Katara looked towards the door where her brother and…she still had butterflies admitting this, boyfriend, had left. Even Momo had taken off, leaving her to her thoughts. They had been gone for awhile, but she knew this talk had been coming. It had sounded like Sokka had started it. Aang never liked to be confrontational about things. Hopefully Sokka would be okay with it. As if he had a choice in the end, she wouldn't let her brother push her around, not with the two girlfriends he had within the past year. She bent some water from the vase that had been brought in and rubbed her face gently with it. Everything was going to be different now, and she wasn't sure how she was going to handle it.
She was going home now, there was nothing left to do. Aang was a Fully Realized Avatar, and the war was over. For the first time in a year, the stress was gone. It felt almost…unusual to have nowhere to be, no destination that held urgency. Home…this had a new meaning now. Her father would be there once again, and now she had a new grandfather to greet. This brought her thoughts to Aang. She wanted him to stay, and she had told him he was welcome and she didn't want him to go, but she couldn't stop him if he chose otherwise. She knew his original home was the Southern Air Temple, but, she wanted him, as selfish as it felt, at the South Pole with her. It had taken so long to get to this point, the point of togetherness that it seemed like everything would break again if he left. She fingered her mother's necklace gently. Thinking.
Even before the invasion she had known she loved him. Before that, yes, she liked him, but that true first kiss, made it worse. She had wanted to be with him, and was planning on telling him about it for the same reason she ended up becoming confused. It all happened in the crystal catacombs. Her talk with Zuko made her realize that there was hope in this world, it had made her think about Aang, and how she truly felt. When they escaped she wanted to tell him everything, but, then she was betrayed, her trust shattered in the moment he betrayed them…betrayed her. Yes, he had made up for it, saved them all, and helped Aang defeat the fire lord. It was hard to recover from though. It made her feelings about Aang twisted again. She couldn't trust again, so when Aang kissed her on the submarine the day of the invasion she was conflicted. He had finally kissed her, what she had really wanted, but her fear of being broken again took over, and made her withdraw further into herself.
The defeat of Ozai made her finally able to accept Aang's advances, made her truly want to be with him. She had been afraid. Never had she told anyone before, but she had been terrified for Aang. When he disappeared she feared losing him. She didn't want Aang to suddenly decided the Avatar duty was more important than her. It was terribly selfish, she knew that, but it was deeper. What if he had died? She would have opened her heart to love someone, truly love someone, and if he had failed…died in that battle, she didn't know what she would have done. Everything would have been over. Forgetting the world she would have been struck down and unable to recover. Tears flowed from her closed eyes, gently staining her green robes. She wouldn't have been able to take it. He was alive though, alive and well. Seeing him grown up now, and still wanting her above all else made her finally accept him into her life as more then a friend, as her boyfriend. She wiped her eyes clear and took a deep breath. Everything was okay now, things were finally peaceful.
She heard the door creak open, and heard the distinct sound of Sokka and Aang laughing. It had went well. She smiled and walked over to the bowl of fruit and nuts, eating a berry, pretending that she had awaited their return patiently, not suspecting a thing that was going on.
"Hey guys, have a nice walk?" She asked them with a smile. "The best." Aang replied, flashing her a smile that she had only ever seen given to her. It warmed her heart. "Are you guys hungry? I can start dinner if you'd like." She offered. "Know what Katara. I think I'll take care of it tonight." Aang said, lifting off the floor and gently floating to give her a kiss on the cheek before heading over to the pot on the counter top, Momo perching on his head. Katara looked over to him and smiled. She had made the right decision, she had no doubt about that at all.
It turned out Aang was actually an okay cook. Katara made some meat for Sokka since Aang never cooked with meat, but the vegetable pot pie he made was delicious and the fruit pies were delectable. It was dark outside, but the lamps Aang had lit gave a nice glow to the room.
"So Sokka. I got a package today from Toph, she had Zuko send it for her." Katara said. He looked up half interested. "Really? What'd she send you?" A smile spread across her face. "She sent me a letter, but she sent you something too." She said handing him a rectangular package." He raised his eyebrows and took it, ripping it open and giving an excited squeal. "She made me a boomerang!" Sure enough, in his hand was a silver boomerang and what appeared to be the water tribe seal inscribed across it. "Wow, I have to give her a big hug when I see her next! I'm going to try it out!" Aang and Katara laughed as he rushed out of the room with a torch to test out his boomerang. "You asked her to make it didn't you?" Aang said looking at her. She blushed gently. "Yeah, he really missed his boomerang. I just wish I could find that sword." Aang nodded. "Maybe we will, if we are meant too." He said being his more spiritual self that he'd grown into. She leaned into him, closing her eyes. "Thank you for dinner." She said with a small smile." "Of course Katara." He replied. An excited holler from outside made them laugh and she backed away, standing up to take the dishes from the floor. Apparently the boomerang worked.
Sokka walked in beaming. "It's perfect. jiwaaaaah! I am the boomerang guy again!" He said excitedly before stretching. "Well I'm going to get some sleep." He said with a smile. Walking away he could be heard muttering to himself. "Yes, you're my new boomerang aren't you." The happy couple, sitting together on the ground chuckled. Katara faced Aang and they both smiled, kissing gently for a few moments. A happy sigh escaped her and Aang beamed at her. "I suppose we should get some rest too." She said, watching Aang's smile slip a little. She knew he didn't want to be separated from her, but she knew they had no other choice. They were both young, and just now starting their relationship. One day they would stay together, but for now they would say their goodbyes. They stood and smiled at each other, embracing for a long moment and sharing a short kiss. "I love you Katara." He said smiling. "I love you too Aang." She replied before they separated for the night and went to their personal sleeping quarters.