Chapter Text
“But I’m not tired yet!” The six year old nonbender sat upright in his bed, his arms crossed in front of his chest, pouting.
His mother only laughed, cupping his cheek with her hand, gently stroking it with her thumb. “Come on, sweetie. You know it’s time to go to sleep. It’s getting really late and there is a lot to do tomorrow.”
“But I don’t wanna! I wish Dad was here.” Everytime she heard one of her children mention their father while he was gone made her shudder and filled her tender, loving view with sadness and remorse. She missed him too, whenever he was on one of his trips to save the world. Of course, everytime he returned, they had a great time together as a family, but inbetween days like these, he was gone for days, sometimes even weeks. She forced a loving smile and stroked through his dark brown hair that kept sticking out haphazardly, no matter what they tried to fix it. He looked really sad right now, his legs pulled to his chest, holding them close against his upper body with his arms. “I know, sweetie. I miss him, too. But you know what?”, She asked with a motivating voice, trying to cheer her son up, “he will be back in no time. And the more you sleep, the faster the time will go by until he returns. And when he’s here, you two will do something really special together while I take care of Kya. Sounds good?”
Her son only nodded. “I suppose…”
She kept smiling to cover up her own sadness. “Good night, sweetie. Tomorrow’s gonna be a new day, alright?”
He sighed and nodded, laying down and facing the wall. She knew that he missed his father and felt bad about it, but she also knew that her son had to tell her if he wanted to talk. He was pretty stubborn if someone interrogated him. He only talked when he was the one initiating it. Now, all he seemed to want was some time alone, so she reluctantly stood up and went towards the door.
“Mommy?”
As she turned around, he was sitting up again, rubbing his eye.
“Yes, sweetie?”, She asked nervously, feeling that he was all other than alright.
“Does…”, he sobbed, his lip trembling slightly, “does Dad still love us? Love me?”
Her jaw dropped and her eyes brimmed with sadness and tears as she heard the serious doubt in her son’s voice. “Oh Bumi…” She sprinted to his direction, sitting next to him in his bed, opening her arms. “Come here, sweetie. Listen to me, okay?” He directly climbed into his mother’s arms, resting his head against her bosom, sobbing silently while listening to his mother’s soozing voice. She began to speak quietly, in all her seriousness.
“Oh Bumi… I know it’s hard when your father is gone. I miss him, too. So much. But you know, Daddy’s the Avatar.”
He nodded slowly. “I know that.”
“I know you need him, love. It’s hard to accept, but the world needs him, too. He saves so many lives, every time he leaves. As much as he is your dad, he is also a very important person to maintain peace in the world.”
“I… I understand.”, He answered coldly.
“It’s okay to be sad about it, honey. And I don’t expect you to understand it yet. But look at me for a second, Bumi.” He looked up to his mother and his eyes locked with her’s.
“I beg you to believe me what I’m about to say, sweetie. Your father loves you and your sister more than anything else in this world. He would die to protect us. I understand that you can’t see that yet, but he is a hero.”
“You… You really think so?”
Her eyes softened again as she tightened the tender hug she shared with her son, rocking him in her arms to make him feel more comfortable. “I know it. If there is one thing I know for sure, it’s that Daddy loves us more than anything.”
“Okay, Mommy.”, He whispered, his voice muffled while his face was still pressed gently against his mother’s upper body. “I believe you.”
“You feel better now, sweetie?”, She asked with her calm, gentle voice.
He slowly loosened up, looking up to her and gave her a sweet smile. “Yeah, I think so. Thanks, Mommy.” He yawned. “I think, I’ll go to bed now.”
She smiled at her son, tugged him in and kissed his forehead in a loving manner. “Good night, sweetie. I love you. And Daddy loves you, too.”
He cracked a smile as he buried himself into his sheets. “Good night, Mommy.”
She smiled and turned away to the door, only to be stopped halfway one last time. “Mom?”
She turned around. “Yes, Bumi?”
“I hope Dad returns soon.”
She smiled warmly at her son before closing the door to his room behind her. “I hope so, too, sweetie.”