This is an Avatar the Last Airbender FanFiction. Disclaimer: I do not own the characters but I enjoy writing about them.

This comes as a second favourite of mine. All you Taang fans will love this chapter.

000

Love Blossoms

In Strange Places

000

"See ya," Toph waved as she got into her parents car.

They were freaking out when their daughter didn't come back last night in the storm. Luckily, thanks to Aang's nagging Toph called them and told them where she was. After much arguing she convinced them that nothing happened between her and Aang even if that was a total lie.

"Later." Aang waved shortly as he watched the car drive off.

Aang stood in the driveway long after the car had disappeared from his sight. Aang thought of the night before and what happened shortly after he woke up. Images of Toph were burned into his memory like when she cried into his shirt. He had never seen her so scared so frightened so…vulnerable. It made him feel like he had to protect her from anything and anyone who would try to hurt her.

He couldn't keep the thought of her sleeping face out of his mind. She looked so adorable and peaceful like that. It was no wonder he kissed her. But ever since then he couldn't look at her directly! Aang pulled on his hair as he dejectedly walked back into his house.

Though he only knew Toph for a short time, she had become something of a best friend that he had known for ages. He didn't know how to explain it. It was a new feeling to him. Despite her usual teasing, she always looked out for him, worried about him and protected him. There were times that she was more trouble than she was worth but Aang couldn't imagine leaving her.

Is that love? He thought when the person causes you nothing but trouble but you stick with regardless of what they do. Toph wasn't always trouble but she got him into it a lot. On many occasions. He couldn't decide. He once had a crush on Katara back in middle school but that quickly faded away when they began to drift apart. He felt something different from Toph. She was tough around the edges but she was still a girl that Aang realized that he had come to love. But that only left one problem.

"How on earth do I tell her?"

Later that day, Aang and Toph were looking through the darkest corner of Toph's large closet. The amount of dust in the closet suggested that it hadn't been touched in years. Although, Toph was in this mess yesterday. In the corner of his mind he wondered how she found anything in this dirt trap. It was so bad they had to take 10 minute momentary window breaks before they suffocated.

"So why are we looking through your amazingly large closet again?" Aang took a break wiping the sweat off his face. It was beginning to get hot in here.

"Well my dad is taking me to one of his snobby parties and my mom asked me to wear a broach, which I happened to throw in here." Toph shrugged while she continued to scan through the closet.

"So you lost it."

"Misplaced."

It was true. She needed help looking for her mother's broach. Aang wasn't someone she wanted to be around at the moment but everyone else was busy. Katara said she had work to do, Sokka had a 'mystery date of awesomeness', Zuko was M.I.A. She knew Azula wouldn't help so she didn't bother and she didn't have Ty Lee's and Mai's numbers. Well it's not like she was close with them anyway. So that left only one person.

Upon first sight things had returned to normal but things were far from normal. Aang would momentarily stare at Toph before returning to searching for her broach. He was still contemplating how he was going to tell her.

Toph knew he stared. She knew he kissed her and she knew how she felt about him but she didn't know bring a subject like that up. Ever since this morning something between them changed. It began to become awkward when the two were alone, they couldn't look each other straight in the eye or even touch each other without flinching.

"Hey Toph I don't think you should disturb that pile of junk…." Aang looked up and noticed the tower of junk was beginning to wobble. It was unstable.

"What do you mean-?" Toph whipped her head back nudging the bottom of the tower which then caused it to fall over. Toph's eyes flashed open when she turned back. She shut her eyes and covered her face. When the junk she expected didn't come she looked up and saw Aang on top of her shielding her from the junk.

"Whoa! You okay?" Toph asked worriedly, the junk looked heavy.

"It would help if you got out from under there…" Aang coughed. The pile was heavier than it looked. I mean seriously what was a television doing in there? Toph nodded and slid under him out onto her bedroom carpet. Aang did the same and the tower crashed in a mountain of dust.

"Geez Twinkles you didn't have to do that…" There he goes again…saving me in all of the messes I get myself into.

"Of course I did," Aang smiled "If I didn't you'd be a pancake by now."

"Turn around let me see your back." She removed his shirt and looked. It wasn't that bad, he had a few cuts and bruises that wouldn't take a few days to heal but it hurt Toph to see him get hurt from her mistakes. She got the first aid kit from the bathroom cabinet and tended to his wounds.

"Hey Aang…" Toph felt like she had to talk to him about the kiss from that morning. She had to hear it from Aang how he felt about her. If he did it because it was a free chance for a kiss or…

"Yeah?" Aang turned slowly not wanting to make any sudden movements. He noticed that Toph had a pained look on her face. She must have something on her mind. A tiny bit of fear spread through his body.

"Um…about what happened…" She bit her lip "Um, what that Ed guy said, are you going to join the track team?" She couldn't do it. She was being a coward and she hated herself for it.

"Oh…Umm I haven't really had the time to think about it," Aang pondered for a bit "I've been busy thinking about other things for the past few days." And boy had he.

"Like what?" Toph asked a bit curious.

"You know stuff."

"What stuff?" Toph raised her eyebrow, he was hiding something.

"Stuff stuff," Toph gave up and finished with the first aid kit and with that Aang hoped into action.

"So we still haven't found the broach, huh?"

"Nope," Toph got on her knees and began rummaging through the old junk that fell out of the closet. Toys, old clothes, playing cards and old books scattered across the floor. Aang noticed a small worn out book with a lock on its side. He picked it up and dusted it off.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Ahhh!" Toph noticed what he was holding. She jumped over the pile and grabbed the book in Aang's hand "Its mine." Toph hugged the book tightly.

"Why are you being so defensive? Unless…Toph give that to me," Aang grinned this was too much of a chance to pass up "Is it that your diary?"

"Aang, don't be stupid and just back away before I hurt you..." Aang eyed her as he closed the distance between them. He had absolutely no intention of reading it, but he did however want to tease her with it.

"Why don't you make me?" Aang's grinned widened.

"Aang..." she grew infuriated with him. He was fine with that he could always apologize later. Aang inched forward, moving in closer with each passing second while Toph moved back in response forgetting the pile of junk that was behind her.

"Whoa!" She yelled as she fell back but was stopped when Aang stretched pulled her arm just before she could. "Thanks Twinkle toes, that almost turned into one of those Anime kisses for a bit there..."

"Yeah..." Aang relaxed but he could feel Toph's arm slip through his grip. Aang reached out for her again but tripped over the same pile and bumped into something hard on the way down. Aang rubbed his forehead and noticed her bumped into Toph. He had her practically pinned to the floor.

"Ow, Aang! What's the big deal butterfingers...?" Toph trailed off when she noticed the look in Aang's eyes. He looked determined, like he had made his mind up about something.

"Hey Aang...what are you...?" Before she could finish Aang was already lowering his head.

Toph placed her hands against his chest in an attempt to hold him back but the closer he got the more she didn't want to push him away. God what's wrong with me? He is trying to kiss me! Why don't I want to push him away... Toph bit her lip; as much as her brain was telling her to stop her body was telling her something else.

Aang stopped for a moment but when Toph lowered her arms and closed her eyes. It was like she gave him the go signal. Aang moved in closer and slowly pressed his lips against hers. Toph let him. She wanted to feel him against her. Her lips felt as amazing as he remembered. It was amazingly sweet and soft. She wrapped her arms around his back and the two continued until they were satisfied.

Moments later, the two sat on the bed with Toph sitting between the V of Aang's legs. Aang gently stroked her hair as he mindless looked at the T.V not even really paying attention to it while Toph let her mind wander. Toph turned her head around and looked Aang straight in the eye.

"Aang…about that kiss from this morning…," Aang's eyes momentarily widened She must have been awake…Aang groaned mentally "Why did you do it?"

"I don't know if I can explain…I just saw your face and…I couldn't help it."

"That's not what I'm asking Aang," Toph turned to hide her face, she didn't want Aang to see her embarrassed face.

"What I'm asking…Aang is if I mean…um…do you l-love me?" Toph managed to yell out the last put due to her embarrassment. Aang was caught off guard by the question. Then a small smile appeared on his face as he slid his arms around her shoulders and hugged her.

"I do." He said honestly. Toph could feel her cheeks grow warm. Just then all the excuses from the night before filled her mind.

"But…I'm a rich girl!"

"So? I don't care if your rich or poor I'll still love you."

"I'm not pretty…"

"Didn't you hear me? When I saw your face I couldn't help but kiss you. You're beautiful Toph, in every manner of the word." Her entire face was reddening.

"But I look like a nerd with my glasses on!" She was beginning to get desperate.

"I…might kind of actually think you look hot with them," Aang said nervously chuckling as he scratched his head. Toph's face was as red as it had ever been in years but then a large complex materialized in her head.

"Aang…I'm not girlie at all…I'm tough…rude…loud…" For a long while Aang didn't say anything and that made Toph feel worse. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes. Obviously Aang wouldn't like a girl like me, god I'm so stupid! Before she could shake Aang's grip on her, Aang lifted her and turned her body so she was facing him. He gently pressed his forehead against hers.

"All of that is true you're tough, rude, loud, aggressive, bold, masculine, and even obnoxious at times," Toph narrowed her eyes and felt like head butting him right then and there "But Toph those are the things I love about you. If they took those things away from you, you wouldn't be the Toph I've come to know and love. It's what made me notice you in the first place. You're unique and special-" Toph pressed her finger against his lips.

"Just shut up and kiss me," Aang smiled and gently pressed his lips against hers. Aang wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer to him as she deepened their kiss. Sparks went off in Toph's head, this felt much more….enjoyable than any of the kisses before. Before she knew it, she moved her body so she sat on his thighs and she wrapped her arms around his shoulder. They broke apart, both slightly gasping for air but their foreheads continued to touch.

"And you're girlie Toph. Last night was a perfect example of that." Aang said. Toph's eyebrow twitched, that night should be erased from their memory forever. Well, just the crying part anyway. She roughly grabbed Aang by the collar and glared at him.

"If you tell anyone about that I'll make sure that you can't tell anyone anything anymore!"

"Yes dear," Aang wasn't scared; he just smiled and gave Toph a small peck on her forehead.

Woo. Finally right? Tell me what you guys think.