No one has learned to take Toph's punches the way Zuko has. While the rest of the gang always flinches or yelps and remains annoyed with her chosen medium of affection, the Firelord has embraced it, and he looks forward to being beaten up almost as much as Toph looks forward to beating him up. Neither of them have ever been big on hugging, so somehow, between the two of them, her fists thudding into his triceps takes the place of a friendly embrace.

"Oh, sweet! This is the shit right here!" A wide grin is plastered onto her face, and she elbows Zuko hard in his ribs. Nothing gets Toph Beifong more excited than a brand new bottle of Firewhiskey, straight from the Fire Nation. She pops the cap off, holding the bottle under her nose to give it a sniff before taking a swig and letting out a satisfied ahhh. "And this isn't that lame, fancy crap, either - this is the real deal!" She always says that the best whiskey comes from the sleaziest, trashiest taverns in the Fire Nation.

Zuko smiles, absently rubbing at his side. "There's a whole trunkful where that came from. It's all yours."

"Are you serious?"

"Only condition is that you have to share."

"Then how's it all mine?" She teases… or, he thinks she's teasing. It's hard to tell with Toph sometimes.

"Because you'll only be sharing with me."

She mulls it over for a little while before thrusting the bottle at him. " Meh, Fair enough. You can't drink as much as me, anyways. Even though you like to insist otherwise."

"One of these days," he says after a few gulps, "we're gonna settle that once and for all. So where is everyone?" The house is empty, save for Toph and the servants who are still unloading all the Firelord's luggage.

Only a grand occasion could bring the whole gang back together under one roof, and the abdication of Earth King Kuei is just such an occasion. Zuko, Toph, Sokka and Suki, and Katara and Aang have all been invited back to stay in the upper ring for the next two weeks, to enjoy and participate in the ceremonies and festivities. For most of them, it's a vacation. But for Zuko especially, it's a business trip.

"I dunno," Toph answers, "I don't keep track of those morons."

"They're getting on your nerves already?"

"Don't you know it!" She laments, falling backward into the couch. "I mean, good grief. Don't get me wrong - I love 'em and all, but a girl can only take so much of those lunatics. I'm glad you got here when you did. It's hard not having anyone to complain about them to, you know?." Complaining about their friends is a distastefully entertaining pass-time, Zuko must admit. With Toph's crassness and vulgarity, and with Zuko's easily exasperated demeanor, they're the only ones who can put up with each other for any extended period of time, and likewise, they can't always handle the cheery, optimistic, positive attitudes of their friends. "I haven't been able to have a good toe-picking session without Madame Fussy-Britches getting her panties in a bunch over it."

"Yeah… she's a piece of work, I know."

But Toph hears the sudden shift in his countenance - the lowered pitch of his voice, the hesitation in his heartbeat, the unsteady set of his feet on the floor. "Oh… right. I guess you don't wanna talk about her."

Ordinarily, Zuko would shrug it off and insist that everything is fine, that it's not a big deal, and that he doesn't mind. But with Toph, he knows better. So instead, he sighs as he moves to sit on the cushion beside her. "I haven't seen her in so long. I haven't seen her since…"

"Do you want a heads up on when she'll be back?"

"That's probably a good idea."

"Well then, heads up."

"What?" His mouth falls open in horror when, only a second or two later, the front door opens to the sound of laughter and chattering; Katara and Suki have returned from a shopping trip. They're carrying bags and wearing fancy, expensive-looking hats, going on about "that creepy man with the monkey" and "those cute little ducklings." It's Suki who first notices Zuko, and she stops, interrupting Katara's sentence with a tap on her shoulder.

The room goes quiet the same way that people go quiet in anticipation of a bomb going off. Katara is still smiling, but Zuko can see plainly the rage that glints in her eyes; he'd always had a special talent for being able to make her angrier than anyone else. It isn't until a few moments later that she says, lighthearted and unconcerned, "Anyways, Suki…"

The girls continue about their business, heading upstairs to unpack their shopping spree, and once they're gone, Zuko lets out a massive sigh.

"Ouch…" Toph says. "Not even a 'hello.' I dunno what you did, man, but you must have fucked up pretty royally."

Zuko hang his head down into his hands. "You have no idea."

...

All Zuko can remember from the last time he and Katara saw each other is yelling. Lots and lots of yelling - her screaming at him in anger, and him shouting back, begging her to try to understand. There was nothing he could have said, though. In the end it was never really clear who broke up with who, but when everyone assumed it was Katara who called it off, neither of them disputed it. So for years, that's the story they've stuck to.

He doesn't know what to say to her now, but he should say something, right? He isn't sure which would be worse; ignoring her outright for the next fortnight, or pretending as though everything between them is fine. He'd like to think she could forgive him by now, even if he can't forgive himself… but Katara's grudges are practically legendary. When he goes to greet her in the kitchen, he hopes he isn't walking into a death trap.

"Hey, Katara." He does his best to sound casual and she does her best to seem friendly, but they've both known each other too long and too intimately to be fooled. The smile she forces isn't real, and neither is the levity in his voice.

"Firelord," she greets him before directing her attention back to scrubbing dishes.

"You know, there are people who will come here and do that for you if you just ask… you're practically royalty here."

"Maybe, but I'm not a spoiled brat, so…"

Just ignore that, Zuko tells himself. He figures she owes him a few petty insults. "Do you, uh… want any help?"

"Oh, please. You've probably never washed a dish in your life." She knows it isn't true, but right now she'd probably say anything to wound his ego.

"Not recently, no. You wash, I'll dry."

"Fine."

Their teamwork is stiff and uncomfortable; it's almost impossible for either of them to remember how effortlessly compatible they used to be.

"So… I hear you and Aang are happy."

"We are."

"Good. Great. I'm glad." The truth is that he's only as glad as he is sad, and he isn't sure which one manifests more in his countenance.

"Thank you, Firelo-"

"Katara," He interrupts, pausing from drying a saucer to pinch at the bridge of his nose, "would you stop with the 'Firelord' shit?"

Her fingers tighten around the plate she's holding. "Fine. Zuko. What do you want?"

"I…" He stutters for a little while. "I want us to be okay."

"We're fine," she insists. "We're as fine as we can ever possibly be. Okay? Happy?"

His shoulders sink with the intensity of his sigh. "Not really," he mutters, at last turning to leave her in the kitchen. "It's good to see you again." He means it.

…

"Man, that was awkward." Toph kicks her feet up into Zuko's lap, lounging with her hands behind her head. "I mean, I could feel the awkward in the vibrations."

"You heard that conversation?" He shouldn't be surprised, but he still finds himself blushing, and rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Duh. You guys weren't exactly whispering in the first place."

"Oh. Right."

She can feel the dejection in the way his weight sinks into the sofa and in the pattern of his breath. "Hey," she says, nudging him with her heal. "It's been almost three years, you know… That ship has sailed. Why hasn't your heart gotten the memo?"

Zuko sighs, letting his head loll backward until he's staring at the ceiling. "I wish I knew. But it could be worse, I guess."

"Are… are you ever gonna tell me the real reason why you two broke up?" She uses the gentle tone that she reserves only for Zuko when he's in one of his moods.

"I've already told you," he says, and Toph can just about hear his eyes rolling. "Things just weren't working out."

"You know, that lie doesn't get any less untrue each time you tell it."

"And yet for some reason you won't take the hint and stop asking me."

"I'll stop asking you when you stop lying."

She sits up, then, leaning into his shoulder, and in turn he softens against her weight until they're both slumped down into the seat.

For years Zuko has told her nearly everything, and she doesn't understand why this is the secret he chooses to keep. She feels it locked up tight inside him in a place of guilt and shame, and she wishes she could reach right into him, past his rib cage and into his heart, and uncover it herself. Normally she's respectful of when her friends want to keep something to theirselves, but something about this secret, and the way it's settled in his heartbeat, has always bothered her in a way she's never been bothered before.

"Toph," Zuko says, looking down at her. Her face is slightly angled up toward his, and her eyes seem to see straight through him somehow. "You know everything about me, right?"

"Practically."

"So then you know it isn't a lot to ask that you just allow me this one bit of privacy."

"You're so full of shit," she mumbles, and Zuko laughs.

"I know."

"Come on," she tugs at his elbow, "we've got a lot of trouble to make around town in a very short amount of time. Let's go get ourselves kicked out of a few taverns. That always cheers you up."

It's true, usually. There are few things that put a bigger smile on his face than wreaking havoc with the Blind Bandit and getting irresponsibly drunk and picking (and winning) fights with brawny men. But right now Zuko can't feel bothered to do much of anything. He shrugs a little and says, "I don't feel like it."

Toph says reasonably, "Then tell me what you do feel like doing."

"I just want to sit and stay right here."

"Is it okay if I stay right here with you?"

"Please."

At that, Toph shifts around on her cushion, getting comfortable; she knows they'll be sitting for a while. "Do you wanna talk?"

"Not really."

"All right. You just let me know when you feel like doing something different, okay?"

"Nngh…" He mumbles, gruff and irritable.

"Well hey, you know better than to think I'm going to just let you sit around and mope all day. I'll let you do your brooding for a while, sure, but I'll be damned if I don't get a smile out of you before the day is out."

This is what Zuko has always simultaneously loved and hated about Toph. The part he loves is that she's one of very few people who lets him have his moods (and he only reluctantly admits to his moodiness) without too much interrogation on the matter; there's not a lot that goes on in his heart that she doesn't feel in him, and she doesn't usually have to ask questions to understand him. The part that he loves to hate, though - or hates to love? He isn't sure which - is the part where she won't let him be until she can feel him feeling better. Today is one of those days, and although Toph often makes it sound like he has a choice in the matter, they both know who's really in control. Zuko learned long ago not to argue with her over it; she's the only person he knows who's more stubborn than himself.

…

When they go out, they dress down. They don't look like a Firelord and an Earth Kingdom noblewoman, but rather, two typical low-life vagabonds garbed in dark rags and, for Zuko, a hooded cloak to help disguise his scar.

This tavern reeks of sweat and beer and every so often, shouts of triumph and dismay erupt from the circle of men engrossed in their gambling session. At the bar, Zuko is reading the menu to Toph, and an eager smile is spread across her face. "Let's see here… there's the Cupid Comet, the Fatal Barbarian's Snare, the Famous Gory Whore… oooh, how about the Unholy Deadly Order? That sounds like it's right up your alley."

"Unholy and deadly? Don't mind if I do!"

At that, Zuko slams his coin purse down on the table where it lands with a dense thud, calling the attention of the bartender. "The lady here will have as many Unholy Deadly Orders as she can handle, got it? And I'll go for a Famous Gory Whore. Light on the gore, but heavy on the whore."

After weighing the purse in his hand, the barkeeper happily obliges. And when their drinks arrive, Toph says to Zuko, "Don't you drink too much tonight, okay? I plan to get hella trashed and I'll need a babysitter."

"Fine," he agrees, after downing a bitter gulp, "but next time, it'll be your turn to do the babysitting." Then they toast their glasses clumsily, spilling froth over the edges.

"To good times!" she cheers, and with slightly less enthusiasm, Zuko echoes.

"To good times."

"Do you wanna cheer me on while I kick some grown men's asses in arm wrestling matches? I bet I can take down everyone in this whole place before I get too drunk to hold my head up."

"I know you can." Zuko has seen her do it before, and he's always eager to see her do it again.

So after Toph chugs down half of her beer, she sets out to select her first victim. "Watch my drink for me, will you?"

Nights like these are what Zuko misses most about Toph when she's not around. "Fun" isn't really a thing that Firelords get to have very often, but when he and Toph get together, there's no stopping them. His counsel always nags him over it, and insists that "Miss Beifong is a bad influence on you, sir," but Zuko has learned that a significant part of being an Emperor is not always paying attention to what the advisors have to say. Toph does everything she can to drag Zuko into her reckless antics, and Zuko makes it no secret that he loves every second of it.

"Is that who I think it is?"

Zuko's attention is drawn away from watching Toph antagonize some gamblers by an arrogant, sultry voice that conjures up some pretty wild memories. He turns to face this woman, tugging aside one corner of his hood to see better. "June," he says, grinning.

She's got one hand on her hip, and the other holding a mug of some potent elixir that she's already consumed most of. She smiles, too, and saunters over to settle down on the stool beside him. "I thought that was you, Prince Pouty. I'd recognize that voice anywhere."

"Is that so?"

"Well, you're not exactly forgettable." She leans in a little closer - just close enough for Zuko to smell the perfume in her hair. Then, looking over into his mug, she says, "You know, they named that drink after me."

"The Famous Gory Whore?"

"Mhm."

Zuko takes another sip, mulling over the taste. "Hmm. Bitter… abrasive… but satisfying. Yeah, sounds about like you."

June is laughing and biting her lip. "So what brings you back into town?"

"The Earth King's abdication. Gotta give a speech, meet with the new Queen and all that."

"Right, right. I heard. Busy man, huh?"

"Funny thing is," he knocks back a swig, "this is my vacation."

"Hm. You'd think a Firelord could manage a better vacation spot than this dump."

"Nah, I don't think I'd have it any other way."

"So," June says, sidling up closer and tossing her hair over her shoulder, "did you come here so I could help you find somebody again? Or because you're hoping for round three?"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure it'd be round four or five." The first few times had sort of blended together, so it was hard to tell. "But no, not this time. I've been learning to behave myself lately. And besides, I've got babysitting duty," he adds, jutting his chin over to where Toph is now going head-to-head with one of the smaller men - she likes to work her way up to the big ones, just for show. "Not that I mind."

June recognizes her and says, "The Blind Bandit! Well no wonder you're not looking to hook up… she's gotten to be pretty cute. You hittin' that?"

Zuko nearly spits out his drink. "Fuck, no. She was hardly twelve when I met her, and I was damn near a grown man. I don't think I could see her that way even if I tried."

"Speaking of you being a grown man, boy, have you gotten to be the spitting image of Ozai, or what? Hell, you probably look more like your father now than you ever looked like yourself."

Then instead of answering, Zuko tosses his head back and pours the entirety of his mug down his throat. That hadn't been the thing he wanted to hear, and June says, "Uh oh, did I strike a nerve? My bad, Pouty, I'm only foolin'..."

"No, no, it's whatever. Hey, look, it was nice talking to you, June, but I should probably make sure Toph doesn't get roofied or something.

"Good call," She agrees, standing to take her leave. "But uh, if you decide to start misbehaving again, you know where to find me."

"I do, indeed."

"Check you later, Prince Pouty."

"See ya, Famous Gory Whore."

…

When she wakes up, her head feels like it's being crushed between two slabs of stone. "Oh, fuck…" is the first phrase Toph utters, pressing her palm against her forehead as she struggles to sit up on the sofa where she didn't remember passing out the night before. She's only vaguely aware of the suppressed snickering coming from somewhere in the room, but she does have the presence of mind to groan, "Fuck off, Zuko."

"I don't think you want me to do that. Here," he says, and Toph hears him kneel down beside her. Then he takes her hands and wraps them around a cup; the warmth seeps into her palms and fingers, and she finds herself smiling with delight at the scents of ginger and honey and lemon.

"Is this Uncle's recipe?"Toph had taken to referring to General Iroh as "Uncle" years ago; nobody was quite sure when it happened, but neither Iroh, nor Zuko minded. In fact, they welcomed the addition to their tiny family.

"No, just my knockoff imitation."

"Close enough," she settles, holding the cup under her nose while she waits for the tea to cool enough for sipping.

"There's Komodo chicken soup on the stove, too. I'm just keeping it warm for whenever you're ready."

Toph has never liked being taken care of, but she'd probably let Zuko dote upon her all day long if her ego wasn't so enormous. Her favorite parts of their nights out are always the mornings after - when he brews tea and cooks soup and (occasionally) holds her hair back while she throws up. She'd never admit it to anyone, but it's nice to be pampered, and it's especially nice to be pampered by someone who is usually the Worlds Most Irritatable Man.

"So, did I take down all those guys last night?"

"Mhm. Somehow you managed to get through every last one of them before you puked on the manager and got us kicked out. It was a sight to behold, like always. Now, hold still." She does as he says and a few moments later one of his hands is grasping her chin while the other dabs at her face with a moist towel. "You're such a mess," he says, and she can hear him smiling. His hands are firm, but gentle in a way that she imagines only firebenders can manage - equal parts power and restraint.

"You know, Zuko, I'm starting to think you like taking care of me."

He wipes away smudges along her cheekbones and brow. "Yeah, right." But he's still smiling at her, and she isn't sure, but she thinks she's smiling dumbly back at him. Right now she feels twelve years old again, and she hates it. She'd hoped that her girlish infatuation would fade over the years the way it did with Sokka, and sometimes she thinks it has, but moments like these always remind her otherwise. Usually she plays it off well enough, but this hangover is making it difficult for her to do anything at all. Her flirting, she hopes, passes as simple teasing.

Toph asks, "What about you? Did you have a good time?"

"Good enough," is his answer, and Toph is hardly satisfied.

"Lame," she complains after swallowing a few sips of tea.

The truth is that Zuko hasn't stopped thinking about what June said. Part of him wishes he could ask Toph if it's true that he looks like his father, but most of him is just glad she'll never know for sure, or even care, for that matter. "Would you shut up and relax already?"

While Zuko always prefers to be left alone and in silence while he recovers from a crazy night out, Toph hardly ever stops talking during her hangovers. He is typically content to indulge her half-conscious musings, but today he doesn't wish to be bothered with it. It's true, though, that he likes taking care of her, albeit in a weird, almost-brotherly sort of way. He thinks maybe it's an ego-boost of sorts, being the only person Toph allows herself to be taken care of by. Zuko never had a nurturing personality, but, he supposes, there's an exception to every rule, and Toph is the exception to many of his rules.

Zuko is the exception to Toph's rules, too - a fact she's prompted to remember each time she finds herself growing content with his closeness. It isn't until he's done wiping her face that she realizes she's been holding her breath. So she exhales gently, hoping he won't notice. "I think I'm ready for that soup, now." The tea has settled her stomach enough that she can eat without retching all over the place.

"Coming right up," he says, disappearing into the kitchen. Toph can hear him clumsily fumbling his way around - the impatient opening and closing of cabinets and drawers as he searches for wherever the bowls and utensils are kept, the precarious clinking of porcelain and silver… she's laughing quietly to herself, imagining the most powerful leader in the world navigating a kitchen like a battlefield.

She calls out, stifling her laughter, "You all right in there?"

"Don't patronize me! I'm not used to-... dammit!" Glass suddenly shatters, and Toph's chuckles morph into outright guffawing, despite the hungover throbbing in her skull. "Yeah, you're laughing now… I hope you like broken glass in your soup." He's muttering obscenities to himself as he returns, placing a bowl in Toph's lap. "Here."

She lets out a mmm as she brings it to her lips to sip at the broth. "You know, Zuko, for someone who can hardly make his way through a kitchen without accidentally butchering himself, you're a pretty decent cook… wait… there's not really broken glass in here, is there?"

"Did you seriously think I'd feed you broken glass?"

"Maybe if I pissed you off enough," she reasons, and after considering for a moment or two, Zuko shrugs. He's about to say something when Katara's voice interrupts him.

"It's about time you woke up, Toph," she quips while coming down the stairs with an armful of dirty laundry. "Oh, and that was nice, you stumbling in drunk last night, keeping me up with the sound of your endless vomiting. Real classy. Keep that up."

Toph groans and mutters to Zuko, "You see what I've been putting up with?"

"And you!" Katara turns her attention to Zuko, who drags one exasperated hand over his face. "Toph wouldn't be such a mindless drunk if you didn't encourage it. You two imbeciles are going to drink yourselves to death one of these days, I swear."

"Katara," Zuko urges, trying to be civil, "could you be a little quieter? She's pretty hungover, and-"

"Now that's a change of pace! I should be quiet so Toph can be more comfortable? Please. I'll be as loud as I want, thanks." With that, she gives a self-satisfied toss of hair, and leaves through the back door, and Zuko stares after her, a little bewildered.

"See what I mean?" Toph says, "She's an even bigger bitch than usual."

"TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE, TOPH." Katara screams from outside, and Zuko rolls his eyes.

"Katara isn't a bitch. Don't call her that. She's just… upset."

"With what?"

He answers in a low grumble before turning to follow her out. "With me."

Outside, Katara is yanking garments from off of the clothes line and throwing them into a basket. She's muttering to herself - something about irresponsibility and carelessness and doesn't he ever think before his actions…

"Hey," Zuko says, and Katara jumps a little - she'd been so focused on channeling her anger into doing laundry that she hadn't heard him come out behind her.

"I'm busy, in case you didn't notice."

"Look. I know you hate my guts. And you should. I get that. And if it makes you feel better to give me a hard time about everything, well then, I can deal with that. But stop taking it out on Toph."

"What?" Her tone is suddenly more reasonable and as she turns to face him, one eyebrow is raised in a questioning arc. "I'm not taking anything out on Toph…" While Katara and Toph hardly got along on a good day, it wasn't as though she didn't care for the girl. They were friends, in that twisted way that people who loathe each other can sometimes be friends. If she was, in fact, taking anything out on Toph, it hadn't been intentional.

"Yeah, right."

"Oh, come on! She just called me a bitch! Aren't you gonna lecture her about that? Or maybe you agree with her."

Keeping his voice level is a challenge - instead of yelling like he wants to, his jaw clenches until his teeth ache. "I've never had anything but respect for you."

"Hah! We both know that's a lie." She's standing up straight with one hand on her hip. The smirk in her eyes and at the corner of her mouth is daring Zuko to disagree with her.

He could argue - he could argue that it's not as black-and-white as she's making it seem, that it's more complicated than this, and that she couldn't possibly truly understand the reasons why he did what he did - but it wouldn't be anything he hasn't already said before. And if it hadn't worked then, it certainly wouldn't make a difference now. So instead, he simply sighs, averting his eyes. "Anyways, I just wanted to ask you to lay off of Toph. And I'll ask her to try not to annoy you so much." He turns his palms upward, compromising. "Sounds fair?"

For a long while, the blue of Katara's eyes seems cold as the South Pole as she glares at him. But soon enough, she exhales, and the set of her shoulders soften. Looking at him now, with the earnest look in his eyes and the insistent way his arms are extended, she almost remembers having felt loved by him. She turns, reaching up to unclamp a robe from the clothesline.

Low and placated, she says, "Fair enough."

...

Author's Note: It's about goddamn time, right? I FINALLY FINISHED THE CHAPTER, YEAH! :D Anyways, I hope you're enjoying everything so far. I'm honestly not too satisfied with the ending here, but I'm pleased to say that chapter 2 is well under way, as are bits and pieces of other chapter. To those of you who are reading this story after the drabble series, thanks so much for sticking with me! I hope you'll continue to hang with me throughout this story. Don't forget to favorite if you liked it, and review even if you didn't! One thing I should point out is that this story is NOT a "fluff" series. At all. There's some awesome Toko romance, too, but there's also subplots and backstories that have nothing to do with one or both of them. So if you were hoping for nothing but chapters upon chapters of mindless Toko love and angst, sorry to disappoint. But if you were hoping for a beefier, more substantial story with other elements besides pure romance, then you're in luck! :D

So much love,
-FireLordFrowny