Disclaimer: I find disclaimers a little bit stupid because I am so obviously not one of the geniuses that own A:TLA, and that makes me sad. But in the true spirit of fanfiction, I am adding one anyway. I do not own A:TLA even though I really REALLY want to. There. Don't make me say it again.
Only after the fourth time walking in on Suki and Sokka did Hakoda realize that he needed to have a "fishing trip" with his Son.
The first time Hakoda had walked in on them, it was easier to pass it off as an accident.
"Oops!" he exclaimed loudly as Suki and Sokka quickly jumped apart. Suki had the decency to pull down her parka and turn red, while Sokka just crossed his arms unhappily.
"Well, don't let me bother you!" and Hakoda left the igloo quickly, knowing that he had arrived at the exact opportune moment; a time early enough that things hadn't gone too far and late enough that the mood was sure to be ruined by his interruption. In Hakoda's eyes, the evening had been a success.
The next time, however, it was harder to pass it off as a mistake.
"Again?" exclaimed Sokka after Hakoda had again foiled Sokka's plans with Suki.
"Sorry, its just bad luck" explained Hakoda, while suppressing a grin. Sokka narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. Even Suki looked at Hakoda crossly, which was unusual as they were generally on very good terms.
The third time, Hakoda used dehydrated fruit to bribe Aang into going in for him. Sokka figured it out anyways.
The fourth time truly had been an accident, but by then Sokka was so sick of his father's interruptions that he and Suki didn't even bother to stop, and it quickly became too awkward for Hakoda to stay. Sokka won that round, and Hakoda knew that something would have to be done.
oOo
Sokka was seated with his arm around Suki in a circle mostly made up of 4-8 year olds, who were watching him, wide-eyed, as he recanted the tales of his adventures with the Avatar.
"… and then I pulled out my space sword, and WHAM! KICK-A-POW! CRASH! I can't tell you the details because your parents would probably…"
"I'm sure their parents would have no problem with their kids hearing about how you nearly got chopped up had Aang and I not been there to save your butt." Interrupted Katara, who was sitting a little outside the circle, with her head resting on the Avatar's shoulder.
"That's not what happened!" exclaimed Sokka as the kids around him (and Suki) giggled. Hakoda though he could see a vein throbbing in his son's temple, and though now was a good time to interrupt.
"Sokka!" he called "Come on, we're going fishing."
Sokka jumped up, eager to leave the circle of still- laughing children. Besides, fishing trips with his father made up some of Sokka's fondest childhood memories, and were an experience that couldn't be replicated when fishing with Katara, which had been the case the two years that their father had been gone.
oOo
"So…um…" began Hakoda. They had been sitting in the small, two person canoe for the better part of 20 minutes, but this was the first time either of them had spoken. Sokka remembered his father telling him "the key to being a good fisherman is staying still and silent" all those years ago. Now he looked at his father with curiosity. Hakoda began again.
"So… Suki, huh?"
"Yep" said Sokka.
There was more silence.
A fish jumped out of the water a few feet away.
"Should I try and spear it?" asked Sokka.
"No, it's too far away, and there'll be more."
The silence was longer this time.
Sokka looked sideways at his father, noticing for the first time how much older the man looked. He had never really thought of his father as old before, but now that Sokka looked, he could see the grey in his father's hair, and the wrinkles beginning to carve out his deeply tanned face. He looked away. Still, neither spoke.
Finally, Hakoda couldn't take it anymore. "You two seem to be doing well."
"Huh?" Sokka looked at his father again.
"You and Suki. You seem to be doing well together."
"Oh. Yeah." Said Sokka, as he looked back out at the water. Hakoda studied his son's face. He was no longer the innocent little boy that had so desperately wanted to be warrior. His face has matured, no longer did it have the roundness of a child. There was a thin amount of stubble along his jaw. Hakoda sighed, but he knew what he had to do.
"Look Sokka, I know that I've been getting in the way lately-"
"WAIT!" interrupted Sokka. "Did you bring me all the way out here just so that we could talk about Suki? And by Suki, I mean me and Suki. And by Me and Suki I mean-"
"Look Sokka, I know that it's awkward but it's just hard, you know. When I left you here all those years ago, you were still a little kid." Hakoda paused to think before continuing "Well, you were a little kid in my eyes anyways. Hell, you weren't even old enough to go ice dodging! And seeing you now with a girl like that, doing things that I know you're doing when I don't interrupt, it's hard on a guy. Can you understand that?"
"Actually, Dad, I do understand. It's hard to see loved ones grow up and have relationships. You start to feel less needed and you don't want them to grow up so fast, right? Like, you start to feel old?" Asked Sokka.
"Wow!" exclaimed Hakoda. "You really do know how I feel! How…?"
"Oh" said Sokka. "I've been doing the same thing to Katara and Aang."
Hakoda had never felt older.
A/N: Hello people from the internet, I thank you for reading this here story. No matter what you think of it, let me know! Seriously, even if you think that it is so bad that it is not worthy of toilet paper, tell me. Thanks!