A/N. So, I needed another chapter before the M stuff… There will be two chapters after this about that, one for Aang, the other for Katara. And then, we'll move to the invasion.
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender
This was surely far enough? They had walked an hour! Surely even Toph couldn't feel them here, and they would get some privacy? Surely.
Not that she exactly planned to… You know. Well, yes, she did. But not immediately! Maybe later today… Or during the night. But now, she just wanted to spend time with Aang. She wasn't too sure how to bring that up to him, because she had kind of made it look like she planned to do only that… But she wanted to do so much more! The waterbender wanted to fit the clothes she had made, first of all. If they were going to spend the day together, it would be as Aang and Katara… Not Kuzon and Sapphire.
They had found another cave, from which steam was softly flowing into the air. The whole island seemed to be riddled with these hot springs, and she had liked the one she had found days ago… Only, it was way too close to the others, so it was probably better if they didn't use that one… And this one actually had view on the beach. The campsite from which they could see the invasion force come lay on the eastern side of the island, while this cave was on the western coast.
"Here?" Aang's voice sounded from behind her. They had walked an hour, without speaking much, maybe too concentrated on their own thoughts. Katara had been mulling over how this day would go, as it was already approaching midday. Perhaps, this afternoon, they could talk a bit, do some waterbending… And then… Well, they would see.
"Yes… Here." She smiled. This was a good place. There was that cave, with the hot springs, the beach… Everything you could ever want.
"So.. What do we do?" Aang asked, and Katara turned around to look at him. She saw how he was kind of looked anywhere, except towards her, and how he had put his hands on his back. She knew that look. The airbender always stood like that is he was unsure. It was just short of his embarrassed hand in the neck move.
"Well… I need to check if the clothes fit… You know, in case I need to adjust something." She answered, as she showed the bag in her hand. Aang nodded, smiling. Did he look… relieved? Yes, that was it… Why? Was it because he was finally going to be able to dress like an Air Nomad… Or because it meant that they would not immediately… do something else?
She had never really thought about it, but... Aang never talked about what he thought about that. Sure, the two times they had done it, he had been quite expressive about liking her. Loving her. But he had never really… Told what he liked. The first time, they had not really talked, more… Well, they had expressed what they felt in a rather intimate, rushed manner… And the second time, he had not done anything for himself, but had focused on her. And as much as Katara had loved the attention… Like, really liked it… She wanted to do the same thing for him!
But that was further down the road.
The waterbender opened the bag, and produced the dress she had made for herself. Well, dress… it did go to just below her knees, and the sides from the knees to her hips were slashed open to make movement easier. It was a combat dress! She had actually taken the idea from the uniforms of the Kyoshi Warriors, who used the same technique to facilitate movement. She guessed she would just wear some trousers or leggings underneath.
Looking down into the bag, she also saw what she had made for Aang. Sure, he was perfectly capable of making his own clothes… He was actually the only man she had ever seen make his own clothes! Her father could make armour, but that was not the same thing. Making functional clothes for everyday use was a traditionally female duty in the water tribes… And she had hated it. She could make dresses quite easily, and was not too shabby in making shirts, tunics and parkas, but otherwise, was not very talented.
But of this one, she was proud. She had never worked with such flamboyant colours. The Fire Nation used red and gold, but the colours always seemed… cold. As if it was meant to look sinister. But these orange and yellow fabrics… They breathed life.
Katara had just used the design Aang had been wearing for most of their travels through the Earth Kingdom, the simple tunic that left one shoulder and arm exposed, and that was tied together with a sash. But to make in slightly more intricate, she had kind of braided the fabrics together, so that each three inches or so, the colour changed from orange to yellow, and back again. And it looked nice.
She was kind of curious how Aang's… body would look… in this tunic. Quickly looking at the airbender, who was opening their food bag, and putting some things out of it for lunch, the waterbender smiled.
Yeah, he had regained the muscles he had lost during his coma… And had added to them. No, he still didn't look like The Boulder had done or something like that… But it was impressive. There was really not an ounce of fat on him… And she liked it.
"So… I made this for you." She took the tunic in her left hand, while she held her own new clothes with the right one.
"I could have done that myself!" He immediately smiled at her. Katara knew he didn't mean it like Oh spirits, why did you do that? But was rather concerned that she had spent time on something for him, while he could have taken the burden.
"I know! But with your training and… accidental drunken afternoon… I thought it would be better if I did it." Katara smiled, but immediately felt a kind of… awkwardness… settle around the airbender. Why were his eyes still not looking at her?
"Oh… Yeah… about that!" He suddenly looked her straight in the eyes, but averted them just as quickly, "Sokka kind of told me what I said… I'm sorry about, you know, telling the others I love you. Kind of put you on the spot there I think."
Katara heart swelled at his words. Even though it had been clear he had no control over his actions, he still felt it necessary to apologize for them.
"Oh! And… I'm sorry about talking about your… r-rear. To them." Ah… There was the awkward hand in the neck gesture. Katara smiled and straightened. Walking to the airbender, she gently took his hand.
"You only told them you liked it… and how soft it was… Oh, and you didn't say rear…" She actually grinned at that. As much as she hated people talking about physical attributes, and just making dumb jokes about that, she tolerated it with him. Because he didn't do it just because he felt like it. He did it with meaning behind it. She had never heard him talk about a girl in a disrespectful way.
"W-what did I say then?" Aang still sounded embarrassed. Katara took his chin between her index and thumb, realizing she now had to actually… look up at him. Spirits, he had grown. Making him look directly into her eyes, the waterbender smirked.
"You said ass. You said, she has such a nice ass."
Katara had to bite her lip to prevent from laughing out loud when she saw the sputtering reaction from the airbender. He had gone from slightly pink to pale to red in the matter of just a few moments.
Sure, when he was sober, he would never have said that. But to know he actually knew every "dirty" word… For some reason, it made her laugh. Tui and La, imagine if he was as bad as Toph was in his head.
But he wasn't that, Katara knew for sure. Of course, he had his own thoughts about… that… But so did everyone she supposed. She certainly did. For example, the waterbender had been quite curious about some things that she had read about in the book… For example, page forty-five…
"O-oh… hehe… Well… At least I didn't lie!" Aang managed to speak coherently, and that made her raise her eyebrows. He had never said something like that, or at least, not while they were fully clothed. Katara felt that it was perhaps because the awkwardness of those first encounters was slowly dissipating, to be replaced with a more relaxed physical relationship. And she really wanted that. Because for as much as the awkward and embarrassment had been exhilarating, she wanted that relaxed, comfortable manner she had seen with so many other couples… like her parents…
"Enough about my ass! Go on, try it on!" She handed him his new tunic, shaking her head slightly, but still smiling. For Aang, it wasn't difficult, as he was not wearing a shirt to begin with, but she needed to change rather dramatically. The only thing that she had on that could still be of use with her new clothes were her lower bindings. The upper ones, that she would normally wear over her torso, had been forgone since she had put on the Fire Nation disguise… But Katara knew she would probably need them with the new outfit. Certainly, it would be easier during the invasion if it all stayed… where it was supposed to be. So, bindings it was going to be.
The waterbender retreated behind a small boulder next to the cave they had found, because, for everything that had happened between her and the airbender… she was still not quite ready to change in front of him. Sure, they had seen each other naked several times… Or at least, twice, but that had been in the heat of the moment. Not just… For mundane things, like changing. So, the boulder would serve as a screen between them.
She had taken some old trousers of her brother, and had shortened them to fit her. It was still a bit wide around her hips, but it fit if she put her belt on it. Removing the red top, Katara felt the slight breeze caress her skin… Later… That feeling would perhaps be Aang's breath? Smiling at the thought, she began to wind the bindings around herself. Then, she put on the dress. It was actually a really good fit, which surprised her, for she had never been quite good at guessing the exact sizes.
And she had another thing to do. Shaking her hair loose, she took the beads out that she had already put in the pocket of the dress before. Pulling her hair into her hair loopies, she managed to get them like she always did. There. That felt like it was supposed to do. The rest of her hair, she left the way it was. The braid Katara had worn before would have been too much work, seen how her hair had grown… And she liked the rather free feeling of having it loose, even though it was frowned upon in the Water Tribes for a woman to wear her hair like that. Who cared?
And… There was one last thing. Searching through her bag, she found it. Pulling it out, Katara opened the clasp, and wrapped it around her neck. There… The familiar weight around her throat was back… Softly putting a hand on her mother's necklace, she smiled to herself. There. No more Sapphire Fire. No, she was Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. And she wouldn't change that for anything in the world.
"Does it fit you?" She called out, as she was putting the disguise in the bag.
"Yeah! You?" The waterbender heard Aang answer.
"It does. What do you think?" Katara walked around the boulder and saw the airbender sitting on the sand next to his bag.
It was always comical to see his reactions when she wore something new… At first, he had been a sputtering mess, for example when she had worn that Earth Kingdom disguise to get into the King's party for his pet. Then, with her Fire Nation clothes, the airbender had just been… Well, his look had been hungry, as if he had wanted to pull it off directly. That had to do with the bare midriff she supposed.
But this one… Was contentment? Yes, that was it. He seemed just content, to see her what she was supposed to look like. A soft smile played on his lips, and it felt… Like home. As if he accepted everything without question and was just happy to see her like she was. Like Katara.
He himself looked… good. Like, really good. She had hoped the muscles wouldn't be too hidden by the tunic, and there certainly did not! Rather… the clothes embellished what was already there. It looked. And the colour did go well with the blue lines of his tattoos, who stood out. Maybe that was why the Air Nomads had chosen those colours for their everyday clothes?
"It seems we are both the people we are supposed to be once again." Aang smiled, standing up, and doing a small turn around to show off his clothes.
"Yes, and that won't change. No more hiding your arrows." Katara smiled, stepping towards the airbender, taking one of his hands in hers, and caressing the tattoo on his hand. No more hiding.
"And you, you can wear your necklace, and those beads." Katara saw how he softly lifted the stone on her necklace with two fingers, and then, moved on to the hair loopies, looking at the beads.
"What are they made of?" Aang asked, taking a step backwards.
"Oh, my hair beads? My grandmother made them from a leopard-caribou antler!"
"Really? I thought… I thought those were quite rare!" Aang sat down, handing her a small brreadroll. Falling down next to him, she took a bit.
"Yes, they are, but it is considered good luck in the Water Tribes to hunt one. And let me tell you, they taste delicious!" Katara laughed at the face Aang pulled. But she knew he didn't judge. He may be a vegetarian, considering that every life was secret, but he was not judgemental, or forced someone to adhere to his ideals.
"I'll have to trust your word for that! In the Western Air Temple, there was a whole workshop making beads for Air Nomad necklaces from glass… It was always so hot in that room! But it was nice to visit." Aang smiled, and she saw that he lay down on the sand, eyes closed.
Katara knew that soft look on his face, eyes closed, silent. He was remembering things from before the war…
"Aang… What would you do… If the invasion worked out? If we win?" She asked. It had been on her mind for several days now. Before, they hadn't really discussed it, but now? If they won… Their lives would change dramatically. Foremost, they wouldn't need to hide, to calculate what supplies they still had… They would be able to live a normal life.
"Oh… well… I would like to help out wherever I am needed… And well, I will need to do my duty as Avatar…" He sighed, eyes still closed.
That had not been what she had wanted to know. No… What did the end of the war mean for… for them?
"And you?" His voice sounded.
"I… I would like to see what I could do for my home. And see Gran Gran, of course! I would be curious if Pakku managed to get himself killed by her." Yes, the idea had formed for some time. She was a capable waterbender… And with Pakku and the Northern benders to help her, she could surely make her home liveable again.
"I could help with that… I know what the South looked like before… You know, building and such…" He answered.
"And… What about us?" She murmured. She knew the answer would only be positive, but why did she still feel a bit afraid of it?
He opened his eyes and propped himself up by his elbows. The intense look in his eyes made Katara shiver slightly. In a good way.
"I thought that would be obvious! I would follow you anywhere! If you want to be in the South, I'll stay there too! Of course, I would need to travel around for my duties, and the South is kind of far from everything, but anything for you!" He nearly sounded indignant, as if anything else would be even too absurd to think about!
"But… You would surely like to stay in one of the temples, wouldn't you?" She had thought he would have wanted to make his home in the Southern Air Temple. That one was still close enough to the South Pole!
"Spirits no! Why would I want that?" He looked confused.
"Well… They are kind of yours…" They were, no? As the only Air Nomad in existence, their territory was his. And only his.
"Not really, Air Nomads didn't consider the temples as property, rather as… temporal places to make homes for people like children, or old people. Most adult Nomads, who didn't choose to become monks or nuns, just lived in the valleys underneath the Temples, in huts. And I know what happened to the temples… I wouldn't want to live in one, for a million years. For me… Those spaces will forever me tainted with the blood of my friends… Of my family… No, my home is quite simply with you. Wherever you want that to be."
Katara felt a lump in her throat. Not only because of the fact that his old home would never feel like home to him… But most of all because of that last sentence.
"Are you sur-" Before she could finish her phrase, she was cut off by his lips on her.
It had been a long time they had kissed… But the feeling of his lips on hers was familiar and strange at the same time. Any doubt she had about the future disappeared like snow in the sun. Of course, there was nothing to worry about. They would manage anything together!
She felt how Aang backed away from her mouth, and she smiled, closing her eyes. Everything was alright. The invasion would go smoothly, and after that, they could finally life a bit.
"Yes. I have never been surer of anything in my life. Katara, I'm yours, until the day I die." He whispered in her ear.
"As you are mine." She whispered back. It felt so good. They didn't need long discussions about these kinds of things. For some reason… Katara just knew what he felt, because she did feel the exact same thing in her heart. No need to explain, because it would just… rob it of its magic.
They sat there, in silence. At one point, Katara softly put her head against his shoulder, and it felt… right. No need to discuss what would happen in two days. The invasion, the death, the carnage… That could wait. That would wait. No, this was theirs. And no need for lengthy declarations… Just… Be together.
After a while, she heard him chuckle.
"Who would have thought? I never did. I hoped… But I never imagined it would really happen." Katara knew what he was talking about.
"I did. Or at least… I hoped too. And to be honest… After the Cave of the Two Lovers… Did you doubt it?" She laughed with him.
"Seriously? Yeah! I did! Do you know that confused me even more?" Aang said, as he pulled his bag towards him.
"Really? I thought that when a girl asks you to kiss her, it leaves little to doubt!" She shook her head. Of course, there had been so much doubt after that… But there was no need to repeat everything that had kept them apart. No…. No, they could laugh about it.
"Sure… Sure…" Aang nodded, closing his eyes and pouting. Katara laughed at his expression, and after a moment, he began to snicker as well.
"Let's just agree we both had our dumb moments when the other didn't know how to respond!" She stated.
"Really? Moments? Like plural? I thought I only had that one moment with the whole I would rather kiss you than die!"
"Oh no you didn't! What about the whole papaya thing at Aunt Wu? Or your extremely awkward date in the North Pole?"
He had asked her to watch the northern lights with him, as a friend. She would have believed him if he hadn't said as a friend. Who says that? No, she had understood what he had meant! But Sokka and Yue had invited themselves.
"Hey! That wasn't my fault! I told Sokka about it, and he insisted on coming with us! And when I tried to stop him, he said the more the merrier!" Aang protested.
"We'll need to get him for that. If he hadn't done that… Well, all this could have been happening so much earlier!" Katara giggled.
"All this?" Aang smirked. Oh, she knew where he was heading. He was still clutching his bag, and she knew what was inside. The book. Their book. Air People's Ideas on Lovemaking.
"Pff, you know what I meant." She slapped his elbow softly, shaking her head. Idiot.
"Oh yes, I know Tara." He grinned, "That would have been awkward, you know. We shared a rather small house with Sokka. Imagine all the oogies he would have seen." Aang wiggled his eyebrows.
"All the oogies in the book you are trying so desperately to get into the conversation?" She raised her own eyebrow, smirking. Oh she knew perfectly well what he had been trying to do.
"W-what do you mean? I didn't… Yeah, alright. I did try that..."
Yeah, that had been a bit obvious.
"Aang, we both know where this is going… And that's alright. For once, we have time… And we don't need to hide away from the others. So… Let's talk about that. Let's talk about what we want. There is no shame in that!" She had actually wanted to talk about that with him. It had been so nice last time… But she knew what she liked. So, why not tell him, so that he could do it too?
And Katara was sure he also had things he liked… And she wanted to know them.
Answers :
Jjsmith103 : Yeah, under all the laughing, there is a respect for Katara that I wanted to show! And even though they are young, all their minds have been affected by war, so they grew up rather quickly. And that is why I really wanted this story to be M rated, so that I could show how war looked like. Oh, and because of other things of course lol/
Rak : Of course he would be! He knows what is going to happen, or rather, hopes so. Even if they are going to study up together next chapter lol!