AU: Street Eden

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

People who have known Sokka since he was fifteen, sixteen, or even seventeen have often shared a common hope - that he will, eventually, calm the hell down about his work. Or at least cut down on the questions and excited babbling.

At thirty-four, Sokka is dangling from the roof of one of the two-story buildings in Eden, sitting in a sling constructed entirely of scavenged blankets, replacing a broken bulb in one of the lights they'd long installed on the street. The source of the blood they found on the walls from the beginning was known now and, honestly, they all felt better knowing there was light on the street in the middle of the night.

So.

Dangling Sokka from a roof, replacing a bulb and checking out the wires. Possibly whistling. Though it might be a yowling animal of some sort. As Zuko likes to say, Sokka couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

Comments

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

The thing about Eden is although they come in spaced out fits, the new arrivals never stopped coming. They're always surpsied to meet the children who were born there and suffered no ill effects. Unless you count the fact that at fourteen, Hana looks like she'll never hit five foot.

But there's very little she find strange about the place she grew up in, or the people she considers family. Sokka hanging from a sling from the top of a building? Totally normal.

For apparent lack of anything else to do, the girl ambles along the roof and drops down to sit on the edge, legs swinging fearlessly.

"Hey, Uncle."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"What's up, tiny niece?" Not that Loo's much taller, but-- well, nicknames are fun. Sokka glances up to smile at her before putting his attention back on his work. Getting electrocuted, while arguably normal, is still never fun.

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

It's easier to get electrocuted when your tiny neice kicks the sling you're hanging in. Manners never came naturally to Hana.

"Nothing."

Because she totally sits randomly beside her favourite Uncle when nothing's up.

"Broke up with Harry."

One of the more recent new arrivals. Not exactly popular with anyone except Hana, but that only briefly, apparently.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Well, she used to do the random sitting more often - so did Loo. And then they grew up and Uncle Sokka's hilarious antics were less hilarious and more stupid, so...

Swinging when she kicks the sling, Sokka glances up at her with a look. Grabbing her leg wouldn't help at all, since she can very easily kick free, so he settles for disapproving and Remember I Do Dangerous Things looks.

Until she says that, then.

"Yeah?" he asks quietly, giving her a more sympathetic look before dropping the dead bulb into a pocket in the sling and pulling out another. "How come?"

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

"Eh." Hana shrugs. "He's whiney. And the 'my uncle's more evil than yours' game gets boring after a while. Plus I reckon he was only going out with me 'cause I remind him of someone back home."

Stupid boys.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"Who, you? You're one of a kind, Hana. And your dad and I thank the spirits everyday for that little piece of luck."

Filling up his toolbelt and grabbing onto the top of the sling, Sokka scrambles up onto the roof - not unlike a monkey. (or Harper, but Hana doesn't know that) And, having done this, sits on the edge with his legs dangling over to drape an arm around his niece's shoulders. "How d'you feel about it? You guys weren't together long."

But it must have been nice having someone her own age around.

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

Hana shrugs out of the hug, because it's embarrassing to be hugged by your uncle. She doesn't move away, though.

"I'm fine," she says, although it's not like she'd tell him if she wasn't. "Not sure what I saw in him, really. I'm over it."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

It's not so much a hug as a place to rest his arm. Besides, they're up high. Sokka has no qualms about tugging her back in and ruffling her hair. "Don't worry, I'll tell all the cool kids I paid you to let me hang on you.

"Over it already? That was quick. Or did this happen weeks ago and you were waiting until I was working with electricity to tell me?"

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

Hana tilts her head and gives him a Look.

"We've only been dating for a couple of weeks," she says.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Sokka returns this look. He invented the browraise, young one.

"Doesn't mean you didn't like him." A pause and he makes a face, looking out over the street. "Though I liked Marco more than him. At least he was funny."

He can say these things because he's the uncle, and also because Harry was whiny.

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but he was a really bad kisser."

Hana stops and makes a face.

"I can't believe I just told you that."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Sokka is too busy laughing to pay attention to that face. "Don't worry, my faint hope that you'd stay three forever ended when you turned six. I figured you were kissing somebody."

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

"That's 'cause you're cooler than Dad," Hana says, this time leaning on him. "Dad looked like he was gonna roast Marco alive when he found out."

Beat.

"That'swhyhedoesn'tknowaboutHarryandyou'renotgonnatellhimright?"

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

"Uncle, oh my uncle, lord of the spanner and guardian of the secret knowledge of... lightbulbs."

Look, Sokka, it's your

real

favourite neice, sitting in much the same place her sister vacated.

"Please stop whistling. It's disturbing."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

With much the same expression on his face as he greeted her sister, Sokka looks up and smirks at his slightly-older niece. "You know," he starts, setting his hand tools into the pockets of the sling he's sitting in, "every time you start a greeting like that, I always think you want something. And then you finish it that way and I realize you're just a brat."

In reply, he whistles louder. It should be a familiar tune to Louise, though what song it is happens to be a complete mystery, what with the lack of tune in a bucket.

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

"I do," Louise says with the same brattish tone, only now she swings her legs over again and lies on the roof, head resting on her hands as she watches him.

"I want you to stop whistling. Also, have you seen Hana?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"I will continue to whistle until my ego is sufficiently flattered."

o/~

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

Louise rolls her eyes and pouts. "What was wrong with 'Lord of the Spanner'?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"Well, if I actually had a spanner here, it would be effective," he replies, smirking and putting an arm up against the sling to lean his head against it. "But since I don't, I'm hardly the lord of it."

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

"Lord of the weirdass blanket sling thing," Louise offers grudgingly.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"That'll do." Gesturing at her with his screwdriver, Sokka grins at her. "She was up here a little while ago. What d'you need?"

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

"She missed training," Louise answers, smirk fading slightly. "Dad got pretty mad, but I said I'd talk to her, find out what was up."

She sighs, and turns her head so her clasped hands are on her cheek instead.

"She tell you about Harry?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Okay, Hana left that part out of their conversation. Which is why Sokka sighs and shakes his head, slumping in the sling. "Yeah, she mentioned him. I wouldn't say that's why she missed training, though - she should be on her way to talk to your dad, anyway."

He hopes.

[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Well, I'm glad I'm up here, then," Louise says quickly. But one arm slumps, dangling against his sling.

"Did she say what was really up?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"Out of the way of the ensuing flames, yeah - I might join you on the roof in a minute, just in case they get tall enough to reach the sling."

When she goes about dangling, he sighs again. He thought it was hard trying to take care of Katara but he'd never come anywhere near difficult until it came to getting stuck between two sisters when they're fighting. "We talked for a while, yeah. Let her come to you about it, though, Loo. I know you think it's hilarious when your dad has a heart attack, but think of someone else for a change - it's really annoying for me to have to hear him whine later on."