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Chapter Text

Zuko can see the look of disappointment on Toph's face. It's small, but it's there. Over the past six months, she has been living here, he has gotten to know her fairly well and can read the small amount of expression that crosses her face. The way she hides her emotions resembles Mai and a wave of empathy fills his chest. 

Aang and Katara continue to talk about their most recent adventure and the way they look at each other, the love and compassion that just seem to ooze off of them makes his stomach churn. All of dinner, Toph has kept her head down and said very little, only making remarks when asked directly. If the two lovebirds have noticed Toph's strange behavior, neither of them mention it. 

He can't help but glance over at Aang and Katara every few moments, and each time he does, it feels like he is shot with an arrow. Seeing the way they look at each other, the way Katara's eyes are so focused on Aang rather than him hurts too much. He turns away and stares down at his meal instead. After about an hour into the meal, Zuko sees Toph wipe her mouth with the utmost grace and quietly excuse herself from the table. He doesn't need to be an earthbender with seismic sense to see the heartbreak that is radiaToph doesn't acknowledge either one of them. 

Later that night, Zuko finds her laying on the grass in front of the turtleduck pond. He always comes out here when he can't sleep and it seems that Toph had the same idea, "What are you doing out here?" he asks. 

"Have you ever been in love?" is her response. He is slightly taken aback by this question, definitely not something he was expecting from the tiny earthbender. He walks over and sits down next to her, draping his arms over his knees and stares at the water. 

She hears him let out a deep sigh, "Yeah, I think so."

"With Katara?"

Zuko sucks in a breath. How the hell did she know that? He looks over at her and sees that her sightless eyes are still facing upwards towards the stars. He doesn't see a point in denying his love for Katara, Toph would call him out the second he lied anyways. 

"Yeah," he pauses, not wanting to say her name. He lets out a deep breath, this is the first time he has admitted out loud his love for the waterbender, for his best friend's girlfriend. "Why do you ask?"

Toph just shrugs at his question, "I don't know. Just curious, I guess."

Zuko lays down next to her and looks up at the stars that are partly hidden by the thick clouds. He prepares himself to be hit when he asks, "You're in love with Aang?" Toph doesn't say anything to this, nor does she punch him so he knows that he got that right.

"I don't want to be. In love, I mean," she whispers. 

He turns his head to the side, looks at her, and sees that her eyes are shiny with unshed tears. He turns his face away from her and back towards the night sky, "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you so scared of being in love?"

"I never said I was scared of it," she mumbles. 

"Then what is it?" he asks. He knows that she'll tell him if he is patient and doesn't push her too hard, but he wants to know. She sits up and crosses her legs, ripping out the grass in front of her. For a second, he thinks he has overstepped. 

"Because he doesn't love me back. He never will. I just want to feel his heartbeat race for me like it does for her," she whispers. Zuko thinks about this for a moment, about how awful this must be for her. He's able to look away when Katara and Aang look lovingly at each other, but she isn't able to do that, she feels it every time. 

He sits up and bumps shoulders with her. "I know, Kiddo." Toph takes a deep shaky breath and leans her head on his shoulder, finally letting the tears fall. 

Two years later, Zuko finds himself facing a problem he's been putting off for years. "Please pardon my bluntness, My Lord, but the need to produce an heir has come and gone. You've been on the throne now for 6 years, and with the numerous assassination attempts in the past year, we will need someone to assume the throne if the worst were to happen," Wu Tan says. Zuko can see the fear in his eyes as he says this as if Zuko will strike him down for speaking of the law. It's been 6 years, and still, his people are scared that he might be just like his father. 

He rubs at an emerging headache in between his eyebrows. He knows that his advisors have been more than lenient about the whole situation and that the need for an heir is critical. The last assassination attempt had landed him in the infirmary for a few days. If one of the attacks were to succeed, the entire Fire Nation would be thrown into chaos. 

"There have been several proposals from excellent women that come from very respectable families. If you would like, we can set up meetings with the most eligible women..." he trails off. 

"No, no. It's fine," Zuko waves him off. "I already have someone in mind. I will talk to her later today about the situation."

"Oh, My Lord. We were not aware that you were dating someone," he says, surprise lacing his words. A few of the other advisors whisper amongst themselves and figure out who the mystery maiden must be. 

"Yes, we have been keeping it secret so as to not have politics meddling," he eyes a few of the stricter advisors. "But, yes. We have been dating and I will speak to her about this later today and we will come to a decision."

"Are you fucking stupid?" Toph throws a boulder across the arena. He can feel the outrage and surprise radiating off of her, "Why the absolute fuck would you think I'd go along with this plan, Zuko?" he flinches when another boulder crashes into a wall. The use of his real name rather than 'Sparky' or 'Lord Hothead'  shows how pissed off she is. 

"I'm sorry, okay! I panicked! Two years ago, you were in the same situation when your parents were trying to marry you off to the highest bidder. But instead, you came running here, so you know exactly what I'm going through."

Toph stops hurtling boulders and turns to look at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "But we would have to have kids, Zuko. I don't think you've thought this through. I don't want kids, I never have. You know that!" she jabs a finger in his direction. 

"I know, I know!" he grips his hair, pulling at the strands. Feeling an overwhelming sense of panic, his legs give out from underneath him and he falls on his butt. "I just don't know what to do! I can't marry a stranger, and I certainly wouldn't be able to bring myself to bed her the night of the wedding."

"Oh, but you could bed me?"

"No! No, we would figure something out, cut your leg or something so that it looked like you bled. I don't know. I just can't go through with what they want me to do."

Toph doesn't say anything. She swallows hard and feels him curled into himself on the ground, his head in his hands that are propped up on his knees. She can feel the panic and tiredness seeping from his vibrations. Would it really be so bad, one part of her brain rationalizes. She wouldn't have to go back to her parents and be made to marry. Plus, Zuko would be a perfect suitor; with a ton of connections and even more money. She glances in his direction and thinks that he may be crying. Her resolve completely crumbles at this. 

"Fine. I'll do it," she mumbles. 

Chapter Text

The commotion of their engagement is almost instantaneous and Toph feels a little overwhelmed by it all. She is having to go to several fittings, tea parties, and meetings. The whole week, she has seen Zuko- her now betrothed- maybe twice, and both were fleeting moments. 

Invitations had been sent out before Toph or Zuko could decide on a date. Eventually, it all becomes too much and Toph puts up a wall between herself and two of the seamstresses and stomps out of the room. 

She walks along the corridors for what seems like hours until she finally comes across that garden that her and Zuko had that heart to heart in. Taking a deep breath, she walks through until she comes to the little pond and plops down on the grass. She can feel the breeze blow through the garden and ruffle her hair slightly. The past week, the seamstress and beauty people have insisted that she keep her hair down and had styled it every which way. Wanting to get them off her back about the whole fair, Toph's left her hair down rather than braiding it or putting it up in its bun. 

She almost doesn't sense it, but Zuko has made his way into the garden as well. It feels as if he is sneaking, but not trying to sneak up on her. More like he is sneaking away from something. 

"What are you doing?" Toph whisper-yells when he is close enough. 

"Fuck! Toph, I didn't see you there," he starts, giving a slight jump. "I'm trying to get away from some of these people. I didn't even have these many people flocking me during the coronation. This shit is ridiculous," he comes and sits down next to her, his legs splayed out in front of him. Toph feels him take a strand of her hair and run it through his fingers.

"Yeah, I had to bend my way out of a dress fitting; I just couldn't take it anymore." Zuko makes a sound of acknowledgement and together, they sit in silence. A question that has been bothering Toph for a while now, finally bubbles up her throat, "Are you regretting asking me to marry you?"

She feels him go rigid as a board, dropping the hair he was playing with and hardly dares to breathe. He doesn't answer for a moment, and after a while, she starts to think he isn't going to. Slowly, he lets the tension out of his shoulders and he starts to breathe again. 

A few more moments go by and she's already moved on to another subject in her mind when he speaks, "I don't know. I would rather marry you than some random woman who is just after wealth and status. But, at the same time- now don't take this the wrong way," he hesitates. 

"-You wish it was Katara that would be standing on the other side of the alter with you," she finishes for him. She knows what he means because she feels the same way. Marrying Zuko isn't the worst possible thing. She's marrying one of her best friends, someone she knows isn't after her family's money, going to push her into something she doesn't want to do, or break her spirit. But, at the same time... she wishes it was someone else. 

He sighs again, "Yeah, I do." They both hang their heads in shame of the admission and in disappointment of what they have lost. 

"I heard the invitations were sent out. I didn't even know a date had been picked out," she says after what feels like forever. 

"Oh, yeah. IT's the third day of spring. I think Uncle picked the date and is making all the arrangements."

"Does he know," she hesitates, "About us?"

Zuko looks down at the grass in front of him, "I haven't told him, but I think he knows." He feels guilty about not talking to Uncle about it, but he just can't bring himself to admit how badly he's fucked up. Asking his best friend to become Fire Lady? Someone as rebellious and free as Toph? And then there is the whole heir situation, there's no way around that after they marry. The Advisors will be pushing for that a few months after the wedding. "Do you think we should do this?" he asks, his voice barely a whisper. 

This time, it's Toph who takes too long to answer. By her silence, he knows what she's thinking. They've fucked up. An impulsive decision made on a whim because Zuko was being selfish and avoiding responsibility. 

"What else is there for us to do?" She says finally. "I would have to marry the highest bidder and you would have to marry a stranger. This is the best option for the both of us. And who knows, maybe we can grow to love each other..." her voice trails off. She doesn't sound optimistic at all and the thought of all of this is breaking her heart. 

Zuko takes a deep breath and nudges her shoulder, "Hey. I'd rather be in this mess with you than anyone else. We'll figure it out as it goes along." He smiles at her and he can just barely see the start of a smile at the corner of her lips. 

"Yeah, you're right. You're the best person to fuck up with. We'll figure it out together."

The letter arrives at the Air Temple a few days after it had been sent out. Petting the hawk that made the long journey, Aang opens the letter. He has to read it four or five times to make sure he isn't missing something. 

Zuko and Toph???

Toph and Zuko???

An uneasy feeling sets in his stomach at the thought. Two of his best friends are getting married and he didn't even know they were dating. Aang thinks back and tries to find a moment when the two showed an interest in each other like that. He can see a few instances when something they had said or hw one of them touched the other could be seen as romantic, but other than that, he can't think of anything. 

Slowly, he walks back to the house in a daze. Katara is in the kitchen cutting vegetables for the dinner they will have later in the day. When she sees him come into the kitchen, she puts the knife down and moves over to him, planting a kiss on his cheek, "Whatcha got there?" she asks, plucking the envelope out of his hand. 

"Zuko and Toph are getting married," he says, but phrases it more like a question. 

"Ha ha. Really, what is it-" she cuts herself off as her eyes fly over the page, rereading the invitation several times before looking up at Aang. Her eyebrows are scrunched together and a question plays on her lips. There is a light of excitement in her eyes but is the complete opposite of how he feels. He feels like something is wrong but he can't exactly put a finger on what it is.

Toph's mom call on the phone a few days after receiving the invitation. The invention of the phone is still relatively new to Toph so she has trouble with it for a moment. Finally, after several attempts and a bit of cursing on her part, she is able to talk to her mom with the help of two assistants. 

"Tophie, we didn't even know that you were dating! How could you not tell us this? We had been attempting to set you up with so many men. Your father was beginning to wonder if we should have set you up with women..." Poppy continues to drone on and Toph drops her head into her hands. This is one conversation she was dreading, how her mother could take something so small and make it massive. Well... not that getting married is small. 

Poppy continues to talk, hardly letting Toph get a word in. She thinks that if she sets down the receiver and walk away for a few hours, her mother would never know. 

"So, are you happy?" her mother asks and completely catches her off guard. Her head snaps up and her cheeks flood with embarrassment. 

"Mom- I uh- what?" she stammers out. 

"Well, I know that the arranged marriage wasn't something you were wanting, I didn't ever think you would ever marry of your own free will. So he must make you very happy!"

Her mom sounds so hopeful that Toph actually feels bad for lying, "Yeah. Yeah, mom. He makes me really happy."

"Oh, that's just wonderful news, Tophie! I'm so happy for you. I doubt your father and I could have picked someone better for you. I want to come up there soon, before the wedding, so that we can catch up and you can introduce me to your future husband!" Toph groans at how excited her mother is and at the prospect of her coming to meet Zuko. That's going to be a whole week of lying and she isn't sure she is up for it.

Her mother continues to prattle on about wedding arrangements and requirements that have to be in order. She also mentions the dowry that her father has put together and will give on their wedding day. Toph doesn't even attempt to say that Zuko won't accept it, that whatever amount of money her parents give will be like a drop in the ocean compared to all the money he has. He runs a fucking country for Spirit's sake. 

Her mother also mentions her maidenhood and to make sure she bleeds on the sheets and to not clean it up so the maids can check. Toph's cheeks go red in embarrassment and guilt. She remembers how Zuko said that they could just cut her leg to show the blood. 

After probably an hour of listening to her mother talk, Toph is finally able to escape the phone call and wander the halls. She's hardly paying attention to where she's going but she starts to pick up on the footprints of Zuko and his Uncle. As she gets closer, she can hear their hushed whispers and her name being mentioned. She slows her walking and strains her ears to listen to what is being said. 

"Nephew, you have to think this through. You would be sentencing yourself and Master Toph to this marriage for the rest of your lives; there are no divorces in the Fire Nation. 

"I know, Uncle. But, I don't have any better options. Katara- she-" he chokes. "I can't bring myself to marry someone I don't know, to be in a loveless relationship with a woman who only wants me for the status and money..." he trails off again. "Toph, she... she's a good friend and I can trust her. She can help me lead this country."

"What about producing an heir, Fire Lord Zuko?" Iroh says carefully. 

Toph hears a deep sigh from Zuko, "I don't know. Toph doesn't want kids and I can't force her to do something she doesn't want to do," he sounds tired, like this is a fight he has had with himself several times before. There's a rustling of fabric and Toph assumes that Iroh is embracing him. 

It's one of the rare nights where Toph and Zuko are able to have dinner together without any interruptions or maids bustling in and out of the dining room. There's an air of awkward silence and sadness, and honestly, it's pissing Toph off. 

"This is ridiculous. Why are we so upset about this? Nothing is going to change besides my title. World's Greatest Earthbender and Firelady Toph Beifong. It's a mouthful, but I could get used to it," she smiles slightly and looks over towards Zuko. She can feel the flit of his heartbeat and knows that a smile is playing on his lips as well. "We're going to be okay, okay?"

"Yeah. We're going to be fine, Toph. We'll get through it, we always do." The tension finally seems to lift from the air and they go back to talking and laughing, almost back to the way they were before. 

Maybe this will be easy. Maybe she can do this, can actually grow to love and give him what he needs to be a successful ruler. 

Later that night, while she's laying in her bed, Toph thinks about the future- something she doesn't normally do. She tends to stay in the moment, taking on everything as it comes. But, thinking about her future with Zuko, of possibly having his child, of helping him rule his country, making him laugh and see the bright side of everything, she thinks she can do this. Actually, she knows she can. 

Chapter Text

A few weeks after the proposal, Toph and Zuko are laying in the grass in the garden, their heads next to each other but their bodies lying in opposite directions, so when Zuko looks over at her, her face is upside down. 

She's talking pretty animatedly about a bending academy she wants to open to teach metal bending. Her hands are moving in exaggerated motions as she becomes more and more excited. 

A soft smile plays on Zuko's lips as he listens to her. He closes his eyes and pictures her future students as she describes it. He laughs slightly when he can picture her running around calling her students nicknames rather than their actual names. 

Today is one of those incredibly rare days where neither of them have to be somewhere, there are no meetings and no Nobles around to spy on them. It's just a peaceful day that they have to themselves to hang out and do absolutely nothing. 

After a while, Toph quiets down after explaining her idea several times and they lay there together in silence. It's the middle of winter and although it's cold in other nations, it feels perfect outside. Sometimes, at night, they'll meet up here and just lay down and stare up at the sky, watching the world pass them by. 

"My mom is wanting to come meet you, I think next week," Toph says casually. 

Zuko shoots straight up into a sitting position and looks back at her. Her eyes are closed and her loose hair looks like spilled ink on the grass around her. There's a fleeting thought of how pretty she looks but the thought is instantly replaced with panic so that he doesn't have time to dissect that thought. 

Her mom is coming? Is she going to be able to tell how impulsive this decision was? Or how they are in no way good for each other? They still give Aang shit for "kidnapping" Toph, how are they going to react when they realize that he was hunting them for the better part of a year? Several panicky questions are running through his mind and his heart rate must have spiked because Toph is instantly sitting up and turning towards him to place a hand on his arm. 

"Hey, calm down. She's not going to know. We're going to be fine, okay?"

"Toph, they're not going to like me. They're going to demand that this wedding is called off once they realize that I was the one who was trying to hunt down Aang and almost killed all of you in the process. Or that Ozai is my father and they think I'm going to turn out just like him and force you into giving me children. Spirits, Toph. You know I wouldn't do that, right?"

She smiles slightly, "Zuko, I know you wouldn't," she lays back down, her hands behind her head. "Besides, they already know all that stuff. My mom is a big fan of yours. I think she even fantasizes about you," she says with a smirk. 

A disgusted look crosses his face, "I didn't need to know that." Laying back down, he takes a deep breath and watches the clouds. Questions continue to run through his mind and he seriously needs to take his mind off of this shit. "Do you want to go into town? Go to the market or something?"

Not wanting to draw a crowd, they decide to sneak out of the palace in regular clothes. Toph is wearing what looks to be the same clothes that she wore when she first ran away with Aang, but he can tell that they're made of nice fabric. He wears simple clothes that don't attract too much attention and lets his hair down, shaping it so that it partially covers his scar. 

Toph bends a tunnel from a discreet corner of one of the many Palace Gardens to just outside the town market and they're able to escape without anyone noticing and demanding they take an escort with them. They're two masters of their elements, they're able to take care of themselves. Besides, having guards tag along would just draw unwanted attention. 

Zuko and Toph pop out just on the outskirts of the market and immediately, the smell of cooking food and shouts of the merchants hit them. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Toph light up and she grabs his arm, dragging him towards the first food stall. 

They lose track of how long they've been at the market buying ridiculous clothes and enormous amounts of food that they have privately brought back to the palace. They're sitting on the edge of a fountain eating ice cream and cracking jokes at each other when Zuko glances at Toph. She's leaning back on one of her hands as she eats the remainder of her ice cream. Her hair is down and moving slightly in the wind and she has a large smile on her face. She is saying something but he isn't exactly listening and is only snapped out of his trance when the word 'beautiful' flies through his head. 

He jerks slightly, causing her to look at him with a raised eyebrow, "What?"

Mentally shaking his head to clear the thought, he stands up, "Nothing. Come on, let's get back to the palace before it gets dark," he says standing up. Tossing back the remainder of her ice cream, she stands up as well and loops her arm through his, and together, they make their way back to the palace. 

When they finally return, Iroh is waiting for him in his formal sitting area of his bedroom. He's sipping on a steaming cup of tea and looking into the fire. Only slightly confused as to why his uncle is sitting there, he walks over to the couch and sits down next to him, pouring himself a cup. 

"Fire Lord Zuko, we must talk about something, and I don't want you to get upset," Iroh says calmly, still not taking his eyes off of the fire. Zuko doesn't say anything but wracks his brain for what they need to possibly talk about that would upset him. 

He thinks that they've talked enough about the engagement situation and have come to the agreement that it's what is best for both Toph and himself. Neither one of them has mentioned a word of it to anyone else and as the days go by, the couple seem to be getting closer and more comfortable with each other. Everything seems to be going fine, so what is there to talk about.

Zuko fidgets while he waits for his uncle to finally say something. Iroh takes a few more delicate sips of tea before setting it down and turning towards him slightly. Zuko feels a lump in his throat as he continues to wait. 

"Spirits, Uncle. Can you please get on with it? You're making my nerves explode."

Iroh chuckles lightly, "Understand that this is an awkward subject for me to bring up, but I'm sure you would rather me speak to you about it rather than one of your nosey advisors. It's about Master Toph," he says. Zuko furrows his brow slightly, confused as to why they need to speak about her. "I understand that you two are getting closer and closer, but what you must remember is that maintaining her maidenhood until the wedding night is very-" Zuko shoots out of his seat, the tea cup that is resting on his lap falls to the floor and shatters. 

"Uncle, this isn't a conversation we should be having-"

"Fire Lord Zuko, listen to me. This is very important. Her maidenhood must be intact-"

"Uncle!"

"Listen to me," his uncle says trying to suppress a smile. "I know you two are getting closer, but her parent's empire rests on her maidenhood. If she does not bleed on the sheets, her parents will lose a lot of business and possibly the company."

"I don't see why this matters?!' Zuko exclaims. "Toph and I aren't going to have sex! We're just friends we- it's not like that!" his cheeks turn red at the implications of the conversation. 

"Sure, sure. I just need you to hear me out on it, okay?" Iroh says, still struggling to hold back his laughter and a smirk. 

"Okay, okay. I heard you, but it's not going to be a problem, okay? It's not like that. What even made you think that we were heading in that direction?"

"I'm not saying you are," he sips from his tea cup, but Zuko can see a hidden smile, "I'm just letting you know."

The conversation with Iroh stays with Zuko all night. It leaves him tossing and turning in his bed until the sky outside his window begins to show light for the new day. Begrudgingly, he sits up and drapes his arms over his knees. His uncle obviously thinks something is going on between the two of them, but it's not! Although... Uncle had this nasty habit of seeing things that hadn't shown themselves yet. 

Did Uncle possibly know something that he didn't? There was no way he and Toph were going to do anything, so what was it? Was she at risk of being seduced by someone else? The thought makes his stomach uneasy and he glares at the blankets that are covering his legs. 

Ripping the blankets off of him, he trudges to his wardrobe and begins to pull on his clothes for the day. Once fully dressed, he yanks open the door of his room and strides to the dining room where he finds Toph already seated and laughing at something Iroh had said. When she turns towards him, he sees that her cheeks are reddened with what he thinks is embarrassment. She has a smirk on her lips though so it could also just be from laughter. 

"Sup, Sparky? Sleep alright?" Spirits, it's like she knows. 

Aang isn't able to sleep; he's had trouble ever since the invitation arrived. Why is this bothering him so much? It must be because he knows what a big mistake all of this is, that Toph can't possibly love Zuko like that. 

Immediately, he feels guilty for the thought. He knows that Zuko would treat her right and that he is a good guy. He would bend over backwards to make sure she is happy, but the thought still doesn't make him feel better. 

Heaving a deep sigh, he rolls his head and looks over at Katara who is sleeping facing away from him. Her hair in the night looks black and his heart skips a beat before settling into disappointment. Her hair is too wavy where it should be straight, too thick where it should be smooth. Closing his eyes, he turns his head to face the ceiling once more and begins to count the ceiling tiles, hoping it will lull him to sleep. 

Zuko can feel her watching him, sensing him through the ground as he moves through forms. He glances over at her every now and again but her face is as impassive as ever. She's leaning back on the bleachers with only one foot on the ground and the outfit she has on today is giving him thoughts he wishes he wouldn't think. 

Since they announced their engagement, she's been made to wear Fire Nation clothes, which oftentimes, leave the shoulders and midriff bare. The past couple weeks, she's been in her normal baggy clothes, but bathed in the dark red and golds. It's only today that she's decided to wear the revealing clothing. He wants to ask why the change but doesn't want to bring attention to the fact that he is noticing what she is wearing. 

He stumbles slightly when she reaches her arms up and stretches, her stomach pulling taunt and her breasts lifting slightly. He sees a smirk on her face when he stumbles and he curses under his breath. 

She knows what she's doing. 

"You okay, Sparky? Seem to have lost your footing there."

"Yeah, I noticed," he mumbles. 

She stands up from the bleachers and moves over to him. She takes a fighting stance in front of him, her hands in position and her eyes have a playful glint in them. "See if you can beat me. Two masters, should be a fair fight, I think," her smirk never wavering. 

Zuko knows that there is no way he can beat her, no matter what he does. Her blindness, while it may hinder most people, is actually her advantage. Being able to sense every little movement he makes, his heart rate, his stances, it's basically like she's reading his mind. But, nevertheless, he tries his best. 

They fight for a good 30 minutes before he is on his back with Toph on her knees, straddling his hips. Her hands are raised into an attack position, waiting for him to yield. The glint in her eyes is even brighter now and the smirk is still firmly in place. 

"Okay, I yield."

She sits back on her heels and he feels her brush against him just barely, "You held your own pretty well, you almost had me for a moment."

Zuko gulps hard, trying not to think about the position that they are in. He doesn't know if it's because of what she's wearing and the amount of bare skin showing or it would happen to him no matter who was on top of him, but he can feel himself starting to get hard. 

Luckily, she rolls off of him before she can notice and lies on the dirt ground next to him, their shoulders touching. They're both breathing hard and he's lucky his heart is beating hard from the exertion rather than the position they were just in. 

He is completely fucked. 

Chapter Text

Toph has no idea what she's doing or why she's doing it. Teasing Zuko was fun at first, but now she just likes to see how far she can push him. It's all a game in her head; see what she can do to make him slip up.

The ladies that had been putting her clothes in her closet stopped giving her the normal baggy stuff she wears. Now, its tight, revealing, and slightly uncomfortable, but oh so fun to mess with Zuko. 

She's kept her physique kind of hidden since she started developing. People discredit her enough because she's a girl and blind, she doesn't want them ogling at her either. So when these clothes started appearing in her closet, no matter how much bitching she did, Toph didn't have a choice. 

Later that day, Zuko spotted her across the garden in one of the outfits and she felt his heartbeat stumble slightly and she couldn't help but smirk. He played everything off, not questioning her new look and continued to speak normally. 

When they were in the arena though, feeling him go from form to form, feeling his solid stance and steady heartbeat, she started to feel a little hot. He grunted at one point during a drill and the sound sent a shiver down her spine and she clenched her thighs together. 

After a few minutes of this torture, she could barely sit still. Raising her arms over her head, she stretches her muscles a little, releasing a little bit of tension. She feels Zuko stumble slightly and she laughs quietly to herself. 

Alright, let's do this shit, she thought to herself.

The night before her mother is to arrive at the palace, Zuko and Toph are eating dinner in the formal sitting room of his bed chambers. Conversation is flowing easily between the two, food is being eaten at a moderately slow pace, and joking firing back and forth at random when Iroh walks in. 

Taking a seat next to Toph, he steals a roll off of her plate and leans back into the couch as he listens to the two. Zuko immediately moves to pour him a cup of tea and offers it to him before taking a set directly across from him. 

"What's up, Old Man?" Toph asks, propping her arm on the back of the couch and resting her head in her hand. She stares in his general direction with her eyebrow raised. She could feel his hesitation the moment he walked through the door and saw her and Zuko together. 

"As you both know, Master Toph's mother is coming tomorrow and she thinks the two of you are in love," he starts slowly, and immediately, Toph knows where this is going. Her hand drops from her cheek and her eyes go wide. 

"Iroh..." Toph warns. She feels Zuko shift to look in her direction and she knows the question that is forming on his lips. 

"You two have to keep appearances and that means acting like you're in love," Iroh pauses and takes a sip from his tea, letting the sentence sink in. "So, that means that you two need to be seen together in public, interacting romantically, and even kissing some. The two of you need to sell this relationship because Poppy and Lao both have the power to call off this wedding."

Toph can practically hear Zuko's jaw hit the ground and she just closes her eyes. Letting out a loud groan, she flops backwards onto the couch, throwing an arm over her eyes, "Oh, yeah."

"Oh, yeah? You mean you knew about them possibly canceling the wedding if they didn't think we were in love?!" Zuko's voice takes on a harsher tone but she can hear the tremor behind it. 

Toph rolls her head towards Zuko and lifts her arm off of her face, "They're not going to, okay? You knew they had the power to cut off the wedding, but we're going to be-"

"Yeah, but I didn't think they would do it just because we're not in love! How do we even-"

"Spirits, we're going to be fine! We kiss once or twice in front of her and you hold my hand every so often, it's going to be easy."

Iroh sets his tea cup down on the table in front of the couch, "Actually, there is something else. Master Toph, you need to sleep in Zuko's room from now on. In the Fire Nation, it is tradition and shows the restraint and honor of the husband to withstand from sexual intercourse while sleeping in the same bed as his betrothed. The only reason you two have been able to sleep apart this long is because of the Earth Kingdom's tradition, but because the wedding is getting closer and being held in the Fire Nation..." he trails off. 

Neither Zuko nor Toph know what to say. That is a little more extreme than holding hands and small kisses every so often. They used to share bedrolls and blankets during the war, but they were just kids then and there certainly wasn't any engagements going on between them. 

"Well, that certainly makes things a little more... sensitive," Zuko says, his voice low. 

Later that night, they move all of Toph's things from her suite over to Zuko's so that there won't be questions from Toph's mother tomorrow. All the while, Iroh trails behind them with an assistant making plans for them to have appearances and outings together so that they can be seen as the future Fire Nation royal couple. 

The more time that goes on, the more Aang's feelings start to get the better of him. The wedding date for Toph and Zuko is getting closer and closer with each passing moment and his agitation toward the situation continuously grows. 

"What do you think about Toph and Zuko?" he asks randomly one morning. 

Katara looks up from the letter she is writing to her brother and gives him a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, don't you think them getting married is a little... wrong?" he hesitates slightly on the last word. He doesn't want to lead her onto his feelings towards the situation. He sees Katara think for a moment before she shrugs. 

"I mean, I definitely didn't see it coming. I didn't even know they were dating, but at the same time, Toph doesn't normally volunteer information about her romantic endeavors and we haven't spoken to Zuko in a while."

"Yeah, maybe," he mumbles under his breath. 

"What made you think of that?" Katara asks. Aang's heartbeat immediately picks up and he glances at her to see if she knows something that she shouldn't. But, she has gone back to writing the letter and doesn't seem that involved in the conversation. 

"Nothing, just popped into my head."

"Oh!" she jerks her head up to look at him, "We should go see them soon! I would love to help Toph with the wedding plans and help her pick out her dress."

The idea of seeing Toph and Zuko acting like that together, for some reason, makes him feel sick. But, nevertheless, he nods his head and walks out of the kitchen, not wanting his wife to see the frown that is etched deep into his face. 

Toph really thinks her ribs are about to be crushed from the force of her mother's hug. She wasn't exactly expecting this sort of reaction when her mother saw her for the first time since she left home. Although she is secretly appreciative of her mothers love, this is a little much. It's almost midnight and her ship had just pulled into the harbor, so Toph's patience for such things is wearing a bit thin. 

When Poppy finally pulls away, she looks over at Zuko and Toph can practically hear her mother blushing as she starts to gush, "Oh, Zuko, honey. I'm so pleased to finally meet you. Your pictures really don't do you any justice, you're so handsome!" Toph closes her eyes in embarrassment. 

"Mom, why don't we go in? I'm sure you're tired from traveling," she pulls on her mothers arm.

"Yes, I can make us a pot of tea before bed and we can maybe discuss some arrangements that need to be made for the ceremony," Iroh interrupts, thankfully coming to Toph and Zuko's rescue while also committing them to something else. Iroh tucks Poppy's hand into the crook of his elbow and they set off for the palace with the engaged couple trailing behind them. 

All the way to the palace, Poppy continues to prattle on about her hopes for Toph and Zuko, how great it'll be to finally have a grandchild, wedding colors, and whatever else seems to flow through her mind. Every so often, she glances behind her to look at the two of them. At one point, Iroh gives a stern pointed look at their hands, trying to convey the message that they have to sell this relationship. 

Zuko reaches out and grabs Toph's hand to tuck into the crook of his arm, startling her slightly from the sudden movement. Oh, right. They're supposed to be in love. She drifts closer to him so that they're side by side rather than having a foot of distance between them. 

Being this close to him, she can smell the pomegranate soap he uses, and just beneath that, his natural smell of spicy smoke. Something that suits him perfectly. She breathes in deeply, filling her nose with his smell. 

"Are you smelling me?" Zuko whispers. 

Toph's eyes snap open, she doesn't even realize she had closed them. She feels the way she is leaning into him and immediately straightens back up. "Uh, yeah. You smell like the syrup we had for breakfast, was just trying to place the smell," she says a lot more confidently than she feels.

"Oh, shit. Really?" she hears him sniff, probably smelling his robes, "Fuck, I do smell like syrup. I've been walking around all day smelling like this?"

"Ha. Yeah. Did you forget to eat or something?"

"Well, one would consider myself nervous about meeting the woman who could potentially call our bluff." Toph makes a noise of acknowledgement but doesn't say anything else. 

Toph isn't too worried about it honestly. Her mother is so infatuated with Zuko and the future wedding, there is no way her mom will call it off. The only thing that is bothering her is that they're going to have to sleep together tonight. As the minutes tick by, the bigger the boulder in her stomach feels. 

Iroh is filling the tea cups and passing them around as he makes pleasant conversation with them all. Toph is forgoing her upbringing and has her arms on the table rather than folded in her lap. She can feel her mothers disapproving glare, but it's late and Toph is tired, her mom can deal with it. 

"What do you think, Toph? Should we use red, green, and gold to signify both of our countries or should we go with traditional white?" Poppy asks, trying to include her daughter in the discussions. 

"Mom, why are you asking me? They all look the same to me," Toph grumbles out. She can feel her mother's disappointment in trying to encourage her daughter to participate. Zuko gently places his hand on top of her on the table. 

"Lady Beifong, I think she would look great in your nation's colors with red accents," he chimes in. "I think Toph is just tired. We should probably head to bed, it's almost one." Zuko squeezes her hand and she knows not to say anything else. Getting out of this situation would be amazing and Zuko is awake and smart enough to think of the escape plan. 

"Oh, goodness. I didn't realize how late it is," Poppy exclaims and stands as well, offering a hand to Iroh. "So, General Iroh was telling me that you and Zuko must share a room?"

"Uh, yeah. Fire Nation tradition and stuff," Toph mumbles out, hoping that will be the end of the conversation. 

"Oh, well, Tophie, and I guess Zuko. You need to keep in mind her maidenhood..." Toph immediately blocks her mom out when she hears that word. It's definitely not something she wants to think about or talk about, especially with her mother. 

Laying side by side in the bed together, the air is tense and horribly awkward. They lay stiff as boards on the bed with as much room between them as they can manage while still staying on the bed. This is where she will be laying for the rest of her life, next to him. 

She waits for dread to fill her from this thought, but it doesn't come. Instead, she's filled with calmness and a little bit of excitement. 

"So, I think we need to talk about something," she says, her voice breaking through the awkwardness.

Sighing deeply, Zuko retorts, "I already told you, we're not having Earth Rumble XII at the wedding."

"Yes, we are. But, that's not what I wanted to talk about." She sits up in the bed and fiddles with the blanket that pools in her lap. "It has to do with the uh... the maidenhood part of the marriage."

He looks over, his eyebrows furrowed. "What about it? I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to do."

"No, yeah. I know, I just... I feel like I need to tell you this though..." her voice trails off. She feels Zuko sit up beside her and place a hand on her back. "A couple years ago, Teo and I- at one of the End of the War anniversary parties- we uh... we kind of had sex and so..."

Zuko's eyes go wide and his breath gets caught in his throat. Taking his hand off of her back, he runs it through his hair, trying to think of what to say. "Oh," he chokes out. "Well, we were planning on cutting your leg..." he trails off. 

"I know. I just... I just felt like you should know. I don't know. I just forgot about that part," she bites at her lip. Why is she telling him this? She didn't forget that they were going to cut her leg, that had been what helped her sleep at night the first week after they announced their engagement. "Okay, well. I guess that's settled then," she lays back down. 

"Yeah. So don't..." he cuts himself off for a moment and releases a deep breath. "So, don't worry about it." He lays back down as well and turns onto his side to face away from her. 

Crossing her arms over her chest, she feels disappointment settle deep in her chest which confuses her. Why is she upset about the way he reacted?

Chapter Text

"No, yeah. I know, I just... I feel like I need to tell you this though..." her voice trails off and Zuko waits, the worst thoughts going through his mind. Is she in a secret relationship with someone else? Spirits, what if Uncle was right and she had sexual relations with someone and now she's pregnant? "A couple of years ago," her voice cuts through her panicked thoughts. "Teo and I- at one of the End of the War anniversary parties- we uh... we kind of had sex and so..."

All of the air seems to be sucked out of Zuko's body. It feels like he's been sucker-punched in the stomach and all he can do is stare at her in disbelief. She continues to fiddle with the blanket. He takes his hand off of her back and runs a hand through his hair trying to think of what to say. 

"Oh," is pretty much all he can manage for a second. "Well, we were planning on cutting your leg..." he says in a strained manner. He looks away from her and towards anything else he can focus on

"Oh, right! I forgot about that part," she suddenly sounds cheery again, like their problems are solved, "Okay, well I guess that's settled then."

Zuko looks back at her and studies her face in the dark. He can't see much of her features, but a part of him wants to see her eyes. "Yeah," he mumbles, "So don't worry about it." He lays down and turns on his side and squeezes his eyes shut. 

She's not a virgin? What the actual fuck, how could she- no. He mentally shakes his head ridding himself of those thoughts. What she has done in the past doesn't concern him; that label is private and is her business. 

He repeats this to himself several times trying to get rid of the sinking feeling in his stomach. After a while, he hears Toph drift off to sleep and he lets out a deep sigh. At least she's comfortable enough in his bed to be able to do that. He's sure that if it were any other noblewoman, they would be trying to get him to have sex with them and break the tradition. 

It's been a moment since he's thought about any of the hundreds of women he was almost forced to marry. Actually... it's been a while since he's thought about Katara as well. The whole wedding and Toph situation has taken his mind off of it. It's been kind of nice, now that he thinks about it. 

Thinking back on situations where he would normally be thinking of how Katara would like things or what she would do, he isn't able to recall a single instance in the past four weeks where it had happened. 

He smiles softly to himself and in the back of his mind, he hears a voice that sounds suspiciously like Toph saying, Maybe we could grow to love each other. 

At breakfast, Toph's mother continues to rattle on about the wedding, asking Toph questions about what she would want her dress to look like, but before she can answer, Poppy has already moved on to another topic. 

As everyone is finishing and the maids begin to clear away plates, a letter is handed to Toph. She stares blankly down at the envelope before whipping her arm out to the side so that Zuko can read it, "Do they not know I can't read?"

Laughing a little under his breath, he plucks the envelope from Toph's hands and tears open the seal. "A lot of people forget that you're blind, Toph," he immediately recognizes Katara's handwriting, "and to be fair, it is addressed to you. It's from Katara," his voice sounds a little too happy about that, and sees Toph deflate just slightly. Schooling his face and his tone, he continues, "Her and Aang are coming later this week; Katara is wanting to help Toph find her dress. They'll just be here for  the weekend since Aang has to get back the following week for a meeting in Republic City."

"Oh! That's great news!" Poppy chimes in, "It's been forever since I've seen the two of them; I think the last time was at their wedding several years ago. Good thing your father isn't here- he still hasn't let go of the kidnapping from when you were 12."

Toph lets out a loud groan, "I'm not even going to fight with you anymore about how wrong you are about that whole situation. But, cool. Will be nice to see them after so long, and maybe Katara can keep my mother reeled in about the dress and not have anything too over the top."

"Oh, Tophie, I would never! You're over-exaggerating." They all begin to stand up and make their way out of the dining room. "Darling, why don't we go into town today, spend some time together and catch each other up on the latest gossip."

Zuko glances down at Toph and sees that she's struggling to hold in a groan. Draping his arm over her shoulders, he looks at Poppy, "I think that would be a great idea. Maybe help her pick out some decorations for our bedroom and sitting room. I've never been good at decorating and the red does get old after a while." Toph wraps her arm around his waist and, through the robes, manages to pinch him quite hard.

"I can't even see the decorations, dearest," she says through clenched teeth. It seems that whatever weirdness that happened between them last night is over and Zuko couldn't be happier about that fact. He fights to hide his laugh and just bumps her with his hip. 

Poppy claps her hands together and with a look of pure excitement on her face, "Well, alright then! We'll leave in a couple of hours. Give us enough time to get dressed and ready."

"I'll set up an escort for the both of you," Iroh says calmly.

"I'm able to take care of myself and my mom," Toph mumbles irritably.

"I know that, but they're to hold your shopping bags. I always hate having to hold my stuff, they get in the way of the looking," he says quite cheerfully. Him and Poppy are immediately immersed in a conversation about shopping and what shops to visit while they're in town. 

"You know, I did have a day full of earthbending that I was hoping to do," Toph says quietly to Zuko. She leans into him a little more and he resituates his arm around her shoulders so that she is being held against his side. They're touching from the top of Toph's shoulder all the way down to her hip and their feet walk in unison. 

"Yeah, but you really need to get out of the palace. You haven't been outside these walls since we snuck out to go to the market."

"Neither have you," she points out. 

"Yeah, well I'm different. Plus, tomorrow, we have an outing scheduled to 'show off the new Royal Couple' as Uncle continues to say." He looks down at Toph as she laughs at his poor imitation of Uncle. Toph hums in acknowledgment. He can feel her fingers fiddling with his robes at his hip and she has a small smile on her face.

"Are you nervous about Aang and Katara coming?"

She tilts her head to the side as she thinks, "Surprisingly, no. I think this 'engagement'," her tone changes slightly on the word, "has been good for me to get over him. It's given me more time to think and the ability to distance myself from that situation."

"That's good," the corners of his lips turn up in a small smile. He feels the same way although he wasn't aware of it until she voiced her own feelings about the situation. He knew that he hadn't thought much about the Katara-shaped hole in his life, he just didn't think so far into it. This engagement has helped him in more ways than one and he owes Toph so big. He feels as if he will always love Katara, but it certainly isn't as debilitating as it was before. And sometimes, during the day, when he would normally wish that Katara was by his side, he finds himself, instead, wishing for Toph. 

They come to his room- well, their room, now. He glances at Poppy who is standing at the door waiting for Toph. She has a small smile on her face and an expectant look in her eye as she watches the two of them and he knows what he has to do.  "I'll see you after your shopping spree," he murmurs to her. 

"Yeah, thanks for that, by the way," her arm starts to slide from around his waist, but at the last second, he catches her hand and pulls her back to him. 

The hand he used to pull her back, he places on her cheek and the other on her hip. He doesn't give her any time to prepare for when he slots his lips against hers but is pleasantly surprised when she immediately kisses him back. Something breaks open in his chest and warmth floods him from his toes to the tips of his fingers. 

He pulls back from her and opens his eyes to see that she's opened hers as well. She blinks a few times and her face is completely devoid of emotion. Everything and nothing is running through his mind at the moment, but all he can focus on is her pale green eyes. He never knew they were green, they always looked grey from a distance, but he sees now that they're the most beautiful shade of green. 

"Toph, honey," Poppy says gently, urging her daughter on. 

"Right," Toph takes a step back but doesn't turn around. He notices a pink shade staining her pale cheeks now and it's slowly growing darker. She faces Zuko for a moment longer before quickly turning around and pulling open the bedroom door and disappearing behind it. 

For the rest of the day, Zuko tries his very best to focus on what he is doing. But, anytime there is a small moment when he is allowed to think freely, his mind immediately goes to Toph and the way her lips felt against him. The color of her eyes is so but breathtaking when you finally notice them. A soft sort of beauty that doesn't demand attention but is beautiful all the same. Something that describes Toph perfectly. 

"You alright, Nephew?" Uncle says to him quietly during a meeting. Zuko looks up from his notes and realizes he's been staring at a particular spot on the table for a while now. Professor Jumie, a respected scholar that is currently reconstructing the education system doesn't seem to notice that he doesn't fully have Zuko's attention and continues to rattle on. 

"Yes. Yes, Uncle. I'm fine," he sits up straighter and forces his attention back to the Professor. 

"When I saw Master Toph and her mother out this morning, Toph seemed especially chipper,  I wonder what that was about," he says nonchalantly. Zuko eyes his uncle from his peripherals, but he doesn't give anything away, just casually sips his tea and watches Professor Jumie's presentation. 

It's strange, the more he thinks about it. He had been dreading kissing her, dreading the breaking of his heart for when he pulled back and saw that it was Toph instead of Katara he was kissing. But, the feeling never came. When he pulled back, his vision was filled with Toph, instead of his heartbreaking, it was beating hard and fast. 

Zuko can feel the corner of his lips starting to turn up into a smile and he quickly places his hand in front of his face to cover it up. The kiss, he knows, had taken her by surprise, no matter the fact that she immediately kissed him back. He wasn't able to read her reaction afterwards so he wasn't sure exactly what she was thinking, so hearing from Uncle that she seemed especially happy after the situation, means she didn't overthink it. 

When she didn't give him any expression or a smile after the kiss, he thought his heart was going to fall out of his ass. He was nervous to come face to face with her again after that little stunt, but now, his heart flutters a little at the thought of talking to her that night when they lay in the bed. 

One of his evening meetings went a lot longer than it was supposed to, so he misses dinner with Toph and her mother, and, instead, eats alone in his office while he looks over some new laws that quite a few citizens have petitioned for. He thinks it's nearing midnight when he finally finishes his dinner. 

He doesn't realize how invested in the petition he is until a cough from in front of him makes him jerk his gaze away. Toph is standing there with her arms across her chest and she is dressed in what looks to be a baggy shirt of some sort. Her eyes are focused downwards towards the edge of his desk and the small twitching of her fingers makes him wonder how long she had been standing there waiting for him to notice. 

"You weren't at dinner," she says, her voice incredibly monotone. 

"Uh, yeah," he pauses, unsure of what to say about it. "One of the meetings went a lot longer than expected so one of the maids brought me dinner in here," he stares at her a little longer, noticing how tense she is. "Are you okay?" Toph huffs out a breath and averts her eyes towards a wall on the other side of the room. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," she grumbles. 

"Yeah, that was convincing," he says back to her. Zuko looks back down at the parchment and any motivation he has to finish working on this petition is gone, so he drops his pen onto the desk. "You tired cause I'm fucking beat."

"Then why don't you go to bed, dumbass, instead of staying in here all night?" Toph asks, her eyes trained towards him, her eyebrow cocked. A few months ago, he wouldn't have noticed, but after spending so much time with her, he is able to see the defensiveness behind her words. 

His demeanor completely changes, "Yeah. Let's go to bed," he stands up from his desk and moves around it to place his arm over her shoulders and he can feel the tension in her shoulders. 

She hesitates to move for a second, but eventually, follows his lead, and together, they make their way back to the bedroom. The entire way there, her arms remain crossed over her chest and he isn't quite sure what to say or do to get her to untense since he isn't sure what has made her feel this way. He has the suspicion that it has to do with the kiss, but if she was in a good mood earlier because of it, why is she in a bad mood now?

Once finally passed the bedroom door, Toph breaks free of him and plops herself down on the edge of what he has come to think of as her side of the bed. He notices that the bedsheets are all rumpled and the blanket is half hanging off the bed. She fingers the twisted sheets for a bit before eventually pulling them over her lap. 

Zuko watches her from his peripheral as he gets ready for bed. He sees her several times, open her mouth to say something, but closes it before any sound is made. She scrunches her eyebrows together and seems to get more and more frustrated. 

After he has washed his face, Zuko finally moves to the bed, and gently sits down opposite of her, not wanting to startle her from whatever deep thought she is currently in. Although his gentleness doesn't seem to really matter, because her head immediately snaps up and she looks over at him. 

"Were you avoiding me at dinner?" her sentence is so rushed that it basically comes out as a single word, but nevertheless, he is able to understand what it is that she said. 

He furrows his eyebrows, "What? No! Why would you think that?" He just barely registers that Toph slides a foot off of the bed and rests it against the floor and immediately scrowls when she realizes that he isn't touching the floor, but rather has his feet up on the bed with him. Irritation instantly spikes in his chest at her accusation.

Toph doesn't say anything, just purses her lips and continues to fiddle with the sheets in her lap. Taking a deep breath and trying to steady his breathing slightly, he murmurs, "Come on, Toph. Talk to me. If we're going to be married, we have to be able to talk."

She let's out a long breath of frustration, and her eyes flicker back and forth as if she is trying to think of something to say. Finally, she turns back to him on the bed "You kissed me earlier." 

Zuko raises an eyebrow, "Yeah. We agreed that that was going to have to happen. Your mom was watching and she had that expectant look on her face."

"So? You didn't have to- you could've- I don't know. Warned me or something, or kissed my cheek!"

"Because that would've been believable!" he rolls his eyes.

"I'm just saying! You could've warned me that you were coming," Toph's tone starts to become more defensive and slightly guarded. 

Immediately, Zuko backs off and softly asks, "Was it really so bad that I kissed you?" he tries not to let all of his pride ride on her answer. 

"No, no it's not that, it's just..." her voice trails off. She sucks in a deep breath and closes her eyes, "I just... after you kissed me, I thought that- that I'd be upset that it wasn't him," Zuko doesn't have to ask who she is talking about. "But, I wasn't. I was actually relieved that it was you," her voice is barely a whisper and Zuko lets out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. As he breathes in, his lungs burn and he wonders how long he had held his breath. 

A smirk spreads across his face and he quips, "So, you're saying you enjoyed kissing me?"

Toph's head snaps up and her cheeks are immediately pink with embarrassment, "What? Her voice is shocked. "I'm not! That's- Zuko!" He falls back on the bed laughing and Toph is still sitting next to him sputtering. It is rare that anyone is ever able to get her at a loss for words, and it's even rarer for Zuko to make someone speechless. 

She grabs the pillow from behind her and smacks him with it repeatedly, yelling at him to shut up and that she didn't mean it like that, but it only makes him laugh harder. After a while, when he is sure that his stomach is going to be sore from how hard he's laughed, he looks up at Toph who is determinedly facing the wall opposite of the bed with her arms crossed, so all he can see is her long black hair running down her back. 

Without thinking, he reaches up and runs his hand through her hair, letting the silky strands fall through his fingers. He continues to play with her hair, sometimes twisting it around his fingers. Gradually, her shoulders fall into a relaxed position and a few minutes later, she is laying back with her head on the pillow. 

Zuko makes a wave with his hand and snuffs out all the lights in the room. He turns on his side and watches her profile, her long eyelashes move as she blinks every few seconds. it's dark in the room, but the moonlight streaming in is casting everything in a pale grey color. "I thought you were keeping your distance from me because we kissed," she whispers up to the ceiling. 

Zuko doesn't say anything, just continues to stare at her. The word 'beautiful' slips into his mind, and this time, he allows himself to fully register the thought, and his stomach isn't filled with dread or panic like it used to, but rather, a nice warm feeling floods him. 

He moves without thinking because he knows if he thinks about it, he'll lose his nerve. He sits up on his elbow and looks down at her, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. Her skin seems to glow silver from the moonlight that is streaming in through the open windows. He searches her eyes for just a moment before looking down at her lips. Her breaths are coming in a little harder and shaky. 

"I don't think I can keep my distance from you. Not anymore," he whispers to her. He leans down slowly, their lips just a hairs distance away. He searches her face once more, looking for any sign of hesitation. He doesn't see any, but instead, her eyes flutter closed as she waits for him, and Zuko can't stop the gentle smile that comes to his lips. He glances down once more at her mouth before he closes his eyes and slots his lips against hers. 

Aang knows he is being a little grouchy and short with Katara as they pack up Appa for the journey to the Fire Nation, and he can't bring himself to stop. They're finally leaving to go visit Toph and Zuko and Aang just needs to talk to Toph, to know if what he is feeling is real or if it's one-sided. 

There's a voice in the back of his mind to let it go, to not bring it up because he is married and she is engaged, but he needs to know. He feels like he is going crazy with these thoughts, and not having anyone to talk to about the matter is even worse. 

He knows that Katara has noticed his strange behavior, especially since he has turned down sex and any other form of intimacy for the past few weeks. She hasn't commented on it yet, but he is sure that volcano is getting ready to explode. 

When they're finally packed and ready to go, Aang sits up at Appa's head and as they fly towards the Fire Nation, he feels like he can finally breathe and the weight on his chest is lightening the closer they get. 

Chapter Text

Toph wakes up the next morning to a warm presence at her back and the smile that lights up her face is the biggest she's smiled in what feels like months. One of Zuko's arms is stretched out in front of her, her neck resting on his bicep. His other arm is wrapped around her middle and she can feel his fingers tracing patterns into her skin. When he breathes out, it tickles the hairs at the nape of her neck and she turns her head to bury it into the pillow. 

"Oh, good, you're awake. My arm is fucking dead," Zuko pulls his arm out from under her head. He rolls onto his back and stretches it up towards the ceiling, trying to shake the blood back into it. Toph rolls over onto her other side so that she is pressed up against him, her cheek resting against the edge of his shoulder. She brings her arm up and rests it against his bare torso, her fingers brushing over the ridged skin of the scar on his chest from his sister. The steady heartbeat she can feel push back against her fingers gives her a small smile. 

Zuko moves the arm that Toph is laying on so that he can wrap it around her shoulders. She settles her head just below his collarbone with her ear directly over his heart. She knows they should talk about last night, that it's hanging over the both of them like a knife, but she really doesn't want to break the bubble that they're currently in. They lay there quietly, trying to stay in the moment as long as they can, but of course, they can't stay forever. 

A knock comes from the door and a servant walks into the room, Toph hears them pull all the curtains open and fill the basin with fresh water. 

"Is that all, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Yes, thank you," he replies easily. Once the door closes to the bedroom, Zuko slips out from underneath Toph and moves to get dressed for the day. 

"How come you don't have your servants dress you?"

It is a moment before Zuko answers her, "I used to, but made them top a few weeks after my coronation. They wouldn't stop staring at the scar on my chest or the one on my face. An opportunity to look closer at where I was almost killed is good gossip material apparently."

Toph slips from the bed and walks over to him, "Well, that's weird," she reaches out and rests her hand against his chest and the other comes up to cup his cheek, her thumb resting on the bottom edge of his scar, "They don't look anything of importance to me."

She feels Zuko's heartbeat skip a little, "I'm not Sokka, you can't trick me with that." Toph shrugs and starts to walk toward the bathroom.

"Always worth a try."

They manage to make it to the Fire Nation Palace in record time, shaving off half a day since Aang absolutely refused to stop to "stretch". He had tried to make conversation with Katara, but he knows that she can feel him pulling away. At this point, it seems like she is avoiding him almost as much as he has been avoiding her. 

When they finally land, Royal Guards come to escort them inside as well as to show Appa to the stables. Aang hops down and goes up to the closest guard, "Where is Toph?" his words come out so rushed, they're hardly decipherable. 

The guard gives him a slightly annoyed look at being addressed so rashly. "Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Toph have gone into the city to get lunch," he gestures with his shoulder in the direction of town. Aang feels his shoulders slump and disappointment rolls off of him in waves. 

"Aang, what is going on? What aren't you telling me?" Katara says behind him, her voice fragile. He doesn't turn to look at her but rather stares off into the distance toward the direction of the bustling city. She comes up beside him and places her hand on his elbow, turning him to look at her. 

"Why are you so desperate to see Toph? You've been acting strange for weeks," her voice trails off and Aang knows that she is close to knowing what is going on with him. 

"I just have to talk to her," he says, his voice barely reaching her even though she is standing right next to him. 

"Okay, but why? You haven't talked to her in almost a year, what has happened that has made you act like this?" Again, he doesn't answer her. 

Sighing deeply, Katara turns and walks into the Palace, leaving him to stand alone, waiting for the couple to return.

After a rather infuriating walk through the Upper-Class part of town, Zuko and Toph stop at a restaurant for dinner. Toph continues to grumble as she spears a fried dumpling and dips it in the chili sauce. Zuko tries to fight a smile as he watches her try to remain ladylike while also seething. 

"It really wasn't that bad," he risks saying. 

"Yeah, maybe to you. Everyone fawns over and eye-fucks you-"

"How would you even know if people were eye fucking me?" he interrupts. 

"But everything that pertained to me had to do with my blindness. It's like that's all I am!" She stabs at another dumpling so hard that the plates rattle. 

"Well, we don't have to do this again for a while. Uncle just said we had to make an appearance. We can probably hold off another outing until after the wedding." Toph grumbles some more but doesn't comment on anything else on the subject. 

"Katara and Aang should be here in a day or two," Zuko glances up again at her to see her reaction. The maids that had helped Toph get ready for the outing had pinned her bangs back so that her face could be seen. 

Toph shrugs a shoulder and attempts but miserably fails at stabbing another dumpling with her chopstick. "Yeah, how are you feeling about seeing Sugar Queen?" she raises her gaze up toward his face. Her own face is as impassive as ever but he can see the slight rigidness in her shoulders. 

"Eh, kind of indifferent to it now. Definitely feel like this is going to be the most 'okay' I've felt seeing her in a long time. I feel as if I'm actually over her. Plus," he hesitates slightly, "I have you," he finishes quietly. 

He can see how Toph is fighting to hold back a smile, and he blushes deeply. Thank the Spirits she can't see how r4ed he is because he knows she would never let him live it down. This flirting with Toph thing comes surprisingly easy to him. 

He coughs awkwardly and plows forward, "What about you? You haven't seen Aang since before they announced their engagement."

"Yeah. I'm honestly more worried about going dress shopping with my mom and Katara than I am about anything else. Seeing him..." she trails off for a second. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about seeing him. It actually hasn't been on my mind."

Zuko smiles a little. He's happy that she isn't thinking of Aang or him coming in a couple of days. The thought has flitted through his mind every so often, but rather than feeling the hurtful stabbing pain in his chest, he remembers something else he has forgotten to do in order to have time off for the weekend. 

Once they've finished with dinner and chatted with a few people in the city, Toph threads her arm through Zuko's and together, they walk back to the palace. Toph can feel the guards trailing a few yards behind them to give them some privacy, but neither one of them talk. It feels nice to just walk along with him and not have to have something to say to fill the silence. 

Toph has her gaze focused downwards and a smile pulling at her lips when they walk into the courtyard that is directly in front of the palace. Neither one of them notice Aang, who is perched in a nearby tree, watching as they walk up the steps and into the Palace. 

The both of them are pulled off towards a banquet hall to give their opinion on the tapestries but Toph just glares at anyone who asks her a direct question and Zuko stammers out that maybe his Uncle or Toph's mother would be better suited for finding things that match the decor. 

Right before Toph actually loses her shit on someone, another servant comes up to them to let them know they have guests in the drawing room. Toph shoots a confused look to Zuko who just shrugs. No one is expected at the palace for a few more days and Katara and Aang aren't due for at least another 12 hours. 

Walking into the room, Toph senses Iroh kneeling at a table with someone she isn't able to instantly place because of the cushion they're kneeling on. But the moment they take notice of Zuko and Toph in the doorway, the surge of a heartbeat tells Toph that it's Katara who is sitting at the table with Iroh. 

"Katara!" Toph releases Zuko's arm and runs over to the other girl and envelops her in a hug. After a few seconds of the embrace, she pulls back awkwardly and gives a half-hearted punch, "We didn't think you'd be here for at least another day!" Katara rubs at her arm where Toph had punched her and immediately opens her arms for Zuko. 

Toph waits for the stumble in his heartbeat that she is used to feeling every time Katara comes into view or she acknowledges him, but it remains steady. Smiling to herself, Toph looks down at the ground. She believed him at the restaurant when he said that seeing Katara wasn't actually weighing on his mind, but hearing it and feeling it are two different things. 

"Well, for some reason, Aang was super insistent on getting here early, so we managed to cut off a whole day," she says her voice a little odd at the end. "Your hair!" she changes the topic almost casually, but Toph heard the strain in her voice. "It's so long! I can't remember the last time I saw it down."

"Yeah, the people who 'doll me up' every time I'm supposed to go somewhere insist that I leave it down. Fire Nation culture or some stupid thing. I don't know, it gets in my way and is more of a burden than anything."

"I kind of like it, though," Zuko says, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other coming up to twirl a strand between his fingers, pulling on it just slightly in a teasing manner. She looks up at him and smiles, a blush fighting its way onto her cheeks. She closes her eyes as she feels him lean down and brush his lips against the top of her head. When Katara coos at them, she blushes even harder and buries her face in Zuko's shoulder, trying to hide the embarrassment she feels. 

She doesn't mean to, but she can't hide the little jump she gives when she feels Aang's feet touch the floor. He must've been on a couch or somewhere where his vibrations weren't registering. She didn't realize he was in the room and she feels the way Zuko's arm tightens around her just slightly. It's odd that he was just sitting there while Katara and they talked, was he just sitting there watching? 

He walks silently over to them and stands next to Katara. "Hey, how have you been?" Zuko sounds happy to see the Airbender and she feels the two of them reach out and hug each other in a way that only guys can do. 

"We're good! Like Katara said, we shaved off a day of travel and were excited to see you guys," Aang says cheerfully, and then he reaches out and pulls Toph into a hug. For some reason, the movement shocks her and her eyes go wide as her body goes rigid. But this only lasts for a moment before she returns the embrace. When they pull back, Aang's hands linger a second longer than normal, and for some reason, Toph feels like she wasn't the only one to notice. 

"Are you guys hungry? Toph and I ate in town, but I'm sure the cooks can whip you up something quickly," Zuko says easily and rewraps an arm around Toph's waist. She almost doesn't realize that she leans into his side until Katara starts cooing at them again. 

"Yes! That would be so great, I'm starved," Katara links arms with Toph and pulls her away from Zuko as they start out of the drawing room to head towards the informal dining room. 

When they're a few feet away, Katara leans her head down a little and whispers, "I want you to tell me everything! I had no idea this was going on, I'm just so shocked. I want to know how it happened, who made the first move, what's he like in bed-"

"Katara!" Toph interrupts, her cheeks coloring a little in embarrassment. 

"What? Are you trying to tell me you haven't tried that out?" she feels Katara gesture toward the guys behind them. 

"Well, I mean. It's fairly new, so..." she trails off. 

"Fairly new? But we got the invitation weeks ago. I can only assume you guys have been together for at least a year now, and I've never known you to hold back before-"

Toph yanks Katara's arm down until she's practically hunched over, "Shush! We don't need the whole palace knowing what kind of shit I used to get up to." Katara lets out a laugh that seems to echo throughout the hallway. Toph smiles and can't help but be so grateful that the other girl is finally here. 

"Whatever, since when are you modest about what happens behind closed doors?"

"I'm no, I just... can we talk about it tomorrow when we're alone? I don't want anyone hearing this that shouldn't be."

"Sure, sure," Katara waves her hand as if to swipe away Toph's awkwardness. "Well, since we're here a day early, I was thinking that we could go into town and scope out some of the dress stores, just you and me. See what the market has to offer and narrow everything down before we drag your mom out..." Toph kind of zones out as she starts talking about fabric and different styles of dresses; all of that is completely out of her territory of knowledge. She recognizes some of the terms back from when she was a child and had lessons, but a lot of it is lost on her now. 

When they get to the informal dining room, they seat themselves around the circular table that usually seats six. Toph sits in between Zuko and Katara and Aang on the other side of her. They're all spaced evenly apart but at some point, she feels Zuko shift slightly in his chair, leaning further back as if to get comfortable. A moment later, she feels a foot nudge her own underneath the table. 

She turns her head just slightly towards Zuko but not in an obvious way that would let the others know. He makes a comment to Aang about one of the random adventures he and Katara had been on, not giving anything away as his foot starts to repeatedly nudge at Toph's foot. 

Letting out a small smile, Toph moves and traps his foot with hers, and soon, they're playing the footsie version of thumb war while still trying to be as discreet as possible. After a while, their feet are just tangled together with one of her caressing his leg every so often. 

She hears his breath hitch just slightly at one point when her foot travels a little further. Her foot skims past his knee and just barely brushes his thigh before moving back down and resting next to his. Trying to hide the smirk, she continues her gesticulation of rubbing his leg with her foot only to travel a little further up than necessary every so often. 

Eventually, it must become too much for him, because Zuko effectively manages to trap her feet in between his ankles in some weird way so that she is unable to pull away. Huffing a silent laugh through her nose, she leans forward on the table, resting her hands on the cool surface as she starts to pick at her nails. The nail picking is a habit she seemed to have formed in the last few weeks that she can't seem to drop. She hadn't noticed the habit until Zuko had pointed it out one night at dinner. 

Zuko, who is currently recounting an incident that had occurred in one of the meetings earlier that week, reaches over and threads his fingers through hers so that they rest on the table, effectively stopping her picking. 

Toph bites back a smile as his thumb starts to rub over her knuckles in an unconscious sort of way. His hand feels warm in hers, but not to the point where it'll be awkwardly sweaty in a few moments, but rather, a comfortable heat that makes her aware of how cold her fingers are. 

They stay like that for a while and when there is a lull in the conversation, Katara uses the opportunity to gush at how cute they are. "Honest to Spirits, I never would have thought the two of you would get together. When we got the invitation to your wedding, we were both so shocked, but now, seeing the two of you together, it makes sense."

Later that night, when the two couples have parted ways to go to their respective bedrooms, Zuko leans down and brushes her cheek with a kiss before disappearing into the bathroom and starting the shower. Toph moves over to her vanity table, intending to brush out the knots in her hair that have formed over the day. As she sits the, twisting the brush in her hand, she thinks about the conversation she had with Katara. What the other girl had said plays over and over in her head, What's he like in bed?

His... skill... in the bedroom hadn't really come to mind until Katara had brought it up. What would he be like in bed? She has a decent amount of experience in the bedroom herself, and she can only assume the same about Zuko, he is a guy and royalty after all. It wasn't a secret that in the Fire Nation, once a boy turned 16, it was practically a 'rite of passage'.  What the passage is supposed to be is lost on her. Of course, he was banished when he was 16, but still, she assumes some part of the tradition stayed with him. 

Putting down the brush, Toph listens for the shower and can tell he must be washing his hair by the way the water hits the tile. She can feel the blush starting to form on her cheeks and making its way down her chest as she thinks about him in there, the water hitting his bare skin. What he must look like with the soap sliding down- no. Nope. No. She is not going down that path. 

Mentally, she shakes her head, trying to rid herself of those thoughts. She cannot seriously be thinking those things right now. She needs to keep her shit together. The wedding is soon, and she needs to somehow remain as 'pure' as possible. 

She takes a moment, taking deep breaths trying to get the heat in her belly to cool and bring herself back to the present, away from those thoughts. She hears the shower shut off and she quickly stands up and starts to shed her clothes, getting ready to go to bed. 

She has her back to the bathroom door when it opens and she is just then removing her shirt when she hears it. The small gasp and stutter of his heartbeat immediately reignite the heat in her belly. 

He hesitates but starts towards the bed and pulls back the covers to get in. Not entirely sure what she should do, Toph continues as if him being in the room changes nothing and slowly begins to unwind her bindings. She can feel his eyes trained on her back as inch by inch, skin is revealed to him. Once the material is off of her, she bunches it up in a ball and sets it on the dresser before pulling on her nightshirt. 

She moves to her bottom wrappings next, carefully undoing them and letting them drop to the floor. When she bends over to pick them up, she hears a choked noise from the bed and she can't help but look over her shoulder toward the bed. "You okay?" she asks. Somehow, by a miracle, her voice comes out normal and steady. 

"Yeah, just... choked on air or something," his voice is rough and wavers just the slightest bit. 

Toph nods her head and places the bindings on the dresser next to the others and moves to open one of the drawers. She pulls out a pair of flimsy sleep shorts, something that will help keep her cool in the heat during the night. Finally dressed for bed, she turns and moves towards the bed, pulling back the covers and crawling under, immediately moving towards Zuko's warmth. 

She feels him lay down beside her and his arm lifts for a moment so she assumes he is dimming the lights that adorn the bedroom walls. They lay there on their sides facing each other for a moment, neither of them talking. Eventually, his hand moves out from underneath the covers and pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, and then trails his fingers down her bare arm, leaving goosebumps in his wake. 

"Did you notice anything weird about Aang?" Zuko whispers to her. 

Toph takes a moment to answer, not entirely sure how to voice what she noticed. "Kind of," she shrugs one of her shoulders, "His heartbeat was... different? I don't know. I mean, Katara's was too, but they've both grown since I've seen them so that's expected. But, Aang's was... just weird," she whispers back to him. 

"Yeah. I think they might have had a fight on the way up here. Katara would look at him weirdly every so often." She hums in acknowledgment but she doesn't really know what else to say about the situation. She could feel some tension between the two, but she didn't think it was enough to bring up tomorrow. 

"Doesn't matter. They'll work it out," she murmurs and skooches closer to him, burying her face in his bare chest. His arm moves so that it's resting on her waist and he slowly drags his fingers up and down her back. 

"Yeah," Zuko whispers in agreement. "Goodnight, Toph." He pulls her even closer somehow and buries his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent. 

Chapter Text

Zuko can feel the wisps of Agni reaching out to him as it appears over the horizon, pulling him from sleep. As he slowly moves into consciousness, he starts to register the slight movement of his head as it lifts up and down. He isn't sure when it registers with him that he is laying with his head pillowed on Toph's chest, but he turns his face so he can inhale her scent and nuzzle his face deeper into her. 

His hands come up underneath her shirt and splayed wide on her waist, pulling her closer to him. A low groan is heard more through her chest than from her mouth and Toph's arms move to wrap around his shoulders, squeezing him just a little before relaxing back. He drifts in and out of sleep, never fully able to slip back into the blackness, but enjoying being able to float in that in between area of consciousness. 

An hour or so must go by since the first time he woke up when he feels fingers trailing up and down his back in a lazy manner. He smiles a little at the gentle caressing, "Good morning," he murmurs to her. 

She lets out a hum in response but doesn't say anything. He lifts his head from her chest and looks at her. Her eyes are closed and her hair is spread out on the pillow beside, all tangled but somehow looking so soft. Her hands move from his back to rest against his shoulders. "Why are you awake so early?" she whispers. 

"You were awake before me," he says, but can't help the smile on his face. She looks so cute when her face scrunches up. 

"Nay, that is a lie. I refuse to accept that I woke up this early on my own." Zuko chuckles and moves up the bed until his face is level with hers. He feels her leg come up and hook on his hip, yanking his hips down to meet hers and her hand pulls at his shoulders to try and get him closer. 

He can feel the blood starting to rush downwards as soon as his hips meet hers and he shifts a little so that it's not too obvious that he's starting to sport a semi. He moves his arms so that they are braced on either side of her head and he drops his forehead down to hers. He can see a little smile playing on her lips and he feels the urge to kiss her. Remembering that he is allowed to do that now, that it even seems like she is inviting him to do so, he dips his head down and presses his lips against hers. 

It's a very chaste kiss but can feel her smile against his own. She tilts her chin upwards towards him, and he meets her halfway, kissing her deeply enough that it sends a powerful surge of want straight to his dick. He is sure that she can feel how hard he is now even if he is trying to keep his hips from making direct contact with hers. 

Toph hums against his lips, "Do we have to get out of bed right away?" 

"Well, our guests may wonder where we are, so we do have to leave it eventually." The smirk that comes to her face at his words should make him nervous, but it just makes him smile back at her. 

Her hips push up into his, effectively pushing his hard dick against her center, "I think they'll be fine by themselves for a while," she hooks her leg tighter around his hip and effectively flips them over so that she's on top of him.

After breakfast, Katara links arms with Toph and together, they walk out of the palace. They both had raised hell about an escort trailing them; they're master benders after all. It was only after Zuko stepped in and said that an escort wasn't needed that the guards backed off and allowed the women to leave. 

They walked in silence for almost the entire walk into the center of town where all the shops are located before Katara finally breaks, "My Spirits, you're killing me." Toph laughs but doesn't comment back, just kicks a pebble in their path. "Come on! Tell me, how is he?" 

"How is he with what?" she asks, feigning obliviousness. 

Katara pulls at her arm a little, "You're really going to make me say it, aren't you? How is he in bed, Toph?! What's he like?"

"It's weird to me that you want to know." 

"It's weird to me that you don't want to talk about it," Katara shoots back. She has a point there; Toph has never been reluctant on sharing the details of her latest conquest. 

"We haven't done anything," Toph shrugs, trying to avoid the topic, and veers off towards where she remembers a particular fabric shop is. 

"Oh, that's bullshit," She hears Katara mutter behind her. They step into the shop, the bell jingling behind them as the door closes. Together, they move towards a wall of fabric and Katara makes an appreciative hum. 

Every so often, Katara holds out a piece of fabric for Toph to feel but each time she just shrugs so they move on. "Come on, you have to give me something!" 

"Fine! Fine. This morning... we," she hesitates again, "We did stuff. There, you happy?"

"Oh? Like what kind of stuff?" 

"Spirits, Katara," Toph mutters and moves to another section of the store. 

"Since when are you so secretive about your sex life?" Katara stands back and crosses her arms over her chest. Toph can feel other people in the store turn and look at them, probably shooting judging glares at them. The look that Katara is currently leveling at her is making her skin prickle and she knows that she won't be able to skirt this conversation much longer. 

"Fuck, okay. Fine. I jerked him off and he went down on me," she whispers quickly to the other girl. 

Katara is silent for a moment, "That's it?" 

"That's it," Toph nods and reaches out a hand to finger the silky fabrics that line the wall. 

"Well, that's cool I guess. What about your first time? What was that like, tell me what led up to it," Katara pulls at her arm again. Toph opens her mouth to tell her off, to say that she isn't going to share that information when she's cut off again, "No, actually. Tell me how you knew that you liked him." This stops Toph in her spot. When did she know she liked him?

"Come on. Let's go somewhere else. I can't even see what we're looking at," Toph uses this moment to skim through her mind for an appropriate response as she moves towards the doorway and out onto the street. 

"I know what you're doing and you're not going to skip out on telling me this," she can hear the frown in Katara's voice and she sighs deeply. 

"Fine, I'll tell you. But, let's get some tea so we can sit down. I feel like this is going to be a long conversation." Katara seems to immediately find a teashop and instantly gets a table for the two of them. Toph curses under her breath; she thought it would take a little longer to get something and she would have more time to figure something out. 

Once the server has delivered their respective drinks, Toph blows on hers and thinks of how to start. Part of her wants to tell the truth, to tell Katara how the relationship started out as a scam but then grew to be something more. Part of her wants someone to confide in about it, about some of the things she's too scared to voice or think about. But she can't do that to Zuko; he's trusting her to keep it just between them, to keep the whole thing between them. Besides, it's working out just fine. 

"Okay, so the moment I knew," she thinks back about how she had watched him perform some firebending moves in the training arena and his grunts from exertion that started a fire in her belly that has yet to diminish. That had been about the first time she felt any sexual desire towards him. but the more she thinks about this, the less she wants to say it, kind of wants to keep it to herself. Instead, she decides to go with a different moment in history. 

Two Years Prior

Toph sat cross-legged in front of some random pond in a garden area that she had found while wandering the halls. She was ripping out grass and throwing it toward the water. She'd been sitting there for close to an hour and she was sure someone was going to come along and tell her she didn't belong or that she needed to stay in her designated side of the Palace, but no one ever came. 

She could feel her anger boiling just under the surface, trying to claw its way out. Anger at her parents, at all the suitors that were waiting, at the fucking universe for curing her like that... she knew so many people would kill to be in her position, to have the power she had, but right then, she just wanted to be nothing. She knew she needed to go back to her parents and give them an explanation as to why she took off like that, but she couldn't yet. She just needed a fucking minute. 

The moment he was in range of her sense, she knew he was coming directly for her. Zuko's footsteps were silent on the grass as he crossed the garden and eventually sat beside her, their shoulders brushing just barely. Neither of them said anything, but his silent presence made her feel immensely better. 

"They're wanting me to marry," she whispered. "No, they're not wanting me to, they're forcing me to. Have a line of suitors ready, they just need to determine who has the most connections that will benefit the company the most," her words were bitter and she spat them out harshly. "Before I could even interject, say that I was opposed to the idea, they fucking said that I needed to have kids as soon as the marriage was bound so that an heir could be produced! I don't even fucking like kids, let alone want some of my own," her voice was rising and anger was filling her chest. 

"I'm fucking 16 years old, who the actual fuck thinks a 16-year-old should marry?" But she knew that answer. A lot of people. A lot of people got married at 16, some even got married younger. And that's fine, but that's them. She can't do it, she doesn't want to do it. "There's so much I still want to do. And I know, okay," she huffs out a humorless laugh, "I know I've accomplished more than the average 16-year-old. Fucking Greatest Earthbender in the World, Inventor of metalbending, Teacher of the Avatar, all that shit... but, I haven't..." her voice cracked a little and a flood of tears she didn't even know she was holding back spilled over. 

Immediately, Zuko's arm came over her shoulders and drew her to him. She turned her face into his chest and inhaled his smoky scent. "I haven't-" she chokes on a breath, "I haven't even told him that I love him and now I'm just expected to marry some fucker and make do with that." Her brain barely registered that she said him but Zuko didn't question it, just rubbed her arm making quiet sounds of comfort. She cried into his chest then, harder than before. It felt like the tears wouldn't stop coming, they would just soak through his shirt, which she was sure was uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything. 

An unknown amount of time had passed since Toph had started crying until the point where the tears finally tapered off. Her breaths were still a little hitched at times as if she might start crying again, and his raspy voice was quiet in the night, "You can stay here, Toph. You can stay here as long as you want. I can protect you here, keep you away from all of that." 

She shook her head a little, "You can't do that. My parents would come for me." 

He was quiet for a moment, "You know, you were one of the first to welcome me into the group, tried to give me another chance after all the fuck ups I had done," he told her. "We may not be blood-related, but you are my family and I will protect you from whatever threatens to hurt you- emotionally or physically. We'll be in this together, you and me."

Toph could feel the truth in his words and his vibrations. For a moment, she wanted to ask what he was going to do when it came time for him to marry if he was going to be as cowardly as she was. But, as he says, he had her back and would protect her and she would do the same for her. 

Toph looks up at Katara, trying to judge her silence. She hadn't told anyone about that night, about what he had said to her. As she recounts the story to her friend, she finds herself smiling, unable to wipe it off her face and she realizes, even though they've only recently agreed to start being a couple, it was that moment that she knew she wouldn't ever leave his side. 

He had promised to protect her, for it to be them against the world, to be by her side no matter what the world threw at them and she had silently vowed to do the same. And then, that day he came to her in the arena and told her what he had told his council about them dating, their bond was tested again. They had practically said their wedding vows that night, and she is only just now realizing it. 

"Wow. That's-" Katara lets out a long breath, "Holy shit. I had no idea, Toph. That's beautiful," she reaches out a hand and places it on top of Toph's, "Really, it is. I'm not going to lie, I expected something raunchy."

Toph shoots a look in her direction, but a laugh breaks through her composure. Katara has a point, a lot of her romances had started with sex and ended in the same messy fashion. They sit there in silence together, drinking their tea, both of them lost in their own thoughts. 

"So, what about the sex?" Katara finally asks. 

Pursing her lips, Toph considers the question. "Why did I hope that what I just told you was going to be the end of it," she mutters under her breath. Letting out a sigh, she leans back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. "Fine, what do you want to know?"

"Ha. Well, for starters, what's he like?" 

Toph tilts her head to the side and thinks about it for a moment. Of course, she doesn't have to tell Katara exactly what they have and haven't done, she's sure she could skip the gruesome details and just touch on the other parts. That morning had been the first time they did anything other than make out. Sure, when they kissed she could feel the power radiating through him, the way he restrained himself from pushing her further. "He's got this..." she pauses, searching for the word, "This energy brimming underneath his skin, like when he touches me, I can feel him having to hold himself back at times, almost vibrating with it. 

"Is he rough?" 

Toph blinks at the question. "I mean..." she hesitates. What they had done that morning wasn't rough. If anything, it was borderline lovemaking... well it was until he dipped his head between her thighs. She is sure she is going to have bruises where his fingers were digging into her hips as he attempted to hold her down. Part of her is glad they weren't on the ground because she's sure she would have unintentionally Earthbended. "He certainly can be rough, definitely likes o assert his dominance," she smirks, thinking of how quickly he is able to dominate any kiss they have and how easy it is for her to relinquish control to him. 

"Spirits, that's hot." 

"What about you and Aang? Are you two planning on getting married soon?" Toph asks, trying to change the subject from her love life. 

When Katara hesitates to answer, when Toph can practically feel the mood of the girl sitting across from her change, she instantly is looking up at her. "Things have been different recently," Katara says quietly, and then abruptly stands up, pushing in her chair. Toph hears a few coins hit the table and she moves to get up as well, not realizing they were ready to leave. 

"Different how?" she asks as she scrambles to keep up with Katara. 

She shrugs as she pushes the door open and steps back out onto the street. "It happened a month or two ago. Everything was fine, and it seemed so sudden. One day, we were giggling and goofing off together, and then, almost overnight, something in him flipped and he became distant. He's hardly touched me and has been very short with me recently. Like getting here to the Fire Nation, that was all he seemed to care about for the past few days." They start walking down the street, their pace incredibly slow. It's more like they're walking because it seems like this conversation is too large to have while standing still. 

"You can't think of anything that caused it?"

"No, it just seemed so sudden. It was like the day we got-" Katara suddenly stops walking, her heartbeat dropping and then immediately speeding up with panic. Toph can feel the way her breathing is starting to come faster and faster. 

Toph places a hand on her arm, trying to draw her attention out of her own mind, "Katara, what? What is it? The day you got what?" 

She's silent for a beat, "Nothing," she shakes her head and even without seismic sense, Toph knows that she is lying. "It's nothing. I'm just imagining things, I'm sure." Katara waves a hand in the air as if to brush away the conversation. She moves with purpose towards the next shop, not waiting for Toph to catch up. 

When they get back to the palace, they're informed that Aang and Zuko are in the training arena and have been all day. They make their way toward that wing of the Palace, Katara being uncharacteristically quiet. 

When they arrive, she notices Aang immediately stopping whatever move he was throwing at Zuko to look at where the girls are walking in. Zuko, dropping out of his defensive stance, turns to see what he's looking at, and Toph feels his heart skip a beat. 

Fighting a smile, the couples meet up at the bench off to the side of the arena. Zuko wraps an arm around Toph's shoulders, pulling her into him and kissing the top of her head. 

"Gross, you stink," she murmurs to him through a smile, but wraps an arm around his middle anyways and sinks into his side. 

He ducks his head down and whispers in her ear, "Well, I'm about to go shower, you want to join me?" the blush that appears on her face is immediate and she pushes him away from her with a laugh. 

Directing her sense over to the other couple, Toph realizes how tense they both are. Katara's frame seems to vibrate with anger and heartache. "Do you guys want to eat something?" Toph asks, hoping to steamroll over whatever weird thing is going on. She feels Zuko perk up at the thought of food as he moves to pull on his shirt. 

"Actually, you guys go ahead. I want to talk to Aang about something," Katara says, forcing a smile into her voice. Toph furrows her brows but doesn't say anything, remembering what Katara had talked about in the street earlier. She can feel a question forming on Zuko's lips, but she pinches his hip to keep him quiet. 

"Yeah, of course. Come find us whenever," Toph waves a hand in the air to signify a generalized timeframe. As she and Zuko part from the other couple, she can feel the nerves rolling off of Aang and the anger that is practically bursting from Katara. 

Chapter Text

Once they were out of earshot from Aang and Katara, Zuko had asked her wat had happened and if Katara was sokay and Toph wanted to tell him, but felt like it wasn't exactly her place. Instead, she said she was fine, upset about something that happened at the market- which isn't a total lie. 

"So Aang asked me something weird today," he says once they're back in their chambers. He pulls off his shirt and tosses it at the hamper that never seems to fill since the maids empty it almost as soon as something has been placed inside. Toph follows him as he makes his way to the washroom, her brow furrowing, hoping it's not related to what her and Katara had talked about earlier. 

Stepping down onto the first step of the walk-in tub, he pulls the lever to begin filling it with water. Toph moves to sit on the edge resting back on her hands and letting her feet dangle into the rising water. Zuko moves around the room a little more before he finally walks down the three steps. the tub is almost completely full, almost to her mid-shins. She kicks her feet lightly, swishing the water around as she waits for him to continue. 

Toph can feel his movements as he moves across the deep tub but they're blurry and slightly delayed because of the water coming up to his armpits that slowing him. As he nears her, the brief question of how naked is he? flashes through her mind just before his fingers skim up her calf. She opens her legs slightly and he steps between them, resting his hands on the sides of her upper thighs. When her foot brushes against his hip, she thinks very naked. 

"So are you going to tell me the weird thing he said or am I supposed to guess?" Toph asks, hooking her legs around his torso and locking behind his back loosely. 

She feels him hesitate and shuffle from foot to foot, "Uh, well. It was in the middle of us sparring, about an hour or so before you and Katara walked in. We weren't talking about anything before so the question really took me by surprise. So much so, that he actually managed to put me on my back." He's stalling, she can tell, but she lets him take his time as he figures out how to word the sentence. One of his thumbs starts rubbing back and forth on her thigh in a nervous gesture. "He asked me if I loved you," he says quickly, as if forcing the words out all at once. His heartbeat speeds up and she feels his body tense slightly. 

Toph frowns at this. Not at his reaction or even the question itself, but instead, she frowns at why the question was asked. "That's an odd thing to ask someone."

"You don't want to know what I said?"

"Not particularly," she says nonchalantly and she genuinely doesn't care what he said. She can feel how Zuko feels towards her just through his heartbeat, that is more reassurance than any words he could say. She knows he probably had to say that he did love her since they're insistent on their marriage. Neither of them have given an exact time limit on how long they've been together, but nevertheless, their 'love' shouldn't be questioned. "Did you ask him why he wanted to know?"

"Kind of," he trails off and Toph can tell there is more that he isn't telling her. He doesn't continue until she arches her eyebrow at him. "He asked me why." Zuko's voice cracks a little on the word. 

This actually shocks Toph which fades away to genuine confusion and a little bit of anger. "He wanted to know why," she says slowly. Pursing her lips, her mind races through likely reasons as to why he wanted to know why.

They're silent for a moment, the only sound is the water dripping from the faucet every so often. "You really don't want to know what I said?" he asks, breaking through her thoughts. There's a teasing smile to his voice and it's a successful distraction from her racing thoughts. 

"No, I genuinely don't," she smiles back, and ducks down a little, leaningin close, her lips almost touching his and says through a smile, "Your heartbeat tells me enough."

Zuko pushes forward and their lips meet in a sweet kiss which quickly grows heated. He pulls her off the ledge of the tub and into the water so that they're able to be press against each other. 

Aang can tell that Katara is pissed. The moment the girls had walked into the arena, the look in Katara's eyes was devastating to say the least. After they watch Toph and Zuko disappear down the hall, Katara turned in the opposite direction and stalked off and Aang knows better than to not follow along. 

She seems to just be taking turns at random as she leads them deeper into the palace, but her stride is purposeful. As if out of nowhere, Katara goes up to a door and opens it, stepping inside and disappearing into the dark. Aang pauses for just a moment to take a deep breath before stepping in after her and sees it's basically a random sitting room in the palace.  

Katara has gone to the far side of the room and is staring out of the window that overlooks a garden. Her eyes track a worker as he moves about the garden with a pair of sheers and gently clips the bushes and trees. Aang stops a few feet behind her and just watches her watch the gardner. 

"You've been different, you don't talk to me the same way, you've hardly touched me, your never ending questions about Toph and Zuko, your insistence on getting her so quickly," her voice dies off and she still doesn't turn to face him. It's another moment before she speaks again, "I've just been writing it off, haven't really wanted to look deeper into what it means for us." 

She finally turns and looks at him. From the saddness in her voice, Aang figured she would be close to tears, but her face is impassive a she moves from the window to sit at one of the couches in the room. He moves to sit beside her but the way she tenses as he comes near, he figures it's best he sit across from her. 

"Toph and I were at the market and we were talking about her and Zuko, which I could tell she didn't want to talk about because, I mean, it's Toph," she waves her hand dismissively. "But she switched the conversation to you and me nd I confided in her what has been going on. She asked when it all started and I thought back, trying to pinpoint a particular moment, and I realized," she pauses and looks up at him. Aang's stomach drops. She knows. "I realized it was when you brought in their wedding invitation. I saw on your face that you were upset and confused but at the time, I just thought it was because you felt left in the dark about the whole situation, but..." she shakes her head and drops her gaze to her lap, fiddling with her fingers. 

Aang swallows hard and moves to get up to move, but where can he go? This is something he has to face. From where he is standing, he can just see the top of the trees that are in the garden outside the window. He doesn't know what to say or what she wants to hear. Doesn't know what to say to make this situation better. 

He knows he's been short with her and that Toph and Zuko's wedding has done nothing but plague his mind since he read that invitation. Those words... seing them together... the way he looks at her... how she seeks him out... it's awakened something in Aan and he doesn't know how to make it stop. 

"Do you love her?" Katara's voice is small and it's a stab through the heart. 

"Of course I love her." He knows that's not what she meant, but what else is he to say?

Theres a pause and he hears Katara stand and move from the couch to stand behind him, just within arms reach. "But are you in love with her?"

Aang drops his head into his hands and shakes his head. He doesn't know. He doesn't fucking know. Hot tears slip through his closed eyelids and he can't stop the cries that come from him. He's surpised when arms wrap around his middle and she presses her face into his back. He doesn't deserve her comfort, but fuck, it feels so good. 

He turns around and wraps Katara in his arms. "I don't know what to do," he whispes into her hair. "I'm sorry, I love you."

"But you also love her," there's no question in her voice. "You need to figure out what you want, Aang. I can't keep doing this guessing game with you." 

Once dinner comes around, Zuko and Toph are slowly walking through the halls to the informal dining room whispering between each other, teasing the other about what had occured in the washroom. Toph can feel herself blusing, but the smile that can't be wiped off her face is worth it. 

She can feel Katara and Aang walking a little ways behind them, but are quickly catching up because of their own slow pace. The anger that was in Katara earlier is gone now and Aang just seems lost, his steps dragging ever so slightly.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t always think with your dic-” she starts to say back to Zuko who was teasing her about how quickly she gave in to him wanting to touch her when feels a tug on her sleeve.

“Hey, can we talk for a minute?” Toph turns towards Aang slightly, a furrow in her brow as she feels the new change in Katara and Aang’s heartbeats.

“Yeah, I guess,” she mutters, unwrapping her arm from around Zuko’s waist. She feels both Zuko and Katara hesitate but Katara eventually grabs Zuko by the elbow and leads him further into the dining room away from them.

Now alone, Toph and Aang walk in silence and she can feel the flitty heart rate of Aang’s and it’s honestly starting to make her nervous. They find a bench in one of the side hallways and sit there together with Aang angled towards her, he rests his elbows on his knees and breathes out heavily.

“So are you going to say something or am I just supposed to know what has got your panties in a bunch?” Toph snaps.

She hears him take a deep breath and lift his head to speak, “How’s it going with Zuko?”

Uh, good? Is that really what you’re wanting to talk about?” Toph’s aprehension is growing and she remembers what Zuko had told her earlier, about how Aang had questioned him about their relationship.

“Since when did you guys become a thing, because it seemed like it was really sudden.”

“Well, it kind of was.” Toph isn’t wanting to say anything about the wedding originally being a sham, so she knows she’s going to have to lie a little bit. “Once his council caught wind that we were together, the pressure was put on Zuko for an heir, so…” she trails off.

“An heir?” Aang asks in a choked voice.

“Yeah? That’s typically what is expected of someone who has high power. We both need an heir; his for his lineage and mine for the company,” she raises her eyebrow at him, confusion and suspicion running through her head. “What is this about, Aang?”

He doesn’t answer for a moment, taking a few breaths to… steady himself? “I just don’t see how you guys are together!” his voice is tinged with annoyance.

“Well, we work together just fine,” she says with a huff, her hands crossing over her chest, feeling slightly insulted. “We’ve been together for a while now and he makes me happy-”

“I just don’t see why he’s with you!” Aang finally shouts, throwing his hands up in the air. He stands up from the bench rather suddenly and begins to pace in front of her.

Toph’s eyes go wide, “Why? Is it so hard to believe that someone would want me like that?” her voice is beginning to rise and she also stands and takes a step towards him. He certainly never wanted her that way, but now he was upset that someone did?

“No, that’s not what I mean, you know that!” he yells back at her.

“Then what? Say what you really mean then and quit with all these half-assed sentences.”

“You just shouldn’t be with him,” his hands move out to the side in a vague gesture towards the direction they had come from a moment ago. 

"And why the fuck not?"

"Because he doesn't-" 

“He doesn’t what, Aang? Be very fucking careful what you say,” she warns, her anger rising. She clenches her fists together and she shakes minisculely.

“Spirits, Toph. Do you even love him?” Aang asks exasperatedly.

Do you even love him? This makes her stop, her eyes go wide and her breath comes to a halt. She marches up to him, speaking directly into his face, her words level, “Why the fuck do you care all of the sudden, Aang? What is it about Zuko actually wanting to be with me that is so terrible?”

“Because you’re supposed to be with me!” Aang whispers to her.

And just like that, Toph’s whole world stops. She feels like she’s been punched in the stomach, her eyes go wide, and she thinks she’s going to be sick.