When Conversations Fly

A/N: Hello everyone! Thought I'd write a fic to shake the season two blues.

Figures, this will be multi-chaptered, though mostly fluff, it will have progression. I've decided to do a sort of conversation thing between the characters. People can say so little and yet say so much. It's a very interesting concept that I've decided to tackle.

This first chapter is short, so I apologize. I have two other fics I'm working on but I wanted to get this one out. Hope you guys like, and don't forget to review!

-ScorpioRed112

Chapter One: Katara and Aang Let Go

Katara felt around under her pillow, searching for that special cool spot where her hand could rest. She hadn't slept well the night before, and she saw little chance of sleeping well this early in the morning.

It was probably beyond midnight; the sky was still dark and perilous outside. Katara felt ill. Why hadn't she been sleeping well these past couple of days? Was it the feeling of being this locked up in such a stuck up neighborhood? She couldn't be sure. All of her friends seemed to have been sleeping fine, what was wrong with her?

She lifted herself out of bed and pulled on a green "Welcome to Ba Sing Sei" robe that they had given her at their arrival. It was about three sizes too big, but it was warm. She decided she would go and sit on that little balcony right in front of the house, get some fresh air; anything to clear her mind or the rings around her eyes.

She walked silently past her brother and Toph, amazed that she could tell the difference. Toph is so messy, Katara thought mercilessly, observing the odd lump of flesh and her surrounding clothes. We get another girl in the group, and she turns out to be worse than the guys.

Katara's eyes then darted to Aang's blanket. To her surprise, the sheets were empty. Where could he be this early? Her heart jumped when she saw a small figure move outside the window leading to the balcony. It must be Aang, she assured herself. Where else could he have been?

Without thinking, Katara opened the door, squinting immediately after a gust of cold air sliced at her cheeks. It was a cold night, she knew, but there was something wrong if Aang couldn't sleep either. She saw him hunched over his knees, his eyes partly closed, sitting on the staircase.

"Mind if I join you?" she whispered. "Aang?" She shook his shoulder gently. He jumped at her touch.

"What? Who?" His body relaxed when he saw her, and without another thought he slid over and made room for his companion.

"You can't sleep either," he stated. Katara could tell he had been up way before her, perhaps hours. His eyes were fogged and baggy, and his skin seemed paler than usual.

"No, I can't," she admitted, folding her frigid arms across her chest. She wondered how Aang could sit so still and be so warm in his regular clothes. "Are you thinking about Appa again?"

He was silent for a moment. "No, I don't think I am." He paused again. "I just…I don't know...I feel really out of place here."

Katara placed her cold hand on his shoulder. "We all feel out of place here," she reassured. "Except, of course, Sokka and Toph…but they can't be considered normal…" Aang laughed slightly, his face turning to Katara's direction. "I guess we're going to have to cope until we can see the Earth King."

Aang smiled from his seat, unbending slightly and stretching his legs forward. Katara knew what he felt—uncertainty, doubtfulness, fear. What if the Earth King never showed up? What if the Earth King didn't exist? What worse, what if the Earth King did nothing about the war? She sensed his pains and wished she could heal them as easily as she could heal everything else.

"I miss flying," Aang told her suddenly, walking to the petit swing set up on the balcony. Katara followed and sat next to him. "Everything is so cramped here…it feels so weird. Like we don't belong here."

"Because we don't!" Katara whispered back, laughing. "But we're only here temporarily, remember? I don't like it either…I mean, it's not like the South Pole was any less depressing but…" Katara stopped and tilted her head to the side. Aang was staring at her…an odd stare, his eyebrows sloped upward and a small smile pasted on his lips. "Aang?"

His face ran frigid—his eyebrows returning to their norm and his smile turning into a shy grin. His face went pink. "Sorry! I'm just sleepy, in a trance. Sleepy. Tired, just sleepy." His excuses could not hide his red face, or his scurrying gray eyes.

Katara smiled at him. "Maybe you should go get some sleep?"

"Well I can't just leave you," he stuttered. "I mean, not like I would leave you… you're out here too and I can't just go…and sleep. I can't sleep, anyway…and so, well, we're just sitting here…and I'm not that tired, you know? I mean, I can go inside, if you want to go inside…"

Katara sighed restlessly as Aang stammered and tripped on his words. Thoughts of Aang being more than a friend had always occurred to Katara. They happened so often Katara thought of them more as a way of life. There was always a vivid picture of the two of them kissing whenever she thought about him. She wondered if this vision had come from her heart or her head—or if it would ever come true.

But it was impossible. Aang was a shy boy—a shy, immature boy. And he was busy—with saving the world and what not. And he would never take the first step. Never. Not with everything that he had to do and think about. Sometimes I wish we could let go, she thought. It would give Aang some time to rest, to stop being Avatar for a while.

"Okay! You don't have to go inside you know…it's just because you were tired that I suggested it."

"But I'm not really that tired," Aang defended.

Katara laughed, "Aang, you win, don't go inside! Just say out here."

"Well if you really want me to, I guess I could." He beamed at her laughter. "What were we talking about again?" he asked.

"Something depressing that we shouldn't think about," Katara told him, almost laughing. "We're in the city, and all we can think about is leaving! It's so strange! Sometimes I think we're killing our selves, with all this responsib—" She stopped. She shouldn't be telling him that. They had to be responsible. If they weren't, who would be? The Fire Nation wasn't responsible, and look what they had done. She shook her head and looked away. "Never mind."

Instead of nodding and agreeing, Aang stared at her. "You know you're right," he told the back of her head. She turned to him. "You know it is killing us. Sometimes I just want to let go." He paused. "Let go and forget."

"It's not that, Aang. It's just..." Katara went silent. Aang was resting his right hand on hers.

What was he doing? Both felt their faces go warm. "It is killing us. And we do need to let go and forget."

Aang felt Katara's fingers intertwine in his. He was amazed at how cold she was, figuring that she would be used to such awful temperatures. Both held each other's gaze, neither dared look down at their hands.

"We can't do that," she argued.

"You don't know for sure."

"Shake the thought, it's not safe."

"It doesn't matter. You think everything isn't safe."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

Was that a question? How close had they been sitting? Katara felt Aang's thumb brush against hers, slowly, as if she would break.

Her breath was warm against his face. He loved this argument. "Are you going to let go and forget with me or am I doing to do this on my own?"

"Don't do it!" Katara whispered defensively. "You can't just...you can't just let go. What are you planning on doing? Leaving?" She stopped, biting her lip. "You can't leave," she stated, definite in her sense of words. "You can't leave us."

"I am tired," Aang said, his face emotionless. He wasn't referring to just now. He was referring to his whole life, the life he had now and the one he had yet to lead.

"So am I," Katara stated, knowing what he meant. She had just mentioned the South Pole. She had just realized how much she missed the life of simplicity.

"You kept me from going inside."

"You keep me awake every night. I worry about you."

Woah! Where did this come from? Everything was sounding like a romantic drama. Okay, Katara knew she was overdoing it! She moved back and removed her hands from Aang's grasps. Timidly she crossed her arms and frowned. "We shouldn't be talking about this."

Aang beamed, faintly chuckling. "We just let go, Katara. Didn't you realize it?" He moved his arm around Katara's neck, a mocking gesture that a salesman would use to get a client to buy something. "See? Tell me it doesn't feel great to get everything off your chest. "

She felt her face go red at his touch. Somehow she knew it was a deep, deep shade, but she laughed regardless. "I believe we're ready for the next level of letting go," she teased. "Don't you think so?"

"It's a much more advanced level," Aang explained. "Much more advanced than anything we've dealt with before. We have to get EVERYTHING off of our chests." He cracked his knuckles. "It's time I taught you, for a change."

Katara laughed, thinking of Aang again as just a friend. How she loved his personality! He was able to shift the uncomfortable and awkward feelings without even trying. Everything they had said in the last two minutes vanished. "Teach me," Katara pleaded, smiling. "I've got loads of things to think and worry about. What do we say in level two, Avatar?"

"We don't say anything," Aang told her. He moved close and pressed his lips against her cheek—a warm, sweet, naive kiss.

It was quick and hasty, almost as if Aang was getting away with something. He pulled back with an unmistakable red shade across his cheeks.

Katara blinked, unsure of what had just happened. Unwillingly, she smiled. "Avatar, you make a horrid teacher!" She stood up. "You didn't even let me try my hand at level two!"

Katara bent down and kissed his cheek. "I'm going inside, instructor." In truth, she wanted to make sure she wasn't dreaming. What did he mean when he said they were letting go? Forgetting? Was his duty as Avatar getting in the way of their relationship?

Was it even considered a relationship? It was just natural attraction, perhaps; the fact that Aang had not seen anyone in 100 years, it would be very easy for him to love her or any other girl under the sun.

"I'm coming with you," Aang stated. He stood up as well, stretching. "It's too cold out when you're here by yourself."

The stood motionless for a while.

"Does letting go only have two levels?" Aang asked, his voice quiet. "Because, I..." he paused, crossing his arms.

Katara stared at him, prodding him to go on.

"I...I think... I still fell like I have a lot to say." Aang's eyes sparkled, hoping Katara would stay outside with him some more. Her eyes, her voice, that kiss, he wanted to relive it.

Instead she smiled and placed her frigid hand on his shoulder. She was well aware that he needed the attention, the talks, and the explanations. He was a child hero, half hero and half child, with a lot to seethe out. "There are a zillion levels, Aang. Any time you feel like letting go, you tell me."

Katara was amazed at her sudden change in mood. Just before she wanted to remain strong and responsible, but now she knew it was impractical. "I guess I feel like I have a lot to say too," she told him.

They walked inside just as the sun was rising, watching their steps over Sokka and Toph. To their surprise they fell asleep easily, perhaps knowing that the only weight preventing their slumber had evaporated with talks and kisses. They dreamt heavily. The weight was off their chests, even if it was only for one night.