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The academy is quiet by the time she hears the commotion outside. The smell of incense and joss sticks flows in through the windows, prompting Toph to take a deep breath in, close her eyes, and exhale into the expansive space of her academy office.
Her hands grip a hot cup of ginger tea that warms her to her core in contrast to the chill the outside wind provides as she listens to the live music in the square not far from where she sits. Despite the jovial mood outside, she’s not feeling it. And even if she was, she wouldn’t want to.
For some, it might be the celebration of Dongzhi, a time when most people were surrounded by their loved ones, but for Toph, it’s just another day. Or at least, it feels that way to her.
She doesn’t want to go home to confront the silence and loneliness she has come to resent since she met Kanto a few months ago. He’s a kind, understanding guy who had won her over despite her initial reluctance to let anyone in. They had both agreed to spend the Solstice apart this year because of their hectic schedules. With Kanto working on an important project abroad, and Toph’s responsibilities at the academy, it made the most sense to them.
She’s reluctant to say she regrets making the decision and being the one to come up with the brilliant idea.
But… she regrets it.
Still, she’s never wanted to miss someone the way she’s missing him. It’s the type of thing she’d call weak in her friends. And she has in the past. They’d always tell her she’d regret saying as much because she’d never known what it was like.
Until now, of course.
The thought of popping in on Katara and Zuko crosses her mind, but it’s fleeting. The mere idea of traveling so far, and on an airship no less, exhausts and sickens her. If anything, they should come to see her. But she knows that won’t happen because those two have their own matters to tend to.
Aang or Sokka would be easier to reach considering the small distance between the three of them, but she’s not in the mood to stumble into their bachelor-led lives. One moan from each of their special guests on different occasions one time was enough for her to stay away on days like these. She almost shivers as she recalls the day.
Of course, they’d all offered to come around today, but Toph vehemently refused, claiming business and no desire to celebrate the holiday, which wasn’t a lie exactly.
She just wants to celebrate with someone else if she has to celebrate at all.
The evening grows colder as Toph settles into her favorite office armchair, her feet propped up on the tea table just across from her as the holiday pro-bending game begins to play on the radio. As she loses herself in the disaster that her favorite team becomes, the wind outside howls, making her cozy office feel even more inviting. She can’t help but let her mind wander to Kanto.
Toph dreams of footsteps. Someone big, someone sure of himself approaches her where she sits or lays or what have you. Whatever is playing on the radio is promptly shut off and she feels her brows furrow. She smells something familiar and she wonders if what she’s doing is dreaming or experiencing.
“Okay,” a voice says, gently bringing her out of her light slumber, answering her unasked question. “What is with you and your aversion to starting fires?”
It takes her a minute to realize that she’s, in fact, not dreaming as she rubs her itchy eyes and quickly sets her feet on the ground to confirm whether or not she’s hallucinating. The sure, steady feeling of Kanto’s heartbeat attacked her seismic sense and it took everything she had within her to stay put and not act a fool.
She bites back a smile. “It’s not an aversion, it’s a—”
He snickers, still standing too, too far away from where she sits. “Lack of desire,” he teases. “I know. Or so you say.”
“There’s also the fact that a fire would do away with all the festive smells breaking into this office. Why would I want that? Besides, it wasn’t even cold in here. Your mission made you soft.”
“Damn. You’re right. Silly me.”
Quickly changing the subject to what she thinks matters as she shakes her head at his goading, she says, “I thought you were busy.”
“I thought the same of you,” Kanto replies, a smirk evident in his voice as he walks over to the fireplace at the back of her office and gets it started in a snap. He stands up and slowly approaches her as if waiting for her to be the first to give in and show him just how happy she is now that he’s here. “But you know, I figured that things might be slow tonight for the both of us, and it turns out that I was right.”
“Aren’t you glad?”
She can hear his footsteps come closer and closer to her until he stops in his tracks several feet away from her. “I suppose I am. Aren’t you glad?”
At this point, she can’t take it anymore and she springs up and out of her chair and straight into his arms and warmth. The sound of his chuckles along with the vibrations of him that she feels through the floor make her insides become putty. It’s been too long since she’s heard it in person.
She breathes him in, his woody, earthy scent that she’s come to memorize and adore. Her hands ball the back of his shirt into her fists, willing him to stay, to never move from where he stands embracing her again.
With a mixture of longing and affection, he pulls back slightly, her head parting from the comfort of his chest. She wants to complain and tell him to stay put, but before he can, she feels the hand that isn’t secured around her waist, against her cheek. His thumb ghosts over her cheekbone and trails down to her lower lip where she can’t help but kiss the pad of his thumb.
In a moment, he lowers his head and closes the distance between them, capturing her lips in his. Her entire body reacts to it, to him, warming her from her head to her toes, better than any fire can.
Their kiss deepens, and she thinks that it’s a wonder they kept their ridiculous holiday agreement afloat for as long as they did. His fingers tangle in her hair, holding her close as if he never intends to let go as her hands travel every inch of him she can reach.
They part before long and despite her wishes, both of them breathless by the time they do. Toph feels this stupid grin try to work its way onto her face and she does her best to suppress it as she allows her hands to explore his face. It’s been months since she’d seen him.
Her fingers brush gently over his eyebrows, his eyelids, his cheekbones and nose, his lips, and his chin. She trails down to his chest and rests her palm over the left side of his chest, the same steady heartbeat thumping under her fingers beneath her feet where she stands.
His hand finds hers on his chest and he brings her fingers up to his lips. “I missed you,” he whispered. “So much.”
The world seems to fade away as they stand there, lost in each other’s presence, two souls who’ve been apart for too long. The room around them becomes a distant memory, and it's just the two of them, sharing an unspoken connection that transcends words.
Toph leans in, her lips finding his once more. It’s full of longing and desire on both sides. As they kiss, time seems to stretch, and Toph revels in the feeling of Kanto's warm, familiar touch.
When they finally pull away, Toph rests her head against his chest once more, savoring the rhythmic beat of his heart beneath her palm.
“You better not leave again,” she says. “Not any time soon.”
Kanto chuckles, a warm, comforting sound that envelops her. “I won’t. We have all the time in the world now.” He shifted their position and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Which means that you can treat me to tangyuan from the festival out there.”
“Me treat you?” Toph scoffs, her arm coming around his waist before pulling away and grabbing her coat off the rack. “Nice one. You’re buying.”
“Fine,” he replies, a grin in his voice. “But that means you’re having a naked pomelo bath with me later. To, uh, ward off bad spirits and all.”
“Of course.”
“It’s tradition, Toph! You can’t argue with tradition. I’m sorry, but that’s how it is.”
She gives him a playful shove as she lets them out of her office and the building, then into the streets of Republic City. His hand finds hers and she finds comfort in the warmth he provides her.
They indulge in tangyuan as soon as they find the kiosk, savoring the sweet, chewy rice balls as a tangible symbol of their reunion. Laughter and shared stories flow freely as they meander through the festival, making up for lost time. The comfort of Kanto’s presence, the reassuring grip of his hand in hers, it all feels like a dream come true.
They eventually find themselves near a traditional bathhouse where a pomelo bath awaits. It’s a quirky and heartwarming tradition, and Toph wouldn’t have it any other way. They immerse themselves in the fragrant, citrus-scented water, making up for lost time.