Hey Morningleaf awakens after a deep sluumber!
This is my first ALTA fic, please be kind!
I love Toph and Zuko's sibling dynamic and I am constantly on the lookout for more of those fics.
R&R!
Aang wakes up to a soft scramble of feet and pebbles. He opens his eyes blearily to see Toph tiptoe away from their fire. He opens his mouth to call out to her but then thinks better of it, noting her furtive and silent movements.
When she moves far enough for him to be out of her foot sense range thing? He gets up and follows her
She is going to Zuko!
The thought struck him like lightning and feels just as unpleasant as the real thing. He can't lose more of his family he won't! But he knows that Toph can take care of herself and she would take his interference as an insult to her bending prowess. He follows her in the trees, where he knows she won't feel him, until they reach Zuko's camp. She calls out to him only to be met with a flash of fire and a shout of who's there? There is a sharp scream and a young you burned my feet and the edges of Aang's vision is white and he is gonna lose contr-
"I'm sorry! It was an accident!"
Zuko sounds frantic and scared and Aang can see his thoughts written on his face. They will never trust me now.
"You burned my feet." Repeats Toph and she scrambles back in a blind panic that looks out of place on the brash earthbender.
The only thing keeping Aang from jumping down is the look of sheer terror on Zuko's face.
"I'm sorry," he says anxiously. "Let me help you, please."
Toph is now mumbling the same phrase over and over.
"I know, I know. But they will heal quickly. Don't worry."
And he murmurs a string of platitudes, trying to reassure her, but she trashes in his grip, hyperventilating. Zuko's expression morphs in to one of inexplicable sadness. He takes her hand and guides it to his chest. In the trees, Aang waits with a bated breath, curious to see what he is about to do but ready to jump and defend her in an instant.
"You are panicking." He states, matter-of-fact, "That will not help you. Take deep breaths with me."
And he inhaled slowly and waited for her to copy. When she did he let out a warm breath which made the clearing's temperature rise several degrees, making the cold night almost bearable. Toph sighs in relief and copies him a few more times, calming down with each breath.
Aang feels uncomfortable, the soft look on Zuko's face is one that is clearly not meant for his eyes and yet he cannot look away from the other side of Zuko that he has never seen before.
Zuko's raspy voice breaks the silence, "I have a salve in my pack for burns."
Toph grumbles, "Well, why didn't you mention that sooner?"
Toph knows that twinkletoes is there in the trees.
He thought he could sneakfollowstalk her! She is half annoyed but half relieved butwillnevertellhim. She knows that if Aang was not there she would not have been confident or brave enough to stay here. She is glad that she did though.
Zuko'shandsarecallousedandroughandfeellikeSokka's.
The firebender in question moves to his pack and takes out a bottle of salve. At least she thinks so, using her hands gives her a fuzzier picture than her feet.
She remembers her near panic attack at the world being plunged on to nothing but the ground beneath her palms and a raspy voice. Now she feels almost mortified at her display of weakness but grudgingly grateful to Zuko for calming her down.
Zuko picks up one of her feet and pauses, questioning her. She nods once and lets her foot be placed in his lap as he dabs it with a wet towel and then applies a cool, numbing salve that dunks the world in the smell of rosemary.
He picks up her other foot, the one with more blisters, and starts to clean it with a wet rag and it stingshurtsburns. She lets out a squeak and scolds herself internally. Zuko seems to sense her discomfort and starts asking her questions.
"Where are you from?"
"Gaoling," she mumbles through gritted teeth.
"Huh, never been," he sounds put out, "tell me about it."
And she talks through the pain, talks about the food and the rumbles and winning.
Butnotaboutherparentsandherhouseandherlife.
He applies the salve and she sighs in relief.
"Why are you here?" he asks, voice suddenly tight and the question cuts through the warmth like a knife.
"Aang needs a firebending teacher." Comes the prompt reply. Aang feels his face twist in to a scowl which he smooths out, not liking the way the expression feels on his face.
Zuko would be a terrible firebending teacher, he yells and steams and oh did i mention that he spent the past year trying to capture me.
( but in the backest back of his mind he remembers a blue spirit mask and a pair of dao)
But Aang could feel his anger ebb away when he saw the soft, calm look that Zuko directed at Toph.
thereisasmidgeoffeartheretoo
He watches the two talk for an hour. Watches Zuko's softness become fond exasperation. Watches Toph dub him sparky. (Pop pop pop like a firework)
And when he sees the look of hopeful yetscaredsoscared surprise on Zuko's face when Toph slumps against him,asleep , Aang knows with a certainty that should Zuko approach them again, he will accept him as a firebending teacher.
The next day, after the episode with sparky sparky boom man, Toph approaches him and punches him the arm.
"OW," cries Aang, "What was that for?"
"Did you think that you could get away with following me Twinkles?"
Oh. that.
"I can hear your fluttery heart a mile off."
She punches him again for good measure. He rubs his arm and scowls half-heartedly.
"Aang?"
He stops up short. The use of his name was rare enough, Toph speaking that softly was unheard of. Literally! HeshouldtellthatonetoSokkalater.
"Yeah?"
"Is that what having a big brother feels like?"
His first instinct was to vehemently disagree.
ThiswasZukotheyweretalkingabout!
But he thought of their banter and nicknames and Zuko's soft soft face from the night before and said
"Yeah. Yeah it is."
Morningleaf