Severance

Chapter 8 -Toph

~3 weeks later~
I couldn't believe what I was about to do. I had only ever told Aang, Katara, Hina, and my parents about this, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell Sokka. I know he's my best friend—and boyfriend now—but it was still a delicate subject.
Aang, Katara, Sokka and I took Appa to Gaoling to go see my parents. I had never felt so nervous before, and if it weren't for Sokka holding my hand, I would be shaking. Appa landed, and we all got off.
"Toph, you're sure you want to do this? Last chance..." Katara looked at me, concerned.
"I can't keep it from him any longer, can I?" I sighed.
Walking to the front door I knocked, and a servant came over to open the door. We went inside, and I walked to go see my parents. Katara had helped me coordinate with them, yet I still wanted to make sure they knew how everything was supposed to go.
They hugged me, and even though we made up years ago, it still felt foreign. They had never been loving to me as a child, so every touch felt like a plea to make up.
I walked to Sokka, taking his hand.
"Come with me" I stated, and walked upstairs to a single room.
"Toph, you're starting to scare me. What's going on?" Sokka asked.
I stayed silent, and opened the door.
The giggle of the little girl inside the room was enough.
His eyes widened, his body straightened, and he opened the door wider while looking in.
"Who's this?" He asked.
"This is Lin. This is my daughter" I answered.
I could feel his shock as I said this, and when I walked in, Lin giggled and held her arms up from the crib for me to pick her up. I smiled and did exactly that, kissing her on the cheek.
"Mama!" She yelled. She had always been such an intelligent child, and at 8 months old she had started talking. Now, at about 20 months, she was able to speak in somewhat coherent sentences.
I held her close to me while awaiting anything from Sokka. He just stared, and I began to question whether or not I should have told him so soon. Odds are I had just officially scared him away.
He stared, and started over towards me, hesitating a bit. I stiffened, and he grabbed Lin from my arms, confused on how to hold her.
I chuckled, and shook my head.
"Really? Come on it's not that hard" I smiled.
He honestly had no god damn clue.
Eventually he gave up and just sat her on the floor, sitting next to her.
Sokka had been around kids before, yet it was like this was entirely new to him.
He watched her carefully, and I suspected that it was to see whether or not she looked anything like me.
"Can I please have an explanation?" He asked
I nodded. He deserved one after all, so here it was.
"You know how I sometimes have to go somewhere, and Aang takes me? And how I've never told you? How I'm always so 'mysterious'?Well, this is where I've been going" I started, and sat with the two of them. "Hina and I... well, we had sex one night while we were drunk, and I got pregnant. That's part of the reason that I never came to visit you, I didn't want you to know."
He frowned, and I felt his eyes on me. It was like they were peering into my soul.
"Why?" He asked
"I was afraid you would judge me. Anyway, I got pregnant, and I was 17. I was scared, Sokka. So I went to my parents. I told them everything, and though they were disappointed, they gave me options. They said that they didn't think I should have to raise a child quite yet, so she would stay with them until I'm 20. Well, I'm about to turn 20... she's gonna stay with me soon."
He nodded, comprehending. I was about to have a life, my child with me, and I had no husband. My parents would be giving me financial support when needed, yet they couldn't give Lin a proper father. Hina would hardly ever come to visit her, as he never really cared.
I wasn't going to ask Sokka to become some sort of father figure, I just wanted him to understand that she's part of my life.
"Oh... you're sure your house is gonna be big enough?" He asked
What an odd question.
"Um, yeah. It's two bedrooms, that's all I need"
He frowned and shook his head, then watched Lin as she played with some of her toys.
I could tell he was holding something back, but as I had already thrown a lot on him today, I didn't press the issue.
Lin moved into my lap, and I kissed her on the cheek as she giggled. I loved my daughter, I loved her more than anything, and if Sokka was going to be in my life I wasn't going to hide it from him.
So why did it feel like he was hiding something from me?
It was as if I was the only one in this relationship, and he's the one who initiated it in the first place.
He was silent, and I was trying to think of anything that could break it, when he did it for me.
"She looks a lot like you, you know" he smiled.
"Oh? How so?"
"Her hair. It's dark like yours, and you're both super pale. Your eyes are pretty similar colors too"
I smiled. Obviously I've never been able to see my daughter, and I hated that fact; it was something I'd have to live with.
He took her from me, and she smiled. She had always been so happy, and it always kept me going when I needed it most.
Lin continued to play, and Sokka and I sat in an uncomfortable silence. There was nothing to say in a situation like this.
Eventually, though, it was time to leave, and I put Lin to bed. As I stood next to the crib I could feel Sokka's eyes on me, and as I turned to walk out he pulled me into a tight hug.
I closed my eyes, and hugged him back tightly.
"I'll understand if this isn't something you'd want to be around-"I started, but he interrupted.
"Maybe you two could move in with me eventually. My house is bigger than yours, she'd have more room to play and such"
I was shocked, but I smiled thinking about it. Maybe we could be a family in a way.
"I mean, yeah, I guess. If you want us to" I stated.
He nodded, and kissed me on the forehead.
"We should get going, yeah?" He asked
I nodded, and we walked out hand in hand.
That night we went to his house together, and had a night of fun—if you know what I mean—and I ended up staying the night. Though, this ended up being normal for the next week. I stayed there with him for a week, and went home only a few times to get my uniforms and some extra clothes.
It felt right to be there with him, until it wasn't anymore.