Chapter Text
After spending months away from Republic City, Sokka was ready for the boat to dock. Spirits, it had been ages since he’d seen his friends, it actually made his heart ache.
But he was home now, and that was all that mattered.
He expected the whole lot of them to be waiting for him at the docks at the crack of dawn, but only Aang was there. Perhaps the warrior was a little disappointed. After all, his friends weren’t graced with his presence for months as well… He thought Toph and Kanto would be there at least.
When he landed on the dock and gathered his belongings, Aang flew into his arms, basically knocking everything out of his hands.
“Buddy! You’re back!” Aang exclaimed. “How was home? How was the Fire Nation?” “Everything is good! Family is good, just been wondering the same about you guys here,” Sokka replied.
“Oh! Yeah, lots has changed, I’ll let Toph and Kanto tell you everything. They should be at home, but I’ve got to run. Duty calls!” With that, Aang flew away before Sokka even had time to really respond.
“Oh—okay. Bye, Aang,” he said, surprised by the abruptness of it all. But, he made his way to Toph’s place, hoping to receive an even warmer welcome from his two best friends.
When he approached the door, Sokka heard a commotion, a muffled yell or a borderline shrill of his best friend in the whole world. The door flew open before he could even knock, and a wall crashed into him. “Sokka! You’re home!” Toph exclaimed.
Sokka grinned from ear to ear. “I am!”
Toph only released her grip so that Kanto could hug him, his embrace as tight and crushing as Toph’s. “Good to see you, buddy!”
“Glad to be home, that’s for sure!” he grinned. When Kanto let go of Sokka and stood next to Toph, Sokka asked, “So what’s up, you guys?? Aang had to ditch me at the docks but he said you guys had new—woah!”
Toph and Kanto laughed at Sokka’s shock, but in his defense, his surprise was warranted.
Because when he finally took a second to actually look at his friends, he saw Kanto with the biggest, most crooked grin he’d ever seen, and Toph positively glowing, her belly showing even through her loose-fitted shirt.
His mouth was still open as he stuttered, “You—a—a baby!”
Toph laughed. “Yeah, a baby. Thanks for putting it so eloquently, too.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”
“We found out just after you left, and Toph and I really wanted to tell you in person,” Kanto explained. “But yeah, Baby Beifong due by the start of winter.”
“A baby,” Sokka marveled again. His best friends were having a baby, and he couldn’t have been happier for them. Their lives were going to change, hopefully for the better, but still. This was a big change!
Then the panic set in for the warrior. His hands flew to his face as he cried out, “Oh spirits, my best friends are having a baby! I’m so not ready for this.”
“You don’t need to be ready for jack shit, doofus,” Toph teased.
“Still!” he persisted. “This is a big responsibility! What if I’m not cut out for it??”
“Okay bro,” Kanto said as he stifled a laugh. “You’ve been traveling a lot today. Let’s go get some food before you go crazy. I’ll buy breakfast.”
“Or is it dinner for you?” Toph asked, smirking.
As if on cue, Sokka’s stomach growled. Spirits, he hadn’t had a proper meal that whole trip back to the city, and he was only starting to notice now. “I’ll take breakfast and dinner, please,” he replied.
Toph gave Sokka a swift punch to the shoulder. “There’s the Meathead we know and love.”
The three of them laughed as they walked into the city, ready to catch up on food and conversation.