This is my first fan fic of anything ever. After rewatching my favourite all-time show, I had some weird ideas that I needed to get out, and this is that. This may just be a few chapters, or develop into a longer story, depending on if the ideas keep coming.

Disclaimer:

As stated, this is my first time here, so it will be rough around the edges. If you have any constructive criticism, please tell me so, I will try to improve as I write. This is especially true since English isn't my first language, so apologies if some of this sounds a little stilted.

I don't have an ending in mind for this story yet. If it does get longer than a few chapters, I may need to rewrite some of this stuff in order for it to make sense in the overall story.

I can't promise to update regularly, due to real life and periods of no creativity that I tend to have.

Also, even though most of Team Avatar is in this story, I will most likely focus on my four favourite characters, I can't help it.

Lastly, I obviously (and to my great sadness) don't own any of these great characters, nor the amazing world they inhabit.

Chapter 1: Proposals

-The two friends wandered through the halls of the palace, without any real destination, Bumi listening intently while Aang spilled his heart out.

-After listening to what Aang had to say, Bumi pondered for a moment, before answering: "I don't think this is as drastic as you make it sound. And even if it is...", he cackled, "don't you think I'm a little old to answer this kind of questions?"

-Aang already felt better just having talked about his situation, so he allowed himself a little smile: "Why not? Technically we are the same age, don't you think you could give me some buddy-to-buddy advice?"

-"Heh!", Bumi laughed, amused that his friend still brought that up. "If you put it like that, of course I can help you. My advice for you is..." he leaned closer, "to ask someone closer to your age!" He snorted and cackled and was just being so Bumi that Aang could not help but laugh as well.

"Thanks, oh wise Grand Master!", he bowed, his nose almost touching the ground. Bumi, as was to be expected, bowed back in the same over-exaggerated manner.

The airbender grinned, just being with his old friend cracked him up, like it always had.

Still, he didn't really know what to do about his situation, so he was soon lost in his thoughts again.

Noticing the shift in his friend's mood, Bumi gracefully offered: "While I am obviously the wisest man in this part of the world..", - he didn't specify what he meant by that, knowing him it could have well been the entire Earth Kingdom - , "I do think you need someone younger to talk to..."

-Aang interrupted him: "I already told you, my friends are probably coming right behind me anyway, but I really don't want to talk to them about this, ok? It would just be really...uncomfortable. Actually, I'd prefer not to see them so soon, I think I need time to figure this out myself, so please don't bring that up again, ok?"

-"and thus", Bumi continued, ignoring Aangs outburst completely, "I would recommend talking to my children. They are...well, most of them are...ok, some of them...are actually pretty good listeners, believe it or not. Don't know how that happened, but who cares, might come in handy now." He frowned, considering. "Actually, now that I think about it, their children are probably closer to your age...though I wouldn't confess anything to those blabbermouths if I were you!", he chuckled at the thought and turned to his friend again...

-...and only then realized that Aang had spent this entire monologue silently staring at him, mouth wide open.

-Not quite knowing what to make of that, Bumi just raised his eyebrows questioningly.

-Aang gaped at him. "I, um, well, I never thought you had children", he managed to say.

-"'Course I do.", Bumi replied casually, as if he had just confirmed the colour of his robes.

-The simple thought that Bumi had grandchildren (who were probably older than he was) was just so strange and made Aang feel more than a little weird. Yet, at the same time, he was overcome by a rush of happyness for his old friend, so he quickly collected himself: "That's...wow, I mean, that's great! Why'd you never tell me?!"

-Bumi raised his eyebrows at him again. "I just did, didn't I?"

-The airbender was uncharactaristically lost for words for a moment, then: "Are they here in Omashu? Why did I never meet them? Are they earthbenders like you? HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?!"

-Bumi chuckled at this barrage of questions, but didn't bother answering. "You seem quite interested in my family, Aang." He grinned mischievously. "Bet you just want someone to call your bald head 'Uncle Aang', heh?". He let out one of his characteristic cackles.

-Aang flushed, and had a snarky reply already on his lips, but the thought of a bunch of little Bumis calling him 'Uncle' was so ludicrous and at the same time endearing, that he couldn't help but grin as well.

-"Man, I missed you", he stated as he walked beside his oldest friend. A thought came to his mind: "If they turned out anything like you, the world seems brighter already." He meant it. He couldn't remember a day with Bumi that hadn't been fun, and he had never been happier than when he met him again after all that time in the iceberg, still his querky, humorous self.

-"Thanks Aang, I tried my best", Bumi answered in an actually semi-serious tone - which was as close to serious as he ever got. However, the look he gave the little Avatar-kid walking next to him was one of sincere friendship. He studied him for a moment. "You know, I think I'll throw them a feast. They wouldn't say No to their favourite papa or grandpapa now, would they?" He saw Aang's face light up at that, clearly anticipating this event with one of the craziest (and funniest) families imaginable. "More so with the infamous airhead there himself.", Bumi smirked.

-"Infamous?" Aang glanced up at Bumi, remembering their adventures as children, some of which would certainly qualify as 'infamous'. "Just what did you tell them about me exactly? Please tell me you didn't..." he trailed off as he saw the self-satisfied smirk that covered his friend's face, indicating that he thought of the same unfortunate incident as the airbender just had. "You did.", he stated flatly, not knowing wether to curse or laugh. He sighed in resignation: " 'Airhead' won't be the worst name they'll call me, will it?"

-"Nope"

-Aangs resignation must have shown, because Bumi suddenly turned jovial.

-"Hey, look on the bright side!", Bumi called, smacking Aang across the back. "The girls in the bunch will throw themselves at the legendary airhead the second they see you!". He added, half amused, half scolding: "Maybe that will snap you out of that sinkhole you seem to be in right now."

-Aang frowned, not liking being reminded of THAT again. Besides, the thought of Bumi's female children and/or grandchildren 'throwing themselves at him' was more than a little unsettling. But he passed it off with a humorous remark, as he often did when something made him uncomfortable: "Do you already have candidates at hand, complete with the wedding ceremony prepared and everything?"

-Judging by the look on his friend's face, Aang really shouldn't have said that, and he almost facepalmed at his own stupidity, as Bumi was clearly pondering on his question very seriously.

-"Well..." the old earthbender said,"now that you ask..."

-"No, don't bother! I was joking!"

-"...I do have some girls in mind for you", Bumi continued, completely unaware of the interruption. "Lemme see, there's Quela...hmmm no, lil' too old...although technically that argument doesn't work on you, now that I think about it..."

-"Bumi, leave it, I wasn't serious..."

-"...Maybe Xing - or wait, was it Jing - ", Bumi looked lost for a moment. "Whatever, the one from from Ba Sing Se, hmmm, maybe..."

-"Bumi, come on...". Aang was blushing at this point, not quite knowing how he had gotten himself into this situation.

-"...of course there's always that sandbender, come to think of it - no, not really, far too tall and dusty...although...", Bumi stopped to look at Aang again, measuring him head to tow, "you did grow quite a bit lately, maybe in a few months...let's keep that one as a backup, no?"

-"Please, Bumi...!", Aang pleaded, now actually cursing his friend silently and seriously thinking about just taking his glider and leaving the one-sided conversation.

-But Bumi had already turned away from his friend's pleading eyes again, a mischievous grin on his face, and just continued with his list, completely unfazed: "...Harre from Kyoshi...Whats-her-name with the scars on the arm...?...no wait, shes already married, hm too bad...that blind Gaoling girl...no far too stubborn...maybe Kila...nope, still digging for that library...what about the one from...umm...don't know, actually, the one that uses earthbending for hands, you'd like her I think..."

-Bumi stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that Aang wasnt' at his side anymore. Looking back, he saw the young airbender a few feet behind him, where he had stopped dead in his tracks, with his jaw somewhere on the floor. Bumi thought that he looked like he had just discovered that his friend was a pink platypus-bear. He had to fight to keep from laughing, but somehow he managed to just look at his friend curiously.

-Aang's thoughts were racing in his head, yet somehow they seemed to just circle in there, without being able to comprehend what he had just heard, much less arrive at any form of conclusion.

-After a few moments he managed a feeble "Wha...?" That didn't help. He tried again: "What did you...?"

-The third attempt was somewhat comprehensible:" Could you...ahum, ah r-repeat that?!"

-"All of that?", his friend grinned, but didn't seem to mind: "So, there's Quela, Jing - yea, sounds right..."

-"No, no!" Aang was feeling dizzy, something that did not happen very often, but he had to make sure he had misheard: "You said something a- about a blind..."

-"Hmm?" Bumi went through his mental list again and, arriving at the part in question, he repeated: "that blind Gaoling girl. But as I said, she's far too stubborn for..." Bumi stomped his foot on the ground and earthbended a rock pillar from the ground, just in time to catch a very shocked Avatar.