Avatar: The Last Airbender - Zuko/Toph
I actually finished these a while ago, but that crazy little thing called love moving tends to delay plans.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Zuko/Toph
Theme set: Epsilon
Rating: G
Notes: Jumps all over timelines and universes. Two vague mentions of Zuko/Song. One very slightly suggestive sentence. General abuse of punctuation and italics.
1. Motion
He braced himself, but the mound of earth froze above him and crashed down to his side - “Next time I won’t miss!”
2. Cool
Aang struggled to light the campfire with his fingertips, and Toph scowled and curled closer to Appa; Zuko glanced in her direction and made a show of becoming frustrated before lighting it himself.
3. Young
“I’m not too weak or too frail,” she pulled him into another, more forceful kiss, “And I’m definitely not too young.”
4. Last
It is the last day of summer, and, for a moment, they just sit in the glow of a dying kingdom - “I guess we won,” she says, “Do you think so?”
5. Wrong
A hand brushed over his scalp (They told me you had a ponytail) and he flinched as fingers suddenly dropped to his face (They weren’t wrong about the scar, though).
6. Gentle
She panicked and her insults flew fast and hard, until he, too, relinquished his pity to shout back at her.
7. One
She hasn’t quite learned to dodge fire by stances alone, and he says it is enough and she should get her burns treated - “No,” she shifts her feet and takes her stance, “One more time!”
8. Thousand
It had been many years and she absently asks how many have had him in her absence; he kisses her neck, “A thousand, none at all, it doesn’t matter.”
9. King
“Hey, future king,” she calls, heaving a rolled up tent at him, “Help me set up the royal palace; we all have to do our share.”
10. Learn
She brushes herself off and stomps away, “Just leave me alone!” and solid rock shoots up in his path, inches from his nose - did I do something?
11. Blur
For too long his view was skewed, with beliefs formed and broken within days; his uncle gently tried to redraw the lines, but it would take a quick, blunt voice to bring it all into sharp focus.
12. Wait
He tells her to wait by the gate and trudges down the path with the horse in tow; her face is blank as another pair of footsteps run up to meet his, and their weight becomes one to her senses.
13. Change
His uncle comments on the changing weather, “Ah, Spring, the season of growth, love, and earthbending.”
14. Command
She complains of the heat, calls it another reason not to like the Fire Nation, and he mumbles tiredly that he can easily make her shut up; she grins lazily at the challenge, “Oh really?”
15. Hold
She is bound behind him on the ostrichhorse and threatening him incessantly - “You’ll regret messing with me, I’ll wipe that smirk off your face!” - and he vaguely wonders why he thought she would be the easiest hostage to take.
16. Need
If they shared one thing only and nothing else, it was the deep and constant need to be seen for more than what their outer shells project.
17. Vision
He finds it ironic, wonderfully so, that she is the first one to truly see him.
18. Attention
“Hey,” louder, “hey,” she kicks him in the side and he jerks forward with a groan, “Good, you’re awake.”
19. Soul
To her, Zuko is a sharp voice, a tall body, and a scar, all wrapped around a very complicated person.
20. Picture
She traces his brow, his nose, his mouth, his chin, his ears and the edges of his scar, and in her mind she paints a vivid portrait.
21. Fool
She reacted to the tale of his past by spreading her arms with a smirk and cooing, “Aw, does someone need a hug?” - he threw his roasting fish into the fire and stalked off, leaving her to mumble to the flames, “I was just kidding around…”
22. Mad
He flings them out range behind a rocky rise, but her taunts are still flowing freely; he slaps a hand over her mouth and hisses in her ear, “Stop! She’s insane - you’re insane!”
23. Child
“Someday four years won’t seem like much,” she says in response to his guilt and morals, “Will I still be a child then?”
24. Now (follows 26)
They hesitantly tell her she looks lovely in the traditional robes - “But how do I look next to the Fire Lord?” - and she smiles mockingly at their cracking voices.
25. Shadow
She can feel his shadow over her face, cooling her skin, and she shivers, “Hey.”
26. Goodbye
“I’m not asking for permission; it’s my choice,” she caught the strap of her bag and lifted it onto her shoulders, “Goodbye Mom, Dad.”
27. Hide
The other three say that retreating is a good tactic, but they both have trouble accepting it as anything but the coward’s way out.
28. Fortune
“My parents would be happy to see me spending all this time with some rich, fancy prince,” she says to the dying embers of their fire - the others chuckle and Zuko doesn’t bother to correct her.
29. Safe
Her home, the arena, the Avatar, they were safe - Zuko…Zuko was exciting.
30. Ghost
Summer Solstice and a nation celebrates, a king mourns, and a spirit calls in vain, here I am, right beside you.
31. Book
When Katara suggests they tell stories, Toph is quick to volunteer him, and he glares at her grinning face and wonders if this is karma for disbanding Music Night.
32. Eye
“You can’t see well out of that eye, can you?” she asks one night, “I see with my earthbending - you don’t seem to do too badly either.”
33. Never
She came up with the nickname on her own, but it is familiar enough to spark anger, “Never call me that!”
34. Sing
Toph leans back and listens as Uncle Iroh sings (Four seasons, four loves), and Zuko notices that, for once, her smile is not a smirk or devious grin.
35. Sudden
He wasn’t sure when it happened, but suddenly when she grinned at him, letting him in on whatever idea she was entertaining, he found himself smiling too.
36. Stop
“That’s a stupid thing to worry over,” she says, and his retaliation dies in his throat as he realizes she is absolutely right.
37. Time
They meet again (hello, how are you, and you, good), exchange news (the avatar, the kingdom, my uncle, my home), and somehow wind up leaving for the same place.
38. Wash
He returns to camp, soaking wet and grumbling indistinctly, and they look to a dripping Toph for explanation, who simply shrugs, “He doesn’t know how to have a water fight.”
39. Torn
She laughs, a childish sound that reminds him of how young she truly is, and for the second time he is distracted from the sky by the earth.
40. History
“Why should I pity some spoiled runaway?” he says and pours the tea.
41. Power
Their skills are complimentary ones - fire scorches the surface of earth to help it grow; earth smothers fire to control it and help it learn.
42. Bother
She returns, grinning, from a chat with his uncle and drops down beside him, “So I hear you play the Sungi Horn.”
43. God
They do not clash as often as with others, but when they do it is harsh and bitter, and a voice rings in the back of their minds Gods, we’re exactly the same.
44. Wall
She collapsed the wall surrounding the Fire Nation capitol and rushed the Avatar through - she opened the door to the Fire Nation capitol and welcomed him home.
45. Naked
He drops quickly, up to his neck in lake water, and she snorts, “Relax, I can’t see anything.”
46. Drive
“I want to return home,” says he; “I never want to go back,” she replies.
47. Harm
“You’re like my sister!” he spits in a moment of fury, and her playful heckling abruptly stops as she tenses, turns, and walks stiffly away.
48. Precious
Zuko warns her that he isn’t one to dote on people; Toph assures him that if she senses any doting, she’ll set him straight.
49. Hunger
Through trial and error they adjust their lifestyles from nobility to wanted man, and they learn which plants are edible, and which leave them clutching their stomachs, curled together in a miserable heap.
50. Believe
“You were using us the whole time!” she shouts, furious, fists shaking, the loudest of them all, “And we believed you - we trusted you!”
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Zuko/Toph
Theme set: Epsilon
Rating: G
Notes: Jumps all over timelines and universes. Two vague mentions of Zuko/Song. One very slightly suggestive sentence. General abuse of punctuation and italics.
1. Motion
He braced himself, but the mound of earth froze above him and crashed down to his side - “Next time I won’t miss!”
2. Cool
Aang struggled to light the campfire with his fingertips, and Toph scowled and curled closer to Appa; Zuko glanced in her direction and made a show of becoming frustrated before lighting it himself.
3. Young
“I’m not too weak or too frail,” she pulled him into another, more forceful kiss, “And I’m definitely not too young.”
4. Last
It is the last day of summer, and, for a moment, they just sit in the glow of a dying kingdom - “I guess we won,” she says, “Do you think so?”
5. Wrong
A hand brushed over his scalp (They told me you had a ponytail) and he flinched as fingers suddenly dropped to his face (They weren’t wrong about the scar, though).
6. Gentle
She panicked and her insults flew fast and hard, until he, too, relinquished his pity to shout back at her.
7. One
She hasn’t quite learned to dodge fire by stances alone, and he says it is enough and she should get her burns treated - “No,” she shifts her feet and takes her stance, “One more time!”
8. Thousand
It had been many years and she absently asks how many have had him in her absence; he kisses her neck, “A thousand, none at all, it doesn’t matter.”
9. King
“Hey, future king,” she calls, heaving a rolled up tent at him, “Help me set up the royal palace; we all have to do our share.”
10. Learn
She brushes herself off and stomps away, “Just leave me alone!” and solid rock shoots up in his path, inches from his nose - did I do something?
11. Blur
For too long his view was skewed, with beliefs formed and broken within days; his uncle gently tried to redraw the lines, but it would take a quick, blunt voice to bring it all into sharp focus.
12. Wait
He tells her to wait by the gate and trudges down the path with the horse in tow; her face is blank as another pair of footsteps run up to meet his, and their weight becomes one to her senses.
13. Change
His uncle comments on the changing weather, “Ah, Spring, the season of growth, love, and earthbending.”
14. Command
She complains of the heat, calls it another reason not to like the Fire Nation, and he mumbles tiredly that he can easily make her shut up; she grins lazily at the challenge, “Oh really?”
15. Hold
She is bound behind him on the ostrichhorse and threatening him incessantly - “You’ll regret messing with me, I’ll wipe that smirk off your face!” - and he vaguely wonders why he thought she would be the easiest hostage to take.
16. Need
If they shared one thing only and nothing else, it was the deep and constant need to be seen for more than what their outer shells project.
17. Vision
He finds it ironic, wonderfully so, that she is the first one to truly see him.
18. Attention
“Hey,” louder, “hey,” she kicks him in the side and he jerks forward with a groan, “Good, you’re awake.”
19. Soul
To her, Zuko is a sharp voice, a tall body, and a scar, all wrapped around a very complicated person.
20. Picture
She traces his brow, his nose, his mouth, his chin, his ears and the edges of his scar, and in her mind she paints a vivid portrait.
21. Fool
She reacted to the tale of his past by spreading her arms with a smirk and cooing, “Aw, does someone need a hug?” - he threw his roasting fish into the fire and stalked off, leaving her to mumble to the flames, “I was just kidding around…”
22. Mad
He flings them out range behind a rocky rise, but her taunts are still flowing freely; he slaps a hand over her mouth and hisses in her ear, “Stop! She’s insane - you’re insane!”
23. Child
“Someday four years won’t seem like much,” she says in response to his guilt and morals, “Will I still be a child then?”
24. Now (follows 26)
They hesitantly tell her she looks lovely in the traditional robes - “But how do I look next to the Fire Lord?” - and she smiles mockingly at their cracking voices.
25. Shadow
She can feel his shadow over her face, cooling her skin, and she shivers, “Hey.”
26. Goodbye
“I’m not asking for permission; it’s my choice,” she caught the strap of her bag and lifted it onto her shoulders, “Goodbye Mom, Dad.”
27. Hide
The other three say that retreating is a good tactic, but they both have trouble accepting it as anything but the coward’s way out.
28. Fortune
“My parents would be happy to see me spending all this time with some rich, fancy prince,” she says to the dying embers of their fire - the others chuckle and Zuko doesn’t bother to correct her.
29. Safe
Her home, the arena, the Avatar, they were safe - Zuko…Zuko was exciting.
30. Ghost
Summer Solstice and a nation celebrates, a king mourns, and a spirit calls in vain, here I am, right beside you.
31. Book
When Katara suggests they tell stories, Toph is quick to volunteer him, and he glares at her grinning face and wonders if this is karma for disbanding Music Night.
32. Eye
“You can’t see well out of that eye, can you?” she asks one night, “I see with my earthbending - you don’t seem to do too badly either.”
33. Never
She came up with the nickname on her own, but it is familiar enough to spark anger, “Never call me that!”
34. Sing
Toph leans back and listens as Uncle Iroh sings (Four seasons, four loves), and Zuko notices that, for once, her smile is not a smirk or devious grin.
35. Sudden
He wasn’t sure when it happened, but suddenly when she grinned at him, letting him in on whatever idea she was entertaining, he found himself smiling too.
36. Stop
“That’s a stupid thing to worry over,” she says, and his retaliation dies in his throat as he realizes she is absolutely right.
37. Time
They meet again (hello, how are you, and you, good), exchange news (the avatar, the kingdom, my uncle, my home), and somehow wind up leaving for the same place.
38. Wash
He returns to camp, soaking wet and grumbling indistinctly, and they look to a dripping Toph for explanation, who simply shrugs, “He doesn’t know how to have a water fight.”
39. Torn
She laughs, a childish sound that reminds him of how young she truly is, and for the second time he is distracted from the sky by the earth.
40. History
“Why should I pity some spoiled runaway?” he says and pours the tea.
41. Power
Their skills are complimentary ones - fire scorches the surface of earth to help it grow; earth smothers fire to control it and help it learn.
42. Bother
She returns, grinning, from a chat with his uncle and drops down beside him, “So I hear you play the Sungi Horn.”
43. God
They do not clash as often as with others, but when they do it is harsh and bitter, and a voice rings in the back of their minds Gods, we’re exactly the same.
44. Wall
She collapsed the wall surrounding the Fire Nation capitol and rushed the Avatar through - she opened the door to the Fire Nation capitol and welcomed him home.
45. Naked
He drops quickly, up to his neck in lake water, and she snorts, “Relax, I can’t see anything.”
46. Drive
“I want to return home,” says he; “I never want to go back,” she replies.
47. Harm
“You’re like my sister!” he spits in a moment of fury, and her playful heckling abruptly stops as she tenses, turns, and walks stiffly away.
48. Precious
Zuko warns her that he isn’t one to dote on people; Toph assures him that if she senses any doting, she’ll set him straight.
49. Hunger
Through trial and error they adjust their lifestyles from nobility to wanted man, and they learn which plants are edible, and which leave them clutching their stomachs, curled together in a miserable heap.
50. Believe
“You were using us the whole time!” she shouts, furious, fists shaking, the loudest of them all, “And we believed you - we trusted you!”