It was 5:45 in the evening, the sun about four fingers above the horizon. Katara was sitting upright in her room's ebony chair in front of the round carved vanity with a glossy mirror and makeup contained within it. A gentle breeze filled the room due to Katara leaving the bedroom window open. She liked to hear the sounds of nature, the trees rustling and the birds chirping. She held a polished black hairbrush in her hand, looking at herself in the mirror as she brushed her long wavy brown locks of hair. A few blue hair heads laid on the vanity table as she had yet to twists a few hair loops. Every time she brushed her hair, she kept looking at herself. She reminded herself so much of her mother. Same hair, same eyes, same nose and lips. She almost lifted her hands to touch her face before she saw her broken right hand. It was still bruised and a bit swollen under the bandages but it seemed to be looking a little bit better. She sighed before hearing a knock at the door. She put down the brush and smoothed her blue satin dress as she turned towards the door.
"Can I come in?" Aang said from outside her room door. Katara exhaled before finger combing through her hair a little.
"Yeah." She said. He walked in in his usual Air Nomad apparel. Light yellow cloth tied around his waist with loose pants. He closed the door behind him as admired her room. It was very spacious with a little outdoor balcony with a king sized bed in the back of the room. He saw her sitting at the vanity, beautiful as ever.
"Uh, they made a mix up with the rooms. Mai's Aunt had the same room as me but I didn't want to cause a fuss so I just let her stay there." He said looking outside the window. Katara turned back to facing the vanity Murrow and placing the beads within loops of her hair.
"I can go stay with my brother, it's not a big deal." She said tying her hair in the beads. She held a small blue hair ribbon in her hand as she bunched a little hair at the back of her head and tied it into a small, neat bun. Aang walked closer towards her until his hands rested on her shoulders. Her heart skipped a beat as she placed her hand on his. She stood back and stood up to face him.
"Actually… I was thinking I could just, um, stay with you if you don't mind that is…" he said stammering his words as he blushed. Katara blushed as well but gave him a small smile.
"That's sounds… nice." She said looking into his grey eyes. He smiled, relieved to know that she thought it was okay instead of freaking out at the very suggestion. He actually looked forward to spending a night cuddling and falling asleep with Katara, it wouldn't go any farther than that though. He wasn't in any position to rush her into things she wasn't ready for. He wanted to take things slow and ease into further steps of their relationship. He pulled her in closer, wrapping his hands around her waist as he pressed his lips against hers. Soft movements of his mouth with hers, sinking in to the warm feeling arising from both of them. After a few more seconds, he stopped and leaned his forehead against hers, having to actually bend his head down a little for he was at least 7 inches taller than her now.
"I love you Katara." He said softly, looking into her deep Sapphire eyes. She loved when he said that to her because she knew he always meant it. He could have had any girl in the world, for every single girl wanted to be with the Avatar, but he wanted her and only her. He loved the way how she knew how to handle sticky situations with breath thought, he loved how she always put others before herself, he even loved that no matter what, she would always stand up for what is right even if she stood alone.
"I love you too." She said back, pulling him in to another kiss. He felt her soft copper lips collide with his. Time stops as he clutches her waist tighter, he hands wrapping around his neck. Her chest pressed against his, both wrapping themselves with one another. He felt so lucky to be with her, to have her all to himself. Even though he was so preoccupied with Avatar duties and keeping the Air Nomad culture alive, she was always his first priority in his mind. She would always be. He parted their lips as he tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear, gazing into her eyes. He let go of her waist and held her good hand, opening the door for them as they left the room. He walked with her hand in hand, walking down the long corridor and into the royal dining room full of Mai's friends and family, and Zuko's uncle Iroh, his mother and her husband along with his half-sister. Ty lee could unfortunately not make it due to her training with Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors with the new recruits. They took their seats and started to enjoy the feast.
"Attention everyone! We have an announcement to make!" Fire Lord Zuko exclaimed. Everyone at the large table turned towards them. All except for Sokka, who was still slurping up spicy Fire noodles with slices of roasted turtle duck. Katara patted her mouth with her napkin, nudging Sokka on the shoulder to pay attention. Zuko stood tall holding Mai at her waist, smiling at her before she nodded as he looked to everyone with excitement.
"We are going to have a baby. Mai is pregnant." He said with enthusiasm. The whole table roared from the guys boasting to the women squealing with delight. Katara sat in shock as she now saw one of her closest friends, Zuko, a now soon to be father with his wife. It now all seemed so real, how their lives had changed so drastically ever since the war ended. Only one could wonder what the future held for her and Aang. She looked to see Aang clapping and Sokka cheering with the other guys while bits of noodle came from his mouth. The noise was absent in her head, she was too taken back by the sudden realization of it all. The whole room became a big blur, like I was a whole canvas of fresh paint smeared by a huge wave of water rushing in. Her eyes were open but her mind was far off somewhere else. She barely felt the hand on her shoulder coming from her boyfriend. He was gently shaking her to help bring her back to the present. The sound and everyone came back as she looked into his eyes.
"Hey you okay sweetie?" Aang asked as he lightly squeezed her shoulder. She managed a small smile as she nodded as she put her napkin on the table.
"I'm fine. I think I'm going to go back to the room and take a bath." She replied. Aang pulled out her chair as she stood up. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked back to Zuko and Sokka.
"Okay. Um, Zuko wants us guys to hang out for a bit. I promise I will only be an hour or two." He said unsure if she would be okay with that.
"I will be fine. I'm just going to relax before we figure this whole Silver Lotus thing out tomorrow." She replied stretching a bit. He smiled as he gave her a quick peck on the lips. He ran of to join Zuko and Sokka, Katara already starting to head back to her room before she could even see them head out of the door. She quickly paced down the long hallway, hearing the other girls squeal and chatter with Mai about her pregnancy. She rushed faster, trying to avoid getting roped into a conversation with them. She finally got to her door, unlocking it and entering. She kicked off her shoes, undid her hair, and loosened her silk belt and threw it in the corner. She walked over the washroom, seeing the marble bathtub. She looked to the the tiled room, beige with ebony rim. The doubled sink, the toilet, and the Fire place with a water pump and a gas heater under it to heat the water for the bath. She traced her fingers against the rim of the tub, feeling the grooves in it until she reached the end. She pumped the water, pumping until the water almost reached the bin. She turned the golden gas knob and after a few clicks, the flames came up and started to heat the water. She undid her silk dress, unwrapping her bindings and sliding them into a pile across the washroom. The water was steaming, perfect temperature. With a swift motion of her arms, she carefully began to bend the water into the cool marble tub. It hurt a little, with her broken hand and all, but slowly all the water soon left the heater and was in the right place. The cool air sent goosebumps across her copper skin, she didn't like to be nude in an open area for too long. She slid herself feet first into the tub, easing herself all the way in as she sighed in relief. She rubbed the warm water across her arms and face, getting rid of the goosebumps. She laid back and closed her eyes, relaxing and feeling every muscle in her body go limp. She sunk her face further in the water until her whole head was under, her brown hair sticking to the backside of the tub. All the noise in the world cancelled out, all she could hear was her heartbeat.
"Yeah we just found out a few weeks ago. Mai didn't want to make a big deal out of it but I insisted." Zuko said as he laid back in one of his relaxing chair in his sitting area. Sokka was leaning back on the couch across from him as Aang slumped back again the footstool in between them. They were drinking tea by the fire casting a golden glow across the room. Zuko sipped his tea, unable to keep himself from smiling.
"It's weird seeing you smile so much. You being Mr. Serious all the time." Sokka joked. Aang couldn't help but snicker as Zuko casually rolled his eyes.
"Even your bad humor can't put me down buddy, I'm going to be a father." He said swirling the tea in his cup. Sokka sighed as he looked up to the ceiling.
"Life is moving by so fast. It's hard to catch up with it sometimes." Sokka said not looking at the other too. Aang nodded to himself.
"Imagine how I felt when I woke up from the iceberg." Aang said jokingly. Zuko and Sokka chuckled, but it did have some truth in it. Aang was gone for 100 years, even though he still is a 16 year old boy.
"I'm actually thinking of proposing to Suki the next time I see her. I have a betrothal necklace ready to go and everything." He said pulling out a beige woven necklace with a jade pendant with two pearls accompanying it on each side. It was simple yet beautiful, like Suki was to Sokka.
"That's amazing. You two are great together, I say just go ahead." Aang said waving his hands a bit as he exclaimed his excitement. Sokka held the necklace close to his heart.
"I agree. You should do it Sokka." Zuko said, taking another sip. Sokka tucked the necklace away before leaning forward and looking at Aang.
"So. I will be proposing to Suki, Zuko is becoming a dad. What about you Aang?" Sokka asked, prying for more info on one of his best Friend's. Aang raised a brow.
"What about me?" Aang asked back. Zuko put his tea cup down and put his hand together, a smirk creeping up on his face.
"What's going on with you and Katara? I heard you two were sharing a room due to a rooming mix up." Zuko said with a suave tone in his voice. Sokka looked at him with waiting eyes.
"Um yeah. We are sharing a room. It's fine though, it's just one night though. No big deal." He said rubbing the back of his neck. Sokka raised one brow before folding his arms.
"I better not hear you rocking the bed with my sister Aang. I'm your friend and everything, but that is still my baby sister." He said in a more serious tone. Aang blushed before awkwardly coughing while Zuko looked at Sokka and Aang wide eyed.
"No, no were not um, doing that stuff yet Sokka." Aang said trying to make t less akward than it already was.
"Yet?!" Sokka cried out. Aang tenses up more as he tried to figure out the magic words to somehow make this conversation go by better.
"Sokka, Katara is 18 years old. She can make her own decisions. I know you will always be her brother but she and Aang have the right to do whatever they want." Zuko chimed in. Sokka sighed as he leaned back again.
"You're right. But being her brother, I still don't like it." Sokka replied turning his nose up a bit. Aang turned as red as a tomato.
"Look it's not like I don't want to, it's just, I want it to be the right time. That's all." He revealed. The monks used to teach all the Air Nomads how to be pure and balanced in life. One lesson was to not give in to sexual desire and stay pure. With all of them being gone now, Aang kind of had no choice if he wanted his nation to live on. Even though he was ashamed of it, Aang has had a couple dreams of Katara wearing little clothing or sometimes none at all. He wanted Katara so badly, to hold her and see her undressed and kiss her all over and make her feel good. He could never admit this though, he was just too embarrassed and ashamed to admit it. He put his tea cup down and stood up, brushing his loose pants with his hands.
"I think I'm gonna turn in for the night. I will see you two in the morning to discuss the thing. Good night." Aang said. Zuko nodded along with Sokka.
"Good night." Sokka replied.
"Sleep well." Zuko said back to accompany Sokka's words. Aang gave a small nod before heading out the room.
Katara laid out on the bed, her hair still damp as she laid in a thin white silk robe. She stared at the ceiling, her fingers rubbing the collar of her robe. She exhaled, about to close her eyes as she heard the door knob turning. She looked in the corner of her vision and saw the door open. Aang walked in, closing the door behind him. Aang walked over to the bed, sitting down at the foot of the bed. He gently placed one of his hands on Katara's ankle. Her skin was still a little moist from the bath she had a little bit earlier.
"I missed my cuddle buddy." She said softly looking at him. He smirked as he kicked off his shoes and removed his top, Climbing into bed next to Katara, pulling the sheets over them as he guided Katara's head to lay on his bare chest. His arm wrapped wrapped around her, keeping them closer together. He could hear his fast heartbeat, she looked up to him.
"You okay?" She asked tapping her index finger lightly on the tip of his nose. He met his eyes with hers, giving a nervous smile.
"Yeah. I just want to figure this whole Silver Lotus thing out." He said. It wasn't a lie, he was concerned about it but it wasn't that making his heart beat fast. He couldn't help look down a little further, her loose V neck silk rode made her expose some cleavage. His eyes widened, seeing a bit of her copper orbs. He gulped as he looked back up before she could notice.
"Me too. But I know what could distract us for a bit." She said with a smirk. Aang's face flushed red, thinking she meant something else for a moment.
"We haven't made out in a while. With Sokka around 24/7, it's kinda hard to." She said smiling. Aang sighed a little, she only meant kissing. He cupped her head as he placed his lips on hers. Their mouths moving in sync with each other as he slipped his tongue in her mouth, making Katara blush a little. His thumb rubbed her cheek softly as she caressed the back of his neck with her good hand. He opened his eyes for a moment, seeing her closed eyes so close to his. His eyes moved downward to see her barely converted chest pressing against. He face suddenly got all red again as he started to feel a little heat rising in him. He started to get this tingling feeling in his groin, making him kiss her more deeply, his hand clutching her waist. He pressed their bodies closer to the point there was no space between them. He loved kissing Katara, it was when he was at his happiest. Even being near her could lift his spirits. Soon he heard her murmur a bit. He didn't really notice until she nudged him away a little.
"Stop…poking me…" she said between kisses. He couldn't hear her as she slipped her hand under, thinking a scroll or a stick somehow made its way between them. As she found the thing poking her stomach, she grasped it, trying to toss it aside. Aang got wide eyed and separated from her. She got wide eyed as well as she looked down, finding out that she was holding Aang's "excitement" in her hand. They looked down and then back up at each other. She let go, backing up a bit as she sat on her legs. Aang's heart raced a thousand miles per minute, he sat crossing his legs, grabbing an ear by pillow and covering his area. He blushed furiously as Katara stared at him in silence, eyes wide and full of surprise. He covered his face with his hands and hung his head down in shame.
"Katara, I-I'm so sorry. I d-don't know what happened." He said trying to get his words together. Her shock went down as she scooted closer to him.
"It's okay." She said calmly. Aang was still hanging his head down in shame. She sighed.
"Aang. Look at me." She said sternly. He didn't hesitate to do as she said. He looked into her eyes, him waiting for something to somehow make all this go away.
"It's okay." She repeated in her calm voice. He still had shame in his eyes, she held his hand, his whole body tense and shaking ever so slightly.
"I didn't know you felt this way about me." She said blushing, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. He blushed too, his eyes sparkling as his face flushed with heat.
"I-I have for awhile. I'm willing to wait so don't worry, this was an accident I swear." He said pleading for her to forgive him. She gave a small smile as she looked at her broken hand.
"I don't want you to make a decision that you will regret. It's a big step." She said. Of course she has had no experience herself but all of the tribeswoman and her grandmother have taught her that being intimate with another person is sacred and should be with the one you truly love.
"I never regret anything when I do it with you Katara. I know I'm young, but I do know I love you and I will always love you. You are the only one for me." He said pulling her in for a hug. She hugged back, feeling safe in his arms.
"You're the only one for me too Aang. I don't care about your age, technically, you are way older than me!" She said laughing. Aang separated before playfully rolling his eyes as he kissed her forehead. She looked at her healing hand once more.
"Can we wait until my hand gets better, I want to be at my best for when we… finally…" she said trailing off, blushing as she stumbled over her words. Aang loved it when he made her nervous, it made him feel less alone for when he got nervous around her. He gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"Of course, I will wait for as long as you need me to." Aang replied. Still holding her in his arms. She smirked to herself.
"We can still cuddle though." She said. Aang smiled as he swung them both back under the covers, getting all cozier up next to each other. She was the little spoon as Aang was the big one, her soft brown hair gave extra comfort to Aang for he always loved the sweet smell of her brown locks. With one swift hand motion, Aang burned out all of the candles in the room leaving them in total darkness.
"Goodnight sweetie." Katara said closing her eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep. Aang kissed the back of her head before pulling her even closer towards him.
"Goodnight sweetie." He said back, smiling to himself, thinking and being grateful for all that he was thankful for. The moon was full, casting a glow across the room and above the cuddling pair. They were both in a deep sleep, the wind casting a breeze towards the window curtains as their breathing synced with one another. A black hand grasped the window ledge as it lifted it two black feet to crouch over the ledge, nails sharp as knives. It would seem as if the figure's skin was covered in a charcoal powder, it's face hidden behind a silver mask it's grey swirl designs, hollowed out almond eyes and on the forehead laid a Silver Lotus symbol. The figure cocked its head looking at the two, inquisitive and curious about the pair. It's whole body sleek and slender, a feminine form with only the silver mask standing out.
"The Healer." It said in a very soft, raspy voice. The figure then stood straight up and jumped from the ledge, back outside and out of sight. The wind blew once more, nothing was out of place. It was as if it was never there.