Bumi grinned as he walked down the corridor of the Fire Nation palace. He had just finished his first week of training in the United Forces and was spending his leave at his Uncle Zuko's. Of course, he had told all the other recruits that he was visiting a friend and didn't add much detail from there. It was true though, he was very close friends with Zuko's family, and it turned out that Aunt Ty Lee's 'vacation in the Fire Nation' with her daughters Kia and Usha, (both powerful firebenders) had turned into more of a permanent living arrangement. The recruit silently opened the door to the main sitting room, where Kia was listening to the radio, she was so wrapped up in what was being described that she didn't notice Bumi until he scooped her up from the couch and swung her around before engulfing her in a massive bear hug.
"Bumi! Oh my goodness! You scared the living daylights out of me! I almost firebent at you! Be more careful next time!" Kia paused, breathing in, calming herself down before saying, "But it's good to see you." With a smile and hugging him back.
At first Bumi pouted at Kia's rant, he didn't really have any friends back in Republic City he could pick up like that, because most of them were generally twice his size and male, he could pick up Lin though, his best friend. She was never surprised; she just laughed and hugged him back before they started complaining about their siblings. Then he realised that the reason Lin was never surprised was because she could feel him coming a mile away, he had been greeting her like that for years and only then did he realise she knew he was coming every time. But then again, the people in the palace didn't have the Beifong seismic sense, which could allow for a lot more pranks while he stayed on the weekends, this made Bumi grin despite the pang of homesickness he felt when he thought about Lin.
"Good to see you too, Kia. Where's the evil twin?"
Kia laughed, "You mean Usha? She's probably off training somewhere, that's all she ever does, you'd think she wanted a position on the U.F. She doesn't, by the way, so you don't have much competition there." Bumi chuckled and flopped down on the couch. Kia was kind and gentle, with long black hair and golden eyes, she took after her father with the typical Fire Nation facial structure and build, but she did have Ty Lee's individual nature and flirtatious attitude. She was beautiful, and it always astounded Bumi the amount of guys who would make eyes at her when she came to visit. Usha, on the other hand, was the spitting image of Ty Lee, with long brown hair and stunning bone structure, however, if anyone met her, they would think she was Azula's child because of her manipulating attitude and cruel attitude. Bumi stretched out on the couch and the two spent the rest of the afternoon ranting about their siblings and catching up before heading off to dinner.
"So Bumi," Zuko started over his noodles "It's good to see you, although I was a bit shocked to find that your parents haven't written to me to make sure you got here ok, or to bribe me into putting you in 'safe zones' as Katara puts it. Sokka is the only one to write, and he only told me to make sure you keep Boomerang in good condition." Bumi's 'Uncle' finished with a worried tone in his voice.
Bumi grimaced, "Well dad doesn't exactly know I'm here. He's off travelling the world with his golden boy, and I don't think mom was listening when I told her I was coming, only Uncle Sokka, Aunt Toph and Lin know I'm gone."
Zuko looked up from his meal and set down his chopsticks, "Well, I hope you know what you're in for, I don't think you know what the avatar state is like when you're on the receiving end, and don't even get me started on your mother when she's angry."
Bumi rolled his eyes, "I know exactly what mom is like when she's mad, believe me, but I'm eighteen years old, I'm legally allowed to make my own choices, I know, Lin told me all about it, mom can't force me back home."
Izumi snorted into her bowl, earning herself a glare from the others at the table. "What?" she asked, "If I didn't know better, I'd think Bumi was the one marrying Lin, not Tenzin, he's been talking about her all night."
"WHAT? THEY'RE GETTING MARRIED?" Bumi screeched, almost falling out of his chair, whilst Izumi and Kia burst out laughing,
"It was a figure of speech!" the fire princess started, turning to Kia, "and you owe me fifty yuans," she paused when Kia gave her a questioning look, "We made a bet last summer over whether or not Cave Man here was over his childhood crush."
It was at this point that Bumi interjected, "What? You think I like Lin? She's my best friend, and he's my brother, I was just a little cut that they didn't think to tell me, and they were in a bit of a rough patch when I left, so it was odd, is all."
"Three things," Kia said, "One, it's so obvious to everyone BUT Lin that you like her. Two, you're blushing redder than Kyoshi's eye make-up. And THREE, What was wrong with the love-micebirds?"
"I'll give you three guesses."
"Kids." Kia guessed without skipping a beat.
"Yup."
"What? Zuko cut in, "They are sixteen years old! They're too young to have kids now!"
Bumi nodded, "That's Lin's argument, along with - and I quote - 'No way in fricking hell I will quit my job and leave school to raise a bunch of airheads while Tenzin gets to flounce about doing council work experience and meditation.' She's right, and I think Lin is even more against it because she got wind about a member of the Council of Five retiring at the end of the year too."
Zuko gave Bumi an inquisitive look.
"She wants to prove to her mother that she is a better earthbender than Toph by making it onto the Council of Five."
Zuko laughed, "Toph was offered that job about ten times by the time she turned fourteen! I'm surprised she hasn't gloated about it to you two."
Bumi smiled, "Oh she told us alright, Lin says she wants to upstage her mom, but I think it's more about getting her attention, Su has been getting Toph's attention lately because of all the trouble she's been in at school. Lin tries, but Toph just doesn't have time for her."
"Well if the Council of Five doesn't work out, she'll always have a place on the United Forces." Zuko said, trying to lighten the mood. They were silent for the rest of dinner.
After saying his goodnights, Bumi flopped onto his bed. He had a room in the palace to himself all his life, and it was pretty much exactly how he had left it when he last visited: a polar bear-dog skin on the bed, his spare sword in the corner, a photograph of his and Zuko's family at Air Temple Island on the dresser, and his most precious possession on the bedside table: a photograph of Bumi and Lin taken about two years prior, with Lin sitting on his lap, grinning at the camera as Bumi pressed a kiss to her cheek. Picking up the photograph, Bumi looked at the picture of Lin, "Wish you were here." He whispered, finally allowing homesickness to set in as he blew out the candle and went to sleep.