Well, it had to happen sometime.

Takes place about two years after the war, but slightly different.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender or anything remotely related to it. Duh. T_T

Katara Needs a Birthday Present, Sokka

Sokka had heard of people getting presents for people at the last minute, but he doubted anyone had ever gotten a present for said person just before they woke up for their birthdays. Vaulting out of his bed, he tiptoed quietly towards Toph's room, taking special care next to Katara's door.

"Toph," he hissed desperately, knocking on her door.

He was not expecting part of the wall behind to detach itself, knock him into Toph's room, and rejoin with the rest of the wall.

"Ow," he grumbled, feeling his sore back. "What was that for? You could've woken Katara up."

"So what if I woke up Sugar Queen?" grumbled Toph, peeking out from her blanket. "You didn't mind waking me up."

"Look, I'm sorry, ok? I need your help with something," Sokka said.

"Whatissit?"

"I…need…to get Katara a present," Sokka replied dramatically.

"You woke me up for that?" Toph complained, punching Sokka in the stomach. "Just make her a card or something," Toph said, rolling over in her bed. "Goodnight."

"First off, it's morning, and second, you don't know what Katara will do if I get her something stupid for her birthday!" Sokka thought back to a particularly vivid memory involving a terribly carved ice statue, much yelling, and a frozen head. Katara could be a jerk sometimes. "Besides, I gotta get a present before she wakes up, because then she'll start dropping none-too-subtle hints about her birthday and badgering me! What did you get her?" he asked, trying to get inspiration.

A rock hit Sokka in the head.

"No, really, what did you get her?" Sokka asked. When no answer came he groaned and said, "Help me out here, Toph! Give me some ideas and I promise I'll go away!"

"Get Sugar Queen what she really really wants, like sugar," came the sleepy reply. "Go away now."

"That doesn't help at al—" Sokka's eyes widened in comprehension. "Toph, you're a genius!"

"What did I say?"

"Look, give me that rock and I'll explain."

When Katara woke up, she noticed that Sokka had an apron on.

That was never a good sign.

"What are you doing, Sokka?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing," Sokka said nonchalantly. He picked up a dish and began to polish it. "Just thought I'd try cooking for you since it's your birthday."

Katara was momentarily shocked into silence. Sokka remembered? Then she remembered what Sokka had suggested. "Look, Sokka, it's nice that you offered to cook for me and all but…" she started half-heartedly.

"Oh, that's fine!" Sokka said earnestly. "Aang's helping. There'll be Air Nomad pies on the menu," he coaxed, waggling his eyebrows for further effect.

"Well, I guess if Aang's helping…" Katara said uncertainly.

"Yay!" Sokka cried. "Oh yeah, I still need some stuff. Could you get me it from the market?" he requested, handing Katara a short list.

"You're making me go shopping on my birthday?" Katara asked in disbelief, eyes narrowing.

"Please…" Sokka gave Katara his best puppy eyes.

Katara rolled her eyes. "I don't even know why I'm doing this…but fine," she decided, walking towards the door.

"Thanks, Katara!" Sokka called towards the door.

As soon as Katara walked down the pathway of their Ba Sing Se residence, Sokka rushed to Aang's door. "Psst! Aang!" he whispered.

"Wha…duh…"

"You're helping me cook a feast for Katara!"

"Mmmm…five more—WHAT?!"

Katara walked through the market, ignoring the cries of hawkers. "Let's see…apples…then I'm done…" she murmured to herself, glancing about. She spotted a man frantically waving a giant sign saying "Apples here today!" "Gotcha," she said, and made her way towards the vendor.

"So are we just waiting for Katara to come back with the stuff or something?" Aang asked Sokka.

Sokka was debating how to answer when the rock in his pocket quivered. That would be Toph, he thought to himself. Here comes Katara…

"Yep, but let's talk about some things first," Sokka answered, leading Aang outside into the garden. Once there, he stopped Aang and turned to face him.

"So how do you feel about Katara?"

Katara was coming back along the road with the groceries in her arms when she noticed that the gate to the garden was open. What…? "Oh well, maybe Sokka decided to do some gardening all of a sudden…" she said aloud. She continued walking towards the house's front door.

Hidden in the bushes, Toph desperately made the rock in Sokka's pocket vibrate violently. Hurry up, Snoozles! she thought worriedly.

"…I don't know, Sokka, I just…" Aang was hesitating, cheeks starting to turn scarlet.

"Well?" prodded Sokka. "How do you fee—OW!" he yelled, clutching at his pocket.

Aang watched, nonplussed, as Sokka tossed what seemed to be a rock over his shoulder. The rock burrowed itself into the ground.

"Huh…?" he wondered aloud. He prepared to take a step forward…

"Back to what we were talking about! How d'you feel about Katara?" Sokka said, trying to distract Aang from the rock.

Aang started blushing again. "Oh…well, you see," he began, rubbing his head nervously, "uh…"

"You know, if you ever want to marry her or something," Sokka told Aang nonchalantly, "you'll need my approval."

"Oh…uh…well…I…kinda…like…her…"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Sokka yelled. To a casual observer, he would've appeared outraged, but inside, he was rejoicing at the success of his plan.

Katara was honestly not surprised that the house was empty, and the stoves completely untouched. Of course he would send me on a shopping trip only to weasel out, she thought to herself. What did I expect?

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

The voice was undeniably Sokka's, and for a moment Katara thought he was yelling at her for thinking. Then she realized that he had to be yelling at someone else. Better see what's happening, she thought. Katara rushed towards the garden.

She was about to enter the garden when Toph pulled her down.

Toph could've felt the vibrations of Katara's footsteps a mile away, the way she was running. Snoozles, you better do this right, she thought, and pulled Katara down just as she was about to enter the garden. "Shhh!" Toph whispered to Katara, feigning indignation. "I'm trying to eavesdrop on a conversation here!"

"That's not nice!" Katara whispered back.

"Oh, you'll want to hear this one, sunshine," Toph retorted, holding her down. "Wait for it…"

"Look, Sokka, I'm sorry, but I really like Katara…" Aang was saying weakly. From what Toph could feel, his heart was racing and his hands were up in a placating gesture.

"How much?" Sokka demanded. I hope Toph's got Katara in position, he thought. I am not doing unmanly things like wearing an apron again.

"I've liked her, loved her, even, since the iceberg."

Hook, line, and sinker.

From the sudden elevation in Katara's pulse, Toph assumed that her eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Well don't just sit there gawking!" she urged. "Go get him!"

Aang had barely finished his sentence when Katara stumbled out into the garden, pushed out by a hand that looked suspiciously like Toph's. From the expression on her face, he had a sinking feeling that she'd heard.

"Oh Spirits…" he said, "I'm so sorry Katara, I know you don't return my feelings—" He was feeling more humiliated than he had ever felt in his life. "I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship…"

As Katara walked towards Aang, something clicked in her mind. This was all planned… "I will so kill you later, Sokka," she murmured to him as she passed.

Katara was getting closer, and Aang misinterpreted the look in her eyes as fury. "Wait, Katara—" Aang could no longer talk, or even really think in coherent sentences after that, because Katara was kissing him.

Kissing. him.

Kissing. him.

Katara pulled out of the kiss early. "Now whoever gave you that idea?" she murmured to Aang, eyes half-lidded.

Toph pulled on Sokka's hand, intending to give the two a private romantic moment alone. "Come on, Snoozles," she whispered. "Time to—"

Both Toph and Sokka found themselves unable to move as all the water in the air around them froze, creating solid icy shells.

"Don't think," Katara said, Aang close on her heels, "that this excuses the pranking…"

"Yeah. I thought Katara was going to kill me!" Aang gulped.

"Now, now," Sokka said, trying to calm her, "let's be reasonable…I did get you and Aang together…"

"Yeah, after months of flirting," Toph muttered.

"Shut up, not helping," Sokka hissed out of the side of his mouth.

The angry look on Katara's face abruptly vanished. "Yeah, and thank you for the best birthday present ever!" she enthused, hugging Sokka.

"Uh…that's nice," Sokka said. "But, uh…do you think you could unfreeze me now? As an early birthday present?"

"Oh, nononono," Katara said, wagging a finger. "If you want out, you'll have to get out yourself."

Toph snorted, and with a twitch of her face, the same rock that Sokka had used as an indicator leaped out of the ground and shattered Toph's icy shell. "Nice rock," she said, patting it affectionately. Then, she tossed it over her shoulder without a second look.

"What?" Sokka cried in disbelief. "You can bend with your face? When you'd learn that?"

"Since you told me about King Bumi," Toph said. She started going inside. "I'm catching up on that sleep I missed!" she yelled to Sokka. With that, she went in and closed the door.

"Don't leave me here!" Sokka wailed, watching as Katara and Aang walked to the door, hand in hand.

Aang whispered something in Katara's ear. "Oh yeah," Katara replied, a grin lighting up her face. Turning back, she and Aang walked back in front of Sokka and started kissing passionately.

"OOOOOGIE!" Sokka cried out, shutting his eyes tight.

Somewhere else, all the Avatars smiled as they watched the beginnings of a new relationship blossom and fondly remembered their own happy beginnings.

So…anyone ship TophxRock? Nope? Me neither.

Please read and review! :D

Until next time…

PythianPickles out!

Other ATLA Stories:

- Back (in progress)

- Did I Really Say That? (completed oneshot)

You can find those if you visit my profile.