.
Suddenly I See
Chapter Three
"She's a Killer Queen, gunpowder, gelatine,
Dynamite with a laser beam, guaranteed to blow your mind."
Flame
"Toph!" he took her hand gently in his own calloused one and led her in the direction he had just come from. She squinted at him and cocked her head, noticeably puzzled by his sudden (but not wholly unexpected) excitement. "There's something I want you to see!" It took him a brief moment to realise his mistake but he was getting better at correcting himself. "I mean feel! Sorry!"
His eyes met with hers, an apologetic cerulean glance against her icy emerald glare. He chuckled awkwardly to break the silence, hoping to the Spirits that she wasn't about to cause him any physical damage for his tiny little error. He was in luck today as a frown crossed her lips and she looked away. He, however, did not.
Never before had he noticed how attractive Toph was (was it the light in the clearing?) Her hair fell around her face in an absolute chaotic mess, yet there was something profoundly elegant about it. It was dark, jet black, resembling the midnight sky so perfectly that he wouldn't be surprised to see stars. Now that he thought about it (maybe it had crossed his mind once or twice before…) she really would have no trouble finding someone to spend her life with. Of course, that was a long way off… but she was beautiful, with a playfully innocent air about her. Who wouldn't be drawn towards that?
Wait. Wait, what?
Where on earth did all of that come from? And… why did it bother him so much?
In less than a second, it sparked a flame.
Sokka tore his eyes away from hers before she caught onto the fact that he was staring. He then proceeded to mentally his himself (saved her the trouble). He was with Suki! So why were these thoughts coming up now, of all times? He'd never had them before (had he?) To be honest, he'd never even thought of Toph as, well, a girl before, let alone a young woman. She had never acted particularly girly, at least not around him, and compared to some of the guys he knew she was by far that tougher one (take Aang, for example).
She could kick any guy's ass if she had to and with such ease that it truly amazed him sometimes. Her strength outmatched most of them the majority of the time. In spite of that, she could still be so, well… adorable, sometimes. Or maybe that was the wrong word?
When he looked back now to the few times he had seen her in a dress that was definitely not what had been going through his mind. He'd have been likely to push those thoughts aside, pretty ashamed of himself for thinking such things, but they had been there never-the-less. He couldn't deny it. He'd noticed how the fabric had clung to her curves (and when did she even get those?), how it showed off her shape so perfectly and how radiant she had looked. She absolutely loathed them, something she made clear to anyone who commented on her choice of clothing, but maybe he wished just the slightest bit that she would wear them just a little bit more often.
She hadn't looked adorable. She had looked gorgeous.
He paused, taking a step back from the situation and analysing it. Her hand in his; it felt completely normal, as if it had always been that way, as if it belonged there. Her skin wasn't soft like other girls. It was rough but at the same time strangely delicate. All those years of eathbending really had armoured her well, not to mention how simply awesome her skills had become because of them.
And again he found himself staring into those tempting, jade-tinted eyes of hers, become lost in his own resurfaced emotions. It really was hard to believe she was blind sometimes when she moved with such grace (not that it ruined her tough attitude). Her eyes, though sightless, always peered at her surrounds in the secret hope of seeing them some day. And Sokka would love to give her that gift; the gift of sight. He'd give almost anything for the satisfaction of putting a smile on her face, letting her see the world in colour instead of vibrations.
… Spirits. This was absurd. He was with Toph. Toph! Why was he suddenly noticing her this way?
And how couldn't he have noticed her this way before?
That one small flame grew to an almost overwhelming size and, confusion and conflict aside, Sokka could hardly ignore something so powerful.
"Drop of a hat she's as willing as, playful as a pussy cat.
Then momentarily out of action, temporarily out of gas.
To absolutely drive you wild, wild...
She's all out to get you."
.