Prompt: Toph realizes she has a crush on Sokka for the first time.
His voice was so annoying. For reasons Toph couldn't explain, the sound of Sokka's voice caused goosebumps to rise across her skin. She would listen to him no matter what he was talking about. It was almost as if his voice cast a spell on her each time he talked; she would be a trance, listening to him. She hated when this happened; she didn't know what she was feeling and it frustrated the twelve year-old.
Toph wondered what Sokka looked like. She heard people talk about the Southern Water Tribe and the appearance of its people. They all had dark skin and blue eyes. This information was useless to Toph, but she thought about it often. What did his hands feel like – calloused? Soft? She sometimes what type of kisser he was, but those thoughts left her mind as soon as they entered it.
One night, the campsite was filled with the sound of snores. Toph lay in the darkness, thinking of her parents and their refusal to understand her when suddenly a presence was before her. She gasped and pushed upward, her hand flying out and pushing at someone's face. She had felt his face then; his high cheek bones and lips.
"Stupid, stupid," the young bender muttered to herself, kicking at a rock at her foot. Behind her, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were making camp. She sat alone in the grass. After a few moments, she felt a familiar heartbeat and then he sat beside her. "Uh, you okay, Toph?" Sokka asked awkwardly.
"I'm fine," she snapped.
"You don't sound fine…"
Ugh. His voice again. "Leave me alone, Sokka."
He made a move to stand but at the last minute he moved forward to wrap Toph in a quick embrace. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she prayed he couldn't feel it. When he pulled away, her face was hot. Spirits, he was going to see her blush.
"If you need to talk to someone, er, Toph – "
"I'll go to Katara."
Sokka chuckled nervously. "You do that."
She listened as Sokka walked away and when she felt he was safe out of sight, she smiled to herself.