Since I'm an incurable Tokka shipper, I scribbled this little thing…

oooooooooo

Chapter 1

"And, and then Suki said the most ridiculous thing yet!" Sokka was pacing in a circle around Toph's living room, "She actually said that I have a thing for you! And then when I tried to explain our relationship… Our friendship to her, she said I spend way less time with her than with you and Lin! Can you believe her?"

"Yeah…" Toph started sarcastically, "Well, it's a good thing you showed her she was wrong by marching over here first thing after your fight…"

"Oh, I guess that could be read the wrong way." Sokka fell into the couch next to Toph who was lying down and snacking on nuts.

"Mighty brilliant, Detective Sokka!"

"Maybe she's right. Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention to her lately," he sighed, "It's just really hard with the whole long distance thing. I know she loves her job with Zuko in the Fire Nation, but I'm a councilman. My tribe needs me here, in Republic City. I can't just leave every few days to go visit her. And every time I try to talk to her about becoming more serious or, you know, just living in the same place, she just says later…"

"I think this relationship stuff is really more your sister's area." Toph sat up.

"No, I know. Look at me, I've been bitching ever since I came here. Perhaps I am too self-absorbed." Sokka put his head in his palms and sighed again.

"Look, I'd help if I knew how," she grabbed his shoulder with her hand, instead of her usual loving punch, "But the only thing I can think of is… Well, that I go explain to Suki that we're just good friends. But clearly there are far deeper-"

"Could you do that? That would really help. I mean, there is other stuff, but tonight was mostly about me and you. And maybe if she'd hear you say it, she'd believe it." he stood up, suddenly not seeming so gloomy anymore.

"I'll do it then. It's the truth, after all." Toph stood up after him and received a tight hug as a thank you.

The hug didn't last long, but even so it was enough to get Toph thinking. It's not like his arms around her was unfamiliar, he'd been there for her for years, mostly since Lin was born. He helped out and supported her, without even being asked.

"We can go right now. No, you have to stay in case Lin wakes up… Then I'll go get Suki. She leaves in a few hours, but I bet she's still at Air Temple Island." Sokka started going for the door.

"Wait. Don't," Toph stopped him, "I can't talk to Suki for you. And you can't ask why. Ever."

Despite what she just said, Toph expected the word why to be the very first thing out of his mouth, but to her surprise, he was just silent.

Then he muttered, "I'll go check on Lin."

"What is this? Why aren't you mad at me? Don't give me the silent treatment!" her words didn't seem to stop him, "We both know if Lin was out of bed, I'd know!"

Was this a fight? Did he somehow get himself into another fight today?

He stopped and turned around.

"You wanna go there, Chief?"

"Yes, I wanna go there, Councilman!"

"I am mad! You're my best friend in the world, I'd do anything for you-"

"That's the thing, Sokka, you're more than that to me." Toph couldn't believe she actually said those words aloud with him in the room. She'd thought about it so many times, but whenever she was trying to be at least a little bit realistic it didn't go over well.

She was trying to read his reaction from his heartbeat, but her own was so deafening at that moment, it was upstaging everything else.

"I'm sorry, it's just a stupid, childish crush. I'll get over it." Toph immediately wished she could take it back. They had been friends for so long she couldn't imagine just losing him now.

"Childish? Toph, we're thirty!" his tone made her smile, which made the whole situation a pinch less tense.

"Well, it started while we were kids. That's why I don't expect anything to happen. I just wish there is a version of this where I'm your friend, but I don't have to hear about the girls you date. Because that'd be awesome!"

"Mine started while you were dating Kanto. The crush. Suki and I were broken up, but I didn't know how or when to tell you. So I just got back together with Suki, because that's what I do when I'm confused," he noticed her shocked expression, "Oh, don't be so surprised, why do you think I had such a hard time explaining to her that there's nothing here? Because there clearly is."

He smiled at her and even though she couldn't see it, she smiled back like she'd felt it. Not really having any idea what to say now, or ever again, Sokka took a step forward and pulled her into a gentle kiss. Toph immediately deepened it as she way of saying she was on board with this.

They both ended up on the couch, when Sokka suddenly pulled away.

"You see how this is going to be a problem?" he asked.

"I don't see anything, but I'll guess because you have a girlfriend and I have a daughter."

"What? No… And we're broken up, this is not wrong. Katara is the one that's going to make that water rope and strangle me. You know what she'd call this?"

"Killing Team Avatar." Toph mimicked Katara's voice, "She tried selling me that nonsense once. Talking about how they all need to approve who I marry, since he'd be a part of the group forever. She's nuts about that stuff."

"But what's the worst thing that can happen, really? A few awkward moments? I think the truth is not that bad."

"Yeah, Mother Hen won't do anything, but what about the press?"

"So we keep it to ourselves. For now. I don't want Suki to read about it in the newspaper, she should hear it from me."

"Deal." Toph started kissing him again and they both lost all sense of where they were. That is until they heard the door creak. Sokka pulled away just before Lin made her way into the room in her baggy pajamas.

"What are you doing?" Lin asked while rubbing her half-open eyes.

"One day, years from now, you'll remember this moment and just go aha…" Sokka told her.

Toph waved her hand dismissing him and walked over to take Lin's hand.

"You snuck up on us, Linny." she said.

"We're sorry if we were loud." Sokka added.

"You should go to bed too, mommy." Lin looked at her seriously.

"You first, kiddo. Now say good night to Sokka."

"Night, night, Sokka." Lin waved and followed her mother out of the room.

"Did she see anything?" Sokka asked when Toph returned a few minutes later.

"Nah, she doesn't get a thing." she sat right back next to him, "And I don't want to confuse her. I already had one Sokka-is-not-your-dad talk with that kid…"

"Yeah, that works."

oooooooooo

I think I'll post at least three vaguely connected chapters, all Tokka + Lin…

If you have any thoughts direct them into the comments, but go easy on me since I jotted all this down in a hurry.