Falling For You ✰༄ ѕσkkα

Water || Relaxing Morning

I hand Sokka the green hair bands that I've kept, giving him non-verbal permission to style my hair. He doesn't stop moving the comb in rhythmic strokes, brushing out all the knots from this morning. Appa continues to ascend into the sky, breaking through a blanket of clouds.

"Yeah, I guess. I still owe you an apology, you too Aang. You're just so good at waterbending without even really trying. I got so competitive that I put us all in danger. I'm sorry," Katara's hands are balled up into fists on her thighs, and I feel Sokka shift behind me.

Aang gives her a comforting smile, "That's okay, Katara."

"Katara, we all have our own faults. I remember when I was at the Air Temple I wanted to airbend so bad, but that's not a part of who I am. I was so jealous but everyone has their own individual talents and develop them over time. You don't need to worry."

"Yeah. Besides, who needs that stupid scroll anyways," Katara's mood has shifted to be a bit more cheerful but she's still sulking on the outside.

"Is that really how you feel?" Sokka extends his arm over my head, waving the waterbending scroll in the air. I let out a surprised gasp at the sight of the precious parchment.

"The scroll!" Katara reaches out to grab it, but Sokka takes me by the shoulders and uses me as a human shield.

"Hey! Wha-"

"First, what did you learn?" he cuts me off, his fingers loosening his grip, as if he's refraining from hurting me.

"Stealing is wrong." There's a slight pause before he once again holds out the scroll, and Katara thankfully takes it from him. "Unless it's from pirates."

Aang giggles at her comment, "Good one, Katara."

Sokka lets go of my shoulders and returns to combing my hair. Aang and Katara are fawning over the scroll, talking about the different forms. I watch as Aang points at the intricate strokes of ink, and Katara's eyes follow.

Sokka's stopped combing through my locks, and instead has moved himself closer to me. His knees hug my sides, and a shiver runs it's way up my spine at the sudden contact. He snakes his arm around me, gently dropping the comb into one of my open palms. I blink at it a few times, not daring to respond.

He leans in against my back, his head barely about to rest on my shoulder, "Is it okay if I sit like this? I have to do the little braids, a-and I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Y-yeah," I try to swallow but my throat feels like it's been coated in sand. "It's okay."

"Alright," he mumbles. I can hear the nervous smile in his voice.

Sokka retreats from my frame, leaving behind resonating heat. "Could I have the comb? I've watched Katara do this before, but no promises if it's going to turn out good."

"Ah, I'm sure it will be great," I hold out the heirloom and he plucks it out of my hand.

We stay like this for a while, joining in to Katara and Aang's conversation and Sokka keeps working on my hair. He'll make little comments here and there, mainly focusing on the task at hand. I can hear him whispering to himself, attempting to remember what he's supposed to do. It's reassuring, knowing how seriously he's being about this.

Aang's instructed Appa on a course to go about, so it's smooth sailing until we need to land down next. Sokka's continued to braid my hair, even trying his best to make the two little buns that I would normally fashion. The air up here feels so much fresher and peaceful, letting me relax into his gentle touch.

I close my eyes, calmly letting my racing heart settle and the adrenaline leaving my system. After what feels to be a couple minutes, the boy pats me on the shoulders.

"I'm all done! I even put in the comb like we did yesterday. I'm glad we didn't loose it, I had to go through all that trouble to get it for you and it looks so pretty in your hair."

My eyes snap open at his last words, turning over my shoulder to face him, "What? Can you repeat that last part?"

"Huh? W-what do you mean?" Sokka's retracted himself away from me, backing into the packs tied down to Appa's saddle.

I shifted so I could see him, "I think your wolf tail is pretty cool too." I quickly reached up and tugged on his hairband, letting the dark strands of hair tumble down the sides of his face.

"HEY GIVE THAT BACK!" even though Sokka was yelling, I could not believe what I was in front of me. 

His hair fell down to align with his jaw, parts of it whipping in the breeze. It complements his features in ways I didn't think were possible. Sokka could even be mistaken for another person entirely, but his bright eyes are a true give away. I've never thought about what he would look like without his hair tied up, it's almost like one of his signature looks. 

Katara noticed and was laughing at her brother's struggle against me, who was leaning farther and farther away from him. Aang peeped his head up from his spot on Appa's fur, trying to see what all the commotion was about. 

Sokka was almost directly on top of me, attempting over and over to grab my wrist, arm, hand, whatever. Without even thinking, I put my free hand on the top of his head. I ruffle my fingers through his hair in a playful manner, but end up keeping it there. 

His hair is so soft... and silky. My fingers slip right through.

We both make eye contact, giving me the burning sensation on my face of embarrassment. He becomes flustered too before he snatches the band away from me. Sokka huffs before turning away, bunching up fist-fulls of his hair before wrapping it in the blue band. He turns back to me with an annoyed expression. Although, I know that he's just playing with me. 

"You are on thin ice Y/n," Sokka waves a finger in my face, and I smack his hand out of the way.

"And what are you gonna do about it?"

"I- You-," he lets out an exasperated sigh, "You know what, I don't even care anymore. Do we have anything good to eat?"

Sokka starts rummaging around in the packs to find a snack while I make myself comfortable by laying down on Appa's saddle. Katara has already done the same, along with Aang who's entertaining himself and Momo with little airbending tricks.

All I'm looking forward to is some relaxation that we haven't been able to do for a long time. They clouds soar past us, and I reach out my hand to touch them. Beads of water stick to my skin and run off my fingertips. It leaves a cool sensation on my skin, sucking away the warmth from my palm.

Even though I do enjoy our times in the air, I like it when we touch down somewhere too. We have more freedom and I can explore. Theres all the villages, interesting people, and something productive we can actually do. I really need to find something to bring with me at our next stop. These rides are getting more and more boring every time we make it up here. 

I wonder what kind of people we will meet next...

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Word Count: 1265

finally a new chapter hurray! this was a bit short but I wanted to write a little something before we meet Jet. 

thank you so so so much for being so kind and patient for the next chapter! i really appreciate all of your nice comments and your words of encouragement! i've been pretty busy recently and i had some personal stuff to deal with. i also had some writers block and i didn't know what to make for you. 

i'm really happy to be back, and there will also be a new chapter of eye of the storm coming out soon too. thank you so much for waiting and sticking with me so far through this journey. love ya! <3