Avatar | Sokka/Toph | The Morning After
Title: The Morning After
Author/Artist: kerrie13
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Sokka/Toph
Rating: PG13
Author’s Note: This was an experiment, since I’ve never written Avatar or the pairing. But the prompt was too good not to try XD
Prompt: “ATLA - Sokka/Toph - Future!fic, 'the morning after'/getting over a hangover”
Throbbing and ringing, those were the only two things that were immediately apparent to Toph as she stirred from the blessed oblivion of unconsciousness. Why did her head feel like a cotton stuffed balloon, completely with desert tongue and glued together eyes? Why were her ears blocked and yet she could hear every little sound magnified a hundred fold?
And why the hell was there a heavy - and sticky! - body draped over hers?!
Toph knew that instant that bad (and embarrassing) shit had gone down the night before and that she had been at the center of it all. She could only imagine what she had done (and who she had done it with). Damn Fire Country liquor! As if she didn’t have enough problems in her life. Alcohol had to go and make it worse.
Sokka was going to have a field day. Damned idiot. It was all his stupid fault anyway. He was probably laughing it up somewhere. At her expense. As soon as my head stops screeching, I’m going to crush him under a thousand tons of rocks!
“Would you please stop grumbling? My head hurts.”
Wait a minute… that voice, she knew that voice. “Sokka?!”
He didn’t answer in any verbally coherent way. Instead, it was more like a moaning grumble followed by a further snuggling into her neck.
Oh hell. It was even worse than she thought. Not only had she gotten drunk and jumped in bed with some guy, she had gotten drunk and jumped in bed with the guy. It figured - that was just the way her life worked. Not with little pebbles rolling down a hill, but with a huge freaken boulder looking to crush everyone.
Life was grand. There were a hundred ways she had pictured a possible relationship with the Water Tribe man starting, and this way had never been one of them. How depressing - having to get him drunk first. It was kind of degrading.
He didn’t seem overly aware of where he was, if his lack of movement was any indication. His breathing was erratic and pained, which told her that he was probably awake. He was probably trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation. She didn’t blame him really, since she didn’t want to be there either. Idiot.
Yet, even though she was sure he was awake, he made no effort to pull away, or even to deviate slightly from his cuddling position. His forehead remained firmly stuck to her neck, his lips resting against her collarbone. She could feel every puff of air that left him, and the more she became aware of it, the more it tickled. Choosing to focus on the tickle and the annoyance rather than the flush or the embarrassment, Toph shoved at Sokka’s heavy shoulders. “Get off me you idiot.”
His reply was another mutter. Apparently he was conscious but not coherent. Not that he was at the best of times. If he was even half as hung over as she was, then the likelihood of him budging an inch in any immediacy was nil. That didn’t stop her from trying of course, since remaining in such a position was way too mortifying for liking. If he says anything about this later, I will stomp on his head.
“Sokka, unless I found God in your pants and I simply don’t remember, I advise you to remove yourself from my presence instantly.” Her voice was getting more irate and she was starting to growl. She hoped that he would get a clue and be gone. Surely he had lived with his sister long enough to know that tone in a woman’s voice?
His shoulders moved up and down in what could have been a sad attempt at a laugh. “I’m pretty sure you did,” he replied hazily. He shifted then, not off her like she wanted, but downwards and to the side so that he could hug her small torso and rest his cheek just above her breasts. “Find God that is.”
Toph’s flush darkened and though she tried to fight his hold and slip away, he refused let her go. Of course I don’t know where I am or where my clothes are…Maybe she was better off staying with Sokka until she fully figured out what was going on and what he wanted. It was better than wandering Zuko’s palace naked at any rate.
“I sincerely doubt that Snoozles.” It was the only reply she could think of since her brain was not only sluggish with after-alcohol, but also fried from what the feeling of his skin did against hers. Damn it, what did he want with her?
“Meh, there’s always time to find out later,” he yawned, and squeezed her like a teddy bear. “For now, I’m gonna sleep.”
“Oh no you aren’t-”
“Sokka? Sokka are you awake?”
Not even a knock on the door and the subsequent got Sokka moving. It was like he didn’t hear the door at all. Toph, however, heard it all too clearly, and not even Sokka’s strange and meaning-filled words could distract her from the fact that Katara was standing on the other side of the door, probably poised to come in.
At least it explained where she was.
“Damn it, let go.” She couldn’t even bend him off her, not only was she totally in the wrong position and in the wrong place, she was pretty sure Zuko would flay her alive if she did anything to his precious and hard earned palace.
Sokka shook his head and continued to cling to her, now half asleep. It always amazed her how he could sleep through almost anything and in almost any situation. Thus the nickname Snoozles. It was one of his more annoying traits. “No,” he muttered, before raising his voice. “Go away Katara, I’m busy and sleeping.”
Idiot! He wasn’t afraid of his sister knowing that she was in his room with him. Why? Did Katara already know? Did something big go down that she couldn’t remember? Is that why he seemed unfazed?
Did they elope in a drunken haze?
Oh Hell.
Katara, who wasn’t exactly known for her long patience decided that she couldn’t wait for Sokka to wake up fully. Without pausing, she opened the door and strode in the room, looking more awake and glorious than a pregnant woman should the morning after a big party. Not that Toph could see how she looked, but she could tell. She could feel it in the air, and knew from years of knowing the former-Water Tribe woman. Katara did not leave her room unless dressed properly.
Toph wanted to jump into the nearest body of water and drown herself. That was the only way to escape the utter humiliation that she was feeling that moment. She could sense Katara’s wide eyes on her and could feel the instant the other woman turned around, as well as the embarrassment that flooded the room.
“Um, er, I’m very sorry,” Katara stammered, though it sounded like she was trying not to laugh. “I didn’t realize you were in here Toph.”
The throbbing was worse, and Katara almost-giggling was making it seem like someone was earth bending in her head. Toph sorely wanted to cry, but would not compound the situation any further.
At least she knew now that there had been no big, public show-down the night before.
“Your idiot brother won’t let me go,” was all Toph said in reply. Better to move on than to dwell on the obvious. It would just make everyone more uncomfortable. Well, everyone but the sleeping idiot.
Katara did laugh then. She was amused. At least one of us is. “Sokka’s not a morning person, especially after he’s been drinking.” She said gently, lowering her voice. “But Zuko is impatient to get going. He can wait. I’m sorry again Toph.”
Lovely. At least it hadn’t been the Fire Lord himself that had shown up. She might have had to strangle herself then. At least now she could strangle Sokka and everyone would understand.
Katara was gone moments after her last words, shutting the door quietly behind her. Sokka was snoring softly by that point, or at least Toph thought she heard snoring. Her brain was so mushified that she wasn’t entirely sure anymore. “I hate you,” she sighed, relaxing against the pillow. It was just too much effort to care any more. When the real world crept up again, then she’d deal with it. But for now, when it was just the two of them, and he obviously wasn’t moving, she’d make herself not care.
“Mm, no you don’t, you love me,” came the childish sounding reply.
Toph hit him for her trouble.