Well, here you have it! A new chapter, finally. And it's the longest one yet, at a whopping 4,000 words. I am so proud of myself right now. I like this chapter, a lot. I think I did pretty good with staying in character, I know that's something you guys like in my style of writing. I can't stand it when stories are so drastically out of character. Aang is a goofy, and strong-willed kid. Not a weak crybaby.

I am not sure when the next chapter will be up, I'm still trying to think of how I can make this into a story. But I think I set the basis in here. In the Legend of Korra, Tenzin has a bison himself, adorably named 'Oogi.' So, I'm thinking about making this story into Aang's search for the sky bison. He had to find some herd of bison, or else Oogi definitely wouldn't have existed.

So yeah, that's where I'm thinking the story will lead. I don't know, we will see. Other than that, I will be sadly, writing a little less soon, as I am going back to school :( But don't worry, you'll still get updates. I love doing this.

P.S.: I am smitten with Christian Grey. Just felt like putting that out there.

Enjoy!

And I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Aang stands up, his blankets now crumpled on the floor where he was lying. I scoot over, my back hitting the cool wall my bed was leaned against. I pat the now vacant spot beside me. He remains standing, a conflicted look upon his face.

"Well?" I prod, my stomach tightening in a knot over the whole situation. "I don't have all night." I try my best to give him a seductive smile.

I hear him swallow nervously, and with a determined nod, he lifts up the white sheet and slides into the bed.

I didn't realize how small this bed was until now, only a few inches of space is separating Aang and I. Any sort of movement, and we'll be touching. So, with that, I squirm closer to him, our noses now touching. He exhales deeply, closing his eyes, bringing his arms around my body in an embrace. His breath is hot, which sends my mind into a frenzy. Calm down, Katara. There isn't a full moon tonight, but I sure feel like there is one.

We remain like that for a few long minutes, drinking in the presence of one another. His usual freshly cut grass and jasmine smell is intoxicating, and I begin to feel a little lightheaded. Out lips are so close. But I want this silent and hypnotizing moment that was occurring between us to last a little longer.

Aang, however, is on an entirely different page than I. His breathing picks up and I slowly lift my eyelids, only to see him gravitating towards me, determined to finally seal our lips together. I gently turn my head, and his lips land, according to him, unsuccessfully on my jaw. He grunts in embarrassment, probably thinking he just missed catching his lips with my own. He was about to remove his lips from the base of my jaw, when I abruptly grab the back of his head, pulling him back in.

"No…stay." I whisper, my eyes rolling back as his lips hungrily found my neck.

His kissed very slowly, his lips dancing around my neck, up to my jaw, below my ear, and then onto my cheek dangerously close to my lips. A few minutes ago, I liked this lingering feeling. But now, my patience is wearing thin, and when Aang travels back to kissing my neck, I am on the brink of ending his merciless teasing. To my own surprise, I allow him to repeat the same motion all the way though again. Neck, jaw, below the ear, cheek, then back down to my neck all over again.

Only, to my uttermost bewilderment, he decides to try something new. Next thing I know, his lips are on my collarbone, his hands dangerously low on my hips. My eyes shoot open in surprise of this extreme intimacy, my mouth opening in shock. Aang hears my gasp and instantly stops, bringing his face back up so his eyes are level with mine. His eyes are wide with guilt, unaware that I am, in fact, the farthest thing from angry.

"I'm sorr-."

But he didn't get to finish his apology, because I didn't allow him to.

I somehow ended up on top of him, my lips already plastered upon his. Coming back to my senses after a few minutes of kissing Aang ruthlessly, I realize that I am being perhaps a little too voracious in my actions.

I pull away, trying to stifle my laughter when I realize that Aang is pulling away as well, his face flustered, beet red, and his breathing shallow. I lie back down beside him, our foreheads touching.

He clears his throat, and gives me a shy smile. I cuddle up to him and sigh, nudging his nose with my own.

"Aang?" I breathlessly say.

"Y-yes?" He stutters, still overwhelmed.

"I really think…we've kept our feelings for each other bottled up far too long."

Aang could only give me a weak nod. "That, for a fact, I know."

I giggle into his chest and close my eyes, suddenly realizing that I was dreadfully tired. My left side is still slightly throbbing a little more than before due to the sudden movement of my body only a few moments ago. I feel the blood in my cheeks collect.

We cuddle for a while, the silence of the night lulling us to sleep. Or, at least, lulling me to sleep. Aang was, however, very awake.

"Um, Katara?"

"Mmm…" I could hardly mutter a response, sleep taking over me.

"I…love you."

Oh! My eyes shoot open. So much for falling asleep. I bite my lip, not really sure I heard him right. Of course you heard him right. You just want to hear him say it again.

"What?" I whisper. Katara, you're terrible.

I feel Aang take a deep breath. "I love you, Katara."

He said it with much more determination than he did before. I lean back and examine his face. His eyes are wide, as if he was just caught stealing Sokka's seal jerky. I remain silent, taking in this moment. I know he told me he loved me before, right after Sozin's Comet, but it wasn't so profound. It wasn't so forward. A small smile tugs at my lips, admiring his bravery. I lean in a give him a small kiss on his cheek.

His eyes dart across my face, his lips pursed. He is really worried about my response. I try my hardest not to roll my eyes at his nervousness. I decide it's time to stop the silent torture, and I lean back into him.

"I love you too." I simply say. My heart flutters at his response to those four words I just muttered. His lips curl into a goofy grin, his eyebrows furrowing upwards in sheer happiness.

"You do?"

"Of course I do. I always did." I snuggle up into his chest.

"You did?" His voice sounded surprised.

"Well…yeah." I know I am blushing. This was a rather new experience for me. I have only said 'I love you' to four people in my entire life. And those four people were my y mother, my father, Sokka, and Gran Gran. And okay, maybe occasionally to Momo. But I'm sure that doesn't count.

"Oh. Well…" He pulls me in closer. "This is really…wow. I…" I can tell he has another question to ask me.

"When did you realize…?" He asks. I was right.

I sigh and then hum in thought. When did I realize? Well, I always knew I had some sort of feelings for him inside me that definitely weren't motherly. I discovered those in the very beginning. I even remember feeling the strong feeling of affection towards him when we went penguin sledding. Penguin sledding! Even within knowing him for just mere hours, I had a strange feeling about him. Something I never felt before. Maybe at first it was the concept of him being the first boy I had any sort of interaction with that wasn't either my brother, or a little boy under the age of five.

But, love? That's a powerful word. Now, I know I love him for sure. I know that for a fact. I wouldn't be lying here in such close proximity with him if I didn't. I wouldn't know the feeling of my heart begging to break free from my rib cage. But I do. Because I know I love him.

Why are you at war with yourself, Katara? You must know when you started to realize your feelings for Aang?

"I…I am not sure." I muster out, almost too quietly, that I thought Aang didn't hear me.

"Oh. Was it after Sozin's Comet? You know…when we kissed?" I could see it now. He was blushing like mad. I know it.

"That was some kiss." I mumble, knowing my face is flushed as well. "But no. It was way before that."

This takes him by surprise. "Way before that? I guess I was a lot more oblivious than I thought."

I slap myself mentally. Of course I loved you way before Sozin's Comet, Aang. I was too afraid to tell you. I'm the one to blame here.

"No, you weren't oblivious. I was just a frightened turtle-duck." I stop, a thought hitting me. I loved him…for a lot longer than I even realized myself. I suck in air.

"What?" He asks me, his voice soft.

"The Northern Water Tribe." I say. I lift my head from his chest to look into his eyes.

"What about it?" He asks, clearly confused.

"That's when I started loving you. I…think."

His eyes widen, and his mouth hangs open. "Way back then?"

My cheeks get hot. "Yeah. Now when I think about it. Everything was so intense during our stay…from the siege, to the ordeal at the spirit oasis. I was absolutely horrified at the concept that I could lose you. Traveling to the Northern Water Tribe was so fun, and carefree. I didn't think twice that you could easily be taken from me." I stop to collect my thoughts. "I don't think I really understood what I was feeling at the time. But now I know. It was love."

His face-splitting grin sends shivers down my spine. It is all I can manage to not pounce on him right now. I have seen Aang happy countless number of times. But I have never seen him like this. His eyes are hazy, and half-open, in a dreamlike state. He pulls me in closer and kisses me, hard. I blissfully close my eyes and kiss him back, equally as feverous.

We pull away, and his goofy grin that I love is plastered upon his rather innocent looking face. He kisses me sweetly on the cheek and I blink in awe, suddenly aware how much Aang means to me. This isn't something that will blossom now and then fade after a few years. It's a relationship; a love, that will last a lifetime. And if I were to think about it just a few weeks before, I would have been terrified and put off by the idea of my future being planned out right in front of my eyes. I don't know why I would have been upset, though. I can't see my future without this wonderful boy heavily involved in it.

"I love you." He whispers, nuzzling into my hair. Instead of saying it back, I just kiss him; I think it will get the message across. I turn over, facing away from him, and shut my eyes, finally ready for sleep to overcome me. I feel him pull me into his chest with his arms, and I smile. I could get used to this.

Well, maybe not too used to this. I feel my stomach tie into knots. Oh no. Toph's feet definitely know what's going on in here. I pray to the spirits that they don't tell Sokka.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Aang says, his breath tickling my neck. I chuckle. He's not one bit tired.

"Toph's feet." I honestly reply. I hear him laugh.

"Eh. I bet they know." He says, his smirk evident in his voice.

"Are you smirking, Aang?" I tease.

"Me? Smirking? No." He says. Okay, now he's smirking for sure.

"I wouldn't smirk if I were you. Sokka and Toph's feet happen to be best friends."

He releases another airy laugh, and I feel him shrug. "Oh well." He nuzzles into my neck and plants a small kiss there.

"Katara?" He whispers.

"Yes?"

"About a few nights ago…when we were under the stars."

"What about it?" I say, my eyebrows rising.

"I want to look for more sky bison. I can't really pinpoint this feeling, but I think that you were right. There might be more." He says, his voice extremely quiet.

I smile, and reach for his hand. "Okay. Let's make a trip to go. After we settle everything with the Earth King. Let's request for a months leave. It's the least the world can do. After all, you did save it."

"I think Appa deserves to be happy, too." He says, moving his thumb across my hand. My glowing smile fades into a sad frown for a few split seconds.

"I do, too."

We lay in silence for a few longer moments, our breathing going at the same pace. I know I am falling asleep. My conscious is telling me this is a terrible idea. I know that Sokka will pop his little curious face in here as soon as he wakes up to check on Aang and I. Boy, he will get the surprise of a lifetime. That is, if he wakes up before us. Aang is an early riser. I feel my anxiety lift, and my lips turn into a relaxed smile.

"And Katara?" Aang says, his voice sounding extremely exhausted.

"Mmm?" I can hardly keep my eyes open.

"I love you." I feel his lips open into a smile on my neck. He just loves being able to say it now. I feel my cheeks burn up.

"I love you, too. Goodnight, Aang." I tell him back, squeezing his hand.

"Goodnight." He kisses the spot right behind my ear gently. I contently sigh and finally let sleep wash over me.

o0o0o0o

"Sokka, could you pass me the teapot, please?" I say. I hear him huff and hand me the porcelain kettle, full of Iroh's rare and special white dragon tea.

"And there I was, in complete awe of this flower. It was white with dark orange streaks rimming the inside of the petals. I was absolutely positive it was the flower from the white dragon bush." Iroh says, a husky laughter following after it. Zuko groans and puts his hands over his forehead, embarrassed.

"So, I decided to try and brew it into tea. And little did I know, I was brewing my very own concoction of white jade tea. The rash was very unpleasant." He continues, pouring himself another cup of white dragon tea. "Long story short, the white jade flower is white with reddish-orange streaks. But the white dragon flower, which is what you are drinking now…hopefully…is a reddish-pink with white streaks."

"What do you mean, hopefully?" Sokka asks, peering down into his untouched cup of tea.

I roll my eyes and take a sip from the tea; it is absolutely delicious. Now I know why Zuko's uncle practically put his life into the hands of a flower. I would too. I chuckle at my silly thought and take another sip.

"This is very good, Iroh. And your stories are always wonderful to hear. Thank you." Suki politely says. Sokka is still looking down at his cup with a rather pale face. Suki turns towards him and scowls, elbowing him in the arm. He sighs and lifts the cup to his lips, taking a wary sip. His creases in his brow relax. Sokka likes the tea. Disaster avoided.

"What's this?" Aang says beside me, pointing to a piece of what looks like a fluffy pastry.

"It's fried dough. Most delicious." Iroh says, picking up one and popping it into his mouth.

"Oh. We've only had unfried dough." Aang says, picking it up as well. He puts it into his mouth and his eyes go wide. He picks up another and hands it to me.

"Katara! This is delicious! Why would anyone serve unfried dough when they can make this out of it?" I chuckle at him and take the dough and place it into my mouth. Spirits, this is good.

"Unfried dough? Who in the world would feed you that?" Iroh says, confused.

Aang laughs and waves his hand. "It's really a long story." I laugh as well and take another piece of fried dough. Oh, our misadventures. The thought of Aang being boiled alive in that wretched village wipes the grin off my face.

I quickly push that thought out of my mind when I see Toph make her way down the stairs, looking, well…like quite a mess, as she always does this early in the morning.

"Morning, Toph!" Aang cheerfully says, holding up a piece of his newfound love. "Try this!"

She scoffs and sits down, reaching for a piece of the coveted dough. "Yeah, fried dough. Big whoop."

"Isn't it good?" I say, my face furrowing in worry. I wonder how much she knows about last night.

"It's fried dough. I had this all the time back at home. It tastes like flour. Fried." She says, bored. She reaches for an ocean kumquat, and takes a bite out of it, the juices running messily down her chin.

"So…how did you sleep?" I ask, my eyes narrowing.

"Fine. Like a baby armadillo-tiger. How did you sleep?" She asks, putting a rather annoying emphasis on 'you.'

"Fine." I quip, hoping she doesn't sense my uneasiness.

"Yeah, Toph snores more like an adult armadillo-tiger." Sokka says, reaching for the roast duck.

"I can punch like one, too." Toph threatens, cracking her knuckles.

"Did I say that you look ravishing today?" Sokka says, nervously smiling down at Toph. She rolls her eyes and punches him in the arm.

"Why, thank you Sokka, I'm flattered, you shouldn't have."

"Anytime." He says through clenched teeth, rubbing where she hit him.

I chuckle and return to eating my fruit, while grabbing Aang's hand under the table. Toph doesn't know. Sokka doesn't know. Thank the great spirits. I feel a mischievous smile spread across my face. I love that we got away with it. I glance over at Aang, and see him blush a little. He's probably thinking the same thing as me right now.

"Excuse me…I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your morning, but I have a message from the Earth King." An unexpected voice says, silencing the room. I turn and glance at the entrance to the teashop, and see an Earth Kingdom guard holding up a scroll.

"No need to be sorry, in fact, would you care for a cup of tea? It is a teashop, after all." Iroh says, already pouring the man a cup. The man quickly shakes his head and walks over to the table, setting the parchment down.

"No thank you, Sir. I really must be going." He makes his way out of the teashop. "Have a good day." And with that, he's gone.

Iroh frowns and takes a sip out of the cup he was going to offer to the messenger. "But, tea should never be wasted."

"What does the scroll say?" Mai says, leaning over the table to get a better look at it. Zuko picks it up and unties the rope around it.

After opening and glancing at it for a few seconds, he sets it down and sighs. "Well, looks like we have a lot of work today. Aang, you and I are needed in a meeting with the Earth King and some Earth kingdom generals. We are going to discuss, well…peace. It's now or never, right?"

Aang sighs beside me. I know he's still exhausted. "Sounds good to me, Zuko."

"I think Sokka and I should attend too. The Water tribe should have a say in this." I say, nodding towards Sokka.

"That is a fine idea. It says that anyone is welcome to attend. Mai?" Zuko looks towards her with a pleading glance.

"What?" She says, raising her eyebrows.

"You're going to go with me, right?"

"Well, what else am I going to do? I'd be dreadfully bored in here."

"You'd be dreadfully bored anywhere." Zuko says to her. I gape at his remark. To my surprise, she smiles and shrugs.

"That's very true." Mai says, rolling her eyes. Zuko snickers and leans over to kiss her on the cheek. I'll never understand their relationship.

Iroh peers over Zuko's shoulder and reads the rest of the letter. "There's a celebration tonight in honor of the Avatar and the Fire Lord's arrival in Ba Sing Se." He scans the scroll some more. "Oh. And the peace meeting is going to start in an hour."

"Such short notice." I say, finishing the last of my fruit.

Zuko stands up, taking Mai with him. "Well, we should probably get ready. Is everyone going?"

Suki shrugs and nods. "I could represent the Kyoshi Warriors. That has to count for something, right?"

Zuko nods and looks towards Toph. "Toph?"

"What?" She says, scratching her stomach.

"Are you going?" Zuko asks, his voice bored.

Toph sighs. "Of course I'm going, hothead. I'm the only metalbender on the entire planet. That most definitely counts for something. I'm my own nation."

I roll my eyes at her arrogance, and Aang just laughs next to me. Our hands are still entwined under the table. I see Toph's head flicker towards me, her lips pursed in what I know is a secret. I feel my stomach churn.

She knows. I know she knows about last night. She has to.

I sit in silence next to Aang, relishing over my thoughts, that, when I finally look up, I realize that everyone else has gotten up and retreated back to their rooms.

"Katara?" Aang asks, standing up. "You alright?" He pulls me up hesitantly, a worried look on his face. I shake off my nervous thoughts about Toph knowing Aang and I fell asleep in the same bed together last night. She would have told Sokka by now, for sure. I let out a breath in relief. Yes, she most definitely would have told Sokka.

"I'm excellent." I say, catching his cheek in a quick peck. We enclose our hands together and make our way back up to our room.

My body freezes when I see Toph leaning outside our door. I sneak a nervous glance at Aang, who was doing to the same towards me.

"Yes, Toph?" I say, trying to ignore how shaky my voice is.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell Snoozles. And I won't tell him." She says, rather harshly.

"You knew?" Aang asks, his face extremely red.

"Of course I knew. I know everything. I hardly got any sleep last night!" She says, her voice rising.

"Shh, Toph, not so loud." I whisper, knowing that Sokka's room is only a few doors down.

She leans off the wall and makes her way towards her room. "Your little secret is safe with me. Don't get your panties up in a wad, Sugarqueen." She waves her hand at me as she walks down the hall. "This doesn't mean I won't tell him if it happens again. I do need my beauty sleep, after all. Between you two, and Sir Fire Lord hothead and his gloomy girlfriend, I'll never sleep a peep without suspending my feet in midair." And with that turns into her room, leaving Aang and I gaping at her, our jaws hitting the floor.

"Well…she knew." Aang says, clearly embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Of course she knew, Aang!" I snap at him, my face burning up. To my surprise, he begins laughing and pulls me closer to him.

"How in the spirits is this funny?" I ask, my eye twitching.

"I don't know. I just think the whole situation is hilarious. I don't regret anything about last night. It was the best night of my life. I love you." He says, the last three words completely erasing my annoyance with him. I smile, fondly remembering our conversation we had.

"Love you, too." I say, rolling my eyes. He gives me a small kiss on the lips, and we walk into our room.

Oh, what will I do about him?