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Aang loved Katara before he even knew what love was. He was always enraptured with her, wanting to be near her, reaching for her. His first memories were at their family home, playing with Sokka’s toys, the warmth between Hakoda and Kya, and promising Katara he would marry her too with all the conviction his little body could muster. When Katara wanted a choker like her mom’s, Aang made her a necklace from a pink plastic flower and some fishing line. She kissed him on the cheek and put it on immediately. Her parents laughed, endeared by the display of affection between them, never suspecting he actually meant it, they were so young!
Aang was always around. Sokka and Katara never knew much about his family situation, just that he lived with Gyatso, who was usually not home, yet always wrinkled and wise and warm. He always brought fun toys for the children when he was in town, telling them fantastical stories of his travels and whispering thanks to their parents. Fate made them neighbors, but time made them one beautiful, blended family, a shared treehouse in the backyard, spending all their time together.
It wasn’t until they began to grow older, attending the same schools, running around on the playground, that outside influences began to imprint themselves on the kids’ lives. Sokka stepping in between his younger siblings and bullies, teasing about Aang following them around, and indignant hand holding were all far more common in their younger years.
Over time, they began to grow, all three of them towering over the others in school. Their bodies began to change, and Aang seemed to see Katara in a different light, still full of love but tinted with new feelings he couldn’t quite explain. He would try to link his fingers with hers under tables or desks, or seek her warmth with his leg touching hers if he didn’t want to be obvious. She would kiss him on the cheek if he did something kind for her, leaving him blushing and twiddling his thumbs as his heart sang for her and her alone. He always thought she was beautiful, but the older they got, the more she would take his breath away, render him speechless and tripping over his own words.
It wasn’t until they sat down for a movie night, early in their high school years, to watch Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging that the feelings Aang experienced clicked for him. “Ty Lee recommended the movie! It’s old, but she said it’s a classic,” Katara quipped, pressing play on the remote as she snuggled into the couch between her brother and her … neighbor. Aang sighed to himself as he watched the opening montage. Sokka very abruptly excused himself when the main character fell in the bushes, exposing herself awkwardly, leaving Katara and Aang alone on the couch. Katara was absent-mindedly munching on popcorn, holding the bowl between them, her forearm casually burning heat into Aang’s thigh. As the first snog kissing scene came on, something twisted in Aang’s stomach, low and hot and immensely curious. He looked out of the corner of his eye, a flash of blue quickly moving away from his line of sight. He was worried his eyes had lied to him, wishful thinking, as he tried to very casually reach for some popcorn as well. Their hands touched, white-hot and shocking for Aang as a chorus of sorry and don’t worry about it began lightly over the movie dialogue.
At some point, Aang was so senselessly turned on that he had stopped watching the movie, staring at Katara. She first looked out of the corner of her eye, once, twice, before turning to face him, smiling warmly, unsuspecting.
“Not enjoying the movie?”
Aang shook his head before clearing his throat, worried about his voice cracking. “No, it’s good… Just …”
Katara chuckled, a soft exhale as she reached down to pause the movie. “Yeah, sorry. She warned me, but I didn’t think it was -”
“Katara?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I … try?”
“Try what?”
“Um … The kissing tutor …”
Katara snorted, her face brightening with amusement. Aang’s face, already bright red, somehow flushed with another surge of heat. He looked down, away, ashamed.
“Sure, ok. Let’s try that.”
Aang snapped his head up, pure disbelief. She moved slightly, forearm sliding across his thigh as she set the popcorn bowl down on the coffee table across from them before turning, facing him instead of the movie screen.
She was smiling, kind and warm and expectant, as he shifted towards her as well, desperate to close the space between them but fearful of the consequences. He reached for her hand under the blanket, instinctively, as she began to lean forward, soft smile still on her face. His other hand brushed a strand away from her face before lingering on her face, cupping her cheek softly, before he leaned in, finally closing the distance between them.
He pressed his lips against hers, needy and urgent, as she returned a similar amount of pressure. They separated, staring into the other's eyes for a moment, before going back for more, peck after peck of softness and testing the waters. They shifted closer together, Katara’s legs tangling with Aang’s, her arms moving around his neck, his hands cradling her face then moving to her waist, pecking and kissing, chaste and pure.
She separated from him, pressing her forehead to his as he took a deep breath, almost shuddering from the release of years of pent-up love finally bubbling to the surface, finally finding an outlet.
Katara looked into his eyes, whispering so no one else in the house could hear. “Can we try the thing with tongue?”
Aang‘s eyes widened, swallowing before he nodded his head, small enough to be detected only by her. He closed his eyes again, moving towards her, another chaste kiss before he tried to poke his tongue between her lips, met with a grunt and Katara pushing his shoulders back, covering her mouth with her hand and giggling into it.
“Not like that, silly. Kiss me normally first, then let me try something.”
He nodded, completely lost for words, blood rushing in his ears, as his hands found her waist again, staring and expectant as Katara came to close the gap between them this time. Beautiful lashes fluttered closed, head tilted to the side and leaning into Aang, who couldn’t help but feel a deep pang of appreciation wash over him as he leaned in to meet her. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen, the love of his life, expectant and ready and wanting to kiss him.
She kissed him once, twice, then her tongue reached out, sweet and tentative, to touch at his lower lip. Another kiss, another sweet motion of her tongue asking permission to meet his. Her hands moved into his hair, the pads of her fingertips insistent on the back of his skull. He parted his mouth slightly, tips of their tongues touching shyly. She tasted sweet and salty and buttery and intoxicating. He let out a soft moan, feeling her lips curl into a smile as she tilted her head the other way, another soft kiss and her pleasant tongue coming to meet his between them, a little more urgency this time. Their kisses deepened, tongues sliding together, exploring the feel of the other, sharp edges of the other’s teeth juxtaposing the warm, wet heat that had grown between them.
What felt like hours passed between them, wrapped in the other, connected by old promises and new sparks, before they finally separated, a string of spit connecting them as they finally parted. Both their faces were flushed, looking into the other’s eyes shyly, as if they hadn’t experienced wild abandon moments ago. Aang smiled sweetly, pressing a kiss into Katara’s cheek. She turned, pecking his lips before pushing him away, giggling to herself quietly.
“The movie’s over already? What did we miss?”
The next few days were a haze for Aang. He walked around as if he was floating on air, the dreamiest expression on his face. He had a few bruises on his shoulders and legs, and one particularly gnarly one on his forehead from running into things, as he kept replaying the scene of him kissing the love of his life. Katara looked at him with knowing eyes, giggling whenever he would say something, but not making any further moves.
After about a week, Katara heard a knock on her bedroom door while studying.
“Come in!”
Her math textbook in front of her kept her attention until she felt a soft, warm weight on her shoulder.
“Hey, Katara.”
She dropped her pencil to turn, looking up at Aang, staring down at her, steely and determined, like he had been the other night. The night when they -
“Hey, Aang. What’s up?”
He took a shuddering inhale, going to twiddle his thumbs as he tried to find the words.
“So I did some, um, research. I was wondering if you want to help me… apply my teachings?”
He was beet red, looking everywhere but at Katara, as she smiled.
“No worries! I was just about to take a break anyways.” She closed the textbook on the dropped pencil, saving her page, as she moved to stand up. “What were you reading about?”
A flash of the How to kiss with tongue WikiHow page came across Aang’s mind. “I was looking at … um … techniques. For …” He trailed off, hands pulling at each other. Katara, feeling a bit of pity, put her warm hand on his, quieting his hands and his mind.
“Do you want to sit?” She gestured towards her bed.
He nodded, holding her hands and dragging her with him, guiding her to sit next to him.
“I … did some research about … kissing. I want to try again.” Aang looked into Katara’s eyes, unabashed and flushed with nervousness.
She grinned, squeezing his hands with excitement? “I thought you’d never ask. I was waiting for you to.”
His heart skipped a beat, staring into her eyes, blue and wide and expectant, two pools he wanted to drown in forever.
“Can I -”
They shifted closer together, a hand of his falling to her waist, the other moving to tuck a hair behind her ear, trailing his fingers through her hair before landing on the back of her neck just like in the article. He led her into him, head tilting to the side and lips pressing with soft resolve and familiarity that melted him. He pushed his lips towards hers, just like he’d read, delighted when she returned the same gesture. He peppered a few kisses before steeling his resolve, starting to open his mouth slightly as he pressed kisses against her lips, pushing his tongue gently towards her lower lip. Leaving room between kisses to breathe, he grunted slightly, enjoying the feeling of their tongues playing together. She moved her arms around his neck, tighter, tugging him towards her, as he let his hands explore her tactfully, hands rubbing from her shoulders, down her spine, around her waist, holding her closer to him.
After what felt like a lifetime of melding as one, tongue kisses softening into gentle presses, soft smiles, foreheads pressing, Aang breathed out an I love you that only felt right in the moment. Katara smiled, kissing his lips, then his cheek, then I know as she smiled at him.
“I’m going to marry you one day,” Aang said, eyes steely and serious in Katara’s.
“I thought we were already betrothed,” Katara grinned at him, smiling in his arms.
“What?”
“The necklace you made for me. I still have it. In the back of my jewelry drawer.” Katara kissed him again, soft and sweet and full of kindness.