DISCLAIMER.- I OWN NOTHING.
(When I uploaded this story two days ago I was so sure I wrote an introduction...)
I wrote this little tale for an English class couple of months ago, the point was to improve the grammar. I made my best correcting the mistakes, but after a while reading the same text, you can't notice the wrong parts anymore, the brain has limits. Hope you enjoy it.
It was not his idea to have a family.
In his childhood, he never thought about it, mostly because he never had a conventional family. He never complains, Aang knew he was a lucky kid rounded by people who loved him, but sometimes –more that he liked to admit to himself– he wondered how it would be to be rise by parents, instead Monks.
Air Nomads hadn't an institution like marriage, they were only "couples", because in that culture a couple –a partner– have all the dignity of love and companion that marriage supposed to give. When they have children, they raised them until the sixth birthday, then the kid will be taken to the nearest Temple and begin the airbender training, once the kid gets the Masters tattoos, it would be able to travel the world and meet his parents again.
Family wasn't the nuclear part of Air Nomad's society, because they thought all of them where family. Yes, a person had a father, and a mother, sometimes siblings, but all the airbenders where family, wherever they go or whatever they do, they will find his home in a Temple, with their own.
Doesn't mean Aang didn't know how important family was in other cultures, when he visited his friends in the Earth Kingdome and the Fire Nation Aang got impress of how lovely and united they were. The way a Father teach his kid, or how protective a Mother can be, the bond that makes siblings to care of each other's even if they didn't get along, those things happens for the deep feeling that put together a family, something Aang never had.
While all of his friends in the Southern Temple had parents and memories about them, Aang never met them. It was hurting in a way Aang never was quite sure how to explain, when his little friends spoke about the songs their mothers sang, or the games their parents played with them, he felt a little jealous. Monk Gyatso said it was normal, "all the persons in the world feels insecure when other knows something you don't" he said.
Obviously he had a mother and a father, but they died when he was a baby, at least was what the Monks told him. In one occasion when Aang felt really sad, Gyatso told him he met his mother.
"Really? How was she?"
"A beauty and calm woman. She never speaks if it wasn't necessary"
"And my father?"
"Never met him, but your mother told me once he was a playful guy, the kind of man who always find something funny around. They complement each other."
"Oh, sounds… good, for them."
"They were a lovely couple, Aang, and they loved you very much"
Gyasto smiled at him, Aang felt his words comforting.
There weren't memories of songs, or games, or even the knowledge of how his mother looks like, but Aang decided he will never get bother about it. He knows, thanks to Gyatso, his parents were happy, and lovely, and they died in peace knowing he will be rising by the good southern Monks. Wasn't a fact for being sad.
But inside of him, despite all the logical explanations, Aang got sadly sometimes. The time passed by and he never thought about a family, how he could have one if he never was part of any? For being a father, you need to be a son first. He never was anyone son's.
Well, maybe for Monk Gyatso… but no, he was his mentor, not a Father. Yes, he felt for him like the closer fatherhood influence in him, but he wasn't. So, he will never have a family, and it wasn't something for feeling down, he got friends after all and he was the Avatar! There were most important things than a wife and children. No, that was not a life for him.
Not knowing the Airbenders were killed, not the war, not the hope, destruction, and desperation… nothing makes him feel different, not evening falling for Katara made him changes his mind.
Until Zuko told him, when Iroh passed away, how he was a Father to him.
"My own father never loved me like he supposed to do, and Iroh has many love inside of him… he missed a son, do you know? My cousin Lu. Iroh used to think about me like his son, when he never got the obligation of take care of me. He could just leave… but instead he loved me, taught me, raised me… hope I made him proud."
"You know he is proud"
"He was"
Ouch.
Death was painful, but Aang saw more that day, when Zuko kneel down in front of the altar, showing his respect to his uncle's portrait, he saw all the love, the admiration and the deep bond between uncle and nephew.
Like when he bowed in front of Monk Gyatso, before gave him a hung.
Maybe… maybe a Father was not necessary who gave you the blood, maybe a Father was someone who loved you, never leaving you alone.
Perhaps he had a father, and he was someone's son…
And perhaps, he could have a family. When he told all his thoughts to Katara, she laughed softly.
"But Aang, you already have a family"
"What do you mean?"
"Weren't Sokka and I your family? And Toph, and Zuko?"
"I thought you were my friends"
"A friend is Haru, sweetie. We are more, don't' you think?" she hung him, kissing his check "Am I just a simple friend to you?"
"Of course not!"
"Well, that's the answer of your question" and kissed his lips.
It was?
Deep inside, Aang knows she was right, but never really admit it. At least, the talks gave him the courage enough for finally proposed to her. The day they got married was one of his happier ever lived, and the joy their share sends all his worries away for much time.
But nothing last forever, and his peace ends when Katara got pregnant.
"How this happened?"
"Well" Toph answered "When a bee likes other bee so much…"
"Don't say a word! She's my sister!" Sokka yelled.
"And she's pregnant, obviously she DID it!"
"Don't like to remember, you know?"
"Besides, you two are married, how you didn't know how happened? Were you two practices some positions or…?"
"SHUT UP!"
"Toph! Of course I know HOW happened" Aang said, looking the mad Sokka's face "But I… never thought this would happen so soon."
"Nature things, TweenklyToes"
"Sure…"
Wasn't any easier, Aang doesn't know how to explains his friends his family's issues, and Katara –the only one who know it– was pregnant, if he says something wrong she could completely misunderstand and the hormones were already very hard, despite the unnecessary argument!
Confuse and alone, Aang keep his feelings for himself, takings care of his beauty wife and wishing, praying very hard for being the right husband for her, and the parent the kid's will need. How he will know about parenthood, if he never had nothing like parents?
Katara, full of joy and hope, made him not lose his mind, she was more beautiful than ever, but it doesn't mean he wasn't scared. Zuko, the only one of his friends who was a father, noticed the anxiety in the Avatar and decided to have a good talk one month before the birth.
"The baby will force you to be the best version of yourself"
"So, should I get even more worried?"
"Not it all."
"This isn't helping"
"Nothing will, Aang. Not you, neither Katara, knows how to be a parent. Doesn't mean you will ruin it. Both of you will learn it, as Mai and I did."
"At least Mai and you have parents, Zuko."
"Do I have to remember you the kind of father I had?"
"Maybe was not the perfect example"
"Actually, it was. If I learned about parenthood from my Father, I would be the worst parent in history… Izumi never would want me to hung her and told her stories in bedtime. But I'm not being the kind of father Ozai was, I'm being like my Uncle… well, trying."
"How do you know what are you doing is right, Zuko?"
"I am never sure about it, Aang, but I will always try. Once you have your baby in your arms, you will understand"
And he was right. Once Aang hold little Bumi in his arms, he felt it… the love, the bond was there. It was his son… his son. He will protect him, teach him, love him, care him all his life. Never believed he could feel this way for someone, Aang thought his love for Katara was ultimate… well, he still loves her deeply, but the kind of love he felt for his child was beyond description, unique and incomparable.
Maybe unique was the word for a good definition, because when Kya and Tenzin were born Aang loved them, but in a different way. The three of them were his children, but each of them were special in a particular way that made Aang loved them differently, like his hearth designer a kind of affection JUST for every kid.
Was hard to explain, even harder to understand, but Aang realized his friends with kids knew exactly what he means. He loves Bumi's expressions and jokes, Kya's intelligence and Tenzin's silence. When he spoke with Katara about it, she smiled to him in agreement.
"Yes, I love them all, in a different way"
He had kids, but his brain working in a very strange way didn't assimilate he had a family, not until his little boy started to speak. Bumi's first word was "Maam" making Katara happier than ever, but just a couple of days later, when Aang was playing with his son in the nursery, Bumi's big eyes looked to him with a big smile in his face, laughing and saying:
"Daad"
Aang got froze, carrying his son.
"Bumi?"
"Daaad!" the kid repeated, rising his little arms.
"Say it again, buddy!"
"Daaaaaad!"
"Katara, he said Dad!" crazy of joy, Aang took his son to a tired Katara who was trying to take a nap.
And suddenly he got it: he was a Dad.
He was a Father.
Aang was so busy worrying about what could goes wrong, and then looking for peace in the world, he never had the moment to stop and think what was obvious: he haves a family.
The realizations came one day, working to late in Republic City looking for a new law who would put the criminals in a prison very far away from the city, the mayor argument was that the population would feel safer that way, it wouldn't matter how expensive could be, the citizen needed it.
"All we want is to protect our families" Sokka said.
Our families… Aang had one.
He returned to home, seeing Katara in the garden playing with their oldest kids –Tenzin was inside taking a nap– they laughed, jumped, played… suddenly saw him starring at them, and ran through the grass reaching to his legs.
"Daddy!" Kya yelled.
Aang hold her little girl, she looked at him like he was the most amazing person in the world.
Her hero.
In his daughter's eyes, he was a hero.
It was not his idea to have a family, all the pain, the lost and the dark memories he had made him think he would not deserve it. Now he got one, he looked to his gorgeous wife –who have loved for years– and his beautiful kids; Aang traveled around all the world, but never saw kids more wonderful, perfect from his littles finger-hands to the smarter hair.
His amazing Bumi, smart and funny, a crazy boy who made honor to his old friend's name. It was a surprise his first born wasn't a bender –despite the fact he wants him to be an airbender, it was shocking he wasn't a waterbender either– but Aang loved him since the moment he felt a tiny kick in Katara's belly.
His beautiful Kya, strong and sweet just life her mother, he doesn't matter if the kid didn't heirgn nothing from him, she was most than perfect just being like Katara (even the fact she was a waterbender had sense, he wouldn't want something different).
His little Tenzin, the very first airbender Aang saw in years –more years he would like to admit– a miracle himself.
How he could not love them?
It was not his idea to have a family… but he thanks the spirits every night before goes to sleep for the perfect wife and perfect children he haves.
And that was all...
Hope you liked it. It's mostly sweet and a reflection. As you may know by now, English is my second language, so feel free of telling me all the mistakes I have, it would help me a lot to improve.
Thanks a lot for read c: