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Toph shifted uneasily in her seat as the council members droned on. They were debating the merits and demerits of Republic City and while she'd have loved to hash it out with them, she felt sick to her core. It had started a few weeks ago, the constant queasiness and vomiting. At first, she'd thought it was just a stomach bug but bugs didn't last for so long, did they?
She hadn't said anything about it because this was a crucial moment for the Fire Nation and it wouldn't do for the Fire Lady to be off the scene. Sometimes, I hate being the damn Fire Lady. A wave of nausea rose up in her again and Toph fought it down. Zuko glanced at his wife. There were beads of sweat rolling down her temple and she looked pale.
He frowned. It's not that hot in here, is it? He reached for the flames in the Throne Room and reduced them. His hand went to hers and he squeezed it reassuringly. Toph glanced at him and shot him a weak smile before going back to the council.
“What about you, Your Grace? What do you think?”
Toph licked her lips. “About Republic City?” She started. “I think it'll be a wonderful opportunity to show the world that the Fire Nation is not full of savages and that we can coexist with others.” The council members hummed in approval and Toph slumped back in her seat.
She felt like shit. She could feel another wave of nausea rise up in her and this time she didn't have the strength to refuse it. Damn propriety! She stood up from her seat with a plastic smile. “If you'll excuse me.” She said softly before walking out of the Throne room. Zuko watched her go with a puzzled look but said nothing. Toph waited till she was out of the Throne room before sprinting to the nearest bathroom. She barely got there in time to kneel over a toilet before bringing her entire breakfast up.
She panted and heaved, her entire body shuddering, before standing up. She felt around for a tap and opened it to splash water on her face and rinse out her mouth. Her body ached and she felt tempted to return back to bed but duty called and she had to answer. After this whole thing is done, I'll see a healer. I promise.
“The Fire Nation is so beautiful in the summer.” Katara said with a sigh as she looked out the balcony.
“Is it really? It just gets hotter for me.” Toph called from her room.
“I know what you mean.” Mai replied in a bored voice as she flipped through a book.
“She's just saying because all we have to look at in the Water Tribe is white and blue. Hardly any pop of color there.” Suki said as she reclined on Toph's bed. The entire team had come to the Fire Nation to see the signing of Republic City's treaty. It had just been agreed on a week ago and the entire world was buzzing about it. It had taken months of bartering with the Earth Kingdom till they’d finally given up the land for the City to be built and construction was already underway.
Toph and the girls were taking a rare break before they began the months-long tour of the world. “I can't believe we're going to have to visit each element for this Republic City shindig.” Mai complained.
“It'll comfort everyone having Team Avatar there.” Toph mumbled, feeling another wave of nausea wash over her.
“Don't worry, you're meeting Ty Lee in the Earth Kingdom right?” Katara asked Mai.
“I'm actually looking forward to that, I haven't seen her in a long while.”
“Five gold pieces says she's settled down with a family.” Suki said lazily.
“I'd take that bet. The Ty Lee I know won't settle if her life depended on it.” Mai shot back. Toph was about to settle into bed to have a lie-down but her stomach was churning and she could feel her mouth filling up with saliva. Shooting off the bed, she rushed into the bathroom, ignoring the girl's questions.
She retched into the toilet bowl, her hands gripping the stone seat hard enough to cause cracks to appear. She felt someone hold her hair back while someone else rubbed her back but could barely speak before she was heaving again. She spat for a few more moments before slowly sitting up. A bowl was placed in her hand and she rinsed out her mouth.
“You okay?” Katara asked. The waterbender had noticed her friend looking a little peaky but she didn’t think there was anything wrong. Toph nodded weakly and pushed herself off the floor. The girls followed her to the room and she plopped down on the bed. “How long has this been going on?” Katara asked, already in healer mode. Toph shrugged. “About...six weeks now?” Katara frowned. That wasn’t normal. “Just throwing up or other things?”
“Nausea. Weakness. Backache sometimes. It's just the stress of this whole thing. I’m not built for diplomacy and my body knows.” Toph joked.
“I don’t know about that.” Mai teased. “I heard you yelled at General Fong the other day during a meeting.”
“That wasn’t diplomacy, it was me cussing him out for his stupid suggestions.” Toph replied, already getting irritated at the memory of the pompous general. “Zuko made me swear not to kill anyone but spirits, it’s a struggle.”
“When does the nausea hit?” Katara asked, not caring about who Toph did or did not nearly kill.
“Anytime really but mostly in the mornings.” Toph replied hesitantly. The girls exchanged knowing glances. “What? I don’t like silence. That's not a good sign.”
“Toph, when's the last time you bled?” Katara asked gently, trying not to freak the earthbender out. Toph opened her mouth to reply but then shut it again. If she was correct, the next time should've been a week ago. Toph's eyes widened. All her symptoms suddenly fit like a puzzle.
She was pregnant.
“Spirits, it's hot. How do you survive?” Sokka whined as he took off his shirt.
Zuko shrugged. “You get used to it.” He replied. He grew up in the Fire Nation. He barely even noticed the heat. Aang also tugged his shirt off. “Don't worry, we take off in two days. We're going by air so you'll be fine.” He said.
“I still can’t believe you’re not coming on Appa with us.” Aang complained with a pout. The rest of the gang was taking Appa but the suggestion was immediately tossed by the royal advisor. Something to do with propriety and safety which made no sense considering who they all were but he’d been too tired to fight it.
“I give Toph two days before she makes me sneak her on board so I wouldn’t worry about it.” He replied, chuckling when Aang gave a fist pump of celebration.
“While we’re on the topic, Mai's coming with us isn't she?” Sokka asked Zuko.
Zuko nodded. “She's meeting up with Ty Lee in Ba Sing Se. She’s been looking forward to it.” He replied.
Sokka hummed. “Cool. Hey, doesn't Toph mind her coming along?” He asked.
Zuko shook his head. “They're actually good friends. They spar and go out together. Sometimes they even mock me together. It’s great.” He said.
“Weird.' Sokka muttered.
“Why?” Zuko asked, already dreading the answer.
“I mean you've slept with the both of them and they know. It's just weird that she and Toph get along.” He said. Their breakup wasn’t Toph’s fault but it wasn’t pretty. Mai didn’t want to be the Fire Lady, Zuko wasn’t ready to give her up, it was a little ugly. The gossip hadn’t made things any better.
“Well, I wasn't thinking of it that way until right now, so thank you Sokka.” Zuko sniped.
“Glad to help.” Sokka shot back cheekily.
“I don't think Toph's like that.” Aang said. “Katara isn’t.”
Sokka snorted. “Yeah, cause she knows she owns your soul.” Aang shrugged but didn’t deny it. “Suki is. She can be possessive when she wants to be and sometimes it's downright sexy while other times it's just annoying.”
“Nah, Toph's fine with it.” Zuko said with a grin. “They’re good friends.”
“Speaking of Toph, when d'you plan to have kids?” Aang asked.
Zuko shrugged. “I honestly don't know. I don't think I'm ready for it.” He replied, the thought already making him nervous.
“What d'you mean?” Aang asked.
“I don't think I’d be a very good father.” Zuko said softly. “You met mine, not the best role model. I’d be shit at it.”
Sokka snorted. “We both thought that until we got the little monsters. You'll be fine.” He said with a hand on Zuko's shoulder.
“Sokka's right.” Aang continued. “You'll be fine. Besides, he’s not the only role model you had.” It had been two years since Iroh died but not a day passed where he didn’t think of the portly, tea-loving man.
Zuko hummed. “Maybe. I’m not sure she wants any.” He said.
Aang frowned. “Really? Why not?” He asked.
Zuko shrugged. “The council suggested it once and she gave a tirade about how she was not a breeding mare and how the council had no rights to dictate when she'd reproduce.” He replied, remembering the event with a fond smile.
“No surprise there.” Aang murmured under his breath.
“We talked about it though and we both agreed now was not the best time.” Zuko said.
“Nothing wrong there. You've still got loads of fertile years ahead of you so no worries.” Sokka said with a wink. Zuko rolled his eyes.
“Come on, we've got a few hours left. Let's see if we can sample that new cask of wine the Earth Kingdom sent over.” Aang said with a mischievous grin.
“It's afternoon.” Zuko whined as Sokka and Aang lead him away.
'Just a sip. Don't be a spoilsport.'
“Fuck. This isn’t happening.”
“Toph, come on. It's not that bad.” Mai said in a gentle tone.
Toph wiped her eyes. “No, it's worse. I'm not ready for this. I can't have a child now. And Zuko-Zuko's going to lose his shit.” She sobbed.
“I don’t think he’d take it that bad.” Suki asked.
“We were talking about it the other day and he said he's not ready for kids and we both agreed on it and now I'm pregnant.” Toph said.
“Hate to break it to you but you were most likely already pregnant by then.” Katara chipped in as she handed Toph a glass of water.
Toph took it and sipped out of it with shaky hands. Her mind was racing with several scenarios and none of them looked good. Zuko still had nightmares about his father, there wasn’t a world where he took this well. “There's nothing you can do about it now unless you want to...you know...get rid of it.” Mai said to the earth bender.
“What? No!” Katara protested.
“Hey, it is her body.” Suki added.
“No debate there but it's not like you don't want this baby, do you?” Katara asked. “Forget Zuko, Republic City, all that shit. What do you want?”
Toph lowered the glass of water and really thought about it. The idea of children was...terrifying but Zuko would be an amazing father and she’d be lying if the thought of kids hadn’t crossed her mind. “I don't know. I feel like I'm not ready for children but...over the past couple of months I've been thinking about it. What it would be like to have them. I love Bumi and Kya but I get to give them back when I’m tired of them. Can’t do that with yours.” Toph murmured.
“You really can’t.” Suki agreed, thinking of her own children. She loved them but spirits, they wore her out.
The girls fell silent. “Well, it doesn't exactly make me happy but if you decide to get it removed, I'll do it myself. I'll feel better knowing you'll go through it with someone who knows what they're doing. Zuko would never know.” Katara said.
“Oh, I don't know about that. I know Zuko. If he ever finds out, that's gonna bring up a whole slew of trust issues.” Mai said. She wasn’t wrong there. There weren’t a lot of things that could really hurt Zuko but keeping secrets was number one.
Katara reached over to hug the earth bender. “Don't worry about it Toph. If he's being an ass we'll take care of him.” She said and Toph snorted. Zuko was still scarred from the shovel talk she gave him three years ago at their wedding.
Toph nodded and the girls all gave her a hug. “Come on let's head down to the pool. It'll get your mind of this and take care of the heat.” Suki said. Toph nodded and the girls pulled her off the bed to change. As she stripped down, her hand brushed by her stomach and she stopped for a second to imagine her and Zuko with a child between them.
It wasn’t as scary as she thought it would be.
Zuko tugged his shirt over his head and slid into bed. “The council thinks we should wait till we tour all elements before going to Republic City but I just want to get it over with and come back home. What d'you think?” He asked. Toph remained silent and he turned to see her fiddling with the bedsheet.
“Toph?” He asked. Zuko drew in closer to her and ran his hand through his wife's hair. “What's going on?” He asked.
Toph swallowed. “I...I need to-We need to talk about something.” She stammered.
Zuko frowned but settled down. “Alright. What's wrong?” He asked.
Toph took in a deep breath. Here it goes. “R-Remember that talk we had about having kids?” She started off with.
“Yes.” Zuko said hesitantly, trepidation creeping into his heart. “What about it?” Toph took in another deep breath.
“I...well...you see the thing is…” Toph's voice trailed off as she sought for words.
“You can tell me anything.” Zuko said reassuringly. He didn’t know what was going on but he didn’t like the unsure, nervous tone in her voice. The Toph he knew wasn’t scared of anything.
Toph sighed. “I know.” Taking a mental countdown, Toph opened her mouth and blurted it out. “I'm pregnant.”
The sentence hit Zuko like a ton of bricks and he blinked rapidly. “I...what?” He said in a lost voice.
“I'm pregnant.” Toph repeated.
“Fuck.” Zuko breathed out. The shock had faded and pure panic had taken it’s place. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, how did this happen??”
“You really need an explanation?”
Zuko wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on the bedsheet. “Um...okay, okay, this is okay. What are we doing?” He asked in a panicked tone. “I-I mean, do you want it?”
Toph misunderstood the question and her eyes filled with tears. “I thought about it a lot and I think I want to.” She answered. Zuko ran his hands through his own hair, a million thoughts rushing through his mind. An hour ago, he had no worries on his mind aside from the Throne and now he was thinking about a baby and Toph's health and how they'd handle a trip in her condition. Not to mention how he’d handle being a father.
“Zuko, I know you're not ready for children but I think we can do this. Just talk to me.” Toph said in a choked voice, tears now dripping now her face. Zuko looked at his wife, surprised to see her in tears.
“Come here.” He said softly as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Toph cuddled into him and Zuko kissed her cheek. “To be honest this was the last thing on my mind when you said you wanted to talk.” He said as he brushed a tear from her face. “And I'm being honest with you when I say that I am terrified to my core but if you think we can do this then I'm with you.”
Toph sniffed. “You sure? You've always said you don't want kids.” She said stuffily. It was the one thing she thought he’d fight her on considering he was the last heir to the throne but Zuko had been completely willing to follow her lead in that respect.
“Yeah, because I'm scared that I'm gonna mess them up but if you're with me there no way I could possibly do that.” Zuko replied. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things but Toph’s ability to keep him on track was something he’d never doubted. Toph reached up and placed a kiss on his jaw.
“You'll be a perfect dad. If anything, you'll be able to teach them about patience.” Toph said with a small smile.
Zuko snorted. “I hope so.” He said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “When did you find out?” He asked.
“Today.” Toph replied. “I puked and the girls figured it out. I had a bit of a meltdown over it, it was fun.”
Zuko hummed. “How far along?” He asked.
“About six weeks.” She answered. “We'll check with the royal healer but I'm about six weeks along.”
Zuko's hand skittered down to her flat belly and rubbed it. “You can't feel anything yet, love.” Toph whispered although a huge smile stretched on her lips.
“Doesn't matter.” Zuko murmured as he leaned down and kissed her stomach. “My little toffee pot.”
“You’re not calling our child that.” She said sternly as she ran her hand through his hair before pulling him up for a kiss.
Zuko's lips met hers and Toph's hands wrapped around his neck and pulled him in closer. He left her mouth and began to kiss down her neck, his arms going to her thighs to pull her to him. “Please tell me this is okay because I really want to make love to you right now.” He whispered huskily.
Toph nodded frantically. “Just...maybe not as rough.” She said and Zuko sighed with relief before lowering his mouth to her body.
“You think they're gonna be okay?” Suki asked Mai as they sparred.
“Zuko and Toph?” Mai asked with a pant as she threw a knife at Suki. Suki deflected it with her fan and raised her hand to punch the knife thrower. Mai deflected the punch and tripped Suki up with her foot.
Suki fell back before using her hands to push herself back up. “I think they'll be alright. Zuko would be amazing as a father once he gets over his daddy issues and Toph would be a pretty cool mom.” Mai replied. Mai attacked Suki with a flurry of punches while Suki tried to defend herself.
Suki finally got a chance and delivered a blow that knocked the wind out of Mai. “I hope so. Knowing them, they could either be arguing about it or dragging each other to bed.” Suki said.
Mai chuckled. “Knowing Toph, they're probably in bed.” She said and Suki laughed.
“You okay?” She asked Mai. Mai nodded and Suki took another stance before the two went back to dueling.