A/N: So much for my regular updating huh? At least it wasn't 3 weeks this time. Got to say reading all your lovely words made me remember how much I enjoy and miss posting and hearing from you all, so gonna try not to stay away for too long XD Thank you all for the birthday wishes as well, really appreciate it! You guys will like this chapter I'm sure XD And yes Avatarzilla, Aang has terrible timing, it's his speciality XD And sorry McChartney, I had to save some juiciness for this chapter, my bad, but hope it lives up to the wait XD Vapor23 & Latte28 please forgive my awful replying – I'll get back to you both as soon as I can, but you're on my mind guys.
Guest review response:
A: Hey man! Haha lucky for me hehe, hope life is settling a bit more for you now, although it's the Christmas period so maybe not XD Thank you so much for the birthday wishes! :) Oh yes for sure, esp Katara, Aang maybe not so much XD Aww man even in the end I couldn't convince ya about Yun, oh well, can't win 'em all XD Hehe, well Aang is kinda infatuated with her, so nope, it's one sided XD but I suppose that's where his growth comes in – accepting that there are some things that are out of his hands and finding ways to adapt to that reality without causing hurt. Aye, the suckerpunch line, good one XD Hope you enjoy this one!
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1 Week Later:
Katara's POV:
Aang hasn't come to visit since that day he ran out. Instead, each time Yatsu came to visit it was either with my Dad or Sokka and once with Yun and Fuki. The latter of which bawled her eyes out until she was reassured that I wasn't going to die. She didn't say anything about mine and Yun's engagement being called off, likely because Yatsu was around, but I caught the look of sadness and disappointment in her eyes when she left. I couldn't bring myself to broach the subject with her, but I tried to give her a reassuring smile as she exited the room.
After a long week in hospital, I'm finally going back home. Just, not the home I've made with Yun. My old home. The one where I've raised Yatsu in since he was born. The same home Aang and I bought together all those years ago.
"Katara? Katara!" I blink twice and turn to face my brother who's leaning out of his car window as he gazes at me in concern.
"Sorry, I missed that. What did you say?" I ask in embarrassment as Yatsu races ahead of us to stand at the front porch of our house.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok? The physiotherapist didn't really clear you for discharge. I'm happy to stay with you for a few days until you feel strong enough." My brother offers generously.
"Physio wanted me to stay in hospital for another week. Someone else is better off having that bed than me. Anyway, you don't have to work about me. Suki is getting close to her due date now. You need to be with her." I decline with a weak smile, but the man doesn't appear convinced.
"I know, but...you're still walking with a limp and your arm..." Sokka trails off when I shake my head.
"It's fine Sokka, you've done enough with taking care of Yatsu while I was in the hospital. I'll call if I need anything." I reassure as I give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. My brother shoots me a dubious glance before sighing and nodding his head.
"Alright. Be careful. Don't forget to call if you need help." Sokka murmurs as he waves goodbye and pulls out of the driveway. I watch him until his car disappears out of my line of sight before turning to Yatsu who's patiently waiting by the closed door. I give him a smile and join him on the porch to unlock the door.
"Guess, its back to being just you and me buddy." I murmur as we step into the house. Yatsu looks up at me, as if ready to say something, but decides better of it and beams up at me as he takes my hand.
"I liked Mr Yun and Fuki, but I missed our house." Yatsu answers sweetly and I can tell he's being considerate of my feelings.
"You don't mind that we aren't going to live with them anymore?" I ask curiously, but at his head shake, I realise he was never particularly attached to them to the extent that he wanted to live with them permanently. Or maybe it's because his dad has shown up and that's what was more important to him. Either way I choose not to delve into the reason and I close the door behind us.
"It's getting late. You should change and head to bed for school tomorrow." I usher as the boy pouts.
"Can't I stay at home with you tomorrow Mummy?" Yatsu requests with wide pleading eyes, but I immediately shoot the idea down.
"No way, you've already missed enough school as it is." I utter firmly and the boy deflates, but I won't budge on that.
"But Mama you'll be at home all by yourself." Yatsu mumbles as he kicks at the carpet. I quirk my eyebrow at him.
"Yatsu, I've been at home by myself countless times. This isn't anything different." I remind mildly. I observe as the boy opens his mouth to say something, but again he stops himself and instead gives me a small smile.
"Ok Mummy, but if you change your mind, I'll be happy to stay at home!" The boy announces and with a snort, I guide him to the stairs.
"Alright mister, off to bed you go." I nudge with a chuckle. The child spares me a longing glance before begrudgingly making his way up the stairs.
I wait a long while until I hear him settle down in his bed upstairs before shaking my head to myself. 'How odd. Yatsu was never one to want to miss school.' I think with a frown as I stretch out an arm to rest my palm against the wall to keep myself steady. 'Is he really that worried about me?' I wonder with a frown.
The urge to go and peek through his bedroom door is strong, but I resist the temptation with a sigh and turn to put the hot water on for a bath. I wince when I raise my right shoulder and immediately drop my arm back to my side. I lean against the kitchen counter for a moment and close my eyes when I feel the pain spreading down from my arm and into my abdomen where I was stabbed. 'Spirits. I forgot to pick up my discharge medication from the pharmacy.' I groan as I drop my hand to encircle my waist when the wound flares up. I inhale deeply, but the pain only worsens.
"Shoot. The pain relief I had earlier at the hospital must be wearing off." I curse as I feel my knees shaking. 'Maybe I shouldn't have rushed the discharge.' I think to myself as a bout of nausea hits me.
My knees are just about to give way when the sound of the doorbell goes off. I frown and glance at the clock. 10pm. 'It's too late for someone to ring the bell.' I wonder anxiously as I force my feet forward towards the front door. I try to make out the shadow-like figure standing outside on the porch, but it's too dark to make out any notable features. 'I know Yon Rha and his men are in custody, but what if Toph didn't catch everyone?'
My gut twists in anxiety as I contemplate not opening the door when suddenly the person outside starts knocking on the door. I curse under my breath and move to open the door in fear that all the noise will wake up Yatsu. When I pull open the door, I'm both relieved and anxious to find that it's only my ex. I release a breath I didn't know I was holding as I stare at the Airbender who's trying not to look at me. He sticks out his arm as he turns his head. In his hand is a plastic bag filled with small boxes.
"Yun said that you forgot to pick up your medication and asked me to drop it over." The Air Nomad explains gruffly and I widen my eyes in surprise.
"I...thank you." I mumble as I reach forward to take the bag from him. My arm is shaking so badly from the pain that my fingers accidentally brushes against his which prompts the man to finally take a glimpse at me. His standoffish expression melts away in an instant as his eyebrows pinch together in concern.
"Hey you don't look so good." Aang voices as he tries to catch my eyes which I've averted. I shrug my left shoulder in response.
"The pain relief from the hospital is wearing off is all. So, I appreciate you bringing these. Tell Yun that I said thank you too." I reply tightly as I move back to close the door. A tattooed hand snaps forward to take the bag back from me.
"Let me open the packets for you and get you some water." The Airbender volunteers as he steps into the house.
"I don't need help." I fire back, but he spares me a dubious glance as he walks past me.
"Your legs are shaking and your arms are trembling. Sokka told me that you didn't wait for the physio to clear you, but spirits I would've thought you'd have enough sense not to discharge yourself when you're clearly not ready." Aang rebukes firmly and I deflate at the chiding.
"I..." I trail off, unsure what to say without receiving a tongue lashing. When the pain intensifies again, I find myself holding onto the wall as I grit my teeth. Aang notices I'm not following behind him a moment later and he curses when he takes one look at me.
"Shoot Katara." I hear him mutter as he goes around me to take my arm and drape it across his shoulders. "I'll settle you on the sofa." He mumbles as he manoeuvres into the lounge. I find myself frowning at how easily he finds his way around a house that he's never been in before since he lost his memories.
"How do you know where the lounge is?" I ask between pants of pain. I feel the man's body stiffen as he clenches his jaws. He doesn't answer until he's settled me down on the nearest sofa.
"Aang?" I probe when it doesn't look like he's going to reply any time soon. His nose crinkles as he glances at me sparingly before opening the plastic bag and pulling out one of the labelled boxes.
"So now it's easy to say my name?" I hear him mutter and I tense up at those words, but I regret the action immediately when my abdomen screams in agony. I double over with a gasp and I hear the Airbender curse again as he fumbles around with the medication in his hands. He passes me a glass of water and two small tablets. I down them instantly, but it's going to take some time before they start kicking in, so I stay in my hunched over position while counting each breath in an effort to distract myself from the affliction.
When I feel warm hands cupping my cheeks, I realise I must've screwed my eyes shut from the pain. When I open them, I notice how achingly close our faces are and I promptly close my eyes once more. With my eyes closed, all I can focus on is the sound of his steady breathing and it almost lulls me to sleep until his hands finally slip off my face. And the pain that was so mind-numbingly intense, has started to edge off. I exhale deeply and slowly straighten myself up, grimacing when the ache re-asserts itself, but at least it's a pain that I can somewhat stand. As long as I don't move much, it will be fine.
"Thank you." I mumble as I rest my head back on the head rest.
"I didn't really help though." The Airbender grumbles as he takes a seat beside me, but making sure to keep his distance. I eye him wearily before glancing back up at the ceiling.
"You know, you're kind of reminding me of your previous self before you lost your memories." I note aloud and when his breathing catches, I find myself grimacing as the murky water in my mind becomes a little clearer. "Your memories came back." I whisper in sick realisation. At his sharp intake of breath, I know I've hit the nail on the head.
"Shoot." I curse aloud as I bite my lip hard. 'That means he knows everything. Absolutely...everything.' My breathing becomes shallow as I try to calm my nerves, but it's hard when part of what made me not angry at him was knowing he couldn't remember his past actions, 'but now that doesn't apply anymore.' I bite the inside of my cheek hard. "When did they come back?" I ask quietly and it's an age before he finally replies.
"After you got stabbed. When I saw the blood it all came rushing back." Aang admits as his eyes dart away from me. I close my eyes briefly.
"Yeah, that sounds like it would do it. Your phobia of blood and trauma of losing people would be enough to break the lock on your memories." I comment numbly.
"My memories are still in a mess. My brain is trying to reorientate itself from the person I've been after I lost them and the person I was before I lost them." The Air Nomad tries to explain and I nod in understanding, but my mind is far away. "Katara?" Aang prompts hesitantly when he realises I'm not eliciting much emotion.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to lose your memories?" My whisper is pained and I can see his face crumpling from the corner of my eyes.
"I..." He trails off, unable to answer me. I swallow as a ball of emotion lodges at the back of my throat as I try to hard not to cry or scream at him.
"Why were you intimate with me when you knew the next day you'd remember nothing?" I croak out as my lips tremble.
"K-Katara..." Aang falters as I feel my eyes stinging.
"Why did you always leave me in the dark? W-Why wasn't I enough to get you to stay?" My words are bubbling with barely concealed emotion as my voice trembles in anguish.
"P-please, no more." Aang whispers, but my chest is so tight, as if someone wrapped it firmly with a cord and I can't breathe.
"Why did I go through all that pain of raising Yatsu alone for you to be happy, if you only regained your memories to be sad again?" I whimper. I can't help it, the cruelty of the situation feels so unfair and unjust that I start breaking down.
"Katara." Aang's voice wobbles as he says my name and his arms go to wrap around me, but I'm so numb that I can't feel them. 'Once upon time, I would've craved for his hugs, they would make me float on air. But now all I feel is nothing. Just an ache that can't be filled. A sadness that can't be undone. And a pain that refuses to leave.'
We remain like that for the longest time, until I feel my head nodding off in exhaustion.
"I'll take you up to your room." He whispers and I flinch at those words as I withdraw from him.
"I can get there myself." I retort as I push myself to my feet, but I feel myself swaying to my dismay and when he steadies me, I know arguing is a losing battle. "Just let me lean on your shoulder." I mutter instead and fortunately he doesn't argue as we slowly walk up the stairs.
Stairs weren't something I had time to practice on with the physiotherapist, so when my legs starts shaking badly halfway up, I'm not surprised. Wordlessly, the Airbender pulls me into his chest and airbends us up the rest of the way. As soon as my bed is in sight, I release my hold on the Air Nomad's shoulder and flop onto the bed as sleep overwhelms me. I'm so tired that I'm not even able to tell the man to leave as he watches me from the entrance of the bedroom door. My eyes flutter to a close and I fall into a deep sleep before I can say another word.
Next Day - Morning:
Aang's POV:
"Daddy?" Yatsu stares at me with wide eyes from his position at his bed, after I've given him a light shake to wake him up.
"Shhh. Your Mama is still sleeping, so I'll take you to school today." I whisper quietly as the boy continues to gawk at me for a moment before his face splits into a grin.
"Yay!" He throws his hands up in excitement and I'm quick to quieten him down.
"Shhh, we don't want to wake her." I murmur softly and the boy immediately claps a hand to his mouth sheepishly. I grin and help him change into his school uniform. 'If Katara found out I stayed the night, she'd freak out. Even if I was only sleeping on the sofa downstairs.' I think with a grimace as the two of us tiptoe down the stairs and out of the door.
"I'll grab you some breakfast from the nearby bakery." I explain when the boy throws me a questioning look. His grin broadens and he throws up his hand in excitement.
"Daddy, you need to take me to school more often." Yatsu jokes and I laugh.
"Don't tell your Mum that." I request with a chuckle and the boy puts a finger to his lips in agreement, but his eyes turn sad a moment later. I frown in confusion.
"Hey what's up?" I query as I return my gaze to the road.
"Is...is it ok to leave Mummy alone at home?" Yatsu asks quietly and my frown deepens at his question.
"Are you worried about those bad people? Don't worry, your Auntie Toph caught them all and put them in prison. They're not hurting anyone ever again." I reassure firmly, but I can tell the child is still worried.
"But...what if there's other bad people out there? I...I'm worried about my Mummy." Yatsu whispers and I almost lose focus on the road when I glance down at the boy. I swallow and pull into the bakery drive-thru.
"Trust me, there's no more bad people. And if there were your Mummy could take care of them. She's very strong." I remind, but my son just pulls his legs into his chest as he stares despondently ahead of him.
"But she couldn't." He reminds neutrally.
"That's because..." I cut myself off, knowing that telling him that he was the bargaining chip would do more harm than good.
"Can't you protect her Daddy?" At Yatsu's sudden question, I find myself inhaling sharply.
"Your order please." I blink and turn towards the microphone and quickly rattle off an order before turning back to Yatsu.
"I..." I trail off to bite my lip. Katara's words from the hospital are far too fresh in my mind. "That's your Mother's decision. I can't protect her, if she doesn't want me to." I admit as I stretch my arm out of the window to pick up the brown bag of food before rolling the window back up and driving out of the drive-thru.
"Why wouldn't Mama want you to protect her?" My son asks in confusion and I give him a one shouldered shrug as I drive to Yatsu's school.
"Because it would mean I'd have to be close to her and I don't think she wants that." I mumble as I rub my shoulder self-consciously. Yatsu furrows his eyebrows as he looks down at his seat.
"This is about you and Mama getting divorced before isn't it?" The boy mutters and I freeze momentarily. With my memories back, I can recall going to the solicitor and asking them to send the divorce papers on a set date to Katara's address. I remember signing the papers in their office with barely any hesitation. 'But looking back on it, I realise what a foolish thing it was to do. I let her go which led to her getting close to another guy. It seems whatever she had with Yun is broken off if she's not living with him anymore, but...it doesn't mean she doesn't have other options. She's beautiful, a doctor, talented and kind. She could have anyone she wanted.' My grip on the wheel tightens and I only realise we're outside of the school gate when Yatsu taps my arm.
"Daddy I'm going in now. Will I see you later?" Yatsu queries as he grabs his backpack. I smile and nod my head.
"Yes, I'll come to pick you up. Mummy is likely to still be a bit too tired to make the school run for a while." I confirm. Yatsu's face looks torn between being sad and excited so instead he just hops out of the car and waves at me.
"See you later Daddy!" He bids and I watch him run into the school. I wait until I see him with the teacher before finally pulling out of the school parking lot.
Right now, I'm meant to be driving down to the council hall for a meeting regarding my next assignment, but the urge to go see Katara is too great, especially after talking to our son. I make a U-turn and drive back towards her house. I let myself into the house quietly, with the keys I borrowed from the dining room table. As soon as I step into the house however, I hear the sound of running water and Katara talking on the phone sounding frantic. I frown and start ascending up the stairs.
"Sokka, if you didn't take Yatsu to school then who did?!" Katara booms over the telephone. I kick myself for forgetting to leave a note by her bedstand and move until I'm in her line of vision.
"I took him." I announce and immediately Katara turns to stare at me. Her gaze flickers to her phone for a moment before she opens her mouth.
"Doesn't matter. I'll talk to you later." She mutters and then hangs up the phone. Her arm dangles to her side as she eyes me wearily.
"You should've left a note. I woke up to have a bath to take him, but found he wasn't in his room." The waterbender accuses and I hold up my hands in apology.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you." I confess and the frustration from her face melts as she steps back to lean against the edge of the bed. I hear her release a quiet sigh before shaking her head lightly.
"It's fine, just tell me if you intend to take him. I got worried." The woman mumbles as she raises a hand to rub at her eyes. I furrow my eyebrows and take a step closer towards her.
"You still look tired." I note as I eye the black bags under her eyes. She gives me a one shouldered shrug and glances to the side.
"It wasn't a particularly restful sleep, but I'll deal." She responds shortly and I bite my lip.
"I'll pick up Yatsu from school too." I say and watch as hesitation crosses her features.
"You don't have to." She protests, but it's weak and lacking her usual fire.
"You just got out of the hospital, driving right now probably isn't the best thing for you." I remind kindly and with a heavy exhale she nods her head in agreement.
"I hate when you're right." She mutters as she massages her forehead. I'm about to reply when I realise the water in the tub might be overflowing, so I step out of the bedroom and head into the bathroom. The tub is indeed close to overfilling and I reach out to turn off the tap. When I straighten up, I sense Katara standing behind me.
"You don't have to keep doing any of this." The waterbender points out impatiently, but I turn around to meet her defiant gaze with one of my own.
"I want to." I stress firmly, taking her aback. I cast my eyes to the floor.
"I'm sorry I left you so long on your own. I...never imagined that night would've led to us making a child. It was senseless of me. Of course you weren't taking contraception and..." I stop, when I feel a hand clutching my wrist tightly.
"I'd prefer if we didn't talk about this right now." Katara utters stiffly and when I glance up, I spot the discomfort in her eyes. I swallow and give her an embarrassed smile.
"Spirits of course. Sorry." I say and her hand withdraws from me, but not before I catch the tremble in her fingers. I initially thought it was because of what I said, but on closer inspection, I notice her legs are shaking too. I furrow my eyebrows and glance up at her face. "Are you sure you're going to have a bath? You look ready to collapse." I comment.
"I stink and the nurses can only clean so much. I'll be fine." She waves off and moves past me to check the temperature of the water. "Don't you have Avatar duties to attend to?" Katara reminds offhandedly and I curse when I remember I'm supposed to be at a council meeting right now. I bite the inside of my cheek.
"It can wait." I say and that makes the woman pause as she moves up from her hunched position.
"You don't need to babysit me, especially not when I'm having a bath." Katara grits out and I inhale deeply at the bout of Deja vu. 'Last time I was too timid and shy about it, but now that I have my memories back, it's different. I've seen her bare before. There's nothing to be embarrassed about.'
"I'm waiting outside for you until you're done." I state with a tone of finality as I move out of the bathroom.
"For the love of...will you just stop it!" Katara yells and I pause, but I don't turn around to face her.
"Stop what?" I echo back stiffly.
"Stop pretending like we're married." Her voice drops to a pained whisper and it takes everything in me to keep the hurt out of my voice when I reply to her.
"Then stop pretending like we weren't!" I fire back as I exit the room and accidentally, I slam the door after me. I groan, knowing that she'll get the wrong idea, but I can't bring myself to apologise.
Instead, I squat down in front of the closed door and stare at the carpet. It's an age before I hear the ruffle of clothes and it's even longer before I hear her enter the tub. I breathe through my nostrils, wondering if maybe she has a point. 'I want us to go back to how we were. Especially now that we have a child together, but she seems adamant to keep me out of her life. It hurts. At least when I didn't have my memories, I didn't know quite how much I loved her.'
I drop my head into my hands in frustration. 'I screwed up. I know I did, but how do I fix it?' I wonder anxiously, but my thoughts come to an abrupt halt when I hear the waterbender hiss. I jump to my feet and turn to stare at the closed bathroom door.
"Katara, are you ok?" I ask in concern.
"If you're not leaving, could you at least wait somewhere else?" The waterbender demands, but her voice wavers and I've known her for long enough to know when she's in pain. I don't even think when I push open the door. Katara is sitting in the tub hunched over and a small stream of red liquid has stained the water. I widen my eyes and rush over to her.
"Spirits what happened?!" I demand as I kneel by the tub, fighting the nauseous wave that washes over me. Katara's faced is screwed up in discomfort, but despite that, she somehow still is able to look mortified.
"Shoot Aang, you can't just barge in when I'm..." The waterbender trails off as she grits her teeth in pain. I flicker my eyes downwards and notice the stab wound at her abdomen has re-opened.
"Hang on, let me heal you." I voice as I reach my hand towards her right side. She flinches away from me, but I hold her by her left shoulder and press my hand into the bleeding side, ignoring the way the stickiness of the blood makes me want to vomit. I wait for the glow to fade before removing my hand. I inhale deeply before glancing back down; the wound has closed up, but the scar remains. I flicker my gaze back to the waterbender who has lowered her head, obscuring her face from my vision.
"Thanks, you can go now." I hear her mutter. I frown and bend down to try to catch her eyes, only to find them screwed shut. My lips part and I don't know what possesses me to move, but my hand reaches out to cup her cheek. Her eyes fly open as she jerks back.
"Stop it!" She hisses as her arm goes to cover her chest, but it's shaking so badly and my heart clenches at seeing the state she's in.
"Katara, let me help. Your body is too exhausted." I whisper, but the colour drains from her face as she shakes her head vigorously in refusal.
"I can bathe myself." Katara argues tensely. I bite my tongue and make the decision to grab the scrubber and shampoo. Her eyes widen and she raises a hand towards me, presumably either to deliver a slap or to snatch the scrub in my hand. I catch her hand with my free on before she could do either.
"Forget we were together if you want, but let me help you out as a friend." I whisper and I feel the muscles in her arm loosening as her face crumples.
"F-Fine." She whispers and with a relieved exhale, I squeeze some shampoo onto the scrubber and start washing her back. She's as stiff as a board and I have to stop myself from sighing aloud. When I move to her shoulders, she stiffens even more and I bite my lip when I realise why. The latest scar from Yon Rha is raw and angry-looking.
"Sorry." I whisper as I brush over the area gently. Her lips tremble and I kick myself when I realise it's not just the pain that's triggering this response. "Hey." I murmur quietly as I reach for her hand. Her fingers grip mine and she exhales loudly.
"S-sorry. I'm fine now." Katara mutters, but the way her eyes crinkle with fear makes it hard for me to believe her. I swallow. 'Katara never once appeared affected the first time Yon Rha used her as a whipping rack, but this time it feels like I'm looking into a mirror. A reflection of the trauma I endured is seen clearly in her eyes and it makes me hate myself for allowing this to happen to her.'
I push back the ball of emotion bubbling through my chest and move to her arms. So many scars. So much pain she endured. 'It used to make me cringe seeing them. Now, it just makes my heart ache, but I'm still careful not to show her that. The last time I reacted to her scars, it didn't end well for us.' I count backwards from ten to still my laboured breathing as I reach to wash her chest, but her hand snaps out to grip my wrist before I make contact with the scrubber.
"I can do that." Katara utters, her voice is strained as her face goes red. I feel my own cheeks growing warm and I surrender the scrubber without any complaint. The decent part of me is telling me to turn around and give her some privacy, but my eyes are too glued to her movements. Even though her arms are still trembling, they move purposely. That is, until she notices my gaze on her and with one hand she bends a puddle of water into my face.
"Keep your eyes to yourself." Katara retorts sternly as I splutter and try to wipe my face dry.
"R-Right." I stutter as I force my eyes to drop to the floor. I bite the inside of my cheek as I wait for her to finish and it's only when I hear her breathing become more shallow do I glance back up.
"Spirits, having a bath shouldn't be this difficult." The waterbender curses as she tries to wash her feet. I pluck the scrubber out from her hand and wordlessly proceed to wash them.
"You were captive for 3 days. The doctors said your bloods suggested you barely ate or drank. Plus, you were on the floor for the entirety of all that time. It's natural your muscles will waste away from all that." I remind sharply and I feel her deflate at the reminder.
"But it's been a week, it shouldn't be this hard." Katara argues, but there's a fragility to her words that wasn't there before. I chew my lip and turn to face her properly.
"Healing takes time. You often told me that." I state and when her eyes close, I know she's fighting back exhaustion. I bend the water over her to wash off any excess shampoo and move to unplug the tub. "Come on, give me your hand." I prompt. An arm returns around her chest and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
"You know I've seen everything by this point, right?" I point out dryly, but all it earns me is a scowl.
"Aang for the love of spirits, if I wasn't so close to collapsing, I'd hit you right now." Katara threatens with fiery eyes, but I find myself smirking.
"Lucky me then, I can look without suffering the consequences." I tease. I'm greeted to a wave of water which drenches my clothes. "Katara!" I splutter as I look down at my ruined formal work attire.
"Serves you right. You should've respected my privacy." The waterbender shoots back as she pushes herself up to her feet. My eyes wander before I can stop myself. 'Yon Rha really did a number on her. Katara already had a lot of scars, but suffering 3 whole days at his hands? They're practically everywhere now. But the more I observe them, the more I realise that they don't bother me anymore. I love her with or without them.' I swallow and realise I lied when I said I already saw everything. 'I didn't realise how much a woman's physique would change after childbirth. Stretch marks. Wider hips. Larger chest. Rounder and softer almost. Like a radiant teddy bear.' The splash of water that's thrown on me is rightly deserved.
"I said cut it out!" Katara shouts as she grabs a nearby towel to cover herself and I know I shouldn't, but I can't help but laugh. I laugh so hard that tears start escaping from my eyes. Irritation is painted plainly across her features as she raises her hand to bend more water at me.
"I missed this." I murmur as I wipe the water off my face. Her hand freezes as she stares at me with parted lips. After a moment, she presses her lips tightly together and looks away.
"Can you at least wait until I've got changed before you start reminiscing." The waterbender grumbles. I grin when I note how flushed she has become. 'Maybe there's hope for us yet.' I think hopefully as I offer her my hand. After a moment of hesitation she takes it while still clutching the towel close to her body, and I carefully pull her out of the bathtub.
"Do you need any help cha-" I start, but I'm interrupted by the way she snatches her hand out of mine.
"Nice try." Katara utters stiffly as she narrows her eyes at me. I look at her innocently.
"What do you mean?" I ask with a smile. Her eyes narrow further and without another word she rounds on her heels and heads to her bedroom before slamming the door. I flinch and let out a sigh.
"Maybe a bit too heavy on the teasing." I grumble to myself as I turn to bend the splashed water off the floor and into the sink. I glance down at my clothes and try to bend the water out of them, but they're so soaked through and damp that bending only goes so far. I purse my lips and after waiting for several minutes, I knock on the door.
"Katara, do you have a spare shirt for me to change into?" I request meekly, but when there's no reply I realise I might've taken the teasing too far. "Katara come on, I'm sorry! These clothes are too wet to stay in." I plead and when I hear her sigh heavily on the other side, I exhale in relief. Her door opens a moment later and she pushes an old shirt and pair of trousers into my hands. I glance down at them in surprise.
"You can change into those." The waterbender utters as she clutches the back of her elbow insecurely.
"You kept my old clothes?" I echo in disbelief as something tugs deep inside me. The expression must've showed on my face because the waterbender starts scowling a moment later.
"I don't like throwing things out. You don't have to use them if you don't want to." Katara counters smoothly, but I simply beam at her.
"Thank you." I voice gratefully as I hold the clothes close. For the briefest of moments, her face softens, but it quickly returns back to its usual displeased expression as she turns around to give me her back.
"I'm going to have a nap before Yatsu comes back from school. Feel free to do whatever." I hear her mutter. I wait until she disappears back into her room before turning and going down the stairs.
My heart is pounding so loudly that I can hear it in my ears and I can't seem to wipe off the grin on my face. 'Spirits, I need to fix things between us.' I decide with a firm nod to myself. 'I used to think my love for her was a weakness, but if I can push back my blood phobia just because I love her then maybe I can start fixing myself with her by my side.' I swallow. 'If she lets me that is.' That thought plants seeds of doubt in my mind as I slow to a stop. 'What if she doesn't take me back?' I wonder despondently as I run a hand over my scalp. I inhale deeply and shake my head. 'I have to try at least.'
A/N: Sooo Katara officially knows that Aang has his memories back! I touched on the anguish that has brought her, but I'll go over it more in pieces for the rest of the story. Katara's still mad at him for what he did before he lost his memories and is cycling between being sad and being angry. The teasing at the end, well…I couldn't help it. I thought it would be funny to add this layer of their relationship that we never really saw before.
Favourite lines – I actually had a few that I really enjoyed writing:
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to lose your memories?"
"Why did I go through all that pain of raising Yatsu alone for you to be happy, if you only regained your memories to be sad again?"
"Stop pretending like we're married." AND "Then stop pretending like we weren't!"
Next update…well, I updated before the weekends, not sure if I'll have the energy or time to post at the end of this week so will prob be next weekend, I'm afraid. Sorry for my irregular updating nowadays, my new rotation means I barely get any days off during the week compared to previous rotation sadly, but hope you guys stay patient with me. If I don't update before Christmas, wishing you all a SUPER WONDERFUL MERRY CHRISTMAS! May you all have a wonderful time with your loved ones.