Disclaimer: I don't own Atla or any of the characters, but, if I did- I would have continued on making the series to show how everyone turned out and all that jank. You know- mature, eighteen year old aang.. all muscular and legal and- just read ? ;)
It had been exactly two weeks since the defeat of Firelord Ozai, and exactly one week since Aang had professed his undying love to the girl that had been his since the first day his gray orbs had fluttered open to connect with her sapphire ones.
Stormy skies met an ocean of aqua once he had finally awaken from his century of slumber and, like the child at heart that he was, all he had desired was to go penguin sledding with the beautiful water tribe girl that he had encountered.
Ever since that day he had desired nothing more than to keep her away from the dangers of the foreign world he had wandered into; so much had changed, his friends were long gone, and the only place he had considered home had been destroyed with only traces of the fire emblem hanging from a flag as well as numerous scattered Fire Nation helmets.
He remembered when he had first gotten so consumed with emotion that he unconsciously went into the Avatar State and how broken he felt upon the confirmation that he truly was without a home. But, no. The monk had thought of her, thought of the one that made him feel sheltered, the one whose heart was his home.
And, Spirits, he had been so mentally unprepared for the onslaught of emotions he'd mercilessly been thrust into.
He had been so immature-that he still was-and so uncertain to his future, but now he had matured a decent amount. Defeating a dictator of humanity would do that to you, and it wasn't as if he had even slain the man responsible for the madness that broke out.
No, no he couldn't do that. He wouldn't go against his morals and he wouldn't follow the principle of 'an eye for an eye.' Firelord Ozai was a person who had committed crimes, yet he was still human-though some might disagree with the vile things he had done. But, no. Killing him would make Aang no better than that monster, so he decides to take away his bending.
Katara had accepted his decision once they had taken Ozai as well as Azula and had them securely put away; she was content just to have peace with the young monk she had came to admire. She had been so perplexed with her emotions in the beginning and throughout their journey-they had been through so much and she had been frightened of the word 'love.' Something about that word held so much power, power that she wasn't sure she could contain.
Of course she had known that she would eventually end up with the powerful bender, Aunt Wu had told her that much, but even then she couldn't fathom adoring someone as much as she did Aang. Sapphire eyes would sometimes gaze up at the sky during the night, her countenance bathed in the moon's soft glow and reflecting within her crystal clear orbs.
She would sit there, feeling her most powerful beneath the moon, and contemplate all the things that had occurred to her, Sokka, her friends-everyone. Sometimes tears would trail down the planes of her tan cheeks and soak within the material of her tunic. Never would she ever have considered the possibility of being one of the group to assist in saving the world. She hadn't asked for any of it; the fame she got or the title.
And when she would shift her head to gaze upon her reflection in the pond, she would see Aang standing behind her with a solemn expression upon his face. She would gasp and whisper his name, placing a hand over her heart.
"What did I tell you about sneaking up on me like that?" Katara breathed without the slightest bit of hostility, instead she wrapped her arms around herself in a protective embrace.
Gray eyes would blink and his brows would furrow; he had assumed they would be more comfortable around each other after he had finished the battle once and for all. But it hadn't ended like that and the young avatar was as confused as could be. "Katara?" He plopped down beside her and criss-crossed his legs, "Are-Are you okay?" His head tilts to better see her face, which she instinctively shifts so he can't see the tears that are steadily streaming.
There's a sniffle as she brings up the back of her hand to swipe away the hot tears gliding down her cheeks, nodding her head softly in response to his question. "I'm fine, Aang, really. Go back with the others, I'll be there in a minute?"
Sometimes it hurt to be in love, mused the Avatar, as he unconsciously reaches for the mocha-colored hand idly balancing upon her knee. "You always say that, Katara, and then Sokka says that I should just leave you alone and let you be a girl because girls get emotional and-" She narrows her eyes and gives him a pointed look. "Heh. You're right. You're not emotional." He lets out a soft sigh and allows his lips to tilt down into a small frown.
"Just go away?"
Aang winces at that statement and lapses into silence to gather his thoughts. She had been fine before and had wanted to be around him more than usual after the final battle, but that changed. Part of the fire in the girl he adored had exstinguished even though she attempted to conceal it; he knew she was upset, but he hadn't been sure what to do. He blamed himself.
"I thought that after.. That.. We would be together." He releases her hand to aimlessly twiddle with his thumbs. "You said you weren't confused anymore and I just-I thought-" He shakes his head and brings his knees to his chest feeling progressively more and more childlike as the seconds tick pass.
Silence lapses between the two benders as they dwell within each other's company. Surely something had changed in their relationship, at least that was what Aang had hoped. Girls were confusing, Sokka had told him, and that they required patience. Being as young as he was, he found it quite difficult to be patient especially when he had a whirlwind of emotions bubbling within his chest whenever he was near Katara-the love of his life, his forever girl, the one that would always bring him back.
Katara's tears seize as she absently wipes at her slightly reddened eyes once more, allowing her gaze to settle upon the melancholy expression of the latter's. Once more, like that while ago, the ocean meets the storm and together they create a tsunami of emotion.
Her lips tremble slightly as the latter gazes upon her when she's abruptly pulled into a tight embrace, the avatar taking advantage of his varied bending abilities to emanate heat to warm the water tribe girl. "I love you, Aang."
It had been a simple sentence consisting of four words yet it pulled at every fiber of his body; that was a confirmation that he had desperately needed. Again and again the words resonated at the back of his mind and he could literally hear the pounding of his heart beating within his eardrums. Gray eyes remained wide and bright upon hearing the words as he holds the brunette within his warm embrace as if she were his anchor to the world-he never desired to let go of her, wouldn't dare allow her to break-free either.
A small and smug smile spreads along his lips upon the realization that his forever girl would truly be his forever; she loved him just as he loved her and for a moment nothing else mattered. She allowed her eyes to gaze upon the length of the slender arms encasing her and along his tattoos, which held a soft glow.
"Aang? What's wrong?" Her voice was soft and concerned as she trailed the tips of her fingers along the smooth skin of his arm, tracing the lines upon his glowing tattoos, making him shiver slightly.
He allows his eyes to flutter close as he presses his cheek against her silky locks, inhaling the saccharine scent. "I'm just really, really happy right now.." She shifts to leave his embrace but finds it's to no avail as his arms instinctively tighten around her. "Katara, I love you, but there's no way I'm letting you go. Not now.. Not in five minutes.. Not in an hour.. Not ever. You should probably get comfortable."
Do you ever write something and just think, "what the hell is this?" That was literally me writing this. I don't even-Lemme know what you think though? I really, really wanna write more for this couple, especially since I'm watching the whole series over again. Show me some love bbys 3