Title: The Verisimilitude between Tangled Sheets
Summary: Zuko and Toph are friends. Sometimes lovers, but only when it's convenient. No questions asked, no strings attached—but of course, that was inevitable.
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is not mine. The characters are not mine. All I own so far is this plot…and this computer that I'm typing it with, but that's about it. It's a sad existence.
The Verisimilitude between Tangled Sheets
Chapter Two – Confrontations Amongst the Emotional-Cripples
Zuko paced back and forth, trying to decide upon the best method of approach when it came to confronting Toph—none of which were pleasing to him. He had locked himself in his room for the past three hours now, unsure of how to deal with the situation. He vaguely wondered if he can confide to his Uncle Iroh about what happened. The old general would of course, give him guidance, and then inadvertently go to Toph to talk about the matter as well. And, as if he were the Middleman, go back to Zuko to tell him all about it and give him greater insight of what to do.
No, that wouldn't work. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't know how Toph would react if he told a soul about had happened. Knowing her, she'd probably act towards the more explosive end of the reaction spectrum. Zuko shuddered at the mental image of earthen spikes going through his torso.
-x-
Toph stopped in mid-laughter when she sensed Zuko approaching. She felt herself stiffen slightly. Act naturally, she reminded herself.
"Hey, Sparky!" Toph greeted cheekily as the Fire Lord neared them. The rest of the gAang greeted him as well.
They sat under an old, large tree, its long-reaching branches and thick leaves protected them from the harsh late-afternoon Fire Nation sun. Zuko situated himself in the opposite of between Sokka and Aang, pointedly across from Toph.
"Anyway, guys," Aang continued his story. "Remember the guys from the swamps?"
"Those Swampbenders were hicks," declared Toph.
"Aww," Katara cooed, and to Toph's ears, almost mockingly. "You were just scared when we were on their boat."
The older girl giggled and soon enough Aang and Sokka joined in as well. All of them except for Zuko remembered how Toph clung onto Sokka's arm for dear life when she was forced into the swamp dwellers' rinky-dink makeshift boat.
Toph frowned as the others laughed "good-naturedly" at her expense. Discreetly, she pushed the heel of her foot forward and set a sharp mound of dirt to jab Sokka's butt. She felt his attention turn towards her, and she narrowed her muted green eyes at him as a silent warning.
"Come on, you guys," Sokka coaxed weakly, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I think Toph actually did pretty good, you know, for her first time."
Toph felt Zuko's heartbeat jump. Dammit, Sparky, she thought, feeling the heat rise up to his face and feeling some on her own also. Stop being so jumpy. She was doing so well pretending like nothing out of the ordinary happened last night, and here's Zuko, who might as well be a chatty Cathy and tell everyone in extreme detail!
She had the sudden earth to encase both him and Sokka in earth. Mainly Sokka, though, for his poor choice of words.
Fortunately, no one else caught on or suspected anything and the conversation steered towards different subjects.
-x-
The group reached a general consensus to prepare for supper as orange tints began to deepen in the sky and wisps of purple started to appear. Zuko thought briefly how tragic it is that Toph would never be able to see the dynamic colors of nature.
"Are you just gonna stand there, Sparky?" a voice cut into his thoughts. He turned his head towards Toph who was standing several feet away from him.
Zuko walked up to her and without thinking, he asked, "Wanna walk through town?"
Toph blinked, surprised. With a shrug, she accepted.
With only four words, the young Fire Lord has submitted himself to the one of the most awkward confrontations of his life. Granted, he hasn't had many because he prefers purposefully avoiding them whenever the situation arises. But he was younger then, irresponsible and naïve, and he resolved since to stop running away. He wasn't going to pretend like an act of tremendous intimacy didn't take place and he sure as hell wouldn't risk losing his friendship with Toph.
Aimlessly, the pair wandered through the busy streets. The business district was full of families buying ingredients for dinner and running last-minute errands before nightfall. Not many words were exchanged between them, off-hand observations and remarks, but not much more. Eventually, they stumbled upon a tea shop, one that wasn't quite as busy as the others.
The hostess bowed in respect upon noticing them and quickly ushered the couple into a table. Not three minutes after they were seated, a waitress promptly asked if they were ready to order. Toph asked for a cup of Masala Chai while Zuko opted for Hóngchá, black tea.
It could not have been more than ten minutes that their order was being processed, but those were quite possibly the most antagonizing ten minutes of their lives. Left to their own devices and only the other's company, neither were certain of what to say or how to act.
Toph had taken a sudden extreme interest in hygiene, picking out nonexistent dirt underneath her fingers.
Zuko had taken to fussing with his hair, combing it back with his fingers in vain as the bangs returned to its messy mop.
An audible sigh, presumably of relief, escaped both their lips as the waitress reappeared with their drinks, and sweet treats—azuki beans with fresh banana slices (fried with tempura batter), and a bowl of green tea ice cream.
"On the house," she smiled sweetly as she placed the sweets in between the two and placed their respective drinks in front of them.
Toph and Zuko thanked the waitress as she dismissed herself.
"Well that was, uh…nice of them," Zuko began, hoping to begin small talk.
Toph only mhmm'd in agreement as she reached for her spoon. Zuko's hand accidentally brushed against hers as he reached for his.
A mumbled apology was exchanged, and Zuko failed to notice the hint of pink that tinted Toph's cheeks. Another awkward quietness choked them as warm tea travelled down their throats.
"So what's this all about, Sparky?" Toph, sick of the silence, finally spoke.
Zuko kept the rim of his teacup to his lips as he looked over the table across him towards Toph. Save for the uncomfortable silence earlier, she seemed indifferent. She dipped her spoon into the ice cream and brought a piece to her mouth. Her sweet, sweet mouth. The same mouth he was devouring only the night before.
He wanted to keep his cool. "I—I thought…Isn't this what we're, um…supposed to do?" he stammered.
Toph leaned back in her chair, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. "And what is it, exactly, that obliges…this?" she made a small gesture in her hand that pointed to the spread on the table.
Operation 'Keep Cool' has failed, there was not much more to lose. "Well, this is, uh…a date?"
Silence once again reigned as even Toph Bei Fong, Queen of Snarky Comments was rendered speechless. Momentarily, at least. "Huh?"
"Last night…" Zuko darted his gaze away from her unseeing eyes and trailed off.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her stiffen and crossed her arms over her chest. "Was a mistake?" Toph supplied snidely.
Zuko felt his head reeling to face her, the backlash making his bangs sharply smack his forehead. "What?!No!" he exclaimed, genuinely surprised that she would think such a thing.
Toph's posture relaxed as she reached for another sip of her spiced chai.
"Look, Toph," Zuko insisted, leaning forward and resting his elbow on his table for emphasis, "I'm not entirely sure what last night meant for us, but it sure as hell wasn't a mistake."
-x-
He was being honest, that much Toph could tell. She could feel his determination to assure her. In fact, she didn't even need Earthbending to tell her that he was aghast that she would even suggest it.
Toph felt the other tea shop patrons looking at them. Zuko's raised voice had attracted their attention.
"I'll tell you what last night was," Toph lowered her voice. "It was fun."
Under the table, hidden by the cream-colored cloth, Toph rested her hand on Zuko's knee while a mischievous grin spread across her face.
Another aphorism passed down generations through generations: Once you pop, you can't stop. Of course, many variations exist throughout the world, but the moral remained true.
Author's Note: There you go, ladies and gents. This chapter establishes their friends-with-benefits status. The next couple of chapters will explain why they're not romantically-attached to each other. Thanks to you all awesome reviewers! I've nothing much else to say to explain this chapter, besides that I hope you've enjoyed it.
Review Replies
Sparky-poo:First review again, you are the man! And yes, Sokka's getting lucky, too. However, his comes with guilt from his conscience and blackmail from Toph. So that sucks for him. How it relates to Zuko and Toph, you'll just have to read on to see! I'm not a big fan of Zutara, but only because I'm partially bitter. It is my firm belief that once in a while the understated beauty (Toph) can be with the dashing prince, instead of the generic pretty girl (Katara). I…am a biased jerk, sorry. :(
Kouu Hisori: Oh, my projected timespan for this story courses over half a decade. Heck, them falling in love won't be for…well, let's just say it won't be for a while. I hope things don't feel too rushed for you. If it seems like their relationship is being expedited, let me know.
Liooness: I hope their confrontation in this chapter didn't disappoint. It wasn't quite as explosive as I had first imagined, but I'm saving Mt. Vesuvius for later. ;)
Kiki09: Haha, yes, you said please. Relationships like Zuko and Toph's are bound to evolve into something else. It's almost like they're asking for it. Oh, and review responses are fun. It's my way of injecting my personality into the story.
FrostedCupcakes: Yes, try it. Let me know if it's not one of the best you've ever had. And here, I updated soon…enough. I think. Do I get my cupcake? Do you need my address?
Cutie in Boots: Aw, I hope you feel better. It's the weekend, so I hope you have time to keep on reading!
Blz1990: Twists are fun. I just couldn't see Aang cheating on Katara, or the other way around. Chad is a ding dong, apparently. (Sorry, I'm watching TV. That alltell commercial came on.) I'm a 1990-baby too! This chapter is my birthday present to you. Happy birthday!
Animefreak03: ooh, thanks!
Avatargirl92: sorry for the confusion earlier. And good to know you're interested.
Chi the Turtle: Five pages gets easy when you're super excited for the story! I'm looking forward to your critiques, and everyone's as well!
Lazyguy90: I love your screen name. It makes me giggle. And yes, le gasp! Sokka's a cheating ho-bag! But of course he'll have some redeeming qualities.
Mlcoolc86: Yes, bad for Sokka, good for Toph. If Sokka had been smart, he would have kept on pressing the fact that Toph appeared to have just come from Zuko's room. But then again, that might have resulted in some violence, so maybe he was smart to just let it go.
Nychothomas: What is up with your name, man? Something about it sound so familiar, I just can't place it. Care to enlighten about its origins? I'm intrigued. And I'm not so involved in the Avatar Ships so I'm not so aware with the wars that go on. However, from what I gather, it does sound dumb. There are so many pairings possible, and everyone's entitled to their own inclinations. And yes! Finally someone noticed that Mai seems to be not in the story! Stay tuned to find out! ;D
RueBroadway: There is no escape. For Toph or Zuko. Toph will know when Zuko's apprehensive, and Zuko can't hide much from Toph.
Farie Insignias: As far as I've been told, this is a pretty new take on their relationship, so I hope I do it justice!
Party in the Afterlife: Ooh, haha. You left a review just as I was adding the third chapter!
Wow, you guys rock! I hope this chapter will be as fun to read for you guys as it was for me to write.
Please, leave a review. :) Make them as long as you want, I love reading all of them!