A/N. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender
Aang sat on his bison head, feeling the wind flow past him once again. Sighing, the airbender couldn't help but feel happy. Appa back, the Earth King on their side, travelling again, escaping that wretched city… And Katara. What had happened between the two of them…
He could still hear the sounds she had made, he could still see the slightly parted lips when she had moaned his name. It made him blush just thinking about it. But it had happened. Had he planned it to happen? No. But the moment she had entered that barn, and had called his name… He knew he had been lost from that moment onwards. He only regretted two things. That it had not lasted longer, because he suspected Katara had not reached her own… well, climax. And the thing that had happened that morning.
Shuffling next to Appa, Aang tried not to look at Katara. When he had woken up, she had been gone, and when he finally discovered her in the living room of the apartment, Toph had been there. So there had been no talk about… what happened that night.
Now, standing next to his bison, he could see Sokka and the Earth King talking to each other at the top of the great staircase of the Palace.
Now or never.
Turning to the waterbender, he saw how she was hugging Appa.
"Katara… I need to tell you something. I've wanted to say it for a long time… And well… Yesterday… Katara, I-" He was cut short of saying the rest when an arm wrapped itself around his neck.
"All right! Who is ready to get going on a little men-only man trip?" Sokka yelled excitedly.
Spirits. Every time. Every freaking time!
"Aang and Sokka, I wish you a good journey!" Kuei spoke kindly. While a guard spoke in the king's ear, Aang felt the hand of the waterbender on his shoulder.
"We will talk when you get back. I promise." Katara voice gently spoke in his own ear, and Aang felt a blush appear on his face. If their talk went the same way as last night…
"There are some warriors from Kyoshi Island asking to be permitted inside the city, saying they know you." Kuei announced, and Aang saw how Sokka nearly bolted to the king.
"That Suki! She is a… friend! The Kyoshi Warriors are skilled and thrustworthy." The water tribe warrior said, smiling. Aang heard the hesitation on the word friend, and saw the small smile on the tanned face. Yeah, that guy was head over heels.
Just then, as he turned to Katara to say goodbye, she hugged him fiercely. Well, if his day couldn't get any better, she also kissed his cheek, and the look that she had given him was quite… expressive…
"Spirits, what have you two done?" Toph muttered next to them, before speaking up. "I'm going to miss you…"
Yeah, it was not ideal. But at least, he knew, in his heart, that everything was going to be alright. Aang turned towards Sokka, and observed the water tribe boy watching the passing fields, rivers and forests.
"Hey, your dad's encampment is at the mouth of the Jasmin River. We'll see it, no worry!" he shouted at the boy, who looked at him, and crawled to the forefront of the saddle.
"Yeah, I know! I wasn't looking for the camp! But don't you see it?" Sokka shouted back.
Aang watched and something did bother him. General How had said there was Fire Nation movement all around the south of the capital. But… There were no traces of smoke, no long columns of soldiers moving towards the great city. It seemed… peaceful.
"No soldiers!" the airbender shouted.
"Exactly!" Sokka exclaimed, resuming his observation of the ground below.
Several hours later, they landed at the mouth of the river. A small camp lay down stream, just one mile in front of them. They had decided to land, so that the water tribe warriors wouldn't mistake Appa for something else. Aang had suggested that Bato would know, but Sokka had preferred to do it like this, in case their friend was not yet back from the monastery.
"So… Do you mind if I came with you? Just to introduce myself to… your father?" Aang asked. His mind had worked tirelessly about this moment. Yes, he would lose maybe one or two hours… But he wanted to talk to Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe. Not only was it the right thing to do, because he had caused so many problems for the South as Avatar… But he had another mission. A more personal one.
"Oh... I didn't think you would want to! You have to go to the Temple, no?" Sokka asked, surprised.
"Yeah, but that can wait some hours, no? And I would rather have Appa rest here, where it's safe…" At that, the water tribe boy smiled, and pulled him in a hug.
"You are going to love my dad! He is the best!" Sokka said enthusiastically.
But is he going to love what I will ask him?
That was the question Aang was pondering while they made their way down the river. At the Southern Air Temple, he had had lessons about the water tribes , their culture and their customs. And sleeping with one's daughter, without being married was considered… Not very good. Well, that would be a detail better left unsaid. But what had been very important, apparently, was asking the parents' permission before courting their daughter. And even though they were long past that stage… Well, Aang wouldn't have this chance again. So why not?
He and Sokka walked past the first two sentries, who looked at them with astonishment.
The one on the left began to speak, but was interrupted by the right one.
"Sokka?" the voice of the man sounded like he had seen a ghost. Under the helmet, Aang could see two eyes, opened wide.
"Hey Takonaq! How are you!" Sokka smiled, seeing how the man was just surprised beyond measure to see the little boy he had known as nearly a man grown.
"H-how? Bato said y-you travelled with the Ava… the Ava…" The man, Takonaq, sputtered, while looking in Aang's direction, pointing a finger, "The Av… the Avat…"
"Hey, I'm Aang!" The airbender waved awkwardly, standing behind Sokka. The water tribe sentry looked about ready to faint.
"Your father is in the tent at the end of this row." The left sentry spoke, more calmly. The man, an older-looking guy, around forty, pointed gently.
"And it's an honour to meet you, Avatar Aang. Bato told many stories, some wilder than others, about you. We are pleased to meet you." The man smiled in his direction. It would have been a friendly face, if the face wasn't ringed in a helmet in the form of a wolf's head.
They began to walk toward the tent. It was quite clear it was the commander's tent. Bigger than others, it could probably host a war meeting. Walking past several other tribe men, Aang could see, from the corner of his eye, that they were pointing at Sokka, and then, turned towards himself. The eyes went wider, and some murmured things behind their hand in the ears of their comrades. It was… Weird.
The sentries at the tent's entrance let them enter, no problem. They had probably recognized Sokka, and, by extension, Aang.
They entered a tent that screamed Sokka's dad. If the smell of old jerky, sweat and some kind of wood wasn't enough, the man sitting at the end of a row of water tribe warriors was clearly the sibling's father.
The man, bent over a map, looked like the older version of Sokka. The same nose, the same frown of concentration. Even the voice, whispering things to the man next to him, was nearly the same. But Aang also recognized some of Katara in the man. The same look, the tip of the tongue that was sticking out between the lips while he was looking intently at the map. The same little wave of his right hand when dismissing something that the old man on his right said to him.
Just then, one of the warriors behind Hakoda lifted his head, and saw them. Aang saw it was Bato. The man, smiling, gently put a hand on his chief's shoulder, nodding toward the entrance where they stood. The man lifted his head, and Aang saw the same piercing ice blue eyes as Sokka, squinting in their direction. Then, the serious mask on the man's face fell off, and a wide smile took its place. Aang couldn't help but smile also. That was the look of a man who hadn't smiled in a long time, and just found the best thing in the world.
"Sokka…"
"Dad…"
The two men began to walk towards each other, and Aang smiled. Hakoda looked tired, so very tired. But the sight of his son seemed to take years off worry from the man's shoulders. They met in the middle of the tent, and just looked at each other for a moment.
Sokka was just several inches taller than his father, but the airbender saw the look off pain cross the chief's face, before it disappeared just as quickly as it had come.
He just realized he had missed his children grow up.
It broke Aang's heart to see that. Well, when Hakoda would see Katara, it would be worse. He had left when she was just a child. Sokka had begun to look like an adult. But the waterbender would be a complete stranger.
The two fell in each other arms, without as much as a care in the world for who would see it. Bato was quietly herding the other soldiers to the entrance, and when they walked past him, he could see several of the men look at him, questionably. When Bato walked past, he felt a hand on his arm.
"Hey Aang. Good to see you! I hope this visit is not too serious?" The water tribe warrior smiled at him.
"There is a plan… To defeat the Fire Nation. We are here to invite the Southern Water Tribe to participate…" The airbender spoke softly, so not to interrupt the reunion of father and son just some yards away.
"Really? Tui and La… That would be… I can already say we will be there. Is Katara also here?" Bato walked out of the tent, and Aang followed. He pulled the bison whistle out and blew it. He would try to talk to Hakoda later.
"No, she stayed in Ba Sing Se with Toph, my earthbending teacher." The airbender explained, walking over the where a fire was going, with the older water tribe warrior. More soldiers appeared from tents and from other parts of the encampment, looking at him with unhidden curiosity.
"Ah… Well, maybe it is better. Hakoda is already shocked enough, seeing Sokka as an adult. If he saw Katara… Well, I think his heart would burst from sadness." Bato shook his head, "And why are you here?"
Aang explained about the guru and the Eastern Air Temple, and what it could mean to master the Avatar State before the planned invasion of the Fire Nation.
"You could have just dropped off Sokka, no? Or… do you have to say something to Hakoda?" The older man's lips turned upright, and Aang saw the twinkle in the man's eyes.
"Ehm… I… I came to apologize for having abandoned the South to its fate for a century…" He began awkwardly, but Aang saw how Bato was beginning to grin.
"Spirits, you are too easy to read."
Well… Shit.
Luckily for him, Bato didn't press further, and Appa landed next to him, groaning softly. Aang heard the murmurs of the other warriors grow in volume.
"What is that?" One asked, while levelling his spear.
"Oh, that is Appa, my Sky Bison! Don't worry, he won't hurt you. Well, maybe if you have a moonpeach hidden somewhere." Aang laughed, rubbing the fur just underneath one of Appa's eyes.
"A… Sky… Bison… Yep. The world has gone crazy." The soldiers sat down next to Bato, shaking his head.
That went on for an hour, at least. Men pressed forward to look at Appa, and at Aang. Even when Bato told them to stop staring, they wouldn't. Aang was used to the curious looks his tattoos and clothes attracted, but most of the time, he was with the others, so it didn't bother him. Now, he was alone in front of these people, and he felt himself an animal in a zoo…
"Bato?" A voice called from the entrance of the Chief's tent. Looking up, Aang saw Hakoda stand there with his son.
"Could we find a tent for Sokka? Just for two weeks. Then we break up camp and move to Ba Sing Se. There is much to be done." The man smiled, and the airbender saw the pure relieve and hope in the older man's eyes.
Then, he turned to him.
"Avatar Aang, I believe?" The voice sounded amicably enough…
"Yes!" he quickly scrambled up, trying to hide how uncomfortable he had been feeling.
"Sokka said you wanted to talk to me." He gestured at the tent. Sokka walked away, next to Bato, nearly jumping up and down. Smiling at the display of happiness from the water tribe boy, Aang entered the tent.
Looking again, the airbender saw how the canvas walls were decorated with intricate wave and moon decorations. He had never seen something so ornate from the South Pole. Or at least, not since waking up from his own icy hibernation.
"Kya made it for me." The voice came from behind him. Turning around, he saw how Hakoda was watching him.
"The tent?"
"Well, the tent, we bought it from one of the last merchants to visit the South Pole. No, she made decorations. This tent was ours before she… died." The chief explained.
Katara had told him once that her family had lived in a tent, but that after that fatal raid, they had moved to live inside the igloo of her grandmother. So… Katara's mother… died in this tent?
"That is why I'm here Chief Hakoda. I… I am so sorry for what happened to the South Pole. I came here to promise I'll do everything in my power to help end the war." He bowed his head, hoping to express enough of his determination. Because he really wanted to help the Water Tribe.
"Bato told me that apparently, you have been frozen in an iceberg under the South Pole for a century. Is that correct?" Aang didn't look up, but he heard how Hakoda's voice sounded… nice. Not judging at all.
"Yes. If I could have changed anything, I would have. Since that Katara broke me out of the iceberg, I have been trying to repent for my mistakes! And I will. I promise." Aang looked up, and saw how the older water tribe man was sitting down, waving to the furs in front of him, clearly indicating him to also sit down.
Yeah… Not on the furs. Acting as if he had not seen the movement, Aang sat down on some sort of wooden stool. As he looked up again, the airbender saw how Hakoda was smiling at him.
"I believe you. Now… could you tell me about my daughter? I didn't manage to get a question through when Sokka talked… So, I would like… I would like to know who she is now. It has been six years…" The pain from that was clear in the voice Aang looked him straight into the eyes and saw how the icy blue orbs were contorted in pain. Emotional pain at least.
"Well… Your daughter… She's wonderful. Intelligent, kind, gentle, but so herself. Also, so scary sometimes." He chuckled. Aang continued, and at each word, he felt more comfortable with this man, "She fought a Water bending master at the North Pole when he refused to teach her because she is a woman. She is an amazing person."
His explanation was met with silence, and Aang didn't look at the man in front of him, because he rather suspected that the water tribe warrior was trying to hold in his tears.
After a few moments, Hakoda spoke.
"And… What does she look like? I… would like to be able to recognize her when I see her again…"
"He is around my height, has very long brown hair that she wears in these kinds of hair loopies! She told me that that is something specific for your tribe! And her eyes… Apparently, she has the exact same eyes as her mother… Or at least, Sokka told me that."
Aang heard a chuckle.
"She didn't change that much with other words.. I'm sure she did change, however. Six years… She is a woman now, you said it yourself. But thanks. You seem to know her well."
Now Aang. The guy seems to like you! He heard that you and she are friends.
"Ehm… well… That is the other reason for my visit here…" He began, trying to sound confident, "I… I would… I would like to ask you something…"
Yeah, very confident indeed.
Looking up, he saw how Hakoda watched him, with one eyebrow raised.
"And that is?"
"I know that in the water tribes… Well, you are supposed… Spirits. I know that you are supposed to ask the parents' permission if you want to… to court their daughter."
A heavy silence settled between them. One that Aang didn't like at all. Hakoda had seemed nice, and actually alright. But the heavy silence made him second-guess that assessment. As he waited, Aang realized how foolish this had been. Of course, it was going to go poorly! The guy didn't even know him, and they were in the middle of a war. No one should be thinking along these lines, and of course, he least of all! The airbender was supposed to end this war! Even… Even if it meant sacrificing his life. That was the job of the Avatar. Stand between the world and evil…
And here he was, being a fool in front of Katara's father.
"Avatar… I can't say yes to that…." He heard the man say, not unkindly.
"Why not?" Aang felt tears in his eyes. This was supposed to be a new beginning. And here he was, screwing it up. Now he had to go back to Katara, and explain that first of all, he had gone to talk to her father without informing her… And that he had said no.
Aang knew she wouldn't care for that, and that she would make her own choices. But it felt so painful to be rejected by this man.
"I'm sure you know why. I don't know you… And you have a far more important job to do than trying to flirt with Katara."
Yeah… They were past that stage dear Chief.
"I do not flirt." Aang answered, truthfully, "I respect her too much for that…"
"It is really nothing against you Avatar… I just… Why ask me now, why not wait until after this invasion plan Sokka talked about?"
"Because… Sir… I… She is everything to me." He confessed, feeling the tears drop from his eyes. Not looking at the man, he concentrated on the sandy ground underneath his feet.
"I'm sorry Avatar…"
"Aang. My name is Aang." The airbender stood up, not looking at the man in front of him, and exited the tent.
How could he have been so stupid? First, he doesn't even manage to talk to Katara. Then, he makes a fool of himself in front of Hakoda. Aang quickly went to where Appa was laying, happily munching on some hay. Burying his face against the soft white fur, the airbender felt how the bison leaned against him. The feeling of having Appa consoling him was comforting.
"Oh hey Aang! What did you talk about with Dad?" Sokka voice sounded from behind.
"Nothing important." The airbender groaned against the fur.
"Oh… Okay…" The water tribe boy sounded suspicious. Now was not the time to explain Sokka what had been happening between him and Katara. Yeah, if he did that, she was sure to freeze his ass again for a hundred years.
"I'll be going now…" Aang moved away from Appa and turned to his friend. Who probably saw the red eyes.
"Aang, what happened?"
"Nothing… I'll explain when I'm back, alright?" He didn't want to talk about it. It was not important. Hakoda's opinion didn't matter. Katara wouldn't care. And it didn't stop him from loving her. But still, it would have been nice to have the man's blessing, or at least, a friendly promise to discuss it further in the future. Would that have been so hard? Instead, he just got an outright No.
"Alright, but whatever it is, don't worry, it will solve itself! We are on a roll, remember?" Sokka grinned while saying that.
Aang smiled at that. Yeah… They were on a roll. Who cared that Hakoda didn't seem to like him? What Katara and he had… That was between them! And the war would be over soon! There was so much good news, that this was just… a nuisance. Nothing more.
"Thank Sokka," Aang smiled, holding his arm out. The water tribe boy grabbed it, in a traditional water tribe handshake.
"Could you do something for me?" He asked, and Sokka nodded.
"Tell your dad about all our travels. All. I mean, include the things like that I stole the map, and how I was after the desert. Hide nothing." The airbender smiled weakly at the arched eyebrow, that was so similar to the look he had got from Hakoda before being shot down.
"Sure… you'll tell me why, after?"
"Yeah… I will."
Jumping on Appa's head, he waved at Sokka, who was just shaking his head, smiling. Now, on to the Air Temple. After that, he would be back with Katara, Sokka and Toph. And they would end the war. Together.
Answers :
Chinmay : Yeah, I'm not looking forward to the next few chapters, those are going to be… fun…
Dividedbyzero-0 : Yeah, I began to write, and this came up. So I just went with it. I had been planning on a sweet, nice talk. But nope! And thank you very much!
CoyoteLemon : Yeah, but let's not forget, first times, even in fics, can be awkward not not very satisfying, so it goes well with the awkwardness they have going on lol. But don't worry, he feels horrible about it too!
Kalaong ; God that is a long review lol! But I agree, those two probably would have been going to town very early on. I did recognize the fact that in canon, both are very clearly pinning for each other, that's why I always write with aged up characters, that makes it so much more fun !
Bay45220 : Yeah, that would be so horrible!