4970/Teen Angst Part III

Teen Angst Part III
Date of Scene:	02 January 2017
Location:	Earth-199999
Synopsis:	Tony and Toph have a talk about stupid boys.
Cast of Characters:	20, 301

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Day two, and little Robert James Stark is still alive and kicking. Not to mention screaming, pooping, farting and making lots of other nonsense sounds, but isn't that part of the entire deal? The kid is the safest kid in Malibu, that's for sure. Not only does he have his parents looking out for him, but a certain big sister seems to take her duties very seriously as she's been sticking close to Pepper ever since they got home from the hospital, offering to help out even more than usual. Food, drink, items... things are fetched, and if she could it's likely that Toph would have gone to the bathroom for Pepper as well. But one thing she can do is to keep a figurative eye on the little one while Pepper takes a much needed nap.

    The blind earthbender is sitting right next to the crib, fiddling a bit with the large custom badgermole plush that she commissioned for her baby brother, listening to him breathing. Who would have known that babies sleep so much? But at least his breathing is even, his heart is still beating fast... so no need to bother Pepper, who can get some time for herself since she has been rather busy with the baby otherwise.

    Though it does get a little too quiet for Toph's liking as she sighs, leaning a bit over the crib as she resists the tempation to bother the sleeping baby. Instead she sits back in her chair, pulling her feet up underneath her as she begins bending one of the nearby figurines she made for the nursery, making it fly through the air towards her hand.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
The last 36 hours have been a whirlwind, for sure. It's actually quite remarkable that baby Rob is 'alone' in his crib, as between his mother and father both he's barely been out of someone's arms since he arrived. Even superhero parents need to sleep though. With Pepper catching a nap and the baby quiet, Tony sneaked off to the kitchen to make himself a sandwich and catch his breath. No need to haul around a baby monitor with Jarvis on the job, although he can't help but check the visual feed on his phone every few minutes. And so he notes that Toph is still in the nursery keeping an eye on the squid. And he gets out an extra hoagie roll.

Some minutes later, his familiar stride can be heard on the stairs and then he edges into the nursery, nudging the door open with one elbow. In each hand is a plate bearing one of his patented overloaded BLT sandwiches and some potato chips, and tucked in the crook of each arm is a bottle of iced tea. "Hey," he announces his arrival quietly, not wanting to wake the baby. Hopefully the smell of bacon won't do that for him, either. The kid is far too young for solid food, but the allure of bacon is magical regardless. "Thought you could use some lunch too," he offers one of the plates to Toph. "No seriously, take this before I drop it."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The familiar steps coming up the stairs does indeed catch Toph's attention, and she sits up a little straighter the chair, though she's still bending the little rock figurine. At the greeting she nods, "Hey." Yeah, let's not wake the baby. Because he usually makes a lot of noise when he is awake and doesn't get Pepper to cling to. He's already a lot like his dad, huh?

    When Tony holds out the plate to her Toph blinks, then sets the figurine down in her lap before she takes the plate, although with some hesistance. "I'm not really all that hungry," she says, "Still... kinda full from breakfast." Wasn't she busy making faces at Robert while Tony and Pepper ate during breakfast? She does grab the bottle of iced tea though, opening it and taking a hefty sip from it before she nods her head in the direction of the crib. "He's been sleeping so far, no snoring to report yet." So that's good.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"There's always room for bacon," Tony asserts confidently, pulling up another chair so he can sit next to Toph near the crib. Good to hear that his boy as yet exhibits no signs of apnea, however, "I was actually thinking maybe we could talk. About last night. Before Rob stole your thunder." He takes a big crunching bite out of his sandwich, trying to catch all of the crumbs on the plate on his lap. Wipes at a bit of mayo at the corner of his mouth with one thumb, chews, swallows. "From the way you two were skirting around each other, I'm guessing he was a dumbass about it?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Always room for bacon... heh, he might not be too wrong about that. So Toph picks a bit at the sandwhich, pulling out a piece of bacon that she carefully nibbles on, all while still listening to the baby. Seems like calm voices don't disturb his sleep, which is good.

    At the time she had pushed Stan away when he had asked her if she needed to vent about what happened. Mostly because it wasn't the time for it, when Pepper was having a baby. Secondly, it had just happened. It's still fresh in mind right now, however, but... it's in their home, with just them there. Sure, Tony might see it, knowing Toph well enough by now to notice the small signs that she usually hides rather well. For one, the look on her face, an attempt of being neutral, a look that doesn't quite reach her eyes. Not to mention she's quiet even as Tony takes a bite out of his sandwhich. The silence should be telling enough.

    But still, even as he points out how he's noticed that the two best friends aren't hanging out like they have been doing all Christmas, the blind teen takes a breath, then... shakes her head. "No... I... I was the dumbass," she adds, attempting to give a casual shrug that doesn't look entirely convincing.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" Tony retorts mildly, a little smile coloring his tone. "I don't have any dumbass kids. I have /awesome/ kids, one of whom is trying to navigate a difficult situation and may be having some trouble with it, but definitely not a dumbass."

He sets the sandwich down, picks up his drink bottle from the floor and has a swallow. "So," he prods, "you kissed him. I know I promised I wouldn't look but I only saw enough to know you went through with it. What happened?"

Meanwhile the door swings open ever so slightly as Buster noses through the gap, winds around Toph's ankles and proceeds to lick the floor for the crumbs that Tony's plate missed.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The joke does draw a slight smile from Toph where she sits, though it's only briefly before she lowers her head as Tony points out just what's happening. If she's not a dumbass, then why does she feel like one?

    Her own sandwhich rests on her lap along with the bottle of iced tea, and she's quiet as Tony inquires further about what happened. Perhaps she would have been upset at him breaking his promise and actually looking at a moment she would rather have kept private, but... What happened? Shouldn't he know? It's not like he's stupid or anything. Except when it came to his own relationship and he was still trying to build up the courage to propose to Pepper.

    Toph takes another deep breath, then begins tearing at her sandwhich again, picking apart some pieces of bacon that she drops down for Buster as he feels him walking around her ankles.

    "He... freaked out," she finally says quietly, swallowing. Just like she was afraid he would do. "I was stupid and told him, and now..."

    A sniff leaves Toph, and she turns her face away a bit as she blinks. "So yeah, I was a dumbass for messing it up."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Hm," is Tony's immediate response, his face settling into stern thoughtfulness as he chews another bite of his sandwich. Robert makes a soft noise and knuckles a tiny fist into his cheek, then settles down again with a sigh into the softness of his plush badgermole.

"It seems to me," Tony says calmly after a moment, as if this is a conclusion he's come to after careful consideration, "that if he freaked out then /he's/ the one who acted like a dumbass. Telling someone the truth about how you feel is never dumb. I seem to recall a very wise young girl telling me that once."

He gives Toph a sidelong look, smiling. "So what did he say? Because it's obvious to me that he loves you. Maybe... maybe not in the same way, that he realizes, but definitely in a way that he's not going to throw away your friendship over it. He'd have to be WAY dumber than I gave him credit for to do that. Maybe he just needs some time to process. Remember how dumb I acted when Pepper told me she was pregnant?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    More and more bacon pieces are torn off and dropped down on the carpet for Buster, who appears to be happy about the food and not really questioning why so much of it is dropped.

    Toph herself is quiet where she sits, her face still turned away as she breathes slowly through her nose. Though she's clearly listening when Tony speaks, not saying anything yet. And when he says that it's never stupid to tell somebody how you feel, that does make Toph lower her head a bit. Did she say that to Tony back then? Honestly, she can't recall. Just... that she thought he made things needlessly complicated about something that she thought should be simple. But... right now she thinks she can understand how he felt back then. "But..." she begins, all before Tony continues talking.

    Is that really obvious, or is it just that Sokka cares for her in a way different than how she likes him? That really is the problem. Toph swallows, blinking her eyes a few times. "He... didn't say much, but..." she begins, then halts, as if she's trying to gather her thoughts. "... he babbled about how I was confused or something." Like hell if she's confused! She's never confused! "B-but what if I did mess it up and he's not my best friend anymore...?" Because she was stupid and actually kissed him instead of being happy with just being his best friend.

    Another intake of breath, and Toph is unable to keep her eyes dry as they water up where she sits. "It... it was different for you two, you guys were already dating."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony actually laughs softly at that. "Yeah, we were dating. After I dragged my feet for /twelve years/ before I got up the courage to kiss her." He reaches out and rests a hand over Toph's, nominally to prevent the wastage of more good bacon. "Food goes in your mouth, not on the floor," he chides, teasing but with a note of 'no really' -- don't think he didn't notice how little she ate at breakfast.

"Listen, if Sokka is the kind of person to dump his best friend over something like this, then he never deserved your friendship in the first place." He lets that hang for a moment then adds, "But I don't think that's the kind of person he is. If I did he wouldn't have been at that party in the first place." He puffs out a philosophical breath.

"He's just being an idiot right now, Toph, most guys have those moments, myself included. Give him some time and he'll come crawling back. If he knows what's good for him," he offers a little grin and squeezes her hand. Buster helps by standing up on his hind legs, forepaws braced on her knee, to find out what happened to the rain of bacon.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "I... wanted to kiss him for over three years," Toph weakly responds where she sits. As the larger hand rests over hers she sits still, then sniffs again. "I'm... not really hungry." Which is rare for the girl who's known to plunder the fridge and keep it clean of leftovers. She certainly did eat a lot during the holidays, raiding the kitchen along with the boy who's not here now.

    Sokka was here because she had invited him to celebrate the holidays with them, as Toph clearly has enjoyed his company, even going to the South Pole with him. Heck, she didn't even bother to kick him out of her bedroom if he stumbled in at night and curled up next to her with his own covers. They had both been asleep on the couch on Christmas morning, waiting for the time to open the presents.

    For now it looks as if Toph has enough with focusing on breathing where she sits, though she does move her fingers to wrap them around Tony's as he squeezes her hand. "He... thinks I should be with somebody else," she admits, then attempts a forced laugh, even as a tear runs down her cheek. "I mean, he did treat me as a kid most of the time, right...?" Maybe they are both idiots about this. Give him some time? Easy, it's not like she can face him now after being all up in his face and confessing her crush. Because she's already chased him away enough with what she said. No, Sokka isn't a bad person who would hurt others. But maybe she's the one who didn't deserve his friendship in the first place.

    Her fingers tighten their grip on Tony's, and she finally turns her face back towards him. It's clear that his words aren't quite able to convince her, but at least she isn't bawling her eyes out. "... does it always hurt this bad?"

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony pulls an uncomfortable grimace. "When it's someone you really care about? Yeah, I think so," he replies. "That's why I wasted a good chunk of my life not letting myself care about anyone. But when it DOES work -- it's so worth it, Toph." His eyes drift again to the sleeping form of his infant son. "Don't make the same mistakes I did, okay?"

He squeezes Toph's hand again, then lets go so she has her hands free to eat. "At least eat the bacon, okay?" He swipes a thumb over her cheek to wipe the tear away. "You're going to need your energy to properly chastise him when he does get his head out of his ass," he suggests lightly. "Remember what I told you the other day. 'Needing some time' doesn't mean he's looking for an escape route. It just means he's as confused as you. If he really had no idea you liked him in /that way/, right now he's having to re-process all of your interactions and beat himself over the head with how much of an idiot he was to not see it sooner. And if I can apply some of my own experience here, he's probably also trying to work out how on earth someone as awesome as you could ever be interested in /him/."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    That... explains a lot about Tony's past, doesn't it? Not that he talks a lot about it, but Toph does know enough to know the context of that comment. It's only the last years he's begun to really care again, huh? Don't make the same mistakes, he says. Right now it seems so easier to just pull back rather than facing that one big mistake again, however, that much Toph must admit where she sits.

    It's kinda ironic. How she tried to get Tony to eat during the anniversaries of his parents' death the last years, making him food and snacks. And now the thought of eating makes her stomach squirm. There's no way she'll be able to eat a whole sandwhich. And the bacon... Toph doesn't move when Tony swipes his thumb across her cheek, though she does nod her head just a bit. She'll try. So she pulls out a piece of bacon, this time not breaking it up into bits for Buster, who lets out a loud meow as he leans up a bit further, pawing at her knee some more in attempt to get her attention.

    A tiny bite is taken, and she seems to struggle with chewing it while Tony talks about strength, time and other stuff she's trying to focus on. "I'm not confused," Toph clarifies weakly. She never was. Sure, she's met lots of guys, some guys she's been a bit sweet on, but... never somebody like Sokka. It's kinda weird though, how Sokka had asked her why, and how Tony is now commenting on the same thing. "Why? Because we act like dunderheads when we really like somebody," she half-snorts, then sniffles and reaches up with her hand to wipe at her eyes.

    Okay, get it all out while she's at home. Because when she heads back to the Ad Coelum she can't afford to act like this. Especially not if Sokka is there.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Of course you're not," Tony agrees. "You know what you want and you made a move to take it. There's nothing wrong with that. It was the smart thing to do. All of the confusion and idiocy here I'm putting square at HIS feet." He smiles as she at least tries to nibble at the best part of the sandwich, and reaches out with one arm to hook her into his side for a hug. He might even press a light kiss to the top of her head, but he won't tell anyone if she doesn't. "All I mean is, I /still/ can't see how I deserve Pepper, but I've learned to accept that for whatever reason, she decided I was worth her time, so I've tried to just stop questioning it and accept it. He needs to do the same. It just takes some time with us thick headed guys."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Earthbenders are steady and grounded, right? Even if she feels like she's going to crumble up like some extra dry dirt that's been forcefully pulled up from the ground. Is Sokka really a confused idiot in all of this, or is he just being honest?

    There's no struggling on Toph's part when she's pulled in for a hug, and she even closes her eyes and buries her face against his shoulder for comfort. It gives her a break in the gargantuan task of eating the slice of bacon.

    ... will Tony always wake up each morning wondering how he managed to end up with Pepper or what? Even now that they have a baby together? "You guys really /are/ stupid," she mutters, trying to make it sound like a joke. "I... I'll try to eat something later." Toph sniffles slightly where she sits, not pulling back from Tony.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Something to do with that Y chromosome," Tony agrees with a chuckle. He'll let Toph lean on him as long as she wants to; he just keeps kneading his thumb slowly over her shoulder to remind her he's there for her. "Figure out what sounds appetizing at all and we'll have it," he offers. If BACON couldn't do the trick, he'll just have to pull some 'I'm a billionaire' strings to get whatever will work.

Buster, however, is out of luck. After sniffing around on the floor to make sure he got all of the bacon bits that were dropped, he licks his paw haughtily, then jumps up and into the crib, where he curls up near Robert's feet and promptly goes to sleep.