Disclaimer: I don't own atla or lok

"Are you two listening to me?"

Both Toph and Aang nodded their heads. She just looked at them with narrowed eyes.

"Now then, Sokka and I are going to be in the South Pole for just a week. I know we're older now, but you two are still the youngest in my eyes. This house better not be down to the ground when we come back, you got that, Sweetie?"

He smiled that goofy smile. "Of course, Sweetie."

"And you." Katara pointed a finger inches from Toph's face. The master earthbender tried looking innocent. "This island better still be here when Sokka and I come back."

"No problem, Katara."

The water bender took a double take at the sound of her name before continuing to warn the two 53 year olds. That's right, they were half a century old (more or less in Aang's case) and they were being scolded.

"Last thing."

Toph and Aang just stayed silent.

Katara's eyes widened. "There better not be one bottle of alcohol missing from that," She gestured to the kitchen. "cabinet."

"Yes, ma'm."

It had been three days since that conversation and Toph and Aang are brave enough to say they kept most of that promise.

"Toph, just do it!"

"Hell no! This is gross!"

"Come on! It hurts."

"Damnit, I did not retire for this shit."

Her hands were positioned on the avatar's arm. Her forearm was pressed on the front side of his shoulder while the other held his wrist and pulled his arm out towards her. If Aang could guess right now, she looked ready to throw up.

He spoke to her a little more gently. "It's just popping it back in. You'll push, pull, hear a pop and you're done."

"Ugh but I can hear your bones rubbing against each other and-" Toph gagged.

"Just be quick."

"Promise me we'll open the liquor cabinet after this."

He cringed. "But Katara said no."

"Twinkle Toes."

"We'll get in trouble."

"I'm going to throw up soon."

"Fine!"

The avatar yelled out in pain as her hand pushed his shoulder back into its socket. Her hands let go immediately and she backed away a few feet. She sat down on a piece of wood and covered her mouth with her hands.

Aang moved his arm around a bit and the discomforting expression on his face slowly turned into relief. He would get Katara to heal it better when she comes back. His eyes looked up to find his earth bending sifu. He cocked his head to the side. "Are you alright?"

"Never. Again." Her arms rested on her knees and Toph had her head tipped down?

"Makes me wonder how you were able to handle the broken bones after the Yakone trial."

"The secret is," The ex chief of police held up a finger. "I was full blown unconscious."

"Oh yeah."

Aang wobbled over to her and plopped himself down next to her. They both observed the scene in front of them.

The kitchen was torn to shreds.

Scratch that, Katara's kitchen was torn to shreds.

Toph got over her naseua and spoke. "I can feel how bad it looks. But tell me, how bad does it look?"

The avatar just scratched his head. "Well...multiple parts of the roof are hanging down. The wall- well the wall that used to be behind us- is gone. Wood everywhere so it's splinters for days. All the appliances are a bust. Did you really have to throw the stove?"

She just shrugged.

"Floors torn up. I think there is a small fire over there. Hold on." He put it out quickly. "And there is water spraying out where the sink used to be. Which you also threw. Guess what's the only thing in tact."

She chuckled hysterically. "The liquor cabinet."

"Yup."

And that very cabinet was still hanging on one of the remaining walls. No scratches, no damages. It was just there.

Toph shot her hand out and Aang flinched at the bottle that collided with her hand. She cried out and cradled her hand while the bottle dropped to the ground.

"Spirits, what's wrong?"

Her teeth were clenched while she talked. "Ah. I think my wrist is broken."

Aang grabbed her hand and inspected it. He moved it and found his friend squirming. "Yeah, I think it's broken. I could heal it for you."

He found her gagging again. "I can feel it. Knock me out. Knock me out."

"I'm not going to hit you."

"I'd rather be unconscious than feel or hear my bones moving around. Just do it."

"Toph, stop being a child."

"Excuse me?" The master earthbender had switched to her usual personality.

"You know what, never mind. I was gonna ask Katara to fix my shoulder when she got home. So if you want to wait that long, go right ahead."

She began whining. "Can you at least splint it?"

Aang tolled his eyes. Carefully, he got up and searched for a smooth piece of wood or metal. He collected in a path straight for the forbidden cabinet and when the avatar looked back up, he was face to face with it. Once again, he rolled his eyes and grabbed a couple more bottles.

When he got back he began splinting her wrist. "I wonder why they make metal bottles."

"Because- ouch- I live in this city. I love it. That freaking hurts!"

"Stop moving around then! I swear you were worse than Bumi when he was a kid. For spirits sake, you were a police officer. Why are you so queasy about injuries?"

Toph reached down with her free hand and grabbed the bottle. Using her teeth, she pulled off the cap and chugged down half the alcohol. It had gone down so fast, she coughed hard. The avatar smacked her on the back and she answered with a raspy thanks. "After everything that I've been through these past couple of years, I would think you took this as a good think my wrist can stay splinted - ahhhhhhhhh!"

He just smirked and wrapped part of his robes around the hardened mud he had found lying around. "There you go a cast."

She scowled and just drank more. "I thought I told you to splint it."

"Yeah but then I thought I can do you one better. This would be better than a splint."

"I can do blood. But not misplaced or broken body parts." Toph just sipped more liquid. "I'll appreciate this once I'm drunk."

Aang lifted up one of the bottles and popped the top off. He followed his former sifu and downed half the alcohol. Moving the bottle away from his lips, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I guess I'm gonna be sleeping out on the couch until this kitchen is fixed."

"And I won't be allowed on the island for...the rest of time? That sounds like something Mrs. Twinkle Toes would say." She kept her injured hand close to her chest.

"Technically we only broke two rules."

"Oh, well damn. Two out of three isn't bad." The sarcasm in the master earthbender's voice was strong.

"The island is still here."

"I can fix that."

"Please don't."

"Suit yourself."

In sync, the bottle hit their lips and the two didn't care about the liquid dribbling onto their clothing.

Aang twirled the bottle in a circle between his legs. "I guess no matter how old we get, we're still the babies of the family."

"At half a century old, Katara will still be able to ground us." Her voice didn't change as she continued to speak. "Maybe she'll ban us from seeing each other."

"What happens when you and Sokka get in trouble?"

Her shoulders shrugged. "That's different. Sugar Queen usually just yells at us and doesn't speak to us for a day or two. Sokka and I avoid her to save her the effort."

The avatar chuckled. "I told you we're the babies. When we get in trouble we either have to clean something or sit in the corner."

"Which is annoying." To that, she sipped her alcohol. "We're adults now. We have kids. I should be able to do whatever I want."

"I like it."

Her head flinched at the response. "What? Why? You are such a pushover."

He set his bottle down and used his hands to talk. "We never really got the chance to experience that back in the day. We were fighting a war at twelve."

"It isn't like we had a choice. You being the avatar and me being your teacher was that destiny shit you always talk about."

"Besides the fact. Don't you ever wish you could go back and live a better childhood?"

She laughed. "I gave up on that petty wish years ago, my friend."

Aang just sighed. He took another drink. Toph wasn't an idiot and interpreted the silence as she said the wrong thing.

The former chief of police nudged him. "It doesn't matter anyways. I get to relive all that kid stuff all the time."

The avatar raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on. Look at this." She raised her unhurt hand and gestured to the monstrosity before them. "We destroyed a damn kitchen. Your wife's damn kitchen. When she gets back, we are definitely going to be grounded. She'll make us clean up our mess. Sokka will probably say something stupid and then end up joining us. Once we're done, Katara won't have the heart to stay mad at us and proceed to make us all our favorites at dinner. After that, we're gonna drink, get drunk, laugh, cry, and end up with the worst best hangover from the last time I remember getting that drunk. There you go. Child to idiotic teenager in a nutshell."

He pondered on her words and couldn't help but start to giggle like the little boy he really was. "You are definitely right."

Toph caught his contagious laughter. "Even though I could be a child when I was a child, at least I get to be one now. We both get to be one now."

"That makes up for it. You make a good point, Toph."

"Don't I always?"

With his next words, Aang turned the conversation back into something serious. "I honestly don't know what I would have done without you guys."

She hardened her facial expression. "You'd still be a decent avatar."

"No really. Traveling alone, finding out about the airbenders alone, trying to find a teacher alone. It all seems so impossible when I think about it."

"But we did it. So don't sweat it." She raised the bottle to her mouth.

"It all just felt like an adventure most of the time."

Toph turned her body more towards him. A finger came at his chest and he went wide eyed for a moment. Her voice was strong. "And it's still going. You got that?"

He couldn't help but feel touched. "Is this your way of telling me not to die anytime soon? Because you'll miss me?"

"Just agree, will you? Don't make this that sappy crap you and Katara always engage in."

What she didn't expect was for the avatar's arm to engulf her in a tight hug. She stiffened for a moment before easing into his body. They've hugged before, but for some reason this one felt much more...warm.

His voice was right next to her ear. "I'm still here. And so are you. So both of us shouldn't die anytime soon. I won't if you won't."

She rolled her eyes but remained smiling. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, Twinkle Toes."

"I love you, Toph."

This time she cringed in his embrace. In the decades that she had known him, Toph Beifong had never heard him say I love you to anyone but Katara and his kids. Although Aang was an affectionate person, he didn't use the phrase loosely. And maybe they never had to verbally use the phrase to express their friendship because it was always acknowledged if she thought about it. Hearing him actually say those three words to herself was a very different animal indeed. She was loved and told that she was loved by Satoru and even Sokka. When that happened, her heart would beat fast and loud. It would give her the energy to say it back in touches and gestures. When Aang said he loved her, her heart swelled. It was warm. It was comforting. It was different. She didn't know what to do.

Eventually, her body naturally eased back into the shape of his body. Aang continued holding her and his heart mimicked his former sifu's when he felt those strong experienced arms of hers start to clutch him from behind. Toph was never good at hugs so he was perfectly fine when her hand fisted his robe.

Aang knew that it was the first time she heard him say I love you.

It was the first time he'd said it.

"Twinkle Toes- er- I mean Aang..."

"You don't have to say it." His hurt shoulder felt the weight of her head rest upon it. He persevered through the discomfort as the gesture was worth much more than the actual words. "I know you do too."

"No!" She cleared her throat to recover from her outburst and her voice came out smaller. "I love you too."

Both their hearts swelled.

The two childhood friends remained in that position which to them felt like minutes when in reality it had been a half an hour.

Toph sighed. "You smell good."

"Thanks."

Both of them couldn't help the feeling that came back due to the minor compliment.

Another half hour past before they went back to their usual way of talking, but remained in their embrace.

"So are you going to tell Sugar Queen that the triad attacked us or should I?"

She could feel his face change. "Triad? Attack?"

"You know, the one we had to fight off thus destroying the kitchen."

"Toph, we weren't attacked."

"Yes we were."

"Toph, we were baking cookies."

"I don't think you get what I'm trying to do here."

I think it was about high time that Toph and Aang said the big three words today. And the I love you between them is totally different from Aang with Katara and Toph and Sokka/Satoru. What do you guys think? Thanks for reading!