![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
squirrellysemanticsChapter 9
Modern Military AU
Pairing Sokka/Zuko
Rating R for right now, intended to go higher
I do not own ATLA and make no money from this.
Needs to be read in order to make ANY sense whatsoever. Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4 and Part 5 and Part 6 and Part 7 and Part 8
A/N: Sorry if the previous chapter seemed odd. It should make sense in the grand scheme of things (I hope.) Sections lifted from the Infantrymen’s Creed. My apologies for any factual errors.
-------------
It was an unseasonably beautiful day out on the parade grounds, as if even the sun was eager to share in the day’s events. Families and loved ones assembled on the bleachers, waves of anticipation for the pomp and circumstance to begin.
Hakoda smiled, watching his daughter shield her eyes as she half rose from the stands to try and distinguish her brother from all the other nearly identical men in their ASU’s standing in formation.
“Don’t worry.” He gently nudged Katara on the back of her hand. “We’ll see him soon enough.”
Things hadn’t changed that much since he had gone through basic. Nicer uniforms, sweeter weapons. But the people?
The faces may be different among the soldiers and their families. Pride. Love. That stayed the same.
The big voice over the loudspeaker began the ceremony by introducing the drill sergeants to the crowd.
“What happened to the guy with the side burns?” Katara murmured more to herself than anything as she applauded politely. “Choi or something?”
Hakoda’s smile evaporated. The brief mention in Stars and Stripes had caught his eye over coffee one morning. Not too much detail: the disgraced Zhao’s arrest, the Article 32 investigation with vague mentions of trainee abuses. Quick call to Bato who was still active with a friend of a friend in the JAG corps hadn’t dug up much more. Very hush-hush which meant some nasty shit had gone down.
He hoped none of it involved his son or there wouldn’t be a hole deep enough for the son of a bitch to hide in once Hakoda went looking for him.
“There he is!” Katara’s excitement pushed the darkness clouding his thoughts. The graduates were demonstrating the skills they had been hammered into them in basic. Sokka and a pale Asian kid with something weird going on with his face started a quick combatives demo.
He felt his mother lean into his shoulder with an indulgent smile. “So handsome,” she said, patting his knee. “Just like his father.”
Sokka was no slouch in the grappling department. Moving base to base growing up never made it easy for a kid to fit in. And after Kya had been killed… Well. No sense bringing up bad memories at a time like this.
The Asian kid (correction: man. These guys were men no matter how fresh faced they looked.) dropped Sokka and pinned him easily.
“Ooh!” Katara’s eyes lit up as she clapped in earnest this time. “He has got to teach me that move!” She stuck her fingers in her mouth and blasted out a piercing whistle of approval.
Damn! When… where the hell did she learn how to do that?
A squat, balding older man a few rows down stood up to hoot loudly as well, drawing amused eyes away from his daughter that unbeknownst to him had somewhere along the way been taught to whistle like a longshoreman.
There were lots of gunfire and explosions, an awful lot of Iron Maiden and much cheering until the demonstration was done.
“C’mon.” Hakoda gathered up his family. “We should go get something to eat before the Turning Blue ceremony.”
----------------
This was it. Fourteen weeks of no sleep, busting your ass and getting your ass busted. They were finally done with it. Now the army would let them put their big boy pants on and do something that actually mattered.
Cursing at his reflection in the mirror, Sokka struggled with his tie as it completely failed to come out right on his fourth attempt. It didn’t help that they only had twenty minutes to get ready for the afternoon after lunch.
The color of their dress uniforms did appeal to him as much as the idea of wearing a tie did not. These new blues suited him much better than the old green Class-A’s. Though the pants-tucked-into-the-boots look was a big fashion ‘don’t’ no matter what color it came in. The army would look a lot more stylin’ if he ran the place.
“Need a hand?”
The voice over his shoulder brought a smile to Sokka’s face. He turned on his heel to face his friend and almost swallowed his own tongue. “Sure.. I, uh… yeah.”
There was one word for how Zuko looked: striking. Okay, a few more words. Pressed and perfect, high shine jump boots and all. Zuko looked every part a soldier.
Lungs weren’t working so well right now. Sokka craned his neck to give warm hands at his throat more room to work and sternly reminded himself to breath. A little furrow of concentration popped up on the bridge of Zuko’s aquiline nose that distracted Sokka no end. It wasn’t until Zuko looked up at him expectantly that he realized that something had been said.
“I’m sorry. What?”
Zuko pursed his lips indulgently. “Any thoughts on what I mentioned last week?” Long fingers finally managed to undo the crappy knot that was as hard to untie as it was to tie in the first place.
Sokka cleared his throat, turning his head in some vain hope that it would cover the flush to his cheeks. It wasn’t often he was embarrassed. “I’m sorry, man. It’s a great idea to go do something fun before we have to report to our first assignment but I think a trip somewhere is not gonna happen.”
Seeing Zuko’s face fall made him feel like a complete tool. He reached out on instinct; restraining himself to just running his hands down the lapel of the other man’s coat. “I want to go!” True regret. Sokka dropped to a soft whisper. “With my dad in DC so much, my paychecks got to go help cover bills. I don’t think I have that kind of cash.”
It was a surprise to see those gold-honey eyes light up. A nice surprise. “Money?” Zuko snorted. “If it’s just money, don’t worry. I got it. “
“Really?” Sokka’s voice cracked for the first time in a very long time. “I mean, I don’t want to just take advantage of you like that.”
“You’re not taking advantage. Think of it as a thank-you gift.” Zuko continued fussing way more than necessary with the tie, trying not to make eye contact. “I wouldn’t have made it through all this without you.” He put the finishing touches on the four-in-hand knot and smoothed the line of tie down Sokka’s chest.
Sokka caught himself leaning into this simple act, feeling it send a pulse of heat running right through him. This trip. Something fun after three plus months of being worked like a dog. Time alone with no need to look over their shoulders.
The only moment of real freedom they might get before they got shipped out.
The idea rocked Sokka onto his heels. “You’re awesome.”
The corner of Zuko’s mouth twitched. “I know.” He handed Sokka his coat. “C’mon. Can’t be late.”
--------------------
Speech. Another speech. Holy crap, yet another speech. Katara had deflated to clapping half heartedly as her enthusiasm waned. She was proud of her brother, but… Damn. This was getting pretty boring. At least things were getting blown up during the mornings’ demonstration.
Finally the families were allowed out onto the parade grounds, soldiers waiting for their loved ones.
Sokka managed to find them first, sneaking an arm around both sister and grandmother to hug his greeting. Hakoda watched and waited, thumbing the length of the intricately knotted light blue cord in his hand.
“Your mother would be so proud,” Gran Gran murmured brokenly as her tears fell. Katara swallowed against the big lump that appeared in her throat.
It took a minute for them to collect themselves.
Now was the time. Sokka turned to his father. Hakoda affixed the cord around his son’s right shoulder, Katara snapping pictures all the while. Once finished, her father was pleasantly surprised by his son’s crisp salute. He returned it with a broad smile.
Katara tried to get her family to hold still for a second for a decent group shot but Sokka was not paying attention. He was watching that Zuko kid from Christmas break receive his own blue cord from the old hooting man in the bleachers. The old man clicked his heels together and saluted the younger man. The younger man looked a bit startled, but turned serious before delivering a salute of his own.
“Hold on a sec!” Sokka declared as he pushed through a swarm of people.
Almost arm in arm, Sokka returned with his friend, the stout old man obligingly in tow. “Dad! I’d like you to meet Zuko! Zuko, Dad!” The two men respectfully sized each other up and shook hands firmly.
The stocky old man moved in close to Gran Gran, tugging on the cuffs of his elegantly tailored suit. “Let me be so bold as to introduce myself. I am Iroh. You must be the lovely woman who took in my poor neglected nephew this Christmas.” A little color came to her grandmother’s cheeks as he gallantly kissed the back of her hand. “Please accept my deepest thanks.”
“It was no trouble at all. Such a delightful young man you have there.” Katara grew a little disturbed as her grandmother inched closer to Zuko’s uncle. “It looks like it runs in the family.”
Oh, boy.
Iroh raised a suave eyebrow in Gran Gran’s direction. “My nephew won this post’s combatives tournament, you know.”
“Uncle. “ Zuko tried to get the man’s attention but wasn’t getting a response. “Uncle!” The older man finally looked up and politely excused himself, moving in so they could all get a picture together.
A few more snaps and the families were herded back into the bleachers.
The men got back into formation. A soldier stepped forward to start the creed. They all echoed back their responses as one.
I am the heart of the fight
wherever, whenever.
Katara looked over all the young faces, trying not to think how a lot of them were no older than she was.
I am swift, determined, and courageous,
armed with a fierce will to win.
What did the future hold for them? According to Sokka some more training and then they were almost certainly going to be deployed. Probably Afghanistan. The conflict had gone on for so long with no real end in sight, they were all fairly certain he would end up there.
I am always there, now and forever
I am the Infantry
Follow me!
She clapped like mad this time, Zuko’s uncle joining in with a loud whistle of his own.
The air was thick with emotion. Pride, yes, but with the yearning that their loved ones would all stay safe remained unspoken.
--------
Second A/N This is the end of basic training. There will be one or two chapters as an interlude, then on to deployment. The story of deployment will by necessity be darker in tone. I don’t know why this story has eaten my brain but it has. Updates may come frequently if this cold keeps me away from work anymore than it already has. I’ll be happy to keep sharing if people are enjoying it.
