Author's Notes: Ahh, Tokka fic, how I have missed thee. Just a little S3-inspired fic for you that contains about two (2) spoilers, in case you're worried. Now I must go write more fic for I have Monday off!
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Alisa
Just Him and Her
Passage of a Flower
What surprised her the most was the fact that she hadn't seen it sooner. Maybe she had been too wrapped up in Aang to notice it, or perhaps she was just too worked up about the war to process it. But no matter the reason, now that she could see it, she couldn't stop seeing it.
Her first indication: Seating. She always sat by Aang, if she could help it, and they always sat together too. She assumed it was because she took up all the space around Aang. But when they sat down before she did, before Aang did, even, they always sat next to each other. It was her first clue.
The second indication: It was never "Aang and I are going into town," or "D'you want to pick up some meat with me?" It was always "Toph and I are gonna go look for some dinner." It was always "Me and Sokka have to go pick up some stuff." The second hint.
The obvious indication: After-hours. They stayed up late sometimes, just talking. He liked his sleep, and she wasn't one to hold pointless conversation, but sometimes she would be roused from her sleep by the soft mutterings of their voices around the fire and the quiet chuckling of a private joke. Late into the night, early into the morning: the third piece of the puzzle.
Now that she could see it, she almost looked for it. The way he would look at her, the way she would smile at him. Everything they did together, she thought, was kind of cute in its own way (something she'd never thought to associate with her brother). The way they acted together, the way they shamelessly bantered. (She couldn't help but wonder if she and Aang looked like that.)
It was new and it was different and she sort of liked it in that sisterly kind of way.
When she thought of the first time she realized it ("you go on ahead without us," she'd said), she immediately questioned how long it had been there. How long had she been missing the signs or misinterpreting the actions? How long had she been too concerned about herself to realize what was going on with her brother and friend?
She guessed Ba Sing Se. They did everything together then, just like they did now. She hadn't noticed that they were growing closer over that time, and over the three weeks on their stolen Fire Nation ship, but now it only seemed obvious. By the time Aang woke up, they could communicate through touch, something she thought only she and Aang could do.
It was like a flower—one day a bud, the next day a blossom. She had missed the flower opening, and that almost disappointed her, because they made such a pretty flower (albeit a sarcastic one, but she could overlook that).
When she saw them dancing, a tiny hand tugging at his beard, a laugh bubbled over. Maybe it wasn't so surprising after all.