AN: hfjsdkahf my foray into sokkla bear with me
as always :/ the italicization is better on AO3. hopefully it doesn't affect the style of the story too much?
I don't own anything you recognize from your tv screens.
Enjoy!
Sokka takes a deep breath, pushes his shoulders back, and steps into his contraption. He's slightly concerned if it'll hold his weight and withstand the test he's about to put it to - but he really shouldn't be. Toph was the one to metalbend it into existence, after all.
And he's not worried in the least about whether it'll function correctly - he has learned to put faith in his own genius and have self-confidence.
She taught him how to be that way.
Every thought of her leaves him winded and he finds himself opening the door to his machine so he can gulp down fresh air.
He can't believe he's about to see her. After four long, hard, exhausting, painful years, he'll finally be able to look upon her face.
It sounds too good to be true.
He shoots one last prayer up to Yue and closes the door, encasing himself in metal once again. A flip of this switch, a twist of that lever and he's ready to go.
His vehicle begins to rattle and give off a soft luminescence, just as it should. When the glow fades and his vision settles, he exhales harshly, pushing the door open hastily and stepping out.
As expected, he is standing in a completely unfamiliar world. He doesn't know the name of the wheeled machines that whir past him on his left, nor does he recognize the buildings that tower above him on his right.
What he does recognize is the girl standing at the foot of the nearest skyscraper.
"Azula." The whisper slips from between clenched teeth as his knees tremble. He's hardly aware of the fact that his legs are bringing him closer to her with every second, because truly, the only thing he can see is her face.
Her sharp features, her regal expression, the twist of her lips as she speaks into a thin, black brick, her fiery gaze that constantly flicks from left to right, so as to never be caught unaware, until it finally lands on him. When their eyes meet, it feels like he has been recharged. The granite cage around his broken heart crumbles away. In half a second, he is standing right in front of her and he is absolutely buzzing as if she has injected her lightning into the marrow of his bones.
"Azula," he says again, still with disbelief, but louder.
If he did not know her as well as he does, he would have missed the way her eyes widen just so before they narrow and flash, accusing him of something - loving her, perhaps? Is it still that evident in his eyes?
He hopes so.
"How do you know my name?"
"Doesn't everyone?"
He catches the minuscule twitch of her mouth and knows his safe bet paid off. Not a single soul was unaware of her name in the world he hails from, and so of course, she is well-renowned in this one. Would she even be Azula if she hadn't made a name for herself?
"Everyone calls me Miss Sozin. Who, exactly, are you to do otherwise?"
Are they strangers in this universe? The thought wrenches his heart.
"My name is Sokka."
She tilts her chin upward, appraising him, and he tries to hide his shiver.
She smirks.
"I've heard of you. The up-and-coming inventor, yes? So I suppose you're here to talk business." He is silent, content to hear nothing but her voice for the rest of his life, and so she continues after a beat. "Alright. I'll meet you in twenty minutes at the White Lily. Be there or miss out."
With that, she sidesteps him and strolls toward a bright red wheeled machine that just screams Azula. It would be unlike her to look back at him, and so she probably misses the way he sprints into the building.
Leaning against the receptionist's counter, he says in a rush, "How do I get in contact with Sokka? The inventor." The receptionist wrinkles his nose at him, clearly bewildered by his question. Sokka taps his fingers against the desk. "Hurry up! How do I get in contact with him?"
Still looking at him like he's lost his marbles, the receptionist places an open book in front of him and holds out a corded device, similar to the brick he had seen in Azula's hand.
He grabs it from his hands as he skims the book, muttering. "S...So...Sokka, there we go."
In no time at all, he figures out how to navigate the device and punches in the numbers written next to his name in the book. Three loud rings rattle the shell of his ear before he hears a nasal imitation of his voice.
"Hello?"
"Sokka. Wear your best clothes and get to the- the White Lily? Yeah, the White Lily. You need to be there in fifteen minutes to meet with Azula. With Miss Sozin."
"Who the hell am I speaking to?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Now get out of the library and get moving."
"How'd you know I was in the library?"
"Do you want the business deal with Azula or not?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm moving. Thanks, I guess?"
"You'll definitely be thanking me in a few years," he grumbles before hanging up and tossing the brick back to the still-confused receptionist. He takes one last look at this world he'll never return to before making his way to the portal.
A jab of a button, a tug at a strap, and he's off.
There's a universe in which Azula is a General in her brother's army. She doesn't beat around the bush before bluntly asking why he's not at the South Pole.
"I thought...I'd visit," he mumbles, shifting his weight from one leg to another.
"Katara and Zuzu? You know they're still not back from their heir-making honeymoon."
Sokka balks. He does not want to think about Zuko impregnating his baby sister, so he shakes his head and speaks up again.
"No, I wanted to visit you."
"Visit me? Why?" And the confusion on her face tells him everything he needs to know.
There's a universe in which Azula's belly is rounded and she pushes him away, screaming that she told him not to come back until he had pickled okra in his hands.
He wants to see a child with both his and her features so badly, but he can't stay in this world either.
There's a universe in which Azula is dancing in a loud, crowded room where lights flash all sorts of colors and she's surrounded by Katara, Toph, Ty Lee, and Suki. In that world, she's too inebriated to be surprised by the sight of him and pulls him closer, mashing their lips together and oh-
Sokka knows he will have to leave this universe soon, but he can't stop his hands from coming up and yanking the pin out of her hair so it falls down her back just the way he likes. He can't stop himself from tugging her waist closer until there's no space at all between them and he can tell that the bass boosted music is in synchrony with both of their heartbeats.
"Zula," he says when they pull apart the tiniest amount. He swallows. "I love you."
She grins up at him. "I know."
He wants to scream. For once, can she not play with his heart? Can she not see how much it would mean to him to hear her say it back just one more time? One last time?
Apparently not, since she spins out of his grasp and he's left hopelessly clutching at air. He ignores Katara's searching gaze and runs out of the building
There's a universe in which he finds Azula isolated in a prison cell. She spits at him and lunges forward, hands outstretched - but no fire forms in her palms.
Her shriek splits the air and he thinks he may join her in her insanity.
There's a universe in which he hears Azula's voice ringing from inside a temple. He creeps in and is greeted by the most wonderful sight. An alternate version of Sokka stands beside Azula on a dais - and they're exchanging wedding vows. He kneels at the back of the room, behind countless rows of guests and catches sight of Ursa, Hakoda, and- his mother.
He wipes the tears away as quickly as they appear. This seems like the perfect world.
But there's no place for him here.
And maybe that's for the better, he thinks as he leaves, his eyes catching on an easel upon which a garlanded portrait of Katara rests.
There's a universe in which Azula is the Fire Lord. He is appalled to see the map of the world - nearly every square inch of land is painted red.
And the portrait that shows his sister and Azula standing side by side sends him running.
There is a universe in which Azula is grieving. Over him. She kneels at the edge of the iceberg he was born on, staring at the ocean. When she stands and sees him, a gasp escapes her. She reaches for him, but holds back at the last moment, clutching her hand to her chest as if he's the one who burnt her.
Maybe now, he thinks, maybe now she'll say it. Grief always made you wish you had said those three words one more time, right?
Instead, she whispers, "I've gone crazy again."
His heart hits the ice and shatters like glass.
There is another universe in which Azula is the Fire Lord. And in this one, he's the royal consort.
More importantly, they have an heir. A child.
His jaw drops when a small girl tugs on his sleeve and calls him dada. She is a perfect replica of Azula, except for her eyes - those are his eyes. He lifts her onto his hip in one second.
"I thought you weren't coming back for six more days," she exclaims, holding up the correct number of fingers.
He chuckles. No surprise there - any child of his and Azula's would most certainly be a genius straight out of the womb.
"I just wanted to see you," he tells her softly. "Don't tell anyone I was here, okay?"
She frowns and a wide grin splits his face at how much she looks like her mother.
"Not even mommy?"
"Definitely not mommy. I'll surprise her soon, I promise."
His daughter surveys him and he feels like she sees right through him. In one moment, she'll realize he's not the dada she knows, and then she'll alert the whole palace and-
She kisses his cheek. "Okay, dada. Love you!"
His heart stops right then and there. His brain is at odds with his bones as he sets her down. La, he never wants to let her go. He wants to pick her up, find the lovely lady he calls his wife in this world, and hold them tight forever.
But he can't. A single tear winds its way down the ridges of his face as his daughter confidently toddles away from him. He doesn't even know her name, and it's not as though he can ask her what it is.
This universe - no matter how much he may want it to be - is not for him.
There is a universe in which Azula has died.
Sokka stumbles out of his machine into the world he grew up in.
He takes two long strides toward her grave and drops to his knees.
"Azula," he sobs; screams. "Why couldn't you say it back? Why couldn't you be safe? Why couldn't you stay?"
The only reply he gets is the valley's echo of his hoarse voice.
From the depths of his mind rises an unwanted memory of the fortuneteller they both used to mock and laugh over: Your future is full of struggle and anguish.
"Stop!" he shouts at the dirt, clutching his head desperately.
He loves her in every universe, in every world, across oceans, and across timespans.
But there is only space for him in one world - and it's the one that has taken her away from him.
AN: alright I realize this fic may seem a little confusing - or maybe not, I'm probably overthinking it lol - but if you have any questions, you can of course leave them below or find me on tumblr (thebluesunflower44)
I'd love to hear your thoughts on how I handled their dynamic! and as always, your kudos/reads are cherished :)