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"Siblings Never Change" - Legend Of Korra, Tenzin (m)


SleepingPhlox

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I had a whole bunch of ideas separate from my other fic and I had to type them out to get them out of my head.  This will be a collection of short moments with Tenzin and his two siblings from Legend Of Korra.  They will take place at different points in the series and there will be various causes but for all of them, Tenzin will be the one suffering.  I'm playing around with the whole "airbenders have huge sneezes" thing so if absurdly big sneezes aren't your thing, be warned.

#1 - Pranks Are Immature, So Of Course Bumi Likes Them

(Takes place between the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2)

It was very nice to spend time with his older siblings again. It was. And Tenzin would swear up and down that he totally meant it. But Bumi and Kya were...a lot. Well, mostly Bumi. Five-and-a-bit decades of life experience and a military career had done absolutely nothing to temper his boisterous nature. But Bumi and Kya got along for some reason, seemingly united by their perverse need to torment Tenzin in every way possible. Tenzin...well, he'd always felt like an outsider.  But he'd grown up, gotten married and had children and accomplished all sorts of things.  Serving on the Council of Republic City, training the new Avatar.  But on the rare occasions that they all got together, he still felt like an outsider.  But he was still trying his best, entertaining them for the day by bringing them around the city.

All they had to do was have a nice time enjoying the outdoor market, walking around and behaving like dignified adults. That was all Tenzin asked. But apparently behaving like a dignified adult was beyond the ability of some people.

It was around the time he had to endure having berries flicked at the back of his head to test what Bumi decided to call his “freaky airbender senses” that he'd decided he'd had enough. Since losing his cool only got him teased even more, he decided to excuse himself to a restroom to get a small amount of peace and gather himself. Since he didn't need the restroom for it's intended purpose, he splashed cool water on his face and muttered to himself furiously. Himself was a good listener about all of this, because himself was the only one who truly understood what he had to deal with.  The peace and quiet was truly wonderful, until it was shattered by Bumi shouting in.

“Hey, little bro, you all right in there? You didn't fall in did you?”

Tenzin bristled and sputtered out some syllables that might have flourished into actual words if he'd had the presence of mind for speech. No, he wasn't going to get all worked up again. He wasn't going to give his brother the satisfaction. He took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. See, he was totally calm. His face was only a little red and his eye was only twitching a little! He took another deep breath. And then he washed his hands. Cleanliness was important, after all, and any opportunity for hygiene was a good one.

He tugged at the edges of his cloak as he exited, his chin held high to demonstrate just how totally not bothered by the teasing he was.

“Could you please stop calling me 'little bro',” he huffed. “I am fifty-”

His lecture was cut short by the strange sensation of something touching his face. Or maybe a whole bunch of somethings. They were soft, and numerous, and danced upon every part of his face ticklishly. He shuddered. Then he got a good look at the somethings and his eyes widened.

“Bumi! Why would you-”

“Can you believe I found some of these? Haven't seen 'em in years,” Bumi chuckled, running his hand over the top of a bunch of blue flowers. They were beautiful things, a shade of blue unmatched by any other type of flower, five petals that curled up gently at their tips, and long protruding stamens. Their beauty was sure to delight anyone who gazed upon them. Tenzin loathed them.

His eye was definitely twitching now, but it was watering too. Both his eyes were, in fact.

“Get those out of here!” Tenzin demanded.

“Ah, ah, ah...” Bumi teased, waving the flowers back and forth. “What's the magic word? Or...should I pin you down and make you smell 'em until you say 'Bumi is the best and I'm a buttface' like old times?”

“I really wouldn't advise that...” Tenzin warned, his breath already beginning to waver. He was doing his best to hold out, but it was inevitable he'd be overcome. The tears in his eyes spilled out and trickled down to his cheeks, his nose had started running clear and copious fluid and it felt like his face was on fire.

“Oh come on, that's enough. Leave him alone,” Kya said. It sounded like she was defending him, so of course it would be followed up by: “It's not Tenny's fault a little flower gets the better of him.”

“You don't understand...” Tenzin said. His breath gasped, and again, and the sharp inhalations were getting closer and closer together. “I...need...to...get...outofhere...now...”

Something in the urgency of his voice told Kya that maybe they should actually listen to him. It sounded like he really meant it and when he sounded like he really meant something, he usually did. But before she had a chance to say as much, it was too late. Tenzin reared up with a mighty breath and...

“hahhhEHHHTCHHOOO!”

The blast of air that escaped him knocked Bumi off his feet and sent him flailing to the ground. The trees that were near to them rustled in the gale, and further down the road the umbrellas over market stalls caught the wind. Some slid along the road, some crashed into each other and some toppled entirely.

Bumi looked at Tenzin with wide eyed shock. His mouth moved wordlessly before he could finally find the power of speech again.

“Uh...those are a little stronger than I remembered, Little Bro.”

“I...t-tried to..warn...y-...hahhhRRRSSHHOOO!"

Bumi clamped his eyes shut and held onto the ground for dear life as the air rushed past him, kicking up the dust and debris along the path. Down along the road, the market vendors had just begun to gather around to gaze in wonder at the chaos that had overtaken their stalls, when the second blast hit. The people themselves were far enough away to escape any injury, but the umbrellas again did their part to aid in the pandemonium, catching the air like sails. Once the wind had died down, one by one the faraway faces began to turn toward the source. Some people pointed in their direction.

Tenzin was already preparing for the next one, his jaw hanging slack, eyes glazed, watering nostrils flaring wildly.

“Okay, Little Bro, you made your point. You can stop now.”

“I...c-can't...hahhhhEHHHTCHHHOO

This time, there was no-one in the market who was uncertain of the source of the problem. And though their faces were hard to make out in the distance, it was nonetheless obvious that none of them were very happy about it. Tenzin sighed, slumping his shoulders and sniffling morosely. Bumi took advantage of an apparent lull in the onslaught to scramble to his feet and out of the blast zone.

“Tenzin, I swear, I didn't know this would happen. I thought you would, y'know, fly backward a couple of feet, land on your butt, and we'd all laugh and then go get some snacks. Please...no more.”

All of Bumi's pleading was for nothing. If Tenzin had any say in the matter, he would stop immediately. If he had any say in the matter, he never would have started in the first place. The best he could hope for was this short reprieve where he could catch his breath.

Bumi turned around to survey the damage. He let out a long whistle.

“You know,” he said. “Even though I always wished I could have been born an airbender too, sometimes I'm kinda glad I'm not. I wouldn't like to be worrying about doing stuff like that all the time.”

Yes, that was quite a scene. He did feel sorry for Tenzin, of course, and he felt bad for the owners of the market stalls that had been scattered but...it was a little funny. No, it wasn't a little funny...it was downright hilarious! Huh, there were three people that were separating from the far crowd and coming their way. And they were all dressed the same? They were wearing uniforms. They were wearing police uniforms. Uh-oh.

“Guys, it's the police. Run!” Bumi exclaimed and then did exactly that before the other two had a chance to process what he was doing, much less react. By the time Kya mustered up a “Bumi! Don't run away, you're a grown man!” he was long gone. To be perfectly honest, the idea of running away sounded more than a little appealing to her, but then she saw Tenzin – rigid with fear, trembling, clasping his hands together tightly trying to give himself any bit of comfort he could manage. He was going to need her help. She was certain that if that straight-laced goody-two-shoes got in any sort of trouble at all, no matter how minor, he wouldn't survive. His spirit would just leave his body right then and there. She put her hand on his shoulder, hoping he'd find it comforting. It was a little awkward, they weren't exactly all that close, but they were still family after all.

“Leave it to me. I'm good at talking my way out of things. I'll explain it was all an accident and it will be fine.  You'll be fine.”

She shook her head. Brothers never stopped being trouble, no matter how old they got.

 

 

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Okay this is so cute! I love how you write their sibling relationship & I don’t know if is intentional, but I love love the allusion to season 2

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!!!! I loooooooove this. Something about deliberately setting off a big sneezer's allergies, especially for a prank?! This is a phenomenal scenario. And Tenzin! I just love how bad he wants to be in control, how much he knows how much damage his sneezing can do... this is hitting a lot of buttons for me, lol. Thank you for posting!!

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On 5/5/2021 at 10:36 PM, emten10 said:

Okay this is so cute! I love how you write their sibling relationship & I don’t know if is intentional, but I love love the allusion to season 2

Very much intentional and thank you so much for noticing.  😊 I love those three and I love how their relationship changes during the series.

On 5/9/2021 at 4:32 PM, Mr. Black Cherry Berry Tea said:

!!!! I loooooooove this. Something about deliberately setting off a big sneezer's allergies, especially for a prank?! This is a phenomenal scenario. And Tenzin! I just love how bad he wants to be in control, how much he knows how much damage his sneezing can do... this is hitting a lot of buttons for me, lol. Thank you for posting!!

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!  Y'know this concept is pushing buttons I didn't even know I had until I started thinking about writing these.  The fetish still manages to pull out some surprises.  😀

 

And here is story number two.  It is sort of connected to the first one because I thought of this as a two-parter at first until my brain went "Why stop there?  You can write about them lots and lots!"

#2 Pranks Are Immature, But Turnabout Is Fair Play

(Set after Harmonic Convergence but before shit starts getting real in Season 3)

Tenzin was a man on a mission.  He moved stealthily toward the kitchen, as light and soundless as the element he commanded, looking over his shoulder from time to time to ensure he wasn't being followed.  So far, everything was going perfectly, exactly as he'd practiced in his head.  He made it to the kitchen, slipped past the bustling acolytes preparing food for that night's meal, and most importantly, hadn't been caught by Pema.  Oh, if his wife caught him his plans would be put to a halt right then and there.  She'd say that he was setting a bad example, or that he should know better at his age.  And she'd be right.  But he could not concern himself with things like that right now. Not everyone would understand what he had to do, and not everyone would agree with it, but this...this was a righteous mission of justice. The transgression (more like transgressions) had occurred long, long ago but it had not been forgotten. Nor forgiven.

He never thought he'd get the chance to do this.  He still didn't fully understand what harmonic convergence had done or why it had granted airbending powers to individuals who had never had them before. One thing he did know was that now that his brother Bumi was an airbender, it was time for payback for a lifetime of pranks.

Though a gleeful grin threatened to curl the corners of his lips at the thrill of finally getting his revenge, Tenzin did his best to remain stony faced and solemn as he approached the bench where Bumi sat on a simple wooden bench under a tree, idly eating fruit and reading.  Tenzin's lips twitched as fighting against the smile that fought valiantly for its right to exist. One of his hands, tightly curled, held his prize, a small amount of spices he had pilfered from the kitchen.  As he got closer, he lifted his arm and opened his fingers slightly, careful not to spill any of his precious treasure.  Circling his wrist ever so gently, he manipulated the air around his hand until the spices hovered gently above his palm in a suspended cloud.  Perfect.  And then, with a flick of his hand, snapping his fingers straight, the final part of his plan was set in motion.  The spice cloud was sent on it's path through the air, contained in an immaculately manipulated air pocket all the while to make sure not lose a single grain, towards his unsuspecting brother's face.

Or maybe it was a little more suspecting than Tenzin realised.  Without even looking up from his reading, Bumi languidly waved his hand in an almost dismissive gesture, sending the spice cloud sharply back from where it had come.  Not at all prepared for this turn of events, Tenzin inhaled it, and immediately coughed from the stinging irritation.

"That's not even a proper airbending move!" he scolded between chokes, his eyes watering.

"Whatever.  Still airbended, didn't I?" Bumi shrugged  "What were you up to, tiptoeing around here, anyway?"

"Never mind," Tenzin said, rubbing at his eyes furiously.  At least, he noted with relief, his nose had been spared.

Wait.  No, it hadn't.

He didn't have time to process the new angry tickle in his nose.  It roared up suddenly like a flame and every single part of his conscious mind was taken by this new intense feeling.  There was no awareness, there was no thought.  There was only the drive to get rid of the irritation.  He took a deep breath.  At that moment, Bumi's reaction moved from idle, amused curiosity, to alarm.  Tenzins jaw was slack, eyes unfocused, head tilted back, he was a cannon about to fire...and he was aimed straight at him.

"Whoa, turn your head!  Turn your head!" Bumi begged.  When his pleas went unanswered he scrambled to get out of the way in time.

"Hahhh...TCHGHHUUU!"

Not quite in time.  It was like being caught in a storm that came out of nowhere.  Bumi lost his footing, flailing backwards.  The bench, not secured to the grass it rested on, was upended, clattering noisily against the tree before finding freedom to bounce and roll away across the grass.  If the tree were any less sturdy, it might have met its fate there and then, but the thick trunk held steadfast as the gale whipped the branches and leaves like it was caught in a tropical storm.

As soon as the moment passed, Bumi looked up.  And he was just in time to see Tenzin caught in the throes of another build-up, face seemingly frozen in the tortured contortions, save for his watering nostrils quivering and flaring.

"Nonononono," Bumi shouted, but it was more a general exclamation than a request, since such a request would be futile.  He rolled sideways and then attempted to crawl along the grass to get somewhere safer.  Beside or behind Tenzin was the best place to be.  But he only imagined to move a few feet before he found himself gripping the ground and hanging on for dear life. He knew that he couldn't get blown away, not really, but try telling his survival instinct that!

"Hahhhhh...HAHHISSHHHUUU!"

Bumi hugged the grass as the wind rushed over him.  When he looked up again, Tenzin was panting for breath.  Okay.  His body was winded, and tired, but he was not finished.  There would only be a small window and Bumi needed to take advantage of it.  He scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he possibly could to make it to Tenzin's side. 

"Were you trying to inflict that on me?" Bumi scolded.  "Shame on you.  Serves you right-" Bumi scolded before Tenzin inhaled sharply.

"HahhhhEHHHSHHHUUU!"

Bumi winced and put his fingers in his ears.  Even if he was out of the way and in no danger of being knocked over, the feeling of the sudden rush of air hurt his eardrums.  Tenzin's shoulder's slumped and Bumi took advantage of the newfound silence to "tsk" at him.  Bumi looked at Tenzin reproachfully. Tenzin's eyes were filled with tears, which ran down his face leaving silvery trails behind them and his nose similarly watered and streamed.  His lips were parted as he took in as many breaths as he could before having to endure the next sneeze.  He wasn't going to stop until he got the offending irritant out of his system.  They would need to find a solution fast.  Thinking quickly, Bumi quickly wriggled out of his shirt and offered it up to Tenzin.

"Here, quick, blow your nose before you-"

"HahhhhISHHHHU!"

"You done?  Now, blow your nose before you level the whole island."

Tenzin was terribly unamused at the wisecrack.  It was quite an exaggeration and not at all funny.  He would never admit it out loud, but he was sensitive about this little "issue" of his and jokes about it rubbed him the wrong way.  But getting annoyed at Bumi being annoying was far less important than getting this hell to stop.  He accepted the shirt and blew his nose into the soft, inviting folds.  He gave a sigh.  His nose felt relief, for now.

Bumi clapped a hand onto Tenzin's shoulder.

"From now on, little brother, leave the pranks to a professional," he teased.

Tenzin grunted.  Yes, his attempt had not been a complete success, but would he have achieved half as much as he had in his life if he simply gave up every time things didn't work?  Absolutely not!

He just needed to rethink his strategy and come up with a new plan, was all.

But more immediately, blow his nose again.

Edited by SleepingPhlox
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Just dropping in as usual to say I really adored this. Also I just love how sensitive Tenzin is about the whole thing!! And how his friends tease him about how big his sneezes are, etc., etc. It's just one of my favorite dynamics and you write it so well! Thanks for sharing.

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On 5/18/2021 at 6:42 PM, Mr. Black Cherry Berry Tea said:

Just dropping in as usual to say I really adored this. Also I just love how sensitive Tenzin is about the whole thing!! And how his friends tease him about how big his sneezes are, etc., etc. It's just one of my favorite dynamics and you write it so well! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much!  I really appreciate it, just so very much! 😊

 

My brain is coming up with scenarios faster than I can keep up with writing them which I'm totally not complaining about after not being able to write for so long.  So here's a third short story with the siblings.   This one's got illness and is set at some indeterminate time, but definitely before Harmonic Convergence.  And I promise there is sneezing in it.  I got a little carried away setting the scene!

#3 When Tenzin Says He's Too Sick To Go Out, It's Probably Not A Good Idea To Drag Him To A Fancy Restaurant

When Kya found Tenzin, he was sitting in his office, nursing a cup of tea and doing who-knows-what.  Probably something he would insist couldn't wait, though it absolutely could.  When he didn't look up, she knocked on the side of the doorway to get his attention.  When that didn't work, she cleared her throat.  Then stared at him.  He always had a sense for when people were staring at him.  That worked.  He shuddered, and looked up.

"Did you forget what day it is?" she asked, folding her arms and leaning on the door frame.

"No, I didn't forget," Tenzin said, clearing his throat.  "I just...well...I thought I might sit this one out.  I'm...that is...I'm not feeling very well.   My head is pounding and my throat is all scratchy.  I should really stay in tonight."

"Tenzin, no.  Don't you dare.  You're fine and you know it.  We agreed we were all going to bond over activities that we all take turns planning-"

"Yes, I know that but-"

"And we all did your boring thing last week-"

"Boring?!" Tenzin exploded.  "It was anything but boring!  You connected with your inner self, did you not?"

"Yeah, my inner self is not someone I like spending a lot of time with.  Tenzin, the point is, we spent time with you doing something you planned.  Without complaining."  She held up her hand as Tenzin opened his mouth to interrupt again and conceded: "Without complaining as much as we wanted to.  Now it's Bumi's turn and you can't just bail on him.  He already thinks you don't like spending time with him.  He thinks you look down on him.  And it makes you look selfish."

Tenzin bowed his head.  The first point was true, he didn't like spending time with his older brother.  They had absolutely nothing in common.  Less than nothing in common in fact, if that were even possible.  Bumi was loud and boisterous, and Tenzin was serious and reserved.  He never thought it bothered Bumi that they didn't do things together.  Had the feeling not been mutual?  He'd thought they'd just agreed that they were too different to be very close.

The second point was true, though he felt a pang of regret at realising it.  He judged everyone by the same standards he set for himself, even though those standards didn't suit everyone.  That one kind of made him a jerk.  And the third point...he was indeed being a little selfish.   Kya was wrong about one thing, he was in fact unwell.  But he did have to admit that it was a mild malaise that, while uncomfortable, was nothing he couldn't push through.  He sighed.  And then coughed.

"I just need a moment to finish my tea," he said. 

And that was how Tenzin found himself hunched over at a table resting his head on his hand while disinterestedly poking at his food with a fork held in the other hand.  He felt bad about not eating it. Since there were no vegetarian main courses on the menu the chefs had gone through the trouble of making this especially for him and it was nearly unforgivable not to show his appreciation by polishing off the plate.  But he had no interest in food at all.

As for Bumi and Kya, they seemed delighted as they watched the performance at the far end of the room, a singer in a glittery red dress who sang in a modern style of music that Tenzin didn't care for.  She swayed her hips and waved her arms gracefully, twirling her wrists and curling her fingers with movements that were both wildly free, and impeccably precise.  But to Tenzin, the music was not only not to his tastes, it was much too loud.  His head ached and throbbed, and the fever that was broiling under his skin was made worse by the thick, oppressive air.  Too many people and not enough windows, it was positively stifling.  The scratch in his throat had blossomed into all out pain, which made swallowing anything but ice water a trial.

And the cherry on top of the whole ordeal?  His sinuses hurt.  His nose had decided to fill itself, making breathing impossible, not to mention sniffling.  But the latter was not that much of a problem since it wasn't the runny sort of stuffy nose.  No, it was the heavy, full, throbbing, completely blocked against any attempt to clear it sort of a stuffy nose.  So it was safe to say he was now thoroughly miserable.

When the song finished, Kya turned around to check on him and gave him a rough punch on the arm.  Tenzin grumbled, and rubbed where she'd hit.  She could at least try to be gentle.

"Tenzin!" she hissed under her breath.  "At least try to look like you're having a good time!"

"But I'b dot havi'g a good tibe," he protested back.  "I told you I'b dot feeli'g well a'd I wadt to go hobe!"

He crossed his arms and stuck out his lower lip in a childish pout that contrasted absurdly with his age-worn, serious looking face.  His protestations caught Bumi's attention who turned around and eyed him up and down with a look of sympathy, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.  The sympathetic gesture took Tenzin by surprise at first, but he knew it shouldn't have.  Bumi was coarse, but not unkind.  He was a good person.  Both his siblings were good people. 

"Still not feeling so hot, little brother?" Bumi said.

"Oh, don't tell me you believe him," Kya chided.  "He's fine, he's just sulking because he couldn't get out of coming."

Never mind.  Kya wasn't good people, Kya was the meanest meanie in the whole world.

 "Well either way, the solution is exactly the same." Bumi said.  "Tenzin has to drink his medicine.  It'll fix an illness or a bad mood.  Or both!"

He pushed the "medicine" in question closer to Tenzin, earning a scowl in return.  It was a cup of rice wine which had been warmed but was probably now closer to room temperature.  He didn't care for alcohol, didn't care for the feeling of being out of control, no matter how slightly. Even just barely tipsy was a little too much for him. He usually got out of it in social situations by claiming that partaking was against Air Nomad culture.  Most people knew so little of the all-but-lost culture that they would take such a claim at face value.  His siblings had not studied that half of their heritage as extensively as he had, but even they would know it was - as Bumi would put it, but Tenzin would never - "a bunch of camelephant dookie"

"Come on, just trust me and drink it," Bumi urged.  "It will make you feel all nice and cozy.  And if it doesn't, just keep drinking it until you don't feel anything at all!"  He erupted with a hearty laugh and slapped Tenzin on the arm.  Tenzin did not laugh.

But he did think.  Maybe...maybe having a drink would make him feel better.   After all, he hadn't ever tried that particular remedy, so how would he know?  He picked up the cup, eyeing it curiously.  Then he tasted it tentatively, with a delicate sip.  It wasn't nice, but it wasn't as terrible as he'd expected either.  He tried a heartier gulp. Then, his throat was on fire.  He coughed and sputtered and hacked and set the cup down.  His throat felt even more raw and painful than it had before.  That had only made things worse.  He would not be trying that again.  Bumi laughed at his predicament, and Tenzin folded his arms on the table and rested his chin on them.  As the next song started, Bumi and Kya turned back to watch the singer with her graceful arms and twinkling dress, and Tenzin sulked.

A couple at the table to his right managed to catch his interest for a while.  There was a young man, a firebender, evidently attempting to impress his date by doing tricks with the candle's flame.  Tenzin had seen enough skilled firebending to find the tricks rudimentary and beginner level, but the date seemed to enjoy them.  Then it got quite a bit more exiciting.  A waiter came over and told him to stop, no bending allowed indoors, at which point the young firebender declared he was too insulted to continue dining here any longer.  He demanded his date walk out with him...but! Oh! Now it was getting very interesting!  She insisted that if he couldn't calm down and behave in a civilized manner she would stay here and continue the meal by herself.  And...he left!  He turned his back on her and left! Tenzin couldn't believe it!  It was indeed the young man's loss, if the young woman had been willing to feign delight at such mediocre firebending, she must certainly have had an interest in him.

Then her gaze caught his and her indignance at catching Tenzin spectating her lover's quarrel burned from her eyes to his and he quickly looked away in embarrassment at having been caught.  Idly, he reached up to pinch his prominent nose between his thumb and forefinger to rub it vigorously because it had been itching.

His nose had been itching.

His nose was itching!  Oh dear.  Oh no.  He had been so caught up in watching the drama unfold that he hadn't realised that he'd been reached up to rub at his nose far too frequently, and it had now become so itchy that the threat of causing a scene in the restaurant was not too far away.  One thing was certain, he should excuse himself outside before that had a chance to happen.  Of course, now that he was aware of it, the sensation in his nose grew even more intense.  Time was now of the essence. He stood up abruptly, eager to take his leave before things became out of his control.

The moment he turned to leave, Kya reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Oh no you don't," she scolded.  "The evening's nearly done so you sit down and don't hurt Bumi's feel-...oh."

She wished that he hadn't gotten that much of a view of the underside of Tenzin's moisture-ringed nostrils.  That didn't look good.  Neither did the rest of him for that matter.  He didn't look very well at all - in fact he looked flushed, sweaty, and miserable, and she felt terrible for doubting him.  She wished even more that she hadn't just seen that expression on his face - the faraway look in his glazed eyes, the slackened jaw...

"Oh no...you can't...not in here!  You need to get out of here!"

Tenzin scrunched his face.  He would have loved to point out that that was exactly what he'd been trying to do in the first place when she stopped him, but he was slightly preoccupied at the moment.  He inhaled sharply.  Kya gripped his arm and tried with the full force of her entire body, to get him to move toward the door.  Once Tenzin's body had decided it was going to focus on the act of sneezing, it was hard to get it to do anything else.  He inhaled again.  This was bad.  This was so, so bad.

"Bumi, a little help here?" she shouted.   Bumi turned around, confused at first, then quickly sprang into action as soon as he saw Tenzin's face.  But with a person on either side of him, tugging on both of his arms, Tenzin remained rooted to the spot.

He inhaled again.

"Ah, crap," was the only reaction Bumi could muster.

"hahhh...hahhGHHTCHHUU!"

No one in the restaurant was prepared for a sudden gale force wind because that was exactly the sort of thing that never happened indoors, with the windows closed, on a night that had perfectly calm weather to begin with.  There was surprised shrieking and shouting as dishes with their half eaten meals, forks, and glasses were blown off the tables, clattering noisily to the ground.  Candles too, though fortunately their flames were blown out in the breeze before they came into contact with anything.  Tablecloths fluttered like flags and any hairstyles in the blast path came out looking as if their owners had been caught in a storm.

 As soon as it passed, everyone looked up, trying to work out what exactly had just happened.  The waiter from earlier could be heard shouting "Are you kidding me?  Someone's airbending in here now?", though Tenzin took no notice.  His chest was already rising and falling rhythmically, oblivious to the pleas of his brother and sister.  One astute woman, who had looked around and put the pieces together, pointed at Tenzin and shouted "It was him!  And he's about to do it again!"  Upon her warning, the diners scrambled out of their chairs, dove to the floor, and ducked under the tables. 

"Hahhhhh...PTCHUUUUU!"

Many diners curled into little balls under their tables out of pure instinct, as the wind rushed over them, roaring in their ears and whipping their clothes into a frenzy.  There was some screaming and shouting as more tableware rained down upon them, splashing outfits with tea and food.  And while the carved wooden tables were heavy enough to withstand the blasts so far, the chairs were not, and now they were not weighed down by their occupants, they tumbled over, somersaulting over the ground, crashing into tables or, in a few unfortunate cases, into people.

Tenzin wilted, panting for breath.  Though he could create even more impressive gusts of wind using his intentions, energy and body movements, the sneezing thing was something unlike his intentional, purposeful airbending.  Involuntary airbending was something else, and it was unpleasant.

"Hey!" The waiter shouted, marching over to the trio.  "Look what you're doing to the place!  No bending allowed!"

"Oh come on, he can't help it," Kya said.  Tenzin looked up, surprised that she was sticking up for him rather than scolding him.  "Look, we're sorry and we'll make it right somehow.  Right now, we just need to get him outside.

"Yeah," Bumi chimed in.  "Send the bill care of the temple on air temple island and they'll look after it."

Tenzin's eyes widened, both at the thought of oh goodness how much was this going to cost, and also...

"hahhhhh..."

"Go outside," the waiter begged.  "Go outside!"

But it was too late.

"HahhhEHHHHSHHU!"

The diners that had been tentatively peering out from their safe spots under the table hastily retreated, though not hastily enough for an unlucky few as the wind howled past again, fluttering tablecloths and making chandeliers swing precariously.

"Out!" the waiter shouted.  Grabbing Tenzin's arms, Bumi and Kya bustled Tenzin outside before he could do any more damage.  Damage to the restaurant, at least.  The cars and pedestrians, those were a different story.

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  • 1 month later...

This was so so good!!! Each installment just gets better & better! I'm a total sucker for the "you're not as sick as you claim" trope. I also love how you write the sibling relationship too. It's *chef's kiss* Now that Bumi can airbend, part of me wonders if he'd have the same issues Aang and Tenzin have with sneezing 👀 

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  • 4 weeks later...

@Freshair Thank you so much!  I really appreciate you reading and your kind words!

@emten10  You know, that's totally a thought I have been playing with in my head.  Just have to come up with the right idea, because I think Bumi's personality would go well with some ridiculous sneezing.  I can't find the emoji I want so just imagine that devious looking little fella with the side glance and the smirk. lol!

 

This one is set after shit goes down in Season 3, but before the very very final scene.  Season 3 had some solid Tenzin whump and I just wanted to enjoy that theme.  So this one focuses a lot more on physical misery and exhaustion not from illness, but there's still sneezing!

________________________________________________

#4 - While Convalescing

Tenzin winced as he rolled over onto his side, and he uttered the smallest of groans.  Even somewhat recovered, the simplest movements were still prohibitively difficult.  He lay there, mostly motionless, eyeing the window across the room.  The breeze it let in had started to become just chilly enough to become uncomfortable. And in his current state, any small amount of comfort he could get from anywhere was vital, and there wasn't much he had control over at the moment. He raised a weak arm, gingerly so as not to anger any of his injuries - which was an impossible task, of course.  They were too extensive, no matter what way he moved, he was going to encounter some amount of pain.

Concentrating as hard as he could, he circled his hand in the direction of the window and...nothing.  His sore and broken body could do no more than create a weak breeze that would struggle to rustle dry autumn leaves.  He was in no condition to focus his chi enough to airbend properly.  And so, for now, the window would remain open since the alternative was getting up and walking across the room to close it.  And that was even more out of the question.  He hadn't been out of bed for days.

With a weary sigh, he gave up his efforts and let his hand drift back down to rest on the bed.  He stared at the window for a while, at a loss for any other way to approach his situation, then managed, with some difficulty, to turn himself back on to his back.

And then, a knock upon his door.

"Yes," he tried to answer, but his voice caught in his throat and failed.  He cleared his throat and tried again, the second time more successful and his voice found the strength to carry far enough to be heard by whoever was on the other side.

"It's me.  Can I come in?" he heard his sister Kya's voice answer.

"And me too," his brother Bumi's voice joined in.

Tenzin perked up slightly.  He hadn't seen Bumi since...well, everything.  He knew they had both fought bravely.  They had all done their best, all three of Aang's offspring, living up to their father's legacy as defenders of the world and the people in it.  He was even allowing himself to admit he'd done his best,  finally started allowing himself to stop lamenting his failure.  His fight against one member of the Red Lotus had gone in his favour,  but against four of them...

But he could not allow his mind to go down that path right now.

"Yes, come in," he called out as well as he could.  Speaking still hurt his ribs, but at least he could breathe without pain now.  When the door opened, he was greeted by the faces of his older siblings, looking at him warmly though the pain and exhaustion from their own ordeals were written on their faces.

Kya carried a small basin of water.  Though she had suffered injuries of her own, she had felt compelled to push past her own difficulty and get up on her feet as quickly as possible to carry out healing on everyone else.  And she had carried out that healing, faithfully, without complaint or weakness.  Tenzin had never truly realised what a source of strength she was.  He had tried to tell her so, but she brushed it off as if it were nothing.  Anyone in her position would do the same, she said.  She couldn't live with herself if she did nothing, she said.

Tenzin returned Bumi's weak smile and attempted to pull himself up to a sitting position, feeling slightly awkward being the only one lying down. And he'd felt a pang of self-consciousness at realising he was the only one still bedridden.  He managed only to prop himself up slightly higher on his pillow.  It took effort, but at least it didn't hurt as much as it would have even a few days ago.

"Bumi," he rasped.  "It's good to see you. I've been worried. I heard you fought well."

"Good to see you too, little brother.  I'll tell you the story of my valiant battle if you want.  It'll get your spirits up again."

"Perhaps another time," Tenzin said.  "When I can properly pay attention."

Though Bumi was doing his best to keep some semblance of his natural exuberance, Tenzin could hear the exhaustion in his voice.  It was impossible not to.  And perhaps, despite Bumi's bravado, none of them needed to revisit the recent unpleasantness quite so soon.  But Tenzin vowed that once they were all well again, he would make more of an effort to listen to Bumi's stories, no matter how frustratingly outlandish they may be.

Kya moved closer, setting the bowl of water on the nightstand as gingerly as possible.  It was, of course, no ordinary water but healing water that could only be used by a waterbender skilled in the ways of healing.  And, aside from their mother, there was no waterbender more skilled in healing than Kya.  Though how she managed to have the strength to perform healing waterbending was beyond Tenzin, since he couldn't perform even the simplest of airbending.

"How are you feeling today?" she asked him, touching a hand to his lower ribs so gently it almost hovered over him without making contact.

"Less pain," Tenzin answered, and it was an honest answer despite his rough, weakened voice making the claim seem dubious.  Kya moved her hand to his eye which still sported an angry bruise, dark and mottled like rolling storm clouds, though at least it was no longer swollen shut.  Even though it was no longer swollen shut, it did not react as much as the other eye when they both attempted to widen in alarm.  But it did manage to widen somewhat, and his eyebrows raised enough to convey the sense of worried surprise he felt, and wanted to communicate.

"Did I hurt you?" Kya asked, pulling her hand away.

"No..." Tenzin said, his breath catching in his chest.  "I...I'm going to...to..."

His breath was hitching more frantically now, and he learned that some breathing did in fact cause pain, at least breathing as insistent and uncontrollable as this was.  He couldn't really do anything about it now, it was going to happen whether anyone wanted it to or not.  Oh, what dreadful timing!

"Get...out...of the way..." he gasped as his eyelids fluttered and he scrunched his large nose in an attempt to quell the itch that he knew would be in vain because it always was.  Bumi and Kya looked on in horror as his head reared back, exposing straining and flaring nostrils.  Now was the time to move quickly, but that was easier said than done for battered and beaten bodies that were still on the mend. 

They were hardly out of the path of most danger when Tenzin's head snapped forward.

"Hehh...ktchhu!"

Kya and Bumi stopped in their tracks, staring at him with astonishment.  Neither of them had been knocked over, there had been no eardrum splitting gust of wind.  The blankets hadn't even fluttered.  It was a perfectly normal sneeze, and the occurence was so bizarre all they could do was stare, mouths agape.

Bumi finally broke the silence with:

"Well, where's the rest of it?  You know, the...whooosh".  He gestured wildly with both arms to illustrate his point, then immediately regretted the grandiose movement.  He grimaced, drawing his arms in toward his sides.  Kya rolled her eyes at his antics, but there was a hint of an affectionate smile on her lips.

"Too weak to bend," Tenzin said, sinking back into his pillow.  "It seems that extends to all bending.  Even accidental bending."

"Well that was wild.  Like...nothing happened." Bumi effused.  "Absolutely nothing happened.  I never thought I'd see the day.  I wouldn't even believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes.  You sneezed and nothing happened!  Do it again!"

"If it's all the same to you," Tenzin grumbled.  "I'd rather not.  And would you both please stop staring at me.  And could someone please hand me a handkerchief?"

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I looove how you write Bumi, I can hear him saying it in his annoying nasal voice lol...and poor Tenzin really does need TLC after the intense red lotus fight scenes, he get whumped something awful while defending his family but won't give up..."as long as I'm breathing its not over" . So I'm glad he can just deal with a normal sneeze instead of the usual giant ones! 

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@Bilo0618 Thank you so much for reading and for your kind words.  I really appreciate it!

@Freshair Thats such a nice comment, thank you SO much!   I dig Tenzin a lot in season 3 but there's a lot with these three to love in that season and honestly all the characters!

 

For this one, something a little bit different.  I just couldn't let go of the idea of Bumi learning all about airbender sneezes once he got his bending and I had this idea playing around in my head so I decided to take a little detour from Tenzin and give Bumi the treatment instead.  Though it still sucks to be Tenzin, even if he's not the one suffering! :D

_______________________________________________________

#5 Bumi's First Time

An irksome noise cut into Tenzin's concentration.  One lightly closed eyelid twitched softly, but he resisted the urge to open his eyes.  He would complete this meditation session no matter what.  He would set the good example that a truly calm mind could overcome any discomfort or distraction or-

He heard it again.  A loud, grating, liquid sniff.  Of all the inconsiderate, ill mannered things to do during a meditation session!  He opened his eyes with an exasperated huff and glared at the suspected source.  He was met by Bumi's apologetic face, eyes wide, every feature seeming to sag under the weight of his repentance.

"Sorry," Bumi offered with a small shrug.  "I can't help it."

"Not to worry," Tenzin replied, with forced calm, closing his eyes slowly.  "One of the principles of meditation is to be able to tune out all outside-"

Bumi sniffled again, much more loudly and much more cacophonously this time.  Oh, he must be doing this on purpose! Tenzin's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes flew open to fix Bumi with an icy glower.

"Sorry," Bumi repeated, raising his palms upward in a gesture of supplication.  "You gotta believe me, I'm doing my best here.  It's just that I kinda have a cold so I'm not feeling so great today and-"

"You what?" Tenzin demanded, suddenly standing up in one fluid motion, raising himself up to his full height.  Bumi followed suit and stood up, though with far less swiftness and grace, and much more stiffness in his joints, just to not have Tenzin looming over him like that.  Though, being the taller of the two, Tenzin still stood a full head higher than Bumi and his presence still felt very looming.  Bumi squared his shoulders and straightened his back but it didn't go very far toward closing the height difference.

 Tenzin looked mad.  He looked really mad.  His face was getting all red and everything.  Bumi grimaced.

"You knew you were sick and you came out here?  Why would you do something so irresponsible?"

"I thought it would be the right thing to do, for your information. No need to be all Mr. Grouchypants about it," Bumi huffed, folding his arms and turning his head to the side.  There was an irritated nonchalance in his voice but it was merely a shield to cover his wounded feelings.  Feeling as lousy as he did, he would have liked nothing more than to stay in bed today - nursing his pounding head, sore throat, miserable fever, and streaming nose.  But, silly him, he'd assumed Tenzin would judge that as lazy, and be annoyed about it. But of course, yet again, he'd managed to choose the wrong option and garner Tenzin's unflinching judgement as a result. Not that he cared what Tenzin thought, of course.  Not that in the absence of his father's approval, Tenzin's approval was the next best thing - sort of like getting Aang's approval by proxy.  It wasn't as if he'd spent his whole life secretly feeling less than because he wasn't a bender so finally becoming an airbender was like some big deal for his self esteem or anything.  He didn't care about stuff like that!  He was too busy being great to care about stuff like that!

"You know what happens when I get sick," Tenzin lectured.  "I cannot afford to be indisposed, not when there's so much work to be done.  And now you've put my health at risk."

"Look," Bumi said, gesturing languidly with one hand.  "I thought you'd be all about being disciplined and pushing through no matter what.  Obviously, I was wrong. Sorry for risking your precious health. Thanks for being concerned about mine. I'll go back to my room and everything will be-"

He stopped abruptly mid sentence, much to Tenzin's bewilderment.  And what was he making such a peculiar face for, with his lip curled up dramatically on one side and his eyes scrunched up and...oh.  Great.  Just what the situation needed.  More germs, just sprayed out into the air.  Wonderful.

Bumi gasped loudly and dramatically, because of course he did.  Everything about Bumi was loud and dramatic.  His chest expanded and his shoulders pulled upward.  Then again, but somehow even more loudly and more dramatic.  Tenzin sighed.

And then Tenzin realised something. Something very important. But at that moment, it was too late.

"Hyahhh...TCHUUUU!" Bumi burst out with the full force of his lungs.  Before, it would have been loud, and very obnoxious, and definitely would have garnered the attention of anyone around him.  Now that he was an airbender, however, he had much more to contend with.

The surprise in his eyes might have been comical to Tenzin, if the situation weren't the exact opposite of amusing.  He watched on in alarm as the force of the air blast threw Bumi off his feet, stumbling backward in the grass, finally landing with a firm thud on his back.  He lay there, for a moment, and then confusion turned to understanding, which then turned to wide-eyed stupefaction.  He scrambled to his feet and looked to Tenzin for...guidance? Reassurance?  Advice?  He wasn't sure. 

"Wait, is this going to start happening to me now?" Bumi demanded, gripping Tenzin by both shoulders and looking him directly in the eyes.  Tenzin raised his eyebrows in alarm.  Directly in front of Bumi's nose - not to mention this close to it - when it might go off again at any moment, was exactly where he didn't want to be right now.

His fears were confirmed when Bumi's dramatic hitching started again, gasps of breath with shoulders rising and falling.  Tenzin wriggled free from Bumi's grip.

"What...do...I do?" Bumi struggled to plead in between massive gasping breaths.

"Plant your feet!" Tenzin shouted.  "Use your stance, ground yourself!"  But most of his instructions were drowned out by Bumi's "hyahhhhh...ahhhTCHUUUU!" and the resulting howling wind.  Both Bumi and Tenzin were sent flailing in opposite directions, Tenzin was caught by the forceful wind and pushed backward, though taking his own advice and using his stance managed to stablise himself before falling over.  Bumi, on the other hand, fell to the ground with all the grace of a sack of mud after stumbling backward several paces.

Bumi started staggering to his feet again, now winded from the effort of sneezing and battered from his encounters with the ground.  Before he had even straightened himself, his nose was flaring wildly and he was hitching again.  Tenzin rushed to Bumi's side, his crimson cloak billowing behind him.  If he could just get close enough to help stabilise Bumi, he could at least spare him from having another rough altercation with the hard ground.  And he just about made it behind Bumi at the very last moment.

"hyahhhh...TCHUUUU!"

Tenzin hadn't had time to plant his heels into the ground, or brace himself.  He was thrown backward with the full force of Bumi's rather ample frame slamming into him from in front.  And if that weren't bad enough, he found his back suddenly slamming full force into a tree trunk, leaving him well and thoroughly with the wind knocked out of him so hard he saw stars swimming around in front of his eyes.

Tenzin attempted to stand up, only to be met by resistance from his body, which needed a moment to recover. So he resigned himself to sitting there, catching his breath, in no hurry to stand up again.  Bumi sniffled and rubbed at his nose furiously with his finger. Then apparently the situation called for much stronger rubbing as he traded his finger for his palm and punished his nose with it. The resulting squelching noise made Tenzin scowl. The sigh of relief Bumi then issued seemed to indicate that he'd gotten the worst of it out of his system for now. Thank goodness.

"Well, that sure was something," Bumi said, for lack of any better words to adequately describe his feelings about the situation. 

"Part of being an airbender," Tenzin replied weakly, still catching his breath.

"I don't think I want this part."

"I don't think we really get a choice in the matter."

"Never knew this is what you were dealing with all this time.  It's sure...something."

"Yes," Tenzin huffed, brushing some grass from his knees but still making no effort to stand.  "Hopefully you will realise that it is not funny, and apologise for the years and years of teasing."

"Aww, Tenzin," Bumi soothed, putting his arm around his brother's shoulders and squeezing with an intensity that surprised Tenzin - and hurt a little bit.  "Of course it's still funny."

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