not a request, just wondering if you have a specific posting schedule? I really like the Toph fic you’re doing rn and was wondering if there are certain days to look forward to uploads for it!
hihiii first off thank you so much, i'm glad you like wtw!!♡ so far i don't really have a schedule because i recently started taking some cna classes so i'm going to be much busier for the rest of the month, and have less time to write</3 but i usually try to post nighttime PST tho :D
TW: $mut. that's genuinely all i can say bcs tumblr hates me
SUMMARY: Toph gets to know you in more ways than one, while unexpected revelations about both your relationship with a fellow islander and your life outside the villa begin to surface.
part i. under the covers * worth the wait series masterlist
WC: 5.5k
A/N: there is $mut in Ba Sing Se.
DISCLAIMER: all characterizations are purely speculative and fictional, based on my interpretation of each character's mannerisms and portrayal in their respective source material. please keep this in mind!!
Silence settles between the two of you.
The hand cupping your jaw remains perfectly still, as though she's afraid to move another inch without your permission. You wonder if she's already convinced herself you've said no.
Slowly, you nod.
Her thumb brushes lightly against your cheek, almost as if she's making sure she hadn't imagined it. Only then does her other hand start to move under your shirt, touching your delicately smooth skin like it’s the finest silk.
Your lips part with an unsteady breath before the fingers that had settled on your face change location upon feeling the movement. Her thumb comes up to hover over your mouth, seeming uncharacteristically hesitant for the confidence the earthbender normally carries.
The hand on your stomach continues to move upwards slowly, so much so that you have to repress a full-body shiver at how careful her touch is. She continues to go up until her hands stop right under your breasts.
Simultaneously, another shaky breath slips past your lips, your mind swimming with thoughts racing by too quickly to grasp. You have no idea what Toph has planned for you, but every inch of your body screams for her to continue.
The longer Toph remains perfectly still, the more you begin to understand why. She's waiting for your permission again. Without thinking, you speak into the stillness, your voice so quiet it could rival the sound of a pin dropping.
“Toph…” The sound of your own voice surprises you. It’s bordering on a whine, which you have to convince yourself to ignore before you become too embarrassed and rethink your decision.
“You have to talk. I can’t use my seismic sense.” She replies, her tone low and nearly gravelly.
“Please.” You finish, slightly arching into her touch.
She wastes no time in completing your request.
Her calluses meet the fat of your breast, cradling the underside of it before she lets her pointer finger just barely graze your nipple. You try to bite down on your lip to suppress the wanton sound threatening to leave your mouth, but Toph doesn’t allow you to. Her thumb, which had remained idle, suddenly presses with startling force against it, keeping your mouth wide open.
The earthbender no longer carries any restraint in her movements, allowing her finger to push against your now hardened nipple. She takes it between her two fingers with enough force that you could practically mewl, but still gentle enough not to harm you. With a slight twisting motion, she stimulates it.
Toph strains her ears to catch every hitch in your breath, her inability to see making her yearn to gaze upon the sight of your face twisting in pleasure.
She continues the action for a moment before taking the entirety of your tit into her hand and giving it a few squeezes. A half moan leaves your lips before you’re able to stop it. Thankfully, it’s still quiet, but when you hear the sound of another islander rustling in their bed, you freeze.
Closing your eyes out of fear, you expect Toph to pause, but she doesn’t. Instead, her palm on your breast moves downwards, finding a home just below your waistline. You clench your eyelids harder, not out of fear but pure desperation.
The earthbender’s fingers inch south until they stop at the hood of your pussy. Your eyes snap open, slowly readjusting to the darkness blanketing the room. In the faint glow filtering through the villa, you're just able to make out the outline of Toph's face, the relaxed set of her brows, and the pale cloudiness of her irises.
You know she can't see you.
Yet somehow, you can't shake the feeling that she's watching every reaction, every tiny change in your expression, as though she can picture it perfectly in her mind.
“Pretty.” The word slips out of Toph’s mouth, almost reverently.
She continues her journey until she reaches the top of your clit. Your heart seizes in your chest, an embarrassing wave of slick rushing out of your pussy to coat the insides of your panties.
For a moment, you wonder how you got here. Somehow, you had managed to end your sweet conversation earlier with your new couple’s hand stuffed down your thin shorts, and her other hand dangerously close to entering your mouth.
Then, she touches your clit. The feeling brings you out of your hazy thoughts and makes your legs twitch in bed. It’s feather light and so quick that if it wasn’t such a sensitive area you most likely wouldn’t have noticed it.
Toph notes the positive response and decides to push her luck. This time she allows the tip of her middle finger to firmly press down.
The touch is so delicious you forget Toph’s finger resting on your lip and bite down on it with mild force, simply needing to contain your audible reactions to her touch.
“Guessing you liked that, huh?” Her voice has a teasing lilt that would normally make you roll your eyes and laugh at her, but you can’t be bothered to feign annoyance. You only want her to continue.
“Yes.” You reply, wholly out of body, except when she dares to swirl your pearly clit between her middle finger and ring finger.
She pauses again, and you have to restrain yourself from crying out in frustration. But then you feel her return with more vigor than before, moving faster and harder against your clit like she was testing to see how long you could hold out.
Embarrassingly enough, you don’t think it’ll take long at all. A small knot forms in your stomach, accompanied by the unadulterated bliss that comes with Toph essentially fucking your clit in a room occupied by her close friends, and her ex connection.
“Toph.” You say her name like a warning and a prayer, practically begging her to continue her assault against your womanhood so you can reach your oh so close peak.
“Got something to say?” She whispers, moving her body forward in your direction until she can feel the top of her breasts just barely brush yours.
You shake your head–and truly you don’t. Nothing but thoughts of Toph fill your mind; her body so close to yours, her fingers touching places that hadn’t been explored in far too long–
“Didn’t think so.” Her voice makes its way to your ears, barely registering in your cloudy mind.
She pulls off your sweet spot in a split second before she finds her way to your slit, which practically oozes in desire for her. She makes a sound of immense contentment before she gathers your slick around her finger, feeling the slightly viscous substance sinfully stain her skin.
She slowly inserts the tip of her finger inside of you.
It’s thick and warm, and when she just barely crooks her finger to touch the side of your walls, you almost cry. Your pussy clenches around her like a vice, pleading in its own right for her to stay there–make a home inside of you.
The touch is too good–she’s too good–
Then it all stops.
In a flash, her finger on your lip and inside of you are gone, the one without slick groping along your figure until it finds the curve of your abdomen, bringing you fully into her chest. The dirty one finds its way into her mouth and settles against her tongue as she lets out a small hum of satisfaction.
You’re left in a daze of lust and frustration as a bleary, “Huh?” meets the skin of her collarbone.
She almost misses the noise. But having caught it, she can’t help the unabashed, wide grin that settles on her lips at the deliciously confused sound in your voice. “Hm? I know what you look like now.”
Your mind begins to sober up, the feeling of your almost-high leaving you with no bliss, but an embarrassingly large amount of wetness left over. “What are you–”
“Good night, Smudge.”
You stare into the darkness in shock.
Toph Beifong, your new couple, had just almost fucked you to the best high you’d ever experienced in your life before leaving you high and dry.
What a way to end your first night as a couple.
᯽
The following morning feels much like every other you've spent in the villa. Except, Toph isn't beside you.
Only the rumpled sheets where she'd been sleeping remain, the lingering warmth beneath your fingertips serving as proof she'd been there at all.
You stare at the spot, images of her on her side with her fingers touching your slick pussy rushing through your mind before you close your eyes and sigh. Reluctantly, you climb out of bed.
After your awakening, the rest of the villa begins to rise. Sleepy greetings drift between the shared bedroom and bathroom doors open and shut, and the unmistakable scent of coffee begins to fill the air as the boys scatter toward the kitchen.
Some things never change.
Waika is already brushing her hair in front of one of the mirrors in the glam room. Syzu somehow has enough energy to sing to herself while deciding between two nearly identical lip glosses.
Katara catches your eye through the mirror and smiles knowingly.
You only shake your head.
"What?" she asks innocently.
"Nothing." You say quickly, grabbing your concealer to look busy by applying a thin layer onto your skin.
"Liar."
You feel embarrassment flutter in your chest. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Mhm. You know, I heard something funny last night…”
“‘Tara!” You whisper-yell, trying not to catch the attention of the other girls.
Kuse glances at you, leaning in her chair to tune into your conversation with Katara. “Did you have a hard time sleeping?”
Your head snaps towards Kuse. Of all people, why did she have to hear that?
"No," you answer, perhaps a little too quickly. "Why?"
Kuse smiles pleasantly. "I heard a lot of rustling coming from your bed."
Your heart drops.
"I actually couldn't fall asleep for a while." She shrugs lightly. "It was way too hot."
“Oh.” You search desperately for something—anything—to say.
Fortunately, the door swings open before the silence can become any more unbearable. Toph walks in carrying a plate in both hands, Zuko following a step behind with breakfast for Waika.
“Morning,” Toph greets you, her grin far too smug for your liking as she slides you a plate.
“Good morning.” You accept the plate she slides into your hands, shooting her a look that could almost scorch.
Today's breakfast appears to be an omelette.
At least, you think that's what it is. It's folded a little too enthusiastically, one edge noticeably darker than the other, while melted cheese and vegetables threaten to escape from every side.
Before you can inspect it any further, Toph steps closer.
Without hesitation, she wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into an easy morning hug.
"You seem mad," she murmurs into the crown of your head, unable to hide the amusement in her voice. "Had a rough night?"
"I slept fine." You grumble.
Toph's grin only grows. "Eat before it gets cold." She gives your waist a quick squeeze before letting go and leaving the glam room with Zuko.
You watch the door swing shut behind her before looking back down at the plate in your hands. Despite its... questionable appearance, the omelette tastes even better than yesterday's breakfast.
By the time you've finished eating, touched up the last of your makeup, and changed into a black bikini with lace trim, the other girls have already begun making their way outside.
The islanders spill into the courtyard, cups of coffee in hand, while others settle onto the daybeds to soak up the morning sun.
You follow after them, stretching your arms above your head as the warmth settles across your skin.
Almost instinctively...your eyes find Toph.
She's over by the workout area.
A pair of dumbbells rests securely in her hands as she presses them overhead before lowering them with slow, practiced control. Her brows are drawn together in concentration, the weight heavy enough to make the muscles in her arms visibly tense with each repetition.
The oversized charcoal shirt she'd slept in has long since been traded for a fitted black tank top that leaves her toned shoulders and arms on full display. Loose athletic shorts complete the outfit, and despite the obvious effort each lift requires, there's something undeniably graceful about the way she moves.
You stop walking. "Toph Beifong, you are evil."
A bead of sweat slips from the side of her neck, tracing briefly along her collarbone before disappearing beneath the neckline of her tank top, most likely passing her chest and stopping at her abdomen.
Toph finishes her set, lowering the dumbbells onto the rack with a dull clank. She rolls one shoulder before lifting her chin ever so slightly, her eyes staring needlessly ahead. You watch carefully as her lips begin to curl upwards, and her head suddenly turns with startling accuracy in your direction.
You almost feel like she’s able to look through you with her milky eyes as she makes a show of hooking two fingers beneath the hem of her tank top, lifting it just enough to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
The movement reveals the toned lines of her abdomen for only a second before the fabric falls back into place.
You let out a quiet scoff. "Oh, you’re definitely doing that on purpose."
You tear your eyes away, glancing around the courtyard until your gaze lands on the stack of yoga mats tucked beside the patio.
An equally evil idea immediately forms in your mind. It isn't exactly mature, but neither was whatever Toph had just done.
You walk over, tug one of the mats free, and carry it toward an open patch of grass directly across from the workout area. The familiar texture beneath your bare feet brings an immediate sense of comfort.
It feels as natural as breathing.
You close your eyes for a brief moment, letting the morning air fill your lungs before easing into your first stretch. Your movements are slow, controlled, each transition melting seamlessly into the next.
One pose becomes another. Then another. You scarcely have to think about where your body should go.
"...Since when do you do yoga?"
You glance over your shoulder.
Syzu stands a few feet away, an iced coffee in one hand and her sunglasses perched atop her head.
A smile tugs at your lips. "For a while."
She watches you transition smoothly into another pose.
"...Okay." Her eyebrows lift. "I wasn't expecting you to be good."
You laugh. "What did you expect?"
"I don't know." She shrugs. "You seem like you'd be the type to sprint five miles before willingly doing yoga."
"I don't think I've ever voluntarily run five miles." You joke, settling into an easier pose so that you can talk to the blonde better
"Really?"
"I'd rather do this."
Syzu folds her arms. "Huh."
She watches you balance on one leg before slowly extending the other behind you.
"...Yeah, I would've fallen by now."
"I definitely did when I first started."
She lets out a dramatic sigh.
You release your leg, lowering it back down, struggling lightly. "It gets easier the more you practice."
Syzu hums thoughtfully. "...Maybe I should give it a shot."
Across the courtyard, Toph sets the dumbbells back onto the rack, the metal clanking softly against itself as she lets go.
She reaches for the towel draped over the bench beside her, intending to move on to the next exercise. Instead, she finds herself standing perfectly still.
Across the courtyard, Toph's attention drifts toward the patch of grass where you'd laid out your mat.
Through her seismic sense, she follows every deliberate movement as you ease effortlessly into a downward dog. Each shift is fluid, every adjustment purposeful, your breathing slow and measured as you settle into the stretch.
Toph hates how attractive it is.
She'd spent the last several minutes trying to convince herself you were only pretending to know what you were doing.
Clearly, you weren't.
A quiet scoff escapes her. "Show-off."
Despite the teasing thought, she can’t stop observing you. Her mind brings her back to last night, when she had you at her beck and call, like putty in her hands, while she toyed with your pussy and tits under her fingers.
As if sensing her attention, you straighten from the stretch, rolling your shoulders before instinctively looking toward the workout area.
Toph is still standing there, but not lifting. Just paying attention to you.
The moment she realizes you've caught her, the corner of her mouth curls into the faintest smirk before she casually reaches for another dumbbell, as though she'd been planning to do that all along.
You have to bite the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from smiling. Got you.
Before you can enjoy your small victory for much longer, another voice joins the conversation.
"Mind if I join you too?"
You turn to find Kuse standing nearby, a rolled-up yoga mat tucked beneath one arm.
She smiles sheepishly. "Full disclosure... I'm terrible."
You give the firebender a kind smile. "I promise I won't judge."
Kuse visibly relaxes. "That's good, because the last time I tried following a yoga video, I spent half of it wondering if I was upside down."
"You probably were," Syzu says with a grin.
"That's not very encouraging."
"It wasn't meant to be."
A laugh ripples between the three of you as Kuse unrolls her mat beside yours.
She mirrors your stance with surprising determination, planting her feet shoulder-width apart before looking over. "...Like this?"
You tilt your head. "Almost."
She immediately adjusts.
"No, no." You smile. "The first one was actually closer."
"Oh." Kuse lets out an embarrassed laugh, moving her foot back.
"This one?"
"A little farther."
She shuffles it an inch.
"There." You give her an approving nod. "Now soften your knees."
She obeys, her shoulders instantly relaxing. "...That already feels better."
"I know. It's weird how much of a difference the little adjustments make."
Kuse hums thoughtfully before glancing over as you ease into another stretch. "You make it look so effortless."
"I definitely didn't when I first started."
"What was your biggest struggle?"
You think for a moment. "Balance."
"Really?"
You nod. "I kept trying to force every pose instead of letting my body settle into it."
Kuse smiles. "That actually makes me feel a lot better."
"I'm serious." You transition smoothly into the next pose, one movement flowing naturally into another. "It takes time. Nobody looks graceful on their first day."
Syzu watches the two of you for another few seconds before letting out an exaggerated sigh. "...Alright."
You glance over. "What?"
She sets her iced coffee down on the edge of a nearby table. "If Kuse's trying it, I might as well embarrass myself too."
A grin spreads across your face. "I thought you'd never ask."
Syzu walks over and grabs another mat, dropping it onto the grass with theatrical determination.
"I'd like everyone to know I was peer-pressured into this."
"You've been here the whole time," you laugh.
"I've also been judging from a safe distance."
"Not anymore."
She steps onto the mat beside Kuse. "...Now what?"
You gesture toward your feet. "Start with your stance."
Syzu copies you almost perfectly on the first try.
Kuse immediately groans. "Why does she get it?"
"I have naturally good genes."
"No, you don't," you and Kuse answer in unison.
Syzu gasps dramatically. "I come over here to better myself, and this is the support I get?"
"You'll survive," you tease.
"You don't know that."
A laugh escapes you as you move between the two girls, making small adjustments to Kuse's shoulders before nudging Syzu's front foot back an inch.
"There." You take a step back to admire your work. "Much better."
Kuse looks pleasantly surprised. "...I'm actually not wobbling anymore."
"I still am," Syzu announces.
You glance over.
She isn't.
"You look perfectly stable."
"I know." She smiles innocently. "I just wanted attention."
You roll your eyes. "Shocking."
The three of you dissolve into another round of laughter, so caught up in your conversation that none of you notice how easily your voices carry across the courtyard.
Off to one side, Katara has drifted into conversation with Zuko, the pair looking far more relaxed than they had the evening before. Every so often, her attention flickers back toward you, a knowing smile threatening to tug at the corners of her mouth before she quickly reins it in.
On one of the nearby daybeds, Jet has pulled Waika aside for what appears to be a private conversation, the two leaning toward each other just enough to make it obvious neither wants to be overheard.
Meanwhile, the unmistakable sound of a ping pong ball ricocheting across the table draws your attention.
"That's in!" Sokka protests.
"It was out," Aang replies with a laugh.
"You're blind!"
"Says the guy who missed the table entirely five minutes ago."
"That was strategic."
"Sure it was."
You shake your head with an amused smile before returning your attention to Kuse and Syzu. Days like this reminded you why you'd taken the leap in the first place.
For a little while, the villa feels less like a television show and more like a home.
Then, a familiar chime echoes through the courtyard.
Every conversation comes to a halt. The islanders instinctively look toward the speakers mounted around the villa.
Azula's voice follows almost immediately. "Islanders..."
A chorus of eager "oohs" and groans ripples through the courtyard.
"I have an announcement."
Sokka pumps a fist. "I knew it! Challenge time."
"No challenge," Azula replies.
His shoulders visibly sag. "Aw."
A quiet laugh escapes several of the islanders.
Instead, Azula continues. "As you all know, you've each been completely cut off from the outside world since entering the villa."
A few nods spread through the group.
"Today, production has decided to make a rare exception."
Your eyebrows rise.
"Each of you may choose one person from outside the villa to speak with." Azula’s voice comes through the speaker significantly colder than it does in person.
"What?" Syzu gasps.
"No way," Waika breathes.
"Seriously?" Aang asks.
Azula pauses deliberately. "There is only one rule."
The courtyard quiets.
"You are not permitted to ask anything regarding public perception. That includes questions about popularity, social media, who the public likes or dislikes, or any outside opinions regarding your relationships."
You bite your lip. The Twitter challenge had already given you an idea of the public’s perception of all of you as a whole, but you almost wish you were able to ask now that you had become more integrated into the villa and were a part of a couple.
"Each call will be monitored by production to ensure these rules are followed."
From the daybeds, a dramatic groan leaves Jet. "So Big Brother is listening."
Toph, only a few feet away, hears him. "They're always listening,"
"While production will be monitoring the conversations to ensure the rules are followed, none of the information discussed during your phone calls will have any bearing on future challenges or decisions made within the villa."
A collective sigh of relief follows.
"You'll each have ten minutes." Azula glances down at the cue card in her hands, back in the recording studio. "You'll be called individually to the phone booth. Make sure to use your time wisely... and enjoy catching up with someone you love."
The speakers click off.
Immediately, the courtyard erupts.
"Oh my gosh!" Syzu practically squeals. "I get to call my sister!"
"I don't even know who to call," Jet admits.
"My uncle," Zuko answers without a moment's hesitation.
Katara laughs. "You didn't even have to think about it."
"Didn't need to."
Nearby, Sokka rubs the back of his neck.
"I've got... like... six people I wanna call."
Aang catches the ping pong ball midair before it can bounce off the table. "You only get one."
"I know!"
Toph wanders over, recognizing the subtle shift in the ground beneath her feet as you settle into a butterfly stretch. "Who're you calling?"
You look up at her from your yoga mat, letting out a small sigh. "I honestly haven't decided yet. There are too many people I need to catch up with. It'll definitely be someone in my family, though."
A faint smile pulls at the corners of Toph's mouth. "Figured."
"What about you?"
She shrugs. "Probably my deputy chief."
You blink. "Really?"
"Somebody's gotta make sure the city's still standing."
A laugh escapes you. "If you left him in charge, he's probably spent the last week terrified of making a mistake."
"He should be."
You shake your head, smiling. "Poor guy."
Before Toph can answer, a producer steps into the courtyard with a clipboard tucked beneath one arm.
"Islanders," she calls. "We'll be starting the phone calls in five minutes."
The calls start shortly afterward.
One by one, islanders disappear into a small booth tucked behind a line of tropical plants near the edge of the villa.
Some emerge laughing.
Others wiping away tears.
Aang returns first, unable to stop smiling.
Sokka takes noticeably longer to compose himself before walking back out.
Even Toph is quieter than usual after her call, though she insists she's "fine" despite nobody asking.
Eventually—
"Kuse."
She stands.
"I'll be back."
"You got this," Waika says.
Kuse smiles softly before following the producer down the stone pathway.
᯽
The booth is small. Just a chair, a pair of headphones, and a mounted phone.
The producer gestures toward it. "You'll hear a tone when there's one minute remaining."
Kuse nods. The line rings twice before someone finally picks up.
"Kuse?"
The moment she hears the familiar voice, the tension in her shoulders melts away.
"Oh my gosh!" A grin breaks across the firebender’s face, one so genuine it hadn't surfaced once since entering the villa. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you, too," her best friend laughs. "Are you okay?"
Kuse lets out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I'm better now."
Her friend snorts. "That bad?"
"You have no idea."
“Well, I have been watching along in support…”
The two of them laugh together, and for the first time in weeks, Kuse doesn't have to think about every word before she says it.
"So?" her friend asks eagerly. "Tell me everything."
Kuse happily obliges.
For the next several minutes, the conversation is exactly what production had expected. She asks about home. Her parents and mutual friends.
Whether her favorite café had finally started serving those pastries she'd been craving before leaving.
Her friend fills her in on everything she'd missed, exaggerating stories just enough to make Kuse laugh until she has to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes.
It feels normal. Like she'd stepped outside the villa for just a few precious minutes.
Eventually, the laughter begins to settle.
"So..." Her friend's voice softens. "How are you really?"
The smile on Kuse's face falters ever so slightly.
She glances instinctively toward the camera mounted in the corner of the booth. "It’s complicated."
"Because of Toph?"
"...Kind of."
A long pause settles between them.
Finally, Kuse lets out a slow breath before speaking with a level of honesty she'd kept buried since entering the villa. "I don't think I actually like her anymore."
Her friend is quiet. "I thought that's what this was about."
"I did too." Kuse lets out a humorless laugh. "But now..."
She stares down at the floor.
"It feels more like..." She searches for the right word. "...the principle of it."
"The principle?"
"I was here first."
The words leave her mouth before she has time to soften them.
"I know Toph, and I weren't working. I know she was already pulling away. But then someone else walks in...and suddenly she's all Toph can think about."
Her friend hums thoughtfully. "So you don't hate the new girl."
Kuse exhales slowly. "...I don't know."
The phone booth fills with a slightly tense silence.
"I've been trying to be friendly. I've apologized, done everything right on paper. But every time I look at her, I keep thinking she took something that was supposed to be mine."
Her friend simply listens on the other end of the line.
"And honestly?" Kuse closes her eyes. "I don't even know if it's Toph anymore. I think I just..." She swallows. "...need to know who she really is."
The silence stretches.
Then, her friend’s lips part. "You want me to look into her?"
Kuse stares ahead, a rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins. “Would you? Wait, you can’t tell me anything about the show–”
"It technically doesn’t have to do with the show."
“Right.” The firebender glances toward the booth's ceiling, painfully aware of the cameras on her. “I’m just asking about her.”
"Give me a second."
The line goes quiet except for the faint tapping of fingers.
A few seconds later, her friend adjusts the phone. "Found it."
Kuse stands up a little straighter. "Well?"
"I found her Instagram."
"...And?"
"Huh."
Kuse's brows knit together. "What?"
"There are a lot of hospital pictures."
"A hospital?" Kuse frowns. "Is she sick or something?"
"No. She's wearing scrubs in a bunch of them."
Kuse presses her lips into a thin line. "Of course she is."
"Looks like she works in healthcare." Her friend says simply, with an expression in a grimace.
Her friend scrolls a little farther. "Oh."
"Yes?"
"She has a story highlight."
"'Little Moments.'" Her friend quotes.
Kuse's eyebrows knit together. "What does that mean?"
“It’s just a bunch of pictures of her with kids in the hospital.”
A few more seconds pass.
"There's this little girl. She's in a lot of the story highlights." Her friend bites her lip, zooming in on the smiling girl to memorize her image. “And she’s not in scrubs for these. Actually..."
Her friend sounds more puzzled than before.
"The little girl is in a bunch of the regular posts too. Again, no scrubs."
Kuse starts to pace around in the photo booth. "...Really?"
"Yeah." Her friend’s line goes dead quiet for such a long stretch of time, Kuse almost wonders if the call had cut off. "...Wow."
"What?" The firebender asks, almost frustrated.
"She looks so much like her."
Kuse's stomach twists. "How much?"
"Enough that I noticed."
Her friend clicks into the comments beneath one of the photos. "Someone commented..." She squints. "'I love you both.'"
"Huh."
"I clicked on the profile. It's private."
“What about the profile picture? The bio?”
“Yeah, that’s the thing.” Her friend sounds like she’s smiling wide. "It looks like it’s a woman around our age, and her bio says...proud mother.'"
Kuse's expression hardens."...Mother?"
"Mhm."
Silence.
Her friend speaks first. "...Do you think..."
Kuse stares blankly at the opposite wall.
“…she has a family outside of the villa? The little girl's in so many pictures, plus the comment from that profile…
The firebender’s thoughts begin connecting themselves.
A sharp tone cuts through the booth.
One minute remaining.
Both women startle at the sound.
"Damn it."
"I'll keep looking," her friend says quickly. "And I'll let you know anything else once you're out."
Kuse nods once, her jaw set even though her friend can’t see her. "...Thanks."
The line disconnects a few moments later, leaving her alone with a thought she could no longer convince herself wasn't true.
᯽
The booth door clicks shut behind Kuse. She doesn't immediately head back toward the others.
Instead, she wanders aimlessly along the stone pathway, her thoughts refusing to settle.
A daughter. The idea had sounded ridiculous only ten minutes ago. Now, she couldn't seem to convince herself otherwise.
You had never mentioned having a child. If it was true, why keep something like that hidden?
Kuse slows as she somehow went in a complete circle back to the phone booth.
The door is closed. A small red light above it glows softly, signalling it was occupied. She barely gives it a second thought before a familiar voice reaches her through the thin walls.
Yours.
"...No way." A laugh escapes you from inside the booth. "I miss you guys so much."
Kuse instinctively pauses. She knows she shouldn't listen.
She tells herself she'll keep walking. Yet, she finds her feet rooted to the stone path.
Another laugh drifts through the door.
"I know, I know."
A brief pause.
"No, put her on."
Kuse's heart gives a small thud.
Another pause.
Then—
"Oh, there's my baby!" Your voice softens instantly. "I missed you so much."
Kuse's eyes widen.
"I bet you're getting so big, huh?"
The little girl's voice is contained in the headphones for the firebender to make out.
"Aww...I wish I could give you the biggest hug right now."
Kuse glances around her, making sure that no one is around to see her as she tries to get closer.
"I'll be home before you know it, okay?"
Silence.
Then your voice again, quieter this time.
"I love you too."
Kuse slowly steps away from the booth.
She doesn't hear what comes next. She doesn’t have to. In her mind, this was some sort of divine justice that had been served to her on a silver platter.
All Kuse walks away with...is the certainty that she'd just heard a mother talking to her daughter.
TW: no use of yn, modern!au, inspired by love island! femme!reader, masc!toph, dialogue heavy, DRAMA DRAMA
SUMMARY: As the villa, and the viewers, begin to catch onto your growing connection with Toph, one long-awaited conversation finally leads to the answer you've both been avoiding.
part iii. you drive me crazy * worth the wait series masterlist
WC: 6.9k
A/N: HOPEFULLY this stays up because there is no $mut in here at all. sorry that i had to split it up into 2 parts but tumblr won't let me breathe (look at my profile for more insight lmao)
DISCLAIMER: all characterizations are purely speculative and fictional, based on my interpretation of each character's mannerisms and portrayal in their respective source material. please keep this in mind!!
The memory of Toph's lips scarcely has time to settle before the rest of the villa comes rushing back into focus, shattering the quiet little world the two of you have unknowingly carved out for yourselves.
"A recoupling?" you murmur, your brows knitting together.
Unease creeps in almost immediately.
You have barely been in the villa for a day. There are still conversations left to have, connections left unexplored. A recoupling this soon after your arrival could change everything before you've even had the chance to find your footing.
"You're worrying over nothing." Toph's voice pulls you from your thoughts.
You turn to find her watching you with quiet certainty, her arms folded loosely across her chest. There isn't a trace of concern in her expression. If anything, she looks almost amused by how quickly your mind has begun racing.
"I'm not," you insist, offering a smile that convinces neither of you.
Toph lets out a soft breath through her nose. "Smudge."
The nickname is enough to make your expression falter.
"We just talked about this." Her tone carries that familiar roughness, though there's an unmistakable warmth beneath it. "I know when you're lying."
She steps closer, close enough that your shoulders almost brush.
"So don't bother trying."
You hold her gaze for a moment before your eyes drift away with a quiet sigh. "…I just got here."
The admission comes easier than you expect.
"I feel like everything's moving so fast."
"It is."
You blink. That isn't the answer you were expecting.
Toph rests her forearms against the terrace railing beside you, her eyes fixed somewhere beyond the villa.
"That's kind of the point of this place." A faint smile tugs at her lips. "If you wait until you're ready, someone else'll make the choice for you."
Your stomach twists. "That doesn't exactly make me feel better."
"Good."
You look at her, incredulous.
"Because feeling better isn't the problem."
She turns toward you then, the teasing edge she'd worn all evening giving way to something unexpectedly sincere.
"Thinking you have to do this alone is."
Your expression softens.
Toph reaches out, her fingers finding yours almost absentmindedly before weaving between them.
"Whatever happens tonight…" she says, giving your hand a surprisingly soft squeeze, "…I'm not about to pretend today didn't happen."
Your heart gives a traitorous little flutter. "Toph…"
"I'm serious." She doesn't say it dramatically because she doesn't have to.
"Don't let five minutes of panic make you forget the last twenty-four hours."
Although the words are left unsaid, the quiet implication of her sweet words makes your mind ease. "You always know exactly what to say."
"Nah." A crooked grin returns to her face. "I just know you."
᯽
"How are you girls feeling?" Waika asks, smoothing an imaginary crease from the satin dress hugging her figure as she studies herself in the vanity mirror.
The dressing room is unusually quiet.
Gone are the bikinis and playful challenge outfits that have filled the villa these past two days. Production has instead dressed each of you in gowns chosen to turn heads, every cut, shimmer, and silhouette designed to leave an impression before the recoupling begins.
Tonight, appearances matter.
The boys and Toph...will each choose the person they'd like to couple up with.
"I'm a little nervous," Syzu admits first, fastening an earring before checking that it sits straight.
"Are you having second thoughts about Sokka?" you ask gently, blending the last of your makeup across your cheek. The slime from the challenge had proven far more stubborn than you'd expected, forcing all of you to practically scrub your skin raw before finally getting clean.
"No." Syzu smiles to herself, shaking her head. "Not about him." She catches your eye in the mirror. "I just keep wondering if he feels as sure as I do."
"I think that's normal," Waika says quietly. "It's easy to get caught up in your own head before something like this."
A soft hum of agreement passes through the room.
Your eyes drift toward Katara. "What about you?"
Katara finishes fastening the bracelet around her wrist before meeting your gaze in the mirror. "I feel good about Aang."
The answer comes easily while a small grin tugs at her lips.
"I trust what we've built." She pauses. "But..." Her expression grows more thoughtful. "Today reminded me that I can't put all my eggs in one basket."
Her gaze lifts from the mirror and finds Kuse's reflection. The look lasts only a moment. It isn't cold or angry.
But there's a quiet resolve behind Katara's eyes that wasn't there before. Whatever is said between them remains unspoken.
Kuse regards her steadily before turning toward you, her expression smoothing into an easy smile.
"So..." She adjusts the clasp of her necklace, her tone almost conversational. "Do you think Toph's gonna choose you to recouple?"
Your hand stills around your lipstick. The question is light, and asked with the sort of curiosity anyone in the room could reasonably have.
And yet...something about it makes your stomach tighten, with unease.
"I..." You glance down at the vanity. "I'd like to think so."
"You'd like to think so?" Kuse repeats.
"I mean..." You let out a nervous laugh. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping."
"You shouldn't be so worried." Kuse moves to stand next to your chair. "When Toph wants something, she'll chase it until she gets it."
You let out a deep breath, nodding your head and giving her a grateful smile in response. "Thank you.
"Of course," Kuse says pleasantly.
She gives your shoulder a light squeeze before turning back toward the vanity, picking up her lipstick as though the conversation had never carried any weight at all.
Across the room, Katara's eyes quietly follow the interaction.
They linger on Kuse for a beat before settling on you, a flicker of concern passing over her features almost too quickly to notice.
Syzu is the first to break the silence. "Can we stop talking about the recoupling before I throw up?"
A laugh ripples through the dressing room, easing the tension just enough for everyone to return to curling hair, fastening jewelry, and stealing one last glance at their reflections.
You finish brushing the last layer of powder across your face before smoothing the fabric of your dress over your hips.
"Looks like we're about ready," Waika says, standing from the vanity.
One by one, the girls begin drifting toward the door.
Just as you're about to follow, Katara steps quietly to your side.
"Hey." Her voice is low enough that the others don't hear it. "Can we talk for a second before the recoupling?"
You glance at her from the corner of your eye. Something in her expression gives you pause.
You nod, "Yeah."
She leads you just outside the dressing room, where the sounds of the other girls become little more than muffled chatter through the closed door.
The evening breeze catches a loose strand of her hair. And for a moment, she simply looks out toward the villa.
"What's wrong?" you ask.
Katara lets out a quiet breath. "When Kuse pulled me earlier... she told me she wants to get to know Aang."
You blink. "What?"
"She said she's attracted to him." Katara's tone remains remarkably even. "And that she thinks she owes it to herself to explore that."
Your stomach twists. "...What did you say?"
"I thanked her for telling me."
You look at her in surprise.
Katara notices. "I meant it."
She folds her arms loosely across her chest.
"If someone wants to explore another connection, I'd rather they tell me than go behind my back."
The words are steady and measured.
"But..." she continues after a beat, "I don't think that's why she came to me."
Your expression shifts to one of curiosity. "What do you mean?"
Katara's eyes drift toward the dressing room door.
"If today's challenge hadn't happened..." she says quietly, "I don't think she would've had that conversation with me."
You think back to the tweet.
Not Kuse trying to take Katara's man...
"I think she told me because the viewers already noticed." Katara's voice never wavers. "Not because she wanted to be honest."
The realization settles heavily between you.
"That... actually makes sense."
She gives a small nod. "I could be wrong."
It doesn't sound like she believes she is.
Then, her gaze shifts to yours.
"And there's something else. And it could very well be nothing."
Again, you know from the way she says it that she doesn't think it is.
"Kuse has been acting differently since the challenge."
You think back to the dressing room. "I... noticed that."
Katara studies your expression. "I'm not saying she's your enemy."
"She asked to be my friend during our chat earlier." You tell Katara. "It came out of nowhere, but... it seemed genuine."
Your fellow waterbender chooses her next words carefully. "I'm just asking you to pay attention."
A faint smile tugs at your lips when she finishes speaking. "Looking out for me?"
She returns it. "I'd like to think we're friends."
Warmth settles in your chest, all of your adolescent memories with the girl in front of you flooding back to the forefront of your memory. "We are."
Katara pulls you into a brief yet comforting hug. "Good."
She starts back toward the dressing room before pausing.
"And... for what it's worth..." She glances at you over her shoulder. "I think Toph's already made up her mind."
Before you can respond, she smiles to herself and slips back inside, leaving you alone with the evening breeze—and far more to think about than you had a few minutes ago.
᯽
One by one, the girls descend the villa steps, the sound of heels against stone echoing softly through the courtyard. Satin skirts and long dresses sway with each careful step, catching the warm glow of the lights Production has woven through the palms and around the fire pit.
The boys, Toph included, follow shortly after, taking their places opposite them.
The atmosphere feels entirely different from the one that had filled the villa only hours before.
Conversation comes in hushed murmurs. Fingers drum against knees, bracelets are adjusted for the third time, and dresses are smoothed despite not a wrinkle being in sight. Everyone waits.
You catch Toph's head turning slightly in your direction.
Even from across the fire pit, the grin tugging at the corner of her mouth settles the anxious flutter in your chest.
Before you have time to return it, the unmistakable click of heels against the stone draws every eye toward the entrance.
Azula arrives with the effortless confidence of someone who expects to be watched.
Tonight, she wears a floor-length gown of deep sapphire silk, the fabric catching the firelight like the surface of the ocean at night. A thigh-high slit breaks the otherwise elegant silhouette, revealing each measured step she takes toward the fire pit. Gold cuffs circle her wrists, matching the delicate chain resting against her collarbone, while her dark hair is swept into a sleek half-up style, leaving the rest cascading over one shoulder.
She takes her place before the fire pit with an easy smile. "Good evening, Islanders."
A chorus of greetings answers her.
"I hope you've all had a chance to reflect on today's challenge." Her eyes travel slowly across the circle. "It certainly seems to have brought a few things to the surface."
More than one islander shifts in their seat.
"As you all know, tonight is a recoupling." Her gaze sweeps slowly across the fire pit. "The last twenty-four hours have changed the dynamic of this villa."
The weight of the announcement settles over the group despite everyone already knowing it was coming.
"Connections have deepened. New ones have begun. And some..." She gives you all a vaguely mischievous look. "...may already be starting to shift."
She clasps her hands in front of her.
"Tonight, the boys..." Her eyes drift toward Toph. "...and Toph…will each choose the girl they'd like to couple up with."
Azula clasps her hands together, as poised as ever.
"The choices made tonight will determine the new couples in the villa."
She pauses, allowing her eyes to scan all of the islanders before they return to staring at the group as a whole.
“Boys and Toph, please stand in front of the fire pit.”
The islanders follow her instructions, some taking one last look at their current couple before standing up, taking a few paces ahead, and turning to face the fire pit and the girls.
"Zuko." Azula gestures toward her brother. "As the islander who has been in his couple the longest, you'll be choosing first."
Zuko rises from his seat with the same composed demeanor he always carries. He smooths the cuff of his black turtleneck’s sleeve before letting his hands rest at his sides.
He looks toward the girls. "I am choosing to couple with this girl because..." His eyes move from every girl sitting before him. "...from the beginning, she's made this place feel... comfortable."
He pauses briefly, searching for the right words.
"I don't think either of us is very good at forcing conversations."
A few quiet laughs ripple around the fire pit. Waika seems to let out a small yet shaky breath, trying not to beam in relief at his words.
"And I like that we never have to." His expression softens almost imperceptibly. "We can sit together without worrying about filling every silence. Somehow, she always knows exactly when to listen, and exactly when to say something."
Waika lowers her eyes, feeling deep emotion building in her chest, worried that if she stares at Zuko for too long, she may burst into tears.
"She's thoughtful. Patient. Very intelligent. And she has a way of bringing out the calmer version of me."
“Who would have thought that was possible?” Syzu says teasingly under her breath. The girls beside her let out soft chuckles, and even Zuko can’t help but smile at her comment.
“I didn’t think it was.” He lets the words settle before continuing. "I think what we've built together is genuine. And…”
Experiencing Love Island from the inside revealed how truly suspenseful these occurrences were, even without the made-for-TV editing.
“I'd like the chance to keep building it." Zuko clears his throat. "So..." He looks directly at one islander in particular. "...the girl I'd like to recouple with..."
He waits a moment.
"...is Waika."
A relieved laugh escapes Waika as she rises to her feet. You and the girls all clap for her and smile brightly, happy to see the anxiety that had been clinging onto her like a ball and chain release her from its grasp.
The other boys and Toph clap for the couple as well, none surprised but equally as excited for them.
She walks up to him, wrapping him in a brief yet tight hug before the two take their place beside Azula.
"Congratulations," Azula says smoothly. "Zuko and Waika, you are officially recoupled."
“Thank you,” Waika whispers, her hand coming up to gently touch Zuko’s chest.
Azula nods. “You may join your fellow islanders by the firepit.”
The couple quickly reclaim their seats; this time side by side, neither trying to make much effort to leave space between them before they turn their attention back to their host.
“Sokka,” Azula says smoothly.
The water tribe boy lets out an exaggerated sigh as he moves to take a step forward. “Man, of course I’d have to go after Zuko’s sap fest.”
“Go on then,” Zuko rolls his eyes lightheartedly, smiling at his friend. “Let’s hear this masterpiece.”
Sokka stands in front of the firepit, looking considerably more nervous than anyone had expected. “I am choosing to couple up with this girl because…”
He takes a second to glance up while he forms the sentences in his mind.
“She’s become one of my favorite people in this villa. She’s the first person I look for when something funny happens.” Sokka can’t help but grin widely. “She’s incredibly easy to be around…and she just gets me.”
Syzu’s fingers drum lightly against the glittering gold fabric of her mini dress. She bites her lip in a weak attempt to calm the smile that threatens to adorn her lips.
“I never have to pretend to be anyone else when I’m around her. And she’s made this entire experience a lot more fun.”
At that, Syzu has to clasp her hands together to keep herself from rushing across the fire pit and into Sokka’s arms.
“So, the girl I would like to couple up with is…” He pauses, making eye contact with the girl, trying not to laugh at the way that she looks like she’s practically about to combust. “Syzu.”
She rises from her seat almost immediately, grinning ear to ear while crossing the space between them in only a few steps before she wraps Sokka in a warm embrace.
“There she is.” He laughs quietly, returning the hug without hesitation.
“You made me wait forever.” Syzu borderline pouts, lightly patting her couple’s back in defiance.
Sokka lets out a dramatic “oof” sound in response. “I had to build up the suspense, y’know? Keep everyone guessing.”
“We all knew you were gonna pick her, Snoozles,” Toph speaks up.
Sokka’s jaw drops as he looks around incredulously. “Do you all really…”
His eyes meet the figures of all of his friends, letting out boisterous laughs as they nod their heads.
“Sorry, Sokka,” Aang says between his laughs.
“Alright, alright, I get it.” The water tribe boy waves a playful hand in dismissal.
“As entertaining as that was,” Azula says carefully, “we still have a recoupling to finish.”
The couple pulls away from the hug, their hands naturally finding one another as their fingers lace together.
“Congratulations, Sokka and Syzu, you are recoupled. You may join the other islanders by the fire pit.”
Once they've taken their seats, Production calls for a brief pause. Crew members quietly move around the set while the islanders take the opportunity to readjust themselves before the recoupling continues.
“Toph, please step forward.”
You watch with bated breath as the earthbender confidently steps before the fire pit. Her sightless eyes settle nowhere in particular before coming to rest somewhere between you and Katara, though you already know she's found exactly where you are.
The top two buttons of Toph's crisp white dress shirt are left undone, exposing the smooth skin at the base of her neck. You hate how instinctively your gaze finds it.
Loose black slacks and a sleek leather jacket complete the outfit, effortlessly balancing sharp and relaxed in a way only she seems capable of pulling off.
You're so absorbed in watching her that you don't notice Kuse's fingers slowly drifting across the bench until they come to rest over the back of your hand.
The touch startles you.
You turn toward her, only to find Kuse offering a small, reassuring smile.
"It'll be okay," she murmurs.
You return the smile almost instinctively, a tension you hadn't even realized you'd been carrying slipping quietly from your shoulders.
Whether she means to or not, the simple gesture loosens the knot that has been sitting in your chest ever since the recoupling began.
By the time your eyes find Toph again, Katara's warning has already begun to fade into the back of your mind.
The slightest furrow forms between Toph's brows as Kuse's whisper reaches her ears despite how softly it's spoken.
The expression is gone almost as quickly as it appears. Whatever thought crosses her mind, she keeps to herself.
“I want to couple up with this girl because…”
She trails off, seeming to enjoy the way she can hear your breathing hitch with anticipation.
“When she first came into the villa, I thought she’d be trouble.”
You let out a small laugh, barely registering that Kuse had done the same next to you, her eyes filled with fondness as she stared at Toph.
“Turns out I was right.”
On Katara’s left, Sokka snorts, Syzu delivering a small jab to his side as she puts her finger up to her lips that are formed in an albeit, happy grin.
"She talks a lot. She asks way too many questions..." A ripple of laughter circles the fire pit.
Toph's grin lingers for another second.
"She's talented."
Toph's hands slip into the pockets of her slacks, shoulders relaxing as she continues.
"The way she talks about what she does..." A faint smile finds her lips. "It's the same way I talk about earthbending."
She tilts her head ever so slightly, almost as though she's listening to the memory rather than describing it.
"You can hear how much it means to her. And how much she's worked for it."
Kuse’s hand begins to squeeze yours slightly.
She lets out a quiet huff of amusement. "I think that's why we clicked so quickly.”
Katara is practically beaming next to you, her eyes moving from you to Toph, back to you, and then back to Toph in rapid succession.
“But more importantly, she doesn't treat me like someone she has to take care of." The earthbender exhales. Clearly, it was taking a lot of effort on her end to be so openly emotional. "Yesterday..." she continues, "...apparently everybody watching decided it was obvious how I felt."
You're far too busy trying to slow the frantic rhythm of your heart to notice how all of the islanders are staring at you from the corner of their eye.
“But you didn’t.” Toph's milky eyes shift from the space between you and Katara until they're unmistakably turned toward you. “So, the girl I want to couple up with is…”
The second that passes feels like a millenia.
When Toph says your name, you audibly let out a sound of relief.
You're on your feet before you even realize you've stood, your smile stretching so wide your cheeks begin to ache. You barely register the distance between the two of you as you hurry across the fire pit, arms already reaching for her just as she opens hers in return.
The moment you're wrapped in her embrace, the rest of the villa disappears.
The open collar of Toph's shirt leaves the skin at the base of her neck bare, while the plunging neckline of your burgundy gown leaves little space between the two of you. Fine flecks of shimmer woven through the fabric catch the firelight as your arms slide around her shoulders, drawing her closer.
You don't realize how tightly you're holding her until a quiet chuckle rumbles in her chest.
"That surprised, Smudge?" she murmurs, unable to hide the amusement in her voice. "I told you to stop doubting yourself."
You squeeze your eyes shut, wishing you could freeze the moment exactly as it is. "You were right," you admit.
"I know."
The answer comes so quickly that you can't help but laugh.
A grin tugs at Toph's lips. "I could get used to hearing that."
Even as she teases you, her embrace only grows firmer.
Without thinking, you hold her just a little tighter in return.
“Congratulations,” Azula says your name along with Toph’s. “You are now a couple. Please join your fellow islanders by the fire pit.”
Reluctantly, the two of you part, but your fingers remain intertwined as you lead Toph back toward your seats.
Just before sitting down, she gives your hand a gentle tug.
You glance at her. "What?" you whisper.
"Nothing." The corner of her mouth curls upward.
You can't help rolling your eyes. "You are unbelievable."
"I've been told."
You shake your head, laughing softly as the two of you finally settle into your seats.
Even then, Toph doesn't let go.
Her thumb absently brushes across the back of your hand, the small gesture somehow grounding you more than anything else that has happened tonight.
Azula waits for the applause to settle before speaking once more. "Aang."
The airbender stands in front of the fire pit with an easy smile, smoothing invisible wrinkles from the front of his shirt.
Unlike the speeches before him, he begins with little wait. "I want to couple up with this girl because...she makes everywhere feel a little more like home."
The words make Katara blush.
"She's one of the kindest people I've ever met." Aang nods to himself. "But that isn't the thing that stands out the most. It's the way she cares about people, even when they make it difficult."
You can’t help but glance at Katara, and then Aang with fondness in your eyes. In your mind, they truly were meant for each other
"I think people mistake kindness for being easy." He shakes his head almost immediately. "It isn't. It takes a lot of strength to keep believing the best in someone."
For the briefest moment, his gaze drifts toward Kuse before finding its way back again.
"The last couple of days haven't exactly been simple… But if anything, they've just made me realize I still want to see where this goes." The corners of his mouth lift. "I really like what we're building together."
A quiet chorus of "awws" ripples around the fire pit.
Katara laughs through her embarrassment, shaking her head as though she'd much rather disappear than be the center of attention.
"So...the girl I'd like to couple up with...is Katara."
She rises almost immediately and walks toward him. The moment she reaches him, his arms find her waist.
Aang smiles into the embrace, resting his chin lightly against the top of her head before they pull apart. Their fingers naturally lace together as they turn back toward the others.
"Congratulations," Azula says. "Aang and Katara, you are officially recoupled."
As they return to the fire pit, Katara catches your eye. There's no uncertainty left in her irises now, only barely contained contentment.
Beside you, Toph leans close enough that her shoulder brushes yours. "They're disgustingly cute."
You laugh. "You sound jealous."
"I am."
You blink.
Toph shrugs. "I feel like my experience just began."
The comment earns another laugh from you, though it doesn't last long.
Before the moment has a chance to linger, Azula's voice cuts cleanly through the fire pit. "Jet."
The newcomer steps forward with the same easy confidence he'd carried into the villa. He buttons the cuff of one sleeve, his eyes briefly sweeping over the remaining islanders before settling on the only girl left uncoupled.
Kuse meets his gaze without wavering. "I want to couple up with this girl because..."
A crooked smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth.
"...I don't think either of us came in here looking for something easy. And she's confident. She says what's on her mind."
Kuse's lips curl upward just enough to acknowledge the compliment.
"I think we've both made it pretty clear we're here to explore." Jet’s shoulders lift in a casual shrug. "And I feel like I'd rather explore with someone who isn't afraid to shake things up."
For a brief moment, his eyes linger on her.
"I don't know where this is gonna go, but I'd like to find out. So... the girl I'd like to couple up with..."
The silence lingers for a heartbeat longer than necessary, Jet looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"...is Kuse."
She rises gracefully from her seat, smoothing the side of her dress before making her way across the fire pit. Unlike the embraces that came before, theirs is brief.
When they part, Jet rests a hand lightly against the middle of her back as they turn toward the others.
"Congratulations," Azula says. "Jet and Kuse, you are now a couple."
A round of applause follows as the unlikely couple makes their way across the fire pit to their seats side by side.
Beside you, Toph's thumb absentmindedly brushes across the back of your hand.
You glance sideways. "What?"
She tilts her head toward the newly formed couple.
"I give it..." She pretends to think. "...three days."
You have to bite back a laugh, the memory of Kuse's reassuring hand on yours only moments ago making the joke feel unfair. "Three?"
"I'm being generous."
Azula waits for the chatter to subside once again. "Congratulations, Islanders." She surveys the newly formed couples gathered around the fire pit. "The recoupling is officially complete."
Her smile is composed, almost too composed.
"I hope you're all feeling secure in your choices."
Without another word, she turns on her heel and disappears into the villa, leaving behind a fire pit full of bewildered islanders—and a dozen different theories about what could possibly come next.
᯽
The sky is dark and hung with twinkling stars by the time you're finally released to spend the evening with your new couples.
You never quite let go of Toph's hand as the two of you wander toward one of the daybeds tucked against the edge of the villa.
The chatter from the other islanders fades into the background as you settle beside one another.
Neither of you says anything right away.
You simply sit.
Your intertwined hands rest between you, Toph's thumb lazily tracing absent circles across your knuckles.
"So..." she says at last.
You smile. "So."
"I guess we're stuck with each other."
Your laugh escapes before you can stop it. "You make it sound like a punishment."
"I haven't decided yet."
You gasp dramatically. "Toph Beifong."
"What?"
"You literally just picked me."
"I know."
"And now you're having buyer's remorse?"
A grin spreads across her face. "I'm just making sure you're not gonna start getting annoying now that I've chosen you."
You nudge her shoulder. "A little late for that."
"True." She lets out a quiet laugh. "I've already accepted my fate."
You shake your head. "I can't believe this."
"What?"
"I spent the entire recoupling convinced I would end up being single again."
"You really don't listen to a word I say, do you?"
"I listen." You purse your lips in thought.
"You just don't believe me," Toph says plainly.
You open your mouth to argue before realizing...
She has a point.
"Hm."
Toph shifts, draping an arm across the back of the daybed behind you. "You don't have to second-guess everything."
"I know."
"You definitely don't know."
Another laugh slips between the two of you.
The conversation settles into an easy rhythm, as though the recoupling had quietly swept away the last of the uncertainty between you.
For the first time since arriving at the villa, you don't find yourself wondering whether you're crossing a line. Kuse had made it clear there were no hard feelings, and Toph had made it even clearer where her heart was.
It's enough to let yourself relax.
Enough to simply enjoy being here with her.
After a moment, Toph's expression shifts. Not dramatically, but just enough for you to notice.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"What's with Kuse?"
You blink. "What do you mean?"
"She keeps finding reasons to touch you."
Your brows knit together. "Oh."
You think back to her hand resting over yours during the recoupling.
"She actually pulled me for a chat earlier."
Toph tilts her head. “Yeah, what was that about?”
"She apologized."
Toph lets out a quiet huff through her nose, her brows drawing together. "...Seriously?"
You nod. "She said she didn't want things between us to be awkward because of... everything. She said she'd rather we started over."
"And?"
"She wants us to be friends."
Toph hums thoughtfully. "No hard feelings?"
You nod. "Pretty much."
"And you believe her?"
The question catches you slightly off guard. "I don't really have a reason not to."
The earthbender’s thumb slows against the back of your hand. "I don't know."
You tilt your head. "You think she's lying?"
"I think..." Toph chooses her words carefully. "People don't usually change their minds overnight."
Your gaze drifts toward the villa, where Kuse laughs quietly at something Jet has just said.
"I think she was being genuine."
"I hope you're right." The sincerity in Toph's voice surprises you.
"You don't think she is?"
She shrugs lightly. "Maybe I'm wrong."
You smile. "Aren’t you always right?"
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
A hesitant grin tugs at the corner of her mouth. "You've got a lot of faith in me."
"I do."
The answer comes so naturally that it leaves both of you quiet for a second.
Toph clears her throat. “It’s getting late.”
“Yeah, I should probably wash this makeup off before it permanently fuses to my face." You huff, straightening the length of your dress so that the slit doesn’t leave you exposed.
The two of you eventually rise from the daybed, still reluctant to put any real distance between yourselves.
You had barely taken a few steps toward the stairs to the shared bedroom when another voice calls out.
"Toph?"
You both turn.
Kuse stands a short distance away, one arm folded across her waist.
"Can I steal you for a quick chat?"
You instinctively glance at Toph. Her hand brushes against your own before she turns her head in your direction.
"I'll be five minutes." She finally grabs your hand and gives it one last squeeze before letting go. "Meet you in bed, Smudge."
"Yeah, I'll find you after." You nod.
"Okay." A smirk finds her lips. "Don't miss me too much."
You roll your eyes, but can’t help how your chest feels light at her words. "I'll do my best."
"I know you won't." As Toph turns toward Kuse, you head inside the villa alone, completely unaware of the conversation waiting to unfold behind you.
᯽
You feel like an entirely new person after trading your dark ruby gown for the sexy pair of pajamas you'd secretly packed with this exact night in mind.
Your makeup is gone, your skincare routine finished, and your face feels pleasantly cool against the night air drifting through the dressing room.
You glance at your reflection one last time. Maybe saving these pajamas for the night you and Toph officially become a couple hadn't been so ridiculous after all.
The thought barely has time to settle before Katara walks in from her conversation with Aang.
The instant she sees you, an excited squeal escapes her. “Girl, how do you feel now that you’re in a couple?” She drags out the last syllable.
A cheesy grin finds your lips as you begin to almost jump up and down in elation. “I’m so excited!”
"You should be!" Katara closes the distance between you and throws her arms around your shoulders. "I'm so happy for you."
The hug warms you from the inside out.
"Thanks, ‘Tara." The nickname falls from your mouth with such ease that you barely notice it.
Katara does.
When she pulls away, her eyes have already begun to glisten. "I'm really glad you're here."
"I am too." You give her hand a gentle squeeze.
She lets out an exaggerated groan before quickly blinking away the tears threatening to spill.
"Ugh." She laughs at herself. "Go. Before I start ugly crying."
You share a fond look with her. "Let’s talk tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," she echoes.
Still smiling, you slip out of the dressing room and make your way toward the shared bedroom.
When you step inside, Waika lifts her head from where she's already curled beneath the blankets. She smiles sleepily, giving you a small wave.
Beside her, Zuko glances up from his pillow. "Congratulations on your first coupling."
"Thanks." You nod at him, truly grateful for how kind the boys had been to you so far.
The couple exchanges a knowing look before settling back into bed, giving you the privacy you don't even realize you needed.
Your attention drifts to the bed beside theirs. Toph still hasn't come back from her conversation with Kuse.
For a moment, Katara's warning flickers through your mind.
Just as quickly, you push it away. You would be remiss to begin doubting your connection with Toph so soon after your coupling.
With a quiet sigh, you slip beneath the covers of the earthbender’s bed, letting the mattress cradle your tired body.
The soft white cotton sheets still carry the faintest trace of cedarwood and fresh linen, Toph’s scent.
You stare at the ceiling, now alone for the first time with only your own thoughts to accompany you. Somehow… waiting for Toph to come back feels just as exhilarating as the recoupling itself.
The thought of finally sharing a bed with the other half of your couple sends another wave of excitement through you.
You'd spent the last few nights only a few feet away from her. Tonight, there isn't another mattress separating the two of you.
A grin slowly spreads across your face. You plant your face in the pillow before anyone can tease you for it.
The bedroom door creaks open a few moments later. In response, you lift your head just enough to peek over the edge of the blanket.
Toph steps inside, freshly showered, her damp hair pushed back from her face.
Gone are the leather jacket and crisp white shirt. Instead, she wears a charcoal gray T-shirt that's seen better days and a pair of loose black pajama pants hanging low on her hips.
The sight is somehow even more distracting.
"There you are." Her lips curl into a smile the moment she hears your breathing shift. "I thought you might have already fallen asleep."
"I was trying to."
"You suck at pretending."
You scoff playfully. "I do not."
"I could hear you smiling from the hallway."
"...That's not a thing."
"It is for me." The mattress dips beneath her weight.
"I can never tell if you're joking or not," you admit as you shift beneath the covers, neither of you entirely sure where your arms or legs are supposed to go.
"Fair warning," Toph says as she settles onto her pillow, "when I'm in bed, my feet don't touch the ground, so I can't use my seismic sense."
You blink. "So..."
She turns her head toward you. "I have absolutely no idea where you are."
"That's... kind of adorable."
"Don't tell anyone I told you that."
"I'll take it to my grave."
She snorts. "I'm serious."
"I know." You hesitate before lifting your hand. "Can I..."
Toph tilts her head. Without waiting for you to finish, she reaches forward until the back of her fingers brushes against your wrist. "There you are."
The simple touch sends warmth blooming through your chest.
"I usually just..." She lets her hand drift down until her fingers loosely wrap around yours. "...look for people."
"Oh."
"It's easier than guessing."
You smile. "I can work with that."
"Good." She doesn't let go. Her sightless eyes stare straight ahead as she begins to speak up. "So… you got any weird sleeping habits I should know about?"
"Oh, right." You laugh softly. "I like sleeping on my side."
"Facing the wall or facing whoever's next to you?"
Your cheeks warm. "...Usually whoever I'm sleeping next to."
A grin immediately spreads across Toph's face. "I was really hoping you'd say that."
You bury your face in the pillow. "You set me up." Trying to move the conversation away from you, "So what about you?"
Toph hums thoughtfully. "I move around a lot."
"That’s not a big deal."
"And I do steal blankets sometimes."
Your eyebrows shoot up. "Okay, I feel like I should’ve been the one asking you if you had any weird sleeping habits, then.”
“They’re not that weird.” The earthbender defends lightly. "But...I do like knowing someone's there, though."
You look over at her. "What do you mean?"
"I sleep better if I can hear someone." She says it so casually that it almost sounds like an afterthought. "The fan, the ocean, or someone breathing. It makes the room feel... less empty."
You don't tease her. Instead, you quietly roll onto your side so you're facing her. "Well, I can do that."
Instead, her fingers drift forward until they find the hem of your shirt, lingering there for just a moment.
Your breath catches. Only then do you notice how quiet the bedroom has become. The last few whispers from the other beds have faded into comfortable silence, interrupted only by the occasional rustle of blankets and the steady hum of the ceiling fan.
Somehow...while the two of you had been talking, everyone else had settled in for the night.
It’s then that the lights go off. You don’t know which islander had gotten up to flick them, but you nearly jump out of your skin in surprise.
“Scared?” Toph questions.
“They turned the lights off.” You inform her, voice as small as a mouse, while the other couples settle in and begin to close their eyes, waiting for the warm embrace of slumber.
Again, you receive no response from the earthbender.
You squint at her through the darkness, trying to make out her expression, half wondering if she'd somehow managed to fall asleep in the span of a few seconds.
The answer comes when the hand resting near your stomach begins to move slowly and deliberately. Your breath catches as her calloused fingertips brush the side of your face. You don't move; instead, you simply let her explore.
Her thumb grazes your cheek before her fingers trail lower, gently curling beneath your jaw as though committing its shape to memory.
At some point, her other hand finds its way back to your waist, the warmth of her palm settling against the exposed strip of skin between your shirt and pajama shorts.
Your heart pounds so loudly you're convinced she can hear it.
"Toph..." you whisper, your voice barely louder than a breath. "What are you doing?"
Although you can’t see it, a half-smirk tugs at the corner of her mouth. "Getting to know what you look like. ...Will you let me?"
Maybe you could post "under the covers" but end it right at the smut part and continue it in the next part of the story? I hope you'll be able to post it soon cause this series is so good!
i think i'm going to try to reupload it tonight or maybe sometime tomorrow and change some things, but if not i'll either try to post it on another acc or do this!
thank you so much for your support while i've been trying to figure this out🫶
Maybe try uploading it again if it works or maybe if you’re up to it, upload it on like ao3 or something??😭😭
i reuploaded it twice maybe three times with alterations each time but it eventually gets hidden anyway, and even when i appeal it, it still gets completely removed and doesn't show up under the toph x reader tag :/
i googled it and apparently tumblr is just gonna keep striking it because its considered a "duplicate" post (even with some alterations) that has been previously flagged for containing sexually explicit content.
according to google i can try to wait a day or two and maybe tumblr will let me post it again on this profile. if not i'm gonna have to upload it on an alt acc, or separate the chapter into multiple parts or, essentially rewrite the entire chapter, or possibly even have to cut out the entire smut part :(
i'm so sorry guys💔 i genuinely wanna put this out so you can read it, but i guess tumblr is a lot stricter than i anticipated
guys its looking like tumblr isnt going to let me upload the next chapter with smut in it, every time i try to change something and post it again it gets fully taken down. idk what to do
TW: 18+, no use of yn, modern!au, inspired by love island! femme!reader, masc!toph, dialogue heavy as always, drama, kisses, sexual tension EVERYWHERE, will edit later
SUMMARY: As the villa, and the viewers, begin to catch onto your growing connection with Toph, one long-awaited conversation finally leads to the answer you've both been avoiding.
part ii. dangerously close * worth the wait series masterlist
WC: 7.3k
A/N: cliffhangers oh how i love using you ♡
DISCLAIMER: all characterizations are purely speculative and fictional, based on my interpretation of each character's mannerisms and portrayal in their respective source material. please keep this in mind!!
Toph's lips linger only inches from yours. The warmth of her breath fans softly across your skin, mingling with your own until the air between you feels impossibly warm. The world beyond Soul Ties melts into insignificance. All you can think about is the earthbender in front of you, the featherlight ghost of her skin brushing against yours before—
DING!
The sharp chime makes you flinch ever so slightly.
A quiet groan slips from Toph's lips before the two of you reluctantly pull apart.
"Sorry." You mumble, your voice barely above a whisper, disappointment and embarrassment settling heavily in your chest as the kiss you'd been moments away from sharing is stolen from you.
"Goddamn Production." Is all Toph can manage in response as she collapses back against the cushions, one arm thrown dramatically over her face. "You owe me one."
"Do I?" You glance over at her with an amused smile, your eyes tracing the subtle ripple of her abdomen as she shifts in search of a more comfortable position.
"Yeah, I don't like being left hanging." Though mild annoyance laces her words, there's an unmistakable promise tucked beneath them—one that lingers between the two of you just as strongly as the kiss that never happened.
"I guess I do owe you then."
A smirk tugs at Toph's lips as she settles farther into the cushions, her forearm still draped across her eyes, whether to block out the afternoon sun or conceal the lingering warmth on her face, you aren't entirely sure.
"Read the text, Smudge."
Your brows knit together.
"Smudge?" You echo, unable to hide the confusion in your voice. "Where'd that come from?"
"That's how we met." The earthbender answers as though the explanation were the most obvious thing in the world. "You smudged your paint all over me."
"Huh." The sound escapes you far more gleefully than you'd intended. "I…like it."
"Even if you didn't, that wouldn't stop me." Toph gestures lazily in your direction. "Now go ahead and read it."
You let out a small sigh before you rise to your feet and clear your throat. "I got a text!"
Your voice carries easily across the villa, drawing every islander's attention. Conversations cut off mid-sentence as heads turn toward Soul Ties. Below, expressions range from eager anticipation to poorly concealed dread, each of them waiting to find out what Production had planned next.
Flipping open the pearl white phone, your eyes scan the message displayed inside the familiar baby blue text bubble.
"Islanders, it's time to see who is driving the Nation crazy in today's challenge. #MotorMouth #BackSeatDriver!"
A puzzled silence settles over the villa.
"What does that mean?" Aang wonders aloud from where he'd been lounging on a beanbag beside Zuko, his brows pinching together in thought.
"Maybe we get our phones back for this challenge and can check our social media?" Zuko suggests.
His steady composure had been a welcome contrast to Aang's restless energy all morning. Ever since breakfast, the airbender had scarcely been able to sit still, his gaze unconsciously tracking Jet whenever the non-bender crossed the villa. Though he'd tried his best to hide it, Jet's growing interest in Katara had rooted itself firmly in the back of Aang's mind, his jealousy pressing insistently against the calm exterior he worked so hard to maintain.
᯽
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous for today's challenge. Social media can be brutal." Katara bites her lip, her gaze falling to her lap as she sits beneath the bright confessional lights. "People only get an hour out of your entire day, and somehow they think they know exactly who you are."
She lets out a quiet breath, absently twisting the bracelet around her wrist. Her expression slowly grows more resolute with every passing minute. Her eyes seem to steel, her lips arched and her posture growing straighter, making it a point to glance toward the producer behind the camera before looking back into the lens.
"At the end of the day, the people in this villa are the ones actually living these moments. The viewers don't see every conversation, every joke, every misunderstanding. They see whatever makes it into the episode."
᯽
The wardrobe for this challenge was considerably less revealing than the last.
Gone were the delicate ivory lace and barely-there lingerie you'd been dressed in for the sleepover
challenge. Instead, Production had outfitted you in a ballerina pink triangle bikini, paired with a short, frilly tutu that rested lightly against your hips, its layers fluttering with even the slightest movement.
The islanders in established couples had been coordinated accordingly. The men—and Toph—were dressed in crisp black button-ups tucked neatly into matching trousers. As always, they were afforded significantly more fabric than the feminine women.
Alongside your outfit, Production had also handed you a strip of pink fabric matching the rest of your ensemble. While most of the girls tied theirs around their heads or wrists, you opted to knot yours around your upper thigh instead, fashioning it into a garter that sat snugly against your skin. It was a small touch, but one that made the costume feel a little more like your own.
"Oh, what's this…" Syzu's high-pitched voice cuts through the excited chanting of the boys and girls as they make their way from the villa toward a wide stretch of open grass.
Waiting for them is a set, elevated just enough that a short flight of stairs leads them to the platform where the challenge awaits.
White metal railings line the perimeter, wrapped in strips of yellow caution tape decorated with alternating black hearts and squares. At the far end of the platform stands a towering wall of Styrofoam blocks, completely concealing a second entrance adjacent to the one they'd just come through.
Three rows of bleachers sit alongside a long, teal figurative "race track" that snakes across the set. The first bend is marked by a bright yellow road sign reading "Slippery When Wet," complete with a water droplet decorating its face.
Towering above it all is an oversized sign depicting two cars on a collision course, frozen just moments before impact. Suspended between them is a large heart bearing the words "You Drive Me Crazy," tying the entire set together with Production's signature flair.
First up was Waika and Zuko as a couple.
They both emerged from the ramp hidden behind the Styrofoam wall, a brightly colored cardboard cutout of a convertible strapped securely around their shoulders. With both hands gripping the handlebars concealed inside the prop, it almost looked as though Waika were actually driving.
Without a second thought, the couple barreled through the wall.
Styrofoam blocks exploded into the air, tumbling across the course as the islanders erupted into cheers. Before Waika and Zuko could properly celebrate their dramatic entrance, a pink fire hydrant beside them unexpectedly roared to life, blasting a stream of water directly into their sides and drenching her from head to toe.
A surprised squeal escaped Waika's lips, as Zuko simply squinted his eyes in mild annoyance, drawing a fresh wave of laughter from the bleachers.
"Go, Waika!" Syzu shouted between giggles.
Brushing soaked strands of hair away from her face, Waika couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else. They both straightened the cardboard convertible around their shoulders before continuing down the winding track, encouraged by the whistles and applause following their every step.
The couple came to a stop beneath the first road sign. With a mechanical hiss, a large stop sign rose from the ground in front of them.
Beneath it sat another sign reading, "Take your Ticket."
Hanging below were two thick cardboard slips painted to resemble traffic citations, labeled "Notice 1" and "Notice 2."
Waika reached for "Notice 1."
As she tore it free, the ticket unfolded to reveal a social media post.
"Honestly, blank rubs me the wrong way, and I want her out."
An uneasy chorus of groans and murmurs rippled through the islanders.
Now, it was Waika and Zuko's turn to decide who the public had been talking about.
The girl's smile faltered ever so slightly as her gaze swept across the bleachers, lingering on each of the girls in turn. Zuko whispered, "You got this one," into her ear before she nodded in response
"No hard feelings. I love all of my girls, but…" She paused, chewing thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek before she says your name.
Several heads immediately turned toward you, surprise flickering across nearly every face as they see you meet Waika's gaze with a polite smile.
"You're the newest girl." She gives you a sheepish look. "I love you though, and I want to get to know you more!"
"I get it." You rose from your seat without hesitation. It was a fair conclusion to come to. Waika had spent the past several days growing close to the other girls, while you'd only stepped foot into the villa the night before.
Making your way across the set, you arrived beneath a brightly colored retro archway decorated with a large neon pink arrow and oversized bubbles. Across the top, playful lettering spelled out "Car Wash."
Three large seats sat beneath the arch, and after a brief moment of consideration, you slipped into the one in the middle. As you settled back, your gaze instinctively drifted upward.
Suspended directly above your head was a large nozzle, its translucent chamber filled nearly to the brim with an alarmingly neon yellow slime, the viscous liquid sloshing lazily against the clear plastic as if eagerly awaiting its next victim.
Your lips pressed into a thin line. But, there wasn't much to do now except accept your inevitable fate.
Waika shoots you one last apologetic glance before turning back toward the stop sign. Reaching beneath it once more, she tears away "Notice 2," revealing the answer hidden underneath.
Her eyes immediately widen, Zuko reads the ticket from behind her, his expression only faltering for a second before he masterfully coaches it back to normal.
For a brief moment, Waika simply stares at the ticket, silently rereading the post before voicing it aloud.
"Honestly, Kuse rubs me the wrong way I want her out."
A stunned silence washes over the set.
Beside Toph, Kuse's mouth falls open.
A chorus of bewildered "What?"s quickly follows, disbelief rippling through the islanders as they struggle to process the revelation.
From your seat beneath the car wash arch, you instinctively look toward her.
Despite the minor hiccups that had transpired between the two of you, the hurt etched across Kuse’s face twists something in your chest. You couldn't bring yourself to celebrate another person's humiliation—not even hers.
Toph, meanwhile, has to bite the inside of her cheek to stop the corners of her mouth from lifting. She smooths her expression into something neutral before anyone has the chance to notice.
"Are you serious?" Kuse finally manages, her voice noticeably quieter as every pair of eyes settles on her.
"Unfortunately." Waika winces apologetically, lowering the tickets onto the platform. "That's what it says."
"Why would they say that…" Kuse murmurs, more to herself than anyone else. Almost instinctively, she turns toward her couple. "Toph?"
The earthbender doesn't direct her attention towards her, but finally speaks up.
"Ignore it." She says simply, although her voice isn't nearly as gruff as it had been last night. "It's just one comment."
Before Kuse has the chance to respond, Toph's attention shifts back toward the course, following Waika and Zuko as they makes their way to the next stop sign.
"Let's see what the next one's about."
Zuko cuts through the mounting tension by reading the next ticket aloud. "Not blank trying to take blank's man during last night's sleepover challenge, all she does is hop from one islander to the next."
Once again, the villa erupts into an uproar.
Confused voices overlap one another as the islanders instinctively begin searching each other's faces, trying to piece together who the post could possibly be referring to.
This time, Waika looks genuinely stumped. "I don't—" She begins, only for Zuko to gently cut her off.
"You were blindfolded during the challenge." He reminds her.
Realization slowly washes over her features. "Oh, right."
"I can answer this one." Zuko announces, raising his voice just enough for the conversations around him to taper off.
One by one, the murmurs die away, and every pair of eyes settles on him.
Zuko glances down at the ticket one last time before lifting his gaze toward the bleachers.
He already knows his answer. The question is whether he's willing to say it.
Silence stretches across the set. A breeze stirs the caution tape wrapped around the railings, its soft flutter somehow louder than anyone's breathing.
No one dares rush Zuko. No one dares speak.
The anticipation settles over the islanders like a heavy blanket, each passing second tightening the knot in everyone's stomach.
"I think the islanders this post is about is…" He pauses. His eyes drift across the girls seated on the bleachers before lingering on one.
Another heartbeat passes.
Then another.
By now, even the most impatient islanders have unconsciously leaned forward in their seats, waiting for the name that refused to come.
"Kuse and Katara."
On the bleachers, Katara watches Zuko intently, her features barely shifting. It was almost as though she'd expected his answer.
Instead, she sat a little straighter, her attention shifting to Kuse, who was once again fuming, her eyes fixed on Zuko. The firebender glances briefly at Aang, who sits rigidly in his seat, looking as though he'd give anything to melt into the bleachers beneath him.
Then, Kuse’s gaze met Katara's.
Where her blue eyes burned with indignation, Katara's bright blue remain steely. It was an expression Kuse had yet to see from the water tribe girl, having grown accustomed to her usual composed, observant kindness.
It seemed her patience had finally begun to wear thin.
Kuse looked away first, almost as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head. For a moment, she looked ready to stand, but before she could, Katara had already beaten her to it.
The waterbender stepped down from the bleachers without a word, making her way toward the brightly colored "Car Wash" arch.
As she settled into the seat to your left, you offered her a sympathetic look before quietly extending your hand.
Katara slipped her own into yours without hesitation.
"How are you feeling?" You asked, careful to keep your voice low enough that only she could hear.
"I knew it was about us." Katara answered simply.
There was no anger in her voice, but neither was there the easy warmth she'd carried that morning. Her words were measured, grounded by the quiet resolve of someone who'd already accepted what everyone else was only beginning to realize.
She kept her eyes fixed ahead.
"It's funny." A faint breath escaped her nose. "Before this challenge, I said the viewers don't see everything that happens in the villa."
Her fingers tightened ever so slightly around yours.
"I guess they saw enough."
You followed her gaze, watching Kuse push herself to her feet.
"Okay, I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to steal Aang." Her voice carries across the challenge set, strained in a way you hadn't heard before. It almost sounded as though she were standing trial, every islander around her serving as judge, jury, and executioner. "It was a challenge, and I was trying to find Toph."
Katara's lips press into a thin line. "I think I need to have a few conversations…"
Her eyes drift toward Toph. Though the earthbender couldn't possibly meet her gaze, she tilts her head ever so slightly before giving a small, almost imperceptible nod, silently acknowledging the waterbender.
Kuse makes her way over to the car wash arch, lowering herself into the empty seat on your right. Despite the confidence she'd spoken with only moments earlier, unease seemed to seep from every inch of her.
Across the course, Zuko observes the entire exchange with quiet calculation.
Reaching beneath the stop sign once more, he tears away the second notice. His eyes skim the answer for only a heartbeat before he reads it aloud.
"Not Kuse trying to take Katara's man during last night's sleepover challenge, all she does is hop from one islander to the next."
Kuse lets out a disbelieving laugh.
"How am I hopping from one islander to the next?" she asks aloud, her brows knitting together so tightly they nearly touched. "Seriously?"
Before anyone has the chance to answer—
Thunk.
The mechanism above the three of you shudders to life.
A split second later, a torrent of neon yellow slime crashes down from the nozzle above you.
You barely manage a startled gasp before the icy sludge engulfs you, splattering across your head and shoulders with an audible splat. It clings stubbornly to your head before slowly trailing down your temples, over your cheeks, and along the curve of your neck.
Beside you, Katara instinctively squeezes her eyes shut, a quiet laugh slipping past her lips as a cascade of green slime drenches her, coating her braid until it gleams an almost fluorescent shade.
Kuse wasn't nearly as amused.
An indignant squeal escaped her lips as she threw both hands over her face, though it did little to stop the slime from soaking through her blonde hair and dripping onto the green bikini beneath.
The bleachers erupted into laughter.
You wiped a heavy curtain of slime from your eyes, blinking away the last of it before glancing toward Katara. She was doing much the same, emerald strands stretching between her fingers before snapping back onto her shoulder.
Your eyes met.
Despite everything that had just transpired, the sight of one another covered head to toe in bright green and yellow goo proved too ridiculous to ignore.
The two of you couldn't help but laugh.
Kuse, meanwhile, remained rigid in her seat, futilely trying to brush the slime from her arms as another thick glob slipped from her hair and landed squarely in her lap.
The three of you climbed out from beneath the car wash arch and made your way back to the bleachers just as Zuko and Waika reached the end of the course. They slipped out of the cardboard convertible, handing the prop off to a nearby producer before rejoining the rest of the islanders.
Up next were Sokka and Syzu.
The pair hopped down from the bleachers, Syzu’s blue outfit, and Sokka’s black ensemble paired with a bright red cardboard convertible that bounced slightly around their waists as they made their way toward the starting line.
"C'mon guys, let's bring the energy back up!" Sokka called over his shoulder, clapping his hands together as though determined to shake off the lingering tension that had settled over the challenge.
His enthusiasm proved infectious.
Cheers and whistles rang out from the bleachers as everyone shouted words of encouragement, watching the pair "drive" onto the course until they reached the first stop sign.
Sokka wasted no time pulling off the first notice.
"Blank is such a simp, and it makes him even more attractive than he already is."
He hardly let the words settle before blurting out his answer.
"Aang, it's about Aang." Grinning from ear to ear, he held the notice aloft like he'd just solved the world's easiest riddle.
A soft blush dusted Aang's cheeks.
With an exaggerated sigh, the airbender rose from his seat and began the short walk toward the car wash arch.
"Not even gonna defend yourself?" Syzu asked through a fit of giggles as she watched him complete his walk of shame.
"I don't really know what I can say to defend myself." Aang admitted with a sheepish laugh, sounding far more amused than embarrassed. "I've been told when I'm interested in someone it tends to show…"
"Yeah, no kidding." Sokka nearly snorted.
Reaching beneath the sign again, he tore away the second notice.
"Aang is such a simp, and it makes him even more attractive." Sokka throws a triumphant fist into the air before pointing dramatically toward his best friend. "Let's go! I know my Twinkle Toes."
A small smile found its way onto Katara's lips, the lingering tension in her shoulders easing ever so slightly.
With the challenge's lighthearted atmosphere finally beginning to return, Sokka and Syzu resumed their journey down the winding track until the next stop sign emerged from the ground.
Syzu grabs the notice, reading it out. "Blank has so much potential, but she's playing it way too safe."
The couple take a moment to whisper between each other before Syu says their answer.
"We think this post is about… Waika." She wears an uncomfortable smile as her eyes find her friend's.
Waika stands up and nods, brushing off the comment like it was water against her thick skin. "Yeah… that's fair."
She sits underneath the slime nozzle as Syzu pulls off the answer.
"Waika has so much potential, but she's playing it way too safe."
Waika rises from her seat with a quiet nod. "Yeah…" A small laugh slips from her. "That's fair."
She makes her way beneath the car wash arch, settling into the center seat next to Aang just as Syzu tears away the second notice and reveal that the it was indeed about Waika.
"Guess I can't argue with that one."
"You've got options," Jet speaks up for the first time, making all of the islanders look at him. "You might as well use 'em. That's what we're all here for."
You turn your gaze forward again, trying to keep the small breath that threatened to leave your mouth in. Jet could not be more obvious.
Across the bleachers, Zuko remains as composed as ever. His expression barely shifts, though Toph's conversation with him earlier lingers quietly in the back of his mind.
"He's got a point," Sokka chimes in. "We're only gonna be here once."
Waika's shoulders seem to relax ever so slightly.
"I'll keep that in mind."
As though the challenge had been waiting for its cue, the nozzle suspended overhead gave a sharp metallic rattle.
Waika's eyes flick upward. "Uh oh…"
A minute later, a torrent of slime crashed over both her and Aang.
Aang laughed the instant the icy goo drenched him, ducking his head as the slime slid over his scalp and dripped from the end of his nose.
Waika wasn't nearly as composed.
She shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut as the thick sludge blanketed her hair and shoulders before trailing down the front of her bikini.
The bleachers erupted into laughter.
Waika peeled a strand of slime away from her cheek, staring at it with exaggerated offense. She sighed, shaking her head. "I definitely got the message."
Still chuckling, she climbed to her feet, Aang following close behind as the pair made their way back to the bleachers, both dripping trails of bright slime across the set.
The challenge carried on much the same after that.
One by one, the remaining islanders took their turns making their way around the course, crashing through Styrofoam walls and pulling notices from beneath the stop signs. Compared to the earlier tweets, the rest were noticeably kinder, earning far more laughter than awkward silences. A few islanders were teased for spending too much time lounging by the pool, while others were praised for being "marriage material" or the villa's biggest green flags.
Before long, only one islander remained to read the last social media post. Jet.
"About time." He rubbed his hands together before slipping into the cardboard convertible production handed him. "I've been waiting to see what the internet thinks of me."
"You're either gonna love it or hate it," Sokka called after him.
"Probably both," Jet answered with an easy grin.
The islanders laughed as he disappeared behind the Styrofoam wall.
A second later—crash!
He burst through with enough force to send white blocks scattering across the course. One bounced off the hood of his cardboard car, another skidded to a stop beside the race track.
The fire hydrant erupted almost immediately afterward, a powerful stream of water catching him square in the chest.
Jet flinched, laughing as he shook the water from his hair. "Thought I dodged it."
Still grinning, he continues down the winding course until he reaches the first stop sign.
With a sharp mechanical hiss, it yet again rises from the ground.
He reaches beneath it, tears away the last notice, and unfolds it between his fingers.
The playful grin he'd worn throughout the challenge lingers as his eyes skim the tweet.
Then, almost imperceptibly…it changes.
The corners of his mouth don't quite fall, but the easy amusement disappears, replaced by something far more contemplative.
You notice it immediately, and so does everyone else.
Jet's gaze lifts from the ticket. "It's so obvious blank wants blank, you could cut their sexual tension with a knife."
Silence lingers as the last syllable that left his mouth hangs in the air.
Then, almost all at once, heads begin to turn. Curious glances are exchanged across the bleachers as every islander searches the faces around them, trying to decipher who the public could possibly be talking about.
The tweet is vague enough to fit almost anyone.
An established couple, or a new connection. Even one of the singles.
For the first time since the challenge began, no one seems eager to be the first to speculate on the answer.
"The two islanders I think this is about, are…" Jet grabs everyone's attention, seeming to be waiting with baited breath for him to finish.
Jet's eyes drift across the bleachers before settling on you.
Then, they flick to Toph.
He addresses Toph before uttering your name.
The words land like a stone in still water.
A chorus of surprised murmurs ripples through the villa.
Almost instinctively, heads turn between you and Toph, everyone's eyes darting back and forth as though seeing the two of you in an entirely new light.
Beside Sokka, Syzu's brows lift in quiet surprise.
Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Kuse.
The firebender's expression barely changes, but the smile she'd been wearing during the last few tweets tightens ever so slightly. Her jaw sets as she brushes a dried fleck of slime from her shoulder with more force than necessary before redirecting her attention to Jet.
You can feel your heartbeat quicken beneath the weight of everyone's stares. Toph, on the other hand, looks almost amused.
The corner of her mouth lifts upward, as though she finds the public's observation far more entertaining than embarrassing.
She stands up before you can even think to, climbing off the bleachers and quickly moving to sit in the car wash. You get up and follow behind her, briefly glancing at her from the corner of your eye.
Jet lets the reactions settle for a moment before lowering his gaze back to the ticket.
"Final answer."
Reaching beneath the stop sign, he tears away the second notice.
"It's so obvious Toph wants…" He pauses before reading your name, the smile on his face lingering, though it had taken on an entirely different meaning. "…you could cut their sexual tension with a knife."
The reaction wasn't explosive.
If anything, it arrived in the form of dozens of little acknowledgements.
A knowing smile tugged at the corner of Sokka's mouth. Syzu brows lifted as though someone had finally put words to a thought she'd been pondering up until now. Even Zuko couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped him, his gaze drifting between you and Toph before he caught herself.
The accusation settled far more heavily on your shoulders than it ever did on Toph's. While you searched for somewhere else to look, she wore the implication with an almost shameless sort of pride.
You suddenly wished there was somewhere else to look.
Instead, your eyes found Toph's figure sitting beside you.
"Is that true?" you asked, keeping your voice low enough that the conversation remained yours alone.
Toph's hand found the side of your seat, her fingers resting only a breath away from your own.
Against your better judgment, your eyes followed the movement.
"Pull me after this challenge and find out," she replied, the familiar playfulness in her voice doing little to settle the frantic rhythm of your heart.
Before you could think of a response—
Clunk.
The nozzle overhead lurched to life.
Toph barely had enough time to tilt her head.
"Ah, hell—"
A torrent of slime crashed over both of you.
The cold hit you first.
You sputtered as it poured all over you, unfortunately leaving your top caked in the liquid-y substance.
Beside you, Toph burst into laughter, swiping a hand across her face before flicking a glob of slime from the end of her nose.
"You alright, Smudge?"
You peeled a strand of slime from your cheek, trying—and failing—to suppress a laugh of your own.
"You couldn't have warned me?"
"I tried."
"You got halfway through the sentence."
"Yeah," Toph grinned. "That's on Production."
Around you, the rest of the islanders applauded and cheered as Jet hopped down from the course, giving the audience an exaggerated bow while producers hurried onto the set to clear away the props.
"And that's a wrap on today's challenge!" a producer called from behind the cameras.
Still dripping slime onto the painted track, you climbed to your feet alongside Toph before making your way back toward the villa with the rest of the islanders, already dreading how long it was going to take to wash the goo from your skin.
Katara met you halfway, her once rye expression instead stretched into a kind, wide grin as she began to quietly chatter about the last notice.
Your attention slowly slipped away from Katara's words.
Almost instinctively, you glanced back toward the bleachers.
The spot Kuse had occupied only moments ago now sat vacant.
Sometime between the final notice and the producers calling the challenge, she'd quietly disappeared.
᯽
Arriving back at the villa, everyone naturally drifted back into the groups they'd grown comfortable with.
Toph disappeared toward the outdoor kitchen with Sokka, Zuko, Aang, and Jet, while you followed the girls to the smaller pool tucked beside the lounge.
Kuse was already there.
She sat at one end of the couch, methodically peeling dried flakes of slime from her forearm. The brittle green and yellow coating cracked beneath her fingernails before drifting onto the cushions beside her.
She glanced up as the rest of you approached.
Her eyes found yours for only a moment. Then they moved on as though nothing had happened.
"So…" Syzu lowered herself onto the couch with a tired sigh. "What does everyone think about what the Nation had to say?"
Waika laughed softly. "I think they were nicer than I expected."
"Most of them, anyway," you added.
Katara rested her forearms on her knees, considering the question before answering.
"I think the viewers notice patterns we don't always recognize while we're living them."
She paused. "But they still only see pieces of what's actually happening."
"So…" Syzu tilted her head. "Don't let one tweet define your whole experience?"
"Exactly."
A few nods circled the group.
Kuse remained silent.
She'd finished cleaning the slime from one arm and moved on to the other, her attention fixed entirely on the task. Every now and then, another dried fleck would fall into her lap, where she'd brush it away with meticulous care.
It wasn't until Waika started laughing about how ridiculous everyone had looked covered in slime that Kuse finally spoke.
"Katara."
She didn't raise her voice--she didn't need to.
The single word was enough to pull the conversation to a stop.
Katara looked over.
Kuse folded the damp cloth she'd been using and placed it neatly beside her.
"I'd like to talk." There was no room in her tone for misunderstanding.
Not if you have time. Not when you're free.
Simply…
A statement.
Katara held her gaze for a moment before standing.
"…Alright."
Together, they disappeared around the corner of the villa.
Across the villa, Toph and the boys held their own conversations.
"Think everyone's got some chats to get through after today," Sokka observed.
Jet nodded. "Yeah."
He looked toward the girls' side of the villa.
"I'm gonna pull Katara later."
Aang's attention shifted almost immediately.
Jet caught it.
"And Waika."
"Okay." Aang nodded once, a hesitant smile on his lips. "Thanks for telling me."
Zuko leaned back against the counter, echoing Aang's sentiment. "Yeah."
Nobody argued.
᯽
Nearly ten minutes passed before Katara returned.
She resumed her seat beside you with a quiet, "Sorry."
You searched her face instinctively.
Nothing looked wrong, but something had changed.
Her posture remained composed, though there was a newfound reserve about her, as though she'd quietly tucked part of herself away.
She didn't explain. She didn't need to.
Kuse then made her way back to the group of you, ignoring how Waika and Syzu glance at each other as she didn't position herself to sit down.
Instead, she remains standing.
Her eyes settle on you.
She calls your name for the first time, the way it rolled off her tongue, honey sweet, almost sickeningly so.
You look up. Meeting her almost crystal blue eyes, you search them for an answer. Instead, they were unreadable.
"Can we have a chat?"
"Sure," you answer, rising from your seat to stand in front of her.
For a brief moment, neither of you moved.
Then Kuse turned on her heel without another word, already expecting you to follow.
The conversations behind you gradually faded as you followed after her. No one made a move to stop you, though you could feel their eyes tracking the two of you. Katara's brow knit together, while Toph straightens from where she'd been leaning against the couch, her attention following you until you disappeared out of earshot.
Kuse leads you toward the far edge of the villa, stopping beside one of the decorative stone walls where the sounds of the others become little more than background noise.
She turns to face you.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face.
It was pleasant. Careful. The kind of smile that seemed to appear a heartbeat too late, as though she'd decided it was the appropriate expression before wearing it.
"I've actually been meaning to talk to you."
"Oh?" you asked.
She nods. "I feel like we got off on the wrong foot."
You frown slightly. "I didn't think we had."
"Really?" She lets out a quiet laugh. "Maybe that's just me overthinking."
Her shoulders relaxed as she spoke, every movement composed enough to seem effortless.
"I know I haven't exactly… made the best first impression."
"I don't think that's fair." You make it a point to look away from her as you complete your sentence. "I think everyone's just adjusting."
"I appreciate you saying that." Her smile widens just enough to suggest relief. "I had a feeling you'd be understanding."
The compliment landed naturally enough that you hardly noticed it.
"I actually wanted to apologize," she continues. "I know things with Toph probably made everything a little awkward."
Your expression softens. "You don't have to apologize."
"No, I do." She speaks gently, never rushing her words. "I don't want you thinking there's any resentment on my end."
"That hadn't really crossed my mind."
"I'm glad." She nods. "I mean… whatever happened between Toph and me, it looks like it's mostly in the past. If she wants to spend time with you, that's her decision."
The sentence sounds generous.
Almost rehearsed.
For a brief second, her eyes search your face before she continues.
"You two seem really close."
You smile without thinking. "We've gotten to know each other a little better. But it's only been a day."
"I could tell." There isn't a trace of bitterness in her voice. Only curiosity. "It just seems like she's always looking for you."
You glance back toward the villa, feeling a wave of shyness overcome you. "I hadn't really noticed."
"No?" A quiet laugh slips past her lips. "Maybe I'm just observant."
She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"For as long as Toph and I have been coupled up, she's always been kind to me. But with you…" She pauses thoughtfully. "It feels like she's always making sure you're around."
You think about it for a moment. "I guess she does."
"It's sweet." The compliment comes so naturally, you don't question it. "I like seeing people care about each other."
Kuse hums before letting the conversation drift elsewhere.
"I've honestly wanted to get to know you. Everyone already has their little groups, and…" she hesitates just long enough to feel genuine. "I don't want us to be the girls who don't get along because of someone else."
"I don't want that either. And if I’m being honest, I’ve wanted to get to know you better as well."
"You know, I get why Toph’s taken a liking to you.” Kuse pauses. “You seem easy to talk to."
You laugh awkwardly. "I hope that's a good thing."
"I think it is."
The silence that follows lasts just long enough for you to speak first.
"I'm really glad you asked me to talk."
"So am I." You reciprocate, offering her a gentle nod and genuine grin.
She reaches out, giving your arm a brief squeeze.
The gesture was perfectly friendly, yet somehow misplaced in comparison to your newfound comfort level.
"Come on," she says lightly. "Everyone's probably wondering what we're talking about."
As the two of you make your way back toward the others, Kuse falls half a step behind.
Just enough to watch you without you noticing.
When you finally glance back, she's already smiling. Exactly the same as before.
᯽
Back in the heart of the villa, the sky begins its slow surrender to evening. The golden light that blankets the island all afternoon softens into shades of amber and lavender, the ocean catching the last of the sun as gentle waves lap against the shore.
It surprises you how strangely time moves here.
Every hour seems to stretch on forever while you're living it, yet somehow another day is already slipping beneath the horizon.
You let out a quiet breath and start toward the girls, finding them gathered exactly where you leave them.
Katara notices you almost immediately.
Concern still lingers in her expression, and before you can offer the reassuring shake of your head you've prepared, her attention shifts somewhere over your shoulder.
Curiosity gets the better of you.
You glance behind you.
Toph.
She's leaning comfortably against the outdoor counter with the boys, only half listening to whatever story Sokka is dramatically reenacting. Despite the conversation around her, the slight tilt of her head tells you she's already noticed you're there.
"There she is," Sokka greets.
Toph tilts her head toward you. "Thought you forgot about me."
A laugh escapes you before you can stop it.
“No…" You suddenly feel much less certain than you did only seconds ago. "You promised I could find something out after the challenge."
A slow grin curves across Toph’s face. "I did."
She pushes herself away from the counter.
"C'mon."
She doesn't wait to see whether you'll follow.
She simply starts walking.
You excuse yourself from the group with a small smile before falling into step beside her.
Neither of you speaks, because you don't have to.
Your feet carry you toward the terrace almost instinctively, as though it has already become your place without either of you ever saying so.
The villa grows quieter the farther you wander from it, replaced by the steady rhythm of the waves below.
Toph stops at the railing, resting her forearms against the weathered wood.
"You really like this spot." You comment lightheartedly.
"So do you."
"…Fair." A comfortable smile finds you.
The silence that follows doesn't demand to be filled. It simply exists between you.
"I've been thinking about that tweet," you finally admit.
"I figured."
Your fingers absentmindedly trace the grooves worn into the railing. "The viewers are still behind us."
"Mhm."
"Today’s challenge hasn’t been streamed yet."
"No."
"They haven't seen…" Your voice trails off as you gesture vaguely behind you to Soul Ties. "…this."
The conversations. The hours that you somehow disappeared earlier today for your first official chat.
"They only have the sleepover challenge."
Toph doesn't interrupt, she simply listens to you again.
"I thought…" You let out a quiet laugh at yourself. "If anyone was making things obvious, it was me."
You look out over the villa and beyond that, the beautiful Fijian waters.
"I kept wondering if I was too eager." The confession leaves your lips more easily than you expect. "But somehow…"
You turn toward her.
"They already think you like me." The words hang between you. "They don't even know about today."
Toph's pink lips, which usually prefer to perpetually sit in a smirk somehow find a soft smile. "They don't have to."
Your brows knit together. "What do you mean?"
"They're outside of it." She pushes herself away from the railing, closing the small space separating the two of you. "They're not overthinking every conversation. They're not wondering whether they imagined something."
Your heartbeat quickens as she stops in front of you.
"They just watch." Her breath meets the open air, and you can almost feel the ghost of it touch your lips. "So…" she says quietly. "They're probably seeing it clearer than you are."
You search her face. "…I think I'm still owed an answer."
A grin returns to her lips.
"You are." Toph's hand brushes against your thigh as she somehow positions herself closer to you.
For a fleeting moment, you assume it's accidental—a careless graze brought on by how closely the two of you are standing.
Then her palm settles against the inside of your thigh. Deliberately.
The warmth of her hand seeps through your skin, her calloused palm a striking contrast to the softness beneath it. The roughness should feel unfamiliar, yet somehow it only makes the touch gentler, sending a pleasant shiver racing through you.
"I just don't think words are gonna do it justice."
Your breath catches. "You always do this."
"What?"
"You make me work for everything."
A laugh rumbles softly in her chest. "And yet…" Her thumb brushes lightly across your cheek. "…You keep coming back."
"I hate that you're right."
"I know." She leans closer. "So stop thinking."
You don't remember who closes the last inch between you.
Maybe it doesn't matter.
Her lips find yours with an ease that makes the rest of the villa disappear.
The kiss is slow, and unhurried. It’s nothing like the almost-kiss Production stole from you earlier that afternoon.
This time, there is no hesitation or uncertainty.
Somewhere in the distance—
"DING!"
The familiar sound echoes across the villa.
You smile against her lips.
"I think somebody got a text."
"Mhm."
Toph doesn't move.
Instead, her other hand slips from your cheek to the back of your neck, gently drawing you in for another kiss.
A quiet laugh escapes you into it.
"They're probably looking for us."
"They'll survive."
As if to prove her wrong, you heard a loud yell that cut through the tension between you.
"I GOT A TEXT!"
Sokka's voice booms across the villa, followed almost immediately by excited shouting from the rest of the islanders.
Neither of you parts.
Toph steals another lingering kiss, taking her time as though she fully intends to make up for the one Production interrupts earlier.
Only when the cheering begins to die down does she finally pull back, resting her forehead briefly against yours.
"Worth the wait?"
A smile spreads across your face before you can stop it.
"…Definitely."
Another wave of cheers carries across the villa as Sokka clears his throat dramatically.
"'Islanders! Tonight there will be a recoupling. Boys, you'll each choose which girl you'd like to couple up with!'"
Your pleasant expression fades just enough for reality to settle back in.
free me bcs i literally thought the next chapter of wtw would be significantly shorter than the previous but i'm almost 5k words in and the end is just BARELY in sight...
TW: 18+, no use of yn, modern!au, inspired by love island! femme!reader, masc!toph, dialogue heavy as always, drama, kisses, sexual tension EVERYWHERE, will edit later
SUMMARY: As the villa, and the viewers, begin to catch onto your growing connection with Toph, one long-awaited conversation finally leads to the answer you've both been avoiding.
part ii. dangerously close * worth the wait series masterlist
WC: 7.3k
A/N: cliffhangers oh how i love using you ♡
DISCLAIMER: all characterizations are purely speculative and fictional, based on my interpretation of each character's mannerisms and portrayal in their respective source material. please keep this in mind!!
Toph's lips linger only inches from yours. The warmth of her breath fans softly across your skin, mingling with your own until the air between you feels impossibly warm. The world beyond Soul Ties melts into insignificance. All you can think about is the earthbender in front of you, the featherlight ghost of her skin brushing against yours before—
DING!
The sharp chime makes you flinch ever so slightly.
A quiet groan slips from Toph's lips before the two of you reluctantly pull apart.
"Sorry." You mumble, your voice barely above a whisper, disappointment and embarrassment settling heavily in your chest as the kiss you'd been moments away from sharing is stolen from you.
"Goddamn Production." Is all Toph can manage in response as she collapses back against the cushions, one arm thrown dramatically over her face. "You owe me one."
"Do I?" You glance over at her with an amused smile, your eyes tracing the subtle ripple of her abdomen as she shifts in search of a more comfortable position.
"Yeah, I don't like being left hanging." Though mild annoyance laces her words, there's an unmistakable promise tucked beneath them—one that lingers between the two of you just as strongly as the kiss that never happened.
"I guess I do owe you then."
A smirk tugs at Toph's lips as she settles farther into the cushions, her forearm still draped across her eyes, whether to block out the afternoon sun or conceal the lingering warmth on her face, you aren't entirely sure.
"Read the text, Smudge."
Your brows knit together.
"Smudge?" You echo, unable to hide the confusion in your voice. "Where'd that come from?"
"That's how we met." The earthbender answers as though the explanation were the most obvious thing in the world. "You smudged your paint all over me."
"Huh." The sound escapes you far more gleefully than you'd intended. "I…like it."
"Even if you didn't, that wouldn't stop me." Toph gestures lazily in your direction. "Now go ahead and read it."
You let out a small sigh before you rise to your feet and clear your throat. "I got a text!"
Your voice carries easily across the villa, drawing every islander's attention. Conversations cut off mid-sentence as heads turn toward Soul Ties. Below, expressions range from eager anticipation to poorly concealed dread, each of them waiting to find out what Production had planned next.
Flipping open the pearl white phone, your eyes scan the message displayed inside the familiar baby blue text bubble.
"Islanders, it's time to see who is driving the Nation crazy in today's challenge. #MotorMouth #BackSeatDriver!"
A puzzled silence settles over the villa.
"What does that mean?" Aang wonders aloud from where he'd been lounging on a beanbag beside Zuko, his brows pinching together in thought.
"Maybe we get our phones back for this challenge and can check our social media?" Zuko suggests.
His steady composure had been a welcome contrast to Aang's restless energy all morning. Ever since breakfast, the airbender had scarcely been able to sit still, his gaze unconsciously tracking Jet whenever the non-bender crossed the villa. Though he'd tried his best to hide it, Jet's growing interest in Katara had rooted itself firmly in the back of Aang's mind, his jealousy pressing insistently against the calm exterior he worked so hard to maintain.
᯽
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous for today's challenge. Social media can be brutal." Katara bites her lip, her gaze falling to her lap as she sits beneath the bright confessional lights. "People only get an hour out of your entire day, and somehow they think they know exactly who you are."
She lets out a quiet breath, absently twisting the bracelet around her wrist. Her expression slowly grows more resolute with every passing minute. Her eyes seem to steel, her lips arched and her posture growing straighter, making it a point to glance toward the producer behind the camera before looking back into the lens.
"At the end of the day, the people in this villa are the ones actually living these moments. The viewers don't see every conversation, every joke, every misunderstanding. They see whatever makes it into the episode."
᯽
The wardrobe for this challenge was considerably less revealing than the last.
Gone were the delicate ivory lace and barely-there lingerie you'd been dressed in for the sleepover
challenge. Instead, Production had outfitted you in a ballerina pink triangle bikini, paired with a short, frilly tutu that rested lightly against your hips, its layers fluttering with even the slightest movement.
The islanders in established couples had been coordinated accordingly. The men—and Toph—were dressed in crisp black button-ups tucked neatly into matching trousers. As always, they were afforded significantly more fabric than the feminine women.
Alongside your outfit, Production had also handed you a strip of pink fabric matching the rest of your ensemble. While most of the girls tied theirs around their heads or wrists, you opted to knot yours around your upper thigh instead, fashioning it into a garter that sat snugly against your skin. It was a small touch, but one that made the costume feel a little more like your own.
"Oh, what's this…" Syzu's high-pitched voice cuts through the excited chanting of the boys and girls as they make their way from the villa toward a wide stretch of open grass.
Waiting for them is a set, elevated just enough that a short flight of stairs leads them to the platform where the challenge awaits.
White metal railings line the perimeter, wrapped in strips of yellow caution tape decorated with alternating black hearts and squares. At the far end of the platform stands a towering wall of Styrofoam blocks, completely concealing a second entrance adjacent to the one they'd just come through.
Three rows of bleachers sit alongside a long, teal figurative "race track" that snakes across the set. The first bend is marked by a bright yellow road sign reading "Slippery When Wet," complete with a water droplet decorating its face.
Towering above it all is an oversized sign depicting two cars on a collision course, frozen just moments before impact. Suspended between them is a large heart bearing the words "You Drive Me Crazy," tying the entire set together with Production's signature flair.
First up was Waika and Zuko as a couple.
They both emerged from the ramp hidden behind the Styrofoam wall, a brightly colored cardboard cutout of a convertible strapped securely around their shoulders. With both hands gripping the handlebars concealed inside the prop, it almost looked as though Waika were actually driving.
Without a second thought, the couple barreled through the wall.
Styrofoam blocks exploded into the air, tumbling across the course as the islanders erupted into cheers. Before Waika and Zuko could properly celebrate their dramatic entrance, a pink fire hydrant beside them unexpectedly roared to life, blasting a stream of water directly into their sides and drenching her from head to toe.
A surprised squeal escaped Waika's lips, as Zuko simply squinted his eyes in mild annoyance, drawing a fresh wave of laughter from the bleachers.
"Go, Waika!" Syzu shouted between giggles.
Brushing soaked strands of hair away from her face, Waika couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else. They both straightened the cardboard convertible around their shoulders before continuing down the winding track, encouraged by the whistles and applause following their every step.
The couple came to a stop beneath the first road sign. With a mechanical hiss, a large stop sign rose from the ground in front of them.
Beneath it sat another sign reading, "Take your Ticket."
Hanging below were two thick cardboard slips painted to resemble traffic citations, labeled "Notice 1" and "Notice 2."
Waika reached for "Notice 1."
As she tore it free, the ticket unfolded to reveal a social media post.
"Honestly, blank rubs me the wrong way, and I want her out."
An uneasy chorus of groans and murmurs rippled through the islanders.
Now, it was Waika and Zuko's turn to decide who the public had been talking about.
The girl's smile faltered ever so slightly as her gaze swept across the bleachers, lingering on each of the girls in turn. Zuko whispered, "You got this one," into her ear before she nodded in response
"No hard feelings. I love all of my girls, but…" She paused, chewing thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek before she says your name.
Several heads immediately turned toward you, surprise flickering across nearly every face as they see you meet Waika's gaze with a polite smile.
"You're the newest girl." She gives you a sheepish look. "I love you though, and I want to get to know you more!"
"I get it." You rose from your seat without hesitation. It was a fair conclusion to come to. Waika had spent the past several days growing close to the other girls, while you'd only stepped foot into the villa the night before.
Making your way across the set, you arrived beneath a brightly colored retro archway decorated with a large neon pink arrow and oversized bubbles. Across the top, playful lettering spelled out "Car Wash."
Three large seats sat beneath the arch, and after a brief moment of consideration, you slipped into the one in the middle. As you settled back, your gaze instinctively drifted upward.
Suspended directly above your head was a large nozzle, its translucent chamber filled nearly to the brim with an alarmingly neon yellow slime, the viscous liquid sloshing lazily against the clear plastic as if eagerly awaiting its next victim.
Your lips pressed into a thin line. But, there wasn't much to do now except accept your inevitable fate.
Waika shoots you one last apologetic glance before turning back toward the stop sign. Reaching beneath it once more, she tears away "Notice 2," revealing the answer hidden underneath.
Her eyes immediately widen, Zuko reads the ticket from behind her, his expression only faltering for a second before he masterfully coaches it back to normal.
For a brief moment, Waika simply stares at the ticket, silently rereading the post before voicing it aloud.
"Honestly, Kuse rubs me the wrong way I want her out."
A stunned silence washes over the set.
Beside Toph, Kuse's mouth falls open.
A chorus of bewildered "What?"s quickly follows, disbelief rippling through the islanders as they struggle to process the revelation.
From your seat beneath the car wash arch, you instinctively look toward her.
Despite the minor hiccups that had transpired between the two of you, the hurt etched across Kuse’s face twists something in your chest. You couldn't bring yourself to celebrate another person's humiliation—not even hers.
Toph, meanwhile, has to bite the inside of her cheek to stop the corners of her mouth from lifting. She smooths her expression into something neutral before anyone has the chance to notice.
"Are you serious?" Kuse finally manages, her voice noticeably quieter as every pair of eyes settles on her.
"Unfortunately." Waika winces apologetically, lowering the tickets onto the platform. "That's what it says."
"Why would they say that…" Kuse murmurs, more to herself than anyone else. Almost instinctively, she turns toward her couple. "Toph?"
The earthbender doesn't direct her attention towards her, but finally speaks up.
"Ignore it." She says simply, although her voice isn't nearly as gruff as it had been last night. "It's just one comment."
Before Kuse has the chance to respond, Toph's attention shifts back toward the course, following Waika and Zuko as they makes their way to the next stop sign.
"Let's see what the next one's about."
Zuko cuts through the mounting tension by reading the next ticket aloud. "Not blank trying to take blank's man during last night's sleepover challenge, all she does is hop from one islander to the next."
Once again, the villa erupts into an uproar.
Confused voices overlap one another as the islanders instinctively begin searching each other's faces, trying to piece together who the post could possibly be referring to.
This time, Waika looks genuinely stumped. "I don't—" She begins, only for Zuko to gently cut her off.
"You were blindfolded during the challenge." He reminds her.
Realization slowly washes over her features. "Oh, right."
"I can answer this one." Zuko announces, raising his voice just enough for the conversations around him to taper off.
One by one, the murmurs die away, and every pair of eyes settles on him.
Zuko glances down at the ticket one last time before lifting his gaze toward the bleachers.
He already knows his answer. The question is whether he's willing to say it.
Silence stretches across the set. A breeze stirs the caution tape wrapped around the railings, its soft flutter somehow louder than anyone's breathing.
No one dares rush Zuko. No one dares speak.
The anticipation settles over the islanders like a heavy blanket, each passing second tightening the knot in everyone's stomach.
"I think the islanders this post is about is…" He pauses. His eyes drift across the girls seated on the bleachers before lingering on one.
Another heartbeat passes.
Then another.
By now, even the most impatient islanders have unconsciously leaned forward in their seats, waiting for the name that refused to come.
"Kuse and Katara."
On the bleachers, Katara watches Zuko intently, her features barely shifting. It was almost as though she'd expected his answer.
Instead, she sat a little straighter, her attention shifting to Kuse, who was once again fuming, her eyes fixed on Zuko. The firebender glances briefly at Aang, who sits rigidly in his seat, looking as though he'd give anything to melt into the bleachers beneath him.
Then, Kuse’s gaze met Katara's.
Where her blue eyes burned with indignation, Katara's bright blue remain steely. It was an expression Kuse had yet to see from the water tribe girl, having grown accustomed to her usual composed, observant kindness.
It seemed her patience had finally begun to wear thin.
Kuse looked away first, almost as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head. For a moment, she looked ready to stand, but before she could, Katara had already beaten her to it.
The waterbender stepped down from the bleachers without a word, making her way toward the brightly colored "Car Wash" arch.
As she settled into the seat to your left, you offered her a sympathetic look before quietly extending your hand.
Katara slipped her own into yours without hesitation.
"How are you feeling?" You asked, careful to keep your voice low enough that only she could hear.
"I knew it was about us." Katara answered simply.
There was no anger in her voice, but neither was there the easy warmth she'd carried that morning. Her words were measured, grounded by the quiet resolve of someone who'd already accepted what everyone else was only beginning to realize.
She kept her eyes fixed ahead.
"It's funny." A faint breath escaped her nose. "Before this challenge, I said the viewers don't see everything that happens in the villa."
Her fingers tightened ever so slightly around yours.
"I guess they saw enough."
You followed her gaze, watching Kuse push herself to her feet.
"Okay, I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to steal Aang." Her voice carries across the challenge set, strained in a way you hadn't heard before. It almost sounded as though she were standing trial, every islander around her serving as judge, jury, and executioner. "It was a challenge, and I was trying to find Toph."
Katara's lips press into a thin line. "I think I need to have a few conversations…"
Her eyes drift toward Toph. Though the earthbender couldn't possibly meet her gaze, she tilts her head ever so slightly before giving a small, almost imperceptible nod, silently acknowledging the waterbender.
Kuse makes her way over to the car wash arch, lowering herself into the empty seat on your right. Despite the confidence she'd spoken with only moments earlier, unease seemed to seep from every inch of her.
Across the course, Zuko observes the entire exchange with quiet calculation.
Reaching beneath the stop sign once more, he tears away the second notice. His eyes skim the answer for only a heartbeat before he reads it aloud.
"Not Kuse trying to take Katara's man during last night's sleepover challenge, all she does is hop from one islander to the next."
Kuse lets out a disbelieving laugh.
"How am I hopping from one islander to the next?" she asks aloud, her brows knitting together so tightly they nearly touched. "Seriously?"
Before anyone has the chance to answer—
Thunk.
The mechanism above the three of you shudders to life.
A split second later, a torrent of neon yellow slime crashes down from the nozzle above you.
You barely manage a startled gasp before the icy sludge engulfs you, splattering across your head and shoulders with an audible splat. It clings stubbornly to your head before slowly trailing down your temples, over your cheeks, and along the curve of your neck.
Beside you, Katara instinctively squeezes her eyes shut, a quiet laugh slipping past her lips as a cascade of green slime drenches her, coating her braid until it gleams an almost fluorescent shade.
Kuse wasn't nearly as amused.
An indignant squeal escaped her lips as she threw both hands over her face, though it did little to stop the slime from soaking through her blonde hair and dripping onto the green bikini beneath.
The bleachers erupted into laughter.
You wiped a heavy curtain of slime from your eyes, blinking away the last of it before glancing toward Katara. She was doing much the same, emerald strands stretching between her fingers before snapping back onto her shoulder.
Your eyes met.
Despite everything that had just transpired, the sight of one another covered head to toe in bright green and yellow goo proved too ridiculous to ignore.
The two of you couldn't help but laugh.
Kuse, meanwhile, remained rigid in her seat, futilely trying to brush the slime from her arms as another thick glob slipped from her hair and landed squarely in her lap.
The three of you climbed out from beneath the car wash arch and made your way back to the bleachers just as Zuko and Waika reached the end of the course. They slipped out of the cardboard convertible, handing the prop off to a nearby producer before rejoining the rest of the islanders.
Up next were Sokka and Syzu.
The pair hopped down from the bleachers, Syzu’s blue outfit, and Sokka’s black ensemble paired with a bright red cardboard convertible that bounced slightly around their waists as they made their way toward the starting line.
"C'mon guys, let's bring the energy back up!" Sokka called over his shoulder, clapping his hands together as though determined to shake off the lingering tension that had settled over the challenge.
His enthusiasm proved infectious.
Cheers and whistles rang out from the bleachers as everyone shouted words of encouragement, watching the pair "drive" onto the course until they reached the first stop sign.
Sokka wasted no time pulling off the first notice.
"Blank is such a simp, and it makes him even more attractive than he already is."
He hardly let the words settle before blurting out his answer.
"Aang, it's about Aang." Grinning from ear to ear, he held the notice aloft like he'd just solved the world's easiest riddle.
A soft blush dusted Aang's cheeks.
With an exaggerated sigh, the airbender rose from his seat and began the short walk toward the car wash arch.
"Not even gonna defend yourself?" Syzu asked through a fit of giggles as she watched him complete his walk of shame.
"I don't really know what I can say to defend myself." Aang admitted with a sheepish laugh, sounding far more amused than embarrassed. "I've been told when I'm interested in someone it tends to show…"
"Yeah, no kidding." Sokka nearly snorted.
Reaching beneath the sign again, he tore away the second notice.
"Aang is such a simp, and it makes him even more attractive." Sokka throws a triumphant fist into the air before pointing dramatically toward his best friend. "Let's go! I know my Twinkle Toes."
A small smile found its way onto Katara's lips, the lingering tension in her shoulders easing ever so slightly.
With the challenge's lighthearted atmosphere finally beginning to return, Sokka and Syzu resumed their journey down the winding track until the next stop sign emerged from the ground.
Syzu grabs the notice, reading it out. "Blank has so much potential, but she's playing it way too safe."
The couple take a moment to whisper between each other before Syu says their answer.
"We think this post is about… Waika." She wears an uncomfortable smile as her eyes find her friend's.
Waika stands up and nods, brushing off the comment like it was water against her thick skin. "Yeah… that's fair."
She sits underneath the slime nozzle as Syzu pulls off the answer.
"Waika has so much potential, but she's playing it way too safe."
She makes her way beneath the car wash arch, settling into the center seat next to Aang just as Syzu tears away the second notice and reveal that the it was indeed about Waika.
"Guess I can't argue with that one."
"You've got options," Jet speaks up for the first time, making all of the islanders look at him. "You might as well use 'em. That's what we're all here for."
You turn your gaze forward again, trying to keep the small breath that threatened to leave your mouth in. Jet could not be more obvious.
Across the bleachers, Zuko remains as composed as ever. His expression barely shifts, though Toph's conversation with him earlier lingers quietly in the back of his mind.
"He's got a point," Sokka chimes in. "We're only gonna be here once."
Waika's shoulders seem to relax ever so slightly.
"I'll keep that in mind."
As though the challenge had been waiting for its cue, the nozzle suspended overhead gave a sharp metallic rattle.
Waika's eyes flick upward. "Uh oh…"
A minute later, a torrent of slime crashed over both her and Aang.
Aang laughed the instant the icy goo drenched him, ducking his head as the slime slid over his scalp and dripped from the end of his nose.
Waika wasn't nearly as composed.
She shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut as the thick sludge blanketed her hair and shoulders before trailing down the front of her bikini.
The bleachers erupted into laughter.
Waika peeled a strand of slime away from her cheek, staring at it with exaggerated offense. She sighed, shaking her head. "I definitely got the message."
Still chuckling, she climbed to her feet, Aang following close behind as the pair made their way back to the bleachers, both dripping trails of bright slime across the set.
The challenge carried on much the same after that.
One by one, the remaining islanders took their turns making their way around the course, crashing through Styrofoam walls and pulling notices from beneath the stop signs. Compared to the earlier tweets, the rest were noticeably kinder, earning far more laughter than awkward silences. A few islanders were teased for spending too much time lounging by the pool, while others were praised for being "marriage material" or the villa's biggest green flags.
Before long, only one islander remained to read the last social media post. Jet.
"About time." He rubbed his hands together before slipping into the cardboard convertible production handed him. "I've been waiting to see what the internet thinks of me."
"You're either gonna love it or hate it," Sokka called after him.
"Probably both," Jet answered with an easy grin.
The islanders laughed as he disappeared behind the Styrofoam wall.
A second later—crash!
He burst through with enough force to send white blocks scattering across the course. One bounced off the hood of his cardboard car, another skidded to a stop beside the race track.
The fire hydrant erupted almost immediately afterward, a powerful stream of water catching him square in the chest.
Jet flinched, laughing as he shook the water from his hair. "Thought I dodged it."
Still grinning, he continues down the winding course until he reaches the first stop sign.
With a sharp mechanical hiss, it yet again rises from the ground.
He reaches beneath it, tears away the last notice, and unfolds it between his fingers.
The playful grin he'd worn throughout the challenge lingers as his eyes skim the tweet.
Then, almost imperceptibly…it changes.
The corners of his mouth don't quite fall, but the easy amusement disappears, replaced by something far more contemplative.
You notice it immediately, and so does everyone else.
Jet's gaze lifts from the ticket. "It's so obvious blank wants blank, you could cut their sexual tension with a knife."
Silence lingers as the last syllable that left his mouth hangs in the air.
Then, almost all at once, heads begin to turn. Curious glances are exchanged across the bleachers as every islander searches the faces around them, trying to decipher who the public could possibly be talking about.
The tweet is vague enough to fit almost anyone.
An established couple, or a new connection. Even one of the singles.
For the first time since the challenge began, no one seems eager to be the first to speculate on the answer.
"The two islanders I think this is about, are…" Jet grabs everyone's attention, seeming to be waiting with baited breath for him to finish.
Jet's eyes drift across the bleachers before settling on you.
Then, they flick to Toph.
He addresses Toph before uttering your name.
The words land like a stone in still water.
A chorus of surprised murmurs ripples through the villa.
Almost instinctively, heads turn between you and Toph, everyone's eyes darting back and forth as though seeing the two of you in an entirely new light.
Beside Sokka, Syzu's brows lift in quiet surprise.
Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Kuse.
The firebender's expression barely changes, but the smile she'd been wearing during the last few tweets tightens ever so slightly. Her jaw sets as she brushes a dried fleck of slime from her shoulder with more force than necessary before redirecting her attention to Jet.
You can feel your heartbeat quicken beneath the weight of everyone's stares. Toph, on the other hand, looks almost amused.
The corner of her mouth lifts upward, as though she finds the public's observation far more entertaining than embarrassing.
She stands up before you can even think to, climbing off the bleachers and quickly moving to sit in the car wash. You get up and follow behind her, briefly glancing at her from the corner of your eye.
Jet lets the reactions settle for a moment before lowering his gaze back to the ticket.
"Final answer."
Reaching beneath the stop sign, he tears away the second notice.
"It's so obvious Toph wants…" He pauses before reading your name, the smile on his face lingering, though it had taken on an entirely different meaning. "…you could cut their sexual tension with a knife."
The reaction wasn't explosive.
If anything, it arrived in the form of dozens of little acknowledgements.
A knowing smile tugged at the corner of Sokka's mouth. Syzu brows lifted as though someone had finally put words to a thought she'd been pondering up until now. Even Zuko couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped him, his gaze drifting between you and Toph before he caught herself.
The accusation settled far more heavily on your shoulders than it ever did on Toph's. While you searched for somewhere else to look, she wore the implication with an almost shameless sort of pride.
You suddenly wished there was somewhere else to look.
Instead, your eyes found Toph's figure sitting beside you.
"Is that true?" you asked, keeping your voice low enough that the conversation remained yours alone.
Toph's hand found the side of your seat, her fingers resting only a breath away from your own.
Against your better judgment, your eyes followed the movement.
"Pull me after this challenge and find out," she replied, the familiar playfulness in her voice doing little to settle the frantic rhythm of your heart.
Before you could think of a response—
Clunk.
The nozzle overhead lurched to life.
Toph barely had enough time to tilt her head.
"Ah, hell—"
A torrent of slime crashed over both of you.
The cold hit you first.
You sputtered as it poured all over you, unfortunately leaving your top caked in the liquid-y substance.
Beside you, Toph burst into laughter, swiping a hand across her face before flicking a glob of slime from the end of her nose.
"You alright, Smudge?"
You peeled a strand of slime from your cheek, trying—and failing—to suppress a laugh of your own.
"You couldn't have warned me?"
"I tried."
"You got halfway through the sentence."
"Yeah," Toph grinned. "That's on Production."
Around you, the rest of the islanders applauded and cheered as Jet hopped down from the course, giving the audience an exaggerated bow while producers hurried onto the set to clear away the props.
"And that's a wrap on today's challenge!" a producer called from behind the cameras.
Still dripping slime onto the painted track, you climbed to your feet alongside Toph before making your way back toward the villa with the rest of the islanders, already dreading how long it was going to take to wash the goo from your skin.
Katara met you halfway, her once rye expression instead stretched into a kind, wide grin as she began to quietly chatter about the last notice.
Your attention slowly slipped away from Katara's words.
Almost instinctively, you glanced back toward the bleachers.
The spot Kuse had occupied only moments ago now sat vacant.
Sometime between the final notice and the producers calling the challenge, she'd quietly disappeared.
᯽
Arriving back at the villa, everyone naturally drifted back into the groups they'd grown comfortable with.
Toph disappeared toward the outdoor kitchen with Sokka, Zuko, Aang, and Jet, while you followed the girls to the smaller pool tucked beside the lounge.
Kuse was already there.
She sat at one end of the couch, methodically peeling dried flakes of slime from her forearm. The brittle green and yellow coating cracked beneath her fingernails before drifting onto the cushions beside her.
She glanced up as the rest of you approached.
Her eyes found yours for only a moment. Then they moved on as though nothing had happened.
"So…" Syzu lowered herself onto the couch with a tired sigh. "What does everyone think about what the Nation had to say?"
Waika laughed softly. "I think they were nicer than I expected."
"Most of them, anyway," you added.
Katara rested her forearms on her knees, considering the question before answering.
"I think the viewers notice patterns we don't always recognize while we're living them."
She paused. "But they still only see pieces of what's actually happening."
"So…" Syzu tilted her head. "Don't let one tweet define your whole experience?"
"Exactly."
A few nods circled the group.
Kuse remained silent.
She'd finished cleaning the slime from one arm and moved on to the other, her attention fixed entirely on the task. Every now and then, another dried fleck would fall into her lap, where she'd brush it away with meticulous care.
It wasn't until Waika started laughing about how ridiculous everyone had looked covered in slime that Kuse finally spoke.
"Katara."
She didn't raise her voice—she didn't need to.
The single word was enough to pull the conversation to a stop.
Katara looked over.
Kuse folded the damp cloth she'd been using and placed it neatly beside her.
"I'd like to talk." There was no room in her tone for misunderstanding.
Not if you have time, not when you're free.
It was simply… a statement.
Katara held her gaze for a moment before standing. "…Alright."
Together, they disappeared around the corner of the villa.
Across the villa, Toph and the boys held their own conversations.
"Think everyone's got some chats to get through after today," Sokka observed.
Jet nodded. "Yeah." He looked toward the girls' side of the villa. "I'm gonna pull Katara later."
Aang's attention shifted almost immediately.
Jet caught it. "And Waika."
"Okay." Aang nodded once, a hesitant smile on his lips. "Thanks for telling me."
Zuko leaned back against the counter, echoing Aang's sentiment. "Yeah."
Nobody argued.
᯽
Nearly ten minutes passed before Katara returned.
She resumed her seat beside you with a quiet, "Sorry."
You searched her face instinctively.
Nothing looked wrong, but something had changed.
Her posture remained composed, though there was a newfound reserve about her, as though she'd quietly tucked part of herself away.
She didn't explain. She didn't need to.
Kuse then made her way back to the group of you, ignoring how Waika and Syzu glance at each other as she didn't position herself to sit down.
Instead, she remains standing.
Her eyes settle on you.
She calls your name for the first time, the way it rolled off her tongue, honey sweet, almost sickeningly so.
You look up. Meeting her almost crystal blue eyes, you search them for an answer. Instead, they were unreadable.
"Can we have a chat?"
"Sure," you answer, rising from your seat to stand in front of her.
For a brief moment, neither of you moved.
Then Kuse turned on her heel without another word, already expecting you to follow.
The conversations behind you gradually faded as you followed after her. No one made a move to stop you, though you could feel their eyes tracking the two of you. Katara's brow knit together, while Toph straightens from where she'd been leaning against the couch, her attention following you until you disappeared out of earshot.
Kuse leads you toward the far edge of the villa, stopping beside one of the decorative stone walls where the sounds of the others become little more than background noise.
She turns to face you.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face.
It was pleasant. Careful. The kind of smile that seemed to appear a heartbeat too late, as though she'd decided it was the appropriate expression before wearing it.
"I've actually been meaning to talk to you."
"Oh?" you asked.
She nods. "I feel like we got off on the wrong foot."
You frown slightly. "I didn't think we had."
"Really?" She lets out a quiet laugh. "Maybe that's just me overthinking."
Her shoulders relaxed as she spoke, every movement composed enough to seem effortless.
"I know I haven't exactly… made the best first impression."
"I don't think that's fair." You make it a point to look away from her as you complete your sentence. "I think everyone's just adjusting."
"I appreciate you saying that." Her smile widens just enough to suggest relief. "I had a feeling you'd be understanding."
The compliment landed naturally enough that you hardly noticed it.
"I actually wanted to apologize," she continues. "I know things with Toph probably made everything a little awkward."
Your expression softens. "You don't have to apologize."
"No, I do." She speaks gently, never rushing her words. "I don't want you thinking there's any resentment on my end."
"That hadn't really crossed my mind."
"I'm glad." She nods. "I mean… whatever happened between Toph and me, it looks like it's mostly in the past. If she wants to spend time with you, that's her decision."
The sentence sounds generous. Almost rehearsed.
For a brief second, her eyes search your face before she continues.
"You two seem really close."
You smile without thinking. "We've gotten to know each other a little better. But it's only been a day."
"I could tell." There isn't a trace of bitterness in her voice. Only curiosity. "It just seems like she's always looking for you."
You glance back toward the villa, feeling a wave of shyness overcome you. "I hadn't really noticed."
"No?" A quiet laugh slips past her lips. "Maybe I'm just observant."
She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"For as long as Toph and I have been coupled up, she's always been kind to me. But with you…" She pauses thoughtfully. "It feels like she's always making sure you're around."
You think about it for a moment. "I guess she does."
"It's sweet." The compliment comes so naturally, you don't question it. "I like seeing people care about each other."
Kuse hums before letting the conversation drift elsewhere.
"I've honestly wanted to get to know you. Everyone already has their little groups, and…" she hesitates just long enough to feel genuine. "I don't want us to be the girls who don't get along because of someone else."
"I don't want that either. And if I’m being honest, I’ve wanted to get to know you better as well."
"You know, I get why Toph’s taken a liking to you.” Kuse pauses. “You seem easy to talk to."
You laugh awkwardly. "I hope that's a good thing."
"I think it is."
The silence that follows lasts just long enough for you to speak first.
"I'm really glad you asked me to talk."
"So am I." You reciprocate, offering her a gentle nod and genuine grin.
She reaches out, giving your arm a brief squeeze.
The gesture was perfectly friendly, yet somehow misplaced in comparison to your newfound comfort level.
"Come on," she says lightly. "Everyone's probably wondering what we're talking about."
As the two of you make your way back toward the others, Kuse falls half a step behind.
Just enough to watch you without you noticing.
When you finally glance back, she's already smiling. Exactly the same as before.
᯽
Back in the heart of the villa, the sky begins its slow surrender to evening. The golden light that blankets the island all afternoon softens into shades of amber and lavender, the ocean catching the last of the sun as gentle waves lap against the shore.
It surprises you how strangely time moves here.
Every hour seems to stretch on forever while you're living it, yet somehow another day is already slipping beneath the horizon.
You let out a quiet breath and start toward the girls, finding them gathered exactly where you leave them.
Katara notices you almost immediately.
Concern still lingers in her expression, and before you can offer the reassuring shake of your head you've prepared, her attention shifts somewhere over your shoulder.
Curiosity gets the better of you.
You glance behind you.
Toph.
She's leaning comfortably against the outdoor counter with the boys, only half listening to whatever story Sokka is dramatically reenacting. Despite the conversation around her, the slight tilt of her head tells you she's already noticed you're there.
"There she is," Sokka greets.
Toph tilts her head toward you. "Thought you forgot about me."
A laugh escapes you before you can stop it.
“No…" You suddenly feel much less certain than you did only seconds ago. "You promised I could find something out after the challenge."
A slow grin curves across Toph’s face. "I did." She pushes herself away from the counter. "C'mon."
She doesn't wait to see whether you'll follow. She just starts walking.
You excuse yourself from the group with a small smile before falling into step beside her.
Neither of you speaks, because you don't have to.
Your feet carry you toward the terrace almost instinctively, as though it has already become your place without either of you ever saying so.
The villa grows quieter the farther you wander from it, replaced by the steady rhythm of the waves below.
Toph stops at the railing, resting her forearms against the weathered wood.
"You really like this spot." You comment lightheartedly.
"So do you."
"…Fair." A comfortable smile finds you.
The silence that follows doesn't demand to be filled. It simply exists between you.
"I've been thinking about that tweet," you finally admit.
"I figured."
Your fingers absentmindedly trace the grooves worn into the railing. "The viewers are still behind us."
"Mhm."
"Today’s challenge hasn’t been streamed yet."
"No."
"They haven't seen…" Your voice trails off as you gesture vaguely behind you to Soul Ties. "…this."
The conversations. The hours that you somehow disappeared earlier today for your first official chat.
"They only have the sleepover challenge."
Toph doesn't interrupt, she simply listens to you again.
"I thought…" You let out a quiet laugh at yourself. "If anyone was making things obvious, it was me."
You look out over the villa and beyond that, the beautiful Fijian waters.
"I kept wondering if I was too eager." The confession leaves your lips more easily than you expect. "But somehow…"
You turn toward her.
"They already think you like me." The words hang between you. "They don't even know about today."
Toph's pink lips, which usually prefer to perpetually sit in a smirk somehow find a soft smile. "They don't have to."
Your brows knit together. "What do you mean?"
"They're outside of it." She pushes herself away from the railing, closing the small space separating the two of you. "They're not overthinking every conversation. They're not wondering whether they imagined something."
Your heartbeat quickens as she stops in front of you.
"They just watch." Her breath meets the open air, and you can almost feel the ghost of it touch your lips. "So…" she says quietly. "They're probably seeing it clearer than you are."
You search her face. "…I think I'm still owed an answer."
A grin returns to her lips.
"You are." Toph's hand brushes against your thigh as she somehow positions herself closer to you.
For a fleeting moment, you assume it's accidental—a careless graze brought on by how closely the two of you are standing.
Then her palm settles against the inside of your thigh. Deliberately.
The warmth of her hand seeps through your skin, her calloused palm a striking contrast to the softness beneath it. The roughness should feel unfamiliar, yet somehow it only makes the touch gentler, sending a pleasant shiver racing through you.
"I just don't think words are gonna do it justice."
Your breath catches. "You always do this."
"What?"
"You make me work for everything."
A laugh rumbles softly in her chest. "And yet…" Her thumb brushes lightly across your cheek. "…You keep coming back."
"I hate that you're right."
"I know." She leans closer. "So stop thinking."
You don't remember who closes the last inch between you.
Maybe it doesn't matter.
Her lips find yours with an ease that makes the rest of the villa disappear.
The kiss is slow, and unhurried. It’s nothing like the almost-kiss Production stole from you earlier that afternoon.
This time, there is no hesitation or uncertainty.
Somewhere in the distance—
"DING!"
The familiar sound echoes across the villa.
You smile against her lips. "I think somebody got a text."
"Mhm."
Toph doesn't move.
Instead, her other hand slips from your cheek to the back of your neck, gently drawing you in for another kiss.
A quiet laugh escapes you into it. "They're probably looking for us."
"They'll survive."
As if to prove her wrong, you heard a loud yell that cut through the tension between you.
"I GOT A TEXT!"
Sokka's voice booms across the villa, followed almost immediately by excited shouting from the rest of the islanders.
Neither of you parts.
Toph steals another lingering kiss, taking her time as though she fully intends to make up for the one Production interrupts earlier.
Only when the cheering begins to die down does she finally pull back, resting her forehead briefly against yours.
"Worth the wait?"
A smile spreads across your face before you can stop it.
"…Definitely."
Another wave of cheers carries across the villa as Sokka clears his throat dramatically.
"'Islanders! Tonight there will be a recoupling. Boys, you'll each choose which girl you'd like to couple up with!'"
Your pleasant expression fades just enough for reality to settle back in.
SUMMARY: You entered the Love Island villa ready to turn a few heads, never expecting the one connection that would take the longest to earn would be with Toph Beifong—a connection she soon finds herself willing to risk everything else for.
⤷ love island au masterlist
౨ৎ fics
᯽ getting messy in bed
᯽ dangerously close
᯽ you drive me crazy
᯽ under the covers (i.), (ii.)
⇨ want to join the taglist? send me a message or comment saying you'd like to be on it, and i'll add you!
my love biland loverssss what challenges/events other than heart rate, movie night, and casa amor (those WILL be coming eventually, probably...) do ygs wanna see in the upcoming chapters? !!! let me knowww they can be from any of the love island USA seasons or episodes!!!
as long as i can find it somewhere hehehe
ALSOOOO would ygs possibly wanna be tagged in the upcoming chapters? lmkkk if there’s enough of you that wanna i’ll make a taglist!!🥹🫰
yousharknotpass
origamiaround
pixelskylines
ellievsbear