AN: So, this is my first published fanfic :D Tell me what you think :)
I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Aang couldn't believe it. About a year ago, he was still trapped in an iceberg, somewhere near the South Pole. And now . . .

He gazed upon the city, feeling the peace and tranquility emanating from it. And he felt the same. He had fulfilled his duties as Avatar, mastered all 4 elements (though he could use a few more snazzy bending tricks), defeated Fire Lord Ozai without killing him and saved, or, in ancient traditional language, "restored balance" to the world,. Not bad for a 12-year-old kid.

He remembered something all of a sudden and started counting in his mind. Then he looked up at the sky, where the stars were just beginning to come out. Yes, if his astronomical knowledge was correct, today was his birthday. He was officially thirteen years old.

He thought about how much of a coincidence it was that the war ended on his birthday. Thirteenth at that. He had heard about how thirteen was an unlucky number, but he dismissed the thought. Why should he believe in those fortune-telling things?Aunt Wu was wrong, wasn't she? About the volcano?

Not just about the volcano, he thought, and his heart deflated. He remembered what he had overheard about Katara's fortune back when their journey was just starting. You will marry a powerful bender, Aunt Wu had said. He had been ecstatic at that time, but now all he felt was hurt, disappointment, and betrayal. Aunt Wu was wrong. Or maybe she wasn't. Aang hated to think who this other "powerful bender" could be.

But whoever it was, it didn't matter. It wouldn't change the fact that Katara didn't love Aang the way he loved her. Young as he was (or old, he wasn't quite sure), he knew what love was. He knew what he felt for Katara wasn't some childhood crush or passing infatuation that would melt away after some time. The play they had watched on Ember Island had lots of mistakes, but it got one thing right: she only loved him as a little brother. And that wouldn't change. He had tried to make a move, and it had backfired badly. There wasn't any hope. The same way there wasn't any hope for him to get over her either.

How frustrating it was for him, that he had accomplished everything except getting the girl of his dreams. The world was at peace, but his heart was not in the slightest.

Then he felt someone watching him. He turned his head and saw her. She looked beautiful in the light of the fading sunset, wearing a loose green dress and with a pink flower in her hair; then again, she looked beautiful in anything. She had her hair down, but kept her signature "hair loopies" as Sokka called them. He liked it; it was sort of a combination of her old hair and her Fire Nation hair.

He had heard that there was nothing more beautiful than a Ba Sing Se sunset, but the girl that stood in front of him was evidence that this was not the case. Her deep ocean-blue eyes were looking right at him. He expected to see a somber expression, since he guessed he was about to confirm the worst.

But she was smiling. A warm, sweet, Katara smile. And Aang couldn't help but smile back. It wasn't only water this girl had complete control of; he was pretty sure she didn't know how much power she had over his heart as well.

She joined him at the edge of the balcony. Their eyes met, and an understanding only best friends were capable of passed through them before they wrapped each other in a tight hug. Even though the poor Avatar didn't want to get his hopes up, his best friend made it really hard for him. He breathed in her scent; she smelled even better with the fragrance of the flower in her hair. He couldn't help but notice how right this seemed; they fit into each other's arms perfectly. He pulled her close, never wanting to let go. But like all things, it came to an end, and when they pulled away a few seconds later, Aang looked away and back at the sunset. Katara did the same.

Aang knew that this was as far as they could go: a friendly hug. That was all.

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Katara turn to him. So he did the same, curious. And yes, maybe it was also because of hope.

Katara was still smiling at him, but there was something different. Her smile was still as sweet as always, but it had a shy edge to it, sort of like the bashful smiles he would give her. It wasn't the one he saw every day, but it made his heart beat as wildly as it did when he saw her usual smile. Maybe even more.

He had only seen that smile once before, back when he had that dance party in the cave. It was the smile she gave him after he had told her not to worry about the people watching them.

He also noticed a pretty blush on her cheeks. A question he couldn't answer ran through his mind. Why was she blushing?

All he wanted to do was to kiss her right there and then. But he stopped himself, remembering how much he had hurt her the last time he gave in to that urge. If it was a choice between Katara or him getting hurt, he would take the latter anytime.

But to his absolute shock, the waterbender turned to him and leaned closer. He felt his heart do a backflip and wondered if he was really awake or still recovering in some infirmary.

He didn't take his eyes off hers, and neither did she. Last time they were this close, her eyes had looked shocked and confused. But now, there wasn't a hint of either. The way she looked at him . . . . Aang could only describe it as the way he looked at her ever since they met. Aang could feel himself hoping. Could she have finally decided? Or was she still confused?

He decided to take his chances. He leaned in as well, and the next thing he knew, Katara had leaned even closer until their lips met.

It took a while for it to sink in. Katara. Was. Kissing. Him. Her hands rested on his cheek, and then she wrapped them around his neck, pulling him closer. He had his arms around her waist.

He felt absolute bliss, and finally felt completely at peace, in both mind and heart. There was no feared Fire Nation army, or comet, or war to distract them anymore. They were finally together.

He finally realized the truth in Katara's words to him so long ago. It was meant to be. Had he not been frozen in the iceberg for a hundred years, he would never have defeated Fire Lord Ozai, he would have never met his friends, and most of all, he would have never met Katara.

So, he had gotten trapped in an iceberg, travelled the world, died, come back to life, defeated the Fire Lord/Phoenix King, ended the war, basically saved the world, and gotten the girl he loved to realize she loved him back.

Not bad for thirteen years old.