This came about in like... half an hour. I don't know why. It just did.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar
Aang, for the three years Katara had known him, had changed a great deal physically. He was tall and handsome, his voice even and calm. Mentally, however, he had changed very little. He thrived on excitement, but was still easy-going. He could roll with the punches, so to speak, but he could assert himself when need be. He was cheerful more often than not, but his responsibility to the world could get him flustered.
Whenever Katara thought she had him figured out, he would say or do something that made her heart race and the heat rise to her cheeks, and all of her theories were thrown out the window. When he spoke to her, it seemed like he was dancing in circles around her, taunting her with his thoughts and feelings that she didn't know.
Katara, on the other hand, had always thought herself to be very direct. She could be mysterious and infuriating when she wanted to, but that was just because she was a teenage girl. She couldn't help herself.
She didn't think she had changed much since the end of the war. She was still direct. She was still stubborn. She still knew how to get what she wanted, using either charm or force, but in neither situation would she sacrifice her dignity. She was proud, and she was strong. She didn't think that would ever change.
Unfortunately, things weren't changing between her and Aang either. And that wasn't what she wanted at all.
The war had been over for two years. Katara had stayed with Aang, travelling the world on Appa's back as they had for the past year, attending to the duties of the Avatar. It took Sokka one month to realize he couldn't settle back into civilian life. It only took Toph twelve days. So the four of them were Team Avatar again. But in those twelve days before Toph rejoined the cause, Katara found herself shocked by what happened between herself and Aang.
Nothing.
Nothing had happened at all.
And it drove her crazy.
There had always been something between them. Call it tension, call it chemistry, whatever it was, it was there. It had been since the day they met, it had just taken her a little longer to notice it. During the war, she knew better than to expect anything. After all, he had a world to save, and his only help was coming from three teenagers, a flying bison, and a lemur. But with the war at an end, she wasn't crazy to think that he would have at least tried to kiss her during those twelve days alone.
At first she thought he just wasn't interested. But that was just the doubt talking. After all of the hints he had dropped over the past year, there was no way. Then she thought he was nervous. But as the days wore on, she realized he was more relaxed than she had ever seen him. The only option left was that he was being polite and waiting for a while. But really, if he was trying to be a gentleman about the whole thing, he was doing a terrible job.
In fact, he was practically teasing her.
Whenever he looked at her, just casual glances over his shoulder from Appa's head, she blushed. There was heat in his gaze that she didn't recognize. They way he smiled at her made her feel like she was the only person who existed in his life, and it usually caused her heartbeat to skyrocket. Every so often he would find an excuse to touch her. Just placing a casual hand on her back or her shoulder, brushing her hair from her eyes, taking her hand to lead her off somewhere, undoubtedly to see some strange animal or curious landmark.
So between his eyes and his hands and his smile, he made it perfectly clear that he was interested.
He just wouldn't do anything about it.
And then Toph and Sokka came back, and their time alone was over. So it had been for two years.
Until one night, at a big formal affair in Ba Sing Sei, when Katara ran out of patience.
And really, considering the fact that Aang was intent on dancing around her in circles, and Katara was still so direct, he shouldn't have been surprised at all.
Aang was speaking to someone important. Katara could tell by the way he was standing. He looked a little bored, and every so often he would try to focus on something far away to make it seem like he had something else to do on the other side of the room. It wasn't working, apparently, because this important person was still talking. So Aang fixed his attention on the beautiful young waterbender standing halfway across the chattering crowd.
Katara felt the warmth in her cheeks and took a long, slow breath. He smiled a little. He was giving her the look.
She snapped.
She pushed her drink into Sokka's hands and strode across the room, deaf to her brother's questions. She completely ignored anyone trying to address her, and anyone in her way. In a few moments, she was right beside him, his attention still on her. She grabbed him by the front of his robes and pulled him toward her, stopping when there was very little space left between them and surprising everyone in a five foot radius. She sent his heated gaze right back at him.
"Kiss me," she said quietly, but with enough force to let him know she wasn't kidding.
Judging by the smile on his face, she had been right in thinking he wouldn't be surprised.
And judging by the way he kissed her, he was most definitely interested.
She was having trouble focusing on anything in particular. His hands and tongue and lips were all competing for her attention.
So was Sokka, shouting as he fought his way through the crowd to pull the Avatar off of his little sister, but she saw no good reason to pay any attention to Sokka when she had Aang to focus on.
It hadn't occurred to her that this was perhaps not the best place for their first real kiss. But after three years of waiting, she was way past caring about such a thing as location. Of course, all of the stuffy nobles cared about the location, and apparently found it highly improper for the Avatar to be kissing the waterbender so… energetically, right in the middle of a party.
Fortunately for the stuffy nobles, and Sokka, Aang and Katara managed to pull themselves apart after several minutes, still heedless to all of the indignant mutterings around them. Aang smirked at her.
"Took you long enough," he murmured.
Katara stared at him. "Please tell me you're kidding," she hissed, tilting her head forward and kissing him again. He didn't let it last very long, pulling back again and smiling.
"Yeah, I'm kidding," he sighed. "And I'm sorry for teasing you. I was trying to be a gentleman and give us some time, but..."
She tilted her head a little, smiling. "But?"
"Okay, so I'm still a little shy," he admitted. "Every time I thought of making a move, I got all nervous…"
Katara smirked, drawing him closer. "How about now?" she whispered, pulling him into a third kiss and drawing more angry murmurings from the party-goers.
"I'm pretty sure you knocked the shy right out of me," he muttered against her lips. She laughed, and he joined in after a few moments.
"I think it's time for us to go," Katara said quietly, taking his hand.
Aang sighed with relief, casting a glance around at the angry nobles. "Took you long enough," Aang laughed.