An Innocent Spark [Zukka]

Chapter 46: A Knock at the Door

Katara and Aang arrived an hour after Zuko and Sokka had finished unpacking, and Sokka had to admit, it was nice to see his sister again. They were sitting in the living room playing a card game when they heard a knock at the front door.

"I'll get it," Sokka said and hurried to get up before anyone else could. He walked across the living room and through the archway into the entryway. He unlocked the door and opened it, and when he saw who was on the other side his heart leapt in his chest.

"Suki," Sokka said in shock. She was the last person he expected to see here. While their breakup hadn't ended with a fight, he still didn't expect her to leave the Kyoshi warriors and show up on Ember Island.

"You know I'm here too right?" Toph asked and blew the hair out of her eyes.

"Sorry, hey Toph," Sokka said, not taking his eyes off of Suki who looked mildly embarrassed.

"It's good to see you again," Suki said. Although she tried to hide it, she was blushing, and her cheeks were bright red.

"Would you two dunderheads get out of the way so I can take my suitcase to my room?" Toph asked, making Sokka snap out of his trance.

"Oh yeah, sorry come on in," Sokka said and avoided any more eye contact with Suki. "We'll all be in the living room when you guys are done unpacking your stuff."

Sokka walked back to the others slowly, trying to process the thoughts and emotions running through his mind. For months he was convinced Suki was his soulmate, he really loved her, and he knew she loved him too. Their breakup was devastating to him, and he wondered how it had affected her.

As he walked in Zuko looked at him and did a double take. Sokka couldn't meet his boyfriend's eyes for more than a split second. He felt so conflicted and he wasn't sure how to deal with it.

"I'll be right back, Sokka and I are going to grab some snacks and drinks from the kitchen," Zuko said. He got up from the couch and walked over to Sokka who still couldn't look at him.

They walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Zuko closed the door behind them before turning to Sokka and asking, "What's wrong?"

"Toph and Suki are here," Sokka said and tried not to draw too much attention to Suki's name.

"Why is Suki here," Zuko asked and Sokka noticed a hint of anger in his slightly gravelly voice.

"Toph must have invited her to come," Sokka said and tried to maintain a steady tone. He didn't want Zuko to get mad and do anything either of them would regret.

"She didn't have any right to do that!" Zuko shouted and slammed his fist into the counter.

"Zuko," Sokka said quietly. He had never seen Zuko like this before, and his reaction to the news scared him a little.

The anger fell from the firebender's eyes, replaced by regret and sadness. He put his hand on Sokka's cheek and looked into his eyes and said, "I'm sorry, I just don't want to lose you to her. I know how much she loves you and how much you loved her before."

"You're not going to lose me," Sokka said, but part of him didn't believe his own words. When he saw Suki again after so long the butterflies in his stomach were the same ones he felt the first time he saw her on Kyoshi Island.

Zuko must have noticed the small amount of hesitation in his voice, because his hand fell away from Sokka's face and he looked down at the ground.

"We should get back to the others," Zuko said and opened the kitchen door. Sokka instinctually followed him back to the living room, where both Toph and Suki were playing a round of cards with Katara and Aang.

"Where's the food we were promised?" Katara asked and looked slightly upset.

"Oh sorry, I didn't know what everyone would like," Zuko said. Sokka knew it was a lie but he went along with it. Suki was sitting in the spot where he and Zuko had been sitting which made him cringe slightly.

"Sokka you can come sit next to me and join the next round if you want," Suki said and smiled as she waved for him to join her.

Sokka didn't have to look at Zuko to know he was a few steps away from exploding. Sokka brushed his hand against Zuko's as a sign that he would be fine, and Zuko sighed and walked back to the kitchen.

He took a seat next to Suki and Katara began dealing out the cards for the next round. He kept his eyes glued to the cards in his hand, but he could feel Suki's gaze and it made his skin crawl. He didn't think Toph had told her about him and Zuko and his heart was racing.

Zuko walked back into the room with a tray of drinks for them all. He set the tray down on the table next to the stack of draw cards. Sokka could see the pain in his eyes seeing him and Suki sitting where minutes before they had been sitting together. Zuko took a seat next to Toph and watched as the game began.

As the round went on Suki slowly inched closer to Sokka, but he was more focused on trying to ignore it and play the game to which he was failing miserably. He couldn't think about his next move when he could feel her leg brushing against his.

Zuko seemed to notice too, because as the end of the game drew near he stood up quickly and stormed out of the room and out of the house. Sokka thought about going after him, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to get up.

"What's his problem?" Suki asked and played her cards, winning the game with one fell swoop.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, and none of them seemed like they wanted to be there. Suki stood up and put on a bright smile that Sokka wished he hadn't seen because it reminded him of their time together.

"Why don't we all go to the beach? I'm dying to go for a swim and it will be nice to get out of the house!" Suki said and looked enthusiastically around at her friends.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Aang said in an effort to make the situation less awkward than it already was. They all agreed and Sokka rushed off to his room to get his swimming trunks, but also to get away from the others and be alone for a few minutes.

He closed the door behind him and sank to the floor. Water collected on the surface of his eyes and so he closed them and rested his head against the door. Life was so much simpler when he was with Suki. His life plan was laid out clearly before him. They would spend a few years together before getting married, having kids, and creating a family together.

With Zuko it was so much more complicated. The world was a cruel place, and while his friends, the palace staff, and Zuko's family accepted them, the majority of the world did not. They could never go to the countryside alone and hold hands while walking through a charming village, nor could they have children and make a family together.

Then there were the conflicted feelings. He thought he was over their breakup but seeing her again changed everything. Nothing made sense and the cacophony of thoughts in his head only exacerbated his pain.

Sokka jumped when a knock at the door caught him off guard. He wiped the water out of his eyes and cracked the door open.

"Do you have your things? The rest of us are ready to go and we're waiting on you," Suki said with her bright smile.

"Oh uh, my stomach is feeling really bad, I think I have food poisoning or something," Sokka lied. He didn't even believe himself, but it was the first thing he could think of to tell her.

"Oh, okay," Suki said and looked concerned, "if you want I can stay here with you so you're not all alone."

"I don't want you to miss out on going to the beach," Sokka said and tried to make his voice sound like he was in some pain, "I'll be fine here by myself."

"Okay, I hope you feel better!" Suki said and he nodded before closing the door gently. Sokka sank back down onto the floor, realizing how much of a mess he had gotten into, and hoping to find a way out.