Bethrothal Necklace || Sokka ||
A/n: i can't wait for the movie to come out.
The afternoon market buzzed with the familiar rhythm of Republic City. Vendors called out prices over one another, children darted through the crowds with sticky fruit in their hands, and somewhere nearby a musician played a cheerful tune on a tsungi horn.
You wandered between the stalls at an easy pace, a woven basket hooked over your arm. Sokka had insisted the two of you needed more fresh vegetables after discovering he’d somehow eaten an entire week’s worth of smoked fish in two days. He had looked genuinely confused when Katara pointed it out.
“You did,” she’d replied flatly.
“I don’t understand where it all went.”
“You,” Toph had answered from the couch without missing a beat.
So here you were, replacing the rapidly disappearing food supply while your husband was meeting with Aang at Air Temple Island.
You smiled to yourself as you examined a display of peppers.
“You’ve got excellent taste.”
The unfamiliar voice pulled you from your thoughts.
A man stood beside you, perhaps a few years older than yourself. Well-dressed, confident, and wearing the sort of smile that had probably worked far too often.
“I’ve seen you around the market,” he continued. “Thought I’d finally introduce myself.”
You offered him a polite but forced smile. “That’s kind of you, but I’m married.”
His smile faltered only for a moment. “Married?”
When he looked unconvinced, you lifted the necklace resting against your chest.
The carved blue stone caught the afternoon sunlight.
It wasn’t polished jade or glittering gold.
It was smooth river stone, lovingly carved by hands that had spent years throwing boomerangs, building inventions, and somehow managing to survive impossible odds. Tiny etched flames circled its edges, and the leather cord had been replaced twice over the years after Sokka had stubbornly refused to let anyone remake the pendant itself.
“My husband made this for me,” you said softly, unable to stop the smile that appeared whenever you looked at it. “It’s my betrothal necklace.”
The man’s eyebrows lifted. “…That’s it?”
You blinked, your smile vanished as annoyance formed on your face. “I’m sorry?”
He gestured dismissively toward the pendant. “Isn’t that some dumb old thing the Water Tribe does?”
Silence settled between you and very slowly, you lowered the necklace back against your chest.
Then you turned to face him completely.
Your expression remained calm.
“My husband’s heritage,” you said evenly, “is not dumb.”
A tiny flame bloomed across your fingertips.
It wasn’t large but it danced with controlled precision, glowing orange against your skin before curling around your knuckles like a living warning.
The temperature around you rose just enough for the man to notice.
His confidence evaporated. “I....I didn’t mean—”
“You insulted the traditions of the Southern Water Tribe.”
The flame twirled lazily between your fingers. “You insulted the necklace my husband carved with his own hands.”
“And you insulted my marriage.”
He took an involuntary step backward. “I… actually just remembered I have somewhere to be.”
He nodded far too quickly. “Very important.”
Then, with all the dignity of someone fleeing for his life, he turned and hurried into the crowd, disappearing between the market stalls so quickly he nearly collided with a cabbage merchant.
“My cabbages!” the unfortunate vendor shouted after him.
The little flame vanished from your fingertips as though it had never existed.
You let out a slow breath and adjusted your basket.
You looked down at the pendant resting against your heart.
“I think you handled that nicely.”
You turned to find Sokka approaching with Aang beside him.
Your husband’s blue eyes immediately swept over your face before narrowing slightly. “Why did that guy look like he’d just seen Koh the Face Stealer?”
You blinked innocently. “He was rude.”
“He called our betrothal necklaces dumb.”
Sokka stopped walking. “…He what?”
You held up the pendant. “He asked if this was ‘some dumb old thing the Water Tribe does.’”
For a heartbeat, Sokka simply stared.His expression softened as he looked at the necklace.
Years ago, he’d stayed awake half the night carving it. It wasn’t perfect, one side had been slightly uneven, and he’d nearly thrown it into the ocean after convincing himself it looked terrible.
You had cried when he’d placed it around your neck anyway.
He still remembered every second of it.
Aang quietly took one very careful step backward clearing out his throat. “Oh,” the Avatar murmured. “He’s mad.”
“I am not mad,” Sokka said calmly as his eye twitched. “I’m… deeply offended.”
“I spent three days carving that thing.”
“You spent three days because you kept cutting your fingers,” you reminded him gently.
“I was committed to craftsmanship.”
“You were committed to refusing Katara’s help.”
He reached over, his thumb brushing lovingly across the pendant where it rested against your collarbone.
“I picked the stone myself.”
“I even sanded the edges.”
His shoulders relaxed as he smiled at you. “Thanks for defending it.”
You looked at him as though the answer should have been obvious. “Of course I defended it.”
Your fingers intertwined with his. “It isn’t just a necklace.”
Sokka squeezed your hand.
“It tells everyone I married the smartest man I know.”
He grinned as he puffed out his chest. “Wow.”Then his grin turned mischievous. “I’m definitely telling Katara you said that.”
“Of courae are.” You sighed dropping your shoulders.
“And I’m bringing it up every single time she calls me an idiot.”
Aang laughed. “She’s still going to call you an idiot.”
Sokka shrugged without the slightest embarrassment before slipping an arm around your shoulders.
“But now she’ll be calling an idiot whose incredibly beautiful wife defended Southern Water Tribe traditions.”
“…Actually, that sounds pretty impressive.”
You laughed, leaning into him as the two of you continued through the market together.
The small carved necklace rested against your heart, simple enough that many people would overlook it.
But to you, it was worth more than any jewel in the world. It carried the love of the man who had carved it by hand, the traditions of the people who had raised him, and the promise the two of you had made to build a life together.
The story somehow made its way back to Air Temple Island before sunset.
None of you were entirely sure how.
One minute everyone had been enjoying dinner together, and the next Sokka had casually mentioned, “So apparently some genius in the market today called Southern Water Tribe betrothal necklaces ‘dumb.’”
The table had gone quiet.
Katara slowly lowered her bowl. “…Someone said what?”
“He ran away,” you assured her. “Nothing happened.”
Sokka proudly gestured toward you with his spoon. “My wife defended my honor.”
“I defended your culture.”
“My honor was included....it was a package deal.”
Toph snorted into her meal.
Across the table, Aang let out the relieved sigh of someone who had spent the entire walk home expecting far worse. “Well… I’m glad nobody got hurt.”
Toph tilted her head toward you, an unimpressed expression hidden behind her cloudy eyes. “You still should have set the guy on fire.”
Aang nearly dropped his chopsticks. “Toph!” he exclaimed. “Murder is bad.”
Toph frowned. “I never stated…” She lifted one finger for emphasis. “…she had to murder him.” She shrugged as though the distinction was perfectly reasonable. “Just a little fire.”
She pinched her fingers together.
“You know.” A tiny smirk spread across her face. “Enough to make him reconsider his life choices.”
Katara pressed a hand against her forehead like a very tired mother. "Toph…"
“You can’t solve every problem by threatening people.”
“It can solve most of them.”
“Fine.” Toph crossed her arms. “Threatening them or throwing rocks.”
Aang groaned. “That isn’t better.”
“It is from my perspective.”
Sokka rested his chin in his hand, looking thoughtfully at Toph. “…How little fire are we talking?”
You turned your head slowly. “Sokka.”
“What?” he asked innocently. “I’m just asking for clarification.”
Toph grinned. “Like singed eyebrows.”
Aang’s eyes widened. “Toph!”
“What? Hair grows back....hopefully.”
Sokka rubbed his chin. “Hmm…”
You nudged him with your elbow. “Don’t encourage her.”
“I’m not.” He paused. “…I’m evaluating.”
Katara gave her brother a look that could have frozen the ocean. “Sokka.”
“I haven’t even agreed with her yet.”
“You were considering eyebrow singeing!”
“They’re very expressive!”
“They’re attached to his face!”
Aang buried his face in his hands. “I miss when our biggest problems were giant koi fish.”
“Those were also trying to kill us,” Sokka reminded him.
Toph leaned back with a satisfied grin. “I still think she showed remarkable restraint.”
You laughed softly. “I wasn’t going to burn him.”
Toph clicked her tongue. “Missed opportunity...you've changed sparky.”
“I was trying to be the bigger person.”
“You can be the bigger person and make someone’s shoes catch fire.”
Sokka’s eyes lit up.“Oh!”
Katara pointed at him.“No.”
“The ‘Toph has given me a terrible idea that I somehow think is brilliant’ look.”
“I do not have that look.”
“You absolutely have that look.”
He opened his mouth to argue before sheepishly closing it again. “…Maybe a little.”
You reached over, taking his hand beneath the table. “I think intimidating him was enough.”
Sokka looked down at your intertwined fingers before smiling. “Yeah.” His thumb brushed over your knuckles. “It was.”
He looked around the table, unable to hide the pride in his voice. “Still… my wife defending Southern Water Tribe traditions?” His grin grew impossibly wider.
“I’m never getting tired of saying that.”
Toph rolled her eyes dramatically. “You two are disgustingly cute.”
Katara smiled into her tea. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”
Aang nodded. "I think it’s sweet."
Toph let out an exaggerated groan. “Great. Now there’s three of them.”
Aang gasped. "Love is beautiful!"
Sokka only laughed, slipping an arm around your shoulders. “You know,” he said with mock seriousness, “I think my favorite part is that he ran away from this.”
He gently lifted the carved stone pendant resting against your chest. “Not because it’s expensive.”
“Not because it’s flashy.”
“But because it meant enough to you to defend.”
You looked up at him, your expression softening. “It means enough because of who made it.”
For once, Sokka was completely speechless.
Toph folded her arms. “…Okay, now that’s disgustingly cute.” Even she couldn’t quite keep the smile off her face.
