Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

‘What if he doesn’t accept me, what if he thinks I’m a freak?’ Toph’s thoughts raced as she meandered though the palace halls looking for Zuko’s room. ‘Oh shut up, brain he’s pretty much my brother. I have to do this.’ She mentally shouted at herself. She though of all the times her parents had told her that people who like the same gender as themself are flawed and shouldn’t exist. She knows that they’ll think she’s Even more of a freak than they already do.

She can feel zuko’s heartbeat doing his skyrockety thing he always does when he’s stressed

She knocks on his door,

“S-sparky?” Oh god damn it she stuttered, oh well, no turning back.

Zuko opened the door,

“Oh hey toph, come on in.” Zuko said, she could feel his heart starting to calm down when he sees her

“Um, actually I was wondering if we could go to the turtleduck pond” toph shrugged

“Alright, sounds good. Let’s go” zuko said, smiling.

As they walked, toph thought of scenarios that could happen, most likely Sparky would be accepting and they’d remain siblings, but the dark thoughts in the back of her mind said otherwise. They said he’d cast her out and think she were a freak.

She knows that won’t happen and it never will,

But she’s still so damn nervous.

She sighed as she felt the earth and grass under her feet again, she could see clearly now.

They go and sit by the pond.

“So, what do you wanna talk about?” Zuko asked, breaking off a piece of bread for the turtleducks.

“So um I just wanted to talk about some things...but I’m stupidly nervous and I don’t know how to phrase it” she began, fidgeting.

“There’s no reason to be nervous, I’m here for you and I won’t be angry or anything like that. You don’t have to worry.” Zuko said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Thanks...I, I just felt I needed to tell you...that I think I’m...” toph talked slowly as the words formed in her head, then it just spilled out, “I think I’m lesbian. And I’m just so worried that people aren’t going to accept me or they’ll hate me and it’s okay if you do but I-“

She was cut off by Zuko’s arms around her shoulders.

“It’s okay to love who you love, you know that, right? Don’t ever think I would leave you over that. I’ll never throw you out, you will always be like a sister to me and there’s nothing that can change that, understand?” Zuko said over her shoulder, smiling. “I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me”

‘I’ll never throw you out’ kept playing in her mind

She couldn’t stop the greatful tears from flowing from her eyes as she returned the hug. They sat like this for a few minutes before breaking the hug. Toph sat up and punched Zuko’s shoulder.

“Thanks Sparky.”

“You’re welcome”

Chapter Text

Toph, Zuko, Sokka, and Suki were out hanging at the palace. The only reason aang and katara aren’t here is because aang had some avatar business to attend to and katara decided to go with him. Pretty much they’re on a date to a bunch of political meetings. This wasn’t too appealing to the rest of the gaang so sokka and Suki decided to help zuko and toph hold down the fort in the fire nation, which led to everyone hanging out in the banquet hall at the palace.

“And then we were hanging over the edge of an airship, I was holding on to toph and we thought we were going to die, but then Suki swoops in on another airship and saved us! It was so cool!” Sokka continued to narrate the story to zuko with crazy hand motions and gestures.

“Yeah, that was pretty badass of you, Suki.” Toph said before sipping her tea.

“I know” Suki replied with a smile as sokka put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

“I love you”

“I love you too”

“Yeesh get a room you two” toph recoiled,

“Oh you WISH you had a girlfriend as good as Suki!” Sokka teased

Zuko glanced at toph and toph almost spat out her tea,

“Well, I mean......” toph muttered as she recovered from her almost spit take

“Hold up i was joking, do you really..?” Sokka asked

“Mmhmm” toph mumbled, looking down

“Wait are we the first to know?” Suki asked gently

“Oh no that award goes to sparky” toph shrugs

“Yeah she told me a few weeks ago” zuko said, wondering what was going to happen here

“Huh. Well in that case I got a few tips for you on how to get the ladies,” sokka leaned towards toph and elbowed her arm, she returned with a punch to sokka’s arm.

“Ow! I’m trying to help here! So first, you gotta maintain maximum aloofness-“

“Hey that’s not what you did for me, dork!” Suki teased

“Well- I -I have good advice, but I didn’t have to use it on you because you were special!” Sokka teased back

“Thanks guys. It means a lot to me that you accept me, and I’m really thankful for having friends like you, well that’s all the sincere remarks for today so be happy with it” toph laughs and punches sokka’s arm again.

“You’ll always be a member of our group, toph” Suki replies honestly,

“And don’t you forget it!” Toph smiles

Chapter Text

‘If everyone else accepted me, than sugar queen and Twinkletoes better do it to’ toph thought to herself, ‘they can’t get rid of me that easily’

After coming out to three of her five famil- friends, she believes that Katara and Aang would totally accept her. If for some reason the don’t (which she knows will most likely never happen) then she has three people to back her up. She had asked Katara and Aang to hang out for the day and she is planning on telling them today.

The food at this place is good, but not as good as Katara’s ‘fabulous’ cooking from when they were traveling. That was shit. Jokes aside, she likes the food.

Aang and katara were telling stories from when they were little at the air temples and the South Pole.

“- and then it started chasing him! I knew Sokka was a dork but I didn’t expect him to charge at an otter seal like that! I was rolling in the ground laughing at him!” Katara said between her laughs as she remembered the story,

“This one time my friend decided it was a good idea to jump out and scare one of the sky bison,” aang laughed, “it wasn’t!”

After the three laughed a bit, a silence fell as they enjoyed their food.

“I’m just going to pull my head out of my ass and say it.” Toph suddenly breaks the silence, “I’ve been planning on telling you guys today so I’ll just say it now: I like girls. Sparky, Snoozles, and Fans already know so I wanted to tell you guys.” Toph smiles awkwardly

“Oh, cool! In the air temples no body really cared, we were taught to believe that love is love and it was cruel to hate someone for who they like,” aang said, putting a hand on Toph’s shoulder,

“I’m glad you trust us enough to tell us, we care about you no matter what.” Katara said and toph was happy to feel that she was not lying

“Thanks guys, I’ll always remember this. Now let’s go start a bar fight!-“

“NO! TOPH COME BACK!-“

“YEAH LETS GO!!”

Yep. These people are part of her family.