I do not own Avatar.
Come What May
In the afterglow, they lie close; one awake, one not. Her breathing is slow and steady (where his is stable, but uncertain), her form hidden by a blanket (where his is sitting, lower half covered by the same cover but torso exposed), face flushed and smiling ever-so-slightly in slumber (while his has a solemn, contemplative expression). The corners of his mouth turn upward; he cannot believe the blush he caused nearly an hour ago would still be there, visible in the moonlight.
Every so often, she sighs contentedly and he can't help but grin. Once she whimpers and he is tempted to wake her, a pale, tattooed hand lingering, trembling over her tanned flesh. He withdraws it when she shifts, smiling in her sleep and whispering something he can't hear.
Finally he lies down, pulling blankets around them (only adding to the heat between them, he notices). A blue eye flutters open and she mumbles something. He smiles and so does she, her eye closing. Chestnut hair falls gracefully over the part of her body that is exposed, shielding her from his gaze. Almost automatically, her hand goes to her necklace and his comes to rest on her arm.
Who would have thought that after a war so long they would have ever ended up together? He is the Avatar; she is one of the greatest Waterbenders alive today. And yet, almost seven years after he met her, after traveling for so long together, he proposed and she accepted. Here they are, young and in love on their wedding night, at his childhood home, the Southern Air Temple.
Sokka and Toph left the gang soon after the war ended. While Katara has had contact with Sokka ever since, they have only received word from Toph once or twice. His beloved pets, Appa and Momo, are still with them (as always), Zuko is on the throne (with Ozai dead and Azula in hiding), and the world, after a hundred long years, is finally peaceful. Tribes have been rebuilt and kingdoms return to normal. Everyone is back to normal. And as for repopulating the Airbenders—well, let's just say Aang and Katara have got that covered.
She shifts again, letting go of the necklace that constantly encircles her neck, and finally he closes his eyes, murmuring something under his breath;
"Come what may… I will love you… until my dying day."