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halfamoonWhat's better than bonding over a late-night snack, right?
Title: The Midnight Diner for Insomniacs
Author: alchemicink
Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender
Character(s): Suki/Toph Beifong
Notes: 937 words; post-canon; pre-relationship (you could probably read this as platonic if you wanted)
Fic is below the cut, and also on AO3 here
"Sounds like a little animal is rummaging around the Fire Lord's kitchen," Suki teases as soon as she spots Toph, on her tiptoes, stretching her arm into one of the cabinets. Whatever she's trying to grab must be just out of reach.
"Badger-moles," Toph plays along with the joke. "They're hungry."
"It's like, way past midnight."
Toph pulls back empty-handed, and for a split second Suki thinks she's given up. But then Toph vaults herself up onto the countertop instead, giving her a much better angle to reach inside the cabinet. It's been several years since they first met, but sometimes Suki thinks Toph is still strikingly similar to the 12-year-old she first met.
Toph closes the cabinet a moment later, triumphant as she comes away with a jar of something pickled in her hand.
"I could have grabbed that for you," Suki points out, to which Toph turns and scrunches up her nose at the suggestion.
"What are you doing here, by the way?" Toph asks. "Rummaging around the Fire Lord's kitchen at this time of night."
Suki watches Toph fiddle with the jar's top until it finally pops off, then she shrugs and answers, "Couldn't sleep."
It's the easiest explanation.
Suki enjoys these occasional visits to Zuko – especially because it's so rare to have the whole gang together again these days – but she finds it hard to sleep here sometimes. Maybe it’s the old lingering memories of her time at the Boiling Rock, always in the back of her mind like a haunting specter whenever she returns to Fire Nation soil. Even though the war is long over and the danger has passed, she just finds it difficult to settle whenever she's here.
Toph's blank expression shifts into something more thoughtful, and for one horrifying moment, Suki is worried that she might actually ask her to explain why she can't sleep. But maybe she doesn't need to, maybe she understands the feeling too, because instead, Toph just offers up the mystery pickle jar and grins.
"Well then, welcome to The Midnight Diner for Insomniacs. We have pickles."
Now it's Suki’s turn to scrunch up her nose because the smell is pungent. She supposes that must be how Toph found the stuff in the first place.
"Uh, how about I scramble some eggs instead?"
"Your loss," Toph shrugs.
It isn't difficult to find a frying pan and the rest of what Suki needs to get started. Soon enough, the kitchen is filled with the sounds of eggs sizzling in the pan and the spatula scraping against cast iron. From her perch on the countertop, Toph provides commentary on the absurd number of ways to cook an egg. Twice, Suki laughs so hard that the scramble nearly burns.
Once the food is ready, Suki climbs onto the countertop to settle next to Toph, and they eat their weird midnight snack of smelly mystery pickles and half-burnt eggs together. It's a much better option than tossing and turning alone in her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"You'd think this place would have better night-time snack options," Suki says with a laugh.
"If you fill out the paperwork for me, I'll file a formal complaint," Toph replies. "It's really funny when Zuko has to respond to those."
Suki snorts and almost drops her plate. She can already imagine Zuko's exasperated expression.
The conversation shifts to different foods they've tried while traveling, comparing the delicious with the downright disgusting. Suki’s anxious feelings fade away, shifting to something more calm the longer they talk. For as chaotic as Toph can usually be, she's much more relaxed at this time of night.
It's been a while since the two of them spent time together like this. Too busy taking care of things in different parts of the world, helping people recover from the war in different ways. But Suki wonders what it'd be like to have Toph as a companion for a while, to be able to have someone to talk to in the middle of the night instead of facing it alone like usual.
"Hey Toph," she starts, but then trails off, unsure if she should really ask. She shoves another bite of scrambled eggs into her mouth to avoid speaking for the next thirty seconds.
Toph, of course, punches her shoulder and tells her to just spit it out.
"Not literally," Toph hastily adds.
And that's really all the motivation Suki needs.
"I'm not heading straight back to Kyoshi Island when I leave here. If you don't have plans, do you wanna travel with me for a bit? We could go to that noodle shop in Omashu you were telling me about?"
Toph tilts her head, like she's making a show of thinking it over.
"I suppose if there's better food involved than this..." she answers, gesturing to the now-empty pickle jar.
"Can't guarantee it."
Toph laughs. "You're doing a great job of selling this idea."
"I learned that skill from Sokka," she jokes.
"Alright, alright, I'll go with you. But I'm also taking you out for pancakes at the best breakfast place in Gaoling."
"Sounds like a plan," Suki smiles.
They eventually decide to clear out of the kitchen and head back to their rooms, even though Suki still doesn't think she'll be able to sleep much. But this time her problem is a buzzing feeling of excitement instead of a heavy weight of dread hanging over her head.
Maybe that plate of scrambled eggs was the best midnight snack she's ever had. Or maybe... there'll be even better ones in the future, having someone to share it with.
Title: The Midnight Diner for Insomniacs
Author: alchemicink
Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender
Character(s): Suki/Toph Beifong
Notes: 937 words; post-canon; pre-relationship (you could probably read this as platonic if you wanted)
Fic is below the cut, and also on AO3 here
"Sounds like a little animal is rummaging around the Fire Lord's kitchen," Suki teases as soon as she spots Toph, on her tiptoes, stretching her arm into one of the cabinets. Whatever she's trying to grab must be just out of reach.
"Badger-moles," Toph plays along with the joke. "They're hungry."
"It's like, way past midnight."
Toph pulls back empty-handed, and for a split second Suki thinks she's given up. But then Toph vaults herself up onto the countertop instead, giving her a much better angle to reach inside the cabinet. It's been several years since they first met, but sometimes Suki thinks Toph is still strikingly similar to the 12-year-old she first met.
Toph closes the cabinet a moment later, triumphant as she comes away with a jar of something pickled in her hand.
"I could have grabbed that for you," Suki points out, to which Toph turns and scrunches up her nose at the suggestion.
"What are you doing here, by the way?" Toph asks. "Rummaging around the Fire Lord's kitchen at this time of night."
Suki watches Toph fiddle with the jar's top until it finally pops off, then she shrugs and answers, "Couldn't sleep."
It's the easiest explanation.
Suki enjoys these occasional visits to Zuko – especially because it's so rare to have the whole gang together again these days – but she finds it hard to sleep here sometimes. Maybe it’s the old lingering memories of her time at the Boiling Rock, always in the back of her mind like a haunting specter whenever she returns to Fire Nation soil. Even though the war is long over and the danger has passed, she just finds it difficult to settle whenever she's here.
Toph's blank expression shifts into something more thoughtful, and for one horrifying moment, Suki is worried that she might actually ask her to explain why she can't sleep. But maybe she doesn't need to, maybe she understands the feeling too, because instead, Toph just offers up the mystery pickle jar and grins.
"Well then, welcome to The Midnight Diner for Insomniacs. We have pickles."
Now it's Suki’s turn to scrunch up her nose because the smell is pungent. She supposes that must be how Toph found the stuff in the first place.
"Uh, how about I scramble some eggs instead?"
"Your loss," Toph shrugs.
It isn't difficult to find a frying pan and the rest of what Suki needs to get started. Soon enough, the kitchen is filled with the sounds of eggs sizzling in the pan and the spatula scraping against cast iron. From her perch on the countertop, Toph provides commentary on the absurd number of ways to cook an egg. Twice, Suki laughs so hard that the scramble nearly burns.
Once the food is ready, Suki climbs onto the countertop to settle next to Toph, and they eat their weird midnight snack of smelly mystery pickles and half-burnt eggs together. It's a much better option than tossing and turning alone in her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"You'd think this place would have better night-time snack options," Suki says with a laugh.
"If you fill out the paperwork for me, I'll file a formal complaint," Toph replies. "It's really funny when Zuko has to respond to those."
Suki snorts and almost drops her plate. She can already imagine Zuko's exasperated expression.
The conversation shifts to different foods they've tried while traveling, comparing the delicious with the downright disgusting. Suki’s anxious feelings fade away, shifting to something more calm the longer they talk. For as chaotic as Toph can usually be, she's much more relaxed at this time of night.
It's been a while since the two of them spent time together like this. Too busy taking care of things in different parts of the world, helping people recover from the war in different ways. But Suki wonders what it'd be like to have Toph as a companion for a while, to be able to have someone to talk to in the middle of the night instead of facing it alone like usual.
"Hey Toph," she starts, but then trails off, unsure if she should really ask. She shoves another bite of scrambled eggs into her mouth to avoid speaking for the next thirty seconds.
Toph, of course, punches her shoulder and tells her to just spit it out.
"Not literally," Toph hastily adds.
And that's really all the motivation Suki needs.
"I'm not heading straight back to Kyoshi Island when I leave here. If you don't have plans, do you wanna travel with me for a bit? We could go to that noodle shop in Omashu you were telling me about?"
Toph tilts her head, like she's making a show of thinking it over.
"I suppose if there's better food involved than this..." she answers, gesturing to the now-empty pickle jar.
"Can't guarantee it."
Toph laughs. "You're doing a great job of selling this idea."
"I learned that skill from Sokka," she jokes.
"Alright, alright, I'll go with you. But I'm also taking you out for pancakes at the best breakfast place in Gaoling."
"Sounds like a plan," Suki smiles.
They eventually decide to clear out of the kitchen and head back to their rooms, even though Suki still doesn't think she'll be able to sleep much. But this time her problem is a buzzing feeling of excitement instead of a heavy weight of dread hanging over her head.
Maybe that plate of scrambled eggs was the best midnight snack she's ever had. Or maybe... there'll be even better ones in the future, having someone to share it with.
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Date: 2024-04-09 02:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-04-11 12:41 am (UTC)