now or never || an atla fanfic

𝔪𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝐈

Katara pulled water from a nearby bucket, her hands orbiting around the ball of water before sending it shooting towards Aang, who diverted it without the blink of an eye.

"You need to focus, Katara."

"I am," she emphasized. With each step, she sent waves of attack on him one by one--but they were ineffective. Aang easily dodged them with hardly any effort.

Something was off about her demeanor, Aang noticed, and it certainly wasn't pent-up anger or exasperation. His eyes followed her every movement--her uneven balance, her frazzled eyes.

They were face to face now, no longer at a comfortable sparring distance. Katara fell out of breath, her chest heaving as she accepted the fact that her energy-draining yet ineffective attacks proved who the victor was.

She was silent, but her face was an open book to Aang.

"Something wrong?" he asked, folding his arms.

"No--"

The ship lurched, sending Aang stumbling backward. He grunted as his spine took the brunt of the fall, Katara falling on top of him face forward. Their faces were mere inches apart, strands of Katara's long hair falling around them like a curtain.

Close. 

Too close.

Aang could feel the rush of her heartbeat, the faint smell of her perfume. His head began to spin.

"Are you done staring?" he deadpanned.

She tilted her head, and Aang watched how tendrils of her hair swayed with the movement. "Afraid not. I'm simply enjoying the view."

Aang stifled a laugh, "I don't mind--but there's a loose nail in the floorboard that's a bit painful, I have to admit."

Katara rolled her eyes, standing up and sitting on a stool in the corner of the room. She began undoing the wraps on her hands. "Can I ask you something, Aang?"

Aang began to tidy up the water that lingered on the floor of the ship, "Go ahead."

"Why did you decide to do this?" she asked, eyes flickering towards him in curiosity. "Leaving your home and forming this group?"

Aang remained silent for a moment.

"Because people don't expect an angel to set the world on fire."

Her head tilted, as if to say, how so?

"When I was with the Air Nomads, all I did was try to please others and fulfill their expectations, even if it broke my own back," he started, looking away from Katara. "I've studied and trained endlessly in order to master the four elements so that I can fulfill my purpose as the avatar.

"But I don't want to be just another diplomat at a dinner ball, Katara," he concluded, meeting her eyes. "I want to make a difference in the world."

Amusement danced in her eyes. It was ironic that despite their vastly different upbringings, they'd both face similar struggles in their hometown.

"What about you, Katara? Why did you decide to join us?" he asked, taking the other stool across from her.

"Because..." she glanced around the room, searching for the right words. "What good is my power if I can't do anything with it? I have everything--money, status, power, bending," she emphasized, looking into her palms. "I need to do my part and help my people."

He placed his hand over hers. "You are helping," he assured. "Just by being here, on this ship, you're doing something." He stood up, "You've given up everything to be here. Don't think of yourself that way."