Review responses:
TheQuietReader23: I know! Platonic Taang has so much potential. Obviously, they're great friends in the show, but it's so fun and interesting to put them in a modern setting, especially one where Aang isn't Toph's first ever friend. I'm glad you enjoy the Katara and Aang interactions. The Jet and Aang moments are where I try to show the more confident and self-assured Aang that I've chosen to write in this story. It's so great that you're enjoying this story and that you're getting immersed!
nateC183: Hey nate! Great that you're enjoying the story. This should be the last chapter where a lot has to be set up (drama set ups will come later).
TheLastSoulBender: Thanks mate! Everyone go check out TheLastSoulBender's story: Until I Bleed You Out – one of my favourite new stories!
Rvoverkill: glad you can relate to Aang in some way in this story. Also, great that you like how Toph is written!
FFWhale: I don't know about the best author ever but thank you!
Bay45520: Yes! Platonic Taang for the win.
Ashley Barbosa: Thank you!
Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait for this update. Between finishing Collision of Fate and school I've been super busy. Hopefully you enjoy this new chapter!
Winning
The remainder of the week had passed quickly for Aang. From his first interaction with Katara on Tuesday to history class on Friday, Aang had been through a whirlwind of emotions, all centred around Katara.
He had never met someone so thoughtful, passionate and caring; boy or girl. The fact that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen was just a plus. Jet served as an annoying reminder that he wasn't with Katara in that sense, but as he analysed the gradually decreasing amount of interactions between the couple, it was clear that it was better for that relationship to run its natural course. He would never try and break them apart; that would go against everything Aang had been taught in his short life. He had a thought at one point that by being friends with Katara he was breaking her and Jet apart, but he quickly quelled that thought. He wasn't going to stop being friends with Katara, and if Jet didn't trust the Waterbender, then he didn't deserve her.
Katara aside, Aang also felt blessed to have found a new group of great friends. Together, they represented the Four Nations, and though Aang didn't consider them his best friends because he had known them less than a week (aside from Katara, who was his best friend), he had already created deep, caring bonds with them. It was great to know that he had a group who had his back. He was right in putting his trust in Toph but also kind of wished he didn't. With every day that passed, he worried more and more about how he was going to tell his new friends about his true identity. Speaking of which, Friday was when Aang told Katara that he was the Avatar, but that was hardly at the top of his mind.
Aang had done his routine before heading to school and entering his history class. He knew the moment he walked in that storm clouds were brewing. Jet was glaring at him like he was a mass murderer. Though Aang wasn't fazed in the slightest, he couldn't help but feel a little bit anxious. He hated conflict, and he knew that Jet was looking to start one. Jet's glaring only intensified when Katara sat down next to Aang, completely ignoring the empty seat that Jet had reserved for her.
Aang would have taken notice of Jet's hateful glare if it weren't for the Waterbending beauty stealing his attention.
They parted ways for the next lesson, only to find each other an hour later in the gym. Aang could still feel Jet's eyes on the back of his head, but payed him no heed; reminding himself of his earlier statement.
June pulled back a curtain to reveal a boxing ring.
"Alright you little monkey-rats!" the gothic gym teacher shouted, "today, we're doing boxing. Any volunteers?"
The hands of most of the boys shot up, except for Aang's, who was content to stay by Katara's side and spend another hour chatting with her. June scanned the volunteers with beady eyes, no doubt to create the most entertaining experience for herself.
"Okay… Jet! Chan!" she said, calling the two boys forward. Jet stood up before walking over to Chan and telling him to sit back down. The Freedom Fighter then walked around to face Aang and Katara.
"You," he spat, his long finger mere inches away from Aang's nose, "I want to fight you". Aang looked up at Jet like he was the dumbest person on earth.
"Um, okay. Do you see these?" Aang responded, pointing at the blue arrow protruding from his forehead.
"I see your pussy tattoos, what of it?" he retorted. Aang laughed off his insult whilst he felt Katara beginning to boil next to him. He subconsciously put a calming hand on her thigh, causing her to blush and making Jet's anger shoot up.
"Well one of the many things they represent is pacifism. I only fight if it's for sparring or fun" Aang explained, moving his hand from Katara's thigh, surprised at the upset sigh as he broke contact.
"Well it is sparring. And trust me; it's going to be fun" Jet said, trying his best to sound menacing but sounding cornier than anything else. Aang weighed up his options. Jet was right, this was technically sparring, and, it did have the potential to be fun. Aang also liked the idea of embarrassing Jet. It was slightly against his beliefs to want to embarrass another person, but Gyatso always helped him prank the other elders, so Aang figured that this was okay.
"You know what Jet, I will fight you" Aang said, earning a load of 'oooohs' from the crowd. Jet smirked, thinking he had successfully peer pressured Aang into a fight that he was sure to win. Katara, on the other hand, had now shifted her anger, albeit largely deflated, towards Aang.
"What are you doing Aang? Jet does martial arts, he's many things, but he's not a pushover" she huffed, turning her head away from her friend. All she heard after that was that damned disarming chuckle.
"Relax Kat! Are you forgetting that I'm a master Airbender? I know martial arts as well!" he said, gently grabbing Katara's shoulder to turn her around. Once he saw her big blue eyes, he could tell that any anger she had was gone.
"Don't worry about me, Kat. And don't worry about your boyfriend either, I'll go easy on him!" he teased. Katara wrapped Aang in a hug after that. She didn't really need to, but she very much wanted to. Aang melted into the embrace, happy that his crush wasn't mad at him.
"Just be careful, okay?" she said more then asked as they broke away from each other and Aang stood. He flashed her his goofy grin.
"When am I not?" he teased again. She playfully swatted him on the shoulder as he got up and walked towards the ring. He strapped on his gloves and headguard before hopping over the ropes to see Jet and June waiting for him. The older boy eyed him like a moose-lion eyed his prey. Aang just smiled at him.
"Alright you two, keep it clean. Nothing below the belt and easy on the faces. I don't need another complaint from the principle that I'm ruining his school's reputation" June said, pulling the boys' gloved fists together.
"I'm going to ruin you, shithead" Jet growled through his mouth guard.
"Whatever you say, Jet" Aang responded. The two backed off into opposing corners before June blew her whistle. Jet sprang out from his corner, chasing Aang around the ring whilst throwing wild punches. To his credit, Jet was quite nimble and landed a few decent hooks to Aang's body, but none to the Airbender's face where he kept his gloves up in protection. Aang suspected that his onlooking peers probably thought he was overwhelmed by Jet's onslaught when in actuality he was using his mastery of neutral Jing to wait for an opening. Whilst Jet continued to follow Aang around the ring, he got more and more tired. Halfway through the second round, Aang saw an opening and unleashed a devastating combo on Jet's stomach. Despite not using his full non-bending strength and refusing to strike Jet in the face, Aang had the Freedom Fighter on the floor within fifteen seconds of throwing his first punch. The small crowd cheered for him, but Aang only looked for Katara, who adorned a wide grin at her love interest's success.
June stepped over a gasping Jet and grabbed Aang's wrist, holding it up in the air to signify his victory.
"We have a winner!" she exclaimed to the crowd. Then she leaned into Aang's ear "nice fighting kid, but keep your guard up, Mr Freedom Fighter is a persistent one" Aang just eyed the gym teacher warily in response.
It turned out that Jet was more persistent then June expected. As soon as she had stepped out of the ring, Jet threw his gloves off and landed a nasty right hook to the Aang's temple from behind. The Airbender fell to the floor in a daze whilst Jet flipped him over and threw repeated punches into his face. June, who was no weakling herself, tried and failed to get Jet off of Aang.
It was only Katara who could stop the beat down, using the little Waterbending she knew to pull some water from a bottle and freeze Jet to the floor of the ring. She ran to Aang and used the Water to heal his face. She had picked up some healing techniques online, and despite being inexperienced, did a decent job at patching up Aang's face and bringing him back to consciousness. All the while, Jet writhed beneath his ice-cuffs, hurling abuse at Katara, who simply zoned him out. When Aang's eyes finally fluttered open, Katara sighed in relief.
"Don't cry Katara" Aang said weakly, cleaning away the few tears that Katara had unknowingly shed. Once he had finished, he lowered his hand.
"I told you to be careful" she scolded in a whisper. Aang simply smiled in response.
"Hey! I tried" he teased to no avail. He grabbed her hand in a soft grip and squeezed gently "I'm sorry Katara, it was stupid for me to fight in the first place. Please don't be mad" Katara smiled at his sincere apology. And honestly, who could stay mad at him?
"It's okay, Aang" she responded, raising their intertwined hands to press a soft kiss to the arrow on it. Their sweet moment was ruined by Jet.
"You bitch! Get these fucking cuffs off of me so I can teach you a lesson" he growled. Aang tried to get up and confront Jet, but Katara pushed him back down.
"Wait here" she said firmly, "it's time I deal with that bastard" she continued angrily, standing up and walking over to the restrained Freedom Fighter.
"Shut the fuck up Jet" she said, bringing a bit of water over to his mouth and freezing it. "You and I are done. You're a vindictive and self-absorbed bastard who only has time for himself. I don't want to see you again and if I catch you around Aang, there will be a lot more than just handcuffs for you to worry about" she said in a truly frightening growl. Aang had never heard her speak in such a way, and, strangely, it only made him want her more.
After that, Katara picked up Aang, allowing him to lean on her, and walked him to the school nurse. As they walked, Katara considered what she had done. The main feeling she had was relief, but there was also that strange giddy feeling again as she wondered what this meant for her and Aang. It was not unheard of for people to move on quickly, but less than ten minutes was something she had never heard of anyone else ever doing. Katara feared that pouncing on Aang straight away would make him feel like he was some sort of rebound effort, which he most certainly was not. But, from what Toph had told her, he reciprocated her feelings, and with Jet out of the picture, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her mouth shut.
Katara was excused from her lessons by the nurse, who was also a healer, and waited outside the examination room as she worked on Aang. When the nurse came out again, she allowed Katara in with a knowing smile, that slightly weirded her out. She entered the small room to see Aang smiling at her, his face nearly devoid of any injuries, his back leaning against the wall. Katara rushed him and pulled him into a fierce hug. Once she was done, Aang patted the space next to him in invitation. She obliged and slid on to the rubber table, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Are you okay? Any sustained injuries?" she asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
"Only a mild concussion, nothing I haven't experienced before" he answered drowsily, reminding himself of the multiple head injuries he had sustained during his Earthbending training.
"Are you joking?! I swear by the spirits, Jet is going to pay…" she trailed off as Aang chuckled and slid his hand into hers, squeezing tightly as he closed his eyes and leaned his head on top of hers still resting on his shoulder.
"It's fine, Kat" he said in between his lazy chuckles, "but thank you for helping me. That was some pretty good Waterbending" he complimented.
"Thanks, Aang" She said, squeezing his hand in return. As she nestled her head further onto his shoulder, she was reminded of how much she wanted to be with him. She figured now was a better time than any, and if she could just explain herself, then he wouldn't feel second best.
"Aang?" she asked softly, in case he had dozed off while she was in her own thoughts.
"Yep?" he responded through a yawn.
"Um, I was wondering, if… well, let me explain" she said, sliding her head from his shoulder to look him in the eyes.
"Look, Aang, I really, really like you and I think you like me," she paused expectantly whilst he smiled and nodded slightly, emboldening her, "and I would really like to be more then friends, but…" she trailed off, her confidence shooting down by the seconds.
"It's okay Katara, you can tell me" he said quietly, his eyes still closed.
"I don't want you to feel like your something to rebound off of. I don't think I've ever met someone I've connected with so quickly, and I-"
"You could never make me feel like that Katara" Aang said with that small relaxed smile. Katara was smiling back at him, waiting for something to happen, but all that changed was the smile on Aang's face. Now, he wore a deep frown. Keeping his eyes closed, the Airbender spoke.
"Katara, there's something you should know about me" he said seriously. Katara was slightly worried, she had never seen someone go from happy to serious so quickly.
"What is it Aang?" she asked softly. Aang took the leap.
"I-I'm the Avatar" he said in a whisper. Katara sat there in silence for a moment before she started giggling. Aang opened one of his eyes in confusion as she came down from her laughter.
"Aang, I think you may have more than just a mild concussion" she giggled. On any other occasion, Aang would have laughed with her, but this was make or break, so he saved his jokes. Instead, he eyed the cup of water given to him by the nurse and, making sure Katara was watching, pulled the water from the cup. Ignoring Katara's reaction for a moment, he spun the water around, turning it from liquid to solid, then back before making it evaporate with a small flame. For a moment, Katara didn't do anything, but the moment Aang turned to look at her, she sprung off the bed and went to the far wall of the small examination room.
"H-how did you d-do that?" Katara asked, shocked.
"Katara," Aang started calmly, cautiously, "I know this is probably a bit of a surprise"
"You think?" Katara responded icily. Aang gulped slightly, he was on thin ice now.
"Katara, please let me explain. Will you at least allow me that?" Aang pleaded, desperate for a chance to make things right.
"Fine" Katara said simply, keeping up her defensive posture in the corner of the room. Aang sighed and pinched his brow, clearly deep in thought.
"Everything you said to me earlier, I want you to know I feel that way too. I really, really like you Katara, in a way that I haven't felt about another person before" he looked up to meet her eyes, but she kept her's down on the floor, avoiding his gaze. He was hurt slightly, but persevered, "I know this isn't an easy thing to digest, and I know that you probably don't know what to think of me right now".
"You can say that again" she said morosely, wincing when she saw the guilt in Aang's eyes when they met. "Why didn't you tell me earlier Aang? I thought we were honest with each other" she continued, the hurt evident in her voice.
"You have been honest with me, and I abused your trust" he corrected her sadly, "the monks told me that I wasn't allowed to tell others, and I was happy not to. When I was revealed as the Avatar to the rest of the monks at the temple, I was ostracised. No one wanted to talk or play with me because they thought I was too powerful. I know I can trust you, Katara, but I was worried that by telling you, the same thing would happen" he finished glumly, his head down.
Katara's shock had worn off at that point and she was becoming more and more annoyed at herself for her reaction. Yes, she had a right to be shocked; who would've thought this boy was the most powerful being on the planet? But Aang was clearly a good guy and Katara's feelings for him were not marred by his admission. She had never thought that being the Avatar could be a bad thing, but now that she really thought about, she realised that with all of the positives, there were no doubt negatives to match.
"I-I'm sorry Katara," Aang said in a heartbroken tone, a few tears skimming his soft cheeks. "I'll just go now" he whispered. Aang stood and walked slowly to the door of the small room. As he opened the door and was about to step out, Katara tugged him back into the room and smashed her lips against his. Aang's shock dissipated almost immediately as he deepened the kiss and pressed her against the door. Before long, the need for air became too great and the two broke apart, though they maintained their hug. Aang's headache felt more pronounced all of a sudden, so he stumbled back clumsily till he found the bed and sat down with Katara sitting in his lap, her arms around his neck for support.
"You're not mad at me?" Aang asked, snapping out of his daze. Katara ducked her head and spoke timidly.
"No. I should have let you explain yourself first, I'm sorry" she said shyly. Aang just squeezed her tightly, loving the feeling of holding her in his arms.
"You don't need to apologise. I'm glad I told you before we kissed" he said gratefully. Then a question moved to the front of his mind.
"Does that mean that you're my… girlfriend?" he asked with a small blush. Katara beamed at the adorable look on his face and gave him a soft kiss.
"Yes," she said once their lips broke apart, "and you're my sweet, handsome, funny boyfriend" she cooed into his ear. They kissed for a few moments more before Aang realised something else.
"Oh," he stated, "the nurse told me to go to the principal once I felt ready. Wanna come?" he asked hopefully. Katara hopped off his lap and extended her hand to him, hoisting him off the bed.
"Sure" she answered happily.
They walked away from the nurse's office; hands intertwined.
XOXOXOXOXOX
They ended up spending the better part of two hours in the principal's office, discussing the events of gym class.
The principal, Miss Ming was very kind and supportive to Aang. It was already decided that Jet would be expelled as he was on his last warning, but Miss Ming even offered to call the police on Aang's behalf, willing to press charges.
Aang decided to spare the Freedom Fighter from police retribution. In the Airbender's mind, Jet was lost and time in jail would only worsen his situation.
Because of the amount of time they had spent in the office, by the time they had left, it was only half an hour until school broke for the weekend. The pair decided to wait in the parking lot for the rest of their friends as they had been excused from their geography lesson.
It was Toph who found them first.
"Well, well, well, looks like Twinkletoes bucked up the courage, eh?" Toph prodded, having already heard about what had happened to Jet. Aang and Katara turned to the blind girl with their hand locked and smiled.
"Yep! I'm Katara's boyfriend now!" Aang answered excitedly, with the countenance of a three-year-old who had just been given a new toy. Katara just giggled at her boyfriend's goofiness.
"Did you stick to our agreement?" Toph asked seriously. Katara looked at Aang with a raised eyebrow. Aang smiled sheepishly and leaned into her ear to whisper, "at lunch on Tuesday, when Sokka joked I was the Avatar, Toph found out. Sorry I didn't tell you" he apologised.
"Ohhhhh" Katara answered, "it's okay, we're past that" she said happily, giving him a small peck. Aang smiled while Toph gagged.
"Uh oh," Toph said with a wide grin, "Sokka incoming, this should be fun" she added wickedly. Aang cringed as Sokka and Zuko came around the corner. Zuko immediately noticed Aang and Katara's hands and looked at Sokka expectantly. However, the Water Tribe boy only flicked his eyes away from his phone for a few moments to acknowledge his sister's presence as he was texting Suki.
"Aren't you going to hang out with Jet tonight Katara?" Sokka asked disinterestedly.
The Waterbender cleared her throat in response and after not receiving any of Sokka's limited attention, spoke, "I broke up with Jet, Sokka" she said, slightly irritated that her brother wasn't paying her any attention. But her comment did gain his attention as he looked at her for a few moments and then burst into joyous cheers.
"YES! Finally! I hated that douche-" then his eyes flicked down to see his sister and his friends hand intertwined. He shook his head as he pieced together what was happening and his protective side came out.
"Aang," he ordered, gaining the attention of the young Airbender, "we need to talk. Now" he demanded. Katara was about to object, but Aang stopped her and followed Sokka around the back of the building. Once they got there, Sokka let out a sigh and pinched his brow.
"Look Aang," he started, "you're a great friend, and I doubt you would ever hurt Katara intentionally but as much as a like you, I've known you for less than a week, and Katara doesn't always have the best choice in guys" Aang looked at him, confused, so, Sokka explained, "Jet was nice at first, that's how he got Katara to like him and then somewhere along the way he turned into a dick. The point is, how can I trust you?" Aang smiled at that question.
"Remember on Tuesday when you made that joke about the Avatar?"
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Once Sokka had found out that Aang was the Avatar, the floodgates opened. Though Aang managed to get Sokka and the rest of his friends away from the other students and to his bungalow, he couldn't contain the boy's mouth for much longer.
Suki, Zuko and Mai all brushed him off when he said that Aang was the Avatar, but when Toph and Katara backed him up and Aang showed them some Water and Firebending, they quickly shut up. In the same fashion as Katara, they were shocked for a while before all deciding that it really wasn't that important to them. What was important to the group of friends was that Aang was still fun and goofy like usual. They didn't want to lose their new friend, and if that meant overlooking his immense power, then so be it.
The group decided to stay at Aang's house for dinner. Aang sat quietly with a smile as his friends bickered like usual. He was overwhelmed with relief when they didn't run away and isolate him. What really made Aang smile, however, was Katara, or more specifically, the moment they had shared on his veranda a few minutes before.
"I have a really good feeling about this Aang, I'm really excited to be with you" Katara said in between kisses.
Aang held her at arm's length above him and beamed.
"Me too" he said, and then kissed her softly once more.
KATAANG, finally! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it's shorter than before (4000-5000 words will be the length of most chapters), and its very Kataang centric, not that you guys mind that of course :). Please leave a review!