A/N: everyone hates pointless overdone game fanfiction like this. worse, of course, are pointless overdone author notes. thanks for reading. :)

"I've never… broken a bone!"

"Seriously? I thought you were clumsier than that, Sokka."

"Hey!"

"If I healed it right away, does it still count?"

"I think so."

After fleeing from the Western Air Temple, winging their way inland, and setting up camp (or rather, house: you had to hand it to the royal family, they knew how to pick a vacation spot) on Ember Island, the kids were winding down after a day of flight. They'd been milling about the courtyard, watching Zuko teach Aang how to set up a campfire. Until Suki decided to turn in early.

Immediately, Sokka found himself bored. Pacing near the firepit, he cracked a couple of jokes about jerkbending and hotmen and was utterly ignored for his efforts. Just then, his ingenious young mind came up with something. An extraordinary idea! "I've got it!" he had said to Katara and Toph, who'd been sitting lazily on the steps. "We should play a drinking game!"

The others didn't appreciate his brilliance.

"A drinking game? Sokka, we're all underage!" Katara shot a meaningful glance at Toph and Aang in particular, who, despite all their bending prowess were still, y'know, twelve years old.

"But we're in the Fire Nation. They like to burn stuff! I'm sure kids around here toss it down all the time!"

"There is no way we're doing something as stupid as getting drunk just because you're bored. Go to bed!"

"I doubt there's any alcohol here anyway," Zuko added, scowling. Then again, he was always scowling. Sokka knew that underneath that frowning face was an eager volunteer just waiting to be exploited. He slung an arm around his grumpy buddy's shoulder.

"We don't even have to have drinks then!" he drawled, pulling out all of the suave and manly he could muster. "All we need is a little bonding time. A chat around the campfire. Some entertainment. Come on, Zuko, even you've gotta lighten up sometimes."

Zuko shrugged Sokka off with an irritated exhalation. Sokka's face fell with his arm. "I don't play games when there's a war to fight."

"For all the time we've spent together, I'd have thought you would've been won over by my charm by now. " Sokka placed a hand over his heart, sighing. "It's too late for Aang to keep practicing anyway."

"I'd be happy to play a game," Aang offered mildly, but Katara and Zuko each shot him a look. He returned to his firebending.

"See what you're doing?" Sokka said, taking the offensive. He rushed to Aang's side and laid his palm on the boy's soft, bald head. "This kid's the Avatar. He doesn't get to play. Don't you want Aang to grow up with sweet childhood memories? No offense, but we don't want him ending up like you, Prince Jerkbender." Aang looked up at him indignantly, considered for a moment, and apparently decided it was worth playing along.

"I think a game's a great idea. We haven't had many chances to wind down and relax together for a while. Between fighting, and running, and everyone taking their trip with Zuko-" the scar-faced needlebritches in question twitched an eyebrow almost imperceptibly "- we all need a break." Aang glanced from friend to friend. That's my boy, Sokka applauded mentally. Turn on that Airbender charm.

Katara was obviously starting to crack. It wasn't as if she'd had a reason to protest in the first place, with the actual drinking component a moot point now. Sokka crossed his fingers. Please say okay, please say okay-

"Okay," she conceded. YES! "We all deserve a break."

"Hold on," Toph interjected. Sokka had almost forgotten she was there, she'd been so uncharacteristically silent and uninvolved. "They do have a point. Aang needs to be ready for the comet."

"It's after dark." Sokka waved his hand disdainfully. "You can practice your magic with him all you want tomorrow."

"Oh, you're right, Sokka, we can't make him train after dark! What if he trips over a tree branch?"

"Now you see my po- Hey."

"This is completely counterproductive!" Zuko interrupted, practically breathing fire. "The Av- Aang needs to get as ready as he possibly can before Sozin's Comet arrives. You have no idea what he's up against. We don't have time to sit around braiding flowers and playing cards!" The campfire flared violently.

A brief silence followed his words. It was true, and they hadn't been taking the training as seriously as they could have. Partially due to the new plan, but Zuko wasn't exactly privy to that little tidbit of information. Sokka cleared his throat. "I just think-"

"As long as I don't need eyes to play, I'm in," Toph said stubbornly.

"We can spare one night," Katara agreed.

"I'll start training first thing in the morning," Aang added to Zuko.

He sighed. "Fine."

Sokka grinned. "All right!" He walked around the other side of the campfire, motioning to the others to take a seat. "Sit down, sit down, my ladies and gentbenders, Sokka Night is underway!" He flashed a grin at the semicircle of reluctant faces. "And Sokka has the perfect game in mind for the Boomerang Gang!"

"No drinking," Katara cautioned.

"It better not be cards," Toph said.

"At least he's not making us play Pai Sho,' Zuko muttered under his breath.

"Ohoho!" Sokka laughed and shook his head, waving a finger in Zuko's direction. "What I'm about to show you is more fun than any game of Pai Sho."

"Get on with it, Snoozles."

"Right, right, right." Sokka cleared his throat loudly for dramatic effect. Katara continued to stare blankly in his direction, Zuko kept glancing at the doors, Toph yawned, and Aang was playing with the pebbles by his shoe.

"Never, never, have I ever."

The pebbles stopped moving.

Zuko looked over.

"What?"

"That's the name of the game!" Sokka rubbed his hands together excitedly. "'Never, Never, Have I Ever.'" He beamed. The crowd was still not sharing his enthusiasm.

"Isn't that, y'know…" Katara began hesitantly. "…A girls' game?"

"Since when do games have genders?"

"You were always trying to take my dolls."

"I needed soldiers to fight the Fire Nation, Katara."

"Playing dolls is playing dolls."

"Quiet!" Toph interrupted them. "Just explain the game for us not-girly people and get on with it."

"I'm not-"

"Sokka!"

"Fine, I'll explain the game." As he scurried around, picking up some of the pebbles lying around the courtyard, Sokka mused – did he still have that fake beard somewhere? Wang Fire was a respected fellow. Girly, my boomerang! She's just jealous. He counted out five stones for each member of the group, earning a grin of approval from Toph and a noise of surprise from Zuko. Aang and Katara sat politely together, though Sokka could've sworn he saw a laugh in the glint of his sister's eye. "As you can see, you each have five stones."

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed."

"Stop interrupting! Basically, you start off the game with 'Never have I ever something' and anyone who's done it has to give up a stone. First person with no stones left loses. Clear?"

"What?"

"Huh?"

"What kind of an explanation is that?"

"You're so bad at listening to directions, guys!" Sokka groaned. "Okay, I'll just start. We can go in order of elements. So it's me, Katara, Toph, Zuko and then Aang. That okay with you?"

"We still don't know how to-"

"Good! Let's get started then." Sokka pondered for a moment. "I've never… broken a bone!"

"Seriously? I thought you were clumsier than that, Sokka."

"Hey!"

"If I healed it right away, does it still count?"

"I think so."

"Um…"

Katara tossed one of her pebbles into the crackling fire, then poked Aang's arm and pointed at the fire. "Aang, if you've done it, you have to give up a stone. See? We've broken bones, so we lose one."

"Oh! I get it!" Aang flicked a rock of his own, bending it towards the flames. Zuko seemed to have caught on, too, and quickly followed suit. Sokka nodded and took a seat, glad to see his game was getting underway.

"Your turn now, Katara."

"Hmm…" Katara looked around the group of friends, thinking. Her expression slowly changed from a pensive frown to what can only be described as sinister. "I've never kissed a girl." Sokka cursed under his breath and relinquished a rock. Aang's eyes glazed over and he stared dreamily into the fire after dropping a pebble. Zuko threw one in fiercely and his lips tightened, his expression stony. Toph sighed and flicked her hand, sending one flying. Everyone stared at her. Zuko was the first to venture a comment.

"Toph, um, she said girl-"

"Yeah, I can hear fine."

"…"

"We were crossing the Serpent's Pass."

"What!" Sokka exclaimed. "Was that what you and Katara were doing all night when me and Suki went stargazing?"

"I was the one who said 'never have I ever,' Sokka."

"Toph, you were kissing that pregnant woman?"

"Sokka, it was Suki."

"What!"

"I thought she was you at the time -"

"Oh. Wait, what?"

"I can't see in the water, alright?"

"You guys crossed the Serpent's Pass?"

"You missed a lot, Zuko."

"So Suki was cheating on me with Toph?"

"It wasn't like that!"

"Why didn't she ever mention it then?"

"I'm ending this conversation, Sokka. It's my turn."

"I'm so confused."

"Toph liked me?"

Toph cracked her knuckles. She grinned in Katara's direction and said deviously, "I've never kissed a boy."

Katara frowned and threw a stone into the fire. She stuck out her tongue at Toph. "You did that on purpose."

Aang shrugged sheepishly and gave up one of his own. Sokka emitted a shocked noise, somewhere between a wolfbat and a chinchillapede.

"You too? You two are only twelve! You shouldn't be kissing anyone!"

Zuko said mildly, "Uh, Aang…'

"Kuzon and I were playing," Aang explained defensively. "We just wanted to try it out. And, well, we didn't have too many girl friends –"

"Kids these days are crazy." Sokka stroked an imaginary beard. "Moving on, it's Zuko's turn."

Zuko blinked. "Uh… I've never… juggled?"

The only reply to his suggestion was a circle of blank stares.

After a few moments, Aang shrugged and lost a stone.

"My turn now? I've never eaten meat."

"Aang!" Sokka's voice cracked miserably. "That's not fair. Meat is a way of life." Everyone else had tossed one without complaint, and didn't seem to be backing up his noble cause, so Sokka muttered something about lightweight Airbenders and kicked his rock away. "neverneverhaveieverbendedsothere."

"…"

"NEVER NEVER HAVE I EVER BENDED. SO THERE!"