The streets were mostly empty as the people retired to their homes during noon, wishing to stay with family for a while before they were to leave to head to work or simply rest. The warmth of the noon was enough to urge most people to take cover, and Sokka was one of those people.
He walked down the street without haste but anyone would be able to tell by his quick but not lasting smile and the waves he sent those that called his name in passing that he would rather be somewhere else. The walk from his workplace to his house had never appeared longer now he knew he had company waiting for him at home. When he reached his front door and got inside, he barely managed to keep himself from smiling.
"I'm home," he called out.
"How was your day?" Suki's voice was heard over Kya's laughter in between Aang's voice as he spoke lowly.
Sokka closed the door behind him, got deeper in the house. His gaze fell on where Kya was, playing with Aang, before he trailed his gaze to Tapeesa and Toph sitting close by, and finally, he headed over to Suki standing by the counter. His lips curled into a soft smile.
"It was good," he murmured, leaned in to peck Suki's lips. "Better now I'm here."
"When did you get this way, Sokka," Toph almost whined from a few ways away, "you have gotten sappy."
Suki giggled as Sokka sent Toph an offended look she could have never seen. "I'll have you know I have always been romantic."
Toph scrunched her nose up at him, "Oh no."
Sokka rolled his eyes at her and moved over to greet Kya. A short while later, Tapeesa stood up to stand by Suki's side. Toph, for reasons unknown to Tapeesa, followed after her.
"You are lucky to have found Sokka," Tapeesa told Suki softly with a smile. "I don't know him all that well but he seems like a great husband and a wonderful father. If he is anything like Katara then he is pretty amazing."
"He is even better than Katara, but if she asks, I never said that," Suki commented with a small laugh. Tapeesa smiled slightly although her attention was soon shifting to Toph as she cleared her throat.
"You are lucky to have someone that cares about you too, you know."
Tapeesa was confused for a moment as Suki hummed, instantly realizing what Toph was talking about. "She is right. He isn't like Sokka because they are different people but Aang cares about you quite a bit."
Tapeesa let out a small hum in realization. "I had always suspected he did but I wasn't sure. He is friendly with most people."
"He watches you train the waterbenders and ensures he stays back so that you can head to Air Temple Island together," Toph pointed out in a whisper.
"And we could have found you a house in Republic City but he insisted on having you stay in Air Temple Island," Suki added, "he wouldn't have done that for everyone."
"When you left to help Katara in the Southern Water Tribe he wasn't himself for a while," Toph shared as she leaned closer, having no way to notice Tapeesa's frown at the revelation. "To this day he still wonders why you left."
"Why did you leave?" Suki couldn't help but ask. "I thought you liked his company."
"I wanted to live in the Southern Water Tribe. At the time, I was looking for a place I could call home and I thought the South pole could be what I needed since I am a waterbender."
"Evidently that didn't work out as you are here," Toph guessed.
Tapeesa nodded, "That's right."
"Home is a person, Tapeesa," Suki said in an undertone as she glanced over at Sokka.
"I realised it a bit late."
"Not too late, though," Toph assured her, "the only reason we told you this about Aang is because we know you feel the same."
"Just don't expect him to do anything," Suki adviced with a small chuckle. Tapeesa attempted to protest but a look from Suki was enough to silence her. Claiming she didn't feel the same wouldn't fool her or Toph. "He likes you too much to make the first move in fear of messing something up. And he is afraid of attempting to do something more like touch you in a friendly manner because you don't like to be touched."
Tapeesa couldn't keep her lips from curling up into a smile. "He has said that?"
"If only that was the only thing he had said," Toph scoffed, "the first time he saw you after two years he came to us the next day and started talking about you. He was describing your smile for about twenty minutes, if asked, I can tell you how you smile and I haven't even see you."
Tapeesa looked away, for once, slightly flustered. Suki chuckled at the sight and patted her back.
"Just make the first move. You should have no fear of failure because there is no way he will deny you."
Tapeesa nodded slowly as she turned to Suki. "He is the first man to ever treat me this way. Most of them were intimidated by my appearance or tried to approach me in a crude manner."
"He isn't like that," Toph said at once.
"I know," Tapeesa assured her, "that's part of what I like about him, the way he treats me. And he has seen me at my worst and is still around."
At that, Toph and Suki both appeared intrigued. Suki asked at once, "What do you mean?"
"The way I yielded my power when they had kidnapped him sometime during our travels wasn't the best. From an outsider's perspective it could be terrifying. He reassured me that nothing has changed though and I'm thankful for that."
"He sees the best in people," Suki acknowledged, "he wouldn't have cast you away."
Tapeesa pursed her lips in thought. "It still was-"
"What are we talking about here?"
Tapeesa moved away from Suki and Toph. She hadn't realized when both she and Toph had moved around Suki so the three of them could make a triangle of sorts, allowing no one else to understand what they were talking about. With a slightly sheepish expression she turned to face Sokka holding Kya in his arms and Aang standing a few ways away, looking between the three of them with a rather confused expression.
"I will tell you later," Suki promised Sokka as she pushed herself off of the counter. "We should have lunch."
Tapeesa followed after her in the kitchen in an attempt to help her set the table, while the rest were asked to sit around the table and wait for the food to be served. Kya was placed in a specific seat in between Sokka and Suki moments before they started eating. And then, Sokka spoke up.
"Did you know, there is a new person in the city that's become even more famous than Aang in the last few days."
Aang and Tapeesa looked up with identical looks of surprise before he asked, "Who?"
"She is a great bender and fighter, the people say," he continued with a wink at Suki who was already starting to smile, having figured out what he was talking about. "And she saved the lives of hundreds of people in the hospital the other day."
Tapeesa looked away as Aang next to her beamed. "That's right. They are right. Tapeesa is all that."
"Not all of that is true," she protested weakly but Sokka waved her off.
"I'm not talking about the truth, I'm saying what the people told me. They say Avatar Aang brought you to the city and that it was one of the best decisions he has taken in a while – which I have to say is true. They also say you can draw water out of thin air-"
"That is also true," Aang piped in, "I've seen her do it."
"They also say you are a miracle because you healed a lot of the people that came in the hospital."
"It was just one day, just yesterday," Tapeesa kept on protesting, "I only did what anyone would if they could heal the way I do. Besides, I didn't manage to save everyone."
"You tried though," Sokka insisted. "I lost count of how many people came to ask where you live and how they could get in contact with you to thank you for all you did. I told you, right now you are even more famous than Aang."
"Finally some publicity is taken away," Aang mused with a small laugh as he turned to Tapeesa.
"I was planning on heading to the hospital afterwards, anyone who wants will be able to see me then," Tapeesa shared her plans. "My work in the hospital is far from finished."
"Aang was planning to ask whether you could help in the hospital a month after you arrived in the city and you did it on your own a week afterwards," Suki said with a small laugh as she took a break from feeding Kya to turn to face them. "Don't forget to rest. You can't be part of the Police Force and help in the hospital without resting properly."
"Don't worry about me, Suki," she assured her, "I know my limits and we are nowhere near them yet."
Neither Tapeesa nor Aang mentioned how she had withdrawn to the sea hours after she had left the hospital just yesterday and how she hadn't been able to keep her sorrow at bay and had broken down in Aang's arms. Tapeesa's limits had been surpassed the previous night. Thankfully, she had been quick to bounce back.
"You are a lot more quiet than usual, Toph," Sokka spoke a short while after Tapeesa had finished, his gaze on Toph who was quietly eating. As the attention was directed to her, Toph's eyes seemed to widen for a moment. "Did something happen?"
She lowered her head. "I think something has happened, yes."
Sokka, Suki, Tapeesa and Aang exchanged worried looks as Aang leaned forward. "What is wrong?"
"In the last few days I felt as if there was always someone around, watching me, even though I knew there was no one else near. I could hear a second heartbeat that never truly went away. I thought of asking for help but before I could, I tried to figure out where the heartbeat is coming from."
"And?" Suki implored her the moment she had finished her sentence. Toph let out a deep sigh.
"It's coming from me. I think I'm pregnant."
"What?" Tapeesa didn't manage to reign her response as she turned to Toph sitting beside her. "I'm going to check."
Toph didn't have the chance to protest before Tapeesa was placing a hand against her belly that wasn't even protruding. She closed her eyes as she focused on the blood in Toph's body and how it was moving. She could sense her heart beating, sending blood all over her body, but she searched further. Her brows furrowed, her lips turned into a small frown. It was hardly noticeable but it was there. A second, faint heartbeat.
"I can feel it," she breathed as she opened her eyes in wonder. "A second heartbeat."
"Congratulations, Toph," Suki said at once as Tapeesa took her hands off of Toph and turned to Aang. The two of them exchanged a wide-eyed look as Sokka spoke.
"Who is the father?"
"I don't want him around," was Toph's instant response. "I hardly know him. I would rather I raise the child on my own."
"Whatever you want we are going to be by your side and support you," Aang replied at once as he took notice of Suki's and Sokka's frowns at her reply.
"Thanks," Toph smiled slightly, "I won't need your help, though. I can do this on my own."
Tapeesa raised an eyebrow at her as Suki shook her head. Aang chuckled as she looked to Sokka, but he only rolled his eyes before he spoke up. "We will see when the time comes. For now, we should eat before the food gets cold."
All of them agreed. For a short while, they ate in silence. Then Suki spoke up.
"Toph?" Toph grunted in response. "I know you said you don't need help but don't expect me to let you do the same labour you did before I knew you were pregnant."
"But-"
"No buts," Tapeesa cut her off as she shared a look with Suki. "That's a given."
Toph let out a sigh, accepting defeat. Suki sent Tapeesa a brief wink at their victory. Aang and Sokka couldn't help but chuckle.