Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Of Stalkers and Very Bad Advice ❯ Toph in a Frilly Pink Dress ( Chapter 9 )

Ferret's note: Alright, I FINALLY got off my boozin' ass and wrote! Go me! Um, sadly, there will only be a few chapters left in this story, which marks the first completed fanfiction I've ever written (excluding one-shots). But fear not! This chapter is (I think) the longest yet, so you get more prose for your time. Please enjoy, and do pardon my erratic updating schedule. I will be more timely from now on.

 

Disclaimer: NO! I DON'T OWN IT! IF I DID, THIS WOULD BE CANON!!

 

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Sokka held true to his `never speaking to me again' threat... until we arrived at the house, that is. “She's not coming in here,” he said defiantly, crossing his arms in a habit he obviously picked up from Katara. “She can sleep in the yard.”

 

“Sokka, is it?” Tenku asked arrogantly. “Why do you have to be such a little shit?”

 

“That does it!” He had half-swung his boomerang when the door suddenly flew open.

 

“Oh, thank goodness you're back!” exclaimed Katara in a slightly too sweet voice. “We were so worried about you two!”

 

I blinked, confused. “What's going on?” Katara was no longer dressed in her usual blue dress. If anything, with her new dress, apron and hairstyle, she looked like a teenage Earth Kingdom housewife. Toph sat on a pile of pillows in the background, dressed in a frilly pink dress that she wouldn't have worn at all if she could see. Her hair was tied up in pigtails, and she was deep in an obviously set-up conversation with the Avatar, who was dressed like a student in the Earthbending school down the road.

 

In short, they were up to something.

 

“Hi, you must be Tenku,” Katara said sweetly. “I'm Katara. Will you be staying for dinner?”

 

Suddenly, Psycho-Amnesia-Bitch was all charm. “Oh, I wouldn't want to impose,” she said. “I just came by to visit. I've heard so many wonderful things about you, Katara!”

 

“What's going on?” I repeated, a bit louder. “Katara, why is Toph wearing that dress?”

 

She reached out to hug me and Sokka in turn, but as she squeezed my ribs, she muttered, “Play along if you want to get rid of her,” then said in a normal voice, “You three must be hungry. I've been cooking all day, so Sokka, you better not have got anything at the market.” She swatted him with a wooden spoon that I'm positive was just a prop.

 

“Uh, no, I didn't,” he said, obviously trying to play along while still being pissed off at me.

 

“Good. Now, why don't you go entertain your brother for a little while, and Tenku and I can get to know each other.” She extended an arm to Tenku, who gratefully took it as Katara led her away to the kitchen.

 

I blinked. “My brother?” I repeated.

 

“That's me!” the Avatar said gleefully. “Toph is my friend from school, and you're my older brother!”

 

“This can not be good,” I groaned, sitting on a cushion next to `him'.

 

Sokka made a slight huffing noise as he sat next to Toph. “I don't want that thing in here!” he snapped. “I say we kill her AND her devil-spawn bastard kid and be done with it!”

 

Toph sniggered. “Careful, Sokka. That `devil-spawn bastard kid' might be Zuko's!” She laughed loudly, the Avatar snickered weakly, and Sokka just glared.

 

“Probably is.”

 

“Honestly, Sokka, is she really that bad?” asked the Avatar curiously.

 

“No!” shouted Sokka. “She's worse! She's filthy, she's ugly, she's a slimy Earthbender—no offence, Toph.”

 

“None taken.”

 

“And to top it off, she probably paid some hobo to impregnate her because she couldn't work up the nerve to do anything besides stalk Zuko!”

 

I smirked. Oh, I SO win! He's not pissed at me! He's pissed at her for being near me! He's jealous! Priceless.

 

“All the more reason we have to find out who knocked her up,” I agreed, trying not to piss him off further. “If people think it's mine and I'm walking out on her, I'll probably get ambushed in some dark alley at midnight! That, or the Dai Li could force me to stay with her!”

 

He gaped. “They can't do that!” he exclaimed in disbelief. “That's just wrong!”

 

“Hey Sokka,” taunted Toph. “Maybe I should have some hobo knock me up! Then you and Zuko can both join the `I'm-not-that-kid's-father' club!”

 

“Go to hell,” grumbled Sokka.

 

The Avatar was just starting to look very uncomfortable with our topic when Katara's voice cut his suffering short. “Sokka! Zuko! Tell Toph and Aang dinner's ready!”

 

“You heard her,” Sokka groaned. “Let's get this over with.”

 

In the dining room, Katara had gone all out with dinner. I suspected it was take-out from the diner down the street, but I kept my mouth shut.

 

“Well, everyone, where are your manners?” Katara finally exclaimed after five minutes of silence. “We have two guests in the house tonight, and nobody's thought to make introductions!” She turned to Tenku. “I am so sorry about them. My brother's been so grumpy lately.”

 

“Your brother?” she asked.

 

“Yes, Sokka. I'm sorry if his behavior has been questionable.”

 

Tenku laughed airily, and waved it off with her hand. “Oh, it's nothing. I had an older brother too, you know.”

 

“Did you? Oh, then you must know exactly what I mean.”

 

“Older brothers aren't so bad,” said the Avatar through a mouthful of food. “Toph, you've met my brother, right?”

 

“Oh, yes,” she continued, making an excellent show of continuing a well-rehearsed conversation. “He picks you up from school.”

 

Katara beamed, obviously glad that Toph's acting skills were so great. Honestly, I was a bit surprised at how convincing she sounded. Almost as though she was nobility...

 

“Well, since everyone's being rather moody tonight, I'll make the introductions, shall I?” Katara said finally. “Tenku, this is Aang and his friend Toph. They're in the same class at the academy.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you,” said Tenku. “And of course I already know Sokka and Li.”

 

“Li?” Katara arched an eyebrow, obviously not knowing of my amazing alias. Then she got it. “Uh, I mean... I didn't realize you two knew each other so well.”

 

“Oh, it was a very quick relationship,” she said airily.

 

“You can say that again,” Sokka grumbled.

 

“What was that?” Tenku asked sharply.

 

Sokka rolled his eyes “I didn't say anything,” he said, adding “Tramp,” in an undertone.

 

“Okay, that does it!” shrieked Tenku, jumping to her feet. “You don't have to treat me like scum just because he chose me over you! Get over yourself!”

 

Oh great. More drama. Last thing I need.

 

“Uh, I'm going to get some water...” I said, looking for an excuse to leave the room.

 

But, alas, hell hath no fury like Tenku on the warpath. “Sit down!” she shouted at me, just as Sokka got to his feet as well.

 

“I don't care if you're pregnant or not, you cum-guzzling sperm-bank!” he bellowed, making Toph and Aang jump. Even Katara looked shocked, and that's saying something, seeing as she grew up with him. “He never chose you over me! The only reason you're here is because he thinks you have a concussion!”

 

Sokka's words seemed to echo, but I think it was just the shock of him outing us in front of everyone in the house. “Um, I think something's burning in the oven,” said Katara, her voice slightly higher than usual.

 

“You want some help with that, Katara?” offered the Avatar, scurrying after her.

 

I glared at Toph, but she just leaned back in her seat. “Just pretend I'm not here,” she said. “I wouldn't miss this for the world.”

 

Tenku shook with rage, so I decided to do something nice to calm her down. “Let's take this outside,” I offered. “Toph sees better when she's standing in the dirt.” I opened the door, graciously allowing Toph to go first.

 

“Why thank you. How considerate of—”

 

I slammed the door in her face and locked her out.

 

Hey, I didn't say I was going to be nice to her...

 

Tenku didn't seem to have calmed down one bit. “I do not have a concussion, Sokka,” she snarled. “You just can't accept that Li is in love with me! Not you!”

 

“Well, he kissed me. That's more than you can say, you whore!”

 

“I'm pregnant with his baby!” shrieked Tenku. “I'm four months in!”

 

Katara's voice cut through the argument from absolutely nowhere. “It's not his, Tenku,” she said with absolute certainty.

 

“What?” exclaimed me, Sokka and Tenku at the same time.

 

“He wasn't in Ba Sing Se four months ago. He wasn't even in the Earth Kingdom.”

 

Tenku's face fell. “He was!” she shrieked. “How else would I be pregnant?”

 

Katara obviously sensed she was getting nowhere with reasoning. “Look, Tenku, calm down. All this shouting is bad for the baby.” She put an arm around Tenku's shoulders and led her to a chair. Suddenly, she grabbed Tenku's arms and forced them behind her back. “Sokka, grab her legs. Zuko, hold her arms.”

 

“Let me go!” she shrieked. “What are you—” Her shouts suddenly stopped, and with that, mercifully, so did her kicking. Katara's water spun rapidly around Tenku's head, looking for some abnormality to heal.

 

“Just as I thought,” said Katara. “Amnesia.”

 

“I knew she hit her head!” cheered Sokka. “Does this mean she'll be gone?”

 

Katara nodded. “I think she mistook Zuko for her real husband. Once she remembers, she shouldn't want to hang out around here.”

 

“Good,” said Toph, storming in the back door. “Can I please take this ridiculous thing off?” She gestured to her frilly dress, which was now rather dusty.

 

“Sure. I hid your clothes in Sokka's bag.”

 

“I knew it!”

 

Katara finally pulled her hands back, and Tenku collapsed into the chair, asleep. Everything was quiet for a moment.

 

“So... is it over?” I asked warily.

 

Katara nodded. “Yeah. I'm gonna go change out of this dress. Call me if she wakes up, Sokka.” Sokka nodded. “You can go now, if you want, Zuko.” She closed the door behind her as she left.

 

Sokka and I stared at Tenku for a moment. “So, I guess that worked,” he said finally.

 

I nodded. “I'm sorry I dragged you into this,” I said, unsure of what to say. “Um, I guess I'll just... go...”

 

I was halfway to the door when I heard Sokka shout from behind me. “Just like that, huh?”

 

“What?”

 

“You know damned well what!” he snapped, blocking my path with his arm. “I just spent the better half of today defending you from the one thing you couldn't handle, and after all that, you're just going to—”

 

Some guys just don't know when to shut up. Others, like Sokka, know how to push people just far enough so they'll do what they want. And, as it turned out, silencing him with a harsh kiss was exactly what he wanted me to do.

 

It was the alleyway all over again, just more intense. Maybe it was because no one was around. Maybe it was because that last doubt in Sokka's mind had vanished. Maybe it was the same with me. Or, maybe I just didn't give a flying fuck about what I was doing anymore.

 

Whatever the reason, it left me panting against his chest, mentally smacking myself for forgetting to breathe. Again. Did I mention he was a good kisser? Well, he is.

 

Before I had a chance to catch my breath, however, he pulled me back to him, kissing me harder than before, if possible. I felt his nails digging into my shoulders as he pulled me down on top of him, but instead of pulling back, I just pushed harder against him. After all these years, I guess physical pain isn't a problem for me.

 

“Sokka,” I finally managed to gasp, pushing back the fraction of an inch I needed to breathe. “Sokka, stop.”

 

“Why?” he panted, resting his head on my shoulder.

 

I nodded in the direction of the hall door. “That's why.” He glanced where I indicated, and, following two feminine squeaks, the door slammed fully shut.

 

“Voyeurs,” grumbled Sokka.

 

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And that is where I leave you. Sorry, I wanted to get to the lemon, but this part had to be written, and I forgot that Tenku was still unconscious in the room... Next chapter will be all lemon, I promise!! And I'll put a helluva lot of effort into it, so you won't be disappointed! (Again, sorry about the update time. I'll follow a better schedule in the future.)