A/N:
Alright, everyone, y'all are lucky this week. On top of it being Kataang week and me writing a oneshot each day, I also managed to finish chapter 10 of this story.
A lot is about to happen, and I actually just started spring semester today, so I wanted to get this chapter out now. It's leading up to what I hope to be a turning point in the story, but we will see what happens. Honestly, I change my mind a lot... hehe..
Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA.
Made
Chapter 10: "Can't Get Enough of Each Other"
A few hours had passed since choosing an outfit, and Katara was getting ready to leave her apartment. Her mind was wandering, racing, trying to find an excuse to get out of her date with Haru.
She couldn't believe that she had actually taken him up on it. After he had texted her, she didn't respond, opting to ignore the question. But a few hours and a bottle of wine later, she found herself replying to his message with, "sure, but let's make it lunch instead."
The waterbender didn't have anything against Haru- he was kind and easy to talk to; but he wasn't Aang.
She had accepted a date with him before learning about Aang and his girlfriend, and as much as she wanted to cancel on Haru and wait for the airbender, she knew her heart couldn't take that. Katara thought about calling Aang and asking if his invitation to attend a band practice was still available but decided against it. After what Toph had told her, the sliver of hope within her grew, but she wasn't counting on a breakup anytime soon, and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
The waterbender knew deep down that Haru wasn't 'the one' for her, but she had decided that she needed something to take her mind off of Aang, and the earthbender seemed like the best choice. She had thought about returning to 'South in the City' to get the phone number for their waiter, Jet, but discarded that idea almost immediately.
Katara had decided that she didn't want to date Haru, but she did want a friend. She didn't want him to feel as though she was using or playing him, because that wasn't her intention at all. The waterbender hadn't known him long, but since their chat after her performance with Aang, she and the earthbender had been texting off and on. Katara could tell from their minimal encounters together that Haru was a genuinely good person, and she was excited to have him as a friend.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she grabbed her car keys from their hook, told Sokka she was leaving, and made her way to her car.
The drive to the park was quick, and once she parked, she texted Haru to ask where he had their picnic set up. After he responded, she began walking towards the spot, barely managing to keep her wandering mind at bay.
Katara hadn't been to Yangchen Memorial Park in almost a week, but walking through it now, she felt peace begin to make its way into her mind. The waterbender had loved going to the park ever since she moved to the city, but she hadn't had the energy to go back lately.
Finally spotting Haru, she smiled softly and waved as he did the same, gesturing for her to walk to where he was. He was sitting atop a large blanket on the grass under a tree, with a picnic basket in front of him.
As Katara made her way to the blanket, the earthbender stood and met her halfway and offered his arm, which she took gingerly.
He looked down to her with a smile, "hey, Katara. I'm glad you could make it."
"Me too," she said, returning his smile.
One they reached the picnic spot, they each sat down, not saying much.
Katara decided to rip off the band-aid and tell Haru that she didn't want to be more than friends with him, but before she could, he spoke.
"So," he began, taking two wrapped sandwiches out of the picnic basket. "I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here?"
She stared at him with a brow raised slightly.
He continued, "this isn't a date, Katara. At least, I don't consider it one."
Katara nodded, the corners of her mouth turning upwards slightly.
"Actually," she said, taking a sandwich from his offering hand. "I was planning to tell you the same thing."
Haru chuckled, opening his wrapper. "I'm not going to lie to you, though. When I first saw you at the airport, I wanted to ask you on a date."
She looked at him, "but?"
"But," he continued. "I'm not really looking to date anyone right now. At least, not someone that I can tell has feelings for another man."
Katara's face turned a deep red color and he nudged her shoulder with his elbow.
"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
She felt frozen, like a deer in the headlights.
"But, h- how did you know?"
He shrugged, "I'm not blind, Katara. I saw what happened on that stage with Aang last week."
The waterbender pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, her sandwich forgotten.
Looking down to the blanket, she spoke softly.
"I'm so sorry, Haru."
He waved her off, "really, it's okay. Besides," he gave her a smirk. "I could also tell that he feels the same, if not more, for you."
She looked at him, her eyes glossy. Haru placed his hand on her arm and rubbed it softly with his thumb.
"What's the matter?"
Katara smiled delicately and wiped her eyes, "nothing, really. It's just that you're the second person that has told me that within the past two days."
He raised a brow slightly, "is that a bad thing?"
She shook her head, "no, I guess not. The thing is, even if we do share mutual feelings, he's already with someone."
Haru nodded his head knowingly, "ah, I see."
Silence fell between the two, and they eventually resumed their lunch. Katara took the opportunity to look at the earthbender, and he seemed as though he was hiding something, but what? Her mind went back to the day of her duet with Aang, but was trying to remember where she had seen Haru sitting. He was with Toph, as well as a short haired woman whom she had come to assume was Suki. Did that mean… no, it couldn't.
She was pulled from her thoughts as Haru started speaking again.
"So, have you done much singing lately?"
She looked towards the tree above them, thinking about the last time she had sung.
"Actually, not really. I've been in a funk lately."
"Hmm," he began, a hand on his chin in thought. "Well, if you need some inspiration, I'm actually in a band. Why don't you come to a practice next week?"
Something clicked in her mind and her mouth fell open slightly. Could he be in the same band as…
"Katara?"
She blinked rapidly, pulling her focus back to the man.
"Wha- oh, um…"
Her mind was racing. If he were in the same band as Aang, accepting his invitation could lead to confusion with the airbender. But if he wasn't, there would be no harm in attending a practice. She thought about asking him but decided against it. Katara didn't want to make her decisions based on the possibility of seeing or being around Aang, and if she was being honest with herself, she actually missed his grey eyes and sweet personality.
Seeing the hopeful look on Haru's face, she reached her decision.
"Okay, I'll go."
His smile was beaming, "great! How about Tuesday afternoon?"
Katara returned his smile, albeit a bit reluctantly, "that sounds great. Where will it be?"
"Beifong Recording Studio," he replied immediately.
Her mind was reeling again at the mention of Toph's studio.
"Just because it's the same studio doesn't mean anything," she thought to herself.
She smiled and nodded as he pulled more food from the picnic basket.
The rest of their afternoon was spent under the tree, talking about their childhoods, as well as their high school and college years. Katara found that Haru was even more easy to talk to than she had originally thought and was happy that she had a friend like him.
Eventually they decided that they should pack up their picnic and each go their separate ways, so Katara helped fold the blanket while Haru gathered the empty containers and wrappers. They smiled warmly at each other and embraced in a brief hug before saying their goodbyes.
Little did they know that they had been spotted as they did so. Across the park sat Zuko, breaking off pieces of a loaf of bread to feed the turtle ducks. He had noticed Katara sitting on a blanket talking and laughing with someone, but the tree was blocking his view of the other person. He smiled, thinking that it could have been Aang. It wasn't until they stood up that he could see the man, and his eyes widened in fear upon seeing who it was.
After witnessing their hug, he quickly stood from the bench and headed towards his car, debating whether to tell his friend.
After his lunch and breakup with On Ji, Aang had decided to walk the streets of Republic City to clear his mind.
He felt torn- while, yes, he was happy that he might have a chance with Katara, he was also saddened by the fact that he had hurt On Ji. Even though she had seen the breakup coming, it didn't help ease Aang's mind one bit.
His mind felt clouded, hazy. Usually in moments like these, he would sit down with his guitar and sing. Deciding that it would most likely help, he began to make his way to his apartment.
His apartment wasn't far from where he had been all day, so he chose to walk. As he did so, Aang's head began to fill with thoughts of Katara, more so than usual. Perhaps it was because he had broken up with On Ji, releasing the floodgates in his mind, letting the waterbender take over. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Aang was glad for the takeover. He had tried so hard recently to push Katara from his thoughts, that he hadn't truly had time to process his feelings about her.
By this point, he had admitted to himself that he liked her, a lot; but could it be more? Surely not, since they had only known each other for two weeks. But then again, love is a powerful thing- so, maybe his feelings could be more.
Shaking off these thoughts, the airbender decided that he should get to know her more before jumping to the l-word. After all, they hadn't spent much time together since they met, and she had declined his invitation to attend a band practice.
At the idea of his band, he thought back to after his and Katara's performance together, and who he had seen her talking to. Could she be… no, certainly not. Maybe he was just being friendly, Aang reasoned. Haru was a nice man, and very friendly too. He hadn't seen any hugs or blushes between the two, so he had assumed the earthbender was just showing hospitality or congratulating Katara on a job well done.
Before he could ponder the thought more, he felt his phone's vibrations, signaling an incoming call. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw that it was Zuko calling.
"Hm," he said aloud, raising an eyebrow. "That's odd."
Pressing the phone to his ear, he answered in an inquiring tone.
"Hello?"
Zuko sounded frantic on the other end of the phone, causing the airbender to worry. While his friend was usually dramatic, this time he sounded more upset than normal.
"Aang, where are you? We need to talk, now."
After loading the picnic items into his car, Haru sat in the driver's seat and dialed a number on his phone. Once finished, he let out a breath and waited for it to start ringing.
After three rings, he heard a voice on the other end.
"Hello?"
Haru switched the phone call to his car speakers and backed out of the parking spot, headed for his house.
"Toph, it's me."
"Hey, Haru," there was a slight pause. "So, what did she say?"
The man let out a quiet sigh, "she said yes. She'll be there Tuesday afternoon."
He could hear Toph's ecstatic tone as she replied.
"Yes! Thanks for your help; this is going to be great."
Haru sat in silence for a moment, questioning whether to even ask the blind woman. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for her answer.
"So, what's so important about Katara coming to a band practice?"
"You'll see." The blind woman let out a devious chuckle, "once Twinkle Toes and Sugar Queen see each other, maybe they will finally give in and just go on a date already."
Haru nodded, even though she couldn't see it.
"Are we still on for tonight at my place?"
She scoffed lightly, "I thought our date was over here?"
"Well then," he chuckled. "I'll be there at 6:00."
Toph smiled on the other end of the line, "good."
A/N:
Dun dun dun...
This wasn't too bad of a cliffhanger, except for the phone call with Zuko. By the way, does anyone have any guesses on what it will be about?
I'd like to give credit to UGugBroXD for the idea of a Toph x Haru pairing. I didn't even think about that before, but putting it in here will change a few things, hopefully in favor of a few readers.
I hope to have the next chapter out soon, but I can't promise anything for sure.
Stay safe, everyone, and thank you all for the continued support!