summary ☞ Two Azula's? Wasn't one enough already? The Gaang is not exactly overjoyed, except for Sokka, who somehow was able to embarrass himself two seconds in their first meeting.
word count ☞ 4.9k+
warnings ☞ fluff, use of yn, set into book three, reader is azula's twin, katara is a bit prissy and clearly doesn't like reader, sokka is so awkward and amazing, ursa mention
mene's notes ☞ previously posted on @/selenewowww. i love myself a good azula's twin fic, and it's even better i wrote it myself! tell me what you liked in the comments, and leave a reblog! pt2 pt3
dividers by ☞ @cursed-carmine, @cafekitsune
To be fair, YN was mistaken for her twin sister on a daily basis.
Same sharp features, same calculating golden eyes that seemed to scrutinise every single lie and sin hiding in the deepest depth of your soul. However, that is bound to happen when you're an identical twin.
Although everything about her screamed ‘Azula’, her mother had always said she looked somewhat softer, more kind and less intimidating than her sister. Insisted that her soul was softer than Azula’s, that yes, they were identical in appearance and personality, but she wasn't as destructive and cruel as her older twin sister.
That's why she had no reaction when the team avatar, plus her older brother, immediately went into a fighting stance at her sight, standing a few meters before them, on the warm sand of the beach. Despite the risk of getting attacked any time soon, she stood tall. Shoulders rolled back, back straight and chin held high, like the proper princess she was raised to be.
Her eyes however stayed fixed on the figure of her brother, eyebrows furrowed as a frown painted her rosy lips. All without ruining her regal face.
She had traveled from Capital City to her family house in Ember Island, lying to her father and sister about the destination and real motives behind her will to travel. She had taken her most trusted men with her to help her get safely to her destination, who she knew would not tell her father her whereabouts, and traveled for a whole day on an airship. She was not going to accept this kind of welcoming.
“Zuko”, she said simply, gaze still locked on him.
Before he could form a sentence, Sokka had abruptly took off in a run towards her, boomerang at hand, trained and ready to be thrown. She moved her unbothered gaze from her brother to the wolf-knot guy running wildly towards her. Before he could actually throw his boomerang, she flicked her hand, blue flames circling her to prevent him getting any closer.
“Could you… Stop?”, she asks the blue–clad boy, a perfect shaped eyebrow raising.
“Yeah, Sokka, stop!”, hissed the other blue–clad girl with the silly hairstyle.
“Not without fighting!”, he insisted, waving his boomerang in the air in what he thought was an intimidating way.
She glanced at Zuko, feeling mildly confused and unsure of what to do. He answered with a glare, fists still raised, at the ready to firebend. “Azula, what are you doing here? How did you manage to find us?”, he asked firmly, almost angry.
She raises both her eyebrows, lips parted in a small ‘o’, hand dramatically over her heart. “Zuzu”, she starts, eyes widened in shock, her words dripped with sarcasm, a sharp and cutting edge to her tone.
“How can you? I'm outraged! I feel deeply wronged, if you must know. Mistaking us, ugh”, she scoffs. “And here I thought I was your favourite sister”, she crossed her arms over her chest, hair flipping over her shoulder as she turned her head aside, a pout forming on her face.
“I–”, tried to reason the scarred boy, but was interrupted by a very confused Aang.
“Favourite? You have more than one sister?”, asked incredulously the bald kid, gaze flicking over the two royals like he was following a ping pong ball.
“I– It's complicated–”
“How can it be complicated!–”
“Aang, please”, glared Zuko, frustration surging up inside him. He then turned to glare at his youngest sister. “And you! Stop throwing a tantrum! How can you expect me to tell you apart when you and Azula are identical! Your attitude isn't really helping me either!”
She let out a soft scoff, head turning to him nonetheless, a frown plastered on her face. Her brows knitted together. “This wasn't how I imagined my welcome…”, she murmured bitterly.
“Come again?”, raised an eyebrow Zuko, obviously annoyed.
“Nothing”, she mumbled, her head hanging low, playing with the hem of her long sleeves.
Zuko studied her carefully, eyes narrowed and examining everything about her, down to the smallest and insignificant detail. Only when he was sure he was not in the presence of Azula, did he let out a sigh and relaxed his stance, signalling the Gaang to follow his example with a careless wave of his hand.
Sokka’s eyes widened comically, mouth hanging open. “Are you mental, Zuko? She's Fire Nation! She's the enemy! You said your sister was a dangerous psychopath! And, honestly, I experienced it firsthand”
“I– She's not Azula, Sokka. She's YN, my… younger sister. Azula’s twin. She's harmless”, he explained resignedly.
“‘Azula’ and ‘harmless’ don't, can't go into the same sentence! Precisely because she's her twin, I'm not putting down my weapon! She must be as evil as Azula!”, Sokka responded.
“What my brother meant, is that I can kick ass, but I'm not going to kick yours. Or any of yours, for that matter”, she sneered at him and then at the rest of the team Avatar.
“How can we trust her?”, spoke up Katara, glaring daggers at the princess.
“Do you trust me?”, asked her Zuko.
Katara’s glare moved over to Zuko. “No”
Zuko let out a defeated sigh, while his sister snickered behind her hand.
Katara's glare pierced through her, however, the princess didn't feel intimidated at all. She stared back at Katara with an amused grin on her face.
“Firebenders like her killed my mother”
To that, the fifteen year old princess raised an eyebrow, looking even more amused than before. “Is she seriously blaming me for a murder that took place when I probably was only a child?”
Aang then took a step forward, lowering his staff. “I trust you, Zuko. If you say she won't be a problem, then that is. Besides, she had all the time in the world to attack us”
“Must be part of an act”, sneered Katara.
“Katara”, reprimanded her Aang.
“Zuko’s telling the truth. She's not going to attack us”, confirmed Toph.
“The blind girl's clever”, grinned the Fire Nation Princess.
“You’re irritating”, frowned Toph, to which she widened her grin and shrugged.
After a bickering that lasted what seemed to be forever, the Gaang led her inside the lounge room, like she didn't know how to get there by herself.
Each took a seat at the table placed in the centre of the room, glancing at her as she stepped inside the room. She moved forward with gentle yet confident strides. Her body language hinted at confidence, every step oozing self-assuredness. She took her seat beside her brother, posture as perfect as ever, the traditional Fire Nation topknot securely held in place by her hairpiece, symbol of her royal heritage.
Silence danced on the edges of their conversation, waiting for its moment to waltz into the spotlight. She tapped her fingers against her thigh, a rhythmic drumming of impatience as she watched them send glances at each other, having a silent conversation between each other.
“Having her here is a terrible mistake, mark my words”
Katara's words caused another argument between the teenagers, to which she rolled her eyes and stood up, completely fed up with their incessant bickering, and left the room. Her departure came unnoticed by everyone, except for Sokka, who immediately followed after her.
He spotted her by what he guessed was her childhood room. He entered her bedroom and stood beside her, observing her, a distant look in her honey–coloured eyes, as if the present were a mere shadow of the vivid memories playing in her mind, while she was staring at a painting on the wall, depicting two identical little girls and a slightly older boy sitting beside a beautiful woman. Her and Zuko's mother. Fire Lady Ursa.
“That's you, huh?”, he asked softly.
“Yeah”, she answered absentmindedly, voice taking a nostalgic tone as she stared at her child self smiling brightly beside her mother. After she shook off the nostalgic memories, she turned to him, her features noticeably much softer then on their first meeting.
“You despise me. Why did you follow me?”, her eyes searched for whatever in his.
Sokka shrugged and locked his gaze to hers. “I'm very impulsive”
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly at his answer, head tilting to the side. A lighthearted grin overtook Sokka’s face, enchanted by her adorableness.
“Earlier, I acted on instinct. I didn't even know Zuko had another sister! Much less that she wouldn't have attacked us! Given the past events, it's only normal that I was skeptical at first. You get me?”
A smile ghosted over her face, letting out a soft and breathy chuckle. “I do. Believe it or not, me and Azula get mistaken all the time”
His grin widened, heart fluttering in his chest. “Was that a joke?”, he asked amused. She shrugged and settled her gaze back on the painting.
“It was a poor excuse for a joke. Attempt failed”
She couldn't help the smile that threatened to lift the edges of her mouth, but she tamped it down regardless.
A comfortable silence crept between them. Sokka stole glances at her every then, admiring her side profile with a reverent look in his eyes. What was she doing stealing his thoughts and distracting him from his larger problems anyway? Like the impending extermination of the people of the Earth Kingdom her own father was pursuing.
Despite all that, he found himself unable to look away. He was like spelled. Even with Yue, Sokka hadn't felt this entranced. She was quiet, but a kind of quiet that hid a simmering fire ready to burst out at any moment. Unlike Yue, who under her composed self, was a serene soul.
Silence wrapped around him like a thick blanket, suffocating any words that dared to escape his lips. The weight of his feelings anchored his words to the pit of his stomach, leaving him incapable of vocalizing his thoughts.
After a few long minutes of an inner battle inside him, he was finally able to speak up, although he stumbled on his words.
“So, like… How did you find us? Keeping track of our movements?”
He instantly cringed at his own words. He wanted to slap himself hard enough to put some sense into his brain. Why had he said it like she was a stalker?
’Way to embarrass yourself in front of a princess, Sokka. Exactly like the last time. Way to go, you're such a champ’, he thought.
Her eyes laid on him, observing her with those sharp gold hues. “It was an obvious choice. My family hasn't come to this summer house ever since…”
Her gaze dropped to the floor, the words dying on her tongue. She shut her eyes against the memories and took a breath, lifting up her gaze back to him.
“Ever since mom died. Father never took us here again, despite mine and Zuko’s protests”, she spoke with a measured, deliberate cadence, every word carefully chosen.
“It was a smart decision, my brother's. My family has forgotten this place. It's the perfect hideout from Father and Azula.”
Sokka understood the weight of her words, how she had hesitated before confiding in him. He also knew how deeply his own mother’s death had scarred his heart. She held her composure well, but even he noted the subtlest shift in her face. Lips turned slightly downwards, eyes locked on the picture of her mother with a distant look in them.
“My… Mother died too. By the hand of a firebender. To protect Katara”, his voice dropped an octave lower. His gaze soft on her, gauging every little reaction he got out of her.
She turned to look at him, really look at him. Her golden eyes dissected him, seeming to examine every quirk of his expression. His eyes, a bright blue that rivaled the ocean, now held distaste no more, carrying instead a gentleness she hadn't expected from the guy who had run at her with a boomerang in hand just an hour ago. She also noticed how his hair had come loose from his wolf–knot, brown strands framing his sun–kissed face.
“I'm sorry”, she whispered.
“Not your fault”, he waved her off with a hint of a friendly but sincere smile.
“Mine left me. Us”, she added, their eyes trained on each other and a comfortable silence swept over them once again.
While they were lost in each other’s eyes, Zuko appeared by the doorframe, knocking gently on it to get their attention. Their seemingly closeness to escaping his eyes, already tensing at the thought of Sokka pursuing his baby sister.
“YN, you're with us. We convinced Katara, with some help from Suki and Momo”, he revealed the decision they had come to.
She flashed him a smile, grateful for her brother's help. Zuko mirrored her smile and his usually cold eyes visibly softened while looking at his sister.
“I'm gonna help Aang train, want to join us?”, he asked.
She nodded, and gave the painting a last glance before walking to the door. “Although, I suppose you know more forms than I do. Uncle must have taught you some of his own invention”
“He did. You've always been a better bender than me, though. You and Azula are prodigies”, retorted Zuko, resting hand on her shoulder.
“You're right”, she piped up, Her lips quirked into a playful smirk.
“Oh, such a big ego”, he scoffed, amused and pushed her lightly. “Aang must already be in the back. Where father used to make us train, remember? I'll join you both in a few minutes”, he instructed her.
She nodded and turned to give a last look at Sokka, flashing him a grateful smile before walking out of the room, leaving to join the young Avatar.
Sokka watched her leaving the room with heart eyes and a lovesick smile on his face. Zuko was quick to close the door behind her, locking it before turning to him, glaring daggers at him. His gentle expression now completely gone, replaced with a murderous one. Jaw clenched and eyebrows pulled together.
He took quick strides to him and towered over him. The candles’ flames started flickering, growing large, warming the whole room in a matter of seconds. The air shimmered with heat waves, distorting the room around him into a mirage of sun-soaked hues.
Sokka froze, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, a shiver running down his spine. He gulped and chuckled, a futile attempt at dissipating the tension and rage of the boy that could burn him to ashes if he wanted.
“Zuko, buddy”, his chuckle wavered slightly. “What's got you so heated up?”
Zuko's eyes narrowed even more, if that was humanally possible. His voice almost a growl as he spoke up. “Hurt her, play with her feelings, leave her without a reasonable reason and you'll contribute to the local flora. Got it, water boy?”
His chuckled wavered again, sounding more scared than amused now. “What… What do you mean by that?”
Zuko's glare was a more than enough answer. “Okay, got it”, he immediately shut himself up.
By sunset, the firebending practice with Aang and Zuko was almost done. She found out that Zuko was a strict mentor, yelling and scolding Aang – and her– for every little mistake. For the entire duration of the training session, she had glared at her brother and his insufferable way of teaching.
She was in the middle of showing Aang how to execute a firebending move, when Sokka joined them in the back of the summerhouse, taking a seat by the stairs and sipping coconut water directly from the fruit.
He admired her as she seemed to dance on the sand, blue flames also seemingly dancing around her like a ribbon following her every move, the blue light emitting from her flames highlighted her already sharp features.
When she was done, Sokka started clapping and cheering for her, making her aware of his presence. She smiled flustered at his actions, bowing briefly to Aang to excuse herself before catching up to him.
“Now, that was some good jerkbending!”, he smiled brightly at her, sipping innocently from the coconut.
She bit back a laugh and tilted her head slightly to the side, eyes shining with amusement while taking a seat beside him. “Jerkbending?”
His eyes widened like saucers when he realised what he had said, his ears burning hot with embarrassment. He then exploded in laughter, pulling a smile from her too.
“Inside joke, sorry”, he said in–between laughs.
“You know, I thought firebending was all kicks and punches. You seemed to dance”, he admitted, eyes locking with hers.
“It is, mostly. But one day, when I was a little girl, my uncle explained to me how the four elements worked”, she answered. She picked up a stick from the ground and started drawing on the sand the symbols of the four elements, pausing in between the elements to explain them one by one.
“Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will and the energy and drive to achieve what they want.
“Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.
“Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom.
“Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything.
“It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make any bender more powerful too.”, she explained.
“These words struck me deep, and from that moment, I started studying waterbending. In secret, of course. In my eyes, waterbending is a dance full of grace. Each movement is fluid, needs to be so. As a result, little me thought, ‘Why can't I do that too?’. And I did.”, she admitted with a smile.
Sokka stared at her amazed, mouth agape. “Woah…”
She laughed softly at his reaction, her cheeks getting a pink hue at the intensity of his gaze.
“You're amazing”, said he, completely mesmerised by her and the wisdom in her speech. Her blush deepened, a shy smile painting her face.
In that moment, Sokka realised how head over heels he was for her. She could be simply sitting or practicing her bending, and yet be hypnotised by her. Her simple presence made his heart quicken its beats, made him lose focus of whatever was happening around them.
And in that moment, he gathered all the courage present in his body, and took a deep breath to calm his raging heartbeat.
“H–hey… You fancy taking a stroll on the shore with me?”, he asked bashfully, hoping to receive a positive response. When he didn't get a rejection, he sprung to his feet, excitement dancing in his blue eyes. He gently grabbed her hand and dragged her by the shore, kicking off his shoes and telling her to do the same.
They walked by the sea shore hand in hand, silence broken only by the sound of the waves and their footsteps in the now cold sand. The Moon was just rising, casting a milky light over the two teenagers, and setting a romantic vibe.
She shyly intertwined her fingers with his, promptly avoiding his shocked stare at her bold action. Her whole face felt like it was on fire, and probably also looked the part. However, she didn't feel ashamed. She felt at ease around him. Something she didn't often feel around others. His presence was oddly soothing the fire burning within her.
Sokka swung their interlocked hands, smiling at himself like a dummy. His eyes traced her side profile, painted with soft strokes of moonlight. “The Moon suits you”, he said sincerely, his voice seeming almost a whisper with the crashing sound of the waves.
The corner of her lips curled up in a careless smirk, eyes burning with mischief and that self–assurance that Azula possessed too.
“I'm more of a Sun person”, she teased lightly, hand squeezing his for a brief second, causing his breath to momentarily catch in his throat. After regaining control over his own body and reactions, Sokka let out a breathy laugh, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.
“Understandable”
He stayed silent for a few seconds before piped up again. “You know, I dated the Moon once”
Her unimpressed gaze laid on his sapphire one, a perfect styled eyebrow arching and silently daring him to come up with something more idiotic.
“What? It's true! My first girlfriend turned into the Moon! Yue, Princess of the Northern Water Tribe?”, he defended himself, voice raising slightly.
When she realised he was not in fact joking, her whole face fell and realisation took its place, mouth forming a little ‘o’ shape. Words died in her throat, not knowing what to say in these kind of situations, so she blurted out whatever came up in her mind.
“That's… That's rough”, she said slowly, unsure of how to approach him after his revelation.
He, on the other hand, stared at her for a few seconds and bursted out laughing, tears welling up in his eyes. She looked at him like he had grown another head, completely unaware of what was so funny in her response. Or was it something in her appearance? Perhaps her crown–hairpiece was slightly crooked. Or her makeup had ruined due to sweat after the training?
“What's got you laughing like a mad man?”, she asked pouting slightly, her voice laced with clear confusion.
“That's– Oh fuck, it's so hilarious!”, answered him, his laughter showed no signs of ceasing any time soon.
She was gradually growing frustrated at his lack of immediate answer, so, like her inner spoiled princess, she stomped her foot on the water, splashing his ankles.
His laughter died down almost immediately, his expression becoming more serious. He stared at her for a long time, eyes unblinking. A playful smirk slowly grew on his face, his gaze glittering with mischief and challenge.
“Challenge accepted, Princess”
Before she could question him once more, she was being dragged further in the ocean, the water lapping at their knees. He mercilessly started splashing her, successfully soaking her royal robes and hair.
She gasped loudly, arms flying to cover her face from the whips of water coming her way. The moment his attacks subsided, she let her arms fall on her sides, revealing a determined expression. Her face was no more soft and bashful. Oh no, he had released the competitive side of her, that Zuko liked to call ‘her Azula side’.
She let out a scoff, cracking her knuckles and flipping her wet hair behind her shoulders. “You sure that's what you wanna do, Water Tribe?”
He snickered and waved her off. “What's a pretty princess like you gonna do to me, huh?”
She smiled confidently, lips wetting her lips as she put her hands on her hips. “My family started this war, Water Tribe. War flows in my veins. And, not to brag or anything, but my nation has had the upper hand for a century. You're not gonna win this”
He scoffed and huffed. “You'd love that to happen, don't you?”
She smiled mockingly at him, 100% sure she had victory in her hands. “You dug your own grave. Remember that when you'll beg me for mercy”, she said smugly before starting her own attacks.
They water–battled for what seemed forever, droplets of water flying left and right. The fishes who were swimming peacefully in that area had long swum away, scared for their lives.
She saw an opportunity to flip him around, and she took it. She distracted him, splashing him on the face. She then grabbed his forearm and dragged him to the shore, throwing him on the sand with a kick and trapping his legs with her weight, arm raises and a bright blue flame already dancing in her palm.
Needless to say she grinned victoriously.
His breath catched in his throat for what seemed to be the fifth time that day. He wasn't expecting to lose. A look of awe and shameless admiration took over his face, lips stretched in a lovesick smile.
That was before he noticed their position and everything felt hot. Like she had put her fire near his face, warming up his cheeks and ears. However, she was too smug about her victory, that she hadn't realised it yet.
“Don't be shy. I love hearing people begging me”, she smirked.
“Uh… YN…”, he tried to speak up.
“I'd say I'm not the type to rub victory in the loser's face, but that’d be an obvious lie. Also, I told you”, she held her chin high, her hand still gripping his forearm to keep him still.
A wave crashing by her feet took her back to reality, making her embarrassingly aware of their position. Her cheeks took a strawberry hue, eyes widening slightly and most importantly locked with his.
They stared at each other, the tension growing rapidly, just like the sudden urge to lean down and press her lips to his. It was a difficult task, repressing that instinct, so after an inner battle between her heart and mind, she succumbed to her heart's desires.
She extinguished her flames and rested her hand on his shoulder, the other hand lessening its grip on his arm. Like in a daze, she leaned down, eyes dropping to his lips, his own doing the same.
When she was close enough, she moved her hand from his arm to cup his cheek, her touch almost ghosting his skin. Both their hearts thumping wildly in their chests.
Sokka closed the distance between their lips and pressed his to hers softly, afraid the moment would shatter if he wasn't anything but gentle with her.
Their lips brushed against each other shyly, eyes closed in bliss.
She broke the kiss and pulled away slightly, just enough to gaze into his eyes, drinking in the aftermath of what remained of the magical moment.
An enamored smile made his way on his face, softening further his already gentle features. A breathy laugh escaped him.
“Can't believe I kissed Zuko's mad sister's twin”
She bursted out chuckling as well, rolling off him and beside him on the cold sand.
“I was hoping to be something more than Azula's less mad twin”
“Oh, you are”, he answered, a smitten expression on his face as mirth danced in his gaze.
They stayed laying on the beach for a few more hours, simply basking in their silence, content. Their hearts’ heartbeats synchronised.
How true were Iroh’s words. The union of the two elements did make her feel more powerful. Love had that effect on people, some said.
ZUTOPH??? IN THIS ECONOMY??? okay. i love you. and i have a request: zuko telling toph he’s blind in his scarred eye and her asking him what it’s like to be able to see anything at all. what colors are like. if… if she’s pretty… oh im a slut for them too in all the ways there are…
nonny i love you too thx for the request!!
no prettier sight
toph x zuko, fluff, vacation on ember island, lowkey situationship, blind4blind-ish romance
words: 1.4k
lowercase intended, not proofread
synopsis: after a beach day, zuko finally tells toph that he’s blind in one eye. fluff ensues.
toph flung herself down on the sofa in the main room of zuko’s ember island vacation house. she’d spent enough time in the house to know the exact position of all the furniture and decorative greenery. it was hot—no, it was boiling—outside, and toph and zuko had just come back from the beach. she had sand, it seemed, in every crevice of her body. she was hot and tired, and the sofa was all too inviting.
zuko watched from the entryway, astounded at toph’s abilities. he’d always loved her seismic sense, but the way she moved with confidence and familiarity stunned him.
“are you just gonna stand over there, sparky, or are you gonna come join me?” toph asked, her blank gaze fixed in his direction.
zuko shrugged off his robe, only in shorts and his sandals, and moved across the room. he stretched his long body across the sofa, his head resting in toph’s lap, as if it were the most natural thing for him to do. zuko’s long hair cascaded down his back and curled at the base of his neck, slick from the heat and the water of the beach.
toph shifted under the weight, her feet rubbing on the marble floor in a smooth, frictionless manner. “i don’t know how you can bear the heat,” she griped. “it’s like a million degrees outside.”
he shrugged, then snaked his arms around her waist. “it’s nothing like the heat of caldera was when my father was fire lord.”
a silence hung between them, the mutual understanding between the children ot neglectful, yet overbearing parents. toph ran her fingers over the slopes of zuko’s face, tucking hair behind his ear, tracing the charred flesh of his scar. she silently cursed the spirits for making her blind, or for never giving her the temporary gift of sight, because she could tell that zuko’s beauty was worth seeing.
he melted into her touch. “you’re amazing,” he said quietly, his good eye focused on toph’s gentle face.
“i know,” toph said as nonchalantly as she could manage, but her heart pounded in her chest.
zuko shifted, his hair falling away from his face, giving toph better access to his skin. “you know, i’m blind too.”
she scoffed, “yeah, right. it’s not nice to lie to a blind girl, sparky.”
he laughed lightly. “no, really.” zuko guided toph’s hand to his left eye, which was permanently squinted. “when my father challenged me to an agni kai and scarred my face, he damaged my eye.”
“can you see at all?” toph asked, feeling around his eye.
“i can make out shapes, but i can’t see anything more than that,” he said. “it’s a shame, because i’d love to see you with both eyes, to take in all your beauty.”
a blush crept across toph’s cheeks. “don’t say that, you dunderhead.” she swatted at his face, hitting his wrist as he reached up to touch her face.
zuko smirked, his hand getting lost in toph’s long black hair, which she hadn’t bothered to style that morning. “what would you like me to say instead?”
“tell me about colors.”
he twirled her hair around his fingers as he thought. “well, red is the color we have the most of in the fire nation. it’s hot, like fire, but it’s also sweet like fire lilies,” he explained. “blue is the color of the ocean and the sky during the day. katara and sokka wear blue. i think it would smell like salt.”
toph snickered. “colors can have smells?”
“well, it’s more like a smell is associated with a color,” zuko offered. “like panda lilies smell like my mother’s perfume, and red smells like panda lilies.”
he took in toph’s features. she was enthralled by what he was saying. she’d never known colors to be this versatile or important. toph had never even known colors.
as she caressed the side of zuko’s face, she leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes, propping her head up with her free hand. “what else?”
“pink is the color of blush, when that heat settles on your cheeks. it would smell like cherry blossoms,” he said. “and brown smells like soil. a lot of the earth you bend is brown. your tunics are mostly green, they smell like sage and earth. and yellow, yellow is my favorite color. it’s like the sun, all warm and happy.”
toph imagined what all of the colors he described might look like, but she had no frame of reference. she hadn’t seen the fire nation robes, or the sun, or fire lilies. toph, frustrated, took her hand away from his face.
“did you mean it?” she asked abruptly.
he sat up, turning around to fully face her. his hand still tangled in her hair, cupping the back of her skull. “what do you mean?”
toph sighed and brushed her bangs away from her face. “nevermind, it’s stupid.”
“tell me,” zuko said in earnest. he unwound his hand from toph’s hair and tracing her jaw. “i want to know.”
she pouted. it felt stupid to say out loud, to ask if she was pretty. of course he thought she was pretty, or else she probably wouldn’t have been sitting on the sofa in his ember island house with a healthy coating of sand covering her body. she had never cared about being pretty before, she had always shrugged it away when katara told her she was pretty, but now, sitting in front of zuko, toph was unsure.
he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to toph’s lips. “tell me,” he said again.
toph sighed, head now swimming with a distinct lack of inhibition. “do you…” she trailed off. zuko kissed her again, then looked at her expectantly. “gah! do you think i’m pretty?”
zuko’s hand cupped the side of toph’s face, his eyes bore into her skin with the heat of a thousand suns, and he thanked the spirits for putting toph beifong on his couch, at this time, so he could tell her what he thought.
“toph,” zuko started. his voice carried that same earnest tone. “i don’t think pretty is the right word. no, you’re something more than pretty. you’re… you’re breathtaking. there’s no prettier sight than you, toph.”
she let out a sigh, and leaned into his touch, softening entirely. “will you tell me what i look like?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “
toph suddenly felt exposed, sitting in front of zuko in her fire nation maroon swim clothes; a tight bandeau and a pair of short shorts.
“you’re pretty short. you only come up to my elbow,” he started, “you have long black hair, like me, but yours is usually up in a bun with a headband that matches your tunic. your skin is pale, but when you blush it gets all pink. your eyes should be green, but they’re glazed over because, well, you know. you are very muscular, which is probably why you win every time we spar.”
toph laughed. “or maybe i win every time because you suck.”
he couldn’t help but laugh. “way to ruin a tender moment,” he teased. “but, toph. you’re really, really beautiful.”
she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. “thanks, sparky. now tell me what you look like.”
“i’m so much taller than you,” zuko said with a laugh. “i have long hair, like yours. mine is black, too. i usually wear half of my hair in a bun, with a fire nation emblem pinned in it.”
toph reached back out toward his face. “what does your scar look like?”
zuko took her hand and placed it against his face. “it’s red, lighter on the outside and darker on the inside. my eye is squinted, like it’s half shut.”
“and i know you’re muscular,” toph said, moving her hand down his arm and giving his bare bicep a squeeze. “otherwise, i might not be sitting here listening to you yap about how gorgeous you are,” she teased.
he leaned forward and kissed her softly. “you know, you’re prettier than i am.”
“i should be so lucky,” she managed between kisses.
zuko pulled back, holding her face in his big hands. “you are the best view i will ever have, even if i won’t ever fully see you.”
