LNYE FIC: Five Ways Toph Created Her Own Family (Whether She Liked It or Not)

[whitelotusmods]

Title: Five Ways Toph Created Her Own Family (Whether She Liked It or Not)
By: lady_ganesh
Recipient: troisroyaumes
Rating: SFW
Character(s): Toph, the Gaang, Iroh, Haru
Content Notes: None



1.

State dinners were the worst. She had to sit for hours, be reasonably polite, and put up with a thousand condescending 'compliments' about her blindness.

At least Katara had had the decency to seat her next to Iroh.

Toph didn't really wish she'd been born to a crazy Fire Nation family instead of the crazy Bei Fong family, but sometimes the thought crossed her mind. What if Iroh had been her uncle? At least now she'd have a family to go home to, however messed up. And Iroh's comments always made these unbearable events less awful.

"I mean, you'd think he could master the basics of Earthbending," the third assistant to the associate administrator of Ba Sing Se's wife continued. "Look at what the little blind girl can do, for goodness' sake."

Iroh sighed so deeply Toph could hear the ground rumble. "The 'little blind girl,' he said, with infinite patience, "and the greatest Earthbender of her generation, is sitting at your left, Lady Tan." This saved Toph from having to upturn the woman's plate. She settled for belching loudly instead.

Lady Tan had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. "I--"

"No need to apologize," Iroh said smoothly. "I'm sure no offense was intended."

Toph snorted, then remembered she was at a state dinner, and Aang had said this one was actually kind of important. She turned it into a cough.

Iroh put his hand on her back. "Lady Bei Fong, are you all right?"

She waved her hand vaguely.

"Perhaps," he said, "we should get you some fresh air."

"Thank you," she said, and let Iroh lead her away, as though they were a lady and her trusted retainer rather than old friends.

"You're the best," she said, when they reached the fresh air outside the palace.

Iroh chuckled. "Another minute with that woman, and I would've had to do something unpleasant myself. Shall we go for a walk?"

Toph held out her arm. "Why, Iroh, that sounds delightful."


2.

Teaching was a pain in the ass. Still, Haru wasn't completely stupid. "So now--"

"Now you have to look for the earth inside the metal," Toph said. "Feel for the vibrations. Are your eyes closed?"

"Um--"

She felt; they weren't. "Close your eyes," she commanded.

"I can't see things the way you can!" he protested.

"It'll still help you focus. Don't listen to me. Just feel the metal. Feel for the earth."

He closed his eyes, and Toph could hear his heartbeat slow. At least he was focusing.

"The earth is there," Haru said slowly. "I just need to feel it."

"Exactly."

He slowed his breathing. Good.

"I'm an Earthbender," he said, "and this has earth, it's all--"

She felt the tug. Tiny, hardly noticeable even to her, but it was there. "There," she said. "Did you feel it?"

"I think--" His heartbeat was picking up. "Did I--"

"Focus, stupid!"

"Right--" He took another deep breath. "I just need to--"

The sheet of metal wibbled.

"There!"

Haru's eyes flew open. "I did it! I did it!" He grabbed Toph and almost spun her around, but he thought better of it before she had to do something violent. "Toph, you're a genius!"

"I knew that," she said.

"Really," he said. "This-- we can change the world with this," he said. "Someday, they'll call you the Grandmother of Metalbending."

That sounded pretty good.


3.


Babies smelled funny. "What, you can't want me to--"

"I think he'll like you," Katara said, and suddenly Toph was faced with a squirming handful of Tenzin.

"Um," Toph said. "Why?"

Katara just laughed.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Aang said. "I mean, I know you can't see him but--"

Aang. That kid would never change, even now he had his own kid. Thank goodness. Toph smiled. "I'm not gonna break it, right?"

"Him," Katara corrected, as Aang said "Naaaah! He's fine!"

Katara wouldn't change either. At least now she'd have a baby of her own to mother.

Tenzin grabbed her bangs and tugged. "Hey!"

He giggled, Aang's giggle, as she disentangled his tiny fingers.

Babies were weird. But not so bad.


4.

"Thanks for coming with me," she said.

"Suki's busy this time of year," Sokka said. "She's just happy to have me out of her hair."

It wasn't true, but Toph was glad, anyway.

The gates shuddered open. "The Bei Fongs are not open to seeing strangers," the retainer said-- someone new, she didn't recognize his build or voice-- "unless they bring news of their missing daughter."

"Well, you're in luck," Sokka said. "She's here."

"Ah," the retainer said. "If that is indeed the case--"

She stepped forward. "I am Toph Bei Fong," she said. "And I want to speak with my parents."

Two hours later, they were back on the road. She wasn't crying because that would be stupid.

"Look," Sokka said, "I was gonna wait-- Suki's pregnant."

"Oh," she said. Pouring salt into the wound, good job, Sokka. Not that she still had a crush on him, not really, but--

"You're our family," he said. "You know that, right?"

I don't want to be your family, she wanted to say. I want my family. I want my parents to understand who I really am. Just once.

But maybe she was growing up, because she just kicked a pebble out of her way instead. It skidded across the road and lodged itself in a clump of dirt.

"I'm sorry," Sokka said. "I can't even make a good joke about it."

"I'm hungry," she said. "Where can we get something to eat?"


5.

"So," she said to the squirming heat in her arms, "I guess I'm your Aunt Toph. Nice to meet you, kid."

This baby was younger than Tenzin had been, and was much smaller. Toph guessed they grew fast in the beginning, like badgermoles.

"So," Katara said, "you gonna have one of your own someday?"

"I dunno," Toph said. "This aunt deal's pretty good. They love me, and I get to hand 'em off when they start crying."

"But it's different when it's your own," Katara said. "Isn't it, Suki?"

"Ask me in a month," Suki said, wryly. Katara had taken Toph by the elbow when she arrived, and explained in a low, quiet voice that Suki's birth had been difficult and long. Toph realized how much things had changed-- how much she had changed-- when she'd heard herself asking Katara if she'd be all right, and what they were doing to help. She just needs rest now, Katara had said. You ever change a diaper?

Let the blind girl change the diaper, Toph answered. You sure about that?

She hadn't changed that much.

"Toph's fun," Tenzin said, into her elbow. "You'll like her."

"Your dad's fun, too," Toph replied.

"Not as fun as you."

"Really?"

Tenzin nodded. The kid still hadn't quite wrapped his head around the 'blind' thing, but she could feel him at this distance just fine. "Awesome."

"You never tell him 'no,'" Aang said cheerfully. "C'mon, Tenzin, you can play with Auntie Toph in a minute."

"So," Sokka said, "is she the best baby ever or what?"

"Or what," Toph said cheerfully. They'd better not start thinking she was getting soft.