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Aang and Toph made their way to the heart of the market in town, taking in all of its wonders. This was their third date together; the first and second ones having occurred a week and two, respectively; They began casually dating when the pair had dinner together after Aang asked Toph out so she could get out of sitting in a meeting with the now dead former earth king (his throne has since been taken by James Hetfield). It was meant to be a one-off thing, but it went so well, the pair decided on a second date. As before, the two just had dinner together before going their separate ways. Now here they were, exploring a high profile marketplace in the fire nation, out on a third date, and they were enjoying every minute of it.
At the end of the thousand year war, Aang entered a romantic relationship with Katara, something he had long wanted, seeing her as his “forever girl” and looking to a life with her by his side. Sadly, their romance lasted only a month before the pair made the difficult decision to end their relationship. Despite the break-up, Aang and Katara have remained the best of friends. Aang even officiated Katara and Zuko’s wedding and was named the godfather to their daughter Kya. Now, here he was, with Toph (who became Zuko’s bodyguard after the war), enjoying her company as the pair explored the marketplace.
Aang had developed odd feelings for the blind earth-bender. He had always admired her tough as nails, hard-nosed attitude. It was almost as if this was the kind of person he needed in a relationship, with Toph being the complete opposite of what he expected from a woman; head-strong, foul-mouthed, assertive, rebellious, and willingness to throw her weight around unapologetically.
On the other hand, Toph had growing feelings for Aang. He was the only person who didn’t see her as a vulnerable little girl when she first met him, and he would treat her with the upmost appreciation and respect. He also could bring out a softness inside of her, something no one else could do (other than Zuko, but that was more of a “brother and sister” relationship). She would never admit it, but she always had a slight crush on him ever since they first met, and now she was enjoying his company even more than ever.
The pair just had dinner together, and now they were exploring the marketplace together, observing merchants and displays with amazement and curiosity.
“I’m really enjoying this, Aang,” Toph softy spoke.
“Me too,” Aang replied, with Momo on his shoulder, “not bad for a second date, huh?”
“You’ve really outdone yourself this time,” Toph grabbed a hold of Aang’s hand as a slight blush came over her cheeks.
Aang’s cheeks also turned a bright red as he felt Toph’s hand in his.
“Toph, what are you doing?”
“What does it look like, air-head?” Toph spoke in a sarcastic tone, “I’m holding hands with you.”
Aang blinked in confusion, “Who are you and what have you done to Toph Beifong?”
Toph laughed at his response, “it’s still me, twinkle-toes. What, did you think I became some emotional mushy girly girl obsessing over guys or stage dramas? Fuuuuuuuck. That. Shit.”
Aang chuckled, “Never mind, you’re definitely Toph.”
The pair laughed together. There was definitely something more developing in this newfound relationship of theirs. They were growing closer than ever, and Aang was always appreciative to Toph and treated her with even more respect than ever. He had come to truly admire her, as both a friend and a person.
“Hands off the jacket, twinkle-toes,” Toph gritted through her teeth.
“Oh, right,” Aang quickly retracted his hand, “sorry about that.”
Toph was very fond of her black leather jacket, and wouldn’t allow anyone to lay a finger on it. Many people found that out the hard way, as they would end up with broken bones and immense pain. So Aang knew he had to be careful where to place his hands on Toph. That is if and when she allowed it.
Aang wanted to take things slow this time around. He wanted to understand Toph as a person and what she wanted from him. He knew why he and Katara didn’t work out; he was too clingy and possessive of her, seeing her as most prized possession and not a human being, something Toph would never want from him. From the beginning, Toph demanded appreciation and respect, and Aang was determined to give her that and ensure things worked out this time around.
He looked at her and smiled, “how are you dong?”
“Wonderful, twinkle-toes,” Toph leaned into his side, “like I never want this date to end.”
“Unfortunately, Zuko would probably die from worry,” Aang jokingly replied.
Toph laughed at his answer, “with Katara nagging him about his overprotectiveness.”
The pair laughed together. This was definitely the best date they’ve had so far and it was clear neither of them wanted it to end. But with it getting darker and later, they knew it had to draw to a close. So they made their way to Appa before Aang helped Toph into the saddle as they flew towards the fire palace.
Toph leaned into Aang as she took in the realization that she liked him; like actually “like” liked him. But she didn’t know how to tell him. So she decided that tonight was the night to shoot her shot. But here, in the air on Appa, wasn’t the best time. So she decided to wait until they arrived at the palace to reveal her feelings towards him.
For now, however, she just rested into him, taking it all in, and looking forward to what the future held for them.