Over the next several days, you'll probably see me post a lot of stories up here. I've been writing a lot, but my work hits tumblr before it hits anywhere else, just because the fanbase seems to be way more active over there. Actually, the main reason I still post here is for archival reasons. Overall I just feel like this site was way more popular about seven years ago and it has since declined. But maybe I'm wrong and people just don't want to read my stuff. /sobs

Anyway, have some Kataang

"I have a crazy idea."

Aang glanced at her in the dim light. It was damp and musty inside the tomb, and as much as he hated being holed up underground, away from the free air, he had to admit he wasn't terribly excited to hear that Katara had come up with an idea to get out. This was the most time he had spent alone with her since…ever, really. Sure, they were trapped in a seemingly endless labyrinth, but he was free to look at her however he wanted without having to worry about her brother catching him – and it was too easy to get away with considering their lack of light. "What?" he asked curiously, shifting his hands behind his back as he turned to face her.

But she had turned away from him, placing her hand on the wall. The torchlight still illuminated the warm brown highlights in her hair, and danced off the ancient stone carving of the two lovers. "Never mind, it's too crazy." He wasn't sure, but he thought she sounded a bit nervous, which only made him that much more curious. That, and the fact that a "crazy" idea for Katara had to be something pretty unorthodox. She was usually the most level-headed of the group.

"Katara, what is it?" he asked, watching her carefully.

She hesitated briefly. "I was thinking…the curse says we'll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love."

"Right…" Aang said, rocking back on his heels a little.

"And here it says 'love is brightest in the dark'," she continued, holding out the torchlight and turning halfway towards him again, "and…has a picture of them kissing." Now there was a definite note of uneasiness, almost shyness, in her tone, and Aang felt his heart thump painfully against his chest.

"Where are you going with this?" he asked, wondering if he was way off course with how his mind was following her line of thinking.

"Well…what if we kissed?" Her eyes slid to his, flickering in the firelight, and he noticed that her cheeks were bright red.

Aang was so shocked by the suggestion that all he could do for a long moment was gape at her. Katara shifted uncomfortably and turned away again. "See? Too crazy, right?"

"N-no!" he got out, taking a few steps toward her. "I-I mean…yes, it's crazy. But…not too crazy."

She peered back at him. "It isn't?"

He shook his head. "It's, um…worth a try, isn't it? Not like we have any other ideas…"

Katara nodded slowly, chewing on her lip a bit. "Yeah, right, we don't, do we? It just made sense in my head…"

She was moving closer. Aang swallowed hard, wondering why his mouth suddenly felt so dry. She looked beautiful, even covered in the dust from the rock slide. If he was perfectly honest, he had wanted to kiss her since the first day he met her. Of course, he had rather hoped that when – if – it happened, he wouldn't be stuttering and blushing like he was now, but he felt slightly better knowing that Katara was nervous, too.

"So…I guess we should…"

"Yeah," Aang replied, reaching out to place his hand on the torch as it hovered in front of him. His hand brushed against hers; her fingers were soft and warm, and the contact was slightly electric. He looked up at her as she leaned in a little. They had never been this close…her eyes were even prettier at this distance, threatening to swallow him up whole as they stared into his. Aang rose up slightly on his toes, wishing that he was taller – not for the first time. What if this was her first kiss? What if he was bad at it? What if she'd kissed Jet before him, or even Haru? They were both older, and probably more experienced, and how was he supposed to ever compare to –

But then her mouth was brushing his, and every other thought left his head entirely. Her lips were light, hesitant, and Aang felt his hand tremble slightly on the torch. He puckered his mouth against hers, not sure if he was even doing it right, and Katara leaned in more, pressing her lips more firmly against his own. Aang felt like he was dreaming. Her kiss was causing his brain to go all foggy, like he was being affected by some kind of drug or poison. If they didn't have a ball of fire between them, he would have melted against her completely. And just when his mouth began to move curiously against hers, Katara abruptly pulled away, leaving him puckered up and with a ridiculously dreamlike expression on his face.

She looked around, like she was waiting for something magical to happen, and cleared her throat awkwardly when it didn't. "I guess that…didn't work."

"No, I guess not," Aang replied, intensely proud of himself when his voice didn't shake.

"L-let's keep moving then," she said, pulling the torch away from his grip and walking away.

He stared after her, not trusting himself to move at that moment. He wasn't sure why, but the only thought he could manage to produce right then was something Katara had said to him months ago, just before they saw that fortune teller.

"Aang's just a good friend, a sweet little guy. Just like Momo!"

His heart began to slowly sink in his chest as he watched her wander off, looking for another way out. What if that was it? What if that was the first and only kiss he ever shared with Katara, because she only thought of him as a friend? Sure, she had been flustered, but it was awkward asking your best friend to kiss you, just in case that would save you from starving to death inside a cave. It had to be even more awkward when your best friend was just a little kid.

But with that kiss, Katara had sealed her own fate. Aang was in love with her, and that wasn't going to go away. Even if she never returned his feelings, even if she ended up with someone else…The thought made his throat feel impossibly tight, but he knew it for the truth. Katara was everything, she was…forever.

"Aang?" she called from some distance away.

"Coming," he called back quietly, and walked through the darkness toward her light.