News
by Eris

There was something different about Toph these days, Zuko realized.

Honestly, it was quite a random thing to think of considering he was in the middle of a Summit meeting. His mind should've been coming up with ideas on how to prevent a group called the Anti-Bending Society, who called for a worldwide legislation to ban all kinds of elemental bending in the world, from growing. So far, informants around the world estimated that the group had total of ten to fifteen members, but as the world began to feel the effects of the Hundred-Year War, Zuko knew that if they didn't put a stop to it now, their numbers were bound to increase very quickly in the next fifteen to twenty years.

But in the midst of the discussion with the Summit of Leaders, Zuko couldn't help but suddenly notice how quick to anger his wife was nowadays, as shown by the fact that she was currently threatening to take over Omashu by herself. King Bumi cackled at the idea, and knowing that Bumi had always been after Toph to take over Omashu after him, Zuko quickly put a stop to it by offering Toph a few pieces of her new favorite dish—fried moon peaches sprinkled with flaming fire flakes. Another thing that was different about his wife, aside from her quick anger and eating habits, was that she was so easy to distract, proven when she completely ignored Bumi for the food. She'd done the same thing to him last week when Aang willingly handed her the disgusting concoction she was now picking happily at.

Relaxing into his seat as Bumi glared at him knowingly, Zuko took in the sudden silence of the room as everyone watched the Earthbending Fire Lady eat the strange food. Aang looked particularly revolted, having tasted the meal once and regretted it immensely. "Is she really enjoying that?" the Avatar whispered to his friend, and Zuko nodded, unaware that he wore an expression identical to the one on Aang's face. "Ew."

Later, he asked his wife if she felt all right after everyone had retired to their temporary rooms (and Zuko honestly suspected that the room Bumi had given them was the one he'd made specifically for Toph as the next Queen of Omashu. If the old king thought that this would convince Toph to stay in Omashu, then he was… Probably on the right track, Zuko admitted to himself, looking around at the room made entirely of stone).

Toph frowned at him as she narrowed her eyes in his direction, and Zuko recognized her 'I-can-tell-what-you're-feeling-but-why-the-hell-are-you-feeling-this-way' expression immediately. "What's going through your head, Hotpants?"

Sighing, he sat at the edge of the stone bed (momentarily surprised at how cushy it felt) and looked at her. "You've been…different these days," he said carefully. "I'm just worried. Is there something going on with you that I don't know about?"

"There's always something going on with me that you don't know about," she teased, easily making her way over as she pulled her hair out of its traditional Fire Nation topknot, her long silky strands falling down her back in big curls. Zuko inhaled sharply when she sat down on his lap and blatantly rubbed herself against him firmly, and her pale green eyes (despite seeing nothing) had a look that was clearly expressed lust and expectation.

Swallowing heavily, Zuko was torn between pursuing the subject and making love to his wife. Many a time, the latter choice had won out, but the Fire Lord felt that this topic was a little bit more important than the previous ones he'd let go of in favor of a long night in bed with his beautiful, passionate wife. What to do, what to do…

"Zuko," Toph purred, shrugging off her clothes and baring her shoulders and breasts to him, letting him know that all throughout that meeting, she hadn't been wearing anything under her robe. The thought of how easily he could've pulled her into a corner and had his way with her at any time sent a wave of lust through him. "I'm your wife."

"Yes, you are," he responded, hypnotized at the sight of her. Her lips brushed his, and he followed her movements as she pulled back, the urge to kiss her strong and heady.

"So why don't you take me already?" That was a good question, one that he immediately rectified by slipping his fingers through her hair and forcing her into a kiss that she eagerly returned.

There were times when making love to Toph didn't feel like making love at all. Normally, when he and Toph came together, it would be rough and Toph would fight him all the way, turning it into a battle of dominance. It was an extension of them, really. Both of them were stubborn and passionate and fiercely independent, leftover traits from their younger days when he was still trying to please his father and she was trying to rebel against her parents. This often resulted in them trying to do things on their own, and when the other found out, they would fight it out, eventually leading to what Toph once crudely called 'angry sex.'

But then there were times when making love to Toph was more than just making love. In those times, it felt like he'd been swallowed deep into the Earth and buried in molten fire, like his element and hers had combined to consume him so thoroughly that he forgot to breathe, forgot that he was still alive because it just felt so damn good to be with her. It was amazing and mind-blowing and extraordinary. Times like those, he could feel the love she felt for him seep into his very being, leaving him feel boneless and humble and unworthy of her.

Zuko wanted it to be one of those times. It was an instinct, a feeling he knew he had to acknowledge.

"Toph," he murmured against her lips as his hands traced down her legs.

"Hm?"

Upon reaching his destination, Zuko pulled her ankles onto the stone bed, causing her to shift and rub roughly against his pants. Groans escaped them at the movement, and for the life of him, he couldn't remember what he was going to say. "I love you," he said instead, his hands releasing her ankles to pull off her red and black robe. Her hands came up to cup his face, her thumbs brushing over his cheeks, and he couldn't hide the instinctive flinch he'd developed eight years ago when his father permanently scarred him.

But his reaction didn't seem to matter to Toph because she just pulled him into another (softer, deeper) kiss and whispered, "I love you too."

Suddenly, Zuko felt the atmosphere change. It was no longer charged with sexual tension; instead, it was lilting and teasing and knowing. Like Toph, he mused as he released his wife when she pulled away. The expression on her face was one he knew well, one she wore when she was going to tell him something and she already knew his reaction (good or bad).

He wondered if he'd like what she had to say now.

"What is it?" he asked, when she did nothing but smirk at him. He had to admit, she looked good wearing that smirk and nothing else.

"I went to see Katara earlier," she said, pushing him onto his back. He pulled her along with him, holding her flush against his body, but allowing her arm to touch the stone so that she could still keep her sight.

"What for?" Zuko asked, knowing that if Toph had to go to Katara, then it would certainly be about something serious.

"Hm," she sighed, throwing a leg over his and snuggling closer. "I wanted to see if I was pregnant."

At the far end of the guest wing, Aang was trying to find his way back to his and Katara's quarters, a strong and steady flame resting calmly in the palm of his hand. Suddenly, a loud shout rang through the hall, and the fire he held flared high, reaching the ceiling in a powerful blast of fire. Hastily, the Avatar released the flame to avoid getting burned, throwing it to the wall where it left scorch marks, proving just how hot it had gone.

Panicked, Aang realized the shout had come from Zuko and Toph's room at the other end of the hall, and in the years that Aang had known him, Zuko had never lost control of his Firebending. Deciding that it must be a serious matter, he quickly Airbended his way over and barreled through the doors. "What the—?" Aang blinked once before abruptly turning around, his entire head going red.

"Aang!" Zuko had frozen in shock when his friend appeared, before realizing that his wife had been very much naked when Aang burst into their room and destroyed the wooden doors (which happened to be the only wooden thing in the room). "Get out!"

Aang wasn't able to move, the image of a naked Toph seared permanently in his mind. Katara was going to kill him…

"Let him be, Sparky," Toph suggested. "I don't mind him looking."

If Toph's intention was to push Zuko into killing him, then she was definitely succeeding in her goal. "AVATAR!"

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Aang said, the instinct for self-preservation kicking in as he quickly sped out the door and, using Earthbending, summoned a new set of doors to replace the ones he'd broken.

"I'll kill him!" Aang heard Zuko declare from inside the room.

"Can you do it tomorrow? We were in the middle of celebrating the existence of your firstborn child, you know." Aang's jaw dropped at the news. Toph was pregnant?

'Well,' he mused as he hurried away from the Fire Lord and Lady's room, 'that would explain the sudden burst of uncontrolled Firebending.' A wide, happy grin spread across his face as he finally digested the news.

'Wait 'til I tell Katara!'

Author's Note

I was aiming for another smut!fic, but somehow…it turned into this…

I'm not quite sure how that happened, but…eh, whatever!

Hope you enjoyed this!

~E

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Michael Dante DiMartino and Nickelodeon does. If I did, I'd continue their adventures even though the war is over. I'd make Toph a little older and get Zuko to marry her. Then I'd make them have cute Firebending/Earthbending babies together. Woo-hoo!