Headcanon:Bumi was always terrified of what Zuko would do to him because he was dating his daughter.
Bumi was never one to be afraid of most things, never shying away from a fight or any dangerous situation he was put in front of during training. He had always prided himself on his pain tolerance along with his nature to last longest in an argument and intimidate the opposing side. However, there was one thing Bumi was deathly afraid of, Fire Lord Zuko.
He was practically family and a second uncle to him, Bumi would often tell himself. But as the five children of Team Avatar got older and paired off romantically, his younger brother ended up with Lin and Bumi ended up with the princess. He loved his princess, she was the absolute best thing that ever happened to him; but he could not shake the fear of what her father might do to him if he crossed the line with the Fire Lord's precious princess. Honora would tell him that he had nothing to be afraid of but Bumi had seen many want-to-be suitors on the receiving end of Zuko's firebending after murmuring some inappropriate comments about his little girl. Bumi, to Honora's amusement, would always try to be on his best behavior when in the same vicinity as her father.
The next time they would be was Mai's birthday dinner. Zuko had spared no expense to celebrate his wife's birthday, much to her outward dismay but hidden gratitude. Bumi and his family, along with the Beifongs, were on Appa making their way to the palace. There was mild chatter between the family on Appa's saddle but all Bumi could think of was recalling his childhood lessons in decorum and manners, spending the night having fun with his beautiful girlfriend was at the top of his To-Do list but trying not to be burned to singes by her father was a close second. He was snapped out of his train of thought when Lin smacked him on the shoulder and made him realize that they had arrived.
They had reached the palace just as the party started, many dignitaries occupied the room along with politicians. Bumi separated from the group to find his princess, weaving through the crowd of people until he spotted her, sitting at her father's right hand while her mother sat on the other side. Honora's eyes lit up when she saw him approaching and rose from her seat to hug him. When they parted, Bumi turned to Zuko and bowed.
"Good evening everyone, happy birthday Aunt Mai. This really is a wonderful party." Bumi said as he straightened up, turning momentarily to glare at Honora, who was trying to stifle a laugh.
"Well thank you Bumi, it's wonderful everyone showed up tonight." Mai said as she gave Bumi a warm smile as Zuko continued to look at him.
"Yes, it is a nice party isn't it. Your father around anywhere?" Zuko finally spoke as Bumi nodded.
"I believe he is over by the fountain with my mother and Aunt Toph." Bumi said as Honora locked hands with him.
"Well, Bumi and I are going to go get something to eat, see you later Mom, Dad." Honora said as she dragged Bumi's hand and led him away.
"You try too hard, my dad knows you, he's not going to burn you to a crisp just because you are my boyfriend!" Honora explained to him as they walked.
"I know but he still is the Fire Lord, it's kind of hard to act normally around him; especially since I've seen what he has done to your other 'suitors'. Bumi said, putting air quotes around the last word.
Honora shook her head as she leaned in to kiss him, to which he gleefully responded. Upon hearing someone clear their throat beside them, they separated to see her father standing there.
"Bumi, may I speak to you alone for a moment?" Zuko asked and Bumi's heart rate sped up. Honora gave him a kiss on the cheek as she walked away to give them some privacy.
"Of course." Bumi said as he followed Zuko outside to the gardens.
Bumi could not stop the horrific thoughts that went through his head, he imagined Zuko burning him to a crisp, striking him with lightning or leading him to a bush in the gardens and setting it on fire. Bumi's heart rate continued to rise as he waited for Zuko to speak.
"Well Bumi, it seems my daughter is pretty serious about you." Zuko began, moving closer to the teenager.
"Well, I would hope so. I'm pretty serious about her as well." Bumi managed to get out.
"I just thought we should have a little talk about her. She has never seemed to feel this way about anyone before and I just want to make sure we are both on the same page." Zuko continued, putting his hand on Bumi's shoulder.
"Alright." Bumi said, feeling his muscles tense under the hand on his shoulder.
"My daughter is the most important thing on the planet to me, I'm sure she had told you that already. That being said, I have tried to protect her from anything and anyone who can hurt her, but having her own adventurous streak-much like her mother, she sometimes slips out of my grasp." Zuko began as Bumi listened. Bumi remembered how protective he had always been of Honora, a particular memory of the Fire Lord freaking out when she had fallen in the turtleduck pond with Kya came to mind.
"If she is willing to let anyone in, I am glad it's you Bumi. I happen to think you are a fine young man, your mother and father raised you well. I just want you to know that I support your relationship with Honora and all that it entails. Just keep in mind that she is still a young lady and should be respected as such, also keep in mind that if you do not do wrong by her, I will not do wrong by you. Do you understand?" Zuko finished and Bumi nodded and smiled, feeling a little more at ease.
"Good, those other boys that wanted to be with her only wanted her to get to me and the Fire Nation's resources but you want to be with her simply because you love her, am I correct?" Zuko asked and this time Bumi found his voice.
"Yes sir, I love your daughter very much. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me." Bumi said to Zuko.
"Well that makes two of us. Let's get back to the party shall we." Zuko said, slinging an arm around Bumi's shoulder. They reached the inside of the palace again and Bumi saw Honora and her mother sitting at a nearby table. Honora spotted the two of them first and sprung up to meet them.
"Well there you two are! I was getting worried. Is everything okay?" Honora asked as her father put a hand on her shoulder.
"Everything is just fine, don't you worry sweetheart. We just had a little talk is all. Didn't we Bumi?" Zuko said facing Bumi.
"Yes of course we did." Bumi said with a smile.
"Well that's all well and good, why don't you two run off and have a little fun?" Mai told the teenagers as she came up to put her hand on her husband's elbow.
Bumi and Honora nodded and started to go off. Bumi turned back and bowed towards her parents and Honora pulled him to her.
"So what did you and my dad really talk about?" Honora asked as they reached the dance floor and she wound her arms around his neck.
"You of course, the most important topic to both of us." Bumi said and smiled when he saw a blush creep into her porcelain cheeks.
"Well as long as you feel more relaxed, why don't we try this again?" Honora asked as she pressed he lips to his. Bumi responded fiercely to her kiss and melted into it. And with Zuko's blessing still ringing in his head, he planned to never stop.