Author's Notes: Hello, all! Sorry this took so long... but I'm glad I took my time, because when I finally sat down to write this, it flowed out so easily! I wasn't sure how to attack this chapter (yes, I attack my stories), but when I sat down and started writing, it was like I had the idea in my head the entire time. This chapter, and hopefully the last two chapters, will all be in Mamoru's third person POV. I like writing from his POV...
I want to add a oneshot to Just Him and Her before the next chapter of this, so keep your eyes open! And please review!
Alisa
Big Brother
the series
Drinks
Mamoru drummed his fingers on the tiny tabletop yet again. He had to admit, he was awfully bored, sitting there all by himself. In an attempt to appease his lethargy, he picked up the drink Sokka had insisted on ordering him and sniffed it. It smelled sweet and strong, and left his head spinning. Casting a furtive glance around, as if other people might be judging him for having a drink, he lifted the glass to his lips and took a tentative sip.
Mamoru sputtered and swallowed, his eyes watering and throat burning. Perhaps, he thought vaguely, fanning his mouth with a hand, it hadn't been the best idea to take such a big drink….
Desperate for a glass of water, Mamoru pushed his chair back and ventured up to the counter. The bartender, a man with a very large belly Mamoru was sure could bowl him over, was wiping down a glass. He stared down at Mamoru with apathetic eyes and the young man gave him an apprehensive smile.
"Could I possibly have a glass of water, please?" Mamoru asked in a tiny voice—he'd never ordered a drink before, even if it was only water.
The man surveyed him for a long moment before turning around, fumbling noisily with an assortment of glasses, and then depositing a cup full of water on the counter dividing them. "A bronze piece," he said simply, and Mamoru dug around in a pocket for a moment before producing the correct amount of money. He placed it between him and the man and hurried to take his water.
"Thank you!" he squeaked in recognition. Pausing only to take a hasty sip, he shuffled back over to his table and sat down.
Draining his glass in three quick gulps, Mamoru couldn't help but think that it was a tiny bit rude of Sokka and Toph to just leave him all by himself while they went off and had fun. They had disappeared fifteen minutes ago on the pretense of getting more drinks (Mamoru couldn't help but think that wasn't a very good idea) and he hadn't seen them since.
But, to their credit, he thought, eyes scanning the crowded tables for his friends, the evening had started off wonderfully. When he and Toph had returned from their tea, they opened the front door to a glorious smell and Sokka attacking them in a hug, proclaiming, "I made dumplings, and this time they're good!"
They sat down to eat, Sokka still elated, and Mamoru couldn't help but exclaim that they were tasty dumplings—even Toph grudgingly agreed. They spent a while just talking—Toph pulled out a secret stash of chocolate to reluctantly share—and enjoying themselves before Toph announced it was time to go.
The walk from Sokka's home to the bar took only ten minutes, and despite the fact that Mamoru was doing his best to stay calm, he couldn't help but get a little nervous (a bar? Him?). Sokka had only laughed and said a good drink would keep him nice and relaxed. The bar came into view, the dazzling light from the dusk sun illuminating the earthen sign in front of the bar: The Onyx.
Entering the bar, Sokka made a bee-line to the counter to order ("Nothing too strong for me!" Mamoru had pleaded) while Mamoru followed Toph to find a table. The one she chose was situated next to a wide window and was very near the counter ("so we don't have to walk all over the place," she explained), and there was golden light spilling over the tabletop and rickety-looking chairs. She plopped down in the chair across from Mamoru, but when it gave an ominous creak she pushed it out of the way and drew up an Earth one. No one seemed to notice.
Sokka found them a few minutes later, three tankards balanced precariously in his hands. Setting them down, he began up a conversation (Mamoru tried to remember, but the topic of the conversation just wouldn't come to him) that lasted them through both Toph's and Sokka's first drink. While Sokka went to refresh their glasses (Mamoru had only taken a small sip to placate Sokka and Toph, who had insisted he take a drink), Mamoru couldn't help but notice how loose-tongued only one drink had made Toph. She was chatting animatedly about how she had learned to Metalbend and hadn't even seemed to notice that Sokka had left.
Another hour of trivial talk (Mamoru dared another tiny sip of his drink), plus a second drink for both Sokka and Toph, and they were both attempting to tell him the same story at the same time, though from what he could understand, their stories were radically different. Toph kept bursting out in random giggles (Mamoru was starting to worry for her) and Sokka kept shooting Toph furtive glances whenever he could. Mamoru was beginning to think that coming hadn't been the brightest idea and that they really ought to leave when suddenly Sokka stood, pointed a finger at no one in particular, and warbled, "Last one, then I'm goin' home."
He started off to the counter and Toph stumbled after him, giggling and calling, "Wait for me! I could use a good" —she hiccupped loudly— "nightcap!"
That, now twenty minutes ago, had been the last time Mamoru had seen either Sokka or Toph. He hoped, for their sakes as well as his, that they were still in the bar—he didn't fancy walking the streets for a pair of drunken sweethearts in the middle of the night.
He considered getting up and looking for them (where could they possibly be hiding?) when Toph stumbled into view, Sokka close behind her with a guiding hand on her shoulder (though from the speed she just ran into that chair, Mamoru thought, not a very good one).
"Now you definitely owe me!" said Sokka, unceremoniously shoving Toph down in her seat (she was giggling) and taking his own. "Not only did I buy you—" he paused, looking as if he was calculating in his mind, "—three drinks, but you lost half my money on a dumb card game!"
"Hey," interjected Toph, pointing somewhere to the left of Sokka, "it's not my fault you don't know not to put a five up against a queen."
Sokka sputtered for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words, and Mamoru cut in while he could: "What card game were you playing?"
Sokka frowned and Toph giggled, leaning over the table.
"I dunno," Sokka finally said. "But I was pretty good at it, I think."
"Hey, Mamoru!" burst Toph, jumping up suddenly. "Did I ever tell ya the story 'bout how Sokka nearly killed me?"
"Ah—no, you haven't," Mamoru said slowly. He couldn't help but wonder why she said it with such relish and enthusiasm.
She leaned over the table and Mamoru spotted Sokka following her movements with his eyes, not even having noticed what her story was allegedly about.
"Well, lemme tell ya," Toph said, a lopsided grin unfurling on her face, "it's a good one. It's back when I was" —she squinted her eyes as if to help her concentrate— "twelve. Yeah, twelve, and we were traveling with Aang and Katara, the Avatar and his girl, you know."
"Yes, I know," Mamoru agreed, and Toph leaned in closer. So did Sokka, it seemed, and Mamoru scooted his chair back surreptitiously.
"We were trying to get to Ba Sing Se, you see, and Meathead over here" (Sokka's head popped up at the sound of his name) "decided we should go on the Serpent's Pass. You know where that is?"
"Ah, yes!" Mamoru said. "You told me all about it."
"Mmhmm, anyway—they don't call it the Serpent's Pass for nothin'. Giant thing that wants to eat ya," described Toph, widening her arms to show, Mamoru supposed, the size of the serpent.
"Just like the unagi," added Sokka unhelpfully.
Mamoru was just about to ask what the unagi was when Toph continued, "Sugar Queen made this ice bridge." She made a sound halfway between disgust and amusement. "Good fer nothin', ice. The giant snake squished the bridge—" she made a chopping action with her arm, "and I fell in!"
"But how did you get on the bridge?" Mamoru was just about to ask, but Sokka spoke before he could.
"It was scary." His eyes were wide, as if to demonstrate fear.
"Yer sure right," Toph began, gave a half-hiccup, then finished, "it was." Then, suddenly: "You gonna finish that?" She pointed at Mamoru's still-full tankard, and then picked it up without an answer.
"Ahh—! I'm not sure you should be drinking that, Toph!" said Mamoru, leaning forward anxiously, but she was already setting the mug down and smacking her lips.
"Lemme tell ya," Toph said again, picking up the thread of her story easily, "drowning isn't fun." (Sokka wagged his head from side to side as if he knew exactly what Toph was talking about.) "It's cold and… and… lonely. It's like your lungs are gonna… shrivel up an' all you can feel is your heart beating slower and slower…"
There was an appreciative silence, Sokka staring wide-eyed at Toph with his jaw hanging down, Mamoru shivering despite the warm, stale air and rowdy chatter of men. Toph had settled her blank eyes on the tabletop and was looking solemn. Then she hiccupped.
The apprehensive quiet was broken and Mamoru blinked his eyes to rid the image of a tiny Toph floating helplessly amongst chunks of ice in pitching, black seas. He spotted Sokka, who continued to stare at Toph, his eyes widening until it looked almost painful. She cleared her throat, so as to capture their attention once more.
"Then Snoozles thought it was 'bout time to save me. But cha know him, he's gotta take his boots off first, 'cause Spirits' forbid Sokka's boots get wet!"
Sokka tore his eyes away from her for the first time since they had returned and folded his arms tightly across his chest, glowering slightly, but neither Toph nor Mamoru paid him any attention.
Instead Mamoru's knuckles were white on the edge of the table and his face was alight with horror as he whispered, "But then, how did you survive?"
Toph gave a short, harsh laugh. "It was his stupid girlfriend who saved me!"
"Suki was not stupid!"
Mamoru's eyes quickly fell on Sokka, who was red in the face and looked angry. He was glaring at Toph.
"She wasn't stupid and I was going to rescue you."
"But of course, you had time to rescue your boots first," Toph sneered. "Boots before Toph, I know how it is."
Mamoru turned, horror-struck, to Sokka, whose flush deepened as he insisted, "I was going to save you, I was! Suki was just faster, she got there sooner, I was trying to save you, I really was!"
"Then why'd you stop?" Toph demanded, both hands coming down on the table as she stood. "Why'd you stop for your stupid shoes?"
"I don't know, Toph, I don't know!" cried Sokka shrilly; he sounded near tears, Mamoru thought wildly. "I wanted to protect you, Toph, I want to protect you!"
She cut across him sharply: "I don't need any protection."
"But I want to! I don't want anything to happen to you, I—"
"And then I was rescued, the end," said Toph abruptly.
Mamoru blinked, then looked from Toph, who was giving an exaggerated yawn, to Sokka, who had his arms crossed again and a scowl on his face. "I think," Mamoru said in a quiet voice, "that it is time to go."
"I second that," said Toph, who gave another hic. She tried to Bend her Earth chair back into the ground, but only part of it sank, giving the impression of a two-legged chair. With a small sigh Mamoru stood and completed the task for her.
"Coming, Sokka?" Mamoru asked, turning back to the Water Tribe warrior when he didn't follow.
Sokka gave an indifferent shrug, making him look like a surly, pouting, over-grown child who had been scolded for something. He folded his arms more tightly and turned toward the window, out of which Mamoru could see velvety sky and twinkling stars.
"Aww, c'mon, Snoozles!" cried Toph, thumping him hard on the back, all traces of anger gone. "I need a bodyguard for the walk back home and you—hic—seem like the perfect guy!"
"I thought you were mad at me," muttered Sokka, still pouting.
Toph thumped him on the back again. "Mad at you, Snoozles? You don't make me mad." She paused to giggle—Mamoru looked slightly alarmed. "You make me lots of things," she said, a strange smile on her face, "but not mad."
"Well… okay," acquiesced Sokka, looking marginally more cheerful as Toph attempted to haul him up by his armpits. "Let's go home."
Seemingly forgotten yet again, Mamoru trailed behind the couple on the walk home. Sokka had thrown a lazy arm around Toph's shoulders and had manually pulled hers around his waist, and now they were both joined in a loud, bawdy song about a man named Long Feng that they seemed to be making up on the spot. Shaking his head fondly at the pair, Mamoru thought about the things that had gone on in the bar that night.
With the amount of alcohol the two had consumed, tongues had been loose and words had been flying. One minute Sokka and Toph had been near flirting (Mamoru couldn't help but smile at the thought), and the next she had him nearly reduced to tears. But amidst all the irregular giggling and hiccups and wide-eyed stares, Mamoru had noticed a reoccurring theme in the conversation: Sokka sure liked to protect Toph.
And as Mamoru prised Sokka off of Toph ("But I wanna stay with Tooooph!") and tucked them both into their separate beds (was this what it was like to be a parent? he wondered), a plan couldn't help but form in his mind. And as he made up a bed for himself in the living room, Mamoru couldn't help but grin and wonder, just how much would Sokka be willing to give away come morning? Because no matter what, Mamoru was determined to find out just what those wide-eyed stares had been for.
AN: Thanks for reading! Did anyone pick up on a returning character from Big Brother? That's right, it's the jerky vendor man! He has a night job at The Onyx.