Another day of every day Sokka-duties passed by. The sun was setting and the chipper warrior sauntered down the cobblestone street of the Fire Nation capital, heading for his quarters in the royal palace. Wake up. Stuff face for breakfast. Go to work at one of the many governmental capital buildings. Go home. Stuff face again. Relax with friends. Go to bed, and do it all over again. Nothing much to complain about ever since the war ended. Well, besides the constant threat of revolts and everything. Otherwise, life was simple, and that is just how Sokka liked it.
He stopped at a flowering tree with litchi berries. He snatched a few from a branch and continued on his way. The sun was almost set and the streets of the capital were empty. Everyone was at home enjoying their supper with their family at this time. A majority of the sky was consumed by the dark night but an array of oranges and pinks still stretched over the cliffs' edges.
Sokka tossed single litchi berries high in the air before catching them in his mouth. He passed by numerous shops which had their windows closed and doors shut until the next morning where they would reopen. About a minute later Sokka turned a street corner, a few more lefts and he'd be at the palace gate. When he sharply turned the corner, while chomping on another litchi berry, he heard some stifled laughter. Instinctively, Sokka took a step behind the corner to hide himself from the walking civilians. Not risking running into another high-strung citizen with worthless ideas on how to improve the state of the Fire Nation for the captain.
The whispers and giggling grew louder. Sokka pressed his back up against the stone wall, hoping the wanderers would not see him as they passed by. Sokka started choking violently on the litchi berry in his mouth when he saw who the civilians were: Zuko and Katara. The two were walking close together as they made their way down the street. Sokka pounded on his chest and continued hacking. He was surprised they had not heard him and stopped. Normally, he would've hopped out of the alleyway and joined the two on their way back to the palace, but something was suspicious about their behavior. Why were they walking so closely and giggling so much?
This wasn't the only instance of Zuko and Katara's strange behavior. A couple of days later, Sokka was heading back to the palace from a training session with some local swordsmen. He carried his white, slender sword over his shoulder and wiped his brow of the sweat that dripped down his face. It was a hot summer day and the streets were bustling with residents. Up ahead a crowd of people surrounded a small cart with a man standing behind it. He wore a white apron and a round hat. The apron looked tight around his waist from his large gut and there were varied colored stains on it. The man appeared to be selling some sort of sugary, frozen treat that everyone was eager to buy in order to cool themselves off. Sokka stuck his hands in his pockets to fish out some money but realized he had none, so he would have to do without.
Sokka continued walking along when he heard his nickname "Snoozles" being called from afar. Without a doubt he knew it was Toph. He turned to see the little earthbender dashing towards him with an arm waving in the air. He stepped out of the flow of walking civilians so Toph could catch up to him. She arrived at his side moments later. She was wearing a tan sleeveless shirt and some loose green capris. Her hair was pulled out of her face and held back in a low ponytail, which was abnormal for her.
"Where you been? I was wondering if you wanted to squeeze in a butt kicking of training before lunch," she said.
Sokka joined the flow of traffic once again and Toph followed. "Man, I would but I just trained for a couple hours with some guys back at the gym."
"Did those puny wimps tucker you out that easily?" Toph teased.
Sokka quickly defended himself with a pointed finger. "I beat all of them except one, thank you very much. Whenever I train with you I always lose and you can't get better by losing all the time."
Toph wiggled her finger on the inside of her nose. "Can't get better by winning all the time either."
"That's what you do," Sokka pointed out, ignoring the fact she was picking her nose in public. He was used to this habit of hers. She didn't care what she looked like to other people, and that's one thing he loved about her.
"True, but it's pretty much impossible for me to get any better than I already am."
Sokka snorted. "Okay, I promise you can kick my butt tomorrow."
The two headed back to the palace together and Toph proceeded to tell Sokka about the boring war meeting she disturbed yesterday by belching loudly during one of the admiral's proposals. The board of military advisors in attendance was not pleased with Toph's vulgar demeanor. As Toph finished her story Sokka spotted the Katara and Zuko walking out of a jeweler's shop up ahead. The two were walking almost hip to hip, and it was broad daylight. Sokka tried to forget about the first instance of their suspicious behavior, telling himself it was just nothing, but here they were again. Sokka pulled Toph into an alleyway in order to stay hidden from the pair. He poked his head out to see where they were heading.
"What's going on?" Toph whispered impatiently.
Sokka quickly explained the situation to her.
"What?!" she gasped. "What do you think they're up to?"
"I don't know but they just came out of a jewelry shop together," said Sokka.
Toph waved her arms articulately in the air. "This doesn't make any sense. What do either of them need jewelry for?"
Sokka rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure but I don't like this… I think they're up to something."
Later that night Sokka, Toph, and Aang were relaxing in Zuko's lounge. The three were complaining about the current affairs of the world and all the tedious meetings they were going have to attend soon. Aang most especially wasn't looking forward to visiting Ba Sing Se where the Council of Five wanted to discuss trading problems with the Fire Nation. They insist that the Fire Nation is discriminating against the Earth Kingdom. So, it was Aang's job to assure them that the shipping costs were increasing because of the far distances. Sokka opened his mouth to comment and further complain about the state of the world, but Toph quickly interrupted.
"Can we please not talk about stupid political and economical mumbo gumbo anymore? Half of us here are still kids believe it or not."
Sokka leaned back in the lounge chair. "Toph's right. Let's talk about something else. Complaining about it isn't going to make it any better."
Aang mumbled, "I guess so."
Seconds later Zuko and Katara walked in together, worn smiles across their faces. It was such a rarity to see Zuko smile. Normally he only smiled when he was around Mai. That was half of what was strange about Zuko and Katara spending so much time together recently; they were always smiling.
Sokka raised a brow at them and leaned forward in his seat. "Where have you two been?"
"I just came from across town checking up on some ill residents," Zuko told him.
Katara's posture stiffened when it became her turn to answer. "Um- I was just washing up."
Sokka shot out of his chair and eyed the both of them, his nose almost pressed up against Zuko's. "Really? Are you sure you weren't gallivanting around town together all day?"
Zuko lowered his brows and glared at Sokka. "Yes," he said icily.
Katara and Zuko took their seats in the lounge and the five of them talked for a while. Whenever Katara or Zuko said something mysterious or something that suggested the two were up to something, which, of course, Sokka somehow found in almost every little statement, Sokka would bump Toph's knee gently with his. He did this to bring to her attention whatever suspicious statement they might have been saying. "Today I learned how metal can be heated so you can shape it any way you want," Katara once said to create conversation. No one else found this interesting however, but Sokka did tap Toph's knee, which was code for "She only knows this because she and Zuko inexplicably went to the jeweler's today." Eventually, conversation got so dull Zuko went off to bed and soon after Katara grew tired of trying to create conversation so she too went to bed.
"Odd how they both left for bed at almost the same time," Sokka said, attempting to sound nonchalant, but still bring this fact to Toph's attention.
Toph was growing tired of Sokka's suspicions. "Oh, will you shut up already? I'm sure there's nothing going on."
Aang looked back and forth at the two, confused. "What's going on? What?"
Toph put her elbows on her knees to tell Aang who was sitting across from them. "Sokka-"
"No, don't tell him!" he shouted.
"Sokka thinks Katara and Zuko are up to something," Toph said, disregarding Sokka's frantic arm waving as an attempt to stop her from telling him.
"Up to something?"
Sokka sighed. "I've seen them like twenty times together around town, just the two of them. And didn't you notice how strange they were acting when we all talking?"
Aang shrugged. "Not really."
Sokka slammed his fist on the short, glass table between the two couches. "I say this needs to be put under investigation."
"You guys can do whatever you like." Aang stood up and stretched his arms. "I trust Katara and I'm sure all those things you've seen and heard are just coincidences. Katara and Zuko are good friends, it's okay for them to hang out together."
Toph originally wasn't going to get involved, but she couldn't stop herself from asking, "But you don't find it a little weird? A boy and a girl constantly hanging out together…"
"You and Sokka constantly hang out together and there's nothing going on between you two," Aang pointed out. Sokka looked at Toph and Toph turned her head in his direction. He had them there. "Zuko is madly in love with Mai and as far as I know, Katara and I are perfectly happy. If they are up to something I'm sure it's not what you think."
"If you say so, Aang," said Sokka.
Aang yawned before leaving the room, "I'm going to bed, good night."
Toph waited for Aang to be well down the hallway before asking, "You're not putting this to a rest are you?"
Sokka shot up and pounded his fist against his opposite palm. "Nope."
Toph stood up as well. "Snoozles, I'm normally not the one to be the wet blanket, but I mean she is your sister."
"Which is precisely why I have to be sure she's not up to anything."
"So you honestly think Sugar Queen and Sparky Pants are sneaking around together?"
Sokka gulped. "I really don't hope so. But I mean… what else am I supposed to think?"
Toph suggested, "You could assume there is nothing going on, which there probably isn't, and mind your own business. Are you even listening to me, Boomerang Boy?"
Sokka was staring off into space, his thoughts consumed with what the two could possibly be up to. Maybe it was wrong of him to assume such a thing? Katara and Zuko were both loyal but Sokka's noticed they've always had this, dare he say, sexual tension between them. Sokka was determined to put a stop to this so two of his closest friends wouldn't get hurt after finding out. He didn't care what Toph said, she was officially roped into this and there was no way out.
The next morning Toph headed for the dining room to join the rest of the gang for breakfast. Along the way Toph sensed Sokka tip-toeing towards the end of that hallway.
"Snoozles!" she called his name in a loud, hoarse whisper.
He immediately spun around at the sound of his name and peered at Toph down the hall through a magnified glass that was strapped to his bizarre looking hat. The dome part of the hat fit snug around his head while two flaps stuck out above his eyes and then from the backside of the hat. He had worn it once before when he solved the mystery of Avatar Kyoshi murdering Chin the Great way back when. He was also holding a brass pipe that was shaped like a dragon and blew bubbles rather than smoke. The coat he wore was thick and dusty, probably something he tore out of Zuko's closet that he had never worn because it was so atrocious. It went a little past his knees and was pale brown with an olive green trim. The collar was popped around his neck to make him appear more mysterious.
Toph slowly walked up to him with her arms folded. He didn't move an inch from when she called his name and he looked up.
"…What?"
Toph couldn't even complete her question she was so baffled by Sokka's behavior. Sure, it wasn't unlike him to do something this zany but it still perplexed Toph in a way that was more amusement than actual confusion.
"I overheard Katara and Zuko talking about how they're going into to town today to 'deal with some last minute things'," Sokka explained, making air quotes with his hands while saying such.
"So you're tip-toeing, low to the ground, around the palace why?" Toph asked.
Sokka straightened up and pushed Toph gently on the shoulder. "Because I'm going to follow them, duh!"
Toph rolled her eyes. "This is going to end well."
"They're up to something, I know it, and I won't let them hurt Aang or Mai. If either of them found out what they're up to-"
"They're not up to something, and if they are… the solution to this should be found on it's own we shouldn't go snooping for it."
Sokka said, "C'mon Toph, you're never a party pooper. Normally you'd be right at my side snooping along with me."
Toph shrugged. "I just think that a relationship should only be the concern of the people in it."
"I think you're still grumpy because you just woke up and you just need a little breakfast to motivate you. Then you'll join my investigation, right?" Sokka asked in high hopes.
Toph pushed passed the swordsmen and began heading for the dinning room once again. "Snoozles, you know my battling style: wait and listen. I basically apply that to everything."
Sokka wheeled about with his index finger pointed. "Ah, but I also know you like to engage in high jinks and snoop. I say if they didn't want us to snoop then they wouldn't make their little sneaking around so interesting and make us all curious!"
Sokka ran to catch up with her. "So now you're blaming it on them?" she asked.
He tossed his arms up in the air. "I've always blamed this entire situation on them the entire time! What they're doing is wrong!"
"What if they're not even up to anything? What if they've just recently become really good friends?"
"That's not allowed!" Sokka's voice cracked.
"So a boy and a girl aren't allowed to be really good friends?" Toph raised a brow at him. "You're a boy and I'm a girl and we're good friends, aren't we?"
Before Toph got to hear Sokka's answer they arrived at the dining room and Katara and Aang greeted them both with what was at first a drowsy smile and then a confused look at Sokka's outfit.
"What on earth are you wearing?" Katara asked in slight repulsion.
Sokka flashed a watchful glare and said "Nothing" before slithering into a seat.
After breakfast Katara left the dining room telling the group she had some errands to run in town. Moments later Sokka excused himself from the table with some ridiculous claim and dragged Toph along with him. The two followed Katara closely behind to a street that was lined with boutiques and merchant stands. She walked up to Zuko who was analyzing a row of picnic baskets on a merchant stand.
"What in the name of Appa's seventh leg are they buying?" Sokka whispered as he squinted through his magnified glass.
Toph joked, just to provoke him, "Maybe you should go ask them."
Sokka looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at her, oblivious to her sarcasm. "Now that would just defeat the purpose of my outfit."
Zuko and Katara made their selection among the picnic baskets and purchased it. When the two began to walk away from the stand Sokka's eyes practically shot out of his head.
"They're on the move! The turtle ducks have left the pond! I repeat: the turtle ducks have left the pond!" Sokka announced.
He made a pathetic attempt to shoulder roll to the other side of the street and continue following the pair. However, he did not succeed and ended up barreling over an old woman. Once Toph got Sokka untangled from the mess of people he ended up knocking over by running over the old woman, they had lost sight of Zuko and Katara. After another hour of wandering around the capital they decided to head back to palace, Sokka secretly hoping to run into the both of them.
When they reached the palace they ran into Mai who was just heading back from feeding the turtle ducks.
"Hey Mai, have you seen Zuko or Katara?" Sokka asked her.
Mai shrugged with her hands tucked in her sleeves. "I ran into them about an hour ago and they were acting weird. They were all hurried to get inside."
Sokka gave Toph a victorious look. "'Acting weird' were they?"
"I think they were heading to Zuko's lounge. If you run into Zuko you can tell him I've got my eye on him." Mai walked away with a faint smile on her face, which surprised Sokka.
Sokka began walking for Zuko's lounge and had no choice but to lace his fingers with Toph's in order to drag her with him. They pressed their ears up against the door and heard some giggling coming from inside.
"For the first time in a long time I'm really happy. Ever since the war ended I've been happy." They heard Zuko faintly through the wooden door. "And I owe half of that happiness to you."
Sokka's jaw dropped as did Toph's. They were so intent on listening they didn't even notice their noses were just inches apart.
"I hope I make you somewhere near as happy as you make me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Zuko continued.
"Oh, Zuko!" they heard Katara cry in sheer joy. Their jaw dropped even lower and their eyes shot out even further. "Of course I'll marry you!"
Sokka and Toph had heard enough. Sokka didn't need to try to persuade Toph any longer, she was fully convinced they obviously had something going on. She did not care any longer about their privacy and the situation solving itself. The two bust down the door together and stomped across the threshold.
"What in the name of Aang's arrow is going on here?!" Sokka demanded.
Katara was sitting facing Zuko on one of the couches, holding up a golden diadem. It was beautifully crafted, with swirl designs that all collected at the peak and circled a shinning, red jewel. Two golden tassels hang from either side which served to frame the wearer's face perfectly.
"We knew all along that you two were secretly dating!" Toph pointed and declared.
Sokka quickly gave her a look. "'We'?! What's all this 'we' business? I had to drag you along the entire time!"
"Whoa, whoa." Katara dropped the crown on Zuko's lap and hopped off the couch. "You two thought Zuko and I…?" They looked at each other and shared a laugh.
"I don't see what you think is so funny about this situation," Sokka hissed.
Zuko got off the couch and waved his hands. "Katara and I were never… She was just helping me with something."
"Helping you what? Find your tongue?" Toph asked. Sokka crossed his arms and nodded.
Zuko's typical, flat, miserable expression returned. "No," he said.
Katara placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "About a week ago Zuko asked me to help him plan for when he was going to ask Mai to marry him. We didn't want to tell anyone else because we knew you two would most likely blab and spoil the surprise. And he was a little nervous and unsure about what he was going to say so I suggested he practice what he was going to say with me. Does that explain everything, Mr. and Mrs. Detective?"
Sokka looked at Toph and she turned her head towards him. They nodded. "Yeah, pretty much everything."
Sokka quickly objected, "That doesn't explain the romantic picnic basket you guys bought though!"
"Mai and I are going on a picnic and that's when I'm going to propose to her," Zuko told them.
Katara placed her hands on her hips and looked at the pair disapprovingly. "I can't believe you guys thought Zuko and I were…"
Sokka rubbed his arm and hunched over a bit. "Yeah, we're really sorry."
Katara flicked her index finger in Sokka's direction. "I mean you look ridiculous. Were you following us around town in that outfit?"
"Well, I was being a detective. I'm not going to just wear my normal clothes," Sokka said.
Toph murmured, "Yeah, that's something only a sane person does." Sokka narrowed his eyes at the blind earthbender.
"I just hope you two learned your lesson," said Katara.
They both had clueless expressions on their faces. "No elbows on the dinner table?" Toph guessed.
"Never lick between Appa's toes?" Sokka joked. Now they were just messing with her.
Katara rolled her eyes. "No, don't jump to crazy conclusions unless you have rightful evidence."
Sokka took a step towards his sister and gestured his arms outward. "You have to admit you can see why we jumped to such conclusions."
Toph crossed her arms and grinned at Katara and Zuko. "Maybe the lesson here is not to sneak around and make it seem like you two are-"
Zuko hopped off the couch and briskly walked for the door. "Alright, I'm going to bed."
Sokka whirled around. "But it's the middle of the afternoon!"
"Oh, what's that? Sorry, I can't hear you, you're so far away!" Zuko called as he walked out the door.
Sokka stomped after them. "How can you not hear us? We're in the same room as you!"
"What? Oh, good night!" Katara shouted as she slammed the door behind them, almost hitting Sokka in the face.
Sokka stood before the closed lounge door, his nose just an inch away from touching the wood. His fists were shaking at his sides and his knuckles colored white, while, slowly, his face began to flush magenta. He wasn't sure why their sudden exit and ignorance of Toph and his comments made him so angry, but they did. Sokka turned on his heels to see Toph looking baffled by what just happened to them. Katara and Zuko weren't supposed to be the ones leaving the room in an obnoxious manner; that was always their job.
"What just happened?" Toph asked.
"They can't just leave like that! They can't just walk out and ignore us!" Sokka waved at the door, as if gesticulating to where they once stood would help his argument.
Toph flicked her wrist at the swordsman. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Snoozles. You're just mad because it turns out you were wrong."
Sokka marched over to Toph and pointed his finger at her nose. "That is…" He lowered his arm and his anger decreased. "...completely right."
Toph dusted the nonexistent dirt off her shoulder. "I'm always right, you should know that. Just how I was right from the very beginning when I said they weren't up to anything."
Sokka collapsed back on the couch and held his forehead. "Man, I feel so stupid now."
"You should." Toph took a seat beside him. "But for the record, I think it was very sweet of you to be so concerned for Aang and Mai and your sister."
Sokka looked at Toph in utter shock she would admit such a thing. He couldn't help but lean towards her and smile. "Oh, you do?"
Toph quickly hid her rosy cheeks by turning her head away from him and letting her bangs cover her face. "Well, yeah but… otherwise you're loud, obnoxious and rude and your voice cracks when you get angry or excited, you love meat way too much and you're oblivious and overly sarcastic, you think you're funny but you aren't even-"
Sokka was still smiling. He scooted closer so their hips were almost touching. "If you hate me so much why do you hang out with me and why did you let me drag you around town all this week?"
Toph was able to turn back towards him. "I told you I was babysitting." There was a long pause. Sokka didn't reply, he wanted her to say more. "So maybe I did have a little fun…" Toph moved closer, their hips and thighs officially pressed against each other.
"Toph, do you realize I could've done all that snooping by myself? I could've gone to the Golden Dragon Dance but instead I blew it off with you. I could've spent this summer in the South Pole visiting my family but I lied and said I had governmental duties to maintain… so I could spend it with you. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"I do." After another long pause, Toph said softly, "And just so you know, I'm glad you did all of those things."
Sokka then realized how close they were and he stared deep into her milky grey, sightless eyes. "Me too," he said.
The two leaned towards each other, their lips slightly puckered yet relaxed. Sokka closed his eyes and placed one of his hands on Toph's waist and the other on her knee. Toph rested her hand gently on Sokka's shoulder and could feel his heart pounding. Sokka felt her soft, warm breath tickle his lips. They leaned further, just millimeters from kissing when all of the sudden…
"I best be off!" Toph jumped to her feet and tugged on her shirt and pressed the wrinkles out of her baggy capris.
Sokka looked at her flustered and surprised, his ears reddening. "What? Where are you going?"
"I just remembered I left a candle burning on the nightstand in my room," she said and walked towards the door.
Sokka nodded but quickly shook his head. "Wait, why would you ever use a candle?"
"I was just doing some light reading last night before bed," she explained with the shrug of the shoulders.
"Wait a minute, what's going on?! Tell me this instant! Toph, don't think I don't know what you're doing! I know for a fact you can't read!" Sokka shouted as he chased her out the door and down the hall. The two bickered back and forth, over one another the entire way, and that's when Sokka knew things were just going to go back to normal.
A/N: All of the characters may have been a little OOC but I'm working on it. That's one of the reasons I wrote this, to help perfect writing for Toph and Sokka but get experience with Katara, Aang, and Zuko as well. The idea just popped into my head one day and I thought it was cute so I wrote it for that reason of course too :]
So why did Toph suddenly withdraw from the kiss? Perhaps she just wanted to see if Sokka would actually go through with it? Perhaps she didn't want to ruin their strong friendship by taking such a chance? Perhaps she's just an evil little earthbender? It's up for your interpretation :]
Please tell me what you think! All feedback is hugely appreciated!