Summary: One-shot Blind is often a word that most people associate fear with. Not many people want to be blind, especially if you were born with the condition. But Toph soon learns that not everyone sees the same way. Tokka
A/N: This is really for my best friend "Super Reader". It's her one year anniversary for being on and I felt I should celebrate it with a little Sokka and Toph fluffy-ness!
Now, let the commencing begin!
(Remember to say "congrats" to Super Reader in your review!!)
Enjoy!
Twinkling Flames
Toph was transfixed deeply into nothing, blissfully unaware of the dancing flames in front of her eyes. Fascinated at how she saw exactly nothing. People say (namely Sokka) that if you were blind you would see a void of blackness. No other colors whatsoever.
But truthfully, if you were blind you didn't see black. Seeing black meant viewing a color, and because you are blind you cannot view anything. Besides, you wouldn't even know what the color would look like. For all you know, black to a blind person could mean fuchsia to a non-blind person.
Sometimes the nothingness scared her. Since she was born blind she had no idea what anything looked like. Sure she's heard plenty of people say the sky was blue and the grass was green, but she didn't know what those colors looked like. She had no idea what people looked like, she had to judge them by their voice and body posture.
Toph was also, despite what she says, extremely self conscious. Not being able to see what she looked like made her wonder even more. And with those thoughts came the thoughts of love. Would anyone ever love a person who doesn't even know what they look like?
Toph felt vibrations close to her. She then felt someone sit down next her on the cold ground. After failing to defeat the Fire Lord, the group (and extras) had come to the Southern Air Temple for refuge and to regroup. The tiled ground of the religious building limited Toph's Earth-bending, but not by much.
"Hey Toph," Sokka said, warming his hands in front of the fire before them. Toph relaxed a bit. Sokka doesn't mind her relaxed state. When she was relaxed she was more open and less "snippy" as Katara had elegantly put it.
Heck, everyone would probably like her better this way.
"Hey Sokka, what's up?" Maybe he had heard the lack of happiness in her voice, or maybe he was just plain good at his 'detective' game. But whatever it was, it worked, for Toph had felt him shift slightly in her direction.
"You okay? Usually you're up and complaining how you can't see anything." He had meant it as a joke, she knew he did. She felt the chuckle behind those words. But they still stung. Even if her un-emotional face didn't show it. Being unable to see anything, and then have someone poke fun at it was hurtful no matter how tough you are.
Toph's chuckle was his response. Sokka raised an eyebrow quizzically at his blind friend, even if she couldn't see it. "So, why aren't you?" He turned his eyes back to the fire, enjoying the heat that emitted from its dancing flames.
"Not in the mood, I guess. Being an Earth-bender can really take it out of a girl." This was half true. Physically moving one of the heaviest things in mankind was tiring. But she also knew that Sokka wouldn't buy it. He knew about her abilities and strength.
The girl shifted her feet away from the burning logs Aang had gotten for them earlier. He and Katara were currently collecting water for the small 'village' of children and teenagers. The village was actually the survivors of the war. Although, Toph highly doubted that's all Aang and Katara were doing down there. She knew they had kissed, she had felt their vibrations through the submarine's hull. She was a metal bender as well, after all.
"Toph, if there's something wrong you can tell me. I know it isn't easy being blind-"
Rage and disbelief coursed through Toph. How could he possibly know how it is to be blind? How could he possibly know how it was to never see what someone ugly looks like, or cute, or pretty? He doesn't know anything!
"No you don't. You're only saying that to make me feel better." She mumbled; turning her head away from where she believed the Tribal boy was. Her feet were starting to burn again from the heat of the fire, so she moved them out of the way once more.
Sokka didn't say anything. She was right; he was only trying to make her feel better. He had no idea what it was to see nothing. Being from a tribe, hunting required a great deal amount of vision and hearing. He had to see from his lookout tower to visualize danger. He, and most of the kids around him, was completely reliable on their sight. Only Toph relied entirely on her feet to guide her to wherever she needed to go.
"You're right, I don't." Toph felt that this was one of Sokka's rare 'serious' moments, and she was going to be the center of it. She felt her cheeks blush slightly. Never would she have done something like this before they 'visited' the Fire Lord. He was something new to her. Someone who knew what they were doing and someone who she knew was extremely trustworthy.
Sokka waited a few moments before continuing. "I don't know what it feels like to not be able to see anything. I don't know what you go through everyday. But seeing you go through it makes me want to be blind. I hate it when my friends are uncomfortable and I can't do anything to help them."
Sokka blushed slightly at his words and plowed on, dropping a wooden stick into the blaze to keep it alive. Toph also was flushed in her face. No one had ever told her that. No one has ever told her that they wished they were blind like her. Everyone always gave her pity and a pat on the back.
Never had they told her these things. Toph felt tears in her eyes. Extremely uncharacteristic of her, but when you've been longing for words that were comforting instead of pitying for so long, well, things can get emotional.
"Toph, I don't think you realize this, but you're special," They both blushed at this, Toph trying to mask her grin of appreciation.
"You don't have to see things other people have to see. You don't have to see things that many people would rather go on with their lives wishing they never did see. You always use your head to figure things out, not your eyes." Sokka then glanced down at her legs, the creamy paleness of them contrasting greatly with his own skin.
"Your feet too, you see with your feet, not once being able to be lied too. You see the truth in everyone, their appearances not mattering." He leaned back, placing his palms out behind him so he could look up at the stars in the sky, transparent smoke from the fire concealing a great mass of them.
Toph pulled her knees up, finally tired of the heat licking her calves and feet. She rested her chin on her shin-bone, the tears from her eyes gone now, staring blankly at the orange and yellow waves.
Sokka glanced down at his friend, seeing her discomfort from the fire. He grinned and lay back completely on the dirt and leave covered floor. The stars stayed in their places just beyond the billowing smoke and sparks floating weightlessly into the night sky.
"I really wish I were you, Toph. I really do. Having eyes ain't all it cracks up to be."
Toph sighed and looked in his general direction, using her feet to sense where his head was. She looked at him wordlessly, waiting until he turned his head towards her and gave her his full attention.
Sokka felt her sightless eyes on him and turned his head, the gaze of snow-white eyes meeting his icy-blue. Weird how their eye colors could be compared to a form of cold water, contrasting greatly to the flickering fire that sat directly in front of them.
Toph finally spoke after she was certain he was looking her way. "You never know what your friends or family look like. Sure, there might be some things I'd rather not see," The Earth-bender joined him on the ground, staring into the dark blue sky as well. "But there are more things I would love to see."
Sokka smiled and continued staring at the rising smoke, completely oblivious to the stars in the sky. He was always told that stars twinkled when you were happy, and were not visible when you were sad. Right now, he guessed, he must be neutral, for the stars were doing nothing but just sitting brightly in the dead of night.
"Like what?" He asked after a few minutes of silence. Toph looked where he was and smiled, her white teeth barely poking put from underneath her lips.
"You for starters. I wanna' know what the funny guy looks like." The Earth-bender quickly turned her head back to where it was before, not sure if it was the heat from the fire that was making her face hot or the fact that she had told him one of her biggest wonders.
Sokka slowly turned his head towards Toph, smirking all the way. "What? You don't want to see the Avatar first?" The usual, humorous tone entering his voice yet again, making it crack with his immaturity.
"Nah, I know the general idea of what he looks like. Bald, arrow on forehead, robes. The usual idea of a monk." She tried hard to fight down a smile, not wanting to give away that she really wanted to see what everyone looked like. How pretty Katara really was, what the legendary Avatar looked like, how fuzzy Appa really is, or how Momo looks like a flying rat. She even really wanted to see what she herself looked like.
But what she really wanted to see most of all was Sokka. No one had ever commented on his looks. All they ever talked about was his brains and humor. She was curious to see if he looked remotely like Katara, or if he stood alone with his unique looks.
Though she highly doubted that she'd ever get vision; she was born with the condition, therefore she was stuck with it.
Toph sighed and lay there, continuing effortlessly to stare at the blank world around her. The only lively thing even remotely close to her was the humorous 'detective' by her side.
Sokka sighed as well, closing his eyes to think of another think to say to her. Unfortunately, he missed the stars twinkle and shine, glowing with the pride that they had let everyone in the world know that someone was in a good mood tonight.
Love was sparking next to the flames of a bonfire.
A/N: So? How was it? Tell me in a review and congratulate Super Reader on her wonderful success! Congrats to your One-Year-Anniversary!