Avatar One-Shots

Little Sister (Toko)

A/n Toko for @Iheartlovely
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Okay, this was unacceptable. Toph was practically his little sister! He shouldn't even be having this problem.

And yet, ever since that brief encounter in the palace kitchen, Zuko couldn't stop thinking about her.

It was innocent enough. The gang was visiting, and Toph was obviously hungry one day, so she decided to swing by the kitchen to get something to eat. Zuko, having the same thought, ran into her there. They exchanged pleasant conversation as they snacked on Komodo rhino and Fire Nation Gummies, and once they were done, said their goodbyes. However, Zuko stumped his toe on a table, causing him to lose his balance and fall on top of his companion. The two of them lay there for a moment, cheeks red, eyes wide, before he threw himself back up and apologized profusely. Toph, of course, brushed it off and went on her way, leaving Zuko alone in the kitchen to process.

He should have been able to forget it and continue with his day-to-day life. After all, it was an accident. But he couldn't. He couldn't get the image of her underneath him–cheeks uncharacteristically red, hair slightly disheveled from the fall–out of his head.

I wonder what it would feel like to. . .

He cut himself of before he could finish the thought.

"What is wrong with me?!" He cried, shaking his head as hard as he could and yanking at his hair with equal vigor. He was supposed to be in love with Mai. Everyone expected him to make her his Firelady someday soon. He couldn't be having impure thoughts about a girl who, up until now, he'd only viewed as a younger sister.

Knock knock knock rang out from the door.

"Come in..." He muttered, falling to a slouch on his bed. His gaze lifted and his eyes widened as the object of his torment poked her head in.
He was incredibly grateful she couldn't see his expression.

"Hey, Prince Sparks-A-Lot, you got a minute?" She asked. Zuko nodded, and promptly facepalmed as he remembered she was blind.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. What's up?"

Toph sighed, crossing the room and sitting next to him on the bed.

"You've been acting weird around me." she stated plainly, her blank stare fixed on him. Zuko took this opportunity to study her. Her hair was in an updo, as usual, and she was wearing her typical Earth Kingdom attire. But she looked different. All of the sudden, she had curves in places she hadn't before. Zuko wondered when those had gotten there. This wasn't the kid he'd fought in the war with. That girl had grown into the young woman now before him.

As he scanned her, he was once again grateful for her blindness.

"Zuko? Are you listening?" Toph asked, bringing the him back to reality. He hadn't even realized she'd been talking? Spirits, this was getting bad!

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked, his face flushing. Toph rolled her eyes.

"I said, I don't like you acting all distant around me, Sparkhead! Geez, is your head so full of gasoline you can't pay attention?"

Ordinarily Zuko would bristle a bit, be it playfully or not, at the Fire Nation insults. But today he was barely paying them any mind.

"Sorry," he muttered, prompting Toph to cross her arms and sit up straighter.

"And now you're not even defending yourself against my Fire Nation jokes! What's gotten into you, Zuko?"

"You have," he responded without thinking.

Toph's eyes widened as the Firelord clamped both hands over his mouth, silently cursing himself for being so careless. What kind of idiot let something like that slip?

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked, a shocked expression still on her face.

With a sigh, he repeated himself.

"I haven't been able to get you out of my head lately. It's like I woke up and off of a sudden you're not the little kid I saw you as during the war. You've grown into... Into..."

"The sexiest person alive?" She offered playfully. Zuko was grateful for the normalcy. Perhaps this meant things wouldn't be weird between them.

"Um..." He muttered, not really sure how to answer that. Toph cracked a grin.

"Hey, it's alright! To be honest, I've kind of had a crush on you since I was fourteen," she admitted with a blush. Zuko stared open-mouthed at her. He wasn't expecting such a blunt profession of her feelings.

"You- you have?" He asked dumbly. Toph rolled her eyes again.

"I said it didn't I?"

The two of them sat there silently for a long while. Then, unable to contain herself any longer, Toph shot forward and connected their lips.

Zuko wasn't expecting it, Toph herself really wasn't expecting it, and for a long while they froze, afraid to move, until suddenly she pulled back as abruptly as she darted in.

"Well, glad I finally got to do that!" She exclaimed before jumping to her feet and quickly exiting the room, once again leaving Zuko to process.

Oh man, I'm gonna have to have a talk with Mai . . .