#you know he'll blatantly lie to his comrades that he didn't get a good look at her

[willsimpforazula]

New WIP

because I can't seem to actually sit the fuck down and finish a fucking story due to IRL stuff (work, mainly just work) here's another WIP after rewatching EP11 of 86 cour 2 (kenot recc this anime enough, worth all the rewatches and then some) Notes: - it kinda sorta ties in to the christmas gift thing i did last year, so you might wanna check that one out before you start. link is here.

it's pre-relationship fic so if that's not your jam consider other fics like my sokkla saturday submissions for 2020 / other assorted one shots.

put on either Voices of the Chord or Avid at the part where you see an * trust me, it helps set the mood. alternatively, just have the ep playing as you read.

lastly our girl azula (+ a whole bunch of atla characters) is slightly (or very, depends on how you wanna slice the pie) OOC but it be like it do when it comes to AUs. i don't make the rules.

Anyways....

Enough. 

The dead belong to the past.

They must be separated from those who still remain in the world of the living, Sokka thought to himself as he piloted his Feldress towards the sentient railgun, using the fact that it was distracted by Kiyi placing the muzzle of his pistol against her temple. Firing off the grappling hooks, he maneuvered himself up onto the grotestesque machine, keenly aware he only had one shot left in his gun, the weight of his comrades' sacrifices hanging heavy on his mind, the last being Zuko's crippled mech seemingly obliterated by the field gun they were tasked with destroying.

Bobbing and weaving amongst the deadly appendages that threatened to slice his own machine like a hot knife through butter, Sokka put on a masterclass of Juggernaut piloting for a non-existent audience, even as his thoughts churned and swirled like the River Styx of the underworld.

What good is there for you to so desperately cling on to this sham of a life?

You can't go anywhere.

You're nothing.

So let go. 

Sinking his machine's piledrivers into his target, he depressed his gun and shoved it down at the central nervous system of the railgun and pulled the trigger. With a dull roar, the one remaining shell exited the barrel of his gun and slammed 20 pounds of HEAT into it, blowing a hole out the other side and sending fragments of hot metal in all different directions. In that split second, his thoughts were rudely interrupted by an external voice, as he felt a phantom hand grip his own.

Tsk, take a look at yourself in the mirror.

We're closer than you like to admit. You, and I, have nothing left. 

No, you want to die in battle more than you ever wanted to live, correct? Then why are you still alive?

As the phantom voice left him with the one question Sokka did not wish to answer the most, the self-destruct sequence that had begun counting down since he blew its metaphorical brains out hit zero, initiating a chain reaction of explosive charges that reduced it to a hunk of burning metal, the force hurling his machine into the air like a toy tossed aside by a petulant child. Knocking his head against the headrest, he blacked out as the machine sailed through the air, before crashing into the field some five hundred meters away.

Dream sequence one

Slammed against the wall of his bedroom, Sokka could only whimper, his hands scrabbling against Katara's as she attempted to choke him, her face twisted with rage as she blamed him for the death of their mother, the phrase "If it wasn't for you….if it wasn't for you…."

Dream sequence two

Just as the chant grew to a crescendo, it just as suddenly ceased as the scenery now changed to the rolling grasslands, the spiteful hurting tone his sister used now reverting back to the kind and gentle voice as he now felt the shard of his sister's Juggernaut in the palm of his hand.

You won't be bothered by me anymore. Just forget me.

No, no no no no, wait for me sis!

Just then, a familiar voice called out his name, startling him.

"Sokka!"

Turning around, he saw a bloodstained Jet, the trademark stalk of wheat hanging from the side of his mouth at the head of a group who all sported similar injuries, a distinctive patch of dried blood on the side of their heads.

"Thank you, Sokka." The spectre of Jet spoke, prompting a flurry of gratitude from each member of the group, thanking him for not letting the Legion condemn them to an eternal existence as ghosts in the machine before flickering out of existence. 

Out of nowhere, the mocking voice of Kiri interjected once more with his sneering words

You are nothing.

Belong nowhere.

Nothing to live for, no end goal in sight.

No one to bid farewell to, no reason to live.

Killing me was the one thing that kept you going all this while. So what are you going to do now?

I mean, you don't have anything else to live for, right?

Dream sequence three

Before he could even reply, Sokka found himself chipping away at the metal husk of the Juggernaut with his bayonet, trying to extract a piece of his sister's Juggernaut, even as the kind voice of his sister seemed to mock him with every blow that he swung.

Of course, I'm not expecting you to completely forget me. Just, y'know, think of me occasionally.

Live, Sokka. Be free and happy.

"Freedom?! Happiness?! Easy for you to say! You. Left. Me. Alone!" he snapped back. With a final blow, the blade on his bayonet shattered, grazing him above his left eye.

"Why does everyone have to die and leave me behind ?" he half sobbed, half whispered to himself, the burden he bore threatening to sever his already tenuous link to sanity.

It can't be helped, can it?, Kiri's voice answered. I mean, you've always been putting your life on the line like you've got a death wish, dragging your friends and companions into the jaws of death every single time you go out to combat. Kind of selfish, no?

Looking up, he found himself at the memorial site staring at the first person he performed a mercy kill on since leaving the Republic on a suicide mission all those months ago.

"Thank you…Shin." it smiled, showing him a portrait of a small girl in a locket before closing it and vanishing.

Out of nowhere, he heard Kiyi's voice come from behind "Your heart has already been hardened, hasn't it? That's why it hurts so much when your friends show care and compassion for you, doesn't it?"

"You don't have to bear this cross alone."

"You can count on us."

Turning around, Sokka saw his comrades Zuko, Suki, June and Lu Ten approach him in a column with Kiyi leading them. Upon seeing them, he stretched out his hand towards them, only to have it sliced clean off as his field of view narrowed down to a slit.

"Looks like we're leaving you behind. Again." Zuko's phantom commented in a tired tone.

"Wait, wait, wait no!" he cried. Suddenly, he felt his body jerk and Sokka found himself back to reality, his hand stretched out as if reaching for some distant object over the horizon.

Glancing around, he saw that the railgun he and his team set out to destroy a little over two days ago was now a smouldering wreck in the distance. Turning to his other displays, he saw that the rest of his friends showed no signs of life, confirming what he suspected to be the case.

He was alone. 

Left behind. Again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the fragment of his sister's Juggernaut had fallen out of his pocket. Bending his body forward, he stretched out to grab it when an alert blared out, informing him that there was a hostile approaching him.

So naive to think it's all over.

Did you really think it would be that easy, Reaper? Surely not. Kiri's mocking voice sneered at him, one last cruel joke from beyond the grave as a lone Amiese scout crawled ever closer.

At this, Sokka finally snapped and he screamed "Kill me already!", tears of frustration flooding his eyes as he awaited the inevitable.

Opening his eyes, the last thing he expected to see was a Republic soldier running towards him, the ubiquitous battle rifle slung over her shoulder as she approached his stricken mecha. Pressing the loudspeaker option on his side panel, Sokka called out "Hey, you there, are you from the Republic of San Magnolia?"

At this, the girl stopped and turned, before replying "Yes. Who are you?"

"We're at the westernmost limit of the Federal Republic of Giad. I am affliated with the 177th Mechanized Corps. To maintain our defensive lines, we initiated a long range reconnaissance patrol to neutralize the railgun, which has been codenamed 'Morpho'. Thank you for your support."

"Thanks, but are you….alone? Being sent on a suicide mission like this deep behind enemy lines? That's a harsh and inhumane thing to do!" Azula replied.

"Thank you for your concern. The main force is only a few clicks away. See you again someday."

"That's good to hear."

"Do you want to come with us?"

"What?"

"I mean, there can't be too many of you left, right? If so, we can protect you." At this suggestion, Azula's face hardened.

"No. To suggest that I do so is to spit on the blood sacrifices this country and their soldiers made so that others may live. I have a duty to them as their commanding officer even….even if I might fail." Azula responded, the last part coming out as a whisper as her mind flashed to the recent memory of close quarters street to street fighting in the heart of the capital itself, the stench of blood and gunpowder still fresh in her mind.

"I will stay here and keep fighting to my very last bullet and last breath."

At this, Sokka snorted and replied "Keep fighting? For what? Do you have a death wish or something? If not, then why?"

At this, Azula marched forward, intent on giving the pilot a piece of her mind (and a couple of hard spankings with the butt of her rifle if need be). Behind her, a Republic Juggernaut in olive green scuttled up to her, only for Azula to activate her para-raid and order the Processor to stand down.

"What the hell are you thinking? Get the fuck out of there, Your Majesty! The hell do you think you're doing prancing around the battlefield with no armour on?" a familiar voice rang out to Sokka.

*"No. Besides, how would you know if anything were to happen, if at all. Besides, if I didn't run then why would I run now? Until my last dying breath, I'll keep fighting. There's a lot of people who hold the same belief as I do, it's only right that I catch up with them and lead them forward!"

"Listen up, I am the commander in chief for the defense of the Republic, Captain Azula and I will never, ever, abandon my people and my country!"

"Ma-ma-major?" Sokka hesitantly asked, immediately recognizing her voice and prompting a gasp from Azula as the gears in her mind started to click into place.

"Those whom you speak of have already gone to the land of the dead. What obligations do you have for ghosts and spectres?"

"Because someone once told me 'Don't forget me.' Because of him, I survived the Legion's assault on the capital. That is why I keep fighting, so I can meet him one day. Even if they're all dead, I want to keep living. Because that's what they would have wanted for me."

Pulling out a faded Polaroid and a sketch of a pig dressed like a princess, she turned it around and showed it to him.

"That is why I fight. Because they wouldn't have had it any other way. Surely you think the same way right? After all, you fought so hard to get to this point, I think you should be proud of yourself."

At this, Sokka choked up again, relieved to hear the familiar voice of his beloved major.

Pressing the hatch release, Sokka could only stutter "Ma-major, I-" before the chatter of approaching Legion forced him to reseal his hatch. Grabbing the controls, he gritted his teeth and attempted to have his mech get back on its legs.

Just then, the olive green Juggernaut skidded to where Azula stood and interrupted her "Gran Mur's calling, Legion are approaching!" 

"Shit! You from the Federacy, come with us!"

"No." was Sokka's reply, just as artillery shells streaked across the sky, before slamming into the horizon.

"No…no way..you've got to be-"

"What's wrong Cyclops?"

"You don't recognize that mark?"

"That's a Federacy emblem right?"

"No, that-well, you wouldn't have seen it before."

"Huh?" Cyclops replied, as the corps commander strolled out from a helicopter.

"Good work, Lieutenant."

"Sir, please don't assume we're all dead, y'know." 

"Exactly, I mean, did you Suki was crying non-stop for five hours straight?" Lu Ten chided.

"I was not!"

"Well now Sokka, I did warn you what would happen if you made her cry again." June added.

"You dumbass, we thought you died after you failed to move from that blast." Zuko lectured. "Well, the good news is we all survived. No one has gone ahead of the other. So rest easy."

#sokkla but pre-relationship #tsundere sokka is actually a nice challenge to write this one #since he's never seen azula's face until this point #you know he'll blatantly lie to his comrades that he didn't get a good look at her #we need more sokkla fics where sokka's the tsundere #but also more sokkla fics in general #sokka x azula #AU #sokkla