Last Night Off

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and not me. So please don't sue

Summary: It wasn't suppose to be like that but it was for him. A one-sided Sokka/Toph fic in the same continuity with my "Alike" and "Feels Like Forever and an Unexpected Surprise".

She was seen by the rest of the group as fiercely independent. Never asking for help and rarely taking it when it was offered. She was tough. But he knew better. While having been the one to initially confide in her she began to tell him about herself too.

After their first few conversations between each other and realizing they had more in common that anyone would have thought. They had quickly become close to one another as Sokka had been with Katara when they were both younger.

He knew that despite the act she put up she was still a 12 year old girl, not that there was anything wrong with being a 12 year old girl, but she was a 12 year old girl not even a teen yet and she hadn't really had the best childhood. She never really had a father or a mother there for her.

But when she had joined the group she felt that she didn't need that anymore. Katara, though annoying at times, was like an older sister to her. Aang a sort of family friend, she didn't want to think of him as a brother seeing what kind of relationship he had with Katara after all it would feel just wrong, and Sokka as an older brother.

When she first joined she had a great need inside her to prove herself to her companions not wanting to seem like a burden to them in the journey, excluding Bending she was Aang's earthbending teacher after all. She used to have dreams that they would abandon her, while she knew that if they ever did leave her behind she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she wouldn't be able to take the emotional hurt.

After these sorts of dreams she would sit in her rock tent unable to sleep thinking of which of the siblings to go to for comfort. She always went to Sokka; she needed someone who understood her.

Sokka was once again similar in the way that he was afraid that they would leave him. Being weaker then the person he was suppose to protect and incapable of bending he was afraid they would realize how useless he really was. He understood Toph's to a certain extent.

She would come to his tent on nights when she had the nightmares and he would rise almost immediately and comfort her. He never thought much about the situation and felt that it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

But when her coming to him in the nights became less frequent he starting becoming unable to sleep, lying there silently hoping that she would come back cursing at himself for feeling this way.

Eventually she stopped coming and he felt alone. Majority of the journey continued like this until the night before its end when she came to him for one last time.

He lay in his sleeping bag, which smelt relatively normal just to let you know, thinking about what would happen to him after facing Ozai when he heard familiar footsteps approaching his tent her shadow cast on the tent flap followed by a light tap on it

He was afraid to answer to it, it had been so long since the last time what if he did something wrong? What if he made her angry?

"Sokka? Are you awake? It's me Toph." He heard her say softly.He rose and opened the tent flap as he had so many times before except it felt to different now.

"What's wrong? Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"I'm not sure any of us will tonight," She replied with a small smile, "Can I come in? It would be nice to have some company."

"Sure," he replied and shifted over to the far end of the tent giving her room to enter, his heart now in his throat.

"Thanks," she said and sat near him and lying against him slightly a yawn escaping her lips as she did so.

"You should try to get some sleep Toph," he said feeling slightly uncomfortable with her leaning on him. "Can I stay here?" she said sleepily, "It's so much more comfortable here then in my rock tent."How could he refuse her? Allowing to stay with him for the night wrapping his arms around him stroking her back soothingly trying to keep his thoughts about her clean.

"Good night Sokka," she said and wrapped her arms around him as if he were a pillow pulling him close.

"Night Toph," he replied and dared him self to do something he wouldn't have normally done. He reached down to kiss her forehead.

But before his lips could make contact she looked up at him causing his lips to brush against hers.

He froze right at that moment. She was going to kill him. But she only sat there staring at his face her eyes drooping slightly and went back to his chest snuggling against him.

He sat that way for the most of the night thinking of what had happened and how it had felt until sleep took him too.

He awoke the next morning to his sister gently shaking him.

"C'mon Sokka its time to get up after this you get to sleep as much as you want." She said with a smile on her face.

"But if we lose we're not even going to be able to get up." He replied pulling the cover over his head, "just give me a few minutes more…"

"Alright Sokka you forced me to do this."

Wait. She wouldn't. She couldn't!

She did.

She jabbed him hard in the side causing him to jump from his sleeping bag wide awake.

"Aright, alright I'm up!" he said.

"Good boy." She replied leaving the tent.

Once properly dressed and packed he looked at his companions, Aang was sitting unnaturally still in the corner. Zuko looked like he had his jaw permanently clenched; they were all tense, looking over everyone until his eyes fell to Toph. She looked like she would have any other day.

"Let's go already!" she yelled, "I wanna get this over and done with!"

Always the same strong act. He smiled and helped pack all they had.

While flying towards their final battleground he moved next to Toph.

"How you feeling?" he asked her softly.

"I'm scared."

"We all are Toph." He said putting squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

"Sokka."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for last night."

"No problem."

It wouldn't work out he told himself. He was too old for her.

But in a few years it wouldn't matter something inside told him.

He considered telling her perhaps when they were older.

"No."

"Hmm?" asked Toph.

"It's nothing."

And so he let go of his feelings for her as best as he could.

END

A/N: Thank you for reading my Avatar fic. I hope you enjoyed it and I didn't screw it up to badly. Reviews and Constructive Criticism is welcome anything to improve my writing until my next fic adieu!