shatterverse | (no subject)

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Mel is not in Metropolis. Neither Hana nor Loo are, either.

This is important because everyone on approved babysitting duty, who aren't off exploring the country in a flying car, is. In Metropolis, she means. Having fun.Without her.

So she'll just have to make her own fun.

and by 'make her own fun', she means 'sit on theCooper porch and carve out new throwing stakes', while the girls attempt to see how many toys they can throw off the porch in the course of an afternoon

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"We were escaping from Omashu with the refugees," Katara explains, beaming at Loo and holding out intangible arms to her. "And the governor's son came too. I still don't know how. He was really cuuuute. He liked playing with Sokka's club."

"Well, he's great with kids," Mel admits, watching Loo try to grab Katara's hands and not liking that she can't.

"Took to them better than I did, and i'm their Mom."

Katara giggles.

"When we were at home, before we met Aang, he taught all the little kids to fight. Well, he tried to. They loved playing warrior with him."

"That, I knew," Mel says. "He's already talking about what he's going to teahc the girls."

"Don't ever tell him I said so," Katara says, giggling again and putting her hands down flat on the ground so Loo at least doesn't fall hard when she lunges, "but he's really a good teacher. He's very patient with little kids."

She looks sad for a moment, missing him, and then giggles again.

"Make him teach them to do war braids by practicing in his hair, he looks so silly."

"Even if I hafta cut off mine to make his the only hair left."

Mel gives a faintly sad smile, thinking of Zuko's hair. He'd look great with Hana braiding it.

Katara misinterprets the sadness, of course.

"No, no, don't do that. Your hair's lovely. It's all ... strange colours. Is that because you're spirit-blessed? I know the yellow-haired people aren't, but yours isn't yellow."

"I dye it," Mel says, pushing it back tightly to show her roots.

"Zuko usedta say I was spirit blessed, though. Dunno if I'd put it like that."

Katara waves one hand through each twin's hair, giggling at the tickles. It's like bubbly water rushing over her hand.

"That's a very nice thing for Prince Zuko to say," she says doubtfully.

Oops?

Mel smiles enigmatically. "He's all right when he unclenches."

"You know, I always thought he might be," Katara says hopefully. "He's very silly, but I think underneath it he probably just needs a friend."

Waaaaait. Wait.

SUDDEN STARE AT BABIES.

Then: STARE AT MEL.

No way. No, it couldn't be. Right?

Mel holds her gaze back.

"What?"

She's good.

"Nothing."

Katara stares at her a moment longer. And then at the babies some more, until they complain because she's not playing and she has to quickly flap her hands through them again.

".............isZukotheirdad?" All one breath. Or, y'know, it would be, if she breathed.

"Well, not the one that's here," Mel says quickly.

Because that's the point, yep.

"He is! Oh my gosh!"

NO WAI!

And yet ... now that Katara looks at the babies again ...

"Woooow."

"OK when he unclenches," Mel says cheerfully. "Really OK."

"Oh," Katara says, and then there are lots more ghostly little giggles.

OMG ZUKO HAD BABIES. OMG. WTF. OMG.

"... does Sokka know?" Because HILARITY.

OK now is not the time to explain that Sokka's the uncle, right?

"Yeah," Mel says. "He was there when they were born."

Katara giggles again. This is the best day ever.

"Bet he loved that."

Smirk from Mel. "He passed out."

Katara sighs, smile a little softer.

Neither of the Sokkas will speak to her. She tried, the other day, but the one with the wolftail dropped his glass and panicked and she couldn't make him see her, and the other one -- she hasn't seen him since that first day, not even a little.

"...I really miss him."

"I know," Mel says softly.

It's not just a platitude. She really knows what it is to miss Sokka-who-is-her-brother.

"I'm glad the babies aren't scared of me," Katara confides, after a moment. "That would be too awful."

"Why would they be?" Mel points out. "I don't thin they know that they should be."

Hana's trying to sit inside Katara again. That's the funnest game ever.

Katara nods happily, and wiggles away from Hana, grinning when the baby tries to chase.

"I don't know why. Sokka was. Both of him. I wouldn't ever hurt him, either."