"So, you're going on a date...with Appa?" Aang asked slowly. Each word felt foreign off his tongue. "Tomorrow?" His face contorted with confusion and a feeling he couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Yep!" she shouted just slightly too loud causing him to wince. He wasn't sitting that far from her, "Sorry, Aang," Katara whispered with a smile tugging at her lips.
Aang stared at Katara in slight disbelief as she finished preparing dinner for Sokka and herself while simultaneously making an Aang friendly dish as well. Her attention was fixated on making everything perfect. Her dish for the Water Tribe siblings failed to be up her standards as she pursed her lips after one lick of the wooden spoon. The Earth King always offered to send cooks and maids for the Avatar's home in Ba Sing Se, but Katara turned them away. Hard work is good for the soul, she said, even if that meant Sokka had to do his own laundry.
Outside, the young Avatar heard Momo and Appa chatting about the day's events from the beast perspective. Maybe Appa told Momo about his date with Katara tomorrow. As his eyes drifted to the window that was over the sink, he watched his sky bison share some fruit with the winged lemur. While Aang loved Momo as much as General Iroh loved tea, his love for Appa was different.
Appa wasn't his pet, but his spirit companion to share his life's journey as not only a man, but also as an Avatar. Appa chose Aang out of all the little boys who had apples. The sky bison supported his master through any decision. When Aang felt his heritage slipping away, he looked at Appa to remind himself that not all was lost. Appa was Aang's first very best friend and his existence was so sacred in his heart that it was only rivaled by Katara's.
And that was another thing was bothering him. Why did Katara need to go on this so-called "date" with Appa? Why wasn't he invited? What was he more upset by: that he couldn't time with his bison or that he couldn't spend time with Katara? Or both?
As casually as possible he said, "Oh, that's cool. What brought this up?" Unable to meet Katara's gaze if she was to look at him, Aang's nails had never been so fascinating in his entire life. Maybe he should get a manicure that Toph and Sokka always joked he should get. Apparently, Aang was very in touch with his feminine side and that skin growing over his nails looked terrible.
As Katara continued stirring the pot, he realized that it was the hot and sour soup he loved as the aroma wafted with the steam. He looked up to see if she was looking, but quickly dipped his head again when he saw her make the smallest movement. She tossed a look over her shoulder at him. Though he felt her blue eyes glance his way, if his nails were fascinating than the groove in the floorboard was utterly bewitching. Katara chuckled softly, "Are you jealous?"
Aang's eyes widen and he began to raised his voice, "Of cour-!" The idea of jealousy burned him like his firebending gone awry. He needed to center himself. Perhaps he should take a page from Azula's book and be calm and collected. She was always calm and collected-well, the Azula before Sozin's comet, he added. "Of course not," he huffed. Yes, that was very pre-crazy Azula like. He hoped he acted as aristocratic as she did at least. As the monks had taught him, everyone had a lesson to teach that others should learn.
Katara put the wooden spoon down and turned around to face Aang with a smirk plastered all over face. Okay, he could admit it, he might have been slightly jealous, but he didn't want her to know that! Seeing his self-realization pass over his face, Katara broke out into a fit of giggles.
Aang looked away as he felt his face become hot due to his own embarrassment, "C'mon, Katara. I'm fourteen years old! Why would I be jealous if you hang out with my sky bison?" Even to his own ears, he realized that it sounded immature. Her laughter only increased. From outside, it sounded like Appa and Momo were laughing at him too. Traitors.
When Katara finally caught her breath, she sat in the chair besides Aang and rested her head upon his shoulder. She rubbed her hand up and down his back in a comforting and affectionate way. It was hard to stay upset at her when she was being adorable.
She took a deep breath, but laughter and joy filled her voice, "I'm sorry, Aang," she slightly giggled, "You never get so worked up about this type of stuff." She took one more deep breath and relaxed to her regular self, "It's just kinda fun to get you all bent out of shape for once about silly things."
"Geez thanks, Katara…."
She smiled and gave his hand a quick squeeze before getting up to go stir the pot again, "So, why are you jealous?" she asked, "People have used Appa before and you never seemed to mind."
He heaved a great sigh, one so large he might as well shaved a few decades off his life, "That's a great question," he muttered before burying his face in his arms on the table, "I have no idea...and I feel really stupid." She patted his back to reassure him, but it only failed. "And now I feel stupid and like Momo…"
"Wow," she gasped, "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" Aang smiled into his arms. He imagined the irritation growing on her face with every word. It was cute.
Feeling a bit better, he sat and leaned his arms on the table. He found Katara staring at him with the exact irritated expression he knew she would have and grinned, "Nope!" Her eyes narrowed more as his grin became larger, "As Sokka would say, it's against my manly pride."
"Yeah, yeah. Manly pride," she laughed. She put out the fire on the stove and sat down across from him this time. Her hands were fiddling with some napkin. She must have had felt restless.
Catching a sight of Appa snoozing in the twilight sun, Aang remembered what had made him upset in the first place. "So, why are you going out on this date with Appa tomorrow?" There was an added emphasis on the world date. "I thought you were going to make that one girl hating official rue the day he tried to exclude you from political discussions." Katara's smooth fingers were tracing all the lines in his palms.
Katara looked at him and looked completely relaxed...which was slightly alarming because Katara was always worrying, worked up, or holding a grudge about something or someone. "Is everything okay, sweetie?"
Ignoring his question, she sighed happily and smiled. Even her eyes were smiling, "For once, Aang, I'm taking your advice. I'm just going to let Offical Ji's words go." If he wasn't sitting, Aang would have had collapsed on the floor, "So, instead, I'm going to go have Appa take me to all his favorite places."
He whipped around the table, he stood in front of her, and placed a hand to Katara's forehead. No fever. She was as cool as a cucumber. As he went to sit beside her, she chuckled again and found his actions so amusing, "Okay. Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" Aang joked.
She leaned against him and continued, "Thanks, Aang," she threw him a mock glare, "I mean, I could get upset and cause a scene, but you know what, Appa looks like he could use a good fly. He's a bit bored, you know, " Katara confessed.
Aang nodded sadly in agreement. He's just been too busy these last few days to really have any time to take Appa flying. Sky bison belong in the sky after all. If Katara could let Offical Ji's words go, then Aang could let go of his petty jealousy, "I guess if anyone has to go on a date with Appa, I'm glad it would be you," he kissed her hair softly.
Katara laughed again and asked, "So, what were you more jealous about? Me spending time with Appa or that you weren't invited?"
He said sheepishly, "Maybe a bit of both. Appa isn't a pet, but my friend...but he's still my sky bison." He then smiled fondly.
"Oh, Aang," Katara exclaimed, "you know that you're Appa's favorite person. He loves you more than life itself." Appa bellowed in the background almost to say I love you, Aang. Katara and Aang just smiled at each other.
"I know, but now I realize that you're going to out tomorrow and I'm going to be stuck at that boring meeting…" Aang stood up and started setting the table for dinner as he heard Sokka enter the house, claiming he was hungry.
Katara tugged on his tunic as he walked passed her and said, "Well, I might be going on a date with Appa, but Appa and I happen to be going on a date with you tomorrow."
Aang stopped and looked at her, "Wait, what?"
Katara beamed at him, "Anywhere you are is Appa's favorite place, and I have to agree with him...those happen to be my favorite places too. So, tomorrow, you're coming with us too!" she grabbed onto his hands again and gave each one a kiss.
"...but what about the meeting?" It was very tempting to take her up on this offer. Katara was offering they play hooky-Katara, his beloved stickler for the rules. While she could be playful, this all seemed too good to be true.
"Well, I might have lied when I said that I let everything go," Aang laughed as she continued, "but what better to make him rue the day than to whisk the Avatar away?"
He kissed sweetly on the lips and knew there was nothing better.
A/N: And this is the first one-shot I've written in about five years. It was much cuter than I was excepting. There will be some more kataang one shots in the upcoming weeks coming from me and I'm also working on a multi-chapter fic as well!
Thanks! :D