Hakoda hears more in the Western Air Temple than he ever signed up to, but he resolves to make the best out of it.

this one's not really zutara either but that's coming soon, promise. a HUGE thank you to Beckit on ao3 who always leaves super sweet reviews and inspired a huge part of this piece!

disclaimer: slight sukka. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything else you recognize.

trigger warning! - torture: cuts and burns

Being a warrior trains you to sharpen your reflexes, listen to your instincts, and hone your senses. As such, a renowned and feared warrior like Chief Hakoda had fantastic instincts and excellent hearing. This, paired with the excellent acoustics of the stone temple, meant that Hakoda heard everything that people muttered to themselves, whether he wanted to or not.

When Sokka wasn't talking battle plans, he was talking about food or Suki. From Chit Sang, he heard all about how much he missed his girlfriend and best friend, as well as how much he wanted to get into a fight. From Haru, he heard the whispers of how cool it would be to metalbend and how she didn't pay attention to him anymore. (Hakoda had an awful feeling he knew who she was.) The Duke and Teo were often coming up with some game to pass the time or talking about their adventures in the Northern Air Temple and treehouses. Zuko muttered to himself about pretty much everything, ranging from the intricacies of tea to how unfair she was being. (Again, Hakoda was not happy when he figured out who Zuko's she was.) Aang mumbled about his forever girl (oh, if Hakoda had been a firebender…), the Avatar State, and what a hard teacher Zuko was. But while the Chief was very concerned about the mental stability of some of these people, their mutterings were not what truly worried him. No, when he heard Katara, Suki, or Toph ranting to themselves in badly concealed whispers, that was when he truly felt fear. Nevertheless, his paternal instincts would not let him sit back and do nothing.

Suki:

Hakoda warily approached the young warrior who was facing away from him, holding a stick in each hand and running through some complex fighting forms, all while muttering curses at a figure who was not there. He had heard from Sokka that Suki had never known her father, and her mother had left her on the doorstep of the Kyoshi Warrior dojo at the age of two. He had decided to talk to her today and be a parental influence...if she even needed one. Suki was apparently tuned in to her surroundings as much as he was, since she turned around to face him when he was still a few feet away. She threw down her sticks and crossed her arms.

"Hm. Here to tell me I should be helping your daughter cook?"

Hakoda blinked. He couldn't remember ever saying something to offend Suki, so where was the vitriol coming from?

"I mean, not that I don't think she's powerful. And a great cook. Katara's really amazing in every way. But if you're planning on telling me that I should not worry about fighting, and instead do laundry or something, save it. I already had to train that out of Sokka and I'd rather not have to do it for a grown adult." His eyebrows raised and he nearly stepped back, just because of the force of her tone. He had come here because he had often heard her whispering to herself about how she was going to "absolutely end Azula" and he wanted to know if she wanted to talk to someone about it. Prison and torture were not something any fifteen-year-old should have to experience, no matter how early they had started training to be a warrior (although Hakoda's jaw had dropped when he learned it was the age of eight). Instead, he was being scolded on sexist sentiments he didn't even have! But he quickly put two and two together. He shook his head as he leaned against a pillar.

"Listen Suki, I am incredibly sorry for whatever Sokka may have said to you. It was wrong, as you already know. I wasn't there for enough of his childhood to tell him just how brave women like his grandmother, mother, and sister can be. I would have thought he would have learned anyway, after living with two of them for so long, but it appears I was wrong. The idea that only men are made to be the warriors...it is regrettably pervasive in the Water Tribes. Especially so in the Northern Water Tribe," he paused here to see if Suki was still with him. She gave a nod of understanding - she must have heard about Katara's trials with Master Pakku. He went on. "But I won't lie to you. Even though it's better in the Southern Water Tribes, I used to think that way too, until I met my wife. Even then, it didn't register in my head as much as it did when I really saw the world. I saw women fighting for their lives and it moved me because oftentimes, they're fighting for more than anyone else. It was a lesson I wish I had learned much earlier so I could have passed it down to my own children, but I am truly grateful to you, young warrior, for getting it through Sokka's head. I know he has nothing but respect and love for you, and he respects other women in his life even more because of your influence." Now Suki was blushing and he smiled reassuringly at her. "Your relationship with my son brings me great joy. Reminds me a lot of Kya, my wife, and myself. I am incredibly happy, that even in the midst of saving the world, you two managed to find each other."

"Thank you, Chief Hakoda. I'm...really happy I found Sokka too. And I'm sorry I kinda yelled at you and jumped to conclusions. I respect you as a warrior as well."

"No worries, young lady."

"I- I have a question. Do you think the Southern Water Tribes are getting better? I mean, would they accept a female warrior and treat her well? If, hypothetically of course, one joined them?"

Hakoda grinned - he knew exactly what she was getting at with her question. "At home, there are only women and children who stayed behind during this war, and I don't think they'll appreciate their husbands coming home and trying to tell them what to do. Moreover, many of the men have seen the world the same way I have and we know our ideologies were wrong. We are certainly ready to treat our women warriors with the respect they deserve. And Suki, we would love to have you join the family at the South Pole. Has he already carved you a knife?"

The girl jumped. "I- that's great, Chief Hakoda! Really. And um, I don't- I don't know what you're talking about. I was just asking hypothetically. You know. For- for Katara's sake! Yeah. For her sake."

Hakoda laughed out loud at the nervous rambling that reminded him so much of Sokka. "I'm sure, Suki. And please, Hakoda is just fine. Now, if it's not prying too much, I actually came down here to ask you if you'd like to talk about what happened at the Boiling Rock." Suki's faint smile fell off her face as her fists clenched.

"The- the Boiling Rock?"

"Yes. I've heard you cursing the name of that Fire Nation girl occasionally, and I thought you may want a chance to actually discuss your...experience with someone else. Of course, if you don't want to, we can drop this conversation. But I've come to see you as my own child, and I'm here if you would like to talk about it."

"I...okay. Okay," Suki said as she sat down slowly, and Hakoda followed her lead. After a few minutes, she spoke in a trembling voice. "I was- I was so scared. The people at the Boiling Rock - they're not nice. Many of them were imprisoned falsely, but some of them really are ruthless. And the warden and guards were so, so cruel. They would spit in the little food that they gave me and laugh at me when I tried to keep training. But Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were the worst. The absolute worst. I don't- I'm not sure if Ty Lee and Mai even wanted to be there, but they were. They never said anything against Azula. They...I'm sorry." Her voice was shaking and Hakoda felt his heart break a little for the brave girl. She was too young and he wanted to rage at the unfairness of it all; why were all these kids constantly being thrown into situations that even grown adults would have difficulty facing?

Instead, he controlled his emotions and sent the girl a comforting smile. "Take your time," he said gently. She nodded and cleared her throat before continuing.

"They would visit me every few days. First, Ty Lee, she would chi block me so that I was completely paralyzed and couldn't fight back, but could still feel pain. Sometimes I landed one on her, but she was always too quick. And then Mai, she would cut me with her knives. My legs, my arms, my stomach, my face, anything she could reach, really. Azula...it wasn't just physical torture from her. She would walk around me, mock me, threaten the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, tell me- tell me Sokka had been found dead, and it just went on and on. And then she would burn the cuts. Wherever Mai had cut me, she held her fire on top of it and told me she was 'cauterizing' it," she choked out bitterly. "It never ended. Because then they would call healers in, and they would put salves and bandages on the wounds, but the three of them would visit just a day or two later. I cried out for anyone, anyone to help me, but no one did. I knew Sokka would come though. I don't know how, but I knew he would. That's...that thought was all that got me through it. But I don't- I couldn't talk to anyone about it. I have nightmares about them standing right in front of me, taunting me, burning me, but Sokka always wakes me up before it gets too much. And sometimes, I know it's awful, but sometimes I'm so scared when I see Zuko because I see his sister in him. And his fire. I just...I felt so weak and helpless, but I was so, so scared."

Hakoda felt tears in his eyes and quickly blinked them away. It wouldn't help anyone if he cried. And, unlike with Toph, he had no idea what words to use to help Suki. What do you say to a fifteen-year-old who has seen the worst parts of humanity?

"I- Suki, I am so sorry you have had to go through all of that. Just know that you are not weak. The things you have gone through are awful, but the fact that you are sitting here and you continue to train and fight and simply live is a testament to just how brave you are. I am truly honored to have met a warrior like you in my lifetime. You do a great honor to Avatar Kyoshi's legacy, truly."

"Tha-thank you, Chief Hakoda." She sniffled and he could tell she was holding back tears.

"It's alright to let it out. Scream, cry, anything." Even as Suki shook her head no, the tears started to fall.

It had worked for Toph…"Would you like a hug, Suki?" Before he had even finished his question, she had scrambled up to him and tucked herself into his side. She was sobbing and apologizing while Hakoda shushed her and patted her back consolingly.

When Sokka found them later that day, he smiled in an uncharacteristically somber manner at the sight of Suki asleep in Hakoda's lap. He could guess what had been discussed for his tearstained girlfriend to end up in that position, and he was glad that Suki had found a friend (in, hopefully, her future father-in-law, he thought with glee). When his father waved him over, he was only too happy to cuddle into his role model's free side. For now, he thought, life was good.

AN: this one made me so emotional, goodness gracious. let me know what you guys thought of this one and if there's anything you'd like to see in Katara's discussion with her dad! I have most of it drafted up, but if I can work a suggestion in, I will. I'm not gonna discuss her angst about her other parent abandoning her because the show did a beautiful job with that; it'll be a more amusing discussion (for us - mortifying for her).

again, Beckit is amazing! and to the Guest who said they loved Dadkoda and Abdesslem Farjallah who reviewed chapter one - thank you for the smile that wouldn't leave my face.
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today I'm thinking about how much kya loved sokka and katara because I like to cry.