Sokka stared at the group of men kneeling before him as he surveyed the training room. To his right, Meili was educating the men on Fire Nation Uniforms. She spoke firmly and commandingly as she pointed to the armor's weak points.

Surprisingly, the men were listening to her attentively, undoubtedly impressed by all the knowledge she had taught them over the last week.

Sokka was moving the armor fastened to the stand as Meili talked and pointed to various parts of the uniform. Even though the armor was around eighty-five years old, it was still helpful for demonstration purposes.

"Every soldier has to move," Meili spoke, pointing a long spear towards the back of the uniform. "That's why the joints need mobility, especially in thick armor like the Fire Nation's."

Sokka spun the armor stand around, allowing the men a full view of the back of the uniform.

"Where the knee bends, you can see the back of the armor compensating. See this opening here?" Meili questioned, pointing to the defenseless area in the back of the leg armor. "Your chance of hitting the enemy is much higher if you aim here."

One man rose a hand. "So anywhere you need to bend your body in the armor is weaker?"

"Yes and no," Meili answered. She pointed to the shoulders. "The Fire Nation doesn't wear shoulder spikes anymore. The arm and chest plates have become more streamlined to protect from direct attacks. These joints are protected, so never go for the direct attack."

"So, we start with the frontline?" another warrior asked.

"More often than not, the soldiers lead with their firebenders," Sokka added. "The frontline of a squad will be the benders. They are the distraction for the ones with weapons in the back."

"Fire may burn, but a knife in the heart is what will kill you," Meili spoke gruffly. "You never want to go for the frontline with an obvious attack. They will bait you into attacking the benders. If you're not a waterbender, your odds of surviving are low."

"So … the goal is to split up the diversion? We take out the armed soldiers in the back while the waterbenders focus on the frontline?" one of the tribesmen questioned.

Sokka gave him a thumbs up. "Bingo."

General Tahnuk clapped from the audience, getting up from his spot on the floor to join the two teens.

"Nice job, you two. I think we gained some valuable information today," General Tahnuk said proudly. He clapped his hands together loudly. "Training is done for the day, warriors. Rest up for our sparring sessions tomorrow!"

At that announcement, the group of tribesmen dismissed themselves, getting up from their spots and packing up lazily.

"Your lesson was very thorough today, Brother Sokka and Sister Meili," General Tahnuk smiled, approaching them as the rest of the group began to leave. "I am feeling very confident in our progress."

"It helps when your audience is receptive," Meili replied. "It's nice to see so many people working towards a common goal."

"And we still have about two weeks left," Sokka added. "Those Fire Nation geeks won't know what hit them."

General Tahnuk laughed heartily, holding his stomach. "I hope you're right, Brother Sokka. Enjoy the rest of your night, you two."

"Thank you," they said in unison, bowing at their elder.

When they rose, the man was exiting the training rooms, leaving Meili and Sokka alone.

For the past week, Meili had been avoiding him like the plague. Besides the daily teachings they did together, they hadn't spoken much. However, it wasn't like Sokka hadn't been trying to.

"Hey, you want to go grab some early dinner with me?" Sokka spoke. "Princess Yue said there was this sushi stand near the palace she really likes."

Meili fought the urge to roll her eyes. Sokka's friendship with Princess Yue was a new development that Meili found irritating. To make matters worse, Sokka loved talking about their adventures.

"No thanks. I'm probably going to wait until Princess gets home."

Meili grabbed her bag, slugging it over her shoulder before moving to leave. Sokka quickly scrambled up his belongings before hustling back over to the girl.

"You know, you've been spending a lot of time with my sister lately," Sokka stated, falling into step with her. "Why's that?"

Meili stomped forward on her way out of the training grounds. "We share a room."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "C'mon, that's not why. You follow her around like a lost puppy."

"What? I do not," Meili objected, scowling.

"You totally do. And I think you took over Aang's position because he's been a little mopey lately."

Meili hit the boy in the shoulder without missing a step. "Maybe he's mopey because his roommate is an obnoxiously annoying idiot."

"I never said there couldn't be two reasons," Sokka grinned.

Meili ignored him as she continued walking, but the boy couldn't take the hint to stop talking.

"Let's just go grab some sushi. I bet it's way better than the kind Gran-Gran makes in the South Pole. Besides, Katara won't be back for another hour or two, so you wouldn't be able to follow her around anyways."

"I do not follow her around!" Meili defended.

"I didn't hear a no," Sokka said in a sing-song voice.

Meili scowled. "If I go with you, will you leave me alone for the rest of the night?"

"I won't make any promises."

Meili sighed. It was worth a shot.

"Alright, Ponytail. Lead the way."

Even though the boy was irritating her, she couldn't deny the rumble gurgling in the depths of her stomach. Meili had also never heard of sushi before, so she was interested in trying it out.

Sokka stayed glued by her side, his steps matching her own, as they made their way towards the palace. Instead of it being a relaxing stroll towards dinner, Sokka was making the trip an annoyance. Every time they passed something cool, fascinating, or beautiful, Sokka had to let Meili know – because Princess Yue had shown him around the whole city.

While there wasn't anything wrong with Princess Yue, constantly hearing about her from Sokka was grinding Meili's gears.

She tried to ignore the boy as they walked side-by-side, but she subconsciously found herself stealing glances at him when he wasn't looking. He was wearing a thinner coat than usual, probably because they had been in the insulated training room all day. But that left more of him exposed, especially his hands that were currently ungloved.

She watched as his hand swayed loosely by his side, his fingers long and slender. She swallowed roughly before moving her gaze back up to the side of his face, only to see him staring directly at her.

Quickly, she averted her gaze away, feeling as though she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have. But it wasn't like she did anything wrong; all she had been doing was looking at Sokka's hand. That wasn't a crime, right?

However, as they continued to walk, she felt the knuckle of Sokka's pinky graze against her own, sending a strange sort of tingle through her arm. Meili sucked in her breath, knowing their hands just accidentally touched, which wasn't a big deal.

Until it happened again.

And it all came flooding back to Meili as to why she was keeping her distance from Sokka. Even the tiny brush of their skin was enough to make her face go ablaze, muddling any and all thoughts she had.

She tried to ignore it, but she was now painfully aware of just how close they were to each other. Close enough to touch fingers, close enough to smell the scent of Sokka's skin, close enough to hear the soft huffs of him breathing.

Thankfully, they soon arrived at the sushi stand, saving Meili from any more embarrassing thoughts bouncing around in her head.

Manning the stand was a kind Northern Water Tribe man who was currently slicing up what appeared to be an octopus.

Meili peered over at the wooden cutting board, her eyes skeptical. "So, um, what exactly is this?"

Her eyes continued to scan over the small prep space filled with vegetables, seafood pieces, and a large pot of steamed rice. Sokka waved at the man before grinning, pointing to the food prepped in front of them.

"Oh, so sushi is basically rice and seaweed wrapped around raw fish. Gran-Gran used to make it with blubbered seal, which wasn't too good." Sokka's face scrunched up as if remembering the taste. "But sometimes, my dad and the other warriors of our tribe would bring back halibut, and that was always good with sea prune sauce on top."

Meili's faced mirrored Sokka's with a disgusted expression, but she quickly hid it when he turned back to face her.

He smiled. "So, what kind of fish do you like? Personally, I like the darker fish. Or squid even!"

Meili looked at the owner of the sushi stand and then at the sliced seafood and vegetables.

"I've actually never eaten raw fish before."

Sokka looked excited, grinning a dorky grin as he puffed out his chest and jerked a thumb toward himself. "Leave it to me, then! I'll pick you out something good!"

Meili breathed a quiet huff of air as he ordered for them. He even paid for the meal, which Meili hadn't expected.

The coins were blue in color with a thick hole in the center, different than the typical Earth Kingdom currency she was used to seeing. She briefly wondered if he kept the money from his time in the Southern Tribe or if Princess Yue had just loaned him some coins.

Thinking of the princess made her stomach feel temporarily sick.

But the feeling went away as Sokka flashed her a bright smile, grabbing ahold of their plates once the chef was done preparing the meal.

Sokka nudged his head over in the direction of a bench positioned atop one of the canal bridges. "C'mon, let's go eat."

Meili followed after him slowly and copied his actions as he sat down on the bench. He passed her the plate and a pair of chopsticks while she examined the meal.

"So, I got you something pretty simple," he smiled widely, gesturing to the roll with his chopsticks. "Inside is just cucumberquats and sea crab. I got the same thing because crab is usually super expensive, so I've never tried it! At least, down in the Southern Water Tribe it's expensive... Oh! And the chef guy put a special sauce on top. It looks good, right?"

"You sure are talking a lot today," Meili noted, but weirdly, she found she didn't quite mind it. "But… yes, it does look good."

Sokka blushed, coughing to clear his throat. "S-Sorry, I'm just a little excited. I like showing you the things in my culture. I mean, only if you're interested in learning about them, which, if you're not, I totally understand—"

"Ponytail," Meili interrupted, cracking open her chopsticks. "Thanks."

She didn't know why, but his earnest blabbering made her smile softly, even if the behavior was odd. She wasn't used to seeing him so all over the place, especially when, most of the time, his actions were very… deliberate.

Sokka seemed to almost breathe a sigh of relief.

Meili looked at the food placed before her before grabbing a piece of sushi with her chopsticks. It was circular in shape with rice encompassing seaweed filled with red crab meat and green cucumberquats. The sauce on top was brown and smelled faintly of pickled fish.

She took a bite but found that the roll broke apart in her mouth afterward.

Sokka, who had been watching her every move, shook his head. "You have to eat it all in one bite, or else it's going to fall apart all over the place."

"You couldn't have told me that before I ate it?" Meili questioned with a deadpan, trying again.

It was good – different than the standard beans and bread of the Earth Kingdom. The crab was salty and soft, with a hint of sea flavor without the fishy aftertaste. Perhaps that was just how the ocean tasted: salty and sweet with a little bit of brine.

"So, how do you like it?" Sokka questioned. His expression was comically eager, eyes wide and smile large.

Meili nodded, swallowing her bite. "It's good. A lot better than I expected."

Sokka felt overwhelmingly proud of himself. Not only had he gotten Meili to go out with him, which Princess Yue said was the first step in winning her over, but he also picked out something she liked to eat.

He beamed proudly. "I'm glad you like it."

They continued eating in silence, mainly because Meili didn't have anything to say. Avoiding him had been going well, and this was the first time in over a week that they had been exclusively alone with one another.

But truthfully, Meili couldn't fully enjoy the sushi because her mind was occupied with trying to drown out Sokka's presence.

Despite him looking dorky, shoving the sushi in his mouth when the roll was obviously too big, she found that he looked weirdly cute. Meili thought, maybe, that he had grown slightly since she first met him: the planes of his shoulders were looking wider, and his gaze looked down at her from a little higher.

His hair was a little shaggier, growing past than the usual side stubble. The dark brown locks were lustrous, reflecting the last flickers of daylight. A fleeting thought crossed Meili's mind to touch it.

"You're already done?" Sokka asked, the words jumbling out chaotically as he attempted to simultaneously talk and eat.

'Just focus on him eating,' Meili thought to herself, drowning out the vision of his golden skin and his wooden aroma in favor of watching his messy eating behaviors. She couldn't find someone attractive if rice was flying out of their mouth, right?

Meili sighed as Sokka swallowed the large bite, but a tiny grain of rice was glued to the corner of his mouth.

"You, uh, have something on your face."

"Where?" Sokka questioned, rubbing his hand on his cheek.

"No, it's on your mouth … on the left side," Meili directed, and the boy wiped the wrong side. "Your other left!"

But despite her coaching, the boy just couldn't seem to wipe the sticky grain of rice away.

Meili rolled her eyes, rubbing the grain of rice away without even thinking. However, the moment she touched his face, she immediately knew she messed up.

Meili's thumb paused on the corner of Sokka's mouth, lingering on the piece of rice that soon fell to the ground beneath her touch. And her once annoyed gesture turned soft, hesitant, as Sokka's eyes flicked downward to stare at her hand.

Sokka's lip turned upward, and his eyes sparkled playfully. "Don't roll your eyes at me. I would've gotten it eventually."

Meili jerked her hand away, clearing her throat aggressively. "At the rate you were going, it never would have left your face."

He stared down at her small pout, transfixed by thumb that was once on his lip, which was now tucked away into her lap.

"You know," Meili said quietly, "this morning, I was thinking about our conversation from the other night."

"The one we had with Aang about how ugly Zhao's sideburns are?"

Meili sighed, "No, not that one. I meant what we talked about on Appa. Before we got to the Northern Water Tribe."

"Oh?" Sokka questioned, and then the night re-registered in his mind, causing him to smirk. "Oh … you did, huh?"

Meili blushed furiously. "Not about anything weird!"

"Then what were you thinking about?"

"Well," Meili trailed off, pulling her hair over to one side of her neck. She twisted it around nervously, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Never mind ... You're going to think it's stupid."

"I invented stupid," he grinned. "Try me."

Meili swallowed roughly. "Remember how we were talking about your childhood after the raid? Well … this morning … I thought about how we really don't know that much about each other. I mean, we know a few things, but…"

"I know what you mean," Sokka agreed. "Is there something, in particular, you want to know?"

"No! You're just … weird, and sometimes it reminds me that … you're still kind of a weird stranger to me."

"I'm a weird stranger that just bought you the best dinner of your life."

Meili rolled her eyes, lightly hitting him in the arm. "Okay, stranger."

Sokka stretched out along the bench, sprawling his arms along the top of it. Meili wondered if he was trying to look suave, and she ignored the closeness of his hand behind her head.

"I mean, you can ask me anything you want. I'm pretty much an open book."

"I don't have any specific questions to ask you… I was just saying that I don't know much about you."

"So, you're curious about me, huh?" Sokka smirked.

Meili resisted the urge to be riled up by his actions. "You know, forget about it. It was a stupid thought, anyway."

"No, no, I'm just messing with you," Sokka reassured. "Here, how about we each share something about ourselves – something not a lot of people would know."

Meili bit her lip. "I don't really have anything like that," she lied.

"I'll start – just to give you an example." Sokka paused for a moment, thinking, before suddenly sticking out his tongue and licking the tip of his nose. "I can do this!"

His words came out jumbled and incoherent, eliciting a small snort from Meili.

"A lot of people don't know you can do that?"

Sokka put his tongue back in his mouth, grinning superiorly. "Just the Southern Tribe. My dad can do it, too."

"Interesting trick." Meili found her eyes glued to his mouth.

If Sokka noticed, he didn't say anything. "Alright, you next."

"I don't have something weird like that," Meili said almost distastefully, "but … um … I guess I can kind of juggle. Not for a long time, but I can kind of do it."

"That's neat! You'll have to show me sometime."

"Maybe," she mumbled, her gaze falling down into her lap. "Your turn again."

"Right," Sokka nodded. He paused, deep in thought, before opening his mouth to speak again. "When I was little, I was really afraid of the dark. I think I slept with my parents until I was like eight."

"Oh, so that's who I hear crying in the middle of the night when we're sleeping."

Sokka deadpanned. "Ha ha, very funny."

"I've never been afraid of the dark, but snakes really freak me out," Meili confessed, stealing glances at the boy. "I don't really care about bugs, but snakes are just … blegh."

"My favorite color is blue," Sokka stated.

His eyes suddenly captured Meili's attention, drawing her gaze to the sapphire orbs. The streetlights shimmered in the reflection of his eyes, and Meili felt her breathing hitch just slightly. "Mine too."

He hummed. "Dark or light?"

"Think more like … ocean blue," Meili elaborated, her gaze not once leaving his.

"Hm, I like that shade of blue, too."

Meili shifted her gaze away.

"My birthday's August nineteenth," Sokka piped up.

"Mine's January tenth."

"You're older than me?" Sokka screeched.

Meili rolled her eyes. "Is it really that much of a surprise?"

A comfortable silence hung around the air, and both teens seemed to subconsciously glow in each other's presence. However, Meili's eyebrows suddenly twisted downward, her face contorting into a frown.

"I… I don't know how to read."

Sokka faltered, caught off guard by the sudden statement. "Huh?"

She looked away. "Yeah, um, it's a little humiliating, so I haven't said anything about it before."

"You mean, you can't read … at all?" Sokka repeated. "Like at all at all?"

Meili shook her head, hiding behind her hair. "Nope. Growing up in the orphanage, younger kids would get priority over us older ones. And as I grew up, I kind of got pushed to the side. I never really needed to read, though, because I would have Jai read to me. But I always thought it must be nice."

"Hold on, I thought you didn't meet Jai until you were like eight?"

She looked at him pointedly. "Actually, I was eleven."

"Someone never read you a book until you were eleven?"

"I would look at the pictures on my own, so that kind of counts."

Sokka was confused. "But you knew about the Fire's Day Festival in that Fire Nation colony. You were reading the poster."

"It's the same poster every year… and Singhai is the largest Fire Nation Colony in the Earth Kingdom. It was common sense."

It was silent for a moment, and Sokka's brain seemed to rewind every interaction he had with Meili.

She never bought the group provisions during their travels, probably because she couldn't read the prices. Meili always showed the group roadsigns and kiosk stands, waiting for a translation. She never read Aang's map during their travels...

Sokka paused, his mind flashing back to Bato and the abbey.

"So, back when we were at the abbey," Sokka spoke hesitantly, even though he already knew the answer, "you really had no idea about the map leading to my father?"

Meili shook her head. "Not a clue."

Sokka's conscience suddenly filled with regret, once again remorseful for his actions. Back then, she never knew what the map said, and she never knew the map would keep him from his father. All she wanted was for him not to leave.

"I know I already apologized before but, I'm sorry – for not believing you back then and blowing up like I did."

Meili looked away shyly. "I already said I forgive you."

"I want you to know that I really mean it."

He was genuine with his words, Meili knew because his tone sounded soft and feeble, as if his voice were on the brink of cracking.

"Well, thank you," Meili flushed, his kind apology making her stomach twist nervously. "But one apology is enough, Ponytail."

"I don't mind apologizing when I know I've done something wrong."

Meili looked away bashfully. "Well, I forgive you. I shouldn't have hidden the map anyway. Even if I couldn't read it."

"I'm kind of glad you did," Sokka blushed, suddenly scooting closer. His hands nervously found their way into his lap, and he began to twiddle his fingers. "If I left, I wouldn't have been able to hang out with you as much."

Meili, noticing his sudden closeness, slowly inched herself away. "You like hanging out with me? Why?"

"When you're not being cranky or following my sister around, its just… nice. I like talking to you."

"You're not that bad to be around, sometimes," she admitted with a faint flush.

Sokka smiled tenderly, nudging the girl in the shoulder softly. "You know, I know something about you that even you don't know."

"What?" Meili quipped, ignoring the electric spark zinging across her shoulder. "There's no way."

"There is," Sokka grinned, once again moving in her direction. His leg grazed against hers, and despite them both wearing pants, the close contact immediately turned Meili's entire face red.

"Y-You're just trying to rile me up," Meili stuttered, moving away from his cat-and-mouse escapades once more.

With one look at the growing flush beneath her cheeks, Sokka's adrenaline began to rush throughout his body. Because he knew once that Meili started to falter in her resolve, she wouldn't stop.

"While I do like doing that, Clueless, I'm actually telling the truth."

"Don't call me that," she hissed out dangerously, the harshness of her words contrasting the pink enveloping her cheeks.

"But why, Clueless?" Sokka pressed, inching his face closer to hers. "You're blushing, you know, so you must like it a little bit."

"I … I am not blushing. My face is only red because you're making me angry."

"Well, here's a fun fact for you: your eyes change color when you look at me."

"That's literally impossible."

"Oh, you're right. My mistake." Sokka's hand fell to her knee as he leaned in once more, dropping his voice down an octave to whisper in her ear. "Your face is what changes color when you look at me."

He then flicked her lightly on the nose before pulling his hand away, and the heat once pressed upon Meili's leg seemed to burn her skin.

Meili suddenly felt very hot. "It does not."

"Okay," Sokka said smugly, crossing his arms. "You're right."

"I'm always right."

"Sometimes." He echoed her words from earlier, and Meili realized that this was the Sokka she was avoiding: the annoyingly deliberate one.

"Well, thank you for bringing me here. I … had a good time."

She wanted to leave and go back to their icehouse because that dangerous heat was returning to her stomach. And if Meili continued to stay there with Sokka, sitting next to his lean body and listening to his intentional statements, she was sure to run into trouble.

After throwing away their trash, they left quietly, and Meili felt the need to hide behind her hair to avoid Sokka's gaze. She had acted so uncharacteristically during their meal, wiping the rice away from his mouth. And he very obviously knew something she didn't, which was why he kept getting so close to her.

And if Sokka was acting this way to throw her off her game, it was working.

She tried to walk slower than him, hoping to put some distance between them once again. Because just like that, almost a week of avoidance had faded away like it never happened. If anything, Meili was feeling even weirder around him – as if that was even possible.

However, Sokka was starting to catch on to her. And for someone usually so thoughtless, Sokka was surprisingly quick at seeing right through her.

He fell into step with her again, no matter how slow or fast her pace was, and he was close – suffocatingly close. Close enough for his pinky to graze hers again, stopping the heart beating restlessly in her chest.

And then, after the subtle touches subsided, Sokka suddenly grabbed hold of her hand, gently folding his fingers over her skin as he squeezed their palms together.

"Here, let's take this road. It's a shortcut!"

Meili was too in shock to argue back.

Sokka led the way with Meili's hand in his own, palms kissing, grip tight.

Meili could feel the thudding of her heartbeat pulsing in her hand as it lay clutched within Sokka's tanned grasp. She was light-headed, positive that every ounce of blood had drained away from her face and into her hand.

They moved through an icy alleyway – away from the very few pedestrians occupying the streetlight-lit streets. Sokka pulled them to an empty road underneath a series of ice bridges, where icicles dangled from the bottoms of the overpasses.

These crystallizations made an icicle canopy hang from above. The moonlight reflected upon the ice, causing the icicles to look like diamonds shining in the sky.

Meili thought it was beautiful, but her mind couldn't stray away from the fact that Sokka was holding her hand.

It was a loose grip, and perhaps the boy would argue that he was only trying to lead the way, but she could feel his thumb rubbing softly along the back of her hand, tracing soft, light circles with his touch. His hand was calloused and rough but overwhelming gentle – as if he were unsure of his actions.

Meili's heart throbbed in her throat. They were just standing there, looking at the icicles dangling from above, their hands locked in a demure standstill, neither one moving. And Meili didn't know why she wasn't moving away.

She could easily break their grips and walk back towards the city roads, but she wasn't.

And a part of her stomach churned dangerously at the thought that no one was around them. They were all alone, in the dead of night, hands intertwined.

Sokka's face shined in a bright, incandescent glow, his expression full of awe and wonder. It was moments like these when Meili remembered Sokka wasn't all cynicism and wit. He was goofy, a little ridiculous even, but in a way that made her heart flutter softly.

The moonlight cast a glowing blue sheen across the high planes of his cheeks, accentuating the sharp line of his jaw she tried not to notice. If possible, his eyes looked even bluer than before, sparkling with child-like glee, contrasting his roguish, manly form.

Sokka held a genuine smile with crinkled eyes, a smile Meili found contagious, a smile that hitched the breath in her throat when he turned to face her.

"Princess Yue showed me this place. It's beautiful, right?"

Immediately, the atmosphere surrounding Meili seemed to comically shatter, and the butterflies swarming in her stomach for the last hour immediately retracted away. Like she had been punched in the gut, her heart sank down into the pit of her stomach.

She ripped her hand away from his touch, clutching it in her other hand to drown out the remnants of his grip.

Meili's jaw was stiff, clenched so hard her teeth began to hurt.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked innocently. "You don't like it?"

"Why don't you ask Princess Yue if it's beautiful."

There was a silence that turned the entire moment cold, drowning away any trace of heat that once lingered between the two teens.

"So that's what this is about," Sokka sighed, looking painfully annoyed. "Look, Princess Yue is just a good friend."

"If she's such a good friend, then take her out for dinner from now on. I don't have time for this."

Hands clenched to her chest, Meili turned in her spot, moving to leave. Sokka grumbled lowly underneath his breath, chasing after her figure now retreating into the alleyway. He grabbed her wrist roughly, stopping her in her tracks.

"Meili, talk to me. What's wrong?"

She tried to twist out of his grip, but it only made him pull her in closer.

"What's wrong is that I'm trying to avoid you, and all you do is confuse me," Meili grumbled angrily.

"How am I confusing you? I've been asking you to hang out with me for the past week, and all you say is no."

"Yes, because you drive me crazy!"

"And you think life's just a walk in the park for me?"

"For everyone else, it seems to be! Now just leave me alone."

Sokka sighed, grabbing Meili's other wrist to prevent her from leaving. She struggled in his grasp, and he noticed her eyes glazing over. It was different from her anger, blushing, or even annoyance … Meili looked like she was about to cry.

"Hey, it's alright," Sokka said softly, changing the tone of his voice and the strength of his grip. "Shhh, take a deep breath and look at me."

Meili breathed roughly in defeat, turning her face away from him, her wrists held captive in his tender touch.

"Alright, you don't have to look at me, but at least listen to me. Tell me what's on your mind, so I can help you."

Meili pouted. "I don't want your help."

Sokka sighed at her stubbornness. "Well, I want to help you. So, please … talk to me."

"You wouldn't understand, Ponytail."

"I understand a lot more than you think … but, look … it's unfair," Sokka said firmly. "You want nothing to do with me, so I hang out with someone who does. But now you're mad that I've been giving my attention to another girl."

"Ugh, you're unbelievable! You really think I'm jealous that you're hanging out with Princess Yue?"

Sokka shrugged. "I mean, you've admitted to it once before."

"I have not."

"Actually, you did – on the night you got drunk."

Meili inwardly cursed. How much had Sokka left out about their conversation from that night?

"Well, I was not in the right state of mind that night," Meili countered, trying anything she could to save face. "So, nothing I said that night can even be taken seriously."

"Except I can take it seriously – because it's true." Sokka pulled the girl towards him, their chests almost touching. "Admit it, you don't like Princess Yue hanging out with me."

Meili scowled, her eyes staring into Sokka's with a blazing glare. "You're so conceited, you know that? Do you think all of my thoughts revolve around you?"

Sokka rose an eyebrow, challenging her defiant gaze. "Maybe not all of them, but some of them."

"Well, you're wrong. Because I don't think about you."

Sokka's gaze darkened. "So, you don't think about my skin … or my eyes … or about touching me?"

Sokka moved one of Meili's hands to his chest, and she sucked in a breath when her hand met the solid plane of his torso. Despite Sokka wearing a coat, Meili could still feel the warmth of his skin radiating through it and the slow beat of his heart.

"D-Don't change the subject," Meili mumbled, turning her head away.

"I think I will. Because, like you've told me before, you like the way my skin feels."

Sokka let go of her wrist and tilted her chin back his way. The glow of her blush had now returned in full force, and he smiled because he had missed it.

"I'm just giving you what you said you want."

"W-What I really want is to be left alone," Meili stumbled out, her eyes looking at anything other than Sokka's piercing blue gaze. But her hand never left his chest. "For all I know, y-you could be making all of this up."

Sokka caressed his thumb along the curve of her jaw, bringing Meili back to their conversation on Appa – the conversation that turned into something different, something magnetic. And like a spell had been cast upon her, she couldn't move. She didn't dare to.

"Then tell me to stop."

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the movements soft and caring.

And suddenly, Meili couldn't take it anymore. Her ears were throbbing in tune with the erratic beat of her heart, overtaking her senses. And feeling like an animal cornered in a cage, she instinctively reacted, quickly moving to shove Sokka against the nearby alleyway wall.

"Does this spell out stop to you?" she spoke in a strained voice.

Her hands were on either side of his body, supporting her weight against the wall. A part of Sokka found it funny that she was so much shorter than him – instead of her hands trapping him menacingly against the wall, her hands barely reached his shoulders.

"You know," Sokka hummed dangerously, "if you keep pushing me up against stuff, people are going to think you have a thing for me."

Meili clenched her jaw. "Well, good thing no one's around us."

"Don't remind me," he said, his gaze growing into something roguish.

"You shouldn't be so cocky, you know. Did you forget that I spent years with the Freedom Fighters?"

Sokka grinned deviously. "Did you forget that I'm the only one who can throw off your game?"

"You really think so?"

Meili wasn't prepared for the immediate intensity that overtook his gaze, and just like that, the air in her lungs disappeared. Sokka's eyelashes fell dangerously over his ocean eyes like a smoldering canopy, capturing her own eyes in the sultry gaze, ensnaring her attention.

"Stop looking at me like that," Meili glowered, and she felt the steadiness of her hands against the wall waver.

"Why, Clueless?" Sokka seemed to be enjoying himself, like he knew something Meili didn't. "I thought I couldn't throw you off your game?"

Meili clenched her jaw before driving her hands into the wall harder, irritated with his games. "Look, I don't know what sort of power trip you're on right now, but you need to cut it out."

"Or else what? You won't be able to continue this charade?"

Meili snorted cynically. "Ha! What charade?"

"The one where you pretend you don't like me."

"Of course, I don't like you! You're annoying, and self-centered, … and you're being especially unlikable right now."

"Meili," Sokka spoke, his voice a low chastise, "you say a lot of things, but you also contradict them a lot, too."

His hands, which had been hanging loosely by his side, found their way to Meili's waist. He placed his fingers around the small of her back, pulling in her small frame. His actions were shaky, nervous even, but he knew Meili wouldn't notice. The girl was too busy attempting to speak.

"H-Hey … Y-You need to let me go."

Sokka's own heart was beating fast. "Or what? What exactly are you going to do?"

He pulled her in closer, and to keep their bodies from touching, Meili moved her hands to Sokka's chest. Her breathing was ragged, blowing shakily into his blue coat, too nervous to look back up into his eyes.

A thrilling shiver ran up her back as his grip tightened against her waist, and the pool of heat stirring in her stomach ached uncomfortably. Something was wrong, so terribly wrong – because something was different than before. Something in the air was drawing her to him, and her body wasn't fighting it off.

"P-Ponytail…" Meili warned, feebly pushing against his chest.

"That's not my name," he said lowly, leaning down towards her ear. "Why don't we try that again?"

Meili had never heard his voice sound so demanding, and it was both unnerving and thrilling at the same time. Her chest was tight, and her knees felt like they would collapse at any moment. This wasn't the same Sokka, who was babbling about sushi and cramming too much food in his mouth.

This Sokka was the enthralling one: the one that sucked the air from her lungs.

She was acutely aware of the location of his mouth, which was hovering over her ear, the breaths blowing softly against the lobe. And his fingers on the curve of her waist seemed to burn like hot coals. She sucked in a deep breath.

"Sokka…" Meili corrected, though her voice was hesitant, unsure. "I-I can't concentrate when you're looking at me like that…"

"Looking at you like what?"

Tentatively, she looked up at him, knowing that the moment she did, all resolve would disappear. He pulled away from her ear, and when their eyes met, the strange magnetism between them intensified, filling the air with electricity.

Meili gasped softly, finding it hard to breathe so close to his face. For a moment, Sokka's own actions seemed to falter as his face blushed pink, the sound of her breathing doing funny things to his head.

She looked so small beneath him, tucked into his chest with such innocent allure, staring up into his eyes with her lips barely parted.

Something between them changed – any nervousness Sokka felt melted away when he met her gaze. He was in control; he had the power. And maybe it was a power trip, but Meili wasn't pulling away from him. Which meant that she didn't mind the dynamic.

She bit her bottom lip nervously, the tension between them was overwhelming, and that was seemingly all Sokka needed to act.

He moved a hand up to the nape of her neck, holding her steady as he pressed their foreheads together softly.

"You're the only one I want to hang out with," he spoke hoarsely, almost out-of-breath. "No one else."

Meili's seafoam-eyes darted between his steely, sapphire orbs. "But… But Princess Yue –"

"—Isn't you," he reassured, his fingers tangling softly into her black curls.

"P-Ponytail," Meili stuttered. The girl was starstruck, glued in her spot, Sokka's words sending a pool of heat flooding throughout her body. And weirdly enough, she enjoyed the rush.

Meili found her body craving his touch, her own fingers involuntarily trailing up his chest to reach the back of his neck.

"Trust me, I only think about you," he whispered, moving his second hand to cup the side of her face.

His skin was cool to her warm touch, but he was so soft, enchanting, captivating in every way. Meili cursed away the cautionary thoughts telling her to leave – telling her to keep him at a distance. Because, at that moment, Meili wanted to feel Sokka's touch, and she wanted to stare into his blue eyes.

"Sokka…" she mumbled quietly, her voice shaking as their lips moved closer together. When his eyes began to close, she felt her eyes close softly, too, in anticipation. And the world seemed to stand completely still.

"Hey! What do you two kids think you're doing in this alleyway past curfew!"

And just like that, the romantic ambiance shattered, and the two teens jerked themselves away from one another, with Meili landing comically in the snow.

"We're sorry! We were just sightseeing –" Sokka began to speak before the shadowy figure stepped forward, revealing himself to be General Tahnuk.

"Brother Sokka! Sister Meili!" the older man greeted, walking over to the two teens suffering from embarrassment. "Sorry to startle the two of you. I was just out on patrol and heard some talking."

"N-No need to apologize," Meili stuttered. "We were actually just headed home."

"Oh, you two were visiting the starlight canopy," General Tahnuk noted, his gaze lifting up towards the icicles above. "This place is one of my favorites. Very romantic."

"There's no romance here!" Meili shot down quickly, scrambling up from her spot. "We're sorry for worrying you. We'll be going now."

"Yeah, we'll see you tomorrow," Sokka stated. They both bowed to their elder before rushing out of the alleyway.

Meili's pace was brisk and hasty, and she wasted no time putting distance between herself and Sokka.

What was she thinking being so close to him like that? Had she lost her mind?

It was like they had almost …

Like they were about to …

Did they almost …?

Meili shook her head vigorously, erasing the nasty thought from her mind. Nope! There was no way that almost happened. Because people only did that stuff when they liked each other, and she certainly did not like Sokka.

"Hey, Meili," Sokka called, trying his best to keep up with her. "Wait up!"

She didn't stop her speed, but the boy soon caught up to her. Meili wanted to do anything else but talk to him. She didn't want whatever just happened to happen again.

"Not now, Ponytail. I need to, um, get to bed." She feigned a yawn. "I'm super tired, so I can't talk."

"Look, you can try to ignore what just happened all you want, but it still happened."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I need to get to bed. We have training in the morning, you know –"

"Meili," Sokka said sternly, grabbing ahold of her wrist, "stop."

She sighed in her spot. "What."

"I'm just –" Sokka paused mid-sentence, seemingly in thought, before speaking again. "Thank you … for coming out with me today. It means a lot to me."

Meili's butterflies were still ringing around in her ears, causing her voice to be somewhat shaky. "I didn't mean to be so rude earlier… um, about the Princess Yue thing."

"It's okay, I get it," Sokka spoke, his mind flashing mocking images of Sitka.

Meili felt sorry as she looked once more into Sokka's kind eyes, soft and caring, like he meant every word he spoke.

"Sometimes I just wonder … why me?" Meili bleated softly, closing her eyes to avoid his gaze. "I'm nothing special… so why not choose her?"

"I already answered that," Sokka whispered, letting go of her wrist to hold her hand gently. "She's not you."

Meili opened her eyes just slightly, enough to where she could see Sokka's soft gaze and kind eyes once more. In her mind, she thanked him for taking her out to get dinner. She thanked him for listening to her secrets, teaching the warriors with her – holding her hand.

But everything had to stop.

Sokka didn't know her number one secret, the reason she couldn't hang out with him anymore. Because when he found out she was a firebender, he would leave her. He wouldn't want to hang out with her anymore, or get dinner, or even talk to her –

And this wasn't her: this sad excuse for a girl that overanalyzed her every move, that felt meek around a boy, that let people into her heart … this wasn't Meili.

She was Whiteflash, the orphan, the firebender, the monster … the murderer. Meili didn't deserve the affection of Sokka, who was too considerate and caring for his own good. And she had to remind herself that Sokka deserved more than whatever she was.

Meili left without saying another word, leaving Sokka to stare longingly at her retreating figure.

The corner of her eyes stung in the nighttime air, and Meili ignored the painful reminder that no matter how hard she tried to fight it, she would always, selfishly, wish things could be different.

AN: Hello to all of my readers! I hope you enjoy this last fluffy chapter before the big 'Siege of the North' fight :)

I would like to say something before anyone calls OOC on Sokka... I've looked back at the entire series, including the comics, to try and see how he would act in more ... romantic situations. We can see with his first kiss with Suki, Sokka has the capacity to take the leading role, telling Suki that she talks to much and silencing her with a passionate kiss... (let's not forget the steamy tent scene that Zuko interrupts XD)

Meili may be strong like Suki, but she's nowhere near as emotionally secure. Sokka was the insecure one in his and Suki's relationship (think back to the moon/serpent's pass scene where Suki insinuates meeting another guy), whereas Sokka is the confident one with Meili. He feels a sense of pride knowing that she only gets all mushy around him. While he still may sometimes get shy (because he's still a silly goofball lol) for the first time in his life, he seems to have control over something.

And sometimes, boys in control tend to get cocky ;)

As always, thank you TheUncommonBlack and Vosck for reviewing! And I'm glad you are enjoying the story CatMaddy95! Thanks to all who are favoriting and following my story! It means so much to me :)

Don't forget to check out my instagram page 'ochavenn' for art from my story!