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There were days Izzy doubted the legitimacy of Bonnet's Avatar status. Stories from before the hundred year war boasted that the Avatar was a warrior of strategic aptitude who maintained a steadfast presence and was skilled beyond reproach; a savior to both the physical world and spiritual realm. Or that's what Edward had been saying for the past few days. Israel couldn't give two fucks about it. He'd never seen the point of banking the entire world's solutions on some ghost story. But now the myth has turned into reality and Izzy isn't too sure what to think. —
"Izzy, don't you see! He's the key to winning back our freedom. With his help I can finally find out what happened to my mom."
And that desperate look in Ed's eyes is what finally made Iz relent and agree to this entirely crazy plan. He couldn't let the man do this on his own. Years ago, his father had tasked him with the responsibility of protecting their people. And right now, Ed and him were all that were left.
"Fine, but the moment things get shitty, we forget this bullheaded scheme of yours and run. Got it?"
Edward had been ecstatic. "You won't regret this mate. He's the fucking Avatar. There's nothing we won't be able to handle with him on our side."
—
But watching the blonde man coo over an insect has him doubting Edward's claim. The fact that they'd found him frozen in an iceberg with Appa—the last air bison to exist—hasn't inspired much confidence. What kind of idiot travels headfirst into a winter storm? By himself? With no prior travel experience or basic navigation knowledge? It was a wonder the man hadn't been murdered the second he'd left the air temple. (He doesn’t dwell on the fact that staying would have been its own kind of death sentence.)"Izzy look!" An excited voice pipes up near him. Izzy grits his teeth and does not, in fact, look. Just hearing Bonnet's voice already makes Iz want to wrap his hands around his neck and throttle the man. Edward would be disappointed though, so he bites his tongue and continues to sharpen the blade of his sword. “I can’t believe my luck!” Iz tenses at the sound of footsteps growing closer; the excited murmur of Stede’s voice a consistent backdrop. Izzy opens his mouth to yell at Bonnet but before he can so much as breath, a fucking yellow and pink thing is shoved under his nose. "Fuck!" Izzy startles with a backward jerk of his head."Cute little guy, isn’t he? Just absolutely breathtaking." Bonnet replies earnestly.Izzy scowls. Who in their right mind talked about a bug like that? This fucking twat, that’s who."If you ever want to take another breath again, you’ll get that fucking thing, out of my face, right the fuck now." Bonnet clicks his tongue in disapproval but listens. "No need to be rude, Iggy." “It's Izzy, you fucking twat." Israel growls under his breath. He’s caring less and less about Edward's potential disappointment in him and far more inclined to murder. "You're no fun." Izzy can practically hear the pout in the air bender’s voice. A flash of those lips—pink and slightly pursed—flash through his mind before he stubbornly brushes it aside. "In case you forgot, we're not here to have fun. We’re getting you to the Northern Water Tribe so you can fix the mess you ran from the first time around." Izzy finally raises his head to face the other man; a fierce scowl twisting his own features. The swell of anger doesn’t stop the breath from catching in his throat as his eyes finally land on the man he’s been avoiding all morning. Izzy doesn’t understand the way his stomach clenches every time he catches sight of golden waves and warm eyes. He hates it.Izzy blames it on Bonnet’s annoyingly cheery personality and flair for the dramatics. It’s all strange and weird and very much not like the Air Nomads he’d read about in history. Stede’s teal silk robes are flowy at the wrists and cinched at the waist for god’s sake. The hair alone is a mystery that Israel refuses to ask about. (Edward wouldn’t tell him. The asshole.)If it wasn’t for the teal tattoos curving over muscular forearms and peering out from under a lock of curling hair, Bonnet could pass as just another person migrating to safer grounds. But he isn’t. He’s the Avatar and it seems like everyone but Stede is aware of it. "We have a fucking war to end. So you’ll fucking excuse me if I don't give a damn about your flowers and bugs or other nonsensical bullshit." Hurt flashes across Stede's face and instead of feeling satisfaction at the sight, there is only guilt. Fuck. Izzy isn’t made to deal with people and feelings. He should have just let Edward stay here and gone into town himself.Before Izzy can do or say anything else, Bonnet is quickly stomping towards him. The wind suddenly picks; swirling around the other man and pulling at his robes with a sudden frenzy. Blonde hair whips across piercing eyes and over sharp features, as broad hands curl into fists. Israel can hardly breath at the sight; the sound of his heart thrumming in his ears. "For years I have been belittled and mocked for my interests.” Stede’s voice booms, “I didn't return to the living world after being gone for years, just so you could harass me." And then Stede is bringing his hands together in a clockwise motion before pushing his palms forward, sending a stream of wind right at Izzy. The force knocks him on his ass and punches the breath from his lungs."Fuck!" Surprise is quickly overtaken with anger and Izzy relishes the familiar emotion. This fucking twat has just made the biggest mistake of his life. Worse than choosing to pack books instead of anything remotely useful when he’d first fled. Izzy quickly scrambles to his feet and runs after the retreating figure of Bonnet. He growls out an indecipherable insult and grabs his sword. Using the rocky terrain for leverage, he launches himself at the other man. Stede yelps at the flash of Izzy's blade in his peripheral vision and instinctively flicks his wrist. The practiced motion sends another burst of air over his shoulder and towards Iz. But Izzy is prepared. Bringing the flat of his blade in front of him lessens the blow and he’s able to keep his balance. Shifting his left foot back, Izzy is able to create enough momentum to swing his sword towards Stede's left flank instead. Bonnet may be a naïve idiot but he’s proving to be a fast fucker; weaving around each swing and jab. His pathetic yelps and screams of indignation quickly taper off and evolve into focused insults. Izzy finds himself working a bit harder to stay close. He’d almost be worried, but Israel is no slouch. He has years of experience sparring with Edward and his chaotic style of water bending. Izzy is quick to notice that Bonnet tends to favor large moves that require flashier hand movements. While admittedly impressive, it leaves Stede exposed and Izzy isn’t about to waste a clear advantage. With a sharp grin, Izzy steps in close and draws his sword through delicate fabric and intricate weaving. He can’t help the sudden quirk of his mouth as Stede’s robe starts sliding off his shoulder and exposing his chest. His skin is smooth and pale, and Israel has the sudden urge to mark it up; leaving proof of what has happened here today. The thought sends a rush of warmth flushing across his cheeks and too late he realizes that he's become distracted. Stede is no longer taking an offensive stance—chest heaving and mouth twisted into an angry scowl. Instead, he's letting Izzy back him up against the nearest cliffside—all the while grinning as he dances backward and spins out of reach. Izzy needs to end this now (No matter how much the voice in the back of his mind tells him how much fun he's suddenly having.)So Iz grits his teeth and feints left before pivoting at the last minute and striking the final blow. But his blade never makes contact because Stede dances aside like air itself. The man spins in an effortless twirl—a breeze throwing dust in Izzy’s face as a distraction—until he ends up behind Israel. The damn bastard. Who knew Bonnet had it in him to play dirty? He thinks to himself while bracing for impact. Instead of a gust of wind slamming his body headfirst into the rockface as Izzy expected, a warm hand reaches down and wraps around his own before squeezing tight and pressing forward. A concentrated stream of air wraps around their hands and flows down the blade in tandem with Stede suddenly shoving the sword forward hard. There's a beat of silence before Bonnet steps back and finally lets go, leaving Izzy to stand there speechless. He stares—hand still gripped tight around the handle—at where his blade is now fully embedded within rock. He tries to tug at his sword but the blade doesn't budge. Holy shit. "A little something I learned from Ed!" Stede suddenly pipes up from behind. Izzy forces his hand to splay open and finally lets go. Fuck. Shit. Holy mother of jesus that was hot. No one besides Ed had ever bested him like that. Israel could feel all his blood move down south, leaving him a bit light headed. "Now, once you've calmed down, we can see about giving you back your sword. In the meantime, enjoy the nature around you! After all, what's a world worth saving if we can't even see it for what it's worth.”Izzy just stares at the man dumbly, but thankfully Stede quickly becomes too preoccupied to notice the distressing situation Izzy has suddenly found himself in. Bonnet just looks down at his robes and sighs in disappointment. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some mending to do. Can’t very well appear before the Northern Water Tribe looking like such a mess." Izzy watches the man make his way to Appa, heart fluttering in his throat and sweat coating his palms. His eyes widen in horror as realization finally settles in. Fuck. Fucking shit. Stede Fucking Bonnet is not only the Avatar, he’s also secretly hot as fuck.