A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for my terrible replying, has quite a few long shifts this week, so kinda just crashed into bed. I hope you're all doing well and keeping healthy? I'm apologising this is a super short chapter, but I hope the angst makes up for it.

Responses to guest reviews:

A: I gotta say I had a blast at reading a live review, well, I always have a blast reading your reviews tbh XD OOOFFF, now that would be angst city, should've got you to co-write with me man XD unfortunately I didn't think about it that deeply haha. Yes, yes she does XD And nope, nope. Keep guessing man! XD Haha I'll touch on it again, also Katara is pretty good at keeping her lips sealed. Trust me, I know, but the grand scheme is that its prob he doesn't know, esp how he was before he lost them. *sigh* one day my friend, one day you will like Yun, I promise! XD Haha, I think regardless of what Katara did, Aang would've swooned XD Yes, yes it is, it's fun XD Aye, that's a good line pick, it shows the contrast of when Katara used to be the one saying this to Aang. Well, chapter 17 is finally here ;) but 17 has nothing on chapter 20 and the following chapters, so enjoy this one, but the better ones are to come! Thank you! And you! :)

Haneypots: ofc, it's Sokka's speciality tho XD Oooh good instincts man! Haha let's hope I don't doom the world then XD Haha what can she say, feelings are complicated XD I mean, the avatar being at a fancy event when he's meant to be working behind the scenes is kinda what has her surprised XD Haha that's a good one XD You explained the meaning of that line perfectly! You survived a week! Here's your reward for waiting, hope you enjoy XD I'm sorry this one is short too, but they will pick up in length again!

Difficultreader: that scene was so short so I'm not worried. I'm fully sure that kataang will be canon in the live action and you reserve the right to tell me I told you so if I end up being wrong.

/

Katara's POV:

"You really didn't have to take me home." I grumble with crossed arms from my position in the passenger seat.

"Jin had to leave early for work and your brother was adamant that I take you safely home. I'll be sure not to be too loud with the car to not wake anyone when we arrive." Aang explains as he steers the wheel to the left. I move to rest my elbow against the window sill to stare outside of the car, even though it's pitch-black outside.

"No need, there's no one at home tonight." I mutter.

"No one?" The Airbender echoes back in confusion. I nod my head.

"Yun is on a night shift. Fuki is at a friend's house and Yatsu is staying over at my Dad's tonight." I list off, but my mind is still buzzing from our interaction earlier. I clench my jaws in an attempt to push out the memory.

"Ah." The Air Nomad breathes out in acknowledgement as he taps a finger against the wheel as we wait at a red light. "You know I'm surprised I didn't figure out you and Sokka were related. The resemblance is uncanny." The Airbender comments, but I simply hum back.

"Sorry for changing the subject, but aren't you worried about that arrow?" I ask after several beats of silence. I sense him glancing at me before re-focusing on the road.

"Not really. Attempts on my life are normal in my line of work. I thought you knew that?" Aang reminds as I clench the hand on my lap.

"I do know that, I just...don't you need to follow it up and catch whoever is responsible?" I press, but the Airbender simply raises an eyebrow at me.

"Is that what I used to do? Because I haven't done that since I lost my memories. If I can catch them great. If not, I just make sure I'm on my guard is all." The man explains and my heart sinks. 'I don't know what he did before. Yon Rha was impossible to catch and I never thought to ask if anyone else was after him. I assumed Yon Rha was it.' I bite my lip.

"I...don't know what you used to do. It wasn't something we talked about." I admit honestly which takes the Airbender by surprise.

"Oh? Why not?" The Avatar queries with furrowed eyebrows. I bite my lip harder as I turn my head towards the side window.

"I don't know. Guess you were worried that I'd be worried about you." I mumble as the car starts slowing down. I frown and glance at the Air Nomad who's staring blankly ahead of him. I reach over to shake his shoulder lightly.

"Hey, you're slowing down in a 30mph zone." I alert which snaps the man's attention back on the road as he presses back on the accelerator.

"Sorry, lost in thought I guess." He apologises as he purses his lips. "Hey Katara?" Aang probes suddenly. I flicker my blue orbs over to him as he taps the wheel again.

"What sort of things did we argue about?" His question steals the air from my lungs as I stare at him.

"What...why are you asking?" I force the question out as we stop at another light.

"You said arguments were why we broke up. Or at least it's the reason why I sent you divorce papers. I want to know what was it that put us so at odds. I just...it doesn't make sense." Aang mumbles as he presses on the accelerator again. I furrow my eyebrows as I shake my head slowly.

"What doesn't make sense?" I ask, feeling perplexed on where he's going with this.

"I sent you divorce papers, but we slept together either soon before or after. If we were arguing that bad, then that wouldn't have happened, right?" I choke at Aang's wording and start coughing at how candid he's being, but his face seems completely unperturbed. I expected at least some dusting of pink on his cheeks, but nope. Nothing. I thump my chest a couple of times until my coughing dies down. "Did I say something wrong?" The Airbender queries as he passes me a bottle of water at the next set of lights.

"No, no. I just wasn't expecting you to be so blunt about..." I trail off to run a hand through my hair as the man quirks his eyebrow in amusement.

"Aren't you a doctor?" Aang teases as he puts his indicator on. I shoot him a glower before leaning back into my chair.

"This isn't the same." I grumble as I return to gazing outside through the window.

"So?" He prompts after a moment and I sigh into my hand.

"We...were intimate before you sent me the divorce papers. But, the papers were backdated the day before we...did what we did. Don't ask me what was going on in your mind back then, because I honestly couldn't tell you. All I can say that it was just a spur of the moment type of thing and you lost your memories the very next day. I've told you this." I remind mildly, but the Air Nomad seems deep in thought as he chews his lip.

"Do you think I knew I was going to lose my memories? Maybe I did that to spend one last night with you." Aang voices in thought as I frown at him.

"I...don't think..." I trail off to close my eyes as I try to picture that night and how the man had acted. 'I had felt that there was something on his mind at the time, but I swept it under the rug. If he actually knew he was going to lose his memories and didn't tell me then...I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive him for that.' I think to myself.

My hands bunch up into fists. 'And if he knew he was going to lose his memories then it wasn't some natural thing. I never thought it was normal, but I never had time to question it.' I feel my lip splitting with how hard I'm biting down. 'Shoot, I wish I wasn't thinking about this. It just makes me feel so angry and frustrated. And I can't even be mad at the man next to me because he's just as clueless as I am.' I think irritably just as a tattooed hand covers my fist resting on my knee. I blink as I'm broken out of my thoughts and turn to the man who's keeping his eyes on the road.

"You're mad at me." Aang whispers and my heart sinks.

"Was it that obvious?" I ask dryly to lighten the atmosphere, but instead his fingers tighten around my hand.

"Talk to me." My ex-husband murmurs as he spins the wheel to take the next right. I swallow and glance down at our clasped hands.

"It's just...if you knew you were going to lose your memories...and didn't tell me, then I'm not sure I could take it." I admit with a small voice and I feel his fingers loosen around my hand.

"Did...did I do that a lot?" The Airbender asks quietly. I furrow my eyebrows, not understanding what he's getting at.

"Do what a lot?" I echo back.

"Did...did I hide things from you a lot? Was that normal for me?" My ex-husband clarifies and I inhale sharply at how well he hit the nail on the head. I'm clenching my hands so tightly that I can feel the nails digging painfully into my palms.

"Oh. I...see." He mumbles as he withdraws his hand. I bite my lip and chance a glance at him.

"What...do you see?" I query quietly.

"I see why we argued a lot. I hid things from you and...you didn't take it well." Aang falters while clarifying. I wince and drop my gaze back to the car floor. "I'm sorry." He whispers and when I hear his voice crack, I feel something crumbling inside me. The urge to reach out and reassure him it's in the past is strong, but it feels like a cheap way to lie.

"Nothing we can do about it now." I reply, but it does nothing to ease the tension that I can see lining his shoulder muscles.

"I still don't get why I would divorce you though. If I'm the one at fault, then surely you would've been the one requesting the divorce, not me." My ex-husband queries as his grip tighten on the wheel until his knuckles go white. I flicker my gaze between his face and his hands, wishing I could do something to take away the pain that's suddenly contorting his features.

"If...if you knew you would lose your memories then I guess you didn't want me to be tied down and wanted me to start over with someone new. You were selfless like that. You just didn't account for the possibility that I would get pregnant." I reason truthfully just as I hear the Airbender exhale heavily.

"Oh spirits, I really made a muck of things. Why would I do something so foolish and let you go that easily?" Aang groans as he pinches the bridge of his nose. My lips part in surprise. 'What does he mean by that?' I wonder as I eye him carefully.

"You talk as if you still have those feelings for me." I throw out casually, but my words must've taken him by surprise more than I realised because the next second the Airbender is slamming down hard on the brakes causing me to jerk forward from the momentum, but I manage to catch myself on the dashboard. An overtaking van starts beeping loudly behind us. The van's driver yells out a stream of swear words before accelerating away.

I push myself back into my chair and promptly click my seatbelt on before turning my body towards my ex-husband who's staring intently at the window. His face almost looks panicked, as not only has his knuckles gone white, but also his whole hand from how tightly he's gripping onto the wheel.

I reach forward to rest my hands on top of his in an attempt to break him out of his trance, but he doesn't seem to acknowledge me at all. I bite my lip, reluctant to call him by his name, but he looks so spooked that I can't just leave him like this, especially since we're stopping in the middle of the road.

"Aang?" I probe gently as I give him a light shake. I hear him gasp for air and for a second I'm worried he's having a panic attack like he used to, but instead he leans forward to rest his forehead against my hands that are resting on top of his. My eyes widen slightly, but I decide not to comment.

"Sorry, that was really dangerous of me." The Airbender apologises and I'm quick to shake my head.

"I did something similar a few months back, don't worry about it." I urge as I give his hands a light squeeze. "Sorry about what I said. I didn't think it would surprise you that much." I add with an awkward smile, but if anything his breathing becomes rasp and short. I frown and give him another shake. "Hey, what's wrong?" I press as genuine concern starts to leak through.

"I...I did something I regret." His whisper is so quiet that I have to strain to hear him. I blink twice, feeling at a loss on what to say to that.

"What, you mean recently?" I clarify and at his small nod, I find myself pursing my lips.

"Well, don't beat yourself over it. We all do things we regret." I try to reassure him, but if anything he becomes more distraught and when I feel a warm drop of moisture landing on my hand, I widen my eyes in alarm. 'Oh shoot, he's crying.' I panic just as another car beeps loudly and races past us angrily. I chew my lip and unbuckle my seatbelt.

"Let's swap seats. I'll park us somewhere and..." I stop when the man pushes on the accelerator. I give him a worried glance. "I don't think it's safe that you..." I start, but he cuts across me.

"I was intimate with Jin." His words feel like a bombshell in the car and my hands retract from his, as if I had been burnt. The man manages to find somewhere to park the car moments later.

"I..." Words escape me. Heck, even my brain has stopped functioning completely.

"It's why I was avoiding you for so long. I felt so ashamed." Aang whispers brokenly. A small whine escapes me, but I cover it up with a cough.

"Jin...she's your partner. I know you prefer to wait for marriage, but you two were already talking about it and..." I start rambling, the sound is the only thing I can rely on to stop my mind from spinning out of control.

"I don't think I'll marry Jin." At my ex-husband's quiet voice, the world seems to stop spinning. I'm too scared to open my mouth in response to that. Too scared to hear what he's going to say next. "Katara...I think...I think I've fallen for you again." Aang croaks out and it feels like time has suddenly stopped still with those words.

This time a pained whine does escape my throat and suddenly it feels like I'm choking. Choking so hard that I can't breathe. I can't see or hear anything after that. I fumble for the door handle before pushing it open and I stumble out of the vehicle in haste.

"Katara!" I hear the Airbender yell, but I'm so busy moving, running, across the field that we parked up by.

It's dark and I can't see where I'm going, but I have to get away from here. Get away from him. 'I just can't stand the thought of seeing him or hearing those words or….' My feet stumble and I trip up over my high heels. I tumble to the ground painfully, but I barely register it as my throat closes up and my chest tightens so much that I can't breathe.

I'm wheezing for air and I have to clutch my chest, trying to urge my lungs to start working again. I thump at my sternum, but it's no use. 'I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't.' I'm spluttering and gasping when I hear my name being called again.

"Katara!" His voice sends me into another state of panic and I try to force myself to my feet, but my ankle throbs and I must've landed on it funny.

"Katara please come out!" His yells sound closer and I have to plug my ears with my fingers. 'No, no, no. Spirits don't do this to me.' I beg as I screw my eyes shut, hoping that this is some awful dream that I'll wake up from.

"Shoot!" His voice is so close and I know that this isn't a dream. I'm not going to wake up soon. Warm arms surround me and I'm pulled into his broad chest as he rocks us back and forth. "Shh, shh." He murmurs as he strokes my hair and it's only then do I recognise that I'm trembling all over. 'Shoot. I'm the one having a panic attack.' I realise with a twist of my stomach.

It's an age before I feel my breathing return to a steady state and for my body to stop its trembling. Aang's arms drop from around me as soon as he sees that I'm no longer shaking. I watch as he scoots a little back to give me some space. He stares at the grass for a long time before moving forward to bow in front of me. My eyes widen in shock at seeing his forehead pressed against the ground.

"I'm so, so sorry. I've brought you nothing but pain and all you've wanted to do is move on. I wish I could change things. I wish I didn't muck up so badly. I wish I didn't hurt you. Forgive me for what I said. I should've..." The tumbling of apologies has me reaching forward to grab him by the biceps and I pull him up until his face is off the ground.

"Stop that." I utter firmly as I shift my hands to his shoulders to keep him upright. His face is stained with tears and I feel awful for being the one to put them there. My features soften and the urge to pull him in for a hug is so strong. "I can't reciprocate your feelings." My voice is steady when I say this, but it doesn't stop the choking sound that escapes the Airbender.

"I...didn't expect you to." Aang admits lowly. I bite the inside of my cheek as I shift on my knees towards him.

"Then why did you tell me?" I question softly and his gaze drops to the floor.

"Because I didn't want to hide things from you anymore. My past self used to do that and it hurt you. I never want to hurt you in that way again." Aang mumbles as his hands grasp his knees tightly. A pang hits me in the chest as I stare at him with parted lips.

"That's...sweet of you." I concur as I give his shoulders a brief squeeze in encouragement before finally retracting my hands back to rest them in my lap.

"I think maybe I shouldn't be with Jin anymore." The Airbender mutters and my heart twists at the reminder of the woman. 'Just thinking that they...' An icy shiver runs down my spine and I can't even complete the thought.

"You've been with her for so long. You care about her and like her. Whatever you have for me is probably some silly crush or attachment and it will go away." I urge in an attempt to dissuade him from going through with it, but he shakes his head.

"It's not just a crush. I think about you more than I'd like to admit." The Air Nomad confesses as his face becomes flushed. I choke at hearing that, but I force myself to get a grip.

"That's natural. I'm someone who knows your past and has known you for a very long time. Of course you'd be curious about me." I insist firmly, but he keeps shaking his head.

"Katara, I'm jealous every time I see Yun get near you. Heck I was jealous when I saw you with Zuko even though I knew there was nothing going on between you two. Every time you touch me, my heart flutters and..." I cut him off before he can continue.

"Ok I get it!" I croak back as I massage my forehead. 'Shoot. I wasn't expecting him to actually fall for me. I always thought that it was me that pushed for us to be together. Hearing him say these things...it feels so weird and I don't know how to take it.' I chew my lip. "I still don't think it's fair on Jin, especially if you were recently..." I trail off. 'I can't bring myself to say it. The thought that he was with anyone in that way makes me want to vomit.' I feel Aang's eyes on me, but I can't bring myself to look at him in the face.

"You think it's better to stay with her even though I've fallen for someone else?" The Airbender queries and I cringe when he puts it like that. I stare at my lap, trying to wrap my head around what to say as a tingling feeling sweeps over me. 'It has been a very long time since he used to come to me about his problems. It feels nostalgic.' I swallow as I try to get a grip on my emotions. "Spirits I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." The Airbender apologises as he digs in his pocket for a tissue. I wave my hand away.

"No, you're fine. It's just been a while since you came asking me for help." I explain with a wry smile while I swipe at my eyes with the back of my hand. My words take the man by surprise as he parts his lips. I clear my throat before replying to his previous question. "I guess it wouldn't be fair on Jin if you did that. You should tell her that you..." I advise, only for the man to interrupt me.

"She knows. She has for months." Aang confides and I freeze at the admission.

"She knows?" I repeat back numbly. "She must hate me." I mutter as I drop my head into my hand.

"Not at all! She likes you a lot. Jin's just feeling a little insecure about it, rightly so. I don't want to leave her, but..." The Air Nomad trails off with a one shouldered shrug.

"Then don't." I supply for him. "You like her, she likes you. Whatever...feelings you have for me aren't going to lead to anything, so there's no point in ruining what you have with Jin over it." I try to explain logically, even though a part of me is screaming at my mouth to stay silent. The Airbender stares at me with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"So...you really don't feel anything for me?" Aang murmurs quietly and I know I should've been expecting the question, but it still has me taken aback as I drop my eyes back to my lap.

"That's...an unfair question to ask. I've known you for years, we were married and had a child together. My feelings for you are...complicated to say the least. But I'm with Yun and I'm happy with him. I've finally started moving forward and I don't want to move back just because you feel someth-" I cut off myself off when the Avatar shifts to his feet. I blink up at him in confusion as he turns his head away from me.

"I understand. Sorry about putting you through all this. Forget I ever mentioned it." Aang utters as he turns his head back to me while wearing a strained smile.

His eyes are closed as he smiles and there's crinkles below his temples. To a stranger it might look like the widest smile a person could give. But to me? It's an expression of pure heartbreak. I jerk up to my feet as my stomach twists tightly and I stretch out an arm towards him, but I fall short and only then do I notice that he's taken a step back from me.

"Aa..." His name gets caught in my throat. It's still so difficult for me to say.

"We best be going, it's getting late after all and I wouldn't want to worry Jin." The Airbender comments as he moves back through the dark field.

I bite my lip, wondering what I could've said to ease his pain, but I come up empty. 'It's hard. I can't deny that I have no feelings whatsoever for him, but...our issues are still so fresh in my mind. To him it's easy, he's a blank slate. He has the luxury to start fresh, but I don't have that pleasure.'

I force my feet forward and maintain at least a foot behind the man until we reach the car. We slide into the car in silence and that's how the rest of the car journey goes. He doesn't even budge from his seat when he rolls the car up in front of my house. I don't move from the passenger's side.

"Alright this is your stop." The Air Nomad mutters briskly when I don't exit the vehicle. I clench my hands into fists.

"You're not going to disappear or something like that, are you?" I ask outright. His lips part silently. After an age he shakes his head.

"I wouldn't do that to Yatsu." He answers simply and I'm hit with the painful realisation that if Yatsu wasn't in the picture, he wouldn't hesitate twice before disappearing. 'Maybe some things never change.' I think sourly as I clench my jaws.

"So, you'd do it to me then?" I know I shouldn't lash out, but his ease at discarding me so effortlessly like that grates at my nerves. It reminds me of how easily he walked out on me the first time after our major blow up. The Air Nomad stares at the steering wheel for the longest time before replying.

"It would be easier, yes." My ex-husband admits and I refrain from biting my tongue at his answer. My hand snaps out towards the door handle, but it's shaky. I have to use my other hand just to steady its trembles. "Why are you so upset? I thought you didn't want me around." The Airbender reminds and I have to hold back my scream.

"You're such a fool." I mutter under my breath as I push open the car door. A hand lands on my shoulder, stopping me from leaving the vehicle.

"Katara?" My ex-husband probes, but I shrug his hand off me.

"You wanted us to be friends, right? Well, you can't expect that if you're willing to disappear at a moment's notice." I grit back and I feel his grip loosening on my shoulder. I take that as my cue to leave.

I slam the car door harder than necessary and don't look back until the house door is locked behind me. I release a shuddering breath and bang my forehead against the wall. 'I'm such an idiot. I had no right to blow up at him. We aren't even friends so why am I acting so defensive like this?' I rebuke myself as I rest my fist against the wall. 'Now it's going to get all awkward again.'

I release a heavy exhale. 'It would've been better if I didn't run into him tonight.' I think with a loud groan as our conversation keeps replaying in my mind, especially what he said about Jin. I screw my eyes tightly shut to shove the mental image out of my mind, but a persisting sensation of nausea overcomes me and before I know it, I'm darting to the toilet and vomiting up my dinner. 'Shoot. I think I care more than I'm allowing myself to believe.' I start sulking at the thought. 'What's wrong with me?' I silently complain as I sit back on my heels in defeat.

A/N: There we go guys, two confessions in one go, one that I'm sure you were waiting for and one…that you prob aren't too happy about haha. Can't have just happy confessions, can we? Although in Katara's case neither of which were welcomed.

Thank you everyone who shares their favourite lines, it's a lot of fun seeing what you guys end up picking. For this chapter, I really like this line, eventho its' simple, but there's beauty in simplicity sometimes XD:

"'I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't."

Next two chapters are alright, but I'm dyinggggg for you guys to see chapter 20 and beyond XD I'm sure you guys will still enjoy the next two chapters regardless, because I'm just that lucky to have such awesome and kind readers. Next chapter will likely be Sunday, but I'll try for earlier. Until then, keep well everyone!

5/10/24