Sukka: checked. Zutara: checked. Now is Taang's turn! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am neither Michael nor Bryan, I am MELONLORD! MUAHAHAHAHA!
"Dealing with Toph on her period would be a pain in the ass, so stay put and follow whatever she says and don't panic because she can hear your heartbeat and—"
A loud bang was heard as the door was opened, revealing a quite petite figure in a green robe, her hands were resting on her hips. Panicked, Sokka hurriedly scooted next to Zuko, leaving the threesome by themselves in apprehension.
The ground beneath them shook as the girl walked inside the room; some of the floor tile cracked and splintered each time she took a step. Once she stopped in front of the large wooden desk, she lifted her leg before thrusting it downward to the ground, making everyone in the room instantly retreat until their back were against the wall. The earth below the furniture raised and shifted into a huge rock material counter, replacing the now broken conference table. She then bent over and placed her hands on her creation.
"I don't have much time for you pansies. Now talk."
Sokka and Zuko exchange glances before turning their gaze toward Katara. Without further ado, she moved closer to Toph and put her palm on the earthbender's back.
"Toph, these are the three best architects we could find in the Earth Kingdom to help you in this project; Bi Jun, Chen, and Go Lin. They would like to show you their designs and we hope you could go with one of their ideas," the waterbender said, nodding at the three participants across the table, giving them the cue to start their presentations.
The man in the middle came forward to the desk with a long scroll in his hands. "Right, thank you Master Katara. Master Beifong, if I may introduce myself; my name is Chen and I hereby—"
"Quit your yapping, I already said I don't have much time!" Toph interrupted, printing her fist on the furniture's surface.
"A-as you wish, Master Beifong," Chen stuttered. He then opened his scroll and set it neatly on the table. "As you see, the main idea of the construction was actually—"
"I can't see."
"Y-you're right, my apologi—"
"And is that your design you're showing me? On a paper?"
His face fell, he was entirely speechless. "I-I…"
"Get out."
"B-but Master Beifong, if you would just let me clarify…"
"Didn't you hear what I've just said? Get. The hell. Out. I don't need your useless explanation."
The tensed atmosphere was filled with silence. Katara had foretold this would happen but still, she didn't think Toph would be this dreadful; Chen probably wetted his pants in terror. Even her brother was a loss for words, despite his ability to break the ice by throwing jokes or punch lines. Sokka was completely frozen.
Chen was then escorted outside by the waterbender before Toph could kick him out herself with her earthbending. "Next."
Bi Jun and Go Lin, the rest of the applicants, were too scared to even take a single step forward. They stood still, shoving and elbowing each other, urging the other to start with their not-so-encouraging presentation first.
"You dunderheads, quit messin' around! I said NEXT!" This reaction of Toph's made Sokka take action, dragging one of the contestants along with his scroll to the table, whispering motivational quotes to the man while he himself grinned nervously.
Bi Jun's palms were damp from cold sweat as he stopped in front of the table. His hands were clenching the scroll tightly, trying to ease his tension. "G-greetings, Master B-Beifong... I-I would like to…"
"I'm guessing you're here to show me your design on a paper also?" The earthbender asked nonchalantly, picking her nose with her index finger.
"U-um… Y-yes, but…"
"And you, too?" She pulled out her finger along with a booger from her nostril and pointed at the other participant behind Bi Jun. Receiving an obvious assumption, Go Lin hid her scroll behind her back (not that Toph didn't know), averted her eyes at the floor and bit her lower lip, holding back her tears.
"Do you not know me? Does the title The Blind Bandit ring a bell? Hello, should I spell it out for you people? I'm blind!" She raised her voice, waving her hands in front of her eyes rapidly. "This is just fucking insulting."
Katara put her hands on her swollen stomach, not letting the baby in her womb to hear Toph's unpleasant word.
"Both of you leave!" She screamed, plunging her fist against the table, splitting it in two and sending the remains to the wall, making a new doorway for the said contenders to leave. Zuko couldn't help but gaped at the dent in one of his meeting rooms—the table was okay, but this was way too much.
"I'm sorry. Normally, she's not this sensitive about what she's incapable of. We're just unfortunate to encounter this side of her," Katara smiled considerately at the two applicants as she escorted them to the newly built entryway.
"The best architects in the Earth Kingdom, huh?" Toph declared sarcastically after Katara finished returned. Her arms were folded in front of her chest.
"Hey, that was your idea in the first place. If you just gave them some time instead of giving the deadline one day after they were assigned, they would've come with mini sculptures and better stuff," the tribesman answered, not taking the risk of approaching the earthbender.
"Sokka's right, Toph. Don't you think you're overreacting?" added The Fire Lord, not having the same idea as Sokka by stepping closer.
"Look. Aang is The Avatar. The most honorable person throughout the whole four nations — no offense, dear Fire Lord, sir — so I'm not gonna let anything screw this up. You think a common architect could do the work? They don't know how you should treat and mend the earth itself to be built as a praiseworthy statue! Even the sculpture itself needs to be worshipped! We need an earthbender architect. And not just an earthbender architect, the best one there is."
The trio glanced at each other worriedly, acknowledging that their dear friend wouldn't take any other suggestions for a solution, especially when her monthly enemy came to visit.
"I don't know, Toph…" Katara sighed.
"Hey, Sparky here—," Her arms flew straight to Zuko's face, startling him as she pointed him right on his nose, "—told me to be in charge of this project. I know what I'm doing."
"Okay, but we're done helping you find the person. We've got errands too, you know. I've got some things to work on in the South Pole first thing tomorrow morning and Zuko and Katara here have got a whole nation to rule." Sokka shrugged, gesturing to his pregnant sister and her husband.
"Relax. I've got this all covered," Toph made a swift motion, forming an earth couch to sit on.
"So you've found the person?" Zuko asked eagerly, receiving a smirk from the earthbender.
"In fact, you're looking at her right now."
It was rather intricate to convince her teammates about her being the one to create Aang's statue with her own hands. Being blind and all, it gave her friends the idea that she would mess up the big project. However, when she told them that she had secretly enrolled in a designing class (more like eavesdropping and practiced on herself) and showed them her own design in a small replica, they changed their mind and fully agreed with her plan. Nevertheless, she still needed to know about certain details about Aang since she was going to build the sculpture a hundred meters high on a noticeable spot in Republic City.
"But don't let Aang know about it. We're still keeping it a secret." Katara's voice echoed in her ears, reminding her that this project would be the greatest surprise for the Avatar.
"You want to… touch my face…?" questioned the airbender after hearing the odd request from his friend.
"Touch it, feel it, whatever. I need to know your face…" She gulped before continued, "…and your whole feature." She could feel her face burning in embarrassment. At this rate, she was actually regretting her own plan; being quite intimate—touching—with your huge crush could possibly ruin your concentration.
Hesitating for a moment, the Avatar suddenly remembered what Sokka had just said this morning when he had just arrived with Appa on the harbor and met him; She's on her period, so don't say upsetting things or else you're in danger. Oh, and don't ask too many questions. "Well… Okay."
Earning a yes, Toph cleared her throat before initiating her mission. "In your robe."
"Robe? Isn't my current clothing okay?" Aang asked, gesturing to his monk drapes.
"Put it on already!" Toph said, stomping her foot on the ground.
Startled by the impulsive tiny earthquake, Aang recoiled from his earthbending teacher a few steps back. "Okay okay! Wait here a sec," he said, retreating to his chamber to do what the girl had ordered him.
"And get your staff too!" She yelled as she sensed the airbender walking away.
A few minutes later, Aang reappeared, complete in his Avatar robe and staff. "There, I've put on my robe."
Toph pulled her hand upward, shifting a small earth mound and motioning at Aang to come closer. "Put your left foot here."
He lifted his left leg and rested his foot on the mound like she had said. "Like this?"
She grabbed him by the wrist and adjusted his staff in his left hand. "Hold your staff like this," she said, stretching his arm away from his body and fixed his posture.
Seemed like Sokka's warning about not asking too many question slipped off his mind. "May I ask what this is for? I mean, I know you want to identify my feature but why are you making me put on my robe and pose like—"
"Shush, Twinkletoes. Stay still and let me do my work."
She started observing as she placed her hand on the cantle of his head. Measuring the airbender's height, she found out that he had gotten taller, far taller than his twelve-year-old-self back when he used to be a goofy amateur Avatar. He was probably nearly 6 feet tall; comparing the tip of her top bun only reached his collarbone.
Then, she closed her eyelids, concentrating on the vibration beneath her bare feet. She sensed his whole structure, his figure, and she grinned elatedly as she imagined how the huge monument would look like when it was done. It would be one sick masterpiece.
Now: getting into the details.
Her hand slid down to his shoulder blades, feeling the material of the orange fabric, aware of every hem and embroidery she ought to focus on. Slowly, her palms traced down his arms; right then left. She could feel the growing bicep underneath the thin layers of the cloth and she swallowed when her mind played a scene, a flash of desire, to be embraced between those gallant arms. She slapped her forehead mentally to wake her from the incoherent thought and continued to examine his hands. His grip on his wooden item loosened when their knuckles touched but she put her hand on his and ordered him to grab a hold of it. Cupping his hand gently, she imagined how it would be if the situation was reversed; his hand holding hers and their fingers entwined together.
Meanwhile, the Avatar raised his eyebrow as he felt Toph's hand trembling against his. He wondered what she was doing but stayed silent instead, simply concluding that she was doing it on purpose to feel the pulsation beneath his skin. Must be one of her blind earthbending methods to detect one's appearance, he shrugged inwardly.
After she was done with his arms and identified the three circles on his staff, she drove her hands back to his torso, prolonging her inspection. The first thing she noticed was that his chest was somehow broader than ever before. She realized the airbender had gone through puberty, possibly still on-going. Perhaps this physical shape of a sixteen-year-old guy was something Sugarqueen had mentioned four years ago when she admitted she was head over heels about a certain prince after seeing him shirtless in firebending training. Regaining her consciousness, she cleared her throat awkwardly while wiping away the visualization of a bare-chested Aang.
When she was finished with the tunic and necklace, she traced her hands to his rachis, rubbing his back gently, memorizing and picturing his complete upper bearing in her mind. Afterwards, she bent down to signify the drapery belt wrapping on his waist. As she slid her hands downward, she carefully glided her palms to not make contact with his 'private part' below his shank. If touching and imagining his upper body part had already caused the heat in her cheeks, who knew what would happen if she accidently brushed past his 'region'? Damn hormones, she thought.
In the meantime, Aang being a teenager, having a girl touching his body parts, especially the lower parts, made the blood rush and head up to his face. A red tinge blossomed on his cheek, and he prayed to the 1001 spirits above for Toph to be unable to hear the loud thump of his heart as she rubbed his inner thigh. Thank God he was a monk, otherwise he wouldn't be able to learn how to control and compose himself in every emergency situation. And this was likely one of those states of affairs.
Next, with one hand settling on the top of his pants, she moved her other hand downhill, evaluating the length of the garment along both of his feet. "Say, Twinkletoes, you don't have any specific patterns or ornaments on this outfit, do you?"
"Not really…"
"Not really? What kind of answer is that? Gimme a real one!" she ordered, gripping hard on his ankle.
Being forced on, Aang straightened his backbone and tensed his limbs. "No, ma'am, no!"
Hearing his answer, she smirked while tracing her hand along his shoes.
After she had finished discovering the detailed version of his upper and lower body, she stood up and took the Avatar's precious rod, putting it aside on the wall.
"You can return to your normal position now," she said, bending the earth mound to merge back with the flat surface. Aang did what he had been told and slackened his stiff position.
Next: detecting the relics of his face.
Toph knelt down and sat on the ground, crossing her legs as she did so. "Sit down," she said, patting a spot on the floor not too far away across her. Promptly, Aang obeyed and sat down mirroring her. Their knees touched as she moved closer to get a better position for her hand.
"What now?" he asked.
"Close your eyes."
He did.
"Are they closed?"
"Yes."
Without further ado, she stretched out her arm toward his face. Her hand was hovering above his nose, feeling his breath against her palm. Then leisurely, she pressed her fingertips alongside the outline of his face to decipher its shape; from the top of his forehead, down to his ears, then to his chin.
As she trailed the contour of his jaw, she could feel sharp thin hairs on the side of his face and chin, probably the remains of his aftershave. She couldn't help but smile at this; to discover something new from the airbender always amused her, even the smallest thing.
"Planning on growing facial hair?" She asked.
"It's kind of a tradition to grow a beard for us monks, but I still feel a bit weird about it. I don't think it would suit me."
"I think you should. It'll look um, good… on you."
"Really? Wait, you're not saying this because you're…" he stopped as Sokka's voice echoed in his head; Remember, don't say the 'B' word.
As if reading his mind, she shook her head, answering his unspoken question. "No. I mean it."
Eyes still closed, Aang's lips formed a relieved smile upon hearing her answer. "I trust you."
Subsequently, she let her fingers trail over his neat eyebrows, eyelids, his flickering delicate lashes, his high cheekbones, his slightly shown dimples, and his… lips.
Her fingers quivered as she left her fingerprints along his upper lip. Her heartbeat quickened below her ribs, thumping hard like a jumping rabbaroo as her thumb brushed over his lower lip. His lips were moist and soft, she wondered how they would feel against hers.
"Toph?" His voice awakened her from her trance. The tremor on her fingers faded but the loud thump in her heart kept on going and stung her ears. She could barely hear her own voice saying, "You can… open your eyes, um, now."
So he did. And the first thing he saw was the earthbender in front of him looking down at her crossed feet, somehow looking as if she was hiding something on her face. It made him wonder about what had happened. This, he wasn't afraid to ask. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head abruptly in response and huffed a long sigh. "Can you show me the arrow on your head?"
Aang bowed his head lower so his tattoo was facing her and he waited for her to react. Not getting the response he was expecting, the airbender instantly realized what the girl was incapable of. Therefore he lifted his head up and took both of her hands.
Despite how gentle Aang had captured her hand in his, she couldn't help but be startled. He took quite a longer time after she had asked him to show her his arrow so when his fingers suddenly touched the backside of her hand, she almost jumped out of her seat.
Guiding her, he pressed her palm firmly against his head, drawing the arrow shape with her index fingers slowly; he started from the tip of the arrow, illustrating the triangle perfectly and the rectangular shape which continued down his neck. Then he rested her hands there.
Turquoise eyes looked up at him, making his throat hitch and he swore his heart skipped a beat. He was stunned by the astonishing milky green orbs that seemed to stare right through his eyes—he almost thought she was actually looking at him intently. Overwhelmed, his heart started to throb louder as his face became heated.
Then he saw her blushing.
And biting her lower lip.
Screw control. Aang let go of her hands, slipping them to the back of her head, pulling her closer while he himself leaned forward. Feeling his hot breath brushing her nose, she interlaced her fingers behind his neck and pulled him closer.
Only an inch away until the gap between their lips closed, she suddenly pushed him away and crawled a few steps back. A second later, the wooden door was busted open, revealing the Fire Lord in high spirits.
"I'm having a son!"
A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews, they encourage me so, so much! But I think I owe you guys a sincere apology because In Charge practically stands a one-shot fiction. I was so excited in publishing this story I forgot to tick on the complete status. I'm really, really sorry to everyone who has been waiting for a continuation of this chapter. But do not fret, I promise you I will be writing more of Taang fictions! However, I apologize once again, I'm a bit lacking in time management so I suppose don't get your hopes too high on me, hehe. Thank you, THANK YOU once again for the endearing reviews!