I'm going to slowly show you more of Aang's perspective/thoughts on the situation. It will still mostly be from Toph's POV though.
Hey if you haven't yet: check out my other Taang works. I promise they're good. Follow me on tumblr: @authorjoydragon and also some pals and I just made a Taangst Week for 2021 happening in late May- if you want to be involved in that the tumblr blog is @taangst-week-2021. We are pretty pleased with ourselves to think up 'taangst' because we were going to call it Taang Angst Week. We so smart. *preens like a peacock*
Anyways here's the next chapter. We are slowly going from low heat to medium heat on the burner, folks.
Toph waited until Aang left the inn- she was starting to wake up when he did (which was an ungodly horrible time).
But today she wanted to go do something and she needed him to not be aware. So it was perfect to go out while he was doing his morning meditation.
She quickly dressed and found her coin purse, slipping it around her waist. She grabbed a basket too, intending to buy groceries as a cover. As she stepped off the porch, she "looked" to make sure Aang was set up by the creek, unaware of her sneaking out.
Toph quickly headed into town and went straight to the market. She was excited for her little idea, and she hoped she would be able to find what she was looking for.
She wanted her wedding gift to Aang to be absolutely perfect.
The market was already starting to become crowded, even at the early hour. Toph smiled at the cacophony of sound as people greeted each other and kids ran about causing trouble. It was nice to walk around as just a person and not the Beifong heiress.
Eventually she was able to find a jewelry stand. The lender greeted her.
"Hello, young lady. Are you looking for something specific today?" He sounded old and kind, not mentioning her obvious blindness. Toph smiled brightly at him.
"Yes. I'm making a wedding gift for my husband. I'm carving a jade necklace and matching ring. I want the necklace to be able to open and close so he can take the ring on and off of the necklace."
The lender hummed. "A very thoughtful gift, ma'am. So you are looking for tools?"
She shook her head. "No carving tools needed. Just a chain and some kind of connector piece. I want it to be sturdy."
He walked away for a moment and came back with a box to rummage through. "No wood or string then. Metal will do. For the clamp I would suggest a screw style. Which metal do you prefer?"
Toph pursed her lips, "I'm not sure. We're benders though, so it needs to withstand a fight. Nothing that will break easily."
"I would suggest a titanium or steel, perhaps tungsten, even. Those are all stronger than gold or silver, but they cost a pretty penny." The man was upfront with her. Toph appreciated that.
She waved his concern away though. "I'm not concerned with the price. It's worth it for this. Which of those metals looks best to wear?"
"Titanium has the nicest shine." He smiled. "And it can be delicate and thin, but strong."
"Perfect. That's what I'll do then."
The old lender picked out the titanium pieces she would need and let her run her fingers over them for the final decision. She did buy a single tool to clamp it all together once the jade beads were in place- after all, even she couldn't bend metal. He packaged it all neatly for her and gave her a steep price. It was no issue though, Toph even gave him a little extra for helping her decide the best option.
"I'm sure your husband will cherish it for a lifetime."
She smiled brightly, "I hope so. Thank you for the help."
Toph waved goodbye and continued down the street, carefully pocketing the expensive package.
She grabbed a variety of fruit and freshly-baked bread, and even stopped at one lender for some kind of delicious-smelling meat on a stick. Then she got an order of vegetarian steamed breakfast buns to take back to Aang.
She was quite happy with her haul and headed back to the inn. No doubt Aang would be wondering where she was by now.
As she walked, she considered how to make the jade jewelry in secret. She didn't want Aang to find it before she was ready to give it to him. She wanted it to be special. Maybe she could work on it in the mornings.
Ugh, she was turning into such a sap because of him.
(Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing though.)
Once she got closer to the inn she could vaguely pinpoint Aang's location by the side of the house, walking towards her. And just as suddenly, his feet left the earth.
Toph prepared for the ambush.
The telltale feel of wind on her bare neck was her only warning before Aang's voice spoke, "Where'd you go so early?"
Then his feet landed behind her, his hand barely resting on her hip as he looked over her shoulder into her basket.
"Were you trying to sneak up on me?" She grinned, "Cause it didn't work."
Aang laughed, "There's no surprising you, is there?"
"Nope." She leaned back into his arm slightly, discreetly letting him know she liked his touch.
His hand tightened slightly before he inhaled loudly. "But seriously, what'd you get? It smells good."
Toph laughed, reaching into the basket and pulling out the wrapped buns. "Just for you. It's vegetarian."
Aang eagerly accepted the snack and immediately crammed one into his mouth. He moaned in delight before swallowing, "You're the best wife ever!"
For some reason the sound he made shot a tingle of lightning down her spine, straight into her belly. She swallowed roughly, trying to will away the sudden heat making her hot and weak.
What the hell was this?
She turned away from him quickly, trying not to stumble over her own feet. "You know it, Twinkles. I also got fruit, so I'll go put it up."
It was just an excuse to get away from him for a moment.
She wished she had someone to talk to. Her mother hadn't warned her about this… this desire. And while her maids would giggle and gossip- they were just as inexperienced as she was. Was this normal? It's like her body set itself on fire. Her knees were wobbly and she felt so… needy. For what exactly, she wasn't sure. But she knew she wanted Aang to touch her. That he could satisfy this need.
Toph shakily set the fruit in the bowl, trying to gather herself. Maybe she just needed a bath to cool her off.
Another part of her felt the urge to kiss him, to touch him, to drag him to their bed and… and do something to him.
Ugh… yes a bath was needed to clear those thoughts away.
Toph pushed herself up and wrung out her long hair, stepping onto the soft mat beside the tub. She frowned as her hand reached out to the wall where the towels hung, feeling nothing. She had hung up her towel there just yesterday! Aang must have taken it to be washed.
She walked over to the dresser in the corner where clean towels were. She huffed in frustration when she found every single shelf empty. Making her way to the counter, she felt along the top to see if maybe Aang had just placed the towels there. Nothing.
Well, she could put her clothes on while she was dripping wet…
Toph groaned and walked to the bathroom door, cracking it open and calling for her husband, "Aang? Can you come here?"
There was no answer.
Maybe he wasn't in the house? Damn these wooden floors.
There were more towels in the linen closet in the hallway though…
"Aang?" She raised her voice louder. Still no response.
She felt the water in her hair dripping down her back, making her shiver. She steeled herself and quickly walked out into their bedroom, keeping her arms crossed over her breasts. She turned out into the hallway and moved one hand along the wall to find the doorknob for the closet.
"Toph, did you cal-" Aang choked on his words as his eyes landed on her. So. Much. Skin.
His eyes roved over her curvy body, her wide hips, her creamy skin, the squishy breasts under her hands-
Toph squeaked and blushed, trying to cover herself more with her hands (and failing miserably). Aang remembered himself and quickly turned away, practically ripping his eyes off of her body.
He flushed, physically covering his eyes so he wasn't tempted to steal a peek, "Why in the seven hells are you naked?!"
"You have the worst timing!" She growled at him. Finally she found the closet handle and flung it open, quickly grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself. "Someone took all the towels out of the bathroom!"
"I folded them and put them on the bed while you were in the bathroom!"
Toph scoffed, "Who puts towels on the bed? You could have told me!"
"I'm sorry!"
She sighed, feeling her face burn. She mumbled, "It's not like you aren't going to see it anyways…"
"What!"
Toph flushed brighter. He wasn't meant to hear that. "Nothing! Go away already!" She quickly strode back into the bedroom and slammed the door in his face. She was so embarrassed he had heard that- and had seen all of her nudity- she was prepared to get back into the bathtub and drown now.
Meanwhile, Aang stared at the closed bedroom door. He contemplated storming inside, pulling the towel away from her and tossing her on the bed and-
He shook his head and scrubbed his hands down his face. No. They were taking things slow.
As excited as he was to know that Toph was 'having feelings' for him, he wasn't going to rush said feelings. Aang took a deep breath and walked away from the bedroom. He was a monk, and patience was his speciality.
It also sucked.
