A/N: Hey everyone! This little story stemmed from something I wish was in the show - some kind of talk between some of the Gaang regarding their feelings. I mean, I feel like it would make sense for Katara to talk to someone about her feelings for Aang (and vice versa) because they're so much more complicated than a simple crush. So here's a little short conversation I made between her and Toph to try and break the ice about her feelings. I might expound on this dynamic a little more as I feel like there's a lot of potential between the two, so let me know if you want more! It takes place sometime after "Bitter Work."
This time I put on the album 'Dive' by Tycho when writing. It's an hour of sepia-toned, dopamine-inducing goodness so I highly recommend you give it a listen!
As always, please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading and enjoy :)
"Ugh! Why won't this stupid thing light!"
Toph was reclining casually at the base of her earth tent, pretending not to pay any mind at all to the aggravations of the Water Tribe girl trying to light the campfire for the night. It had been a particularly long day and everyone was a little on edge after spending most of the day confined to Appa's saddle. Aang never liked to push Appa harder than he had to, but there was a strong Fire Nation presence in the area and, after the whole Azula incident, it could never hurt to put as much distance between them and the Princess of Fire as possible.
"Toph, I know you like to 'carry your own weight' but could you maybe help me out here?" Katara's tone was biting. Toph noticed immediately something was troubling her, something deeper and more substantial than simple campfire trouble. Her blindness had made her other senses more acute, yes, but Toph liked to think she could read people better than others could. She picked up on all the subtle nuances of human behavior that others overlook; their heartbeats, their breathing, the most minute of movements. She sensed Katara's hurried breathing and her clumsy attempts to strike two stones together. Something was up; Toph didn't know exactly what.
"Sorry Sweetness, but I'm an earthbender, not a firebender. Shouldn't you have picked up on that by now?" She knew her chiding got on Katara's nerves more than the others, but she couldn't help herself. She smiled in amusement.
"Yes, obviously. But if you haven't noticed, I'm not a firebender either but we still need a fire for tonight! If you haven't noticed, my bone-headed brother took the spark rocks with him when he left to go find food, and if you haven't noticed these two rocks I found aren't making any sparks, and if you haven't noticed Aang went off to meditate so I'm the only one doing any work around here!" Katara was practically shouting by the time she finished her sentence, her hands waving wildly in the air with an expression of pure frustration that Toph couldn't see.
A few moments passed between them. Toph was certain now that something was really troubling Katara. Her breathing was frantic and her heart beat wildly in her chest. It took her a few moments more to calm down and get a sense of the situation.
"Toph - I - I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I - I'm just a little frustrated right now and I don't know what got into me."
Toph wordlessly got up and took the two battered stones from Katara, pausing for a moment to study their intracacies in her hands. Then, in one swift motion, she threw them up in the air and bended the two stones into each other just above the fire. The two stones seemed connect at the most perfect of angles, for a plume of sparks descended onto the kindling, which, after the briefest of seconds, roared into flame.
Katara looked at the fire with incredulity. She felt respect and annoyance and guilt wash over her in pangs as she regarded the girl before her, standing a little intimidatingly over her hunched frame.
"We need to talk."
Katara tensed when she heard the words.
"Talk? About what?"
"Oh come on, Sugar Queen. Something's the matter with you. You just got all worked up over nothing. I can tell there's something bothering you."
Truthfully, Katara didn't really know what to say. She usually wasn't opposed to talking about what troubled her, especially with Aang. But that was precicely the problem - what troubled her was Aang. And talking about her myriad jumbled emotions for the airbender with Toph? That just seemed a little strange. She didn't really peg Toph as the type to share her emotions, let alone understand hers. What if she got the wrong idea? Anyways, Katara was certain that Toph had no idea of her true feelings.
"Something... or someone"
The words snapped Katara back to reality and her heart skipped a beat. Maybe she did have some idea.
What? Does she...? Does she know about...?
"I - I - uh - I don't know what you're talking about!" Katara said in a huff.
"Oh come on. I think we both know what I'm talking about. And it's not Sokka."
"Yeah, well...! What could you possibly know about... you don't know what you're saying, and... and I'll have you know that you have no business... you don't understand-"
"Understand what?" Toph smiled. She knew she had her. Truthfully she didn't know exactly what was troubling Katara; she just guessed. But in the short time she'd been a part of the group, she'd picked up on the subtlest of signs whenever Katara and Aang were near each other - the quickening heartbeat, the shortened breath, the tensing muscles upon the others touch - Toph had suspected there was something... there between them. She had guessed it was Aang that her mind was ensnared by, but now she knew for sure.
"Understand... understand... how - how I feel."
There, she had said it.
Katara glanced up with a resigned look on her face. If Toph was going to tease her about her feelings, then fine. But she had been feeling for a while now that she couldn't keep bottling up the feelings she held for the young airbender - these exciting, confusing, bewildering, mesmerizing feelings. She had to tell someone eventually, and she sure wasn't going to confide in Sokka. That left Toph...
I guess now is as good a time as any...
"Look... I'm just really confused right now. I don't really understand what I've been feeling lately. I mean, I like him... but I don't really know what to do about it! Do I push it? What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if he thinks I'm crazy? What if I do something and it ruins everything between us? What if-" Katara was suddenly cut off from her frantic confession.
"Woah, easy! I didn't ask for all this! I just wanted to know what's wrong, not a confession of your romantic feelings!"
Katara felt annoyed now. She had begun to pour her heart out to Toph, telling her what had been simmering vehemently in the back of her mind for weeks now and she was just going to tell her off? I should have known she wouldn't understand!
"Okay then, Toph," Katara spat. "Never mind! I didn't need your help anyway!" She turned towards her tent in a huff.
"No, wait! I didn't mean it like that! I - I want to help!"
Katara froze. Toph wanted to help her? With her romantic feelings? Katara paused. She had had a feeling that somewhere under that tough exterior was a gentle soul, she just hadn't seen it. Until, maybe, now.
"I - I know I act tough and snarky and all that... but... but I'm a girl too," Toph started, blushing furiously, a little annoyed at herself at the frivolity of what she was saying. "And... maybe I'm confused too."
"Wait... are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Toph gulped. She was extremely hesitant to continue as it might threaten her pride, but she knew that once she had started, Katara would stop at nothing to pry her feelings out of her. She had no choice.
"I think... I think I might maybe possibly like your brother."
Katara gasped lightly and covered her growing grin with her hand, which resulted in a particularly brutal punch in the arm from Toph.
"Ow! That really hurt! Look - there's nothing wrong with that! It's - it's exciting! It means you're-" Toph began to angle another punch which encouraged Katara to stop.
"Remember, this is about your feelings, not mine," Toph hissed threateningly.
"Okay! Understood!"
"Why can't you just tell him?" Toph started, as if nothing had happened. "I mean, you already tell Twinkle Toes everything - you two are practically inseperable! What's wrong with pushing things further? I mean, I'm pretty sure he's got feelings for you..."
"What? Tell him?! Are you serious? I can't do that! It - it would change everything between us! What if we're not ready? What if he's not ready? What if I'm not ready?"
"Look, Sugar Queen. I'm not exactly an expert on love. Far from it. But if you don't act then nothing's gonna happen. Simple as that."
"But that's the thing! I don't even know if I want anything to happen! I - I value our friendship more than anything... if I somehow ruined it by being too upfront then I could never forgive myself..."
Toph felt the heaviness in her words. She could tell her feelings had been burdening her for a while.
"But if you did nothing and he did nothing and nothing ever happened between you two... could you live with yourself then? You gotta think like an earthbender here! If you want something, you gotta stand your ground! You gotta go get it!"
"I know! I just don't think now is the time! Aang's got so much more training to do. I mean, he's only just started earthbending. He still needs to find a firebending teacher. I think I would just be a distraction or something..."
Toph could feel the undercurrents of sadness in her words. She realized the gravity of Katara's situation then - this was not some normal fling. No, Aang is the Avatar. He has a duty to the world. But at the same time, she felt the captivating energy of Katara's dedication to him. She felt the gravity of her love for him, and she could tell how pure and beautiful it was. She could tell in the ferocity of her heartbeat and the determination of each breath. She could tell how hard it was for her to keep her feelings to herself...
"Katara," Toph began as gently as she could. Katara was grateful Toph couldn't see the tears forming at the base of her sapphire eyes. "I can't tell you how to feel, and I can't tell you exactly what to do. But my mom always said that love - true love - always finds a way."
Katara was stunned at the simplicity of her words. They reverberated through her and felt like they communed directly with her soul. She knew then that those words were exactly what she needed to hear; they would give her hope again.
Katara also knew that Toph never brought her parents up in conversation lightly. She knew she was trying her hardest to care for her, and she was grateful. She decided she liked this strange, sensitive side of Toph. She beamed at the young earthbender and pulled her into an embrace.
"Thanks, Toph... that really helped."
The moment didn't last long, as Katara felt the searing pain in her arm return as she was met with another of Toph's punches.
"Good, because that's all the help I'm giving... for a long time."
"What help?"
Aang walked towards the fire and gazed at the two girls quizzically. Katara quickly looked away to hide her heavy blush.
"None of your business, Twinkle Toes! Now, if I'm not mistaken, we still have a good amount of time until Snoozles comes back with dinner and you've been slacking on your training!"
"But we trained all of yesterday, Sifu Toph!" Aang groaned.
"Too bad! Let's go!"
Aang shrugged his shoulders and grudgingly started away with Toph.
Katara didn't really know what to feel at that moment - her emotions still danced confusedly across her mind. But she was grateful (and a little surprised, still) for her brief talk with Toph. She was much calmer now as the words echoed in her head - "love - true love - always finds a way." She had to keep up hope that whatever was happening between her and Aang, whatever magical feelings that danced so suggestively and mystically between them, would end up working out. She had to believe.
Toph turned her head as she began to walk away and flashed Katara a smile.