The Blessed Fire Alarm
This is an AU on the highest level. I have no idea where this is going so there we go!
Toph Bei Fong sat on her couch throwing a toy chicken at her Seeing Eye Dog. Her one and only companion in this big world of darkness and danger. Bandit chased it chaotically around the room, running into walls in the process. He forgot to bring his toy back. Toph sighed and heaved herself up, going back to the kitchen to refill her glass of wine.
Work was especially hard today; two stupid men wanted some stupid contract signed handing the company over from one to the other. The previous owner was hitting on her until he noticed she was blind. He only recognized it when she pulled out her brail copy of the contract. The whole scenario ended in both men, having now signed the document, running from her office as fast as they possibly could.
It only went to reinforce her convictions that men are more blind than she is. They see a pretty face and nothing else. Not the fact that she is an outstanding Business Law lawyer who graduated top of her class, knows ti chi and three languages. Do they see any of that? No. They don't. They only run. They always run.
Yeah, well run motherfuckers, run. Because The Blind Bandit, she and Bandit, enjoys messing with people who call her weak or crippled or, for Oma's sake, handicapped.
Something shattered off to her left, "BANDIT!" She scolded her loving dog. The moron.
She hesitantly, sweeping one foot out in front of her at a time before placing her weight on it, made her way over to where the sound came from. "Dumb dog, what'd you do this time?"
Gently, he nudged her leg, apologizing, "You have some nerve, dog." She waved him off and took another step only to recoil in pain, she obviously stepped on a piece of glass or ceramic or who the fuck know's what.
She gave up and fell back on her butt, hard. Bandit sniffed her foot, presumably the blood too, then licked her cheek apologizing again, "You would be so dead right now if I didn't love you so damn much." She threatened, picking the glass out of her foot and crawling back to the kitchen to get a rag. "I'm going to let Mother take care of this in the morning."
Mrs. Bei Fong was coming to visit the next day. She visited once a week for brunch, complained about things in Toph's life, then leaves her alone for a whole week. It was… endurable.
She pulled a clean rag out of the drawer and wetting it, cleaned her wound as best she could. She grabbed the first aid kit and did her best. When she stood she could walk, but it hurt like hell. Wonderful, how was she going to get into her stupid pinch-y shoes tomorrow?
"You know what, I don't care. That is future Toph's problem. Come on Bandit, let's go to bed." She hobbled to her room and threw off her clothes also not caring where they ended up, and crawled into bed snuggling under her fluffy sheets.
Tomorrow would be better.
It had to be.
The alarm was going off.
There was no smell of coffee in the air from her automatic coffee maker. Fuck.
Toph took a swing at her alarm clock.
No effect.
Bandit barked. He pulled the sheets off her, she groaned at the cold air attacked her partly naked body.
"Stop." She barked back then growled mocking him.
The alarm increased in volume and suddenly the sky opened up, water pored down on her from the sprinkler system.
"Fire?" She sat up confused. There was a fire somewhere nearby. "Bandit. Outside."
She got out of bed and placed a hand on his head letting him lead her to the door quicker than she could have made it there herself in her panicked state.
She opened the door noting that the handle was warm but not hot. The Fire was close. Though, when she opened the door smoke assaulted her lungs, it hung thick in the air making it almost impossible to breathe. "Bandit. Stairs." She coughed and placed her hand at her side waiting for him to guide her, but he never nudged her hand indicating the way. He had ran. He had left her.
She was all alone.
"HELP!" She screamed as she made her way away from the heat, she had no other options left.
"Not that way!" A man shouted behind her grabbing her hand and rushing the opposite way. Toward the fire...
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" She screamed only to inhale more smoke, regardless she followed. He was the only way out.
Within seconds they were outside breathing sweet fresh fucking air. She collapsed on her hands and knees on the grass coughing and gagging. The man was coughing beside her. "Not so crazy now, huh?"
"Thank you." She gasped rolling over onto her back as she listened to the sirens grow closer and more people cough around her. People were wailing, some were shouting or crying. Most were in shock.
"Did everyone get out okay?" The mysterious man raised his voice to the crowd. No one spoke up. It seemed that they all had their kids and loved ones...
"BANDIT!" The good-for-nothing dog was all she had, he could still be trapped inside... "He's still in there!" Toph rose from the ground just as someone very familiar brushed her leg. "Bandit." She whispered hugging him so tight that he was wheezing. Nevertheless, his tail was wagging furiously. He was happy that she made it out okay. She was happy about that too.
"See, everyone's alright." The man said, "Here, take this." He must have been holding out something.
Not sure of what it was, Toph held out her hand. He placed a soft, yet smoke scented, piece of fabric in her hands. It must be a blanket or a jacket. "Thank you." It turned out to be a hoodie. Oh, that's right. She went to sleep in her underwear... well this was embarrassing. She quickly donned the hoodie. At least she was wearing boy-shorts so it almost looked like pajamas.
"No problem. So, I'm new here. Does this happen often?" He joked taking a seat beside her in the grass.
"This would be the first time in the history of the establishment as far as I'm aware." The fire department was finally here in full force and doing their best to quell the flames.
"That's good."
"Yup." They lapsed into silence as they listened to the men work.
"It looks like the fire started because some kid set off some fireworks in his room." A fireman said to his friend.
"By Agni, what do parents do these days?!" His friend replied.
"Who knows." They walked off not bothering to ask if anyone was okay.
"You wouldn't happen to have a Band-Aid, would you?" Her new man friend asked out of the blue.
"Does it look like a do?" She emptied his hoodie pockets dramatically, and actually found a Band-Aid. "Here," She shoved it in his direction. "It's yours anyway."
"Ah, haha. Well, I was going to back that up with, because I skinned my knee falling for you, but I guess that doesn't really work now does it?"
"Gods, that was cheesy." She shook her head and resumed to pet Bandit.
"Yeah, but you're smiling. So I did something right." He bumped her shoulder gently. He was right, she was smiling despite herself.
"FIRE'S OUT!" A fireman yelled. "Apartments 1534, 35, 36 and 37 are destroyed. If one of those apartment are yours then I suggest calling someone who you can stay with until it is habitable again."
"Shit." She mumbled taking a deep breath and trying hard not to cry. 1537 was hers.
"Hey, you okay?" Cheesy-joke-guy asked.
"No. Stupid fire got my stupid apartment. Can I borrow your phone?" She would have to move into her parents place again… Hells. Anything would be better than that.
"Sure," She made to stand and bumped into him because he went to help her up, he too was in his underwear or pajama bottoms or whatever. He was bare chested… And he was sculpted by the gods. So muscled. "Sorry. Anyway, it's back inside."
She heard the soft crunch of the grass under his bare feet as he walked away. "Thanks..."
He stopped, "Aren't you coming?"
Toph thought for a moment, should she play up her blindness and cop a feel or should she let Bandit guide her? Bandit does kind of suck as a guide dog when he's out of harness… "I'm blind."
"Really?! You seem so…" He paused looking for the right word, "Independent."
"Normally I am, but after tonight… Plus, Bandit's harness got all burnt up."
"Alright then," He came back and let her take his arm guiding her back to his apartment, he lived down the hall from her. Precisely four apartments. "Here we are. Home sweet home."
"It's beautiful. I love what you've done with the place."
"Thanks!" She could hear the evident pride in his voice; he was probably puffing out his chest too. "Hey, wait…" She giggled. "You know what, that was unusually cruel for a blind person." He teased.
"So?" On a good day, The Blind Bandit could con anyone out of anything and pull the greatest of pranks.
"Here's the phone. You do have someone you can stay with right?" He handed her an old fashioned rotary phone.
She paused in the middle of punching in her mother's number, "Yeah…" She sighed depressed.
"You can stay here for the night if you want. I like the couch better anyway."
"I wouldn't want to impose?" Could she really crash in a place of a person she just met?
"I would hope that if the situation were reversed you would do the same for me."
"Well then in that case, thank you!" Yes, yes she could. Anything was better than moving back in with her parents.
"The bedroom locks from the inside and also leads to the bathroom which only has one door. So there's that." He laughed awkwardly.
She gave a nod of acknowledgment before turning her attentions back to the old ass phone in her hand. "Hello, mom?"
"Toph, what are you doing calling so late?" She sounded pretty annoyed. "I don't recognize the number."
Well, that does it. "Something happened with the apartment so I won't be able to make brunch tomorrow."
"What do you mean something happened? Do I need to make your father come and get you?"
"No, I'm staying with a friend tonight…" Toph realized that she didn't know Cheesy-joke-guy's name.
She turned to his general direction and knowing what she was asking he answered, "Name's Sokka. Rhymes with okka."
"… Sokka." Toph finished. "Well, I'll call you tomorrow when I know more." She hung up the phone. "Thanks, Sokka. I'm Toph."
6/23/15
