Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or its characters.

79

"I'm going to go," Suki called, conspicuously loud. "I'll see you two tomorrow!"

Zuko literally groaned. She'd caught him with Mai, almost-kissing, two hours before, and she had been insufferable ever since. Smug looks, absurdly long periods of time in the supply closet 'checking for supplies', as if he and Mai could just make out while there was a line of customers in front of them. He didn't see why she was being so irritating. They hadn't even kissed, and it was her fault.

He peeked over at Mai, busily sweeping coffee grounds away from the coffee machine, her headphones in her ears. He still wanted to kiss her. Badly.

And what was he supposed to do about it now? The momentum was gone. The few seconds where that look in Mai's eyes had made him forget that he was standing in the middle of his uncle's café (wearing an apron with a palm leaf motif, no less) were long gone. How was he supposed to get that going again?

Zuko frowned. He could just go up to her, pull her headphones out, and kiss her senseless. Or, should he leave the headphones in? What if he broke them? What if they were expensive? What if the kiss would be betterwith the headphones in?

She turned to him, arching one perfect brow when she caught him staring, and his mind raced away again. Would he kiss her softly, her brow arching that way again, this time in invitation? Or would he press her, fast and hard, against that espresso machine the way a very specific part of his body wanted him to?

How the fuck was he supposed to just kiss her?

Mai took a step toward him. Maybe she was wondering the same thing? He tentatively matched her step.

And then something broke loose. They closed the gap quickly, lips meeting, teeth clashing in a feral contest. His back was pressed against the refrigerator, and then, moments later they spun, her back against the espresso machine. Her hands were in his hair, and he could hear her breathing, her desperation to be closer.

When he lifted her onto the counter, knocking over the coffee grinder and toppling an open jug of almond milk as he stepped between her legs, she groaned into his mouth. It wasn't until he felt the milk seeping into his shoes that he pulled away.

Lifting one sodden foot, he frowned, sweeping one hand through his hair and looking back at Mai.

She looked positively gleeful, her lips still swollen and a dangerous glint in the gold of her eyes.

"Fuck," he murmured in appreciation.

Mai chuckled darkly before hopping down from the counter. "Fuck," she agreed, stepping gracefully around the puddle on the floor.

"Well," he said slowly. "That was-"

"No, don't talk about it," Mai cut in. "Don't ruin it. Weirdo." She laughed. "What were we going to do? Rate the kiss?"

"I was thinking something more along the lines of planning when we could do it again," he said dryly.

Mai shrugged. "Whenever we feel like it," she replied, before popping her headphones back in and getting back to work.

After dropping Kuzon off at his hotel, Katara and Aang rode in silence, a distance between them. Desperate though Katara was to cross it, she had seen the look in Aang's eyes when Kuzon had offered him the job. She'd seen the flash of desire; how bad he wanted it.

And now, she was terrified of losing him.

"It's okay, Katara," Aang murmured, grabbing her hand where it rested on the console.

She smiled wanly at him. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"What else could you be thinking about?" he asked quietly. "Its what I'm thinking about, too."

"Maybe I'm not," Katara said defiantly, a strange urge coming from nowhere. "Maybe I was thinking about the big sale that 'Nguyen's' is having."

He chuckled. "Four pairs of moisture-wicking socks for that cheap?"

"It's a great deal."

"It is."

She chewed her lower lip.

"I'm not going, Katara," he said, his voice soft. "I can't."

"Why can't you?" she asked bitterly. "There's no reason why you can't. There's no reason why you shouldn't. This is an amazing opportunity for you."

He pulled his eyes from the road for a moment to give her a pointed look. "'There's no reason'?" He shook his head. "There's a thousand reasons, and only one reason. I love you. I can't leave you behind, and your life is here. I told you I was serious about our future. I meant it."

Anguish squeezed her, her stomach clenching and her eyes burning. "Aang, you can't ignore this opportunity for me. We've been dating, like, five months. This is your whole life I'm talking about."

"So am I," he said, his jaw set.

Her heart stuttered at the implication, but she pressed on. "I'm not going to have you resenting me two years down the road, when you're still dealing with Mrs. Morishita grabbing your ass and wishing that you could have been a partner at your own gym," she heaved.

"Why would I resent you for that?" he asked sharply. "It's my decision, right? And I choose you."

"And I choose you," Katara snapped. "I saw your face, Aang. I saw you. You want to do this."

"I want to be with you!"

"You can want both of those things at the same time!" Katara said, throwing up her hands in frustration. "It's okay to want it. I want it for you!"

"And what about you?" He asked sharply, spinning the steering wheel quickly to the right to pull into their apartment complex. "What about us?"

One tear slipped free of her dark lashes, and Katara swept it hastily away. "We wouldn't have to split, Aang. We could do long distance."

"Why don't you ask how well that went for Sokka and his last girlfriend?"

"You didn't even know Sokka then-"

Aang growled in frustration. "We're getting off topic. I'm not going. Not unless you come with me."

"There," Katara said, pointing at him almost accusatorially. "I knew it. You do want it."

"Yea, I want it, Katara, alright?" He shook his head, pulling into the spot labeled '3E'. "But not without you. And I know how much you love it here, how much you love this school, how well you mesh with your professors. I could never ask you to move. So, we're staying."

"Aang, you have to at least consider this." Her heart was in two pieces, at war with itself. "At least think about it."

He fumed in place for a moment, his jaw clenching and unclenching in time with the little vein pulsing at his temple. "Fine," he said quietly. "I'll think about it." And with that, he pulled the key from the ignition and strode from the car.

A/N: the timeless conflict of gym partnership vs girlfriend.

So, I'm not as good at juggling two stories as I thought. I have a clear picture of how A3E is going to end, and so I'm going to finish it. I'll be working on part 2 of the Minister in between, but i won't post it until this story is complete. I'm sorry for those of you who are patiently waiting. It's coming, I promise.

The rate I'm writing and posting this story will be picking up a bit, so A3E will likely be over in a couple weeks. I look forward to coming to a satisfying conclusion with all of you.