Chapter Seven
A/N: I just wanted to say big thanks again to all my lovely readers. When you favorite, follow, comment, review it really makes my day! Special huge thanks today to Momo27 for the lovely review! You guys make it all worth it. I don't own ATLA, it is the property of Bryke and Nickelodeon.
'Well, that was without a doubt the most erotic moment of my life,' thought Zuko in a daze as he prepared a cold bath for himself, all traces of his previous fatigue gone.
He had bid goodnight to a rather pink-looking Toph a few moments earlier. She had thanked him and then hesitantly kissed him on the cheek before punching him in the shoulder for good measure. After that, she had left, leaving him with the strong impression that a boundary had been crossed somewhere, and that they were in uncharted waters now.
He exhaled and closed his eyes, remembering her look of rapt concentration as she had explored every inch of his face, committing it to memory with her gentle, probing fingers.
He and Mai had cuddled and kissed plenty of times, even fooling around a bit before falling asleep together on the sofa once or twice. Those things had been comforting, familiar. But this had been tentative and sweet and electrifying.
She had basically only touched his face and arms, but everywhere, her fingers had sent little jolts of sensation and energy racing all over his body.
He was pretty sure that he could bend lightning right now without too much difficulty.
Grimacing as he slid into the shock of the cold bath, he fought to calm his racing heart.
This girl. How could she affect him so much? Then he realized.
It was simple really. She was wonderful and he loved her.
Stunned for a moment, he smiled and then laughed, giddy with the ridiculous simplicity of it. 'Okay. I guess this is a thing now.'
Still grinning like a fool, he slid down to rest his head on the edge of the tub, trying in vain to settle down enough to get at least some sleep that night.
The next morning Toph awoke with a smile on her face. She'd tried to play it cool but Rema must have noticed that something was up.
"You seem energetic this morning Lady Toph, you must have slept well." Was all she said but Toph could sense the woman's polite curiosity.
She grinned, unable to stop herself but made no explanation. Rema was proving to be a good friend, as well as an excellent lady's maid but she wasn't sure she was ready to share what had happened last night with anyone else just yet. She wanted to savor the feeling of having a secret that only she and Zuko shared.
Besides, it had been such a private moment. She felt a bit embarrassed at the thought of anyone knowing, even though nothing untoward had happened in theory.
Rema didn't broach the subject again as Toph prepared for the day, although she seemed to pay extra attention to Toph's hair that morning, even asking how she wished it to be styled.
Toph was surprised. She had told Rema early on that any hairstyle was fine as long as it was practical, and had let her style it however she wanted after that. Then she realized. Rema wanted to know if she cared how she looked this morning, if she wanted to look extra pretty.
She smiled and told her that just a braid would be fine, as she was planning to earthbend later. Rema murmured acknowledgement and Toph relaxed, allowing the young woman's careful hands to run through her hair.
It was kind of nice having someone play with her hair, almost like what she imagined a big sister might do for her after an important date. Which she supposed last night had been, in a way. Finally, unable to contain herself, she said: "Something… happened with Sparky last night."
Rema made an encouraging noise and so she added, "He… let me see his face." She stared at the ground, face flaming after her admission.
She felt Rema's fingers pause for half an instant before continuing, but the maid said only:
"Well, that's nice isn't it? You were wondering what he looked like."
"Yeah…" Face still burning, she raised her head. "Please don't tell anyone? It was… sort of a private moment."
She felt the air move as Rema nodded. "I wouldn't dream of it Toph. I feel honored that you shared this with me."
Toph nodded back and it was a few minutes later before she realized that Rema had called her just Toph.
She smiled as she left the room, heading down the hall towards the sparring yard. It was an unseasonably warm morning and she took off her jacket as she neared the doorway to the yard. Then she felt footsteps through the ground and heard air swooshing. Someone was already practicing and she was pretty sure she knew who.
Sure enough, she recognized those footfalls. "Morning Sparky," she called, dropping her jacket on the ground and limbering up. "Mind if I join you?" She felt him relax out of his stance.
"Morning Melon Head. Not at all, let me just put away my Dao." The swords clinked softly as he sheathed them and put them to one side. "I was about to switch to fire in a minute anyway, you have good timing."
She smirked and finished stretching, then strolled a few steps further into the yard before settling into a stance. "Let's do this."
He stepped into position about ten feet in front of her. Hearing him inhale, she readied herself for his forward step. It came a second later and she shifted to the side, kicking a patch of moving earth through the ground towards him. He stepped out of its path and the battle was joined in earnest.
She waited and he pounced, he attacked and she parried; all over the yard they stepped, rolled and shifted. Boulders were raised out of the ground only to be scorched and broken, fireballs became blackened patches of earth, as they were dodged or blocked.
They taunted each other and laughed. Toph's hair began to stick to her sweaty face and she could tell that Zuko was breathing harder as well. On and on they sparred, neither willing to back down until finally, they both collapsed laughing onto the ground in exhaustion, their heads together.
"I won that one Sparky," Toph declared breathlessly.
"What? No way!" Zuko protested, sounding just as winded.
"I landed two hits, you only landed one. That means I win." She grinned. 'Still got it!'
"Agh! I'll get you next time then," he conceded.
She just laughed, "In your dreams Sparky. I'm the Melon Lord, remember? I'll beat you next time too."
"Hah!" He rolled onto his side facing her. "You may be the Melon Lord, but I'm the Firelord. I'll take you anytime you want."
Still laughing, she punched him in the shoulder before again collapsing onto her back. "You're on Sparky."
They lay there for a minute, catching their breath. Then Zuko reached over and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. She turned her head towards him and his hand found her cheek again.
"You really are beautiful. Even all sweaty and covered in dirt." His voice was soft and wistful. He wasn't lying.
Not quite knowing what to say, she smiled shyly before slowly sitting up. He let his hand fall away and she stood, reaching down to offer him a hand up.
He accepted and she pulled, drawing him upwards. And up and up and up it seemed. Spirits, he was tall. She felt him towering over her as they stood for a moment, not wanting to drop hands.
Even his hands were big compared to hers, she noticed; warm of course and callused from wielding blades. His long, slender fingers easily encompassed her entire hand in his, but there was no intimidation there. He held it gently, like a precious object.
Eventually, they let go and slowly moved apart to collect their discarded items. Feeling her stomach grumble, she remembered that she hadn't eaten. Grabbing her sweater, she walked back over to where Zuko was slinging his sheathed Dao over his shoulder. "Hey, are you hungry?" She asked.
"Starving. Hope Uncle left some for us."
"Me too. Hey, before I forget: when you did that jumping, rolling move your right side was wide open for a minute."
"Huh. Good to know. I thought you wouldn't be able to see me in the air."
"I could figure out where you would be based on which way you had jumped. I could have gotten you pretty easily but I didn't want to break your ribs. You should thank me." Her smug face and lofty tone made Zuko laugh.
"Thanks for the consideration, Miss Boasty Pants."
Together they strolled towards the small dining room, still teasing, arguing over weaknesses and ways to compensate for them. When they arrived, they found Uncle enjoying some post-breakfast tea and were pleased to discover that plenty of food remained.
Hardly breaking their conversation to greet the old general, they sat beside each other and dug in voraciously, moving on to theorizing about potential bending matchup teams and how they would fare against different foes.
Iroh watched them with interest, noting that they sat a little closer together than was necessary, and didn't bother trying not to let their shoulders touch. Obviously something had changed between them and they seemed more intimate.
Sipping his tea in silence, he regarded them with affection. He considered both of them to be family, and he was pleased to see their relationship grow. He remembered that they had always had a certain fraternal affinity for each other, trading friendly blows and insults in a way that he hadn't witnessed amongst the rest of the gang.
It had only been Zuko's reaction to Toph when they were reunited that had made him suspect that there might be the potential for more between them. When he noticed Toph blushing around his nephew as well, his suspicion had grown and seeing them together on Zuko's birthday had clinched it.
They had worked together beautifully that night, never seeming to be out of step with each other on the dance floor or off. They fit somehow and he knew they had felt it too.
In the days since then, he had watched them struggle with this confusing new idea; had tried to counsel them gently, without forcing them together. It seemed to have worked. The two of them were now laughing uproariously, leaning on each other for support as they recalled past mischief and eating from the same plate without realizing. It was obvious that he might as well not even be there; they were in their own world.
'Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Four seasons for love.' He recalled, smiling gently as he left the dining room unnoticed.
Over the next three days, they spent almost all their available time together. Being Firelord, Zuko had responsibilities to attend to, but he always came back from whatever meeting or official visit filled with things to tell Toph. Impressions of dignitaries or amusingly unfortunate word choices; news about the state of the world and Aang's whereabouts; his annoyance over stubborn courtiers; his worries over more stirrings of rebellion, Toph heard them all.
And she listened, laughing at silly noblemen, remarking on current events, offering advice and encouragement in response to his concerns. She made fun of him a lot too, but it was good-natured and he laughed along with her.
She in turn, told him what her parents had written most recently; all the teas that Uncle had made her memorize; juicy court gossip that she picked up from Rema; ideas for setting up a mixed bending school in the city, or strategies she had come up with in case the rebellions flared up again; even thoughts on how to make the city more defensible against non-benders and benders alike.
And he listened, rolling his eyes at Uncle and his undying love for tea, alternatively groaning and laughing at the rumors, attentively taking note of her suggestions and in turn suggesting alternatives or modifications.
They talked together, they sparred together, they fed the turtle-ducks together, they ate together, they went for walks together, they even played music together when Uncle got nostalgic for music night. Each had been surprised at the other's skill: Zuko on Tsungi Horn, Toph playing the Biwa. Uncle had sang, obviously delighted at the accompaniment.
On the third night Zuko held her hand as he walked her to her room. There was much less nervousness between them now but for some reason, that night Toph felt extremely aware of him beside her. She felt warm and tingly again and she remembered the way his skin had prickled with goosebumps under her fingers as she had touched his arm.
When they arrived, he bid her goodnight, but she held onto his hand and gently pulled his face down to kiss him on the cheek. He had then kissed her forehead in return, before whispering another goodnight and leaving.
Toph floated into her room in a happy daze. She still wasn't quite sure how this had happened, but by now it was pretty clear that her feelings towards him were mutual. Her forehead was pleasantly warm still where he had kissed it, and she touched the spot absently as she got ready for bed.
Being with Zuko was wonderful and she really liked talking to him about everything and anything, but now she was in a bit of a bind. Uncle had mentioned going home again at dinner and she felt guilty about not having given him an answer yet as to whether she would return to Ba Sing Se with him.
Once he left, she couldn't stay here without arousing suspicion. Heck, suspicion was already pretty aroused by this point. She didn't want to cause problems for Zuko, or Uncle, or her parents, who had politely written asking her how she enjoyed life at the palace. Knowing them, that meant 'is there something going on there? The neighbors are talking.'
She wasn't sure what to do. She supposed she had better go back to her parents' house, although she wasn't sure what she would do there, besides take art classes, denounce rumors and refuse suitors. It wasn't fair. She had a suitor right here, for Spirits' sake and she already preferred him over any snobby, rich Earth Kingdom boy that her parents would choose. The thought of the whole business wearied her.
Alternatively, Uncle had insisted that she was still welcome at the tea shop, but while she had enjoyed it there very much, she wasn't sure. Baking buns, making tea and chatting with customers had been nice, but it could also be pretty monotonous sometimes.
She couldn't stay, but she didn't know where to go. It felt like there was a whole lot more to the world than the options she saw in front of her…
Yes, that was it! Maybe Aang could give her a lift somewhere and she could travel with him for a while. Appa was certainly better than any airship and her parents couldn't fuss about safety if she was with the Avatar. Nor could they marry her off if she was out adventuring.
Liking the idea more and more, she began weighing the possibilities. She knew she would miss Zuko terribly and it seemed odd and cruel to leave just as their relationship was taking off but there was so much life to be lived, and she couldn't stay anyways.
She felt as though she should discuss this idea with Uncle and Zuko before she decided anything, and hoped that Zuko wouldn't be hurt by her suggestion of leaving. He had already had one girlfriend walk out on him to go travelling; she wanted to make sure he understood that this would not be the same.
Carefully considering what she should say, she crawled into bed.
"So, that's my plan. What do you think?" Toph fidgeted a bit as she finished speaking and Zuko knew she was nervous, probably hoping he wouldn't be angry. Uncle sat to his left, looking thoughtful. They were gathered in the parlor of the royal suite, having wanted somewhere more private than the dining room.
Before Toph could look any more worried, he said "I think that's a great idea."
Toph looked surprised. "You do?"
"Yeah. I mean, I'll miss you of course, but I like the idea of you going off and having adventures better than the idea of you just going home. It suits you more."
"Oh good. I didn't want you to think…" She trailed off and his fingers found hers.
"You're not Mai. I know this is different from what she did. Thank you for worrying about me though. I really am going to miss having you around."
She nodded and Uncle spoke.
"Have you contacted Avatar Aang yet?"
She shook her head, "Not yet. I wanted to run this idea by you first."
"Well then we should write to him." Uncle looked to Zuko who rang for his steward.
As they composed a short note explaining their request, Zuko thought about life without Toph. He had meant it when he said he liked her idea. Toph should be off having adventures, that was who she was. She needed to try things and meet people and find out what really made her happy. Plus, if she was with Aang, he didn't need to worry about her as much.
He knew she was fully capable of looking after herself, but it still made him feel better to know that she would have a friend nearby, who also happened to be the Avatar. Aang would look out for her.
Spirits, but he would miss her though! The thought made his chest ache.
"Well, I guess this is it." Toph said as she and Zuko stood in the grand foyer near the doors that led to the courtyard. It had taken a week to make all the arrangements, but it had felt like minutes. Now her things had been packed onto Appa and Aang was waiting respectfully outside as she said her goodbyes.
Zuko tried his best to smile at her. "It's not forever."
"I'll write to you lots and lots and make you jealous of my awesome adventures."
"I'll write to you lots and lots and bore you with court gossip."
They stood, holding hands in silence for a minute before she stepped forwards, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back fiercely, stroking her hair.
"I love you Melon Head."
He felt her stiffen a bit in surprise at his confession, but after a minute she responded: "You too Sparky."
Then she pulled back a bit, turning her face up to his. Looking down at her, he saw that her eyes were moist and he leaned down and kissed her on the mouth.
It was soft and sweet. Not a chaste kiss but a gentle one. A promise.
When it was finished, she stepped back with a sad smile and they walked out of the grand foyer hand-in-hand.
If Aang was surprised by this, he didn't show it. He merely smiled as Toph squeezed Zuko's hand a final time, and then hugged Uncle goodbye. Zuko stepped up to Aang as Uncle helped Toph onto Appa.
"Look after her." He pleaded softly so she wouldn't overhear.
Aang nodded seriously. "I will." He placed a comforting hand on Zuko's shoulder for a moment, before turning to Appa. "All set Toph?"
"Yup." Toph tried her best to sound upbeat.
"Okay then." Aang jumped onto Appa's head.
"Be safe." Zuko couldn't resist adding.
"You too Sparky." Came Toph's reply and Aang called:
"Appa, yip yip!"
Zuko watched them soar out of view, his chest tight, before turning to go back inside. Iroh put an arm across his shoulders.
"Come on Nephew, let's have some tea."
A/N: Big changes in this chapter. T_T I cried while writing the end of it. Only a few chapters left now. How will our fav couple deal with separation? Love to you all, see you soon.