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1: Katara had imagined Aang, with the goofy kid in him, would've been the one to wake her the moment the winter sun broke above the horizon; so she was surprised that it had been her eyes that fluttered open at the crack of dawn to find her husband, mouth slightly agape in the most adorable manner, sleeping soundly by her side.
2: She had waited. She had. And although she always loved to watch him as he slept, there had been no time for that. It was Christmas! Holding back her excitement proved... impossible.
That’s when she brought her lips to his ear, tracing patterns across his bare chest in order to wake him in the sweetest way possible.
Or to try to, at least - Katara’s patience was wearing thin.
3: Aang could recall the voice of an angel pulling him from his slumber that morning.
“Come on, sleepyhead... time to wake up...”
“Hmm...?” Her eyes widened with anticipation.
But when he took too long to fully come around, she had dropped her gentle methods of awakening her love and climbed out of bed, allowing the excitement to take over as she pulled him with her by the wrist - “It’s Christmas!” - resulting in the most painful awakening for him when he fell to the ground -
“ARGH!” - with a loud, painful-sounding thud.
“Oh, sweetie! I’m so sorry!”
4: Aang (despite being the severely injured one) had made them tea. In the glow of the slowly rising sun, she had huddled close to his side on their couch, basking in the warmth of the crackling fire (and his body) with her eyes on him almost constantly.
From time to time, her free hand, absentmindedly stroking the pendant of her betrothal necklace delicately, caught his eye. He simply smiled and sipped his tea, loving the feel of her arm wrapped around him.
“I love you.” She hummed into his shoulder, a soft kiss against it, sealing the words there forever, and Katara soon feeling the reward of his lips pressing gently onto the crown of her head, coaxing her eyes to shut. It took no time at all for him to recite the words back to her.
5: Her gift to him had been something quite impossible to forget; especially since he’s never taken it off.
“Open it.”
Aang eyed the box curiously, constantly returning his gaze to hers that were eager and filled with anticipation. They sat across from each other, just by the fire, when he finally gave in and carefully untied the golden ribbon so neatly wrapped around a small navy box. Katara was more excited than he was, the grin on her face putting his to shame.
Once it was finally opened, all Aang could do was stare. It had to have cost a lot of money.
“Katara, this... this is just... where did you-?”
“Do you like it?”
“Like it?” He almost laughed in disbelief at her ridiculously stupid question, moving to pull the thick golden band from the box carefully, a certain gleam from the inside of the band catching his eye as he turned it in his fingers. “I love it Katara. I absolutely love it. But-”
“Oh shush up about the price of things, would you?” She reached out to him, beckoning him closer with her bottom lip between her teeth. “...Did you read the inside?” She said after a quiet moment of her admiring him and him admiring the ring.
He nodded, watching as she took his hand in hers and slid the golden band onto his finger with ease - with a quiet sigh of relief that it fit.
“I figured, since I have my necklace, it’d be nice for you to have something, too.”
“...Thank you. Seriously, thank you.” He beamed, leaning forward to capture her lips in a kiss of gratitude and unadulterated love. “So much.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I’ll never take it off.” She suddenly felt a wave of emotion as he held her face in his hands, grey eyes shining in the glow of the fire and pulling her in. “I love you. Now and forever.”
Just as the engraving on the ring says. I love you. Now and Forever.
6: Somehow, in the midst of the gift exchange and the confessions of love and the excitement and happiness of it all, they had ended up dancing.
Neither of them could recall who had proposed the idea, even now, but when they swayed to the beat of their hearts, her head against his chest, hands resting on his shoulders and his hands holding her waist with the most content look on both their faces, the couple couldn’t remember ever feeling this at peace.
7: Ending up in a breathless, but most exquisite afterglow such as this was something Katara hadn’t anticipated. The sound of his heartbeat was music to her ears - always had and always would be - as she lay against his slightly heaving chest and basked in the warmth of his skin against hers. She asked herself how an innocent dance around their living room had lead to this, her love still inside her where she decided he truly belonged and his nails raking so delightfully across her scalp.
With a blush, she remembered: maybe her wondering hands were to blame.
It had been a moment she could never forget.
8: Their friends came over for dinner - Katara and Aang’s idea - because surely their first Christmas as husband and wife was something to be celebrated on a grandiose scale! Even the Fire Lord and his wife had vowed that they would be the first to arrive. Though, not everything had gone to plan.
The newlyweds had planned the dinner out to a tee, each element perfected weeks before. Katara would not let anything distract her; apart from her husband, of course, who so often leaned over her shoulder to place a sweet (and admittedly distracting) kiss to her lips, or her cheek, or her jaw in such a bittersweet way instead of chopping the vegetables she had shoved in his direction. She hoped the task would occupy him, but she knew the love of her life better than that.
“Aang, I swear to the spirits, didn’t you get enough earlier?” she giggled, trying her best to focus on seasoning the vegetable broth steaming in a pot in front her and not his hot, wet kisses burning against her neck.
“Not quite...” He hummed against her skin making a shiver run down her spine, arms wrapping possessively (and teasingly) around her waist. “I’ve got plenty of room for dessert.”
9: The Avatar, remembered now with a laugh, that he had underestimated her willpower completely.
“Pass me the carrots, please,”
Aang let out a heavy, bored breath. “Sure.” And she smirked at him deviously, taking the plate from his hands.
“Thanks, sweetie,”
“No problem.” He mumbled, making his way back to his seat at the counter, resuming his chopping.
Aang’s ministrations had gotten him absolutely nowhere. He got nothing but an instant mood killer when she dumped ice down his pants, saying something along the lines of “If you make me mess up you’ll be sleeping alone tonight.”
That sure shut him up.
10: First it was toph as presentable as always, then it was Sokka and his wife, Suki, and then, despite their promise, strode in the Fire Lord and Lady themselves. Little did they know at the time how dinner would turn out.
Zuko (noticed Aang and Katara with a shared laugh) was under the illusion they were right on time, although the abrupt image of a crowded table and filled glasses drained his self-pride instantly.
Mai gave a heavy sigh of embarrassment, leaving his side to take her seat. “If only you didn’t take so long to do your hair, Zuko, then we would have been on time.”
Their friend’s blush was awfully hard to miss. “Mai, that isn’t true and you know it! Tell them that isn’t true!”
It had indeed been very, very true. His perfect top knot definitely showed for it.
11: Someone had brought sweetened rice wine.
Someone.
It didn’t really matter who... but Katara knew fine well her brother had an affinity for trying to get his friends drunk. She and Aang had been able to pace themselves; however, not as much could be said for the rest of their friends, who, after and mid-way through dinner (which was very favourable and went down extremely well), had polished off at least three bottles of the stuff between them, reducing themselves down to a pack of mumbling, stuttering and hilariously laughable drunkards.
Zuko, who had been the worst of all, laid face down on the table, and Mai, for once, had actually shown some kind of emotion that night thanks to the alcohol in her system as she dazedly laughed at her incapacitated husband. That was another thing hard to forget. Despite their slightly drink-induced states, it was hard for the couple to forget the details.
Their table was surrounded by lowered gazes and sloppy sentences, but best of all, some of the most joyous laughter Katara and Aang had ever heard from their friends. It had been going strong all night and was showing no signs of stopping. Everyone was lightening up. Especially Sokka, who didn’t stop to torment the young couple any time they shared a kiss or two. Katara’s eyes grew wide, however, and she ceased her whispers in her husband's ear when her brother stood up on unsteady legs, eyes directed right at her and Aang.
“To my little sister and her questionable choice of husband-”
“Sokka!”
“I’m only messing with you, little sister, chill out!”
Aang gave her a smile that told her not to worry, but he was feeling a little flustered when Sokka spoke next - this reaction, he couldn’t blame on the wine.
“Now, Aang...” He slurred with a glass full of wine, all eyes and ears (except Zuko’s) on him. “Considering you love my sister very much-” Katara nudged his shoulder, taking his hand under the table and giving it a squeeze when he turned to kiss her hairline. “A fact you make sure everyone knows with the constant oogies in our faces...” He took another swig from the glass in his hand, Katara frowning a little but Aang laughing it off. “I wanna make a request that you two hurry it along and get to the baby-making!”
Aang went scarlet. Katara was just short of water whipping her brother in the face. Suki was covering her mouth in an attempt to hide the smile. Toph was howling. Zuko was still sleeping and Mai was... well she looked disgusted. And a little green. “...I think I’m gonna throw up.”
“Mai!” Suki scolded, the smile disappearing, and Sokka getting a little frustrated - but too slow to actually say anything about it - that he had been interrupted.
“No, not because of what he said, because of the wi-” And in a split second she was gone and sprinting straight to the sink... followed by the most unpleasant sounds. Just then Zuko lifted his head with a groan.
“Oh, not you too-!”
But he simply slammed it down on the table again, a sigh of relief from Katara. Though that relief was gone quicker than it came when Sokka- “I’m ready to be an Uncle! For crying out loud I’m begging you guys... please!” He looked like a little kid and sounded like one, too.
Her brother was actually crying, and Aang couldn’t help but laugh at the awkwardness of it all. “I mean come on guys... don’t you think I’ve been waiting long enough?!”
The couple had been a blushing mess, but no matter how awkward the conversation had been, it had sparked a question between them. One that has still remained unanswered - though still, it was undeniable. They were simply waiting for the right moment.
After Sokka’s commotion, Katara had turned to him for a moment. Aang watched her as she gazed at him, the smallest of smiles on her lips, and he noticed how her eyes lingered for a moment, just looking at him. Until she turned away and the moment was over like that.
They hadn’t talked about having kids that much, but that moment. That lingering moment. That had felt like a full-blown conversation between them.
One that wasn’t finished.
And after some more talking, some more laughs, and (regrettably for some) more drinking, the Royals were brought to their room, a fed-up Suki dragged the mumbling mess that was her boyfriend to theirs, and Toph in her blurry state settled for the bathtub, Katara and Aang were left alone with a half-full bottle of wine.
Suggesting that they drink it by the fire was an idea Aang easily obliged to. Aang got on the couch first and sat sideways with his feet kicked up, Katara eagerly taking the space between his legs and enjoying to feel of his chest rising and falling so peacefully with each breath against her back. She took the first swig, passing the bottle back to his hand that wasn’t wrapped protectively around her waist, stroking her side every now and then. “Classy,” He chuckled, doing exactly as she did, though his swig was a little less generous.
Neither of them was tired, and so they got comfortable.
12: Katara and Aang could both remember, even past the haze that had settled in their minds at the time, how they kissed, and laughed, and reminisced on the first few months of their lives together; all through the night. They thanked each other. For everything. For being there, for making every day that much better, for brightening up the darkest of times and for loving the other unconditionally, swearing to do exactly that for the rest of their lives. Aang remembered how her hands (and words) had taken a turn with one motive in mind; something about making up for earlier that day but in the end, a kiss was enough.
A lengthy one, thick with the influence of alcohol.
They had finished the wine as the fire burned down to a few smouldering flames, but there was no need for it to be lit again. His arms had been wrapped so tightly around her, katara adoring the feeling, and she had been buried into his chest with their legs entangled on the small couch, so secure and so close that they easily kept each other warm without the fire. They remembered the feeling of utter comfort.
His eyes drifted shut, fingers raking through her hair as the slow and steady symphony of her breathing relaxed him further. “Merry Christmas, sweetie. I love you.” She smiled, eyes fluttering closed.
“Merry Christmas, my love.”
Their loving embrace had sent them into deepest slumber: never moving, never waking and without any nightmares to ail their sleep. They remembered what a good sleep it had been. And they knew it was a Christmas they would never forget.