Zutara- Fire, Water, Steam ✔

BONUS CHAPTER!

AANG'S POV!!!

After the interaction with the dragons, I felt clarity. Everything that seemed important changed, and I realized what truly mattered. I knew Katara didn't love me and it didn't matter. There was no hate or disappointment as I realized Zuko was the one for her. Katara was the first friend I made, and I attached myself to her. I didn't allow myself to open to new possibilities. The dragons opened my closed mind, not only to firebending but to the girl walking towards me.

Toph

When she reached me, I felt the need to stand closer to her, so I did. Once we finished talking with the others, I followed her to the earth arena. I wanted to nothing more than to spend time with her even if she was chucking rocks at my head.

"Come on, Twinkle Toes!" Toph yelled at him a few minutes later. His body was dripping with sweat, yet he couldn't be happier. Toph was always herself, never putting on a mask because of the years she faced with her parents. They came from money, same as Zuko, but Toph found a way out. Aang knew she was a powerful earthbender, but she was a more powerful person on the inside. Few have seen her soft side, and Aang wanted to be the one she opened to, even if she appeared as if she feared nothing. There was only one thing that Aang feared above all else. He needed to find a way to express his feeling to Toph. He didn't want to wait though unsure how to proceed.

"Enough! There is no point in your training when your head is somewhere else." Toph spoke solely to Aang. The others around us continued working with Master Bumi, which left Toph and me on the side. As I looked at the group, I could've sworn I saw Bumi smile and wink. I guess there was no time like the present.

"You're right." I said as I turned my body entirely to Toph. I knew she couldn't see my determined stare, but I fixed my stance to one of pure certainty, my feet flat and firm on the earth beneath us. She needed to understand that the next words to come out of my mouth were nothing but the truth. "I need to talk to you, and it is the most important thing I could ever say to another person."

"Um, ok. Why don't we move away farther from the group." Toph asked. "There is a clearing no one is using in the direction." She pointed to her right before walking away. I smiled at her confidence and quickly followed. We came to an open space, the noise of the students sparing a faint sound in the background. Now that we were alone was when I began to feel nervous.

"You are an amazing person," I began, which brought a smile to her face.

"Tell me something I don't know, Twinkle Toes." She responded, the confused look leaving her face. I knew I needed to be direct, but it wasn't an action that came easy to me. It is why earth was the most challenging element. Instead of fumbling my words, I took a deep breath and walked forward to take Toph's hand. She took a step back but didn't remove her hand from my grasp, which I was thankful for. Once I held her hand, a strength overtook me that I never knew I had.

"You are the most amazing person to me." I started again, thankful that she didn't interrupt him. "People look at you and assume you are a weak, blind girl that needs someone by her side. I learned quickly that wasn't the case. You could walk through life by yourself with no one to help you, but I can only wish that you will let me join you."

I came to a stop because my heart was racing and needed to take a breath before I passed out. Toph hadn't said a word, yet her hand still rested in mine. I intertwined our fingers and slowly pulled her towards me. She didn't resist but said nothing her head facing the floor so I couldn't tell what she was thinking. I took this opportunity to continue.

"I want to be the one to walk beside you while holding your hand. Never leading you or pulling you behind me but together. If that wasn't clear enough, I hope this is. Toph, will you allow me to become your boyfriend?" I asked her. She remained close to me but became speechless for the first time since he met her. He stood for what felt like hours but was most likely minutes. Aang was nothing but patient, and he would stand there for however long it took.

"W-why?" Toph spoke quietly, that if they weren't so close, he might not have heard her. "Why would you want to date me? I'm not a girly-girl. I'm not the type of girl that guys ask on a date, and I've accepted that. So why now?"

Her last words were stronger than the first, and Aang wasted no time in answering.

"I don't care about others. The only feelings that matter are yours and mine. I want to date you because of who you are." I explained. "You know who you are and have no fears of showing it to the world. Every moment of the day, you are your true self, and I want nothing more than to see more of you." Aang felt his cheeks turn pink at his last words, which could be taken the wrong way. Toph laughed and placed her arms on my shoulders with her hands behind my head.

"More of me? When you do something you go all in, don't you?" She said in a mocking tone. I loved the feeling of her arms on me and quickly placed my hands on her hips. It felt natural, not sexual.

"Well, if it's working maybe a little," I replied with a laugh of my own.

"Then, I think I'll give you a shot." Toph said with a smile. A bigger smile stretched across my face, and the confidence I had to start this conversation came back, and I decided to use it once more. I slowly brought my face closer to Toph and placed my lips on hers. It was a gentle kiss, but I pushed my luck to see how long she would let me remain there. Once I pulled away, her smile remained, I felt relief and pure happiness at the same time.

I couldn't contain it anymore and lifted her to spin us around while laughing. It didn't last long because I knew Toph was uncomfortable when her feet weren't on the ground. She let out a small chuckle before grabbing my hand.

"We better go back to practice. Now that we've cleared that brain of yours, I'm expecting nothing but the best." She said as she pulled me towards the others. I followed with a laugh and walked quicker until I was walking beside her. Toph held a tiny smirk as she began to run, pulling me behind her. What she didn't understand was the fact that I would follow her to ends of the earth.

The first vote was for Aang and this automatically jumped into my mind. Of course, I couldn't finish it until it was almost 4 am but whatcha going to do? The next chapter we see the outcome of Katara's plan with Zuko and I'm excited about it! 

I appreciate all the love you guys are sending my way and trying to update as soon as possible. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or hitting that star at the bottom.

Don't forget to smile at least once a day :)