Chapter 3
Toph and Sokka waited at the station for the train to arrive. The platform was almost deserted, since most people were too busy celebrating the end of the war at home or in various public squares, and so the train heading outside of the walls was barely being used.
When the train rumbled into the station and came to a halt, they both stepped into the nearest car. The car they happened to choose was totally empty except for the two of them, so they sat down across the aisle from each other. Toph was the first to strike up conversation as the train left the station and made its way out of the city.
"So is this your first time going to a zoo Sokka?"
"Yeah" he laughed, "There aren't a whole lot of zoos down at the South Pole."
Toph chuckled a bit and said "Yeah, I figured as much."
She would have said more, but she was too lost in thought to keep up small talk. Ironically, the guy she was talking to was the whole reason she had been lost in thought. Ever since they had met, Toph and Sokka had been great friends. But for Toph, the feelings were a bit different. She had always found herself attracted to him, but save for the occasional well-hidden blush, she never let anyone know. He was already a great friend who was fun to hang out with, but she saw even more beyond that. She knew that behind the sarcasm and humor, he really was a kind and understanding guy, which was a rare sight. But he had never seemed to pay any attention to her other than as a friend, so she had kept her feelings for him under wraps. After the events of the last couple days though, the romantic flame inside Toph began to burn brighter.
On the Fire Nation airship, Sokka had risked his life for her. If it weren't for him catching her, she would have plummeted to her death. In that instant, he was her entire world. She had always taken in the world around her mostly through touch and hearing. During the battle, all she could hear in the world was the sound of fighting and terror. But his hand was her only ink to the physical world. As she dangled below the airship, soldiers closing in on them, and survival seemingly impossible, his strong hand holding tight to hers was her one source of peace. Despite all the uncertainty and chaos in the world, Toph knew that Sokka would always be there for her with a helping hand, ready to risk his life for her, and to be a source of stability for her.
The trouble was, even if she thought of it as an act of love, she knew deep down that to him, he was just saving a friend. That's all she would ever be to him, his friend. Sure, maybe even his best friend, but she wanted more than that. But Toph had resigned herself to her fate as being eternally friend-zoned.
What drove her mad though wasn't just that her feelings for Sokka had recently grown even more, but also that it coincided with him becoming available after his break-up with Suki. She knew that she might not get another chance like this again. She was sure he only liked her as a friend, but for her, it was worth a shot. But on the other hand, she didn't want to jeopardize her friendship by asking and him rejecting her. She had no idea where to go from here. Without her realizing it, as she was racking her brain over what to do, a single tear appeared in the corner of her eye and then slid down her face.
Sokka immediately noticed this, and his face instantly took on a look of concern and slight confusion.
"Toph? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
At this, Toph snapped back to reality. She realized she was crying, and hurriedly wiped the tear away.
She fumbled over her own words "Oh, um, uh, I wasn't, um, oh nothing." She then turned her body so Sokka would have a harder time seeing her face. However, Sokka then got out of his seat and sat down next to Toph.
"C'mon Toph, I know you're lying. What's going on here?"
She didn't move at all as she let out a sigh and muttered "Oh, I was just thinking about something, it's no big deal."
At this point, Sokka knew that he needed to get through to her. So he grabbed her shoulders, turned her so she was facing him, and pulled her in for a hug. But before he could fully wrap his arms around her, she pushed her way out of his reach and sat on the other side of the aisle, where she then began crying even more.
"No Sokka, I just can't talk about it, not with you."
Sokka leaned back in his seat, trying to understand what she was saying.
"What are you implying?" He asked. "What did I do wrong?" He was honestly worried that he had accidentally offended her in some way.
"It's not something you did, it's what you didn't do." Toph already knew she had said too much, but it was too late now.
"Wait, what are you talking about? What was I supposed to do?" He asked.
Toph mentally braced herself for what was to come. "It's just… I like you. And I mean as in I 'like you' like you. But, you've always been with Suki since I met you, so I was used to hiding my feelings. But now you're not with her, and I just don't know what to do. It's hopeless anyways, I know you would never like me!" She buried her face in her hands and kept on crying.
Without even thinking, Sokka got up and sat next to Toph again, and pulled her into a big hug. Only this time, she had given up trying to fight. She just wanted someone to be there for her right now, no matter who it was. She just leaned up against him and kept crying. Sokka held her close as he processed everything he had just heard.
He had always had a little thing for Toph ever since he had first met her. She was definitely one of those girls that rarely comes along in life. But he had never thought that she could have liked him too, nor had he thought of what to do in that situation.
"Hey Toph" He said.
She quickly regained a bit of her composure before replying "Yeah?"
"Um, I uh, sorta like you too." He said as his cheeks turned a noticeable shade of red.
Toph immediately froze, trying to make sure she wasn't hearing things.
"You… you do?" She asked?
"Yeah, always have." He said with a small grin.
Toph paused for a moment as a smile spread across her face, and she wiped away her tears. She then quickly turned around and threw her arms around him as she started giggling a bit. Sokka, at first caught off guard by this, wrapped his arms around her and started laughing too. After a moment, they let go of each other, and Toph sat back down right next to Sokka.
"So Snoozles, I think now is the part where you ask me on a date." She laughed.
"Oh yeah, right." He stammered. His head was still reeling with what had just happened. "Well, since we're already heading to the zoo, why don't we just make that a date?" He smiled.
Toph laughed, and then sweetly said "I'd like that."
A moment later, the train pulled into the station right by the Ba Sing Se Zoo.
