magical uh...avatar verse...thing? I don't even know, it's suki and sokka shut up.

[fansoffury]

"Alright girls, that's enough. Now do a run around the island and I'll see you all in the morning. Go!" Suki clapped her hands together, and the newest generation of Kyoshi warriors went jogging off down the beach towards the distant rocks and trees, in sets of two and three, racing and laughing and generally not taking her instructions seriously.

Comments

[lovedthemoon]

He had been floating along the outskirts of Kyoshi on his father's ship, loaded with supplies. And okay, maybe he'd been watching her for a bit too. It felt wrong to disturb the serene ritual of Suki removing her makeup. Sokka crouched low in the ship, waiting for his opportunity.

His heart ached just to see her, counting the months and weeks, down to the minutes, to the last time he'd seen her. He wished things could be different, but if she could get away for a few weeks, they could at least have this time together.

It was silly to think of, but he was sure he'd grown at least a few inches since the last time, and he hoped she would notice. She looked sad and finally he couldn't take it anymore, waiting for the ship to drift a little closer to shore.

He popped up, waving to her furiously. "Suki! Hey, Suki!"

[fansoffury]

Suki twisted around the moment she heard an unfamiliar voice, her fan sliding down out of her sleeve in one smooth motion as she braced for an attack...and froze, halfway through the motion, the fan barely unfurled, hanging between her fingers as Sokka came floating towards the beach in his boat.

Her brain had to say that again. 'Sokka came floating towards the beach in his boat.' It was Sokka. He was...older, taller, his features more defined, his expression...well, that looked the same. Automatically, her hand closed her fan with a snap and slid it back into her sleeve as her legs carried her towards the edge of the water.

Her head tilted to the side, watching him approach, and she didn't know what she was feeling. Was it a dream? It was probably a dream, she did doze sometimes on the beach after training, though she didn't remember laying down.

It didn't feel like a dream, though.

"...Sokka?"

[lovedthemoon]

Waving cheerily, as though he's completely oblivious to her plight with reality, mostly because he is, he set about mooring the boat. With that done, he clambered off and made his way over.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to--surprise you. I hope it's a pleasant surprise, but I didn't have time to send a letter before I got here. It was kind of sprung on me last minute." The words come out as a rush, kicking some sand and taking a breath. He wanted to touch her just to confirm she was real. But also just because he wanted to touch her.

He reminded himself he didn't have to hesitate, heart hammering in his chest as he pulled forward, enveloping her in a tight hug.

[fansoffury]

She didn't really hear a thing of what he was saying, just sort of standing there on the edge of the beach watching him trying to tie up his boat. It wasn't even really until she felt his arms around her that any of it even seem the least bit real, and even then she didn't hug back for a moment as he grabbed her.

He smelled like Sokka. Was that weird? That she remembered that? Because she did, and he still smelled like...like him. He was real. He was here.

Her arms finally reacted, curling tightly around his waist, and she buried her face in his shoulder, taking a deep breath, her eyes closed. And considering how tight she's hugging him now, he's probably never getting to let go.

"I missed you."

[lovedthemoon]

He hugged her back just as tightly, unable to keep the soft smile from his face even as he doesn't have a care in the world for hindering either of their breathing. "I've missed you too." More than she could ever imagine, he wanted to add. He was really here, and she was really in his arms and everything was perfect.

Well, except one thing. If she couldn't leave Kyoshi, he would understand. He had already wasted too much time taking the venture out here to see her. Convincing himself that seeing her even briefly was enough, he sunk a hand into her hair, taking a deep breath as he tries to formulate words that are even the slightest bit comprehensible.

"Do you think you have time for an adventure? With me?" he added, realizing it was a pretty silly thing to tack on, forcing himself to remain quiet while he waited for her answer, still holding her close.

[fansoffury]

Suki didn't really want to move, honestly. She would've been perfectly content to just hug him, to keep her face like this, drawing in the smell of him and his boat and those clothes all the Water Tribe people insisted on wearing. But Sokka had to go and start talking and her mind slowly drew itself out of her happy place and forced Suki to process what he was saying

[lovedthemoon]

Though he'd expected the answer, that didn't make it hurt less, and trying to keep it from his face was futile at best. He just wanted to wrap her up again; to revel in what little time they did have. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Sokka forced himself to nod, looking down at her slightly. Had he always been able to do that? It gave him a misplaced thrill of glee. This was too grave a topic for such insignificant realizations. Even if it had seemed far less insignificant mere moments ago

[fansoffury]

She could actually see the disappointment on Sokka's face and it made her insides curl up on themselves, unable to hide the frown on her own face or the tears in her eyes. Which was all the more frustrating because she was a warrior and she was not supposed to be this, this...emotional. Even if she knew that was a stupid thing to think and that this was a perfect moment for emotions

[lovedthemoon]

He brightened instantly, nodding his head. As if he could say no to anything she had to say in the first place. "I am hungry," he admitted, punctuated by the growl of his stomach. He had forgotten to eat on the ship, which said enough of his state of mind all on its own.

When her words catch, he tried not to hold his breath, squeezing her hand in his. Would she change her mind, if he stayed for dinner. It compelled him back toward the village even more. It was difficult not to expect anything, with leading words like 'maybe,' but he tried to quash his excitement, nodding again as if she had said something else.

"I don't expect..." He trailed off, smiling again; and shaking his head to clear it. He really couldn't expect her to run off, but if he could have it, he would soak it up greedily without one look back.

[fansoffury]

Suki almost laughed when Sokka's stomach growled along with his acceptance of dinner, and her smile was twice as wide as a moment before, even with her mind racing. Just seeing him for dinner, for a few hours...it wouldn't be enough of course, but it would be something. Some small part of her, some little voice in the back of her mind, said it would make everything worse. Fondness made the heart grow fonder but sometimes it just made you lonely, after all

[lovedthemoon]

Flushing slightly, he glanced down his arm at her, feeling himself go instantly warm from the contact. He let her go on about all the things they should do, knowing he couldn't stay longer than a few hours, but he wasn't about to shatter the illusion--that they could stay here forever, that it wouldn't be just as soon that he'd have to shove off again.

"I can't wait to see their faces when I walk in," he joked, an easy grin making an appearance on his face. He thought back to her last letter; how long it'd been since she'd written it, and if there was another still waiting to be delivered to him somewhere. How far behind was he in her life? And her, in his?

Clearing his throat as he tugged her a little closer, he adopted a more somber expression. Somber for Sokka anyway, which didn't actually scratch the surface of somber at all. "How's everything been going...here?" He nodded, quashing the urge to stop walking and just pull her in all over again. "Good?"

[fansoffury]

Suki tilted her head slightly, still resting against his shoulder as they walked, to peer up at him as he asked her that question. "It's..." The same? That wasn't what she wanted to say, honestly. She wanted to say something exciting, something amazing, that she was having grand adventures, and yet Kyoshi never really changed. The village got larger, the island felt smaller, but in the end everything was just...the same

[lovedthemoon]

"You know Katara, she's always off on some grand adventure. Sometimes with Aang." He shrugged, taking her arm with the movement. Sometimes he barely saw his sister, but he didn't want to add to the pained nature of their conversation. Any contribution he could come up with had to do with Suki taking off with him to cure her boredom, and the last thing he wanted was to push. "And grangran is... grangran. No change there. My life is pretty boring too actually

[fansoffury]

Suki nodded, because she did know that about Katara. Unlike, Sokka she had actually seen katara several times in the last year, when Aang would swing by to trade letters with her. But that was never the same, not really. None of it was the way it should be, she sometimes felt. Those days in Ba Sing Se after the war when they were all still together, those had been...the way it should have been.

And then they all went off to do their duties and responsibilities and it was just lonely half the time. Not that she was unhappy, exactly. Just..well, she didn't know a good word for it. And it didn't matter right now, damn it. She squeezed his arm tighter absently and turned her gaze towards the path.

"So you're going to the Fire Nation? Where else are you headed? Kyoshi isn't exactly on the way..." Her voice was slightly teasing. She had a hunch that he had swung by to see her, a tiny little hopeful hunch that made her smile and made her stomach tighten in that happy, nervous way.