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kataangiscanon · 2 years

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Kataang week 2022 Admiration (physical features, strengths, etc.)

For @kataang-week Day 1: Admiration!

Hello beautiful people. (This is my FIRST Fan-fiction, so please be nice. I really hope you guys like it.)

Katara went in search of her husband. Her five-month-pregnant tummy makes her steps hefty. She was walking barefoot down the corridor of the air temple. Her heated, swollen feet felt fantastic on the cold marble floor.

“Where is he?" She wondered as she looked about. She caught a glimpse of an air acolyte walking down the corridor holding scrolls, she was just about to enter the dining hall when Katara yelled for her.

"Excuse me,”

Yuni, an air acolyte, turned and grinned at the Avatar's wife as she approached. “Yes, master katara. Do you need anything?”

The difficult years between the air acolytes and the water bender were now behind them. They were aware of the connection between the Avatar and the water tribe beauty and they were aware of how much the Waterbender meant to the Avatar.

Looking at the scrolls in her hands, Katara inquired, "Yes, have you seen Aang?" her left hand was on her stomach, adjusting her robes and using her right hand to move the hair behind her eye.

“Yes, Master katara.” Yuni replied “Avatar Aang is in the training area.” smiling at her, indicating the temple's opposing side. She smiled as she asked Katara,

"Shall I go fetch him for you?" Yuni asked while glancing at katara’s swollen belly.

"Oh no, thank you. I'll be fine.” Katara replied with a smile.

“All right, See you.” Yuni smiled before running to the other side of the corridor.

Katara watched her go, then descended the stairs and began making her way to the training area. She smiled softly when Aang came into her line of view. Fireblast from his hands as he practices. She sat down on the side where she could see him.

Katara stared at his back as he practiced. Shooting Firebending, jumping, and kicking in the air. Katara’s eyes roamed down his body, traveling from his face down to his muscles. A soft smile played on her lips. Seeing him bend the element that he didn’t want to learn, with so much grace and confidence made katara so proud of him. He has come a long way. she thought to herself.

Aang’s strength always astounds her. His quick reflexes made him a strong competitor. Aside from him being the avatar his raw power always amazed katara. His bending was on a different level. Having all the cosmic power at his command he still never chooses violence. His pure heart and kind soul were the reason why she was so in love with him.

Aside from his strength, he was easy on the eyes as well. The goofy small kid was a handsome hunk now. Taller in their group, with deep stormy grey eyes and a goofy smile. Musical laugh and lean body. A deep voice in which he declares his love for her sends her into a different world.

And oh his Avatar look was just on a different level. That can shut people in seconds. You know when the look comes, there is no going back. Deep down that was becoming a big turn-on for katara.

This powerful man is mine.” she smiled to herself. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe.

Aang was naturally gifted. He was good at everything. Bending, fighting, dancing, peacemaker, you name it. People looked up to him. And he was always so humble about it. Helping people in need was his first priority. He gave up so much in order to give people hope and the support they needed.

“Daddy is incredible. Isn’t he?” she whispered to her baby.

Suddenly, Katara heard giggling. Interrupting her train of thoughts. Her smile dropped as she looked behind her and saw three acolytes standing a few feet away from her admiring her husband as well. She heard one of them saying “he is so dreamy.” the girls giggled behind their hands.

A strong blast of fire made her jump slightly and turned again to see Aang finishing his practice.

Aang wasn't aware of Katara's gaze because he was immersed in his own world. Stopping to pick a bottle to sip from. When Katara heard a gasp from behind her, she spun around to face the girls again and saw them staring at her in shock. She waved to them while grinning. They bowed deeply to her and dashed into the main temple building.

Looking down at the ground, Katara grinned while shaking her head. Aang turned and jumped when he saw her sitting there.

"Oh, sweetie. You scared me ” He walked over to her smiling and asked, "How long have you been here?"

With a flirtatious smile, Katara answered, "Long enough to see my husband being sexy." She sat up a little and adjusted her legs, rubbing her hands over the growing baby. Aang looked surprised but walked to her with a flirty grin.

“Oh is that so?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied with a nod.

“Then I am glad you had fun.” He came and sat down next to her, kissing her on the forehead tenderly while placing his hand on her growing tummy. Katara closed her eyes in the bliss of the kiss. Aang pulled back and smiled at her expression.

Katara opened her eyes as he brushed her hair away from her face and caressed her cheek softly with his finger.

“You are amazing sweetie,” katara said softly looking deeply into his eyes. Making Aang smile wider.

“Really. What is so amazing about me?” Aang asked turning his head to a side and taking her hand in his.

“Everything.” katara replied. “Your eyes, nose, lips, face, and body.” katara added with a smile. She ran her hand down his face to his jaw and down to his abs. Making Aang chuckle.

“You have no idea how amazing you are katara. Everything about you makes me crazy.” Aang replies bringing her hand closer to his lips. “You are so beautiful.”

“You know what I love most about you sweetie,” Katara said as she places her hand on his bare chest.

“My abs?” Aang says quickly. Making katara laugh and slap his shoulder.

“Well That too, but I was talking about your kind soul and pure heart,” she replied. Katara looked down at her growing belly. “I want our baby to be like you. A good human being.” Katara said caressing her abdomen. With Aang’s hand joining in, he bends down to place a kiss on her tummy.

“And, I want our baby to be like you too sweetie. Amazing, strong, beautiful, kind, and passionate.” Aang replied to her, rubbing her belly.

“I love you both, so much,” Aang said with a smile pulling her in for a kiss.

”We love you too, sweetie,” katara said softly before pressing her lips to his.

They both melted into the passionate kiss. Caressing the other with love. The kiss was an indication of how deep their love was for each other. Both their hands joined on top of their unborn child, a product of their love.

They broke the kiss. And smiled at each other. Aang brought her closer to him, his arms going around her, placing a kiss on her hairline. Katara leaned on his shoulder.

“Aang?” katara said softly after a while.

“Yes, sweetie” Aang replied lovingly. Rubbing her arm.

“I am hungry.” katara tells him making him laugh. She pulled back from the hug.

“Okay then, let's get you both inside” Aang replied. Pulling her up with him.

“I really want to train with you again.” katara told him as they both walked towards the temple.

“And you will soon,” Aang replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and kiss on her temple.

“I am jealous of your six packs,” katara said pulling back, making Aang laugh loudly and pulling her towards him to kiss her head firmly.

“love you too sweetie.”

#kataang #kataang week 2022 #kataangtag #kataang week #kataang fanfiction #kataang week 2022 day 1 #Aang and katara

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chocomd · 2 years

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Without Water

Written for Kataang Week 2022 @kataang-week for Day 6: Quiet Moments/Healing Techniques

Rating: T for descriptions of physical injury (but nothing too graphic)

Genre: Hurt/comfort, Kataangst

Story summary: Katara struggles to heal Aang after he is struck down by lightning. Five times she can never seem to do enough, and one time she discovers she is everything he needs. Or, the story of how the ordeal of healing Aang almost breaks Katara before she learns how to hope again.

————–

The first thing Katara did when she set foot on her father’s ship was to look for water.

“Make sure you always have water on hand,” Yagoda had once instructed her. “For without water, a healer’s bending is useless.”

She had given up Aang to her brother’s care when Appa landed them at Chameleon Bay. She didn’t want to leave him, not when he was in such a vulnerable state. But she had to leave him if she wanted to save him.

Katara found the barrels of drinking water, half of them already drained dry. The man in blue-dyed furs who was stationed by the barrels—to guard the water, no doubt—glowered when her eyes widened at the sight of liquid glistening between the barrel rims and lids. But before he could utter a word, she had siphoned the water into a bucket and dashed away.

Drinking water had to be rationed until the next rain, and Katara had taken more than her fair share.

Everyone can stand to be a little thirsty, she thought as she ran. Aang needs this water more than any of us do.

Continue reading on AO3 or Fanfiction.net

#kataang week #kataang #kataangtag #kataang fanfic #kataang week 2022 #kataangst #aang #katara #atla #atla fanfic #Avatar The Last Airbender #chocomd writes

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justoceanmyth · 2 years

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blue ribbons

i finally finished it. written for @kataang-week 2022. the original prompt was “Admiration”, but the fic quickly took on a life of it’s own, and since I figured I wasn’t going to be able to write for more than one day, I shoved hints to a couple other prompts in there. The most obvious one is probably “Healing/Quiet Moments”.

She has always been fascinated with his tattoos.

When they had first cracked the ice around Aang, bringing him back into the world, she had been drawn to his arrows. She had been drawn to the way the tattoos themselves were drawn over the backs of his hands, up his wrists, disappearing into the ends of his sleeves, and snaking down over the dome of his head. Katara didn’t ask him about them, but the questions welled up in her, stacking up like layers of snow, compressing down until she could think over them, and then they were near-gone. Hidden away in the back of her mind until she could finally reach out and touch the answers.

They were married before she drummed up the courage to sate her fascination. In the time between, she had tried to ignore the ink tracing over his skin as best she could. Not ignore— no, that wasn’t the right word— just— accept. Aang’s arrows are a part of him, his love and his grief worn proudly, like her mother’s necklace. She still wears it. The ribbon changed, it frayed through long ago, but the pendant looks the same as before.

Her necklace is the same, just like the blue ink that stretches down Aang’s spine is the same. It runs the length of his body, endless and unbroken, though the skin underneath still bears the scar she cannot erase. The task of restoring the complicated ink-and-chi designs had been a grueling one, particularly in the unyielding knots that made up the scar tissue decorating Aang’s back like a defensive rose anemone.

read the rest on ao3 here

#kataang #kataangtag #atla #katara #aang #kataang week 2022 #ITS DONE ITS HERE #I KINDA HATE IT BUT IN THAT WAY WHERE I JUST REALLY NEEDED TO BE DONE WITH IT

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sugarqueen-katara · 2 years

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Kataang week day 5 - Power couple

I absolutely love this prompt for kataang, because they really are a power couple.

First off we have Aang… I mean it’s pretty obvious he’s the avatar. What makes him powerful though is that he deals with avatar duties while sticking to his morals.

Now Katara… she often gets overlooked, but I firmly believe she is one of the most talented waterbenders. We see her waterbending get so much better in such a short time. Just with a little guidance she was able to improve quickly.

Not to mention she also knows how to heal, bloodbend and my favourite sweatbend.

These two icons make my favourite power couple.

Not to mention they also have a powerful family:

Bumi -> military commander and later on airbender

Kya -> master waterbender

Tenzin -> councilman, airbender mentor and instructor

We also have the airbender kids

Jinora -> her special connection to the spirit world and it’s spirits

Ikki, Meelo and Rohan are a bit young but still special nonetheless.

#kataang tag #kataang week #kataang #kataang week 2022 #katara #aang #atla #katara x aang #cloudbabies #kataang family #I love them and there family so muchhh #my posts

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thebakingqueen5 · 2 years

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KW 2022: Admiration

Day 1 for Kataang Week 2022 hosted by @kataang-week with the prompt Admiration!

Links: AO3 | FF.net

Summary: Do I seriously have to come up with a new one of these every year? Kataang Week 2022 Day 1: Admiration. He only sees her from a distance, but Aang can’t help but be besotted with admiration.

Word Count: 2.0k

It was an extremely rare instance that the Avatar got an unscheduled holiday, and even rarer so on as beautiful a day as today.

Even at the sparring pool in the center of the island, Aang could hear the waves gently crashing on the shore of Air Temple Island, rolling against the steep cliffsides in the south. Rays of sunlight reflected off the water and warmed his skin from his perch in the doorway facing the pool, which was undulating ever so gently as it rippled with the breeze.

Best of all?

It was quiet.

No nosy nobles questioning when he would be “repopulating the Air Nation,” no dignitaries whining about tea getting on their robes hours after Aang had already done them the courtesy of waterbending it all out, no King Kuei to ask if he could use the pooled world budget to host a birthday party for his pet bear, Bosco.

Absolutely nothing at all, other than the sound of the tides and the soft voice of his fiancee, humming an old Water Tribe song as she waded into the water across the courtyard.

Aang grinned to himself just thinking about it.

Fiancee.

Katara was his fiancee.

He was going to be her husband.

Being able to say those words aloud, to even think them, seemed to make the rest of their difficulties all worth it.

He sighed and leaned onto the frame of the doorway he was standing in, intently watching his fiancee’s graceful movements. Aang may have been the Avatar, but Katara truly was a master of her craft.

Most people assumed that being the Avatar meant that he was the best bender of each element, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth, except for maybe air. While he was certainly on par with most masters of each element, he was no match for the best, which just so happened to include his wife-to-be.

More often than not, Aang had no choice but to be in awe of her waterbending prowess. Sure, he was considered a master waterbender as well and could probably replicate most of what he saw her do well enough, but her abilities went nautical miles beyond that. Everything about the way she effortlessly bent the element to her will, how she seemed to move with the water intuitively, as if on instinct, all while being perfectly in control, never failed to fascinate him.

Her diligence and determination made her practice regiment intensive and methodical, forging Katara into one of, if not the most, formidable waterbenders in the world. Aang would be lying if he said the fame that came with being the Avatar didn’t get to his head every once in a blue moon, but Katara never seemed to falter in how she handled her prestige. No matter where they were, be it a royal ball or getting asked for signatures on a walk around Republic City, Katara always took everything with grace and humility, and Aang swore he fell in love with her all over again every time.

Aang sighed again happily (he seemed to do that a lot when thinking about Katara) before his mind returned to the present. He watched enraptured as she did her warm-up, energizing both her mind and her muscles. Aang had seen the routine countless times over the years, but it still managed to take his breath away every time, which was quite concerning for an airbender.

“First, we start with a simple ball of water,” he could hear Katara saying in his head as the waterbender in question raised an orb accordingly a few dozen feet away.

“It may seem simple, but you have to get the size just right! Too big and you’ll have too much to think about, too little and it won’t be a good warm-up.”

Katara took a slow, deep breath before slowly dividing the water in two. Two became four, then four became eight, and so on as she exhaled, until she had dozens of large droplets floating in the air.

Katara then leaned down, holding the water in place with one hand outstretched as she picked up a stream of water with the other. Aang sucked in a small breath subconsciously when he saw the way Katara flipped back her hair as she guided the water in spirals around her. While her bending was more than enough to make Aang stare, that certainly wasn’t the only thing keeping his eyes attached to her.

His gaze may have been focused on her bending, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t admire everything else about his lovely fiancee: her bindings highlighting the curves of her figure, the hair loopie beads standing out against the rest of her dark, long, wavy hair, the way the deep blue of water brought out a sparkle in her eyes.

Well, the last one he couldn’t technically see, being an Appa and a half away from her, but Aang knew it was there, so he could appreciate it anyways.

Still seemingly unaware of her fiance’s presence, Katara proceeded with her warm-up and brought the spirals around her body into a vertical column above her, freezing it into ice. She did the same to her droplets, elongating them into spokes on the pole with little balls of water on the end before grinning.

With a sharp twist of her wrist, the structure began to spin rapidly, casting a shimmer on the water (and Katara) below it as the sunlight bounced off the glassy orbs like a chandelier. Aang knew the warm-up was nearly at its end, but the last step was his favorite part. After all, he had come up with it.

Katara quickly flexed her hand and swept her arm up, freezing the ends of the spokes and releasing it all high into the air. The ice exploded into thousands of tiny flakes that fell slowly back down into the water. Aang also couldn’t help but notice that some flakes fell onto Katara’s hair as well, making it glitter in the light.

“Woo!” Aang shouted from the doorway, clapping his hands as he trotted down the stairs and knelt down next to the pool. “That was amazing, Tara.”

“I was wondering when you were going to make your presence known,” she replied as she greeted him with a kiss.

Aang’s eyes went wide, and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “You knew I was here the whole time?”

Katara chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Please, I could feel you staring at me the second you walked into the doorway,” making a faint pink tint reach Aang’s cheeks, though he never broke eye contact.

“What can I say? It’s awfully hard not to admire my beautiful and amazing wife-to-be,” he said, resisting the urge to smile when he saw the waterbender blush.

“Well, my dear husband-to-be,” Katara continued as she looked up at him and rested her arms on the stone deck, “your wife-to-be would like you to join her in the pool if you would be so willing to do her the honor?”

Aang stood back up and bowed dramatically, eliciting a short chuckle from the waterbender. “Your wish is my command.”

Aang quickly shed his outer clothing and took a few steps back. Katara groaned, knowing what he was about to do, scrunching her nose and shielding her face with her hands preemptively.

Without another word, Aang ran at full speed towards the pool, jumping once he got to the edge and using his airbending for more lift and a bigger splash.

“CANNONBALL!”

Aang hit the surface of the pool at full speed, the resulting splash taller than he was. His head popped up out of the water like Momo smelling moon peaches, and he wiped his face with his hands, smiling with that crooked grin that Katara loved so much.

She shook her head and sighed affectionately. “Some things never change.”

“Sorry, Tara. It feels like it’s been an eternity since I last did that.”

Katara chuckled as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Mmm, that’s interesting cause I could’ve sworn you did that two days ago when we waterbended together,” Katara tilted her head in thought. “And then there was that time three days before that, then again last week…”

“And that’s why I said it feels like an eternity,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to her nose. “Two days is a long time!”

They both laughed at that as Aang returned Katara’s embrace and rested his arms on her hips, the two of them just enjoying a moment of comfortable silence.

“Now look who’s staring,” Aang murmured as he caught her gaze never quite seeming to go above his neck. Katara blushed furiously and looked up at him.

“You started it,” she replied quietly, affectionately noting the amused sparkle in his stormy eyes. “Besides, what were you even doing for that long staring at me?”

“Hey, I wasn’t staring. I was… admiring.”

“Admiring?” Katara raised an eyebrow. “And what, pray tell, is the difference?”

“Well, I’ll have you know,” Aang began matter-of-factly, “admiration goes much deeper than simple staring.”

“Mhm.”

“Staring is shallow,” he said dramatically. “Superficial, even!”

“So all your staring was completely innocent?”

“It wasn’t staring!! It was admiration. Humor me for a second here.”

She rolled her eyes, fighting the grin trying to find its way onto her face. “Go on.”

Aang smiled. “The way the breeze went through your hair,” he said softly. “The way the sunlight shone on your skin, absolutely everything about your waterbending. You always move with such grace and elegance all while knowing you could probably beat whatever opponent you were against in a minute flat. Maybe I was staring a little, but how could I not admire the most talented and beautiful person in the world?”

Katara’s heart melted a little. She had been teasing him, but she didn’t expect such a sweet, genuine answer.

“Stop that, it’s not fair.”

Aang looked quizzically at her. “What’s not?”

“Here I am making fun of you and you have to go ahead and make me fall even more in love with you,” she pouted.

He laughed softly, pulling Katara closer in. “All’s fair in love and war.”

She tilted her head to look at Aang, unable to hold back a smile as she leaned in to kiss him.

“Let it stand for the record that your bending has the same effect on me,” Katara said quietly once they broke apart. “Air and earth especially. Something about the way you always manage to have fun while doing it, no matter how hard the exercises or how focused you seem to be. It makes my heart skip a beat.”

“And I’m sure the fact that I mostly bend shirtless helps with that, hmm?” Aang teased.

She giggled. “Maybe a little bit.”

“Please, I can feel you admiring me from our room in the tower you know? The floors are all stone.”

“Then we make a perfect pair- two of the most skilled benders in the world who both fail at the slightest bit of discretion.”

“Two of the most skilled benders in the world who happen to be too hopelessly in love to be effectively discreet,” Aang amended.

Katara giggled, sighing and pressing the side of her head to his chest. “What ever are we going to do with each other then, so hopelessly in love?”

Aang grinned as he returned her embrace and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Simple, we get married.”

“Well that shouldn’t be too hard considering we’ve already planned most of it,” she laughed, turning her head to look up at him.

“I want to admire you for the rest of our lives,” Katara murmured.

“I want to get caught admiring you in a failed attempt to be discreet for the rest of our lives,” Aang replied just as quietly with a smile. “And somehow, I think that can be arranged.”

Katara grinned, getting up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

“I think so too.”

#kataang week #kataang week 2022 #kataangtag #kataang #kataang fanfic #katara #aang #aang x katara #katara x aang #atla fanfiction #fluff #romance

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flameohotwife · 2 years

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Silence and Sparrowkeets

Yesterday was super busy and I didn't have time to post this here... sorry! Just a slice of domestic kataang/cloud-family life, written for day 6 of @kataang-week, "Quiet Moments/Healing Techniques."

Read on ao3 or ffn, rated T

Sunlight filtered through the curtains of their bedroom, but even Aang didn’t stir. He and Katara were sprawled on their bed, limbs heavy with exhaustion, with a teething Tenzin between them, still half-latched onto his mother’s breast. His eyes were closed, but if his parents dared to move him even the slightest bit, he would wail and wake his siblings and the chaos would begin again. They’d learned this the hard way—twice—during the night.

Tenzin had shown signs of teething for weeks but everything had come to a head the previous day, and he’d been inconsolable. None of their other children had been this distraught at the eruption of their teeth, and Aang and Katara were at a loss. They tried everything. Katara had kept a steady supply of ice wrapped in cloth for him to chew on and numb his aching gums, but it only lasted so long. She’d tried mixing some herbs for pain relief. Aang had offered him all his favorite toys, including a special Air Nomad teething pendant he had carved for him (just as he had for their other children). When Katara’s herbal pain relief wore off they tried a traditional Air Nomad remedy—a paste made from flowers that grew among the Patola mountains. They both took turns carrying him everywhere swaddled against their bodies as they went about their duties for the day, but nothing worked.

Tenzin hadn’t napped for more than ten minutes straight, either, which only worsened his mood. The only thing that seemed to help for any period of time was nursing. The suction gave him some relief, and the skin-to-skin contact offered comfort, but he didn’t always want the milk that came with it, and he kept spitting out the fake rubber nipple she offered, which he had previously taken to with gusto.

When nighttime came, Tenzin was still unable to sleep. He tossed and turned; every movement inciting a new round of screams from his tiny body. His temperature was rising, and Katara had taken him out of bed at one point to give him a lukewarm bath. When his screams woke Kya, she wandered into her parents’ room, rubbing her eyes with chubby little fists, asking what was wrong with the baby.

“He’s just getting his teeth in,” Katara explained gently while she bounced and rocked a fussy, nursing Tenzin. “It can hurt quite a bit, though, and crying is the only way he can tell us something’s wrong. Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot we can do to make him feel better.”

“You didn’t like getting your teeth in, either, Penguin,” Aang chuckled sleepily from beside Katara before getting up to walk Kya back to her room. Katara could hear his joints popping as he stretched. “Bumi kept asking if he could sleep outside so he wouldn't hear you cry. I’m sorry you got woken up. Do you want another story or a cuddle?”

“Yes, pease, Daddy” she mumbled as Aang scooped her up. “Feel better, Tenzy,” Kya called in concern over Aang’s shoulder. Despite her exhaustion, Katara smiled at them as they walked out the door and down the hall. At some point Aang had returned and they had both fallen into a fitful semblance of sleep, creating a protective nest with their bodies around their youngest son.

Now, Katara’s heavy eyelids fluttered open out of habit (and against her will); this was the time in the morning when Tenzin normally woke for the day, demanding to nurse and unable to fall back to sleep. Her stomach grumbled. Even though Tenzin showed no signs of stirring after such a long, sleepless night, and she knew he needed the sleep, her body wasn’t going to allow her that luxury, it seemed.

Her stomach complained again, louder this time, and she heard Aang inhale sharply. Even with his eyes still closed, she could see that he was waking up. Every muscle in his body flexed and stretched as minimally as possible so as not to wake Tenzin, and his face started to scrunch up to block out the sun that was shining directly onto his face. Finally, he sighed heavily and peeked one eye open.

He smiled when he saw Katara staring back at him. They didn’t often get these early morning moments together anymore, now that they were parents. Bumi, Kya, and especially Tenzin were early risers like their father (although Bumi had become less-so as he grew older), so it was rare for Katara to wake before one of the children. Instead, she woke to them, immediately having to put on her mom hat and get right to work with Aang to keep them safe and fed and learning and in line. So she cautiously stretched and breathed in the silence.

Until her stomach growled a third time.

Aang stifled his laugh with his hand, and ever-so-slowly crept out of the bed. “I’ll go get you something to eat,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “You’re going to need to eat everything in the kitchen after all the nursing Tenzin did last night.”

Katara chuckled and nodded in agreement, looking at the sleeping infant. His breathing had evened out significantly in the last few hours, and he seemed to finally be in a deep enough sleep that she could try to move away from him. “Can you hand me Tenzin’s pacifier?” she asked quietly. He reached over to the bedside table and passed it to her. She smiled at him in thanks as he tiptoed out the door, cushioning his steps with airbending even more than usual.

Nervously, Katara slid her finger along Tenzin’s lip to unlatch him from her breast and quickly replaced her own nipple with the rubber one in his mouth. He pouted a little, but his eyes remained closed (thank the Spirits), and soon enough he settled back to sleep. He had really worn himself out.

As silently as possible, Katara got up from the bed and changed her clothes, and did a quick wash-up with her bending water without leaving the room so she could make sure Tenzin didn’t roll off the bed. She breathed a sigh of relief at no longer smelling of sour milk—at least for the next couple of hours. She had just finished combing her hair when Aang walked in with a plate of cut fruit, some jook, and tea to share, and a bag of seal jerky for Katara on a stone tray.

“Thank you,” she whispered, standing up to kiss his cheek as he set the tray down on her vanity. Aang wrapped his arms around her, wordlessly trying to offer her some strength after such a depleting day, with no restorative sleep.

Katara found herself melting into his embrace for a long moment, as the sparrowkeets sang their morning song outside their window. She inhaled his comforting scent one more time before separating to sit down to her morning feast.

Aang gathered a few cushions and they made a makeshift table out of her vanity stool as they sat cross-legged on the floor, eating quietly together. Katara couldn’t remember the last time they’d shared breakfast, just the two of them.

“Where are Bumi and Kya?” she asked suddenly. They were usually up by now.

“Still asleep,” Aang said, laughing softly when Katara’s eyes widened dramatically. “I checked on them while the jook was cooking—I think they got about as much sleep as we did last night, with all of Tenzin’s crying.”

“Ugh, you’re right. Hopefully they’ll sleep late and catch up on their rest.”

Aang nodded as he took another bite of his breakfast. They sat in near silence for a long time as they finished their food and tea. Only the sounds of their spoons scraping the bottoms of their bowls, the clank of the teacups when they set them back on the tray, and the sparrowkeets in the background filled the air. Occasionally Tenzin would snuffle and whine, but he remained thankfully, blessedly asleep.

When they finished their meal, Katara scooted around to lean against Aang, keeping her eye on Tenzin. Aang wrapped his arm around her and squeezed gently. Now that they had three kids to take care of, it was even harder to find time and energy to reconnect like this, but Katara could always feel his love for her in his touch. Even if their only interaction for the day was when he kissed her goodbye before going off to a day of meetings, it never felt routine or normal; his kiss was always so full of his feelings for her. His hand on her back could take her out of the moment and remind her just how much he cherished her.

It wasn’t uncommon for the two of them to communicate through touch this way, especially since they’d become parents. A certain look and a squeeze of the hip could say “I want you” more deeply than words ever had. A gentle hand to the face could say “I’m worried about you” more clearly. A hug could say so many things, depending on the tightness, the length, where they put their hands…

In this moment, Katara could feel Aang’s touch saying something like, “that was hard, but we made it.”

Katara nuzzled her head into his chest to say, “I don’t know if I could have made it without you.”

Aang’s chest shook as he laughed silently in agreement; he knew he couldn’t have made it without her. Through almost anything in this life. He pressed another kiss to the top of her head.

Despite their lack of sleep, this quiet moment together recharged them, as the other’s presence always had. During the war, just having Katara by his side gave Aang strength and hope. Aang’s presence did the same for Katara. So when the sounds of Bumi clanging around in the kitchen looking for breakfast reached their ears, and when Kya stumbled sleepily out of her room, and when Tenzin’s cries filled the air again… they knew they could handle it—all of it—as long as they were together.

#kataang week 2022 #quiet moments #healing techniques #kataang #kataangtag #kataang fanfic #cloud family #baby teething #breastfeeding #exhausted parents

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kataang-source · 2 years

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happy kataang week!! here’s art drawn by the very talented artist itsavataraang on instagram. please go check out aang’s page!

@kataang-week

#kataang #atla #avatar the last airbender #aang #katara #artist: itsavataraang #kataang week 2022

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shameaboutthedilettantism · 2 years

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So I Wait for You Chapter 2

written for Kataang Week 2022 hosted by @kataang-week

Day 2 Prompt: Just Friends

“Hey, Katara, why are you still asleep?” came the annoyingly perky voice of her roommate, Meng.

Katara surfaced slowly from sleep, where she'd been dreaming something warm and pleasant that dissipated so quickly it was gone by the time her eyes squinted blearily open. “Huh?” she queried, voice slumber-roughened.

Then she bolted upright. Her room was bright with morning, each corner illuminated by sunshine. A golden glow surrounded Meng's darkened silhouette and slashed bars of light across the wall behind her. What time was it? Why hadn't her alarm gone off? She patted her nightstand desperately, trying to find her phone so she could figure out how late she was.

Meng's snort of laughter stilled her hand. Katara growled, low and long, the sound rumbling in her throat and soothing her irritation. When would she learn?

After heaving a disgusted sigh, Katara asked “It's Saturday, isn't it?”

Meng's peals of laughter increased in volume. In honking chortles, Meng taunted “I can't believe you fell for it again! You are so gullible! C'mon, get up anyway. Sokka brought pastries.”

Well, that was something worth getting out of bed for, even if it was early on a Saturday. Her brother's girlfriend Suki worked in Republic City's best bakery, Akiko's Kitchen. The couple who owned the shop were of mixed nationality, Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, and their offerings combined the best of both cuisines. Whenever Sokka drove Suki into work he came home with a delicious selection of treats for his housemates. It made rooming with her brother almost bearable.

Katara couldn't wait to see what he'd brought home today. She flung her covers aside and hopped out of bed. Meng backed into the hallway when Katara leaped up, which was a good thing because her room wasn't really big enough for two people to stand in it. On her way out of the room, Katara snatched her robe off its hook. Yawning as she wrapped the robe around her short nightgown, she trailed after Meng.

They followed the delicious smells of yeast and butter and sugar into the surprisingly updated and airy kitchen of their small rental house. The large window over the sink was open and allowed a fresh morning breeze to waft through the room.

As ever, feeling the breeze on her face made her think of Aang. She rubbed her breastbone, where the ache of missing him centered. Since he's brought up their first meeting while chatting last week, the ache of missing him had intensified. She hated being away from her best friend for so long. This was their longest separation.

Texting back and forth and chatting on Discord didn't quite fill the void she'd lived with for over a year now. Text on a screen could never be as wonderful as seeing his face and feeling the pure comfort of his hand in hers. She closed her eyes and pictured his bright smile in response their homey kitchen. He'd love the steamed red bean buns and the fruit pies, too, even if the latter paled in comparison to Gyatso's. Aang's guardian made fruit pies that transcended the form, the apotheosis of fruit pies. Oooh, maybe she could give Gyatso a call later and ask him to ship her some!

Rather than continue to wallow in her sorrows, Katara did what she thought Aang would want. She redirected her mind from the thoughts causing her distress and focused on the food, on Sokka, and on Meng.

“Hey Sokka” she greeted her brother, who was stuffing his face while scribbling formulas onto a napkin. “What are you writing and do you want some real paper?”

Sokka shrugged. “Nah, this is fine. I just figured out the solution to a problem we had in the lab yesterday and I need to write it down before it slips away.” He stood, tucking the encoded napkin into his back pocket. “In fact, I'm about to meet Teo and Jin to finish up. You're welcome for the food.”

Rolling her eyes, Katara muttered “Give a girl a chance. I only rolled out of bed two minutes ago.” The thanks she offered started out grudging, but settled into true gratitude when Sokka smiled and ruffled her hair. Sure, he could be extraordinarily annoying, but she loved him anyway. Even though Suki was probably the person who really deserved their thanks.

She looked a question to Meng, who promptly defended herself. “Don't look at me like that! I thanked him before I went in to wake you up.”

Niceties observed, both girls turned their attention to the basket of food. Meng's hand hovered briefly over the mooncakes before diving in and selecting a cream bun. Katara grabbed one of the neglected mooncakes for herself, and thanked the spirits that Akiko and Chen had decided to offer the rich treats year round when they proved so popular during the moon festival.

She closed her eyes and hummed in happiness as she bit into the cake. The slight sweetness of lotus seed paste was quickly overwhelmed by the salty, savory flavor of the egg yolk in the center. Absolutely delicious.

Across the table from her, Meng shoved half of her pastry into her mouth and made obscene noises as she chewed it. An odd look came into her eyes, a gleam of remembered mischief, and she sat straighter and waved for Katara's attention.

Covering her mouth, Meng mumbled around a mouthful of bread “Oooh, oooh, I just remembered something I wanted to show you!” Swallowing audibly, she added “You still like guys, right? Your awful ex didn't make you swear them off forever?”

Katara thought briefly of Jet, the awful ex in question. She shuddered, delicately and briefly, then nodded firmly. “Still into male-type-people,” she clarified, “simply choosing to admire from afar for now.”

Meng grinned brightly “Well, that's for the best because this one is so out of reach. In Ba Sing Se or something. Here, let me bring up the video and we can admire from afar together.” Fiddling with her phone Meng explained further, “A friend sent me this Tik Tok and this guy is literally the hottest man on the planet. Maybe on any planet. Spirits, you have to see him.”

Katara nibbled on more of her breakfast while Meng continued to tap at her phone. Finally the other girl stood and motioned Katara to her side. She held the phone so they could both see it.

Tik Tok was open and displayed the results of Meng's search for “handstand challenge.” The top result on the left caught her eye. In it, a young man appeared in profile, balanced easily on his hands, toes pointed nonchalantly skyward. He wore baggy sweatpants and nothing else and he was utterly beautiful, with sleek, clearly defined muscles and long, long legs. Everything she could see of him was delicious.

So it was no surprise when Meng selected that video and let it play. On her phone, the man lifted a hand from the ground, touching it to one knee as he bent it and brought his pointed toes together. Her vision swam as he deftly spun on his remaining hand, swinging his legs into a near split as he did. Ooh, bendy.

“I don't know how he does it,” Meng murmured wonderingly.

Katara stared in awe, but then squinted and leaned closer to the screen as she caught a flash of blue. He had come to rest in a one-armed handstand, his other arm extended gracefully to the side, legs maintaining their near-split. He had sky blue tattoos marking the chi path along his arm. Instantly she knew the extent and pattern of the inked design. And she knew, too, what the pale blue lines meant.

She whispered “He's airbending. His tattoos are the mark of a master airbender.” She remembered Aang's joy and pride when he'd received his. It broke her heart that airbenders were now so rare people didn't even recognize the marks of his mastery.

Katara continued to stare, unblinking, while he held the pose for a small eternity. As she admired his gratuitous physical beauty she fell headlong into the most impetuous crush she'd ever experienced. The physical signs were unmistakable—her hitching inhale and convulsive gulp against a suddenly dry mouth. Her heart sped fast as the wings of a hummingmoth. Something about the lithe lines of his body woke up every cell in hers. Forget the dry mouth; any moment she thought she might begin to drool.

On screen, the man effortlessly pushed off the ground and landed on one foot. He moved almost too quickly for her to follow as he lay back from that position into a pose that she thought might be impossible without the airbending. Regardless of what bending he used to help out, what his body could do was astounding. The he eased upward briefly before sliding into a deep showy bow, turning slightly toward the camera.

When he straightened from his bow and aimed a devastating grin at the camera Katara sat down hard.

Katara could do nothing but stare at the final frame as the shape of the world trembled and reformed. This alluring vision? The most beautiful man she'd ever seen in her entire life? The guy who she found more viscerally appealing than any other person she'd ever seen? The person who'd just completely rewritten the rules of attraction for her, was Aang, her oldest friend. Her mind struggled to contain this duality. Her best friend. The boy who went penguin sledding with her, who held her tight and cried with her when mom got sick, who knew all her petty thoughts and worst instincts and loved her for them rather than in spite of them, was somehow also this gorgeous creature who encompassed everything she found most attractive in a man. When had that happened? Had he been so beautiful all along? How had she failed to notice? And, most importantly, how could she go back to not noticing?

She surfaced from her shocked silence to find Meng finishing a question whose beginning she'd missed.

“Don't you agree?” Meng asked.

“Umm. What?” Katara asked, haze slowly lifting from her thoughts.

Meng huffed slightly, then repeated herself. “I said, well, of course it's bending, and he can bend me any time! He the absolute hottest, don't you agree?”

Katara quickly shook her head. “No! No, we're just friends.”

Her roommate's brow crinkled in confusion, which she gave voice in a squawked “What? What do you mean? You know him? What's his real name? Is he seeing anyone?” Sudden accusation narrowed her eyes “A friend, huh? Why are you blushing bright red?”

Katara swallowed convulsively. “It's hot in here, isn't it? Let's open the window.” Then she remembered that the window was already open and felt her cheeks heat til she worried they might burst into flame. She also realized that she was still staring at the final frame of the video on Meng's phone, Aang frozen with that sexy smirk. How in La's left gill did Aang have a sexy smirk?

Sexy? They were just friends. She shouldn't be thinking of him as sexy, right? But, objectively, he really was. She had lots of friends who she supposed might be considered sexy. Yue and Haru and Ty Lee were all gorgeous. And yet none of them made her pulse race and her skin heat. But this grown-up Aang definitely did. What did that mean?

She thought about how she and Aang were together. They had shared all their secrets, and he knew her better than anyone, even her family. When they were in the same place, they sat as close together as they could manage. They held hands as often as not. And she had no idea how many times she'd kissed his cheek, but she could almost feel the smooth warmth of his skin against her lips when she thought of him. Those were friendly things, right? Sitting near each other and holding hands and cheek kisses? Those could be things people who were just friends did. Right?

Mind distracted by kisses, she wondered how his lips would feel. If she leaned in to kiss his mouth, would he meet her? Did he find her as appealing as she found him? Would he pull her close and hold her tight?

Katara planted her elbows on the table and dropped her forehead into her hands. “Oh no, oh no, oh no. I can't want him! This is going to change everything.”

Meng cackled and turned her phone off. “Okay, Miss I've-sworn-off-men except for the most beautiful man in five nations, you're going to talk, and you're going to talk now, you floozy.”

With every ounce of feeling she had, Katara groaned “Monkeyfeathers.”

~o~o~o~

Aang stared at his text message screen, debating. After many moments of hesitation, he decided this conversation needed a more personal touch. He wiped the sweat from his palms and tapped in one of the numbers he knew by heart.

“Hey, Aang. What do you need?” Sokka's voice communicated intense curiosity.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck, glad his friend couldn't see the obvious tell for Aang's nervous state. “Why do you think I need something? I didn't say I need anything.”

“Dude. You know I don't talk on the phone. You'd text anything that wasn't urgent or sensitive. So. Tell me what you need.” Aang could almost hear Sokka rolling his eyes.

“Okay, you're right. I need a place to stay in Republic City for a few nights.” Aang spoke quickly, before he could lose his resolve.

Rather than respond flippantly or dig for further information, Sokka's voice went completely earnest. “You always have a place wherever I am, Aang. I will never forget how you and Gyatso were there for Katara, for our whole family, when we lost mom. Anything you need, you got it.”

Aang's eyes burned and he blinked rapidly. With a quick sniff and clearing of his throat, he explained the need. “I'm transferring to URC next semester and there are some things I have to do in person. I'll be there in two weeks.”

Sokka actually squealed, his unusual gravity a thing of the past. “That is amazing! What did Katara say? I can't believe she didn't tell me! She must be so happy! Is that why she's been weirder than usual the past few days? But, no, she-”

Aang, tired of waiting for a pause, broke in. “She doesn't know! Please, don't tell her.”

There was a long silence during which Aang could almost hear Sokka shaking his head in confusion. An indrawn breath, then nothing. Sokka waited. Aang waited.

Then he caved. “I thought I might surprise her. You know, just show up and tell her in person? So I can get one of her famous Katara hugs? Is that a bad idea? Won't she be happy to see me?” Aang's resolve faltered a bit.

Sokka chuckled. “Idiot,” he said fondly, “she'll be ecstatic. Hey, if you're getting in Friday night, you should come to the swim team end-of-season party! I'll send you directions and you can surprise her there. Maybe a party would help with her pissy mood, too.”

#my writing #kataang week #kataang week 2022 #day 2 #prompt: just friends #college AU

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