Air To Water
Linda / Imprefectlin / Linables

Ch. 1

(Aang is seventeen here - Katara is nineteen, Sokka is twenty-one.)

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I can't even remember when I first started wanting her.

All I really knew was that for a long time now, I'd taken a different kind of delight in her presence - eagerly watching her every minute that I could. I surprised myself by realizing I'd taken note of the way her hips swung ever-so-slightly as she walked, and the way her chest rose and fell as she was sleeping. Lately I would happily allow her to take Appa's reins as he flew, so I could sit next to her and stare without being preoccupied. And it wasn't just the physical aspect of her, not by a long shot. Over the years I'd gotten to know everything about her personality: her incredible kindness and compassion, her determination as she'd accompanied me on my mission, and many other things that drew me to her.

A tap on my shoulder startled me out of my thoughts, and I looked to my right to see her smiling at me. "Aang," she said. "How 'bout we settle down for the night?" I looked around; our surroundings were beginning to get dark. Judging by the position of the sun, I guessed it might have been eight or nine 'o clock. That would give us plenty of time to make camp, eat something, and possibly watch the stars for a while. I smiled back at her and nodded. We were on our way to a small earth kingdom village in the west, transporting a routine shipment of supplies from back home. I'd volunteered to make the journey with Appa, as it was almost surely the fastest way, and of course Katara and Sokka had volunteered to go with me. It was still a three-to-four day trip, so we needed to make camp along the way.

We descended into a clearing surrounded by trees, and I immediately jumped off of Appa's back to begin unloading our supplies. We carried out the usual routine of setting up camp; I set up the shelter with Sokka, Katara gathered firewood, and we all helped start a fire and something to eat. After we had eaten, I looked up from my spot on the ground to see Katara get up to her feet. "I'm going to take a bath, guys." she said. "I'll be back soon." And with that she turned and dissapeared into the trees, heading for a small lake we'd conviently enough found around the area. I waved to her as she left, and finished off the last few bites of my dinner. I got up to clean up a little, and found myself once again filling my head with unnecessary - but incredibly enjoyable - thoughts. I sighed as I picked up my staff, allowing my mind to wander.

Katara shouldn't have announced that she was going to take a bath. She should have just left. Damn it. Knowing that she was off doing that made me remember an event from several months ago, one that I shouldn't enjoy remembering, but couldn't help doing so. We had been at the South Pole water village - Katara's home village - and she had retreated to the bath house to take a bath. I had been innocently minding my own business, going about some routine elemental bending drills, when I accidentally let my glider drift off as I was deep in thought. I ran over to where it had landed, and as I was picking it up I came level with a window covered by some broken tarp. I caught a glimpse inside the hut it was a part of, and immediately my heart jumped to my throat and my breath stopped, only to return as sharp, quick gasps.

The window led into the women's bath house, which was currenly only occupied by Katara. Her clothes were in a pile on the wooden floor of the hut, next to the inset pool of water in the middle of the room. She herself was standing up in the water, her back currently facing me. She had her arms raised and was squeezing water out of her long, wet hair; some of that water dripping onto her and flowing slowly over the delicate curve of her back, running over her backside and dripping back into the pool. The sheen of the water made her skin glow, painting it an ever more delicious color than it normally was. She turned around and I quickly ducked down, but only far enough to make myself unseen.

I knew I shouldn't have been there - I knew it every second that I was there, watching her - but I simply couldn't compel myself to leave that spot. I watched streams of water flow over Katara's face, over her - thankfully - closed eyes, down her cheeks and over her lips to drip of her chin. Water flowed down her neck and over her collarbones, past the ample peak of her breasts, down across her stomach...I hardly knew what had hit me when I felt a throbbing ache in my lower stomach, and saw a bulge beginning to form itself in the front of my pants. Ooh, I seriously needed to get out of here. I needed to get out of here before someone saw me. Before she saw me. But mostly, before I gave in to the new, exciting urges possessing me at that moment. So I willed myself to get up and silently stalk away, after stealing one last glance back through the window.

I know that incident shouldn't have happened. I knew it then, I know it now. But I can't help how my mind brings it back sometimes. How, after that day, I'd harbored a growing desire to see how she looked under those heavy water tribe clothes. To study her carefully without having to worry about being caught, to map out her body with my eyes and hands until I knew her like the back of my hand, to have someone to help me make that incessant ache go away...I shook my head to try and clear it of those thoughts, feeling my cheeks heat up from my reverie.

I heard a small laugh behind me. "Having fun?" came Sokka's voice, and I turned around abruptly, trying to stammer out an answer. "W-what??" I gasped, and he laughed louder. "Your face was getting all red and you had this look like you'd just got onto cloud nine," he said with a chuckle, and I gulped quietly. Come to think of it, I had never really considered how Sokka would feel if he knew how I felt about his sister. I was almost afraid to find out. Sure, he'd learned to trust me a long time ago, and I considered us friends, but how was I supposed to tell him I was in love with Katara? Well, now was as good a time as there ever would be.

"Sokka," I said, while sitting down next to him. "Can I tell you something?" I looked over to see his reaction. "I'm all ears," he announced, and picked up a fruit from the basket sitting next to him. "Um..." I began, trying my best to not chicken out. This was a lot harder than I'd hoped it would be. "Well, I, uh...you ever like someone a whole lot?" Sokka's eyes widened the slightest bit before returning to normal, and he smiled as he took a bite of his fruit. "I've liked somebody," he said casually. "I'm not sure how serious it was, but yeah, I've liked somebody. You?" I flinched a bit and drew a circle in the dirt with my finger. "I, uh...well, I guess I...I..." "You like her, don't you? You like Katara?" Sokka's voice quieted me in an instant. I opened my mouth to say yes, but found I couldn't do it, so I just nodded and mumbled a barely audible, "Sorry..."

I certainly wasn't expecting him to laugh, but I took it as a good sign. "You don't have to be sorry, Aang." he said casually. "I've suspected that for a long time." I raised my head to look at him with a stunned look on my face, and said, "And you don't mind?" Sokka laughed again and shook his head. "No, Aang, I don't mind. As I said, I've suspected it for a long time. And though it should have a been a shock, I realized that I accepted that right away. I have no intentions of keeping you two apart if it makes you happy. I'll be happy for you if something happens - you don't have to worry about that." I blinked incredulously, and found myself smiling slightly. "Really?" I asked, as if to make sure what he'd said was true.

"Really," he answered. "Aang, she's the first girl who's ever been this close to you for this long, I realize that. She's spent so much time as a close friend by your side, and it's only natural that she would be the one who you end up falling in love with." I gaped at him like a fish out of water for a few moments, until I found myself acting on impulse and hugging him tightly. "Thanks!" I shouted, happiness brimming in my voice. A startled Sokka hugged back after a few seconds, and smiled at me as I pulled back. "Sure thing." I looked at Sokka for a few more moments before I turned away, giving him a small smile of gratitude and standing up. “I’m going to my...um, bed, to settle down, I gotta think about somes stuff.” Sokka laughed quietly. “I wonder what...” he whispered, and I threw a piece of fruit at him as I pulled back the flap on our tent and walked inside.

--+--

(Sokka’s POV)

I chuckle slightly to myself as I toss water onto the campfire, having decided to turn in since Aang had retreated as well. I settled against the trunk of a large tree, it was my turn to keep watch for the night. I had scarcely closed my eyes when I heard a rustling in the surrounding bushes, most likely signaling the return of Katara from her bath. Sure enough, I heard her voice after a few seconds, and the rustling of cloth as she bent down. There was quiet for a while, and then, apparently believing that I was asleep, Katara spoke again. I opened one eye a crack, just enough to see what was going on. She was kneeling in front of Aang’s pet lemur, Momo, who was carrying some food in its paws. Momo looked at Katara with a look on his face that could have been interest, and stuffed the foor in his mouth as he listened. Within a few moments, though, Momo looked down, searching the ground for something else to eat. When found nothing, he looked up a Katara and made a cute “pleading” kind of face.

Katara laughed quietly. “Well, don’t you have a problem there,” she said. “Well, I can beat you on that. You’re out of food - me, I’m in love with the avatar. Me, a common water tribe girl...” She laughed and stared quietly at the lemur for a few more seconds, before patting it on the head and handing it a leftover piece of jerky she found on her earlier abandoned dinner plate. Momo took the jerky, rubbed his head against Katara’s hand, and scurried away to finish his dinner. I kept my eyes open long enough to see Katara walk into the tent, then closed them. This...this was going to be interesting. And fun. Definately fun.

The following day went as routine as usual. We flew another leg of the trip, then settled down and set up camp on a nice rocky mountainside. Aang had been unusually quiet the whole day, and I couldn't help but take notice. He could have just been sleepy, but I highly believed otherwise. He'd been a little jumpy since he'd confessed to me about Katara last night, and I was almost sure him thinking about that and her was the reason he hadn't talked. I didn't want anyone else to get suspicious or worried, you know, being the kind of person I am - so I decided to take the first opportunity I could to do something for my traveling companions.