Disclaimer- I don't own Avatar.
"Everybody! I have an idea!"
Everyone groaned simultaneously at Sokka's declaration, his ideas always made everyone antsy. Not to mention the fact that he had a maniacal grin on his face, which could only mean pain and suffering for them. The only one that seemed un-phased was Toph, who blew a strand of hair out of her face and asked," What do ya' have in mind Snoozles?"
"Well... you know how all of us have been bored and doing nothing-"
"It's called relaxing Sokka!"
"Not the point Katara! Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted... I have come up with a brilliant game!"
Even the spidercrickets stopped chirping at that. GAMES were even worse than ideas.
"I knew you would all be excited," he stopped for a moment, flopping down to the ground next to an exasperated Suki," okay, so here's how it goes, one of us will pick a person out of the group. Then said person will flip a pai-sho tile, the side with a lotus on it means that the person they pick has to do some sort of challenge, but the blank side means they have to answer any question totally honest... we'll have Toph be the judge of that."
The group looked blankly at him," Oh come on! It's a great idea, and I have a really cool name for it! Honesty or challenge!"
Suki sighed, patting Sokka on the shoulder," It was a nice thought, but I don't think anyone wants to play."
"I don't know about you fangirl, but I'd love to take turns embarrassing everybody."
"I think it sounds fun, maybe we should give it a chance,"Aang said as he used a gust of air to propel himself into a sitting position and gave everyone his signature grin.
And who could deny the Avatar?
The only ones that hadn't spoke up yet were Zuko and Katara, Mai had waltzed off as soon as Sokka mentioned he had an 'idea', sensing the potential danger and embarrassment. Or maybe she was just bored, or depressed, or tired. It was so hard to read her face when it was blank, Koh would probably even reject her... Who would want a face with no emotions?
"So you're going to play?"
Zuko and Katara shared an annoyed look, lately they had been on the same wavelength. It was kind of creepy actually, to see them both being civil. Maybe that happens when you save each other from the wrath of a psychotic ex-fire princess. Everyone thought Katara came out of it unscathed, but they were wrong. In order to get Zuko's heart to slow down from its erratic behavior that would have sent him into cardiac arrest, she had to restart his heart completely. That meant blood-bending, blood-bending without a full moon, or even any moon at all. It took everything out of her, and now she had small scars that puckered her skin where she had been too weak to heal the mild burns. Katara sighed, and muttered something about Sokka's insanity rivaling King Bumi's.
"Great! I'll go first, since you know, I created the game."
"Just go already!"
"Okay! Geeze," he looked over the group with a humorously critical eye, finally settling over his girlfriend," I choose Suki!"
She smiled at him patiently, waiting for the tile to flip. When it fell to the ground it was blank, and he looked back up at Suki with large eyes," Do you love me?"
A bigger smile blossomed across her lips as she nodded, "Yes."
He looked like the equivalent of Momo with Leechee nuts; total paradise. He was about to kiss her when Aang spoke up, "Wait! Toph has to decide."
Everyone looked over to the blind earth-bender for an answer. With a solemn expression she stared right past Sokka and said in a casual tone, "She's lying."
"What!" the couple exclaimed in unison.
"Chill out, I was just kidding."
Sokka sputtered, turning to Suki," So you do love me?"
"Yes!"
A clouded look took over his eyes as he tackled her into a hug. She laughed, snatching the Pai Sho tile from him and grinning at her evasive action, "my Turn."
"I choose... Katara!"
Katara replied with a squeak as Suki flipped the tile, letting it hit the ground. If possible her grin became broader,"Katara I challenge- no I dare you to kiss Zuko."
This is when things started getting complicated.
Katara now resembled a fish out of its native element.
Not to mention Aang was in a state of shock.
Suki was just smiling like she had just won some sort of bet.
"What! No! Katara can't do that; s-she's my girlfriend! And Zuko is dating Mai!"
"You know the rules, is the Avatar trying to cheat?"
"No, I just- Sokka, you made the rules, there must be some sort of exception to this!"
The elder water-tribe sibling was about to agree with him when Suki shot him a very dark look. He gulped, fearing the pain his girlfriend could inflict on him, "Sorry Aang, you heard the rules."
Aang gave a pleading look to Katara who was now blinking rapidly, the one at Zuko who seemed paler than usual. Finally she found her voice, "One kiss?"
Suki nodded somewhat smugly," One, but it has to be on the lips, and longer than five turtlelion seconds."
"Alright," she murmured, she turned to Zuko slowly. The prince just seemed surprised, he spoke up," Katara, you don't have to-"
"A dares a dare," she shrugged, but the action held more meaning than she had meant it to.
Aang looked mortified, and even though Momo kept trying to cover his eyes for him, he would just brush the lemur's paws away. Sokka was trying to ignore it all by picking imaginary lint off of his tunic, he would rather NOT see his baby sister kiss anyone, but if he spoke up about it Suki would make sure he was very unhappy for the next two weeks...
Toph was the other person besides Suki that seemed interested, he gaze was in the opposite direction, but she had her foot twisted at an angle so she could get a good sense of vibrations from the pair. Their heartbeats were oddly fast... not nervous per se, more like... excited? She could be wrong, but when have her feet ever lied?
Time seemed to move in slow motion from that pointed.
Zuko and Katara inched closer.
Aang turned a shade of green.
Suki looked like a kid in a bakery.
Sokka pretended to be oblivious.
Toph pretended not to care.
Momo just wouldn't shut-up.
As they came closer, they shifted their positions slightly, Zuko hovering over her smaller frame. Then with a sharp intake of breath from everyone in the group (a simple chirp from Momo) their faces leaned closer. As they did so everyone seemed to lean closer into them as if to get a better look at the event, even Sokka. Then their lips touched.
"One lionturtle second."
Their heart-rates sped up.
"Two lionturtles seconds."
Hands tangled with hair and looped around soft necks.
"Three lionturtle seconds."
Lips were moving like they were one; it was no longer a closed-mouth kiss.
"Four lionturtle seconds."
Both tumbled to the ground after losing their balance, but neither noticed.
"Five lionturtle seconds."
They were no longer listening.
Aang turned around the log he was perched on and purged his stomach of its contents, and Suki just appeared to be smug more than anything. She spoke up again, this time shouting, "FIVE LIONTURTLE SECONDS!"
Toph swiped her foot off the ground as if it had electrocuted her when the two 'friends' split apart as if they were little kids caught eating a forbidden pastry. They were both breathing heavily, not realizing that two of their hands were still meshed together. Katara looked over at Aang whose eyes were now watering.
"I don't want to play anymore," he muttered as he snapped open his glider and took off. The group was silent, contemplating what to say and how to say it.
"I thought you both were going to have a heart attack," said Toph," Your hearts practically launched out of your chest's when you both pulled apart."
Katara couldn't hide the bright-red blush that covered her cheeks," Maybe I should go look for Aang..."
"He took his glider," Sokka pointed out.
"Oh, right, well I'll just, um..." she murmured.
"Yeah, and I have to...," Zuko added.
"So um," they both muttered," Good night."
That was when they realized what had happened during the dare. The looked down at their entwined fingers then back up at each other, then back down again. Maybe if their hair wasn't covering their faces you could see a shy smile playing at the edges of their lips as they slowly removed the grasp one had on the other right before they departed.
Katara brushed off her robes.
Zuko shook out his hair.
Toph rolled her eyes.
Suki rubbed her hands together.
Katara and Zuko went their separate ways.
When they were out of sight Suki pushed a hand under Toph's nose," Pay up!"
"What? That didn't prove anything fangirl."
"You saw them! Um, well felt them!"
"So?"
"So, I win!"
"That didn't prove that sparky and sugar queen have something for each other."
"Yes it did!"
"You bet on my sister and Zuko?"
They both motioned for Sokka to stay out of it and continued to bicker.
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!
So this is peace? Huh, who would have thought?