After months of rereading the three available chapter of Summer Eyes and waiting for TGDHS updates, I started writing my own take on the modern AU idea and ended up with something long, plotless, and (as always) full of smut. With zgod's blessing, here is the resulting 11 part mess of friends to lovers, fluff, and the standard bed sharing trope.
Katara couldn't remember a time before she'd loved Aang. When Sokka first started bringing him home, the two had been in middle school together. Aang was his pale, lanky new best friend with a crooked smile that charmed everyone he met, and right away she admired his kind, respectful nature, particularly the genuine way he was interested in her—none of Sokka's other friends growing up had ever paid her any attention.
When their mother died, Katara had been just ten, and it had been particularly hard for her as a young girl. Aang had been there for her in a way no one else was. She could talk to him about things she couldn't speak to Sokka or her father about, a way to share her memories without fear of dredging up anyone else's grief, and Aang had always been so patient. His hugs were the ultimate comfort, and his silent understanding had gotten her through so many nights that she couldn't even remember when she'd started depending so heavily on him. She knew she loved him, but she hadn't known how much she needed him until he was gone.
Well, not gone. He and Sokka had moved away for college, and they had just finished up their first year. Though Katara spoke to Aang every night and had video calls pretty regularly, sending each other texts and pictures all the time, it just wasn't the same as having her bedroom down the hall from his. Her father had taken him in a few years after the fast friendship he and Sokka had formed as children when the uncle he'd lived with had passed suddenly, and they'd both had the opportunity to grow up with their best friend. He and Sokka were like siblings, but Katara's love for Aang had never been brotherly. Their relationship always felt like magic, even when she had been a little kid, completely clueless about what the butterflies in her stomach meant.
Now she was hardly clueless. She knew exactly why her stomach was twisted in knots as she sat on the couch in her living room, waiting restlessly for them to finally (finally) come home. The June heat had already started to creep in, and it did nothing to help her nerves. As she tucked her hair behind her ear and wiped the sweat from her forehead, she stared, unfocused, at her phone, scrolling idly through the pictures Aang had posted online throughout his last few months of school. They were supposed to arrive any minute, and every noise she heard outside made her freeze, listening intently to see if it was them.
She knew, though, the minute they got out of the car. Her brother's yell was unmistakable, the sweet sound of Aang's laughter ringing through the air, and she stood up instinctively, wiping her sweaty palms on her shorts as the front door blew open.
The second she saw him, her whole world narrowed to his gorgeous form standing so casually in the entryway. She'd known that they were coming home for so long—the date had been circled on her calendar for months—but nothing could have prepared her for the sight of him, somehow more perfect than any of her memories. His grin glowed at her, and she couldn't help herself.
Without thinking, she ran towards them, so focused on her target that she missed her brother holding out his arms for a hug. Aang, for his part, caught her just in time. She leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as she squeezed him in a tight embrace. His strong arms gripped her just as firmly, consuming her with his warmth until her face was bright red.
"Katara," he hummed, her name like sweet music on his lips. Unable to wipe the massive smile from her face, she ducked her head down into the shoulder of his sweatshirt.
"I missed you," she whispered into his ear, too blissed out to notice the way his chest froze against hers.
When he caught his breath, he gave her another squeeze before beginning to set her down. Hesitating to soak up his warmth for just a little longer, she slowly let her legs down, settling her weight back onto them enough to step back. His eyes were glowing as he searched her face, grinning from ear to ear.
Finally, he murmured, "I missed you too."
She was considering going in for another hug when her brother shoved Aang's shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance in his effort to push him aside.
"Hey, remember me?" he asked sardonically, raising an eyebrow. "Sokka? Your brother of eighteen years, who's never even been apart from you for this long before?"
"Yeah, I missed you too," she grumbled back. As she wrapped him in a hug, she glared over his shoulder at Aang, who was laughing at her brother's antics even as he rubbed his now sore shoulder. "Though it has been so nice and quiet this past year."
"You mean lonely and boring?" Sokka pressed, disbelieving.
Katara's expression softened as she looked at Aang, still glowing at her beside her brother. She had been lonely and bored, but not really because she'd missed Sokka. More than anything, she'd missed seeing Aang every day. For as long as she could remember he had been there all the time: he was in her kitchen when she woke up in the morning, waiting for her when she got out of school, ready to talk to her in the middle of the night when she just needed someone to listen, and then suddenly he wasn't. They still spoke most nights and texted every day, but it was no substitute for his comforting presence. It had been the most difficult part of the past year by far, and she was more than looking forward to the vacation they'd planned, coming up in just a couple of weeks.
"Sort of," she admitted finally as they pulled away. her eyes inevitably darting over to Aang's. "It's been weird not to have you guys around."
"It's been weird not to have you around, too," Aang replied with a grin.
Her cheeks flushed as their eyes met, and Sokka rolled his eyes beside her, pushing past her to dump his duffel bag and backpack onto the floor beside the couch. He stretched once the weight was off of his shoulders, then turned to look between his sister and friend with a sour face.
"Yeah, it was weird," he said finally. "Aang spent the whole year moping around."
Laughing off the red hue that flooded his cheeks, Aang walked over and put his own bags down beside Sokka's, giving his friend a painless punch on his shoulder. "Shut up, man, it wasn't just me. We both know you love your sister too."
Like mirror images before him, Aang watched both siblings mime gagging, both feigning disgust at the notion. He laughed again as he watched them, this time genuinely amused, and finally felt at home as the two began to bicker again, too distracted to notice Aang slip outside to begin unpacking the car.
As soon as they were alone together, it was like no time had passed at all—and Aang was always around, more than he had ever been before, as Sokka locked himself away in his bedroom to facetime his girlfriend. Though he had just seen her, and though they would be picking her up on their drive down to the beach for their vacation the next week, he seemed to spend all day lost in his phone, texting her or sending her pictures or having hours long conversations. It made Katara wonder if that was what she had looked like the entire past year.
"I can't believe you'll finally be coming with us next year," Aang said, watching her stack some of her books into a box, one of the first she had packed. He sat with his legs folded beneath him on her bed, just watching her move, like she might disappear if he looked away. As she turned to grab another shelf's worth of books to sort through, he added, "I can't wait to show you around campus. Everything's going to be so much more fun with you around."
Her cheeks turned bright red, and her eyes quickly flitted up to his earnest grin, then back down to the books in her hands.
"I'm sure you're excited to stop being a constant third wheel," she teased. "Sokka seems like a real pleasure to be around right now."
Aang shrugged, looking down at his hands as he contemplated his response. After a moment, he said, "I like Suki. I think he just misses her a lot. I get it—they're used to spending every day together, and now they have to spend the whole summer apart."
"Well, at least you have me," Katara replied, shooting him a dazzling smile to emphasize her point. "I missed you so much this past year."
"I missed you a lot too," he admitted, his voice soft as he looked up to meet her earnest gaze, "So I kind of understand how Sokka feels."
"I guess," she agreed, less willing to empathize with her brother. "I doubt you moped in bed quite as much, but I get what you mean. It was hard."
"I definitely wasn't as into going out as Sokka was," he said, looking down again at the familiar pattern of her comforter. "Maybe I wasn't hiding in bed all day, but I didn't really want to go to all the parties and everything at first either."
"Well, that's never really been you," she reassured him, shuffling her stacks of books around to make more room in the box. "I hope you didn't let Sokka push you too much."
"I think I needed to be pushed," he joked.
Katara didn't laugh with him, and he cleared his throat as he stopped, searching her posture for any sign of her response. With her body turned away from him, it was impossible to see her face. For a long moment he tried to judge her reaction, guessing at the expression hidden behind her long hair.
As her silence began to get to him, he finally added, "Just to go out and be social. It was hard at first."
She turned to him with a small smile, then, and he felt the tension in his chest ease. "I have a hard time imagining you doing anything but charming everyone you meet," she said, mock disparagement in her tone.
He knew by the way her eyes glittered that she meant it, despite her teasing tone. She'd always admired his charisma, a touch jealous of the way everyone liked him so instantly just for being himself. Though flattered by her praise, he really had been too sad to do anything other than stay in his room and call her before bed each night for nearly the first month. Too embarrassed to admit it, he cleared his throat and tried to ignore the heat on his cheeks.
"Maybe, but it'll definitely be more fun with you around either way—and not just because Sokka ditches me to be with Suki all the time lately."
When he looked up at her, he noticed that her cheeks were pink too, a slight smile dancing on her lips as she taped up her now-full box of books. Leaning over it to hold the flaps down, she struggled with the roll of tape and then glanced up at him.
"Can you help me with this?" she asked innocently.
His eyes darted from her blue gaze down to her breasts, nearly spilling out of her tank top as she leaned forward. Swallowing hard, Aang stood and took the tape from her, securing the box as she held the flaps down.
"Thanks," she said once he was done, scrawling a label on the box in permanent marker. "I'm not looking forward to packing all summer."
"You have so much time," he said, grinning at her ever-present worry even through her early preparation. "At least wait until we get back next week."
Katara looked thoughtfully at the sealed box. "I guess. I just feel nervous."
"Don't be," he reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be there to help you move in and show you around, and I bet you'll like our friends. Suki's really great."
"What's she doing with my brother then?" Katara quipped, shooting Aang an evil smile.
He crossed his arms and fixed her with a disappointed look, to which she laughed and turned away to her closet, opening the door to reveal her neatly organized wardrobe.
"I'm just kidding. I've never had a problem with any of the girls Sokka's dated. Can you help me get this suitcase down?"
He was behind her instantly, towering over her to reach for the huge bag on the top shelf of her closet. His scent intoxicated her as he hovered above her, his musky soap and natural scent combining to create a heavenly aroma, just so perfectly Aang. She was nearly dizzy by the time he had her suitcase on the ground, and he gave her an odd smile once their eyes locked again.
"Are you going to pack for our trip now?" he asked her, his voice low and so close that goosebumps rose on her arms.
"Yeah," she said, her cheeks red as she lifted the bag onto the bed to open it up. "I know it's kind of early, I've just been so excited. I've been buying bathing suits since January. I'm really looking forward to just relaxing on the beach and hanging out with you."
"Me too," he agreed, unable to contain his grin. "That sounds perfect after this past year. I almost thought I wouldn't make it through finals."
"But thankfully here you are," she teased, a flirtatious smirk on her lips. "Thank you for planning this—and convincing my dad it would be okay."
"It was mostly Sokka," Aang said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks heated up. "Though I think Hakoda's glad I'm driving."
Katara giggled, always all too amused when he relented and joined in on teasing her brother. All spring, she'd been nervous about the trip, about spending so much time with Aang while her brother doted on his new girlfriend, about sharing a hotel room with him for the week, but her fears seemed silly then. He was still the same Aang she'd always loved, with a deep sense of empathy and a charming sense of humor. He had a way of making her feel at ease that she'd missed desperately over the past school year, and now that he was home, she couldn't wait to spend a week on the beach with her best friend.