Hi, everybody! This takes place right after the finale. (Spoiler alert!)
I do not own ATLA.
Katara raced through the metal hallways of the giant airship. She was on a mission. She was searching for someone.
She opened door after door and found nothing but empty cabins. She was beginning to lose hope when she stumbled across the airships small infirmary. When she entered the room, sure enough, there lay the person in question.
"Aang!" Katara cried out, relieved that the boy was still alive.
Alive, but weak. The Avatar's small body was battered and bruised, scrapes and burns lining much of his ghostly pale skin.
He smiled a little as she came into view. "Hi, Katara," he said weakly. "I…I did it."
The girl smiled back. "Yes, you did. And I'm so proud of you." She slid a hand under his back and helped him sit up so that she could embrace him, but Aang's smile vanished at this and he squirmed away from her touch.
Katara stiffened, confused. "What's the matter? Did I hurt you?"
Aang looked away. "No, I…I just feel uncomfortable."
Realization hit the Waterbender like a ton of bricks. She sighed. Of course the situation was awkward for him. The last time they had seen each other, they'd argued. And then he had disappeared.
Was he afraid that she was mad at him?
"Aang, I…" But Katara couldn't find the right words to say after that. 'I'm sorry' didn't seem right. Surely Aang was the one who had done wrong here—he ran away, after all. Why should she apologize?
But…he did have reason to be angry with her. She basically told him that he had to kill the Firelord, going completely against his culture and his way of life. But still, did he have to run away?
Aang sighed and settled himself back down on his cot. "I want to make things right," he said frustratedly, "I feel like I can't…interact with you anymore. Not comfortably."
Though such a statement could have easily offended her, Katara was taken aback by this, and she felt a bit concerned for the Avatar. "Really…why? What's wrong?"
"Just…everything," Aang replied, his growing frustration clearly conveyed through his gritted teeth.
"Are you…mad at me?" she asked hesitantly, twirling a piece of her hair.
"No!" he replied urgently, a bit too quickly. "I-I mean, yes. You…I…I don't know!" he shouted, upset and confused. He looked away.
She reached out to touch his shoulder, but then she quickly pulled her arm back, assuming he didn't want her to touch him. "If it's any help, Aang…I'm not mad at you."
Continuing to avert her eyes, he clenched his fists. "You should be."
Her eyes widened. "You were under a lot of pressure, Aang. I think you needed some space to clear your head. I'm not mad that you ran away."
He sat straight up again. "I didn't run away."
"What do you mean?" She was confused.
"I was summoned by a Lion Turtle…a spirit," he recalled. "I guess you could say that I was hypnotized."
She sighed. "Well, I'm not mad, but you sure had me worried."
"But that's not what I was getting at," Aang said, frustration still evident in his voice. "Before I left, we argued, and…what you said really hurt me. I couldn't kill the Firelord, Katara. It goes against everything I believe in…and you basically telling me that I had no choice—that hurt, coming from my best friend. So I yelled at you, when you wereonly trying to help. And then I just left. I acted like a jerk to you, and then I disappeared. You should hate me." He sounded very upset and on the verge of tears. His face was red, and he was already out of breath from all the commotion, only further demonstrating how weak he was at the moment.
Katara swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. She hesitated, allowing an awkward, tense silence to fall. Aang used this time to calm down and compose himself.
After a moment, the Waterbender spoke. "I don't hate you, Aang. People argue. And…we were about to risk our lives to fight a battle that the whole world depended on us to win. But it had to be done. You had to kill Ozai. And you did."
He shook his head. "Well…no, actually, I didn't."
She blinked. "You didn't? But then…how did you—?"
"I took his Firebending away. The Lion Turtle taught me that." He spoke as if the feat were ordinary and unimpressive.
"Oh," she replied, only partially having any idea what he was talking about. "So you were able to find another way."
"Yeah." He nodded. "I'm sorry…for everything. I was being irrational and stupid."
"It's okay…but please stop disappearing if you can help it. I like having you around." She smiled at him.
He smiled back.
So…better?" she asked, determinedly sitting down next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.
He let her, but he bit his lip, his smile quickly fading. "A little. But…there's something else I think we should discuss."
"Oh. You mean…us?" It was really no use asking…she already knew the answer.
"Yeah. What exactly are we?" he inquired.
She took a deep breath. "You said it yourself, didn't you? We're best friends. At least…that's what I thought we were." Of course, she knew that he wouldn't be satisfied with that answer. Frankly, she wasn't satisfied with it, either. Maybe now, now that the war was over…maybe now they could be together?
"Yes, but…you know how I feel about you," he pressed, looking her directly in the eye. "And…I know you feel something for me. Maybe it isn't the same as what I feel, but I…I need to know, Katara."
"Aang…" Now she was the one who felt uncomfortable. Here he was, pouring his heart out to her, and she was, rendered speechless.
"If you need to hear me say it, Katara…I love you." There, he said it. Now maybe if she rejected him, he could at least try to salvage their friendship without acting like a complete idiot.
That did it. Katara's heart just about leapt up to her throat. Those were heavy words coming from a boy of just twelve years old. But he seemed just a little bit older saying them, mature beyond his years.
She blushed. "Aang…you're so sweet." She put her other hand on his other shoulder and leaned her cheek up against his in a haphazard hug to avoid his injuries. And then, finally…the response she knew he was waiting for. "I love you, too."
"You do? Really?" he asked excitedly, his face lighting up like a wildfire.
"Well, are you trying to make me change my mind?" she teased, giggling.
He laughed sheepishly. "S-sorry."
"I was just kidding," she said. "You just had a little cutesy moment there."
Aang looked at Katara seriously. "So…you're not mad at me at all?"
She shook her head. "No. Are you mad at me?"
He did the same. "No."
"Good." Katara's smile grew wider as she leaned in and gave Aang a peck on the lips. "Now, get some rest. You have to regain your strength." She stood up.
But Aang grabbed her wrist. "Okay, but…can you stay?"
"Well, okay… but there's nowhere for me to sit," she said. "Do you mind if I sit at your feet here?" She sat back down as he settled under the covers.
Aang frowned. "Well, you can if you want, but I thought…" He trailed off.
"Oh? What happened to being uncomfortable around me?" Katara asked, smirking. Aww, that's cute, she thought. He wants to cuddle.
"Not anymore!" he said insistently. He scooted over, making room for her.
"Oh, all right." She crawled under the covers next to him. An immediate warmth greeted them.
Katara rested her head on Aang's and carefully wrapped her arms around him. "I'll give you a healing session later," she promised him.
"Okay," he replied tiredly, sleep taking over his body as he snuggled deeper into his new girlfriend's arms.
