Chapter Text
The marketplace bustled with the chaotic symphony of commerce. Aang, with his light steps and unassuming air, drifted through the throng, his senses tuned to the faint jingling of coins and the glint of anything valuable. His eyes, quick and discerning, landed on a young woman browsing a stall filled with ancient scrolls and peculiar artifacts. She had a kind face, framed by dark hair, and her movements were graceful, almost ethereal, as she carefully examined a dusty tome. A small, ornate pouch hung at her hip, subtly catching the sunlight. It hummed with a faint, almost calling to get stolen, Aang wouldn’t say no to invitation like that.
This wasn't just any pouch; it was a pouch that whispered of something truly special within.
He moved with the practiced ease of a phantom, melting into the shadows of a nearby awning. Waiting for the precise moment, as she leaned in to read a particularly captivating passage, he slipped in beside her.
"Thank you very much!" Aang chirped, a genuine, albeit misleading, cheerfulness in his voice. He patted her shoulder with an easy familiarity, his fingers brushing past the pouch, detaching it from her belt in a single, fluid motion.
Katara jumped slightly, startled by the sudden presence, and turned with a soft, confused blink. "Oh! Uh, yes, thank you?" she replied politely, her brow furrowed in mild puzzlement, completely unaware that her most valuable possessions had just vanished. She offered him a kind, almost innocent smile, then turned her attention back to the books, quickly lost in their ancient words once more.
Aang winked, a silent, playful acknowledgment of his successful pilfering—even though she wasn't looking. He melted back into the flow of the crowd, a light, almost imperceptible whistle on his lips, leaving her to her peaceful browsing.
Once he was safely around the corner, away from the watchful eyes of the vendors and the casual strollers, he practically floated over to where Toph was leaning against a weather-beaten wall, patiently awaiting his return.
"Got it!" Aang announced, his voice laced with the thrill of a successful score. He unfastened the pouch, the weight of it feeling substantial in his hand. "Easy as pie. She didn't even feel a thing. This feels heavy, Toph, I think we finally hit the motherlode!"
He upended the pouch with eager anticipation, expecting the satisfying clink of gold or the dull gleam of ancient silver. Instead, several smooth, glowing blue and white stones tumbled into his palm, catching the dim light of the alley.
Aang blinked.
Then he blinked again, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.
"...Wait," he muttered, turning the crystals over in his hand. They shimmered with an inner light, cool and strangely vibrant. "These aren't coins. They aren't even gold. They're just... rocks?" A hint of genuine disappointment colored his voice.
Toph, her blind eyes fixed on some unseen point, sniffed the air around the crystals. Her lips curled into a knowing, somewhat mischievous grin. "Crystals. Magical focus stones. Powerful, by the scent of them. But yeah, completely worthless to us. Unless we manage to find a wizard dumb enough to buy 'em."
Aang stared at the luminous stones, then back towards the bustling market, a strange pang of something akin to regret stirring within him. They were undeniably beautiful, radiating a gentle, soothing energy. And the girl... she had seemed so genuinely kind.
"Well... they are pretty," he reasoned aloud, almost to himself, shoving them back into the pouch with a sigh. "And she seemed nice. Maybe I'll just... keep them for a bit. Or... return them. Eventually."
He had no idea that "eventually" would be a lot sooner than he expected, and it would involve a significant amount more running than he was prepared for. This simple act of petty theft would soon tangle his fate with a powerful water mage, leading to a confrontation that felt both inevitable and strangely exhilarating.
"By the way... you have something that belongs to me," the mage stated firmly, crossing her arms over her chest as she fixed him with a stern gaze. Aang racked his brain, trying to recall exactly where he had seen her before. Oh right, yesterday at the market.
She had been browsing through the dusty old tomes at one of the stalls, completely absorbed in her reading. He remembered thinking she looked like an easy target, he had just wanted to be playful, maybe test his skills, and admittedly, he was hoping her pouch would be heavy with coins. Instead, his light fingers had only come away with a handful of shimmering crystals.
The young rogue looked around theatrically, then pointed a finger at his own chest with a cheeky grin. "Me? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure I don't have anything of yours... unless," he leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a playful whisper, "you're talking about your heart?"
He completely ignored the loud, unladylike snort that came from Toph standing nearby, as well as the suppressed chuckle from the man standing beside the mage.
Clearly found his flirting ridiculous.
"Katara, why don't you just use your magic to force the truth out of him?" suggested the man beside her, sounding both highly amused and utterly impatient with this little game they were playing. Aang noted the striking resemblance between them; they had to be siblings.
The mage, whose name he now knew was Katara, shot her companion a sharp glare. "No, Sokka. I’m not wasting any spells on him yet. I want him to admit it freely," she said, her bright blue eyes narrowing dangerously as she turned her attention back to Aang.
"I really think you might be mistaken," Aang offered innocently, putting on his best act. "Could've been someone else, you know how crowded it was." His words only seemed to make her glare even colder.
Before Katara could retort, however, a third voice cut through the tension.
"Please," Toph scoffed, stepping in the conversation with a smirk. "Like you actually have anything valuable worth stealing in the first place."
"Those crystals are extremely valuable to me!" Katara snapped, her voice rising sharply in response to Toph's remark.
She turned her glare back to Aang, her posture stiff. "And if you don't return them nicely right now, I won't hesitate to use magic. Believe me, I am being very patient and polite by giving you the chance."
Aang felt a twinge of guilt twist in his chest. He knew she was right, and honestly, the crystals were useless to him anyway, he couldn't use them or even sell them for much. He shifted awkwardly, looking for a way out, but Toph was already stepping into the fray.
"Oh, is that how it is?" Toph challenged, crossing her arms and tilting her chin up defiantly. "You think just because I'm an Imp, we're automatically the bad guys, right? That just means me and my friend here are obviously trouble, a bad influence, and up to no good?"
Aang sighed internally. He knew exactly what she was doing. It was her classic tactic—playing up the prejudice against her race and using her blindness to make herself seem vulnerable or misunderstood, all while turning the situation into a dramatic scene to deflect blame and put Katara on the defensive.
Katara looked down at Toph, her expression flustered and indignant. "I never said that!" she retorted sharply. "Don't you dare put words in my mouth! I am talking about stolen property, not who or what you are!"
"Exactly!" Toph shouted, throwing her hands up dramatically. "Because he hangs around with an imp, that automatically makes him a criminal, right? You’ve already judged us just by looking! Typical!"
She puffed out her chest, her voice booming loud enough to draw glances from passersby. While she ramped up the act, her hands moved quickly and subtly at her sides, fingers twitching in a specific rhythm. It was a signal they had practiced a hundred times.
Get ready. Now.
Aang didn't even blink. He knew exactly what she was doing.
Toph was a master at turning prejudice into a weapon, using her blindness and her heritage to make people look like the bad guys, creating just enough chaos and confusion to cover their tracks. He remembered three years ago, seven towns over, when they had pulled that stunt against the wealthy merchant. They had faked their own deaths so convincingly that the guards had stopped looking entirely. Toph always knew exactly how to spin a situation.
He felt a grin spread across his face. Being half-elf, his feet were already light as air.
"Airhead, move it!" Toph screamed, the signal clear and final.
In an instant, Aang bolted.
He moved faster than the eye could follow, his body practically gliding over the cobblestones. "Later!" he shouted over his shoulder, already putting distance between them.
"Hey! Get back here!" Sokka yelled, immediately giving chase.
"Don't let them escape!" Katara called out, her robes flaring as she sprinted after them, magic already crackling at her fingertips.
The chase was on.
Aang and Toph weaved through the crowd like shadows, ducking between market stalls and leaping over crates, with the two siblings hot on their heels, determined to get their property back.
"You really have the worst luck in the world!" Toph shouted over the wind rushing past their ears as Aang practically carried her along, his long strides eating up the distance. "Of all the people to pickpocket, you just had to go for a mage! Couldn't you tell she was radiating ‘ I can murder you flicker of my hand vibes’?"
"Hey, in my defense, she looked distracted!" Aang panted back, grinning despite the danger. "I didn't think she'd be this fast! Besides, you're the one who always says 'go for the shiny stuff'!"
“Blame it on the blind person!” Toph yelled. They rounded a sharp corner, aiming to cut through a narrow alleyway, but before they could even make the turn, a massive surge of water magic slammed into them like a battering ram.
WHOOSH!
Both of them were thrown backward, tumbling hard across the dusty ground. Aang groaned, rolling onto his side, his lungs burning as he tried to catch his breath. His legs felt like lead, and for the first time in a long while, the half-elf was actually exhausted. He really, really hated magic right now.
Standing over them, chest heaving slightly but eyes blazing with fury, was Katara. Her blue robes were fluttering around her, and her expression was absolutely murderous.
"You are so dead," she snarled, stepping closer, her voice dripping with menace. "Stealing from me? And then you actually thought you could outrun me?"
Aang looked up, giving her his most charming, innocent smile—which probably looked more like a grimace at this point. "To be fair, we usually outrun everyone," he wheezed.
"Usually," Toph coughed, spitting out some dirt as she sat up, sounding completely unrepentant. "But this guy's reflexes are slowing down in his old age."
"Old age? I'm barely a hundred!" Aang protested, elbowing her lightly.
"I don't care if you're a thousand years old!" Katara interrupted, raising her hand, water swirling dangerously around her fingers. "Give me back my crystals, or I swear, I will turn you both into dust!"
"You're actually scary fast when you're this angry," Sokka panted as he finally skidded to a halt beside them. He winced slightly, looking down at the two soaked figures sprawled in the dirt. "Honestly though? I was expecting a lot worse. You two look relatively intact."
"Gee, thanks," Aang grumbled, wiping water from his face. He tried to flash Katara that signature charming, innocent smile of his, hoping to diffuse the tension, but it didn't seem to work.
"Where. Are. My. Crystals?" Katara demanded through gritted teeth.
Before he could even move, her hands shot out, gripping the front of his shirt. With surprising strength, she hauled him up from the ground as if he weighed nothing more than a ragdoll. Aang stumbled to his feet, and for a split second, all the panic melted away.
Up close, with her cheeks flushed and eyes blazing, she was undeniably beautiful. It was almost a shame she looked like she wanted to bury him six feet under.
"Give them to me. Now!" she shook him slightly, her voice sharp and commanding.
Sokka snorted a laugh from the side, clearly enjoying the show. Aang immediately bowed his head submissively, hands raised in surrender.
"Okay, okay! You win!" Aang pleaded, though there was a playful lilt in his voice. "I'll give them back, I swear! Just please... don't turn us into dust, and don't hurt my partner in crime here."
He frantically patted himself down, checking every pocket and pouch while Katara watched him like a hawk, her patience visibly wearing thinner by the second.
"You know," Aang started rambling nervously as he searched, trying to lighten the mood, "for someone I just met yesterday, you feel strangely familiar. It's like we've been arguing like this for years! Is this what married life feels like?"
"Don't you dare try to flirt your way out of this!" Katara snapped, though a tiny, almost imperceptible flush rose on her cheeks, making her look even more flushed and furious.
"You are a thief! You stole something precious from me and then you ran! Do you have any idea how important those crystals are to me?"
Her voice cracked just slightly at the end, the anger mixing with something deeper, something vulnerable that she was trying hard to hide behind the rage.
It made Aang pause, his joking demeanor fading for a second. He realized it wasn't just about shiny rocks to her.
"I know, I know," he said softly, finally finding the pouch. "I'm an idiot. A complete, air-headed idiot. I just... I saw them shining and my brain short-circuited. It's a half-elf thing, okay?"
"Just hand it over before I actually murder you," she growled, holding out her hand imperiously.
"Here, madam," he said dramatically, placing the pouch into her open palm and bowing deeply. "Returned safely to their rightful owner. And for the record? I was planning to get them back to you.”
Sokka snorted, “Yeah right buddy”
"Too late," she muttered, clutching the crystals close to her chest, looking genuinely relieved now that they were back, even if she was still glaring daggers at him.
"So, are we good now? All square?" Toph asked, shaking her whole body vigorously like a wet dog. Water flew everywhere in every direction, splashing straight onto Katara and Sokka.
"Hey! Watch it!" Katara yelped, jumping back and frantically trying to brush the muddy droplets off her pristine blue robes.
"You really didn't need to do that," she huffed, glaring at the mess Toph had made of her outfit.
"Relax," Toph smirked, wiping her face. "You probably got a whole closet full of those fancy dresses anyway. Mud water won't kill you." She crossed her arms, sounding entirely too pleased with herself.
"Besides, think about it. We gave you back your shiny rocks, Aang here got to practice his flirting skills on a girl, and you got to show off all that magic power. Everyone wins!"
"Hold on just a second!" Sokka interrupted, pointing an accusing finger right at Tiefling's face. Despite knowing Toph can’t see the gesture.
"You are not getting off that easily! You two still owe us!"
"Owe you what?" Toph challenged.
"You wasted half of our day!" Sokka complained, throwing his hands up. "We spent hours looking for you, and then you ran away like cowards even though you knew you were guilty! That counts as theft too! Theft of time and energy!"
"That's literally how this works, numbskull!" Toph yelled back, not backing down an inch. "We steal, you chase, we run! It's the natural order of things!"
Katara let out a long, deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. She looked absolutely done with the entire situation.
"Forget it, Sokka. Let's just go," she muttered, turning her glare specifically onto Aang. "It's obvious they don't have anything of value to offer us except a massive headache."
Aang, however, was barely listening to the argument anymore. He was just standing there, dripping wet, grinning like an idiot while watching Katara complain. Even when she was angry, even when she was soaking wet and glaring daggers at him, she looked incredible.
Yep, he thought to himself, completely ignoring the fact that she just called him a headache. I am definitely in trouble. I am so smitten.
"Aw, c'mon," Aang chimed in, stepping closer with that charming, lopsided smile. "Don't be like that. Admit it... you kinda had fun chasing us, right? And besides, now you have your precious crystals back and you made two new friends! Well, maybe acquaintances. Future partners in crime?"
Katara just rolled her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. "The only crime here is how annoying you are."
"I already said I was sorry!" Aang insisted, though the wide, cheeky grin plastered across his face suggested he wasn't sorry in the slightest. He stepped closer, completely unbothered by her glare. "And to be fair, I honestly didn't know they were just crystals. I thought they were something good like gold or something! You can't blame a guy for being disappointed,”
"Right," Aang drawled, leaning in slightly with that effortless, roguish charm. "My mistake was expecting riches and getting... Well, rocks. But hey, looking back, maybe it was worth it."
Katara’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, whether from anger or embarrassment it was hard to tell, but her eyes flashed dangerously. "I swear, I will cast a fireball right here and now and toast you into a crisp!" she threatened, raising her hand as if summoning flames.
"Ooh, scary," Aang teased, laughing softly. He was having way too much fun getting under her skin. He figured if this was the only time they ever crossed paths, he wanted to be the most annoying, unforgettable thing that ever happened to her. Besides, seeing her all riled up and fiery was honestly the best view he'd had in years.
"Aang, seriously, stop," Toph cut in flatly, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "I might be blind, but I can hear exactly what you're doing, and let me tell you... it is painful. Your flirting is going horribly. It’s like listening to a baby dragon try to sing."
"I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with a thief," Sokka chimed in, nodding vigorously beside his sister, "but she is one hundred percent right. You are laying it on thick, buddy. Like, swamp-monster thick."
Toph burst out laughing at that, clapping her hands. "Oh, I like you! You got the taste, numbskull!"
Aang completely ignored both of them, his eyes never leaving Katara’s face. "Ignore them," he said softly, his voice dropping an octave. "They're just jealous because you're paying attention to me and not them."
"I absolutely cannot deal with this anymore!" Katara exploded, looking utterly flustered and defeated. She was bright red now, the mix of annoyance and his constant teasing finally getting to her.
Without warning, she lifted her foot and gave him a sharp, playful shove right against his shin. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, just enough to show how mad she was—and how cute she looked doing it.
"Ow!" Aang yelped dramatically, clutching his leg even though it didn't hurt at all.
"Goodbye!" Katara snapped, turning around abruptly and marching away, her robes swishing dramatically. "Come on, Sokka! We are leaving before I actually commit murder!"
"Wait, hold on!" Sokka called after her, scrambling to catch up, but not before throwing a grin back at the two rogues. "Nice work, guys! Don't ever change!"
Aang just stood there, rubbing his leg where she had kicked him, watching her walk away with a stupid, lovestruck smile on his face.
"Yep," he whispered to himself. "I'm definitely gonna marry her."
Toph just groaned. "Ugh. Come on, Airhead. You're hopeless. Absolutely hopeless."
“You heard that?” He asked, Toph just groaned and tried to make the ground swallow her.