Four months.
No. It had been longer than that.
Even as his heart was doing its best to beat its way out of his chest, Aang was able to do the math in his head. The last time he'd seen her was the morning of September 28. It was now the evening of February 19. So, it actually had almost been five months. Nine days shy of five months, to be exact.
Nine days shy of five months since that discovery in his bedroom. Since a morning that had degenerated from slight farce to unmistakable tragedy. Since a devastated man named Sneers and a screeching girl named Smellerbee and a silent figure named Longshot had converged in a hospital waiting room. Since two police officers disappeared with smirks on their faces and returned looking ashamed and sorry.
Nine days shy of five months since he'd seen her walk into the small room behind those same police officers and return looking as if she'd been hollowed out, smiling an awful, empty smile. Nine days shy of five months since she'd fled his car after decisively claiming she wanted to forget his very existence.
Somehow, just when the sharp edges of that entire experience had begun to dull and she began to exist as an occasional, slightly wistful memory – the idea that he'd ever forget about her was so laughable that Aang had never taken it seriously – there she was. In the flesh.
Aang's pulse was racing when he slowly turned and confirmed what his mind had already accepted as true. It really was her standing there, as beautiful as he knew she would be.
His first thought was that the lighting of the Palace of Ice suited her. The blue glare gave her dark skin an almost ethereal glow and made her eyes sparkle. Wearing a white-furred cap over her long hair and a dark-blue sweater-dress that clung to every curve like moisture to a popsicle, Aang thought she looked like a snow goddess. A snow goddess with a pair of white ice skates hanging around her neck, a soft smile on her lips, and a slight crease between her eyes that marred her otherwise placid expression.
"… Katara!"
The word came out more like a croak. He grimaced, deciding to try again.
"Katara," he said more decisively, but then his mind went blank almost immediately as she continue to gaze quietly at him. "… Hi!"
And almost immediately, Aang was thrust back in time to the morning he'd found her in his bed, right before all the trouble had begun, and he felt gooseflesh rise as his mind started wandering down a treacherous road – until he caught Suki's befuddled expression at the edge of his vision.
That sobered him quickly. Whatever had happened, whatever he'd might have felt for Katara all those months ago, that ship had sailed. Her appearance was definitely unexpected, but it didn't have to be a disaster. Katara obviously was in her post-Jet era, since she was at the Palace of Ice with a date, and clearly was fine with being cordial and polite. Aang didn't have the slightest doubt that he'd be able to follow her lead.
"Aang, how have you been?" Her voice was level and calm. "How are Appa and Momo?"
Giving himself a mental shake, Aang gathered himself and regarded Katara with the cool, courteous and slightly reserved smile he usually deployed on new – or newish – clients.
"I'm good, thanks. They're good." He cleared his throat unnecessarily. "Wow … it's, uh, been a while."
She nodded a little stiffly. "It has. Quite a while."
Aang thought Katara must have picked up on his unease or tired of the stilted cadence of their conversation, because Katara quickly turned to Suki, eyebrows high.
"I didn't know you were dating the guy who kept me from melting into a pile of uselessness back when Jet had his … accident. It really is a small world."
Suki made an odd sound in the back of her throat, and Aang looked over to see Suki's eyes widening at him in startled recognition.
"Unagi's right barbel! Aang's the Air Nomad who took you to the hospital?!" Suki's hand flew to her forehead." I had no idea! I just thought … are you serious? Spirits above and below, this is … wild!"
"Isn't it?" Katara gave Aang a quick, inscrutable glance. "Wild is definitely the right word."
"What's wild?"
The new voice at Aang's back was deep and pleasant but carried a slight hint of wariness. Turning, Aang found himself nearly face to face with a tall, brown-skinned man with a budding goatee and an impressive physique swathed in a hooded down jacket of gray and blue. The sides of his head were shaved close with long dark hair gathered on top in a loose tail. As he had virtually the same attractive bone structure and bright-blue eyes as Katara, Aang presumed that he was, at long last, meeting the infamous Sokka.
"Sokka, this is Aang," said Katara, removing all doubt as she waved a hand between the two men. "He's the one who helped me that day when I … found out about Jet. Aang, this is my brother, Sokka."
Sokka's eyes snapped wide and the vaguely mistrustful look in his eyes vanished. He gave a grunt of approval and looked at Aang with new respect.
"Oh man, you're that guy?"
He waited until Aang shifted his cocoa before catching his right hand in a brief but firm grip.
"Thanks for that, buddy. I was out of town when that whole shitshow happened." Sokka's brow darkened. "I'm glad Katara didn't have to be alone during that mess."
Sokka looked at his sister. "Is that what's 'wild'? That Suki's new boyfriend is the same guy who helped you out?"
Whatever Katara was about to say was forestalled by Suki's sudden laughter.
"Boyfriend? It's our first date, Sokka. Don't jinx us."
She regarded her ex with undisguised amusement before focusing again on Katara.
"I still can't believe this! What are the odds? Now that I think about it, I don't think you ever told me his name … did you?"
"I didn't?" Katara looked puzzled. "I thought I did. Sokka, did I tell you?
"Yep," affirmed Sokka. "Aang. Pasaang Quadrangle. Kinda hard to forget."
"Okay, I do remember told me where he lived, but not his name," said Suki. "Believe me – when Toph told me that her friend Aang, an Air Nomad, wanted my number, I definitely would have wondered if it was the same guy."
"Sorry. There was so much going on at the time," murmured Katara. "It hardly seems like it was as long ago as it was, but –"
"– I was wondering where you all were hiding!"
Katara jerked a little, caught off guard by the interruption, but Aang had been prepared this time. He'd seen the guy wandering down the corridor looking lost before he'd spotted Katara and rushed toward them with the relief plain on his face.
The man, who was blandly handsome with the relentlessly hopeful expression of a happy puppy, panted slightly as he smoothly insinuated himself into their group and planted himself next to Katara.
"They've run out of putters, so maybe we can do minigolf after we have dinner? I just checked and we're still good for 9 o'clock in the Deep Freeze." The man grinned at Katara and Sokka. "We'll have a table by the window –"
He suddenly caught sight of Suki and checked himself, realizing that the group had expanded in his absence. He looked curiously at Aang and then back at Suki before smiling winningly over at Katara, but with questions in his light-brown eyes.
She stared blankly at him for a moment, then seemed to realize what he was waiting for.
"Spirits! Sorry, my manners really suck today. I –"
Katara broke off to shoot a withering look at her brother, who for some reason, had started snickering. At her look, Sokka abruptly stopped laughing and mumbled that he was going to see what was keeping his girlfriend, and soon was off like a shot.
She scowled at Sokka's retreating back before returning to the task at hand.
"Aang and Suki, this is Kei Lo Murakami. Kei Lo, this is Aang Namgyal and Suki Yibiao."
Suki gave Kei Lo a cheery wave and Aang pasted on another cordial grin and held out his hand. Katara's introductions had been a little formal for the occasion, but Kei Lo was wearing loafers to an ice-skating rink, so Aang wondered if maybe the serious tone fit after all.
It would have been unkind – and also likely untrue – to say that Kei Lo was Jet 2.0. Especially as Aang hadn't really known Jet and he certainly didn't know anything about this guy except his name. But physically, there were enough similarities for Aang to decide that Katara must have a type – tall, strong-jawed, and with plenty of tousled, dark hair falling over their foreheads.
That said, Aang thought he could be forgiven for thinking of Katara's last boyfriend as he studied the new one. Kei Lo was on the tall side, as Jet had been; he was lean, as Jet had been; and had the same air of confidence that Aang had noted when he'd looked at Jet's photo. But judging by Kei Lo's clothing, his hairstyle, and his Fire Nation surname, that confidence probably came more from having money and possibly an influential family than from having to build up a rough outer exterior to survive poverty on the streets.
Aang blinked when something Kei Lo had said only a few seconds earlier penetrated through the fog surrounding his brain.
"You guys got reservations in the Deep Freeze? Wow. Nice."
He hoped he sounded impressed and not irritated, which he was. A little. Because of course Mr. Fancy Loafers would be able to finesse a table at the Deep Freeze.
Okay, that's not fair. Aang winced a little at the chastising voice that echoed in his head. You don't even know him and he … he seems nice. Plus … Suki. You like Suki. You're having fun with Suki. Focus!
Aang, deciding that it would probably be prudent to make a gracious exit, stole a look at his watch and feigned surprise.
"Wow, it's later than I thought." Aang glanced at his date. "Suki, we'd probably better get going before Tui's Tower fills up …"
"Aang, wait." Katara moved toward him, her expression suddenly anxious. "Could I have a word before you leave? It'll just take a minute."
He stopped short, nearly spilling the remains of his cocoa on his jacket. To gain time to think, he upended the cup, downing the rest of the lukewarm liquid in almost one swallow.
Aang couldn't imagine what Katara might want to talk to him about, though curiosity was making his stomach do flip-flops. That could have been the chocolate, though, which definitely tasted a little off when it wasn't piping hot.
He caught Suki's eye when he went to toss the cup, and she gave a little nod before turning briskly toward Kei Lo with a look of polite curiosity.
"So, Kei Lo, what is it you do, exactly? School or work, or …?"
Kei Lo seemed a little reluctant to get into conversation with a veritable stranger, but when Katara promised him she'd be back in time for them to do a "couple's skate" on the ice, he brightened noticeably and began to chatter away. For Aang's part, he felt somewhat guilty as he saw the smile freeze on Suki's face as Kei Lo ran off at the mouth. Aang resolved not to stay away long enough for Suki to have to fight back yawns.
Suki and Kei Lo's voices became fainter and fainter as Katara drew Aang some distance away to a quiet, somewhat secluded area behind a set of girthy columns that were supposed to look like huge icicles.
Inhaling sharply as if steeling herself for some heavy task, Katara faced Aang fully, and – to his absolute shock – took both of his hands in hers and stared deeply into his eyes.
"I promise I won't keep you long," she began in a low voice. "I just wanted to apologize for how I acted when … well, you know when."
Aang tightened his lips and dipped his head in a quick nod. He didn't like that he was noticing once again how amazing Katara's eyes were. He didn't like that he was noticing how delicious her hands felt within his own and how lovely their fingers looked twined together.. And he especially didn't like that he was aware of these things while he'd left his date to make small talk with Katara's new boyfriend.
She sighed softly. "I'm not asking for your forgiveness, because what I said was pretty disgusting. If you'd kicked me out on the streets to fend for myself, you would've been well within your rights. Instead, you went above and beyond to help me, and in return, I treated you like crap."
"It wasn't the best moment I've ever had in my life," said Aang quietly. "But it's not like I didn't understand. You were traumatized. You were upset. You were confused."
"True. I was all those things." Katara nodded. "But let's be honest – I was also a total bitch."
Aang laughed weakly. "I wouldn't say that –"
"I know you wouldn't, because you're too much of a gentleman. That's why I'm saying it. Because it's the truth. And obviously I didn't really mean it. Right away, I told Sokka and Suki and some of my other friends about how you stepped up and how supportive you were through everything, and they were all so impressed." She paused a moment. "I thought about emailing you to apologize for my behavior. I remembered you told those police officers that you ran Avatar Efficiency Services, so I looked it up online, too. Catchy name, by the way. And I like your website."
"Thanks." Aang chuckled. "My friend Toph helped me with all that. She said my sense of what it took to create a successful personal brand was 'hilariously pathetic.' She wasn't exactly wrong, but I wouldn't have minded her putting it a little differently."
"Is this the same friend who gives you the furniture discounts for your office?"
"You have a good memory."
"I've been told that before. Sometimes I wish I didn't," Katara said softly, her gaze turning inward for just the briefest moment.
Aang wondered if she was thinking of Jet. Or maybe of her mother. Or possibly something else entirely.
"I decided that email was a copout and that maybe I'd missed my opportunity," Katara continued after the slight pause. "So I left it alone and just hoped … I don't know … that if I put my apology out into the universe, maybe it would get to you somehow."
"Well, it worked! It got to me here. And the apology is appreciated and accepted," said Aang, striving to appear as serene and calm as the monks used to be when they were fasting or doing deep meditation before undertaking an arduous task. "So let's just put it all behind us now. Deal?"
"Deal."
They stared at each other for a few moments in silence. Katara, her lips curving slightly upward, was the first to break the eye contact.
"I think we should probably get back. We might look a little conspicuous standing over here whispering to each other."
"Well that," agreed Aang, glancing down at their still-intertwined fingers, "and the hand-holding might look a little strange."
"Oh no, that's okay. This is how we apologize to people in the Southern Water Tribe," explained Katara. "When you feel you've really wronged someone, you look them in the eyes, you take them by the hands and you say your piece. It's up to the other person to decide if you're being sincere or not, but if you skimp on parts of the ritual, then the apology itself is pretty worthless."
Aang felt somewhat relieved that the hand-holding was something related to her culture – which meant he didn't have to feel bad about how much he'd been into it.
With a smile and a gentle squeeze, Katara released him. Aang told himself that the slightly depressed feeling that immediately descended was because he felt bad that Katara had fretted so much about this whole situation, not because he wanted her hands back in his.
"Suki's a really amazing person. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that, though," said Katara. "I was so pissed that Sokka let her slip through his fingers. Not that I don't like Kaya. She's super cute and sweet, but Sokka and Suki just seemed to fit so well ..."
Katara glanced at Aang, and then laughed faintly, combing her fingers through loose strands of hair.
"Sorry. You probably don't want to me to go on and on about how perfect I think Suki was for my brother."
Aang's lips twisted into an ironic grin. Katara, catching his expression, hid a smile behind her hand and shook her head at her faux pas.
"By the way, I left the spa I was working at when we … when we … met," said Katara as they swung back onto the main concourse. "Now I'm an office manager at Daisuke Industries. After everything that happened, I thought I could use a change of scenery."
"Understandable. Do you like it there?"
"It's okay. A lot of busywork so far, but hopefully that changes soon." Katara made a slight face. "It's where I met Kei Lo. He's worked there since he graduated college. He's assistant to the head of the accounts department and was assigned to show me around and help me get acclimated to everything."
Aang didn't bother to reply to that. He could only imagine how little a hardship it must have been for Kei Lo to help someone like Katara get … acclimated. And people said he had a cushy job!
Suki and Kei Lo were standing almost in the same spot, and Aang noticed that both wore the pained expressions of two people who had run out of things to talk about. He had to bite the inside of cheek to keep from bursting into laughter at the almost-identical looks of relief that crossed their faces when they saw the two of them approaching.
"We were starting to get worried." Kei Lo looked from Aang to Katara and back again. "Everything all right?"
Kei Lo's question was ostensibly aimed at both of them, but Aang noticed his eyes were glued to Katara. Smart man.
"Everything's great." Katara looked around. "Are Sokka and Kaya still not back yet?"
"Nope. But knowing Sokka, he might be awhile," said Suki, looking faintly disturbed. "He and Kaya may have found a secluded area, and –"
"– Say no more. Please." Katara, grimacing, held up a hand. "Anyway, I want to hit the ice. It was great to see you Suki. Aang, I'm glad we ran into each other again."
"Same – and good meeting you, Kei Lo." Aang flashed a brief, vague smile at both of them as he took Suki's hand. "Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your night."
"Nice meeting you, too, Aang and Suki." Kei Lo's puppyish expression seemed even sharper somehow. Maybe it was the lights. "Enjoy Tui's Tower!"
Kei Lo's face held onto that look of cheerful anticipation as he followed Katara to the edge of the rink, where they could change into their skates. Aang wasn't sure if Kei Lo looked so pleased because was looking forward to the skating, the dinner, or … something else Aang didn't want to really consider.
He evicted the shadowy images that tried to crowd into his brain at that thought as he and Suki finally exited The Palace of Ice and joined the river of humanity that was overflowing the streets of downtown Republic City, all on their way to continue their weekend fun elsewhere.
"Whew … that turned out to be a lot weirder than I thought it would be," laughed Suki. "I had no idea you were Katara's savior."
"'Savior'? Uh, that's kind of a stretch. I helped out the best way I could," muttered Aang. "There wasn't much that could be saved in that situation."
"Oof. Good point." Suki was quiet a moment. "Do I want to know why Katara wanted to talk to you? Or is it something private?"
Aang bit back a curse. Just great. Now he had Suki wondering what that had been all about. All things considered, Suki had been amazingly patient. Most women wouldn't have taken kindly to some random girl dragging their date off to a shadowy corner for a "private" talk.
Though, Aang reasoned, that might have been exactly why Suki had been cool with it. Katara was no random girl. In fact, she and Suki were friends – which actually made the entire situation somehow more and less awkward at the same time.
"No, nothing private. After Katara talked to the police that day," said Aang, "I drove her home and she said some things to me that weren't, uh, all that nice. She just wanted to apologize."
"Katara said mean things to you?" Suki looked astonished. "Why?"
"She was upset. She found out a lot of things about Jet … and the way he died … and … about the other woman." Aang gnawed his bottom lip. "It was just a really terrible day. We all have them, and that day … that day was the worst. I didn't really take it personally, but she felt bad about it, I guess."
"I'm surprised. Katara spoke so highly of what you did for her," Suki said musingly. "I remembered thinking 'Wow, of all the things that could happen, she's lucky she found someone who was willing to help and not be a fucking creep.'"
Aang squirmed inside his jacket, not loving the path down memory lane that his thoughts were taking him … the memory of that day, of that morning before all hell broke loose … when he and Katara were sitting at his dining room table eating eggs and just talking like any other young couple in love having breakfast together on a delightful Sunday morning – even thought they had been anything but a young couple in love and the morning turned out to be anything but delightful.
"Did you know Jet?"
"Not well," said Suki, shrugging a little. "Things were starting to wind down between me and Sokka around the time Katara hooked up with him. But we all hung out a few times, sort of how it looks like Sokka and his new girl are hanging out with Katara and Kei Lo now. … What'd you think of him, by the way?"
Aang cast around in his mind for something nice to say about Sokka. He was Suki's ex, but she'd said they had wanted to be friends at some point, so he didn't think badmouthing him would be welcome, even if he had been inclined to do that. It was pretty obvious to him why Suki had been interested in the man. Sokka came off as a steady, dependable sort, and he was certainly handsome. It was also clear he cared deeply for his sister and was protective of her – all good things, in Aang's estimation.
"Well, I didn't get a chance to form too much of an impression about his personality, but I think he's a pretty good guy," said Aang. "He's, uh, got some really impressive shoulders, I noticed. And I thought his ponytail was cool –"
"– I didn't mean Sokka. Though he'd probably preen and strut if he heard you say all of that. He practically lives in the gym." Suki giggled. "And it's a wolf's tail, by the way, not a ponytail. Anyway, I was talking about Kei Lo. What'd you think about him? General impressions?"
"Oh. Kei Lo? Right. Yeah … um … Kei Lo. Well ..."
Aang's hand stole under his cap to rub the back of his head, almost as if trying to massage just the right answer out of his brain.
"He … um … he … seems … nice?"
It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement and considering how long he'd been tucked away with Katara, Aang worried Suki might see something sinister in his lackluster stamp of approval. But on the contrary, Suki didn't show any sign that anything was amiss. In fact, she nodded and looked rather pleased.
"He does seem nice. Strait-laced and a little bit boring, maybe? But after Jet, that could be exactly what Katara needs."
Aang mulled that for a moment. "You don't sound like you were the biggest fan of Jet."
"I wouldn't say that. I didn't get to know him that well, so I think I was pretty indifferent. He was sort of a try-hard. And dramatic, but he was studying film. I think all film students are probably like that," said Suki, her head tilted to one side. "There were a few times I really got pissed at Sokka for the way he treated Jet, because I thought he seemed attentive enough to Katara and always acted over the moon for her. But Sokka turned out to be right about Jet being an asshole, so what did I know?
"… Still, that was a horrible way for him to die." Suki shivered and buttoned her jacket all the way to the chin, as if feeling a sudden chill. "Katara was really messed up over it for a while."
Aang's mind flashed on Katara's shell-shocked expression when the police had finished questioning her, and the vacuous smile that only left her face when she told him, in effect, that she hoped to never see him again.
"She didn't have any reason to be, but I think she felt guilty about what happened," Suki went on. "I'm glad to see she's getting back on her feet and moving on."
They reached the wide boulevard on which Tui's Tower sat squatly in the middle of the block, beckoning them with delicious aromas that wafted toward them like a wagging finger. Aang's stomach was growling and he knew he'd be relieved to be able to sit down and keep his mouth occupied by eating and not by discussing the love life of a woman who he had never expected to see again.
Aang had never really had a set plan for how to end dates, even those he really liked. He felt that events should dictate the natural conclusion of such things, and he had no intentions of straying from that philosophy with Suki.
After the Palace of Ice, the rest of the evening was mercifully calm by comparison. Dinner had been nice and as he'd hoped, both as far as the food and the conversation. To his great relief, Suki had gotten off the subject of Katara and they'd talked more about their lives, their jobs, their hopes for the future. Aang was a little surprised when Suki admitted she wasn't the biggest fan of Republic City and often considered moving back to Kyoshi Island. The problem with that plan, she explained, was that there was very little in the way of careers for the young generation, other than work in the tourism trade. With a small smirk, she said she didn't have a "bubbly enough personality" to deal all day with annoying people from the mainland wondering if the island really had a man-eating monster living in the depths of the sea.
"Does it?" Aang asked, grinning, as they ended their meal by sharing a matcha sundae with delicious sugar wafers sprinkled on top. "I'd probably be one of those annoying tourists and ask, too!"
"I'd allow it … from you. Because you're pretty adorable." Suki smiled. "But nah, Unagi is a myth started hundreds of years ago by a guy who wanted to explain to his wife why it looked like something chewed on his balls. He didn't want to tell her the real reason – especially since the real reason was one his wife's cousins living next door – so he made up a huge, carnivorous eel with sharp teeth and beady eyes."
Aang snickered, and tried not to wince, because ouch. But some people were obviously into that sort of thing, so who was he to judge?
"Kyoshi Island sounds like a real interesting place."
"Oh, you don't know the half of it!"
They took a leisurely walk around downtown after dinner, and Aang learned even more about Suki herself. Her parents had split up during the tail end of the war and her father left the island soon after to fight the Fire Nation on the Earth Kingdom mainland. Suki had not seen or heard from him since she was eight years old and had no idea where he was or if he were even still alive. Her mother and aunt raised her while making a living running the island's largest dojo, which specialized in teaching self-defense using tactics invented by the noted Earth Kingdom warrior Kyoshi, for whom the Island was named. From the time she was 12 until she left the island to experience the big city, Suki had taught classes for girls of her own age group. She cheerfully agreed when Aang, awed, said he was sure she could probably throw him halfway across Yue Bay one-handed.
Aang thought his own backstory was mundane by comparison, but Suki listened attentively as he talked about being resettled with other survivors of the Air Nomad massacre on small plots of land scattered throughout the Earth Kingdom. He explained that he and several others from the Southern Air Temple had been placed with the oldest survivor from that set of attacks, a young man who'd just taken his last vows to become a monk. And this young man, Monk Tenzin, barely out of his teens, was now responsible for raising the crop of young boys who had been entrusted to his care.
Aang recounted how he'd gotten accustomed to his new Earth Kingdom home, which was right outside the affluent village of Gaoling, Toph's hometown, and he'd grown to love Monk Tenzin, who grew into the role of father figure and confidante that had been left vacant by the death in the attacks of Monk Gyatso, one of the trusted elders of the Southern Air Temple as well as being Aang's favorite teacher and hero. At 16, with the war having been over for four years, Aang said he'd felt it was time for him to leave the nest and be the nomad he was meant to be. After some wandering, he'd come to Republic City when it was still Cranefish Town, a bustling village on the edge of transforming into something bigger. For some reason, he said to Suki as he wound up his story, he'd not been eager to move on as he thought he might be, and then Cranefish Town had changed into Republic City almost overnight. After a year in the huge metropolis, he decided to stick around. Soon afterward, he started his business, and here they were.
"So you think this is going to be it for you?" asked Suki curiously, as they headed back to where Aang had parked his car. "Do you feel like you'll set down permanent roots here?"
"Honestly? I'm not sure." Aang thought it over as he settled in and began the drive to the Whalebone District, where Suki lived. "I do love it here, and I consider it more my home than any place I've ever lived except the Southern Air Temple. I am an Air Nomad, and it's not really my nature to stay in one place. But who knows what the future holds."
There was quiet conversation as Aang drove through streets that were beginning to thin out as people moved to after-hours clubs or made their way home. Suki was very interested in his friendship with Toph, which had begun when they both were enrolled in a sculpting class during high school. Aang wanted to hear more about the enchanting Kyoshi Island, wondering if maybe a visit was in his future if he played his cards right with Suki.
When he'd pulled up to her apartment building – a high rise complex on a quiet side street – Aang bit his lip and tried to relax. Though the date had been pretty outstanding, he wondered if he'd be jumping the gun to go for a good night kiss.
Turning to Suki, he was surprised to see she'd slipped out of her seatbelt and had moved closer to him.
"Do you want to come up for a minute?" Suki held his gaze. "I don't have any hot chocolate, but I do have tea … if you're interested in that sort of thing."
Aang couldn't mistake the spark in Suki's lovely eyes that suggested tea wasn't the only thing on the menu, if he chose.
He wasn't one to follow arcane rules about when to get physically intimate with someone. He was extremely attracted to Suki and the feeling was apparently mutual, and aside from that, she had an easygoing personality that meshed well with his. He had no problem envisioning her as a potential girlfriend – sleeping with her on their first date would do nothing to change his viewpoints on that.
Aang was about to answer in the affirmative, but they were startled by the blaring sirens of a police car speeding down the main street toward parts unknown. They both scowled until the obnoxious sound tailed off and disappeared altogether.
"Ugh, those things are always so loud." Suki rubbed one of her ears. "Oh, you know what, that reminds me … I meant to ask Katara if she's finally being left alone, and all. I'm going to guess she is, since she seemed pretty relaxed, but I'm not 100 percent sure."
At the mention of Katara's name, the small fire that was kindling in Aang's belly – and honestly, in points lower than that – was extinguished almost immediately.
"What do you mean? Left alone by who?"
He had a sneaking suspicion, and he felt anger starting to burn where pleasurable anticipation had been bubbling.
"Do you mean Smellerbee? Is Katara still having trouble with her?"
Suki stared at him uncomprehendingly.
"Who? Smellerwhat?"
"Smellerbee. She, uh, was a friend of Jet's. She was at the hospital that morning. Before Katara got there." Aang paused. "She was really upset with Katara. Sneers, Jet's roommate, said she never really liked them being together."
"Sneers? Smellerbee?" Suki was now looking at him as if he'd grown two heads. "What is with those names? Are these people in witness protection, or something?"
"Uh, no. They aren't their real names," said Aang, thinking of Sneers' discomfort in being called by his birth name. "Maybe they're code names? I'm not sure."
"Well, I don't know who either of those people are," said Suki, shrugging. "I was talking about the cops bothering Katara. Before tonight, I last talked to her, hmm, maybe a month ago, and she was just coming from the station. They'd asked her to stop by."
Now it was Aang's turn to stare in disbelief.
"What? Why? What do the police want with her that they didn't get when they talked to her at the hospital?"
"I'm not sure. They were just asking more questions. She said sometimes they'd asked the same question four or five times." Suki's frown made her eyes look darker and a little dangerous. "The family of the girl who was with Jet? That On Ji girl? They're saying there had to be something wrong. They think it was more than just a tragic accident, and they're bigwigs in the Fire Nation community so I guess the police feel pressured and like they need to do the job well."
Aang's jaw set hard. The Republic City Police Department had a less-than-stellar reputation for reasons just such as this one – being controlled and used as personal security staff by the rich and powerful, which often resulted in the non-rich and non-powerful getting ground into the dust.
"They're not doing their job well, if they're pestering Katara," said Aang. "I feel horrible for On Ji's family, but threatening police officers into harassing people isn't going to bring their daughter back. The Koyamas would do better to devote themselves to doing good deeds in On Ji's memory. Maybe start a scholarship in her honor at Ba Sing Se University, or … something. Something that isn't fueled purely by rage, anger, and grief."
"Not going to argue with you there. And who knows, maybe the cops told them something exactly like that, because it looks like they're leaving Katara in peace, finally." Suki looked a little wistful. "Well, if you're sure you're not interested in a cup of tea, I guess I'll say good night?"
Aang smiled and leaned in close, his eyes sliding shut a second after Suki's did. The kiss that followed was brief, but lovely. Nothing flashy, but enough to hint at more exciting things to come.
They exchanged soft good nights and Aang assured Suki he'd be calling her again very soon.
He waited until Suki had slipped into the lobby of her apartment building and then out of sight before he swung back onto the main road and headed to the highway that would take him back into the Quadrangle.
On the highway, three more police cars passed him, going in the opposite direction, though none had their flashers on. Aang wondered what that was about, and it brought Katara and the Jet situation to mind once more. He also thought uneasily of On Ji. Meng had been devastated at the loss of her friend but insisted that she did not tell On Ji about the party and had no idea how she might have turned up there. She also didn't know Jet but said On Ji had been somewhat tight-lipped about her love life in the weeks before she'd died.
Meng had also mentioned that the Koyamas were indeed a force within the Fire Nation. They were somewhat distantly related to the Fire Lord and owned a string of successful businesses in the Fire Nation and in Republic City. They'd once had a son, quite a bit older than On Ji. He'd died in one of the last battles of the war. And now, they'd lost their daughter, too …
Aang thought about how Katara looked and sounded that night at The Palace of Ice. She'd looked impeccable, but thinking on it closer, he was belatedly aware of a sort of tiredness in her eyes. And she'd seemed nervous and distracted, but that could certainly have been because she wasn't expecting to see him at all – and certainly not as the date of her brother's most recent ex-girlfriend.
And then there was the apology … the hand holding … her delicate fingers interlaced with his for the five or so minutes that she'd asked his pardon in the Southern Water Tribe way. Her palms hadn't been sweaty, her hands hadn't trembled in his grasp. They had been soft and smooth and gentle. It was, as far as customs went, one of the nicer ones Aang had ever experienced. He wondered what other sort of rituals comprised the Southern Water Tribe life, because the apology custom was not quite similar to what was done in Air Nomad culture, but it was something he knew that his people certainly could appreciate.
When he pulled up to his apartment he blinked suddenly and groaned, feeling intensely annoyed with himself when something dawned on him. The entire way home, his thoughts had been filled with the memory of Katara and her brief touch, and not of the actual kiss he'd shared with Suki. His date. The girl who showed every sign of possibly wanting to be his girlfriend.
"Not good, Aang," he muttered to himself, slamming the car door a little harder than necessary before stumping to his front door. "Not good at all."
Hey so happy post-Thanksgiving to anyone who celebrated. And tbh I'm a little worried lol. I literally chose Suki as Aang's starter gf because I didn't think people would care much when they broke up and now people are saying they dig them together? Uh oh. Sorry, but I'm a one-pairing only girl and that pairing is Kataang. I hope that won't cause too much disappointment in the story. Honestly if I'd know Aang/Suki was an undercover fan favorite I would've picked someone else to put with Aang before he and Katara embark on their love story. Oh well! And good guesses on Katara's date! My technical advisor told me though that some people don't consider the comics canon, which I didn't know, so for the purposes of this fic, I consider all comics canon as far as the people who were in them. Kei Lo was from Smoke and Shadow and Kaya is from the "Sokka the Avatar" comic in The Lost Adventures, though she didn't have a name in the story. The writer gave her the name "Kaya" in the script direction, and so it doesn't get too weird the idea that Sokka is dating someone with the same name as his mom, I decided it would be pronounced to rhyme with "Heya." See you next Friday.