GRAN-GRAN'S HOUSE
Authors Note: I originally wrote this as a scene for my Avatar: The Lost Arts story, but it didn't fit in with my intended storyline so I was forced to cut it. Still I like the scene, so I turned it into a quick one shot. AU, Modern Times, enjoy!
"How about I cook tonight?" Aang said, breaking the silence in the living room. "You know, as a way of saying thank you, for taking me in and all." He offered a winning smile to them, and it grew as Katara smiled in return. Even Kanna allowed a small smirk to grace her normally grave face.
"That would be lovely, young man." Kanna answered.
"Just when I thought you couldn't get any weirder…" Sokka muttered, but grudgingly allowed Aang through the threshold of the house.
"Thanks." Katara said, softly laying a hand on his shoulder as she followed him in.
Sokka caught the exchange as he closed the door behind them and groaned. "Oh brother."
-A-V-A-T-A-R-
Aang and the small family sat around the cosy living room table. Outside the weather had once again turned for the worst, but he actually felt comfortable in his hard wooden seat, beside Katara. Maybe it was just because he felt comfortable in her presence; it amazed him that she had so quickly filled the void in his heart. Having woken up in a strange city a week ago, and recently learning that a hundred years of war had passed, he had felt lost and empty. Yet here she was, his closest friend in the space of just one day. He had yet to face all that he'd lost, and he supposed that life was rather surreal to him now, but as he was taught at the monasteries the time to grieve would come. So for now he didn't question it; he was simply grateful.
"Young man, you are quite the cook" Kanna complemented him at the table.
He beamed warmly at his present company. "Call me Aang" he insisted.
"Okay then Aang, you can call me Gran-Gran" He barely restrained a giggle, and couldn't quite contain the powerful snort that came with it. Reflexively with the action his head followed through and he ended up face first in his soup. Gran-Gran was chuckling across from him, and Katara couldn't contain her giggle beside him. He was sure Sokka would be smirking, but he was so busy stuffing his face with food he didn't notice the commotion.
Taking it all in good humour, Aang laughed lightly at himself as well, reaching for the towel to clean himself up. Katara however beat him to it, and wiped his face down for him. This time Sokka did notice and glared sourly at them.
"So Aang, exactly what kind of meat is this, and where did you get it? This tastes nothing like that dodgy fish that Katara bought at the supermarket."
Katara rolled here eyes, resisting the temptation to rise to her brother's barb.
"Um… there isn't any meat in this Sokka, I'm a vegetarian, all the monks were, it's how we were raised… so no meat!"
"What!" Sokka spat the food out furiously. "You trying to poison me or something with rabbit food or something?" he accused.
"Sorry… I don't understand the problem?"
"It's nothing Aang" Katara said glaring at Sokka. "The food is delicious"
"Great! I made fruit pies for dessert; the monks were famous for them." He said smiling whimsically.
"Of all the cooking street urchins out there, you had to adopt the vegetarian one" Sokka grumbled.
-A-V-A-T-A-R-
"Morning sleepy-head!" Sokka yelled bursting into her room.
"Urgh, what time is it?" Katara groaned, as he grinned evilly at her from her doorway.
"Time for payback" he smirked and left leaving her light on.
"Jerk" she muttered, resigning herself to getting up. She groaned again as she saw her clock reading the time as 6:30 in the morning. She never got up this early on a Sunday morning, and Sokka usually knew better than to disturb her. He must have been really pissed off to skip his Sunday sleep in just to ruin hers.
Quickly getting dressed she stepped out into the hall, looking for Sokka to give him a piece of her mind. She found him right away, staring into the guest room, his mouth hanging open comically.
"Morning Sokka!" Aang called brightly. He was sitting straight upright, impossibly balancing on one of the bed posts in some sort of meditative position. His window was wide open and the early morning sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the tall city skyline. "It's a beautiful day"
"Oh man, I can't believe I woke up this early just to try and wake you up" Sokka grumbled, and Katara smirked at his back.
"Oh, hey Katara!" Aang continued, spying her behind Sokka in the hall.
"Morning Aang."
"Bad dog!" Gran-Gran's voice called from downstairs. "Out, now!"
"Oops." Aang had the grace to look embarrassed, imagining the scene downstairs. "I guess Appa is an early riser too."
Moments later Appa came bounding up the stairs and with a short bark pushed past Sokka and began licking Aang.
"Whoa there buddy! I guess meditation is over now huh?"
The siblings just watched the whole exchange bemused. "Looks like no one is getting a sleep in this morning" Katara said, grinning despite her previous irritation.
"Might as well get breakfast now" Sokka added, trudging down the stairs. "And Aang is not cooking!"
"Don't take it to heart, Aang. Sokka always has bacon on Sunday mornings."
"Today's Sunday? Geez, I have really been out of things."
"Yeah, I have no Idea what I'm going to do about you tomorrow, there's school."
"School? I used to live in a monastery, they taught us everyday, although I did go to a school for a couple of years…"
"Really? Everyday? You never had a weekend or anything?"
"Well… lessons with the monks were always… um, different, I guess." He said scratching the back of his head, as if trying to find the write words.
"That would have been cool I guess." Suddenly she had a thought. "How come you speak English so well?"
"The monks had us learn all the major languages; I can speak French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and English obviously." He said proudly.
"Wow." Katara was stunned, and a little envious. "I'm fluent in French too. Half the country speaks French, and my- my mom taught me when I was little." She choked a little at the mention of her mother, and Aang narrowed his eyes curiously. "Sokka n'a évidemment jamais dérangé."
"Doesn't surprise me that Sokka couldn't be bothered" Aang snorted in response. "Testing me were you?"
"I couldn't resist I guess" she said sheepishly.
"Did I pass?" he smirked
"With flying colours, although you need to brush up on your cooking a little more" she smirked back.
"Was dinner that bad?" he asked, suddenly self conscious.
"Of course not, I was only teasing. Dinner was great. How did you make those pies by the way? I've never tasted anything like them."
"Maybe one day I'll show you" he winked before hurrying down the stairs.