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Katara paced back and forth in the small room, wondering how she was going to break the news to her brother about... well. About this. Telling her father was hard enough. She somehow felt even more pressure telling Sokka.
She was a married woman! Hell, she was even married to the Avatar. How long was it really going to take until she was pregnant with their first child?
She knew that Sokka liked to live in his own protective little bubble believed that, as his little sister, she would always remain young, chaste, and innocent for all eternity. As she paced, Katara tried to figure out the most effective way of bursting said bubble delicately. She could either be tactful and swift with her approach, coming right out and telling him; or, she could dance around the topic until he figured it out himself.
She didn't know which would be more painful to endure.
Sokka was known for being overprotective. Even though it was touching that he cared about her so much, they needed boundaries. Strong, adult boundaries.
As Katara continued to pace, she waited for her brother to come in from hunting. But he was late. Her nerves were a jumble in her stomach. Sokka was more like a father to her than her own father was to them both; she understood why she was more nervous now than with her dad earlier.
Entering the house, Sokka shook off the extra snow on his coat before noticing that he wasn't alone. "Oh, hey, Katara. What're you doing here?" With a yank on his wolf's tail, he kicked off his boots.
"I just wanted to see my brother, that's all," she replied sweetly, putting her hands inside her coat's pockets. "How've you been?"
"Uh," he paused, looking her up and down before speaking, "I've been fine. I see you every day, though, Katara. You never come to see me unless something is wrong, or you need something from me." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "So, which of the two is it? Did Aang do something to you? 'Cause I swear to–"
"Sokka! No, Aang didn't..." she paused, chuckling at her own thoughts. "Well, maybe. But, really, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to see you, catch up, see how your family’s doing."
"Seriously, Katara, you see all of us all the time. What new thing could be so,” he stopped, holding up a hand. “Suki's not pregnant again, is she?"
"Uh," she paused, glancing in the direction of the kitchen where she knew Suki was feeding their one-year-old, before looking back at him, "not that I know of." She smirked evilly. "Why? Worried?" she teased, taking a hand out of her pocket to put on her hip.
"I'm always worried."
"As you should be," she smirked, giving him a look.
There was a pause as he shifted weight from one foot to the other.
"Why are you here again?"
"Right. I came here to tell you something," she grinned, nervous excitement bubbling over. "I'm–"
"You know, something looks different about you," he interrupted, looking her up and down again.
She was poised to finish her sentence but paused at his statement. "You think?"
"Have you done something new with your hair?" he asked, trying to pinpoint what was different.
"No." She rolled her eyes.
"No, that's not it," he said, her answer seemingly unheard. "You look like you're glowing or something."
"Why would you think that?" she asked, smirking.
"It looks familiar somehow, it's on the tip of my tongue. It's kind of like when Suki–" he stopped abruptly as the thought finished in his head. "No."
"No?"
"No, no, no."
"What are you 'no'-ing?" she asked, staring at him with wary eyes.
"You can't be. Cannot be."
"Specifics would be lovely, Sokka," she dead-panned. She snorted in laughter, however, when she heard Suki speak in baby-babble to her child about how Daddy was a special man. Katara also heard a hushed greeting as her husband came in through the back entrance and feared the worst if he walked in on this conversation.
"You didn't use contraception?!”
"Like you know what contraception is. Really? Contraception? For what?" she asked.
"For what? For what, you ask? She is asking for what–"
“You’re in a loop, babe!” Suki shouted from the kitchen.
“Sokka, please. I’m pregnant. I’ve had sex. Lots of sex, even. Great sex. Sex to create this child.”
"Please stop talking. For the love of anything good and holy, please stop talking."
"What? You wanted to know why he didn't pull out to prevent the furthering of an almost dead nation," she replied smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Aang started to walk in, saw the look on Sokka's face, and immediately turned and walked right back out.