HOLY S#&!

As of last chapter, this story got over 1000 reviews! That means it is officially more successful than Air and Stone!

I didn't think that was possible…but HOLY S#&!

Birthday Boy

"Find anything yet? Katara asked, speaking to both Sokka and Toph.

"I think I could use…" Sokka started, but Katara interpreted.

"You're not getting another rock band t-shirt!" She said.

"But this one has no sleeve!" Sokka moaned like a four year old.

"No!" Katara talked down to him, while Sokka crossed his arms and huffed.

"What size is Aang?" Toph asked, ignoring Katara and Sokka's little tiff.

"You're buying something for him?" Katara pried.

"Uh-huh. He's like a…what…extra small?" Toph asked.

"Why are you buying something for him?" Sokka asked.

"Duh. It's his birthday next week." Toph grinned.

The siblings looked at each other, nervously, like Toph had said something she wasn't supposed to say.

"What? Don't tell me you two forgot." Toph grinned, ignorant.

"Um…maybe you should save your money." Katara kindly suggested.

"Why?" Toph shrugged her tiny shoulders.

"Cause we don't celebrate Aang's birthday." Sokka blurted out.

"Sokka!" Katara hissed.

"Why not?" Toph's eyes brows lowered, concerned.

"Um, Toph. You shouldn't…I mean. Aang doesn't…" Katara could barely speak. She looked very as she tried to say what she wanted to say. "Aang's birthday is…only a hypothetical."

"Hypo…what the hell does that mean?" Toph laughed.

"Hypothetical means theoretical. Ya know, like…"

"I know what hypothetical means!" Toph shouted. She was starting to get sick of everyone thinking that she was stupid. "I mean…what do you mean when you Aang's birthday is…" Katara cut her off.

"Aang is an orphan. He doesn't know when his real birthday is."

Toph blinked. "What?"

"March seventeenth…is actually…the day Gyatso found him on his doorstep. Not his real birthday."

"...whoa." Toph said after a moment.

"Sucks to be him, huh?" Sokka tried to joke. It wasn't funny.

"So…maybe you should just forget about the gift." Katara suggested.

"Yeah." Toph's head lowered, then glanced at the pile of useless novelties bunched together in the nearest bargain bin.

"Anyway…it's no big deal Toph. I mean, he tells us he doesn't want anything." Katara forced out a halfhearted smile.

"…uh huh." Toph nodded, not listening.

Next Week

Aang tossed Appa's ball up and down in his hands and Appa watched it hypnotically. His head went up and down, carefully staring at the ball like it was the only thing that mattered in the world.

Aang threw the ball when he was sure his dog had had enough. Appa ran across their front lawn and caught it before it could roll into the street. He ran it back to Aang, who sat outside on his porch sighing every now and then, and dropped the ball between his feet.

"I hate this day." He said as he leaned his cheek against his hand.

"Grrr. Arff!" Appa barked. When Aang didn't look at him, he nudged his master's arm and got his attention. "Arff!"

"What?" He asked. Appa winced and looked down the block. Toph was walking over to his house with a small bag in her hand. "Oh great."

"Hi-ya twinkle…Aang. Buddy." She said as she walked up his steps. Her smile was awkwardly wide.

"Hi." Aang didn't smile back.

"How ya doing?" As she asked, she casually tried to hide the bag behind her.

"Eh. You know."

"Yeah." Toph tried not to frown.

"Arff!" Appa walked behind Toph and began sniffing the bag.

"Hey! Get off!" Toph demanded. Appa ignored her, bit the bag and began to tug on it like it was a chew toy. Toph pulled back on it as hard as she could. "HEY!" Stop it! No, Appa! Bad! Bad!"

"Grrrr!" Appa's head shook back and forth.

"Aang, help!" Toph moaned. Aang sighed again and threw Appa's ball down the steps. The dog ran after it, forgetting all about the bag when he saw the little orb bounce away.

"There." Aang said.

"Thanks." Toph wiped the slobber off the plastic and tried to cover up the holes.

"What's that?" Aang asked, even though he was pretty sure that it was for him.

"Um…it's just a little something. Happy birthday! Took me forever to find it." Toph grinned and handed the bag to him.

Aang grabbed the bag slowly. Toph felt that his grip was weak. He put it on his lap, not opening it.

"I know that you're…not really…happy." Toph said. She paused, not knowing what to say next. Aang didn't seem to be paying attention.

"When I was born...my parents didn't even want me." He said without looking at her.

"Don't be like that. They didn't know what they were missing out on." Toph tried to smile. "And hey. I mean…uh…if they hadn't, ya know…then we never would have met." Toph pointed out.

"I guess." Aang didn't smile.

"Um, do you want me to leave you alone?" Toph stepped backwards.

"Yeah. Please." Aang groaned.

"Okay." She walked down his steps. "I'm real sorry." She said. Her people skills weren't the best, but Aang didn't care today.

He didn't see her leave, but heard her footsteps as she left and Appa bark at her. Appa nudged Aang, trying to push him off his chair to go after her, but Aang didn't budge.

He stayed outside for a while longer, forgetting about the gift on his lap. Sitting on his porch was an annual tradition for him, one he didn't want to break.

By the time the sun went down, Aang was done wallowing in his own self pity. He pulled himself back together and stood up out of his rocking chair. The bag fell to the ground with a gentle 'poof' and Aang suddenly remembered it was there.

He picked it up before Appa could snatch it from him and pulled out what was inside.

When Aang was a little boy, he had a thing for drawing arrows. He drew them on his lunch box, his coloring books, even on his shoes. One day he found a dirty brown snow cap with a blue arrow on it and begged Gyatso to buy it for him. After almost eight years, he still wore it in winter, even though it had become old and raggedy and was starting to tear at the seams.

Somehow, Toph had found a brand new snow cap just like the old one.

It took a while for the amazement to ware off and for him to get enough strength to put the cap on his head. It was a perfect fit.

He didn't say anything, but was able to smile, for once that day.

I messed the timeline up on these last few chapters, I know. Uh…sorry?