My submission for Kataang week 2013- Hope you enjoy! :)

Cover art by lightskin on deviantArt.

Prompt 1: Hands

The all-too familiar cry of their daughter startled both parents out of their sleep. As Katara stirred, Aang shifted from his position and bent closer to his half-asleep wife. "I've got it. You need your rest," he whispered, readjusting the blanket over Katara as he got up from the bed.

After a few minutes, Katara realized could no longer sense Aang's presence and awoke with a start. She heard the gleeful cooes of her daughter and smiled sleepily. She brushed down Aang's side of the bed, wistfully recalling when the two would wake up exhausted for much different reasons. Kya had been in their lives a mere six months, but the couple had quickly realized the demands of parenting- sleep had become a luxury to the young parents. Scarce were the days when the two would make their way to the bedroom for anything other than stealing a few hours of sleep before Kya beckoned for them. Katara sluggishly dragged herself out of the bedroom, and stopped at the doorframe of the baby's room, watching Aang interact with his daughter.

Aang had pulled out his marbles- where did he even keep those? They always seemed to be around. He leaned over Kya's crib and performed his infamous spinning-marble trick, causing the infant to erupt in giggles. Katara rolled her eyes with a small smile. At least there was someone who still thought his old trick was funny. He pocketed the marbles once again and bent down to pick up his daughter, carefully placing her lengthwise across his lap as he sat cross legged on the bedroom floor. One hand cradled her tiny head while the other rested on the baby's stomach. Kya batted at the blue arrow that adorned her father's hand. Aang chuckled, moving his hand closer to his daughter's, watching as she gripped one of his fingers in her tiny hand, fixing her gaze on the tattoo.

Katara watched her daughter's fascination with her husband's hands and realized that they were a remarkable part of her husband's body that she often forgot she loved. His hands only had the gentlest touch, a touch that said everything when words seemed insufficient. The way he brushed loose strands of hair from her face, the way he cradled her face in his hands and stunned her with that gaze of his, the gestures, the little things he did, they spoke volumes and drove her as crazy as any of his kisses did. She flushed as her mind wandered in a less innocent direction- after years of getting familiar with each other, his hands also seemed to have acquired a map of all of Katara's special, scream-Aang's-name spots.

The waterbender eyed his hand and noticed parts of his hand that were pinker than the rest. She cringed at her husband's burns- although there was no longer a war to fight, there were numerous cults and gangs that threatened to disrupt the peace of Republic City, as well as countless other conflicts farther away from home. His hands suffered under the duties of his job- having to resolve strife, subdue those who were deemed menaces to society, take the bending of the occasional radicals that arose, those were all tasks that placed his hands- and the rest of his body- in vulnerable positions. Aang had recently accumulated the burns while trying to resolve conflict in a small Fire Nation town. "I'm telling you, Katara, people just don't want to talk things out over tea and Pai-Sho," he had jokingly told her when she had tended to his burns just a day earlier. Katara recalled the way Aang had cupped her cheek with his burnt hand, trying to reassure her that he was, indeed, fine. She would forever be in awe of how hands that were capable of such power and served as such formidable weapons were also incredibly tender and warm.

Aang looked up to see his wife standing in the doorframe. He grinned and nodded, motioning for her to sit next to him.

"So she's not hungry," Katara stated, sitting next to her husband, resting her chin on his shoulder. The airbender shrugged, smiling at his daughter who was now excitedly cooing at the sight of her mother. Katara took in the image of Kya's tiny hand wrapped around Aang's index finger. While most babies preferred their mother's touch, Kya definitely preferred Aang's, always reaching for him and begging to be picked up by daddy whenever the opportunity rose. Katara decided that she couldn't blame her- Aang's hands were always warm and secure and full of magic marble tricks!

"I guess she just wanted some attention," he whispered, kissing Katara's forehead. After a few minutes, the baby's eyelids began fluttering as she fell back asleep in her father's arms. He gently nudged Katara off his shoulder before rising to place the child back in her crib. Katara leaned against Aang as he sat back down, feeling the lethargy settle in once again. "Looks like Kya isn't the only sleepy one," he joked as Katara snuggled closer into the crook of his arm.

"Shh," she whispered, feigning irritation, "I'm exhausted."

He effortlessly scooped her into his arms and carried her across the hallway to their bedroom, tucking her into their bed, and soon climbing in after her. Touched by the gesture, Katara gently kissed his bare back, causing her husband to shift to face her, sleepily pulling her closer to his body. "Aang?" she called out in the darkness, searching for the right words. A simple "I love you" didn't seem enough to sum up everything she felt for him in this moment. Aang drowsily opened his eyes and brushed a few stray tendrils of hair from her face.

Katara impulsively kissed Aang on the lips. It was a sweet kiss that a very surprised Aang took the liberty of deepening. She pulled away and softly kissed his hand before lacing her fingers with his. Aang responded with another soft kiss to her lips. "Well, that was a pleasant surprise," he murmured as he rested his forehead against hers. She moved closer to him, shivering as his free hand traced circles on the small of her back.

"Let me just say that I think I share Kya's fascination with your hands," she whispered against his lips as the young parents finally drifted off into a well-deserved slumber.

Thanks for reading! Your thoughts are always appreciated. :)

-Bhavana