In His Element(s) || avatar / bnha

There are Always Consequences

The cool stone of the wall behind him kept Aang grounded as he leaned back against its solid presence, the world around him illuminated with pale moonlight.

Well... he supposed that the conversation didn't go nearly as badly as it could have been. But then, it also wasn't much of a genuine conversation. More just- misunderstanding each other?

Aang was tired. He was really tired.

Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?

Because I never wanted to be.

"Ok," he murmured, slightly exasperated. "This whole spirit adventure is much less fun than I thought it would be." He slid down the wall until he could sit on the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees.

Maybe he should talk to someone about this. About... everything, really. He just didn't know who. Or how, even.

He missed his friends. He missed Katara's laugh, the way Toph would punch him in the arm when she was being friendly. Sokka coming up with new plans and inventions while Suki listened patiently, and Zuko awkwardly hugging him back whenever he initiated one.

Aang pressed a palm to his forehead, closing his eyes. This was giving him a headache.

Maybe Master Aizawa would listen? He'd been there when he'd faced Zhao, and hadn't said anything about the war since then, which Aang was grateful about. Those were memories he'd rather not think about. And he was pretty sure he'd caught the end of the rooftop conversation, when Aang had snapped for the first time in who knows how long and blurted out all of his bitter, twisted feelings about being the Avatar and what he could do with what his predecessors had given him. Something he'd promised not to put on people he thought were his friends ever again.

He didn't know if Todoroki, Shinsou, and Midoriya were his friends. But... he thinks he'd like them to be.

Speaking of the rooftop conversation, he couldn't hear their voices any more. The low rumble of Master Aizawa's voice had faded about ten minutes past, leaving the dark evening quiet for his contemplation.

He should probably go back inside. The teacher got a bit jittery when he was out on his own for too long, for some reason. Still, by closing his eyes, and simply breathing the night air, he could almost imagine he was back home, with his friends on Appa just around the corner, ready to go on a late night flight around Zuko's palace.

...maybe just a few more minutes.

A few minutes turned into ten, then twenty, then more. Aang's chin had dropped onto his propped-up knees as time passed, mind still swimming with thoughts he'd rather not deal with at the moment.

The combined sound and light from the opening of the dorm's doors made him glance up, half-expecting the tall figure of Master Aizawa to appear, likely to ask him to come back in for the night. Upon not seeing him, the split second of strange disappointment faded into wary confusion as instead, the shadowy figures of Midoriya and Bakugou exited Heights Alliance.

He wasn't positive about the time, but he was pretty sure the students had a curfew. Aang glanced up at the moon's position. It was later than he had expected; the night was almost half gone.

What were they doing out of the dorms, then?

Aang watched the pair make their way across the grass, towards the tree-covered path that led to the fake city that the class had practiced rescuing people in this last week. The set of Bakugou's shoulders was tight and angry, arms stiff at his sides, while Midoriya was more stooped, head down and carefully minding his left arm, the one that had gotten broken today.