Chapter Text
It was his idea, and it was all his fault.
He told her that she should go into the office. She was so bored and antsy at home, Kanto felt terrible that she was cooped up with the baby. Toph was so used to being out in the field, working up a sweat, and being covered in a healthy coating of earth throughout her life. And ever since they knew they were having Lin, her ability to do field work and immerse herself in stress-inducing environments dropped significantly. She managed the day-to-day without her normal routine, but Kanto could tell that she was restless.
So he offered to stay at home with Lin while she did a bit of work at the station, just to get her blood pressure up and her mind on other things. And the way her face lit up, he wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Or so he thought at that moment.
When she said goodbye and gave Kanto the biggest kiss that morning, Kanto thought pretty highly of himself. It wasn’t every day that the Greatest Earthbender in the World praised him for his great ideas, even if he was her partner.
But it was an amazing start to the day, and the fact that he spent his time with Lin was well-deserved. Since she was born, he hadn’t been at home as much as he wanted to, but today was their day. They got to enjoy each other’s company and he savored the little babbles and movements Lin made. And when Toph got home, he planned to rub it in her face, to tell her that he was the favorite parent. By the time it was dinner, Kanto and Lin were in sync, and he couldn’t wait to tell Toph about their amazing, uneventful day.
But then dinner time came and went, and Toph still wasn’t home. Normally such a tardiness wouldn’t worry the earthbender, but they agreed that this particular day would be a short one, and that Toph would be back at home by now. Lin grew fussy as well, so after he ate, Kanto nervously paced back and forth across the hall, waiting for Toph to come home.
Hours seemed to pass by, and she still wasn’t home. The waiting became so unbearable that he called the station and asked where she was. When they told him that she was out on a mission and that they weren’t back yet, his heart dropped in his chest.
Toph went on a mission, and she wasn’t back yet? Did they know where she went? Was it expected to take this long? Has anyone heard from the team since they left?
All those questions remained unanswered, and by that time Lin was inconsolable. The poor thing was waiting for Mama to come home, and so was Kanto.
Lin tired herself out from crying, and Kanto gently placed her in the crib while he stayed up. Every thirty minutes he called the station to get updates, and every thirty minutes they had nothing to report.
Spirits, Kanto couldn’t take this anymore. His breath became short and labored, and his mind went to the worst case scenarios as he thought of what could have happened.
A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts, but his mind and body weren’t at ease. Anyone could be on the other side of that door, and there was only one person he wanted to see right now.
And he feared that she wouldn’t be there.
Steeling his nerves, Kanto walked to the door of their house, and opened it with hesitation. Before he could see who had knocked, Kanto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, desperately hoping that Toph was the one that knocked.
What he saw took his breath away.
Lines of officers, some in pristine and shiny uniforms unscathed from their duties that day, some dirty and wearing tattered metal around their bodies stood at his front door.
And it took every bit of strength in his body not to break down.
“Deputy Kanto,” an officer, whose uniform was dented and scratched and cracked from battle, said. He straightened his posture and cleared his throat, continuing, “Earlier today, a team of metalbenders went to the industrial side of the city because of multiple reports of suspicious activity. Chief Beifong led the pursuit—”
“No, please.” Kanto shook his head vigorously, unable to contain his tears any longer. He pleaded again, “Please don’t say it.”
The officer paled, and his eyes grew misty as well. “I’m so sorry, sir. But I regret to inform the—the Beifong house that the Chief—”
He didn’t hear the rest of the speech, but Kanto was sure that it was good, and that the officer did his job well. Still, the rest of what the officer said were just muffled words, words that Kanto never wanted to hear, and in a cruel, ironic way, he never did hear them.
But the reality was that the love of his life was gone, and Kanto collapsed on the floor and sobbed. Toph was gone, the glue to their home, the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, would never come back. Lin would grow up without a mother, and Kanto without his partner. He was inconsolable, and after his officers realized that, they mentioned informing Toph’s other loved ones, and they left him be when he didn’t respond to them.
Kanto didn’t move for hours. He just sat on the floor in his hallway, crying for his love to come home. Because what started out as the most beautiful day, turned into the darkest night.
And Kanto never felt so alone.