Short Kataang drabble- takes place in between the season two finale and The Awakening.
Kataang Week Prompt 2: Sleepy
There wasn't much anyone could do to make Katara leave Aang's bedside. He had been unconscious for a week now, and her hope that he'd ever wake up was dwindling by the day.
She still wasn't sure how things had gone so horribly in the Earth kingdom, with numerous forces conspiring against them in Ba Sing Se. She cringed as she recalled how she had actually trusted Zuko for an instant, only for him to turn on everyone, even his own uncle, at the last minute to side with Azula and the Dai Li. Perhaps it wasn't right to blame herself for the debacle- Aang certainly wouldn't let her if he were there, but she couldn't help but feel immense guilt and failure at the fact that she hadn't been able to stop Azula's attack.
She placed two fingers on his neck, needing to feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, just to confirm for herself that yes, he was, indeed, alive. Katara gently turned Aang's body over so that his back was facing up. Readied with a bowl of water at her side, she skillfully manipulated the water to fit her palm like a glove and set off to work.
"If I'm such a great healer," she muttered to herself, "why aren't you awake yet?" Her voice broke with the last sentence. She eased her hands over the wound at the top of Aang's spine. It still ached for Katara to look at- the wound had started healing, but she knew that a scar would remain forever. She shuddered at the memory of Azula striking down the world's last hope with a single shot of lightning.
When Aang had fallen, something in Katara broke. She wasn't fully aware of the intensity of her feelings for the airbender until recently. She was sure, now, that she loved Aang. His pain had become her own, and she made a silent vow to always do everything in her power to protect him while he tried to protect the world. She turned him over again so that his face was now visible. His face was serene, almost as if he were meditating. Sometimes a groan of pain would escape his mouth, and other times, he would silently break out in a sweat, or clench his fist. Occasionally at night, his tattoos would take on an ethereal glow for a minute- she told herself that it was his spirit beginning to heal. The little signs served to keep her hoping, they served as her proof that he'd wake up eventually and that all was not lost.
Katara gently ran a finger down his cheek, realizing she probably would never understand every bit of loss and pain that the boy had experienced. His spirit was exhausted, and the 13-year-old boy trapped under a world of burden and responsibility was exhausted. For the time being, she needed to pretend that the boy she loved was just tired. He was in a deep sleep that he would eventually awaken from.
"Please come back to us, Aang. You know how much the world needs you. Don't you realize how much I need you?" she whispered, kissing his forehead. She allowed herself a bit of selfishness. The world needed him, that much was true, but she needed him, too. She couldn't bear the thought of life without the airbender. Avatar or not, Aang had brought her back to life in so many ways. She needed him just as much as the rest of the world did. She didn't need him only as the Avatar, but also as lovable, courageous, mischievous Aang.
She needed to believe he was only sleeping- if he was alive, it meant that her hope was alive. He had a duty to protect the world, so she made it her duty to protect him.
Not a fluff-bomb, but still Kataangy nonetheless. Thoughts and comments in the form of a review are always appreciated :)