AtLA Rewritten: Edition 1

Chapter 41

While Dai went to the stables, Sokka went into the Palace, and Aang went outside to the Royal garden. He sat underneath one of the trees in front of a pond, his eyes looking into the distance.

Katara waited outside of the garden, hesitating for a minute before following Aang. She settled on the bench next to him, not saying anything, one of her hands in her other.

Aang smiled at her for a brief second before looking forward. "You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a fuck-up," he admitted calmly, gazing down at his reflection in the water. "We have a crazy psychopath that managed to grab each one of us, lock us up, and proceed to turn everything upside down."

Katara bit her lip, tilting her head to glance at Aang. "You only feel that way because you're the Avatar," she pointed out. "Everyone expects you to save the day... but we're all adults, and we're all benders, too. Except Sokka." She blinked at him. "Everyone already puts so much pressure on you. You can't do that to yourself too." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Remember, you already gave Zuko his home back."

Aang looked at Katara once again and smiled for a bit, lingering on her face for a bit longer. He patted the grass next to him. "You've always had a way with words, Katara." He leaned his head against the tree, looking into its leaves. "We've all grown so fast... fighting others' wars," he pointed out. "But... I guess we're a team. When we work together, we succeed, right?" His gaze returned to her once more, gray eyes filled with worry.

Katara smiled a bit. "I had to," she pointed out. "I took my mother's place in certain ways. And yeah, we've grown quickly, but... How many other 20-year-olds are like us? How many are still loud and fun like kids? We're always gonna be like that, because we didn't get to be kids. And that sucks, but it also makes us awesome." She looked him in the eyes, smiling a little and putting her hand on his. "So yes. Always," she said softly.

Aang smiled. "Yeah... it is true. We've fought through an entire war, come out victorious, and here still are; mature, but still kids in a way." He tilted his head to the side. "That feels great to hear from someone else. I sometimes feel like I'm drowning in my own thoughts, in my own actions, thinking of what more I can do or if I've done enough. Thank you Katara," he said sincerely, leaning and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Katara's eyes widened and she looked down, her cheeks red. "Yeah," she said quietly, fiddling with her thumbs. She took a breath, hesitated, and then spoke. "We... we never.. I told you we could be together after I got over the death of my father, and then we weren't." She looked up at him, blinking.

Aang glanced at her, raising an eyebrow and chuckling. He glanced forward. "Yeah... we did talk about it, huh?" He closed his eyes for a second, then faced her again. "Maybe we could change that," he said with a smile.

After a moment, she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him. His cheeks grew pink, and his hand moved to her cheek, caressing it as he returned the kiss.

Katara pulled away, her cheeks bright red, her hands on his shoulders. "I'm glad that we agree then," she laughed softly.

"We're on the same page," he said with a nod.

She hugged him, her face still red. "I love you, Aang," she added quietly.

Aang blinked a few times, and he hugged her back. "I love you too, Katara."

Katara stood, looking at her shoes. He smiled. She leaned down to kiss him before pulling away, smirking. He blinked. "The girls thought we'd slept together," she laughed, biting her lip. "I guess everyone is surprised that we aren't together. Or, well... weren't." She smiled.

"Oh... wow," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I mean... I don't want to force you so... it'll come naturally." He shrugged, chuckling nervously.