KataangLover: I'm sorry for taking so long to update, I hope this helps you if even a little bit, and good luck with everything my man.
It's a long chapter as well. Nearly 7K words.
Aang wiped his sweaty palms on his cloak and chewed on his lip anxiously.
He was nervous.
They were close to the Southern Water tribe now, and he knew he had to ask her soon.
He once again cursed at Zuko. He couldn't believe the firebender had suggested this, and even worse that he had agreed to it.
Why had he agreed to do this?
He was snapped out of his thoughts by Katara's excited screaming. "There it is!" she tapped Toph on the shoulder and pointed at the tribe when it came to view.
"I really would love to see it, but as you know I can't." Toph reminded, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.
Katara blushed, meekly pulling at her hair. "Right, sorry."
Aang though was taking a look, impressed.
The last time he had come here was when he came looking for Sokka and Katara, he didn't get to have a good look back then since he was worried out of his mind.
The Southern Water tribe was truly beautiful.
It had gotten so big these past three years, it was like a city now.
Aang still remembered when it was only a small village.
God, that felt like such a long time ago.
As Aang landed the bison next to the palace, he heard yelling and cheers all around him. He looked around, seeing everyone run to them.
By the time he got off the bison, they were completely surrounded by the people of the tribe.
"Avatar Aang!"
"It really is him!"
"He's back!"
Aang waved sheepishly. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to land the bison in the middle of the city.
Katara jumped down and looked around, feeling her heart hammer in excitement.
She was back home.
"Move out of the way!" A deep voice ordered, making everybody freeze, before they obeyed and cleared the way.
A massive grin split across Sokka's face when he saw who it was.
"Dad!" Katara shouted, a similar grin on her lips.
Hakoda rushed to his daughter and crashed her into a bear hug, breathing out a shaky sigh.
He had been so worried. Ever since the day the tribe got attacked, he couldn't stop thinking about his children.
They were safe now.
Katara's smile turned sad when she felt her dad's frame tremble slightly.
"I missed you. I'm so glad you're okay." he spoke, voice thick with emotion.
He raised his head and glared at his son. "Come here Sokka, give your old man a hug!"
Sokka ran to them and joined in on the hug, the grin never leaving his face.
Aang stayed a good distance back with Suki and Toph, looking fondly at the family reunion.
"I can barely see anything here." Toph muttered under her breath and latched onto Aang with a huff, making him laugh.
"No worries, I got you."
"I already regret coming to this place." she complained, stomping her new shoes that Suki had loaned her on the snowy ground.
Suki giggled, covering her mouth. "Don't say that just yet. I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here."
Toph doubted that.
"Avatar Aang!" Hakoda exclaimed, jovially, grabbing their attention.
Aang looked at the man and bowed. "Chief Hakoda sir, it is very good to see you again."
"Color me shocked." Bato spoke up, standing behind Hakoda. "You really did keep your promise."
The airbender didn't quite know how to respond to that backhanded compliment. In the end he just nodded.
Sokka shot the airbender a reassuring smile.
Aang tried to smile back, but it came out weak. He was seriously regretting making that promise to Zuko.
He clearly wasn't wanted here.
Katara furrowed her eyebrows, looking at their interaction in confusion. What promise was Bato talking about? And why did he sound so condescending?
"Show the Avatar some respect, Bato." Hakoda ordered, glaring at the man. "Keep your personal feelings out of this."
Bato lowered his head, feeling regret. "You're right. I'm sorry."
The Chief then turned back to Aang and bowed. "I really appreciate your help."
"I've already set up a room for you in the palace. Feel free to stay there for however long you please, Avatar." he continued, a polite smile plastered on his face.
Aang hated how formal Hakoda was being. He had failed the man so badly that he didn't even see him as his kids' friend anymore. He only saw him as the Avatar, and gave him the Avatar treatment. Even going so far to get him a room in the palace.
He pressed down his frustration. At least they were letting him stay and weren't kicking him out.
He had to be grateful for that.
Keeping his face stoic, he nodded. "That sounds amazing, thank you Chief."
Katara held back a gasp. Aang was actually staying? She thought he would deny the offer and leave the first chance he got.
She hated herself for feeling happy about it.
The room was fancy, maybe a little too fancy.
Don't get him wrong, It was nice and everything, but it didn't feel like home.
The first thing Aang had done as soon as he walked inside his room was bathe and shower in cold water. He thought briefly about taking a nap as well, but immediately changed his mind.
The teen sighed and sat down on the large bed, feeling the softness of the mattress. He ran a hand over the smooth silk of the covers.
His eyes then moved around the room, taking it all in.
Yeah, It was by far the most luxurious room he had stayed in.
Feeling his head throb from the bright lights, he got up and turned them off.
Satisfied, Aang sat back down and closed his eyes.
He sat there in the dark for hours, lost in his thoughts, before shaking his head.
He didn't want to think anymore, he was sick and tired of thinking.
He decided to go out for a walk instead. He needed some fresh air.
By the time he came out the palace, he noticed the sky was already darkening.
The teen once again ran his eyes over the massive building and exhaled slowly. He still couldn't believe that he was going to stay at the palace.
He did a double take when he saw a familiar waterbender quite far away out of the corner of his eye, and smiled slightly. She was walking somewhere, carrying two bags in both hands.
His feet moved on their own accord for a moment, before he stopped.
No. He shouldn't bother her.
But...
Screw it, he bit the inside of his cheek. He needed closure.
If she didn't want him here, he'd leave.
Not wanting to be seen by anyone, he used his airbending to jump on top of the closest building and leaped onto another, until he reached her.
He jumped down on the ground, landing lightly behind Katara.
"Hey."
Katara stilled, as she recognized the all too familiar voice behind her.
She cleared her throat, before speaking. "What do you want?"
"Are you okay with me staying here?" he asked, raking his fingers through his hair nervously. "I'll leave if you want me to."
Katara set the bags down and turned around, meeting the airbender's gaze head on.
"I don't care what you do."
Aang bit his lip. He looked at the bags she was carrying and raised an eyebrow. "You need help with those?"
"I need you to leave me alone." She responded coolly and shot him a glare, before turning her back on him.
Aang looked down, feeling a sharp pain in his heart.
Why did he even bother? He was getting nowhere with this.
He felt like screaming.
"By the way." her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He looked up in surprise, noticing that she had turned back around and was now staring at him. "What was that promise Bato was talking about earlier?"
"I promised them I'd bring you and Sokka back." He replied honestly, his gaze softening.
Katara's eyes widened, her cold mask breaking for a moment.
"Oh... I see." she breathed out.
Aang noticed that her voice had gotten softer. He saw her go through many emotions, her face flickering.
"There you are, Aang!"
The silence was broken by a loud Sokka, who had spotted them.
"S-Sokka? What are you doing here?" Aang stuttered in disbelief. He loved Sokka, but he always had the worst timing.
Sokka grinned at him. "I was looking for you everywhere, I wanted to see how you were doing."
He then looked at his sister in confusion.
"Are you guys on good terms now?" he motioned between the two, eyes going to Aang then back to Katara curiously.
"No, we're not." Katara spat out, eyes darkening. Her voice went back to being cold. "I was just leaving."
She picked up her bags and hurriedly left, not sparing them another glance.
Sokka sighed and turned toward the airbender, who looked crestfallen. "You okay?"
Aang let out a humorless laugh, looking at the older boy like he was stupid. "What do ya think?"
"You know what I think?" He slung his arm around the airbender, surprising him. "I think we should do something fun to get your mind off my cranky sister!"
"Like what?" He mumbled, not feeling like doing anything.
"I don't know. You're supposed to know these things." Sokka whined, shaking the brooding Avatar by his shoulders. "Where's the fun and goofy airbender I knew so well at?"
"He's long gone." Aang grumbled out, arms crossed, but couldn't fight back the small smile on his lips.
He appreciated the effort.
"I've got an idea."
When Aang looked up and saw the mischievous glint in the older boy's eye, he gulped.
"I don't know about this Sokka..." Aang immediately said, taking a step back when they stopped in front of a nightclub.
This was a bad idea.
Sokka grabbed his arm, shaking his head. "Why? I know you'll love it."
"No, I won't."
He didn't have the energy for this, nor was he in the mood.
"You're the last person who wouldn't love this and we both know it." Sokka smirked, before his face went back to being serious. "You need to forget about everything that's going on in your life and just enjoy yourself for today."
"You need this, and it'll be fun."
"Trust me." He added, when he saw the hesitant look on the younger teen's face.
Aang let out a defeated sigh, running a tired hand down his face. "Fine."
Sokka cheered, driving his shoulder into him playfully. "Let's go!"
As soon as they walked inside, Aang smelled the bitter smell of alcohol in the air and scrunched his nose.
He followed Sokka as the boy walked up to the counter and they saw a friendly lady, serving drinks.
The bartender looked up, eyebrows shooting up when she saw the two teenagers. "Oh my god." she breathed out, eyes widening. "What is the son of the Chief and the Avatar doing in my club."
Sokka laughed, taking a seat, and motioned for Aang to do the same.
"We're here to have a few drinks." Sokka explained, looking at the lady. "Please, treat us as you would normal customers."
"I can do that." The blonde lady exclaimed, before grinning. "Well then, what would you boys like to order?"
Sokka tapped his fingers on the dark wooden table as his eyes skimmed through the menu.
He grinned widely when he saw what he wanted. "I'll have one of this, please." he pointed at the drink in the menu.
The lady nodded then looked at the clueless Avatar, a knowing look in her eyes. "I'm guessing you want the same as him?"
Aang nodded, shooting her a hesitant but kind smile. "Yes, please."
She beamed, already taking a liking to the Avatar. He was very polite.
"I'll be right back with your orders."
After she walked off, Sokka turned his head to look at Aang, frowning. The airbender looked very stiff.
He had been like this pretty much ever since their reunion.
He needed to loosen up. The alcohol would do him good, Sokka was certain.
"Where are Toph and Suki?" Aang suddenly spoke up, head tilted curiously.
He hadn't seen the two girls since they arrived here earlier today.
Sokka shrugged. "Suki was showing Toph around last time I saw them."
"Toph hadn't let go of Suki for hours." He laughed, remembering the way Toph threatened the older girl when she tried separating from her. "She doesn't like the snow, so Suki is helping her get used to it."
"That sounds terrible." An amused smile tugged at Aang's lips. "Dealing with Toph normally is already bad enough, but to deal with her when she's in a bad mood sounds exhausting."
Sokka barked out a laugh. "It really does."
"It's not like Suki has a choice." he continued, snickering.
Aang chuckled, nodding.
They talked for a little longer before the lady came back with two tall drinks. She set them down in front of them with an excited smile.
"I'm interested to hear what you think of my drinks." She leaned forward, closer to the airbender.
Sokka couldn't blame her. It wasn't common to have outsiders in here, and the Avatar no less.
Aang looked at the glass nervously. "I'm not good with this kind of stuff, but I'll try."
Sokka smiled, picking up his drink. Aang did the same and the two clinked their glasses, before taking a sip.
Aang held back a grimace when the cool liquid burned his throat.
He had only drank alcohol once before. A little over a year ago, he left the Lion turtle and had gone to a town to buy food, when he saw a stand offering free drinks.
Funnily enough, he hadn't known it was alcohol until after he emptied the whole shot in one gulp.
Aang laughed to himself.
He set the glass down, and furrowed his eyebrows. The after taste was a little weird, but other than that, he didn't mind it.
"Honestly, this is pretty good." The Avatar finally declared, smiling in approval.
The lady practically shrieked in excitement. She clapped her hands excitedly and thanked him profusely.
Sokka nodded in agreement.
Aang picked up his glass and brought it to his lips again, taking a much bigger sip.
He wanted more.
"Woah, slow down buddy." Sokka laughed, slapping the airbender on the back, hard enough to make him nearly choke on his drink.
"Sokka!" Aang spluttered, laughing and wiping his lips.
They ordered more after they finished their glasses, and continued drinking.
Sokka smiled to himself when he saw the airbender grin and laugh freely as time went on and they kept talking.
His guard was slipping slowly, revealing the version of Aang that Sokka had missed the most.
Many drinks later...
"Ah shit." Sokka burped, grabbing his head.
He felt woozy. They were both now feeling the effects of the alcohol.
Aang was leaning forward, his arms resting heavily on the counter. A lopsided smile was plastered on his face.
He felt really weird, in a good way.
His chest felt light. The usual tightness he was so used to was completely gone.
Aang realized that he really liked this feeling.
He threw his head back and let out a laugh. Sokka's wide eyes snapped toward him when he saw the airbender lean too far back and fall.
"Aang!" Sokka yelled, holding his hand out too late.
Aang fell with a loud thump.
The bartender gasped, stopping what she was doing. "Are you okay?!"
"Man, I feel so weird." Aang giggled to himself, struggling to get up.
Sokka held up his hand when the lady started walking toward the airbender. "I got this."
He jumped out of his seat, the sudden movement making him stumble a little but he steadied himself.
He bent down and held his hand out for the Avatar.
A laugh bubbled past his lips when he saw the state of him.
"Get up, you're embarrassing us." Sokka said, smirking. He didn't really mind but he wanted to mess with the airbender.
Aang grabbed the older boy's hand, cheeks burning in embarrassment.
When he was up, he walked over to one of the round tables further away and leaned most of his weight on it.
"I think I drank a little too much." He groaned, head falling down. "I feel so out of control."
Sokka patted him on the back. "So what? Just let loose and enjoy yourself."
Aang raised his head with some difficulty and straightened up.
"Get us more drinks then."
Sokka's eyes widened in surprise, before he laughed. "That's more like it!"
"Wait here!" He pushed himself off the table. "Maybe I'll get something else, switch it up a little." He thought aloud as he made his way to the counter.
Aang laughed.
He stared at the ceiling blankly for a few minutes, before getting bored and getting off the table.
Aang walked away intending to look for Sokka when he bumped into someone.
He barely managed to catch his balance, but the other person wasn't so lucky
The airbender looked down and focused his eyes on the person he bumped into, only now realizing that it was a girl.
She looked to be around his age, and based off her looks she was clearly from one of the Water tribe's.
"Sorry about that." Aang spoke. The girl hadn't even looked up, she was too busy holding her side in pain.
She was ready to cuss out whoever had bumped into her but when she looked up and met his eyes, the insults died on her lips.
Instead her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened. "It's okay." she mumbled.
Aang smiled, holding his undamaged hand out. "Let me help you up."
The girl nodded and accepted his help. When he pulled her up she stumbled forward slightly and got a little too close to him.
She stuttered out a quick apology and stepped back.
Aang looked at her a little weirdly, noticing that she was acting strange.
"You're not from around here, are you?" She asked, interest piqued. The boy had pale skin, but what surprised her the most were his eyes
She had never seen anyone with silver eyes.
Aang raised an eyebrow in surprise. She didn't recognize him?
"I'm from the Earth Kingdom." He quickly lied, not wanting special treatment for once.
He wanted this night to be normal.
She nodded, twirling a lock of hair around her fingers shyly.
As drunk as Aang was, he was aware enough to notice her nervousness from a mile away.
He was confused. If she didn't realize he was the Avatar, why was she acting so awkward around him?
What's there to be nervous about? He thought, puzzled.
The airbender was about to ask her just that, when he spotted Sokka.
His face lit up and he waved the boy over excitedly, seeing that he had drinks.
Sokka grinned, coming in and slinging his arm loosely around Aang. "I got what you need, my friend!"
The girl stepped back, stunned as she watched the son of the Chief hand the teen a bottle.
Aang grinned widely. "Thanks!" he cheered, before gulping it down.
"Relax." Sokka laughed. "The drink isn't going anywhere, you don't have to drink it that fast."
Aang pulled the bottle back and wiped his lips. "I want to though."
"Master Sokka." The girl chimed in awkwardly, making both boys look at her in surprise.
Aang had completely forgotten she was there.
She couldn't believe she was speaking to the son of the Chief right now. In here of all places.
"Hey." Sokka started, confused. "Are you a friend of Aa-"
He was cut off by the airbender's hand slapping over his mouth.
"Don't blow my cover." Aang whispered in his ear, before leaning back and taking a sip of his drink.
"My bad." Sokka's eyes widened in understanding and he cleared his throat. "Are you a friend of Kuzon's?"
She shook her head, shrugging off the whispering between the two. "N-No... we just met." she replied, stumbling over her words.
"Yup, I bumped into her by accident." Aang explained, laughing.
Sokka smacked him on the head. "Why am I not surprised."
The girl giggled, she was about to speak up again when music suddenly started playing loudly.
Sokka's head perked up. "Let's dance!" he cheered, making Aang's eyes widen.
"Wait what?" Sokka ignored him and instead looked at the girl.
"It was nice meeting you..." He trailed off, looking at her expectantly.
"Ayana." she quickly replied, her eyes not leaving Aang's.
"It was nice meeting you, Ayana." He smiled politely, before walking to the dance floor and dragging the shocked airbender with him.
Ayana giggled when she saw the pleading look on Aang's face.
"Save me!" he mouthed desperately, before they turned around the corner and disappeared out of her sight.
She laughed once again. What an interesting boy.
"Hold on, Sokka." Aang protested, finally pulling his arm out of the boy's grasp. "Since when do you like dancing anyway?"
"Suki got me into it." He said and smiled fondly as he thought of his girlfriend. "She loves it."
It was his turn to look at the airbender weirdly. "Since when do you not like dancing?"
Aang shrugged. "I just don't feel like it right now."
"Suit yourself." Sokka said, before making his way to the dance floor.
The airbender watched, lips parted in surprise, as the Warrior started dancing to the music. His movements were sloppy and he was way off beat, making Aang laugh.
At least he was having fun.
Aang sat down on the nearest stool, taking sips of his drink while watching Sokka dance in amusement.
He was laughing at Sokka tripping over himself when he heard a voice behind him.
"Are you not going to join him?"
Aang's laughter died down and he looked behind him, seeing the girl from earlier. "No, I'd much rather sit and observe." he chuckled, taking another sip of his drink.
She gazed down and fidgeted nervously for a second, before making up her mind and sitting next to him.
They sat there in silence, listening to the music and watching everyone dance.
Ayana noticed Aang tapping his feet subconsciously to the music and furrowed her eyebrows. "Hey Kuzon?"
"Yeah?" Aang spoke, not taking his eyes off the dance floor.
"Do you know how to dance?"
He shrugged. "A little bit."
"Would you teach me?"
Aang finally looked at her, eyes widening. "You want to dance with me?"
She nodded, smiling shyly.
He thought for a moment before his lips twitched up slightly. "Ah, why not."
Aang set his drink down and got up, offering her a hand. "Allow me to dance with you, my lady." he joked, smiling goofily.
She covered her mouth with her hand, giggling. "Why of course."
Ayana felt giddy as the boy led him to the dance floor.
"Alright." Aang started with a grin, holding her hand. "Just try to copy my movements, okay?"
When she nodded, Aang started dancing in time with the beat of the music.
She looked at his movements in awe. He was way better than she expected.
"Woah."
Aang nodded at her encouragingly. "C'mon, you got it."
She nodded nervously and attempted to move in the same rhythm.
Aang was impressed. It wasn't as smooth as his, but it was still amazing for her first time.
"You're doing great!" Aang exclaimed, trying to soothe her nerves.
Ayana shook her head, laughing. "You're just saying that!" she yelled over the loud music.
"No, I'm serious." he smiled. "You're genuinely doing really well for your first time."
"Thanks!" She shot him a grateful grin, her face and neck heating up.
Aang grinned back. "Okay, let's see if you can do this!"
She watched his every move, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Sokka was sweating and panting. He had been dancing for a while now and was tired. Feeling thirsty, he walked up to the counter and asked for another drink.
"Make it extra cold, please." He croaked out, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"Got ya." The lady exclaimed, before disappearing behind the counter.
As soon as she came back with the cold beverage Sokka grabbed it and drank half of it, before letting out a relieved sigh.
"Thanks."
She nodded, but Sokka noticed her eyes were somewhere else.
Sokka quirked an eyebrow, before looking where she was looking and gasped in disbelief.
"Aang?!" His jaw dropped wide open in shock. "What is he doing?"
The lady laughed. "He looks like he's having fun with that girl."
Aang was clapping his hands to the music and grinning as he watched Ayana dance.
"They are getting a little too close." Sokka mumbled to himself, but didn't have the heart to go and ruin their fun.
Aang looked really happy.
Sokka then saw him shout something to her before he started dancing.
The Warrior whistled. Aang was really good, even better than Sokka remembered. He watched as everyone slowly stopped their own dancing and looked at the airbender in awe.
He was doing flips and everything. Sokka chuckled softly, turning back to the lady.
"He's having fun. That's all I really wanted."
After a while the music changed into a slower one, clearly meant for slow dancing.
Ayana looked up at the airbender nervously.
Aang noticed and mistaked it for discomfort. "Do you want to stop?"
She immediately shook her head. "No!"
She didn't remember the last time she had this much fun. He was addicting.
Aang shrugged. "Okay, let me show you how to do this then."
He guided her hands around his neck and placed his own around her waist.
She blushed at their closeness.
Her eyes fell on his bandaged arm and she gasped, her embarrassment forgotten for a moment. "Kuzon! What happened to your arm?"
"Oh that?" Aang looked down, before shaking his head. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
Ayana was not convinced, she pursed her lips and opened her mouth to speak again but Aang pulled her closer to him, cutting off her train of thought.
Her face went dark red.
"Follow my lead."
"Okay." Ayana replied shyly, gazing into his eyes as he guided her across the dance floor.
He kept his eyes on her, but still knew exactly where to take her.
"People are looking at us." She stated, looking around and gulping.
"Who cares, just focus on me."
She nodded and moved even closer to him, making their chests touch.
As the song progressed, she relaxed. Every moment, every angle felt perfect to her.
She felt like she was floating across the dance floor.
They ended the dance when the music stopped and the crowd's applause filled their ears.
Aang shot her a confident grin.
Ayana beamed at him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug, surprising him. "Thank you so much for that! It was so much fun!"
Aang laughed, hugging her back. "No problem, I had fun too."
They separated and Aang was about to walk away, but was stopped by her hesitant voice.
"Do you think we could talk in private?"
"In private?" Aang looked at her in confusion. "why?"
She blushed, her shyness coming back. "I wanna tell you something."
"Sure."
As soon as they stepped outside Aang breathed in the crisp night air, a relaxed smile pulling at his lips.
He followed Ayana as she headed to the nearest alleyway for privacy.
"What was it that you wanted to tell me?" Aang finally asked her, once they were all alone.
Ayana squirmed slightly and avoided eye contact, making Aang frown in confusion.
"I uh-" she licked her lips anxiously. "I think I like you."
Aang drew in a sharp breath, eyes widening. "What?" Out of all the things he thought she would say, that was not one of them.
"You like me?" Aang repeated, blankly.
Maybe he heard her wrong.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes silly, I think you're amazing." She giggled a little, stepping closer to him. "That was probably the most fun I've had in my life."
Aang didn't know what to say to that. He didn't know how to feel. What were you supposed to say when a beautiful girl like her was telling you that she liked you.
"Thanks." He replied, lamely.
"Thanks?" Her face fell. "Is that all you can say after I just told you that I like you?"
Aang's mouth fell open. "No, I just- I don't really know what to say to that." he replied, feeling really awkward.
He wanted to kick himself. Sokka was right, he was really bad at this.
"Oh, I see." She looked down, eyes downcast. "You don't feel the same way, do you?"
He said nothing, making her bottom lip tremble. "I'm sorry for bothering you... I'll just go."
She was about to leave when he stayed quiet, but was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder.
Ayana turned around and nearly gasped when she saw his intense gaze.
She reminded him so much of Katara. Aang finally realized.
That was why he was so torn and conflicted. Though she wasn't quite as beautiful as Katara.
He immediately squashed down that last thought, annoyed.
Katara was always on his damn mind. Katara this, Katara that. He was so sick of it.
"She doesn't want you!" he screamed in his head, anger shooting through him.
Ayana saw his jaw clench. Feeling concerned she was about to ask if he was okay but before she could say anything Aang cupped her face and bent his head down, smashing his lips into hers.
She made a surprised noise in the back of her throat, making Aang instantly draw back.
His dark eyes were searching for approval. "This okay?"
The flustered girl responded by grabbing the front of his cloak and pulling him into a hungry kiss, making him smile.
Aang kissed her back with newfound energy and pushed her softly against the alley wall, making her moan.
To Ayana, the kiss felt electrifying. It was everything she had wanted and more.
He was amazing.
She was running a hand down his chest when suddenly Aang's eyes flew open. He quickly placed his leg on the wall behind her and pushed them both back, just barely avoiding from getting impaled by a sharp icicle.
Ayana's eyes snapped open in shock and she looked up, her hand flying to her mouth with a loud gasp when she saw who had attacked them.
Aang spun around, feeling confused as he saw a boy their age standing there, looking enraged.
"Who are you?" Aang demanded, eyes narrowed. His heart was hammering in his chest, whoever he was, he just tried to kill him.
The teen shot him a death glare. "No, who the hell are you?!"
Ayana stepped forward, in front of the stunned airbender. "This isn't what it looks like, Tarloq." she spoke up, voice shaky and weak.
"Fuck that!" He screamed, voice dripping with venom as he marched toward them. "I don't wanna hear any of your bullshit!"
Aang stilled, eyes widening as he finally realized what was going on. The next words that came out of the boy's mouth confirmed his fear.
"You damn cheater!"
He stopped in front of her. "How could you?"
"I'm so sorry." Ayana sobbed, shrinking away from him. "I don't know what I was thinking, I never wanted to hurt you."
"Shut up, you whore!"
The airbender frowned as the teen lashed out, saying outrageously mean things to her.
He clenched his fists but decided to stay out of it. She messed up big time and deserved his anger.
Aang closed his eyes, blocking out his yells. He didn't need to get involved.
That's what he thought, until things took a turn for the worse.
Without a warning, the water tribe boy drew his hand back and he felt Ayana hit the ground with a pained cry.
The Avatar snapped his eyes open in shock, and saw her looking up at her boyfriend with wide eyes as he towered over her form.
"Please..." she cried out, trembling in fear. "I'm so sorry, Tarloq."
"No, you're not." He moved into a fighting stance, his face tight with anger. "But you're about to be."
She moved back as much as she could with her hands shaking so much.
He attacked with a grunt, but the water jet that was about to hit Ayana was extinguished by a stream of fire.
He looked up wide-eyed, seeing the cloaked teen standing between them, eyes now cold.
"Kuzon." Ayana looked up at the boy in awe and slight apprehension.
"You bastard." Tarloq spat out, before angrily hurling ice disks and shards at the teen.
Aang easily dodged all the projectiles, before engulfing his right foot in fire.
He lunged toward Tarloq with a growl, flipping in the air to gather more momentum, and landed a devastating kick on the boy's chin.
Tarloq's head snapped back and he flew away with a gasp.
"Kuzon!" Ayana shrieked, but Aang ignored her.
He stared at Tarloq as the boy got up with difficulty, holding his bloodied face in pain.
"A firebender." He muttered heatedly under his breath.
"Who do you think you are..." He spat more blood out of his mouth, shooting a murderous glare at the airbender. "I'm the strongest waterbender in this tribe!"
"No, you're not." Aang pressed his lips together. "She is ten times better and stronger than you could ever be."
Aang jumped forward and shot a blast of fire at him. To his surprise Tarloq actually managed to move out of the way in time and countered with a water jet.
Aang blocked the water jet with ease and shot another blast of fire at him, this time putting all his power behind it.
Tarloq was shocked. He had fought against firebenders before, of course he had. But he had never faced anyone this powerful. The blast was so big it nearly covered the width of the entire alleyway.
There was no moving out of the way this time. He had to block this one.
With a determined grunt Tarloq gathered as much water as he could and formed a large, thick ice wall in an attempt to stop it but the blast broke through and he took the full impact.
The color drained from Ayana's face, as she watched her boyfriend's body fling back and roll on the floor lifelessly for a moment, before coming to a full stop.
Aang stood there for a second, breathing heavily, then turned around and crouched down next to Ayana to check on her.
His eyes widened when he saw a brutal cut on her face. Tarloq must've used his bending on her when he hit her earlier. Aang felt a new wave of anger rush through him.
What a scumbag.
Ayana saw the look on his face and gulped, her eyes flickered behind him, noticing that Tarloq was stubbornly attempting to get up again. "It's okay, Kuzon. Let's just get out of here."
He whirled around, eyes flashing white and ran at the wide-eyed waterbender with a great burst of speed.
Before Tarloq could even blink the Avatar was in his face, hand outstretched toward him.
"Wait-" his pleading was cut off by Aang, he grabbed the teen harshly by his neck and slammed him against the alley wall, making him gasp in pain.
By now Tarloq was looking at the airbender in complete fear. "You're the A-Avatar." he stuttered out, blood spilling from his parted lips.
Ayana stared at his back in shock, she couldn't believe her eyes.
"You like using your bending on defenseless girls?" Aang spoke, eyes dark and unforgiving. "Is that what you do whenever things don't go your way?"
The waterbender shook his head quickly, swallowing hard. "N-No, I've never done it before, It was just in the heat of the moment."
"I didn't mean to-" he was once again cut off by the enraged Avatar. He lifted him off the wall with ease and smashed him face first into the snowy ground.
"Never do that again." Aang dug his knee into his back. "Better yet, never come near her again."
"Stop!" Aang heard Ayana scream and loosened his grip. "Please stop, that's enough."
He got off him with a scoff and walked toward the frightened girl, gazing at her fiercely.
Ayana looked at him with fear and uncertainty, but Aang just walked past her.
"Wait please!" she pleaded, sniffling. "Avatar Aang?"
He stopped in his tracks, grimacing when he heard his full name and title come out of her mouth. "I can't believe you are the Avatar..."
"I can't believe you had a boyfriend." He shot back.
"I'm s-sorry. We got into a big fight and I-I just wanted to forget about my relationship for a day." She explained weakly, tears streaming down her face.
"So you decided to cheat on him and made a move on me?" Aang still had his back turned to her. He was so appalled, he didn't even want to look at her. "Like that justifies it?"
He was so disgusted by both her and himself.
This was it, Ayana knew it. He would never forgive her.
"I know what I did was wrong." She croaked out, still trying to explain herself. "things weren't meant to go that far but I saw you and I really l-liked you, one thing led to another and..." she trailed off, knowing she sounded pathetic. But it was the truth.
Aang walked away from her.
It wasn't until he was at the end of the alleyway when he spoke again.
"This whole night was a mistake." and with that he walked out of her sight, leaving her sobbing on her knees, her unconscious boyfriend behind him.
"Katara!"
Katara laughed warmly when her grandmother pulled her into a tight embrace.
"It is so good to see you, honey." Kanna exclaimed, pulling back from the hug. "I heard that you were okay from Hakoda, but I wanted to see it for myself."
After a long talk with her dad, Katara decided to pay her grandmother a visit, she knew she must've been worried about her so she wanted to surprise her and cook her a meal.
Gran Gran lived with Pakku in a secluded area, pretty far away from the city. She didn't see her often, but made an effort to visit them at least once a week.
"I'm fine gran." Katara grinned at her, holding up the bags in her hands for her to see. "And I brought you food!"
Kanna gasped. "You didn't have to." she said, but a happy grin spread across her face. "Thank you, dear."
"Look who it is!" a teasing voice came from inside the house, before a white-haired man appeared in the door way. "Katara, my old student!" he smiled.
Katara giggled. "It's good to see you too, Master."
Kanna shook her head at her husband's antics, but the grin never left her face.
"Come in before you get cold." She grabbed Katara by the hand and led her inside. "We have a lot of catching up to do."
Thoughts?