Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or its characters. Brief mention of consensual sexual content.
29
Katara leaned against the neat row of the apartment building's mailboxes, labeled in untidy black lettering, and wiped angrily at a tear.
This was supposed to be a good day; the morning sun found her wrapped in Aang's arms after a night of what she could only describe as bliss. In the months that she had known Aang, she had existed in a near constant state of daydream, fantasies and vignettes of his body on hers swirling to and from the forefront of her mind. Her dreams had fallen completely short.
Walking from the apartment to class, she had burrowed her chin into her scarf to hide the smile that had crossed her lips, unbidden, at the memory of his mouth against her neck, the soft, near-sighing sound he had made when he entered her, or the way his eyes had closed and his head had pressed back into the pillow when she had rocked her hips in just that way. And then, this morning, his sweet smile and the hopeful hesitance in the gray of his eyes, the longing for something 'serious', something sweet and new and full of gentle warmth and steady hands.
Only to have her soft aura of content cruelly shattered upon seeing Mai and Ty Lee for their shared anatomy class. They had sat down next to her, their faces clouded with consternation. Mai had, for the most part, retained her classic stoicism, solemn but no less sorry as Ty Lee regretfully informed Katara that Jet had been running his self-centered and altogether stupid mouth among people that Katara considered her friends.
"No one believes him, of course," Ty Lee had assured her. "I think he's taking the break-up pretty hard, and he's lashing out." Ty Lee shrugged then, a frown on her ordinarily bright features. "Ming said that he told them last night over drinks that you cheated on him with- his name is Aang, right?- with Aang. And on top of that, Jet says Aang doesn't even like her, he's just using you to get a roof over his head, because apparently he's homeless."
"What a stupid thing to lie about," Mai had monotoned, leaning further into her seat.
Katara shook her head at the memory, furious with herself for reliving it once more. It was a mired mess; just true enough to lend it credence among some of her less-discerning friends. It wasn't that she cared about gossip about herself. She scarcely gave that a second thought. But, what if word got back to Aang, somehow? She didn't at all relish the thought of Aang being hurt by the vitriol of her ex, and the idiotic caprice of twenty-somethings with nothing better to do than gossip about things that don't concern them.
Somehow, without even trying, she found herself in the middle of a mess with no clear exit. Jet's retribution hung over her fledgling relationship like an axe over an outstretched neck. She straightened, wiping at one final tear. There was little else to do; she couldn't figure it out on her own. It was time to call in reinforcements.
Although she had intended to subtly ease Sokka into the news of her new relationship, Jet's unfortunate tendency to be a raging asshole had moved up her timetable. She needed advice, she needed support, and she needed it fast. Sokka was just going to have to keep up.
It was an insistent prodding against his chest, the painful poking of a stiffened finger, that finally stirred Sokka from the absolutely fantastic nap he was having. 8 AM classes were damned early, and his nights had been less than restful of late.
"What?" he complained sharply, opening one bleary eye. Suki leaned over him, a worried frown on her lips.
"Wake up," she insisted, prodding him again.
"I am awake, and for Spirit's sake, stop poking me-"
"It's Katara," Suki interrupted, jerking her head to where Katara sat at the other end of the couch. "She has something she wants to tell us." Suki's expression hardened. "And we're going to listen and we're going to be understanding."
Sokka furrowed his brows, making a gesture as if to say, 'obviously'. "Okay," he said instead, sitting up.
Katara let out a nervous little laugh. "Okay, look, I want to preface this entire conversation by saying that something... amazing... happened yesterday, and I'm very happy about it, and I'd really appreciate it if you could be happy about it, too," she rambled. "Because, it's the start of something good, something really good, guys, and I get that it may seem weird, or fast, but-"
"This wouldn't happen to be about you and Aang sleeping together last night, would it?" Sokka interrupted sharply. "Because, if so, I don't want to hear another word about how 'amazing' or 'really good' it was."
His discovery of the breathy sounds coming from Aang's room late the night before during his midnight shuffle to the kitchen had left him with a kind of uncomfortable queasiness that he had no desire to revisit.
Katara's mouth dropped open. "You knew?" she asked quietly. She shot Suki a questioning look, and Suki shrugged in innocence. "Did Aang tell you guys?"
Sokka scowled. "No, but I have two working ears, and unless Aang's voice is much higher pitched than I remember, I heard a distinctly familiar woman's voice coming from his bedroom last night."
"Oh, Spirits," Katara said, blushing bright red in mortification. "And... you're okay with it?"
Was he, he wondered? Having heard a myriad of sounds he would have preferred never to associate with his little sister, Sokka had immediately shoved any and all thought of it firmly and forcefully from his mind, choosing instead to revisit it only when absolutely necessary. He wasn't sure he wanted to delve into it now, either. Perhaps it was a one-night stand, a rebound sort of thing, or perhaps it was more... Katara was an adult, capable of making her own decisions. Of that, he had no doubt. But she had just ended a relationship mere weeks before, with seemingly little emotional affect.
Her relationship with Jet was hardly comparable to his former relationship with Yue, and he understood that people mourned differently. But, she had still ended a relationship- permanently, thank the Spirits- with someone that had once been important to her. If Sokka was being honest with himself, he didn't really believe that Katara had given herself sufficient time to heal.
Turning his gaze back to her, he frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose that depends," he answered slowly. "How serious is it, with Aang?"
The corner of her lips tilted upward. "Serious," she said, as if amused by a private joke.
"You've only just come out of a relationship, you know," he reminded her.
Her amusement vanished, and a furrow creased between her brows. "I know. Aang and I have addressed it already. I'm fine- better than fine, I'm happy to be rid of Jet, and even happier to start a relationship with Aang."
"What's wrong with just being by yourself for a while?"
"Sokka," Suki muttered in warning.
He shot her a sharp glance. "What? I'm asking."
"If she's ready for a relationship, that's her decision," Suki murmured, meeting his glare with a level gaze. "It's not up to you."
"I never said it was," Sokka snapped, turning back to his sister. "I never said it was. But you asked, and I'm giving you an honest answer. I am okay with whatever you decide. I guess I'm just a little worried."
Katara frowned. "Worried?"
"Yes," he said impatiently. "I don't think you've really processed your break-up. What happens a few weeks from now, if you start getting second thoughts, or regret going headlong from one relationship to the next? What's going to happen to Aang?"
"I won't do that," Katara said sharply. "The ship that carried my relationship with Jet has long since sailed, and I have no interest in it, whatsoever. I don't need three years, like some people." Her eyes immediately darted to Suki, and she flushed, ashamed.
Beside him, Sokka felt Suki stiffen in sudden discomfort. He crossed his arms over his chest. "That was different, and you know it. And we're not talking about me, anyway. I've already told you that if you think this is what's best, then fine. I'm expressing my concerns because you asked."
"Well," Katara sniffed. "I regret telling you."
"Why? Because you didn't get the answer you wanted?"
She crossed her arms, too, looking away from her brother with a toss of her long hair.
"Are we done?" Sokka demanded. "Is that all?" He looked around the room, at Suki's obvious discomfort and Katara's obvious irritation. Great, he thought dryly.
But Katara shot him an almost sheepish look, arms still crossed. "No," she muttered, stifling a sharp tone. "There's more."
"Oh," Sokka sighed dramatically. "Wonderful."
A/N: the upset? Or is there more? What will Aang think?