A/N: All of my children are bisexual. Thank you, that is all.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction using characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do not claim ownership of these characters or the universes they inhabit. This story is written purely to entertain and is not intended to be read as canon. All rights to their respective owners.

Cut Sleeves and Peach Twigs

1. Aang

The kid is so all-loving, it really doesn't come as much of a surprise to any of them when they find out.

He's the epitome of love and peace in the four nations, the pinnacle of love your neighbor as you love yourself. Why on earth wouldn't he like boys as well as girls?

It's the fondness with which he speaks about Kuzon that tips off Katara. The familiarity. The wistfulness. She feels a little flare of jealousy, tamps it down—no need to be ridiculous, she admonishes herself. Mostly she's just curious. She asks him outright, "Were you and Kuzon together?"

"We weren't really together," Aang says, with just the barest tinge of well-concealed sadness that makes Katara's heart ache. "But I liked him and he liked me. That was really all we felt we needed to know."

She hugs him, and he hugs back, and there's no doubt in either of their minds that they like each other, too, but with the war still raging and bigger things to worry about, that's really all they feel they need to know at this point.

2. Katara

She lets slip in front of Sokka that she thinks Yue is pretty. Like, really pretty.

Like, ridiculously pretty.

She and Sokka spend a few minutes mooning over the princess of the Northern Water Tribe together before they abruptly stop and look at each other, realizing for the first time what they're doing—more to the point, what Katara is doing. Katara's face flushes crimson, and she averts her eyes from her brother's analytical gaze.

"Um…" she says, very quietly.

"Hey," Sokka says suddenly, and then his mittened hand is on her shoulder and she just about jumps out of her skin. Reluctantly, she looks back up at him, and he's smiling. He's smiling. "It's all right. I get it. I mean, Yue is really pretty, am I right? Or am I right?"

The relief swells in Katara's breast, and she has to force herself not to cry. She's realized something profound about herself just now, but Sokka doesn't seem to be looking at her any differently. To him, she's still just his freakish, annoying, lovable little sister. So instead, all she does is smile through the tears welling up and say, "You are so right."

3. Toph

"Oh, Sokka, you saved me!" Toph swoons, and she plants a big kiss on her rescuer's face.

"Actually," Suki says sheepishly, "it's me."

Toph freezes for a second—just a split second. In that split second, she realizes she has no problem with this. That realization is what prompts her to slump over in Suki's (ridiculously strong) arms and say, "You can go ahead and let me drown now."

Later, after the gang has bedded down for the night, Toph corners Sokka before he can manage to reach Suki's side and half-threatens him, "Listen, Snoozles, either you make a move on that girl or I will."

Then, before Sokka can say anything, she stomps off and encloses herself in a tent of rock and earth, feeling the skin on her cheeks tingle as she remembers lying limp and trusting in Suki's (ridiculously warm) arms.

4. Sokka

Sokka and Zuko are… close.

Kind of suspiciously close, in Katara's estimation.

I mean, seriously, when are they ever not together nowadays? She watches them as she stirs the jook she's making for breakfast, attention only half on the fire.

The two of them are sitting up high on Appa's saddle for some reason, and she can't help but think they're doing it so they can have some privacy from the rest of the gang, who are spread out on the floor of the Western Air Temple. They're reclining shoulder to shoulder, murmuring to one another, Sokka laughing, Zuko smiling.

Zuko never smiles.

When Zuko finally clambers down to meet up with Aang for firebending practice, he leaves Sokka with some sort of comment—Katara can't hear—that causes Sokka's face to flame. Zuko doesn't seem to notice, but Katara certainly does. Sokka catches her eye as she continues to undauntedly stir the jook, and she gives him a wickedly knowing smile.

His blush deepens.

Now Katara's smile is just wicked.

5. Zuko and all the rest

"Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight," Toph says. "You broke up with that knife-throwing chick through a letter?"

Zuko cringes. "Her name is Mai," he says, trying to stall for time, which works for about two seconds. Then, shoulders slumping: "And yes."

"No offense, Sifu Hotman," Aang says, ignoring the twitch of Zuko's good eye at the address, "but… what were you thinking?"

Somehow, Zuko's shoulders slump even farther. "It wasn't one of my prouder moments, all right? I get it."

"Probably for the best, though," Toph breezes, leaning back and propping up her bare feet on the little mound of rock she's created for exactly that purpose.

Zuko's brow furrows, along with some of the others'. "Why?"

"I mean, since you and Snoozles are so obviously a thing—"

Sokka chokes on his tea. Zuko chokes on his own air supply.

"—I mean, unless you'd want to date them both at the same time, but I don't see how that would really work, you know?"

Zuko's recovery time is remarkably fast (unlike Sokka's, who's still coughing and sputtering). "You never see anything," he jabs through clenched teeth, and all Toph does is snerk.

Finally, Sokka seems to have regained his wits enough to squawk indignantly, "We are not— He's not— That is not true!" He turns to Zuko, as if searching for support, but Zuko says nothing. Nothing. At. All. His silence seems to agitate Sokka, who continues digging his own grave: "I mean, for the love of Tui and La, Zuko doesn't even—he doesn't even go that way—"

"Are you saying you do?" Toph asks, smiling like a cat with a particularly fat meadow vole in its sights.

Sokka sniffs primly. "For your information, Miss You Better Make a Move on That Girl Before I Do—"

"Hey!" Toph sits up faster than any of them have ever seen her move, and her cheeks are suddenly red as apples. "You lookin' to die?" she hisses.

"Honestly, you two," Katara reprimands, hoping to avoid having this thing come to blows before they can even eat breakfast, "grow up. It doesn't matter who goes what way, what matters is that we're all friends no matter what, right?" She fairly growls that last word, making it less of a question and more of a command.

Toph slumps back with a disgruntled hmph. Sokka sniffs primly once more.

In the ensuing silence, Zuko's voice rings loud and clear despite how quiet it is: "Yes, I do."

Aang asks, "What was that, Sifu Hotman?"

But Zuko is looking at Sokka as he says, "You said I don't go that way. Yes, I do." More silence, heavier than before. Seeming to realize for the first time what he's just admitted to, Zuko blushes deeply and looks down at his lap to mumble, "Just so you know."

Aang, ever the little peacemaker, can obviously see how uncomfortable Zuko is and says something to get the attention off of him: "Me, too!"

Zuko's head snaps up. "Really?"

Aang nods, eyes narrowed in a content smile. "Sure do!" he chirps brightly. "A lot of the Air Nomads did, actually."

The show of camaraderie from Aang seems to open the floodgates, because Sokka says, with very little hesitation, "Well, that makes three of us," and shoots a Very Significant Look at Zuko, whose blush somehow grows even deeper.

"Actually," Katara says easily, "make that four." When everyone turns to look at her, she smiles serenely and continues bending the water in the breakfast pot around and around, as if she hasn't said anything at all.

Then the attention turns to Toph. Unanimously.

Sensing everyone's eyes on her, she throws her head back and gives the most dramatic sigh she can possibly muster. "Yeah, yeah," she grumbles, but there's the barest trace of a smile on her face that gets the rest of them to start grinning, too, "make it five."

In the end, it's just one more thing they all have in common.

The End