Congrats, one of my longest chapters yet. Also one of the most difficult. Seriously, I was going through major writer's blockage. This story is getting freaking difficult. And I already know where I'm skewing to have this story lead to.

But enough about me. You want to know the real reason why it took me so long to get this stinkin' chapter out? Well. I was deeply immersed in the story called "Parlor Tricks" by Lyralocke. She is an AMAZING writer. And it is an absolute tragedy that she passed away. So, once you finish this chapter, you can keep your Avatar cravings satisfied by checking out all of her stories, especially Parlor Tricks. Blew me away.

Enough of me. Enjoy this chapter! It was a pain. One one-shot request under construction, I am accepting them! :) Except I am strictly Aang & Katara.

"It's so wonderful to see all of you." Uncle Iroh says, standing at the edge of his teashop. He calls it, "The Jasmine Dragon" and l'll say, I was really disappointed that I didn't get to try out his specially brewed tea last time we were here in Ba Sing Se.

"Thank you for having us, Uncle." Zuko says, a wide smile gleaming on his usually somber face. Something about his uncle really made Zuko genuinely happy. Seeing it even brought a small smile from me.

"Ba Sing Se has really been prospering. And my tea shop has been most delightful." Iroh says, reaching for a teapot that was sitting over a small flame. "Jasmine tea, anyone?"

I shrug and nod my head. He smiles at me and hands me a cup of the tea. I bring it up to my nose, the aroma rejuvenating my senses. "Thank you General Iroh." I politely say.

He chuckles and pours a few more little cups for everyone else. "Please, just call me Iroh. I am no General anymore." I give him a content smile and take a sip of my tea.

"So, how was your travel here? I see you must of had some...complications." Iroh says, his eyes flickering towards my bandages. I give him a weak smile and wave my hand.

"Katara was attacked by the Serpent from the Serpents Pass." Aang says, his voice calm and collected.

"I'm fine, really though." I say, giving an airy laugh. I place my hand on top of Aang's on the table. He flips his hand over and laces his fingers with mine. I see Iroh's eyes catch the gesture, and a warm smile peels across his face.

"If you feel any discomfort, please don't hesitate to let me know. Not only is my tea delicious, but it can also ease pain." Iroh says, pouring himself another cup.

"Thank you, Iroh." I say, looking over at Aang to give him a smile. He returns the favor, tracing his thumb over mine.

Sokka obnoxiously clears his throat. I roll my eyes.

"So, um, Iroh sir... is there any chance you have an extra bed lying around here? My sister is in need of one." Sokka asks, acting as if he doesn't feel the daggers shooting from my eyes.

Iroh gives him a confused look. "I'm afraid I do not." Sokka just waves him off.

"That's fine. Aang will just sleep on the floor then."

I stand up at the table, throwing my chair back, as well as nearly making Aang fall off of his. My entire body throbs, but I ignore it as I point an angry finger at my incompetent brother.

"The only one who is going to be on the floor is you!" I yell, my face scrunching up in fury. Aang gently pulls me down into my seat, an amused and concerned look on his face.

"Katara, it's fine. I can sleep on the floor. If it makes Sokka happy." He says. I huff and cross my arms like a child.

"Why, thank you Aang for respecting my kind wishes." Sokka says, reaching for his cup of tea. I narrow my eyes and with the swift flick of my fingers, I bend his tea all over his shirt.

"Ah! Hot, hot! It burns! Ow!" Sokka wails, clutching his drenched shirt. He turns his head towards me and glares.

"Don't spill on yourself." I spit at him.

Sokka's face turned a deep shade of scarlet, his teeth clenching. He lifts himself up from the table and stops towards the back to his room, looking for a change in shirts. Zuko sighs and brings his fingers to his temple.

"I've never see two people fight so much..." Mai says, taking a dainty sip from her teacup.

"He's so stubborn and hard-headed!" I growl, my arms still crossed.

Iroh chuckles and stands up, stretching his back. "At least it's harmless bickering. I've known sibling relationships with not so harmless words exchanged between the two. Trust me." He reaches for a plate of Earth kingdom wheat and fruits.

"No kidding." Zuko mumbles just loud enough for all of us to make out what he said. I grimace at the thought. Iroh with Ozai as his brother and Zuko with Azula as his sister. Makes Sokka look like a saint.

"I love Sokka more than anything. It's just he can get so crazy over the smallest things. I know he cares but...I'm not his helpless little sister anymore."

"No kidding." Toph says, reaching for a slice of bread. "You guys just fight because you are both so hot-headed. It obviously runs in the family."

"I am not hot-headed!" I say, my voice rising. Aang chuckles beside me. I whip my head around and glare at him.

"What's so funny?" I ask, my eyes narrowing. He rolls his eyes and leans over to kiss me on the cheek.

"You. You're funny."

"Oh, ha ha. Nice save." I say back.

Sokka walks back towards the table, dressed in a new shirt that clearly didn't match his water tribe pants.

"Nice getup." Mai says, chuckling to herself. I couldn't help but let out a few giggles as well. Sokka growls and begins mumbling to himself, all while picking up pastries Iroh set out for us.

We all sit in somewhat of an awkward silence, the only sound coming from Sokka, who was angrily chewing away. Mai stands up and stretches, a rather large yawn emitting from her.

"Well, I don't know about all of you guys, but I'm exhausted. The rooms are just upstairs, right Iroh?" She says, sipping the last of her tea. Iroh smiles up at her and motions his head toward a closet just down the hall.

"There are extra blankets in there if you need them. I'm sure Zuko would be honored to get you anything you need..." He says, giving his nephew a smug smile and a wink. Zuko groans at his Uncle's embarrassing gesture and puts his face into his hands. Mai just chuckles and makes her way towards the stairs.

"Why, thank you. Zuko, I'll be waiting." She says, in a rather seductive tone. Toph leans back on her chair and sticks out her tongue in disgust.

"All this gushy love business around here is making me and my feet sick. Not to mention my stomach." She complains, crossing her arms over her chest. "I might even sleep outside in my own Earth tent. I don't want to feel any certain vibrations..."

Zuko's face turns red in embarrassment and, what I'm assuming is, guilt. Toph must have busted him and Mai's late night shenanigans before. I couldn't help but cringe at the though. Any thoughts of Zuko being the slightest intimate made my insides churn. Sure, him and I get along swimmingly compared to a few months ago, when I confronted him with my rather brash...hostility.

That threat still stands, though. I sip my tea while stealing a long glance at Zuko.

He could still slip up. Sure, he's related to his Uncle, who wouldn't hurt a baby platypus bear. But he has his father's blood in him. I narrow my eyes a little more.

"Katara? Why are you looking at me like that?" Zuko wearily asks, raising his eyebrows in question. I snap out of my musings and casually sip my tea.

"Just thinking to myself. Just ignore me." I say, setting down my empty cup.

"Oh. Well. Okay." Zuko says, his eyebrows still up suspiciously in question. I am positive I saw a slight flash of fear dance across his amber eyes. Good. He should be afraid. I lean over and place a feathery kiss on Aang's cheek.

"Alright, well, as much as I'd love to watch you two make kissy faces at each other, I'm going to hit the sack. You coming Suki?" Sokka asks, rising from his chair. Suki waves him away.

"I'm still drinking my tea. I'll meet you upstairs." She says, allowing Iroh to pour her a third cup. Sokka just shrugs.

"Suit yourself. I'll see you in a bit." He says, turning around towards the stairs. He stops dead in his tracks and makes his way back over to our table, only to pick up the remaining Danishes and raspberry pastries, shoving one in his mouth.

"For the road." He mumbles, his mouth full. I scoff at his manners, only to have him respond with him pointing both his index and middle finger from his eyes to me and Aang.

"I'm watching you two." He grabs Toph by the arm, pulling her with him towards the stairs.

"Hey! I wasn't finished with my-!" She starts, only to be interrupted.

"Toph will be my extra set of eyes! Or...erm, feet. We've got our eyes and...feet on you two!" He says.

"At least get me a pastry before you carry me off!" Toph yells. Sokka walks back over to the table, and, without moving his gaze from mine, picks up an apple tart and makes his way back towards Toph.

"I wanted bluebe-."

"Oh, hush!" He says, putting the apple tart in her mouth. Her eyes widen in shock, and her right arm comes flying out to deck him in the stomach.

"Oof!" Sokka squeals, landing on the floor.

"See you upstairs, Snoozles." Toph calmly says, slowly making her way up the steps. Sokka follows her, only to turn around at the top of the stairs to glare at me again. I stick my tongue out and scrunch my nose at him, only to have him return the favor. Aang innocently waves, a cheeky grin upon his face.

"What a duo." Iroh says, sitting up from his chair, patting his belly. Suki laughs next to him, setting down her empty cup.

"I'll say. If I was the jealous type, I'd be worried about their proximity. But, it doesn't really bother me." She says, standing up as well. "I should probably go up there... I don't want Toph to hurt him too bad for nearly choking her with dessert. Goodnight, everyone. And thank you, Iroh, for the tea. The best I've ever had." And with that, she bounds up the stairs.

"I am going to get some shut eye myself. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day in here. With the Avatar and, of course, the Fire Lord roaming around my tea shop." Iroh says, chuckling to himself. "Goodnight. Don't stay up too late." He steals a glance at his nephew. Zuko awkwardly slinks down in his chair.

Zuko, Aang and I sit together in silence, quietly sipping the remainder of our tea. Zuko suddenly rises, breaking our silence with the sound of him clearing his throat.

"Well, I'm sure Mai is waiting...Goodnight." He mumbles, picking up his tea cup. Aang smiles up at him.

"Goodnight, Hotman!"

I laugh, knowing Aang does it just to get under Zuko's skin. But instead of his usual, 'Stop calling me that!' Zuko just gave him a weak smile.

"Goodnight. Don't let Sokka catch you two. Or Toph." He shudders. I was right. Toph definitely caught him and Mai before.

Aang rolls his eyes. "Please, I'm the master of stealth." Zuko releases a snort and rolls his eyes. He is now halfway up the stairs, when he turns again and motions towards me.

"I'm glad we're... friends, Katara. Even with all of our past still overshadowing us." He says, almost so quietly I could barely make out what he said. I see Aang grin beside me, happy that his two previous bending teachers finally reached a stalemate.

As if all my deep thoughts of anger towards Zuko only minutes ago disappear, I manage to give him a small smile and a nod. He returns the favor and turns around, making his way around the corner to his room.

"Well, that was rather interesting. You and Zuko. Agreeing for once. Should I be worried?" He asks, his face dangerously close to mine. His breath was warm on my temple, making me feel lightheaded. I laughed and brought a hand to his cheek.

"The only thing you have to worry about is Sokka's eyes and Toph's feet." I say, kissing him softly on the lips. I feel him break into a smile.

"I'm more afraid of Toph's feet. For numerous reasons." He says, shuddering. I laugh even louder, and stand up, bringing him with me.

"Shall we?"

He responds with a yawn, and rubs his eye with his free hand. "Sleep sounds pretty amazing right now."

We make our way up the stairs and down the hallway, only to reach the only room with the door wide open. Our stuff was still sprawled out all over the floor from our extreme laziness to unpack. I flop down on the bed and sigh, my body still throbbing.

"I'm going to go get myself extra blankets and pillows. You know, since I'm required to sleep on the floor." Aang says. Momo chatters, curling up by the base of the bed, as if to tell Aang that sleeping on the floor isn't so bad.

"Yeah, well, I'd much rather be sleeping up there, with her." Aang mutters to the lemur, patting him on the head. I chuckle a little to myself and bend down to scratch Momo behind his ear. Momo leaps up onto my bed and curls up on my pillow.

"Aang's just jealous that you're allowed up here and not him." I tease. I look over at Aang, who was adorably pouting under the doorway.

"Curse me for promising Sokka I'd be a good boy." And with that, he bounds down the hallway towards the closet downstairs. This gives me a window of opportunity to quickly change into my nightgown that I haven't worn yet. I bought it just before we left the Fire Nation capital, and I was waiting for the perfect moment to show it off.

I bite my lip in anticipation. I slip into the nightgown, which was a light cerulean blue that cuts off just above my knees. It hugs my hips rather tight, and the neckline was a low V-neck. I begin to unravel my hair when Aang waltzes back in.

"Got my pillow. Going to be an uncomfortable sleep tonight..." He says, his voice slowly fading. I glance up only to see him drop his blanket and pillow onto the floor. His cheeks are already flushed.

"I, uh...you look. Wow." He fumbles, his eyes darting across my body. I chew the inside of my cheek and lean back, my hair falling behind my shoulders.

"Thank you." I quietly say back. I stand up and walk over towards Aang, who had bent down to pick up the stuff he dropped. When he stands up, to his surprise, I am not even inches away from him. I cup his face in my hands and bring his lips to mine, drawing out a long kiss.

"Goodnight." I whisper, my lips brushing across his. I turn around and swiftly climb into bed, Momo chattering in annoyance due to me disrupting his peaceful sleep on my pillow. I clench my eyes shut and try to let sleep overcome me, embarrassed and nervous about the entire situation of Aang and I sharing a room.

Aang and his stupid Avatar promises. The sound of Aang rustling around his blanket ceases, and a comforting silence fills the pitch-black room. But, it was soon broken.

"K-Katara?" Aang whispers, his voice cracking.

"Hmm?"

"I technically didn't say Avatar promise, right?"

"Technically, you didn't." There is silence for a few moments.

"So, really, I can't get into much trouble...right?"

"Where are you going with this, Aang?" My voice is playful.

"It's lonely down here. Can I join you and Momo up there?"

A sly smile creeps across my face.

So, I'm thinking next chapter will be interesting...It will definitely be pretty scandalous. Be excited.