She was lying down, a dull ache throbbed from the back of her head, and her feet were covered. They were warm and stiff and two inches too far from the ground, and she wanted to throw them off the moment she could get herself to move. That moment wasn't coming anytime soon, though. That headache was getting stronger by the second. She curled her fingers in, the dirt gathered underneath her nails, just from the pain.
"What's going on? Why can't I see?!"
Her eye twitched. Sound wasn't clear. If anything, it was like her ears became weaker. She couldn't hear the wind blowing from the east or the stream running next to the trees. That was her voice though.
Why was it coming from her right side?
"Toph! Sokka! Are you guys okay?" Katara's voice was like rain. It changed depending on her mood, really. It was light rain on a roof at night when she spoke to Aang, storm drops thrown against the window when she scolded Kya and Bumi, water trickling down from leaves and into lakes when she laughed.
"No! I can't see anything!"
"Of course you can't see, you're blind."
She cracked her eyes open and closed them right after. She tried again, and she started adjusting to the light.
The light. There was light.
She blinked and inhaled sharply. The light disappeared before her for a split second, but it came back. She closed and opened her eye lids, faster and slower, until her eyes became tired.
"How long have I been blind?!"
"You're joking, right?"
"What's going on!"
"Well, you and Sokka disappeared somewhere, and when you didn't come back, we searched for you." Aang's voice was the breeze. It carried to places far and wide, but when she felt it, it stayed close to her. She could even feel the wind blow by when he was around. One step and she knew it was him.
"What do you mean 'you and Sokka'? I am Sokka!"
"Toph, you must be going insane or something because—"
"I'M NOT TOPH!"
"If you're Sokka, then prove to me you're him!"
"I caught you and Aang in Zuko's bedr—"
"OKAY YOU'RE HIM."
She lifted her arm and raised her hand high above her head. It connected to an arm nimbler than she was used to. This was meant to handle swords, boomerangs, and cradling scrolls to read them in candlelight. She could see knuckles jutting out, forming hard mounds on the back of this hand. Small tubes, veins, stuck out of his thin skin.
"But...if you're Sokka, then..."
"...T-Toph?"
She licked these lips. Salty, like this body sweat too much. "Hey, Twinkle Toes."
Everyone jumped, and even she still remembered the chills that ran down her spine when she heard it. Her voice was deeper and rougher, and it definitely wasn't hers. It was the voice that visited her in the most secretive dreams, the kind that reminded her of how her feelings never went away. It went in her ears and into her throat, caught in her lungs and flowed through her veins. Aang's voice visited and stayed beside her, coming and going.
But Sokka's voice never left her. Even when she had a man whose voice grounded her, his touch leaving hot spots on every plane of her skin, a man who made her feel just as happy. Sokka's voice embedded itself in her blood.
Katara and Aang started declaring their confusion, and Sokka (in her body) started yelling louder. All she concentrated on was the beating of this heart, how it followed her mind and her emotions rather than Sokka's. She was in his body. She had his hands, his feet, his endless stomach, his heartbeat, his laugh, his eyes.
She had his eyes.
"You guys said the sky was blue, right?"
The other three froze.
"You can see?" Sokka (Toph) said, his voice quiet.
Toph (Sokka) licked her (his) lips again. "Yeah." They dried the moment she exhaled.
The group started an annual tradition of reuniting at the anniversary of the Hundred Year War. They'd circle the globe every year—once in the Water Tribes, the next in the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation afterwards, and the areas surrounding the Air Temples after that. This year, they chose a spot they've never been to in their travels in the Earth Kingdom, a midpoint between Ba Sing Se and the burgeoning Republic City. Zuko, Mai, and their daughter were enjoying the town, leaving Aang, Katara, and Suki to assess the situation.
Toph and Sokka sat by themselves in her room. The two faced the window on opposite ends of the king-sized bed. The open frame took up almost the whole wall, shutters opened to show the majestic view of the kingdom.
"What color are the trees?"
"Green," rang Toph's voice, though it was Sokka answering her.
"And the lakes?"
"Blue." Toph felt him feel the covers, rubbing circles with the heel of his hand. "Water reflects what's above it, so if the sky is blue, the water is blue."
"How about the mountains?"
"They're..." Out of the corner of her (his) eye, she saw his (her) hands rest on her growing womb. "...gray. Sometimes people even say they're purple."
"You know, I can't really tell the difference."
"I could teach you."
"We're not going to be stuck like this forever, you know. Twinkle Toes is going to find a solution, so there's no real point in you teaching me anything."
"But you can see, Toph."
The air was still between them, though the birds outside thought otherwise. They sang their sweet song, and for the first time in her life, she could actually see them perched on the rail outside.
She could see, yeah, but she couldn't earthbend.
"You have an opportunity to learn how to use your eyes, and I think you should take it."
The birds flew off. Their launch was always loud and startling, but as they flew farther away, it became softer and softer until they were gone altogether.
"Why are you a different color than me?" she asked, turning towards her own body.
He smirked. "A lot of Water Tribe people are that dark brown color. You've always been this pale."
"How about my hair?"
"Black."
"And my eyes?"
They turned to each other, and when he lifted her eyes, she felt that strange thing again. His heart obeyed her will rather than his.
"They're...green."
"They're nothing like the trees, though."
"There are different shades of green. Your eyes are a lot lighter."
Toph blinked and looked away. "It's like I can see right through them."
It was strange to sit all together in one room. Toph didn't know what to look at, like the tattoo on Aang's head, the newest baby, Tenzin, in Katara's arms, the children playing and laughing in the other room, Zuko's scar; everything was hitting her at once, and she didn't know where to start.
Suki sighed and rubbed her temples. "I feel a migraine coming."
"You're not the only one," Zuko chimed. It was almost peculiar how everyone's voices reflected their element or specialty, like how his voice reminded her of an ember burning. It'd get warm and suffocating if he started yelling, a forest fire of anger. When he was calm, it was a helpful light, something you kept by, that made you feel safe. "How is this kind of thing even possible?"
Aang leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Before I jump to any conclusions, I'd like to know what you guys were doing before you woke up."
Tenzin snuggled closer to his mother's bosom before Sokka started. "Toph and I were walking down a path in the forest east of here. I thought I..." He paused, almost like he didn't want to admit it. "I thought I saw my space sword, and I started running after it. I stopped when it was just a pond. Toph barreled right into me, and we fell in the water."
"Couldn't you see the pond with your feet, Toph?"
Behind Katara was a doorway where the small kids pretended they were dragons. They reared their heads and let out roars that reverberated on the wooden walls. Their feet stomped against the floor, happy squeals following soon after.
"I couldn't. ("I'm never gonna get used to this body switch," Mai sighed.) My earthbending suddenly blacked out."
Zuko's scar looked as rough as it felt. There were cracks and ridges on discolored skin and a small peek of an eye behind it all. It reached all the way to his ear, small and crumpled compared to his other ear, yet he tied his hair back and sat up straight. He didn't have to say it, but he was proud of his scar now. It was his mark of triumph, of the pain and trials he overcame.
"Sounds like we need to do some investigating," Aang murmured. He turned his head to the doorway. "All right, kids, who's up for an adventure?!"
Sokka (Toph) yawned, her arm hung over the edge of the couch. "Man, Toph, I don't know how you could survive your pregnancy without taking an afternoon nap. I'm exhausted."
Toph (Sokka) sat across from him, leaning his elbow on the round table next to him. "I'm just glad I don't have to be pregnant for more than twelve hours."
"Yeah, whatever, wake me up when there's news."
And in a blink, he knocked out.
"Well, it's nice to know he still hasn't changed his sleeping habits." Suki walked in and put down a tray of tea. It smelled like Iroh's Jasmine recipe. "You feeling okay?"
"Huh?" She turned to see Suki holding out a cup for her. "Oh, thanks." It was hot to the touch, and a sip of it warmed his bones. It wasn't like the stifling, humid summer air but a cozy warmth that stayed with you underneath the covers in winter. "I'm all right. This guy won't be when he wakes up though."
"Why?"
"I have the worst post-sleep cramps."
Suki snorted. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing that. He's never understood the pain of women."
"Guy doesn't know the worst is yet to come."
They laughed with a cruel undertone hidden in their joy.
Toph's body was smaller compared to everyone else's. She realized just how dirty her feet looked when she compared them to Sokka's own feet, calloused but less marred by rocks and roots. She wasn't as slender as the other women with her bigger stockier muscles, but she wasn't as endowed as them either. Switching back and forth between Suki's breasts and her own, she could see the stark difference between sizes. On the other hand, she felt hers growing and getting heavier. Though, that might be the baby.
And then there was her face.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Toph took another sip of her tea. "Pretty sure. Why do you keep asking?"
Suki's chair squeaked as she leaned back. "I would think this place would be a lot louder. Out of everyone here, it'd be the two of you who would make the most noise if you switched bodies, yelling about being stuck or something or other." She blew on her tea before sipping more. "But you guys are just...quiet. Calm. You stick to each other, and you don't say much. I see Toph touching things and moving around when she's the one who fidgets the least, and I see Sokka standing and staring at everything when he would rather talk about nothing. Why?"
The wind blew in, playing with the curtains and the ends of Toph's dress. The leaves of the trees outside rustled in response, the breeze caressed her cheeks, the ends of his hair tickling the back of her neck. "I think we both think it's temporary...or at least it's us and not anyone else, you know?" The cup in her hand wasn't as hot as it used to be. "If it was Sokka and Katara, you might have something different and loads funnier going on. But it's us, not them. That makes all the difference."
"What's the difference?"
"Sokka could earthbend all he wants, but he doesn't know a thing without his sight. Not to mention he's pregnant." She finished the rest of her lukewarm tea. She liked it better steaming hot. "I can see, but I lost my earthbending. We may have the same mind, but we're in a body we're not comfortable in. We're not ourselves. It's as simple as that."
The third cup on the tray was still hot, steam rising from the top and following the direction of the summer breeze.
"It's kind of weird talking to you, knowing you're Toph, but you look and sound like Sokka."
"It's weird hearing his dumb voice coming out of my mouth."
She laughed again. "If you have any questions, I'd be willing to help." Her eyes had a shine to them, like the necklace Katara wore. They were clearer than the fog of her own eyes. "I heard you ask Sokka what the color of Zuko's clothes were."
Toph closed her eyes. She couldn't stand to have them open for too long. "What color are Zuko's eyes?"
"A golden amber."
"How about Aang's?"
"Cool gray."
She smirked. "You add more flowery things to your words than Sokka does."
"I'm not surprised."
"Why did you break up with Sokka?"
Suki paused but not in surprise. It was more thoughtful, piecing together words in her mind to make it sound close to what her real reason was.
"We weren't going anywhere." Toph always thought Suki's voice was pretty. Bells rang when she spoke, loud and alarming when she took charge, tinkling and happy when she spoke to certain people. Like Sokka, before they ended their relationship two years ago. "It was either break up or get married, and, well, he decided for us." There was less steam coming from the third cup. "I would've thought he told you this."
Toph shrugged. "He told me he let you go, and he was a fool." She also remembered how close his breath was to her face, his touch hotter burning through the metal armor she coated herself in.
Nothing happened that night. She took him home and walked back to her own place, playing with the space bracelet he gave her so many years ago.
"I thought you guys were good together," Toph admitted.
"I thought so, too." Suki's voice was the far-off bells, echoed and carried by the wind, so far that their original note was lost. "I guess I should've seen it coming."
"Really?"
"We were growing distant, him in Republic City and me on Kyoshi Island. We're so devoted to our duty. It was only a matter of time before one of us had to burn that bridge."
"You guys are still friends though."
"After I punched him in the face."
Toph laughed. "Really?!"
Suki smiled. "I also told him to pursue someone honestly, someone who got under his skin and understood him."
"And who would that be?"
When she didn't respond, Toph looked over to find Suki staring straight at him. Her mouth was set in a curious slant. Then, her eyes turned back to the sleeping body on the couch. "Has anyone told you how beautiful you are, Toph?"
She felt her lips dry. "I...am?"
It was small moments like these that Toph wished she didn't have. Small insecurities that she hoped no one would find because it made her feel weak and vulnerable. She kept staring at herself, at closed lids that hid her foggy eyes, her curved nose, her high cheeks, her thick hair that went all over the place.
And she looked at Suki, at her big glowing eyes and bright smile, a voice that sounded like a birdsong. The sun set behind her, encasing her in a heavenly glow of (what she learned was) orange and gold, and she wondered how Sokka could have let her go.
"You really are."
The moon was high in the sky by the time the pairs and their children came back from investigating. They were greeted by Sokka's (Toph's) loud groans of pain, Suki rubbing his (her) back, and Toph (Sokka) standing by the window.
"For all that is holy and good how do you live with this paaaaaaaainnnnnnnnn..." Sokka moaned, curled up into a tight ball with her arms wrapped around her stomach. "I ammmm never having childrennnnnnnnnnnnnn..."
"What happened?" Zuko asked, wincing.
Suki smiled sympathetically. "Sokka made the mistake of going up a stair." He groaned again for effect.
"You'd think you'd have more sympathy if you saw yourself in that much pain," Aang said, almost like a question.
Toph scoffed. "Yeah, right. I don't feel it, therefore it's not my pain."
"I am neverrr making fun of pregnant women agaaaaaaaaaiiinnn..."
Katara covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to stifle her laugh. Difficult, considering how she was trying to usher the kids into their own rooms. "You guys talk," Zuko said, carrying his sleeping daughter, "Katara and I'll take care of the kids."
Aang and Mai left behind, the latter sending worried glances at the writhing body on the floor. "Does it hurt that bad?"
"Yes," Sokka and Toph responded.
"I just deal with it," she added. "C'mon, Sokka, don't be a baby and take the pain."
Sokka whimpered. Mai looked so amused that it was easy to see Aang (and Sokka) were the only uncomfortable ones in the room.
"Well, um," he coughed in his hand. "Katara and I tried for the forest, but we couldn't find that pond you guys were talking about. There was, on the other hand, a strange spiritual power residing in it. I could feel it, but it wouldn't show itself."
"I might have the answer to that," Mai offered. "We talked to some of the employees and townspeople, and there's an ancient spirit that lives close by." Toph looked at Mai and found everything about her was as sharp as the knives she wields. Eyes to a point and just as golden as Zuko's. Though, they felt more like a spark rather than a flame. She was quick to cut Zuko when he was telling an embarrassing story and, according to him, quick to cut off even the highest ranking officials in the Fire Nation if she found them dull and stupid. "Apparently, this body swap isn't the first one of its kind."
That piqued everyone's attention. Zuko and Katara entered, just in time.
"The spirit's name is Hwame, or Two-Spirit, a spirit that is both male and female. If you and someone of the opposite gender swim in its waters, you switch bodies."
Katara raised a brow, and Aang's eyes widened. "That's...kind of incredible. What kind of spirit is Hwame?"
"A good-natured one, and kind of mischievous." Even Mai seemed surprised by her own findings. "Hwame was known to be a healing spirit, not to mention a matchmaker. Highly revered by the locals. They take the form of a giant clownfish."
"That might explain the pond you guys fell in!" Katara deduced. "You fell right in Hwame's pond!"
"If there are more cases, does that means there's a cure?" Toph asked.
Sokka groaned. "Yessssssssssssss, is theeeeeeeeeeeeeree..."
"They say Hwame's home appears only at sunrise and sunset," Zuko said. Toph realized that it was getting easier to not stare at his scar. It wasn't a thing that stood out anymore. Rather, her eyes passed over it like it had always been there. "You guys can try for morning."
"Naaaaaaawt the morrrninggg—"
"Oh no, Snoozles, I'm getting my body back, first thing tomorrow."
Sokka mumbled something incoherent.
"What did he say?"
Suki smiled sheepishly. "He said, 'Fine, if you wanna be pregnant so badly.'"
Aang nodded. "Morning it is. Do you guys want us to come with you?"
The night breeze was chillier but calmer than the day. It went into her skin and made her rub her hands over the small bumps of her arms. It didn't take long for her to warm up though. Sokka's body was naturally warm, hotter than her own.
"No. I think this is something we can do ourselves."
Sokka didn't say anything.
"We could be sleeping right now," Sokka griped, sitting against the bed post on the floor.
"But we're not."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious."
Toph rummaged through her drawers. A hotel employee and Katara helped her get settled in, and the girls would help her choose outfits in case there was any trouble. It involved a lot of trust and boredom. "Hey, if I can have these eyes for another night, I'm gonna see what kind of clothes they put me in."
"Isn't that a bit, I don't know, girly?"
"Says the man who is pregnant."
"Point taken."
"Besides, if you were blind and had your eyesight for a day, I'd bet you a hundred yuans you'd look in a mirror the whole time."
"I resent these judgments."
"Correct judgments."
"I hate you."
Toph chuckled. "So how is it, anyway? Being me."
Sokka shifted and scratched her head. "It's..."
She held up a shirt, admiring the color. "Don't be shy, you can tell me how awesome I am."
"Well, you are."
Toph stopped, the feel of the fabric soft against his rough hands. It was cool like it breathed, as if the heat of his body didn't affect it.
"I can't use your feet or your senses the way you do. Everything is just noise. I want to be like you, mountains moving to my will and all, but I don't know the first thing about being you."
She put the shirt in a small pile. "I could teach you."
Sokka exhaled. "We're not going to be stuck like this forever, you know."
Toph continued to sift through her clothes, putting them in piles. One batch was for clothes she'd donate because she didn't want to be caught in them, another for clothes she didn't mind, and another that she really liked. It was smaller than the rest but had the best feel to them. They made her feel good.
"Hey, put these clothes on for me."
"Are you asking me to dress up?"
"I'm not asking you to jump out the window."
"What the—Toph, I'm not your play doll."
"It's not every day that I get to see myself wearing clothes!"
"I'll be indecent!"
"And it's MY body, so it's not a big deal!"
"Ugh! You are not sensitive to a man's needs at all!"
Toph laughed as he threw a dress at her face. They repeated this process—Sokka stripped, Toph helped her put her clothes on, she stared, he blushed under her scrutiny, rinse and repeat. There weren't any barriers anymore. After being in each other's bodies and invading each other's privacy in the most intimate way, there wasn't much else to hide.
Sokka stood in her body, naked from the waist up, hand held out in anticipation. "Next dress?"
Toph didn't hand her the one in her hands. Instead, she stared.
"Don't worry, I have defiled you in any way." He held her hands up. "See? Nowhere near breasts."
She snorted and punched her shoulder. "No, idiot. I..." She wanted to reach out and touch it, to actually see herself touching the skin beneath her fingers. "Is this what I really look like?" She wondered if there was a way to tap into Sokka's own mind, to see what he thought of her body. She looked, mulling over whether he would care about this certain part or liked that other part. What was it like to be him seeing her?
Sokka put her hands on her hips. "You like what you see?" he said, wiggling them around suggestively.
She punched him again. "Here, last dress."
He pulled the garment over her head, slid the second piece over her arms, and stepped back. She felt her breath catch in his throat, something bubbling from her stomach ascending into her heart.
"...Wow."
Sokka smiled. It's not something she'll ever get used to—seeing herself smile in such a way that made her seem so lovely. "You like it?"
"I..." She crossed his arms, gazing. "...Yeah. I look really good."
"Good. I'd recognize this fabric anywhere." He smoothed down the skirt. "I bought it for you."
"You did?"
"I made sure I got the best for you." And Sokka smiled again.
Toph wondered if she ever showed that face to anyone.
The air was crisp and ripe. The world around them fell silent except for the crunch of the ground beneath their feet. Republic City was a budding city, full of life and sound, but nothing could ever beat traveling in the forest, smelling the leaves and the soil beneath her feet.
"Is it sunrise yet?" Sokka asked mid-yawn.
"No," Toph repeated. "Do the form again." He sighed, frustrated, and bent his legs, assuming a horse stance. He closed her eyes, claiming it made him feel better.
Though the sky was still black, it felt as if day really was coming. It became lighter along the horizon, and the stars started to fade.
She raised a foot and stomped the ground. Sokka didn't react.
"Nothing," he said.
She did it again. Sokka's frown curled in deeper. "Gotta try harder than that, Snoozles."
"I am!"
Right before her foot landed on the ground, she saw a sliver of blue, like the arrow of Aang's forehead, rise from the horizon. Sokka's eyes flew open, and he thrust his fist forward.
Toph ducked in time as a boulder hurtled by.
"Well," she said, crossing her arms and smiling. "You just earthbended."
"I...I CAN EARTHBEND!"
He would have jumped in the air if it weren't for the extra package, so he opted to dance in her body while Toph laughed. She vowed never to do that when she got back. She looked way too ridiculous
"Did you see anything else?" she asked when Sokka calmed down.
He panted and nodded excitedly. "Yeah. I could feel the path we went down before." Toph felt his heart jump. "Hwame's home is open."
The blue blended into orange, but the sun still didn't show itself. The light was faint from beneath the trees. Toph could only see hints of light through small spaces of green, and she wondered if sunrise was the same as sunset. "What was it like, earthbending?"
She had to hold her own hand, Sokka taking small uncertain steps as he maneuvered across the grassy terrain. "There was so much power," he said, awed. "I'm just borrowing your body, and I can't imagine how many years it took to control all that raw energy."
"Well, I am a genius."
"We all know who the real genius is around here."
"Oh please, you wouldn't last a day without me."
Sokka chuckled. There was an unsaid sentence hanging in the air, but he didn't let it out. His grip tightened. "That feeling, knowing that I earthbended something once, kind of reinforces how amazing bending is."
In the distance, beyond a strange low fog, she could see a small body of water in a clearing. At the end of it was a large boulder that came to a rounded point. "I think you're doing all right by yourself, Snoozles."
They stopped by the edge, basking in the latent power in the place. It was thick. It clogged your throat more than the summer humidity. With her sight, she could see the strange shimmer that objects had in the air, like an aura that rose from the ground and into the air. In the pond swam a giant orange fish, curved black lines around it. Smaller, identical fish swam with it.
"Do you remember what we were arguing about before we came here?" Sokka said, breaking the silence. Toph didn't answer. "I asked you if...if you wanted to raise the baby on your own."
"And I do." She peeled off his shirt, the brisk spiritual air sending chills all over his tanned skin.
"I know you're more than capable, but I want to help, Toph." Her sash fluttered to the ground as Sokka started to strip.
"I don't know what you're trying to prove, but I can handle this on my own."
"But you don't need to."
"Sokka, we're just going to have the same argument. I'm not going to give in until you tell me why."
"Why what?"
"Why are you so intent on helping me? I don't understand."
"...Help me in the water."
"What?"
"Because I can't tell you. Not until I'm back."
Toph exhaled, took her hand, and walked in. The water was icy cold, a great relief from the summer heat if it weren't for the peculiar cold around them. She felt the hairs rise on his arms before they continued forward, water growing until it reached the middle of his waist. This pond was deeper than she anticipated. The giant clownfish swam around them.
"On three," she said. She squeezed her hand. "One...two..."
"Three!"
And they dunked their heads in.
She threw her head back, breathing in and coughing. The water on her skin mixed with the chilly air made her teeth chatter together. She tried to cough out the excess water that snuck in her throat, and her hair was too big and too heavy. Suddenly, an arm looped under her knees and another supported her back, and they lifted her up.
"Whoa!" she yelled.
"C'mon, let's get warm," Sokka said.
She blinked. There it was. Just the darkness she was used to. The ground beneath her bare feet and the small form growing in her womb.
They were back.
He got out of the pond and sat her on the grass. After a rustle, he sat and pressed his front side behind her. He settled his legs around hers and wrapped a warm, big cloth around their bodies.
"W-W-Wha—" To say she was surprised was an understatement. She could feel his chest against her back, his arms wrapped around her wet, bare midriff. "What are you doing!?"
"Body heat is the best heat," he said, his breath hot on the space between her neck and shoulder. He shivered around her, yet she stopped the moment his warmth enveloped her. She hoped he couldn't feel her pulse going haywire and the heat rising to her cheeks.
Stupid Sokka was back to being stupid Sokka. She was back to being herself.
"What happened to him?"
His voice didn't come from within her anymore. It was next to her, filling her. "Who?" She tried to keep in that strange ball in her throat. She'd blame it on the pregnancy and hormones, but she wasn't so sure it was that.
"To him." His hand went lower until it covered the small bump of her body.
Toph let out a shaky breath, one she wished he didn't hear. "Police chase. Died in action."
His thumb rubbed her womb soothingly. It made heat rise up from between her legs, the sensation traveling all the way to her toes. "We never met him."
"He was just a lower-ranking officer." Her voice was weak. When did that happen? "No one special."
"I think the person who got Toph Bei Fong pregnant deserves some attention."
She wanted to curl in herself more, ball up until she was so small no one could see her or touch her. But the more she tried, the more Sokka encased her. "Sokka, don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't just...I don't like to count my losses, okay?"
"You do it all the time."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it."
"Toph, I—" Sokka let out a long sigh, dropping his forehead on her shoulder. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."
She reached up to her side and touched his arm. She knew now the color of his skin, how different their hands looked when they were next to each other. She knew the brown of his hair, his crooked smile, the way his arms swung, the feel of his beard on his chin, how his heart pumped in his ribs.
Suki said he should pursue someone who got under his skin and understood him.
Did that make Toph qualified?
She heard everything. The ants marching across a tree root, the birds calling to the wind, the water trickling down the stream. She felt it with her feet. Her memory of color was fading already the more she spent time with her blindness. One day, she won't remember the difference between blue and red. Maybe she won't even remember what she looked like.
She felt Sokka stop, his breathing ragged. He was nervous about something. "What, Snoozles?"
"Toph, let me help you."
She sighed. "Why?"
"Because I love you."
There it was. Her heart pounded so hard it pulsated in her throat, and she tried to concentrate on anything else. The birds in the trees were small, judging from their voice; the baby crying meant Tenzin was awake; an animal crawled out of a hole beneath a bush, causing it to shake and stir. And after every thought, all her sense just went straight to him.
His heart beat just as fast as hers.
"I thought you were incredible, but being you for a day just..." He stopped, like his sentence strangled the rest of his words. "I don't...I don't feel like I deserve you. I just want to be with you every step of the way."
She turned and walked towards him. The closer she got, the louder his heart was. "You don't know a thing about babies. Or helping me, for that matter." She stopped in front of him and reached her hands up. He was so much taller than she was used to. Her fingers touched skin, and she spread them far. The angles of his face molded themselves into her hands, the tips of each thin appendage committing it to memory.
He shifted his head slightly so his lips touched her palms. "You could teach me." His small kiss sent a shockwave from her hand down her arm, and it hit all the way to the bottom of her stomach.
"Only way you'd learn is if you stuck with me for forever," she said, the corners of her lips curling up.
"I'm willing."
She licked her lips wet before he leaned in for a kiss.
Notes: Dedicated to friend, Mariko, who gave me this AU meme prompt over tumblr (Tokka, bodyswap). I ran with it because it was just SUCH a great idea and a great challenge! There ended up being a lot of themes that I put in without even realizing, and at the same time, the pronoun mix-ups (and possible confusions) were very intentional.
I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it (:
(Cross-posted on my tumblr and archiveofourown)
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It belongs to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, and Michael Dante DiMartino.