Disclaimer: Sukka does not belong to me...but I love it. :D
A/N: Again, inspired by that world of brilliant insanity, the ASN Couples thread. When someone brought up the idea, How do Sokka and Suki make up when they fight?
Apology
She looked up from her cup of tea at the knock.
Her heart squeezed, and then beat faster. There were many people it might be.
But she knew who it was. She didn't know how, she just knew.
She debated whether to walk to the door slowly, or to run across the room and throw it open. In the end, she managed a slightly shaky walk, her heart still thumping a nervous rhythm.
What was she going to say?
She reached for the door handle, her fingers seeming to take an eternity to grasp it. Taking a deep breath, knowing somehow what she would find, she pulled it open.
She couldn't meet his eyes, not right away. She looked first at his feet, clad in simple boots. Then his legs, then his torso. Finally, her eyes stopped at what he held in his hands.
It was a wood carving, a tiny figurine that had been painstakingly etched and scratched at. She thought it might be a snake, or perhaps an Unagi, because of the misshapen bulge on what she assumed was its head. Whatever it was, it was, to put it kindly, extremely roughly done.
The sight of it made a powerful emotion rise in her throat.
What was she going to say?
She knew what she wanted to say.
She wanted to tell him how still the air was without his laughter. How boring it was to walk into a room and know she would not see some outrageous scene involving him before her. How empty her skin felt without the gentle, casual touches he brushed on her neck or cheek whenever he passed. How big the bed felt without his solid presence helping to fill it up, and hauling all the blankets to one side. How quiet it was at night without the soft, mumbling snores he made in his sleep. How wrong it felt to be the only one training in the dojo, her grunts of effort echoing off the walls into lonely silence. How she would find herself assembling the ingredients to make one of his favorite Water Tribe dishes, or waiting for one of his absurdly bad jokes to fill a long pause.
But that was too much to say in just one moment, and she could never have forced it out anyway.
She looked at his face.
Blue eyes that sparkled with apology and inquiry at the same time. A guity and hopeful dip of his shoulders. A small, hesitant grin that was humble...and knowing.
Blast him. He already knew, was already so sure of himself. But that didn't change her response.
She rushed him in a single burst of movement, not feeling the slightest hint of shame for her enthusiasm. He gathered her in his arms with equal eagerness, and she closed her eyes as she pressed her face into his shoulder and savored the feeling of being close to him again.
Sometimes three days felt like a long, long time.
They stayed in their embrace for some minutes, and then Sokka eased her gently away. She gave him a warm, welcoming smile. Then she slid the carving out of his hand.
"It is an Unagi, isn't it?" she asked, holding up the misshapen form.
His answering grin sent warmth flowing to every part of her; the smallest things she did had the power to make him happy.
"See? You're getting better at guessing."