Butterflies; (Aang is 13, Katara 15)
They flit inside of him in a flurry, tickling. He thinks he should be used to it by now, the feeling of being in love, but each day is like a new adventure in it.
He discovers things he wouldn't have ever realized without her; how her touch can warm him to the bone even in the cold of the South Pole. How her eyes sparkle whenever she looks at him, and her lips turn up just a bit no matter how angry she seems to be.
He notices how even something as simple as her smile can make him feel like he's flying on the wings of butterflies, even when his feet are solidly on the ground.
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Anything For You; (Aang is 19, Katara 21)
He draws her closer, arms settling around her waist more through instinct more than from actual thought. He feels her smile against his collarbone, hand clutching for his even in the dark.
"Aang?" He can hear her whisper, and he shifts a little to let her know he heard. "I don't want you to go tomorrow."
He knows what she means. Even seven years after the end of the war, Ozai loyalists still tend to cause some trouble. And lately they've been getting worse again. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't want to go either. But... "I'm the Avatar, Katara. I have to do something."
He feels her tense beside him, her grip on his hand tightening as she whispers, desperation in her voice, "Can't you just be my husband instead of the Avatar? Just this once?"
He breathes deeply, lets it out just as slowly, and he's sure she knows his answer before he even speaks the words.
"Yeah," he relents with a nod. "Yeah, just this once."
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Under The Stars; (Aang is 14, Katara 16)
He doesn't have to look at her to know she's smiling beside him. The grass tickles his skin, but he doesn't mind. It's hard to, when her fingers are entwined with his.
"Did you know the monks used to believe you could read your destiny in the stars?" He mumbles, keeping his eyes locked firmly on the stars above even as he feels her look at him.
"Really?"
"Yeah, kind of like Aunt Wu and clouds, except it would be with the constellations and the brightness of the stars." He smiles lazily, tearing his eyes away from the night sky to glance over at her. She's smiling at him just how he'd pictured it, and he can't help but smile back.
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Father; (Aang is 23, Katara 25)
There was nothing he enjoyed more than being a father. Sometimes he would sneak out of bed in the middle of the night just to watch his daughter sleeping peacefully in her crib. He was so easily mesmerized by the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the peaceful expression on her face...
That's how she finds him one night, leaning over the crib in awe as Ooko sleeps peacefully.
"Is she okay?" she whispers, startling him just a bit. He turns to look at her quickly, smiling that easy grin he's had since he was twelve years old.
"She's fine... I just like to watch her sometimes. She looks just like you, Katara." He knows that the adoration is evident in his voice, and even after all these years her cheeks still tint red.
"She has your eyes," she whispers, leaning her head on his shoulder. "And your smile."
He grins, wraps an arm around her shoulders, and presses a gentle kiss to her temple.
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Cradle; (Aang is 17, Katara 19)
He holds her in his arms as they watch the Fireworks in Ba Sing Se from the roof of the Jasmine Dragon. The fourth anniversary of the defeat of Firelord Ozai and the end of the Hundred Year War. It's definitely a sight to behold.
"Aang?" she whispers, and he shifts slightly so she can tilt her head to look at him.
"Hm?"
She's quiet for a few moments, just staring up at him with those sparkling eyes and small little smile. When she speaks her voice is so quiet he can barely even hear her, "I'm sorry about that one night... when I pushed you away when you kissed me?"
He laughs gently into the side of her head. "Katara, I don't think you need to apologize for that."
She shakes her head stiffly. "No--I... I wasn't confused, I just... I was so afraid I was going to lose you... I didn't want to have to face that pain. So I shut myself out. I... I shouldn't have. If you had..." she trails off, but her meaning is clear to him.
"Hey." He cradles her in his arms, nuzzling into the side of her cheek gently with his nose. "I'm here now, okay?" He pokes her in the side. "Dwelling is bad for the soul."
She must agree because she relaxes against him, and they're left to watch the dancing dragon fireworks in the sky.
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Sweet; (Aang is 34, Katara 36)
Even after 21 years when they walk the streets people recognize them as the Avatar Aang and Lady Katara. Shopping on the streets of Ba Sing Se, though, is an experience neither of them would ever give up.
"Mangoes or papayas?" he asks her with a grin, and she rolls her eyes at him as she plucks a mango from its basket.
"Are you ever going to stop reminding me about that?" she asks him with a shake of her head. "Besides, Ooko likes mangoes. She thinks they're sweeter."
He chuckles, takes out a few coins to hand to the merchant, but the older woman vehemently shakes her head.
"Oh, no, I couldn't take money from the Avatar and his wife." She smiles in a timely way, winking at them both and disappearing into the back of her shop before either of them can get another word in.
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Kiss; (Aang is 18, Katara 20)
He's sure this is going to be the most important day of his life, no matter what comes in the future. His feet shuffle nervously even as she comes to stand beside him, and he offers her a tentative smile as she turns to face him.
It's a simple ceremony, despite the amount of people who fill the pews and the aisles. (It seems that no matter how hard they tried the wedding's location just couldn't be kept a secret.)
It's Zuko who finally says the words he's waited six years to hear, and those oh-so-familiar butterflies in his stomach kick up again as she leans towards him and he leans towards her.
It's not their first kiss as a couple, but it's the first kiss of the rest of their lives.
Written for the "Kataang" week over at Kataang Forever during our KataangFest. Just a bunch of snapshots of various parts of Aang's and Katara's lives together.
Hope you guys enjoyed it. :)
--WS