Rent Free Mind of 626

And not gonna lie, considering that her academy becomes a safe haven for the destitute especially children who are neglected and people who are fleeing from terrible lives is nice. Just thinking of Lin, Suyin, and Izumi growing up in this communal space that serves not only to teach the next generation of earthbenders but also harmony amongst people from all walks of life. In the center is their mother who huffs and grumbles about all the noise but she never turns someone away from her gates that’re sincere.

People come and they go when they find their footing in life, but there’s always someone else who needs a home badly. Like Zuko during the times when he can be away from court, and exist facetiously as just another man in the world eager to watch his girls grow up in love and care.

Imagine Toph’s delight when her husband and eldest daughter are home, their crowns put away. There’s dirt on Izumi’s feet when she chases after her sisters, disappearing into the nearby forest that serves as their playground with promises they’ll come back before dinner. Zuko just sits and watches them go, and his heartbeat isn’t frantic or dull. It’s serene. He doesn’t notice her yet, his arms full of the things the girls left.

Lin’s training weights she shucked off the minute she was done with practice.

Suyin’s terracotta dolls which are far more well made than even the toy makers in Republic City could.

Izumi’s glasses that she just couldn’t get used to wearing and refused to on her worst days; an act of rebellion that shocked some used to a docile, agreeable child. Toph grinned. That was healing, and her girl was no doll.

Before she can step out to go to Zuko and remind him the girls won’t be out soon, someone else glides along the stone until their feet strikes dirt. It’s an older woman, not enough to be considered a grandmother but well-versed in how to place her weight. Zuko is aware of her the minute she is at his back, and turns to speak to her.

Their voices are low. Toph can’t make out what is said but Zuko’s heartbeat softens and the woman bows before she leaves. Surprising. She lost her brother in the war, and her father in the chaos after. On all accounts, Toph considered hate would subsume to know the Firelord was present in the only safe haven she had from being sold off into marriage to pay their family’s debts.

But there’s a shift in Zuko’s steps, his boots point towards her, his strides even. There’s something sweet in the air, Toph holds her hand out instinctively and a paper-wrapped bun is set in it.

“Are there enough for the girls?” She asked, smile tucked against her cheek when he leaned down to kiss her.

“.. Yeah,” Zuko muttered, the word a sigh against her mouth, gratitude and perhaps love shudders his heartbeat. He’s overwhelmed, he’s happy, and if they weren’t in public - Toph assumed he would have done more than brush a featherlight kiss to her lips.

She smiled at the touch. Her silly, proper husband. Finding the collar of his tunic to tug him into a proper kiss isn’t hard. What is is grappling with the happiness she feels.

She had a place where love could flow freely, passing through hands and hearts like river beds through mountain peaks. Muddled at times, but the rain would wash away the debris and the water would clear.

And there would always be more.