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There was a time in his life that Bumi hated the very idea of bending. How could he not? After all, both his parents were benders. His two younger siblings were benders. His parents were so confused when they found that Bumi couldn’t move the water in his bathtub nor the air behind his favourite toy. His siblings were confused that their older brother couldn’t play the same games as them because he couldn’t move the elements like they could. As a child and as a teenager, Bumi found himself hating bending together. It wasn’t fair that his entire immediate family could engage in the practice and he couldn’t.
But he was older now, eighteen years old and a man by his mother’s Tribe’s standards. He knew better now. It wasn’t his siblings’ fault that they could bend and he couldn’t; he didn’t resent them anymore. It wasn’t his mother’s fault, nor was it his father’s. And it wasn’t his own fault either. He didn’t hate bending now. Now it was a simple an art form and a cultural practice that some people could do and others couldn’t. He didn’t hate it at all.
What he actually hated was his father.
Throughout Bumi’s entire life, Aang was the one who was obsessed with his legacy. He was the one who wanted to leave behind a piece of himself. He was the one with the ridiculous standards for what that piece of him should be like.
And Bumi was simply the one that, through no fault of his own, didn’t fit that criteria.
There wasn’t much of a place for Bumi at his family’s dwellings, either at the South Pole or the Southern Air Temple. He supposed he could ask his Uncle Sokka if he could stay with him in his igloo, but then his mother would be over there every day. And if his mother was there, then his father would be, and then it would be like nothing had changed. Bumi needed to be somewhere that wasn’t a mere twenty feet from his parents’ own residence for half of the year.
A month ago, Bumi had sent an official application to the Fire Lord’s Royal Guard in the Caldera. Uncle Zuko always told him that he would have a place in the Caldera if he wanted it, but Bumi wanted it to mean something. With any luck, he’d be assigned to the Princess’ personal guard. And two days ago, he had gotten his acceptance letter, with an attached note from Uncle Zuko bearing well wishes and expressing his gratitude at Bumi’s application. Bumi ignored that thinly veiled attempts to ensure he wasn’t doing this because he thought he owed it and took the letter for what it was: an adult who actually loved and respected him for him wishing him well and being excited to see him soon.
Now, he was packed, his meagre belongs tucked into the leather rucksack Uncle Sokka gave him for his eighteenth birthday. He didn’t have much: just some clothes, a few sentimental trinkets, a notebook and pen, and his hunting knife that his father didn’t know he owned. He had his course to the Fire Nation capital charted and the money for passage saved in a hidden pouch in his belt. All he had left to do was inform his family and board the next ship leaving for Kyoshi.
“I’m moving to the Caldera,” he announced once breakfast was finished.
The water Kya and their mom were bending to wash the dishes froze in the air. The set of marbles Tenzin was idly spinning in the air dropped and scattered on the floor. Aang’s head snapped straight up, his grey eyes wide as he took in Bumi standing before him, packed bag slung over his shoulder and his traveling coat fastened in place.
“I’m sorry,” Aang said slowly, “You’re… what?”
“Moving to the Caldera.”
“You… why?”
“I applied to the Fire Nation Royal Guard a month ago. Got my acceptance letter two days ago. I’ll be getting my assignment in a week’s time.”
Aang just stared at him, fire behind his grey eyes. Katara glanced between her husband and son, and approached Bumi with her arms outstretched, beseechingly.
“Bumi, honey… why?” she asked, her voice breaking, “I mean, this is all so sudden, I don’t understand—”
“Is it?”
“What?”
“Is it really all that sudden?”
Katara’s mouth opened and closed as she drew a blank on what to say. Bumi took the opportunity to give his little brother a quick side hug and his sister a kiss on the forehead, to which neither of them responded, before making for the door. He paused at the door frame and looked over his shoulder. His mother still stood dumbfounded and his father had risen from his seat.
“I’m leaving on the next passage to Kyoshi. I’ll try and send a messenger hawk when I arrive,” he told them. With that, he left the igloo and made for the docks. The next ship to Kyoshi was leaving within the hour and he had to be on it.
Halfway to the docks, a pair of light footsteps caught up to Bumi. A hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around with surprising strength. He came face to face with his father, who was angrier than Bumi had ever seen him.
“Where do you think you’re going, young man?” Aang demanded.
“Do you not hear me repeat myself twice already? I’m going to the Fire Nation.”
“But why?”
“Why not?”
Aang paused. And why not indeed? Despite how his father no doubt saw him, Bumi was half Air Nomad. Wandering until one found their place was in his blood. The South Pole wasn’t his place and neither was the Southern Air Temple. So, he was wandering. The Fire Nation was as good a place as any to start. At least the people there weren’t ignoring him for his lack of bending abilities. The Royal Guard just needed him to be able to swing a sword and he was plenty good at that, thanks to his Uncle Sokka and summer training sessions with Izumi.
“Look, you’re not gonna stop me from leaving, Dad,” Bumi sighed, “So don’t even try. I have to find my own place in the world and that’s not here.”
“What about your mother then, huh? What about her?”
“Oh, you don’t get to play that card.”
“She’s my wife, I absolutely get to play that card. Why didn’t you say you were doing this?”
“Why do you even care?”
“You’re my son—”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Bumi mumbled, but Aang heard it.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, don’t pretend you actually want to be my father now. You stopped caring the second you and Mom figured out I wasn’t a bender.”
Bumi’s words echoed in the crisp air. People ducked their heads out of their tents to see what was happening and a few small groups were beginning to form just out of the way.
“That… that’s not true,” Aang stuttered.
“Uh, yeah, it is, Dad. Face it, you’re obsessed with Tenzin, your precious little airbender. If you had your way, he would’ve been born first. And Mom’s the same way with Kya.”
“Bumi, you have to understand, my people—”
“Are all dead, yeah, I know. And I get that. It was traumatic and cruel and you’re still hurting from that, and with Tenzin, you have the chance to rebuild something. I get it. But what you don’t understand is that I was half Air Nomad too. I was your legacy too.”
The people gathered began mumbling. But Aang only had eyes for Bumi.
“…You said was.”
“What?”
“You said was.”
All Bumi could do was stare. The people gathered there stared too. He probably had cousins in the crowd. Maybe his siblings were there too. Maybe even his mother.
“…I guess I did, huh.”
Aang’s eyes narrowed, the air temperature dropped, and Bumi turned away. The ship was going to leave soon and he was damn well going to be on it.
“If you leave now, you are turning your back on your heritage! You leave now and I will never see you again!”
Bumi stopped in his tracks, but didn’t look back.
“Good. I don’t want to see you again.”
No one followed him the rest of the way to the docks. No one stopped him from getting on that boat and no one asked him a single question the entire trip to Kyoshi. Aunt Suki welcomed him with open arms and didn’t say a thing about the suddenness of his visit. Two days later, Bumi was in the Caldera, ready to receive his assignment as a new recruit to the Fire Lord’s Royal Guard.
He did end up sending the promised messenger hawk, with a letter addressed only to Kya and Tenzin. He didn’t have any words left for his father.