Hi there lovely readers! I wrote this fluffy little one-shot because with Legend Of Korra: Book Three coming out sometime in the (hopefully near) future, we have already learned of the Kataang spawn, the Maiko spawn, and the Toph spawn, but not the Sukka spawn! What is up with that, guys? Where are our favorite nonbenders and all the beautiful babies I'm sure they had?! I always loved Sokka and Suki as a couple, and seeing as it's the one ship in the fandom most people can agree on (hardy har har) I wanted to write my own version of events about their kids. It's been done before, I know, but I wanted to add my own two cents to the fanfiction pile.
So, what follows is my headcanon. Also, I will include further meaning of all the children's names at the end of the story if you're interested.
Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA, only the four Sukka spawn I have created here.
Now, enough of my rambling. Without further ado, here you go:
Shattered Perceptions
Sometimes Sokka worried.
For the longest time, he wondered practically nonstop if Aunt Wu's predictions for his life would come true. Would he make his own life harder by being negative about everything all the time? Would that negative-ness rub off on Suki and... would she leave him?
He didn't know what he would do if that ever happened. His love for Suki was ten times more than, dare he say it, his love for food. And that was saying something.
After the war had ended, everything was hectic and new.
Team Avatar had to focus on raising a new world out of the ashes of the old. It had kept Sokka and Suki very busy and on their feet all the time, to say the least.
But he wasn't complaining: traveling with his girlfriend and best friends, helping to change the world was more than he could ask for. But in the years following the war Sokka began to wonder if he and Suki would ever have the opportunity to settle down, and if so, where would they? Where did he and Suki belong?
How happy would he really be on Kyoshi Island, and how happy would she really be in the Southern Water Tribe? These were all questions that needed answering.
And what about children?
For most of his young life, Sokka had always dreamed of having a baby boy.
A boy to take fishing, show how to hunt, go penguin sledding with, and eventually raise to be the chief of their tribe, just as his dad had done for him. You know, manly man things like that.
In the back of his mind he had always hoped for a boy, because he was holding onto a silly notion that boys were more fun than girls.
But then he met Suki, and bam. Everything changed.
Suki had burst into his life like a lightning bolt with her incredible warrior skills, confidence and general amazing Sukiness. With Suki, he realized just how much bigger the world was than he had previously thought. So of course, he fell utterly in love with her.
He had never met a girl quite like her before, and his perception of girls was forever completely shattered beyond repair.
But in a good way. Years down the road, Sokka couldn't have been more glad that old perception of his had been shattered. Okay, maybe he used to have some pretty sexist tendencies. But Suki and Katara had quickly eradicated him of those back in his teenage years. With Suki, he realized that girls could be amazing warrior women as well as drop dead gorgeous.
Not to mention Suki had saved his life- if it hadn't been for Suki and a well-timed airship save, who knew what would have happened to him and Toph in their final battle with the Fire Nation. But all that was history now.
Sokka and Suki had eventually started a new life together: paving the way for benders and nonbenders alike in the newly founded Republic City. It had been scary and exciting and somewhat crazy at first, but they had managed, and the rest of Team Avatar was never far away.
Sokka made it no secret how incredibly grateful he was for Suki.
If he hadn't chosen that path with her, he might not have been blessed with four amazing children; three of them daughters. They were Avani Kya, Kyoshi, and Ekta: each as different as they were beautiful. His son Tatkret was their second born, and he was just as amazing a son as Sokka had always wanted.
By the time Ekta was born, Avani Kya was six, Tatkret was five, and Kyoshi was three.
Sokka would never forget what it was like to hold each of his children for the first time. It might have been pretty mushy of him- but they were just squishy little lumps of baby joy and he adored them.
When Suki, tired but flushed with joy, handed him baby Ekta for the first time only a few hours after her birth, he could already see that she had taken after her mother. He breathed a secret sigh of relief: he considered Suki the better looking one between them. She was Suki, after all.
Wrapped up in a soft blanket, baby Ekta had skin a tan shade between Sokka and Suki's, a puff of red hair, and happy little blue eyes. She made a strange cooing noise when Sokka picked her up and cradled her to his chest.
Babies might have been lumps of joy but they were also, admittedly, pretty strange and squishy looking. Beside him on the bed, Kyoshi had noticed this and giggled.
Kyoshi was their third child. She had short brown hair, identical to Suki's in texture but resembling Sokka's in color. Her wide blue eyes resembled Suki's and her smooth skin was, like Ekta's, a shade between Suki's and Sokka's. Sokka could already tell Kyoshi was going to be a little troublemaker for years to come, but he loved her for her spunkiness.
"Mommy, mommy," said Avani Kya curiously from the end of the bed. Their eldest child, Avani Kya was the serious one: the little healer-in-training. "Are you feeling okay?"
She scooted closer to her mother, her blue eyes wide against her dark skin. Avani Kya was tall for her age (she had taken after Sokka) and was already on her way to becoming a talented waterbender.
When Avani Kya had first bent a glass of water in front of him years ago, Sokka had been sure he was seeing things, but overjoyed nonetheless. Suki was as happy as could be with the revelation, even though it took a bit of adjusting for both of them at first. Katara had been beyond thrilled too, of course, and agreed to be her waterbending teacher without hesitation. By the time Avani Kya was fifteen there was no doubt his daughter would be a waterbending master and a great leader, and that made him incredibly proud.
"I'm feeling wonderful, Avi," Suki answered, sitting up, smiling warmly at her daughter and calling her by her much-used pet name. "Come and see your new baby sister."
As Avani Kya scooted closer, Tatkret joined his sisters and parents on the bed, looking up at Sokka. He was their most quiet child, but very intelligent.
He had also taken after Suki, with her light skin and blue eyes, but in personality he was turning out to be a bit of a younger Sokka. Sokka could already foresee Tatkret and Kyoshi getting into much trouble in future years, with Avani Kya there to scold them and keep them in line the whole time.
Even at five, Tatkret was always trying to look at the logical side of things and be like his father.
Sometimes it worried Sokka -being a role model is always scary at first, after all- but with Suki as his wife, he had found it was pretty much impossible to fail at parenting.
Now, sitting on the bed with his family of six, he felt completely at home. He thought back to what he had envisioned for his life many, many years ago.
His childhood dreams of marrying a girl from one of the water tribes and living out his life at the South Pole... all that seemed so strange now.
He grasped Suki's hand and smiled at her. That was never how life was supposed to be for him. His adventures with the Avatar and the introduction of Suki into his life had forever changed him. He couldn't go back now even if he wanted to. And he certainly didn't want to.
Sokka grinned to himself. Aunt Wu wasn't so right after all. Maybe the Universe didn't hate him as much as she thought it did.
Author's notes:
I hope you enjoyed this little fluffball of a oneshot! As promised, here are the name meanings and some further explanation of my headcanon. It's somewhat lengthy, so if you plow through it I applaud you.
Avani Kya: Avani is a Japanese name meaning earth. It's very pretty, and I can see Suki wanting to give their firstborn an Earth Kingdom name. They would have compromised by making Kya her middle name and calling her Avani Kya. I considered that Sokka would have wanted to name one of his daughters Kya, after his mother. But what with Katara having named one of her own offspring Kya, that would have posed a problem. Family get-togethers would have gotten confusing and all. And yes, Avani Kya is a waterbender in my mind. She is also the child who looks the most water tribe-ish. I am assuming that the waterbending gene runs in the family somehow and is able to skip a generation or two, sort of like eye and hair color genes work in normal families, and that it is possible at least one of Sokka's kids could have been a bender because he is related to Katara. Plus, that way much fun would be had by Auntie Katara and she is one of my favorite characters in ATLA. I think Avani Kya would be a lot like Katara; very mothering, but with an even more serious, solemn side and amazing waterbending/healing abilities. If one of the Sukka kids were to go back and live in the Southern Water Tribe as an adult, in my headcannon it would be Avani Kya. She would be a huge feminist like Katara and very instrumental in changing the patriarchal views of the water tribes, and with her very serious personality and leadership qualities she could dedicate her whole life to it. I could even see her becoming the first female chief.
Tatkret: Tatkret is a name of Inuit origin, meaning moon. I just thought this name was so perfect because I can see Sokka wanting to name a child after Yue, but being conflicted and not wanting to make Suki feel uncomfortable about it. I think they probably would have settled for a traditional Water Tribe name meaning moon. I envisioned Tatkret as being a kind of quiet and intellectual kid, like one of those people who take a while to come out of their shells, but also with a mischievous side. As an adult he would become a great leader and tactical strategist like Sokka, and be a political leader in Republic City with a big family of his own. I could see him marrying a bender from another nation, possibly Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom, and populating Republic City with more awesome biracial kids.
Kyoshi: As you've probably guessed by now, after Avatar Kyoshi. This was the first name I thought of because it just really clicks. I think Suki would have naturally wanted to give a nod to Avatar Kyoshi (she is awesome, after all, and definitely has been a big role model in Suki's life since she was very young) so it really just fit. Before Suki and Sokka finally settle down in Republic City -and even afterwards- I see Suki being the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors for many, many years to come. I think they would be a group great for keeping the peace worldwide. I see it really impacting her life and continuing to be a huge part of who she is after she marries Sokka and for the rest of her life. If one of her kids were to carry on the tradition of the Kyoshi Warriors and become a tiny ninja Suki, I think it would be Kyoshi.
Ekta: Ekta is a Japanese name meaning unity. Ekta is just a baby in this scene, but in personality I imagined her to be very bright and skilled at compromise, like Suki, as she grew up. She would become an important political leader in Republic City like her brother Tatkret. She represents the unity between Sokka and Suki. This name meaning was extra important to me because Suki and Sokka's relationship represents unity so well: they come from completely different backgrounds and cultures, and for that reason it could've easily not worked out between them. This is why I believe strongly that Sokka and Suki would have eventually moved to Republic City and settled down there. To be honest, I don't see Sokka wanting to become chief of the Southern Water Tribe until he was much, much older, if he ever did at all. Especially after meeting Suki, who I don't think would have wanted to live down there at first with some of the *ahem* attitudes of the extremely patriarchal other Water Tribe men. Also because the bay of Republic City is named Yue Bay, and I feel Sokka definitely had something to do with that. Yet Sokka and Suki have such a strong love for each other. Originally Suki is able to show Sokka some of his sexist tendencies, and once he reconciles those, she really opens him up to the world and they have a wonderful relationship on equal grounds, and I think that's a lovely story, which would result in equally lovely kids!