Originally this was going to be a fluffy pregnancy oneshot since the prompt was Heartbeat, but then this happened. Apparently I wanted to write all the heavy things?
Katara woke gasping for air. She shoved the blankets away from her face and sat up abruptly. The light of the full moon filtered through the window, casting silver shadows on the bedspread.
"Sweetie?" Aang murmured next to her, his voice heavy with sleep.
"S'okay," she whispered, still staring at the moon out the window. "Go back to sleep."
Katara heard him shift, heard his breathing normalize again, and she knew he drifted back into his dreams. She, meanwhile, curled her knees to her forehead, and tried to calm her erratic breathing and fluttering heart. She trembled and squeezed her eyes shut.
But when she closed her eyes, she only felt it more keenly: the sweet, seductive song of the water pumping through Aang's heart, the steady thrum of blood flying through his vessels, a drumbeat pulsing in her head.
Her hands tingled, and she flung the blankets away from her. Katara rushed from the bed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. After fumbling for a moment, she lit the candle and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Tears stained her cheeks, and she swallowed thickly. She wanted to crawl out of her skin. She wanted to sleep and dream about happy things. She wanted to curl up in Aang's arms and let him take away her fears. But she couldn't; she didn't dare go near him, not when the power of the moon surged in her like this, indiscriminate, insistent, insidious.
Katara smoothed her hair and sucked in a deep breath. With a flick of her wrist, she pulled a small pool of water from the faucet and set it spinning in the palm of her hand. Her heart slowed somewhat, the power inside her partially appeased.
A quiet knock on the door interrupted her bending.
"Katara? Can I come in?"
She dropped the water into the sink and met her reflection's gaze in the mirror. Her heart rate sped back up as anxiety flooded her. Hesitant, she unlocked the door.
Aang peeked inside the bathroom. He took one look at her tearful expression and her trembling hands and pulled her into his arms. She tried to resist, but he enveloped her easily, and her hands landed on the front of his chest. His heart beat underneath her palm—so strong, so sweet, so close. A sob wrenched from her throat as she shook.
"It's okay," Aang whispered in her ear. "It's okay, it's okay."
Katara buried her face in his collarbone and shook her head. "I'm out of control," she gasped hoarsely. Tears burned underneath her eyelids, and a headache pounded behind her eyes with the same rhythm as his heartbeat.
Aang kissed the top of her head and tugged her out of the bathroom.
"Aang—"
He leveled her protest with a soft smile. "Trust me," he murmured.
Katara's words died on her lips. Trusting him was the one thing she would always do unwaveringly, implicitly, easily.
She followed him. They glided through the moonlit room, cutting in and out of the silver light. He pulled her flush against him, wrapped his arm securely around her waist, and clasped her other hand in his. He started swaying, and she followed his lead.
They danced quietly. Katara found her breathing slowing to match their movements. She focused on the subtle shifts of his weight, the gentle pressure of his hand on the small of her back, the warmth of his fingers intertwined with hers. Aang placed his temple against hers and hummed softly. The vibrations thrilled through her, and Katara shivered, closing her eyes. The headache dulled. The tingling faded. She only felt him, his warmth and love floating around her as deep and beautiful as the ocean.
She hummed along with him and rolled her hips as they swayed. Aang twirled her in a circle and flashed a smile as she curled back into him, her back to his front. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he nuzzled her neck. They twirled again so that they faced each other, two pairs of bright eyes trained solely on the other's face. Katara flung her arms around his neck and held them there for several beats.
"Thank you," she whispered into his skin.
They danced until the moonlight weakened, and she felt like she could sleep. Exhausted, she snuggled into the safety of his arms and fell asleep to the sound of his soothing and steady heartbeat.
Thanks for reading this far, and I hope you've enjoyed this series. If real life calms down, I may finish the last two prompts, and I will update them here and on Tumblr. If you have any feedback, I would appreciate a review!