title: Human (inspired by Christina Perri's song of the same name)
rating: k
summary: Toph makes a pitstop on her quest for enlightenment
warning: some spoilers for LoK if you haven't watched and/or read anything about the leaked episodes.
a/n: This is my first time writing fanfiction in months. I'm very rusty, so forgive the craptastic one-shot. I've had the itch to write for days and I had to write something, so this happened. It's not my best, but I tried. That being said, I would very much like to get back into the swing of things, so I am accepting prompts.
...
Her whole being thrummed with impatience; her tapping foot, the scowl that seemed to be permanently etched upon her face, her arms crossed defensively across her chest. She sat at the opposite end of the table and Zuko was vaguely reminded of their younger days, when Toph was a head shorter than him with a personality large enough to make up for her petite frame. Now, her face was lined with lines - frown lines. And her eyes were tired. Gone was the mischievous smirk and the nicknames. Gone was the Toph Bei Fong he had once known.
"Well?" Toph spat, breaking the silence, her eyes narrowed.
"Toph..." Zuko trailed off. Where did he start? There were so many questions to be asked, yet he knew he would never get the answers to all of them. "What are you doing here?"
She snorted. "What's it look like? Can't I visit an old friend?"
"Of course you can," Zuko answered easily, grasping for what patience he had left. "Have you considered visiting your daughters, though? How long has it been since you've seen them, Toph?"
Zuko watched his friend closely; he noticed the way her body froze at the mention of her children, the way her lips tightened and she turned her head, glaring at the wall. She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it with a frustrated grunt.
He wanted to press her for information, to demand answers for her behavior, but he held back. Toph was tough to crack, but she wasn't impossible. He had witnessed her walls being torn down, by her children, her family, or an unrequited love. His uncle had once broken her walls, but the same walls had quickly been rebuilt after Iroh's death. Patience was the key to Toph's trust, he reminded himself. So, he remained quiet.
"They don't need me."
The words were spoken abruptly and the voice was strong, loud, and clear. Zuko almost would have believed the words and Toph's conviction had her emotions not been clearly present on her face; her scowl was now a frown and her eyes were looking downward. Her arms slid from their tight cocoon against her chest.
"They don't need me anymore, Zuko," Toph went out, her voice faltering. "Lin...she's working her way up the force. She's strong and she looks after Su. She always has. When I worked long hours, she stepped in." There was another sigh before Toph moved forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Did they even need me then? I wasn't...I was so scared of becoming my parents. I realized too late that I wasn't them.
"So much has changed since we were kids, Zuko. Sokka and Suki married. Aang and Katara married and had kids. I have kids. Aang died and now we have a new Avatar. Sokka died and then Suki. Everyone we've ever known is gone or has a life of their own. Life's moving fast and I just..." She stopped then, sitting back as her hands wiped furiously at her eyes.
"Look at me," she snapped. "I'm a baby. What am I doing?"
"Toph," Zuko started, grasping for the right words. Where was Aang or his uncle's wisdom when he needed it? It should have been well-known that he wasn't exactly the best person to come to for advice. Was Toph even doing that, he wondered. Maybe she simply needed someone to talk to? "I...it's okay?" He realized half a second too late that it sounded like a question. Good going, Zuko.
"I'm doing this for myself," Toph blurted, seemingly ignoring his attempt at comfort. "I was tired of Republic City and the rules and expectations and the routine of it all, Zuko. My girls, they don't need me anymore. They have lives of their own and me? I want to feel more than this. I know I saw the world - not literally - when I was a kid, but I didn't appreciate it. I want to experience new things and appreciate them." She shrugged. "So what if I go off the grid for a while? Maybe that's what's best."
He watched her, watched as she righted herself and wiped the last tears away. Her fingers played with the bracelet on her wrist, slipping it off and contorting it into different shapes. He remembered it; it was the meteorite bracelet she wore everywhere. Bending it seemed to calm her slowly, with the change came a shift in the atmosphere; where it had been tense moments ago, it was now calm. The calm after the storm.
She stood suddenly, picking up a bag beside her chair. "You've got your answer, Sparky." Throwing the bag over her shoulder, she yawned and pushed a stray hair out of her face. "This has been a nice conversation and all, but I'm tired. Are you gonna show me to my room or not? I've gotta get on the road early tomorrow."
And, like that, it was as if Toph had never bared her soul to him at all.