Sokka cracked open his eyes and wondered what had woken him. It was the middle of the night, and he was usually such a heavy sleeper. He couldn't see much in the dim light of his bedroom.

But he could feel something.

Someone was in his room.

Sitting next to him.

On his bed.

He felt hands on his ribs, caressing his skin. "Good morning, Sokka."

He turned to the familiar voice. "Toph?" He could make out her shape as his vision became accustomed to the darkness. She was wearing nothing but a shirt that barely covered her thighs. He forced himself to look at her face. "Are you okay?"

Toph shrugged. "I couldn't sleep." She licked her lips, and Sokka's heart stopped.

"Um…" Sokka tried to think of something to say, but his brain kept thinking about the pair of thighs that were so close to his own. He propped himself up on his elbows. "I could…maybe…make you some tea?"

"Maybe later." Toph leaned closer to him. "I was thinking of something else you could do, though."

"What?" It was all that he could make his voice say.

"I could tell you," she said, and leaned down until their foreheads touched. "Or, I could show you." Her eyelids fluttered closed as she brought her lips to his.

Sokka was frozen, but his lips were on fire. Toph pulled back mere inches. He could feel the heat coming from her. "I must be dreaming," he whispered. It was the only explanation for her behaviour.

"Maybe you are," she whispered back. "Maybe we both are." She kissed him again, longer this time. "And if this is all just a dream, we shouldn't waste it."

Sokka stroked her cheek with the back of his fingertips. There was no denying it; it was only a dream after all, and it wasn't going away.

He grasped the nape of her neck and pulled her to him, crashing their lips together. He felt her smile against him. She ran her tongue along his mouth, which he opened without hesitation. His free hand roamed up her back, beneath the nightshirt. Her skin was smooth and hot under his touch.

He wrapped his arms around her waist as she pressed herself against him. His only thought was to hope and pray he wouldn't wake up.

*****

Morning came, and with it the faint pattering of rain as it fell outside the window. Sokka couldn't bear to open his eyes. All he really wanted to do was keep them firmly shut, crawl as far under the blankets as possible, and return to his blissful dream. He tried doing just that, but found he couldn't move.

He cracked open one eye and saw only blackness. Something was wrong. Surely it had to be the middle of the morning by now.

He tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but a weight on his chest pinned him to the bed. Now thoroughly confused, he forced open both eyes and looked down the bed. Sleeping next to him, snoring lightly, was Toph.

Sokka's first instinct, naturally, was to panic.

His best friend was curled up next to him, her head on his chest, an arm draped across his body.

He replayed the previous night's events in his mind. He was positive it had all been a dream. She certainly hadn't been acting like herself. If he had any notion that was had happened was real, he never would have -

Toph stirred beside him and buried her head deeper into his chest. He had to admit that it felt good.

Sokka's second instinct was to let Toph sleep. Fortunately, that was the instinct he listened to.

She looked calm and happy in the muted light of the rainy morning. A small smile played on her lips. He brought his right arm around her shoulders to draw her closer.

Sokka couldn't say how long he stayed like that, just watching her sleep. It could have been minutes, or hours. He absently stroked her hair with his left hand. It was odd that of all the girls and women in his life, he'd never thought of Toph as more than a best friend. A war buddy. A compatriot. But that morning, lying with her, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

Without thinking about anything except the fact that he wanted to, he leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead. She stirred in his arms. "Good morning, Toph," he whispered.

She smiled. "Morning, Sokka," she said. Exactly three seconds later, her eyes popped open. "Sokka?"

"Yeah?"

She clutched the blanket to her chest as she scrambled out of his embrace. "What in the name of all that is sane are you doing in my room?"

Confusion crashed back to him. "Your room?"

"Yes! My room! My bed!"

"Toph, this is my room." She opened her mouth again, but no sound came out. "You came in here last night." She started to gasp for air, obviously panicking. "You don't remember a thing, do you?"

One hand still clutched the blanket to her, the other covered her mouth. "Oh no," she whispered. "Not again."

"What?"

She took a deep breath. "Sometimes, for no reason, I tend to…sleepwalk." Her voice trailed to an almost inaudible level.

Sokka blinked. "You sleepwalk?" He shook his head. "But we travelled together for years, Toph. I never saw you sleepwalking."

"So that must mean I never do it, right?"

He let the matter drop. A fight was the last thing he wanted.

"I have to go," she whispered. She scrambled out of bed, nothing more than a flash of yellow nightshirt as she raced to the door. "This never happened, Ponytail," she said as she slid it open.

He wasn't going to let things end like that. Sokka leapt from the mattress without caring that he was wearing only his shorts. He managed to catch her upper arm before she disappeared into the hallway. "Wait," he yelled, perhaps too loud.

Toph slumped, but stood still. "What is it now?"

Sokka placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "It's just that...I don't..." He was getting flustered. He took a deep breath and focused on only Toph. "I know you don't remember last night. I hope you understand that I didn't know you were sleepwalking." He ran his hands down her arms and laced her fingers through his. He chucked under his breath. "I thought the whole thing was a dream." He leaned down until their foreheads nearly touched. "And I'm very glad it wasn't." He took a chance with his well-being and kissed her cheek.

Toph's eyes widened. She didn't hit him, so he smiled at her. He wasn't sure where everything was going between them, but he was ready for the ride.

A/N: A request by daughterofthestars on dA, based on a pic she drew. Link to it in my profile.

My favourite part has to be Toph's "double take" when she woke up. It was just something that I could see her doing.