A/N: For Toza's Gym, Sparring Circle (love triangle)
Aang, Katara, Zuko, word count: 858
This is a different format than previous chapters because I had to clean up my Kataang/Zutara mess. There is only so much shipping drama a 150-word drabble can handle.
Katara threw herself down onto her sleeping mat, allowing her pillow to catch her hot tears and stifle her angry cries.
Fuck you, Aang, for not wanting to talk about the camel elephant in the room—namely the fact they'd been dating for six years and their relationship status was stagnant. She was tired of pretending everything was OK when it wasn't. He wanted her to be perfect, so pure and forgiving, but she just… wasn't.
Fuck you to the woman—no whore—from the camp next door, who reminded Katara of just how good she wasn't. She was angry at Aang for never showing interest in her body. She was bitter that men were not lined up at her tent, even though she would never admit it. And she was jealous that Zuko had paid this woman a visit when it should have been her.
Fuck you, Zuko, for never talking about his feelings until now. And why now? When they could have just… fucked, instead.
Of course, she wouldn't expect anything different from her long-time friend. They had exchanged letters over the years and enjoyed one another's company at diplomatic dinners. They held a great deal of respect for each other, and even if he knew her frustrations, he would never do anything to hurt her… or Aang.
They had come a long way since, "I'll save you from the pirates," and Zuko's banishment days. But just thinking about his voice rasping in her ear, his breath hot on her neck, made her aroused all over again. If he was so concerned with his honor, then why did he sleep with that slut?
"FUCK!" Her curse was not muffled by her pillow this time.
"If you want to talk about it, I can hook you up with Song," a woman said. "Or maybe you need June, I don't know."
"What are YOU doing here!?" Katara narrowed her eyes at her neighbor. How dare she?
"The name's Star," the woman extended a hand that Katara did not take. "I'm part of the Love Triangle, happy to offer our services."
The waterbender's raging blue eyes softened a bit. "The what?"
"The Love Triangle," Star repeated. "Song does relationship advice, June does sex therapy, and I do… well, I just do the sex, I guess."
Katara gaped at her.
"Look, I'm not really supposed to talk about my clients, but your man over there? He just had a bad breakup, so Song sent him to me for a good fuck. That's how we work. Sometimes June identifies a sexual issue, and then that person comes to me for… practice. Sometimes Song refers a couple to June to discuss their sexual issues. See what I mean?"
Katara took a minute to process what she had just heard. She should be considering this for her relationship with Aang. It was the perfect solution, right? But that wasn't the key piece of information for her. No, it wasn't, and her takeaway was all too telling.
So, Zuko and Mai broke up?
"You two have chemistry," Star said with a smirk and a shrug.
Before Katara could respond, Aang blew through the tent entrance, not even bothering to acknowledge their visitor.
"Katara, guess what?" He bent over to catch his breath and waved a hand to clear the dust he had raised in his wake. "I talked to this woman named June today, and she helped me figure out some things!"
Katara raised her eyebrows at Star who simply nodded before silently slipping away. She turned to face Aang, his eyes wide with some combination of fear and excitement.
"Katara, I really like being with you," he said after sighing deeply. "But I don't think I can be with you. Not in the way that you want me to be."
She studied the young man before her, his chiseled jaw and muscled chest. He had grown quite handsome over the years, but whenever she looked into his face, all she saw were childlike expressions from when they first met. They were both holding on to fleeting feelings of worship and wonderment. And they weren't children anymore.
"Aang, I love you," she replied, choosing her words carefully. "But not in the way that you want me to. I think it's best we—"
"I agree," he said with a sharp nod and a quick glance toward the tent opening. "So, I'll just, uhh…"
"No, Aang, you stay here. I'll go," she offered.
As she aimlessly wandered the endless roads of the Bending Man encampments, Katara considered seeking out this Song person or maybe even June. She needed help from the Love Triangle with her own, well, love triangle. She pushed back tears as Zuko's words from earlier came to mind.
"Katara, I realized that day, with the lightening, that I loved you. But I didn't think I could be with you. So, I had to let that go."
Does he still love me?
There was only one way to find out.