"I love you, more than anything and anyone in the world. Please, will you marry me?" Aang kneels on one knee, his usual stormy grey eyes, now clear, looking up at me with hope as we stand in the living room. Spirits, this air pendant ring is huge!

"Oh Sprits, Aang Yes!" I squeal and try to sound heavenly rocked, a princess twirled in a trance and all. "I want you to pound your small dick into me every single day for the rest of eternity!"

The man in front of me furrowed his eyebrows. He sighs in annoyance while standing up. His eyes are serious, but he can't help but form a geeky, Aang grin. "Katara, seriously! I have a giant pole." Despite his vulgarity, his face blushes a crimson red. He's not the one usually saying something dirty in this house.

I raise one eyebrow. "How would I know that?" My-water-tribe-warrior stance appears and suddenly, I require a sparring match.

"Because we have waterbended in our bindings and also, we have gone skinny dipping for years!"

Makes sense. "Well, I never thought to look," I say. I pause and turn to him, "Wait! Have you looked at me?"

He's grinning but a nervous neck grab pleads his silent guilt. "You have a moon-shaped birthmark on your upper ass."

Thats it! My fist connects to his right bicep and he groans loudly. I go to yell, playfully of course, because I didn't care. His eye roll and serious manner beat me to it. "All lewd jokes aside. Did you think that was good?"

I nod my head in reassurance. "Oh yeah. Very romantic without being too cheesy, I think. You know that is something you often do." I smirk at him. My best friend loves to sweet talk to anyone, but especially to his loved ones, holding them closer and special to his heart.

His cheeks redden and he scratches his neck again. I smile at him one more time before concluding. "I know On Ji will love it!"

His gray eyes plead with me and I gasp internally. My best friend does have pretty eyes. I was taken aback by how grey they looked. He is serious today. "You sure?" I roll my eyes.

"Aang! I'm sure. Go relax or meditate somewhere before the big date. Maybe jack off so you aren't all nervous and bottled up."

He grimaces at me but smirks. "You are one weird girl, Katara. Who suggests that their best friend should go jerk off? Do you think about it that much?" He playfully suggests. I did not miss the added rough and husky whisper towards the end there, and I forced myself to fake gag.

I shrug my shoulders, confirming that I do suggest it like it's nothing. Aang and I have been best friends, the best in the world for five years. Our first year, we met at Republic City University during a philosophy class my counselor convinced me to take. Aang was the TA for the class. He's younger than me, but skipped two whole grades. We have been inseparable ever since. He is extremely mature and acts like a wise man most of the time but I love the times when we can get ourselves to act like the 24 and 25-year-old people like we are. Like we have all the time in the world. This time, I just couldn't get him to act 'his age' truly.

I mean, no guy at 24 wants to get married. Aang would wave me off. He wants to marry On Ji, a girl from the Fire Nation and Aang's girlfriend of over two years. I can't stop him. She makes him happy, and I understand that reason alone is good for marriage. Unfortunately, something in my gut, my spirit, is telling me that he shouldn't.

I tried to mention it before, but it ended up with our fighting, our largest one, and we did not speak for two weeks. It was so difficult to avoid my roommate as a result of it, and we decided to not let it wedge between us.

Ultimately, I chose to not speak over something he clearly, rationally wanted. I'm going to support him, no matter how I may feel. Bringing me back to reality, Aang flashes me another shy grin and rubs his eyes. "I should go to try to relax." He walks over to the stove and pours out a fresh cup of hot tea. "I'm going to meditate again or something."

He nods his head at me and silently walks into his room. I give him a half-smile. Shit, he should not do this.

—

Aang left for the restaurant two hours before sundown. I know he had plans of surprising On Ji with a fabulous dinner downtown, followed by a beach sunset walk to pop the giant important question. I even suggested that they go to the City Gardens just across the street from the healing clinic instead, since the view there is gorgeous, with the golden hour sun reflecting on the panda lilies. I immediately regretted doing so, though. I had taken Aang there many times and whenever he visited me at work, or we both just needed a moment alone, just us, we would go to the Gardens. It became our spot. It was natural of me to offer it, since I love seeing him happy, but I didn't like how bothered I became at the thought of it having meaning for On Ji, as well.

Realizing this, I concluded that I was about to share the one man I loved, my best friend, and the thought of that was sickening. Not even in the way that you think, and I think, I mean. I just wasn't ready for us to change, just yet. I wanted the best for Aang, and maybe I let my projections get in the way of my best friend's happiness. Maybe On Ji would be the best wife for him. Shouldn't I want that?

It is now midnight, and I am watching reruns of Korra's Anatomy when I hear the apartment door open. Immediately I am alarmed, not expecting to hear or see my roommate for days following what he intended to do that night. I figured On Ji would suggest he'd fly them to a waterfall cave on his glider and have him take her for hours, days even. The wife-to-be of Aang, the Air Nomad and successful Philosopher, thought she'd be ready to suck him dry after that.

I had even inspected his outfit before he left, making sure he was properly polished for his date. He was wearing my favorite robe of his, saffron and sunset colors sashayed across his golden, toned body. He opted to keep his Air Nomad jewelry on, and both the wooden pendant and silver studs pierced in his ear made his eyes sparkle and stand out.

I nodded my approval of his look and he gave me one of his knee-weakening smiles in return before he left. These thoughts fly out of my mind when I see Aang now. His robes became undone, his necklace off from his chest and crumbled on the counter next to the front door. His eyes were wet and his face red with a very unexplainable emotion.

I stand up and give him a concerned look. "Aangy, what the hell happened?" I put my head on his chest and forced him to make eye contact with me. His grey eyes, usually very light, sweet, and curious, are dark. Almost charcoal.

"I love it when you call me Aangy." he says, his voice hoarse, barely there. Aangy is my nickname for him, I'm the only one allowed to use it. I don't use it often, so I mean business every single time it's said.

"I do too, but you need to tell me what happened. Are you okay? Did On Ji say no?"

He doesn't say anything, and I'm even more surprised by the turn of events. I plead with him. "Tell me, please?"

"I didn't propose."

He's shaking his head, and I am immediately moved to comfort him more. He turns away from me, ashamed. I move to reassure instead. "I'm so sorry Aangy. I know you had a whole plan tonight. Let's plan for another night. I can help."

He looks at me and smiles with an emotion I can't understand. He holds that emotion for a second, he's using it like a pair of crutches before he shakes his head again in repressed anger.

"I saw her."

"Saw her what?"

He moves away from the kitchen and front door foyer, landing on the couch with a sigh. He wraps himself up in the blanket I was previously using and I blush, remembering the mental note I had made to myself to run a load of laundry when I first sat down on it. He inhales it sharply, closes his eyes, and relaxes into it.

I turn the TV off as I see the pools of tears seep from his eyes. I sit in front of him, ready to listen whenever he is ready to start.

He looks at me. "I got there early to her loft, I was so excited to see her, Katara, and I used the spare key she gave me. She knows I always do that." He pauses, looking down like he's scolding a kid guilty of repeating a negative behavior. "And I saw her" he takes a shaky breath.

"I saw her lying on the couch pillows. Her legs spread open and he… he.."

He trails off, sobs already leaving his throat. My heart clenches, and my fists turn white at my side. He doesn't deserve this and On Ji will know this from me. In this fucked up planet, Aang gives me hope that there can be good. He is too kind and gentle, he is the sun. No one is good enough for him. I clenched my teeth. I'm ready to punch On Ji and everyone she loves.

I blinked, noticing finally that the way he said "he" sounded even more disgusted. Like he was more relevant to this than just a side piece.

"Who was she with?"

He locks eyes with me in silent apology. "Jet. She was fucking Jet."

My breath hitches and the entire apartment looks fuzzy in front of me. Jet? My ex-boyfriend Jet, whom I dated for 4 years and who I only broke up with a few months ago?

Abruptly, I stand up and run to the kitchen, heading straight for the bottle below the sink. I shift around the baskets of tea and healing oils until I find out emergency bottle of Iroh's Industrious potion. The first time Aang and I had this was on his 21st birthday and we realized then on common ground, this concoction was the only thing to fuck us both up, hard. Memory is lost, fucked up. Like make an embarrassing speech and send it to all of your contacts fucked up.

I grabbed the unopened bottle, thanking the spirits and ourselves from the past, and two sake glasses from the counter before running to him.

I set them on the floor and filled them to the brim. Aang slugs off the couch, still depressed, and moves to the floor. Aang, the Air Nomad's most famous Monk, is not a drinker by any means and now that he has matured, he only consumes wine on our birthdays - quite a difference from when Uncle Iroh supplied us all with this mindfuck of a drink and Aang had no obligations to his culture just yet.

Aang this time, forces the glass from my hand and gratefully accepts the shot. He tosses it back without a second thought, his adam's apple moving rapidly as he swallows. I drink mine too after the initial shock of Jet and On Ji wears off and I see Aang setting down the glass in front of me, impatiently waiting. I hurriedly pour us another. And then another. And another.

"I never thought she would do this. I mean, I thought I satisfied her enough." he shakes his head, the alcohol setting in the both of us. I swallowed dryly, trying to focus on the music of the Tsungi horn beat blasting from our speakers. We had started to dance and I could see the drunk glass, shielding Aang from remembering tonight's events, break.

"Katara," he says huskily. "I'm a great lay! You don't even know. Many women have told me about it. Hell, they've screamed it!" He tosses back his sixth shot. Drunk Aang has always been a revealing Aang. He always leaks the remaining personal information he would never do sober, although he is already an open scroll as it is.

I raise my eyebrows to hide my grimace. "Many?" "Well, I don't know about 'many'! 3 aside from On Ji. Is four many?" He drags his tattooed hand across his mouth, wiping away the drink from his glistening lips as we lock eyes.

I laugh. He is so ridiculous right now and everything is funny to me at the moment. "That is not many. I was expecting double digits with that confident tongue you were just using."

He nods, countering back. "How about you?"

"Me what?"

"How many guys?"

"Oh. Three." I take my shot and Aang takes his seventh. At this point, he had taken off his top robes that were already falling off his body, kindly clothed in a tunic undergarment and loose pants. He rubs his hand from his exposed chest to his bald, tattooed head. His skin is flushed from the alcohol. I'm sure I looked the same, having removed my braid from work earlier, leading my brown hair to cascade into fiery curly waves. I had long removed my water tribe belt and allowed my top to ride up a little.

I'm hot as hell from drinking. I finally look down at his feet and at the shoes we collected near our front door, noticing the odd number.

"Aang, how did you lose one of your shoes?" my eyebrows perked up and I giggled, and soon his are escaping him as well in high-pitched laughter.

"I ran so fast… that..my…show..flew…off," he pants, breathing between laughs and completely not in control of his element. He rolls around on the floor like a kid as his finely hairy chest heaves with each breath.

"That's fucking crazy!" I yell. "Who does that?"

We laugh for what feels like hours and eventually, I look at the clock. 3:30. Shit, I work tomorrow.

I move to get off the floor but Aang pulls me back down. I glare at him, trying to ignore how warm his fingers feel. He's soft.

"Katara please don't leave me alone!" he calls. He laughs, but I can see the heat and also the need for comfort in his drunk orbs.

"You know I'll get fired if I show up drunk for work tomorrow! Master Healers can't take care of people while they're drunk." I have been a Master at Wolf Cove Memorial Clinic for a few months now. I love my job. It wasn't my original life plan. I've wanted to heal, but I wanted to be in combat as well, using my warrior identity to assist with the inequalities of the city. I went into the field, tending to a tea shop on the side. I didn't like the quality of life that came with it so I focused on being a healer with by prodigal power, and now I love my job.

"Fine." he huffs, and I know my Aangy is still there, caring for me like he always does. "One more shot, though?"

I lied! His blue eyes twinkle at me and before I even realize, I nod my head. Aang hands me a shot class.

"Cheers!" he raises his glass, pecking my forehead.

"Cheers."

And I toss it back.

—

My alarm blares, waking me up from deep sleep. I groan and smash it with my fist as hard as I can. It's still ringing, so I bent some water from the basin and freeze it to the wall, muting the damn thing.

I looked at the time with half-lidded eyes and see it already 8:45. Shit! I rolled out of bed and walked to my closet, looking down and jumping at the realization that I was naked.

I frown, looking down at my mocha skin. Now that we're on the topic, how the heck did I get into bed? but here I am. I shrug my shoulders, finding my cerulean blue-bending outfit. When I'm dressed, I turn around and begin to look for my hair beads, when I see him. Aang.

He's lying on his stomach, his tattooed head facing the opposite direction of me. I freeze, my mind wiped blank of rational explanations. The sheets are handing deliciously low on his body, revealing his matching nakedness. I never checked him out while water bending, but I can't help it and stare now. His ass is perfect and I widen my eyes at the freshly clawed scars all over his back.

I try to remember how the hell he got in here and then I freeze as I put the two pieces together. I was naked, and so was he.

Spirits. I had sex with Aang last night