Sokka was stunned to see the young man standing right in front of him. He blinked twice with his mouth slightly open. Was his eyes deceiving him? It was like he was staring at a younger version of himself.

His skin tone was slightly lighter.

He was almost as tall as him.

He did not have a warrior's wolf tail, but rather short dark brown hair.

He has purple eyes, which he most likely inherited from his mother.

He was well-dressed, handsome, and had a lean physique.

Those were the only differences between him and this young man. This is truly his son.

On the other hand, Lei was speechless himself. Here he is, standing in front of the famous Sokka. The man who helped save the world, and the man who is the chairman of the Council of the United Republic. He never expected to be standing in front of a man with such power, not to mention this man is his father. To top it off, now he knows where he received his looks from.

His skin tone was slightly darker.

He was a little bit taller than him.

He has a warrior's wolf tail, typical among people of the Water tribe.

He has blue eyes, the same eyes as Aunt Katara's.

He was dressed professionally and has a lean but more mature physique.

Those were the only differences between him and the older man in front of him. This is truly his father.

No wonder why Aang and Katara gave me that look when I first arrived. I look just like this dude right here, Lei thought to himself.

Realizing they've been silent for quite a few seconds, Lei decided to say the first greeting. "Uh... hey."

Sokka snapped out of his current state of mind and replied back. "Hey there. You... you're Lei?"

"That's me."

Involuntarily, Sokka gave him a hug. "Look at you," he quietly spoke, "You're like a younger version of myself."

"Yeah, and you're like an older version of myself," Lei commented back with a smile.

Sokka chuckled. The sense of humor was a good start, and a good first impression. "It's great to finally meet you, Lei."

"Good to meet you too Sok-, dad." Lei felt queasy saying that D word, but somehow it just automatically came out.

Dad. That was the first time he was called that. The smile on the chairman's face was big, and he tried to hold any tears that pressured to drip out. "Please, come in, son." He wanted to say that S word in return.

For Lei, no other man called him that except for Koji, back when he was dating his mother. The word "son" will probably take some getting used to.

Walking into his father's apartment, Lei was impressed with the interior. The place was clean with a water tribe feeling to it. It was simple yet culturally designed. Lei was never really exposed to water tribe culture, even though half his blood contains it. Looks like he has a lot to learn from his father.

Seeing that his son had a small smile on his face while examining his apartment, Sokka felt at ease. So far, seeing each other for the first time was a spectacular moment. However, his heart still ached. He wished the first time he saw his child was the day he was born, not when he's a matured young man. Lei grew to become a fine young man without a father, and that notion hits Sokka hard every time.

It was hard pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind, but Sokka had to. He can't get emotional on the day he first meets his son. Or can he? He wonders which event was more thrilling: seeing his ex-wife after eighteen years or meeting his son for the first time? Both the events evoked similar emotions from Sokka in different ways.

"Pretty nice place you got here Sokka."

"Oh, thanks," Sokka replied when Lei snapped him out of his thoughts yet again, "You know, you don't have to call me Sokka."

Lei didn't even realized he called him by his name. Despite the fact that he called him 'dad' earlier, it was still going to take some time to get used to without forcing the word to come out. "Right, sorry Sok- err... dad! Sorry dad."

He wouldn't be lying if he said it hurt him to see his son call him by his name and not 'dad." It also hurt to see him trying to say that word out loud. Then again, wouldn't any father be hurt? In this case, he and Lei met for the first time. Sokka knew getting him to say that word involuntarily will take some time, but he's determined to gain the title, dad.

Suddenly, a small growl was heard from Lei's stomach.

"Dang, I should've ate a bigger breakfast this morning."

"How about I take you out for a nice lunch?" Sokka offered happily, "I know a place that will fill us. Do you like meat?"

"Do I like meat?!" Lei responded back abruptly, "That's a stupid question. Meat is my life."

Alright, another similarity between a father and a son. Sokka laughed, "Come on Lei. Let's go stuff ourselves."

"Mariko, where are you taking us?"

"Be patient Kya," the acolyte answered kindly to the little waterbender, "It's a surprise."

"I like surprises!" Little Tenzin exclaimed.

Bumi remained skeptical. Why is Mariko leading him and his siblings somewhere for a "surprise?" Based on the events that have happened lately, he has a good feeling he knows what this so called surprise really is.

Mariko guided them to the dining hall. At this time, many of the acolytes have lunch, with the Avatar's family joining whenever they want. It was like the dining hall of Air Temple Island was a buffet, and the food is free to any acolytes or anyone related to the Avatar.

Finally, the four approached the dining hall. Mariko opened the door, and the kids found almost every table filled with each having their own separate conversations. They noticed their parents sitting with a woman who seem to be of Earth Kingdom descent, whom they automatically assumed was their guest. Food was already prepared as well.

Mariko guided them to the table and they all took their seats.

"Kids, we would like you to meet our guest," their mother told them, "This is Suki."

"Aunt Suki," Aang spoke with a grin on his face.

"Aunt?" Both Kya and Tenzin asked confusedly, with Bumi giving a half-smile towards their bewildered reaction.

"Yep, I'm your aunt-in-law, but call me your aunt," Suki told the kids happily, "It's nice to finally meet you guys. I heard lots of great things from you."

"Wow! You're our aunt? How come we never met you before?" Kya asked curiously.

The three adults exchanged nervous glances. Of course, they don't want these young children to know the real reason to why they just met Suki. It was bad enough Bumi had the idea, though he was old enough to be mature about it.

Aang decided to quickly shift the topic to a new direction, "Aunt Suki's all the way from Kyoshi Island princess. We've managed to get in touch."

"Kyoshi Island?! Wow that's so far away!"

Suki found Kya's voluble personality to be extremely adorable. She wanted to just pinch her cheeks. "That's right," she giggles, "I come from a place where you can surf on giant koi fishes."

That commented elicited a "NO WAY" response from Kya as well as a "COOL" response from Tenzin. They've always wanted to do something as fun and daring as riding on koi fishes.

"Maybe one day you guys can visit Kyoshi Island," she suggested, "It'll be fun."

Both the young children happily answered yes, with Bumi giving a simple shrug with his shoulders.

"By the way, Aunt Suki, do you have any kids?" Bumi asked sarcastically, grinning as widely as he can while his parents gave him an annoyed glance.

"Yes I do," Suki stated, "His name is Lei, only a few years older than you."

Suki knew the purpose of Bumi's sarcasm. Katara already told her that he met her son. Apparently, they got along well. That was some good news to hear.

"So does that mean he's our cousin?" Tenzin asked.

"Why yes little man," Suki answered. She also found him to be really adorable, "As a matter of fact, you'll meet him soon. He's in the city right now."

"I want to meet to meet him!" Kya exclaimed, "And how about his father? That would mean he's our uncle right?"

Suki didn't know how to respond to that, nor did Aang or Katara. They were afraid that this type of question would come up, and they were definitely caught off guard.

"Don't worry Kya, you'll meet him," Bumi assured, "It's definitely a surprise. Chances are we're going to be so happy with the surprise." He gave his parents and Suki a wink, understanding that no one wants to shift the conversation into a complicated topic.

The adults were relieved that Bumi made a smart move. His father mouthed a "thank you" towards him. The only problem was, how will the two react when they find out the uncle is Sokka? At least Bumi was able to allow everyone to evade the topic for now.

"So about Lei," Bumi continued talking with a mocking tone , "He must be an awesome guy right?"

Suki rolled her eyes and giggled. They both know that Bumi already met Lei. "Yes indeed. He's funny, brave, and knows how to fight with swords."

Kya and Tenzin's mouth opened. They never met anyone who knew how to fight with swords aside from their Uncle Sokka and Bumi. They found it entertaining how someone can learn some many movements with such a lethal weapon.

"Cool!" Kya shouted, "I want to see him do tricks!"

"Me too!" Tenzin added.

Everyone in the table laughed at the young children's adorable comments. Suki felt content to know that the kids bared no ill-mannered personality what so ever. Katara and Aang did a good job on raising them. This gives her hope that her stay at Republic City will be just fine.

Needless to say, Sokka and Lei had a stomach-fulfilling experience at Han's Grille, a Fire Nation cuisine. This restaurant was located in a busy area of downtown, but being the councilman of the city, Sokka would always be a priority when he's the customer. This restaurant is the type of place for anyone who loves eating meat. Since it's a Fire Nation cuisine, it was obvious that this place was well known for exotic spices and a variety of meats. Along with Hong's restaurant, Han's Grille was also one of his favorites places in the city. Judging by the looks of it, Lei seemed to be enjoying the place as well.

"So any restaurant you go to, the waiters always seat you first and you get to skip long lines?" Lei asked his father as he continued taking bites from his sweat and sour chicken.

"That's correct," his father replied while eating his favorite meal, spicy roasted chicken with a side of rice and dumplings.

"Lucky ass."

Both the father and son shared another one of many small laughs they've had. So far, they were able to a have friendly conversation. Lei would ask him about his job and the city, while Sokka would ask him about school and what he thinks about Republic City. They would describe to each other about their opinions and personalities, while occasionally throwing sarcastic remarks at each other.

It was until they finished their meals that the conversation became more in-depth. Once the plates in front of them were empty and their stomachs were full, Lei decided to carry on their talk while they sit and digest.

"So, how about your family and friends? Can you tell me about them?" Lei wanted to know how he would describe his loved ones. That's the first thing to ask if he were to know what type of man he is.

Sokka was quite caught off guard. How was he going to answer this? Of course he loves his family, but his own son, whom he just met right now, instantly came in the picture. He'll give his honest answer about the family and friends he love so much, but he hopes Lei doesn't steer the conversation to him and Suki.

"I have a good amount of friends here, but the closest ones to me are the ones I became friends with during the war," he answered. "Aang, Zuko and Toph are some of my best friends ever. There's also Mai and Ty Lee, and of course, your mother," Sokka paused briefly when he realized he mentioned Suki. That made him nervous. What if Lei decided to ask about him and Suki's relationship? Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind before Lei became skeptical, Sokka continued, " My best friends, my sister Katara, and even my dad, we all helped ended the war and had each other's backs. They all mean the world to me."

"The whole world to you huh? Must be nice," Lei commented sedately. Of course, he had friends back on Kyoshi Island, but aside from Jia, he never really had someone so close to him. Sokka seemed to have a bunch.

On the other hand, Sokka fidgeted when he heard the way Lei responded. Did he accidently imply that him and Suki weren't the world to him? It confused him, because he wanted Lei to mean the world to him too. However, he just met Lei right now, so he'd be lying if he said that he felt Lei was the whole world to him. That logic also pained him, because he hasn't gotten to know his own son yet.

"How about you? Any loved ones down at Kyoshi Island?" That was the first question to come to Sokka's mind in order to shift the direction of the conversation.

Lei looked away at his empty plate for a few seconds and silently took a breath, "I do have a good amount of friends there, but aside from one person, I don't really call them "best friends." So I guess I'm not like you. That's why I said it must be nice for you."

Hearing his sullen response made him feel sad. No one wonder why he seemed tense after Sokka told him his family and friends were his whole world.

"But I'm alright with it though," Lei added, "My mother is the best mother in the world. And my best friend knows how to make my world go round and round. I'm thankful for them each and every day of my life."

Sokka smiled at his son's powerful words. Seeing Lei with such a positive attitude made him very admirable, and Sokka just loved that. For the first time, he felt proud of his son.

"That's very good Lei. Very good. It makes me glad to hear something like that."

"Thanks, dad."

Lei said the D word once again, but this time, without any queasy feeling. Hearing that D word made Sokka happy.

"Tell me about your best friend. What about him or her that makes your world go round and round?"

"Well let's see," Lei thought as he prepared to answer. That was an easy question, "She's really funny and has a very friendly personality. She's always in a rush to help people in need, and she's always there for you when you need her."

"She?" Sokka asked with a curious grin on his face.

"Yeah, she. Her name is Jia."

"Jia? By any chance, is she Ty Lee and Haru's daughter?"

"Yep, that's correct. Oh so you heard of her?"

"Yeah, Ty Lee messaged Mai about it the after the day she was born. Zuko told me. I never got to meet her, but she sounds awesome," his father commented with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah she is," Lei replied, completely oblivious to his father's skeptical glares, "She's really pretty too. You see her, and all of a sudden you're day gets better. It's like walking alone in the rain. It's so gloomy, but once the sun is out, everything is better. Just like Jia, everything is better when she's around."

Lei clearly enjoyed describing her, and his mind was clearly preoccupied. Sokka can tell by looking at his eyes. There were definitely feelings he had for this girl that seemed way more than a "best friend."

"That's such a description there Lei," Sokka stated, still smiling.

"Yeah, now you know why she's my best friend."

"She sounds more than a best friend to me."

Snapping out of thoughts, Lei was quite taken aback. "Wha-what do you mean?"

Sokka laughed at the red in his cheeks. "This girl, Jia, she sounds really special. Hang on to her Lei."

Lei felt the temperature in his body rising significantly. Is he trying to imply that I'm in love or something? "She's just my friend. My best friend. So of course I'll hang on to her."

"Well let's just say I felt that way before," Sokka added, "It's how I felt when I was with Suki."

For some reason, that came out unexpectedly. Like he told himself earlier, he didn't want to steer the conversation into something controversial. Yet somehow, it just did. All of a sudden, the air around them turned even more tense.

"So... what was it like meeting mom?"

Sokka was sure caught off guard more than ever. He wasn't prepared to have this type of a conversation with his son, especially at the first meeting. While Lei would just stare at him, waiting for a response, Sokka still looked down on his plate and figured what to say. He started this topic, might as well say the truth.

"At first, I did not have the most pleasant meeting when I first met your mom," he answered. "I was fifteen when Katara, Aang and I were ambushed by Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors at the time." He chuckled when he saw Lei completely surprised by the three of them being ambushed by his mother. "Anyway, turns out they thought we were Fire Nation spies, but Aang later proved to them that he was the Avatar. As for me, I just couldn't believe that I was ambushed by a bunch of girls. At that time, I was so immature and egotistic. Even when Suki apologized about the ambush, I told her that I'll let it slide since they're a bunch of girls. Eventually, Suki challenged me to a fight, and to my surprise, she beated my ass." This time, Lei chuckled. "Yeah yeah, well as I was saying, I went back to Suki and apologized. That time, I wanted to learn from her, and what did you know? She taught me a lot."

Lei remembered his mother telling him that same exact thing. He was glad to see his father proclaiming it. "That's what mom told me. Apparently that was the time when Zuko attacked the village, right?"

"Yep, back when Zuko was our enemy," he replied. "That was the first time she kissed me in the cheek. The second time was when we met again while waiting to board small ships to Ba Sing Se. That was the first time I saw her without makeup, and I saw for the first time how beautiful she was."

Though he was not into looking at guys drooling over women, especially ones as old as his father, Lei wasn't bothered to see that his father was distracted by the thoughts of his mother. Any teenager would find this strange, but being that this man left his mother and still thinks of her positively, it gave Lei hope. That was the thing that made him feel uneasy: feeling hopeful for a father that left his mother eighteen years ago.

"She went with us on our journey though the Serpent's Pass," Sokka continued, unbeknownst to Lei contemplating with his own thoughts himself, "That was when we shared our first kiss. It was amazing. I didn't want us to part, but we had to deal with our separate duties. It was later when Zuko and I went to the Boiling Rock prison where I found her and saved her. Turns out, she was still badass and helped us kidnap the warden when we escaped that prison. There is no really no woman like her out there. I went from thinking she's just a harmless girl, into marveling over the notion that she's a fierce warrior."

And that was the full on truth. Sokka thought it was best to leave the conversation there. As much as he would love to explain how he fell for Suki even harder over the years, he didn't want to lead to the point where they're marriage started to fall apart.

"Well I'm glad you guys found each other again," Lei stated. For some reason, he just let those words come out of his mouth.

After being in awe from his statement, Sokka found it hard to wipe the smile from his own face. "Thank you Lei. And I'm glad that I found you as well."

Lei smiled. I guess this guy isn't so bad after all.