Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or its characters.

39

"Hello?" Sokka called into the empty apartment, tossing his keys into the bowl by the door with a loud clatter. "Anyone here?"

A thorough, resounding silence answered him, and he checked is watch. It's Wednesday, he remembered. Suki and Katara had class, and Aang had the first of his bi-weekly torture sessions with Mrs. Morishita. Sokka, for once, had the apartment all to himself.

He wandered into the kitchen, desperate for a snack. Construction work- even part-time construction work- left him starving after every shift. The politician's of Ba Sing Se seemed to want every road in the city repaved every six months. And there were an absolute fuck-ton of roads in the city. It was heavy, hot, smelly work, and he worked up an appetite every time.

As he shuffled into the kitchen, a massive bouquet of pink and white flowers caught his eye. It sat in resplendent glory on the dining room table, a center-piece in its own right. "Shit," he said appreciatively. "Wonder what that cost Aang." Then, he scowled. "Guy's trying to upstage me," he muttered.

Lazy strides brought him over to the table, and he leaned against the corner to read the card. "'I love seeing that ring on your finger'?" he read aloud.

And then the realization came crashing down on him. Aang had given Katara a ring?

"No way," he breathed. "No fucking way." Sokka paced furiously away from the table, the card clenched in his fist, crumpled, but he didn't care. "Nope. Uh-uh. This is where I draw the fucking line."

Not typically prone to outbursts of extreme emotion, Sokka leaned against the edge of the table, knuckles white with strain. He needed to think. Despite the overwhelming urge to sprint to the gym and confront Aang immediately, this was one situation that needed to be handled tactfully. Obviously, based on the card and flowers, Katara had accepted a ring from Aang. The last thing he needed was Katara getting angry with him for interfering, and then eloping with Aang just to spite him. Which, he could absolutely see his sister doing. Katara was typically mature, but, for some reason, when it came to her brother, she occasionally took on the characteristics of a petulant child.

"Okay, I'll just ask Aang," he said a bit wildly. "That's what I'll do, I'll just ask them about it. It doesn't need to be a big thing. It could be, like, a promise ring or something."

But he'd never heard of someone dropping that kind of money on a bouquet for a promise ring- especially someone as thrifty as Aang generally was.

"Fuck," he breathed. "This could get messy."

Katara leaned against the booth as she sipped at her drink, reveling in the sugary flavor.

"I told you it was good," Ty Lee said from her seat across the table, gesturing with her fork towards Katara's drink. "I can't believe you've never had it before."

She nodded appreciatively. "It's amazing. I can't believe I haven't, either."

"Are you going to finish your gyoza, Katara?" Mai asked. "That salad wasn't as filling as I thought it would be, and I'm still hungry."

Katara slid her plate over to her. "Help yourself."

"I told you the portions here are tiny," Ty Lee scolded in her sugar-sweet voice. "You never listen."

Before Mai could answer, a shadow fell over the table, and Katara looked up, distracted. It was a tiny blind girl, her hair cut short in a choppy pixie cut. Fashionable sunglasses covered her eyes.

"Oh, Toph," Mai greeted, and Katara started with surprise at the familiar name. "I didn't see you come in."

"I didn't see you come in, either," Toph answered bluntly. "But, I thought I recognized your voices, so I figured I'd come say hi."

Ty Lee shifted in her seat. "Sit down with us, Toph." She turned to Katara as the blind girl took her seat. "Toph is a friend of ours. We had a class together, but Toph dropped out recently to go to a different school." She pouted. "And we missed you dreadfully, Toph. It's so boring in that class, now."

"When you have a friend as lively as Mai?" Toph deadpanned as Mai scowled at her. The blind girl removed her sunglasses to reveal cloudy green eyes. "And who's your other friend?"

"This is Katara," Ty Lee introduced her warmly. "We've been friends since freshman year."

Toph froze. "Katara?" she repeated. "You're Aang's girlfriend."

"I am," she replied, finding her voice. "And I'm so happy to meet you. I've heard a lot about you." Katara paused, nervous to continue. "I was sorry to hear about your... circumstances, I guess. Aang's told me everything."

Toph's expressions flitted across her face, one after another. Surprise, a kind of wariness, then finally her eyes narrowed. "Did he?"

Katara nodded. "He did."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Toph assumed a guarded expression, and Katara fell silent, contrite. Perhaps Toph hadn't wanted that information shared.

"I'm sorry," Katara said softly. "I hope that wasn't rude."

Toph snorted, waving her hand dismissively. "It's not that. I was just surprised to hear Aang told you everything."

"We don't keep secrets," Katara answered.

"You know Aang?" Ty Lee asked Toph.

Toph cocked her ear toward Ty Lee. "Yea. We've been friends for a while." She laughed, and turned back to Katara. "Well, I'm relieved he's told you everything. You seem to have taken it rather well, all things considered."

Katara blinked. "Why wouldn't I?"

Toph shrugged. "Some people don't like it when you say you're in love with their boyfriend."

Mai's fork froze on its trajectory to her mouth. Ty Lee's eyebrows raised so high that Katara feared they would disappear into her hairline.

All Katara could do was emit a nervous chuckle. "I'm sorry, what?"

Another series of expressions crossed the blind girl's face, finally settling with alarm.

A/N: should have fuckin told her