A/N: Sorry this is so late y'all. Just started school and they ain't going halfway like they did in the spring. Still getting adjusted to the workload.

Chapter 24: The Morning After

Last Time:

"YOU! As if it's not fucking bad enough that you're trying seduce my baby sister, but you have the AUDACITY to define it as an actual relationship when spirits knows you're just going break her heart like all the other ones!" Sokka yelled.

"Does she know about them? All the other sad broken hearts who you promised you'd be loyal to before dumping their asses and cheating with another girl? THEY'RE ALL JUST GAMES TO YOU, AND DAMMIT I'M NOT GOING TO LET MY BABY SISTER BE YOUR NEXT VICTIM!"

Sokka shoved Aang to the ground, about to punch him when

"SOKKA!"

Katara drew up all the water from a nearby cloud and froze him, staring at him with a sadistic gaze that almost made her unrecognizable to him.

She shook her head, laughing darkly.

"How dare you," she whispered, her cold blue eyes looking into his very soul.

"How dare you try to act like the hero... how dare you try an act like a big brother now- of all times now, when after TWO DAMN YEARS I'm finally happy again!"

"HOW DARE YOU try to act like it's your job to protect me when all you've done is hurt me over and over and over again."

"HOW DARE YOU ACT LIKE YOU HAVE ANY SAY IN MY LIFE WHEN YOU'RE THE REASON I'VE GOTTEN TO THIS DAMN POINT OF WANTING TO KILL MYSELF!"

With a single movement, every droplet of water in a ten-foot radius was frozen. Every blade of grass, every delicate flower, even all of the budding leaves of the apple tree in their front yard that they had spent their childhoods playing and swinging on, carefree, were solid ice, glimmering in the moonlight.

Katara broke down to the ground, as did the water from her control, melting into a torrent of water, as Aang wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her as she trembled and shivered.

"C'mon, sweetie," he murmured, darting a glance to the soaked yet still Sokka. "Let's get you inside."

With Aang's support, the two carefully walked up the stairs to the door, through the halls, and collapsed onto Katara's plush bed.

Wiping away her tears, Katara whispered but one thing, so quiet Aang almost didn't hear it.

"Stay with me?"

Aang kissed her forehead gently, pulling her close.

"Of course."

Aang groaned as the bright morning sun streamed through the windows, right into his face.

Rubbing his eyes groggily, he sat up, smiling softly as he saw his sleeping girlfriend, a slight frown on her otherwise relaxed features as she rested.

The airbender sighed.

It had been a rough night.

Between Sokka's verbal attack, Katara's resulting breakdown, and emotions running on high since the dance, the couple had been both physically and mentally exhausted, falling asleep rather quickly but not entirely peacefully.

He kissed her forehead softly before standing up to take off his shirt and itchy pants, still on from the previous night's dance.

Aang stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"You've been through so much, Love," he thought, "And you're still so strong through it all..."

Katara opened an eye and looked at him, sleep still in her eyes but very much alert.

"You give me too much credit, Airhead."

Aang chuckled, lying back down in the sheets as he held his girlfriend.

She yawned, melting into his embrace.

"Hey, when'd you have time to change?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As they say, the early bird gets the worm," Aang quoted. "Or in this case, I guess, gets undressed."

Katara giggled, using her hands to truly appreciate her near-naked boyfriend.

"Speaking of, I need to get out of this dress," she said as she sat up and got off the bed. "Help me with the zipper?"

Aang obliged as the loose fabric slipped off her torso and bunched at her hips, understandably causing the airbender to forget how to breathe for a minute.

Katara, seeing the wide-eyed expression on her Airhead, rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Nothing you haven't seen before, love. Now turn around and let me change."

Aang smirked, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her as she looked at them in the mirror.

"I thought," he whispered as his hands slipped lower, "that I had already seen it all before."

He pressed his forehead to hers, not daring to break his gaze as he saw her blush deeply.

He then broke out into a wide grin.

"Gotcha, Kat," he said, breaking away from her and turning around, hands over his eyes, leaving a very shocked Katara standing with her mouth agape.

"Hey! Not fair, Aang!"

The airbender grinned, still not opening his eyes.

"What? So you can tease me but I can't do the same to you? That's unfair, Tara. I merely evened up the playing field. Now turn around and change."

Katara raised her eyebrow as she slipped out of the satiny dress.

"How'd you know I was turned towards you?"

Aang tapped his foot on the half-tiled floor.

"Toph taught me everything she knows."

"Ah," Katara said quietly, her mood slightly dampened as a silence passed between them.

"Sorry, Kat. I didn't mean t-"

"I know, Aang. There's nothing to apologize for. I'm done though. You can open your eyes."

Aang obliged as he pulled her back to her soft mattress.

"Speaking of, are you okay? You know, with last night and all?"

Katara frowned.

"Last night... it was definitely a lot, to say the least. But I think I'm okay."

Aang bit his lip, nuzzling the top of her head.

"D-do you wanna talk about it?"

Katara stayed quiet, snuggling deeper into his chest.

"I mean, what is there to talk about? My jerk of a genetically similar relative decided that he only wanted to be associated with me when it helped him and that he had any right to call me his sister after what he did two years ago. My two former friends idly by and let my one chance at happiness almost get punched and beat up by the aforementioned genetically similar relative. No biggie."

Aang looked down at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Really Aang. I'm fine. I've said all I want to say."

The airbender sighed loudly.

"If you say so, Kat. If you say so."

"You two- spill. Now. While I was freaking the fuck out about my baby sister kissing the goddamn Avatar, you both seemed relatively unaffected. What the hell do you two know?"

Toph and Suki looked at one another sheepishly for a few moments before Suki finally broke.

"Look, Sokka we didn't know for that much longer than you, okay? It was just..."

"What? It was just what?!"

Toph turned her head up at him.

"Look, Meathead. We get you're mad, but can you really blame them? We haven't had anything to do with Sugar Queen in two years, why would she tell us she's dating someone?"

"KISSING! That asshole of an Avatar doesn't date."

"Believe whatever you want to, Sokka, but you remember what he said- he said he had a girlfriend that he was serious about. And Sweetness was never the type for a casual fling either."

Sokka started to go red with rage but shook his head and sighed heavily.

"Just tell me what you guys know."

Suki started to explain.

"About two weeks ago, we noticed that Aang had snuck away during lunch. About 10 minutes later Katara followed, so we were curious. When we found the two, they were kissing and Katara was wearing his varsity jacket."

Sokka scoffed.

"That's it? No way they're actually together. He's playing her, just like he's played every other girl in the school."

"You didn't have a problem when he was playing all the other girls," Toph mused.

Sokka clenched his fist.

"He wasn't playing and inevitably hurting my sister all those other times."

Suki sighed.

"She's right though. Sokka, we lost any right to try and dictate her life when we abandoned her two years ago. Even if we never meant to hurt her. Even if we've been trying to protect her in what little ways we still can since then."

Sokka turned his gaze to the dreary sky, perfectly reflecting his mood.

"Believe me, I know."

A/N: I don't love this chapter but I do think it provides an interesting little insight into the other side of things. Review!