Woot! Sorry for late update. But this is a goody chapter. Thank you Zutarafan4, who wrote a majority of it XD I sent her like a thousand words of a chapter and it came back over 2 thousand words XD I've been drawing a LOT lately and getting subscribers on youtube so I have not had a lot of time to write. Sorry. Please forgive me!! Okay...well, review please!
"Okay everyone! Do you know where you are working?" Suki called.
"Yes!" The Kyoshi Warriors plus one responded. That 'plus one' was a bit too enthusiastic in Ty Lee's mind. Ty Lee pouted next to Hasoka, folding her arms as she glared over at 'plus one's' head.
"Then let's get to it!" She folded her fan into her hand, signifying that her time to speak was done. Instantly the girls and 'plus one' grabbed tools and wood and set to work.
It had been a combined effort of Ty Lee's and Hasoka's that brought this day into motion. Ever since Ty Lee had seen the poor remains of the Kyoshi Warrior's old dormitory she had wanted to help it. And the idea of sleeping in a building that didn't smell like sweat had appealed to her. She had expressed the idea to Hasoka who also wished to have the dormitory back. So they brought the case before Suki, who took time to stop making out with Sokka to plan the whole operation.
Oyaji was going to address the village later that day to ask for any volunteers who wished to contribute. It was better to ask for outside help once they actually started making progress on the makeover. Then the spirits would be raised of the people and they would be more willing. Or, at least, that was what Oyaji said.
Ty Lee had been very excited to start when she got up that morning. With this new project meant the removal of the morning run and exercises. It wasn't that they were exhausting or physically demanding anymore. She had gotten used to it. But a break was pretty nice. Now that she was starting to do the remodeling work, however, she wasn't so excited. She was used to carrying around supplies and stuff. Not building.
She had been assigned to fixing up the window frames on the bottom floor. That was relatively easy. At least she didn't have to start fixing the roof or the ceiling. That was up to the twins, Takumi, and Hasoka. Suki was working on the door frames, while Nikumu and Sokka insulated the walls. Nikumu was only with Sokka to prevent any distraction from Suki's work.
Ty Lee made a face as she began to set the new frame where the old one used to be. She hadn't had a blasted moment to talk to Sokka about his feelings since her decision. He was always lip locked with Suki. Always. It was insane. But she had to do it soon, or Suki and her apparently attractive lips would win him over.
She readied a nail in the side to connect the frame to the wall. Very carefully, she lined the hammer with the nail. She had never hammered something before, but it couldn't be that difficult.
Seriously, though, she thought as she raised the hammer up. What did Suki have that she didn't? Suki was cute but she was cuter. Short hair is so out-of-style. And Ty Lee was a better fighter, though that could lower your chances with men. They liked being the muscle. Suki was boring to talk to. Ty Lee always brightened up conversations. And to top all of that, she knew that she had much larger…
"Ow!" She cried, dropping the hammer and nail and instantly attending to her now-throbbing hand. She had struck herself trying to think and hammer at the same time. Now her hand was red and stinging. Ty Lee shook it a bit to try to make the pain go away but it didn't work. How could she be so stupid and inattentive? She bent down and picked up the hammer again, grabbing the nail as well.
"That looked like it hurt." A voice piped up from behind. She cringed and answered without turning to look her in the face.
"What do you want, Nikumu?" Why did that arrogant jerk always have to show up at the worst times? She was always ruining everything. And it was like she lived to be a nasty person to Ty Lee. She reset the nail and lifted the hammer, swung, and missed. She frowned at the new round indent in the wood. Nikumu chuckled behind her as she swung again, this time hitting the nail only to slide off and hit the wood again, leaving a bent nail behind.
"Just wanted to check up on you. Figured you would be screwing things up by now." She sneered, "Just goes to show that Fire Nation scum are worthless."
"Shut up, and get back to work." Ty Lee fumed. She replaced the bent nail with a straight one, fitting it into the small groove she had seemed to make the one time she had hit it. She steadied the nail, trying to keep as many fingers as possible away from the path of the hammer. This time she managed to actually hit it semi-squarely. She brightened a smidge at her success.
"There was something else I wanted to mention…now what was it again?" Nikumu pressed her finger to her chin, "That was right! I left Sokka all by himself to finish our work!"
"Why is that so important?" Ty Lee mentally groaned at the mention of the Water Tribe boy.
"Well…I thought that maybe you'd want to see him. You guys are old pals from the war, right? But I noticed you hadn't been able to talk to him because of Suki. So I figured this would be a good time to talk. I could set the frame in for you since you are doing soo well already."
Ty Lee dropped the tools again in surprise. She turned and saw Nikumu looking at her. Then came the real surprise. She didn't have the usual look of spite in her face. Actually, she seemed sort of… nervous.
"Okay…I know I've been real mean to you…from the moment you came here…and I'm sorry…I should've acted better…So…this is kinda…my way of asking for your forgiveness. Some time with Sokka will make up for my rudeness, right?" She couldn't look Ty Lee straight in the eyes, but stared around the demolished dormitory.
Ty Lee couldn't believe what she was hearing. Nikumu was feeling…remorse? She wanted to let Ty Lee and Sokka have time alone? This wasn't like Nikumu…and yet it seemed innocent enough. Besides, either way she would be with Sokka. She could finally ask him.
"Y-Yeah…sure it would, Nikumu." Ty Lee smiled.
"Oh! I'm so glad!" Nikumu ran up and hugged Ty Lee so hard she couldn't breathe, "I was afraid we would be enemies forever."
"Well, looks like we won't have to be now."
"Exactly. Now hurry up. I can't take your shift forever and not be noticed," She winked and picked up the tools to start working.
Ty Lee ran out of that section of the room faster than a caffeinated airbender. Sokka. Alone. She could finally ask him. Find out how he felt. Put that section of her life behind her…or extend it to something more. Everything that had been on her mind had led up to these moments she was about to experience. She couldn't mess up. She had to get this right.
There he was! Standing so close by, working diligently on fixing the wall. That was odd. Ty Lee had never seen him so intent on work like this before. His brows were furrowed in concentration and he was biting his tongue comically. And there was paint splattered all over him. She giggled. It was so like Sokka to act so silly. He didn't really mature much since the war.
She surveyed his work a bit. It looked like he and Nikumu had finished two of the walls and were now on to painting them a light green color. Sokka was in the middle of painting the wall across from the doorway.
Slowly, she crept up behind him and tapped him on the back. Immeadiately he froze and dropped everything.
"What the-?" He spun around, "Oh, it's you Ty Lee." He looked relieved.
"Hi Sokka. You need any help? Looks like Nikumu abandoned you." She figured she could lie about Nikumu like this because of their little truce. It wouldn't really look like anything bad anyways. Before he could respond she grabbed the paintbrush and began to paint over the new plaster they had added.
Sokka nodded in agreement and went to procure another paintbrush. When he returned they worked for a few minutes in complete silence. Ty Lee couldn't think of what to say. How could she bring it up? Without it being awkward, it seemed near impossible. The quiet seemed to continue forever, until Sokka finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you."
Ty Lee turned and looked at him in disbelief. Did he really just say that? He had stopped painting and was staring resolutely at the wet paint. He actually had a serious face on.
"Oh no! That's okay! I mean, you've been busy! I understand completely!" Ty Lee lied. To emphasize she waved her brush which only flung paint into her hair. She grimaced.
"No, it's my fault…I've kinda been ignoring you…avoiding you." He admitted. At this he turned his head away from her.
Her heart began to beat faster. Was this really going in the direction she thought it was? Well…time to take a chance.
"Sokka…do you think I'm cute?"
The way it came out was so stupid that she wanted to go back and change it, but it was too late. She had already said it. Sokka's eyes widened as he looked back toward her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…do you like me?"
Another silence followed, longer and much more awkward than the first.
"I…I don't know…" He turned away again. "I mean…darn, this is so confusing!" He clutched at his head with both hands, looking up to the ceiling. He even stomped a bit. She probably would've found it funny if it wasn't her fault.
"Why is it confusing?" she asked.
He turned back towards her, lowering his hands. His expression was pained. "Because I think I actually might."
"Might what?" she searched his face with her eyes, looking for some clue. She knew she was pushing it, but…
He stepped closer to her. "Like you."
Ty Lee knew this was her chance. She grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him close. She was expecting him to resist or something but he simply let her move him. Her arms wrapped around his neck.
"Why don't we check?" She almost whispered. Then she kissed him.
It wasn't an ordinary kiss. Nothing like the small peck she had given him the day she left for Kyoshi. There was something in this one. A spark. It felt good.
He hadn't moved right away. But now she could feel his arms slowly circling around her waist and his lips start to respond. Spirits, he was amazing. No wonder it was all Suki did with him. She pulled his ponytail out slowly, reveling in the feel of the combination of his lips and now his hair dangling in her face. She played with it absently as Sokka got more into the kiss.
"I think she went over here, Suki…" Ty Lee heard a voice in the distance. But she didn't think much of it. She was in pulled away from her mouth for half a second then started kissing around her jaw line. She shook her head, wanting those lips, those amazing lips… "I've found her! And…What are you doing, Ty Lee!?"
"Sokka!"
Quickly, Sokka broke away from Ty Lee and blushed, grinning a cheesy, too-big smile. Suki and Nikumu were standing in the doorway, Nikumu with a pleased look on her face. The Water Tribesman's grin slowly fell off as Suki glared at him, looking very close to tears and positively furious.
Ty Lee blushed heavily, staring at the floor. She couldn't believe she had just made out with her leader's boyfriend. She glanced up at Suki and Nikumu, doing a double-take at Nikumu's barely-there smirk. Instantly, she was livid. This had been a setup! But…how was she going to get out of this this time?
I only wrote 4 sentences for the kissing scene. It was the section about the spark. Everything else was Zutarafan4 XD I can't write romance like that to save my life. So glad to have her as my beta.
Ooh? What's gonna happen now!? Guess you;ll have to wait and see...
