Chapter Text
"Sokka, were you eavesdropping on us?" Katara asked, practically running to catch up to him during a pathetic attempt to dash away from his sister's bedroom door. "You were! I can't believe you!"
The Watertribe warrior turned around briefly to face his sister. "I heard some commotion, I just wanted to be sure you were okay," he exclaimed, throwing both hands up in defense. He continued to dash away as she caught up to him with surprising speed.
"What if we were having sex in there?!" His sister continued pursuing him down the hall until they were in the kitchen.
"That wasn't the type of commotion I was hearing," Sokka shot back, "and ew! Things sounded tense; I wanted to be sure you were okay."
Katara rolled her eyes. "Everything's fine. We were just talking-- It doesn't matter. We should get going."
Sokka scurried to the side of the kitchen island his wife was on. They were both facing Katara. Suki exchanged a glance with the two siblings, very obviously confused about what was happening. She wasn't sure how to approach the situation--whatever the situation may be-- so she decided to ask a general question and go from there.
"Is everything okay?" the Kyoshi Warrior inquired.
"Yeah, this big-eared-doofus was just listening in on a private conversation between man and wife," Katara replied pointedly.
Suki made the best attempt to stifle a laugh as Sokka gawked at his sister. He knew he was partially in the wrong though, so he didn't bite back. He simply stated that he was making sure his 'baby sister was okay,' which only prompted Katara to let out a frustrated huff of air. She insisted she was fine, just a little hiccup. Then, silence fell between them.
The ride on Appa from Air Temple Island to the gala wasn't much better either. It started with awkward conversation followed by even more awkward silence.
Once everyone was settled upon Appa, Aang turned around to look at his wife. He gently patted the open spot next to him on the beast's massive head, but Katara simply declined. She wrapped her shawl tighter against her body and mentioned something about how the sitting in the saddle blocked some of the wind from flying, not wanting to mess up her hair or outfit. Aang wanted to chime in about how that never seemed to be an issue before, but he simply just smiled at her. "Whatever works better for you, sweetie," he'd said before turning back around to face forward and grasping Appa's reins in both of his hands.
Sokka awkwardly cleared his throat, prompting a glare from both his sister and his wife. He pretended not to notice and shifted his gaze to the horizon. Maybe he was calculating the probability of him getting thrown off the saddle and kerplunking into the depths of the ocean. Surely that would be a better fate than whatever was going on right now. They hadn't even made it to the venue yet and the night was already off to a rough start.
The ten minute ride over to the gala felt like two hours. There was not much conversation happening between the group. Suki attempted to make small talk about her new manicurist, but Katara didn't really engage much. She kept her gaze out on the horizon, watching as the air temple behind them grew smaller in the distance. Katara did appreciate the fact that Suki was the only one who didn't try to make Katara's feelings the conversation piece.
When they finally landed, Aang hopped down first to help everyone else get down after him. He stroked his companion on the nose and whispered some sweet words to him quietly before sending him off. He tucked the sky bison whistle away in a breast pocket which caused him to realize he still had Katara's gloves in there. He swiftly took them out and made his way over to his wife.
"Here, sweetie," he said to her, holding up the gloves in front of her.
He carefully slid the gloves on for her. He made sure they were on her comfortably, that no creases or folds were bunching up in spots they weren't supposed to. They were a beautiful pair of satin gloves that matched the shade of blue as the draping fabric of the dress. Then, planted a kiss on the top of her gloved hand before lowering it between the two of them. She smiled at him then adjusted her hands to hold onto his bicep; a holding position that was much more comfortable for the both of them.
Then, the group of them collectively walked into the massive building. The first floor was a bit underwhelming as it was mostly just the welcoming information, coat check and small restrooms. No one in the group had any coats or other items to check so they headed out to the main area. There was a stairwell a few feet in front of them, then a set of double doors a few paces behind the stairwell. The double doors led to a beautiful garden, which eventually led to another set of stairs. Both stairwells lead to the second floor, where the main event was.
Katara expressed how much she wanted to wander through the gardens before having to socialize with a bunch of earth kingdom officials. Sokka and Suki were pretty eager to get away from the couple and start ordering some drinks for themselves. So, the two pairs split up.
Aang was more than happy to take a stroll through the gardens before going to the main event. The Earth Kingdom was very well known for curating the most prestigious and intricate gardens. The country was home to some of the most biodiverse habitats in the entire world.
The gardens were added in a few months ago and were regularly changed out depending on the season or special events happening in the venue. There was always a clear path through the place but for this particular night there were many winding paths and even a gazebo built into the middle which could be discovered from taking one of the trails that ventured off from the main one. There was even a photographer set up for photo opportunities.
There were so many different variations of flowers and displays. There was even flowers and plants on the walls. They were decorated so well, no one could see the actual structure of the wall behind them. To give it a more realistic touch, there were even bugs in the room. Not the kind of bugs that would disturb people as they walked by; the kind people would stop and admire. There were rare breeds of butterflies, lightning bugs and even a few birds. There was even a nest burrowed in the top of the gazebo.
Aang and Katara took the path that led to the gazebo. They bowed to the photographer and gave their permission for their time there to be photographed. The photographer promised to have the pictures sent to them; he knew who they were and didn't mind going out of his way to have them delivered to them. Other than that, he was completely silent and it was very easy to forget he was even there.
Even the gazebo was covered in plants. The structure of the gazebo was more clearly seen when approaching it. On the inside, the supportive structures were covered with ivy vines peppered with different flowers. There were tiny lights hung from the very top of it, a few throughout the structure-- mostly added by the photographer to capture clearer pictures.
Katara and Aang took a moment to get some photos captured of them; some individuals and mostly shots of them together. The photographer even captured candid shots of them in conversation, which turned out beautifully. After their mini photo-op, the couple graciously thanked the photographer--they even tipped him-- and ventured off to explore more of the greenhouse.
Katara seemed very happy to have the delayed start to a very busy and social night. The way they had lit up the garden managed to highlight even the smallest bursts of colors in even the smallest of flowers. She was honestly surprised to see they were the only two in there. She paused to take a moment to admire a beautiful white flower with small, light blue lines of color spurting out from the center.
"Aang, look how pretty this is," she pointed out to him with a big smile on her face.
He smiled from ear to ear at her. The only thing more beautiful than the flower itself was her. He nodded at her eagerly.
"It would go really well with your outfit," he commented.
Katara took a moment to contemplate what he said. She reached her hand forward, stroking the soft petals before gently placing her fingers around the back of it, as if she were going to pluck it off. Then she hesitated. She stared at it for a few moments longer. It would be very easy to remove the flower off the wall and tuck it into her hair. But, she remembered being in the Fire Nation as a teen, admiring the fire lilies. Only for Hama to swoop her arms around and bend all of the water out from them, killing all of the flowers around them in a few feet's radius. She gently shut her eyes at the memory, bowing her head, shaking it gently.
"I couldn't do that," Katara said. "They probably put so much effort into constructing this... only for me to pluck off the flower for vanity purposes? It feels wrong."
Aang leaned in and pressed a kiss into her cheek. "This whole exhibit is for vanity purposes... But I know what you mean."
She peaked up at him lovingly, flashing him a quick smile. He squeezed her with the arm he had draped across the back of her shoulders and kissed the top her head. He smiled back at her and used very gentle force to guide her forward.
"Shall we head up?" he eased.
She fluttered her pretty eyelashes at him, "I suppose we shall."
Aang finally felt like he could breathe comfortably again. He hoped that whatever was bothering her was no longer at the front of her mind. She seemed to be doing significantly better. Maybe it was just stressful getting ready for the big event and his pushing and prying for her to tell him what was bothering her was just making the situation worse. Still, he wanted to play it careful and not bring back the negative emotions.
When they arrived to the second level, the main event, the room was already pretty full. The music was booming, the bar was extremely crowded and people were starting to dance. Although, people immediately recognized the Avatar and Master Katara enter, which appeared to shift the vibe in the room slightly. Some people stopped and simply stared, others pointed and exclaimed their presence and a few even started to walk towards them.
Aang gave Katara a look that was sort of a warning. Like a cross between annoyance and a sorry-we're-about-to-be-bombared-and-probably-forced-to-separate kind of look. Katara gave a small giggle. She leaned her head against his bicep in a loving way, a notion that also signaled forgiveness. He planted a kiss to the top of her head. She gave his arm a loving squeeze back.
The first to approach them was one of the earth kingdom representatives from the republic city council and his wife. Aang was relieved to see a familiar face approaching them first. The man was named Tong and his wife was Tera. They were very friendly and good acquaintances of the Avatar and master waterbender. The two couples traded greetings and shared their excitement to see each other so dressed up. After the pleasantries, Tong was persuading the Avatar to come greet the other council members who had already arrived and Tera suggested Katara join her at the bar. So, they split up.
Katara was honestly happy to get a little socialization from people that weren't her brother and husband for a brief moment. Of course she loved them dearly, but given the circumstances from earlier this evening, the master waterbender could use a break from them. They scurried over to the bar, giggling at the relief from their husbands to have some "girl-time."
The bartenders were dressed sharply in all black with either a scarf or bowtie in the color of their home nation with the exception of Republic City natives representing orange. The bartender that served the two women was a man from the earth kingdom, given the green bowtie he wore around his neck. He presented the small slip of paper that had the drink specials listed to them and waited to take their order.
The ladies took a moment to observe the menu. The drink specials were themed by nation as well as bending style and influential societal members. There was a drink called The Avatar, The Police Chief--Toph's favorite cocktail with a little bit of extra ingredients added to it-- The Firelord, etc. There was even a cocktail in honor of the Ba Sing Se gardens. They called it the Botantical Garden-- how original. It was a gin with elderflower tonic water and lavender bitters. It sounded nice and simple so Katara decided she would order that. Tera ordered The Ember Island which was basically a blood orange mojito.
After they received their drinks they wandered off out towards the crowd. Most people were either out on the dance floor or scattered around the outside of it. There were tables set up everywhere with assigned seating but no one had taken their seats yet. The tables were set up for when the food came out, toasting and scheduled speaking times for the event. The first hour and a half was dedicated towards everyones arrival and socializing. The easing into the night hour of the event one might say.
Katara was having a great time talking to Tera. She was so outgoing and easy to talk to, there was never a lull in conversation. They seemed to cover so many usual topics in just under a half hour of conversing; their beauty treatments, their husbands, local gossip, etc. There were several times where Aang seemed to be inching toward her throughout all of the instances where people were trying to get their few minutes of social interaction with him. Katara would simply smile and nod at him, then conveniently move around, guiding Tera with her, taking the two of them away from the direction the Avatar was coming from. She was having such a good time with someone she'd consider one of her girlfriends, she didn't want to be interrupted.
Her brother would also show up nearby occasionally. He was very popular amongst the council. They loved his tactics and his outside-the-box approach. His inventions were profound and unique. Many people recognized his abilities and he was another well sought-after man of the night. Katara also made an effort to shimmy away from the man. Even though they were all at the same social event together, she tried to keep a distance from her brother and husband for as long as she could. It helped her avoid the feelings she was trying too hard to face.
Eventually, another buffer approached her and Tera. Tong made his way back to his wife and Katara. He was also very pleasant to talk to. He had a decent sense of humor and very grounding presence.
Katara inquired the councilman about her husband's whereabouts. He pointed a tanned finger over to the other side of the room where the Avatar was in conversation with people who seemed to represent the fire nation. She nodded and figured she'd just stay put. She was having such a great time with these two, she couldn't see the point in walking away now. They were talking about some council business when Katara was interrupted by a man bumping into her.
It was her own brother. Sokka quite literally ran into his sister on his way back from the bar. Luckily, he managed to not spill a single drop of the two drinks he was carrying. He apologized for bumping into her before realizing it was his sister. Then he proceeded to tease her about it. Katara wasn't very receptive to it, though, and everyone seemed to catch on. Tera asked if she was alright, prompting Katara to insist that she was, but Sokka saw right through it. He grabbed his sister by the arm and excused both her and himself from the conversation. He guided her to an empty corner.
"Alright, what's going on, sis?" Sokka asked straight fowardly.
Katara looked him square in the eye and again, insisted she was fine.
"Is it Aang? You know I'm not afraid to say something to him. He may be my best friend but as my sister you'll always come first between the two of you. And if he's upset you, I swear—"
Katara raised her arm up near her brother, "No! Sokka, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Aang didn't do anything."
Sokka took a moment to observe her a moment. Though she swore she was fine, something was off about her. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he knew she was upset. Earlier he noticed how Aang seemed to go out of his way to try and win her over in just basic conversation. Something was up.
"Would you like to talk about this somewhere a little more private?" Sokka asked her.
Katara's brows furrowed in frustration, "there's nothing to talk about, I'm fine! Would you just drop it already? You already ripped me away from pleasant conversation with our friends!"
Sokka wanted to pry more, but he also knew that if she became angry enough he risked her snapping and causing a small scene. After a moment of silent defeat, Sokka backed off. He apologized from removing her from the conversation she was previously apart of and walked away from her.
Katara grumbled and swore under her breath before walking away from the open space she was reluctantly pulled to. She made her way back to the bar and ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc. When the bartender only poured the wine half way up the glass, she requested he filled it. The bartender couldn't help but grin as he filled the rest of the glass.
Meanwhile, towards the center of the room, Sokka was in pursuit. From a distance, one could spot the wolf-tail the councilman sported at the top of his head bobbing and weaving through the crowd. He had two stops; give his wife the drink he ordered for her-- The Firelord-- and find Aang. He was on a mission to find the Avatar and get answers out of him. Hopefully. All he could think about was his time spent over at Air Temple Island while they were getting ready for the evening. The entire time he was there he observed how tense Katara seemed to be even then. And Aang was clearly walking on eggshells around her. He spotted his wife in the crowd and took a moment to stop by and drop off the drink he grabbed for her.
He announced himself as he approached Suki from behind. He kissed Suki on the cheek and was about to excuse himself when he realized she could be useful for the second agenda on his list; spotting the Avatar. She answered by pointing her finger in the general direction he was in. He swore he would explain later before he kissed her one more time and swiftly walked off from the social circle she was apart of.
Sokka must have walked up to the Avatar with a stern intention, because the two gentlemen he was speaking with immediately stopped. Aang, of course, picked up on this and excused them. Sokka waited for the men to be out of immediate ear sight before speaking.
"What's going on with Katara?" Sokka asked him.
Aang visibly tensed up at the question. His hand met the back of his neck and he nervously rubbed the area. "I-I'm not certain—"
"Aang, I'm only asking for clarification and by no means to blame you, but did you do something?"
"No!" The Avatar shot back. "I've been trying to figure it out all afternoon and evening. She won't speak to me about it."
Sokka sighed. Aang couldn't tell if it was relief or frustration, maybe both.
"I've been trying to catch up with her all evening but I'm almost certain she's avoiding me."
Sokka nodded. She was avoidant towards him too. He was brainstorming a way to get all three of them into a private area to speak about it. He would have to come up with a ploy, some excuse to get them together. Aang scanned the room looking for her while Sokka laid out the plan. She wasn't inside, he couldn't see her. His eyes went to the doors leading to the balcony. There, he caught a glimpse of the beautiful blue dress she was in.
"Not going to be necessary," Aang cut him off. He pointed a finger to one of the many sets of doors that lead to a small, private balcony. "Found her."
Aang carefully opened the sliding glass door. He stepped outside with caution. Katara's back was to the door. Her arms out in front of her as she leaned against the balcony with a half-empty wine glass loosely in her grasp. Eyes focused on nothing but watching the buzzing city night life in the distance. She heard the doors behind her open and turned to look at who was entering her presence. She favored her husband with a small smile, a quick hey, before turning her back to him.
Sokka very carefully inched his way outside as well. He closed the door gently behind him and stepped to the side. He supported himself against the wall.
Aang stood beside her, turning his back to the city. He leaned against the balcony, taking in a moment to enjoy the breeze of fresh air. He turned his head to look at her, watching the same breeze gently blow the strands of hair that had freed themselves from her updo.
"Hey. What are you doing out here all by yourself?" He wondered. He gently caressed the arm closest to him and leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. She accepted the kiss but did not make an effort to look at him.
She shrugged, still avoiding looking at him, "Just wanted some fresh air."
He gave her an inquisitive look, which she of course did not notice. He frowned slightly when he didn't see her face turn towards his.
"Is everything all right?" He pried gently.
He noticed her tense up at the question. It was subtle, but he noticed. She appeared to hold her breath for a moment before silently releasing it.
"It just felt a bit stuffy in there," she answered.
She still wasn't looking at him. To be completely honest, she didn't want him to notice she had previously been crying. She was able to mask it in her voice. She got a good amount of tears out before anyone came and bothered her. And by taking a few sips of her wine, it had washed down the sadness that would have been evident otherwise.
She could feel him staring at her. It was making her nervous and perhaps a bit irritable. They had known each other for ten years now, it was easy for them to read each other with no words spoken. She figured he was going to start nailing her with a list of questions. But then, she heard the fabric of his clothes move as he turned his head in another direction. Since his body was facing the door, she figured he was looking back inside. She quickly glanced over to him without moving too much. She observed how he appeared to be looking in the direction right beside the door leading to the deck. She turned around and noticed her brother, gasping quietly at the revelation. He was standing there so silently, she wasn't expecting his presence. She folded her arms across her chest, eyes darting back and forth between her brother and husband.
"How long have you been there?" She asked her brother.
"I walked out with Aang," he answered simply.
Katara's eyes met Aang's. And part of her inside winced. She quickly avoided his gaze and focused back on her brother.
"What is the meaning of this?" She asked, almost defensively.
"We were worried about you," Sokka answered. "I thought you were mad at one of us. You've been avoiding us both. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
Katara's jaw clenched as she became very obviously defensive.
"Why? I told you both many times, I'm fine." She spun around and looked back out into the city. She took another sip of her sauvignon blanc.
Aang closed the small distance between them by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Katara…" he started.
She rejected him by taking a small step to the side. She let out a frustrated huff of air.
Sokka's eyes widened at the scene. She insisted she was fine but everything about her body language implied otherwise. He was not about to start asking her again, but he straightened up his posture and gently kicked off from the wall he was supporting himself against and stood firmly on both feet. Aang's eyes were wide with concern. Sokka observed how saddened Aang appeared by his wife's rejection.
Aang softened his posture. He rested a forearm against the balcony to support himself. He was trying to get a little closer into her point of view without stepping on her toes.
"Sweetie, please."
She turned her head away from him. Tears welled at her eyes and the sad lump in her throat hitched her breath and took away the ability to speak. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears. The pace of it beating only quickened. Her palms began to sweat and every breath she took to try and calm herself was fast and shallow.
"Look at me," he prompted gently. "Please." It was almost a whisper.
Her shoulders dropped in defeat, the fabric of her shawl sagging at the motion. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him. The tears in her eyes now rolling down her cheeks.
"Hey," he spoke softly. He placed his other arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her a bit closer to him. He wasn't using much strength at all. She only took a half step closer to him, she wasn't completely in his grasp. He adjusted the fabric of the shawl so that it was more secure around her shoulders.
"What's wrong, baby?" He asked. "I've been so worried about you. What's bothering you?"
She began to sob.
"It'll be okay," he consoled her. "I wanna help. Please, tell me how I can help."
How could she put it into words? She felt like she was nothing but a failure and a great disappointment to him. She hadn't brought it up to him; with all the events coming up and his busy schedule... She'd been tracking her cycle so closely, or so she thought. She was certain this time she was pregnant. All of her symptoms pointed that way. However, this morning, her cycle began. Her mind flashed back to her seated on the toilet, hunched over, crying as she endured the strongest cramps she had ever felt and the blood dripped down into the bowl beneath her. She felt like she had been trying to get pregnant for so long.
She turned her full body to face him head on. Arms still crossed over her chest. She looked up at him, gazing into his wide eyes. She finished the last few sips of her wine, sighing after she emptied the glass. He carefully took the glass from her and set it off to the side before returning his full attention on her. He brought a hand up to her face, brushing a stray hair from her cheek and wiping away her tears. Then he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"What's wrong, my love?"
She gently shut her eyes once the tears threatened to come back. She paused to take a breath, still figuring out how to word it.
"I know, even though you don't always say it," she paused to swallow. "How much— how important—" she couldn't get the words out without crying. And suddenly, she remembered her brother was there too and felt embarrassed. She turned to her brother, "Can you, please, give us a moment?"
Sokka, alarmed at the sudden attention to him, eyes widened and nodded at her. He silently thanked the spirits for getting him out of the scenario. He took a step forward, pausing just to tell them that he'll be right outside the door and that he won't let anyone out. Katara thanked him, apologizing for shooing him out, before turning back to face her husband. Aang gave his brother in law a respectful nod and a quick smile. Katara waited until she heard the door shut before she went on.
"Aang," she took a step closer to him. She placed a hand gently on his chest, the other wrapping around one of his biceps. He favored her with a slight smile. Not sure where the conversation was going, but happy that she was finally opening up. He still leaned slightly against the balcony, but with his free hand, placed it gently on the curvature of her waist.
"I know how much it means— how badly you want to start a family."
Concerned flashed behind his eyes. There was no way to avoid it. He just hoped he didn't look disappointed. He wasn't, but he still feared where this was going. He said nothing, hoping the silence wasn't crushing her confidence as she was finally speaking to him. He waited for her to continue.
"And I was so certain that this was it," she continued, lifting her hands off of him briefly and balling them into fists to punctuate her sentence. She placed her hands back on him gently before she went on, "but this morning, I was in so much pain I was about to vomit. And when I looked down and saw the blood I—" she was cut off by her own sobbing.
"Hey—" He tried to gently pull her closer to him but she stood firm.
"I know you want nothing more than to have the chance to have an airbender, but—"
He stepped closer to her, fully embracing her.
"Katara…" he spoke into the crown of her head.
"I was almost certain that this time was it," she carried on, "All of my symptoms pointed that way. I was hungrier, weird cravings, tender chest, nausea, all of it! But this morning, I started my cycle again and all of my hopes were flushed down the drain."
She was stopped by her own sobs again. He planted a kiss to the top of her head. He held her for a moment as she cried into his chest. He gave her a quick squeeze before stepping back out of the embrace. He placed both hands on either sides of her, giving her a gentle squeeze with tenderness.
"Katara, of course I want children," he spoke, "but I'm not expecting you to completely repopulate the air nation! I couldn't even ask that of you!"
She looked him in the eye, face softening with concern. "But I know, deep down, that's what you truly desire."
"That is extremely unrealistic and not at all what I mean," he immediately responded. She seemed a bit taken back. He realized how that may have sounded and internally swore at himself for the way he worded it. He forcefully shut his eyes and rapidly shook his head. Then, he gave his wife another tender squeeze.
"Listen, I want to have children with you because I love you. There's no ulterior motive. The only thing that matters is that you and our future kids are happy and healthy. And so be it if they're airbenders or not."
Her stomach seemed to tighten in response to his words. It was an odd sensation. She was completely shocked to hear him say that. She looked up at him, eyes wide and full of hope, "Really?"
"Of course!" He immediately replied. "Did you really think, the second after we got married, I'd expect you to just start pumping out babies with the hope of one of them being an airbender?"
Her blue eyes rolled off to the corners of her eyes. There was a slight grin on her face.
"Well, when you put it like that…"
He laughed at her, pulling her closer to him.
"Spirits Katara, I wouldn't want you ever to put that kind of pressure on yourself."
"I wanted to share some of the burden, that I know, wears you down so much," Katara spoke into the fabric of his robes. She began to cry again. "And this time, I was so sure…"
He gently hushed her. He cupped the back of her head and gently stroked her hair. They gently swayed back and forth as he rocked her in attempt to soothe her.
"We don't have to rush this," he told her, "We have so much time. I don't want you to be worried about getting pregnant. It will happen when it does. And I don't care if we have three kids and none of them are airbenders, or five, and only one is an airbender."
She jerked her head back to look up at him with a puzzled look. "Five?"
He laughed at her dramatic expression. "Or more."
"You'd want even more than five?!"
"If the spirits allow it," he said with a shrug.
She winced, imagining the pain of birthing five children.
"We have the air acolytes, they would help us out. They swore an oath, you know."
She rolled her eyes at him before gently resting her head back against his chest. Her head gently bumped against his chest as he let out a little snort. There was a moment of silence between them. He simply held her in his embrace, gently swaying back and forth, hoping to rock all of her sorrows away.
"Did you mean it when you said you wouldn't care if none of them were airbenders?" Katara asked after a long time of silence. She turned her neck up to look at him. He nodded back at her.
"I did," he assured her. "All I care is that you and our future children are healthy and strong."
"But what if I told you that I wouldn't be happy if none of them were airbenders?" she challenged him.
"I simply don't believe that."
She gave him a puzzled look.
"I mean it. I think you're getting carried away. The odds of them being a water bender or an airbender are higher than anything else anyways."
"How are you so sure?" She wondered, "You're the Avatar, couldn't you have children that can bend any of the four elements?"
He shrugged, "I don't have any recollection of any of the past avatars having children with bending abilities outside of their main element, or aside from whichever element their partners bended."
She hummed a noise in response. She turned her head back to the side and glanced out into the distant, buzzing city. She took a moment observing the city night life beneath them while he held her close to him.
He didn't say anything for a while. He gently shut his eyes as guilt silently tore at him. He couldn't imagine the pain she must have been feeling all night. And her refusal to speak on it meanwhile he made so many attempts to pry it out of her. He was beginning to get impatient with her and for that he felt bad. She must have been so uncomfortable, especially being on her cycle and having to be in such an extravagant get up... He took a deep breath to clear his mind.
"I'm sorry I kept asking what was bothering you all day," he finally said to her. "I realize that might have only made you feel worse and I'm really sorry for that. And I'm sorry for Sokka's involvement in that too."
She let out a tsk of air. Then, she turned to face him again.
"Sokka's just nosy," she answered, rolling her eyes at the thought. "And I'm sorry I was difficult about it. I just wasn't ready to talk about it. And I wasn't sure how to even talk about it."
He swallowed and nodded at her. He realized that now. And again, he apologized.
"I wasn't exactly being fair to you either," she told him. "And the hormones certainly weren't making it easier."
He chuckled at that remark. He answered with another kiss to her head. After another moment of silence, she turned her head up at him, resting her chin in the center of his chest. Her face melted into sorrow and she apologized for how her rejecting him must have made him feel. The sight of her looking so sad melted his heart.
"I'm sorry if I made you feel unwanted or anything horrible such as that," she atoned. "I never want to be responsible for causing you to have those feelings." She paused to give him a suggestive grin, "especially when you're looking as good as you do right now." She rose to her toes to kiss him. "Trust me, if I wasn't on my cycle right now I'd be jumping your bones."
He couldn't help but laugh at that. He dipped his head down to kiss her again.
"You want to talk about me looking good, what about you?" he said after pulling apart from the kiss. "Lookin' so good it should be considered a crime."
Blush seared at her cheeks as she grinned at him. He took it as an invitation to give her another kiss. This time, with much more passion. All of hardship between them from earlier in the day washing away. His hand cupped the back of her head, pulling her in as close as physics would allow. Their heads taking turns leaning to either side as their tongues swirled together in unison. He spun her slightly, her back was against the balcony. He was pressing her against it while keeping his hands against her back to give her extra support. Her leg traveled up the side of his. Without breaking apart, he grabbed her leg with one hand, keeping it taut against him while he traveled his hand slowly up her bare thigh.
She snaked her calf behind his leg, pulling him even closer. Her hands traveled up his sides and up towards his chest. One hand slowly moved up to the side of his face as she pulled away from his lips and began to pepper kisses to the side of his cheek and down to his ear. She gently pressed her teeth into his ear lobe before kissing him behind the ear. He groaned as her mouth moved along the sensitive spot behind his ear.
He swiftly moved his head down and started planting open mouth kisses down her neck. He gently suckled at the indent above her collar bone resulting in a quiet moan from his wife. He moved the fabric of her dress down slightly to start marking the skin above her breast. He was wearing her hands as earmuffs as she held his head close to her and kissed the top of his head. She rested her face on top of his head, using it to muffle her moans.
He moved his head to look at her, gazing into her beautiful blue eyes before going back to her lips. She smiled in the kiss, the hands on his head balling into fists. She then lowered her hands around his neck holding him close as they finished their passionate kiss.
Once they pulled apart, they took a moment to simply fix their eyes upon each other. They favored each other with a smile. They embraced each other once again.
"I love you so much," he told her, "Please don't ever be afraid to tell me what's bothering you. Whatever it is, we'll get through it. Always."
Aang pulled away slightly, just to look at her. They were still in each other's arms.
"Always," she agreed with a smile and a nod.
He smiled back at her.
"We should get back inside," he suggested.
She was just about to step forward but he stopped her. His eyes narrowed at her but there was a provocative look in his eye.
"And that was just a preview for next week," he said with a wink.
"I can't wait," she replied eagerly. She took his hand in hers. "Let's go."