A/N: This chapter features a return to my normal length! Hooray! I was *going* to do SummerSweetheart's request (really, I was!) but then I got a sunburn and this came out instead :/. I thought it was okay though. It's similar to several other chapters I have, but not exactly the same. I realize I tend to write things that are pretty similar to each other, the quiet, talky, touchy moments, and I guess that's okay, but occasionally I like to challenge myself as a writer so I shall try to step oustide the box for next chapter, I promise! About next chapter though, it might not come next Tuesday becaues I might be at the beach w/ some of my friends to celebrate graduation. Maybe. We haven't decided if it's gonna work yet lol. If I am, I'll try to write one earlier and maybe post in on Tuesday, but if I'm really busy, it might come later. On a more positive note, I wrote another Zuko story that I'll be posting sometime this week :D. Anyways, enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

When Aang came inside that afternoon, he was pinker than usual, a bright rosy hue coloring his normally pale complexion. Upon closer inspection, Katara realized that much of his back and shoulders were of a similar shade, and he was frowning slightly. The waterbender stifled a giggle behind her hand, feeling a combination of amusement and sympathy for her friend.

"What?" He asked, grimacing as he seated himself next to her, his raw back rubbing uncomfortably against the sofa.

"You got a little sunburned." Katara smiled fondly and touched the tip of his nose, causing him to wince slightly. Much to his chagrin, he had been forced to spend a great deal of the rest of the summer indoors after Ozai's defeat, negotiating with the nations and trying to help the world through post-war reconstruction, mainly through meetings. Other than Toph, who had returned temporarily to the Earth Kingdom to finally confront her parents and hopefully mend their relationship, Aang's friends had stayed with him as Sokka and Katara represented the Southern Water Tribe and Mai and Zuko lived in the Royal Palace anyways. Now though, there was finally a break in the nearly daily meetings, and Aang had spent it outdoors training with Zuko in direct sunlight. Needless to say, his naturally pale skin had grown accustom to being indoors, causing it to burn upon his sudden and rather intense return into the sunlight. The evening though, he had saved for Katara so that he could finally spend some much missed time alone with her. And now, the sun was just beginning to set, marking the transitional period between afternoon and evening.

"I know." He grumbled, but he couldn't help the little fluttering in his chest that accompanied the feeling of Katara's touch on his face, even if it did sting a little. At least the sunburn concealed his blush.

"Well, if you still wanted to go to out to the lake…I could heal it. I'd need a lot of water, it's all over your back." She told him. His grimace turned into a slight smile. The reminder that he was finally going to get to spend time with Katara cheered him almost instantly.

"Yeah! Let's go." He hopped off of the couch with a slight gust of air, extending his hand with his signature grin for Katara to take as he helped her off after him.

The lake was only a short walk from the palace and on this particular day, was conveniently relatively empty. It was a popular spot for day outings among Fire Nation families, as Aang had learned from Zuko, allowing the children to play in the water while the mothers and fathers and elders talked together and picnicked for lunch. In the evening however, most of the families had gone home for supper and bed, leaving only a few stray people to walk the lake's perimeter in relative solitude, some young couples idly holding hands or sitting quietly together on the lake's shore.

Katara was particularly thankful for the seclusion, having have gotten rather frustrated with the fact that she barely got a moment alone with her best friend and now, love in the midst of all the post-war negotiations. Even when they did go out together in public, Aang was often crowded by various admirers of all ages and was usually too kind to request that they leave him be. So, the waterbender couldn't help but breathe an inward sigh of relief when they found a shaded spot on the banks of the lake unoccupied by anyone else. And at least now, the impending darkness did a fair job of concealing Aang's telltale arrows and silhouette.

"Sit down." She said quietly, obeying her own request and kneeling in the shallows, allowing the water to lap gently at her legs, which were now clad in only her under wrap. Her friend didn't hesitate to do the same, kneeling before her as he braced himself on his hands, bowing his head slightly. His scalp was a matching shade of red, which was perhaps the most painful part of the burn.

"Mmmm…" He couldn't help the contented moan when Katara's cool, water coated hands made contact with his skin. She blushed softly at the sound, her fingertips shaking just slightly as she worked. It was odd, but not in a bad way. She suddenly felt rather shy, even though she knew Aang better than anyone, and she knew it was because it had been so long since they'd been able to share an intimate moment like this that she felt this way. And now the excitement of it gave her a sort of nervous thrill that she couldn't help but enjoy as she touched his bare skin.

She leaned closer to him when she finished his back, moving her hands to his strong shoulders, causing him to shudder slightly.

"Sorry." She whispered. She didn't know why she did. It wasn't as though she would disturb anyone by speaking at a normal volume, but something about the moment seemed to call for quiet. He turned his head to look at her briefly.

"…Don't be. It feels really good." He murmured, causing her to blush brightly as he turned back around. She quietly admired him as she worked, the now well muscled back, broadening shoulders, proud arrow tattoos that covered him from head to toe…it hit her suddenly that she saw him so differently now. He wasn't a child anymore. No, now she was admiring Aang as a young man. She was awed by the power he possessed, and even more so by the control he exercised over it. The way he was always so gentle and careful even though he had the ability to destroy everything and make anybody submit to his will with a wave of his hand. The way he stayed so humble even though most people treated him like a god. That's part of why I love him so much. Katara thought to herself, unsure if Aang noticed the fact that now she was just touching him out of her own fondness for him as the skin on his shoulders was already healed. For once though, she didn't really care. She wasn't under any pressure to finish this quickly, and had all the time in the world to simply linger where she wanted. Bending forward just slightly, she grazed her lips softly over the back of his neck, then moved to place a soft kiss on one of his shoulders. She felt his muscle stiffen as she exhaled quietly against his back, and smiled softly, placing a hand on his shoulder to turn him towards her.

"I need to do your face too." She reminded him. He nodded, the heat rushing to his cheeks as Katara cupped his face. With her that close, it was all he could do not to kiss her right then and there. Her fingers worked carefully over his nose, cheeks, forehead, and then scalp, the glow from the water and the fading light of the day casting a warm shine on her own face as he looked at her. Normally, he would have been embarrassed to stare at her for so long, but he couldn't help it. The knowledge that he had this moment and many others in the future all to himself with her felt almost too good to be true. The fact that she was willingly touching him, caressing his face this way even after his burns were gone made him fall even more in love with her than he'd even imagined possible. Her lips moved gracefully over his face, kissing his newly healed forehead, nose, and each cheek. He'd always craved this type of affection, the loving touches and gestures in the midst of a world of people who were always asking him to fix things or looking upon him as someone who was too powerful to really feel the things a normal human did. But she was different. Katara had always been different. She knew that he had the same basic needs and wants as anybody else, and she didn't even have to say anything to show him exactly how she felt. He could feel it in the way her fingertips brushed oh so tenderly over the tops of his ears, lips, cheeks, the way her warm breath tickled his neck in exactly the right way, soothing him and making him forget that anything else was important. Lulling him into trusting her more than he trusted anything or anyone else. He closed his eyes softly, smiling as she brushed over the lids and lashes.

He didn't ever want her to stop. But it was the end of summer, and the first big heap of negotiations and reparation plans had been completed. And Katara wouldn't need to be here for at least half a year now that she'd given her opinion regarding the needs of her tribe. She could leave. And he couldn't blame her for doing so if she did. She hadn't seen her home in nearly a year. Aang felt his heart sink and tried to push the unpleasant thought aside so that he could enjoy the moment he had now. There had been a time in his childhood in which this was easy. Where he could just ignore those little worries about the future until the day they actually showed up. But now everything was different. Now he had learned the hard way that ignoring potential problems, even distant ones, could end up costing him dearly if he didn't have a plan for them. And he had no plan for what he would do if Katara left. And so the irritating little worry grew as he continued to dwell on it mentally, until he barely realized that Katara was here, now, touching him. At last, he could bear it no longer.

"Katara?" he started, opening his eyes.

"Yes?" Much to his disappointment, she dropped her hands from his face. But then, she reached down to his lap, twining her fingers slowly with his. The sun had set now, cloaking the two benders in darkness with the exception of the distant glow from the palace and city and the rising moon.

"I need to know something." He looked her seriously in the eyes, squeezing the hand joined with his.

"What is it?" She asked patiently.

"You don't need to be here anymore." He began. He instantly regretted beginning that way however, for she looked hurt. "No, Katara…I mean, that's what I'm afraid of." He tried to mend his words, blushing and feeling like he had in the Cave of Two Lovers all those months ago, ready to kick himself. "I mean…you haven't been home in ages. You must miss it. Now that you've technically done what you needed to do here, are you…leaving?" Saying it allowed caused a searing pain in his chest and he found himself dreading her answer. If just saying it hurt, what on earth would it be like if she actually left?

"Leaving you?" She said quietly. She too, looked rather pained by the phrase, but then she smiled. "I do miss home. And I plan to go back, but not permanently, Aang. I know you'll still be busy, but I was hoping you'd come with me when I go back to visit. I'm not leaving you. You're my home as much as the South Pole is now. I…I love you." It was the first time in weeks that the words had time to settle with Aang. Most of their "I love yous" had been more like "see you laters" or "good nights" as they were always so painfully busy. Aang felt perhaps more relieved than he had after defeating Ozai, and it must have showed on his face for Katara laughed.

"I love you too." He told her, sharing her smile. "I just don't want that to stop you from seeing your family and home. I don't ever want you to feel like you're, you know, stuck with me."

"It's not exactly 'stuck' if I wouldn't rather be with anyone else." Katara admitted, grinning. Aang couldn't help but beam. "Besides…" she moved close again, so that their faces were only inches apart. "I'll see them again. But you…who knows where you'll be if I leave you alone? I can't let you fly off to some far away place without me. Who would watch out for you and make sure you didn't do something crazy and dangerous?" She teased, leaning in still closer

"Yeah…" Aang breathed, inching in so that their noses were just barely touching. He couldn't help himself any longer. "And who would I do this with?" Then, he caught her lips in perhaps their most satisfying kiss since the one she'd initiated at Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Her eyes closed, her hands coming up to wrap around him and bring him closer to her. No way could I leave this. Aang's kiss, despite the fact that he had initiated it, was as considerate and gentle as he was, loving and devoted, but never forceful. It was perfect. He was perfect.

She was breathless when they parted, leaning her forehead against his.

"You have quite a convincing point there, my dearest avatar Aang." They both laughed, and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Only for you, my most lovely Katara, sunburn healer."