The alarm clock rang and Toph Bei Fong jumped out of bed.

"Today is the DAY! The FUCKING day! YEAH!" she yelled raising her fist to the ceiling of her bedroom. "Twinkles! You lazy bum! Wake up! Wake up or I'll leave without you!" she said moving her foot on the floor, looking for Aang's sleeping bag that was supposed to be next to her bed. When she found her friend (still sleeping, the weakling) Toph gave her a firm kick in the knee.

"Ay!" Aang complained waking up. "Toph, it's Saturday! The shelter doesn't open until ten!"

"We've to get there early or someone will take my dog before me. And if that happens I'll beat you up with my cane," she said taking the cane next to her bed to emphasize her point.

"Toph, you haven't picked a dog yet."

"Aren't you the one insisting on fate and all that bullshit? Well, my destined dog is there and we're not going to be late. C'mon! Get up, Twinkle Toes!"

Aang got out of his sleeping bag, his bad mood fading when he noticed the huge smile on Toph's face. Neither bothered to tidy the bedroom as they sped down the stairs to the large kitchen in Toph's fancy house. Everything looked so nice and expensive that Aang always felt scared of breaking something, even after four years of visiting his friend so often that he already knew the house by heart. Toph opened the refrigerator and took out cereal, milk, and chocolates, sniffing at them to make sure they were still good. Between laughs and jokes, Aang played music on his phone and the two danced in the kitchen while preparing their impromptu breakfast. Aang chose the cereal with the milk and Toph the chocolates. She was definitely taking advantage of the fact that her parents had gone out for the weekend.

"Introducing, ladies and gentlemen!" sang Toph using her cane as a microphone. "Mary Jane Holland!"

Aang laughed, a crystal clear laugh at his friend's happy, carefree relaxation. Then the phone began to ring and Toph stopped singing, her relaxation turning to annoyance. "It's my mom again."

Since Toph was grounded without her cellphone, Poppy had been calling Aang to talk to her daughter since they had left. That Mrs. Bei Fong was her second most used contact after Gyatso spoke volumes about the number of times she called (and the amount of time he spent with Toph). Aang answered the call and put on the speaker.

"Hello Mama Boar," he said jokingly lowering the volume of the music. "You're on speaker."

"Hi mom," said Toph rolling her eyes. "As you can hear, I'm still alive."

"Hello Badgermole, hello Aang. I was just calling to make sure everything is okay."

"Everything is perfect, we're even having a healthy breakfast. Those fruits and oatmeal you left on the fridge," said Toph, chewing on her chocolate. "Later we'll go to the shelter and get my dog. And then I don't know. What normal teenagers do when their parents aren't home, Twinkles?"

"Throw a rager."

"Probably throw a rager."

"Please, no wild parties," replied Poppy. "Remember that the dog must not be small Toph. The bigger the better. If we're going to train it to be your guide dog it has to be able to protect you."

"I don't want a little hairy babysitter, Mom. I want a dog," said Toph finishing her second candy bar. "Now that you finally agreed to give me a dog you might as well give me my phone back too. You can't keep calling Aang every time you want to make sure I'm still alive."

"You still have two weeks without cellphone for fighting in the schoolyard."

"Hey, that wasn't my fault. Jet started. Plus I won."

Aang heard Mrs. Bei Fong sigh. "We'll see later. Anyway, have a nice day kids. Call if you need anything. And don't hesitate to call if there's an emergency."

"Mom, do you remember the conversation we had about not being overprotective and…?"

"Accepting that you're growing up and gaining independence. I know, I know. We left you alone at home, remember?"

"Technically I'm here," said Aang.

"It's Toph who protects you most of the time, darling."

"You don't count, Twinkles. You're as strong as a goldfish."

"Hey!"

Ms. Bei Fong laughed. "I have to go now kids, my meeting is going to start. Have a good day and good luck at the shelter. Dad says hi, Tophy. Don't get in trouble."

"Okay," replied Aang, waiting for Toph to say something but her friend remained silent, so he ended the call. "Are you still mad at your parents?"

"Not as much as before, but they still drive me crazy," she said, stealing Aang's bowl of cereal and eating it. "I had to insist for an eternity that a dog would be good for me and that it wouldn't, I don't know, eat me as I sleep. They also didn't want to go to Omashu without me but I convinced them too. Something is something, it seems that they're finally growing up. Katara's grandfather's book helped a bit. But ugh, it's so frustrating to educate your parents. Sometimes I just want to smack them with my cane while yelling 'I'm strong and independent! I'm strong and independent!' over and over."

"I can always kidnap you again," said Aang, making a fake joke while wondering what it would be like to have a mother to drive you crazy.

"Don't tempt me, Twinkles, I'd run away with you just to piss off my dad." Toph took two spoons and put them under her nose, simulating a mustache. "That deliquent is a bad influence, young lady."

"Your dad doesn't have a mustache anymore."

"No? Good for him, everyone hated his mustache."

"Good thing you're getting along better with your parents, really. I don't know what I'd do without Gyatso. He's all I have."

"Gyatso is the best."

"He can be annoying too, though," he said blushing. "He didn't want to let me come spend the night alone with a girl."

"Was he afraid of me stealing your innocence or something? Because you've even seen me in my underwear and you didn't do anything."

Aang blushed even more. "N-No, he's just old-fashioned. I had to tell him that Katara and Sokka would be here too."

"Did you lie to Gyatso, Twinkles?" asked Toph amusedly, arching an eyebrow. "I like it when you're bad," she said flirtatiously.

"Lying isn't right, Toph."

"Just once in a while, man." Toph stood up, grabbing the dishes and putting them in the sink to wash later. "Now let's go! To the animal shelter, my trusty sidekick!"

"I swear sometimes you spend too much time with Sokka."

It was a beautiful day, sunny and with little wind. Summer was approaching and with it Aang's spirit of adventure. Toph walked by his side, holding his arm with a huge smile on her face. She usually did that when the two of them were alone, because walking holding his arm was faster than using her cane. Aang wanted to think that it was something she only did with him, but he had never dared to ask her and neither did he want to. On the way to the animal shelter, Aang noticed something shiny on the ground, and paused for a moment to get a better look at it and then pick it up.

"Hey Toph, feel this," said Aang, putting it in his friend's hand. "It's an egg-shaped rock! For your rocks collection."

"Cool," she said feeling the shape of the rock. "It feels just like an egg. Or your head."

"Or your cheeks."

"Don't be smart. Why is it so smooth?"

"It's painted bright green. Someone must have dropped it," he said as he took her hand again to keep walking.

They eventually made it to the animal shelter ten minutes before it opened, with people piling up in front of the door to get through. There was a very large banner in front of the line, reading 'Adoption Day! Bring home a new friend!'. Aang volunteered on weekends to spend time with his friends Shoji and On Ji and it had been his idea to do a good advertising campaign. Thanks to that, many people had attended to adopt a dog. Even Toph, so Aang allowed himself to feel proud of his idea.

Aang was impatient for the last few minutes. He had to make sure he got inside quickly to get the perfect dog for Toph, before someone else took it away. He kept glancing at Toph beside him, who seemed a lot more patient than he was at the moment, despite her rush that morning. Waiting and listening was her forte, even if it didn't seem like it, he thought smiling. But then his eyes saw a flash of red a couple of meters in front of him and he let out a tired sigh.

"What?" asked Toph.

"Azula Yosor, in front of us," said with a pessimistic voice. "Monkeyfeathers."

"The crazy bitch?"

"Zuko's sister."

"Do you see Zuko around here?"

"No, I don't see him. But he's never around his sister so…"

"And Sunshine and Jumpy?"

"Mai is Zuko's girlfriend and Ty Lee got into a fight with Azula a few weeks ago. Sometimes I see the three of them at lunch, but Azula is never with them anymore."

"Well, Crazy Bitch isn't going to ruin our day."

"Let's just keep away from her, Toph. I guess she's here to adopt a dog too. You don't need to get her attention and get into a fight on purpose."

"You always avoiding fights," she said rolling her eyes. "Okay, but if she messes with us, I'll beat her up."

Aang shrugged, deciding to be on the lookout in case the school bully decided to come over to bother them. Azula's brother, Zuko, was friends with both of them, much to the disapproval of Toph's parents who hated Zuko's father, Ozai, and believed he was just like him (every more or less decent person hated Ozai, but Aang swore that Zuko was different). Zuko no longer lived with her father and sister since he 'mysteriously' had an accident that left his face disfigured and his mother 'abandoned' them. Aang knew the truth, but he hadn't tell anyone. Now he lived with his uncle Iroh and his cousin Lu Ten. Azula was previously friends with Mai and Ty Lee, but they had gotten into a fight after Mai sided with Zuko in all that drama. Apparently Azula had made her choose and Mai chose Zuko. Surprisingly, Ty Lee chose Mai. Since then Azula was alone all the time and her behavior was even worse. If she was an evil jerk before, now she was a crazy and evil jerk, as Katara would say. For some reason Azula's main target was always Katara. In just the last two months, she had filled her locker with ants, spilled soup on her pants, stolen her clothes from the gym's bathroom while she was showering, and spread the rumor that she was involved in clandestine cockfights. Not to mention the countless fights in the hallways. They both hated each other to death. And since Aang and Toph were friends with Katara and Zuko, Azula's hatred extended to them as well.

But when Aang looked up again, the older girl was no longer there.

Banishing Azula from his mind for the moment, Aang rushed in with Toph as soon as possible the moment the doors opened, avoiding being caught in the crowd. Once inside, Aang and Toph went directly to the huge garden of the building, where they found the different cages with all kinds of dogs, and people looking around and playing with them, being helped by the caretakers.

"Hey, there comes On Ji," said Aang when he saw his friend coming from across the garden towards them. "Hello Onnie!"

"Hello Kuzon!" his friend replied cheerfully, wiping her hands on her apron. "You're early, much better. You must be Toph, it's a pleasure!"

"Yeah, hi," she replied with little interest. The girl sounded even sweeter than Sugar Queen. And what the hell was that Kuzon bullshit? She believed she was the only one to have the right not to call him Aang.

"What kind of dog are you looking for, Toph?"

"One big and dangerous."

"A Saint Bernard like Appa?"

The On Ji girl even knew Appa?

"Appa has a lot of hair." And if it falls, I won't be able to clean it up, thought Toph with a frown. "I want a big and intimidating one but not that furry."

"Appa isn't that furry," said Aang offended that someone considered his dog less than perfect.

"I think I know what you will like," said the girl. "Come with me guys."

In her favor, On Ji had not offered her help or spoken as if she were stupid as well as blind. Toph wondered if Aang had warned her about how much she hated those things. He tried to take her hand again, but suddenly she was no longer in the mood, so she declined in a deadpan voice, and used her cane to follow On Ji instead. It was slower, but a strangely bitter part of her wanted to make them wait. Eventually the three of them reached cages a little apart from the others, where Toph heard higher-pitched barks, like puppies.

"How about a hound?" asked On Ji. "This is Kryptonite and her three children. The puppies are one month old and very smart. I think they may be exactly what you're looking for. They will be big when they grow up, they don't have too much hair and make great guide dogs. They can also be trained to play and attack. "

"Who said I want a watchdog? Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I need one."

"Okay," the girl replied simply, not offering nervous apologies like people used to. Toph definitely didn't like her.

Aang cleared his throat beside her, drawing Toph's attention. "Do you want to hold them? They're very cute."

Toph shrugged, remembering that she was there to adopt a dog and not to definitely not feel jealous of Aang's friend. "Yeah, give them to me," said Toph. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

Toph heard Aang open the door of the cage and take out the three puppies, pulling them into Toph's arms. They were so small that Toph was able to carry the three of them in her two arms with no problem. They brought their little snouts closer to her face, and all her strange bad mood disappeared in that moment.

"Twinkles, describe."

"The one on the right is black, the one in the middle is brown, and the other one is black and white."

"Night, earth, and chocolate milk," she said. When Aang used colors to describe something, he usually told him what to associate them with.

"Exactly," replied his friend.

The puppies felt wonderful in her arms, little balls of fur made of pure love. Toph carried them with her right arm so she could touch them with her left hand, feeling their heads and paws, letting them lick her fingers with their little tongues. It was when she noticed something different in the second puppy.

"What's wrong with this one?" asked Toph touching the second puppy, the 'brown' one. Then she gave the other two back to Aang.

"The poor thing had an accident last week," said On Ji. "One of the volunteers took him out to play and accidentally stepped on him. We had to amputate his paw. But he's a strong boy and has almost fully recovered. He's still just as playful and restless. A very strong boy, aren't you?" said On Ji speaking to the puppy.

Toph smiled and touched the little stump where his front paw should be. "You show everyone that you're still normal even though you're different, huh?" Toph kissed his little head. "This is mine. I'm taking him home."

"Great!" said Aang, with a huge smile in his voice. "I think he already chose you, Toph. He hasn't stopped wagging his tail."

"Of course he chose me," said Toph, waving her hand dismissively. "Badgermole here has good taste, Twinkle Toes. You should learn from him."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Badgermole?" asked Aang with doubt in his voice.

"Do you have any objections, Twinkle 'I'm going to name my dog Appa' Toes?"

"Um, no, no. Badgermole is a good name."

"Good, because it's his name," said Toph petting her puppy. "Now what?"

"Now you give On Ji your details to make an adoption form and that's it," said Aang. "Do you want us to go buy him a leash and some toys?"

Badgermole reached up to lick his owner's face again and Toph smiled. "You can bet your bald head, Twinkles."

"Stop there!" said an angry voice quickly approaching.

Aang watched in horror as Azula Yosor, the person they had thus far successfully avoided, walked towards them with icy fury in her eyes. Instinctively he leaned closer to Toph. He knew she could take care of herself, but her hands were busy and Azula was unpredictable. And unstable. Behind Azula, a very stressed Shoji followed her with a scared expression. "I swear I tried to stop her, but-"

"Let go of that dog, Bei Fong," said Azula coldly and furiously. "It's reserved. It's mine."

"Are you high as well as crazy?" asked Toph arching an eyebrow. "I just adopted him."

"No, you didn't," Azula replied. "I've been visiting him for weeks since he was born. That puppy is mine. I saw him first."

"Miss Yosor, dogs cannot be reserved," said On Ji.

"No one here has asked you to talk. Don't you know who I am? Don't you know who my father is? If I say that this dog is mine, then rest assured that it's mine."

"Weeks, huh?" asked Aang pretending not to be scared of the girl. "So it was you who stepped on his paw, right?"

"It was this incompetent's fault," said Azula glaring at On Ji with cold hatred. "My care was more than perfect, but this inept pushed me."

"I was just passing by, you didn't see me."

Azula ignored her. "And I don't owe an explanation to anyone, much less a couple of brats. Now give me that dog, Bei Fong, or are you deaf as well as blind?"

"I have something for you, yeah" Toph extended her arm and raised her middle finger. "Fuck off, Azula. Why don't you go piss off your friends? Oh yeah, you don't have any anymore so you have to piss off everyone else."

"How dare you-?"

"Just do yourself a favor and fuck off instead of keeping making a fool of yourself. Let's go Aang, let's get out of here. It stinks of dunderhead."

Toph reached out and Aang took her hand immediately, both of them frowing as they walked away without saying another word to Azula. She didn't follow them, to Aang's surprise. On Ji went with them, to get Toph's data, and then they both left as quickly as possible.

"The nerve of that asshole," said Toph as Badgermole tugged on the leash to go faster, but she refused to be manipulated by her new dog. "Before at least she was a cold and calculating jerk, now she's lost her mind and she's just a jerk. Fuck her."

"She must feel very lonely."

"Oh no, you won't do that, TT," said Toph sinking her index finger into his shoulder. "You're not going to feel sorry for the psycho who torments Katara and hurt my dog, even when he wasn't my dog yet. Reserve your compassion for someone who fucking deserves it."

Aang just sighed. "Don't you think you should carry him? He's very small."

"Badgermole is perfectly capable of walking on his own," replied Toph offended. "I'm not going to baby him."

"I'm not saying you should baby him, I'm saying he almost fell down a gutter twice."

"Okay, okay," she said, bending down to pick up her bouncy puppy. "Are you happy already? Hell, Badgermole, stay still. To have just three paws you move too much."

Aang smiled at the image of his (best friend? He wasn't so sure anymore) holding the puppy. "Hey Toph, stay still. I'm going to take you a photo," he said pulling out his phone.

"Pff, what for?" she asked as she kept Badgermole from biting her nose.

"Because it's your first dog! That deserves a photo."

"You need eyes to care about those things, Twinkles."

"Please, for me?"

"Ahg," growled Toph like she only growled when she agreed to do something for him. Reluctantly she stood still and smiled a little, hugging the puppy. "Happy?"

Aang took the photo quickly. "Done."

"Don't show it to anyone or I'll kill you."

"Sure Toph," he said as he posted it on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. It was immediately seen by Katara, Sokka, Suki, Zuko, Gyatso, On Ji, and Toph's father. "I'd never think of it."

"You already posted it, didn't you?"

"Your friend Satoru just commented with hearts and smiling emojis."

"Son of a-" she said raising her cane to hit him, first hitting Aang on the shoulder and then being dodged by him. "Don't run away you coward!"

After many more laughs and unsuccessful attempts to hit him on the head, they both reached a park and sat on a bench. Badgermole climbed onto Toph's lap and decided he didn't want to move from there, as he tried to get her attention. Aang patted his head.

"Did On Ji offend you in any way? You're usually not that hostile when meeting someone new."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, you're usually just sarcastic."

"Easy Twinkles, I'm not going to scare off your girlfriend," she said sarcastically, petting the puppy.

"Girlfriend? On Ji isn't my girlfriend," said Aang, hoping Toph's sarcasm contained hidden jealousy. "She's a good friend who gives good advices."

"Advices, huh? Like what?" asked Toph defiantly.

"Like getting a puppy for the girl I really like."

"Maybe you should just grow some balls and ask her out."

"You think so?"

"Of course."

"You sure?"

"One blind and the other deaf. Yes, the hell!"

A second later Aang was kissing her, fast and deep, his lips feeling the shape and contour of hers. And the most bizarre, incredible, wonderful, happy, happy, happy, thing was that she was kissing him too, putting her oh so warm and soft hands on his neck, sharing the same air as him, touching his cheeks and his ears and-

Punching him on the shoulder.

"Ay!" moaned Aang, breaking the kiss. "Toph!"

"That wasn't asking me out on a date," she said with a frown. "And you deserve it for posting the photo!"

"I told you you looked badass!"

"I was holding a fucking puppy! Sorry Badgermole, it's not your fault. Don't be ridiculous as well as a liar."

"Well, you looked badass and cute, as always. They're not mutually exclusive."

Toph rolled her eyes, but before Aang could speak again she found his lips with hers again, in a kiss slower and awkward but just as satisfying as the last one. "So, a date?"

"Y-yes, yes, if you want of course."

"Great. We can start with ice cream and then you take me skating. I also heard there's an amusement park in town. There's an ice cream parlor across the street. Hurry up and remember I like vanilla."

"Now? Do you want to go on a date now?"

"It's Saturday, we'll be together all day and there's no one in my house. Yes, now. Or have you changed your mind?"

"No! Now it's perfect. You'll see, it'll be the best date of your life! We'll have a lot of fun. Do you want to ride the mechanical penguins later?"

"Sure, whatever you want. But now I really want ice cream, TT."

"Sure, sure! I'll be right back!" he said before rushing off to the ice cream parlor.

Toph waited until the sound of his footsteps had completely disappeared before calmly taking Badgermole in her hands and holding him close to her face, who had apparently fallen asleep on her lap. "Okay, he's gone. He can't see me freaking out now."

"Barf!"

"He kissed me!" she said shaking him a bit. "He kissed me and I kissed him! Fuck!" Toph took a deep breath. "I mean, we've been flirting for a while and I had my suspicions that he liked me, but that dunderhead was so in love with Katara two years ago that I wasn't sure. But he liked me. He likes me. He kissed me! Holy shit we're on a date-Okay, I've to come up with a plan. I can't let it go wrong. I've had a crush on that idiot since we were 13 and he accidentally threw a cake at my dad's face." Badgermole licked her nose. "He took his sweet time, the dumbass. But hey, it's finally happening. Should I call Katara? No, no no, bad idea, she would never leave me alone. And, fuck, I'm still grounded without a cellphone for punching Jet. Stupid mom. Stupid Jet. Argh, what would Katara say if she were here?" Toph gently tugged at her hair, and then the idea of undoing her bun to let it down came to her. "Don't you dare look at me like that!" she said even though she had no idea how the puppy was looking at her. "I know it's fucking pathetic. But everyone says I look good with my hair down. And I know Aang likes my hair. And it has to be perfect, hell. Besides, it's not a big deal. Subtly changing your hairstyle for the guy you like is still badass, I'm sure." Badgermole licked her nose again. "It's true, he already likes me exactly the way I am and I shouldn't worry."

Fast, hurried steps approached her, running. "Hey, Bei Fong!"

"Azu-?"

Before she could move a horrible pain shot through her face, causing her to fall off the bench and land on the ground. She felt her attacker quickly take the leash from her hand and then the puppy barking and the person running. It happened in less than a second, but it felt like an eternity.

Aang dropped the ice cream when he saw the blood on her face.

"Toph!" he said running towards her. She was sitting on the bench, and Aang leaned in front of her. "What happened? Who did this to you?!"

"I can't find my cane," she said in a firm but husky voice, refusing to stammer, though Aang noticed her eyes were red and wet. "I need my cane."

Aang glanced around at top speed, finding Toph's cane behind the bench. "Here," he said taking it and putting it in her hand. Toph took it so hard her knuckle turned white. Her other hand was holding a handkerchief to stop the blood dripping from her nose. Holding the cane in her hand seemed to ignite her fury, and she began to tremble with sheer rage. "That bitch, that fucking bitch. I'm going to kill her with my bare hands."

"Toph, what happened?"

"Azula the crazy bitch attacked me and took my dog."

"Are you sure that it was-?"

"I KNOW HER FUCKING VOICE!" She screamed, looking more than willing to kill him.

"Okay," he said sitting down next to her, trying to give her space to calm down without exploding in fury.

"She hit me, took my dog and left me there, on the ground, without my cane or my dog or a cellphone or you."

"Sorry."

"I HATE THAT BITCH!" she yelled furiously. "I'M GOING TO KILL HER!"

"Toph, please calm down. We have to think."

"How the hell am I going to explain my fucking face?!" she said pointing to her swollen nose and eyelid that was starting to turn purple. "Finally they understood that I'm not damn useless and they were starting to give me the independence I wanted! And the first day they leave me alone, this shit happens! How am I going to explain my damn face to them?! What lie can I say so that they don't treat me like a baby again?!"

"We'll think of something," said Aang quickly. "Toph…"

"If you say I shouldn't think about revenge, I swear I'll kill you."

"I wasn't going to say that. You were with me when those bullies took Appa from me. I'll help you get Badgermole back."

Toph let out a sob, too furious to care. "How?"

"I know where Azula lives."

Aang couldn't recall feeling this angry since Appa was robbed by some bullies a few years ago.

An hour later they were in front of Zuko's father's mansion, big and majestic and cold, very cold. He knew that Ozai must have been working at that time, so they would only have to worry about Azula. Her red car was in front of the driveway, so she was home. He turned to Toph, who had her hair back in her usual bun, her bangs hiding her face, and her hood up just like him. She had an egg carton in her hands and a grimace on her face.

"Alright, we're going to throw them at Azula's car until the alarm goes off. She'll come out to see what's wrong and we'll run out into the garden and rescue Badgermole while she's distracted."

"I'd rather fill her ass with eggs, but I guess her car will have to do for now."

Aang thought about offering to throw the eggs for her but realized that his (friend? date? almost girlfriend?) needed to vent her anger. So instead he guided Toph to a safe distance so they wouldn't be seen by any possible cameras and helped her take aim.

"A little more to the left and-that's right."

Toph threw an egg with all her might and it crashed into the windshield.

"How dare her?!" the second egg landed on the hood. "To make me feel powerless?! Bitch..." The third hit the right mirror. "I'm going to smash her face..."

Aang noticed that the egg in her hand was green and glowing a second too late. "Toph, wait! That's the rock-"

But it was late, because Toph had already thrown the egg-shaped rock and it hit the red car's windshield with brutal force, smashing the glass with a *CRASH* and into a thousands of pieces. The alarm began to sound in a deafening roar.

"What happened?" asked Toph upon hearing the roar.

"You threw a rock and broke the windshield!"

"Good!"

"Toph!"

"What?"

"We could go to prison! Gyatso's going to kill me if I go to prison!"

"You won't go to prison, Aang. I'm rich and blind. I assure you it won't happen."

*BOOM!*

Aang barely had time to react before Azula's car exploded into a ball of fire, its interior filling with flames and beginning to give off an intense and terrifying smell of burning.

"Aang, did the car just explode?"

"Explode…" said Aang, and for a moment he thought he might laugh out of sheer disbelief. "You just blew up a car. How the hell-?"

"You don't want to go to prison? Then we have to run. Run!"

Aang took her hand and ran away from the burning car, hiding behind the bushes by the door just as Azula came out the house and let out a cry of fury and confusion. "To the left," said Aang before pulling from her hand and running down the left into the backyard.

Aang knew they had to be quick and pray they didn't get caught. Azula's garden surprisingly wasn't very big, but it was beautiful and with a very large pool. Badgermole was by the fence that led to the next house, his leash tied to a chair. "There!" Aang pointed out, too upset to remember that it was useless because Toph couldn't see him, before they both ran over to the puppy. Aang untied the leash and she leaned down to hug her dog.

"Badgermole!" Toph took the puppy and lifted him into her arms, pulling him close to her face to allow him to lick her nose. "I'm here now. I won't lose you again, boy. That bitch won't come near you again, I promise."

"We have to go," said Aang in a hurry. "C'mon Toph!"

They both ran to the back of the garden, across the pool to the wooden fence. Aang first helped Toph up to jump to the other side, and then Toph pulled him up too. Both teens jumped to the other side in a hurry.

"Dragon!" yelled Azula entering her garden. Aang and Toph crouched down hastily, covering Badgermole's muzzle so he wouldn't bark. "Dragon, where are you? Dragon!" exclaimed Azula calling him. Then something happened that neither Aang nor Toph had expected in a thousand years, Azula began to cry. "Don't leave me too. Everyone just leaves. You were supposed to be different."

Aang did not feel guilt, but a deep and painful pity.

"We have to go," said Toph, tugging at his hand, dragging him forward. Aang followed her with his head down.

It felt like days, not four hours, when they finally returned to Toph's house, tired and with sore feet, not speaking the entire way, until finally Toph sat on the stairs in her living room, resting her head on the wall and holding her cane with both hands. Aang gave the puppy a bowl of milk and then collapsed next to her. Neither of them spoke for a minute, comfortable but lost in their silence.

"You soaked the rock with your dad's ethylene oxide, right?"

"Yup."

"It could have exploded in your hand."

"I know how to handle it. I am-"

""Blind, not stupid,"" they both said at the same time.

"Do you know what you're going to tell your parents?" asked Aang curiously. She faced him with an arched brow. "To explain the black eye."

"Mhm," she nodded. "I think so."

"What?"

"The truth."

"The truth? Really? But…"

"When you and I met I was lying to them about being part of the martial arts club. I was doing it because I was afraid they'd freak out and make me leave it. But I was 12, Aang. And I'm not 12 anymore and I'm not scared. So I can't lie, even if it's the easiest thing to do. I'm going to tell them that a girl with many, many psychological problems attacked me to steal my dog. And I will explain to them, with all the patience I do NOT have, that the world is dangerous to everyone, all the time, but that doesn't mean that I should stay home all day and be watched all the time because I'm strong enough to live in it. I'll be patient, or try to be. And if they don't understand then I'll know that they don't respect me enough to trust me and that will be it," she said with a sigh. "Do you think you could kidnap me again if they lose their minds and refuse to understand me?"

"That was an accident, but it's always a pleasure to kidnap you, Toph," said Aang smiling. "But you know what? I think this time, whatever happens, we'll be fine." Aang took her hand, waiting for her to release it and hit him. But to his surprise, Toph leaned closer to him instead and laid her head on his shoulder. Aang felt a bittersweet happiness filling his chest. Her hand was warm, thin and delicate fingers that could be tough and strong, aggressive, but also loving and considerate. Like her.

"About Azula," said Aang. "I think we should do something."

"I blew up her car. As far as I'm concerned, we're even."

"Um, that's not what I meant," said Aang playing with his hands. "You see, sometimes Zuko talks about his father. Almost never, but he has done it with me."

"He never talks about his family with me. And I don't stop complaining about mine to him."

"You know him, he can be very shy. But with his mom gone he ran away to live with his uncle. He said it wasn't easy at first, but then he found out that he was much happier without his father in his life. And then he told me that it was him who scarred his face."

Toph didn't speak, but stiffened. Zuko's scar was famous for being hideous.

"I don't think Ozai should be near any children. Maybe we should… call social services or something. Talk to someone. Ask someone for help. I know you hate her and what she did was horrible, and I don't like her either. I don't want her around my friends. But I also think she needs help. And I'm not saying we should help her, but maybe we can find someone who can."

"You should ask Zuko."

"I guess."

"Despite being one of the reasons I love you, your bad habit of feeling compassion for everyone is very annoying… most of the time. Now it feels timely," she said with a shrug. "She sounded pretty pathetic crying for my dog in the garden."

"So do you approve?"

"Twinkles, the bitch is crazy and I hate her. I'll never forgive her for what she did to me. But if you think she needs help, you're probably right. But if she gets close to me or Badgermole again, I'll kill her and turn her into dog food."

Aang smiled, looking at her with bright eyes when he noticed something she had just said just. "Did you say you love me, Toph?"

"We're definitely the blind and the deaf, I see."

Aang giggled a little, then grinning so hard his mouth hurt. "I want to be your boyfriend, Toph," he said naturally, just like everything felt between them. Natural.

"Ask me again after a few dates, man," she replied. "But I want you to be my boyfriend too, Aang."

Aang leaned in to kiss her again, his eyes closed, thinking how much he enjoyed the feel of her lips against his.