Tokka- Just a Kiss

Toph rolled the smooth pebble over in her hand before throwing it into the campfire. The breeze fluttered her bangs in front of her face. Shadows cast by the light of the fire danced all around her.  She picked up another rock and tossed it in the fire angrily. The moon, though she could not see it, was nearly full. These memories constantly came back to haunt her like restless spirits. She chose another rock from the ground near where she sat. She closed her fist and crushed it. The sand oozed from her fingers and was carried away by the wind.
"What are you thinking about?"
Toph almost jumped, startled. She hadn't noticed him come out of his tent. "I thought you were asleep." It was more of a question than a statement.
"Couldn't," he said to the stars, tiny glittery specks in the black night. The sky was clear that summer night. Sokka peered into Toph's milky jade eyes, "You never answered my question."
She shrugged.
Sokka sat on the earth beside her. He joined Toph in her peculiar of tossing pebbles into the flames. "You thinking about the war again?"
Toph threw another rock, this time with more intensity. "Yeah," she admitted.
"Why does it worry you so much? The war ended four years ago.
"But so many people died," she began, "I can't help but think that if we had done something differently, we could have saved some of them."
The warrior pondered, threw a rock, and said, "Things worked out exactly the way they were supposed to. Every single person on this earth was put here to serve a certain purpose. Like my mom. My dad wished he had stayed with her. He said he could have saved her. And he probably could have. But if she hadn't died, Katara wouldn't have worn her necklace to the North Pole. Pakku never would have known who she was, and Katara would never have learned water bending. Look at her now; she's a master."
"I see what you're saying."
"The people who died during the war sacrificed their lives in order to save others. And they knew that. Yue did. And so did Jet. And even the earth benders in the army.
"But don't you wish you could have done something differently?"
"Yeah. I would have retreated during the invasion. And I would have jumped sooner. I've made plenty of stupid mistakes-"
"Jumped sooner?" she interrupted.
"When you were drowning," he said up to the moon, "at the serpent's pass."
Toph blushed, remembering how Suki had saved her, and Toph, thinking she was Sokka, had kissed her cheek. She hoped Sokka wouldn't notice. "What do you mean?"
"I waited too long to jump in. Suki was in the water before I was ready." Sokka turned to Toph and smiled, "She told me what happened, by the way."
Her face only reddened more.
"What about you? What would you have done differently?"
"I probably would have tried not to punch you guys so much." Of course there was so much more Toph would have rather said…
"That's very touching," he said sarcastically.
She punched his arm playfully. "Do you know how Suki's doing?"
"Well, the baby's healthy. They're getting married in the fall."
"That's good."
Sokka frowned when he thought back to a year and a half ago. Suki had told him she was pregnant. Sokka, of course, was incredibly shocked. He couldn't remember ever doing anything, but of course, he couldn't be sure. He figured that the least he could do was marry her, that way she wouldn't have to suffer as an unmarried mother. He proposed, but she said no, she couldn't take it any longer. The child wasn't his. It was only one night, and that was all it took. Suki begged for his forgiveness, but Sokka refused. He said that this was her mistake, and she would have to work it out. Hurt and angry, he left Kyoshi immediately.
Toph fiddled with her bracelet and Sokka shook himself from his flashback.
"So why couldn't you sleep?" she asked.
"I don't know," he lied. He did know. It was because his mind kept wandering from Toph, to food, to the possibility of going to visit the South Pole again, to Toph, to his mother (he was trying to remember her face), to Toph, to Suki, to how much Aang needs to propose to Katara already, to Zuko and Mai's recent wedding, to Toph.
Toph decided not to push it. "I'm going to bed now. Hey, thanks for talking to me," she said, her eyes staring blindly into the fire.
"No problem." Sokka didn't know why, but to him it felt… right. He leaned over and lightly kissed her cheek.
"What was that?" she asked, blushing.
By the tone of her voice, Sokka could tell that he really screwed up. He gulped, getting ready for a slug on the shoulder, "I kissed you."
Sokka was surprised, but more than pleased with her reaction. "If you're going to kiss me," she whispered, leaning nearer, "Do it like this." Toph grabbed the collar of his shirt and their lips collided. By the time the kiss broke, they were both red in the face. "Goodnight," she said, heading back to her tent.
"Goodnight." Toph left Sokka melting in front of the fire.


~Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight,
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright,
I don't wanna mess this thing up,
I don't wanna push too far

Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been searching for my whole life
Baby I'm alright
With just a kiss goodnight~