ok hear me out - when Zuko and Toph got to like 21 and 17 respectively they started being each other’s dates to fancy events they had to attend
Which of course the newly emerging media was taking to like fish to water, publishing all sorts of rumours and musings about whether the Fire Lord and heir to the Beifong fortune were being matched (which definitely would be an advantageous one)
And naturally Zuko and Toph both love it. Zuko because his advisors aren’t badgering him about marriage (whilst he continues to pine after Mai), and Toph because her parents think she’s months away from being the Fire Lady and so aren’t trying to set her up with suitors. So they basically encourage it, always walking into parties arm in arm, both looking hot af, playing up to the crowd
But the rest of the gaang (namely Aang, Katara and Sokka) HATE it because Zuko and Toph won’t actually admit they’re faking it. So even though they all keeping rolling their eyes and saying “we know you’re just messing with us” internally each one of them is like “zuko and toph afksrgkhjrh!!!!!”
Sokka keeps trying to get Toph away from Zuko because he’s like “no you’re too old this is inappropriate” and so is always trying to drag her away and interrupt dances but this just leads to the media thinking that the fire lord and the next chief of the southern water tribe are fighting over the same girl and they LOVE it
Aang is getting really cheesed off because every time he tries to do a press conference he keeps getting asked if he’s Team Zuko or Team Sokka
Suki 100% is living for the chaos
Katara proudly shows off her Team Sokka shirt in the clinic odd days
#i…..really want to write this #or read this #someone needs to write it pls
@twinkle-toph and guests have some more food
Hakoda is visiting the new Republic City and catches wind of all this happening during a welcome gala but he knows Toph and Sokka have been best friends for ages and also, more importantly, he knows who Toph and Sokka fundamentally ARE as human beings and is like OK whatever they’re fucking with everyone
until he meets Ursa who, whilst she likes Mai, also thinks Toph is straight up savage and will happily endorse her
so Ursa’s like to Hakoda “ch, you think Sokka can win against Fire Lord Zuko, who mastered the sword by twelve years of age, who learnt firebending from the dragons themselves”
Hakoda immediately brings out the ‘Sokka’s accomplishments’ scroll he keeps with him at all times
the gaang all go camping a week later for a couple of days because they do that (so wholesome) and when they come back it’s cARNAGE
like you thought Zuko and Katara were competitive (literally everything is a competition) but Hakoda and Ursa are this whole other level. The Beifongs are now at Republic City because a bidding war for Toph Beifong’s hand is taking place and over 40% of the known resources on the planet are up for grabs
Aang is nearly close to tears trying to keep the peace
then Mai turns up and challenges Toph to an Agni Kai and Toph accepts so even Suki at this point is like no. NO.
eventually it all seems to die down until a month later when Aang is visiting Ozai and just before he leaves Ozai casually asks “so is it my son or your water tribe friend marrying the bei fong girl” and that is on official record for being the actual closest Ozai came to death
Katara managed to sell like almost 60 Team Sokka shirts though
(they couldn’t work out where all the Team Zuko pins were coming from until 12 years later when Suki confessed to it)
