Katara really should've been better prepared for Toph's teasing.

Content Warning: Strong adult themes, aftermath of sex between consenting adults, Toph Bei Fong, Toph Bei Fong's mouth. Part of the Cop/Doctor AU.

December 10th – Heat of the Moment

"WELL, LOOK WHAT THE MOOSE-LION DRAGGED IN."

Dammit. Biting down on an exasperated groan as she closed the door behind her and tossed her keys into the ever-present key bowl, Katara took a moment to consider her options. They were many, ranging from the petty (shouting fuck off and heading straight for her room) to the unimaginably satisfying (freezing her roommate's mouth shut with a well-placed hunk of ice), but, alas, she was forced to admit that none of them were likely to spare her the foul-mouthed teasing that was coming her way. After five years of sharing, first a dorm room, and then an apartment, with said roommate, Katara had learned many things, among them the singular fact that it was pointless to try and forestall anything that Toph had set her mind to. With that in mind, she squared her shoulders, turned to face her interrogator, put on a smile, and said, "Morning, Toph."

The apartment that Katara and the young lady known as Toph Bei Fong shared wasn't much of a much; in fact, it was rather tiny, with room for two young women and little else. Toph's imperfect grasp of the concept of tidiness and cleanliness didn't help, leaving the place, despite Katara's best efforts, with a constant feeling of cluttered smallness. Amid what could – with charity – be called their living room sat a battered sofa, and upon this sofa, with her bare feet propped up on a coffee table that listed like a sailor on shore leave, sat the petite, the obscene, the inimitable, Toph Bei Fong.

Who was currently twirling her folded up white cane with one hand, while with the other she held a remote, idly flipping through channel after channel of static, since cable was one of many amenities they could not afford. "So," Toph mused, looking for all the world like the cat that got the sparrowkeet, "how was the fucking?"

Katara groaned. "For your information," she said, as she tossed her purse onto the coffee table and plopped herself down next to Toph, "there was no, you know, that involved." She rummaged around in her purse for a moment, sighing as she fished a cigarette and lighter from the tattered pack within and lit up. "Zuko, I'll have you know, is a perfect gentleman," she continued, as she sank back into the sofa and breathed deep the calming nicotine, which, for all that it was bad for her, was often the only thing keeping Toph alive, "and would never stoop to doing that toa girl."

To that, Toph answered with a derisive snort. "I never said he was the one doing the fucking, Sugar Queen."

There was, Katara had to admit, a certain amount of truth to this. The night before had been her and Zuko's six-month anniversary. For six months, her and Zuko had been seeing each other whenever they could, stealing lunch breaks and the occasional movie. To celebrate the six-month mark, they had very carefully constructed a break in their schedules and thrown out all the stops. There had been dinner at a nice restaurant, cuddling at the movies, a long walk together, arm-in-arm, through one of Republic City's many parks, and, to cap it all off, a bottle of wine at Zuko's place, which, for once, he had to himself.

Things had…escalated rather quickly from there, something she hadn't intended when she'd seen the bottle of wine in window of the liquor store they'd passed after leaving the park. She had well and truly intended to have a glass or two while sitting on Zuko's couch and snuggled.

She had certainly never intended to jump him while he was removing the cork.

It was all pure…heat of the moment. Really.

Honest.

Katara took another long, deep drag from her cigarette, smiled at the memory, made yet another personal vow to quit, and flipped Toph the bird. "Whatever. What even makes you think there was sex involved? A girl can spend the night at her boyfriend's house without there being any hanky-panky."

Toph nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. "True…but, see, that's not what happened."

"Oh? Do tell, oh great and glorious font of endless wisdom."

Toph preened. "Why, thank you!" She dropped the remote and threw a punch into Katara's arm. "I'm glad you finally came around! As for my reasoning, well…"

She held up her now-free hand, and with each point, extended a finger to mark it.

"One, ever since I walked in on you two half-dressed on this very sofa three months ago – and don't try to deny it, I know what pants being buttoned sounds like – you've been so hot for this guy's form that you slosh when you walk."

Katara winced. "By the gods, Toph, could you be any more cru-"

"Ah, I'm not finished! Two, even though your hair is wet and you smell like a man's body wash, the distinct scent of sex and satisfaction is wafting off you in waves strong enough to kill a herd of ostrich-horses."

Katara frowned, lifting an arm to sniff the pit. "Do not."

"Keep thinking that, Sugar Queen. Three, I heard you drop a duffel bag by the door when you came in. Now, seeing as you didn't take a duffel bag with you, you obviously borrowed one of Zuko's, which could only mean that you stuffed your clothes from last night in there, being too sex-addled to bother with putting them back on."

Katara's eyes flashed to said duffel bag, emblazoned with the crest of Republic City's Police Academy, and sighed. "Well, I couldn't very well sleep in that dress I was wearing, now, could I?"

"Naturally. Four, it would take a complete fucking idiot to not be able to figure out that you're wearing a boy's clothes. Let me guess: Hoodie, sweatpants, and one of his shirts?"

Katara looked down at her ensemble, her shoulders slumping in defeat. See, Toph, as usual, was absolutely on the money. Her legs were covered with a pair of Zuko's sister Azula's sweatpants (since, during a rather awkward moment a month previously, Azula had preemptively given Katara permission to borrow clothes whenever she needed them, at least until you start keeping some stuff here, the cheeky girl had added with a wink), and under a man-sized hoodie emblazoned with the crest of one of the city of Miyako's baseball teams, she was, indeed, wearing one of Zuko's t-shirts. A shirt I have no intention of giving back…along with the hoodie. That's mine, too.

Then, Katara lifted one of her feet, and allowed triumph to blossom through her very soul.

"You missed the fact that I'm totally wearing a pair of men's size flip-flops."

"Fuck," Toph snarled, dropping the white cane to order to snap the fingers on that hand. "I knew I was missing something."

Katara giggled, not even bothering to contain her crowing. "Hey, Toph, it's okay; no one's perfect."

"Says you," Toph shot back, before extending her thumb to complete the count. "And, while we're on the subject: Five, you take your birth control like clockwork, every morning at six, whether you're here or at work. And yet, it's getting close to ten, and you're not freaking out, which means that, not only did you take your pill at the usual time, but you got out of your bed of sin, took the pill that you had brought with you, and then crawled right back into bed." With that, she closed her outspread hand into a fist, slowly punched it into the air, and brought it back down in a universal gesture of victory. "So, eat it, Sugar Queen. You spent the night engaging in pre-marital fucking and judging from how you were humming as you came up the stairs, you enjoyed it."

Oh, gods, did I. Katara snatched an empty ashtray (a fact she acknowledged as the miracle it was, since Toph could teach Azula lessons in chain-smoking) off the table and set it on her stomach, tapping the ash from her cigarette therein. She slid lower into the couch, finally well and truly allowing herself to revel in the wonder of the previous evening and the delicious soreness it had left her with. "Fine," she said, trying to sound petulant, not doing a very good job of it. "I slept with Zuko, both literally and figuratively, and it was awesome. Happy?"

Toph laughed, getting out her own cigarette and lighting it through a process that Katara still couldn't make sense of (seeing as the girl was blind and all). "Of course I'm happy, you slut. You know much easier you've been to deal with, ever since you met His Royal Awkwardness?"

Katara rolled her eyes, refusing to concede that Toph had a point. "Oh, come on, I wasn't that bad."

"Yes, you were. Face it, Sugar Queen, you have desperately needed to finally get laid."

"Well excuse me, missy. We can't all be as indiscriminate as you."

"Hey," Toph said, pressing a hand to her chest and looking innocent (an expression that did not in the least suit her), "I'm not indiscriminate. I just happen to have a very particular type that's not difficult to fit into."

"What, possession of a vagina and a pulse?"

"Precisely. See? Five years sharing a living space, and you're finally getting a handle on me."

"Toph, no one could ever get a handle on you."

"Which is why I don't date, which reminds me: Is Zuko's sister as hot as she sounds on the phone?"

Katara frowned. "When did you talk to Azula on the phone?"

"Just the other day. She called the landline, wanting to ask you about some brand of ice wine that you brought over a week or two ago."

"Ah. Remind me to give her my number so she can text me."

"Won't do."

"Got it, and, in answer to your question, um…I guess?" Katara illustrated this with an expansive shrug as she stubbed out her cigarette and settled herself even deeper into the sofa. "I mean, she's pretty, no one would deny that, but my hinges don't swing the right way to make the call as to whether or not she's hot. And, to answer your next question, as far as I can tell, she's not into girls."

Toph nodded, obviously deep in thought. "Gotcha. Think she'd be open to the possibility?"

"Can't say that I've put much thought into the subject. Zuko invited me to his Uncle's house next weekend, because apparently there's a pool, said I could bring anyone I wanted to, so you can find out yourself."

"Right on. Will I be required to swim?"

Katara gave her roommate one of her patented looks, for all that she knew it was an exercise in futility. You'd really think I'd learn at some point. "Toph, since when has someone been able to make you do something you don't want to do?"

Toph scoffed. "You've got that right, Sugar Queen." A silence fell, a silence they both allowed to pass, without comment or observation. Static continued to dance on the television, an item that existed for the sole purpose of watching movies and because Toph found the sound of static soothing for some reason. Katara found herself drifting, floating on the currents of happiness and personal fulfillment. It was nice, she had to admit, to have all the aspects of one's life slotting nicely into place. She was free from her father's control, on her own, in a city she loved. She was well on her way in the career that made her happy and fulfilled. She had friends she enjoyed and a roommate she adored, no matter how much Toph irritated her sometimes.

And now, to top it all off, she had a boyfriend who was smart, cute, and great in the sack. Now, if she could only finish her gods-forsaken residency and get off starvation wages and overnights in the ER, life would be pretty much perfect.

She sighed, letting her eyes slide closed, smiling from ear-to-ear.

Pretty much perfect…

"So," Toph said, having stubbed out one cigarette and lit another, "how does it feel?"

"How does what feel?"

"Losing your virginity."

Katara frowned but didn't open her eyes. That was…uncharacteristically sensitive. She was instantly suspicious. "First, I didn't lose my virginity, it was more like hurled it aside with great glee. And second, it was…it was nice. Like…really nice. I'm glad I held out for so long."

Toph let out an appreciative-sounding whistle. "Still can't believe you made it to twenty-four."

"Neither can I."

"Why the long wait?"

"Nothing more than being picky, honestly. You know me."

"I do. So, going to do last night again?"

Katara didn't even have to think about it. "Um…duh."

"Good. Think you can work on his awkwardness at some point?"

"Gods, why would I do that? It revs my engine every time."

Toph just laughed. "It would, Sugar Queen. It would…"

So, this is actually the very first Cop/Doctor AU story. It's pretty much the story that gave birth to the whole AU. This and the story that became Strangers for Zutara Month 2015 (filed under A Little Bit of This...) were born of a random plot bunny that came to me while I was doing some work for grad school one day. I babbled it to my wife, she really digged the idea, I poked around with it for a bit, but couldn't figure out the story angle. See, problem is, part of the conceit of this AU is that Katara and Zuko are getting the closest to their ideal version of their lives, in that they get together, have a family, and do very little that's exciting or world-shattering. Fun to live, not so fun to read or write long-term.

But then Zutara Month 2015 started and I realized, Wait... And here we are!

Not too much to add to this, actually. The whole Katara Losing Her Virginity at Twenty-Four is actually just something that feels...right for the character, you know? Most of us - men, women, and all points betwixt - started having sex because we were horny and wanted to, and that's fine, that was my reasoning, too. But there are also people who hold off, not for religious reasons or a desire for superiority or because they don't want to, but literally just because they're being picky.

And you know what? Not only is that also perfectly fine (between you, me, and the fence post, if I could go back in time, I would've told sixteen-year-old me to be a hell of a lot more picky), but that sounds very in-character for good ole' Sugar Queen.

But that's enough digression for day. Moving on! In tomorrow's episode, we return to Zuko from the Start (for which my wife has proposed a title that I will share tomorrow, because I like it) as Katara and Zuko lay side-by-side and look up at the stars. Stay tuned!