#hc that Bumi was always an airbender he just never grew into it or unlocked it or whatever you do to realize you're a bender bc his anxiety

[kataracy]

Blow

Aang develops a trick to make his baby calm down.

  Katara was defeated.

Babies? her speciality; Kids? Her thing; Children? Got along with them just fine!

But, it had been hours, pages from all the baby books they owned had been flipped and flipped again and still Bumi still would not stop crying.

He couldn't be hungry, being fed and nearly bit his mother's nipple off and Katara had checked his cloth diaper every ten seconds before deciding if the crying was due to a tummy ache, whatever was in his tummy wasn't trying to come out anytime soon. So, as Katara sat in the hallway, bouncing her little buddle of joy on her knee as he bellowed notes into her eardrum that promised him a career as a great Soprano one day, she could only conclude Bumi was just grumpy and wanted everyone else to be grumpy too.

Katara could vaguely hear the apartment door open, and thought she saw a spirtual light illuminate behind Aang as he appeared as her savior with a shopping bag full toys and fruits.

Bumi would never know he had effectively reduced his parents to the bribery stage.

Aang took in his wife's disheveled appearance momentarily, caught between worry and some weird, bubbling amusement that this was their life now, and then took a knee in front of them and began holding up items, unifying their cooing until Bumi had swated at every item wiggled between his hands. Shoulders slumped, Katara handed Bumi to Aang for a restroom break.

"Take your time, Sweetie." Aang mouthed and Katara smiled apologetically. They silently agreed this break could stand to be at least 30 minutes.

Aang settled in Katara's warm spot while Bumi's cries now rung his ears, as if noticing in those seconds wasn't the center of their world and Aang cringed at the sound, pulling Bumi away from his ear. Aang grew somber watching Bumi at arm's length, with his little fists balled up and shaking, his cheeks red and wet, his head lolled back as if even he was tired of his crying and really wanted his parents to figure out what he needed. Aang's heart was breaking at the sight.

"Aw Bud, I'm sorry I don't know what to--"

Suddenly, something inate, something instinctual, something inside of Aang spoke within him.

Hey, it said, just blow in his face real quick.

Aang blinked...

Then, his expression turned thoughtful; The world around Aang muted, it was just him and his baby and this new instinct ... and then he brought Bumi closer, thinking offhandedly that maybe this was an airbending thing he never got the chance to hear about. All Aang could be really be sure of in this moment was that he needed to blow in his son's face, like right now. So he did.

It wasn't strong, nor was it rushed. A simple matter of situating Bumi to be cradled, blew in his face. Only when Bumi began to finally calm down to the point of being still did Aang deem himself done and he sat back and stared at his son with a perplexed innocence, getting that same look mimicked on Bumi's face; Bumi's throat was incredibly raw, his face hot and little joints hurt from being so clenched, yet when his Dad did nothing more than provide a cool current, everything felt... better. By some sort of magic, Bumi's head jerked gently from his own hiccups, and then he was silent. Little babbles were escaping him every now and then but nowhere were the ear bursting screeches to be found within his small body anymore.

"Aang! Bumi?"

Katara ran into the room with wild eyes. She had closed her eyes for a quick nap against the sink and had been startled awake by the silence.

The sight of Aang chuckling slightly at Bumi gumming at his chest in search of milk greeted her.

"I think what you want is over there Bud." He spoke in a hushed, goofy Baby Talk voice and looked at Katara's amazed expression.

"Wha-? What happened?" Katara kneeled down beside them with her arms open. Aang slid their nice, quiet son to her, pulled her into a comfortable position in his lap and helped Katara undo her top for Bumi.

He sighed happily, cozy between the wall and his family and nestled his chin onto Katara's shoulder to soak in Bumi's contentment and Katara's bewilderment.

"I just showed him a neat airbending trick."