Chapter Text
He’d seen tavern fights before, but none this bad.
Fists, flames, and chairs were all flying in different directions. There was so much going on, that he lost track of Aang and Katara. He tried calling for them, but the noise drowned out his voice. His screams were but a drop in the loudest ocean he’d ever heard.
He wasn’t sure, but at some point, someone called the town guard. They swarmed in, rounding everyone they could up and taking them to jail probably. Much to his dismay, he was one of the ones taken. He could have sworn he heard Katara call his name amongst the commotion, but it could have also been his brain making him hear what he wanted to hear.
All he knew was that he needed to get back to them. Back to his friend, back to his sister, back to his family…
Sokka awoke with a start, gasping as he realized that the bed he was on was a lot harder than he was used to. And a lot colder too…
His eyes adjusted to his surroundings, widening as the dread of where he was set in. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He and his party were supposed to just escape, at least by the skin of their teeth. But, of course, Sokka had been a little too careless and let himself get caught by one of the town guards. He hoped that Aang and Katara had gotten away, at least. They didn’t deserve whatever punishment was lined up for him.
He groaned, rubbing his face in frustration. Taking stock of what they’d taken from him, he was practically useless. He wasn’t a caster so no chance there, no longsword, no club, and worst of all; no boomerang.
He was defenseless, stripped of everything that made him a worthy opponent. The very nature of it made him feel naked, exposed. He hated feeling vulnerable, and that mixed with the shame of being caught made his mood a hell of a lot worse.
However, a sudden sense of being watched sent a chill up his spine. He looked up across from his cell to the other one adjacent to him, and there it was; a dark shape sulking in the corner of the cage, the only thing visible was its golden eyes that shined, but also had a twinge of something deeper, darker.
Sokka jumped, pressing his back to the wall as if that would help keep whoever(or whatever ) away from him.
“Calm down,” a raspy voice came from the shadow. While it was harsh, it also had an air of warmth to it. “There’s no point in freaking out. All you’ll do is waste your strength.”
Sokka hated to admit it, but the shadow was right. Only a clear head could figure out the best way to escape. Now, what was that breathing technique Aang used again? He sat up, crossing his legs and holding his hands onto his knees.
Breathe in.
And out.
In.
Out.
After a moment or two, he felt better, his senses sharper. He began surveying his surroundings:
The cage he was in was made of metal, somewhat rusted but still looking sturdy enough to hold against a powerful blow. The cell he was in and the one across from him were the only ones in the room, so he was essentially all alone with whoever was cloaked in the dark corner. The walls were made of cold stone that looked as if it would crumble, but not easily. The floor was smooth concrete, cold to the touch. No windows, unfortunately, so no trying to break it open. Maybe there was a loose bar he could jiggle? Or perhaps a block that could be removed?
Sokka stood, poking and prodding each thing around him to see what would shake free and what was too solid. He bit his lip in frustration as his search came up with nothing of use. “Damn,” he thought. “Why couldn’t they have put me in a jail made out of sticks and glue or something?”
“You’re not gonna find anything,” the voice said again, shifting so that half of their face was visible. Their dark hair hung messily in front of their eyes, giving them one of the best examples of a “resting bitch face” Sokka had seen in a while. Their pale skin only made their golden eyes shine brighter, and Sokka could see the faintest hint at pointed ears.
“An elf,” he concluded. By the looks of it, a normal elf as well.
“It’s no use,” the elf continued. “These cells are built pretty sturdily, and I couldn’t find any weaknesses when I did my search.”
Sokka came towards the bars, folding his arms in defiance, “And just what makes you so sure, hm?”
“Because,” the elf stands, stepping forward into the light. With the other half of their face revealed, Sokka could see a large scar on their left side, a burn so severe that it appeared the poor soul could hardly open that eye. However, that only added to the intimidating nature this person radiated. “I’ve been in cells like these before.”
Sokka raised an eyebrow, an intrigued smirk tugging at his lips, “Oh yeah? And what got you out last time?”
The elf’s natural glare deepened, “Why should I tell you?”
“Cause you’re taking me with you.”
He scoffed, “I’m doing no such thing. I can break myself out of here just fine.”
“Oh yeah?” Then prove it, tough guy,” Sokka challenged.
“Maybe I will!”
Just as the elf was about to cast something, the sound of keys jingling in a lock stopped both of them in their tracks. The elf slunk back into their corner as quickly as he could, Sokka able to see his fists clench despite the darkness.
The door creaked open, the high-pitched sound reverberating around the enclosed room like nails on a chalkboard in an echo chamber. Striding in was one of the town guards, armored head to toe except for the helmet he held at his side. He wasn’t an old man, but he had that sort of salt and pepper look to the point where it’s unclear if he is middle-aged, old with great genes, or young with terrible genes. With each step he took, there was a heavy and unmistakable clank of his armor, which was almost as loud as the ego the guy clearly had. One eyebrow was raised as he entered, as if conveying to the two of them that he thought, no, knew he was better than both of them combined. The elf’s eyes narrowed, probably imagining smacking that smug look off of his face.
The guard stopped in front of Sokka’s cell first, eying him up and down. Sokka didn’t exactly tower over him, but he did have a few inches on the guy, which was enough for him.
He asked, “What’s your name, boy?”
Sokka looked around his cell, even behind him. “I don’t know who you’re talking to, 'cause it sure ain’t me,” he said, unable to help his smug smile.
This frustrated the guard, who looked as if he wanted nothing more than to curse him out for his snarky behavior, but he kept his cool, “Alright, what’s your name sir? ”
Oh, this was gonna be fun.
“Fire. Wang Fire,” he said proudly, sneaking a look at the elf who just furrowed his brow in confusion.
The guard silently nodded, turning his attention then to the elf. Sokka’s face broke into a smile behind the guard’s back, unable to believe he just got away with that.
“And your’s?”
The elf attempted to hide his nerves under a cloak of confidence, which fractured every time he hesitated. “My name? Yes, of course, it’s uh…”
“Spirits, is this guy blushing?”
“...Lee.”
“Well then, Wang and Lee, I am Captain Tower. I hope you enjoy your stay,” he says, a toothy grin following as he slams the door shut.
As soon as the guard has left, Sokka bursts out laughing, hanging onto the bars so he has a chance of keeping himself from falling over, only managing to get out, “What was THAT?!!”
The elf sputtered, “I don’t see how ‘Wang Fire’ is better than what I came up with!! At least mine is a real name!!”
Sokka’s knees finally crumpled, now sitting on the floor and fully immersed in his bundle of giggles, “I just can’t believe he bought it!!!”
He huffs through his nostrils, Sokka swearing he saw a puff of steam akin to a cartoon bull, “Look, we need to get out of here. I’ll take you with me if you don’t rat us both out. Deal?”
Sokka, still snickering, mimes his lips being zipped and him flicking away the zipper. “Hey, I’m Sokka, by the way,” he says, stretching his arm outside the bars as if the other would be able to reach him.
The elf stares at his hand, then flashes a smirk. He then rubs his hands together until a small trail of steam rises from them, grabbing two ends of one of his sets of bars with a distinct hsss!! After a few moments, the metal bar melts into a shining goop. He snaps the bar out of its place, gently setting it down and elegantly slipping through the gap. With his smirk only widening due to Sokka’s wide eyes, he shakes his hand, “Zuko.”
There was a tiny click before the door to the cells swung open violently, Zuko and Sokka standing proudly and ready to kick some ass. For a moment, the guards simply stare, with a few of them dropping their weapons to flee out of fear alone.
Sokka grins, “Let’s go get our shit back.”
With his lack of weapons, Sokka must rely on his strength alone in this battle. He swiftly runs up to the nearest guard, grabs him by his collar, and throws him into a group of other guards, knocking down all of them. Yeah, he knew he had to fight his way through, but he didn’t want to kill anyone. He just wanted them to know they imprisoned the wrong guy.
Zuko on the other hand knew that his spells and their time was limited, so as swiftly as Sokka took care of those guards, Zuko grabbed his wrist, pulling him forward with him as they charged forward. He needed to find where they kept his pack, and maybe whatever Sokka had on him.
They sped down the hall, Zuko glancing in every room until his eyes locked on a familiar set of shortswords. His boots screeched on the floor, Sokka bumping into him before he knew what on Earth was going on. He was voicing his annoyance that Zuko could have said something, and he could have, but his items were more important. Nobody could know that he was—
“Ahem!”
The two were caught in the middle of retrieving their things when a familiar face stood in the doorway, that same smug look on his confusingly aged face.
“Nowhere to run, boys, ” he taunted.
They knew they were gonna have to fight their way out.
Captain Tower pointed towards them, a silent order that his guards supposedly knew already. The guards drew their weapons, darting towards the two with a determination they couldn’t quite figure out. Were they ordered to subdue? Kill? Neither were sure.
One guard attempted to grab Zuko’s weapons to disarm him, however, with one hand, Zuko grabbed the guard’s wrist, pulling him forward and kneeing him in the stomach. The man coughed as Zuko knocked the wind out of him, and shoved him to the ground.
The other attempted to knock Sokka in the head, using the pommel of his sword with Sokka trying the same with his club. A hardy thump and Sokka can feel the piercing pain in his temple where he was hit. He grunts in pain and slight annoyance, shifting to elbow the guard in the face. Although he’s wearing a helmet, Sokka can still see the spurt of blood from his nose on impact, as well as a crack!
With both guards at least hurt a little, Zuko aims toward the Captain, shooting off a Magic Missile, mainly aiming for his chest to push him back and open the only exit. All three explode off of his armor, leaving scorch marks in their wake.
While Captain Tower is momentarily disoriented, the two shove past him as they make their way for the exit.
As they ran, Sokka couldn’t help but compliment the guy, “Damn, dude! That was nice!”
“Escape now, flattery later,” he muttered through breaths.
Bursting through the front doors, the two gave it all they got, sweat beading on their brows and breathing beginning to become labored, they pushed through it, motivating themselves with the idea of what freedom will bring.
Sokka had to find Aang and Katara, and Zuko, well… he wouldn’t dare be captured again.
Darting into the nearby woods, they pushed past any twig and branch in their way. They didn’t dare peer behind them. The guards could be closer than they believe, and if they look, they might not see a tree in their path and be caught almost immediately.
Sokka began following Zuko’s lead, feeling like the elf knew what he was doing. He began zig-zagging with such speeds, Sokka found it more and more difficult to keep up with him. He called out to him, asking him to slow down. Without a word, Zuko grabbed Sokka’s wrist once more, turning them both sharply toward a large tree. He shoved Sokka in a small hole under its roots, cramping himself under it a little too close to Sokka.
He could feel the elf’s body heat on his, noting just how oddly warm he was. Were all casters like this? He’d never noticed with Katara, but he also didn’t hug her very much. Maybe he should start hugging her more, in case this sort of thing happens again.
Zuko clamped a hand onto Sokka’s mouth, glaring at him and continuing to look out of their little tree cubby for the guards. They could hear them inching closer, but thankfully they weren’t close enough to understand what they were shouting to each other. Their breathing began to calm, the beads of sweat now occasionally cascading down their faces as they anxiously waited for the guards to leave.
They waited.
And waited.
And waited…
So long that the sun must have been set for a good few hours. They remained silent the entire time, Zuko shushing him if Sokka tried to make conversation. Eventually, Sokka’s eyes grew heavy, trying to blink the pull of sleep away, but it was always too strong for him to resist.
He carefully arranged himself to lean against the warm caster, giving him a look as a silent way to ask if this was alright with him. He glanced at Sokka, then continued watching, so he took it as a yes.
It wasn’t hard for Sokka to get comfy against him, which was odd considering just how scrawny the guy seemed to be. Within a few minutes, Sokka was unconscious, softly snoring on the shoulder of a guy he met in the town’s jail. Zuko glanced once more at the sleeping fighter, envious of the fact that he seemed to fall asleep as soon as he shut his eyes. Zuko had longed for such an ability.
He couldn’t help but smile a bit, inwardly laughing at the situation he’d gotten himself into.
He whispered to himself, “This guy is so weird.”