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There's a lizardfly sunning itself on a rock a few arm's lengths away. It's heartbeat is soporific and slow, it's tongue flopping lazily out of it's mouth. It's asleep for the moment, but it jolts awake as someone stomps over, it's heart jittering like an electric shock.
She hears ice clink against the side of a glass. The air suddenly smells sweet.
"Katara," she say with a grin, holding out a hand. Her friend pushes the drink into it. The glass is sweating and cool.
"Be careful, there's a straw," Katara warns, then plops down in front of her, leaning up against the large, flat stone Toph has made her bed for the afternoon.
"Thanks, Sugar Queen," she says, feeling around the top of the drink. She finds the straw and points it towards her mouth, taking a hearty sip. "Ahh," she sighs. The drink is fruity and thick with ice chips. It cools her from the inside out. "Just what I needed. I've been sweating my tits off."
Katara snorts. Toph feels it vibrate against the stone. "You are right in the sun."
She frowns. "No I'm not. You said it was shady over here."
"Yeah, a couple hours ago. The shadows moved."
"They move?" She balks.
Katara hides her laugh behind her hand. "Yeah, Toph, when the —"
"Will you two keep it down? I'm trying to eavesdrop," Sokka cuts in, shushing them.
Toph doesn't need to be able to see to know Katara's rolling her eyes at her brother. "So sorry, your majesty," she snarks.
Sokka swats at her.
"Who are we eavesdropping on?" Suki, pressed up against Sokka's side, asks.
"Who do you think?" He says, gesturing out to the other side of the beach. "The lovebirds."
"Wait, what?" She sits up straighter, "Aang and Zuko?"
"Finally!" Toph exclaims, sloshing her drink, "Someone else sees it." Their heartbeats have been going crazy whenever they even think the other one is nearby. She wonders how they haven't all gone deaf from it.
"Definitely," Katara agrees, nodding. She lowers her voice and leans in conspiratorially. "Don't tell him I told you this, but Aang's had a crush since last year." She thinks for a moment. "Honestly, it might be even longer, that's just when he told me about it." She and Aang had broken up maybe a year after the war ended, neither one really understanding what they'd gotten themselves into at the start. They'd stayed friends, though, of course; They loved each other too much to not to. It was gross, but also… kind of sweet.
Today, Zuko and Aang are halfway across the beach, trying to stake an umbrella in the sand without it tipping over. They haven't had any luck yet, the umbrella ancient and brittle and the wind on the beach strong. They keep bickering over which section of the beach has the best view and who's going to sit on which chair and blah blah blah. Toph had tuned them out ages ago, bored, but she tunes back in now, her curiousity piqued. They're a little hard to see at this distance, blurry and indistinct on the sand, but their heartbeats are as clear as anything, beating loud and hard.
"How did I not notice this?" Suki wonders.
"You've been distracted. I did get a new swim top," Sokka brags, flexing.
Suki's heart speeds up.
Toph snorts.
"Now quiet," Sokka continues, "I'm spying."
"You're the one who's —" Katara starts.
"Shh!"
She huffs a laugh and goes quiet. They all fall silent, straining to hear. The blurry shapes of Aang and Zuko lean into each other. Zuko murmurs something Toph can't hear and Aang laughs. Zuko's heart picks up. Toph wants to gag.
"Zuko needs to make a move!" Sokka exclaims in a harsh whisper. "What's he waiting for?"
"No, no, you have it wrong," Katara says, shaking her head. Her earrings, long flowy rows of beads, jingle faintly, "Aang is going to put his hand on Zuko's back, Zuko's not going to notice, and when he does he's going to freak out."
"Hmm." Sokka strokes his chin. "No, I still think it's gonna be Zuko. He's a romantic."
"I agree," Suki lies.
"I'm with Sugar Queen," Toph chimes in, "I'll bet you five silver."
"You're on," Sokka says. They shake on it.
Sure enough, a couple moments later, the blurry shape of Aang molds with the blurry shape of Zuko and stays there. Aang's heartbeat quickens. After a minute or so, Zuko startles, seperating them. The umbrella flops down onto the sand. Aang ignores it and reaches for Zuko instead, saying something that gets carried off by the wind.
"Of course I want you to touch me!" Zuko exclaims, then freezes.
Aang laughs, tinkling like a little bell. He glances towards the gang. Sokka waves with his fingers. Aang turns back to Zuko.
Then, a big gust of wind shifts the sand. Toph's feet-vision blurs even more; the two of them become nothing more than blobs in the distance.
"What's happening now?" She whispers, poking Katara in the back.
"They're just talking," she says, "Zuko doesn't look happy —"
"That checks out."
She chuckles. "But Aang is smiling. Now Zuko is saying something, he's kind of — he's doing that thing with his hands, you know?"
Toph nods. That's usually just how the dramatic lord moves, rich with motion.
"Now Aang's got this look on his face like he's — Oh!" She stops short, turning away from the pair. Her heartbeat quickens. Toph can feel her skin heat up.
"What? What? What's happening?" Toph demands, sitting up.
"They're, um…" She trails off, suddenly shy.
Toph snorts; what a prude.
"They're kissing," Sokka says dreamily. Toph can hear the smile in his voice, "Like, they're really going for it."
"Alright, pay up."
He sighs and digs into his bag for the silver.
Toph wolf-whistles to the pair.
"Now Zuko is flipping you off."
She cackles.
There's another gust of wind and the sands shift again.
"Aw, man. Aang just built a wall around them."
"Not for long." She smirks. She swipes her arm down and the wall of sand crumbles. She shifts her feet and the sand locks together, clearing a path from the edge of the beach out to where the pair is standing. She can see them much more clearly now: Zuko's hands are feathering nervously at Aang's hips. Aang has his arms around Zuko's neck. Both of them are panting. "I paid for dinner and a show!"
"You're staying here for free," Zuko grumbles.
Toph chucks a piece of silver at them. "Dance, monkey-bird, dance."
Aang laughs. In a flash, he snakes his arms under Zuko's and pulls him in by the waist. He dips him, kissing him so hard they almost fall over.
Toph claps, grinning gleefully. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"