A/N: Written as a birthday gift for a Sukka-loving friend. She asked me what Sokka and Suki would have done for their honeymoon. Well, the war is over, both are adventurous and love each other's company...what better to do than go exploring? ;)
"Sokka, really, do you think it's a good idea to go on such a long trip? The war didn't end all that long ago. You have a wife now…that's a responsibility…"
Sokka laughed, slightly breathless as he staggered under the weight of a towering pile of furs, clothing, and supplies he was carrying from Suki's Kyoshi Island house. "Granpakku, are you seriously suggesting that Suki can't handle a honeymoon trip?"
Pakku scowled, his white brows arching together over his fierce blue eyes. "Don't call me that. I was merely trying to point out that traveling practically around the world on foot so soon after marriage…"
"Honestly, don't let her hear you say that. And I thought we went through this. Your granddaughter is a master waterbender. Your extended in-laws include a knife-thrower and a blind earth- and metalbender, both of whom are girls."
"I wasn't trying to imply…"
"You just don't want to admit that Suki beat you last week just by tripping you with her fans." Sokka grinned at his grandfather around the stack of supplies, and then lurched violently sideways as the tower unbalanced.
Before the luggage could topple, an extra pair of hands and a sturdy shoulder bolstered it from the other side.
"Sokka." Suki chuckled as she applied enough force to keep the pile upright. "You don't have to take it all in one trip. Or do you want to be sleeping on dusty blankets the whole time?"
"Thanks, Suki." Sokka shot her a grateful look around the heap, and then gave Pakku a pointed stare as if to say, "See?"
"Hmph." Pakku folded his arms, but he said no more.
"I…swear…my…instincts…are…unfailing."
Sokka slumped down against the trunk of a tree, trying to adopt a carefree expression while breathing in gasps.
"We…are…definitely…not…lost."
"I didn't say we were, Sokka." Suki looked a little worn herself; but then the packs of supplies they were carrying backpack style were fairly heavy. Still, she remained upright as she looked down at her panting husband, and she managed a smile.
"Need…some…food…to…restore…sense…of…direction…" Sokka reached out a supplicating hand to Suki, as if he were a starving man.
She laughed. "We've only gone a few miles. You ate an hour ago. More walking, then food, you goof."
She reached down to help him to his feet. "Good thing I'm carrying the food pack, or we'd be out of stuff to eat by the third day."
Sokka gave her an injured look as he took the offered hand and staggered upright again with an exaggerated gasp.
Suki kissed him casually on the cheek, and then set off among the trees again, waiting to pick up the pace until she heard Sokka's crunching footsteps behind her. But she couldn't resist one last comment.
"And your grandfather was worried about me."
"See? Almost ten miles in one day. I'm getting much better."
"You are," Suki allowed with a smile. She rested a hand on a smooth boulder and looked out across the shining water.
They had reached the Serpent's Pass, a special place for both of them. Behind her, Sokka was starting a fire to cook dinner. He always insisted on making the food even before they set up the sleeping arrangements.
Suki took a deep breath of the clean air, enjoying simply being out in the world with Sokka, without the threat of war hanging over their heads.
Out in the water, the tip of a green fin broached the surface, trailing a tiny, arrow-shaped wake. Suki recognized it immediately.
Wordlessly, she went back to where Sokka was striking two rocks together and muttering something about "times when it would be great to be a firebender". She undid one of the packs and rummaged inside until she came up with a thick strip of dark brown meat. With a few twists of her hands, she crumbled it.
"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed indignantly from behind her as she walked back to the water's edge. "That's my seal jerky! What're you-"
Suki tossed the scraps of meat out onto the water as far as she could. They made splashes and ripples where they landed. Sokka came skidding up beside her, making incoherent noises of disbelief.
The next moment, the water boiled, and a huge gaping set of jaws burst from the sea, swallowing every bit of seal jerky along with a generous mouthful of water. The Serpent swayed above them for a moment, its snakelike tongue flickering around its mouth. Then it dove, sending a tiny wave of water onto the shore that soaked both Sokka and Suki's feet.
Sokka spluttered for a moment, and then said, "You fed my seal jerky to a giant hungry sea monster?"
Suki shrugged, smiling at his indignation. "It was a peace offering. Better than offering it Momo," she added, grinning challengingly at him. Sokka mock-scowled at her, shaking his head and muttering about wasting perfectly good food.
"Don't worry." Suki walked past him to start unpacking the blankets and other supplies. She brushed her hand slowly across his shoulders as she passed. "I'll find a way to make it up to you later."
She had to turn her head to hide her laughter at the sudden expression of wide-eyed comprehension that crossed his face, erasing all traces of irritation.
"Aha! There's one. The Ice Hunter. Finally; I thought there might not be any I recognized."
Sokka's outstretched hand lazily outlined the faraway trail of stars. Suki laid her head on his shoulder so she could follow the angle of his arm. If she looked hard, she could just make out the blocky shape of a standing person, perhaps hefting a spear.
They had chosen to sleep outside on this particular warm night, with only a single blanket between them and the grassy ground.
"Your turn," Sokka murmured. He hardly had to raise his voice at all; it was so quiet out here, and their heads rested close together.
"Let's see…I think that's the Great Unagi." Suki pointed out a winding zigzag of bright stars that ended in a spray like a crest. "And that's Avatar Kyoshi's constellation, there."
"The one that looks like a fan?"
Suki turned her head toward his in surprise. "You can tell that's what it is? There's even some Kyoshi Islanders that can't make out the shape."
"Of course." Sokka sounded proud of himself. But there was just a tiny hint of something in his voice…
"Could you really tell?" she asked suspiciously.
"Well…no." She could tell he was grinning sheepishly even in the dark. "I just guessed. I mean, what else is Avatar Kyoshi's constellation going to look like?"
"You're a bad liar…smart, but a bad liar." Suki leaned over and kissed the side of his neck affectionately. Sokka turned his head and kissed her gently on the mouth in return. They lapsed into comfortable silence, the myriad pinpricks of light reflected in two pairs of eyes: one blue, one brown.
"Suki…is that a spider?"
"Hmm?" Suki followed Sokka's wide-eyed gaze, pausing in the act of folding back the covers on their inn bed, which Sokka was already in. "I don't know…I don't see anything."
"I could've sworn I saw a spider…you can never tell with these Outer Ring inns." Sokka squinted into the shadows on the ceiling. Then he caught Suki's amused expression and quickly smoothed his face out. "I mean, it's not like they scare me or anything, but…" Sokka swallowed and pulled the blanket up until it hid most of his face. "What if it drops into my mouth or something while I'm asleep?" This last bit came out in a stage whisper, as if he thought the spider might hear and get ideas.
Suki managed to fight off the grin that was threatening to creep onto her face this time. Just then, as if on cue, she caught a scuttle of movement out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, the offending creature was at rest on the wall; a tiny spider about the size of a coin.
Shaking her head, Suki walked over and swept the spider into her palm, and then just as quickly pushed aside the paper covering on the window and dropped it outside.
"There…that should—" She started to turn back when Sokka yelped, "Suki, behind you!" The urgency in his voice made her half turn, and that was when two arms wrapped around her waist from behind, as Sokka swept her backwards into the bed, chuckling wickedly.
Suki rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as Sokka pulled the sheets over them both, wrapping them tighter than any spider's web.
Sokka woke from his bed on the leaf-strewn ground to the soft, squeaking sound.
He blinked his eyes open groggily. A small shape was sitting by his head.
"Ah!" he yelped and involuntarily rolled away from the thing, shunting Suki to one side. He was sitting up fighting with his blankets when he finally realized what it was.
A baby mooselion.
He almost laughed, both with relief and irony. He well remembered the small square head, the nubby horns, and the fluffy, wide-eyed, and altogether cute appearance of the creature. It couldn't possibly be his old "acquaintance" Foofoocuddlypoops; too much time had passed. But it certainly looked very much the same.
"Suki!" Sokka helped nudge her into a sitting position with one arm, keeping his eyes on the cub. "Look! It's just like the one that visited me when I was stuck in a crack that time."
Suki yawned and rubbed her eyes. It was early, and being suddenly awoken by being shoved sideways was not the most comfortable way to wake up. Still, Sokka's sheer enthusiasm for such a small thing was infectious as always.
"Hi there little guy." Sokka leaned down so he was on the creature's level. It blinked back at him, and then sneezed softly. Suki had to admit, it was very endearing. Sokka sat up, reaching out towards the cub. He put his hands gently under its stomach and lifted it. It hung docilely in his grasp, its stub of a tail twitching slightly.
"So that's the 'little guy' that you raved about? The one who supposedly came to torment you while you were stuck?" Suki looked at the furry little animal with a skeptical smile.
"Yep. And then to make matters worse, his humongous mom came along and…uh oh."
Sokka looked at the cub in his hands with a new expression, one of dawning fear instead of delight.
Twigs and branches snapped loudly in the sudden silence.
Sokka, Suki, and the mooselion cub swiveled their heads at exactly the same moment. From across the clearing, a mass of bushes shivered.
It was Sokka who moved first, perhaps comprehending the situation better. He grabbed his pants from the nearby pack and yanked them on, and tossed Suki's clothes at her. Then he picked up the biggest stick he could grab and moved forward into the middle of the clearing, moving from side to side, ready to run in either direction.
Suki tried to pull on her clothes and keep her eye on the thrashing bushes at the same time. The mooselion cub sat to one side, yawning and looking altogether unconcerned.
With a colossal roar accompanied by an equally loud crash, a full-grown mother mooselion, just like the one that had menaced Aang and Sokka years ago, came thundering out of the woods at full tilt. Sokka had to throw himself sideways to avoid the charge. He landed as Piandao had taught him, in a crouch, ready for further movement.
The mooselion wheeled toward him, only to be caught on the flank by a well-aimed rock from Suki. Confused, the creature twisted, baring its huge teeth, undecided on its target.
Sokka yelled and swung his stick, diverting its attention yet again. The mooselion pivoted and dove toward him, missing this time by inches, its antlers gouging up furrows in the soft dirt.
At that moment, the baby mooselion made a squeaking sound and scrambled off into the bushes, probably in pursuit of a bug or other small thing.
The mother mooselion grunted, swinging her head briefly between Sokka, Suki, and her baby. In the end, she chose to follow her cub, presumably to protect it from other encounters. In just a few short moments, the clearing was empty again, save Sokka and Suki.
Sokka slumped down on the ground, breathing hard with the remains of adrenaline. "That…wasn't…the…good…kind…of…déjà vu." He looked over at Suki. "You…were really…brave."
"You…too." Suki grinned tiredly back.
With a heavy sigh, Sokka flopped down on his back. Then he turned his head toward Suki.
"Oh yeah…good morning."
Suki laughed.
"It's them! They're back!"
Of course Toph knew before any of the others, feeling the vibrations of two sets of footsteps approaching from the trees. The welcoming party, made up of a very familiar group of friends, surged to their feet at once.
Sokka had barely taken two steps out of the tree cover when his sister hurled herself bodily on him, followed by the enthusiastic greeting of one blind earthbender, one tattooed Avatar, one tall Fire Lord, as well as the slightly less vigorous acknowledgment that came from Mai in the form of a slight smile and a nod. When Suki emerged only moments behind him, the attack was transferred to her.
"Suki! You brought him all back in one piece!" exclaimed Katara, holding her sister-in-law at arms length.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Sokka indignantly.
"You both look like you had a good journey," interrupted Zuko.
Sokka and Suki both grinned at the same time. It had been a good journey. The nights in the open and in inns, watching stars at night and strange creatures in the forest by day, sparring every morning and evening and falling asleep in each other's arms. Danger, adventure, mystery. They had revisited places from the past and seen new wonders. And best of all, they had been together the whole time.
"Bet you have a lot of stories and wisdom and junk you brought back," grinned Toph, elbowing Sokka in the ribs. "C'mon, you have to tell us about it."
The friends began ushering the returning adventurers into the house, Sokka and Suki still walking side by side, their packs still slung on their backs.
Stories and wisdom and junk, mused Suki. Yes. And one thing more…Oh, she well remembered the morning only a couple weeks before when she had gotten her own special highlight of the trip.
"WHAT? You…you…you can't be serious."
"Would I joke about this, you goof?"
"In the name of…how exactly…when did you…GAH!"
"Sokka, do you need to lie down?"
"No…great spirits…Suki…I…oh, heck, come here. I can't believe you…"
"I love you too, Sokka."
Now Suki very carefully, very slowly, slipped her hand over until it rested against her stomach. Who knew how long it would be before Toph sensed it, and told everyone? No, for now she would keep it a secret.
Sokka glanced sideways at her, a secret, glowing look of love and pride kindling in his blue eyes.
Just between the two of them.
A/N: To clarify, the honeymoon took place over a period of about a year or so. They didn't walk the whole way either; they used various methods of transportation.