Work Text:
Suki glanced at her phone as she tried to drown out the chatter of conversation around her. She had been waiting for Koko to meet her at the bar for the past half an hour, but she still wasn’t here. At this point Suki was starting to get annoyed, but she couldn’t fault Koko for being late, especially since she knew Koko had a busy schedule. Still, sitting alone at a bar by herself was not how Suki expected to spend her Friday night. If she knew someone here, Suki wouldn’t have minded the sticky counter or the loud music that caused the walls to vibrate. She wouldn’t even mind the group of guys loudly chanting at each other to down their drinks in under a minute.
Groaning, she placed her phone down on the counter hoping that time would go by faster if she stopped staring at the time. Koko had to text her back eventually, right? She wouldn’t leave Suki high and dry like that would she?
“Can I get you anything?”
Suki snapped her head up to find one of the bartenders standing before her. He placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward so he could get closer to Suki. With this view, Suki could see just how blue his eyes were, even with the poor lighting of the bar. Not even thinking about it, Suki’s eyes traced his arms, noting the way his T-shirt strained at his biceps. Before she could allow herself to look further, though, the bartender cleared his throat, causing Suki to snap back to attention, her face flushing when she noticed him smirking at her.
“So, can I get you anything?” he asked again, raising an eyebrow at Suki, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Oh, I’m not really sure right now,” Suki answered, shaking her head, unable to make contact with him. “I’m waiting for a friend and she’s running late, so I don’t know if I want to start without her.”
“Understandable,” the bartender replied, nodding thoughtfully. “Could be rude to start before your friend got here because you don’t want to be drunk by yourself.”
“That’s definitely one way to look at it,” Suki agreed, glancing around the bar. “But it’s been half an hour and she’s still not here.”
“Could be driving?” he offered with a shrug. “Well, if you need anything, I’m right over here.” He motioned with his chin towards the end of the bar. “Just wave me over, I’ll come running.”
“Thank you.”
He gave her a kind smile and sauntered away towards another group of customers, sliding his hand along the counter as he did. Suki couldn’t help but watch him leave, admiring the cool confidence he exuded.
Her phone vibrated on the counter and Suki snatched it up, quickly unlocking it to find a message from Koko waiting for her.
Koko (8:45pm): Sorry, boo! Got caught up at work with all of this extra paperwork Kyoshi gave me. I don’t think I’m going to make it tonight!
Suppressing yet another groan, Suki typed out her reply, assuring Koko that she didn’t mind and that they can always reschedule. While she wished she hadn’t dragged her ass to the bar in the first place, it had been a while since she had time to herself. Maybe this was a good thing, Suki thought. Maybe this was the universe’s way of telling her to treat herself.
Sliding her phone in her pocket, Suki looked down the other end of the bar in search of the cute bartender from earlier. She spotted him right where he said he would be, leaning on his forearm on the counter as he chatted to a group of customers amicably. Suki couldn’t help but watch as he burst out into laughter, his laugh infectious to those around him. He must have sensed her staring at him because he turned to face her, a smug smile gracing his lips when they made eye contact. He excused himself from the conversation and made his way back towards Suki.
For some reason, Suki felt her heart skip a beat when he finally approached her, standing directly in front of her with his arms crossed as he studied her carefully.
“Let me guess,” he started, raising an eyebrow at her, “your friend ditched you?”
“I wouldn’t say she ditched me, per se,” Suki explained, scrunching her nose. “Ditching me would mean she had a choice. In this case, she got caught up with work and said she can’t meet me anymore.”
“Well that sucks,” he told her sincerely, leaning on the counter once more. “So, did you call me over to update me on this series of unfortunate events or did you want a drink?”
“Both?” Suki asked playfully, watching his lips twitch in amusement. “What do you recommend for a girl drinking alone who doesn’t want to get too drunk, but still wants to treat herself after a long week?”
“You driving home?”
Suki shook her head. “I live down the street, I’m walking.”
“Hmm,” he hummed as he considered her. “Is that safe?”
“Done it plenty of times,” Suki answered, remembering all the times she’s stumbled home drunk after a night of drinking. Of course, she always had friends with her, but she wasn’t about to tell a random bartender that.
“How about a beer to start,” he offered, chuckling lightly. “That way you start small and maybe work your way up.”
“Deal,” Suki agreed, grinning up at him.
The bartender tapped the bar before turning around and grabbing her beer. After he opened it, he placed it on the counter and slid it over to her.
“Thanks,” she told him, grabbing the bottle in her hand and raising it to her lips.
“Yeah, of course,” he replied, watching her curiously.
Suki couldn’t help but flush again as he watched her, and she tried not to draw attention to her flustered state as she drank from her beer. He opened his mouth as if to say something to her, but he must have thought against it.
“You going to stand there staring at me all night?” Suki asked, her tone teasing, though she could hear the stress just beneath the surface.
“Oh, no no!” he said quickly, shaking his head. “Sorry! I just - I feel bad that you’re all alone, that’s all.”
“I’m a big girl, I can handle myself,” she assured him, placing her beer back on the counter. Feeling brave, she told him, “I’m Suki, by the way.”
“Sokka,” he told her, holding his hand out to her over the counter.
Suki took his hand in hers, her eyes meeting his. She saw something flash in his eyes before letting go of his hand and focusing on the bottle in her hand.
“So, Suki,” Sokka started, cocking his head at her as he tested her name on his tongue. Suki found that she liked the way he said her name, the way his face softened when he said it.
“So, Sokka,” Suki countered, raising her brow at him. “Are you still nervous about little old me drinking at a bar alone?”
Sokka shrugged. “Can’t help but worry. I’ve got a younger sister and even though she can kick my ass, I still worry about her when she goes out. Big brother’s instinct, I guess.”
“I guess that’s fair,” Suki replied, melting at his words. “But I’ve been taking self defense classes since I was a kid, I can take down anyone.”
“Damn, really? I’d pay to see that!”
“I can prove it to you!” The words were out of her mouth before she could even think about it, and when she realized what she had said, her eyes widened in horror as Sokka laughed before her. “Oh, no! I didn’t - that came out wrong!”
“Suki, it’s okay! You should see the look on your face right now though!”
“I didn’t come to the bar to be laughed at,” Suki pouted, causing Sokka to laugh harder. “Well, now you’re just being mean.”
“I’m sorry! You’re just so frazzled right now and it’s really cute.”
“So you think I’m cute?” Suki teased, smirking at Sokka.
At that, Sokka’s cheeks turned red. “Well, I mean, yes, I do find you cute, but it would be rude to flirt with you while you were my customer.”
“What a shame,” Suki replied, taking another sip of her drink. “Because I must say, I find you to be somewhat attractive.”
“Somewhat?!”
Suki shrugged. “You’re working right now, it would be rude to hit on you as you were working.”
Sokka squinted at her, clearly trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to say next. Finally he said, “Listen, I get off at 9:30. What if - and this is a what if - after I clock out, we find a place to sit and get to know each other better?”
Suki pretended to think about it, tapping her finger on her chin thoughtfully as Sokka shifted awkwardly on his feet.
“I mean, like I said, you can say no!” Sokka insisted. “I won’t be offended, I just -”
“I would love to,” Suki interrupted, smirking at Sokka. “I was planning on just finishing this beer and walking home, but I must say, getting to know you better sounds tempting.”
Sokka beamed at her. “Yeah? You - you want to do that?”
“Absolutely. Just find me when you’re done?”
“Yes! Yes, absolutely I will!” Sokka replied enthusiastically. “I know a great spot where we can sit and be away from everyone else. This is great, Suki!”
Suki couldn’t help but laugh. “Woah, Sokka, it’s just a drink for now! Go finish work and then we can see where this takes us.”
Just as Sokka was about to answer, a customer from down the bar yelled out, “Hey! Bartender! Stop flirting and get me a drink!”
“Quit your yelling, Zhao! I’ll be there in a bit!” Sokka called back, waving his hand at the customer. “You’ll get your drink.”
“You should get back to work,” Suki told him, reaching over and poking his arm. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“Yeah, good call,” Sokka agreed, rolling his eyes at Zhao. “So, see you in a bit?”
“See you in a bit.”
Sokka gave her one last genuine smile before sauntering off, yelling at Zhao as he got him his drink. Suki wasn’t sure why she agreed to meet with Sokka, but something deep in her gut told her to follow that particular path. Maybe it was the easy way he laughed, or the way he made her feel welcome without even trying.
Suki had a good feeling about this guy, and she hoped it would work out.