Tokka - My Lullaby

The never ending rainstorm pounded endlessly on the four helpless tents in the clearing. The patter of rain on the tarp of his tent was somewhat soothing to Sokka. For some odd reason, it was the closest thing to being home as he ever felt. He listened tentatively to the melody of monotone drops just outside, and was beginning to drift into sleep.

A tremendous crack shattered the silence as Sokka bolted up, unnerved by the sudden thunder.

He lay down once more, and began to close his eyes when a new sound entered the air.

It sounded soft and almost unnoticeable, but it was there. Silent, muffled sobs wisped through the air as Sokka pulled on his tunic, and peeked out of his tent to find out what was going on.

To his surprise, the sight that greeted him was the same sight he left when he went to bed: Nothing but his companions' tents and a terrible storm awaited him outside. He was just about to return to sleep when thunder rolled through the valley once more, and the sobbing started again, with more clarity. It was a silent, choked sob, as if nobody was to hear it.

Sokka walked out into the monsoon, and put his ear to each of the tents, finally coming to the small earthen canopy Toph called a "tent".

The sobbing was clear and distinct. Worried, he rapped his knuckles on the solid stone a few times, and waited for a response. He heard some shuffling from the inside, and finally the triangular door descended into the ground, as Toph called him inside.

The stone door slammed shut behind him as he attempted to become accustomed to the darkness.

"What do you want, Ponytail?", Toph demanded in her most casual voice.

Growing used to the void of light, he centered on Toph's milky jade eyes, which were bloodshot and swollen.

"I just heard you crying and-"

"I don't cry. I never cry.", she interrupted; carefully enunciating each word.

"Anyway…," he continued, "I wanted to make sure you're alright."

Toph punched him in the arm playfully. "I'm not a little girl, Snoozles. I can take care of myself perfectly fine-"

She was cut off as another thunderbolt ripped the sky. She flinched hard, and a small squeak escaped her as she latched onto Sokka.


"You were saying?", Sokka proceeded.

Toph felt her face flush hotly as she detached from him. She stared at the ground and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "I'm afraid of thunderstorms."

Sokka couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "The All-Mighty Toph Bei Fong is afraid of a little rain??", he teased.

Toph planted a firm jab in his arm, making sure he got the message. "Don't you dare tell anyone, or you'll find yourself six feet under in an instant!" she huffed.

"My lips are sealed," he promised. He stretched his legs and started for the entrance, "Well as long as your fine then, I'll let you be."

He turned to leave when the thunder shook the sky once more.

"Sokka…," the voice trailed off as it stopped him. He turned to look into her pearlescent gaze and he saw, of all things, fear in her eyes. "Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, her cheeks hot pink.

A soft smile appeared on Sokka as he hugged her tight. "Sure, Toph. I'm always here for you."

They spent the next half hour in silence, Toph clinging to his arm so tightly it surprised him. A stroke of thunder pierced the sky, and the thunderous roar shook her to the bone, wrapping her arms around him, and burying her face in his chest.

Sokka watched her as he tried to give her comfort. He held her closer to him as he planted a kiss on her head, and ran his fingers through her silky, jet black hair. The moonbeams pouring in form the crack in the wall hit her so beautifully.

As he lay there, he began to ponder the strange feeling stirring inside of him. He dismissed it at fist thought, but the longer he held her, the more he began to realize how beautiful she was….

***********

Toph listened to the steady patter of raindrops on the rock. She heard the thunder boom once more, and she held onto Sokka as if her life depended on it. She felt a chill from the wind shoot up her spine, and she took in the warmth of his body.

Her arms snaked around him, and she buried her head in his chest, drinking in his warmth. As the thunder rolled again, her mind flooded with memories of the past they had together. How this boy could always make her smile, how he could calm her down with just a few words….and how he risked his own life to save hers.

She longed for the day she could tell him how she feels. How his voice guides her dreams, how his touch makes her heart fly.  All of these thoughts vanished as she was brought to reality by a hideous crack of thunder, as if right outside. She threw her arms around his neck and hid her face, in her feeble attempt to drown out the storm.

Then, out of the din of the ferocious typhoon, she heard a new sound. It was steady and strong, yet somehow pleasant and soothing. It was difficult for her to pinpoint it, but she heard it nonetheless.

Thump-Thump
Thump-Thump

His heartbeat grew louder as she focused into it. She could feel it pounding against her head, hear its delicate symphony of eternal repetition. The noise and distractions of the world fell away from her, as the thunder became softer and softer, until the only thing she could hear was the beating of his heart.

Thump-Thump
Thump-Thump

After an hour of listening to his steady heart beat on and on, her eyelids grew heavy, and she began to doze into a deep sleep thinking that this, the beating of a heart; no, the beating of his heart, would be the song of her slumber.

It was her lullaby.