Response to reviews:

Azure429: Ah, thank you! Aang never really got to grieve in the show because of the war, so I wanted to show him getting a chance to do so as well. That will be a major them for this story.

Ridgehunter117: Ah, yes, that was a stumble on my part. If you're still reading, it was supposed to be addressed earlier but I couldn't fit it so the clarification is in this chapter. Thanks for the review!

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, they mean a lot to me! These chapters are just gonna be a little long now, I suppose, sorry. Also, life is getting busy so I will be uploading 1-2 times a week. I will finish the story so no worries! This chapter has mild drug use, Aangst, and Kataang fluff. Ye been warned.

Disclaimer: I don't not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Aang woke up with Katara's glowing, brown skin and blue eyes dancing in his mind. It's been four days since their date and he has thought about her no less than once every hour. He elicited a small moan at the memory of her in that dress and then in her underwear. He thought, no, he knew, he liked being close to her. It felt right but it scared him at the same time. He was supposed to be a monk. This time last year, before his birthday, he was making plans to train at the monastery. He had found girls pretty before, sure, but he never wanted to take anything further with them.

Part of this, he sensed, was because he was on track to be a monk. He wondered if he might have wanted to pursue girls more if not for this vocation. The other part of him, the piece that was planting seeds of doubts in his mind, told him that maybe he was never meant to be a monk. The Avatar Spirit, that is attached and bound to the world, will not lead him down the path of enlightenment. He remembered requesting to speak with Avatar Yangchen shortly after his parents died. He was depressed but even worse, he felt guilty because he 'couldn't detach' from his parents. Avatar Yangchen informed him that he would always be attached to the world and all living things. He heard her voice in his head, "Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs and do whatever it takes to protect the world."

While his parents were married, it was still not the norm in his culture. Most Air Nomads procreated out of necessity but spent their lives traveling alone. The nomads' offspring then are raised by selected guardians across the city. The rest of the Air Nomads were divided in two groups: committed life partnership and individuals who join a monastic community. His parents told him the basics about sex but it all seemed very scientific and sterile. He knew nothing of what to expect or where to begin if Katara wanted to have sex. He needed answers but unfortunately, he was confident that Gyatso would only reiterate the same information as his parents. Then again, Gyatso has never known traditional family and parents, but has taken on the parental role pretty well. Maybe he'll give it a shot and ask him after school.

Almost in sync with the sun rising in the sky, Aang bended himself out of his bed and landed softly on his feet. He grabbed his meditation pillow and sat in the lotus position, with fists pressed together. After his normal meditation was complete, he added techniques suggested by Ms. Wu. He visualed a boat on the water, carrying things that he could not control and that no longer served him. He put the death of his parents, his previous life, and his panic attacks on the boat and watched them sail away. He envisioned light entering his throat, filling his lungs. He felt like he was bursting with energy. Aang was barely touching the pillow. He was weightless and free. Getting up slowly from the meditative state, he began to get dressed. He smiled thinking of Katara and how much his life has improved since meeting her. He thanked her in her mind for suggesting therapy. He has had one panic attack in the past two weeks, but it was mild and he was able to work through it without passing out.

Arriving at home, the smell of leek dumpling soup filled the air. He sighed contentedly in gratitude for one of his favorite meals being prepared. He slung his backpack on the couch as he headed into the kitchen. Gyatso was in a good mood as usual. He was hummed while stirring the large pot of soup. "Oh, Aang, thank you for gracing me with your presence! I have only known tall, orange blurs these past few days." Aang laughed, "Yeah, sorry about that. School has been pretty busy." A twinkle shone in Gyatso's eye as he , "Or, maybe spending time with a certain young waterbender has been the focus of this busy schedule?" Aang blushed but couldn't contain his smile, "Well, maybe her too. Um, speaking of Katara, can I ask you a question?" Gyatso's brow furrowed in thought trying to not make it apparent that he already knew what the boy would ask him. "Of course, Aang, let's have a seat."

The two airbenders sat down at their kitchen table. Aang nervously pumped his leg with his gaze away from Gyatso. "So, uh, Katara is my girlfriend now, as you know, and um, things are going great. But..uh…" he rubbed his neck nervously. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "How much do you know about sex?" Gyatso barely understood what Aang's quiet, mumble detailed but his intuition told him all he needed to know. "Oh, well I suppose it is that time. I do know a good amount even though I am celibate. What did you want to know?" Aang's eyes widened in surprise, "You do? How? I wasn't taught anything!" Gyatso laughed and answered, "Information is information, even if we don't use it in our personal lives. And, of course, you know my temple brewed beer to sell without having imbibed ourselves." This train of thought made sense to Aang, who became a little less worried.

"That's a good point. So, um, I know how babies are made, but other than that, I'm not sure how to go about it," Aang mumbled. Gyatso chuckled lightly, "Well, I will try my best. First I must ask, have you tried or planned to have sex?" Aang nearly choked at this bluntness, "No! Oh wow, no. We haven't even talked about it yet. And if I'm being honest, I didn't even know I was...capable of feeling that way until a few weeks ago. I never wanted to before but now, I've noticed my body wanting to. It just feels wrong, almost being a monk and all." Gyatso patted Aang on the back, "Ah, I see. Well, as you know, you'll never reach enlightenment as the Avatar, so being a monk isn't a possibility as much as you would like. You could try to be celibate, but it seems like your body disagrees. What does your mind say? What does Aang want?"

Aang was stunned by this question. He was so focused on the signals from his body that he had never stopped to consider what he actually wanted. "Well, I definitely think about Katara a lot. Sometimes I dream about us together in certain….situations," he mentally groaned at his own words, "Whatever she wants, I will be happy with that. But I do think I want to have a family." He was surprised at this epiphany but Gyatso had a knowing look across his face. The monk had always known that Aang became very attached to the people he cared about. He remembered seeing the once jovial, free-spirited pupil become isolating, depressed, and humourless for months after his parent's death. Gradually, Aang started to be his old self again, but it had always seemed blunted. He saw the true Aang return on the first day of school. For being nomadic and free, Aang still needed people. He found meaning in relationships.

"Well I think you answered that question for yourself. It sounds like you would like kids and to engage in the sexual intimacy that a relationship brings. Now that that's out of the way, let's see if I can help you out." Unbeknownst to Aang, Gyatso had taken parenting classes since becoming his guardian. The classes were offered by the subsection of Air Nomad parents back in Southern Air Temple City. He trusted these classes because their way of life introduced a more authoritative parenting style, which combines structure with sensitivity to the needs of the child. He didn't want to squelch Aang's freedom, but he knew that he needed some boundaries in place. The parenting classes had a section on sex education for both the parent and the child. On the computer, Gyatso showed Aang a website for teens to learn about sex and intimacy. Together they watched a series of videos ranging from losing your virginity, safe sex, masturbation, and consent.

Aang went through a cycle of emotions while watching these videos with Gyatso. He lost count of how many times he blushed and wanted to slam the laptop shut. This was awkward, but he did get a good amount of information from it. He would definitely cut off his left arm before having to do it again. "Not too painful, huh? Tell me, do you have any other questions?" Aang began to speak not meeting his eyes, "Uh, yeah, thanks and everything but could you not bring this up again?" Gyatso released a breath he didn't know he was holding, "Of course! But you know you can also talk to me anytime, right?" Aang nodded after meeting his guardian's eyes for the first time in 30 minutes. He excused himself to go upstairs, wanting to ponder the new information he gleaned while shaking off the awkwardness that just happened.

That Friday afternoon Katara found herself finishing up Aang's birthday gifts. She was trying to not freak out about meeting her boyfriend's guardian for the first time. She also had the additional stress of handling her boyfriend's birthday for the first time. Everything needed to be perfect and she had to have complete concentration. Her long list of things to be completed by 6pm was surprisingly being accomplished at a rate that pleased her. She remembered Aang telling Sokka he needed a new gaming headset so she bought one. It was wrapped and ready to go. After taking in ideas from Suki and Mai, she decided on a simple yet effective gift with his favorite, homemade food. She placed her egg custard tarts in the oven, smiling with satisfaction over the ease with which she was able to make them. Speaking it out into the universe that they would be delicious, she began to shower and get dressed. She wanted to look nice but keep it casual. After dinner at Aang's house, they would go back to her house for a friend party since her dad was away training new recruits. She opted for a blue scoop neck t-shirt, a white, flyaway cardigan, blue pixie pants, and blue flats.

Katara blushed as she remembered waterbending with Aang last saturday. She wasn't sure why she was so forward. The kiss and running her hand against the bulge in his underwear. She shook the image away from her mind, shocked that she initiated a lot of that interaction. Although he seemed to be happy to return her advances, she admitted to herself that she was a little disappointed that it didn't progress further. She knew he was physically attracted to her, but emotionally? Still unsure. He had said he eventually wanted to do more, and soon, but what did "soon" mean? A week? A month? A year? He had said he "liked her" but not anymore more descriptive than that.

For being extroverted, he rarely talked about his feelings with her. She wasn't as distrustful as Sokka was, but she had been burned before. When Aang hid being the Avatar when they first met, she was hurt he didn't tell her. She didn't understand why she felt so hurt. They had only met an hour before. Lucky for her, he rolled with her wave of weird possessiveness and jealousy that day. She didn't know anything about his parents or how they died. She didn't expect him to talk about the traumatic experience of it all, but she wanted to be close to him. She would tell him long stories about her mother, her dreams, and her disappointments (she conveniently left out Jet). Aang would tell her superficial things, like his favorite food or his experience mastering the elements. He would shut down and change the subject when asked about his past or his future. He would look like he'd rather be anywhere other than talking to her. She hoped dinner with Gyatso would help fill in the blanks.

The oven timer going off snapped her back to reality. The egg custard tarts were perfect and she jumped in excitement. Carefully she placed the tarts in a container and drove to Aang's house. After knocking on the heavy, white door, she realized she had never been to his house. They either hung out at her house or somewhere public. Her smile returned when her boyfriend answered the door. "Happy birthday!" she beamed as she went in for a kiss. He kissed her back softly and took her wrist to pull her inside. She was gorgeous and he wanted to kiss her more but knew they weren't alone. "Thanks, Katara! I'm so glad you're here. You're the best thing I could've asked for," he said with a small blush on his cheeks. Blushing as well, Katara followed Aang to the kitchen where Gyatso was finishing dinner. Aang had a long sleeve orange t-shirt and jeans which, much to her excitement, hugged him nicely.

"Katara, this is Gyatso. Gyatso, this is Katara, my girlfriend." Gyatso smiled and immediately hugged the waterbender, "Katara, it's so nice to finally meet the girl who has made Aang so happy! I've heard so much about you." Aang's face was hot with embarrassment. Even though Gyatso wasn't his father, he sure knew how to act like one. Katara laughed, "I'm glad to finally meet you, too! Aang talks about you all the time. Thank you for having me. I brought dessert." Aang and Gyatso's faces lit up at the delicate egg custard tarts in Katara's possession. Aang began to tear up as he looked down at the container, "Katara...I….think is wonderful. I'm going to put them in the fridge until they're ready to be warmed up." He quietly took the tarts and put them away. In his absence, Gyatso leaned into Katara and whispered, "His parents and him made them together every year on his birthday. You did good."

Katara was relieved, of course, but also a sliver of sadness colored her thinking. She also felt so embarrassed. She had hoped she didn't ruin the night. Aang had told her they were his favorite, but omitted the part about making them with his parents. She exhaled and tried to remember how she felt after her mom died. She didn't talk about her for over a year. Unfortunately, she understood all too well.

The dinner was filled with periods of laughing interspersed with moments of quiet eating. Katara had never laughed so hard in her life. She soon realized why Air Nomads really were known for their sense of humor. She couldn't believe that Gyatso, who had to be at least 50 years olders than Aang, was as silly, if not more, than the teen airbender. After the eating slowed down, Katara went to clear the plates but Gyatso waved his hand away. "My dear, you are a guest. Please tell me more about yourself." She blushed under the attention of Gyatso and Aang. Aang was smiling, but was pretty quiet since he saw her desert. She knew she had to talk to him later, but for now she focused on talking to Gyatso. "Well, aside from waterbending and school, which you already know, there's not much to tell. I grew up in the South Pole but we moved here after my mom died." Gyatso's face became somber as he cleaned the dishes, while Aangs remained flat but nodded for Katara to continue. "So when I was 8, my dad transferred to the United Forces division here and I spent most of my time with Sokka, my brother. Dad trains new recruits at the base, so he's gone most weekends. And ever since moving here, everything has been mostly boring until I met Aang. He lights up any room he's in," she said with a smile at Aang. Aang blushed and smiled back, surprised that he had made much of an impact on anyone, let alone her.

Gyatso smiled and returned with three plates each holding a tart. Aang's tart had a lit candle in the center. He thought back to his birthday wish last year, which took place right after he found out he was the Avatar. He moped during the entire party, making everyone feel uncomfortable. He remembered his wish, "I want a different life." His face became sour at this thought because his wish definitely came true, just not in the way he expected. Gyatso and Katara sang "happy birthday" and told him to make a wish. Underneath a red blush, his frown had returned to a smile. He thought for a split second and blew out the candle. Katara asked, "What did you wish for?" Aang feigned a scoff, "Katara Nauyak, I can't believe you would ask what I wished for! You know it won't come true if I gave you that info." Her beautiful laugh caused him to grin widely. "You passed the test! It's alright, I'll find out someday. I have my ways," she said slyly. "I'd like to see you try!" The three of them sat at the table laughing and beginning to dig into the egg custard tarts. Katara anxiously murmured while twirling her hair, "I hope they're okay. I mean, I tried one so it tasted good, but I have never had one before today." Almost like it was planned, Gyatso and Aang moaned happily after taking their first bite. "Oh wow, this is so good! And for someone who has never eaten one before, you are very talented," Gyatso comforted. Aang nodded in agreement and reached out to grab Katara's hand. She squeezed his hand as the couple smiled at each other in a daze.

Katara insisted Gyatso keep the rest of the egg custard tarts. After Aang and Katara said goodbye to Gyatso, they entered her car as she began to drive to her house. Aang broke the silence, "So, what'd you think of Gyatso?" He searched her face for any indication of emotion. Katara instantly smiled and Aang relaxed into his seat. "I really liked him! You never told me how funny and nice he is! It was like hanging out with two kids." They both laughed as he interlaced his fingers with hers. "I'm glad you liked him. He's been there for me so much the past year. I don't know what I would've done without him." His hand went limp in her hand and he turned to face his window before looking back at her. "He really likes you, too. I guess he sees what I see. One of the best people I've ever met." She felt her eyes begin to tear as she parked. Her heart pulled hearing this, Aang communicating his feelings to her. But it wasn't enough. There was so much he was holding back from telling her. "Aang, I think-" The couple was interrupted by Sokka knocking on Aang's window. "Happy Birthday, man, let's goooo!" Aang smiled at his best friend and opened the door, following him into the house. Katara sighed and reluctantly made her way inside.

As they walked through the front door, Zuko, Mai, Toph, Suki, and some tall, tan guy Aang had never seen before were all in the living room. Sokka caught Aang's confused look and explained, "Oh, that's Haru. He knows Toph. She gets his weed from him and she got a discount inviting him. He's good people." Aang nodded and soon nearly lost his breath when he walked into the living room. He laughed, delighted at his friends remembering his love for The Office as evidenced by the "It Is Your Birthday" banner hanging on the wall. There were so many snacks and drinks, many non-alcoholic for him, as well as presents on a table. "I can't believe you did all of this for me. Thank you so much!"

Sokka patted Aang on the back as he moved him over to the food table. "Hey, man, you deserve it. Have fun, damnit!" Sokka handed his friend a virgin mai tai. The airbender smiled and happily gulped the sweet, faux cocktail. He thanked Sokka and made his way to the other party goers. He was so swept up in the excitement of everyone wishing him a happy birthday that he had lost track of Katara. He saw Toph looking surprisingly mellow on the couch so he decided to sit next to his friend until he found his girlfriend. He plopped down with a big smile on his face, "Hey, Toph, you look like you're having a good time." The earthbender grinned leaning her head on his shoulder, "Things are good, Twinkle Toes. This party doesn't actually suck. Why aren't you all over Sweetness right now?" Aang frowned, "I don't know where she is. I actually haven't seen her since we got here. She looked kind of...off." Toph sat up straight and shook her head, "Am I the only one that can see, here? She's at the drink table with Haru."

Aang's eyes narrowed as he saw that Toph was correct. His heart rate raced much to his surprise. At that moment he just wanted to pull Katara away from Haru. He had no idea why he felt this way. He had no reason to distrust Haru, but Katara had not mentioned if she had ever dated anyone previously. He had only said "thank you" to Haru after the earthbender wished him a happy birthday, but the guy seemed nice enough. His eyes continued to narrow but his fears were unwarranted. They looked like they were having a friendly conversation. He observed Katara talking to Haru but it didn't seem flirtatious. Toph's elbow in his side jolted him from his thoughts.

"Don't be jealous, Twinkle Toes. Katara's not like that but I have always wondered if they had a secret thing going on," Toph said with a smirk. Aang hated that she could know so much. "That doesn't make me feel better. Also, I'm not jealous!" A smirking Toph questioned, "Riiiiight. Then why do I feel that you want to punch the shit out of someone right now?" Aang sighed, "Damn, I hate when you're right. I think it's just because she had a look on her face before we came in, like she was mad at me. I don't see her all night and when I find her, she's with a guy. Doesn't feel good." She sighed in an exasperated manner, "No, but you're so dumb sometimes I forget you're actually the Avatar. I've known her for 8 years and not once has she acted around a guy like she has around you. It's none of my business, but she was stressed the other day. Mumbled something about feeling like she doesn't know you." A look of shock crossed Aang's face, "What? How could she think that? She just met my guardian. She knows everything about me." Toph crossed her arms, "Everything? Really?"

Aang became pensive at this question. He HAD told her everything. He was sure of it. Almost. He sighed with sorrow in his eyes, "Wait...is this about my parents?" Toph grinned, "Now you're getting it! You might not be so thick-headed as I thought. "Toph, I'm just not ready. I never want her to see me like that again, like how I was at Zuko's party. When I feel like I'm better, I'll talk to her about my parents, but now is not the time. It's gotta be embarrassing seeing your boyfriend like that. It's for her own good."

Toph became angry at Aang, her fists balled tight. "Look, Twinkle Toes! I know you think you're protecting her, but you're not. My parents thought they were protecting me by hiding me away and not letting me be me. They wouldn't let me earthbend because I "would get hurt" and some poor, defenseless blind girl. They thought they knew what was best for me without even asking. I'm not saying to talk about stuff before you're ready, but you're not being honest with her. I can't even begin to understand what you're going through, but I know I didn't appreciate choices being made for me without me knowing. I don't think Katara would either." Aang's face scrunched in a pained expression. His heart sank into his chest. "Toph, I didn't know that about your parents. I'm sorry that happened to you. And you know, you're right. I can't believe I thought I was protecting her. She probably hates me." She punched him in the arm, ignoring his cry, "When I talked to her this afternoon she couldn't shut up about you so I doubt that. You need to talk to her soon before she does end up hating you. Like I hate you right now for harshing my mellow."

Aang laughed. He nodded after he accidentally tried to hug Toph, remembering his friend's aversion to affection. He walked over to Katara and Haru, trying to keep his face from scowling in anger at the baseless jealousy he felt. "Hey, Katara, can we talk for a sec?" She suspiciously eyed her boyfriend rubbing the back of his neck. She had come to realize he did this when he was nervous and at that action, her stomach twisted in knots. "Uh, sure. Talk to you later, Haru!" The couple walked outside to the front of the house and sat down on the front steps. The air between them was thick with tension. Aang told himself, "Do it before you lose her." "Uh, thanks for uh, meeting me out here. I wanted to ask, uh, are you happy? Um, with us?" Her stomach continues to tumble at this question. She didn't know where this was going. "I'm happy, Aang. I'm really happy, it's just...sometimes I feel like you're holding back."

In his head, he cursed Toph for being right and also cursed himself for not seeing this. "Well...what do you want to know?" Katara became nervous, "Ummmmm, okay. Gyatso told me earlier that you made egg custard tarts every birthday with your parents. I felt so bad. I was embarrassed that I didn't know that and possibly made you sad. I'm not asking you to talk about anything difficult, but I kind of need to know where we stand. I see you sometimes in the corner of my eye when I'm talking. You look like you're not even in the room, not even listening to me. It feels like you don't want to get close to me. What am I to you?" Aang swore he felt his heart break. He had no idea he was doing this to her. Even his therapist told him to talk to her, but he was too afraid and pushed Ms. Wu's suggestion to the back of his mind. Now it had to be dealt with and he started breathing deeply, trying to remain calm.

"Katara, I'm so sorry. You never stop running through my mind. Whenever I think about you, I instantly smile. I know we're still new, but I want to be with you as long as you'll have me. And as far as my poor communication, I didn't want you to see me have a panic attack ever again. So, I avoided talking about my parents. I know that you don't need protecting but I think it was more for me. I had this idea in my head that I was fine as long as I didnt think or talk about my parents around you. I see that was a dumb choice, now. I hope you can forgive me." He frowned at the silent moments after he finished talking. His eyes met hers, blue and filled with sadness. "Thanks for being honest with me. Do you remember what I told you when you were trying to hide being the Avatar?" He nodded glumly. She continued, "Be honest with me. I don't care what other people think, I care about you. I want you to be able to tell me anything. If you're not ready to talk, just say so. I didn't want to talk about my mom to anyone for almost a year after she died. But I found ways to cope, and my therapist helped too. You're not alone, but you need to be the one to begin that journey."

Aang felt a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders. "Katara, if I work on myself, and tell you what's going on with me, can we still be together?" She gave him a small smile, "Yes, I would love that. And next time, ask me first!" He couldn't help but chuckle. "You're right. Katara, just you saying that has made me so happy. So, to start, I have been having less severe panic attacks, but they're still there. Anytime I think about my parents I get really anxious, or when I think about my old friends, I get really sad. I'm still in therapy, so things are much better, but I still have more work to do." Katara leaned in and met Aang's lips. She put her hand on his cheek and deepened the kiss. A snap of a twig broke the two apart abruptly. They saw a thin figure in a red sweater and black pants standing on the lawn. Katara stood up straight taking a defensive stance, "Azula, what the hell are you doing here?" Aang's eyes narrowed and followed Katara's lead, ready to fight, "Just get out of here. We're not in the mood tonight." Azula raised her hands in surrender, "Stand down, Teen Titans, I come in peace," she looked at Aang, "I need to talk to you, it's about your parents."

A/N: Next chapter will have some Gaang and Azula "fun" times as well as lemon.