A/N: This is my first published fanfic, and probably the first time I've tried writing that's not for school since I was a kid.
I hope you enjoy; please review, and be honest but kind!
I might try to continue this as a story if any readers think I should, but may need some help for plot ideas.
Thank you!
Suki smiled, a real smile with only the slightest hint of sadness in her eyes. "We were cute, you know. Young and stupid. I'll always love you, Sokka… but I think I'm learning to love you as a friend, as part of the team, you know?"
Sokka looked at the ground. He understood, but he almost didn't want to. He missed what they had, even though he knew it wouldn't have lasted.
"Yeah." A short silence fell. "As far as breakups go, this one has definitely been better than the last one." He turned to look at her, his mouth turning up a bit at the corners.
"I'm glad I still get to see you. And that we're still friends."
"Me too." Suki smiled a little more, and put a hand on his shoulder in comfort when he mentioned Yue.
They spent a few moments in a content silence, gazing in different directions at their surroundings. Sokka watched Aang and Katara groom Appa—until they started to kiss, causing him to shudder, turn to Suki and mumble, "Oogie."
"You know," she remarked, turning to face him with a slowly growing smirk, "When you move on, I know someone who's had a thing for you for a long time."
Sokka looked at her, half-lidded with one eyebrow raised. He was obviously not excited to guess, "Who, Ty Lee?"
"No, silly," Suki laughed. "Come on, she's been right there the entire time. It's kind of surprising, now that we're all older, that you haven't seen it."
The water tribesman stared at her, uncomprehending. He tilted his head this way and that while staring at her, hoping to catch some kind of hint.
Suki continued to smirk, eagerly waiting for the gears to start turning. It took at least a full minute.
He continued to stare, and his head very slowly turned in the direction of a certain metalbender in the distance, barking orders at her lily-livered students. His jaw slowly dropped. "No…"
"Yes…" Suki grinned. She couldn't believe he'd never realized. Although Toph was ridiculously private and protective over any vulnerable kind of feelings, Aang and Katara had still seen something there… though they never dared say a word.
"No..? No..!" Sokka stared at the Kyoshi warrior in shock.
Suki laughed heartily, not knowing what to say other than, "Yes!"
He was in a state of shocked staring, as if he had woken up from the most surreal dream with a start.
She shook her head, grinning, "She really is right. You are a meathead."
Toph? The tough, order-barking, shoulder-punching, literally groundbreaking Toph? This girl? Liked him? Liked him liked him?
Sokka hadn't said a word since he had spoken to Suki earlier. He sat on the same rock, brow furrowed, deep in thought. How on earth could Toph like him?
It was the strangest feeling. His best friend had a crush on him? Had had one—for a while?
He had never even thought of Toph as a girl who would like boys. She had her rare moments of vulnerability, but they were never mushy and they were very brief. When people first met her, she seemed like the kind of person who only tolerated other people, who didn't like people, but simply disliked some people a little less than others. If she loved the people around her, she punched them in the shoulder. The idea that this tough smack-talking girl liked a boy—and him, for that matter—had been unthinkable.
But now that he thought about it, she did choose to go with him when groups split up. She held his arm and hand. She insulted him. They were the closest of friends. But he had never thought anything of the romantic nature could be an underlying cause.
In fact, it was just—
"Sokka!"
"Hmm. Yeah?"
"Are you going to do anything at all? You've just been sitting there. Can you get some firewood and start a fire for us?" Katara asked.
"Uh… yeah. Sure."
He trudged off toward the group of trees nearby with his machete and started cutting up dry branches on the ground.
Slash! He hacked at the wood he found. Toph. Toph Bei Fong. His thoughts were recirculating, again.
Crash! He shoved some useless bits to the side with some effort. It was crazy. How did she like him? And how did he never notice things?
Shuffle. He picked up the salvageable parts of wood. But the bigger question was, why him? Why didn't she like some master earthbender who could be an expert metalbender or something? Someone who could actually protect her? Or worship her? Or both?
Swish! He slashed some vines out of his way. He couldn't even bend. He was the "normal" guy, the funny guy, and apparently, the oblivious guy. Why didn't she want someone tough like her? Or someone sweet, to balance her out? He didn't feel like he was either.
He found some dead branches at the edge of the forest that were even drier and gathered them up as well. He made his way back to the campsite, determined that he would try to act just like he always had before and pretend he knew nothing.
He dropped the bundle of branches and sticks on the ground. Aang promptly came over and carefully lit them with a small wisp of firebending.
"Thanks, Aang." Sokka smiled slightly. "I remember when we had to try and get a spark from rubbing sticks together. So much easier."
"Definitely," Aang chirped.
"Well, the gang's all here," Sokka motioned with his arms to the group gathering round. "We're just missing Zuko."
"Yeah, he was busy off doing some kind of 'ruling the Fire Nation' gig or something." Toph smirked as she sat down.
"I'll tell him you all missed him," Suki chimed in.
"How are things going for him now anyway?" Katara asked, already getting a pot of soup going.
"Better," Suki shrugged. "There are still those crazy little sects that are 'loyal to Ozai' and intent on bringing him down, but otherwise things are running smoothly."
"Good. You sure you don't want to come with us to see how our Water Tribe's doing? There's a festival, too. You could use a break."
"I'd love to see it, but I still have work to do in the Fire Nation. Zuko needs all the help he can get."
"I'm so happy the rest of you are all here at least," Aang said cheerfully.
"Glad to be here. I missed you guys," said Suki.
"We missed you too," Katara gave her a hug.
Aang joined in the embrace. "Come on, you two."
"Ugh…" Toph and Sokka said reluctantly, in exact unison. Sokka smiled at her, not surprised, because he would expect her to respond that way, but seeing things in a different light. They really were alike.
Everyone joined in the giant hug.
"Just like old times," Katara murmured from the middle of the group.
"Just like old times…. except now we can have some of this!" Toph grinned devilishly as she pulled a bottle of sake out of nowhere and broke the group hug.
"Ugh, Toph.." Katara grumbled as the sentimental moment was interrupted.
Suki laughed at their antics as she eagerly reached out to help fill cups.
"Fine, fine, you want mushy, Sugar Queen?" Toph retorted. "To our never-ending friendship, to you two waterspouts finding Twinkle Toes in that iceberg four years ago today, to Team Avatar," she said in almost true sincerity as she raised her cup high.
"Cheers!" everyone grinned as they bumped cups and drank.
Sokka admired Toph's short and nearly-sweet speech, and the way the firelight reflected in her misty green eyes that hid behind her loose strands of hair.
She was so pretty. He had always known she was, but had just never thought of her as any kind of potential significant other. She wasn't like Suki, not attractive in the same way. But she was beautiful. And talented. And sassy. And fun-loving. And amazing. And—
What was he doing? He shook the bubbly thoughts of admiration from his head.
The group laid around the embers of their campfire, looking up at the stars and reminiscing about their war years. It was ironic that the year they were in battle was the time they referred to as "the good ol' days."
"Oh and it was only for a minute, but remember when Toph bent that amazing metal man suit?!" Suki exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, that was great! I even got her to make another bigger one for her lily livers a while ago! You should've seen it!" Sokka responded.
"Thank you, thank you, official inventor of metalbending at your service," Toph quipped.
"How come we missed all of these metal-suit creations?" Katara referred to herself and Aang.
"You were too busy smooching away!" Toph teased.
"See? The oogies make you miss great stuff!" Sokka added.
"Hey, we are not that bad," Katara grabbed Aang's hand defensively.
"Okay, okay, tell us the story of the metal-man suits," Aang said calmingly.
"Oh, that's not even the craziest part—did they ever even hear about what happened to us that day?!" Suki exclaimed.
"Spirits, no!" Toph realized, sitting up. "We only told them bits and pieces!"
"Well it all started when the dreaded comet was hurtling toward Earth," Sokka said dramatically with wide arm gestures, complete with a ridiculous screeching comet noise. "The day of Sozin's Comet. You were off confronting the Fire Lord," he pointed to Aang, "and you were off helping Zuko with Azula," he motioned toward Katara. "The rest of us were hundreds of feet off the ground trying to take down the deadly Fire Nation airships."
Everyone had turned back around to face each other by now, sitting in rapt attention to the tale being told.
"Unstoppable. Burning everything in their path, they were going to devastate the whole Earth Kingdom."
The dying embers' glow reflected in the eyes of the listeners and the storytellers, for Toph joined in the narration.
"They really knew how to light it up—there was so much fire, I felt it on my face all the way up in those ships!"
Toph interrupted as the tale was told, but Sokka didn't mind, and vice versa. The two bounced off of each other and bantered and ranted about the day they almost died.
Suki admired the banter between the two and occasionally interjected; she humbly murmured thanks and explained her maneuvers at the profuse praise awarded to her for rescuing the duo.
Aang and Katara grew more engrossed in the story, occasionally saying, "No, you're making that up!" only to be reassured that it was indeed true, or to hear Suki admit that there was a bit of exaggeration, while Toph and Sokka scoffed or groaned.
Katara grabbed the airship trio when the story was over and held them close.
"I had no idea how close we were to losing you guys!"
Aang's face was cast with a look of concern. "I'm so glad you turned out okay; I never would've—" He stopped himself and joined the second group hug of the evening.
"Hey, hey, we're fine now, and that's all that matters!" Sokka protested into his sister's hair.
Katara eventually pulled away. "You're right," she said, eyes shiny from welling tears. "I just... love you guys so much. We're family."
"We're more than that—we're Team Avatar!" Sokka grinned. "But for the record, I love you all."
"Same here," Toph added.
Suki and Aang murmured agreement as well.
Eventually the conversation slowed down as eyelids around the circle began to droop, and the group laid down again.
Everyone fell asleep under the stars, next to the people they loved most in the world.