Chapter 4

The doors of train car slid open.

"After you ma'am!" Sokka said with a flourish and an exaggerated bow.

Toph laughed and replied with a curtsey "Why thank you my good sir!"

They were smiling and walking together as they reached the ticket booth. When they got up to window, Toph began to pull out her coin purse. But before she could take anything out of it, Sokka grabbed onto her wrist to stop her.

"Nuh uh, it's my treat!" He said, grinning.

She smiled and said "Sokka, you know I'm not a princess, right?"

Sokka gave her a side hug with one arm as he said "I know that, but that doesn't mean I can't treat you like one."

Toph blushed more than she ever had before in her life. She had been treated like a princess her whole life, and had always hated it. She despised people treating her special just because she was a small blind girl from a rich family. But Sokka was different. He gave her special treatment not because of her background, but because he cared for her. Right then, she knew for sure that no other guy in the world could come close to how great he was.

As they walked into the zoo, Toph did something Sokka never expected. Something she thought she would never get to do. She reached out and took his hand in hers. Immediately, her whole body was filled with the greatest indescribable warmth. Right now, she was not only the most powerful earthbender in the world, but also the world's happiest girl.

At first, Sokka was a bit startled by the unexpected contact. He had never thought he would get to hold hands with her, let alone so soon. Once his initial surprise passed though, he smiled and placed his fingers in between hers, and held her hand firmly but gently.

Right now, neither of them could ask for anything else in the world. When they were with each other, hand in hand, the world around them didn't matter, and all their problems faded away. Both of them had someone who cared for them not because of where they were from or what they had done, but for who they are.

They spent the rest of the day walking around the zoo and having fun together. During almost all of the entire day, and during the train ride back and the walk back to Toph's house, they never let go of each other's hands. The sun was just setting as they got to Toph's door, and neither of them wanted to leave.

"I had a really great time today Sokka." Toph said with a gentle smile. She took her other hand into her free hand, and turned her face upwards so that he could see her face clearly.

Sokka grinned and said "I did too!" Then he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as he asked "So, do you wanna do another activity sometime soon?"

Toph laughed and gave him a light punch on the arm. "It's called a 'date', and yes, I'd love to."

Sokka visibly relaxed, and smiled, saying "Well I'm heading down to visit the South Pole tomorrow. Would you like to come with?"

Toph jumped up and wrapped her arms around Sokka's neck in a hug, saying "Sounds perfect!"

He smiled and said "Great! I'll pick you up early tomorrow so we can catch the express airship in time!" He lifted her off of his shoulders and gently lowered her to the ground. "But in the meantime, you should probably get some sleep!"

Toph sarcastically pouted and said "Alright, fine. I'll see you tomorrow Captain Boomerang." She smiled and turned to open her door.

At the last minute though, Sokka cried out "Wait!" and he grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. He pulled her close to him, and in one fell swoop, closed his eyes and planted his lips against hers. Her eyes shot open for a moment, and then fluttered shut. A warm tingling sensation spread throughout both of their bodies. They wrapped their arms around each other, she leaned into him. Despite the height difference, their bodies seemed to melt into one. The kiss only lasted fifteen seconds at most, but it felt like hours to them, the best hours of their lives.

Finally, their lips slowly separated. They both were blushing, with smiles stretching across their faces.

"That… That was great." Sokka managed to stammer. He had been ready for the kiss, but he had never had a kiss that felt that perfect.

Toph was at a complete loss for words. She had never been kissed before, and part of her had believed that no man would ever want to kiss her. She had never felt anything that even came close to what she had just felt. And to top it all off, the man on the other end of kiss was the man she had always dreamt of kissing. After she managed to collect her thoughts enough, she did the only thing she could think to do. She jumped up on him and gave him a kiss back. After the kiss finally ended, she didn't let go of him, but instead laid her head on his shoulder.

Sokka chuckled and said "I guess this makes me your boyfriend now?"

At this, Toph giggled and buried her face in his neck. "Yep, and it makes me the happiest girl in the world."