Drip...Drip...Drip
The repetitive sound of alcohol droplets slowly leaving it's bottle and hitting the hard marble floor sounded throughout the cold, low lit kitchen.
Knock, Knock, Knock
That repetitive sound was abruptly replaced by a harsh knocking at the front door.
"Sokka! Wake up you big oaf!" Knock, Knock, Knock
Sokka, whose swollen upper body was resting on a wobbly table began to squirm lightly at the commotion and opened his eyes half way. As his vision started to clear up he slowly lifted his head from the table and scanned the area he was in to see where he was at.
"The fuck happened last night?" he questioned, rubbing his forehead softly to release any pain and tension he was feeling.
He looked over to his right to see empty bottles of cheap liquor splayed across the table, one of them half empty and dripping on his floor.
"Oh...right."
Sokka chuckled lightly as he began to recap what he had gone through last night. He found himself bored with nothing to do and decided to pay a visit to the Tavern that was near his home. Eventually he found himself having a drinking contest with a large man who was the apparent "Chugging Champion" there and had to engage in a brawl with nearly half of the bar once he beat the man and cost a lot of people their money given the fact that they had bet on the former champ.
"Idiots were so angry and drunk they didn't even realize that I stole all those bottles of sake on my way out." Sokka said with a cocky smirk as he finished the bottle of lukewarm alcohol.
Knock, Knock, Knock
"Sokka! I know you're in there! I can hear your voice open the damn door!" Knock, Knock, Knock
A deep sigh came out of Sokka's mouth as he dropped the bottle on the table and pushed himself off the chair. He cursed and complained under his breath silently as he began to walk over to the front door. His weak and sore legs ached and begged for more rest with each step he took on the soft carpet.
He began to unlock some of the locks on his door but paused once a devious thought began to come into his mind. Sokka leaned forward towards the door and rested his forearm on the top of it, getting more comfortable just in case this would take longer than he'd hoped.
"What's the password?" He asked, a serious tone in his voice but a goofy grin plastered across his face.
"My older brother is an idiotic asshole."
Sokka let out a chuckle at the remark and leaned in once more.
"Ya see that is close, that's close. I'll give you that but...unfortunately you're gonna have to try again because that is not the password." He replied with a less serious tone in his voice.
There then was a pause at the other end of the door. Sokka began to the door lightly with his finger in anticipation as he waited for an answer.
"Sokka is a tall, handsome born bred warrior." said the voice in a dry manner.
"What else?" Sokka asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, causing a sigh to be let out from the person on the other side of the door.
"...and he's way more intelligent than his stupid sister Katara."
Sokka smiled confidently and quickly slid all of the current locks on his door to the side, he twisted the door knob and immediately regretted his decision once he opened the door to see the angry face that belonged to his younger sister.
She stood across from him with her arms crossed and in a beautifully woven light blue dress with dark blue accents and white collaring, similar to the outfit she used to wear when they were younger.
"Where the hell have you been the past 2 months? I've sent you letters, invites and even food but you have yet to answer back " She asked with authority and anger in her tone.
Sokka scratched his bare back and rested his forearm on the top of the door frame, trying to stall so that he could find a quick answer. The last thing he wanted was to let anyone see him like this, especially his younger sister.
"Well good morning to you to Katara, ya know the fact that you would come here this early asking all these questions and not even saying hello to your own brother really hurts my feelin-"
"Sokka, it's sundown." She interjected blankly.
His eyebrows furrowed deeply at the statement in confusion and Sokka looked past his sister to see a warm pink sky and a deep orange sun lowered in the horizon. Had he really slept almost all day?
"Hmph, well there goes my attempt at guilt tripping" he whispered under his breath in defeat.
Katara let out an annoyed scoff and pushed past him, letting herself inside of the house.
As she stepped into the living room she took a long gaze at the mess that surrounded her and turned her head to the back of her. She shot him a look that was a mixture of confusion, disappointment and irritation as thoughts began to swarm her mind.
Sokka began to scratch his head nervously in anticipation. Given the fact he knew what was coming to him in a matter of seconds and cursed under his breath. He would rather be attacked by a group of badgermoles than be chastised by Katara over his living conditions.
"Why the hell is this place so dirty?"
"What in the world is that smell?"
"When is the last time you cleaned? Your house looks like a dump!"
"What are all those bruises you have on your stomach? Who hurt you?"
"Are you honestly okay with living in all this filth?"
"ENOUGH"
An awkward silence began to fill the room once Sokka responded in the loud manner he chose, it was very rare that Sokka ever raised his voice the way he did at his sister.
Katara sighed then shot her brother a sympathetic look. In a way she was doing it to let him know that all the questions weren't because she was mad at him, but because she was worried about him.
Sokka began to run his fingers through his thick, long hair and released an exhale before stretching out his arms and nodding towards Katara.
"Come on...bring it in, I promise you I don't smell as bad as I look." He joked, motioning her towards him.
Katara felt her mood brighten as she walked into her brother's arms for an embrace. She would be lying if she said that it didn't feel good to see her brother after such a long period of time.
"Sokka please never ignore us for that long ever again" Katara sniffled earning a tighter squeeze from Sokka in retort.
"You know I don't mean to hurt you or anyone else Katara it's just…"
Sokka paused as he began to think of the events that had happened months ago between him and The United Republic Council. He had led a mission with the city's task force to take down a group of terrorist's who apparently had been kidnapping people in the city.
His eyes began to draw blank as the broken memories began to cloud his thoughts once again.
The mission was a complete failure and he was the only person who made it out alive that night. They were too strong, too quick and too smart for the team he had with him and he found himself making it out alive by the skin of his teeth. Days later when he tried to explain everything that he saw and experienced they labeled him mentally unstable and unfit to continue his work and not only removed his seat with the council but his authority with the city's task force.
It didn't just make him look crazy to everyone, it made him feel crazy. How could all that trust and respect he gained from them just go away in such a short amount of time?
All of the thoughts kept him up, all the thoughts teased him, all the thoughts kept him away from others and all the thoughts were the reason he found himself drinking all the time. Just because he didn't want all the thoughts to still be on his mind.
Katara lifted her head up from her brother's chest and saw that he started to have that zoned out look in his eyes again. The same exact look he had after the incident months ago. It absolutely pained her to see Sokka like this. This was not the same happy go lucky person she knew, this was not the real Sokka.
She released herself from his hold and laid the back of her hand along his scruffy face, causing him to snap out of his thoughts and quickly flash a small smile at his sister. Almost as if he was trying to play off the fact that he zoned out so deeply.
"There's gonna be a party tomorrow at City Hall, the whole gang's gonna be there."
Sokka released his arms from his sister's shoulders and rolled his eyes with an annoyed look. He made his way to the Kitchen and began to search through all his cupboards hastily.
"That sounds great Katara, I hope all you guys have fun." He said in a condescending tone, eyes lighting up once he found a full bottle of alcohol.
Katara pursed her lips and began to get an uncomfortable feeling in her chest as she saw Sokka begin to down the bottle so easily. She knew Sokka would have a drink from time to time but not like this.
"Sokka please don't be that way, you know we've all been worried sick ever since you-"
"Went crazy?"
Another silence filled the room as he shot her a hateful look. She had never seen so much pain and anger in his eyes since their mother had passed all those years ago. It was haunting picturing him in that type of state once again.
She paced slowly towards him and reached for the bottle only for him to jerk his hand away from her. Katara raised an eyebrow and swiped at it once again but with more speed, resulting in her successfully taking the bottle away from him.
Quickly examining the bottle, she put it up to her nose and gave it a quick sniff.
"Smells cheap."
Katara then put the bottle to her lips and gave it a quick swig, gagging seconds later but forcefully swallowing it.
"Oh yuck cough this tastes like cough cough shit"
Katara tossed the bottle back his way and began to clear her throat. Sokka caught it with a smirk and began to finish the bottle of all it's unpleasant remains. He shrugged and began to laugh at the dismay of his sister.
"Yeah, that was my first reaction to it too. You eventually get used to the shit down the line." he chuckled.
All Katara could do was shake her head and let out a similar laugh in reply. She leaned against the Kitchen's cupboard and started to draw a blank stare as she tilted her head up to look at the white ceiling.
"You know I would really appreciate it if you came tomorrow, nothing has been the same since you left. Everything is more awkward between everybody and just...quiet. Nobody really speaks to each other or tries to see how one another is, it's all just hi's and byes then nothing else."
Sokka looked over to his sister, he knew that she was telling the truth and not just trying to coax him into coming by her body language and the way she was speaking. Not only did all of this make him feel even shittier, but it made him even want to drink even more.
He let out a deep sigh and began to make his way towards his room. Katara pushed herself off the cupboard and watched her brother walk down his dark hallway in confusion.
"I'm not trying to guilt trip you or anything I just want all of us to be together again, I mean you know this whole thing isn't complete with you." She assured earning a loud huff from down the hallway.
She leaned back into the cupboard and waited momentarily for an answer but was given nothing. Eventually Sokka made his way back into the Kitchen in new attire, wearing a black long sleeve shirt and some stained loose beiges pants with slip on shoes to go with it.
He had a small bag which seemed to have some coin in it and lightly bounced it in his hands as he began to make his way towards the door. Before he did, Sokka turned towards Katara and let out an exhale.
"Maybe, I'll think about it."
The answer was enough for Katara as she began to grin from ear to ear. She immediately went towards her brother and gave him another warm embrace. They both knew that maybe had meant yes, it always did when it came to Sokka.
The touching moment soon came to an end once she unraveled herself from his arms and stuck an authoritative finger in his face.
"Shave your scruffy beard, do your hair correctly and wear something nice. Just because you've been gone so long doesn't mean you have to look homeless."
Sokka raised his hands in defense and began to rub his face. "I thought you liked facial hair?"
"Yeah when it's taken care of correctly, not when it looks like you just got finished with a 30 day drinking binge."
"Uh, hello? I have been on a 30 day drinking, well more than 30 days actually probably like around 40-"
Sokka instantly stopped his chatter once Katara began to give him a disappointing glare.
"My bad...well anyways I've got some important things to do for the next couple of hours so I gotta go!" Sokka exclaimed, making his way out his door in a hurry.
As Sokka began to walk farther and farther away Katara's curiosity began to rise as she stepped onto his porch and closed the door from behind her. Where the hell was he going?
"You're going to shop for some nice clothes for tomorrow night right?" She yelled, causing him to let out a loud laugh from across the street as he continued to trot across the sidewalk.
"Nope! I'm going to the Tavern!" He yelled back in excitement, skipping down the street in a childlike way.
All Katara could do was shake her head and roll her eyes as she watched her brother begin to lollygag and sing while making his way to the bar.
"Don't hurt yourself Sokka...don't hurt yourself."
"Sokka wins again!"
The bar erupted in a roar as Sokka's hand was raised again for the 12th consecutive time. He had been challenged multiple times in a drinking contest but no one had been able to top him all night.
"I AM THE GREATEST CHAMP IN THE HISTORY OF THIS BAR AND THAT IS UNDISPUTED!"
Sokka yelled raising his hands up while standing on a large wooden table for the whole bar to see.
"Say my name!" He yelled, pointing out the rowdy crowd.
"Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!"
As the crowd chanted his name Sokka turned his back to them, set his feet and did a picture perfect back flip off the table. Earning an even louder cheer once he landed on his feet skillfully.
"All right, all right enough playing around. Who's next? WHO WANTS TO GO ONE ON ONE WITH THE GREAT ONE" Sokka yelled, looking at the crowd waiting for an answer.
A look of disappointment came across his face as nobody stepped up to challenge him.
"Oh come on nobody?"
The silence continued, making him eventually shrugged and turn back towards the table to sit down.
"I'll take the challenge." said a familiar voice from the crowd, causing Sokka to quickly turn back towards the large portion of people.
The crowd began to split as a slender, beautiful figure confidently stepped through the sea of drunk men. Sokka squinted and rubbed his eyes as the person began to make her way closer and closer to him.
"No fucking way." he whispered under his breath in disbelief as the former Crown Princess of the Fire Nation stood across from him with her signature smirk painted across her face.
She had certainly grown into a archetype of beauty as she had seemingly kept the same gorgeous frame in her flawless face. Beautiful golden eyes, perfect cheekbones and of course her plump and full pink lips that showed that oh so wicked smile that she loved to flaunt. Azula had also grown into her body well too gaining some nice legs, a fine ample chest and some nice curves that grew all in the right places and hugged her burgundy top and skirt wonderfully.
"Been a long time Azula, when you get out the Looney Den? Sokka jested with a cocky grin. Azula chortled lightly at his words and turned her head to the side.
"About the same time you got kicked out by The Council for being a failure." She remarked with confidence causing the crowd to let out an ooh as the grin on Sokka's face started to dissipate.
Sokka shifted his posture into a more serious demeanor and began to pace towards the middle of the bar where Azula was standing, grabbing a cup of sake off the counter on his way and downing it in one gulp.
As he finally made his way towards Azula he began to stare at her eye to eye. She didn't budge at all and flashed him back the same look in response, showing that would not be intimidated by him.
"What's the matter Wolfie? Afraid that I'll embarrass you in front of your friends and take all your money?" Azula sassed with an arrogant tone.
Sokka's curved his lips into a smug smile and turned his head towards the bartender who was behind the counter.
"Wang, get us 3 mugs each of your finest."
The crowd instantly exploded at his words and began to go rabid. Sokka quickly retraced his steps and slid the large wooden table between him and Azula. He retrieved the mugs from Wang and set them up between each other 3 by 3.
Azula monitored Sokka steadily as he began to crack his knuckles and jump up and down in place and let out a playful huff.
Wang made his way to the side of the table and raised a fist into the air. "Alright, this starts on my go."
Usually at this point both people would lower their hands towards the table so that they would have a better chance of quickly grabbing a mug but all both the competitors could do was give each other hate filled glares as their hands remained near their sides.
"3...2..GO!"
As soon as Wang lowered his hand both competitors quickly grabbed their mugs and began to down the alcohol with the same intensity that you would see in a vicious sword fight. Both of them having the absolute refusal to lose to one another, especially in front of all these people in a moment like this.
Sokka found himself finishing his first mug for what seemed like a whole ahead of the pace that Azula was about to finish hers. He went to his second mug but before he could start something in his mind attracted him to quickly look to the left of him, he didn't know why but it just did.
He turned to his left by his surprise to see a shaggy haired boy among the crowd, he couldn't have been older than 13. What the hell was he doing in a place like this at this time of night? Seemingly the boy had noticed Sokka glaring at him because his eyes quickly widened, before Sokka had a chance to yell at him though the boy pointed a finger out.
"SOKKA, LOOK!"
"The hell? Wait a minute fuck me I forgot about the damn drinking matc-"
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION, PRINCESS AZULA." yelled Wang from the top of his lungs, causing the crowd to go into even more of a frenzy.
Sokka cursed and turned his head back towards the table to see Azula with her hand raised glaring at him with an "I told you I was gonna win" look. The crowd began to rally around Azula and started to chant.
Champ! Champ! Champ! Champ!
Sokka shook his head and rolled his eyes before reverting his stare back to where the boy was. But to his surprise the young one had disappeared and was not there anymore.
"The hell? He was just here where did he go?" Sokka questioned, he quickly grabbed his sack of coins and made his way out of the door in search of the adolescent. He didn't know exactly what his fixation was with the boy but he was gonna get to the bottom of all of this.
"I'm the fucking greatest! All of you peasants bow to the mighty Princess Azul...HEY GET BACK HERE WITH MY COIN YOU SORE LOSER!" Azula yelled in anger, moving herself through the crowd as she saw Sokka running through the street.
Sokka began to run harder as he saw the shadowy figure of the boy in the middle of the gloomy, dark road. He was determined to figure out who exactly this kid was and why he was in a bar without anyone's complaint. It was almost like no one had noticed he was even there.
He finally caught up to the kid and started to pace slowly once he felt he was at a good distance where he could get a good look at him. The young one was wearing a messy grey sleeveless shirt with some cotton shorts to go with it.
Sokka looked down to realize the kid was barefooted and his feet were very hairy and large. He raised a confused eyebrow at the kid's grown man feet but then quickly snapped out of it and looked up towards the boy.
"Any reason why you were in a bar at this time of day kiddo?" Sokka questioned resulting in the kid releasing a sigh.
"Damn, I wasn't supposed to get caught while doing this." The young one whispered under his breath with a defeated tone.
Sokka became even more irritated when he noticed the kid was talking to himself and almost not even acknowledging him or his question.
"Okay that's it, I'm taking you home to your parents. You shouldn't even be out this late, where do you live?"
Sokka began to make his way towards the kid but was met with a powerful punch to the gut and a quick elbow to his temple, making him kneel down in pain immediately.
"Sorry Sokka, I didn't mean to hurt you like that. Shit...I'll just make this as quick as possible okay?" The kid said in a sympathetic tone while grabbing his arm and hastily pulling his sleeve back.
"Kid, what in the hell are you even talking about-ARGHHH" Sokka's confusion was interjected once the boy began to sink his teeth into Sokka's wrist. He had been stabbed and pierced before but no previous pain could amount to the agony and suffering he was going through right now.
This was no ordinary pain, it had felt like some type of venom or toxin was invading his bloodstream as he felt his whole entire body start to convulse and burn as he felt his legs give out and cause him to fall flat on his face.
As the pain started to grow more and more, Sokka's vision started to grow more and more blurry until his world eventually faded to black. Leaving him passed out and splayed across the street like a dead animal.
The boy watched Sokka fall into a deep slumber and got down on his knee. He put his hand to the side of Sokka's neck and then exhaled in relief once he felt a pulse.
"Good, he's alive. The last thing I need is for my only hope to not even be able to handle the bite and die on me."
He pushed himself off the stone ground and began to let out a sniff instinctively. "Someone's coming, I better leave before they see me with him and think I committed a murder."
The adolescent gave Sokka a quick pat on the back "Hang in there buddy, I'll be seeing you soon."
The boy then jumped up and sprinted off into the night before he got the chance to get caught by anyone.
Shortly after the boy had made his escape, Azula found herself stopping in her tracks to look down and see the water tribe warrior laid out in the ground bloodied.
An annoyed groan came out of her mouth and she began to place both of her hands on her hips as she began to examine Sokka in his current state.
"This idiot is so lucky that I need good karma"
Chapter 1 finished, I might switch things up the next chapter and switch the P.O.V to first person. Please have a wonderful day and enjoy your weekend.