1. A: Annoy

I've decided to do Tokka drabbles/oneshots for every letter of the alphabet... possibly excluding weird letters like X, where no matter what long and complicated word I used, it wouldn't fit quite right. :D This chapter was updated September 2011 to fix some minor formatting issues.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

_**01. A**_

_**Annoy**_

It was a bleak and rainy day at the Southern Water Tribe, the kind of day Sokka usually slept all the way through. Rain tended to make him sleepy, but it kept Toph awake with its constant motion. She didn't mind the irregular pitter-patter of the raindrops on the ground; she had long ago grown accustomed to it and actually found it relaxing. Still, it made her restless, and Toph was never able to sleep when she was restless.

Aang and Katara had conveniently found "some important top-secret business" to attend to - and, although they had made a big show of bringing a myriad of scrolls with various political proposals into Katara's hut, Toph was the first (and possibly only) one to know when they kicked the scrolls aside and headed straight for her bedroom.

Toph had learned a lot from Aang and Katara's surreptitious affairs. But, unfortunately, with Aang and Katara gone, she had very little to do. She had decided hours ago to focus her energy on the other occupant of the room - which, of course, kept the warrior awake as well.

"Sokka?" she asked for at least the twelfth time.

"Yes, Toph?"

"You've been sharpening your boomerang for twenty minutes now. I don't think it's gonna get much sharper."

"Whatever." The warrior rolled his eyes and continued his task, too tired to be fazed by the interruption.

"Sokka?"

"What?"

"I'm bored."

Sokka shot her a glare that she couldn't see. She could only tell that his head had turned, and that his sarcastic voice held an edgy note of impatience when he said, "Shut up, Toph."

She found it sexier than she should have.

"Sokka?"

"What?"

"I've found some entertainment."

"Great." He went back to sharpening his weapon.

"Wanna know what it is?"

"Not really."

"Well, I'm telling you anyway."

"Whatever," he deadpanned. _Does she ever shut up?_

"It's annoying you."

_Like I didn't know _that _already. _"Oh, nice. Thanks."

"You're welcome." The blind girl hesitated, if only just a teensy bit, before quietly adding, "Sokka?"

"WHAT?" the warrior shouted, his patience wearing thin.

"I... I think... I..."

"Spit it out already," he prompted her, trying to come off as nonchalant but portraying a little bit of interest in what she had to say.

"Ihaveacrushonyou," she rushed, almost inaudibly.

"What was that?" Sokka asked, genuinely confused.

"Nothing, moron. If you don't bother to listen the first time, I don't bother to repeat it." She sighed. "Just go back to sharpening your stupid boomerang."

But she couldn't help but notice that the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward, as if he were trying to suppress a smile.

_.fin._

A/N: Sorry if the quotes were confusing; I wanted to try something different this time. More coming soon. -somebody's world


	2. B: Birth

Hey everyone--thanks for reviewing the first chapter! It's nice to know someone's reading my fic, even though Tokka is kind of one of those o.O couples.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

**02. B**

**Birth**

It had been an accident, but nevertheless, an irreversible one. And through all the mood swings, morning sickness, weird cravings, and even the occasional rock-throwing temper tantrum, Sokka stayed by Toph's side. When it finally came time for Toph to deliver, Sokka ran to fetch Katara, and the siblings hurried back to Toph's tent.

Though Sokka remembered his last experience with birth (Ying having Hope) and began to feel faint, he willed himself to be strong throughout the delivery. He held her hand despite the immense pain it brought him and resisted the urge to throw up. He even stayed conscious the whole time.

After nearly ten hours of labor, Katara sliced through the umbilical cord and cleaned a newborn, blue-eyed baby girl. She wrapped the infant up and handed her to Toph, then went outside to invite her husband into the tent. "Aang, come on in! It's a girl!"

"She's so soft," Toph observed. "And tiny. And she cries a lot, but it's a cute kind of crying." She smiled and stroked the newborn's soft hair. "Is she pretty?"

"She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen," Sokka replied, then bent down to kiss the baby and its mother. "She looks a lot like you."

"You calling me beautiful?" Toph asked, making the connection.

"Yeah," Sokka answered. "You're beautiful, Toph. And I just know that you're going to make a good mother. And maybe" --he swallowed hard-- "maybe now that we've got a kid, we could... you know... get married. Settle down somewhere."

"Maybe so," Toph replied, blushing. Aang and Katara returned to the tent. She was sure they had overheard Sokka, but it was okay; he would give her a proper and more private proposal later. "So... you wanna hold her?" Toph asked, though she was a little reluctant to give up her new baby, even to her soon-to-be husband.

"Um... maybe in a minute," Sokka answered. "Hey Katara, can you heal my hand? I think Toph broke it holding on too tight."

X.x.X.x.X

**A/N:** Short and sweet, eh? Tell me what you thought! Peace out -MC


	3. C: Costumes

**Thanks for the reviews everyone!!! Here's the next chapter. I don't particularly like it, but maybe someone else will. XP I don't own Avatar.**

**03. C**

**Costumes**

Sokka looked like he was about to kill someone. He was clad in a long-sleeved red shirt and blue overalls, complete with an absurdly large straw hat. "I feel ridiculous! And this hat is so itchy!" He made to take it off, but Aang swatted his hand away.

"You're lucky I can't see. Why am I wearing this again?" a disgusted Toph chimed in. She plucked at the thick cotton shirt Katara had forced over her head and scrunched her nose at the stiffness of the fabric.

"You can't go to a costume party without a costume," Aang replied, barely suppressing a grin.

"Yeah, but you and Katara have cool costumes! You got that seamstress lady to make you Oma and Shu, and I'm stuck as a farmer!" Sokka argued, clearly exasperated.

"That's because you wouldn't come with us," Katara explained for at least the dozenth time that evening. "You told us to 'just pick out any old costume, I don't care.'" She imitated him so perfectly that Aang laughed.

Sokka rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "I should have known."

"It's what you get," Aang said matter-of-factly. "You too, Toph, since you didn't want to come with us either, for some reason."

Toph groaned. "What am I supposed to be?" she asked, bracing herself for yet another unsatisfactory answer.

"You're... the farmer's wife." Aang and Katara exchanged a glance.

"I'm WHAT?!" Toph shouted, clearly insulted. "You took advantage of my blindness to dress me as Meathead's WIFE?"

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Hey, what would be wrong with marrying me?" he asked coolly.

"Well..." Toph thought but couldn't come up with a very good answer. _Is it too much to ask to be able to keep my crush a secret?_ She changed the subject."I bet I look ridiculous in this!"

"Actually, Toph," Sokka said, "you look kind of cute."

Toph suppressed a blush and rolled her cloudy eyes. "Whatever," she answered, though she felt anything but indifferent. She linked her arm with Sokka's. "Come on, Meathead, let's go. And don't get any ideas, this is a one-night-only thing for me."

"Agreed," Sokka said.

Aang and Katara smiled and followed along a few paces behind them. "See?" Aang whispered. "I told you it would work."


	4. D: Doughnut

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to upload this chapter -- I've been having trouble with my computer lately. And, as always, thanks for all the reviews for the past chapter! I hope you all enjoy this one. It was a lot of fun to write, at least. It's kind of ridiculous, so don't take it really seriously. :D

**04. D**

**Doughnut**

"IT'S GONE!" The warrior stared incredulously at the flat, bare rock next to his sleeping mat, which still had a little smear of something sticky-sweet on it. He whirled around wildly, his eyes searching frantically for the missing treat -- _It's gotta be here! I warned them not to touch it! _-- but he found it nowhere. He paused, dejectedly, to think, and arrived at the only other logical explanation:

_Someone stole my doughnut._

He turned to everyone at the crime scene and penetrated them all, one by one, with an icy, accusatory stare, eliciting some puzzled -- and even frightened -- reactions.

"Who ate my doughnut?" he asked finally, and though the words came out more quietly and calmly than he would have liked, he felt an almost palpable tension in the air. Six anxious (and possibly _guilty?_)faces turned toward the (_justifiably!_)angry warrior, each with different proportions of confusion, interest, and -- ha! _Fear! Yeah, they'd better be afraid, because once I find out who did this..._

There was the fun-loving vegetarian, who didn't really _look _guilty; but then again, he was a good liar. _He's so used to sharing his stuff, he probably thinks I ought to share mine too! Well, I don't think so! I don't care if he _is _the Avatar, nobody steals _my_ doughnut!_

Katara moved instinctively closer to Aang, simultaneously seeking and trying to give protection. _Ha, she's usually so headstrong and argumentative. Look at her now -- bet she's scared out of her mind! Surely that's gotta mean she's guilty..._

Next in line was Iroh. He looked amused, but sympathetic at the same time. _Just look at him -- I'll bet he absolutely jumped at the opportunity to take some extra food! He stole it and ate it himself, it had to be him!_

The prince stood next to Iroh, arms folded, staring back defiantly at Sokka. He seemed to be fighting a grin. _Just look at him -- he thinks he's so much better than me! I'll bet he stole it just to make me mad!_

He wasn't quite sure how to judge if a bison looked guilty or not, but he calculated that Appa's supper of a few fish and moon peaches probably would not have constituted as a sufficient meal for a ten-ton beast with five stomachs. _That pig._

And the lemur -- _he's always looking for new ways to annoy me! I guess he's decided that all his squeaking and squawking and climbing all over me aren't good enough. I'll strangle him with one hand if I find out it was him, that pesky little..._

His eyes stopped on the last inhabitant of the camp -- the only one of the seven suspects that seemed uninterested in the fiasco at hand. The blind girl. She leaned casually against Appa's fur, arranging some pebbles on the ground into different patterns using some complicated-looking hand movements.

"TOPH!"

She turned her head toward Sokka, chunked one of the larger pebbles at him, then continued with her game.

"Toph, how can you be Earthbending at a time like this? Don't you realize there's a thief in our midst? And you're just sitting there like you--"

He stopped in mid-sentence, his mouth still hanging open slightly, as realization dawned on him. He narrowed his eyes and approached Toph, even though prior experience had taught him that was a bad idea.

"IT WAS YOU!"

The Earthbender rolled her cloudy eyes. "Yeah, someone did something to Sokka. Let's just automatically assume it was Toph."

"It usually _is _you," Katara pointed out. She was promptly pushed forward by a large chunk of earth and landed on top of Aang in a rather compromising position.

Toph laughed. Sokka didn't.

"Toph, I was looking _forward _to that doughnut!" he whined, paying no attention to his sister and Aang, who were both blushing madly and taking rather longer than necessary to stand back up.

"Again, Snoozles, who says it was me? You have no evidence that -- mmph!"

"You taste like doughnuts," Sokka told her once he had removed his lips from hers.

Toph's cheeks tinged slightly pink, and her supply of sarcastic retorts seemed to have suddenly run dry. "Okay, so maybe I did eat your doughnut. Whatcha gonna do about it?" she asked, a little more timidly than usual.

Sokka looked at her for a moment, weighing his options. When he finally spoke, his heart rate sped up just slightly and his body temperature rose a fraction of a degree. "You're going to take me out tomorrow and buy me another one," he informed her.

Toph smirked. "Hmm, and I had half-expected you to challenge me to a fight or something. You're not going soft, are --"

"And," he said, cutting her off, "you're going to sit and watch me eat it without buying one for yourself."

Toph's smirk faded, but she didn't complain. She nodded acquiescently.

_That wasn't exactly what I had in mind for a first date, _she thought as she watched him walk off, _but maybe it'll do. _She waited until the others had stopped staring at her, then curved her lips into a satisfied grin as she arranged her pebbles in the shape of a heart.

* * *

Review, please:) 


	5. E: Elephant

I am so incredibly sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out. I'll spare you all the long explanation and instead say: I thank you all for being so patient, and I especially thank those of you who have reviewed recently or added this story to your alert list. It's good to know that at least a few people out there are reading this. :)

So, on with the story! I don't own Avatar.

**05. E**

**Elephant**

**Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.**

She tried to cover her ears, but it did no good. The vibrations were a part of her, loud and incessant, and she couldn't drown them out no matter how hard she tried.

**Stomp. Stomp.**

_What's wrong with him? Doesn't he know there are people trying to sleep around here?_

**Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.**

_This has been going on for at least an hour now. It's time it stopped._

**Stomp.**

_That's it, one more time and -_

**STOMP.**

She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop herself from shouting his name. She stood up, slowly, reluctantly, and made her way toward the source of the noise.

**Stomp. Stomp.**

It wasn't difficult. She probably could have done it without her unique form of sight, what with all the racket he was making. _Surely the others can hear it, too. Maybe they're just trying to ignore it._

**Stomp. Stomp.**

She approached the spot where he was pacing and stood with her arms folded angrily, waiting rather impatiently for what had better be a _really_ good reason why he had kept her awake so long.

**Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.**

If she had been less annoyed, she might have stopped to appreciate her surroundings. They were in a small clearing in the forest, surrounded by trees of all different heights and varieties. The ground was rich and damp, mostly bare but interspersed randomly with small clumps of wildflowers, drooping slightly and thirsting for sunlight. Her blurred "vision" several yards off and the sound of rushing water told her that they were next to a river. She could feel the water beating forcefully against the river rocks, blunting their jagged edges and smoothing them into ever-smaller spheres.

But all the beautiful geometry in the world couldn't distract her from her purpose. She was too tired, and too frustrated, to pay attention to anything besides his familiar form wandering in relentless circles.

**Stomp.**

He hadn't noticed her. But then again, when did he _ever_ notice her?

**Stomp. Stomp.**

"SOKKA!"

The stomping stopped. She could feel him turn around to face her.

"What do you want?" he asked, his tone not quite icy enough to mask his surprise.

"I want you to stop your stomping. I could hear it from the campsite just like you were right next to me. You sound like a herd of elephants."

Sokka scoffed. "It's not stomping. It's _pacing_."

"Well, I don't care what you call it. It certainly feels like stomping."

"_This_ is stomping."

**STOMP. STOMP.**

"Augh! Didn't I just tell you to quit that?" she shouted.

"You didn't ask nicely." Sokka sank to the ground. "Although, in your defense, I don't even think you know how."

She narrowed her eyes. "You do realize that I could pulverize you right now, don't you?"

Sokka stared out into the distance. "Oh, shut up, Toph."

"Well, someone's testy tonight. What's wrong with you?" she asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Nothing's wrong with me," he answered.

"You're acting like even more of a jerk than usual."

Sokka sighed and bit his lip for a moment, as if he were trying to make up his mind about something. Finally he spoke.

"You wouldn't understand, you'd just laugh. I'm not going to tell you."

Toph rolled her eyes. _Moody moron._ She sat down next to Sokka and tried her best to tone down the sarcasm in her voice. "Why would I laugh?"

He shook his head. "Just go away."

"Not until I know you aren't going to stomp around and keep me awake anymore."

Sokka sighed. "If it'll make you go away, then I won't."

She raised her eyebrow. "Whatever." She didn't get what he was up to - then again, she rarely did - but she had achieved her purpose, and that was all that mattered to her. She turned and began to walk away.

_Freak. He's acting strange, but at least he quit that stupid elephant stom -_

**STOMP.**

Toph stopped mid-step, then abruptly turned the other way. She sprinted toward him full-force and tackled him to the ground. "What on earth do you think you're doing?" she shouted angrily. "I thought you said - "

Before she had a chance to register what was going on, he pushed her over so that they were side by side and facing each other, and he pressed his lips to hers.

_What the -_

_He's kissing me. Is this really what it's supposed to feel like?_

_No wonder that Suki girl was all over him._

Confused and a little unsure of what to do, she followed her instinct and kissed him back. She couldn't breathe, she felt lightheaded, she moved closer, before she knew it her tongue had found its way into his mouth, his hands snaked around her waist, she felt so hot, she felt so wonderful, her mind wasn't working properly, she couldn't form coherent thoughts -

She pushed him away.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded. "One minute you want me to go away, the next you kiss me like I actually mean something to you! I don't get it!" She rolled onto her other side so that her back was facing him.

"You do mean something to me," he said softly.

Her mouth curved into a slight smile, though he couldn't see it. "Are you going to stop stomping now?" she asked, a little more softly than she had been going for.

Sokka groaned. "Toph! Do you have any idea how much courage it took -"

Toph turned back around to face Sokka, then kissed him again. "If you're over your weirdness, can we go back to the campsite now? I need sleep, and I'm guessing you do too." She stood and offered him her hand.

He didn't let go once he was standing.

_Well, that was weird, but I can't say that I minded it._

**Stomp.**

"AUGH!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

* * *

**A/N: **Well, there you have it, the next chapter. R & R, please!


	6. F: Family

Warning: This chapter has no plot whatsoever - it's just another piece of short, mindless fluff. Hmm... I seem to write those a lot.

Read on if you dare.

* * *

**06. F**

**Family**

Sokka had always thought of their little group as his family.

Katara actually _was_ his sister, of course. And since she and Aang were practically engaged, he supposed that made the Airbender his brother, even though the 15-year-old sometimes got on Sokka's last nerve with his endless pranks and jokes.

(He had heard somewhere that this was what brothers were supposed to do. He supposed it was true, considering that was certainly what his sister did.)

Sokka had been slightly repulsed by Appa since the day they had first met (and he had discovered that Appa's sneeze was even worse than Aang's), but he realized and accepted that Appa was an essential part of the team. Momo got on Sokka's last nerves as well with his endless chittering - annoying at the best of times, but simply _unbearable_ when trying to get rid of a headache. He had never been overly fond of the bison or the lemur, but he loved them in a dysfunctional kind of way. They were part of his family.

That took care of Katara, Aang, Appa, and Momo… and left Toph.

At first, Sokka had thought of her as another annoying little sibling. She had probably smartmouthed him more times in the first week he knew her than he would be able to compensate for in his lifetime. On top of that, she was another bender, and frankly her powers got on his nerves. _Show-off,_ he would think to himself as she demonstrated her abilities over and over again.

But as time passed, Sokka started to look up to Toph. She was smarter than most people gave her credit for. She was very down-to-earth (pun intended) and gave sensible advice. She was brave and strong, and she wasn't afraid to be different. Sokka liked that about her. She couldn't exactly be qualified as a little sister anymore, despite the fact that he was three years her senior. So, in a weird and unexplainable way, he began to think of her as his _big_ sister.

Then, as many of his girlfriends came and went – Suki fell for another man, Ty Lee annoyed him to no end with her endless optimism, various Earth Kingdom girls got lost in the crowd – Toph became his confidant. She listened with an open mind, always ready to supply comfort when he needed it. He appreciated her kindness, and slowly but surely, he began to fall for her.

And then... she had kissed him. It had been a completely random, spur-of-the-moment kiss, meant to be nothing more than an innocent peck on the lips. But he cupped her chin in his hands and kissed her back, and it had felt better than all of the kisses that had preceded it combined.

Now, as he lay beneath the sheets with his sleeping fiancee, he couldn't believe that he hadn't realized it sooner. He loved her, and her position in his family was perhaps the most special one.

_Soon, Toph, we _will _be family, _he thought as he stroked her hair. _We'll be husband and wife. That's the most important kind of family of all – the kind you choose for yourself._

* * *

**A/N:** Have you gagged yet?


	7. G: Girlish

Hey guys, sorry this is so late in coming... so many things have happened since I last updated this story! I know this isn't a good enough excuse, but this semester has been _terrible, _especially my English classes. And it's only going to get worse. -sigh- Maybe I should change majors.

Well anyway, I've been in an Avatar mood lately, and I've actually been working on another chapter fic. I don't know if I'll post it (or even if I'll finish it... I'm not quite sure how I want it to end) but since I've got time over Christmas break, hopefully there will be at least a few more updates before I start another busy semester.

I assume that pretty much anyone who's looking up Avatar fanfiction will have finished the series by now, but I suppose I should put a spoiler warning just in case. If you don't know who ended up together, this is gonna ruin it for you.

I still don't own Avatar... Happy reading, everyone!

* * *

**07. G**

**Girlish**

Toph recognized the footsteps outside her door immediately. They belonged to that loudmouthed warrior that always said things without thinking and never came to see her anymore. For a fleeting second she thought about feigning sleep, but she knew her stupid conscience wouldn't allow it. She was annoyed, but not mad enough to ignore him.

Sokka raised his fist, preparing to knock on the door, when he heard her voice. "Come in!"

Sokka twisted the knob and peered into the room. Toph was seated in a chair next to her bed, directly across from the doorway. "But I didn't - "

"You didn't have to," Toph reminded him, waving one of her feet in the air.

"That's creepy, Toph," Sokka decided, crossing the room to sit on the bed.

"Did you come all the way over here to insult me?" Toph asked, half-pretending to be a little hurt.

"No," Sokka answered, and she supposed it was enough. "I'm bored."

"So go play with your girlfriend," Toph suggested, her voice a little more spiteful than she had intended. She refused to amend her mistake, though, just as Sokka refused to acknowledge it.

"She and her warriors are having a 'girls' day out,'" Sokka said bitterly, completing his sentence with air quotes he forgot Toph couldn't actually see.

"Go find Aang and Katara, then," Toph replied. The suggestion sounded halfhearted to her own ears, and she really hoped Sokka was too distracted to notice that she didn't actually want him to leave.

"No thanks. I refuse to walk in on them making out again." Sokka pretended to gag. Toph decided it was best not to bring up that he did the same with Suki. Toph had already made it plain that she did not like the female warrior, and Sokka had an annoying habit of defending Suki to anyone who even maybe insulted her.

"I'm surprised you're okay with it," Toph said instead, trying to change the subject in her mind. _Anything _to get out the mental images that had just popped up.

"I'm not, really," Sokka objected. "But Dad doesn't seem to be worrying, so I guess it's not my place to butt in. I've already warned Aang that if he even _thinks _about Katara in the wrong way, I'll kick his butt."

Toph smirked. "I'd like to see that. The kid who saved the world, getting his butt kicked by someone who can't even bend."

"Hey!" Sokka shouted. "I'm strong and you know it!" As if to prove his point, he flexed one of his biceps in Toph's face.

Then, before either one of them had the wits to process what was happening, Toph leapt at him and pinned both his arms to the bed. "Not stronger than me," Toph taunted him, her face inches from his and the weight of her tiny body curled up on his chest, restricting his breathing.

Sokka struggled uselessly against her grip. Toph's senses started to come back to her as she realized that she was lying on top of Sokka, pinning him to _her _bed, and he had a girlfriend who just happened to be away and she should definitely _not _be doing this -

Her legs folded around his chest and she could feel his accelerated heartbeat. His temperature rose a little and she imagined his cheeks must be burning, though not any more than hers. His breathing was ragged and shallow, and she wasn't quite sure if it was from her proximity or the fact that her body weight was crushing his diaphragm. She knew she should get off, that this was _wrong_, but after all, _he _had come to _her _because his stupid girlfriend had deserted him to do something girly, and she was just like one of the guys to him, wasn't she?

Except that Sokka's heart rate didn't double around guys, and he didn't lean a little closer to them and almost -

_What am I doing?_

Sokka coughed, and it sounded a little strangled to Toph's ears. "Uhh... would you mind...." Sokka left his sentence unfinished, but Toph still got the hint. She stepped down to the floor, away from the welcome heat of his body, and wished she could just melt and become invisible and maybe switch eyes with Sokka so that she could see his expression and he couldn't see hers.

_Did we really just... almost...?_

Toph claimed her chair once again and crossed her arms. Each time it got a little harder and a little easier to act like nothing had happened.

_Stupid Suki, leaving me to deal with this idiot._ And she started talking about metalbending because God forbid Sokka would have to have a girly conversation while his girlfriend was off ignoring him.

_You haven't won yet, Suki._

* * *

**A/N:** Is girlish even a word? I think I might have invented it. Or, rather, stolen it from Ayumi Hamasaki.

And they finally took Avatar out of the anime/manga category! I'm so proud of you, ffnet.


	8. H: Hope

This was inspired by one of my friends who just recently had a baby. Even though she's never going to read this, I was in the mood to write a babyfic, H seemed like the perfect letter, and this is what came out.

The ending you may recognize from elsewhere; the idea has been used in several movies and TV shows and was not originally my idea, so I take no credit for it. But I thought it would be a nice conclusion, so I left it in. :D I do not own Avatar.

**08. H**

**Hope**

"Remind me again how I got dragged into this?" Toph sighed as she - once again - cleaned "spit-up" off her outfit. Not that she wasn't used to being dirty; still, Toph didn't exactly _like_ the idea of baby vomit all over her clothes.

"Aang's off doing his Avatar duties, and Katara's teaching waterbending." Except it didn't come out quite as clearly as he'd intended, as Sokka had decided to take the Earth Kingdom couple up on their offer of "help yourself to any food you find in the house."

"You know that's not what I meant," Toph argued, chunking the soiled cloth at his head. Sokka turned a funny shade of green and made a face that seemed to amuse the small child sitting on Toph's lap.

"That's disgusting!" Sokka shouted, throwing the cloth on the floor as if it were infected with a contagious disease. "And what do you mean, that's not what you meant?"

"We four are _not _the only people in town," Toph reminded him coldly, bouncing the baby roughly on her right leg. Neither Toph nor the baby seemed to like it. "Couldn't they have asked someone _else _to babysit?"

"They could have," Sokka said, "but this is _free food_."

"You're charitable, as usual."

"And you're going to make her cry... again," Sokka warned. Toph bounced the child harder, irritated. Sure enough, she started whining.

Sokka reluctantly left his seat and snatched the baby away from his companion before the wails could get any louder. Really, it was hard to enjoy a meal with a baby whining in the background. Sokka was sure he had never cried as a child. "You see this, Hope? I have to do _everything _around here. Toph doesn't know how to take care of a baby, does she?"

The child, who had quieted for a moment thanks to her change in position, didn't seem to like Sokka's tone of voice. She began whimpering again and her eyes teared, an all-too-familiar sign that she was preparing to throw a fit much too loud for someone of her size.

"Neither does Sokka, apparently," Toph snapped, crossing her legs and putting her hands behind her head in an all-but-verbal statement that her cries were _his _problem now.

"Not again!" Sokka shouted. Hope liked this louder, more frantic tone of voice even less, and she made her opinion known in the only way she could. "No - shhh, don't cry! Shhhh! It's okay! You're away from that crazy lady now, aren't you?" Sokka's baby voice was even creepier than his normal one. Toph rolled her eyes.

"Are you hungry?" Sokka asked, staring at the crying ten-month-old as if he expected an answer. Her wails increased in volume.

"Ahh, that's it, isn't it? I think I've figured it out! Toph, do you think she's old enough to eat turtle-duck meat?"

Toph facepalmed. She was starting to get a headache, and she wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the baby at all.

"No, you idiot. She's _ten months old_."

"Well, maybe if I break it up into little pieces -"

"Give her some baby food."

Sokka sighed. "Fine, have it your way. We'll feed her mush. Where is the baby food, anyway?"

"Weren't you listening? Ying told us it was on the top shelf in the little wooden container."

Sokka paled. "...Wooden? You're sure she said wooden?"

Toph gave him a blank stare as an answer. Sokka shoved Hope into Toph's arms and rushed over to the food cabinet. He searched the entire top shelf for a wooden container. There wasn't one.

"Uhh... we have a problem. I guess I... kind of... ate the baby food."

Toph nearly dropped the child sitting in her lap. "You _what_?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I thought it was peach sauce!"

Toph facepalmed again. Sure enough, the headache _definitely _wasn't from the baby. Hope had quieted down, but the pain was worsening. "You are, without a doubt, the _worst _father in the history of fathers. _And you're not even a father."_

"What?" Sokka asked, confused, but then shrugged it off. "I didn't mean to! You know how I am when I'm around food! I don't think! I - I... _damn!_"

"Sokka, don't use language like that around -"

"Damn!"

They both froze and turned to the baby sitting on Toph's lap. "Damn!" it exclaimed again, clapping its hands together happily.

Toph could tell from Sokka's heart rate that he was thoroughly upset, but she couldn't help teasing him a bit. "They're going to kill you, you know," she said matter-of-factly, making no move to stop the baby from repeating her first word again and again.

Sokka began hitting his head against the wall repeatedly and mumbling things to himself. Toph smiled. She didn't mind taking the blame for him, but she didn't have to let him know that just yet.

* * *

(Updated a bit on 7/11/11)


	9. I: Instinct

Hope you guys like this one; it's one of my favorites so far from this collection. Sokka needs someone to put him in his place every once in a while. ;) Idea, of course, came from the whole "Sokka's instincts" exchange in... Jet, I think? -has been far too long since I've watched season 1-

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or its characters.

* * *

**09. I**

**Instinct**

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Toph asked monotonously, kicking a rock into a nearby tree. "You're going to get us completely lost."

"Don't talk like that, Toph. It's bad karma," Sokka informed her soberly. "And we are _not_ lost. We're just… taking a scenic detour. See? Isn't this a nice forest?"

Toph rolled her unseeing eyes. "Beautiful, I'm sure," she said sarcastically. "But I'd really rather take the more direct route, considering we are expected to meet Katara and Aang in Omashu by sundown. So which way?"

Sokka frowned and began inspecting the trunk of a tree with an unnecessary amount of concentration. Toph was about to ask him what on earth he was doing when he piped up, "Moss grows on the north side of the tree, right?"

Toph groaned and stamped her foot, rotating the ground beneath Sokka's feet so that he was now facing her. Sokka lost his balance and fell rather inelegantly with a thud and a surprised yelp. "What was that for?"

"_That_," Toph said, once again knocking him off his feet as he tried to get up, "was for you being a moron. I told you that you would need my help. But did you listen to me? No! You were so sure that your 'instincts' would lead you in the right direction. And look where those 'instincts' have gotten us. You're totally lost!"

Sokka rubbed his sore thigh. "Not _totally_ lost," he corrected her matter-of-factly. "We have been going in… this direction" - he pointed a hesitating finger, then adjusted its trajectory a bit - "for about an hour now. And before that we were following some sort of path. So we could retrace our steps if necessary… But I happen to think that if we keep heading north, we will reach our destination in no time." With a satisfied nod, Sokka set off in a direction that was most definitely _not_ north.

He sank to his knees in quicksand. "Ahhh - TOPH! Quit doing that!"

Toph marched angrily over to him. "When are you going to admit that you need my help?" she asked, exasperated.

Sokka stared at her a long moment, and she could feel his accelerated heartbeat. Time for the moment of truth. "Okay," he admitted finally, with a surprising amount of dignity considering his body was halfway in the ground. "I have no idea where I'm going."

"Obviously," Toph agreed with a haughty snort. "So… what? You gonna ask me for help now?"

Sokka looked down. "C-can you please help me back up onto solid ground?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." The earth underneath the quicksand shot upward with such force that Sokka fell for a third time. "Tell me you were wrong."

Sokka scowled. "I hate you," he said under his breath.

"I could easily leave you stranded in the forest and tell Katara and Aang you were eaten by wolf-tigers," she reminded him brightly. It was starting to not sound like such a bad idea.

"Fine!" Sokka conceded. He swallowed. "I was… being arrogant, Toph, saying I didn't need your help. I'm sorry. I have no idea how to get to Omashu from here, and I need you to guide us."

Toph smirked and knocked him down once more, for good measure. "Follow me," she instructed. "No more of this 'instinct' business. We're going to rely on a _real_ sense of direction from now on."

And despite the angry bruises forming on his legs, Sokka smiled as he fell into step behind Toph. She was headstrong and unforgiving and stubborn to a fault, but she was also probably the most reliable person he knew. It was a relief to know that they were finally headed in the right direction, even though he'd had to swallow his pride in order to make it happen. For now, he was content just to follow her.

* * *

Con-crit appreciated.


End file.
