Fic: In the Moonlight
This is a repost from the Avatar Mini-Bang. My first fic in over two years! I'm hoping to do some JE stuff in the future, hopefully.
Fic under the link!
Title: In the Moonlight.
Heavy folds of silken fabric are hanging past his wrists as Sokka slowly walks up to the
door. There’s something annoying about the fact that they won’t stay past bunched up
in the careful layers that they’re supposed to; Katara will definitely yell at him for not
looking proper, even though it’s not his fault that it’s warm for an early spring day, and
his sweat combined with the fact that he just doesn’t suit formal clothes makes him look
out of place.
Even more out of place is Sokka’s nervousness. He can feel his heart beating louder than
the combined clamor of all the servants bustling in and out of the streets. The rush to put
up the chairs and stands and congratulating banners is going on, but Sokka can only hear
his skin tingle with goosebumps. But she can hear his heart beating, so he should
probably just walk in, he’s going to make a fool of himself anyways because he was
never articulate when it mattered most-
Before he can process it, his hands are pushing the oaken door open, and Sokka’s eyes
find her kneeling in a pool of green fabric. The sunlight enters the room from the circular
entrance to the courtyard, bathing her in a halo. Sokka can’t see her face, though; it is
bowed down despite her obvious elegance, and Sokka’s first thought is that she looks just
how she did all those years ago.
~
Sokka felt the cold against his bare arms more clearly than the pang in his chest. It was
dull, barely registering along with the heaviness he felt from not being able to sleep. The
tense mood everyone felt wouldn’t leave his mind even on a full moon night. He got up,
trying to sneak out of the room without Aang noticing, and closed the door to the nice
house the stupid Ba Sing Se government had given them.
The moonlight from the black sky surrounded him, surrounded the courtyard, surrounded
his soul. He felt Yue staring at him, felt Suki’s lips on his, felt his heart aching for them
to be with him now.
It’s probably pathetic that he missed Suki only a week after they parted at the end of
the pass, but. He needed her, needed her to be there for him. It’s remarkably lonely to
have seen her only to have to stay put in a horrible city where not even his poetry was
appreciated.
“What are you doing, Snoozles? Planning to go on an adventure?”
Damn. He should have figured that Toph would follow him on his emotional walk out
of the house. Not that Toph is bad company or anything, but right now was more of a
wallow-in-self-despair-under-the-moonlight night.
“Yup! Couldn’t sleep anyways.” He hoped she didn’t register how close his voice was to
cracking.
“Yeah, it’s too bright to sleep. Might as well follow you,” she said, walking up to him
until they stepped in stride along the empty street.
“It is too bright, I mean,” Sokka paused. “Oh. You can stop doing that, you
know.”
Toph shrugged and murmured dully, “You make it too easy.”
Sokka was still leaning over his breaking point, but he could tell that Toph, for once,
wanted to be quiet. He looked up at the sky instead of at her face.
Sokka took one more step before stopping. They were blocks away from the house,
almost out of the Upper Ring. He couldn’t tell how long it took, but the moon was now
at the apex of the sky, right in front of them. He broke his gaze from the sky, and took a
look at Toph.
Her cheeks were tinged pink even under the silver glow, and her cloudy eyes murkily
reflected the light back. Her face was turned up, too, not saying a word; Sokka didn’t
really know what to say back.
“So, uh,” he started lamely. “What are you really doing up?”
She didn’t deign the need to move at all in acknowledgment. “It’s cold. And too quiet.
And I really want to run through the streets and start a spar so I’m not stuck sitting out,
but stupid Ju Dee’s just gonna make me stop.”
Sokka laughed softly, even though he wasn’t amused. “So you’re just bored.”
“No,” she gritted. “But I hate feeling like we’re not doing anything. Yeah, sure, getting
pretty with Katara was fun and everything. But it’s not why we’re here. I hate it, just
waiting for them to stop being so full of themselves. They-” She shifted her position now,
so that she wasn’t facing him.
Sokka felt stupid, not seeing how everyone was taking it. Sure, not one of them really
liked Ba Sing Se, but they all just kind of decided to wait it out. But now, Toph
finally laid voice to their anxiety and frustration.
Even now, Toph was the one with the most courage.
But she was shaking slightly, her resolve weaker than Sokka had ever seen it. The
moonlight was clearly illuminating her, and she looked so fragile
Sokka stuck out his arm and wrapped Toph close to him, so that her cheek was resting
against his shoulder. He stuck out his chin so that it landed somewhere on her hair, and
breathed in deeply. He definitely wouldn’t be able to do this later, once Toph got back to
feeling normal again.
“It’ll be okay,” he muttered.
“Sokka, I-“
“You know, I’m feeling pretty bad, too. We all are. But I mean, it’ll be okay. Like I really
miss Suki right now, but she’ll be back, and by then we’ll have found Appa and it’ll all
be okay…” Sokka rambled, only barely registering how Toph tensed up in his arms.
She took a step back, head bowed down. Her bangs obscured her expression; Sokka
opened up his mouth to say something, but before he could decide on which joke to use,
Toph leveled her head and grinned. “I could cry,” she proclaimed. “That was beautiful.
Inspiring. Let’s go back before you really motivate me to take a positive outlook.”
Sokka laughed, and followed her back to the Upper Ring. But he noticed that she had her
back to him the entire way back, and she didn’t try to speak to him as directly again.
~
She raises her head at his direction. “Hi,” she says.
Sokka rubs his hand on the back of his neck. He tries to face her head on, and notices that
she is beaming.
“What, you’re not going to say anything? I am becoming of age, you know. The least
you could do is impart some words of wisdom before I officially leave childhood,” Toph
comments airily.
Sokka stares and can’t help but smile; it has been eight years since the war, eight years
since the day when she spoke so frankly in front of the moon. Now she is different; there
is no more worry in her demeanor, not that she has shown him since that day. She is pure
confidence now, radiating in the beauty and elegance that she has little respect for. Sokka
wonders if he asks if she’s fine, will she lie or tell the truth?
He does.
She smiles at him fully and says “As soon as I’m done I’m going to a bar legally. And
you’re paying. Once we’re out of these stupid clothes, of course.”
Sokka chuckles. He doesn’t have to respond this time to be her comfort zone, unlike the
last time, because they both have learned to be in balance.
Fic under the link!
Title: In the Moonlight.
Heavy folds of silken fabric are hanging past his wrists as Sokka slowly walks up to the
door. There’s something annoying about the fact that they won’t stay past bunched up
in the careful layers that they’re supposed to; Katara will definitely yell at him for not
looking proper, even though it’s not his fault that it’s warm for an early spring day, and
his sweat combined with the fact that he just doesn’t suit formal clothes makes him look
out of place.
Even more out of place is Sokka’s nervousness. He can feel his heart beating louder than
the combined clamor of all the servants bustling in and out of the streets. The rush to put
up the chairs and stands and congratulating banners is going on, but Sokka can only hear
his skin tingle with goosebumps. But she can hear his heart beating, so he should
probably just walk in, he’s going to make a fool of himself anyways because he was
never articulate when it mattered most-
Before he can process it, his hands are pushing the oaken door open, and Sokka’s eyes
find her kneeling in a pool of green fabric. The sunlight enters the room from the circular
entrance to the courtyard, bathing her in a halo. Sokka can’t see her face, though; it is
bowed down despite her obvious elegance, and Sokka’s first thought is that she looks just
how she did all those years ago.
~
Sokka felt the cold against his bare arms more clearly than the pang in his chest. It was
dull, barely registering along with the heaviness he felt from not being able to sleep. The
tense mood everyone felt wouldn’t leave his mind even on a full moon night. He got up,
trying to sneak out of the room without Aang noticing, and closed the door to the nice
house the stupid Ba Sing Se government had given them.
The moonlight from the black sky surrounded him, surrounded the courtyard, surrounded
his soul. He felt Yue staring at him, felt Suki’s lips on his, felt his heart aching for them
to be with him now.
It’s probably pathetic that he missed Suki only a week after they parted at the end of
the pass, but. He needed her, needed her to be there for him. It’s remarkably lonely to
have seen her only to have to stay put in a horrible city where not even his poetry was
appreciated.
“What are you doing, Snoozles? Planning to go on an adventure?”
Damn. He should have figured that Toph would follow him on his emotional walk out
of the house. Not that Toph is bad company or anything, but right now was more of a
wallow-in-self-despair-under-the-moonlight night.
“Yup! Couldn’t sleep anyways.” He hoped she didn’t register how close his voice was to
cracking.
“Yeah, it’s too bright to sleep. Might as well follow you,” she said, walking up to him
until they stepped in stride along the empty street.
“It is too bright, I mean,” Sokka paused. “Oh. You can stop doing that, you
know.”
Toph shrugged and murmured dully, “You make it too easy.”
Sokka was still leaning over his breaking point, but he could tell that Toph, for once,
wanted to be quiet. He looked up at the sky instead of at her face.
Sokka took one more step before stopping. They were blocks away from the house,
almost out of the Upper Ring. He couldn’t tell how long it took, but the moon was now
at the apex of the sky, right in front of them. He broke his gaze from the sky, and took a
look at Toph.
Her cheeks were tinged pink even under the silver glow, and her cloudy eyes murkily
reflected the light back. Her face was turned up, too, not saying a word; Sokka didn’t
really know what to say back.
“So, uh,” he started lamely. “What are you really doing up?”
She didn’t deign the need to move at all in acknowledgment. “It’s cold. And too quiet.
And I really want to run through the streets and start a spar so I’m not stuck sitting out,
but stupid Ju Dee’s just gonna make me stop.”
Sokka laughed softly, even though he wasn’t amused. “So you’re just bored.”
“No,” she gritted. “But I hate feeling like we’re not doing anything. Yeah, sure, getting
pretty with Katara was fun and everything. But it’s not why we’re here. I hate it, just
waiting for them to stop being so full of themselves. They-” She shifted her position now,
so that she wasn’t facing him.
Sokka felt stupid, not seeing how everyone was taking it. Sure, not one of them really
liked Ba Sing Se, but they all just kind of decided to wait it out. But now, Toph
finally laid voice to their anxiety and frustration.
Even now, Toph was the one with the most courage.
But she was shaking slightly, her resolve weaker than Sokka had ever seen it. The
moonlight was clearly illuminating her, and she looked so fragile
Sokka stuck out his arm and wrapped Toph close to him, so that her cheek was resting
against his shoulder. He stuck out his chin so that it landed somewhere on her hair, and
breathed in deeply. He definitely wouldn’t be able to do this later, once Toph got back to
feeling normal again.
“It’ll be okay,” he muttered.
“Sokka, I-“
“You know, I’m feeling pretty bad, too. We all are. But I mean, it’ll be okay. Like I really
miss Suki right now, but she’ll be back, and by then we’ll have found Appa and it’ll all
be okay…” Sokka rambled, only barely registering how Toph tensed up in his arms.
She took a step back, head bowed down. Her bangs obscured her expression; Sokka
opened up his mouth to say something, but before he could decide on which joke to use,
Toph leveled her head and grinned. “I could cry,” she proclaimed. “That was beautiful.
Inspiring. Let’s go back before you really motivate me to take a positive outlook.”
Sokka laughed, and followed her back to the Upper Ring. But he noticed that she had her
back to him the entire way back, and she didn’t try to speak to him as directly again.
~
She raises her head at his direction. “Hi,” she says.
Sokka rubs his hand on the back of his neck. He tries to face her head on, and notices that
she is beaming.
“What, you’re not going to say anything? I am becoming of age, you know. The least
you could do is impart some words of wisdom before I officially leave childhood,” Toph
comments airily.
Sokka stares and can’t help but smile; it has been eight years since the war, eight years
since the day when she spoke so frankly in front of the moon. Now she is different; there
is no more worry in her demeanor, not that she has shown him since that day. She is pure
confidence now, radiating in the beauty and elegance that she has little respect for. Sokka
wonders if he asks if she’s fine, will she lie or tell the truth?
He does.
She smiles at him fully and says “As soon as I’m done I’m going to a bar legally. And
you’re paying. Once we’re out of these stupid clothes, of course.”
Sokka chuckles. He doesn’t have to respond this time to be her comfort zone, unlike the
last time, because they both have learned to be in balance.