Chapter Text
Earth. You lived on it. You could manipulate it. You teach others how. You are training underneath it. Now you're throwing it at your student. Now she's evading it and throwing it back. Thank the Badger Moles for that gift all those centuries ago.
This is pretty much you and your student every weekday. And frankly, you wouldn't have it any other way. You're glad the Beifong family decided to employ you after getting rid of that milquetoast Yu.
And Toph is a model student. One of your, if not, your absolute favorite. She internalizes what you teach her pretty quickly and on top of that, she was pretty gifted from the start, in spite of her blindness. You wonder why she even needed one if she was already this good. But in the end, you didn't really care. It was good money, very much so, and Toph was probably the best person you've ever sparred with. She definitely keeps you on your toes and you did the same for her.
"Keep your ears in the air." You blurt out as you toss a head-sized rock her way.
Toph's ears wiggled, listening for that soft whoosh of the rock flying towards her. It was fast approaching her face like a cannonball, but she managed to sidestep and swat it away like a fly. You launch several more volleys of rocks toward her and she shrugs them all off with some well-timed shifts of her bare feet and precise, defensive swings of her arms.
If her parents knew how you've been training her all this time, they'll have fit and fire you immediately. Maybe even send you to jail. You're lucky Toph's lack of sight means that all her other senses are far more acute than those of a normal person's. Otherwise, you'd have a dead twelve-year-old on your hands and a death penalty to look forward to.
"C'mon Sifu, give me the real stuff already. I'm already getting bored of the warm-up." Toph says with a sly smirk on her young, pale face.
"Oh, you want real? I'll give you something real." You promise her with a dangerous smile that you're glad she can't see.
Even after saying that, you still throw the same type and size of rocks towards Toph. No matter where you launched them, whether at her feet, her torso, or even her head, none of them even so much as even grazed her. With her heightened senses and a oneness with the Earth you rarely see with other Earthbenders besides Badger Moles, she's practically untouchable.
"I said the real stuff, not just more rocks. You gettin' soft on me already, big guy?"
You don't say anything. If only she could see the smile on your face, she'd start getting more wary.
But she can sense your intentions through other means.
"Whoa, why'd your heartbeat get quicker? Got something crazy planned for me, I hope."
With a smirk on your face, you throw one more rock at her. Just one. You hold off on throwing any more until it reaches her. You hold an open palm forward as you watch it soar closer and closer towards its target.
When it was just barely within Toph's arm's reach, you shut your fingers and the rock suddenly exploded into numerous smaller, jagged fragments that flew right at Toph. It caught her so off guard, she fell back and landed right on her butt, her body littered with rock fragments and red spots where some of them hit.
"What the heck was that!?" Toph yells at you.
"You said you wanted the real stuff! I'm giving you the real stuff!" You yell back.
"At least give a girl a warning first!" Toph stomps her little foot in a frustrated huff.
"Where's the fun in that?" You can't help but chuckle.
You continue your barrage of flying rocks. You even mix it up, some staying whole while others explode into fragments. You were truly keeping her on her feet. As you strafe around, she keep her cloudy blue gaze in your direction, blocking and dodging whenever she needs to. She could still see where you're going as long as you stand on the same ground as her.
Toph seemed like she had enough of the bullet Hell you were laying down on her and spawned a rectangular. barrier that shot up right in front of her, protecting her from all of your incoming projectiles. You jump to the side to try and get around the barrier to keep firing at her, but she always spawns barriers wherever you are.
You see that Toph feels like she wants to make it real for you as well, so while she's blocking your projectiles, she launches her barriers at you. They slide across the ground at a similar speed as your own attacks, closing in on you in seconds.
But you're quick enough to jump to the side and avoid it. Though, thanks to how large the barrier was, you don't notice the second barrier coming seconds after and you're instantly struck by it. The solid impact sends you flying back a few feet and rolling across the ground for several more. Your face and chest burns with pain. You can't help but laugh at yourself as she just played you and you didn't expect it when you should have.
You feel your bones creak and your muscles throb as you rise to your feet.
"Okay, okay Toph. That was a good shot." You tell her, unable to wipe the smile off your face.
"You seem pretty stoked about almost getting your bones broken." Toph gave a small chuckle.
"Well, it was a clever move. And you managed to hit me with it. That tells me I taught you well and you're implementing what you learned. You're not just relying purely on brute force like you used to."
"Yeah yeah, less yappin', more bendin'."
It becomes your turn to be on the defensive as Toph starts throwing more stone barriers your way. At this point, she's throwing far more than one at a time, not even letting up, not giving you even a second to breathe. Why would she? She knows what you're capable of and, on top of that, you're part of the reason she's this skilled in the first place.
So you decide to get even more real. You bend some nearby rocks to cover your forearms and fists as well as your shins and feet. You stiffen yourself into a fighting stance, your legs bent with one behind the other, while you raise your arms in front of you like you're ready to engage in a fist fight.
Toph sends more of her barriers towards you but you make no attempt to dodge. Instead, you bend the earth beneath your heels to slide forward towards the oncoming attack.
You raise your fist and when the barrier makes contact, it breaks into chunks instantly. Then you bend those same chunks and throw them right back at Toph.
"Whoa!"
Toph just narrowly avoided getting hit by the fragments of her own attack. Forced to think in a split-second forced a moment where she was conflicted on whether she should block by throwing up another barrier or simply jump out of the way. That brief lapse cost her and a stray shard struck her in the shoulder, sending her stumbling to the side.
You see the opportunity and you go for it immediately. You slide across the ground towards Toph, your rock-covered arms spread wide. She couldn't even react to you tackling her to the ground, your body above hers.
Though you have the leverage and size advantage, Toph is still holding her own as she's got her palms holding yours back. You can feel the stone around your hands and forearms quivering from her trying to bend your gauntlets while you're bending to resist her. To further cement your position, your stone boots merge with the rocky ground below, keeping you rooted on that spot.
"C'mon Toph, give up already. I've got the high ground and I've been Earthbending longer than you've been alive. You can't possibly throw me off." You gloat at her.
"Then why are you struggling?" She asks with a bold, but strained smile.
You grunt. "I'm… not. I'm just staying this way ju-just to… give you a fighting chance."
"Pfft, yeah, right. Admit it, you're fighting like crazy right now."
"Don't test me, girl. If I wanted to, I could break your scrawny little arms."
Toph laughed. "Yeah and my parents would kill you."
"Hence why I'm not putting all my strength into this."
"Maybe you should. So I don't…"
Toph cut herself off with a kick using both of her shorter legs, dispersing the Earth from your feet. You gasp in surprise and look down to see what she did, but that split second cost you dearly. A diagonal pillar of stone shoots out from under you and the next thing you know, you're flying several feet across the cave and smash against the wall with an echoing crack. You fall onto the ground face first.
The pain is once again stabbing into every nerve into your body like heated needles but luckily you don't think any part of you is broken or torn.
You quickly jump to your feet, your body already used to getting knocked around in such a fashion so it doesn't slow you down that badly. You cover your arms and legs once more and you immediately go on the offensive. You propel yourself several meters in a few seconds, skating across the rocky cave floor and gaining on your student/opponent rapidly.
"Oh no, you don't!"
Toph senses you gaining on her and she immediately starts bending the earth behind her, digging out massive boulders to throw at you in an arc. At the same time, she bends the dozen meter high ceiling of the cave and drops even more boulders on top of you.
Though you manage to avoid them, you get plenty of close calls along the way, sometimes avoiding a boulder or destroying it right at the last second.
You're closing the distance fast and you see Toph losing her cool a bit. You see her squat down, both of her arms raised straight up and her hand and fingers in a clawing motion.
The ground in front of her starts to shift and rumble and you feel the quaking beneath your own feet. You don't know what she's planning but you know it's going to be a big one.
The solid earth rises in front of Toph, breaking into chunks and moves towards you like waves in an ocean. It grows taller and taller the closer it draws towards you until it casts a shadow over the entire area you're standing on.
"Impressive. But you're not going to bury me that easily.
However, like a Water Tribe Surfer, you face it head on and launch yourself forward, directly into the Earth tsunami. You slide along the inner face of the wave like a ramp before sliding along it sideways, trying to find a way past it before it flattens you against the cave's wall.
Toph suddenly jumps out of the massive wave of rocks and starts riding it just like you are. Facing you directly, hanging on sideways, she launches several large rocks in your direction. With your arms still encased in earth, you shatter them with well-timed punches in the air as you close in on your student/opponent. Then you throw a fist forward, shooting out several smaller rocks from your gauntlet towards her.
Toph blocks them by raising a wall in front of her using parts of the wave, then shoots it forward. You break that with another punch and you immediately advance again.
Toph starts making rocks fly out of the wave from the side and you bat them away as best as you can. One ends up hitting you square on the side and you're knocked off your feet. Now you're tumbling down the wave of solid rock, your body assailed with bruises and scratches.
You recover by catching a piece of rock that affords enough grip to hang firmly onto and you use your superior upper body strength to pull yourself up to stand on it. You use it like a makeshift platform and bend it to continue your offensive on Toph.
"I wouldn't try to get closer if I were you! Might wanna pay attention to your surroundings!" Toph shouted while wagging her finger.
You're confused at first, but the realization hits you hard and your gaze shoots to the side.
That cave wall is looking a lot closer. Like seconds away closer.
With quick thinking, you bend beneath your feet making a hole in the wave and throwing yourself through it. You hit the floor but your stone gauntlets and greaves helped cushion your landing. You turn to see the massive earth tidal wave crashing into the wall. That could've been you.
You see Toph landing not so far away from you and you don't hesitate to slide your way towards her, skating through the ground. Toph tries to make you slip by shooting out smaller waves in the earth beneath your feet but you sense them fast enough to dodge them. And you close the distance enough to jump with your arm bent back for a punch.
Like a panicked turtle, Toph quickly encases herself in a rocky dome-shaped shell, instantly blocking your attack. Next thing you know, a pillar of rock comes flying out, launching you a few meters back and knocking you to the ground.
As you're about to pick yourself up, another sudden rise of the earth flips you onto your back and suddenly your wrists and ankles are bound with cuffs of stone. A smug expression looking down on you shifts into your view from above. Then the rest of her body follows. Despite normally being about one-third your height, she's looking taller than ever at that moment. She stands with her fists resting triumphantly against her hips with her bare feet close to your head.
"Hey." Toph casually greets like you're meeting for the first time today.
"Hi." You humor her by greeting her back.
"You're uh. You're looking kinda stuck there." She rubs her nose.
You chuckle. "So it seems."
"How is it down there?"
"I think I quite like the view from up here."
"Bet you'd like it if I was wearing a skirt wouldn't you? Get to see all my little girl bits from down there." Toph flashed a salacious smile.
You can't help but be taken off guard by such a lewd comment.
"Wh-Wha-no, no I wouldn't! First, you're twelve. Second, you're my student! Third, you're the daughter of one of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom! Your parents would have me killed. Or worse!”
The young Earthbender laughed in disbelief. "Oh c'mon, don't tell me you never thought about it even a little bit."
"N-No, of course not. Why would I?" You say, lying through your teeth.
Toph's face became ponderous as she eyed you closely.
"Hmm."
You don't really know what's going through her head. You just see her walking around to the side of your bound body, before lifting one leg and putting her foot on the other side of your torso. Despite being the obvious next move, you are surprised when she suddenly sits on top of your stomach, knocking the wind out of you and making your body fold slightly.
"W-What are you doing?" You ask with widened eyes.
"Nothing. Just taking my victory lap." Toph laughed with a hum from her throat.
"Well, consider yourself the winner. Now can you bend these cuffs off of me and let me go?"
Toph mockingly rubbed her chin. "Hmmm, let me think... Nah."
"So are we just going to be like this for the rest of the day?"
Toph shrugged. "Might be. It depends on my mood after a few hours."
You shake your head. "There's no way you want to do this for 'a few hours'. What are you even going to do during that time?"
You don't like the smile that stretches across your student's face. It's a smile a kid like her shouldn't even be flashing. You're aware of how strong, aware, and capable she is for her age and the look on her face is telling you she might know more than you hoped she wouldn't.
And it's getting you a little heated. And your pants slightly tighter.
She doesn't even answer you. Unless you qualify her following action as one. She lays her palms flat on your chest, before sliding them down like she's trying to feel your muscular pecs over your sleeveless top.
"Huh. Y'know, we’ve spent so much time together and got close a few times, but I don't think I've ever actually, like, felt you. It's not bad."
She brings her hand lower, her palm sliding over your solid abdominals. You shake a little in trepidation, dreading her hands going even lower. You thank the Spirits they don't and instead grab the bottom of your top and slowly lift it up.
Toph licks her lips as she feels your abs slowly come into view, still sliding your shirt up your golden brown body until your entire washboard stomach is in full view. You can't help but squirm under her. But not from discomfort. She's affecting you in ways a student should never affect her teacher. The kind that a preteen shouldn't be doing to a grown adult like you.
But she is. And you hope she doesn't slide back to find out.
She takes her curious hands and runs them all over your pecs, tracing all the lines and curves and little mounds on your stomach. You shudder at the way the tips of her fingers softly glide along you. The slide of her skin along yours leaves trails in its wake like she's a Firebender.
"Wow, you're like a statue..." Toph spoke softly.
Then Toph starts doing exactly what you've been dreading. Her hands start to descend, until her fingers are hooked on the edges of your pants. That's when all the alarm bells in your head start ringing. That's when your body and mind clash and the former is trying to coax the latter into aligning with the wants flaring from within you. You know you shouldn't. You really shouldn't. But your body can't help but want what you've been deprived of for so long and Toph just happened to be the nearest and best person to fulfill these needs even though you know it's wrong.
"Toph. Can... Can you not?" Your voice almost cracks a little. It takes all of your willpower to even say that.
"Hmm? Why? And why is your heart beating so fast?"
"I'm... Not sure if it's a good idea to say." There's a flush on your face while you're trying to turn it away from the girl on top of you.
"No. No I don't. Why don'tcha explain it to the dumb blind kid sitting on top of you?" Toph tilts her head to play up the character she just described.
"I don't really think this is the time for that kind of talk, Toph. At least not in the umm... position we're in." You emphasize by looking down on your own torso, with Toph obscuring the view of your gradually numbing legs.
Toph scoffed. "Talk? You mean bout where babies come from? About how men pound on women with their dicks until they cum a baby into the chick's stomach and then nine months later, it pops out of her cooter? Yeah, been there, heard that."
Your jaw drops. "From where?"
Toph shrugs. "I dunno. I hear things from people sometimes, I guess."
"From who? The Badger Moles? I'm pretty sure I'm the only one you interact with besides your family."
"As far as you know."
There's that smugness again. As much as you like Toph, she can be a bit of a brat sometimes, like right this instant. It's like she's dangling information that she knows makes you curious and teases you with it. Like waving a carrot on a stick in front of you.
"Toph, is there something you want to tell me?"
The young girl shook her head. "Nah."
You raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I promise, I won't tell your parents. I mean, I'm keeping plenty from your parents already, so…
"Nah, I'm good."
You sigh. "Fine. Now can you get off of me now?"
"Mmmm. I dunno. This is kinda fun. Being on top. Dominating you."
"Well, as much as I enjoy you being on top of me, we should either continue our training or call it a day."
"Sifu... you actually enjoy me on top of you?" Toph asked with a smug smile.
You can't hide your face from getting even redder. "I-I don't mean that literally, it's just a figure of speech."
"I dunno. Your heartbeat says otherwise. What about this is getting you so riled up?"
You don't answer her. You've been trying to give her a chance to stop everything herself, but she seems fixated on messing with you and you don't know when she will stop.
So you immediately break out of your Earth bindings on your own. The rocks fly right off your ankles and wrists. You once again catch Toph off guard and in her lapse of awareness you grab her by the wrists and straddle her smaller body, your legs on either side of her.
"Wow. Looks like ya got me." Toph seems more amused by this outcome than anything else.
"Yes. Yes I do."
"There's a lot you can do to me in this position, you know. I can think of at least ten at the top of my head." Toph said.
You groan. "Oh my gosh."
"C'mon you know you want to."
"What is wrong with you?" You ask, genuinely curious as to what's gotten into her.
"A girl can't have a laugh every now and then?"
"I don't know, Toph. I think you're doing a little too much for a joke."
"And you seem to be continuing it." The young Earthbender spoke smugly.
"And now I'm ending it."
You get off of your student and get back on your feet. Toph follows, planting her bare feet back on the Earth where they're meant to, her "vision" returning.
Suddenly a low growl disturbs the silence and your eyes dart to Toph.
"Huh. I guess all that training and teasing worked up an appetite." Toph pointed out as she laid a hand over her stomach.
"Yeah, I'm feeling a little peckish myself." You agree with her, feeling the same pangs of hunger assailing you.
"We can go to my house and I can fix something up."
"Oh heck yeah, I love your cooking!" Toph's cloudy blue eyes light up.
You give Toph a nod before you turn around and create a deep, wide circular hole. Both of you jump in, ending up in a tunnel system that was made by you as well as the Badger Moles to navigate the town with Toph without being seen together. It was a labyrinthine system full of plenty and twists and turns, but thanks to Toph being "one with the Earth" she navigates the two of you through the desired route with very little issue. She even does it better than you. She's the one even leading you.
In no time at all, you both end up under your house. You make a hole in your floor before using the earth like a makeshift lift to bring yourselves into the house.
"Phew. Feels good to be here. Never get tired of how comfy it is." Toph says as she immediately goes to sit on your living room sofa.
"I thought your lavish mansion filled with the finest silks and cottons in the world would be more comfortable." You tell her as you gather some ingredients for your cooking.
"Nah. It just feels more like a prison than a home there. And all the soft stuff makes me kinda... It makes my uhh 'vision' fuzzy and it makes navigating my house kinda hard."
"So does that mean your house makes you... blind?" You try to stifle your laughter.
Toph rolls her eyes. "Haha. You're a riot. I can still 'see' and walk around on my own just fine, I'm just a bit more limited."
"Story of your life when you're living under your parent's roof, huh?" You say as you're chopping vegetables on your counter.
Toph nodded. "Ain't that the truth. I wish I could live here instead."
"You know your parents would never allow that." You say as you're putting vegetables and meat in a boiling pot full of beef bone broth.
Toph sighed. "No. No they wouldn't."
"It would be nice. It gets lonely around here sometimes." You tell her wistfully.
"Why don't you get yourself a girlfriend or something?" Toph asks while laying her head on her hands.
You shrug. "I don't know. Just never thought about it."
"Why not? I'm sure if you put yourself out there even a little bit, you'd have ladies all over you, like Turtle Ducks to bread."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Okay, I can't really tell you about how good you look, but... I think you're prime boyfriend material. You can fight and you can cook. What kind of girl wouldn't want that?"
You shrug as you pour what you cooked into two bowls and bring them to your small wooden dining table.
You shrug as you scoop yourself a spoonful of food. "I mean, it's just beef, veggies, and a thick sauce. Not that complex or fancy. Probably nothing like what you have for dinner at your house.
Toph grunted. "Ugh. I mean none of it's bad, but they're so bland! They don't got the kick like your food does.
You chuckle, flattered by her compliment. "It's funny. A lot of people I've cooked for don't like the fact that it's a little spicy. They tell me I'm better off being a Fire Nation chef."
"And another thing. The portions at home are so freakin' small. Barely filling at all. They always tell me 'you have to watch your figure, Toph. Men prefer their women lean and beautiful, not fat and ugly.'"
"Oh. Sorry they put those kinds of expectations on you."
"I mean, seriously. Like, how am I supposed to know what pretty looks like when I can't even... I can't use mirrors! And I always hate it whenever they get ladies to do my hair or put me through weird 'beauty care' routines that mess with my feet."
"Oh man, that sounds so uncomfortable." You wince at the thought of how Toph would feel during those.
"Like you wouldn't believe. Makes me feel less like a person and more like a doll."
"You're certainly the size of one." You tell her with a smile.
"Pshh. Well, at least I can kick your butt."
"Only because I let you."
Toph scoffs. "Pffft. Yeah right."
"No really. I know you say you like that I keep you on your toes, but I'm actually still wearing kid gloves for you. If I was for real, I would no longer have a kid to bring back to your parents every evening."
"No way. You actually fight better tha- uhhh, nevermind."
Toph goes back to taking spoonfuls of meat and veggies and wolfing them down. You give her a narrow eye as you catch her seemingly evasive about something.
"What were you going to say there?"
"Nothing."
There it is again. It's rather obvious she's hiding something but you don't know what. First it was somehow knowing how babies are made. Now she's implying you fight better than someone she knows.
"Toph… do you have friends that I or your family aren't aware of?"
Toph pauses. "Uhhh…"
"Toph, it's okay to sneak out of your parents' place to meet people behind their back. I know you get pretty lonely at home."
"It's barely a home. More like a fancy, sparkly cage." You can hear the spite in her tone.
"Right. But still, if your parents don't know, at least tell me. So if something happens, I-"
"You're gonna tell my parents?"
You flinch at how angry she sounded, cutting your words off using her own like knives. You understand where she's coming from so you keep things level.
"So I can help you out myself if needed. And I will never tell your parents about it."
"Yeah well, lucky for you, I'm not some princess who ever needs saving. I can take-"
"-care of yourself, I know. I'm the one who understands that the most. But you're not invincible or all-powerful."
"Yeah well… I'll sense them coming and take care of the problem faster than they can even think about doing anything to me."
You roll your eyes. "Oh Toph. You're one of the best Earthbenders I know, but you're not some Demi-god like the Avatar. People slip all the time. Me included."
"Really? You? Master 'I'm-only-using-one-percent-of-my-power'?."
You nod sincerely. "Yes. I needed help. I've had to be saved. Heck, I’ve had moments where I almost died because of my own foolishness. And it was because of other people I'm still here. Training you. And cooking you dinner."
Toph started looking more subdued, which is a rare sight.
"O-Oh… I see."
"Yeah. By the way, these friends of yours… how did you meet them?"
"Uhhh, out… side."
You raise an eyebrow. "Outside?"
"Yeah… I just snuck out of the house and met these guys and we… talked, we did some Earthbending together and… yeah. That's pretty much it."
You nod as you find that it makes sense. "Oh, I see. I'll have to meet these guys sometime. But uhhh, by the way you say 'guys' makes me think… are they all male?"
Toph nodded. "Yeah."
"Uh-huh…"
You think about Toph's surprising knowledge about sex and you feel an ache at the pit of your stomach. You don't want to think Toph would ever let anyone… you really need to ask.
"So uhh. They don't make you do anything… you don't want to, right? Or anything like… weird or inappropriate."
Toph chuckled. "Oh, are you asking me if they tried to bang me? Please, if they even so much as asked, I'd bury them sixty feet under."
You laugh back, less out of humor and more out of relief. "Of course you would. Heck, I'm sure you'd do even worse."
"Exactly. So don't worry, I'm still as pure as the way my parents would want me to be. And you apparently."
You clear your throat. "Uhh, well even if I would prefer you being older before you engage in that sort of… activity. Your potential love life is no business of mine."
"Well, I'm saving myself for you anyways."
"Ack!"
Toph says that right as you're about to swallow a spoonful of your stew. You swallow it before getting into a violent coughing fit that leaves your throat burning.
Toph giggles. "Geez, I didn't think you'd get that excited over it."
"Oh my goodness, Toph. I'm not sure if I like that you keep nudging us towards a very inappropriate relationship."
"But if I was older, would you?"
"We are not having this discussion, Toph."
"Alright but just to let you know… I'm already having my monthly uhh… flow."
"Your… monthly flow. And what does that have to do with anything?"
"Old enough to bleed, old enough to breed, amiright?" Toph flashed a comically large smile.
You sigh in exasperation. "Eat your food, Toph. Or I'll take your bowl and leave you starving."
You both eat the rest of what's left of your meal. You refill them and eat more until you have enough for a few more servings for later.
You and Toph end up relaxing on the couch. You're laying down sideways and reading a book while Toph is laying her little body on your chest looking up at the page you're on. Part of you know this was bordering on inappropriate intimacy, but she’s cute enough and you keep things clean that you don’t mind.
"Ohh I know this one! The main character dies in the end!" She taps the page of your book with her finger.
"Haha, very funny." You say, making sure your tone fully reflects the sarcasm.
"But seriously, whatcha reading? I think I recognize this one because you keep picking it up off the same spot in your bookshelf."
"Very perceptive. It's just some war novel I picked up from the library."
But it really isn't. You didn’t even get it from the library. It's actually a cute little romance story between a schoolteacher and his student which an old friend gave you. And it's a very steamy one at that. That's one reason you're grateful for Toph's blindness.
"But… I know you're lying. It's not a war story." She accuses you.
Your lips grow dry. “Yeah it is.”
“Okay but your heart beats really fast when you read it. In like a… nervous kinda way.”
“The story has me at the edge of my seat?” You offer with a nervous grin.
"Okay seriously. What's the story actually about?"
There's the reason why you're also not a fan of her extraordinary senses. Because she's a human lie detector that can pick up even the smallest fibs. You decide there’s no point in continuing this facade so you give up.
You sigh. "It's… it's a romance."
"Haha! I knew it!" She spoke with high-pitched joy.
"You're not surprised?"
Toph shook her head. "Nah. I know you're tough, but you got a bit of a soft spot too. Plus I mean… you're a lonely person so I get why you're into them."
"Right."
Toph rolls on top of you, nuzzling her head on your chest. You know it's not on purpose, she's just trying to get comfortable. Yet your body can't help but react to the way she moves on top of you. It doesn't help that you're on a particularly erotic page with your own student literally on top of you.
"Mmm, heart's racing again. And you're warming up." She points out.
You gulp, staying silent as you struggle to get past the passage in your book.
"Got to a really steamy chapter, huh?" She deduced like a true detective.
"N-Noooo."
Toph laughs in disbelief. "It's one of those dirty stories, isn't it?"
"Uhhh, I…"
"Read it for me."
"What?"
"Read… it. I wanna hear something really spicy."
"This isn't appropriate for a girl your age, you know." You try to be firm.
"It's just words. Not like I can imitate whatever happens in it."
"Exactly. So you can go ahead and take a nap while I read this here."
"Nah I still wanna hear you read it out loud. At least on this hot part you're on."
"Toph…"
"C'mon… pwease Mastew? I pwomise I'll be a good wittle gowl while you tell me a story."
You're immediately put off by her persuasion tactic. You can't help but feel creeped out by it. The way she used such a high pitched, child-like voice makes your skin crawl and not in a good way. You have your proclivities but you aren't that lewd enough to be so easily swayed by that kind of performance.
"Please. Never do that again." You politely, but firmly tell Toph.
"Not doin' it for you, huh?"
"Not in the least bit."
"Was it at least a good one?"
"It was weird. It's just not you."
Toph laughed. "Okay how about this..."
She cleared her throat. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath. Once she opens them again, she looks up at you as she flutters her lashes at you.
"Can you please read me your story... Daddy? I prooomise I'll be a good girl and… let you do whatever you want to me."
That hits you very differently. Much different. You hate how badly it's affecting you. And you hate it even more that Toph can sense every way your body's acting. The sudden spike in your heartbeat, the sweat creeping up on your forehead, the heat flaring up all over your skin. There's no way to escape it.
That line blurring between playing with youthfulness but relying on more mature feminine charms sends your brain and body into a tizzy. You like to be the dominant and authorative force, but you also like to have your partner on some degree of equal footing with you. Knowing how to play you as well as you know how to play them. And Toph captures that really well.
Toph flashed a victorious smile. "Heh. That definitely got you."
Denying it is useless, so you dismiss it instead. "Wh-Whatever. I'm still not going to read you the passage."
"Oh, you won't, huh? Then what if I..."
Toph leaves her sentence hanging, she lifts herself up on your chest just a little. She lets her hand gradually slither its way down your body, going over your stomach.
"Toph, what- what are you doing?" You ask even while knowing the answer.
"Oh nothing. Just thought maybe you could... Use some relief. You seem so tense."
"Toph seriously, you're really-"
Despite her being much smaller than you, gently pressing her hand on your stomach somehow freezes you in your tracks harder than any of her Earthbending attacks ever did. It was the way her blank, but beautiful eyes burned into yours, searing into your soul. It's like she can see everything and nothing all at once.
Then the very tip of her finger taps the edge of your pants and that was the final straw.
"Okay, okay! I'll read it to you! Can you just... stop?" You're practically begging with fear in your voice that you don't recognize.
Toph couldn't stop herself from laughing at you. "Oh man, you should've seen your face. You didn't actually think I was gonna do anything, right?"
"Uh, of course not. Heh. We're... I know you were just messing with me. Like you always do."
You laugh anxiously and clear your throat. You thank your lucky stars she did not end up touching your raging boner despite being well on her way to do so.
"I still wanna hear your story though."
You sigh with resignation. You don't want her to make another attempt to convince you because you don't know what else she would try next. And you're afraid to find out.
"Fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you about this being inappropriate."
Toph pumps her fist in the air. "Yes! Whooo! It's dirty story time!"
Toph goes back to laying on your chest, looking up at your book like an excited kid getting ready for bed. She cuddles up to you as you can feel her hum with delight, her body vibrating softly upon your chest.
For some reason, it makes you feel warm.
You take a deep breath before you start.
"Kenji sat on his desk, sweat falling down his face and his hands clasping on the arms of his chair. He looked up at Shina, sitting on the edge of his desk with a taunting smile. Her skirt rides a little high as she crosses her smooth, pale legs."
"Ooh, I'm liking the start of this already. Keep going." Toph hummed in delight.
You continue. "'Instructor Kenji, you seem so tense. This is just our regular after school study session, isn't it?' Shina says, the innocence in her tone belying something else.
'Y-Yes, yes it is. Sorry, it's... just been a rough day,' Kenji says, rubbing the back of his short black hair.
'Oh, that's not good at all. Maybe I could... Help you out?'"
Before Kenji could say or do anything, his student uncrossed her legs and she snaked around him with grace that took his breath away and speed that was beyond his perception. It took a moment for him to process the fact she was standing behind him.
'Sh-Shina...' A breath hitched in Kenji's throat as he felt his teenage student's silky hands rubbing along his chest.
Her breath burned the skin on his earlobe like she was Firebending the heat from her lips. 'Just relax, Instructor. Let me take care of you.'"
"Ooooh, a bit of a slow burn. But I dig it. Keep it up, Sifu." Toph remarked.
"Shina's hands slide up her teacher's chest, fingers brushing over his nipples through his shirt. That brief flick set his nerves alight, driving his body to jump for a moment. She circles her wide open palms around his pectorals, drawing a breathy gasp to slip from his throat, perking up his student's ears and a cat-like expression became etched onto her face.
'Are you okay, Instructor?' She asked. Kenji can hear that subtle teasing in her tone that let him know she knew exactly what she was doing.'
'Sh-Shina, c'mon...' Kenji's voice was pleading.
'Oh my. It seems like it's worse than I thought... Maybe I need to... Work a little harder...'
Once again, Shina exhibits her inhuman speed and Kenji barely registered her jumping onto his lap. Once his senses came back to him, he felt the burning heat of her hands on his cheeks and the chill shooting up his spine and the buzzing electricity all over his thighs.
'Much better isn't it, Instructor?' Shina asked, her thumb caressing the older man's clenched jaw.
Unable to take it anymore, Kenji's arms shot out his hands on the back of her head, before stealing her lips into his own. No doubt taken by surprise, the teenage student squeaked into his lips. He kept their mouths tightly shut and his tongue wiggled past her lips, lashing it over hers, immediately dominating her."
"Whoooa, Mr. Teacher's getting ballsy! Definitely more than you, Sifu." Toph laughed.
"If you're gonna be like that, maybe I should stop."
"Nonono, keep going. I wanna see how far our boy Kenji takes it." Toph urged.
You roll your eyes. "Ugh, fine.
‘The fire within burning ever greater, Kenji practically throws his student on top of his desk, knocking over much of his parchment and inks and quills. He's on top of her, practically consuming her. She wrapped her legs around him, ensuring him no means of escape. But even if he could, he didn't want to.
Kenji's hands wander lower, before slowly rising back up Shina's smooth, velvety legs. The teacher clenched on her thigh, feeling its doughy softness collapse under his fingers. He moved in every way he could to fully savor the flesh under his fingers, feeding off of the tingles dancing along the skin of his hand.
Shina pulled her lips away for a moment, giving Kenji the opportunity to plant quick, hungry kisses along his student's face and lower jaw.
'I-Instructor... Please, touch me...' Shina begged, her lips so close to her teacher's ear that she was almost kissing it. "
Toph hopped in place. "Ooooh, it's happening! C'mon, Kenji boy, get 'er! Break her over that desk!"
"Aaaaand that's where we end it there." You say as you clap your book shut and lay it on the small side table on the side of your sofa.
Toph sits up, furrowing her eyebrows at you. "Aww, what!? We were just getting to the good part!"
"We can save it for another day maybe. But uhhh... I think I'd rather not continue." Your voice trails off.
"Why not? Is it because you don't want to read the graphic sex scene between a man and the girl who's too young to be making out with?" Toph says with a smug smile.
"Yes. Yes it is."
"Why do you even have that, anyways? Is that a fantasy you want to come true?"
"N-No, Toph. It's just... I read it for the plot and characterization! A friend sent it to me!"
"For the plot, huh... What's even the title of the book, anyways? And who wrote that?"
You almost want to tell her a different title because of how embarrassing it is, but you know you can't get anything past her.
"It's called... Steamy School Stories... by SN Haki." You tell her flatly.
"Huh. Something sounds weird about that name."
"It's a Fire Nation name."
"Wait what? How did you get a book from... The Fire Nation? I thought the other nations stopped trading with them for like forever already."
"A friend gave it to me. Not from the Fire Nation, but... He's a scholar who collects their various uhhh… products and memorabilia. He had a lot of books kept in storage and gave me a few of them."
Toph paused, looking like she was deep in thought about what you just said. She gives you a look that's a bit hard to read.
"A guy with… Fire Nation stuff, huh?"
"Well, okay. To be very clear, he doesn't support them or the war they brought to our four nations. At least not like some of those living under Fire Nation rule. But he is a fan of their culture, their aesthetic, their history, their technology, and even their bending." You clarify, not wanting to give someone you know a bad name.
"And how'd you meet this guy?"
"We were roommates at the University of Ba Sing Se. He was a bit of a weirdo, but he was nice and we got along pretty well. He kept me up sometimes gushing over Fire Nation stuff. I just silently tolerated it but he did teach me some interesting stuff I still remember to this day."
"Yeah… that sounds about right…" Toph says it like it's typical.
"Haven't seen him in years, though. Wonder what he's doing now?"
"Beats me." She responds plainly.
"Anyways, I think it's a good time for you to go home. It's getting a little late." You suggest to her.
Toph shrugs. "Yeah, maybe."
"Alright. Let's get on over to your house then."
"Maybe I should wash myself up a bit. My parents don't want me to come back stinky."
You nod in agreement. "Sounds like a good idea."
Toph borrows your washroom to clean herself up and change into clothes she knows her parents would expect her to wear. You guide Toph to that spot in your living room. The ground slowly falls beneath you, taking you back to the complex tunnel system you both made. After a bit of walking with Toph's guidance, you end up in the right spot and sending yourselves up with rising earth you pop out of a hole in the ground in an alleyway that's within walking distance of the Beifong mansion.
You both knock on the opulent double doors of the fancy house and it isn't long until one of the maids answers the door.
"Oh! Why if it isn't little Toph and her teacher. Come in, come in, your mother and father are waiting. Dinner has already been set."
"Yeah. I'm sure they are. Time for another boring meal with bland food."
Toph walks right in. You're about to follow in after her when a small, delicate hand stops your advance.
"Uh, sorry? I thought the Beifongs would want to see me to give me my daily payment."
"My apologies… but the Beifongs would rather you not see them while dinner is being served." The maid looks at you with wistful eyes.
"What about my payment?"
"Here. They tasked me with giving it to you."
She hands you a small wooden box with the Beifong family seal containing gold pieces that nearly filled the entire box. You rummage through it, counting each individual coin out.
"It's short." You point out.
"The Beifongs are displeased with you bringing her far later than what is agreed upon. So they cut your pay."
You roll your eyes. Seeing how useless it is to argue with their maid, you just grumble and accept it. It’s still a lot of money anyways.
"Thank you…" You end up saying.
The maid gives a small smile. "You're welcome. Have a good night."
The door closes shut behind you. You go back home walking in the streets normally instead of the underground tunnels. You walk into the lonely little house, change your clothes, and basically drop dead on your bed.
You wake up the next morning and you go out to check your mailbox. It's empty save for an envelope that has a wax seal marked with a symbol you don't recognize. It's even addressed directly to you.
"Huh… I'm not expecting any letters from anyone…"
You open it and you read the letter that's inside. Your eyes glide over the words and the confusion starts to build as your gaze climbs down the paper.
"Earth… Rumble?"
There’s one particular passage that makes your blood run cold and what makes this a letter worth taking seriously.
We know who you are. What you used to be. What you’ve been up to. If you don’t want your secrets revealed, I suggest you follow every instruction to the letter.
You're given a location, an organization/event, and a name. None of which you recognize but you know you're the right recipient, which makes this even more perplexing. Its parting message spawns even more questions.
Welcome back to the ring, Bonebender.