Title: Proud
Pairing: Minimal Zuko/Toph
Rating: G

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"You have a scar."

It wasn't a question. With a mixture of shock and anger (perhaps amusement?) he stared at her. Nothing seemed particularly different about her right now, just that she seemed to be looking at him. This was rare with Toph, since she her head was usually facing the wrong way when she talked to you.

"Yes." It took him a while to get out, but it was manageable. When his father fell at the feet of the Avatar, Zuko had declined the option of Fire Lord. His uncle was much more suited and would choose his own heir, even if it were to be Zuko himself. He was taller now, by a good few inches, his shoulders were broader and his features were less boyish. He never returned to the ponytail; ponytails were a significance of loyalty to a nation, which he certainly was not. The only person he was loyal to was his uncle.

And the Avatar's party perhaps, but he would never say that aloud.

"Could I touch it?" She too had grown—she was still four years younger than him and shorter by a reasonable amount. It was clear that she, unlike Aang, would never be very tall. She grew to a full 5'3" and kept her petite frame. She wasn't hour-glass shaped like Katara, with smaller curves but she was still beautiful, whether she knew it or not.

He hesitated. Toph simply sat there, waiting for her answer. Toph was not a patient woman (he had learned this the hard way) and she could only wait for so long. "…I suppose—"

Immediately, before he had a moment to finish his sentence, she scooted towards him and began to reach for his face. Awkwardly, he took her hand, leading it to the burn mark. He could feel her flinch slightly of the feel of the charred skin.

She got used to the feel of it quickly. Her eyes closed. "It's an old scar."

Zuko assumed she didn't know how close she had leaned in. "Yes," he gulped. Truth be told, he was feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Not as old as you are though," she mused. "You've let this stupid scar ruin and run your life." He wanted to say something, he wanted to fight, scream, yell, throw fire, but couldn't find it in himself. "You carry it like it's an extra weight. Its part of who you are, not some thing hanging off the side of your face waiting for the right moment to fall off."

He could feel her breath on his cheek. He was kind of wishing someone would come in to interrupt her, but at the same time, didn't. It confused him.

"I want it off," he said, after a while. "I want something to make it go away. You should know what that's like." His voice had grown cold. She dropped her hand and sat back, eerily staring him directly in the eyes.

"I know what it's like to be different, if that's what you're saying. But Zuko, everybody is different. Look at Aang, damn, he's as different as different gets. He's this happy-go-lucky guy who would have been happy just being an average air nomad, but he got stuck with this huge responsibility and danger. And Sokka; he's not a bender, but he's still clever as hell, even though no one will say it to his face. My blindness makes me who I am. I wouldn't change myself for anybody else; why would I do it for myself?"

He found himself silent. Toph was still waiting for his answer when the doctor appeared in the doorway and called her name. She stood, without even mumbling a 'good-bye', and followed the doctor. Her head was held high and as he studied her, he saw she was right. She did not carry her blindness like it was a weight, she was proud of it.

The next ten minutes were spent with Zuko letting his hand explore his scar. He rarely touched it (he had done it once and it had spooked him) and it had been years since the flame burnt his skin. It was not as prominent now (scars always fade away somewhat, even slowly) but it was still rigid under the skin of his fingers. He shuddered, but took a breath and brought his hand up again.

Another nurse brought him back into reality, calling his name. She motioned for him to sit on a table and then brought out a white ointment. "We have your scar reduction ointment right here, sir." She said, taking the lid off of and dipping her fingers in it.

She was inches away from his face when he spoke out. "No."

She flinched, surprised. "I thought you—"

He looked back to the door and saw Toph leaning against the frame, smugly smirking. He saw the bandage around her wrist, where she had sprained it. A rare, albeit small, smile graced his face. "Not anymore. The scar stays."

The nurse simply shrugged. "Whatever you say."

As Toph smiled at him, Zuko felt his heart flutter, for just a moment. And for one of the first times in his life, someone other than Iroh was proud of him.

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I wont ever really ship this pairing, but I certainly do love the concept of them being friends. So yeah, I thought htis was semi-Zuko/Toph, as requested.

Please keep requesting. I might submit some boring drabbles featuring Ozai's Angels and some Kataang stuff, but that's boring, in my opinion.