Kataang Week, Day 1

Prompt: Umbrella

Learning to Love It

Aang never liked the rain.

Given such a fact, he always preferred to watch Katara have her joyous fill of it instead. It was her element, after all, and like anyone else she loved to play with it. Today was no different.

They'd been in the middle of a game of tag when it had begun to downpour, catching a disappointed Aang—for their game to end—and a thrilled Katara. Claiming he was too cold to play in the water anymore, Aang found a spot to sit under a tall oak tree—the perfect observing point.

A smile flitted to his lips. He'd only been here for a minute already…but even so, it cheered him up a bit to see his waterbending master lose all sense of responsibility and have fun for a while the moment heaven decided to let a few drops spill.

"I wish it could be like this all the time!" Katara laughed delightedly, spinning across the muddy field and bringing streams and splatters of water with her. "Isn't the rain wonderful, Aang?"

"Yes," he agreed, continuing to watch her dance. "It's almost like air and water together," Aang said thoughtfully. "It couldn't rain without the sky."

Katara smiled at him, and came to a slow halt in her turning. "Then come out here with me, you sky-loving airbender!" she called, grinning. "Or have you forgotten to love the rain?"

Aang blinked. He had to admit, rain wasn't his favorite thing in the world.

But who was he to deny his waterbending master such a simple request?

Breaking out into a grin, Aang leapt up. "Teach me, Sifu Katara!"

"All right." Katara looked out at Aang with mock sternness. "This is an important lesson to learn, pupil Aang!" With a deep breath, Katara carefully drew a bubble of water from the buckets dumping around them. "Watch carefully!" Katara manipulated the fluid into a sleek gush of water, and all at once slung it at Aang with a great matter of force.

Spluttering, Aang found himself dunked—more so than he'd been before, and that was saying something. But as always, he was ready to play.

"I think I can master it quickly enough," he grinned, wringing out his shirt. "Given the proper...practice!" As he spoke, Aang rose up a wall of water behind them, collecting from every raindrop in the near vicinity. Katara gasped as it dumped over her, soaking her down to her very bones.

Water sprayed as she shook her hair free, braid and hair loopies coming undone. Aang drew in a quick breath as he took in the sight—he had to admit, Katara looked beautiful with her hair down.

"You do learn quickly," Katara appraised. "But can you handle a snow storm?" She dramatically began whisking her hand around the cool air, breathing into it a frosty cloud. When the water was still a slushy white, not quite melted, she dumped it right on top of him.

"Arrgh!" Aang couldn't see through the blaze of white, and through his own laughter. They hadn't had fun like this in ages. But after a moment, he found himself shivering, and soon after that, coughing.

"Oh, Aang!" All at once the snow vanished from his midsts. "I'm so sorry!" Katara apologized quickly, giving him a quick hug, whether as part of the apology or as a quick way to warm him up Aang couldn't tell. "You'll probably catch a cold from all of this."

"Of course I won't," Aang reassured her, still smiling, and making sure to keep the hug going for as long as he could. "It was fun, Katara. I'm glad we did it." With jolt, Aang let out a huge sneeze. "Though it would be nice to get out of the rain," he added, wiping his nose as Katara pulled away.

"Hm..." Her brow furrowed in thought, she glanced around the clearing until she noticed their packs, hidden away under the trees and away from the rain.

Wait—I know I've got an umbrella in my bag!" Katara realized quickly. Aang couldn't help feeling disappointed that their game was over, but soon realized that Katara was raising her hands high in the air for some reason either than to celebrate and cheer "Hooray!"

The Avatar watched, captivated, as the rain above them stopped in midair. Using one hand to keep the droplets suspended, Katara soon found snapped open her umbrella. "You'll catch a cold in the rain—come on."

Aang came.

Standing under the techincolored umbrella, they watched the rain fall around them.

"You know," Katara commented, eyes on her native element as it surrounded them both, "I never liked the rain before I met you, Aang. I never knew how to have fun with it. But now I can't get enough of it." Blushing slightly, she commented, "You've changed my life so much...and for the better, too."

Quickly, his waterbending master bent down to give him a peck on the cheek. Flushing, Aang looked away.

"So..." He swallowed. "You love the rain, huh?"

"Uh-huh." Katara smiled at him, cheeks tinged red but soon paling to normal. "I love the rain because of you."

And from that moment on, Aang loved the rain, too.

A/N: Kataang fluff! :D But Zuko's seen what Katara can do, I only thought it would be fair if Aang did, too...