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Boring.
Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring.
Toph's mind had been filled with this word.
The earthbender needed new stimuli, and there hadn't been any for a long time.
For years, her days had been practically the same, and after the last adventure with Aang, she had returned to the Earth Kingdom to resume teaching.
Her students weren't bad, they were even learning metalbending well, but they weren't strong or smart enough to challenge or even entertain the best earthbender in the world.
Basically, Toph was bored to death.
Toph was aware that she should have been resigned —and initially she was— that peace also meant spending quiet and monotonous days, but the truth was that her adventurous spirit had awakened a few months earlier, when Aang decided to get himself into trouble again and make people want them all dead like the good old days.
Since then, Toph felt twice as bored, and she simply needed an excuse to do something or go somewhere.
She was sitting cross-legged at the training ground, where her students, trying to take advantage of that moment of distraction, were preparing an attack from behind to take her by surprise.
As if it were possible for them to catch her by surprise. Idiots.
Toph deflected the large piece of metal thrown in her direction with a wave of her hand, sending it straight back to the sender.
The sound of the metal, and of the student, that hit the ground startled the others, who immediately rushed to their classmate's aid, making a huge and unnecessary racket.
Seriously, did they really think an attack from behind would have made any difference to her?
Or that she wasn't sensing their movements just because she was thinking about how to chase away the boredom? —which happened every day, during training, anyway.
This was an insult to her!
Tired of standing there, Toph suddenly stood up and, announcing that she was taking a short vacation, ordered her students to continue training even without her.
«If you slack off, I'll find out,» the earthbender warned them in such a threatening tone that Toph was sure they wouldn't even try to skip a minute of training.
Satisfied with the referential awe she felt coming from her students, Toph sneered and calmly walked away.
Toph needed something to do. An adventure, a journey without any particular dangers for once, simply something new to break away from the monotony.
Going to Aang and Katara was out of the question: those two had become too lovey-dovey for her tastes, and Katara would certainly have scolded her for abandoning her students to propose to do anything even minimally chaotic, now that they could live in peace.
And then they also had their duties…
With Sokka, she knew she could have fun and get easily distracted, but by now she was too used to his follies, and she didn't want to put up with endless explanations about his new inventions.
But there was one person in the group who definitely needed a little relaxation every now and then.
The journey to the Imperial City of the Fire Kingdom was quiet.
Boring and quiet.
She couldn't even enjoy the view. At most, she could enjoy the gradual change in the air on her skin.
The days were warm, but in the Fire Kingdom the temperature was slightly higher.
However, as she made her way to the Imperial Palace, Toph sensed a chaotic cheerfulness in the streets that reminded her of her own Kingdom, and made her think that maybe Zuko was doing a great job after all, despite the difficulties.
It was very easy for her to ask for an audience with the Fire Lord, considering that she was one of the people who, like him, had helped the Avatar.
She was escorted by a guard in the midst of the incessant buzz that filled the entire palace, servants busy with the most varied tasks, people who, in strictly low voices, discussed how to perform a certain task perfectly and, of course, servants who, noticing her, recognized her and, alarmed, wondered if something had happened to bring the legendary creator of metalbending there without any warning.
The throne room was quiet, the silence broken only by the councilor's speaking and the sharp sound of the stamp being placed on the documents. All went silent when she was announced, and it was with satisfaction that she noted how the councilors immediately looked for an excuse to disappear as soon as she set bare foot in the room.
The smell of sandalwood incense immediately filled her nose. She'd always sensed it on Zuko, even when they were enemies, and it was naturally more intense since he'd become the Fire Lord, so she wasn't surprised.
But it was so intense there that she struggled to smell his friend's natural scent.
Zuko waited until he was alone with her before placing the document he was probably reading on the table.
«Toph,» the Fire Lord greeted her calmly, but the stress was evident in his voice.
He didn't seem to want to ask her if anything had happened, probably aware, unlike the servants a moment earlier, that nothing had happened.
«Heya, Zuko!» The earthbender waved back at the voice, taking a few steps forward.
The floor was smooth and slightly slippery: surely cleaned several times a day, just like the one in her childhood home.
«Are you having fun?» she asked ironically.
She heard Zuko snort, no irritation towards her.
«Why are you here?»
«Aren't you happy to see me?»
«It's not that,» he said immediately. «I'm just surprised.»
«I was bored,» she explained with absolute sincerity, placing both hands on the back of her neck. «And I decided to come and see how someone who is probably as bored as I am manages.»
Zuko exhaled with resignation.
«I see,» he just said.
Toph heard the paper rustle again; she understood Zuko was about to go back to work, and that he expected this to be just a visit from her.
Oh, how naive!
Toph strode forward, climbing the large stairs without hesitation, and placed her hands against the edge of the low table, careful not to touch anything that Zuko might need.
«Let's go somewhere,» she proposed.
«I have too much to do here.»
The answer was so immediate that Toph thought they were words he repeated to himself automatically whenever he thought of taking a break.
One more reason to push him to leave that place, which, even though it smelled of incense and was as nice as ninepence, gave her a stale feeling.
«I remind you that you still owe me that life-changing field trip.»
Zuko froze, and Toph had the feeling he was watching her.
«After all these years? I'm surprised you still remember.»
The earthbender snorted loudly and turned to sit directly on the table.
«Come on! You need a break, and I'm giving you the excuse you need!»
«The last time I was away from here, it took me weeks to catch up on all the backlog.»
«Do you have to do everything alone? Don't you have an assistant? Aren't the Fire Lord allowed vacations?»
«I’m afraid not…» he sighed. «Unless there are urgent matters.»
Zuko, of course, didn't seem happy about it. But as much as Toph understood that this was the path he had chosen, aware of the responsibilities and duties he would have to face for much of his life, Toph believed that this was more than enough reason to leave his Kingdom for short periods.
To keep his head from exploding, for example.
And to be Zuko, at least for a little while, and not just the Fire Lord.
«You can wait until I finish at least today's work,» he muttered absentmindedly. He probably answered her while still reading whatever document he was reading.
Toph sighed with a smile.
«Hurry up, then.»
«It would be nice if you could help me…»
Toph laughed.
«And with what authority?» she retorted sarcastically.
Zuko's heart suddenly raced.
Toph had learned to interpret changes in the bodies of her friends and family, so much so that she immediately associated that rhythm with embarrassment.
It wasn't the first time Zuko's heart had pounded so hard in her presence.
Initially, the earthbender hadn't thought too much about the reason for her sudden mood swings.
Zuko was prone to embarrassment over the slightest thing, though he had improved slightly in recent years.
Or he had gotten used to his absurd second family.
But for a few months, that is, since the last adventure with the rest of the group, Toph had realized that Zuko was different towards her.
She decided to move and sit somewhere near him, behind the low table. Zuko moved to his right to make room for her.
With such an obvious invitation, she had no qualms about approaching and sitting on one of the cushions.
Now at the Fire Lord's side, Toph took the opportunity to use his arm as a backrest.
Zuko had stopped pretending to work again, anyway.
«Answer me,» she warned him, determined not to let the subject drop.
Zuko's breathing became unsteady, as if he thought he'd somehow compromised himself.
He sighed, resigned again.
«I just remembered when some advisors told me to find a wife to share the duties with,» he admitted shyly.
What followed was an awkward silence for both of them.
That sentence confirmed that, since the fight against Tagah, Zuko's feelings towards her had changed. Or rather, intensified, from what Toph could tell if she tried to objectively remember all the signals his body had transmitted over the years.
Toph remembered when he'd saved her from The Denied. He'd held her not just because he saved her.
There had been fear in what had been a brief but genuine embrace.
Fear of losing her again.
After all, Zuko had practically watched her die.
She knew that all of them had met the same fate back then, including Aang, before Katara miraculously saved herself and them all.
It was since that last adventure together that, whenever the group briefly reunited for any reason, Zuko had started to be different with her.
His breathing, heartbeat, body temperature, the tone of his voice, even his level of sweating…
Although he was able to control himself most of the time, Toph detected a slight tremor in his voice when he spoke to her.
His breathing became ragged whenever, for some silly reason, Toph got too close to him.
Her body would tense, relax, and tense again over and over again whenever they happened to touch each other.
Toph had preferred not to say anything, except for an initial joke as soon as she noticed the change, which was followed by an almost guilty silence on his part.
Since then she had preferred to try to ignore the signs, to avoid dealing with his feelings but, above all, her own feelings.
She wasn't very lucky when it came to men, and she didn't want to ruin her friendship with Zuko, after all.
But now the Fire Lord's words, though not a direct confession, hinted too clearly at what had remained unsaid between them until then.
Toph decided to deal with it her own way, as always.
«You know I can't read and sign your paperwork, right?» She muttered, trying to sound natural, her head lightly pressed against his arm.
Zuko seemed to understand her intentions, judging by the way he jumped.
It took him a few seconds before being able to reply.
«I know,» he said softly. «But it's you. With you my duties would be less burdensome anyway, especially with your natural authority,» he explained, leaning slightly, in turn, towards her with his body. «Your mere presence made everyone run away, for example.»
There was still that insecurity in his voice that came from baring his heart, albeit indirectly, but also sincerity, love, affection, and admiration that Toph was proud to inspire in the Fire Lord.
«Plus, the building's security would triple with your presence.»
Okay, the man sure knew how to flatter her.
But he just couldn't make a proper confession.
Not that she was any better at it, she admitted to herself.
«I can actually imagine the Fire Lord's wife not just sitting next to her husband like a nice little doll to display, to read decrees to approve or not, or something like that…» Toph granted.
She really tried to imagine herself there, in that building, respected and feared at the same time. Responsible for the security of her own palace and the entire Kingdom, ready to kick the ass of anyone who tried to threaten the stability that Zuko was so laboriously trying to maintain after years of tyranny.
It wouldn't have been that bad, even if she had always been convinced that court life wasn't exactly for her.
However, despite herself, Toph came from a noble family.
In a certain sense, the creator of metalbending would have known how to behave and, despite her rebellious nature, over the years she had learned to control herself. At least for the first five minutes of the day, before doing things in her very personal and unconventional way…
«Can the Fire Lady hold a tournament where we and all the councilors are forced to participate so you can vent your anger at them without arousing suspicion?»
She felt Zuko suddenly relax more at her joke. His voice smiled as he amusedly answered her: «No. No, absolutely not.»
«We can force them to sit in the front seats in the stands so if you casually hit them it would just be an inevitability.»
«Don't tempt me,» he muttered, clearly holding back his laughter. He was imagining the scene, and he was wanting to do it; Toph was sure of it! «I can't do it,» he concluded.
«I can do it for you. I only need a few pebbles to knock out people like them…» Toph insisted at that point, just because he felt that they were both having fun fantasizing about scenarios that, if actually really done, would have gotten Zuko into serious trouble.
«No, it would still be inappropriate,» The Fire Lord reiterated with sweetness and gratitude in his voice.
«You're boring,» she retorted sulkily.
«Can I move my metalbending school here?» She asked after a moment, more seriously this time, moving slightly to wrap her arms around Zuko's.
She felt her muscles tense for a moment, before relaxing again.
There he was again.
It was as if he wanted to keep her close and push her away at the same time.
«I should take care of all the bureaucratic part, but it is possible,» the firebender replied.
Toph rested her head on Zuko's shoulder, silently enjoying the warm sensation of her body pressed against the firebender's single arm.
The Fire Lord was muscular. Less muscular than Tagah—no, despite everything that had happened, she couldn't forget that particular thing— but at least everything about Zuko conveyed sweetness and kindness, and she, guilty of having been deceived more than once, knew he couldn't possibly doubt Zuko's sincerity, a sincerity so disarming that it was sometimes embarrassing.
Toph smiled.
"Well, I already said I'm done with bad boys, after all," she said to herself.
«On the bureaucratic side of my school, I can help you even without reading the documents,» she proposed.
His heart was beating so hard that it was pounding in her head.
Or maybe it was her own heart.
Suppressing a laugh, Toph wondered how she had gone from suggesting they take a trip to chase away the boredom to seriously considering becoming the Fire Lady.
«But no deals until we take that famous trip, okay?» she imposed, more to dispel her own embarrassment than anything else.
Zuko laughed softly: a sweet, crystalline sound coming from a normal, happy man rather than the ruler of a Kingdom.
Toph felt her face heat up.
«We’ll do it. I promise,» he surprised her.
The earthbender tightened his arms around Zuko's and promised herself that that trip would only be the first of many, perhaps short but frequent travels that would have benefited the soul and mood of both of them.
The one to the Fire Kingdom, however, even if done alone, had probably just really changed her life.