#the moon the ocean and everything in between

[crashingmeteorz]

the moon, the ocean, and everything in between (a yuaangtara au)

a beautiful, wholesome, and all-consuming idea submitted by the ever big-brained @earringsokka for my 100 Followers Celebration!

yue lives, obviously, and escapes the north with the gaang. in this au she is a waterbender, as a sort of au of an au (the northern master).

nothing happens really, between the three of them during the war. aang has a crush on katara, yue has a crush on katara, and katara has a crush on both of them, so obviously it’s a little complicated for a trio of young teenagers to figure out. plus, the age difference between aang and yue is such that they wouldn’t really consider it until they’re older (similar to how i view zukaang).

but years pass, and hey, they’re older. katara is helping her father rebuild the southern water tribe, yue is traveling the world learning all about spiritual matters, and aang is doing his avatar thing. aang often visits the south pole, and katara often joins him on adventures, sometimes stopping and staying with yue. yue and aang will meet often and grow close over the years, discussing the spirit world and its intricacies. they rarely get to see each other all at the same time, but when a matter at the north pole calls the world’s attention, it’s only natural that all three of them should go.

yue is hesitant - she hasn’t been home in years, she had left her father only an apologetic letter in her stead, and doesn’t know how she’ll be received. but aang and katara tell her it’s the upcoming winter solstice that has them worried - the spirits have been restless and no one knows why. yue has become something of a master of spirits and their workings, and besides, no one would know the north pole spirits better than the girl chosen by the moon. yue agrees to go, once again willing to sacrifice her potential happiness to save her people.

the journey there, however is strange. they’re in the early to mid-20s, and, you know, beautiful. yue has a calmness and sense of purpose that makes her practically glow. katara is confident and joyous - another waterbender has been born to the south pole recently! and aang is pleased and content - much of the fire nation citizen unrest still exists, of course, but it’s been calmed considerably. things are looking up for these three. and they all can’t help but notice how lovely happiness looks on each other.

while katara sleeps, warm and content on appa’s back beneath a blanket, yue fiddles with her dress. she imagines a vicious return, the ghosts of her past no longer haunting her but becoming real, and angry, and hurt. aang notices her troubles and asks her what’s wrong.

“i left the north for such selfish reasons,” yue whispers. “do i even deserve to return?” aang watches her anxious expression, and it reminds him so much of the boy who ran away from his people years ago. he does not tell her not to worry, he does not tell her she is being silly, he does not invalidate her.

aang takes yue’s hand and says “where would you be if you stayed? miserable and trapped? what good would you have been to you people then?” he squeezes yue’s hand, and, impulsively, wipes her tears away with his free hand. she leans into the tenderness of the touch.

“you’re coming back now because it’s the right thing to do. you know that. they’ll be grateful for it, too,” aang tells her gently. yue feels relief pool over her, up her spine and down her limbs until her face is hot with it. she’s definitely not blushing at how strong aang’s arms are when he hugs her. that’s not a factor here, no way.

katara wakes up while they’re mid-hug, and, wanting hugs too, joins them without hesitation. she barely has her eyes open, just gravitates towards their warm bodies. yue’s pretty sure it’s not the relief anymore, that has her feeling so warm and fuzzy.

things are somehow stranger and yet more joyous after that. there’s a tension in the air but it isn’t uncomfortable. aang makes yue laugh like no one ever has - she can’t believe they spent so much time discussing spirits and world politics when he could’ve been doing impressions of master pakku instead. katara brushes yue’s hair out of nowhere, often producing a comb mid-sentence. there’s so much history between katara and aang, and yet yue feels like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be, fitting between them neatly, like a missing puzzle piece.

when they arrive in the north yue is welcomed with open arms, and her father is teary-eyed and apologetic. it’s better than she could have ever hoped. aang and katara watch the reunion a little ways away, and when yue catches their eyes, they look so proud of her. she thinks her heart will burst from how much love it’s holding.

(it doesn’t).

aang and yue work together to resolve the spirit business, aang escorting yue into the spirit world with him and katara keeping them both safe in the physical world. the spirits are restless because they are afraid, because zhao has left them feeling vulnerable. aang and yue reassure the spirits, and return to katara.

chief arnook asks yue to stay, and she agrees. she wants to continue her role as the moon spirit’s charge, she wants to protect and preserve the north while progressing it socially. “how does chief yue sound?” her father asks her after she gives a passionate speech about all her plans for their tribe. “it sounds wonderful,” yue says.

but leaving aang and katara feels like an impossible task. “well, i’m the avatar, and katara’s going to be chief of the south one day,” aang says (“aang, we haven’t voted on that yet.” “then how come everyone introduces me as chief katara’s boyfriend, huh?” “i think sokka started that to mess with you.” “oh. well, joke’s on him, i love it!”). “we’ll have to see each other. for diplomatic reasons, of course,” he argues.

“i suppose,” yue agrees wistfully, not quite catching aang’s drift. “aang’s right,” katara says, “what if we need your help at the air temples! they’re very spiritual places, you know, and they have lovely views.” “yeah,” aang says, “or what if we need your help restoring the spirituality of the fire nation! i mean, it’s hot in the summer but they have amazing beaches. really great, um, spirity beaches.”

“so, vacations?” yue asks in confusion. aang and katara try very hard not to look at their adorable girlfriend like she’s an idiot. “oh!” yue says realizing. “oh, ah, spirity. vacations. very important. yes, i agree. as, um, respective, representatives, of, our, uh-”

“you get the picture,” katara says, kissing yue on the cheek, causing her to blush furiously. “so, next spiritual meeting in a month?” aang asks, kissing her other cheek, and yue, future chief of the northern water tribe, spiritually enlightened princess, master waterbender, thinks she’s gonna die, right here, in the spirit oasis. she doesn’t even mind.

i focused more on yue and aang’s interactions, since i have two whole posts dedicated to yue and katara lol. i love this ship so. much. it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. yue and katara representing the moon and ocean is incredible, but then aang being the bridge between the worlds??? beautiful. perfection. ben, you’re a master of romance.

and that concludes my 100 Followers Celebration event! thank you again to those who participated, and to each of my lovely followers! i have had so much fun these past few months and i hope to bring you more content you’ll enjoy in the future.

love always, candy.