Week 21
Toph didn't even make it two steps through the door, Kanto already handed her a scorching cup of green tea. He did that every meeting now, ever since she told him it was her favorite, and it was annoying as fuck. Well, what was annoying was that he was trying so damn hard...
And she was getting used to it, which was a disaster. Every time she opened that door the smells of his jasmine and her green tea would make her feel... Relaxed? That was as close to describing it as she could get.
But that day she smelled something else too.
"Judging by your face, I guess you noticed I've been cooking." He barely managed as he ran back to the stove in the kitchen. The apartment actually smelled like people lived there, for once. Not like bad coffee and cheap cigarettes. It was fucking weird. "Take a seat, I got some extra."
"I keep rocking my brain, but I have to confess I have no idea what this has to do with the triad?" She took off her damp jacket. It was pouring outside, so the warm apartment was a real improvement.
"That's cause it doesn't." She heard plates clanking, she didn't even know they had any here. "I'm cooking for Ling, but I didn't think I'd have time once I got home so I'll just bring it with me and say I made it there."
Toph felt today might be the day. He was still in the kitchen, no doubt arranging food on plates. She took a deep breath and bended off her armor, leaving it standing up by the door. She'd thought about it for weeks now. It was a sign of good faith. A sign she saw Kanto as more than a criminal. A sign of trust. Just a small gesture really, but for some reason a small part of Toph held it off for weeks.
She was just about to sit down when Kanto walked out of the kitchen with something that smelled really good. It was only then that she realized she didn't remember if she'd eaten anything since yesterday and that was worrying. Then Kanto laughed slightly.
"What?" She sat down.
"It's just... You look so tiny without your armor." His tone wasn't malicious, but Toph wanted to punch him just then. She finally overcomes all her shit to be normal with him and this is what he has to say? Idiot...
"You know, this tiny little girl could still kick your ass, Hotshot. Now shut up, or I'll start commenting on your girly-ass hobbies."
"Hey, you want the pasta or not?"
"Yes, please." It was a mistake telling him about her not eating often enough. For some reason he obviously took it as a personal challenge. Before he'd just bring bagels or something, but cooking was a bit much.
She pondered this some more, until the first bite of food touched her tongue.
"What? You don't like spicy food?" he asked.
"Kanto, this is the best food I've had in my life!" She stuffed some more into her mouth, then continued while chewing. "You made this?"
"Yeah."
"Well, what's it called? Cause it's the only thing I'll be ordering for the next month..." She took another break to stuff more pasta into her mouth.
"It doesn't have a name... I kind of made it up."
"You made this up?" She gestured to her plate. "You idiot!"
She threw one of her chopsticks at him, then found herself unable to continue eating. Well, that was unacceptable.
"Why?" He handed the chopstick back.
"All this time I could have been looking for a cook job for you! But no..." She took another mouthful. "You tell me you never finished elementary school. I ask about skills, you list your mediocre earthbending, but you don't mention you're fucking chef extraordinaire over here..."
He chuckled. "You really like it that much?"
She nodded in response and he pushed his plate over to her as well. Both plates were empty by the time Kanto finished giving her his weekly report.
"Why the bravery all of a sudden?" she asked, playing with the chopsticks.
"Cause the word is, Avatar's going out of town."
"Bastards." She grinned. "It's his anniversary. I can't believe they figured out he's always unavailable on that day..."
"Can't you just ask him to stay, like his friend?"
"Oh, no... No." Toph chuckled. "Katara would kill me. That's the one day a year she gets alone with her husband and I would be crazy to try to mess with that. But I'll be there as always. I'll mess up their plans, don't worry."
"So unlike the Avatar to blow off a chance to help."
"Yeah, not really. Aang never really wanted any of this shit. He just wanted a family. He didn't go out of his way to make his life into nothing but work, like me."
"So you wouldn't skip something like that robbery for an anniversary?"
"I honestly can't even imagine myself having an anniversary with someone... It's not really me." Well, that got... unnecessarily honest.
"I get you there." He stood up suddenly. "I gotta get going if I want Ling to think I've been home this whole time."
"I'd say to give him my best, but..."
"Yeah, soon though. Bye, Toph."
He didn't wait for her to say it back, he just slammed the door and she could feel him running down the stairs. Why was this criminal she had nothing in common with so easy to talk to?
oooooooooo
Week 24
After that first time, Kanto cooked for her again, every time since actually, so she was beginning to get used to that too. It didn't distract from their work like she insisted when she caught him making some kind of stinky soup (that ended up being phenomenal), it just made the whole experience of sneaking around and risking people's lives a bit more tolerable.
And it was going great. The work. Kanto never had a lot of information to give, even though she believed him when he told her that getting even this much had him working days and nights. But it was enough. They made it enough. They even begun ignoring some information recently, planning on using some of it later, in an opportune moment to get Kanto up to third ring.
That Monday, Toph found Kanto planning something at the table. She immediately knew something was wrong, since he was sitting like a normal person. No feet on the table or another chair, no crossed legs, something had him serious.
"No tea?" Toph had gotten so used to being handed her cup immediately after she came to the apartment, that this kind of pissed her off. But he was working so she didn't show it.
"In the kitchen. Help yourself." His tone was... Not very Kanto-like. Kind of hostile. Like he was mad she even came. Well, it was none of her business what had his panties all in a bunch.
She determined the right pot by smell and then poured herself a cup. Of course, it fucking spilled everywhere, but it didn't get her, and the way Kanto's been acting, she decided to leave that mess for him to discover.
"Got anything good for me?" She took a seat on one of the chairs next to him, instead of the one opposite him. Like she wanted to look at his papers, only she couldn't. In truth, she wanted to be closer to get a better read of his heartbeat. He was giving her all kinds of wrong vibes today.
"Actually, I might know how to get that third ring by next week."
"You really are a hotshot... Okay, let's hear it."
So he explained his plan. His plan to blackmail a fourth ring member with his mistress, that hinged on so much luck it was almost not accurate to call it a plan, but a dream.
"Didn't you say one time, that his office was locked?" was all she said in response, but it was far from the only part of his idea that straight up wouldn't work. What had gotten into him with this nonsense?
"Oh, fuck! You're right!"
"I often am."
"Fuck!" He shoved the table forward, without giving any indication beforehand, then started pacing the living room.
"What's with you?"
"I just need to get that ring already!" He was screaming then, but he sounded tired more than anything. Was the triad maybe onto them? Was that why he wasn't moving up?
"I hate to break it to you, Kanto... But that plan was shit. It's way too reckless, not to mention stupid! Wu would kill you before he'd give you any perks for threatening him. Do you even think with that head of yours?!"
"Well, I'm getting nowhere with your approach! I'm sick and tired of sweet-talking those old fools, I need-"
"You can't get yourself killed, because you're a bit stuck at the moment. Think about Ling."
"That's all I ever do! You... You have no idea. Those bastards!"
"Did... Did something happen to Ling?" Toph asked carefully. She didn't even know the little brat, but she hoped with everything she had her hunch was wrong.
"He's fine!" Kano sat right back next to her. "I just need to get him out of there as soon as possible, and moving at the pace we are, it'll be too late when we're done with our deal."
She knew the sound that followed. Him taking a cigarette out to light it. She slapped it out of his hand.
"No, you tell me what happened! Someone did something to him, I swear we'll lock him up for good."
"No one did anything to Ling."
"Don't lie to me, Kanto. You're on the good side now, you can report something if-"
"Ling killed someone." Kanto said, then took out another cigarette and lit it. She didn't stop him. She didn't speak at all for a while.
"What?"
"Exactly what I said. While I was out rubbing elbows to get my ring, the triad ordered my little brother to kill someone and he fucking did it..."
"I didn't know he was that deep."
"I didn't know he was that deep!" Kanto's heart threatened to jump out of his chest. "He's twelve years old... And he's not even sorry! I knew he enjoyed working for the triad so far, but, fuck, passing notes is one thing, but contract killing is another thing entirely."
"What did you say to him?" She didn't want to make it obvious that she worried about him mentioning her involvement, but it came out that way.
"Nothing about you. I just...screamed at him." Kanto buried his head in his hands. "I couldn't even tell him why I had such a problem with it, because I'm not sure anymore he wouldn't rat me out for snitching."
My fault.
She felt it again. The guilt over this small child becoming a killer. She should have cleaned up the Shades by now... Then it wouldn't have happened.
"If you're worried about him, I could get him out right now."
"You're not arresting my little brother, Toph."
"Not what I meant. I could get him settled somewhere nice, while you finish up our deal. You did a lot already."
"No! I'm doing a shit job taking care of him, but there are two things I managed: keeping him alive and keeping him with me. I'm not giving up on those."
He looked up then, apparently staring at her, waiting for her to weigh in, but she had nothing. What could she say, as a cop, that would make him feel better?
"He's twelve, who knows what kind of consequences this will have for him? To kill someone so young, I don't know if he'll ever-"
"I was twelve," she said. It just came out, like her brain didn't even have to ask permission before it shared stuff like that. "When I... You know... Killed someone."
He was way more shocked than she expected.
"I wouldn't expect-"
"I was in a war at twelve, Kanto. People were trying to kill me every day... I didn't plan on it, but things happened out there. You use your bending too hard, people get squished, pushed off cliffs, trapped in the rubble. And you kill them."
"It's not the same. You were in danger. You were defending yourself..."
"No. We march somewhere with a purpose, no matter how noble that purpose is, it's still our doing."
"But the Avatar says-"
"He was always very careful... But his Avatar state wasn't." Toph paused, remembering why she even went down that particular endless hole of misery. "Yet, we got over it. Twelve or not, you handled your shit and you survived long enough to cry later. It didn't turn me into some kind of a psychopath, and Ling will be just fine."
"I want to believe that."
"It's true. You don't know what they would have done to him if he'd refused. It wasn't entirely his choice either. You probably know that from experience by now..."
"At least I was sixteen my first time."
"Contract?"
"No. Me and some friends got jumped by a rival gang. This guy was coming at me with a knife, I didn't even have time to think. Made an earth spike, ran him right through... But it made me sick. I cried and threw up the whole night after. Ling's just so unaffected."
"Sometimes you need some age to figure out what you did."
"Thank you."
"For what? For not protecting your brother?" Toph chuckled bitterly.
"You know, for-"
"I know."
"I mean, you didn't have to, but-"
"I know." She stood up then and stretched her arms. "How would you like your first metalbending lesson today?"
"For real?"
"You shouldn't get your hopes up, though, Hotshot. Only about one in a hundred earthenders can get it."
"I'll do my best."
oooooooooo
Week 25
Toph slept in that Thursday. She spent most of the current week trying to catch the Terra Triad's largest Scorching Ice supplier, and yesterday, she'd finally done it. After that whole mess, she felt she deserved one good night's sleep.
She arrived at the station after noon, and took her sweet time getting to her office since her officers kept stopping her to congratulate her on the breakthrough. After all, there was nothing wrong with some attention. She worked her ass off for this!
Her and Kanto did, actually. Of course, she couldn't mention him. But she couldn't wait to tell him about every second of how the operation went. He came up with a big part of the strategy, after all.
"I thought you took a day off, Chief." Kun ran into her in the hall in front of her office.
"Don't be stupid... Of course, I won't stop now that I'm on a roll."
"Damn straight!" Huang added as he was passing the other two. "Hey, wait." He turned back. "I have something that's gonna make you even happier than you are right now."
"You proposing to the Chief, Huang?" Kun laughed.
"You shut your mouth!" The man's heart went crazy. "I know you want to be flower girl, but this is not the way..."
"Boys, I do have places to be this week..." Toph rolled her eyes.
"Right." Huang elbowed his friend. "Me and Fei caught that guy."
"If I have to guess which one, this won't be over quickly."
"I can't remember his name... The pie delivery guy, the one that got away, it's something like Kan or-"
"Kanto?" She tried to make her shock seem like it was a nice surprise, but she wasn't sure it was working... This, this was bad.
"Yeah, just the one." Huang took a bite out of the sandwich he was carrying. "We got lucky actually, he just walked up to Fei and socked him across the face. No reason... They really are animals some of them. Anyway, the poor boy was so surprised, he didn't even have the sense left to arrest the bastard. That's why I showed him how it's done."
"Is he alright?" Toph asked before thinking. Luckily, it made more sense to interpret it like she was asking about her officer. Not about Kanto, like she actually meant it.
"Yeah, the kid's fine. Perfectly fine. He's interrogating that street trash with Hong right now. I stepped out for lunch."
"What room?"
"Seven."
Toph didn't want to seem too eager, yet she was terrified Kanto had already gotten himself in too much trouble for her to fix it. Hit an officer? What the fuck was he thinking?! Was he drunk? Was it some kind of a triad test? Was he in trouble of some kind?
"Hong?" She peeked her head into the room behind the glass in room seven. She could feel Kanto was inside, pacing behind the glass, she already knew his walk pretty well.
"Yes, Chief? Good morning, Chief."
"Where's Fei?"
"Doctor's office, Chief."
"Good." She considered her options for a second. "New assignment, Officer. You're to exit the room and guard it from anyone entering until I'm done with the suspect."
"Chief?" He seemed uncertain, but walked out like she ordered, closing the door behind himself.
"Just do as I tell you. Tell no one about it."
"Oh, I see, Chief. He's in for a special interrogation." Hong cracked his knuckles as a sign of what he meant. "For pummeling one of our own."
"Just watch the fucking door. I feel anyone behind that glass, and you and I are gonna have a very special time together." She cracked her knuckles and entered the interrogation room.
"So we meet again, Chief." Kanto faked the smugness well enough, which told her he wasn't in total ruin. Nothing bad happened. He was probably just being stupid.
"Cut the shit, we're alone. Now what did you do?"
"Desperate times, Toph..." He sighed and walked way closer than she was comfortable with. "They're gonna try and kill you."
"Who?"
"The triad. Tomorrow, they'll set off a bomb and they have an ambush waiting for you when you respond."
There was a beat. Then Toph burst out laughing. "That's why you risked your cover? Kill me, Hotshot? Not gonna happen."
"Those guys are not fucking around! They have like fifty people ready for you, mostly benders. They even asked me to participate..."
"You're right. Now, I'm scared," she said as sarcastically as she could, smirking from ear to ear.
"After all that talk about me being reckless... All your dumb security rules I had to learn."
"Those rules are for you, not me. I could have handled them easy, even without this stunt of yours. We're not exactly in the same league, you and I."
"We are, in the sense that we can both die. You do know that, right? That you're not invincible?"
"Against those guys, I am invincible."
"They're prepared for all your tricks. Toph, I'm serious as a Dai Li agent, you could be killed." Saying that last word he grabbed hold of her shoulders. She stiffened. No matter how much she wanted to listen to his heart at that moment she couldn't because her own heartbeat was ringing in her ears.
"I mean..." He let go and turned around. "No one knows about our deal besides you so if you die, I'd be screwed."
"That's why you got yourself arrested?" She felt kind of...disappointed?
"Yeah, I did all of this for the contract."
Lie.
The change in his heartbeat was unmistakable.
"So you didn't worry about me?" She mocked.
He snorted. "No."
Another lie.
She was almost flattered.
"I have our contract together with my will. If I happen to bite it before you do, you're set." She was so close she could hear him relax through his breathing, but not all the way. "But I'll take Aang with me. Just in case."
"Smart call. Have any idea how to get me out of here now?"
"It won't be easy, since you assaulted an officer. I guess, I could lose the papers about your arrest and say they had mistakes in them."
"And I bet the other cops think you're kicking my ass right now..."
"Kind of."
He sighed. "Fine. Do it then." He turned back towards her and put his hands behind his back. "The face, so they can see."
"We don't need to do that. You can just pretend I sacked you in the gut, and it'll be fine."
"Afraid not... I can't show my face back home after punching a cop without at least a few bruises. It's suspicious." He chuckled to himself and sat down. "Come on, Chief. Lay it on me, I know you wanted to ever since you met me."
Screw him for making sense!
Toph hesitated. She had a long history of punching and getting punched, so she was trying to figure out a way to do it that would cause him the least amount of pain.
"You're not gonna make me do it to myself, are you?" the smug son of a bitch asked. "Should I try and make you mad? That could be fun."
"I'll do it," she said, but she apparently took too long again.
"Your bending is mediocre, at best. Nothing impressive about it."
Lie.
But she didn't need her truthseeing to know he didn't mean that one.
"You... You talk too much, yeah. And you think you're so funny, but you're not. And when you smile you look like a crazy little boy..."
Lie. Lie. Lie
How could he not see he was making it harder?
"And your station is a disgra-" He was interrupted when she slugged him, throwing his head back.
"Too hard?" That came out way gentler than she intended it to. What was wrong with her?
"Just right." He spit on the floor, probably blood. "One more, just like that."
She hit him again.
"You have a mean right, Chief."
She punched him one more time with her left, then stopped.
"Had enough?"
"Personally, yes. But I don't think I look like enough of a mess."
"Spirits... Here." Toph leaned over him in the chair and started pulling at his hair, disheveling it. It was wavy, she had no idea. She tugged at his shirt next, tearing off one of the buttons. "You look like a mess now?"
"I'll say..." His voice was a bit more gruff than usual. Or maybe she hadn't been paying attention.
"Then stay here while I destroy Fei's stupid report." She walked toward the door.
"Be careful around that young guy."
"Fei? Why?" She smiled.
"I punched him for no reason and instead of arresting me right away, he was telling me to get out of there until his partner showed up."
Toph turned. "You think he's-"
"I don't have proof, but I think he works for us."
oooooooooo
Week 26
"I told you, you have to practice every day!" Toph slammed the table making all the utensils from their lunch jump.
"I do practice every day!" He picked up a spoon with some remains of the cake he made for them. Then he stared at it. Intently.
"So?"
"It should be bending..."
"You should be bending." Toph casually raised her palm and the spoon melted in his fingers, dripped down to the table and formed the same spoon again. "Maybe we have to face it that you're just not one of the people that can get this. Nothing wrong with that..."
"Yes, there is! And I'm so close, I can feel it."
"Too bad you can't feel the little parts of earth in the metal." Toph grinned and started putting away the dishes.
"No, no, I'm really close. I think I moved a fork yesterday."
"You think?"
"Yeah, I think I saw it move an inch or half."
"You seeing people..." She shook her head. "You don't look at it, you either feel it responding or you don't."
But his stupid ramble gave her an idea.
"I guess, I'll practice some more and next time-"
"No, I got it. I'll teach you to see like me, first. Then you'll get it!"
"You'd do that?"
"Yeah, just black out the apartment and get yourself a blindfold of some kind."
"Shouldn't be too hard, it's almost dark out." He jumped up and started barring the windows. "You could make the blindfold."
"And how'd I test it, genius?"
"Right... Then just-"
"I'll eat the rest of the cake." She left for the kitchen. "I swear, you cook like I metalbend."
"Cocky and too often?"
"Watch it. You're about to be at my mercy."
She had time to eat a whole slice of cake before he finally announced he was done.
"So you can't see anything?" She kept eating. "Spin around a few times, then walk to me."
In just a few seconds she heard a crash. It was Kanto catching one of the chairs in the stomach. Idiot...
"How's it going?" she teased.
"Fuck you... Why didn't you tell me I was about to walk into it?"
"I'm not here to play Hot and Cold, get serious. Stomp your foot." He obeyed her words. "Feel anything? Where all the furniture is? Where I am?"
"I guess..."
She sighed, then put down her plate and started walking towards the bathroom, slowly and loudly.
"You're... You're moving." He pointed and followed her movement with his hand.
"Congratulations, you can hear. Now compare the sounds to what you're feeling with your feet." She was beginning to worry all this was pointless. She'd seen it before, some people just couldn't learn.
"I think I'm starting to get it." He stomped his foot again. "Who taught you this?"
"No one. I taught myself." She moved, and he shook the ground where her feet stopped. "Good."
"You mean that story's not made up? How old were you?"
"Three maybe, to be honest I don't really remember it much." She moved again. "Walk to me, but no running into things. Take your time."
"Three?!" He started walking to her slowly. He had a chair in his way but went around it.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you're smarter than a three-year-old, Kanto."
He made it.
"Good," she said. "Now I'll move quietly."
"Alright, I'm ready for it. Toph?" He stomped his foot. "Toph?"
"What's the hold up?" she asked from somewhere behind him.
"That's insane!" He whirled. "How'd you get there?"
She just chuckled. Without her armor on and with bare feet she was eerily quiet. She almost felt bad for him.
"Remind me to never fight you in the dark."
"You could've ended that sentence after you."
After a few tries, for which Toph gave him way too much time, he was actually getting quite accurate at sensing where she was. Even his moving around in the dark got decent. She had no idea if any of this would help him finally metalbend even one lousy spoon, but it was worth a shot.
"I'm rocking this!"
"Okay, Hotshot, how about you try catching me now?" She started walking away, still quiet but faster than she'd done before. He stomped his foot, which meant he was confused. Toph passed right by him and he didn't feel anything until she was already gone. If felt kind of good sensing him stumbling around, reaching for her in the dark after all the crap he thought he could get away with cause she was blind. The hardest part of evading him was stopping herself from laughing.
She passed right by him again, only this time he almost caught her arm. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction... She kept her mouth shut and walked to the opposite part of the apartment to be sure. He'd have to practice a lot more if he was planning on...
Suddenly, Kanto burst into motion, jumped on the table and slid across it, only to land of the other side. She was paying attention to his movement, but she hadn't expected such a bold move. Before she could react, he caught her. Caught her, meaning he grabbed her with both hands, pulled her into him and held on tightly.
She was so close now, she could hear his heartbeat increase through his chest, something she was sure he could do for her too. Hearing his breath wasn't unusual, but now she could actually feel it on her neck. It smelled of those bad cigarettes she was beginning to tolerate, while his shirt smelled like his cooking.
Toph realized they'd been standing still like that for some time, and his hand were still holding her just as tightly.
"I think you got me." It came out more like a whisper than she wanted.
"Yeah..." He let go and took a full step away. "Anyway, thanks. This... I think it helped a lot."
"You want to try and bend some metal now?" She asked, but he was already by the door. She heard a switch flip, bringing his light back on.
"Nah, I think I had enough for today, honestly." He grabbed his jacket. "You can keep the rest of the cake, Chief. And see you Monday?"
"Sure."
Kanto gabbed the doorknob forcefully and then with a loud sound ripped it off.
"I didn't try-"
"You bended it!" Toph moved to him and took the doorknob from him. It was all bent out of shape. It was undoubtedly metalbending.
"Yeah, but I don't think I'm practiced enough to put it back."
"No problem, I'll do it." She nodded and he started towards the stairs.
oooooooooo
Toph tried to get Kanto off her mind the whole way home with little to no success. She thought about going back to work, but it seemed like every fucking case reminded her of him too. She had no idea what had her so worried about him all of a sudden. There was no reason to worry. He cracked metalbending! He finally had one over on those other dummies.
He was that much closer to getting that third ring, which would get him awfully close to finishing their deal. They settled on a criminal about a month ago. A guy named Tri. And when Kanto lead her to him, they'd be done. Him and Ling would move away and there would be no more sneaking around. Was that it?
She didn't want to think about it. Any of it. It was weird, since she usually loved imagining criminals getting what they deserved. And Kanto deserved to get his new life as much as Tri deserved a life in prison.
Her next idea for distracting herself was to visit Mr. and Mrs. Avatar. But she didn't feel welcome there. Not like she used to. Even when Aang was miraculously home in the evenings, Katara and him had their hands full with little Kya and Bumi. Of course, they let her in. Katara gave her some dinner, which tasted like dog food now that she'd tried Kanto's cooking.
And she left. She didn't want to intrude. The kids had some kind of fever, both of them. But at least now she could think about what shitty friends she had, not about Kanto. That is, until she fell asleep. She couldn't control what her mind came up with then.
Toph dreamed of their game in the dark. Same as it happened. Kanto sliding on the table, grabbing her, the smell of him... Then something happened, that definitely didn't really happen. Instead of pulling away, he leaned in and kissed her. And just like that she was kissing back. Next thing she knew, he had her pinned against a wall, kissing her neck and then...
She woke up on her couch at home.
That doesn't mean anything.
It was her first thought upon waking up. It happened to people... Dreams were nonsense. Maybe it just meant that she liked being his friend, that she'd miss him in her life?
No, she had very unfriendly thoughts about him while awake sometimes. Too bad there was nothing she could do about them. He basically worked for her and their situation was dangerous enough without bringing all this shit into it.
Luckily, or rather unluckily for her, this was something she was particularly good at. Not telling people she had a crush on them.
oooooooooo
I'm particularly proud of this chapter for some reason. I had fun writing it.
And about Kanto being an incredible cook... It just popped into my head and wouldn't go away... I don't know about anyone else, but to me it fits well because our girl Toph, although amazing, isn't really all that domestic, so he could balance her out in the pair.