Flower Power
"I'm bored," Toph grumbled as she leaned her body back against the corner of a stall. It had been a few hours since they started roaming around the Fire Nation markets. They had already spent exactly one hour on one particular stall while waiting for Sokka to make a decision.
"Shhh! Toph, can't you see? I'm trying to decide which sack I should buy," Sokka said.
"In case you have forgotten Meathead, let me remind you for the millionth time: I'm blind! I can't exactly see," Toph said sarcastically while waving her hand in front of her milky green eyes.
"Uh, well… Um, just a few more minutes then we can go, promise!".
"That's the same promise you've been making ever since we got to this stall!" she pointed out. "Why are you even buying a purse? Aren't you too manly for a purse?".
"This is not a purse! It is a sack. A sack that I will use to carry our supplies!" he retorted. If there's one thing he hated, it is Toph ridiculing his manliness.
"Sure Snoozles, whatever you say," she smirked. "Hey! That orange one with the fancy strap will surely complement your outfit."
"Hmmm you really think so? That one was actually one of my top three choices…," Sokka said as he took Toph's advice into consideration.
Realization in 3… 2… 1
"Come on! Why must you always do this to me?" Sokka whined.
"'Cause you make it sooo easy. Now let's go Noodlebrains!"
"Fine, fine, we're going. Have it your way…again," he said defeated.
"As it should be. My way is the best and only way," she said rather dignified.
The two of them started to walk towards the camp site. A few minutes later, Sokka saw something that caught his attention.
"Hey Toph, you go ahead to the camp! I'll catch up in a minute," he shouted.
"Sure thing Snoozles. I'll just go ahead and tell Sugar Queen that you are buying another purse," she said in a sing- song voice.
"Wha… hey!" he started, but before he could finish, Toph was nowhere to be seen.
Sokka rushed over to the vendor's table and eyed the merchandise carefully. He wanted to make sure that it was perfect. After bargaining for a few minutes, he finally bought the item. Overflowing with excitement, he jogged back to the camp.
At the campsite
Katara and Aang were nowhere to be found. Sokka never found that to be a surprise. Ever since their kiss in the tea shop, the pair never left each other's embrace…and lips. He would rather think that they two of them are just playing a game of Pai Sho; not exchanging saliva and exploring each other's…whatever. It is a good thing he spotted Toph all alone; otherwise, who knows where his imagination would have led him?
"Hey Toph, I bought you something," he proclaimed as he hid the item behind him.
"Does it look like I care Snoozles?" she asked rather annoyed. "Can't you see that I am busy with something?" She said as she flicked dirt off from her toenails.
"If I told you it was for you, would you care?" he asked.
"You bought something for me? What is it? What is it? Tell me!" she demanded as she rushed towards Sokka.
"Ok, geez. Relax for a second. I'm going to need to do something with your hair ok? Just don't hurt me and I'll give you your gift," he stressed.
"My hair?! Uggh, if I didn't want that gift so badly… Fine," she grumbled. As soon as she said that, she felt her headband being taken off. Toph was pissed at this point, but was trying to act cool. If she did not want this gift so badly, his butt would have been kicked all the way to Omashu.
As soon as her jet black hair was let out of the bun, it expanded into something that looked like a lion's mane. She felt Sokka's hands brushing through the thick locks trying to untangle the strands. After a while, he fixed her bangs and inserting something on it.
"There, I'm done."
"Great, now where's my gift?" she asked.
"You're wearing it." He said in a relaxed tone.
"What!? What am I wearing?" she asked in a scary tone.
"Relax Toph! I bought that hairclip for you. I thought it looks pretty on you," he panicked.
"Well, what does it look like?" she demanded.
"It's a fire lily, so it's orange and red. Those are the colours of the Fire Nation. The clip basically holds your bangs on the side," he explained.
"What do I look like?" she asked. That was very un-Toph like for her, but her bangs are her security. She needs to know if she looks good or not.
"It looks really pretty Toph. Your eyes are beautiful too. I don't know why you try so hard to hide them." He said.
"You know why Snoozles. It's because I'm blind. When people see my eyes, they see empty orbs of doom," she explained.
"Well, since when do you care about what other people think? For what it's worth, I like your eyes. They're special and beautiful," he answered.
"Really?" she said.
"Yeah! You know what else? Your eyes are not the only ones who are beautiful… you are too." Sokka was moving cautiously towards her. He doesn't want to be earthbended all down to the ground, but the universe had other plans. A rock (he was sure it hadn't been there before) had tripped him causing him to land on top of Toph.
Both of them are on the ground and their faces are only a fingertip apart. Sokka knew that was the best chance the universe could have ever given him, so he closed the gap. Toph was surprised. Eventually, she melted in the kiss. The experience felt like heaven on Earth. When they ended the kiss, both of them were gasping for breath.
"Toph, if you hadn't known already, I love you." He said.
"Took you a while Snoozles,' she teased.
"Well, I'm not always the best boomerang in the pile…" he said even though it hurt his pride.
"I love you too Sokka, but that was cheesy. Now shut up and kiss me again!" she demanded. What started as a chaste kiss escalated into a full-blown make out session. Unbeknownst to the pair, there was an audience behind a nearby bush.
"Do you think they'll get mad at us?" Aang asked.
"I don't think so. We gave them an opportunity to express their love for each other. The rock was a good touch by the way," Katara said.
"Thanks! Now let's go before they see us," Aang said.
"Where to?" Katara asked.
"You know where…" Aang said in a seductive tone while winking. A few seconds later, the two of them disappeared.
It might have taken a long time. They might have needed a shove instead of a push. But, in the end, they found love in each other. That's what matters. Who would have known that all it would take was a fire lily and a small rock?
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please comment below if you like it.