His eyes were dark as he stared across the fire at her. She was stubborn, prideful, and a million other things that could be considered a fault. But there was no denying what he had begun to feel for her. He closed his eyes as a fired started in his heart. He looked again over at her. She was beautiful strong, but would never give into him, nor would she ever return his feelings for her. He watched the way the fire danced across her skin. It was a remarkable sight, that he had found himself waiting for. Her dark hair reflected the moonlight, and he had to look away.
There were rules that had to be followed. There were differences between them that had to be observed. Feelings or no feelings he couldn't cross those boundaries. He could feel with each day the love he had developed for her growing stronger. Every time he looked at her, or they happened to touch, he could fell his heart reach out for her. There wasn't any denying that.
Then there was the one waiting for him, that this new love would betray. At first, she was like a sister. She needed to be protected, she needed someone to be there to listen, or to lend a helping hand. She had blossomed into a woman before his very eyes. In the five years that they had traveled together, she had grown so immensely; not just physically, but intellectually, and so much in her bending that her ability alone had drawn him in like a moth to a flame. He inadvertently flipped a small stick up into the fire, and watched how the additional flame illuminated her face. She would never know what he felt for her, nor would he ever tell her. Their friendship was strong, and he held it close to his heart. Why would he want to jeopardize such a beautiful thing, for petty feelings? He shook his head. No. The feelings weren't petty. They were all consuming. Powerful enough to bring him to his knees, strong enough to blind him of all other emotions.
After the war, when all had settled, their group had remained close. He could count on one hand the times that they had gone their separate ways. They were like family now. You didn't have these feelings for your family. But he did. His eyes drifted over to rest on Aang. Even though the Avatar would never admit it, nor make a move on it, he had feelings for her. He was better suited for her, even though there wasn't ever a possible chance that Aang could love her like he did. He frowned and let his eyes move back to her entrancing beauty.
The sheen of her hair, the contours of her skin, the glimmer in her eyes. But he could see beyond the beauty that time had given her. He could see the powerful woman beneath the outer shell. The vibrant way she would laugh when she was happy. The glint in her eyes when she wasn't. He could read her like a book. He knew when she was lonely, when she was bored everything. He had spent the last year studying her. He found that he couldn't seem to get enough of her when they were together. He wanted so much more then the platonic friendship that they had forged. But there again was that risk of losing everything that they had.
He watched her knowing that she was the only one who would never know she watched him. His sister, Aang, even Zuko had noticed his admiration for her. Though none of them said anything to him, they didn't condemn him either. He figured as long as he kept his distance, loving her on the inside within his own safe walls then they would leave him alone. But if he ever made that move, that final breaking point, would they look at him in disgust, would they approve? He frowned and stood up. In silence he walked away. His shoved his hands in his pockets as the night air bit into him. He walked with no particular destination. He walked because that was all there was to do. He could sit and stare across at the woman he most desired, torturing himself because he knew just as the flame was between them, that he could never have her as his own.
She listened to his footfalls as he retreated into the woods. Over the crack of the fire and the popping of the burning twigs she could still hear his breath. She knew when he was watching her. There are things that you can hide, but a heart beat wasn't one of them. With every touch, every gesture, and every word spoken between them, his heart would beat uncontrollably. She frowned. What did he see in her? She couldn't see what she looked like. Was she attractive? What made his heart beat so?
For years she denied what she felt for him, passing it off as a silly crush that would pass in time. He was older then her, but now the gap in age didn't seem so large. She could feel the heat that radiated off of him when he was close. There was a strength that poured from him that made even her stand back in awe. He wasn't the insecure, young boy he was during the war. He was strong, powerful and devoted man, and yet neither of them had ever admitted their feelings to the other. She stood up. She had sat by the wayside tormenting her heart long enough. She knew that he punished himself for feeling for her, for a reason that she didn't know. But if he couldn't tell her how he felt, then she could tell him.
She followed him in silence as he wandered about the woods. He stopped and she could feel his heart speed up.
"Toph?" She smiled and walked over to him as he turned to look at her. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart. The way his breath came out jagged as he looked over at her. She stopped just short of a foot from him.
He looked down at her. The haze of her eyes shimmering in the dark as her eyes looked directly up at his. Her hair was down close to her shoulder blades, the longest she had let it grow, and was as dark as it had been when he had first met her. The ivory of her skin gleamed in the pale moonlight. He watched as she moved. She brought a hand up to his face touching his cheek gently with her finger tips at first, then cupping his face in her hand. He closed his eyes as he relished in the soft calloused touch.
"Sokka, I know that we have been through a lot. But you need to be able to trust me." He stared down at her as she pulled her hand away. He caught her hand and held it in his own.
"You've know all along haven't you?" She smiled and nodded. He looked away from her his heart not filling at all pleased with this situation. She frowned and stepped away from him.
"Did I misunderstand? What's wrong?" Sokka turned to look at her. He brought his hand up and touched her face.
"You know, then how deep my feelings are for you. You know how I have tormented myself about them." Toph placed her hand over Sokka's and turned her face in his hand to kiss his palm.
"I do that. And you should know that I have been doing the same." Sokka pulled his hand away and frowned.
"Whether or no our feelings are mutual, there are still the others." Toph rolled her blind eyes and grabbed him by the collar.
"Seriously, who gives a fuck." She smiled and pulled him into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and his world was completely. What he had feared for so long, was invalid. With every core of his body he loved this woman, and she loved him. The world seemed to stop as they held each other and the realization hit him like an iron weight. She was right. He couldn't live all his life based on what others would think or his life would pass him by. She set her head on his chest and he closed his eyes resting his chin on her head. She was right. More then she knew it she was right.
Who gives a fuck?