Title: The Usual Way
Rating: K+
Character/Pairing: Sokka, Toph (Tokka if you squint)
Spoilers: None
Author's Note: Written for 31_days, 30 June: "L'esprit d'escalier." If you don't know what that is, look it up. ;) A bit long to post in here, but yet again too short to post on its own. Thank you to the wonderful JoJoDancer for the beta!
Warnings: None
Summary: Toph and Sokka settle an argument the way they usually do.
The Usual Way
Every time, this happens every single time, Sokka fumed to himself as he stomped through the streets of Ba Sing Se.
In the five years since he had met Toph, he had never won an argument against her. No matter what he said, she was always ready with a retort, and one that was ten times better than anything he could come up with.
In the end, he was always reduced to grumbling incoherently as he sharpened his boomerang, or distractedly practicing with his sword, or, as now, stomping past unsuspecting bystanders, darkly muttering all the things he could've said.
He rounded a corner quickly, almost knocking several scrolls out of the arms of a university student, and suddenly, out of nowhere, there was Toph, standing in front of him. The university student glared at him for a few seconds before heading on his way.
"What you are you doing here?" he asked, so surprised at Toph's sudden appearance that he forgot for the moment that he was mad at her.
"I was looking for you. Not that you were hard to find. I could feel your footsteps halfway across the city."
"Oh," he said. Then, suspiciously, "Why?"
"I thought we could get a drink." She grinned. "And maybe I could help you come up with some better comebacks."
For about half a second, he thought about this, and came to the conclusion that he wasn't really mad at her anymore, just annoyed at himself for, once again, coming up with a great comeback five minutes too late.
"Actually," he said, starting to grin himself, "I've thought of a few good ones on my own. I'll share them with you if you buy the first round."
"Deal," Toph said, and, settling their argument in the usual way, they headed off together to buy each other drinks.