Disclaimer:

I don't own Avatar but I use the characters for my own entertainment. O_0

Aang's pov

I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of a white and blue bracelet on her wrists that for all the excitement I felt at having thought of letting her "see" me, I had not noticed before.

"I prefer to think of myself as devilishly handsome with devastatingly good looks. I have been said to be dripping with good looks."

"Seriously?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm not kidding," I told her truthfully. "I was a party for politics and this senator's wife told me that I was dripping with good looks. I tried to avoid her the rest of the night because she looked like she was about to eat me." I shivered.

That was one of my least pleasant nights out. My secretary couldn't stop laughing when I told my tale and gave her deepest sympathies for me, though I felt like she was only doing that out of politeness.

"Then," I continued, "After a speech I gave to this small county, a group of women were talking about me and I overheard them call me devilishly handsome and blessed with devastatingly good looks and lovely assets, whatever that means."

For some reason, Toph began laughing hysterically. She fell back on the couch and gripped her sides as she laughed. I didn't get what was so funny but I laughed at just how silly a grown woman like her could look like.

When she regained control of herself she looked at me with tears of laughter in her eyes. "Well, I don't know about those lovely assets but from what I could tell, which wasn't much, you didn't look half bad."

My smile grew from ear to ear. "Thanks!" Then I remembered a little secret I had.

"Toph?" I asked nervously.

"What?" she asked, still smiling.

I gulped. "I have something to tell you but when I do please don't kill me. It was so long ago and I have really learned my lesson. I beg your forgiveness above anything else."

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you have to say?" she asked, sounding so neutral.

I sighed and as quickly as I could I said, "It was a long time ago but Jory asked me to spy on you because I was really good with computers and he wanted to humiliate you in some way for rejecting him for the millionth time."

"How exactly did you spy on me?" she asked, her voice again so neutral it killed me.

"I had on a camera and a voice recorder. But when I left in the rain you told me to come back to the porch so I did and the wiring short circuited when I leaned in to hear you above the rain." I held up my hands in surrender but she couldn't see it. "After that I deleted everything and told Jory that the rain screwed up the wiring, which technically wasn't a lie. He didn't get a single video or audio recording but I felt really bad about it. I was going to tell you sooner but…I thought you might hate me so I didn't."

So fast that I didn't see it, she delivered two quick, hard, jabs to my shoulder…in the same spot. Well, it's not like I didn't deserve it but man did it hurt!

She leaned back, crossed both her arms and legs and put on a thoughtful expression. I feared that more than physical retribution.

Cold fear gripped my neck as sweat began forming at my brow and heat pooled into my cheeks. What if she was reconsidering…us-whatever we were? I opened my mouth to tell her that I was sorry from the bottom of my heart, which had been pulled up for air when she agreed to begin again and then plummeted to the bottom of the pool when I began speaking, when she interrupted me.

"Okay, I'm over it." She raised her arms over her head and let out a loud yawn. I snuck a glance at the clock and it was 1:23 am.

"What do you mean you're over it? Aren't you going to hit me some more?" I bared my arm. "Seriously, you can if you want."

She shook her head. "No. Like I said: I'm over it. See, you confessed to me even though you probably knew I was going to want to kick your ass but you sucked it up and told me anyways because it was the right thing to do. So, two punches for getting an audio and video recording in the first place and I think we're even. Just swear that you won't do something like that ever again." She gave me a death glare and it seemed to penetrate me more knowing that she was blind that it would if she could see.

"I promise – oh snap!" I jumped off the couch and headed down a corridor that led to my room. I quickly unlocked the door and was greeted with 131 pounds of muscle, fat, and white fur.

Appa knocked me down in the hallway and I heard Toph ask, "Twinkle Toes? Are you okay?"

As soon as Appa heard another voice he ran to the couch. "Watch out Toph!" I yelled. It didn't help. Appa was on her faster than when I announced for dinner.

"What the hell!" she yelled. As I got up I felt something tugging on my shirt as it climbed up. It was Momo, my ferret. He always liked climbing up on me.

I ran towards Toph and tried to tug Appa's neck to pry him off of Toph who now seemed to be laughing.

"Toph," I said over the commotion, "this is Appa, he's my dog in case the tongue licking you to death hadn't alerted you. On my shoulders is my ferret, Momo. Appa!" I said a bit harshly. "Please get down!"

After a few more licks he satisfied himself with occupying my side of the couch. Momo jumped to the arm of the couch and attentively sniffed her hands, hair, and clothes. He then curled up around her shoulders. She laughed when he tickled her neck with his whiskers.

"Sorry about that," I said as I sat on the arm of the couch. "He's usually really lazy but I think he's kind of mad at me. I forgot to let him out."

Toph was still laughing and wiped bits of drool from her face. "He probably crapped all over your bed as revenge."

I laughed, believing it silly. Then I remembered that Appa could hold a nasty grudge and would definitely make sure that you paid for it later. Once I had forgotten to change his water and when I returned from my office during lunch break I found my bathroom flooded. He was a smart, conniving dog but he was also loyal.

I excused myself and quickly ran to my bed. Everything was safe…well at the very least I didn't find anything so I returned back to sit on the arm of the couch.

"What kind is he?"

"He's a Mountain Caucasian Shepard Dog. All you really need to know is that he's big and getting bigger, he's only eight years old."

"Isn't that half of a hundred in dog years?"

"Shh! He doesn't like being reminded of that." Appa looked up and seemed to glare at me. Then he returned to sleeping. "He's young at heart," I added for his benefit. He didn't look up at me.

"And…Momo?"

"My pretty little ferret. They are both white with brown and black patches. I got them my senior year. Appa I found at an animal shelter that I still volunteer for at times. Momo I found abandoned in a cardboard box."

"Well," Toph said as she scratched Momo under the chin. It was his favorite place to be scratched and his purrs seemed to rumble off the walls, "I like them. Although, I would so not mind a warning next time."

I nodded and began feeling a little tired myself. "Where do you want to sleep? The couch pulls out."

"Well, I think Appa's currently occupying the couch."

"He can move." As if he understood me, which he no doubt did, Appa turned around in a circle and splayed himself over most of the couch. No offense to him but he was not the lightest weight in the weight room. He was the heaviest and I had no intention of moving him. "Never mind."

"I'll just sleep in your room. Come on, we're both adults. If it makes you feel better I promise to keep my hands to myself," she held out her hand as if we were sealing a business deal.

I shook her hand, feeling my fate take a sharp curve towards a sleepless night.

I went to my room to make sure nothing was on the floor that she could trip over when I heard that deep click again.

"What is that?" I called out to Toph who seemed to be walking effortlessly down the hallway. "Am I going mad? Please tell me I'm not the only one hearing that?"

"Hearing what–this?" she raised her hand and in it was a small white device. She pressed the only button on it and there was that sound! I wasn't going crazy!

"What is that?" I asked.

"It's a clicker. I can feel vibrations bouncing off of objects and I use that to not kill myself trying to walk into a strange room I can't see."

My eyebrows shot up. "That sounds cool!"

She shrugged. "I'm one of the only few people in the world who can do it so yeah," she agreed with a big smirk, "I guess I am pretty cool."

I walked over to take her hand and lead her to her side of the bed. "I said the process was cool, not you."

"The process would be pointless without me so therefore, I am cool."

I rolled my eyes and asked her if she wanted some pajamas.

"No thanks, I outgrew footsies a long time ago."

"I meant like a shirt of mine shorty."

She moved to punch me but I dodged. "You're going to have to get in the bed sooner or later," she warned me.

Again her voice took on that deep tone that stirred my insides.

"Are you okay with sleeping in jeans?" I asked.

She patted her thighs. "These jeans are pretty comfortable. Besides," she smirked, "I wouldn't want to tempt you."

I looked away from her as she took off her jacket and got in the bed. Too late, I thought.

I turned off the lights and got into bed on the opposite side. Soon, the toils, surprises, and emotions I'd felt throughout the day drooped my eyelids and I fell asleep into the first peaceful dreams I have had in over 9 years.

A/N:

Love: Lola of the Peaches

=]