She was an idiot.

That was the first thought that came to mind when Toph finally woke up. She was lying face down on a bedroll, definitely Sokka's by the smell of it. Her whole body ached and trembled as if it was still absorbing the impact of the attack behind her back.

Her back.

Toph never really cared about appearances. Hell, her "healthy coating of earth" is probably a second skin by now. Even if she was born into the nobility and being pretty perfect was the norm, she didn't really see the importance of it all.

Because she's blind, damn it and right now what her back looks like was the least of her concerns.

She jumped in front of a giant, blazing fireball to save a wimpy-ass Avatar from certain death. Just thinking about it made her head pound. A second of hesitation from her end would have killed the world's only hope of attaining peace and balance in the world. A heartbeat more and they would have lost everything.

And she would have lost her best friend.

And that was just unacceptable.

Toph surprised even herself at how easy it was to accept her death rather than Aang's. She knows how she is and what most think about her: rude, brash, proud, infuriatingly stubborn but never... selfless. She knows she cares about Aang, but she didn't realize—up until that decisive moment of sacrifice—that it ran so deep she was willing to throw her life away. Literally.

She didn't know what that meant. And seeing how she can barely raise herself up, she gave up and wondered how stupid everything that happened was. All of this would have been avoided if Aang just listened to her in the first place. Instead of ambushing the loyalists and catching them off guard two days ago. Aang wanted to try and talk, certain that a few words of peace would instantly inspire a change of heart.

Boy, did that work.

Toph continued to ache all over, but not just from her back wound or exhaustion. She ached for her damaged pride. She ached at the thought of not being able to feel Aang's light footsteps if she hesitated in saving him a second longer. She ached at the thought of losing him forever and the effect it would've brought to her friends—her family. And since when did she become so mushy?

Gradually, she drifted off to sleep on Sokka's smelly bedroll.


She awoke again to the sounds of Aang and Katara fighting outside her tent.

"We're better than this, Katara. I don't have to beg you to tell me what's wrong. Just tell me!" Toph never heard Aang sound so…pissed. She slowly lifted her right hand—gritting her teeth in pain at the movement—to touch the ground beside her head, feeling the vibrations coming off from the two of them just a few feet away.

"I did tell you what's wrong! You just... scared me that's all! What more do you want me to say?" Sugar Queen was pissed too.

What are they talking about? Toph hated eavesdropping, knowing how unnerving it was for people to catch you unawares—before she learned earthbending. But it was rare for Aang and Katara to fight in the open. It was rare for them to fight period. Whatever it was, Toph wanted to know just what made the perfect couple... well imperfect. Plus, she's sure Sokka and Suki are doing the same thing right now knowing how hard it was for the Kyoshi Warrior to steer away from gossip, let alone a lover's quarrel.

"I want you to tell me why you can't talk about it. You've been… cold since the battle. This wasn't just the first time that I-I lost control." There was shame in the way Aang spoke. Toph hated it.

Is he talking about the Avatar state?

Why would he be ashamed of that? Of course, Toph could only imagine how Aang is like when he's in it based on Sokka's nonstop battle commentaries in the past. His eyes and tattoos would glow and something about the four elements coming around him—which is totally cool by the way (not that she will admit it to him).

Like a badass bending master. Sokka said. She laughed, hard, when she heard that. Describing Twinkle Toes as badass just sounded so ridiculous.

But Toph knew that Aang isn't weak. Maybe a wimp, a wuss definitely, but not weak. Toph would never say it out loud but she admired his guts, his strength to carry the world's problems on his shoulders and still get to ask them—with childish enthusiasm—if they want to go try penguin sliding at the South Pole when they all have the chance to visit.

He is… a breeze of wonder, a spark of hope, in a world that suffered too much from greed and fire. At that moment, Toph knew that jumping in front of that fireball did not only save Aang but the sanity of this world as well.

She had no regrets.

Lost in thought, Toph almost didn't hear Katara's reply.

"Yes, it wasn't. But it was the first time I felt that you were beyond my reach." Katara whispered. She sounded like she was on the verge of crying.

"But I snapped out of it, as I always do because you helped brought me back! What made this time so different?" Aang whispered back harshly. A good friend would have left them alone, giving them the privacy they needed. Toph should just ignore them, she should go back to sleep and ask about it later because—

"Because you were this close to killing somebody!"

What the hell?

The world stood silent. Toph was holding her breath. It was like waiting for the storm to hit, and neither of them were ready when it comes.

"You think I don't regret that?" came Aang's hoarse reply. "You think I'm not losing my mind knowing that what I did, what I was so close to doing, went against every instinct I had?" That was pure anguish in Aang's voice, so raw and brittle that Toph thought he was going to break down right there.

Katara was still too silent. Say something, Sugar Queen! Do your positive reinforcement or whatever! Toph's mind is running with so many questions. There are so many things that she wanted to ask Aang right now. Feeling the thick tension between the two, she thought maybe a little interruption might do them some good. But then they'll realize she's been listening the whole time and she's just not that kind of idiot right now.

Toph felt Aang step closer to Katara. The storm's about to hit any second now, she could feel it.

"I was terrified more than you'll ever know, Katara." He raised his hand to cup Katara's face, to hug her, to kiss her, she didn't know. She couldn't tell.

Because Katara walked away. And then the storm hit.

Only a few things can shock Toph into silence. Katara walking away from Aang, Aang out of all people was something unimaginable even to Toph's skeptical standards of love.

What are you doing Sugar Queen? Go back! Go back to him right now!

Katara's footsteps suddenly stopped. Toph wondered if she miraculously invented mindbending as well, but she turned around and said, "Get some rest, Aang. Let's just talk about this in the morning." She started walking away again.

"Katara, please." Aang moved to follow her but something stopped him in his tracks. "Please." he cried.

"I'm tired, Aang. Get some rest. Please." She pleaded. Katara went inside her own tent and left Aang near Toph's, who is still shocked beyond belief.

It was quiet for a long time, the only sound coming from Aang's efforts in muffling his cries. Toph wanted to get out of her tent, to comfort him she realized. Again, another stupid idea since she's not that good with that sort of thing. She can't even follow her own advice sometimes. What can she do for Aang?

About an hour passed when Toph felt him come closer. Hastily pretending to be asleep, she moved her head to the side and snored loudly.

The flap of her tent was shoved aside, cold wind breezing in. Monkey feathers, how long was he out there? By the feel of his shivering, she guessed it was a long, long while.

He sat down on her right side. She didn't know what to do so she just continued snoring, certain that being the goody-goody monk that he is, he will leave and let her fake sleep in peace.

"You can cut the snoring now, Toph." Damn it, she hated confrontations.

"How did you know I was faking it?"

"I felt your movements when I got close enough. Obviously, you taught me so well about feeling the vibrations." The attempt at humor fell flat, probably because his voice sounded so dead.

With a groan, Toph moved her head back and faced Aang. The mighty Avatar. Her first student. Her friend.

"You do know it's rude to come inside someone's tent uninvited, especially when said someone is injured." She gave him her trademark smirk, knowing it irritates him.

"And you do know it's rude to eavesdrop on people." Shit, shit, shit, this is bad. Toph bit her lip and scrambled her brain for an excuse. When she couldn't find any, and with Aang waiting for her to answer, she opted for the last resort.

She sighed and gathered her strength to push herself up. She felt Aang's hands come around her to help but she waved them off. No way was she going to let him or anyone of her friends assist her in carrying her own weight. She made that clear five years ago and she's going to stand by it. Even if it did look pathetic on how slow it took to ease her body in a sitting position. Stupid fireball.

Exhaling her embarrassment from everything, she faced Aang and lifted her head to look as if she's staring at his eyes.

"Look, I didn't mean to. You and Katara weren't exactly keeping it low-key." She shrugged.

Aang released a heavy sigh and placed his head in his hands. He released a shuddering breath and Toph being Toph decided that she had heard enough of it. "Hey, Twinkle Toes, cut that out. This tent has a strict no crying policy. I won't have a crybaby Avatar here, you hear me?" Really, can't she cut him some slack?

Aang was really surprising her today because instead of being angry and throwing some half-assed insult at her—like what she predicted—he just gave a breathy laugh. He was still sad and felt downright devastated, but that laugh made her ease a little. She couldn't really punch him now to show that she cared so she placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"I'm only going to say this once so listen carefully." She tried sounding less hard but Toph never learned how to do Katara's motherly approach. That's just not who she is. Coming to a quiet resolve, she sidled closer to Aang until their knees were touching and she could feel the muted heat from his body. Toph could never be like Katara, who is the embodiment of all things compassionate, caring, and loving. Toph can feel those things, has wondered about them, but she can never project them right to others. Tonight, she can be something else to her friend. She can be his rock—strong, unmovable, and blunt, grounding him to reality before he drifted off to despair. As she had always been.

"I don't know the whole story of what happened between you and Sugar Queen. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but know that what you did back there, in the battle with the loyalists I mean, is not your fault." Aang, his head still in his hands, fidgeted. But Toph's hand remained firm on his shoulder.

"We never wished for the War to happen. We never wanted to have a group of firebenders throwing a tantrum and going berserk around the Earth Kingdom just because they got impatient. We never intended for things to happen the way they are. They just do." Aang stilled and finally lifted his head to stare at Toph. She did her best to give him a genuine smile that she hoped wouldn't look like a grimace.

"You better stop blaming yourself for every negative thing that's happening in the world. The world's full of crazy and stupid. There will always be pains in our asses. We can never save the whole world, Aang, but you, me, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Zuko and the rest of our allies have given it something unimaginable a hundred years ago."

Aang held his breath and whispered, "What's that?"

"Hope, Twinkle Toes. We can give the world hope for as long as we can." She didn't notice that her hands had reached the back of his neck, his breath fanning her face, his heartbeat a steady drum that echoed her own. They were so close but neither of them broke contact. They just sat there, knees to knees, gripped by the intimacy of her words, years of friendship, and the sacrifice she willingly made to save his life.

Aang suddenly reached out and copied her actions. He gently held the back of her neck and leaned down, resting his forehead on hers. Toph blinked but stayed where she was. It was slowly dawning on her that this was becoming too intimate for her and Aang. This might be the closest they've ever been and Toph was clueless on what to do next.

Be a rock. Be a rock. Be a rock. You are a rock. You bend the very earth itself, genius! Be. A. FREAKING. Rock.

They stayed that way far too long for comfort. Toph didn't really want to ruin the… moment they were sharing, but his closeness is bothering her too much and she was still so sore.

"Twinkle Toes, I sure hope you're not falling asleep because I'm not going to have you hog my smelly bedroll." The next thing she knew, Aang jerked back and scrambled away from her so fast he hit the tent. Toph bent four pillars of earth, supporting the flimsy thing when it felt like it was about to collapse on them. Twinkle Toes' squirming didn't help much.

"Sorry! Sorry, I-I can fix it. You can sleep in my tent tonight, I'll stay here and—"

"What the hell are you talking about! I can barely sit up! I'll stay here thank you very much. Just make sure you make it up to me tomorrow!" Man, why did he have to stutter that whole sleeping in his tent stuff? She didn't really want to hear that right now, especially not after their…uh, moment. Damn it, she better stop calling it a moment and just a call it a normal scenario of a blind girl comforting a crying Avatar. Yup, all good with that one.

Aang was scratching the back of his head and scooted back to Toph, although a bit farther this time. She leaned back on her hands and tilted her head to the side, focusing on his vibrations and the fast beating of his heart.

She felt Aang's eyes on her and stayed still. Be a rock. Be a rock. Be a rock.

"Thank you, Toph. I really needed to hear that." She loosened a breath and punched his arm.

"All in a day's work for the Greatest Earthbender in the world I guess." He laughed and she smiled. Good. This is good.

He was still staring at her when she felt the atmosphere shift into something somber, "Not just for the pep talk. But… for saving me." She didn't know what to say.

Aand hung his head low again and breathed deep. "I was so sure that it'll hit me. I didn't expect to be saved. I could only think of all the things I still haven't done, of the people I'll leave behind, of the world that's counting on me. My last thoughts in this lifetime would've been full of regrets. I wasn't ready to die. And it just felt so cruel to suddenly be taken away forever when I just got back." Toph acted out of character and hugged him. She didn't care that her whole body barked in pain or if she was pressing on him too hard. She wanted to make sure he's well and alive. She burrowed her head on the spot where his shoulder meets his neck and inhaled his scent, feeling all of him all at once.

"I thought I was going to die, Toph, without living the life I was lucky to have held on to. I was so scared." He was trembling. Here was the most powerful person in the world, who has lived a thousand lifetimes, confessing his worst fears to a blind runaway. She held him tighter. He held her back. "Then when you leaped in front of me, I thought that nothing could be worse than you dying because of me. That scared me the most."

"You're here, Aang. This is real. You're okay." Meaningless words but words that needed to be said. He let out a broken sob and rested his head on her shoulder, his arms careful not to graze her healing back. "You're okay. I'm okay. We made it, Twinkle Toes." They stayed in each other's embrace for a little while longer.


Dawn was peeking through the slit of her tent. They spent the night reassuring each other that they made it out alive. They spoke of what happened that day, how Aang lost control, how Katara managed to stop him from killing that firebender, to Toph's "heroics" and how everyone's calling her a hero now.

"So, when we helped you end the Hundred Year War and Ozai's tyranny, we weren't called war heroes then? Since when did the standard become so high, O mighty Avatar?" Toph didn't really care but she does enjoy the perks and benefits from all over the world when they travel. Whenever news of Team Avatar arriving reaches their next stop, locals become so eager to express their gratitude in the best way they know how—most in the form of festivals which is just so awesome.

"You know that everyone knows who you are. But seriously, is being called the Greatest Earthbender in the world not enough for you?" He asked curiously.

Toph snorted and played with her space rock, creating shapes only she could imagine, "It does sound nice when people say you're the best. And when they give you free food? Even better."

Aang let out a chuckle. They were comfortably sitting side by side, back to their usual banter, when she felt the heat of his firebending.

"I know you just got out of a rough patch but I swear to all the spirits that if you burn this tent to the ground, you'll be waking up twenty feet off the ground for a month."

"Relax, Sifu T. You won't let me try out your space rock so I'm just going to settle with fire."

"Go get your own, you whiny Avatar."

"But that could take years! Maybe hundreds of years from now!" he whined. Why did she comfort him again?

"Exactly." He groaned. Toph bent her space rock back to her usual arm ring then leaned back on her hands, stretching her legs before her.

"Are you going to talk about Katara now or are you just going to obsess over my space rock?" It suddenly felt cold. Toph figured that Aang was still very much preoccupied with what happened earlier, and since he doesn't seem like he's leaving anytime soon, she might as well ask the damn question. When he didn't respond, she nudged his feet with her own.

Releasing a long sigh, Aang finally replied, "Ever since… what happened, she started becoming distant. I kept asking her to tell me why she's acting that way but like what you've heard earlier, she just tells me bits and pieces of it and pushes me away. It's frustrating."

Toph gave it a thought. "Maybe she just needs some space, Twinkle Toes. With you bugging her and everything, she might've been unable to really sort her thoughts through. Give her time."

"But I feel her slipping away from me. The longer we stay like this, the worse it'll be for the both of us." Katara and Aang have been together for a long time. Toph knew that little can break the couple apart if that was even possible.

Basing her reply on how much she knew her friends and not from personal experience since she didn't have any, she replied, "I don't know shit, but I believe in you guys. Both of you can work it out."

They both stayed silent for a while, listening to the sounds of the world waking up when he replied, "About that space rock though…"

They spoke and joked until Toph couldn't keep her eyes open anymore with Aang insisting for the nth time that she go back to sleep and rest up so she can "go back to bullying people."

"Okay, okay! Just so you know, you were the one who slipped inside my tent like a thief in the night!"

"I just wanted to know if you were okay! What's wrong with that?"

"How was I supposed to sleep and rest if you're doing nightly visits?"

"H-how did you know I was visiting you?"

"AHA! I didn't, but now I know. Spirits, and I thought you were a monk." It just felt so natural to tease Aang to oblivion. The dark talks of battle and Sugar Queen were long forgotten and Aang was back in good spirits, or as good as it would be given the situation.

What she said must have affected him because his heart's pounding like a rabbaroo in heat. "I-I-It's not what you think! You were injured! I was just looking out for you! And I wanted to know if you're okay. Isn't that what friends do? Take care of each other? I can't just—"

"Hold your ostrich-horse, Twinkle Toes. No need to sound so guilty about it." Toph winked at him and imagined him blushing mad right now. She let out a loud laugh followed by a big yawn.

Toph slowly lied down on her stomach. Aang still didn't leave and she really was exhausted. Being a good friend is tiring. "Spit it out or no one's sleeping today."

Aang took a deep breath and grabbed Toph's right hand in a loose grip. "Years will pass and you'll probably be very, very annoyed with me by then, but I wouldn't stop being thankful for what you've done, Toph." There it is again, that… that feeling she couldn't quite place. She could feel her face heating and that was when it hit her. Toph Beifong, discoverer of metalbending, the Greatest Earthbender of her time, one-time Melon Lord, and full-time pain in everyone's asses was blushing?! She couldn't believe it. Especially if the reason for said blush was Aang. The bald monk whom she enjoys tormenting and is currently in a very committed relationship with one of her closest friends. Nope, this isn't what it is.

Afraid of delving too deep into what she's feeling, she decided she was done being honest. "Eh, no one would've missed me that much."

Aang's hand tightened around hers, "That's a lie and you know it. Did you really think we wouldn't miss you? That I wouldn't miss you?" Okay, she's making it worse. The blush is definitely there right now and she would roll over her own grave before she gives Aang reason to realize that he's making her blush.

"Why are you being so dramatic, Twinkle Toes! Anyone would've done it!" she retorted.

"But you were the only one who did." Aang whispered. His hand felt too hot on her skin. The tent too small for them both.

She removed her hand and patted the back of his own before turning her head away and muttering, "You owe me big time, Twinkle Toes. Maybe a life-changing field trip. Now, get out."

She heard him chuckle and stood up, joints popping. But he just couldn't resist having the last say, "Good night, Toph." With that, he finally left.

With all that has happened since she woke up, she has two conclusions:

First, to never, ever eavesdrop on people. Ever.

Second, she is an idiot. A small, impulsive, idiot.


A/N: Listened to Downtown by Lilla Vargen when I wrote this. Just gave me that Taang feels. Also, thank you to the people who reviewed, followed and added this story to their favorites. You guys may be few, but I appreciate it so much!