Categories > Cartoons > Avatar: The Last Airbender > One Step At Time
# 79 - Stumble
Follow the Leader
Sokka eyes were half-opened as he stumbled down the corridors of the inn. He made a face when his bare foot made contact with something sticky and wet, and he was very aware that he smelled like the lumpy mattress he'd been lying on. If he hadn't been so tired, he wouldn't have been able to be in the same room as that rank piece of bedding, but he couldn't afford to be picky. It wasn't the most accommodating of places, but with their lack of funds, it was the best they could do.
There was no light in the corridor and he tried to remember the layout, but his brain refused to comply with his wishes. He wanted to go back to sleep but nature demanded he take care of this before he could go back to dreamland. He put a hand on the wall, winced when he caught a fingertip in a crack, and cursed under his breath when a splinter lodged itself in his palm.
Suddenly, a cool hand slipped into his and confidently started to lead him deeper into the inky dark. It was an unfamiliar touch and he pulled back, but the hand held fast. It was small, engulfed in his larger grip, but the palm that rubbed against his was just as calloused and the fingers rough as they curled around his. Yet, the bones were slender and delicate, and he knew the skin of its owner was as pale as porcelain. It was the hand of someone who knew hard work...but shouldn't.
Then again, the girl the hand was attached to was many things she shouldn't be, yet was.
Lost in his thoughts, he stumbled again and nearly had his arm yanked out of its socket as a result.
"Pay attention, Snoozles," Toph said in a harsh whisper. "Your bumbling around was like fireworks going off in my head. I'm trying to help you out here, so the least you can do is stay on your feet."
"I didn't ask you to get out of bed on my account," he retorted. "I know how you need your beauty sleep."
"Yeah, well..." she muttered. "I wasn't that upset about getting up from that sorry excuse of a mattress."
She stopped without warning and he ran into her back. She yelped when he caught himself by bracing his hands on her shoulders, his body flush against hers. Sokka was surprised with how slender she was, but she stood her ground, not giving him an inch even though he was a head taller and a great deal heavier than she was. Without thinking, he ran his hands down her arms, felt the tensing of her muscles, but also the smoothness of her bare skin.
"You alright?" he asked, his throat suddenly tight.
"In case you've forgotten, I can smash rocks," she said dryly. "You're no rock."
"You really know how to make a guy feel good," he returned.
She snickered and reached back to take his hand, but he took hers first. He sensed her surprise, but she didn't hesitate to twine her fingers with his. His foot fell into a space where a floor board should have been, but he kept his balance.
"Lead the way," he said.
"I think I will."
-fin-
Follow the Leader
Sokka eyes were half-opened as he stumbled down the corridors of the inn. He made a face when his bare foot made contact with something sticky and wet, and he was very aware that he smelled like the lumpy mattress he'd been lying on. If he hadn't been so tired, he wouldn't have been able to be in the same room as that rank piece of bedding, but he couldn't afford to be picky. It wasn't the most accommodating of places, but with their lack of funds, it was the best they could do.
There was no light in the corridor and he tried to remember the layout, but his brain refused to comply with his wishes. He wanted to go back to sleep but nature demanded he take care of this before he could go back to dreamland. He put a hand on the wall, winced when he caught a fingertip in a crack, and cursed under his breath when a splinter lodged itself in his palm.
Suddenly, a cool hand slipped into his and confidently started to lead him deeper into the inky dark. It was an unfamiliar touch and he pulled back, but the hand held fast. It was small, engulfed in his larger grip, but the palm that rubbed against his was just as calloused and the fingers rough as they curled around his. Yet, the bones were slender and delicate, and he knew the skin of its owner was as pale as porcelain. It was the hand of someone who knew hard work...but shouldn't.
Then again, the girl the hand was attached to was many things she shouldn't be, yet was.
Lost in his thoughts, he stumbled again and nearly had his arm yanked out of its socket as a result.
"Pay attention, Snoozles," Toph said in a harsh whisper. "Your bumbling around was like fireworks going off in my head. I'm trying to help you out here, so the least you can do is stay on your feet."
"I didn't ask you to get out of bed on my account," he retorted. "I know how you need your beauty sleep."
"Yeah, well..." she muttered. "I wasn't that upset about getting up from that sorry excuse of a mattress."
She stopped without warning and he ran into her back. She yelped when he caught himself by bracing his hands on her shoulders, his body flush against hers. Sokka was surprised with how slender she was, but she stood her ground, not giving him an inch even though he was a head taller and a great deal heavier than she was. Without thinking, he ran his hands down her arms, felt the tensing of her muscles, but also the smoothness of her bare skin.
"You alright?" he asked, his throat suddenly tight.
"In case you've forgotten, I can smash rocks," she said dryly. "You're no rock."
"You really know how to make a guy feel good," he returned.
She snickered and reached back to take his hand, but he took hers first. He sensed her surprise, but she didn't hesitate to twine her fingers with his. His foot fell into a space where a floor board should have been, but he kept his balance.
"Lead the way," he said.
"I think I will."
-fin-
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