AN: Chapter 2. See? Not a one-shot. Also not a two-shot. Or more than 10. We'll see how it goes. Bee tee dubs: nudity again. No sex though cause FanFiction hates that.
As the cool night breeze caused by the docks rolls across his scraggly chin, the council representative grips the piece of paper in his left hand tighter. It rustles a bit, but otherwise remains in his grasp.
Once the breeze passes, he starts writing down some words with the pen in his right hand. As the breeze starts to pick up once more, he releases a sigh. The paper starts to flail around wildly. At the top of the page sits a single name: Sokka.
He releases the paper, allowing the not-meant-to-be poem to soar away like his messenger hawk, a letter that will never reach its intended.
Sokka sets the pen down onto the railing in front of him. Wearing nothing but a pair of slacks he puts on when it's late at night and he doesn't feel like the entire city needs to see his privacy exposed, he stands there staring out at the city he helps endure.
Heh, ain't that a word. Endure.
Sokka knows the city needs help if they're ever going to get off the ground. He thought that maybe he had things going right with Zuko, but…now that his expose has been revealed to the world, who knows where his relationship stands.
Reaching into the right pocket of his slacks, Sokka pulls out a Cactus Juice brand box. Beating on the bottom, a cigarette pops out. Once it resides in his mouth, Sokka puts the box back in his pocket. After readjusting himself a bit, his hand exits the pocket with a black zippo lighter. Flicking up the top, Sokka lights the flame.
Once it hits the cigarette, Sokka takes a moment to stare into the custom blue flame he had added in. The different colored embers rising to light the nicotine in his lungs, filling him with satisfaction that, while temporary, still rises up to meet his desires.
Sokka lets the flame go when the cigarette starts to burn more. He flips the cap back down and puts it back in his pocket. Taking a deep drag, letting the contents of his release seep into him, Sokka looks back out onto his city.
Eventually, he uses his right hand and takes the cigarette out, blowing the smoke out of his mouth.
This city…
Turning around and glancing back into the room he just vacated, Sokka's eyes peer at the abandoned desk. With the chair slightly out, his vision focuses solely on the contract located on the desk. Sato Works.
The man has just as much charisma as a Varrick, with that much more ability to actually sustain an argument. Sokka'd be lying to himself he said he wasn't considering the offer. Yue knows the city could use his help. Economics were never Sokka's strong suit, but it doesn't take a professional accountant to know the city's getting low. And there's only so much the other regions can provide.
With a sigh, Sokka takes another drag of his cigarette, his eyes flicking over towards his bed. The left side's covers are thrown over, leaving a set of pillows on one side exposed, while the ones on the opposite side remain clouded.
Taking the cigarette out, Sokka releases some more smoke that gets thrown away in the night wind.
He looks down at his cigarette before letting another sigh out.
"Can't keep that bed warm on the left side," he says.
He returns the cigarette into his mouth. Despite his preoccupied lips, he manages to squeeze out another sentence.
"With something as…cold…as a goodbye."
He shakes his head, turning his body back towards the cityscape. Keeping his eyes focused on the darkness, Sokka suddenly clenches his left fist. He stares at it for a few seconds before raising it and slamming it against the wooden railing. The cracks that form below do not faze Sokka, who uses his right hand and grabs the pen.
The cigarette remains in his mouth. As he speaks, the smoke filters out.
"Can't sign my own damn name let alone finish a fucking poem," he exclaims.
After he readjusts the pen, he tosses it off the balcony like he normally would his trusty boomerang. A boomerang he hasn't touched in months. No, he's been too focused on fucking a former enemy. And falling in love with her. And having the time of his life.
That or getting the city to stabilize itself despite the constant demands from his sister or Aang. Hell, if it's not them than Toph pops in to the fray with a suggestion for the police department. You'd think reality would strike them eventually, but no, Sokka's too damn nice for that. Fiddling with paperwork, making deals using only his charisma and charm, keeping this fucking city afloat on a piece of fishing line…
Sokka looks up at the crescent moon, shining brightly down on him. A small smile litters his face as he leans his arms into the railing.
"Always seem bigger than I remember…" he thinks aloud.
A thought strikes him.
"Uh…I mean…sorry Yue," he says.
Sokka briefly takes the cigarette out of his mouth with this right hand, flicking some of the ash off the balcony.
"I just…I wish that sometimes you didn't sacrifice yourself. I know it's selfish, and I'm sure you're tired of hearing me talk to you after a decade, but…"
His mind can't help but imagine a hand on his shoulder. A tender hand. A soft hand with a soft touch. The flickers of white hair form in the corner of his eyes, helping the image put him at ease.
"…what the hell am I doing? You'd think I would have learned my priorities after you gave yourself up, but then there was the thing Suki. with Yeah…a thing. You'd think after seven years I'd realize my issues, but nope, as blind and naïve as always, huh? Heh…Toph'd sock me for that one. She can make all the blind jokes she wants but if anybody else does then they're in trouble. Yeah…real piece of work that one. Trust me, she…uh…she doesn't get any less quiet when things get…intimate…"
The wind begins to pick up once more, the smoke from his cigarette flying around him.
"But…no…I can't blame Suki. I was too focused on getting this city up and running and she just wanted to get back out there. Of course Tai Lee needing help with the Kyoshi Warriors was just perfect timing, right? Yeah and so was Azula and I. Took me a year to even do anything let alone have the nerve to actually reserve a room alone with her. Jeez, you don't want to hear this Yue, I'm sorry. Shit—!"
The cigarette's wilted ash, still alight, touches his finger. Sokka lets it fall off the railing, descending into the dark chasm of the night.
Flexing his fingers to let the slight burn fade, Sokka looks up to the moon.
Despite his occupied mind seemingly glancing at a woman, his mind drifts towards a night with a completely different one.
"Why don't you turn around?" Sokka asks.
The genuine curiosity leaks out of him, despite his own nervousness.
Sitting on a bed with nothing but a thin sheet blocking his most private of areas, he can't help but let a goofy smile float onto his face.
In that same dinky, dirty, and danky hotel room they've been renting, Sokka stares ahead of him. With the light of the room officially turned on, Sokka's eyes are completely focused on the figure posing like a statuesque masterpiece. With both hands down, and her robe half-off, all Sokka can see are blotches of a scarred back. Where they came from, Sokka never found fit to ask. Nonetheless, what there is of it happens to be shaded by the fine ebony hair of the woman the back belongs to.
The robe remains around her waist, despite her top being exposed.
"It's alright Azula. Why don't you turn around? You have no reason to be nervous," Sokka says.
"So says the one still covered himself," Azula says in response.
"Fair enough," Sokka says.
Sokka throws the sheet across the bed, exposing his erect penis into the light. Having turned her head to look at his prior position, she now rotates it back to the door. With the heat rising to her cheeks, she can't help but feel other forms of heat descending to other areas of her body.
"Have you no shame?" Azula asks.
"Should I? I was under the impression you knew why you came here," Sokka says.
With a small snicker accompanying his sentence, Azula does not respond. She glances down to the floor, her arms shaking slightly, but otherwise not continuing to remove her own single layer.
"I mean…if…if you don't want this, Azula, it's okay. The room's already paid for, it's not like we can't try again a different night," Sokka says.
"No."
The word leaves her lips before she even has a chance to think about the situation. Upon thinking further, she regains her resolve.
"No it's fine. Just…just give me a moment," she says.
Letting a small amount of breath escape from her mouth, Azula lowers her arms, allowing the robe to float to the floor. Sokka's eyes can't help but widen, the treasure in front of him becoming too much to bare. As if defying logic, Sokka feels his pleasure growing even further.
Azula slowly turns around, the light illuminating enough of her body to keep Sokka satisfied for the evening, and maybe even a lifetime's more.
Her breasts aren't noticeably small or big, but they are certainly round. Her nipples are erect, whether naturally or through arousal, forming the center of a perfect mount for Sokka to stare out. Lowering his eyes further, Sokka rides the curves of her toned stomach before reaching the perfect tuft of black hair right above his desired location. Deciding his trip isn't complete yet, he continues on the best damn road he's ever ridden. Finding himself at those muscular legs, he sifts on down to her small feet, encompassing what Sokka can only define as perfection.
"Well…" Azula mutters.
Touring the landscape in front of him once more, Sokka exclaims his thoughts in a single word.
"Fuck."
"I know it's probably not much. I'm sure you've been with better. I've been told that while I look amazing, I'm too unrealistic—"
"Fuck that," Sokka says.
Azula's own eyes widen as she locks eyes with her companion.
"W…what?" Azula asks.
"Ignore all that shit from the outside," Sokka responds further.
Azula isn't sure how to respond. She does, however, straighten her back, allowing her body to remain stiff. Seeing her body move, Sokka twitches a bit in reaction. When she doesn't move further, he realizes she needs some more uplifting…pun unintended.
"Azula, you are quite possibly the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. From hair to feet, I have never seen something as desirable and oh my god do I desire. I swear, it's…it's everything I expected, no…more than I expected. I feel like I'm dreaming just looking at you, and anybody who says otherwise is a nightmare."
Azula takes a step forward, causing another reaction to crawl through Sokka. He twitches again, something that doesn't go unnoticed by Azula. She throws on a smirk, which itself does not go unnoticed by Sokka.
"Continue…" Azula purrs, all confidence back in full force.
"The world is a nightmare, so let me wake up and stay here. No matter what, Azula, I'll always be on your side," Sokka says.
"My side? What makes you think you should be on my side?" she asks.
She takes two steps forward, her legs spread to allow a better view at this end goal. His mouth follows suit, spreading open slightly in awe.
Sokka begins stuttering for a moment. Possibly wishing for an eternity in this room.
"Let me be on your side," he says.
As best as he could try, neither of them miss the desperate desire that flies through his voice.
"Hmm...I don't know. Are you worthy of a lady such as myself?" she asks.
Despite the obvious blush upon her cheeks, Azula lifts her right leg, placing the foot on the bed to Sokka's left. The man himself simply stares at the exposed region in front of him. He falls off the bed, landing on his knees in an audible thud.
"We'll make this our kingdom. Somewhere where good love conquers through all divides," he says.
Azula snickers a bit, holding the back of her right hand against her mouth.
"You seemed so confident and assured before. I'm impressed that I made even the mighty Water Tribe hero fall to his knees, begging for my body," she says.
"Oh my god…I'm so tired of fighting," he whines.
"Let go…give up…let go…give in…" she demands.
With no room for arguments, Sokka crawls to her, hugging her leg.
As his exposed tongue launches towards his goal, Azula's right hand stops him. Keeping it against his forehead, she looks down at him. His eyes struggle to maintain contact with his greatest desires right in front of his face, even more so when she begins to speak.
"I may not know a lot of things, but I feel it in your chest. You won't let my…what did you call it…blue flame…die, so you can't lose hope just yet. Remember Sokka…this is just once in a lifetime. I'll admit I'm scared to…"
Azula pauses, causing her visage to flicker away briefly. However, she regains it just as fast, keeping her hand against Sokka's head.
"…but it's alright. I may not know a lot of things but…this…is a surefire thing. So then…your lady awaits."
She lets his hand, allowing him to please the goddess before him.
The memory fades away while another cigarette lingers in his mouth.
That was the first time they had met in that shitty hotel. The first of many times they ravished each other.
Sokka releases the cigarette from his lips, allowing the smoke to meld into the night wind.
"I didn't even mean to start loving her, but…as sex became conversations, conversations became bonds, and…well…whatever happened…happened. Next thing I know I found another woman to love. Go figure. I still manage to fuck it up."
Sokka puts the cigarette back in his mouth.
"I thought you stopped smoking."
A voice piercing through the night. What would once be an overreaction on his part has turned into nothing but a small shrug. All the same, Sokka lowers his eyesight from the moon, instead finding the cityscape much more pleasing.
"I helped name the things, I gotta promote somehow. Besides, how the hell do you know I'm smoking them?" he asks.
The blind woman behind begins to walk closer. Dressed in the official Republic City Police Department uniform, the height of his fellow team member, as he notices, matches his.
And she's still growing too.
Why does age always favor women better than men?
"I can't see, doesn't mean I can't smell. Plus your last one almost landed on me when I entered the building," she says.
With a groan, Sokka takes the cigarette out, forcing the lighted end into the wooden railing.
"Fire on wood? Come on…" she says.
She has a smile on her face, or at least something resembling one. Sokka throws the remains to his left, uncaring of its destination.
"Why are you here?" he asks.
"What? Can't a friend talk to another friend?" she asks.
"Toph."
It's not the name that causes her to drop the fake smile, but the finality in its tone.
Toph glances over to Sokka. She has a hunch that he's refusing to look at her. Go figure. Usually avoiding somebody includes not looking at them.
"I suppose an apology won't help much," she says.
Sokka's eyes glance over at Toph. The way she spoke was quieter, not quite a whisper, but still different from the confidence she normally displays. Her head is tilted down, with her eyes narrowed. Her normally relaxed posture is stern, accentuated by her arms lying at her sides, stiff and unmoving.
"You'd be correct. I've been avoiding you because I wasn't sure how to approach what happened. Plus I didn't want to say things I didn't mean to without having time to think," he says.
"You were thinking pretty hard when I arrived. Have time to think about it yet?" she asks.
Despite her still quieted voice, Toph tries to add a goodhearted notion to it.
Something that Sokka ignores.
"It's been a day. So no," Sokka says.
More quickness. More sudden answers. So unlike Sokka. So enough to make Toph return to herself. She at least lifts her arms up, if only to wrap her hands around them.
"I know I fucked up. I could say I didn't mean to say it, but that's a lie. You trusted me and I broke that. Now everybody knows and everybody wants you gone. Well, except Twinkletoes, but he's required to take the middle road. And me, but I just feel like shit for it," she says.
"You should," Sokka says.
"Thanks," Toph retorts sarcastically.
Her eyes widen, realizing the mistake after saying it. It's a natural reaction to their usual banter.
"Wait—"
"Shut up Toph," Sokka says.
Dammit. She fucked up again.
"Look, I know how you can get. You're impulsive and can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but you never mean most of it. Still, you don't break a friend's trust unless you're in danger or somebody gets to you. I won't admit I was wrong in there. You all needed to know how far you're pushing things and what I've had to do to keep this dream alive. I'm sorry saying no to a renovation of the headquarters ruined this big plan you worked out, but taking it as an affront to you personally was a mistake. Then you added another layer by blurting the whole situation out like it was some childish 'can you top this'?"
"I…" she whispers.
"Look…Toph…I'm sure someday down the line we'll find that trust again. Yue knows we've recovered from worse…" Sokka mutters.
Toph glances up to Sokka. She can feel his heartbeat slowing down. His body is starting to calm. She can feel his muscles start to sink and droop.
Toph doesn't say anything, she just looks at Sokka. When he doesn't turn his head, she knows that expecting it to end this quickly is a pipe dream.
"I trusted you to not tell anybody, Toph. You knew how bad I had it, and I'm sorry it didn't work out, but you never wore jealousy well, especially when it involved a member of the team. If you makes you feel better I forgive you. I know why you did it and I know you'd take it back if you could. But…trusting you like that again…it's gonna take more than a day."
Toph sighs, allowing the wind to take the breath away somewhere. She can hear him go into his slacks, probably to—yep, smoke another cigarette. That's what, his fourth one? Jeez, Sokka…
She waits until the cigarette is lit and the scent flies into her nose.
Fuck it…
"Give me one of those," she demands.
Sensing a potential argument or not willing to debate it, Sokka complies. Once the cigarette is between her fingers, she places it in her mouth. Using the same hand, he lights the name brand nicotine, letting it float into her lungs. Once she has the taste of it in her mouth, she speaks.
"I'll be here. I won't just walk away from this…from you. Not again. I'll be busy with shit down at the station for a little bit, but if you need my support for anything, just let me know," Toph says.
She hears him releasing a puff of smoke. For a moment she thinks she's lost him, but once he finds his voice, she knows.
"Thank you. That means something," Sokka says.
Toph lets a small smile show. With a quick nod, she begins to walk away, the cigarette still between her lips.
His voice stops her.
"How is she?" he asks.
Toph places her left hand against the doorframe back into Sokka's room.
"She's good. She's growing fast. Not as fast as her older sister, but…she's definitely a lot like her father," Toph says.
"In what ways?" Sokka asks.
Sensing something of a smile returning to his face, Toph responds in the way she normally would.
"Lazy, annoying, naïve…endearing…funny…cute…"
Sokka releases another puff of smoke to the world.
"Just like her father…" he says to the night.
There wasn't any happiness in there, nor sadness. Desperation? Guilt?
"Hey Sokka…" Toph says.
"Yeah?" Sokka asks.
"You and Princess…is that real?"
Sokka actually chuckled a little bit, further growing Toph's smile.
"Let me put it this way Toph. I may not know a lot of things, but…" he says.
Toph looks down. She whispers something to herself, but Sokka fails to catch it.
"…I know we're…surefire," he finishes.
Neither of them say anything for a few moments.
They just let the cigarettes blow in and out, the smoke becoming one with the breeze blowing around them.
When a small rock platform bursts out of the floor, knocking Sokka's hand away and sending his cigarette flying off the edge, it leaves him staring out at the city, his eyes narrowed and mouth straight,
"That was terrible and you deserved that," she says.
When Toph leaves, both of them end up with smiles on their faces.
