Sokka of the Water Tribe was good at falling.

And he knew it.

Whether, it was over a random rock, or pebble, or head-over-heels in love with a Northern Princess or Kyoshi warrior.

Sokka was good at falling.

And Toph knew it.

She tried to pick him back up when she could. Jabbing her heel into the earth, a slab of stone thrusting the unsuspecting teen into the air with a yelp of surprise.

But sometimes…she couldn't seem to pick him back up.

He just kept falling.

"Azula mentioned Suki," he said quietly to the group one night. Toph and Aang bowed their heads solemnly as they remembered the Fire Princess' harsh words.

Zuko cocked his head curiously and Katara's blue eyes narrowed.

"You can't possibly take to heart whatever she said," his sister told him before Zuko had a chance to. The latter nodded silently in agreement.

Sokka blinked into the fire and half-smiled, shrugging one shoulder upward with a laugh as he stood. "You know what? You're right. She's probably made it back to Kyoshi Island somehow and is giving some Fire Nation soldier a piece of her mind, er, no offense." He added for Zuko's benefit.

"None taken," the Firebender replied instantly and truthfully, even making Katara crack a smile.

"I'm going to hit the hay early. See you guys tomorrow." Sokka told them and turned as the group muttered "goodnights" to his retreating back.

"I have to go…checkonHaruandtheothers,goodnight," the earthbender excused herself hurriedly and ignored her friend's polite "goodnights" as well.

Instead of heading towards Haru, Teo, and The Duke she started towards the breathing and heartbeat she knew as Sokka's. His breathing was irregular. He was awake.

"Toph," he said, but it sounded peculiarly weak to her. He cleared his throat and said it again, "Toph."

"Hey, I'm sure she's fine," she told him, not bothering to sit down.

Sokka cleared his throat again and Toph finally realized that he'd been crying.

She closed her eyes tightly with a soft and sad sigh as he spoke, "I'm sure she is."

"Don't say things if you don't mean them," she snapped. She felt him a jump a little in surprise and quickly lowered her head. She wasn't going to apologize. Gentle words of encouragement weren't her forte. That was Katara's job.

Suddenly the silence was broken as Sokka started laughing. "You know, you're doing it again."

Toph blinked her pale green eyes uncharacteristically. "What? What am I doing?"

Sokka wiped the tears from his eyes as he smiled thankfully at his blind friend. "You're picking me up again."

The girl smirked after a moment. "Am I now? Well, you are pretty good at falling." She teased.

He grinned. "I know," he said softly.

Toph hummed softly to herself and without warning Sokka was pushed up from his sitting position.

Unlike the last time though, he didn't have a blind earthbender to try and avoid and, upon landing he wobbled a bit before she placed two hands on his shirt and pulled him close to her face.

Sokka's face heated as he realized how close they really were. What made it eerier was that, for the first time, Toph's glazed gaze finally seemed to meet his ocean blue one directly.

"Y—Yeah?" He squeaked out.

She smirked again and spoke. "I just wanted to tell you that I'll always be here to stop you from falling. If you need someone to catch you, ya little wuss."

And for some odd reason those words made him feel better. "I'm awfully clumsy, huh?" He asked her rhetorically as she let go and stood back.

"Yep," she answered anyways. "Goodnight," and she turned and left.

"'Night," he replied out of force of habit, but then paused. "Good night," he said quietly, putting feeling into it.

She stood still for a moment before nodding her dark head up and down.

He watched her stalk off to bed and scratched his head. "What a weird conversation we just had…"

Epilogue

By the bonfire, the three benders sat in awkward silence as a continued ranting reached their ears.

"He's talking to himself again," Aang sighed to Katara and watched with amusement as Zuko spit out his tea.