#Ursa thinking about how the little girl who once held her hand

[hyacinths-in-a-storm]

When Azula was young enough to still have her childhood she was a Mama's girl and you take that headcannon from my cold, dead hands.

[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) pt23

thank you so much for your support last chapter!! i super duper appreciate each and every one of you :) if you can, pls share!! but u don’t have to i will love u just the same WARNING THOUGH MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE COMICS IN HERE READ AT UR OWN RISK

pt1

pt22

pt24

“It’s my fault mostly, I think. I pushed him away when I shouldn’t have and I didn’t tell him why. Then today, everything seemed normal again.” (Y/N) laughed. “I guess I don’t really know what normal is for Zuko and I anymore.” 

Zuko had been gone for a few months. He had missed his own eighteenth birthday, as well as (Y/N’s) seventeenth. Sometimes he sent messenger hawks back home, indicating that all was well and he would return shortly, but that was the extent of his messages. Every time she saw a hawk fly into the palace, (Y/N) felt her chest tighten in anticipation of what Zuko would say. Did he find his mother? Would she be returning home with him? What had she been doing all of this time? (Y/N) didn’t like having more questions than answers. 

During Zuko’s absence, she and Ren became a lot closer. She had fun on the few dates they had gone on and enjoyed his company, but she wasn’t quite sure if she was ready to call him her boyfriend. After all, the first boyfriend she had broke up with her because of the boy she had loved her entire life who now had a girlfriend, so she didn’t have the best of luck in the boyfriend department. 

But there was also part of her that urged her to take a chance on Ren. He was kind and smart and loved to hear about her adventures, and he was the first person she had ever befriended that wasn’t in her immediate group. He was different than anything she had experienced before. He had never fought anyone if it wasn’t for practicing earthbending and he certainly had never feared for his life. He liked to drink tea and create tiny creatures for her using his bending. He was normal. (Y/N) liked normal. 

She had been walking the halls of the palace with Ren when she noticed the servants all begin running around. Confused, she stopped one to ask what was going on. Her reflexes immediately prepared for a fight, but calmed once she saw the excited smile on the servant girl’s face. “The Fire Lord and his mother are arriving!” 

(Y/N) would feel a little bit bad later, for leaving Ren behind, but in that moment she darted out of the palace and into the courtyard, where a large carriage was pulling up. She walked down the steps with her robes billowing behind her and ignored the servants hushed whispers about what a proper royal greeting was. She ran up to the carriage and flung the door open before the servants could. Zuko’s face appeared first, only inches from hers, and a smile slowly crept onto his features. She let him crawl out of the carriage before wrapping him in a hug. 

“Don’t ever leave for that long again!” She exclaimed, punching him lightly in the shoulder. 

“Ow!” He feigned hurt, rubbing his arm. “You could’ve come with me, you know.” 

“Someone had to keep this place running.” She rolled her eyes playfully before diverting them back to the carriage. Another man stepped out with a little girl who could be no older than five. (Y/N) looked at Zuko quizzically before the final passenger exited. 

When she was younger, (Y/N) thought that Ursa was the prettiest woman in the Fire Nation. She had been so different from the rest of the royal family. Her kindness exuded from her. Ursa had always been able to tell when (Y/N) was upset and talked her through some of the more difficult issues she had experienced with her parents. Despite being royalty, she had never treated (Y/N) any differently than her other children. She had been the mother that (Y/N) always wanted. 

So for those very reasons, (Y/N) could not help her eyes from welling with tears when she stared at Ursa’s face. She tried her best to hold back her tears so that she could speak. “I don’t know if you remember me, but--” 

“(Y/N),” Ursa said. “Of course I remember you.” And (Y/N) couldn’t help but throw herself at Ursa and wrap her arms around her. Ursa held her tight and stroked her hair like she used to when she was a child. 

She pulled away, wiping violently at the tears that streamed down her face. She gave the group a small smile. “Sorry, I really thought I’d be able to control myself better.” 

“(Y/N), this is my husband, Noren,” Ursa gestured to the man standing beside her. (Y/N) gave him a curt smile and a bow.

“Zuko has told us a lot about you,” Noren said. She looked back to see Zuko’s face turn a shade of bright red. 

“Good things, I hope.” 

Ursa gestured down to the little girl at Noren’s side. “And this is Kiyi, our daughter.” (Y/N) bent down to Kiyi’s level and stuck out her hand for her to shake. 

“Hi, Kiyi,” She said softly. “I’m (Y/N), Zuko’s friend.” 

“Zuzu,” Kiyi said quietly, before hiding behind her father’s leg. The statement surprised (Y/N), because there was only one other person in the world who called him that. And she just so happened to be missing from this happy reunion. She looked at Zuko again and he gave her a slight shake of his head, indicating that they would discuss Azula later. 

“Who is that?” Noren asked, nodding his head toward Ren. (Y/N’s) eyes opened wide as she realized she had completely forgotten about him in the excitement. 

“Oh!” She exclaimed, running back to Ren to pull him toward the group. “I’m so sorry, we were walking around the palace before you guys got here. This is Ren! My--” 

“Her boyfriend,” Ren said with a smile, giving a bow to Zuko and his family. “It’s truly an honor to meet all of you. Especially you, Fire Lord, I’ve heard so much about you.” 

(Y/N) watched as Zuko’s pleasant smile turned into a deep frown. She took a step away to distance herself from Ren before putting a smile on her own face. “You all have been traveling for so long, why don’t I ask the kitchens to put a nice dinner together?”

“We’d love that!” Ursa said cheerfully. If she had caught on to the awkward moment, she gave no indication. “Will you be joining us, Ren?” 

“I’d rather this just be a family affair,” Zuko said. (Y/N) knew that tone. He was angry, but she didn’t know why. 

“No problem!” Ren said with a smile. He grabbed (Y/N’s) hand. “You can have dinner at my house, if you’d like.” 

“(Y/N) is family,” Zuko stared down at Ren disapprovingly. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” (Y/N) said, desperate to get everyone out of the tense situation. He turned to her and smiled once more before kissing her on the cheek and walking away. (Y/N) felt her face heat up, but she wasn’t sure if it was from flattery or embarrassment. 

At dinner, Zuko and (Y/N) walked Ursa and Noren through their past few years together, starting at Zuko’s banishment and finishing right before he left to find his mother. Kiyi sat quietly at the dinner table, playing with her noodles. 

“Does the palace still make fruit tarts?” Ursa questioned. Both (Y/N) and Zuko nodded. 

“They can make whatever you’d like,” Zuko said, but Ursa shook her head. 

“I’d like a fruit tart. If there’s one thing I’ve missed besides the two of you, it’s those tarts.” The servants left the dining room immediately to prepare the treat. “Fruit tarts are the reason (Y/N) and Zuko are such close friends.” 

“Oh?” Noren raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure that’s an interesting story.” 

“Not as interesting as you might think,” (Y/N) admitted. “I came to Zuko’s tenth birthday party and all the fruit tarts were gone, so he snuck me down to the kitchens to get some more.” 

“I still remember the look on Little (Y/N’s) face when she saw me catch them,” Ursa laughed. 

“As a nine year old, I found the royal family to be very intimidating!” 

“You don’t now?” Zuko asked, a hint of a playful smile at his lips. (Y/N) scoffed. 

“You’re about as intimidating as a turtle duck.” They all erupted into laughter. (Y/N) couldn’t help but think that this is what home felt like. 

---

On the rare occasion that (Y/N) couldn’t sleep, she liked walking out to the pond and sitting in the moonlight. It was one of the few moments when her life was actually peaceful and while she usually sat alone, she liked to pretend that Yue was sitting right beside her. 

That night, (Y/N) tried her hardest to get to sleep, but she couldn’t. Her mind raced with the days’ events. She was so excited to reunite with Ursa and meet her family, but she was also confused as to why Ren would so boldly put a label on their relationship when it wasn’t something they had discussed. She also couldn’t figure out why Zuko was upset. (Y/N) hated not knowing things, so she chose to walk down to the pond to hopefully clear her head. 

When she arrived, Ursa was already sitting by the edge of the pond. She noticed (Y/N’s) presence almost immediately and pat the grass beside her. “A lot on your mind?” 

(Y/N) sighed. “You have no idea.” 

“I used to come here whenever I had something to think about, too. I’m here to listen, if you need it.” 

“I don’t know how much Zuko has told you about me, but before he left, our relationship was sort of...bad. We had become very distant from each other.” 

“Why is that?” 

“It’s my fault mostly, I think. I pushed him away when I shouldn’t have and I didn’t tell him why. Then today, everything seemed normal again.” (Y/N) laughed. “I guess I don’t really know what normal is for Zuko and I anymore.” 

“I think, for you two, normal is being together. Whatever that might entail.” (Y/N) stared at Ursa for a moment before turning to the pond to mull over what she meant. After a brief lull in conversation, Ursa spoke again. “How long have you and Ren been together?” 

(Y/N) shrugged. “A few months? We’ve gone on a few dates and I liked spending time with him, but today was the first day he had ever called himself my boyfriend.” 

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” The truth was, (Y/N) wasn’t so sure. She knew he meant well, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that today hadn’t been the best day to say something like that. 

“Maybe,” was all (Y/N) could say. She hated being like this. She thought she had grown into someone who was sure of herself. Now, her emotions were one scrambled mess. She couldn’t quite tell how she felt about anyone. “Why are you sitting out here?” 

“Being here brings back many memories. Some happy, others not so much.” Ursa smiled at her. “I’m sure you’ve come to realize the intricacies of palace life.” (Y/N) nodded. 

“Zuko and I have spent a long time trying to figure out who to trust.” 

“At least you know you can trust each other.” Ursa paused for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure if she should say what she was about to say. “I was very happy when Zuko told me you were still in his life. You were set on such different paths after his banishment. I’m glad he had someone like you to come back to.” 

“It took a while,” (Y/N) admitted. “A long while. But we got there eventually.” 

“I believe that the strongest relationships are held together by unbreakable strings. No matter where you go, you will always have Zuko.” Ursa punctuated her sentence with a yawn. “We should get to bed. I heard some servants whispering about a celebratory breakfast. And lunch.” 

---

Weeks passed and Zuko became increasingly happier in his position as Fire Lord. Having his mother around stepfather around was a nice treat and he was thoroughly enjoying getting closer with his half-sister, Kiyi. Even his relationship with (Y/N) felt like it was starting to improve again. The only downside to everything was Ren. 

Zuko didn’t like Ren from the moment (Y/N) brought him over, but he had tried to hide that from her. When Ren introduced himself as her boyfriend, Zuko felt an anger rise in him that he had never experienced before. Sure, he had been a little jealous when (Y/N) was with Sokka, but he knew Sokka was a good person at heart and would treat her kindly no matter what. He could trust Sokka with (Y/N). Every fiber of his being told him not to trust Ren. He wasn’t sure why, but his own instincts hadn’t failed him recently. So whenever he could, he would insert himself into their walks or conversations. He tried to play it off as friendliness, but he could tell that (Y/N) knew something was off. 

Zuko had been walking down one of the less-traveled corridors of the palace since his meeting had ended early. When he had a foggy mind, he liked to clear his head by walking around the expansive halls. He usually ended his walks feeling refreshed. 

Zuko was surprised when he heard voices coming from one of the rooms in the hall. He followed the voices to the very end of the hall, where the door had been left slightly ajar. Zuko peered through the crack in the door and saw Ren talking to his father, a very wealthy Earth Kingdom aristocrat. 

“How are things with the girl?” His father asked. 

“Very well! She and I spend all of our free time together when the Fire Lord isn’t around.” Zuko frowned. 

“And she’s falling for you?” 

“Definitely. She’s a giggly mess whenever I’m around. I plan on proposing by the end of the year.” 

This nearly sent Zuko to the ground. He hadn’t realized that (Y/N) and Ren were far enough along in their relationship to consider marriage. (Y/N) hadn’t even mentioned it to Zuko. 

“She has no clue what you’re doing, correct?” 

“Not one. When she’s not with me, she’s busy running around for the Fire Lord.” 

“Excellent,” Ren’s father drawled. “With her as an addition to our family, we’ll be able to get the Fire Lord to do anything we want.” 

“He’s practically in love with her. He’ll do anything she says, I guarantee it.” 

Zuko realized that that was the real reason why Ren wanted to be with (Y/N). He didn’t care for her at all, he simply wanted to use her connection to him to further his family’s political advances. The anger inside of him burned hot and bright, and it took everything in him to not send a fireball at them right then. Instead, he walked away. 

When Zuko found Ren and his father again, they were on their way out of the palace. “Wait!” Zuko called out, running down the steps to catch up to them. His guards followed him like shadows. Ren and his father turned around and bowed at him. 

“Fire Lord Zuko,” Ren’s father said. “To what do we owe this pleasure?” 

“I would like to inform the two of you that you are no longer welcome in the Fire Nation. From this moment on, you are banished from our land.” 

“What?” Ren asked, his jaw dropping in disbelief. Zuko turned to face him. 

“I heard all about your little plan to marry (Y/N) to get me to do your bidding. I knew I didn’t like you from the first day that I met you. I didn’t know until today that there was an actual reason.” 

“You’re insane,” Ren spat, just as his father said, “This is all a misunderstanding.” 

Zuko set his jaw and raised his chin high. “I know what I heard. I am Fire Lord Zuko and I will not tolerate conspiracy, regardless of who perpetrates it. For this reason, you are banished from the Fire Nation.” The guards seized the two men and dragged them off of the palace grounds as they shouted curses at Zuko. 

---

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[jaceyneedsabetterusername]

Can’t Lose You

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Summary: Y/N, a servant in the palace, and Zuko, the prince of the Fire Nation, never should have been allowed to be friends growing up but after three years, things have changed for the both of them. 

Warnings: Descriptions of burns/ injuries (the scene where Ozai burns Zuko)

Word Count: 7300 (it’s a long one y’all)

A/N: I know that they never once mention cards in A:TLA but I had a hard time figuring out how to do the scene with Azula with something like Pai Sho pieces. 

Part 2 out now! Can’t Get Rid Of Me

________________________________

It was a beautiful day on Ember Island, with the sun shining brightly, the waves crashing in beautiful roars, and the lizard-birds cawing overhead. The sun warmed your skin as you carried your basket full of blown glass beaded jewelry into the marketplace, small glass orbs of every color swishing around like liquid almost in the woven basket. The normal crowd bustled around you in three categories: 1) The Rich Kids: These were the teenagers whose parents were generals or socialites in the Fire Nation military. They were either here on vacation or enjoyed living in an exotic place. Their lives revolved around partying, shopping, and drinking. 2) The Merchants and Artisans: Another set of locals, just much less affluent than the former group. These were the people who lived on Ember Island full time and were the only reason things ran. They provided services from cooking to clothing to furniture. 3) The Tourists: These were the citizens from the mainland that came to Ember Island to take in the sights and relax. You were a part of the second of these categories. 

Creating glass beads was never something you saw yourself doing. Especially not several years ago. Artisanal work was something that seemed so far out of anything you could do. See, you’d grown up in the palace… sort of. Your parents had been servants in the palace prior to your birth which led you to a life of servitude yourself. 

It was a miserable life no matter how much your parents insisted it was better than living in one of the poorer villages outside of the palace, where people were treated like they were from other nations. Every day from the age of eleven, you’d been bossed around by anyone who had a title. “Get me water!” “Get me food!” “Wash my clothes!” “Make my bed!” You were nothing. Most of the time, they didn’t even use your name. Most of them didn’t even know your name. But that wasn’t even the worst of it because there was always Azula. 

**

The sun shone brightly in the little courtyard full of flowers and the little pond with turtle ducks that you and Zuko loved to play with. Zuko had been your best friend since his mother had allowed you to play with the royal children. Both of your parents were servants in the palace and, in the early years of your life, you were too young to work around the castle when you weren't in school. When Ursa found out, she insisted that you play with Zuko, Azusa, Mai, and Ty Lee, despite Ozai's insistence that his children should not associate with people below them. It was the one debate that Ursa ever seemed to win.  

Despite her victory though, it didn't mean that your 'play dates' were much fun. At first, you gravitated towards Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai, as they were the girls and who Ursa first introduced you to with the assumption you guys would be friends. While Mai and Ty Lee both loved you and treated you well, Azula took after her father and treated you like scum. She'd feign niceties and then turn on you and do horrible things. She treated Zuko very similarly so the two of you bonded over your mutual dislike of his sister. 

The two of you became best friends and did everything together. You ran around the halls of the palace but always made sure to hide away from Ozai, fearing he'd do something to you or your parents if he found you with his son. Although nothing was outright romantic between the two of you, Ursa saw the little sparks between you two when she was with you. She noticed the way your guys' little cheeks would burn red if your hands accidentally touched or saw the way your gazes would linger a little longer on each other when the other looked away. Unlike her husband, she had no problem with your little unspoken crushes. Thankfully, Ozai was never involved in his children's personal lives much anyways so he didn't notice but it wasn't long until Azula caught on. 

She would corner you and pretend to want to have "girl talk" about boys and crushes. It was never long until she brought up her brother. "I know you like Zuko. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I think it's cute that you think you have a chance. But you know he's a prince right? And even though you get to play royals with us, he could never marry someone of such low class." Even at ten years old, her words stung. You'd always had little fantasies that maybe he'd sweep you away from your predestined life of servitude one day. He didn't even have to sweep you away to a life of royalty, you just wanted him to sweep you away to anywhere. But maybe Azula was right. Zuko was royalty and you were far from it. 

So your friendship continued for the next several years until his banishment. In secret, he taught you firebending from a young age. As a servant, it didn't matter much if you were a firebender, you didn't get training because your parents neither had the money or the time nor were either benders. He taught you the basic moves and, though he wasn't as skilled as his sister, you were greatly appreciative of his teaching and actually knew almost as much as he did.

One day, just days after your eleventh birthday, you and Zuko sat at the edge of the pond, trying to oure turtle ducklings to you with pieces of bread. "I've almost got him!" Zuko whispered excitedly, the baby duck only two or three feet away. 

You couldn't wait to pet him! They were so soft when they were ducklings! 

"Hey, Y/N! Come here!" Azula called from across the grass field. You stood up and looked cautiously at her, already distrusting all of her motives. 

"Why?" You asked skeptically. 

Her eyebrows furrowed, "My mother may let you play with us but I am still a princess and you obey me! Besides, it's just a card trick." Azula's personality switched quickly, which scared you as a young child, but after a quick look of fear to Zuko, you walked over. 

Mai and Ty Lee stood back, both watching as you came over to their group and leaned down to look at the cards Azula lied on the rock. "What's the trick?" You asked, hoping she really did just have a magic trick. 

She sprawled them out, "Pick one and look at it but don't show me. You can show them though." She waved her hand to her other friends as if they didn't actually matter. Without much thought, you picked one that was buried slightly and looked at it. 8 of diamonds. 

"Now put it anywhere in the deck." You did as she instructed and handed her back the deck. She closed her eyes tightly and threw all the cards up in the air before swinging her arms in controlled movements, ropes of fire coming from her hands. One rope singed a single card from midair while the other wrapped around your calves, sending a searing hot white flash of pain through your body. 

"Y/N!" Zuko yelled when he saw the flames wrap their way up your legs and he ran towards you. You crumpled to the ground, tears falling freely as you cried in pain. Mai and Ty Lee gasped at what their friend had just done but didn't say anything out of pure terror of what she'd do if they did. 

Azula reached down and picked up the single singed card, a hole burnt straight through it. She inspected the card, "Eight of diamonds. Was this your card?" She asked as if you weren't on the ground, sobbing in pain with blisters forming up your legs from something she'd done. 

"Mom!" Zuko called out as he sat there beside your crying form, unsure of what to do or say, anger flaming up within him.

"Oh calm down, Zuzu," Azula rolled her eyes, "Your girlfriend is fine. It's a second-degree burn at most." 

"She's not my girlfriend!" Zuko hissed, throwing a fireball at his sister that she easily dodged, "You're a monster!" 

Ursa came running out quickly at her son's plea for help, "What on earth is going on here?!" She crouched next to you and could see the skin on your legs already boiling up from between the seared tears in your pants, "Azula, what have you done!?" Ursa was furious as she picked you up. 

Azula scoffed, "We were only playing, mother. It was an accident." 

"No it wasn't! Azula hurt her on purpose!" Zuko defended you, jumping up to stand beside his mother. 

Ursa looked at Ty Lee and Mai who looked terrified and didn't even make a move but the look in their eyes confirmed what Zuko said. Ursa held you close to her body before gripping her daughter's wrist roughly, "You have no idea how much trouble you're in." 

And she did. Azula had never gotten in so much trouble in her life, though, of course it did nothing but fuel her hatred for her mother and you and make her side further with her father She blamed you entirely and had harbored resentment against you for having the nerve to return the next day (something you did only because Zuko had begged you to since he wasn't allowed at your house.) Since that day, you never feared her again. You hated her. You didn't think it was possible to hold so much resentment for some as you did for her but you swore one day you'd get your shot to firebend her ass into a pile of ashes without receiving capital punishment, the only thing that kept you even remotely professional over the years. 

**

You shuttered at the thought. The scars that crawled up your calves like vines tingled whenever you thought about that day. It was far from the last time that Azula was ever mean to you but it was the worst thing she’d ever done to you physically. Mentally, well that was another story. 

That was why you’d run away to Ember Island. Even though you too were a fire bender, you could never retaliate against Azula, who took a sick pleasure in torturing you. At one point, you thought it would be worth the inevitable death or imprisonment that was sure to come with retaliation but when you got close, so close that Azula could sense that you were about to fire at her, she brought up your parents, and what she could do to them. It was enough to make you stop that day but it was that night that you left the castle, leaving only a note for your parents to briefly explain before disappearing. With the impending war and attacks, Ember Island seemed like a good enough place to set up. It was far enough away from Azula to be safe but vacationing didn’t seem high on anyone’s priorities list. 

So this was your new life and you loved it. 

The trip to the market was a quick one. You only had to drop off the beads to the artisans who made jewelry from them- you were only the bead maker. The rest of the day was open for you. As you walked back, you came to a split in the road. One, you knew led directly back to the house you were staying at. The other, you couldn’t recall having ever taken in all your time here.

“Let’s see what’s down here.” You hummed to yourself, looking for a little something to change up your routine. This was what you loved about no longer being a maid in the palace. Freedom. Freedom to go where you want, when you want, with who you want, to do whatever you want. The road itself was dirt with the occasional rocks around. It was lined with the large tropical plants found all around the island. At first, there were scattered stores which began to mix with houses before becoming entirely residential. These houses were quite a bit nicer than the houses in the residential area you lived in. Fire Nation flags hung from many of them. “Generals?” You questioned aloud to nobody but yourself. 

Down the road just a bit further, maybe a quarter mile down, the dirt road became much less maintained but there was still a path. After a while of walking, you saw that it led up a small hill to a large house that seemed hidden away from almost the entire island. It was large and beautiful, with traditional architecture built up in red tiles. The walls were practically windows, which you figured would be fantastic considering the wonderful view of the ocean from here. 

The road dead ended into this one home so you knew you should turn around now but the curiosity was killing you. This house looked luxurious but abandoned. The windows, though not broken, were dusty and looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in years. You couldn’t imagine anyone who owned such a magnificent vacation home allowing it to get so dirty unless it hadn't been used in a long time. 

Figuring you probably wouldn't get caught, you decided to check out the house and walked around the building. Heck, if it were abandoned, maybe you could even move in and fix it up. That wouldn’t count as stealing right? 

You wandered around the house until suddenly-

“Guys, someone’s coming!” A girl’s voice exclaimed from the side of the house that faced the beach. Your heart stopped and before you could even jump to hide in a bush, there were running footsteps coming towards you. Within seconds, a group of people about your age were staring at you. 

Your hands flew up in defense, “I am so sorry. I thought the house was abandoned and-” As you spoke, your eyes scanned across the faces until you noticed one in particular that made everything stop, “Z-zuko?” You couldn’t believe your eyes. Your best friend in the world, even after all this time, stood ahead of you, looking so different than you remembered but also exactly the same. His hair that you’d always known to be tied up to perfection and his royal clothing always neatly pressed, a desperate attempt to be as perfect as he could for his father, was now ragged and relaxed. His hair was down, grown long and dangling over his eyes in some spots. His clothing was that of commoners instead of royalty but you couldn’t help but notice the taut muscles and small scars that he’d acquired over the time of his exile. 

“Y/N? Is that really you?” Zuko’s eyes were wide with total shock and his skin paled as if he’d seen a ghost. He honestly never thought he’d see you again but there you stood, looking more beautiful than ever. He almost didn’t even recognize you. All throughout your childhoods, you’d always looked the same, day in and day out. Your hair was always down with the exception of the signature Fire Nation bun and you wore off-red servant’s garbs. But now, now you looked exquisite. Your hair was similar to how it was, still flowing down with the bun on top, save for the two small braids that framed your face. Instead of robes, you now wore a crimson crop top that crossed around your neck with an asymmetrical skirt of the same color over black capris. But the thing he noticed most of all was the gold arm band around your bicep that he’d given you for your birthday the year before he was banished. 

You nodded fervently and almost ran towards him but your knees nearly buckled when you collided. Thankfully, Zuko had his arms wrapped tightly around you, hugging you so tightly he lifted you to your toes anyways. You couldn’t help the overwhelming surge of emotions. Somewhere between relief and love and fear and confusion. When Zuko was banished, you were terrified you’d never see him again.

“How is this possible? Azula told me you were dead.” Zuko finally set you down and looked into your eyes. 

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “What? No… I’m-” You struggled to figure out where to start, “After you were banished, I stayed for another two years but without yours or your mother’s defense, she just got worse and worse. One day, I just- I almost snapped. I could feel the warmth in my hands. I almost attacked her but she began to threaten my parents. Deep down, I knew I couldn’t beat her. I haven’t had a teacher since you left. I didn’t hurt her but I ran away that night. After a while of wandering, I ended up here. I don’t know why she told you I was dead but it sounds like something she would do.” 

Zuko looked away angrily, “She’s always been a monster to you. To both of us. When I went back to the palace, I asked about you and she told me that you’d gotten sick and died shortly after I left. She only said it because she knew I’d be devastated and I fell right into the trap.” 

A part of your heart twinged from the feeling of being loved. Even after all this time apart, in which you were scared he’d forget about you, he just admitted to being devastated when he’d thought you’d died. 

You were unsure of how to respond to the look on Zuko’s face, a strange mixture of anger and relief. Pure bitterness for Azula. After a brief moment, you reached out for him and pulled him in for another hug, again holding onto him like you’d never let him go again. The very thought of losing Zuko another time made your heart jump to your throat in the worst of ways. “I’m here now though. No matter her threats or lies, here we are.” 

“You know her?” A young bald boy with arrows on his head asked from back with the rest of the group. You’d forgotten there were more people there but when you looked back, you noticed the rest of the group. 

Zuko turned to face the group but kept his hand placed on the small of your back, keeping you close to him, “This is Y/N. She was my best friend back at the palace. Y/N, this is Suki, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Aang. Aang is the avatar.” 

The boy named Sokka looked suddenly distressed, “You’re just going to tell a friend from the Fire Nation palace that Aang’s the avatar?! What if she tries to kill him?” 

You shook your head at the accusation, your eyebrows raised in a desperate attempt to convince them that you were being truthful, “Oh no! I’ve never agreed with the Fire Nation’s goals! If you’re the avatar, you need to stop Ozai.” 

“I can vouch for her. Even when we were kids, she told me in secret that she didn’t believe that there was any superior element and that the Fire Nation shouldn’t be invading the other nations. Even when I did….” Zuko’s face fell with guilt for what his past self believed, “But I promise, if anyone from the Fire Nation would be on our side, it’s her.” 

Suki stepped forward, her face kind and curious, “You said you ran away from the palace? Are you royalty too?” 

You snorted and Zuko actually cracked a small humorous smile as well, “Oh no. A servant actually.” 

“A servant?” Katara questioned, “I don’t mean to be rude but if you’re a servant and Zuko was a prince, how were you friends?” 

Zuko stiffened up a little bit while you tried to hide the sadness you felt revolving around the circumstances, “My parents were the only royal servants to have a child. Zuko’s mother saw that I didn’t have any friends in the palace and allowed me to play with Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.” The memories of Ursa were all fond. Aside from Zuko, she was the only member of the royal family who treated you with any kindness. When she disappeared, you and Zuko mourned your loss of her together, even though you never did find out the truth about what happened to her that night. 

“You were forced to play with Azula? That must have been traumatizing.” Toph chimed, genuine apology in her sarcastic tone. 

You shifted awkwardly from side to side, one hand shooting up to rub your opposite bicep as those scars that snaked up your calves seemed to burn with awareness, “Yeah, it kind of was.” Your voice was lower than it had been, as the incident had been somewhat of a sore spot for you. 

Katara followed Zuko’s inconspicuously downcast gaze to where your legs were visible beneath your tight black pants that you wore beneath your asymmetrical red skirt. She was automatically hit with a pang of guilt when she saw the ever so slightly raised red vine-like scars that trailed up your legs and disappeared beneath the pants and immediately had an idea of how you’d acquired them. “I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean to-” 

“It’s okay, you didn’t know,” You insisted sincerely, “Besides, they don’t bother me much anymore.” 

Eager to shift the topic, Aang jumped into the conversation, “Well I don’t know if you’ve got a home here or anything but you're welcome to stay with us.” He offered cheerily. Everyone else seemed in agreement, or at least didn't outright object, and how could you possibly say no to getting to spend time with Zuko again? 

"I'd love to. Thank you." 

Later that night, you and Zuko left the group by the campfire to disappear into the house. "So, this is the infamous summer house you'd always leave me for." You chuckled in remembrance, memories of having to watch your best friend disappear for weeks at a time while having to pretend you didn't care for the sake of keeping your friendship 'appropriate', especially after Ursa disappeared. 

"I always wanted to take you here. It's so much different now. Everything's different…" he trailed off, coming to a stop in the middle of a large, mostly empty room. The moonlight streaming from the windows cast a nostalgic shadow on the room and you couldn't help but remember the last time you saw each other. 

**

It was sickening. The entire arena was filled to the brim with people, mostly Fire Nation elite, all surrounding the main floor. Servants weren't supposed to be permitted but Iroh had snuck you in. Iron had taken you in as much as he could, seeing how important to Zuko you were. In a way, you too felt like he was your uncle. When you'd gone to him, begging him to stop the Agni Kai, he insisted that he'd tried to talk sense into his brother but was unsuccessful and that the most he could do to help was sneak you into the audience. 

So there you stood, surrounded by hundreds of animals who cheered for the murder of their thirteen year old prince by a well experienced war general, all because Zuko thought it wasn’t right to sacrifice hundreds of soldiers. “I’m not afraid to face the general,” Zuko had told you as he practiced his firebending with you all day before the Agni Kai, “I meant no disrespect, but I refuse to take back what I said. If this is what it takes, then this is what I’ll do.” 

When Zuko walked out into the open arena, the room went silent. Nobody would dare boo their prince but you were sure that if he were anyone else, they would have. He knelt down, facing away from where his opponent would take his place, staring at the ground. Your heart was in your throat with fear for your best friend. Although Zuko was your secret firebending teacher and much better than you, he had a tendency to crack under the gaze of people he was desperate to impress. The general he was supposed to fight was definitely not someone you’d imagine was one to take it easy on a kid, even if he was the prince. 

Zuko’s opponent came out in the shadows and shadowed his kneel, facing away from Zuko. When it was time, they both stood up and stepped towards each other. When they did, everyone gasped. Where the general was expected to be stood Ozai himself. An audible gasp and murmur ran through the crowd. 

“Oh no-” You stopped breathing entirely, “What’s happening?” Even from your obscured seat, you could see Zuko’s eyes widen in shock and panic. Confliction was written all over his face. 

The man beside you chuckled sadistically, “By speaking out in the Fire Lord’s war room, he has not only disrespected the general but the Fire Lord himself. This should be good.” You turned away from the man in utter disbelief that someone could say something like that about a literal child about to be harmed by his father. 

Ozai stepped forward, hands up and ready to deflect any attacks from his son but the way he moved showed that he didn’t expect his son to make any move. He was testing him and Zuko had failed to impress. Zuko fell onto his knees, shaking in fear. He hung his head low, “Please, father! I only had the Fire Nation’s best interest at heart. I’m sorry I spoke out of turn.” 

“You will fight for your honor.” Ozai continued to step towards him, an unyielding expression on his face. 

“I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son.” Zuko begged, laying all of his dignity on the line in front of the nation’s most influential people. 

Ozai wanted no part of it, “Rise and fight, Prince Zuko.” 

Zuko’s forehead laid on the ground as Ozai came to stand above him, “I won’t fight you.” 

His father stood tall and loomed over his small child, “You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.” 

When Zuko looked up, tears streamed down his cheeks, knowing that his father had no consideration of mercy. All you could hear were Zuko’s screams and the roar of flames leaving Ozai’s fist as you watched your friend be brutally burned. Your tears were unstoppable and unconsolable as you genuinely thought he killed Zuko. When the flames stopped, he was on the ground, holding his face and sobbing in pain. Ozai turned his back, something between pride for winning and embarrassment for the way his son reacted to the duel on his face. 

“The way you have behaved during this Agni Kai was more disgraceful than speaking out of turn. You have brought shame on yourself and the royal family. The punishment is banishment. Unless you can capture the Avatar, you are no longer welcome in the Fire Nation.” You gasped at what Ozai had said before he turned away and left, head straight and lips tight.

You began to run and push your way through the crowd, thanking goodness for your smaller stature compared to the adults all around. You had to find Zuko and make sure he was okay. You didn’t care if you’d get caught or in trouble, you just needed to find him. Being a servant had its perks in knowing the palace inside and out. It became obvious that nobody was going to help the prince until, while on your way through the halls, you ran into Iroh who too was looking to help the boy. 

Finally, you’d made your way to him and Iroh carried him to a washroom. You quickly ran over and retrieved a bowl of cool water while Iroh leaned him back. “Pour the water on the burn.” He instructed. 

“Close your eyes.” You told Zuko, although his eyes were already shut tight in pain. The cool water flowed from the bowl and onto his face, which looked red and blistered already. This was by far the worst burn you’d ever seen. Zuko struggled slightly against the liquid but stopped crying and calmed down when the water became soothing. 

Iroh had located bandages and began to bandage his nephew’s face. 

“I-I can’t believe what happened.” Zuko stuttered out, “He banished me.” You weren’t sure you’d ever seen him so pale. “Where do I go, Uncle? What do I do?” He began to work himself up again as the weight of the last hour really settled. 

Iroh turned to put down the gauze, “You must leave the Fire Nation, Prince Zuko,” He began and Zuko looked panicked again, “But I will go with you.” 

You both turned to Iroh, “Uncle, no! You’re whole life is here.” 

“The world is no place for a boy to wander alone. And there is not much here for me in the Fire Nation palace anyways.” You all knew he was referring to the rumors of him being the weaker brother, the disgraced general. “I will accompany you.” 

Zuko placed his hands on his knees and braced himself as he thought through the situation, “I must find the Avatar. It’s the only way to regain my honor.” 

Both you and Iroh looked apprehensive but you were much more vocal, “Zuko, what your father did you today was not what fathers are supposed to do. Someone behaved shamefully today but it was not you.” You insisted, heart aching for him. 

“I need his respect. My honor is the most important thing. I’m going to find the Avatar and when I do, my honor will be restored and I will regain my rightful spot as prince.” Zuko looked pained and troubled. It was clear he knew what he wanted to do but had no idea how he would do it, not that he’d let that stop him though. 

You got quiet, looking down at where his knuckles were turning white from the tight grip on his own knees. Gently, you placed your hand on his and waited for him to look up just enough for you to make eye contact, “I’m going with you then.” You said finally. 

Zuko’s uncovered amber eye met yours before he shook his head, “I can’t let you do that. Your parents are here.” 

“I hate it here.” You insisted desperately, “I’ll come back for them some day but I can’t leave you. You’re the only person that cares about me here.” 

Iroh placed his hand caringly on your shoulder, “Zuko is right, Y/N. This is his journey but I do not think it’s yours. It’s best if you stay.” 

“But… but…” The tears were threatening to spill over as you managed to choke out, “I can’t lose you.” 

There was barely a moment between when the words left your mouth and when Zuko’s lips met yours. At first, you were taken off guard and almost pulled back but when your brain registered what happened, you leaned into the innocent kiss. Your brain ran wild. Was this heat of the moment or had he really felt the same way you did? When he pulled away, you felt cold, “I’ll come back for you one day. I promise.” 

** 

“So, speaking of different, you sure look like a different Zuko than the one I knew. Last I heard around the palace, you were super intense and obsessive about finding the avatar.” You asked, teasing towards the end. 

Zuko inhaled awkwardly, his hand coming to rub behind his neck, “Yeah… I was. Until I realized that my father was a monster and that the Fire Nation had caused nothing but harm and destruction. It took a lot of convincing but they actually let me join them and become Aang’s firebending teacher.” He gestured back to the group who was all laughing, most likely at something Sokka said. 

“Well, he’s got the best teacher around.” You giggled, hitting his arm gently. 

Zuko turned to look at you, “What about you? Things look pretty different for you too.” 

A boulder sat just ahead of you, perfect for the two of you to use as a seat. You leaned back against the stone and Zuko did the same beside you. “Well, when I left the palace, I didn’t know where to go. But then I remembered you telling me about Ember Island and figured that it was far enough away to get me away from Azula but still in the Fire Nation so I wouldn’t have to create a whole new identity. When I got here, I saw an old lady struggling to make it to the market and asked if she needed help. Turns out she’d been making glass beads for years and needed an apprentice. After spending the day together, we ended up striking up a deal. She’d teach me how to make the beads in exchange for room and board. So this is where I’ve been for the last year.” 

Zuko sighed, “I really did mean to come back for you.” 

You exhaled heavily. It had been a sore point for you for a while. You waited for him for two years, over which Azula told you lies about him being killed or disappearing. It was just another fuel for her mental abuse. “I honestly was really angry about it for a long time. But-” 

“No, you had every right to be. But believe me when I tell you it was probably best that you didn’t come. Searching for the Avatar made me someone I didn’t recognize. I became a monster.” He looked away from you, most of the last three years worth of misdoings coming back to haunt him. 

You squeezed his hand, “I doubt you were as bad as you think you were and I’m sure Iroh would tell you the same. Where is Iroh anyways?” 

He sank even deeper, “Another one of my many mistakes.”

Your heart immediately dropped, “Is he…?

Zuko shook his head, “No, no. He’s alive. I’m just sure he hates me.” 

“Zuko, I don’t think you could do anything that would actually make your uncle genuinely hate you. That man holds so much love and respect for you.” Iroh’s love and devotion to Zuko was undeniable and you weren’t lying when you said that there was probably nothing that would make Iroh’s feelings change. 

“I hope you’re right.” Zuko looked off into the distance before looking back at you, “But for what it’s all worth, I’m really glad to see you again.” 

A smile blossomed on your face, “I’m really glad to see you too. I missed you so much.” Even after all the years, it felt as if no time had passed. He was still your Zuko. 

You hadn’t realized that the gap between your bodies had closed to just a mere inch or two until you found yourself leaning your head onto his shoulder without thinking about it. Zuko stiffened up a little bit at the contact, looking around paranoid. He knew logically that there was nothing saying you two couldn’t be friends - or more - anymore. But his gut reaction was to be on his guard, just like when you were children, trying to hide your frowned upon friendship. 

Zuko had always looked back fondly on those memories while he was banished and not one day went by when he didn’t think about you.

**

Iroh walked onto the deck of the large ship to see his nephew standing against the railing and staring into the distance over the ocean. It was like he had the sixth sense for his nephew, always able to see what was going on in his head better than Zuko did. Iroh approached the prince and stood just behind his shoulder, “You’re thinking about Y/N again?” He asked, though it really was more of a statement. 

Zuko looked back over his shoulder towards his uncle, “I just wish I knew she was okay. She’s stuck there with Azula and you already know what she’s done to her! But now I can’t protect her. I should have let her come so I’d know she’s safe.” He looked away angrily, hanging his head, upset with how he’d handled everything. 

“You care for her, Prince Zuko.” Iroh began before getting interrupted by the eager and emotional prince. 

“Of course, I care for her! She’s my best friend.” Zuko had never really had any other real friends. Sure, Mai and Ty Lee were cool when they weren’t around his sister but none of them were you. 

Iroh could see the conflict in the boy’s eyes, “But you care for her as more than that, don’t you?” 

Zuko’s eyes widened. It shouldn’t have come as a shock to him but hearing his secret feelings spoken aloud finally felt like it was actually real. With anyone else in the world, he would have denied it but Iroh was different. “We can never be together.” Zuko confessed, heartbroken all over again. This was why he didn’t admit it to himself. 

“Why’s that?” Iroh asked, as if the answer weren’t obvious like it was to you and Zuko. 

His face scrunched with distress, “Because I’m a prince and… well she’s not even the daughter of a general. I don’t care about her wealth or status but it’s not allowed.” 

“Well, lucky for you, for once, you’re banished. I don’t think anyone would care much if you were to be with her now.” Iroh pointed out. 

Zuko groaned, “I’m not even allowed into Fire Nation territory let alone the palace. I’d never be able to take her away like this. I need to find the Avatar, have my honor restored, and then I’ll find her again and I’ll never let her go.” 

“True love will find a way, Prince Zuko. Remember that happiness and love is more important in this world than titles.” 

** 

Now, you were beside him, your head unashamedly laying on his shoulder and was it his imagination or was your leg touching his now? Zuko cleared his throat, “Y’know, I can’t help but think about how we left things off three years ago,” You shifted to look up at him when he spoke. 

You knew he was talking about the kiss - that one forbidden kiss that had haunted your lips since he left. It had consumed many of your nights as well. “I think about it too. A lot.” You confessed, much less embarrassed than you ever would have imagined. 

Zuko tried to hide the little jump in his chest when he heard the way you agreed, like it wasn’t a bad memory but far from it. “You do?” 

You nodded with a warm smile on your face (or maybe it was just your cheeks burning from the confessions), “I liked you for so long, of course it was something to remember.” 

“Liked?” Zuko questioned nervously, “As in past tense?” 

“Yeah, as in past tense.” You began and Zuko’s heart dropped. 

“Oh…” 

“‘Cause now… I think- I think I fell in love with you a long time ago.” You looked up directly into his eyes, heart in your throat as you waited for a response. 

Zuko’s jaw dropped in disbelief and he stuttered over his words, “There wasn’t a single day I didn’t want to come back and take you away so we could be together.” 

You and Zuko stared into each other’s eyes as the weight of what was being said sunk in. Everything felt heightened right now, like else in the world mattered but Zuko. All you could see and hear and feel was him from his scent of woody spices and smoke to the way the moonlight reflected off his perfect skin - scar included. You could literally feel the warmth radiating from his body, a warmth you had a feeling hadn’t been there in a long time. 

“What’s there to stop us from being together now?” In all the futures you’d imagined with Zuko, this wasn’t really a scenario you’d thought of. The two of you sitting on a rock at Zuko’s family summer house after years of not seeing each other- Zuko, a banished and disgraced prince and you, a former servant runaway- but now seeing each other without the shroud of all the barriers of titles and statuses. 

Your lips had already been dangerously close when you were talking, making the ever so slight move inwards to close the gap feel effortless. The question you’d posed was responded to with a long, deep kiss. Zuko’s lips had changed so much since the last time you’d kissed them. The smooth soft lips that had lingered in your memory were now rougher and slightly chapped, weathered from years of hard work like the rest of him, though still soft enough to be familiar. 

Zuko’s hand came up to rest on the point where your jaw met your neck to guide your lips to his just ever so slightly deeper. He was lost in you, in your lips, in your scent, in your tase, in your touch. This moment was everything he’d dreamed about almost every night on his quest for the Avatar. Like everything else, this felt so different yet so familiar. 

Finally, you pulled away and this time you didn’t feel guilty or immediately look over your shoulder. You got to just be with Zuko. It was as if you were entranced by him, unable to take your eyes away. If you could’ve picked one moment to last forever, this would be it. 

That was until Zuko sighed and turned his face away, “There’s a war.” 

“So we’ll fight together.” Your hand that was still on his squeezed tightly. 

Zuko turned back to you and gripped your other hand, holding them close to his body, “Losing you the first time was hard enough. I can’t lose you again, Y/N.” 

You swallowed hard, “I know I’m not the most skilled Fire Bender in the world but that doesn’t mean I can’t hold my own. I don’t plan on dying in this war and you better not be planning on it either.” 

“That’s not what I mean. I just… I love you Y/N,” He confessed, his typical Zuko-esque flusteredness creeping into his tone, “But now after knowing you feel the same way and knowing what we could be, I just don’t know if I could handle risking losing my best friend and the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.” 

Your breath abandoned you when those three words left his lips, I love you. They were the three words you’d dreamed of hearing him tell you for years. But now he was using them as an excuse to not be with you. “I love you too, Zuko. I’ve loved you for so long. But what difference does it make if we fight this war as a couple or as friends? If we love each other, the pain of losing the other would be the same.” 

Zuko’s gaze fell to where your fingers were interlaced and he brought them up to his chest, looking at the contrast of his larger calloused hands to your smaller, slightly softer ones. “I can’t lose you.” He repeated, closing his eyes, but this time it sounded like a final decision. 

You pulled your body closer to his, your intertwined hands pressed between your chests, as you looked up at him, “Then don’t push me away.” Your plea was low, barely above a whisper, but by the way Zuko looked, you could tell it had some affect. “Please, let us do this together.” 

Zuko found it difficult to argue with you because it was like arguing with himself. You were the vocalization of everything he wanted deep down. “Okay,” He answered finally, “But only if you help me rebuild the Fire Nation when it's all over. Together.” 

[trekkele]

Pre-canon Azula assassinates Ozai and frames Iroh for it?

Wow y’all really have me entirely figured out today. This is also less about that and more about…idk even.

“In the beginning,” Ursa said, sweeping the flame from the candle into the palm of her hand, guiding it counterclockwise with her finger, “when the fire benders where only dragons and the people huddled cold at the base of their mountain, the first snow fell. The people could not understand the ice that fell from the heavens, grey clouds hiding Agni from them.”

The tiny flame burst into sparks, drifting slowly down to her palm. Azula wondered if her eyes were as wide as Zukos, as bright with the flames' reflection.

“But in this village there was a girl, whose eyes had long been turned to the top of the mountain, who’s heart held a coiling flame” her mother traced a heart with two fingers, and the flame followed. “She did not fear the snow, or the cold it brought, but rather the way her people had lost their fire in the face of Agnis Shrouds.”

“And so she began the trek up the mountain, passing by the frozen stream and the trees bowed under ice, until she could see her village, tucked into the whitened valley, spread below her feet. And she sat down to wait.”

“Wait?” Azula asked, lip curling. “I thought she wanted to find a dragon? What use is waiting.”

Ursa smiled, tiny flame dancing, running up and down her palm as her fingers guided it. “The dragon was not used to strangers on their mountain. The girl knew they would see her, and come. Knowing how and when to strike,” the flames seemed to burn deep in Ursa’s eyes as Azula watched it form a tiny dagger, “is just as important as knowing where.”

Zuko gasped as the dagger flame changed to a bow flinging arrows, two swords crossed, and finally a vial dripping flame.

“And when the dragon came, the girl was still warm, and rested, and had arranged herself as though they sat in the finest sitting room, silks and tea,” Azula pulled a face that made her mother’s shoulders shake, the flame between them flickering, “and mochi all before them.” Azula grinned even as Zuko snickered. Mochi was a much better diplomatic tool than tea, even if tea was traditional.

“The dragon landed softly in the snow, settling in with wings tucked behind them. “You do not belong here” they said, rumbling like an earthen flame* and breathing colored sparks to the air. “And yet I am here.” the girl said.

The dragon glared at her, fierce and foreign. It was odd to see anger in the face of a serpent. The girl did not shake, or apologize. “Why.” the dragon swept their tail over the ground, snow piling on either side of its path, “Why have you climbed this mountain”

The flame in Ursas palm grew wings, rising slowly between them, “My people grow weak with fear. Agni has been hidden to us for the weeks of this storm and they fear or spirit has grown angry, or distant.” The dragon huffed, disdain dripping like flames from their fangs. “Did not the Great Sun bless you with fire? Do not your veins flow like the blood from a Sparked Mountaintop?” the girl still not shake. “The turtle lions blessed us with Agni’s spark, but we do not know how to use it.” she said, hands folded in her lap. The fabric of her coat was warm with her anger, but the dragon could not see the heat of her palms. He could not hear the anger in her voice.

“What the spirits did or did not give you is none of my concern, now leave me. I must return to my hoard.” Ursa lowered her voice when she spoke for the dragon, rumbling with something below her tongue. Zuko shuffled closer to Azula, who leaned closer into him.

“Your hoard?” The girl asked “are gold and coloured stones so precious that you would deny the chance to become the first master to a new class of student?” the dragon laughed. “What foolish stories do you tell of us? My hoard are my children in their eggs, and my hoard is my family. I would deny the chance to become legend for them.”

“The girl was clever, and quick, and stood before their wings could unfold. “My hoard is dying.” the dragon paused. “My hoard is dying and I am here to teach how to live.”

The dragon shook out their wings, rising to their full height and glaring down. The snow had begun to fall again, and if the girl closed her eyes, she thought she could smell the smoke from her village, the panicked silent breaths of people who could not see the sun. “I cannot leave my hoard.”

“I can.” the girl said, standing in the snow, praying to a spirit buried in clouds. “For as long as I need to.”

“Why you, little spark-bender?” the dragon said finally, their student starting to shiver.

The girl did not rejoice in her success. There was never a place for failure in her plans. “Someone had to.” she shrugged, and followed the first dragon master up the mountain.”

Ursa let the flame in palm burn down, placing it gently back to the week when it was no more than a spark.

“What happened to the village?” Zuko demanded, hands around his knees.

“The girl came back and taught them how to fire bend, using what the master showed her. Once they could learn to manipulate their chi, the villagers always felt where Agni was, and always knew they were close to them.”

“What happened to the girl.” Azula did not demand an answer. She did expect one.

“Well, the legend says she traveled to other villages and taught them to fire bend as well. And once she settled down, her children became great and powerful benders, till Agni blessed on with the wisdom to unite our people. But now,” Ursa waved the candle shut, “it’s time for bed.”

—-—

Later, after Azula learns what burnt skin smells like, how the ashes taste on her tongue, Iroh stands next to her in the garden.

The guards are uneasy. They are unnecessary too, but Azula will make allowances for their skittishness.

No one trained them to fight dragons, after all.

“Why.” Iroh asks, and Azula is tempted. It would be so easy to crack, right here, and scream her grievances to the world. To the sun, its chosen heir lying burnt on white sheets, fists clenched around his loyalty and heart weeping.

Why. She thinks instead of a girl, and a mountain, and facing a monster that is suddenly an ally in the face of greater threats.

She thinks of a heart, filled with coiling flames.

“Someone had to.” She says, eyes turned towards the sun. It winks lower over the caldera cliffs, sky clear and blue.

—-—

She never tells him how it easy it actually was.

Her Uncle does not want to know.

—-—

Ursa does not ask Why. Her mothers return to the palace is a quiet thing, hastened by the servants who remembered her and the courtiers who eyed the royal children with pity and unease.

Zuko uses their pity. Azula uses the unease. They want neither, but they will not waste what is given.

Ursa does not ask. She sits in the garden, lets Azula huff and throw scrolls and braids little twists in her hair till it is piled like black silk on her head.

Once, she holds Azula's hands in her own, and lets a flame dance over their palms. “My only regret,” she says, eyes steady even as the wind sweeps between them, “is that you did what I did not.”

“Would you have?” Azula does not want the answer. She needs it, desperately, but she doesn't want it.

“If I had known half of what he would become, the sun would not have risen on him after your first breath.”

Ursa does not ask. She does not push. And she does not expect Azula to mourn her actions.

Azula is not surprised. No one ever expects a dragon in a woman’s skin.

But she's since learned to see the glint of fangs in her mothers smile. She sees it in the mirror, after all.

[send me an ask of ‘I wish you would write’ with a story idea and ill react. I’m very suggestible, clearly]

[netflixbingger]

I’ll Find You - Part 1

Chapter 1: Zuzu To The Rescue - Prince Zuko x Reader

Summary: Y/N and Zuko were thick as thieves growing up. Of course at a young age the idea of romantic love isnt really thought about, but from a outsiders perspective it is clear as day that Y/N and Zuko’s friendship will blossom into something much more. As the two grow with one another, they are slowly pulled apart to become enemies. Soon Y/N finds herself amongst the Avatar, but can she put aside her longing feelings for Zuko and fight for what is right? And can Zuko prove to her that there is still good within him?

Word Count: 1,408

Notes: Hi Guys! I know this idea has been written a few times within the Zuko fandom, but I couldn't help it... I’m a sucker for reunited friends turn into lovers :P This first chapter is just a short drabble to show the type of friendship that Zuko and Y/N had as little kids. I think its important to see the friendship at different ages to show their personal growth. 

You tried to control your breathing, tried to steady the airflow leaving your mouth in heavy pants. You were anxious, gripping the grass below you like your life depended on it. You felt like you had been running for miles only for him to continuously find you. But not this time, you won’t allow it. Your eyes strained to see through the bushes, but you were still able to make out the running figures of your friends trying to find a spot to hide. Thinking you were safe from his clutches you let your body fully collapse to the ground. After a few minutes you were beginning to regain your breath, but you froze as you heard a crunch of leaves behind you and an ominous voice that followed, “I told you, wherever you go, I will find you.”

Slowly clenching your eyes shut you turned around to face your seeker, Prince Zuko. His hair was pulled back from his face as tiny beads of sweat were beating off his mischievous brows. He wore a playful smirk as he began to corner you in. Kneeling down to level with your eyes he slowly reached his hand out and lightly tapped your nose. “Tag, you’re it” he chuckled before turning away and disappearing behind the bushes. Damn it, you hated being it ; it was almost impossible to catch up with Ty Lee, she was always twirling around and showing off her athletic abilities. Mai was always so well hidden that no one ever found her, she’d make it through the entire game without being caught once. The game of tag always ended in bickering back and forth between your friends, especially when Azula played. She never played by the rules and would throw threats if you came close to finding her. The only person that played the game honestly was Zuko; he stayed in territory and never used his “stunts”, at least not with you.

Sighing, you got up from your sitting position on the grass and stepped out into the field. You looked around aimlessly hoping to find one of your friends. You’d throw an occasional remark into the air hoping to catch a chuckle, but the garden remained silent. After a few minutes of walking the perimeter of the pond, you placed yourself underneath the trees preparing to give up. But as you leaned back on the rough bark, you heard a set of giggles. Immediately looking around, you were confused when you discovered you were alone. It was only when you heard a “shush” that you realized the noises were coming from above you. Quickly looking upward you were surprised to see 3 of your friends sitting atop the tree branches. “Come on guys,” you yelled crossing your arms, “You know I can’t climb well!”

Azula’s sly chuckle responded, “Oh, just add it to your list”

You clenched your jaw trying to hold back the amount of insults you could throw her way. “Just come on down, this isn't fair and you know it.” You didn't have the willpower to stop your foot from stomping on the ground as you tried to hold in your tears. Happy to see Mai begin to descend down the tree, you were left disappointed as she was shortly stopped by Azula. “Oh, don't cry about it. I never said we were going to play fair, besides it's good practice! See this as a climbing exercise,” she smirked, “Come get us.”

You pushed the sleeves of your dark crimson dress away from your hands as you stepped closer to the tree. You wanted to climb up there and prove Azula wrong, but the moment your hands touched the bark you chickened out. How did they get up there? Your thoughts were soon disrupted as you heard the mean whispers between the 3 girls. Staring upwards once again, you threw an angered glare in their direction. But your annoyance disappeared as you heard the comforting voice of your friend Zuko from behind you. “Azula, cut it out”. Suddenly you were no longer mad and upset, but instead a sense of pride filled your body as the boy defended you.

However that pride quickly dispersed as the chuckling above continued, “Oh look, Zuzu has come to save the day.” Azula and Ty Lee laughed at your and Zuko’s reddened faces, both blabbering on how Zuko always had to come to your rescue.

“Azula, get down from there.” The stern but soft voice seemingly appeared from nowhere and ended all comments. You didn't need to turn around to know who it belonged to, Ursa’s voice was a sound you could never forget. 

Ursa was basically family to you, she and your mom were close with one another, best friends even. Your mom would tell you stories of her and Ursa as teenagers and how they would explore the nations together. Your mother's friendship was the reason why you were so close to Zuko, and even to Azula at times. You were introduced to the two siblings a few years ago when your family moved from the colonies into the city. As soon as Ursa got the news of your mother's move she was quick to invite your whole family over. Your parents intended on forging a friendship between Azula and yourself, but they were surprised when you formed a stronger connection with Zuko. The two mothers would chuckle at the awkward exchanges in the beginning, but both soon hoped for a future marriage as they watched your friendship grow. 

There was no denying that you were a pretty girl. Even at the age of 9 there wasn't any doubt that you would grow into a beautiful young lady, suitable for Zuko’s hand in marriage. Ursa had never intended on arranging any type of relationship between the two of you, but she was rather hopeful as she watched you grow with one another. There was a spark between you that was undeniable. Even Firelord Ozai was able to see the chemistry between the two young children, but he refused any talk of courtship until your firebending skills improved. He believed that the future rulers of the Fire Nation needed to be strong and ruthless, no signs of weaknesses were allowed. So, as he watched you and Zuko play with the turtle ducks instead of practicing your bending, he began to despise the idea of his son's friendship with you.

“Alright little one, time to head in, say your goodbyes,” Ursa’s soft voice spoke as she watched your and Zuko’s faces fill with shock. Zuko was quick to turn towards his mother, pulling gently on her sleeve. “But moooom, can’t they stay just a little bit longer?”

“I'm afraid that isn't up to me Zuko. Y/N’s mother needs to go home, it’s getting dark out.”

“What about a sleepover?” the young boy exclaimed with a slight crack in his voice.

“Zuko, Y/N slept over last week, now come on,” Ursa firmly grabbed onto Zuko’s hand as she stared within the trees. “Azula, please climb down from there.”

Your mother chuckled as she watched the exchange; tugging on your hand, she began to pull you from the scene and towards the door. You waved your goodbyes at the boy and threw him a toothless smile as Azula jumped from the trees with grace. Brushing off the dirt and twigs from her clothes, she yelled, “Don't worry Y/N, I’m sure Zuko will be able to play dolls with you tomorrow!”

Your eyes widened as Zuko angrily whispered,”That was one time!”

As your mother laughed at Zuko’s words, you couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. Your friends’ bickering slowly dimmed as your mother dragged you further out of the palace. It was times like these where you wished your family lived closer to Zuko’s home, lucky Mai got to stay almost all night as her walk home was less than a minute. But as you pulled further into the city, you held your head high and stared at the forming stars above. You couldn't help but smile at the thought of Zuko gazing at the same stars that were painted in the sky. Giggling to yourself in glee, you told your mother of the fun you had with your friends and how excited you were to see them again tomorrow. And maybe Azula was right, maybe you would get to play dolls with Zuko tomorrow!

---------

Tell me your thoughts below!

Also, special thanks to @shaynawrites23​ + @pph0le​ for all their help with this story!

[headcanonsandcupcakes]

hola muh dude: so I hear your a maiko shipper? Possibly? Do you have any random Headcanons for them two?

Hey my friend!!! I am so sorry I am getting back to you late on this! I had so many thoughts going around my head regarding these two, that I had to take time to write what I really wanted on this :) Yes, I am a Maiko, Zutara, and Jinko shipper :) But Maiko will always be #1! Are you ready for a lengthy headcanon? Warning: It is also a little depressing :(

- The childhood crush between Zuko and Mai wasn’t one-sided. Zuko also took an affection to Mai, however, it wasn’t as intense of a crush like Mai had for Zuko.

- As they got older, the playing field became level. They had their first kiss together and also hung out with each other outside of Azula (although it was limited because she was threatening). Mai was also the reason why Zuko got into knives and swords. He saw her playing with a small one, and decided he wanted to like knives too, because she liked them. Eventually the interest progressed into swords :)

- Zuko was actually going to ask Mai to be his girlfriend the day after the Agni Kai. However, that never happened. 

- Mai attended the Agni Kai to support Zuko, as she knew he could beat the general. Once she saw that it was Ozai that would be dueling Zuko, she realized it was game over for Zuko. Even as the years passed, she never liked to think about that day. 

- Zuko was banished the day after the Agni Kai, and she never got to properly say goodbye. They kept in touch as best as they could via messenger hawk, but Mai noticed that Zuko drastically changed. It hurt her so much to know that he was going to a TON of pain and turmoil, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Being “friends” with Azula didn’t help matters either, as Mai had to hear horrible commentary about Zuko from Azula. It disgusted her that Azula didn’t even care about her own brother.

- Despite everything that was going on with Zuko, Mai was his shining light. Besides searching for the Avatar, Zuko would look forward to her letters, as that was his only happiness. This explains why he couldn’t get close to Song or Jin, and why it seemed like their relationship came out of nowhere, because they were regularly in contact (until Zuko and Iroh went on the run). Zuko felt a sense of loyalty to Mai, and didn’t want to hurt her by dating other girls. 

- Although Mai had a lack of passion for everything else, she was quite passionate in the bedroom. She is the one who was insistent on cheering up Zuko in “Nightmares and Daydreams”, by having sex, which Zuko graciously accepted. That time was not their first time, however, but rather their first time was during their Ember Island vacation (after ruining Chen’s house). To say the least, Zuko is very awkward, and Mai took charge of most of the activities that night (despite it both being their first time).

- Mai and Zuko dated for two years after the war ended, but took a break because Zuko was struggling with Fire Lord duties and felt that he couldn’t be a proper boyfriend to Mai. Mai rebounded fast, and started dating a councilman’s assistant. Zuko was jealous, but knew that he couldn’t give her what she needed and wanted. 

- Mai ended up dating this man for three years, and many of the nobles thought they were going to get engaged. During this time, Zuko didn’t date anyone and still was madly in love with Mai (this didn’t impress his advisors, who were in insistent on setting him up with someone for an heir). Additionally, although Mai was dating this other man, she still kept in touch with Zuko, and would even visit the palace to check up on him. 

- However, a day came where Mai broke up with the other man. She told Zuko it was because she didn’t see a future with him. Nothing happened between Zuko and Mai for 8 months, as they enjoyed just being friends and being in each others’ company. But, that didn’t last too much longer, as Zuko couldn’t stand to let her get away again. So, he asked her if she would like to try again with their relationship, in which Mai responded, “took you long enough, you’re the one that I want in my future.”

- Their second time dating was a huge success. They realized that the time apart, as well as maturing a little bit, really helped solidify their relationship. They still had their fights, sure, but it wasn’t as unstable as it was when they were teenagers. 

- They dated for a year, until Zuko proposed to Mai. He proposed by getting down on one knee, and presented her a knife that he welded himself. This was the first time he ever saw Mai cry, as she exclaimed, ��Yes!”

- Their wedding was absolutely beautiful, and they enjoyed a nice honeymoon on a remote island near the Western Air Temple. They enjoyed married life for several years, and cringed at Uncle Iroh and Mai’s mother’s asks about children. Zuko made a decision a long time ago that he NEVER wanted children because of his childhood, and Mai supported his decision.

- When Mai finds out that she’s pregnant, she’s nervous on Zuko’s reaction (at this point, he was willing to give Tom Tom or Kiyki the throne). She hid it for a few weeks, until Zuko asked her why she was getting sick, eating weird things, and being much moodier than usual, that she confessed. His mind went blank for a moment, but tears automatically streamed on his face. He was already in love with their baby, and realized how stupid he looked for not wanting children.

- When he first felt the baby move in Mai’s belly, he started bawling his eyes out. He loved Mai being pregnant, and enjoyed catering to her every need. One of Mai’s favorite things that Zuko did for her when she was pregnant was that he would heat his hands and place them on her lower back. He also gave into every craving she had, including fire flakes with pickles and ice cream (this was a favorite request of hers). He also was a helicopter husband, as he wanted to ensure that her and the baby were always safe.

- When Mai was in labor, he broke the Fire Lord tradition of not being in the room. He wanted to be there for his wife and see the birth of his daughter. When their daughter was born, they gave her the name Izumi, meaning fountain, where it all started. He was afraid to hold Izumi, as he thought that his daughter would be afraid of his face. After some reassurance from Mai, he held her in his arms, where she looked at him with big golden eyes. He thanked Agni for this blissful moment, and the life he had. It was at this moment that he swore to Izumi that he would always love her, and would NEVER hurt her. 

- Zuko and Mai took to parenting rather well. They wanted to both be hands-on parents, and didn’t want nannies or wet nurses involved at all. Even though Mai always showed a blank canvas, Izumi and Zuko were the only ones that could make her smile and cry of happiness.

- A year and a half after Izumi was born, Mai started to get really bad headaches, to the point that she would have to be bedridden for the day when she would get them. Zuko got really worried, and insisted on Katara coming to the palace to see what the problem was, but Mai told him to back off. She was convinced that it was due to lack of sleep or stress. He did eventually write to Katara, much to Mai’s dismay, and Katara said she would come to visit as soon as she was able (she just had Bumi five months prior to Izumi’s birth, but he was a handful).

- One day, when Izumi was two years old, Mai fainted and had a seizure out in the gardens. Izumi was too young to understand what was going on, and cried for 20 mins until one of the guards found them. Zuko was informed of what happened to Mai during a budget meeting, where he left to the infirmary without saying a word.

- The Fire Sages confirmed that Mai had a death in her brain (cancer wasn’t really studied during their time, but essentially Mai had stage 3 brain cancer). Mai only lived for 6 more months after that. Zuko took time off from his Fire Lord duties (Uncle Iroh stepped in) to take care of Mai at her bedside. Aang, Katara, and Bumi moved into the palace full time to take care of Mai as well.

- Every night, once he put Izumi to bed, Zuko would fire bend in a feral manner. He was incredibly angry that life was dealing him this card, and was also very stressed, because of the pain his wife was going through and also trying to stay strong for their daughter (he had surpassed his Book One anger, that’s for sure). Uncle Iroh, Ursa, and Aang were the only ones keeping him from not going on a rampage, although they understood why he was feeling this way.

- During the last three weeks of Mai’s life, the Gaang came in to check on Zuko, as well as help with the care of Izumi. Zuko was distracted because he knew Mai’s time was coming soon, and wanted to be with her for every moment. However, they had a two year old daughter, and that two year old had needs. So, the Gaang stepped in to feed and put Izumi to bed when she couldn’t stand being at her mother’s bedside any longer (she’s a toddler, it happens).

- Katara tried her best to heal Mai, however, she was too far gone. On the last day of her life, she looked up at Zuko and Izumi with glassy eyes and rasped, “I love you”. Mai died a few hours after that. 

- Izumi was too young to understand what had happened to her mother, however, it didn’t make it easier for Zuko to tell his own daughter that her mother, his wife, the light that kept him going during his banishment, the one that always had faith in him, was no longer on this earth. Although he wanted to be sad and completely disengage from the world, he couldn’t because he needed to stay strong for his daughter. 

- However, Zuko was still numb after Mai passed. He didn’t eat or sleep for two weeks, and went through the motions of the day as if he wasn’t in his own body at all. Even with taking care of Izumi, he wasn’t really “there”. Katara took notice of this, and told Zuko that he needed to grieve. So, he grieved the only way he knew how: being incredibly destructive. He burned an entire wing of the palace that was abandoned for decades. He sat in the middle of the flames and cried for many hours. 

- Mai was buried near the fountain where it all started. Mai always said that she loved that fountain, so Zuko made the decision to bury her right there. For many years after her death, Zuko made it a point to visit her grave every day. Even if he was incredibly busy with Fire Lord duties, he would commit to seeing her and talking to her. The silence when he didn’t hear anything back was always so hard to hear. 

- Izumi doesn’t remember her mother at all, however, Zuko will always talk about Mai to ensure that her legacy is prominent. There are many times in Izumi’s life where he wished she was around to see how amazing of a person Izumi had become. Even when it has been 15 years since Mai’s death, Zuko still aches for her. Before he goes to sleep every night, he kisses the painting that they took together when they were teenagers and says, “goodnight my love”.

[dragonfiremage]

Destiny - Chapter One

Author’s Note: Wow, ok, so it’s been so long since I’ve written anything, let alone a fic about Avatar the Last Airbender. I used to watch this when I was little, and now that it’s back in Netflix, I couldn’t resist. Please tell me if you like it, what I can improve, etc. I would love to hear feedback!

Summary:  You are the daughter of the handmaid who served as Queen Ursa’s right hand servant. One night, the handmaid helps Ursa plot Azulon’s death and helps her escape. However, your mother is caught and is charged with conspiracy and accessory of the crime. That day, your family broke apart, torn away from your nation that you thought you loved, and away from your best friend, Zuko. Years pass, and after so many years apart, you finally face your old childhood friend again. However, things have changed. You are no longer that same servant girl in the Fire Nation Palace and Zuko is no longer that Prince you once knew. Funny, how Destiny could entangle your paths together. What will the future hold? (Zuko x Reader) [Next - Chapter Two] Chapter One

You stood behind your mother, clutching a basket of stale bread. Standing as still as possible, you held your breath in hopes to stay even stiller. But as 8 year old, your attention could only span only for so long and the strain for standing still for so long began to wear you down.

"Mother -" The sharp turn of your mother's skirts was enough to still you. "Hush child, we must stay polite and still." Your temper flared momentarily. Why did you have to stand so still while Zuko played with the turtle ducks as much as he can?! It wasn’t fair. Pouting, you crossed your arms in huff, only to be pinched by your mother shortly after. “You need to have decorum, child, if you are to be the head of the maid staff in the future like me. The palace requires us to behave and be seen a certain way. Do not think that just because you are friends with the Prince Ozai’s son that you can get away with anything. It is not proper for you to be friends with him, but since Lady Ursa has urged it so, I will honor it.” Even as a child, you could feel the tension radiating from her and it made you look up towards her. When she noticed your stare, she leaned down and whispered, “Please my child. Be diligent and show manners, if not we can in big trouble with the Prince Ozai who is not as kind as the Princess Ursa.” You nod and your eyes cast downward. When your mother initially explained what she did for the palace one night over dinner, you were elated. The palace was big and you imagined every room to be full of treasures and jewels. Your imagination ran rampant and when your mother invited you to join her one day to start your observation for servant training, you were more than excited. But nothing could have prepared you for the utter boredom it came with in following order after order, etiquette after etiquette. Luckily, you easily made friends with the Prince Ozai’s son, Zuko. It happened by chance one day. You were closely following your mother when the spell of fresh baked breakfast pastries wafted from the kitchen to the hallway. You stopped abruptly, your mother still walking down the hallway, oblivious that you were slowly tip toeing your way to the kitchens. As you got closer and closer to the kitchen door, you listened careful through it and opened the door just a bit to peek. When you saw nothing, you opened the kitchen door widely and found the pastries on a plate on top of kitchen counter. Your mouth watered as you stood right next to the counter and tried to grab one of the pastries, your short arms, however, were not long enough to reach the plate. You struggled, even going on your tip toes to see if you could reach further. As you were about to touch the plate, a gasp could be heard and it scared you, making you shriek in return and knocking over a bag of flour over and spilling all over you. the flour tasted bitter in your mouth as you cough, plumes of white powder puffed all over the air as you struggled to see through all the flour on your face. “You’re not supposed to be here! Mother!” Footsteps were heard and the next thing you knew, a fit of giggles could be heard. Finally, you wiped the last of the flour from your eyes and they widened.

Your mother was going to kick you to the spirit world.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over - your majesty!” Your mother walked into the kitchens, her eyes full of horror at the sight of you covered head to toe in flour, caught by the Lady Ursa and her son.

“It’s ok, Alina. Looks like she just wandered off and was curious. Were you just trying to get a fruit pastry? What is your name sweet child?” Ursa kneeled to your level, her arm outreached towards you.

  You glanced at your mother who still had harsh look in her eye, but nodded reluctantly. Looking at the Ursa again, you were awestruck. She was very beautiful and looked very kind. Zuko who stood next to her, looked at you with curiosity and a timid smile. Reaching over, you slip your small hand onto the queens and she shook it gently. “I’m (YN). And yes I was trying to get the pastry. I stopped by and it smelled so good. I didn’t mean to knock the flour over.”

Ursa laughed, the sound melodic and soothing to your ears. Her presence was warm and inviting and you scooted closer to her. “Such a pretty name (YN). This is my son, Zuko.”

  Zuko looked over to her and smiled widely, “Wanna split a pastry?!”

Your eyes gleamed, “Yes! I would like to share it with you, Zuko!”

Ursa and your mother exchanged looks, before your mother cracked a smile. From that day on, you and Zuko because friends.

“Come on, duckling. We’re needed inside. Let’s go.” Your mother’s voice pulls you out of your day dreaming and she opened her palm for you to take before you slip your small hand onto hers, her palm rough, but still soft. You glanced over your shoulder, catching Zuko’s eyes who waved and turned back to his mother.

 A couple of days later, you hear of General Iroh’s son’s passing while in battle.

It was devastating news. You briefly met General Iroh right before he left for Ba Sing Se. He and Ursa had sat by the gardens drinking tea while you and Zuko fed some of the turtle ducks. He seemed such a warm and kind man, even showing you fire trick that made your eyes wide and gleam with wonder. That was your first real taste of fire-bending and a small flame ignited within as you hope that one day you could fire-bend like him. 

There was nothing but warmth when Ursa, Iroh and Zuko were together. Lady Ursa was so fond of General Iroh who would often treat her son like his own. Seeing all of them together made you so happy. You remembered inviting everyone for a tea party when Iroh returned from Ba Sing Se.

But General Iroh would never return to the fire nation - not until for while.

After Lu Ten’s death - everything changed.

------------------------

You awoke to the sound of your door creaking open, a small sliver of light filtering through. Sitting up and rubbing your eyes from sleep, you mumbled, “Mother?”

“Hush, child. I have to be quick.”

Eyes scanning the dark, your eyes finally refocused on your mother’s face that was in front of you. Reaching up to cup her cheek, you noticed that it was wet - she had been crying. A chill went down your spine. Your mom rarely cried for anything - she was one the strongest people you know. For her to cry…something really bad must’ve happened. “Is everything ok?”

There was a beat of silence before she whispered quietly, “Y-yes, my love. Everything is ok. Know that I love you no matter what happens and that I will always be with you.”

You tilted your head in confused but shoved it to the back of your head when you felt your body call back for sleep. “I love you too mother. I’m tired now, can I go back to sleep?” You ask with a yawn.

She chuckled lowly, tucking a hair behind your ear. “Yes my love. I hope your dreams are filled with cake and sweetness.”

You giggle and nod tiredly, “And we’ll have a tea party with you, Lady Ursa, and Zuko.”

Your eyes flickered shut and your mother looked at you with sadness. “Yes, my love. We’ll have a lovely tea party with everyone.” She kisses your forehead, whispers a goodbye, and turns to leave the room. She glances one last time at your sleeping form before looking at the doorway where Ursa stood with tears in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry Alina...to pull you into this.”

Alina, with tears falling from her eyes, takes Ursa’s hands and kisses the knuckles, noting the trembling hands. “You do not deserve this brutality and this life, my queen. Anything for you.”

Ursa trembles, more tears spilling from her eyes. “I hope our children will be shielded from this brutality. They do not deserve it.”

They hold hands one last time and Alina whispers, “For them.”

Ursa nods, “For our children.”

---------------------

A short while after, you awoke with the strangest dream. Your mother had come to your dream and something about tea parties. Yawning and stretching, you took note of your mother’s absence in the servant’s room. Your brows furrowed, your mother would have awaken you by now with a cup of hot tea and some gook she made for breakfast, but it was eerily quiet.

  “Mother?”

Silence.

A pang of fear washes over you. Something was wrong.

You got out of bed and rushed to put on your servant’s attire, which was just a simple red dress with the fire nation emblem on the chest. You ran through the halls looking for you mother, but the palace seems to be empty. Until you ran into Zuko and Azula. Azula scared you. She wasn’t kind or warm like Zuko, if anything she always seemed to be plotting and being mean, even though she was younger than you.

“Where’s Mom?” Zuko demands.

Azula shrugs nonchalantly. “No one knows. Oh, and last night, Grandpa pass away.”

You gasp quietly, hiding behind a pillar.

“Not funny Azula! And I want my knife back, now.” Zuko makes a grab for it, but misses when Azula steps away.

She waves the knife in front of him, and taunts, “Who’s going to make me? Mom?”

With hands fisted in anger, you move from your spot from behind the pillar and say. “You better stop that Azula, give the knife back to Zuko and tell us where Queen Ursa is!”

Zuko gasps and Azula sneers with a glare. “Go back to the kitchens, servant. You do not talk to me that way - wait. You’re Alina’s daughter right?”

You tremble, “Y-yes..why?!”

  She saunters over you, twirling the knife expertly as if she wasn’t an 8 year little girl. “Rumor has it that your mother murdered our Grandpa last night. Her trial should be over by now…”

You gasped. Your mother? Poisoned the Firelord? Eyes flashing, you snarl, "You're a liar!"

Azula glances at the clock and tuts with her tongue, smiling wickedly when the Firelor’s chamber’s doors opened with guards and fire mages walking out. Some had tears in their eyes, others looked angry. “Well good timing.”

The mages talked amongst themselves and as they walk passed you, but Azula was able to tug one of the mage’s sleeve and they stopped and bowed for her. “Oh dear fire mage, you must excuse me. Can you please tell me what happened in my father’s chambers?”

The mage shook with anger. “That lowly servant scum murdered our great leader. Oh Hail Firelord Azulon Her punishment is death.”

Coldness seeped through you as you saw Zuko’s eyes widen before turning his head to look at you. The mage quietly left, shaking his head while crying for the loss of their great leader.

“I wonder what they’re going to do with you - the traitor’s daughter.” Azula slowly and purposefully towards you, like a predator hunting their prey.

“We don’t want any traitors here.”

She continued to stalk towards you, your back meeting the pillar. Even though she was younger than you, she scared you. “You will get what you deserve, traitor.”

Azula sneered before spinning the knife in her hand and plunging the knife into your chest. ---------------

You gasped, springing out of bed while you clutched your chest.

  It was just a dream.

  Cold sweat had seeped through the bedsheets and you groan, shivering in your small apartment. You felt for your chest and, although the knife felt real, it was just a dream.

Pulling your knees to your chest, you silently wept.

  After hearing your mother’s crime and her punishment, you and the rest of your family - your father and younger brother - only saw her briefly one last time in her cell before she was whisked away. The punishment for traitors was death - and her death was a cruel one. You and your family, and the rest of the nation, were forced to watch her burn at the stake, her screams of agony and pain forever etched into your memory.

Soon after, the new Firelord ordered the banishment of your family. You didn’t even have time to say goodbye to your good friend Zuko. They had ripped you from him right before you left, screaming and crying for him while Zuko couldn’t do anything. 

Azulo told him that you were being taken to another palace to be a servant. It made him sad to see his friend go without even a goodbye. He locked himself in his room, crying gently as he wished for his mother’s warmth and your soft giggles as they played. 

It was the last time you would ever see each other.

You got out of bed, sighing when your feet met the cold tile floor, moving slowly to get started on boiling some water for tea and getting a pot of gook ready - just like what your mother had always made for you.

  Years passed and when you were 13, you learned of Zuko’s banishment - the reason unknown to you. There were rumors that the Firelord had branded his own son with a mark - a mark that you knew would come from an Agni Kai. 

This only solidified your opinion towards the Fire Nation at that age - the Fire Nation was hungry for greed and power and would use fire to threaten others into submission. When you were 13, you had nothing but hate towards the nation that burned your mother and destroyed your family. 

You remembered feeling sad for him, and thought about reaching out to him by sending a messenger hawk But would he even remember you? Zuko had never once tried to make contact with you so why would you reach out to him?

But was three years ago, and now, at 16, you could hardly remember your childhood friend’s face anymore.

  The past was a nightmare to you, one where you tried not to dwell for too long. You had made peace of what happened to you and your family a while ago, but certain things still haunted you. You were still angry, sure, but you had come to understand that there was nothing that you could have done.

  You thought that by forgetting your past, you could somehow make peace with it... ...but Destiny is a funny thing. And she had other plans for you.

[dragonotaku-justineverything]

In regards To the abandoned arc Au I’d like to see how jaunes family reacted to his uncle dumping him some where and if possible how they reacted once Jaune got to Argus with his team

(I decided to focus on keeping this more as an origin post. I can answer the “meeting in Argus” part in another ask though.)

(Angst and dark themes ahead. You have been warned)

Nicholas looked down at the bundled up blanket in his arms as he stood in a somewhat crowded hospital room. His wonderful wife was resting after she finally finished giving birth their eighth child, who was also their first son! 

When Nicholas and Juniper found they were expecting a boy, they nearly fainted from both joy and relief. Raising eight girls would have been an even bigger nightmare.

But after a long night, as the clock just ticked past 11:00 P.M., Juniper had finally given birth to their newest child Jaune.

Sadly, it wasn’t a picture perfect moment. Their poor boy….he had been born without his left arm. In the place where the limp was supposed to be was only a fleshy lump.

But that didn’t mean a damn thing to Nicholas, Juniper, any of his daughters, or Jaune’s grandparents. He was their family, no matter what he looked like, be it deformity or disability, they loved him and they would always love him. They all looked on with love as Nicholas held his child.

He looked down at the small face of the newborn in his arms. His first son…he finally had a son. He loved his daughters and wouldn’t trade them for the world, but he’d always dreamed of having a boy of his own. He knew Juniper did as well. When they got the news that this time their child was gonna be a boy, they felt over the moon!

Now, it was bittersweet. Their son had a hard life ahead of him with only one arm…. but maybe when he was older they could get him a prosthetic. Sure they were really expensive, but he could just take a few extra mission every now and then to save up for it! Though, Juniper might not like it. She was suppose to be retired, and she had been begging him since their first child to only take small, easy missions close to their home town if they needed any help to cover any unforeseen expenses. They had investments around their hometown for regular income.

A hand being placed on his shoulder drew Nicholas out of his overthinking mentality. Nicholas looked away from his son to trace the arm back to his older brother, David. They had the same build, both being broad shouldered and well muscled upper body overall. Though where Nicholas had a short, rough beard that was well trimmed, David had no facial hair whatsoever. His hair was also buzzed to contrast Nicholas’s shoulder length golden locks.

David spoke before Nicholas could ask anything. “Can I hold him?”

Nicholas smiled warmly as he nodded lightly. “Sure thing brother. Hold out your arms.”

David did just that and Nicholas carefully transferred Jaune’s sleeping form over into his brother’s arms. David looked like he was holding a glass bomb that was ready to blow at any second, but Nicholas only found that funny because that’s how he always looked whenever he held any of their children as babies. Somethings just never change. 

David didn’t have much time to look uncomfortable with Jaune though before the Arc family was interrupted by a nurse opening the door and stepping inside. “Excuse me, but we need to have your newborn moved to the maternity ward to be monitored for the night. I can take him there if you’d wish.”

“No need.” David was the one who answered. “I’ll take him there.”

Nicholas tried to intervene, thinking it was his duty to take his son. “Dav, you don’t-” 

“Stay with your wife Nick. She’s had a long night and needs her rest, and you need a break. I’ll get him where he needs to go.”

Nicholas looked his brother in the eyes before looking back at his disheveled wife in her hospital bed. She had two of their daughters laying down with her as they slumbered, but her full attention was on Nicholas and David. She gave her husband a slight, reassuring nod to show her agreement. Nicholas looked back to his brother and passed on the nod. “Okay.”

David turned around and offered a somewhat distracted, “I’ll be back.” and moved towards the nurse.

“Okay then, follow me sir.” Together, the two of them left the room, the door quietly clicking shut behind them.

Little did they know the nightmare that was about to happen.

After about 30 minutes of either silence or quiet small talk, the door opened again. The nurse from before came in. After she did a quick survey of the room, she started to become frantic. “T-that man. The one that followed me out of the room. Have you seen him?” 

Nicholas brow furrowed in confusion. “My brother David? Not since he left with you. Why?”

“O-oh dear.” Without another word, the nurse hurriedly walked out of the room once again.

Silence permeated the room. No one spoke a word as they all tried to understand what just happened. Before anyone came to a conclusion, the nurse returned through the open door, this time being accompanied by a handful of doctors and security staff. 

A man stepped forward. He was wearing a uniform and a utility belt so Nicholas knew this was a security guard. His graying hair showed that he was much older than the other guards. In a very serious voice, he asked, “Everyone, are you all absolutely certain that none of you have not seen the man that left with your child?”

Juniper’s tired voice spoke up from her bed. “Wha-? What’s going on?”

“The man that left with your newborn. Have you certainly not seen him since he left this room?”

“Are you talking about David?”

The nurse from before spoke up, “Yes, your brother, the one you gave your son to to follow me to the maternity ward.”

“N-no… we haven’t seen him since he left with you.”

The nurse rounded to face an older looking doctor. “Just like I said!”

“Michelle, calm down.”

Nicholas’s father, Alexander Arc, seemed have had enough being in the dark. “Will anyone please explain what the dust is going on?!” 

The guard was silent for a minute. Then he spoke in a flat tone, “We believe that your brother possibly le-”

Before the man could finish, another person walked into the room. It was David. He walked through the open door of the hospital room and paid no mind to all the sets of eyes that turned to look at him as he sat down in one of the cushioned chairs. Things weren’t silent for long as the same guard that had been speaking started giving out orders. “Michelle, go check the maternity ward again, Rick, go with her, radio me what you find.” The nurse and a security guard ran out of the room. “Vicky, go check the security cameras. If you see him leaving on any of them, radio in where.” A female security guard nodded and took off herself. The older man, now only accompanied by one other security guard, turned towards David. “Alright sir, where is he?”

David didn’t say a word. He just kept looking down at the floor. 

So instead, Nicholas spoke up. “Okay, for the last time. What is going on!?”

The security guard glared at David before turning to look at Nicholas. “Michelle, the nurse from before, told us that when these two reached the maternity ward, she’d just finished putting the ankle tag on your boy when she turned around for moment. She claims that when she turned, he was gone and the baby was nowhere to be found.”

“So what? Your saving my brother abducted my son?” That’s stupid, he’s right here. Tell him Dav.”

David once again said nothing. 

The radio on the guard’s shoulder ‘chhrk’d to life and a voice called through it. “Sir. The child in nowhere in the maternity ward.”

The guard leaned in towards his radio and pressed a button. “Roger.” The guard sent a David once again. “Tell us where the kid is. Now.”

Nicholas had enough of this. He stepped between his brother and the guard, holding up his hands towards both of them. “Okay, look. I’m sure this is all just a mistake. My brother wouldn’t do a thing to hurt my children. Tell him Dav.” Nicholas got no response. That prompted him to turn his head to face his silent brother. “David?”

David looked up finally, meeting his younger brother’s gaze. Then his lips parted and he finally spoke up. 

What he said horrified everyone in the room. “I did what I had to.”

…

…

Screams of surprise came from the people in the hospital hallway and lobby area as a wall exploded in a shower dust and drywall. Two bodies came sailing through the cloud of dust, one was tackling the other to the ground. Several dull ‘thuds’ were heard from the settling cloud. As the dust thinned, they saw exactly what was happening.

Nicholas was kneeling on top of David, his fists were raining down into his older brother’s face. Blood sprayed as his nose shattered. Aura be damned, Nicholas’s punched harder than a Ursa Major. 

David tried to fight back, throwing is own punch up at Nicholas. Nicholas caught the punch by David’s wrist. Without a second though, Nicholas hammered his free hand as a fist into his elbow, bending it inward and breaking it with an unforgivable ‘CRACK’.

David screamed in pain as his arm fell limply to his side. Nicholas slammed his hand down on the shattered elbow, getting another scream from his ‘brother’. With a look of absolute rage, he roared in the bleeding man’s bloodied face. “WHERE IS MY SON YOU BASTARD!?! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM!?!”

Through what was probably a broken jaw, a concussion, and pool of blood forming in his mouth, David sputtered out, “B-ba-ac…g-ga-targ.”

“WHERE!?!”

David had to swallow the blood pooling in mouth to speak again. “G-g-ta-age.”

Garage. Nicholas didn’t waste anytime jumping to his feet, accidentally knocking down the few people that had been trying to pull him off the man. Nicholas bolted off down the hallway.

As Nicholas’s thunderous footsteps grew quieter and quieter. Another sound was heard by the crowd that had gathered to see what all the commotion was. 

Juniper Arc sobbed openly into her hands. Her mother-in-law quickly stepped over and hugged the distraught mother into her shoulder. She wailed on as everyone watched.

Everyone except Alexander Arc. The old man walked forward towards his one....son. The man was now sitting up, but being detained by the security guards that had been in their room. The blood was no longer in his mouth and was instead running down his chin onto his shirt. “What have you done David...”

David looked up at his father. The cold stare that was staring him down was something he’d feared since he was a child. With his Aura finally kicking in to repair the damage Nicholas had done, he was able to speak a bit more clearly. “W-what needed to be done. That disfigured thing would only have been a disgrace to the Arc family.”

Alexander’s glare didn’t change. “No....the only disgrace to the family here is you. And you better pray Nicholas finds his son.”

...

The door into the hospital’s parking garage blew open as Nicholas slammed through it. “JAAAAAUNE!” He new his son couldn’t answer him, but he hoped for something. A cry, a gurgle, a cough, a sneeze. Anything that could help him find his son. 

Nicholas sprinted through the entire garage, looking around every corner and under everything. He kept calling out his name and asked everyone he saw, but no one had seen a child missing his left arm. Nicholas reached the last floor of the garage, and he hoped and prayed his boy would be here.

But he wasn’t. His son wasn’t here.

Nicholas fell to one knee on the concrete. Tears had started flowing sometime during his search, and they only flowed harder now. His son was gone. Somewhere out in this cold world all by himself.

Nicholas let out one last “JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUNE!!” before his voice cracked and he broke down, weeping into his hands. 

Jaune Arc, his son who he’d only had the chance to hold for a few measly minutes, was gone...

(This is probably the darkest thing I’ve ever written, but it was a nice change of pace.)

[wildflower-alex]

Chapter 3

note: hi guys, it's been a year, i think, since i last wrote something. i felt down these days and wanted to come back to my safe space. i read some of the smuts you guys have out there and let me tell you, they're perfect. feel free to double click on this if you want me to continue it. thanks xoxo

He was practically running whilst holding her hand. The wind was stroking his hair, now his curls running all over the place.

“Come on, you can do it!” he laughed it off.

They were running through the sand, near the water, so she tried to be careful and not get her sneakers wet. He held her palm tight into his, their fingers intertwined as she felt he had strong hands.

“I’m trying, I swear! I’m just trying to avoid to get my shoes wet” she then laughed.

“Ok” he said and stopped his running. He took a disappointed face and replied “You’re not doing that”.

“What do you mean? I will do that!”

“No, you won’t. Forget about your sneakers. Actually, if you care so much about them, I’ll buy you a new pair tomorrow, no questions asked” he replied.

Sonia took a look at him and suddenly started to laugh so hard she almost got on her knees.

“What?” he asked and started to laugh, too. “Am I a joke to you, Sonia?” he playfully asked.

Still giggling, she looked at him and swiped a tear from her eyes.

“Ok” she paused “not to be a brag, God no, but I struggled a bit too much to afford these sneakers and I think you would, too. But I get it, I’m gonna let myself be surprised” she concluded.

“How much are we talking about?” Calum asked.

“My monthly salary” se replied and he looked shocked.

He laughed it off and let her palm swing around her body. She looked at him, the way the moon hit his skin, his chest, the shadows that were forming on his face. He had strong features, his cheeks were chubby. He definitely looked good. And she understood why Christine tried to get his attention. His polka dot satin black shirt showed his hairless chest and the few tattoos he had. And his strong manly smell, his smell was carefully caressing his skin, something she loved about men.

“You don’t have to think about him, unless you really care” he then said.

She looked back at him and felt he knew something.

“If this is your vacation, then don’t let anyone ruin it. Keep you head high and let me be your entertainer for tonight, ok?” he asked. He then offered his palm and smiled at her. “You look beautiful, just so you know”

It was months since Sonia heard those words. It felt so odd to come from a complete stranger and not from Matthew. It felt strange to accept a compliment and, if she were to be honest, it felt strange that somehow she knew he sincerely said it. “Thank you” she replied. And as she smiled back at him she added “You look hot”. Calum chuckled as she reached to his hand and they started walking further.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Were are we?” Sonia asked as they we’re about to enter a villa down the shore. She then stopped walking and forced him to do the same.

“This is the surprise” Calum replied. “Come on, let’s get it”

“No” she said. As much as she enjoyed the walk, she was afraid to enter a stranger’s house. “No, I’m sorry, but I can’t”.

He looked confused, tried to say something, then it struck him. “Fuck… I’m sorry, I understand… You see, I’m not used to this, but I understand you” he said. “Look, we have another option. Behind this very fence there’s a bench, can you see it? It’s right under the light” and he pointed to a small bench inside the yard. “Is it fine?”

She looked over the fence and saw the bench and continued to think about it.

“No, forget it” Calum concluded. "We’ll stay right here, I’m gonna go grab some chairs, but please, at least wait in the yard, I’m not leaving you outside” he said. He took both her hands and kneeled before her, trying to make her laugh. “Please, please… Please?” he begged again.

She started to laugh and agreed to come inside the yard. He tried to ran on the stairs, but miserably failed and hurt his knee. Bot of them started to laugh again, as he was looking into her eyes and tried to open the front door. “Sorry, I told you I’m a little tipsy”.

“Calum?” she asked as he was about to open the door.

“Myeah” he turned around and responded.

“Here’s just fine, bring me something to drink, please” she said.

“Ok, honey eyes” he chuckled.

“What did you just call me?” she laughed.

“I’m tipsy, I have an excuse” he laughed again.

Inside the house, a slow music could be heard and some people we’re talking. She couldn’t help but wonder who this Calum was, what was he doing as a job. Was this house his? If it was, who the hell would invite a complete stranger to his house? And if it wasn’t, who would let anyone to bring strangers intro their houses? It was quite odd, and yet, Sonia felt a sudden relief. As she looked through the yard, she realized it was actually a garden, full of flowers, fruits, decorations and small bushes. In one corner, there was this small dog house and the name “Duke” was poorly painted on the front. “Duke” she said and laughed at the thought that it might be a big dog with a funny name. But, as she said the name, she realized where she was, while a small bubble of fur appeared from the inside of the house, stretched his paws and started to run towards Sonia. She laughed once again and laid on the grass, waiting for the little guy to come to her. She started to play with him, snuggle him and all the good things you should do with a dog.

The door opened and Calum was coming along with a tray and some drinks on it.

“Seems you got to meet Duke” he smiled at her.

“Yeah, he’s such a sweetheart. You know, I actually love dogs more than anything in the world”

“More than singing and general happiness?” he asked.

“Dogs ARE happiness. At least for me”

“Yeah, I agree. Duke is my whole happiness” he added.

“Duke’s yours? How cute is that?” and she started to rub on his belly.

“Here’s some drinks, these three have alcohol in it, these don’t, you choose. I’m gonna choose a non-alcoholic this time, I’m trying not to get too drunk”

“Well, I am trying to, so I’ll choose… this one” and she took a drink from the tray. She took a sip and exhaled, then looked and Calum again. He was busy petting Duke. She smiled at the thought that if a guy has a dog so small, then he must be a keeper. She then laid on her back where the grass looked bigger.

He looked at her and laid on his side, right behind her, looking at her face.

“What are thinking about?”

“Nothing, really. Just trying to find a constellation I know”

“Well, from here you can only see the Ursa Major. Can you spot it?”

“Hmm… not really… to be honest, I don’t even know it looks like”

“Look, is the one that looks like a cart” he said while pointing to some stars.

“Yes… I can see it now” she replied and then looked at him.

Calum put his hand down and looked at her, too.

“You look complicated” he said and reached for her face. His thumb slowly started to stroke her face and finally reached the arch of her lips.

“I am complicated by proxy. I wish I had more time to make up my mind” she replied.

“Make up your mind about.. me, too?”

“I already made up my mind about you, I just don’t know when to act” she replied.

“Do it now” Calum said. His eyes started to glisten once again under the light of the moon. “I promise I’m a gentle being” he added.

“I don’t trust you” she laughed it off and made him laugh, too.

His chuckle made him lay on his back and reach for her hand.

“I’m complicated as well”

“Why, cause you’re in a band?” she replied.

Calum quickly turned his head with a death stare in his eyes.

“How did you… You sneaky girl” he replied and started to laugh so loud even the soil started to tremble.

“Why else would you interrupt me finding your song?” she replied and continued to laugh with him.

He continued to laugh for a few moments, then looked at her again and reached for her hand. He grabbed it and slowly approached it to his lips, only for him to kiss the outside of her palm and then smiled at her. “I still want to taste your lips”

“I do, too, but now it’s not the time” she replied.

The door slammed open and screams could be heard from the inside.

“CAAALUUUMMM!” someone started to yell “Calum, come here to beat their asses!” the voice said.

“Whose asses?” he yelled back.

“Luke’s and Mike’s, of course, they suck at beer pong, I need my knight to win this war” the man added.

“Sure, Andy”

“Let’s go inside” Sonia said.

“You sure? I do not want you to feel forced”

“I’m not, I was testing you”

“That’s smart” he concluded.

Intro

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

[maple-writes]

WHG 15: Post Games 8

@concealeddarkness13 (thanks for Triel) (Only tagging you this time since I realize after I wrote this Indigo's side isn't super relevant to the overall plot lol)

###

Indigo went back to work a few days after Triel’s beating. Her rib still hurt like all hell when she moved in the wrong way but any longer and people would start to ask questions. It was exhausting though, more than usual, checking on her employees and ongoing projects with her side aching and Aurora all but breathing down her neck with how many times she’d tried to get her to come join her for dinner that week. After the last time she didn’t need to get drilled again. Thankfully Churi seemed to be giving her a little bit of space for now at least.

The last of her staff went home for the day and Indigo leaned back as far as she dared in her office chair. She should really be going home too, but she didn’t move. Even being back for a while now she was behind on reports and queries, and everything really. She could catch up at home but her stomach dropped just thinking about it. Who knew how Warren would be today, whether they’d be fine or in tears when she walked in the door. She groaned, draping an arm over her eyes. All she wanted to do was lie down and sleep but that wasn’t an option. Not here.

She glanced at the calendar on her desk. Right. On top of everything one of her favorite projects was going to be terminated tomorrow. Indigo pushed herself back up, wincing at the sharp ache in her side. The least she could do was check on the bird one last time.

Indigo’s footsteps echoed though the empty hall lit by dim running lights. The last staff to leave for the night must not have realized she hadn’t gone home. Not like she really needed the light to navigate by anyway. She’d gone this way more than enough times before now.

Scanning her card she slipped into the wing where the live specimens were kept. This late at night most were sleeping. Only some stirred when she passed their enclosures and even then they raised their heads just long enough to recognize her and go back to sleep.

The bird was no different. Indigo stopped in front of her enclosure. A clipboard hung on the door, marked with the file name Parrot Cross – Weapon Class ver. IV. The bird blinked away as Indigo unlocked the door and held out an arm.

“Ivy, come.” The bird fluttered down from her perch and landed softly on her arm. “Good girl.”

Indigo stroked the soft feathers along the back of her head, smiling when Ivy leaned into the touch. It was stupid, getting attached to any one of these mutts but there was something about this one. She was clever, clever enough to pick favorites and she didn’t think it evaded Snow how the bird seemed to obey her more eagerly than his peacekeepers. She sighed. By the time she gave it a nickname it was too late to not start to care for her.

“I know it’s late,” Indigo murmured as she stepped out of the enclosure with the bird. “But how about we go for a little walk?”

She nudged Ivy up onto her shoulder and brought her out of the wing and back through the abandoned halls. Passing under the lights her feathers shone bright colours. Even her claws, huge and sharp and hooked seemed to gleam. Her beak and the short claws at the edge of her wing shone less bright, more smooth and hardened to grip and tear. Ivy’s head swiveled as they passed doors and offices and posters hung on the walls. She’d never been out this way, out of the lab proper, and chattered excitement into Indigo’s ear.

“I know a place you might like.” She smiled up at the bird, looking down at her like she understood her every word. Her smile faded though when she remembered why she had her out in the first place. “It’s the least I can do for you. Let you stretch your wings a little bit.”

She stopped at her office for her bag and some files before taking Ivy to the lunch room that might have originally been planned to be a proper cafeteria. The room was wide with high ceilings and vent systems Ivy could hop around and perch on. Indigo closed the door behind them and released Ivy to explore. Massive wingbeats echoed through the empty room as she took off straight for the exposed pipes on the ceiling. She left her a moment to grab a little pouch of frozen berries from the freezer, tossing one for Ivy before sitting at one of the tables.

Ivy caught the berry mid-flight and Indigo smiled just a little before opening the file she brought with her. She put on some music to fill the silence but it didn’t seem to help. The words all blurred together and nothing stuck. Her mind wandered too far. Ever since Triel’s video she’d had to keep a closer eye on how her subordinates in Umbra Ursa were doing. If they found out she knew where Skyler was this whole time and didn’t go after him… There’d be mutiny. There was already something rumbling just under the surface, something she couldn’t put together. She’d been Ursa Major for a long time now. Long enough for ambitions to simmer. Then there was Aurora. If she found out about that video she would have her head, as if she wasn’t probably more than halfway there already.

Something moved in at the edge of the room and Indigo turned half-heartedly. None other than Triel stood cursing under her breath and staring. Indigo startled and dropped her paper.

Was she here to kill her? Indigo whistled to get Ivy’s attention and quickly signed “block” and pointed to the door. The bird swooped down and landed herself down to block the entrance. At least now Triel couldn’t make a quick getaway with Ivy at her back, even if she was here to finish what she started.

But Indigo didn’t get up. It wasn’t worth the ache it would bring. “Here to cause more problems?”

Triel crossed her arms. “I could ask you the same question.”

Fuck, she didn’t have the energy for this tonight. She leaned back in her chair and sighed up towards the dusty ceiling. “Really?” There was an edge to her voice, not enough to maim but enough. “This is mylab. Is it so strange I would be here?”

“You never stay this late. That’s why I specificallypicked this time.” How did she know that? Or better question, was it really that late already? “Do you really think I want to see your face right now?”

“There’s a very short list of people who genuinely want to see me so no, no I don’t think you want to see my face.” Did anyone? Did anyone really go out of their way to see her with no motive? Indigo huffed and shoved her papers away. “Especially after what you did to it last time.”

Triel smiled, the little shit. “Did you find the video I sent you amusing?”

She glanced at the mutt, eyes heavy and shoulders slouching. “No, not really.” Why lie? “Impressive you made it but you’re causing a lot of trouble for me right now.”

“Good. So, what horror are you working on right now?”

Indigo’s face fell and she gestured to Ivy. “Her?” That bird was hardly a horror. She paused a moment, lowering her voice when she continued. “She’s being destroyed tomorrow. She was meant for peacekeepers as aerial support but they said she didn’t perform correctly.” She raised her hands and signed “OK” to the bird, and she flew over to land in front of her and pluck a berry out of her outstretched hand.

She’d been there for part of the preliminary work between Ivy and one of Snow’s units. Whatever they taught to peacekeepers these days it wasn’t what made for an effective handler. How could they be confused why the bird didn’t seem eager to perform when there was no reward for her, and all her orders were shouted and given by force instead of any attempt at cooperation? Indigo clenched her teeth. She��d watched a peacekeeper give an unclear order and yell at her, and another strike her out of frustration.

“It’s bullshit.” Indigo spat. “They wanted something semi-autonomous and didn’t like it when it displayed autonomy and bit someone who handled her roughly.” Not to mention when she made her own decisions, adjusted her orders by what she saw. What they wanted was a robot, not a mutt. Ivy was nothing but effective with just a little respect.

Triel inched a little further into the room and signed “come,” to the bird and held out an arm.

Ivy cocked her head a moment but in the next she obeyed perfectly. A few wingbeats and she landed on Triel’s forearm. She shifted, careful not to break the skin with her talons and Indigo had to swallow against the bitterness in her mouth. If only Snow’s forces were as competent as some unpredictable teenaged girl and maybe Ivy would have stood a chance.

“That sounds familiar.” Triel growled, looking from the bird to Indigo before taking a deep breath but it didn’t seem to get rid of the anger in her voice. “You’re not trying to convince me of anything right now, so you don’t have to tell me bullshit anymore: Where is Churi holding my crew?”

Was that what she was here for? “I told you the truth. They got out and I don’t know where they are now.” As far as she knew Churi and the others hadn’t the slightest idea either but Triel didn’t seem the type to just take her word for it. Indigo leaned down to her bag and pulled out her bottle of wine and a little travel cup, thankful she’d thought to bring it with her. “I don’t have any need to lie to you. I’d tell you if I knew.” She opened the bottle and poured herself a cup, set the bottle down and nodded towards the side of the room. “There might be a glass in the cupboard there if you want some.” If Triel was having a night anything like hers, she’d appreciate a drink.

Triel took her up on the offer, grabbing the first glass she saw and filling it up with Indigo’s wine. She downed the first glass all at once and poured a second as Ivy shuffled off her arm and onto the table. Indigo slouched in her chair, heart falling just a little. It couldn’t have been easy being her right now.

“I call bullshit on that because what about—” her voice cracked, “about Shine? That was their decoy phone. So, you had to have known where they were to have that.”

Indigo raised her cup to her lips and took a long, slow sip. She let her eyes wander from Triel to Ivy as she sat and preened on the table. What should she say? That Shine was alive and well? But she couldn’t, not if she wanted to keep Triel in line and by extension further out of Churi’s wrath.

This was for her own good. “They were alone. The whereabouts of the others are still unknown.” Maybe it would help, just a little, to know the others were safe.

Triel’s grip on her cup tightened, knuckles white as her voice wavered. “Why did you have to kill them? You—you told me you could use them. And that would have been hell, but at least they would have been alive. At least I would have been able to do something.”

She choked and Indigo couldn’t bring herself to look. “I’m sorry, Triel.” It was the closest she could come to telling her the truth. “Others got to them first and by the time I got there the best I could do was make it quick.”

“Did you know that the Capitol has a person who can magically heal wounds, even though it makes them hurt so much worse?” Anger shook her words. “I do, because that’s what they’ve used to keep my magic in check.” She slammed her now empty glass down the table hard enough to make Ivy twist her head in surprise. “So, I call bullshit on that.”

Indigo clenched her teeth and jutted forward. “What do you want me to say?” She snapped. “Would you rather I took Churi’s approach and beat them to death? Or cut them up over and over for whatever wizard to patch them up to do it again?”

“If they wee still alive, I could save them.” Triel stood and signed “come,” to Ivy, glaring down at Indigo as the bird landed on her arm. “And if you fucking touch any of my friends again, you’ll get worse than just a bruised face. You piece of shit. I’m taking Mina before you can destroy another life.”

Mina? “Her name is Ivy.” Indigo glared, anger rising more than she would have liked but it was gone too quick, replaced by something heavier, colder, and she leaned back. Destroy another life. It was true, wasn’t it? “She’s an omnivore, and she likes berries.” She whispered and tried to loosen the vice around her throat but now, tonight, there wasn’t much she could do to stop it even as she tossed Triel what was left of the berry pouch.

She’d take care of her. If she could keep crewmates loyal enough to risk their lives for her she could be trusted to treat Ivy fairly.

Triel nodded, catching the bag in one hand. “I’m taking Ivybefore you can destroy another life.”

She left, the door shut, and it was just her again. Hunching forward to rest her head in a propped up hand she hardly heard the low music anymore, staring down at the plain tabletop. She should be grateful for Triel showing up like that, in the nick of time and taking Ivy somewhere safe but… The ceilings towering high above and the dozens of empty tables around her but it was her own fault. Triel was right.

Enough. Indigo forced herself to sit up again. She opened her file again, turned her music up and tried again. If she could push everything else aside, she could get this done. She just had to focus.

[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) pt24

GOOD EVENING GUYS GALS AND NONBINARY PALS!!!!! i hope u are having a good day. :) 

pt1

pt23

pt25

(Y/N) stormed down through the palace, her dress billowing behind her as she walked. The stone cold look on her face alerted the servants that she was on a war path and it was best to leave her alone. Whatever the Fire Lord had gotten himself into, he surely deserved it. 

It was relatively early in the morning when (Y/N) opened her bedroom door to find Ursa holding a sleepy Kiyi in her arms. The previous Fire Queen gave her a stressed smile. “Noren and I wanted to go out into town today. Do you think you could watch her?” (Y/N) nodded quickly. 

“Of course! Today’s my day off.” She bent down so she was eye level with the little girl. “Do you want to have fun with me today, Kiyi?” The little girl sheepishly turned into her mother’s neck. 

“She’ll warm up to you,” Ursa promised, before handing her daughter to (Y/N). “Thank you so much, (Y/N).” She smiled. 

“Anything for you.” Kiyi squirmed in her arms as Ursa walked away, obviously very uncomfortable with being left alone with her. (Y/N) set her on the ground and took her hand. 

“Would you like to go see the turtle ducks?” Kiyi looked up at her and nodded eagerly. They walked to the pond and one of the servants gave them grapes to feed to the animals. She and Kiyi took turns throwing their grapes in. The little girl gave a small giggle every time a turtle duck ate her grape. 

“What would you like to do next?” (Y/N) asked once they had finished feeding the turtle ducks. Kiyi put a tiny finger on her chin and looked up at the sky as she thought. 

“Dolls!” She exclaimed. (Y/N) picked her back up and they walked into the palace and to Kiyi’s room. Zuko had ensured that his little sister would be absolutely comfortable while she stayed in the palace, so he had her pick all of the toys she liked from in town and brought them back into her room. She was incredibly spoiled, but she was so sweet that she deserved it. 

(Y/N) sat on the floor with Kiyi and played dolls with her. She couldn’t remember playing with dolls in her own childhood. She had received them as gifts, but her mother would put them in a case, claiming that they were too pretty to be played with. Azula had been her only other friend beside Zuko, and neither were very interested in playing with dolls. 

“There you are,” Zuko said as he poked his head into the room. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” 

“Zuzu!” Kiyi cheered, standing up and running over to her brother. She hugged his legs. 

“Kiyi!” Zuko cheered back, picking her up and taking her into his arms. (Y/N) smiled at the sight. “What have you and (Y/N) been up to?” 

“Dolls!” She turned herself to point at the toys. 

“And we fed the turtle ducks,” (Y/N) stood to join the two. “And now it’s time for a nap, I think!” 

“No!” Kiyi groaned, flopping over in Zuko’s arms. He started tickling her, causing her to erupt into giggles. He tossed her into (Y/N’s) arms, who tossed her gently into bed. 

“I’ll read you a story and then you gotta go to sleep, okay?” Kiyi gave a small sigh and nodded. Zuko leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead. 

“We’ll have extra fruit tarts for dessert if you take your nap,” He whispered. The smile on her face was wide and bright and it absolutely melted (Y/N’s) heart. “I’ll see you later,” Zuko said to (Y/N) before leaving the room. She knelt by Kiyi’s bed and began reading her the story about the first firebenders. 

As Kiyi fell asleep, a servant knocked at the door. (Y/N) got up quickly and rushed outside so that Kiyi wouldn’t wake up. She smiled pleasantly at the servant. “Can I help you?” 

“This came for you today,” The woman said as she handed her a scroll. (Y/N) gave her an approving nod to dismiss her. 

As she read, she clenched the paper in her hands. Ren had written her a goodbye letter that stated that Zuko had banished him and his father from the Fire Nation. “I think I made him jealous,” Ren wrote, “Because I was taking your time away from him.” (Y/N) tried her best to hold in the hot, angry tears that formed as she read his letter. 

(Y/N) missed Katara a lot. Throughout their adventures together, Katara had become her best friend and the person she told absolutely everything to. Every hope, every dream, everything she ever felt seemed to flow out of her mouth and straight to Katara. Their relationship wasn’t one-sided either. (Y/N) was the first person from the Fire Nation that Katara had ever liked. She showed her that not everyone should be held accountable for the decisions of their nation. The two girls grew up in completely different lives, but their bond was strong. She hadn’t seen Katara in a few months, which was the longest span of time they had gone without seeing each other. Today, (Y/N) felt that she really needed Katara, or else she might kill Zuko. 

She crumpled the note in her hands and threw it down the hall. Katara would tell her to get both sides of the story before making any rash decisions. But Katara, unfortunately, wasn’t there. 

(Y/N) stormed down through the palace, her dress billowing behind her as she walked. The stone cold look on her face alerted the servants that she was on a war path and it was best to leave her alone. Whatever the Fire Lord had gotten himself into, he surely deserved it. 

As she walked up to the doors of the throne room, the guards stationed out front held a hand up to stop her. “You must request an audience before speaking with the Fire Lord,” one guard said. (Y/N) squinted her eyes up at the guard. She hated using her position as leverage against people, but she had no choice at the moment. 

“I’m (Y/N), Fire Lord Zuko’s most trusted advisor. I need to speak to him immediately.” 

“But--” The other guard said. (Y/N) whirled to face him. 

“What do you think the Fire Lord would say if he knew you delayed me?” The guards looked at each other before parting to let her through the doors.

Zuko sat on his throne, drinking a steaming cup of tea. He smiled when he say her. 

“Oh, hi.” (Y/N) stared at Zuko, crossing her arms over her chest and glowering up at him. 

“Do you have anything you want to tell me?” She demanded. Zuko opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him. “You had no right to banish Ren and his father the way you did. And for what reason? Were you upset that I was paying more attention to him than I was to you?” 

“That’s not it.” 

“Why, Zuko? Why throw him out? What did he do to you?” 

“He didn’t do anything to me--” 

“Then tell me why you banished him!” She shouted. She could feel the fire building inside of her. Her body was itching to release it. She couldn’t understand why Zuko would do this to her. She had seen him be jealous before, but she never thought he would be capable of hurting her like this. 

“Because he was using you!” Zuko yelled. The flames at his side soared to the ceiling. Their force blew a blast of hot air into (Y/N’s) face. “He was planning to gain your trust so that he could use you to get to me.” 

She shook her head furiously. “You’re lying. He wouldn’t do that.” Zuko stood and walked down the steps to get closer to her.

“He was doing it! The whole reason he even befriended you in the first place was so that you could help sway my decisions in their favor.” His statement felt like a stab in the heart to (Y/N). She didn’t want to believe him. She didn’t want to believe that the person she had opened up to so easily was just using her the entire time. 

Her eyes welled with tears. “You’re wrong!” 

“Fine! Believe the Earth Kingdom boy over me, see if I care. You can join him if you’d like.” Zuko turned around to walk back to his throne, but stopped as soon as he heard her sobs. When he looked back at her, her face was buried in her hands. She tried her hardest to suppress her cries, but it was no use. (Y/N) knew Zuko was telling the truth. She knew Zuko like she knew herself. He had never lied to her before and would have no reason to start now. But his honesty hurt. (Y/N) had told Ren things that she had only ever told those closest to her. To think that he was only using her to further his own political advantages broke her heart. The feeling of being used was new, but she hated it. 

“Hey,” Zuko said softly, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. “I didn’t mean it. I don’t actually want you to leave. I just got upset.” She continued to cry, so he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Sit with me.” He led her up the steps to his throne and sat her down. He was right at her side, pouring her a cup of tea. 

She finally calmed down enough to speak. Her body still shook with leftover sobs, but she tried her best to contain them. “I can’t believe I couldn’t tell.” 

“He was a pretty good actor.” 

“You saw right through him.” She turned to Zuko. Her eyes were still shiny with tears. “When you first met him. How’d you know?” 

“I thought he was a little too confident for someone standing in the presence of the Fire Lord.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes. “I’m serious! He was too bold. I saw your face when he called himself your boyfriend. I knew something had to be up.” 

(Y/N) sipped her tea slowly. It wasn’t as good as Iroh’s, but it would do. “Why would he use me?” 

“He probably read up on us and knew how close we are.” 

“Yeah, but I can’t even convince you to get out of bed on time. What made him think that I could force a political agenda on you?” 

“(Y/N), if you asked me to move a volcano for you, I’d figure out how to do it.” 

“That’s too easy,” She said with a smile. “All you’d need are earth and firebenders.” Zuko rolled his eyes. 

“You get the point. I’d do absolutely anything for you. He figured that out.” 

(Y/N) stared at Zuko for a long time. She had memorized practically every inch of his face. From his amber eyes to the deep red color of his scar, Zuko was etched into her mind like a stone carving. Ren was the distraction that she had needed to keep her mind off of Zuko. But he was gone now, and so she had nothing to keep her from pining for him. 

“I think maybe I should take a vacation,” She said quietly, turning back to stare at her cup. “A few weeks or something. I could stay with Katara or Toph. Probably Katara, because I don’t think Toph has any beds.” 

“If that’s what you want,” Zuko said. A sad smile graced his features. 

“You could invite Mai to stay in the palace while I’m gone, so you don’t get so lonely.” Zuko turned away. “What? What’s wrong?” 

“Mai and I aren’t together anymore. We haven’t been since before I found my mother.” 

“You didn’t tell me that.” 

“You and I hadn’t exactly been the best of friends before I left.” (Y/N) frowned. So he had noticed her distance. He was quiet for a few moments, and then asked, “I thought things were going well for us. Then it was like you were pushing me away.” 

“I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I just couldn’t handle it.”

“Handle what? Me being me Fire Lord?” She shook her head. “Being back here?” 

“No, it’s not that at all.” She felt her mouth become dry all of a sudden. She should do it. She should just tell him everything. 

“I couldn’t handle being around you and Mai.” 

“Me and Mai? Why?” 

“Do I have to lay it all out for you?” She felt hot. The room was big, but she felt so confined. “I love you, Zuko. I loved you when were kids, I loved you when we were enemies, and I loved you when you were dating Mai. So that’s why I couldn’t be around the two of you.” 

(Y/N) could feel Zuko’s eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. The silence only increased the embarrassment of the moment for her. She felt like running away. 

“You’re an idiot.” (Y/N) whirled to stare at him, her mouth open in shock. 

“Excuse me?” 

“How was I supposed to know that’s how you felt if you never told me?” 

“I thought it was pretty obvious.” 

“No, it wasn’t! You’re not the open book you think you are. You literally fought me in an Agni Kai, how was I supposed to know you loved me?” 

“I saved your life!” 

“You saved lives like every day! How was I supposed to be different?” (Y/N) opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it. Perhaps he was right. She hadn’t really given him any indication of how she felt about him. She huffed and crossed her arms, turning away from him. 

Zuko put his hand on her cheek, turning her head to look back at him. He stroked his cheek with her thumb. She closed her eyes tightly to brace herself for the impending rejection. 

Instead, ever so softly, she felt Zuko’s lips press to hers. Her fingers wrapped around the fabric of his robes, trying to pull him closer but not quite sure if she should hold back. 

When they pulled away, (Y/N) opened her eyes quickly, searching Zuko’s face for any sign of remorse. Instead, he smiled at her. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” 

“Why didn’t you?” 

“Well, you’re kind of scary.” (Y/N) giggled. “And I thought that after everything that happened, there would be no way for me to have a chance with you.” Zuko kissed her forehead, each of her cheeks, and then her nose. (Y/N) couldn’t help the smile that took over her face. “I love you, (Y/N). Always have, always will.” 

She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. So many terrible things had happened to them during their lives. But in this moment, if she had to relive it all over again, (Y/N) wouldn’t change anything. 

[enithinggoes]

Wanderer’s Refuge, chapter 5: A haven, found

The crew was finally reaching the original destination of their journey, non-specific as it was. They were finally approaching the sea.

After the close call near Sunhill, Lawrence told them it would probably be unwise to land too near to any towns, especially big ones, if they intended to stay more than just one day, the others all agreed, and so they looked for a beach hidden off the beaten path, but not too far so it would be possible to go get supplies on foot once in a while.

This led to a thin beach off a cliff face at the extreme west of the country. It was the early evening by the time they left the train and the girls were all excited to explore their new surroundings, this was the first time any of the three of them saw the sea, after all.

The symmetrical stars, shining as bright in the sky above as in the sea below them were a sight to behold. Lilith excitedly rode Floof into the sea, splashing around and trying to drink some water before quickly spitting it out after feeling the taste of salt water.

Ursa gently wheeled Agatha through the sand, taking her to the border where the foam of the waves barely reached her feet close to the sand, Agatha pulled Ursa close and timidly whispered a request, which Ursa answered by simply smiling and picking her girlfriend up in a princess carry and slowly walking into the sea, going deeper into the water until Agatha was able to start swimming with her arms, just floating upright on her own, though Ursa still held onto her in case anything happened.

The feeling of being able to move just with her own body and muscles was overwhelming, so much it almost made Agatha cry right then and there. She laughed out loud, a joyous, contagious laughter that infected Ursa and then Lilith, who came bounding over on Floof and started splashing the other two girls with water.

Agatha and then Ursa fired back, soaking the two heads of Floof and the bottom of Lilith’s dress, this started an all out water war, which rapidly escalated until Floof was using it’s huge paws to make big waves, Ursa was creating big jets of water using burst of steam and Agatha had somehow made a big water gun that used a metal piston. All of this use of magic would be considered extremely dangerous and frightening anywhere else, but here the group knew none of them would hurt the others.

Lawrence just sat on the sand and smiled contentedly. He soaked in the feeling of being entirely safe and unobserved, as he laid on his back and stared at the stars, he knew that this was freedom, real freedom, not being locked to a position or forced to keep running at all times, just being allowed to stay and breathe for a while, with time all to themselves.

This moment of tranquility was interrupted by the quiet sound of sandals in the sand, startling Lawrence for a second and making him sit up and turn as fast as he could.

In front of him stood a woman in a green jacket with a blue handkerchief around her neck and small, round black glasses on the bridge of her nose. She crouched down in front of the alarmed Lawrence and gave him a gentle wave. “Easy there, kid, I’m not a cop. Just wanted to know what brought you lot to this beach.”

“We… walked here, we’re journeying to the next town over.” Lawrence answered in a hurry, he hated telling a bad lie, it hurt his pride in his work, this is one of the things he’s supposed to be good at!

The woman rolled her eyes and adjusted her glasses. “Alright, maybe I wasn’t clear, I know what brought you here, It was the flying train,” she pointed to the Wanderer’s “what I really wanna know is why you’re here. This isn’t the most popular beach you know?”

“Well there’s not a lot a lot of places you can take a flying train these days.” Ok, she knew about the Wanderer’s, not very surprising, but if she didn’t seem hostile now she probably wasn’t too against magic, still, best to keep your guard up. “What are you doing here? Who even are you?”

“I live here, you can come by if you want” The woman gestured to the cliff behind her, looking closer Lawrence could see there was a cave in the rocks, “And I’m doctor Alexandra Keys, pleasure to meet you.”

Lawrence stood up, dusting off the sand from his suit and regaining a bit of his composure before shaking Alexandra’s hand. “Lawrence, and the pleasure is mine. Let me call the others over. Fellas! There’s someone you should meet!”

The rest of the Wanderer’s crew came over, approaching cautiously, this person could be a threat, and they’d been lax in hiding their abilities since they came here.

“These are Agatha Clarke, Ursa Martin and Lilith Hughes. Gang, this is Alexandra Keys, she seems fine with us and lives inside the cliff.”

“If any of you are injured, I’d be happy to help. Also, I’m very interested in those machines of yours.” Alexandra turned to Agatha.”I’ve been researching the applications of sorcery in daily life and it looks like you’ve really figured out how to use it to improve your daily life.”

“Yes! I’ve been learning a lot recently and I believe that sorcery can adapt to a person’s needs and wills, it “knew” my desire for mobility and evolved to accommodate me.” Agatha beamed as she spoke of what she knew.

“Fascinating, I’ve often wished for supernatural healing abilities of some kind, but those haven’t manifested.” Alexandra’s head hung low for just the smallest moment.

“What are your abilities, doctor? Have you been able to use them effectively in your daily life?” asked Agatha excited.

“Well I’ve gained some mobility too, and I can also use it as a sterile tool in my work.”

Ursa chimed in “speaking of which, how did you get down here, can you fly or something? Or are you just incredibly skilled at climbing those rocks?”

Alexandra gave Ursa a cheeky smile before raising her hand and answering “Yes I do climb... The stairs!” she snapped her finger dramatically and about 50 light blue constructs made of something that didn’t seem to be any known material appeared parallel, arranging themselves neatly into a staircase, they were perfectly horizontal just floating in the air, and seemed so thin they were almost entirely two dimensional.

“That’s so cool!” Said Lilith, less concerned with the mechanics of the sorcery than the spectacle.

“Very interesting, I’ve never heard of magic taking the form of matter that isn’t analogous to anything outside it, the closest parallel I can find at the moment is some form of blue glass,” commented Agatha.

“My ability is “command force”, I believe it relates to my academic background in allowing me to manipulate objects with minimal unwanted effects using non-conductive, sterile, mostly transparent tools that are very precise,” Hypothesized Alexandra.

“So, what do you do around here, lady? This isn’t exactly a hospitable place to live.” Ursa raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes just a little.

“Well, I’m sure you know the country doesn’t have the most positive outlook on sorcery or, well, doctors like me,” the woman gestured to her dark skin and long curly hair, “so I come out here to do my research and treat anyone who comes by. I think I’ve actually started to get a reputation around outlaws and runaways from the area, no questions, they just come in, cure what ails them and go.”

“Could we come live with you and help, big lady?” Lilith asked something the rest of the group had already thought, but felt unsure about saying to the doctor, who really was significantly taller than any of them.

“Sure! I’d love to have a few helping hands around, and I’m anxious to know what you kids can do.” Alexandra smiled warmly and gently rubbed Floof’s heads. The crew felt reassured, a part of them that most of them would like to hide still felt safer having a real adult looking out for them.

[kawaiichibiart]

I considered it. And fuck it.

Little Mermaid AU. One-sided Yueka and endgame Sukka. The 100 year war ended early, though I'm considering making it a no war AU, in which case, things will be revised to fit.

And no, this isn't based off Disney's The Little Mermaid, Disney's The Little Mermaid can go suck an ass.

The Little Mermaid - Yue

The Prince - Sokka

The Princess - Suki

The sea witch - Zhao

Let's start this off with one thing. Yue will die. If you've read the original story of the Little Mermaid, you know she died.

Yue is the daughter of the Chief of the NWT, a tribe of merfolk who live, well, in the North. Unlike the SWT, where everyone was fully human.

Yue had never once gone to the surface, but on her 18th birthday, she was deemed ready to go. And so, she was prepared.

Going to the surface was a grand occasion for them, as they spent their entire lives underwater.

It was nighttime by the time she was ready. And so, in the dead of the night, she went up to surface. The moon was full and a ship was nearby that she could see it, but not nearby enough that anyone on it could see her.

Yue decides that she wants a closer look and swims over, keeping under the water as to be undetected.

It's then that she sees a young man, not much older than she should be, on the ship. He's smiling and laughing. A young girl pulls him by the arm into a dance of sorts. The two are laughing and enjoying themselves. And Yue yearns for that.

She's an only child.

She doesn't have many friends.

She's...lonely.

And then, the storm hits. And Yue watches as everyone on board runs for the smaller boats attached to the larger ship.

She watches as the younger girl is put into a boat and held back as she screams for the boy.

She watches as he tries to make his way over, only to be thrown over board by a loose pole.

The girl and two men scream the boy's name, Sokka, and the girl holds her hands out.

She's a bender.

But the SWT had no other benders. She didn't have the training. She was trying to use her bending to get the boy out, but she was struggling.

And Yue went under the water, looking around. She could still hear the young girl scream, crying for Tui and La to save the boy, her brother.

And she sees him. His eyes closed and he seems suspended.

She swam over, grabbed him, and pulled him to the surface.

Both tribes enjoyed their travels, and often time, when merfolk were to go to the surface, they would head the island of Kyoshi before returning to the North Pole. Yue heard of the greens of the island, of the legendary Unagi. She heard of the Kyoshi warriors.

And the island was close enough that she could get Sokka there. He would be found and helped and he could send word to his sister that he was okay.

It's nearly dawn by the time she gets to Kyoshi Island. But she gets there and drags Sokka onto the sand and leaves him there. She hides nearby as she sees a young group of girls walking over. One of them spots Sokka and runs over. She's looking over him, and Yue can't hear her, but some of the other girls run off, likely to get help.

And then, he starts to move. Yue watches as the girl helps him up and she and the rest of her group lead him away.

Needless to say, her father isn't happy to hear of this. Even if he was from a Water Tribe. Tui and La must of meant for him to fall overboard.

But Yue can't stop thinking about him. She wanted to know more about Sokka. To have a life on the surface. To see the moon without risking being seen and fearing for her life.

And one day, she meets the Sea Witch, Zhao.

Zhao, who was once an Admiral of the Fire Nation. Dragged into the sea where he was turned into a spirit. He would grant anyone a wish for a price.

She heard that he did it because he was eager to take and to take. That he had tried to kill his own Prince while he was at sea.

She heard that he tried to kill the moon spirit, but someone stopped him. Some say it was the very Prince he tried to kill, some say it was a young airbender. And some say it was La himself.

Either way, Zhao was punished to spend his life underwater, his inner fire struggling.

And knowing the risks, she went to him anyways, and asked him to grant her one wish. To make her human.

And he did, at the price of not just her voice, but her life.

It would be a painful experience, but if she could get Sokka to fall in love with her, she would remain a human. But if he fell for someone else, she would turn into seafoam. In other words, she would die. She had no time limit. Just to make Sokka fall in love with her.

And she accepted his terms.

And she felt it. She felt excruciating pain and swam to the surface. She's struggling to stay up.

And she hears someone call out. She's not sure who, but eventually, a rope is thrown to her. She grabs it and is pulled onto a ship, a blanket thrown over her. Her coughs are silent and she looks up.

He's here.

Sokka is here.

And he's asking if she's okay. She opens her mouth to reply, before remembering and nodding. He seems quick to realize and asks if she can speak, and she shakes her head. He then tells her not to worry, that his sister, Katara, might be able to help. She was a healer after all.

And in the mean time, she could stay with them. They were headed to the Fire Nation. Her surprise must of been obvious, because Sokka laughs and waves it off. Something about a peace treaty being offered by the current leader.

Last Yue heard, Firelord Ozai was a tyrant. Why would he want peace?

But it meant she could spend time with Sokka.

She spends time with both siblings. Katara was unable to help her with her voice, and writing wasn't too common in the NWT, at least, not with ink.

Katara summed it up to some memory loss. Likely a result of whatever lead her to be in the middle of the ocean. And so, she teaches her.

That's how they learn her name.

It's nice to hear them say her name. Both usually filled with joy. She wasn't lonely anymore.

Katara gave her some of her clothes, something Yue was grateful since she didn't have any of her own.

Weeks went by by the time they got to the Fire Nation, where they were welcomed not by Firelord Ozai, but by Firelady Ursa.

Ozai was nowhere in sight.

When asked by the chief, Firelady Ursa said her husband has passed not too long ago, and she decided to take up the throne until her son was old enough. He was technically already crowned Firelord, but he was only 16, and she refused to let him rule a nation while he was still a child.

So, while Ursa lead the men to a meeting room, she asked a servant to take her, Sokka and Katara to the gardens. It was likely there that her son would be. They could keep each other company.

And he was. Katara was the one to speak up first and the Prince stammered as he greeted them. His name was Zuko and Yue found him a bit endearing. He had a scar on his face and he gave her a soft smile when Katara told him she couldn't speak. He admitted he was partially blind and deaf on his scarred side and that he suffered from tremors due to being struck with lightning by his father.

He said it so casually, but it was shocking. How was he alive?

He also warned them about his sister, Azula. He loved her, don't be mistaken, but she got...protective of him after he was struck by lightning. He believed it was due to him constantly being the one to try and protect her, and she wanted to show him that she could protect him and didn't need him to protect her. That she was stronger, and he was weaker, so it was clear who protected who.

Yue stays away from Azula when she's near. She's actually pretty scary.

The Peace Treaty seems to be going well, as members of the Earth Kingdom arrive. And so does an airbender named Aang.

Yue smiled, remembering her first night at the ship. It felt like it here. Men and women talking while children laughed and ran around.

She spotted Azula with two girls.

She saw Aang and Katara dancing together.

She even saw a small girl in green go up to Zuko and punch him. She thought Zuko would get mad, but he laughed and punched her back. She didn't say anything as the two snuck out.

She would later learn her name was Toph Beifong, and she and Zuko were siblings no matter what anyone else said.

Things seemed to go well, she was enjoying herself. And then, Sokka walked over with another girl.

The girl from Kyoshi Island. And he introduced her as the one who saved him.

Her name was Suki.

And she insisted that all she did was find him on the beach and got him medical help. Anyone would of done that.

But he insists that he opened his eyes and saw her, his saviour.

And how he could never forget the girl who not only saved his life, but taught him to respect women and to be a better person.

He loved her. Sokka loved Suki.

And Yue was heartbroken.

Because as much as she said it was nothing, clearly, Suki loved Sokka as well.

The day comes that they have to leave the Fire Nation.

But before they do, Sokka presents Suki with a betrothal necklace. He tells her that it isn't really a tradition in the SWT, but moreso a family tradition. His grandmother started it.

He didn't know it, but Yue heard stories. Of a young mermaid who asked to be human in order to escape. And she was turned into a human.

Only the NWT gave betrothal necklaces.

And she could only hold back her grief as Sokka tied the necklace around Suki's neck.

The two were happy. Congratulations were given to the couple.

That night, while everyone is asleep, Yue stays on deck.

They were headed back to Kyoshi Island, where they would restock before going South.

The moon was bright but brought little comfort to her.

And she heard her name being called. She spotted one of the few friends she had from the NWT.

Her hair was cropped and her arms were burned, but in her hand was a knife.

She had gone to Zhao as well.

She wanted her best friend back.

And in order for that to happen, he had to break their contract. So, he gave her a knife to give to Yue. And Yue was to kill Sokka and have his blood spilt onto her, she would become a mermaid again and no longer have to worry. A wave brings the knife to her. And she looks at it, contemplating.

When she gets to Sokka's and Suki's room, she sees them hugging each other in their sleep.

And she can't do it.

So she runs.

She runs and she runs, ignoring anyone who calls out to her.

She throws the knife into the ocean, where it dissolves, before throwing herself over.

She's sinking, but all she can think of is how she finally felt happy.

She began to turn into foam, when a voice called out to her.

Tui.

Yue had been given a chance to chase happiness, to chase a life not her own, and to give her life, so the one person she loved could be happy.

And so, Tui came with an offer.

For Yue to become the Moon Spirit.

She would have to work for it.

But it meant she wouldn't just become seafoam. She would be able to watch over them. Over him.

And closing her eyes, she accepted it.

If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything, when on the night of Sokka's and Suki's wedding, the moon shone brighter.

.

.

.

.

Some side notes:

1. As much as I like Iroh taking the throne, I wanted Ursa to be the one to take charge of the Fire Nation. She has a better relationship with her kids, and under her disguise of Noriko during her banishment, she wrote to her children.

It's when Azula writes to her telling that Ozai hurt Zuko, that she returns.

She returns to her second eldest hiding in her room. She returns to find her only son locked away, like a criminal. She returns to a man who refuses to let his son heal.

A man who tells his son he was lucky he was just in prison and not dead or banished.

And she is furious. So, she kills him and takes over.

2. I guess, in a way, Azula has a redemption arc? She cares about Zuko, but she honestly does get really protective of him. Especially after what Ozai did to him.

3. Toph Beifong and Zuko are siblings. Nothing else need be said.

4. In the original Little Mermaid story, the mermaid wishes to be a human to get a soul in order to go to heaven. I had it so Yue would gain true happiness. However, due to the nature of her contract with Zhao, she was putting her happiness against Sokka's.

5. The original story has Catholic tones to it, what with God and Heaven and souls going to Heaven and all that jazz. Because this is meant to be an AU for ATLA, I did my best to change things, but chances are I forgot something or will forget something. Rather than have no soul, I thought Yue becoming seafoam would be more of a, she would be never be at peace sort of thing. She would never be reunited with her family or friends when she died.

6. Yue was not born with the moon's blessing. She earned that when she decided Sokka's happiness meant more to her, than her own. She chose to die if it meant he was alive and happy.

[blake-belladonna-defence-force]

In This Life, I Can Be Your Girl...

So as I writing the update for my dance au (which is now up) @the-batjan made this post; https://the-batjan.tumblr.com/post/189607002712/ok-hear-me-out-guys and I was greatly inspired.

There is a mention of Blake’s mindset during volume 4/5 so there is talk of her self hatred/borderline suicidal mindset. Kali was scared for a good reason.

If that is a trigger for you, please give this story a skip. Look after yourselves, dear hearts. And please let me know if I need to tag anything.

Blake’s still recovering and healing from everything that Adam put her through. It’s not going to be immediate. But she’s learning and growing and she’s allowing herself to be happy. To be loved.

God. She truly is the definition of bravery, huh?

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Yang laid on Weiss’s bunk, happily watching as her partner ran through some checks on Gambol Shroud, her fingers and hands expertly running along it and dismantling the weapon with a quick and sure efficiency.

But that was Blake in a nutshell. Quick, sure, efficient and not to mention deadly. The fact that she took down an Ursa on their first day as partners with one well placed strike said a lot. Perhaps that was why Yang allowed herself to make eye contact.

Or perhaps it was the look in Blake’s eyes. The one that somehow told Yang so much and so little all at once. The one that cried out that she’d been hurt. And the one that refused to give up. The one that told Yang that this was a girl who had seen the depths of hell and eaten with the devil and come out the other side, stronger than ever. And that exact same look was still there today. But it was more confident. More sure of herself. She hadn’t just walked out of hell, but Beaton back her demons and refused to let them turn her into a martyr. And she was so much happier. Her eyes, though they still carried some of that hurt, were brighter and filled with more hope and openess than Yang had ever seen.

‘At least... in this life.’ Yang quickly shook her head. What was she thinking? There’s no way that she knew Blake in another life... Right?

Yang so fucking proud of the woman sitting across from her that it hurt. She didn’t think it was possible to care so much about her and yet, she felt it. That ache in her chest whenever Blake smile and laughed. The way her arms always ached to hold her. How she yearned to tell Blake every single amazing thing about her that Yang admired.

And it scared her. It cared her that she cared so much. It scared her that it could all be taken away in the blink of an eye. And she didn’t know what to do.

Yang watched through the mirror as a small, honest smile crossed Blake’s face and she suddenly felt like she was intruding on a private moment. Blake eyes were soft as she ran her hand along Gambol’s blade, fingers brushing gold in a manner that was almost fond. Yang had her suspicions about the golden addition but kept herself from voicing them. If Blake ever wanted to tell her, she’d listen.

An amused hum drew her attention as Blake met her eyes through the mirror, her smile becoming more lopsided as she quirked a curious brow at Yang.

Now, Yang loved all of Blake’s smiles. But she had noticed that the more lopsided and uneven they were, the more open, honest and vulnerable Blake was letting herself be. An even smile was usually put on, a performance. But the smile Blake was giving her now? Uneven and honest? It was genuine. It was real. And Yang swore that they were even more lopsided around her.

“Can I help you, Miss Xiao Long?” Blake asked playfully, lips twitching into a smirk as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

“Uh…” Yang stalled. What should she say? “No?” She gave a too bright grin, nervousness getting the better of her. Blake just had to keep catching her staring at her, didn’t she?

“Hmm.” Blake hummed, amusement clear in her eyes as she stood up, stretching out her muscles with a groan and walking over to Yang, sitting beside her hip and smiling down at her. “I’m sure.”

“Look, there’s not much to look at in this place so my eyes are just drawn to the prettiest thing.” Yang said with a playful smirk as she brought her knee up and bounced lightly against Blake’s ribs.

“Ahhh.” Blake said. “That explains why you’re looking in the mirror. I always knew you were vain.”

Yang sputtered for a moment before pointing at her friend.

“Okay, first of; smooth.” She admitted with an annoyed huff. “And secondly, shut up.” She added with an embarrassed pout.

Blake giggled behind her hand and Yang melted. What was this girl doing to her?

Blake bit her lip shyly, her hand coming up to fiddle with a… necklace? Huh.

“Never took you for much a jewellery girl.” Yang said with a cocked head, eyebrow raising at the blush that formed on Blake’s face.

“I’m not.” Blake mumbled, taking off the necklace and handing it to Yang to show her the ring that was attached. “But I found this inside a piece of fish during lunch with my mother and… well. I decided to keep it.” She shrugged helplessly.

“Oh. That’s kinda cool.” Yang said as she examined the ring. She felt… odd. Like déjà vu or something. As if she knew this ring. “Can I ask why?”

“Well.” Blake looked away, almost ashamed. “Mum and I went on a picnic while I was back in Kuo Kuana. She wanted to tell me a story because she saw that I wasn’t…” Blake’s nose scrunched up as she searched for the right words. “In a good headspace at the time. She reminded me that I was worthy of my parents. Of my friends. That I was also Adam’s victim as much as anyone else. That they wished they could have protected me from him. And that I’ll always have a home in Kuo Kuana.”

“Oh Blake.” Yang breathed, heart aching for the woman in front of her. “They’re your parents. Of course they love you. Of course you’re worthy of being their kid.”

Blake wiped the corner of her eye and smiled sadly. It made Yang’s heart ache in a more unpleasant way.

“I know.” She said shakily. “But I let him get in my head. Let his lies become my reality. And I’m re-learning what I’m worth. What I deserve without him hanging over my head.” Her lips quirked up slightly. “Helps when a beautiful woman can’t keep her eyes off of me for more than five minutes.” She teased gently, expression soft.

Yang couldn’t help but think that this girl was the definition of bravery.

“Oh very funny.” Yang murmured as she sat up and gently cuffed Blake’s leg playfully. “Dork.” She paused for a moment before speaking. “Can I ask what story she told you?”

When Blake told her the story of the faunus princess and the young human noble, Yang felt her heart break a little.

“God.” She breathed. “That’s… wow.” A thought occurred to her. “Wait. Why did your mum think you needed to hear that story?”

Blake looked away, shame making her ears lay flat.

“I told you that I wasn’t in the beat headspace. She was worried that… I might do something I couldn’t take back.”

Yang felt herself go pale. She quickly reached over and pulled Blake into her lap, holding her close and burying her face in her hair.

“Blake.” She said thickly as Blake melted into her hold.

“I wouldn’t have done anything. I just…” Blake verbally struggled for a minute, head buried in Yang’s shoulder. “Didn’t particularly like myself.”

That was obviously an understatement.

“Blake.” Yang breathed into her hair, tears blurring her vision. “I’m so sorry.” What else could she say? She had just learned that her partner, her best friend and the woman she loved hated herself so much that it scared her own mother. How could she even respond to that? “Do you still feel like that?”

“Sometimes.” Blake answered quietly, honestly. “Some days are worse than others. But I’m getting better.” She pulled back and cupped Yang’s face, pressing her forehead against Yang’s softly. “I’m okay.” She whispered, lips brushing Yang’s nose in a barely there kiss.

“Okay.” Yang mumbled. “But I need you know that you can come to us during the bad moments. You can come to me.”

“I know.” Blake said, placing a lingering kiss on her cheek. “Thank you.”

“Um. Here.” Yang coughed as she hand Blake her necklace. “Your-“

Both girls jumped apart when their hands met with the ring in between them.

It was like a jolt of electricity coursed through them, almost seeming to blind them.

It was during that moment of blindness that images flashed through Yang’s mind. Of a beautiful faunus woman with long black hair, black cat ears and golden eyes that felt like home.

She saw the determination in her eyes as she snarled and pressed a blade to Yang’s throat and demanded to know who she was and what she wanted.

She watched as the woman brought her back to her village and demanded that she prove her story.

She witnessed the way the faunus woman’s regard started to soften, her stony exterior melting into something far more tender.

Eyes filled with suspicion shifted to a loving and devoted gaze.

Hands that always held a blade started to carry flowers that would soon find their way into Yang’s hair.

Lips that once snarled warnings soon uttered words of love and adoration.

She felt the heartbreak of their separation and the devastation that she broke her promise to come back home.

And when her vision cleared, she and Blake were both on the floor, expressions matching.

“Did- did you-“ Yang stuttered, not believing what she had just seen.

“See the human and faunus’s lives flash before my eyes?” Blake rasped, eyes filled with unshed tears. “Yeah.”

The two women stared at each other as the pieces slowly came together. The almost instinctual pull that they felt towards each other, the ease with which that they fell into trust, the instant rapport that they developed. They thought of the way they fought together so seamlessly from the start and how Blake didn’t hesitate to throw her weapon to a stranger.

Except… Yang wasn’t a stranger. Was she?

It was why they fell hard and fast. It was why their fighting styles blended so well. And it was why purple and gold screamed home to them.

There was nothing either girl could say as they shakily stood up and stepped over to the other. Their hands entwined on instinct, forehead coming to rest together, that same pull bringing them closer than ever.

When their lips met, Blake and Yang both instantly felt all of their pieces shift, becoming whole for the first time in a long time. Two souls that had been searching for each other for decades longer than they could possibly know, finally reunited.

“Hi.” Yang whispered tearfully as they pulled apart.

“Hi yourself.” Blake murmured against her lips, tears quietly streaming down her face that Yang gently wiped away.

“Sorry it took me so long.”

“Don’t be. I think it took me even longer.”

Yang let out a watery laugh as she pulled Blake in again, hands cupping her jaw as she kissed her lips, her cheeks and jaw.

“I knew that I knew you.” She whispered.

Both women cried and kissed, utterances of love and adoration that neither of their souls had heard for a very long time.

They had both found their way back home. And they’ll be damned if they let anyone chase them away.

[jaxsteamblog]

Summer Camp and (mostly) Lost

Click here to read the full fic on AO3

On the first day of classes, Katara was already looking forward to the first break. Someone had recognized her from the debut and people were hounding her between lectures. Even in the halls with more than a hundred students, she could hear her name whispered among the ducked heads. Inevitably, someone near her would check their phone and their head would whip around, settling on her for a second before typing a furious reply.

Armistice Day was two weeks into the first semester, which would at least give her a long weekend.

However, when she tried to find something to do, nothing seemed to come together. After taking off so much time, Sokka was adamant about keeping the shop open. Especially, as he reminded her, now that he had to save for a wedding.

Rohan was traveling with Thuy to Gaoling. The Beifongs - who had worked with Avatar Kuruk’s companions - had a daughter that was a professional fighter. On the one hand, it was assumed that such a wealthy and well-connected family like the Beifongs would be the ones to teach the new Avatar if they had the ability. On the other, Rohan knew it was because Thuy’s unusual upbringing was the perfect match for the fact that Toph Beifong was blind and undefeated.

“So does that mean you’re going to be Thuy’s airbending instructor?” Katara asked as she screen chatted with them while in bed. “I mean, you’re plenty unusual.”

“Unfortunately, Pop is pretty insistent that she have some sort of reasonable and level-headed teacher. So Jinora is doing it.” Rohan said.

“Has her firebending-”

“AZULA.” They interrupted her and Katara dropped her phone as she fumbled. Diving for it, she fell off her bed.

“Azula will teach her?” She asked, popping up onto her knees. Rohan nodded vigorously.

“Now, none of this is being confirmed in the press at the moment. But someone leaked our travel plans to the Fire Nation.” They answered.

“You’re going to the Fire Nation with her?”

“Yeah, I’m like her guide for a minute until she finds her group.”

“Hmmm.” Katara rested her head on her bead, staring up at the ceiling. It might be interesting to go travel the world with the Avatar. Maybe in another life.

“Hey, I gotta go, but chat soon? Unless you’ll be elbow deep in some guy’s guts.” Rohan said and Katara looked down at her scream, grimacing.

“I told you-”

“I know, I know. Class work first, cutting up people later.” Rohan flashed a quick grin and Katara sighed. “Say hi to your brother for me.”

They ended the call and Katara pushed herself up, stretching her arms over her head. She could study, go over her anatomy notes one more time, but her head just wasn’t in the right place. Laying back down on her bed, she pulled up the info page on Toph Beifong. She was only a little younger than Katara, but was a bit on the small side. Watching the recommended video, Katara guffawed loudly as she watched the woman launch a man twice her size into the stands.

This was exactly the thing Sokka was into. Hopefully as Queen of the Water Tribes, she could get the Avatar to introduce them.

Sighing, Katara dropped her phone onto her chest and put her hands over her eyes. She had to think about something happy.

Her thoughts for years had circled around being a physician. She wanted to go home to be a village doctor, spending her days assisting births and treating ailments. Katara fantasized about being a hero not for the destruction she wrought, but for ending the regular tuberculosis that plagued the tribes. Murdering viruses was much easier to swallow than the human body count that haunted her.

But now that was being taken away from her. Arnook had, for all of her attempts to avoid it, gotten her alone. He expounded on her the importance of her position, the necessary responsibility she needed to take for her people. She would be an icon of strength, of prosperity, and would be able to keep all three tribes safe.

Because Thuy was still vulnerable, and didn’t Katara want to save her from the same fate of losing her home and her mother?

Thuy was capable for her age. She had told Katara that Avatar Aang came to her first when she was at the heart of the swamp. A massive tree, that was simultaneously all of the trees in the swamp, was where she went to hide from her noisy family. It was there she meditated and found how the tree was connected to all things, and how she was connected to all things through it.

It was then that Aang found her, and taught six-year-old Thuy hilarious things to do with mud. It didn’t even strike her that she was earthbending.

Thuy explained that all of the elements were connected to each other, and that the Avatar was the heart of that forest. All she wanted, she said while they looked over the group of Avatar descendants, was that everyone would find their commonality and be able to celebrate their differences.

“Like how fire and water both flow so beautifully.” Thuy had added.

Katara rolled her eyes just as she had then.

There was a certain romantic aspect to fire and water. And steam could be pretty, but more often than not it just scalded people who got too close.

Her phone started to ring and Katara picked it up.

“Well speak of the hogmonkey.” She said as Zuko’s face showed up.

“You were talking about me?” He asked.

“Tangentially thinking about.” Katara said and then sat up. “Hey, I never got to ask, what did you think of Thuy?”

“She was nice. She said I looked like I belonged at the North Pole.” Zuko answered and Katara snorted.

“I think that brat is trying to set us up.” She said.

“Girls at that age are wild.”

“I wouldn’t know. I was getting ready to fight my way through Fire Nation territory.”

“And Azula was leading a hit squad against me so I think you’re going to need to take your trauma card elsewhere ma’am.”

Katara laughed, shaking her head.

“A little birdie told me that Azula is going to be teaching the Avatar firebending.” She said.

“Oh yeah? Did that little birdie also mention that they were the one to spill the beans to the press? I swear, Rohan can’t keep a secret to save their life.” Zuko said. Katara chuckled again and looked at Zuko’s face.

“If you had been a normal teenager, what do you think you would have done at her age?”

Zuko let out a breath and looked off into the distance as he thought.

“If I were normal, my mother would still be around. And.” He suddenly smiled and rubbed his eye with his hand before pushing his hair back. “Okay, so in my mother’s village, there’s this theater camp that runs in the summer.”

“No way.” Katara said, her voice breathy in astonishment. “Zuko, you are such a nerd!”

“I can’t help it! You saw my father, I inherited the drama!” He retorted and they both laughed.

When they settled, Katara lifted the phone high above her face.

“Have you ever gone to your mother’s village?” She asked. Zuko looked thoughtful, which made her feel better for asking.

“Once. After the war but before I was recalled.” He said. “It’s nice but homely and made me realize that I could never not be rich now.”

“You’re soft.”

“I’m so weak Katara you don’t even understand.”

As they laughed, Katara saw him smile at her.

“You have off on Armistice Day right?” He asked.

Katara nodded.

“Why don’t we go to Hira’a? The tourist season ends there really early and the people there don’t mind me so much since I’m Ursa’s son.”

“Are we going to go to summer camp?” She asked.

“Maybe we can tangentially think about it.” Zuko replied.

~

Katara focused on her schoolwork during the week prior to leaving. She didn’t want to have to think about tests or her first research paper the entire weekend. What did bother her was a lack of supplies for the trip. Zuko said there was a legend about the woods surrounding Hira’a and suggested they go hiking. At first she had agreed, but then Sokka informed her that she would need gear for such a trip.

Luckily, a person in her lab had his from a cross kingdom trip. As Katara collected some of the basic things, she shook off others. Her hike wasn’t going to be as intensive and she could just rely on her phone for directions.

Flying out, Katara was too excited to be nervous going through the airport. Her anxiety resurfaced only briefly when she made a layover in a larger Fire Nation city to board a very small charter plane.

There were a few other passengers on the plane and one little boy chattered endlessly for the entire trip. Katara, tired, smiled but looked out the window, trying to focus on something else.

The woods around Hira’a were thick and the canopy resembled broccoli florets. What was unexpected was the massive mountain and the few shining discs of the lakes.

Zuko met her as the plane landed, standing under a shaded area while the plane taxied to a stop. Suddenly shy, Katara held onto the straps of her borrowed backpack while she walked down the stairs.

“How was your trip?” Zuko asked as he met her on the strip.

“It was good only,” Katara looked up with a small frown. “Do you think it’ll rain?”

Zuko looked up at the sky as well. “The weather says no. And it tends to get overcast like this every day in the afternoon.”

They looked at each other and Zuko held out his hand.

“Come on,” He said. “Let’s get to the house.”

At the small luggage carousel, Zuko grabbed her suitcase and rolled it as they left the airport. Katara glanced up at the sky once more as they walked through the cool air curtain at the exit. It definitely felt like a storm to her.

To her surprise, they walked past the taxi stand.

“The house is close.” Zuko assured her, having seen her face. “And the villagers prefer that there not be a lot of cars. It disrupts the environment.”

The village was beautiful, even in the subdued light. The trees were a deep green, and bright flashes of fruit or clothing stood out against the leafy backdrop. There were roads, but people on bikes or motorbikes swarmed over them. Every once in a while, a delivery truck would rumble past, coughing out black smoke and Katara understood the facemasks.

“Ah, Prince Zuko!” Someone called out and they turned. A middle-aged man on a motorbike walked up to them, his flip-flops slapping his heels.

“Noren?” Zuko asked in disbelief.

“It’s good to see you, la!” Noren replied and Zuko, leaving Katara’s suitcase on the sidewalk, went to shake the man’s hand.

“I didn’t think I’d run into you.” Zuko replied and Noren waved a hand in front of his face.

“I heard the crown prince was in town, so I knew I had to come and see.” He said. Zuko laughed and rubbed the back of his head. He then stopped and looked back, waving Katara over.

“Katara, I’d like you to meet Noren. He runs the theater in town and was a friend of my mother.” Zuko said as Katara got closer. “Noren, this is my friend Katara from the South Pole.”

“Ursa was part of the theater troupe.” Noren said as he shook hands with Katara. He then slapped his thighs and looked at Zuko. “Now, dinner?”

Katara and Zuko made it to the house and Katara insisted on changing before they went to Noren’s house for dinner. His wife Noriko was a sweet lady who doted on Zuko, but more hilarious was their teenage daughter Kiyi. While she tried to hide it, Kiyi was clearly excited to see Zuko and showed him photos of her latest pictures on her phone.

Noren told Katara about Zuko’s visit to the village years ago. Trying to find some piece of his mother, Noren had offered his assistance in any way that he could. During that short time Zuko spent in the village, he got very close to Noren and his family, becoming like an older brother to Kiyi.

While they were at dinner, all three of them turned on Zuko when he spoke about his plans to take Katara into the woods. Noren didn’t like the woods at all and Noriko insisted that it was going to rain. Still, Noriko packed them both up with extra food and Noren gave them a ride in the dark on his bike.

Tired, full, and covered in sweat, Katara laid face down on her bed and fell asleep.

In the morning, Zuko packed their lunch while Katara reheated leftovers from Noriko to eat for breakfast. Zuko handed her a mug of coffee just as she served up the plates and they both looked over a map. The route Zuko plotted out was simple and they went over their supplies. Water, sunscreen, bug spray, and even a portable battery to recharge their phones should the worst happen. It was just a day hike, and the sun was even poking out behind some of the clouds, so it wouldn’t be too bad.

“Can you bend humidity?” Zuko asked as they shoulder their backpacks.

Katara rolled her eyes and started toward the door.

The trailhead was further from their rental than the airport, so Zuko called a taxi. Unsurprisingly, a young woman on a motorbike showed up and they piled on like they had when Noren had driven them home last night. What was nice was the moment when the driver handed them a face mask each, shaking her head at their clumsy application.

The humidity was disgusting and Katara was panting by the time they stopped at the park. Zuko peeled money out of his wallet and handed it to their driver, who saluted them before puttering off.

“Are your babysitters here?” Katara asked.

“No. Hira’a is small and they know when there’s a visitor. And again, I’m Ursa’s son.” Zuko said.

“Oh good, so if I drown in this air, it’s only you who can save me.”

“We’ll be fine.”

The rain started fifteen minutes into their walk.

There was no warning. It was clear one moment and the next a gray sheet had dropped all around them. The rain fell like bullets and they ran to the nearest tree with leaves sturdy enough to hold up against the onslaught. It took awhile and Katara felt the sting of the rain on her scalp.

“It’s just a burst.” Zuko said, rubbing his hair vigorously. “It’ll pass quickly.”

Right as he finished speaking, a crack of thunder went off like a shot.

“We need to get to shelter.” Katara said, her body tense as she prepared to run. Zuko sighed and nodded.

They moved blindly through the rain, stumbling over tree roots and exposed stone. Small rivers of muddy water rushed down the path and Katara worried about slipping. Finally irritated, she used her bending to repel the water from her. It was unnatural and made her feel weird, but she couldn’t even see three feet in front of her.

“That’s a lot of water you’re holding.” Zuko remarked as he stood in the dry spot with her.

“I can do better.” She said and moved sinuously around. The ball of negative space undulated, but burst as Katara thrust out her arms with a sharp breath. The rain around them stopped.

Turning her head, Katara saw Zuko staring at her, open mouthed.

“Like what you see?” Katara quipped.

Zuko nodded and Katara blushed, losing her smirk and feeling her ears burn. Suddenly aware of her attention, Zuko coughed and swung his backpack off a shoulder, pulling it to his front.

“Where did you learn to bend like that?” He asked as he unzipped the main pocket and rummaged through it.

“War.” Katara said simply. This was oddly easier to hold than the negative space, since she wasn’t trying to keep the water away from her. The fat droplets simply hung in their air like strands of glass beads.

“It didn’t do anything like that for me.” Zuko said. “All I got out of it was this face.”

“Zuko, your face is fine.” Katara remarked.

“You only say that because you like me.”

“I didn’t find you ugly before I liked you. It was just surprising.” Katara paused, listening to the heavy rain that fell around them. It was much more enjoyable now that she wasn’t getting drenched.

“The burn surprised me too.” Zuko said and held up his phone. “Here we go.”

Katara walked over to him, pushing the rain out of her way. The fat drops burst against her hand the same way boba pearls would against her tongue.

“How did it happen?”

“The burn? After my grandfather died, my father insisted that my uncle step down since my cousin had died. My uncle is older and had no heir, whereas my father had two children and was young. My uncle refused and the war started. I defended my uncle and my father punished me.” Zuko explained as he pulled up a map of the woods. He didn’t look at her as he spoke and Katara stared at his burned eye.

“Zuko…” She murmured and lightly touched his face. Wherever Zuko went while telling the story, he certainly wasn’t with her and her touch shocked him. Jolting back, he surprised Katara, who fell with a yelp. She lost her hold on the rain and it, plus everything held up on top, dumped on them, soaking them instantly.

Zuko went to her and picked her up, running with her in his arms.

“I saw a cave.” He yelled over the sound of the rain. Katara just held onto him, feeling the wet soak into her skin.

When Zuko dipped into the cave - which was only moderately drier than the open - Katara used her bending to dry their clothes. Zuko found windblown debris and made a scant fire, again shaking out his hair.

“Sorry.” Katara said softly.

“It’s fine. It was an accident.” Zuko replied with a weak smile. “The only downside is, I dropped my phone and it’s fried.”

“Okay, so that is bad.” Katara said and then brightened. “Wait mine is in my-” She stopped as she reached into her back pocket. Slowly pulling out her phone, she stared dumbly at the shattered screen.

“But we do have the map!” Zuko said and went to his pack. He pulled out the map and sat down to open it over his lap.

“That sure is a map.” Katara said as she sat down next to him.

“I know these are elevation lines, but…” Zuko tapped the map.

“You don’t know where we are.”

“Not a clue.”

“And we can’t call for help.”

“No.”

“So what do we do?” Katara asked. The thunder and lightning was short lived so at least now she could breathe.

“Wanna makeout?” Zuko replied. Katara scoffed and then, seeing his grin, started to laugh.

“When the rain stops, we can try to find our way back to the path.” Zuko said and put his arm around Katara’s shoulders. “For now, let’s just hang here and rest.”

The rain lasted for nearly an hour and Katara forced Zuko to wait until the air felt right to her before leaving. As they walked out into the forest, nothing looked familiar. Having peered through heavy rain, the shimmering brilliance of wet leaves was disorienting. Zuko kept the map out, turning it in his hands before picking a direction.

“Zuko?” Katara asked cautiously and Zuko looked up from the map.

“Yes?”

“Why did you even go back if your father burned you?”

Zuko’s thoughtful face was nuanced, as Katara now saw. He looked pained, but in a way that made Katara think he was going to tell her bad news.

“My uncle and I believe that my father wanted me to refuse to return. That was always an option you see. I could renounce my claim to the throne and stay with my uncle in Ba Sing Se. But if I did that, Azula would inherit.” Zuko shook his head. “And I don’t want to live in a world where Azula is a political force.”

“But does that make you happy?” Katara asked.

“The future makes me happy. Knowing that I’ll be able to do the things I want when I’m the Fire Lord.” Zuko answered.

“But that might be decades away!”

“But it will happen. And my father can’t really do much harm since he knows I’ll oppose him.”

“You made a really brave choice Zuko.”

Stepping over a fallen log, Zuko took Katara’s hand and helped her over. As she hopped onto the ground, he held onto her.

“Oh, I don’t think I’m all that brave.” He said softly. This pained look was more internal; something that hurt him alone.

He then patted her hand before releasing it and they started off again.

“Do you think I’m making the right choice?” Katara continued. “To be the Queen of the Water Tribes?”

“Well what does being queen mean to you?” Zuko asked.

“No more war.”

“Then I think you’re at least giving it an honest go.”

“But I could do so much more for my people if I was a doctor.” Katara replied.

“Really? Because what do you think will happen when Arnook dies?” Zuko questioned.

“What do you mean?”

“Yue was his heir, right? And not even a proper heir; she was going to have to be married so some guy could be the King of the North Pole.”

“And?”

“My kingdom went to war over the prospect of there not being an heir to inherit. If Arnook were to die without someone clearly next in line, I can tell you war is exactly what will happen.”

“No, my father wouldn’t let that happen.”

“It might not have anything to do with your father. Or it’ll happen with or without him. The South Pole might want to keep their independence, same as the Swamp Tribe, but Arnook has made it clear that the North Pole wants unification. War would happen regardless.”

“And you just know this to be true?”

Zuko gave her a look and Katara threw up her arms.

“Why does this have to depend on me?” She asked. Zuko shrugged.

“Circumstances of birth.” He said nonchalantly. Katara lowered her arms, having them fall loose and slapping the sides of her legs.

“Spirits, is it really just that?”

Zuko walked up to her and rubbed her arms.

“Even something so mundane as when you were born can change everything. I mean,” Zuko paused and huffed out a laugh. “If Thuy had been born a moment earlier then she wouldn’t even be the Avatar.”

“I don’t want my whole life plotted out just because of when and where I was born.” Katara said.

“Okay, so what’s one thing, within reason, that you want that you can get while stuck with these choices?” Zuko asked.

“I want to be with you.” She blurted.

When Zuko blushed, his skin turned yet another shade of red that didn’t match any part of his scar. He gripped her arms for a moment before suddenly releasing her and walking away.

“Zuko?” Katara called.

Zuko whirled around and pointed at her.

“You wanted to go on a date.” He said fiercely.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go on a date.”

“We’re sorta lost right now.”

“Not now.” Zuko rubbed his hands on his pants and looked down for a second. “After midterms. A proper date.”

Katara laughed, nodding.

“Okay. But how are we gonna get out of here?” She replied.

“I don’t-” Zuko started but stopped as a call went through the woods.

“Zuuuuuukoooooo?” A woman yelled.

“Is that Noriko?” Katara asked. Zuko chuckled and took her hand. Jogging, but watching out for roots, they moved in the direction of the calls. Noren, Noriko, and Kiyi all were shouting from in front of them.

When they finally broke the treeline, the family was standing, each one holding an umbrella.

“Ay! There they are!” Kiyi shouted.

“Ah, thank goodness!” Noriko said and fanned herself.

As they all gathered, she swatted Zuko’s arm.

“Why didn’t you listen to me, boy?” She asked and Zuko laughed, rubbing where she had hit him.

“Mom! You can’t just hit the prince!” Kiyi said.

“When the rain came, Noriko was really worried about you and insisted that I drive out. When you weren’t at the trailhead, she knew you were lost.” Noren explained.

“Tourists always get lost.” Kiyi added.

“The prince isn’t a tourist.” Noriko said sharply. “He’s just not as familiar with these woods.”

“Well, we were lost and I’m really thankful you came out here.” Zuko said. “I’ll make sure to listen to you better, Auntie.” He leaned in and hugged Noriko, making her blush.

“Dad borrowed our neighbors van so we can take you back.” Kiyi said. As she looked at Zuko and Katara, she shook her head.

“It must be nice to be a waterbender.” She remarked.

“They are very handy to keep around.” Zuko agreed. Katara glared at him as he chuckled.

“I will put you in ice.” She hissed. Zuko didn’t reply, but took her hand as they all started to walk to the trailhead. His hand was warm and dry, which made Katara aware of the cool dampness that lingered on her skin. But she wasn’t cold. At least, not with him.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

[drchiakinanami]

Kacchako Week Day 4: Stargazing

read it on AO3 here!

He knew exactly when it was he fell in love with her. 

She’d come to his room, beaming over a pile of blankets and snacks, bouncing on her toes.  “Come on, I know you had a bad day, so we’re gonna go on the roof and go stargazing!” 

He blinked, staring at her quietly for a few moments.  “You wanna what?” She rolled her eyes.  “Just come with me.” He relented, following her to the staircase that led to the roof and chattering to him animatedly as she bounced up the stairs.  

On the roof, she spread out the several blankets that she held, fluffing them out as she put the snacks she’d brought onto the corner of the blanket.  She sat down and peered up at him.  “C’mon.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring down at her. She was staring up at him too, her eyes unblinking.  Something warred within him, something that wanted to sit down next to her and just let himself enjoy a nice moment with a… Friend?  Sparring partner?  He still wasn’t sure exactly what she was to him.  What did she want to be to him?  

She shifted a little, uncomfortable with his staring.  “Look, Bakugou, I saw how on edge you were today.  I know that you’ve been having a rough time, and I thought it might be nice to get out a little bit.  So…  You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to though.”

“Ah… Shut up.”  He threw himself down next to her.  “You wanted to look at the stars.”  He laid down, staring up at the sky without looking at her.  He could feel her staring at him, and with a heavy sigh, she lay down next to him.  

“It’s a really clear night,” she whispered.  “Not a cloud… And not a ton of light pollution.” He nodded.  She was right.  It was… Nice out.  There was a light breeze that brushed across them, and he heard Uraraka sigh softly next to him.  

“Do you know any constellations?”  Ochako asked, shifting a little closer to him.  

Bakugou nodded slowly.  “My dad knows ‘em.  Used to tell me about them.”  He searched through the sky for awhile, and pointed out the first one he saw.  “So that’s Ursa Major…”

He went on, murmuring about the stars to her.  Ochako shifted closer to him to see along his arm, and she asked him soft questions as time passed.  

“You’re really smart,” she said finally, when he lowered his arm and lapsed into silence.  “Like, really smart for someone who calls everyone else a nerd.”

“Oi.”

“Oh, shush, it’s a compliment.  You’re just really smart.”

“That’s cause I study all the time.”

“Yeah… You could allow yourself a little fun, every once in a while.  I think it’d be okay.” 

He really didn’t have anything to say to that.  She might have a point, but he wasn’t willing to tell her that just yet. It might inflate her ego too much, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to do that.  

She asked him a couple more murmured questions about the stars, sometimes pointing, sometimes just asking, and in the process she shifted closer to him. He could feel her breath on his neck as she laid facing him, and after a little while, he heard her breathing change.  He shifted to look down at her, and saw that she’d fallen asleep.

“Tch, thought you wanted to cheer me up,” he mumbled.  He almost thought up getting up and just walking away from her, but the bigger part of him, the part that wanted to be a hero, knew he shouldn’t leave her alone.  Maybe it was just the fact that she looked really peaceful, and her hand moved to hold his wrist in her sleep.  Bakugou sighed, shifting her pinky so that she wouldn’t float them on accident, but he didn’t move her whole hand.  It was nice to have her near, though he didn’t exactly want to admit that. 

He didn’t mean to fall asleep, but her steady breathing next to him was weirdly soothing, and he turned his head to hers, falling into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Bakugou woke up to the room being way too bright.  There was no way he’d left his curtains open, right?  He grumbled, shifting in his bed, and realized then that he wasn’t in his bed.  He was on his side, completely wrapped around Ochako Uraraka, on the roof of the school.  She was cuddled into his chest, hands tucked under her chin.  He had his arms wrapped around her shoulders, and the one underneath her was asleep.  

He felt his mind race as he chastised himself for being so stupid.  How could he fall asleep with this stupid girl on the roof?  He sighed heavily, trying not to set off his quirk in his frustration.

Ochako stirred against his chest, and he stiffened.  She was waking up. 

“Bakugou?” She whispered.

“What do you want, Cheeks?”

“Did you enjoy the stars?” She sounded so small, and so much like she cared if he had a good time. He let out a heavy sigh, skimming his hand up her back.  

“Yeah, yeah I enjoyed the fuckin stars.”

She made no effort to move.  “We should come up here again sometime.”

“You think you can stay awake for that?”

She laughed lightly.  “Sorry.  Didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.  I’ll stay awake next time, promise.”

Bakugou grunted in response, rolling away from her and sitting up.  “We should go back downstairs.  It’s early, we wouldn’t want anyone to see us.”

“That embarrassed to be seen with me, Bakugou?” She teased.

“Other way around.”

She sat up next to him, running a hand through her mussed up hair.  “Nah.  I like being friends with you.”

Friends?  She thought they were friends?  That was news to him.  He supposed she wouldn’t have asked him up here if she didn’t think they were friends.  “Tch.”

“‘Tch’,” she mimicked back to him.  

He looked over at her smiling face.  “Ah, cut that shit out.  Let’s go get breakfast.”  He got to his feet and started walking towards the staircase.  

“What about all the stuff?” Ochako called after him.

“We’re just coming back up here tonight, aren’t we?  Leave it there!”

She got up and skipped along after him at his words, face shining as brightly as the newly risen sun.

Yep. Definitely in love with her.