Summary: Three times Katara took the spirits' names in vain and one time Aang did.
Word Count: 3.5k
Welcome to Day 6 of Kataang Week 2023! The theme of this week is really how much I love domestic Kataang (I am still in school and have no intentions of ever becoming a parent LOL). They're just so sweet. Anyways, today's prompt is Spirits! Enjoy!
"Aang? Are you done yet?"
"Just give me another minute!"
Katara groaned and flopped unceremoniously onto the couch of the Ba Sing Se apartment they shared with the rest of the Gaang.
A lot of things had happened in the six months since the war had ended. By defeating the Fire Nation, Katara and her friends had written themselves into the history books as saviors, legends. They were to be the leaders of the world that had emerged from the ashes of war and usher in a new era of peace, harmony, and unity, unlike anything anyone had seen before. Change was inevitable. Katara knew this, expected it even.
She knew that she, Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko were going to be taking on new roles for their respective nations as ambassadors and world leaders. She knew that she, Aang, and Sokka would probably have to spend more time apart than they ever had in the year of their travels. It was going to be weird not always being with them anymore, after having spent so long on the run with only each other. She knew that she and Aang would probably be judged for loving outside of their respective cultures, and she knew that she and Aang would be a real couple, going to balls and nobles' parties together as each other's dates and being asked nosy questions.
What she did not know, however, was just how many hours her boyfriend would spend getting ready for their dates and outings, wanting to look his absolute best for her. She was by no means unappreciative of his efforts if the heat that rose to her cheeks at the sight of him was any indication, but it was quite the inconvenience in a time crunch like the one at hand.
Katara opened an eye from her position lying on the couch, daring to get a glimpse of the clock above their fireplace. 5:56. Lovely. They now had 4 minutes to make a 10-minute trip, not including the time needed to get on and off Appa and through the crowd of reporters that would most definitely be waiting for the Avatar and his girlfriend's first official social function as a couple.
Katara huffed and stood up once again to knock on the door.
"For Tui's sake, Aang, we're going to be late!"
"Hey!" came his muffled voice through the door. "Come on, Katara, you're not supposed to take the spirits' names in vain like that. The monks used to say it's bad luck, you know."
The waterbender resisted the urge to roll her eyes, even if he couldn't see it. "Bad luck would be arriving late to Kuei's ball when we're the guests of honor, sweetie. I mean, what is taking you so long anywa-"
Katara's breath hitched in her throat as the door opened, revealing Aang self-consciously rubbing the back of his head.
"So? How do I look?"
She gulped. The Aang standing before her was a far cry from the mustard yellow tunic-clad boy she was used to.
No, this Aang was different.
This Aang had a deep orange cloth draped around his shoulders, with delicate gold thread creating intricate, interweaving spiral designs across his chest and back. His usual pants had been swapped out for a crimson kilt-like piece of clothing, with pale yellow leggings underneath. The deep red had been decorated with wooden beads across the bottom to match the beaded pendants that adorned his neck.
In short, he was stunning.
"I- um- well-" Katara stuttered, absolutely speechless.
Aang's face fell. "You don't like it."
"No!" Katara waved her hands sporadically. "I mean yes! I mean-" The airbender tilted his head at her, eyebrows raised as he bit his lip nervously. She sighed and cupped his cheek with her hand, resting the other on his shoulder. "You look amazing, sweetie. Really." Katara gave Aang an earnest look, small butterflies fluttering in her stomach when she realized she had to tilt her neck up slightly to make eye contact.
"I don't know how I'm going to keep all the fangirls off of you tonight," she whispered, adjusting his collar.
The airbender's face broke into a wide smile and he squeezed her hand. "I could say the same for you." He stepped back for a moment to appreciate the intricate beading on her light blue kimono, the black and white panda lilies embroidered onto it matching the clips in her wavy hair. "You look beautiful."
The two stood there for a moment, completely entranced by each other as small hints of pink rose to their cheeks.
Ding!
They jumped apart when they heard the clock tower bell ring six times, marking the start of Kuei's ball.
"Monkeyfeathers!" Aang said. "Come on, Katara, we gotta go! Told you taking the spirits' names in vain would be bad luck!" He grabbed her hand and began pulling her out the door.
"Hey! We're only late because- eep!" She squealed as Aang picked her up bridal-style, careful not to mess up the plaits in her hair, and airbended them onto Appa.
"Yip yip!"
She shot him a glare as he gave her a cheesy grin and pecked her cheek. He reached out to intertwine their hands and rested his head on her shoulder as they took off into the sky.
"Those damn butterflies," Katara muttered to herself as an uncontrollable smile found its way onto her lips.
"What was that, sweetie?"
"Never mind."
"Aang! Wait up!" Katara laughed. "You don't even know where we're going!"
The airbender yelped as his girlfriend tackled him to the ground, her cheeks pink from the cold as she pinned his parka-clad arms down on the snow-covered soil. She was breathing hard, having had to run the last few yards to catch up to him, and Aang couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked smiling down on him with a few loose strands of hair in her face.
"Why are you smiling at me like that?" the waterbender murmured, repeating some of the first words she had ever said to him.
Aang grinned and flipped the two over. He kept his weight on his forearms, careful not to crush Katara beneath him, as he pressed their foreheads together, completely lost in her eyes. He looked at her for a moment, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear back into the fluffy parka. "Oh, I was smiling?"
The two shared a laugh as Katara playfully pushed the airbender off her and he helped her to her feet. She looped her arm around his and began pulling him slightly left of the direction he had been going. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as the sunlight bounced off the snow on the ground and illuminated the steep hill they were approaching.
Aang craned his neck to look up at the icy spire. "This is the surprise place you wanted to show me? Hate to break it to you, sweetie, but big things made of ice aren't exactly unexpected in the South Pole."
She rolled her eyes. "This isn't the place. Not exactly at least. This way."
Katara led them around the side of the small mountain off the path to a small indent in the white structure. She knelt down on the ground and began waterbending piles of snow away from the icy walls to reveal a small opening, just big enough for them to crawl through. She waved her hand, beckoning for him to join her.
"Come on!" she grinned before going through the opening. Aang's eyes widened in surprise as the entrance was revealed and soon followed suit, eventually brushing the flakes off his snow pants once he got inside and stood up.
He gasped softly, now understanding why she had been so excited to lead him there.
Inside was a large, winding cave with a small river running through it. The ceilings and walls were ice, but they looked more like cerulean glass. The ice was clear and had smooth ridges, bumping against Aang's fingers as he slid his palm down the side of the cave. Light seemed to come from some inexplicable source and bounce off the ice mounds that hang from the ceilings to illuminate the entire space in a warm blue light. The ground, though cold, wasn't frozen, and it wasn't covered in snow. Instead, patches of small purple flowers decorated the soil. And in the middle of it all was Katara, her hood no longer covering her head, revealing her long, sweaty waves cascading down her back. She was laughing and dancing to a tune only she could hear, looking more carefree than Aang had seen her in ages.
He ran up to the waterbender and hugged her from behind, making her shriek with delight. He peppered kisses all over her neck as she gripped his arms tightly before launching her into a twirl and dancing right alongside with her. The two danced for what felt like hours, pushing and pulling, rising and falling, as they stepped and leapt and turned and laughed together in perfect harmony.
They both dropped to the floor after a while, panting and grinning. The cool ice of the cavern walls was a welcome relief from the heat of their parka-clad bodies as they leaned their heads back against the hard surface. Katara held Aang's hand tightly in hers when she finally caught her breath, and the two looked at each other with love and adoration.
"La's fins, it's just like I remember it," she sighed, closing her eyes.
"Kataraaaaa," Aang chided with a playful stern look. "It's bad luck!"
She rolled her eyes.
Aang pouted. "You know when you think about it, La's fins are my fins too!" he said, referencing his merging with La at the North Pole on their travels. "It's not just an affront to the great ocean spirit but your awesome future husband too."
Katara leaned against his shoulder and batted her eyelashes at the airbender. "Can you ever find it in your compassionate heart to forgive me, dearest fiance?" she said in her best remorseful tone.
Aang sighed dramatically and turned away. "I can't even look at you right now," he lamented, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead and closing his eyes in mock-agony. He opened one eye and peeked back at the waterbender, and they both instantly dissolved into laughter.
After their giggles had died down, Katara sat in front of the airbender, her back towards him, and gave him a shy smile. "Braid my hair for me?"
Aang smiled and nodded eagerly, adjusting himself so that she could sit more comfortably in front of him as his hands began plaiting her hair. He picked a few of the flowers from the ground next to them and braided them into her hair, the lavender and periwinkle tones of the petals a bright contrast to her dark locks.
"How did you even find this place?" he asked as he incorporated another flower into her hair.
Katara smiled with a distant look in her eyes. "I was 9, maybe 10. It was a while before Dad went off to fight but Mom had been gone for some time. There weren't any other kids our age so if I wasn't cooking or sewing, I was probably playing with Sokka. We decided to play hide and seek one day and I got lost. Ended up here. It became my special place, any time I wanted to get away from things for a while."
She blushed, her fingers reaching to touch the pendant that Aang had so lovingly carved and given her a few months prior. "You're the only that knows about it, the only one I've ever brought down here."
Katara leaned back against his chest, making him pause his braiding as she looked up at him. "I was hoping instead of it being my special place, we could make it our special place. What's mine is yours now, right?"
Aang's mildly annoyed expression at having to stop plaiting her hair softened, and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "I'd really like that."
The waterbender straightened her back to allow him to finish her hair, which he did happily, and the two remained there for the better part of the day. For the first time in a long time, they weren't the Avatar and his waterbending master. They weren't two of the most powerful and influential people in the world. They weren't the defeaters of Ozai, the ones who had ended the Hundred Year War.
They were just Aang and Katara, two people crazy in love with one another.
Katara's eyes fluttered awake as a direct beam of sunlight fell on her face, much to her annoyance.
She was just about to straighten herself in their bed to regain her bearings when she registered the warm air blowing against her collarbone by a certain slumbering airbender. His eyes were closed, and his head was tucked right into the crook of her neck. His arm was slung across her torso, fingers curling to hold her hip firmly, even in his sleep, and the corners of his mouth were upturned in a small smile.
Katara's gaze softened. It was rare that she ever woke up before Aang, and to catch him in such a peaceful, content position made the moment all the more precious in her eyes. She sighed quietly as her mind began recalling the events that had occurred a few nights prior- the dancing, the food, all their friends, the way her vision got blurry when he read out his vows, the way she could feel his love in every kiss, every touch when they returned to their home later that night.
He was her husband.
She was his wife.
Katara gently cupped Aang's cheek, her fingers like ghosts against his skin as she admired him. Sometimes it felt like she would never be able to get enough of him, never be able to stop being made speechless by every little thing he did. He never ceased to amaze her, and she didn't think he ever would.
"Tui's gills," she murmured. "You make me so happy, and you don't even know it."
"Taking the spirits' names in vain in just the first week of being married?" Aang said without opening his eyes. "That's gotta be some kinda bad omen, sweetie. You don't want the spirits to be mad at you." He peeked open one eye to look at her, a crooked grin gracing his lips, and it became very evident to Katara that he had only been pretending to sleep this entire time.
She chuckled. Why was she even surprised?
"My fian-" she paused, correcting herself with a smile. "My husband is the great bridge between the Spirit World and the human world. I think they'll forgive me."
Aang gave her a goofy grin at the word husband. "Well, you can never be too sure, my dear wife." He looked at her expectantly.
Katara sighed loudly. "Oh great spirit of the moon, please accept my deepest apologies for taking your name in vain. I hope you can forgive me, especially considering we were kind of almost-sister-in-laws at one point. Please bless our marriage just as you have blessed the two of us with the gift of waterbending."
She turned back to Aang. "Happy?"
The airbender beamed and swept her up in a kiss, pulling her body flush against his as his arms found their way around her waist and neck.
"Quite."
He settled back into his previous spot against her side, his fingers tracing patterns all over her body as they listened to the sounds of each other's breathing. This time, however, his eyes remained open and alert, soaking in every last detail of her- her hair splayed out onto the pillows like a splash of water, the soft smile on her lips, the way she tightened her grip on his shoulder every so often as if to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming.
"And here I thought I had gotten up before you for once," Katara whispered.
"In your defense, I was trying to go back to sleep," he replied, lifting his head to look up at her. "You make a very good pillow, Sifu Katara."
She laughed softly as he nuzzled the side of her neck to accentuate the point.
"Well since we're up, we should probably both start on cooking breakfast," she pointed out, lightly pushing him off of her.
Aang raised an eyebrow. "You don't like most of the breakfast foods I make. Is this your way of telling me you'd like fruit pies for breakfast?"
"Maybe."
The airbender rolled his eyes and reluctantly got out of bed, stretching and yawning as he did so. "By the way Katara?" he said right before she stepped into her closet to get dressed.
"Yes, sweetie?"
He gave her a soft smile. "You make me really happy, too."
Katara had always made Aang breathless.
It was just a fact of life, as natural as the sun rising in the mornings or the wind blowing on a warm spring day.
Everything about Katara enraptured Aang.
It was something about the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed at something he said, the way her eyebrows furrowed when she concentrated on healing, the way her cheeks turned dark magenta when he told her he loved her, the way he could feel her pulse quicken through the earth every time he intertwined their fingers or kissed her cheek. Something about Katara was special.
But in all of the years they had been together, all of the pretty dresses and fancy balls they had gone to, all of the nights spent talking till dawn, all of the times they had fallen asleep in each other's arms, Aang didn't think Katara had ever looked so beautiful as she did in this moment.
Her forehead glistened with sweat, locks of hair plastered to the sides of her face. There were deep, dark bags under her tired eyes. She was wearing an old, slightly tattered shirt of Aang's, all bunched up around her hips, and her hair was messy and tangled, like seaweed that had washed up on the beach.
She was his, and she was perfect.
"Correction," Aang mentally noted. "They were his, and they were perfect."
He scooted his chair closer to catch another glimpse of the tiny bundle she carried in her arms, eyes scrunched close and little arms poking out from within the yellow blanket. A small tuft of dark hair rested on his small head, and Aang felt as though he could watch those chubby cheeks sleep like this forever.
"Meet your son, sweetie," Katara murmured, touching the baby's cheek gently with her finger.
"He's perfect," Aang barely managed to choke out. He looked at her, the waterbender's gaze still focused on the little one. "You're perfect." He pressed a kiss to her temple, hoping she would somehow understand all the things he was feeling but had no clue how to say.
"Would you like to hold him?"
The airbender took a shaky breath as Katara gently handed him the baby. "Remember to support his head and neck."
He gasped as the infant in his arms fluttered his eyes open, revealing the most beautiful shade of pale blue irises, somewhere right in between Katara's cerulean and Aang's silver. The baby successfully managed to free one of his hands from the tight swaddle and reached up to touch Aang's face, making the airbender hold his breath as he felt the softest palms grasp at his face.
"Spirits above."
Katara gave Aang an amused look as she shifted to the edge of the bed to watch the two better. "'Don't take the spirits' names in vain, Katara,'" she imitated his voice. "'It's bad luck, Katara. You'll make them angry, Katara'"
Aang shot her a quick glare before turning right back to the baby, eliciting a tired chuckle from the waterbender.
"It's not in vain if I'm thanking them," he said as he nuzzled the newborn's outstretched hand.
"Thanking them?" Katara gasped with a teasing smile. "You should be thanking me."
"Who do you think I'm thanking them for?"
Aang pressed another kiss to Katara's forehead as the infant made an effort to grab the airbender's fingers. "You're amazing, Katara," he whispered. "He's amazing. I love you both so much."
Katara reached out her arms when the baby began fussing, quickly soothing him by placing him against her chest and rocking him gently. "We love you too, sweetie. I think the spirits will forgive you anyways. You are the Avatar, after all."
Aang shook his head, stroking the newborn's cheek with his thumb.
"Not right now," he murmured. "Right now I'm just Aang. Your husband and this little guy's dad."
He smiled at the infant and placed a kiss on his tiny forehead.
"Welcome to the world, Bumi."