“Milk and Honey” now on AO3!
Knock, knock. “You’re awake, right?” Knock, knock, knock. “Bumi?”
Kya waits for a few moments at the door, but there’s no answer, not even the sound of movement. So she has to go inside. Great.
Taking a deep breath, Kya throws the door open as wide as she can before marching into the Dread Cave of Boy-Stink that is her big brother’s bedroom. She’s grateful that the open door lets in plenty of light, so she can navigate the piles of clothes littering his floor. Scrunched up in one corner of his bed under a tangle of sheets, Bumi would almost blend in, if not for his gentle snoring and unruly shock of dark hair.
She shakes him by the shoulder, which only gets a mutter out of him about the floor being lava before he settles down again. Still holding her breath, she claps her hands in his face. When that doesn’t work, she claps on his face, which finally rouses him.
“Ngah!” His eyes shoot open, but he doesn’t bother sitting up. “…Ky? What’s the standing ovation for?” He can only squint at her stupidly while she gestures at the door. It’s time to get up, obviously!
Her breath and her patience run out simultaneously. “I said I’d come get you for breakfast!” After a moment to process the air quality, she adds, “Yech! It’s like you sleep in a butt.” It’s a testament to his grogginess that Bumi doesn’t giggle at this.
“What? Ugh, I’ll just grab something later.” He rolls over, putting his back to her.
Before he can drift off again, Kya gives him a good shove. “It’s Tenzin’s birthday, remember? Dad’s doing a thing.” He just grunts and pulls the blankets tighter, so she tries her sweet little sister voice on him. “He’s really excited about it, and we’re all supposed to be there. Please…?”
To this, Bumi just makes exaggerated snoring noises, which is rude, frankly.
“If I have to be there, so do you!” That gets him up.
“You’re half my age!” he shoots back as he sits up to face her. “You don’t get to tell me what to do!”
“Nuh-uh! I’m turning eight in a month and a half, remember?”
“…I mean, no? Why would I remember that?”
Kya feels her lip quiver, a sign it’s time to retreat. “Fine, stay in bed! Dad’s the one who cares, not me!” She leaves in a huff, giving a pile of clothes a kick on the way out for good measure. It actually makes the room look cleaner, somehow.
Bumi can’t help but notice that she leaves his door wide open, which he supposes he can’t blame her for. That was a little mean of him. He contemplates closing it and going back to sleep, but he’s basically awake now, anyway.
After a good yawn ‘n’ stretch, he scoots off the edge of his bed and smacks his lips. Does his mouth actually taste like old socks, or is that just the ambiance in here? Sensing movement, his stomach gives a tremendous growl. Fine, breakfast it is, but not because Kya told him to.
He does a quick underwear check to make sure nothing too embarrassing is happening down there before he grabs a handy pair of pants off his floor and hops into them. This pair is only a couple of months old, and they’re already pinching at the hips and showing too much ankle.
It really is a raw deal, being a teenager. Just when you’ve finally made peace with the way you were born, your body gets crazy with the hormones and turns monstrous. Bumi’s in the middle of a big growth spurt, and he’s never felt more awkward in his life. Always lumbering around like a kid on stilts, his bones full of needles. He can only hope that when this is all finished his hands will finally be the right size for his body.
“I had this stuff all the time growing up at the Southern Air Temple.” Aang proudly holds up a fat glass jar of …something. It’s thick and white. Yogurt is Kya’s best guess. But why would Dad be this happy about yogurt? Is this just a dad thing, like cooking outdoors?
“Flying bison milk!” Okay, that makes sense. “It’s a rare delicacy now, but your dad pulled a few strings.”
“Sweetie, you’re the Avatar,” says Katara. “I’m pretty sure you can get whatever kind of milk you want.” She smiles at the acolytes as they set out two pots of hot tea.
“But this is special!” Aang’s grin broadens, and Kya knows what’s coming next. This is a Teachable Moment. “Say, would either of you happen to know why it’s so hard to get this?”
Kya glances over at Tenzin before saying the first thing that comes to her mind, even knowing it’s probably not the answer her dad wants. “Well, there aren’t a lot of them left?”
“True, but what’s the big reason?” He looks at little Tenzin expectantly while Katara pours the tea.
“Because we’re trying to make more,” answers the Golden Child. “Lots of babies need lots of milk, so every drop is presush.”
“Precious,” corrects Kya under her breath.
Read the rest over on AO3, linked in source and My Works.
