Work Text:
The flower shop isn’t too busy when Aang hears the light jingle that signifies a customer has just come in. Aang straightens a nearby pot of Orchids before heading to the counter.
“How can I help you?” He says before raising his eyes only to be met with one of his regulars. “Oh, hey Kanto. What can I do for you?”
Kanto smiles back before replying, “The usual, your best bouquet with one of those girly love notes you love to write so much.”
Aang rolls his eyes, all in good nature of course. “They’re not girly , they're romantic. ” Aang says before turning behind him to retrieve a fresh bouquet, a pen, and a tiny card. “And if you think they’re so girly, why do you keep asking me to write them?” Aang asks with a knowing smirk.
“I’m telling you man, my girl practically eats this shit up!” He reaches into his back pocket to present his wallet, pulling out some bills as he continues, “And believe me, Toph is a tough cookie to crack. So whatever you must be putting in these love letters must be mega girly.”
Aang ignores the insult and instead, he smiles proudly. He’s always known he’s had a talent for poetry. He thinks to himself about what he should write next. The task is easier said than done given he’s never met this ‘Toph’. All he knows are the vague details Kanto has given him: she’s short, green-eyed, and supposedly very easy on the eyes. Aang ponders for another minute or two before carefully writing out his next note.
Aang reads it out loud before getting the go-ahead to attach it to the bouquet.
Dear Toph,
Your smile is warmer than a thousand suns-
“Wait,” Kanto interrupts, “She doesn’t really smile, she more... smirks?”
“Okayyy,” Aang drawls out before making the new adjustment.
Dear Toph,
Your *er* smirk is warmer than a thousand suns. You are the air that I inhale, and the earth beneath my feet.
Yours Forever, Kanto
“Good?” Aang asks but he doesn’t wait for an answer before attaching the note to the bouquet.
“Perfect!” Kanto exclaims before snatching the flowers off the counter and giving Aang his money. He struts towards the exit while waving Aang off, “Thanks again, man.”
“Hey, when am I gonna meet the infamous ‘Toph’ anyway?” Aang asks but Kanto is already gone.
A week passes before Kanto comes by the flower shop again. Except this time, he isn’t alone.
“Aang,” Kanto sing-songs his name before approaching the counter, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Yea, gimme a second.” Aang is currently preoccupied. This morning his boss, Iroh, assigned him the task of re-arranging all of the inside displays. Something about the store not being “feng shui” enough. Needless to say, he really doesn’t have the time for-
And that’s when he sees her.
She’s so tiny yet her spirit gives off a larger than life attitude. Long black tresses caress her head, and her eyes...Aang honestly thinks he could drown in those eyes. She struts through the little shop with all the confidence in the world which makes it almost impossible for Aang not to follow the swivel of her hips. Yea… Easy on the eyes doesn’t even begin to cover her.
“Aang, this is my girlfriend Toph.” Kanto introduces her.
Aang, flustered as ever, “He-hey,” he squeaks before internally slapping himself. Really Aang? Hey?! He re-adjusts his shirt before adorning a much deeper voice, “I mean ‘sup,” he internally slaps himself again.
Without even sparing him a second glance, she answers back, “Sup.”
And Aang is hypnotized once more. Her air of nonchalance is almost captivating, as if she doesn’t even know how beautiful she really is. That’s when he notices the slight glaze over those sea-foam green eyes. She’s blind. Aang sighs a breath of relief, she can’t see his flushed cheeks and the slight gleam of sweat dripping from his forehead.
“I’m gonna go look around. You guys chat,” Kanto announces before heading off into another corner of the store, leaving Toph and Aang alone.
They stand in silence for a few moments. Aang doesn’t really know what to say. He shifts his weight from foot to foot awkwardly before he hears her speak.
“So, you're the guy who keeps writing me those girly love notes.”
Aang is taken back. She knew?! He sputters for a moment, not sure how to answer until he realizes, “ Girly?! Kanto said you loved those notes!”
Toph shrugs before leaning on the counter into a more comfortable stance, “I said they were girly, I never said I didn’t like them.”
To be honest, Toph doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy sappy declarations of love. But don’t judge a book by its cover, Aang supposes. There’s definitely more than meets the eye (pun intended) to her. Aang wonders what other surprises are lying underneath her tough exterior.
Another question crosses Aang’s mind, “Hey, how did you know that Kanto didn’t write those notes?”
Toph scoffs, “Oh please, I think we both know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. I knew he couldn’t have been the one behind the notes. I didn’t know for sure if you were the one who wrote them either… Well, until you just confessed.”
Aang sputters again and once more, he thanks every god out there that she can’t see the deep blush adorned by not only his cheeks but his whole hairless head at this point. Before he has time to further contemplate his life, Toph interrupts his train of thought.
“So, you write girly love notes for all your clients?”
Actually, no. Kanto is the only client he’s ever done anything like this for. Other customers have asked before, but Aang thought it was important that the recipient of each bouquet have something heart-felt written... Something their lover wrote.
With Kanto, it was only supposed to be a one time thing. The first time Aang met Kanto, it was apparent to him that he was mostly brawn and not much brain. Aang saw him struggling and couldn’t help himself. Aang reasoned that in Kanto’s case, it was the thought that counted. Since that day, Aang was responsible for every single one of the notes Toph had received.
“No. You’re the only one,” it sounded more like a confession than a statement.
Before Toph can reply, Kanto arrives back at the counter with a fresh bouquet of roses before kissing her cheek, “A beautiful bouquet of roses for my beautiful flower.”
Aang can’t help but feel that tiny swirl in his gut at the loving admission. He also doesn’t miss Toph’s subtle eye roll, which he admits makes him feel slightly better. Toph deserves more than some cheesy pick-up lines, or a few half-assed plagiarized love notes. If Toph were his , he’d give her the world, a lifetime of laughter, cherish her. Appreciate her.
He shakes his head slightly, trying and failing to get rid of the intrusive thought. It isn’t right to wish ill on another man’s relationship. It isn’t honorable.
“Toph,” Kanto turns to her, “Why don’t you wait in the car while I finish paying for your bouquet. Do you need me to walk you to the car?”
Toph rolls her eyes so hard Aang is scared they might get stuck in the back of her head. Instead of answering, she struts out of the door with as much confidence as she entered with. And once again, Aang is drawn to the light sway of her hips. Aang licks his lips before remembering the man currently in front of him. He doesn’t miss the way Kanto’s gaze also seems to be drawn to her hips.
“Women, am I right?”
Aang offers a fake smile in response as he pushes the image of Toph’s swaying hips out of his mind.
“Hey um,” Kanto scratches the back of his neck, “Now that she’s gone, how about writing another one of those notes?”
Aang sighs and turns to grab the tiny piece of paper and a writing utensil. Usually, it would take Aang a few moments to compose something up to his own standards. But now that he’s met Toph? Now that he’s finally able to put a face to her name? The ideas in his head flow freely and it seems like the note practically writes itself.
Aang smiles proudly before handing the note and bouquet to Kanto, and wishing him farewell.
Dear Toph,
The first time we met I was awestruck. You gave me but a small taste and left me craving more. I gazed at you, but you saw right through me. It felt like I had found something I had desperately been trying to find.
Did you feel it too?
Yours Forever
Kanto finishes reciting the note before Toph slumps back into her seat, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
She doesn’t miss the fact that usually, the notes end with “ Yours Forever, Kanto”. Aang seems to have forgotten the whole ‘Kanto’ part of it.
She wonders if he did that on purpose.
She feels the familiar feeling of guilt in her gut when a sudden thought occurs to her:
She can’t help but imagine the words sounding so much better coming from Aang’s lips.
She starts visiting Aang at work. Once a week, usually the day after Kanto has come in and asks him to read his latest note to her.
Aang admits, he does feel a tad bit guilty. But it’s not like he’s actually declaring his undying love for Toph, he’s simply reading what’s on the note.
Or at least, that’s what Aang says to himself to suppress his inner turmoil.
Besides, who is he to say no to Toph's cute pouty face.
He spots her from outside the glassy storefront, stomping on the leaves that have recently started to fall now that summer has come to an end. Aang wonders briefly how Toph is managing to locate the leaves on the ground but then waves the thought away. Toph is full of mysteries it seems. He sees her stomp on a particularly crunchy leaf and she flashes a satisfactory grin and his heart almost stops.
God, she’s gorgeous.
The door jingles as she enters and she smiles wide at him.
“Hey, Toph,” he greets her with a grin of his own.
“Hey Twinkles,” she started calling him that a while ago.
Aang doesn’t mind at all.
“I need the best, most expensive bouquet you have!” Toph continues.
“Can I ask who it’s for?” Aang calls behind his shoulder as he goes to get his best, most expensive set of flowers.
Somehow, Toph’s smile widens, practically splitting her face in half. “It’s for a very special person for a very special occasion.”
Aang’s mind immediately thinks, “Kanto?” Suddenly, he doesn’t feel as good as he did a few seconds ago.
Toph’s smile falters for the briefest of moments, if Aang hadn’t been watching her so intently he would have missed it.
“No, uh, it’s not for him.”
And then it clicks. Toph always comes to visit him the day after Kanto comes in. But Kanto never came in yesterday. In fact, he hasn’t for the past week now that Aang thinks about it.
Toph sighs and fiddles with the hem of her sweater, debating on answering the question Aang is no doubt thinking. “Kanto and I broke it off about a week ago.”
“Oh, um, I’m sorry to hear that,” but Aang’s face betrays him. He is beaming from ear to ear and he hopes Toph can’t hear the smile in his voice.
Toph perks up again, suddenly reminded of the reason she’s here, “The bouquet is for the best person I know...Me! It’s my birthday, Twinkles!”
“That’s great, Toph! Happy Birthday!” Somehow buying a bouquet for herself seems like such a ‘Toph’ thing to do. And the smirk currently adorned by her cute features? It only adds to the beauty she already has an overabundance of. But then Aang realizes, “Toph I’m so sorry. I didn’t get you anything.”
Toph waves him off, “It’s okay. You can make it up to me by writing me another girly note.”
Aang fakes a huff at the ‘girly’ remark but his heart is soaring. He places the standard pen and tiny paper on the counter. He clicks his pen before giving her a somewhat knowing grin, “Toph?”
“Hmm,” she hums in reply, smelling her new bouquet of flowers.
“Why did you and Kanto break up?”
This catches Toph off guard and she struggles to keep up the nonchalant attitude. The red in her cheeks is unmistakable and she lowers her head slightly. “I uhh,” the words seem caught in her throat but Aang gently urges her on with a nudge of his hand against hers. “I sort of have feelings for someone else,” she admits.
“I see,” Aang replies. So he hasn’t gotten her to fully admit to liking him, but it’s a good start. All in due time.
“Just read the damn note already,” Toph huffs.
Aang laughs and begins to scribble down some words before reading out loud to Toph.
His voice is low and deep, which only increases the amount of blood Toph’s body is desperately pumping into her cheeks.
Dear Toph,
While you fell in love with the words on my paper, I started falling in love with every detail of you...