Work Text:
“Hundred thirty-five.”
“Hundred forty.”
“Hundred fifty,” she counted mentally. Her eyes were closed tight, palms laid flat on the ground. Her senses were heightened as she felt the earth’s epidermis send waves of energy towards her; starting from the source, traveling straight through her palms, and landing in her brain.
The earthbender couldn’t help but bite her lip as she enjoyed the show in her own way. Despite being blind, she was having the time of her life. Her seismic sense was a blessing that no one else in the world could experience. He was already on his two-hundredth rep—or was it? She couldn't remember; she had lost count. However, she could never forget the continuous push and pull of his body against the earth. She felt how his muscles strained every time they were pushed to the limit, holding himself in a plank longer than intended before continuing his push-ups once again.
His body was glistening with sweat. It started from his bare back, rolled down his chest, and dropped to the earth with a quiet splash. Her favorite part of sensing this was when the sweat trailed from his large shoulders, down his sculpted biceps, and over his veiny forearms.
And the best part of all: the ragged breathing and occasional grunts. It was the highlight of the show. With her heightened hearing compensating for her blindness, Toph could hear every struggle, every groan—every deep tone that rang in his throat. It was music to her ears, enough to make her want more. And Toph, being Toph, was greedy and a little bit sadistic.
When she sensed a tilt of his head—signaling that the star of the exhibit was looking toward her—Toph couldn't help but offer a scheming smile. She had plans brewing in that lewd brain of hers as she remained sitting on the ground just a few feet away from Zuko, waiting for him to speak.
And he did.
“Toph? Are you still counting?” Zuko asked, currently oblivious to how erotic the image in her mind truly was.
Toph only whistled in a nonchalant manner before standing up with a fake apologetic look.
“Shoot, I forgot... last I remember, it was around...” Toph paused, placing a finger on her lips as she gazed into the air, pretending to think. “Zero.”
Zuko’s eyebrows furrowed. Oddly enough, he wasn't upset that she’d lost count; he was more worried about what had distracted her.
“Zero? You weren't counting at all... sigh.” Zuko pushed his body up from the ground, sitting on his knees. As he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Toph shivered in delight. She couldn't care less if she looked like a deviant right now; she was just glad Zuko hadn't realized it.
“You alright?”
“Yup. Better than ever,” she emphasized with a grin, inching closer to him with a mission in mind.
“Since I forgot, it only makes sense for you to start all over. I promise this time I won't get distracted.” Toph could feel Zuko’s muscles tense at the idea. He was already strained to his limits, but the earthbender knew he could manage more.
“Well... I can do a few more reps. I assume I need 150 more before finishing, so you don't have to count for me at all,” he pondered briefly, his ragged breathing slowly adjusting to normal, much to Toph’s disappointment. “I’ll do them fast so we can change and re—”
“Actually, Sparky, I have a better idea.” Toph butted in. Zuko was curious; an idea from the earthbender could vary from a scheme to outright genius. He nodded hesitantly, awaiting her instruction.
“Just get into your usual form.”
He did so, adjusting himself into a high plank, hands spread wider than his shoulders and legs apart. He waited for further instruction, but he was caught by surprise. Instead of guiding him to a new workout, he found himself in a weird predicament.
Toph settled herself on top of his back, laying flat against him. Her arms wrapped around his torso while her legs laid flat against his. Her chest, pressed against his bare back, allowed their sweat to mix together.
Zuko froze. The ache from the strenuous workout instantly disappeared as heat rushed not only to his face but also further down. The Fire Lord gulped as Toph’s face came forward; her lips were right next to his reddening ear. She was clearly enjoying this. He could feel the smirk on her face.
Damn this woman, the poor firebender cursed.
“Go on. Don’t tell me you find it difficult to move now just because I added some heavy baggage,” she challenged.
Zuko gulped and sighed. He had never thought he would sweat this hard in his life. “You’re not even that heavy.”
With a grunt, he started to move again listening to toph count loudly. At first, the rhythm was steady—a disciplined, soldier-like pace. Down. Up. Breathe. He tried to treat her weight like a training pack, focusing only on the burn in his triceps and the solid feel of the dirt beneath his calloused palms.
But as Toph’s hands released his chest to grip his shoulders, the rhythm faltered.
Every time he pushed up, his back pressed harder into her, making him hyper-aware of the friction of their sweat-slicked skin caused. His descent became slower, more labored, as he hovered just an inch above the ground, his muscles trembling—not from the weight, but from the effort of not collapsing into the sensation of her riding him.
And gods, she definitely is riding him towards the edge…
“Eighty-five,” she purred against his ear, her hand beginning that slow, maddening circle movement on his bicep. Occasionally letting her nails prod on the veiny parts.
Zuko’s breath hitched. The air in his lungs felt like liquid fire. He tried to focus on his inner flame, to find focus on his inner core, but Toph was a different kind of heat—one that didn't follow the rules of bending. His arms began to shake violently. The counts were coming slower now, the pause at the top of each rep growing longer as he fought for control.
“You’re… slowing… down… on counting..,” he managed to choke out through gritted teeth, his voice straining.
He could feel her smirk against his neck. When her fingers traced the line of his veiny forearm, his focus finally snapped. The discipline of the Fire Lord stood no chance against the "gremlin" that terrorize him on his back. The next rep of his wasn't even a full push-up; he stayed at the bottom, his chest barely brushing the earth, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
To Toph’s surprise Zuko stopped in a sudden, jarring halt. His muscles were locked, trembling under the combined weight of Toph and his own mounting frustration. With one hand remaining planted firmly on the earth, he used his other hand to reach back. He grabbed her jaw, guiding her face forward until she was draped over his shoulder, and pressed a hungry, desperate kiss against her lips.
It wasn't the gentle kiss that zuko always give to her ; it was more of a collision due to lust. His teeth grazed against the earthbender’s as their mouths danced together in a messy, heated rhythm. Toph could taste the salt of his skin and the smoke of his breath, feeling the raw heat radiating off him like a furnace finally being let loose. She let out a muffled hum of triumph into his mouth, her fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulder as she felt him finally snap.
The kiss deepened, turning into a battle for dominance that neither wanted to win. The world around them—the dirt, the workout, the counting —all vanished. There was only the sound of their combined, ragged breathing and the friction of their sweat-slicked bodies as Zuko finally gave in to the gravity of the moment.
And in a blink of an eye the next thing Toph knew after the hot , making out session was her underneath him, she couldn’t help herself but to grin mischievously as she licked her own swollen lips.
“You...menace. You planned all of this, didn't you?” Zuko questioned, as their breathes started to sync, he wasn’t upset but neither was he pleased being teased like this.
Then he heard her confirm everything , proud at her Masterpiece
“Of course I did.”