Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a cold night at the northern tribe. It had been snowing all week. Yakone led his children through the emptiness. This was a special night. The one night in the month when they could practice their bending. The infamous criminal marched towards the chosen spot cursing under his breath. He cursed the day that this became his life. He cursed the day that he lost the thing that put the fear of him in everyone he met. He remembered that damned day when he met the bald idiot with a god complex and the blind witch. She dared to call his bending unnatural. She who made metal bend to her will thought that blood bending was unnatural! He went over that fateful day every time he closed his eyes. Every time he blinked the glowing eyes of the Avatar were there to remind him of his failure. Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night, feeling like he had been trapped in that rock again, motionless, unable to do anything as a part of him was taken away forever. That damned brat might as well have cut off his head. That would be a more merciful outcome compared to living as a disgrace who can’t even bend a little stream of water, forced to live in a hut in the middle of nowhere. It didn’t matter now though. Now, he could get his revenge. He could pass his mastery to his offspring. He could make sure that the mighty bloodbenders lived on. Yakone sat down near the rock formation where they had set up camp. The infamous criminal stared into the fire as the deafening sounds of the snowstorm went on. He took a mighty breath and began his monthly speech.

“We are bloodbenders.” The gangster began. “Bloodbending is the strongest type of bending.” The reflection of the fire in his eyes seemed to grow as he said these words. These might have been the only words that cared for, the words of endless bragging, words that reminded him of his past glory. 

“Come on, the same speech every month!” Young Noatak spoke up. 

 He had seen and received a lot of abuse from their father and though he was angry, he kept silent for both his brother’s and his sake. Yakone was a powerless old man, but he seemed to have a chokehold on his kids nonetheless. Both of them could kill him without even breaking a sweat but didn’t because of how scared they were of this man. For so long they trembled at his sight, but today was different somehow, the hypocrisy, the superiority talk and the disgusting behaviour had finally gotten on the teen’s nerves enough for him to act. 

 “And how is blood bending the strongest?! The Avatar took away your bending!” Noatak went on, standing up to face his father.

“Listen here you little!...” The bloodbender stood up as well and raised his hand, but quickly stopped himself. Even he had a sense of self-preservation.“It isn’t my fault that coward Katara outlawed bloodbending!” Yakone defended himself as he sat back down, urging his son to do the same. Tarrlok just sat there, motionless, too scared to move.

“That’s the interesting part, Katara wasn’t the one who insisted on making it illegal.” A deep voice echoed from behind Noatak as a silhouette of a tall man slowly appeared.

At that moment Yakone’s blood froze. He watched as the tall, slim figure got closer and closer. Every step the mystery took made the gangster more worried. The man’s stride was unchanging, unbothered by the blizzard that broke cliffs. The only thing that the storm seemed to affect was the man’s cloak. As the guest got closer and closer the color of his satin robes became clearer. The blazing red satin waved around like a flag on victory day. The cloak was like made Yakone’s emotions twirl and mix inside him. One half took it like a bull took a red cloth, ready to tear anything in its path. The other half knew who was dressed in these clothes and wanted to run, hide, do anything to avoid the man in the satin robes. The criminal was too scared to even act. He just stumbled backwards as he thought of what to do next.

 “It was Zuko. Katara’s rage left quite an impression on him.” The man finally got close enough for all to see who he was. 

 Tarrlok and Noatak stared at the bald man as they mumbled under their breath. Yakone stared into the eyes of the newly arrived Avatar as his thoughts raced inside his suddenly grey head. What was he supposed to do? He was an old man, with no bending to speak of. Taking on a peace-loving and forgiving man shouldn’t worry a man like him, even without bending, but a voice in his head reminded him of what the peace lover did to deserve his title and reputation. Fighting a man that went up against a war-crazed Firelord during the Sozin’s comet arrival and winning was a gamble no man could hope to win. The only option he seemed to have for a second was to run away, run away in a storm on a flat plane of ice. Yakone had to admit, he was cornered. He could do nothing, only see what the future held for him and hope that lady luck would smile in his direction, but he had a suspicion that she wouldn’t be so kind.

“What the?!...” Noatak stared, dumbfounded as the Avatar placed his hand on the teen’s shoulder and sat him down.  

“Nice place you chose. I approve.” The air nomad said as he brushed off the snow and sat down in between the kids. “I presume these are your children. They look nice. Hope they aren’t too much like their father.” The Avatar joked. 

 The monk looked Yakone in his eyes as Noatak stared at the blue tattoo on his forehead. This was a strange day for the teen. There he was, sitting next to his hero, the most powerful man alive. The Avatar was the symbol of hope for people. He heard the villagers talking about him, praising him, almost praying to him. This was the man that saved the world, ended the war, the protector of the innocents and the weak. The man who could split the earth in half and make it breathe fire and yet remained a pacifist. Noatak wished to meet him for so long and here he was, helping him with his other wish. The boy was tired sick of Yakone’s abuse and wanted it all to end. He couldn’t stand watching his brother get hurt and being forced to sit idly by as it happened. His wish was coming true. The Avatar was here and he would arrest their father, send him to the pit where he crawled out of for the rest of eternity. If all of that was true, why was he scared? Why was he feeling sorry for his father, even for just a millisecond? What was wrong? The world didn’t stand still long enough for the boy to think of an answer. Aang spoke once again as Yakone mumbled and cussed.

“I must thank you, Yakone.” The spirit bridge said looking up at the sky. “I wanted to visit this place for a while now and you allowed me to. I got to visit some old friends and make new ones.”

At that moment a thought went through Tarrlok’s head. It struck him like lightning. This was who the Avatar was. A man who could find good anywhere, in any situation, in anyone, even in his father. He admired that ability. He envied it. All he could think of was all the bad things he had done, his brother had done, his father had done. A question remained, however. What will the Avatar do now? What should they do now?

“Will you arrest me now, Avatar?” the criminal asked, straightening his posture and brushing his hair with his palm. 

 He knew what would happen. There was no escape, but he wanted to bluff just a little more, even if just for entertainment. This was all he had left, his reputation, his image. No bender could hope to stand against the Avatar, much less a nonbender with nothing more than a flaming stick as his weapon, but Yakone had an ace up his sleeve. Emotions are what drive people, always have. One thing Yakone could rely on was the image he created for himself. He was the devil incarnate to his enemies. The mention of his name would make the police run for safety. That image was still there, he was still who he was. He was the most dangerous mastermind in the world. The Avatar taking his bending away was proof of his power. He was the strongest. He could use that, he could try at least. He glared and smiled creepily at the monk in front of him. Doing everything he could to get in his head.

“I have no choice, Yakone, but before I take you, I want you to know one thing.” Aang said with a serious face. “You still have your bending. I didn’t take it away, I just sealed it away, it would come back when you met a demand, a simple demand. Yet you failed to even come close.” He shook his head as he said the words that would cut the criminal down to the very soul.

“A demand?! A fucking demand?! You couldn’t even give me the honor of being punished properly?! You coward! You couldn’t just be a man and kill me?! Fuck you!” Yakone’s calm exterior soon turned to anger. 

All he believed to this point was suddenly revealed to be a lie. He didn’t even get the honor of being given the ultimate punishment from the Avatar. He had nothing. He sulked for years about his bending when he could’ve gotten it back. It was just an arm's reach away, but he couldn’t even see that. Yakone was fuming, ready to tear everything apart. He jumped up after hearing the Avatar’s comment and approached him. Before he could even make a step towards the air nomad a steel rope plunged itself between the two opposing parties.

“Toph, what do your men think they are doing?!” The Avatar jumped up and cut the rope as he looked up at the sky. He seemed angry, genuinely angry. The man who treated his enemy, the man who almost took his life, as an old friend was now angry. This scared the children like nothing else.

“Sorry!” The man answered back sheepishly.

 “We should hurry. The balloon can’t stay for long.” Another dull and low voice shouted down from the clouds.

“He is right, twinkle toes!” A female voice tore the air from above the group.

 Soon, in just a split second, steel ropes pierced the ground around the camp. Men dressed in metal armour descended from the sky and a woman followed suit. Everything was moving fast, too fast. The calm conversation turned into a battlefield. The kids didn’t even know what to think. All of what they believed to be true about their father was being turned on its head and on top of that, they were seemingly under siege. Noatak and Tarlock looked at the Avatar for comfort almost instinctually. They didn’t know why but he seemed to be radiating some sort of warm, engaging, safe feeling. It took Aang a few milliseconds to fully realise what was happening. As soon as he processed everything he lunged at the kids and wrapped around them for protection. The kids shut their eyes as Aang whispered comforting chants to them.

“Everything’s fine, kids. Don’t worry. Everything is fine.” The man whispered over and over. 

 The kids tried to believe him. Not long after the chaos the dust had settled. Aang loosened his grip on the children and turned to face the woman with grey eyes. The kids opened their eyes slightly, Tarrlok had the unfortunate luck of looking upwards and seeing his father being lifted into the blimp as he thrashed, losing the last remains of his dignity. As the child looked away in horror and disgust he looked at the lady's bare feet, just standing on the snow like nothing. Both of the children ignored the small conversation that the two adults were having, choosing to instead try and muster up an explanation of how the hell either of the adults was not frozen. 

 This seemed like the most logical thing to discuss at the moment. Noatak did have a nagging thought and anger about not having any emotions about his father in the back of his head, but he stuffed it down. Tarrlok did the very same. At that moment neither of them knew quite what happened. They knew it as a fact, but no emotions were yet associated with this fact. As they tried to search their hearts for any signs of feelings, they came up empty. Tarrlok worried that he had become a monster like his abuser, while Noatak shed an invisible tear, deciding that he had been punished by the spirits for his sins. The elder brother hugged the youth and hung his head, awaiting something. At this point, he could only go with the flow. “What a pathetic saying for a waterbender.” he briefly thought to himself. The boy cursed and shook his head realising just how much of the bastard's genes were in him. These torments were interrupted however as the voice of the spirit bridge got louder.

“What are you supposing we do with them, leave them here?!” The man whisper yelled.

“I don’t know! You’re the wise hundred-year-old monk. Figure something out!” The woman yelled back. She was living proof that not all your senses enhance when you lose one. The Avatar mournfully turned to the duo and asked a question with a stern face.

“Mother?” He asked, hoping that the kids would understand.

“Last year.” Noatak replied. He needn’t say more. Aang turned back to his friend. His expression must have been familiar since the police chief didn’t even need to hear his proposition before voicing her protest.

“Twinkletoes, no! Just no! The water witch will have my head for this!” She yelled turning her head so as to not face the wide-eyed children or the puppy-eyed Avatar.

“With me and you have the cool Aunt status.” He said as if she could understand him. She in fact did.

“I will regret this, but who am I to disobey the will of the great Avatar.” The policewoman said in a sarcastic voice. The man in the satin robes jump-turned to the children whose minds were racing, trying to piece together the conversation that just took place. They didn’t have much time, however, as a life-changing question was asked.

“Kids, how would you like to come live with me in Republic City?”

Chapter Text

The children didn’t quite understand what had just happened. Before they could comprehend the events that had transpired, they were sitting on top of a flying bison with a chatty Avatar. For a while, Noatak sat there, not even listening to what the monk was saying. Neither was Tarrlok who had fallen asleep long ago. The water tribesmen looked at the distant horizon, his mind blank, void of thoughts. That void was difficult to maintain. Intrusive thoughts and ideas were attacking his mind relentlessly. The young teen couldn’t help but think of what had happened just an hour ago. He sighed. “What was that even?” he asked himself, unsure of reality. He hated his father’s guts and here his wish came true. So why wasn’t he happy? Why was there a burning knife in his chest? Why did he feel like he should shed a tear, even if his eyes were drier than the desert?

 The existential crisis was interrupted by the other mystery that puzzled the thinker, the Avatar. The bald monk looked at the child as he got comfortable sitting closer than before. For a second, just a second, Noatak’s mind began to wonder again about the situation he found himself in, but a more pressing matter took over as he realised that the pilot had left his seat. The scared whisper yell of the boy made Aang laugh louder than he had ever before. He loved pulling this prank with first-time flyers. After explaining Appa’s capabilities, he gently tapped a place on the saddle and offered the boy some sleep for the long journey ahead. The refusal and the realization behind it made Aang’s heart sink. 

“Sleep. Don’t worry. I won’t harm you or your brother.” The spirit bridge said in a soothing voice. A little reluctant, Noatak laid down, still too suspicious to close his eyes. Aang smiled and took off his satin cloak. “Here. This should keep you warm.” He said as he used the old cloth as an improvised blanket.

“Won’t you be cold?” The teen asked. He was not as concerned as much as he was weary of the Avatar’s actions and a little curious. 

 Aang’s smile got a little wider and he took Noatak’s hand and placed it on his chest. This confused the sleepy “kidnapping victim”, but all was revealed as the monk closed his eyes and hummed. Suddenly, his chest got warmer and smoke came out of his nose. It was strange. The freezing temperature of the air was a stark contrast to the warmth of the Avatar. The strangest, perhaps, was not that he could emit heat, but that the heat was not burning. It wasn’t fire, an uncontrollable force of nature. It was more like the embrace of the sun on a midsummer’s day, calm, welcoming, and soothing.

 “The warm breathing technique. It was the staple of the northern temple, where the monks lived higher than the clouds. It will keep me warm for a long time.” Aang explained as he returned the small hand to its owner. He fell asleep soon after, being calmer and a little warmer during the cold night; because of the cloak of course and nothing else.

The next thing the water tribesman remembered was waking up in a small, neat room with cement walls and a big wooden window. If that transition of scenery didn’t confuse the boy enough, his brother’s face being mere millimetres away from his own did. For a second or two he looked his sibling in the eyes, trying to discern what in hell he was doing. Giving up any hope of understanding what was happening otherwise, he conceded and asked. The answer was not all that shocking. His brother was just looking at him waiting for him to wake up. He was waiting for him? What a strange thing. Noatak was usually the one who woke up his younger brother. This small detail was not important at the moment. The matter of their location was far more prevalent. Realising that his brother knew as much as he did, the water tribesman started brainstorming ways to understand where they were. Walking around the room, he almost automatically opened the beautiful window with intricate carvings. As the full power of the sun hit his skin, and he heard the noises of the street below, he knew exactly where they were. 

“Brother, I think we are in Republic City.” He said with worry in his voice. In the back of his head, he heard a thought. “The Avatar kept his promise.”

“Cool! So what now?” Tarrlok asked as he sat down on his bed. 

 Before Noatak could answer his brother a familiar voice rang from behind the wooden door. The deep voice surprised the children. The older brother didn’t even hear what the man behind the door was saying as he leapt forward and put a hand over his brother’s mouth. Though Tarrlok was caught off guard by this, he didn’t resist. The teen waited for the footsteps, not taking his eyes off the door. As the barely audible steps got fainter, he released his brother. Confused, the boy shook his head as if to ask what was going on. After looking around and leaning his ear against the door, Noatak confirmed the privacy of their talk and confronted his brother. Almost angry at him he whisper-yelled about answering the door.

“We are in the middle of unknown territory, in a strange house and you were going to just open the door for anyone?!” Noatak berated Tarrlok.

“It wasn’t anyone. It was the Avatar.” The ten-year-old answered back. 

“How can you know that?!” The older one was not giving up. He knew he was right.

“He was the one that brought you in here last night.” Tarrlok explained without any hesitation. 

 For him, his brother was just being paranoid. Of course, he was not going to trust the Avatar unconditionally either, but he was trying to be rational. In the situation they were in, there weren’t too many good outcomes. As much as he hated the Avatar’s actions, he had to admit that he was yet to do something that would make his hatred stronger. So far, the situation was calm and there was no need for panic. Tarrlok was sure that for now, the best thing would be to cooperate. Their father would be less harsh if you obeyed, so why would the Avatar be different?

“Anyway, even if that was the Avatar, we can’t trust him either.” The teen almost yelled. The younger brother just shot him a look of disagreement. “He is a stranger that came to our home, took away our father and took us spirits know where!” The elder elaborated.

“We agreed to go with him.” Tarrlok was much better at negotiations than he showed.

“What choice did we have?! Who in their mind would say no to the Avatar?! He is the Avatar!” Tarrlock hated to admit it, but his brother's words had some truth in them.

 Just as those words left the youngster’s mouth, he released just where they had found themselves, just how trapped they were. The boy rushed to the window, looking down to discover the street far, far, down. The machines speeding by and the colourful chaos below. Scared, shaken by the gravity of their situation, he backed away from the window. With a thousand-yard stare, the teen sat down on the wooden floor. His brother knew what had happened. Still sitting on his bed he watched his brother carefully. For a moment, he was motionless, taking in all that had happened. 

 After a heave, a fist found itself travelling at a high speed towards the hardwood. Tarrlok loved his brother, he was sure of it. He trusted him, but sometimes, just sometimes he was scared of who he saw. The angered punch was not scary, the flicker of fire, the sparkle of rage in Noatak’s eyes was what made his blood run cold. The familiar look in his brother’s eyes stirred up some “memorable” moments from before, the nights that haunted the little boy. The winces and the squeaks of the innocent animals were laying siege to his ears. He could see those moments clearly, those horrid mistakes that had damned him and his brother. He could even feel the warm breathing of the accursed man behind him, the man who made nature bend to his will through pain and had forced his children to do the same. 

 These thoughts were cut in half, the boy taken out of his haze, by the now familiar sound of knocking. Noatak listened carefully, the knock was different from before. It was lighter but had more energy behind it. The steps that led up to it were the same, energetic, heavy compared to the ones of the Avatar. The boys looked at each other, much like how they did the first time. They looked stunned, stuck in place. They tried to not move, not even breathe, not doing anything that could attract attention. As seconds passed, and they started to think that they were getting closer to privacy, the familiar footsteps came back and now the distinct knock of the Avatar was heard. Now even more worried, the children eyed one another for some semblance of a plan. Outside whispers could be heard, hushed, made silent in order to not let the boys hear. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, something changed. The unthinkable happened. The door creaked open just a bit, just enough that a hand could get in. A blue-sleeved hand put a plate down on the floor. It was a small, darker-skinned hand. The sleeve was familiar too, it had the marking of the water tribe. Nothing much was said after the second plate was also placed close to the first one with care. Only one phrase was heard. With an angelic tone, a female voice said:

“This is for breakfast. If you need more, just ask.”

“We will be waiting outside, in case you want to come out.” The lower voice added. 

 The children looked at the plates. They had some food on them, familiar food, but not quite. It was a soup, similar to the ones that they ate at the northern tribe. It was different though, more vibrant, radiating colours that they hadn’t seen before. Even if the situation wasn’t dangerous enough, the food seemed like it would definitely not be a safe option. Silent, the brothers stared at it, contemplating whether or not it was worth the risk. They eyed each other and then the food. It was tempting, steaming, warm and yet still untrustworthy. The dilemma made their hungry minds run wild. 

 Outside a different kind of situation was happening. In the tiny apartment, a married couple was sitting at a table, watching the door like hawks. The woman’s breathing was laboured, anticipating. The man seemed just as tense. Both were stressed, though Katara was honestly a bit angry as well. Being woken up at 3 in the morning was not too pleasant, but having to adopt two children right there on the spot was a whole other kind of trouble. Aang was the love of her life and she couldn’t refuse the children. After having a talk with Aang, though still a bit salty, she agreed and now was there, sitting, waiting for the children to eat.

“Spirits, what if they’re too scared to eat?!” She said in a whisper, startling her husband.

“I know I would be in their place. I can’t blame them.” He replied with a regretful look. “After what they have been through… And there also is the question of the food you gave them. I know I was scared to eat it the first time.” Aang tried to lighten the mood. The bubble of water above his head seemed to indicate the attempt being unsuccessful.

“Poor kids. I just can’t imagine what they went through. Do you think they will ever trust us?” Katara asked in a worried voice. “I swear, I’ll kill that bastard of a man!” She added.

“Let’s hope they trust us enough to eat at least.” Aang’s worry was palpable. 

 For once in his life, he thought the worst was behind. He knew that hardship and pain would always be there, without doubt, but to see yet again children suffering because of his mistake made his stomach churn. He was the one who couldn’t secure Yakone. He was the one in charge of this city, in charge of this world. He was never sure if he was up to it, but as years went by, as wrinkles and hair appeared on his face, he thought that he might have become better, made fewer mistakes. Evidently, he was not yet good enough. 

 The monk stared at the wooden door, waiting, pondering. Was he even doing the right thing now? Should he have left them with their tribe? Should he be more hands-on with the children? Was giving them space better or hugging them as soon as they woke up? Spirits, why was this so difficult?! The only thing he knew for certain at that moment was that he wanted to love those children into oblivion and make them forget any bad thing that had ever happened. As the images of hardship and of the happy memories he hoped to give the two boys sped by his eyes, a shove from Katara “awoke” him.

“Look! They are coming out!” She whispered to him and sure as day, the two children stuck out their hands with plates in them. 

“Don’t worry, come out. Everything’s fine.” Aang added on to reassure the “little miracles”

 The first to step through the door was the eldest. The door almost seemed to swing open for a moment to spit him out. He jumped out, tense, looking like he was taking a jump of faith unsure of the result. He eyed the table apartment in front of him suspiciously. It was small. The kitchen was right in front of him. It all seemed to be made of wood and the white material he didn’t know the name of. At the table sat the Avatar, lacking his cloak and the woman that had brought them the food earlier. Before Noatak could think of anything else, he felt someone bump into him. It was his brother. Both of them watched the two startled adults expectantly. The woman spoke first.

“Do you want more?” She asked in a polite, soft, caring voice. The boys nodded.

“Come, sit.” The Avatar beckoned. Noatak, as usual, was the first to approach. Warily, he pulled out the chair and sat down. He didn’t have time to notice anything else before the plate jumped in front of him.

“Here, hon, have as much as you want.” The woman said with a smile. Noatak didn’t quite know what this was. Not that people hadn’t been nice to him before, but this seemed different. He didn’t know what it was, nor if he trusted it, but he could get used to it.

Chapter Text

The breakfast was calm, tranquil. The boys, to no one’s surprise, were a bit on edge, but everything seemed to go over fine. They almost wiped the plates. The soup was delicious. The boys ate in silence. Of course, the Avatar tried to strike up a conversation, and he did get their names, but otherwise, the conversation was a bit stale. The woman had introduced herself as Katara. The name was familiar to the children, but they didn’t dare comment on it. After all, she was the woman who scared the Firelord enough for him to outlaw bloodbending. She was not as talkative as her husband, but she did make an effort. All throughout the breakfast the spouses shared looks, looks that only they understood. 

 But all's well that ends well, and so the tranquil moment came to end. Noatak was the first to get up, as usual, and his brother followed. The teenager was walking to the room as he heard a loud bang behind him. He whipped around to see his brother on the floor clutching his hand and a broken plate by his side. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, he saw the woman, Katara, at his brother's side raising her hand.

 Tarrlok was getting up from the wooden structure as his foot got caught in its pillars. He fell and the plate followed right behind him, breaking and cutting his hand. He felt the pain surge and the blood rush. He was clutching it before he even knew what had happened. The boy’s thoughts became murky. This was bad, really bad. He had made a mistake. Mistakes are bad. You get punished for mistakes. The memories of previous mistakes flooded his mind and clothed his throat. He felt his heart pumping faster and a shadow cover his body almost instantly. The boy twitched and winced as he looked up to see the female face above him. It looked serious, unwavering, concentrated. Only briefly did he look at her side to see her raised hand and the water coming to it from the metal pipe she had called the sink. At that, he could only cry out and close his eyes, begging for the mercy that he couldn’t even hope for. 

  Noatak watched as the scene unfolded. As soon as he saw Katara approach he rushed to get to his brother's side, to protect him, to save him, to rescue him from what the woman was about to do. He knew who she was. She was a bloodbender, a legendary one just like them, just like their father. Spirits knew what she was about to do to the poor boy. The teen was stopped dead in his tracks by the muscular arm of the Avatar. He held the boy in one place, whispering to him like he had done at the pole and much like that night, all that he said was left unheard. Noatak cried out almost as loud as his brother, their begging echoing each other. The teen saw his brother's eyes close, but he couldn’t force himself to do the same. He couldn’t bear to look away. He watched as the woman hesitated, but her face remained unchanged. He watched as water from the sink trickled into her arm in a stream and watched as it formed around her hand. He watched as that hand slowly approached the boy’s and began to glow. 

 It began to glow? It was glowing; Glowing with a beautiful glow of white and blue. Tarrlok felt his own hand being yanked out of his clutch and wrapped in something wet. He still couldn’t open his eyes. He was scared as he felt a strange sensation wash over, first over his hands and then his whole body. The feeling was odd and unusual. It was not cold, more refreshing. It felt like a light breeze, rejuvenating, energising. If he were to compare it to something, it would be close to feeling the wind on your bare skin as you go for a swim in spring. The oddity didn’t end there though. He felt his pain go away. As the boy opened his eyes, surprised, still waiting for the other shoe to drop, he saw a sight he would not soon forget. His hands were glowing. They were glowing and healing. There was another set of hands touching his own, he hadn’t noticed before. He looked to see the strange woman who he thought was about to kill him shedding tears and holding his hands. He couldn’t quite understand. What in hell was happening? He looked over his shoulder, tears still clouding his vision, to see the Avatar loosen his grip on his brother and the teen slowly approach him, looking just as bewildered.

 Noatak approached carefully, not risking sudden movement. He heard the man who had held him walk right behind him, but he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him now. He was looking at something so eerie, so strange. Just barely, out of the corner of his eye he noticed the orange satin sleeve wrap around his brother. He was too concentrated on the hands that were suspended in the water. He was bewitched by the water that slowly lost its glow and retreated back into the iron bowl in the cabinet. Only one thought went through his head. No, that was a lie. Too many thoughts went through his head at that moment. It was utter chaos. Was she not punishing him? Was the Avatar stopping him from disrupting the healing? She was healing his brother?! Why? For what? Even if all of those thoughts were racing in his head, he still only managed to cough out one simple word that still felt like a jagged rock coming up his throat.

“Healing…” The teen trailed off. 

 It wasn’t clear just what he meant, but the adults seemed to pick it up quickly enough. They once again shared a look. Suddenly, the silence that had fallen registered in the boys’ brains. Tarrlok felt the hand that was rubbing circles on his back and the hands gripping his. He felt like jumping from surprise or pulling out of the sudden physical contact, but both his body and mind refused. He felt as his body, without him ever asking it, slowly leaned into the big hand behind him and his head came to rest on the broad shoulder. Noatak still stood there, shocked, paralysed. Only a second after he too felt something wrap around him. He looked around, taken out of his trance to see that he was being cradled by the woman’s Katara’s arms. He heard her mumbled unintelligible words of comfort into his ear and the booming voice of the Avatar finally replying to his semi-question.

“Yes, that was healing.” The man said with a small, warm, smile.

“Didn’t you have healers at the north tribe?” Katara asked in a tone that screamed concern. 

 She knew the answer to it, but she also knew just what she would do if that answer wasn’t what the boys would give her. The amounts of pain she would inflict upon the criminal would surely earn her a neighbouring cell in the prison, but she didn’t care. She would decimate anyone who had ever wronged her little munchkins. They were hers now and would always be hers.

“We did…” Tarrlok started, slightly straightening from his pose on the floor.

“But father forbade us from ever going to them.” Noatak finished his brother's sentence. 

 It almost looked rehearsed, but no amount of rehearsing could provide the looks of pain and anger in the twin dark eyes. At that moment, Katara knew she would commit murder multiple times during her next trip to the prison. Aang's heart sank deeper than he could ever imagine and something definitely popped behind Katara’s eyes. This was wrong. All of what these boys had gone through was so wrong. This was not something anyone should ever experience, much less a child. Neither of the couple knew what to do, what to think. The only thing that either one could think of at that moment was that they would sooner die than let these kids ever feel anything but happiness in their lives. 

“Well, you got lucky with your first demonstration! Katara is the best healer in the world!” Aang wheezed out trying to get the situation into some semblance of positivity.

“Better believe it!” Katara replied, flexing her muscles in a comedic fashion. Mimicking her brother for a laugh was one of her favourite things to do.

 A second of silence fell again but was quickly interrupted by the oddest of things, a hardy laugh coming from the youngest one in the room. Tarrlok was laughing and soon Aang joined in, Katara didn’t take much longer and Noatak even joined in with his chuckle that, according to Katara, was the most precious thing in the world. At that moment nothing mattered. Everything was alright. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. There was no looming threat or a painful past to run from. Everything was just the current, the little present that they got to live everyday. The laughing was infectious and the emotions had become too much to ignore. No matter, this was still just too fun. This was what life was supposed to be. But alas, everything comes to an end and so did this moment. The laughing died down eventually, the tears got wiped and the silence fell again, but it didn’t last. A phrase was uttered, one that would break not only the silence, but two hearts. Just a simple question the weight of which its author didn’t understand broke two hearts and etched promises on the conscience of the two adults that nothing would erase.

“So, are you not going to punish me?” Tarrlok asked in a weak voice. He was still waiting for all this to go to hell, for something bad to happen. 

“For what?!” Aang asked, letting out a nervous chuckle as he held the child closer and a not-so-invisible tear formed in his eye. He knew the answer, but couldn’t bring himself to even consider it.

“For the plate. Aren’t you angry about it?” Noatak explained. The adults heaved and repositioned in a way as to see both children clearly.

“We will never…” Katara started.

“Ever…” Aang added.

“Get angry with you about such a thing, never. It wasn’t your fault.” Katara explained slightly sobbing along the way.

“Kids, I know we just met and I know you don’t trust us all that much, but please hear us out about this. We want you to know, everything bad is behind you. You will never again be punished for things that weren’t your fault. We won’t get angry with you for no reason.” Aang wasn’t too far from breaking down in tears as he said these words.

“You are here for only one thing, to be loved, not punished, not beat up. You are here to be loved and cuddled and spoiled, no matter what. Children, you are the most precious things in the world. Remember that much. Don’t forget it no matter what anyone says. You are precious, beautiful, cute and loved. I don’t know when, if, you will start to trust us, but know that we will always be here for you.” Tarrlok’s eyes blurred again.

“We will always have your backs. We will never abandon or mistreat you. You are our biggest treasure and we love you with all our hearts and will do anything to make sure that you feel at home and at peace because you are now our children and we will die sooner than let anything harm you.”

 Tarrlok was positively bawling at that exact moment and something was very wrong in Noatak’s chest. It felt warm, not hot, not burning, there was something warm there, something that hadn’t been there for a while and he never wanted it to disappear again. He wanted the butterflies in his stomach to fly forever and the blooming flowers in his heart to never wither. He wanted this. He wanted all of this and caution be damned. This was home now. He didn’t care about anything anymore, because he knew he could trust them and they trusted him. They said they trusted them and loved them! This was his family now and he was definitely going to get used to this. The boys lunged forward, knocking both of the adults over in a giant hug. And so, the laugh was back. The happiness from before, though fleeting, was back and the magical morning was now forever in everyone’s hearts, because this was the moment when the Avatar family became a family.

Chapter Text

The evening, that evening of infinite happiness, occupied the young Tarrlok’s mind as he sat on a chair, staring out of the window at his newfound habitat. The republic city’s horizon, even at dawn, seemed so overwhelmingly alive. The boy wasn’t used to it. It was just so packed, so active, so full of life compared to the icy desert that he grew up with. He watched as the clouds receded and the shining ball of light illuminated the baby blue blanket over his head, the ripples the ducks made in the pond that was visible from the apartment window, the reflections dancing as boats went across the water of the giant ocean, coming in and out of the harbour, always circling the tiny island off to the coast, one covered in what seemed like iron skeletons. Tarrlok looked down to see the shops begin to open their doors, the iron curtains being lifted and the first of the ‘self-moving carts’ gracing the streets. 

 He had yet to even consider sleeping since last night. It had been a journey, a true one. It hadn’t been long since he saw his father last, thrashing against the iron cable. It hadn’t been too long since he had to wear thick furs, had silence to listen to instead of the constant hum of the city, but it seemed like a century since he was so happy. It was so strange, so utterly strange. He had started to trust the Avatar, of all people. “How could I?!” He wondered in a whisper. Wasn’t this the same Avatar he so despised, so judged, so feared, so respected?... What had changed? Tarrlok couldn’t tell you why he no longer feared to share the fate of his father, why he didn’t judge the Avatar’s actions anymore, not as harshly, all he knew was that a fuzzy feeling, not unlike the fur of his coat rubbing his skin, only inside, had been overwhelming him for as long as the satin robe wearer was in his life.

 The adults who so wished to be called parents soon had yet to awake. That was until the sounds of tiny footsteps at their door had made Aang’s non-existent hair stand up. He jumped awake, never being a heavy sleeper. He rushed to the door. He had become pale. What was wrong? Why would the kids who were so afraid of them still approach the bedroom door?

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” He asked as he looked at the older of the two, the teen, Noatak as he recalled.

“Where is the bathroom?” The teen asked with just as sleepy of a voice as you would expect from someone at just past dawn. Aang couldn’t help but chuckle. “We can’t go outside for that, can we?” Noatak added matter-of-factly. That moment, if nothing else, proved to Aang that the previous night had mattered, it really had.

“Down the hall, the door with a giant dent and an arrow.” He replied as he recalled just how much time it took him and Katara to repair that door after Zuko and Sokka decided that being adults also meant getting very very drunk on cactus juice for some reason.

 There was nothing strangely profound, wholesome or special about this moment, not even in Aang’s imagination, and yet it stuck to him so much. He knew, slowly but surely, this was working. The kids were starting to adapt and trust. Just the thought made him smile from ear to ear as he plopped back down onto his bed to try and finish sleeping before the inevitable summons to the council hearing about some new nonsense was delivered. He mumbled to Katara as he turned on his side of the bed.

“I think the boys are starting to trust us more, with the basic stuff.” He said with a smile.

  The smile didn’t waver, even several hours later as they gathered for breakfast. Like the day before, first Aang and then Katara knocked on the boys' door to inform them of the food being ready. It was nothing special today. The waterbending master tried to stick to familiar recipes for now, ‘to ease the boys and their tummies in’ as she said. She was a little surprised when she saw the two boys come out of the room quite soon, willingly, both still a little sleepy. The happiness from the seemingly building relationship soon disappeared as she noticed their attire. She, of course, didn’t expect them to have many clothes, she didn’t either at their age, but it seemed like the poor kids had not only slept in the very worn water tribe undershirts and trousers but were wearing them today too.

“Noatak, honey, why are you wearing yesterday’s clothes?” She asked with a warm smile as she bent down a little to be at his eye level. She, of course, knew the answer, but she needed him to confirm it and thus chose the question that sounded least like a command, more like a curious inquiry.

“Instead of what?” He asked confused. “We don’t really have anything else, not here and not back…” He hesitated a bit to finish that sentence. That wasn’t home anymore, this was. “Not back at the tribe.” The teen finished the sentence with some warm feeling in his gut.

“Hm…” Katara hummed to herself. “Aang, when’s your meeting with the council?” She asked with a mischievous smirk. She didn’t know if what she was planning to do was really a good idea, most likely not, but it had to be done and was a good opportunity for some bonding.

“Later today, I think at half past three. Why?” He answered with a curious look. 

 He straightened his back as he spoke. It was the first time the kids saw him in his full satin robes again. It felt strange, not because it brought back bad memories, but because this was the cloak that had warmed Noatak on the coldest night of his life and today, he saw the man who would soon be his hero, maybe even more, wearing it again and it made him strangely happy.

 “Boys, do you, perhaps, want to go and buy some clothes? We could go and buy as many as you like and you get to pick each and every one.” Katara asked as she put the plates onto the table.

“I am a little hungry though.” Tarrlok blurted out with the most precious voice, according to Katara at least. She burst out with a light chuckle that didn’t go over quite well with the kids. Aang noticed and quickly picked up the situation.

“Kids, we won’t force you to go hungry.” He said and the boys sighed, relieved and happy at the idea of eating. 

This, and the speculation that they would be left to starve made something feral awaken in Katara again, but killing Yakone three times over could wait. Her precious little turtleducks needed love and care right now.  Aang, wanting to drive the point home, went on.

 “We will go after breakfast. What are we having, anyway?” He asked as he looked at the stove, peeking over his wife’s shoulder, giving her a kiss on the cheek in the process too.

“I don’t know if you boys at this at the Northen tribe, but we loved this snack down South. Here, have some of these jerky sandwiches. We used to make it all the time with my brother.” She said as she handed two small sandwiches to the kids. “I toasted the bread a little to make it extra crunchy for you.”

 “Why would it need to be crunchy?” Noatak asked, slightly confused as he inspected the sandwich.

 “So it tastes better and is more enjoyable to eat, of course. Who doesn’t enjoy eating?!” Aang joked as he patted Noatak on the shoulder. Though Noatak did lean away from the hand at first, after a moment, he found himself wanting another pat. Something about being touched without being hurt felt so strange and yet so desirable. 

  “Oh…” For some reason, the idea that somebody would do something extra to make food more tasty to eat seemed weird for Tarrlock. Before, he had never put that much thought into food. “I like it!” He declared proudly as he bit into the sandwich.

 Meanwhile, Noatak was sitting at the head of the table, looking at his plate, slowly chewing the unfamiliar food and looking at the Avatar. There was something strange about him. He wasn’t looking at them, just a couple of glances here and there when they talked. Instead, he was looking at the woman, as he called her, Katara. He guessed it wasn’t unusual for a husband to look at his wife, but the look in his eyes was so foreign to him. It wasn’t the concern that was so easily read on Aang’s face when he was flying with him on the beast, nor the look that his face contorted into yesterday. It was so strange. Was that the look of love? Did it look like this, this look of empty admiration and a goofy smile? If so, he’d like it if someone looked at him like that, he guessed. But did he deserve it? He didn’t have the time to wonder about that too long, because of Tarrlock’s curiosity.

 “Uhm, Mr. Avatar, sir, why aren’t you eating the sandwiches?” He asked with a confused expression. Now, Tarrlock wasn’t a stranger to manipulation. He knew how to put on a cute face. He needed to know why their host wasn’t eating the same things as them. From his previous experiences, he guessed the food was somehow poisoned.

 “I am a vegetarian,” Aang said absentmindedly. “I don’t eat meat.” He added, now turning to the kids.

Now that confused Noatak quite a bit. Why would someone not eat meat? That must have been a lie. 

“Why don’t you eat meat?” Curiosity was not something Noatak expressed often, but ever since he had been brought to this city, it had been popping up in his mind often. He felt safe asking questions now, after all.

“Well, that’s just how the monks raised me.” Aang said and then paused, his brows furrowing for a small moment. “Did you kids ever learn about other nations or benders?” He asked. The teen paused. Sure, his father had said things about other benders, but never anything beyond simple contempt, nothing substantive, just insults. Did that count as learning?

“Not really, no.” He said, curious about why the Avatar would ask him such a question. He quickly glanced between the Avatar and his wife until the man smirked a little. He made a little mental note and moved the conversation along.

“Darling, how do you want to get them to the market?” Aang asked. “Would you prefer to take Appa or just walk?”

“I think we will walk. Appa’s been shedding again.” Katara said calmly. “I don’t want white hair just yet.” She added with a chuckle. 

 These small moments really made the boys forget what was wrong, what was painful. Just looking at the couple with ease, laughing along with the small jokes felt so wonderful, so utterly human. In the moment of euphoria, a small mumble escaped young Tarrlock’s lips. 

“Of course not. She’s a mom, not a grandma yet.” He said without a second thought. 

 It didn’t even register to him what he said. It just felt so right to call Katara a mother, maybe not his own yet, but she was what he thought of when he imagined a mother. No one even remarked on it. It sounded too natural for them to pick up on it. Yes, this was life, these small moments. The waterbending master walked closer,  leaned down and kissed Tarrlock on the head, patting Noatak on the head.

“Come on, boys. Go wash up. We should head out soon. Dressing well takes time, you know.” She said, trying her best to imitate the voice of the arrogant rich girls in Ba Sing Se for a joke, but falling miserably due to not being able to complete the sentence without breaking out in a chuckle. 

 The boys ran off to the bathroom, Noatak carefully turning on the sink. He was still confused by the strange pipe contraption, despite Aang and Katara spending a good portion of the day before explaining plumbing to the brothers. He still refused to believe it wasn’t a form of waterbending that Katara was hiding from him. They washed their faces carefully and put on their shoes in the room that had been assigned as theirs. They looked at each other, sharing a look of uneasy excitement. It felt so strange, going along with this life with no protest. Sure, it may end badly, but it hasn’t yet and both of them would be lying if they said they didn’t want to feel the same feelings they felt yesterday again. They liked this life, a new, calm one. 

 They walked out of the small room to see Katara, dressed for an outing herself. It was an outfit they were yet to see since she was always wearing comfortable clothes at home when they saw her. This outfit was different. It was like the outfits they’d seen on women in the Northern Tribe, but different at the same time. It was more fitted, more like an outfit meant for moving around in, clothes meant for a bender. It was a strange sight for the boys, but they knew better than to question it. Katara opened the small door of the apartment, leading the boys down the stairs to the building entrance. The sounds of the city were getting louder, slightly concerning the brothers, but they swallowed their worries. After all, they had to be brave for each other. As the iron door opened and they stepped outside, the light hit their eyes and the sounds now felt ten times louder. The sheer shock of it all made Noatak stumble backwards. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his back, holding him tight. He looked up to see Katara smiling at him, a smile so warm, so caring that it’d make the ice on the North Pole melt. It was at this moment that the boys knew, everything would be fine, no matter what.