*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
Light shone through the gap in the window curtains into the room, creating a sliver of light on the sleeping man's face. A phone on the bedside table buzzes with an early morning alarm.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
A frown crosses the man's features, signaling the early signs of waking before a hand shoots out from under the covers. Instinctively, grabbing the phone and hitting the snooze button, he sighs before rolling over. A few more minutes of sleep, then I'll get up. Sleep never comes again to claim the man however, as his mind races to the day ahead of him.
It was late August, and today brought the first day of classes for Caldera University, located in the sprawling capital of the Fire Nation. Alright, come on Sokka, might as well get up. Pushing himself to his full height, Sokka allowed himself to gaze around his room. It was an alright size, bigger than his room back home in the Southern Water Tribe. He had furnished the room with a desk, which had two monitors and a computer carefully arranged, and a dresser. A bed was tucked in the far corner from the door with a night stand sitting next to it. The walls were painted a nice shade of gray, which Sokka enjoyed more than the red his roommate painted his walls.
Grabbing his phone, Sokka switched off his alarm, and checked his notifications and the time. Nothing of note stood out, besides a good luck text from his parents. Sokka thought of what they might be doing at home before bouncing out of bed, and shuffling over to his dresser. In the reflection of the mirror of the dresser, Sokka could see himself, his dark skinned body muscular, his hair at medium length which he would pull the top back into a wolf's tail as soon as he was able. He took out a blue athletic shirt and black athletic shorts, and put them on. As he pulled socks over his feet, a knock on his bedroom door rang out. Sokka looked up at the door, slightly startled, but eventually realized it was most likely Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, also his roommate.
"What's up?"
"I'm heading out Sokka, I don't know what time I'll be back. Just wanted to let you know", Zuko replied from beyond the door.
"Truthfully I don't know what time I'll be home either, Katara talked about getting dinner tonight but I'm not sure if that is going to happen." Sokka walked over to his closet and grabbed a large equipment bag, then opened the door to find Zuko.
The Prince was the same age as Sokka, a tall, pale and lean man, with black hair that covered most of his head except his face, as it stopped right at his eye level. A scar adorned his left eye and side of his face, giving him a grisly look. Zuko didn't talk about the scar often, but it was well known it was the result of a firebending training accident. A bag was slung over his shoulder, Sokka assumed he was on his way to his first classes of the semester. The young Prince was a Business major, relying on his classes to hopefully complement his preparations to rule the Fire Nation once his father stepped down. Sokka regarded him with a smile, and said "I'm taking off soon anyways to go to the gym, then have a quick skate."
"Sounds good, I'm heading out now. Whatever happens, let me know"
"See you man."
Zuko and Sokka dabbed each other up, then Zuko walked towards the door and left the apartment the two lived in. The main room of the apartment was very simple, with just a small kitchen and living area where a couch sat with a TV. The two roommates rarely used it however, having their own forms of entertainment in their rooms. Sokka put his bag close to the door, before grabbing a bottle of water and putting his shoes on. He stepped out into the hallway and made his way to the elevator, pushing the down button. The elevator in the apartment building was always quite slow, taking 2 minutes to finally reach Sokka's floor as the doors opened and he stepped on. Pushing the button for the first floor, he sighed before leaning against the back wall, and taking a moment to think.
It was the beginning of Sokka's third year at Caldera University, often regarded as one of the top colleges in the entire world. The engineering program was elite level, and being able to get a full-ride scholarship was not easy, though Sokka's skill as a hockey player certainly helped. Fire Nation universities started competing in ice hockey the year before Sokka had started his freshman year, and he was heavily recruited by multiple colleges before eventually settling on Caldera University. The Fire Nation schools were highly competitive, and many were looking for an elite level player to boost their programs. His younger sister, Katara, also decided to come to Caldera University and would be starting her freshman year this semester somewhere in the Health department.
The elevator stopped moving at the first floor with a ding, and the doors opened into the lobby, which Sokka quickly shuffled through into the outside. The heat quickly hit him, the mid-August humidity at its peak. Sokka took a right towards the athletic buildings, thankfully Zuko had the foresight to get an apartment right on the outskirts of the campus. It was a short 5 minute walk to the gym, the tall buildings giving way to more distinct structures belonging to the university. The gym was open to all students of Caldera University, in a swooping roof design with large windows lining the walls.
Sokka walked into the building, greeting the person working the desk, and checking in, before walking to the lockers. He opened a random one and shoved his equipment bag inside, before managing to push it closed and putting a lock to keep anyone from stealing it, and walking back onto the gym floor.
Sokka's routine was quite simple but effective. 15 minute stretches, followed by basic exercises, his focus for the day, then a 10 minute jog. He breezed through the stretches and basic exercises, and walked over to a machine to work on his arms, pull downs first. Sokka was midway through the set when a movement before him startled him, and caused him to look slightly up. A shape shifted on the other side of the machine. He looked through the metal bars to see someone setting up to start a separate set of exercises. They stood up straight, focused on their task as Sokka's eyes widened.
Holy fucking shit, she's incredibly beautiful.
The pale skin and amber eyes vaguely reminded Sokka of someone, but the facial features were something else. Two locks of raven hair fell at the sides of her face, the rest put up into a ponytail to keep any from getting caught. Her red lipstick contrasted against her skin color. Sokka's mind was in a race, the woman on the other side was undeniably beautiful, even more so now that his eyes quickly combed over the rest of her figure. She was short, but incredibly fit, clad in a tank top, and gym leggings. His eyes couldn't help but look at her rear. She's got a nice ass too. I wonder how much she works out. Sokka quickly shook his head, and focused back on his workout, trying not to think about the woman on the other side of the machine. He managed to get through the set, and cleaned up the station quickly before moving to where he wanted to go next.
Throughout the rest of the workout, Sokka's mind kept traveling back to the girl, even during his short run on the treadmill. As soon as the time on the display hit 10 minutes, he stopped the treadmill immediately and basically ran to the locker room. He came to a stop at a bench and sat down upon it, sitting before the locker he had put his equipment bag in. He put his hands in his face trying to focus. Why can't I get her out of my mind? Sokka knew she was beautiful, and had met many hot girls before on the campus or out, but never before had this reaction to it. She felt important, somehow.
Sokka quickly opened his locker and grabbed his equipment bag before leaving the gym and making his way to the ice arena. He walked into the arena, through the lobby and into the home locker room. Upon walking in, he found a familiar face packing up after his own skate, short hair in a messy tangle after a light sweat.
"Hey Panuk, how was your summer man? Got a skate in today?"
Panuk looked up and saw Sokka standing in front of him, grinning as he saw his elder. "It was good, and so was the skate, I don't feel as rusty with all of the practice I did back home." Panuk hailed from the sister tribe of Sokka's, the Northern Water Tribe, and was renowned for being an extremely speedy skater with his small frame and lean build. He also had a pretty good shot, a lefty playing on the right wing. He finished packing his bag as Sokka sat down on a bench opposite and opened his bag, taking his skates and hockey pants out. "Nice to see you again, Sokka, I want to go take a shower before class though."
"Good luck in your classes, man."
Panuk stood up with his bag in tow and left the locker room, leaving Sokka alone. He got his skates and hockey pants on quickly, only wanting a quick skate to take off some of the rust from the summer. He stood up, walking through the tunnel, and into the bench, sitting for a moment and making sure his laces were done up right. He made a few amendments to his tie work before opening the gate and stepping out onto the ice, taking a few strides and gliding, feeling the slight breeze on his face. The sound of skates on the ice was like music to Sokka's ears, echoing around the arena. Gradually picking up speed, he took a few laps around the rink before taking one lap to go as fast as possible. Sokka stopped at the center line, taking a moment to catch his breath before skating backwards, working through a light routine. The way he glided around the ice was reliving and he felt reinvigorated, finally being back in the rink after a few weeks off.
He eventually came to a stop before the benches, opening the gate and stepping inside before sitting on the bench and looking around the ice arena. Nobody was in the arena today, but Sokka could imagine when it was game day and seats were filled with the student body or citizens of the capital city coming to watch the local university play a game that was still relatively new to them. The feeling of being on the ice and competing with your team was next to none for Sokka, he felt a close relationship with all of his teammates, and couldn't wait to meet the new players they would be welcoming in this year.
After a while, he stood up and sighed, walking back towards the locker room and sitting down next to his bag. Pulling on the laces, Sokka took his skates off and the pants, tucking them safely in his bag before zipping it up. He took a look at the digital clock on the wall. It was 10:43, well before his first class at 1. He wanted to go home and take a shower before, and he still had plenty of time to do so and get a bite to eat. While thinking, Sokka procured his phone from his pocket, and played with it a moment in his hands before turning it on and looking at his messages. Katara had messaged him, a few minutes prior.
Katara: Hey dumbass, are you still down for dinner tonight? Zuko can come if he wants. Was thinking maybe burgers or steak.
Sokka: Sis, you already know if it's steak, you can count me in. I'll ask Zuko.
Katara: Cool, I'll plan for 4.
Sokka quickly reached out to Zuko, asking the Prince if he wanted to come along, before putting his phone back in his pocket and leaving the ice arena to go back to his apartment.
-
"Mother has been pissing me off with her nagging me and texting me all day asking if I'm alright or taking care of myself. Of course I'm taking care of myself. I've been doing that since the day I was born!"
"She's just worried about you."
"She's worried more about me when I leave the Palace than she was about you when you first left, Zuzu. It's not like I'm going to be attacked, and even if someone did they'd be electrocuted before they even got close enough to touch me!"
Zuko sighed and rubbed his forehead with a hand, closing his eyes as his sister complained about their mother. His younger sister sat across from him at a table in a sandwich shop on campus, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Azula always had somewhat of a brash personality, especially not getting along with the Fire Lady.
"She nagged me about how I was doing too, Azula."
Azula snickered, and a grin ran across her face. "Don't lie to me, Zuzu, we both know you didn't mind, you were always a momma's boy after all."
Zuko grimaced as his fist curled up. Azula always knew how to get under his skin, whether it be through words or bending, Azula always could make her older brother frustrated.
"Shut up, Azula", Zuko whispered through gritted teeth.
Taking a bite of her sandwich, Azula sat back in the chair and looked at him with a mischievous smile, growing by the second.
"Don't be shy, everyone knows it, even Mai."
Zuko's fist slammed the table before he looked straight into Azula's eyes. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Azula."
Her amber eyes gleamed with determination to get under her older brother's skin further, but as she opened her mouth to speak again, Zuko's phone buzzed on the table.
He grabbed the device and looked at it. It was a text from Sokka asking if he wanted to join him, Katara, and Aang for dinner. Zuko looked up at his sister, wondering if he should invite Azula, she could use the socialization. She gazed back with an expression of curiosity. Zuko wondered if he really wanted his little sister to meet his friends, Azula's personality bound to conflict with the gang. She frowned as she could tell he was having second thoughts about whatever he was thinking about. "Spit it, Zuko."
"Oh, I- uh, well, my friends are going to dinner tonight, they wanted to know if I would come along, and I think it would be a good idea for you to come along too?"
Azula sighed, this did not sound like a good idea, she had no desire to meet his friends, especially if they were all as insufferable and annoying to deal with as him. "Zuzu, you know I don't care to sit with a bunch of men older than me."
"Well, actually, it would be two other boys and a woman, one of the boys and the girl are the same age as you and I believe they're dating as well. He's the Avatar actually."
"Oh and what business would I have with the Avatar and his girlfriend?", Azula replied with an air of feigned incredulousness, looking at her nails on her right hand while her head rested on her left. It might not actually be that bad then, if it would get her out of the house and she wouldn't have to worry about her roommates for a while.
"They're nice people, Azula, and it would be nice for you to get out more." Zuko was already regretting his decision to invite the Princess.
"I disagree, Zuzu, but I suppose I'll go. I have nothing else to do tonight besides have Ty Lee get on my nerves." Azula grabbed her drink and took a sip before standing up with her backpack slung across her shoulder. "I've got to go now, just text me where to go once you find out." She walked off from the table in a confident walk, and left out the main entrance.
Zuko sat there for a minute before responding to the text.
-
The train was moving at a medium speed along the track, Sokka standing holding onto a handle connected to the top bars of the carriage. The place Katara had chosen was closer to the center of the Capital which required them to take the subway. Sokka looked out the window at the sprawling metropolis that was Caldera, easily the largest city in the Fire Nation, and one of the biggest cities in the world behind Ba Sing Se. The sun was beginning to set behind the tall buildings to the west, but it would still be a few hours before total darkness hit.
The train was coming to its next stop soon, which would be Sokka's stop. He was unsure what to expect from this dinner, especially considering the unknown variable of Zuko's sister, whom he had never met before. The train eventually came to a stop and the doors opened, allowing Sokka to step off the train and walk out of the station to the street. The restaurant Katara selected was not far from the station, and he could already make out the shapes that belonged to his sister and her boyfriend waiting for him to arrive. Katara noticed Sokka walking up to the two and waved as he approached, giving him a hug once he got there.
"Hey Katara. Hey Aang. How were the first classes?"
Katara smiled warmly at her older brother. "They were good. Hopefully our first semester is a good one." She looked next to the Air Nomad standing next to her. "I think Aang is getting off a little easy though, a lot of his professors so far seem to enjoy being in the company of the Avatar."
Aang blushed, and scratched his tattooed head, an Air Nomad tradition. "I'm sure they'll give me a hard time eventually."
Sokka patted him on the back and laughed. "Just be thankful someone is giving you an easy time here, it seems all of my professors hated me." Katara snickered and muttered, "I wonder why."
Sokka protested, his grin turning into a frown. "Hey, I work hard in all my classes!"
"Sure Captain Dumbass, let's get inside and get a table already." Katara took Aang's hand leading him into the restaurant while Sokka followed, still protesting the waterbenders statements. They asked for a table for 5 and were placed down at a booth. Katara and Aang sat down at one side while Sokka sat across from the two. The server assigned quickly came to the table with water for the three. It didn't take long for the non-bender to realize that he'd likely be sandwiched in between the wall and whoever sat next to him, as nobody was likely to sit next to the couple for dinner. "Oh gods", he muttered to himself as he realized his predicament. He would also likely have to sit through Aang and Katara's lovey-doveyness, and that was something he did not want to deal with. Exasperatedly, he threw his hands up and asked nobody, "Why did I agree to this?" The two sitting across from him exchanged a confused glance before looking back at Sokka. Katara's eyes narrowed as she stared her brother down. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going to watch you guys give me oogies for the entire damn meal now. I feel bad for Zuko and his sister." The waterbenders eyes narrowed with a look that could only be described as a warning for Sokka to stop, unless he wanted wet pants. "Keep talking Sokka, and I will spill water on you."
His eyes challenged his sisters, and as he prepared to speak, Katara's hand started moving and the water in her glass started to rise. Sokka promptly shut his mouth, and the water fell back into the glass. "Don't embarrass yourself in front of Zuko's sister either. She is royal after all."
Sokka chuckled, "Probably more royal than Zuko, he isn't hard to beat in that category." He took a sip of his water as he finished the sentence.
"In what category am I not hard to beat in?" The voice of the Crown Prince rang out in irritation. Sokka's eyes widened as he looked at Zuko, starting to cough on his water before clearing his throat enough to speak. "No category, Zuko, no category at all." Sokka smiled at him, trying to ease his roommate. "Azula is probably going to be hard enough on me as it is, but I forgot you were most likely going to be a dumbass too. I should make Azula sit next to you when she gets here so she can electrocute you when you say something stupid."
Sokka's smile faded as Aang and Katara laughed. "E-electrocute? Did you just say electrocute?"
Zuko smiled at the only non-bender at the table. "Yes, my sister has the ability to bend lightning. Unfortunately, she's definitely a lot more talented in the firebending aspect than me." He sat down next to Sokka, as the server quickly and nervously came to bring a glass to the Crown Prince. "I-if you n-need anything, P-prince Zuko, p-please let someone k-know", the server stammered, not expecting royalty to be taking a seat at the table of two Water Tribe natives and an Air Nomad. Zuko gave a warm smile to the server, and gave her his thanks as she scurried off. Once she was out of earshot, Zuko put his fingers to his brow and rubbed it. "Man, I don't think I can ever get used to that."
Aang nodded his head in understanding of the Prince's predicament. Being the Avatar brought him the same deal of people practically worshipping him everywhere he went. "It gets tiresome after a while, that's for sure", he remarked, taking a sip of his water.
Zuko's face became serious in an instant, as he looked around at his three friends. "Before my sister gets here, just a warning that Azula is kind of, uh, brash? Confident, hotheaded if you know what I mean."
Sokka frowned. "I don't think I really understand what you're trying to say here."
Zuko sighed. "I guess you guys will just find out when she gets here. Just try not to piss her off please, especially you Sokka."
Sokka shuddered. "Yeah, I really do not want to be given a shock today. I'd just like to enjoy my night and eat meat."
The group talked for a few minutes, waiting for the last member of their table to arrive. The topics of conversation mainly revolved around Aang and Katara adjusting to university life, while Zuko and Sokka wished to forget their early days on the campus. Sokka nearly cried from laughter while recounting a tale of Zuko getting completely blackout drunk and believing that he was secretly an Air Nomad, despite the Prince nearly singed his roommates clothes with a small flame he procured. The conversation around the table became lighter until a figure showed up at the end, standing confidently before the group.
"Sorry for being late, you know Ty Lee, that girl was bugging me about things I do not care to know about."
Sokka looked at the source of the voice and his heart nearly stopped once he saw who was standing.
THAT GIRL IS THE FUCKING PRINCESS OF THE FIRE NATION? AND ZUKO'S SISTER?
The girl Sokka saw in the gym was standing with a hand on her hip, her short frame clad in a red t-shirt with jeans, her hair flowing around her shoulders from the back, two locks framing her face as the rest was tied up near the back of her head. She looked even more beautiful than she did earlier in the day, those striking amber eyes taking in the group sitting down, before eventually landing on Sokka. He quickly averted his eyes somewhere, as Zuko stood up to introduce his little sister to his friends. "Guys, this is Azula, my little sister and Princess of the Fire Nation. Azula, this is Katara from the Southern Water Tribe, Avatar Aang, and Sokka, Katara's older brother." Zuko gestured towards each of the three as he named them, before motioning for Azula to take a seat. Right next to Sokka.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all", she said as she sat down next to Sokka. "Though my brother did forget to point out an important detail." She smirked as Zuko sat down to her right, pushing the row together as Sokka and Azula's legs touched due to the small size of the booth.
Zuko looked at her sister, with confusion. "And what detail may that be?"
"That I am infinitely more talented than you could ever be Zuzu." She took a sip of her water, delivered to her right as she sat down. The three foreigners giggled at Azula's nickname, Katara elbowing Aang and muttering, "We have to remember that one." Zuko sighed, he had already given up on this battle knowing it was one he couldn't win. Azula was certainly smarter, a better bender, more fit, she basically outdid him in every category besides age and height. Everyone at the table seemed curious about her, considering her appearance wasn't very princess-like, and neither was her demeanor towards her brother.
Katara was the first to speak up. "So, Azula, what's your major?"
Azula looked at the waterbender and replied "Actually, I'm a dual major, Economics and Political Science. Agni knows I'll need them once Zuko becomes Fire Lord and asks me for help on everything." Her smirk became more confident as the sentence went on, waving her hand dismissively towards her brother at the end. Katara, Aang and Sokka all were taken aback by the younger royal being a dual major, which brought the next question from Sokka.
"So I assume you don't really do any extracurriculars?" As he finished the sentence, however, Sokka began to get the feeling that wasn't true either. Azula's smirk widened again, with a hint of arrogance added to it as she turned to the boy at her left.
"I'm on the soccer team. Probably the best player there to be honest." She closed her eyes and sat back against the cushions of the booth before continuing again. "Considering how you look, you don't participate in sports either, I imagine?" Katara snickered at Azula's comment before looking at Sokka, who's frustration at that remark was evident in his face. He turned towards Azula, exasperatedly waving his arms, exclaiming, "What? I play sports! I'll have you know, Princess, that I'm the best hockey player on campus!" She looked back at him, her eyes challenging him. "Oh, hockey, yes. The sport that nobody here knows of. No wonder you're the best hockey player on campus, you're probably the only one who knows how to play." She feigned indifference, looking at her nails once more before allowing a tiny blue flame to dance between her fingers. Sokka had opened his mouth to say something again, but found himself mesmerized by the fire Azula had procured, especially its color, how graceful the blue danced around her pale fingers, not burning its master. Katara and Aang had also found themselves staring at the flame.
"Your fire. It's blue. How?" Aang asked, curious as to how the Princess' flames differed from that of the Prince's. Azula allowed the fire to sit in her palm, carefully controlling the small flame. "It's a technique I developed myself when I was younger. My flames burn hotter, so they're blue. Much more hot than Zuko's, that's for sure." Aang smiled at the Princess before commenting further. "It's amazing."
Azula snorted. "Of course it's amazing. It's my fire."
The group talked about bending techniques for a while, a conversation Sokka felt totally out of place in, being the only non-bender. His mind was other places however, busy thinking about the woman sitting right next to him. Zuko was right, his sister did have a brash personality, though Sokka couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was. Zuko was worried about how Azula and his roommate would get along, both prideful and not willing to back down.
Eventually, the server came back to the table to take their orders. Sokka, Azula and Zuko all got varying sizes of steak, Sokka's being the largest, while Katara got pasta and Aang got a salad. The group talked amongst themselves for a while, until their food came. Sokka immediately dug into his steak, gaining him a look of disgust from Azula.
"Could you please at least try to eat like a civilized person?" Sokka slowly looked up from his steak, mouth full of food. "Why should I listen to you, Princess?"
Azula kicked him forcefully under the table, causing Sokka to jump. "Because I'm the damn Princess you moron. Don't talk with food in your mouth either, especially when I'm sitting next to you."
Sokka groaned, rubbing his shin. "What the fuck was that for?"
"You should know why, I just laid out the reasons for you."
"Gods that fucking hurt."
"Good. Now eat normally please."
The other three looked among themselves, wondering if they should get in the way or not. Aang glanced at Katara, who shrugged and returned to her pasta. Only her idiot brother knew how to royally piss off a Princess, though Azula's temper may not have helped. The rest of the dinner went by with no issue, except another comment about Sokka's eating by Azula. The staff tried to give the table a free dinner, due to the Prince and Princess of the Fire Nation being members of their party, but Katara insisted and paid for it all herself, to the gratefulness of everyone at the table.
Outside, the group went their separate ways, with Aang and Katara leaving for their apartment and the remaining three walking towards the train station to go back towards the university campus. The train ride back was quiet, nobody saying a word as the carriage travelled through the city. Sokka looked out the window, the city lights glimmering in the night as the capitol started to wind down for the night. It was quite beautiful, tall buildings everywhere, packed in tightly. The train eventually came to a stop at the small group's destination, and everybody stepped off and into the station.
Azula's apartment was not far from Sokka and Zuko's place, only a few buildings down, but Zuko still offered to take her to the door of her building just in case of danger.
"Really Azula, you should at least let me take you, it can be pretty dangerous out for someone alone at night." Zuko was practically pleading with his sister, wanting to make sure she was safe. If something happened to the Princess, their parents would be extremely mad at him, his fathers temper would surely reach him.
"Zuzu, please, nothing will attack me, and even if it did it would be scorched before it could even beg for mercy. I would probably end up protecting you now that I think about it." With those words, she walked away.
Azula walked down to her building and into the lobby, pressing the button to go up on the elevator. The doors opened and she walked in, pressing the button corresponding to the floor her unit was on. She stood in the middle of the elevator, arms crossed, waiting for the lift to stop moving as she thought about potential counters to whatever Ty Lee and Mai would ask her once she stepped into the apartment.
The elevator came to a stop, and allowed her to step off as she made her way to the apartment. Why she allowed Ty Lee to convince herself and Mai to live together in college, she had no idea. She certainly did not want to hear the ungodly sounds that would emit from the acrobat's room whenever she brought a new boy over, thus why Azula chose the room farthest away from Ty Lee's as possible, even if it was a smaller one. She stopped in front her apartment door and sighed, before taking out her key and unlocking the door before opening it.
"Oh my god, Azula, you're back! How did it go? Did you meet Zuko's friends?"
Azula was immediately greeted by a hug from Ty Lee as she stepped into the main room of the apartment. The place was pretty decently sized, enough room for three people to live in comfortably. The main room consisted of a kitchen and a general living area, with a couch and a TV. Azula tried to make her way to the couch to sit down on it, but struggled with the weight of Ty Lee hampering her movement.
"It wasn't awful, and yeah I met his friends." She replied, finally getting Ty Lee to let go of her to sit down next to Mai on the couch, who was looking at her phone.
"Who were they?" The acrobat sat down on the other side of Azula, sitting cross legged towards the Princess.
"The Avatar, the Avatar's girlfriend, and her brother who is also Zuko's roommate."
At the end of Azula's answer, Ty Lee's smile gained a mischievous edge. "Ooooooh, is his roommate hot?"
Azula was taken aback by the question, despite knowing full well she should have expected it. "What? Hell no, Ty Lee, he was not hot. He eats like a pig." Mai's eyebrows raised a little bit.
"Oh, come on, show me a picture if you can find one, surely there's an image of him on Zuko's Instagram."
"No, Ty Lee, he is not attractive." Mai finally spoke up after that, with curiosity added to her voice.
"It sounds like you're hiding something." Azula's head whipped around to glare at Mai, before saying through gritted teeth, "You. Aren't. Helping."
Ty Lee pouted. "Please, Azula, just let me take a look, or I'm going to get the wrong idea and think that you may want him all for yourself."
Azula huffed, before finally giving up and pulling out her phone. She quickly found a photo from not that long ago of Zuko and Sokka together at an event. Ty Lee looked at the image, before her eyes gained a mischievous hint. "Oh, he's not just hot, Azula, he's completely stunning. He's Water Tribe too, he must be absolutely amazing in bed. I'd certainly let him take me." Azula looked at her friend, mouth wide open in shock, before yelling: "TY LEE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE SEX WITH HIM." Mai and Ty Lee looked at each other giggling before the acrobat responded. "Territorial much? Fine, I'll let you have him Azula since you obviously care so much about him and who he fucks."
"I DO NOT GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT THAT DUMBASS."
"Your tone of voice says otherwise right now."
Azula abruptly stood up before leaving for her room. "I'm not dealing with this bullshit right now." She slammed her door behind her before laying on her bed. The room was simply furnished, a dresser, a desk and a bed was really all she needed, although she somewhat missed the lavish furnishings the Palace had to offer. Her room back there was much more spacious, and she even had her personal balcony and bathroom.
Azula stared at the ceiling before pulling out her phone again and looking at the picture more carefully. It was from earlier in the summer, it appeared to be a music festival of some sort, where Zuko and Sokka had taken a pic in front of the main stage. Both were very light outfits, Zuko in a red t-shirt with black shorts, Sokka in a tight fitting white athletic t-shirt that showed off his muscular figure. His arms were pretty big too, he clearly worked out. Maybe Ty Lee is right, he is pretty damn hot. It took a moment for Azula to realize what she just thought before attempting to shove it into the deeper parts of the brain, but they just kept coming back and worse. Azula rubbed her face with her hand before turning her phone off and rolling over and attempting to fall asleep.
A/N: Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the first chapter of which will hopefully be many! This will be the first fic I've ever written, and have already put a ton of time into it. I've certainly been intrigued by the Sokkla ship recently, and always have been interested with how bending works in a Modern AU, so I decided to combine the two into a Modern College AU. Also, if you can't already tell, there's going to be a lot of sports scenes lmao. I'm sure there's a lot of questions about choices I made in the world, so I'll try to answer those questions here.
Q. Why would Fire Nation Colleges/Universities be playing ice hockey?
A. I imagine in a modern world that the Fire Nation would want to be the best at everything, even if their climate/culture is not very well suited for that subject. I can easily imagine Fire Nation colleges getting to hockey and wanting to be the best at it. Hell, if Arizona State University can have a hockey team, so can the Fire Nation. A lot of the characters that will be involved in hockey scenes are somewhat based off of real world players, see if you can guess which ones.
Q. Why is Azula playing soccer/football?
A. It was originally going to be volleyball, but I changed it once I realized my knowledge of volleyball as a game is very limited and I don't feel like I could do the sport justice in writing. I usually only watch volleyball during the Olympics while soccer/football I certainly watch more of. It was an ease of access change, and I find it hard to believe in a modern setting someone like Azula wouldn't at least be involved in sports.
Q. How would collegiate sports work in this modern Avatar world?
A. I should probably explain this in a chapter, but I'll also explain it here for purposes. I'd imagine there would be conferences for each nation, like a Fire Nation Collegiate Athletic Conference, a Water Tribe Collegiate Athletic Conference, etc. The best team from each conference would face off against the other nations in a 4 team, Final Four-like bracket for the World Championship.
If there are any other questions just about the world, please feel free to ask, I'll try to answer them in author's notes. Also any constructive criticism is welcome too, I have not done any sort of creative writing in a while, but I feel pretty solid about this chapter at least. I have ideas for how I want this to go, but it might take a while to get there considering I usually follow the flow of where the writing takes me. Next chapter should hopefully be out within the next few weeks. Hope you guys enjoy your March!