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“…and I don’t want you think that I’m only interested in you now because you won the war because-“
“Katara.”
“-that is just ridiculous. I’m not like those girls from Kyoshi or the ones in Makapu who only followed you around because you were the Avatar. I mean we were friends before I even knew you were the Avatar-“
“Katara.”
“-and we’re still friends now. At least I hope we are, I know I said some pretty harsh things to you Aang before you disappeared and I regretted it every second of every day when we were apart and I could only hope that I would get to see you again and be able to tell you that I’m sorry-“
“Katara!”
“-because I am sorry. I should never have tried to force you to do something that goes against your beliefs and I want you to know I would never do anything like that ever again. And I’m sorry about how I reacted at that terrible play – but it just wasn’t the right time for us… for this and I just didn’t want to see someone else I-“
“Katara, stop!”
Her mouth hangs open at Aang’s interruption before closing and opening like a guppy fish. Her hand is wrapped tightly around his forearm, the bite of her nails sharp against his skin as they simply stare at each other in the dim torch light of a grand bedroom of the Fire Nation palace.
He prises her hand from his arm and laces their fingers together. A flush of pink stains his cheeks and he drops his eyes from hers. She sees the now-prominent bulge bob in his throat as he swallows heavily and wonders when that had happened – how he had started to grow up without her noticing.
“It’s okay… you don’t have to say anymore,” Aang says, his thumb brushing over her knuckles where their hands were still linked.
“I do – Aang, I have so much more to say to you,” Katara implores. Aang thinks that her eyes couldn’t look any brighter than they do now, glittering under the flame of the torches. She pauses and he wonders if she is waiting for him to say something before her mouth opens and closes. She catches her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. “I… I want to be with you.”
He is sure his cheeks are practically crimson as he stares at her. There is a heavy silence in the room and the gasp he releases when the fingers of her free hand caress the side of his jaw is loud and penetrating. She looks unsure, her gaze darting from his own stare to his lips and back again.
“Katara…” Aang breathes as she pulls his face towards her own. There is nothing left say, for now at least, as their lips meet.