The first leg of their journey to Ember Island had been relatively uneventful and quiet. They set out at first light, just in time to watch the sunrise as they flew away from Ba Sing Se. Most everyone was asleep, but Katara was wide alert with shame. It had only taken a few more moments of wakefulness to realize the awful position she had put him in that morning.
It wasn't the first time they'd woken up accidentally cuddling, but this time when he moved away she felt a rush of panic. Still half asleep, she had lost her determination to let Aang's relationship with On Ji play out. She wanted him back close to her, right then.
On Ji, the only other person awake, watching the sunrise with wide eyes across the saddle. Katara could barely look at her. She was totally unaware of what Katara had dragged her into. How did Katara expect Aang to react? Send On Ji back out the door, saying never mind? Besides, it's not like she'd taken any other time to explain how she felt about him before begging him not to bring her. She had asked him to make a split-second decision, without giving him any context to how she felt. How did she really feel?
She watched the airbender from her seat on the saddle as he steered Appa. Normally cheerful even in the morning, he faced forward, unmoving and silent in meditation. The light that morning had taken on an ethereal glow. She felt like they were going in slow motion, her hair streaming behind her and his robes moving with the wind. It almost didn't feel real.
It was times like these that Aang longed for the simplicity of the Southern Air Temple. Life with the monks had been serene. His biggest worries were making sure he didn't oversleep for the morning ceremony and working towards becoming a master (which at the time, he thought could be done at any pace he wanted). He wasn't sure he wanted to know what Katara meant earlier. He had spent months, months trying to push his feelings for her. She rejected him, and that was all he needed to know. She was his best friend and he respected her decision. He had accepted that their flirtation was just part of their friendship, not an indicator of her feelings for him. And yes, he'd indulge himself in flirting back every now and then even still, but the reality of his feelings was something he was trying to put in a firmly shut box.
He'd been doing a great job! He let himself mope in Jeong Jeong's remote sanctuary. When he returned, he rebuilt their friendship, trying to make it clear to Katara that nothing had to change. Toph mentioning Katara's jealousy poked a hole in the tidy self-created ignorance he was living in.
As the day wore on, Katara noticed that Aang was avoiding her with increasing regularity. If this wasn't highly disturbing to her, she would have been impressed that he managed to do it within the saddle of a bison. Even when she started serving food, he didn't look her in the eye when he thanked her. Katara felt herself wanting to curl into herself more and more each time he brushed her off.
After a grueling day of flying, They landed in Omashu. Servants ushered them towards bedrooms and Appa settled into a nearby field. Aang opted to go find King Bumi, and everyone else settled into the rooms they had been given. Everyone besides Zuko.
Zuko had a bit of an ulterior motive when it came to Omashu that he hadn't told anyone. He knocked on the blinds of a window, one that he had snuck in a few times before. When its occupant opened the window, he was instantly pulled in and thrown to the floor, a knife above his face.
"Zuko!" His attacker enveloped him in a hug. "You could have just come through the front door!"
Zuko laughed in between the kisses he was planting on her cheeks and jawline. "No, Mai, I couldn't. I'm kind of on a mission."
"Mission?"
He nodded. "Yeah, you can't tell anyone I was here. But, I was hoping you'd do me one better."
She kissed him lightly.
"Come with me! We'll only be gone for a week and some."
"What? Zuko, I can't. How would it look if the ambassador's daughter just up and left?"
He gave her a look. "You'll be with me, I'll tell him after. They can do without you for a week. Come on."
She smiled a small smile. "Okay, help me pack."
The next day, Aang was still so out of sorts that he almost didn't notice they had an extra passenger for Appa. "Uh, Zuko?"
"Oh, right. This is Mai. Mai, this is Avatar Aang." Zuko put his arm around her, pulling her closer.
Aang bowed respectfully. "Well, the more the merrier. Everyone ready?"
Aang was in considerably lighter spirits, despite his head still being in the clouds. Seeing his friend King Bumi had helped clear his head, at least enough that he didn't want to jump off of the bison the entire way. Like Aang, Bumi was someone who had a big title despite his young age. He was only a few years older than Aang, and knew all about his feelings for Katara given that they had spent the summer there with him when he taught Aang earthbending. When Aang told him about his predicament, Bumi merely cackled.
"You have two girls, Aang, what's the problem?" he had said when he could breathe again.
Aang leveled a glare at his friend, who was splayed out on a fancy couch. "I don't have Katara, or On Ji, for that matter."
"Only an airbender would stress about this," Bumi said. "So do what you do best - evade and avoid! And take a trick out of my book, wait! Didn't I teach you anything?" He took a bite of genomite with a crunch.
Once Aang had Appa in the right direction, he floated himself back to the saddle, where everyone was playing some games. Toph had supplied them with a few flasks for the road. He slid in next to On Ji and let his arm drape behind her on the edge of the saddle. Aang ignored the feeling of Katara's eyes on him. He knew they'd need to talk eventually about whatever she meant, but he was going to ignore that fact as long as possible.
Toph on the other hand was reveling in some of the awkwardness, privy to more of her friends' feelings than most of them probably knew. She kept elbowing Katara, joking about how they were the two singles of the group now. Suki sent a sympathetic glance Katara's way every so often, but she also felt responsible for On Ji. She knew other than Katara she was by far the easiest to talk to in the group, but Katara wasn't her usual chatty self.
When Katara went to steer Appa, presumably to avoid Toph, Aang took a long pull from a flask. Having a couple drinks always made him feel antsy. Normally, he'd deal with that by dancing, but it wasn't something he could do on Appa's saddle.
He smiled expectantly at On Ji instead. "Have you ever been flying?"
On Ji gestured around them. "We're on a flying bison."
"Yeah, yeah, okay, but sitting in a saddle is different than actually flying. Do you trust me?"
"I mean I guess bu-" On Ji screamed when Aang picked her up without warning and jumped off of Appa.
Appa made an annoyed grunt as if tired of Aang's antics. Unfortunately, that meant that Katara's attention was turned to Aang flying through the clouds just below them with a giggling On Ji holding on for dear life. He grinned and took them down through a cloud, out of Katara sight.
Katara remembered the first time Aang had taken her flying. She had been apprehensive, but he'd encouraged her until she was brave enough to do it. There was a phase, just before their kiss, where Katara would beg him to take her almost every day. Her heart squeezed, thinking about how it must have made him feel at the time, and how much more it must have hurt when she pulled away. Katara closed her eyes tightly, trying to focus on the air going by her.
A few hours later, a very exhausted Team Avatar landed at Ember Island by the Fire Nation royalty's house. And from above, it was clear that they had never been around so much debauchery before. They could see crowds of college-aged students on the beach already, music blasting. There even appeared to be multiple stages for concerts spread out on the long beach. Mai groaned loudly. "I can't believe you brought me to the worst place in the Fire Nation, Zuko."
Katara decided it would be best for all involved if she took a quick nap after their long trip. She knew she made a good choice when she awoke feeling a little lighter and with a pleasant feeling in her body. Stretching, she walked into the common room to find most everyone in a heated game of 21. Aang had just waddled like a penguin, On Ji said 17, Suki slapped herself, and Sokka, incredibly and obviously drunk, said 20. Everyone yelled "IT WAS 19, SOKKA!" at once, and he passionately defended his honor while taking a sip of his drink. Katara laughed and shook her head, intent on getting a drink for herself. As she walked to the kitchen, though, she found Zuko looking up at a painting.
"Is that your family, Zuko?"
He turned, jumping lightly at Katara's entrance. "Yeah, when I was little." There was a portrait of the family, who Katara assumed to be his mother, father, sister, and a small Zuko.
She could sense his energy was off and decided to poke the bear. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head, giving her a small smile. "I'm past it."
Katara realized she had never really heard about the Fire Lady before, though it had never struck her as odd until now. "Is that your mom?"
Zuko's expression darkened. "Yes, Ursa. She's gone."
"I'm sorry, Zuko." She touched her necklace, a habit she had developed whenever she thought of her own mom. "My mom is gone too."
He looked up, surprised. "Really?"
"It was a long time ago."
"It's still hard. I'm sorry."
"Are you close to your family?" Katara could tell he still had something on his mind.
Zuko chuckled for a moment before answering. "Besides Uncle Iroh, not at all. We don't get along."
"I'm glad you have Iroh. Do you want to come get a drink with me? I make a mean margarita." She smiled at him, hoping her invitation might help his mood. Zuko took one last look at the painting before following Katara towards the kitchen.
A few rounds of 21 later, and the Gaang was thoroughly wasted. Katara felt the alcohol flowing through her, making her giggle. Sokka was his usual overly affectionate self, all over Suki who kept pushing him off to do TikTok dances uninterrupted. Zuko and Mai were the only ones who seemed mostly unchanged, though Zuko was certainly smiling a lot more. On Ji seemed to be handling her alcohol the best, trying to corral Aang as he ran around the apartment with Momo. Toph sat up and took another swig of her beer. "I think we should hit the beach."
Sokka whirled around towards her. "Aren't we trying to stay in cog- incong- in cognito?"
Suki laughed, looking down at the beach. "We should gooooo. I think I see some friends down there."
Katara already started walking down towards the ocean: the water had been calling her for an hour now. "Barely anyone will recognize us here," she said over her shoulder as she bounced down the steps.
Toph stumbled after her, using earthbending to keep her upright. "Sweetness has the right idea! Hey Twinkle Toes, grab that last flask for us."
He saluted her from his air scooter, heading towards the flask. "Aye-aye, Sifu Rocks."
Even though they had all seen the beach from above, it was immediately clear that they were in over their heads. People had brought speakers as big as Toph. Aang noticed right away how the music thudded in his chest, disorienting him slightly. He couldn't imagine how Toph must have felt, but she seemed to be managing.
By now it was late afternoon, and the haze of sunset had begun to settle over the island. Aang's eyes were naturally drawn to the waterbender he knew so well in the sea, pulling the water up towards her lightly as she walked further into the surf. The falling sun cast a golden hue on her skin, making her glow.
Toph hit Aang lightly, punching just past him due to the alcohol. "You're staring."
"Was I?" Aang rubbed the back of his neck, still finding it difficult to take his eyes off her as she sunk under the water. On Ji had run off a few minutes before, having seen friends a few hundred yards away.
"Teo! My LITTLE!" Sokka ran towards the other end of the beach, spotting his little in the crowd. He tackled him to the ground, leaning on him and his cane heavily to get up.
"Hey, guys!" Haru came out of the crowd of what was clearly a large portion of Sokka's fraternity. Suki hugged him, having spent many nights around the fraternity house. Though most of the gaang wasn't close to the fraternity brothers, they were very generous with their alcohol regardless. Soon Toph, Suki, and Aang were downing shots and shot-gunning beer with the guys. Aang kept an eye on On Ji, making sure she was okay. She was talking to a group of girls excitedly, holding a drink in her hands. Zuko and Mai were nowhere to be found, probably taking advantage of the empty house. That just left Katara. Aang scanned the beach until he saw Katara sitting in the surf, watching sun drop below the horizon off to the side.
Katara always had a tendency to avoid being in the thick of things, and Aang always loved dragging her back into it. Though he'd promised himself to avoid her where possible, at least until they got off the island, the drinks flowing through his system made the temptation outweigh his conviction.
She was enjoying watching the sun cast sparkles across the ocean. Katara was sometimes a contemplative drunk, and in this case, found herself thinking about how small she was in the grand scheme. A hand entered her line of view, blurred by the alcohol. "Come on, let's go."
Aang stood above her, a drink in his other hand. She shook her head. A smile was creeping on her face, but her drunk brain didn't want it to. "I'm fine."
"Nope, you're being a killjoy."
Katara's jaw fell open. She was shocked; Aang had never talked to her like that before. He giggled lightly, swaying slightly.
"I brought you tequila and everything!"
She grabbed the drink out of his hand and downed it, thankful that Aang had the foresight to bring a slice of lime. It occurred to her a moment too late that it had probably been passed around random frat boy hands before making it to her, but she shook the thought away. Aang let her lean back for a moment, letting the feeling of the alcohol start burn down her throat. "Okay! Up! Everyone's dancing now."
It was true. The music had continued to blare upbeat and fast. Now that the sun had set further, someone had brought out flashing strobes to the beach, illuminating it with bright colors. He held out his hand again and dragged her towards the crowd. Aang let the lights take over, breathing them in. He had always been a great dancer. It was the Air Nomad in him. He was especially great at helping other people dance, and always tried to make Katara dance throughout their friendship. While he would be lying if his motives weren't somewhat selfish (I mean, had you seen her?), but he liked making her laugh despite herself. He spun her around a few times, letting her become dizzy just to pull her back in. He noted how her eyes reflected the flashing lights, changing their colors every second. The effect was mesmerizing. Firebenders had lit tiki torches all over the beach, further adding to the total disorientation.
Sokka danced his way over, pulling Katara away in a brotherly fashion so they could dance as well. Katara noticed the flashing faces of people she knew around her: Suki, Toph, people she had seen around. She snatched Sokka's drink out of his hand to increase the effect in one big swig. Her moodiness from before had been washed away by the tequila and she embraced the dancing fully. She could feel the sand move under her feet, noting that her partner had changed to Ruon Jian. He hyped her up, spinning her as well before embracing Ty Lee in his side. It wasn't possessive, it was all just in good fun. Katara couldn't remember the last time she had let go so fully, and it was all because of Aang. Wait, where was Aang?
She searched as the world around her spun. It was hard to keep everything level in her sight. Katara stopped to grab another drink when she spotted him with the KWs, shaking his arms desperately in refusal of something. Her drink full, Katara stumbled towards them, laughing at her own clumsy steps in the sand. Yue saw her first and called her name excitedly. "Katara! Body shots!"
Katara made it to them as a girl licked the salt off the neck of a guy she had never seen before, all cheering when she stood up fully. Yue grabbed her, a hint of something in her voice she didn't recognize from her old friend. Though Yue and Sokka had broken up the year before, Katara still saw her from time to time for coffee or a meal. Before Katara could fully process what was going on, her back was on the table all she could see were the blurry stars above her. She sat up, looking at Yue in shock.
Yue clasped her hands together. "I know! Aang, you're up!" Yue ignored the look On Ji gave her in surprise. While she cared about her sorority sister, she had watched Aang and Katara squirm around each other for two years while she dated Sokka. Nothing brought her more joy than stirring the pot when it had come to those two.
Aang brought up his hands again, gesturing to On Ji lightly with his eyes. "Yue, no I-"
Toph, who had seen everything go down, decided she'd add some fuel to the fire. Though they didn't know each other well and were actually polar opposites in most ways, Toph liked what she was seeing, as she, too, loved stirring the pot. "Wow, Aang. What, do you think Katara is unattractive or something?"
Katara turned toward him in feigned hurt, and hand over her heart, though the spinning of the people around her made her immediately forget the slight and smile. The sorority sisters and their dates booed Aang, one even calling him a few choice words. Toph just threw her head back and cackled. Yue sent her an appreciative grin.
Aang's blush was obvious, even in the dark, as it reached his neck. "Toph, of course that's not wha-"
Yue laughed, her plan working even better than she could have imagined. "Then take the shot!" The small group cheered, laughing at his uncomfortable reaction and egging him on. Yue pushed the now reappeared Tequila Katara back onto the table and poured the alcohol down her navel, applying the salt to her neck, and popping a lime in her mouth. Katara could have sworn she saw her wink above her, but everything was moving too fast for her to know for sure.
Aang gulped. He looked to On Ji helplessly, who to her credit, waved him on, shaking her head. There was no getting out of this. Leaning over Katara, he took a deep breath before running his mouth and tongue over her stomach and upwards, taking in the cheap tequila until he reached her neck. The crowd cheered and he faltered slightly, the alcohol deciding to take a leap his sober one would have never dared. Instead of licking her neck like was expected, he pressed a soft kiss to her neck. No one else could have seen it, but it felt like he was there for hours. But it had only been a moment, and he quickly raised himself away from the brief moment of intimacy to take the lime out of her mouth. The cheers of people around them were quieted by his own frantic heartbeat in his ears. He felt their lips touch and could have fainted right there. The atmosphere was overwhelming and his head was spinning. He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her up, helping her off the table. She looked at him, clearly dazed, though he didn't know if it was from the alcohol or the touch of his mouth on her body.
"You okay, Katara?" She looked at him seriously for a moment, eyes wide, before bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Aang, when did you get so many arrows?"
The tiniest knot formed in his stomach, now realizing her dazed expression was probably from the alcohol. Toph grabbed Katara's other arm and started pulling her away to get her water. When On Ji slipped her hand around his arm, Aang remembered for the first time in a few minutes that she was there. He felt supremely guilty. His lips tingled. He looked Yue's way. What the hell was that? Yue simply shrugged her shoulders with a smirk, as if to say "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Back at the makeshift bar, Katara hesitated to sip the water Toph shoved in her face, strangely reluctant to put anything to her lips after Aang's had been there. She did, though, to cover the shudder that ran through her body when she recalled the rough feeling of his tongue running up her stomach. And - she strained to remember - had he kissed her neck? There's no way he would do that with On Ji only a few feet away, right? She snuck a glance back toward the body shot table. On Ji was gripping his arm, and he was whispering something in her ear. It must have been in Katara's imagination.
The nearly full moon was reflecting on the water when Suki stumbled onto the sand. She laughed at herself, bringing her hand up to her forehead. There was no silence like the silence after a party. Especially the kind that came after leaving someone's bedroom. She was the only one on the beach for a while, besides a lone guy sitting near the surf.
Suki decided to wade into the water, stripping off her clothes in favor of the bathing suit underneath. When she looked down, she saw her own reflection. Her makeup was smudged, her hair messy. She looked tired and felt grimy. Was this what she looked like now?
She pursed her lips slightly, remembering what they had been doing just a half-hour ago. Suki scrubbed at the makeup on her face, ignoring the sting of the saltwater in her eyes. She felt the need to scrub all of anyone who wasn't Sokka off her skin. Sokka. She sent a prayer up to Kyoshi, hoping that he had passed out and wasn't looking for her.
The guy on the beach seemed to be looking at her now, but she ignored him, letting herself float in the moonlight. Eyes closed, Suki focused on the sound of the surf and the feeling of the water around her ears. When it seemed to get darker, Suki opened one eye. Aang stood over her, blocking out the light. "Suki?"
"Oh." Suki let her feet drift down to stand. "Hey, Aang."
"Are you alright?" She could see the worry in his brow. He was a good friend, she thought coolly.
She nodded, starting to shiver from the cool water. "All good. Crazy night."
"Let's get you inside, I don't want you getting sick." He pulled them towards the shore, waterbending her dry before letting her put her clothes back on. They walked back in silence until they reached the top of the steps to the house. Aang stopped, catching her shoulder. It looked like he was debating whether or not to speak his mind. "I saw you with Haru, Suki."
She sighed, looking down. "I know. I shouldn't have done it. If Sokka knew…"
Aang's eyes widened. "He won't. I don't condone lying, but this is what you both signed up for." His gaze softened. "I'm here to talk about it if you need to."
She smiled. "Thanks. I think it will be okay."
He nodded, opening the door. "Me too." Suki made her way towards her room, pausing suddenly.
"Wait, why were you at the beach, Aang? It's nearly dawn."
He shrugged, a rueful smile on his face. "Just thinking."