Hey guys! I just wanted to say that I hope you're all doing well and getting in the Christmas Spirit! I know it hasn't been an easy year, but there is hope for us, which as I integrated into last year's Christmas fic will also be in this one in celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is hope in His promise to us, and I pray that He will bless all of you and your families this Christmas. Anyway, hope you all are doing well and get to spend some time with your families. Merry Christmas!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Aang was excited as he drove back home to his Guardian's house. Ever since he had graduated High School and gone to college, he had missed his home dearly, and had been eager for the chance to go back. Thankfully, the Holidays had finally rolled around, giving him some time to visit his home and his family.
Though Gyatso was the only real family he had ever known, he considered his neighbors to be a part of his family as well. He had spent his whole life getting to know them, after all. Their community was tightly woven, and he knew that they all considered each other to be family members to each other.
Thinking about it, there was one person who he had spent most of his childhood with that he didn't really consider to be family. Or rather, he didn't want to consider her to be his family, as it would be incredibly weird for him to feel the way he did about a family member.
Katara. She had been his best friend since childhood, and to this day was no doubt the closest friend he had. But, ever since he had first met her at the young age of four, he had always wanted to be more than 'just friends' with her. And, due to his good friends telling him to get over himself, he had finally mustered up the courage to ask her out in the ninth grade.
And though he had certainly tripped over his words when he had tried asking her to go see a movie, she had somehow read between his nervous ramblings and happily agreed, making him quite happy that she hadn't just shut him down as he thought that she would.
From then on, the two had been inseparable, their whole high school experience being spent with each other from games to the parties that Sokka would throw, even though Katara would often nag him for throwing these parties behind their father's back. But, despite the fact that she wished Sokka would have gotten their dad's permission, she couldn't deny that she had a fun time with them. Well, she at least had a fun time with Aang, anyway.
After they had gotten through High School, and knowing that neither of them wanted to be apart from the other, the two had decided to go to the same College together while the rest of their friends had split up, each of them going to various parts of the country for their schooling. Well, all except for Sokka, who had insisted on going to a college nearby that would accept him despite his bad grades. This had irritated his sister, however, as it meant that he would still have the chance to interrupt their alone time together, proving that some things just never change.
Despite this, the two had enjoyed their college experience together, but had missed their families greatly in their time apart. And so, with them having a few weeks off for Christmas Break, they found themselves driving to their hometown in the middle of a snowstorm. Fortunately for them, Aang was rather good at driving in rough conditions and had managed to keep them on time for when they were expected to arrive.
It also probably helped that Sokka had decided to go on his own down to see his family. The plan for him was to pick up his girlfriend Suki and to meet them there later, and Katara had to say, she was glad that he hadn't asked to tag along. As much as she loved her brother, he seemed to have a knack for getting in her and Aang's way. Not to mention that when he was bored, he could irritate her with ease.
Besides, it was nice having this alone time with Aang. They would laugh and talk and listen to their favorite songs along the way, making her much happier than she would be if Sokka had tagged along. Between classes, their jobs, and Sokka inviting himself into what little free time they had, she rarely got to spend time alone with Aang like this, and was happy to have any chance she could get.
"Wow," Aang breathed in amazement as they finally pulled into the familiar small town that they had lived their whole lives in. "The town sure got a lot of snow."
"Nothing's changed, then," Katara laughed, making him laugh as well as he nodded in agreement. "This town always seems to get buried during the winter."
"True. But, to be fair, we are pretty far North," he shrugged simply as he kept his eyes on the road, knowing that it wouldn't do them any good for him to look at her, even if he certainly wouldn't mind admiring her beauty.
"True," she repeated him with a playful twinkle in her eyes, making him chuckle as he snuck a look at her and noticed this. "But still. How many winters did we have to dig our driveways out because of the snow?"
Aang scratched his head a little in confusion. "A lot… Was it really that bad, though?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Of course not," Katara assured him with a warm smile as she looked out the window to her right, seeing the concentrated look on his face and finding it adorable. "I'm simply just making an observation."
At this, Aang couldn't hold back another chuckle. "Well, if we're making observations, then might I bring up how many times you came over to my house when we were kids? I wonder why that was?" he teased.
Katara couldn't hold back a blush as she heard his words, her eyes rolling as she turned to look at him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Hey, I wasn't the only one," she poked him in the shoulder, making him laugh as he knew that she was right. "I wasn't the one who crashed into Sokka's snow tower, after all."
A grin found its way onto Aang's face as he heard this, remembering full well why he had done that. "What can I say? I was trying to impress you, and I wasn't really looking where I was going," he admitted with a sheepish laugh, making her smile as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.
"Between you and me," she whispered in his ear as if someone else was there. "It worked."
Aang's smile only widened upon hearing this. "That's good then, because it took hours for me to warm up after that," he joked, making her erupt in a fit of giggles as she playfully shoved him.
The two soon fell into a comfortable silence as Katara lay her head on his shoulder, enjoying this alone time with him as they slowly made their way through their hometown. Unfortunately for them, however, it didn't take very long for them to navigate through it, and before they knew it, they had pulled into Gyatso's driveway.
This was a problem for Katara, as she had grown quite comfortable with her head on Aang's shoulder and their hands intertwined, but she knew that they could do this later and decided to get up as he did the same.
"Wow," Aang breathed in amazement as he looked around at their old neighbourhood and took in everything about it. "Nothing has changed since we left."
Katara couldn't help but giggle a little as she looked around as well. "I told you," was her teasing reply, making him laugh as he pressed a button on his keys and unlocked the hatch on the back of his car. Both of them making their way to the back, they gathered their luggage that they had brought with them and closed the hatch.
"Do you want me to help you bring your stuff to your Dad's place?" he couldn't help but ask, seeing that she certainly had her hands full with all of the stuff she was bringing.
Katara couldn't help but smile in adoration at him. Even when he had his arms full of his own things, he never hesitated to offer his help, making her happy that she had such a thoughtful and caring boyfriend.
"I'm good, Sweetie," she thanked him with a kiss on the cheek, unable to hold back a smile as she saw him still blushing from this despite the fact they had been dating for over four years. "Besides, you should go catch up with Gyatso before we all meet for the Christmas party."
"You're probably right, I should," he couldn't stop himself from letting out a sigh, not wanting to leave her with so much luggage to carry on her own. "You're sure that you can handle it?" Katara gave him a playfully dangerous look and he put his hands up in fake surrender. "Okay, okay! You can handle it!" he yelled quietly in fake terror, making her laugh again as she shook her head at him.
"You know I'll be fine. Now go, I'm sure Gyatso can't wait to see you," she ordered, though she didn't let him go without giving him a quick kiss on the lips before she took her luggage and hefted it all the way to her house which, fortunately for her, was just next door.
Smiling as he watched her go, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand and gathered what belongings he had. He didn't keep a lot of personal items for himself, per se, but knowing that he would be going back to his rather snowy hometown, he had seen fit to bring all of his sledding gear. He had enjoyed it as a kid and still enjoyed it now, if not more so than when he was younger.
Making sure he had everything and that his car was locked, he slowly ambled his way up to the front porch and just barely managed to press the doorbell, waiting patiently as the sound of footsteps soon came and the door was opened, revealing his Guardian standing there with a big smile on his face.
"Aang. It's so good to see you." Aang didn't hesitate and pulled his old Guardian in for a hug, making him chuckle and smile again as he hugged him back.
"I missed you, Gyatso," Aang told him, making Gyatso's smile widen as he heard this. Aang had always been like a son to him, and he knew that he always would no matter what.
"I have missed you as well, my former Ward," came Gyatso's reply, making Aang smile a bit sadly at the word 'former'. He knew that it was true, of course, but it was strange to him. For most of his life, Gyatso had called him just 'Ward', but the 'former' in it got to Aang a little. Though he supposed that it was just a sign that he had really grown up.
After a few moments of hugging, the two finally separated and Gyatso put his hands on his shoulders, giving him a look up and down as he couldn't help but chuckle. "I see that nothing has changed. You're still as strong and nimble as the last time I saw you."
"Gyatso, it's only been six months," Aang couldn't help but laugh, making Gyatso chuckle as well as he motioned for him to step inside.
"A lot can change in six months, Aang," he reminded him as he led the way up to his room. "You remember your friend's sister?"
Aang looked quite confused as to what Gyatso was talking about. "You mean Katara?"
"No, no. Your other friend, Zuko," Gyatso told him, making Aang make an 'o' with his mouth as they finally reached his room.
"Oh yeah, Azula. What about her?" he asked curiously as he started putting his things on his bed.
"Well, for one thing, she is no longer in a mental ward," he told him, making Aang's eyes widen as he looked to his former Guardian in surprise.
"She's not in the mental ward anymore?" he couldn't help but almost sputter out, making Gyatso laugh as he nodded in agreement.
"Yes, she is free, but do not worry. She is not as she once was," he assured him.
Aang couldn't help but have a rather confused look on his face from hearing this. Never in a million years would he have suspected Azula to get out of that place, unless she had managed to break out of it.
"What do you mean?" he finally decided to ask. "The last time I saw Azula, she had been trying to kill her mother and Zuko. How could she have changed?"
"Well, as it turns out," Gyatso began as he sat down on the bed and motioned for Aang to sit with him. "Azula had been consumed with jealousy of her brother because she believed that her mother loved him more than her, and so she had hated both of them. Though, apparently she hated her mother much more," he added thoughtfully before shaking his head. "At any rate, Ursa would not leave her daughter there to rot, so she spent a great deal of time trying to help her. Eventually, with some help of the therapists in the facility, Azula finally saw that her mother loved her just as much as her brother and she finally snapped out of her depravity."
The room was silent for a few moments as Aang took this all in, being completely surprised at what he had heard. Sure, he had heard that Azula had gone crazy for some personal reason, but otherwise he had no clue as to what exactly had caused her to try to kill her own family.
"It has not been easy. For any of them," Gyatso told him as he looked around the room. "But, I believe that they are making progress. Azula has a job now, you know."
"She does?!" Aang couldn't help but ask in clear surprise, making Gyatso chuckle as he nodded.
"Yes. She was offered a job by her friend, Mai's uncle to be a security guard at the police station," he informed the still surprised young man to his side.
At this, Aang couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, that sounds like something Azula would do. She always did act like she was imprisoning us."
Gyatso couldn't hold back a chuckle at this. "Well, now she's imprisoning the bad guys instead of you and your friends. Are you not glad to hear that she and her family are doing better?" he asked as he noticed that Aang still looked rather shocked.
Forcing himself out of his surprise, he shook his head a little and smiled sheepishly at his former Guardian."Of course I am. I just never really thought that any of this would happen."
"No one knows what the future brings, Aang," Gyatso wisely reminded him. "But, all we can do is pray for those who need the Lord's help."
"You're right," Aang nodded his agreement, a small smile creeping onto his face as he laughed a little. "Even after being gone for six months, you're still a lot wiser than me."
"Well, old age does seem to help with that," Gyatso grinned, the both of them laughing as they enjoyed each other's presence. It was just like when he was a kid. They both might have gotten older, but they were still the same people on the inside as they had been all those years ago.
After a few moments of thought, a question popped into Gyatso's mind as he turned to look at Aang. "So, how is your relationship going with Katara? Am I going to have a grandbaby to hold anytime soon?"
At his, Aang couldn't hold back a blush, making Gyatso laugh as he saw his Ward's embarrassment. "Gyatso," finally came Aang's meek reply. "We're still in College. We both agreed that we wouldn't try to have a family until we were out of college."
"Oh, I know, young one," Gyatso assured him with a smile. "I just like to tease. But, it sounds like things are going well?"
"Yeah, they are," Aang couldn't hold back a smile as he thought about her, leaning into his Guardian as though there was someone else in the room with them. "Between you and me, I already got the ring."
"Really?" Gyatso asked in clear amusement, watching as Aang nodded in affirmation. "Do you have it with you?"
Nodding as he reached into his pocket, he produced a small black box and gave it to him, watching his Guardian open it and let out a bit of a gasp of surprise.
"I must say, you did a good job, Aang," Gyatso chuckled as he admired the ring, seeing a blue sapphire in the center that gleamed brightly in the light of the room when a question came to mind. "How can you afford this?"
"Zuko actually gave me the money for this," Aang told him, making his Guardian raise a brow at his Ward. "Well, he didn't necessarily give me the money, more like he bet me that I wouldn't dump cold water on Sokka."
"Why would he bet you that?" Gyatso couldn't help but wonder aloud, being utterly confused why he would bet so much money over such a simple thing.
Aang simply shrugged as he took the ring back and put it in his pocket. "He told me that it was because he thought that I wouldn't actually do it, but I had told him a few days before that I was trying to figure out a way to get a ring for Katara, so… I'm guessing he was doing me a favor," he explained sheepishly, making Gyatso chuckle as he patted him on the back.
"Well, it looks like you have some good friends, Aang," he smiled, happy to hear that his Ward had friends he could count on when he needed it. "So, when are you planning on proposing to her?"
"I don't know yet," he admitted thoughtfully as he looked across the room at the door. "I want to do it now, but it seems like a bad idea to get engaged and wait until after college to get married."
"Well, you and Katara aren't planning to start a family until after college, right?" Gyatso asked him seriously, watching as Aang nodded in agreement. "But getting married isn't something that you have to wait for. Marriage just means that you promise yourselves to each other for the rest of your lives." He then put a hand on his shoulder. "Do not hesitate, my Ward. I promise that you will not regret it."
Although Aang would like to agree with him, he couldn't help but nervously ask. "But what if she says no?"
At this, Gyatso couldn't hold back a laugh, seeing that his Ward truly had not changed since the last time he had seen him. "Aang, if she's stuck around this long, I'm sure it's for a reason," he told him with a smile. "Besides, why wouldn't she want to marry a handsome young man like you?"
Feeling reassured by Gyatso's confidence, he looked at him gratefully. "Thanks, Gyatso."
"No problem, Aang," Gyatso chuckled as he patted him on the head and looked at the time. "Oh my, we should get going! We're going to be late for the Christmas party!"
Aang's eyes widened as he realized that he was right, seeing that they were expected there in five minutes, and the two looked at each other. "I get the presents and you get the food?" Aang asked with a smile, making Gyatso smile back as he nodded his agreement.
"Sounds like a plan, young one," Gyatso grinned at him before making his way downstairs with Aang right behind him. Luckily for them, Gyatos had already been prepared for the party, and all he had to do was grab the few dishes of food he had prepared while Aang grabbed the bag of presents that was sitting by the Christmas tree.
"Wow," he couldn't help but laugh as he got a flashback to when he was younger, remembering how he had been rather excited to go over to and see his best friend and crush. "Some things really don't ever change."
Gyatso couldn't help but a laugh a little as he walked back into the room with the food in his arms. "It would seem so, my young Ward. Now, shall we go? I'm sure you don't want to be late for Katara," he teased, making Aang laugh as he nodded and led the way out of the house, holding the door open for his Guardian as they made their way next door.
Just as they had every year prior, Aang knocked on the door quickly and waited as he heard footsteps coming, eventually revealing a smiling Hakoda at the door. "Welcome, Aang and Gyatso," he greeted them pleasantly as he held the door open for them. "Come inside. It looks like you two have been out there long enough."
"Thank you, Chief Hakoda," aang thanked him as he walked in with Gyatso right behind him before Hakoda closed the door and chuckled at him.
"I already told you, Aang," he told him with a smile. "You can call me just Hakoda."
"Okay, 'Just Hakoda'," Aang joked, making Hakoda laugh as he set the presents on the ground. "Thank you for inviting us to your Christmas party, sir."
"Of course, Aang," Hakoda grinned as he clapped him on the shoulder. "It's always a pleasure to have you and Gyatso here. And, of course, you two are the first of our guests to get here," he added with a knowing grin at Gyatso who laughed, being reminded of what felt like so many years ago. "Well, why don't I show you where you can put the food?"
"I would appreciate that," Gyatso chuckled as he looked down at the food in his hands. "I am not as strong as I once was." Hakoda let out a hearty laugh and motioned for the older man to follow as he made his way into the kitchen, leaving Aang to stand there and look around the room. Just like every year he had gone to the Aquas' for Christmas, Hakoda had outdone himself. Everything was beautiful, shining brightly in the room and giving the young man the Christmas Spirit as he took in the beauty around him.
Speaking of beauty, Aang thought in his mind with a smile as he saw none other than his girlfriend come walking down the stairs until she reached him, a smile of her own showing as she twirled around for him in her favorite dress.
"So… What do you think?"
He couldn't help but laugh a little as he walked up to her, his hands resting on her sides as he looked into her eyes. "You look beautiful, Katara," he breathed, seeing Katara's smile grow as he grinned. "But then again, you always look beautiful."
"So you say," she grinned back at him as she playfully pushed him away before walking over to one of the couches and taking a seat, patting the cushion next to him for him to sit down. Needing no convincing, he took his seat and the two looked at each other, Katara especially drinking in his appearance as she admired him in his button up shirt when she noticed something. "You're wearing a tie?"
"Yeah," Aang laughed as he pulled at the thing a little, still not quite used to having one around his neck, but finding that he liked how he looked with it. "Gyatso told me that it was important to dress nice for Christmas when I was younger, and now thatI know how to put one on, I'm going to wear them for special occasions."
Katara giggled a little and grabbed the bottom of the tie, pulling him closer to her as she smiled at him. "Well, you do look pretty good with it," she told him with a smirk, noticing that he was staring at her lips and that he was likely aching for a taste. Deciding that she would oblige his unspoken request, she pulled him in a little further and closed her eyes as he did the same, the two getting within inches of each other when the doorbell went off.
Sighing in disappointment, Katara gave him a quick peck and released his tie before making her way over to the door, opening it to reveal Toph standing arm in arm with her boyfriend. "Toph! Satoru! It's so nice to see you!" she exclaimed happily and pulled her friend in for a hug, even if she couldn't help but be annoyed that her kiss with Aang had been interrupted.
"It's nice to see you too, Sugar Queen," Toph chuckled and patted her friend on the back before Katara finally pulled away. "I see you haven't changed at all."
Katara scoffed at her friend. "Toph, it's only been six months since we've seen each other. Not two years."
"Eh, what's the difference?" Toph shrugged simply, making her way over to the couch and plopping down on it with Satoru right behind her. "Sup, Twinkle Toes?" she nodded to him once she saw him sitting on one of the other couches.
"Hey Toph," he laughed back at his friend, seeing that she certainly hadn't changed since the last time he saw her before looking at her boyfriend and extending a hand to him. "Nice to see you again, Satoru."
"Likewise," Satoru smiled as he shook it, his hand returning to his side before he wrapped his arm around Toph's shoulder when his eyes suddenly widened. "The presents!" Getting up immediately, he ran to the door and opened it up before running outside, making the three laugh as they watched this happen.
"Well, it looks like you guys are doing pretty well," Katara finally said once her laughter settled down.
"Yeah, we're not too bad," Toph grinned as she relaxed against the couch, putting her feet up on the table. "His uncle recently put him in charge of the plant that he's been working at, and now he's made me an 'executive partner'."
Aang and Katara couldn't help but smile widely from hearing this. "That's great, Toph!" Aang spoke up this time. "What's it like being an executive?"
"Really boring," she sighed as she thought about it before a smirk found its way onto her face. "But at least I get to boss people around."
Before anyone could respond, the door opened again, showing Satoru with his hands full of presents and two people behind him, making Aang smile as he recognized who it was.
"Zuko! It's good to see you, buddy!" he called to his friend as he got up and walked over to them, Zuko laughing as they gave each other a quick hug. "How are you guys doing?"
"We're fine," Zuko shrugged simply as he stepped in and took off his coat, moving behind Mai to gather her coat as well.
"We were fine until this stupid snow storm hit," she remarked in her usual monotone, making Zuko laugh as he put the coats on the nearby coat hanger.
"It's good to see you, Mai!" Katara smiled as she walked up to give her a hug, making Mai freeze and grimace as she stood completely still until Katara had finished hugging her.
Letting out a little sigh, she replied. "It's nice to see you too, Katara." Though she couldn't hide the beginnings of a smil from her face as she walked in and took a seat on the couch across from Aang and Katara as they retook their seats as well.
"Where's Sokka?" Satoru asked curiously as he looked around the room, not seeing his friend in the room around them.
"He's not here yet," Katara informed him with a roll of her eyes. "I'm sure he won't be too late."
"Snoozles is late?" Toph gasped in mock surprise, making the other people in the room except Mai laugh, though even Mai couldn't hold back a smirk at this.
"What a surprise," Zuko sarcastically remarked, making everyone in the room laugh again, even Mai couldn't help but let out the beginnings of a giggle which she tried to cover up as a cough, but Zuko knew better as he smiled.
Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a panting Sokka bending over to touch his knees as he held his bag of clothes over his shoulder. "I'm here. Here."
"Wow, Snoozles," Toph called from her comfortable position against Satoru's shoulder. "You actually weren't too late for once!"
Sokka stuck a tongue out at her as Suki came walking in behind him, holding her own stuff as she waved to them all. "Hey guys!" They all greeted her back as she turned to Sokka. "Hun, you need to calm down. You only ran ten feet!"
The rest of the group couldn't help but burst out laughing at this, making Sokka smile sheepishly as he decided to ignore them and brought his and Suki's stuff upstairs. Katara, having noticed this, crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow at him as he took a seat next to his girlfriend.
"What?" he asked once he finally noticed that she didn't look too pleased with him.
"So Suki can stay with you, but I can't stay with Aang?" she asked with clear annoyance in her voice, making Sokka sigh as he knew what was about to happen.
"I already told you, Katara. It's different," was his only reply.
"It's not different!" Katara objected as she got a little angrier. "You're saying that I can't stay with my boyfriend because I'm a girl? That's not fair at all!"
Just as Sokka was about to say something back, Aang decided to speak up, knowing that it wouldn't do anyone any good to have the siblings start arguing. "So, Toph and Zuko, where are your parents?" he asked with a pointed look, making the two peoples' eyes brighten as they understood what he was telling them.
"My mom and dad are spending time with Azula now since she has to work tomorrow," Zuko explained before looking over to Toph.
"My parents decided that they wanted to go to the Carribean for the holidays," Toph informed him.
"Ah, I see," he replied as he thought of something else to distract the Aqua siblings from each other when something came to mind. Getting up from his seat, he walked over to the stereo and clicked it on, becoming relieved as some fun Christmas music started playing. "Come on, guys! Let's dance!"
Katara smiled and took the hand that he offered to her, while the others didn't look quite as eager to join them. Suki, seeing that Aang was trying to keep things fun, decided that this course of action was right and got up. "Come on, Sokka. Let's have some fun!"
Although he clearly didn't look very happy about it, he allowed his girlfriend to drag him off of the couch and they started dancing, leaving only two couples left.
After seeing this, Katara called out tauntingly to her friend. "What's the matter, Toph? Are you too afraid to dance?"
"I'm not afraid of anything!" Toph objected immediately as she stood up and grabbed Satoru's hand. "Come on, Satoru. We'll show them."
With one couple remaining, the rest of the friends all stared down the two least likely people to dance and, after staring for several moments, the couple finally got up off the couch and joined their friends in dancing.
Now seeing that they were all having a good time, Aang gave his girlfriend a grateful smile. "Thanks for helping, Sweetie."
"No problem, Sweetie," she smiled back at him. "I'm sorry I got upset with Sokka, I just-"
"It's okay, Kat. I get it," he laughed as he took her hand and spinned her around, making her giggle as she allowed him to twirl her. "I just don't want you guys to fight is all."
"I know," she smiled warmly at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder, his hands resting on her hips as the song turned into a slower one. "It's one of the many reasons that I love you."
He couldn't help himself as his smile grew, and he put his head on top of hers as they swayed to the slower song together. It was just like when they had gone to prom together, except that they were in a much smaller room that was decorated for Christmas instead of a gym filled with people and non-holiday music.
Enjoying having her in his arms, he started thinking about his conversation with Gyatso earlier. Was he right? Should he not wait until after College to propose to her? He did have a point about getting married before starting a family. And if there was one thing Aang would love to do, it would be to ask his Forever Girl to spend the rest of his life with him.
But what if she said no? What if she just wasn't ready for that kind of commitment yet? Looking down at her, seeing how peaceful she looked with her head on his shoulder, he smiled. What was he saying? She loved him as much as he loved her. If he was ready, she probably was, too. Besides, even if she wasn't, then he would wait for her. He would wait the rest of his life if it meant that he could be with her.
"Katara?" he whispered in her ear.
"Yes?" she murmured back to him, still clearly quite comfortable with where they were as they swayed to the music.
"You remember when we were little, and you brought me up to your room on the first Christmas where Toph and Zuko joined us?"
"Yeah," she nodded against his shoulder, being curious about where this was going.
He couldn't help but smile as he enjoyed the feeling of her so close. "You want to go up there and reenact it?" he asked playfully, making her laugh.
"Sure, let's go," she smiled as she finally pulled away from him and took his hand, dragging him to her room as the rest of them watched them go, but the looks of confusion on their faces dropped as they continued dancing, knowing that it was nearly impossible to figure out what was on their friends minds.
Before long, they had finally arrived in the room and Katara closed the door behind it, ensuring that no one would bother them as they walked over to the bed and lay down in their usual spots. Though, due to the fact that they had both grown up, they didn't quite fit as well as they did when they were kids.
Seeing that they were there, he began with what he had on mind. "So, do you happen to remember what we were talking about here?"
Katara paused for a moment as she tried to think it over. "Um… I think it had something to do with seahorses, maybe?" she said with clear doubt, making him laugh.
"Yeah, that's right," he nodded in agreement. "What else?"
Taking some time to think about it, she finally snapped her fingers as she thought of something. "We were talking about breathing underwater and finding treasure."
"That's right," Aang couldn't help but be impressed at her memory. Anyone else likely would have forgotten about little details like that, but not her. He took a deep breath, knowing that what he was about to ask was important. "And do you remember what you said after I told you that?"
After a few moments of thought, Katara's cheeks turned a rosy red as she finally remembered what her younger self had accidentally let out. "Oh yeah. I basically said that I wanted us to live together, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did," Aang chuckled as he kissed her on the cheek, only making her blush go deeper from this action. "It's okay, I really didn't mind it. I was just surprised is all."
Although Katara was a bit relieved to hear this, despite the fact that she and Aang had been dating for four years, she couldn't help but wonder. "Why did you want me to remember that?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, no reason," he couldn't keep the beginnings of a grin off his face, making her give him a look of suspicion to which he laughed off as he took her hand and stood up. "You'll see soon. Come on."
Not wasting a moment, he got her off the bed and started pulling her down the stairs, making Katara laugh in amusement as she saw that he seemed excited about something. "Aang, where are we going?"
"Oh, nowhere," he replied with a grin, remembering how she had done the same to him in what felt like so many years ago. Before very long, the two found themselves in a familiar room, one that Katara remembered well.
"Wait a minute…" she said suspiciously as she looked around, remembering what had happened in here. "This is where…"
"Mmmhmm," Aang hummed in affirmation, the smile never leaving his face as Katara looked out the window.
"And look over there! That's that same tree!" she exclaimed, the memories of that day coming back to her as she looked around the room before she shook it off and looked back to her boyfriend. "What are we doing in here, Aang?"
Then, she looked up and saw the mistletoe in the exact same place it had been every year, making her laugh as she looked back down. "Did you bring me here for a kiss? Because you really don't need a mistletoe to get me to kiss you," she told him matter-of-factly, making him chuckle as he shook his head.
"No, no. That's not why I brought you here," he told her with a smile as he reached into his pocket and felt for the box, becoming relieved as he saw that it was still there as he clung onto it. "I actually had something else in mind."
"What do you mean?" Katara asked in confusion.
Her eyes widened as Aang slowly got down on one knee, making her heart beat quickly as she wondered if this was what she thought it was. "Katara," he began with a nervous smile. "You've been my best friend for most of my life, and I've been in love with you for almost that long." Katara couldn't help but feel tears well up in her eyes as she put her hands to her face. "Ever since we were little, all I wanted was to be yours, and I prayed that you would one day be mine."
Taking a deep breath, he pulled the box out, making Katara gasp as she saw that this was the real deal. "I'm in love with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He then opened the box, making Katara gasp once more as her eyes flooded more tears as she saw the ring that lay inside. "Katara Aqua, will you marry me?"
After more tears continued streaming down her face, she hastily wiped them away and nodded, a wide smile on her face as she looked down at him. "Of course I will, Aang. I would love to marry you."
Feeling instant relief, he immediately rose from the ground and took the ring out of its box, placing it on her finger before the two pulled each other in for a searing kiss. Neither of them could keep a smile off of their faces as they kissed, finding that nothing in the world would make them happier than they were right now.
"Well, congratulations you two," a familiar voice came from behind them, making them both freeze in surprise as they broke apart to look at the two older gentlemen standing in the doorway that led to the kitchen with amusement on their faces.
"Hakoda, I'm sorry I didn't ask for your permission first," Aang apologized immediately. "This was kind of a spur of the moment thing and-"
Hakoda just laughed and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "It's quite alright, Aang. I understand. Besides, all that matters to me is that you really care about my daughter and make her happy. I know that you'll take care of her and give her a good life. You have my blessing."
Aang couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir,' he told him gratefully.
"Thank you, daddy," Katara smiled as she walked up to hug him, making Hakoda smile as he hugged her back.
"No problem, sweetheart," he murmured to her as he hugged her, finally letting her go as she walked back over to Aang's side. "Wow. It seems like just yesterday that you two were just little kids."
"And now look at them," Gyatso spoke up as he moved to stand beside his friend. "Full grown adults who are going to get married soon." Aang and Katara shared a smile at hearing this, making the other two adults smile as well. "I could not have picked a better girl for my Ward."
"Nor could I have picked a better man for my daughter," he agreed with a smile to his friend before he turned back to the two newly engaged and gestured for them to follow. "Come on, everyone! Let's go give the others the good news!"
With that all taken care of, the four made their way back out to the living room where their friends and family waited, though Katara and Aang noticed that they were no longer dancing and were instead sitting down on the couch.
"Attention, everyone!" Hakoda smiled as he gestured to the two newly engaged. "Today, something very special has happened."
"What, Sokka finally stopped picking his nose?" Toph called out from the couch, making the others in the room laugh as Sokka smiled sheepishly and pulled the finger out of his nose, not noticing as Suki's face took on a disgusted look and scooted a little away from him.
"No, no," Hakoda chuckled as he once more gestured to the happy couple. "Aang has asked my daughter to marry him, and she said 'yes'."
After a few moments of surprise from everyone, they all cheered and got up to congratulate them. Well, all except for Sokka who was still trying to register what he had heard.
Toph, having seen him frozen in shock, decided that it would be her duty to get him moving and flicked him on the head, making him groan in pain before glaring at her.
"What was that for?!"
"You're sister got engaged, she's not having a baby," Toph chided him, a sly smile creeping onto her face as she thought of something. "At least she's not yet." Another glare from Sokka just made her laugh, and she shook her head at him. "Oh, calm down, Snoozles. This was going to happen eventually."
Although Sokka still looked like he wanted to argue, he eventually let out a sigh of defeat and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Of course I am," Toph grinned and jerked her thumb back at the happy couple who were talking to everyone about the proposal. "Now go congratulate your sister, or I'll embarrass you even more."
Deciding that it wouldn't do him any good to defy her, he nodded and got up on his feet, making his way over to the two who were currently holding hands. Though Sokka wasn't necessarily happy that his sister seemed to be growing up so fast, he couldn't deny that she looked really happy. And so, he decided that he would just congratulate the two.
"Hey, congratulations, guys!" he smiled as he walked up to them, making Katara smile as she gave him a quick hug.
"Thanks, Sokka," she murmured to him before pulling away and retaking Aang's hand.
Sokka wasn't finished, however, and pointed a finger into Aang's gut. "You better take good care of her."
"Sokka," Katara sighed in annoyance, despite the fact that she knew it was only coming from a place of love. "How long have you known Aang?"
Aang just chuckled as he removed Sokka's finger from his gut and turned to look at her. "It's okay, Sweetie," he promised her with a kiss on the cheek, making her blush as he turned to look back at his future brother-in-law. "Don't worry, Sokka. I'll do everything I can to show her how much I love her," he assured him, making Katara smile at him in adoration as he did so.
Satisfied with this, Sokka nodded and gave him a quick manly hug. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think it's presents time!" he exclaimed excitedly as he moved back over to his seat, making the two laugh and shake their heads at him as they retook their seats as well.
"Well, first off, I want to thank everyone for coming here," Hakoda began with a smile to everyone as he stood by the Christmas tree, holding his bible in his hand while everyone else cheered. "And also, as we do every year on Christmas, even though we're celebrating together on Christmas Eve instead, I would like to read my favorite verse from the bible."
Clearing his throat, he opened up the book and turned to the page that he had bookmarked, smiling as he read the familiar words that he had practically memorized by now. "'For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him in him should not perish, but have eternal life.'" He then closed the book and took off his reading glasses, smiling around the room at his friends and family as he felt the Holy Spirit in his heart. "As always, we celebrate this day to remember what our Lord did for us. He humbled Himself and came to Earth to pay the price for our sin, so that we could be with Him for all of eternity. A price we could never pay on our own, a gift of mercy and grace through his love and sacrifice."
Folding his hands together, the rest of the people did the same and bowed their heads. "Lord, we thank You for all that You have done for us, sending Your only Son to ransom us from our sin. We thank You for Your love, grace, kindness, and mercy, and we pray for those who are less fortunate than us. Thank You for all You have done for us. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray. Amen."
"Amen," they all agreed, making him smile once more as they all opened their eyes and looked at him.
"Great. Now, it is almost Christmas, so let's open some presents!" he cheered, making everyone else cheer as they started passing around the presents.
And as they all laughed and had a joyous time with each other, they all couldn't help but be thankful for all that they had been blessed with. Their family, their friends, their lives. They were thankful for all that they had been given, but more than anything, they were thankful for the gift that God had given: eternal salvation in his Son.
For they knew that it wasn't the exchanging of presents that made Christmas what it was. They knew that it was about friends, family, and the birth of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you guys so much for reading my stories this year. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support you guys have given me, and I hope that the Lord blesses you and your families this Christmas. Merry Christmas, everyone!