𝑯𝑰𝑫𝑫𝑬𝑵 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶𝑵, 𝒂: 𝒕𝒍𝒂

➳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯: 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴

KIDA IS DETERMINED TO MOVE ON AND FORGET ABOUT YUE. She manages to avoid the topic (both with her friends and with herself) for a solid 12 hours before her feelings burst out during training the next day.

While sharpening their spears, Hahn was blabbing on to the others about whatever; Kida wasn't really paying attention until he said:

"I gotta impress the Chief. I mean, Yue is fine and all, but getting in good with the Chief is definitely better."

Kida stopped sharpening her weapon and instead started shouting at Hahn about how he's a creep and Yue deserves so much better.

"Who, you?" Hahn challenged. Kida narrowed her eyes. "Like that would ever happen. Maybe in the peasant village you come from, but not here."

Sokka had to hold Kida back from starting a fight with Hahn, and for the second time, Kida was asked to leave training early.

That's why Kida can't sleep this night. Somehow, everything falling apart with Yue triggered something within Kida, and she finds herself sitting on the balcony under an almost full moon while the rest of the team is fast asleep. The fear that she'll have nightmares motivates her to stay up, so Kida has nothing to do but spiral, her thoughts dark and jumbled.

This is the universe's way of proving to me that I'm a terrible person. That I don't deserve love. Spirits, I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of leaving. I'm always the one who leaves because every time I think I'm happy, I get scared. I left the Freedom Fighters. I left Suki. I'm not a brave warrior — I lie and I hurt people. It's practically in my blood, who I was born to be. Hiro is gone because of me. When did my whole life become a lie? I know I need to avenge my family somehow and I don't know what else to do. Lie, lie, lie. No one can know who I really am because they'll hate me. Aang, Katara, Sokka...they're my family. They love me. But really, it's all a lie because they don't know. I can't lose them, though, I've already lost one family so what else can I do but keep with the lie? Spirits know that I don't deserve their love. I don't deserve to be happy. I don't deserve to be happy. Will I ever be happy? Will I ever be —

"Hey," a soft voice pulls Kida out of her thoughts. It's Sokka. He sits down next to Kida and tries to hand her a mug of something warm. She has to uncurl herself from hugging her legs, which she didn't even realize she had done. Kida looks at the mug skeptically. Sokka rolls his eyes. "Just take it. I'm way past the stage of wanting to poison you." He takes a sip from his own mug to demonstrate that it's okay to drink, so Kida takes hers. She hadn't realized how cold her hands had become until the hot mug started to defrost them. Kida takes a tentative sip and looks to Sokka.

"What is this?" Kida asks before taking another sip, allowing the sweet, slightly spicy liquid to warm her throat.

"Something my mom used to make me when I couldn't sleep," he explains. His voice is barely a whisper, but still it soothes Kida just as much as the drink he gave her.

For the next few minutes, there's nothing but silence. Kida tries to focus on the curves of the moon, the colour of the sky, the shapes that the stars form together. Somewhere along the way, Kida finishes her drink and, noticing this, Sokka silently switches their mugs so that she can finish his, too.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Sokka suddenly asks.

"Nothing's wrong," Kida lies.

"Kida, I know you well enough now to tell when you're lying," Sokka counters. All the warmth seeps out of Kida's body as she tenses at his words.

Does he know? She panics, but then remembers: If he did, he wouldn't be sitting here right now.

"Look, Wolftail, I'm fine," she says. "Thanks for the drink, though."