Art By Me! I thought I'd revamp Kyoshi Ayaan since my style has improved a bit!

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Sokka, on very rare occasions, wakes up earlier than the rest.

Sokka, on very rare occasions, is so absolutely focused on something, he gets tunnel vision for that single issue until it's resolved.

And Sokka, on the most extremely rare instance, is both of those right now as he heads directly for Ayaan, who is sitting by the river once again upon awakening.

"Ayaan." The moment his brother heard him, he gave him a glance. The subtle crease in his brow meant that he heard his tone, and the locked gaze meant he had all of his attention.

Ayaan's gestures was something Sokka had taken his time to study, especially on this journey. Every day he could tell something new about his brother, a hidden truth that spoke volumes about how much he cared for them.

He was strong when they were scared, steady when they were uncertain, and a constant place of reassurance. Sokka knew that he could trust him to be there when he could, always and forever.

But trust was a two-way street, wasn't it?

It was time for his brother to understand that.

"On the rig, I told you we needed to talk, remember?"

He sat by Ayaan, a rare maturity one didn't often see in regard to the older boy in every movement. Despite his goofy and sarcastic nature, when a serious matter came around, Sokka always rose to face it. Well, when he wasn't nervous, but even then he'd do his best.

So Ayaan waited patiently for him to continue, as he always did. He didn't look away, making sure that Sokka knew that he had his full attention.

Ayaan had noticed that Sokka had been watching him more fervently since the rig, no, he'd been keeping an eye on him since long before that. But the moment he wanted to say something, he would hesitate, as if not knowing what exactly to say.

He wanted to put his thoughts into words properly, Ayaan could sense that. So, he waited, for as long as he needed to. Ayaan was a patient young man.

Sokka was quiet for a moment. The older could see all of the different emotions flashing across his blue eyes. He thought he was ready for whatever his little brother was about to say, but when he finally does ask his question, he's left reeling.

"Are you okay?"

It was something so simple. It was supposed to be such a simple question to answer.

So why did it leave him feeling gutted?

The lack of an answer was all that Sokka needed to confirm everything. He sighed, trying to handle the amount of pain the confirmation brought him. "I'm so sorry." He said, looking just as ashamed as he felt.

It alarmed Ayaan a bit more than his question had, "Why are you sorry?"

"For my entire life, I looked up to you. You are this amazing, steadfast warrior I've always aspired to be like." He began, gathering every thought he'd been trying to find a way to express.

"But before you're my idol, you're my brother." He turned his whole body to Ayaan, looking him straight in the eyes, "Before you're a warrior, you're human." He looked down, downcast as he let his words flow out. "And for a long time now, I've seemed to have lost track of that fact because of how amazing you always are for us. For that, I couldn't be more sorry."

"Sokka..."

"No, please, let me finish." He pleaded. "I know that... things have been really hard on you. It's our fault you are this stressed out. I know our choices haven't helped at all in that. Even now, the only reason that you aren't asleep is because you can't sleep, can you?"

"You... know?"

Sokka nodded. "There was a night that Momo actually came and woke me up. How he managed that, I have no idea, but when I did... I saw you at the riverside, just like right now." He admitted.

It was just like when he'd followed him out when they were younger. Though there wasn't a sound, he could feel the heaviness in the air. Even though he wanted to run out and hug him, he found that he couldn't move an inch from his spot. Stuck, watching his brother wade through his turmoil alone.

"And since then, I've tried to keep up with how often you've been up like this..."

He didn't want to let that continue. He promised to take care of his family. That was something he needed to make good on. A brother that does nothing isn't the type of brother he wanted to be.

"Tell me honestly." Sokka said, "How many hours do you sleep?"

He moved in closer, slowly gracing his fingers over his brother's eye bags that stood out just a bit more than they usually did. Now that he was really looking at them, how long had it been since he'd seen his brother without them? How long had it been since his brother was refreshed after a good night's sleep?

Ayaan, once again, didn't answer. Sokka wasn't angry at that. He knew that his silence wasn't intentional. Ayaan was thinking. He had been like this since they were children, well, younger children.

Sokka wasn't like Katara, who focused on chores and her waterbending. He always sought out Ayaan. He kept close to him when he was still hurting, he watched him when he trained, and though he was always refused, he asked to go with him every time he went hunting.

He would follow him everywhere and watch him do anything, thinking it was extra super manly, and would try it too. Sure, he'd fail, miserably, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he knew how Ayaan worked.

Just like Gran-Gran had, he started to understand the person that was hiding within that seemingly impenetrable fortress.

Ayaan was the type to take on burdens alone, silently. He would rather suffer than rely on someone else because he didn't want them to be hurt too. He sees it as his way of protecting them, keeping them in that light and away from the darkness brewing in him.

But he was left alone, hurting, and unable to communicate the fact that he needed help, too. He probably didn't even notice that subconsciously, he was begging for someone to help him. Only Gran-Gran heard that silent call and dragged him out of that fortress he'd made.

Yet Ayaan, even still, kept things at a distance from his heart. After their mother died, he didn't even let their father get closer than arm's length. He knew that he loved him, but there was a disconnect that happened. What that was, Sokka didn't know, but after it, Ayaan... stopped reaching out.

He maintained that distance until their dad left for the war.

Sokka vividly remembered that silence. It was the most painful years for him after their mother's death. It was like they'd lost another member of their family. Katara, too absorbed in her chores and distracting herself didn't notice the growing distance, but Sokka did.

He knew that Ayaan hadn't meant to create that distance. As he got older, Sokka could notice the pain hidden behind his eyes. The growing bags, the rigidness in his stance. He tried to be around him as much as possible, hoping that him being there would help.

In a way, it did. It took a while, but he steadily became the Ayaan they were used to. Though still quiet, he didn't seem as far away as he'd been before. It wasn't like he suddenly stopped doing what he'd always done. He spoiled them, trying his best to give them anything they asked for.

Only Gran-Gran had broken through the barrier he'd made around himself unintentionally, though. Only she'd heard him speak about whatever was bothering him. Only she'd earned that amount of dependable trust from him for him to do that.

And now, it was his turn, as a brother who aspired to help him.

So he studied his brother in a new light, beginning earnestly after the incident in Omashu. His brother may have mastered his expressions, but his eyes gave him away if you knew what to look for. They were the cracks in his fortress, his window to the battle inside.

When they were icy, he was angry. Sometimes they'd seem almost white in rage. When they were grayish, he was calm, but it was the same as the calm before a brewing storm. And right now, a storm was brewing in those grays.

He was stressed, uncertain, and trying to keep his calm. Every word he seemed to say made that storming gray fester more. He hated seeing it, but he needed to keep going.

"You know you can talk to me." Sokka was right beside his brother at this point. "You should know I'll always listen."

Ayaan silently watched Sokka, eyes widening a tad as he took in just how much this boy was resembling their grandmother. "I trust you," There is determination burning within the younger, "and I'll work hard so that you can trust in me, too."

"I do trust you," Ayaan answered after a moment of silence. He struggled to put everything into words, but his little brother had learned patience from the best.

Sokka gave him his best smile, patting him on his shoulder. It was a gesture between them that spoke when they couldn't, a show of support.

Many emotions could be seen in the storm, and Sokka was willing to wait however long it took for Ayaan to explain it all to him.

Before he was a warrior, he was a brother. Older or younger didn't matter. He was going to be there in any way he could, even if right now, it was only to listen.

They sat together in silence after that, calmly watching the river run by as the early rays of the sun continued to rise steadily. It was after a while that the silence was broken by Ayaan, who had braced himself to, for once, be openly honest with his brother.

"I knew that this journey would be a difficult one." He began slowly, "But as much good as we've been able to do, there was just as much bad that could have happened. I'm..."

The expression that Ayaan let come to his face isn't one that Sokka would ever be ready for. It was brief, his facade breaking for only a single, fleeting moment. But he saw it, and it spoke what his brother refused to say.

'I'm scared.'

"You, Katara, and Aang are stronger than you were when we left home. I'm proud of that. But that strength isn't always going to be enough. I knew that."

Sokka let it all sink in as his brother continued. His voice was so soft that if he didn't listen intently, he would miss something.

"Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one that cares about that, though." He looked towards the horizon, watching the sky slowly change color. "You are all young, and I want you all to have fun. But you seem to forget that as kids you don't always think the things you do through. This has happened in almost every place we've visited before now."

"Hey, it wasn't every place—"

"It was." Ayaan deadpanned.

"Okay, so maybe in a few places things have gotten a bit... dicey."

If possible, Ayaan's deadpan worsened. Gran-Gran, you'd be proud.

Sokka sighed. He was not going to win because he knew that Ayaan knew that he knew. "Aside from that, we found valuable allies against the fire nation. Everything ended with more gains than losses." He reasoned instead.

"Those instances were only because of luck." Ayaan sighed, "If something happens again, will that luck remain? Will I be enough to protect you? I know... I know I will not always be able to, and sometimes you lot do something that puts you in danger intentionally."

Ayaan turned to his brother for the very first time since speaking. Sokka felt his gut twist when his brother finally met his gaze.

"When will I be able to stop worrying if you three are always pulling a stunt that could end with you getting each other killed?"

Sokka took a moment before answering, knowing that it was important. "I know that we are more likely to run into more trouble. But I also know that we are stronger than before, and get stronger every day. I trust the strength I have, and I trust you most of all."

Sokka stood up, reaching out his hand to help his brother.

"You should trust us and yourself more, too." The boy's smile was wide as he continued, "There's no one more worthy of it than you."

Ayaan didn't say anything, but he took his brother's hand, which spoke for him. Knowing that, Sokka was glad that he was able to talk to him. He was going to continue to do so, too, until the moment Ayaan felt that he could open up more.

Sokka could be patient. He'd learned from the best how to wait for what was worth waiting for. Ayaan was more than worth it. He wasn't at Gran-Gran's level yet, but he was working on it.

While his worries didn't go away, Ayaan knew that it couldn't hurt to put his faith in his family. Even though they could pull stupid stunts, he should trust that they had enough wit and skill to deal with the consequences.

He hadn't been training them only for them to fail in the end. Sokka was right, he needed to trust in them just a little more.

Though that didn't excuse when stupid things would happen from a lapse in their judgment, like washing their supplies down the river the same afternoon.

'It couldn't get worse, could it?'

Ayaan knew that he jinxed it.

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Hi guys! Things have been rough, but your support has made it bearable! Thank you for it all! You are all great people. I should be back on a more regular updating schedule, so see you soon with more!