A/N: A longer oneshot, set in the same verse as A Toast Goodbye, I suppose. I was too lazy to give the Sukka spawn a name. Just some fluff, some bittersweet stuff, 2 parts rambling writing,1 part speculation.
"Auntie Toph!" a voice as clear as bells rang, cutting through the haze of pain and memories she had built around her, like steel on flesh.
"Yeah, Devil Spawn?" was the response.
"Why is your belly so big?" the little boy asked with such innocence that she felt her tough inner shell melting. Just a bit.
"Did you eat too much?" he went on.
Toph spluttered.
"What? No! I'm pregnant!" she hurried to explain, but was suddenly aware that someone, Sokka, had entered the room.
"Toph, what are you teaching my child?" Sokka said in a severe voice, but Toph was well-accustomed to his mock-serious tone, and she thought she could feel a low chuckle vibrating through the floor.
The child ran from Toph towards his father and something stirred in her stomach as she noted how similarly they walked and moved. But maybe that was just the morning sickness. Toph felt the child's weight shift to Sokka's, indicating that the child had climbed into his father's arms.
"Daddy," the child's voice was muffled, probably because his face was burrowed into his father's chest. "Why is Auntie Toph pregnant? What's pregnant?"
It was Sokka's turn to splutter. The corners of Toph's mouth turned upwards slightly for she was no stranger to his awkwardness when it came to pregnancy and childbirth. She remembered the woman that gave birth after they crossed the Serpent's Pass, and remembered that Sokka had frantically asked her to hold it in. Then she remembered that he and Suki had kissed after the birth. Suddenly, she couldn't take his blubbering anymore and she stood up to heave the little boy from Sokka's arms.
"Okay, Meathead, you can leave now. Get out before I change my mind about taking care of your spawn."
Sokka put a strong, warm hand on Toph's shoulder and her heart fluttered in her chest. No, no, no, she thought, you're not twelve anymore, calm yourself, you're pathetic, he's married, you're pregnant.
"Thanks for doing this. I haven't been out with Suki since this little guy was born," he ruffled the boy's reddish hair, tied up in a short ponytail.
"Go."
"Bye," Sokka immediately walked towards the door. "Remember to make sure he goes to sleep before nine—"
"Got it, got it," she waved him off.
"Bye, daddy!" the little boy cried out but his father was already out the door.
For a while, Toph stood there, feet digging into the floor as she sensed Sokka's footsteps getting farther and farther, lighter and lighter while the child in her arms grew heavier and heavier.
"Whoosh whoosh, Aunt Toph, let's act out the airship story Daddy always tells!" the little boy jumped up and down. "Steer the airship while I go take out some firebender bad guys!" He drew out a miniature wooden boomerang from his belt and ran around the room brandishing it like a sword.
"Sure," Toph said as she played with her long, wispy bangs. "Let the blind, pregnant girl steer the airship."
The child suddenly lost interest in slashing at curtains with his boomerang and scooted towards where Toph was seated. He laid his head into her lap and she fiddled with his hair.
"What does pregnant mean?" he asked gently.
"I have a baby in my belly," Toph said with the delicacy of a elephant rhino. She wasn't one to circumvent, even with children. To her surprise the child didn't ask her if she ate her baby, like she was anticipating. Maybe he wasn't that much like Sokka after all.
He just gave her a whispered "oh" and fell silent. They sat like that for a while, his head in her lap, her hands in his hair. She didn't move, and almost fell asleep listening to his heartbeat.
"Does the baby have a family?"
Toph shook herself to consciousness.
"What?" she asked, even though she knew what he had asked.
"Does the baby have a family?" he repeated. "All babies should have families right?"
Toph sighed. To be honest she didn't remember the father; how he looked like, his name. All she remembered was guilt and regret the morning after. At first she was scared of raising the child, her child, on her own. But when has Toph Beifong ever needed anyone?
"No," she answered, voice as hard as rocks, and just as cold. "I am the baby's family."
She felt the boy shrug as if not convinced. She wasn't used to receiving this kind of condescension from children. The boy got to his feet and tugged at Toph's metalbending uniform.
"Can we play airships?" he asked, and she could almost tell he was making lemur-bat eyes at her.
"Fine," she grudgingly agreed, and got out of her seat difficultly because of her baby bump.
He fell asleep sometime after 10:30 since Toph completely forgot that he had a bedtime. Actually, he didn't fall asleep so much as pass out on the couch. As soon as she felt his heartbeat slow, she pulled the throw over him and sat at the other end of the sofa, her face cupped in her hand. She didn't expect Sokka and Suki to be home by midnight, and the silence was eating at her nerves. The click at the front door some time later was a relief to her. She got up from the couch slowly to not wake the sleeping child, and walked to greet her friends as they entered.
"Is he asleep? How did everything go?" Sokka blurted as soon as he saw Toph.
Toph crossed her arms and blew her bans out of her face.
"Oh, no, no. You're welcome, Sokka. Really, it was no big trouble even though I'm the Chief of Police of Republic City, the most populated city in the world."
Suki chuckled.
"Thank you so much, Toph," she said softly.
"He's on the couch asleep. Not my fault, he just kinda fell asleep there," Toph shrugged.
"Well, I better go check on him," Suki said. "Sokka, why don't you get Toph something to drink."
Toph perked up immediately. She knew Sokka had an extensive collection of cactus juice, and warm memories of drunken summer nights on the front porch resurfaced.
"You know I can't say no to poor decision juice," she gave one of her signature crooked grins. How could anyone forget the time she and Sokka got drunk at Fire Lord Zuko's birthday celebration, resulting to the dangerous duo trying to eat the turtle ducks in the palace pool. Live.
"One shot of cactus juice, coming up!" Sokka said as he flourished his arm grandly to open his liquor cabinet. Suki left the room smiling warmly at him.
Toph heard some shuffling and the sound of liquid and then the sound of a hand hitting forehead then a groan.
"I can't believe I forgot!" Sokka mumbled grumpily, shoving the bottle of cactus juice back into the cabinet. "You're—"He paused. Suddenly, Toph realized that she was carrying a child in her and drinking irresponsibly was probably the last thing the kid needed.
"Oh," she grimaced. "Right. Pregnant." She glared down at her enormous belly sightlessly and punched it very gently.
"Thanks a lot, baby," she growled.
Sokka pulled out a chair and ushered Toph into it.
"Well, we can still talk," he said as he sat down across from her. "There are still things you can do."
"Like what, Meathead? Knitting?" Toph scoffed and tapped her fingers on her belly exasperatedly. "I know! I'll knit adorable little koala sheep wool booties and learn to bake cakes and start wearing aprons and ughhh…" her voice trailed off. Suddenly her eyes softened and she raised her face towards the ceiling, and she felt like a child. Alone in the cave without anyone to help her, to hold her.
"I'm not ready, Sokka. I'll be a terrible mother. How will I ever be everything a child needs," she thought out loud, remembering her own broken childhood, marked by parents that were never there and didn't care.
Speechless, Sokka set his cup of cactus juice down on the table. Toph continued.
"I'm not sure if I can do this alone," her voice was tainted by an almost palpable agony. Sokka found his words soon enough.
"You won't have to do this alone," he said in an uncharacteristically serious voice. Toph almost flinched away as she felt his hand rest on hers. She could feel the detestable heat that rose to colour her cheeks every time Sokka touched her forming in patches on her face. Toph withdrew her hand from under his and punched his arm none too lightly. She snickered as Sokka yelped.
"You always know what to say, Snoozles," she smiled wickedly.
Sokka grimaced as he rubbed his arm, and then chuckled.
"We're all adults now, Toph. You can stop calling us those nicknames."
A brief flash of pain crossed her face, gone before Sokka could spot it in the dim light. Was it really time to let go of the best years of her life? To let go of the people that were more family than friends? Maybe it is, Toph thought bitterly. They were already drifting apart. She had her police chief job, demanding as ever due to the rising gang violence in Republic City. She rarely ever saw the great Avatar Twinkletoes or Fire Lord Sparky because with their grand titles came grander responsibilities. Sugar Queen still dropped by to make sure Toph's apartment wasn't too much of a sty, but the waterbender was immensely busy with raising kids and participating in every part of the establishment of a formal government in the city. Snoozles, her best friend, was also becoming less and less a part of her life, with his councilman duties and full blown family to take care of. Family. All her old friends had families to love, to care for now. But Toph? She had lost all connection with her parents. She had no idea what her child's father's name was, let alone his whereabouts. She was still hung up on a crush on her childhood friend that would never see her as anything more than a sister. She came home everyday to a cold, empty apartment smelling of leftovers and dampness. No, she thought, maybe they can let go, but I can't. Not yet.
"Afraid not," Toph Beifong said, her heart hurting. She rose out of her seat to leave before she did something pathetic like start crying. Sokka stood up too, and led her to the door. She could feel the weariness in his step and distantly she could feel shuffling in the upstairs bedroom, probably Suki getting ready for bed. At the door, she stopped and turned to face Sokka.
"Well," Toph breathed in the night air and sighed. "I have to get going. I have to work tomorrow. You know how it is."
"Toph, you're almost 8 months pregnant, don't you think you should take some time—"
"Republic City needs me," she cut him off and jabbed fiercely at the Chief of Police badge on her chest.
"C'mon. Just one day off!" Sokka wheedled, knowing full well that Toph was stressed out by her job at the moment. "For me, Dead Eyes."
She cursed him internally. She couldn't say no to him.
"Fine then, Snoozles," Toph spat out, mustering all the spite she could into her voice.
"We can go shopping!" Sokka cheered. He beamed down at his old friend. "It'll be just like old times."
No, it won't.
Toph face him a fake smile.
"Yeah, it will."
Somewhere a lizard crow cawed, completing the miserable scene of Toph walking home barefoot in the snow. Alone. At 1 PM. Huge with child.
She placed her hand on her belly, rubbing the huge bulbous thing.
"Guess it's just you and me, kid" she whispered and smiled. This time it was genuine.