Response to Reviews:
Ashley Barbosa: Hmm, sassy? I don't know if I would consider Aang being in shock mixed with PTSD and anger "sassy" but you're open to your interpretation!
basingsesocialite: Thank you! I agree, a lot of high school au can be pretty heavy. I like how the show did it, heavy mixed with light heartedness because they're still young! I try to incorporate that into this fic. I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender
With a shaky breath, Aang ran and held his glider tight as he took flight. Feeling the warm August air whip around him as he soared into the sky, he felt a release and freedom he hadn't felt in four months. The sun invigorated him as he flipped and turned in the sky, defying gravity. After an hour of gliding, he made his way back to the green grass behind the mansion. Aang felt grateful that Iroh allowed him to go out on his glider, mostly because no one in Ozai's rebels were airbenders. He didn't land as gracious as he used to, shooting a pain up his leg and hip. "Ugh," he groaned for a few moments. The reality of his still ongoing recovery left a sour taste in his mouth after an exhilarating afternoon.
Aang had landed a few feet from the mansion of the White Lotus. He waited with impatience and a frown as Iroh let him inside after the series of security measures. "What's wrong, Aang?" The airbender looked away at Iroh in shame, "I don't really want to talk about it." They walked further into the basement as Iroh raised an eyebrow at the slender, young man, "You know, sometimes the best way to problem solve is to talk it through with another person."
Aang sighed and stopped walking, "I'm just feeling like a failure. I went out on my glider, which was amazing, but then I had all this pain when I landed. I guess I just thought I would be ready, but it turns out that I'm not." Iroh smiled warmly at him, "Ah, I see. You say 'failure' but all I see is progress. A month ago it was a struggle for you to walk. Look at you now. You have to be patient, it will come." Aang smiled weakly at Iroh. He felt a little better but still sad. He said goodbye to Iroh and began to walk upstairs to his room.
Aang's head hit his pillow when the buzz of his phone vibrated in his pants pocket. He opened the many texts from a group chat that he wasn't aware of because he was in the air.
Sokka: Happy birthday, Zuko! You allowed to have people over tonight?
Katara: Sokka, I'm sure his mom and uncle don't want a bunch of kids there getting drunk
Sokka: We'll be so quiet, he won't even know we're here. Right, Zuko?
Mai: Sounds boring if we have to be quiet
Suki: A quiet party is better than nothing
Zuko: That should be fine.
Sokka: YEAAAHHH SEE YOU SOON
Katara: Aang, are you there?
A genuine smile came across Aang's face for the first time since he was on his glider. He liked the idea of a party, even if it had to be small. He hoped the distraction could keep his mood up. Plus, he would be able to see Katara.
Aang: Hey, Katara, yeah sorry I was on my glider. This sounds great, can't wait to see you! I miss you!
A few moments later, a bunch of texts back to back.
Sokka: Ugh the group chat isn't for flirting get out
Katara: I LOVE YOU AANG CAN"T WAIT TO SEE YOU MWAH
Sokka: GROSS
Suki: Sokka leave them alone!
Aang shook his head and laughed at his girlfriend still getting under her brother's skin, even through text. Before he could respond, a knock on his bedroom door prompted him to get up. He opened the door and saw Zuko and Mai standing in the doorway, snuggled up to each other smiling. "Happy Birthday, hotman!" the airbender said as he bowed. Zuko rolled his eyes and Mai smirked as they entered Aang's room. "Thanks, Aang, we were wondering if we could have everyone in your room? You're the farthest away from all of the adults, which is practically in an attic." Aang nodded as his eyes widened as his friends pulled out plastic bottles of low quality liquor. "How'd you even get that past your mom, Zuko?" Mai answered dryly, "She and Iroh decided to give him a 'birthday pass' from being pat down."
The three friends exchanged stories about their summers until there was a knock on the door. Aang opened the door to a parade of Sokka, Katara, Suki, and Toph flooding into his room carrying bags of chips, a box of cupcakes, cans of soda, and plastic cups. Katara kissed Aang as she presented him with a soda, "Try not to get too messed up, it's really strong." He chuckled and gave her a long, passionate kiss as he wrapped his arm around her waist, "I love you so much, you know that?" She saw the intensity in his grey eyes and melted under his gaze and firm touch. Sokka rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, you love each other WE KNOW. Let's have some fun!" The group of friends laughed as everyone but Aang poured a mixed drink of alcohol and soda in their cups.
Zuko put on a playlist Mai made for him through bluetooth and they all forgot briefly that their lives were anything but normal. In the midst of the chattering and dancing, the bedroom door swung open. Zuko rolled his eyes, immediately frowning, "Azula, can't you knock?!" Azula had her arms intertwined with Ty Lee, who was cheerily smiling. "Happy birthday, Zuko!" the happy, teen said. Azula smirked as she walked into the room with her friend, "Yeah, happy birthday, dum-dum!" Zuko groaned and stood up, towering over his sister with his eyes narrowed, "You can't be here if you're going to be..you know..you." Azula rolled her eyes, looking at her nails as she spoke, "Fine, I'll be good. I'm just so bored. Let's play a game!" Everyone but Zuko happily agreed to her suggestion, but he eventually said yes because he wanted to try to have some fun.
The group of friends sat in a circle on the floor. Azula sat next to Aang, who was also sitting next to Katara. Even though Aang was definitely sitting as far away as possible from the firebender, Katara still kept one eye on her just in case. "Okay, we're going to do Truth or Dare. Whoever answers has to ask next. I'll start," Azula commanded. She looked at Zuko, "Truth or Dare, birthday boy!" Zuko grimaced but answered quickly, "Truth!" Everyone nodded expectantly at his answer, knowing that a dare from Azula would be the stuff of nightmares. "Hmmmm, let's see...what's the worst thing you've ever done?" The room went silentl as Zuko thought pensively. He exhaled and looked at Aang, "The worst thing I've ever done is wait to visit you in the hospital. I was a coward and it's something I'll always regret." Aang walked over to Zuko and gave him a hug, "It's okay, Zuko. You're here now." Azula rolled her eyes, annoyed at the maturity between her brother and his friend.
Zuko took a swig from his cup and turned to Suki, "Truth or Dare?" Suki smiled at him with a very red face, feeling tipsy already, "Dare!" Zuko thought for a moment before stating, "I dare you to kiss Sokka!" Boos could be heard from the group on this easy dare. Suki and Sokka kissed for a few moments before Azula made a sound almost like a buzzer. "Okay, make out on your own time. Suki, pick someone." Suki took a long drink from her cup and was silent for over a minute. Azula used this chance to text Ty Lee and Mai discreetly. Ty Lee and Mai both opened and read their texts, grinning and shaking their heads. Zuko and Sokka saw the two of them and raised an eyebrow, but turned their attention to Suki as she spoke.
Suki finally chose, "Uh, Toph, truth or dare?" Toph grinned, "Finally! DARE!" Suki grinned devilishly, "I dare you to do three shots in a row." Toph's excitement prompted Suki to pour three shots in a cup and pass it to Toph, who drank it happily and quickly. A round of applause ended after a loud burp left her mouth as she cackled, "Thank you, Suki. I was about to go to sleep!" Toph took a swig of her mixed drink and said, "Mai! Truth or Dare?!" She responded flatly, "Truth". Toph groaned in disappointment but quickly found a question for her, "What's your biggest secret?" Mai gave a half smile before answering, "Well, I had a crush on Zuko since I was 6. I would come over and play with Azula and try to see him as much as I could." Mai and Zuko's cheeks both turned red as a bunch of "awws" could be heard from the group. Zuko was obviously shocked by this news. Azula sighed forcefully, already knowing this about her best friend, "Zuko, how did you not know that? It was so obvious. Anyway, Mai I believe it's your turn."
Mai's color from her cheeks faded as she looked at Aang, "Aang, truth or dare!" Aang beamed, "Dare!" Mai took a swig of her drink and said, "I dare you to take a shot of vodka." As Aang became flustered, Katara stood up in a defensive stance with a scowl, "You can't do this! He doesn't drink!" Aang looked up to Katara, holding her hand to pull her down to sit next to him. He looked into her blue eyes, "It's okay, Katara, really. I'm not a monk and I figured I'd try it eventually. Why not now?" Sokka clapped as he began to pour a shot. Katara crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at Mai. Mai simply shrugged an "I don't know" in Katara's direction.
Aang took the cup from Sokka, who instructed him to take a sip of soda afterwards to help get rid of the taste. Aang took a deep breath and put the cup to his lips. He leaned his head back and immediately felt the burning, rawness of the liquor on his tongue and as it passed through his throat. He sucked his breath in, "Ugh!" Everyone in the circle laughed except for Katara, who handed him his soda cup with a look of disapproval. After chasing the vodka with the soda, Aang shook his head and smiled at his girlfriend. "Come on, Katara, it's all fun. Are you mad?" Katara's expression softened as she realized that Aang was finally being a kid again, something he had missed out on in the past couple of years. "No, I'm not. Just drink some water and pace yourself." She yelped as he put his arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips into hers roughly. Azula and Sokka groaned and the young couple broke apart.
A smile returned to Azula's face as she demanded the continuation of the game. "Anyway," she rolled her eyes, "I believe it's Aang's turn." Aang looked at Ty Lee, who he felt needed some attention. "Okay, Ty, truth or dare?" Ty Lee bounced up and down in her seat before smiling and responded, "Um, dare!" Aang thought a moment before speaking, "I dare you to do the most difficult gymnastic move you can." Boos filled the room and were directed at Aang. Katara, now very tipsy, nuzzled her head into Aang's chest, "Aang can't help that's he's nice! I love that he's nice." Ty Lee stood up, "Thanks, Aang! I can only do one back flip because of the limited space." She cleared her throat before walking away from the group. She bent her knees, and bringing her arms to her hips, she flipped backwards in the air until she landed on her feet. Ty Lee smiled as she sat down amongst the applause from the group.
Once Ty Lee was settled, she looked at Katara, "Okay, Katara! Truth or Dare?" Katara thought for a moment before answering, "Truth". Ty Lee hesitated but with a glare from Azula, stated, "Are you still a virgin?" The light-hearted mood of the party quickly turned heavy. Glares were pointed directly at Ty Lee, who looked remorseful. Azula was smirking and Mai was looking at the ground, but their behaviors all went unnoticed. Zuko, Suki, Toph and Sokka's mouths were all open in shock. Aang's face turned red as a beet. Azula relished this moment and stated with a smirk, "You have to answer, Katara. It's only fair. And remember, Toph can tell if you're lying." Katara stammered for a few minutes while twiddling her fingers. Looking down at the floor, she murmured, "No." Azula spoke clearly, "What was that? Couldn't hear you!" Katara continued to look at the ground in a slightly louder voice, "No."
In a snap, Suki was holding Sokka back who was fuming with anger. The tall, Water Tribe teen struggled to push past his very strong girlfriend. "What the fuck, Aang!? What the fuck!? You lied to me!" Katara's embarrassment quickly turned to confusion as she looked at Aang, "What is he talking about?" Aang, red in the face, wished he had drank more to deal with this mess. "Uh, I, he kind of asked if we had sex at my birthday party last year and I said no," he then turned to Sokka with hands held up around his chest, "Which was the truth." Katara was as angry as her brother, looking between her twin and her boyfriend, "I can't believe you talked about this! This is none of your business, Sokka. You're not dad, what do you care? You and Suki have sex all the time and you're not good at hiding it!"
Zuko's mouth was still open at the drama unfolding in front of him. Sokka's body stilled at hearing Katara's words. Suki chimed in, "Sokka, you know she's right. That's such a double standard and definitely none of your business." He hung his head low and after a few moments, he kneeled in front of Aang and Katara. "I'm sorry. You're right, Katara, I guess I feel like I still have to protect you," Sokka then turned to Aang with a more hardened expression, "I'm not going to forget, but as long as you don't hurt her, I'll never bring it up again. Got it?" Aang sighed in relief as he nodded. Zuko finally was able to tear his eyes away from the scene to look at Mai. She looked guilty. He continued to look across the group at Ty Lee, who also looked guilty, and then Azula, who looked proud. He knew what happened here.
"Azula, I can't believe you started all of this! And worst of all, you got Mai and Ty to do your dirty work!" Before Mai and Ty Lee could object, Azula admitted, "Yes, it was me. But someone had to liven up this snooze fest. I mean, we were still doing dares like children. Besides, everything worked out in the end." Zuko just shook his head at Azula before looking at Aang and Katara. "I'm sorry about my sister, again." The young couple narrowed their eyes at Azula. Katara growled, "Azula, we're not dolls that you can play with, we're real people! This could've been really bad." Aang nodded in agreement, "Really messed about, Azula." Ty Lee began to cry, "I'm so sorry! She told us to and I don't know, I've never really been able to say no to her. I'm really sorry." Mai didn't say anything but refused to look at Zuko, who was sure was disappointed in her.
Zuko spoke loudly, "Azula, I told you that you couldn't come in if you were gonna be you. And this was classic Azula shit. You either apologize or you leave." Normally Azula would leave at this point, but she felt an emotion she has only felt a few times before. It reminded her of when she overheard her dad admitting to killing Aang's parents. She didn't want to admit it, but she kind of liked being with them, even if they were a bunch of wimpy nerds. Usually Ty Lee and Mai stuck by her side and defended her, but even they were not looking at her. If she left now, she might not get a chance again. The feeling in her body compelled her stay.
Azula sighed, "Okay, you're right. Aang and Katara, I'm sorry. I was being a bitch, my bad." Aang immediately spoke, "Thanks, Azula, that means a lot." He nudged Katara in the ribs, who whipped her head to Aang before looking at Azula, "Yeah, I'm sure it felt like poison to apologize, so thanks."Zuko nodded and relaxed a little, seeing that the lightheartedness was returning the party. Everyone besides Aang got more sloppy well past midnight, where Sokka, Suki, Toph passed out in a spare room down the hall. Ty Lee crashed in Azula's room while Mai slept in Zuko's room. Aang cuddled a drunk Katara in his bed, delighthing in being able to hold her as they slept, something that had been rare since his recovery.
The following day, Aang woke up with a renewed sense of purpose as he mediated and went on his glider in the morning air. The same pain returned upon his landing, prompted him to grumble as he made his way back into the mansion. Suki noticed the glum expression on Aang as he walked past her in the kitchen. She waved as she clung to her cup of coffee, "Hey, Aang! What's up?" He looked away from her and answered, "I keep getting this shooting pain when I land after gliding. I know I'm still healing but it's really annoying that I don't have a way to fix it." Suki frowned and said, "Wow, sorry you're going through all that. Do you do anything to strengthen your muscles?" Aang shook his head before an idea came into his mind, "No, I don't but you do, don't you? At the dojo?" Suki smiled, "Yes! Why don't you come by and I'll show you some tai chi. It's great for strengthening and stability, might help with your pain." Aang beamed and carefully hugged Suki so as to not spill her coffee. "Thank you, Suki! I won't go today because I see you're hungover but maybe tomorrow?" She laughed before answering, "Sure, I'd love to have you join the class! And you'd get to see the dojo!"
The next day, Aang drove over to Kyoshi Warrior Dojo to join Suki's tai chi class she teaches. Iroh allowed Aang to go to Suki's class because he trusted Suki to help fight if he was attacked but also because Pakku followed him and would follow him back. After walking inside, he felt instantly relaxed at the dozens of bonsai trees, wood paneled floors, mini waterfalls, and earth tones throughout the studio. He noticed most of the participants in the class were elderly or middle aged. It felt weird to him being the youngest but also the same age as the teacher. Suki smiled and waved to him, wearing a green robe tied with a black belt. "Hey, Suki. Wow, I love it here! And you look great! Very similar to Kyoshi." Suki smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Thanks, Aang! We honor the traditional robes of Avatar Kyoshi but not the face paint unless we're celebrating on Avatar Day. Are you ready to start?" Aang nodded slowly and followed Suki into the middle of the classroom.
The class was relaxing and enjoyable for Aang. It reminded him of when he was learning waterbending. The fluid motions, the slow shifting of your own weight, and the push and pull motions he made him feel like he was in water. Slowly, he began to notice chi moving through his body, more so than he was used to. With his long breaths and fluid motions, he hardly realized he was able to stand for the longest amount of time pain free since his injury. When the class was over he walked over and bowed to Suki. She laughed as she gathered his bag and started walking with him. "You don't have to bow, Aang. I should be bowing you to!" He twisted his face in confusion, "Why's that?" She laughed again, "Because you're the Avatar!"
Aang pushed the front door open which led them to the parking lot. He shook his head, "Ugh!" Suki gave up teasing him and smiled, "But in all seriousness, you did really good in there. How do you feel?" He scanned his body for any pain and found none. "I feel amazing, Suki. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It reminded me so much of waterbending." She nodded, "Yeah, it kind of is, isn't it! I never thought of that before. Speaking of waterbending, how's Katara?"
Aang smiled but then frowned slightly, making sure he was out of earshot of Pakku, "She's doing really good. I was worried when I woke up from the coma because she looked so frail, but she's been eating and sleeping better so I'm less worried." Suki looked expectantly at Aang, "...But?" He exhaled, "But, we're still not back how we used to be. Don't tell Sokka any of this, but we haven't really..um..been together, you know, like that, since before I got hurt." Suki nodded with a grin upon her face, "Of course I won't tell Sokka. And about your other problem, do you want to go back to that or not yet?" Aang's eyebrows raised after hearing this question. He never considered if that was something he wanted. All he knew is that he didn't initiate and neither did Katara. He wondered if she might not want to, but he decided he definitely wanted to, if he was able. "Wow, never thought about that. I feel like I want to, but she also hasn't talked about it. I also don't know if my body is able to..um...handle that."
Suki giggled but cleared her throat to not make Aang feel embarrassed, "Well, if I was in Katara's place, I would probably wait until I got a sign that you were ready. She might not want to push you since you're still not 100% better. There's this thing called talking, have you heard of it?" Aang laughed, his confusion and embarrassment gone, "Yeah, you're right. She's probably feeling that way but the only way to know for sure is to ask. Suki, you've helped me so much today, is there anything I can do for you?" She hummed as she thought before replying, "I know it's kind of early but I'm planning a surprise for Sokka on his birthday. I'd love it if you could help distract him that day." Aang beamed, "Of course! I'm on it." They said goodbye and began to walk to their respective cars before Suki stopped and turned around to face Aang, "And I know this might be hard with you being hidden away, but find a way to take Katara on a date, will ya?" Aang smiled at her as he opened the passenger side door, "You've got it. She definitely deserves a date and more."
A/N: Next chapter will have a good amount of kataang fluff and more gaang shenanigans. Some fun plots before the action picks up again for the end. Thank you all for the reviews!