Short oneshot while I try to figure out how to write the third chapter of "Back" without getting too awkward. Get the creative juices flowing, eh?

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Rather obvious since there's probably some OOC stuff in here.

Here goes! This is written assuming that a week occurred between the defeat of Ozai and the Jasmine Dragon kiss.


Right after Aang, as Toph put it, "kicked the Loser Lord's ass," the Gaang planned to have a raucous celebration at Iroh's Jasmine Dragon in honor of their friend and his achievement.

This was, of course, before Aang was knocked off his feet by a wave of help requests, paperwork, treaties, coronation preparations, clothes fitting, and other miscellaneous Avatar activities. When Aang tried to tell the others, Toph simply snorted and said, "Fine, Twinkletoes. You've got one week to finish all that. Then we're having a party, Twinkletoes or no Twinkletoes. Got it?"

There was only a cloud of dust to answer her question.

Within several days, Aang had already shaved off all the help requests, ranging from simple healing tasks to more complicated things, like the removal of a mountain and the destruction of Fire Nation barracks.

That didn't cover all the "social gatherings."

For three days straight, Aang had to go to dinner parties with stuffy old men and politicians who were either trying to make their way into his good graces or were blatantly sleeping on the table. As a symbol of unity of the four nations, and with some advice from Roku, Aang tried every food present at the party, including some Water Tribe sea prunes. He tried Earth Kingdom delicacies and Fire Nation fine cuisine. Annoyingly, though, everyone snubbed his simple Air Nomad fruit pie.

On the night of the third party, Aang returned to the Gaang's residence in Ba Sing Se after eating some particularly nasty Fire Nation food (how could anyone enjoy such a spicy dish anyway?) and collapsed on the floor, exhausted with the burdens of paperwork, the thought of dinner parties, and keeping a false smile on his face while politicians gestured wildly and flattered him. He fell asleep instantly on the hardwood floor.

In retrospect, that might not have been the best idea, because Katara nearly tripped over him when she went out of her room to see if Aang had returned yet.

"Aang?" she whispered. "What are you doing on the floor?"

There was no response except loud snoring.

Those stupid politicians must've exhausted him with all that work, she thought angrily. Oh well, I'll carry him back to his room. Katara was bending down to start, when all of a sudden…

"Katara…"

Said girl's eyes widened in panic, thinking that a ghost, or maybe Hama's reanimated spirit had come back to haunt her. Then she realized it was just Aang. The boy was sleeptalking.

"There's something…I've…been…meaning…to say…" Aang murmured.

"I…really…you," he continued.

Katara's eyes widened again. He what her? Maybe he'd say it again, more clearly.

"Yeah…I…love…you…" Aang whispered.

Katara swore she could feel her jaw hitting the floor. "What?" she whispered loudly. Oh wait, that was a little lou—

"Huh…duh…oh!" Aang snapped awake. When he found he was lying on the floor with Katara standing over him, he immediately blushed down to his neck and scrambled to his room, muttering excuses and apologies. Katara followed him to his room, reaching him just as he touched the doorknob.

"Aang, do you know you talk in your sleep?" Katara asked tentatively.

"I…what…how do you know that?" Aang asked. His thoughts flashed quickly to the dream he'd just been having. Oh Spirits, nonononononono…

"Well, you were kinda sleeping and talking on the floor, and I kinda heard some things…" Katara began tentatively.

"Oh, uh, what did you hear?" Aang asked nervously. Please don't say what I think you'll say…

Katara was about to, when a better idea struck her. "Nothing much. Just a lot of yous. Lots and lots of yous."

Aang hadn't been this relieved since he found Appa. "Oh, well, heh…nothing to worry about anyway…I was just…uh…dreaming about a class with…uh…good night!" Aang abruptly ran into his room and slammed the door, his cheeks turning redder and redder.

"Ok then…" Katara said. She could faintly hear "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" and "No more dinner parties for me!" along with some suspicious thunks coming from inside the room, but decided not to comment.

Well, she knew what she was going to do when the Gaang met at the Jasmine Dragon.


First oneshot! Hopefully not too choppy/awkward…read and review! :P

I guess you could read "Back" and tell me how that is too (you can get there by visiting my profile.)

PythianPickles signing off, until next time. *dematerializes in TARDIS*