They didn't mean to miss so much of Zuko's birthday ball…
Or the now-annual war-ending celebrations (in every nation)…
Or the Earth King's engagement party…
It was just that they got so little time to themselves, and whenever they were together in public, someone was trying to pull at least one of them away for political reasons. They'd tried sticking to the dance floor and limiting mingling, but someone would always tap them on the shoulder and ask to cut in, and then they'd spend song after song watching the other longingly as their new partner chatted up a storm about trade routes or law proposals or their needs for Avatar Intervention or healing or Hakoda's support. Or worse, tried to flirt with them.
There were…distasteful rumors flying around, now, because of this, about how the Avatar only cared about "his waterbending mistress" (many wouldn't even give Katara the benefit of calling her his girlfriend) and wasn't devoted enough to the balance of the world. She knew it made Aang's blood boil; she saw it in his clenched fists and tight jaw during those times they were forced to endure the company of the stuffy nobles who so often turned up their noses at their relationship. Many of them still held racist views of the Water Tribes, and saw Katara as an "inferior choice" for the Avatar. Meanwhile others thought that Aang, as the last Airbender, shouldn't be in a relationship at all, but should be doing his utmost to bring back his lost race.
The utter lack of understanding of who his people were and what they stood for never failed to shock and appall them both.
Aang supposed he couldn't blame them too much; his people have been gone for more than a century. Katara supposed she absolutely could blame them, especially when they were in the Fire Nation; his people are gone because of them and nobody had bothered to study or learn about them since then. She fumed at the audacity of them all.
At first, they were sneaking off for selfish (but understandable) reasons. Katara couldn't stand watching all the Avatar Fangirls fawning over her boyfriend and blatantly trying to steal him away from her. She knew Aang wasn't so shallow as to fall for any of it, but still. It was the principle—and the girls' obvious lack of respect for her—that had Katara dragging him away by the arm in those moments.
Aang couldn't help needing to steal Katara away for a few extra kisses whenever she was dressed up like that. She was always beautiful, but the outfits she wore to these types of events hugged her in all the right places, and showed off both her strength and her elegance. And when she would get jealous of the frequent fangirl attention, he felt an overwhelming need to reassure her that she was the only one he was interested in. And just how interested he was…
So they would find themselves in secluded corners or behind bushes or topiaries in exquisite royal gardens or even in the occasional broom or linen closet, giving in to each other and their teenaged-hormones and falling into each other's arms and lips and touch again and again and again.
On one such night, in the Fire Nation for this year's war-ending celebrations, Aang had been stolen away by generals and politicians and fangirls almost as soon as they'd walked in the door. Katara had watched him bouncing between them all like an overhit ping-pong ball as she endured her own uncomfortable interactions with various guests. An hour later she walked back to their table alone, nursing a much-needed glass of champagne after a particularly challenging conversation with an older (definitely Fire Nation supremacist) noble, when Aang approached her from behind.
"Let's get out of here," he murmured in her ear. Katara felt her stomach flutter in anticipation as she grinned back at him.
His presence immediately lightened her mood. The sensation of his hands kneading at her hips sent her reeling, and his hot breath on her ear and neck caused her to shiver despite the oppressive Fire Nation heat.
She turned in his arms and he leaned down to capture her lips. Warmth that had nothing to do with the temperatures flooded her body, and she felt herself melting into him. Like clay to a potter, in this moment she was putty in his hands; he could do with her whatever he wanted and she would be all too happy to comply.
Aang's hands moved to her cheeks, framing her face with utmost adoration and care and tenderness even while his mouth on hers bordered on possessive and fiery. Eventually they needed to breathe. When she pulled back she saw how his normally bright silver eyes had darkened into swirling iron pots, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Where did you have in mind?" Katara asked, out of breath but bubbling with mischievous energy.
Aang pulled her against his side and started walking them out of the grand ballroom. "Anywhere but here," he whispered. Katara drained her glass and set it on the tray of a passing waiter as they increased their speed. Several guests tried to flag them down but they pretended not to see, and soon enough they were out on the nearest balcony.
They walked until they were out of sight from the party, and then Aang backed her up against a nearby pillar, resuming his delicious assault on her lips. Katara felt almost drunk on his love and affection; felt it filling every inch of her consciousness and let it lift her.
She gasped for breath, smiling against his lips as she wobbled on unsteady feet. "You have no idea how much I needed this tonight," she whispered, going in for another quick kiss and brushing his face with the backs of her fingers. "Jiro found me again."
"Oh no," Aang groaned knowingly. This particular noble had a history of approaching Katara, and sometimes Sokka, with unwelcome, often-insulting remarks about their tribe. "What'd he say this time?"
Katara glanced back at the party. "A lot of the same, about how you should be sending Fire Nation troops to the poles to 'help educate and improve the Water Tribe civilization.' But…" she hesitated, kneading at the fabric of Aang's formal robes as she held him close to her. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were shining. Katara hardly ever let it get to her when people like Jiro were rude or out of line—it only inspired her to fight harder for education reforms or health care access or inclusive global programming—so Aang could almost hear his heart shatter when he saw her tears.
"Hold that thought," he said, kissing her forehead tenderly. He pulled the bison whistle out of his robes and blew hard, leading Katara over to the edge of the balcony. Within seconds, Appa was there and Aang had airbent them into the saddle where Momo was napping peacefully, and they were flying as far away from the party as they could get.
"I'm sorry," Katara said miserably, wiping her tears with the back of her hand as she snuggled into Aang's side. "I know I shouldn't let it get to me, it's just… Today he was talking about how selfish it was of me to hold onto you when the 'balance of the world is on the line' and I… I know he's just saying that because he doesn't think we should be together and I know you told me that the balance wouldn't come back that way anyway but…"
Aang pulled Katara into his lap and clutched her to him, almost desperately. "I know," he said, hugging her and inhaling her comforting scent. "One of Zuko's advisors was saying the same thing to me. That I need to 'stop messing around with childish fantasies and grow up.' I'm so tired of doing everything I can for these people, just to have it all ignored or forgotten because I won't give them my personal life on top of it." He took a moment to breathe deeply and keep himself from getting too angry. "And I'm sorry you have to deal with this, too, just because you're with me, Katara. You don't deserve any of this."
"Some war-ending anniversary this turned out to be," Katara said. Aang chuckled darkly. They sat together for a long while, holding each other and mourning the somewhat naive early days of their relationship. They'd always known that it wouldn't be easy to be together, but they could never have predicted just how much control the average person thought they had over the Avatar and his relationships. "The Avatar belongs to the world" became a phrase that sparked fury in Katara and despondency in Aang, because it had been repeated over and over again in order to "remind them both of Aang's duty," as if they weren't already painfully aware of it. As if Aang didn't carry that duty heavily on his shoulders with the loss of his people.
After some time, Katara noticed they were flying out of the Fire Nation altogether. She looked up at Aang and knew that the defeat in his face was reflected in her own. He hastily wiped away tear after tear. She wished more than anything that she could heal this hurt for him, but she wasn't sure how. It was like nothing they did would make these people respect their relationship and take them seriously. Then, suddenly, the solution came to her. She sat back and took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.
"Marry me," she whispered.
Aang visibly startled. He searched her eyes, studying her to see if she was serious. "Really?" he eventually gasped out. His voice was hoarse. It was almost like they were afraid to speak of this out loud.
Rather than respond with words, Katara leaned into him, trying to convey with her kiss just how much she meant what she'd said. She moved her lips against his purposefully, and melted as she felt him opening to her with enthusiasm. When she pulled back, Aang was smiling a dazed, contented smile that she wasn't sure she'd ever seen on his face before.
Aang had turned sixteen the previous year, and though they'd talked about marriage before, there never seemed to be a "right time" for it. There was always some emergency they were needed at, and neither of them felt comfortable making plans months in advance while the New Ozai Society was still at large. She knew the concept of marriage wasn't as important to his people as it was to hers, but suddenly it felt like the most effective way to silence those who didn't believe their relationship was anything more than teenaged fantasy. And, more than that, the idea of marrying Aang just felt so, so right.
"It wouldn't change how we feel about each other, but it could change how the rest of the world sees us," she reasoned when he remained silent. "People would have to take us more seriously. And it would mean we wouldn't have to… sneak around so much." His grin grew wider at that and she giggled, finally feeling truly free and happy for the first time that night, flying through the sky with the wind blowing around them.
This time Aang was the one to respond with a kiss, pulling her impossibly closer. She turned to provide better access to her mouth, moving her legs so that her knees were on either side of his hips, and he surged. She could feel his "yes" in the grip of his hand on her hip, the glide of his tongue against hers, and the tenderness of his other hand on her cheek. Up in the air, far away from meddling nobles and opinionated townsfolk, they could just be together, as Aang and Katara, without fear of interruption or admonishment.
Just as she began to grind in his lap, inciting a needy groan from Aang's throat, Momo woke up and flew testily around their shoulders, looking for snacks. They laughed, and Aang pulled a moonpeach and some nuts from a satchel lying nearby. They'd left most of their things in the Fire Palace, but these days they always kept a spare bag in the saddle of frequently re-stocked essentials, in case of emergencies. When he turned back to Katara, his eye caught on her mother's necklace shining in the moonlight.
He reached up to caress it briefly, and Katara could see that he was already scheming something. His face lit up with the telltale smirk and he had that glint in his eye.
"What are you thinking?" Katara asked, holding back laughter.
"How soon do you want to do this?"
"As soon as possible," she said confidently. "I don't want to wait and I don't want to plan some big event. I suppose we'll have to do something public eventually, but for now… For now I'd like to just keep it between us. Maybe our friends if we can swing it but really all I care about is marrying you." She couldn't help the excited giggle that escaped her then on the thought of being Aang's wife. Of him being her husband. Hers. Officially.
"I just want to marry you, too," he breathed, leaning back into her with every intent of kissing her sensually, but neither of them could stop smiling enough to kiss properly. Finally, Aang set her down and, laughing at her ensuing pout, jumped up and floated over onto Appa's head.
She watched as he leaned over, murmuring something in the giant bison's ear and felt that swoop in her stomach as Appa's direction changed slightly. Moments later, Aang was back in the saddle, sitting next to her and caressing every inch of her that he could reach. He was twitchy; clearly excited with far too much energy to contain. He ran his fingers over her side, along her rib cage, and she nearly shrieked with laughter, collapsing into his lap.
"That tickled!" she exclaimed.
"I'm sorry," Aang said, blushing. "I'll be good."
Katara looked up at him for a moment, then whispered, "Don't worry, I liked it," before attacking his sides with tickles until he fell, too.
They lay there together in the saddle, still out of breath from laughter, staring at the stars as they moved overhead. Eventually they dozed off, snuggled against each other happily, dreaming of the future.