Heimat | Aang

THIRTY-TWO

Aang could hardly look away from Tapeesa. She was supposed to train the aspiring police officers today in case they ever needed to fight and although no one would wrong him for watching the demonstrator, he doubted they wouldn't frown upon him if they had known for how much time he had been looking at her or if they knew he hadn't been paying attention to her moves at all. With how awfully not discreet he was being, he could only hope the students hadn't caught on to where his attention was because Suki beside him certainly had.

For the first time since Tapeesa had arrived to Republic City, he allowed himself to look. The lines of her body could be understood with some imagination through her clothes, and Aang had seen her without them when she had broken down at the beach the other day so he had a good enough image of how she looked, and although she now had less muscle than she did two years ago when she had been part of the Fire Nation navy, she was still rather muscular. Her hair was back into being braided in intricate patterns the way it had been when he had first met her, the only indicator to her origins she would ever showcase.

He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen but that hadn't changed. The only difference now was that he didn't have to feel guilt for looking her way because now she was his.

Lost in his thoughts as Aang was, he didn't realize Tapeesa had finished her lesson and was walking over to where he was standing with Toph and Suki close by. She got near, a small knowing smile in her lips he didn't register until it was too late.

"I sensed you were rather focused on my lesson," she told him the moment she saw him as she came to a stop in between Suki and Aang. "Did you like it?"

Toph scoffed under her breath, "He certainly liked what he saw, yeah."

Suki giggled. Aang, even though he didn't hear Toph, blushed as he realised he had been caught. Sheepishly, he admitted, "I wasn't paying attention."

"I knew that," Tapeesa admitted, her smile widening in response as Suki laughed. "It pleases me to know you were honest about it, though."

Aang's blush intensified. "Shall we go home then?"

"Off you go," Toph decided for them with a smirk. "I can do some paperwork on my own."

"You must let me help you one of these days, Toph," Tapeesa insisted, but Toph only shook her head, stubborn.

"I'm not hindered so far. If you want to help wait until a few months later when my belly will bump everywhere."

"We need to tell Katara when you will be close to giving birth, she would love to be here," Suki piped in.

"More like she would love to help me give birth, you mean," Toph pointed out.

"She is good at it, she could help you," Tapeesa told her. "She helps every woman in the Southern Water Tribe give birth."

"We'll tell her when the time comes," Toph waved her off. "You leave now. Twinkletoes is waiting for you."

"I can wait for longer," Aang protested sheepishly, "you don't have to cut your conversation short."

"I'll go," Tapeesa smiled over at him briefly. "Suki, Toph, I will see you tomorrow."

"Don't feel obligated to come tomorrow," Suki said with a teasing smile. "I will be the one teaching. Aang, Tapeesa, you can stay in Air Temple Island for a while longer."

"We will be here," Tapeesa told her with a pointed look as she headed to the exit, ignoring Toph's laugh in return.

"It's not like that, Suki," Aang weakly defended.

"Why not?" Suki's and Toph's laughter followed them outside as Tapeesa shook her head at their antics.

"They are great," Aang murmured, "they like teasing me but they are otherwise pretty good."