Bakoda Fleet Week

a bonus scene from my heart dreams: the events of "Bato of the Water Tribe", from Bato's POV

bato/hakoda/kya

pre-relationship

modern au

978 words

He knew Hakoda thought often of home, too, when Bato rose in the early hours to relieve Hakoda for precious few hours of sleep. He often found him standing on the prow, face turned to the southern sky to try and glimpse those familiar constellations before the sun had risen too far.

Sometimes, Bato would lean back against the side of the ship across from Hakoda, watching his silhouette in the soft dusk light, heart aching for him.

//

look me in the eyes and tell me this didn’t happen

relationship: bato/hakoda, implied bato/hakoda/kya

warnings: mentions of canon-typical violence/death

summary: Like a fish in a gentle current, the thought swims languidly through Bato’s head. I love you, he thinks, I love you.

for @bakodafleetweek  prompt: revelations

read under the cut or on ao3 for the rest of my tags/notes!

the day of sozin’s comet had been difficult, to say the least. they had lost good men (and good arms) to the fire enders they had fought, and with their bending power increased for the day their losses hadn’t ceased. but there was something in the air that hakoda couldn’t place for the life of him. a sense of something – something like pride but not, something like courage but not. it was more like a knowing: a knowing that this was it, that if it wasn’t today then there would be no tomorrow. it was faith in themselves but not based on self-belief, rather based in the fact that it was either die now or die later. and then, like a break in the ice, it had stopped.

a lone hawk, carrying a white ribbon, had flown over them. she had crawed loudly, begging attention.

and it had stopped. the soldiers retreated. they didn’t bother telling hakoda or any of his men that the war was over – but in many ways, they didn’t need to. it was a knowing, again. the sense of urgency had slumped off their shoulders, sitting somewhere in the grass beneath their feet.

it was over.

[image description: minimal (“tiny”) comic style of hakoda and bato in their battle clothes, clearly just finished a fight. hakoda is laying down and bato is sitting next to him. both are sweating - wolf helmets removed - and huffing. the first panel depicts as such. in panel two they look at one another. in panel three they look back, still huffing. hakoda’s head falls back against the ground with a soft thud. in panel four they bump their fists together, both saying a soft “ow”. end id.]

after the day of the black sun, hakoda continues to have pain on and off for the rest of his life in his back and his ribs, and frequently has to lie down to assist with his breathing. bato’s arm gives him grief daily, and hakoda notices him cradling it even after he insists that he’s fine.

alternative title: two old men with war wounds and chronic pain still value a fist bump over taking care of themselves.

alt alt title: i went through a lot of effort to get their hands right and only just now noticed that they have gloves and gauntlets on so just pretend that this makes logical and physical sense i’m not changing it.

pairing: bato/hakoda

rating: T

word count: 4.6k

tags: marriage of convenience, pining, getting together, canon-typical violence

When Bato and Hakoda get married for legal reasons, Hakoda's jokes about their marriage wreak havoc with Bato's pining heart.

And then he gets injured in battle, and something comes to light.

My entry for @bakodafleetweek Day 2: Stars

Bato/Hakoda is god tier. Gay dads and gay grandads? We love to see it!

My entry for @bakodafleetweek Day 2: Stars

Bato/Hakoda is god tier. Gay dads and gay grandads? We love to see it!

relationship: bato/hakoda, past hakoda/bato/kya (kinda)

summary: Bato is uncertain whether taking Sokka and Katara ice dodging was the right thing to do.

Post-canon, mentions of canon character death

for day 4 of @bakodafleetweek, prompt: children and fathers!

read under the cut or on AO3 for the rest of my tags

 Bato is uncertain whether taking Sokka and Katara ice dodging was the right thing to do. It certainly made them happy, and it felt right to do in the moment, but once he’s by Hakoda’s side again, he questions his choices.

“we use the stars to guide our ships...”

“...to find our way home.”

(alt texted added to all images)

“Foreign Stars” Day 2: Stars | Sailing @bakodafleetweek

digital color test:

Bato had been warned many a time as he grew up about the things he couldn’t see. It made sense, of course: what you couldn’t see, you couldn’t prepare for.

//

relationship: bato/hakoda

post-canon, mutual pining, 3 +1

for day 1 of @bakodafleetweek !!

summary: 3 times Bato and Hakoda pine for each other and the 1 time they don’t have to – For all the fear and terror the ocean inspires, Bato thinks that she tries to make amends with nights like these.

read under the cut or on AO3 for the rest of my tags! :~)