Author's note: I promised you a happy one, and that's what you're gonna get. :) I had a lot of fun writing this one, so I hope you enjoy it. I call it "Feeding Time".
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"Open up, little one!" Gyatso held the spoon in a playful manner, talking in a high-pitched voice that made little Aang squeal with laughter. Gyatso guided the spoon into the baby's open mouth. Most of the rice porridge dribbled back out of his mouth and down his chin. "Oh, no, some of it escaped!" Gyatso cooed, scooping more porridge into the spoon. "Well, we'll just have to try again, won't we?"
The infant sat on the floor, propped up in a corner of the room and surrounded by pillows in case he fell. There was no need for the pillows, really…his guardian would never allow him to be hurt. Gyatso sat in front of Aang, bowl and spoon in hand, leaning in closely to play with him as he ate. Feeding the young Avatar was one of Gyatso's favorite pastimes. Some of the other monks complained about feeding the babies, but Gyatso didn't see why. It was an important time for bonding with Aang, and although the little one didn't know it yet, he was the Avatar, and the day would come when these fun times would be over. Gyatso intended to make the good times last as long as possible, beginning right now, when Aang was still young.
So he made a game out of everything, especially feeding time. Through his imagination, the spoon could become any number of things. "Uh-oh!" he said in the same high-pitched voice, "there's a lost little lemur flying around, and he's trying to find his home!" He moved the spoon around in a circle while making a whooshing sound with his mouth. Gyatso was a natural. Sometimes the spoon was a lost little lemur, sometimes it was a flying bison, sometimes it was a person on his glider…but no matter what, they all had the same destination. "Oh, look! He found his home!" Still making the whooshing sound, he guided the spoon into Aang's laughing mouth. Gyatso laughed as well, leaning in closely and tickling the baby. "You're a good little boy, aren't you? Yes you are!"
It always brought Gyatso much joy to see the little baby laughing. Laugh while you can, little one, he thought. As the Avatar, the little boy in front of him would have many trials ahead of him. It was a heavy burden to keep peace and balance in the world. These blissful times would be sadly short-lived, so they both had to make the most of it while they still had the chance.
Gyatso was just leaning in to give Aang another bite when the infant's smile suddenly disappeared. His guardian paused, concerned, and wondered for a moment if something was wrong. He then noticed a small twitch in the baby's nose, and there was a sharp intake of breath. Suddenly realizing what would happen next, Gyatso tried to move away…
It was too late. The baby unleashed a massive sneeze, sending the bowl of porridge into Gyatso's face. The display of airbending, though unintentional, was powerful; the spoon went flying out of the older monk's hand, and bits of food covered the floor for the full length of the room. The now-empty bowl fell from Gyatso's face, leaving him covered in the remains of Aang's meal. For a moment, all was quiet. The infant watched his guardian with a surprised expression; he almost seemed startled by his own power. Porridge dripped from Gyatso's face and onto the floor. He turned around and glanced at the room behind him; he had quite a mess to clean up.
He turned back to Aang, and noticed a small smile beginning to form on his lips. Gyatso smiled as well, adopting his high-pitched voice again. "Did you do that on purpose?" he asked. Aang began laughing once again, and Gyatso laughed along. "Time to clean up!" he cooed, scooping the infant up. The two filthy monks made their way to the bathing room, laughing and playing the whole way.
The guardian of the Avatar definitely had his work cut out for him, but the rewards of his work far outweighed the costs.