Hey, guys! Yeah, I was in the mood for another Kataang oneshot. And don't worry, I'll be updating Emotions Galore and the 30th Century asap. ^^ It's been too long of a wait, hasn't it?
Anyways, here's 'His Secret'. I was playing piano yesterday and suddenly got inspired to write this. =D This is for all of those piano/Kataang lovers out there! =D Bewarned, in this story, there be a serious make-out session. xD Rofl. I think that's expected, though. Right? AMIRITE? D; IT'S KATAANG FOR GOODNESS SAKES.
Ahem. Anyways, enjoy the story! 8D
Pianos were not highly thought of when it came to music. Music usually consisted of tsungi horns, woodwinds, and strings. But pianos were one of the air nomads' favorite musical instruments for two reasons:
As an airbender, it was quite fun and enjoyable to allow their fingers to glide on the keys, hitting any note and be able to create music. Who wouldn't love that?
They were considered very, very romantic.
Even after knowing Aang for a year now and having a relationship with him for three weeks after the war, there were still secrets I have yet to find out about from him. I've come to learn a few things, though, during our travels:
Never be in the same room with an airbender if they're sick and sneezing.
Airbenders like to laugh at gravity—literally.
A pillow fight with an airbender = the best pillow fight you will ever experience in your life—one that I guarantee you won't get anywhere else.
But there is one secret I've come to learn recently about Aang, personally, and it's my most favorite secret.
Aang can play the piano like Mozart.
It all began in a musical theater we found hidden away somewhere in the fire nation, five days after the fall of Ozai. There was a dusty old piano that was locked away in the backstage closet. If you were to swipe off all the dust and clean it up, it would look absolutely beautiful. Immediately, Aang had taken an interest in the instrument, seeming to stare at it quite fondly, almost longingly. I asked why he seemed so interested all of a sudden, but he just blushed and said it was nothing. So, I left it alone, for a while… but I didn't drop the subject again when Aang continuously said he was going back to the theater to "check it out more".
Finally, my suspicion and curiosity got the best of me. I followed Aang one evening to the theater. What more was there to "check out"? The entire theater was dark and dusty, not to mention quite tacky. Nobody but Aang went there anymore.
So. Here is his story—his secret. Or, I guess I should say our story—our secret:
The evening I followed Aang to the musical theater, I would have never imagined my boyfriend to be any more perfect than he already was. But somehow, he really did turn out to be that way. And it all started with a piano. Who would've guessed?
When I arrived at the theater, it was dark and creepy. Aang was long gone ahead of me, because I had to tip-toe-follow him so he wouldn't notice. This process definitely slowed me down a bit compared to how fast he was walking.
So, partly sulking in my own fear, I walked normally and alone through the hallway, my arms protectively crossed and my water pouch to my side just in case I needed to water-whip a ghost trying to sneak up on me. A few times there were some noises heard, and some odd footsteps behind me. It was understandable—this place definitely seemed old enough to be haunted. It was also very cold and uncomfortable.
I noticed the footsteps behind me growing louder as it approached.
"Aang?" My voice choked out, frightened. I needed to be close to him. Where did he run off to?
Suddenly I felt reassured with the sound of music being played, but it sounded very faint in the distance. It was a piano. The beat was a fast-tempo, animato. The tune was so bubbly; so cheerful, it made me smile. I stopped in the middle of the hall to just listen to it, my fears vanishing. When that song ended, a new one began. I continued walking, following the source of the music, and while doing so, I listened. This one song almost had me in tears. It was soft, slow, and both sad and beautiful.
Somewhere along the way in my journey around the theater, I ended up backstage. I stepped up the stairs that led onto the wooden floor. The piano was now louder than ever, but even more beautiful. I kicked off my shoes, knowing they would be loud and cause a distraction, and slowly made my way across the stage barefoot.
I looked up as I walked. And there he was, his back turned to me—the young thirteen-year-old Avatar, playing the piano like a musical genius. No one else. Just him.
Although the floor creaked while I walked, Aang didn't seem to notice my presence. He was in a very meditative state with his piano.
When I finally reached the young airbender, I slowly, almost hesitatingly, reached out my hand and touched his shoulder. It was a tiny, barely noticeable touch, but his reaction to it made both of hearts nearly jump out of our chests:
Aang yelled and jumped off of the bench, causing it to fall over. Before either of us could react, though, it made brutal contact with the wooden stage, and a loud BANG echoed throughout the entire theater. Thankfully, though, the stage did not break from the impact.
"What are you doing here?" Aang yelled at me when it was all over. He was angry. But it seemed he was mostly startled and frightened, which caused his anger. Either way, he scared me a little.
"I… I'm sorry, Aang… sorry…" I whispered, my body still frozen and shaky from the loud bang. And suddenly, I ran for it. I was about to escape the theater, knowing perfectly well Aang did not want me there at all. I was surprised, though, when I felt a hand gently grasp my wrist and pull me back before I even made it off the stage. I was now up against his warm body, against his robes of orange and gold. Aang was not taller than me yet, but he had grown increasingly each day the past few weeks that we were now the exact same height. It didn't seem as awkward anymore.
I felt his cheek against mine, his lips at my ear and tickling it as he spoke: "I'm sorry, Katara. I didn't mean to yell at you. You just gave me a good scare is all. You should have told me you were coming." He said, wrapping his arms around me in a cuddling-kind of way.
"But if I told you I was going with you, I would have never heard your piano-playing, I presume?" I said, looking behind me at him with a content smile and closed eyes as I rubbed my nose against his.
Aang chuckled quietly. "I suppose that's true."
"You should have told me that you played piano! How come you never did?"
"It was a secret."
"But why? Why did it have to be a secret from us?"
Aang shrugged. "No point in really saying anything if we didn't have any pianos around," He paused, studying my face, then continued. "These instruments are very rare, Katara. A hundred years ago, I used to play it all the time. They were pretty popular. There's only a couple-hundred or less in the entire world now. We never came across one in our journeys until now. I was going to tell you, though…" He furrowed his eyebrows.
I leaned my head back on his shoulder. "Yeah. I'm sure were." I said sarcastically.
Aang rolled his eyes and leaned over to kiss me on the lips, very briefly. "I'm serious."
He untangled himself from me—much to my dismay—and walked back to the fallen bench to gently pick it up. Once it was up, his fingers lingered on it for a moment, feeling the texture of the wood. Then he sat down on it, playing again. I followed. He scooted over to give me some room and I sat down next to him, observing the way his fingers glided over the keys. The song was, once again, a bit slow but it wasn't as sad. It had a much happier tone to it, making both of us smile.
"Gyatso taught me this one. It's a love song." He said.
I blushed. "It's beautiful."
Just the Avatar and I sat there for a few more minutes in silence, listening to the harmonies, the many different keys being pushed to create this wonderful music. Not once did I hear a mistake from him. I have never heard anything more beautiful in my life, and I had never met anyone so beautiful as Aang was, especially playing this wonderful instrument. I felt like the happiest, most lucky girl in the world.
When the song ended, its ending tone echoed in the theater, and we both turned to each other. Our eyes locked, blue and grey. Naturally, we began to lean in to each other, closing our eyes—feeling like we were the only human beings on the entire planet at this moment. When our lips touched again, it felt like magic. I couldn't imagine a more perfect moment. His fingers tangled themselves in my chocolate-brown hair, and I took ahold of his collar and pulled him to me more. The kiss deepened. It was only the two of us in the entire theater. No one else—unless you count the many spirits that were probably watching us right now. I smiled against Aang's lips at the thought.
Aang began to lean back and ended up pressing several keys with his arm, but he didn't care as he took my back and hugged me closer. The kiss lasted for a good few minutes. It was just as passionate as the one shared on the balcony of Iroh's Tea Shop that one evening, if not deeper than that one.
"Oh Aang," I breathed against his lips, his collar still in my grasp. "I love you, Aang… I love you." I murmured. These past few weeks, ever since I first started saying it, I've barely said anything else.
"I love you, too, Katara… so much." He whispered between breaks. His elbow was still hitting random keys and, as impossible as it was supposed to be, he ended up creating a little song by doing so.
The scene was starting to get a little heated, so we stopped, reminding ourselves of our restrictions with each other. But within a few minutes, things calmed down and we were lounging on the piano. My hair was tangled and messed up, and Aang's collar was just wrinkled. He reached over and began brushing my hair with his thin fingers, smiling. But, me being in a cuddling-mood, I turned over and held him close to me.
"Hey…" I whispered. "Teach me to play the piano sometime, would you?" I smiled.
"Of course." He said, grinning, and kissing my cheek. "But, one thing…"
"Let's keep it our little secret?" I finished.
"Yes."
I laughed. "Okay. This can be our private little 'spot'."
"Great." He held onto me tighter, snuggling his face in my hair.
The same ghostly footsteps I heard from earlier could be heard again crossing the stage. My heart raced, but I felt safe and protected in Aang's arms. And, without any warning whatsoever, the piano started playing, all on its own. It made me and Aang jump from the vibrations coming off the piano beneath us, but we both started laughing when we realized the song being played was the love song Aang played earlier.
There was nothing more pure and magical than this moment, here, lying on a piano, in Aang's warm arms. I smiled to myself. Another secret I've learned from him to keep.