A/N: This is the first fanfiction I had ever written for Avatar: The Last Airbender. I made it a while back and decided to post it on here now. It's from my tumblr and my wattpad accounts. And yes, this is Sukka fluff. Hope you guys enjoy. :) I don't own anything; Avatar belongs to Nickelodeon.
An icy chill ran up Suki's spine as she swung her legs over a ledge, the crystal water rippling softly beneath her feet. The ruffling of footsteps could be heard somewhere behind her, but the person was obviously trying not to be heard.
"Sokka, I know you're there."
The footsteps stopped abruptly and Suki heard a sigh escaping the boy's lips. Sokka swung his legs over the ledge beside her, gazing at the horizon. Above the dark blue hue a silver moon was luminous, and a knot formed inside Sokka's throat like it always did when the moon was so clear in the night sky.
"There's something you're not telling me," Suki whispered, her eyes never leaving the water. For a moment, there was nothing but silence between them as they listened to the waves softly crashing against the bottom of the ledge.
"It's not that— that I don't want to," Sokka stuttered, his mouth suddenly feeling awfully dry. "It's just… complicated."
The two sat in silence for another moment, several different thoughts rushing through each of their minds.
"Sokka," Suki said as she whipped around to face the startled water tribe boy beside her. "I hate this feeling I'm getting, but it feels like you don't trust me. Like you don't think I can…"
"No, no!" Sokka interrupted, blue eyes searching the Kyoshi Warrior's face. "Of course I trust you!"
"Then why are you keeping this from me?" Suki's compassionate eyes showed a sliver of anger now. Sokka opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. He just stared at the girl in front of him as he searched for the right words to say.
"I just — it's nothing. It's nothing you, or anyone, should have to worry about."
"Sokka, bottling everything up inside isn't the answer." Suki's hand found it's way to Sokka's, their fingers intertwining. "Listen, you can't be Mr. Big-Shot-Hero all the time. Sometimes, you have to let the people who care about you help you." Sokka gazed into Suki's eyes, determined to not let her comforting looks force him to give in.
Yeah, that worked.
Sokka uttered a nervous giggle which quickly turned into a sigh as he glanced up into the night sky. Another sigh puffed from his lips, his mind scrambling to put his emotions into words.
"Well, I guess it kind of all started when I left Kyoshi Island after our kiss. We — Katara, Aang and I— were traveling to the North Pole so Katara could find a waterbending teacher. Wait… I think you already knew that…" Sokka laughed nervously again, his words jumbled up as they do when his confidence is faltering. Suki always had a way of making him fumble over his words. He cleared his throat and continued when he saw that Suki wasn't letting the subject go.
"Okay, well, we got to the North Pole, and… um, well…" Sokka rubbed his neck uneasily. "Um, I met this girl. And, I guess I sort of… maybe, fell for her. Just a little!" The teen's hands shot up in defense, as if he were trying to make Suki feel better about this 'other girl'. The Kyoshi warrior's eyebrow arched, causing Sokka to put his arms down and stare into the water, his expression solemn.
"I guess I really liked her. Yue. In fact, you two probably would've been friends… Um, so, anyway, this Commander from the Fire Nation, Zhao, showed up and wanted to kill the moonspirit so that the waterbenders would be helpless. Well, it worked. The moon was completely gone from the sky and it was… terrifying, honestly. But Yue…" Sokka glanced up at the sky, the silver pool of light shining down upon the two teens, as if Yue were listening to his every word.
"She was really strong. When she was born, the moon spirit blessed her, and so she sacrificed her life to give her people… hope again. So, now, she's the moon spirit. I guess, it's just been hard for me to accept that she's gone. That's all." Sokka heaved yet another sigh, his eyes squeezed shut, afraid to see Suki's reaction to his story. There was nothing but silence for a moment, and then…
"Wow." Suki whispered, glancing up into the night sky. Sokka's eyes shot open, staring at the girl who was biting her lip. "Sokka, she sounds amazing. And from the sound of it, you really loved her. I don't want to be the one to be break something that beautiful, you know? Honestly, I think you.."
Before Suki could finish, a pair of warm lips crashed into hers. Her eyes widened as she saw Sokka so close in front of her, and her lids slowly closed while a rush of warmth filled her entire body. When Sokka pulled away, Suki's eyes searched the boy's face, completely shocked.
"Suki, what happened can't be undone. You can't possibly blame yourself for what happened. People fall in and out of love all the time. Sure, I loved Yue, and maybe I'll always have her in my heart, but that's all. She's the moon now, and she's helping everyone in her own way. That's all that you and I can ever ask for." He gazed into the ocean, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I love you, Suki. And I don't want you to ever think otherwise."
Suki smiled too, enveloping Sokka's hand in hers. "I won't." Her gaze shifted to the moonlit sky, a silent prayer going out to Yue. "And Sokka, I want you to know that you can talk to me about Yue whenever you need to. Or anything, for that matter. It must be hard to see a loved one go away like that…"
"It was," Sokka agreed. "But I've been able to get through it because I have you." Suki glanced at Sokka, his eyes shining with genuine compassion. "All Yue ever wanted was for her loved ones to be happy, and she got her wish." Suki stared at the boy for a moment and then threw her arms around him, tears nearly flowing down her cheeks.
"I love you too, Sokka," she whispered. "And I'm always here for you, no matter what."
Sokka smiled into Suki's shoulder, holding her tightly as the waves continued to crash against the ledge and the moon shone brightly above them.