Author's Notes: Yay for angry Toph and Sokka! This is the immediate aftermath of the season finale, so don't expect any shippiness. But that's okay, I don't mind (and hopefully you don't either). I want to get another chapter (can these even be called chapters?) up next week, so keep your eyes peeled. Be prepared for--dun dun dun--shippiness!

REVIEW, please! I had concert choir try-outs this week!

Alisa

Just Him and Her

Silence

"Toph."

Her name was met with silence. Well, no—not silence. There was the sound of softly moving water, and the gentle snoring of the ex-Earth King and his bear Bosco. Katara was braiding her hair, fingers moving deftly through the strands, Momo chittering lightly from her lap, and Toph was rolling two pebbles against each other in her hand. Appa was breathing deeply in sleep, the quiet rustling of his fur enough to cover the shallow breath of Aang, who was tucked between two of Appa's legs. Katara was perched one leg over, eyes stuck on the still form of the Avatar as her fingers absentmindedly did their work.

In fact, the only one who was truly silent was Sokka. With his boomerang resting across one knee and his machete at home in its sling, he was ready for just about anything. But not this.

"Toph."

Again his call was met with nothing. He wondered if she didn't hear him (but how could she not, in this quiet?), or if she was just ignoring him. He was certain it was the latter. He tried again.

"Toph."

Her eyes, which had been drifting across his face, seemed to pin point his own and lock there in a split second.

"What, Sokka?" she spat sharply, voice ringing in the silence. She sounded tired and worn and defeated, and her face looked especially pale in the moonlight.

His complaint seemed trivial in the heavy atmosphere around their small group and strange considering it was Toph that it was directed at, and despite the fact that it sounded odd even in his own mind, exhaustion and defeat made it seem like it was more than he could handle.

She was looking at him expectantly, and he didn't swallow his words: "You're staring at me."

Her eyebrows shot up behind dark bangs. "Well, excuse me, your highness," she retorted. "I'll be careful to avert my eyes next time."

His brow furrowed and he clenched his hand. "Don't call me that."

"Then stop acting so conceited."

"I'm not acting conceited," he shot back. Her eyes were still trained on his face. "And stop staring at me—it's creepy."

"Thanks a ton, Sokka!" she bit back, Earthbending herself up and taking a step in his direction. "I really appreciate being called creepy!"

Sokka stood up himself, pointing his boomerang at her. "Don't you blame this on me! You're the one who—"

"Sokka! Toph!"

The Earthbender and the warrior both turned to the Water Tribe girl, who was brandishing a water whip and looking fierce.

"If you're going to argue like little children," she whispered harshly, "then do it someplace else. In case you didn't noticed, Aang nearly died back there, and he needs his rest if he's ever going to get better, so I don't want you two arguing about something so stupid."

Silence rang out loudly and the tension was near tangible. Then Toph turned on her heel and marched straight out of camp and into the looming darkness, not even flinching as what seemed to be an owl-bat swooped above her. Sokka watched Toph walk away, then caught the glare Katara was fixing him with. He frowned, but ran after Toph nonetheless.

She was already engulfed by the darkness by the time he reached the edge of the small clearing they had set up camp in, and he had to pause and stare into the tremendous black before he could even think of moving on. He caught a movement to his right, though, and praying to Yue that it wasn't something that would eat him, dashed after it.

It was dark—painfully dark, even with the light of the moon—and he was having a difficult time seeing. Trees and the space between them blurred into one, and it shouldn't have been so surprising when he ran into something.

What was really surprising, however, was what the something he ran into said.

"What'd you do that for, moron?"

"Toph?" Sokka questioned, squinting in the darkness and thrusting a hand out in front of him. It hit something soft and he curled his fingers around it. "Why didn't you stop me from running into you?"

"With what?" she retorted, her own fingers finding their way around his wrist. "A stone wall? I thought you'd be smart enough to stop on your own, but apparently not." She gave his arm a good yank and pulled him to his feet.

"How was I supposed to stop?" he asked, shaking his hand free of hers. "I can't see a thing out here."

He couldn't see her face, but he could guess the look she was giving him by the way she spoke.

"It must be so horrible not being able to see, Sokka. Tell me, what's it like?" Her voice was bitingly cold.

Sokka ran a hand over his face. "I'm sorry, Toph, okay? I'm sorry. B-but I'm tired and Aang—he almost died and Azula and Zuko overthrew the Earth King! I don't know what we can do anymore."

Her voice was alarmingly close when she cried, "Don't you think I know that, Sokka? That's my kingdom that just got taken over! My king that got overthrown! My home that's under Fire Nation control! And you know what else? There's nothing we can do without Aang, and he might die!" Tiny hands grasped his upper arms tightly and he could almost imagine them shaking against his bare skin.

His hands moved to her shoulders and gripped them firmly. "Toph—"

"Sokka, I'm scared."

She didn't sound scared, just angry and defensive and desperate. But mostly, she sounded small, and that struck Sokka more than anything.

"Toph—"

"I've never said this before, but I really am scared."

"Toph, I'm scared, too."

Her grip on his arms tightened just slightly, and something leaned against his shoulder. It was the top of her head, pressed in the crook of his arm. He touched her head, intending to stroke her hair like he used to do with Katara when she was little, but his hand was instead met with a large black bun that seemed to control her entire head. He moved his fingers down her back, and, unsure of what to do, patted her lightly on a shoulder blade.

Toph's hands loosened on Sokka's arms, but refused to let go. Then she said faintly, "I'm tired."

Sokka pulled his other hand from her shoulder and linked them both against her back. "I'm tired, too," he whispered.

"No, really," she said, lifting her head; her breath tickled his throat. "I've never been this tired in my life."

"Drained," said Sokka. "That's what it is." He sighed and slipped his arms from her shoulders. "Let's go back to camp."

"Yeah," she agreed quietly, dropping her hands from his arms. Then she questioned suddenly, "Can you see?"

He squinted into the dark around him and admitted grudgingly, "Not really."

A small hand slipped into his. "You owe me for this one," Toph said lightly, and he smiled.

Pulling him between trees and over logs, they quickly reached camp. It seemed as if Katara had fallen asleep next to Aang, one hand lain protectively over his—everyone else was asleep as well, and gentle snores filled the camp.

Toph dropped Sokka's hand and approached the sleeping bison. "Might as well join Aang and Katara," she offered quietly, settling between two giant bison legs. Sokka scrambled in the space next to her; the leg between them twitched and Appa made a faint grunting noise.

Silence overtook the camp for a few minutes and Sokka could feel himself finally drifting off when the bison leg next to him whispered, "I don't hate you, Sokka."

He grunted. "I don't hate you either, Toph."

"I just don't want you to think that," continued Toph quietly, as if he hadn't spoken. "I may act like I hate you sometimes, you know, but you're one of my best friends."

"Thanks, Toph."

"And I really don't hate you."

"I know."

Silence reclaimed them once again, and Sokka smiled into the furry leg pressed against his face. He had never been this tired in his life, and sleep was sounding so sweet.

"Sokka?"

He blinked open heavy lids and slurred, "What, Toph?"

There was the faint sound of rustling, then she whispered, "Don't go anywhere, okay?"

He reached a hand like lead across Appa's leg and touched a shoulder. She pushed her hand against his and he squeezed her fingers with what strength he had left in him.

"Okay," he said. "As long as you don't go anywhere either."

Her voice seemed more lethargic now as she murmured, "I promise."

"I promise, too. G'night, Toph."

There was a gentle sigh beside him. "G'night, Sokka."

Silence reigned over them.