Yeah, got this one out way quicker!
Suyin is two, and she's dark. So, so dark. Toph doesn't know until Suyin is four months old and the Southern Water Tribe healer asks, "Is she one of ours?" as she cares for the colic that has been making Su cry. It's not obvious. It's not sure. But Suyin looks like she could be part water tribe - she could be part water tribe.
Toph trembles when Sokka comes into her office after a long day of government work. Her hands squeeze the wood of her chair. She's put away the metal one so she wouldn't break it, but even this wooden one seems close. She hears him stop a few feet away.
"What's wrong?"
Her voice is barely above a whisper. "You knew about Suyin."
"I've wondered," he counters. "I didn't know. You sleep with a lot of different people, Toph, I know that. I didn't think I was the only water tribe guy you'd gone to. I figured you didn't know."
"I would have, if someone would have told me earlier." She glares, her eye contact more unnerving from her cloudy eyes. "Is there a reason no one told me that my daughter is dark?"
He chuckles. "Well, Toph, it's usually not considered polite to comment on a baby's race."
She slams a fist on the desk. "This isn't funny, Sokka! She's yours! Su is your daughter and you're on the council-" Her voice raises, growing hysterical "-Spirits, Sokka, I've ruined you. The voters, the conservatives, they'll tear you apart. I was so stupid and careless."
"Oh, Toph," he whispers. "No."
"Oh Toph yes," she spits. "And I took this from you. You're her father and you haven't even known for two years. I took you away from your daughter." She falls back into her chair. "I'm so sorry, Sokka, I didn't mean to. I didn't know until the healer said."
His hands are gentle, tugging her up to her feet and into his arms. "Oh, Toph, you didn't know. And I've been playing the dad to your girls for years. I was there when Su walked and when she called you Mama and when she shaped a rock into a ball." He laughs again. "Is that a big step for an earthbender? it seems important."
Her voice trembles. "But family is so important to you. It's why I never wanted…"
"Yeah, family is important. Not the blood part, though." He sits and she sits with him, side by side on the desk. "When I was growing up, I was in a small tribe. I knew everyone. My options for the girl I could marry could have been counted on one hand, and i thought that was so important. We had a strong tradition of family and we were all related, somehow. We were all water tribe, the same blood. Then we started travelling and...Suki was an infatuation the first time we met. We were travelling and she was staying put. I never thought I would get to be with her. Yue was serious, but Yue was still water tribe, and that was enough."
"Until she turned into the moon."
He grins. "Yeah, until then. Then I had Suki, and I'd finally grown up enough that I realized loving her was enough. Aang was already my brother, even if there wasn't any blood there and he hadn't married Katara yet. You were family too, Toph - maybe even quicker than Aang. You're a lot more human and a lot like me."
"You know, this is a cool story, Sokka. Does it have an end?"
He snorts. "Fine. My point is, I used to think that there was a way a family worked, how it had to be, but there's no rules, Toph. There isn't one way it has to be. Sometimes the parents are weird and that makes the family weird. I don't think I mind Su calling me Uncle Sokka. It's be easier to deal with because of our jobs and easier…" he sighs. "I think it's kinder to Lin this way. More fair."
Toph nods. "If I tell Su about you, I'll have to tell Lin about...about Kanto and how he…"
. He kisses her temples. "You can't take her away from me, Toph. That's a line. You can't stop me from being there for her, or seeing her. You can't do that."
"Well, if you ever turn into a terrible drunk I might." She smiles and tangles her fingers with his, and he thinks for a moment how he might have panicked as a teenager if she said something like that, how he might have insisted on her promising. It's different now, and he can take Toph at her word. He's rewarded when she continues. "You know, I don't think I could leave you anymore."
He squeezes her hand. 'How come? You love me?" He's always delighted at the pink on her cheeks that appear when they talk about real feelings.
"Nah, I just got used to having someone tell me I look alright every morning."
"You look beautiful every morning," he retorts. He whispers it in her ear and it sends a shiver down her spine.
"See?" she says, tugging him so their bodies press flush together. "That's why I keep you around."