#zutoph

After weeks of packed schedules, they finally managed to carve out a vacation together. Which they needed. Bad.😏

(Gosh this took forever)

A continuation of this post.

Aang, glances between Toph and Zuko: "... What if it goes well?"

We’re decently popular enough to have amassed our own ship fandom full of creatives. We have people who have been shipping them since this scene…

And newcomers shipping them after this scene.

Chapter 5: When the Tides Rush In

Synopsis: Time’s Up

Summary: Toph waits for Zuko to meet up with her. Oneshot inspired by the banner drawing! Please send love to the artist.

Warnings: fluff, kissing, heavy making out, established relationship

Word Count: 1.5K+

You can find it on AO3 HERE

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Steam leaked from the babbling vents lining the wall behind her, condensation dripping from their metal lips onto the ground in little pools.

Toph kicked the wooden crate she stood on again with her cargo boot, scattering dust from its splintered edge into the air. The mineral particles tickled her nose, threatening a sneeze. She thumbed at it, just as irritated as her nostril.

A gaggle of teenagers sauntered past, their twittering laughter echoing down the alley she loitered outside the back entrance of The Jasmine Dragon tea shop.

The crimson placard swayed gently in what little wind wound its way into the alley. Painted on it's ruddy face was a jolly old man holding a steaming cup to his bearded lips in the company of an equally merry boy whose scar could not be seen. 

Toph groaned up at the sky above her. She considered if she had time to find a late-night café. Maybe she could get her fourth coffee of the day. This one would have to be decaf, though she would be drinking it for the flavour and not the buzz. She wondered what the point of that was.

Just then, the back door swung open, pulling her from her caffeinated woes.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow, Uncle!” Zuko called behind him as he pulled on the second sleeve of his studded leather jacket. It whispered softly onto his shoulders as he settled into the well-worn burgundy material.

The door eased shut to reveal Toph standing there.

The dull leather of her own black jacket barely reflected any of the warm, dim light coming from the lamp above the teashop door. Her chest pulled at the pastel green bandeau of her top as she leaned forward to meet Zuko with a cheeky smile. He stole a glance at her legs, toned and bare in a way that made him bite his lip.

“Hey you.”

“Hey” Zuko huffed a laugh, looking back up into that warm blank stare.

Her eyes narrowed, creasing amusedly at the prolonged silence between them.

“What are you looking at?” she huffed, leaning away in protest. Those eyes squeezed shut, her lips puckered into a defiant pout.

Zuko laughed again, the sound tugging at the corners of her lips.

“I’m looking at you. Obviously” he smiled, taking a step forward.

Her face tilted back to him, inquisitive.

“What about me then?” she snorted, also replying with a step of her own towards him.

He took another.

“You’re beautiful” he said softly.

She paused at the edge of that gritty plank stoop, taller than him but not enough to be beyond reach. Just the right height that if she chose, her lips could brush his.

“Beautiful, huh?” she murmured.

“So beautiful” Zuko emphasised.

Toph tilted her head to the side like a curious animal trying to make sense of the sounds it heard.

She took a deep breath and completely lost her next thought.

He smelled like tea leaves, as he always did. Rich, slow roasted, fragrant as flowers left to the sun’s whims at a garden’s edge. Beneath it all, a tinge of salt, like a pinch in a cup to mellow out the bitterness. Sweet.

The faint scent of his woody cologne clung to the polyester lining of his jacket, lingering with the musk of leather that needed conditioning again.

She leaned into the aroma, shutting her eyes even if they did not bother her so she could take him all in.

He watched the subtle flare of her nostrils, the gentle purse of the lips and immediately all he wanted was to press his to hers. His hands tucked into his pockets to play with his keys and some spare change so that they would be too distracted to touch for her.

He took a deep clarifying breath, the sound bringing her back to him.

Her eyes sprung open, two perfect moons appearing behind a cloud of lashes.

“Have a good day?” she asked. 

He shrugged, glancing to the ground with a pout before lifting his eyes back to her. His own smile widened.

“It was fine. Boring. Much better now.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” she sang teasingly, a knowing grin pulling to one side.

He scoffed, eyes now darting to the end of the alley where a delivery van wailed past.

Then back to that lopsided smirk.

“You know why” he murmured, coming closer until all she could smell was him. Dust and steam vent plumes overpowered.

Her lips softened, her lids growing heavy. She leaned close, but did not touch him.

“Miss me?” she asked.

Zuko stared at those mischievous lips.

“I missed you.”

“How much?” another taunting twitch at their corners.

“A lot.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?” she purred.

“You know…”

His hands escaped the confines of his jacket to take her face, holding her right where he wanted her all day.

Their lips met, soft and gentle, a polite hello.

Zuko pulled away for a breath, just long enough that he could catch the expression she made when they were this close. She never looked as peaceful as she did when he had her just like this. But that peace was short-lived as an impatient frown reappeared on her still glistening lips. It made him giggle, and he eagerly returned to soothe her frustration.

His lips were tender as ever, laying pillowy caresses across her own nibbled ones. Every time their mouths met, they wasted no time going in for more, almost like the instant they separated they had forgotten how it felt and needed to relive it all over again.

Toph’s arms looped around his neck, dragging him closer until whatever space remained between them would finally disappear. 

He let out a quiet moan, low and breathy as he leaned into her, his hands dismissed from her face and finding a more welcome place at her waist. Her tongue snuck to pry at his lips, prompting his fingers to fasten into her toned abs.

His mouth parted happily for her, allowing her do what she wished with him. She traced the sharp edge of his teeth she always complained felt “too straight”, then lapped at the vault of his mouth like she was trying to figure out the taste.

A low growl escaped him, his hands travelling from her waist to find the space just below her juicy behind. With ease, he hoisted her into his arms, her legs instinctively wrapping around his hips like a koalasloth to their favourite tree.

They laughed into each other’s mouths, their noses tickling the other's upper lip with every amused huff of air.

His delighted giggling was hushed the instant she asked him an unspoken question in the form of a gentle flick and sensual wriggle with that insistent tongue.

He answered by skating his own across her bottom lip before suckling it gently. He could taste the subtle copper where she had worried herself that day. He pecked them gently, but she refused his sympathy in favour of more fervid strokes with her tongue.

They whimpered softly into each other, their tongues dancing between them to the rhythm of their hurried breaths. Hearts pounding, the sound of rushing blood all they could hear.

Tongues tasting, twisting, stoking the embers of desire into a bonfire. 

They jumped at the sound of the tea shop door creaking open.

Zuko’s eyes went there to watch a very distracted Jet grumble to a beaten trash can as he fed it another bag of rubbish. The clearly annoyed man turned to find the entwined couple, cheeks flushed, Toph still hovering in Zuko’s arms.

He groaned. “Get a room you two!” and ducked back through the door with a slam.

The pair lingered for a moment, then burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the desolate alleyway. What were they doing? Zuko shook his head.

“Shall we head out?” he asked softly, nuzzling his nose to Toph’s.

She nodded. “Sure. You should probably put me down.”

Zuko sighed. “Shame you’re right” he gently brought her back to the upturned crate, helping her adjust her displaced clothes.

She smoothed a rough hand over her garments, took a deep breath to compose herself, and then held her arms out in quiet wait.

He stepped back into her hold, their faces close once again.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked her.

“I think you’re hungry” she assumed.

He nodded, his appetite long forgotten but still present.

“Yeah, I could do with some food… and then a little something else?”

“What? Like dessert?”

“Well… you are pretty sweet” he smirked, his lips meeting hers for one more stolen kiss.

“No, I’m not!” she huffed.

“You are to me” Zuko argued.

“And no one else needs to know that!” she warned, gently throttling him.

They chuckled, separating so they could take each other’s hands. Zuko supported Toph down from her small podium and onto the cobbled street. He got to her white cane before she could, putting it firmly into her right hand before grasping the other once again.

“Let’s go” he whispered, letting her lead them back out onto the street beyond their little alley.

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my zutoph fanarts so far.. im completely normal about them 😔

im currently working on a fanfic abt them too :p