I don't own anything and I'm not making any money off this.
Life Sucks When You Grow Up
Part 1 – Traditions
Aang had never been so proud in his life. His youngest son (his only airbender), had just passed the final test for Mastery! The smell of fruit tarts wafted through Air Temple Island, as Katara prepared the celebratory feast. Several acolytes were hanging up lanterns in the gardens.
"Now, Tenzin," said Aang happily, "it is time for you to receive your Airbending Master tattoos."
Tenzin gulped. "But—I don't want tattoos all over my body!"
"Tenzin!" cried Aang angrily. "The tattoos are a tradition thousands of years old! All airbending masters receive the tattoos with honor—unless they're Avatars from other nations, then they're excused."
Tenzin smirked. "Dad, if you're all about traditions, why did you get married?"
"What?"
"You heard me. I know that the Air Nomads didn't get married, they just gathered for massive orgies every year and made Airbender babies at the girls' temples."
Aang opened his mouth several times, but no sound came out. He rubbed his beard in frustration.
"Tenzin, your mother is not an Air Nomad. It was different."
"Oh please!" Tenzin protested. "You were the only Air Nomad left! It was the perfect time to grab a bunch of acolytes and have an orgy, but you chose to break that tradition!"
"Tenzin, are you really going there just to avoid getting tats?" his older sister asked, coming around a corner. "Don't be such a baby...and please, never mention Dad's sex life again. Ewww."
Of course Kya would say that! She wasn't even an airbender, but she had asked for tattoos when she became a Waterbending master. She had some cool, swirling water designs around her upper arms, drawn by Uncle Sokka and tattooed by her dad. Katara had not been too happy, but she'd had to adjust her views as an Air Nomad's wife.
"Yeah, don't be a baby," Bumi echoed, grinning at Tenzin. "From now on we'll call you Master Arrowbutt, but at least you'll be more traditional than Dad! You can organize all the orgies you want."
"Kya, Bumi...thanks for the input, but please, let me handle this," Aang pleaded, now massaging his temples. "Look Tenzin, it's not as bad as you think. You go into a meditative trance, and while you do that I'll tattoo your arrows."
"How many monks did it take to get yours done?" Tenzin asked, already knowing the answer.
"Five monks, and a whole day," sighed Aang. "Don't worry, I won't be alone. I'll outline the arrows and get some acolytes to fill them in."
"I don't even want to be bald for the rest of my life," Tenzin whined, losing steam. "It's not fair."
Kya and Bumi looked at each other, then grinned.
"Dad, we're gonna shave our heads. For solidarity," the sixteen-year-old Kya declared.
"Nothing like a bald girl to make you feel better," Bumi joked, and his sister gave him a punch.
And that's why, when Aang's three kids showed up at the party, they were all bald. When Bumi discovered the skin-coloring opportunities that came with berry juice, he spent the rest of the party drawing fake "tattoos" on his body, to his mother's consternation.
Two days later, the eleven-year-old Tenzin stood, bald and buck naked, in a circle of acolytes. His father drew the outlines of blue arrows down his back, on his head, and on each limb, while the others prepared the ink. He tried to deepen his breathing and relax as his father poked him with needles over, and over, and over.
It didn't really work.
On the other side of the island, Bumi winced in sympathy as he heard the frequent yells of "OW!". Kya shook her head, and went back to her water whips.
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