In 106...

[beliefovermisery]

When Katara has nothing to do, she gets up early and 'bends all day. When Sokka is given the day off... he sleeps in.

Like a normal person.

That's where he is now, just rolling out from under his blankets at what is probably a few hours before noon. Who can really tell at this point? Still, it feels late to him and Sokka yawns, groggy as the blankets are thrown back and he searches for clothing. Pants are found, pulled on and tugged up before he gets up and wanders to the bathroom for more morning-necessities.

Visitors will be grunted at in a I'm-totally-not-all-there sort of way, shirtless with his hair floppy in his eyes.

Comments

[notahick.livejournal.com]

She blinks at that reply, and then says, "Fine is a guy who doesn't mind that I come looking, at all."

That's good, isn't it?

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

More blinking. Before the smile anyway.

"Paige, the guy that minds a pretty girl coming to look for them would have to be a lot more fond of peaches than I am."

Thanks for that bit of cultural information, Zuko!

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"...peaches?"

Houstan, we have a problem. Paige missed that metaphor ENTIRELY.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Oh, good - someone besides him doesn't know that reference. Sokka just grins and shakes his head. "Nevermind."

And then-- well. She wanted to see him, right? Just him? So surely she won't mind having her hand caught in his and tugged, trying to get her to sit down beside him.

That's okay, right? Despite (or because of?) shirtlessness.

[notahick.livejournal.com]

Paige is busy trying to wonder what peaches have to do with pretty girls. Was this some sort of cultural thing she was missing?

But she gets caught, tugged, and captured easily, but does blush delicately while she gets comfortable there.

But... now what?

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Now... now Sokka gets a hesitant, unsure arm loose around her.

And remembers what Zuko said about leaving people behind.

Which is basically what makes him finally blurt quietly, his eyes on the far wall, "I-- want to go back home eventually."

[notahick.livejournal.com]

She settles in quietly, finding a nice spot to be. "Do you?" she asks. "... I do too." But yet, here they are.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

He squirms a little, too, making them both comfortable and-- ooh, he really hates this subject.

"...I don't like leaving people," he admits quietly, sounding uneasy. A pause follows before he laughs a little, soft. "Actually, I don't think I ever have left anybody."

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"...but somebody's left you."

That would be the natural assumption, actually.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

A pause but-- he nods. It's a better way to answer that than to laugh and be bitter.

"...I don't want to hurt you. And--" it has to be said, he admitted it once to Zuko, why is it so hard to say it to her, "I don't really-- want to be hurt either."

He's a coward, namely.

[notahick.livejournal.com]

She's known plenty of cowards... But Sokka doesn't strike her as one.

But she nestles in quietly, and then says, "It's not like we're getting engaged, you know. Just-- filling each other's time in a more pleasant manner then might otherwise be had..."

But... there's attatchment, and emotion... and... sigh. Sticky situation.

"What are we gonna do, then?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

He knows what they should do, but--

Sokka pauses when she says that and drops his chin a little, his arm still light around her. "...I like you," he says simply, quiet, and looks over at her. "But-- I can't stay here. And crossing worlds is..." Silly and weird and waaaaaay too early to be talking about now.

[notahick.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

"X-Men tend to go all over the dimensions... but..."

MAybe not now.

She leans her head against his shoulder, and then sighs.

"...I like you too, Sokka."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

With her head against his shoulder, he's-- bolder. His arm curls around her and he leans back, temple against her hair.

"It wouldn't... be fair, you know? To..." try anything. Not really.

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"Not really. An' I bet you got a girlfriend at home, don'tcha? You're probably just... a little lonely. We all are... wantin' things we don't have..."

Paige speaks out of her own guilt. There's... sort of a boy waiting at home for her. And she does like him. But.. she doesn' know what they are anymore...

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"...I don't have anyone." He lifts his head from her hair and his smile is sad, self-mocking. "Girls-- don't stay either."

They don't stay most.

"But it's not 'cause I'm just lonely, Paige, I promise. I really do like you..."

Which clues him in a bit, blinking a little at her, growing sad.

Not surprised.

"...But you've got someone at home, huh?"

[notahick.livejournal.com]

She chews her lip, and looks away.

"Honestly? I don't know." She doesn't know HOW to put that relationship, if it was... anything more then a drunken stupid thing. "I... did somethin' really foolish, and tried to kiss a boy..." And he blew up our dorms. "And... We've not really... We... I don't think there's anything... I mean..."

She sighs.

"I think it's worse. The maybes. Maybe he really likes me and was just unable to say it, because of what happened, maybe he was just shy, maybe... Maybe he just isn't interested."

She shrugs, and then looks up at Sokka. "But I do like you, you know."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Sokka looks at her for a long time, weighing this all in his mind. A boy she tried (not succeeded in) to kiss, but she's not sure, he hasn't said anything, he was too shy, maybe, maybe, maybe...

"...You aren't wearing some kind of collar are you anywhere, are you?" he asks quietly, a little nervously.

It'd be just like this place to send him an alternate-universe Yue situation.

[notahick.livejournal.com]

Huh?

"Collar?" Her face screws up in confusion. "...why in God's green earth would I be wearing a collar?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Thank the spirits.

He smiles a little for her, shaking his head. "It's-- a long story. But it's good. That you don't have one, I mean."

[notahick.livejournal.com]

Yeah, she's confused.

But she touches his necklace, and says, "You got a collar."

And she doesn't mean the scars under it, either.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

The scars under it are hidden, thank you. Besides, he has far more interesting, apparent scars to poke it.

As it is, he just blinks at her before - of all things - grinning, raising a hand to tug on his necklace. "What, this? My Grandad made it for me when I was a baby - it's a Water Tribe tradition."

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"Oh! That's neat," Paige says, discission about otherworld angst forgotten for the next five minutes. She reaches up to trace along it, and coincidentently, his skin, too.

"I don't have anything like that. Not here, anyway."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

His skin is rough there with, yes, you guessed it, scars, but-- above or below that line, smooth. Other than the patches where stubble is trying valiantly to grow in, anyway.

He's also a little pink when she touches him-- if smiling happily.

"Like what? Stuff from your granddad or jewelry made out of bone?"

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"Stuff from my grand-dad," she says and then draws her hand back before she goes back to leaning against him comfortably. It's nice and warm here. And, you know, shirtless boy, always win.