Chapter Text
The Fire Nation Royal Palace was throwing one of its rare parties that wasn't purely political. Zuko had actually wanted this one, a celebration for the 5th anniversary of the end of the Hundred Year War. Lanterns floated in the air like captured stars, music thrummed through the great hall, and dignitaries from every nation laughed a little too loudly over expensive wine.
Toph hated it.
She stood near a pillar, barefoot as always, feeling every vibration in the stone floor like needles against her skin. Too many people. Too many heartbeats. Too many lies wrapped in polite laughter. The metal in the decorations and jewelry made everything louder, sharper. She was already regretting showing up.
Then she felt him.
Zuko's footsteps were unmistakable, heavier than they used to be, weighed down by years of responsibility. He was moving toward her through the crowd.
"Hey fire britches," she greeted before he could speak, a smirk pulling at her lips. "You look like you're one bad toast away from setting the curtains on fire."
Zuko exhaled something that was almost a laugh. "And you look like you want to sink the entire palace into the ocean."
"Close. I'm thinking about sinking myself into the floor just to get away from all this noise."
He was quiet for a moment, studying her the way only he did, like he actually saw past the blind earthbender’s act. "Come on," he said, voice low. "I know a quieter place."
***
Twenty minutes later they were in the Fire Lord's private chambers, the door locked, the balcony open to the warm night air. A bottle of expensive Fire Nation rice wine, strong stuff, sat between them on the low table. They'd already gone through half of it.
Toph was sprawled across a pile of cushions like she owned the place, cheeks flushed from the alcohol. Zuko sat across from her, back against his bedframe, sleeves rolled up, his scar catching the low lantern light.
"Better?" he asked.
"Much." She took another swig straight from the bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Parties are the worst. All that fake smiling. I can feel their lying."
Zuko chuckled. The sound was rough, tired, but real. "Tell me about it. Half those people still want me dead. The other half just want favors."
Toph tilted her head, seeing him through the vibrations of his voice and body. His heartbeat was steadier here. Calmer. She liked that.
"You're wound tighter than a spring, Sparky. When's the last time you actually relaxed?"
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he took the bottle from her and drank deeply. "I don't remember."
Silence stretched, comfortable the way it only ever was with old friends who'd been through hell together. Toph crawled closer until she was sitting right beside him, their shoulders brushing.
"You're allowed to be a person sometimes, you know. Not just the Fire Lord."
Zuko turned his head. Their faces were close. "Is that why you show up after two years, crash my party, and drag me away like you own me?"
"Maybe," she said, grinning. Her voice dropped. "Maybe I just missed you."
The air changed. Zuko's breath hitched. Toph could feel the spike in his pulse, the way his muscles tensed then deliberately relaxed. She reached out, fingers finding the edge of his jaw, tracing the rough line of his scar with surprising gentleness.
"You've always seen me," she murmured. "Even when I was just a loud little brat. I wish I could see you."
“You can do more than that,”
***
What happened next was clumsy at first, years of tension finally snapping.
Zuko kissed her like a man who'd been drowning and suddenly found air. Toph laughed into his mouth at how eager he was, then kissed him back harder, pushing him down onto the cushions. Clothes came off in a messy rush, his heavy robes, her simple green tunic, the sash that held everything together.
They shed the rest of their layers in a frantic blur. Skin against skin, heat against solid earth.
Zuko was stronger than he looked. Years of firebending and carrying the weight of a nation had carved lean, powerful muscle into his frame. Toph was short and densely muscled, but the size and strength difference would become very clear soon.
She planted both hands on his chest. Her palms roamed freely, reading the hard planes of his pectorals, the raised scar tissue on his left side, the way his abs clenched when she dragged her nails lightly down them. Every twitch, every shiver, every rapid thud of his heart painted a vivid picture in her mind.
“Spirits, Zuko…” she breathed, almost reverent. “You got strong. All this lean muscle… you’ve been working yourself half to death, haven’t you?”
He groaned as her hips rolled experimentally against him. “Toph—”
“Shh. I’m looking at you.” She came closer, pressing her chest to his, letting her hands continue their exploration. She started tracing the sharp cut of his hips, the V that disappeared lower, then wrapping her fingers around his length. She stroked him slowly, learning his shape, his heat, the way he pulsed in her grip. “Yeah… I see you. Thick. Burning up for me already.”
He pushed her knees up toward her shoulders into a deep mating press and thrust back into her hard. Toph's breath hitched sharply at the new angle, her hands flying up to grip his biceps.
Zuko didn't hold back. He used his weight to drive into her mercilessly, hips snapping forward with deep, powerful strokes. Toph took every brutal thrust with nothing but broken moans and gasps, her powerful body trembling beneath him. The stone floor beneath the bed rumbled faintly, small tremors rolling through the palace as her earthbending slipped out of control.
She could feel he was getting close, his rhythm stuttering, his cock throbbing inside her, his breathing turning ragged.
"Stop," she commanded, voice rough. The suddenness of the experience left her feeling a little overwhelmed.
Zuko froze instantly, buried deep, every muscle in his body shaking with the effort. A desperate sound tore from his throat.
Toph cupped his scarred cheek, smirking even while impaled on him. "Good boy," she purred, voice low and sweet. "Such a good boy for me."
She felt him twitch hard inside her at the praise. With a surge of strength, she pushed him off and climbed on top.
Zuko lay on his back, chest heaving, watching her with dark, hungry eyes. Toph swung her leg over him and sank down slowly, taking him in inch by inch. Her movements were awkward at first, unsure, a little clumsy as she tried to find the right rhythm. She rocked her hips experimentally, biting her lip in concentration.
As Zuko's hands instinctively reached up to grip her waist, Toph slapped them away.
"Don't touch me," she commanded, her voice thick but unyielding. "Keep your hands to yourself. I'm doing this."
Zuko let out a ragged breath but obeyed instantly. He pinned his hands to the mattress, fingers bunching into the silk sheets, his knuckles turning white from the sheer effort of holding back. Toph smirked at his restraint, then leaned forward, trailing her hands across his body. Without her sight, her fingertips became her eyes, mapping out the heavy musculature of his chest, the jagged line of his collarbone, and the frantic, heavy thudding of his heart. She savored the way his skin heated up beneath her touch, his muscles twitching under her palms as she slowly began to move on him.
“Toph… you’re killing me.” His hands clenched and relaxed over and over again before settling on his face, feeling deeply embarrassed by his lack of control and dominance. He tried his best to stifle his moans but all he managed to do was sound even more into it. “That’s it, just feel me,” Toph hummed lowly.
Needing to be closer to her, Zuko braced his weight and slowly leaned up, shifting until he was sitting upright. Toph shifted with him, still impaled deeply, now straddling his lap face-to-face.
Before he could speak, Toph reached up and grabbed his jaw in a strong, unyielding earthbender's grip. She tilted his face slightly, her sightless eyes locked onto his, her thumb brushing the edge of his burned skin.
"Zuko," she murmured, her voice uncharacteristically soft, masking a sudden flash of vulnerability. "Am I pretty?"
Zuko's breath caught. He looked at her, flushed, fierce, utterly breathtaking in the low lantern light. "Yes," he choked out, his voice raw with absolute honesty. "You're the most incredible woman I've ever seen."
A satisfied, triumphant smile broke across her face. Her grip on his jaw softened, her fingers sliding into his dark hair.
"Good answer," she purred. "You can touch me now. Consider it a reward."
The restraint Zuko had been clinging to snapped entirely. His hands flew to her waist, pulling her flush against him as he buried his face in her chest. He captured one of her tight nipples between his lips, sucking and swirling his tongue against the sensitive peak. Toph let out a loud, breathless gasp, arching her back into the sensation as his hands squeezed her hips, guiding her into a faster, deeper rhythm.
Toph gradually found a slow, deep grind that made her moan softly, rolling her hips while Zuko continued to devour her chest, his mouth moving from one breast to the other, marking her skin with wet, hot kisses. Every time Zuko tried to thrust up harder, she pressed down firmly, maintaining control even as her breath grew completely ragged.
When he finally got close again, Toph didn't stop. She kept riding him with that same slow, determined rhythm, hands braced on his shoulders so she could feel every hitch in his breathing and every twitch of his muscles.
Zuko came with a choked groan, pulling out at the last second and spilling hot across her stomach and breasts. Toph kept moving through it, grinding against his length until he was spent.
Afterward, Zuko was panting, his eyes hazy. Without a word, he reached for a clean cloth by the bedside basin and gently wiped her clean, careful, almost reverent strokes across her stomach, chest, and between her thighs.
When he was done, Toph collapsed onto his chest with a satisfied sigh. Zuko pulled the silk sheets over them and wrapped his arms around her tightly.
***
They lay there for a while, the quiet hum of the palace finally fading into the background. Toph rested her cheek right above his heart, feeling its steady, grounding rhythm.
"You know," Toph murmured, her voice a little gravelly from the screaming and shouting she’d suppressed earlier, "for a guy who's supposed to be running a whole empire, you're surprisingly good at taking orders."
Zuko let out a soft huff, his chest rising and falling beneath her. " Don't let the ministers find out, or I'll never hear the end of it." He ran a hand down the curve of her spine, the initial frantic energy between them replaced by a warm, heavy comfort. "Where did you learn to be so bossy anyway? Oh wait, don't answer that. You’re you."
Toph chuckled, nipping lightly at his collarbone. "Damn right. But seriously... I liked it. And I'm glad I was the first one to get you to unwrap that royal stick from up your ass." She shifted, a smirk playing on her lips. "I can tell I'm going to ruin you for anyone else."
Zuko’s pulse spiked under her chest, a sudden flare of heat radiating from his skin. The vulnerability of her comment, mixed with the absolute possessiveness of it, did something to him. The quiet, tired Fire Lord faded, replaced by the intense, burning focus of a firebender who had just been deeply provoked.
"Ruin me?" Zuko's voice dropped an octave, turning rough, commanding. "You think you're done with me?"
Before she could answer, Zuko flipped her onto her stomach with sudden, unyielding strength.
He moved over her, his dominant side taking over completely. He forced her up onto her knees, but instead of letting her lean forward, Zuko pulled her into a nearly upright position from behind. He looped his powerful arms under hers, locking his forearms across her chest and pulling her back firmly against his torso, a tight, inescapable grip that left her completely exposed and bound to him. With his other hand, he reached up, threading his fingers into her dark hair and pulling back just enough to force her head up.
"Let's see who's ruining who," Zuko growled against her ear, and with one brutal, heavy thrust, he buried himself back inside her from behind.
Toph let out a sharp, loud cry, her toes curling into the mattress. The sheer dominance of the position took her breath away. Zuko didn't wait for her to adjust; he began to drive into her with heavy, punishing strokes, his rhythm fast and vocal, letting out low, guttural grunts with every impact. While his one hand kept a firm grip on her hair, his other hand slid down to caress her throat, his thumb pressing lightly against her pulsing artery.
"You like this, don't you?" Zuko demanded, his breath hot against her neck. "Talk to me."
"Yes, god, yes, Zuko!" Toph gasped out, completely unraveled by his aggression. She leaned back into his grip, her usual tough exterior melting into pure praise. "You're so strong, you're amazing..."
Hearing her praise him while entirely at his mercy drove him over the edge. Zuko unlocked his arms from around her, quickly shifting her weight. He turned her over onto her back, pinning her down into a classic missionary position.
Zuko propped himself up on his forearms, drinking in the sight of her toned, flushed body beneath him. Her muscles were tight, her abdomen trembling, sweat making her skin glisten in the dim light. He plunged deep, locking his hips against hers.
As he hit her deepest spot, Toph’s eyes rolled back. Her internal walls clamped down around him violently, pulsing in a massive, shattering orgasm. “Zu—,”
“Shhh, just breath.”
Zuko stopped moving completely. He stayed buried deep inside her, holding himself perfectly still, simply letting her ride out the overwhelming waves of her climax. Toph was entirely breathless, her body shaking, completely overstimulated by the intense friction and the sheer pleasure radiating through her nervous system. She clutched at his shoulders, her fingers digging deep into his muscle as she whined from the intensity.
Only after the last of her tremors began to fade did Zuko start moving again.
He didn't speed up. Instead, he kept the pace excruciatingly deep, slow, and rough, pulling almost all the way out before driving back in to the hilt. He leaned his weight down, his bare hand coming up to wrap firmly around her throat, choking her just enough to restrict her breath and amplify the sensation.
"Look at you," Zuko whispered, his voice dark and dripping with a filthy, raw intensity she’d never heard from him before. He leaned down, murmuring nasty, possessive things into her ear, telling her exactly how tight she felt, how much he wanted to stretch her out, and how she belonged to him in this room. Toph could barely form thoughts, her head thrashing against the pillows, entirely consumed by his dominance.
As his own release rushed up on him like a tidal wave, Zuko’s grip on her throat tightened slightly. "Where do you want it, Toph?"
Toph choked out a desperate, needy breath, her lips parting. "Mmm… Mouth… in my— fuck."
Zuko let out a harsh groan. He pulled out of her completely, the sudden absence making her gasp. Swiftly, he shifted his weight and climbed up over her torso, straddling her chest. He gripped his throbbing length, hovering right over her face, and with a final, heavy shudder, he came straight into her open mouth. Toph took all of it, swallowing the hot, thick streaks of his release, her eyes closed as she savored the taste of him.
Zuko collapsed out of energy, shifting down to lie heavily beside her, his chest heaving as the room fell back into a stunned, ringing silence.
***
When morning crept through the balcony doors, it brought no warmth. The light was harsh, exposing the disaster of tangled silk, discarded clothing, and the sticky, cooling remnants of the night.
Zuko woke first. The heavy, alcohol-fueled haze had cleared completely, replaced by an immediate, suffocating weight in his chest. His eyes snapped open, staring blankly at the ornate ceiling.
Then he felt the vibrations. He felt the small, compact body draped over his side, her skin warm against his.
The realization hit him like a physical blow. The party downstairs hadn't just been a generic celebration for the end of the war. It was the official gala marking his relationship milestone, his public, high-profile anniversary with Mai. The entire world had been in the courtyard celebrating their commitment, and he had sneaked away to the dark of his bedroom to shatter it.
A wave of pure, sickening regret flooded Zuko's throat, so intense he felt like he might actually vomit. His heart began to hammer against his ribs, unsteady, frantic, and loud.
Toph stirred instantly. The violent shift in his pulse woke her better than any alarm. She sat up, the silk sheets sliding down her waist, exposing her bare chest to the cool morning air. Her face lacked its usual smug, confident smirk. Through the mattress, she could feel everything. His body wasn't just tense; it was vibrating with a deep, paralyzing panic and guilt.
"Sparky?" she muttered, her voice rough from sleep and the screaming of the night before. She reached a hand toward him, but stopped. The sheer amount of shame radiating off him was palpable.
Zuko couldn't even look at her. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, burying his face in his hands, his fingers digging into his scalp. The silence between them was deafening, stripped entirely of the intimacy they had shared just hours ago.
"You need to leave," Zuko whispered, his voice broken and completely hollow. "Toph, please. You have to go before anyone sees you."
Toph didn't say a word. The sharp, harsh sting of his regret hit her harder than any earthbending strike. She didn't offer a witty comeback. She didn't call him a coward. She simply gathered her torn green tunic and sash from the floor in total silence, the heavy weight of what they had done settling over both of them like lead.
The earth opened below her and she disappeared.