A/N: Thank you for reading my first ever full length fanfiction! This story is based on the movie Valentine's Day (2010), and contains couplings such as Kataang, Yukka/Sukka, Maiko, Smellershot, and so many more surprise pairings! As my story progresses, I'll keep track of every established shipping on my profile.
The original Valentine's Day script © Katherine Fugate.
Avatar: The Last Airbender © Nickelodeon
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The sun hadn't even risen over the walls of Ba Sing Se, yet the city was already at work. Street vendors stored their usual products are replaced them with fresh cut roses, each petal brushed with drops of dew. Restaurants offered dining deals to any wandering customers. Men sang openly to anyone who would listen. Women sighed as if they had fallen in love for the first time. Everyone, even so early in the morning, was half-baked and love struck. Of course, it wasn't out of the ordinary; that day was Valentine's Day after all.
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In an hotel room in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, a young man rose out of bed. Lord Zuko, age twenty, walked to the other side of the room quietly so as not to wake up his sleeping girlfriend, Mai. He jumped out the window and landed nimbly on the sidewalk below. He swiftly bought a dozen roses from the nearest peddler before climbing back into the room. He walked back over to his bed, kneeled down, and reached underneath to pull out a parcel wrapped in a tan cloth. He smiled as he looked down at the package anxiously. Zuko laid back down on the bed and next to a still sleeping Mai, waiting for her to wake up.
She stirred a few minutes later and opened her eyes, almost surprised to see her boyfriend positioned a few inches away from her face. They both smiled at each other and sat up. Zuko handed her the roses, and she quietly thanked him. Before she could say anything else, he started to speak.
"I know you don't like some huge romantic scene," he said. "No skywriting. No walks through the park. No conquered islands under your name."
She hadn't laughed as he had hoped, mostly due to her stoic nature. Instead, she smiled lightly to show her amusement. Zuko took a deep breath and continued.
"It's just you and me. Together. And frankly, that's all I want. Four years ago, I was crowned Firelord. Even though I don't spend as much time with you as I should, I just can't get you off my mind."
"I'm glad I've plagued your thoughts and all," Mai responded dully, "but I wish you'd actually do something. It's always so boring at the palace."
Zuko couldn't help but smile. "How's this for boring?" he asked as he showed her the parcel and unwrapped it. Inside was a hairpiece crafted from gold into the shape of an elegant fire… made to be worn by the Firelady.
Mai stared at the hairpiece, her face completely stiff.
"Mai, I want you to marry me," He said simply.
Mai was silent for a long time before she looked into Zuko's eyes. When she finally did, sighed and said, "Whatever," before offering a comforting smile.
Zuko smiled back and pulled her into a hug. After he let go, he ran to the window and yelled out to no one in particular, "She said yes!"
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An hour later, Zuko was walking down the street with an uncharacteristically large grin on his face. He strutted towards his Uncle Iroh's teashop, the Jade Dragon, ready to start his day as a delivery boy.
Iroh's Tea had become famous for being delectable, and his shop had become a popular destination for couples over the years. Valentine's Day was no exception. Every year, Iroh would offer specials on teas with amorous names and luscious smells to couples that stopped by. He also believed nothing was quite as beautiful as a cup of tea, so every Valentine's Day, he would start a delivery service of boxes of his teas to anyone who wanted to give the perfect gift. Zuko never understood how tea would make a romantic present, and whenever he asked, his uncle would say that, "No gift is greater than the gift of tea!" Zuko never argued and instead visited Ba Sing Se every year to help with deliveries.
Zuko walked into The Jade Dragon and smiled at his uncle. Iroh looked up from behind his desk and studied his nephew's face. He looked at the floor and shook his head. "She said no? I knew it."
"How did you know?" Zuko asked sounding hurt.
"I just mean that you should have sent her a box of my tea!" Iroh continued sadly, on the verge of tears. "Maybe then she would accept your love!"
"Uncle!" Zuko interjected, "I didn't need your fancy tea… She said yes."
Iroh's face quickly lit up. "She did? That's great!"
Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Why would she say no, uncle?"
Iroh shook his hand as if trying to brush aside the question. After finding that he could not, he responded, "I don't know why I said that, Zuko. I prepare for the worst because of my post-traitor morality. But – she said yes! This is wonderful news!"
Zuko smiled again. "I'm still trying to process all of this. Mai is actually going to marry me. She's going to become Princess of the Firenation. And the best part about it," Zuko said while staring into space, "is that I can act like a lovelorn lemur all day and not have everyone think I'm crazy. It's Valentine's Day, and people are all about love!"
Iroh smiled widely back at his nephew. "You're right, Zuko," he said as he handed a bag full of tea boxes to the young man. "And the best place to start is with the customers who's tea needs to be delivered!"
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On the other side of the echelon, a young man named Sokka walked into a small building that hosted Aunt Wu's new fortune-telling studio. After helping the Avatar end the hundred year-old war four years ago, his job as a fighter was no longer useful. Instead of doing nothing, he found that the best thing he could do was stay in the loop and go around town for the rich woman. Usually, it served two parts; one was a nice profit from the psychic, and the other was information on any suspicious behavior he might come across.
But today, his assignment from Aunt Wu was to scavenge around town and look for lovesick couples.
Sokka grimaced. "You have got to be kidding me."
She nonchalantly shrugged. "That's all I need from you today. And maybe to encourage some customers to stop by and have their palms read."
"Aunt Wu!" Sokka said angrily, "I'm a warrior of the Southern Watertribe. I've battled thousands of men to liberate the entire world. I don't have time for searching for customers who are in love."
Aunt Wu shook her head. "Sokka, the war ended four years ago. No one gives a crap about some old war within these walls. Today," she said with her eyes shining, "all everyone cares about is love!"
"But!" Sokka interjected, but chose not to go on after he received a sharp glare from the old woman.
She continued. "All I want is your basic man on the street finding out what this day means to people. I want bliss, romance, love… and more customers!"
"And you deserve all of that, except that I'm not the right guy for the job. I hate Valentine's day."
Wu laughed. "It's really not that horrible, Sokka."
"Yes, it is!" He said seriously. "It's a single man's worst nightmare. I stop talking to girls from the New Year to the Summer Solstice just to avoid the whole thing. It saves me a lot of cash…" Sokka sat and looked down at his feet. "And heartbreak."
It was a long time ago that he lost Yue, the first girl he had ever fallen in love with. After her untimely death, he became afraid of falling in love again. He seemed able to move on at first when he started dating a young Kyoshi Warrior named Suki, and even went as far as getting engaged two years later. A sick feeling in Sokka's heart made him think that he had betrayed Yue's love, and the young man called off the wedding a week before the ceremonies. Ever since, he was bitter, believing that he should never love again.
Instead of accusing Sokka of not attracting enough female customers for a good chunk of the year, Aunt Wu decided to be sympathetic. "Sokka, you're a professional. I know you don't like today, but every year you pull through. And today, you'll do just fine, I'm sure." She began to walk back into her room. "Who knows!" she said as she turned back around, "maybe today you'll find your Valentine."
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On a barge in the middle of the ocean, everyone was still asleep and unaware of the date. The crew staff was floating around the ship, looking for any riders who were awake and wanted some sort of service.
One attendant walked to a bench where she saw a couple sleeping on top of one another. One was a young man, probably in early twenties, with shaggy brown hair and tanned skin. He had two strange swords strapped to his back and bit down on a piece of wheat. Lying on his shoulder was a young woman, around the same age, with black hair and a twisted face. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight, and everyone who passed couldn't help but think of how much she resembled the Firenation's jailed princess.
The stewardess saw the two and assumed they were a couple, sighing happily before noticing how cold it was. As quietly as she could, she wrapped a blanket around both of them and created a tight cocoon. When she finished, she moved on with her rounds, completely satisfied how cute those two looked snuggled together.
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In an apartment in the middle ring of Ba Sing Se, the young Earthbender Toph woke up. She stretched her arms up as she placed her feet on the floor, making everything around her visible. The blind girl had finally turned sixteen half a year ago and was showing signs of maturing. Over the past four years, she had finally grown a full foot taller and her childish body was replaced with a slightly muscular and well filled out one. Her juvenile personality, however, had not changed a bit.
After the war concluded years ago, she returned to Ba Sing Se and employed as an Earthbending teacher for children, hoping to instruct a new generation of warriors. She was demanding, just as she was for Aang, but she was happy to find that her students were fully capable of following her difficult lessons.
She felt someone on the other side of the bed. She stood; holding the covers around her disrobed body, she smirked. "What are you doing up so early?"
"You know I have a trip to make today," the voice said. The person Toph felt walked around the bed and right in front of her. "I'm sorry if I woke you, Toph."
Toph smiled up at her boyfriend. "Don't worry about it, Hahn. I needed to be up anyways."
Hahn leaned down and lightly kissed her before pulling away and walking around the room picking up stray articles of clothing.
Toph didn't know much about the young man. She did know he was twenty-one, hailed from the Northern Watertribe, and was known for being a great warrior. She also knew that he was once engaged, but his fiancé passed away and had been unmarried since. Toph didn't really mind that she didn't know everything; that just added to his mysterious charm.
Toph sighed as she turned in the direction of the gorgeous man. "Don't leave today," she demanded.
"I have to," Hahn said sadly. "My tribe requested that I help with rebuilding after the flood. Today only! I promise I'll be back home first thing tomorrow morning."
"But Hahn," Toph pouted, "it's Valentine's Day!"
"I know," He said as he turned back towards her. He cupped her face in his hands and looked down into her clouded eyes. "Your face was the first thing I wanted to see this morning. But I have an entire Watertribe to rebuild. You can't tell floods to preserve a home." He kissed her on the tip of her nose before turning again to pack his items. "Besides, don't you have that dinner party tonight?"
Toph rolled her sightless eyes. "I don't know. It's technically a party for sour single lameos my friend Suki started throwing ever since her boyfriend left her at the altar."
"He didn't really, did he?" His voice sounded thoroughly shocked.
She shrugged. "Nah, but he dumped her a week before the ceremony. Two years ago today. That's why she forms a circle of friends who hate Valentine's Day, just so she doesn't feel so alone."
Hahn was by Toph again. "You don't really hate Valentine's Day, do you?"
Toph laughed as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. "A handsome fellow like you doesn't know what it's like to be single. But for us unhitched gals… Well, Valentine's Day sucks. It's like some cosmic bitch-slap." They both laughed, and she went on. "The Universe keeps slapping you, saying, 'Hey! Remember that Prince Charming I promised would eventually come to sweep you off your feet? Well, that's never gonna happen!'"
Hahn brushed the hair out of her face. "I'm your Prince Charming, aren't I?"
Toph smiled back at him. "Maybe," she said before he planted a kiss on her lips.
Hahn turned again to pack his things. "Is there anything I can send you to make up for not being here?"
Toph thought for a second. "Yeah, actually, you could send me some of Iroh's tea! The Jade Dragon in the upper ring delivers tea all over town today. I'd kill for a box."
"Jade Dragon, got it." Hahn said to himself as he picked up the last of his items. He turned back to Toph and kissed her forehead. "Until tomorrow, my love."
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Thanks again for reading! Leave a comment guessing who the two unknown characters in the third break are. All contestants who guess correctly will win a free box of Uncle Iroh's Tea! (syke!)
Until the next chapter, ~HOS