A/N: So SR240, you may be saying. You rated this story M. You promised us some good M-ness. What gives?
Ask no more, friends. Ask no more.
Chapter 9 – Thirteen Weeks After
Aang was nervous.
He knew that,logically speaking, it was stupid to be nervous, but he couldn't help it. And given the past few months, he mused to himself internally, he supposed it made a bit more sense than it otherwise would have. But still. This was his wife. His best friend of 18 years. The mother of his children and the person to whom he was, without question, the closest in the world. Who knew him as well as she knew herself, who had seen him at his absolute best and at his sometimes mortifying worst. The person who, the last few months excluded, he had always felt 100% comfortable and at ease with and around.
And yet here he was, his heart beating at a rapid-fire pace as he watched her grind up the hay, corn and vegetables for the sky bisons' breakfast. He drew the big, soft-bristled brush down Appa's flank in a distracted sort of caress, but his eyes bore squarely into the back of Katara's long, dark hair, plaited in a loose braid over one shoulder. Just as his gaze was beginning to turn borderline hypnotic, she chose that exact moment to turn around and rise to her feet to reward him with a warm, loving smile that reached all the way up to her eyes.
Aang instantly felt himself turn to goo. His knees buckled at the pure love and light emanating from her beautiful face and he instinctively reached out to grip onto Appa to keep himself steady. She chirped a small laugh at his besotted expression.
"You're staring," she remarked shyly, her cheeks tingeing with just the slightest dusting of pink. He swallowed audibly, and she couldn't help but delight in the answering flush that spread over his perfectly formed cheekbones.
"I'm sorry," he replied. "I couldn't help it."
There was an awkward silence. Which seemed odd to both of them, given their years of history and intimacy, but at the same time it made sense; after all, since their night lying in each other's arms not even a full week before, spending the whole time seemingly kissing the wounds of the past few months closed, creating metaphorical stitches with each brush of lips, it was as if they were starting over. Slowly, tentatively…not unlike two new lovers just beginning to get acquainted with one another at the start of a blossoming romance. They grinned at each other like two teenagers, not quite sure of what to do or say next. True to her nature, Katara broke the ice.
"Something on your mind, sweetie?"
Aang gulped, clutching the brush against Appa's flank a bit tighter. As he brushed, he hit a particularly tight snag in the pristine white fur, resulting in the shaggy beast's sudden jolt and snuffled grunt of displeasure. "Sorry, buddy," Aang murmured, softening his touch, beginning to gently work at the snarls with his fingers. He smiled shyly at Katara as he did so.
"Actually…yeah, there is."
She lifted her eyebrows in curiosity, clutching the basket of hay and vegetables a bit closer to her body. "And what would that be?"
"I, uh…I was wondering if…" He trailed off, feeling very shy and insecure all of a sudden. This is ridiculous, he told himself fiercely. It's Katara! You've been married for 12 years, for crying out loud! This should not be that difficult!
She stood there, looking at him with those amazing blue eyes, sparkling with such love and even a little amusement, and decided the "ripping off a bandage" method was the best approach.
"Do you want to do something tonight?"
He said the words very fast, so quickly that one not so close to him might not have been able to understand. Katara, however, heard every word quite clearly. Her grin was so big that if he didn't know better he would've sworn it was painted on. But it wasn't. It was her natural beauty, and his heart swelled with adoration for her.
"'Do an activity together,' you mean?" Her voice was tight with laughter. Aang laughed in return at the reference, ducking his head sheepishly before nodding.
"Exactly. Do an activity together."
She giggled, and Aang was certain it was the best sound in the world. There were few things Aang loved more than hearing Katara laugh (especially when he was the one causing it) and she had done far, far too little of it in recent weeks. He actually breathed a small sigh of relief before she spoke again.
"So…like…a date?" She was positively bashful at this point. Aang nodded blushingly again.
"Yeah. Exactly like that." His countenance was not unlike a teenager asking his longtime crush to a dance. His cheeks were completely red, his grin stupidly wide, and with those last words he even looked down at his feet, drawing his toe in the dirt of the stable floor. Nothing had ever been so adorable and Katara was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him.
So she did. She placed down her basket, closed the distance between them and framed his face in her hands, leaning up to brush his lips in a soft kiss. He released a little moan, his hands hesitantly hovering above her hips before he dared to place them around her middle, pulling her closer. When they broke apart, Katara was gazing up at him with unconcealed, unparalleled love.
"I would love to, Avatar Aang."
"Wow."
Katara laughed openly, but she couldn't fight the impulse to squirm self-consciously. Her husband looked as though he'd just been kicked in the head by a goat-bull. His eyes wide and feasting, he hungrily drank in the sight of her, dressed in a light, summery periwinkle blue dress with thin straps and a matching wrap. Her hair, which she often pinned into a messy bun at the nape of her neck while dealing with the kids and chores all day long, was lose and long, only a small part held up with a white flower. Long silver earrings dangled from her ears, matching the silver pendant of her necklace. Her makeup was still light and hardly noticeable, something Aang had always loved about her – she never needed it anyway, in his opinion. Her natural beauty was so exquisite it was unnecessary.
He must've been staring a little too long, a little too intensely, because she turned quite red under his gaze. She wrapped her arms protectively around her middle, not unlike a young girl, but her grin was wide and infectious.
"So I take it you like it?"
He swallowed hard past the tension in his throat. "You…I…you really…wow."
Nice. Smooth, Aang. Real smooth.
She loosed a tinkering laugh, her eyes shining with amusement. "Still with that way with words, I see. Are you going to windblow my hair again?" Aang winced sheepishly, remembering all too well the night of their very first date almost 17 years prior – which had been, by all outside accounts, a total disaster for the most part but had ended on a very, very hopeful note. He laughed at the memory.
"I might. But I promise I won't let myself get pulled 90 different directions by 700 different people and leave you alone," he vowed. Katara laughed in turn, crossing over to him and, after a moment of hedging, slipped her hands around his waist. If it were possible, Aang's grin grew even more. They were still getting used to reacquainting themselves with the idea of physical intimacy, after so many months of distance and hurt, but he was okay with being patient. The last week alone, sharing their bed every night and holding her and talking to her and kissing her until they fell asleep, had already been such a luxury, such a beautiful gift, he was willing to content himself with it for now.
She pressed a quick, soft kiss to his lips, her smile slightly mischievous. "Well, you better see to it that you don't," she teased.
His teasing retort was unceremoniously interrupted by Kya bouncing into their bedroom, huffed up in obvious discontent. Her pretty features were twisted with annoyance and aggravation.
"Mom, Dad, Bumi won't stop – " She froze halfway through her rant, stopping short. Instantly, the exasperation melted from her face and her gray eyes flared wide. "Wow! Mom, you look really pretty!"
Katara couldn't help but laugh, both at Kya's enthusiasm and her child-like ability to switch moods at the drop of a hat. "Thank you, sweetie," she replied as her daughter ran to her side, examining the fabric. Katara smoothed her hand over her hair, reveling in her daughter's touch.
"This is such a cool dress! Did you make this? What did you use? Oh Mom, can I have a dress like this? Can I? It's so pretty!"
Aang couldn't help but snicker as Katara framed Kya's face in her hands and pressed a kiss into the crown of her head. "I'll tell you what," she promised. "When you're old enough to go out with boys –"
" – which won't be for a very, very, very long time!" Aang interjected, slight panic in his voice. Katara good-naturedly rolled her eyes at him.
" – we'll find you a dress like this. Or I'll make you one. Deal?"
Kya crinkled her nose as her parents headed out into the hallway, directing her with them towards the living room, where Bumi was absolutely determined to get Tenzin to crawl. "Boys are dumb. Why do I have to wait for that? I would just wear this to the market or something!" Suddenly, her expression changed to one of confusion. "Wait, are you going out with a boy?"
"Come on Tenzin, it's easy! You just walk around on your hands and knees like this!" Bumi chirped, demonstrating to the infant who simply lay there on his belly, looking at him blankly.
This time both she and Aang laughed, returning their attention to their daughter. "In a manner of speaking. Your daddy is taking me out tonight." She smiled up at Aang warmly, and he felt his stomach dip.
"You'll both be gone? Is Gran-Gran going to stay with us, then?"
"Gran-Gran has the night off, sweetie. You three are going to head over to Uncle Sokka's."
Kya's face lit up hopefully. "Are we staying over?" Katara nodded in affirmation.
"Indeed you are, kiddo. Dad and I will pick you up tomorrow morning. As a matter of fact, Aunt Suki should be here to get you any sec –"
She was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Kya bounded into the foyer, flinging it open to find Suki there, balancing Nilak on her hip.
"Aunt Suki! Mom and Dad just told us we're coming over tonight!" Suki laughed at the girl's excitement.
"You sure are, honey. You're going to come play with your cousins while your mom and dad have some alone time," she teased, throwing a positively wolfish grin in the couple's direction. Both Aang and Katara blushed in response. Kya grimaced.
"Ew, Aunt Suki! Is that why they're going out? To have oogies?"
"Oogies!" Bumi piped up nonsensically. He was too young to know what "oogies" actually meant, but ever since learning it from his uncle and sister, it had quickly become one of his absolute favorite words. Kya shuddered.
"Gross."
Suki ruffled her hair. "Go pack an overnight bag for you and your brother and we'll get out of here ASAP so you don't have to witness it, okay?"
Kya seemed completely content with that agreement, trotting down the hall towards the bedrooms. Suki turned to Aang and Katara, hoisting Nilak more securely on her hip. The baby cooed, absently playing with his mother's necklace and attempting to grab a fistful of her bright auburn hair.
"So what do you two have planned?" she asked, her knowing smirk downright cheeky. Katara rolled her eyes.
"Oh, for spirits' sake, Suki! We're just going out to dinner and then to the Spring Flower festival they're doing this week in the city. There's some really good performances tonight by this Northern Water Tribe group that's been on tour around the Earth Kingdom for a while that I would love to see."
"And we all know how I feel about flowers," Aang joked.
"We do indeed," Suki acquiesced. "Well, don't you two worry about a thing. The boys are so excited they're coming. Dinner's waiting for when we get home, so we'll feed them and take them out back."
"Are you sure you're okay with Tenzin?" Katara asked uncertainly. "You already have one newborn, I feel kind of bad saddling you with another one."
Suki waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, please. Your brother has two perfectly good hands as well. Besides, considering you seem to have packed enough supplies for him to last a week," she gestured towards the duffle bag seated on the chair by the doorway, "I think I'll be all set."
"Thanks, Suki," Aang said appreciatively. "You're the greatest. We'll be by tomorrow before lunch to pick them up."
Suki's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Unless you…shall we say, lose track of time." Before they had a chance to mumble back an embarrassed reply, Kya came bolting back into the room, a red overnight bag slung over her shoulder, clearly ready to go.
"Come on, Bumi! We're going to Uncle Sokka's! Hold this so I can carry Tenzin," she delivered bossily. Bumi heaved a woeful sigh, having finally given up on his mission to get Tenzin to crawl, at least for the evening. As Suki gathered the kids and began to shuffle them out the door amidst goodbye kisses and hugs from their parents, she threw a smile over her shoulder back at the bashful couple.
"Have fun tonight, you two." Her sing-song tone was impossible to misinterpret. "And I mean it. Have fun."
The water looped and arched elegantly through the air like silver ribbons, dancing in a fashion that reminded Aang somewhat of his and Zuko's adrenaline-inducing rendez-vous with Ran and Sha atop the mountain of the Sun Warriors. As the performers bended the water with expert precision to the tune of music as melodious and fluid at the element itself, he and Katara watched transfixed among the crowd. Almost absently, as if it were second nature, he felt his arms slip around her waist from behind, the lean wall of his chest pressing into her back. Right after noticing, however, he stilled, wondering if this familiar closeness was too much, too soon for his wife.
If it was, she certainly didn't show it. She responded immediately by anchoring his forearms around her waist with a contented sigh, nestling deeper back into his embrace. Encouraged by her reaction, he dropped a soft kiss to the top of her head. She favored him with an arch smile, looking happier than he'd seen her in months, and this time, instead of fighting the hope back down, he allowed it to bloom unrestrained in his heart.
They'd begun the evening with dinner at their favorite restaurant in Republic City just as the sun was setting. They had gone there many times over the years, but tonight it felt very much as though it was their first time. Both Katara and Aang had been a little anxious as Aang had pulled out the chair across from his own to invite her to sit – it had been a very, very long time since they'd spent any real time together to talk, even if that talking wasn't about anything important. It was understandable that they both harbored a sizeable fear about looking across the elegant place settings and finding they couldn't think of anything to say to break the ice. As it turned out, however, there was no need to worry.
There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the two of them that "heavy" talk – of their only recently-begun repairing of their marital woes or of the miscarriage – was to be tabled for the evening. This was an evening to relax and enjoy one another's company for the first time in months, to feel happy to be together, to have fun with one another on a personal level. And, truthfully, to catch up on recent events in each other's lives outside of their relationship with one another, given the communication freeze that had dominated their home for so long.
So they talked. And they ate. And when they were done eating, they talked some more. They drank Katara's favorite wine, and laughed over her funny stories of home life, from Bumi's determined mission to get Tenzin to crawl as soon as possible to Kya's take-charge bossiness which had skyrocketed since his arrival. They shared dessert and talked about reconnecting with Toph, with both agreeing that having her over for dinner needed to happen very soon given that she was coming back from maternity the following week. Aang was shocked at how remarkably free of tension the air was between them; while it was clear that many issues still needed to be discussed, that knowledge seemed to no longer be a source of stress or strain – rather, a simple understanding that they would take their time to work through the remaining obstacles that lay ahead while simply enjoying being together tonight.
After dinner, they'd wandered the streets of Republic City, which were swarming with crowds of people headed to the Flower Festival in Republic City Park. Upon arrival, the conversation between them immediately ceased as they took in the pristine, breathtaking surroundings.
The Festival had spared no expense in creating the event. The entire park was lit up brightly with lanterns and torches, creating a warm, hazy glow down the paths and around the lakes. Children laughed and played along the shores of the water as thousands and thousands of bright, colorful floral creations dotted the landscape like an impressionist painting, their colors even more brightly accentuated by the lighting. Artists and performers handed out jewelry and crafts beautifully created with petals and stems, and the smell of baked and fried goods wafted gently through the warm late-Spring air which tempted both with a sort of beckoning allure despite the fact they'd just eaten. Stages were set up in several different locales for performers from all four bending nations – while the Air Acolytes technically couldn't airbend in their show, they'd learned enough about classic Air Nation dances and ritual to put together a spectacular routine.
It didn't take them long to wind up at the venue for the Northern Water Tribe Tandem Dance performance, where at that moment the benders were finishing their show with a grand flourish of light explosion, advanced bending moves and mesmerizing dance choreography clearly inspired by a mix of the martial arts. Upon conclusion, the crowd seemed to erupt like a volcano with cheers, applause and cries of approval. The smile on Katara's face very nearly sucked all the breath from Aang's lungs – while he knew she had always loved their life in Republic City, his wife would always be, at her core, a child of the Water Tribe, and celebrating in her traditions continued to be a source of true comfort for her. He chuckled and squeezed her around her middle a little tighter.
"You liked that, huh?"
She sighed happily, turning to face him. "It was wonderful. That was some of the most sophisticated bending I think I've ever seen! That thing they did with the big ice disks," she blew out an impressed breath. "Incredible." Her eyes were luminous as she smiled up at him, rubbing her hands down his shoulders. "Thank you so much for bringing me here tonight. It's beautiful."
He pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. "You're welcome, Katara. I'd do anything to make you happy."
The words, while well-intentioned, sank like a rock in Katara's gut. She was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt, very nearly wincing at the recent memories of all the ways he'd tried to make her happy and all the ways she'd refused to let him. Shame burned in her throat, but she immediately stopped herself, swallowing it back down. No, Katara, she enforced firmly. No. Not tonight.
Instead, she smiled at him even wider, before leaning in and pressing her cheek to his chest. "I know you would, Aang."
He practically beamed in response, and as the crowd began to dissipate, they began to saunter down the paths to take in the rest of the displays, stopping every so often to examine a craft or hair accessory weaved with daffodils or roses or fire lilies. Aang laughed as he fingered a head wreath of daisies, tossing an amused glance over his shoulder at Katara. "Remind you of anything?" he asked, holding the object up and letting it dangle from his grasp tauntingly.
Katara instantly burst out laughing, throwing her head back. "Too bad we don't have Chong here to sing to us with his ukulele."
"Or Appa, to braid it into his hair."
"Or Sokka, to braid it into his hair."
"Ooooooh," Aang laughed. "Good luck with that. He'd fight you tooth and claw."
"It'd be fine. I have you to hold him down. All I'd need is a few seconds, anyway." She giggled, and to hear her joking again, laughing again, teasing again was so overwhelmingly beautiful he couldn't resist reaching out for her hand. His fingers slipped into hers, and her cheeks flushed pink, but she didn't pull away. Rather, as they continued to wander the paths, her grip on his hand tightened. He felt his heartbeat accelerate a bit, which was ridiculous considering he'd been holding this woman's hand for almost 18 years, but at that point he was far too smitten to care. They exchanged shy glances as they moseyed along, simply enjoying being together and being happy for the first time in far too long.
When they finally reached the back exit of Republic City Park, which led down to the beaches along Yue Bay, stars dotted the night sky in a brilliant myriad of twinkling lights which reminded Katara of the lanterns dotting the pathways of the flower festival. Hands still linked, they descended down onto the beach, Katara accepting Aang's invitation to walk along the water gratefully. They both kicked off their shoes, delighting in the feel of the cold grains between their toes as they made their way to the water's edge, walking in just deep enough for the warm water to lap around their ankles.
"It really is beautiful out. You picked the perfect night for this, sweetie," Katara commented, gazing up at the clear indigo sky. Aang grinned, squeezing her hand.
"Did you have fun?"
"I did," she sighed happily, taking advantage of the moment to nuzzle her cheek against his shoulder. "I…I've missed this."
There was a thick silence, where both wondered if they were treading too close to the "heavy talk" category, but Aang decided at that moment he didn't care. Besides, something about the situation felt safe, so he didn't hold it in.
"I missed it too, sweetie," he whispered, stopping so that they were facing each other. Katara smiled sadly, resting her hands on his chest.
"I…I want to do this regularly again. Like we used to. Can we, sweetie? Just…take time out to spend time together?"
Aang took both of her hands in his, bringing them to his lips. "Of course we can, Katara," he replied, his voice hoarse with emotion. They smiled at each other in affectionate silence for a moment before Aang suddenly seemed to remember something.
"I have something for you," he confessed. Katara angled a curious glance up at him.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Well, I mean, it's not much, but while you were trying that Rose Pomegranate water they were handing out I saw it and I just…couldn't resist." He reached into the side of his tunic, pulling out a single, azure-colored long stem calla-rose, a very rare bloom not easily found locally. "Let me tell you something, keeping those thorns from poking me in the side the past hour hasn't been a picnic," he teased.
Katara felt her knees turn to butter. Her lower lip trembling, she reached out to take the flower with trembling fingers. She tried desperately to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes, but knew almost instantly the effort was in vain. Fingering the soft petals, she brought them to her nose to inhale its sweet scent. She found she couldn't speak past the lump lodged in her throat, so she simply turned her adoring gaze up at her husband, her shimmering eyes touched beyond words. Aang ducked his head sheepishly.
"It's the exact color of your eyes." He paused, blushing a bit. "That sounded totally cheesy. I'm sorry. I'm a bit out of prac-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence because suddenly, Katara was kissing him. Almost instantly, however, Aang could tell that this was a very, very different kiss than any they'd shared since their reconciliation on the rooftop a few days before. Those kisses, while varying in intensity and length, had had more of a sort of healing, gentle quality to them. They were shared out of a desperate desire to reconnect, to repair, to mend, but any thoughts of further sexual intimacy hadn't really even been on the radar. This kiss, however…there was nothing gentle about it.
She pressed her body flush against his, her breasts squeezed tightly against his chest, her hands wandering up from his waist to his back and then gripping desperately into the fabric of his wrap. She downright aggressively pushed her hips against his, eliciting a shocked and delighted gasp from her husband, who could not help but respond enthusiastically to her advances. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing himself back against her with equal fervor, coaxing her lips open with his tongue to sweep the interior of her mouth with hungry need. His fingers bunched into her hair, drawing a little moan from her lips, and her body was so soft and warm and felt so good that there was no way to avoid his erection cresting against her upper thigh. Suddenly, his whole body throbbed and ached, his hands shaking as they gripped her waist, both of their eyes glassy and their faces flushed when they broke apart. Katara surveyed him with a heavy-lidded, intoxicated expression.
"Let's get out of here," she whispered, her tone husky and full of want. Aang grinned.
"Do you make a habit of bringing home strange men after just one night?" he teased. She giggled, and nothing in the world had ever sounded so wonderful to his ears. She gently framed his face in her hands, smiling up at him with shimmering blue eyes. Her touch was so intoxicating, so soothing, like a balm for the wounds his soul had endured the past few months. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes as he pressed a kiss against her fingertips. She lifted up onto her toes to press a gentle kiss in turn across the tip of his arrow, then over his eyelids, and finally, a soft, lingering one against his mouth.
"No," she whispered again. "Just you. Only you. Always."
His throat instantly closing with emotion, Aang could only offer her a teary smile before capturing her lips with his once again. He wrapped his arms securely around her, pulling her flush against his body as he deepened the kiss, tasting her thoroughly, one hand at the small of her back and the other plunging back into her long, dark hair, knocking the white flower from its pinned place. She moaned again into his mouth, louder this time, her small fingers gently stroking along his coarse beard, and it was as if in that moment something broken inside of both of them pieced itself back together permanently.
The way home was made complicated by the fact that their mouths didn't seem to want to spend even a second apart from each other. Every five steps stumbled laughingly through the streets of Republic City towards the waterfront resulted in one grabbing the other and pulling him or her into yet another kiss. They laughed and tugged each other along giggling like two teenagers, oblivious to the amused smirks of passerbys as they savored each other's mouths again and again, pressing closer and closer with each time. As far as Aang was concerned, however, no one else in the world even existed besides Katara. Every single one of his senses was drowning in her – her scent, her warmth, her taste. She was everywhere, invading every part of him. The sensation was not unlike taking that first, wonderful breath of air after having been trapped underwater for just a bit too long and being right on the cusp of panicking – only instead of sweet oxygen filling his empty lungs, it was his beloved wife, refilling his heart.
Desperate to get home as fast as possible, it was decided that waiting for the ferry, which wouldn't come for another 20 minutes and took 10 more to cross Yue Bay, wasn't an option. The two opted rather to bend themselves across the bay, a feat that could be accomplished in 5 minutes by any waterbender with even a modicum of skill. They, however, were the Avatar and his waterbending master.
They got to Air Temple Island in 2 and half minutes.
The stumbled up the stone steps to the back door of the house, Katara pressing frantic kisses to Aang's face as he fumbled behind her for the latch to the sliding bamboo entrance. Finally, it gave way and they staggered into the house, kissing fiercely as though they were starving for one another – because in many ways, they had been. Aang walked her back against the wall, his hands sliding up to cup her face as he sipped at her lips, murmuring her name with each gentle foray his tongue took into her mouth.
"Katara," he whispered desperately, the tips of his fingers ghosting over her cheeks, eyes and hair. "Katara. Katara." Each kiss was a prayer on his lips, a blessing that she gratefully received. She whimpered his name in turn, her own gentle hands sliding from his face, down his back to his waist, pulling him tight against her as she could, feeling his arousal pressing warmly against her upper thigh. They both gasped with the sensation, Aang dropping his forehead against her shoulder as he fisted his fingers into her hair.
"Katara," he moaned again, his breath ragged, hoarse. A small part of him was afraid that this was all a dream, that he would wake up and be back to where they'd been for so many weeks. Surely, this was too good to be true. But Katara's pleasured gasp startled him out of his fearful reverie.
"Aang," she whimpered, pressing kisses to his temple, his ear. Her breast heaved against his chest with each inhale she gasped, and suddenly he was sinking to his knees before her, pressing a single kiss into the soft swell of her bosom before taking hold of her hips in his hands and gazing up at her with watery gray eyes. She felt her own sting with unshed tears as she gently cradled his head against her. He groaned, burying his face into her body, wrapping his arms around her middle.
"Katara," he murmured yet again, another benediction. "Oh, Katara. I've missed you. I've missed you so much." Despite being muffled against her belly, his thick tone could not be mistaken. Her legs trembled almost violently, and if it weren't for Aang holding her up at that very moment, she was sure she would have collapsed.
"Aang," she breathed shakily, taking hold of his face once again and directing his gaze up to her. In that moment, it was almost as if he were gazing upon a goddess, or some other unearthly, divine creature. The downright worship in his eyes nearly knocked the wind out of her, and it was as if something dead inside her suddenly was brought back to life. He had always looked at her like that, since the day they met, but she had been buried too deeply inside her own head recently to remember it. A surge of emotion washed over her, and she could not recall ever feeling so full of both power and humility at the same time.
"Make love to me," she whispered around the lump in her throat. "Please, baby. I need you. Please, make love to –"
She hadn't even fully finished the sentence before he was on his feet again, kissing her as deeply as possible, and she tugged him with her as she staggered back towards their bedroom, into the hallway. Wetness and heat pooled between her thighs and she could already practically feel his hard, long length buried deeply inside her, thrusting quickly and deeply, filling her up in the way only he could while he rained kisses on her skin, biting at her soft neck and penetrating it with his teeth while wrapping his arms so tightly around her she felt lightheaded from the pressure on her ribs. She pressed her thigh harder against his erection, grinding against the stiff, warmth length of it, and he moaned loudly into her mouth, reaching into her dress to cup her breast with his strong, large hand. Katara gasped against his mouth as he rubbed his thumb over the peak of one turgid nipple, groaning at the sensation, arching into his hand. She clutched at his head, moving her mouth right around to his ear.
"Please, Aang," she half whined, half begged. "I want you inside me. Please, I need you to –"
He was already reaching down to pick her up and carry her into their bedroom, moaning her name against her neck, his other hand moving under her skirt and up her thigh to explore the hot wetness between her legs. He was a mere centimeter from her entrance, his fingers just barely skating across her already-moist panties, when the door at the end of the hallway swung open.
"Oh, thank the spirits you're home!" Kanna cried, stepping out into the corridor and holding Tenzin snugly against her hip. "He has a tummy bug and he's been throwing up for the past hour and a half. I picked him up from Sokka and Suki's earlier this evening and calmed him down, but he's been wanting his par-"
She stopped short as she fully assimilated the sight of her granddaughter and grandson-in-law wrapped so tightly in each other's arms that if it hadn't been for the difference in skin tone she would not have been able to discern whose hands were whose, eyes glassy, lips swollen and hair and clothing completely disheveled. She felt a strong urge to laugh at the dark smears of lipstick streaked across Aang's pale cheeks, but bit it down forcefully. Aang and Katara met her cerulean gaze with mounting mortification as the older woman stared at them in shock. Aang suddenly had the afterthought to snatch his hand back from between Katara's legs, feeling his face heat with the force of a thousand fireblasts. Finally, after a good 10 seconds of excruciating silence, Kanna spoke.
"…or, I could just take care of it myself," she said, with as much dignity as she could dig up. A sly smile spread across her face that caused both Katara and Aang's faces to bloom with horrified color. "Nevermind then. I'll handle this. You two…erm…carry on with whatever it is you were –"
But it was too late. Tenzin had realized by then that his parents were present and instantly began to whimper, reaching for them with his little chubby hands in a clear search for comfort. All efforts by Kanna to redirect his focus fell on deaf ears. The infant was sick, tired, and wanted only his mother and father. Period.
Aang and Katara tipped a despondent glance at one another before each heaving a sigh of concession and straightening against the wall. Smoothing down her hair, Katara stepped forward to take the little boy into her arms, who almost instantly stopped fussing at her touch and snuggled into her embrace. As she tucked him into her body, she tried desperately to focus on the baby's struggle in hopes that maternal worry would somehow quell the horrible ache throbbing between her legs. So far it was no good, but she managed to soothe her son nonetheless.
"What's a matter, sweetie? Is my baby not feeling okay?" She brushed soft kisses over the top of his downy head as Tenzin continued to whimper. She felt Aang come up beside them, smoothing a gentle hand up and down the boy's back as she touched her cheek to his forehead. Her brow furrowed. "Uh oh, someone's got a fever. Shhhhh, it's okay, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy are here." She glanced up again at Kanna, and she knew that both her and Aang's hot blushes hadn't diminished in the slightest. "Thanks, Gran-Gran. You get some rest. Aang and I can…uh, take it from here."
Kanna looked at them remorsefully, and the pity in her eyes was enough to make Katara ready to explode with mortification. "Are you sure?" the older woman asked, looking fervidly between Aang and Katara. "I…I could probably handle him for a bit if you two need to – uh, I mean, if there are other things that you, um…I…"
There were indeed "other things," but nonetheless, Aang cleared his throat, trying to will his throbbing arousal into submission by focusing on his child. He could still feel Katara pressed against him, the warmth of her body, the soft mounds of her breasts against his chest, the feel of her hair in his hands and the taste of her kisses and the memories left him lightheaded and shaken. He swallowed hard, stamping down his frustration before smiling at Kanna. "It's okay, Kanna. He needs us. Thanks for holding everything down until we got home."
Kanna nodded hesitantly and headed back towards her room. Before she closed the door behind her, however, she could resist glancing one final time back over her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." She winced.
"Goodnight, Gran-Gran," Katara squeaked meekly. Kanna stepped inside and closed the door behind her. After a heavy moment of silence, she slowly turned back to her quite obviously uncomfortable husband.
"Well," she laughed shakily. Aang groaned, hanging his head.
"Yeah."
"I, uh…I guess we need to handle this, then," she choked out gruffly. Aang swallowed hard before jerking a nod.
"Yes, it appears we do." His eyes were so filled with downright physical pain that Katara couldn't help but feel terribly sorry for him. She was in a good amount of physical discomfort herself, but she knew it was very likely worse for him. She bit her lip sheepishly.
"We…need to finish that. Soon. Very, very soon." Her tone was blunt and to the point. Once again, Aang jerked a nod.
"Agreed." His voice was hoarse and throbbing. Katara favored him with a wane smile.
"I'm going to take his temperature and prepare an herbal remedy for him. Want to draw him a cool bath?"
Aang gave one final nod before turning on his heel, walking stiffly and painfully towards their bedroom. Katara furrowed her brow.
"Sweetie? Why are you heading in there? The bathtub is in the hall bathroom, not ours."
Aang froze for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was very, very choked.
"I know. Just…I kinda need to use the restroom for a minute." He threw a helpless glance over his shoulder, and while he knew he should've been bashful with that statement, he was in far too much pain to care. Katara immediately felt her face flush, but she couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter, both amused and, though she knew she shouldn't have been, a bit smug and self-satisfied.
"Don't take too long," she teased. Aang let out a shaky laugh, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"Oh, don't worry. This will be quick." Then, he couldn't resist winking at her, deciding right then and there that humor was most likely the best approach. "Very quick."
"I don't know, sweetie. I think we should take him."
Katara sighed, trying desperately hard not to show her exasperation with her husband, who had repeated several different variations of the exact same line at least twice an hour for the entire morning. Coaxing a squirming Tenzin's tiny mouth open so that she could spoon his medicine in, she responded. "Aang, honey, I've already told you. It's just a mild fever. There is absolutely no need to take him to the healing clinic to pay 3 other healers to tell you the exact same thing I'm telling you now. There's nothing we can do except keep him hydrated, give him his herbal and make sure he gets rest. Just like we always did with Kya and Bumi when they got tummy bugs."
"But sometimes mild fevers turn into big fevers if they go untreated!" Aang argued nervously. "And Kya and Bumi were older when they started getting bugs. He's only 6 months old, Katara. Big fevers can be deadly."
"Yes, they can. So we're lucky he doesn't have a big fever," she repeated blithely, finally succeeding in getting the herbal onto the baby's tongue. "Aang, I'm a healer. He's totally fine with me. He does not need any more attention than I'm giving him."
"But he was throwing up –"
"He hasn't thrown up in nearly 10 hours. Trust me, this is getting better, not worse."
"But don't you think we should get a second opinion? Just to be sure?"
Pushed to the limits of her patience, Katara whirled around, an angry retort ready to explode forth from her lips. Suddenly, in that very second, that same, familiar rage that had dominated her interactions with him for so long was back with a cresting, pitching vengeance. She opened her mouth to snap at him, her countenance tense and spoiling for a fight, when her eyes met his and she suddenly froze.
No.
No, Katara. No.
She wasn't doing this. She was not going to allow herself to slip back into her old patterns, to give herself false reasons and excuses to resent him, to do anything that would undo all the progress that they'd begun to make. That was not how she was choosing to move forward, not how she was choosing to treat the man she loved. Not anymore.
She snapped her mouth shut, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, swallowed back the angry retort, and opened her eyes again. When her blue eyes collided with his worried gray ones, she smiled instead.
"Okay, I'll make you a deal. Let him stick with me today. If he's not better by tomorrow morning, we'll take him to the healing clinic. Can you live with that?"
Aang considered the bargain carefully, then finally smiled back, looking somewhat relieved. "Okay. I can live with that."
She favored him with another fond smile before scooping Tenzin up out of his chair to give him another cool bath, heading down towards the bathroom while Aang cleaned up. As she walked, she mused to herself, asking herself a rather important question.
What's more important to you, Katara? Him, or being right?
The answer was quite obvious.
A/N Part Deux: Okay, so you hate my guts right now, and I so totally deserve it, but at least you got a little mini-smut to hold you for a bit, because here comes the bad news: we might be looking at 2 or so weeks before I update again. Move Day is in 3 days, and between flying across the country, getting to my new house and settling in, taking care of errands and going to Vancouver for a few days to visit friends, I don't foresee having a whole lot of time to crank out the next chapter before my first day of work at my new branch next Saturday. Once I'm back in a regular work routine, I promise pinky swear that I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thank you so much for being patient!
Oh, and, the reference of their first date comes from Limey's fan comic, "First Date" (which you need to read IMMEDIATELY if you haven't) and is also part of the DJNS headcanon, so I included it for continuity purposes. FYI.
