LADY?!!!...HE'S THE AVATAR?...And? || Aang ||
A/n: Sokka losing his mind because one girl doesn't care who they are.
The circus smelled like hay, sugar, and something faintly dangerous, like singed fur and poor decisions. Lanterns glowed overhead, casting everything in warm gold, and the distant roar of a crowd rippled through the tents like a living thing. It was loud, chaotic, alive…exactly how you liked it.
And currently, you were elbow-deep in a bucket of fish, arguing with a turtle seal who thought rules were optional.
“No,” you said flatly, holding a fish just out of reach. “You do not get a third one. You are not starving. You are manipulative.”
The turtle seal blinked at you. Then, with all the audacity in the world, it made the saddest noise imaginable.
You narrowed your eyes. “Don’t start that.”
You didn’t even turn around. “Busy.”
They waited two seconds and then much louder, more offended. “Excuse me?!”
You sighed, tossed the fish into the bucket, wiped your hands on a towl tied at your belt loop and finally turned.
And immediately clocked… a group.Not just any group. A group group.
A bald airbender with bright gray eyes and the kind of open, curious expression that screamed too nice for his own good. A Water Tribe woman who looked like she could mother an army then take down said army. A very muscular woman who was absolutely judging everything with her arms crossed. A man in royal Fire Nation attire who carried himself like he’d spent years trying not to set things on fire. And another guy…
"We wanted to check out the sho-."
You interrupt him as you looked at him. "…and you are?”
You nodded slowly. “Okay.”
The girl with the metal bracelets snorted.Sokka looked personally wounded.
The bald one stepped forward, smiling warmly. “Hi! I’m Aang—”
“....cool,” you cut in, already turning back to your animals.
There was a pause. A confused, almost offended pause.
Then Sokka’s voice exploded behind you because of course he does. “LADY?! HE’S THE AVATAR?! THIS IS THE FIRE LORD.” His thumb jerking to point at them.
You didn’t even flinch. You reached down, grabbed your turtle seal under the belly, and lifted him to his side with practiced ease, turning slightly so they could see him.
“And this,” you said, deadpan, “is a turtle seal.”
The turtle seal made a happy noise.
You set him down, then immediately scooped up your fire ferret, who wriggled in your grip like a noodle with opinions.
“And this is a fire ferret… look at it.” You held him up, squinting at him like you were personally offended by his existence. “It’s like a long rat.”
You grabbed one of his little paws and stretched it gently toward them.
“Look at his feet. All the worst people own one of these bad boys.” You tilted your head, offering him forward slightly. “Wanna pet him? He bites.”
Zuko, the actual Fire Lord who had faced war, politics, and his own inner demons… leaned back.
Toph was already stepping forward. “Oh, I like her.”
“Do not encourage her,” Katara whispered.
Aang, meanwhile, was staring not at the ferret, not at the turtle seal but at you.There was a strange tilt to his head, like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
“You work with all of them?” he asked, softer now.
You shrugged. “Train them. Feed them. Clean up after them. Stop them from eating each other. Same as any family.”
That made something flicker in his expression.
“You don’t… care who we are?” he asked, his chest felt light.
You finally looked at him properly.
Not the tattoos. Not the robes. Not the weight everyone else seemed to place on his shoulders.
A little too curious. A little too bright. A little too open.
“I care if you scare my animals,” you said simply. “You don’t. So… you’re fine.”
Sokka looked like he might combust.Katara blinked.Zuko looked faintly like he wanted to laugh but didn’t trust himself to try, Toph grinned like she’d just found her favorite person.And Aang, Aang just smiled.
Not the polite, practiced one. Not the “I’m the Avatar and I should be kind” smile.
“You’re… different,” he said.
“Yeah,” you replied, already turning back to your bucket to toss the Turtle seal a fish. “I get that a lot.”
Behind him, the tall one….Sokka, if the muttering was anything to go by dragged a hand down his face. “This is insane. This is actually insane. You don’t even care who we are.”
“That’s the Fire Lord!” he snapped, pointing dramatically at the scarred man.
You glanced at him again. “Good for him.”
The Fire Lord…Zuko, made a strangled noise.
“And I,” Sokka continued, gesturing to himself, “am—”
“…important,” he finished weakly.
Toph snorted so hard she nearly doubled over.Katara covered her mouth, trying and failing not to laugh.
Meanwhile, Aang was still holding the fire ferret like it was the greatest treasure he’d ever been given, completely enchanted despite the occasional bite. “These are amazing,” he said, voice soft with genuine wonder. “You train all of them?”
“All of them,” you confirmed, already turning back to your work. “Feed them, clean them, train them, deal with their moods, their tantrums, their weird little habits—”
“That sounds like Appa,” Aang said immediately, brightening.
You paused, then tilted your head. “…what’s an Appa?”
“A sky bison,” Aang said. "….My Sky Bison."
You slowly turned back around, your eyes narrowed.
“You’re telling me,” you said carefully, “you have a flying animal… and you didn’t lead with that?”
Aang grinned, and just like that, for the first time since they walked in you looked interested.
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose.
Toph grinned like chaos itself had just found a new best friend.
And Aang….Aang looked like he’d just won something far more important than any title he’d ever held.
Because you didn’t care about the Avatar.But you did care about animals.And for him? That was more than enough.
