I don't own Avatar

--

Aang ran his hands through her soft hair, smiling as he watched her sleep, her chest slowly rising and falling. He had to admit, he had wanted Katara to be awake for what was about to happen, but he couldn't bring himself to rouse her, the sight of her curled form so at peace, his arm wrapped around her waist being too precious to end.

A few minutes passed, and Aang used this time to think back to the when he and Katara had been unsure of their feelings for each other. He remembered when they had been trapped in the Cave of the Two Lovers, and the thought of a simple kiss had seemed so foreign and outrageous, causing them to dismiss it. He also remembered the first time she kissed him, after he returned her mother's betrothal necklace to her.

As he thought of that necklace, the one he had fashioned for Katara seemed to burn in the folds of his sache. He pulled it out and looked at it, admiring his painstaking work to create the symbols of water and air in harmony together. He only hoped Katara would be impressed, everything relied on what she thought about it.

With a glance at Katara, her cuddled form still sleeping soundly, he returned to his memories. The dance party in the Fire Nation was a big jump in their relationship, he thought. The passion they had shared in their dance had been so beautiful. It had given them a mutual feeling of the dance being a moment entirely for them, and allowing them to forget the constant worries of the war, mastering the elements, and all the strife that the world carried with it. In that moment, all that was present was their love for each other. That had been a week or two before their invasion of the Fire Nation, where he and Katara had shared a kiss.

So many memories, and they all led up to their long kiss in Ba Sing Se. That had been the moment, in Aang's mind, in which Katara had dispelled all the worries and reservations she had for him and begun a serious romance with him.

After that day, Katara had rarely been seen far from the young Avatar's side. They had traveled the world, attempting to mend the damage a hundred years of war had left on the world. Despite their busy schedule, Aang had ensured that he and Katara had time to be together, and each of those moments was preciously shared between them.

Now, seven years after the defeat of Phoenix King Ozai, eight years after he had first met her, he was about to propose to Katara, the love of his life. His heart began to hammer faster as all manner of scenarios passed through his mind. He could see her overjoyed and accepting his proposal, but he could also see her refusing bluntly.

Then he felt something move under his arm.

Aang nearly lept up in surprise and shock, but realizing it had simply been Katara waking from her nap, he calmed down. He watched her beautiful face rise up and caught the scent of rose petals on her.

"Hey there, sleepy," he said with a smile. Katara gave him a kiss on the chin and smiled sweetly back at him.

"Hey love, how long was I - I asleep for?" she asked with a yawn.

"Only about a half hour," Aang replied, "love," he added with another kiss.

Katara's smile turned sultry and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back to her for a longer kiss. "Should we go out and get some lunch?" She asked as she pulled away, noticing the sun was beaming high in the sky.

"Sure," Aang responded. As she started to get up, he grabbed her wrist. "Hey, Katara, can I talk to you about something?" He asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" She asked him interestedly.

Aang led her from the couch the nearby balcony looking out at the sprawling city of Ba Sing Se. The warm, cloudless day seemed to encourage Aang as he turned to face Katara. Holding her left hand with his own, he reached into his sache and pulled out the betrothal necklace. Katara gasped and her eyes looked from the necklace to Aang.

"Katara, will you marry me?" Aang asked, trying to keep his voice level as his heart hammered faster and faster.

Her still surprised face looked at him for a moment, but for Aang the moment felt like a lifetime.

Before she spoke, she wrapped her arms tightly around him, and Aang felt tears starting to come down her face onto his neck.

"Yes, yes, yes, of course Aang, yes!" She exclaimed, tears now streaming down her face.

She released herself from the hug and pressed her lips to Aang's. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck. For what seemed like hours, they continued the kiss, enjoying the feeling of the sun on their skin and the beauty of moment they now shared.

They finally pulled apart and Aang reached up to wipe the tears from Katara's glistening face. "You still want to get some lunch?" he asked her playfully.

She smiled and sniffed away the last of her tears. "No, I think I want to eat in today, instead," she responded sensually, her smile now turning lurid.

They kissed again as Katara grabbed Aang's belt and pulled him back to the couch.