A/N: hello! and welcome to the revamping of opz. when i made the (reluctant) decision to stop writing this story it was because my life had gone haywire. but now that my state has been quarantined and i had enough time to re-read this story, along with the unpublished material, i became so nostalgic. atla being on netflix doesn't help, either. so i'm rewriting this. i apologize for any disappointment you may feel. there are just so many things that shouldn't have even happened in this story, that happened only because i was being a lazy writer who was too easily influenced. i've always wanted to fix these mistakes, and now i have the chance to do so. plus, i just wanna give this story the proper flow and ending it deserves. i no longer have any reason to be lazy or influenced by anyone 'cuz i'm in the house all alone, haha! as such, many things will be changed and many things will remain the same. this revamping will be how the story should have been from the very beginning. i really hope you enjoy this ride with me! and don't worry, i'll leave the original on ao3. :-*

Operation: Zutara — Introduction

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"Want to get in trouble with me, Carlos?"

― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

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It never made any sense to Toph how people could just beat around the bush, as if it were normal. There was nothing even remotely normal about beating around the bush—the phrase gave that much away. Discussing a problem without actually discussing the problem, while avoiding a solution on purpose was not normal. All this did was prolong the situation at hand and make things harder than they needed to be. And who the hell went around just beating so many bushes that a phrase had to be coined, anyway? Nothing about any of it made sense or even seemed sane. Not one bit.

This bothered Toph.

This wasn't how she worked.

Toph Beifong approached every single one of her problems head-on and directly. Eyeball to eyeball. The longer one stalled, the longer the problem would exist, and any problem that existed longer than necessary was far too long in her book. This opened the door to so many possibilities: extended discomfort, additional situations, and plain old confusion. Who had the time for that? The most obvious solution would obviously be to not beat around the bush. Tackle the problem. Get shit done. Move on with your life. It was as simple as that. As such, seeing others actively avoid such an uncomplicated solution absolutely disgusted Toph.

Yet she couldn't look away for the life of her.

For the past two hours, the young heiress had been forced to watch this 'beat around the bush' shtick with her own two eyes. Tied down to her chair with her eyes pried wide open, there was no escape! Okay. Fine. So she hadn't been forced—not technically, anyway—and neither tying nor prying were involved, but she honestly couldn't look away. That wasn't a lie. It was just that these two... They were good at it. Really good. It was almost like a train wreck. A really attractive train wreck topped with pretty hair that ran on a track built on proper grammar. One would think that they had taken a class on beating around the bush with the way they were going at it. It would have been impressive if Toph's corneas weren't melting away with revulsion. And the worst part of it all? The two culprits weren't strangers or even people she hated. They were two of her closest friends, meaning that they—of all people!—knew how she felt about this bush nonsense. Throughout all this bush beating, how was it that everyone could tell that they had a thing for each other? Except for them?

Second worst part? Toph was sitting right in the middle of it all.

Katara on one side. Zuko on the other.

In the back of a tea shop.

The only reason Toph had come to the tea shop in the first place was because the older woman offered to help her study for an upcoming anatomy test. Who wouldn't accept an offer like that from a nurse-in-training? She just didn't count on Princess Glitter-Butt being there. Yes, this was his uncle's establishment, but that pretty boy was interfering with her study time. If she'd known that this was how things were gonna go down, she would have just waited for Katara to get back to their apartment instead of meeting her at the shop. Not only did Ol' Blue Eyes cook and clean in exchange for Toph paying for everything at their place, but she doubled as a live-in teacher whenever it was needed. It was a pretty good deal.

Unlike this shit.

Zuko raised a hand to comb his fingers through his hair. Kill Bill sirens immediately rang inside of Toph's head. Nothing good would come from that subtle hair comb, because nothing good ever came from one of his stupid hair combings! All they ever brought were giggles, red cheeks and even more beating around the bush—all of which Toph would no longer stand to watch! Or sit to watch! Whatever! She was over it!

"I'm gonna get a drink," Toph declared. She scrambled to shut her textbook as quickly as she possibly could, not that her two friends noticed. She tucked the book underneath her arm, stuck her pen right into the messy bun that sat on the nape of her neck, and slung her backpack over her shoulders as she stood to make her escape. Her eyes zeroed in on the front counter. "Or something."

A low whistle sounded off behind her as she walked, prompting her to spin around to find the culprit. It was none other than Aang returning from one of his table wiping rounds with a towel in hand. An impish smile brightened his face as he walked past her and through the counter's double doors, allowing him to resume his post as the barista.

He slung the towel over his shoulder and rested his elbows onto the counter. "I was wondering how long it would take you to finally get up and leave those two."

"Twinkletoes!" Relief flooded her senses as she rushed to the counter. This was a face she needed to see: her best friend. The best she'd ever had. There was such a thing as hope, after all. She laughed. "I've never been so happy to see you! I could just kiss you right now!"

Impossible as it seemed, his face brightened as his smile stretched into a grin. Then he blinked. His smile fell and his brows knitted with disappointment. "I'm your best friend. How have you never been happy to see me?"

Toph snorted. She sat on a stool and set her textbook onto the counter. "Relax, baldy. I said that I've never been so happy to see you, not that I've never been happy to see you."

He crossed his arms. "That's not any better, you little brat."

"Hey! I'm not little, I'm—"

"Fun-sized," they said together.

"I know," he continued. "Everyone knows."

There was a pause.

"You're still a brat."

Toph rolled her eyes, though a light chuckle did escape her. She could never stay mad at him for long. Not seriously, anyway. "Hi, Twinkles."

Aang's grin returned, the curve as bright and warm as it always was. "Hey, T."

"I didn't know you'd be working today," she commented off-handedly.

"Yeah, well. There's a reason for that." He grabbed the towel from his shoulder and wiped the counter down with a sigh. He looked side to side before meeting her eyes. "Iroh has been complaining about you. He says that you're a distraction."

She simply scoffed. "That old man loves me. Besides, if anyone's a distraction, it's his nephew. Princess Glitter-Butt."

Aang doubled over with laughter. "A new nickname, huh? What did Zuko do this time?"

"What didn't he do this time?" She groaned. "The only reason I'm here and not tucked into my bed taking a well deserved nap, is because I need to study. Katara volunteered to help me study for an exam. I didn't even go to her, she came and offered herself to me, so of course I accept."

"Of course."

"But then Princess Fire-Brains showed up and threw all her concentration off!"

"I thought he was Princess Glitter-Butt. You're making it hard to keep up with these new—"

"I mean, how hard is it to tell someone that you like them?" Toph continued, undeterred. "'Hi, I'm Katara. Hey, I'm Zuko. Wanna bang?' They're old. They should already know how to do this!"

The two friends looked to Zuko and Katara.

Zuko combed his fingers through his hair.

Katara said something that an onlooker could only guess was funny from the way he just laughed.

They both turned red.

Toph sneered. "Dis—gusting."

"Huh," Aang breathed with an air of admiration. "Zuko's complexion is already naturally on the reddish side. It's pretty impressive how she can get him even redder. I wonder if Iroh will say that Katara's a distraction."

Toph met his eyes with a laugh. "Twinkletoes, I'm distressed. Don't make me laugh."

He shrugged. That impish quirk touched his lips again as he slowed his wiping down a bit. "You can't really blame those two for skirting around their feelings like this, y'know. They've known each other for such a long time. That probably makes this all feel so new—"

"Yawn."

"—and I dunno, I think those two want more than just banging. It's kinda sweet, don't you—"

"Yawn."

"—that being said, not everyone is as reckless as Toph Beifong—"

"Everyone should be as reckless as Toph Beifong—"

"—besides, what are you gonna do?" he continued with a dismissive laugh. "Play Cupid?"

Toph arched a brow, mouth open and all.

Aang's smile slowly faded and the counter wiping came to an immediate halt. He swallowed and looked around before bracing his hands onto the counter. He leaned into her space with a shake of his head.

"T. Please."

T. ignored that.

Playing Cupid? That had to be the best idea Aang had ever come up with during the sixteen years she had known him. Matchmaking had never been her area of expertise, but it wasn't like pairing those two idiots together would be hard. They were already paired up, so all the hard work was done and out of the way. All she had to do was give them a little push. Some encouragement to finally admit their feelings for each other.

"Like Cupid," she whispered.

Aang looked to the ground. "Toph. I am begging you. Zuko is twenty-four and Katara is twenty-two. They are old enough and more than capable of taking care of something like this by themselves."

Toph grinned at the top of his head as the motors in her brain began to churn. O Fortuna was now playing in her mind, which meant only one thing: there was no turning back now. It took everything in her to keep herself from raising her arms to release a wicked cackle. She stood instead. "Twinkles."

"Ah, here we go."

"Princess Sparkly-Pants is twenty-four and Katara is twenty-two, and they still can't get their act together—"

"Once again, I can't keep up with all these name changes—"

"—we have every right to get into their business and play Cupid."

Aang looked up to meet her eyes. He scowled. "You can't use my words against me like that."

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"You're the one who gave me this idea!"

"I didn't think that you'd go this far with it!"

"Oh, what did you expect?!"

Aang watched her carefully. He released a slow sigh through his nostrils as he tapped his fingers onto the counter. "Don't think I can't see those wheels turning inside that pretty little head of yours. You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that?"

Toph grinned. That was what he always said before giving in. "I'm a girl. It's my job."

He bit the inside of his cheek. He was fighting a smile. As much as he liked to chastise his best friend for being so reckless and troublesome, they both knew that he could be just as bad when he wanted to be. He just needed some... encouragement. A push.

Aang surveyed the shop before pushing himself off of the counter to stand up straight. He tapped the curve of her nose and pointed at her textbook. "I'll help you study once I clock out."

"Which is?"

"Ten minutes."

"And then, Operation: Zutara is a go?"

His face scrunched up with disbelief. "You already came up with a name? For the couple and... and this? Whatever this is?"

"This is an operation."

"This is an operation!" He grabbed for his head. "T., we're not the CIA!"

"You're right. We're better."

"Toph!"

Toph laughed. He honestly made messing around with him so much fun. "Come on, you're my best friend. If you're not my partner in crime, who else would be able to take your spot? And live?"

The sounds of the tea shop fueled their staring match as they watched each other. After a moment, Aang dropped his hands. He extended one toward her.

"I'll help you study. And then, Operation: Zutara is a go."

She took his hand. "You're the best."

"You're trouble."

Toph winked. At that, Aang released her hand and continued to fight the smiles away.