. "There's just something you're not telling me."

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

Aang finished making his cup of tea and stirred it, blowing on it slightly to cool it off and then taking a sip from it. He had started blushing again.

"Well...um... we're kind of um... inarelationship."

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

At that Sokka fell silent. Did he just-- did he hear right? Sure, it was probably his paranoia again which was making him hear things, but couldn't-- no. He simply stared at Aang during the following minutes. "W-WHAT?"

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

That was about the reaction that Aang had expected, but he still cringed at Sokka's squeaky cry of disbelief. He held his cup of tea in front of his mouth, staring into it, wishing that he was small enough to actually hide behind it.

"Well you know a um..."

He took another sip.

"Like a romantic thing. I guess. Um."

[[OOC: He mumbled that last part very quietly XD]]

1/?

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

2/?

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

3/?

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

4/?

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

5/5 There XD

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

"Wah-whaat?!" Sokka almost shrieked in response. Even if he had already considered it (if only relating those thoughts to his paranoia) it was still... well, quite shoking.

"But how-?! When-- Why-- WHAT?!" He was almost flailing by now, all the calming effect of his previously drank tea completely gone. "You and--" Soka stopped mid-sentence, making a strange grimace; it wasn't from disgust, just plain shock. "HOW!" At this point he was starting to rushedly mumble out nonsense. Any coeherent sentence mostly went along the lines 'that jerk' 'this is bizarre' 'I should have not asked' 'and of course I'm the last one knowing about this' 'ohmygod'.

[[OOC: ULTIMATE SOKKA FACE COMBO GO!]]

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

"See that's why I didn't want to tell you, you're scary when you're like this," Aang mumbled, seeming to shrink even further behind the counter. His ears almost hurt. He looked to the kitchen, hoping desperately that Uncle Iroh would come rescue him, and then to the front door, hoping a customer would come and save him from further embarrassment.

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

After a moment, Sokka stopped his flailing to look at Aang intensely. He opened his mouth a couple of times, apparently wanting to say something, even raising his index finger as if to point out something along with his unespoken word, but not deciding on what to.

Finally, he just frowned and turned around determinedly before start walking to the shop's front door. "That's it, he's going to listen to me."

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

"...hey!" Aang yelped as Sokka turned away. He sat the tea cup down roughly, spilling its contents onto the counter, and chased after the other boy, grabbing him by the arm.

"That wasn't the deal, Sokka. He needs his rest. You agreed remember?"

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

Sokka let out a small groan in disagreement. For a moment he had forgot the jerk was still 'sick' (though he couldn't careless to the matter but...). "Fine. He's going to listen to me the moment he's feeling better."

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

"Don't worry, Sokka, the whole town is probably listening to you," Aang grumbled, reluctantly letting go of his friend's arm as if he expected Sokka to go running out the door to murder Zuko with a tea cup.

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

Sokka sighed a little in annoyance though he didn't say anything else, honestly, he looked quite calmer by now(apparently the idea of murdering Zuko later had soothed him somehow). After a moment, he crossed his arms and looked at Aang again, his tone was significantly quieter than before. "Does Katara know?"

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

Once Sokka calmed down, Aang relaxed. At the mention of Katara his expression changed to a mixture of concern and pain.

"...no. I think- I think she and Zuko are on slightly better terms since my death, but I know she still doesn't really trust him..."

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

"I don't trust him either." Sokka said as a matter of factly before sighing and taking a small pause. "Look, even if this is severe levels of weird, you should tell her. She has the right to know and I'm not taking any part of any 'hid the truth from my sister' campaign."

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Aang agreed, sounding rather miserable. He sat back down at the table, expecting Sokka to join him. "It's just... it's really awkward with her. I didn't really even want to tell you..."

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

"But it'll be worse if she suddenly finds out. You'd hurt her." Sokka sighed yet again, having a small moment of hesitation before joining his friend. "Look, Aang, you're my friend and I trust you, so you cab count that I would always respect your decisions; normally support them too but this--" Pauses. "Putting aside the awkward I'm not comfortable with this, but then again it's your decision. Only thing I ask is for you to tell her."

(( He said that only because Zuko used to be the enemy, not for anything else. He's just bad at expressing himself correctly. XD; ))

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

"Okay, okay, but..." Aang didn't have any legitimate argument, so he just trailed off, resting his cheek in his hand. He sighed again.

"Just... okay, I will."

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

"Alright." He let the silence linger for a little longer, even if it was slightly awkward. "I should get going, back to my assigned house, I mean." He added the last part quickly, just in case Aang might have thought he was trying to go after Zuko or something of the same nature.

[riding-the-sky.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, okay, um..." There was a lot that Aang wanted to say; he wanted to reassure Sokka, to somehow make the other boy see Zuko the way he did, but he knew that words alone wouldn't be enough.

"Hey, um, thanks. For helping him to the clinic I mean. I know he was probably being a complete jerk to you...heh."

[guyw-aboomerang.livejournal.com]

"Hah, that and MORE." Sokka started, somehow letting out his characteristic spazzy normal self; making the tension soothe. "He was very reluctant to go to the clinic, what's up with that? And he elbowed me, several times I might add. Did I mention he threw up all over my shirt? Because that's what he did before passing out." Lets out a small, half-hearted groan. "That's it, good actions don't go with me."