Disclaimer: This is AU in our time. And all character's belong to Nick and Mike and Bryan. This is fan-fiction, I don't make any money off of it.
Also, I'm a die hard Sukka fan, though this is not totally about Sokka and Suki, I do 'get' Yue and Sokka's relationship though.
Also a huge thanks to my beta-reader Serodezha!! YOU ROCK!!
Sokka had taken Yue's death very differently then his sister had. But it wasn't foreign to all. Arnook acted the same way. They dealt with the pain silently. Buried it deep inside of them. So when Katara suggested they have a public funeral for her at school he wasn't very happy.
"No."
"I know this is hard for you Sokka, but, I think It would be a great idea…" Katara said. And continue to 'mother' Sokka. And just like teenager's do to their mothers, Sokka tuned Katara out. Nodding occasionally but mostly staring blankly.
Soon realizing that his sister would not shut up until she got her way he said dully. "Fine, do it. I'm going to go."
It had been almost a week and a half since Sokka's girlfriend had died. Barely a month since Sokka had realized he loved her. He remembered when he told her that, she wanted to cry. "No." She said to Sokka, gently placing her hand to his lips to quite them. "Don't say that."
"But I do." Sokka said talking over the finger on his lips. "You-You know I have cancer." She paused. "You know I – I could-" She paused again and the silence became painful. "You know that I could leave you." She said slowly.
"No." Sokka shook his head. "You won't." He looked up at the stars, and then at the crescent shaped moon. "And I love you Yue. I do." Sokka declared to her under the stars. Tears fell down Yue's cheeks.
"No," she sniffed. "No Sokka. Don't do this to me. Don't-Don't make it harder to leave." Yue cried more openly. Sokka pulled Yue closer to him and wrapped his arm around her. Leaning against the tree and looking up at the moon and stars he spoke comforting words of love into her ear. And before the left to drive her home Yue was okay with Sokka being in love with her.
-- -- --
"Sorry about Yue." Someone said to Sokka during gym. "What?" He asked himself. He barely even knew him, and hardly doubted that he knew about Yue. "How did you know?"
"Oh," he pulled a flier out of his back pack. "The flier you sister was handing out. It talked about Yue. I never knew she did that much for the school and community. "
"Yeah, well, she did." Sokka said. Getting ready to leave for his last class of the day he asked the guy, "Do you think I could have the flier?"
"Sure, I'll just get another one." And he handed the flier over to Sokka. On the flier Sokka read about the many achievement's Yue had accomplished in her short life. He knew Katara had talked about doing a public funeral for Yue since Arnook dealt with her death privately. But Sokka did not expect something this big.
"If you need anything let me know." The teacher said as Sokka entered the room and sat down. Sighing, he smiled at the teacher, and realized he was going to be dealing with this for a while.
-- -- --
The gang was over to 'hang' the weekend away. Unfortunately Katara was still busy with her homework. So Sokka occupied himself by watching random shows on television.
"Sokka, have you planned what you are going to say?" Katara said as she walked out of her room with paper and pencil in hand.
"For what?" He asked without looking up from the t.v.
"Yue's service of course."
Sokka looked up at Katara. "I'm not going to say anything. I said to you on Wednesday you could do something for her. And then you went crazy and everyone has been bugging me about her. I'm not. Saying. Anything. Ok?"
Katara was a little shocked at how upset her brother got. "Okay, well, point taken. If you want to and change your mind, let me know. "
"Sugar Queen, now that you're done harassing Sokka about his dead girlfriend are we ready to start doing something fun?" Toph asked.
"Yeah. Let's go already." Aang complained.
"Okay, let's go. I'm done." Katara said.
-- - -- --
Somehow Sokka lived through the horrific following days, with people being overly sensitive to him and some being genuinely concerned. He got through it, though he wasn't sure if he was ready for tonight.
"Tonight," Katara's voice echoed through the night. "We are recognizing the loss of a friend, helper, student, and—" She thought of Sokka. "Lover. Yue was very dear to us. And it is with great sorrow that we mourn for the loss of this life. Yue was a stargazer and loved the night sky. To honor her, we are celebrating her life tonight," she looked at the moon. "Under the stars and moon. Yue was a friend of mine, she was always kind and friendly. She always tried her best and never let cancer stand in her way. She was dear to me because she also dated my older brother. I will miss her."
Katara went on but Sokka didn't listen. It was to hard. He looked at the tree he was leaning on, far away from the crowd of people honoring his dead girlfriend. He didn't even want to be here. Katara, Toph, and Aang had to drag him to come to this thing. He had beenfine until now. Now, under the stars and moon, sitting by the tree, in the same part where not to long ago he and Yue sat. It was too much. He got up and sat on a bench.
"Now," Katara composed herself, though she still was a little choked up. "Some people are going to come up and share, if you would like to please don't hesitate too."
"What are you doing back here?"
"What?" Sokka asked jolting awake.
"What's the square root of four?"
"What?" Sokka was even more confused.
"Fallen asleep in class I see. Hmmmm DETENTION!" The female voice disguised as male said. Sokka noticed his surroundings, he was still at Katara's planned funeral for Yue. Under the moon and stars. As his pupils adjusted to the darkness, he tried to recognize who was in front of him.
"You don't remember me?" She impishly said. Memories quickly flooded in of Suki and the times she's said that and they've kissed afterwards. No, he wasn't ready for that.
"Course I remember you!" Sokka said quickly. Suki sat besides Sokka on the bench.
"Not gonna talk?"
"No-I-" Sokka was at a loss of words.
"Just to hard?" Suki filled in.
"Exactly." Sokka said.
"It's okay." Suki quietly told him. "You don't have to smile all the time."
"I know." They sat there in silence, for a while. But in that silence Suki gave of herself, and talked. And in that Silence Sokka took, and listened.
"You know I'm there for you right?" Suki asked minutes before the crowed of mourners left.
"Yeah." Sokka said. "You've shown it. Thanks."
"Any time. Any time Sokka." She didn't need to say she was sorry about the death of his beloved. She didn't need to bring the conversation back to her. And the losses she's dealt with. She was real, really what he needed. And as they sat there for the funeral together as friends. Nothing more, nothing less. But who knows, maybe in time, that mutual love and 'talking through silence' would bring them to something more. But they weren't going to push it. And they didn't.
Hope I made the YueXsoka fan's content. And I tried to through hints of future Sukka. If you want I might write prequels or sequels. But mostly this stands on it's own. I think. R & R! Thanks!
