Chapter 17: Asking Out Part 2: Its Official

Katara's POV

Aang has been acting weird the past few days and he hangs out with Toph more during school and he barely talks to me anymore. I think I did something wrong but who knows. I grab my stuff and make my way outside. The only thing that hasn't changed is Aang drives me to school every morning but we don't talk like we used to do the week before. I shouldn't let this get to me. My birthday is tomorrow and I'm turning 18. I'm really excited.

During the car ride, I was just on my phone because I wasn't in the mood to start a conversation with Aang at the moment. As we stopped at a red light I was focused on my phone until Aang started talking.

"Katara?" Aang said it was a question. I looked up from my phone and looked at him. He was staring right at me and those stormy gray eyes were so beautiful. I stared into his eyes for a moment and then responded.

"Yea"

"I was wondering if you could meet me on the front steps after school?" He asked turning back to the road and started driving again.

"Sure. But why?" I asked.

"You'll see," He said with a smirk and his eyes still on the road. I rolled my eyes and looked back at my phone. There was a little butterfly feeling in my stomach when he started talking to me and I just couldn't stop the smile that appeared on my face with a small blush. I looked out the window to make sure he didn't see me.

We eventually made it to the school and Aang parked in his usual spot. We grabbed our stuff and headed to our usual spot we went to every morning. Today went back to normal. Aang went back to sitting next to me and not next to Toph. Although I hate to admit it, I was a little jealous when Aang started sitting by Toph this past week. But now he is sitting next to me and things are getting back to normal. We sat close to each other like before and were just on our phones before the bell rang.

Aang's POV

I hate to admit it but I was being rude to Katara this week because I stopped talking to her like I would usually but she doesn't know the reason. I mean she will know shortly but I still feel bad. Hopefully, my little surprise at the end of the day makes up for it.

We were on the front steps and we were scrolling our phones like we used to. Katara was leaning on my shoulder and I missed this. I was blushing the entire time but it was shortly interrupted by the first bell. She got off my shoulder and we gathered our stuff from the ground and made our way to class.

I couldn't help but think mainly about the clock striking 3 and letting us out of school. The only thought that was in my mind was asking Katara on a date at the end of the day. I was so nervous and excited at the same time.

~Timeskip to last period~

It was me and Katara's free period and my leg couldn't stop bouncing up and down from nervousness. We were in the library and we were working on our homework because who wants to do homework on the weekend.

There were 5 minutes left and I kept rehearsing what I was going to say to her in my head because this had to be perfect. My leg continued to bounce until something warm was placed there. I looked down and saw that it was Katara's hand.

"Are you ok?" she asked in a whisper. All I did was nod and continued working. Her hand eventually left my leg. If I wasn't very nervous at the moment, I would be blushing profusely.

The bell finally rang and we gathered our stuff. I had to head back to my locker because I forgot a paper for chemistry. I told Katara that I would meet her at the front steps and we went our separate ways. I quickly grabbed my paper and walked quickly to the front exit.

She was leaning against one of the pillars and I stopped because she was just beautiful. I stayed where I was for a minute until I forced my legs to move towards her. She looked up and smiled at me. I smiled back and my hands were sweating at how nervous I was.

"S-so" I started. I cleared my throat and continued. "I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me tomorrow? I know it's your birthday and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me. I completely understand if-" I started rambling until she placed a hand on my shoulder. My gaze was on my shoes and then I looked up at her. She was smiling.

"Of course! I would love to hang out with you tomorrow on my birthday" She said, continuing to smile. I smiled at her response and before I knew what was happening she hugged me. I hugged her back, blushing. We started making our way to my car and I dropped her off at home.

"I'll see you tomorrow Kat," I said smiling and waving to her as she exited my car. She waved back. Once she got to her door and waved again I drove towards my house. As soon as I got out of her driveway I started to smile and did a little dance.

She said YES!!

That's all that was going through Aang's head as he drove back home.

Katara's POV (before Aang asked her)

During our last period, I noticed that Aang's leg has been bouncing up and down the entire time. But it wasn't as fast as it was in the last five minutes of the period. I placed my hand on his leg and he stopped. I asked him if he was okay and he only nodded at me not meeting my gaze. He went back to what he was doing and my hand was still there for a minute before I moved it.

The bell rang and we both started to get our stuff. We were on our way out before Aang told me to just meet him at the steps and he would meet me there because he forgot something. I nodded and made my way towards the front exit. I made my way to a pillar and placed my stuff on the ground and was on my phone.

A few minutes later he appeared in my peripheral view. He looked nervous. But I just looked at him, but he didn't meet my gaze and he looked down. He started talking and throughout his entire ramble, he asked me if he wanted to hang out tomorrow on my birthday. I was so happy and before he could continue to ramble I put my hand on his shoulder and he immediately stopped and I told him I would love to hang out with him and he looked at me and I smiled at him and he smiled back. My heart wouldn't stop beating fast.

We made our way to his car and he dropped me off at home and he said he would see me tomorrow. Once he pulled out the driveway and out of view I jumped up and down, and I was thrilled. I collected myself before I went through the door because I know that Sokka was home. I closed and locked the door and started squealing. I made my way to my room and called Toph to tell her the good news. It rang four times and then went to her voicemail. I guess she is busy. I thought. The only thing racing through my mind was what I and Aang were going to do tomorrow. That's when it hit me.

I have NOTHING to wear!

With that in mind, I made my way towards my closet and started looking for outfits. But I have no idea what we are doing so I haven't a clue on how to dress. So I went back to my bed and picked up my phone and went to text Aang. It's as if he read my mind because there was a message there.

*In Messages*

Aang: Dress casual for tomorrow :)

Katara: Alright!

*End Messages*

I guess that answers my question. I went back to my closet and started taking out a couple of outfits. It was a little cold outside so I decided to pick something cute but warm and comfortable.

I put the outfit I was going to wear on the chair next to my bed. I was so excited and I wanted everything to be perfect.

When I went back to my bed and picked up my phone I didn't notice that it was already 6 PM. Damn, I guess I was so focused on my clothes that the time just flew past. I could have sworn it was 4 something when I texted Aang. I thought and made my way downstairs to see my dad and Sokka at the table. Sokka was on his phone and my dad was on his laptop working.

I made my presence known to them and they both looked up from what they were doing. Sokka placed his phone faced down on the table and made his way towards me. In less than 5 seconds I was being hugged by my brother.

"Sokka let go of me...I'm losing oxygen" I said as best I could. Sokka let go and I started to exhale audibly. "What did you do that for?" I asked after collecting my breath.

"Am I not allowed to hug my sister?" He questioned.

"Um. No, you are not because you never do this. Why are you acting weird?" I asked him.

"Oh my bad for wanting to hug my sister the eve of her 18th birthday but you know, you can keep that same energy." Sokka huffed and turned back around.

"Sokka I'm sorry. It's just caught me by surprise." I said apologetically. Sokka nodded his head and took his seat again. My father on the other hand was laughing at our little encounter.

"Oh my little girl is growing up too fast," He said. I rolled my eyes and made my way over to him and hugged him. "So what are you planning to do for your birthday tomorrow?" He asked. I started to blush when I was thinking that I was going out with Aang tomorrow for my birthday.

"O-oh I'm going out with Aang tomorrow," I said as I released my father and took a seat next to him. Sokka looked at me with shock in his eyes.

"That little runt finally asked you out. It took him long enough. It was starting to get unbearable to watch." He laughed.

"Sokka shut up. We are just going as friends." I stated.

"Sure okay," Sokka said and went back to his phone. Is it a date? I questioned myself. I rolled my eyes and went to the fridge to get some fruit. My father went back to work. I'm surprised he didn't say anything but I am also glad he didn't.

I went back upstairs with my bowl of fruit and sat on my bed. I scrolled through Tik Tok for the remainder of the night. I decided to go to bed around 1 in the morning because I wanted to have enough sleep to be energized for whatever I and Aang would be doing tomorrow.

~Timeskip Next Day~

Aang's POV

I rolled over in my bed and grabbed my phone. The time read 9:15 AM. Why am I up so early? Me and Katara's date doesn't start until 1. I thought to myself before getting up and stretching. I yawned as I stood up and made my way to the bathroom. I looked like I got run over by a truck but I brushed my teeth and washed my face, and made my way downstairs. I unlocked my phone and texted Katara that I would be by her house to pick her up at 12. I assume she is still asleep so I left it at that and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and washed it off and started eating it. Appa and Momo came up to me rubbing their heads on my legs. I crouched down to pet them both with my apple in my mouth.

After the mini pet session I had with them I filled their food and water bowls. As I was doing this Gyatso came downstairs with a smile on his face. He was dressed in his usual robes.

"Good morning Aang. Why are you up so early? It is the weekend. I would assume you would want to sleep in." Gyatso said.

"Morning grandpa. I'm up early because I'm taking Katara out today for her birthday" I said with a blush on my face.

"Oh that is very nice of you," He said as he made his way to grab a bowl from the cabinet. "I hope you have a nice time. Also, tell her happy birthday to me. She is indeed a very nice girl" He informed while grabbing the strawberries from the fridge.

"I will. I probably won't be home until later tonight." I told him. He hummed in acknowledgment and I finished my apple and went back upstairs. I placed my phone on my dresser and went to my closet to pick today's outfit. I wanted to dress comfortably and warm seeing as it was cold outside. I picked 2 outfits and placed them on my bed.

I placed the outfit on my bed and went to take a shower. It was around 11:45 and so I needed to take a long shower to make sure I was looking and smelling my best. I brought my phone in and started playing my shower playlist and jammed out in the shower. I was in the shower for a good 45 minutes even though I washed my hair and washed up in about 20 minutes, the last 25 minutes was a mini-concert and whatnot.

Once I got out of the shower I put on the second outfit and I made sure that everything was looking good. I made sure I sprayed some of my cologne. I grabbed my wallet, keys, phone, and phone charger and made my way downstairs. It was 12:45 and it took me 15 minutes to get to Katara's so I texted her that I was on my way. I said bye to Appa and Momo and Gyatso and made my way to my car.

It was going to be a good day.

Katara's POV

I woke up around 10:30, and it was exhilarating. I stretched and went to the bathroom leaving my phone in my room. I brushed my teeth and washed my face to get all the oil off and went back to my room to grab my phone. There was a message from Aang saying that he would be at my house at 1 to pick me up. I said ok and went downstairs.

I was met by the smell of chocolate pancakes as I made my way downstairs. I saw Suki and Sokka in the kitchen and my dad in the living room with a box in his hand.

"Happy Birthday!" They all said simultaneously. I was bombarded by hugs from all of them. I hugged them back, and when they finally released me, Suki and Sokka went back to the kitchen while my dad stood in front of me.

"Here you go Katara! Happy Birthday." He said as he handed me the wrapped box. I placed my phone on the table that was closest to me and opened my present. Inside was a beautiful necklace.

"Thank you so much dad," I said as I hugged him. He offered to put it on me and I agreed. It looked so nice. I had a couple of tears in my eyes because it was so beautiful. I hugged him once more and we made our way to the kitchen. Suki and Sokka made breakfast. It was a rare sight to see Sokka in the kitchen but it was nice nonetheless. Even if he was a terrible cook. Suki placed a plate of 2 chocolate chip pancakes and bacon in front of me. I thanked and hugged her.

"Hey what about me? I helped" Sokka complained. I released Suki and hugged Sokka.

"Thank you," I said. He hugged me tighter and finally released me. We all sat at the table and we ate breakfast. Throughout the meal, we talked and laughed. It was 11:30 when we finished. I thanked everyone again and made my way upstairs to get ready for my outing with Aang. I really hope this is a date I said to myself.

I hopped in the shower and made sure that I smelled extra nice. After taking my shower it was 12:15. I got dressed and sprayed my perfume. I grabbed my purse and put my phone charger, wallet, and some gum in it. I made my way downstairs and lounged on the couch.

While I waited I went on Snapchat and went through people's stories. Almost everyone's story was a 'Happy Birthday Katara'. I sent thank you's to everyone. I made sure my outfit was on point and Suki even said so. I heard a honk outside and I said bye to them and made my way outside. And there I saw him. In his beautiful car. Aang. And of course, he was looking fine. (he choose the second outfit)

3rd Person POV

Katara made her way towards Aang's car and she waved again to the wandering eyes that were peeking through the door. She couldn't help but blush when she turned back around to see him. Katara made her way into his car. She took a deep breath and all she could smell was his amazing cologne that she loved so much. They hugged and Aang readjusted himself in his seat.

Aang pulled out of her driveway and started heading down the street.

"Happy Birthday Katara" Aang smiled.

"Thanks. So what are we doing today?" Katara asked.

"Well, the first thing we are doing is going to the new roller skating rink that opened today. It's downtown so it's going to take us like 30 minutes to get there." Aang told her with his eyes still on the road.

"Really! How did you get tickets? I wanted to go there next week but the tickets were already sold out." Katara exclaimed.

"Well I bought them last week," Aang informed.

"Wait so you're telling me you planned this a week in advance!?" Katara exclaimed and questioned. Aang only nodded.

When they reached the red light before the highway Aang handed Katara his phone and told her to pick a playlist. She picked the one she made the time before but before playing it she added a few more to it. She had to grab her phone out and look at her playlist. There were so many songs that Katara decided to do it later and paired her phone to Aang's car instead.

They were jamming out to different kinds of music. They were mainly listening to Hip Hop and R&B. Almost every song Aang would sing, and if there were two artists, boy, and girl, Aang would sing the respected part and Katara would do the same. As if they were performing live.

30 minutes later and they finally arrived. Surprisingly there weren't many people there and that's only because Aang reserved the earliest time. Whereas most people would want to go in the late hours but Aang had other things he wanted to do later.

Aang parked the car and hopped out. Before Katara could even attempt to open her door for herself, Aang was already there opening it for her like the sweet gentlemen he is. Aang took a second to look at Katara and how she was dressed.

"You look beautiful Kat," Aang said looking straight at her. Katara met his gaze and started to blush.

"You don't look too bad yourself" She retorted.

The two just held their gaze for a while. Shortly after their little moment, Aang and Katara made their way into the skating building. You could see that the floors were fresh and brand new. Nobody was skating yet because that place wasn't officially opened for another 10 minutes and so Aang and Katara made their way over to the shoe stand to get their skates. After receiving their respected sizes the two made their way over to a vacant table setting their stuff down. Katara took off her shoes and placed her skates on and Aang followed suit. Everyone that was there was wearing their skates; they just weren't allowed on the floor yet.

After putting on their skates successfully, there was another challenge that needed to be faced by Aang. Standing up. Believe it or not, Aang doesn't really know how to roller skate. Yes, he used to when he was younger but it's been a while. Katara on the other hand was very skillful. She hasn't noticed Aang's struggle to stand until he wobbled a little and sat right back down on the chair.

It took everything in Katara to stifle her laugh. She rolled over to Aang and held out her hand.

"Need help?" She questioned smirking slightly. Aang only nodded not meeting her gaze. His cheeks flushed a light red color of embarrassment. It took a minute for Katara to be balanced and also help Aang get balanced.

"I haven't done this in a while. But once I get used to it I think I should be good." Aang stated while still holding Katara's hand for support. Katara only smiled. After this, the announcer said that everyone was allowed on the floor and with that, they made their way to one of the many entrances the place had.

~Mini Timeskip 30 minutes later~

Aang and Katara have been on the skating floor for the past 30 minutes. Aang finally got the hang of skating without Katara's assistance but shortly after he got it he didn't let go of Katara's hand and they continued to skate hand-in-hand.

Katara and Aang made their way to the table that they reserved by putting their stuff there. Nobody has taken any of their belongings. Aang and Katara separated but sat next to each other. They both took out their phones.

"Hey, uhm Aang, d-do you want to take a picture?" Katara asked in almost a whisper. Aang's eyes sparkled slightly at the request. He nodded his head. Katara and Aang got closer and Katara to the picture. Both of them smiling and showing their perfect teeth. Katara put the caption "Best Birthday Ever!!" and posted it on her Instagram story and snap story.

After taking the picture the two got back up and headed to the food bar that was on the other side of the rink. They got something small because Aang told her to save her appetite for later. After all, they still have the stuff to do. Katara nodded and got herself a bag of chips and lemonade. She was about to pull out her cash when Aang stopped her.

"I brought you out today so I'm paying" Aang smiled as he pulled out his wallet. Katara only blushed and nodded. Katara didn't know how to feel because when she was with Jet he never paid for her little stuff like this. Katara was very happy.

The two rolled over to their table and sat down for a minute more while Katara ate her chips and drank some of her lemonade. Katara wasn't paying attention to Aang but he was paying attention to her. Aang was having a great time and he was certain that Katara was having a good time as well. He pulled out his phone to see when the movie started. It started at 5 and it was 3:30. So they still had time to skate. Aang informed Katara about what they would be doing after roller skating. Of course, Katara asked what movie they were going to see but Aang told her it was a surprise.

~Timeskip back in the car~

Aang and Katara returned their shoes and made sure they grabbed everything they brought inside before going back to Aang's car. As they were on their way out there were a lot of people starting to file in so Katara grabbed Aang's hand and they pushed their way through. Finally making it out of the crowd of people and walking towards the parking lot, Katara and Aang were hand-in-hand the entire way. They noticed once they approached the car and they had to go on their respective sides. Both of them blushed as Aang unlocked the door.

Shortly after the awareness between them Aang cleared his throat and put the keys in the ignition. The car made a nice purring sound and Aang pulled out of the parking lot on his way to the movie theaters that were 3 miles away from their previous destination.

Katara once again connected her phone to the car and many different artists were playing in a short amount of time. Most of the ride was spent listening to Megan (iykyk). Surprisingly Aang knew his Megan and he was going all out when WAP came on.

"I'm having a really good time," Katara said while she turned the music looking over at Aang. She was mesmerized by how his muscles could be seen through his thick jacket. Katara's gaze went to Aang's chestnut hair. His hair was curly and straight at the same time. To Katara, it looked really soft that she could just run her fingers through it. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Aang's semi-deep soft voice.

"I'm glad you're having a good time," Aang said and smiled in her direction looking back at the road. "We are almost there. I have a good feeling that you are going to enjoy the movie." He said. His eyes still focused on the road ahead.

'Why won't you just tell me?" Katara whined slightly pouting. Aang chuckled and shook his head.

"Because. It's. A. Sur-prise" He enunciated.

They finally pulled into the movie theater parking lot and Aang parker relatively close to the entrance. Like at the roller skating rink, Aang was being the perfect gentleman and getting Katara's door for her. All Katara could do was smile and allowed him to do so.

Aang instructed Katara to get the snacks and while he got the tickets. He handed her his wallet and she declined. Although he insisted he knew it was futile to argue with Katara any longer. So he agreed and then he made his way to the ticket counter while Katara went to the snack counter.

The movie theater that they are at had reclining seats that made it look like a bed and Aang did this purposely. Aang thought about the movie he wanted to see earlier in the week and he was going to choose After We Collided but he chose against that because he watched the trailer and decided that it should be a movie that they would watch together when they were in an actual relationship. Aang chose a scary movie instead. He chose The Turning because that was reviewed as a really good scary movie.

Shortly after getting the tickets, Aang made his way to the snack counter where Katara was patiently waiting in line. Aang sneakily came behind her and tapped her shoulder. She flinched and immediately turned around.

"Jeez, Aang. Don't do that!" She exclaimed. Aang only smiled at her actions. Katara shortly returned the smile and they were like that until they made it to the snack counter.

"Hi what can I get you today?" The worker asked. Katara stood there for a second before figuring out what she wanted. "Oh seeing as it is the two of you, you should get the couple's deal. You get a large popcorn, a large drink, and any two candies below" The worker said, interrupting Katara's train of thought. Both of them blushing when the worker said the 'couple' deal.

"I-i'll take that one, please. Extra butter." Katara told the worker. She turned to Aang. "What do you want to drink?" She asked.

"I don't care what you choose. It's your birthday after all." Aang smiled. Katara turned around back towards the worker and said a Blue Raspberry and Cherry ICEE swirl. The worker nodded and got their snacks ready.

"What candies would you like?" The worker asked.

"Umm...I would like the Sour Patch Watermelon and the AirHead sour bites please." Katara said. Katara turned around to look at Aang to see if it was okay that she got those candies and he only nodded.

Katara paid for the snacks and Aang grabbed the popcorn while Katara carried the other stuff. They made their way to their assigned theater and Katara wasn't paying attention to the title that was at the top of the theater they were going into.

"Crap I missed the movie name. Aang what are we watching?" Katara asked. Aang only smirked and continued walking until they got good seats. When they both sat down Aang looked at Katara's expression of slight irritation because he didn't answer her.

"We are watching The turning," Aang stated. Katara's expression from slight irritation changed to a little fear. Aang noticed this and put the armrest between them up and placed his hand on Katara's because she was shaking ever so slightly. Katara WAS NOT a fan of scary movies.

A few minutes later Katara collected herself and the beginning credits were going on and she got comfortable on the chair. She was about two inches away from Aang's face. She was laying on his shoulder eating popcorn. Aang leaned into her and they were close together. Aang was also eating some of the popcorn and just looking at the screen. When the movie started Katara tensed but she soon calmed down when Aang started to make soft circles on her shoulder because that's where his hand was.

~Timeskip end of the movie~

Katara was scared out of her mind after watching it. (I have no idea what happens soo...) This is not what she wanted to do on her birthday. But when she walked out of the theater she and Aang were hand-in-hand and Aang didn't let go once they made it to the front of the building.

"I'm sorry Kat, but your reactions were so funny" Aang snickered as they walked out the building towards the car.

"Yea yea. Soooo funny Aang. I'm so going to get you back for this." Katara said, starting to snicker because Aang was laughing now.

They made it to the car and they separated hands but once in the car they joined them once again. Katara was having the best time even though she didn't enjoy the movie she was having a great birthday.

Aang pulled out of his parking spot and started to head back towards Katara's house because this concluded their date. Katara was smiling and her dimples (forgot if she had some or not) could be seen. At every stoplight that they would approach they would steal glances from one another and smile.

~mini timeskip~

Aang made his way to Sonic because he knew Katara loved the slushies that they had. They pulled in and ordered. They also ordered some burgers and fries because they didn't actually eat dinner and Katara thought that this was perfect. She was so glad Aang wasn't one of those cliches where they would go to a fancy restaurant. She liked this a lot about him.

After their dinner, Aang made his way to Katara's. Katara couldn't help but smile as she drank her slushie on the way home. She was having the best time and she thought this was the best date she has ever been on.

Okay, you can do this! Just when you get there and walk her to her door and tell her before she goes in. Simple. Aang thought to himself as he turned down Katara's street. Those same words went through his head the entire way down the street.

Aang turned into her driveway and parked behind Sokka's disappointing car. Before Katara could even think about opening her own door. There he was her chivalrous Aang opening the door for her.

Aang walked Katara to her door and before she could go in Aang grabbed her hand. She paused what she was doing and looked at him. Aang was very nervous but he swallowed that nervousness down and told her.

"Katara, I have something I need to tell you" Aang started.

"What is it Aang?" She questioned looking into his storm-filled eyes.

"So..I-I really hope you had a nice birthday today and I also wanted to tell you that I have had feelings for you for a while now and I hope that you had a really fun time and I'm sorry if this makes things awkward between us but I just really-" Aang rambled but then was stopped by lips.

KATARA'S lips.

Aang was shocked and he was surprised but he eventually kissed back and brought his hands to the cup behind Katara's head as he turned his head and Katara turned the other way. This lasted all of 5 seconds but this was the best 5 seconds of both of their lives. They separated and Katara said the 4 words that Aang was hoping she said.

"I like you Aang" Katara blushed holding Aang's hand. With this wondrous statement, Aang pulled Katara into a warm embrace and they stayed like that for a little bit.

"So does this mean we are dating" Aang whispered in Katara's ear. Katara nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Aang for making this the best 18th birthday a girl could ask for! And I'm glad that we are dating" Katara smiled and blushed. Aang blushed as well.

"You are very welcome Katara. I had a nice time too. I will talk to you later yea?" He questioned. Katara nodded and Aang was walking back to his car. Before Katara went in her door she waved to Aang who was now backing out of her driveway. He waved back and made his way home.

After both of them were out of sight they both were squealing and saying yes over and over again. Both of them were very happy. Everything was great. Katara's 18th birthday will be one to be remembered for a very long time.