AN: Today was a hard day for me. I plan to release all of the details of my situation once I finish The Aftermath, but some days are harder than others, and today was one of them. I debated about even writing this story. Today was a day off from writing, but I find that I'm able to release my emotions a lot easier when I put it down on paper. Aang's probably OOC here, I'm sorry. I am and will be okay, please don't worry about me.

TW: Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Attempted Suicide

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Aang had gotten his happy ending. He mastered the avatar state, defeated Fire Lord Ozai without killing him, and the war was over. He and his friends had survived, and he even got the girl of his dreams in Katara. People praised and thanked their crew wherever they went, thanking the Avatar for ending the war. Praising the Avatar for promoting world peace. Girls would come up and try to get the Avatar's attention and affection. The Avatar had every reason to be happy.

But Aang wasn't happy.

Aang remembered the days that seem so long ago now back at his former home in the Southern Air Temple. His life was so simple back then. He would wake up as soon as the first beam of light showed with the sun rise and meditated, trained, and lived life with Monk Gyatso. When his training was done he would play games with his friends, fly with the sky bison, travel the world. Gyatso always told Aang that he had an infectious laugh, it was something that his new group of friends had agreed upon when they traveled together during the war.

Now, Aang didn't laugh anymore.

Aang quickly realized that the world saw him as the Avatar, and no one saw him as Aang anymore. He realized that no one was proud of him for ending the war, they were proud of the character he represented that they depended upon to do their bidding. Now that the war was over, it was just more meaningless tasks for the Avatar to attend to. To the world, Aang wasn't a person. He was a puppet that they used for their own needs, throwing him aside when he wasn't needed anymore. Aang would remember when they would travel around the world helping people, how much joy it brought to him. How it would bring a smile to his face.

What the world didn't recognize was that he needs help. That he doesn't remember how to smile.

Aang could tell that his friends noticed his change in behavior and demeanor. Katara would ask him if he was okay (he wasn't), and that he could tell her anything (she wouldn't understand). All he could do was put on his mask and pretend that everything is fine. He noticed that Toph stopped calling him Twinkletoes, and would always softly address him by his real name whenever she saw him. Aang knew that she could tell something was off through her Earthbending, but he always challenged her when she tried to ask him what was going on (because why would she care?) Sokka always tried to increase his humorous stunts around him, in an effort to make him laugh. Aang would slip on his mask for the moment and put on a fake grin for him, but Sokka started to see right through it. Aang remembered Sokka telling him that he missed his laugh and that he just wanted him to be happy (he couldn't). Zuko would even pull him aside at meetings and try to make jokes that Aang was more glum than he was, and that he was there for him if he ever needed anything (he was clearly just lying).

Aang could only sigh as the days dragged on and his friends only grew more worried. He just waited until they would become like the rest of the world and just throw him aside once they realized that he wasn't a use to them anymore.

The airbender was always tired, but he hated sleeping. The darkness of the night would surround him and consume him. His dreams would turn into nightmares as he dreamed of being happy and laughing with his friends, both past and present, only to wake up and find that it was all a lie. He hated how he still woke up tired even though he had slept long past the sun rising. He despised the tears that would stream down his face as he cried himself to sleep at night.

The tears showed weakness, and the Avatar was not supposed to be week.

Days would drag on. Time would slow down. What was once fun for Aang was now a chore. Bending was just a practice that he would force himself to drag through. The music that was played at the ceremonial balls he was forced to attend was just another sound to his ears. The hugs and affection that Katara gave him was just contact to his body. Aang found himself going to his mask more and more every day, until eventually, he decided to just wear it and never take it off.

The mask was there to hide his true self from the world. To protect the others from the pain that he goes through.

Aang physically was growing taller, and naturally, his body should have been growing bigger as well. However, the taller he became, the more skinny he seemed. Aang remembered eating in the dining hall at the Southern Air Temple with his friends, and how they would laugh together as they recounted stories from their training. He recalled the dinners and conversations he shared with Sokka and Katara as they traveled the world through the war, and how Aang and Sokka were always happy when they ate.

Now food was tasteless, and he didn't have the appetite to want to eat anyways.

He was tired as life became the same-old routine. Katara would wake him and tell him that he overslept again, he would force himself out of bed, head to some meeting or some town to do some job to make other people happy. Once the others were satisfied that he had fulfilled their needs, they would shoo him off until the next day when he would need to do more favors and duties to appease them. He would then return home, putting on his mask and would pretend to be happy and lie to his friends to let them know that he was fine. Just as they were lying to him when they pretended to care.

One particular day, everything came crashing down at once.

Aang remembered crying himself to sleep and then waking up in tears multiple times throughout the night as he continued to dream of his past memories and home. When Katara had finally woken him up, he had overslept once again, causing him to be late to his meeting. The generals and officials were mad at him because their puppet hadn't shown up on time to take care of their problems and needs. They let him know how he was a failure, and that he would never live up to their expectations (he already knew, and he agreed with them). They still used him for most of the day anyway, only throwing him away to his normal life when they felt that he had fulfilled enough of his Avatar duties for the day.

His friends were holding a celebratory feast, to celebrate one year since the end of the war together. As they all sat at the table with a pile of food that was even far too big for their own group, he just listened as his friends conversed with each other. They shared how happy they were that the war was now over (he wasn't), how much they had grown to realize how much they truly cared for one another (they didn't), how their lives were far better now that they were in a time of peace (more lies). Seeing his friends smiling and laughing made Aang question the last time that he had even truly laughed. The last time his smile was genuine. The last time someone actually cared about him. The last time someone looked at him and didn't see the Avatar, but Aang.

Aang's thoughts were interrupted as he realized that everybody was staring at him. Their plates were all almost clean, and he hadn't touched his food. Once again, all of his friends shot a look of concern as they met his own absent-minded gaze. The emotion on their faces showed something that Aang refused to believe, one that showed they cared. His friends attention and empathy on him slowly started to break his mask apart. For just a moment, Aang thought about showing his real emotions, showing what he was truly experiencing. Suddenly, he stood up from the table and walked out the door. His friends didn't care, they were just trying to get him to show his weakness. The Avatar can't be weak.

He walked and climbed until he reached the rooftop of the building that they were dining at. As he looked out to the ocean below, he felt the tears come down his face as they betrayed him. They were showing that he was weak. That he was pathetic. That he couldn't even be happy when he had everything he ever wanted. He stared at the ground below him. The roof to the ground was about a 10 foot drop, and for the first time, he wondered what would happen if he just allowed himself to fall.

What would the world think if the Avatar were to die today? They wouldn't even care. Sure, he would probably have a lot of people show up to his funeral, but everyone would just be showing up out of pure political obligation. Once they fulfilled their duty of attending, they would just cast him aside from their life as they begin their manhunt for the next Avatar. The world would be excited when they announced they found them, and the memory of the Avatar would continue to live on. The memory of Aang would not.

He pondered on how his friends would react if he were to die today. Zuko would be too busy with ruling the Fire Nation that he would easily forget his friendship ever existed. Sokka would soon gain those responsibilities as well, when he becomes Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. Toph is too independent to care, she would just continue going to tournaments and open her own metalbending school as if nothing ever happened. Katara would be sad for a while, but she would eventually find someone more worthy for her to fall in love with, and she would forget him over time. He would just be remembered as that one person that was a part of their journey to save the world.

Aang was tired. He couldn't stand to go through another day of this monotonous torture. His mask was already starting to break, and he couldn't show the world that the Avatar was just a weak, scared, little boy. He could just leave and pass off his problems to somebody else, allow for the next puppet to be used whatever way the world would like it to. He longed for the memories, the people that made him happy. His former nation that loved him for who he is, Aang. The airbender closed his eyes, he was too tired to carry on this constant pain. He allowed himself to fall. When he hit the ground, he wasn't met with pain, but the chance to rest. He could finally rest eternally.

Yet it wasn't enough. As he was encapsulated into this world of darkness, he could distinguish a small ray of light appearing across the way. The slight slowly grew bigger, and became larger and larger as it overtook the darkness. He didn't know why, but he could feel himself being dragged towards the light, as it was beckoning him out of his internal shadows. He fought and fought, but everywhere he looked, he saw the surrounding light overtaking him. With a sudden jolt, his eyes were forced open as he was brought back to the real world.

Taking in his surroundings, he noticed Katara's head buried into his shoulder as she lay protectively over his body, sobbing. Sokka's own face was wet with tears as he placed his hand on the airbender's other shoulder, his eyes closed and his head hung down. Toph was on her knees, her head resting against his legs as her own tears sank into his skin. Even Zuko was crying, him kneeling away from the Avatar as he couldn't bear to see his friend in the state that he was in.

It was then that Aang realized that his friends had cared. That people did love him as Aang, and not the Avatar. As his friends tears turned from tears of pain and grief to tears of relief when they noticed he was awake, Aang felt the remainder of his mask slowly tearing away. As his friends tightly held themselves against him, protecting him, shielding him from his own self, he felt the dam that he had to hold back his tears this entire time slowly started to give in.

One tear was all it took. As that singular tear slid down his cheek and connected with Katara's face, he was shocked to see the relief in her eyes as he allowed himself to show emotion. Then, his dam burst. Rivers of tears worked their way down Aang's face, his sobs echoing the pain that he had held inside of himself for so long. He allowed himself to show his friends that he was weak. But to his surprise, they didn't run away. They just held onto him tighter and allowed him to convey all the emotions he was hiding from them for so long.

His river of tears lasted for an hour before they eventually dried out. His friends stayed with him the entire time, and not once did they pity him or showed their disgust. They recognized that their friend was broken, and they were willing to take the time to help put him back together.

Aang's story got a happy ending after all, but one that would come with time. He allowed himself to lean on his friends for support as he continued to heal, and they all stuck by him. As time passed by he found himself able to smile again, and shortly after the world was blessed with the musical tone of his laughter. The pain, longing, and suffering still existed within him, but he was able to lean on his own support system around him to help him deal with it. To understand that he didn't have to take it on alone.

Aang had every reason in the world to be happy. He had every reason to be sad. He had every reason to experience the pain he did. But what he came to realize, is that while he hid himself from the rest of the world, he missed one crucial idea.

All he needed to be was Aang.

You and your story matter.

Don't be afraid to tell it.