#thatfcngirl

@thatfcngirl said: “ Why does Toph like to ignore your very important science ?”

Sokka let out a long, deeply exasperated sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. “Because Toph has apparently decided that facts are merely suggestions and science clashes with her worldview.” He shook his head, though there was the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his mouth.

“I keep explaining things to her. Very carefully. With evidence. Sometimes diagrams. And she just tells me I’m wrong because she feels that I’m wrong.” He paused, staring off with a weary expression. “It’s exhausting being the only person in the group who respects the scientific method.”

@thatfcngirl said: Suki’s smiled as she looked up at him , rose onto the balls of her feet so she balanced in her Warrior boots , placed her left hand on his cheek , drew him close , and just as she felt his warm breath against her lips , she whispered , “ Hey , Babydoll .”

The nickname struck somewhere unexpectedly deep, slipping past the careful walls he had spent years building around himself. His mother had called him that when he was small enough to fit against her side, when the world had still seemed simple and safe. Before scars and banishments.

No one had called him that in years.

His eyes softened despite himself, the sharpness that usually lived there melting into something warmer as his gaze searched hers. She was close enough that he could feel her breath against his skin, close enough that he could count every faint freckle scattered across her face, and spirits help him, he wanted to. His hand settled against her waist as his thumb moved once against her side, absentminded and affectionate, while his eyes lingered on her face.

“You know,” he murmured, “if anyone else called me that I’d be really annoyed but when you say it… I kind of like it.” The corner of his mouth curved upward as his gaze dropped briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes. The look he gave her then was almost boyish beneath all the years—a glimpse of the young man hidden underneath.

@thatfcngirl said: She’s just going to admire her charge from a distance . She’s supposed to be guarding him , protecting him , not . . . Admiring how his eyes look in the lamp light , or the little smile he does when someone on his staff says something that he found entertaining despite that they were being completely serious . Behind her back , Suki’s hands played with one of the panels of her Kyoshi Warrior uniform . Her blue eyes fixed on the floor , on his boots . . . Then , they rose to hold his gaze for a moment . Beneath her brunette bangs , Suki’s cheeks deep into a soft shade of red as she polite bowed her head to him in greeting .

Zuko looked up at the sound of movement, expecting another report or request from the Grand Chancelor. Instead, his attention caught on Suki standing just beyond the pools of warm lamplight, hands tucked neatly behind her back in that disciplined Kyoshi Warrior posture she wore so naturally and he forgot whatever had been on the scroll in front of him as lamps painted a soft gold on her face, catching the faint flush in her cheeks beneath her bangs. When her eyes lifted to meet his, even briefly, Zuko felt his chest tighten. It happened so often now ee was starting to recognize it, and it made him just as nervous every time.

He straightened a little too quickly in his seat, nearly knocking the brush beside him off the desk before catching it awkwardly. “Uh—Suki.” A faint warmth crept into his own face as he cleared his throat and tried to recover some dignity. “You don’t have to bow every single time you see me, you know.” His mouth twitched into a small smile. “You’ve been standing guard for hours… you should sit down for a while.” His ocher eyes flickered briefly toward the untouched tea near the edge of his desk before returning to her face. “There’s tea left, if you want some.” The offer itself was simple, but the way he looked at her afterward wasn’t. There was something careful and uncertain that hadn’t been there weeks ago.

His fingers brushed nervously against the sleeve of his robe before he added, a little more awkwardly, “Besides… it’s less distracting when you’re sitting across from me instead of staring at me like that.” The second the words left his mouth, realization hit him and his eyes widened slightly. “I mean—not distracting in a bad way.” He grimaced faintly at himself.

Sokka sat cross-legged on the floor beside the carefully stacked tower, turning one of the wooden pieces between his fingers with a grin. “Okay, so the rules are simple. We take turns pulling pieces out without knocking the tower over. Easy enough, right?” His eyes flickered up to Suki’s, amusement warming his face. “Except every piece has something written on it.” He tapped the block lightly against his palm. “And whoever pulls it has to do whatever it says.” A crooked smirk pulled at his mouth.

“Could be a kiss on the cheek, taking off a piece of clothing, or...” He leaned back on one hand, “And before you ask, yes, I made sure they get hotter the more unstable the tower gets.” He slid the first block free with exaggerated care, holding it up between two fingers before leaning in to place a lingering kiss behind her ear.  “Your turn, @thatfcngirl.”