♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪

The last few mornings you woke up too nauseous to even look at food, but tonight, the pendulum had swung completely in the opposite direction. You woke up in the middle of the night, starving. You chewed on your bottom lip, contemplating what to do. The baby was awake too. You could feel the soft, fluttering kicks against your ribs, tiny feet demanding to be fed.

The bedroom was pitch-black and relatively silent except for the deep, steady breathing of your wife asleep beside you. Toph was sprawled out on her back, one arm thrown over her eyes as she slept. After pulling a grueling double shift at police headquarters, she looked utterly dead to the world.

Your stomach let out a ferocious growl that was almost painful. The craving hit you like a runaway train. Your mouth watered, your mind entirely hyper-focused on a highly specific combination of food that you needed to have right this second.

You turned on your side, the prominent swell of your belly shifting against the mattress. You reached out and poked Toph’s bare, muscular shoulder.

“Toph,” You whispered urgently, nudging her again. “Toph, wake up.”

A low groan rumbled from somewhere deep in Toph's chest, but she didn't move an inch, her body still firmly pressed into the mattress. Beneath her, the faint vibrations of tiny feet fluttering against your ribs traveled through the bed. Even deep in sleep, her seismic sense remained tuned to every subtle shift in your body.

The baby's sudden burst of activity registered almost immediately, acting like a silent alarm that slowly pulled her toward wakefulness.

“Babe,” You insisted, pressing your palm against her chest and shaking her slightly. “Toph, please. The baby wants something.”

Slowly, Toph dragged her arm off her face. A groan escaped her as she rolled onto her side to face you in the darkness. Still caught somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, she reached for you without hesitation, her broad, warm hand settling against the bare curve of your stomach. Her fingers spread across the rounded swell, feeling for the tiny vibrations beneath her palm as though checking on both of you before she'd even fully woken up.

She remained still for a moment, blinking sleepily into the darkness, her seismic sense quietly tracking every tiny shift and flutter as the baby moved inside you.

“What's wrong? The kid's throwing a fit in there.” Toph muttered, her voice rough and still laced with sleep. “Sounds like she's earthbending your insides, baby.”

A small smile tugged at her lips as another flutter pressed against her palm. “What'd you do this time?”

You let out a soft whimper and leaned your forehead against her shoulder, seeking out her warmth.

“I didn't do anything,” You mumbled miserably. “She's starving, Toph. We're both starving.”

Toph blinked slowly, a disbelieving huff of laughter escaping her as she sank deeper into her pillow.

“Sweetheart, it's the middle of the night,” She rasped, her fluttering shut as sleep threatened to take hold of her once again. "The kitchen is right out there. Can't it wait until breakfast?”

“No, it can't,” You protested, tugging firmly on her arm. “And we don't even have it in the kitchen anyway. I need you to go out and get it.”

Toph groaned and tipped her head back against the pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

“Go out?” She repeated incredulously. "Sweetheart, telling by how quiet and empty the streets are it's probably three in the morning. Which means Republic City is fast asleep, and so was I. What could you possibly want that requires me to get up right now?”

You leaned over her, resting your chin on her chest as you looked down at her in the darkness.

“I want dumplings,” You said, your mouth watering the moment you thought about them. “But not just any dumplings. I need the spicy fire-ferret dumplings from the night market by the docks.”

A dreamy sigh escaped you. “The ones drenched in chili oil and can you get a side of peanut sauce too?”

Toph shook her head as her hand slid from your stomach to give your hip a gentle squeeze.

“Fire-ferret dumplings?” She echoed. “At three in the morning?”

She snorted. “Babe, that vendor closed hours ago. He's probably asleep in his own bed by now, dreaming about not having customers show up in the middle of the night demanding dumplings.”

“Then go wake him up!” You huffed, fisting the front of her nightshirt. “You're the chief and friends with the Avatar. Use your privilege! The future of the Beifong lineage depends on these chili dumplings, Toph.”

Toph's sightless eyes stared at you for a long moment before she let out a bark of laughter. “Sweetheart, that's not how any of that works.”

You deflated, “Why not?”

“Because being chief doesn't give me the authority to wake innocent dumpling vendors in the middle of the night.” There was amusement in her voice at the absurdity of the sentence.

You opened your mouth to argue but she cut you off, already anticipating what you were going to say.

“Listen to me, sweetheart,” Toph said with a sigh, her voice a deep, lazy rumble against your cheek. “I am not conducting a raid on a dumpling cart at three in the morning because you're hungry.”

Your eyes had already begun to water. You sniffled and tried to pull away, turning onto your side to make your misery known. But Toph doesn't let you get an inch. She rolls over, wrapping both arms firmly around your waist and pulling you flush against her chest. She buries her face in the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply, her massive arms enveloping you and cutting off your escape.

“Hey, come here. Don't do that,” Toph said, her tone softening the moment she felt the hitch in your breathing.

She nuzzled her face against your shoulder and pressed a gentle kiss there before settling closer.

“I'm not leaving you miserable,” She continued, one arm tightening around your waist. “I'm just trying to negotiate.”

“Look, let's make a deal,” Toph said, her lips brushing the side of your neck as she spoke. One hand remained draped over your stomach, her thumb tracing slow, soothing circles across the curve of your belly.

“I happen to know for a fact that we still have a jar of that spicy Fire Nation sauce from when we visited Zuko shoved in the back of the pantry.”

She paused, giving your stomach a gentle pat when another flutter pressed against her palm. “And we've got leftover noodles from yesterday.”

The mere thought of day-old noodles made your eyes sting even more. Fresh tears slipped silently onto the pillow as you buried your face deeper into it. As if determined to prove your point, your stomach let out another long, miserable growl directly beneath Toph's hand.

“I will get up,” Toph offered, her voice taking on that patient tone she always uses when you got like this. “I will go into that kitchen, heat up those noodles until they're ridiculously overcooked, just the way you like them, and drown them in enough chili oil to make your ears smoke.”

Her hand continued tracing lazy circles across your stomach. “I'll even bring them back here and serve them to you in bed.”

She tilted her head slightly against yours. “No trip to the docks or waking innocent dumpling vendors. Just hot food in ten minutes.”

A small smile tugged at her lips. “What do you say, sweetheart? Deal?”

You finally lifted your head from the damp pillow, blinking up at her through tear-stained lashes as you carefully considered the offer.

“You never cook,” You pointed out, your voice small with suspicion.

“I haven't had a reason to until now,” Toph said softly.

She pressed a kiss at the corner of your mouth, her hand rubbing the curve of your stomach in a gentle, familiar touch.

“I'll figure it out,” She promised. “For my two favorite girls.”

The sharp ache in your stomach eased slightly at the thought of Toph standing over the stove in the middle of the night just for you. Finally, your resolve seemed to crack, just as she knew it would.

“Fine,” You whispered at last, your fingers finding hers and lacing together over the curve of your stomach. You gave her hand a small squeeze just as another gentle flutter brushed against your palm.

“You have a deal.” You relented, though there was still a hint of skepticism in your voice. “But they better be exactly how I like them or you're going out.”

Toph let out a quiet chuckle, finally untangling herself from around you. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and planted her feet on the cool floorboards with a resigned sigh.

“Oh, they'll be perfect,” She said, sounding far more confident for someone who rarely stepped foot in the kitchen. She gave your hand one last squeeze before standing. “Just stay put, sweetheart. I've got this.”

Toph slipped out of the warmth of the bed and quietly made her way toward the bedroom door. The apartment was as familiar to her as breathing, every room mapped out through the steady vibrations beneath her feet.

A few moments later, the quiet apartment filled with the sounds of cabinets opening, a cast-iron skillet being pulled from its place, and the pantry door scraping softly across the floor. Despite the darkness, she moved around with complete confidence, easily locating everything she needed.

From your spot in bed, you could hear the faint clink of glass as she found the jar of Fire Nation chili sauce, followed by the rustle of a container being pulled from the fridge.

You managed to stay in bed for all of two minutes before curiosity got the best of you. With a soft sigh, you pushed the tangled blankets aside and carefully swung your legs over the edge of the mattress. The curve of your five-month belly made the movement slower than it used to be as one hand automatically came down to support it as you stood.

The apartment was dark except for the pale moonlight filtering through the windows, casting silvery strips across the floorboards. You padded quietly down the hallway, drawn by the sounds of Toph moving around the kitchen.

The closer you got, the stronger the scent of chili oil became, making your stomach growl as your hunger grew impossible to ignore.

You stopped just shy of the kitchen, leaning your shoulder against the doorframe as you watched her. Toph stood at the counter with her back to you, sleeves pushed up and hair still rumpled from sleep. Moonlight spilled through the windows, catching along the strong lines of her shoulders as she heated up the pan on the stove.

You didn't say anything at first. You simply stood there, watching her. The sight was oddly endearing.

“I told you to stay in bed,” Toph said, as she turned her head slightly in your direction. “You're hovering over the chef. That's a violation of my kitchen protocol.”

The amusement in her voice made your smile widen. “You cook one time and now you have kitchen rules?"

“Yup” She reached for the spoon without missing a beat. “And you're still breaking every last one of them.”

“You're taking too long,” You complained, crossing your arms over the top of your belly. “I came to make sure you're actually cooking.”

Toph scoffed, “It's been like two minutes.”

“Two minutes too long.” The moment the words left your mouth, your stomach let out a loud, demanding sound that echoed through the quiet kitchen.

Toph turned back towards the stove, her movements a little quicker as she worked. The smoky scent of Fire Nation chili oil wafted through the kitchen, curling through the air alongside the steam rising from the pan.

The scrape of metal echoed as she gave the noodles one final stir before turning off the heat.

“There,” She declared, scooping the noodles onto a plate. They were exactly how you liked them– soft, slightly charred around the edges, and drenched in enough chili oil to stain them a deep red.

Toph rested her hands on her hips for a moment, tilting her head slightly as she tracked the impatient shifting of your feet across the floor. “You know, hovering doesn't actually make this process any faster.”

"It kinda did, though."

Toph let out an amused huff and shook her head. “You're lucky you're cute."

Before you could come up with a rebuttal, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and turned toward you, balancing the plate carefully in one hand.

“Alright,” She said, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. “Emergency craving officially handled. Back to the bedroom so the chef can deliver your order.”

You hurried back to the room and crawled back into bed, pulling the tangled sheets up over your waist to settle into the pillows. Toph wasn't far behind, her bare feet padding across the rug before she sank onto the edge of the mattress. The bed dipped beneath her weight as she balanced the steaming plate with practiced ease.

Your nostrils flared as you breathed in the rich aroma of the noodles, a fresh wave of hunger twisting in your stomach. Toph expertly twisted a generous clump of overcooked noodles around the chopsticks, steam curling up from the plate between her hands.

“Open up.” Toph purrs, blowing gently across the noodles to make sure they weren't too hot. Guided by the sound of your breathing and the subtle rustle of the blankets as you leaned forward, she brought the chopsticks to your lips.

You leaned forward and took the bite eagerly. True to her word, the spice hit the back of your throat, making your eyes water as the heat spread across your tongue. A relieved hum escaped you as you chewed, some of the tension finally draining from your shoulders.

“Mm,” You sighed. “This is so good, baby.”

Toph's cheeks tinted at the praise, she was looking entirely too pleased with herself as she sat beside you holding the plate. “Told you I'd take care of it.”

You parted your lips as she offered you another bite, smiling around the noodles once you'd swallowed.

“You always do, baby,” You tell her between bite, feeling oddly emotional. “I love you so much.”

Toph's expression softened at once. The teasing tone she'd carried all night melted into something gentler as she sat beside you, her fingers curling around the chopsticks still in her hand.

“Love you too, sweetheart,” She replied tenderly. She shifted the plate onto her lap before reaching toward the bedside table. Her hand found the glass of water with no issue, and she held it out for you to drink.

“Now drink,” She ordered, nudging it into your hands. “I know our little earthbender is probably sweating in there with all that heat.”

While you sipped the water her free hand rested on your belly as she leaned in closer, her voice softening into something fond and amused.

“Your mother's trying to turn you into a firebender just like her,” Toph whispered scandalously, her lips hovering near your stomach as she spoke directly to the little life growing inside. “But don't worry. I won't let her.”

Her thumb made slow, absent circles over your skin.

“You can stay my little earthbender,” She added quietly, a hint of a smile in her voice. “I'll teach you everything I know.”

Your eyes watered, not from the noodles this time, but from something deeper settling in your chest. It wasn’t just the food or even the way she held you–it was her.

Toph had doubts she rarely said out loud, you found out long ago about her stubborn belief that she’d somehow mess up a kid. She didn’t have to tell you this, you heard it in the way she deflected when you asked her how she wanted to raise your daughter. She looked at you like you weee crazy for even considering her opinion in anything relating to parenting.

But now here she was, months later, hand resting on your belly, speaking to your child like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And it hit you all at once, how much she had changed without ever becoming less of herself. Toph Beifong was complicated, a little rough around every edge, and impossible to read from the outside. But when she loved, she didn’t hold anything back. It was steady, intense, and unwavering in a way that left no room for doubt.

You blinked hard, swallowing past the lump forming in your throat. Moments like this were why you wanted this life with her. Because somehow, even with all her doubts, she showed up anyway.

And for you, that would always be enough.

The realization stung. When you brought it up to Toph, she simply picked her nose and flicked a booger at the wall.

“I’m Toph Beifong—who wouldn’t want to get a taste of me?”

Essentially, she didn’t take you seriously at all.

Despite everything, you still continued to live with her, though you took a step back from the dating scene. Months later, when Toph started getting busy with her metalbending academy, you finally felt ready to date again, having spent that time off focusing on your own personal growth and learning to love yourself.

It was already way past sundown by the time you returned home. You expected Toph to be fast asleep by now, but instead, you found her lounging on the living room sofa, earthbending a small cluster of pebbles into an idle circle.

Your heart melted a little. Despite her stubborn antics, she still cared for you, and her staying up late waiting for you was proof of that.

“You’re home late,” she pointed out, not moving from where she sat.

“I didn’t expect you to be waiting for me,” you said with a shrug, kicking your shoes off. “I was out on a date.”

“Yeah, I know,” she huffed, almost impatiently.

You couldn’t tell if she was upset that you were out, or just cranky from staying up late and being exhausted. Maybe both.

You stayed quiet, setting your things down and unpinning your hair. You expected Toph to retreat to her room by now—satisfied that you got home safe, but instead, she spoke up again.

“How was the guy?”

Blinking, you looked in her direction once more. She was still earthbending those silly rocks while remaining still on the couch. She tried to sound casual, but you could tell that she wasn’t going to let you off without a proper answer.

“He was… surprisingly nice,” you replied with a shy smile. “He was sweet. Handsome, too. He paid for dinner and we went on a long walk in the gardens. I’m feeling pretty good about this one.”

Toph barked a short, humorless laugh. “Wow. He paid for dinner? Is the bar really that low these days?”

Your brow ticked. “Toph, if you stayed up late just to taunt me, then you can go ahead and take your ass to bed—”

“Hey, don’t talk to me that way,” she said, crushing the rocks into little pebbles and tossing them into the nearest planter. “I only stayed up to make sure you got home in one piece. If you ended up getting kidnapped, Katara would’ve had my throat.” She folded her arms over her chest stubbornly.

You rolled your eyes, slipping your house slippers on. “Whatever,” you mumbled.

You didn’t have it in you to entertain Toph. You knew she was going to ask more questions, and you also knew that each answer would result in a petty comment about your choice in men. So, for now, you just silently excused yourself and started heading to your side of the house.

“Hey, where are you going?” she called out, shifting on the couch so her voice rang louder. “I want to know more about your date.”

You paused in the hallway, not looking back. “Do you really? Or are you just going to make fun of me?”

Toph snorted. You continued walking.

“Alright, alright, enough.” She cleared her throat and tapped the empty space on the couch next to her. “Sit down. Your heart is beating a lot faster than it normally does when you go on those stupid dates—that means you’re happy.”

One thing you hated most about Toph was that, despite her inability to see, she could see right through you from the vibrations in the floor. Another thing you hated was that she was extremely stubborn, meaning there was no backing out of this.

“Fine,” you mumbled, dragging your feet back to the couch. You eventually flopped down beside her, and she grinned.

“What do you want to know?” you asked, staring at the ceiling as your head rested against the cushions.

“Was he strong?”

You let out a slow breath. “I guess. He had muscles.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Were they bigger than mine?” Toph suddenly asked.

You made a face. What kind of question was that? “W-what—!”

Toph was completely unfazed. You looked at her, bewildered, but she just sat there casually as if she were asking about the weather. She stayed quiet, waiting for an answer, and the longer you took, the more her brows pinched together.

“Answer the question, sweetheart.”

You scratched the back of your head. “I guess? His biceps were pretty big. I didn’t feel them or anything!”

Toph made a face—an unreadable one. You assumed she didn’t like that answer very much, but still, she prodded.

“Did he kiss you?”

Your eyes flew wide. “Oh my god, Toph—what is with this interrogation tonight?” You threw your hands up in exasperation. “No, he didn’t kiss me. We just met!”

“Good,” Toph muttered under her breath perhaps too quickly. She caught herself and crossed her arms again, leaning back into the cushions with a scoff. “I mean, obviously. A guy like that probably has zero game anyway. Big muscles usually mean a small brain.”

You scoffed a laugh, because you could say the same thing about her.

“You haven’t even met him,” you mumbled.

“I don’t need to meet him to know he’s a dud,” she countered immediately. “Think about it for a second. You let a guy buy you dinner, show off his arms, and walk you through the gardens? You know walking through the gardens is a ritual for pretty much every soft-handed boy in the Earth Kingdom trying to get some action.”

You felt your face heat up in embarrassment and shame. It was true—that was exactly the reputation Earth Kingdom boys had these days.

Sensing your shame, she took your silence as a sign to keep going, kicking you while you were down.

“Honestly, why do you even bother with these guys anyway? Dating is a waste of time. This guy will be no different than the others—you’ll always come back home either disappointed or stressed. Who knows, he might even be another one of those idiots who just wants to use you to get to me.” Toph shrugged, trying to look casual despite the fact that every word leaving her mouth felt like anything but.

Now, in this very moment, you deeply regretted bringing that up to Toph the first time you realized men were using you. Because times like these were exactly when she used it against you just to prove a point.

“I can’t believe this,” you muttered, pushing yourself off the couch. “I’m too exhausted for this. Goodnight, Toph.”

She barked another laugh, draping an arm over the back of the couch. “Ha! You’re leaving because you know I’m right.”

You felt blood fire through your veins. You couldn’t believe this woman. For a second, you had actually thought she was being kind, that she had a soft spot for you since she stayed up late. For a moment, you thought she was genuinely worried about your well being—but in reality, she took what should have been a sweet moment and used it to kick dirt in your face and laugh about it.

After all your attempts to find happiness in love, Toph was always right there on the other side, crossing her arms, laughing at you and making you feel stupid. Making you feel small.

She was a professional at pissing you off. And right now, you were going to give her a taste of her own medicine.

“You know what, Toph? I lied. We did share a kiss, actually!” You spun around, your face twisted in frustration. “Wanna know what else happened, since you’re oh-so-curious? He took me to the back of the gardens and fucked me beneath a willow tree—you know, the one with the warm street lamp beside it? Yeah! That light really highlighted his muscles, too.”

Toph didn’t say anything. She just sat there on the couch, stunned, with her jaw slack.

You liked seeing her like this—completely caught off guard.

So, you kept going.

“And he actually wants to see me tomorrow—yeah, that’s right. Tomorrow. So make sure you don’t waste your time staying up late for me again, yeah?” You let out an incredulous huff, refusing to give her the time to cook up a smartass retort.

You spun on your heel again, ready to retreat to your bedroom, but a sudden, thick spawn of earth shot up and enclosed around your foot, trapping you up to your calf and forcing you to a hard stop.

“Huh—? Toph—!”

“You’re lying,” Toph hissed, slowly getting up from the couch to meet you where you stood, rooted to the floor. “God—you’re lying straight out of your ass just to piss me off. I can feel it through your heart. And yet…” She huffed. “It’s actually working.”

“Let me go, Toph,” you demanded, tugging uselessly at the stone cuff binding your calf to the floor. “I told you, I’m going to bed.”

“Did he really kiss you?” she ignored your pleas, her hand reaching out to find your face. Her fingers dug into your cheeks, forcing your jaw open. “Did he really taint your mouth with his filthy one?”

You didn’t know why Toph was so hung up on this. But despite your vulnerable position, you weren’t scared of her.

You grabbed her wrist in an attempt to pry her away, but Toph’s grip only tightened, holding your mouth open.

“Why do you care so much?” you managed to choke out, trying your best not to drool.

“Are you purposefully being an idiot? Why wouldn’t I care?” Toph ground her teeth together, fighting with every ounce of her pride not to blurt out the truth. “You have no idea how much of a nuisance this is—you going out and meeting some new guy every damn week—”

“Then don’t wait up for me, Toph!” you argued back. “You don’t have to stay up for me. Just go to sleep—”

“That’s the fucking problem!” she hissed.

Toph stepped even closer, letting her warm breath ghost over your face, letting you know every single word that left her mouth was also coming straight from her heart.

“I can’t sleep whenever you go out. No matter how hard I try to shake the thought of you getting wined and dined by another guy, I can’t. I just can’t!” Her voice rose, making you wince. “And every time a new guy comes into your life, I’m constantly reminded of it by the stupid gang. Sparky’ll ask me how you’re doing with your new boyfriend, or… or Sokka will taunt me, asking when I’ll get one! It’s just so frustrating hearing about it, even when I’m trying to escape it!”

Your eyes widened, your hand tightening around her wrist, but she wouldn’t budge.

Was she jealous that you were pursuing other men while she remained single? No. That wasn’t like Toph at all. She didn’t care about relationships.

“I don’t understand. How is any of that my fault?”

“Because you’re the one making me feel this way!” Toph yelled, her voice cracking. She let go of your mouth, her arm falling limp at her side, but she didn’t break the stone cuff holding your leg.

She let out a deep breath, her head dropping as her sightless eyes gazed down at the ground.

“I don’t like this,” she mumbled. “I don’t like the idea of you getting all dolled up for some guy who isn’t worth your time, while I’m sitting here at home feeling like a loser waiting for you, waiting to hear your footsteps and not knowing what he could be doing to you.”

You felt like you had been holding your breath for a long time. You wanted to reach out to her—to pull her in and reassure her—but you didn’t know exactly what you would be reassuring her about. Reassuring her that you’d be safe on these dates? That you could protect yourself?

No. That wasn’t what Toph wanted to hear, and you knew it. Whatever she was feeling, you wanted to hear her confess it herself.

“So when you tell me that he kissed you—hell, even if it was just a joke—it’s enough to make me want to sink this entire house into the ground with you in it and never let you leave again.”

You finally let out the long breath that had been stuck in your throat.

“Toph…” you spoke gently, more patient now, “what are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying I need to cleanse your mouth from the filth that boy left you,” she muttered, looking up, though her eyes focused a little to the side of your face. “And I need to cleanse you from the boy before that, and the boy before that.”

She stepped closer, until you could feel her breath fanning over your face again. Her hand moved up from your shoulder to the nape of your neck, and then to the back of your head. Her fingers laced through the strands, giving a firm tug as she pulled you closer to her face.

You were just about to mutter her name again, to demand a proper explanation, but before you could, she leaned in and slammed her lips against yours.

It was rough, demanding, and almost cruel in the way her mouth moved against yours—as if she were claiming every plump surface and curve that didn’t belong to her. You imagined kissing Toph a handful of times, purely out of bi-curiosity, but your imagination had never ended up like this. With you completely bound by the stone she bended to keep you in place, and her tongue was sliding deep into your mouth.

“T—Toph! Mmph—!”

Your moans were muffled against her mouth, and she growled at your protest.

Toph didn’t know how to be gentle, and clearly, she didn’t want to be. She stepped closer, forcing you to crane your head back, and with this angle, she slid her tongue even deeper—as if making your mouth and throat completely hers.

She pulled away for just a second to catch her breath.

“Mine,” she growled against your lips. “Mine. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine, you were just too stupid to see it.”

The way she was talking to you should have angered you. But what you hated more was the fact that you actually liked it. Toph was incredibly nitpicky about what she claimed as hers, to see her this possessive over you made a sweet warmth bloom deep in your gut.

She pressed her forehead against yours, her voice surprisingly broken and small. “He didn’t touch you, did he?” she asked, desperately searching for reassurance.

She knew you were lying when you told her you had slept with him, yet she still needed to hear the truth from your own mouth.

Toph, you have no right to act this way.

Why are you so jealous? Why is this affecting you so much?

Do you actually like me?

Those were all the things you wanted to say, but instead, you swallowed hard and shook your head, letting her feel the movement against her brow. “No. He didn’t.”

And without thinking better of it, you added, “I’m all yours.”

If you were in a cage, that sentence would have been the very thing that locked you in for good.

She quickly shattered the stone cuff that had kept you stuck, and before you could even stand up straight, she invaded your space. She swept her strong arms beneath your thighs, lifting you up and forcing your legs around her waist for support.

You grabbed her shoulders with a yelp. “W-what are you—oof!”

Toph brought you down hard on the couch. Before you could even collect yourself, she climbed between your legs and hovered over you, letting her lips explore yours once more. A soft moan escaped her, and her hands began to wander boldly across your body.

This was the first time she had ever touched you like this, yet her fingers mapped you as if she already had every spot and curve memorized. Her hand found your hip, giving it a tight squeeze, before tracing down to the small of your back to pull you completely flush against her chest. When you moaned in return, she took it as her cue to slide her hand lower, cupping your ass through your skirt.

“Fuck,” she groaned, a small little sound that made it seem like she was trying to hold it in. “Need to taste you. Need to make sure you’re actually telling the truth.”

Toph sunk to her knees, her tongue darting out over to wet her lip as her greedy fingers found the hem of your skirt, flipping it and lifting it up.

It was this moment that you were grateful she couldn’t see—because you were extremely damp in your panties. Her hands tried to find your panties, and you subtly guided her hands to the direction of your waistband. When she found it, she gave it a hard tug down your legs, nearly ripping it apart at the ankle.

Her hands found your hips, gripping tight as she forced you to angle your hips at the edge of the couch.

“Come here,” she gritted through clenched teeth. “No running away. You said you were mine—so you better fucking prove it to me.”

Toph hooked your legs over her shoulders. Wetting her lips one last time, impatiently, she stuffed her head against the curve of your pussy. She inhaled deep—making your face go extremely hot in embarrassment.

She let out a satisfied sigh. “Smells good,” she murmured. “Doesn’t smell like a man—but let’s see how you taste.”

Then, agonizingly slow, her tongue darted out and up against your wet slit. From where your entrance was pulsing for her, to the very sensitive skin of your clit.

“Oh my god—!” you gasped, tossing your head back against the cushions.

“Tastes good,” she hummed in approval. “But fuck—you’re so wet. Were you this wet when you were with him? Or are you only wet because of me?”

You bit your lower lip, not trusting yourself to speak. But Toph’s need was overshadowing her patience. Her hand gripped your thigh tight, making you whimper.

“Answer me, pet.”

Pet.

The nickname was so degrading, so filthy, and another testament of how Toph actually owned you—how much you actually belonged to the woman between your legs.

You nodded, bashful. “Y-yes, I’m only wet because of you, Toph. I promise. I didn’t—oh!”

Your words were broken off by a moan at the feel of her rough finger probing your entrance. She danced around the flesh, letting your arousal slick her fingers.

“Fuck, you’re tightening up around my finger, and I haven’t even put it in yet.” She grinned. “Are you scared?”

Scared wasn’t the right word for it.

“No,” you swallowed hard, lying. “I’m not.”

“That’s a shame,” she sighed, sliding her finger in easily in your wet pussy. “I bet you clench up real tight when you’re scared.”

She gave you no time to answer before she started thrusting her single finger in and out of you. Every time her knuckle made contact with your folds, your eyes would roll back with a deep moan.

Toph grinned against your thigh before giving you a soft kiss, enjoying the way you were pulsing around her finger. “This greedy little pussy,” she muttered, her thumb pressing down in hard circles against your clit with every thrust of her finger. “So wet, so warm. Like your pussy is giving me a tight hug—refusing to let go.”

She paused, probing her ring finger at the entrance. “Think you can take another one, pet?”

You were so wet, your body so inviting, and you looked down at Toph. She was hunched over between your legs, her large traps making herself look bigger despite her being on her knees. Her lips were sheen with your arousal from when she licked you, and the only thing you could possibly think of was: I want more.

You nodded hard. “Give me another, Tophie. Please.”

She chuckled—deep and raspy, the sound of it making you grow even wetter.

She slid another finger in and you whined at the burning sensation of being stretched out from just her two large fingers alone. She hissed, your walls putting up a fight against her digits.

“Goddamn, so tight—” she grunted before finally hilting both fingers to her knuckle. “Ah, there we go. Good girl. Even though you’re so tight, your body is still so wet, it’s like it wants me.”

She leaned down, pressing a kiss to your clit. “Is it true? Does she want me?”

“Oh my god, yes!” you gasped, your toes curling from how slowly she was fucking you with her fingers. “Yes—so bad—”

Your hips rocked around her fingers, and she laughed—a sound that felt so condescending, yet it only turned you on more.

“Greedy little slut, fucking my fingers on my own couch,” she started pumping her fingers faster, her tongue licking at your clit and flicking it feverishly. “God—hear those noises? Bet you’re making a real mess on my cushions, pet. When I’m done with you, you’re gonna clean it all up with your tongue.”

You felt dizzy. With the motions of Toph’s fingers and the way her tongue was lapping at your clit between every filthy word, it was enough to make you see stars.

The sounds of your wet pussy and her tongue filled the room. Your legs clenched around her shoulders, toes curling as your body began to tighten up from the pleasure.

“Toph—I’m gonna… c-cum—” you cried in embarrassment. “Shit. Don’t stop, Tophie—!”

She growled against your cunt. “Already? You cum so fast—that’s not fun at all,” but despite her words, she refused to let up. Her heart swelled and the warmth in her belly was pooling in anticipation over getting you to cum that quickly for her.

Her fingers curled at your sweet spot deep inside you, her wet tongue tracing your slit and applying pressure at your clit. Her mouth was sloppy and messy with your arousal, but she demanded more.

She kept fucking you until you cried out. She wasn’t going to stop. She was going to make sure you’d give her everything—you owed her this after all the stupid dates you’ve been on.

Not being able to take it anymore, you arched your back off the cushions, letting your hands tangle into her smooth, black strands, giving them a tug. The hair pulling was something Toph had never discovered about herself—but as your greedy hands tightened in her hair, demanding her face deeper against your pussy, she couldn’t control herself.

“Goddamn, you fucking whore,” she growled with an incredulous laugh. “You said you belonged to me, didn’t you? Prove it to me. Cum for me, pet. All over my face.”

You desperately tugged at her hair, your body completely stiff as you screamed her name. A wave of overwhelming pleasure coursed through your fragile body, your tight walls clenching around her fingers as you pulsed in release.

You mewled and whimpered—trying to hold it back, yet you couldn’t.

You squirted, a gush of your wetness spraying right across Toph’s face and wetting her lips and her cheeks. She flinched, pulling back from the sudden spray as your thighs shook violently against her shoulders, completely soaking the cushions beneath you.

Toph let out a sharp, surprised gasp, staying right there on her knees. Her fingers remained still inside you, basking in the feel of you twitching and fluttering. Your body finally gave out, leaving you slumping heavy against the cushions.

Your breathing was uneven and heavy, and you refused to look her in the face after everything.

“I’m… I don’t know what to say,” you finally breathed when the silence in the room became too much. “I’m so sorry, I—I don’t know what got over me. I didn’t mean to—I’ll clean it. I’ll clean the couch, I’ll clean your face. Shit. I’m so sorry—”

You didn’t know why you were apologizing. It only added fuel to your embarrassment. Toph’s face was completely unreadable. Was she mad? Did she regret all of this?

She slowly sank back on her heels, bringing a hand up to her cheek to swipe a line of your slickness across her skin. She brought her fingers to her mouth and licked them, her tongue dragging slow across her fingers.

She still didn’t say anything.

You wanted to die from embarrassment.

“T—Toph..”

“Shut up,” she muttered.

Your breath hitched, and you wanted to cry. You tried to push yourself up from the ruined cushions. “I’m so sorry. I’ll get a towel—”

Toph stood up, stepping back into the space between your legs, forcing you open. Her hand found the top of the couch, her large and muscular body leaning over you. Her hands reached down to her own waistband, her fingers hooking into the fabric and tugging firmly down along with her underwear, letting you see the top of her dark curls.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” she hissed. “Sit down. I’m not done with you.”

The constant patter of your bare feet against the floorboards felt less like a walk and more like a countdown. You've spent the last forty-five minutes wearing down the fibers of your rug as your mind violently loops through every possible scenario of how this might go.

Toph was coming over. Not Chief Beifong or the legendary earthbender that helped save the world. Your Girlfriend Toph.

Even framing the thought felt like a beautiful, terrifying glitch in reality. If anyone had told you back then that the two of you would end up here, you would've laughed in their face. There had been a time years ago where you were convinced Toph despised the very ground you walked on.

When Katara first introduced you to the Gaang, you were just another quiet presence orbiting the chaos that seemed to follow them wherever they went.

So, when Toph offered to train you, you jumped at the chance. Learning from someone like her felt like an opportunity you'd be stupid to pass up. You lasted all of five minutes under her training before you regretted that enthusiasm almost entirely.

Toph was merciless with her teasing. The second you settled into an earthbending stance, she was there, circling like a predator that had caught the scent of weakness. She picked apart every misplaced foot, every hesitation and flaw in your technique with brutal efficiency. No matter how hard you trained, she always seemed to find something wrong.

It was extremely disheartening. Whether she meant to or not, every correction felt like a reminder that you would never reach the impossible standard she set simply by existing.

You spent weeks drowning in self-doubt, feeling small beneath the weight of her impossible standards, until a frustrated late night rant to your sister changed everything. Her advice had been painfully simple, stop letting her walk all over you.

“She's an earthbender,” Your sister had said, looking at you like the answer should've been obvious. “People think earthbenders respect strength and that's not true. They respect resistance and things that refuse to break.”

At the time, you thought she was completely insane, it would never work with Toph. She'd just chuck a boulder at you the second you stepped out of line. But then you thought about it. Toph challenged everyone around her, including her friends. She constantly pushed and prodded at people just to see what they were made of, the only people she genuinely seemed to admire were the people that didn't take her shit.

So you took a breath, steeled your nerves, and followed her advice. The next time Toph opened her mouth to tear your stance apart, you snapped. Not in the flustered, defensive way she was probably expecting. You didn't stumble over excuses or shrink beneath her criticism. You fired right back. Every sharp remark she threw at you was met with one of your own, each response carrying months of bottled frustration.

The effect was immediate, the entire camp fell silent. Katara froze mid-sentence, Sokka looked like he'd just witnessed a man volunteer to wrestle a badgermole. Even Aang had gone completely still, his eyes darting nervously between the two of you as everyone collectively waited for Toph to split the earth open and drop you into it.

For a moment, Toph just stood there, her sightless eyes wide with genuine shock. You had completely caught her off guard. She just assumed you were just another fragile tagline trying to sneak your way into the group, and she clearly didn't think you had a backbone. But now, she had finally caught a taste of the woman you really are.

A slow, sly smile crept across her face, poorly concealed behind a wall of defensive sarcasm as she muttered a dismissive response and waved you off. But you'd caught it. That brief flicker of approval. Toph respected strength, and for the first time, you had shown her yours. From that day forward, she stopped looking past you and started looking at you.

Her attitude didn't soften overnight– she was still Toph, after all. Blunt, stubborn, and far too proud to admit when she actually liked someone. But the edge began to shift. Her teasing lost its bite, slowly transforming into a familiar back and forth that no longer left you second guessing yourself. Instead of feeling targeted, you found yourself laughing.

Then came the compliments.

They were few and far inbetween at first, tucked into the margins of training sessions and hidden beneath layers of sarcasm so thick you would almost miss them. She'd offer a grudging acknowledgement occasionally, a muttered ‘not bad’ when you actually made her break out into a sweat during sparring. Tiny scraps of praise delivered as if she was physically incapable of giving them any other way.

When the group gathered around the campfire, Toph gradually began claiming the spot beside you. At first, you dismissed it as coincidence. Then it happened again. Before long, it had become routine. No matter where you sat, Toph somehow ended up next to you, her shoulder pressed lightly against yours as she joined the conversation as though she'd always belonged there.

For six months, the two of you existed in a constant push and pull that neither of you ever bothered to define. Toph would take a step forward, then two steps back whenever things started feeling too real. On the days her walls shot back up, you learned not to retreat. You sought her out, refusing to let her disappear behind her defenses. More often than not, she'd grumble about your persistence while secretly allowing you to stay.

She never flirted openly, that wasn't her style. Toph wasn't the type to shower someone with compliments or wear her feelings on her sleeve. If anything, she became even more difficult to read when she cared about someone. But in the quiet moments, when the rest of the world faded away and it was just the two of you, she would occasionally let something slip. Whether it be an observation or a small truth she'd noticed about you that nobody else had.

Those rare words always hit harder than any grand romantic gesture ever could. They were so specific, so thoughtful and undeniably genuine that they left you feeling understood in a way that only she could. Toph saw things other people missed. And when she chose to share those things with you, it felt like being handed a piece of her heart. And by that point, the feelings between you had become impossible to ignore.

You knew she would never be the one to ask for a first date. Whether out of stubborn pride or a hidden fear of rejection, she wasn't going to take the leap. So, you took the initiative. You planned the entire evening down to the very last hour, making sure every detail suited her perfectly. It paid off entirely, you spent the whole night laughing, completely lost in each other’s company.

Now, half a year later, the two of you are practically inseparable. Toph still manages to surprise you. She'll show up at your workplace unannounced with food and your favorite snacks, acting as though she just happened to be passing by. Every time you thank her, she brushes it off with a scoff, but the faint lift of her shoulders and the unmistakable pride in her expression always give her away.

The two of you spent hours wandering the city with no destination in mind, content to simply exist in each other's company. Some days were filled with conversation while others passed in comfortable silence. Overtime, the walls Toph spent years building around herself lowered.

She trusted you with stories few people have ever heard- the suffocating expectations of her parents, the anger and hurt she carried for years beneath her fearless exterior. With every confession, she handed you another piece of herself. And without even realizing it, you gave her your whole heart in return.

It was during a quiet evening on your couch, just a few nights ago, that everything finally changed. You had been in the middle of a story, rambling about something completely mundane, when Toph suddenly fell silent. Before you could question the shift, she closed the distance between you, capturing your lips in a kiss that stole the words right out of your mouth.

The force of it left you breathless. It felt as though she'd been holding herself back for months, carefully keeping her feelings contained behind stubborn pride and practiced restraint, only for all of it to finally give way at once.

Your arms rose to wrap around her neck, sinking into the pull of her as you let her take the lead. Toph drew you closer, her hands gliding down your sides before settling on your thighs, the touch sending a sharp rush of electricity through your entire body. The kiss deepened, months of tension finally spilling free between you, until the need for air became impossible to ignore.

A shuddering breath escaped Toph's lips, the exhale mingling with yours before she closed the distance once more. This time, the urgency that had consumed her moments ago began to ebb away. You rested your forehead against hers, eyes drifting shut as the fierce, demanding press of her lips softened into something infinitely more intimate.

She pressed a series of slow, lingering kisses against the corner of your mouth, then along your cheek, each one gentler than the last. Like she was trying to memorize the texture of your skin without the help of her seismic sense.

When she finally pulled back just enough for you to look at her, your breath caught. Toph's cheeks were flushed a deep pink, the color striking against her normally pale complexion. Her sightless green eyes were wide, with something you couldn't place.

Toph's jaw tightened, she looked almost uncomfortable, a rare sight on its own. The fierce confidence she carried so effortlessly seemed to falter as a storm of emotions crossed her face. Her brow furrowed. Her lips parted, then pressed together again. It was as if she was trying to wrestle a thousand thoughts into a single sentence and losing the fight.

“Baby?” Your voice came out softer than intended, threaded with clear concern. The endearment seemed to catch her off guard. You lifted a hand to her cheek, your thumb brushing gently across her flushed skin. “Is everything okay?”

Toph immediately turned her head away, breaking the moment between you despite the fact that she couldn't see your face. Her hand slipped from your thigh, and the sudden loss of contact left an unexpected ache in its wake. It took everything in you not to reach for her and pull her right back into your space.

“I’m fine,” She said, but the words were strained, catching in her throat. Her tongue quickly darted out to lick her damp lips that still tasted distinctly of you.

Your eyes searched her face, studying the tension in her jaw and the way her shoulders had drawn rigid. Moments ago, she'd been holding you like she never wanted to let go. Now it felt as though she was trying to put an ocean of distance between you.

“Okay..” You trailed off, the word heavy with a doubt you couldn’t quite hide. Your eyes searched her face, your chest tightening as the silence stretched between you. “Was it something I did?”

“No!” Her response came out far sharper than she intended. Toph winced almost as soon as the word left her mouth, frustration flashing across her features. Not at you, at herself.

Through the soles of her bare feet pressed against the floor, Toph felt it instantly– the subtle shift in your posture, the tiny flinch you hadn't intended to make. Her expression darkened with regret.

“Dammit,” She muttered under her breath. One hand raking through her hair, which had long since escaped its usual bun. Dark waves spilled over her shoulders as she exhaled heavily, the tension she'd been carrying finally beginning to crack.

Her shoulder slackened, “I didn't mean to snap. You didn’t do anything wrong. Actually, you did everything right and that's the problem.”

You could see the internal battle playing out across her face as she struggled to find the right words. You didn't interrupt, you simply remained beside her, patient and steady, giving her the space she needed to untangle the knot of emotions trapped inside her chest. The quiet settled around you like a blanket, gentle and unhurried.

When she finally spoke again, the defensive roughness was completely gone, replaced by a raw sincerity that made your heart skip a beat.

“You’re perfect, baby,” Toph reassured you, her hand reaching out accurately to find yours, squeezing your fingers tightly. “Can I ask you an honest question?”

Your stomach immediately dropped.

You sat a little straighter, every muscle in your body tensing despite yourself. A cold knot of anxiety twisted in your chest, and before you could stop it, your mind was already racing toward every worst-case scenario imaginable. It didn't make any sense.

Nothing about this should have scared you. Yet your mind had somehow convinced you this was where she changed her mind. The thought lodged itself firmly in your chest, refusing to leave. You worried your lower lip between your teeth, forcing yourself to push the panic aside. Whatever Toph needed to say, you wanted her to feel safe enough to say it. Even if the possibility of losing her made your throat tighten.

“Anything, Toph,” Your voice came out gentler than you expected. You gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “What's on your mind?”

Toph let out a slow, unsteady breath, her shoulders finally sagging as though she'd been carrying the weight of the conversation alone for far too long. Some of the tension drained from her posture, and her sightless eyes lifted toward you. Even without being able to see your expression, it felt like she could sense every ounce of anxiety written across your face.

“Have you ever thought about..” She paused, visibly searching for the words. “You know. Taking the next step in our relationship?”

“Toph, what the hell!” You blurted out, a breathless laugh slipping through your exasperation as relief flooded your system so quickly it left you lightheaded.

The tension that had been in your chest moments ago vanished completely. Before she could retreat behind another sarcastic comment or shove her feelings back behind those carefully built walls, you reached for her wrist and gently tugged her closer.

Toph let out a surprised huff as you pulled her toward you. “Hey-”

The protest died in her throat as she found herself settling comfortably into your lap. For once, she didn't argue. She simply adjusted herself until she was comfortable, one arm draping around your shoulders as she leaned into you. The familiar weight of her against your chest was grounding, soothing the last of your rattled nerves.

“You scared the absolute shit out of me,” You muttered, tightening your arms around her waist and holding her close.

Toph snorted, the sound was muffled slightly by your shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Yes!” You pressed your forehead against hers, shaking your head. “For a second there, I thought you were about to break up with me.”

The admission earned you a groan. “Oh, spirits.” Toph buried her face in the crook of your neck. “You're so dramatic.”

“Can you blame me?” You shot back, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips.

“No.” There was regret in her voice as her tone lowered to a register she only reserved for you. “It wasn't my intention to scare you.”

Her thumbs lightly brushed the edge of your jaw as she focused on the vibrations of your speech. She tilted her head up slightly, her clouded eyes fixed in your direction as she waited for your honest opinion.

“I was just wondering if you felt the same way or not.”

You tightened your arms around her waist, drawing her a little closer until there was barely any space left between you. The rapid beat of your heart thudded against your ribs, impossible to hide, and judging by the faint smile tugging at Toph's lips, she could feel every bit of it.

“I definitely feel the same way, Toph,” You placed a gentle kiss to her flushed cheek before pulling back just enough to face her.

“But what about you?” You asked. “Are you sure you're ready? We don't have to rush anything. We can take things as slowly as you want.”

Toph went quiet.

Her hands rested against your collarbones, steady and warm, while the silence stretched between you. You could feel the heat radiating from her face, and for once, the woman who never seemed embarrassed by anything looked unable to hide it. A soft puff of air escaped her, fanning across your lips.

“I am,” She admitted quietly. The words were barely above a whisper, but they carried more certainty than anything else she'd said that evening. “With you, I'm ready.”

Her fingers curled slightly against your shirt. “I trust you and I want it to be you.”

For a moment, all you could do was look at her. Then your expression softened.

“Okay,” You whispered. You leaned in and pressed a slow, deep kiss to her lips. “I trust you too, baby.”

Your hand found hers, intertwining your fingers. “And if this is something we really want to do, then there's nobody else I'd rather share that with.”

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱

So, that's how you found yourself pacing restless circles across your bedroom floor. It had been a week since you came to that beautiful understanding on the couch, confirming you were both ready to take that next step.

And tonight was finally the night.

Every detail had been planned with care. Soft music drifted from the radio in the corner of the room, its low, mellow melody wrapping around the space and blending seamlessly with the warm glow of the lamps. The entire bedroom felt intimate and inviting, carefully arranged to make the evening feel special without feeling forced. Despite all of that, you were a nervous wreck.

You felt painfully aware of yourself in the beautiful lingerie you'd chosen for the occasion. It had seemed elegant when you'd bought it. Now, standing alone in your bedroom waiting for Toph to arrive, it felt equal parts stunning and terrifying. Every brush of fabric against your skin only heightened your awareness, making your pulse flutter wildly in your throat.

The preparation alone had taken hours. You'd spent nearly two of them hidden away in the shower, scrubbing, shaving, and fussing over every little detail until there was nothing left to perfect.

Knowing Toph had a key to your apartment only made the waiting worse. Eventually, your pacing burned itself out, leaving you perched on the edge of the mattress with your fingers twisted tightly in the sheets. The radio hummed softly in the background, filling the silence just enough to keep it from feeling oppressive, but not enough to distract you from the anticipation coiling tighter and tighter in your lower belly.

You felt her coming before she even reached the top of the stairs. The subtle vibrations traveling through the floorboards triggered your own seismic sense. Toph's stride was unlike anyone else's– confident, purposeful, carrying a familiar swagger that seemed woven into every step she took.

Toph moved through the apartment with effortless confidence, navigating the space as though it were an extension of herself. Every step carried her closer, it wasn't long before your bedroom door opened.

Toph stood in the threshold perfectly still, allowing her senses to sweep across the room. Even without her sight, Toph seemed to absorb every detail of the room you'd prepared for her. The soft music humming through the floorboards, the faint scent of incense drifting through the air, the careful attention woven into every corner of the space, it all painted a picture she could feel as clearly as if she were looking at it.

Toph's initial instinct was to throw out a sarcastic comment, to tease you about how unnecessary all the extra production was. She wanted to crack a joke about the music, using her classic defensive shield to mask her own rising nerves. But the words never came.

Through the floorboards, she could feel the subtle tremor in your hands as you clutched the sheets, and she knew you were nervous. She realized then that every single detail in this room was just your way of trying to build a safe, comfortable environment for the two of you.

And she has never loved you more.

Toph allowed her bag to slide from her shoulder, dropping softly to the floor. She stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind her, shutting the rest of the world out. The quiet click of the latch felt strangely final.

You were really doing this.

Without her boots, Toph's bare feet sank into the plush rug as she crossed the room. Her usual confident, authoritative stride softened into something quieter, gentler. The sharp edges she showed the rest of the world seemed to fall away with each step. When she reached the bed, she stopped directly in front of you. Her presence alone was enough to cut through the anxiety that had kept your body rigid for the past hour.

Toph reached for you, her hands sliding slowly up your bare arms. The touch was so light it sent an immediate shiver racing down your spine. Beneath her fingertips, the delicate lace of your lingerie shifted, drawing her attention. Her hands stilled for a moment as she traced the unfamiliar texture with quiet concentration. You watched as an appreciative smile curved at the corner of her mouth.

Carefully, she followed the intricate patterns woven into the fabric, taking in the contrast between the cool, smooth lace and the warmth of your skin beneath it. There was no teasing in her expression now, only genuine admiration.

“You feel incredible,” She whispered. Her voice dropped into that raspy, intimate register you were becoming increasingly fond of. “And you're so soft.”

Her fingertips stayed trail a path down your chest before she tilted her head slightly toward you, the smile on her lips growing warmer. “Did you really do all of this just for me?”

“Yes” You breathed as her fingers cupped the soft swell of your breast through the mesh lingerie, her thumbs rolling your peaked nipple around it. “Only for you.”

She responded by sliding her hands up to the nape of your neck, her fingers tangling gently into your hair. She bent down, resting her forehead against yours so you could feel just how deeply affected she was by how special you were making this for the both of you.

Toph smelled faintly of rain-soaked earth and warm spices, a scent that was unmistakably hers. Outside, rain drummed steadily against the windows, the sound somehow making everything feel even more intimate.

Your eyes slipped closed as you allowed yourself to sink into the moment. The warmth of her body, the quiet hitch in her breathing, and the gentle exploration of her hands left you feeling completely engrossed by her presence. Every touch was deliberate, lasting just enough to make your pulse race.

Toph's hands moved as though she were committing you to memory, tracing every line and curve with patient attention. It was like she was carefully sculpting an image of you in her mind, piecing together every detail through her fingertips alone. Despite the frantic pounding of your heart, you found yourself melting beneath her focus, a breath catching in your throat when her hand ghosted across your lower stomach.

Your own slick was already pooling between your thighs, her touch alone was igniting something in you, burning a path of fire that made every cell in your body hum with a deep need you have never experienced before.

Toph could feel every vibration you were emitting through her skin, and you momentarily allowed your gaze to lift up at her, her clouded pupils were dislocated, darkened in a way you had never seen them before. There was a fierce hunger there now, one that had the air in the room thicken.

“I must be one lucky woman.” She rasped, her lips grazing your cheek as she spoke. The words were accompanied by a trail of feather-light kisses that drifted downward, stopping near the corner of your mouth. “To have you sitting here so pretty for me, waiting to be unwrapped like a gift that keeps on giving.”

The rasp in her voice sent a shiver through your body that settled directly into your core with a pressure so intense you snapped your thighs together tightly. An undeniable ache took over, leaving you entirely focused on intoxicating proximity.

Your breath hitched in your throat as your hands slid up to rest against her waist, feeling the solid warmth of her body beneath your palms. For someone who spent her days being unbreakable, she was holding you as if you were the most fragile, precious thing in the entire world.

“I wanted tonight to be perfect,” You confessed quietly, leaning your weight into her touch as her forehead remained firmly against yours. “For both of us.”

A low hum rumbled from Toph's chest, the sound low and warm enough for you to feel it where your bodies touched. She tilted her head ever so slightly, finally closing the last sliver of distance between you.

The kiss was slow and completely unhurried. It was a gentle reassurance that you had all the time in the world. Her fingers remained threaded through your hair, keeping you close, while her other hand settled comfortably against your hip. The steady contact grounded you instantly, easing the last traces of nervousness that still lingered beneath your skin. When she finally pulled back just enough to breathe, her lips brushed against yours with every word she spoke.

“It was already perfect,” Toph murmured. “Because I'm right here with you.”

The mattress dipped beneath your combined weight as you both sank back into the pillows. You helped her out of her clothes as she climbed into bed into you. Her shirt came first, sliding off her broad shoulders. You had to stifle the pathetic sound threatening to leave your throat as you watched her undo her chest bindings.

Her biceps flexed with every movement as she unraveled the fabric. There was something mesmerizing about watching her like this, every motion confident, controlled, and unmistakably Toph. The only thought that was going through your mind was that you wanted to trace every curve of the hardened muscle with your tongue. You wanted to permanently feel the ridges of her body embedded in every inch of you.

Once her chest was free, your eyes soaked in the slope of her breast and the strong natural lines of her frame that were bare before you. Toph let out a quiet breath as the cool air of the bedroom ghosted across her nipples causing them to harden. Unable to resist the pull any longer, you reached out, your palms closing gently around the swell of them.

You moved your hands slowly across her breast, tracing each curve with soft, sweeping caresses. Every touch felt like an exploration, a quiet conversation between your palms and her skin as you familiarized yourself with this new and treasured landscape.

You made a point of checking in with her constantly, your eyes never straying far from her face as you watched for every subtle shift in expression, every tremor that moved through her body and change in her breathing.

Toph, you soon realized, was a quiet lover. Even when your touch clearly affected her, she rarely gave much away. Her reactions surfaced only in fleeting moments– a soft hitch of breath, a slight tightening of her grip, a barely audible sound slipping free before she could stop it.

That restraint only drew your attention to her more. You found yourself focusing on the smallest details, learning the language of her reactions and the ways she communicated without words. There was something deeply intimate about it, about paying such close attention to someone you loved. Every rare, breathless response felt precious, a glimpse behind the walls she so often kept firmly in place.

“Is this still okay?” You rolled her nipple around your finger, flicking it, never taking your eyes off her face as you searched for any sign of discomfort. Your touch remained gentle and attentive, guided more by instinct than certainty as you focused entirely on her reactions.

“It's perfect.” The words left Toph in a breathless rush. Her fingers tightened against the sheets beneath her as she arched into your touch, the tension in her body giving way to trust.

“More than okay,” She added, her voice softer now, threaded with unmistakable sincerity. “Please don't stop.”

You had no intention of stopping. Drifting lower on the mattress while Toph hovered above you, you pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the center of her chest. The reaction was immediate. Her fingers curled into the sheets, gripping them tightly as her composure began to slip beneath your attention.

You caught her ragged breaths against your skin, your tongue swirling over the warm flesh before your teeth lightly grazed the soft slope of her breast. Above you, Toph's dark hair had long since escaped its confines, spilling around the two of you like a heavy curtain.

The atmosphere of the room seemed to shrink, trapping you both in a pocket of desire and safety as you drew the sensitive peak of her nipple into your mouth. A sharp, stuttering gasp tore from her throat at the sudden suction. Toph's breathing shifted entirely, turning harsh and shallow through her nose, as if she were using every ounce of her willpower just to keep from making a louder sound.

You shifted your focus to her other breast, your fingers lightly pinching the peak you had just left to keep the stimulation burning. You gave it the exact same careful devotion, making the corded muscles in her arms flex as she struggled to hold herself upright under the heavy heat of your mouth against her skin.

“I want to hear you,” Your voice was a low husk as your tongue licked a wet stripe from the tip of her breast all the way up to her collarbone, where you could see her pulse fluttering rapidly beneath her skin. “You don't have to hold back, baby. Not with me.”

To prove it, your teeth grazed the skin above her racing pulse before biting down, not hard enough to hurt, but with just enough pressure to break her. Finally, an unguarded groan escaped her throat, the sound sending a rush of heat through you. You sucked a dark mark into the sensitive skin there, soothing the sting with a warm roll of your tongue as her entire body shuddered above you.

“That's my girl.” You cooed, your voice thick as you sandwiched both of her breasts together and buried your face between them. You could already tell this was going to be one of your favorite parts of her body.

“Baby,” The plea was completely breathless on her tongue as the attention you were giving to her breasts became too much to track.

You eased back, placing a kiss on the swollen flesh. Your lips were damp, your arousal slowly seeped out of your cunt as Toph's calloused hand released the sheets and gripped your hip, letting you know that she was reclaiming her control with just a touch.

You squirmed under the heavy weight of her hand as her thumb skidded across the burning flesh that she could feel vibrating under her touch. Toph hovered just shy of your lips, the heat radiating from her making you arch your frame up into hers, desperate to feel the full weight of her body pressing you down into the mattress.

But she didn't give it to you, not entirely.

There was something so incredibly attractive about the way Toph went about her control. Even though this was a new experience for her as well, there was a confidence there, like she knew what you needed and her ability to give it to you. And she wasn't going to allow you to rush the process. She was setting the place and she was only going to touch you after she got done worshiping your body.

You couldn't help the pout that tugged at your lips, a frustrated whine slipping free as your legs tightened around her waist. Your hands found her shoulders before sliding trailing up and curling around her neck, pulling her closer with surprising strength and refusing to let her maintain that teasing distance any longer.

“Toph,” The air left your lungs in a rush as the solid planes of her body rested fully against yours. Leaving you hopelessly tangled as her thigh slipped between your legs and pressed into your aching core.

“Please, baby.”

The plea came out softer than you'd intended, threaded with a bit of bratiness and impatience as you buried your face against her shoulder, unwilling to let her pull away as you rocked your hips against her thigh, covering her with your wetness so she could feel just how ruined you already were for her.

“Yes, sweetheart?” She asked, the mock innocence in her voice was dangerously sharp for someone who knew exactly what she was doing to you.

She was completely unfazed by your show of strength, Toph merely smiled and nuzzled her cheek against yours. She pressed a soft kiss just beneath your ear, hovering there for a moment, her touch warm and impossibly gentle in contrast to the teasing confidence in her voice.

“Please what?” She whispered roughly against your skin. With a sudden flex of her fingers, she clamped her hands around your waist, completely locking your hips in place and freezing your desperate movements against her.

“Use your words, baby.” Her voice dropped into a dark, seductive register, the low rumble vibrating directly into your chest and sending a sharp, electric jolt straight to your core. “Tell me exactly what you want.”

A shiver rippled through you, your mind completely blanking under the intense, unyielding weight of her focus. Toph took her time, deliberately maintaining her iron grip on your waist while she traced a slow, agonizing path along the curve of your jawline. The warm, damp slide of her tongue left an intoxicating trail against your overheating skin.

Toph was claiming every single inch of your body like it was her own private canvas. Moving lower to the center of your throat, she left a gentle kiss directly over your racing pulse, pausing just to listen to the sharp, frantic way your breath fractured in your chest.

“Fuck,” You moaned, your head snapping back against the pillow, baring your throat to give Toph complete access to the sensitive skin there.

“Oh, I plan to,” She breathed, her lips pressing a warm kiss against your pulse point before she licked a slow line from the base of your throat all the way back up to your lips. Mirroring what you had done to her breasts moments ago, and the reminder made your hips twitch helplessly against her firm hold. “But that isn't what I want to hear.”

Your lips parted as your eyes fluttered open through a haze of absolute need. Reaching up with trembling fingers, you gently brushed a few loose strands of her dark hair that were already sticking to her damp face, tucking them tenderly behind her ear.

“I want you baby.” You whispered, your tongue slipping into her mouth this time as you kissed her. “All of you. Your hands, your mouth, I want to feel every inch of you so I'll never forget what it feels like. I want you to make me come as you whisper in my ear and tell me how much you love me. And afterwards, when I can't feel my legs and I'm thoroughly fucked I want you to sit on my face.”

Toph groaned against your lips as she kissed you back with renewed hunger, your bodies molding together as the heat of her wrapped around you. You were already so wet for her, you could feel every vibration as the friction of your bare skin pressing together made your clit pulse.

Toph was positioned fully between your thighs, you knew what she was trying to do so you helped her. And when you finally found the right angle, the slick heat of your centers aligning made your hips jerk upward, desperate to bridge the remaining fraction of space between you.

Toph let out a low, rough noise in her throat as she felt the trembling of your legs against hers. She didn't move yet, purposely keeping her hot, wet center right on top of you, letting you feel every bit of her soaked folds and twitch of her throbbing clit as her thighs pinned you to the mattress.

“Toph!” You whimpered, your fingers tightened in her thick hair, pulling her face back down to yours. As her wet core pressed against yours, the feeling was like nothing you ever experienced before. You could feel every flutter of her cunt as it clenched around nothing, your combined wetness amplifying your pleasure to the point your eyes blurred. “Please baby- I need you to move.”

Toph's jaw flexed at the feel of your wet cunt underneath her. Her eyes were blown wide as she answered your plea with a sudden, purposeful tilt of her hips, she pressed her center more firmly against yours, beginning the slow, sliding friction you begged for. A loud, breathless gasp broke from your throat asyour bodies moved together in perfect, uninterrupted harmony.

“You feel so good against me.” Toph's voice splintered into a low, gravelly whisper, the words catching in her throat as she melted against you. Her hips slowed, shifting into an agonizingly deep friction that made your body tremble beneath her. Toph hovered there, rocking against you as she took note of every flicker of pleasure your body revealed to her. “Is this okay, baby?”

“Yes, please don't stop,” You cried out, your hands gripping onto her shoulders, fingers indenting her skin, as you gave in completely, letting her guide you movements.

A throaty moan vibrated deep inside Toph's chest, the sound trembling right against your nipple that she took into her mouth. The slick, sliding pressure of her cunt gliding over yours drove a sharp, broken moan from your lips, your head was strewn back into the pillows as your hips began to lift, matching her steady, heavy tilts.

Toph slowly allowed her enlarged clit to delve deep into your slick folds, the bundle of nerves twitching ever so slightly against your aching cunt as she rocked into you like she wanted to draw out every last second of this so it would never end.

“Mmmm so good.” You groaned, as her clit continued to glide into your soaked folds, lightly brushing yours. Every time they touched she would roll her hips in a way that you could feel every vibration between you. The sensation sent a quiver through your body that Toph felt causing her to mirror the breathy sounds leaving your lips. “You’re going to make me cum baby oh fuck.”

Toph hid her face in the crook of your neck, her shallow, ragged breaths burning against your skin as the friction between you became all consuming. Beneath your fingertips, you could feel the underlying tension in her muscles as she held herself up, her hips moving with an aching slowness that sent another wave of your slick heat directly to your core. Toph was everywhere, your senses were clouded by the pleasure she was giving you. You couldn't think- your thoughts were fragmented to the point that nothing else existed except the overwhelming feeling of her cunt sliding against yours.

You were completely at her mercy as her movements grew faster, more urgent. Your body tensed sharply when the heavy, unrelenting grind of her hips caused more of your wetness to gush out of your cunt as your pleasure reached new heights. Toph rolled her hips, rocking into your pulsing cunt with a precise, devastating accuracy, as if she were cataloging each hitch in your breath and the desperate grip of your legs around her to find the exact rhythm that drove you over the edge.

“You-..” Your breath hitched as her clit pressed into that perfect spot that made your thighs flex around her. “You're doing so well, baby, giving me exactly what I need. You're so good at this.”

Her grip on your waist tightened at the praise, she releases your nipple with a wet pop, marking every inch of skin her mouth could find at this angle as she grinds her soaked center all through your folds, making sure your greedy pussy felt every inch of her.

The quiet composure she was keeping earlier melted into a ragged, desperate rhythm as she gave you long, deep, strokes, the entirety of her cunt molding with yours. Toph's wetness was all over you as her orgasm came barreling head.

Every thrust of her hips was met with a soft, needy sound from your throat, the slick heat of your wetness driving you both closer to the edge. Toph was becoming more vocal as her thrusts turned reverent. Each high pitched keen breaking from your lips only caused her to drive into you faster. Wanting to pull more of those melodic sounds out of you.

Toph could feel every flutter of your cunt as the wetness between the two of you soaked both of your thighs to the point that the wet sounds of your pleasure filled the room along with your sharp intakes of air.

“You feel that baby?" She panted, as the bed creaked against the floorboards with each grind as her hips stuttered. “That's all for you, only you can do this to me, make me this wet.”

You bit down on your bottom lip hard as her center continued to slide over yours in long deep strokes that made it hard to formulate words as the pleasure she was giving you coursed through your entire body.

“God, you fit so perfectly, against me.” Toph rasped, her chest heaving violently against yours as she kept the relentless pace. “I love you. Fuck, I'm going to come all over this pussy! Give you exactly what you need, baby.”

“Please, I want your cum.” You begged, headily. You couldn't hold back as the sound of her gravelly grunts filled the space between you, the deep, slick pressure of her pussy driving you completely over the edge.

“I got you.” Toph whispered into the space between your bodies, her voice incredibly soft despite how breathless she was. “Let go baby, I'm right here.”

The orgasm hit like a sudden shockwave, shattering the aching tension in your lower belly. Your fingers tangled into her hair, dragging her face down into a breathless, messy kiss while your body arched upward. Even as your legs clamped around her hips in a crushing vice, Toph’s strength kept you pinned open, her thrusts accelerating as she picked up momentum again now that you came.

Toph was chasing her own release now, the palms of her hands leaving the bed as she gripped your thighs, spreading you as wide as your legs would allow in this position. She rolled her hips in deep circles, making sure that you could feel all of her. Now with each thrust forward it was direct stimulation to both of your clits. The new angle changed everything, and with a few more purposeful thrusts. You could already feel your second orgasm rising rapidly, only this time it felt different.

The intensity made your entire body tighten, stripping away any last shred of control. Before you could even gasp out a warning, the sudden, hot rush of your release spilled out of you, coating her skin as your body convulsed sharply beneath hers.

Your vision blurred and your head fell back as the powerful force of the climax rippled through you in a heavy, seemingly never-ending wave that also tipped her over the edge with you. Toph moaned directly into your ear, her hips stuttering one final time as she rode the wave of her release.

Your lips collided in a clumsy, desperate attempt to stay connected. There was too much teeth and raw emotion, but neither of you cared as she pressed her mouth to yours. She seemed to drink in every lingering aftershock and tremor vibrating through your frame, her strong arms wrapping around you with a tenderness she didn't show often.

You weren't sure how long you were laying there just kissing her as you both reveled in the blissful state you were in. Toph was still on top of you, her head now tucked underneath your chin as she listened to the soothing sound of your heart calm to a steady pulse. You allowed your hands to travel up the expanse of her naked body. Mapping every curve and ridge, appreciating each scar that had been hardened by her experiences.

Ever so often she twitched as your hands dipped a little lower. You were completely spent, every muscle heavy with exhaustion, but you still wanted to try one last thing before she fell asleep on top of you.

“Baby,” You nudged her side. She answered with a low groan, burying herself even deeper into your warmth.

“I'm comfy,” She muttered against your skin, as if that single statement settled the matter entirely.

“I want to try something,” You said. You gave her backside a sharp, playful pinch that sent her jolting upward instantly. She braced her arms on either side of your head, glaring down at you with a mix of shock and amusement.

She raised a brow, sucking her teeth. “Baby, we just had mind-blowing sex. What more could you possibly want?”

You grinned up at her even though you knew she couldn't see it. Toph was close enough that she could feel the shift in your expression. “My love, I want you to sit on my face, let me taste you please?”

She visibly gulped. The pet name alone had clearly broken through her defenses, but your decision to beg at the end of it completely sealed the deal.

Toph exhaled sharply, the sudden rush of air warm against your skin as her body already began to shift and adjust above you. “What if I suffocate you?”

“You won't." You licked your lips as you helped her up your body, guiding her creamy thighs over your shoulders so she was kneeling above you. You could see the sheen of her arousal glistening on her swollen pussy lips and smell the scent of her slick that only made your mouth water more. “I'll pinch your thigh okay? Don't think about it. I promise I'll be fine, baby, just let me taste you. I want to make you feel good with my tongue.”

Toph white knuckled the bedframe in front of her as she nodded shakily before lowering herself onto your mouth. You titled your chin up as your tongue licked a soft stripe up the entirety of her cunt. You listened for the sounds she was making. The gasp that left her throat as you explored her folds with kitten licks and then broadened strokes that had her thighs flexing around your head that was between her legs.

She wasn't sitting fully, still mindful of you underneath her, you wrapped your lips around her clit, causing her hips to jerk into your mouth as you pressed your tongue lightly on the sensitive bundle of nerves, pulling another breathless sound out of her.

Your hands traveled up her sides, nails dragging along the skin as you urged her to sink fully into the heat of your mouth. You sucked gently around her outer folds. Pulling them into your mouth and swirling your tongue around them. Toph's finger dug into the headboard, the metal splintering under the sheer power of her grip as her thighs trembled around you and she lowered herself fully into the heavy heat of your wet tongue as she begin to rock into you.

You moaned into her cunt and the vibration rippled through Toph’s body causing her to toss her head back as she rode your face with abandon. Your hands wrapped around her thigh, your lungs burned for air but you didn't stop, her warm slick covered your face, dripping down your chin as you flattened your tongue and allowed her to ride it.

The bedframe groaned as the dent she was creating widened, Toph's jaw was slack, beads of sweat were dripping down the sharp features of her face as she completely let herself go, consumed by the feel of your tongue and mouth as the intensity of the pleasure you were giving her pulsed through her entire body.

Her thighs stuttered around you as you suctioned your mouth around her pussy. She fell forward at the sensation, her hands leaving the bedpost and finding their way on either side of your head as they tangled in your hair, cradling your cheeks that were covered in her wetness as your tongue moved through her with purposeful strokes.

“Holy, fuck-” Toph's voice was wrecked, her cunt fluttered against your tongue as you teased her entrance. “Baby- just like that you're going to make me come again.”

When you entered her, Toph cried out, her hips circling as the headboard creaked against the wall matching her desperate movements. Your tongue mirrored the pace she was setting, noting each tremor in her thighs and the way her eyes were blown wide as her pleasure reached its peak.

When Toph came, it was with a low whimper that came from deep in her chest. Her muscles seized around you as her orgasm slammed into her with a force that had her hands leaving your hair and fisting the pillows by your head.

You lapped up all of her slick, moaning at the taste as you languidly licked her pulsing cunt that was still contracting with aftershocks. Toph's chest was heaving, her body still tense around you as her arms gave way and she collapsed onto her fore arms.

“How are you so good at that?” Toph panted, lifting off your mouth with a whimper and trembling legs as her body fell flat against the pillows.

“I read alot.”

You rolled onto your side and then over her, propping yourself up to look down at her relaxed, breathless expression. She looked completely dazed, her usual sharp edge softened by the powerful orgasm she just had. Your hands moved up to rest gently against her jawline, your fingers gently tracing her skin.

“Can I kiss you?” You asked, your face was still covered in her slick and you wanted to ensure she felt comfortable before you got up and showered.

Toph let out a warm, airy breath, her eyes fluttering open just a fraction. “Of course you can, come here.”

Dipping your head, you met her lips in a soft kiss, your tongue slid into her mouth, allowing Toph to taste herself on your tongue. Your lips moved against hers in a slow rhythm that suspended the blissful moment while your hand caressed her cheek.

“You're incredible,” You breathed out, your lips brushing hers with every syllable. You deepened the kiss, never wanting this moment to end as Toph settled deeper into the bedding, melting into your embrace as she completely submitted to the gentle pace you were setting.

Holding her tightly, you made sure she could feel the depth of your love as your mouth moved against hers. Toph’s hands were still shaking as she reached up and wound her arms around you to keep you just as close. One was resting at your waist while the other drew slow, lazy circles into your back. The sweet gesture only made you lean in heavier, pouring more tenderness into the kiss.

“I love you,” You whispered against her skin, unable to hold it in any longer.

A soft, dazed smile touched her lips. “I love you too, baby.”

You pulled away just a fraction, spotting the slick sheen on her damp lips that was all your doing. Grinning, your tongue darted out as you licked a line from her chin, right up to the bridge of her nose, tickling her skin. Toph’s face scrunched cutely, her eyes squeezing shut as she whined playfully at the sudden sensation.

“You just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?” She muttered, wiping the tip of her nose against your shoulder with a mock scowl.

You licked her again, this time right below her ear, followed by a soft, lingering kiss. “It's my new love language.”

Toph squirmed under you, a suppressed shiver surged through her shoulders. “Well, find a new one.”

“You didn't seem to have a problem with it earlier,” You teased, your tongue tracing a slow, warm line right along her jaw.

“Why must you be like this?” Toph grumbled, though the lack of bite in her tone betrayed her completely.

“Because you love it.”

“Debatable,” She shot back automatically, a soft smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

You laughed, leaning your weight back down on her just enough to keep her trapped against the mattress, completely relishing the solid, comforting warmth of her body beneath yours. “I have to keep you on your toes, baby.”

“On my toes?” Toph scoffed, a dazed but fond smile parting her lips as her grip tightened around your waist. “Baby, I can barely feel my feet right now. You already won. No need to brag.”

“Oh, so you're admitting I'm that good?” You countered playfully, smoothing a stray lock of hair away from her forehead.

“Don't let it go to your head, I'm too tired to argue,” She huffed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she rolled onto her side, shifting her weight away. “Now stop being a menace and cuddle me.”

“Your wish is my command,” You replied, the humor evident in your voice. You adjusted your position, curling behind her like a protective shield against the cool air of the room. Tucking your face into the space between her shoulder blades, you inhaled the comforting, warm scent of her skin.

Toph reached back blindly, grabbing your arm and tugging it further around her middle, adjusting you until you were exactly where she wanted you. “You're like a human radiator,” She mumbled, her voice growing heavier by the second as sleep began to claim her.

“Only the best for you,” You whispered back, squeezing her tightly as the quiet stillness of the room wrapped around you both.