#poor zuko

He just wanted to join the Gaang but now the blind girl is moving metal, the sweet watergirl is bending blood and the kid is talking to spirits

At least he can count on Sokka to be normal. Oh, where did you say that sword was from?

Zuko smiled softly, completely absorbed in the image. ‘He must have had this picture of you and your mother. She looks young here. I can see where you got your cheekbones and your height from, Kiyoi. She’s very beautiful.’

Kiyoi looked at the sketch and let out a quiet, choked sound that turned into a soft laugh.

‘He, Zuko,’ she corrected, reaching out to take the sketch from him. ‘This is of my father and me. My mother sketched this. We had a wood burn made of it back home.’

‘Wah-‘ Zuko blinked.

"I had a question. All my friends have grandparents,do I have any?"

A jolt went up Zuko's spine. Perhaps it was heaven sent? Hell if she was dead in Zuko's opinion. Aang stood there nervously. While Katara tried to come up with a response. "Uh," Katara chuckled nervously. "Well,sweetie..." Zuko took a nervous sip of tea to try to calm himself down.

"And what was Azula like when you were children,papa?"

Zuko spat his tea out and coughed aggressively. Aang stood up to try to help him. Katara waterbend it out of the ground,while Aang tried to slap Zuko's back,rather hurting him instead.

"Well,auntie Azula is good now."

"Was my grandpa a good father?"

Zuko was on the ground,if he wasn't he would be laughing at this ridiculous suggestion. Katara decided to take initiativ.

"Long ago-"

"THERE WERE AWFUL AND SHITTY PEOPLE!"

They turned around to see Sokka standing next to Iroh. Aang swiftly covered Izumi's ears.

"Hi? I'm right here you know?" Azula stated from the back. Chuckling to herself. She walked over to Izumi and took her into her arms. "Good job."

Bonus:

Izumi sat in her papa's lap. "Okay,I'm going to teach you something very important. Alright,repeat after me. Azula always lies,Azula always lies." "Azula always lies."

Azula and Katara peaked through the door,an offended Azula next to a smug,teasing Katara.

Zuko: *running away screaming*

Azula: COME BACK HERE! *chasing him with her bow and arrow*

Mai: aren’t you gonna stop them? *looking at Ursa*

Ursa: hm? What’s going on?

Mai: *pointing to Azula chasing Zuko around the turtle duck pond*

Ursa: they’re just playing

Mai: *looking at her with wide eyes* she’s chasing him with her bow and arrow

Azula: *shoots Zuko in his leg*

Zuko: AHHHHH!

LJF, hello! Thanks for the ask :D I seem to have the bug for writing today, and so I figured I'd write this up and post it right away haha. Hope the this is hits the light-hearted Toko spot!

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Toko - Misc - #16 - “YOU SAID TO BE HONEST STOP HITTING ME!”

“Ugh!”

Zuko looked up from his scroll, setting his morning tea down to look across the bedroom. The sound was undoubtedly coming from the closet, and he had a feeling he knew what was up.

Still, Zuko found himself asking his wife, “Everything okay?”

Toph let out a loud sigh, hollering back. “I feel like I look stupid.” 

“What?”

“I feel ginormous and I feel like if I walk out of this closet I’m going to appear as big as a platypus bear.”

A faint smile played at Zuko’s lips, but he quickly wiped it away as he stood up and walked toward the closet. “I’m sure that’s not true, Toph. Besides, no one is going to care. And if they do, you’ll just throw a boulder at them.”

“Still! Everyone’s coming to the palace today, and you know one of the dunderheads is gonna say something.”

“Aang and Sokka know better than to say something, Toph,” Zuko said. “Remember when they came here before Kaede was born? They definitely learned their lesson.” 

He remembered that particular day fondly, for it felt like the perfect storm of comedic and chaotic timing how both Sokka and Aang opened their big mouths at the same time. They just had to let Toph know how big she looked just a week before she was due. If Toph hadn’t skyrocketed them in the air with her earth pillars, Zuko probably would’ve lit their pants on fire. Now, of course, they could laugh at the memory. At the time, though, Toph’s wrath was not so funny to the boys. Now, Zuko hope for their sake that they knew better than to speak on the appearance of a pregnant woman, especially if that woman was Toph Beifong.

And yet, Toph still felt self-conscious enough to feel that Aang and Sokka hadn’t learned their lesson. “Yes,” she began, “but I wasn’t pregnant with twins then. I look twice as big now!”

With crossed arms, Zuko replied, “Okay, well let me see, and I’ll be the judge of that.” 

Toph let out a sigh, then emerged from the closet with the biggest pout on her face. “Tell me I don’t look huge. You can’t.”

Every time he saw Toph’s glowing, growing figure, his heart skipped a beat. She wore a loose-fitting Fire Nation robe, and while Zuko truly thought she was stunning, the garment didn’t really do her any favors. It draped over her round belly, and, well…

It made her appear rather tent-like.

The man began to sweat. How on earth was he supposed to tell her that even though she was the most beautiful woman in the world that this particular robe made her look bigger than she actually was?

Zuko swallowed the lump in his throat, beginning the conversation by peppering her with compliments. “You look beautiful, Toph.”

“That’s not saying I don’t look fat.”

“Toph, come on. You’re pregnant with twins. No one really cares what you look like or what you’re wearing. They’re all just coming here to celebrate!”

“Zuko. I will call up every single one of our friends right now if you don’t tell me the truth. Do. I. Look. Fat.”

This was a lose-lose situation for the firebender. To lie and say she didn’t look fat would earn him a one way trip to the polar-bear-dog house, for she would certainly catch him in the lie. 

If he was honest? Well, that was bound to end in disaster, too.

Spirits help Zuko.

He let out a sigh, and mumbled, “You—the robes make you look a little big—”

Zuko was immediately attacked Toph’s tiny but mighty fist, causing him to shout and yell, “Ow! Qu—Toph! Cut it out! I was just telling the truth—”

“You said I look fat!”

“You said be honest! Stop hitting me!!” he hissed.

“No!”

“Toph—what was I supposed to do? Lie?”

“Yes!”

“You would’ve caught me in the lie!”

Toph paused for half a second, then continued to smack his shoulder. “That—that’s not the point! You should know better!”

“I tried to steer you a different direction—”

“Steer?! Am I more like a cow? Is that it?”

“No! No, nothing close to a cow—Toph. You really are beautiful.”

“Just not right now, is that it?” “I never said that—” “Oh, save it. I’m calling Katara right now so she’s ready to kick your ass into the next Sozin Comet.”

Spirits help Zuko. This was going to be a long day.

......