"Kindness Week is coming up!" Aang announced, earning a couple of cheers from the rest of the staff.

Zuko spun on his chair to nudge Sokka with his pen and whispered, "What's Kindness Week?"

"Another one of Aang's events," Sokka said with a shrug.

Still not entirely sure what to expect, Zuko returned his attention to the overly excited man standing in the front of the room. Aang was the only person he knew who unironically loved corporate events. He was always coming up with new themed Fridays, and he looked forward to team activities like a kid going to an amusement park for the first time in their life.

"For those who don't know," Aang continued, and all eyes shifted to Zuko, "this is a week-long event we hold every February to encourage random acts of kindness in the workplace."

Zuko leaned back in his chair, scratching his chin in thought. So far, it didn't sound so bad. Probably couldn't be worse than Sun Warriors Appreciation Day.

The CEO continued, "We also play Secret Valentine but with our own little spin. Instead of heart-shaped balloons and red roses, we try to be nicer to each other—small little gestures that make them feel a little more special that week." Aang smiled warmly. "You don't have to do anything big; it's the thought that counts after all, so let's all just have fun, shall we?"

"And since we're all here anyway"—Aang produced a cardboard box from under the table, beaming with excitement,—"Why not draw the names now?"

"It's actually a pretty cool idea," Sokka said as they watched the box being passed around. "Last year, I got Teo from IT. He's a super smart guy, and we got to talk about all sorts of things thanks to the Kindness Week."

Zuko nodded, glad that it seemed like a fairly laid-back event. He was fine with rolling with it and not stressing about what his gestures of kindness would be… until he drew her name out of that stupid box. And his blood immediately froze in his veins. He cleared his throat, shoving the scrap of paper inside his pocket as if pretending he hadn't read it would magically solve his problems. "So what exactly are we supposed to do again?"

"Whatever you think would make the other person happy. I painted a portrait one time."

"You… what?" Zuko had seen what his friend's artistic skills looked like before. He wasn't sure many people had the right frame of mind to appreciate the gift.

"You're not supposed to spend crazy amounts of money so you gotta think outside the box. Oh, but I did buy a premium pack of beef jerky for the last day, you know, to end with a bang."

"I see…" He wasn't sure if Sokka's gestures were a good reference point, but it at least motivated Zuko to do better than his friend. Because if anything, he'd like to believe that he had slightly more tact than Sokka, the self-proclaimed meat and sarcasm guy.

And better he did.

…Or so he thought.

In his mind, Kindness Week was going great: he made sure that her favorite tea was restocked in the pantry; held the elevator door open for her; gave her a catering contact (through Sokka) when he heard she was looking for one; worked extra hard folding some paper flowers so she'd find them on her desk when she came in in the morning, and all that without blowing his cover! He was genuinely pleased with himself for not screwing things up this time. But then... everything changed.

On his way to refill his and Toph's coffees, he heard voices coming from the kitchen. At first, he had no intention to listen to his colleagues' discussion, but something about the ushering tones and secrecy piqued his interest.

"Did you know that white lilies are also used for weddings?" Suki asked.

"Yeah, and they're also the kind of flowers you give to your grandma on her birthday," Katara scoffed.

"Maybe someone has a crush on you," Suki said in a sing-song voice.

"No way."

"Come on, Katara. They gave you flowers!"

"Yeah, made of paper!"

Zuko scrunched up his nose, realizing what they were talking about and hissing at his stupidity. To him, those were only generic origami flowers, but apparently, the hidden meaning of plants ran deeper than he imagined. Without noticing, he pressed his body closer to the wall to hear better.

"Even sweeter! Do you have any idea how much time it must've taken to fold them one by one?"

"Oh, whatever." He could sense Katara rolling her eyes.

"Face it, that's kind of a generous deed, even for Kindness Week."

"Y-you think so?"

He heard steps coming in his direction, and Zuko's back stiffened, completely appalled. His vision started spinning, pulse sped up, and he feared what would happen if his presence was discovered by the two women inside. He rushed back to his desk before embarrassment made him self-combust, his original quest for more caffeine long forgotten. Fingers still shaking, he tapped Toph on the shoulder and whisper-shouted, "Switch names with me."

Toph frowned, pulling her headphones back. "Where's my coffee?"

"There was none. Switch names with me," Zuko repeated with even more desperation.

"The hell are you talking about?"

"The kindness thing. You don't have to do anything, just take my name and I'll keep yours."

Toph said nothing for a long moment, and not for the first time since meeting the girl, Zuko wondered if her glassed eyes could look into his soul.

With a click of her tongue, she asked, "What's in it for me?"

"I'll do anything you want."

"Anything?"

He hesitated. Maybe seeking her aid had been a mistake, but there really was no time to look for another way out. "... Sure."

Toph broke into a triumphant smile. "Alright. Always a pleasure doing business with you, Sparky!"

Months later, Toph has yet to claim her favor, and the torturous wait makes his anxiety level rise every time she calls him by the name. And up to this day, Jet still believes that Zuko is a basketball fan, going on and on about the Freedom Fighters' last game whenever they meet by the drinking fountain...


Aang is on the balcony, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his eyes closed as the morning sun grazes the top of his bald head. Momo is nibbling seeds at his feet, and the two of them look so serene out there that for a moment, Zuko wonders if he should come back another time. But before he can drag himself to his desk, the other man notices him.

"Morning, Zuko!" Aang smiles and waves for Zuko to join him. "Want some pumpkin seeds? They're good for the heart."

"Uh, thanks," Zuko says, grabbing a few from the plastic container Aang offers him and starts munching them one at a time. "I actually wanted your input on something if you're not too busy."

"Not at all! What is it?"

Zuko rubs the back of his neck. Communication has never been his forte, so he takes a deep breath to psych himself. "A friend of mine inherited a bookshop from her grandparents, but she doesn't really have any experience with a business of her own..."

Aang nods intrigued. "And how's that going?"

"I don't know the details," Zuko replies with a shrug, "but it's fair to say that there's plenty of room for improvement."

"Sounds like a challenge." Aang stands up, dusting his pants with his free hand. "Alright, we can tell the rest of the team and see if there's anyone available to go check it out."

"Wait, are you serious?"

Aang frowns. "Didn't you bring it up because you want to help your friend?"

"I guess…"

"In fact, I think we should ask the staff right now."

"Great," Zuko grumbles as he follows the other guy inside.

"Attention, everyone!" Aang shouts with his hands cupped around his mouth, catching the attention of all present personnel. "Zuko here's got a potential new client for us." Several cheers meet the boss' announcement. Sokka even wolf-whistled, much to Zuko's dismay. "Who's free to go do an evaluation with him?"

Zuko is about to argue that he has never offered to work on Ty Lee's bookshop himself, but someone beats him to it.

"Zuko meeting with a client?" Katara mocks in a low voice, but Zuko can still hear her, and he guesses so can everyone else. "That I oughta see—"

"Katara said she'll do it," Sokka shouts, shoving his sister on the back and making her stumble forward.

"No, I didn't," she hisses, glaring daggers at Sokka's smug face.

Aang beams, giving her a thumbs up, "I knew I could count on you, Katara!"

"I—I didn't say that!" Katara protests, waving her arms in indignation.

"Look who's full of big talk but doesn't have the balls to back it up." Toph crosses her arms and shifts her weight from one foot to the other to glare in the other girl's direction.

The air grows charged with tension, and Zuko can see in his mind the two jumping at each other's throats.

"That's not it! I just have a lot on my plate now."

"It's okay, Katara," Aang says, his tone appeasing. "It's only a quick little chat to assess the situation. We can figure out schedules and whatever else later."

"But—" Katara purses her lips, scowling like she still has plenty to say but thinks better of it. She begrudgingly forfeits the losing battle, though not before throwing a menacing glare in Zuko's direction. "Fine."

Zuko covers his mouth and whispers so no one but the boss can hear him, "Maybe this isn't a good idea, Aang."

"Nah, this is perfect!" Aang clasps Zuko on the shoulder encouragingly. "I'm looking forward to seeing you two working together."

Zuko snorts, running a hand down his face.

"That makes one of us..."


Katara doubts she'd ever go along with murder, but as she's forced to step out of their air-conditioned nice little office to go meet this mysterious client with Zuko, she really does consider inflicting him some degree of pain. Nothing too serious, just enough to let him know the extent of her discontentment. It also doesn't help that Zuko is walking right next to her wearing all black. He's got one of those sporty jackets with its fancy breathable fabric on, and the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, sure, but the jacket's hood covers his face, and she can feel the heat radiating from him. It's not like she doesn't get why he'd do that, but it still makes her wanna splash a bucket of ice water on his head.

"You may think you're being super incognito right now," Katara says, a hand moving to unstick the humid hair in the back of her neck, "but you look like a dangerous person walking around like that."

"Yeah, well," he sneers, rolling his shoulders back to stand a little taller. "You're more than welcome to move to the other side of the street so you're not accosted by the cops for walking next to a dangerous person like me."

"Sheesh, don't be so dramatic," she scoffs, shaking her head. "We're headed the same way; would be stupid not to go there together. Besides, you're the only one who knows what this mysterious potential client looks like."

"Lucky me," he grumbles, making Katara want to slap his stupid face (not for the first time that day).

She huffs but says nothing else, and the conversation dies as they walk the rest of the way to the bookshop. The doorbell chimes and a female voice screeches as soon as they step inside.

"Oh my gosh, Zuko!" There's a blur of pinks and flowing hair, and a moment later, Zuko is being tackled by a ball of energy shaped like a petite woman. "I haven't seen you, like, since you and Mai broke up!"

Katara arches an eyebrow intrigued but decides that it wouldn't be professional to tease him about it right in front of their future client—as friendly as the latter may be.

"And now look at you! You're so tall—"

"Good to see you too, Ty Lee," Zuko cuts off the woman's blabbering, awkwardly patting her on the shoulder. "This is Katara, she's a marketing consultant. I hope you don't mind that I brought her along today."

"Not at all! It's nice to meet you, Katara." Ty Lee hugs her quickly, and she smells sweet like strawberries and coconut, a scent Katara realizes fits her personality like a glove.

Katara smiles back. "Likewise."

"I just made a pitcher of lemonade, let me get that real quick for you guys," Ty Lee says, gracefully moving through the rows of disorganized shelves and disappearing from view. "Please make yourselves at home!"

Exchanging uncertain glances, Zuko and Katara decide to follow.

"It's kind of cramped…" Zuko mentions, looking with worry at the tall walls of books menacingly surrounding them.

"You've never been here before?"

He shrugs.

"Even though you're close enough for her to know about your past relationships?" Katara asks, nonchalant but still curious enough to check his reaction out of the corner of her eyes.

To her disappointment though, Zuko is less clumsy and more irritated when he answers, "Mai and Ty Lee were friends first. It's only natural that she would know about us."

"That so?"

"Yes. And I would appreciate it if you stopped with the questionnaire."

"Calm down, grumpy," she says, rolling her eyes.

"Let's just get this over with, okay?"

"Sure, Zuko. Whatever you say."

Done with the chit-chat, they find Ty Lee behind a small counter, pouring ice into three tall glasses. As they pick an empty table by the window, Katara takes a casual look around. There's no one else there but them.

"Are you closed today?"

"Nope. Things have just been slow, I guess," Ty Lee replies, placing the cold beverages on the table and pulling a nearby chair for herself.

Katara hears Zuko exhaling slowly, but he doesn't say anything, focusing on the condensation forming on the sides of his glass instead. She takes a sip from her own drink deep in her own thoughts as she shifts into work mode. The lemonade is refreshing. A perfect balance between sour and sweet that replenishes her energies and instantly makes her forget nearly having a heatstroke.

"What about other employees?"

"It's just me." Ty Lee blinks, confused.

Katara hesitates, and her voice softens as she continues her careful inquiries, "Isn't it too much work for just one person?"

"Oh, it's all good. I quit my job, so now I have all the time to dedicate to this place!" Ty Lee smiles, gesturing to the shop widely with her arms. The enthusiasm only makes Katara more worried.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do all this to keep the shop open?"

Ty Lee chuckles, looking down. Her index finger draws tiny circles on the wood. "You're gonna think it's silly, but… this place is special to me. See, this bookshop was a gift from my grandpa to my grandma. After he retired, he opened the shop so he and grandma could spend the rest of their days doing something they loved with the people they loved."

Ty Lee looks around, her eyes softening with melancholy. Shoulders sag, lips tremble. "Grandma would sell egg tarts, and grandpa would play Pai Sho with some regulars, and whenever my sisters and I came over, they'd read us the best books with stories of heroes and adventures and true love."

"When grandma got sick, grandpa had to close the shop for a while, but…" Her voice trails off, and she falls silent for a moment. Then she takes a deep breath, and, more firmly, adds, "My sisters wanted to sell it, but I just couldn't, you know? This was their happy place."

Katara takes one of Ty Lee's hands and holds it warmly between hers. Both of the women's eyes are misted. "Thank you for sharing this story with us."

"Thanks for listening," Ty Lee says sheepishly and squeezes Katara's hands back.

Zuko clears his throat. Absent-mindedly, he plays with the straw on his glass, making the ice inside rattle. "It's not like I don't understand how you feel, Ty Lee. Family… is an important thing. But are you sure this is what you want to do?"

Ty Lee immediately sobers up and sits a little straighter. With renewed conviction, she says, "Yes. Yes, I am."

Katara nudges Zuko under the table with her feet before he can say anything that could dissuade the girl. When their eyes meet, she gives him a conspiratory smirk.

"Then we better do everything in our power to make it happen."


Day 2: Disguise

I wasn't sure if just using past tense would make it clear that the first scene was sort of a flashback, so italics it is.