Title: Day Four: Duty
Rating: K+
A/N: Apparently my internet, when it comes to the the crunch, has failed me. I wasn't able to publish this prompt yesterday so here it goes one day belated. All the chapters now are set between ATLA and ALOK before Lin was born so the focus will be on the changes in their lives and their relationship. Day Four works as a comparison with Day Two and Three, showing Toph's mindset before she had Lin. Set eighteen years after the war.
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Mike and Bryan, Nickelodeon and Viacom.
Day Four: Duty
Toph's life, while always active and never boring, was also somewhat stable and grounded. Being the chief of police gave her much responsibility while it still provided the action she longed for. Her sole duty was to the metalbending police of the still new Republic City. The police force grew day by day and the number of interested recruits never lessened. Only some of those recruits ever became part or Chief Bei Fong's squadron since she only wanted the very best. And the very best she had indeed, as a result from heavy and training and never-ending perseverance from her subordinates. As chief, she was their leader, their mentor and their role model.
But Sokka was different. His duty, however, lay in many places: the Southern Water Tribe, his home and where he would eventually become chief was his main residence while he also took the job of a councilman in Republic City, working together with her to achieve peace; he used his words and papers while Toph used her metal and lying detecting sense. Sokka was always travelling from one place to another, which probably explained why he still wasn't married. He didn't have a permanent home; rather, he had a set of homes he would live during different times of the year. Toph was pleased to notice Sokka spent most of his time in Republic City. Not just because he was an excellent help, but also because she longed for his company – not that she would ever say that, of course.
Sometimes she would daydream about possibilities, hopes for a future together as a couple before reality brought her back with a bucket of cold water. Small comments and observations, little jokes Sokka made hinted at his wish of having something more permanent in his life.
A home. A family. Things she could never give him.
Her duty was to the police, to the people of Republic City. Toph didn't have time for this type of thing – worse, she was too afraid to even consider it as a possibility. Her childhood was enough proof of how just parental love wasn't enough to raise a child. And while her parents had loved her very much and eventually learned to accept her as she was, Toph had no idea how she could even do that. She wasn't fit for that type of life, for that type of comfort and warmness that a full, happy home could give. Her happiness lay with her loyal crew; with the success of another arrest; with helping her students to be able to perform a correct bending move.
Love and respect brought her closer to him. Duty drifted her away from him.