Work Text:
"Did you hear me, sweetie?"
Aang snapped out of his dazed state before his eyes settled upon the sight of his beautiful wife holding out their son for him to hold. Both of them were equally tired, with multiple sleepless nights catching up to them, but Aang was more than happy to do whatever Katara wished him to do. He may be the Avatar, but he was Katara's husband and Bumi's father first.
"Hm?"
"I need you to take care of Bumi for the day," she croaked out, voice hoarse from lack of sleep. Unlike his exhausted wife, though, Aang mustered enough energy to start the day strong. With Bumi now in his care for the day, he promised himself that he would remain awake, alert, and full of love for his son to bask in.
Eager, the monk gently held his son in his arms, one hand supporting the back of his head and the other holding the baby's body for proper support. Aang's eyes twinkled as he beheld the sight of his son, already mesmerized by the sound of his coos and the way he squirmed ever-so-slightly in his arms.
"I can do that, Katara. Just make sure you take care of yourself today, alright?"
With a nod from her and a kiss from him to her cheek, Aang waved farewell as he watched his wife's form slowly disappear into the horizon. Council duties, Katara mentioned, and he made a note to come home early and cook her favorite meal before she returns.
The sound of the baby's coos brought Aang out of his reflection and he looked down the tiny human in his arms who simultaneously looked up at him with full trust. Aang was in awe of Bumi's existence. Katara had given him a miracle and a blessing he would never take for granted. The moment Bumi was born, Aang's priorities notably shifted. Certainly, he was capable of keeping up with his duties as Avatar, but it would take a cruel spirit to not understand the Avatar's priorities now lie in nurturing his son.
That… and Bumi was so cute that he found it hard to be away from him.
"Baba!" The little one babbled, and Aang felt like his heart could implode from those uttered syllables alone. He couldn't believe that Bumi already spoke his first word! It always made Aang laugh whenever he heard his son say his name, no matter how many times the little one said it.
"Hello, little cloud," Aang cooed in reply. "Looks like it's just the two of us for the day, huh?"
His son replied with a cute giggle as he tickled the baby's soft cheek before he moved across the bedroom to grab the long, sturdy cloth in the drawer; it was one designated as a carrier for Bumi's small form. Months ago, it had taken Aang several tries to wrap it correctly. One embarrassing moment Katara wouldn't let him forget was when he tried practicing with a cabbage in the middle of the night. However, such mistakes were worth it, since he was now able to wrap his son up properly against his chest.
He made sure to adjust the cloth so he wasn't suffocating Bumi; though, his son had a habit of being as energetic and as restless as he was, so it was hard to get him situated. After he tied the long straps aroud his torso, he let out a proud huff, feeling accomplished that he was able to get it right the first time. Bumi seemed to be attuned to his father's heightened joy, so he cooed happily while reaching and gently clasping onto Aang's soft cloak in return.
"Now I know that I promised your mother that I would take care of you, but I don't think either of us want to be stuck inside all day playing with your toys, right?"
Aang spoke to Bumi casually as he delicately floated onto Appa's mantle and settled in. Bumi seemed to be in equal agreement to his father's decision, offering a 'Baba!' in return. Thus, they both set off on Appa, ready to spend the day together.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Aang eventually settled on a plan to play and spend time with his son in the Southern Air Temple. No matter how far he traveled, he always seemed to gravitate towards the place, even if it meant spending the night sleeping there. It felt particularly fitting, now that his son was with him, to go here.
Long ago, this is what he called home, with the monks being as close as to what Katara and his friends called 'family.' It had taken him a long time to figure out how to balance keeping his nomadic teachings and culture with Katara's, which resulted in him promising to teach his future children his culture while exposing them to Katara's. So, while they both lived in the Southern Water Tribe, Aang often took Bumi to his home.
Of course, Bumi never minded. If it meant more time listening to his father's heartbeat and seeing new sights, he was content.
Aang eventually stopped his pace outside the temple, and he smiled fondly as he felt the grass caress his ankles, like nature itself still welcomed him home. He felt honored he could pass this onto his son, where he hoped one day he could feel the same way.
"Alright, little cloud! What should we do today?"
"Rrrh!" Bumi giggled back, his mouth muffled against Aang's cloak. The noise earned a chuckle from the monk, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He liked to pretend he could understand his son, so he kept their casual conversation going as he moved towards the woods.
"You're right. Appa and Momo seem hungry, so let's get some berries for them, okay?"
He looked down at his son, who contently buried his face into Aang's cloak. He gently guided the child's head away so he would not choke from lack of air, which caused an upset whimper from the baby. However, he made up for it by silently rubbing his finger lightly up and down Bumi's nose, a gesture his son seemed to love.
Thus, the two set off.
Momo was perched on his shoulders while eating the berries Aang hand-picked from the bushes. There were several times where he had to separate Bumi's curious fingers from Momo's tail, just as much as he did his best to reassure Momo that he still cared for the lemur just as much as his son. Katara jokingly referred to Momo as their first child, but Aang seemed to agree.
Eventually, the pair were able to coexist together for the rest of their time spent in the woods.
However, by the time they finished gathering fruits from there, Aang looked up at the sun with a sigh. It was only midday and Katara wouldn't be back until the sun set. His son was already squirming in his carrier, an indicator that he was getting fussy and bored.
'What can I do to pass the time?' He thought to himself as he sat down on a large rock and fed Bumi quietly.
Then, an idea came to his mind and he grinned with excitement. No doubt his son will appreciate some good old bending! Aang always loved seeing Gyatso's airbending as a child, so Bumi must surely inherit that same excitement.
So, after he and Bumi rested long enough, he wrapped Bumi against his chest again and stood up.
"Hey, Bumi, watch this!"
At that, he cradled his son's head to prevent any harm as he started to bend.
Having a good view now of his father's arms, Bumi watched, mesmerized as his father proceeded with bending the air, then the river nearby, then the earth below his feet, then the fire that sent a shiver down Bumi's spine as he felt a sudden warmth against his skin.
By the time Aang had excitedly displayed his bending skills, he looked down, only to find his son's head swaying side to side in a dazed manner. He looked cross-eyed, which only made Aang wince.
Bumi was dizzy from being jostled around by his father, it seemed.
"S…Sorry, little cloud," Aang stammered out sheepishly. "Let's just do something less intense, yeah?"
As he caressed his son's head, he made his way up to his old home, each footstep echoing hauntingly throughout the temple. However, unlike his childhood, Aang's footsteps were now accompanied by the sound of a baby's coos and giggles. Bumi may not be capable of bringing his people back, but he at least made their last survivor feel less alone.
"Buh," the baby mumbled again, his hands gripping Aang's cloak again. There was a peaceful silence that settled between the father and son as Aang searched for new relics to add to his collection again. However, things changed drastically the moment he caught a glimpse of metal coming straight towards him.
Bandits. It looks like there's trouble.
Feeling a bit panicked, the Avatar dodged the arrow with ease before he started to use his legs to bend the earth and the air to keep himself and his son safe. All the while, Bumi was surprisingly enjoying the ride, gleeful laughs echoing throughout the temple alongside the grunts of the bandits attempting to harm the Avatar.
"Stop! You're going to hurt him!" Aang shouted with more anger than usual. He may be a pacifist, but he'll get violent if it meant protecting his son from harm.
To his dismay, the bandits refused to surrender, and continued to attack the man with arrows and thrown spears alike. However, something was different about this fight. Despite his son's presence and strange humor during a dangerous fight, Aang found it easier to defend himself. Shortly, he came to realize why.
Each bandit did their best to grasp at the Avatar, yet each swipe of their weapons was countered with swift dodges. It was an airbending technique, one that he hoped to one day teach the little baby nestled safely into his cloak.
Yet despite the precarious situation, he continued to hear the sound of his son's giggles. He risked a glance downward, and he barely caught onto what his boy was doing until the sound of a thump, and the sound of a weapon clashing against stone made him realize what just happened.
"Bumi—"
His eyes widened at sight the boomerang Aang kept in his cloak for extra safety measures now lying on the floor, with his son's chubby arm extended and the sound of a man's groaning in an unconscious state.
No way.
"Bumi, did you just defend me?!" He asked in pure shock.
The only answer he got was a toothless smile and a 'baba!' It was clear that he was proud of knocking a man unconscious with the boomerang.
Oh, Katara is gonna kill him when she finds out.
Trying not to think about the inevitable scolding he will receive at home, Aang refocused his attention on stopping the bandits. Soon, their fight ended, and he used his airbending and earthbending to gather the group by force and surround them with a cone of solid earth that pressed against them. They won't be able to escape, not until he lets them go.
After a brief interrogation (which was occasionally interrupted with amused squeal from his son humorously tucked into the carrier), Aang leapt onto Appa to leave.
Despite the fight they just survived, as Appa took off and Aang returned the earth to the ground to let the bandits leave, Bumi reached out of the carrier and waved at one of the bandits. To the leader's surprise, one of them waved back, touched by the cute sight. Who could get mad at that cute smile?
Aang noticed it from the corner of his eye and chuckled. "Maybe I should take you out with me more often, little cloud. Perhaps you can be able to solve conflicts for me with your gummy little smile."
The vibrations of his father's voice within his father's chest tickled the baby's ear and made him let out a noise of content. The conversation ended there.
By the time they returned home, the sun had started to set and his son was asleep in his arms.
With a fond expression, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to his son's downy hair, breathing in the scent of innocence that warmed his heart and kept him grounded. It was only afterwards did he let him rest while he began cooking for his family.
Of course, by the time his wife got home, she quickly put the pieces together as to what happened in her absence. While her husband recalled to her what happened, it caused her to rub her temples and scold her husband for putting Bumi in danger. She was definitely exasperated, but Katara couldn't help but find fond humor in what transpired. She had a feeling that a lifetime of stressful moments like this one will make for an interesting future family dynamic.
Yet as she ate Aang's food and watched him sway in place to keep his son asleep, Katara couldn't find it in herself to stop Aang from doing so. If this is how he bonds with his son, then she hopes she can spend a lifetime watching them grow in chaos together. And she knew Aang felt the same way.