#I can’t imagine either Zuko or Sokka wanting something wrapped around them

[ssreeder]

How would your write a zukka proposal(with sokka proposing and making zuko a betrothal necklace?

I am actually not a huge fan of betrothal necklaces between zukka. Idk, the tradition seems more of a NWT thing and I like that they have their own way of life separate from the SWT and their traditions.

Also,,, knowing the betrothal necklace that belonged to Kya originally belonged to Kana and is now a family heirloom from their deceased mom… I just don’t see the romantic aspect for Sokka or Katara. Idk I think the necklace had a different meaning for them and a lot of mixed sentiments so yeah it’s just not something I headcanon sorry anon :)

[sparkles-and-trash]

The Gaang are Roommates AU ~

note: this is a rewrite and repost of my old roommates au, there was some stuff I wanted to change, and I wanted to make the parts a little longer, so yeah, ta-dah! 

- think modern setting in the canon universe, bending is still a thing 

- the Gaang are all in going to Ba Sing Se University 

- I’m gonna change the ages a bit to make it easier for myself, sorry 

- Zuko, Sokka, Suki and Mai are 20, Katara, Ty Lee and Azula are 19, Aang, Toph and Yue are 18

- so, Zuko, Sokka, Katara, Aang and Toph end up living together in a big loft type apartment 

- Sokka and Aang are old best friends, they met Toph in Middle School, and Katara is a natural part of the group 

- until now Sokka and Katara have both been living in the dorms, and they both hate it intensely 

- but now that Aang and Toph are also in uni, they all decide to move in together!

- …but the only problem is that the only place they find that they like is just out of their price rage (Toph’s parents aren’t supportive of her major so they’re not helping out much)

- enter: ~ Zuko ~

- so, Zuko has been living with his uncle Iroh since his Father, who’s a high up in some big and important company the Fire Nation, disowned him for speaking up against the company’s shifty treatment of workers and ruining a lot of sacred land etc 

- they’re still firebenders and the scar still happened, not in an Agni Kai, but it happened 

- but after Zuko started uni, Iroh really tried to push him to meet some people his own age and make some friends

- the only people Zuko talks to on the regular besides Iroh is Azula, Ty Lee and Mai, and Mai is the only one who is like, his friend yanno?

- the last year the deal was that if Zuko didn’t branch out, Iroh would have him live one year with other students

- it’s his idea of tough love 

- Zuko tried to do some random kid’s homework to have them pretend to be his new friend in front of Iroh so he wouldn’t have to, but Iroh can tell he’s lying so easily 

- so, Zuko ends up hearing about the Gaang through Mai, who heard from Ty Lee, who plays field hockey, Suki, who’s best friends with Sokka

- so, he goes to meet them, and it’s so awkward mY GOD

- Katara is a B I G environmental activist and HATES Ozai and his company, with good reason

- she eases up a tad when Zuko admits to being turned away from as a teen, but she is still suspicious

- Aang loves him right away, ofc, and that makes Katara even more suspicious because she’s pretty protective of Aang

- she claims it’s because he’s so kind and believes everyone but she totally liikeees hiiiim

- Toph is just like, sure, as long as he pays his rent idgaf

- Sokka is weirdly quiet, because he’s had a huge crush on Zuko forever, and the only one who knows is Aang (and Toph but she ain’t no snitch)

- so, ya boy makes the cut, and before they know it, it’s move-in day!

- but, the idiots didn’t think through the facts that it’s only three bedrooms oops

- and Toph is NOT afraid to pull the “I’m blind and I need my space” card

- and nobody’s up to fight her on it, so 

- let’s just say there is A LOT of back and forth, but with Katara refusing to room with her brother again, and Zuko being rightfully scared of Katara, it ends up with Zuko and Sokka sharing a bedroom, and Katara and Aang

- they have separate beds ofc

- but still, tension, man, so much tension

- it takes a while, but the dynamics starts working out really well

- Zuko is good at grocery shopping and likes to clean, and Aang is always happy to help him out

- Sokka loves cooking, so he does that a lot

- Katara is always on top of the others with schoolwork and making sure everyone is okay, and she usually does it in genius, sneaky ways so people doesn’t even notice that she does it

- Toph is clearing the air off bullshit

- like, she will call a bitch out

- but because she cares about said bitch

- so, Aang knows that Sokka has a crush on Zuko because Sokka told him in a weak moment, and Toph knows because she just knows

- Aang is a good friend tho, and he tries to like, ease them together

- but he is so awkward about it, the poor thing, and Zuko doesn’t understand AT ALL

- Toph is just sitting back and sighing a lot

- Katara doesn’t understand either but she just stays out of it (smart girl)

- but okay, we know how oblivious Zuko can be right?

- Sokka can give him googly eyes and blush and stutter around him so much and he still has no clue at all

- Zuko starts thinking Sokka just doesn’t like him at all

- but then one night Zuko has this really intense nightmare

- okay and quick addition, his scar is… handshaped? Like, you can clearly tell what happened to him

- but nobody talks about it, yet

- but then he’s having a terrible nightmare and is talking and begging and pleading in his sleep

- so much that Sokka wakes up

- and he catches on pretty fast, but had no idea what to do

- so he just shuffles over to Zuko’s side of the room and starts tapping his shoulder rapidly

- but nothing happens

- so he just… gently and awkwardly pats his head until Zuko wakes up

- and Zuko is like… wat u doin there bro

- and Sokka is like… just patting ur head to wake you from a nightmare bro

- and they awkwardly just mumble and go back to their beds

- but Zuko is smiling a lot because someone who’s not his family or a family friend really cares about him

- after that, Zuko slowly starts opening up to all of them, but Sokka especially 

- he never really tells them about being cast out and burned tho

- until one day he kinda casually slings it into a convo all fast and awkwardly

- it’s just Toph, Aang and Sokka there

- Toph yells so WHAATTT so loudly and just metalbends the whole fridge into a clump in rage

- Aang cries lmao but he tries to hide to and be supportive and not awkward

- Sokka is kinda quiet, but he carefully asks about it that night when they’re in their beds, and they talk a little about it

- Aang tells Katara (with permission) and she awkwardly, but wholeheartedly tells him that he can always talk to her

- they do that «awkward sibling hug» from Gravity Falls after

- *hugs stiffly* «pat, pat»

- but okay, Toph and metalbending when angry, it happens quite a lot 

- this was the first time it was the fridge, but the toaster, the microwave, and several other appliances have met the same fate

- everyone is kinda used to it now, and she always replaces it

- except Zuko, who’s still kinda new to them all

- but what are you supposed to say when your new friends is so outraged by the abuse you went through that they crush a whole ass fridge?

- it actually reminds him that he’s cared for here, by these people who owe him nothing, and is not related to him, and it makes him a little dizzy to have people care this way

- he casually mentions it to his Uncle Iroh the time he’s in at work, that his new friend is a metalbender and squashed their whole fridge when she was pissed on his behalf

- Iroh is thrilled

- to the point of offering Toph a job lmao

- Toph, desperate to cut of as much ties with her family and be as self-sufficient as possible, agrees

- and now Iroh have two formerly rich kids with no clue about any sort of customer service and basic stuff like that working for him

- Toph is a hard worker tho, and she and Zuko work surprisingly well together

- Katara is a little relived, because the more those two work, the less are the chances of either of them trying to cook or do too many chores around their apartment

- they mean well, or, Zuko does, but he does so much dumb shit when trying to help lmao

- Sokka starts spending a lot of time over at The Jasmine Drago too

- Aang is still trying to keep the fact that Sokka likes Zuko a secret, but he is having trouble

- Katara is his biggest weakness, and now they’re suddenly alone with her a lot

- someone else who could always read Sokka really well is Suki

. whom he used date in high school, but they parted as friends and everything s cool

- but Sokka is a little taken aback when she comes into The Jasmine Dragon one day, hand in hand with Sokka’s childhood crush obsession, Yue

- for the first time in man’s memory, Sokka is a little speechless

- and Suki’s like “lmao dude I haven’t seen you like this since the first time you saw Zu-”

- cue Zuko popping out behind them like “WELCOME TO THE JASMINE DRAGON FRIENDS OF SOKKA :D”

- Sokka is so fucking red, poor boy is just about having an aneurism at this point

- but luckily something happens and Zuko gets distracted

- Suki is having the time of her life tho, Sokka always used to tease her for her crushes before and after they dated, and suddenly, here they are

- at the apartment, Aang decides they need some apartment traditions

- they’ve been living there for almost three months, after all

- so he decides that weekly movie nights are mandatory

- so are pillowforts

- Katara is actually really excited for it, she loves all things cozy and fall-like

- also… she is weak for Aang, y’all, and she loves seeing him all excited

- Zuko barely knows what a pillowfort is, he didn’t think real people actually made it

- but imagine these dorks in a pillowfort with hot chocolate and lot’s of pillows

- Toph claims that she thinks it’s soo dumb, but she will always make sit in the middle of the group all wrapped in her blanket and laughing when the others jump and get spooked from the horror movies Sokka always wants to watch

- and she will make sure the fort is right and perfect lmao

- Zuko is a little awkward about it at first, but he likes it too

- Sokka always manages to plop in next to Zuko lmao

- they haven’t talked about the head patting incident yet, but Zuko is def starting to feel the butterflies

- one time after a movie night Sokka falls asleep on Zuko’s shoulder, after the others have left for the night

- Zuko can’t resist waking him up with awkward head pats similar to the one Sokka used on him

- Sokka thinks he died and went to heaven lmao

- but then he fully wakes and sees Zuko’s shit eating grin and can’t help but laugh at the whole thing

- and Zuko has his “oh no he’s hot beautiful and I really adore him” moment

[whentheynameyoujoy]

Yup, Sure Was a Finale

I had an epiphany. The reason why I never re-watched the final two parts of Sozin’s Comet even though I’ve popped in episodes at random many times over the years isn’t that I can’t bear the sadness of seeing one of the best, most engaging narratives out there come to an end.

It’s simply that the finale isn’t all that good.

Some honorable mentions of what was enjoyable.

(+) This

Just this.

(+) The Church of Zutara has another convert

“Are you sure they don’t get together?” Hubster, 2020

(+) The tragedy of Azula

And the fact that it’s acknowledged as such. I hope Zuko will do his best to get her help and have a relationship with her…

(+) Sokka being a big bro

And the whole airship sequence in general. It’s wonderfully paced and plotted, with moments of humor, real stakes, Toph being both badass and a scared crying kid, Sokka strategizing and protecting, Suki saving the day, and non-benders being instrumental in thwarting the bad guy firebender’s plans. Would be shame if Bryke never portrayed them this capable ever again…

And now for the main course.

(-) Blink and its over

The wrap-up feels too quick (hashtag Needs More ROtK-style False Endings). A part of this is due to how fast the story goes from the thick of the action to hastily tying up a bunch of loose ends, but the larger issue is how Book 3’s uneven pacing comes home to roost. After spending half a season on filler episodes that at best subtly flesh out established characters while dancing around a huge lionturtle-shaped hole, and at worst contradict the theme of “no one is born bad” with “you’re a hot mess because your great-grandfathers didn’t get along too well”, the frantic “go go go” rush of the second half screeches to a halt with “they won and everyone was happy because now the right people have power and it will be all good from now on yup nothing more to deal with baiiiii”.

Yes, I know, it’s a kids’ show. But goddamn, this particular kids’ show has proven so many times it can do better than the expected tropiness. Showing the characters in their roles as builders of a new world was the least that could have been done.

Oh well!

(-) Ursa

We’ll never know. There will never be a story that delves into this. Yup. Shall forever remain but an intriguing mystery. Is good, though. Mystery is better than a story where Ursa shares her son’s penchant for forgetfulness. Imagine how embarrassing that would be. Speaking of which…

(-) What does Mai see in this jerkbender?

Look, I like to harp a lot on the mess of inconsistent writing that’s Mai but let’s unpack this scene from her perspective, shall we?

Zuko forgot about her! It totally slipped his mind that the one person who prioritized the safety of his dumb ass was rotting in the worst prison in the Fire Nation—because of him! And she was rotting there long enough after the final Agni Kai for the news of Zuko’s upcoming coronation to spread and her uncle to feel sufficiently secure to release her. But then the coronation scene is attended by every single member of Gaang & Friends that was imprisoned?

So what this tells me is that either a) the invasion force had the ability to break themselves out the whole time and for some reason decided not to exercise it until after the war was over, b) Zuko forgot about them as well and no one thought to remind him there were prisons full of POWs until Mai arrived, or, and that’s even better, c) Zuko took care to free every single resistance fighter while making sure Mai would be the one to stay behind bars.

Never thought I’d say this but Mai? Honey? You deserve so much better.

(-) “What does Katara want?”

Asked no one in the writers’ room ever, apparently.

This is not so much anti Cataang as anti romance stories that pay attention to the needs, opinions, and wants of only one partner in general. Over the previous 60 episodes, Katara actively expressed romantic interest in Aang exactly, wait for it,

Once.

And it got retconned out of relevance by the following two interactions where the possibility of a romantic relationship came up, making the Headband dance pretty easy to reclassify as just one of those examples where Aang “teaches” Katara to have fun (as if one of the main obstacles to her having fun wasn’t him constantly fooling around and offloading his duties). And because the writers not only didn’t succeed in portraying Katara’s internal state of mind, but also failed to root her reluctance to pursue a relationship in outside circumstances that could change, her sudden state of unconfused once Aang steps into the spotlight has a single canonical explanation that as much as approaches coherency.

The fact is, though, that trying to interpret canon Cataang from a Watsonian perspective is an exercise in foolishness. Because there is no Watsonian justification for the ship and never has been. Bryke simply conceived of Katara as nothing but a tropey prize for Aang, never saw her as anything beyond that, and were perfectly happy to go on and immortalize her as a passive broodmare for the rest of her life.

And I fully intend to die mad about it.

(-) Iroh dips

OK, it’s been long apparent that the show doesn’t intend to do anything about Iroh’s complicity in AzulOzai’s regime in any meaningful way, and that his sole motivation for doing anything whatsoever is Zuko whom he views as a replacement son which is supposed to be good for some reason. But the finale has him abandon even that, and instead turns him full-on YOLO, idgaf anymore. It really throws Iroh’s supposed love for Zuko into doubt when his last act in the entire show is to take a half-educated 16-year old with no political savvy or an heir to secure a dynastic continuity and plomp him on the throne of a war-mongering imperialist regime where the entirety of the militarist and ruling class is guaranteed to fight him tooth and nail for power.

(I sure hope Mai’s ready to start popping out babies by tea-time otherwise the whole country is fukd in about a week)

Christ, how hard would it be to have Iroh keep the throne warm for a few years while Zuko is getting ready to succeed him? Not only would it make the whole FN reformation bit quite likelier to occur, it would require Iroh’s hedonistic ass to actually sacrifice something for once. And not having Zuko ascend to power, instead spending some time bettering and educating himself first, would be a wonderful message that no matter what you endured and overcame, you never stop growing. A kids’ show, remember?

(-) The conquering of Ba Sing Se

Gee, I feel so blessed to have my attention diverted from battlefields which actually matter to an old dude vanity project I would have been perfectly happy to assume resolved itself off-screen.

The White Lotus in general just bugs me. I was fine with the individual characters and their overall passivity when they were portrayed as lone dissenters living under circumstances where it wasn’t really possible for any single person to mount a meaningful resistance. But as members of a far-reaching shadowy organization that’s left the real fight to a bunch of kids for 59 episodes straight and didn’t turn up until a perfect opportunity presented itself to take control of the largest city in the world and bask in the spotlight?

Yeah, no.

Similarly to the lionturtle-ex-machina, the White Lotus represents a huge missed opportunity for a season-long storytelling. Here’s just a brief list of what they could have been doing throughout Book 3:

orchestrating a Fire Nation uprising;

gathering those directly persecuted by AzulOzai’s regime to help Zuko keep his hold on power once he’s crowned;

establishing themselves as a viable alternative to Ozai;

sabotaging Fire Nation’s war efforts from the inside;

countering Fire Nation propaganda (Asha Greyjoy’s pinecones, anyone?);

running a supply network to alleviate the suffering of Earth Kingdom citizens.

Instead, they sit on their asses until the time comes to claim personal glory.

You know what, good on Bryke for making me conclude that in comparison, the Freedom Fighters were perfectly unproblematic, actually.

(-) Fire Lord Dead-by-Dawn

Yes, a kids’ show, I know! But ffs, this is the same kids’ show that came up with Long Feng and portrayed courtly intrigue, kingly puppets, secret police, spy networks, and information wars. Was it really too much of me to expect something other than “enlightened despot solves everything”? Especially if said enlightened despot has persisting anger issues, no personal support system, no base of followers, and no political experience whatsoever?

If Zuko’s actually serious about regaining the Fire Nation’s honor (i.e. by dismantling the country’s military machine, decolonizing the Earth Kingdom, paying reparations to everyone and their lemur, and funding any and all cultural restoration projects Aang and the SWT come up with), then there is no way, no way in the universe that he doesn’t face a civil war, deposing, and execution within a month.

One reason why his future as a Fire Lord seems rather bleak is that little’s been shown about the actual subjects of AzulOzai’s regime. While we get a vague reassurance that “no Toph, they’re not born bad” (le shockings), they largely remain a voiceless uniform mass of brainwashed clapping seals. What is their view on the Fire Nation’s crimes? Do they associate their condition with their country’s war-mongering? How will they react when Zuko starts dismantling the country piece by piece to rebuild it, bringing it to economic ruin? What will they do when noble Ozai loyalists come out of the woodwork and begin rounding them up under the banner of “Make the Fire Nation Great Again?”

I have no idea, and Zuko doesn’t either because he’s unironically more qualified to rule the Earth Kingdom than his own people.

You know what would have been better? Fire Lord Iroh, White Lotus pulling the strings to maintain the regime, and Crown Prince/People’s Champion Zuko travelling the Fire Nation with Aang and an army of tutors to promote the new boss, only to realize that absolute monarchy is kinda crap for the people he’s one day supposed to rule and gaining their support by ceding some power to them.

I’d laser holes into my TV due to how much I’d enjoy watching that.

(-) All hail Avatar Rock

Literally and metaphorically. Aang doesn’t sacrifice anything, gets everything, and the clever solution of going about getting said everything is handed to him on a silver platter, requiring no active participation on his part whatsoever.

He doesn’t work to unblock his chakras, spiritually or physically.

He only speaks to his past lives to get a pat on the back and a bow-tied solution he could mindlessly follow.

Energy-bending doesn’t require any sacrifice from him, leaves no lasting marks, and only serves for the narrative to praise him as the rare individual that’s unbendable and thus so very very special.

The most infuriating thing is, however, that Aang is clearly shown as being able to beat Ozai without either the Avatar state, or energy-bending.

And he chooses not to. From this moment on, Aang no longer fights to save the world. He fights to preserve his beliefs, going directly against the instructions of his past lives and effectively reneging on his duties as the Avatar.

Again.

It’s not like you can’t portray Aang’s faithfulness to his spiritual beliefs as the key to beating Ozai and saving the world. But that’s not what the show did. There is no link between Aang sparing Ozai and securing a better future, quite to the contrary—Ozai’s survival ends up being a massive problem for the continuation of Zuko’s rule, and consequently a threat to the world at large. His survival benefits Aang and no one else.

Aang’s spiritual purity and his status as a savior of the world are allowed to coexist only due to a deliberate stroke of a writer’s pen.

And I hate it.

Welp, nothing to do about it now except to bury myself up to my tits in fix-it fics I guess.

[spasmsofthought]

silence (zuko x reader)

I’ve had Adore You by Harry Styles stuck in my head these past few days. It got me in some of my feelings, so here’s a drabble because of Harry Styles and my feelings!

“You don’t have to say you love me, you don’t have to say nothing.” 

Give me your feedback. Like, comment, reblog!  

Much love, fellow humans xo 

Read Part 2 here: Unfinished

-

“Please don’t make me say it,” You whisper as you look out at the night sky, littered with glittering stars. The sun will rise soon but you couldn’t sleep anymore. 

Your arms are wrapped around your body, warm only in temperature.

Everyone else is asleep, trying to build up as much strength as possible, but you stand outside wondering if this will be the last time you will ever look upon the stars.

The world will not be the same twenty-four hours from now. It will either be burnt to a crisp or the Avatar will have saved it. 

You’re honestly not too sure which will happen. 

The team has done their best to stay upbeat, but you’re not sure anyone is prepared for a final battle. There have been strategies planned out, locations are mapped, and people are assembled, but there is an itch under your skin. 

It can’t be satisfied no matter how many times you stretch or take a dip to clean yourself off in the river.

There was an anxiousness, like waves dashing against rocks in the middle of the night, that had been pumping through your veins for weeks.

Every day was just one day closer to the end of the world.

Beach parties and plays and drinking juice while watching the sun set were like little breathers, sure. But little breathers meant nothing if you weren’t able to breathe properly in the first place. 

A lone, silent figure stands beside you, taking in the quiet scenery. A small breeze ruffles his dark hair, moving it softly before it settles again. His amber eyes looks darker but there’s still a fire burning in them.

Zuko should be sleeping, but here he is, standing with you hours before you both begin the longest day of your young lives. 

You will be separated from him tomorrow, you already know this. Your place is with Suki, Sokka, and Toph; you will be of no help to Katara and Zuko as they face down his sister.

Despite the plans that have been laid out, there is still a tension in the air between the both of you. 

There are too many things to say and too many things that have always remained unsaid. Too much silence. He has had too many things to figure out on his own and you have been all over the place until recently. 

Having Zuko join a group full of teenagers trying to save the world, someone who is the son of the man heading the colonization of the town you had spent your whole life in, left you with thoughts and feelings you hadn’t recognized within yourself before. Katara hadn’t been the only one in your group to hold a long-standing grudge with the Prince of the Fire Nation. 

Zuko, however, had proven himself loyal and changed after his stint back in his homeland. His steadfastness and new change of heart hadn’t been lost on you. 

His posture is straight, like a king. You know he’s more prepared than you are. He’s been a part of some pretty terrible things that you could only imagine seeing take place. Building turning to ashes and entire villages fleeing for safety were the stuff of only nightmares for you.

He’s always been a lonesome figure, proud and strong. You wonder if he’s really ready to lead a nation out of 100 years of war and into peace, especially as a teenager. He’s still trying to figure out who he is. 

The silence is almost overwhelming.

You can’t tell if he doesn’t know what to say or if he’s choosing not to say anything. He’s hard to read and it’s frustrating. 

For someone who can be so trustworthy, it seems easy to also believe he’s adept at keeping secrets. 

I think I might be in love with you, your heart wants to scream. It wants to do something because you have been waiting for so long for something; anything. And nothing is happening because everyone is in the middle of a war, always close to losing or dying. 

I think I might be in in love with you.

Your mouth stays shut. 

He broke up with his girlfriend before he left the Fire Nation  to be branded as a traitor, Sokka told the whole group one night over the campfire, but you had no idea what his feelings were for her now. He might still love her, and you’d be the loser with unrequited feelings. 

“I, uh,” Zuko begins, moving a hand to rub his neck. His face is like a stone, his mouth maybe hinting at a grimace. It’s hard to tell since Zuko rarely smiles. “I know we’re going to be in different places tomorrow, but I -” 

You’re usually a woman of little action; waiting and patient and biding your time. But you can’t take it. 

You may die tomorrow and you can’t waste a second more guessing and wondering and trying to analyze the situation. 

Tomorrow the world may burn and everything will be left in ashes. If you do nothing, this moment will be discarded in the aftermath. 

It’s your last chance. 

Zuko can’t catch up as you turn to the side a little and press your mouth to his in a kiss. Your eyes are closed and you try to savor the moment, soak it in. You want to remember this tomorrow when you are faced with horror and tragedy and war.

You step back after a moment, shocked at yourself. Zuko looks surprised as well, his eyes rounded almost comically. You can barely focus. 

You take in a quick breath, unable to believe what you just did. 

“I can’t say it, I’m sorry.” 

Your heart beats words inside you though, 

I might be in love with you.

I might be in love with you.

I might be in love with you.

I might be in love with you and I might die without ever telling you.

You’re not sure he knows what you mean, he’s about as oblivious as they come (and had more important things on his mind), but you walk away back to the tents without looking back.

I might be in love with you.

Your tent flap closes behind you.

I might be in love with you.

You lay down on your pallet but your eyes stay wide open.

I might be in love with you.

Tomorrow will be difficult, and maybe awkward, but maybe you won’t regret it. 

I might be in love with you.

Only time will tell if you survive any of it.

[sokkabeifong]

22 + 32 azulaang? 😚

Yes yes yes!! I totally can see azulaang in these scenarios, 32 (A kiss so passionate, so perfect - that after they part, neither person can open their eyes for a few moments afterwards) and 22 (A kiss that is leading to more, but is interrupted by a third party). Thank you for the ask!

Longing is not something Azula is used to. Being the princess of the Fire Nation, she usually gets her way. No, not usually. Always. No matter the obstacles she must hurdle in order to obtain what she wants, she gets it. By force or by not, through bribes or other charges.

Somehow, through means she cannot describe, emotions fill up her heart, closing in on every spare space, squeezing and pinching and tugging until she's sure she will burst from feeling too much. Feelings are buried deep under the surface, and yet they hover just beneath her skin whenever she thinks about them.

Want is something she is familiar with, but the yearning is not. And this thing, this - this concept, this bubble that sits on her abdomen and threatens to rise up and spill out of her mouth - this thing is the one thing she cannot have.

It's for the stupidest reason imaginable.

"With this ring, I thee wed."

Azula strains her eyes to concentrate on the little figures at the front of the church, but they're merely blurbs of green and blue. Toph and Sokka, on their wedding day.

She sits in the back, unsure how welcome she would be if they knew she was here. There had been no formal invitations, nothing sent to her via messenger hawk or any form of communication for that matter, so she'd decided quite last minute to show.

Not for them, because she quite frankly couldn't care less about Toph and Sokka and Sokka and Toph and whatever romantic mushy nonsense they were saying up there on their ledge. From what she knows about Toph, it can't be too much, but still. She came for one reason, and one reason only.

And he's sitting at the front.

"Toph, with this ring, I thee wed." Sokka's voice, from the front, but she doesn't divert her attention from the sleek, pale head a dozen rows ahead. The blue that runs from the top to his neck shines brightly under the sunlight. She knows there to be identical twin arrows, running along his arms, those arms that had held her close so many times. How she wishes those arms would be wrapped around her now.

She yearns for the arms, the way she yearns for him, the way she wishes she wouldn't.

It happens, then, so quickly, so smoothly, she would have missed it if she hadn't been paying such close attention. His head turns for the briefest moments, but it's enough. Their eyes lock, and she's caught. He's aware of her presence.

Immediately he whips around so that he's facing the front again, just as quick as he had before. Anyone watching would have thought he was shaking off a bug, or giving a small jerk, or wiping away a tear.

The plummeting feeling of being ignored surprises her.

But soon her spirits, despite her conflictions about them, lift once more. He turns again, more firmly this time, and she knows that no one could mistake this for a spasm. And then, like an idiot, he breaks into a wide smile and waves.

At her.

She shouldn't be smiling, but she is. She shouldn't wave back, but she does.

At that moment the wedding concludes, and Aang turns back to his friends just in time to see Toph dipping Sokka back into a dramatic kiss. He laughs and claps with the rest of the guests, and suddenly they're all rising and filing out of the church toward the back doors. Toward her. Panic seizes her for a split second.

Aang is the first one out, practically stumbling over the many feet and people he encounters in his desperate attempt to reach her. She forces her face to remain flat, but it's hard.

"Azula!" he cries, finally coming to a stop directly in front of her. Some of the passersby behind him eye her suspiciously. but Zuko is there too, so she assumes they think she's here with him. At any rate, no one asks any questions.

"Avatar," she deadpans, crossing her arms and slightly enjoying the way his face falls at her assessment of him.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, cocking his head to the side. "You told me you didn't want to be my plus one. You said you weren't ready to tell everyone. You said -" his tone is becoming more and more accusatory "- you said that you weren't coming. Why would you lie?"

"I... I changed my mind, that's all," she says haltingly. Her fingers involuntarily reach out to his, just shy of holding them.

His eyebrows are creased. Not confusion, but not contempt either.

"I had to see you," she says. "I just... had to see you. I can't explain it."

"Hm." He heaves an unnecessarily long sigh and rolls his eyes. "All right. I can't really stay mad at you."

"Good." Her yearning is back, crashing through her body like a furious, passionate wave. She grabs his arm and jerks him into a closet, slamming the door shut. "We've got a few minutes before they notice you're gone."

"Princess Azula," he smirks, but he threads his hands through her hair and kisses her firmly.

She kisses him back, slowly and surely, her body curving ever so perfectly into his. She still marvels at how they fit together, even nearly a year later. She will never tire of his kisses, that much she's sure of.

He breaks away first, gasping for breath. Her lips are swollen, tinged with pink, she's sure. She takes a feverish breath. Neither of them open their eyes for a few moments, their arms still hooked around the other's neck.

"I love you," he whispers, pressing their foreheads together. "You know that, right?"

"I do," she breathes, and their lips are connected once more. She pushes him back against the wall, their kiss becoming more and more feverish. His hands grope for her shirt, tugging it upwards as she angles her hips with his. They sway together, around and around and around and around and suddenly light is pouring into the closet, but that can't be right, because she shut the door before they went in, and Oh, my Spirits, Sokka's in the doorway, and even worse, Toph is behind him and she can't take her eyes off them, caught in the act of kissing.

"Hey," Sokka says, as casually as possible. Toph snorts at his attempts.

"We knew you were in here," she explains. "I felt you go in. Felt a few pulse changes too, so I figured you were..." she coughs. "Anways, we would've left you be -"

"Which would have been the polite thing to do," she sneers.

Sokka glares at her. "You want to talk about polite, sis? This is our wedding, and you weren't invited."

"Near as I can figure, no one was invited," she counters, but it's difficult to look intimidating without a shirt and makeup smeared. "You just told people to come."

"Well, I -"

Toph slaps her husband's arms. "Not important. Point is, we have to clear out of the church now. There's a funeral coming in."

Aang frowns. "Oh, dear. We'd better go, then." He gets up, brushing himself off as though nothing had happened. She stares at him when he offers his hand. "Coming?"

"I -I -" her eyes dart between his calming grey ones, and Sokka's stormy blue, and Toph's hazy green, and back to his. They're warm and kind, just like him. She takes his hand and he helps her up.

"Don't worry," he whispers, quietly so that Toph and Sokka cannot hear. "We can continue back at my place."

That's enough for her. She smiles serenley and beckons for them to follow.

"Come on, then. Don't want to interrupt a funeral."

They roll their eyes, but start walking behind them. Aang taps her arm and their eyes meet. They're both thinking the same thing.

Two down.

[vodkaxtonic]

No one but you •Zuko x Reader•

Summary: Zuko and you had been dating for a while now, on distance and through letters since he had to leave Ba sing se to help the Avatar. Now he has found his way back to you, although not alone.

Warnings: FLUFFFF, also insecurities and a bit of swearing

Wordcount: 2.3K

"Where the hell are we supposed to stay? Where the hell are we supposed to park a giant flying bison? It's rain season at the moment this could go on for days. We can't stay here!" Sokka complained as they sat under Appa's tail, much to the disliking of the Bison, which was without cover, soaked by the pouring rain. They had just landed in Ba sing se, to their luck, the King himself denied them access to the royal palace if they brought the 'filthy firebender' with them. Zuko knew he had a place he could go to, a place where he would be welcome with open arms. "I told you to stay in the palace! I would've managed!" Zuko protested, already annoyed by Sokka's complaining. "We're friends now, remember? Either all of us or none of us." Aang said with an encouraging smile, and Zuko had to use all his strength to keep himself from sending the boy flying across the ground with a fireball. 

Did Zuko tell them he had a girlfriend? Of course, he didn't. He never would've heard the end of it, the annoying questions of Katara and Toph and way too intimate questions of Sokka were something he tried to avoid. However, now it seemed like he would have to tell them because as much as he couldn't stand Sokka, he was right. They couldn't stay in the rain, they'd all get sick, and it would delay everything. 

Zuko groaned out in annoyance, as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers before muttering under his breath. "I know a place where we can go."

______

You stood in your kitchen beside your mother as she prepared dinner when your conversation came to a sudden halt. "Did you hear that?" You asked, merely to be sure you didn't imagine the loud thud outside and the roar that followed. "I'll go look." You muttered since you were the only earthbender in your family, you would be able to defend your family if you had to. You started walking over to your door, slowly and quietly as you listened to the voices outside you couldn't recognize. 

You opened the door with a fast movement, your hands already making the ground beneath the strangers shake, causing them to stumble until you noticed who stood in front of you. "Zuko!" Your eyes lit up at the sight of your boyfriend standing in front of you, dripping wet as he smiled at you sheepishly. "Hey, y/n." He smiled at you ever so softly, and you felt like you were about to melt as you walked over to him, wrapping your arms around his neck as his found their way around your waist, pulling you closer. "You didn't tell me you were coming this soon." You stated with a smile as you ignored the strangers that were gaping at the both of you. "It was rather spontaneous." He answered with a shrug, a soft smile covering his face before he leaned down, pressing a kiss onto your lips. 

"You have a girlfriend?! A pretty one? How?!" You and Zuko jumped apart quickly, both of your faces flushed as you turned to his companions, the boy with the ponytail practically yelling. "Why didn't you tell us?" Katara asked, a judgemental look on her face as she stared your boyfriend down. "To avoid reactions like this. Is it so unbelievable that someone can love me, geez." Zuko shook his head before turning to you. "You know I wouldn't have brought them here if I had any other choice." You nodded, smiling at him before looking at the group, introducing yourself. They all introduced themselves to you, Aang thanking you for your hospitality. "Do you think you could give Appa a place to sleep in your barn?" Zuko asked as his arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer to his side as he looked down at you. "Who is Ap..." You stopped in the middle of your sentence as you saw the giant Bison that looked at you, before opening its mouth, letting out a roar. "Sure." You muttered as you pointed Aang towards the barn who thanked you profusely. 

"Mother, Zuko is here! He brought friends." You smiled towards your mother as you entered the kitchen, a huge smile appearing on your mother's face as she walked towards Zuko, embracing him a tight hug, despite him being soaking wet. "It's so good to see you again, Zuko!" She said, letting go of him, her hands still resting on his shoulders as a motherly smile covered her face and something Zuko swore something inside him warmed up. "And it's a pleasure to meet you too." Your mother smiled at the rest of the group, greeting them each with a tight hug. "Y/n, will you get them some dry clothes? I bet Zuko has a few spare clothes here that the boys can wear, you might have to lend the ladies some."  You only nodded, telling the other girls to follow you while giving Zuko a nudge, telling him to lend them some of his clothes. "Do I have to?" He pouted as he looked at you, you lifted your hand, drily petting his cheek with a nod, making him groan as he swore under his breath. 

"This is pretty, where did you get it?" Katara asked as she looked down at herself before she looked at you. She was right, the clothes looked much better on her than they did on you, the blue satin dress you gave her showing off her curves, while also leaving enough room to move freely. "I made it myself." You answered with a smile as she gaped at you. "Don't worry, the dress is just temporary. I fear I don't have anything else in your size for you to leave this room with." You explained to her, and that was very much true. You had more curves than her, a more pronounced body, and you wanted to frown. Katara was so much prettier than you. "Thank you for not forcing me into a dress." You turned to Toph with a smile she was wearing one of your older green training pants, which she had to roll up at the ankle and a white top that barely showed her stomach, yet you could see the slight abs she had. Your body wasn't like hers, not as pronounced, even though you both were earthbenders. Your body was soft to the touch, you didn't have those sharp collarbones of Toph or the delicate hands of Katara, and secretly you wished you looked like Toph or Katara. However, you kept that yourself.

You tried to hide your frown as you entered the kitchen with Katara and Toph on your heels. Zuko, his friends, and your mother were already seated at the table. You took a seat beside Zuko as Aang still tried to process the sight of Katara, and Sokka was trying not to look too obvious as he checked out Toph, totally failing. Not too soon after that, chattering broke the silence, Aang and Sokka excitedly telling your mother about their adventures. 

"Are you okay?" Zuko's voice layered with worry as he got closer to your ear, not trying to be too evident that you both weren't actually listening to the conversation. You knew that you shouldn't be as down as you were right now, the man you loved was by your side, and you finally managed to meet his friends. Yet, you didn't manage to feel real happiness. Seeing your boyfriend, who you thought, was way out of league traveling with women who were that gorgeous and talented was leaving a pit at the bottom of your stomach, you for sure weren't hungry anymore. "I'm fine." You sent him a quick smile before excusing yourself quickly, not caring that it seemed rude or that the eyes of the other glued to your back, their expressions filled with confusion. You went outside, your feet quickly taking you across your property until you reached the barn, your hair slightly dripping as you opened to door. 

"Are you a nice bison?" You asked as you entered the barn, seeing the Bison laying on the ground as it looked at you before it kept munching on the hay scattered around. A sigh escaped your mouth as you sat down, your back leaning against the soft and warm fur of Appa. You figured if the others flew on it, it wouldn't mind your company. You just couldn't stand sitting at the table anymore. Seeing Katara and Toph made you insecure, very insecure. The more you looked at them, the less you liked yourself, and it suffocated you. Knowing that Zuko was on endless adventures with them alone made you scared, even though you knew he loved you. Compared to them, you thought he just couldn't love you. 

You didn't know how much time passed as the barn door was frantically opened, only to hear a breath of relief. You didn't have to look to know it was Zuko. He closed the door behind him, walking over to you as you kept your gaze at the ceiling. "Y/n, I love you, but don't ever fucking do that again, just leaving like that," Zuko said as he took a seat beside you, hesitantly leaning back onto the fur of Appa. "What's wrong?" You didn't want to answer. It would sound silly, stupid. You didn't want to make a fool out of yourself, so you decided to keep your mouth shut. "I thought you'd be happy to see me." You could hear the frown in his words, and it stung, tugged at your heart. "I am happy to see you, Zuko." You answered, not being able to stay silent when he started to think that you weren't happy to see him. You enjoyed spending time with him, enjoying every second you get together. "You don't seem to be." You sighed as you turned to your side, now facing him, your hand tucked under your cheek as you let your eyes roam over his face. "It's not that." Your voice was softer as he sighed, copying your pose. "Then what is it, y/n? Talk to me, please." Zuko's voice was pleading as he tried to figure out what was different this time. A part of him thought maybe you didn't love him anymore, and it made him more than anxious. 

Your voice was shaky as you confessed, feeling embarrassed. "I saw Toph and Katara, and I started thinking. They're so beautiful and powerful, and I'm not. It made me insecure, thinking about you spending weeks and weeks on with these beautiful women and coming back to this." You spat the last word with disgust layered in your voice, and Zuko couldn't help but flinch. It was quiet for a few seconds as Zuko tried to process the words you had just said. "Toph and Katara are beautiful and powerful, no doubt." He answered, straight forward, as he eyed you. "But, so are you. You are much more than you think you are. You're intelligent, funny, loving, caring, and deep down a good person. Also, you're fucking hot." You couldn't help but laugh at the last sentence, allowing him to cup your face with his hand as he looked at you with that soft smile, he only seemed to show you. "Toph and Katara are nothing compared to you, y/n. You were the first person in years that saw me, the real me, not the banished son of the Firelord, not the monster everyone made me out to be, which honestly I kind of was. You allowed me to let my guard down with you. You showed me kindness and compassion, a thing no one had shown me in years." Your eyes misted up when you knew he was genuine, every word he said he meant. "I couldn't care less about other women. In the end, I know where my home is." He smiled as he leaned over, softly pressing his lips on yours as your hand found its way to his neck, pulling him closer. 

"As much as I am enjoying this, can we go to your room? Else I'm going to fall asleep right here." Zuko chuckled, his cheeks a slight crimson color as you nodded, chuckling. He jumped up, offering you his hand, which you gladly took, and he helped you up. Instead of letting go of your hand, he intertwined his fingers with yours as you left the barn. Together you ran hand-in-hand, laughing as you got soaked by the rain before he stopped, spinning you as you almost crashed into his chest. He leaned his forehead against yours, his skin warm against you as he wrapped his arms around your waist, yours leaned against his chest. "I love you." He muttered, his breath hot on your face. "I love you too." A small smile was on your face before he crashed his lips onto yours, knocking the oxygen out of your lungs, but you didn't care. When you were with Zuko, nothing really mattered except for him and now.

[dottie-wan-kenobi]

A Zutara, Oma&Shu soulmates fic

---

“Something’s not right,” Aang told them one night, under a canopy of trees and stars. He didn’t look at either of them, his eyes pointed not at the sky, but through the foliage, like he was seeing through it to something beyond their view.

“With the camp?” Sokka asked. He was in an exceptionally good mood; he’d caught a few fish while hunting. “That’s okay, buddy, we still have a bit of starlight, we can move around if you want to.”

“No, I mean with me. Something feels different. It’s like there’s this hole in my chest.”

Katara and Sokka glanced at each other, concern written over both of their features. “Not, like, a physical hole, right?” Sokka asked nervously.

Aang shook his head. “I think something’s missing,” he said finally. His voice was quiet, distracted, almost… otherworldly in a way. He didn’t look away from the tree-line. “But I don’t know what.”

Katara didn’t know how to help him. It hurt to think that he was in pain and that there was nothing to do about it. She laid down in her bedroll, restless and positive it would take all night to fall asleep. But that wasn’t the case—as soon as she closed her eyes, she was dreaming.

There was a woman there. Dressed in elegant purple, she danced in the light of the moon. She was Water Tribe, but Katara couldn’t tell North or South, the fashion unlike anything she knew. Though Katara had never seen her before—a twinge in the back of her mind said that she had, but Katara was sure she would’ve remembered this woman—she knew her face was usually tense, holding a fear that Katara didn’t understand in the lines of her mouth. In this vision, however, the woman was smiling, at peace. Her brown eyes glittered as sand crunched under their feet.

Sand? Katara wondered. Where were they? She looked around, and found more vaguely familiar landscapes, Earth Kingdom in nature. But why were they there?

“Come on,” she said, pulling Katara out of her thoughts, to her feet and into the dancing circle. Holding hands, Katara looked down at herself and saw she was wearing yellow robes much like the air benders used to wear, warm but not as thick as furs were.

She didn’t have to think as they began moving together. Katara knew the steps instinctively, and never looked away from the woman’s beautiful eyes. The rest of the scene, if there ever had been one, faded away as Katara wrapped herself up in her partner. There was something so captivating about her, like this was right where they were meant to be, together and smiling.

There was a moment, eventually, where they tripped and went crashing to the ground. The woman was under her, dark hair splayed out in the sand, and laughed, lifting her hands to cup Katara’s face.

“My love,” Katara sighed blissfully. It wasn’t her voice, but it didn’t feel wrong to her dreaming self.

The woman began to say something—but then her eyes slid over Katara’s shoulder. The fear returned tenfold. Their bodies flipped as the woman threw herself over Katara, but it was too late. Her hands shaking, she reached for her side, and found an arrow sticking out, turning her yellow dress red.

“No,” the woman gasped. Her arms cradled Katara close, tears suddenly streaming down her beautiful face. “No!”

Katara woke, shaking, the woman’s voice echoing relentlessly through her head. “No, no, no….”

Sokka jerked awake. He crawled towards her, wrapping her up in his arms, and though it reminded her all too sharply of the woman, she accepted the comfort, sobbing into his shoulder. He rocked them back and forth like he always did when they were kids. “What’s wrong? Sis, what’s wrong?”

“My love,” was all she could manage to get out. Her chest felt like it was caving in. One of her hands pressed uselessly against her side, but there was no injury and no blood.

Aang stared at them both, for once not rushing to comfort his friend.

Ancient recognized ancient, you see. And it was then that Aang began to make sense of the sparks on Katara’s soul… and his own.

Zuko hated himself. One interaction with the Water Tribe girl, one glimpse even, and his heart went into overdrive. All of the weird, nonsensical thoughts he’d had his whole life bubbled up to the surface of his mind. The memory of her necklace, how he’d had to have it on him at all times, how it had comforted him to brush his thumb over the ridges on the pendant, it struck him again and again.

He hated to see her go. He hated the way she looked at him, disgusted and angry and rightfully so. Pathetically, he even hated the way she spoke to him. Not because he didn’t want her standing up to him—he knew very well that she wasn’t a weakling, wasn’t one to be pushed around—but because it wasn’t… gods, he could barely admit it even to himself.

Stop being a coward, he spat in the confines of his own mind.

It wasn’t kind. That was the issue. Not that he deserved her kindness, or should even want it. But everything within him rebelled when they said cruel words to each other. He had no idea why he felt like that, why he knew with such conviction that it wasn’t right, but he did. It wasn’t supposed to be that way.

But supposed-to’s, he knew, rarely withstood reality.

And the reality was that they were enemies. As long as she stood between him and his destiny—capturing the Avatar, finally being able to go home and get his honor back—that would never change.

Fighting him at the Spirit Oasis and later on the ice was something Katara would not soon forget.

It was electric, moving in tandem as they shot water and fire at each other. She had never felt so powerful, not even when she fought Pakku, and she reveled in it, used it to her advantage. Zuko was a fool to fight her on her own element, surrounded by it. Some part of her grudgingly could admit that he was talented, that fighting him left her blood singing. Mostly she was just angry and terrified for Aang, for the Northern Water Tribe, for Yue.

There was a small voice in her gut that told her they shouldn’t be fighting each other. That neither should raise a hand or an element against the other like this. But she ignored it—this was no time to be questioning whether he was an enemy or not, or whether it was right to protect Aang from him. Obviously it was right; she couldn’t let him destroy the hope of the world. It was that thought that pounded through her head as she attacked, and that thought only.

Later, when it was all over, Aang laid in Appa’s saddle and looked at her with new eyes. She tried to be brave and meet his gaze, but there was some part of her, some hidden sliver, that shied away from him. Danger, it whispered. He’s dangerous. It’s not time yet.

She didn’t know what it was supposed to mean, but it curled anxiously in her stomach. It’s not time yet was both a comfort and a source of unease. Not time yet for what, she wondered, then shook her head and stuffed it down as far as she could.

More important things filled her thoughts, then. Aang told them about the Spirit World, but she could tell he was holding something back.

Kindly, she reached out a hand to him. He took it, and instead of danger, she felt calm. Unconsciously, she knew that she was safe with him, and him with her. “What is it? You can tell us anything, Aang.”

“I know,” he said, but his smile was strained. He couldn’t quite meet her eye. “I… I found out something about the night I ran away. I could tell the other Avatars weren’t telling me everything, but… maybe that was for the best.”

“You deserve to know what’s going on with you, Aang.”

“Thank you, Katara. It’s just, I found out… that night. My spirit—the Avatar’s spirit—split in half.” He pulled his hand away, curling into himself.

“What?” Katara and Sokka both asked, shocked. Sokka was on the reins but turned his head to face them, uncaring or unaware that his red eyes and wet cheeks were obvious to them both. (Neither of them were going to judge him, but he had always tried to deal with grief on his own. They would be there for him when he was ready to share it.)

“I—I thought that was just an old spirit’s tale,” Sokka said.

“I don’t think it was supposed to happen,” Aang said, looking down at his hands. “But I guess my soul was scared, or sensed I was close to death, or something. It wasn’t explained that much. But it means that… I have to find the other half before we could end the war.”

Sokka asked, “How are we supposed to find it? It’s in the Spirit World right? You can’t just take a trip there—”

“Apparently, the other half was reborn,” Aang interrupted. “They’re somewhere out there. I can feel them, I have ever since I woke up. I just didn’t realize….”

Something about that resonated with her. She remembered the vision she’d had, of standing on the edge of the ice and feeling a call towards the horizon. It’s not time yet. “Where do we look?”

“The Earth Kingdom,” Aang said resolutely. He had that look in his eyes again, like he was seeing through the space around them, pointed in a direction Katara suddenly understood—towards the other half of his soul.

She sighed, and looked behind them. For some reason, she thought of Zuko.

Stop it, she told herself, furious. And then, nonsensically, It’s not time yet.

“You can still bend, though, right?” Sokka asked, glancing across the campsite to where Katara was sleeping. Though he was talking to Aang, he couldn’t help but watch, worried she’d have some nightmare again. “Do you think they can bend like you can?”

Aang shrugged. He knew he could water bend, and had done small things with the earth and fire, but that was it. Spirits, but he hoped things would start to make sense soon.

“Do you want them to?”

Aang tried to imagine that, not being the only person in the world who could wield all the elements. He always felt this inescapable loneliness in the back of his mind, the knowledge that he was the only one left—the only air bender, the only Avatar—weighing heavily on him. It was an easy answer—“Yeah.” But something Roku had told him made him think maybe his soulmate, whoever they were, wouldn’t be able to.

They are their own person, their own body. Together, you are stronger, but your abilities are not lessened or taken away in their absence. Neither shall theirs.

With that in mind, he added, “I won’t mind if they can’t. It would be a lot of fun, but I’ll be happy just to have them. The bending doesn’t matter so much.”

Sokka accepted this with a hum and a nod, his eyes flicking up from the ground to his sister, then to the sky. He wasn’t sure it was his place to ask, but he had to protect her any way he could. Hopefully she wouldn’t be mad. Inhaling deeply, he asked, “Did the spirits say anything about my sister?”

Aang peered at Katara. She was his best friend, and he wanted to protect her too. If he told Sokka what he knew, would that help? Would that make things harder for her?

Really, he knew the answer. None of that mattered, because she would want to know, no matter the risk or the hurt or the confusion it might bring.

“Not exactly,” he hedged. “They said I had powerful allies at my side and more are coming. My destiny is all tangled up with two powerful souls. It seems like there’s a lot going on behind the scenes we don’t know about.”

“And my sister is one of those souls? They said that?”

“No, they didn’t say who. But I think she’s one of them because—”

“Because why?” Sokka demanded, upset, searching his face like the spirits might come out right then and explain what was going on with Katara.

“Because her soul is ancient, Sokka. Maybe even as old as mine.”

“What does that mean? What should we do?”

Aang helplessly shook his head. As much as he wished he did, he had no idea what it all meant. The other Avatars had given him more questions than answers.

Together, they watched Katara smile in her sleep. “Love,” she whispered, and Aang was suddenly reminded of sunshine on a hill, unknown voices speaking unknown words somewhere just out of sight. But he was certain of one thing: Katara was there with him.

The sun beat down harshly as Zuko and Iroh drifted. Even lit by the source of his element, he was exhausted, physically and mentally sick over all that had occurred. There was no relief from the losses they had incurred, bodies floating around their piece of driftwood, salt water stinging in his open wounds. They had nothing now—no ship, no crew, no Avatar. Tui, the great spirit Tui, had died. A girl had died to take his place. Zhao was dead, too, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel grief or joy either way for the man.

Death overwhelmed him even more than thirst or hunger or delusions.

Uncle told him, later, that he was muttering about his old imaginary friend again. His love.

“Why do you think of them now?” Iroh asked curiously. He’d been wondering about this soul Zuko spoke about ever since he first mentioned them. He had an idea about what it could mean, but if it was what he thought, then he knew it was not his place to interfere.

It wasn’t Zuko who said the words, who said, “My love always dies. I can think of nothing but mourning,” but it was his mouth and his voice. His tears that welled up in his eyes as the sun stayed overhead, terrible in its unending shine.

Kya stood there in the Swamp. Her back was turned to Katara, but she would have known her mom anywhere—the wavy brown hair, the furs she wore, even the way she stood with her shoulders back and her feet slightly apart.

“Mom!” She cried, running for her, uncaring about the gross swamp water that splashed all over. “Mom!”

For years, all she’d wanted was to see her mom again. To be held by her, to ask her questions, to hear her voice and feel the warmth of her smile. Katara threw out a hand to reach for her shoulder, but abruptly, the vision faded, her hand falling through air thick with humidity.

The shock of it took a second to settle in before it exploded inside of her. Falling to her knees, she sobbed and sobbed. She lost track of time, but it didn’t matter anyway. Everything was going wrong, they would be stuck there forever, she was lost and her friends were lost too, it wasn’t time yet—and yet it was, because surely they would never leave this horrible, horrible place.

“Get up, my love,” a voice whispered. She whipped her head around, hoping for her mother though she could tell instinctively it wasn’t. There was no one around, not that she could see anyway. Annoyed to have been interrupted in her grief, she scoffed and wiped her cheeks. Stumbling to her feet, she scanned the spot her mother had stood one last time, but no. It was empty.

An invisible touch lingered, suddenly, on her shoulder. Jerking the sensation away and spinning in a circle, she still saw no one. “Come on!” She screamed, furious. “Show yourself!”

The only response she got was an unnatural stillness. There would be no more visions today.

Everything happened so fast that Zuko could barely remember the torture of the ocean anymore. Now, when he closed his eyes, he saw his sister. He saw lightning. He saw his father’s face, that last time they had seen each other—the grim malice in his eyes as he burnt his only son.

Uncle tried to be cheerful, finding good in every miserable day that passed them by. Tea leaves here, a rainbow there, beautiful flowers and weird animals, nature as a whole fascinated him. He pointed new things out with infuriating regularity, and it took everything in Zuko not to blow up and shout at him that he just didn’t care about any of it. How could he? How could he care about anything when this was their life now. They were fugitives. They were both banished. They would never go home, he would never catch the Avatar, they’d be stuck in the Earth Kingdom until they were caught or killed. He couldn’t imagine a future where he lived. There didn’t seem to be a point.

Even without saying any of this out loud, Uncle seemed to be able to tell what he was thinking. He didn’t stop trying to cheer him up, of course. But he let nights be quiet, sipping his tea and gazing at the stars and leaving Zuko be.

Those were his only peaceful moments, but even then, the peace was fragile and tiny and easily overtaken by his other thoughts. Sister. Lightning. Father. Fire. He wasn’t sure if thoughts of Katara, infrequent though he allowed them to be, were a relief or not.

Maybe it was better Uncle never shut up. At least then he didn’t have to hear himself think.

Watching Toph and Aang interact was strangely painful for Katara.

They understood each other better than anyone she had ever seen before. Whole conversations of cut-short sentences and half thoughts were shared, and were apparently completely understandable to them both. At least Sokka was confused too. But he didn’t seem to mind the way Aang and their new friend connected on a level incomprehensible to them both. He threw himself into traveling and training and other things, and didn’t have time to watch them jump feet-first into a friendship. But Katara, who Toph didn’t quite get along with yet, did.

Soulmates were something of a fairy tale back home. No one really believed in them, or at least didn’t believe that anyone they knew would find theirs. Love didn’t have to be destined to be enough, and it could be found anywhere, in anyone. Watching them, though, she could easily see what made the difference between a regular relationship and that of soulmates.

They moved in sync. They got each other’s jokes. When they argued, it wasn’t miscommunication bogging them down, it was their similar personalities finding clashes where they usually found agreement.

She felt, constantly, like she was missing out. She wasn’t jealous of Toph, being Aang’s soulmate. Rather, she was jealous that they had theirs, even though she knew how difficult it was for Aang—for them both, probably—to be without. She was glad they had each other, really, and not just because now Aang could start to learn to earth bend.

When she dreamed, she saw the hills and sprawling city of Omashu. Something felt not-quite-right about it, but she ignored that for now, having some sort of destination in mind. Unsure exactly what it was, she followed her feet to a peak not too far away. Blue robes swished around her feet. She could tell, instinctively, that she was a man, but this didn’t seem odd to her.

There were several peaks nearby, but her eyes went straight to one specific one, where a woman in red was waving her hand. Katara beamed—her love was here.

If there was more after that, she didn’t remember it. When she got up for the day, her chest felt a little lighter, and she went to make breakfast with a smile. Once it was done, she went to poke at Toph, the last of them to get up.

“Go away, Shu,” Toph mumbled, still mostly asleep.

Katara’s heart started to pound immediately. “What did you call me?”

Toph just snored. When she woke up later, pushing Sokka’s hands away from where he’d shook her, she didn’t remember their moment. But Katara couldn’t forget.

[radishaur]

hi, i love how you write and i was wondering if i could request a zuko imagine with prompts 23 and 87 from the make a reader swoon list? maybe reader has had her heart broken before so she's hesitant about believing zuko or something like that?

Ah, to be Y/N, having Zuko comfort you and attend to your needs. I love this idea! I hope you like how it turns out. For those who haven’t read the prompt list here they are. #23: I fell for you without even knowing it and, jesus, does it hurt that you can’t see it” and #87: “Don’t tell me you love me unless you mean it”.

- Zoe

•••

Breaking The Rules (Zuko x Reader)

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst

Part: 1/1

Summary: See Request

•••

Heartbreak can make you do stupid things. It turns you into an empty shell of the person you used to be. Each person you let in takes a piece of you that you never get back. That’s why love is for the blind. Those who will happily open themselves up to the pain of abandonment and heartache.

I wasn’t one of those people anymore.

Ever since my ex broke my heart, I had created a set of rules to follow. They were simple and straightforward, designed to make sure I never repeat my mistakes again.

Little did I know, Zuko would soon have me breaking every single one.

•••

Rule #1: Don’t talk about yourself

The Western Air Temple was quiet as everybody slept. The soft sounds of snoring filled the air but otherwise there wasn’t a sound to be heard. I sighed, getting up and deciding to go somewhere else.

I decided to go for a walk. I walked up the stairs of the temple and began walking through the forest. I had only gotten a few feet away before I heard rustling.

I turned cautiously to the area the noise came from and got into a fighting position.

“Hello?” I called out.

There was a bit more rustling before Zuko popped out from behind the trees. I sighed and dropped my fighting stance.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologized awkwardly.

“It’s ok,” I said.

He stood awkwardly for a few seconds, shuffling around on his feet as if debating wether to stay or not. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me hopefully.

“Mind if I walk with you?” he asked.

I shook my head no, not trusting my voice to work properly. I was still cautious of him, after all he did chase us across the world, but he just had a way of making me drop my guard.

Frankly, that scared me. It should have been the reason I said that I do mind and sent him on his way. But, of course I didn’t. I simply nodded and walked beside him.

“Couldn’t aleep?” he asked softly.

“Not really,” I replied, a sigh escaping me as I did.

I had always had trouble falling asleep. I was a night person so my mind just loved to keep me awake.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

The air was thick with a tension I didn’t know could exist. I desperately wanted to be back down in the temple so that I could avoid having a conversation with him. I needed to stay neutral about him.

“So, where are you from?” he inquired, looking at me from the side as he did.

I stayed silent, meeting his gaze with an apprehensive look.

“I just don’t remember seeing you in the group until a few months in,” he elaborated.

I pursed my lips and looked ahead, determining how much was too much. I would be walking a thin line by answering, but it would be kind of awkward for me to stay silent the entire walk.

“Right,” Zuko mumbled, mostly to himself, “I guess I probably should have assumed you still hate me.”

I felt a small part of my heart ache. The group had been giving him a hard time since joining, not that I blame them, but I also felt somewhat bad. I mean, he did seem like he was trying. I sighed.

“I’m from the Fire Nation originally, but I joined the group in Omashu,” I explained.

Zuko smiled slightly at my answer. I’m sure it felt nice for him to know he wasn’t the only Fire Nation one in the group.

“Can you firebend?” he asked excitedly.

I couldn’t stop the small smile that broke out on my face at his excitement.

“Yes, but I wasn’t allowed to train so I never use it to fight. I use throwing daggers for that,” I explained, lighting a small fire in my hand as I spoke before putting it out.

“Maybe I could teach you. Aang is still doing the basics so it wouldn’t be hard to add you into the mix,” he offered.

I hesistated. I really would like to learn how to firebend properly, but it would mean spending more and more time with him. Shirtless.

Eventually, my desire to learn won out.

“I would love that,” I answered with a smile.

•••

Rule #2: Never admit you have feelings

The Fire Nation emblem was unmistakable. The airships that surrounded us were definitely not friendly. Azula stood inside one of the ships and taunted Zuko.

I knew what he was about to do. He was going to be an idiot and fight her alone. She was getting under his skin and I knew as soon as he started running that I couldn’t stop him.

The Gaang rushed onto Appa and began flying through the sky, avoiding the ship’s attacks as we did. I kept my eye on Zuko the entire time. He was holding his own pretty well, but Azula was a formidable appontent.

“We’ve got to grab Zuko and get out of here,” Katara exclaimed.

“I know, but how? He’s standing right next to Azula!” Sokka said.

I turned to look back at Zuko just in time to see him hurtling off the ship and down into the abyss below.

“Zuko, no!” I screamed.

The Gaang watched in horror as Zuko began to fall. His own expression of horror etched itself into my mind. He was going to die.

Appa flew furiously through the air until we were swooping underneath Zuko. Katara managed to grab him hand and yank him down into the basket. I unknowingly let out a sigh of relief.

We flew to a new campsite far enough away from the temple and began to set up camp. I was sent to collect firewood, which left me plenty of time alone with my thoughts.

I had thought for sure that Zuko was going to die. The heart wrenching feeling in my chest as I watched him falling was unmistakable. I felt a nervous pit begin to form in my stomach.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt why I was so scared when he was falling. I knew why that feeling of relief that washed over me when Zuko was safe was also accompanied by a warm feeling in my stomach.

“I like Zuko,” I whispered, burying my face in my hands.

•••

Rule #3: Avoid physical affection

Zuko was right: the Ember Island players butchered every play. This one especially.

In hindsight, going to see a play about ourselves written by someone from the Fire Nation wasn’t a great idea. Everybody was in a bad mood, but especially Zuko.

I caught him wallowing out on the porch when I went to grab a midnight snack. I wondered wether to leave him alone or check on him. We had grown to be close friends since he joined us and I felt guilty about the idea of leaving him alone.

“Hey,” I said as I sat beside him, “Are you ok?”

He looked over to me with a sad smile before looking back out at the ocean.

“Yea, I’m ok. I just really didn’t like the play,” he sighed, bringing his knees up and hugging them to his chest.

“I didn’t like it either,” I admitted.

Particularly, I didn’t like the implied romance between Zuko and Katara. But of course, I didn’t say that.

“It just took every mistake I’ve ever made and threw it back in my face. It made me realize how undeserving I am of everyone’s forgiveness,” he explained, the same sad smile on his face as he spoke.

I hesistated. Normally, this is the point where I would wrap them in a hug and give a huge speech about how valued they are. I wanted to do that so badly right now, but the little voice in the back of my head that screamed no made me weary.

I settled for putting my hand on his shoulder and giving him a reassuring smile.

“You’re a good person, Zuko. Even good people make mistakes,” I said.

I stood up after a few moment of silence and began to walk away.

“Wait!” he exclaimed, grabbing my wrist as he scrambled to his feet.

I stood frozen to the spot, a look of shock and apprehension on my face as I wondered what he was doing. My skin tingled at the contact and sent a swarm of butterflies off in my chest.

I was about to say something before I felt Zuko wrap his arms around me. I hesitated for only a moment before returning it. He was incredibly warm and I found myself melting into him with every passing moment.

“Thank you,” he whispered, sending a shiver down my spine.

“You’re welcome,” I replied, my voice barely audible.

•••

Rule #4: Never be emotionally vulnerable

Zuko’s battle with Azula had not gone to plan, but he had still won. Today, he was getting crowned as Fire Lord and I couldn’t have been happier for him.

I went to go see him before the ceremony and found him struggling to get into his clothes. I giggled slightly which caught his attention.

“Y/N!” he exclaimed happily.

I hadn’t been able to see him since he left at the White Lotus camp. I glanced at the bandages wrapped around his chest and walked closer to him. I helped him pull his sleeve onto his arm as he smiled.

“I’m glad you’re ok,” I admitted softly.

“Same here. I heard you took some nasty hits,” he said, looking down to where my own bandages were wrapped.

“All for the good of the nation,” I replied, a joking smile on my face.

He laughed slightly before hugging me. At this point, I was no longer surprised when he did, but I still got just a flustered. I let myself enjoy the warmth of his embrace a little longer before pulling away.

“I’m glad you came to see me,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his good arm before adding, “I actually wanted to tell you something.”

“Oh?” I asked in surprise.

“I wanted to say something before I left to fight Azula, but I kind of chickened out. And then I almost died and realized I just needed to come out and say it,” he explained, taking a step closer to me.

My breath hitched as my eyes met his. They were so beautiful and more filled with emotion than I had ever seen before.

“Y/N, I really like you. I’ve had a crush you on pretty much since the beginning, actually,” he admitted, chuckling slightly as he looked to the side.

My heart dropped in my chest. Part of me was over the moon elated at the fact that he returned my feelings and the other half of me was too scared to say it back.

“W-Why?” I asked, my voice shaky.

“Why? Because you’re insanely beautiful and smart and funny and supportive. You believed in me when I didn’t and you make me a better person,” he said, a breathy laugh leaving his voice as he spoke.

I shook my head. I couldn’t believe it. It had to be some kind of joke.

“That’s not true,” I said quietly, beginning to step back from him as I did.

Zuko stepped forward again and took my hand in his. I met his gaze with tears in my eyes.

“It is true. I didn’t know until a little while ago, but it’s true. I fell for you without even knowing it and, Agni, does it hurt that you can’t see it,” he said.

“I...,” I began, my voice cracking with all the emotions I was feeling.

“It’s ok. I figured you probably wouldn’t feel the same,” he sighed, stepping back before saying, “I just wanted you to know.”

Seeing the heartbreak in his eyes only made mine worse. I took a deep breath.

“That’s not it. I....,” I trailed off, my confidence faltering slightly as he looked at me.

I ran a hand through my hair nervously before crossing my arms over my chest. Zuko simply watched me patiently, waiting for me to finish.

“I do like you. A lot. I’m just scared,” I admitted.

“Scared I’ll bertray you like I did the others,” he said softly.

“No! No, this has nothing to do with you,” I assured him quickly, desperate to stop him from going down that train of thought again, “I just...my ex really hurt me and I’m afraid of trusting someone that much again.”

Zuko stayed still for a moment before pulling me into a hug. I immediately began to cry as he held me, his hand rubbing up and down my back.

“I don’t know what your ex did, but I promise you this isn’t a joke. I’m so head over heels for you, Y/N. Even the Gaang can back me up,” he assured me, his arms tightening around me slightly.

I took a deep shaky breath before pulling back slightly. I felt the nervous pit in my stomach once more, but in that moment I wanted to ignore the rules. I leaned up and kissed him.

It was soft and nurturing and so very different from how my ex and I used to kiss. Zuko kisses me like I was a treasure he never wanted to lose. Like I was the air he needed to breath. It sent a warm feeling across my entire body.

“Does this mean you’ll be my girlfriend?” he mumbled into my lips.

I cracked a small smile before responding. I ignored the voice in my head that told me to run away.

“Yes.”

•••

Rule #5: Never say I love you. Ever.

Things with Zuko have been going great. I had been dating him for a few months and even with him being Fire Lord, he always made time for me. Wether it was small breaks in the garden to impromptu lunches, he always managed to fit me into his busy schedule.

Today, it was early morning tea. The morning was still bright and the tea I held on a tray as I walked towards his room left tiny curls of steam billowing behind me. I didn’t bother to knock before opening the door, but apparently I should have.

Inside, there was Mai. Kissing Zuko.

I felt the tray slip from your hands and crash onto the floor. Zuko shoved Mai off of himself as the tray fell and then looked to the doorway when he heard the crash. His expression of anger dropped when he saw me standing there.

“Y/N, wait!” he exclaimed, his expression of horror clear as day.

I ran out of the room. I didn’t even know where I was running, I just let my feet take me wherever they wanted. I knew I had been stupid to trust him. I felt my breathing become shallower as I ran and the panicked feeling in my chest grew as well.

I finally stopped in the garden by the turtle duck pond and cursed myself inside. Of course I had come here. This used to be Zuko and I’s stress free spot. I felt myself struggling to breath as I let my tears fall.

“Y/N, let me explain.”

I turned to see Zuko standing a few feet behind me. I hadn’t even heard him walking towards me. I turned back around and began furiously wiping my tears away.

“Go away, Zuko. I have no interest in hearing what you have to say,” I spat.

“Y/N, please. She kissed me out of nowhere. I didn’t kiss her back. You just happened to walk in at the wrong time,” he pleaded, taking a step closer towards me.

I scoffed before turning around and glaring at him angrily.

“I don’t believe you,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Y/N, I would never cheat on you. You’re the most important person in the entire world to me. I don’t love Mai, I love-“

“Stop! Stop it.”

My scream cut him off and sent the atmosphere into one of tense silence. My tears had begun falling once more. I didn’t want him to finish. I couldn’t hear him finish.

“Don’t tell me you love me unless you mean it,” I said quietly, my voice wavering.

“I do mean it,” he said, running a hand through his hair as he spoke, “I mean, this isn’t by any means how I was planning on telling you, but it’s true. I love you, Y/N.”

I met his amber eyes and felt a piece of my heart shatter. He had real genuine pain in his eyes, like he was begging me to believe him. I wanted to. I wanted to believe so badly.

“How can you expect me to trust you?” I choked out, wiping my tears away once more.

“Because I’m not your ex. I’m your loving boyfriend who wants to spend the rest of his life treating you with the love and respect you deserve,” he answered, taking another careful step forward.

I let out a shaky sigh and balled my fists. I forced myself to shut my eyes and look down at my feet. I felt tears building up once more as I fought with myself about what to do. I wanted to believe him because I did trust him. But, that tiny voice was still screaming at me to run.

I wanted to say it back. I wanted to admit that I did love him. But I knew that once I said it there would be no going back. I would be sending myself down the very path my rules were set to keep me from.

I felt Zuko’s arms wrap around me and realized I had begun to sob. My hands were at my mouth to muffle the sounds and I could feel Zuko’s hand rubbing circles onto my back. I latched onto him and cried.

“Shhh. Shhh. It’s ok. I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m so so sorry,” he whispered soothingly into my ear to calm me down.

He knew I was fighting a battle within myself. Even without me having to tell him, he knew. Maybe it was because he knew the signs of what he had gone through himself or maybe it was because he knew me so well. Probably both.

I found myself melting once more into his soothing embrace and I allowed my sobs to die down. Zuko never loosened his hold on me or stopped comforting me. I felt the familiar warmth I felt when I was around him return.

“I love you too,” I said, my voice cracking as I did.

I heard Zuko laugh and pulled away to see that he had also been crying. I wiped his tears away and pulled him into a kiss. He kissed me again and again and again, smiled wider after each one.

I pulled away from his to give him a stern look. His smile faltered for a moment, scared of what I was going to say.

“I’m still mad at you though. I don’t want Mai anywhere near you alone again,” I huffed.

“Deal. You don’t even have to ask again. I’m all yours, Y/N. I promise,” he responded immediately, his smile returning.

Satisfied with his answer, I hooked his arm with mine and began leading him to the kitchen.

“Let’s go make some more tea. I could use some after all that,” I joked.

I heard him laugh and press a kiss to the top of my head as we began to walk.

“I’m so in love with you, Y/N.”

“I know.”

[theowriteswhatever]

Zuko Story That Has No Title Part 2

So I already wrote most of this story, because my friend asked me to. But I’m just going to release it in chunks so I don’t overload your dash.

-Your pal, Bubbles

I told no one that I had saved Zuko all those months ago. I knew they’d probably be pissed at me for saving the life of someone who repeatedly tried to kill us. 

But I couldn’t just watch him die. He was still human.

Now we were in Ba Sing Se and everyone was bored of waiting to talk to the prince and was still trying to figure out the mysteries of this weird town. 

Katara had taken Toph, a new member of our group, to a makeover day. Aang was helping with some kind of zoo. And Sokka was wandering around probably thinking about Suki. 

I had heard of this nice tea shop in the poorer area of Ba Sing Se, but I wasn’t really allowed near there. So I devised a plan.

I put my (Y/H/C) hair in a braid and then into a bun, which I had never done before. I did my make up differently too. I then found a knee length green dress with flowers in my closet and put it on with a black cardigan. I looked completely different and knew Joo Dee wouldn’t be able to stop me. 

I poked my head into the hallway and made sure no one was there. Everyone was gone. Even Momo. I made my way out of the house and onto the monorail system. 

Once I had arrived at the immigrant slums of Ba Sing Se, I made my way to where the supposed tea shop was. When I arrived at the opening to the tea shop, I practically gasped. I ran to hide outside the shop.

Zuko, with no ponytail, was working with his uncle around the tea shop. He seemed angry to be helping, which wasn’t out of character. 

I wasn’t recognizable, so I knew I could go in. But I wasn’t sure I should. But I took another look and the tea looked so good. And Zuko didn’t look as focused on regaining his honor, but more focused on helping his uncle and forcing himself to be upset about it. 

I came out of my hiding spot and walked into the building to sit in the front corner so I could make a quick escape if need be. Zuko approached me and I could tell he was forcing a smile. It took all my effort to not laugh.

“Hi, welcome to our tea shop. What can I get you?” He said in the most bored voice imaginable.

“2 chamomiles please.” I responded with a smile.

“2?” He asked, “But you’re alone.” 

“I thought maybe you could sit with me for a second. Unless you don’t like chamomile. Then I’ll take 2 of whatever you like.” I said as if it was no big deal.

He obviously thought it was a big deal. He practically stumbled backwards at the offer and his face went red. Even though half of it already permanently was. My face grew a little red too, but I stayed calm. He was still kinda in shock and it was a little adorable. Just a little bit.

“You don’t have to.” I said through chuckles.

“N-no it’s ok. I w-will. And um. . .chamomile is fine.” He said while stumbling over his words. He then rushed off to the back and started to make our tea. 

I could tell from where I was sitting that his uncle was laughing at his awkwardness and nudging him teasingly. I laughed a little bit, because not only was it sweet, it was unexpected. We had always seen them as ruthless people that were practically evil, but I had to remember they were still humans with emotions. All humans could love, except Azula. 

He headed back and set the tea in front of me and the chair opposite mine. He sat down and almost fell in the process. I giggled at it, but covered it with my nad. He smiled awkwardly and looked down at the table in what looked like shame.

I took a sip of the chamomile to hide the continuous laughter and my eyes went wide. “Is it bad?” He said in a panicked voice.

“No! No no no. It’s delicious. It’s probably the best tea I’ve ever had.” I said quickly so he wouldn’t worry. Lord knows this boy doesn’t need more worry in his life.

He cracked a near invisible smile. I had never seen him even come close to curling his lip, but right now I could tell that he was actually. . .happy. Which was weird. But nice.

“What’s your name?” He asked while scratching the back of his neck nervously. I had almost forgotten that I didn’t look like (Y/N) anymore. I hadn’t thought of what I would say my name is.

“Leeane.” I stammered out. He chuckled a little bit and I got scared for a second. What if he knew it was actually me? What if he knew and was about to give me a burn identical to his? “Wh-what’s funny?” I whispered in fear as I looked down at the table like Zuko had done just seconds ago.

“I just thought that was funny, because my name’s Lee.” He said with a smile. I completely forgot that he would be in disguise too. Although it was hard to not recognize his scar. Not that I would mention that. I let out an unintentional sigh of relief, but turned it into a laugh to play along. I looked up and became more confident. He smiled more when he saw me look up.

“I thought you were going to make fun of my name for a second there.” I lied. He chuckled a little bit and I did too. 

“No. It’s a um. . .it’s a beautiful name.” He said nervously before clearing his throat. I smiled and put my hand on his while I leaned forward.

“Why are you so nervous?” I asked with concern in my voice. 

He was honestly worrying me with how awkward he was. The group had always seen him as heartless and evil, but evil people can’t be like this. He can’t be so worried about messing up without caring a little bit. He had to care about me just a bit if he’s so shy and awkward. That or he doesn’t care and we just never realized how quiet he is. I guess when he isn’t talking about honor, he doesn’t have much else to say. 

“I’m not a people person.” He stated quietly and in an ashamed voice. I felt bad for him. Which while it’s normal for me to care for people, I doubt he was used to being cared for. Except Iroh always treated him like a son. But Zuko needed someone to treat him as something else. A friend.

*   *   *

Zuko and I sat for what felt like hours and talked, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for not telling him who I really was. But he wasn’t honest with me either, so I guess we were equal.

I eventually had to leave before the group got worried about me and had two missing group members to look for. I politely excused myself and promised to come back soon. Zuko stood at the door frame and waved goodbye before his uncle wrapped his arm around him and led him inside. 

Once I made it onto the monorail, I let my hair down and brushed through it to look remotely normal. I would probably look weird to them in green compared to my usual blue and my makeup was still a little different, but I doubt they would care. Katara might, but that wouldn’t be unusual. She always found something or someone to worry about.

I got back to the house quickly in an effort to avoid Joo Dee and any Dai Li. I finally made it without anyone stopping me and saw everyone gathered in the living room. They all looked exhausted and sad. Whether it was Appa, the impending war, or whatever happened today, I couldn’t guess. Katara looked up and smiled before running towards me to engulf me in a bearhug. “(Y/N), where have you been? I was worried sick!”

“We were worried sick.” Toph corrected in a sassy tone. Katara rolled her eyes and let go. 

“Why were you worried? I was fine.” I reassured all of them. But I could tell Katara wasn’t buying it. My change in clothes and make up also hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“We didn’t know that. Now where were you?” Katara demanded. 

“I just explored town a little bit, like all of you did.” I said in my “as-a-matter-of-fact” voice. But Katara still didn’t seem convinced. She raised one eyebrow and took another look at my personally unique outfit.

“Then why are you dressed like that?” She pressed.

“I wanted to explore the slums and didn’t want Joo Dee stopping me. So I disguised myself as someone else.” I admitted sheepishly. I knew she’d be mad that I went where I wasn’t supposed to go, especially in such a mysterious city. But I wouldn’t regret what I did. 

“You can’t do that! The Dai Li could find you and we would have no idea. They could’ve captured you or hurt you or. . .killed you! You have no idea how dangerous that was.” She screeched with her hands placed firmly on her hips.

I wanted to run off in an effort to not upset her. The last thing I wanted to do was make it worse. I wanted to maybe stay silent and not make her more mad. Everyone was watching and waiting for what I would do and I didn’t want to let them down.

But I couldn’t this time. I love Katara. I do. But she was being ridiculous. She was acting as if this was the worst thing in the world. And she was looking at me like I was the scum of the Earth. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to say something and this time I would not just apologize.

“Really? I go across town to go and explore a town we have nothing better to do in and then I’m in danger! We’ve been traveling the world going from one life-threatening situation to the next and the one day I can do something fun or nice or even remotely enjoyable, I come back to be told that I was in danger? I’ve been in danger from the second this all started and now’s the point where you decide to mention it? I had my first day in months today where I didn’t have to worry about getting burned, or crushed, or drowned, or being hurt by some kind of crazy freak and you decide to tell me I was in danger!” Katara was taken aback by my anger and looked like she felt bad. I took a deep breath and continued with more of a calm tone. “I appreciate that you care about me Katara and I know you mean well, but I finally had one day that I legitimately enjoyed. Please don’t ruin it for me.” 

Katara looked down and kicked some kind of rock around on the floor to distract herself. I sighed and made my way to my room. 

I shut my door and locked it and then began to wipe my makeup off on my sleeve. I took off my dress and looked at my old southern water tribe gear. I didn’t want it right now. It didn’t feel right. I crawled into my bed into just my undershirt and shorts and sat there staring at the ceiling. 

Soon enough I heard Katara knocking on my door, but instead of answering the door like I know I should have, I rolled over and forced myself to sleep.

[mycomfortblanket]

This is for @i-love-your-light for the ATLA Winter Fest 2020 gift exchange! I hope you enjoy it and I hope you had a great holiday and that 2021 will treat you better in every way.

Aang is helping Zuko carry the hot chocolate into the living room where the rest of the gaang is lounging around. Aang hands Toph her cup before climbing onto the couch and snuggling under the covers with Katara.

Zuko gently steps over Toph to Sokka and hands him his cup before sitting on the opposite side of the couch. Sokka is spread out over the couch so he is not left with much room on the couch.

Katara is just about to press play when Zuko speaks up, “Where are the rest of the blankets?”

“Uh, I think we’re using them all,” Aang says with a shrug.

“It’s snowing outside and you don’t have enough blankets for all of us?”

“Well, to be fair, I’m laying down on one,” Toph points down at the blanket she is sprawled across.

“Just share with Sokka, it’s big enough for the both of you,” Katara says, hiding a grin behind her mug.

Zuko blushes furiously and ducks his head hoping its not seen by anyone. He awkwardly yanks at the edge of the blanket and successfully pulls it halfway off of Sokka.

Sokka lets out a dramatic sigh before sitting up right, “Urgh, you suck. Here, spread the blanket like this so we both have some. I don’t want to freeze my ass off either.”

He moves to sit directly next to Zuko, their thighs and shoulders touching. Sokka spreads the blanket over both of them and the burrows inside the blanket as if he were a cat. They are touching shoulder to shoulder and Sokka’s legs are folded on the couch with them so his leg is partially resting on Zuko’s thigh.

He doesn’t say anything, just presses his lips together and looks down at the cup of hot chocolate in his hands. The sensation of Sokka pressed against him like this feels like it was on fire. Every Time either of them would shift, the fire would intensify before dying back down to a warm presence.

Katara glances around the room and decides they are as ready as they are ever going to be and starts the movie.

Zuko hardly pays attention to the movie because of how his skin is pressed up against Sokka’s. Every few moments, he would steal a glance at him and conclude that Sokka is nowhere as affected by the physical contact as he is. Sokka was steadily drinking his hot chocolate and laughing and smiling at all the right parts in the movie. If he knew that Zuko is staring at him, he gives no indication.

At one point he leans over, pressing more against Zuko’s arm, “This is the best part!” Sokka’s breath brushes across his neck, making goosebumps appear and the hair that is hanging down around his face move slightly and tickle his cheek.

Zuko swallows hard and nods his head in acknowledgement. He can hardly focus on anything other than Sokka being so close to him. It’s hard to keep his feelings in check when the younger boy is pressed up against him, breathing excitedly and bouncing on the couch slightly.

He isn’t entirely sure when this all started, but he knows his feelings are growing fast and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. He was sure that Sokka knew how he felt about him or at least had the suspension; he was just grateful Sokka hadn’t mentioned it to him.

Slowly, as the movie nears its end, Sokka leans more and more into him before completely resting his weight against him. His head dropping onto his shoulder and little puffs of air tickling Zuko’s cheek. He takes a quick look around the room and finds that the only person still awake is Aang, but just barely.

The movie finally comes to an end and the title screen is on for about 5 minutes before the screensaver comes on and shows the generic photos of the Firestick.

Zuko turns his head and attempts to get a look at Sokka but can only see the top of his head. Attempting to slip out from underneath his weight, Zuko places a hand on Sokka’s side and slowly eases him down to lay on the couch long ways. He picks up his feet and moves them so they are up on the couch with him, having him spread out across the couch, taking up most of the room.

He looks around the living room for a place for himself. Kartara and Aang are taking up the other couch and Sokka leaves no room on this couch so he just decides he can move Toph over slightly and lay down on the floor with her. Just as he is about to step over the small girl, a hand grabs his, making him jump slightly.

He turns back towards the couch and sees Sokka looking up at him, his eyes just barely open, obviously still half asleep.

“No, stay,” he coaks out, his voice just barely audible.

“What?”

“Stay.” It wasn’t a question or a suggestion. Sokka pulls on Zuko's wrist weakly.

Still slightly confused, he watches as Sokka moves so his back is against the couch leaving enough room in front of him for Zuko to lay down on.

Slowly, he moves towards the couch and lays down in front of Sokka who immediately wraps an arm around his middle and buries his face into the back of Zuko’s neck. This was definitely new.

He lays there tense for a few moments, his head cushioned by Sokka’s other arm that is stretched out in front of him. His smell of evergreens is enveloping Zuko the longer he lays there and he knows it’s a scentl that he wants to smell forever.

Slowly, he falls asleep with Sokka pressed against his back keeping him warm throughout the night.

----------

Sokka opens his eyes, the sun streaming in through the cracks in the blinds and immediately closes them again. He can smell breakfast being cooked in the other room, but until that is ready, he’s not getting up.

He stretches his arms and legs out like a cat and groans when his back pops. Only when he attempts to arch his back to pop it some more does he realize that someone was asleep next to him. Like directly in front of him.

Sokka opens his eyes again and see’s Zuko with his face buried in his chest, one of his arms slung across Sokka’s waist. Their legs are twisted together so he’s not entirely sure where his legs begin and where they stop.

He just barely remembers reaching out to grab Zuko’s hand last night. Tired Sokka has a lot more confidence than normal Sokka apparently. No way would he have ever done something like that even if Zuko threw hints or signals at him. No matter how much his heart would flutter when their hands brushed against each other, he wouldn’t actively put himself out there in fear of getting rejected.

Zuko has never shown any affirmation of being attracted to guys or even thinking about him in that way, so it was just best to keep his feelings to himself.

His scar is mostly all he can see from this position, the way it curves at the bottom of his cheekbone and hides behind his hairline. His hair, sleek and black, shines with the light from the morning sun.

Swallowing hard, Sokka reaches up a hand and moves some hair behind his ear so he can look closer at him. Being this close to him, he can smell the shampoo he must have used yesterday. He smells of cinnamon and something a little smoky. It suits him well and can’t help but lean in a little closer to get a better smell.

“Did you just sniff my hair?” Zuko mumbles out against his chest. His voice is thick with sleep and is slightly muffled against his chest.

“Uh… no? Is that weird?” he asks, trying to keep his cool.

“It’s only weird if you make it weird,” Toph interjects from the floor.

“Guys! Breakfast is ready!” Katara calls from the kitchen.

Zuko rolls onto his back, letting go of Sokka. He tries, he really does, to not watch the way Zuko moves his arm out to the side and stretches and moans as his back pops.

Slowly, he turns away from Sokka and sits up on the couch and glances at him for just a moment before standing and making his way into the kitchen, careful not to trip over Toph.

“Could you guys be any more obvious?” Toph asks, her face still buried in the pillow.

“Huh?” Sokka asks.

“You guys have been tiptoeing around each other for the past few months now. Just make a move before I make one for you,” she stands and trudges to the kitchen, her hair sticking out every which way from sleep.

----------

After breakfast, Zuko and Sokka decide to walk home together since their buildings are next door to each other. As they trudge through the freshly fallen snow, they don’t say anything to each other, but rather keep their hands stuffed deep in their pockets.

Breakfast was as awkward as it could be with Toph’s vaguely hidden remarks and Aang’s silent laughter. Both of their cheeks were stained red with embarrassment and they kept their eyes trained on their plates, only commenting when necessary.

Sokka risks a glance over at him and can’t help but smile at how adorable he is. His nose and cheeks are red from the cold and his hair is blowing in just the right way that he is able to see the profile of his face. He has what looks to be a frown and his eyebrows scrunched together.

Feeling his gaze on his face, Zuko looks up and catches Sokka’s eye, “What?”.

He just shakes his head and looks back down at the ground as they continue walking. Just as they reach the place where Sokka usually splits off to his building, Zuko shoots out a hand and grabs his elbow, pulling him to a stop.

“I’m sorry about last night,” he says, his golden eyes boring into his blue.

Sokka’s brow furrows in confusion, not entirely sure what he meant.

“I shouldn’t have slept on the couch with you like that. I understand why you’re upset, especially since everyone commented on it at breakfast.”

“What? I’m not upset about sleeping on the couch with you, I thought you were upset cause I grabbed you last night and told you to sleep with me. I know you don’t like men like that so I imagine it was really awkward for you,” Sokka says sheepishly, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck not wanting to make eye contact.

“I like men,” Zuko mutters staring straight at Sokka.

He immediately glances up and looks at Zuko for any sign that he is making fun of him or lying. But his eyes are open and honest, and he can see nothing but the truth.

He watches Zuko mentally gear up for something before he steps closer to him, into his personal space. He is just a little shorter than Sokka, but his bold action makes him seem larger. Zuko’s eyes seem to flit down and rest on his lips for a fraction of a second before moving back up.

“I want to try something. Close your eyes,”Zuko murmurs.

Sokka only hesitates for a moment before his eyelids flutter shut and he takes a deep breath.

Zuko stares at his lips and before tentatively setting a hand on his shoulder and the other on his bicep, before tilting his head up to kiss him.

Sokka’s eyes shoot open in surprise but immediately closes them again and snakes an arm around Zuko’s waist and cupping his cheek.

They both hear a door open and a cough that is meant to get their attention, but they both ignore it so they can keep their lips pressed together, tilting their heads slightly to deepen the kiss.

When they pull apart, gold eyes stare into blue before bashful smiles appear on both of their faces and Zuko steps back slightly.

“Could you two hurry? It’s cold out here,” Azula yells at them from the front steps of the building

“I’ll call you later, okay?” Sokka says in a low voice before placing one last kiss on his lips and turning towards his sister, “Always a pleasure, Azula,” he gives a mock salute and turns to walk towards his apartment building.

Zuko stands in the same spot as he watches Sokka get to his building, who turns to look at him, and lifts a hand to say bye before stepping into the building's foyer.

He turns and walks towards his own apartment building and sees Azula still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and a sly smirk on her face, “I wish you could see your face right now,” she says in greeting.

“What? Why?” Zuko asks, slightly confused.

Her smile softens just the slightest before she says, “Because you’re smiling like a damn fool,” she shakes her head and claps him on the shoulder, “Come on. Mom is here and making cookies."

[bellatrixobsessed1]

I Still Want To

Sokkla Saturdays: As If That Would Happen

“As if that would happen.” She says it to herself all the time. She says it to the doctors and therapists. To Zuko and her mother.

With Ursa it’s, “we can fix things, we can all be a family again.”

Zuko always says, “it doesn’t have to be this way, we can try again and you can be friends with Mai and TyLee again.”

And her therapists inist, “you can recover and get back to a stable, productive life.” Or, “you’re still very young, you can still accomplish amazing things.”

Her response is always the same, “as if that would happen.” She is an abhorrent person and she knows it, this makes the first two feats impossible. And she is incapcitated so she won’t be achieving anything worthwhile.

Eventually and unspokenly, they write her off as a lost cause and send her home. They can’t deal with her anymore and she is Zuko’s problem again, not theirs. Azula supposes that they can only handle so much screaming and so many insults. She is an angry person. She is a miserable person.

And being at home makes her doubly so. She spends most of her days either pacing in her room or self-confined to her bed. Eventually days of passing become fewer and most of her days are spent in bed either laying or sitting and staring off. Her mind does circles around itself trying to figure out what had gone wrong and when exactly it had. From there she tries to count all of the ways in which she could have prevented it. She hadn’t anticipated it going all the way back to childhood; if only she hadn’t set that damn apple on fire. If only she hadn’t convinced Ozai to get Zuko a ship. If only… She grips her head in her hands. If only she wasn’t a remarkable failure.

She can hear them telling her that it’s going to be okay. That her life will amount to something and that she will be loved. She screams it again to nothing and no one, “as if that would happen.” She doesn’t realize that she is crying until she feels Sokka’s arms around her. This time she doesn’t have the energy to shake them off.

She doesn’t know why he, of all people, has come to visit her. She thinks that maybe he isn’t here at all. She looks up and finds that she is right. She is alone. Of course Sokka hasn’t come to check on her, “as if that would happen.” She mumbles again this time adding a bitter and shaky laugh. She Gives another one at the notion that she is so desperate for help that she’d imagine him of all people.

She wonders if she should go downstairs. Part of her wants to, but all of her is afraid. She hasn’t seen another soul in weeks, they drop her meals off by the door and run. She doesn’t know if she wants to see people or to be seen by people.

Regardless, Azula picks herself off of the bed and heads for the door. Her footsteps are quiet, her posture almost timid. This is probably the only thing that keeps the palace staff that she passes by from passing out. They look at her as though she is a specter. With disbelief; Azula out and about…? As if that would happen.

For some reason she expected the dining room to be full when she got there. But it is two hours past noon, of course it is vacant. Vacant except for one person. “What do you mean, there are no snacks today!” He sulks.

“We forgot to make them.” Replies the serving boy, leaving Sokka to hunch over and pout.

After the boy leaves he straightens and throws his hands into the air. “No snacks!” He complains to himself before catching her eye. He goes rigid and she isn’t sure what to do either. So she just lingers, lingers like the phantom they see her as.

“You’re...not in your room?”

It’s a stupid observation, she won’t grace it with a reply.

“How are you doing?”

That’s a personal question. She won’t grace it with a reply.

“What made you decide to come downstairs?”

It has a lot to do with her vision of him. She won’t let him know that.

“Do you want to sit down?” He is terribly persistent and terrifically annoying. “Or we can sit in the living room, the chairs are more comfy.”

She still doesn’t speak but, with some reluctance she follows him into the living room. Rather she follows him into a large supply closet and then the servants’ sleeping quarters before taking the lead and showing him to the living room. He offers her a soft smile. “I guess it’s good that you’re out and about again. Zuko was getting worried.”

“Why?”

He furrows his brows.

“Why would Zuzu care what happens to me?”

“Because you’re his little sister. It’s kind of a big brother thing, ya know?”

She does not.

“He’s probably going to be happy to know that you finally left your room.”

She shakes her head, “as if he would be.”

Sokka’s expression dims. “He cares about you. I don’t know why, you’re kind of a mean person…”

“Correct.”

“Like the worst person I’ve ever met...”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“But he still cares about you.”

“And you were doing so good…” she mumbles. “Two out of three isn’t bad I guess…”

She can’t tell if he wants to laugh or if he looks horrified. “You’re not doing too good, are you?”

She wants to ask what had tipped him off first. She says nothing at all. She doesn’t expect him to squeeze her hand and ask if she wants to visit Zuko. But she declines. She actually would rather head back to the isolation of her room. She doesn’t expect him to hug her like the hallucination had. Really she ought to jerk away. Instead she lets him hold her; it is kind of nice to have real contact again.

He breaks the hug and pats her back. “I guess we can just sit here then. I don’t really have anything else to do today.”

That was the first day. There was a second and a third. And then she lost track of how many times she’d come downstairs to talk to him. She tells both he and herself that she only comes around because his stupidity is free entertainment and that it makes her feel better about herself.

He tells her that he thinks that she enjoys his company.

She tells him, “enjoy your company? As if that would happen.”

Eventually he starts to laugh when she says that. He says that she says it way too much. There was a day when she was feeling rather well. A day when he remarked, “maybe one day you’ll find a new catch phrase.” That day she responded with, “as if that will happen.” That was the first time she has made someone laugh. She supposes that his laugh is quite soothing.

In general Sokka is rather pleasant to be around, even if he lacks common sense half of the time. Even if he is quite a dolt. He kind of reminds her of a dog; dopey but loyal and loving. She tenses, noticing that she has just called him loving. She brushes it off, facts are facts; Sokka is kind and he is caring. He often makes gestures and expressions of care. That makes him the loving sort. She is not in love. Not with him especially. As if that would happen.

But it does. She isn’t sure when. But it does. He often helps her navigate social situations. Filling in for her when she begins to fumble and make herself look as dull as he. He helps her ease back into a friendship with TyLee and create new friendships with Aang, Toph, and Katara. He assures her that Mai will come around eventually. She coherces him to come with her when she speaks with her mother and Iroh. And she ropes him into dumb things that she does to mildly inconvinance Zuzu when she is feeling bored and petty.

Sokka is there when she takes it too far one day and everyone gets angry with her all over again. She thinks that he is the only reason she was able to salvage things. He always seems to put in a good word for her, even if she doesn’t deserve it.

More time passes and things start to grow comfy. Stable. She is starting to feel like herself again; well-groomed and even tempered. He notes that she is much more somber, quieter. He speculates that she’ll be more vibrant in time. She is certain that this is simply who she has become and who she will stay.

As much as she wants him to be right. He isn’t. She is. She finds that she is simply a quiet person now. Reserved and of a cold demeanor. But there is a difference; this time the people around her seem to accept it. They certainly don’t take it personally. And so she is able to smile every now and again. Every now and again becomes almost regularly. She is still a quiet person. Still difficult to talk to and more or less introverted. But she isn’t melancholy and spiteful.

A long time passes before he asks her if she’d ever consider marriage. Perhaps if she weren’t so socially inept she would have grasped just what he was asking. Instead she replies, “as if that would happen.”

He is more direct in his follow up, “what if the person proposing went by the name, Sokka.”

He has caught her off guard and she finds herself abruptly sputtering out a second, “as if that would happen.”

She sees hurt on his face. But he still smiles at her over dinner and he still keeps her company while she works, rifling through contracts and trade agreements, looking them over before Zuko officially signs anything. It is only after she pushes the final one aside that she looks at Sokka and says, “okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“I guess that we can do it, if you still want to.”

“Do what?”

“The…” she trails off. “The marriage. We can do that.”

He bursts out laughing and rubs his hands over his face. “Wow, that was overwhelmingly awkward!”

She turns her back to him, concealing a flushed face. She feels his hand on her back, a caring caress and then her wraps his arms around her middle and kisses the back of her head.

“I still want to.”

A small smile tugs at her lips.

It dawns upon her that it is over. That the worst part of her life is truly over and that it has been for a while. It dawns upon her that she was wrong, that she is okay. That she will be okay now.

For a moment, even with him holding her close, she dreads that she will relapse so terribly that she will lose him and everything she has repaired. For a moment she… She stops herself. Letting things get that bad again; as if that would happen.

[sparkles-and-trash]

Gaang uni/roommate AU, Part III ~

part I ~ part II ~ 

notes: thank you guys for still reading this, I’m loving writing it! I’d advise y’all to read the first two part to catch up, but it’s not super complicated either, haha! 

- so, if you read the last part, you’d know that Toph got just a little pissed as Zuko told them the story of his scar, and that she kinda just metalbended their whole ass fridge into a lump 

- but what you didn’t know, is that this was not the first time something like that has happened 

- it was the first time it was the fridge, but the toaster, the microwave, and several other appliances have met the same faith 

- everyone is kinda used to it now, and she always replaces it

- except Zuko, who’s still kinda new to them all 

- but what are you supposed to say when your new friends is so outraged by the abuse you went through that they crush a whole ass fridge? 

- it actually reminds him that he’s cared for here, by these people who owe him nothing, and is not related to him, and it makes him a little dizzy to have people care this way 

- he casually mentions it to his Uncle Iroh the time he’s in at work, that his new friend is a metal bender and squashed their whole fridge when she was pissed on his behalf 

- Iroh is thrilled 

- to the point of offering Toph a job lmao 

- Toph, desperate to cut of as much ties with her family and be as self-sufficient as possible, agrees 

- and now Iroh have two formerly rich kids with no clue about any sort of customer service and basic stuff like that working for him 

- Toph is a hard worker tho, and she and Zuko work surprisingly well together 

- Katara is a little relived, because the more those two work, the less are the chances of either of them trying to cook or do too many chores around their apartment 

- they mean well, or, Zuko does, but he does so much dumb shit when trying to help lmao 

- Sokka starts spending a lot of time over at The Jasmine Drago too 

- Aang is still trying to keep the fact that Sokka likes Zuko a secret, but he is having trouble 

- Katara is his biggest weakness, and now they’re suddenly alone with her a lot 

- someone else who could always read Sokka really well is Suki 

. whom he used date in high school, but they parted as friends and everything s cool 

- but Sokka is a little taken aback when she comes into The Jasmine Dragon one day, hand in hand with Sokka’s childhood crush obsession, Yue 

- for the first time in man’s memory, Sokka is a little speechless 

- and Suki’s like “lmao dude I haven’t seen you like this since the first time you saw Zu-” 

- cue Zuko popping out behind them like “WELCOME TO THE JASMINE DRAGON FRIENDS OF SOKKA :D” 

- Sokka is so fucking red, poor boy is just about having an aneurism at this point 

- but luckily something happens and Zuko gets distracted 

- Suki is having the time of her life tho, Sokka always used to tease her for her crushes before and after they dated, and suddenly, here they are 

- at the apartment, Aang decides they need some apartment traditions 

- they’ve been living there for almost three months, after all 

- so he decides that weekly movie nights are mandatory 

- so are pillowforts 

- Katara is actually really excited for it, she loves all things cozy and fall-like 

- also... she is weak for Aang, y’all, and she loves seeing him all excited 

- Zuko barely knows what a pillowfort is, he didn’t think real people actually made it 

- but imagine these dorks in a pillowfort with hot chocolate and lot’s of pillows 

- Toph claims that she thinks it’s soo dumb, but she will always make sit in the middle of the group all wrapped in her blanket and laughing when the others jump and get spooked from the horror movies Sokka always wants to watch 

- and she will make sure the fort is right and perfect lmao 

- Zuko is a little awkward about it at first, but he likes it too 

- Sokka always manages to plop in next to Zuko lmao 

- they haven’t talked about the head patting incident yet, but Zuko is def starting to feel the butterflies 

- one time after a movie night Sokka falls asleep on Zuko’s shoulder, after the others have left for the night 

- Zuko can’t resist waking him up with awkward head pats similar to the one Sokka used on him 

- Sokka thinks he died and went to heaven lmao 

- but then he fully wakes and sees Zuko’s shit eating grin and can’t help but laugh at the whole thing 

- and Zuko has his “oh no he’s hot beautiful and I really adore him” moment 

to be continued... 

[theotherace]

apple juice

A/N: Continuation of monkeyfeathers. Soulmate AU. Don’t ask about the lay-out of Iroh’s tea shop, it makes no sense. 

ao3 | ff.net

---

Zuko scowls.

This, Suki supposes, is nothing new – her friend's brow is furrowed so very often, it is a miracle deep creases don't run along his forehead, forever and eternally, impossible to smooth out again.

She drinks her tea and sighs, then asks: "What's it now?"

Because a moment ago, he'd grinned at her theories as to why Toph is late.

Instead of saying something, he just jerks his head – as subtly as Zuko-ly possible – to the Jasmine Dragon's large front windows, and she follows his gaze to see Toph stand outside, next to a boy who'd just been inside, she's rather sure, because his hair is dyed blue and he's wearing a bright-orange shirt, and looking like that, there's very few ways to blend in.

She's never seen him before today (and if the scowl is anything to go by, neither has Zuko), but Toph seems to be grinning at him, and he's rubbing his neck nervously with a bony hand. His words are wrapped around his wrist in deep, deep brown – maybe even black –, but from a distance and through the glass, they're impossible to make out.

Most people cover their words, if at all possible, to avoid smoothtalkers and con-artists, but it seems he doesn't.

Or maybe he's just forgotten.

Suki turns back to Zuko, who doesn't turn back to her.

"So? She's talking to a boy."

"So, who is he? What's he want from her? He bought apple juice at the greatest tea shop in the city, I'm not sure if I can trust him."

He takes a sip of his tea, like one might drag on a cigarette to let a sentence linger for just a moment longer, to let the words seep into his listener's mind – then ruins it by promptly by burning his tongue and spluttering, looking at the cup with deep betrayal in his eyes.

She stifles a laugh.

"You're such an idiot."

--

Outside the tea shop, Aang steps from one foot to the other, because he can breathe and he does know his name, but that doesn't change the fact that his soulmate stands in front of him, and that she's pretty, incredibly pretty, with dark hair that looks very soft, and porcelain skin and milky green eyes that can't see him, he realises once more, but still seem more attentive than most people's eyes.

Her smile is nice, just a little bit smug, carving a dimple into her right cheek, and he wonders in what colour her words are painted onto her and who read them to her, because somebody must've – and he regrets a little that the first thing he's ever said to his soulmate is "Monkeyfeathers!", a phrase he'd been told to drop countless times by not only Sokka.

Maybe he should've.

Maybe it doesn't matter.

It's not like she spoke her first sentence how he'd imagined it, either.

There'd been a lot less dreamy sighs and much more humour in her voice than he'd dreamed about.

Somehow, he doesn't mind.

"Well", she says, and he swallows against the lump in his throat, because her voice really does sound lovely, and he wants to keep hearing it, "I think I should go inside now. My friends are waiting, and I'd like to change out of this shirt. It's a bit sticky."

He feels heat creep up his neck. His ears have been burning since he bumped into her.

"Yeah ... sorry about that again. Maybe ... I ... maybe I could ... pay for your tea ... or whatever you wanna buy ... to make up for it, y'know. Because ... I am very sorry."

"I drink for free."

She grins.

He looks through the shop's windows, surprised, and sees a boy about Sokka's age glowering at him – though maybe it's just the large scar over his left eye that makes him look so angry, and Aang's heart sinks a little before he looks back at Toph.

"You do?"

"Sure. You wanna come with? Maybe Uncle'll replace your drink, too."

She's already moving, taking the step before the door with practiced ease, and her hand's on the handle, and he doesn't have her number, doesn't even know her last name, so of course he follows.

(He would've done so, anyway.)

(Did she say the tea shop is her uncle's?)

--

Suki grips Zuko's arm, nails boring through his thin sleeve.

He swats at her hand.

"Ouch! Let go off me."

He knows, of course, why she's holding onto his upper arm so tightly – Toph's finally opened the door, and the boy is trailing behind her like a lost puppy, on his face an expression Zuko's not entirely sure how to interpret, but something along the lines of 'lovesick' would probably describe it pretty well.

She slips through the tables better than he does (he always bumps into at least one of them, spilling tea and words of excuses, and if he's lucky, it'll be one of the regulars, who just chuckle and pat his shoulder by now), and when she reaches their table, the corners of Suki's mouth have practically reached her ears in the most terrifying grin that Zuko has ever seen.

"Yo."

He blinks.

The boy does, too.

"You've got clothes in the back, right?"

She indicates her shirt, wet and clinging to her in a way that it shouldn't, so Zuko nods, then clears his throat: "Sure."

"Cool. Aang, these are Suki and Zuko. Guys, Monkeyfeathers. Be right back."

And off she is again.

Zuko's brain stops functioning for a moment, and though he can see very clearly on Suki's face that this is what she expected it to be, he can't quite wrap his mind around what's happening right now, because he'd just assumed this – the boy, Aang, Monkeyfeathers – is some long lost friend.

Somebody trying to chat Toph up.

Or the other way around, if they are being honest.

Aang grips the back of a free chair.

"I'm Aang", he says, because what else is there to say, really?

"Nice to meet you, Aang. C'mon, sit down. We're thrilled to meet you."

And if the look on her face is anything to go by, she actually is, too.

Zuko, however, isn't sure what to make of the boy who slides into the chair next to Suki's with a smile and a muttered thank you. He looks nice enough, he supposes, with an open face and clear grey eyes, but one doesn't grow up with a sister like Azula to not learn that looks can be deceiving.

"It's ... nice to meet you, too."

He doesn't seem entirely sincere.

His eyes are locked to the door Toph has vanished through.

--

She is ... calm.

She is completely and utterly calm.

No – yes, she is, the eye of the storm, a mountain, unmovable, calm and collected, and her heart isn't beating a mile a minute, of course it's not, that would ridiculous, and she isn't feeling hot, why would she, everything's fine, everything is normal, she just needs to change out of this shirt, because it's sticky, and that all that's bothering her, everything else is just perfect.

The door swings shut behind her, and open again when a waiter exits.

Toph breathes in.

Somewhere to her right, an apron rustles.

"Hey, Uncle?"

And her voice isn't shaking.

It's not.

"Where does Zuko keep his spare clothes?"

He steps closer and then around her and says, in a voice that makes her think he knows exactly what's going on and what to do: "I will get them for you. Say, who's the handsome young man you brought with you?"

She tightens her grip around her cane.

"Wasn't he just in here?"

"Yes."

A sigh, then a low grunt, and a cupboard door is closed.

"But I'm afraid we didn't get to talk much. It is rather slow going, lucky for you, but he was in and out very quickly. Here you go."

A shirt is put into her free hand.

"Thank you ... His name's Aang."

"Hm. A very nice name."

"... it is."

She bites her lip, and leans her cane against the wall. Iroh starts humming a happy little tune as he starts bustling around the kitchen again.

Muffled by the sticky t-shirt as she pulls it over her head, she says: "He's my soulmate."

The man keeps humming for a moment longer.

"Your soulmate", he says, much less eloquently than she'd hoped. "Well, that's certainly something. He looks like a very nice fellow; a very open face."

She isn't quite sure what that means, but he makes it sound like a compliment, so she supposes that's good; it makes her heart slow down a little. But she still feels smaller than she does normally, and unusually unsure of herself, and Zuko's shirt nearly reaching her knees doesn't help with that.

"You want to hide in here for a moment longer?"

"I left him with with Suki and Zuko ..."

"Ah. Then maybe you should go back."

"Maybe I should."

[cerezsis]

The Missing Link

Chapter Five: Kirima

Summary: In the midst of one of the words chapters of her life, Korra gets some advice from an old family friend.

WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of gore and thoughts of suicide. Tread cautiously if you are bothered by either of these topics.

--

           The cold arctic wind was sharp against Korra’s skin, but she found herself unable to care. Having only just arrived at the compound, all she could think about was how little progress she’s made over the last few months. All she wanted was to be free of the chair, free of the nightmares that plagued her all these months, and, most of all, free of feeling like a failure. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried, though, the universe was determined to keep her stuck.

           She only vaguely processed her parents saying goodbye as they dropped her and Naga at the healing hut. Opening the door, she was surprised to not immediately see Katara. Hearing the waterbending master’s voice, she wheeled herself into the next room, Naga following her. She quickly found Katara, along with another woman whom she immediately recognized.

           The other woman happened to glance up, her light blue eyes landing on both Korra and Naga. Her face fell and brown skin paled upon seeing the polar bear dog; Korra half expected to see her dark brown hair to turn completely gray right then and there. Seeing her expression, Katara turned around just as Korra started to speak.

           “Chief Kirima,” the Avatar’s voice was tinted with guilt as she spoke to the local chieftain, “Sorry, I didn’t know you were here.”

           Kirima managed a nervous smile, trying her best not to focus too much on Naga. “No, don’t be sorry. I didn’t realize how late it’d gotten.”

           Katara stood up. “I’ll take Naga into the other room. I need to get a few things ready before we can start, Korra.”

           Korra nodded, and just like that, she and Kirima were alone. The older woman’s body immediately relaxed, returning to her usual stern yet approachable demeanor. She began to stand up, and Korra noticed something new in her hand.

           “You’re using a cane now?” she asked, noting its bright blue color, and running wolf for a handle.

           Kirima shrugged. “I don’t really need it, but Buniq’s been insisting on it,” she explained, “Ever since I fell ill around the Glacial Spirits festival… she worries a lot, and it puts her mind at ease, so–” She tossed the cane in the air, letting it spin before catching it again. “– I figure it’s worth it.”

           Korra nodded, a slight hint of a smile crossing her face. “So, you’re doing better now?”

           “Much. It wasn’t too serious, just age and old injuries catching up to me.” She walked closer to Korra, stopping only when she was a few feet away from her. Kirima had always been a towering woman, but in her chair, Korra felt especially small compared to her.

           “Speaking of which, I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” Kirima said, her hands folded on top of her cane, “How are you doing?”

           Korra didn’t answer right away, unsure if she could even answer at all. As the silence dragged on, Kirima nodded, her eyes falling in sympathy.

           “I see.” She grabbed a chair and sat down, now on a more equal level with Korra. “I understand what you’re going through, believe me. I was in a similar situation when I wasn’t much older than you.”

           Korra didn’t reply, but looked to her with intrigue. She knew what story Kirima was about to tell – she’d heard the summarized version more than once – but had never heard it from Kirima herself.

           “Fire Lord Zuko and his daughter, Izumi, had come to the South on a diplomatic mission. My family had been living here for a couple years at that point, so they were staying with us. I had plans to go hunting, so I asked Izumi if she’d like to come with.” She smirked. “I honestly didn’t expect her to say yes. Didn’t think the Fire Princess would be up for something like that, but it was the polite thing to do. Surprise, surprise, she was all for it. Said something about it being a “cultural experience,” or something like that.

           “Anyway, we set out the next morning. I was an avid hunter at the time, so I expected it would take half a day at most. Get in, get the meat, and get out.” Once the words left her mouth, her face began to fall. “My memory gets fuzzy at this point. I remember spotting footprints and telling Izumi to stay put while I check them out. I’d just realized what they belonged to when…” She paused. “The next thing I knew, I was pinned down. She roared in my face, the polar bear dog, and I could feel her claws dig into my ribs. I remember feeling my blood soak through my coat, but strangely, I don’t remember pain. I must’ve been trying to shield my face because the next thing I knew…” She rolled up her left sleeve and pulled down her armband, revealing the still very visible scars. “…my arm was nearly bit clean through. I still don’t have much feeling in certain areas…”

           She paused to fix her sleeve and armband. “I think I blacked out at that point. Just for a moment, but enough time for Izumi to scare it off with firebending. I remember her standing over me and talking to me, but apart from trying to keep me conscious, I can’t for the life of me remember the specifics. Strangely, I also… don’t remember being scared. I knew I was bleeding out; I knew I was dying, but I wasn’t scared. It was more… of a peaceful feeling. Like, “this is it, I guess.” It’s strange. I’d always thought I’d fight at the end, but in the moment, it was just… acceptance.” She paused again, closing her eyes and letting out a breath. “I’ll always be in debt to Izumi for what she did that day. I was out at this point, but I was told later that she took off her own cloak, wrapped it around my torso, and sprinted with me back to town. I still don’t know how she got me back so fast. Adrenalin, I suppose. The healers said if she got me there even five minutes later, I would’ve died…” Her eyes opened, focused on the running wolf on her cane. “The next few weeks, I was randomly slipping in and out of consciousness. My parents and sisters said I’d talk to them sometimes, but I don’t remember any of it. Once I was aware enough, I was told the extent of my injuries; the polar bear dog had punctured one of my lungs, my liver, gallbladder, intestines, and completely destroyed one of my kidneys. To this day, I still only have the one functioning kidney. I’d also broken most of my ribs and damaged my spine. Aunt Katara ended up coming down to treat me herself, but even then, I was bedridden for months, and it was two years before I could walk again.”

           It was at that point that Korra’s stomach dropped. Two years? Was that how long it would take for her too?

           Before she could dwell on it for too long, Kirima spoke again. “You remind me much of myself, Korra. You always have,” she smiled as she said this, “And I know how easy it is to give into despair; to think you’ll never get better. That life will never get better. There were long stretches during my recovery when I wished the attack had killed me. I even considered taking my own life a couple of times. In the moment, I was so sure I was broken forever… but I wasn’t.” She stood up, once again towering over Korra. “I pushed through the pain – both physical and mental. I put in the effort. I recovered, however slowly it happened. And I can’t tell you how happy I am to still be here. Had I died, I wouldn’t have married my wife, adopted my son, become my town’s first openly gay chieftain… I’m glad I stuck around. I’m glad I survived.” She bent down, taking hold of Korra’s hands, and looking her in the eye. “You’re a survivor, Korra, just like me. I promise you that one day, you’ll wear that title like a badge of honor. The scars of what happened may always be with you, but they don’t have to rule over you. Even if it doesn’t feel like it now, you will heal one day. I promise you that.”

           Korra took a moment to process Kirima’s words. Healing… it seemed so out of reach. But… Kirima had done it. It was hard to imagine such a remarkable woman to have ever been broken, but perhaps… one day, that’s how others would view her too.

           Before Korra could even utter a thanks, Katara walked into the room.

           “Sorry for keeping you waiting,” she said, “We can get started now.”

           Kirima let go of Korra’s hands and stood up straight. “I better get going, then.” She touched Korra’s shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. “If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me.” She then walked over to Katara and gave her a quick hug. “I’ll talk to you later, Auntie.”

           Katara grinned. “Give Buniq and Little Sokka a hug for me.”

           Kirima grinned back and nodded before leaving. As she left the compound, she once again tossed her cane in the air and let it spin a few times before catching it. Her thoughts still lingered on the young Avatar as she got into her car and started the drive home. Korra was only a few years younger than her son. So young, and already she’s been through so much. More than anything, she hoped she’d take her advice to heart.

[reyxa]

can’t we all just get oolong? ch. 2

AO3

title: can’t we just get oolong? author: Reyxa rating: T summary: au where zuko and iroh settle in ba sing se post-banishment. when a pretty water bender start frequenting the jasmine dragon, zuko’s world turns upside down.

note: slightly shorter chapter this time around but the next one will be Beefy so stay tuned!!

Chapter 2: White Tea

Katara has spent the whole morning distractedly tugging on her braid, a little anxious at the notion of returning to the Jasmine Dragon.

It’s less that she thinks it’s dangerous and far more that she’s nervous to see Zuko. She hates more than anything the way he stirs her chest, the way his name is etched across her mind right now.

“Katara!” Aang jolts her from her reverie, calling her name as he emerges from their bathroom. “You wanna go looking for your mom’s necklace today?”

She searches desperately for an excuse. She just can’t take Aang with her to the teashop. She wouldn’t risk it, especially since it seems like those two firebenders had ties to Azula herself. It would be too dangerous touting the Avatar around like that.

And maybe a part of her really just wants to scope out the teashop again by herself.

“We can’t, Aang.” Sokka pipes up before Katara can even begin to form coherent sentences. “I really want to go talk to some more aristocrats and government officials around here. Knock on some doors.” he combs his hair into his wolf tail as he speaks, squinting into the mirror. “Remember that one guy across the street who warned us about the Dai Li after Joo Di left that first day searching for Appa? I’m sure there’s more people around here willing to talk to us and having the Avatar around won’t hurt.”

Toph is toying with her headband, using it to poke between her toes. “I’m with Snoozles. We should really try to get our plans to the Earth King as fast as possible. Then we can get the hell out of this city.”

Katara hops off the couch to refill her waterskins at the basin, trying to hide her relieved expression. “They’re right, Aang. We should focus on finding Appa and figuring out the invasion first. I’m sure my necklace will turn up! It always does.”

Aang nods. “Yeah, I get it. But we’ll find it as soon as we can, okay?”

She smiles reassuringly.

~

Zuko peers into the teashop from behind the counter, counting the amount of customers who need serving. Sure that his uncle can handle it on his own for a while, Zuko slips out the backdoor into the alley.

The alley is empty save for a few abandoned carts collecting dust. The bustle of the main streets can be heard on either side but hardly anyone glances into the dark cove.

The mid-afternoon sun is high and heavy, but Zuko relishes its presence. He draws on its heat, feels it burn through his veins. Breathing deeply, eyes closed in concentration, he slides into a basic stance.

Drawing on his inner fire, he steps and throws a punch down the alley.

He opens one eye, praying for some sort of flame. His fist smolders, prickling with a fire that won’t burst.

He grunts and throws a regular punch at the wall, hardly feeling the skin on his knuckles split against the brick.

The one thing he was born to do and he can’t even do that.

Okay, okay, what would Uncle say right now? he contemplates, holding his mildly bleeding hand against his chest. ‘Zuko, it is not your ability that is wanting but your ability to look within yourself to seek your true abilities.’ he groans internally. That still makes no sense.

Shaking his head, he commits to working through a few more firebending forms, at most producing short erratic sparks. He isn’t sure how much time has passed but sweat is pouring down his temples and drenching his Jasmine Dragon uniform.

He throws in the towel, mounting frustration turning his mind to shreds. Wiping sweat with the corner of his apron, he slides back into the shop.

As much as he wants to rush upstairs and wash the afternoon off himself, his uncle is waiting by the door, tapping his foot expectantly. “What were you up to, nephew?

Zuko sighs. “I was trying to firebend.”

Iroh’s brow lifts in surprise. “Firebending? Any particular reason?”

Bracing himself for another lecture, Zuko stalks over to the teapots, pouring himself a chilled glass. “How many times do I have to explain, Uncle? Azula is on our tails! She’ll be expecting a fight, you know how she is.”

“This again.” Iroh shakes his head. “Prince Zuko, I understand I cannot remove this notion that the Fire Nation is chasing you. I know it is both what you fear and what you desire. But, please, at least do not let my teashop become collateral damage to your ways.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Zuko storms out into the teashop, piling dirty cups angrily.

He feels like he’s teetering on the edge, like his mind is a hurricane thrashing away at his grip on reality. The last time he had felt so tumultuous, he was angry at being stuck here in Ba Sing Se, instead of being allowed by his Uncle to chase the Avatar. All he had wanted was to return home, Avatar in tow. He had been neglectful of his burn wounds, barely caring for his health and lashing out at his uncle who did.

It had taken a long time for that anger to turn to dejection to turn to acceptance of his circumstance.

But the sight of that girl, with eyes bluer than Ember Island oceans and fierce unyielding words spilling past her lips, had made him regress. She’s a curse, he knows it.

But something tells him she’s his answer too.

~

Katara knows breaking into an unsuspecting teashop full of firebenders in the middle of the night may not be her brightest idea yet but it’s too late to turn back.

The streets are emptied save for a few Dai Li posts but she fancies herself a master of stealth as she hugs the shadows. Her shoes are soundless against the stone-paved streets and she keeps half of her water tucked in the palm of her hand.

The gang still hadn’t really figured out what the deal with the Dai Li is quite yet but Katara does know she’d rather not get caught breaking curfew. She had noticed their piercing gazes and Joo Di’s tight smile when any Dai Li were posted nearby. Though the city was a refugee haven, something told Katara they wouldn’t care very much that she was the Avatar’s companion if she were caught breaking the rules.

The sound of feet slipping against stone whispers in her ear, sending her ducking into an alley until her heart stopped pounding in her ears. The patrol of Dai Li, marching in stiff lines to match their stern faces, pass by her hiding spot without glancing her way.

She steals further down the dark alleyway, not particularly sure where in Ba Sing Se she was. Navigation is Sokka’s thing and she’s only been to the Jasmine Dragon once.

Sighing, she heads back down the main street, still lurking in the shadows. Time passes her by but the moon remains high in the sky, lighting her path.

“Hey! You’re breaking curfew!” a voice shouts behind her.

Katara’s spine stiffens, heart pounding wildly. She draws the rest of her water from her water skin, its presence assuring her she would not be the captured one tonight. She pivots on her toes to face the Dai Li voice.

His rocks are poised to handcuff, feet already in an earthbending stance.

But it isn’t her he’s shouting at.

Dirt flies as she throws herself behind a vacant food stall. She counts her heartbeat as the altercation develops to blows.

“I need back up!” The Dai Li soldier shouts. Katara can hear the sounds of struggle but she isn’t sure who was on the other side.

Against her better judgement, she peeks over the dusty wooden table. The Dai Li soldier slides into his bending forms solidly, pushing rock after rock. Clearly trained well, he springs off the wall as he narrowly escapes the deadly end of twin swords.

Twin swords Katara finds a little familiar.

No way.

Scrambling on hands on knees, she crawls closer to the fight. Her head pokes out from the left side. Across the stone-paved street is the Dai Li agent, sweating under his green robes as he ducks under the reach of a broadsword. Two other agents run in from the far side of the street, faces illuminated beneath the street lamps. Between them is the swordwielder, a flurry of motion as he fights off the agents. A mask conceals his features, a taunting blue smile with tusks on each end.

The man hesitates just for a second before throwing one of his swords to pin a soldier against the wall. Katara can’t help but imagine golden eyes staring at her.

She wants to run. Go back home or keep skirting the streets to find the Jasmine Dragon but she feels glued to her spot as the swordwielder takes hit after hit. He remains soundless, even as a boulder to the chest takes him down. His last sword skitters out of reach.

The Dai Li wear triumphant smiles as they wrestle him to his feet to cuff him. The flash of Water Tribe lapis lazuli tied around his wrist winks at her for a second before rock binds his hands together.

Her heart stops, she blinks as if imagining it. Sighing, she rises to her feet, watching a Dai Li agent reach for his mask. I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?

Adrenaline is already filling her veins as her waterskins pop open.

Feet pounding against the pavement, she encases her arms with the water and reaches across the street to the agent. The water stretches, wrapping around his shoulders. Katara flicks her wrist, throwing the man against the wall.

Her water splashes over the masked man and the other agent who takes no time to summon a few boulders.

She skids out of their path, throwing ice shards at the agent. His distraction with her loosens the grip he has on the man in cuffs. She watches the rock encasing crumble away from his wrists as he slams them against the brick wall. Katara can’t help a silent smile as he rushes to grab his swords.

Dai Li agents seem to double in numbers every second that passes. They emerge from the shadows and Katara finds herself fearing arrest. For every single agent she knocks out, two others replace him.

She sweeps her leg, water follows its trail and knocks back several Dai Li agents. A presence at her back sets her spine straight but it’s only the masked stranger standing at her back, swords a swift blur.

Instinct takes over. Her body moves through bending forms on its own volition while overly aware of the potential firebender at her back.

A streetful of Dai Li agents either lying unconscious on the pavement or pinned to several buildings are left when they’re done.

Katara’s panting wildly, her heart pounding out of her chest. So much for a discreet heist.

“Come with me.” the masked man grabs her risk and drags her off before she can bother protesting.

~

Zuko tears off his mask as they duck into the alleyway behind the Jasmine Dragon. He waits for surprise to flicker over the waterbender’s face but it doesn’t come.

She simply looks at him, arms crossed. “I have questions.”

“It seems like you always have questions.” he rolls his eyes, sheathing his swords.

Indignation fills her voice. “Yeah, well you owe me answers! Why do you have my mother’s necklace? You took it from me on purpose, didn’t you? Of course you did, why wouldn’t you stoop so low, firebender? You know—”

He grabs her shoulders, hushing her quietly. “Please, stop. You talk more than my uncle.”

Her blue eyes blaze. “Fine. Say your piece.”

He shakes his head. She really is something. “Fine. I didn’t take your necklace, you left it here.”

“And you decided to comb the streets of Ba Sing Se looking for me?! Why?” she’s straining to keep her voice low.

“Let me talk!” Zuko didn’t exactly have an answer as to why he thought taking the necklace and sneaking out would be a good idea. There was a very slim chance he would run into her or find where she was staying but he had taken the chance anyway. He can’t help but feel a little smug that it worked out. “I needed answers. I needed to know what you know about Azula.”

“I’m still not convinced you’re not working with her. Your uncle is nice enough but you, I don’t know.” she steps away from him, eyeing the necklace dangling from his wrist.

“I’m not working with my sister and I never would!” he chews his lip, eyes flickering over her face. He sighs. “I just want to keep my uncle and his teashop safe from her. If she found out we were in the city…”

Her eyes soften a little and something in Zuko’s chest shifts. He throws the feeling to the back of his mind. There’s no time to analyze that. “I— fine. But I have questions too.”

He nods, feeling the pit in his stomach dissipate. He’ll finally get answers. He can finally find peace.

“Are you two going to keep shouting in the alleyway or will you at least come inside?”

Zuko jumps back at the sound of his uncle’s voice. The waterbender is holding fistfuls of his shirt, equally startled.

Iroh grins at them, still in his pajamas. He gestures for them to follow, humming as he leads them into the teashop.

Zuko and the waterbender girl glance at each other before she yanks back her hands and follows his uncle.

Zuko shakes his head and shuts the door behind them.

[vulcan-highblood]

(Blue) Spirited Away

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Pairing(s): Gen Chapter: 5/? Words: 3.5k

Summary:  Prince Zuko wasn’t able to escape the Northern Water Tribe after the disastrous conclusion to the Siege of the North. However, Aang is more than happy to invite his old pal, the Blue Spirit, to join him and his friends on the first leg of their journey to the Earth Kingdom.

(An AU where Aang never learned the true identity of the Blue Spirit, Zuko is desperate, and Spirits enjoy interfering in the lives of mortals)

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

Read it on AO3

 Chapter 5: Persuasion and Evasion

So things were really not going Zuko’s way. A somewhat cynical part of him wondered how that was any different from the usual. He’d been careful, of course, creeping around the back of the Waterbending Master’s house, straining his ears to try and make sure whatever window he chose to peek in through wouldn’t also be a window into the room where the Avatar and his hangers-on were deep in conversation.

And it had been working, too! He’d found Uncle!! That hadn’t even been the weird part, the weird part was when Uncle recognized him in his Blue Spirit getup. All right, all right, he should have expected that Uncle probably figured out early on why his dao swords needed regular sharpening and he might have spotted Zuko sneaking off before music night and put two and two together, but it still felt a little embarrassing to have his alter ego just casually ignored as Uncle looked up, spotted his mask, and instantly charged across what looked like a bedroom to wrap Zuko in a bear hug. This proved largely unsuccessful, since the window was a bit too small to fit Zuko’s shoulders, and definitely wasn't built for Uncle’s girth. Still, he was glad for the fumbling arm-hug because it meant he’d finally found Uncle!

“Uncle,” Zuko hissed, “We need to go!” 

“Yes, we do,” Uncle agreed, “But this kind man has offered us a raft and enough supplies to get us to the Earth Kingdom port of Onsenzakura. We should wait here until nightfall.”

Zuko just stared blankly at Uncle for a long second, momentarily struck mute by the inane thing that Uncle Iroh just suggested. “The man you are staying with is a master waterbender!” he hissed, “He was coordinating the prisoners they took! He is not someone who’s going to just hand over an escape raft!” he added in a sharp whisper, fighting to keep his voice low and only mostly succeeding.

“Prince Zuko, we are of no value to these people, and I promised this man that I would leave peacefully. He recognized the wisdom in bidding farewell to the Dragon of the West, rather than trying to take me down.” 

That didn’t even make sense, Uncle was an incredibly valuable prisoner! “Who wouldn’t want you as a prisoner?” Zuko demanded.

Uncle gave Zuko one of his sad I have tried to tell you this before looks, before answering. “I am a failure, prince Zuko, and the Fire Lord - your father - does not tolerate failure. I am worthless as a political prisoner, and am an army officer, not Navy, and thus have little relevant information to share regarding fleet movements.” 

“But this was Zhao’s invasion!” Zuko protested. “Surely father wouldn’t blame you for this!”

“Were Admiral Zhao with us, I am sure he too would carry a portion of the blame,” Uncle answered simply. “But remember, Prince Zuko - after Ba Sing Se, this assault on the water tribes is my second failure. Ozai will not tolerate a third.” 

“You’re wrong!” Zuko insisted hotly, unwilling to hear such a thing. If two failures were enough to ruin Uncle’s worth in the eyes of his father, how would the Fire Lord feel about Zuko’s own repeated failure to capture the Avatar? He refused to think about it. Father wanted him back. Wanted Uncle back. They didn’t need to rely on some barbarian to give them an escape route, they could flee on their own! 

“Let’s just go now, Uncle!” Zuko urged, “I’m sure together we could-”

“Hey! You there!! Stop!” 

Zuko froze, turning to look at a duo of blue-fur wearing barbarians, brandishing spears. This was really not his day. 

“It’s the masked intruder!” the one shouted, which was probably obvious to the other two, but Zuko wasn’t going to waste valuable time criticising his choice to state the obvious. “Get him!”

“Master Pakku! The masked man!” the other yelled, and Zuko knew he had seconds to get clear before some real nasty bending went down. He ran straight for the trio, only to leap up, kick off of a window frame, and soar over the trio, heading back for the main street, mentally scolding himself for losing focus and allowing himself to be discovered. 

Skidding into the main street, he drew up at the spear pointed in his direction. Agni curse him, he hadn’t expected backup so soon! He turned to run the other way, but the two from the alley had made it out, approaching him from the other direction.

Sighing internally at the mess he’d found himself in, Zuko drew his swords.

And then the Avatar was standing in front of him, babbling about whatever and dragging him over to “meet his friends” (precisely what Zuko had been hoping to avoid) and also stare down the master waterbender who was hiding Uncle in his bedroom.  

After a few spirits-cursed minutes of frantically gesturing and resisting the urge to hit his head against something hard (or better yet, hit the Avatar’s head against something hard), they finally seemed to establish that Zuko was looking for Uncle. Hopefully this would convince the waterbending master to just let them go, now that he knew that Zuko knew Uncle Iroh’s whereabouts. 

But apparently he hadn’t thought this plan through, either, because the next thing the master waterbender said was, “Well, you’d better come inside, then.” 

Zuko didn’t have much of a choice after that, seeing as the Avatar immediately latched back onto his arm like he was afraid Zuko would run away again (not likely, unless the three city guards were willing to give him a head start). Sighing softly, Zuko resigned himself to following the Avatar’s entourage into the icy hut. 

It was warm inside , and with Zuko’s parka still being somewhat soggy, the heat felt amazing. Part of him wanted to curl up and go to sleep the minute they stepped inside, and he had to mentally shake himself because this was a bad time to be thinking about sleep. 

“Hey, Master Pakku!” the Avatar was saying in a voice that was far too cheerful, at least by Zuko’s estimation, “Do you have anything to write with?” he paused then, turning to Zuko with an exaggerated gasp. “You can write, can’t you?”

Zuko nodded. It didn’t seem fair to be insulted by such a question. After all, in some of the more far-flung villages of the Earth Kingdom, literacy wasn’t always considered as essential as putting food on the table, and scrolls could be incredibly difficult to come by. He felt a little insulted anyway, because, well, of course he could write! 

Master Pakku simply sighed gustily. “I hope you know that precious commodities like ink and paper are not to be wasted on light matters.”

“They aren’t?” Aang looked surprised by this. “Why not?”

“There’s not many trees that we can cut down, and making paper by hand is a long process,” Boomerang boy answered. 

“Well what do you use then?” Aang asked. “Slate and chalk?”

Master Pakku raised a skeptical eyebrow, gesturing expansively. “Oh yes, with all the varieties of stone we have around here, I’m sure sourcing something like that would be no trouble at all.”

“We use charcoal,” the water tribe brother explained, “and parchment.”

Ah yes, animal skins did seem to be quite the commodity around here, so that made sense to Zuko. Charcoal would serve dual purposes, too, and could be used as either fuel or writing tool. As the water tribes were known for an oral tradition rather than vast libraries, Zuko suspected that these writing tools were also fairly scarce, likely intended for trade with those outside the tribe and to learn the writing system outsiders used, rather than as a significant part of their education. Part of him was jealous, as he’d hated practicing his brushwork for hours on end when he’d been a kid. He’d never had a steady enough hand to impress his calligraphy teacher.

“Lucky for you,” Master Pakku shot a look of irritation in Zuko’s direction, “I happen to have some handy.” He started across the room, saw them all standing awkwardly in the middle of the floor and sighed. “Go ahead and have a seat,” he said, “I imagine this might take awhile.”

~~*~~

Masky seemed on edge, which was surprising to Aang. He still wasn’t sure why the guy had run away before, but hearing that he’d been looking for Zuko and his uncle made him curious. “So why are you looking for Zuko?” Aang asked, turning to fully look at Masky.

The pale-blue clad figure stiffened a little under his focused attention, like he wasn’t sure what to do with Aang’s stare. Finally, he shrugged. Which, to be fair, was about all he could do since the gesturing he’d done earlier hadn’t been clear enough to Aang, Sokka, or Katara. 

“How do you even know about those guys?” Sokka demanded, leaning forward, a suspicious look on his face. Aang was always impressed by how quickly Sokka picked up on inconsistencies, even if he did have a somewhat annoying habit of refusing to acknowledge the mystical when it confronted him. Then again, maybe that was more about expressing irritation, since Sokka did seem to always end up with trouble whenever they were dealing with spirits. That made Aang start thinking about Yue, which made him sad. Masky, however, was already gesturing again.

He lifted his hand up over his eye and wiggled it again. 

“Okay, Zuko,” Sokka acknowledged, since they’d apparently established this gesture already. 

Masky made a few punching motions, a sort of sweeping hand gesture, and then a few more sharp striking motions. For a minute, Aang worried that he was trying to attack Sokka, except he sure wasn’t trying very hard. 

“Punch?” Aang guessed. “You want to punch Zuko?”

Masky slapped an open palm to his forehead. He shook his head, made the ‘Zuko’ gesture again, then punched halfway with one hand, while his other hand moved beside it. When the first punch stopped halfway, the second hand kept going, splaying out the fingers. 

“Uh,” Aang frowned.

“Firebending!” Sokka shouted, pointing a finger.

“Where?” Katara demanded, moving like she was about to start waterbending in the middle of Pakku’s house. 

“No, that’s the gesture,” Sokka told her. “Right?” he asked Masky.

Masky nodded. 

“Zuko. Firebending.” Sokka ticked off the two words on his fingers.

Masky tapped the cheeks of his mask with open palms, then did the punch-palm thing again. 

“Cheek… bending?” Sokka guessed hesitantly.

Masky shook his head, puffed up and moved his shoulders like he was marching, then repeated the gesture, touching the sides of his face again. Then, he pointed at Aang. 

“Me?” Aang asked. “Walking?”

Maky slapped his palm to his face again. If he kept that up, it was probably going to leave a bruise. He shook his head sharply, then wrapped a hand around his wrist and repeated the gesture with the other wrist. He pointed to Aang again, imitated nocking an arrow and drawing it back, pointed to himself, then clapped his open palms to the sides of his face again. 

“Aang… bracelets, archer, mask, cheeks,” Sokka said thoughtfully. “Aang? Do you have bracelets?”

“No,” Aang answered, but Masky was already waving his hands to try and stop whatever they were saying, so apparently they were still on the wrong track.

He clapped his hands to his face twice.

“Cheeks.”

Masky shook his head.

“Face.”

Masky shook his head.

“Is it a thing?” Katara asked suddenly, “Or a person?”

Masky pointed at her and nodded. 

“A thing?” Sokka repeated.

Masky shook his head.

“A person,” Aang said.

Masky pointed and nodded.

“Ok, a person with cheeks…” Sokka muttered, rubbing his chin as he thought. 

Masky slapped an open palm to his face again. Zuko. Firebend. Cheeks. Firebend.

“Wait, were Cheeks and Zuko fighting?” Katara asked. 

Masky nodded hard.

“Is cheeks one of us?” Aang asked, sweeping his arm to indicate himself, Sokka, and Katara.

Masky turned to him in a way that seemed to say he was running out of patience, which was impressive, since his face was still covered. Very slowly, as if he was gesturing to someone who was having a difficult time understanding, he gestured Firebend again. 

“Oh, so cheeks is a firebender,” Aang said. “Zuko and another firebender were fighting…” he paused, thinking about that. “Why would Zuko fight another firebender?”

“He did chase down Zhao after the… uh… spirit oasis,” Katara said, stumbling over her words and glancing over at Sokka, a worried look on her face.

Masky had gone tense, pointing at Katara now, clapping his cheeks and then pointing again.

“Wait, is Cheeks Zhao?” Sokka asked, turning to Masky.

Masky nodded vigorously. He pointed to his own chest, made a “look” gesture. Zuko. Firebend. Zhao.

“You saw Zuko and Zhao fighting,” Sokka said. 

Masky looked like he was ready to hug Sokka for a minute, nodding enthusiastically. It was around this time that Master Pakku returned to the main room from his bedroom, looking almost more irritated than he had when he’d left. “Parchment. Charcoal,” he said, depositing the materials in Masky’s lap and moving to another seat near the fire. “So you saw Zuko and Zhao fight,” he said. “That doesn’t explain how you came here.”

Masky picked up the charcoal and parchment, scribbling in tiny characters at the very top of the sheet. It took Aang a moment to realize why - Master Pakku had said that the supplies were valuable and limited. Masky was trying to show respect by using as little space as possible. That was nice of him! He kept writing for a few moments, then set the charcoal aside gently, looking around the room.

Sokka snatched the parchment from his hands, and for a minute it looked like Masky was going to lunge after it, but he pulled himself back, took a deep breath, and waited for Sokka to read his response aloud. 

“I stowed away on a Fire Navy vessel -” Sokka stopped, turning to stare at Masky. “What, really? How’d you manage that?”

“Sokka, could you finish reading before you start asking more questions?” Katara demanded, craning her neck to try and see what Masky had written. 

Sokka immediately jerked the parchment away, concealing the words. “I’m getting there!” he said. “Just hold on - ahem - I stowed away on a Fire Navy vessel because I heard the attack was being led by Zhao. Hold on, wait, how did you hear that?” he turned to stare at Masky.

Masky shrugged, then made an “I’m listening” gesture with one hand. 

“Yeah, we’ll talk more about that later,” Sokka said, obviously dissatisfied with the answer.  “Anyway. I have no love for Zhao and want to ruin his plans - same, buddy,” here Sokka lifted his eyes to grin at Masky, “So I followed him here. That doesn’t explain why you want Zuko and his uncle,” he pointed out.

Masky made a grabby gesture at the parchment, and after a moment’s hesitation, Sokka handed it over. “And tell me more about how you found out about the mission and stowed away on a Fire Navy vessel.”

The scribbling took a bit longer this time, and Aang could see that Masky had written little numbers down before certain parts of the writing. The parchment was handed back to Sokka, who continued his dramatic reading. “One, I want to know why Zhao tried to have Zuko killed - wait, he did what?”  

Masky glanced between Sokka, Aang, and Katara, pointedly avoiding Master Pakku’s suspicious stare, which had yet to let up since the man had returned with the parchment. As he realized that the waterbending Master seemed more agitated than normal, Aang found himself hoping that everything was all right. He wasn’t sure why Master Pakku was so worried. Masky had helped him once before, and he’d come to help them this time, too! Master Pakku would see that for himself eventually, Aang was sure of it.

“Okay, we will definitely be circling back to attempted murder, but moving on - Two, Fire Nation Sailors like to spend shore leave in taverns. They drink a lot and talk too loudly. Three, Sometimes, drunk Fire Nation Sailors lose their uniforms. They don’t waste a lot of time looking for them, and rarely tell anyone what happened because they’d get in trouble. People don’t usually count the grunts on a large Fire Navy vessel. If you keep your armor on and head down, no one questions you. It can’t be that simple!” Sokka protested, looking up from the parchment. 

In response, Masky simply shrugged as if to say, “I’m here, aren’t I?” 

The amount of emoting he was capable of in a mask was actually really impressive, Aang wished he could communicate so well without his voice. “So why do you hate Zhao so much?” he asked. “Did he do something to you?”

For this, Masky just nodded, but he didn’t make a move to grab the parchment. 

“Do you not want to talk about it?” Katara asked softly, seeing something that Aang must have missed. 

Masky nodded again.

“Okay, well, I’d still like to know about this murder plot, especially considering Zuko was somehow not dead and managed to also find his way to the North Pole.” Sokka considered his own statement with a scowl. “How does he keep finding us, anyway?”

Masky shrugged a little, but reached for the parchment a moment later. Sokka handed it over.

~~*~~

Masky was hiding something. Well, okay, a lot of things, including his face. Which was… yeah. Not really something that made Sokka feel inclined to trust him. Plus, the guy acted like he’d been able to take out Fire Nation soldiers, steal their armor, stow away on a ship, and did it all just to come and mess up Zhao’s plans? Why? What could possibly motivate him to go to that extreme? Of course Sokka thought Zhao was a creep and he’d killed the moon, which put him on a whole new level of creep that Sokka hadn’t even realized existed, but still. This was weird.  “No seriously though,” he said, “You did all this just to mess with Zhao?”

“Sokka!” Katara hissed, “He doesn’t want to talk about it!”

“But there have to be easier ways to mess with Zhao,” Sokka protested, “Why come all the way to the North Pole?”

Masky, who had been scribbling away at his paper, stopped, sighed, and started a new line beneath where he’d been writing. One he’d finished the second line, he went back to the first line. Once he’d finished writing, he handed the parchment back to Sokka.

Which was another thing. The way he wrote looked like someone who wasn’t accustomed to handling charcoal. Which, if he was from the Earth Kingdom, that made some sense, since they largely used brushwork. But his strokes were incredibly neat and even, almost calligraphic. That smacked of nobility to Sokka, and he couldn’t figure out why some noble from the Earth Kingdom would be chasing after Zhao, of all people! As he glanced at the parchment, though, a few answers fell into place.

“I heard he hired pirates to blow up Zuko’s ship.” Sokka stared at the words for a few seconds. “Wow, that sounds like overkill,” he managed after a moment. “How did Zuko survive something like that?”  

Masky shrugged in answer, which was fair. Sokka couldn’t figure out how someone could survive that either. But he apparently had survived, and made it all the way to the North Pole, too. So he’d either gotten really lucky, or he’d somehow figured out Zhao’s plot in advance and faked his death. Considering Zuko’s record, Sokka was going to go with lucky, because the guy managed to stumble across them constantly. That had to be luck. As much as he hated to wish death on someone, he sort of wished that Zuko hadn’t made it out of the explosion unscathed. Maybe if he’d been off recovering somewhere…

…but Zuko hadn’t been the one to kill the moon, and he’d gone after Zhao while his uncle had gone after all the other fire benders. They hadn’t seemed like they were fighting with Zhao, at least. Which made sense, if Zhao really had been trying to assassinate the angry ponytail guy.

“Is that all?” Katara asked, leaning over to look at the parchment, reminding Sokka that he’d lost track of what he was supposed to be doing.

“I’m getting to it!” Sokka glanced back down at the parchment. Oh. He swallowed hard, then read the second sentence. “Zhao… destroyed my home. And… separated me from the only family I had left.” He looked up at Masky, then read the last line he’d written. “That’s why I broke into his stronghold to free the Avatar, and it’s why I followed him here. I wanted revenge.”