Boy and Bear - Beach

The thing she liked most was flying.

Or the sense of it, really. Toph lived for the fall, for that heart-stopping moment when she had no clue as to how close or far away the earth was. It all came down to her instincts, to how in tune she was with the earth, pushing her courage and recklessness to the limits that sometimes, her feet would brush and skid across the hard floor before she hauled herself back up. It was strange and hypocritical for her to love it as much as she did, the blind earthbender who kissed the ground after two lengthy days of flying, but addicted she was.

Toph loved relying on one arm only, teetering on the edge of a support before stepping forward, feet finding nothingness, her heart pumping frenetically as the roll of chain unfurled behind her. The gravitational force would buffet her hair and clothes into a tangle fighting the direction taken, the wind screaming as it rushed past her face, her body hurtling determinedly towards the concrete below. Her favorite part, though, was the instance where she withdrew the metal looped securely around her support, the bauxite screeching and igniting flying sparks as it was retracted back into the arm of her uniform.

For a fleeting second, Toph would be airborne, suspended in midair with neither ties to the vast sky nor the comforting earth, a miniature figurine awaiting death tossed against the backdrop of the city. Her heart would pound frantically as she descended, time slipping away like the height lost. She felt small but alive and ready, the ethereality enhanced by the exhilaration of blood rushing to her head, and she felt like she could, finally, breathe again.

Then, when she had borne all she could, Toph would punch her other arm upwards, the chains bursting from their hidden reel and winding around or latching onto another support she had previously scouted, a year's worth of the city's nooks and crannies squirreled away into her memory. They would become taut before her feet could brush the ground, pulling her up to land safely on the rooftop of another building before she set off again to the next ledge, her feet scanning the activities present within her radius. The whole cycle would repeat as she continued her patrol of the city, heart pumping, adrenaline rushing, smile stretching serenely to touch the ends of her new fringe.

'Auntie Toph!'

The childlike call made Toph pause in mid-stride on the roof of the Merchants' Hostel, temporary living quarters for traders arriving from abroad to carry out business in the city. She was completing her late-morning patrol on the southern border, ending with a schlep across the docks facing the endless Earth Kingdom waters. She looked forward to the end of this routine; besides the promise of a quick tea break back at headquarters to rejuvenate her, Toph anticipated the hustle and bustle of the piers, often stopping to peruse the goods at the makeshift stalls for possible presents to give to the various children of her friends. Sometimes, the immigration officers would catch sight of her and coax her to greet the newcomers; despite her inherent bashfulness when announced as the Chief of the Metalbending Police Force, Toph found it heartening that Aang and Zuko's dream of an amalgamated society was finally coming true, with her as the guardian and maintainer of this new reality.

'Auntie Toph!' The cry came again, more insistent and louder than before, its source directly beneath her and piercing the muted hubbub with its chiming quality.

This time, she recognized the voice; her face alight with surprise, Toph ceased her balancing act on the ridge and slid down the roof's field, the shingles giving her a bumpy ride. Upon reaching the gutter, which marked the end of her journey, Toph leapt off the roof, pumping her fists outwards to her sides. The metal shackles sprung from her wrists, wrapping themselves around two poles flanking the hostel, straining beneath her weight as she lowered herself down onto the ground. Barely had she retracted the chains did a small mass cannon into Toph, burying his head into her thigh and squealing with excitement and rapture.

'Hey there, buddy, careful!' she laughed, tugging gently at the pack strapped onto Koda's back. She felt him stagger back, his facial muscles tired in their exertion but still stretched from ear to ear as he flung his arms around her, his fingertips unable to meet around her girth.

'Hi,' came his voice, muffled due to his face being pressed into her uniform's leg.

Still recovering from this pleasant surprise, Toph felt footsteps approaching, reverberating through the wooden platform. Though she could not feel his heartbeat clearly, she knew, as she looked up and uttered his name, she was entirely correct in her assumption and the resulting warmth spreading through her chest.

'Snoozles?' A happy laugh left Toph as she reached out to grasp his reaching hand. 'What're you doing here so early? I thought you weren't due for another week!'

'Hello to you, too, Toph,' Sokka grinned in reply, bending down to glance a peck off her cheek as he reached them. His lips felt dry and chapped from the days at sea, though none of his old warmth had been sapped by the chilly environment. The contact provoked a momentary high coursing through her veins, capillaries shuddering with pleasure and prompting faster flow making her shift sheepishly beneath her fitted outfit. However, Toph merely returned the gesture with a bashful smile and ducked her head in, knowing her recently trimmed bangs would do little to hide the blush she knew was coming.

Koda lifted his head, watching Toph's diverted attention with reproach and tugging her hand to attract it back. 'I missed you!'

'Yeah, that's why we're here so soon. Mister Impatient couldn't wait to begin earthbending training again,' Sokka reached down and pretended to tweak Koda's nose, eliciting a burst of giggles from his young son.

'Oh, really?' Kneeling down till she was his height, Toph tilted her head so that Koda could see her eyes, her next words solemn for his benefit. 'And has my young pupil been training all this while?'

'Yeah!' As if struck by a sudden thought, Koda plunged a hand into his pocket and dug around, pulling out a fistful of small rocks. 'Look what Uncle Aang taught me!'

His tongue sticking out between his lips in concentration, Koda manipulated the assorted stones into a circle between his palms, then began rotating them at progressively higher speeds. The young earthbender peeked up at his teacher, flashing a cheeky grin that quickly turned to surprise as he lost control of the objects. Leaving their orbit and spinning haphazardly, they would have zoomed across the pier if Toph had not acted quickly, raising her arms in a cross to deflect one enthusiastic stone. She then flicked her wrists and averted the others onto the pier, where they bounced along merrily before rolling to a stop some distance away.

Sokka groaned and hurried to retrieve the fallen rocks, dodging harried travellers and their cumbersome belongings. Upon returning, not without some difficulty with the congregating masses, he took his son's hand and reprimanded sternly, 'Koda, what did I say about learning tricks from Uncle Aang?'

'Not to?'

'Exactly.'

Toph smirked as Koda pushed out his lower lip stubbornly. 'C'mon, Koda, say sorry to Daddy.' Out of the corner of her mouth, she added, 'Don't worry, I'll teach you how to master it later.'

He immediately relented. 'Sorry, Daddy,' he mumbled, penitent in tone but eyes shining at the promised treat.

She could feel Sokka practically rolling his eyes as he hefted his bag higher onto his shoulder, shaking his head in resignation. Grinning surreptitiously at Koda, Toph stood back up, her fingers seeking his short wolftail and giving it a playful tug, his unevenly cut hair ticklish against her palm. 'C'mon, champ. Let's get you settled at home.'

Taking his minuscule knapsack from Koda, Toph fell into a familiar walk with Sokka, allowing the former to skip ahead but keeping watchful feet and eyes on him respectively. The two males had visited Republic City often enough to know the way back to Aang's former home, now bequeathed to Toph. Her housemates had moved out soon after Katara's subsequent pregnancy, she and Sokka pitching in to build and bend their new isle and it's buildings over the past year. It was only half-finished, but looked proudly over the docks they had just left and was visible from her beach, commanding more grandeur and privacy than their previous home.

Although there was ample room on the christened Air Temple Island just a boat ride away, and although the couple always welcomed family, Toph knew Sokka preferred to room with her, whether accompanied by Koda or not. It wasn't just the 'oogies' that caused him to shy away- it was her and their friendship that made them inseparable, even as adults with obligations that demanded their time and industry. As much as Toph loved her job busting the baddies, Sokka remained a bright spot in her life, sustaining their youth by throwing a wrench into Republic City's works with their own brand of mischief and avoiding the very authorities she headed, while lapsing into amiable discourse with their feet half-submerged in the saltwater as the day grew old with them. To each other, they were rapid winds whipped up to chase away the stifle of their time apart, blessings disguised as pure breaths of air on the porch, steam spiked with a dash of alcohol rising to filter through their nostrils as Koda shook the sand beneath.

His choice did make her heart swell, dragon's wings catching North's breath and taking flight, but she always made up for it, suppressing and checking her head by organizing daily trips to visit his sister and her family. Sokka's city apartment was left vacant and dusty as a result, but Toph enjoyed their presence lighting up the lonely atmosphere of her house, animated conversation and gentle chiding filling the gaping, empty spaces around her. Home never felt complete without warm bodies and the sound of steady breathing wafting through the witching hour; love, too, was absent in everywhere Toph had stayed, her mind passing over her time at Ba Sing Se in particular due to its unsettling exception. For hours, her adrenaline from the day's work would keep pumping, keeping her awake and unseeing in the dark, her home distant and cold with its weathered floorboards and the absence of a comforting attendance. Thus it was no surprise to her that she had passed many a night alone on the porch, bundled up with cold tea for company and listening to the waves break to tame her insomnia, her feet tucked to the side to think of Jin and Sokka and not feel.

Their small band exited the harbor and headed east, entering a dense forest whose greenery was interrupted only by a dirt path beaten down by the occasional foot. Most arrivals now headed directly into the popular districts via the brick road built by her own hands, and thus the seclusion of Toph's home was maintained. As the noise of the piers gave way to the muted lush of the trees, she felt Koda skip further ahead nimbly, his hands caressing against the peeling bark of trees passed, pausing to bend down and examine a flower whose smell she could not identify. Toph trembled slightly as she felt the unexpected roughness of Sokka's hand clasping her own, turning her attention from the child to share an expression of question with her best friend.

'You don't need to watch him like that, you know,' came his amused voice, her fingers being squeezed lightly. 'He can take care of himself.'

She gave a short bark of laughter, flattered that he had been watching her long enough to read her thoughts. 'Koda's four, Snoozles. Besides, there could be pirates in these woods.'

'You were five when you ran away to the badger moles. And don't pretend like these woods are dangerous- you'd never bring us through if they were.'

Toph made an indelicate noise of assent, threading her fingers through Sokka's so that their digits lay side by side, compact, a continuous line of alternating lengths and shades that exuded companionship and warmth. They always did fit nicely together. 'You act like I'm over-protective,' she huffed, swinging her head but forgetting her bangs were no longer hanging down to her cheeks.

'You kind of are,' Sokka pointed out, his thumb rolling over her knuckle. Observing her furrowed brow, the corner of his mouth quirked up. 'Considering your parentage... It's ironic, isn't it?'

'Psh,' Toph huffed back haughtily, 'If this is your parenting style, I sure hope Suki has more sense than to be so lax.'

Immediately, she was sorry that she had uttered such a reproving answer devoid of a respectable thinking process. At once, Sokka slipped his hand away, his fingers loosening around hers and escaping like cupped water to hang by his side in defeat. She felt his heart increase to a ferocious pace, tumultuous vibrations rocking the forest floor they tramped along. There was no anger, however, in his posture, merely certain misery and frustration in the clench of his jaw, the bow of his head.

'Yeah, not quite,' he replied, sotto voce, inaudible if not for her acute sense of hearing.

As she opened her lips in surprise, her expression confusion and inquiring, Sokka turned away and accelerated his pace to catch up with his son, his voice blithely cheerful as he stooped to examine a bug Koda was showing him. When Toph caught up to them, Sokka affixed Koda's hand in his and pulled him away from the insect, father and son walking side by side in front of her to take up the trail's width. Knowing it was his way of avoiding her and the uncomfortable subject she had inadvertently raised, Toph fell behind Sokka, monitoring the boys' progress through the thick. They walked towards her home in silence only penetrated by the occasional murmur of Koda's babble and the dry crunch of dead leaves, brittle nervures crumpling and breaking beneath their heavy footsteps and burdened weight.

It had been ignorant of Toph to mention his wife; she had suspected that the couple had been estranged for some time, using the lacking updates of Suki as reference. Besides, Sokka was a busy man, acting as a consulting architect-cum-inventor to United Republic while maintaining the ties between the other existing nations and his homeland. Suki, on the other hand, was chiefly involved in the expansion and training of the Kyoshi Warriors, therefore hardly straying from the eponymous island.

As a result, they saw little of each other over the four years since their marriage, briefly reuniting for a few months upon Koda's birth before Sokka returned to his duties. While she enjoyed his regular company, Toph thought Sokka could have made a greater effort to ease the strain in his family by taking his work less seriously; she couldn't help but feel pity for their son, being shuttled from place to place in order to spend equal time with both parents. Now, though, she was felt it was wiser to trudge on with her mouth shut, these thoughts occupying her as the moist soil faded into fine sand, the murmur of horse crickets replaced by washing surf to signal their arrival home.

They ascended the rickety steps, creaking pitifully beneath their combined weight. Toph fumbled in her inner pocket for her key as grains of sand chafed between her sole and the wooden porch, Koda beginning to yawn as the effects of his long voyage set in. Once she had procured the metal object, she unlocked the door, throwing it open to allow the now-needed light to filter in and continuing to the guest rooms to draw dusty curtains and crank various rusted windows open. Breathing deeply, the stale air was infiltrated by the gust rolling in with the waves, shore salt dispelling any smell of negligence of Toph's housekeeping. She propped her elbows on the sill, taking care not to scratch her uniform as she let the room air in the sea breeze. Her fringe fanned gently to the side to obscure her left eye, while her right peered outwards to take in the beach vacantly.

Her mind was still on the subject of Sokka. Every time he paid her a visit- higher in frequency than those expeditions to Suki, Toph realised with a glowing pang- his first greeting to her would be a kiss, tender against her dirty cheek. They were comfortable with one another, his hands finding her waist, her head his shoulder as they settled to take in an evening on the porch. These gestures were only ever carried out when they were alone, moments that made Toph's heart fly before her brain could restrain its wings, a smile consuming her face. She could not help it; she felt virtuous during these instances, devouring the intimacy between them, only to have shame blistering her pride as soon as his ship departed, leaving distaste frothing in her mouth in its wake.

Exhaling heavily at this stain blotting the otherwise good times, Toph felt Sokka leave the room next door, in which Koda had settled, and approach this one, but remained rooted to her position as she stared out of the window ineffectively.

'Hey,' his soft call came from the doorway to the room, his feet padding over the flagstones in their penguinskin boots. 'Do you think I could get some blankets or something? Koda's kinda tired.'

She grimaced at her thoughtlessness, hurrying to Aang's old cupboard to withdraw some pillows and duvets. 'Yeah, ugh,' she mumbled, shaking her head as if waterlogged. 'Sorry, I was just...'

'Thinking?' Sokka asked, receiving a stack of bed things from Toph, a wry crook to his lips.

'Something like that,' she stated reluctantly, quickly changing the subject. 'Are you guys hungry? I'm heading back to headquarters for a while, I'll take the rest of the day off and send a hawk to Twinkletoes. We can have dinner tonight, if you want, I can stop at the market on the way home-'

'Toph.'

Sokka's voice was commanding with a hint of remorse and sympathy she could not quite understand. She ground her babbling to a halt, wincing at how characteristic of her that was, switching routes when things concealed became too uncomfortable, especially with her thoughts' object standing right there.

'What?' was her innocent reply.

Sokka struggled for a moment. 'About just now... I'd just prefer if-'

She understood his intent. 'No problem.'

'No, let me explain-'

'You don't want to talk about it. I get it, Sokka. It's fine.'

Sokka pinched the bit where his brows met in response, a customary gesture whenever he was frustrated. 'Look, it's not that things are bad-'

'Sokka. It's. Fine.'

Toph practically growled the word out; it sounded so at odds with her reassuring words that she nearly laughed in spite of herself. The truth was, she was only being partially honest. The part who was Sokka's best friend wanted him to divulge everything plaguing him so that they might think of solutions or engage in activities to drown away his sorrows, while the rest of her would have been sincerely happy to avoid any mention of him and Suki, 'them', a collective that excluded her. While he was here, he was her best friend and partner-in-crime alone, and Toph wanted as little reminder of his wife as possible lest the memories of her breakdown come back to haunt her again.

She felt him stand there in confusion, biting his lower lips painfully and unsure of whether Toph was furious or plain placating. She attempted to lighten the mood by cracking a smile, prodding the bedsheets into his chest. 'Really. Now, are you gonna make his bed, or do you want the blind woman to do it?'

Sokka laughed at this; inwardly, she let out a sigh of relief, grateful that she had successfully dispelled the tension that had gripped the two of them for the past half an hour or so. She could tell it wasn't the obliging chuckle that was present at Katara's slew of humor, but one that was genuine, emanating from and busting at his gut, no matter how many times the typical joke was repeated. As the fullness died down, Toph felt his facial muscles tense in a smile, the corners of her own lips tugging up in expectance.

He began backing out of the room. 'Yeah, I'd better do it.'

'And I'd better go,' Toph put in with playful groan, following Sokka out into the hallway. 'They'll be wondering where I am.'

'About the market... Do you think-'

She knew what was on his mind and adopted the appropriate bright tone. 'Seal jerky?' '

'Yeah.' Toph grinned in her small triumph. 'I mean, we're having it here, right?'

'I'm on it, and we should be. Although,' she put in thoughtfully, 'I have been practicing my cooking lately. You could take a break this time and let me handle the wok.'

'And leave you to scorch the kitchen?' Sokka sounded amused as their footsteps slowed as they approached the next room. 'I saw the burns on the stove on the way in.'

'Ah.' Toph had forgotten about those- her attempt at making stir-fried noodles for dinner had been disastrous. The flames had been fanned to too great a height to lick the walls of the kitchen, the heat prompting her feet to shift and summon the sand stored in a bucket below the sink to put out the fire. In the end, she had had to throw out the meal and settle for soggy sandwiches at the market district. 'Yeah. Heh. Maybe next time when I've got the hang of it, then.'

'It's a date.' She could feel his cheerful smile directed at her, and the uniform that he had designed became claustrophobic once again. Toph swallowed and forced her mind back to the present, away from the inappropriate choice of words.

'Well, uh,' she began to back away, continuing down the hall but remained facing him. 'I should get going now.'

''Kay.' Toph shot him one last smile and pivoted on her heel, bounding towards the door in anticipation of a good meal later. He had stopped outside the next room, Koda's heavy breaths apparent through the door left ajar in the stagnant air of her home. 'And Toph?'

One foot over the threshold, she paused without turning back; she didn't need to. 'Yeah?'

'Thanks.'

High tide and his voice a storm in her ears, Toph's mouth twitched to the side in sad pleasure, catching stray strands of her hair. He had seen her trying, known the equal difficulties the situation presented them both- it made her ache, all this seeming like a waste even though she would never give it up for neither riches nor glory. After all this time, and still she loved the meaning behind a simple word of gratitude, despair disappearing like blown sand into the wind.

Only a split second did she freeze, these emotions and realizations swirling within her. Then she drew breath and continued on her way, letting the door swing to a close behind her, but not before giving a short reply that might have seemed cold, but which Sokka correctly inferred was merely suppressive:

'I'll be back in an hour.'

A/N: What's that? No, I'm not dead- guys, I am so sorry for the sparse updates, but real life (driving lessons, university applications, internships and my horrific A Level results) have gotten the better of me.

Thank you to the people who have stuck with me all this while- CrazyDyslexicNerd, Sokka's Fan-Lawyer, guyw1tn0nam3, Spry, 13designershoes, Justice333, winterxlove, tomboy_26, Invaderk, SilverShadow3, D3stiny-Sm4sher and FallenStarx3. Your reviews have been both encouraging and reflection-provoking, and I hope I've made improvements to this chapter accordance to your feedback!

So this chapter was intended to have more plot and less description, but looks like I got carried away there. My state of writing has been less than satisfactory- I seem to be repeating the same thing over and over again, so I wanted to try something fresh by having heavy dialogue and descriptions here. The theme is family and love, with a dash of quick updates about current life in Republic City.

I made Koda an earthbender so that Toph would be drawn to him, acting as a teacher-cum-stand-in-for-Suki, rather than a different kind of bender or not one at all. This gives Sokka the added excuse of bringing his son for lessons and also allows Toph to be integrated into, and become a big part of, his life. Thus, the constant exposure sparks off this new territory they're exploring here, where they escape the frustrations and responsibilities of everyday life to find solace with each other. More of Suki will be revealed later- I had to split my outline into two chapters to avoid an overwhelming number of words.

Also, please listen to the song (apologies for my preference for lesser-known tunes), I came across it quite by chance after I had written this and I think it fits the themes here perfectly.

Hope you enjoyed what I've written, along with the beautiful, scenic song to accompany it (which also reflects the setting, by the way). All criticisms, comments, etc. are welcome x