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

[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.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

The shirtless boy is glad to be win.

Practically beaming as she settles back against him, Sokka sighs softly and leans back, his chin at her hair.

"...My sister's going to tease you something awful once she gets to know you," he notes, an amused warning.

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"Honey, I got nine siblings," Paige says. "And i'm the oldest girl. I've RAISED a Katara or two." Don't worry! She's not afraid!

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"Well... I guess, technically, I've got four siblings now," he says, frowning a little as he counts them and then grinning at her. "Two sisters, two brothers. But you really only have to worry about the one brother so far as teasing goes." Aang wouldn't get too far with the sexual teases.

Speaking of which? He's starting to wonder what she expects there. He knows Mel jumped Zuko before they'd even held hands, but surely not all future girls were like that...?

[notahick.livejournal.com]

Uhm. Well.

They've held hands.

But that's about all they've done. Besides, apparently cuddle topless boys. But that's not that impressive, either!

But she's not gumped him, RIGHT?

RIGHT?

So he's safe. RIGHT?

"How'd you get more siblings?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

By being targeted by a future Slayer's psychotic vampire twin, getting the shit beaten out of him and finding camaraderie through shared hatred and the need to stick together.

"...I guess I don't, really. Not yet. Zuko wants to do a blood-rite with me and Katara, and Aang was made an honorary member of our tribe a while back. Mel won't do the rite, but she's practically our sister anyway so..."

He trails off and then blinks at her, smiling sheepishly. "It's kind of a weird family."

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"Sounds kinda interesting. What kind of... blood right? You gonna cut your thumbs, hold hands and declare yourselves brothers?"

...see, some of her people do that too!

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"...Palms," he replies, looking almost gleeful that she recognizes the rite. He holds out his free hand for her, though-- it's wrapped in linens and she won't be able to see anything. "You slice them and shake and then you're family by blood - no one can say you're not.

"Katara hates that rite and Aang probably will, too, but Zuko wanted to do what our people do for adoption, so.

"Your people do it, too?"

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"Not formally," she says quietly. "I mean, it's something young men do sometimes, to prove a deep friendship, but it's not-- recognized by anybody but hte involved."

Which doesn't mean it MEANS less here for them. So there.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Quietly? It's lost on Sokka, who's still pretty excited about her recognizing it.

"It'd be recognized by our village, if we were there, but not any of the other nations. It's just the rite we do to add family members."

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's all you need here," she says, and reaches up to tug his ear once, to tease him a little. "You do anything special for the girls you're sweet on?"

Just, you know. Asking.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"...Other than blush and make a fool of myself?" he mumbles, doing just that as he glances to her with a smirk. "...Nothing formal for the tribe, no. Not in the South."

The North's fucking crazy and Sokka...

Well, maybe he'll see if Paige wants a fish-bear some other time.

[notahick.livejournal.com]

Fishbears are darling.

"Okay. So, that's pretty in line with us. Boys don't do anything special lest someone makes them, most of the time," Paige says with a chuckle.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

He laughs a little with her at that, shaking his head, his arm unconsciously tighter around her. "No, I mean, like-- there's nothing that's a... tradition. But boys will still do things. I mean, I was taught to - my dad practically drilled it into my head."

[notahick.livejournal.com]

"Good for him," she says. "You can always tell what boys are gonna be like from their daddies. If he's got a good daddy who raised him right, you can't go wrong with that boy."

...little does she know that that means Zuko's suck-ass.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Well, they're not talking about Zuko because Paige likes Sokka not Zuko so thar. >(

Nodding again, Sokka pushes back the sadness that any talk of his father brings and-- smiles at her again.

"...You going to spend all day in here with me?"

[notahick.livejournal.com]

Which is good for sokka, and Paige's player, cause rbsterbation = ew.

But she blinks at the prodding. "Well, I was gonna ask you if you wanted to go get lunch," she points out. "So ...you want to throw on a shirt so you don't stun all the ladies with your rippling muscles, and come get some chow?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

He pouts at her. "But when I stun them, I apparently get cuddles. I think there's a hypothesis to work out there, and you know what Harper says - hypotheses aren't face until they've been experimented with and proven!

"Case studies should have at least three examples, Paige, otherwise, I'm just making uninformed statements and pretending they're fact."

Don't you love it when he GEEKS?

[notahick.livejournal.com]

It makes them get this much closer to hot and sweaty sex, with things like, 'Oh god quote Pythagoras for me!' and 'I love it when you go slipsteam!' as key phrases involved involved in foreplay.

But...........

Paige just sighs, gets up and leans over and kisses his cheek. "Unfortunately, your studies are hereby limited to a single control group. Government regulations sometimes limit science, but I'm sure you'll figure out a way to make that work for you!"

Now come to lunch, stupid.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

He'd complain more if he hadn't just gotten kissed.

The fact that it's just his cheek matters not.

Looking terribly happy about it all, he starts to rise, leaning over to grab a shirt from the probably-clean pile of clothing by his bedding. "Since when are you the government?" he asks, pulling the t-shirt on and grinning as he follows her.