Prompt 13: Spit (#16)

A/N: This one took longer than expected - also fluff!

"Hey, Toph."

Sokka lounged against the side of Appa's saddle, picking idly at his ear. The boredom of the journey had taken its toll on the swordsman, as he yawned and started fiddling absentmindedly with his boomerang.

The blind girl sitting beside him tilted her head as a sign of attention, a cue that Sokka had picked up on early in their travels. Even years later, she had retained the same habits she had in her childhood - some things never changed.

Even though the Gaang wasn't able to spend as much time together as before, occasionally getting together for a surprise adventure to save the world once again made the old times feel all the sweeter and more sentimental. Just the four of them against the world, with none of the responsibilities of their new lives to tie them down.

The old times didn't involve the oogies, either.

"Aang and Katara are making kissy faces at each other again," Sokka grumbled.

In the old times, his sister and Aang didn't make out and hold hands and cuddle at every possible opportunity. It was like they were joined at the hip or something, they were so inseparable. Sokka grimaced as the couple unleashed another wave of oogies as blinding as the sun, their 'quiet' giggling and loving murmurs easily reaching Sokka's ears given the quiet environment.

"Spirits, I can hear the oogie." Toph shuddered. Sokka gave her a sideways glance, more out of curiosity than anything. In the three years - Spirits, it's been three years - since the end of the war, Toph had grown from a little girl who ran away from home to a confident young woman who has found her place in the world.

But, there was one subject that she never brought up during their meetings - romance. It seemed impossible for Toph to be immune to that affliction that all teenagers suffered from, yet she displayed no inclination of the sort towards it.

"I don't get it," the earthbender continued, "isn't kissing just, like, exchanging spit? Sounds kinda gross to me."

Sokka gave that statement a solid ten seconds to ferment in his mind, before he had to suppress a laugh. Trust Toph to think of a way to make an expression of love sound gross. The laugh came out as a snort instead, and Toph punched him in the shoulder for laughing.

"What?" Toph snapped, irritably. "It's true!"

Sokka smirked, reaching over and ruffling Toph's hair - that was another thing he couldn't do before. He wasn't sure when he became confident enough to do so, before Toph would have earthbent him into the sky, or maybe just clocked him in the head, but both Toph and Sokka had grown up since that time.

"It's more than that, though." Sokka said, suddenly realizing that in that area, Sokka had far more experience than Toph. He closed his eyes, reminiscing the more nostalgic times, when things were at once simpler and more complicated.

He sighed, feeling a pang of jealousy wash over him as he regarded his sister and Aang. He was happy for them, of course, but he couldn't help but feel wistful for better times. Yue was… still a sore experience. He was grateful, but it sometimes kept him up at night. Suki was his first experience at a real relationship - including the falling out of love. They simply couldn't keep up a relationship with the distance between them, and though they still cared for each other as friends, the love between them had waned.

"How much more could it be?" Toph huffed, crossing her arms - though not stopping the ruffling. Her face was slightly red, though Sokka didn't think much on it. It was probably just part of the small and angry deal that she had going on. "You touch lips and be gross about it. Done."

"Well," Sokka scratched his chin, thinking of a way to explain things to Toph. "When you kiss someone - and I mean, really kiss someone, out of love and all - it's… I don't know. It feels magical. The world sort of just… fades away, I guess, until there's just you, and the person you love. You become aware of everything about them - their warmth. Their smell. Their voice. The moment stretches on and on, and you never want it to end. It's cliched, I know, but…"

He stopped, realizing that he was starting to ramble. He glanced at Toph, and was surprised to find her lost in thought, her expression unmistakably one of a person deep in thought. She had a faint smile on her face, and there was a slight blush about her.

"…Wow." She breathed, looking starstruck for a moment before catching herself and shaking her head. "Uh- I mean, wow, that's real sappy of you, Princess. Didn't know you had it in you."

Sokka snorted - there was the Toph he knew and loved.

"So basically, you touch lips and exchange spit," he concluded sarcastically. "Come on, don't ruin this for me."

"Whatever." Toph gave him a solid punch in the arm, leaning against him afterwards. "I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me when we land for dinner."

"Aye aye, captain." Sokka gave her a pat on the head, and Toph turned her head away from him to hide the rich blush blossomed on her face. Resting her had against Sokka's shoulder, she drifted quickly off to sleep, thinking about what Sokka had told her.

It was nearing nightfall. The group had settled around a campfire, quietly eating their dinner. Aang and Katara naturally were sitting together, enjoying a vegetarian stew, while Sokka and Toph were working their way through a platter of roasted meat.

The fire flickered, casting the group in a warm, orange glow. Sokka tried to focus on eating, but the flickering firelight kept bringing his attention to Toph. He stopped eating the roast meat kebab he had in his hand, unable to tear his eyes away from the girl.

When did she lose the baby fat around her cheeks? When he thought back to the adventuring days, she had a distinctly childlike appearance, her cheeks round and her features soft. She had a cute, impish air about her back then. Her face was still round now - it was just the way she was - but now they were more defined, giving her a more rough-and-tumble, tough-girl appeal.

Not that there wasn't softness to her. He could see, under the tough surface, the caring friend that he's grown to love.

Love.

Love?

Sokka blinked, momentarily dazed. The tightness in his chest could not be mistaken for anything else. It was the same rush of indescribable emotion he felt when he first laid eyes on Yue, or when he was with Suki.

Yet, it was different. Not as overwhelming. He could feel an undercurrent of something deeper with her, driven not by passion, but trust built up over countless adventures. How long had that been there? Sokka couldn't even remember. It just… was.

"Hey, Sokka - pass the meat." Toph said, holding out a hand.

Sokka started - he had been staring at her face for the last… minute, now? He handed the half-eaten meat kebab to her, and she began tearing through it with gusto.

Isn't kissing just, like, exchanging spit?

"You know, I've already bitten into that," Sokka pointed out.

"Yeah, so?" Toph took another bite.

"Well," Sokka crossed his arms. "My spit's on there. Isn't it 'gross', Toph?"

Toph bit down again, before she blushed. Staring down at the meat kebab, she considered it for a moment, then slowly set the kebab down. "…Ew."

"Ew?" Sokka raised an eyebrow. "We've been sharing good food for years, and now you think it's gross?"

"Maybe I've developed a taste for cleanliness." Toph said. Sokka raised his eyebrow further, and Toph looked away petulantly despite not being able to see him. "Don't look at me like that."

Sokka leaned closer, giving her a comically exaggerated squint. "Like what?"

She glared at him. "Like I'm a kid. I can tell."

"Only a kid would think sharing spit is gross." Sokka said, his expression shifting to a more serious one. He leaned even closer, and Toph could feel his breath tickling her cheek. Her heart hammered in her chest at the proximity but she didn't let it show - though when she felt his heartbeat skyrocket, she felt a hot flush rise to her cheeks.

"I'm not a kid." Toph insisted, leaning closer herself.

"Prove it." Sokka breathed. Toph narrowed her eyes - a challenge was a challenge, no matter in what form.

She took the plunge, leaning forward completely, as did Sokka, and their lips met mid way.

She was dimly aware of Katara's high pitched squealing, and Aang's laughter. But they didn't matter, they weren't him. They didn't matter - all that did was her and Sokka and their lips locked together in that singular, magical moment.

The world sort of just… fades away.

There was a tingling feeling down her back as she realized Sokka had moved his arms around her, wrapping her into a deep, intimate embrace. She responded in kind, looping her arms around his neck and pushing forward into the kiss. He was warm, she realized. His skin radiated a kind of warmth and happiness that rivaled even the roaring campfire they sat around. He smelled warm, too - of ash from his cooking, and roasted meat, and the heat of the forge that he had gotten so fond of.

Then - he broke off the kiss, though their faces remained millimeters apart. His voice, suddenly deep and magnetic, drew her closer. "I love you, Toph."

You become aware of everything about them - their warmth. Their smell. Their voice.

Toph could not stare into his eyes, as she so often heard in the stories, but she could imagine that Sokka was looking deep into hers. She blushed deep crimson at the thought, but she still tilted her head forward, resting her forehead against his.

"I love you too, stupid."

The moment stretches on and on, and you never want it to end.

The moment stretched on and on, and she never wanted it to end. It was just her and Sokka, basking in each other's presence.

It's cliched, I know, but…

What a wonderful cliche it was.

Toph smiled, reaching out with a thumb to wipe the corner of Sokka's mouth. "Exchanged spit," she explained, and the two of them grinned, before leaning in for a second go.