A/N: Thanks for sticking with this story guys! I appreciate so much all of you who take the time to read and review this story. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.
As a species, humans are reliant on social interactions and it is this which lead to the phenomenon known as a "group mentality". This was what encompassed any person any individual who spent time with any of the group for the coming two weeks. Ecstatic in the news Aang wasn't leaving, the smiles of the group of young adults left smiles on the faces of everyone who was around them.
Hakoda, already known around town for his friendly and welcoming atmosphere, was amazingly found to be even more cheerful than ever. Lao and Poppy Bei Fong, usually so stern and straight-faced, surprised the servant providing them dinner when they were laughing with Toph at the dinner table. Customers to Hakoda's record shop always left with a smile thanks to the smile adorned on Katara's face, and even Gyatso had cottoned onto the infectious happiness surrounding everyone he knew.
"It's amazing. I genuinely can't believe I was going to pull Aang away from this!" Gyatso exclaimed to Hakoda over the table in Joe's. This had become a regular occurrence for the two men, who had struck up quite a solid friendship after Hakoda had been pretty much directly responsible for the entire situation the two found themselves in.
"Gyatso, you can't think like that. You had no idea, you thought you were doing what was best and you were doing it with good intentions. Now come on, I told you the leek and pea noodles were good, didn't I?" Hakoda laughed, clinking his beer bottle with Gyatso's Coke bottle.
"They are indeed, Hakoda my friend. How did you hear about them?" Gyatso enquired as he tucked into a forkful.
"Katara mentioned them to me. She came here the other day with Aang I think. She said she was going out with the group, but I know that Toph was stuck with her parents at some formal lunch, and Sokka left only fifteen minutes after she did to go play basketball with Zuko." Hakoda grinned at Gyatso.
Gyatso returned the grin as he completed the story. "Aang said he was meeting the gang as well. Might something finally be happening between those two?" He laughed.
The gang were discussing more possibilities for band practice. Now that Aang didn't have to leave, there was no urgent need to do it as soon as possible, but the energy put into them from the successful last practice, and the general buzz of excitement surrounding Aang's announcement lead to the five of them chilling out in the music shop, surrounded by musical instruments and influences, each proposing a new song to learn again.
They had decided to go about it the same way as last time, each suggesting a song. This time, however, they had the songs around them to listen to, and whenever a song was suggested Sokka would insist on putting it on before any agreement was reached. This lead to a very slow, drawn out decision process, before they eventually settled first for one of Katara's proposed tracks. She pulled the CD out of the sales drawer, set it into the CD player sat on the counter between the five, looking at Aang. She knew he already had it worked out. He'd briefly seen the cover art on the disk before she could get it into the player, and he smiled slightly, nodding his head as the soft track burst out of the huge speakers set up behind the counter, the CD player feeding its input in and the speakers releasing crystal clear notes, unlike the tinny equipment on the actual player.
And so the group agreed on Back Down South, from Kings of Leon's new album Come Around Sundown.
Sokka grinned as he thought of a song.
"We don't have it on the shelves," he explained when the others looked confused as he fished around in his pocket for his iPod. A slow song crawled out of the speakers, soft but strong acoustic with a offbeat drum kick, while a man and a woman's voice sung in harmony. Sokka's choice, Hard Sun by Indio, was agreed on.
"How did you even come across that?" Toph exclaimed, incredulous Sokka would pick something so mellow.
He grinned, and punched her in the shoulder. "I heard Eddie Vedder's version, and listened to the original version, and decided this was better." He paused, and turned to Katara. "Eddie Vedder is the Pearl Jam's frontman, just in-"
Katara cut him off by snapping at Sokka that she did indeed know who Eddie Vedder was, while Toph and Zuko snickered in the background.
Toph piped up with her suggestion as well, grabbing a Rise Against! album off the shelf and skipping to track 6 before hitting play. Prayer of the Refugee was agreed on, even if there was a little concern over vocals. Diplomatically, Aang suggested the group find out how the song sounded first.
Zuko suggested Twenty Twenty Surgery by Taking Back Sunday. Aang nodded in agreement, as did Toph. But Sokka and Katara weren't swayed, and Zuko still had to fish the single from the shelves and put it on before they could be convinced it was worth learning.
And this only left Aang. He'd been thinking, turning over ideas in his mind, but he'd yet to hit on something cool to bring to the group. He was too distracted. The entire time, he'd been watching Katara. The blue figure hugging top, the low jeans, the small, sincere, but most of all adorable smile she would break into whenever she saw Aang's eyes fixed on her.
He was well aware it was kind of creepy to be staring at a girl, but he struggled to keep his eyes off her. This, however, did not go unnoticed by Sokka, who made a note to have a chat with Aang about this later.
Finally Aang thought of something. He put on Affirmation, by Savage Garden, with a massive smile on his face. Clearly, he thought he was onto a winner.
But Toph and Zuko simultaneously stuck their tongues out and blew raspberries at Aang. Sokka and Katara, on the other hand, had been nodding along and sided with their lead guitarist.
"Just give it a chance, please guys!" Aang said, still smiling, as the song built to its chorus.
Suddenly, Toph yelled out. "I know this song! Oh, great idea! I'm in!"
Zuko grumbled. "Traitor..." He muttered. "Fine, I'll learn it."
Aang's grin got even wider. He turned to Katara as they were leaving the shop, and touched her on the arm.
"Thanks for supporting my song choice Katara. I wasn't sure it would be accepted there for a minute..."
Katara laughed, and there was that smile again. He grinned again, and this time, Sokka tapped him on the shoulder.
"Dude, mind if I have a word? Katara, I'll meet you back home?"
Katara looked slightly put out, and Aang hesitated before agreeing. "What's this about Sokka?"
Sokka waited until Katara had turned the corner out of earshot, and turned to Aang with an expression halfway between a smirk and a grimace.
"So, you and Katara eh?" The smirk on Sokka's face eventually overcame the grimace, and Aang was no longer as worried as he had been.
"Look, Sokka, I was gonna tell you at some point. I mean, she's your sister, and if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have any friends here, so, y'know, I'll stay away if you want?" Aang hurried through his speech, hoping Sokka would take pity on him.
Sokka laughed, punching Aang on the shoulder in a manner that seemed oddly familiar. "Don't worry about it dude," he grinned. "I haven't seen her this happy in a long time. Plus, you're so much less of a douchebag than anyone else around here!"
The two friends laughed and Aang slapped Sokka in the back in thanks. Then brought up the shoulder punching.
"So, uh, Sokka? You know you just punched me on the shoulder, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Sokka seemed unconcerned.
"You know only Toph does that...right? So why are you now doing it?" Aang asked innocently.
His innocent expression turned into full laughter as Sokka's face turned bright red.