Toko Week 3: Day 6 - Heat
Rating: T
Again, not sure if this was the intended meaning behind the prompt, but it was what came to mind when I saw it. A bit racier than other Toko stories I have done. AU setting, with the characters a few years older. Imagine Zuko roughly 20 years old, and Toph with a similar amount added to her age. Shorter than the rest of these, so let me know how it came out. Enjoy.
"It's too hot," a young man muttered, alone in the large study. Arms flailed out above his head as he collapsed backwards onto the uncomfortable mesh of the carpet. The gentle humming of his fan served as the only respite from the heat, his air conditioner having chosen the worst possible time to sputter out of service.
Craning his neck, the scarred young man groaned in agony as he gazed at the temperature gauge near the entryway to the large room. The small red streak reached above 110 degrees, and the air around him left no doubt that it was accurate. Each intake of breath was like a chore all its own, the room filled with the subtle hints of sweat mixed with the musty aroma of old books.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he arduously pulled himself into a sitting position, knees folded beneath him as he rested his elbows on the smooth desk's surface. Red fabric seemed to cling to him as he hunched forward a bit, his own body feeling uncomfortable and stifling in the stuffy room.
"I just have to focus on this, and then I can go for a swim," he reasoned to himself, dangling the proverbial carrot in front of himself to serve as motivation. No sister to tease him and ruin his concentration, all his friends had gone away for the vacation, and he found himself stuck with nothing but a paper for his course. The last one he needed for his degree. But one person in particular always managed to find a way to distract him.
As though on cue, he felt the air around him warm up just a twinge more, the door to the study sliding open as the person who had graced his thoughts entered. His entire body tensed as he listened to the lazy, methodical footsteps of the younger girl behind him. His first instinct was to turn around and yell at her to leave him alone, but that wouldn't work either.
His suspicions grew as he heard her slink down a short distance behind him, her slender frame leaning against the bottom edge of his bed. The black haired boy cursed silently, wishing he wasn't such a sucker for her charms. It had long been their relationship that he usually ended up going along with her whims, though he always made a note to complain about it as much as possible. Not that the young aristocrat paid any attention.
The young man made a concerted effort to ignore her, forcing his pen to the paper in an attempt to finish the task at hand before she had a chance to interrupt him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood as he heard a tantalizing, crisp crumpling sound. He could almost SEE the girl's sinister smirk, so similar to his sister's yet entirely different at once.
*schluuurrp*
His body shivered at the sound, his somewhat frustrated mind splitting into two separate thoughts. On one hand, his natural urges filled in the blank image with utterly inappropriate things, not that it would have been the first time. But the second side scolded him, reminding him that the paper was due within a week, and he had barely started.
*schlupp, schluuppp*
Again he shuddered, the air around him feeling even warmer as his body heated up. She always was good at pushing whatever buttons of his she wanted. And anyone else's she decided to, for that matter. He could almost see the soft, teasing black bangs hanging loosely in front of minty green eyes, pink lips shimmering in the afternoon light.
Closing his eyes, the young man took a deep breath, trying to keep his biological urges in check, at least long enough for him to make SOME progress. Under his breath he cursed his professor, giving such a complicated task to his students.
*schlick, slurp*
The air continued to feel heated, and he felt his self control slipping. He found himself thinking of ways to keep cool, each one not involving tedious, boring course work. Stupid college courses. Each stroke of his pen seemed to take more and more energy, and he felt his eyes narrow a bit at the teasing giggle that sounded just a few feet away. The younger girl seldom made such sounds, unless she was teasing him. And she was clearly teasing him at this point.
The red fabric of his shirt seemed even more constricting, his hair matting itself to his forehead as he watched the scratches of ink begin to mark more of the paper in front of him. '1 page should be enough for today,' he reasoned, groaning as he realized he had only filled roughly one quarter of that amount.
*schliiiick* "Oh no, some dripped down my shirt. Whatever am I going to do?" she teased, and he lost it. With a low growl, Zuko turned towards the blind girl, watching the syrupy liquid dripping down her porcelain skin, disappearing down into her forest green shirt.
"Ugh. Fine, let's go swimming," he said in abject defeat, watching as the girl smirked in triumph.
"That's more like it, Sparky," she said, winking suggestively towards him before disappearing into the bathroom across the hall, emerald and gold bikini held firmly in hand. The flowery patterns of gold glittered a bit in the fluorescent lighting. Zuko's black hair swayed insultingly in front of his golden eyes, as though taunting his lack of success dealing with the younger girl.
"How does she do that?" he asked to no one in particular before fishing his crimson and black trunks from his drawer. At least now he had an excuse to get out of the heat. 'Well, one kind of heat anyway,' he thought, a small smirk crossing his lips.