The Hardest Choice (malereader x avatar)

Chapter 4: The Southern Air Temple

-Rewritten March 7, 2024-

Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world.

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It had been around a week since the group had departed from Wolf Cove. They were currently on a small island, not far from the Southern Air Temple, where the Avatar had grown up apparently. Y/N still struggled to believe that Aang, some little kid, was technically 112 years old, but he couldn't do anything but accept that it was true.

Y/N was currently doing his exercise routines. Ever since he had healed, he had returned to the old training routine Iroh had formulated for him. He was going through the movements of one of the sets Iroh had taught him, one that he had struggled with slightly. Sweat dripped from him and covered his body. He wore only his training pants, since it was much warmer here than in the South Pole.

He took a break after completing the set, looking into the distance. The beams of the morning sun reflected on the water and painted the area in a calming, golden light. Their camp was on the shore, and Y/N was maybe 200 feet away from them. He looked to the camp to observe what was going on. Appa was chewing on some grass, not far from the campfire, where smoke was rising into the sky. On the other side of the fire, Sokka was laying in his sleeping bag, still asleep. 'That guy sure does love to sleep,' Y/N thought.

Y/N decided to return to the camp, feeling a comfortable soreness that told him he had had a productive exercise. As he walked, he looked once more at Appa. Aang was sitting on the sky bison's head, checking the knots that tie Appa's reigns. He was speaking animatedly to Katara, who was in the saddle fiddling with the group's luggage. Katara seemed to be largely uninterested. Y/N couldn't hear their conversation, but he stared at Katara nonetheless. In the sunlight, with the gentle breeze flowing in from the south, Katara looked incredibly beautiful. Her tan skin seemed to shine, as if it reflected the sun. Her hair loops flowed in the wind, captivating Y/N. In the three years he had been in exile, Y/N hadn't seen a single girl as beautiful as her. 'Too bad she's from the Water Tribe, apart from that she isn't bad at all,' Y/N thought.

As he stared, he suddenly realized that Katara was also staring at him. They locked eyes for a moment before Y/N quickly turned his head to the side, looking out toward the sea. He noticed that his breaths were shallow and felt a subtle heat rising to his cheeks. He cracked a smile, almost laughing at himself. To be this flustered over a girl, Y/N must have really lost his touch. 'Then again,' he thought, 'being on a ship for three years and barely seeing woman was sure to make me like this.'

Aang dismounted from Appa, walking over to where Sokka was sleeping.

Aang: Wake up Sokka! Air Temple, here we come!

Sokka: Ughhhh. Sleep now, temple later.

Sokka rolled over, turning his back to Aang before falling asleep once again, snoring loudly immediately. Aang looks at Sokka with a slightly annoyed face before breaking out into a mischievous smile. He walks over to where a small, thin stick was and picked it up before walking back to Sokka.