Avatar: The Last Airbender: Reawakening

4

A few hours later the couple decided to head back home. Though there were still plenty of people out partying, the celebrations were beginning to end and the couple was tired. As they entered the house the first thing they noticed was that Sokka and Hakoda were not back yet.

"They must still be out," Aang said.

Katara simply took his hand and led him up the stairs. When they got to the doors of their respective bedrooms, he let her hand go and turned to go into his own bedroom for the night expecting her to go into her own when she quickly put her hand on his shoulder causing him to halt.

He turned around to look at her questionably, "Is something wrong?"

Katara shook her head, a blush rising on her cheeks as she looked towards the ground, "I was just...well ...if you don't mind..."

He took her chin in his hand and brought her face up to look back at him, "What is it Katara? You know you can ask me anything."

"I was just wondering if you could..." She smiled slightly and looked at him through her lashes, "stay with me for the night?"

He leaned forward to kiss her briefly, "I'd love to."

"Yeah?"

"Of course," he said, leading her into her room, "Why wouldn't I?"

Katara looked at him as she began to strip down to her bindings, "I just don't want to be a bother, that's all. I woke you up last night..."

"Katara, you are never a bother," he smiled at her as he laid down on the bed after stripping down to his underwear, "Nothing matters to me more than you, and I am always happy to be there for you, whether you wake me up in the middle of the night or not."

She gave him an appreciative look before she laid down beside him, "What did I ever do to deserve you?" she whispered as they turned to face each other.

"You didn't have to do anything," he whispered back, reaching his hand up to stoke her cheek, "you had me when you first broke me out of the iceberg."

Katara leaned into his hand closing her eyes, "I am so glad I found you."

"I would hope so," he told her, "the world might not be the way it is now if you didn't."

"That's not the reason Aang," she opened her eyes back up to look into his, "Sure, I am glad that the world is safe now but you mean more to me then just some kid that saved the world. I don't think you realize how much you've helped me. After my mom died, I felt so alone. I had Sokka and my dad but..."

A few tears fell from her eyes lining her cheeks and Aang wiped them away softly with his thumb before she continued.

"It just wasn't the same. I had to grow up so fast and I always felt like there was an empty space in my heart...but then I met you and everything changed. I was happy again and eventually that empty space in my heart wasn't empty anymore. You mean everything to me; I can't imagine my life without you now. You've become my whole world."

Aang pulled Katara into a tight embrace as he rubbed her back causing her to sigh softly in his arms. It's like how she replaced the air nomads for me. I replaced the empty spot in her heart that was left by her mom.

"You know," Aang said as he continued to hold her, "you've filled up an empty spot in my heart to."

She pulled away to look at him, "I have?"

"The air nomads," he said simply.

"What?" she said, a little taken aback, "I couldn't have replaced an entire nation to you Aang?"