I absolutely love this family! I was smiling the entire time i wrote this.
Tenzin was confused. When his father said they were going to do something a little different for practice, he did not expect to be making fruit pies. He was more confused when, after dozens were made, Aang picked up a few and told Tenzin to grab a couple.
"Why did we have to make pies?" Tenzin asked, following his father through the house with two of them in his hands.
"I thought you wanted to know how," Aang replied with a smile, "And besides, you need to have a little more fun. Training's been too serious."
"Um…Okay? But why make so many?" Tenzin asked curiously. The pies they had made all turned out perfect, and his stomach was growling just looking at the ones he was carrying.
Aang laughed, almost unsettling the ones that were balanced carefully in his arms. "They're absolutely delicious. You can never make just one. Plus, I have a feeling we'll need them later."
Tenzin thought for a second, "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise. You'll see."
Tenzin did in fact see, a few minutes later, as they sat on the roof of the temple. He wasn't afraid of heights. Being an airbender he was used to flying around at heights that could easily beat this. He was just unsure of what his father was thinking of doing.
Aang set each pie on the railing, which now looked to Tenzin like it was just the right size for holding a few pies, and turned to look at Tenzin.
"Do you know what we're doing up here?"
"No," Tenzin said, scrunching up his face in thought. He had no idea.
"I'm going to help you improve your aim with a little fun. Monk Gyatso taught me this when I was around your age."
Realization was donning on Tenzin as Aang grinned down at his pupil. His usually serious face slipping away as he felt himself smile. He turned to look out across the island and saw several of the Acolytes in deep meditation. In another direction, he saw Kya waterbending, while Bumi was for once sitting and watching her, looking rather bored.
"Shall I give a demonstration?" Aang asked, feigning seriousness. No one knew about what he was going to do with Tenzin, and he wouldn't even tell Katara, who had asked a dozen times.
Tenzin nodded, knowing who his first victim would be. Aang also nodded, making a ball of air and explaining how to hit the mark every time, going through each motion without actually making a pie fly from the railing. "Who are you aiming at?" Tenzin asked.
Aang stopped for a second, looking out over the island. He smiled when he saw Katara walk out of the girl's dormitory, talking to one of the other Acolytes, and moved his hands to form another ball of air. Tenzin moved to copy his father's stance, making his own air ball and stepping behind one of the pies.
"Ready?" Aang asked. Tenzin nodded. "Since I think I know who you're aiming at, you have to do two. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble."
"But I haven't even tossed one!"
"Since you're new, you don't have to toss more than one at once, just be quick and do the second right after the first. Okay?"
"Got it!" Tenzin said, sticking his tongue out in concentration.
"Okay. One…Two...Three!" Aang said, moving his orb of air to the pie, which flew instantly. Aang stopped to look at his son's work. Tenzin had already let one fly, and the second had just left the rail.
They both grabbed the railing and looked at their targets. Aang laughed when he saw the shocked look on his wife's face, and turned to his kids, who were in a daze. Kya had stopped waterbending, wondering why a pie was smashed a few feet away from her, and Bumi was laughing as he realized he was hit by half a pie. He was pulling some out of his hair and throwing it at his older sister, who by that time was laughing and doing the same with the other pie.
"Not bad for your first time. I completely missed my first target," Aang said, trying to calm his laughter. Tenzin smiled. "I'm sure you'll improve quickly."
They turned their attention back to Katara, who was glaring up at the temple in rage. The other Acolyte was following her gaze, but looked absolutely confused. Aang's eyes widened when he realized how bad of an idea that actually was. She was glaring at both of them, no sign of laughter on her face. He still laughed, just slightly more cautious. "Uh-Oh," he said through his nervous smile.
"AANG!" was heard across the entire island. Katara turned and was walking back into the dorm, most likely to clean up so she wouldn't have pie in her hair when she strangled her husband.
Aang sighed and looked at his son, "This is why we made so many pies. We'll need to say sorry after this."
Tenzin laughed, for the first time in a long time, and looked up at his father as he realized something else, "Is this also why we're on the roof?"
Aang nodded with a smile that split his face, "You are learning well. Now," he said, turning his attention to the other Acolytes, who were still meditating, "We've already been caught, but let's not let these other pies go to waste. Ready for a few confused Acolytes?"
By the time the other pies had been tossed, Aang had noted that Tenzin's aim did in fact improve, a couple of Acolytes were smiling and laughing at the delicious surprises that hit them squarely in the head, and Katara was waiting at the bottom of the temple, with a frown on her face and hands on her hips. Aang didn't know if the extra pies would be able to help him now, but Tenzin seemed to be having more fun than ever, so it was well worth it.
You have to admit, Aang would have done this sometime. I'm slowly running out of ideas though. If anyone wants to ask me if i could try to write about something, go ahead. I have about four or five other one-shots that i might just scrap because i have no idea where they're going, but that's just cause i'm lazy and got bored of them quickly. I feel like i'm rambling. Sorry. Anyways, review please. Always happy to get reviews, even the weird ones...something about Toph and Zuko and Taco Bell. You know who i'm talking to, because i do not. That was pretty wierd. Ciao.