"Is there anything else you wanna tell me?" Toph asked in a somewhat concerned tone.
"No. Why?"
But he already knew the answer. To June this would be just another job, but Toph was actually his friend, so Zuko had expected her to be at least a little worried.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm more than ready to just hang out with June and listen to people mock you, but I have to know if there's some other reason you wanted me to investigate what everyone thinks your sister is doing. Do you think she really could be just manipulating you?"
"No. She has my full trust now. I just need to know if my nation still believes in me."
Toph nodded "Just checking."
"Can't blame you" he said.
Zuko was actually feeling more relaxed now. The only person who had ever managed to get away with lying to Toph was Azula, so it was safe to assume she would find out the truth about what his people thought was going on.
And she had been kind enough to agree to do the same with the people inside the palace.
"What did you find out so far?"
"Not much" oddly enough, that answer did not displease him as much as it should have.
You might not want some questions to be answered, Azula had warned him.
"But there is one thing that is bugging me. Some people said you and your sister are acting... suspicious."
"Suspicious how?" he asked, a little confused.
"Just a week ago you two were doing practically everything together, right?" when he nodded, Toph looked uncomfortable for a brief moment "And now you two just... stopped. You stay with her in case she has a nightmare and that's it. Was that intentional?"
"Yes. We're trying to make them less scared."
"Well, it didn't work. Most people realized what you two are doing, and they're not buying it at all. There's even a few ministers that think Azula did something horrible and you're trying to protect yourself without warning anybody else so you wouldn't look stupid."
It was Zuko's turn to be uncomfortable. He had realized that strategy had been as simple as humanly possible, but Azula had assured him many times it would be enough. And she seemed as unhappy about it as he was, and she had never hesitated in pointing out flaws in any suggestion he ever had on literally any subject. Had she made a mistake or was she hiding something?
You just said you trust her!
He did trust her. He was just paranoid.
"Just a day, and you've already got all that" he sighed.
"Hey, I know this situation stinks, but it will get better. You're tough and you've been through worse than that, so stop whining."
Zuko managed to laugh a little. Toph's weird way of being supportive had always worked on him.
"Just one last question" she looked unsure of how she should phrase it "Was it weird for you to spend so much time with your sister? I mean, you two were trying to kill each other two years ago"
"It was a little weird for me at first. But the more time we spent together, it all just started to feel... I don't know, natural?"
"That is a little hard to believe. Even ignoring everything that happened between you two, being around someone nearly every second of the day had to at least get annoying sometimes."
"Not really. I know it sounds strange, but I think that's how our relationship would have always been if it weren't for my father."
And I'm already starting to miss it, he nearly said, but decided against it.
"Well, even after this whole thing is over, you two really should tone it down a bit. If i didn't know you as well as I do, I'd probably think she had brainwashed you, or..." her voice started to sound a little strange - a mix between discomfort and amusement.
"Or what?"
"Or that you're sleeping with her" she said with a shrug and a grin.
"Toph!" he screamed in disbelief.
"Hey, don't kill the messenger!" she said, pointing her finger at him "I'm just giving you a heads up on what this whole thing could look like to someone else. No one brough it up or even joked about it, but you are the Fire Lord and a war hero, so I don't think anyone would want to accuse you. But that doesn't mean they couldn't at least think it, so be more careful. I know being normal is hard for your family, but still."
She walked out the door, leaving him alone to process everything he had just heard.
