"You okay?" Sokka said in an unsteady voice, his hands trembling a little as he touched her face. He'd walked her inside of the little, mildewy bathroom and had made her stand on a towel. She could hear and feel glass hitting the floor around them; she'd been thrown through a window at one point during the fight. She could feel little cuts on her skin and she knew from the smell of blood on the air that Sokka had been injured too. The thought made her chest tighten painfully.

"No. I'm about a mile away from okay," Toph said in a small voice that was entirely unlike her; she was exhausted to the bone. Even speaking was a difficult task. She didn't want to even think, because if she did, she'd be thinking about the screams she'd heard in the square during the fight, the heat of the fire and the tremble in the earth as the bodies had fallen. And Smellerbee, screaming as the Fire Nation rebels had torn her down.

"You don't have to be," Sokka said in his rumble. He always knew what she was thinking, and he knew how much she hated feeling this vulnerable. She felt his hands on her naked waist, fingers smoothing over her cut, bloody flesh.

"I know that," Toph whispered as a wave of dizziness washed over her. "How does it look?"

"You're banged up pretty good. Some light scratches. Nothing major. The blood's mostly…" he trailed off, and she knew he didn't want to say Smellerbee's name. "You should shower and get the glass out of your hair."

"I should be back on the streets. The rebels—"

"Are gone by now. We can't do anything until tomorrow."

"Our cover is broken. They know we're after them now. We came really close, but I... I lost it."

"I did too," he said heavily and she felt his hands on her waist again, touching her with a tired weight that lingered.

"They're going to come for us."

"They don't know about this place. We can hide until morning."

"I don't like to hide. I want to crush them," she said angrily, making him lean forward, his forehead resting against hers. His hair was down, she felt as the long strands tickled her face. His hair was stiff though, and smelled of blood.

"Me too. Come on, I should look at your wounds. Lift your arms," he said as he grasped the hem of her bloody, torn shirt. The shirt stuck to her skin as he gently pulled it off, and her cut skin crawled as cold air hit her. Her bra was equally as blood-soaked; there was no saving it. Sokka hissed in sympathy somewhere in front of her. He seemed a million miles away and yet too close for comfort.

She shuddered as Sokka tossed her ruined shirt onto the glass-littered towel at her feet with a whumph sound. His hands touched her body, callused fingers gentle as he dabbed salve on her cuts, checking her for more cuts and scrapes. He pulled glass out of her abs and she grunted and clutched at his bare arms, her nails digging in.

"Sorry. You're almost done."

"What about you? You're hurt too."

"I'll live," he said distractedly. His breathing was just a touch quicker than normal and the way his hands lingered on her flesh made a fire race up her spine. She shifted on the towel, feeling him in the darkness, every bit of her being centered on him. Her whole world vibrated around him, following him in little earthquakes and aftershocks.

This was dangerous. He was too close, too caring. Too damned tempting.

"I should go back to my place. I don't have anything to wear," she said hoarsely, but he made a dissenting noise in the back of his throat.

"They're watching your place now, remember? When I picked this safe house I stashed some clothes here. I have something you can sleep in. A shower will help," he said patiently, and cupped her face in his hands. She found herself sinking against him. He was warm and solid, and his arms encircled her tightly. A tear started in her eyes, but she couldn't stop it this time. She was definitely at the end of her rope.

"She died, Sokka. She died screaming."

"I know."

"I almost lost you too," she whispered, throat closing as the tears slipped out and scorched her blood-splattered cheeks. "I can't lose you, Sokka."

"You won't," he said, his breath stirring her hair. He pulled back and cupped her face again, his thumbs sweeping across her cheeks and gently swiping away the tears, smudging the blood. He smiled—she could always tell when he smiled, he made a pleased little sound that shot rockets into her body and out through her toes-and leaned in.

She tilted her mouth upward and kissed him. The action was so natural it should have shocked her, but didn't. It had been a long damned day, and she needed him, needed something real. Something to cling to in the darkness.

The kiss was gentle, the barest brush of his mouth on hers, teasingly warm and heartbreakingly gentle. Toph closed her eyes, feeling his heartbeat speeding up through the earth beneath her feet. She breathed in, wanting the moment to last, but he pulled back after a long, lingering moment.

"Um… Toph…" he started, but she just reached out and shoved him in his broad, muscular chest before he could reject her.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. I was just saying thank you," she said defensively, because she knew, she knew, what he was going to say and the pain of it was too much to bear. So she did what she always did. She shoved him away. Pretended not to care. It was safer that way.

"I…I know that," he said, his voice low with arousal that didn't surprise her a bit, despite everything. For months now she'd been very aware of the way Sokka's heart raced whenever she entered a room, the way he would turn toward her unerringly, the quickening of his breath. She'd been trying to ignore it; they both had. So far the attraction had gone entirely unspoken.

There were a lot of reasons to keep it that way, not the least because of the fact that Sokka was still locked in a never-ending on again, off again relationship with Suki, who was Toph's friend. At the moment they were off again, but that hardly mattered. Sokka was in love with Suki, not her. She'd come to terms with that a long time ago. The childhood crush had faded to a dull ache she could ignore.

Or so she'd thought. Ever since Aang had sent her and Sokka undercover to ferret out the a cell of Fire Nation rebels who had infiltrated Ba Sing Se, the feelings had come back on her tenfold. She tried to ignore it, telling herself that she was imagining it.

But she wasn't.

And Sokka… Sokka found little ways to touch her, his hands lingering on her arm, her shoulder, the small of her back. There was a weight to his hand, a heat in his touch, a sigh in his voice that he'd once reserved only for Suki. And he still talked like that about Suki. They hadn't been together in months, but she knew that he still had feelings for the Kyoshi warrior.

All of it confused her, made her want things she had no right to want. And yet…

She fought a scowl as she heard Sokka swallow hard, his hands dropping away from her waist. His heart was still racing; she could feel it, pulsing and booming, little earthquakes beneath her feet. The impacts shook her a little, to the core of her being. She swayed on her feet; Sokka noticed and clutched her shoulders, steadying her.

"Did you eat tonight?"

"Wasn't time," she mumbled.

"You should eat. There's some food in the pack I brought."

"I can't eat covered in blood though. I'll throw up. Even if I can't see it, I can smell it," she said, swallowing as she thought of Smellerbee again.

"Fine. Shower first, and then eat." Then he let go of her and a few seconds later she heard the rusty sound of taps being turned on. Steam rose, curling around them with a wet whisper. "I'll get you something to wear."

She listened to him leave, following his footsteps with a heavy heart. The door closed behind him with a bang and she let out a tight breath, her knees quaking slightly. Then she peeled her bloody bra off, tossed it down with her shirt, and then shimmied out of her pants. Even her underwear, she felt with a sick sort of lumpy feeling in her throat, were soaked in blood. She pulled them off and wadded the whole mess up, then stepped gingerly into the shower, holding out her hand to feel the warmth.

The hot water hit her skin with a slap, reminding her too much of the heat of the fire the rebels had shot at her in waves. She bowed her head, letting the spray sluice through her unbound hair, the last of the glass washing away with a gritty feeling. She found a washcloth and soap by feel and scrubbed at her skin until it was raw and aching, and then scrubbed it some more. She wanted nothing more than to erase the whole horrible night from her body, but it wouldn't leave her mind.

The sounds and feels of Smellerbee's death flashed across her memories, and she couldn't seem to make it stop. A sob escaped her and she let it, clutching at her middle, her knees threatening to give on her. The bathroom door opened, letting cool air swirl into the room. Toph turned toward Sokka and felt him hesitate.

"I packed you a change of clothes for tomorrow and I found a shirt that should be okay to sleep in," he said as she groped the wall, and turned off the taps. She felt him turn away from her, but knew that he'd seen her naked body through the steam curling around them. His heart was pounding like a drum. "Here."

He thrust what proved to be a towel at her, his hands brushing hers as he did. "I put some water and some apple slices on the bed. Hope that's okay?"

"That's fine," she said as she took the towel and wrapped it around her. She could feel the slightest sting from the cuts and scrapes scattered across her flesh, but none of them were bleeding any longer. Sokka stopped her from stepping out of the shower, gathered the towel with the glass on it and her soiled clothing, and wadded all of it into a ball. She hoped he burned it all.

He left the room to dispose of it, leaving her to dry off. She pulled on the clothing he'd left for her; what felt like a man's loose shirt. She buttoned it up and rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. It came to mid-thigh on her, but she was very aware of the fact that she didn't have any underwear on, and was also too weary to really care.

She felt on the sink for a comb, found one, and left the bathroom, feeling with her feet. The safe house was small, a one room apartment in the outer ring of Ba Sing Se, where the poorest citizens lived. And where crime was rampant. The place smelled of mold and old noodles. She could hear voices in the street outside, loud and raucous. She sat down on the only piece of furniture in the place—a bed—to brush her wet hair out while Sokka took a shower.

He came out a few minutes later, smelling clean and wonderful. He stood in the doorway and she could feel his gaze on her. Her toes clenched on the floor, curling inward as she tugged on the shirt. Her toes dug into the wooden floor, trying to find traction, a connection, something to hold on to. But there was only the vibration of Sokka's heart.

"What?" she asked softly, biting down on her lower lip. She ached hollowly to feel his arms around her again.

"You aren't eating," he said and crawled onto the bed and sat down with her between his legs. Wordlessly he took the comb from her and started gently pulling the knots out of her hair. She hadn't made much progress while he'd showered; she kept thinking about Smellerbee. She picked up the juice and took a deep drink, then ate a few apple slices. Her stomach folded over the food and she put the juice down. Food was not a good idea.

Toph closed her eyes and let Sokka comb her hair, relaxing into the solid wall of his chest. He'd filled out in the years that she'd known him, becoming muscular in all the ways a warrior should have been. It was enough to make her heart pound out of her chest. He was warm at her back, reassuring and alive. Safe.

Finally he put down the comb and threaded her trunk with his arms, his chin resting on her shoulder. Her hands touched his, shaking a little. He was too close. Too damned close… "What are we going to tell Aang and Katara? What are we going to tell Longshot?"

"I don't know," he mumbled against her neck as she tangled their fingers. "We'll worry about that tomorrow. You're exhausted. Come on…you can sleep in the bed, and I'll take the floor."

He started to move away from her, but she held tightly to his arms. "No. Stay with me. I don't want to sleep alone."

Sokka rested his forehead against the back of her head and sighed into her damp hair. His arms shook and she felt a thrill go up her spine at the movement, at the banked emotion in them. "Are you sure?"

In answer she turned in his arms and crawled into the bed. Sokka followed, twitching the covers aside as they burrowed into the warmth of the sheets together. She curled into a ball, shaking a little as he wrapped his big body around hers, her head resting on his arm, his other arm slung around her middle, pulling her tight against him. She tangled their fingers again and sighed against the pillow, feeling intensely vulnerable. It was a foreign concept to her, but she found she didn't mind relying on Sokka. She needed him like she needed the feel of the earth under her feet.

"Just sleep, Toph. I won't leave you," he said against her ear and she shuddered again, his warmth soaking through her skin. She was asleep in seconds, Sokka's familiar, reassuring voice rumbling through her back and against her ear.

A grumble of thunder outside the window awoke her with a start several hours later. She clawed her way out of nightmares like a cat fighting its way out of a bag. It took her a moment to realize where she was, and why she was sprawled across a warm, muscular body. She had no idea what time it was, but judging by the sound of rain slapping against glass and the distant rumble of thunder, it was storming outside.

Another lusty rumble of thunder made the whole rickety building quake, startling Sokka awake with a snort. His hand clenched on her shoulders. They were lying in a twisted tumble, her head on his bare chest, one leg slung over his, his knee between her thighs. She had one arm thrown over his stomach, the other beneath his head.

Her face turned toward his and she could feel his eyes on her again. She had a feeling she knew what he had seen in her eyes, because his hands tightened on her flesh and he shifted beneath her. She drew herself up on one elbow, hair falling around their faces in waves.

Their breaths mingled, became one. Thunder rattled the building again.

"Toph… I…" Sokka started, but she shook her head.

"Don't talk. Just touch me."

"Yes…"

They reached for each other at the same time, and Sokka claimed her mouth with a soft sigh. His lips were gentle against hers, questing for purchase. His stubble scraped her cheeks, but she kissed him harder, opening her mouth and inviting him inside. The kiss deepened, his tongue slowly rolling against hers. Sleep flavored his mouth and she drank in the taste of him greedily, her hand sliding along his rough cheek to his loose hair. His arms encircled her, drawing her down on him.

The storm rattled the windows outside, making everything feel unreal. She clung tightly to Sokka as he kissed her. Torturously slowly they moved together, tongues sensuously sliding against one another. Heat sparked in her stomach and spread to her limbs, driving away the last vestiges of sleep. She shifted against him, nipples hard and digging into his chest.

He moaned into her mouth, as obviously inflamed as she was. His hand dug through her hair, the other caressing her shoulders and back. His hips lifted and she felt the rise of his passion against her flat belly. She pulled back, gasping for air. She felt him smile—heard that soft laughing sound—and then he grasped her, and rolled.

Toph's back hit the pillows, Sokka's weight spreading evenly over top of her, pinning her to the bed beneath him. She clutched at his ribs, the muscles pulling and rolling. He kissed her again, pressing her down into the sheets; sheets that smelled just like him. She wallowed in his scent, in the feel of his body against hers, her thighs rubbing against his hips as he worked his way between them. He lifted himself up on his arms, hungrily taking her mouth, kissing her like she might stop him at any moment, like he'd been dying to kiss her.

She knew how he felt. For months now the attraction between them had been simmering like a banked coal. Somehow, in the violence of the thunderstorm, the promised fire had broken out and neither one of them were trying to stop it. It would do no good.

Her hands landed on his narrow hips and she pushed at the waistband of his loose pants, lifting her legs and pulling them down using her instep. Sokka broke away from her mouth with an impatient growl that made her shudder beneath him. Together they pushed his pants all the way off and he shook free of them, sinking back between her thighs and taking her mouth again.

She felt his cock against her belly, hardening with each frantic, deep kiss. She wrapped her fingers around him, stroking lightly as their mouths plunged furiously against one another. His hands found the buttons of her shirt and he undid them one by one, pushing the sides open and sliding a hand inside to close over the aching mounds of her breasts. She moaned against his mouth and then he was kissing his way down her neck to her breasts. He drew one nipple into his mouth and rolled it between his teeth, his tongue following with a hot, rasping thrust. Her body bowed upward, hips pushing together with a rough grind.

She writhed beneath him, tightening her fist around his cock as he suckled her. He let her breasts go with a deep suck and then kissed her again, fiercely plunging his tongue into her mouth. She twitched her hips upward again, wanting him, liquid heat pooling between her thighs.

Toph moaned against his mouth and twisted her head to the side as thunder rattled the windows, the building, her whole damned world. Sokka was breathing raggedly, his breath moist against her neck as she stroked him. He quivered above her, then bit out a curse and rolled off of her.

Toph made a protesting noise, but stopped when she felt his hands on her calves, jerking her down the bed in a movement that rucked the loose shirt up around her waist. Sokka sank to bed between her legs, his shoulders wedging up beneath her thighs. She gave a shuddering breath, reaching down and touching his hair, then his stubbled face. She felt his mouth on her palm for a lingering moment, felt the tender sweep of his tongue, promising her things she had no right to.

But oh how she wanted them…

Sokka's fingers tangled with hers and she felt him press her hands to the mattress as his hot breath caressed over her wet flesh. His tongue followed, flicking through her folds, finding the center of her universe with ease. Her breath immediately caught and she clutched his hands hard, lifting her hips to meet the hot probe of his tongue against her.

His tongue circled her quivering flesh, pleased moans rumbling out of him. He freed one hand and split her flesh, the tip of his tongue teasing her with little flicks. Toph made a noise she hadn't been aware that she was even capable of, her head thrashing on the pillows beneath her.

"Hnnng…" she moaned unintelligibly, biting her lip to keep the sound from escaping her. She was breathing shallowly in little gasps, everything in her world focused on the hot breath of Sokka's mouth against her wet flesh and the rasp of his tongue. She ached. Wanted more. Wanted him deeper.

His other hand let go of hers and she lifted her arms, her hands connected with the cold metal of the bedframe. She grasped the bars in her hands, holding on tightly in an effort to keep herself from being completely lost in pleasure.

It didn't work; especially not when she felt Sokka's fingers probing her opening, slipping inside of her with a teasing glide that bowed her back. She held on to the bedframe as Sokka's fingers opened her, curling into the tight clench of her body over and over again until she was shaking beneath him. His tongue was still circling her flesh, faster and faster.

"Sokka…" It was all she could manage before the intensity of orgasm crested over her like a wave of hot sand. She heard the metal bars give with a screech, but she was too far gone, her thighs clenching around Sokka's head.

He chuckled against her wet flesh, his tongue sweeping over her with one last probing slide. Then he pushed her thighs open and sat up, his touch leaving her body. She made a protesting noise again as she let go of the bent and mangled bedframe. She shrugged out of the shirt, letting the air caress her flushed skin as Sokka crawled back up her body.

"I'm not done with you," Sokka said roughly against her mouth, firing every hormone in her already stimulated body.

Their mouths met again and she kissed him hard, letting his weight press her into the sheets once more. He pushed her thighs open with his knee, his cock nudging her wet flesh, but she twisted beneath him, rolling him onto his back.

"Maybe I'm not done with you?" she said as she straddled him, her weight over his hips. His hands grasped her hips as she leaned over him, kissing him quickly, then trailing her lips and tongue over his neck to the delicious expanse of his muscular chest. His skin was salty, tasting of soap and Sokka. She slid her tongue over his heated skin, the light scattering of hair on his chest tickling her lips and nose.

His hands trailed up her naked back, smoothing over her skin, raising goosebumps. Then they caught in her tangled hair as she closed her lips around one of his nipples. She swirled her tongue over him and enjoyed the way he groaned against her. She couldn't take it any longer. How long had she wanted him, needed him, and denied herself?

She sat up, hair slung over one shoulder, hands flat on his chest and stomach. Sokka clutched her hips in his hands; he was still breathing heavily. Toph felt his cock nudging at her opening. She reached between their bodies, positioned herself above him, and slowly slid down his length.

They both groaned into the thundering air, as she came to rest upon his thighs, his cock nestled inside of her, hard and throbbing in time to the frantic beating of their hearts. She whimpered; the feel of him inside of her making a thousand fiery rockets go off in her middle. Sokka's hips lifted off of the bed as he pulled her down, filling her as far as he could go. Her nails dug into his abs as her head went back.

She started pumping her hips over him, moving back and forth, little earthquakes trembling through her flesh. Sokka lay back, letting her take the lead as she rode him. His hands quested along her cut flesh, up her waist to her ribs, then her breasts. He cupped her in his hands, thumbs brushing her hard nipples. Her head went back again, mouth opening on a moan of pleasure as she ground down on him in tight circles.

Sokka lifted his hips, joining in with a soft, needy growl. His hands tightened on her hips and he started moving her back and forth in hard, frantic thrusts. She clutched at his hands, moving with him as pleasure gripped her; his cock fit snugly within her, and she clenched greedily around him. She lifted his hand to her mouth and sucked one of his fingers inside, her tongue swirling, then released it and kissed his knuckles. She heard him smile at her and she returned it, bending to capture his mouth, to kiss the smile from his lips.

He kissed her deeply, then grasped her and rolled them both over again. She clung to him, her middle on fire with mindless need. He pulled out of her, repositioned himself, pushed her legs around his hips and then thrust into her, hard and deep. A strangled shout of pleasure escaped her as she threw her head back on the pillows and clasped his pumping hips, pulling him that much closer to her.

Sokka kissed the scream from her mouth, his hands finding hers and drawing them up over her head. He pinned her to the bed, his cock working in and out of her wet flesh at a furious pace. She gave herself up to it, too on fire to do anything more than whisper his name with every ragged breath and writhe beneath him.

The whole room shook, rattling around them. Sokka groaned and thrust that much harder, taking her deeply.

Pleasure raced between them and she felt orgasm sliding toward her, closer and closer with every friction-filled thrust of Sokka's hot body into hers. Her flesh tightened around his, slick inner muscles clenching around his cock as everything coiled up, ready to explode. Her hips lifted off of the bed, lifting him with her. He slammed home one last time and then they were both lost, climaxing in a rush of sweaty skin, thunder, clutching fingers and a hard shudder that had them both gasping.

Sokka trembled over her, deep inside of her as she spasmed around him, her muscles milking him. Wave after wave of pleasure gripped her until she was sure she was going to pass out. Then it eased, leaving her wet and exhausted, clutching at his shoulders and holding him down over top of her. Sokka's taut muscles released, the tension flowing out of him as he let out a contented, shuddering sigh against her neck.

She stroked the back of his sweaty shoulders, still trembling around him, the afterglow of their shared orgasm making her hyper-aware of her entire body. Sokka nuzzled her neck and when she turned her head to the side, he captured her mouth with his and the kiss they shared was as slow as the first one had been. The kiss was full of a million unspoken things that should have been scaring her, but were not—she was too exhausted.

When he broke away, his hips pulling back so that he slipped out of her body, she took a deep breath.

"I think I broke the bed," Toph whispered between thunderclaps. Sokka's head lifted up from her breasts, which he'd started kissing again, his hair tickling her skin. Her heart ached, hard, and she let it ache, for once not turning away from the way this amazing man made her feel.

"Oh yeah. And the earth shook a little." There was pride in his voice.

Toph blushed as she stroked her hand through his hair. "Is that a metaphor?"

"Yes and no. You lost control."

"I blame you," she said, biting her lower lip. "I suppose this was coming for a while…"

"You're right," Sokka said roughly. "I'm tired of pretending I don't want you, Toph. I mean, I've tried. I've really, really tried. But… I mean, you're amazing and beautiful and…"

She caught his head in her hands and brought him back up to her mouth, kissing him again, slowly, letting her tongue roll against his, letting him know that she was tired of it too. She was just so damned tired. He pulled away after several intense minutes and lay over top of her, breathing into her hair. She was as content as a cat as exhaustion crawled over her.

Her eyelids felt heavy and as Sokka curled up around her she realized that she was losing her fight with sleep again. He didn't protest as she forced her eyelids to stay open through sheer force of will. He kissed her mouth gently and whispered, "Sleep, Toph. We'll talk in the morning."

Then he got up and went into the bathroom. She curled up in the sheets and smiled to herself, lids lowering again. After a few minutes she felt Sokka crawl back into the bed. She welcomed him back with a contented, sated sigh, curling around his hot, hard body. She found soft places to put her head and hands; cuddling up to him was like coming home. His caressing hands on her shoulders and stomach lulled her to sleep, and when she dreamed, it was about him.

He had chased the nightmares away.

Sokka woke up slowly, hazy morning light hitting his eyes and making him flinch away. The sound of water pinging on the window above his bed told him that it was still raining, but that the storm from last night had died down.

Last night.

His eyes snapped open and he sat up in the bed, disappointed to find himself alone. The sheets and blankets were churned up and his skin still smelled like Toph's body, so he knew that it hadn't been a dream. But how many times had he dreamed of being with her, and woken up alone and hard? Now it was real. Want and unease tightened his guts as realization swelled over him.

He and Toph had slept together.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, to let the memories of the night before swarm over him in heady detail. He rolled over, his gaze piercing the morning sunlight, half expecting to find the apartment empty. He had no idea why, but he hadn't expected Toph to stick around, despite their situation.

Instead, he found himself staring at Toph, who was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, eating an apple. He relaxed a fraction of an inch, then slung the blankets off, located his pants wadded at the foot of the bed and pulled them on.

He padded silently across the room, but knew that she could feel him. Her dark hair was tangled in the back and she was wearing the shirt he'd given her the night before, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She took another bite of her apple, juice running down her chin. His stomach rumbled.

"Morning," he said, making Toph's shoulders tighten. She relaxed a moment later and held up an apple.

"Hungry?"

"Starving," he said as he sank down onto the floor and took the apple from her. He took a bite, staring at her intently. She turned her face to the floor, chewing on her breakfast silently. "Are you feeling any better?"

She hitched a tight smile onto her lips and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm trying not to think about it. Except I have to think about it, because Aang is going to want to know what happened last night and why we blew our cover. And why I choked."

"You didn't choke."

"I let them get away."

"I made you stop chasing them. It's my fault."

"Whatever. The point is our cover's blown, the rebel cell is still active and our friend is dead. This whole mission has been a nightmare," she said bitterly.

Sokka's brows drew down low. "Surely not everything has been a nightmare?"

Toph's face flushed red, surprising him. He hadn't thought much could embarrass her. "True. Not…everything…"

He smiled, and the one she returned to him was tight, and didn't reach her eyes. One of them was going to have to address what had happened. He took a deep breath. "We made love last night, Toph."

"I know," she said tightly, her smile fading instantly. She fidgeted in place, her hair swinging forward over one shoulder.

"Then why do you look like you wished you didn't?" he asked sharply, putting his apple down.. "Dammit, Toph. Talk to me. What the hell is going on in your mind right now?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, taking a bite of apple and chewing slowly.

"Look, if I crossed a line…I'm, well I'm not sorry, but I guess I can fake it if I have to."

Toph cracked a small smile, but it faded quickly. "It's not that. I wanted you, too."

"Then what's with the look?" he insisted, resting his elbows on his knees. "I know that look, and it's not good. You're freaking out and trying to hide it from me. We're friends, you can tell me anything."

"That's the whole problem, Sokka," Toph said, running a hand through her hair. "We're friends. And… And Suki…"

"Suki and I are broken up," he said adamantly, though he felt a flash of guilt in his guts the moment he heard her name.

"For now. But you'll be back together soon. You two always get back together."

"I have feelings for you, Toph," he said in a low voice, reaching out and touching her hand. He could tell by the way she tangled her fingers with his that she felt it too. "I have for a long time now. I know you do too."

She dropped his hand and turned her face away again. "It was just sex, Sokka. We're friends. Just friends."

"It didn't feel that way last night."

"Last night was a fluke. We should just forget it ever happened. Sex was a bad idea."

"You weren't complaining last night," he pointed out.

"I'm not complaining now. But I'm also not going to try and complicate things for you. Just let last night be what it was. Two friends looking for comfort."

"It was more than that to me."

"Well it wasn't for me," she mumbled to the floor.

"You're lying."

Toph didn't deny it. She just stood, heading toward the dank bathroom, which was the only place to go in the tiny hovel he'd secured as their safe house. Sokka dropped his apple and scrambled to his feet after her. He caught her wrist and stopped her.

"I told you last night that I'm tired of pretending I don't want you. I wasn't lying. And I know you feel the same way."

"You're…you're not wrong," she whispered, and closed her eyes. "But you're in love with Suki."

Hearing Suki's name again was another blow to his gut. "I…"

"Don't bother lying."

He swallowed hard, his gaze cutting away from the look in her eyes. She had clamped down on her expression, but he'd known her too long to not be able to read her. The tense line of her shoulders told him everything. "I have feelings for you too, Toph."

"But you're not in love with me," she said and put one hand on his shoulder, pushing him back. "So just leave last night where it is."

"But I think I am in love with you," he said, admitting it to himself for the first time. He had no idea how or when it had happened, but he'd fallen for her. He couldn't deny it. Not anymore. Not after last night.

"No, you aren't!" Toph said, her mask cracking a little as she turned on him. She struck out, her hand colliding with his bare shoulders, fingernails digging in. He caught her wrist again, hauling her into his chest, trapping her against him.

"I am."

"Damn you, Sokka…" Toph said, and tears brimmed her eyes. He reached up a hand, sliding it through her hair. "Just—"

But whatever she was going to say, he cut it off, bringing his mouth down on hers in a fierce kiss that slowed up as Toph wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes. He kissed her hard, one hand grasping the back of her thigh as he brought her against him. He propelled them forward, pushing her against the wall as she moaned.

Sokka felt dizzy; kissing Toph was like falling down a mountain that had no bottom. It was all a whirl; a sweeping, swooping sensation that threatened to take him as it had last night. He let it, falling willingly into the sweet rush of her.

His hands smoothed down her sides and she moaned, arching her back like a cat and pressing herself against him. He grinned against her lips. Who would have known? Tough, gruff Toph was a complete and total hedonist.

His hands reached her hips and pushed beneath her long shirt. Her skin was soft and warm as he spread his palms up her hips and around to her buttocks. He squeezed lightly and broke the kiss with a tender little growl and a tug of her lip between his teeth.

"We can't do this again… We have to stop…" Toph warned, her eyes flashing. Sokka chuckled and kissed her again, his mouth seeking, promising. He had no intention of stopping, and he knew she didn't want him to. Their kisses turned furious, until they were both panting. He moved down the slender column of her neck, nipping, licking and then sliding down into the waiting upheaval of her breasts.

He kissed her through the shirt and he felt her tremble against him. He grinned and fell to his knees before her on the floor, his face buried against her stomach. Toph looked down at him, roses blooming in her cheeks as her hair fell forward over her shoulder. She took a deep breath as he ran his hands up her calves, knees and up her sleek thighs, making sure his hands never left her body. That she could feel how much he wanted her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he parted the front of the overlarge shirt. He grinned up at her, wickedly, and felt her shiver as he wrapped his arms around her naked buttocks and brought his mouth to her belly button.

"I want to taste you again," Sokka said with a purr in his voice as he brought his mouth to Toph's flat stomach, sliding his tongue along her creamy skin. She tasted of soap, and the sweat of both their bodies from the night before.

His lips trailed along her belly, teasing the healing cuts there as his hands caressed her buttocks, kneading her and then spreading around her hips. His thumbs dug in and she writhed toward him, legs opening a little. Inviting him.

He glanced up at her again as her hands wove into his hair, tangling and bringing him closer to her. Toph growled a little at him, clearly not amused at the way he was teasing her. He grinned again and darted his tongue against her flesh. The sweet honey flavor of her body made him moan as Toph immediately writhed toward his mouth. Slowly he stroked the flat of his tongue against her, splitting her soft flesh, her downy hair tickling the tip of his nose. After several slow, languorous swirls, he withdrew and glanced up at her. Her cheeks were red and she was staring down at him intently with a soft unfocused expression, her lips open.

He slid his hands around and down her thighs, lifting one of her legs and throwing it over his shoulder. Toph gripped the wall, her hips canting forward. Sokka buried his face against her, his tongue finding her again. She was like the finest instrument; every flick of his tongue brought a new sound, like carnal music, from her lips. He tuned her slowly, learning her, lost in her music, her taste. Slowly he brought her to the edge and back and then to the edge again, her wetness coating his fingers and tongue as he worked her slowly toward the inevitable brink.

"Sokka…" she breathed and then she was lost in breathy moan, her knee shaking, threatening collapse; all her weight on her tiptoes as she leaned against the wall. He suckled on her clit one last time, sending her into overdrive, and then he was up off of his knees, threading his strong arms around her body to keep her from melting into a puddle before him. Her head went back and she laughed breathlessly as her hands smoothed down the front of his bare chest and then around his waist.

He kissed her bared throat, then up to her chin, her cheeks, her eyelids, then her ear. Toph breathed out and buried her face in his neck, her fingers dipping into the waistband of his pants. Her warm breath made shivers roll across his pecks. He was dangerously hard as she pressed herself against him. Impatiently she shoved his pants down, drawing him into the open air, caressing him. Teasing him.

"I need you," he groaned against her ear and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, jumping up to straddle his hips. He pressed her against the wall, his mouth devouring hers as he found her center again.

Toph's head went back as he pressed her into the wall, thrusting into her at a blistering pace. Her ankles locked around his waist as she held on, letting him drive them both toward the edge. He wanted more though.

He shoved away from the wall and took the five or so steps toward the bed, dropping them both onto it with a bounce. He pulled out of her and grasped Toph's hip, rolling her to her knees. She didn't object, just turned her head in his direction, a smoldering expression on her face that was nearly his undoing. He kicked his pants away again, watching as she let the loose shirt fall into the covers.

She was beautiful, slender and covered in cuts and bruises from the night before. He wanted to be gentle with her, but he knew that wasn't what she wanted. Not Toph. He stood, grasped her hips in his hands, and brought her back against him, sheathing himself inside of her again.

Toph buried her face in the blankets, her hips rocking back against his as the friction built between them. He leaned over her, kissing the rolling expanse of her back, his tongue tracing her spine. His hands gripped her hips hard as pleasure boiled through him. Toph's breathless moans were sending him over the edge again. He couldn't hold on. Didn't even want to try.

He came with a deep moan, spilling inside of her as he wrapped one arm around her waist, the other supporting his weight as he sank down over top of her. Toph reached behind her, grabbing his hip as he slowly rocked against her, coming down from orgasm inch by inch. Breathing raggedly, he rested his forehead against the back of her shoulders as she trembled beneath him.

When he finally found his scattered wits, he pulled out of her and sank onto the bed beside her. Toph wordlessly put her head on his shoulder, curling up beside him. One of her slender hands touched his stomach, stroking through the hair on his belly.

"I meant what I said," she said after a long stretch of silence. There was regret in her voice.

"I meant what I said too."

"But it won't work."

"Why not? I love you, Toph," he said as he turned over onto his side to face her. His hand slid up her side, over her hip and back down, caressing her. Toph's expression was regretful, sad, but resolute.

"You love her more. Don't deny it."

"I don't know what I feel. But I'm not with her anymore. She's back on Kyoshi Island, training warriors. I'm here with you. I love being here with you."

"She's the love of your life, Sokka. We both know that. And maybe you're not together right now, but you will be in a few months. You know it. You're like a boomerang; you just keep coming back, no matter what. I don't want to stand in the way of that. And I won't play second fiddle to anyone. I'm not interested in being someone's second choice."

"You're not—"

"You've known how I felt about you for a long time. And I know you've had feelings for me for months now. You and Suki haven't been together in six months, and yet you didn't make a move. You could have. That just tells me you were afraid. That you didn't want to betray Suki. That you didn't want to hurt her. That you love her more. You don't have to protect me from the truth, Sokka. I'm a big girl and I understand."

Sokka swallowed and cupped her chin, his thumb caressing her cheek. "I'm just really confused, okay?"

"Let me make things easy on you, then. When this whole mess is over, when I go back to my school and you go back to Republic City and the council and our friends, I want you to go to Suki. I want you to stop being an idiot with her and I want you to marry her. That's what you two have been fighting about all this time, isn't? That you won't marry her."

Sokka started, lifting himself up on the bed on his elbow. He stared down at Toph in disbelief. "What?"

"And this, us, tonight…everything that's happened in Ba Sing Se…that's our business. You can pretend it never happened. I won't tell her and you won't have to hurt her."

"Toph…"

"This is for the best."

"For Suki?"

"For you. For me, maybe, because if you don't marry her, I'll try and take you from her. I won't mean to. I won't want to, but I'll try. I'll feel bad. I'll betray my friend. And it'll break my heart when you go back to her again and again. So let's just cut this thing off right now before I make a complete fool of myself. If you marry her like you should have a long time ago, I won't cross the line. And neither will you."

She was right about that. And maybe that was the whole reason he'd put off marrying Suki. He'd always known, somehow, someway, that there was something between him and Toph, and a part of him had wanted to explore it. He still did.

"So you expect me to just shut off my feelings for you? To marry Suki and pretend this never happened? I can't do that. I can't see you every day and not want you."

"You won't have to see me every day. Once we clear out this rebel cell, I'm to my school and you're going to Kyoshi to get your fiancé. Understand?" Toph's voice was bossy and hard and he could see her putting up armor around her heart. This was hurting her to say, but he knew her resolve face. Nothing was going to change her mind. Not even him.

Sokka swallowed as the silence stretched over them. "If I do this, you have to promise you'll come back. That you won't disappear."

"I won't. But I'm going to need some time. I've been thinking about this for a long time anyway. I've always known I had to get over you. I don't like feeling like this."

"This isn't the end. I'm not going to just do this…forget about you."

"Yes it is and yes you will," she said and leaned over, kissing him hard. He caught her face in his hands, deepening the kiss. She drew back several minutes later, her cheeks red and her eyes glistening. "We should go. The rebels are still out there. They killed our friend and I kind of feel like breaking some bones."

Reality slapped Sokka in the face like a bucket of cold water. He knew that she was right. Maybe about everything, but he didn't have to like it and neither did she.

"Come on, let's find these bastards. I feel like hitting something with my boomerang too. Repeatedly," he said in a tight voice as he stood and retrieved their clothing from the bag he'd packed. She took the clothing he handed to her and walked toward the bathroom, leaving her to stare after him. "Toph?"

"Yeah?" she called over her shoulder.

"I won't get over you. Not ever. And we're not finished here."

Toph hitched a small, sad smile onto her lips and then it spread into an all-out evil grin. "Damn right, you won't. And yes it is."

She slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Sokka to stare after her. A smile hit his lips.

"No, it's not," he whispered. "Not even close."

(end)

Continued in Two Nights in Republic City