Kataang Stories

Palpitations

Takes place 2 years after the war. Aang is 15, Katara is 16.

It was a pretty good day. The Gaang was visiting Ba Sing Se for some meetings with the general, and were given one of the nicer apartments in the city for the few days they were here. Aang felt grateful that his room, which he was sharing with Katara, was on the top floor and out of earshot of Sokka and Suki; mostly because they wouldn't have to hear whatever intimate activities they would be up to. Aang doubted that would be a concern for him and Katara. They made out all of the time, sometimes moving to second base, but Aang was very careful about respecting her boundaries and moving at her pace.

Aang sorted through his belongings, which were very few, and changed into some comfortable shorts with no shirt. He turned to look in the mirror. Aang had been developing rapidly, his muscles pronounced throughout his arms and his chest. He was already taller than Katara, and his face was starting to shapen. He looked at his gray eyes, giving himself an unspoken pep talk for his physique, wondering if Katara would notice him tonight.

The view from his room was incredible. It was getting late, and he could see all of the city lights from a 360 view. He sat on his bed and looked out the window, watching the city as he reflected on their day. After their meetings they went shopping in the heart of the city, attempting to disguise themselves as best as they could to avoid interruptions from citizens. Of course, this didn't prevent the occasional shop owner from recognizing him and offering him tea and refreshments. He would bow to them and thank them for their generosity and politely decline, but always made sure to ask them about their business and their family. He loved meeting citizens around the world, but in moderation.

He thought about how good Katara looked, unconsciously closing his eyes as he replayed memories of her smile and her dress and how soft her hand felt as he held it. Aang had been perfecting his supersonic hearing, a fact that he kept to himself, and became acutely aware of Katara bathing downstairs. His mind started to think about what her skin looked like as she rubbed it with soap...

He took a deep breath. "Relax, Aang," he thought to himself. Normally, he would only let his mind think about these things when he was sure that he would have alone time to relieve himself. He wanted to be appropriate with her tonight and make sure she felt comfortable. He wouldn't be able to do that if he followed that train of thought, so he tried to think about other things.

He tried to review the discussion from the meeting today. The general wanted to develop a more efficient communication system between nations, and Katara mentioned the messenger hawks that the fire nation used. Her voice was so confident, her lips looked so soft...

Aang groaned in frustration, shaking his head. Teenage hormones were brutal, and he felt like it only got worse as he grew older. He instead focused on the different buildings he could spot, thinking about how many different lives and stories lived within these walls.

His ears perked up as he heard Katara coming up the stairs. He froze, trying to look as natural as possible, wondering for a moment if she was able to read his thoughts.

She emerged from the door, smelling of flowers and hair slightly damp. She was wearing a nightgown, her cheeks rosy red from the warmth of her bath. Aang gulped.

"Hey," was all he could muster.

"Hey," she replied, then looked around the room. "Wow, it's beautiful. You can see the whole city from up here."

"I know, isn't it amazing?" Aang tried to be lively, hopefully to mask the thoughts he was having earlier. "I've been looking out of the window for a while now."

"Well, I'm sorry to have left you alone for so long," Katara teased, giving him a smile as she put her dress from today back with her belongings. "Is this seat taken?"