A/N: Welcome to the longest chapter so far! I couldn't help myself I love these two so much…
Content warning for minor period-typical racism & sexism
"Well, shit." Sokka paced a few times up and down the riverbank, staring out over the rushing water. The river dividing the Earth Kingdom and the United Republic of Nations was a lot wider and deeper than he remembered.
"Soo…" Toph rocked back on her heels. "I'm guessing you didn't think about how we were going to cross rivers without Appa."
"I did so," he snapped. "I just thought we'd be taking the main road at this point and there would be a bridge. But since we took that little detour through the Cave of Two Lovers the main road is over a day's walk upriver."
She crossed her arms. "Don't make this my fault."
"I'm not, I'm not." Sokka held up his hands. "Just let me think." He put down his pack and went back to staring at the water. If he was alone, he might've tried to swim across, but that even that would've been risky and attempting it with Toph was out of the question.
They didn't have the supplies to build a proper boat, and a raft would be impossible to control with the current. That left earthbending. While he had no doubt Toph could simply launch them to the other side, he wasn't sure about the prospect of a hard landing on the opposite shore.
"So, do you think you could just… earthbend us a bridge across?"
She came up next to him and stomped her foot, getting a feel for the land. "If there was an earthbender on the other side, maybe. But I'm not sure whatever I can bend from here would be stable in the middle."
Dropping her bag, she took a stance and shoved her arms forward. A slab of earth extended out from the bank and made it almost halfway across before breaking against a wave.
Sokka winced. "Okay, maybe that won't work."
"No kidding." Toph looked distastefully at the water. "Would it really be so bad to walk up to the main road?"
He crossed his arms. "No, I'm sure we can think of a way to cross here."
She laughed. "Oh I see, it's a pride thing now."
"Hey, I'm supposed to be the idea guy, right? I've got a reputation to uphold."
"Uphold to who? I'm the only one here, and I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed."
Sokka chose not to dignify that with a response, and cast about up and down the river for ideas. To his left, about a hundred paces downriver, the water was split by an island, rushing down rapids on both sides.
"Okay, I have an idea." He picked up his pack started walking towards it, stopping when it was directly across from him. "Can you feel that?" He pointed.
Toph stomped her foot again. "Sort of."
"Think you can earthbend a bridge that far?"
"No problem." She lunged and thrust out her hands, extending a slab of earth between the bank and the island. It was lower than he imagined and closer to the water than he would've liked, but it looked stable enough.
"Nice." He shouldered his pack and started walking across, Toph close behind him.
It was more nerve-wracking than he expected, the wind threatening to blow him off the narrow strip of earth, water licking at his heels.
At one point, an unusually high wave caught their feet and Toph yelped, reaching out to clutch his shoulder.
His heart rate spiked and he brought up a hand to hold her wrist. If this was making him anxious, he couldn't imagine what it must feel like to her.
She pulled her arm free as soon as they reached the tiny island and the earth bridge crumbled behind them. She took a deep breath, and he could see her trying to compose herself. He knew better than to ask if she was okay.
"Halfway there," he said.
"Wonderful."
They walked to the other side of the island and Sokka chewed his lip. "It's a little farther this time–"
"Let's do this." Mouth set, Toph bent another strip of earth to the far bank. The water was higher on this side, in some places already splashing over the bridge.
Sokka hesitated. "Maybe you should go in front."
"What? So if any bit of this breaks I'll get dunked first?"
"No, so I can see you in case something happens."
"Oh." She cocked her head, a strange expression on her face, like she was trying to decide whether to be grateful or offended.
Sokka really hoped she went with the former.
"Well, alright then." She stepped up in front of the makeshift bridge, but hesitated again.
"Go on," he said, reaching out to touch her arm. "I'm right behind you."
She slapped his hand. "I know that!" But her shoulders relaxed and she stepped forward.
This leg was worse than the first one. The bridge was only just higher than the water, and he could feel the pounding of the waves underneath. Towards the middle, the earth shifted under his feet and he saw Toph clench her fists. He knew she was only keeping it together through sheer force of will.
They were almost all the way across when a wave crashed into her ankles and she stumbled, surprised. The bridge shuddered as her concentration broke and before he could think about it, Sokka grabbed her shoulders and dove for the opposite bank as it crumbled into the water behind them.
They barely made it. Toph landed hard on her stomach and Sokka heard the whoosh of the air knocked out of her. He tried to catch himself with his elbows so as not to crush her with his own weight, and the impact rattled up his arms and jarred his shoulders.
He didn't roll away immediately, listening to her gasp and struggle to get her breath back. He didn't need earthbending to know her heart was pounding almost out of her chest, in time with his own.
"Get off me," she said as soon as she could speak, pushing him off and rolling over so she could sit.
He did the same, taking a deep breath and rolling his shoulders. "Well, that was close."
She reached out and punched his arm, but not in her usual affectionate, teasing way.
"Ow." That was going to hurt tomorrow.
"That was a terrible plan, Meathead."
"Hey, it worked," he tried to joke, although she clearly didn't find it funny.
She stood up and dusted off her pants, hands still shaking. "Let's just keep going."
He did the same, after checking his pack to make sure nothing had come loose. "Good idea."
"Best one either of us has had all day," she quipped, striding up ahead of him with all her usual confidence, although he could hear her muttering darkly about the water.
/
The next few days of walking were uneventful. Aside from a brief stop in Senlin Village for food and supplies, they only paused to sleep in their journey north. The road took them along the outskirts of Hei Bai's forest, and Sokka noted the green undergrowth sprouting up among the burnt stumps where the Fire Nation had destroyed it. He hoped Aang got to see it sometime.
Eventually, the road found the coast and hugged the water until it turned into another river, although not as wide or deep as the previous one. After a day or so of walking upriver, Sokka stopped at the edge of a lagoon at the base of a waterfall and paused, searching his memory for the reason this place felt so familiar.
"Hey, I know where we are!"
Toph snorted. "I should hope so, you've got the map."
"No, I mean I recognize this place." He put down his pack and rolled his shoulders, then knelt by the edge of the pool to splash water on his face. The weather had gone from hot to sweltering, and the coolness on his face felt like heaven.
"From when?" Toph dropped her pack as well and sat on the ground behind him.
"This is where Katara tried to teach Aang waterbending for the first time."
"I'll bet that was funny." She stretched out on her back in the shade, pulling at where her clothes had stuck to her skin.
He chuckled. "Yeah, it kinda was."
"Was it like his first day of earthbending?"
"Not at all." He laughed again. "It was before Katara had any formal training, so it was more like her attempting to teach Aang stuff but mostly slapping herself in the face with water."
She snickered. "I can't imagine Sugar Queen being bad at waterbending."
"Yeah, those were the days." Sokka gave an exaggerated sigh. "Back when I still had a chance against her in a fight."
"I don't think that was ever true."
"Was so." He climbed to his feet and stripped off his shirt, tossing it aside in a damp heap. His boots soon followed and he was starting on the laces of his pants when Toph cleared her throat.
"Uh, what's with the striptease, Snoozles?"
"First off, what difference does it make to you?" He untied the knot and let them fall around his ankles, stepping out of them to wade into the water. "Second, the water is cold and it's so hot I think my sweat is sweating." He resisted the urge to groan as the water hit his chest. "What do you say we camp out here? At least until the weather cools off a little. Also I need to do some laundry. That was my last clean shirt."
She shrugged. "Sounds good to me. You needed a bath, anyway. I could smell you from over here."
Sokka sniffed tentatively under his arm and grimaced, then walked in further until he was up to his neck. "Hey, what about you?" he called. "Does 'a healthy coating of earth' include three days' worth of sweat after walking for miles?"
Another shrug. "Feels alright to me."
He pulled out his wolftail and dunked his head underwater, coming up with a gasp and whipping hair out of his face. "Come on, Toph, I know you don't like water but you should really try this. It feels amazing."
She sat up and crossed her arms. "I'm not afraid of water."
"I didn't say that."
"I'm not."
He held up his hands. "Look, I understand. It's a perfectly rational thing for you to fear."
"But I don't fear it." She stood up.
"If you say so." He leaned back and lifted his legs, floating on the surface and relishing the feeling of weightlessness. He didn't notice Toph undressing and walking towards the water until she spoke again, standing at the edge with her ankles submerged wearing nothing but her breastband and a pair of shorts.
"See?"
He looked over, and before he could stop himself felt his eyes move up and down her body at all the curves and muscles he'd never noticed before. Deep in his stomach, he felt a jolt not unlike the one he'd felt the first time he saw her in Gaoling. Fuck, Toph had grown.
He swallowed and mentally slapped himself for ogling, then thanked all the Spirits that she couldn't feel his heartbeat while he was floating.
"See, not afraid of water," she said, walking in up to her thighs. "Just so long as I can still touch earth." She spoke facing slightly to his left, and he realized she didn't have a good sense of where he was.
"Oh yeah?"
She corrected herself as soon as he spoke. "Yep."
"So what if I did…" Quietly, he paddled back until he was right behind her, then stood and wrapped his arms around her, leaning back so her feet were in the air. "This!"
"Hey, what the hell! Sokka!" She flailed wildly, kicking and struggling against his grip until he lost his balance and they both fell into the water.
She stood up immediately, hair loose and plastered to her back, bangs dripping water onto her face.
It was shallow enough to sit with his head above water so he didn't bother standing, just sat back and laughed at the absolute fury on her face. He'd definitely pay for that later, but it was so rare for him to get the drop on her he couldn't bring himself to regret it.
He could see her lips twitching, struggling to keep a straight face, but she kicked water in his face to shut him up and stalked back towards the shore.
Snorting water out of his nose, his laughter faded as he watched her bend over her pack for a rag to dry her face. He looked away when he realized he was staring at her again, and his hands curled around his shins.
Not good, said a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Katara.
When he glanced up again, he saw her staring back at him, and realized that from his place sitting in the shallow water, she could definitely feel his heartbeat.
He shook his head, flinging droplets of water from his hair. Head down, he stood and walked over to his pack and began digging through it for all his dirty clothes and a bar of soap.
"I guess I'll just… I'm going to go wash my stuff," he muttered.
Toph blinked and seemed to snap out of whatever trance she'd been in. "Yeah, good idea."
She waited for him to gather his things and choose a secluded place near the waterfall before collecting all her clothes and retreating to a cove on the opposite side of the lagoon.
Honestly, Sokka was grateful for the chance to be alone for a bit. Spending this much time together with no one else around was doing weird things to him. He focused hard on scrubbing the dirt and sweat stains out of his shirt and tried to dispel images of Toph from his mind. Images of Toph in just her breastband and shorts… dripping wet…
Shit.
He finished with the shirt and ducked his head under the waterfall.
Get ahold of yourself, Meathead, he scolded himself. Post-breakup loneliness is no reason to think of your best friend like that!
He tossed the shirt aside and moved on to a pair of pants. The problem, he decided, was this swimming thing. It was just weird, now that they were older, to be around each other barely clothed like that. Soon they'd both be dressed and things would start to feel normal again.
/
Upon finishing and laying out his clothes on boulders in the sun, Sokka realized the flaw in this plan. With efficiency in mind, he'd washed every article of clothing he had, and now wouldn't have anything dry to wear over his underclothes for hours. He glanced over and guessed by the way Toph was no more dressed than before that she had done the same.
He quickly looked away before his mind could wander again. Maybe he just needed something to do. For lack of any other stimulation, his brain was seizing upon random things.
She finished laying out her clothes to dry, and he watched her linger for a minute in the shallows, swirling the water around with her feet and wiping sweat from her neck. He wondered if she'd give in to the oppressive heat and stay in the water, but eventually she returned to the shore near her pack and sprawled out on her back in the shade.
Sokka licked his lips and thought about the way her usual attitude of invincibility had been shaken when they crossed the last river, and the fear on her face when she got close to the water. He hated seeing her so afraid, and about how helpless she'd be if she were swept into the current.
"Hey," he waded out of the water and walked up to her. "Let me teach you how to swim."
She cracked a cloudy eye. "Excuse me?"
"I said–"
"I heard you."
He waited. If he wanted to win her over, he had to be patient.
"Why would you need to teach me that? I don't exactly plan on diving into any bodies of water."
"I know you don't plan to, but it could still happen."
"I'm the greatest earthbender in the world." She closed her eyes again. "I wouldn't let it."
He crossed his arms. "Remember the Serpent's Pass? Or crossing that river a few days ago?"
Toph stiffened at the mention of the Serpent's Pass, not-so-subtly shifting away from him.
He felt a little bad for bringing it up, given that it was probably one of the worst experiences she'd had during the war, but he pressed on. "It would at least be good to have a plan," he said. "Just in case something happens." He chewed his lower lip. "And it would make me feel better, too. Knowing you'd be safe."
She pressed a palm to the ground and he held his breath, hoping she didn't interpret his discomfort as lying.
"Fine," she said at length, standing up and walking towards the water. "But no more funny business from you, got it? Remember we've still got a few more weeks of traveling together, on earth."
"I'll keep that in mind."
She followed him into the water and they waded in until it was up to her knees. They stood there for a second, staring at each other.
"Well?" She crossed her arms. "I'm waiting, Mr. Water Tribe."
"…Right." He rubbed the back of his neck, wondering where to begin. "I guess the best thing would be to start by teaching you how to float."
"Okay."
Sokka blinked. For some reason, he'd expected more resistance.
She shrugged. "Seems reasonable. Like a good first step to not drowning."
"Okay." He shook his head. "The basic principle is to just relax on your back. Humans naturally float on the surface, so the key is not to panic."
"Hmph." She hadn't unfolded her arms, but she also wasn't running away, so he took it as a sign to keep going.
He took a hesitant step forward. "I guess ordinarily I'd demonstrate, but in this case maybe we should just go for it."
Toph narrowed her eyes. "You want me to just lie back on the water and expect to stay on top?"
"I'll be right behind you."
"That fills me with confidence."
He pouted. "Hey, don't you trust me?"
"About as far as I can throw you."
"That's pretty far." He grinned and put a hand lightly in between her shoulder blades. "Just lean back whenever you're ready. I've got you."
For a moment, he was afraid she wouldn't do it, but then he felt pressure on his fingertips and he watched her slowly lean back. She flinched and squeezed her eyes closed when her head touched the water, but he kept his hand on her back and made sure it never rose past her ears.
He glanced down at her legs. "You realize you'll have to pick up your feet eventually."
"Just give me a second!" she said between clenched teeth.
He nodded, even though she couldn't see, and reached down to put his other hand gently on the back of her knees. Half of him wondered if she'd lash out for pushing too far, but to his mild surprise she picked up her feet and allowed him to lift her legs to the surface.
"Relax," he said, watching her pulse jump in her throat. "And just breathe normally."
She nodded and took a deep breath, making a conscious effort to unclench her muscles, before stiffening again when her head tipped too far back and water splashed onto her face.
Sokka pressed his hand harder into her back. "It's okay, it's okay. I've got you."
She let out a frustrated breath. "This is worse than flying."
"Yeah?" His back was beginning to hurt from hunching over her, so he gently moved them into slightly deeper water, until it was up to his waist.
"There's nothing under me," she said. "And I feel completely weightless, it's almost like falling."
Sokka's hand twitched against her back. The thought of Toph falling troubled him, to say the least.
"Well, I'm under you," he said, then immediately flinched at his choice of words.
Toph snorted and flicked water in his face. "Very funny."
He laughed nervously, glad once more she couldn't feel his heartbeat.
But as she relaxed again they slipped into a more comfortable silence. "You know," she said conversationally, as if they were lounging in her parents' garden, "this is great and all but it's not exactly swimming. What am I supposed to do from here?"
"Nothing." Sokka swallowed, still trying to shake images of her falling over the Wulong Forest, sinking underwater at the Serpent's Pass, being swept into the undertow of the river. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. "It's so that you can stay alive long enough for someone to come get you."
"Great, so I'm stuck relying on one of you dunderheads to rescue me?"
He frowned, but tried to keep his tone light. "Hey, it's not always bad to rely on other people. And I'd know, I'm relying on you to protect me if we run into any more trouble on this quest."
She smirked. "You're damn right."
He licked his lips, pushing away memories of the battle on the airships, the phantom pain in his leg and her hand slowly sliding out of his. "But– you know I'll always come and rescue you."
To his surprise, she actually blushed at that, which did not help the awkwardness he was feeling, but he tried to cover it up with a nervous half-laugh.
"So is this it for the lesson, Snoozles?" she said. "Since you'll always be there to dive in right after me, without even taking off your boots?"
If it was possible, Sokka felt his face grow even hotter. "Fine," he muttered. "I guess there's the backstroke–"
"The what?"
"The one stroke– type of swimming– you can do on your back." He grabbed one of her wrists and moved her arm in a windmill motion. "Just kick and move your arms like this."
"Like this?" She pulled out of his grip and kicked, propelling herself further away from the shore.
"Yes–" He dove after her and caught her ankle, wading in deeper to catch up. The water was now up to his chest. "But the thing is, you can't see where you're going, so it's better for you to just stay in one place."
She pouted. "So that's it? This is the best I can do in the event of an unexpected dip?"
"Well, it'll keep you alive, and that's what's really important," Sokka said. "If you sink enough to touch the bottom, you should obviously just earthbend yourself to the surface. But if it's too deep, like at the Serpent's Pass, try to get a good breath before going under– air in your lungs will help you float."
She nodded. "Got it."
"But honestly–" he realized he was still holding onto her ankle and (a little reluctantly) let go, "let's just hope you never have to use that information."
Toph snorted. "I'll do my best."
"Thanks." He knew that a promise from Toph to stay out of trouble was worth next to nothing, but it still helped calm the sudden anxiety he felt at the thought of anything happening to her.
They fell silent again, no sounds around them but the waterfall behind him and water lapping at Toph's ears. Sokka found his mind wandering again to the way the sunlight caught on her hair, and the thin strips of cloth separating his fingertips from the warm skin of her back.
He closed his eyes and tried to channel Aang to meditate his thoughts back under control, but his concentration was broken when Toph cleared her throat.
"Great lesson, Snoozles, but I think that's enough for one– Holy shit!" Before he could stop her, she folded her body and made to stand up, eyes going wide when she realized they were in much deeper water.
"Toph!" Sokka made a grab for her arms, but between her wet limbs and panicked flailing he couldn't get a good grip.
After a few hectic seconds, her hands found his shoulders and her arms wrapped like a vice around his neck, her legs curling around his waist.
Instinctively, his arms went around her back and he held her against his chest, feeling her heart racing next to his while they both caught their breaths.
"What the fuck, Sokka?" she gasped, head pressed to his shoulder.
"Sorry, I'm sorry! I meant to walk us back, I promise!"
"You're a jerk."
"I know." As his own heartbeat slowed, he realized how closely they were pressed together, and without thinking he tilted his head to look at her face. His breath caught as he realized she'd done the same, and their noses were mere inches apart.
Her eyes… He didn't think he'd ever seen them this close before. Although muted by a milky-white film, he realized that the irises were green, almost swallowed by large pupils that didn't respond to the sunlight. His eyes flicked down to her lips and he wondered– as if he were outside his own body– if he was going to kiss her.
She kicked her heel against his thigh. "Bring me back, Meathead."
No. It was silly to even consider it. "Yes, sir." He walked back to where she could stand. "Okay, you're good."
She dropped her legs and stepped away from him, pulling her sodden hair off her neck. If she was flustered at all by what had happened, she didn't show it, and Sokka did his best to do the same.
"So," she said, wringing the water out of her hair, "what's for dinner?"
He shrugged, glancing up the river. "I'm not sure. Maybe I'll go fishing."
She nodded, then went to see if her clothes were dry. He did the same, then pulled a fishing rod and line from his pack and started up the bank. He wondered briefly if things would become awkward between them, then immediately dismissed the thought as ridiculous.
Maybe it was kind of a weird situation in the moment, but they were best friends. They could handle that sort of thing without letting it affect their relationship.
It wasn't totally conscious, but as the days wore on Sokka began to notice another unintended consequence of the swimming lesson. After being that close to each other wearing almost no clothes, it felt far easier– almost natural– for the average distance between them to slowly decrease.
He wasn't sure if Toph noticed, but if she did she made no move to object, and he couldn't quite bring himself to stop. So what if he enjoyed walking a little closer together, or brushing dirt off her shoulders when he noticed it, or sitting close beside her in front of the campfire over dinner? Compared to the day at the lagoon, it was nothing.
At least, he was slowly convincing himself that was the case as they neared Republic City. They were just about a day's walk away when they happened upon a seedy tavern near the shore, and Toph's face split into a toothy grin.
"Hey, now I know where we are."
"Where?"
"June's bar."
"Who's bar?"
"That lady who helped us find Uncle and his gang of old people right before the comet."
"Oh, yeah." He vaguely remembered something like that, although honestly the days leading up to the comet were a bit of a blur.
"Come on, I could use a drink, couldn't you?"
He really had no good argument for that, so followed her inside with only a little grumbling. The inside was just as grimy as the outside, and crowded with various scruffy-looking characters. Toph walked through the crowd as if she were walking down the street, and Sokka tried to mimic her easy confidence.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he muttered as they slid into an empty booth near the back. June was nowhere in sight, making Toph the only woman in the establishment, and he'd already seen more than one lecherous glance in their direction.
She smirked. "Don't worry, Snoozles. I'm right here to protect you."
"Ha ha." He glanced up at the bar. "I'm going to get us something to drink. Want anything specific?"
"Just as long as it's alcohol."
He actually quirked a smile at that, and tried to put his paranoid concerns behind him as he left. Shoving his way to the front, he tried to flag down a bartender.
It took a couple tries to get anyone's attention and a good amount of elbowing to keep his place at the counter, but finally someone came over and snapped, "What do you want?"
Sokka slapped a few coins onto the bar. "Two pints of your house ale, please. And food, if you have it."
The bartender grunted. "Just salted nuts."
"That's fine."
He pushed a bowl roughly across the counter and turned towards the tap. "Two house ales?"
"Yeah."
"Our grog's pretty strong," he said. "Sure your girl can handle it?"
"Yes." Sokka glared. "Although she's not my–"
"Not for long, I'll wager." The bartender sniggered. He pushed two overflowing pints towards him and nodded over his shoulder.
Sokka whipped his head around and watched in horror as a tall man in Earth Kingdom colors slid into the booth across from Toph. His hand clenched at his sides and he had to resist the urge to march right back and threaten the man with his club. They'd already been thrown out of one bar on this trip, not to mention Toph probably wouldn't appreciate it.
So he walked back at a carefully measured pace, mug of ale in each hand and nuts balanced carefully in one elbow. But as he got closer, he saw the man leaning forward, hands creeping over the table, and his self-control evaporated.
"Hey." He put the mug of ale down hard under the man's nose. "You're in my seat."
The man started and sat back, an easy grin on his face. "Woah, didn't see you there, Water Tribe."
Sokka leaned over the bench, shifting his weight so the club at his waist was more visible. "See me now?"
"Hey, take it easy." The man raised his hands. "I didn't realize she was spoken for."
Toph crossed her arms. "I'm not–"
"Get out of here," Sokka snapped.
"Alright, alright." The man started shuffling lazily out of the booth, eyes lingering on Toph.
Sokka let his hand fall to the grip of his club. "Get. Out."
He huffed and slid out. "Spirits, tell your boyfriend to calm down."
Sokka growled, and before Toph could say anything the man hurried away.
She kicked his shins as soon as they were alone. "What the hell, Meathead?"
"What?" He took his rightful place in the booth and a long swig of ale.
"You know what."
He put down his mug and shoved a handful of nuts into his mouth. "Look, this place is full of unsavory characters. I just wanted to get rid of him, okay?"
She looked unimpressed. "You know I could've taken him, right? Without even standing up."
It was his turn to glare. "Yeah, but now you don't have to and we don't get thrown out on our asses."
She stared at him for a second, then scoffed and took a sip from her mug. "You know, I can't actually tell if you're lying or just an idiot."
"Hey!"
"Don't be offended– that's a compliment. You've managed to bamboozle the world's best lie detector."
He rolled his eyes and took another drink. If the first half hour was any indication, he'd need more than one pint to get him through the evening.
/
The bartender was right– the ale was strong and Sokka was beginning to feel it by the time he got up for a fourth round (Toph's third). As the evening wore on, the bar had only gotten more crowded, and it was all he could do not to bowl people over as he elbowed his way back to the bar.
He was leaning over the counter, vying for the bartender's attention again, when he heard it.
"…that little earthbender? The one with the funny eyes?"
No fucking way. Through a monumental effort, Sokka kept himself from turning around, but his hands fell back to the table and he forgot all about the bartender.
"Yeah, all the way in the back."
"Hottest girl this side of Omashu, hands down."
Sokka gripped the edge of the bar.
"She looks like she could beat the living shit out of you."
You're damn right.
"Worth the risk," the first voice said.
A burst of crude laughter. "I say go for it, Jin Lo. It's not like she could see your ugly face afterwards!"
That's it. Sokka whirled around and gave the laughing man a shove, disappointed but not surprised to see that it was the same man who'd invaded their table earlier. "Say that again."
He stumbled backwards, but Jin Lo stepped forward, smirking. "Aww come on, don't tell me you don't want a piece of that."
Vaguely, Sokka was aware of a circle forming around them and several hands drifting towards the hilts of weapons, but in the moment he couldn't bring himself to care. "She doesn't need to see to know your face looks like the wrong end of a platypus-bear."
Jin Lo sneered. "And how would you know what that looks like, Snow Savage?"
I'll show you savage. Everything went red, and Sokka launched himself forward with a yell, tackling him to the ground. They grappled for a minute on the ground, the crowd jeering in the background, until Jin Lo found his footing and stumbled to his feet.
Sokka rolled away to avoid a kick in the ribs and scrambled to stand up, but before he got his balance Jin Lo grabbed the front of his tunic and threw him backwards into the nearest table.
There was a crash as it buckled under his weight and Sokka felt the air rush out of his lungs, but he dove for the nearest broken table leg and managed to swing it like a club toward Jin Lo's head. It made a satisfying crack against his jaw and sent him reeling, but before Sokka knew it Jin Lo was on top of him again and he was struggling to breathe while blocking blows aimed at his shoulders and head.
Then suddenly the weight was gone and Toph was standing above him, a thunderous expression on her face.
"What the fuck is your problem?" she yelled.
Sokka hesitated, not sure who she was talking to, but before he could decide an angry-looking bartender pushed his way through the crowd. "Out, both of you! Get out!"
"We were just leaving," Toph said, helping him to his feet.
As quickly as possible, they collected their things and made for the exit, tossing some gold coins to the bartender on the way out.
"What was that about getting thrown out on our asses?" Toph said, spitting into the dirt.
"Shut up." He sulked, and they walked in sullen silence until the sounds of the tavern faded into the woods.
Then, because the universe hated him, thunder rumbled in the distance and the sky, which had been feeling heavy and thick all day, suddenly opened over their heads, soaking both of them instantly.
Toph muttered an oath and took a stance, bending a sizable earth tent in the center of a small copse. She immediately crawled inside, turning the earth over beneath her so it was dry.
Sokka lingered just outside, wondering if he'd be welcome or if she was still mad about the fight.
"Oh, get in here, Idiot."
I guess not. He crawled in after her, suddenly self-conscious in the tight space. He hunched awkwardly against the slanted wall opposite her, picking at a scab on his hand and staring at the ground. He wanted to apologize– for his bad temper all evening, for starting a fight and getting them thrown out, but the more he thought about it the more he didn't want to get into why he'd lost control. It felt… complicated. Or maybe he was just stupid. He sighed and hunched over his knees.
"Are you okay?"
He blinked. "What?"
She huffed. "I mean, are you hurt? I didn't get a good feel for what happened."
"Oh… no, not really." He flexed his shoulders and took a quick inventory. He'd be sore tomorrow for sure, but nothing too bad. "Thanks."
"For what?"
His lips quirked. "Bailing my ass out. Again."
She gave a half-laugh and dug a bundle of clothes out of her pack, using it as a pillow as she stretched out on the earth. "Don't mention it, Meathead."
"Still. Thanks, anyway." He reached for his pack to do the same, doing his best not to crowd her. Since it was too warm for any sort of blanket, he put his folded bedroll under his head and tried to get comfortable on the ground.
Toph seemed to doze off quickly, but as Sokka tried to relax, all his bruises made themselves known and he became aware of his leg throbbing again as the rain fell harder.
He tossed and turned in the narrow space, trying to find a position that would let him get a little rest, and eventually Toph stirred as well, pushing up onto her elbows.
"Not enough room for you, Snoozles?"
"No, just hard to get comfortable," he muttered.
She tapped her fingers, palms flat against the earth. "Is your leg bothering you?"
Spirits, how does she always know? "No."
She sat up all the way and gestured towards her lap. "Give it here."
"What?"
"I said give it here."
He sighed and sat up perpendicular to her, and she pulled his bad leg onto her lap, hands brushing over his pants to the place where it hurt. Before he realized what was happening, her strong fingers dug into the aching muscle and tendons and began working through the knots.
He gasped as the pain spiked, then began to fade. "How do you know how to do that?"
She blew her bangs out of her face in a short puff of air. "If I can sense a heartbeat through the earth, I can sense a whole lot of other things, too. Katara may know all your chi pathways, but I know all your muscles."
He fell silent, not sure what to say, but it felt so good he found himself relaxing under her touch. It was hard to see her face in the dark, but what shadows he could make out were as inscrutable as always, head bowed as she concentrated on his leg.
"Jeez, how is your leg still fucked up?" she murmured. "I thought your sister was a healer or something."
"It's not that bad," he said automatically. "Although I may have trained too hard on it too soon. Or something like that. Who really knows."
She gave a low, fond laugh. "Idiot."
Despite himself, Sokka smiled, sinking further back onto his hands as she worked. "I know."
/
Eventually, when the pain was not quite gone but less than he ever thought it could be, Toph released him and they settled down to sleep again. Sokka wondered if she'd also softened the ground beneath him while he was distracted, because it was so much more comfortable than before.
The air was hot and humid and she'd left the ends of the earth tent open, so he could feel the faint breeze from the rain on his face.
"I love that smell," he murmured, not sure why he felt the need to tell her but too exhausted to care.
"What smell?" she said.
"Just… the way it smells outside when it rains."
"Petrichor."
"What?"
"The smell of the water mixing with dirt. Like another word for earth, combined with ichor, the blood of the Spirits."
Sokka almost laughed– the blood of the Spirits. As if it was something holy, or divine. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, near the edge of sleep. As he was drifting off, he remembered where he'd smelled that before– in Toph's hair, on that first night in Gaoling.
A/N: I can never resist a Tokka swimming lesson :P Thank you so much who's followed/favorited/reviewed!