(no subject)
Sooo I took a short break for, um, Passover I guess? Yeeeah...We'll blame it on Passover and writer's block and my erratic mental state. Awesome!
Anyway, this one was fun to write. Also, I have no idea when it takes place in relation to TWAT/TFM. MAYBE YOU DO.
I am still FREAKING OUT about all the amazing stuff from NYCC. I wish I could have been there.
Title: Hell Week
Day/Theme: April 20th/Mercy is bad for the vision.
Series: Avatar
Featured Characters: Zuko, Toph
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,300
The first night, he finds a frog in his sleeping bag.
The revelation is followed by the sound of a tiny Earthbender cackling maniacally as it drips slowly down the front of him, leaving a shiny trail against his bare chest.
Before he can say anything she is gone, and going back to sleep is not an option. There could be other things he doesn't yet suspect.
---
The second day, he's sleepless and sloppy in his training with Aang, who is polite enough not mention it. Toph wanders by with a bowl of rice, most of which is sticking to her face, and grins at him brightly.
Zuko grins back, but feels as if it might be slightly unconvincing.
The second night he finds during supper that the Fire Flakes he's kept in his pack for weeks have been replaced with something else entirely, and he imagines that increasingly familiar laughter is echoing from far away as he retches up the past days' meals.
---
The third day, Aang gives him some time off.
"You're a weird color," he points out helpfully. Zuko makes a small affirmative noise and accepts a pat on the back and a glass of water.
Sometime in the middle of the third night, he wakes up from a fitful sleep to see what he thinks is the head of that winged lemur poking out of what is certainly Toph's body. Before he can even consider what exactly this means, the strange hybrid creature has disappeared and this time he can hear voices from the bushes.
"GREAT job, Toph, I knew that would come in handy again eventually."
"He didn't scream or anything, though."
"Yes, but he has no idea what's going on, and you still have so much time left to go..."
Momo makes a small, bright chirping sound.
---
When Zuko wakes up on the morning of the fourth day, confused and disoriented, Aang brightly asks him if he's had good dreams.
"Weird dreams," he replies, shaking his head. "Let's just...start training."
He doesn't say anything when Toph is gone all afternoon and when she finally shows up again, dirty and happy and carrying a satchel of something, he decides that the best plan is to skip both dinner and sleeping.
But nothing happens. It's a quiet, warm evening and a gentle breeze is blowing through the Temple. Aang and Sokka are snoring contentedly, Katara has a serious look on her face in slumber. Teo, The Duke, and the one with the mustache whose name Zuko can never remember have gone camping in the small scrub of woods nearby. He is solely awake and though Toph is nowhere in sight or sound, it seems like nothing is going to happen.
He's finally gotten a lucky break. Zuko closes his eyes slowly and warily and falls almost instantly into a dreamless doze.
---
On the fifth day he wakes to a voice sounding like Sokka's but decidedly more high-pitched muttering: "Oh man oh man oh man. I can't believe this."
"It's pretty...disgusting," chimes in one that is unmistakably Aang's, and his tone is worried. "Katara, can you do anything?"
"I don't think I can," Katara mutters, just nearly hiding a snicker. "This sort of problem has to run its own course."
"It kind of matches his scar," says someone who sounds like Teo, thoughtfully, "so it's not that noticeable..."
"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Zuko finally yells. "I can hear all of you, you know."
"He's awake?" Sokka asks. "Sorry, Zuko, we couldn't tell."
Zuko sighs and rubs his eyes. He rubs them hard. But they don't feel like his eyes, and the thoughtless sense of them flickering open isn't coming, they won't open, and it's then he realizes he can't see.
If he screams everyone feels guilty enough that they don't mention it later.
---
"They’re itchy," Zuko mutters.
Aang nods, then remembers he's invisible to Zuko and simply replies, "Yeah. I remember once I went looking for herbs with Monk Gyatso and accidentally stepped in a patch of Poison Cherry Oak. I itched for DAYS."
"Thanks," is the only reply he gets, dry and sullen.
"I wonder where Toph went," Katara asks no one in particular.
"I wonder that too," says Zuko.
---
"We'll need to figure out some way to help you get around," comments Aang later. He's decided to spend his day helping Zuko adjust to his newfound disability, and is, in Zuko's opinion, far too perky in said regard. "Momo could be your seeing-eye lemur or something."
"I don't need a seeing-eye lemur," Zuko replies, digging his nails into the side of his face and scratching hard.
"There are statues in the Southern Air Temple that sort of looked like your eyes do now. We called them Snow Goggles. They had those little slits, just like..."
"Aang," Zuko says, his voice drained of anything resembling a fight. "Do you think you could leave me alone for a little while?"
"Sure," Aang replies. "I'll go see if Momo is interested in the eye-lemur position."
Zuko is just about relaxed when he hears Aang's voice call back in his direction.
"REMEMBER NOT TO SCRATCH. YOU'LL LEAVE SCARS!"
---
That afternoon at lunchtime Toph finally returns, and does an impressive job of feigning surprise at Zuko's condition.
"Wow," she says. "And you can't see with your feet, either. That's gotta be awful."
Zuko gives her a look, or tries to, but with swollen-shut eyes the best he can manage is a sort of half-leer of his head, and he is certain he can hear the infuriating unreleased laughter.
"Do you need help with your food?" Teo asks with some concern, before Zuko shoves down his bowl and walks off.
"I'm not hungry," he says, and is doing an admirable job of proudly distancing himself before Katara grudgingly informs him he's going the wrong way.
---
The dawn of the sixth day comes clear and blue and breathtakingly beautiful for the rest of the world, pink and fuzzy and breathtakingly sore for Zuko.
He feels her before he hears her, scampering from nowhere, cross-legged on his sleeping bag and facing him directly.
"Now," Toph says quietly and seriously. "We're even."
He doesn't say anything back, only nods, and she’s gone as quickly as she came.
---
On the seventh day, Zuko wakes up to find he can make out fuzzy shapes and shadows and some colors. He can't help but smile even if Aang comments he still doesn't feel safe practicing any Firebending until the shadows change into actual visible forms.
He spends the day cautiously looking for Toph, and finds her resting on Appa's back under a complicated knot-work ceiling, picking the dirt out of her toes.
"I still can't see very well," he says. He's not even sure if this is a good idea, if she's paying attention, but if there's anything Zuko has learned from these people it is that their reactions often surprise him. "So I was wondering...Do you think you could help me get around? Just for today. Until I can see again."
"What makes you think I'd do that?" Toph asks, but he can sense her smile in her voice.
He struggles for an answer before her reply comes.
"I guess I don't have anything better to do, though, so why not?"
"I just need to know," Zuko says carefully, before she climbs down. "Whatever you're doing...you're definitely done now, right?"
"Probably," Toph replies cheerfully, and takes Zuko's hand in her own. "Come on, let's find something to eat.”
No one says anything as Toph appears by the campfire, dragging a befuddled Zuko behind her, except Aang.
"Oh, good," he comments, idly, "You found a seeing-foot Toph instead."
Zuko grumbles and shoves more noodles in his mouth than are probably necessary.
Anyway, this one was fun to write. Also, I have no idea when it takes place in relation to TWAT/TFM. MAYBE YOU DO.
I am still FREAKING OUT about all the amazing stuff from NYCC. I wish I could have been there.
Title: Hell Week
Day/Theme: April 20th/Mercy is bad for the vision.
Series: Avatar
Featured Characters: Zuko, Toph
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,300
The first night, he finds a frog in his sleeping bag.
The revelation is followed by the sound of a tiny Earthbender cackling maniacally as it drips slowly down the front of him, leaving a shiny trail against his bare chest.
Before he can say anything she is gone, and going back to sleep is not an option. There could be other things he doesn't yet suspect.
---
The second day, he's sleepless and sloppy in his training with Aang, who is polite enough not mention it. Toph wanders by with a bowl of rice, most of which is sticking to her face, and grins at him brightly.
Zuko grins back, but feels as if it might be slightly unconvincing.
The second night he finds during supper that the Fire Flakes he's kept in his pack for weeks have been replaced with something else entirely, and he imagines that increasingly familiar laughter is echoing from far away as he retches up the past days' meals.
---
The third day, Aang gives him some time off.
"You're a weird color," he points out helpfully. Zuko makes a small affirmative noise and accepts a pat on the back and a glass of water.
Sometime in the middle of the third night, he wakes up from a fitful sleep to see what he thinks is the head of that winged lemur poking out of what is certainly Toph's body. Before he can even consider what exactly this means, the strange hybrid creature has disappeared and this time he can hear voices from the bushes.
"GREAT job, Toph, I knew that would come in handy again eventually."
"He didn't scream or anything, though."
"Yes, but he has no idea what's going on, and you still have so much time left to go..."
Momo makes a small, bright chirping sound.
---
When Zuko wakes up on the morning of the fourth day, confused and disoriented, Aang brightly asks him if he's had good dreams.
"Weird dreams," he replies, shaking his head. "Let's just...start training."
He doesn't say anything when Toph is gone all afternoon and when she finally shows up again, dirty and happy and carrying a satchel of something, he decides that the best plan is to skip both dinner and sleeping.
But nothing happens. It's a quiet, warm evening and a gentle breeze is blowing through the Temple. Aang and Sokka are snoring contentedly, Katara has a serious look on her face in slumber. Teo, The Duke, and the one with the mustache whose name Zuko can never remember have gone camping in the small scrub of woods nearby. He is solely awake and though Toph is nowhere in sight or sound, it seems like nothing is going to happen.
He's finally gotten a lucky break. Zuko closes his eyes slowly and warily and falls almost instantly into a dreamless doze.
---
On the fifth day he wakes to a voice sounding like Sokka's but decidedly more high-pitched muttering: "Oh man oh man oh man. I can't believe this."
"It's pretty...disgusting," chimes in one that is unmistakably Aang's, and his tone is worried. "Katara, can you do anything?"
"I don't think I can," Katara mutters, just nearly hiding a snicker. "This sort of problem has to run its own course."
"It kind of matches his scar," says someone who sounds like Teo, thoughtfully, "so it's not that noticeable..."
"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Zuko finally yells. "I can hear all of you, you know."
"He's awake?" Sokka asks. "Sorry, Zuko, we couldn't tell."
Zuko sighs and rubs his eyes. He rubs them hard. But they don't feel like his eyes, and the thoughtless sense of them flickering open isn't coming, they won't open, and it's then he realizes he can't see.
If he screams everyone feels guilty enough that they don't mention it later.
---
"They’re itchy," Zuko mutters.
Aang nods, then remembers he's invisible to Zuko and simply replies, "Yeah. I remember once I went looking for herbs with Monk Gyatso and accidentally stepped in a patch of Poison Cherry Oak. I itched for DAYS."
"Thanks," is the only reply he gets, dry and sullen.
"I wonder where Toph went," Katara asks no one in particular.
"I wonder that too," says Zuko.
---
"We'll need to figure out some way to help you get around," comments Aang later. He's decided to spend his day helping Zuko adjust to his newfound disability, and is, in Zuko's opinion, far too perky in said regard. "Momo could be your seeing-eye lemur or something."
"I don't need a seeing-eye lemur," Zuko replies, digging his nails into the side of his face and scratching hard.
"There are statues in the Southern Air Temple that sort of looked like your eyes do now. We called them Snow Goggles. They had those little slits, just like..."
"Aang," Zuko says, his voice drained of anything resembling a fight. "Do you think you could leave me alone for a little while?"
"Sure," Aang replies. "I'll go see if Momo is interested in the eye-lemur position."
Zuko is just about relaxed when he hears Aang's voice call back in his direction.
"REMEMBER NOT TO SCRATCH. YOU'LL LEAVE SCARS!"
---
That afternoon at lunchtime Toph finally returns, and does an impressive job of feigning surprise at Zuko's condition.
"Wow," she says. "And you can't see with your feet, either. That's gotta be awful."
Zuko gives her a look, or tries to, but with swollen-shut eyes the best he can manage is a sort of half-leer of his head, and he is certain he can hear the infuriating unreleased laughter.
"Do you need help with your food?" Teo asks with some concern, before Zuko shoves down his bowl and walks off.
"I'm not hungry," he says, and is doing an admirable job of proudly distancing himself before Katara grudgingly informs him he's going the wrong way.
---
The dawn of the sixth day comes clear and blue and breathtakingly beautiful for the rest of the world, pink and fuzzy and breathtakingly sore for Zuko.
He feels her before he hears her, scampering from nowhere, cross-legged on his sleeping bag and facing him directly.
"Now," Toph says quietly and seriously. "We're even."
He doesn't say anything back, only nods, and she’s gone as quickly as she came.
---
On the seventh day, Zuko wakes up to find he can make out fuzzy shapes and shadows and some colors. He can't help but smile even if Aang comments he still doesn't feel safe practicing any Firebending until the shadows change into actual visible forms.
He spends the day cautiously looking for Toph, and finds her resting on Appa's back under a complicated knot-work ceiling, picking the dirt out of her toes.
"I still can't see very well," he says. He's not even sure if this is a good idea, if she's paying attention, but if there's anything Zuko has learned from these people it is that their reactions often surprise him. "So I was wondering...Do you think you could help me get around? Just for today. Until I can see again."
"What makes you think I'd do that?" Toph asks, but he can sense her smile in her voice.
He struggles for an answer before her reply comes.
"I guess I don't have anything better to do, though, so why not?"
"I just need to know," Zuko says carefully, before she climbs down. "Whatever you're doing...you're definitely done now, right?"
"Probably," Toph replies cheerfully, and takes Zuko's hand in her own. "Come on, let's find something to eat.”
No one says anything as Toph appears by the campfire, dragging a befuddled Zuko behind her, except Aang.
"Oh, good," he comments, idly, "You found a seeing-foot Toph instead."
Zuko grumbles and shoves more noodles in his mouth than are probably necessary.