He does want to start all over with Suki. He does. It may be hard to look at her right now, but he still does. If he doesn't, it'll lead to more depression. Eighteen years, and he still hadn't forgot about this woman.
Eighteen years, and he learned that he had a son. Has a son.
Both the Water Tribe warrior and the Kyoshi warrior decided to go to Hong's restaurant to have dinner. It was better to end the night on more positive terms, and dinner at a restaurant is the perfect setting to have a casual conversation. Also, Sokka wants to know about Lei.
The delicious meals at Hong's take quite a while to prepare, but definitely worth the wait. After they sat and ordered their meals, Sokka decided to start up the main conversation while they wait.
"So Suki, can you tell me about our..."
"Our son?"
"Yeah, our son." Sokka felt ashamed for not being able to spit it out. He was his son, but it was hard to feel the bond if he never knew him. It's best to start to get to know him now, and work on getting that bond.
Suki herself knew that this will be a challenging task. Sokka and Lei are both amazing men, and in Suki's opinion, they would make a great father-and-son connection. However, due to the seventeen fatherless years of Lei's life (which she stills blames herself), it won't be that easy to establish such a connection.
Nonetheless, Suki was glad to give him a description of the son she loves so much. "Lei is an incredible young man, Sokka," she says, noticing she sparked Sokka's interest.
"He is kind, friendly, courageous, intelligent, and fearless. He is the type who fights and doesn't give up, no matter how hard things may get. He is the type who puts the people he loves first. It amazes me how selfless he is, and it makes me so proud," Suki stated with much content, eyes watering as she describes the son that meant the world to her, "He is also quite skilled when it comes to his katana, and he is not bad with fans himself. Ty Lee and I, as well as some of our friends, taught him many skills as he grew up. He is wise and noble, and his determination is what led him to be the proficient young man he is. He also does very well in school, and will be applying for a university soon. His grades and achievements are stellar!"
Sokka was captivated by Suki's description of Lei. His biological son is truly this outstanding? It's fascinating, but at the same time, it hurts that he wasn't there to witness the growth of such a marvelous child. Nevertheless, Sokka still was intrigued to listen to Suki's description.
"Of course, he may have some attitude if you get on his bad side," Suki continued, "He's quick to defend himself and tries to stay away from those he doesn't have positive judgments of. This is when his stubborn side shows. However, if he realizes his mistakes, he's quick to apologize and is good with his apologies too. You seriously cannot hate him."
Suki smiled thinking of her son, and it also warmed her heart to see Sokka interested in everything Suki said. Looking in his eyes, she can tell Sokka was amazed by just a detailed description of Lei. "And one last thing Sokka, he looks just like you."
While marveling over his amazing son that he'll meet soon, Sokka was surprised by the last thing Suki said. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
"A piece of you was always with me Sokka, literally. When you see him, you'll know what I mean. Judging from the looks girls would give him back on Kyoshi Island, he's quite easy on the eyes. I guess you can thank his father for that," Suki chuckled as she expressed her statement, allowing Sokka to have a small laugh himself.
"Wow..." That was all Sokka could say. A son who looks like him, with many great qualities. Sokka was excited to meet this child, yet nervous at the same time. "I hope he'll like me."
Suki stretched her arm across the table to place her hand on Sokka's that laid right next to his empty plate. Like she thought to herself earlier, it may not be easy at the moment, but she has great hope that things will end up well. Knowing Sokka and Lei's true personalities, she is certain.
"I know it will be hard at first Sokka, but I'm hopeful that you two will make it work."
Sokka can only hope that Suki's words are true.
Having the talk with the Firelord was much needed. Aang, Katara and Zuko all needed to vent about the situations currently happening as well as particular events that are bound to take place. They should be focusing on balance between the United Republic and the rest of the four nations, but instead, they're focusing on their friends' relationship and Lei. It's just more stress added to their daily lives.
Aang and Katara arrived home late, figuring Mariko had already brought the kids to bed. The couple decided to have a late night meal before they headed to bed themselves. They've been so caught up thinking about their friends that they haven't really had time to eat.
In the kitchen, Katara made some vegetable dumplings while Aang scooped some rice for two plates. There were also some left over moon cakes from the day before.
As the couple finished preparing their meals and started eating, they wondered if Suki returned home yet. Their place of residence is large, so they wouldn't know if she's here unless if Katara checked the women's dormitory.
"You think she'd be back by now?" The waterbender asked her husband curiously.
"I don't know," Aang replied, "But I think it's best we leave it be for the time being. Don't you think?"
"But what if Suki's in her room right now crying her night away? And what if Sokka's doing the same too?"
"Then it's best that we stay away from it sweetie. Don't you think they're mature enough to handle their own problems? We don't want to get caught in the fire."
Katara sighed. He was right after all. As much as she wanted to help the people she cared for, sometimes the best help you could give is to let them handle their own problems.
"Too bad no one extinguished the fire once it started."
The surprised couple turned to see their eldest son standing in the doorway.
"Bumi! You're still awake?"
"Mom, it's only nine o'clock."
Aang and Katara fidgeted. Did he hear the conversation?
"Why does it look like your dressed to go out?" Aang asked his son, trying to change the topic.
"That's because I am. I'm going out to the city again.
"With who?" His mother asked, also wanting to switch from the previous topic.
"My cousin, Lei."
And both were caught red-handed. Bumi found out. The couple and Suki planned to reveal the news later in the week, but looks like Bumi and Lei already met.
"So, you found out?" Katara asked her son, nervous to hear what he has to say about it.
"Oh yes I did. We actually met in the city at this new restaurant that opened up. Then, we ended up meeting on this island. Our home is not as big as you think you know. We were definitely bound to run into each other."
The couple could hear the sass rising up in their son's tone. They felt guilty for not telling their kids right away that their guests were actually their family members. They wanted to wait until Sokka and Suki were settled. If they told their kids beforehand, they might become curious about the subject and could possibly ask Sokka or Suki uncomfortable questions, especially Kya and Tenzin.
"It's kinda crazy you know," Bumi continued, "I have other family members out there, and I never got to know them. Especially Lei, he's a cool, non-bending dude who knows how to fight with a katana, and I never got to know him. And he's my cousin!"
"Bumi, we're so sorry," Aang stated, "We ourselves didn't know about Lei until recently. We just didn't want to tell you yet until things are sorted out first. There's stuff you don't know."
"Trust me, I know stuff. I'm not going to say anything though. All I can say is that sometimes adults needs to take serious responsibility before they start breaking hearts in the future."
Aang and Katara looked at each other with tense facial expressions. Lei probably told him about the whole issue.
"I should head out now. Lei's probably waiting for me at the dormitory. I'll be back before twelve."
"And you just left?"
"Yep. You should've seen the look on their faces."
"Haha! Who knew you can be sassy and on-point at the same time? Especially to your parents!"
"That's for keeping secrets from me, mom and dad!"
Both the young men laughed. Lei and Bumi seemed to get along really well right off the bat. They noticed they had similar characteristics: skilled in swords, a sense of humor, and charm.
Throughout the night, they fooled around with each other, flirted with cute girls, and even pranked some street thugs. They both had lots of fun and wished they got to know each other long ago. For Bumi, it felt nice to get along with another non-bending child within the family.
Finally, they both relaxed at the Republic City Park, eating pork sausages on a stick. The park was Bumi's favorite place to sit and relax. Lei doesn't blame him, because he feels the same way. It was nice being in a nature-like area within a busy city.
"So, you like it here in Republic City?" The fifteen year-old asked his older cousin.
"Of course. It's very energetic and diverse here."
"Dude, when are you going back?"
"I really don't know yet," Lei stated, "I guess it's up to my mom."
"Well I hope you're able to stay for awhile. We have so much stuff to do in this city."
"Oh yeah I'd definitely love to have more nights like this," the older cousin happily exclaimed. "The school year over at Kyoshi Island ends a month earlier than most schools, so I'm not in a rush since I'm on vacation. I do miss some friends at home though."
"Is there a special lady back at home Lei?" Bumi asked suspiciously with a grin.
Lei was surprised with his deliberate question. "Uhhh not really..."
"Oh is that so," Bumi continued with his witty tone, "Then why is it that when we flirting with those cute girls earlier, you didn't seem interested in them? I had a friend like that, and that was because his mind was sprung by some other chick."
For some reason, Bumi's comment made his heart beat a little, like he was caught red-handed or had a secret exposed. "I guess I just wasn't in the mood."
"What about that girl you mentioned? Jia?"
Lei's cheek faintly blushed. "Wow buddy! She's just a pal!"
"Just, a pal?" The younger cousin asked with one eyebrow raised.
"Yes! A really good friend of mine. Nothing more!" Lei exclaimed. For some reason, he felt like he was lying to himself.
"Mhm, alright then." Bumi knew that Lei was deceiving himself, and he chuckled as the red on Lei's cheeks lost color after some seconds. He decided to leave this topic for some other time. "For real though, I do hope you stay longer. I know we only met for a few days, but you seem mad chill."
"Thanks Bumi," Lei happily responded, "You're pretty cool yourself."
"You ready for what's to come dude?"
"You mean meeting my father that I haven't got to know my whole life? Ehhhhhhh, I can't say I'm super excited about it."
"Uncle Sokka is a really cool guy," Bumi stated confidently, "He's one of the best uncles ever."
"Now if only he was there to be the best father to me," Lei replied as he looked away.
As much as Bumi wanted to assure his cousin that his father is a great man, he knew it'll be hard. Lei had never met his own father, so he can't exactly have such positive feelings for his biological dad. In his head, he blames all the adults for this responsibility. Shouldn't Sokka and Suki be mature enough to handle their relationship back then? Shouldn't his parents, Zuko and Toph tried to help? How come no one knew about Lei? Look at the mess now.
"Try to give Sokka a chance Lei. I know it may be hard for you, and I can't feel the same way you do cause I'm not in your shoes, but I say you should give Sokka a chance. He's been a great uncle to me, so I don't see why he'll be any less of a father to you."
That's exactly what Jia tried to tell me.
Lei took a deep breath. Bumi, Jia, and even his mother tried to tell him similar things about Sokka. They're right after all. Sokka, his biological dad, deserves a chance.
"Yeah, I guess. Let's just hope he's as good as you say he is."
"Trust me, I'm positive."
Dinner at Hong's was always satisfying. The food there was hard to resist, especially anything meat-related. Aside from the meals, the conversations between them went well. At least the night ended off okay. Sokka was able to assist Suki on a public mobile and dropped her off at the ferry.
The couple wanted to start all over, and they'll do it by small steps. Even though they kissed, the word 'boyfriend,' 'girlfriend,' or 'love' have not been said yet.
Once they arrived at the ferry, they shared a quick kiss and Sokka had one final question:
"So when am I going to meet Lei?"
Suki mentally thought a suitable time, but assumed that the quicker the better. This is his son they're talking about; They can't wait it out. "How about... tomorrow?"
Sokka felt a little bit nervous, but just like Suki, he wanted to meet his son right away. "Tomorrow is good. Do you think you guys can stop by my apartment early afternoon?"
"Yes!" The Kyoshi warrior happily answered. However, she remembered one important thing, "Oh yeah, I won't be there. It's only going to be you two."
"What?" Sokka questioned as his heart started beating a little faster, "You can't come too?"
"Lei told me he wanted to meet you alone. He thinks it's the best way for him to get to know you for himself."
The Water tribe warrior felt the nerve-wrecking feeling scattering across his body. His biological son is definitely a mature one alright. As much as he wants to meet his son, he still can't fight away the paranoia.
What if he doesn't like me? What if I screw up?
Suki noticed the uneasy tension shown on his face. She quickly cupped his cheek and gave him another kiss. "Sokka, you'll be fine. Just be your casual self."
"I'll try Suki, I'll try."
The ferry blew it's horn, signaling that it's ready to depart. Suki gave Sokka another kiss and thanked him for the night. Once she hurried to the ramp, she remembered she had one last thing to say to Sokka:
"By the way Sokka, Lei said you should have the balls to meet him."
And with that, she boarded the ferry, leaving the Water Tribe warrior dumbstruck.