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Adjusting to life in Cranefish Town hadn't been easy for Aang and Katara. Even without the war, they had gotten used to life on the road and flying around on Appa. There were ups and downs, but they were slowly finding their rhythm. They now lived in a house on the outskirts of the city, with enough space around it for Appa to be comfortable. Aang had plans to move to the island in the bay, but for now it was more practical to stay near the city. It needed their help. A lot.
Before they knew it, months had flown by. Every day they had meetings with council members, spoke to people around town and helped them with various grievances. The town was expanding at such an alarming rate that it caused a lot of problems. Liling's arrest had calmed things down a bit, but there was still a lot of unrest between benders and nonbenders in the city.
Aang and Katara worked together as a team to create solutions to these problems. Because they spent so much of their time doing this, it took Aang a while to realize they didn't really do much else anymore. It wasn't until Sokka visited a few months in that the realization struck.
Aang showed him around town while Katara was off meeting Satoru at the refinery to discuss some new ideas. The city was buzzing with a frantic energy, and although he was getting used to it, Aang still wasn't sure if he liked it. They walked through town for a while, Aang showing off things that had changed or improved since the last time Sokka had been here. After some time Sokka slung his arm around Aang's shoulders.
"I admit, you've done a lot of impressive work," he said, his hand moving to his stomach. "But I'm starving. Are there any nice restaurants nearby? Surely you've taken Katara out on a date or two."
Aang had been about to suggest a nearby place that served noodles, when the second part of Sokka's sentence registered with him. He hesitated, grimacing a little.
Sokka looked at him, raising his eyebrow. "You have taken her out, right?"
"I've… been meaning to?" Aang said sheepishly, scratching at his neck. "We've just both been so busy—"
Sokka made a disappointed noise. "You can never be too busy for romance, Aang. You gotta make time for it. That's what me and Suki do. And she spends most of her time in the Fire Nation."
Aang's shoulders slumped. "You make it sound so easy, there's always something going wrong here."
"You should be used to that by now, there is always something going on everywhere you go," Sokka said cheerfully, clapping him on the shoulder. "That's what being the Avatar is all about."
Aang smiled weakly, trying to ignore the feeling of guilt churning in his gut. Sokka was right, he needed to do better. He'd step up and plan the perfect date for Katara. She deserved it. He'd just have to make time.
Because they started their relationship right at the end of a war, Aang didn't have a lot of practice planning dates. It was like Sokka had said, there was always something going on. But today, things would be different. Aang was determined to make it happen.
Aang had made sure both he and Katara had a free afternoon and evening after a council meeting. It was a nice day outside, and Aang was excited about the things he had planned. He took Katara into the city, walking hand in hand with her.
"First, there is a market we can visit. You can pick something out. Then we'll have a walk near the water." He told her. "We'll grab a nice dinner and then—"
Katara cut him off with a laugh and a gentle touch on his arm. "Don't tell me everything yet! I like the surprise," she said, smiling at him. Her eyes were sparkling, and Aang grinned in return.
"Sorry, I just had a lot of fun planning this," he said.
Katara grinned. "And I'll have a lot of fun experiencing it."
The market was nice, if a bit crowded. Plenty of vendors sold wares from the different nations. Fire Nation knives, Earth Kingdom pottery, even a stall that sold real Water Tribe jewelry. It was at that stall that Katara stopped for a while, looking at a bracelet. Aang looked around while she chatted with the Northern Water Tribe woman running the stall.
He jumped when a sudden voice nearby shrieked. "STOP! THIEF!" Aang turned to see someone running away from one of the stalls, carrying a bag of clinking coins.
He turned to Katara, who already had her water at the ready. "You go west, I go north." She said. "We'll catch up with him before he can slip into a side street."
Without another word, Aang ran ahead. He told himself this was just a small hiccup, not something that would really derail their date.
In the end, it took them longer to apprehend the thief than they had expected. He had managed to slip into a side street, and then Aang and Katara had chased him until they had finally caught up. When they did, the situation quickly grew more complicated. The man claimed he wasn't actually a thief. He said the stall was owned by both him and his brother and his brother refused to give him his share.
Taking the man back to the stall, listening to both sides, and finally coming up with a resolution that pleased them both took a while, but Aang eventually managed it. He sighed, leaning against Katara as they finally left the stall. "Sorry, that wasn't meant to happen," he mumbled.
"It's alright, Aang," Katara said as they moved back to the jewelry stall from earlier. "I think I want to get that bracelet though."
Glad something was about to go right, Aang stepped forward towards the stall happily. Only to realize as they got there that the bracelet Katara had been looking at was gone. The lady behind the stall apologetically told them it had been sold.
After leaving the market empty handed, Aang tried to stay optimistic. He glanced sideways at Katara as they walked through town, taking in her expression. She didn't seem to be upset, which Aang was glad about. He could still turn this around. "The restaurant I got a reservation at is supposed to be very good," he said, a little nervous.
"I can't wait." Katara said happily, reaching over to squeeze Aang's hand.
Aang relaxed a little, holding onto her hand tightly as they walked. But as they neared the right part of the city, they both started to frown. Aang sniffed, then exchanged a look with Katara.
"Do you smell—"
"Is that…?"
"FIRE!" Someone shouted. "FIRE!"
They both started running, rounding the corner. Katara quickly had the water out of her pouch ready, but it was immediately clear that wouldn't be enough. Flames were licking up the side of the building already as a crowd of people watched in fear.
"Is anyone inside?" Aang asked the crowd as he ran up.
"No, everyone got out. But… my restaurant…" A lady said, looking distraught.
Katara found a nearby rain barrel and quickly moved the water onto the flames. Aang did the same, moving any water they could find in the area onto fire to put it out. Once he ran out of water, he started using earthbending to put the flames out. It took a little while, but eventually they managed it.
They stood, panting, in front of the still smoking building as the people applauded them.
Katara smiled at Aang, wiping her brow. "Do you think we'll still make our reservation?"
As Aang was about to respond, the sign above the door of the restaurant crashed down onto the ground. Despite their efforts, the building was damaged, though not beyond repair. Aang's face fell as he realized what he was seeing. "I'm afraid not," he said with a sigh, his shoulders slumping. "This was our restaurant."
After making sure everyone was alright, Aang and Katara walked away from the building. A few earthbenders had volunteered to help fix the building, so it probably wouldn't take too long for it to be up and running again, but it definitely wouldn't be ready for them tonight. Aang sighed, dropping down on a bench once they were away from the burned restaurant. "I'm sorry, Katara. This all went wrong."
Katara sat down next to him. "It wasn't your fault," she said softly. "We just got unlucky. We'll just have to do this again sometime."
Giving up and going home now didn't feel right to Aang. He shook his head. "The day is not over yet," he said, sitting up again as an idea occurred to him. He grinned. "Katara, do you remember that island in the bay? Can you meet me there in half an hour? At the spot we were last time."
Katara's face was puzzled, but she nodded. "Alright, but Aang—"
Aang jumped up, energized by his new idea. "Just be there, okay? I have to run." He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before rushing off. Katara watched him go with confused frown.
When Katara arrived at the island, she didn't immediately spot her boyfriend. She melted the board of ice she had used to get here with a small gesture, then looked around. She tried to see if she could spot anything through the trees. "Aang?" She called.
"Over here!" a familiar voice called in the distance.
Katara made her way over, pushing past some plants and bushes until she came to a small clearing she recognized. It was where they had looked over at the town the first time they had come here. But it looked different now.
The evening shade was being held back by a circle of candles around a big picnic blanket. Spread out on top of the blanket was an assortment of food on small plates. Aang sat cross-legged in the middle of it, spreading his arms. "Ta da!" He called. "The best spot at the best restaurant in town, just for you."
Katara beamed as she sat down on the blanket as well. She wrapped her arms around Aang, giving him a hug. "How did you do this so quick?"
"Well, the restaurant still had a lot of food leftover that would have gone to waste otherwise, and I could borrow the blanket from the lady at the market. Oh, before I forget!" Aang pulled away from the hug, rummaging in a bag. "Here," he said, presenting her with a bracelet. It wasn't the same one she had been admiring, but it was very similar. Katara beamed as Aang put it on her. Then she leaned in for a kiss.
After most of the food had been eaten and most of the candles had gone out on their own, Katara and Aang were lying on the blanket together, looking up at the stars with their fingers intertwined.
Katara broke the peaceful silence. "Aang, I appreciate all the effort you went through," she said softly. "But I didn't have a bad time today."
Aang's head moved a bit from where it was tucked against her shoulder. "Even though we kept getting interrupted?"
Katara turned on her side so they were facing each other. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't stop to help people everywhere you went. It's what I like about you." She squeezed his hand. "It's what I like about us."
Aang smiled and pulled her closer for another kiss. The two of them stayed like that until they fell asleep under the starry sky.