A/N: Just a little something that I thought of a while ago, but decided to post it today for Father's Day since that's what the story deals with. Anyway, this is my first Avatar / Kataang fanfic and I'd really appreciate if you could read & review it. Not sure how I feel about this one. Don't know if it goes too fast, too slow, or if it's just right? Well anyway, please enjoy it! Even if it's only a little. Thanks :D
Father's Day
They had been flying on Appa for a while now. They had left in the early morning hours and judging by the sky, early afternoon had already settled in. Most of the flight had consisted of Katara sleeping soundly in the saddle, seeing as they had left pretty early and Katara was still a bit tired. Which left Aang to focus on flying Appa towards their destination. And most of the morning he had spent thinking about where they were headed and more importantly what day it was. Father's Day.
The newly married couple had decided to head down to the South Pole to celebrate it with Katara's father, Hakoda. It's the first year they had been able to head back to the South Pole for a visit since they had first met due to the founding of Republic City and the planning and construction of their new home on Air Temple Island.
Katara had been excited about the chance to go and see her father again and she excitedly asked Aang if they could go and celebrate Father's day with him and the whole tribe a week ago. Of course Aang had absolutely no problem with going to see his father-in-law, as he really admired the man. And he was now the closest thing he had to a father. Actually, Aang did see and think of him as much as a father as he had once thought of Gyatso.
Not only would they get the chance to see Hakoda and the rest of the tribe, Sokka and Suki were going to be visiting as well with their 6 month old, Kano. Aang and Katara had heard of Suki's pregnancy and heard the news of their new baby, but had never gotten the chance to meet him. So this was an exciting opportunity to meet their new baby as well.
Lots of happy moments and memories were obviously ahead of them, so why couldn't Aang shake this feeling of slight disappointment?
Erg, focus Aang! Focus on making this a good day for Katara! And Hakoda! And congratulating Sokka and Suki on their new baby. This is no time to be selfish.
He sighed. He knew Katara was excited to see her father and brother again and to also meet her nephew. She had made that perfectly clear when she squealed with excitement when she received a letter from Sokka saying that he and Suki would be there with their new baby. And he knew she wanted a baby to call her own one day. In fact, they had been trying for the past year, but so far…nothing. He just hoped that seeing Kano wouldn't remind her too much of her own wishes to a mother herself.
Aang shook out of his thoughts when a cool breeze blew over them. With the sudden change in temperature, he knew they were getting closer to the Southern Water Tribe. He turned around and climbed into the saddle and took out a blanket from one of their bags and placed it comfortably around Katara, making sure she was all tucked in so she wouldn't catch a cold. Just as he finished placing the blanket over her though, she stirred and slowly opened her eyes to look at him.
She stretched out a bit and sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, yawning as she did so. "Morning."
"Sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to wake you up. I just didn't want you to get sick." Aang confessed coming around to sit beside her.
"That's okay. It looks like we're almost there anyway." She peered out over the edge of the saddle to see glaciers occasionally sticking out of the ocean. "It's time I got up."
He smiled, relieved. "Yeah, it's probably for the best. Did you have a nice nap? Were you comfortable enough?"
She let out a small laugh. "Yes I was fine. And yes it was a very good nap." She smiled and gave him an affectionate smile.
His heart melted at the sight of that infectious smile, and he gave her one in return before rewarding her with a soft peck on the lips. "Good, good. I'm glad."
She eagerly returned his kiss, and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder. "I love you." She whispered before kissing his cheek.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her practically into his lap. He nuzzled her hair gently and breathed in her scent. "And I love you."
Katara couldn't help but smile widely at his words, even though she had heard them a thousand times over already. She broke out into an ecstatic grin and took her head off of his shoulder to look at him. "I'm really excited to see everyone! I haven't seen Sokka since he took a leave from the Council to help Suki with Kano, and I haven't seen my father since our wedding. Thank you for taking me to see all of them. It means a lot to me."
He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "No need to thank me, love. I'm just as excited to see everyone again too. They're my family too now."
"I know." She admitted. "But it's still nice that you took time off from the City just to come with me. I can't tell you how happy that makes me."
"Zuko has everything under control in Republic City right now." He pointed out. "And there won't be another important meeting for a while. Everything is fine there, so there was no reason why I couldn't come. I want to see them too."
"Still…" She took both of his hands and held intertwined their fingers. "I'm happy that we're going together. I wouldn't want to have it any other way."
He grinned when she grabbed his hands and gave them a squeeze. "Of course sweetie. I am too."
They stayed like that in comfortable silence together, occasionally stealing kisses from each other, but most of the time was spent cuddling. It wasn't long however, when the Southern Water Tribe could be made out in the distance.
"I guess we should get ready to land." Katara pointed out.
"I guess we have to…" He reluctantly let go of her hands and got out of the embrace to take Appa's reigns and get ready to land him in the village.
Katara folded up the blanket that Aang had gotten her and put it back inside their bags. By the time she was done, Appa had just begun to fly over the village and people were waving at them from below. Katara smiled and looked around when she saw her home come into view.
Appa softly landed on the ground right by the newly built stables. Appa gave a low growl as they landed, and Aang hopped back into the saddle to gently aribend himself and Katara to the ground. When they touched the ground, they saw someone come running up to them. Or more accurately, someones.
As they got closer, they saw it was the children from the tribe. Some of them were no older than 4 or 5, but most seemed to be around 12 years old. They ran excitedly up to Katara and the Avatar and gathered closely around them.
One of the young girls was the first to speak. "You must be Avatar Aang! We've heard so much about you!" She clapped her hands together and stared up at him with big, wide eyes.
The Avatar kneeled down and put his hand on his shoulder and chuckled. "Yes I am. I'm sure you've heard all sorts of stories about me." He gave her a lopsided grin that showed just the slightest bit of his teeth. "What's your name?"
"Oh yes! I heard a lot from the other kids and from Chief Hakoda too!" She bounced up and down excitedly. "My name is Kama!"
Aang grinned. "Well Kama, it's very nice to meet you."
One of the older kids stepped forward. "We all remember the first time you came to our village. That was a long time ago and we didn't realize that we had all met the Avatar at the time." He chuckled nervously. "Crazy huh?"
Aang stood up. "Well I definitely remember that day and remember you guys." He looked around at all the older children and gave them a warm smile before taking a few steps forward and crouching down before all the younger ones. "And I'd be glad to get to know you guys too."
The young ones cheered and started whispering excitedly to one another about getting to spend time with the Avatar.
Aang cleared his throat to get their attention. "Of course, today is a day to spend with your fathers and to let him know how much you love him and are thankful for him." Aang stated. "That's what today is all about. Celebrating the most important man in your lives."
"Speaking of which, we should all head into the village." Katara spoke up.
"Oh! Yes, yes! Of course! Follow me everyone!" Little Kama jumped up and ran ahead of everyone back towards the village, shortly followed by the other kids.
Aang turned towards Katara and extended a hand. "Ready to go sweetie?"
"Definitely." She answered as she grabbed a hold of his hand and they walked in the village.
"Dad!" Katara shouted as she finally found him. She ran as fast as she could towards him and jumped right into his outstretched arms. "Happy Father's Day!"
"Hi Katara." Hakoda wrapped his arms protectively around his daughter.
"I've missed you so much Dad." Katara admitted as she pulled away. "It's nice to finally see you again."
"And it's great to see you too. I love you so much."
Aang respectfully hung back and watched with an appreciative smile as he watched Katara and her father have a moment together. Hakoda looked over at him and nodded his head for him to come over. He slowly approached them and when he did Hakoda heartily greeted him.
"There's my favorite son-in-law. You're welcome to join in on this hug too. You're family now too after all." He chuckled and welcomed him into a hug with him and Katara. "So how are you two?" He asked after they all parted.
Katara couldn't suppress the delighted grin that came across her face. "We're great Dad! Happier than we've ever been!" she exclaimed as she grabbed Aang's hand and held it tightly.
"Good. That's excellent to hear. I just want you two to be happy with each other. And it looks like you couldn't have found a better man to marry." Hakoda said earnestly.
Aang blushed at the sincere compliment. "Thank you sir. That means a lot coming from you."
"Of course Aang." Hakoda smiled. "I think of you just as much of a son as I do Sokka."
As if on cue, Sokka came up behind Aang and Katara and ruffled the tops of their heads. "Hey! Weren't you two going to come and say hi to me? I'm hurt."
Katara smiled as her brother snuck up behind them and she and Aang turned to face him. "Of course we were! We just saw Dad first so we said hi to him first." She gave her brother a quick hug and poked him in the chest. "We were just going to look for you."
Sokka laughed. "I'm only joking little sister. Jeez you take me too seriously sometimes."
Hakoda laughed at his children. "I'm going to let you guys catch up. I'll see you in a bit for the festivities."
"I see you haven't changed a bit Sokka." Aang laughed.
"And neither have you." Sokka countered. They both laughed and shared a brotherly hug. "Anyway there's someone I'm dying for you to meet."
Just as he said that, Suki came out of one of the houses holding her son close to her chest, all wrapped up in a little coat and blankets so he wouldn't catch a cold. She approached them with the biggest smile Katara had ever seen on her face, other than the day she married Sokka.
"Hey Katara! Hey Aang! Me and Sokka want you to meet our son, Kano." She said as she stopped by Sokka's side, and beckoned them close so they could get a good look.
"Oh my! Suki! He's adorable!" Katara gushed as soon as she laid eyes on the baby. She took in the baby's features and absolutely fell in love with him. "He looks a lot like you."
Suki couldn't help but smile even bigger. "He is, isn't he? I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw him. He's so perfect." Suki cuddled Kano even closer. "Even Sokka got all emotional about it. I don't think I've ever seen him get like that before. Becoming a parent really does change you, I guess."
"Oh, Suki!" Katara started tearing up. "I'm so happy for you guys! You guys are perfect for each other and now you have a perfect baby to add to your family."
"Our family you mean." Suki corrected. "He's your nephew, remember?"
"Right." Katara conceded. "I was just so excited to see him. And when I did, I completely forgot about that." Suddenly, she got very nervous. "…Do you think I could hold him?" Katara asked apprehensively.
Suki laughed at her sudden anxiety. "Of course you can. I was surprised that wasn't the first thing you asked." She very carefully placed Kano into Katara's waiting arms. "Just be careful and mind his head."
Katara was practically beaming when Suki placed the small infant into her arms. She looked down at her nephew and felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. "Suki…" She exclaimed in awe. "He…he's…absolutely perfect." She gently rocked the baby boy in her arms and she could focus on nothing else.
Aang watched in fascination as Katara and Suki talked about the baby and then saw Katara take Kano from Suki. The look on her face was something he had never seen before. He assumed it had to be the look a mother would give her baby. Even though this was her nephew, he knew she was thinking about what it would be like to hold her own baby one day. The look on her face clearly showed that. But also something else. Something he couldn't quite place.
While the girls were busy talking, Sokka took the opportunity to have a chat with his brother-in-law. He pulled him aside a bit. "So…what do you think of your nephew?"
The question shook Aang out of his thoughts. "He's amazing. I didn't know what to expect, but wow, Sokka. You and Suki have a very cute kid."
"I know right?" Sokka boasted. "I can't believe he's mine sometimes. I look at him and I just…it makes me proud to be his father."
Aang smiled and put his hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Congratulations Sokka. I'm really happy for you two. And I know you guys are just as excited about it as we are. Well actually you're probably more excited since he's your son." Aang laughed taking his hand off his shoulder.
"Thanks Aang. You know it's so weird to think about." Sokka thought out loud. "When Suki told me she was pregnant I knew I was going to be a father, but I don't think it actually hit me until Kano was born. I didn't realize the full weight of it until after he was born and I looked at him for the first time." Sokka looked over at his son being held by Katara. "I can't believe he's really real you know?"
Aang shrugged. "Not really. But I guess that's something only parents would understand, huh?"
"Maybe. I thought someone as wise as you would know, but I guess you're right. You won't fully understand it until it happens to you." Sokka gave him a thoughtful look. "Don't worry buddy, I'm sure it will happen someday. I mean, knowing Katara she definitely wants a family with you. I can tell."
"I know. We talked about it before, and we've been trying but…" He trailed off, letting the silence speak for itself.
Sokka gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, don't sweat it. I know it will happen eventually. Just take care of my sister okay? And don't push her too hard." Sokka warned.
"You know I would never do that Sokka. But you have my word." Aang promised.
"I know. I'm just so used to looking after my sister. Now it's your turn to do it." Sokka gave him a smile and turned around to stand beside Suki, but Aang stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. "Oh, and by the way Sokka… Happy Father's Day."
Sokka gave him a huge grin. "Thanks man. That means a lot." And with that he turned and walked beside Suki giving her a kiss on the cheek, at which she blushed at.
Aang followed Sokka, but stood next to Katara and looked down at Kano. "Hey there little guy. I'm Aang, and this is Katara." He said pointing to himself and then to Katara. "We're your Aunt and Uncle. Nice to meet you."
Katara smiled at Aang when he came over and started talking to Kano. Kano looked up at him with wide, questing eyes as he looked at this new person. He gave a small giggle and reached his hands out towards Aang.
Katara laughed. "Looks like he likes you. You want to hold him?"
"M-me? Are you sure?"
"Of course. As long as it's okay with Suki and Sokka. And I'm sure they won't mind." Katara gave the couple a look and silently asked if Aang could hold Kano. They both nodded their agreement. Katara smiled and handed the baby over to Aang.
Aang nervously took his nephew into his arms. Once he had him, all he could do was stare at the baby in amazement. He laughed. "Okay now I somewhat understand what Sokka was talking about."
Katara was about to comment, but a loud voice sounded over everyone. "Okay it looks like everyone is here! We are going to all meet in the center of the village in 5 minutes for the Father's Day festivities! Everyone prepare yourselves!"
"Well it looks like we should head over there now." Katara said.
"Yeah I guess we should." Aang agreed. He walked over to Sokka and Suki and carefully handed them back their son. "There you go. We'll see you guys later!" Aang walked back towards Katara, when suddenly he gave her a wicked grin. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" He teased and began running towards the center of the village.
"Hey no fair!" Katara half yelled, half joked. She quickly ran after him laughing all the way. But before she was out of sight, she turned around and yelled back towards Sokka and Suki, "Happy Father's Day Sokka!"
Sokka and Suki laughed as they watched the young couple run off laughing.
"Some things never change, hmm?" Suki commented.
"You can say that again." Sokka agreed, pecking her on the lips.
Most of the afternoon consisted of games that were mostly designed for the kids to play with their fathers. Most of the mothers sat around and cheered on their families. Even Katara and Aang joined in on the games with Hakoda. Sokka and Suki sat on the sidelines with Kano cheering them on.
After the games, it was time for a feast. A great feast to celebrate all the father's in the Southern Water Tribe for all of their hard work raising their children, helping out their wives, and just being an all-around good father. They even specifically celebrated Sokka, the newest father from the tribe.
The feast consisted mostly of seafood dishes, with the only exception being a few vegetarian dishes for Aang which he thanked them profusely for. There was music playing, and there were even a few waterbenders who performed some waterbending tricks after the feast as entertainment.
After a long day, everyone started to retire to their homes to get some well-deserved rest. Suki had put Kano down to sleep early, and she decided to turn in early as well. That left Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Hakoda sitting and talking around a campfire. They had been chatting, telling jokes, and just having a good time catching up on everything that had been happening in their lives.
"…And so he was going on about how he could take out 10 guys at once with this earhtbending move, and I was like so what? I could do that with my boomerang!"
Sokka had been telling a story about one of the earthbenders that had moved to Kyoshi Island that was bragging about his earthbending skills but apparently Sokka thought his boomerang would be more impressive and show the guy up.
Everyone rolled their eyes at Sokka's story but laughed regardless. Hakoda was the only one who seemed to really enjoy the story. "That was a good one son. You were always a crack shot with your boomerang."
Katara yawned for about the fifth time since they had been around the campfire and decided it was time to retire for the night. "Well I'm getting tired guys, so I think I'm going to head to bed now."
"Yeah…" Aang agreed. "It's been a long day." He said standing up and bringing Katara up with him. "Goodnight guys. I had a lot of fun celebrating with you two today." He smiled at Sokka and Hakoda.
"And it's been so great to see you guys again." Hakoda said. "Thanks for taking the time to come down here and spend it with us. It means a lot to me."
"Anytime. It was well worth it." Aang said waving goodbye to them both. "Goodnight Hakoda. Goodnight Sokka."
"Goodnight guys!" Sokka waved before turning to face his father.
"And Happy Father's Day once again to the both of you!" Aang shouted over his shoulder as he led Katara to the hut they would be spending the night in.
Katara was already starting to fall asleep as they walked in, but forced herself to stay awake.
"Well that was quite an exciting day, wasn't it?" Aang commented as they began to get ready for bed.
"Yes, it was." Katara agreed with a smile. "I loved spending time with Sokka and my father. And of course with you."
"Well I hope so. Because you're stuck with me for the rest of your life." He laughed. "And I'm stuck with you."
Katara grinned. "I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else." She got really quiet and quickly changed the subject. "Kano was really cute huh?"
"Oh, absolutely! Sokka and Suki really did a good job." He chuckled. "And holding him was something else. Wow. I'm really happy for them."
"Yeah I know what you mean. It was so unreal to be holding him. And just thinking about the fact that I'm an Aunt now is crazy!" Katara exclaimed excitedly. "I just can't wrap my head around that one yet."
Aang laughed came over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind and laid his hands on her stomach. "That makes two of us. I can't wait until we have one of our own." He purred in her ear.
Katara jumped a bit when he touched her, and blushed when he whispered in her ear. Her heart started beating really fast all of a sudden. "Yeah…" she whispered. "Me neither."
"Well we have all the time in the world to keep trying right?" He chuckled. "But not tonight. I'm really exhausted." He sat on the edge of the bed in the hut. "Come on. Let's go to sleep." He was just about to get in bed but Katara stopped him.
"Wait!" she said as she put a hand on his to stop his actions.
"Why?" He asked, confused pulling his hand back. "Is there something wrong?"
"N-not wrong…but…I- I need to tell you something…" Katara mentally kicked herself for stuttering.
Aang heard the nervousness in her voice and immediately grew very concerned. "What is it, Katara? Did you get hurt today? Are you not feeling well? Did something happen?"
"No, no! I'm fine really! It's just…" She trailed off not sure how to phrase what she needed to say.
"Just what Katara?" Aang asked holding both of her hands in his. "You're scaring me a bit…"
"I'm sorry I don't want to scare you, it's just this is hard for me to say." She took a deep breath and tried something else. "I know how badly you want a family, and I want it too! And it's just…with Father's Day being today…"
Aang interrupted her. "Oh…is that what this is about sweetie? Were you worried about me feeling left out?" He guessed. "I'll admit that I was a little worried about it this morning but after we got here, I got to see everyone and I was happy for Sokka and Suki and it was great to be able to –"
Katara silenced him with a kiss to the lips. When she pulled away she knew he was confused. "No, that's not it sweetie."
Aang was surprised by the sudden kiss when he was talking, but returned it nonetheless. She pulled away and gave her a questioning glance. "Then what is it, Katara? I'm completely lost." He admitted.
She swallowed down her nervousness and summoned every ounce of courage she possessed. She took her hand and ran it along his cheek slowly stroking the skin with her thumb. "Sweetie…" She took a deep breath and ignored hear heart hammering away in her chest. "There was no need for you to feel left out. You never were."
Aang leaned into her touch and enjoyed the feeling of her thumb glide over his cheek. "What? How was I never left out? The only way for that to happen would be if…" The realization was slowly dawning on him. "That would mean…" He looked at her with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. "K-Katara? Y-you mean…? A-are you…?"
She gave him a teary eyed smile and pulled her hand away from his face. "Pregnant?" She asked. "Yes."
Katara was caught a little off guard by his reaction. His face lit up in the most joyful expression she had ever seen on his face. He immediately got up off the bed and tackled her in the fiercest hug she had ever received and spun her round and round. And if she didn't know any better, she would say that there was some airbending involved. She giggled like a young girl and she could not recall feeling so overjoyed and at peace at one time.
When he stopped spinning her, he put her back gently on the ground and started covering every inch of her face he could reach with kisses. She was enjoying his reaction so much. She knew he would be happy, but she never expected this kind of reaction. Not that she was complaining.
"So I guess this means you're happy about it huh?" She teased.
He stopped his relentless kissing on her face to regard her with a completely blissful smile. "Happy? I can't think of a word that describes how happy that makes me!" He confessed. "I couldn't have asked for better news! This is amazing! How long have you known?"
"Only a week. It was the day Sokka sent us that letter saying he would be visiting here for Father's Day. I was going to tell you immediately when you got home, but I figured waiting a week and letting my baby's father know he was going to be one on Father's day just seemed perfect. I hope you're not made at me for waiting."
"Mad? Of course not! Actually it's so much more exciting this way! Thank you, Katara." He said bringing her into a hug. "I love you."
"I love you too." She smiled, tears of joy beginning to fill her eyes once again. "Happy Father's Day Aang."
So yeah, that's it! I hope it wasn't too bad. I'd appreciate a review or any constructive criticism you may have for me. I'd love to write more, but I need to know what I'm doing right and what I could do better. Thanks for reading! (And reviewing if you do!) Have a great Father's Day everyone! :D
