Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song "Only Make Believe" from Showboat, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
Author's Note: Another early first season story about Aang and Katara getting to know each other better. I did this one kind of quickly, so I apologize for any errors.
Only Make Believe
Who cares if my boat goes upstream,
Or if the gale bids me go with the river's flow?
"Are you always like this?" Katara asked Aang as she leaned over to pick a few berries. They were on their way to an island Aang knew of and had been bouncing around from place to place recently. Sokka was fishing along the shoreline. Because of what had happened the last time she'd gone fishing with him, he didn't want her around, even when Katara pointedly reminded him that they wouldn't have found Aang without her. Aang ended the argument by offering to join Katara in gathering food on land. As it turned out, Aang didn't eat meat, so he'd never learned to fish or hunt, but he did know a lot more about plants than Katara did. She took it as an excellent opportunity to get to know the young Avatar better.
"What do you mean?" he responded to her question.
"Well, just sort of drifting wherever the wind takes you."
"I usually have a destination in mind," he replied, a little defensively.
I drift along with my fancy.
Sometimes I thank my lucky stars my heart is free.
And other times, I wonder,
Where's the mate for me?
"Yes, but you certainly don't get there in a straight line." This idea was completely foreign to Katara. When her people wanted to go somewhere, they simply went there. Granted, there wasn't much of anywhere for them to go at the South Pole, but it was still odd to meander like this.
"I guess it's just part of being an airbender," Aang shrugged. "We don't like to be tied down to anything, even a direct path."
"Not to anything?" Katara echoed. "Not even family?" Family ties were everything in the Water Tribe.
"Monk Gyatso was my family," he informed her, giving her a sideways glance. "I have to admit, there have been times I've wished I had someone to be attached to. Being the Avatar can get pretty lonely." Katara wasn't sure what to say to that, and the conversation lapsed.
Only make believe I love you.
Only make believe that you love me.
Others find peace of mind in pretending.
Couldn't you? Couldn't I? Couldn't we?
"You want to play a game?" Aang broke the silence.
"What kind of game?"
"Have you ever played make-believe?"
"Who hasn't?" Katara shrugged. Next to storytelling, it was probably the most popular entertainment in her tribe, especially during the long, dark months of winter.
"Okay, then. Let's pretend that we've actually known each other a really long time."
"How long?" She found the concept intriguing. After her sheltered life, it was awkward for her to feel so oddly close to Aang this early in their association. Maybe play-acting would help her to work through that.
Make believe our lips are blending
In a phantom kiss, or two or three.
Might as well make believe I love you,
For, to tell the truth, I do.
"Our whole lives," Aang answered. "We've been friends ever since we can remember."
"Maybe our families are even pushing us together, encouraging us to be even more," added Katara, the suggestion seeming very reasonable in her mind. Most of her childhood imaginings had involved romance, and in her tightly knit community, your future mate was usually picked out for you well in advance. Of course, she and Sokka hadn't really had any options to pursue at home, and while she couldn't tell if Sokka had noticed that lack, Katara definitely had. Maybe that was why she had felt instantly drawn to the first boy near her age who had happened to cross her path.
When she realized that she'd just inadvertently revealed some of her idle imaginings to the boy in question, she could feel her face grow warm with embarrassment. Fortunately, Aang didn't seem to notice.
Your pardon, I pray;
'Twas too much to say
The words that betray my heart.
We only pretend;
You do not offend
In playing a lover's part.
"That sounds perfect," he agreed, smiling warmly. Perhaps he was already slipping into the easy familiarity the game required. "Our parents want us to get married someday. Or is that too much?" His brow furrowed at this last part.
"No, I'd say that's just about right," Katara said, wanting to clear that brow. She succeeded, and as she took in the sight of him with his grey eyes shining and lips faintly stained from the red berries he'd swiped from their gathering, she couldn't imagine anyone she'd rather spend the rest of her life with.
Of course, she didn't really know anyone else, either. Aang was worldly, well-traveled, and the Avatar. Surely he had known other girls with whom he could compare her, and she had best keep that in mind. Pretending was one thing, but she couldn't let her imagination run away with her. For that matter, she couldn't be sure he was the right one for her until she learned more of both the world and herself.
The game of "just supposing"
Is the sweetest game I know,
Our dreams are more romantic
Than the world we see.
"So what we have to do is decide how we'd react to the situation," Aang mused. "We do know about our families' plans, right?"
"Oh, I'd think so," replied Katara. "Maybe we've just realized."
"So we feel a little awkward."
"Right, because we've grown up together. We're so close we're almost like cousins." Whether it was intentional or not, this scenario was allowing for the awkwardness that really existed, allowing the two of them a chance to work it out.
"But maybe," Aang offered, moving closer and keeping his eyes locked on hers. "There's a hint of something between us."
"Yes," Katara agreed, getting into the scene. "One of us, or maybe both, is starting to think the idea might not be so bad."
And if the things we dream about
Don't happen to be so,
That's just an unimportant technicality.
Katara lost track of time as they played their lovers' game. It certainly made their task less tedious. They talked and flirted, occasionally dropping actual truths about themselves. Somehow, instead of breaking the mood, this only seemed to increase the real intimacy growing between them.
By the time their sacks were full, Katara found herself wishing that they weren't just pretending. Still, she'd enjoyed herself immensely, and the diversion seemed to have the effect of making her and Aang more comfortable with each other. Besides, if she could talk him into playing this again, she would have other opportunities to look forward to living in this dream. Reality was sometimes overrated. It intruded upon her when Sokka yelled at them as the pair returned to the shore, laughing together.
"You're scaring the fish away," he complained.
"If you'd just let me fish my way, it would be a whole lot easier." Katara knew that she still needed some practice, but she could manage to grab a fish in a globule of water.
Though the cold and brutal fact is,
You and I have never met,
We need not mind convention's Ps & Qs.
"Our people have been fishing this way for hundreds of years," Sokka insisted, shaking his fishing rod vehemently. "I'm not going to trade that for all of your mystic bending stuff."
Predictably, the fishhook, which had been wildly swinging at the end of the line, caught in his ponytail. Katara winced reflexively but recognized that it could have been much worse. Sokka yelped and began trying to work it free. Sighing, Katara went to rescue her brother from himself, slapping his hands away while gently disentangling his hair from the hook.
"Whatever you say, Sokka," she murmured resignedly, and Aang snickered, although he quickly tried to stifle it. When his hair was free, Sokka narrowed his eyes at the Avatar.
"Something's different between you two," he declared. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing," Katara said quickly, only to giggle when Aang said the same thing at almost the same time. Needless to say, this didn't alleviate Sokka's suspicions at all.
If we put our thoughts in practice,
We can banish all regret,
Imagining most anything we choose.
"Maybe I shouldn't let you go off alone with him anymore, Katara," said Sokka thoughtfully. "I'm still supposed to be protecting you."
"From what?" Katara demanded, knowing perfectly well but wanting to see if he would actually answer her. He didn't.
"Avatar or not, we still don't know him very well. No offense, Aang."
"None taken," replied Aang unconcernedly, and Katara wondered if he'd felt anything like she had during their game. He was looking on curiously as Sokka worked to re-arrange his hair. "You know, you wouldn't have that problem if you just shaved it all off, like me." He rubbed a hand over his bald head.
"You keep your customs, and I'll keep mine," Sokka retorted.
"You're being silly, Sokka," Katara ignored the hair discussion. "Aang is family, now. You said so yourself." Even if she privately entertained hopes that there might one day be a foundation for her brother's fears.
We could make believe I love you.
We could make believe that you love me.
Others find peace of mind in pretending.
Couldn't you, couldn't I, couldn't we?
"Yes, I said it," Sokka agreed, having finally set his ponytail to rights. "As long as you both remember to act like family."
"We won't forget," Aang assured him, but when Sokka turned his attention away, he caught Katara's eye, and they exchanged a secret glance. Her heart leapt at the knowledge that Aang shared her anticipation of playing the game again.
As the sun made its way toward the sea, Katara caught herself looking at the Avatar several times. Her eyes lingered on his lips, and she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. She flushed at the audacity of the thought yet saw no harm in indulging in a little more imagination.
After all, family connections could be made through marriage as well as blood.
Make believe our lips are blending
In a phantom kiss, or two or three.
Might as well make believe I love you,
For, to tell the truth, I do.
--
Author's Note: While much of this has been in my mind for a long time, the concept of how couples in the Southern Water Tribe might have been planned in advance was largely formed based on the description of Elizabethan England country life in a book I'm currently reading, Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer.
Review responses:
airnaruto45: Other collection.
Ocaj: You did realize the last chapter was mainly a joke, right? And the "three needs" were credited to a comedian? However, Iroh's behavior towards June indicated to me that he is pretty open about such things.
nutshak: Thanks, and you got some Kataang here.
Katsumara: I wouldn't call a day after posting "super late." Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it.