Line by Line

Story 1: In sickness.

Paring: Sokka/ Suki

Rating: T

He hated having a cold. Hate was a word that passed his lips a lot, but it was rare he ever truly meant it. There was a time he hated anyone who allied themselves with the Fire Nation. And back then he wouldn't ever of thought that after the war had ended he would be close friends with the Fire Lord. Zuko had many good points to counter his bad though, Sokka couldn't think of anything good about having a cold.

He hated the way it made the room sway, and no matter how still he lay in bed And he hated how it made him congested, taking away the taste of just about anything he ate. Meat, the one of the many things he loved in this world, was even a victim of the flavor-theft. To add insult to injury the bitter herbs used to lessen his fever and symptoms tasted as terrible as ever.

He hated every discomfort that the cold wrought on him. He had been confined to laying in bed since last night and yet his muscles ached with every move he made. Wiping the sweat from his forehead brought a fresh complaint to mind. Being kept underneath these heavy blankets made him feel like he was being broiled alive. It was an easy enough problem to fix but sooner or later she would come back in and scold him for going against her orders. She had thwarted his plans to cool down twice already, each time reminding him that "you have to sweat the sickness out."

His hand cautiously began to remove the blanket, his eyes and ears were as alert as they could be in his condition. A few minutes away from the heat was all he needed, but luck was not on his side as he picked up the sound of her approaching footsteps.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" His auburn haired caretaker walked in with a cup of tea for him.

"A bit better I guess." He sat up, the cold was making it hard enough to speak without him laying down.

"Thats good." She set the tea down on the small table next to the bed. Bringing her hand to his head she combed her fingers through his hair. "Is there anything you I can do to make you more comfortable?"

Sokka considered his options. He had tea, and food wasn't nearly as appealing without its taste. His eyes wandered to their closet. There was that little servant's uniform they had picked up in Ba Sing Sei that they hid in there. Being in bed all day might not be as bad if he could watch her walk around in the short, green ensemble. Kicking the idea around for a bit he decided against it. He was lucky enough she took the day off of training the other Kyoshi warriors to take care of him, and he wouldn't put it past her to punish him if he stepped out of line, sick or not.

"I'm fine, thanks."

Suki left his side to fetch a book she had been reading through. Sitting on the empty side of the bed she turned to Sokka.

"You don't mind if I join you, right?"

"Of course not, but I don't want to get you sick."

"Oh Sokka," she couldn't help but to smile upon hearing concern for her. "I'm probably going to catch it anyways." She stretched her legs out in front of her. "And when I do it'll be your turn to take care of me," she pointed out.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Sokka became increasingly bored. He slid back down into bed and looked up at girl next to him. His gaze passed over every contour of her face that was available to him. He use to laugh at his sister when she would romantically fantasize about meeting a man and getting lost while staring into his eyes. Right now if you were to ask him, Sokka would admit that the eyes were the easiest place to look and get lost in. He could lose himself just by watching her sleep.

His eyes traced every line they could and began to descend. Her neck curved softly and elegantly into her shoulder. He couldn't explain it, but it always seemed warm and inviting. On many cold nights he would fall asleep with her in his arms and his face buried in that bend. On the subject of curves, he amusingly thought to himself, his eyes inched even lower. He had only looked for a second or two when the clearing of a throat caught his attention.

"Is there something I can do for you Sokka?"

His eyes returned to her face as he feigned innocence. "No, nothing at all."

"You've been looking at me for quite a while now."

"That doesn't mean I want something from you."

"What does it mean then?" She closed her book, now giving him her full attention.

Sokka thought for a minute. The answer took little time to find as he met her eyes and replied. "Maybe it means you're beautiful."

Suki blushed, she didn't expect to get a compliment from the simple question. "Sokka," she started, but was interrupted.

"And lets not forget how sweet and wonderful you are to take time out of your busy training schedule so that you can take care of me in my time of need." He was always surprised at how embarrassed his compliments make her, even after the two had been through so much together. He couldn't help but to be a bit surprised at himself as well, still doing anything he could to get her to blush or smile.

"Sokka, whats with all the sweet talking? What are you up to?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, her cheeks still tinted pink.

"Nothing, I just love your reaction to it." Despite his body's reluctance to move he lifted a hand up to brush her cheek.

"I think the sickness is messing with your head." She countered, yet her hand rose up to hold his.

"No its true, you're beautiful and kind and wonderful." He wouldn't let her dismiss the her great traits as some sort of delusion. Taking his hand back he continued on, even if the cold masked the determination in his voice. "Not only that but you're smart and strong and a great leader too!"

"Sokka, I'm not that great." She reasoned modestly.

He shuffled underneath the covers so that he could lay his head on her lap. Pausing, he waited for her to shift uncomfortably or to utter a verbal protest. When neither came he made himself cozy on his new pillow. His eyes slid shut as sleep attempted to whisk him away, however before it could take him he cleared his throat.

"You know, thats what I think. You mean the world to me Suki."

She smiled as his affectionate words threated to take her breath away. Laying a hand on his head, her fingers combed through his hair once again. She wanted to return the compliment, but decided that his rest was much more important right now. She contemplated picking up her book again. After taking her hand through his dark locks a few more times she decided that the love in her lap was much more splendorous then any tale the book could offer. In repayment for his earlier kindness she hummed a soft melody for him. It didn't matter if she was as beautiful, or smart, or as strong as he thought she was. As long as she meant the world to him.

'Hate' was a word Sokka threw around a lot. Colds and the way they seemed to distort his whole world was something he hated. But no matter how loose he was with the word it would never cross paths with his thoughts of Suki. Before he could let another thought form in his brain he drifted to sleep to the sound of her soft aria.

Nothing in the world could make him hate Suki.

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She's here to rescue me.
Clear my mind and set me free.
If it's dark, she still shines.
A masterpiece made by design.

She's here to recuse me.
Stain my mind with make believe.
If it's dark, she still shines.
She's my lady, so divine.

- "Lady So Divine" by Shinedown.

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Hey everyone, just a little collection I'll be adding to whenever a good idea pops into my head while listening to music. Review and tell me what you think! Thanks!