Bro-Tip #157

Hooking up is like a game, but if you find the one that refuses to play, be careful bro. You might fall in love with her.

Happy Thanksgiving from Scribbles I (my lovely beta) and myself! I don't know if you celebrate it, but I sure did. Twice. Thanks for keeping up with me. Hope to hear from you!

Healed and Hunted

A Day Out

Chapter Twelve

The Steps

Kat

She didn't know if a week was enough time for revelation for a six year old. She knew children could hold onto things for quite a while. Kat was worried that her showing back up would just make things worse. Aang and Toph went first, and there was no joyful cheering or happy squeals. It was Saturday, and Kyoshi was home. The lack of reaction from within the house was not a good sign.

Kat turned to leave. Her studio hadn't been cleaned in a while, anyways. There was no sense in getting into another argument with a small child.

"Kat, where are you going?" Aang called out through the open door.

She didn't have an answer. She couldn't ask Sokka to drive her. She would still have to explain. Buying herself some time, she pretended to search the car for something. When she moved to the drivers seat, contemplating just taking the car, someone ran out of the house.

"Wait! Aunt Tara, please! Please don't!" a small girl cried. Her eyes were rimmed red, and Kat forgot about her fear of arguing. Something upset the child, and it was her job as an aunt to fix it.

Katara jumped out of the car and knelt to her niece's height. The girl didn't say anything until her arms were securely fastened around Kat's neck.

"I'm so sorry, please don't leave," the child sobbed. The girl's grip on her hair made tears well up in Kat's eyes almost as much as what Kyoshi was saying.

"I wasn't-" Kat started, but the girl wasn't finished.

"I never want you to leave and I was so angry and upset," Kyoshi kept crying and Kat was unsure what to do. She decided to let Kyoshi calm herself. The girl went on and on about why she was upset and how sorry she was. Kat ended up sitting on the street with the smaller girl on her knees in Kat's lap. Kyoshi hadn't let go of Kat.

"I know you didn't mean it," Kat said after her niece quieted down.

A sniffle. "Please don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere, Yoshi." the aunt said reassuringly. The arms around her neck loosened and the girl looked at Kat's face. There was a smile waiting for her.

"Promise?" Snot was pouring out of the girl's nose, and Kat knew she couldn't cringe. Kids were snotty, but this was a special child. This was her only niece.

"Promise. I have an idea. You want to go to an art museum with me?" And Kat liked this solution. It would fix oh so many problems. She tried not to grin, but it slipped out anyways.

"Can we get ice cream?" A smile. Yoshi wiped her face.

So she laughed, "We can get ice cream."

The Bar Room Floor

Lee

He didn't remember exactly when the fight started, and he wasn't sure who threw the first punch. All he knew was that he was staring at a shiny stool, and the rest of the floor was disgusting. He waited a moment before pulling himself up. He nearly laughed. The man above him had already lost focus. So, Lee took advantage of that.

The man swiftly joined him on the floor, eyes wild and drunk. For crying out loud, Lee thought, it was only four o' clock. How could someone be drunk already?

There was a few slurred words yelled over the loud ruckus, and Lee knew no one was paying the fight much mind. Either the cops were on their way, or they were here already. So, feeling the need to keep himself out of jail this weekend, Lee skipped out on the fight. He made his way out the back door. From the sounds inside, he had gotten out just in time. The sirens outside were also good indication of his choice.

He took his phone out of his pocket and sent a text. Did she want to go next Saturday? he asked. He didn't expect her to respond right away. He replaced his phone to its spot and hopped on his motorcycle. He was due at his uncle's a few hours from now. It was a long drive.

When he arrived, he checked his messages. There was more than one, and it took a few moments to sort through them. Old conquests wanting to know what he was up to, wanting to see if he was busy. Girls he had tossed aside.

And one from the one he was currently trying to win over.

Going to bring my niece, she said. What time?

She had sent it half an hour ago. So, Lee decided, he would wait ten minutes before answering. Forty minutes seemed like enough time. And he could always say he was busy with his uncle. Couldn't be too eager or nonchalant with this one. Had to get the timing just right.

But the ten minutes seemed long. He sent a text on minute eight, and nearly hit himself for it. There was no reason to be anxious. Girls always waited. Something in the back of his mind told him this one was different. This one was special. She was going to be one of the greats.

When she answered, he laughed. I would warn against girl pants.

And, berating himself for the early answer, Lee vowed put his phone away for an hour. The girl would just have to learn that he was not accessible all hours of the day.

He only made it thirty minutes.

Ticket Booth

Kyoshi

Aunt Kat was dressed nicely today. She was pretty every day, but today she looked a little different. There was something...shiny about her today. Sparkly. But Yoshi couldn't figure out what.

"Aunt Ta-Kat, why are we going here again?" for a very long time her aunt didn't answer.

But then she did, "We're meeting a... an acquaintance of mine. You might remember him."

Then they walked in and Kyoshi saw him. He was rather hard to miss. The scar on his left eye was the first thing she noticed. Her memory supplied the rest.

"The man with the lady pants!" she cried. The place seemed to grow quiet. People turned to stare. Kat dragged Kyoshi by the hand. People resumed their business.

"Behave now, Kyoshi," her aunt commanded. Kyoshi, who was still needlessly trying to earn her way back into her aunt's good graces, nodded and decided to keep her opinions and questions to herself as much as possible.

"I got you something," the man with the scar said, bending down to her level. He produced flowers from behind his back, and it was a short second until Kyoshi began sneezing.

"You've really got to stop with the flowers. You're two for two now," aunt Kat said, pulling the flower bouquet away from Kyoshi.

"Do I at least get credit for trying?" he asked. Kyoshi wanted to know his name. So she tugged on her aunt and whispered her question.

"His name is Lee," her aunt laughed, "And I don't think he would have been offended at the question."

Kyoshi noted how put off the man looked with his being ignored. A small idea planted itself in her head. This man loved her aunt. Maybe not loved, but liked. It was hard for her to tell the difference. Mommy liked daddy sometimes. Daddy always loved mommy. But they acted the same towards one another. In her mind, they appeared to be the same thing.

Kyoshi immediately said something to distract herself, "Where are your lady pants?"

And in her aunt's face Kyoshi saw the embarrassment. Feeling mischievous and forgoing the good graces of her aunt, Kyoshi vowed to find out exactly what was between the man- Lee- and her aunt. Today was going to be a very fun day.

The Paint Exhibits

Lee

Really, today was a test for the both of them. Lee was testing her expressed love of art. She was testing his dedication to, well, to whatever it was that they had now. And her niece was doing something to the both of them that Lee was unsure about.

Kat seemed to glide past a few of his favorite paintings, as if she wanted nothing to do with them. By the fourth one he wanted to show her, he was tired of her moving on. So, on his most favorite painting, he pulled her specifically over.

"This is my favorite," he told her.

Kat surprised him, "I hate it."

He stared at the painting to hide his expression. Hated it? Was she just saying it to contradict him? The painting was beautiful. A woman in a blue...wrap of some kind, held by a dark-skinned man who was crying. It was called Yue.

"Aunt Kat, is that...?" the little girl asked. Lee was interested in the question.

Katara, he saw, was trying to look everywhere but the painting, "Yes, Yoshi. That is."

"Please don't cry," Yoshi said. And Lee still didn't understand.

"What's wrong with it?" Lee wanted to know. Her hating this painting felt like a personal affront to his character. He took it as an insult.

Kat looked to him and her eyes were glistening, "I look at this painting, and I see my brother losing someone he promised to protect."

"It's supposed to make you think about your life. It's supposed to connect to you. That's what art is for," Lee said, trying to explain it to her. Clearly she was missing something.

"So it is. There was another one you wanted to show me, called Cold, right? The names are a little simple, don't you think? They were never painted to be in an art gallery."

This Lee knew, "I know. The owner of the gallery is friends with the artist. He really had to work at it to get her to give her paintings up."

"That isn't exactly what happened. I guess you've researched the artist, at least a little," she said it as if she were giving him points. Oh, you tried, but you're dead wrong.

Why was it making him angry?

"She's the best and most versatile here," he said angrily. There were paintings and sculptures and a whole lot of other things.

And she laughed, "Lee, I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" He wanted an apology, really. She was being ridiculous and making him feel foolish. He had stared at this painting for hours, and he still never tired of it. And she hated it.

"Can I tell him?" Kyoshi asked, smiling up at her aunt. The woman nodded and the child added with a gesture of her finger, "That man there, in that picture, is my daddy."

Lee knew he looked very confused. He didn't understand. What was she trying to tell him? Part of it sounded like this was personal to her. The other sounded like this painting was something she detested.

"My Aunt Tara paints." The girl laughed, like Lee should have already known.

Kat turned to him, looking ashamed, "I painted this. Kind of silly, isn't it? That I came here?"

"So... so this is really..." Lee didn't want to say it. How was that even possible? He hadn't thought the artist was so pretty, he had always imagined her homely and alone. She was not what he had in mind.

"I know. I won't hold it against you, though," she said. Which, Lee thought, was the first thing she wasn't going to hold against him. It still wasn't a positive point in his favor, but at least it was not a negative one.

"Must be destiny, then," he said. The line was cheesy, but she laughed. And the laugh was well worth the embarrassment. She had a laugh like rain drops. Short and sweet and just as pleasant.

"I suppose I'm not exactly what you expected," she looked for a reaction.

Lee snorted, "No, you're way prettier."

Kat's mouth popped open, "You thought I was ugly?"

"No, not ugly. Just homely. And, clearly, you are not."

Kyoshi laughed and then stopped, "What does homely mean?"

"It means ugly," Kat said indignantly.

Kyoshi rubbed her chin, "Oh. He thought you were ugly."

Lee was losing ground. Fast. This woman, he realized, was not some innocent little thing. She was as much a player as he was. She had to have some kind of monstrous history, as he did. She had to have played the game once, to be so good at it.

"You're purposefully trying to trip me up," he accused. One corner of Kat's mouth tilted upward, ever the tease.

"Am I? I thought you were doing a rather good job of it yourself." Kat was laughing. She held her niece's head, trying to still the child.

"I come here every time we come home. I spend hours looking at your paintings. Who would have known I would find something prettier to look at?" He was trying for a positive spin. He didn't look to see if it worked. Instead, he walked on, wanting to move away from the embarrassing situation.

Kyoshi ran ahead, grabbing Lee's hand. He resisted the knee-jerk reaction of pulling away. He forced himself to be calm.

"She likes you, you know," the little girl said, looking up to him with big blue eyes. "That's why she teases."

Lee raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't tease your aunt and uncle that way."

"Yes she does. And they tease her." The little girl was stressing her point, trying to tell him something. And Lee was no idiot, he could take the hint. But he disagreed with her. He doubted that Kat would appreciate any manner of teasing from him.

He told the girl as much.

"Once she knows you better, she will. Do you like my aunt?"

This was a precarious, loaded question. Lee took the safe route, "I think so. She's very pretty. I don't know her much, but I would like to."

"That is.. what mommy says, a half answer." The girl was smarter than he gave her credit for. But, seeing who she was related to, it shouldn't have been a surprise. She naturally had to be smart. He thought the girl, if she was lucky, would grow up to look like her aunt. That wouldn't be so bad.

"Kyoshi, don't bug him now," Kat warned from behind. Lee was grateful she was trying.

The girl was not, "I'm not bugging him. I'm just talking."

"Can I tell you a secret? My aunt likes lilies. White ones. Those are her favorite." She was whispering now.

Lee, grateful for the information, replied in kind, "I like your aunt."

The girl seemed satisfied and let go of his hand. She happily went forward, nearly laughing to herself. Lee wondered what he had done. Perhaps it wasn't a bad thing. If the girl liked him, he was sure to get good press from her. Only good things could come from that. Lots of positive points.

Kat replaced her niece at Lee's side. "I hope she wasn't bothering you."

"Not at all. We were talking about my new favorite subject." Lee smiled at her.

She raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Don't worry about it. Enjoy the art museum. Please try to ignore my hero-worship." he shrugged, changing his mind about telling her. She rolled her eyes and went on, calling out to her niece.

What an interesting pair those two were.

The Farm

Aang

"Hey, Appa, how're you doing?" Aang asked his furry friend. The animal growled in response. Aang laughed and rubbed the arrow on the bison's head. Another growl of appreciation.

"Wanna go out tonight? I'll bring Toph and Kat and Kyoshi. We'll all go for a fly later," the bald man said. He reached for the brush and blew the loose grass out of it. The barn that Appa stayed in was large, but it was nothing compared to the open air. He knew his bison missed the clouds.

Appa licked him to answer.

"Alright. Tonight it is," Aang promised. He scrubbed his old friend in silence. He hummed a few songs, old and new. An hour later, Toph came to him.

"Aang, are you in here?" she called. He was currently atop a large bison, and Aang knew it was hard to tell the large mass apart.

"I'm up here. Hang on," he finished the last few strokes on Appa's back before jumping down. He landed in front of her, and she flinched back at his appearance. She shrugged it off and resumed her casual stance.

"Need something, love?" Aang asked quietly. She said she hated it, but her face always turned pink when he referred to her as such. And, besides, it was true to his heritage. That's what you called women you loved.

"Suki says lunch is ready, your baldness." She held her hand out. He took it gently, kissing it as he went. Half the time, he thought she simply humored him. At first it had made her uncomfortable. But now, now he wasn't sure. Aang wiped himself off, grabbed his bag at the door, and they walked toward the house.

"Toph, what are your plans for after school?" He kept his libido calm and even, remembering that breathing was necessary. Even if he felt like he might forget.

"I was under the impression we were going to save the world," she said, her voice teasing. And, indeed, that was what he planned to do.

But that wasn't the point, "Well, that too. I was wondering if you might pay me the highest honor by marrying me."

He said this nonchalantly, as if he were commenting on her nail polish. For a moment, she didn't say anything, he wondered if he had underplayed it too much. Perhaps it was too calm. He noticed a slight pressure on his arm, where her grip tightened.

"I'm free on Wednesday. Or, really, any day," Toph said calmly, though he knew her well enough to know that small sound when she stopped speaking. She was...not surprised, but nervous, maybe.

"Suki's going to want to plan it," Aang said with a smile, though she couldn't see it.

Toph laughed, "As long as it's outside and I don't have to worry about it, she can do whatever she wants."

"Should we wait to tell them?" Aang asked as the doors came in sight. The grape vineyard stretched to their left. It was nearly time to pick the purple crop.

"We'll tell Kyoshi, let her blurt it out. Tell her it's a secret," Toph said laughing again.

Aang put his forehead on hers, closing his eyes. "I love you."

Her hands found his face, her lips met his. "And I love you."

He knew the future was going to be crazy. Things were going to be hectic for the rest of his life. But he had his rock. This woman who could not actually see the hostility in the world was offering to fight it with him.

He was jerked from his thoughts by fist pounding his arm. "Now don't go expecting me to say something mushy in front of every one."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he chuckled.

He grabbed her hand and went inside, renewed in his plight.

It seemed Appa wasn't the only one going a little stir-crazy. When he suggested a weekend trip, everyone accepted with just a little too much haste.

A/N: Also, to those who reviewed last chapter. I cannot answer you, at all. For some reason, when I try, I get a 404 error message. I don't know what's going on, but I can't fix it. I'll just have to wait and say a general thank you.

To those of you who asked about Jet.

Did you really think I would leave you hanging? (I will, but it'll come out, I swear.)