"TOPH!" The scream was almost inhuman, so raw with fear and pain that it hurt those who heard it. The people slowly stirring back to consciousness after being bloodbent raised their heads to watch as Councilman Sokka staggered to his feet. His eye focused only on the form of the crumbled Chief, lying unmoving on the floor.
"No, no, NO TOPH," Sokka stumbled, head heavy, eyes filling with tears he could not afford. He had to keep his eyes on her and he stumbled, trying to get his legs to work as they screamed in protest. It felt as though his very being had been torn out, vanished until he could reach her side.
Collapsing to his knees once he reached her, he gently rolled her over before cradling her in his arms. Quickly, he brought his face down to hers, hand going to the pulse point on her neck. His whole world paused from crashing down around him, suspended as his own heart sped up to dizzying speeds.
Just as he was about to give up, and let everything crumble, because there was nothing for him without her, there was tickle against the pad of his rough fingers. A moment later she gasped, pulling air in hungrily.
Sokka tried to smile, but it shattered and all he could do was wrap himself around her, burying his face in her the crook of her neck. He breathed deeply, trying not to let his tears fall and alert her to how much she had scared him. It failed miserably, as a choked, gruff sob shook both their bodies.
~(*)~
Toph was far too used to waking up in Sokka's arms, and she used to aching all over due to the abuses of her job. But this was the first she came to awareness with him sobbing onto her. She went rigid for a moment, taking a mental assessment of her physical state. Decided that she would easily live, she turned her focus to the second most pressing issue.
"Hey, shh," she rasped, moving her arms from where they were pinned at her sides. She gently reached up to tangle her fingers shakily in his hair, massaging light calming patterns. "Hey, hey, I'm okay."
He shook his head, just pulling her closer to him. He quieted a bit though, just holding her as if he would never let go.
'Damn, I must have scared him,' she thought, and it hurt to realize she had brought him to this state. As gently as she could, the opposite to her usual demeanor, she took his face in her hand and brought it in front of her own. Doing her best to look him in the eye despite her blindness, she said in her most commanding voice, "Snoozles, I'm fine. There is no way I am leaving this world before you," before lowering it and whispering "I love you too much. We go together, or not at all."
All Sokka could do was laugh in a shaky unconvincing way, and press kisses to every inch of her face.
A/N: Found this while organizing my writing and realized I never posted this here. Probably because it is cliché for this couple but oh well..
