Chapter Text
2 ½ years ago…
Thunder cracked overhead, vibrating the earth. Toph turned in her restless sleep. The infrequency of the vibrations had shaken Toph awake. Toph rolled over, facing Sokka’s strong back. She could smell him from her side of the bed, his deep and steady breaths were almost enough to meditate on.
The door creaked open softly and Toph could feel her three year old baby pushing shyly into the room.
“Mama?” she whispered cautiously into the dark. Toph sighed as she waved her arm, ushering Lin over. Lin scrambled over immediately, trying to wedge herself between her mom and Sokka. She had a feeling that Lin would sneak in here soon. Toph knew that Lin was afraid of thunder. She held Lin close and rubbed her back.
“How much longer?” Lin moaned, her hands over her ears. Toph pursed her lips.
“I don’t know, little one.” Toph whispered, rubbing her back sleepily. Sokka stirred, rolling over.
“What’s up?” he mumbled.
“It’s thundering,” Toph whispered, rubbing Lin’s back.
“Aw, it’s okay.” Sokka slurred sleepily, kissing the back of Lin’s head and patting her shoulder consolingly. “It’s just like. Big badgermoles in the sky. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”
Lin smiled a little. She was shaking less and less.
“Sounds loud,” she admitted. Toph kissed the top of Lin’s head. Sokka had a theory about Lin’s fear of loud noises. When she was four months old, Lin had been abducted by a mad man who created a hand held weapon he called the ‘equalizer’. This weapon exploded several times next to Lin’s head during her rescue. Sokka had even taken a piece of shrapnel in his shoulder trying to protect Lin. Ever since Lin’s rescue as an infant, Lin struggled to sleep and jumped at loud noises.
Lin had stopped shaking and finally began crying quietly. Toph knew that this was a good sign. Usually she’d fall asleep pretty quickly after a good cry, if she could manage it. Sokka scooted closer and hugged the other side of Lin, bridging the space over her head. The thick scent of Sokka’s hair washed over Toph. She couldn’t help but to smile.
“What about you? Can’t sleep either?”
Toph nodded. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Wasn’t you,” Sokka said, nosing the top of Lin’s head. Toph could feel the gentle smile on Lin’s face for a fraction of a second before the next roll of thunder shook the house.
“Hear that guy rolling that big boulder?”
“Badgermole?” Lin asked.
“Yeah, buddy. He’s got two huge paws and he’s rolling big old boulders down pretty grassy hills.”
“Okay,” Lin said, her voice watery.
“Just let her fall asleep, don’t excite her by telling stories,” Toph said, drawing herself closer to Lin.
“Okay then,” Sokka yawned. “I’m going back to sleep too, then.”
“You do that, Snoozles.”
“Goodnight Snoozles,” Lin said, quietly. Sokka laughed and rolled over, pushing his warm, strong back against Lin's. Toph and Lin sat in silence as Lin quietly cried herself out. Toph rubbed Lin’s back consolingly, focusing intently on the slow and deep breathing of Sokka before her. It was no surprise that he fell back to sleep so fast. Toph felt Lin react to Sokka’s relaxed breathing and she fell asleep shortly after him. Toph lay there awake, not wanting to disturb her sleeping child. She wished she could be lulled to sleep as easily as they were, but a tension was mounting in Toph’s body. These feelings often plagued her at night.
She knew that this domestic bliss couldn’t last. She didn’t know how much time she and Sokka had left. She was keeping their relationship a secret so she could retain the rights to her family title, Beifong. Sokka was going along with the secret, for now, but Toph always wondered if someone was peering through her window to catch them in bed together, or if it was obvious in her expressions at the Police Station. She wondered how many people suspected that they were together and how many people actually knew.
Toph knew it wasn’t fair what she was doing. But Sokka really seemed to love her enough to agree to be with her, even under such restricted circumstances. Toph felt her heart ache. Sometimes, when the fear mounted, she reminded herself just how lucky she was to have him. He was a wonderful man, so openly complimentary and silly and so caring to Lin… Even though Toph couldn’t give Sokka the full experience of marriage, she and Sokka had a little bit of a party when they announced to their closest loved ones that they were seeing each other in secret. Aang and Katara, Zuko and Mai. They were the only four people in the world who knew that Toph and Sokka were together. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Sokka. They didn’t have to lie to their closest friends, and Sokka could show the full extent of his affection towards Toph around them.
Sokka sighed in his sleep and Toph relaxed herself in her love for him. Toph didn’t know how much longer she and Sokka had together… but they had this night at least.
TOPH
Toph walked alongside her daughter down the elaborate streets in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. Her five year old daughter was complaining about the stiffness of her new dress robes as they approached the train station. Toph couldn’t focus on that just yet. Her hand subconsciously cradled her lower stomach, the foreign heartbeat thrumming hopefully through the fancy new garments she had just bought herself.
“Mom!” Lin demanded, breaking through Toph’s thoughts. “I’m hungry.” she said, a little quieter. Toph sighed.
“We’ve got to meet Ho Tun at the Metalbending Academy first. Then we’ll get something to eat afterwards, alright?”
Lin scowled but didn’t protest. Toph took her little hand as the train approached. As they boarded the train, Toph felt extremely grateful that Lin had taken their sudden change in surroundings in stride for the most part. The pair had arrived in Ba Sing Se yesterday, dusting off the Beifong Estate in the Upper Ring. It was blissfully empty due to its size, and Toph declined any offer of servants to attend to her and her daughter. Toph tried hard not to conjure the sharp memory of Sokka’s sadness. She had barely given Sokka two hours notice before she and Lin left Republic City so abruptly. Toph was intentionally vague to Sokka about how long she would be gone, but she knew that it would be a long time until he would see her again. She was already aching for him. Toph felt the train push on towards the middle ring and her hand floated over her stomach again. Lin had a difficult night last night, waking up from a nightmare crying for her Uncle Sokka. The thought of it wracked through Toph. Lin would also have to go a while before seeing Sokka. Toph swallowed and tried to force the longing from her head. She knew what she needed to do for the future of her daughter and her unborn baby.
They exited the train and Lin searched for Toph’s hand, gripping it again. Toph had only visited the Ba Sing Se Metalbending Academy twice since its inception. She got reports from Ho Tun at the end of every year-- building additions, numbers of graduates versus dropouts… management things. Toph had given Ho Tun full creative freedom when it came to running the Ba Sing Se Metalbending Academy. It was the second largest academy after the Republic City Metalbending Academy which Toph had entrusted to Penga. Most of her officers were trained by Penga to some degree, though a few had transferred from Ba Sing Se.
Toph felt the nasty threat of Ba Sing Se University as they passed the elaborate building. She knew that her future lay inside that building, the fate of her family’s legacy was held by a small council of snooty people who were currently denying Lin the title of Beifong. Toph gripped Lin’s hand a little tighter and pushed on. She was working on it. Within the year, everything would be situated.
Toph walked into the Metalbending Academy with her daughter in tow. The open room had been sectioned off by skill level, four different groups were practicing in their allotted corners. Ho Tun wasn’t currently in the large room. Toph allowed herself to smile just a little bit. The familiar feeling of synchronized techniques and direct instruction made her relax just a little more. Metalbending was a legacy that no one could take from her. No one could ever doubt that she had created all of this. She heard herself through the mouths of unfamiliar men and women barking at their trainees. Toph’s smile widened just a little more.
“Sifu Toph!” Ho Tun shouted happily, his big frame bounding towards Toph and her daughter from the office. “What a surprise! Did I miss your letter? I didn’t know you were in town!”
Toph clapped Ho Tun on the shoulder. “What good is a surprise inspection if I tell you when I’m coming?”
“I’m so glad to see you!” Ho Tun knelt down to Lin. Lin stepped back, unsure, regarding the large man in front of her. “And you must be Lin! You’re a spitting image of your mom, you know that? I’m Ho Tun.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lin’s little voice was calculated. Toph snorted and nudged her daughter.
“Be nice. You’re gonna be spending a lot of time around Ho Tun while we’re in Ba Sing Se, little one.”
Lin looked up at her mom, frowning. “Am I gonna start learning metalbending, mom?”
Toph nodded. “I think it’s about time we sign you up for lessons, what do you think?”
Lin didn’t smile. “I thought… I thought you were gonna teach me.”
Toph pursed her lips. “Of course I will. But I haven’t taught metalbending in years. Ho Tun has been teaching much longer than I have. I’ll teach you other stuff, but Ho Tun and his instructors can help you while I’m busy working here, alright?”
Lin swallowed and nodded. She looked at Ho Tun and bowed. “Sifu Ho Tun.”
Ho Tun grinned and stood up, bowing back to her. “I look forward to working with you, Baby Beifong.”
Toph’s stomach flipped. She wasn’t a baby Beifong just yet. Toph’s jaw clenched and she stomped her foot anxiously, taking in the perimeter. Toph’s stomach dropped. Extremely familiar footsteps shifted in the office, approaching Ho Tun and Toph. Of course. Just her luck. Ho Tun turned to the man, sighing.
“Right… Sorry, Kanto. Toph, this is Kanto.” Ho Tun said, needlessly introducing him. Kanto’s expression remained neutral, but his heart was racing. Whether it was racing with fear or nerves was hard for Toph to tell. “He’s been instrumental in establishing a cohesive Earth Tournament in Ba Sing Se. He and I have been working on introducing metalbending into the Earth Tournament circuit. A lot of my students have been insistent on it.”
Kanto bowed gently to Toph.
“I met Chief Beifong some years ago when I tried to establish Pro Bending in Republic City,” Kanto said. Toph was speechless. She knew that there was a possibility of seeing Kanto in Ba Sing Se, but she didn’t anticipate seeing him immediately. Kanto’s eyes glanced down towards Lin. Toph shook her head, scrambling.
“Um—! Ho Tun. Could you show Lin to the classes that she’ll be taking? I’d like to have a word with Kanto.”
“Sure thing, Sifu.” Ho Tun said. Lin reluctantly let go of Toph’s hand and looked back at her while Ho Tun guided her away. Toph’s jaw clenched as the pair of them stood in silence.
“Let’s go to the office,” Kanto offered. Toph wordlessly followed him. Kanto shut the door and leaned against it, crossing his legs and arms. Silence filled the room like a balloon, Toph didn’t know what to say. The polyrythmic battle of heartbeats in her ear was maddening, she couldn’t focus.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t make good on your promise,” Kanto said, smiling softly.
“What promise?” Toph murmured. Kanto laughed.
“Really? You said you would kick my ass the next time you saw me.”
“I can’t see anything,” Toph said. Kanto peeked out of the window of the office door. She could tell that he was staring at Lin.
“So… Lin.” Kanto said quietly.
“Yep.” Toph tried to keep it mild. “The baby you never wanted me to have.”
“Hey,” Kanto frowned, standing up and facing her. “ You never wanted to have her either. You had told me a million times that a child would get in the way of your career. I agreed. A child would get in the way of my career too.”
“Well. You still were shitty when I told you.” Toph said, sitting down in the office chair. Her head was dizzy.
“ I was shitty?” Kanto laughed. “ You banned me from ever coming back to Republic City, if you don’t remember.”
“Well… I was hormonal.” Toph dropped her head in her hands.
“Someone as powerful as you can do a lot of damage when you’re hormonal, Toph.” Kanto stepped closer, leaning against the office desk. “Listen. You’re a lot calmer now. Have lunch with me. We can talk about whatever you want to talk about, but… c’mon Toph, give me a little closure.”
Toph took a deep breath and sat up. “Alright.” She gathered her heavy dress skirt and nodded. “Can we go somewhere that serves fish? I’ve got to pick up something for Lin.”
Kanto’s smile was a little sad as he looked back out at Lin. Kanto opened the door and bowed for Toph to step ahead of her. “That’s no problem. I know just the place.”
Toph could sense that Lin was showing one of the instructors all of the skills that Toph had taught her. Her form was a little sloppy but the instructors seemed deeply impressed.
Toph and Kanto walked from the main room to a side training room where Ho Tun and three instructors were observing Lin. “We’re going out to lunch,” Toph announced to them. “Sorry to take over your meeting, Ho Tun, but I think Kanto’s idea of Pro Bending in Republic City has evolved since the last time we talked, and I’d like to chat with him a little more about it.”
“No problem at all, Sifu. Kanto’s in here at least twice a month anyway.”
Lin ran up to her mom and grabbed her leg. “Not fair! Mom, I’m hungry --”
Toph knelt down before Lin and felt her attention nestle heavy on her daughter’s shoulders. She could feel Kanto’s eyes searching Lin’s oblivious face. “I’m gonna pick you up something, alright?” Toph said gently. Lin seemed alarmed by Toph’s unusually gentle tone. Toph placed a hand on her daughter’s cheek. Lin slapped the touch from her face.
“Well make sure you get me some rice with the sweet sauce, please. Can I have the fried fish? Like what Uncle Sokka makes--”
Toph laughed, anxiety twisting her up. She knew that Kanto had heard that.
“Sure thing, Lin.” Toph patted Lin’s cheek. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”
Toph stood up, but Lin didn’t let go of her hand. She was looking up anxiously at her mom.
“Promise you’ll be back?” Lin asked quietly. Toph’s heart swelled with love and she planted a kiss on the top of her daughter’s head.
“I promise I’ll be back. Just after lunch. With the fried fish. Now go kick Ho Tun’s ass.”
Lin’s smile brightened. That she understood. She turned back to her instructors and went through her training routine again. Toph took a deep breath and followed Kanto out of the Metalbending Academy. They walked in silence next to each other for a little while before Kanto broke the awkward tension.
“So… Uncle Sokka?”
“Shut up,” Toph sighed. Kanto laughed.
“It’s alright. It’s honestly not a surprise.” Though he picked casually at his fingernails, Toph could feel the jealousy tug at Kanto’s words. Did he actually want to be around Lin? Toph knew that his emotions couldn't involve her. “Why are you wearing that getup?” He gestured towards the outfit. “If you were wearing shoes I’d be certain you had lost your damn mind.”
“I’m…” Toph shook her head. “I’m trying to break back into Ba Sing Se’s elite. They’re giving me trouble about assigning the title of Beifong to Lin so… I’m trying my best to… figure out who I need to talk to. And we’ve got to dress the part.”
Kanto snorted. “Well… you look lovely. Like a delicate flower.”
“Oh, fuck you.” Toph murmured through a smile as Kanto held open the door to the restaurant. The hostess bowed and immediately brought them to a private luncheon room to sit at a table on the floor. Toph relaxed a little more as the waitress handed them their menus and left Toph and Kanto alone with the door shut.
“What is this place?”
“Oh, I come here all the time. It’s a great place for business meetings. The staff knows me really well. I was just here last week talking to firebenders from Republic City, actually. Councilman Orta, you may know him? They’re pretty much begging me to come back and continue to try to establish Pro Bending. I couldn’t tell them why, but I’ve just been focused on the Earth Tournaments in Omashu and aiding in the Agni Kai circuits on the outer islands of the Fire Nation. Gaoling needs no help, of course.”
“Well…” Toph grumbled.
“I’ve been trying my best to respect your wishes. I know for a fact that you would've kicked my ass if you saw me return to Republic City.”
“Well consider your ass unkicked.” Toph said.
“Well, I hope my ass remains unkicked by the end of this conversation,” Kanto said. Toph didn’t have time to interpret his tone. The waitress brought in a bottle of champagne and a round of tea. Kanto ordered for the pair of them, putting in Lin’s to-go order at the same time. Toph ignored the tempting glass of sparkling champagne and sipped the herbal tea cautiously. Mint and honey. It was refreshing. Kanto frowned as the door slid shut behind the waitress.
“I think this is the first time I haven’t seen you immediately reach for the alcohol.” Kanto said. “I ordered it because it’s your favorite champagne.”
Toph knew that. Fuck. The truth was gripping her chest like heartburn. Or was that just regular heartburn? Toph sipped her tea as she tried to focus. She didn’t know what she was doing here. What else did she have to say to Kanto?
“Toph…” Kanto leaned forward, whispering. “Are you pregnant?”
Toph’s face screwed up and she tried to keep it together. How was that his first guess? She couldn’t open her mouth. She set her teacup down. Kanto was the only person on the planet who knew that he was Lin’s father. He kept that secret this long… the truth was burning a hole in her esophagus.
“So that Uncle Sokka thing…” Kanto said, sitting up, regarding her quietly. “You two weren’t together, right? The same way that we weren’t together?”
Kanto had always been a master of discretion. Toph nodded quietly. Kanto took a deep breath and sighed, throwing back his glass of champagne and picking up her untouched glass by the stem.
“You’re not drinking the wine.” Kanto said. “You’re going to have the baby.”
“A baby isn’t always a weakness,” Toph said, finally finding her voice. “Not something that you would understand.”
Kanto scoffed, frowning. “I always hated when you did that. You misunderstood me and then exploded before you would let me clarify.”
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” Toph said, turning her teacup in her hand, frowning. “You never wanted me to have Lin. You thought that wanting her was nothing but a weakness.”
“Toph,” Kanto shook his head. “I said that you were making a misjudgment in a moment of weakness. You weren’t thinking about how Lin’s life would be without a father. I still don’t know why you even told me that Lin was mine.”
“Well, I’ve learned from that mistake,” Toph said, finishing her tea before reaching for the pot. Kanto slapped the back of her hand and grabbed her teapot.
“Aren’t you trying to get into the elites?” Kanto said, irritated. “Let me pour your tea--”
“I thought… I thought that you would at least be happy that you were having a kid with me,” Toph said quietly as he poured her tea. “You weren’t happy. You were mad at me.”
Kanto took another deep sigh and set the teapot down. He allowed the silence to settle a little deeper. Their food was brought on several trays. Raw fish on white rice, cooked eel, seaweed salad-- all kinds of things. Kanto handed the bottle of champagne back to the waitress and told her to hold it for him in the back. She refreshed his tea, bowed, and closed the door behind her. Kanto took a few steaming bites from his bowl before turning back to Toph.
“Toph, we were never going to be married. When you told me you were pregnant, I knew I would never have a proper relationship with Lin. You and I could keep a romantic relationship private. But you allowed yourself to get so caught up that you forgot why we were secret in the first place. Toph… the two years I spent with you were amazing. You are a beautiful and intelligent woman. But I just can’t understand what you were thinking in keeping her. After everything you had told me, insisting secrecy from my part, after everything we had agreed upon. And you wanted to bring a child into that secret? I don’t know what you expected from me.”
“I was… I had detected it early,” Toph said, setting down her half-eaten bowl. “Every time you came over, it felt… well… feeling her inside of me and you beside me felt like my life could be normal. Like we were going to live like a little family. I just kept putting it off and putting it off until it was too late to do anything about it. That’s when I told you.” Toph wiped her face in exasperation. “And you did not react how I thought you did. And I may have lost my cool.”
“Yeah, I brought you back to reality.” Kanto said, rolling his eyes. “Look. I’m happy that Lin is healthy and happy. Do what you want to do. But don’t act like I thought that Lin herself was a weakness. My comment has nothing to do with her and everything to do with your lack of judgment. There is no possible way for me to have a relationship with Lin without arousing suspicion. You didn't think this through, Toph. I had already gone over the possibility months before you told me. I knew that there was no way for us to have a child together. So if you were to tell her about me, don’t you ever insinuate that I didn’t want her. Ever. Do you hear me? It was you that didn’t want me to have her. ”
Toph bowed her head, quietly eating her noodles. Maybe she deserved to be talked to like this. She had literally run Kanto out of Republic City when she told him that she was two and a half months pregnant. He had responded with shock rather than happiness and Toph took it personally. Kanto slurped his noodles.
“So the Rep City Rag reported the truth then?” Kanto said, sipping Toph’s glass of champagne. “You were with the Councilman?”
“Oh shut the fuck up,” Toph grumbled.
“That’s the most Toph-like yes I’ve heard in this entire conversation,” Kanto smirked. “I figured you two had feelings for each other. Even while we were together, I could tell when you were thinking about him. It’s pretty blatant to anyone who knows you two.”
“So I’ve been told,” Toph said, turning now to the seaweed salad. “I slipped up again.”
“And you’re too late in the pregnancy to terminate it?” Kanto asked. Toph clenched her jaw.
“I’m only about two weeks,” she whispered. Kanto set his glass down, leaning towards her.
“Two weeks? Toph, you have plenty of time to--”
“I don’t want to get rid of it,” Toph snapped at him. “Just like I didn’t want to get rid of Lin, okay? I’m having this baby.”
Kanto shook his head, his face screwed up in disgust.
“Don’t do this to Sokka, Toph. You can’t do this to another man,” Kanto whispered. Toph pursed her lips.
“I’m not going to tell him that it’s his. Actually-- I’ve… if I have this baby, I have to quickly create reasonable doubt that it isn’t his, because those sackless pieces of shit in the Upper Ring are trying to strip me of my title. I have a plan.”
Kanto seemed tired. “Alright. What’s this plan.”
Toph set her bowl down. “I’ve got to sleep with men who will talk. Upper class men, men who want to try and claim the Beifong title. I have to throw the scent off of Sokka, so they don’t--”
“Toph,” Kanto raised his hand, sighing. Toph swallowed. “Maybe your daughter and baby will get the title of Beifong. Maybe everything will work out exactly how you plan it to. But… Sokka’s going to know that that baby is his.”
Toph shook her head. “I’m not going to tell him. It won’t change how he feels about the baby, even if it’s not his. You should see how he is with Lin--”
“Don’t,” Kanto’s voice was harsh. “Do not tell me how he is with Lin.”
Toph fell silent. Kanto turned to finish his bowl of fried rice and leaned back against the wall, champagne flute in his hand.
“You’re a narcissist, Toph,” Kanto said lightly. “You’re lost in a self-fulfilling fantasy and you’re burning down the lives of your children and the people who love you. You pretended to love me for two years, but I didn’t have any illusion about the truth like you did. Now you’re dragging down the Councilman for the selfish desire for a child and a title. You think you can choose both your children and your career, but by not allowing your kids to have a father in their lives… you’re choosing your career over your children. And they will feel it . I bet you Lin is already feeling it.”
Toph’s anger spiraled up in her, her breathing quickening. She clenched her fists but allowed Kanto the space to talk. She really shouldn’t make a scene.
“The kindest thing you could do for Lin, for the Councilman, and for this unborn baby is to abort it and apologize for dragging someone along who is forced to love you in private. Don’t do this to him, Toph.”
Toph leaned forward over the table, blazing in her anger. “You have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about Kanto.” She hissed. “You don’t know the deal between me and Sokka. You don’t understand what we’re like together.”
Kanto didn’t react immediately, allowing Toph to finish her statement. He threw back the rest of the champagne and set the glass down on the table.
“I know what it’s like knowing that I have a daughter I’m not allowed to claim,” his tone was icy. “And maybe it is best for my career not to have any children to split my attention. But having no children is not the same thing as having a child that I’m not allowed to know. I won’t come out and demand to claim your daughter because I know that you would tank both me and my career out of spite if I did something like that. But don’t expect the same out of the Councilman. I know how it feels.”
Toph tried to contain her anger by drawing her attention to the texture of the fancy fabrics against her skin. She had to stay focused. The steady whooshing of her baby’s heartbeat. She sat back, her hand floating over her stomach again. Tears began to well in her eyes. She didn’t know if it was sadness or rage that brought them stinging to her eyes.
“That’s all I have to say about that,” Kanto said, picking up a sweet bean bun from the tray. “I’m surprised that you didn’t storm out. You actually listened to me the whole time.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Toph said, pushing the food away from her. Nothing appealed to her much anymore. She didn’t know that Kanto had wanted to be in Lin's life. He was right in assuming that Toph wasn’t going to tell Lin anything about her father. But Toph was surprised with how much it had affected him. Kanto dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin. The waitress returned to clear away the empty dishes and replaced them with a stack of mochi in a chilled container. Toph grabbed one and thought passively about bringing a few to Lin. It struck her that Kanto and Lin both absolutely loved mochi, but he couldn’t know that. Something so small… Toph set the half eaten mochi down and waited for Kanto to speak again. Maybe she deserved to be talked to like this. He… Kanto just didn’t understand… to be a Beifong…
Toph remembered all those years ago when Sokka had come back from Piandao’s… when Toph told Sokka that she couldn’t be his girlfriend. She remembered his hurt, his frustration. Toph tried to swallow those memories and focus on the meditative heartbeat inside of her. Kanto finally spoke.
“I can get you fucked,” he said bluntly. Toph frowned. “There’s a gala tonight at the museum. They’re unveiling a painting. The elite will be there. Please… please don’t fuck someone while Lin is in the next room.”
“How do you think I got pregnant in the first place?” Toph murmured.
“You’re going to keep that door revolving, right?” Kanto frowned. “It won’t be good for her to see you with a different man all the time.”
“Don’t try to parent her--”
“I’m not--!” Kanto hissed before collecting himself. “I’m not trying to parent her. I’m just trying to give advice. My mom never had a stable boyfriend. Even though I knew that my dad was a piece of shit, I still didn’t like these random men showing up in our house. It’s traumatizing Toph.”
“I’m not going to do this forever. Just… just for a week or so. I don’t have much time.”
Kanto shook his head and stood up. Toph stood up too. “Well I’ll see you at the gala tonight, possibly. Maybe we can actually discuss establishing Pro Bending in Republic City at some point.” He opened the door for her to exit and followed her to the pick up counter.
Toph could hear the dejection in his voice. He picked up Lin’s lunch from the check out counter by the door, holding away from Toph. She didn't reach for it again and silently followed him back down the road towards the Metalbending Academy. She felt a nagging guilt inside of her. She had expected to feel irritation upon seeing Kanto again. She expected him to be angry with her for bringing Lin so close to him. She had expected him to talk about all that he had accomplished with his competitive bending circuits and talk about whatever girlfriend that he probably had now. None of that happened.
They walked into the Metalbending Academy. Lin had changed into a uniform and was practicing her form with kids twice her age, trying her best to keep up. She noticed that her mom walked in, but Kanto still had the lunch in his hands. He knelt down, offering her a small smile. She was hesitant, looking up at her mom and then back at Kanto.
“Fried fish with the sweet sauce for the rice, right?” Kanto asked gently, nudging her shoulder. Lin nodded. “Well I got you that and I had them wrap up a little dessert in there for you, alright?”
Lin took the wooden box from him, staring at him strangely before bowing.
“Thank you,” she said quickly before running back to the training room with her food. Kanto stood up, staring after Lin. He shook his head. Toph waited anxiously for his response.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be around too much. I don’t want her to call me ‘Uncle’ or whatever the fuck. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.” He turned back to Toph. “And I’m not going to get in the way of you solidifying your title, Toph. But if I’m going to be honest? I really hope you lose it.”
Toph stood there in shock as Kanto walked around her and headed out the door without another word. Toph felt tears well up in her eyes. Fucking hormones. She had to get out of here. Toph headed to the empty office and locked the door behind her, crouching into a little ball, her hands over her head. Toph sobbed silently, trying to keep her heightened emotions in check. Kanto hadn’t wanted Lin! That was how Toph remembered it. Why was he so hurt? Why did he insist on hurting Toph back? Toph wasn’t going to let Lin know who her father was, she had to keep it quiet for the sake of her title. Beifong rang in her head like a gong. It coupled with the extra heartbeat, the impending potential. It was Sokka’s baby. Sokka’s fucking baby. But who would know that? Not the baby, not Sokka. Was Kanto right? Was she making a huge mistake?
Toph sat up and leaned her head against the wall, cradling the gentle beating of her stomach. No. It wasn’t a mistake. A string through history, spiraling, screaming through to her. Like the royal lineage, it was gifted to her for a reason. She had to do what she needed to preserve it. If something were to happen to Ba Sing Se, she knew that the Earth Kingdom would turn to the Beifongs, first and foremost. It was more than a title, more than a personal legacy. To be a Beifong was to wield power. Before Lin, Toph had planned to be the final Beifong herself, but now she would do anything she could to fight for her children. Lin was a powerful child, her parents were extremely apt benders. And this baby… whoever this baby would be… Toph couldn’t wait to meet them. Toph took a shuddering breath in and wiped her face.
Alright. No more messing around. Kanto always knew just what to say to cut right to her core. Sometimes that was good, sometimes that was bad. Toph chuckled sadly. He really wasn’t like Sokka at all. He had never wanted to cross the barrier of being in a public relationship with her, because he knew that it meant that she would treat him differently. He wasn't nearly as funny, or as gentle. He had cared about her, but he was blunt. Toph had morphed her perception of him so many times in her mind. Now that she allowed the word into her vocabulary, she wondered if she had ever loved him. She didn’t love him as much as she loved Sokka, she knew that. But… looking back… Toph wondered if Kanto had ever loved her . Toph shook her head. He certainly didn’t now.
Focus, Toph. Focus. The gala tonight. Toph grimaced. She would have to get laid. Tonight.
~*~*~
Toph had managed to find a last minute babysitter to watch Lin at the estate. Toph still didn’t like leaving Lin for extended periods of time. She had never fully gotten over the fear that she had felt when she had been kidnapped as a baby. It was why Toph had pushed Lin to learn as much earthbending as she could to defend herself. Toph was grateful that she would be able to start learning metalbending. Toph had focused on earthbending techniques, but it was time for Lin to gain new skills while her brain was developing. Still, it was nerve wracking being an entire district away from her daughter. She would have to focus extremely hard to sense her from all the way in the middle ring but Toph knew that Lin would be alright. Her anxiety was for more than one reason.
Toph approached the museum feeling like a fish out of water. She had been dressed to the nines by a professional dresser, her hair done up in elaborate braids with tassels and flowers hanging off the left side of her face. She was so far out of her element that she knew that she was barely recognized by anyone. Toph still refused to wear shoes. She slid her foot against the floor and felt for Kanto. He wasn’t here. Toph swallowed. Whatever. Good. She didn’t need him to be here.
“Excuse me,” A gentle woman’s voice pulled from her side. “Are you Toph Beifong?”
Toph nodded. The woman stood up straighter. “Oh spirits--” the woman whispered excitedly. “I didn’t think I would ever get to meet you! How are you? Are you staying in the city for long?”
Toph blinked at the rapidfire questions, answering them politely. Once people started to recognize who she was, a small crowd began to gather around her. Everyone was asking her questions, trying to gain her attention. It was really annoying, actually.
“Excuse me, everyone, excuse me.” A man pushed through the small crowd. “The Earth King has requested an audience with Toph Beifong, so if you don’t mind…”
The man led Toph to an empty room, Toph frowning in confusion.
“Well, where is Kuei?” Toph asked, irritably. She pulled her arm from his hand. He blinked in shock.
“You’re on first-name basis with the Earth King?”
Toph frowned. Who the fuck did this guy think she was? Right… right, she was supposed to be flirting tonight. Toph fixed her face and smiled gently.
“For quite some time now, yes,” Toph said slowly. “I’m sorry, who are you?”
The man smiled. “I’m Seong-min, son of Seong-shi. We’re in the textile business, Miss Beifong.”
Toph knew that name. She knew that name….He… Toph felt her mind go haywire. He was one of the petitioners. One of the five people who accused Toph of Courting with Sokka, and trying to strip Toph of her family name. Fucking rich of this guy to call her by her title. Toph was grateful that he wasn’t super old. He was a few years younger than she was, but his breath was a little sour from drinks already. He was taller than her, but not by much. Toph smiled blithely before holding out her hand.
“Please, call me Toph.” Because that’s what the bastard wanted in the first place, wasn’t it? He kissed her knuckles. Toph knew that she could have him in the palm of her hand in no time. But it was like reeling in a fish. She couldn’t just outright state her intention, she had to give the line some slack. It was easy to tell that Seong-min hadn’t expected Toph to be so beautiful. Toph pulled out all the stops of her classical training, easily putting Seong-min under a spell. He admitted that he had expected her to be crass. Toph told him that she could be whatever she chose to be, whatever suited her in the moment. In high society Ba Sing Se, it suited her more to be noble.
It wasn’t long after the gala had ended that Toph had all but dragged Seong-min to a nearby hotel. He had offered her something stronger than the wine they had at the museum, which she declined. She talked easily about how art wasn’t her favorite, being blind and all. He was getting too drunk too fast. He hadn’t made a move on her, though she could tell that he really wanted to. Toph would have to take matters into her own hands. This, she explained, was where she became crass. She held him down on the bed as he enthusiastically participated in her touch. He grabbed at her and pressed his wet mouth against hers, wrapping her up in his arms, rubbing himself against her. Toph tried very hard not to disassociate.
When she finally got what she wanted, she hopped off of him and dressed herself. He was half asleep when she announced that she had to get home to see her baby, hoping that he would remember enough to spread rumours. If what she suspected about him was true, Seong-min was a functioning alcoholic and he would remember most of the night. Certainly enough to know that he had cum inside of Toph Beifong. Toph swallowed hard.
She walked home, feeling disgusting and heavy, thinking hard about her next step. Toph relieved the babysitter, paying her and informing her that Toph may need to call upon her a few times this week. Toph felt nauseous talking to her. The stench of Seong-min lingered on her skin. After the babysitter left, Toph immediately ran a bath.
Stripping down naked and pulling all of the pins from her hair felt like waking up. Toph let the shower warm up as she hugged herself and curled up in a ball next to the running water. The night had passed in a blur, bits and pieces of it coming back with frightening clarity. Seong-min’s excuse and grip, the unveiling of a painting she couldn’t see, the acidic scent of his breath. Kanto never arrived. She remembered how Seong-min followed her around… she would never do that with him again. The hotel room felt like a whirlpool. Toph didn’t know how she had worked up the nerve to kiss him. That nasty breath all night… Toph shivered.
It had been three days since she had kissed Sokka goodbye. Three days since she had first felt the solid heartbeat in her womb. Disgusting memories of Seong-min plagued her mind. Toph hiccuped, bile coming up. It might not even be sickness related to the pregnancy, she spat it into the toilet. She shook her head, grabbing her head.
Toph curled up in the shower, bathing herself slowly. She focused on the floral scent of the soap her mom prefered. She combed her fingers through her unbraided hair, appreciating its simplicity. How could she spend her entire pregnancy here? Ba Sing Se was awful. But now… now that she had sex with Seong-min, she absolutely needed to have sex with someone else. Or he would claim her baby as his own. Sokka could step forward and claim the baby, but that would only solidify an Elopement charge. No. No… now that the plan was in motion she had to continue forward.
Toph turned off the shower and dried herself thoughtfully. She stepped into the bedroom, dreading laying in her own bed. She crept into Lin’s bedroom where she lay in her fitful sleep. Toph could sense that she was still upset. Lin awoke, blinking sleepily.
“Mom…?” Lin whispered. She reached for Toph and Toph laid down next to Lin. Toph curled up in the bed, holding Lin tight to her. Lin was crying softly.
“Shh… shh…” Toph whispered against Lin’s head. “I’m here now, little one.”
“I miss Uncle Sokka,” Lin whispered. “I wanna go home.”
“We can’t go home yet, Lin, I’m sorry.”
“I wanna go home,” Lin moaned sleepily. Toph rocked Lin in her arms and began singing gently. Lin moaned, hiccuping her sleepy sobs. She sucked on her knuckle a little as she fell back to sleep, something that Toph had tried very hard to discourage. She wouldn’t take that from her now. Toph rocked and sang until Lin fell back to sleep. Toph had let her tears fall from her eyes and onto her daughter’s dark hair. She felt her future child swell in her stomach. She held onto Lin, cradling her, cherishing her. Lin was her blessing. Toph fell asleep, praying to spirit and self that she was doing the right thing.