“Bumi’s dead, they want to make me queen of Omashu.”
“You knew that was coming.” Zuko ran his fingers through her hair. “Greatest earthbender in the world.”
“Yeah yeah yeah.” The fire in the hearth popped and crackled in front of them as she nuzzled into the crook of his arm. “Not ready to settle down yet.”
Zuko laughed quietly, almost worried that anything louder would shatter the mood into sharp pieces.
“What about you, Hot Stuff, they still after you to get married again?”
He nodded, and then remembered. “Yeah, the position’s still open.”
Toph jabbed her fingers into his topknot and started twisting his hair out of place. “Hey, didn’t I just say I wasn’t ready to settle down?”
“Yeah.” He let her. “But that’s what you were asking, right?”
“Whoa boy,” she snickered. “What’s it been, seven years? That’s determined.”
Zuko shrugged. “Six and a half.”
As the caps of the scroll Zuko was holding clicked against the floor, Toph decided it was definitely time to change the subject. “So what’re you reading?”
Zuko put the scroll down self-consciously. “I thought you didn’t like scrolls.”
“I like ‘em fine when they’re read to me.” She stretched out her arms and looped one of them around his shoulders.
He looked away. “It’s just a budget report from the education minister,” he apologized.
“Augh, and that’s the other reason I’ll never be queen of Omashu.” She felt around for his nose before giving it a solid flick. “Or Firelady.”
That was one reason. The other was that his court would murder him in his sleep, but he didn’t say that. “That’s the great thing about being Firelady. You wouldn’t have to deal with any of that if you didn’t want to.”
“Nah, I’d just have to deal with you after you deal with it. Which I guess I already do...” She gasped as he sucked on the hollow of her throat and smirked. “When I’m around.”
“Haha.”
“You wouldn’t be asking if you actually thought I’d say yes.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, “But you like to be asked.”
“The servants hate it when you drag the blankets and pillows off the bed.”
They pulled their hands off each other. Zuko tried not to cringe as he twisted around. They couldn’t have looked guiltier if they’d planned it. “Baby girl!”
“Leishang!” Toph smiled. “You’re getting so big! How old are you now?”
Zuko’s daughter folded her arms. “You can’t even see me.”
“Heheh, right.”
“Twelve.” Zuko let his head fall into his hands. “You wanted to see me?”
Leishang stared at the floor shyly. “My teacher says I’m ready to start learning the next firebending form. I- I just wanted you to know.”
As soon as he had untangled his legs from the blankets, he launched himself to his feet and wrapped her in a quick hug. “That’s great!”
“Yeah.” Her voice was muffled against his chest. “Yeah, I’ll just... go... now...”
Zuko kissed his daughter’s head. “It’s okay.”
“No, no,” she broke away and ran.
Sighing, Zuko closed the doors behind her and burrowed back into the blankets with Toph.
“She gone yet?”
“Yeah,” he breathed into her ear.
“You know I hate these floors, Hot Stuff.” Toph pushed herself up in his arms and kissed her way up to his lips before finishing. “Wood. Might stay longer if you switched ‘em.”
“How long are you staying this time?” he asked, hiding his wistfulness as best he could.
“Dunno,” she murmured, but she ended with a wicked grin. “But I’m not going anywhere tomorrow.” ~*~
Okay, so I can’t write anything ever without injecting angst into it. Be patient; it’s my first romance!fic; I’ve got to start slow. This wound up being shorter than I thought it would be, so I made it into a commentfic. To make up for it, I made you an icon. It’s not Toko, but it’s a (to my mind) essential ship that you don’t have any icons for. (http://s1002.photobucket.com/albums/af149/attackfishscales/?action=view¤t=crackship.gif) I don’t expect you to actually use it (what would you use it FOR?) I just hoped it would cheer you up.
Bonus: some fluffy Toph/Zuko, all grown up (not dark)
“You knew that was coming.” Zuko ran his fingers through her hair. “Greatest earthbender in the world.”
“Yeah yeah yeah.” The fire in the hearth popped and crackled in front of them as she nuzzled into the crook of his arm. “Not ready to settle down yet.”
Zuko laughed quietly, almost worried that anything louder would shatter the mood into sharp pieces.
“What about you, Hot Stuff, they still after you to get married again?”
He nodded, and then remembered. “Yeah, the position’s still open.”
Toph jabbed her fingers into his topknot and started twisting his hair out of place. “Hey, didn’t I just say I wasn’t ready to settle down?”
“Yeah.” He let her. “But that’s what you were asking, right?”
“Whoa boy,” she snickered. “What’s it been, seven years? That’s determined.”
Zuko shrugged. “Six and a half.”
As the caps of the scroll Zuko was holding clicked against the floor, Toph decided it was definitely time to change the subject. “So what’re you reading?”
Zuko put the scroll down self-consciously. “I thought you didn’t like scrolls.”
“I like ‘em fine when they’re read to me.” She stretched out her arms and looped one of them around his shoulders.
He looked away. “It’s just a budget report from the education minister,” he apologized.
“Augh, and that’s the other reason I’ll never be queen of Omashu.” She felt around for his nose before giving it a solid flick. “Or Firelady.”
That was one reason. The other was that his court would murder him in his sleep, but he didn’t say that. “That’s the great thing about being Firelady. You wouldn’t have to deal with any of that if you didn’t want to.”
“Nah, I’d just have to deal with you after you deal with it. Which I guess I already do...” She gasped as he sucked on the hollow of her throat and smirked. “When I’m around.”
“Haha.”
“You wouldn’t be asking if you actually thought I’d say yes.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, “But you like to be asked.”
“The servants hate it when you drag the blankets and pillows off the bed.”
They pulled their hands off each other. Zuko tried not to cringe as he twisted around. They couldn’t have looked guiltier if they’d planned it. “Baby girl!”
“Leishang!” Toph smiled. “You’re getting so big! How old are you now?”
Zuko’s daughter folded her arms. “You can’t even see me.”
“Heheh, right.”
“Twelve.” Zuko let his head fall into his hands. “You wanted to see me?”
Leishang stared at the floor shyly. “My teacher says I’m ready to start learning the next firebending form. I- I just wanted you to know.”
As soon as he had untangled his legs from the blankets, he launched himself to his feet and wrapped her in a quick hug. “That’s great!”
“Yeah.” Her voice was muffled against his chest. “Yeah, I’ll just... go... now...”
Zuko kissed his daughter’s head. “It’s okay.”
“No, no,” she broke away and ran.
Sighing, Zuko closed the doors behind her and burrowed back into the blankets with Toph.
“She gone yet?”
“Yeah,” he breathed into her ear.
“You know I hate these floors, Hot Stuff.” Toph pushed herself up in his arms and kissed her way up to his lips before finishing. “Wood. Might stay longer if you switched ‘em.”
“How long are you staying this time?” he asked, hiding his wistfulness as best he could.
“Dunno,” she murmured, but she ended with a wicked grin. “But I’m not going anywhere tomorrow.”
~*~
Okay, so I can’t write anything ever without injecting angst into it. Be patient; it’s my first romance!fic; I’ve got to start slow. This wound up being shorter than I thought it would be, so I made it into a commentfic. To make up for it, I made you an icon. It’s not Toko, but it’s a (to my mind) essential ship that you don’t have any icons for.