Chapter 12: Under Wraps

A/N: I just spent the last 30 seconds writing that 'A/N'. I'm tired, okay? Anyway, I realize that technically, the two would've had that Monday, the 21st, off because of MLK Jr. Day, but I'm going to take a little creative license because MLK Jr. did not exist in the Avatar world. The beginning of this would be Friday, January 25th, 2019.

Last Time:

"Aang?"

All at once, time stopped.

The airbender-in-question's head snapped to see the source of the noise and the two stared at each other for what seemed like a millenium.

"Katara?"

"Uh- um, I mean- What're you doing here?" Aang stammered out, eyes widened in surprise.

The waterbender looked down, "I- um, I came to see you. I need to tell you something."

"But, I mean, we can't! The project..." the airbender trailed off.

Katara sighed. "I know, just- come with me?"

She outstretched her arm to him.

Intrigued, the boy tentatively took it and followed her lead.

As she intertwined their fingers, the waterbender led him around the pond to a tree on the bank and beckoned for him to sit down next to her, leaning against him and savoring his touch.

Gently pushing the hair out of her face, Aang broke the peaceful silence between the two.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

Tensing, Katara took a deep breath and looked up at him, peering into his soft grey eyes and finding herself lost in them.

Eyes that I could just get lost in forever with their stormy depths and-

Snapping out of her daze and shaking her head, the girl looked down at her lap.

"You know I like you."

It wasn't question, just a simple statement.

Slightly frowning, Aang nodded.

"Yeah... what about it?"

"It's just-" Katara hesitated. "I don't want to lose your friendship, Aang."

Bracing herself, she continued at his confused look.

"I care for you, Aang. I care for you more than I've ever cared for anyone and I don't want lose you."

In a smaller but still audible voice she added, "And I've come to realize that more than ever over the past few days. I know it's pathetic- I'm pathetic- but I can't do this, this separation."

She turned her head towards him and looked at him yearningly.

"I need you."

Aang POV

As Katara went on, my resolve of keeping my feelings back for her secret crumbled, as if it were glass under a bulldozer.

I barely held on to the last bit of my resolve until the final blow hit.

"I need you."

I sucked in a breath.

I must be dreaming. There's no way-

But one glance at Katara's hopeful yet vulnerable face told me otherwise.

However, as I saw begin to crumble into hurt, I realized what my gasp of air must've seemed like to her.

The beautiful girl in front just started to get up before I grabbed her hand.

"Wait!"

Katara slightly flinched in surprise at my outburst but held still, her expression nervous as she bit her lip.

"Please," I pleaded, "Hear me out."

She slowly nodded and sat back down, although I think we both noticed how she visibly kept further away from me than before.

Gently, I took her small hands in mine and tilted her chin up to look at me, leaning in close and making our foreheads touch.

Her wonder-filled doe eyes looked back at me just as intensely, albeit a little confused.

I braced myself and squeezed her hands in mine.

"I like you, Katara Mizu. As in more than friends."

One of my hands moved up to caress her cheek delicately as I whispered in her ear.

"A lot more."

I moved my head back to face her, terrified of finding rejection or disgust in her normally peaceful, guarded eyes, but instead found utter happiness radiating from her as she tackled me in a hug, burying her face in the crook of my neck.

Katara POV

I couldn't believe it!

My heart had been beating a mile a minute and I'm sure my mind kept up with all the thoughts racing through my head.

He liked me.

Separating my face from his neck but still holding on to him tightly, I smiled wider than I think I ever had before, blood rushing to my flushed cheeks from pure joy.

I was met with a seemingly equally happy face, grinning right back at me, his arms now around my waist as he nuzzled my cheek and gave it a quick peck which only served to further redden my face.

I'm not sure how long we lay there, content in each other's arms, but with him I felt more at peace than ever before.

It seemed everything, all of the late nights longing, all of the hidden diaries filled with thoughts of him, all of the yearning had finally produced some fruits in their once bare fields, and that fruit was the pick of the crop. It had all become worth something.

"Ah," I sighed in bliss, nuzzling his neck as his fingers slowly raked through my long, tangled hair, the beads and hair ties already carefully discarded at the base of the tree.

Aang looked down at me lovingly.

"Enjoying yourself?"

I nodded and rested my arms on his chest, one of his cradling me around my waist, as I traced little patterns on his chest.

Now this was true bliss.

Normal POV

The two layed there for the majority of the afternoon, not bothering to get up as they had all the equipment necessary for the unusually warm winter day, both wearing insulated coats and Aang's firebending providing enough warmth for both of them.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and so this peaceful, lazy time did as well when reality started to close in.

"Aang?" Katara asked, looking up at the smiling airbender.

"Mmm?"

"What are we?"

Aang frowned.

"What do you mean?"

The waterbender gestured between the two.

"What is this? Are we a couple, or..."

The boy nodded with realization and looked towards her sheepishly.

"I mean- we could be a couple- but only if you want it! Or, uh, um-" he stammered out.

Katara giggled slightly at his flushed face.

"If only the rest of the school would see what I see now- the great Aang Jiang, reduced to stammers and half-words by the school's resident rebel."

She took his hands in hers.

"I'd like to be a couple- that is, if you want to as well? We'd keep it under wraps, of course."

Mouth open in surprise, Aang nodded rapidly, slowly pressing a kiss to her forehead, but allowing his lips to linger slightly longer than necessary.

"Our secret?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Ours."

A/N: YAY! Kataang is official! Just to give a quick idea of where things are headed, the next chapter will be what happens on Monday and the rest of this weekend, and a few chapters later will be the week after the project ends, which happens to be the week of Valentine's Day. And obviously, because we need some character development, there will be a Valentine's Day dance!