So I have a ton of ideas that are swarming in my head right now. This one was inspired by a photo collage of Aang and Katara after the invasion. I figured I'd write about it cause the idea just won't go away.

Prompt: Proud

'I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm proud of you.'

Tears streamed down his face as he knelt on the ground, ashamed that he couldn't defeat the fire lord. They were one step ahead of them, and their plan failed. He was supposed to defeat him and end the war. But now, he wallowed in guilt for failing once again.

A hand gently touched his shoulder and he looked from the ground to see Katara kneeling beside him. Her eyes were warm and sad, as though telling him that it was okay, and that they would try again. He turned away from her, not wanting her to see his tears.

Wiping the tears with his arm, he stood up with Katara's help before facing everyone who helped and risked their lives to stand by him.

"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong."

.

.

.

It was a few days after the children of the group escaped the fire nation palace to hide. Katara couldn't stop worrying about Aang, who had distanced himself away from the group. She knew he was still feeling guilty, and no matter what anyone said, he just wouldn't listen.

"You should talk to Twinkletoes. If anyone can talk to him, it's you Sugar Queen."

She looked at Toph, who decided to join the other benders, and Sokka. Katara could tell that she was worried about him, though she refused to admit to it. Even Sokka, who loved being loud and goofy, was unusually quiet and serious.

She sighed before walking towards the young airbender, who was sitting on the edge of the cliff. Not knowing how to start the conversation, she opted to sit beside him, letting him know that she was here for him.

The breeze kissed their skin as she took a look around the Western Air Temple. Aang said it was a place where they wouldn't be discovered by the Fire Nation, but if that was true, the airbenders from this temple would still be around. She chose not to talk about that though, instead turned her head to look at the young man in front of her.

She hadn't lied when she said she was proud of him. In the time they had travelled together, he had gone from being goofy and childish, to serious and strong. Yes, he still had moments of being not so serious, but that was one of the things she loved about Aang. Seeing him like this, sad and guilty, made her heart ache.

If she wasn't paying attention to him, she would've missed his voice as he whispered,

"I failed."

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she gave him a smile.

"No you didn't Aang. We were one step behind. We didn't expect them to know about our plan, and that's where we were wrong. We should've known that something like this would've happened. Considering what happened back in Ba-Sing-Se, we were lucky. We didn't lose anyone in this invasion. We're all alive right?"

Aang gritted his teeth before turning to Katara, anger in his eyes.

"You can't say you're happy Katara! You got separated from your father again! All the adults sacrificed their lives to let us escape! I took you away from your family, and your entire tribe! Despite being the Avatar, I failed! Even though they assumed I was dead, they somehow knew I was alive and planned ahead! How can I look everyone in the face knowing they had believed I would end the war?"

"You will Aang. It's like my father said, this wasn't our day. But we will win. We just can't give up hope. There's a time and place for it. Maybe this was a sign that we need to go back to you learning the four elements. There's nothing wrong with waiting it out."

"People are dying, Katara. How is that right? It's not fair that everyone is suffering, waiting for me to do what no one else can."

She sighed, before grabbing Aang in her arms and holding him to her chest. She was trying to hard not to cry, but she wasn't used to seeing him like this, so frail and weak. It only made her love him a lot more.

Aang on the other hand, couldn't keep his tears at bay and cried into her shoulder. His body shook with grief and sorrow, causing Katara to hold him closer. He was relying on his best friend, his mentor, once again and it made him angry with himself.

"Aang... Listen to me. I meant what I said before we invaded the fire nation."

His eyes widened before looking up at her, his eyes sparkling from the tears. Lightly wiping them away, she smiled at him.

"I am so proud of you. We may not have won today, but we will. And you are so mature about this entire situation. You've been so strong and sure of everything from the beginning. You've protected me and Sokka so many times. You've never let us down once. You have no idea how happy I am to have found you in the iceberg Aang. You've changed my life for the better. And no matter what happens, I will always be proud of you."

Before he could say anything, she pressed her lips to his, showing him just how she felt. He melted into her embrace and responded, though he was shy about it.

They didn't stay like that long, but when he looked into her eyes, he knew everything was going to be okay. As long as Katara was proud of him, there was nothing he couldn't do.