i'm fifteen, you jerk! (a:tla, reader insert)

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

"Guys, calm down. Please." you tried to reason with your friends, but they kept attacking each other. "Aang, I'll take your training from here. Let me put down Zuko and Azula first."

"Buck! Buck!" you giggled, booping Azula's nose. "My, my. You two have been awfully chatty since you started to talk. Now, I'll be back in a bit. Okay? Okay." you cooed. "Aang, we'll work on feeling the fire first, okay?"

He nodded, albeit confused. "Firebending is about emotion. Ignite a flame in your palm. Go on." you hadn't trained Aang very much before, and he was clearly confused at your method of teaching. "The trait of bending takes your anger- whether dormant or active, and morphs it into fire. You might not feel anything right now, but when you're in real battle you will."

"I don't get it. How does this help me learn firebending?"

"It doesn't."

"Huh?"

"I am not supposed to be your firebending master. Someone else is set to train you. I can only help you along your journey and give you spiritual tips."

"Why don't you just teach me?" you chuckled. "It doesn't work like that. Besides, I wasn't even taught. I wouldn't know how to train you if I wanted to. I can only work with what you know." he accepted your answer, although he was still suspicious.

"Now, try to reflect on yourself. What's your greatest failure? Delve into that, and watch as your fire grows the angrier you get. Keep your emotions in check, though. It is very easy to lose control of yourself." you instructed. The fire started to grow, and you pushed Sokka out of the way as he tried to attack Aang. Toph and Katara were still glaring at each other.

"Good, good. Now, snuff it out. Just as you extinguish the fire, separate your emotions from the events of what you imagined. Become emotionless. Coldhearted, even if for a moment." he followed your instructions, and pride swelled in your chest. "Good job, Aang. You're amazing at this."

"I'll stay with Katara." you declared, moving over to your friend. "You do you, Y/N. Spend time with the girl who doesn't know how to have fun." you stopped the waterbender from biting back at Toph, holding your hand over her mouth.

"Are you okay, Katara? You seem down." she sighed. "I know how to have fun. I'm great at fun!" she grumbled as you started to braid her hair. "It doesn't work like that, you know this. Your definition of fun is different from Toph's, and that's okay. You're allowed to do what you want."

"I know you're right, but I'm still upset." you finished up her hair, tying it back with the chopsticks you had snagged back in Ba Sing Se. How you had the damn thing, you would never know. "And you're allowed to be upset. Forging a relationship is hard, especially when you already care for the person."

"Katara, let them do what they want. From what I understand, they're scamming the scammers. It's not illegal, and it's not wrong if they were already cheating." you advised, but Aang had already started to bow. "We won't do it again, Avatar's promise."

"Now that's wrong. You can't just scam a poor guy! You acted like he killed you!" you scolded, and Katara joined in. "You did what?" she demanded, and Toph spat on the ground. "Neither of you are my moms, so quit acting like it!" you were saddened by her words, but Katara was the opposite. She started to go on a rant, suggesting some... outrageous things.

"Katara, quit it. You don't know how much your words are hurting Toph." you stepped in. Toph stormed off. "Please, stop this. We can solve this peacefully, we don't need any more arguing."

"Toph, I found something you're not gonna like." you perked up, listening in. "Shit. Toph, now you need to stop. Please, before it gets worse." you pleaded. "You're not my mom! God, you're just like Katara! I'm sick of you bossing me around!"

"I don't like to think of it as a mom thing, maybe a cool older sister?" you suggested nervously as she went back to her conversation with Sokka, buying his silence. "And you. You better not tell Katara, or else." wait, she actually thought you would do that? "Toph, you know that I wouldn't."

The two benders began to fight, and even you didn't want to step in. Your name was brought up multiple times, and Katara even turned to you to ask if she was like a mom. You didn't answer, giving your full attention to Zuko and Azula.

You chuckled, using the laughter as a way to ignore the pain in your heart when Katara shouted at Sokka for trying to patch things up. "Sokka, Aang. Please don't intervene any further." you sat down by them. "Okay, Y/N. I'm sorry, I just want to-" you cut him off. "I know you want to help, Aang. I want to help, too. So does Sokka. But it doesn't mean we can try and fix the situation, Toph and Katara need to work it out on our own."

"You don't mean-" you gasped. "Good. You two do that, I'll watch over Sokka and Aang. Actually, they'll watch over themselves. You don't mind if I take a nap, do you?" they shook their heads, and you curled up by your children. "You two go, we'll wait here."

"Y/N, wake up. We need to go find Toph and Katara." you groaned, but got up nonetheless, tucking your sleeping children into your scarf. You walked down to the village, and Sokka remarked that it was empty. As if the universe was taunting you, Sparky Sparky Boom Man made an appearance.

"Watch out!" you yelled, taking out your fans and airbending Sokka and Aang away from the firebender. Mom, please let me airbend like you did earlier. Teach me later so I can learn, but please let me tap from your talents as of now. You prayed.

Toph and Katara joined you, running away from Sparky Sparky Boom Man. "leave us the fuck alone, I know my brother sent you!" you yelled, taking Sokka's sword from him. "What are you-" you jumped, landing on the roof above the assassin. He turned to explode you, and that's when you struck. You threw your weight down, hitting his tattoo with the hilt of Sokka's sword.

He fell to the ground, unconscious, and you ran back to the group. "I have a new name! Combustion Man!" you laughed, leaning on Sokka. "No, no. I think I like Sparky Sparky Boom Man. Although, it is a bit long."

"Toph," you pulled the earthbender closer to you. "I hope you know that I don't want to boss you around. You're like a little sister, I couldn't bear it if you got hurt. It's different with everyone else- I see myself in you. Sorry, that doesn't make sense. Ignore me."

"No, keep going." you perked up. "I just- I was you, once upon a time. Although, I didn't run away, and I didn't have people that cared for me, either. I also wasn't allowed to be rebellious- no what I think about it, I wasn't like you. I mean, I was, I just couldn't act on any of my thoughts. You know?"

She chuckled, moving closer to you. "I know."

see idk if y'all can tell but i LOVE toph i am a toph stan