Review responses:
Johndoesmith265: Thanks!
TheQuietReader23: Hey, great to see you on this story! Yeah, the Toph/Aang friendship is on of my favourites to write, there's plenty in this chapter so hopefully you enjoy! Yeah, Jet is not good for Katara. I know it's quite stereotypical to have Jet and Katara together in HS fics, but it's a good way to add a bit more depth and drama to a story. Things between Jet and Katara should come to a head in the next chapter… Anyway, super happy you enjoy this fic, it means a lot that you decided to look at my other work!
nateC183: hey nate, good to see you here! Completely agree, a lot of the HS fics end up being quite similar, though there are still a few really good ones. I wanted to make this a bit more realistic and also have drama outside of relationships. Glad you're enjoying!
TheLastSoulBender: hey buddy! Glad you enjoyed the Katara POV. This story is mainly going to work around Aang/Katara POV, maybe someone else once in a while (we'll see). Great that you're excited for Collision of Fate ending (new chapter out in the next few days). Great you're enjoying this new story!
Rvoverkill: sup dude! Glad you enjoyed the first chapter.
Hey guys! I know I said I would probably wait till after I finished Collision of Fate to update this story, but I was in a writing mood today and couldn't stop myself :) That being said, I will not be posting another chapter on this story until after I have finished Collision of Fate, so this won't be updated for around a week. This chapter is also the longest I've ever written, and although I did love writing it, I can't promise that every chapter will be this long, most will be a bit shorter. Anyways, enjoy and please review!
Blue meets Grey
Aang rose early, as per usual. Despite being the Avatar and having a bit of every nation within him, he was predominantly an Air Nomad and that would never change.
So, as was tradition, he rose at dawn's light, not even needing an alarm. He felt refreshed and relieved, his first day at RCHS had been a resounding success. He kept those thoughts at bay as he made his way through the outlandishly luxurious bungalow that he had been given by the White Lotus for his stay in Republic City. Despite telling his guardian Gyatso, who was a member of the Order, that he did not want anything too lavish, Aang was given the single-storey house anyway.
As he opened the sliding door to the backyard, he was happily reminded that the Order had gotten this part of his new home right. He tried not to ask other people for much, it was a part of who he was as an Air Nomad and as a person, but he was pretty insistent on the garden being made to his liking.
The Order did not fail to impress either, they had done a beautiful job which Aang told them about fifteen times before they left him two days previously.
In one corner of the expansive garden was a serene pond, lined with the wildflowers that were native to the Patola mountain range, and therefore the Southern Air Temple; home. In the middle of the garden was a large sparring mat, an addition that the Order was happy to give to Aang. The garden was lined by tall stone walls. They were designed with intricate carvings and structures which resembled the plinths and pillars of the Air Temples. Aang was informed that they were already there when the Order purchased the house for him, but the Avatar was more than happy to keep them. Backing up onto the western wall of the garden was Aang's favourite feature of the entire house. Ten metres long and five metres wide, the veranda that had been installed for him was a thing of beauty. On three sides it was covered by translucent white curtains, allowing a few shimmering rays of sunlight to penetrate them and bathe the inside of the veranda in a warm light. The open side of the veranda was pointed to the east, allowing a perfect view of the sunrise.
Aang stepped into the wooden structure and plopped himself down on one of the meditation pillows. After he lit a few incense sticks with his Firebending, which he was still pretty new to, he folded himself into the lotus position and did a quick ten-minute meditation session. This was the first part of the new routine that Aang had adopted since arriving in the city. Once that was finished, Aang allowed all of his thoughts to swirl around in his head. Naturally, they turned to the day before. Aang couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.
He was a bit nervous entering the high school the day previously, but his anxiety was immediately quelled when a cute and bubbly girl called Ty Lee strolled up to him to make conversation. In her defence, Ty Lee did maintain the conversation, but her responses became increasingly shallow as Aang noticed her eyes darting around his body. He managed to remove himself from the conversation, but not without Ty giving him a kiss on the cheek.
As a blushing Aang made his way through the halls towards the office, he noticed that a lot of the girls in the area followed him with their half-lidded eyes. As he got to the office, he let out a sigh. He was incredibly flattered that so many girls, including some very attractive ones, were paying him so much attention, but he couldn't help but feel flustered. Gyatso had always told his ward that he was handsome, but Aang never thought he was telling the truth. Gyatso had also informed Aang that part of High School was forming intimate relationships with people. The young Avatar put two and two together and realised that Ty Lee and the girls who were staring at him probably wanted to be in an 'intimate' relationship with him. Again, Aang was very flattered, he was excited to form close bonds with people of the opposite sex as he had never had the opportunity whilst living in an all-male temple. However, he wanted that type of relationship to be with someone he cared and loved for. The Airbender resolved to going with the flow but holding himself off from being in an intimate relationship with anyone until they were decent friends first. From there, he would reassess and think about how he felt for the girl.
With his new resolve, Aang bucked up his confidence and left the office with his new schedule. As he headed towards his history class, he shot confident smiles to any of the girls who he caught staring at him. He was surprised to see that when he smiled at the girls they would blush and quickly bow their heads. He had to admit to himself, this was great for his self-esteem.
He was surprised to see a couple locking lips in the middle of the classroom as he walked in. It wasn't the actual public display of affection that surprised him, no, the couples at the Air Temples were never shy about showing their love in public, it was more the fact that they were doing it in a classroom whilst the teacher was right in front of them that he found slightly strange.
Regardless, Aang sat down a few seats away from the couple. He was quickly surrounded by many girls. One of them caught his eyes as pretty, her name was On-Ji, but much like Ty Lee, she became more and more zoned out as their conversation progressed. The teacher, Mr Iroh, was very kind and introduced Aang to the rest of the class.
As they began working, Aang noticed that the couple a few seats across from him had finally broken apart. Aang noticed the boy first. He was a good-looking guy, Aang had no issue admitting that, though he found the toothpick poking out of his mouth a bit strange. He turned his attention to the girl next and gulped.
She was stunning – no breath taking. Aang was convinced he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. He had no clue what her name was, but he wanted to find out. Aang settled for checking her out. He knew it was creepy, but he physically could not pull his eyes away from her. Her chocolate hair cascaded down her back, splashing over her baby-blue cardigan. The Avatar raked his eyes over her, noting the curves of her chest, before settling on her skirt. She wore it low, but Aang could still see the lower parts of her long, tan legs. He brought his eyes up again, to her face. Two braids of hair dangled in front of her mesmeric cerulean eyes. She was clearly focusing on her work, as her nose was scrunched up and the tip of her tongue protruded from her plump, velvet lips. When she spoke, her voice oozed like honey. Aang reaffirmed his earlier statement – she was the most beautiful thing the Airbender had ever seen. He wanted to get to know her but before he knew it, the girl and her boyfriend were gone.
His next class had been relatively calm, probably because it was 75% male. It gave him some time to rethink his thoughts from the office. He was no longer going to go with flow. Aang decided then and there that he wanted to be in a relationship with that girl. He knew that she was already in a relationship, he didn't care; he could wait. The Airbender understood that thoughts like these could be destructive, but he couldn't get over her. As for the large number of girls that fancied him, well, he would let them down lightly.
PE was a nightmare for Aang. At first it was nice; he loved exercise and sport, and the attention that the girls in his class were giving him was also nice. However, a lot of them took the opportunity of him being in his skimpy exercise clothes to get handsy. He remained polite, often stepping back when he became comfortable. But the girls weren't easily dissuaded, so when the bell rang, Aang practically sprinted to the locker room.
Wanting to avoid a similar experience in his next class, Aang made a beeline towards the only girl who didn't raise her head and give a drowsy smile when he entered the classroom. The girl seemed startled when he sat down, and immediately turned her head to face him. For a moment, Aang feared he was sat next to another swooning mess but quickly realised that her eyes were glossed over; she was blind. Aang didn't care for disabilities, in his opinion they often made a person more interesting. In fact, he had already made friends with a guy called Teo, who was in a wheelchair. He was about to speak, but she beat him to it.
"You're pretty light on your feet. Got a name?" The girl said in a sassy voice. She wore her black hair in a big bun, with bangs falling down her face, partially covering her eyes. The girl extended her arm forward and opened her hand in greeting. Aang took it and firmly shook it, eliciting a small grin from the girl. He couldn't help but notice that her hands were calloused and rough; she was an Earthbender.
"Aang" he said simply, though he did not know that the girl would rarely use his actual name after that.
"I think I'll call you Twinkletoes. I'm Toph by the way" she said.
The two spent the rest of the lesson chatting about each other. Aang explained to Toph that he was from the Southern Air Temple and that he was an Airbending master and had been since he was twelve. He also explained that he was getting slightly annoyed at all the girls who were constantly trying to speak to and touch him, though he did mention the one girl who he liked, eliciting another grin from Toph. Aang was careful not to mention her blindness, something which Toph was extremely grateful for, and in turn explained how she 'saw'. The lesson ended in Toph inviting Aang to sit with her and her friends at lunch. He was very pleased that he had been offered the invitation but had to tell his new friend that he wouldn't be able to join her that day because he had to make a call back to the Air Temple. Toph understood and gave him her number so that they could keep in touch.
The call to the Temple wasn't as 'important' as Toph had made it out to be. Aang spent most of his lunch hour speaking to Gyatso and Pasang, the Elder monk of the Southern Air Temple. They were mainly checking in on the young Avatar, making sure that he was keeping healthy and staying out of trouble, not that Gyatso minded if Aang got in trouble. The old monk had taken it upon himself to find out about high schools when Aang announced that he would be attending one. He was aware that there were distractions in schools like these, including alcohol, drugs and sex, but Gyatso didn't really care about the whole sex part as Aang had already been taught about that, and knew of the importance of consent. In terms of drinking and drugs, Gyatso would be surprised if the young Avatar indulged in either but was also ready to help Aang through any potential issues that could arise from the illicit substances.
Aang had already missed lunch by the time the call had ended so he just made his way to his next class. It was chemistry and was taught by a young man named Bumi. Aang found the lesson extremely entertaining, partly because of the massive explosions that they would make from their experiments, but mainly because of the banter he had with Bumi, who didn't seem at all bothered that none of his students were doing any actual work.
Aang made it to his final class of the day – geography – and immediately introduced himself to the teacher, Mr Piandao. Once he turned away from the teacher, he spotted the same girl from his history class. Her face was a shade of deep crimson, but Aang gave her a friendly smile anyway. The Airbender did a pretty good job at ignoring the beauty behind him. He didn't want to, no, he'd much rather look at her all day, but if he did turn to look at her, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from doing just that. He did have to turn around at one point as Mr Piandao pointed out a map pinned to the back wall, allowing him to sneak a glance at the girl. He was surprised to that the girl was resting her head in her hands, her eyes half-lidded, her mouth slightly agape with a red tint on her cheeks. And she was looking directly at him. Not at his eyes, she was looking all over his body, mainly letting her gaze settle on his legs. Aang slowly turned around, a stupidly big grin on his face due to this small victory, and tensed his legs slowly, hoping to give the girl a little show.
Aang had planned on going up and introducing himself when the bell rang, but just like that morning, the girl had already left. The Avatar simply shrugged; he could wait. Aang just went home after that. He did some Firebending practice, made himself some dinner and promptly fell into an easy sleep, his head filled with dreams about that girl.
Aang snapped out of his thoughts as the sun began to rise above his garden wall, heating his veranda up. He did another, longer meditation session and by the time he opened his eyes, Aang guessed it was close to seven. He quickly walked over to the large stables at the back of his garden to greet his bison, Appa. He promised to take the animal flying that afternoon, earning a sleepy grunt. The Avatar did a bit of Waterbending by his pond before stepping back into his large house and making his way to the bathroom.
He indulged in a long shower, scrubbing all of his body parts thoroughly. He wanted to smell good if he was going to speak to the girl today. Once he stepped out of the shower, he shaved his chin and cheeks. Then, the young Avatar put a bit of gel in his hair. Hair was still a new concept to him, he started to grow it when he decided he wanted to go to Republic City, not because he was embarrassed about being bald, more because he was interested in what it was like having hair. Once that was done, Aang applied some of the cologne that was brewed at the Temple, making him smell like all the flora of the Patola mountains.
Aang stepped back into his bedroom and walked up to his closet. It was still pretty empty, Aang didn't really need a lot of clothes, though the Order still gave him a debit card that had thousands of Yen on it. The Avatar settled on a pair of baggy jeans that were cuffed at the bottom, an orange and white striped polo shirt and his black sneakers. He checked himself out in the mirror and was pretty pleased with how his outfit looked.
As Aang made breakfast, he thought about what he would say to the girl. Every fake situation he made up ended in him as a blubbering mess as he tried to impress her. That's when he reminded himself that he wasn't trying to impress her, he was trying to become friends with her. Aang was a very social person and was often commended by his Guardian for his ability to make friends anywhere he went, regardless of nation or first impressions.
The young Airbender supposed he would just have to wait and see…
XOXOXOXOXOX
For the first time ever, Katara had woken up feeling embarrassed. Often, she would wake up grouchy or irritated but that morning, she had woken up… embarrassed.
She had spent her night dreaming about Aang, and the dreams weren't forgotten quickly like usual. It was like her brain was trying to hold on to them, much to her chagrin.
She had to admit, the dreams were pretty nice when they were happening. The Waterbender would imagine two tattooed arms winding around her midsection from behind her. Then she would feel soft kisses being pressed to the back of her neck, just beneath her hair. She would turn around and right as they were about to kiss properly, she would wake up.
The dream left her giddy initially, there was something about it that just felt right. Then she would feel frustrated that her dream had to stop, she desperately wanted to see where it would go. Finally, she would feel overwhelming guilt. Katara knew that Jet would check out other girls, but he had never cheated on her… right? Either way, Katara considered her dreams to be as bad as cheating, and that made her no better than Jet.
"Then why do you want more?" Katara thought to herself.
She groaned and buried her face in her pillow. She hadn't even spoke to the guy and yet she already felt like she knew him, wanted him.
No, she had decided she was going to fight for her relationship with Jet. That didn't mean she couldn't be friends with the guy, right? Right, of course she could be friends with him, and judging by his personality and NOT his looks, he seemed really nice, so Katara wanted to be friends with him. So, she decided she would be friends with Aang, and if her relationship with Jet took a turn for the worse…
She flung herself out of bed before she could pursue that line of thought. Katara checked her phone and saw that it was already past eight.
Shit
Katara hastily made her way to the shower and frantically scrubbed away the non-existent dirt on her flawless skin. She used her Waterbending, which was still pretty basic, to dry herself off and quickly got back to her room.
The Waterbender settled on skinny jeans, a white t-shirt and a black cardigan. By the time she had applied the little make up she wore, Sokka was screaming for her down by the front door.
They arrived late to school so said goodbye quickly and went their separate ways. The halls were mostly empty by the time Katara had found her history class. She stepped inside and greeted Mr Iroh before becoming very irritated.
The desks in this class were doubled, so two people would sit right next to each other and share one table. Jet was already sitting next to a girl who Katara knew as Jin. Jet was so enraptured in this girl that he didn't even notice his girlfriend standing right in front of him. She was about to give him a scalding when she noticed Aang sitting at the back of the class, the seat next to him miraculously empty. With a devious grin, she walked past Jet and went towards Aang, who offered her a goofy smile that made her heart flutter. As she sat down, Aang launched into conversation mode, eager to get to know the beautiful girl that had just sat down next to him.
"Not going to sit with your boyfriend today?" Aang teased. Katara couldn't help the small grin that spread across her face.
"Not today, no. He's currently… predisposed" she answered, flicking her finger towards Jet. Aang followed her slender finger to see he was basically leaning over Jin, who didn't seem too bothered.
"Well he's and idiot for ignoring you in my opinion" Aang said in a serious tone. Katara felt butterflies flutter around within her at that.
"No worries, I get to sit next to someone equally as handsome either way" Katara responded, making the two of them blush furiously. Katara had no idea where that came from. This was not part of the plan. Aang seemed to recover from his blush quicker than Katara.
"Well, that's very kind of you. I'm Aang by the way" he said, offering his hand to Katara. Katara shook it gently, enjoying the way her skin felt on his; like electricity.
"I'm Katara. I'm a friend of Toph" she replied with an earnest smile. Aang smiled at the connection.
"Really? That's great, she's super funny" Aang responded. Katara saw the opportunity to tease him and took it, sensing he would appreciate the humour.
"Oh yeah? Is that a little crush I sense?" she said with a devious grin. Aang flushed red for a moment before his skin returned to its usual milky pallor. With a chuckle, Aang responded.
"Not quite," he started with a small laugh, "though I do have a crush on someone in this class" he added coolly. It was now Katara's cheeks turn to go red, and they did so emphatically, though Aang didn't notice. Still, Katara was intrigued as to where this was going, so decided to press on.
"Who is it? On-Ji? She seems pretty interested in you, if her staring indicates anything" she whispered, as Mr Iroh had begun the lesson. Aang caught On-Ji's eyes for a moment and cringed, before turning back to Katara with a toothy grin, maintaining his cool façade.
"No, there's only one girl who's caught my eyes" he said, looking directly into her blue orbs. It was then that Katara got a good look at his eyes for the first time. Blue met grey in a captivating collision. Katara felt her heart stop. They looked like swirling storm clouds, ready to replenish a drought-ridden valley. After a minute, Aang snapped them out of their daze, and they both turned their heads and blushed. After a few moments Aang spoke.
"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen" he said, looking straight ahead with a drowsy smile. Katara blushed even more, but something within her made her keep going.
"Oh yeah? What's her name?" she asked, though she wasn't sure she wanted him to expose his crush on her just yet. Luckily, Aang kept a cool head.
"I just learnt it this morning. I don't know her all that well yet, but I want to get to know her" he said with a genuine smile, still looking forward. That did it for Katara, something in her snapped, and she knew that she was falling. She would hide it for a bit, for the sake of her relationship with Jet, but she knew it was no longer a matter of 'if', but a matter of 'when'.
They spent the rest of the class discussing their backgrounds, their hobbies, really everything about each other. And it made Katara's epiphany all the sweeter because she knew she had just met someone like no other, and from what Toph had said yesterday, and what he had revealed right then (even if he thought she was clueless to his infatuation with her), they were falling together. Aang and her had become fast friends as well. It was really an amazing moment for Katara, and one she would never forget.
Once the class had finished, Aang and Katara parted ways, promising to continue their conversation at lunch time. However, they met before lunch, much to their elation. Katara had forgotten that they shared a PE class.
Aang strode into the gym nonchalantly, forgetting that most of the girls in his glass had a thing for him. He was wearing a black sleeveless t-shirt and his shorts from the day before, much to the pleasure of the girls. He locked eyes with Katara and gave a goofy wave before ambling over to her position on the bleachers.
"Hey Kat! I didn't know you were in this class" he said happily. Katara blushed slightly at the name he used for her and found she really liked it. He sat down next to her but kept a healthy distance. She really appreciated that but also wanted him to look down at her tight-fitting t-shirt for some reason. Aang was doing strange things to the Waterbender, she had never wanted to be seen in that way before, not even by Jet now that she thought about it.
"Hey! Yeah, I was doing the SFT yesterday, so I wasn't with the rest of you guys. You got any clue what we're doing today?" she responded in a happy tone that she couldn't help but use when Aang was around. Whilst they were talking, they unconsciously closed the gap between them so that their shoulders were resting against each other. Unfortunately, that's when Jet arrived. The teenager made his way right over to the two.
"Hey babe, who's this guy?" he said in a confrontational tone whilst leaning down to kiss Katara on the neck. Katara pushed Jet off her neck and spoke whilst frowning.
"This guy is called Aang and he's a friend. You would know who he is if you weren't so captivated by Jin in history" she huffed angrily. Sensing the impending conflict, Aang rose and extended his hand to the hot-headed freedom fighter.
"Hey buddy, nice to meet you" Aang said with a false smile. Jet sneered at the Avatar's gesture, refusing to shake his hand.
"Whatever dude just stay away from my girlfriend" he snarled, pushing Aang a bit. Katara launched from her seat at that move and was about to berate Jet but Aang motioned for her to calm down. Despite knowing him for less than three hours, she already felt like she could trust the Airbender, so she obliged his silent command. Aang shifted his attention back to a seething Jet and looked him dead in the eyes.
"Listen buddy. First off, she's not a piece of property; you're her boyfriend as much as she's your girlfriend. Secondly, what are you going to do about it? Katara is a friend and I'm not gonna stop being her friend because you say so" he said, a cheeky smile on his face the entire time. Katara was astonished. She would have blown up on Jet, but Aang calmly told him everything wrong with his actions and then defended their friendship. Jet on the other hand, looked like he was reeling for a punch. He was stopped when the gym teacher, June, walked in and blew her whistle.
They were playing a new sport called 'basketball' that had recently been created in Ba Sing Se and had spread to the Republic. Most of the girls, including Katara, opted to remain on the bleachers and watch the boys take a stab at the new sports. Katara watched on as Jet and Aang faced off for the 'throw up'. She had not noticed how tall Aang was. The Airbender was easily 6 foot 4, towering over all of the boys, including Jet.
Katara also learned that Aang was naturally athletic, taking to the new sport like a turtle-duck to water. She felt herself drooling along with the rest of the girls in the gym whilst Aang skilfully wound his way through his opponents. The Waterbender wondered if Aang was using any Airbending to help him. Despite being fit, it was late summer and hot, so Aang started to sweat. Once in a while, he would lift the bottom of his shirt to wipe his brow, oblivious to the fact that he had twenty girls staring at his muscular midriff.
Jet caught Katara staring at the new guy whilst he wiped his brow once more and felt his anger boil again. He badly wanted to go over to the guy and punch him square in the face, but resisted, knowing that he was on his last warning with the school.
The game finished soon after and both boys wandered over to Katara. Aang got their first.
"Wow Aang! You were great!" Katara said, placing a hand on Aang's bare arm. The Airbender blushed at the sudden contact but managed to hide it from his crush. Jet turned up then, looking angry as ever.
"Thanks Ka-"
"Babe, what are you doing with your hands on him?" Jet questioned sourly. Once again, Aang beat Katara to speaking first.
"Dude, calm down, she's not doing anything wrong" Aang said in a calm tone. This pissed Jet off even more. He pushed Aang once again, with a little more force.
"Jeez Jet, do you want to do some calming breathing exercises with me?" Aang teased. Jet pointed a finger angrily at the Airbender.
"You're lucky I can't get into fights at school you piece of shit. If I see you out of school, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you" he spat.
"Whatever," Aang replied, utterly bored, "I'll see you at lunch Kat" he finished, flashing Katara an apologetic smile, which, through her anger, she managed to return. Aang turned and left the gym after that, whilst Katara turned to her boyfriend, her face heating up in anger. Before she could speak, Jet did.
"What's he talking about? You're not seeing him at lunch, you're sitting with me!" Jet said angrily.
"I'm sitting with him and the gang today" Katara responded icily. Jet reared back in vehemence at that.
"Why would you want to sit with those-"
"You better watch your mouth Jet" Katara warned in a dangerous tone. "I'll sit with who I want to. Just because I'm your girlfriend doesn't mean I have to sit with you." She finished before spinning around and leaving the gym.
XOXOXOXOXOX
Aang's next class had finished and he found himself walking towards the cafeteria with Toph, chatting idly. Once they reached the door to the room, Toph let out an annoyed groan.
"What's wrong Toph?" Aang asked in genuine concern for his new friend.
"Ugh this is so embarrassing" Toph murmured.
"What's embarrassing Toph? You can tell me" Aang reassured.
Toph motioned towards the large group of students walking in and out of the cafeteria before speaking. "I can't see properly when there's that many vibrations so close together. I'll just get knocked around if I try, so I'm gonna have to wait before I can get in" she said, her irritation rising. Aang felt a bit of sympathy for his friend, so with a heavy dose of caution (having already being well acquainted with Toph's guarded and proud nature), offered his solution.
"Do you want to hold my hand? Or my pocket?" Aang asked hesitantly. Toph considered the offer for a few moments before holding her hand out. Aang took it firmly and led her through the crowd.
"Thanks, Twinkletoes" Toph said shyly. Aang simply squeezed her small hand in response. Although initially hesitant, Toph began to warm up to the idea of holding Aang's hand as she could feel all of the glares she was getting from all of the girls around her. Once they were in a less crowded part of the queue, Toph let go of his hand and spoke with a wide grin.
"Ha! I could practically feel the jealousy radiating off those over girls" Toph boomed. Aang responded with a small chuckle.
"Why though? All I was doing was holding you hand" Aang commented. Toph sighed before slapping Aang on the back.
"Gee Twinkles, you've got a lot to learn about high school. Holding your hand is like a declaration of war to some chicks, regardless of your feelings" the Earthbender said, "speaking of which, how are things with Sugar Queen?" Toph asked.
"Sugar Queen?" Aang asked, dumbfounded.
"Oh right, that my name for Katara, you'll pick those up pretty quickly" Toph corrected. Aang blushed at the mention of Katara.
"Great actually, I sat next to her in history today, she's amazing" he said dreamily. Toph let out a fake retch, causing Aang to laugh.
"Spirits! Lunch is gonna be a pain in the ass" Toph said
The two got their food and Toph directed Aang to a table in the far corner of the cafeteria that was right next to one of the large windows.
"Everybody meet Twinkletoes" Toph stated. The group went around introducing themselves. There was Sokka, who was Katara's brother. He wore his hair in a short ponytail and was dressed in a tank top and sweats. Then there was his girlfriend Suki. She had short auburn hair and was wearing a similar get up to her boyfriend. Sitting next to Toph was Zuko. He had long black hair and a gnarly scar on the left side of his face. Next to Zuko was his girlfriend, Mai. She spoke in a monotone, but Aang could tell there was more then met the eye with her.
The group of friends were very welcoming to Aang, all offering smiles and greetings – well there was no smile from Mai, but Aang didn't mind that. They made amicable conversation revolving around Aang. The Airbender pretty much gave the blurb of himself, something he had refined the day before. Soon after, Katara arrived and sat down next to Aang.
"Hey Kat! Sorry if I left you stranded with Jet in the gym" Aang said with a sheepish smile that made Katara's heart flutter, something which did not go unnoticed by Toph.
"No worries Aang. I just wish I knew more Waterbending so I could put him in place whenever he steps out of line" she said, a little dejected. Aang perked up at that, sensing an opportunity.
"I could teach you if you want" he said excitedly, forgetting his identity for a moment. He cringed as he recognised his slip up and looked around at his new friends. All of them looked at him like he was a clown. Sokka burst out laughing.
"How are you going to teach her Waterbending? What are you, the Avatar?" he said, laughing loudly at his own joke. Aang blushed at the mention of his true identity and coughed as he thought of an excuse.
"No, I-I'm not the Avatar" he said, not realising Toph's sightless eyes widening rapidly. "I just know that Waterbending is similar to Airbending, so m-maybe I can teach Katara a few things" he said whilst wincing, hoping his excuse was good enough. In truth, he wasn't wrong about the similarity of the two bending styles, so he figured that he could actually teach Katara that way.
"You'd do that for me?" Katara asked, clearly buying his cover up. Aang's confidence grew as he saw all of his new friends smiling at him.
"I'd love to" Aang said, smiling down at the Waterbending beauty next to him.
XOXOXOXOXOX
The last two classes of the day passed quickly for Aang. He spent geography sitting next to Katara, talking quietly about the ways he could teach her. As he spoke, he saw something shift in Katara. She began to look at him like he was the greatest person on earth, and Aang loved it.
The two met up with the rest of the gang in the parking lot after their lesson. They chatted for ten minutes before Zuko, Mai and Suki left and Sokka suggested to Katara that they went home. Right as she was about to get in the car, she turned around and walked back over to Aang and Toph.
"Can I give you my number?" Katara asked with a blush.
"Sure" Aang said with a smile. He fished his phone from his pocket and handed it to the Waterbender. She spent about fifteen seconds putting in her contact info before handing his phone back. Aang was about to say goodbye when he was wrapped in a hug by Katara. He melted into immediately, getting a whiff of her scent. She smelt like flowers and sea spray. As she pulled back, she placed a small kiss on his cheek. When she let go, she was blushing madly.
"Thanks for standing up for me, and for offering to train me. Text me, okay?" Katara asked whilst stepping back to the car. Aang brushed his finger over the spot where she had kissed him, eliciting a giggle from the Waterbender.
"Sure thing Kat" he said softly, a small blush on his cheeks. After that, the siblings pulled away from the school. Aang pulled out his phone again and saw that she had put her name down as Kat with a small blue love heart next to it, making his heart flutter for the hundredth time that day. Before he could turn to Toph and say goodbye, he was being dragged to a big black car by the Earthbender.
"Gah! Toph! What are you doing?" Aang asked frantically as he was dragged towards the car.
"You'll see" she responded angrily. Once she got to the car, the door opened automatically and Toph bundled the Airbender into it. Right as Aang was about to catch his bearings, Toph landed an almighty right hook on his arms.
"OW! Toph?! What's the matter with you?" Aang questioned. Toph scoffed at the question
"What's the matter with me? You are so lucky I haven't got any rocks on me right now!" Toph shouted.
"I don't get why you're so angry at me" Aang shouted back.
"When were you going to tell me you were the Avatar?" Toph said, her voice filled with hurt. Aang felt the air leave his body at the question.
"I-I don't know w-what you're talking about" Aang sputtered.
"Don't you dare lie to me Aang" Toph said, seething with anger again. Aang felt immensely guilty at that point. He hated having to lie to his friends. He hung his head in shame, there was no point hiding it from Toph anymore.
"I'm sorry Toph" he said, his voice ladled with shame. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, the monks told me so. I didn't want anyone to think of me differently, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore; you must hate me" he finished, suddenly very depressed. Toph visibly softened at that, placing a hand on his shoulder in support.
"I don't hate you Twinkletoes. I didn't know you weren't supposed to tell anyone" she said. Aang suddenly had a question.
"Hold up. How did you know?" he asked, suddenly very confused. He hadn't even bended around any other students yet.
"Oh. Yeah. Well, I can tell when people are lying because I can feel their heartbeats. Lying causes a physical reaction" she said, slightly sheepishly. Aang was impressed, he knew Toph was gifted, but he had no clue she was that skilled.
"So, you're not pissed?" Aang asked hopefully. Toph smirked.
"Nah, you're all good. You're gonna have to tell Sugar Queen though".
"WHAT?! NO! Why would I do that?" Aang asked, mortified. Toph sighed again.
"Look Twinkletoes, I know you like Sweetness. I also know she likes you, an-"
"She actually does?" Aang asked dreamily.
"Oh yeah, you should hear her heartbeat around you" she said softly. "It's sickening" she added hastily after.
"But," she added seriously, "you've gotta tell her dude! Things between her and Jet are falling apart, and I know she's gonna want to be with you after. You have to tell her before you get into that kind of relationship with her, she needs to see all of you" she finished.
"But what if she sees me differently for it?" Aang asked worriedly.
"Don't worry Twinkles, Sweetness won't see you differently. She may be a bit shocked at first, but she'll get over it" Toph reassured.
"Oh, okay, I guess-"
"And if you don't tell her, I will" Toph threatened.
XOXOXOXOXOX
Toph dropped Aang at home shortly after their discussion. Aang knew he should've kept his identity secret, but he trusted Toph to keep it under wraps. Plus, it was kind of relieving for Aang to be able to share that big secret. He was still slightly worried about how he would tell Katara, but he could face that in the morning.
He did a bit of Firebending before making himself dinner and promptly falling into bed at ten o'clock. He lay there for a while, but felt restless, so grabbed his phone.
He scrolled through his socials for a bit before remembering about Katara's number. He opened his message app immediately and typed out a text:
Hey Kat! It was great to finally get to talk to you today :)
He put his phone down right after. He was beginning to wonder if his text was weird or not when he felt his phone buzz. It was a message from Katara.
It was great to talk to you today as well Aang! Thanks again for sticking with me in PE today, Jet can be such a dick.
They texted back and forth for half an hour before saying goodnight. Aang could finally feel himself drifting into a comforting sleep. He had a fluttering feeling as he replayed Katara's hug and kiss.
His dreams were filled with blue eyes.
Platonic Taang is the best! And Kataang is even better! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!