A/N: Eh, not my best work, but hope it's enjoyable anyway.

Romantic Secrets

They sat together on a large, smooth rock amidst the palm trees in the starlight. The sand stretched out in front of them to the ocean where gentle waves whispered in and out. Sokka sat hunched, forearms resting on his knees looking at the sand through half-closed eyes.

"I guess I sorta owe you an apology," Sokka began.

Suki didn't say anything at first, looking at him with gentle eyes. Finally she spoke, "Why do you say that?"

"I never really told you about Yue and me. I mean, I sort of did, partly. It's just that it's so… I mean, it's hard for me to talk about it. She sacrificed herself and turned into the Moon! You saw the play; they pretty much got that part right. I didn't want her to do it; maybe I didn't care if all waterbenders everywhere lost their power permanently or if the Fire Nation won the war—I wasn't exactly thinking clearly. I just—maybe there could have been another way, but we didn't have time—Maybe it was the only way."

He sighed heavily and glanced sideways at Suki. She was still there and she looked…understanding. He continued, "It was complicated. She was the princess. We don't really have royalty in the Southern Water Tribe. I mean, my dad's the Chief, but no one's ever called me and Katara 'prince and princess.'" He grinned ruefully at the thought. "Anyway, she was actually engaged to this other guy, and he was a total jerk! But for some reason she felt marrying him was what was best for her people. In the end, I don't even know what happened to him; if he survived the battle, he probably just moved on to some other girl. It's not like he actually cared about her. All he cared about was 'scoring points' with the Chief—he actually said that, can you believe it?"

"He really does sound like a total jerk, Sokka."

"Exactly! Anyway, Yue and I…we only kissed twice, and once was after she had turned into the Moon Spirit. The thing is, Suki, even though I'll never forget Yue and how I felt about her, I love you, and I hope you aren't mad at me."

"I'm not mad, Sokka; I'm glad you told me. I think…maybe I understand you a bit better now. It was just a bit surprising finding out that way, from a play; it sort of felt like I was the last person to know and in a way, it made me wonder if I really knew you at all."

"Hey." Sokka slid off the rock and knelt before her, taking her hands in his. "You know me. Actually, I'm a pretty simple guy—no big mystery. And I'm pretty sure I don't have any other romantic secrets you don't already know."

She grinned down at him. "You're 'pretty sure'?"

"Well," he said with a blushing grin, "you might not know just how badly I want to kiss you right now."

"If it's anything like how much I want to kiss you, I think I have a pretty good idea."