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Everyone remembered when Suki died.
It was the darkest day of Sokka’s life.
“Where’s Sokka?” Katara burst through the door, heaving for breath, eyes wide and fearful. Zuko wasn’t far behind, Toph at his heels. “Sokka?”
Sokka sat at the table with his head in his hands. His clothes were rumpled, shoulders hunched. He made no move to get up when his friends came in.
Katara rushed to him, kneeling beside the chair and taking his face in her hands. His eyes were scrunched closed and tears flowed down his cheeks. She brushed the hair away from his forehead, trying not to cry herself. “What happened?” Katara whispered.
Sokka’s voice was hoarse when he spoke, as though he had been screaming for hours on end. “Gone. She’s gone.”
~ ~ ~
Toph tapped her foot impatiently on the floor. “Are you almost done in there?”
“Almost!” Sokka responded.
She rolled her eyes, plopping down into a seat and crossing her arms, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. He took forever to get ready. How could putting on a fresh pair of pants possibly take so long?
“Alright, how do I look? Pretty great, right?”
“I’m blind. Why can’t you get this?” Toph stood, taking Sokka’s arm, shaking her head at his faulty memory. “We’re gonna be late because of you and your preening.”
~ ~ ~
“He’s never going to get through this.” Katara sighed. Zuko put his arms around her, forehead creased with concern.
“Guys, we just gotta let him grieve,” Toph said, “he’ll be alright eventually, Katara, just give him time.”
Katara removed herself from Zuko, turning to face the earthbender. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, sure. Sokka’s a fighter, you know that.”
~ ~ ~
“This whole ‘marriage’ thing is giving me the oogies.” Toph declared, grabbing Sokka and stomping through the huge doorway of the palace.
He nodded, “Agreed, I’m happy for them n’ all, but this is...eck. Let’s just go home, and sleep.”
“Sounds good to me.”
~ ~ ~
Toph threw out her hands. Her stance was wide, feet pointed forward, face filled with concentration. Rocks smashed one by one into a wall of the house. She stomped her feet, constructing pillars of stone that bashed the wall loudly. That oughta do it.
Sokka walked out to where she was bending. He had dark circles and his eyes were red and puffy. “Toph?”
“Good, you’re up. Took ya long enough.”
He dragged an exhausted hand down his face. “Toph, what are you doing?”
Toph turned around with a smirk, “Had to make sure ya got out of bed sometime.”
~ ~ ~
Sokka yawned, tugging his hair out of its usual wolf tail. It fell in short strands that framed his face and got in his eyes. He dropped the string that tied his hair back onto the dresser, but it slipped off the edge and onto the floor. Groaning, Sokka bent down to pick it up. His fingers brushed something else. Something covered in dust, partially hidden underneath the dresser.
~ ~ ~
“Just leave me alone, Toph.”
Toph laughed, “Hard pass. I gotta go out, we’re outta meat. I’m sure you’ll be happier when there’s meat in the house.”
“I don’t want any.”
“Sure ya do, ya just don’t know it yet.” She knit her brows tightly. Since when didn’t Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy, not want meat? She tried not to let her concern show on her face. Toph pulled something out of her pocket. It was weighted in her palm, and her eyes closed tightly before she spoke again. “Take this, it might make you feel better, I guess.” She walked to the bed where Sokka was curled under the blankets. She dropped the object on the edge.
Sokka opened his eyes slowly, peering at the small trinket. It was a smooth stone with the shape of a boomerang and sword clearly indented in the front. He ran his thumb over the design. “Thank you, Toph.”
She shrugged, turning her back to him. “Whatever.”
~ ~ ~
Sokka examined the carved stone lovingly, feeling the grooves of the pattern with his fingertips. He’d missed it!
“Snoozles, is it my turn or yours to take the couch?” Toph shouted from another room. “You have three seconds to answer before I call the bed!”
“Hey Toph, come here for a sec!” Sokka yelled back.
She appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, arms crossed over her chest.“What is it? Are you trying to fight me for the bed, because I already called-”
“Remember this?” Sokka said, beaming at her, lifting up the stone to show.
“Again you meathead, I’m blind.”
He laughed, placing the rock in her palm.
A small smile twisted Toph’s lips as she touched the trinket. “I can’t believe you kept this. Weirdo.”
~ ~ ~
“Why are you staying here, Toph? You can go back to your Metalbending school, I’ll stay here for a while.” Katara remarked, bending water aimlessly around her hand and wrist.
“Eh, I don’t mind. Your boyfriend needs your help n’ all.”
Katara laughed, flicking droplets of water at Toph. “I think he can survive without me for a little while. Really though, Toph, I feel bad leaving you here all alone.”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
Katara let her water flow back into its bag.“Get what?”
“That I don’t want to leave.” Toph sighed, turning her head away so she didn’t have to face the water bender. “I just can’t leave. Leave him.”
~ ~ ~
“Well I liked it. And you made it for me in the first place!” Sokka grabbed the engraved stone from her hand and pressed it against his chest protectively.
“Glad ya liked it. Y’know, I wasn’t gonna give it to ya.”
“What? Why!”
“Because.” Toph sighed, “You were just sad that day. More sad than ya had been for a while. Ya didn’t want to eat meat , Sokka. And you loooove meat.”
“Aww, you wanted to make me feel better! You care about me!” Sokka smirked. He crossed his arms over his chest, his face smug.
Toph flushed pink, turning her head away quickly. “Do not.”
“Do too!” He took a step towards her with a smile on his face. “You care . Admit it!” Sokka peered at her, waiting for her to say something. Maybe he’d gone too far...“Toph? Toph, I didn’t mean to-”
Toph grabbed his face with both hands, kissing him strongly on the mouth.
~ ~ ~
“You can come back to the palace,” Zuko said, “you’re always welcome.” He and Toph sat beside each other on the edge of a small cliff near Sokka’s house. It was mostly stone, and was a favorite haunting of Toph’s. The sunset was particularly beautiful, the sky swathed in pink and orange. Zuko had made sure to describe it in full detail to the blind girl.
“That’s true, I do like moochin’ off ya. But like I told Madame Fussy Britches, I’m not leaving.”
“Who- oh, Katara.” Zuko let out a small laugh. “You know, she’s just trying to help. It just comes off as pushy sometimes.”
Toph snorted, “Sometimes.”
He bumped her lightly with his shoulder, letting her hold onto his arm. “Sokka’s doing better, thanks to you. Losing Suki destroyed him. You’re helping him get himself back.”
Her face turned the color of fire lilies in the summertime, trying to make it so that Zuko couldn’t see it. “I guess,”
Zuko usually would’ve pretended like he didn’t see her redden at the mention of Sokka. Today was different. “You like him, don’t you?” He allowed a pause to rest heavily in the air for a moment before speaking again. “I notice it all the time. You’ve been here, sleeping on his couch, taking care of him for months . And I’ve seen the way you look at him.” He smirked, “That’s some pretty intense friendship.”
She paused, bending a rock and throwing it off the cliff. “He’s my friend, Sparky. I don’t wanna lose that.”
“I know.”
“And anyways, he’ll never love me like he loved Suki.”
~ ~ ~
Sokka stood there, staring at the girl in front of him, the feel of her lips still imprinted on his brain. Toph. How could he be so oblivious? She’d been there this whole time and he hadn’t even paused to consider why. Had she always liked him like that and he was just too dumb to notice?
“I think I made a mistake.” Toph said, voice low and raw in a very unToph-like way. Her arms wrapped around herself as she took a step away from him. She swiped at her eye, trying to make it look casual, but Sokka could see tears forming.
He moved forward, reaching out his hand to brush the tears away gently. It bothered him to see her so visibly hurt. Sokka’s thumb lingered on her cheek a little too long.
Toph’s breathing became shallow. She leaned into Sokka’s palm, tilting her chin up to create the illusion of eye contact.
Sokka kissed her, the hand that had been on her face moving to the back of her head.
~ ~ ~
Toph draped her arms around Sokka’s neck. Every inch of her was flooded with warmth, head filling with white noise as he wrapped his arms around her. I don’t want this to end . She lost her fingers in his hair like she’d always wanted to do, mouths intertwined as she’d imagined. The edge of Sokka’s dresser pushed against her back. He had pressed her backwards without her even realizing it. Panic flooded her. “Stop,” She shoved his chest away from her.
“What, what’s wrong?” Sokka replied breathlessly, confusion in his words. He laced his fingers with hers. She didn’t pull away.
Toph touched her thumb to her lip. It was warm and swollen, and she wondered if Sokka’s felt the same. Guess that was what she got for mashing face. “It hasn’t even been a year.” She tucked a strand of irritating hair behind her ear. Maybe it was a lame excuse. She just had to find a way to slow it down. And she didn’t want him to know how nervous she was to continue whatever this was.
Sokka ran a hand through his hair. He walked past Toph, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to him, an invitation for her to sit.
She glanced at it skeptically for a moment before sitting.
“Look, Toph,” he began with a sigh, “I miss Suki everyday. It’s like...part of me is missing. But I believe that Suki would want me to be happy.” Sokka reached out, fingers finding the soft place behind her jaw to pull her to him. Instead of the kiss on the mouth like Toph was expecting, his lips found her neck, warm and feather-light. Her eyebrows jerked up in surprise.
He stood in front of where she was perched on the bed, continuing to kiss her throat and slide his hands over her back.
“Will you do something for me, Snoozles?” Toph spoke softly, face flushed from the affection.
“Of course. What is it?”
“Will you put on a blindfold?” She paused, embarrassed for a moment before continuing, “Be blind like me?”
Sokka raised to his full height. He walked to the dresser, grabbed something, and then strode back, coming to kneel in front of her. A piece of cloth rested in his outstretched palms for her to take. She assumed that it was Watertribe blue like most of Sokka’s wardrobe.
The silk was cool on Toph’s skin as she accepted it from him. Leaning forward, she wrapped the blindfold around his now-closed blue eyes, the simple act of touching the softness of his face enough to send tingles up her wrists. She understood that for others who weren’t as accustomed to it, the inability to see was terrifying. Nevertheless, Sokka was calm and remained still until she finished knotting the fabric around the back of his hair. It was exciting that he was finally experiencing what she felt everyday. Her fingertips brushed his bangs away from his eyes.
She wasn’t scared, not anymore, when Sokka kissed her once more from his knees.
Now, finding one another was all intuition.