012: Stone

Teamwork Never Fails

She had been initially confused when he brought her the small, ocean worn stone and asked her to bend it to a certain design and shape. That confusion turned to annoyance when all she got for helping was a quickly thrown thanks; no explanation in the least as he sprinted away.

But not an hour later he was showing her that carving she'd made, but it was now a pendant and attached to a thin strip of silk.

Toph looked up at Sokka and realized what he was asking by how embarrassed and hopeful he looked. Like usual, they didn't need any words to convey their messages.

First she laughed and made fun of him having to come to her for help, but when he explained he wanted the necklace to be something they both made, like their love towards each other, the laughter turned to sobs and nods.

He engulfed her body against his in a tight hug, bringing her feet off the ground so all she could feel was his body against hers and their fast-beating hearts.

.

087: Unyielding

She Doesn't Get It

Even though everyone isn't that much older than her, Toph feels too young with her friends.

The way they hold others close and kiss each other in allies and hidden rooms only she can find and feel is confusing. They sneak into each other's beds at night and their legs get tangled in the sheets while Toph's thoughts get tangled in her head.

She tries to understand what they do and why they are doing it. The earthbender tries to feel and understand their emotion but all she can see are the obvious heartbeats and grasping fingers. Everything else is below the surface, where her vibrations can't help her see.

Years later, as she sits through the weddings, she continues to try and understand. She tries to understand what makes it work and last (Katara and Aang, Zuko and Mai) and what makes it shatter and break (Sokka and Suki and then Sokka and Ty Lee).

Maybe she's actually scared of learning and likes living in denial, she realizes, as she pushes Sokka away.

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091: Bound

Too Close for Comfort

"This is so humiliating."

"Hey, can you scratch my nose? It's itchy."

Toph somehow manages to raise her face up to glare at Sokka before saying, "And why would I do that? You're the person who got us into this mess!"

"Hey!" he snaps and she feels his lungs expand against her shoulders and forearms, "I'm the one who suggested taking on Aang and Katara, you were the one who kept embarrassing and pissin' them of. And now, because of that, we're stuck here until they decide to come get us."

Toph wanted to stamp her foot in annoyance but she couldn't even have the slight pleasure of that. Sure, she supposed making jokes about their PDA and such had been annoying, but it didn't give that idiot who was Twinkle Toes the right to force this situation upon her.

A situation where her and Sokka were flattened against each other between two slabs of rock, unable to move barely an inch, and with her arms pinned between them, so that she couldn't earthbend them out of their predicament. No; they had to stand here with their bodies squished against each other. They were so close she was getting their heartbeats confused.

"This sucks," she groaned as she let her forehead fall against his chest.

"Hey! I just realized something!" Sokka said in glee after a few minutes of silence.

"What?" Toph eagerly asked; maybe his brain had woken up with him today and he had a plan!

"I just realized that we're stuck between a rock and a hard place."

Toph groaned and hit her head against the rock slab behind her.

"Get it? Because we're actually-"

"Can you do me a favor?" she interrupted

"What?"

"Don't talk."

He frowned to match her.

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022: Diversion

Steady As She Goes

Katara was talking to Toph and him about something, but Sokka couldn't, in all his power and control, focus on her voice. Because all he could focus on was the earthender's deft toes and how they were running up and along his shins.

They had just been sitting there at the table talking before Katara had come and joined; she hadn't started playing her rough feet over his skin before his sister had come.

Sokka was well aware that this was a game and he was miserably loosing, but his sharp mind couldn't formulate a plan with her so close. He couldn't take her gentle, fleeting touches without shivers that shook his hands and spine. He couldn't even fight back; he was a helpless baby leopard-seal pup in equivalence.

When her toe found the inside of his thigh and began sneaking up, he stood with a screech of a chair and left without a word.

"What's his problem?" Katara asked as she watched her brother do an odd hop, scuffle thing to his room before definitively slamming the door.

Toph shrugged and smirked wide; "I have no idea."