"I'm freaking out why do all of these look awful on me but great on you? It's not fair!" Katara pouted like a child. Her, Suki, and Toph were currently shopping for something for Katara to wear on her date with Aang tonight.
Suki just rolled her eyes and said "you're being too hard on yourself. You look fantastic and I would kill to look like you in that dress." She was telling the truth. Katara looked like a goddess in that red, floor length dress with gold accents highlighting her slim waist and collarbone. It reminded Katara of her fire nation outfit when they were undercover before the invasion, but this time it was a dress and not a two piece.
Katara turned to Toph to get her opinion but soon realized that was a mistake. She winced and slowly turned back around hoping she didn't feel that.
"Don't you dare turn to me about this. I don't even know why you guys dragged me down here" Toph said while laying back on a chair with her feet up. The sales lady kept giving her dirty looks about the way she was sitting but gladly Toph couldn't see that or else she definitely would have hit her with a giant boulder by now.
"I just want to make sure that everything is perfect. You know people say that if the first date goes bad then the whole relationship is doomed" Katara sighed while looking at her reflection in the mirror.
Suki stepped behind her to comfort her and looked in her eyes through the mirror. "Well if you want it to be perfect then you should definitely get this dress. Besides that whole "the relationship will be doomed" nonsense is just crazy talk".
"How would you know? Your relationship is going great and you guys always seem to enjoy yourselves on dates" Katara said.
"Sokka never told you the story of our first date did he?" Suki asked. Katara shook her head in response and leaned in closure in anticipation. Suki laughed and said "To make a long story short lets just say the night ended with me having to buy a new outfit. As you know Sokka can be very clumsy when it comes to his surroundings."
Katara covered her mouth in an attempt to stop her from laughing but when that failed the three girls busted out laughing. All this laughter really did help Katara feel better about tonight. Most of her nerves were gone and she was glad to have two of her best friends there to support her.
The girls exited the store with Katara holding the bag with the red dress. They stopped for lunch at a nearby restaurant before heading back to the palace. When the girls got back from shopping they noticed the three boys out in the courtyard fighting with each other. Katara and Suki looked at each other before grabbing Toph's hand and running out back.
"ZUKO GIVE IT BACK I WON FAIR AND SQUARE" Sokka screamed while swatting at an object in Zuko's hand. Aang was currently trying to hold him back while Zuko was just standing there like nothing was wrong.
Katara and Suki just looked at one another in pure annoyance and rolled their eyes. "What on earth are you three dunderheads doing out here?" Toph projects to the guys. Like three bad little kids they all look at the girls simultaneously and put there heads down in disappointment.
Aang finally let go of Sokka and walked closer to the girls to explain. "We were seeing who could throw the farthest pebble and Zuko beat Sokka by just a hair, but Sokka says that we switched the rocks and that he actually won" Aang confesses while holding onto his temple in distress.
"THATS BECAUSE IT WAS MINE! I WON AND ZUKO NEEDS TO PAY UP" Sokka yells.
"Sokka cut it out! I'll give you the money if you just shut up already" Zuko says frustrated with him. He hands him the gold pieces and walks away. "Great now I have a headache" Zuko mutters while closing the door.
~ later that night ~
Aang was finishing the final touches on his outfit. He looked in the mirror and was proud of his appearance. His simple monk robes were something Katara always saw, but with the addition of the new avatar necklaces he knew she would like it.
When he finished getting ready he walked down the hall to Suki's room where Katara was getting ready. He took a deep breath before knocking firmly on the door. Aang jumped back when Suki opened the door almost immediately and said "she's almost ready. She'll be out in a few minutes" with a smile. Aang nodded and decided to wait in the other room while Katara finished up.
No longer than five minutes later Katara comes walking in wearing the most gorgeous dress Aang has ever seen. Maybe it wasn't the most gorgeous dress ever, but with Katara wearing it, it sure seemed like it to him.
"Wow...you look...uummm... wow" Aang stuttered while taking in all of Katara's beauty. "How could I be this lucky?" He thought to himself. He noticed the small blush on Katara's cheeks and knew that she understood what he tried to say.
Katara was thinking the same thing about Aang in that instant. She recognized his robes but there was something different about him that mad him even more attractive in this moment.
"Thank you. You look amazing too" Katara complimented while pulling him in for a quick hug.
"Okay I'll leave you two alone so you can be on your marry way. Have fun you two" Suki said while going over to Sokka who was sitting on the couch reading.
When he heard Suki say this he immediately popped up and said "yeah but not too much fun. I'm still watching you." Katara rolled her eyes at him but he smiled at her to show that he was joking (sort of).
~ after dinner ~
Katara and Aang just finished their food and we're now leaving the restaurant. While there they casually discussed what they did during the day.
"So what's next air boy" said Katara as she leaned into Aang. Aang chuckled at her nickname for him and wrapped his arm around her.
"I was thinking we could go dancing. I remember how much fun we had that night in the cave and wanted to continue where we left off" Aang said with a smile. He knew that Katara really enjoyed that night, but he was still unsure if she would even want to go dancing tonight.
Upon hearing this Katara jumped up like a little kid. She grab Aang's hand and said "that is a wonderful idea Aang. Lets go!"
As soon as they entered the dancing hall they were overcome by the loud music blasting throughout the hall. They quickly ran towards the dance floor and turned towards each other.
Instantly the two moved together with such grace that to the general public it seemed as if they had practiced the dance before. A crowd started to form around them as they marveled at the couple's dancing abilities.
"Aang, everyone is watching us" Katara whispers shyly. She looks into Aang's eyes to try to find comfort in the sort of awkward situation.
Picking up on this sudden switch of behavior, Aang leans in and whispers back "let them. Remember it's just you and me right now."
Katara blushes at his comment and remembers how he said the same thing the last time they danced together. Recalling this memory definitely calmed her nerves down as she only focused on Aang. In that moment she wasn't even aware of what her body was doing. All she was thinking about was how no matter what situation they are in Aang always seems to know how to calm her down.
As the song finished the couple end with Katara in Aang's arms. The crowd around them cheers for them, but they are not paying any attention to crowd's cheers. They both gaze into each other's eyes with pure happiness, joy, and love for each other.
They soon realized that they were standing there for a while and rush outside for some fresh air before anyone could stop to talk to them.
"You still got those sick moves I see" Katara exclaims to Aang as the two lean against the building.
Aang chuckles and says "I think you're the real pro here. That flip you did in the middle of the dance was insane!"
The both of them continue to gush over how good the other was until they hear an explosion down the street. Simultaneously the two try to see what was going on but they couldn't see anything from where they were standing. Without even mentioning a word to one another, the two take off down the street to see what the commotion is about.
As they got closer Aang noticed that the building was now on fire. Aang noticed a large crowd coming out of the building and sighed a breath of relief knowing that everyone made it out alive.
"Excuse me sir. Do you know what started this fire?" Katara asked a nearby man.
The man shook his head and said "no one saw how it started. My family and I were sitting outside right over there just enjoying the evening then all of a sudden we heard a loud boom. We ran over here as soon as the explosion happened."
Wishing they could've got more information, Katara sighed but thanked the man for his time. As she turned around she saw that Aang has put out half of the fire already but decided to join and help him.
As they finished putting the fire out everyone thanked them for saving the town. Sighing, Aang collapsed next to Katara as they just sat in silence for a few moments trying to figure out what just happened.
Eventually Katara spoke up. "You don't think this was some sort of attack towards whoever was in that building do you?" She hoped that what she was saying was wrong, but her gut was telling her that this was more serious than it seemed.
"I'm not sure. We don't have enough information to suspect anything yet. It could've just been an accident but I have a feeling you may be right." Aang exclaims while leaning forward in defeat.
"I'm sorry" Aang mutters sadly while looking down at the ground. Katara scrunches her eyebrows in confusion.
"For what? The fire? Aang you didn't know this was gonna happen. Besides we put it out just in time before it got to the other buildings" she says while trying to comfort him.
"No, not the fire. I'm sorry for how this night turned out. It was suppose to be a fun night and it took a turn for the worst." Aang slouched in defeat.
Katara smiled at this comment and grabbed Aang's hand, causing him to look up at her in confusion. "Aang please don't feel sorry for how tonight ended. I had an amazing time at dinner and on the dance floor. Nothing could've ruined this night. I should be thanking you."
She then leans in and places her lips gently on his trying to calm him down. Butterfly's soar around in Aang's stomach as he realizes that everything is going to be okay. After a few more seconds Aang pulls away and leans his forehead against Katara's.
"I love you" Aang confesses to her without even thinking. Suddenly his eyes widen in response to what he just blurted out. "Of course I just had to ruin the moment" he thought to himself. The two have never said this to one another yet, so Aang was worried he went too far too soon.
It was true though. As much as he hated himself for blurting it out in the moment, he really did love Katara with all of his heart. The past year has allowed him to not only fall in love with her beauty but also who she is as a person. Her kindness towards not only those she loves but strangers, her ability to find the goodness in everyone, and her compassion toward others are just a few of the million traits of hers that he fell in love with.
Finally realizing what he said, Katara looks into Aang's eyes and can't help but smile at him. He definitely caught her off guard with his statement, but she would be lying if she said she didn't feel the same way towards him.
After building up the courage to respond Katara says "I love you too Aang. Forever and always."
The two can't help but stare into each other's eyes while expressing their love for one another. Aang leans in to place another gently kiss on her lips.
After a while of just sitting there enjoying each other's company they decide to head home for the night. The two walk home in complete silence, hand in hand just enjoying the other's company.
After all the craziness that happened tonight, Katara and Aang were finally calm, even if it was just for a moment.
