Bittersweet Sugar

The sound of a ship's blow horn echoed throughout the entire island. Aang and Sokka were gathered at the docks along with a few acolytes waiting for the ship to dock. Aang and Sokka were eagerly stood before the docks, smiling at the arriving ship. At least, one was more eager than the other. The ship had the Southern Water Tribe symbol plastered onto its flags. Though the ship was huge, it was not the size that had intimidated Aang—it was the person it was harbouring. Katara was on that ship and he had to welcome her. Aang was particularly nervous about Katara, mainly because he wasn't sure he could play off the event of two weeks ago as nothing.

The only reason he was eager relied all on his excitement about seeing Bumi and Kya again. He did miss them during Katara's absence and was waiting with anticipation to see them again. It was too early to determine his relationship with his kids, especially for Kya. Even though Bumi was two, it was too premature to make judgement calls on his relationship with his father. Aang couldn't tell if he favoured his mother more than him or if it was the other way around.

Either way, he was just delighted to see his children again, regardless of who they favoured. He missed them so much and couldn't wait to hug and hold them again. That was what he had to look forward to, what he was excited to see come off the ship. The person bearing those children, was someone he was afraid to see. Katara was home, and he had to lie to her. Aang had rarely ever lied in his life. Whenever he lied, the truth would eventually be revealed soon after, making his lie temporary. Even then, when he was younger, his skills in lying wasn't very convincing. Toph could easily see through his lies, even without her feet touching the ground. He was just very bad. Everyone he knew could tell when he was lying.

Of course now, he had grown and grown in his abilities to lie. Aang had learned overtime how to lie and how to convince others of his false truths. Toph had taught him a little bit (she was his bad influence after all). Now, he had to pool together all his knowledge and skill set, to lie to his wife. "Oh, boy," Aang muttered.

Sokka elbowed his arm and scoffed. "Come on, she's gonna be glad to see you again!"

Aang shook his head. "I don't even know at this point," he responded tiredly as he shrugged.

Sokka rose a brow at him for a moment before concluding what Aang was thinking about. "Ah, the kiss." Aang sighed once again, this time with a hint of irritation. Sokka was already on his case before, and the last thing he needed was a recap. He stressed that he understood the influence and such—even jokingly commended him for it—but stated he was never going to let Aang hurt his sister. "All you gotta do is explain the circumstances of what happened. I mean, you were both drunk and Toph is… well, Toph!"

Aang chuckled at Sokka's comment. "You are right. But I doubt she'll be forgiving."

"Aang, this is my sister you're talking about. Your wife! You know she won't over react—"

"She just came back from a two week long trip that was meant to distance herself from me after we had a ten minute argument."

"Okay… so she's a little rough around the edges… but maybe those two weeks changed her!" Sokka offered. Aang rose a brow at the notion, causing Sokka to proceed. "Maybe time apart made her look things over and she's willing to try again. This time, she could be forgiving."

The Avatar smiled at that thought as he glanced down to the concrete dock. She might have needed the two weeks and for he knew, it could have benefited their relationship. He was heavily riding on that if. He wasn't going to ruin things between anyone. Aang was maintaining his side of Toph's deal and kept things respectively. He had not seen her in person ever since he helped put the Badger Bandits behind bars, he said he would resort to calling only. He called her a few times to check up on her and she called him only once. He had dragged their conversations onto hours on end, leaving Toph to hang up first. Aang was glad that she was at least giving him the time of day.

During his week and a half preparation, Aang also decided telling Katara the truth would be best. The issue was, it would only be half the truth. He was going to tell her that he and Toph kissed, and that they were drunk. He planned on stressing that fact the most. He was going to tell that Toph came onto him and that they just kissed once. Along with the fact that the morning after, she apologized and said she didn't remember anything. This story now made his act of lying harder.

Aang now had to beat around the bush while also cutting in deep inside, but only partially. He did not want to reveal his feelings for Toph or the fact that he willingly kissed her twice—or that it felt amazing each time. That was obvious, to say the least. But he knew that lying was already hard, so now he had to lie and tell the truth. That eased his mind since he was technically telling the truth, just not mentioning the whole truth. The lie had parted into a flat out lie with a bit of omission tossed in for good measure.

The sound of metal landing on the concrete path, had disrupted Aang's worrisome thoughts. He glanced up the path and saw the ramp from the boat had been fully extended. He began to straighten himself and his robe as he and Sokka walked over to the ramp. The Air Acolytes slowly followed behind, ready to take care of Katara's bags and belongings. Then Aang saw her. She had slowly emerged from the boat, coming into plain view. She descended down the ramp, poised and elegantly.

It felt like an eternity for Aang as he watched her. Each step seemed slower and slower, bringing a weight of guilt onto Aang's shoulders. The world around him felt so clouded, with her and him at the focus as they were surrounded by a sea of guilt. She had a blank look on her face and kept her gaze forward, not bothering to look over to her husband or brother. Once she reached halfway down the ramp, Aang grew worried as he noticed no one trail after her. Preferably, a toddler and someone holding a baby in their arms. However, he didn't see anyone of the sort. It was just Katara by herself. Aang couldn't see his children and was confused and slightly worried as to why.

Once he arrived a few meters away from the ramp, he stopped and waited for Katara. He gulped as he looked her in the eyes whilst the descended. It felt so cold for some reason, to stare at her blue eyes. She finally made her way down and smiled as she saw Sokka. "Sokka!" she exclaimed as she walked over to him and hugged him.

Sokka embraced his sister and responded, "Hope you had a good visit."

Once she pulled away, Aang spoke up. "Yeah, I as well!" he said excitedly. Katara turned to him and fell back to a blank expression. "I'm glad you're back," he added.

Aang's smile faded once her saw Katara's facial expression shift into anger. She took a step forward and slapped the Avatar across the face, creating a loud echo across the dock and leaving a slight red mark on his right cheek. Sokka's mouth and eyes widened at the action, while all the Acolytes copied the expression. Instantly, Aang's world had broken in half as he quickly came to a conclusion, long before Katara said anything. "You jerk!" she shrieked. Aang's eyes widened as she narrowed her brows. "You disgusting, cheating, lowlife! You are just horrible." She shook her head at him. "Avatar for the people, but just scum to his own wife."

That last comment hurt him. He flinched at each word as he kept his gaze slightly lowered, not daring to meet her eyes. He felt the rage steaming from her and slightly glanced up. He was confused as to how she knew, but didn't dare to ask her that. "I'm—"

"What? Sorry?" Katara challenged him. She reached around her neck and unsnapped her necklace, causing Aang's eyes to widened even more. She held the betrothal necklace in her hands and spoke viciously. "This represented your loyalty to me. Your love. Your devotion to me and my happiness and to our marriage." She looked up at Aang, narrowing her eyes and clenching the necklace in her hand. "You sicken me."

Aang stared at her, observing her expression. It was pure rage spitting at him. Though that was obvious to everybody, Aang noticed that was all she was full of. Just pure, bottled up rage and he knew this. He knew this was anger waiting to be unleashed. Now any regular husband may feel guilty—which he did—but Aang was actually hurt. He was feeling angry too. To anyone else, Aang had no right to be upset given the circumstances. But that was because no one saw it from his perspective.

Katara was just angry. The issue with this, was that was all she felt. There were no tears in her outburst, no frail tone, no look of regret. While he was sort of giving himself some credit, he knew Katara. The Katara he knew would've broken down and wouldn't dare to look in his eyes much like himself. Yet that was what clicked inside him. He had known her, but this was because she was feeling different. This was bottled up aggression she had been waiting to release and he had set the fuze. This opened up something that she had been battling within herself: their relationship's stability. And he had basically given her a push and helped her decide.

Aang was now angry because this meant she was no better. Yes, he did cheat and was about to lie to her but she had kept this from him. She also made herself seem like the better person. Before Aang could make a retort of some kind, Katara continued, "I'm packing my things."

"What?" he and Sokka said together.

"I came back to get the rest of my things." She turned away, looking toward the Air Temple and readying herself to walk. "I'm going stay at the Southern Water Tribe." With that, Katara began to walk.

Aang narrowed his brows at her as he followed in pursuit. He slowly walked after her and caught up with her just before the courtyard of the Temple. "Katara!"

She whipped around and shouted, "What Aang!"

Once he got within a few meters of her, he sighed. He closed his eyes as he said, "I am sorry, okay? I understand that what I did was wrong and that the fact that I was drunk is no excuse. Even then, the fact that it was Toph hurts more." His brows furrowed as he opened his eyes. "But for you to accuse me of being disloyal? To accuse me of disregarding your happiness when you've been giving me hell? To say that I've haven't been devoted to you even when you left me for two weeks? To say that I'm the one who broke our love? You've got some nerve."

Katara flared her brows in offence. "Excuse me?" she said hotly.

"Don't act innocent either! Tell me that you haven't been contemplating our relationship's stability in the past few months. Tell me that in this time apart, you weren't enjoying it! Can you honestly tell me, that you haven't been waiting to do this?" Aang was panted heavily as he challenged a glare at Katara. "Face it, we've both been going through the same thoughts. I'm the one who made things worse, yes, but you can't rag on me just make yourself feel innocent."

She sighed and narrowed her eyes. "Okay, what do you want then? To be right?" Katara inquired. "Will that make you feel better?"

Aang shook his head. "I don't know what I want right now…" his half smile only supported his desperate look.

Katara rose a brow at his soft spoken words. Aang lowered his head as Katara said, "How did we get here…" A moment of silence passed before either spoke. It was hard to tell when, but it was obvious enough to say there was nothing there anymore. It hurt her to see him so conflicted and confused, yet so angry.

He sighed. "I'm… not sure." He looked up and stared at her in the eyes. "But I do know, this is not something we can salvage. It's just… the way I feel now… about you and…" his voice trailed off as he chose not to finish his sentence.

Katara nodded. "So… it's settled then. I'm taking the kids and moving back to the Southern Water Tribe."

Aang's brows rose. "What? You're taking Bumi and Kya? You can't do that! I'm their father too—"

"Well you haven't been much of a father to make that claim, have you?" Katara shouted. "Besides, you would only be interested in keeping them if you learned that they were airbenders."

Aang's jaw dropped as his eyes widened. "How dare you! You think I would be so favourable to my children just because the type of bender they are? I love our children regardless! You can't accuse me of that!"

"That was the reason we had them wasn't it!"

"You also thought that they would make us happy again!"

"And how did that turn out?"

"I can't believe that you want everything to end well for you! What about me? What about everything I've had to put up with?"

Katara's eyes widened. "'put up with'? So our marriage was nothing but an annoyance to you?"

Aang glared at her. "Well it's starting to feel like that now!"

"I… I can't believe you would say such a thing."

"I can't believe after all you've put me through, you honestly feel like my side of our relationship has felt happy. You rarely give me a chance to smile at you because you're always arguing with me!"

"I'm sick of you, how could you say this! After all we've been through, after what we tried to salvage, you're blaming me?"

"You mean what I tried to salvage! You weren't exactly meeting me halfway!"

"And neither were you!"

"I spent my life by your side, doing whatever you pleased, and for what? Because some fortune dictated it so? It hasn't been exactly a joy ride on my part," Aang added angrily. "If you have some skewed perception that our marriage was actually healthy, then I guess you really weren't paying attention."

"You think that our love was based off of some fortune? How about the delusions of a twelve year old!" she fired back. "You can't honestly think that this all on me, right?"

"Never said that it was, just that you can't blame this all on me." Aang shook his head as he grit his teeth. "I know my faults, and I know that I'm not any better in this. I am well aware of that. I'm just insulted that you think that I never tried for us, that I never felt anything in this!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "It's starting to feel like that."

Aang took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself. He didn't want to end things so harshly, but the two of them weren't really helping each other. It was obvious there was some unchecked aggression that neither of them had been able to look over. Aang was surprised at himself for his words. He did sound rude and it wasn't exactly deflating the situation. But really, what was he trying to gain at the end? He was fighting her for something but what was it? Honor or the pride of being right? Really, neither mattered to him. He closed his eyes and thought hard.

It was time he had to let go. Katara was already willing and so was he, but maybe it was time for him to stop trying. This was his chance to stop. He opened his eyes and slowly nodded. "Okay, it's obvious we both have some bottled up rage." Katara scoffed. "I don't want to drag this on anymore for you or me, so fine. I'm not stopping you or anything, but I do want to see our kids. If… if you aren't willing to visit, then I'll make it work. I'll send letters or call in advance, maybe stay for a couple of days. But you can't keep them from me, they're my kids just as much as they are yours. They are our kids Katara."

She nodded. "Fine, I can allow that." Aang had to fight the urge to say something about how she said 'allow'. As if it all relied on her permission. He knew better at least. "I… I'm going to stay at my Gran Gran's place."

Aang mentally frowned at that statement. She was going to stay by herself in her grandmother's home. But he did not say anything because he knew Katara prefered the warmth of such a familiar home. "Alright then." The Avatar nodded. "The, uh, Acolytes will assist your packing."

"Thank you," Katara said softly as she turned around. Her hands opened and the necklace had fallen from her grasp, straight down to the ground. Aang looked at the representation of their marriage fall from her hands, . It was amazing that something so small, so delicately beautiful, could also relieve Aang of the heaviest weight. His shoulders suddenly felt uplifting and his soul felt unbinded. He glanced up at the sky and smiled. He was free as air, but could only be bound to stay because of the earth beneath him.

::::

"They… they really said that?" Bumi asked hesitantly.

Toph nodded. "Both of them were fuming mad, but it was obvious they were also relieved. As if the weight of guilt had finally been released from their shoulders. Their relationship had been in a rut for years, but both were just too scared to push. Granted, this wasn't exactly the healthiest way to talk about it." Toph waited for a response. She knew that Tenzin and Katara's kids would have a response to what she had just said. She gave them time to process.

"How did Sokka and everyone else process her leaving?" Bolin curiously asked.

"Well, Aang had went back to talk to Sokka about it. Sokka just seemed kinda confused. Not in the sense of how he processed it, but more like he didn't know what to do. I mean, we all knew those two had a issues and we understood both sides of the relationship. I mean, I understood Aang's most and, I guess Zuko did as well, but Sokka had really understood both of them. Katara was his sister, and Aang was like his brother. Though the connection of their marriage would shatter that perspective, the point was that Sokka understood the two like family.

"His reaction was always understanding. He understood Aang's discomfort and why he was okay with the break, but he was also worried as to how Katara was reacting. He understood that Katara needed some time away and wanted to be home, so he respected that. He was just worried that in the long run of our group's friendship, we were starting to fall apart. Distance can really hurt relationships, so that was why he was glad we were all so close to Republic City. Zuko on the council every so often, me as Chief of Police, Aang having Air Temple island and living with Katara.

"It seemed like the happy ending. But, he respected the separation and understood he had no place to intervene. He asked Katara to write as soon as she arrived." Toph shrugged as she lowered her gaze back to the fire. "I think Zuko was just worried about how everything turned out. He did care for Katara and was worried for her well being, but in comparison to Aang he was more worried. He understood Aang had been battling his feelings for a while and constantly called to check up on him afterward. He and Sokka were worried with him being all by himself on Air Temple Island."

She glanced over to Tenzin, expecting some response regarding Katara and Aang. "Toph… how do you know about their fight?"

"Twinkle Toes and I talked. He started to vent. He told me the whole thing and I listened." She felt the gazes of everyone fall onto her. At this point, they just wanted to hear the rest. "I knew he was going to do fine on his own. He was tough and he could manage."

"But," Kya spoke up, "how did you react to them breaking up?"

Toph sighed. This is what they wanted, the gossip. They wanted to know about the details. Toph decided she was going to tell them regardless, blunt or not. "I was overjoyed. Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I was somewhat glad that I had a shot on Aang but I wasn't going to take it—not by a long shot. Mainly because it was too soon and I didn't want to pressure him into feeling something that wasn't there. Spirits knew he had enough of that already." She looked down again. "And I guess it felt too good to be true. I didn't want to jump on the chance right away because I thought staying friends would last better. Even then, I was guilty because I broke them up."

She swallowed hard at the thought. One of the many issues Toph had with feelings and emotions, was that her personality was trained to avoid them. She was rock hard and refused to be dragged down by feelings. The last thing she wanted was to feel vulnerable to the world. And at the time, she didn't want to feel vulnerable. She loathed the thought as she recalled how she reacted to the news. It had only further complicated things.

"It was hard for me to look at this with any joy knowing I had destroyed something, even though they both wanted it long gone. I felt like I set something in motion because of me being me and I was guilty of all of it. After all, this whole thing started because of me." Toph chuckled as she glanced up from the fire and looked over to her and Katara's kids. "Katara had made sure to remind me of the whole thing."

Tenzin rose a brow. "She came to you?"

"Yup, before Aang and I talked. She was none too pleased."

::::

"—And I would like the chance to discuss such relations over lunch. I would be delighted to meet with you at Kwong's Cuisine, 3:30 in the afternoon. I wish you the best, signed, Kanto." Hisho glanced up from the paper and rose a brow at Toph. Toph had her focus on the paper in her hands. She slowly dragged her thumbs over the letters, recognizing the characters. Hisho cleared his throat as he shifted in his seat.

"Yeah, yeah, I was listening to most of it—don't worry," Toph muttered. "I was just looking at this report. Glad to see Officer Heik is getting his act together."

"So?" Hisho questioned excitedly as he accompanied his risen brow with a sly smirk.

Toph rose a brow and lowered the report down to her desk. "What?"

"The date!" Hisho mentioned cheerfully. "I mean, Kwong's Cuisine is a new fancy restaurant. It's very high class. Well, word is at least."

Toph frowned. "It isn't a date. Whoever this dude is, he's obviously trying to persuade me by bribing me with a lunch." The blind bender cocked her head to the right. "Wait, who's it from?"

"Kanto," Hisho read again. Toph sighed heavily as she closed her eyes in irritation. Hisho rose his brow again. "You know him?"

"Yep. He's a wussy, idiotic child," Toph answered. "Honestly, if he thinks I'm going to discuss nonbender enlistment over lunch, he truly is an airhead."

The receptionist nodded at the comment, understanding Toph's dislike toward the man. "So would you like me to write a response back to him?"

Toph smirked as she shook her head. "No, I'll let him be."

Hisho chuckled, "You are cruel, Chief." He began to inspect the letter more.

She shrugged as she wore her smug smirk. "Eh, I can't be wooed so easily. Besides, I have work to get to."

"Huh, it doesn't really matter," Hisho stated, "He didn't leave an address—how are we supposed to respond?"

"It's because he knows I wouldn't be bothered to respond, so he's expecting me to show up. Even then, I have a hunch about where to send it." Toph shook her head as she tucked the reports in a file. "Make sure you take these into archives," Toph added as she pushed the file slightly forward. "Is that all?"

Hisho nodded as he said, "Yes Chief. That was the only letter."

Toph nodded back at Hisho and said, "Thank you Hisho." She grabbed another report and began reading it, diverting her full attention toward the sheet. She dragged her thumbs around the top and familiarized herself with the letters, getting a sense of the name written. However, her focus shattered as she sensed a familiar pair of footprints nearby. "You can, uh, leave the letter here."

"Anytime, Chief," he responded as he rose from his chair. He walked over to her desk and collected the file as he placed the letter on her desk, just beside the other reports. Hisho tucked the file underneath his right armpit proceeded to make his way out the door. Just as he walked right out the door, he immediately turned around and stopped the door from closing. He stuck his head in and said, "Chief?"

Toph rose a brow. "Yes, Hisho?"

"Uh, Master Katara is here," Toph's heart began to pound as she felt the world around her freeze. She was here and she wanted to see her. Toph managed a straight face as she thought about the possibilities. Why would she want to see her? Had Aang told Katara or did she figure it out for herself. Toph made sure not to react in any way aside from letting out a small grin. She couldn't expose anything. "Would you like me to—"

"Yes, let her through, Hisho," Toph nodded as she waved her hand in a sweeping motion.

Hisho backed away from the door and pushed it open as he departed from the office. Toph could sense Katara's steps near closer down through the offices, each stepped seemed to spark off Katara's heavy beating heart. There was something off putting about her attitude. Something about the way she stomped already hinted toward Toph that she was mad. She was only worried if she was mad at her. Toph wasn't ready for a confrontation but she had to talk to Katara. If she did know, then Toph wanted to salvage their friendship. She wasn't ready to be attacked with accusations and insults. Partially because she wasn't sure what Aang told her. It would be difficult to deny accusations of they were all true. Toph was not prepared for an argument.

Granted, Toph always fought back in an argument and was never one to take an insult. She always stood her ground and wouldn't hesitate at the chance to put someone in their place. The issue with such a hard image, was that Toph always had to be on the offensive. If she ever softened up, then she would lose. The last thing she wanted, was for Katara to see through her lies and realize she had loved Aang all this time.

After what felt like an eternity, Katara had finally arrived at the door. "Afternoon, Toph," she said in a formal tone.

"Sugar Queen," Toph smiled, "What brings you by?"

Katara shut the door behind her, leaving Toph to slightly feel uneasy. Despite the fact it was obvious she wanted privacy, the idea behind the action worried her. Katara made her way over to the chair where Hisho had previously sat. She cleared her throat as she forced a smile at Toph. "I hope you don't mind me taking up your time, but I have something personal I want to discuss."

"Personal?" Toph repeated. Thoughts ran through her mind, questioning the need to ask her, but Toph decided to play off the strange request. "What, Sokka's too busy with the council so you're left with me?"

"Toph," Katara reprimanded.

"Alright, alright, what is it?"

"Aang and I broke up."

Toph's world froze once more. Her heart soared and her eyes widened as a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. She couldn't contain a reaction after hearing such a case. Her stomach had suddenly began to feel weird and she started to feel strange twists inside her. There was guilt and excitement. Sadness and joy. Aang had ruined something special, all because of Toph. She didn't want to make things worse. She didn't want to ruin everything. She wanted nothing of the sort. Right now, she had to respond. "I…" she stopped herself, knowing she had to give a Toph-like answer. "can't believe you came to me to talk about this and not Sokka." Toph frowned. "Is he busy with the council?"

Katara rose a curious brow as a small frown fell on her face. "I guess so." She shrugged. "I just wanted a girl talk."

"Well, if it means anything, I am sorry to hear that." Toph frowned and leaned back in her seat. "Seemed like you two were the forever couple."

"Yeah, well not everything lasts forever." Katara sighed. A moment of awkward silence passed as Katara eyed Toph, who cleared her throat.

"So…" she spoke up. "Is… that all?"

"It's just… very shocking."

Toph rose a brow. "You make it seem like this happened by surprise? Like, outta nowhere? Did he break up with you over a letter?"

"No. I actually ended it," Katara corrected as a small frown developed.

That had surprised Toph. Her eyes widened in alarm as she said, "You?" She scoffed and smirked. "Then why do you need to chat? I assumed the dumper always had the easy job and left with the weight of the world off their shoulders."

"I'm not heartless," Katara retorted. "It's not like this decision wasn't hard for me either."

Toph narrowed her brows. Who did she think she was, lying to Toph Bei Fong? Regardless, Toph played along. "Okay then. So why go to me? I thought you knew by now, but I don't do touchy feely." Katara smiled at the statement and chuckled. Toph saw that as good sign. She dared to ask, "What made you… want to end things?"

Katara sighed. "It's… been hard between us." Toph held back a scoff. Everyone knew that, it was obvious.

"Did the spark just die out?" Toph asked bluntly.

"Yeah…" Katara nodded. "Toph, I need you to be serious."

"Okay."

"Promise me?"

"Sugar Queen, what's this about?" Toph impatiently pressed.

"You and Aang." Toph froze. "Are you two having an affair behind my back?" she asked in a soft voice.

Toph shook her perplexed head as she shouted, "What! No! We didn't! Spirits, all we did was kiss!"

Katara flared her brows. "So you admit it!"

"I wasn't denying it!" Toph shouted back. "I'm sorry okay? We were just drunk! Even then, you can't blame it all him when I'm the one who kissed him. I took advantage of him being drunk." Toph tiredly sighed as she palmed her forehead, resting her elbow on her armrest. "Aang was against it all the way through! He pushed me off him as well!"

"I don't believe you," Katara fired back. "It's obvious that you left him confused. The way he looked. Whatever happened between you two—he's conflicted. He… he looked so different."

Toph sighed as she closed her eyes. She couldn't put with this, not now. "Katara, all that happened was we kissed. Nothing else."

"I don't believe you."

"Good for you Sugar Queen!" Toph shouted. "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to apologize? To admit that it happened? I have already! So why not just get to the point!"

Katara narrowed her eyes and scowled. "Do you love him?"

The questioned had left the blind bender speechless. How could she respond to an emotionally unstable Katara without provoking her further? How could she reveal a heartbreaking truth that not even Toph herself was willing to admit? The moment left Toph's insides shaking. It was hard to process such a question. Love itself wasn't something Toph thought she was capable of. And yet, when the moment presented itself, she still wasn't sure if it was love or a phase. A phase that hadn't passed even in her early thirties. She loved Aang for who he was but was worried that wasn't enough to last her. Toph didn't even know what type of love she was expecting.

There was also the issue of Aang. Whatever he was going through certainly wasn't helping Toph. The way he talked, the way he held her, the way he kissed—it was all so jarring. He made it seem like destiny had brought them to this moment and it was meant to be. If destiny was real, then hadn't it done the same for him and Katara? Who was she to assume things would be different or better? Aang had made a lot of declarations and even then, Toph told him to slow down. It was a different side of Aang she had never seen and she was worried if he was falling for her for the right reasons. She was worried if it really was love. After all, she hadn't experienced it for herself ever before—who was she to make an assumption.

But was that what love did to someone? It left them feeling conflicted and confused about their choices. It made them feel twists and turns in their stomach at the mere thought of the other person. Was love really just an admiration that could grow into something more once caught on fire? Toph knew nothing of the sort. She didn't if love truly made someone feel so warm. She didn't know if love was suppose to make her feel so numb and vulnerable. That was how Aang made her feel. The thought of him holding her, comforting her, and being there for her, it gave her a sense of being wanted. She loved him for who he was, and to her that was enough to say it was love. Perhaps love was something she had to discover more of.

Toph cleared her throat as she lowered her hand to her armrest. She glanced over to Katara's direction and sighed. "Katara… it's… complicated…" The truth was at least said. She wasn't ready to admit much.

"How!" she shouted. "How is it complicated! I want a simple yes or no! I want to know if cheating on me had some purpose! If lying behind my back really was worth it. Or was this just some sort of personal relief?"

Toph rose her brows as her eyes widened. "I'm not whore!" she barked. "And believe me when I tell you, we just kissed! There was nothing else! We didn't do anything aside from that!"

"Then why kiss him? Why make such an advance?"

"Because I wanted to, okay?"

"Oh? So you could get a taste of something you've always wanted?"

"Yes!" Toph shouted viciously, "I did it because I wanted to know what it felt like. I wanted the moment to last for a night, so that the morning after neither of us could recall any of it! I wanted to feel just us in that moment." Toph closed her eyes as frown fell on her face. She lowered her head and added guiltily, "I've been fighting this for… ever."

Katara slowly shook her head as she breathlessly asked, "Why would you do this to me?"

"Why would you do that to him?" Toph shot back as she rose her head. "You know how he is, you know how he's felt! You've given him nothing but crap ever since you two got married! You act like you had no part in this? You drove him away!"

"We drifted apart!" Katara shouted. "I know my side hasn't been great either, that I haven't been exactly easy on him. But… it still hurt knowing that he wasn't willing to be there for me, and he still had other priorities."

Toph scoffed as a humourless grin found itself on her face. "That's the thing though. We both forget that he's not just Aang, he's also the Avatar. Everyone else has to be his priority." She smiled truthfully at her latest thought. "That's why I loved him so much when we were younger. No matter what his duties were he was willing to be there for us, for me. I guess when we got older he realized his duties were always more important."

"But I thought that a husband would smile at his wife when he returned home," a fragile voice came from the Waterbender. "I thought he was suppose to be glad he made the right choice." Her eyes began to swell and tears slowly streamed down her face. "His tone, his glares, his tired sighs, I knew that he had his doubts and regrets. I developed mine too… it hurt as well."

"Yeah, because it was suppose to be destiny!" Toph mocked. "Destiny isn't enough sometimes…" her expression fell.

Katara scoffed. "I was thirteen, what did I know?" her tone was slightly enlightened. "I… I get it, it really wasn't enough to love him back or for him to love me fully. It just didn't become what we both expected in the long run." Her faint smile returned as she stared at Toph. "I'm staying at the South Pole…" she mentioned softly.

Toph's eyes widened once again as she slightly cocked her head to the right. "Oh… yeah that, that makes sense." She nodded slowly as she lowered her head again. What was she suppose to say now? Get out? She knew Katara was going through something, but Toph wasn't exactly up for having a heart to heart when she knew her own heart was going through some conflict. "Katara… why did you come here? Because if it was to vent, you might as well find another person. Or if it was to yell at me, just let me have the rest of it already. I don't have time to deal with this sappiness."

"I came here because I wanted the truth."

"Which I gave," Toph replied.

"The entire truth, Toph. I want to know everything," Katara added. "I wanted know…"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Toph chuckled as she shook her head. She rose it once again after sighing tiredly. This conversation was dragging on far more than Top wanted. "To give you the short of it, I want to make it clear that we didn't have sex. We only kissed. I want to make it clear that… I… he and I are complicated right now and I'm the one who stressed the distance between us—"

"Even though you made the move."

"—and I want him to come to me when he's sorted out. I'm not doing anything with him. We're trying to keep things professional and respectful. I… I may have feelings for him… and he… I dunno. I don't think we're going anywhere, I don't think we'll be anything. I… was just pushing my boundaries to test the waters of something I was never able to touch. I didn't expect the deep end, and I don't want to drown in it." Toph laughed briefly and smile formed on her lips. "If it's worth anything, I am sorry Katara. I'm sorry I betrayed you and that… this happened. I don't expect a forgiveness in return and I couldn't care less. I want it to be clear, I'm not looking for anything… at least, I'm not sure if I am."

Katara sat in silence, processing the Earthbender's words. She really was sentimental and sincere, but it was hard to appeal to that soft side of her. It was obvious Katara had provoked her, but in what sense? She wanted to get the truth and only wanted the truth alone. She needed to know if there was something that sparked out of the betrayal. She hadn't even seen the photo herself, she only heard it from gossip. Gossip and whispers from friends really infected her mind. It was strange to see such dramatic news revolve around someone she was wedded to. It hurt her knowing that there was a possibility of truth and that it had happened behind her back. She was kept out of the loop, Aang made no show of attempting to tell her. The least he could have done was try to smooth things over before meeting in person. But then again, how would Katara react to to such a response over a letter?

The entire fiasco boggled her mind and it was obvious it had affected others. She wasn't sure if her anger was of the matter the heart or because of the betrayal between friends. Despite the similarities, either option mattered. Matter of the heart meant it was true love, a love that was destroyed because of secrecy and deceit. However, betrayal meant that it was only the friendship that mattered to her most. Her love for Aang seemed second to her care for their friendship. All in all, friendship was what mattered to her most. She wasn't sure if that was mistaken for love or if love was suppose to be more than that. She knew betrayal hurt the most, it stabbed her deep in her heart. Love between friends was hard to come by, especially a friendship that lasted from their youth. She didn't want to end their friendship by separating, but she wanted to be separate from the thing that had separated her from her friends: love.

Some time alone was due for Katara, and she wasn't going to prolong the moment any further. She still had to settle things between her and Toph, because regardless of what all three of them felt, there was an obvious tension between them. It wasn't a love triangle, it wasn't some rivalry, or some sort of back stabbing nonsense—well it was technically all three combined. It was just bottled up aggression that was expressed carelessly and foolishly.

"Toph…" Katara spoke up. She wasn't sure if she could forgive her, but she wanted to try to end things on good terms. "I—"

"I think it would best if you leave now," Toph interrupted in a monotone expression. Her brows were narrowed and her lips were pressed into a thin line. "I have work I need to attend to and you're cutting into my time." She cleared her throat. "Now as much as I would like to trade wits with you, I think it's time we just stop. I do wish you the best. Good luck with your cold isolation, Sugar Queen." Toph waved her away with a smug smile. "I'll see you around." It was brutal and rude, but she wasn't going to put up with Katara any longer. She was trying to hold back the urge to earthbend her and everyone else around the station. She was holding back the urge of saying an onslaught of snide comments. She didn't want to have a meltdown—especially one over Aang.

Katara nodded her understanding. It was clear to her she had overstayed her welcome. "You are right. I should be going now. The ship crew must be restocked and… are probably waiting for me." She rose out of her seat and walked over to Toph's desk, standing just a meter away from her. "I… I wish you the best too, Toph." She wanted to hug her, but she was afraid she'd punch her in the arm or worse. For now, she took advantage of the space she allowed and extended her hand to her. Nothing wrong with a handshake.

Toph realized what she was doing and accepted right away. No sense in trying to be petty. She reached for Katara's hand and shook it firmly as she held back a smirk. She wasn't holding a grudge, but she had to make her parting goodbye at least worth remembering. "Until next time, Sugar Queen," she said as she released her hand.

Katara sheepishly nodded as she quickly retracted her hand the moment Toph released her. As she soothed it with her left hand, she said, "Yes, till next time." They nodded their farewells silently, and Katara had made for the exit. Within a few seconds, she was gone, the door was closed shut, and Toph froze in silence. Her world around her had changed once again, and much like before, it was that damn airhead's fault. Regardless, she took advantage of the silence to smile and think. Yes, part of her saw it as her chance and she wanted to go for it. The other part, wanted to talk things over with Aang.

"Alright, I'll play your game, Kanto," Toph said to herself. "Someone get Hisho in here!" the Chief shouted loudly. "I want him to write a letter for me!"

…

"After that, we met up, talked things over and… things slowly developed."

"No, no, no," Suyin spoke up. Her tone had suddenly became more enlightened. If anything, Toph could feel the small smile on her face as she spoke. "We have to hear about the date!"

"Ex‒Excuse me?" Toph exclaimed, "It‒It wasn't a date. Just a meetup, nothing big. It wasn't like Tenzin was conceived on that day or anything." Toph mentally reprimanded herself as to why was she embarrassed and stuttering? It wasn't that bad or anything. Yet somehow, the idea of her dating Aang always made her blush. Toph's sensitive side wasn't hidden as much as she wanted it to be this night, but she was going to hide it as much as she could.

Few of the gang laughed, which surprised Toph. It seemed like they were warming up to the idea of her and Aang, or at least enjoying the story. She was actually surprised that few of Katara's kids seemed interested. Lin scoffed and rolled her eyes while everyone nervously laughed, unsure if laughing would push anyone's buttons. Even though Lin was going for the tough demeanour, the small smile on her lips told a different story, one of curiosity and interest.

"Toph," Tenzin scolded. "I'd prefer it if we didn't joke about that."

Toph nodded. "Right, right."

"But," he added softly. "I would like to know what you two talked about."

That surprised her as well. This wasn't happening. He was genuinely curious now? Had her tale peaked their interest or were they just curious on how their mother and father's relationship unfolded? It made more sense the more she thought about it. They all had missed out on the tale's of their parents' past because of her and Aang's stupidity. Now, they were just fishing for the story they missed, the one of love. Nonetheless, Toph complied with a smile. "Fine, but… don't expect much… lovey dovey stuff." She didn't need eyes to tell nearly that everyone's faces lit up once she gave in. "So, Hisho wrote the letter for me and was teasing me about the 'date' as he wrote. He was curious as to how I knew where to send it, but I smoothed it over and said I just know a place."

"Where did you send it?" Korra curiously asked.

"I knew Twinkle Toes was a love sap, so I went to the park bench where we kissed and stuck it underneath when no one was looking." Toph shrugged. "I wrote that if he didn't show up at the restaurant I'd beat him to a pulp." She held back a smile as she imagined his reaction. The idea of him jumping for joy as he read it was amusing to her, and maybe somewhat adorable every time she looked back on it. "Then two days later, at 3:30, he and I were at Kwong's Cuisine… talking."

A/N: Ta-da! Hope you all enjoyed this one! It's been really hard to get these characters right, so please let me know how I'm doing! Review, favourite, follow, all the sorts! Hope you stick around for more!

Until next time...

— Bleh