A/N: I can't stop thanking you guys for your support, it seriously means a lot that you're enjoying this so much, so thank you a bunch! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's another long one, but not quite as angsty as the last one you'll be happy (or unhappy?) to hear XD
Next Day
Katara's POV:
To say sitting across from Dr Yun as he gushes about the latest case he's seen isn't anywhere near as awkward as I thought it would be, is a weird, but pleasant surprise.
"So, what do you think? Good enough for the consultant not to criticize me?" The doctor finally asks. I blink and take a look at his carefully written notes. My eyes shift from side to side as I read over his presentation, trying to look for any glaring faults.
"It's really good, but it's worth mentioning more socioeconomic factors such as the patient's living conditions, the impact that diet and exercise had on him etc." I advise as I point to the small paragraph for his social history. The man nods his head as he quickly types something on his laptop. I watch him as I nurse the cup of tea in my hands. The way his fingers dance across the keyboard is impressive, almost as if the laptop were a mere extension of himself.
"You think it's worth including the long-winded surgical history?" Yun asks while looking up from his typing. I give him a half smile.
"Always worth including it." I say, eliciting a low groan from the doctor as he types something else down. When he finishes, he leans back in his chair.
"Thank you Katara, I really appreciate it." Yun thanks with a bow of his head, but I wave him off.
"No need. This is just as useful for me as it is you." I reassure lightly. He chuckles and shakes his head.
"I'm not sure if that's quite true, but I won't argue. How's your sandwich?" The doctor queries with a nod of his head to my half-eaten lunch that he insisted on buying despite my vehement protests.
"It's good. I didn't realise there was a sandwich shop that was so close to the hospital." I admit bashfully which prompts another laugh from the man.
"I figured that, so thought it was worth showing you since you barely take your lunch breaks." Yun voices nonchalantly. I blink at him and tilt my head to one side.
"You noticed?" I echo back in surprise. He lifts his shoulders up in a shrug.
"We've been working together for a couple of years. It's hard not to notice. Which brings me to my question of what caused you to be so sad all the time?" Yun asks as he rests his forearms on the table and leans forward to gaze at me intently. I stiffen up and put down my cup.
"What makes you think I'm sad?" I ask rigidly. He gives me a half smile.
"Sad people work a lot to avoid facing their pain. It's a pretty common coping strategy. And you work yourself to the bone." Yun notes with a nod towards the dark circles around my eyes. I swallow and flicker my eyes away.
"I've never heard of such a thing before." I mutter, sounding miffed. The doctor's eyes become subdued as he leans back slightly.
"Perhaps. But it's true." My colleague replies simply. I glance back to gaze at him and quirk my eyebrow.
"Talking from experience?" I ask with crossed arms. His lips curve down and his gaze turns inwards, as if lost in an old memory.
"Of course." He murmurs smoothly. A lot more smoothly than I expected, considering this is probably the longest conversation we've ever shared together. I bite the inside of my cheek as I watch him in concern.
"I'm sorry." I voice, offering my sympathy for whatever hardship he faced. A small smile tugs at his lips.
"Eh, it's normal. Everyone has a sob story, right?" Yun points out as he taps his forefinger against the desk. I struggle to bite back my curiosity.
"Your wife?" I ask before I can stop myself. He gives me a sad smile before nodding.
"Sharp as ever. I suppose my daughter was a good clue. Lost her during childbirth and I haven't been the same since. Though, my girl has been nagging me to get her a new mum." Yun reveals with a sad laugh. "Maybe I should." He adds quietly as he directs his eyes to me. I swallow at his implication.
"Yun, I'm not looking for that type of thing." I reply while clasping my hands firmly together. The previous sombre expression on the doctor falls away and is replaced with his cheery go-lucky grin.
"Trust me, I picked up on that." My colleague teases as he shifts his leg to cross it over his knee. "If I had to guess, your last love interest probably broke your heart and put you off relationships completely." Yun deduces. My breathing hitches at how spot on he is and I force myself to stare at my empty cup.
"You're just as sharp." I mutter.
"Is that why you work yourself too hard? To forget him?" Yun queries gently. My fingers trace the rim of the cold cup to distract my jumping brain.
"I suppose. We used to live together till he disappeared and the loneliness bugged me more than I liked to admit." I confess, feeling surprised at myself for revealing that much. Yun rests the side of his head against his closed fist.
"So, that's your sob story." The doctor hums back in thought. I snort.
"My mother was killed when I was at uni and her killer got to walk away free. That's more of a sob story." I regale bitterly. Yun's features fall as he gazes at me in concern.
"That's one heck of a sob story. I'm sorry to hear that. I feel like I've read about this story on the news a while back." Yun murmurs in a subdued tone. I shrug.
"Probably, it was the only thing the news talked about for weeks. It shouldn't bother me because it's been so long, but the fact he didn't pay at all still grates at me." I admit as my fingers curl into a tight fist. The man reaches forward to rest his warm hand on my clenched one.
"Hey, he'll get what he deserves some day. And if not, I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you to be upset on her behalf." Yun comforts and I give him a small smile as my hand unclenches.
"I know you're right." I agree with a sigh. He pats my hand twice before drawing back.
"Well, I can understand how you're feeling. Justice is the best closure, but the legal system sucks. Can't tell you how many times I've wanted to dish out my own justice instead." Yun jokes. I furrow my eyebrows at that.
"You mean, revenge?" I clarify. The man immediately becomes sheepish as he rubs the back of his neck.
"Perhaps, not that extreme." He rectifies. I open my mouth, ready to press him further when my ringtone suddenly goes off. I shoot him an apologetic smile as I grab my phone without looking at the caller ID.
"Hello?" I say, mildly annoyed at the interruption.
"Oh good, you picked up. And here I thought you were going to ignore me again." The male voice greets. I groan.
"Sokka, why are you calling me?" I demand irritably. I hear him exhale heavily over the phone.
"Jeez you sound more irritable than usual." He mutters, but he continues before I can argue. "I'm coming around to yours after your shift with Zuko. Thought to give you a heads up." My brother explains. I frown.
"Did something happen?" I ask anxiously, but the man is quick to reassure me.
"Not at all. I'll tell you when I see you. Bye!" Sokka answers breezily before hanging up. I stare at my phone before grumbling. I'm just about to apologise to Yun when my bleep goes off. I glance down and notice the numbers for a code red. 'Shoot.' I push back my chair suddenly.
"I've got a code red. I'm sorry to cut you short, but I did enjoy our talk." I ramble as I grab my bag. The doctor waves his hand as he wears an easy smile.
"Don't apologise. I'm glad we got to chat more. Try not to work too hard." He bids with a wave as I rush out of the shop. 'Don't work hard. I wonder how many times have I heard that over the years?' I think with a tired inhale.
Evening:
When I enter the house, Aang is nowhere in sight and I almost sigh in relief. 'I can slip upstairs without him knowing.' I think with a slight smile, but I don't make it more than two steps when the Airbender appears from the kitchen. 'Dang it.' I curse as I stand still, unsure whether to ignore him and continue up the stairs or to say something. His grey orbs scrutinise me from head to toe, making me feel exposed and vulnerable.
"Did you have a nice lunch?" Aang asks quietly. I narrow my eyes at him.
"It went fine." I reply tightly. His eyebrows twitch, but he doesn't get further in his questioning when the doorbell suddenly rings. I breathe out in relief and hop down the stairs and open the front door. Standing there is both my brother and Zuko. I groan internally. 'I forgot he was coming.' I think in dismay.
"What are you two doing here?" Aang asks in confusion as he comes to stand behind me. His presence is too close. I bite the inside of my cheek as I lean forward slightly.
"You told me, you had something to say?" I ask when Sokka doesn't reply straight away. He gives me a wide grin as he claps his hands.
"Yes! We're going on holiday!" My brother announces. My eyes bulge while Aang splutters.
"What?!" We both exclaim. Sokka's grin widens while Zuko looks like he wants to be anywhere but here.
"Sokka booked us a trip to Ember Islands for a couple of days." The Firebender mutters in disdain. I shake my head, feeling confused and when I glance back, I find Aang gawking. I cross my arms across my chest.
"Why in spirit's name would you do that? I have work tomorrow!" I hiss. My brother looks at me with that mischievous glint in his eyes.
"No, you don't. I rung up your boss and got you to use up some of the holiday time that you never seem to use. She was more than happy to give it to you." Sokka explains triumphantly just as I feel Aang's eyes boring into the back of my skull. 'Dang it Sokka.'
"You can't just do whatever you wish Sokka." I grit out.
"Well, I think it's a good opportunity for us all to get some time together after all this time. Toph is coming too. So, pack up your bags and let's go." My brother announces while I continue to stare at him.
"I never agreed to this!" I protest as my fingers dig into the flesh of my bicep.
"Come on Katara, Zuko has been having a hard time and it would be nice to get him away for a couple of days." Sokka pleads, but I'm not convinced. 'I know Zuko and he's never been a fan of social get-togethers.' Sokka must've noticed the unconvinced expression on my features as he elbows the Firebender roughly. Zuko shoots a glare at the ponytailed man before flickering his gaze between Aang and I.
"I suppose it's not a bad idea. My company is closed for a couple of days while the police investigate." Zuko mutters with a half shrug. I frown, still against the idea. The Firebender sighs at my resistance and scratches the back of his head.
"Look Katara, we could all use a break. I know things haven't been quite...right between everyone, but that doesn't mean we have to punish ourselves with work overload." Zuko tries to convince as I narrow my eyes at him. He bites his lip. "Plus, Azula doesn't want me to be at home for the next couple of days if I'm moping. She low-key kicked me out until I pull myself together like a man. Her words, not mine." The Firebender adds.
I blow a stray strand of hair from my face as I feel myself giving in. I shift until I'm looking at the Airbender who blinks in surprise at the sudden attention.
"I suppose I'm not the only one you're asking though." I utter as I lock eyes with the young Avatar. Aang's eyebrows furrow ever so slightly as he watches me.
"I don't mind going." Aang breathes out as his gaze never strays from my face. Something in my chest tightens and I quickly spin on my heels to face the other two men.
"I guess that's your answer then." I mumble reluctantly. Sokka jumps and fists pumps the air while Zuko breathes a sigh of relief. I scrutinise them for a moment before leaning forward.
"If you two are up to anything, and I mean anything, you're going to regret it." I threaten which prompts a gulp from both of them, but my brother is quick to recover.
"Come on Katara, it's just a holiday." Sokka reassures with a wave of his hand, but I can tell that he has some scheme in his head, I just don't know what. I narrow my eyes at him in distrust before dropping my arms to my sides.
"Hmm." I hum back as I turn away from them. "I'll grab some clothes then, I guess." I mutter.
"Ok, don't take too long, we need to catch the boat in an hour!" My brother hollers back as I start dragging my feet up the stairs. 'What on earth is he planning?' I wonder suspiciously as a bout of anxiety runs through me.
I dig for my small suitcase in my wardrobe and pull it out. I unzip it open and start rummaging for a few pairs of clothes and pyjamas, but as I do so a black velvet box tumbles out. I frown at the box which looks vaguely familiar. Stretching my hand, I pick it up and remove the lid. My lips part as a soft 'oh' escapes me. It's a blue locket that Aang gave me at our first dinner together. 'I forgot all about it.'
My trembling fingers trace the water tribe crest before I hesitantly flick it open. Inside, there are two photos. One of my mother on the right and one of Aang and I on the left. A knock on my open door has me jumping and I immediately hide the box behind my back. When I look up, Aang is hovering unsurely at the entrance.
"Erm, Sokka said we have to leave in five minutes or we'll miss the boat." The Airbender states as his eyes dance towards my half-made suitcase. I swallow and nod my head.
"Right. I'll be down in a minute." I let him know as I shift until I'm blocking his view of the open suitcase and I drop the box inside. Aang watches me carefully for a moment and I start panicking that maybe he saw me with the locket, but then he rubs the back of his head, as if hesitant to utter his next words.
"Do...do you need any help?" He queries quietly. I feel my throat constricting as I rest my now free hands on the edge of the bag.
"No, I'm good." I wave off as I turn to blindly pick up a pile of clothes and stuff them in the case.
I grab my hairbrush, a bottle of perfume, socks and a couple of pairs of knickers. It's only when I'm pushing down on the overstuffed bag, do I realise that Aang still hasn't moved from his spot. I click my tongue.
"You can wait for me downstairs." I mutter as I tug at the stiff zip. Instead of his footsteps fading off like I expected them to, he crosses the room to kneel beside me.
"I don't think you're going to fit everything in there." The Airbender notes as he reaches for the zip. His hand accidentally brushes against mine and I snatch my appendage back as if I've been burnt. Aang doesn't notice, or at least he pretends not to as his features remain stoic. He presses his larger palm against my pile of clothes, only to frown. "There's something sharp in here." Aang voices as he moves his hand back. 'Shoot. That must be the edge of the box for the locket.'
I quickly take the suitcase back from him and continue to finish the job myself. But I'm only able to tug the zip a third of the way before huffing angrily.
"This bag is too small." I complain to myself which elicits a musical sound from the man beside me as he laughs.
"I think you've put in too much stuff." Aang points out as he takes the suitcase back from me. With a sudden burst of air, he compacts the contents for just long enough until he's able to fully zip the case. The bag itself looks ready to implode at any moment and I eye it wearily, half expecting the zip to pop out. When it doesn't, I finally turn back to the younger man who seems to be watching the bag with just as much caution as I was.
"Erm...thank you." I mumble as he flexes his fingers. It suddenly hits me that this is the first time that I've seen him do any Airbending since he left. Or rather, the first time I've seen any Airbending in years. Air nomads so rarely get hurt because of their masterful manipulation of the air around them, but if they do get hurt they usually seek their own natural remedies rather than visiting a hospital. There was always something about Airbending that awed me and I suppose the same is true even now. Aang flashes me a small smile.
"No worries. Hopefully it doesn't explode until after you get to your hotel room." The Airbender jokes slightly. When his comment doesn't elicit much of a reaction from me, he coughs and side steps around me. "I should... probably go." Aang mutters, but he pauses at the door and rests his hand on the doorframe. "I'm sorry for interrogating you like that. It wasn't my place." He apologizes quietly before disappearing around the corner.
I sit back on my heels with a sigh as I continue to stare at the empty space that he once occupied. My clenched hands rest on my knees as I flicker my gaze to the ground. 'Pull yourself together Katara. Don't make the same mistake and fall for him again. Just don't.' I rebuke myself.
With a deep inhale, I get to my feet and drag the suitcase behind me. When I step outside, everyone is already inside Sokka's car and to my dismay, when I open the car door, I find that the only available seat is next to Aang. The Airbender catches the look on my face and starts getting out.
"You can sit next to Toph..." He starts, only for Sokka to honk his horn.
"We don't have time for this, the ferry is going to leave soon!" My brother barks, but the Airbender's eyes never leave mine. I swallow and shoo him back inside.
"It's fine." I mumble as I duck into the cramped backseat next to the Air Nomad who's squished between Toph and I. The Earthbender snorts when I shut the door. I glance at her with a frown.
"What's that for?" I ask in confusion. Toph's lips twist into a smirk as she raises her arms to rest the back of her head against.
"I'm sure you're just dreading to sit nice and close to your husband." Toph teases. My face flushes red as I glare at her hard.
"You're going to join Sokka and Aang on the blacklist if you say another word." I grit out tightly. My brother groans while the Airbender is barely able to hide his flinch.
"This is going to be a disaster." Zuko grumbles from his position at the passenger seat.
"Quit complaining Sparky." Toph orders as she raises her feet to rest them on the back of Sokka's chair.
"Toph, I told you not to do that." My brother complains as he twists in his chair to glower at the earthbender who rolls her eyes.
"Jeez, not you too Snoozles." Toph mutters as she blows at her fringe.
"Feet. Off. Now." Sokka demands just as Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Aren't you meant to be the chief of police?" The Firebender reminds bluntly. Toph opens her mouth in protest, but Aang cuts across everyone's bickering.
"Guys, the ferry?" The Airbender reminds meekly. Sokka curses under his breath as he removes the brake and presses on the gas pedal.
"Fine, fine. We're going." He mumbles. A pang of nostalgia hits me at how familiar the playful arguing is. Toph, Sokka and Zuko would always get caught up in such silly fights while I usually stood on the sidelines rolling my eyes or on occasion, joining in. And it was always Aang who served as the peacemaker between us. Just like he did now.
That ache in my chest returns and I briefly close my eyes. A light nudge in my side has me re-opening them as I turn to the Airbender who's gazing at me in concern.
"Are you ok?" He whispers, so as to not distract Sokka & Zuko from their chattering. I give him a strained smile.
"Sure." I utter and turn my head towards the window. Dozens of trees flash past us as we speed down the motorway, but all my mind can focus on is how close the Air Nomad is pressed against my side. Over the last few days, we've shared some physical contact, but never this prolonged.
I swallow and keep my eye on the cars, counting them in my head as a way to distract myself because if I don't distract myself then I'll be jerking open the car door to escape the suffocation that I feel bubbling up inside me. As a doctor, I know exactly what I'm feeling. Anxiety. The knowledge of being so close to him and yet not being able to have him. Or rather, him not allowing me to. Or maybe it's both. 'There are too many tangled feelings for me to know whether it's one more than the other. But, I know that I'm one of the biggest obstacles that stands in the way of us fixing things. The other obstacle is the man in question.'
I can feel his eyes boring into me, but I refuse to turn and look at him. If I did, I'd either bolt, scream, cry or fall into his arms. None of which will change anything. And what's worse is that I've spent so much of my energy from the mental stress that I feel exhaustion pushing heavily on my body, so it's no surprise when my eyes slowly flutter to a close as sleep consumes me. Before I fade out completely, I hear Toph's muttering:
"So, Sugarqueen is finally out of it?" The Earthbender queries. A beat of silence.
"Yeah, she is." Aang whispers back. I feel something hover over my face, but I doze off before I can figure out what it is.
1 hour later:
When I re-awaken, I find myself lying on my back on a bed. I frown and sit up immediately as my eyes dart around me to take in the unfamiliar ornaments dotted around the room. I do another sweep of the room, but find no one else present and with a stretch I hop off the mattress and cross the room to reach the window.
The sight of blue skies and sandy beaches is enough to confirm my suspicions. 'I slept through the entire boat ride.' I grumble to myself as I start to make my way to the door, but I pause when I realise I'm not wearing my shoes. 'Wait. Who took off my shoes? Better yet, who carried me all the way here?' I think anxiously as I slip on the trainers by the bed post and exit the room.
I walk down the corridors and am just about to round the corner when I hear voices drifting from the main foyer. I furrow my eyebrows and take a peek around the wall to find both my brother and Aang standing and talking.
"You should tell her how you feel." Sokka insists as he moves to lean against the low window sill. The Airbender turns his head away from the ponytailed man.
"It wouldn't matter. She h-hates me." Aang's voice stumbles over the word and my heart immediately constricts at the reminder of what I said to him. My brother shakes his head.
"You can't really believe that, do you?" Sokka voices, sounding exasperated. The Airbender shrugs.
"I don't know. Besides, I'm leaving in two days anyway." The Avatar reminds. I watch as Sokka twists the boomerang ring on his finger in thought. The ring Aang gifted him when he asked Sokka's permission to marry me. A sign of future brotherhood.
"You don't have to leave you know." Sokka murmurs as he flickers his eyes up to meet Aang's. The Airbender sighs.
"Sokka, you know I can't stay." The younger man reminds gently, but my brother shakes his head.
"So that's it? You're just going to let her go?" The sharpness of Sokka's question has me biting the inside of my cheek. 'This is new. Sokka has always taken Aang's side in all of this.'
"You're forgetting about Yon..." Aang starts, but Sokka abruptly cuts him off.
"I don't care about Yon Rha, Aang! I want you guys to make up. It hasn't been the same since you guys started fighting. Why can't you just open up to her?!" My brother echoes back loudly. I cringe while the Airbender inhales sharply.
"Because it's too late!" Aang bellows back before dropping his voice to a whisper. "It's just too late." Sokka frowns at his brother-in-law and steps towards him.
"That's not true Aang." My brother insists, but the Airbender gives him his side.
"It is. I let her pain stew until it became hatred and bitterness." Aang mutters.
"I think it's because you're too scared to try." The older man retorts with hardened eyes. Aang doesn't reply straight away, but I spot the clenched fist shaking by his side.
"She's asking something of me that I can't give her." Aang grits out, but my brother is relentless as he releases a bark of laughter.
"Oh, so you can't give her honesty?" Sokka jeers sarcastically. The rigidness in Aang's body becomes so obvious that I can see it from all the way over here.
"Sokka, stop it." The Airbender warns, but my brother carries on.
"I'm sick of you two doing this. My relationship with my sister is in tatters because of it!" Sokka's jab does more harm than he realises as Aang's face screws up tightly.
"Fine! Let me take the blame for that too! It's not like I don't have a plate full of it already." The Airbender snaps back. His shoulders shake only once, but it's enough for both Sokka and I to know he's been pushed too close to the limit.
My brother, however doesn't know what to do as he leans back and crosses his arms. The silence is almost deafening. I swallow harshly and push myself off the wall and round the corner. Both pairs of eyes snap towards the approaching footsteps, but I'm careful to hide my emotions and I pretend that I didn't hear anything.
"Finally! I've been wandering around for ages trying to find someone. Where are we? This doesn't look like Zuko's penthouse." I ramble to give them the impression that I only just found them. The two share a quick glance before turning towards me.
"It's because it isn't. It's a resting area off the boat boarding platform. We're going to a hotel because Zuko said some repairs are going on at the penthouse. We were waiting for you to wake up before we headed there." My brother explains as he rubs the back of his neck. His nervousness from his conversation with Aang is subtle, but obvious to the trained eye. I nod my head slowly as I sense the tension still in the air.
"Alright. Well, should we head there now?" I ask in an attempt to get away from the tension. Sokka and Aang share one more glance before nodding.
"Yeah. Zuko and Toph should be outside already." Aang voices as he leads the way. We don't take more than three steps before Sokka opens his mouth.
"You know, it was funny seeing Aang carry you in all bridal style." My brother throws out flippantly from his position behind me. Aang's feet falter for a moment before continuing on. I, on the other hand, come to an abrupt halt as I feel myself flushing.
"He what?" I echo back dumbly. Sokka shoots me a mischievous smirk as he shrugs one shoulder.
"How else do you think you got here?" He points out, but I can see the mirth in his eyes from how much he's enjoying this. I force my tongue to unloosen as I glare at him.
"I don't get why that's so funny." I fire back irritably. Sokka's grin widens.
"It's funny because for someone who hates the guy you surprisingly don't seem to mind that he carried you out of the car and the boat." My brother throws back. I stiffen up and clench my hands, but before I can snap at the man, the Airbender whirls around so quickly as he stares at my brother with a vicious ferocity that I only ever see when he enters the Avatar State.
"Sokka, that's enough!" Aang bellows, surprising both Sokka and I. The ponytailed man scrunches his nose up before throwing up his hands defensively.
"Alright, alright! Sheesh, I was just trying to lighten the mood." Sokka mumbles dejectedly, but one look at the Avatar has my brother clamming up completely as he picks up his pace until he has left the two of us alone. My prior anger at Sokka dissipates into an unsatisfying fizzle as I ring my hands together before glancing up at the younger man whose rage has also seemingly vanished. I bite my lip.
"Erm...thanks." I mumble. The Airbender blinks as if only now realising that I'm still here. He scratches his head unsurely.
"Don't mention it." Aang mutters as he turns to continue walking. An unwelcome tug of disappointment vibrates in my chest as I trail after him. We walk in silence until we're outside and join everyone else who are graciously holding all our bags. Toph perks up when she sees me and I can already imagine the snide quip that's just begging to burst out from her.
"Nice to see that Sugarqueen has finally graced us with her presence." Toph teases, but Zuko is quick to jump in.
"Come on Toph, we only arrived 20 minutes ago." The Firebender reminds lightly, only to earn a swift punch to the arm.
"Yeah, but she didn't know that." The Earthbender hisses, looking annoyed that her fun was put to a grinding halt. Regardless, I give her a half smile.
"Nice to see you too Toph." I return, surprising everyone, especially the Earthbender who does a double take.
"Spirits. You must've had a great dream." Toph utters with a quirked eyebrow. I snort and cross my arms.
"I just had a dreamless nap." I inform her, feeling satisfied at seeing the disappointment on her face.
"Speaking of sleep, the sun is going down and we need to head to the hotel. The thing is they only had two rooms available so we're going to have to share." Sokka admits with an awkward laugh.
"Great! I'm bunking with Sparky and Snoozles!" Toph announces as she grabs one arm of said men. My jaw drops while Aang's eyes bulge.
"Wait a second, shouldn't you be with Katara? Girls together and all that." Aang splutters in protest, but the Earthbender narrows her eyes at the younger man.
"And listen to Sweetness complain about you the entre two days? No thank you. Here's your keys." Toph announces as she throws a small silver object at us. Aang's quick reflexes grabs the key, but I'm nowhere near comfortable with the direction that this trip has been going in.
"Toph, you're being childish." I grit back, but the woman is already steering Zuko and my brother away from us.
"Can't hear you Sugarqueen!" Toph calls back. I clench my hand.
"You're blind, not deaf!" I remind angrily, but the police officer just waves a hand and continues walking quickly with the two men who are suspiciously not surprised by her actions. I'm just about to stalk towards them when a hand lands on my shoulder, stopping me.
"You know Toph, once she's made her mind up about something there's no changing it." Aang points out wisely. I narrow my eyes at him.
"Did you set this whole thing up?" I accuse, shocking the man who releases his hold on me.
"What? Of course not! Why would I do that?" The Airbender protests. I cross my arms.
"Maybe it's because you thought I wouldn't bunk with my brother, Toph or you and you didn't want me to be closer to Zuko." I mutter under my breath. The Airbender stares at me in disbelief.
"Why would I..." He starts, only to trail off in understanding. "I'm not jealous." Aang insists strongly. I snort.
"Your behaviour yesterday says otherwise." I retort. The Air Nomad scrunches up his nose before spinning on his heels and giving me his back.
"Let's go dump our stuff in the room." Aang utters tightly and starts walking off. I blink before dropping my hands to my sides. 'Maybe...that was too harsh.' I think as I chew my lip while following my former husband. We don't speak until we're outside of our room as Aang wriggles with the door handle.
"I think there's something wrong with the door." He mutters as he twists the key back and forth. I roll my eyes and take the key from him, but when I give it a try, I realise he's not joking. I frown and peer through the keyhole to find something plugged in. I grumble under my breath as I remove one of my hair pins and poke at the hole. I try the key again and the door unlocks. I catch the surprise in the man's face as we enter the room, but I shrug.
"Just a handy trick." I mumble as I start setting down my suitcase, but I pause at Aang's sharp intake of breath.
"Sokka." The Airbender growls under his breath. I frown and glance at him to see what has him so irritated, but I don't need to ask because I instantly spot the exact same thing that he does.
"One bed?" I echo numbly as I stare at the double bed. Aang scrunches his nose up as he finally sets down his bag.
"Your brother is really starting to get on my nerves." He mutters as his jaw throbs in barely concealed anger. I snort and cross my arms over my chest.
"You're only starting to realise that now?" I retort. The Air Nomad doesn't reply as he sighs.
"I guess I'll take the couch." He opts to say instead as he slips off his shoes. I frown.
"Aren't you sick of the couch by now?" I utter, but the Airbender just shrugs.
"Air Nomads have a habit of settling anywhere for the night, so a couch is a luxury." Aang answers breezily, but it does little to reassure me, especially when I know that he hasn't lived like a nomad in all the time I've known him. But I choose not to say anything and instead drag my bag towards the wardrobe to start unpacking. Less than 5 minutes pass when I glance at the Airbender to find that he's perching on the sofa and has already started reading over some papers that he brought with him. I pause before dropping my hands.
"Aren't you going to unpack?" I ask with a quirked eyebrow. Aang blinks and turns to look at me before quickly diverting his gaze to the sheets in his hands.
"No need. We're only here for a couple of days." Aang replies with a half shrug. My eyebrow rises higher as I stare at him.
"Your clothes are going to get all crumpled." I point out, but the prospect barely bothers the man as he gives me another shrug.
"It's fine. Besides, there's only one wardrobe." My former husband throws out. I squint at him before crossing the room to pick up his bag. His eyes widen as he reaches forward to snatch back the satchel.
"What are you doing?" He demands as I evade his hand.
"Putting your clothes in the cupboard; it will bug me otherwise." I reply bluntly. Aang blinks twice before rising to his feet and offers his open palm.
"Then let me do it." Aang presses. I furrow my eyebrows at his attitude.
"Why? Have something in here that you don't want me to see?" I query in semi-curiosity. Aang's eyes flash with a warning before he grabs the bag back from me.
"That's not your concern." He utters tightly. I blink in surprise before dropping my hand to my side.
"Right. Of course, it isn't." I mutter under my breath as I clutch my elbow and turn away from him. I hear him sigh as I make my way to the couch, but he doesn't say anything. I take the remote and flicker to any random channel while Aang starts hanging his clothes in the cupboard. From the corner of my eyes, I see him drop his hands and glance at me.
"I'm sorry." I hear him mumble, but I pay him no mind as my eyes remain fixed on the TV screen. I hear him release another heavy breath before closing the closet. "It's just my journal." He mutters. I blink and glance behind me.
"Since when do you keep a journal?" I ask in surprise. The Airbender scratches his head awkwardly and glimpses away from me.
"My...er... therapist said it was a good idea." Aang mumbles. My jaw drops and I turn to face him properly.
"You...have a therapist again?" I breathe out as a feeling of... something swells up in me. Relief? Joy? Pride? Maybe all three. He bends down to rummage through his bag in an attempt to distract himself.
"Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea." He admits with a one shouldered shrug. My eyebrows furrow at the potential implications of his wording, but I choose not to comment. If anything, it's to not make him feel any more awkward than he probably already does.
"Well, that's great to hear." I murmur with a half-smile and turn around to look back at the TV. The time at the corner catches me off guard. Midnight. 'How did time fly by so quickly?' I wonder as I move off the couch and stretch my arms above my head.
"Well, it's getting late, I'm going to head to bed." I announce. When I turn to face the Airbender, his gaze immediately drops to the ground as embarrassment contorts his features. I quirk an eyebrow before glancing down and realising that the hem of my top has risen up during my stretch. I flush and pull the edge of my blouse back down. "I'm... going to change in the bathroom." I mutter which further humiliates the Air Nomad who runs a hand down his face.
"That wasn't what I was..." He starts in protest, but when I narrow my eyes at him, he clamps his jaws shut. "... I'm going to get some air." Aang utters tightly as he rises to his feet and yanks open the hotel door. It closes with a slight bang before I can open my mouth.
I pinch the bridge of my nose when I realise he didn't take the spirit forsaken key with him. 'Great. Now, I have to stay up till he gets back.' I wrinkle my nose before crossing the room to grab any old nightwear and then make my way to the bathroom which I remember to lock firmly.
When I pull off my top, my eyes fall on the bathroom mirror and my shoulders sag when I realise what had caught Aang's attention. 'The scars.' I think numbly as I trace the slightly raised skin beneath my belly button. I close my eyes and sigh before giving the mirror my back to finish changing.
When I'm done, I switch off the lights and hop onto the soft mattress. The temptation to fall asleep right there and then is strong, but I resist the urge and grab the newspaper on the nightstand to read.
I must've fallen asleep because the next thing I recall is hearing sounds of pacing outside the room. I rub my eyes and squint at the crack under the door to see a shadow. Sitting up, I throw off the duvet and cross the room to look through the peek hole to find that it is indeed Aang who's pacing outside in the hallway. I furrow my eyebrows and unlock the door. He looks up at the sound of the door clicking and gazes at me sheepishly with a hand behind his head.
"You forgot the key." I state dryly. The corner of his lip twitches as he looks at me guiltily.
"I forgot the key." He repeats back in embarrassment. I roll my eyes and push the door slightly wider to let him in. Once he's inside, I close the door and turn to the Airbender who's eyeing the crumpled mattress. "I woke you up." Aang notes regretfully. I shrug.
"It was more of a nap to be honest." I deflect with a light wave as a yawn rips out of my throat. Aang raises his eyebrow sceptically. I roll my eyes and head back to the bed.
"I'm going back to sleep." I say as I slide back under the covers. The man nods and enters the bathroom to change, closing the door behind him. Contrary to my words, I find that I can't go back to sleep. Not even when the Airbender returns from the bathroom, switches off the lights and settles on the couch to sleep.
I'm still staring at the dark ceiling an hour later when I hear Aang shifting in his sleep. When he's rolled to his side for the 6th time in the last 20 minutes, I sigh quietly and waddle across the soft carpet to check on him with the expectation of him having a nightmare. But when I see his eyes open, but screwed up in discomfort as he rubs his hip where he had fractured it, I freeze up. When he notices my presence, his hand immediately drops away from his pelvis as he chews his lip.
"Spirits, did I wake you up?" Aang queries guiltily. I ignore his question and perch on the edge of the couch as I scrutinise his clothed hip. The man shifts in discomfort and starts to sit up, but I'm quick to keep him down.
"Roll down your trousers." I instruct. Aang's jaws slacken.
"What? No, I'm fine!" Aang argues, having already followed my line of thought. I narrow my eyes at him.
"Slide them off or I'm going to do it for you." I order strictly. The Airbender stares at me in disbelief before begrudgingly easing his trouser down to his mid-thighs. I crane my neck and inspect the slightly red area. When I go to palpate the skin, Aang shifts in discomfort. I flicker my eyes up to find him biting his lip. I click my tongue and withdraw my hand. "You shouldn't have been sleeping on the couch this entire time if it wasn't comfortable." I rebuke in annoyance. The Air Nomad is quick to pull his trousers back up as he shrugs.
"It's not like there's more than one bed." He mutters. I quirk my eyebrow at him.
"Well, I could've had the sofa." I remind bluntly. The young Avatar snorts at the idea.
"And let you sleep uncomfortably? You barely get enough rest as it is." Aang retorts. I lean back and cross my arms.
"That's ridiculous. I'm not the one that needs to heal." I fire back and without another word I start pulling the Airbender up. His eyes widens and he snatches his arm back.
"Spirits no! I'm not letting you sleep on the sofa!" Aang argues vehemently. I clench my jaw.
"If you're not taking care of yourself, you could get another infection." I explain impatiently as I gesture at his hip. The Airbender turns his head to the side and doesn't respond. I groan loudly.
"You're so stubborn." I grit out, eliciting another snort from the Airbender.
"You're one to talk." Aang mutters. I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth. I don't know what possesses me to say my next words.
"Then let's just share the dumb thing." I throw out which instantly steals the wind in the man's sail as he gapes at me.
"Wh-what?!" He stutters as he takes a step back from me. I roll my eyes and lean forward to grab his sleeve.
"Don't act so weird. We've had plenty of sleepovers when we were friends." I remind dryly. Aang stills and it takes me a moment to realise why. Were friends. Past tense. As in, not anymore. I breathe out through my nostrils. "Come on, this is a fair compromise. This way neither of us sleeps on the sofa." I urge which is enough to snap the Airbender out of his funk. He chews his lip and glances between the bed and me several times.
"Are you sure?" Aang asks and it suddenly hits me that this is actually a very terrible idea. But if he gets an infection and has to come back into the emergency department, that will be a whole lot worse than sharing a mattress.
"The bed is a double so it's enough space for two people." I point out, more to reassure myself than him. He doesn't look convinced, but he trails behind me anyway when I start making my way back. When I slide back under the covers, I hear Aang gulp loudly and I almost feel like smacking the man at how much more awkward he's making this be than it has to.
"Aang, I swear if you don't stop acting so ridiculous..." I start, but the Airbender is quick to shake his hands passively.
"Ok, ok!" He squeaks as he lies down on the furthest end of the bed. His behaviour reminds me of his embarrassment when we first got married and the ache in my chest returns. I swallow and roll over to my side, giving the Airbender my back. The duvet lifts slightly as the Avatar slides under them.
I close my eyes, but my highly sought after sleep has fizzled into a huge pile of nothingness. I exhale softly and roll over onto my back. When I glance over at Aang's side, I almost slap my forehead. After a few moments, I prop myself up onto one elbow and gaze over at his precarious position right at the edge of the bed.
"You're going to fall off like that." I note in exasperation, prompting the Airbender to flicker his eyes up at me.
"No, I'm not." Aang argues childishly. I resist the urge to massage my temples and instead hook my arm around his to pull him slightly away from his dangerous position at the edge. Once I'm confident that he's not going to roll off during his sleep, I flop back onto the mattress myself.
At Aang's shaky inhale of breath, I glimpse his way to find that we're now too close to each other. His face is only inches away from mine. 'Shoot.' I curse as my eyes dance away from his. I'm quick to roll away from him.
"Maybe I should just go back to the..." My hand snaps out to grab his wrist before he can move, cutting off his suggestion.
"I told you, I'm not going to treat you for another infection. Just...stay on your side. I'll stay on mine and we'll be fine." I mutter.
When the man glances down to my hand that still encircles his wrist, I'm quick to release him. I puff out my cheeks in frustration at myself. Aang nods slowly, but when he grasps the wrist that I was holding mere moments ago, my heart does an annoying dumb flip. I clear my throat and return to giving the man my back. 'Stupid. Being affectionate is the worst possible thing I can do. It gives the wrong impression. Gah! This is hard because all my interactions with the boy have always been affectionate. I've never not been affectionate.'
I dig one of my hands under the pillow and clench it into a fist. 'This is fine Katara. Absolutely fine.' I try to convince myself. It takes me a few hours before I finally drift off to sleep.
A/N: I always find these type of scenarios find to write and read XD I hope you enjoyed it XD So, some news you guys prob don't want to hear…I'm going back to uni on Monday. It's my final year at uni. And my final exams are in Jan instead of the end of the year. That means I'll prob be really busy from the get go. I wish I could say that I'll be able to post half way regularly but I don't want to kid myself or you guys because knowing me I'll throw myself into revision. I'll try to post somewhat regularly during this month at least, but I can't make any promises. I'm sorry, I know how bad I've been at updating this story and it only now feels like we're getting in a regular groove. I hope I'll be able to update more than I think I will, but I wanted to give you a heads up. Exams finish in early Feb (providing I don't fail anything in God's will), so updates will definitely be more regular from then. I'll try to get a few updates out for you guys between now and then ofc, but it will prob be slow. I hope you guys will continue to stick with me and thank you for being with me so far, it means a lot. Wish me luck! And see you all in the next chapter!
2/9/23