I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Of Meat Lovers and Pretty Ladies

The universe is full of surprises. It so perfectly weaves the fates of two lives, whether they were similar or completely different. It can also change even the most stubborn of subjects. How skillful it can be! However, one would not give into this philosophy regarding our favorite warrior and earthbending prodigy- Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe and Toph Bei Fong. Why? Because Sokka was Sokka. And Toph was Toph. Period.

The blind earthbender lazily slouched against the hard, engulfing brutality of a nearby boulder. Her concentration rested upon listening to the heartbeat of a certain warrior tackling the air with his swordsman skills. That was it, right? No… What really caught the warrior's eyes were her jade green dress and heavy makeup.

Of course, no one can deny the fact that feeling heartbeats was one of the blind earthbender's precocious talents. Then again, no one could disagree to the fact that she hesitated whenever it was Twinkletoes or Sugar Queen. But what if it came to her own heartbeat? Surely she could hear her pulse pounding as well. Her milky green, sightless eyes had gotten so used to staring into darkness that they didn't crave for anything so out of the ordinary. She was independent, and that was what mattered the most to her. But she was still a girl. And that was that.

Sokka let out another battle cry as he sliced the atmosphere with his midnight-hued blade. His mind was elsewhere, only not nearly as close to the range of Toph's concentration. Yes, he was practicing. Yes, he was thinking. And yes, he was noticing the earthbender's makeup and making a fool of himself by not steadying his heartbeat. But he didn't say anything. He actually didn't feel the need to say anything. Instead, he was smiling. Not "funny ha-ha smiling", but just smiling. And frankly, he felt glad that she couldn't notice him watching her.

He raged on with serenity, an unusual feeling especially for someone so sarcastic. It wasn't a normal thing for him. Sokka wasn't supposed to be serene, right? Even you, my friend, can definitely not see him in a meditation position or anything. But the irony was…he wasn't born for sarcasm. He was born with it. That was just a part of his nature.

Toph, herself, wasn't as oblivious as he was. It had only been a few seconds ago when she asked him for the second time that day, "Are you looking at me?"

The question kind of astonished him as he shook his head and answered, "Why?"

And she replied with, "Just curious." Technically she could feel him hesitating, but for once she avoided her instincts and trusted in ignoring him. She climbed further up the boulder and collapsed onto it, groaning.

He was training, and she was watching…err...feeling. That was all. But it seemed the opposite when Sokka was the one watching her lie on the boulder, and she was just listening to the flustering of his chest. Again, why? Because Sokka was Sokka. And Toph was Toph.

Toph moaned in boredom, jamming her foot into the mud-caked earth and sending groups of rocks flying into the air. "Can't you hurry up already?" she muttered towards him in her usual, Toph-like manner. "I've had enough of your dance steps."

Sokka snapped out of his thoughts. "Dance steps?!" he muttered. But somehow, he didn't seem to notice it quite as often as he should have. "Umm... yeah ...but it will take me…a while." He said bluntly.

He released his potential energy with the whip of his blade, this time letting out a squeaked hyyyaaaa! instead of the usual grunt.

"I never knew you could imitate dead parrots." Toph remarked, stifling a snort as she fiddled with her meteor bracelet.

"I wasn't!" he answered in his Sokka-like tone of voice. "I was just-"

"Yeah yeah, you and your shenanigans. Dream on."

The warrior made an expression of injustice. "You know perfectly well of my "shenanigans," and you know you were the one who came with me in the first place!"

She turned her face away from him, fighting the urge to tint her complexion with pink hues. She had obviously seen…felt… his capability with Master Piandao. But then again, she was wasn't the one to point out positivity very often. She smirked. "Yeah. Since when? Your girly performance with Suki that Twinkletoes told me about?"

"Toph!"

She dashed her face in his direction. "Fine, leave it. But just answer this question….I mean, are you sure you're not watching me?"

"Yes!" he said quickly. "The only thing I'm actually watching is…"

He fiddled around, searching for an excuse before holding up his blade. "…my trusty sword!"

"Seriously, I can feel your grin from here to the other end of the world, Snoozles. It's kind of annoying."

The warrior stopped widening his grin. "I wasn't grinning!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "A warrior has no time for grinning!"

She jumped off the boulder and pounded her feet onto the earth, observing his heart rate solemnly. "Right, but he does have time to annoy the universe. What do you say now, Mr. Ponytail?"

Sokka looked dejectedly at her, unable to convince her reasoning. "Fine, I was smiling, okay? But what's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong?" She snapped, shifting her milky eyes in his direction. She marched up to him and pointed an accusing finger at his chest. "Why is your heart rate speeding up then?"

He looked away, somewhat flustered. "No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Not working, Snoozles. Don't forget I'm an earthbender."

He sighed, frowning. "It's a free world, Toph. My heart rate can speed up. And besides, why are you so concerned?"

"Whatever." She said, starting to get angry. It didn't feel so right to answer that question, especially in front of him. And that was another surprise, coming from someone like her. "Just go back to your dancing."

The warrior was about to protest, but he stopped in mid-thought. He honestly didn't feel it necessary to argue with his comrade. He just took in her image, still somewhat shocked at seeing her this way. Toph Bei Fong was never the one to dress up, let alone in a dress and heavy makeup. And yes, he knew he was about to ramble in his head again. But it was true. Not that he didn't like it or anything.

The oblivious Sokka, as oblivious as he was, had obviously seen her in makeup twice in his entire lifetime. Instance one: The Earth King's party during their endeavor in Ba Sing Se. After all, how could he not forget the avatar's goofy blush when his sister was all dressed up? Instance two: the day when Katara and Toph went to the Fancy Lady Day Spa in Ba Sing Se. He had to admit that she wasn't the same Toph he always knew when she wore makeup.

Her usually plain skin was now pale white as far as complexion. Her lips were actually painted with (gasp) pink, and her eyelids were blanketed with purple hues. Even her cheeks seemed to stand out as far as blush. Her long, jade dress perfectly matched her fancy appearance. There were pearl-like designs on the dress itself, coated in leafy green and autumn yellow. A white sash was draped around her, the embroidery of cherry blossoms embedded into its snow-colored surface. Last but not least, little pearly studs stuck to her earlobes, adding the final touch of surprise to her attire.

Now, it was the third strike. He was supposed to be training, even if it was by himself. But he wasn't. He was watching Toph Bei Fong. What's next, another flying bat attack? One of the other million things in the world he didn't understand was why she was so concerned with sitting in front of him like this.

"Hey, Toph?"

She hardened her sightless eyes. "What?" she asked bitterly with a flushed face.

"How do you feel?"

"Wow, Sokka. Really?"

"No, I'm serious." He said. He looked over her outfit that greatly differed from her personality. "I mean, you don't look comfortable."

The earthbender glared with such ferocity that the warrior knew now was the time to take off. But he found himself even more astonished when she was the one flustered. She battled with her words. "Oh, do I?" she retorted back, fiddling harder with her bracelet.

"Well-"

"To answer your question, Snoozles, I am perfectly fine. When have you ever seen this tough earthbender-"

She plunged her fingers into the boulder, breaking it apart into millions of debris. He gulped.

"-feel so helpless?" she finished, flashing a small smile in pride.

"Never." He admitted. "Then-"

"Then what?" she asked louder, clenching her fist.

He raised his eyebrow. "Then why do you keep wondering if I was watching you?"

She gawked at the earth beneath her, fidgeting with her sash. "I have every right in the world to do so." She said vaguely, her temper rising.

"Exactly!" He rushed forward defiantly. "Why would you care if my heart rate is going up?"

Toph frowned deeper. "You don't need to know." She firmly stated.

He smirked evilly. "Oh really?" He leaned forward, strapping his sword back to his belt. "Miss Toph Bei Fong, are you self-conscious?"

And that was it. She couldn't take it. She widened her eyes as large as possible, fuming with embarrassment and fury. "WHAT!?"

With a blistering bending move, she sent the warrior flying into the air. She wasn't done with him just yet when he landed before her and gagged between his broken screams.

"Toph!"

"You made a big mistake, Meathead!" she exploded, lifting him up and grabbing his shirt. "Don't you dare-"

"I will say it!" he defended, regaining his posture. "It's not like I'm the one wearing makeup and accusing the other with my looks!"

She was about to take a step further in attacking him by pinning him down when she suddenly stopped. And that was what stood out to him in the midst of his danger. Toph Bei Fong had stopped.

Her frown softened dementedly when she let him go, still sending him through waves of pain by tripping him flatly on the ground, but the same ferocity in her eyes vanished. Sokka's mischievous glint escaped from his ocean hues, a melancholy essence replacing their momentary victory. Something inside of him tugged at his heavy heart as he replayed his words in his head. He didn't understand.

"H-Hey, Toph?"

She glared at his direction as still and silent as the suffocating tensions crawling over them. He didn't avoid the thought of facing her stare, himself giving into the fact that he was a bit too harsh on her. But Sokka was Sokka…and Toph was Toph. Right?

"T-Toph?" he repeated louder as he grabbed her hands.

To his surprise, they were shaking so hard that they were trembling. Trembling. He glanced worriedly at her quivering lips and frozen eyelashes, solely depending upon her bangs to cover them. But the warrior wasn't that oblivious at the moment. What was he supposed to do now? And who knew trying to leave Miss Bei Fong speechless turned out to be something so ironically wrong? It was like all-powerful earthbending prodigy feared even standing next to him. She was his comrade. His best friend. It just didn't feel like it was supposed to feel when he saw her speechless expression. And he didn't like it.

"Just go away, Sokka." She whispered gravely, devoting her attention to the creases and folds in the hardening mud.

"Wait, Toph-"

"Fine! I'll go!" she sighed, cutting him off. However, she didn't fail to send an ocean of rocks behind her as she earthbended herself away from him, refusing the need to look back.

"Toph! Listen to me!" the warrior called out.

The bits and pieces of crushed rocks blew into his face, but it didn't feel so right for him to notice it. He felt his stomach churning harder than ever. Sweat raced down his tan-complexioned face despite the chilly conditions of the weather. The next thing he knew, he was the one trembling. Was this what people call 'guilt'? Because in reality, he hated it.

It took the warrior a very long while to find her yanking rocks from the earth and splashing them into the water of a nearby pond. The sharp-edged pieces plunged into the water headfirst, rippling the reflection in front of her eyes that she could never see. It made him feel pained to see her reflection obliterate from the attack of stones.

The air was cooler now. Much cooler. It seemed to prepare itself for the upcoming winter, despite the fact that it still felt fairly too warm. Autumn was supposed to be a cold season. But the warrior could tell that right now, Toph's attitude was way colder than a mere seasonal wind.

Despite her harsh appearance that definitely didn't suit her personality, it was as if her eyes spoke a language of their own. They clearly didn't express the loss of their ability to see, but only seemed to catch the warrior's attention more than possible. Speaking of our favorite soldier, here he was standing in a clueless manner. Where should he start? He was never good with apologies.

"There you are."

At once, she perked up at the sound of his voice. She could have greeted him in her usual way when she faltered for a minute. She frowned, recalling the incident from earlier. "I'm not in the mood to strangle you right now."

He looked up to see her standing defiantly, her fist still clenched. His first reaction was a nervous laugh as he descended from the hilltop and joined her downwards. "I honestly don't mind if you still want to."

He stared at her blank expression. Slowly, it began to unfold, although not moved at all by his comment. "Sure."

"I'm serious." He then noticed one of her silk sashes fallen next to the water. Besides being the one for perfectionism, he swooped down and gently caressed it in his hands and placed it in hers.

"It was about to get wet." he protested before she was given the chance to comment.

She seemed startled by the gesture but yanked it away from him. She started to walk away from him when he stepped in front of her.

"I won't let you leave until you listen to me." He squeaked, holding his arms out to prevent her.

She crossed her arms, waiting for him to begin.

"Okay…well..I just want to say.."

"Any day now, Snoozles." She retorted impatiently.

"Fine." He said. He took a deep breath. "Look, I know that I might have been an idiot earlier-"

"Yeah, you were." She agreed, still angry.

"Thanks." He answered sarcastically. "But I just want to say-" He stopped, slouching his shoulders. "I don't know how to say it."

She extricated her arms from their position. "You know what? I don't think-"

"I'm sorry, okay?!" he said. "Truly and honestly sorry."

She didn't answer him as he studied her expression. It was still unchanged. "Like you care."

"I do!" he said. "I shouldn't have said that. To tell you the truth, I-"

"It doesn't matter! Save it for later." She interrupted.

He shook his head. "You don't get it, do you? I'm trying to apologize."

"Why are you even attempting this?"

She turned away from him. "You're Sokka." She continued, murmuring softly. "The ladies' man. The fearsome swordsman. The most sarcastic, oblivious-minded meathead I ever met."

He glanced at her trembling form again, not sure how to proceed. He never expected to hear something like this, coming from Toph. He grinned goofily, however, as he realized what she meant. "Was that a compliment?"

"Whatever." She said icily. "You get the point."

There was silence. For once, Toph was again struck speechless at her confession. She looked away, maintaining the angry glow on her face.

"But you're Toph." Sokka encouraged. "The toughest earthbender in the world. The number one person to come up with nicknames."

He slowly turned to face her. "Are you trying to say that no one notices you?"

"Are you trying to kill me?" she grumbled back. "Besides, who would anyway? It's not like I'm trying to-"

"Well, I do." He interrupted.

Again, she was left speechless. He stared at her expression again, her sightless eyes softening from a defiant seaweed hue to a milky, hazel sea green. They tried desperately to express the ability to frown, but for the first time in Sokka's presence, they failed to do so.

"I still don't know why you don't want me to smile at you."

She raised her eyebrow. "Why would you even want to?"

He stumbled over his words, his cheeks turning crimson. "B-because you're in a dress."

"S-so?" she stuttered.

He smiled wider. "You look nice."

"More like a clown." She muttered sarcastically and held her hands up dejectedly in the air. "Toph Bei Fong, the prettiest girl in the world."

He sighed, frustrated. "You're not a clown!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

Again, there was dead silence. Toph's eyes widened, and her bare feet cupped the earth beneath her as she felt his slamming heartbeat again. Did he just say…?

"I-I meant that you look p-pretty in a dress." He said quickly, gulping. "Even beautiful."

"Oh."

The awkward silence continued to creep over them, but it didn't successfully accomplish its mission when Sokka came closer to her. He took a deep breath before whispering, "You know, something's missing."

She faltered again with her words, letting go of her frown at last. "What now?"

He slowly grasped her hand and placed a small, beaded artifact in her hands.

"What's this?"

"A bracelet."

She stopped in mid-thought. "Who's it for?"

"Who do you think it's for?" he exclaimed. "Why would I give it to you if it wasn't for you?"

"Oh." She said. She ran her fingers over the tiny beads. They seemed irregular in pattern. One large one, one rough one, two soft ones, and then a rough one again. It was all jumbled up.

"These don't feel like beads."

"'Cause they're not. They're sort of like metal."

She felt a small smile peeking at her lips, but she still wasn't ready to let him go. "What gave you that idea?"

He didn't answer, but waited patiently. "Aren't you gonna put it on?"

"You didn't answer my question, Snoozles."

"Put it on!"

She obeyed, strapping the metal to her wrist. It felt…nice…the first thing that was closest to a jewelry artifact she had ever worn with enthusiasm. "Will you tell me now?" she demanded.

He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on her cheek. "Happy Birthday, Toph Bei Fong."

And for the third time in her life, she was left speechless. "W-who t-told you?"

"You did." He said, smiling. "Just now."

Because as far as friendship and stubborn love, Toph was Sokka… and Sokka was Toph.

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