Title: Back to Work
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Rating: PG
Word Count: 611
Pairing: Sokka/Suki, Sokka/Toph and Aang/Katara—all implied
Timeline: I'm not sure here. I'd say after Book 2 draws to a close, but since I have no idea what's going on there, I'm leavin' it open-ended.
Summary: Aang has a sneaking suspicion about Toph. Told in the present tense, because I feel like it. It ties into Chapter 1.
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"You've got a thing for him, don't you?"
The question comes out light and casual, despite the rigorous nature of their training. Still, Aang's mind remains focused; the small talk comes from a corner of his mind he's got isolated, and for a moment he wonders how it managed to squeeze past the barricades. He's used to talking with Katara while they trained, but Katara's teaching style is different. With her, it's okay to chat. With Toph, it's not usually the case.
Toph sets her face into a light scowl, her brow furrowing beneath her unruly black bangs. "I dunno what you're talking about, Twinkletoes. Rockeye!"
Aang ducks down low and scoops up a rock slab, using it as a shield against the melon-sized boulder Toph throws at him. He does this in one fluid motion--incorporating a little bit of Waterbending style in with the move. After a moment, he decides to pursue the topic, knowing that Toph could benifit from a little opening up. "You know very well what I'm talking about."
"Okay, so I do. I still don't wanna talk about it. Lemme see your full-body rock armor, I think it has a few chinks in the armor."
Aang lets the rock slab fall. He crouches down with his arms spread out, his fingers splayed and the tips touching the ground. With a quick, swirling motion that's part Airbending, he rises to his feet and surrounds his entire body (except for his eyes, which he leaves open) with fragments of stone, making a bodysuit of pure earth that he can manipulate around him. Toph walks up to him and thrusts one hand forward; Aang braces himself, and the impact of her palm on his chest doesn't push him back.
"You know I won't tell him about it." Aang resists the urge to cross his arms over his chest. "It might do you some good to let it all out."
Toph tilts her head to the side. It looks like she's considering--and finally decides to ignore the provocation. "Straighten your back a little bit. If someone gets a good hit in on you from behind, you'd have a massive hole in the armor."
"It's funny you mention chinks and holes in armor. Yours is pretty tough."
She grins. "I know."
"But, seriously...don't you want to at least let him know...?"
Toph takes a deep breath--sighs, takes another--and shakes her head. "No. He's too worried about Suki. I'd...feel like I were taking advantage of him. I don't want to do that."
Aang lets out a low breath, but straightens his back at the same time, reinforcing the armor. "I can see why."
"Listen, Twinkletoes...I'm lucky enough to have gotten outta my home and travelled with you. So I'm not gonna try to overreach, you know?" She stands diagonal to him, her head hung low. There's a smile on her face, and while her bangs hid her eyes and obscured the big picture, Aang hears only a pinch of sadness in her tone. "I'm patient. That's why you said I'd make a great Earthbending teacher, back when we first met--and if, in the long run, Sokka doesn't choose me...well, that's life, right?"
Aang is smiling too, now, but his eyes sting and his vision blurs. The rock armor falls away, leaving him exposed. "I know how you feel. Their blindness--it's something Katara and Sokka have in common."
"Heh...ironic." But she laughs. "Those big jerks."
"Yeah."
They're both quiet for a moment, before Toph draws another deep breath. "Okay. Back on track."
"Right. Sorry, Sifu Toph." Aang steels his mind again. Time to get back to work.
