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cerberusmahou · 3 days

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Sleepless - Tokka prompt fill

This was meant to be a prompt fill but, for some reason, I cannot seem to find the ask I was meant to respond to. So here I am, trying to repent by just posting it with the original prompt, which I luckily saved.

Prompt: Fic request?: Domestic tokka with sokka doing household chores and taking care of lin while toph rests bc she just gave birth to suyin and them just being a happy little family? Thank you!

...

Having a baby was a chore.

Well, not that Sokka had any first-hand experience having a baby, but he knew what a toll it took on the person who did all the wombing and growing and pushing. It was the very same toll that he saw Toph had taken since giving birth to Su. And he couldn’t stand it.

Toph had always been the kind of person to never take something lying down. She was constantly on her feet, not letting even a stubborn cold keep her down, much to the dismay of those around her. Even throughout this pregnancy, which was rougher than her first with Lin, she was trying to do field work and training at full capacity. That is, at least, until Katara mandated bed rest, something Toph, naturally, didn’t take too well or seriously for that matter.

After giving birth not even three days ago, Sokka found Toph trying to force herself to keep awake, trying to be there whenever Suyin Beifong wailed for her attention. And despite Sokka being there and his insistence on wanting to help and tend to their baby, even in his own exhaustion, she wouldn’t relent, opting to do it herself.

What bothered him the most, though, was the fact that she was very clearly drained and she wouldn’t let him do much of anything about it.

But that ended today. Right damn now, actually.

Watching her actually sleep after a long night of Su and her crying, Sokka smiled at her tranquil expression, her mouth half-open, drool dripping out of her mouth, and their daughter laying on top of her mama’s chest, ear pressed to Toph’s heart. It was the most relaxed he’d seen them both since Su was born and he couldn’t help but melt at the sight.

Carefully, he reached out to caress Toph’s cheek with the back of his hand, feeling her cool, soft skin against his before doing the same to Su. Four years together in the more-than-friends way—on and off until recently, of course—and he still couldn’t quite believe this was real, his life with the woman he loved and his baby girls was real.

As if on cue, the bedroom door crept slowly open, revealing Toph’s eldest, Lin, who was his in every way that counted since Kanto’s untimely death. From where Sokka lay, he could only see a portion of the side of her face, one green eye, and a bit of her unruly black hair.

“Psssst,” the girl hissed. “Sock.”

His smile widened as he adjusted his position in bed to face her. Then, he brought a finger to his lips to make sure she kept quiet as he slowly slipped out of bed, dropped a soft kiss on both Toph and Su’s cheeks, and shuffled over to Lin, making sure to shut the door quietly behind him.

“You’re up early,” was the first thing out of Sokka’s mouth as soon as he was in the hall. His voice was still low, careful to not wake the sleeping beauties he’d just left behind. “Missed me that much, huh?”

The six-year-old rolled her eyes, looking too much like her mother. “I’m hungry. And I couldn’t sleep.”

He frowned, crouching down to her eye level, then nudged her shoulder gently with his fist. “Did Suyin keep you up?”

“Monster kept me up.”

“Lin—”

“She’s so loud, Sock,” she complained, throwing her head back dramatically. Sokka had to keep himself from laughing at how much he’d rubbed off on her throughout the years. “She’s like the warning bell at school—loud and nannoying.”

He held back a snort. “Annoying?”

“Whatever.”

“Uh-huh.” Sokka chuckles, standing up and offering his hand out to her. “Brush your teeth?”

“Done.”

“So how about we make up for the lack of sleep with some breakfast?”

She grinned. “Hotcakes?”

“We’ve had hotcakes, like, twelve times this month,” he said, jokingly complaining. “You’re going to start looking like a hotcake.”

“I like hotcakes,” Lin replied easily, pulling him into the kitchen as she skipped.

Upon entering the room, he paused, looking around the space. To put it simply, it was a mess. There were toys scattered across the floor, books hanging open off the back of the sofa, furniture out of place, crumbs all over the counter, and he wanted nothing more than to pass out.

Sokka stood in the kitchen, surveying the chaos around him. It was very evident that the household was still adjusting to their new addition.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall, noting the time with a sigh. The morning was slipping away, and there was still so much to do. Breakfast needed to be made, Lin needed to be entertained, and Toph... well, Toph needed rest.

With an exhale, Sokka set about making breakfast, his mind buzzing with plans and ideas and schedules as to how to make the day work without waking Toph until she rose on her own (or at Suyin’s next wail, which was likelier than anything else). He whipped up a batch of hotcakes with practiced ease, the smell of sizzling batter filling the air. Meanwhile, Lin sat at the kitchen table, her eyes wide with excitement as she watched him work.

He nodded at her when he noticed her watching. “Like what you see?”

“Sock, can I help?” she asked, her voice filled with eager anticipation.

Sokka smiled warmly at his daughter, his heart swelling with pride. “How about you set the table while I finish up here? I’ll make Mama some as well and keep them aside for when she wakes up.”

Lin nodded eagerly, jumping down from her chair and darting over to the cupboard to grab the plates and utensils using an earthen stepping block in order for her to reach them. Sokka watched her with a fond smile, his heart overflowing with love for his family as he slid the food onto their plates, dabbing an overly generous helping of sweet cream over them.

The two settled down at the table together, their movements and voices careful not to disturb the morning's tranquility. For a while, Lin pretended to dislike the meal, making faces, and shaking her head when Sokka continually asked her how good she found it. Eventually, however, she had to give in and ask for another serving, much to Sokka’s satisfaction.

“Full?” Sokka whispered from across the table as he began to clear the plates.

“Mhm.”

“Great, now you can help me clean up this pig chicken sty, huh?”

Lin giggled. “It’s not a pig chicken sty.”

“It’s really messy, then,” he amended quietly, smiling at her as he quietly set the plates in the sink. “But come on. Help a Sokka out, pick up the toys, and put them in your room. And be careful about it because you don’t want to wake—”

“No waking Monster. Got it,” she stage whispered, shuffling off to gather her toys, taking them to her room in bunches as quietly as she could muster. It wasn’t very quiet and he winced every time she dropped something, but she did her best.

As Sokka and Lin worked together to tidy up the living space, they moved with effort to maintain their quiet, mindful of not disturbing Toph’s much-needed sleep. Lin would occasionally shoot him a proud grin whenever she successfully managed to transport a handful of toys without making too much noise, and Sokka couldn’t help but snort.

It took them about an hour to get everything in the kitchen and living room sorted, including a bottle from the breastmilk they’d stowed away for Su, and they did it all with little noise. Sokka tossed a damp rag into the sink and settled his hands on his waist, giving the spaces an appraising look. The room looked much more like a living space and less like a battlefield. He glanced at Lin from where he stood and she flashed a smile at him of her own, one that lacked one of her front teeth, and he returned it before rushing towards her, picking her giggling self up, and collapsing onto the couch.

Spirits, did he feel exhausted.

In combination with the clean-up, he’d barely slept himself last night or the past few days. He was just mostly concerned about Toph, so he wouldn’t go to sleep until she did and awoke whenever she did. It was a job for both of them; he refused to leave her alone.

Lin rested her head on his chest after her fit of soft laughs dissipated and her breaths began to slow just as his own eyes began to feel heavier and heavier and—

It started as a soft whimper, barely audible, but quickly escalated into full-blown crying. Sokka’s eyes flew open, and then he released a sigh, knowing what was coming.

The sound of Lin’s groan filled her ears as she lifted her head tiredly. “Again?”

Sokka nodded, his expression was troubled as he looked at the clock on the wall. “She’s probably just hungry. It’s about time for her morning feed.”

Together, they stood and entered the bedroom where Toph lay sleeping, Su nestled against her chest. The baby's cries grew louder as they approached, her tiny fists clenched and her face scrunched up in distress.

It wasn’t until then that Toph began to stir, groggily opening her eyes. Softly, she ran her fingers down Su’s face to feel her expression before sitting up and scooting backward, the baby in her arms, as she got ready to breastfeed.

Sokka knelt beside the bed, gently lifting Su into his arms. “I can take care of it,” he said, caressing his daughter’s face. “I got a bottle ready a bit ago; Lin can go grab it.”

Toph nodded, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “Thanks, Sokka.”

After quickly retrieving the bottle from the kitchen counter, Lin hovered nearby, watching as Sokka settled into a chair with Su cradled against his chest. With practiced ease, he began to feed her, murmuring soothing words as he rocked her gently.

It relieved him that Toph wasn’t trying to take over. She must’ve been too tired to realize that she’d finally relented. He spared a glance at her, watching her nod off with one foot on the ground to keep track of him and the girls, then looked down at Su.

The baby was gulping down her milk, the sound audible and one that Sokka always found himself smiling at, and her eyes were shut. Lin gently crept over, clearly wanting a look at her baby sister.

“She’s so small,” she commented in a whisper. “And quiet.”

Sokka nearly barked out a laugh. “You were like this once.”

“I’m so sorry,” she replied, eyes wide with horror.

Again, he had to hold back a loud laugh as he continued to feed Suyin. After a while, though, the gulping stopped, and Sokka slowly stood to not disturb Su or Toph.

And yet, Toph roused herself fully suddenly, pushing herself upright in bed with a tired sigh. “I’ve got her,” she said, stretching her limbs as she reached out for the newborn.

“She’s knocked out, T,” he told her softly, moving Su over to her crib beside the bed. “And you need rest—”

“I’ve gotten enough rest.” She waved him off, walking over to him anyway and setting her hand on the side of the crib. “I’m good.”

“T—”

“Would you quit hovering? I said I’m good.”

Sokka inhaled and deadpanned. “I can see that now.”

Clearly not helping it, Toph chuckled, tired smirk on her face as she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his chest so her face was inches away from his. “I’m good,” she repeated. “Thank you.”

“Hm.”

Her voice dipped as she got on her toes, her lips brushing his. “Do you need me to show you?”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat, nervously glimpsing at Lin, who was still in the room making a face of disgust at her parents. “You are well-rested.”

She gave him a peck—one little peck—before dragging her feet over to Lin and ruffling her daughter’s hair. “I am. And I had a dream you made hotcakes; smelled them and everything.” She poked Lin’s cheek. “It was a very realistic dream.”

“Sock made hotcakes, Mama!” Lin exclaimed, earning a shh from both Toph and Sokka. The girl blushed then repeated more quietly, “Sock made them.”

“Well,” Toph said to him, taking Lin’s hand and pulling her towards the kitchen without turning back, “are you just going to stand there or are you going to give me my hotcakes?”

Sokka couldn’t help but chuckle at Toph’s playful demand, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten all of a sudden. With a grin, he followed his girls into the kitchen, warming up her serving. Toph leaned against the counter, feeling him move and work with a soft smile, while Lin eagerly hopped onto one of the stools, swinging her legs back and forth in anticipation.

And, spirits, he felt so whole.

#riya reblog #fanfic rec #this is so cute im going to die #all i want for her truly #tokka

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