Well, I guess I like how this turned out, but it didn't turn out like I thought it was going to. No matter how hard I try to write something angsty it always turns into a fluff-fest in the end. I do like the fluff in this though.

So the original idea was from the song Too Old Too Fast by Ryan Payne Band. If you know the song you'll know that I interpretted it wrong...but this is the idea that popped into my head the first time I heard it...before I realized it was about a girl getting pregnant. Ha.

Anyway, this was supposed to be Aang comforting Katara while she tells him about her nonexistant childhood...but it kind of turned in...well you'll see.

"She's thirteen and she's hurting,

And she's searching for a love not found in his arms,

She's only a child, trying to raise up a child,

And she should be watching TV by her daddy's side"

--Too Old Too Fast, Ryan Payne Band

Comfort

I wasn't sure what to think when I saw Katara curled up in a ball by the edge of the lake. At first I thought she must've sat down to take a break from bending practice and fallen asleep. It wasn't until I was only a couple yards away from her that I could hear her muffled sobs and notice the small shudders that shook her body.

Seeing Katara cry was hard for me, especially to see her incapacitated this way with her tears. She'd often tear up if she talked about her mother, but that could easily be fixed by a hand on her shoulder or a quick hug. After she had to bloodbend to save us, she cried for couple minutes but I could tell that the state she was in now was much worse. Katara had left camp an hour ago looking distressed. I hated to think that she actually had enough tears to cry for that long.

Not wanting to startle her, I quietly approached her and sat down next to her. "Katara?" I said, placing a hand on her back. "What's wrong?" She slowly rose into a normal sitting position and just shook her head. "Are you…do you want to…talk about it?" I asked. I wasn't used to comforting her…in fact, this was one of the first times that I did.

Katara scooted over closer to me and hugged her knees to her chest. Our sides were touching, so I tentatively wrapped my arm around her in a way that I hope was comforting. "Th-there's nothing really to talk about," she explained through her sobs.

"Katara, I…I can't stand to watch you like this. Isn't there some way I can help?" Her head turned and her wonderful ocean-blue eyes, framed by swollen redness, met mine with a look of desperation. It was breaking my heart to see her so upset. Her lip trembled and she lowered her head again as another round of tears started flowing down her cheeks. "Please don't cry," I pleaded. "Is it something Sokka or Toph did?" I didn't think this was really very plausible, but they weren't always the most understanding people.

"N-no."

"Did…did I do something?" This seemed like a more reasonable cause for her misery. It seemed like I was always doing something stupid when it came to Katara. Just the other night, hadn't she gotten angry when I kissed her? I just wanted to be with her so much…or at least to know how she felt about me. When she said that she was confused, I thought a kiss might've helped her decide. It backfired.

"No! No, no, no." She responded, shaking her head. She hugged me as if she were trying to prove it. She relaxed but let me hold her. She continued crying quietly into my shoulder.

"About the war?" I began exploring the more serious things that would make her feel this way. A part of me didn't want to ask because if I got it right, she'd probably begin sobbing again. I didn't want to make her cry more…but she was always telling me that it helps to talk about your problems.

"Sort of," she mumbled.

"About…about your mom?" She inhaled a sharp breath and twisted her hand in the fabric of my shirt, which I took as a yes. Before I knew what was happening she began explaining everything.

"Someone mentions my mom and then I get this way! I miss her so much…I wish it didn't hurt like this." She sat up. I watched her begin to redden with frustration. "And then I think about how our dad left us because the stupid war. Do you know how much I had to do after both of them were gone? I had to cook and do all the laundry and clean," she listed these things on her fingers. I listened to her attentively. I knew I shouldn't interrupt her. I was getting what I wanted anyway…an explanation. "I had maybe two hours a day that I had for myself. I spent all of that time trying to get better at waterbending, which was a waste. I remember when I first met you, we went penguin sledding…I used to go all the time. That was the first time I'd gone since I was nine." She shook her head and stopped speaking. The tears had stopped but she still looked at the ground miserably.

"Do you feel better?" I murmured quietly, putting my hand on her back again.

"Maybe a little," she looked up at me and tried to put a small smile on her face, but it turned out more like a grimace. "Thanks for caring enough to listen." She wiped her face with the back of her hand and rested against me again.

"I'm sorry, Katara," I wasn't sure if I was trying to be sympathetic or if I was talking about what happened at the play. She arched an eyebrow. I figured it couldn't hurt to clear up the confusion of the other night. "I want to apologize for kissing you the other night. It was such a stupid, idiotic thing to do. I guess, I don't know, I thought it would help you decide."

"Decide what, Aang?" she asked with a confused look. "I mean, I agree that it was pretty dumb, but I know how I feel about you. I was just confused about what I was going to do about it." I felt my heart sink, sure that she hadn't been confused at all. That was just her way of letting me down easy. She sat up and looked me in the eye.

"You—you do?" I asked. It was like every ounce of hope I had left had been drained out of me.

"Yes," she blushed. The conclusion I'd come to a moment ago didn't match up. "Aang…I—well—I think I'm in love with you." I felt my heart rise in happiness as quickly as it had sunk. She loved me? I thought Katara might have liked me, but I never thought she'd be in love with me like I was with her. "I just don't want to be together yet. You understand, don't you?"

As impatient as I was to have her be mine, I had to admit that I understood where she was coming from. She was trying not to be selfish so that I wouldn't be distracted when I finally fought Ozai. "I understand," I sounded a little dejected. "I love you, Katara," I blurted out. It was funny…for so long I'd been trying to figure out how to tell her but it came out of my mouth so easily now. "Wow…I can't believe I actually said it!" I voiced my thoughts. She laughed. I smiled; glad to be improving her mood. Her hand rested on mine.

"I love you, too, Aang," she blushed.

"Am I going to be in trouble if I kiss you again?" I smirked hopefully.

"I'd rather if you didn't," she remarked apologetically. My face fell a little. "Sorry."

"That's alright," I was disappointed, but if she told me not to kiss her, I wasn't about to argue with her.

"I could use a hug though," she smiled a little sadly. I gladly complied and we just sat there and held each other for what seemed like hours. I could've stayed with her like that forever…her breath on my neck, the scent of her hair, her body flush against mine. As she pulled away from the hug she kissed my cheek like she had many times before.

"That's not fair!" I teased. She rolled her eyes and pointed to her own cheek. I grinned. If I couldn't give her a proper kiss, I was going to make this one nearly as good. I leaned in slowly, hoping she could feel my breath and lingered by her face after pressing my lips to her cheek for a moment. When I backed up enough to see her face, her face was tinted red, and not from crying this time. "Do you feel better?" I asked for the second time that night.

"A lot better. I didn't like how we left things the other night. It was bothering me. I'm glad we resolved it." She paused and glanced around. "I was crying about that a little." She admitted.

"So it was something to do with me!" I said, reaching for her hand to hold. "I'm sorry you were that upset about anything, but I'm really sorry that something I did was making you feel that bad."

"It's okay," she looked down at our hands and threaded our fingers together. "We should probably head back. Sokka will be worrying." I agreed and stood, pulling Katara with me. "Once we get back to camp, you have to act like this didn't happen. No holding my hand or kissing. I don't want this to be serious, I just wanted you to know how I felt, okay?"

"Sure, sure," [A/N: Omg, Aang is channeling Jacob Black!!] I was glad to know that there would come a day soon where we could be together. Waiting would be hard, but I could occupy myself with rejoicing in the fact that she loves me. Still, I squeezed her hand and leaned over to kiss her cheek again, just to tide me over. She looked at me, considering anger because of the kiss. I smiled innocently and her expression instantly softened. "Love you."

"You too, Aang," she grinned and gave my hand a squeeze.

Oh…I can't wait for this war to be over.

It's cute, yes, but very different from the story I was imagining.

I love reviews!! Those who do will be rewarded with a slice of virtual apple pie. :)

Check out my multi-chaptered fic, The Kataang Chronicles! If you like the fluff in this, you'll be in heaven reading it. Its nothing BUT fluff.