#soft tokka
Text
Hey guys! Sorry for mentally checking out for the entire last half of 2023, but look, here's a Tokka fic that I'm really proud of! Hope you enjoy this little chunk :)
EXCERPT:
“I can go, if you’d rather be alone.”
Even the soft alert to her presence made him jump, but he quickly recovered upon recognizing her.
“No, I’m glad you’re here. Sit with me.”
She did so without question, sitting a respectful distance away. But it wasn’t long until Sokka objected, holding an impatient hand out to her.
“Get over here, you’re not gonna catch something.”
In any other moment, Toph might’ve retorted back with some sarcastic comment, in a feeble attempt to amuse him. But something told her he wouldn’t enjoy any part of it, so she obliged in silence, still being careful not to touch him. Once, he’d flinched at her touch when he was lost in his head. And while she’d apologized at the time and he’d said it was no big deal, the way his heart had jolted in panic still stuck with her. She couldn’t hear the fear in his voice again, no matter how much she longed to take his hand.
“Are you… okay?” Toph tried carefully.
“Yeah. Well, no. It’s just, sometimes I think that I’ve grieved, that I’ve said goodbye to the people I’ve lost. Sometimes I think it’s over. And then a night like this happens, which makes me question how I ever thought that. The truth is, no amount of goodbyes will ever make losing her any less painful. I will always be saying goodbye to Y— to Yue,” he stuttered, finishing with a broken, frustrated sigh. “All I have to do is think about her for an instant, and I’m angry about what happened to her again, like nothing’s changed since that night.”
“You have every right to be.”
Sokka nodded, digging a frustrated hand into the sand and burrowing it deeply.
“She's beautiful up there tonight. Always is, really. But nothing compares with how she was down here. The world needs more people like her, desperately. But somehow, those people are almost always the ones that are the first to be taken away. No, to be sacrificed. And it's… on me,” he admitted miserably, his voice going thick. “That sh–she's not here. She saved me, saved us all, but I couldn’t save her. She's gone and it's my fault."
#tokka#toph x sokka#my fics#oh and it's got some Yuekka angst in there too... be warned#or Yukka... however the kids are saying it now lol#I might even have another lengthier tokka fic in the works too so stay tuned
33 notes
·
View notes
Text
Tmnt Owl house AU something something (mostly based on 2012)
For things to make sense some mutants ain't mutants, they're witches and not demons until i say so. Well except one of em, one of em is human.
Shredder is Belos and Splinter is Caleb but instead of Shredder killing Splinter for falling in love with a witch and wanting to stay in the demon realm he kills him because he's also in love with the same witch, which is Shen taking the place of Evelyn.
With a lot of consideration, i was really debating on whether or not to make Karai take Hunter's place but i found a perfect place for her. She's Eda the Owl Lady... Or more like Karai the snake lady. She's still connected to Shen and Splinter in a way. She's a wild witch and the self proclaimed strongest witch in the boiling isles. She's cursed by the Snake Beast, which is why i made her Eda since she can shift between two forms in the show.
Chompy in this is taking King's place and you guessed it, the boiling isles is Tokka, Chompy's mama. He's still pretty much a turtle.
They have their own version of hooty which is hissy lol very creative.
Venus is gonna be Lilith in this. Even though she doesn't exist in 2012 i want to use her cuz why not. Her attitude is basically the same as lilith in a sense.
Oh and Shini is Raine.
I was debating really hard on who gets to be Luz and I was thinking of Leo and Mikey, but for this I chose Leo. He seems the type. Mikey has a lot of imagination for sure, but Leo is the same obsessed as Luz is.
He's just a normal japanese kid that's just a bit too weird and obsessed with his fantasies. Not in the same level as Luz is though, more in the lines of not being able to socialize properly because people think he's weird for it. He's fine with that until he was sent to reality check summer camp in order to make friends. I don't know who can be his parent though, I was thinking it would still be Splinter, he's just a descendant of the Saki brothers that coincidentally takes the name Hamato (which is Karai's surname).
Leo appeared in the boiling isles after he watched Miwa, Karai's snake palisman drag his book away and decided to stay to learn magic like he only ever dreamed of. He's as enthusiastic as Luz is but is a bit hesistant in getting into trouble until him and his new friends from hexsude accidentally animated the house. He's still pretty much a worrier and took it upon himself to help out as much as possible.
Karai won't admit it but she's getting soft on the kid.
I have been thinking hard on it but i was able to figure a few things out.
Donnie takes Amity's place, and obviously there's no shipping. I would've put April here but honestly she doesn't really fit. He is adopted. His dad is Dr. Rockwell and Donnie took his name last name. Donnie's still in the Abomination track like Amity but he wants to learn more about other tracks so he learns in secret. I was also thinking Odalia can be replaced by Falco because... Ya know what happened between him and Falco.
Anyways.
Donnie's personality starts off as cold and a bit too obsess when it comes to being at the top, but his true personality shows through qith his interests in human technology, which he wishes to indulge with since he was younger. Leo befriends him and he slowly gets back to the Donnie we all know and love. Karai even gives their human junk for him to tinker if he wants to. He pretty much uses his abomination goo to form a staff instead of monsters from time to time and he's damn well good with it until he gets his palisman, which is a spiny soft shell turtle.
Then we have Mikey, who's split between being Gus and being Willow. He's definitely Gus most of the time. In here he's Donnie's childhood friend but they had a falling out due to Falco's meddling. He's just as obsessed in humans as Donnie, but more obsessed with the mundane side like their shows and comics. We deviate from the show because he's in the potions track and he's damn well good in it as well. He started in the Abominations track to follow Donnie but in the end he transfers tracks after realizing that chasing Donnie was not worth it now that he had a friend in Leo. Donnie and Mikey will get along eventually. He may not be all thay useful in a fight but he uses potions in small easy to shatter vials that work like Leo's glyphs if thrown hard enough. His palisman is a ornate box turtle.
Leatherhead adopted Mikey as well!!
Another person that's split between being Willow and Gus is our queen Mona Lisa. I really want Raph to give her that nickname but it has to be Leo and she's happy to be given a human nickname. She's part of the Plant Coven and is pretty darn powerful in it. She's a year older than Mikey and Donnie, around April and Casey's age and is like a big sister figure to Mikey ever since him and Donnie's little spat. Everything goes well in the end when the two get along. Her palisman is a blue and black spotted salamander.
The emerald entrails still happen, with April and Casey taking place of Skara and Viney in the team along with Mona and Mikey.
And oh boy here we are.
Raph.
The Golden Guard... Or the Crimson Guard.
A grimwalker of Splinter, Shredder's brother, he's the youngest Crimson Guard ever and the most like him, except for the bright green eyes. He's basically overconfident and cocky under that red mask of his, he's the symbol of fear for the Emperor, a soldier meant to enforce the Titan's will. A strong figure that proves that wild witches' days of running free are numbered.
But under all that is a bad but mad boy who is angry at the world because the Emperor told him to. Under all that is a child with bright eyes and the love for nature. An absolute dork that talked to birds that passed by his room, a kid obsessed with the idea of freedom, of wild magic he know he can't wield. And look! A palisman chose him! An alligator snapping turtle that was oh so protective. But because he's so much like him the Emperor placed higher standards on his shoulders. So he needs to be mad, he needs to be angry, for the Titan's will, to make his Uncle proud, and to insure a future where it stops hurting.
He's going to realize that his future doesn't belong with a fraud.
It belongs with Leo's gentle comfort, Mikey's laughter, and Donnie's endless ramblings.
If it weren't for the fact that he's a clone of a dead man, or that Mikey and Donnie don't know who their real parents are, or the fact that Leo was human, he swears that maybe in another life they're brothers.
And as his whole worldview crashes down reveal after reveal...
Leo says that they're brothers and that's when Raph knew he's done being someone's puppet.
44 notes
·
View notes
Text
Start of something Tokka I’ve been working on, rewriting Su and Lin the childhoods they should have had— but we’ll get there 👀
.
.
.
The sound of little feet pounding against stone tile echoed through the apartment. She’d move from her room down the hall, to the kitchen, putter around in there on one foot and then shimmy onto the other before dashing back down the hall that led past Toph’s bedroom back to Lin’s very own. It was mischievous and very likely, leading to the largest mess an unsupervised six year old could create at this hour so avoiding it wasn’t the best mothering move. But the blind woman’s foot was on the floor and had been for the past twenty minutes so it wasn’t like Lin was completely left to her own devices, at least.
The bar for parenting was horrifically low this morning.
“Lin..” She half mumbled into her pillow as the little girl attempted another tip-toe by the doorway, stopping immediately at the sound of her mother’s voice and her back straightening like a washboard. “It’s too early for whatever you’re doing so how about you get up here, hmmkay?” Toph asked, rolling onto her side and patting the side of her bed with two solid strokes. The six year old girl wobbled on her feet, hesitating for only a second before turning and scurrying up the comforter to the warm spot her mother had been occupying.
“I didn’t know you were awake, Mama…” She said softly, a short lisp in her polite voice and Toph knew that pesky wiggly tooth was still giving her problems. The black haired woman offered out her hand and Lin took it, the pale girl raising it to her face like she’d done a million times before and letting her mother’s calloused padded fingers feel the rounded dimples of her cheeks.
“Mhm..” Toph hummed, only half believing her little girl. She was polite and smart, and had all the makings of a fine member of society already at only six, but Toph knew there had to be some of her in there— Lin was just very good at hiding it. “You wash your face?”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Brush your teeth?”
“Yes..”
Toph’s thumb poked at her lips and Lin shut her mouth immediately, like a vice. Her soft and pudgy hand clasped over her maw like her mother would pry it away and Toph’s brows raised.
“Oh, now I know you’re lying, badger-breath.” She grinned, laughter exploding into the room and pulling from a place in Toph that hadn’t quite woken up yet as she began her attack. Her hands worked quickly, delicate and strong at the same time as she began peeling away Lin’s digits by the little gaps between her fingers. It was a losing battle for the youngest Beifong, twisting and bucking her small body as Toph’s arms only continued to ensnare her and sleep was shaken off by their tussle.
“You think you’re getting away, huh?” The elder asked, laughter still rolling from her warm gut as Lin barely got one foot on the floor— half out of the bed. “I’ve wrestled elephant koi ten times your size!” Her mother announced with her mighty master-of-everything voice as the floor betrayed Lin— the square stone tile punching upwards just enough that the girl was tossed up back into the mess of blankets and sheets, right back into Toph’s territory. Lin squealed as she took flight and with that opportunity, the little girl was left breathless and yet still trying to laugh as she curled into the sheets of her mother’s lap. Sleep was shaken from the both of them but a new tiredness seeped into both girls as the mellow Sunday light filtered through the blinds and they both worked on how to breathe again. Toph’s breath still came in laughs and sharp puffs of air as her chest rose and fell, hands pushing hair from Lin’s pink face.
They stayed like that for a few moments, breathing and being warm— touching as they so frequently did. Toph was never one for personal space, needing to feel to see half the world her feet couldn’t show her and so those same grabby hands had rubbed off on Lin after so many years attached to her hip. Lin rubbed her feet together beneath the blanket, constantly in motion even as she sucked in air and Toph carded her fingers through the girl’s bangs as they both breathed.
“You gonna tell me the truth now, little cricket or am I gonna need to touch your toothbrush?” Toph threatened with a smile on her face, the affectionate nickname making Lin’s feet stop their fidgeting. She’d been called that since infancy but the six year old felt she was much too big to be a little cricket.
“Mamaaa..”
Toph’s milk toned eyes rolled as she already knew the small girl’s complaint.
“Don’t call me, little cricket.”
“Don’t call you, little cricket.” The mother repeated back, an identical whine at the end of the nickname to further mimic her dramatic girl but at the very least, her mockery didn’t worsen the child’s pout.
“Alright, alright, enough lazing around. The morning market isn’t gonna wait for us and we’re already pushing it...” She said, finally pulling her hand from Lin’s bangs and pushing the blankets and sheets away as she placed the young girl back down on the ground from beneath her armpits.
“Mei-Rin and Nara are gonna be at the market this morning— the girls from school!” Lin announced, excitement ebbing into her voice as her feet slapped against the cold stones again in rapid little steps.
“Oh yeah? Is Mei-Rin the girl who’s mom always smells like potpourri or the one with the noisy earrings?”
“Earrings— they’re like windchimes, Mama.”
.
.
.
To be continued…
17 notes
·
View notes
Note
for the ask game: toph from atla? thanks! <3
Yayy, thank you so much for asking!! TOPH, my OG fave. I always love her rough-and-tumble self, but I'm feeling particularly soft about her lately, so let's go:
Soft headcanons meme:
send me a character and I'll tell you:
what they smell like: dirt (obviously) and moss. I feel like she has some moss growing on her somewhere bc the moss just thinks she's a rock
what their favorite smells in the world are: damp cool caves like the ones the badgermoles lived in, but also jasmine because in her parent's garden they had a small jasmine section that she would hide in when she wanted to get away. She loves jasmine tea with Uncle Iroh!
What pajamas they wear/what they wear to sleep in: the simple shift under her clothes, but when Katara steals her clothes to clean it, she'll steal clothes from everyone else and then keep them to sleep in
My favorite ship and a cute hc about them: Tokka! (Internet veteran too weary to explain my justification for this haha.) Also, very close behind, Taang! So for Tokka, I think my biggest hc is that Sokka is one of her kid's dad/he helped raise them. But as I don't really consider anything post-book 3 canon, I'll give a different hc. One time, they tried to draw/carve into a rock each other's portraits. Toph's portrait of Sokka was kinda a spiky oval blob and Sokka's portrait of her was even worse. They kept the portraits for the rest of their lives. For Taang, they go on so many holidays together. They allow each other to act their age and to take off the many burdens they carry. So they go to the spa, the beach, the mountains, everywhere as often as they can and just have fun
My favorite friendship and a cute hc about them: Zuko and Toph, the unsung brother-sister duo. Because they're both really dedicated to improving their crafts, they teach each other their bending styles, which involves a lot of trial and error because the forms are different and having to adopt for Toph's need to keep to the earth. But no one sees it coming when Toph creates a rock whip or Zuko creates a fire tent
A song that reminds me of them: This one is hard. Immortals by Fall Out Boy?
What animal I think they would be if they were an animal: Badgermole, of course
What position they sleep in: When they're on the move, on her tummy, every part of her in touch with the earth so she can sense danger. When she's in a safer situation, curled up very tightly in a ball, with only her feet sticking out to protect her
Their favorite drink: I think she has really expensive taste. Like the highest Uncle Iroh-quality jasmine tea, imported coconut melon juice with two scoops of sugar and three ice cubes. Really expensive whiskies as an adult.
A gift I would give them if I could: Custom-made, one of a kind wrestling championship belt that says World's Greatest Earthbender. Because she deserves it. And a wrestling tournament held in her honor that she gets to compete in
#thank you so much friend!!!#if anyone feels like sending in more please do#agent report#agent h#headcanon accepted#atla#I really want a toph and spa fic now where they just go and chill. they deserve it
9 notes
·
View notes
Note
A little late, but: something really dirty for Tokka, like spooning or snuggling or handholding? I haven't actually written anything, but I've been thinking of "bad girls" with real soft sides to them.
>a little late
>haven't posted anything official yet
>Is your new job a time traveller?
Toph might act tough, but she does love snuggling and spooning. she might have criticised Aang and katara for acting lovey-dovey in public, but she participates in the same "oogie"s with Sokka.
As for handholding, well, it depends what will she hold... :)
11 notes
·
View notes
Note
I know that you are a multi shipper but please tell me your favorites if you have some also what are your fav rare pairs
Firstly I really apreciate you're giving me so many asks I love to babble about things in general but especially of my special interests
For Sokka my favourite ships are Yuekka, the best of course lol, Tokka and Sokkla (because the only person who tops Azula is Sokka lmao) hehe I think they're cute. Sokkla started on that one scene he presses her against the wall. I will not elaborate.
For Katara it might come across as weird since you know I like Zutara, but I'd really like her to end up with Haru. He had so much potential and really respects her! Haru also met her when she was on her prime of innocence and was still very much inspired by her. He'd need to get rid of the beard tho, its not good on him. Ooh and I like Azutara, hehe. Spicy.
For Toph its - hehe - Toko, Tokka and Tang. TOPH TOPS EVERYONE BWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!! Also Toph and Teo- the boy who flies and the girl who senses. Absolute power couple. But mainly Tokka, I love her silly crush on him.
*coughs* anyway, I ship Aang with therapy first, but then with Azula. I just think they're neat. And I really like Kataang too, but not the tainted canon version. My own. Oooh my favourite rarepair is Yuang. So neat. Ah! And On-Ji, the fn student girl, she was so cute and obviously had a crush on him.
I ship Zuko with Jin, the Ba Sing Se girl because she was a breath of fresh air and was super funny. She was so easy going, I was rooting for them. But I really like Maiko too, Mai is so adorable and sexy and Zuko looks so happy in the finale with her! And with Suki too because of that one my lord scene but dont tell Sokka or my friends we hate the comics
I really love Tyzula because we all just assume Azula would be the top but I think she'd be the blushing mess. She is so soft for Ty Lee. Adorable my two babeys.
I know it's kinda boring bc its mostly MxF but well, I wont apologize for my tastes on my own blog!
#multishipper#aang#katara#toph#zuko#sokka#shipping#atla#atla ships#tokka#jinko#zuko x jin#aang x on ji#katara x haru#yuekka#sokkla#my art#asks#prodogg#mutuals my beloved
28 notes
·
View notes
Note
what are you avatar ships? /gen
Answering this question first btw just bc the answer is easier.
Anyway wouldn’t it be funny if I zukkacore came out as a zukka hater. I’m not gonna self censor this time so this better not show up on the tag
Fav is zukka obviously. I also like Zukki quite a bit as a sucker for a good polycule. In terms of all canon relationships across the series yuekka is probably my favorite, but I do also like Sukka, they’re cute what can I say! I also like yueki (Yue/suki) quite a bit & Mailee.
This is also an embarrassing one but as a kid I liked tokka quite a bit and I still have a soft spot for nostalgia reasons but I do know why that one is like iffy, if it’s a comfort to anyone I would only really go for that one after a MAJOR timeskip (like at least a decade maybe more fjdkdkdk). As a kid I definitely related to toph’s crush on Sokka & as an adult now I tend to headcanon her as a dyke but also like to be fair I also think having a crush on Sokka does not exempt a person irl or in the fiction from being a lesbian (considering I did and I am a dyke as well) FNDNDN. If anything he is the gateway. I broadly prefer to interpret their relationship as more sibling aligned these days.
In lok I like korrasami, kyalin, and wuko. In the broader Atlaverse I also like rangshi.
There are quite a few relationships I can like enjoy given the right context or are kinda ambivalent about. Most of the canon relationships are like fine I guess (except mako.rra which blows. And I actually like Mako quite a bit I think ppl overdo the mako hate). Sometimes it’s not personal, i don’t think it’s awful I just don’t like the relationship that much bc it’s like. Oh I don’t headcanon the character as straight or whatever (I really liked ma¡ko as a kid for instance but like as an adult I’m like wow that’s the most beard4beard thing I’ve ever seen). I don’t even hate zvtara (sorry to be cringefail I decided to censor anything I felt kinda negative abt to be nice). It’s not awful like I get it and I do think it’s the by far the best derivative of the same cringe boring het enemies to lovers ship that gets popular every few years I just see them more as friends. They’re very much giving “we would make each other worse” and like. I love making each other worse but it’s not for me.
Also my self indulgent secret ship is that I think sokkla (sokka/Azula) would be cool bc they would be intellectually combative. Like they would make each other worse and I WOULD like to see it. I do generally hc Azula as a dyke tho, not that Sokka couldn’t also be…. Anyway.
This ended up being way more long winded than I intended. Ty for the question!
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
Some Soft Tokka Headcanons:
Toph hates when it’s cold, so Sokka will pull her into a hug to keep her warmer.
When coming home from a long day of work, Sokka will make sure Toph gets a good rest so she’s not to tired to play with her daughters.
Toph is Sokka’s emotional support earthbender, just seeing her can help him calm down and figure how to solve something under pressure
Toph and Sokka both still have nightmares about the airships and don’t really like traveling by airship at all, but if they must do so, they will be far away from the edges and comfort each other
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
Wonderbabe here, sobbing and fangirling over your last ToKo piece (and also the other two stories you reblogged)!!! ToKo writers are sooo talented, I admire all of you a lot because you make my heart flutter!!!
Aww, you're too sweet! "Can You Please Just Hold Me?" came right from the heart, so I'm glad it touched you too.
@sokka-beifong and @twinkle-toph are both super talented. (“i meant it when i said i wanted to start a family with you.” and “He’s always like this” were both so sweet.) I know they're both primarily Tokka shippers/writers, but multishippers be multishipping and you and I are both stupendously grateful for it.
And speaking of heart-fluttering, Eyes of Mist (from the Toko arranged marriage list) was completed last month, so I sat down and read the whole thing from the beginning yesterday. It is so, so soft. By the time I finished, I was in a complete puddle of goo. (Reminded me a lot of A Tale of Earth and Fire and @awesomeavocadolove's The Problem With Zuko, but fluffier.)
#avatar the last airbender#toko#toph x zuko#toph beifong#zuko#shameless self plug#fic recs#my moots#i am ALWAYS down for some good toko fics#this is probably a sign that i should finally catch up on third time's the charm#otp: that's how i show affection#idk when i'll have your prompt done but it WILL happen eventually#thanks for the ask!#wonderbabe
22 notes
·
View notes
Text
GROWTH
A mini tokka comic by: fallenrosepettals
enjoy my fellow tokka fans cuz this took 2 straight weeks of art burnout
#avatar the last airbender#tokka#toph#sokka#avatar fanart#sokka x toph#toph x sokka#art#tokka fanart#toph beifong#sokka of the water tribe#tokka comic#avee makes a tokka comic#tokka family#tokka kisses#soft tokka#lin beifong#lin#lin and suyin#suyin beifong#suyin#sunset#promote this blog to other tokka fans too#reblog this
28 notes
·
View notes
Text
Toph: I hate everything
Sokka: [exists]
Toph: I hate almost everything
#SHE IS SOFT FOR HIM OKAY#sokka#tokka#toph beifong#atla#toph x sokka#sokka x toph#avatar the last airbender#atla toph
89 notes
·
View notes
Note
You ever think about how Toph has probably “mapped” Sokka’s face with her hands if that makes sense 🥺👉🏻👈🏻
I do. Every second of every minute of every hour of ever day. But thanks for the reminder
#just the softness of his face under her fingers???#i cannot with those two they're too cute#atla#tokka
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
Toph was raised by the upper-class, which means that she likely had music lessons as part of being ‘raised to become a proper young lady’.
Now, her parents probably prevented her from learning any kind of instrument, because “she’s blind, she won’t be able to read the sheet music”. (This of course, is BS, it would have been easy to accommodate her) Instead, she gets voice lessons.
She hates singing for a long time, since she associates it with her parents, and feeling suffocated and isolated. There are only a handful of people that she feels comfortable singing around, and even then, it doesn’t happen often. (Mostly when she’s drunk.) This is because she doesn’t really see a point to singing.
That is, until Lin and Su are born.
This post has really just been a very roundabout way of saying that Toph sings her daughters to sleep every night.
Bonus Tokka: Sokka leans against the wall in the hallway outside Suyin and Lin’s rooms (Toph is ostensibly singing to Suyin, but Lin always sits on the bed and listens before putting herself to bed) and when Lin leaves, and Toph closes the door, he tells her how wonderful her singing sounds.
Regardless of how many times he tells her, she still blushes.
#avatar the last airbender#tokka#toph#sokka#lin#suyin#it's soft feels time#i have no self control#and many headcanons about the gaang as parents#toph is a soprano that wishes she was an alto#my headcanon
30 notes
·
View notes
Text
I never thought I'd say this but... Tokka is so adorable.... 💖💖❤️💗💕💞❤️💞💖💗 even if they aren't dating, their friendship is so sweet and cute!
#tokka#sokka#toph#toph x sokka#sokka x toph#avatar the last airbender#atla#toph litrlly tippy toed#I'm soft#sokka bending down to listen#bye can someone hear my prayers#make this ship real
70 notes
·
View notes
Text
Anyway, it’s been like 10 years but I would still kill for Tokka in a heartbeat
#tokka#atla#avatar the last airbender#toph beifong#sokka#there was such a dynamic and developement available there#i have a soft spot for zuko and sokka as well... like they could have gone places#ngl i do personally adore kataang#i think they are good for eachother and capable of growing
228 notes
·
View notes
Text
@twinkle-toph I heard you wanted a bit of angst so here's what I found in my stockpile lol.
I wrote this with the idea in mind to eventually make romantic Tokka, but for now it's just platonic (also hopefully I have more ideas to get to romantic Tokka. Time will tell lmao).
......
She hadn’t left the bed since the services concluded, and they were only informed of the state of their friend through nannies that Poppy sent over. Apparently, Lin hadn’t stopped crying and Toph blocked out the world, unwilling to engage with anyone, including her daughter.
It hurt to hear this, but it wasn’t entirely surprising, either. After all, none of them knew how they themselves would have reacted to such a jarring change in their life.
Sokka paced her living room floor while the group decided to talk with Toph alone, one by one. He waited with everyone else while Katara attempted to coax Toph out of the bedroom. Aang sat in a lone chair, bouncing his leg incessantly and twiddling his thumbs. It was a rather odd sight to see Aang so jittery, but Sokka assumed it was because he wasn’t sure what to say.
Zuko sat on the couch upright and still, his eyes closed. Sokka could feel the Fire Lord trying to summon a reality—any reality—that was an ounce better than this one.
Suki sulked on the couch as well, resting an elbow on the arm and her head in her hand. Tears slowly made their way down his friend’s cheeks.
The turning of a doorknob had everyone jumping in their seats and staring at the doorway. Only Katara emerged, and she looked worse than when she entered the room.
It seemed that his sister’s attempts at comforting and helping Toph were futile.
And it went on like this with every member of the group. One of them would enter, prepared and determined to help Toph with their specific strategy, and they would always leave the room defeated. Even stranger, no one talked about what was said in the room.
One by one the group came and went into Toph’s room, until Sokka was the only one left. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing his intervention speech and determined to help his best friend through the hardest time of her life.
But the second he opened the door, his resolve cracked, and he wasn’t so sure he could help.
……
She lay down on the bed, clutching the side of the covers Kanto used. She felt and heard nothing in the bed they shared—used to share. All she did was replay the scene of the last time they woke up together. Over and over and over, hoping her will to change the scene would eventually become a reality…
His mocking gasp and his playful baby voice woke her. “What’s this? Mama’s almost up! Should we say hi? Huh? Say hi to Mama?”
Toph heard Lin giggle in agreement, and spirits, was it hard to keep still and not smile. But she did, and pretty soon Kanto had Lin hovering over Toph’s face close enough for her little arms to touch.
Unfortunately, Lin hadn’t quite yet grasped the concept of the gentle touch, for she slapped her mother square on the cheek. Toph groaned at the sharp disturbance while Lin and Kanto continued to laugh.
“Linny says good morning,” Kanto said.
“You need to teach her how to say it without slapping,” she complained lightly, turning in the bed so she was on her back.
“Why me?”
“Because she likes you more.”
“You have a point.”
Toph scoffed at Kanto and lightly slapped his forearm. “Jerk! You’re not supposed to agree with me.”
“Hey! You know I was lying, what’s the big deal?” he asked playfully. Lin began to wiggle in his arms, and he gently placed her on Toph’s chest and in her arms. “Lin is very excited for her ladies day.”
“Why do you keep calling it that? The nanny is off today, that’s it.”
“Yes, and you get to spend the entire day with this little badgermole. I’m a little jealous.”
“Don’t be,” she reassured him. “All we’ll be doing is sitting together in silence. If anything, I’m jealous of you.” Toph turned to point a smirk in Kanto’s direction, and he grew quiet. An unusual deviance from the typical morning banter, and she wondered why.
She didn’t have to wait long to figure out what, however.
“Hey, Toph,” he began.
“Hey, Hotshot.”
“Have you ever thought about our future?” he asked.
“Like?”
“Like, what do you think our future holds, what it will be like…” his voice sounded as if he had more to say, but Kanto left the sentence lingering in the air, waiting to be answered.
Toph assumed it was an opening for more banter, so she responded with, “Our future holds coffee and baby spit up.” She kicked her feet over onto the floor and made her way to the kitchen with Lin in her arms, while Kanto quietly chuckled and followed slowly behind.
He asked about their future. Their future. Together. And it all hit her when she stood over his body at the morgue, clutching to the thin, metal ring she found in his pocket what he was asking earlier in the day.
Marriage. He was going to ask her to marry him.
And so she replayed that morning in her head over and over and over, fixing the memory to make it what it was supposed to be…
“What are you asking, Kanto?” she asked, sitting upright in the bed with Lin still in her arms.
“I’m wondering if you’d… um…”
Toph smirked at his erratic heart rate. It wasn’t easy to detect in the soft bed, but his heart was beating out of his chest that Toph could practically hear it.
“Croco-cat got your tongue?” she teased, Lin giggled at her antics as well.
“Spirits,” Kanto groaned, rubbing his hands through his hair. “Why is this so difficult??”
“Just ask me, Hotshot,” she replied quietly.
“Huh?”
The earthbender sighed. Sometimes Hotshot was a little dense.
“I can ‘see’ the ring,” she confessed, then chuckled when Kanto sat up stiffly in the bed. “Just ask me already,” she repeated.
Her calm and steady voice must’ve tipped the man off that he had nothing to fear. Kanto chuckled and inched his way closer to Toph and Lin. He gently placed his forehead on Toph’s and held her free hand. “Toph Beifong, will you marry me?”
A smile grew across Toph’s face. She never thought she’d be the type to settle down and get married, but with Kanto… it felt perfect. Right.
So there was no hesitation in her answer. “I’ve got no plans today.”
“Wait, you wanna get married right now?”
“Why not?” she asked. “Work will be there tomorrow, and Lin and I have the day to ourselves. I think we can make room for Baba.”
He grinned into her cheek like he always did, then kissed her. “Sounds like we’ve got ourselves a date.”
Toph laughed. “That, we do.”
But no matter how many times Toph replayed the memory, it wouldn’t change. She didn’t stop him from going into work, she didn’t give him the opportunity to ask her, and she couldn’t even remember if she told him she loved him.
Now all she had were his lingering scent, the memory of his voice and his laugh, his clothes now rendered useless in her house, and the little bits of his personality she found in Lin.
It wasn’t enough.
She wanted her happy ending or whatever the fuck people called it. She wanted him. She wanted to hear of the future he thought for them, for the question that he meant to ask her for weeks, she wanted life with him.
And now that was impossible.
……
His entire speech seemed to fall on deaf ears, because Toph didn’t move. Sokka watched as her grip on the covers tightened and loosened every so often, as if a thought of Kanto appeared before her and the thought alone was too much to bear.
“Toph?” he called out after 5 minutes of talking to himself. “Can you hear me?”
No response.
He crouched down and reached across the bed to grab her hand. When his hand made contact, Toph immediately sprung to life and snapped at him as she sat up on the bed.
“Get off his side!” she hissed.
Sokka quickly took his hands off the covers. “Toph, I just—”
“No,” she interrupted.
“Toph,” he repeated, standing up. “You can’t lay here forever. You need to take care of yourself. Take care of Lin.”
“Didn’t know I was competing against you for ‘Mother of the year,’” Toph snapped. “Leave me the fuck alone, Sokka.” Toph stood up and turned away from the warrior, her hands crossed over her chest. He didn’t recall anyone else getting such a reaction from Toph, so he took this as a sign of progress.
“You’re lashing out because you’re upset.”
“Upset doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” he agreed. “But staying in here won’t bring him back. And he wouldn’t want—”
“Fuck that, Sokka!” she yelled, spinning around to face him once again. “Fuck what Kanto would’ve wanted! He’s dead! What he wants is impossible.”
“But he wouldn’t want you to waste your life away for him, Toph!” he argued.
Toph scoffed. “What would you know? None of you know what this feels like.”
“We’ve all experienced loss—”
“Oh? Have any of you lost the love of your life to some crazy murderer on the day they were planning to propose?!”
“Toph—”
The earthbender waved a hand at him. “I don’t want to hear it, Sokka.” Toph fell back onto the bed, all of her fight suddenly spent on those bitter and hurtful words. “Just leave me alone. All of you.”
Sokka didn’t move. He just wracked his brain for something, anything that would bring Toph some semblance of peace. She was so heartbroken, and he wanted to fix it for her. Because that was what they did for each other. He protected her, and she protected him.
But how could he protect Toph from a broken heart?
She was snow on a mountain. Stuck in place until just the right tremor sent her down the elevated earth and back in motion, back to some semblance of life.
And he knew what had to be done.
His entire friendship hung in the balance of his next move, but he had to risk it. Toph was worth it, even if she remained furious with him for the rest of her life.
Sokka walked over to Toph’s side where she lay, and he wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and leading her to the door. His small but mighty friend lashed out, throwing her arms and legs in every which way and screamed for him to let go, but Sokka didn’t.
Thankfully, Toph didn’t earthbend at him, but she slammed her fists into his arms in an attempt to break free. The warrior wouldn’t budge; his friend needed to leave the prison she made for herself.
They made their way out of the bedroom, eventually, and Toph Beifong was still furious at him. She pushed, shoved, and punched Sokka, hoping to escape his iron grip. But she couldn’t break free, and the fight she had within her was slowly withering away.
She didn’t want to stay in that room forever. But it was the thought of losing Kanto completely that kept her holed up. What if Toph forgot what he smelled like? What about his voice? His heartbeat was strong and soothing and helped her fall asleep each night, now it ceased to exist. Would she forget all that made Kanto Kanto?
The fear of the unknown ate away at Toph, and now that she was out of their bedroom, she couldn’t go back. Being in the room, especially now, caused her to succumb to thoughts of Kanto again, allowing them to consume her completely with no fight to stop it from happening. She crossed the doorway, taking the first painful steps of moving on... and she had to be dragged to the starting line.
In the back of her mind, she hated herself for pointing all her pain and anger and sadness on Sokka, her best friend. But he absorbed and shouldered every hurtful comment and shove she aimed at him, and years down the line, she would be grateful for his boldness. Still, in the moment all Toph could do was cry and beat at his chest until all the anger left her, and all that was left was the grief. Her fight slowly but surely withered away.
Kanto was gone, and now she had to spend the rest of her life filled with regret and pain and Toph Beifong wasn’t sure how she was going to get through it all.
But the arms of Sokka were strong and warm and soothing all at the same time, and Toph cried in the comfort of them. She sobbed and let the tears fall as she thought of what her life could have been, what it was supposed to be, and how sad her reality would soon become.
32 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
arkolovesgoku
Arko
aanaisaarts
aanais.aarts :)
classyartvacationeagle-blog
AK House
conveniencelyyours
Conveniencely Yours
conveniencelyyours
Conveniencely Yours