#azula x me (its a joke)

[rose-bunny-28]

I made a new one because I'm indecisive

Azula x me was a joke, I love her, but whatever. Yeah, don't take it seriously.

[katyspersonal]

What are your expectations/theories for Messmer?

I have a few! I even considered making a predictions bingo on him specifically to check when DLC comes out! XD But overall the predictions resulted from me and @val-of-the-north bouncing the ideas around 🤔 I'll need to link a few of other posts here too to help clarifying some relevant topics!

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1) I think he is one of the children between Marika and Godfrey, or maybe even her first-born!

At first I was also thinking that him having red hair was a damning evidence that he had to be born from selfcest, like Malenia and Miquella! But Val brought this to my attention that in ER manga, which is apparently on a stronger level of directing than BB comics from my knowledge, Rykard is a blond!

So Val suggested that genes can work a funny way since Marika and Radagon are still the same person, and if Rykard got Marika's golden hair gene even from Radagon's body, the reverse is possible and someone in Golden Lineage could have red hair even from Marika! I also agree because Miquella is venturing into the Shadows Land presumably to discover Marika's secrets:

(Famitsu interview with Miyazaki, taken from this ( x ) post) But Messmer to me feels like he would be fully aware of every Marika's dark secret there is! I joke that he is very Lucifer-coded, but actually Satan-coded is a better comparison. He is the holder of "Hell", where the 'graceless' beings and those rejected by Golden Order reside, like that ancient Misbegotten(ish) creature! If he was the third sibling of this kind, why would he know more than Malenia and Miquella? (I mean, surprise me!) But if he had been there from the very start, carrying her (God's) punishment, then sure!

My other clue towards that is that he shares the "spartan" aesthetic in his clothes with Godfrey and his Duelists ( x ) (and actually Goldmask too)! This whole thing with leg wraps and waistwrap!

2) He is the first to historically partake in Dragon Communion, and the inspiration of Drake Knights

There are dragonic features about himself, the design of his armour and his snakes! Initially I thought of Dragonic Sentinels too, but their whole deal is to combat Granssax, who I concluded attacked after Farum Azula war and Placidusax' lord was fled. More than that, their deal is 'electric' line of dragons specifically, whereas Drake Knights and others who that partake in Dragon Communion are not picky! They eat dragon hearts to take their power, and that includes 'fire' line of dragons, like Greyoll and her spawn!

I speculate that he was the first person historically, with the bright idea of eating dragon heart to take its power, and this is where his fire powers came from. Fire is associated with heresy, but in his case it was both: assuming powers of dragons was heresy itself (so, before Godwyn made dragons 'friends'), but fire powers came from it! As a Demigod, he also did not meet the same miserable fate as Magma Wyrms! He had the privilege to really take something useful by being not mere mortal.

3) The snakes, therefore, are part of his body!

There are two of them, and I assume they're growing from the base of his spine and function like his tails! If Placidusax is anything to go by, this is part of him developing multiple heads but in the way that would not mess with his body too much. Funny enough, I had two dreams of Gwyndolin as a baby, and in both Gwyndolin as a child only had two snakes that did work as tails, so maybe I am biased!

4) Rotten Duelists also take inspiration from him

I am resharing the image by Val from a post I've already linked, but whereas they elaborate sign of Godfrey and hatred for the Giants in their design, the snakes around their arms and on their helmets are supposed to refer to Messmer!

I imagine Godfrey and Messmer being that super cool OG battle duo. Duelists feature two kinds of 'heresy' in their design - the snakes and the symbols of the Giants, and I assume they were proudly wearing these before being driven from the Coliseum! Back then symbolism of "taking power from the enemy" was something honourable, and so was what Messmer did - becoming 'sinful' to be the more powerful weapon of Marika was courageous and virtuous of him. So, snakes were also fine to proudly depict in the clothes! Until it was not:

5) He is banished for (attempted) burning of the Erdtree

This theory is coined in by @val-of-the-north! In this ( x ) post it is explained better, but in short, there are evidences that the big golden Erdtree we see is an illusion, most interesting one is ashes being all over Leyendell even before defeating Maliketh. So that's why it no longer is giving its blessed sap and is "only an object of faith" now, though its lower part is still physical of course. I agree with this idea!

I think he had to do something bad because of the huge sealed eye possibility! Ranni and Melina also have an eye sealed, and both are Demigods that had their 'privilege' within the Golden Order removed in one way or another. Messmer, on the other way, wows to burn whoever is devoid of grace, so I doubt that he would willingly divest himself of it! Whereas he's been heretical for dragonic powers and the 'Satan' to her system to take care of the 'sinners' from the beginning, but he got excommunicated from the family and likely erased from its records! Bonus points if Godwyn being the first in the Golden Lineage is just what they tell people now!

6) GEOOOOOORGGGEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

I've always had a feeling that whereas everyone is anticipating him to become the first true Soulsborne sexyman, something just has to put a dent in it. Just something to sour the character. I can't explain it, it is like sixth sense...? But I think I finally know what it is. During answering this ask, I payed attention how even with other things put in consideration, he still appears to be loyal to his mother and the purpose she intended to him. He speaks defensive against her letting the "unworthy" to become a Lord. Like... this is not necessarily something weird, it could just be strong loyalty even against his self-interest like what we see in Maliketh or Morgott, but there is just strange sixth sense about perhaps some Freudian shit going on in his head that I can't shake, and not anti-climatic one after what they did with Mohg.

7) Motivation for attempted burning of the Erdtree were themes of ambition and perfection

I will link a couple of posts (with pictures) in which I explained how Erdtree is itself a Crucible and how I theorise existence of Omens resulted in denying and loathing the thing ( x ) ( x ). They're not too long tbh, and in both I forgot to bring up the fact that Ancestral Followers worship Minor Erdtrees :') But the main point is, everything sacred will eventually rot and die, however, giving the way to a new thing to sprout from it, and that was something Marika was unwilling to accept. Erdtree and Golden Order, were supposed to be Eternal, like herself.

Marika made everything that reminded of the other side of life, like Misbegotten and Omens, illegal, and ensured immortality in the best way she could, but Messmer took it even further. He attempted to remove the 'life' aspect of the Elden Ring, to separate the sacred power granted to his mother and relatives from the earth. So, from from inevitable death, from ever rotting, from 'cycle'... from everything "imperfect", so it could be just the one perfect, pure, 100% spiritual thing in their hands. + I think what he did happened after Gloam-Eyed Queen fiasco, so that was another point in realising the instability and imperfection. + to draw from the previous point, he might have been really pissed at Greater Will itself on behalf of his mother.

Except, what he did was not something even Marika would agree to. Greater Will specifically sought this "imperfect" world FOR its "imperfections", to gain form and purpose through births and deaths and feelings and struggles from the amorphous empty cosmic state. It was suffering from its superiority, there was nothing to love or hate or want. It gives me the same vibe as how in BB, the Great Ones are willing to trade their perfection for simple joy of loving a child; they don't need to give birth since they're immortal and their genes are not in need of surviving, but there is just... nothing in this immortality. This is something Messmer would not understand. Sellen is another example of this mindset, aspiring for the things the "perfect" beings were willing to escape. It is always the case of 'greener grass' lol

But yes, absolutely no one appreciated the attempt to separate the Elden Ring from being rooted into mortal "flawed" things. I think he still thinks he is right, and that whatever little dialogue he will have should contain quite the vitriol.

8) In the second stage of his battle, he will become far more dragonic.

I expect at least something happening with the snakes akin to becoming his wings. Maybe he will even turn into a dragon, a two-headed one! + also if there is no particularly gruesome (lethal) visceral attack by his snakes I will rebel lol

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Soooo yeah... This isn't much, but my imagination is weak when I have limited information x) I have also seen an idea that the thing that pierces Marika's body might be his doing since he is titled the Impaler, but for now I think this is not the case! Her hammer is full of similar sharp shards of Elden Ring, so I think this is just another shard, or, perhaps, something Elden Beast threw at her. Red coloration comes from being bloodied! Marika was a mortal once, after all!

[writermai05]

Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 6: To Someone From A Warm Climate

Summary: Y/n and Azula get to know each other. 

Pairing: Zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated) 

A/N: Hey hey hey guess who is not dead! My family flew in to come visit my sister and I in college, so I spent last weekend with them. There’s also a lot of crazy shit going on with the protest on my specific college campus, and I’ve been very hard on myself this week for not being productive, but when you’re in the middle of a debate over the lives of thousands of people, it’s hard to worry about the assignments and silly little fanfic you’re writing. Nevertheless, this chapter is here today, albeit a short one but I swear, shit is about to get so interesting. 

Word Count: 686

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol. 

Warnings !: None I think. 

The post game dinner had gone about as well as it could have. Yeah, maybe it was a little awkward, but for the most part, everyone had a good time. Toph was easily able to power through the tournament, giving the University team a trophy for their first game of the season. You almost wished that the weekend had been longer to process the information you learned on Friday.

 The image of Zuko and Azula’s eyes flashed in your mind. It feels obvious that the two are siblings now. If their eyes weren’t enough, their black hair and intense aura should have given it away. As you take a seat in your shared sociology class, you notice Azula take the seat next to you once again. You catch her attention with a small smile. 

“How was your weekend?” 

“Oh, you know, just another thrilling weekend of staying in my dorm and avoiding all human contact.” 

You raised your eyebrows, nodding in mock awe, “Riveting stuff.” Azula smirked, letting a puff of air out through her nostrils.

“Did you manage to do something less boring with whatever freaks you hang out with?”

“Yes, I did.” Before you could have a chance to elaborate, your professor began to start their lesson for the day.

After your first week, this routine began getting stale. Every class period you sat through the lecture, worked with a partner, got lectured some more, and then worked on your own. Although, the unofficial assigned seats had worked in your favor, because then you got to know more about Azula, who had promptly started to sit next to you since your first meeting. 

“Interesting lesson, huh?” you venture, hoping to start up another hushed conversation. 

Azula’s response is sharp and right in character for how much you know. 

“Yes. So interesting that I’m trying not to fall asleep from the sheer excitement of it all. Yay social class!” You quietly chuckle in response. 

“I mean there’s definitely meaning to it. Agna Qel’a is the most technologically advanced place in the Northern Water Tribe. When my family moved there for my mother’s work, it was a complete culture shock. Sedna, where I’m from, is a small city. There’s a saying that goes, ‘Take care of the land, and it will take care of you in return.’ But Agna Qel’a is magnificent, and it’s where the chief's royal palace is. It’s modern and gorgeous, but expensive.” 

Azula pursed her lips, trying to sort out her own thoughts. 

“Our capital city is similar, but probably way more grandiose. That’s how we do things in the Fire Nation. Opulence, and luxury, but mostly concerned with ourselves and no other nations. They’re practically irrelevant.” 

“What was it like growing up?”

“The Fire Nation is warm, and never really changes as far as seasons go. Sun-kissed lands and a long, honorable history. My father owns a very large company. Agni Kai enterprises does its business around the world. Before, my brother was the one who was being groomed to take over for my father once he retired, but he chose not to. After he left, then it was all on me.”

Agni Kai Enterprises was no joke. You knew that they owned many smaller companies, and had stakes nearly everywhere in the world. From what you could remember, Agna Qel’a had several complexes owned by someone involved in Agni Kai Enterprises. 

“You have a brother?” you asked, but you already knew the answer. 

“His name is Zuko. Haven’t seen him since I was 10, and he was 12.” 

Learning this new piece of information, your mouth dropped open. Eight whole years have gone by since the two have seen each other. No wonder Zuko had to ask Mai and Ty Lee questions. At this point, there was no avoiding it. 

“I know Zuko. He’s in my other class.” Azula’s head turned so fast you thought she could’ve gotten whiplash. The look in her eyes was indistinguishable, except for the usual fiery gaze. 

Azula pursed her lips and squinted, her jaw was tense. You were sure that if she clenched any harder than she would break her teeth off. “Well that’s…interesting. I assume that he and my uncle are still living above that tea shop, right? It’s been ages. Perhaps I should make the effort to go visit my dear Zuzu.” 

[atla-confessions]

to the persone on the youtubes things; THIS WAS AMAZING HAHAH! THIS GOT ME THINKING ty lee defintly have a blog(tumbler proply or twt) where she posts stuff like "me n the girls on our way to find the avatar" and its just her taking a pic behind azula n mai and just like tweeting stuff like "when ur enmey is cute *heart eyes" "someone tell my besties brother to stfu" "thinking about blah blah" mai is propley on sum type of very old web (spacehey it have no one and its so peaceful) and she just rants about her fam,zuko,and fire natione while azula propley is a sanp girlie where she always takes videos of her running or showing people shes better then them no joke but defintly have less screentime then her home girls also omg,what if like zuko is also on that we(mai is on) and they match like a cringy fb couple

X

[tmnt-obsessed-ace]

Its 10:45pm time to yap about ANOTHER au (because I cannot be stopped)

So remember that untitled atla x tmnt 2012 au I came up with thats inspired by A Tale Of Spirits?

Well...it has a title now :)

"Before The Summer's End." (Look A Tale Of Spirits is already a really good title but I can't USE it because its already claimed and I've been wanting to yap about this au for so long and couldn't come up with an idea so SUE ME)

So basic premise, the turtles (including my own tmnt 2012 versions of Venus and Jennika because they are my beloveds and its my au I can do whatever I want, plus those two are not in fics often) all get transported to the alta world and separated from each other. (Again like A Tale Of Spirits but that fic has rooted itself into my brain and this au isnt gonna be a carbon copy so its cool)

So key differences from A Tale Of Spirits

Its tmnt 2012 (my beloveds) post season 4 (the turtles are all 20)

It includes Venus and Jennika

It begins at the end of season 1 episode 3 "The Southern Air Temple" unlike A Tale Of Spirits which starts at the beginning of season 2

So already pretty different

And for once Leo ISNT gonna be the main victim of my angst hammer. Its gonna be DONNIE (I have plans for him >:3)

So who exactly ends up with who?

Venus will be the first turtle introduced, landing in the Southern Air Temple and will meet Aang, Katara and Sokka straight away (Venus and Jennika will definitely get the most screentime since I am basically inserting characters that were never in tmnt 2012 and making them fit in with my favorite turtles because the two girlies definitely SHOULD'VE been there Im just saying)

Jennika will land on Kyoshi Island and will join the Gaang soon after they meet. (Girlie gonna have a field day)

Leo meanwhile will land in the ocean close to Prince Zuko's ship, close enough to warrant investigation. (Ok I know that Raph, Jennika, maybe even Mikey would've been better fits for Zuko but I didnt want to take the obvious route plus Zuko becomes "The Blue Spirit" wielding twin swords and later on calls himself "Lee" the joke was right there and I had to take it)

Raph lands in an Earth Kingdom town, very close to the estate of the Beifong family. (Yeah I loved the Raph Toph dynamic in A Tale Of Spirits, bite me)

Donnie ends up in the Northern Air Temple (he aint gonna STAY there because...I have plans for him. He's gonna learn the lesson Leo has already learned. Being the author's favorite is NOT a good thing :3. Donnie's gonna go through it that's all I'll say)

And Mikey is gonna land right in front of Princess Azula, in the heart of Fire Nation territory. (Purely because I am very tired of Mikey being treated as a "fragile weak innocent baby" by fanon. NO MIKEY CAN BE JUST AS DANGEROUS AS AZULA. Especially if he gets angry)

Its gonna be very fun, especially on multiple occasions that the kids need adult the turtles will realize that THEY are the adults

Hehehehe

("We need an adult...I am the adult")

Almost forgot to post the age order of the turtles oh my god I am tired

Ok so the age order from oldest to youngest is

Leo, Raph, Venus, Donnie, Jennika, Mikey

[saiilorstars]

ch.17: Berthier's Day

Story Masterlist

Fandom: Sailor Moon (Crystal)

Rewrite of season 2, AU-ish in that there’s new OCs and the fusion of plots from the manga, crystal and the og series

Pairings: Eventual OFC x OMC, Usagi x Mamoru

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag​​​​ @arrthurpendragon​​​​​​​​​ @anotherunreadblog​​​​​​​​​ @maaaaarveeeeel​​​​​​​​​ @stareyedplanet​​​​​​​​​​​ @foxesandmagic​​ @kmc1989

Azula was very focused on the base's screen in front of her. She was busy constructing a digital timeline that would allow the team to place the important courses of events that were taking place in their city and in the future.

"This is really good, Azula," Luna praised the girl's work with honesty. Azula was always very meticulous about her work and she seemed to excel when it came to the science part of their missions, such as this one.

"Thanks Luna," Azula paused to smile at the cat. "I felt like we needed to see things on the big screen. Timelines are not a joke. We need to follow the right steps if we want things to turn out how they're meant to."

"Unfortunately the Black Moon Clan doesn't share the same views," Luna sighed and rested her head over her paws.

"No, they don't. But right now, they're not the problem." Azula cleared her throat just as the rest of the girls walked into the base. Azula turned on her stool and greeted them with a big smile. "Hey guys. Great job taking down Senka's minion!"

"That thing was creepy," Usagi shivered. "It really makes me scared of my own shadow." Azula playfully rolled her eyes. "Because she is one!"

"Yeah, and she hasn't forgotten about you," Rei said, grim about it. "She really wants to find you and see if you hold the Shadow Crystal."

"And I already said I was down to let her," Azula reminded them all.

"And we said no," Minako flatly said.

"Well anyways, I was busy working on ways to stop Senka," Azula leaned back on her chair. "Koan gave me the idea after talking about the Malefic Crystal."

"Malefic what now?" Makoto scratched her head.

"The Malefic Crystal is what the Black Moon Clan is using as their power source. According to Koan, it's what first attacked Crystal Tokyo before Reign put up the barrier. It's these things," Azula turned her chair back to the computer to bring up an old picture of Koan. She zoomed in on the purple dangling earrings Koan wore in the shape of crystals. "After listening to Koan, I think we could use the Malefic Crystal to bring Senka down."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Rei narrowed her eyes for any dangerous ideas Azula was about to spit out. "We don't even have one of them."

"Yeah, Usagi purified it all out from Koan," Makoto nudged Usagi who groaned at the reminder.

"Well I didn't know!"

"The Malefic Crystal could very well be the Silver Crystal's opposite," Azula explained, "Therefore, if we use it on Senka, we could theoretically cancel out Usagi's shadow in her."

"Oh sure, kill me off first!" the blonde cried.

"I'm sorry, if you have a better idea I'm all for it!"

"I think it could work," Ami spoke up after considering the idea. "We could redirect the energy the Malefic Crystal has and use it to expel one of the Shadows in Senka."

"Yeah, it sounds good but we don't actually have any of the Malefic Crystal," Minako reminded them again.

"Well, Koan did say her sisters would no doubt be coming after us," Azula gazed up at the screen now showing public streets. "We'll just have to wait until they do and then make our move."

"In the meantime…" Makoto had noticed the digital timeline sitting on the screen and became curious of its function, "...you want to tell us what is that?"

Azula beamed at her creation. "This is really cool. Well, at least I think it is!" She put away all unnecessary tabs to give the digital timeline the main focus. "The timeline I set up has all the points that we know must happen in order for the future of Crystal Tokyo to stay the same."

"Why not let some things change?" Usagi wondered. "Maybe by changing something we could fix the future."

"Yeah, or by changing something we could very well be creating what we want to destroy," Azula countered with. "Timelines are a very tricky thing. I say the best thing we could do is just find Reign" — Azula's eyes gazed over the dot that blinked in and out with 'Crystal Tokyo' labeling it on top — "and let her do whatever she needs to. I mean, she founded Crystal Tokyo, right?"

"That's our guess, but even that isn't sure," Minako crossed her arms and sighed. "And it's not like we can ask Chibiusa about it. She's already terrified enough as it is."

"Okay, well, the important thing about this timeline is that it will map out things that we've done, things that we need to do, and the ending."

"That's a lot of things to do," Usagi gazed at the screen with a weary face. They had to find Reign, find Sailor Circe, stop Senka, stop the Black Moon Clan and ensure the Shadow Crystal stayed hidden.

"Yeah…" Azula agreed, though it didn't scare her off. She was up for the challenge and she was sure her friends were too.

~0~

"It's a milkshake," Meroko laughed at Koan who was staring at the pink liquid in front of her with bewilderment. "It's actually not bad, alright?"

Koan took a sip from her milkshake with the funniest face possible. The moment she swallowed - which had been done in a very fearful manner - she hummed with delight.

"See?" Meroko laughed when Koan took more sips. "Asteria had the same reaction!"

Koan saw how the laughter subsided from Meroko's face after mentioning her sister. "Are they still not talking to you?"

Meroko shook her head. "I tend to avoid home now except for sleeping."

Koan understood the feeling. Her sisters had yet to make an appearance after turning human, but Koan was sure they had already seen her and were most likely disappointed in her, if not despising her for it. "I think you have a better chance of making up with your sisters than I do."

Meroko smiled lightly. "I guess we're two peas in a pod when it comes to family problems, huh?"

Koan could only blink at the comparison. "Peas in what?"

Meroko chuckled. "I'll explain later. We should just finish so we can make it to Ami's chess game!"

Koan nodded. She was so relieved that she had found such kind girls who were already treating her like they'd known each other for years. Already Ami had invited her to her chess game — whatever that was — and she was so excited to show some support.

~ 0 ~

If there was something Mamoru hadn't been expecting it was to find Asteria on the other side of his door. The platinum blonde had appeared unexpectedly and was asking for him to return her sister's hair brush. Of all the things to come and ask for...

Mamoru nonetheless allowed the girl in. "You realize I've been using that to get new images of Reign, right?" He checked to see if Emica was around but there was no one else in the hallway.

"Yes, but, Emica believes it's unnecessary to bring you in on Shadow business."

"Hm, and you agree?"

Asteria faced him, showing no emotions whatsoever. "It doesn't matter what I think."

"You haven't talked to Meroko in how many days? And you two live together, share the same room, actually—"

"Can I please just get the brush?" Asteria crossed her arms and motioned him to get going.

Mamoru gave her a disapproving look but went to find the brush. "You know, Meroko was a bit difficult in the beginning too. She kidnapped Azula and forced me to remember everything about my past." He opened up a drawer from the television furniture piece. "She had it all wrong too. She wanted to work alone but she ultimately saw that there are some things that can't be done alone." He turned around and held out Meroko's hairbrush. "Emica is wrong if she thinks otherwise. And I know you think so too."

Asteria snatched the hairbrush from his hand. "It doesn't matter what I think," she snapped. "Sailor Circe isn't around so that leaves Emica in charge of our team."

"And that makes her automatically right?"

Asteria didn't like her customs being challenged, especially when she had so little to fight back with. "I'm not in charge. I know my place and I wish Meroko would remember too."

"Change isn't a bad thing, you know. Meroko learned from Usagi and the others that being a Sailor Guardian didn't mean being the boss and following orders."

"It's our customs. I'm no one to change them."

And yet Mamoru could see Asteria was desperate to. "I know Reign would want them to. She would never be okay with two sisters - three sisters - to be so divided when they're meant to be on the same team."

"Well, Princess Reign isn't here to say it," Asteria said quietly and thanked him for the hairbrush before leaving.

~0~

At the local chess game - which provided the best way to open the brand new Chess Tower for the city - the girls gathered for Ami's game. Since there were no more seats, they lingered by the entrance upstairs but they still had a perfect view of the screens showing the chess players.

"It looks like Ami is a shoe in for the final round," Azula remarked first after watching the scoreboard notify of Ami's latest win. She was moving up, up, and fast too.

"GO AMI! GO AMI!" Usagi sprang with a set of chants for their friend, gaining in the process some odd looks of the quiet crowd.

"Usagi!" Rei hissed at the girl. "You need to be quiet! It's a chess game, not a football game!" Usagi sheepishly quiet down but still mumbled some chants for Ami.

"Excuse me?" an elderly man from a row below looked up at them. "Do you know Mizuno Ami?"

"Yes, we're her friends!" Usagi cheerfully answered him.

"And we're so sorry about her," Rei motioned to Usagi who glared in return.

"I'm a friend of her grandfather," the elder man explained over Ami. "She talked a lot about you during our last chess game."

"Do you think she has the ability to win?" Minako wondered as she once again gazed at the screen depicting Amy with her current opponent.

"She's more than capable of it but there is another strong rival on the same page as she is," the elder man made them see a different girl - a platinum blonde in a red and black plaid dress - making her way through opponents like a child's game.

No one saw Koan's eyes widened, and much less heard her faint gasp. Her next older sister, Berthier, was finally back...and up to the old Black Moon Clan tricks by the looks of it.

Ami and Berthier in disguise did end up meeting each other for the final round of the chess tournament. Ami was happy to meet the opponent, going for a fun game. However, Berthier introduced new Chess pawns decorated in black and blue gems.

"They're so pretty," Ami complimented them and set them on the board. "Let's play a fun game of chess!" she extended her hand over the table to shake hands with Berthier.

The blonde smiled rather smugly and shook hands. Ami noticed the unusual coldness in Berthier's hand, kind of...frosty. The temperature reminded her of an opponent Amy had battled with earlier, only it couldn't be the same person...

The game unfolded and while for a moment it appeared Berthier would win, Ami snuck in and got a check. Betheir's lips curled angrily, but she kept herself cool, because the game was not over. She still had the biggest card on her side.

"The real battle begins now, Sailor Mercury," she stood up from her chair and aimed a hand at the cameras watching them. One blast of ice crumbled them all to pieces.

Ami immediately got up, and since there was no point in hiding her identity, she transformed.

~0~

"That's not part of the game," Azula glanced at her friends. "You should check it out…"

The girls didn't waste a second thinking about it. They ran out of the crowd leaving just Azula and Koan. Azula took care of the crowd's questions by saying her friends were investigating it, and because the elder man turned out to be the owner of the Chess Tower it was a sealed excuse.

"What's the matter, Koan?" Azula noticed the overly worried look on Koan's face.

"It's... it's Berthier. That girl was my sister!"

Azula should have figured Berthier would come back to finish her fight against Sailor Mercury. "It's round 2 then…"

"She's still being manipulated by Rubeus," Koan sniffled. "We have to help her."

Azula recognized the look on Koan's face as the same one she often used to get into the battles. "You're going to run in there, aren't you?" Koan did not lie and so she nodded her head. Azula sighed and turned for the doorway. "And I guess I'll come with."

Koan smiled a little through tears and the two rushed out.

~0~

Berthier had trapped all the Sailor Scouts', except for Mercury, in a dark bubble of energy. She was forcing Mercury to play a final round of chess with a wicked spin. Sailor Mercury hissed when the terrible ice spread around her legs, locking them and her on her seat. She sent a glare at Berthier who simply laughed at her pawns' work.

"You wouldn't be in this mess if you would just stop trying to save them," Berthier nodded to the captive Scouts. "My pawns will encase your entire body in ice each time you lose. They will not stop unless you forfeit."

Sailor Mercury struggled to move her pawn. "I will never give up. They would do the same for me."

Berthier rolled her eyes, deeming Mercury's swords as rubbish. She easily knocked away another piece from Mercury's and took pleasure in it as more ice spread up to Mercury's thighs.

"Mercury!" Sailor Moon pounded on wall of their prison. "Don't continue! Just save yourself!"

Mercury shook her head with more determination. Her eyes examined the chessboard with the intention of taking a piece from Berthier this time.

Berthier laughed again and glanced at the Scouts. "She's going to die. And for you. How pathetic."

"It's not pathetic," Sailor Mercury snapped. Her teeth chartered from the ice encapsulating her body. "They're important to me! I will protect them no matter what."

Berthier raised an eyebrow, somewhat impressed by the words but nonetheless thinking it foolish. There was a puff of pink smoke behind her and suddenly her two older sisters, Petz and Calaberas, were standing behind her.

"Well done, Berthier!" Calaberas praised. "We've come to help you finish them off. That way Master Rubeus will congratulate us all and hopefully forgive us for what that traitor of Koan did."

"Finish the game already," Petz, too, was eager for the finale.

Berthier smirked with her sisters' support. She reached to take another pawn of Mercury's when a stark, red rose plundered into the board, breaking it in two. "No!" Berthier cried as her pawns fell to the floor.

Mercury was released from the icicle entrapment thanks to Tuxedo Mask. At the same time, the dark energy keeping the Sailor Moon and the other Senshi disappeared.

"Hm, well, that lasted shortly," Petz remarked at the sudden unfolding.

Calaveras laughed. "You really are useless just like Koan, Berthier! You couldn't even finish the game? Pathetic, really."

"Don't bother coming home if you can't clean this mess up," Petz warned before disappearing with Calaveras.

The rest of the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask shared similar faces of disapproval for the sisters. How quickly they had rescinded their "sisterly support". Berthier struggled to keep a straight face after her sisters' harsh words.

"You see that?" she addressed Sailor Mercury. "Even sisters don't fight for each other. It's how...it's how it should be." Her fight to smile failed but it didn't mean she was going to show emotions. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she demanded through gritted teeth.

Everyone suddenly had her in the gaze of a poor, helpless girl. She was anything but that. She was powerful. She could take them all down if she wanted to. And she wanted to. She couldn't return home after being mocked so coldly by her own family - what would the rest of the Black Moon Clan say to her afterwards?

"You're all going to die with me!" she decided and unleashed her strongest power. Ice re-encapsuled the room, covering every last bit with frost. A harsh, violent snowstorm started from her own body and out.

"You don't have to do this, Berthier!" Sailor Mercury struggled to stay on her feet, and since she was the closest to Berthier she felt the job to bring the sister to the light was hers. "Your sisters—"

"Don't talk about them!" Berthier shouted and released a new burst of power. Mercury and the others were pushed further back. "There is no such thing as love! People are born alone and they die alone!"

"NO!" Koan burst into the room with Azula. The moment they touched the icy ground they slipped and fell forwards.

"What are you doing here!?" Sailor Moon screeched at Azula.

The red-haired raised her head and pushed her hair out of her face. "I couldn't stop her!" she nodded to Koan who was getting back up.

"Koan, you traitor!" Berthier put her hands together to get an attack ready for Koan, but that didn't stop the youngest sister from going to her.

"You just have to listen, Berthier! Like I did! Please!"

Berthier roared with anger and fired frosty icicles at Koan. The latter fell back with the chunks of icicles all over her body. Azula was the first to be able to reach Koan, followed by Sailor Moon.

Koan wasn't as hurt and so with the help of her friends she was able to get back on her feet. "Berthier, the reason you're sad - you're feeling like this - is because you need love. You want it. And that's okay. It's what we've been deprived of since we could remember." Berthier's eyes shined with the honest truth in Koan's words. "Don't let yourself fall because you deserve to be happy. I want you to be happy."

Berthier lowered her arms and slowly her frosty powers died down. She lowered herself to the ground, on her knees. "You...you want that for me? You actually want that for me?" There had never been any verbal hints of emotion between her and her sisters, not that she could remember. It was always about who had more powers and how to get more. Who could take down more people? Competition. It was always a competition.

Koan smiled. "Of course I do. Being human has allowed me to think beyond all the darkness instilled in us."

"Could I...could I ever do the same?" Berthier dared to wonder what it would be like to feel...human. There were always stories about being human and what weaknesses it entailed, but there was never actually any talks about what was supposedly so good about it.

"You can be," Sailor Moon spoke this time, causing some hesitation in Berthier.

Berthier nodded her head then. "Then...could I become human too?"

Sailor Moon chuckled. "I think so."

"Actually…" Azula suddenly spoke with a finger in the air, "...do you think we could hold off on the whole becoming-pure-thing just for a couple of hours?" She sheepishly smiled at all the confused stares she got afterwards.

~ 0 ~

"Oh, look at me, so helpless and...possibly holding the Shadow Crystal…" Azula wistfully walked around the park later that night. Because there was no one else around as she spoke as loud as needed to be. "Oh, poor, defenseless, human me…"

"You are really milking it," she heard Artemis on the comm. piece in her ear.

"That's the point, my dear, kitty-cat. I've got to sell myself," Azula tried to hide her moving lips. She wasn't supposed to be talking to anyone else after all. She started all over again and this time made a show of herself by jumping on the familiar wooden bench then running up to the fountain and going around it.

When she heard the familiar clap of thunder, she smiled.

"You really are pathetically stupid," Senka's condescending voice remarked from behind.

Azula carefully turned on the fountain's ledge and lowered her arms to her sides. "It's been so long. I see you've got your figure now."

She eyed Senka's clear body and hated to admit they'd been pretty slow at stopping the Shadow woman. After sucking off energy from dozens of poor humans (who'd been rescued by the Sailor Scouts thankfully), Senka was a full on creature of two legs. Her long, black hair billowed in the air, falling over her black dress, yet it was in a familiar-like style. She seemed to have cuffs on her wrists but they were pitch black with no identifying features on it. The ghost of an odango hairstyle echoed over her head. Her skin was like a porcelain's doll but her eyes were an unusual shade of red-brown. The staff she wielded was a silver one with embedded purple.

"And soon I will be able to wield as much power as I want," Senka gave a mirthful laugh and pointed the tip of her staff at Azula. "After you give me the Shadow Crystal, Reign."

Azula's lips stretched into a big smile as she held up her arms again. "It's all yours."

"So easy this time?"

"Let's just say I don't want my friends caught up in this," Azula motioned her hands to get it over with.

"How heroic, and pathetic," Senka fired her dark, shadow energy from her staff. It captured Azula without trouble and electrocuted her with it. Azula screamed as she felt the familiar energy rupture inside her.

"Is everyone in position?" Luna's voice asked the others through the comm. system.

"So ready," Sailor Moon assured and hurried out of the bushes she and the others were hiding behind of.

"Shine aqua illusion!" Sailor Mercury began the string of attacks first. Frost grabbed Senka's staff and froze it, but unlike the others villains Mercury faced, it did not shatter into pieces. The staff merely broke off the icicle bits and continued to torture Azula. Senka laughed again and turned around to face the Scouts, leaving the staff to do the work.

"You cannot freeze a shadow you idiots," Senka spat and placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you get it? I am neither alive nor dead. I am the perfect cross between your world and the Shadow Dominion, and when I get my hands on the Shadow Crystal I will merge both worlds and become its Queen."

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Sailor Mars prepared her own attack. "Burning Mandala!"

Senka disappeared just before the fire rings crossed the air. She re-appeared behind Sailor Mars and retaliated. "Mysterious Masked Kiss!" ringlets of black energy threw Sailor Mars across the park.

"Sailor Mars!" her friends cried after her.

"Sailor Moon, you have to hurry," Tuxedo Mask had gotten to Azula's location. The girl was twisting and writhing under Senka's power but there was a shining light starting over her chest.

"No," Sailor Hemera stepped up beside him with an unusual determination. "We have to let the crystal - if it's in there - come out."

"Are you insane!?" Tuxedo Mask turned on her, ready to argue it out and go even further if he needed to.

No one was exactly on board with Azula using herself as live bait, but since it was the only option they had to draw out Senka they went with it. However, Senka wasn't supposed to actually get whatever lied within the girl.

"She asked me to make sure it happened," Sailor Hemera whipped out her sword and threatenginlgy pointed at Tuxedo Mask. "And I think it's the right thing to do."

"You betrayed us!"

"No! I'm doing what my friend asked!"

"Well, we're not on board!" Sailor Jupiter charged towards Senka with electricity hanging at her hands. "Sparkling wide pressure!"

Senka took some of the thunder's blow but it ultimately got absorbed within her. Sailor Jupiter gasped and wasn't prepared for the blow her way.

"Dark ripples!" Senka fired shots of black bits that encircled Sailor Jupiter.

"What the - AAAAH!" Sailor Jupiter became trapped in a similar field of energy as Azula. She screamed and fell to her knees.

"We need to stop this!" Sailor Venus raised her hand to command her love-me chain but it was promptly smacked by Sailor Hemera's boomerang. "HEMERA!"

"It's almost done!" Sailor Hemera stared urgently at Azula in the air.

The red-haired girl's body was arched upwards and the light from her chest was beginning to glow outside as it crossed her skin.

"Sailor Moon! Do it now!" Tuxedo Mask frantically ordered her.

Sailor Moon nodded firmly and called out her moon rod.

"It's out!" Sailor Hemera laughed when Azula's body had finally expunged the crystal embedded in her chest.

Senka was too, anxous, for her much awaited crystal...but when the light blinding them died down…

Azula's crystal had turned white with gold freckles...just like the rest of the victims before her. She didn't have the Shadow Crystal.

"NO!" Senka shouted with newfound rage for her loss of time. She commanded her staff and zapped the energy back from it.

Azula's crystal was sucked back into her body and without the energy holding her she dropped down to where Tuxedo Mask was able to catch her.

"I did my job," Sailor Hemera reiterated and threw her sword directly at Senka.

The shadow-woman laughed and easily knocked it to the side with her staff. "Did you really think that would be enough?"

"No," the brunette Scout put her hands on her hips, "but it was enough for a distraction."

"What!?"

"Moon Princess Halation!" Sailor Moon had summoned up her deadly attack and easily caught Senka in a web of the crystal's power.

"You cannot destroy me!" Senka repeatedly shouted at them but Sailor Moon kept going.

"Not alone I can't!" the blonde agreed. "Now Berthier!"

"What!?" Senka's darkened red-brown eyes widened when the platinum blonde jumped in.

The black, upside-down, crescent moon on her forehead brimmed with energy. "Dark power!"

Her malefic black crystal swirled around Sailor Moon's Silver Crystal's power and joined forces. Senka knew what was coming and could only scream in agony as the two crystals' powers crashed upon her.

"NO! NO! NOOO!"

Everyone watched as the purply-black energy around Senka began to wasp away like it was simple air. Her odango-like hairstyle let go so that it was only loose hair now.

"It's working!" Sailor Mercury exclaimed happily. "Keep going you two!"

Sailor Moon and Berthier focused as much as possible and gave it their all to eliminate the anti-Sailor Moon shadow living in Senka. A shadowy figure was pushed out of Senka and Sailor Moon shivered at the familiar figure she knew was hers. But the shadow figure disappeared with a screech and Senka was left with only two more Shadows.

"Damn...you…" Senka weakly reached for her staff and made herself disappear.

Sailor Moon and Berthier slumped forwards, both left weak by the burst of energy.

"You two did it!" Koan came out of the hiding spot she'd been vowed to stay in. She threw her arms around her sister. "I'm so proud of you, Berthier!"

"I didn't...know I could do that…" Berthier smiled with her sister. "It felt...it felt good."

"I'll heal you when I've got some more energy, I promise," Sailor Moon reached to take Berthier's hand, both happy with their victory.

Sailor Hemera didn't exactly share the same feeling of triumph. She stared down at Azula, who remained unconscious and with Tuxedo Mask.

"You could have killed her," he said, his words laced with bubbling anger.

"I just wanted to find Reign."

"This wasn't the plan," Sailor Mars walked over to the two and checked up on Azula.

"She asked, she begged me, alright?" Sailor Hemera knew she was under scrutinizing looks from the entire group. "None of you would listen to her! And now guess what? Senka won't be after anymore because she's not Reign. Happy win for everyone," she bitterly smiled and ran out of the scene.

"Hemera!" Sailor Moon tried to run after her but she was just too weak at the moment.

The air of bittersweetness couldn't help but affect everyone.

[fictionkinfessions]

oh post canon game very exciting. if I had to pick a canon where i know the Most about my post canon (and where I have more memories post than during canon) I'd have to say Azula (atla.)

first and foremost i think its so funny the comics think the fire nation had straight jackets and "asylums." thats so funny. i was in prison. I was in prison and then I spent an absurd possibly inhuman amount of time in solitary confinement (I forgive my brother for this, I truly was causing too many problems around other people. it was a different Time.) Eventually through Circumstance however when one member of team avatar caught me wildly disassociating and self destructing inside of an ice cube he decided he'd make me his little pet project. and it worked very well. he sat with me for my main meal every day for months and therapized me. often very poorly because he was just as much of an idiot as he was intelligent, but that made two of us.

after that I transed my gender, (eventually...) rebuilt bridges with my brother and uncle, kind've squirmed my way into team avatar, and got deeply into spirituality. never truly became a pacifist and did enjoy firebending deeply for the rest of my life but eventually it became better for me to tune my innate connection to my element towards more peaceful endeavors, and I was damn good at it, thank you. I remember visiting my uncle for tea in the spirit world... I do quite like the theory that that firebending priest in TLOK is me, I can see it. maybe if they gave her One sarcastic quip I'd know for sure, but I can see it.

one other fun piece of trivia, had a phase where I got really into dance, specifically that kind've showy firebending stuff you see in book 3, it was another good way to use all my training towards understanding my element and my body in a way that was nondestructive.

on firebending; an INTERESTING thing, I don't associate very much with the blue fire. I think I did that because I was deeply mentally ill and needed people to think I was perfect and beyond every one elses level, and knowing what I know now about *how* i could do it it was very impressive, but it was purely show, the fire wasn't actually hotter, i just needed people to think I was cool. I suppose I just dropped it at some point.

all of this is wildly noncompliant with canon and i just assume I will never meet anyone with similar memories. cest la vie. I will say I quite like the most recent post canon comic for me, they do actually bring spirits into it, which considering how important that became to me I really appreciate it and do hope they'll take me down that line, even if they leave out my year or two of prison mental breakdowns and my stupid little boy toy. and you know i'm too girl power for them to ever realize CLEARLY i am transgender (joke, I know im *very* non compliant for that, all love to other azula kins who kept their canon gender, I however was a failboy.)

I don't. have any post canon memories of my mother. I don't know if we met her. i hope if we did she didn't do what she did in the comics. but i wouldn't blame her. part of me hopes I never saw her again. i just don't think I'm ready to think about it.

apologies for the essay as usual!! azula is such a high kin for me but my post canon is so hyperspecific I never get to talk about it. hugs and kisses to everyone from source, miss you lots xoxoxo❤️

x

[rosafloera]

Bad Actor: ComradeKatara (aka Othelo aka Grendelsmilf Aka Noelleakopian)

Previously part of Lesbians4Sokka.

That should already ring some alarm bells, Lesbians4Sokka was a page notorious in the community for some of the most brutal cyberbullying. Think RAPE THREATS! Before I start showing supporting evidence, a disclaimer:

*Let's not add to the situation, do what we can to ignore her and move on. She is a troll that doesn't deserve our attention, nothing will change her mind. There are bigger world problems requiring our focus.

Fun fact: the L4S page IS now ComradeKatara, hovering over the old tag shows

TLDR: ComradeKatara headcanons Katara as a homophobe, constantly mocking/cyberbullying her and anyone who disagrees. In the same breath she is a devout Sokka x Zuko shipper, which is laughable and contradictory.

All ‘evidence’ they have ever provided consists of misinterpretations of canon so illogical it’s pointless to reply to.

Also I’m sure CK doesn’t publicise their Toph and Azula hate and homophobic headcanons that much because Toph and Azula stans are passionate and would rip them apart in a second. Get behind me, Katara. I love you 🥹❤️

CK's FAQ.

She hates Zutara because it's 'racist'. Which is hilarious when we see her ship Zukka. Even the explanation as to why she headcanons Katara as a homophobe, (which she so graciously replaced the entire word with 'straight') beating around the bush and actually explaining nothing at all.

Saying 2 contradictory things in 1 sentence is quite the talent and exposes that she is in constant agony over which side to pander to more. *She is nothing without pandering!* Poor CK doesn't love Katara at all.

In her own words....

'i think CK’s writing proves inconsistent with both the characters and the themes of the show, to an offensive degree. pretty much the only character treated with any sort of respect is momo, and that’s probably because he can’t talk.'

Leave poor Momo alone.

Don't be shy CK. Let it be known you were Lesbians4Sokka.

Lesbians who only hate on women, unsurprisingly have very queerphobic takes. Dear god, do they EVEN like women???

CK reblogged this btw.

At least they're aware?

If only they would leave these characters' names out their mouth, the whole of ATLA actually.

Oh, really. You had no idea when you mercilessly cyberbullied people with your cliques, I assume.

Nor of your lesbians4sokka past, huh?

Peace out.

More proof:

#l4s #lesbians4sokka

https://www.tumblr.com/comradekatara/search/homophobic

Wayback machine just in case lol:

[infinitefandomimagines]

Scarred - Zuko x Reader

WARNINGS: ARGUING, BURN SCARS, ANGST

-

REQUEST: zuko x reader where the reader is the last one to forgive zuko at the western air temple bc he accidentally hurt her in the crystal catacombs and than zuko goes to her tent, begging for forgiveness and she shows him the scar he gave her and it’s super fluffy:33

-

"Y/N. . . what do you say?" All eyes landed on you, waiting for your response to Aang's question. However, there was only one pair of eyes in particular you glared back at; and if looks could kill, the recently renounced Fire Nation prince in front of you would've surely met his demise right then. But Zuko knew how to hold himself in front of those who wanted to intimidate him. If there was anything his father taught him, it was that much.

Despite your fiery stare and previous threats from the first time he pleaded for forgiveness that you'd "knock him on his ass" if he ever came near you again, he kept his composure. There was no doubt in his mind you'd stay true to that warning, which is why he made sure to keep enough distance between the two of you.

There was a hopeful gleam in his eyes, so far Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph had agreed to let him join the team, albeit some more hesitantly than others. If everyone else found it in their hearts to forgive and forget, surely you could as well. Wrong.

"No."

You saw the last bit of hope fizzle from his eyes as defeat weighed down on him, causing his shoulders to sink and his head to drop. "I know you don't trust me, I don't blame you. I've done horrible things, hurt you and your friends-"

"You can't even begin to imagine the amount of pain you've caused me!" Your words held a venomous sting, yet your tone was strained, calm almost.

"Y/N," Katara stepped up behind you, her voice was soft. You could barely feel the hand she'd placed on your left shoulder, thick and itchy bandages blocking her attempt at comfort. "I don't like it either, but Aang needs to learn fire bending."

"I really believe he's changed, give him a chance to-"

You cut Aang off, finally breaking your gaze from Zuko to face the young monk. "He's already had too many chances!"

No one could admit that you were wrong, not even Zuko. Because every time he'd faught against your little group of rag-tag heroes, you'd given him a chance. Even while the rest of team avatar faught the exiled prince, you never threw a single blow that wasn't defensive or to save your friends. Instead, you'd offer him a chance to join the right side. Of course, he never accepted, but you saw the benefits of your kindness when he'd began to show a sense of mercy against you. There was something in your head telling you he was more than just a villain.

But that mindset changed when you and the gang faught against him and his sister in the crystal catacombs. When Aang almost died. When he chose the Fire Nation's side. When he'd made sure to leave you a permanent reminder of that day.

After a few moments of tense silence, you let out an impatience scoff. "Leave, Zuko. I gave you my answer, the least you can do is respect it."

Reluctantly, he nodded, mumbling out an apology before turning on his heels. He only got in a few steps before Aang interjected.

"Zuko, stop."

He did, glancing over his shoulder, ready to hear what Aang had to say.

"I'm sorry, Y/N, but Zuko is staying. I need need to learn fire bending and he's my only option. I really believe he's changed for the better."

"You don't have to forgive him, but Aang's right, we need him," Sokka added in, to which Toph agreed.

You took in their words, it was obvious they weren't up for debate. You hated that they were right, you all did need Zuko, no matter your current opinion on him.

"Fine," you sighed, looking at Zuko, who was now standing awkwardly with his hands behind his back. "But stay away from me."

Over the next few days, Zuko had somehow managed to gain the complete and utter trust of everyone, even Katara. Everyone except you. Then again, you hadn't had your "life changing field trip with Zuko" that made everyone seemingly forget about everything he'd ever done to them. Field trip or not, earning your trust wasn't going to be that easy. You didn't care how many times he made everybody tea and told cringey jokes.

"Where did you learn to make so many different types of tea?" Aang inquired, causing everyone to look at Zuko, wanting to hear his answer.

Zuko returned to his seat around the fire between Toph and Aang, finally finished handing out small cups of tea. "My uncle, it's his favorite thing to make, he even owned a tea shop at one point."

"You mean the one you betrayed," you deadpanned coldly. You flicked your eyes up from the warm cup of tea in your hands to Zuko, wanting to see his reaction.

His smile faultered, and katara shot a disapproving look at you. For a second you felt guilty, maybe that was too far. He looked genuinely hurt by your comment, but soon another emotion took over his features. You could see it in the way he clenched his jaw and sat up straighter.

"Yeah. That one." His tone was one of poorly restrained bitterness, you'd definitely struck a nerve.

You hummed in response, refusing to break eye contact with him, like you were challenging him to say something equally as cold, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he took a deep breath, just like his uncle taught him.

"I don't get it," He asked, frustrated and fed up with your snarky comments and side eyes. "Everyone else trusts me, why can't you?"

"You really have to ask?"

Katara could feel the tension and awkwardness of the impending argument hanging over everyone. This wasn't the time nor place to be having this conversation.

"I think now would be a good time for another healing session," she interjected, giving you a look that informed you she wasn't exactly asking. With a frustrated huff, you stood up and made your way to your tent, not even waiting for Katara to follow.

You plopped down onto your sleeping bag, sitting with your left side towards the opening.

Katara was there in a few minutes, holding a medium sized bowl of water in her hands. She gently set it down on the ground, taking a seat on your sleeping bag as well, facing your left side.

You tugged your left sleeve down so you could free it. With your shoulder now exposed, she carefully removed the bandages that covered your shoulder and the side of your neck, revealing the red and scarred skin hidden underneath.

"How does it look?" You asked, attempting to ignore the itchy feeling of the fresh air hitting your wound.

"It's healing, slowly" she answered as she conjured the water from the bowl and molded it with her hands. She purified the liquid, causing it it glow. Slowly, she lowered it until the cool water molded over your injured skin. You clenched your teeth and whimpered at the sudden sting the contact made, but then Katara started making circular motions with her hands, beginning the healing process. The stinging pain soon morphed into a comforting cold and relieving sensation.

Katara had done this for you and Aang multiple times since the gang escaped from that wretched crystal catacomb. As much progress as your skin had made in healing, you couldn't seem to wipe the painful memories of how you'd recieved such a wound from your mind. You could remember the events so vividly it was as if they'd happened yesterday.

You were stalling, Zuko and Azula knew that, yet they didn't seem to mind. If anything, Azula enjoyed watching you struggle to give your friends more time. You needed to stall them long enough for Aang to fully enter the avatar state, that's all.

"Come on, Zuko, you know what needs to be done!" Azula coaxed.

"No! You still have a chance Zuko, you can still make this right!" You could see the conflict rising in him as you and Azula tugged at his morals.

There was a moment, a single second where his emotions betrayed him, where you could see how badly he wanted to go with you and the gang. But it was gone just as fast as it came.

"I will kill the avatar and restore my honor, as well as my rightful place beside my father!" He launched into action, sending overpowering blows your way.

He kept you distracted and unable to help your friends long enough for Azula to strike down Aang. Your head snapped towards Katara's screams and you saw him laying there, completely unconscious.

You were distracted, and Zuko impulsively took advantage, sending a blast of orange and red flames towards you.

In all honesty, he expected you to dodge it, you always did without fail. But this time you were too distracted, too concerned with Aang, and he caught you completely off guard. You didn't even realize you were being attacked until the flames painfully scorched your skin.

You let out a horrifying scream as you crumbled to your knees, your shaky hand hovering over your left shoulder as you tried to control your instinct to grab it, knowing it would only hurt worse. You clenched your teeth together, biting back tears as you whipped your head around go see Zuko.

He looked shocked, remorseful even, but that didn't stop anger from edging its way into your glare.

You shuddered at the memory and tried to shake it from your head completely.

"You're all done," Katara said, maneuvering the water back into the bowl. A dull ache returned to your wound, but it felt significantly better than before.

"Thanks, Katara," you mumbled.

"Do you need help rewrapping the bandages?"

You shook your head, preferring to be alone and do the difficult task by yourself. Katara seemed to understand, because she didn't push the issue like she usually would. Instead, she left you with a few words.

"What you said was too far tonight, you should really apologize to Zuko, he is trying you know?"

She didn't wait for a response, not that you planned on giving much of one anyway, but soon you were alone, relishing in the peaceful silence.

But your silence didn't last long, just a few minutes after Katara left there was a whispering voice just outside your tent. It was unmistakable who'd come to visit you, and with great reluctance did you let him in.

"What do you want?" you asked, annoyance filling your voice. You refused to make eye contact with the boy, opting to stare at the mess of tangled bandages in your hands.

Your question was met with silence, that only seemed to worsen your mood. Really? He invades your tent just to ignore your one question? This guy was just unbelievable!

You could feel yourself loosing your temperature once again. "I said, what do you-" Your head snapped up at Zuko, ready to tell him off. But you froze when you saw his gaze, and how it held your figure. His jaw was slack, and his eyes swam as tears pooled at his lash-line. But his eyes never met yours. No, his focus was completely on the uncovered scar that graced your left side.

Your shoulder had taken most of the impact, just shy of being completely colored with a dull red scar. But the wound didn't stop there, covering a decent portion of your shoulder blade. The red marking also stretched up in a jagged stripe, narrowing to a point on the side of your neck, just barely marking your cheek.

You hated how you shuddered under his gaze, and had to look away. Your fingers moving faster as your tried to unravel the tangled bandage. You wanted to cover the burned area as soon as possible.

"I- I did that." It wasn't a question. He spoke purely in matter-of-fact statements, he knew exactly where you'd received your mark from.

"Yeah." You said sharply, picking up the bandage and moving to re-wrap the large wound.

"I . . . I am so sorry-"

"You've said."

Re-wrapping the affected area was proving to be more difficult than you'd thought, especially in your heightened state or frustration. Usually Katara did this part, and you were starting to regret sending her away.

"Please, let me help you," Zuko pleaded, reaching a shaky hand out to grasp at the bandage in your grip. You immediately flinched away from him, the sudden movement sending a sharp pain through your left side.

"Stay away from me!" You bit at him.

Zuko immediately pulled his hand back from you, as if he'd burned you unintentionally for a second time. "I'm sorry," he impulsively spilled out.

"Would you stop saying that? Stop apologizing, nothing is going to make me- ow!" Your own pain cut your sentence short, the sharp pain returning, sending another shock wave up your side at your frustrated movements.

"I'm so- just, please, let me help you and then I'll leave you alone, I promise."

You took a moment to think about the offer, and as much as you didn't want his help, the promise for him to leave is what enticed you to agree. So reluctantly, you handed him the bandages and positioned yourself closer to him, allowing Zuko to access your wound and wrap it with ease.

With slow movements, Zuko began wrapping the burned area. His touch was suprisingly gentle, even more so than Katara's, something you hadn't thought possible. But even with his feather-like touch, your skin still twitched as his fingers and the bandages made contact with the more sensitive areas. Zuko muttered out small apologies each time you flinched, despite your earlier message to stop that. Though the skin had begun the early stages of scarring, it was still sensitive.

"Uh, d-did I ever tell you how I got my scar?" Zuko asked suddenly, not even bothering to look up from his task. You knew what he was doing, he'd been doing things like that since he got here, trying to make small talk with you to cover up the awkward tension. You usually never entertained it, but for some reason tonight you felt intrigued by his question.

"No." You answered shortly, trying your best not to show your growing interest. You'd always been curious about the scar.

"My father gave it to me," he stated, oddly calmly. It was almost mindless the way he told the story as he continued to carefully wrap up your injury. Like the memory had become second nature to tell.

"Oh," you whispered out softly, your mind buzzing with a million different ways to respond to him, yet none of them felt right.

"I spoke out of turn during a meeting, over a general. They wanted to sacrifice an entire division of fire nation soldiers to gain the advantage. But I-," He swallowed thickly. ". . . I thought that was wrong so I spoke up."

You nodded ever so slightly, letting out a soft hum, showing that you were still listening and waiting for him to continue. At this point Zuko had finished wrapping the bandages around your burn, allowing you to turn your body to face him fully.

"My father was furious with my disrepect towards the general. He said that the dispute would need to be resolved with an agni kai, and I accepted. And when the day came I thought I'd be fighting the general I interrupted, but then my father walked out, my agni kai was to be against him."

With each word you felt your heart grow heavier and ache for the boy you swore you hated. You were beginning to question whether you genuinely hated him or if what you truly felt was left over betrayal and anger.

"How old were you?" You finally asked the question that had been bouncing around your head since he began the story.

"Thirteen, not long before I was banished."

You felt yourself boil with anger, but for once it wasn't directed towards the boy in front of you. No, you were furious with the Fire Lord. Who could do that to someone? To a child. Zuko must not have noticed the way your jaw clenched and your fists tightened into balls, because he continued the story as if he hadn't just made your heart drop into your stomach with his answer.

"I didn't want to fight my father, I couldn't. But he took my refusal as another sign of disrespect. I begged for his forgiveness, but he wouldn't hear it. He claimed that I would learn my lesson through suffering. He raised his hand just in front of my face and then he-"

His voice caught in his throat with a crack as he visibly grimaced from the sheer memory of the event. Instinctively, you reached out for his hand, placing yours over top of his much larger one. Now it was his turn to flinch at the sudden contact.

"Zuko, it's okay, you don't have to tell me this, I understand-"

"No! I do! I need you to understand that I never meant to hurt you! I need you to know that the last thing I wanted was for you to feel the same pain I did. After what my father did, I never wanted to inflict that on anyone. I knew that pain and yet I still hurt you . . . the one person who actually believed I could change!"

His hands flew into the air as his frustrated yells of regret were lost to the silent night. He then exasperatedly brought his arms back down and dropped his head into the palms of his hands. His body shook as he took in deep breaths, trying his best not to shed any tears. He was just so frustrated with himself.

"I thought you would dodge it," His muffled whimpers poured out. "You always dodged it."

It was then that you realized how cold you'd been to the boy. You were so caught up in your own hurt and anger, only concerned with making him feel as horrible as you had with your hurtful words. Not once had you considered that he was already kicking himself ten times harder for the pain he'd caused you. He really hadn't meant to hurt you.

And that's when you did something unexpected. In an impulsive attempt to comfort him, you threw your arms around his neck, pulling him in to a hug. His breath hitched, obviously shocked by the gesture, his body going stiff.

"I understand now, I forgive you, Zuko."

At those seven words he melted into your embrace, returning it as he wrapped his arms around your figure. His chin now rested on top of your good shoulder, as he was being extra cautious as to not press on your burns.

"And I'm sorry, for what I said about you and your uncle. He'd be proud of you."

His grip on you tighten, mumbling out a 'thank you,' in the process, finally feeling as though he could fully begin healing from all the wrong he'd done.

-

TAGLIST: @theepartygetsmewetter  

[atlabeth]

everything happens for a reason part one - zuko x fem!reader

I am not your concern 

masterlist | part 2 

summary: as a servant in the fire nation, you’ve learned that life is often unfair. but as you venture through a tumultuous relationship with a certain prince, you come to learn a very tricky lesson: everything happens for a reason.

a/n: im so excited about this guys you dont even know. i have so much planned and i hope you all love it as much as i do - just for reference, in this first chapter y/n is 9 and zuko is 10

wc: 2.3k

warning(s): mentions of a raid, reader and zuko both being little shits lmao

chapter title comes from not your concern by the hush sound! 

Y/N sprawled out on the grass and sighed contentedly as the sun shined down on her and her mother. Today was easier than most as they had been given the day off, an occasion that was rare in the royal palace. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh scent aerating their surroundings. Her senses were blessed with a mix of sea salt and fire lilies, an ever present reminder of the two worlds she walked in.

“Y/N,” her mother chided as she glanced down at her daughter from her sewing. “You shouldn’t lay in the grass like that. You know how hard those stains are to get out; I don’t need even more work on my plate.”

“Yes, mother,” she sighed as she sat up with mock exasperation. “I just feel like I should take advantage of this! We spend all day inside, and now that we’re out here you’re worried about things like stained clothes.” Y/N pushed herself to her feet and spread her arms out as she spun in a small circle. “Life is short, and I already spend all of it sewing and healing. Don’t you think I deserve some grass stains?”

“Did you find your way into the poetry books again?” she joked. “Of course I think you should have fun, but you know how things are here. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

She continued to twirl, the soft breeze a welcome sensation on her skin. “I know, I know, but you don’t need to worry! I can—”

“Dear, watch where you’re going!”

Her mother’s warning didn’t reach her in time, a fact that became known to Y/N as she collided into the boy in front of her. A small gasp escaped her as recognition filled her now wide eyes.

“Prince Zuko!” she exclaimed, nervous hands finding their positions as she bowed. “Please forgive me for the accident, I didn’t realize you were there.”

Y/N had never spoken to the young prince directly — she mainly shadowed her mother while she did her work around the palace or honed her healing abilities under the watchful eye of Rika, their most skilled healer — but she knew enough to understand that she was to never disrespect the royal family in any way.

“Don’t worry,” he said with a small smile, alleviating the tension that had built up in her shoulders. “I’m sorry too, I wasn’t paying attention either. I actually came here for some help.” As she straightened her back, she noticed the bundle of fabric he was holding. “Are you Kura?”

“Oh, no. That’s my mother.” She pointed behind her where her mother greeted the prince with a respectful nod and smile of her own. “Did you come to get something fixed? She’s the best seamstress in all of the Four Nations.”

“My daughter flatters me,” Kura chucked. “What is it that you require, Prince Zuko?”

“She’s right, actually.” He held up the bundle of cloth which Y/N now recognized as one of the many outfits he owned. She didn’t consider herself a jealous person, but the prince’s extensive wardrobe was an exception to that rule. She had one set uniform for her work supplied by the Fire Nation, and a threadbare set for everything else that her mother had bought for her after saving up what little copper they had to spare. Y/N didn’t mind it too much as she was able to practice her sewing whenever the seams broke, but she was sure that her handiwork made up more of the outfit than the original by now.

“I tore one of the sleeves while I was training with Azula,” Zuko expressed with a frown. “I showed it to my mother, and she said that Kura would be able to fix it. I had to go through every single servant to find you, so I really hope you can. ”

Kura set her current project down and took the cloth from the prince, examining it with the skillful eye of a seamstress before meeting his eyes with another smile. “Of course, dear. I should have it ready for you by tomorrow; my daughter will deliver it to your quarters around midday.”

“Do it well,” he demanded. “I can’t focus on my training if my clothes are falling apart.”

“Hey!” she spoke up, scowling as she crossed her arms. It was like every shred of sense Y/N had disappeared the moment he talked down to her mother. “This is our day off, so you should be thankful that my mother is taking time out of her day to do this for you. Be nicer to her.”

“Y/N!” her mother scolded, her tone frantically apologetic as she turned back to the prince. “Please, forgive my daughter. She speaks her mind far too often, she doesn’t mean any disrespect.”

“No, you’re right.” A thoughtful expression found its way onto the young boy’s features, his eyes trained on her own displeasure. “My father always talks that way to the servants and I guess it came off on me. I’m sorry. It’s not nice.”

“Apology accepted,” Y/N said reluctantly.

“Thank you for your help. I’ll make sure to tell all my friends about your work.” The young prince smiled and walked off, though not without a curious second glance at the girl who righted his wrong.

As soon as the prince was out of range, Kura began to berate her daughter. “Y/N, by now you have to understand that under no circumstances may you ever speak to a member of the royal family like that! Do you know what kind of punishment you could’ve gotten if anyone else was around to hear that?”

She sighed and settled back on the ground, plucking a blade of grass from the ground. “I know, mother, but he needs to learn manners, prince or not!”

“That’s not how it works here. Our job is to serve the royal family without question. Sometimes they say mean things, but we can’t do anything about it. Apologies are not yours to demand or accept.”

“That’s not fair,” she mumbled as she wrapped the strand of grass around her finger. “Back home I could say whatever I wanted.”

“I know, honey, I know. But we’re not at home anymore, so the rules there don’t apply. We have to follow the rules that are put in place here. Can you promise that you’ll do that for me?”

“Yes, mother.” It was a phrase that seemed to always be at the tip of her tongue now that constant apologies were littered throughout her days, usually accompanied by a sigh.

“I miss home,” The murmured sentiment was almost too soft for Kura to hear and her heart sank. Her daughter’s gaze was trained on the ground, idle fingers tapping against her legs, and she put a momentary pause to her sewing with a sigh.

“Dear, don’t you have a healing session today with Rika?”

“You know I don’t,” she grumbled. “It’s my day off, which no one seems to remember.”

“Y/N.” Kura’s voice was more firm and she now understood that it wasn’t so much a suggestion as a demand. “I think you should pay Rika a visit.”

She heaved an exasperated sigh and stood up in a far more exaggerated gesture than necessary. “Alright. I’ll see you later tonight, mother.” And as Y/N began her walk back to the palace, a sour feeling brewed in her chest.

Kura watched on, unable to prevent the fear that permeated her thoughts. They were fortunate that the young prince was generous, but along with his mother they might’ve been the only two who shared those views in the royal family. She hated having to constantly admonish her daughter — the girl was too young to constantly live in fear, especially having already been through so much — but in the Fire Nation they couldn’t afford to do anything less. A spitfire girl like her daughter was constantly treading on thin ice, and it was all she could do to keep her safe.

Kura feared the day when she wasn’t there to protect her.

-

After a short walk that consisted of muttering things to herself and taking her anger out on the pebbles unfortunate enough to be in her path, Y/N found herself back at the palace. She let herself into a side entrance meant only for servants and set on her way to the infirmary when she collided with someone else — an apology was already on the tip of her tongue when she recognized it was Prince Zuko once more. She truly had rotten luck.

Y/N shot quick glances around to ensure that they were alone, then lowered her voice just for extra security. “My mom says I’m not supposed to talk to you like this, but I don’t care. Just because you’re the prince doesn’t mean you can just go around bumping into people!” she whispered angrily.

“But— you were the one who bumped into me the first time!”

She could feel her face heat up from embarrassment and she crossed her arms. “Just— whatever! Do you want something or do you just like popping up in places you're not supposed to be?”

“I guess I just wanted to talk to you,” Zuko shrugged. “I’ve never really seen you around before, and you’re interesting.”

Y/N scrutinized him trying to find out if he was tricking her somehow, but after staring at him for a solid ten seconds she finally caved. “Fine,” she said, already beginning to walk. “But you’d better make it fast. I have to get to a healing session.”

He took a few quick steps to catch up to her and frowned. “I’m the prince. Technically I could order you to stop and you would have to listen.”

“Yeah, well when it’s just the two of us, you’re just another boy. I don’t have time to talk to boys for hours.”

His brows creased for a moment as he thought about it, then ultimately shrugged once more. “Okay. You said you were going to a healing session- does that mean you’re a waterbender?”

She nodded, and Zuko waited for her to explain further. He heaved a sigh, realizing that he was going to have to carry this conversation. “Well.. what’s a waterbender doing in the Fire Nation?”

She fixed him with a puzzled look. “I’m a servant. That’s why I’m here.”

“I know that,” he frowned. “But most of the servants here are from the Fire Nation, and there are hardly any around your age. I’m just trying to get to know you better.”

Y/N sighed heavily — she now knew that the child prince of the Fire Nation had zero sense of boundaries, and if she wanted to get him off her back she had to answer to his satisfaction. “My mother is a waterbender from the Northern Tribe. She left home when she was young to travel the world and help who she could with her healing, and eventually she fell in love with an earthbender. That was my father — they ended up marrying and settling down in his village where they had me a few years later. Last month, my village was raided by the Fire Nation, and my mother and I were captured after they discovered we were waterbenders. And now I’m here, being annoyed by a prince.”

Zuko frowned once more — it seemed if he continued hanging out with this girl the expression would be stuck permanently on his face — and he suddenly felt ashamed for pushing. “I’m really sorry,” he muttered. “I had no idea.”

She heaved another sigh and shook her head. “Yeah, well they probably keep a lot of the bad things they do from you. It’s easier to send raids to destroy families when your children don’t know.”

“What happened to your father?” he questioned.

Y/N’s body stiffened, and she had never been more thankful to see the infirmary door. “Save your questions for next time,” she grumbled.

Zuko’s eyes lit up, her earlier stumble going unnoticed, and a small smile found its way across his lips. “There’s gonna be a next time?”

She managed to cover up her own growing smile with an ambivalent shrug. “As long as you don’t bump into me again.” Y/N opened the door and gave him a polite parting nod before disappearing inside.

“Good afternoon, Master Rika,” she said with a small bow. “I know this is unexpected, but my mother insisted that I come here to—”

“Let me guess,” the older woman interrupted with a raised brow. “Kura got tired of you and sent you here to annoy me instead?”

Y/N chuckled and rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she pushed the sleeves of her tunic up to her elbows. “When have I ever annoyed you?”

“That’s a question you don’t want me to answer,” she joked as she rummaged through the closet to get supplies. “Besides, what was that smile for? Meet a boy on your day off? A girl?”

Her eyes widened momentarily and she felt the heat rush to her cheeks intensely. “I don’t ask you about your life while we heal, you shouldn’t ask about mine!”

Zuko, who had been eavesdropping by the door in an extremely un-covert fashion, felt an even bigger smile. The girl was prickly as a cactus, but he found himself strangely drawn to her — not in spite of it, but because of it. He was so used to anyone he talked to outside of his immediate family and friends bending at the knee to fulfill his every will, and it was exhausting at times. But this girl — Y/N, as he had learned — was the complete opposite.

He started to walk away, sure that he was late for some kind of session of his own. Zuko found himself thinking of the glimpse of a smile he got, already finding himself scheming up ways to make it return.

And despite her request, he was almost certain he would try to bump into her again.

[patchofsunlight]

Back to You | Zuko x Fem!Reader

SUMMARY: Fire Lord Zuko falls in love with one of the Kyoshi Warriors sent to protect him. Thankfully, she falls in love with him too.

WORD COUNT: 5.2k I wanted it to be shorter than Pretty Eyes and succeeded... kind of

WARNINGS: okay so there’s some kissing, some swear words, some obvious mutual pining, some frustration, and that’s it. it’s pure fluff ngl

I hope you all like it! I actually had a lot of fun writing this and I think it came out pretty nice. Also requests are open! Thank you for reading and here we go.

“Hey, Fire Lord, your date is here.”

“Y/N, we’ve talked about this. You can call me Zuko, and it is a diplomatic meeting, not a date.”

“You sure? He’s wearing such nice clothes. I can do your hair real quick if you want, get you ready and cute in like five minutes.”

“No, Y/N, thank you. You can let Ambassador Gamu in.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be just outside the door if you need me.”

“Of course.”

Zuko tried to ignore the cheeky blink the Kyoshi Warrior sent his way before leaving his office, a teasing grin adorning her painted face. When Suki told him she would bring the most experienced and talented of her warriors alongside her to protect him and serve as his guards, he definitely did not think he would have to deal with someone like Y/N.

He knew she was, for sure, a strong and intelligent fighter, being Suki’s second in command and impressively skillful with every single one of her weapons. He had watched her spar with her companions more than once and seeing Y/N fight never failed to take his breath away until his lungs were filled with only admiration and pride. However, one could call her less than professional, and her treating of the Fire Lord troubled most of the palace’s staff. And yet, to be honest, Zuko found it really hard to pretend he didn’t absolutely adore her.

Y/N felt like a breath of fresh air, like sunshine on a cloudy day, like seabreeze. He loved the way she always teased him and tried to make him laugh, loved the way she seemed to brighten up every room she walked into. Somehow she managed to bring joy to the same place he always associated with sadness and anger — every corner of the palace was happier with her around. That’s why he chose to keep her as his closest guard, even after every single one of his advisors told him time and time again to send the disrespectful Kyoshi Warrior away. Zuko knew he probably should, but he was slowly learning how to accept and cherish the things that made him feel like smiling, and Y/N was undoubtedly on that list.

He refused to admit how in love he was with her. He had convinced himself it was nothing but a crush, some sort of appreciation for her amazing fighting skills, but a small part of him knew that was not true. He had it bad for her and would kill a man to keep a smile on her face any day of the week.

“It is very good to know the Earth Kingdom is so willing to tighten its relationships with the Fire Nation, Ambassador Gamu. I hope I can assist you in every way possible to guarantee a brilliant future for all nations.”

The Earth Kingdom official smiled politely, “thank you very much, Fire Lord Zuko. Nevertheless, it is crucial you are made aware that not all our citizens are happy with the new… Arrangements between our countries. I heard you have had a similar problem here, haven’t you? I truly hope the Kyoshi Warriors have been good servants and protectors, sir.”

Zuko couldn’t help the upwards movement of his lips as he gazed at Y/N’s silhouette through the door crack. “They certainly have,” he watched her look behind her, probably feeling his stare, and grinned when she shot out her tongue at him in an amusing manner, “I am extremely grateful for having them here with me.”

-----

“Hey, Fire Lord, your date is here.”

He glanced up from his desk and furrowed his eyebrows at her, “it’s Zuko, and I don’t have any meetings scheduled for today.”

Y/N beamed and he was sure his heart did a somersault inside his chest, “I know! I was talking about me. I’m your date.”

He lightly blushed, “what?”

“Come on, Fire Lord, you’ve been working for hours on end. You need to take a break,” she scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment and thanked every spirit there was for the white paint hiding her reddened cheeks, “I thought we could take a walk around the palace, y’know? I’ll be beside you doing the whole protecting thing and you can rest a bit from the whole rebuilding the Fire Nation thing.”

Zuko hesitated, “I don’t know, Y/N. I really need to finish this,” he gestured to the awaiting letters and reports in front of him, “I can’t simply leave. I have obligations as Fire Lord and—”

“I’m aware of that,” she bit down on her lower lip teasingly and he couldn’t help but think about the inevitable gasps she would have earned if anyone else heard her interrupt him like that, “but you shouldn’t overwork yourself. Besides, I’m tired of standing around doing nothing. Please? It will be so fast no one will even notice you’re gone!”

He sighed, “Y/N…”

“Please, Zuko?”

It was probably the first time she had ever called him by his name. She knew how much he hated being called Fire Lord, only accepting it during important gatherings, assemblies or introductions, but insisted on calling him by that anyway. Zuko was absolutely sure she only did it to spite him and had to admit it was kind of endearing — he loved the small ways she found of constantly challenging him. However, he quickly learned he loved hearing her say his name a lot more.

He sat up suddenly, “five minutes.”

Y/N grinned so brightly he had to bit back his own smile, “fifteen!”

“This is not a negotiation. Five minutes and then I’ll come back to my duties as a leader.”

“Okay, okay. Ten minutes then.”

“What? No, I didn’t agree to that.”

“Oh? I’m sorry, Fire Lord. Fifteen it is.”

Zuko opened his mouth to oppose when he heard her chuckle in amusement before taking a hold of his arm and pulling him towards the gardens.

“We could feed the turtleducks, but I don’t really think that’s a good idea,” she chattered lightly, somewhat begrudgingly letting him walk arm in arm with her instead of keeping on dragging him around, “I already did that earlier today.”

He wrinkled his nose and stared at her with a silent question in his eyes, “why did you feed the turtleducks? We have people here to do that.”

“I know,” Y/N shrugged her shoulders, “but they are cute so I asked to feed them,” she threw him a smile, “I’m pretty sure they liked me.”

Zuko shook his head cheerfully and smiled back almost instantly, “Of course they did. How could they not?”

She turned her head to look at him so quickly he wondered how she didn’t get whiplash. The Kyoshi Warrior smirked, “are you flirting with me, Fire Lord?”

There was a tingling session going through his body as the color red creeped upon his neck, face and ears. Zuko wanted to say something smooth like “yes, I have been for a while, haven’t you noticed?” or “how could I not flirt with such a pretty lady like you?”, but he only managed to stutter, slightly panic, and then answer in a high-pitched voice, “what? No! What?”

Y/N lifted her free arm in surrender, trying not to laugh at his reaction, “alright, sorry for asking,” she smirked again before muttering, “I wouldn’t mind if you were, though.”

The Fire Lord’s eyes widened in surprise at her words, his tone now back to normal, “what do you mean?”

For some reason, his inquiry seemed to make her self-conscious of their conversation topic. Zuko wished for nothing more than to punch himself in the face. “It’s nothing. I was just joking.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Great. Look, it’s been five minutes already!” she stared at her wrist so confidently he almost didn’t notice the lack of anything to actually check the time there. “You must go back to your Fire Lord things, right, Fire Lord?”

“We can still go see the turtleducks if you want?”

“Don’t worry! We can do that another time, when you’re not busy.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Hey, that’s Suki! I need to talk to her! Bye!”

“What? Y/N—”

“Bye, Fire Lord!”

Y/N was going absolutely crazy. When Suki first brought her to the Fire Nation to protect the so-called revolutionary and strong new Fire Lord, she had been skeptical. After all her years training and helping people around the nations with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, she couldn’t care less about the damn Fire Lord — she had spent a long time locked up after Azula and her stupid gang captured them and no new or old Fire Lord had come to their rescue. In conclusion, the bitch could catch on fire himself and be an On-Fire Lord for all she cared (she had spent too long thinking about that joke but that definitely did not matter), even though Suki had told her she knew the guy and that he was a great person or whatever.

Now she was biting her own tongue and trying to keep from flirting with him. In her defense, though, Zuko was a thousand times more good-looking and a billion times nicer than she expected him to be. She couldn’t help but always look for ways to make him smile, loving all his little quirks and habits, and suddenly found herself by his side a lot more than she needed to. She constantly acted as a personal guard, waiting outside his door during private meetings and accompanying him on walks, assemblies and gatherings in a somewhat intimate manner. She didn’t need to be right beside him the whole time — she could protect him from afar and maintain her distance like the other Kyoshi Warriors had chosen to, but Y/N simply didn’t want that. The stupid feelings she was slowly building towards the Fire Lord were dangerous at worst and annoying at best, constantly distracting her from her duties and responsibilities as Suki’s second in command.

It was infuriating, since love and relationships had never been really the type of stuff Y/N liked to partake in. She was good at fighting and giving witty responses and making jokes, but not at liking someone. Specially not liking Fire Lord Zuko, who was one of the most powerful people in the world and would certainly end up marrying some rich Fire Nation girl to guarantee a great and honorable successor to the throne or something like that.

When she finally went back to her individual palace room after a long day of trying not to embarrass herself in front of Zuko anymore and just all-around avoiding talking with him, she sat down before the mirror and started to take her facepaint off. That part of her routine, alongside putting on the paint in the mornings, had always felt like a ritual of sorts, calming her down and enabling her to let go of any unimportant worries. 

Y/N let out a tired sigh, stared at her bare face and grinned. She might have fallen in love with the Fire Lord, but at least living in the palace allowed her to sneak into the kitchens in the middle of the night and steal some fruit tarts. She got up from her spot in front of the mirror and exited the room as quietly as possible, strongly believing that eating something would take her mind off the Fire Lord and his beautiful golden eyes. 

-----

After another full hour of fruitlessly waiting for sleep, Zuko decided to put on an old cloak and walk around his palace. Pacing had always made wonders for helping him collect his thoughts and calm down from whatever it was that troubled him that day. It was not the first time he took on that habit and it would not be the last.

He honestly didn’t notice the person creeping up on him until he was pinned to a wall, an arm to his throat not pressing hard enough to hurt him, but enough to quicken his heartbeat. Zuko stared at the one responsible for the assault with confusion shining in his eyes, unable to recognize her without her greasepaint until she blinked and stepped back.

“Fire Lord?”

He widened his eyes, “Y/N? What are you doing here?”

“I was headed for the kitchens. What are you doing here? Did something happen?”

“No. I just couldn’t sleep.”

“I see,” she nodded and yawned, averting her eyes from him, “you shouldn’t be out and about without a guard, tho. You know that.”

“I’m pretty capable of protecting myself, Y/N.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

He crossed his arms in defense, “what is that supposed to mean?”

“Do you want to go grab some snacks with me?”

“I—” he stared at her, for the first time seeing her blush under his gaze, “okay.”

“Great! Let’s go, Fire Lord.”

Zuko stayed quiet while they walked through the palace. He watched Y/N greet every single night servant they met on their way, earning big smiles and excited waves. For some reason, knowing how loved she was by his workers made his heart swell with pride. She would make an excellent Fire Queen someday. Or Fire Lady. Was there an official name for the Fire Lord’s wife? He couldn’t remember.

Zuko felt all the blood in his body drop to his feet when he noticed where his thoughts had wandered to. He shouldn’t think about Y/N as his wife — she was merely a protector, the help. He was not in love with her and therefore should not deliberate such things, not even by accident.

But he had never seen her bare faced before and he couldn’t help but take note of how alluring she was. He had always considered her pretty, but now he could really see her and she was so much more than just pretty.

“Come on, Fire Lord. I’m sure they have fruit tarts.”

He smiled as she sneaked inside the door to the kitchens, following soon after. In a matter of minutes they were sat before each other on the ground, sharing a bunch of fruit tarts Y/N had found hidden inside one of the cabinets. There was a comfortable silence surrounding them and Zuko appreciated how easy it was to be near her, without expectations or curious looks. Whenever he was next to the Kyoshi Warrior, he came close to forgetting his titles and obligations, satisfied with being simply who he was.

It felt nice.

“You look good with your hair down,” she announced suddenly, unaware of the thoughtful look on his face, “I like it.”

He felt his cheeks burn, “thank you, Y/N,” the young Fire Lord inhaled deeply to gather the courage necessary to express the response that came to mind, “you look good all the time.”

She stilled her movements with a fruit tart inches from her mouth, eyes blinking in surprise. After a tense moment, she grinned and lowered her arm, “do you really think so or are you just being nice?”

“I mean it, Y/N. You are… You are absolutely beautiful.”

The pair studied each other for a few instants, eyes sparkling with a breathtaking feeling both easily recognized but were not ready just yet to deal with. Y/N beamed at him, her face pink at the compliment. Zuko could feel his heart twist and turn inside his chest, butterflies flying in his stomach. “Why, thank you, Fire Lord. For the record, I have found you beautiful since I first saw you. I was expecting some rude and cranky old guy and there you were, with your pretty eyes and nervous smile. It was pleasant in a very surprising way.”

The Fire Lord was pretty sure she could hear his heartbeat as she leaned in almost subconsciously, her smile brightening up every small spot his eyes could see of the dark kitchen. 

He was, indeed, very much in love with her, and there was no use in denying it, not while she averted her gaze to his lips and seemed to get closer and closer until their noses touched. Zuko’s breath hitched inside his throat as her lips ghosted his, eyes fluttering close before a loud bang sent them jumping in opposite directions, searching the source of the noise.

“Y/N? Is that you?”

The Kyoshi Warrior scratched her neck shyly, adamantly avoiding Zuko’s stare, “yes, Izum. How are you?”

The servant walked up to her with crossed arms, “I told you to stop invading the kitchens at night! You’re gonna put an end to our fruit tart stock, young lady.”

The Fire Lord watched the interaction curiously. Y/N and Izum smirked at each other as if they were old friends. “Well, if you don’t want me to steal your fruit tarts, you should maybe stop making the best fruit tarts in the entire universe.”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, honey.”

“You sure?”

“Yes! Fire Lord Zuko will be alerted about this.”

“I think he might already know.”

The young man seemed to finally notice Zuko’s presence, widening his eyes in surprise and bowing respectfully, “I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t see you there, it’s too dark and—”

“It’s fine, Izum, don’t worry. We’ll be off your kitchens in a second. Right, Y/N?”

“Of course,” she brushed the dust off her pants and walked to stand beside the Fire Lord, ignoring her friend’s raised brows, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You will,” Izum looked from her to Zuko and then back to her, a teasing smile on his face when he greeted them goodbye, “good night, Y/N. Good night, Fire Lord Zuko.”

“How do you know him?” the Fire Lord asked after they left the kitchen, some sort of discomfort growing inside him at the way the Kyoshi Warrior had interacted with the servant.

“Oh, Izum is a good friend. He regrets deeply telling me where they keep the fruit tarts, but it’s too late now. We met during my first week here.”

“I see.”

“Let me take you back to your room, Fire Lord. It is already very late.”

Despite his unacknowledged jealousy, he wasn’t fast enough to bit back his smirk, “shouldn’t I be the one leading you to your room?”

“I am the guard, Zuko. I am the one taking care of you, not the other way around.”

He chuckled, “right.”

“I can put you to bed if you want, I used to do that to my younger sibling sometimes.”

“Shut up, Y/N.”

She threw her had back in laughter and he grinned.

They didn’t ever talk about what happened (or more accurately didn’t happen) during that dark night in the kitchens. Zuko was progressively busier with meetings and peace treaties, slowly putting the Fire Nation back in good rails. Y/N would routinely force him to take a break every once in a while, be it by leading him outside his office or taking his attention away from work and starting conversation.

Spirits, he was so in love with her.

It was during one of those breaks that one of her fellow Kyoshi Warriors knocked on his workroom’s door and entered with a nervous look on her face, nodding at him in respect before turning her attention to her friend, “Y/N?”

The young warrior smiled, “hey, Naya. Is everything alright?”

“Suki wants to speak with you. Privately.”

Y/N’s expression was instantly filled with worry and concentration. She gripped her katana tightly, walking towards the girl, “I want three warriors guarding the Fire Lord at all times, we are not taking chances regarding his safety. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Y/N.”

“Good,” she turned to Zuko, her stone-cold face easing momentarily. She marched up to him with conviction before planting a kiss on his cheek that made his body burn with surprise and happiness. “Be careful, Fire Lord. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“I—I… I mean… I’m—” he kept on stuttering, unable to form an entire sentence with his feelings all over the place, “You… I—”

She smirked, walking away backwards, “see you, Zuko.”

Naya looked at him with a cheeky smile after Y/N left the room, crossing her arms and staring in a teasing manner. Zuko was still rooted into place, widened eyes and reddened cheeks watching the now closed door. “Are you alright, Fire Lord Zuko?”

“I—yeah. I am. Yes,” his tone was definitely not as certain as he wanted it to be, “of course.”

The girl giggled, “sure.”

The Fire Lord would only see his favorite guard again on the following day. She came to visit him in his office and had a gravity to her eyes that he was unfamiliar with, lips pressed together in determination.

“What happened?” he immediately asked, the letter he was working on quickly forgotten. “Are you okay?”

“There have been attacks to the warriors in Kyoshi Island,” she declared, “not everyone is happy with our new arrangements. People think Earth Kingdom fighters shouldn’t be helping the Fire Nation in any way.”

“Oh,” he managed to answer, anxiety building up inside him at her hardened expression. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Zuko,” she looked away from him, “but we can’t leave our companions to fend for themselves.”

He could feel his heartbeat pick up, “I see.”

“Suki is sending me back to Kyoshi Island,” Y/N confessed, a hint of sadness to her tone, “I’m her second in command and I should be there to help our warriors through this.”

A heavy silence fell upon the room, tension sparkling between the couple. He knew what that piece of information meant, knew what it would cause.

“You’re leaving.”

She softened almost instantly, taking a step closer to him and then hesitating, “no!” he stared and she sighed, “I mean, yes, but I’ll return when it’s over,” she looked at him with some sort of desperation, eagerly searching for something she couldn’t find, “when everything’s done and dealt with, I’ll return.”

Zuko nodded, a disheartening sting running through his chest, “I understand. Leaving is your duty as a leader.”

“I’m not leaving, Zuko,” another step, “I’ll come back. I’ll—” she hesitated, taking a final step towards him and reaching for his hand uncertainly, “I’ll come back to the Fire Nation,” she interlaced their fingers carefully, “I’ll come back to you.”

It was his turn to step closer, bringing his free hand up to her face and sighing when she leaned onto it, hopeful eyes shining at him. When he finally spoke, his voice was a whisper, “will you?”

She chuckled sadly, moving to rest her forehead on his, staining his face with the white paint and rubbing circles alongside the back of his hand with her thumb, “I will. You are not getting rid of me this easily, Fire Lord.”

“Good. I didn’t want to.”

She smiled. On that exact moment, Suki opened the door and studied the scene before her with a bittersweet gaze, “Y/N, it’s time to go.”

His chest clenched in pain and distress, glancing from Suki to Y/N with anguish, “you are going now?”

The Kyoshi Warrior distanced herself from him and Zuko could’ve sworn he felt physical pain at the space between them, “I’ll come back, Zuko. I promise.”

-----

It was like he had a constant sunshine right beside him and now it was gone. He was pretty sure every single person in the palace had noticed the liking he had taken to moping around and staring sadly at the turtleducks, missing the one he had come to love. He thought his feelings for her would subside after her departure, but, oh dear, was he wrong. The deep ache that settled in his chest was enough to constantly remind him of how much he liked her, how much he missed her. Not having her around hurt so much that it became inconvenient, making it difficult to work and complete his responsibilities when he was constantly thinking about her safety and about what could have been if she had stayed just a little longer. Zuko thought they had finally reached the start of something new but she wasn’t here anymore and he would have to wait to find out.

Suki tried to report to him what was going on at Kyoshi Island whenever she could. Y/N was working hard to calm down the conflicts while at the same time training the new and old Kyoshi Warriors as well as possible. Suki told him it would take a while until things were okay enough for Y/N to return to the Fire Nation, but it would happen eventually.

He was so desperately in love it was embarrassing. He craved her presence, her voice, her laugh, her touch. He wondered if she felt the same and concluded that no, probably not. To be honest, however, he would accept anything coming from her, even some second-hand love. He would still be happy if she decided to settle for him after being made aware of his feelings.

The Fire Lord was adamant on telling her everything he felt when she came back — and she would come back, she had promised —, because being away from Y/N made him realize how much happier he was with her and he refused to let her leave again without knowing that he just absolutely adored her.

Meanwhile, Y/N felt incredibly overwhelmed. Between helping train the Kyoshi Warriors and trying to solve any misunderstanding with the Earth Kingdom citizens in a diplomatic way, she found it hard to breathe. It was somehow good, to be honest, because it didn’t leave her with much time to think about him. And, Spirits, did she think about him when she could. She was extremely excited to finally go back to the Fire Nation and just be by his side again.

There was a part of her that worried. Even though they had had multiple moments when she truly believed he felt the same, they never really spoke about it. Zuko didn’t seem the best at communication, and Y/N generally chose to joke around and tease instead of actually voicing her emotions. 

“Miss Y/N, you must understand—”

“No, Mung, you and your so-called rebels are the ones who are not understanding. Fire Lord Zuko is trying to rebuild and strengthen the ties with Earth Kingdom in a healthy way for both nations—”

“But Miss Y/N—”

“—and the Kyoshi Warriors are collaborating with that by being a part of the official guard. How, for Spirits’ sake, is you attacking my warriors a good way of achieving anything you might want to achieve?”

The man swallowed harshly while he fidgeted. Y/N had worked hard to get a meeting with the rebels on Kyoshi Island, but was pleasantly surprised to notice how unorganized they were. “The Kyoshi Warriors shouldn’t collaborate with the Fire Nation, Miss Y/N,” a young man guarding the rebel leader’s door interrupted their staring contest, “the Fire Nation has done nothing but cause destruction and suffering. We won’t have our beloved warriors being corrupted by such a horrible mindset as the Fire Nation’s.”

“I appreciate your concern, but Zuko,” she cleared her throat in embarrassment at the verbal slip, “Fire Lord Zuko is different. He cares about people and he seeks redemption for Fire Nation’s wrongdoings. Having a good relationship with him is a great deal for the Earth Kingdom, believe me.”

The two men exchanged a look before returning their gaze to her. She tried to bit back a smile when she noticed the meaningful expression on their faces, signalizing she might finally be able to go home.

She tensed at the thought. Was that what Fire Nation was now? Home? 

Or was she ready to admit the real home she had been thinking of was a certain Fire Lord all along?

-----

It was a hot day in the Fire Nation and Zuko was busy with his daily amount of sulking and missing his favorite girl when he heard a commotion going on somewhere near him. He confusedly followed the sound, finding the Kyoshi Warriors gathered around and talking loudly. The Fire Lord furrowed his brows.

“Is everything okay?” his voice quieted them down and he watched while the young fighters exchanged knowing looks. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah, Fire Lord, it did,” his heartbeat picked up immediately and he turned towards the voice he had fallen in love with, finding her dazzling smile. Y/N crossed her arms in a teasing manner, “told you I’d come back.”

Zuko stared at her while the other warriors scrambled towards somewhere else, aiming to leave the couple alone. He smirked, “you did tell me.”

She walked closer to him until they were chest to chest, and he wondered if she could feel his jumping heart against her, “I think I even made a promise.”

“You surely did.”

Y/N grinned, “well, then I guess—”

“I’m in love with you.”

This was not in his plans. He meant to say a lot of things about how he slowly fell for her during the months they spent together, but Zuko simply couldn’t help from blurting a confession out like a dumbass. He had craved being around her so much during these weeks apart and now she was finally there, just within reach. He couldn’t take any more dancing around each other.

She beamed, “that surely makes this less awkward.”

“Wait, what?”

Before he could wrap his head around her words, Y/N took a hold of his collar and pulled him to her, gazing at his lips as their noses touched, just like weeks ago in the kitchens. She smiled softly, eyes fluttering close, “I’m in love with you too, Fire Lord.”

“Oh, thank the fucking Spirits.”

The Kyoshi Warrior laughed against his mouth, sending a tingling sensation down his back. His hands held onto her waist, extinguishing any space between them before he kissed her deeply, relief and happiness flooding his senses all at once. His own personal sunshine was finally next to him again and he revelled from the pure warmth she provided, chasing all insecurities and fears away until only his love remained.

“I missed you,” he mumbled on her lips, so intoxicated by her presence he could have forgotten how to breathe.

He could literally feel her smile between kisses, “I missed you too, Zuko,” she moved slightly away so to be able to stare at his eyes, “but don’t you worry, Fire Lord. I’ll always come back to you.”

Zuko chuckled, “you’re so cheesy.”

“You love it. Can I be even cheesier?”

“Go ahead, pretty girl.”

“Hey, Fire Lord, your new permanent date is here, and she’s not leaving.”

“That was horrible, Y/N. But good to know.”

He attached his lips to hers again and, for the first time, Zuko didn’t have a single worry for the future or for his fate. For better or for worse, he had his favorite guard by his side, and that was enough.

ATLA taglist: @bottledcostcowater​ @officiallydarkgeek (for some reason I can’t tag you I’m sorry??) and @beifongsss​ and @azucanela​ I know you didn’t ask to be tagged but you didn’t seem to mind last time so here I am again?? if you don’t want to be tagged anymore just lmk!!

I hope you liked it!!

[melzula]

Refined Taste

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

notes: an anon requested some more Iroh and Princess content so I delivered hehe

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

The soft whistle of the boiling tea pot is a welcomed sound that brings you a great sense of peace and comfort as you work in the kitchen of the Jasmine Dragon. Few customers occupy the shop as they sit and chat over cups of tea and mini cakes— a limited time only delicacy curtesy of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe— and with a lull in the crowd after a very busy day at work, you’re happy to spend your free time chatting away with Iroh.

Today marked the fourth day of Zuko’s much needed slumber, so while you waited for him to wake you spent your time revisiting old friends and places in Ba Sing Se. You said hello to Miss Tai and bought three new dresses to help support her small business, you went out for a pleasant lunch date with Jin, and, something you were admittedly embarrassed about doing, you spent your evenings wistfully gazing out your window in hopes of spotting the Blue Spirit. It was odd being back in the place that held some of your happiest and some of your darkest memories, but you loved it all the same. During the day you made sure to check on Zuko as he slept, and when your presence was no longer needed you made yourself useful by helping Iroh run the Jasmine Dragon.

The events that had occurred in Yu Dao had almost been disastrous, but with the help of Katara and the residents of the colony Aang was finally able to see that Zuko had been right all along. You stayed on the sidelines just as you had told Zuko you would, it wasn’t your place to interfere, but now that things had settled and King Kue was willing to negotiate you would be attending the meeting as a representative for the South and to offer any aid you could. However, such a council could not take place until Zuko awoke, and so you found yourself in the company of Uncle Iroh.

“I don’t even want to imagine what my nephew’s life would be like without your courage and support,” Iroh says over the boiling water. “Thank you again for bringing him to me, y/n. Spirits know he wouldn’t have come on his own, he’s too stubborn.”

“Well, I did have some help from Aang,” you admit with a quiet laugh, “but you don’t need to thank me. I love Zuko, and I’ll always look out for his best interests.”

“So you’ve proven time and time again. He is lucky to have you, you know. Very lucky.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” you smile, gazing down bashfully at the sleeves of your dress. “But Zuko’s also lucky to have you.”

“He is lucky to have both of us. I mean, we are an excellent team,” Iroh says with a wink. Your shared laughter quiets at the sound of careful footsteps making their way into the room, and you feel your heart swell with love and adoration at the sight of a sleepy Zuko standing in the kitchen doorway.

“Well, look who finally decided to wake up!”

“Hi sleepyhead,” you say with a smile, rising from your seat to meet him halfway. Zuko is grateful for your touch as you rest a hand upon his cheek and press your lips against his own in a delicate kiss. You taste of honey and ginger, your intoxicating scent of fire lilies invading his senses, and though Zuko wishes he could kiss you with fervency, he settles for one last lingering kiss before finally parting from you; making out in front of his Uncle is something he’d rather not do, so he composes himself.

“How are you feeling?” Iroh asks, watching with an amused smile on his face as you and Zuko immediately cling to each other. Your arms wind around one another and hold each other close, and the love you share is enough to warm the old man’s heart. Yes, Zuko is in very good hands.

“Better,” Zuko notes faintly, “but tired.”

“I’ll make you a nice cup of green tea to wake you up a bit,” the man says as he immediately gets to work.

“Let’s go sit down,” you suggest, taking Zuko’s hand and guiding him towards one of the empty tables in the shop. He seats himself with a yawn and smiles gratefully as you take off your warm shawl and drape it over his shoulders before pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. “Hungry? There’s still some mini cakes left over.”

“Are there any strawberry cakes?” He asks with a meek smile.

“But of course! What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t make my boyfriend his favorite kind of mini cakes? I’ll be right back.”

“Thank you,” Zuko calls after your retreating form, hearts in his eyes as he watches you disappear behind the curtains. Would it be selfish of him to ask you to be his Fire Lady right now?

Iroh leaves the kitchen with a pot of tea just as you walk in to fetch Zuko his cake. You make sure to grab the one with the most strawberries and extra frosting, the way he likes it, and set it neatly onto a plate before returning to your beloved. Aang is now seated across from him, and so you say nothing as you place his food before him and sit down beside Zuko.

“—Since Roku’s my past life, in a way you’re my family, Zuko. And no matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to detach myself from those sorts of bonds,” Aang laments. “It’s a flaw, I know, but it’s one I’ve decided to accept, for this life at least.”

“You’re not the one who’s flawed, Aang,” Zuko sighs. “Why can’t the struggle get easier for me? Even just a little? Sometimes I wonder how long I’ll last.”

He doesn’t meet your gaze when the confession leave his lips, but the way in which Zuko reaches over and tightly grabs hold of your hand is enough. Your heart breaks at his words and you desperately wish you could ease his pain and worries, but you know that being here by his side is enough for now. And you’ll be by his side whenever he needs you to be.

“You know, in that dream, a woman stood with us on that mountaintop watching from the shadows. I think she was my mother...”

“Sometimes, dreams are the way a person’s spirit reveals the answer to his own problems,” Iroh notes wisely. Then, with a humorous smile on his face, “but, then again, sometimes they are just the result of eating spicy food before going to bed.”

“Maybe finding my mother would connect me to a part of my heritage that isn’t so murky and confusing,” Zuko notes thoughtfully. “Maybe then I’d finally find peace. I’ve never told anyone this, but right after I became Fire Lord I sent out search party after search party looking for her. I even hired June and her shirshu. They all came back empty handed. What can I do now that I haven already tried?”

“It’s a new world, Zuko. You need to take some new risks,” Aang says wisely.

“We all do,” you agree, your mind already beginning to drift elsewhere as you calculate how long you can stay away from home without being missed too much.

“Speaking of risks,” Iroh cuts in with a smile as he presents three glass of odd looking to your trio, “why don’t you all try this brand-new beverage I invented?”

“What is it?” You ask curiously, taking the glass Zuko hands to you and swirling the odd looking balls at the bottom of it with your straw.

“Well first, I cook tapioca balls until they’re soft and tender. Then I put them in the tea, where they sit like little pearl-sized snacks at the bottom of each cup! Add a little milk and— ta-da!— a revolution in tea is born!”

Zuko and Aang share uneasy glances with each other before slowly taking sips from their glasses only to immediately cringe the moment the tapioca balls hit their their tongues.

“What is that trying to sneak into my mouth?!” Zuko exclaims after promptly spitting out the pearls.

“Wow,” Aang chuckles nervously, “I’ve never had tea that’s quite so... chewy.”

“It seems I am a man ahead of my time,” Iroh says sadly, his eyes casted downward to the floor. However, the noisy sound of a straw directs all attention towards the smiling Princess and interrupts his bout of sadness. Oblivious to the gazes of your friends set upon you, you happily suck the last of your tea from the glass until it’s completely empty. It’s only once your drink is gone do you finally notice the strange looks sent your way by Zuko and Aang.

“What?” You retort with furrowed brows. “It’s really good.”

“Finally, someone with taste!” Iroh exclaims happily at your praise. “It appears I am a revolutionary after all.”

“You actually like that stuff?” Zuko says flabbergasted.

“It’s just tea, but different,” you shrug, grinning when Zuko hands you his leftover drink to finish for him. “However, the only thing I would add is some ice. It tastes better cold.”

“Genius!” The tea maker compliments, watching in awe as you bend ice cubes of your own to plop into the glass. “Y/n, you must come to the Jasmine Dragon more often, I could use your refined taste.”

“‘Refined’ is a strong word,” Zuko murmurs only for you to elbow his side. “Ow! What did I say?”

“I’d be happy to, Uncle,” you say with a sweet smile.

“I think I know who the new favorite is,” Aang jokes only for Zuko to roll his eyes. However, he can’t help the smile that grows on his face as he watches you and his Uncle interact together. It was safe to say you hadn’t made a good impression on his sister or his father, but the only thing Zuko really cared about was his Uncle, and from what he could see the two of you were like peas in a pod. Faintly, Zuko wondered if you would be the same way with his mother.

“What are you thinking about?” You whisper to the Fire Lord, immediately taking notice of his far off look.

“About you,” Zuko admits to your surprise, “and how much I love you. And how I’m really glad you’re here.”

Heat spreads its way across your face and you smile bashfully at his profession, resting your head upon his shoulder as you converse with Aang. Though Zuko hates to keep you away from home longer than you need to be, he knows he’ll need your help with something else. But before he can ask you, there’s one person he still needs to see before he can begin his next journey.

He needs to talk to Azula.

| tags: @rainteslerrrr @simpinforsukka @sirkekselord @protect-remus @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @coldlilheart @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @draqondance @taeeemin @user12345321 @just--artemis--with--ghost @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @djskfkdkkf @xapham @yeetletzgetitjae @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 @kiwihoee @freggietale @neighborhoodpansexualdisaster @noodlesfluffy @moon-spirit-yue @bubblegum-bee-otch

[enmy-writes]

Just Let Me Help You

Summary: Zuko, trying to keep is girlfriend safe, unintentionally gains the trust of the Gaang after a showdown with Combustion Man.

Word Count: 2728

Fandom: ATLA (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Pairing: Zuko x Fem!Reader

Genre: Mostly fluff, is fluff-angst a thing? Idk guys I’m soft, you tell me.

Rated: 18+

Content Warnings: Profanity, some gore graphics (brief mentions of blood, killing, murder), uhhhh that’s it I think I’m sorry if I forget anything else.

****Huge shout-out to my friends Kenz and Jenna for editing this and hyping me up. Hopefully, since this semester from Hell will be over soon, I’ll be able to write more. Please request things! Thank-you all for supporting this and let me know more of what you want to see in the future :) Also, feedback is always welcome. Enjoy!****

_____________________________________________________________________

They had landed the war balloon days ago, stalking the tired and defeated Team Avatar and trying to figure out how the complicated Fire Prince would convince the people he chased for months that he wants to help them now.

(Y/N) was stoking the hot flame provided by the fire bender, making sure the coals were burning a cherry red before she added leaves and herbs into a pot to make a stew for the two to enjoy. Her eyes followed Zuko as he paced back and forth, practicing what he was going to say when he finally decided to confront the rebel group, lips turned upward in an amused smirk.

“Hey, Zuko here…” she heard him say before he started rambling a bunch of nonsense about his past; from his discovery, to Azula, to his father-- all the tragic topics. It took him about three minutes, but he finished with a hopeful look in his direction.

“Well?!” He clenched his fists at his side in a nervous gesture, only wanting to get this right.

The girl on the log cleared her throat before speaking, obviously hiding her laughter from the sensitive boy. “Well… it’s perfect. I especially liked the ‘Hey, Zuko here’ part. I’m sure that Aang and his friends with be very pleased to finally learn your name instead of thinking you’re called ��Angry Ponytail Hotman’.’’

He groaned loudly, rubbing his eyes with clenched fists. The melodic laughter from his companion tempted him to give up his quest and just run away with her and live a happy life free of his father and his destiny… whatever that may be.

Still laughing, (Y/N) stood from her log by the fire and made her way to Zuko, coming up behind him. Her arms slid right around his slim body, holding on tight as she tried to pull his mind from the depths of his insecurities.

“Zuko, love.” Her voice is soft, but intense. “Just go down there. I won’t lie, they might not take you right away. You have done a lot of damage to them and their goals.”

His warm hands slide down the tops of her forearms and slide between her chilled fingers, entwining them together as Zuko grips her like she’s holding him down on the land they’re on.

“I… I just…” He struggles to get his feelings out, finding it hard to convey how he feels even to the girl wrapped around him.

She shushes him. “I know.” Is all she says, as they stand there in a momentary comfortable silence before she detaches from him to continue dinner.

____________________________

Zuko had told her to stay behind, that he’d be back to either get her or because he failed to convince the group that he came to support them, instead of harm them.

“Zuko! I could easily be an alibi for you. A reason for them to trust you!”

“No. End of story. They could attack me and you’re in Fire Nation clothes. You’re staying here.”

A staring match between the two only lasted a few seconds, but (Y/N) let it go; remembering Iroh’s advice that sometimes the boy has to do what eases his mind to grow.

The empty pot gleamed an orange glow from the flames, a light in the dark woods that surrounded the two as they lounged by the fire.

(Y/N) was carding her fingers through the upset prince’s hair while he stared at the sky; confused. His emotions spilling onto (Y/N). He didn’t talk much about the encounter, only enough to tell her that they wouldn’t be helping the Avatar defeat his father anytime soon. Rather than pressure him, she offered her solace with calming actions rather than words.

The two had met in their early childhood, (Y/N)’s father being the leader of the Yuyan Archers and of course the Fire Lord wanted the talented girl to meet his… troubled son. In hope that she could help bend his son into the ruthless leader the nations needed to proceed him. Though they didn’t see each other as much as they should have due to (Y/N)’s schooling, the two quickly became close friends and were often found with Lady Ursa quietly running around the palace grounds.

His banishment led to (Y/N) perfecting her skills, and becoming the master she was destined to be, given there was no more distraction. No one could understand her in the way that Zuko did— they fit together like they were made for one another. Where he was hotheaded, she was cool; Where he was nimble and direct, she was resourceful and hidden. The two were the perfect set of opposites who ultimately balanced each other. And one without the other was a heartbreak everyone could see.

When she heard the news of his return, she rushed to the palace; radiant as ever. In an instant, the two fell back into where they left off;  barely any words needed between the two. Her fingers and lips had trailed over his scar often in those few days, brushing away the tears and insecurities that came with it.

Leaving the Fire Nation with Zuko wasn’t even a debate in her mind. She was tired of the life of lies and torment that her nation inflicted upon the world. She had spent the last two years relocating and rebranding people who were targets to the Fire Nation. In total, about one hundred innocent lives were saved from her dangerous missions. Her skill level was better than even her father’s, and she prided herself in her abilities. (Y/N) was truly a professional in her art with the eye of an eagle.

When she caught Zuko writing a letter to her with packed bags on his bed, she instantly went into the shadows and caught up with the boy easily, hiding in the balloon behind the engine for a while until it was too late for him to turn back. It was hot and the most uncomfortable thing she has ever done, but she regrets none of it. She joked with the boy; how did he not question a pile of fabric behind the piece of equipment that holds fire? She let it go after he hugged her close and cried for a while.

“Don’t do that shit again, Zuko.” Her voice was stern, though her voice stern, she held him close. She ghosted her fingers over his tense shoulders; the shoulder that carried such burdens. She pressed her fingers into his shoulders; trying her best to rub the tension from his body. 

“I won’t. Never again. Don’t leave me, I need you.”

A rustle of leaves and broken trees in the forest near the edge of their little camp put the two into defense, instantly gripping her perfectly crafted bow and quiver. Her ears pricked at a slight movement and she aimed her bows in the direction of the noise without even looking. Suddenly, green clothes fill the area as a younger girl makes her way into the clearing. Startled, Zuko sends a wave of fire towards the intruder, burning the girl.

Everything happened fast.

(Y/N)’s left foot—her plant foot—sunk into the ground and twisted inward, releasing a loud crack into the air. The Earth girl was long gone now; Zuko had been screaming at himself when he heard the cry of pain and the sickening noise that left the lips of his girlfriend.

The earth has released its hold on her, but the damage was done. She kneeled, trying to hold back tears but failing as they kept streaming down her face in a pain response. Zuko’s own eyes filled with tears as he ran over to her, helping her sit down and take the tension off of it.

The joint was already beginning to swell, black and blue and purple and yellow starting to show up in swirls around the area. Zuko carefully tried to feel the injury, barely touching the girl in fear of hurting her more. (Y/N) sighed, pushing his fingers away and ignoring his protest. She rotated her foot outward, cringing at the pain, but crying out when she turned it the other way. Zuko cupped his hands around her ankle, hands heated slightly to hopefully alleviate the pain.

“Baby… it’s okay—”

“No, you’re hurt! I knew this would happen!” He cuts her off with a panicked yell. (Y/N) places her hands on the sides of his face, forcing his eyes upon hers with a slight wince of discomfort.

“It’s most definitely, at worst, a fracture. I can still move it outwards without a lot of pain. It’s, like, a week off my foot at most and then another week with a splint and a crutch. I am okay, Zuko.” They stared at each other for a solid minute, saying nothing.

"Promise?" Zuko whispered.

"You think I would lie to you, Zuko?" She says as she wraps her pinky his for good measure

They turn in not too long after, (Y/N)’s ankle wrapped up in some extra clothes for stability. Zuko’s arms hold her to his chest as they slip off into the world of dreams.

_________________________

Oh shit. She thought from her perch on top of the cliff edge. The assassin that they have also been trying to find has been blowing up the place, really testing the stability of the edge of the cliff in shakes after shakes like an earthquake. Zuko had told her to stay at camp, but unfortunately for Zuko; (Y/N) was never that good at listening to commands.

She was sitting down, watching the Avatar, his friends, and her boyfriend try to figure out how to win this fight against the combustion bender, feet dangling over the edge. She didn’t want any pressure on her foot from standing on it; settling for the dull throbs of pain coming from the force of gravity alone.

Some third eye. (Y/N) thought to herself as she watched her boyfriend get too close to being blown off the edge of the cliff, wincing. She quickly strung her bow, aiming it at the man. She smirked, a devious smirk, and aimed it in a precise location.

Zuko was still trying to talk the man out of it when suddenly, his eyes went blank and the grossest sound he has ever heard reached his ears. Everyone watched the man, confused as to why he just stopped. It’s not until red trails down his forehead and around his nose in a slow trickle that they look at his eye.

In the middle of the red eye, that at one point seemed indestructible; an arrow sat; a perfect shot — his perfect shot. "Bullseye!" (Y/N) howled, her voice resonating in his ears.

In the midst of Zuko's panic, he failed to recognize the cliff he was standing on becoming increasingly unsturdy; turning he locked eyes with the archer. A ghost of a smile graced her lips, pride radiating off of her. Though he was angry, he couldn't help but share her pride. He locked eyes with his girlfriend who was sitting nonchalantly on the cliff edge above them all, waving nonetheless, when he told her to stay back. It’s then that the earth beneath him rumbles and falls, taking him with it.

“Zuko!” She screams, jumping to her feet; a loud crack coming from her ankle, buckling under the pressure and bringing her to her knees.

With a hobble in her step, (Y/N) climbed down the cliffside. The tears ran down her face at a ferocious pace, making her way over to the cliffside, a loud sob relented from her mouth as she saw Aang helping Zuko up over the edge of the cliff. 

"Spirits, Zuko!" She breathed, limping her way over to him and hugging him tight. "I should kill you, you fucking idiot!" She sobbed, pulling him into her chest. 

Zuko huffed out a laugh, wrapping his arms around her. He took deep breaths, calming his nerves from his near death experience; he focused on the feeling of her hand carding through his hair to grip it tight, and the hold on his shoulders. As he calms down, he remembers that he told her to stay put; and he sharply pulls away.

"I told you to stay at camp!" He huffed, "I told you I was coming back for you!”

She scoffs pushing on his forehead with two fingers. “In case you have forgotten, Zuko, I have authority issues. If I weren’t here, who would be saving your stupid royal ass? No one! You’re welcome, by the way. He wasn’t going to negotiate, Prince Pouty, and you and everyone else here is no good to the world dead.”

“You—You---You could’ve been hurt! (Y/N)! Or worse!” His protest was a whisper, trying to make the scene more private as he’s aware of the crowd around them.

“Zuko, love, I can handle myself. I’m a master at my craft--.”

"—your craft of carelessness, you could've been killed—"

"—but I wasn't Zuko!"

"That's not the point." His voice stern, making it clear that the conversation was done for now. (Y/N) simply nodded, pulling away from him and fixing her clothes.

Aang, Toph, Katara and Sokka watched the two as they argued; watching as they continuously tried to out-care the other. They watched as the two eventually stopped arguing, instead remained staring, as if daring each other to speak

“That was a ... nice shot? I guess?" Aang spoke, clearing his throat and drawing the couples attention to him. "He's definitely you know, dead."

(Y/N) smiles at the boy. “Thank you, Avatar, for helping save this dumb ass from falling off a cliff.” She gets up and bows to him. Zuko suddenly picks her up, the world turning sideways as he put her bridal style in his arms.

“Stop putting weight on your ankle!”

“I’m literally showing respect to the person who just helped you, is that a crime?”

“What if you break your ankle so much that you have to cut it off.”

“Oh, now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“Okay well you were first when deciding to sit on the edge of a cliff with a broken ankle.”

“You’re right! Sitting is dangerous. Next time, I’ll make sure to stand so at least I’ll have a better chance of reacting if the cliff side starts falling from under me. Oh wait, you were standing, and you still fell.”

Zuko sets her down on a broken rock that’s suitable enough for her to sit on. “Will you just shut up already and let me help you.” He reaches for her ankle, but she moves it from his grasp. Their eyes meet again and narrow in competition.

A mess of limbs as the (Y/N) evades the grip of Zuko, occasionally slapping his hands away if they get too close.

Sokka tilts his head in confusion and opens his mouth. “Is he—is he actually caring for someone?”

Aang nods. “I think? I don’t know, they’re kind of fighting a lot.”

Toph cringes, “Guys, I think it was me who hurt her in the first place. Last night at their camp. Zuko instantly stopped trying to help me when I heard her scream.”

“Guys… I think I’m supposed to let him be my master. I mean, he did just risk everything to save us.” Aang says, eyes locked on the one member who he cares more about than anyone.

Katara, still holding off on agreeing, looks to the two Fire Nation kids again.

“Ow! You bit me! Are you crazy?!” Zuko yells, shaking his left hand out.

The stranger girl laughs cheerfully. “Only crazy for you, stupid.”

And a phenomenon occurs. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation blushes and looks down at the ground, a huge smile on his face.

“I hate you.” Is all he says.

“Yeah, I love you too.”

Katara, seeing the humane side of the prince, finally lets her guard down and walks over to them. Zuko’s eyes widen at her proximity, but the water tribe girl holds his gaze.

“I’ll heal the girl if it gets you two to shut up. And you have to find dinner for tonight.”

Katara’s eyes widen again at the sight of the crying prince who suddenly bows to her feet, thanking her with his whole heart. He then turns to his smiling girl beside him and pulls her into a hug.

“Thank you, (Y/N). For everything.”

“I’ll always help you… stupid.”

[aitarose]

THORNS | AZULA

PAIRING: Azula x Reader x Zuko [fem]

PLOT: Though Azula always said that she’s never believed in love, she failed to stop herself from falling head over heels for her brother’s betrothed. companion piece to roses; based on these requests by anons

WARNINGS: angst, fluff, unrequited love, mutual pining, somewhat friends to lovers

WORD COUNT: 5.3k

A/N: this connects to the events that occur in roses. this piece can be read as a standalone, but roses gives more detail to the reader’s feelings and relationship with zuko

ALT. END: Blossoms | ZUKO’S POV: Roses

WRITER’S ANALYSIS: Here

MY MASTERLIST

thorns : a symbol of sinful thoughts, extreme sorrow, and hardships. when paired with a rose, denotes both pain and pleasure in the sense of love.

Year one, day one.

Azula slammed her hands onto the skin of her face, repeatedly making contact with her dry cheeks. She let out a deafening scream of anger, punching the wall next to her, leaving a dark black mark in its wake.

She’d been in her room for less than three hours and she was already going mad with boredom. 

The princess huffed, plopping herself down onto the twin-sized bed that was nestled in the corner of her so-called suite. 

She knew that Zuzu had done his best to give her the best commodities the Fire Nation could offer, but her former people weren’t exactly jumping to meet her pretentious living standards. 

Which was actually something that Azula somewhat understood. She knew deep down that what she had done was wrong—trying to kill the Avatar, trying to kill her mom, kidnapping the nation’s children, the whole gist. 

She’d done bad things, some really bad things in her past, but that’s all that it was—her past. Azula wanted to get better, she wanted to be better for not only Zuko, but for herself.

So she and her brother had devised a plan. A plan that would, in its entirety, take five years to complete. 

Zuko was giving Azula half a decade to prove to him that she could be good, truly good. Which to most would seem like quite a bit of time, but for Azula, she didn’t know if it would be enough.

She wrapped her arms around herself, warming her ice cold shoulders. Azula hadn’t been alone with her thoughts for this long in a while—and if she was being honest, there was nothing that scared her more than her own mind. 

“Princess?” She jumped, startled by the frail voice calling from the opposite side of her door. Azula hastily marched to the entrance, yanking it open in annoyance at whomever was bothering her chosen isolation.

Standing before her was a girl about her age, she couldn’t have been older than eighteen. She was holding a tray with various Fire Nation delicacies stacked on top of one another, steaming with heat and the kitchen’s aroma.

Azula rolled her eyes at the sight she was seeing. Of course Zuko had ordered for her to have a late dinner, he’d most likely been preoccupied with all of his new and earned Fire Lord duties.

“Come inside, peasant.” Azula gestured to the small dining table in the center of her confinement. She pulled out a chair for herself and expectantly looked at her companion with the expectation that she’d serve her. 

The other girl hustled, quickly placing the princess’s meal on the placemat and taking the seat opposite to her. She laced her hands together, her fingers tapping the wood nervously.

Azula threw her palms flat on the table. “What are you doing?” She questioned, interrogating her helper, who was cowering in her seat. “Does my brother expect you to monitor my meals? What damage could I possibly do with this slob? Start a food fight in the palace?”

Her uninvited guest took a deep breath, seemingly focusing her stress and fear into the idea of feeling zen. She swallowed hard, her gaze on Azula evolving from anxiety to empathy.

“Actually,” she trailed off, her lips rising into a thin smile. She looked into Azula’s golden eyes, searching for any signs of discomfort or rising anger. “The Fire Lord didn’t send me here, his advisors did.”

“The council knows that your brother has a soft spot for you.” She explained, watching as Azula slightly nodded her head along to her words. “Spirits, everyone knows that when it comes to you, he has no reason.”

“I’m only here to monitor and report your progress.” Azula scoffed at the thought of her father’s old council dictating the direction of her own life, but at least they’d sent someone she could relate to. A girl that she could actually form a conversation with.

A scowl flashed across Azula’s face as the admissions her companion had stated ran through her mind. No matter, at least she had some entertainment now.

“Do you have a name?” Azula asked pointedly as she began to pick at her meal. “Or should I just call you ‘Servant’, like I do with all of the others?”

The girl lightly laughed at the unintentional joke, finding humor in the thought of being stuck with the princess as nothing but her worker. She shook her head, smiling slightly, before responding.

“You can call me Y/N.”

Year one, day ninety-four.

“You’re late.”

Azula crossed her arms over her chest, huffing loudly as she attempted to seem angered by her new friend’s timing. She’d become well accustomed to the daily routine they’d developed over the past months.

Seeing Y/N was honestly the highlight of Azula’s day.

She’d never verbally admit that she enjoyed the kind girl’s company. That she felt refreshed by her positive and warm nature, that she relished in the judgement free outlook that Y/N had on life.

And Azula would never mentally admit to herself, that she may have developed unwanted feelings for her friend. 

She always told herself that love wasn’t real. After witnessing the so-called love her mother and father had shared first hand, Azula wasn’t necessarily looking forward to potential love in her future.

No matter who she was involved with.

“Sorry about that Azula.” Y/N hustled through the doorway, her hair tangled and dusted with dirt particles. She had a large scratch on her right cheek, most likely self inflicted. Y/N was clumsy like that.

Azula let out a short laugh. Taking in the appearance of her crush. She even makes dirt look good.

“I was running on time, but then I saw this adorable booth in the market and I just had to make a stop.” Y/N rambled, waving her hands in the air in exaggeration. Her cheeks were flushed red from her sprint through town, resembling the color of a blooming rose.

“As if it matters to me.” Azula shrugged nonchalantly in her best attempt to seem as if she didn’t care about her friend’s dilemma.

As if she didn’t care about every second of her day. As if Y/N’s overall excitement wasn’t the only thing that truly kept Azula going nowadays.

Y/N brushed off Azula’s feigned disinterest as if it was nothing. It wasn’t uncommon for the princess to ignore her daily shenanigans. Most of the time, she felt as if Azula didn’t even listen to anything she said.

Which Y/N had quickly realized not even weeks into their meetings, really really hurt her. It hurt her heart that Azula didn’t care, that she didn’t matter in her eyes.

In their time together, Y/N had developed inklings of feelings for the firebender as well. Feelings that she had come to internalize and push aside.

After all, it wasn’t her job to fall in love with her client. Her job was to help Azula learn to love her own people, to help her gain the love of her people.

“Well, Azula.” Y/N stumbled towards her friend, accidentally tripping over her own feet in embarrassment. She proceeded to hold out a single flower not yet in bloom. 

“This is what the vendor was selling.” She smiled warmly, letting Azula take the flower into her own hands. “It caught my eye, because it reminded me of you.”

Azula studied her gift. It was a red rose, the shade being so vibrant it could be compared to her brother’s firebending. The stem was thin, yet covered in thorns of various sizes. They prickled Azula’s fingers, puncturing her callouses. 

As she gazed at the budding rose, Azula realized how fitting the gift was to her. She had never been the kind of girl who longed for bouquets and sweets, but when coming from the right person, perhaps she was. 

Whilst she struggled to come up with a reply to her friend’s kindness, Y/N mentally applauded herself. She’d finally found a way to make Azula speechless.

“It’s not terrible, I suppose.” Azula threw the flower to the ground, lightly kicking it away from her with her right foot. She turned away from Y/N, not bothering to see the heartbroken look on her crush’s face.

“I’m sure that garbage was all you could afford anyways.”

Azula cringed as she heard the door close lightly. Her eyes were rimmed with tears, realizing that even while upset, Y/N would never respond to her own awfulness with anger.

She felt herself collapse, her knees buckling beneath her. Soft sobs escaped her lips, silent cries filling the hollow room. 

The sorrow-filled girl looked up from her lap with tear-filled eyes. Azula could see the faint outline of the young rose beside her. As she lifted the thorn covered flower with careful hands, she saw what Y/N had meant with the gift.

That Azula was dreadful and hurtful to others on the outside, but when encouraged and supported, she could become something beautiful.

Someone that could one day be compared to the beauty that was of a blooming rose.

As she sat alone, staring at the budding rose in her palms, Azula realized that she would only be able to become that person with the help of Y/N. She was the only person that had even come close to seeing her for who she truly was.

The only person who would think of giving a gift such as this to the princess of the Fire Nation. The only person who Azula had ever come to feel true and honest love towards. 

Azula had to become better. Not only for herself and Zuko—but for Y/N.

Year two, day one-hundred and six.

“Can I ask you something serious?”

Y/N rolled over to face Azula on her side, resting her elbow beneath her chin. She tilted her head while scrunching her nose in thought.

Azula was laying beside her, staring up at the dark vaulted ceiling. She’d been allowed to move back into her old bedroom at the palace with Zuko and his advisor’s permission, after they’d been informed of all of her progress with Y/N.

It was a room where Azula had never truly been comfortable in when she was younger, she used to feel so alone in the spacious and empty bedroom—but with Y/N’s company, she hadn’t felt alone in years. 

“That depends,” Azula responded, crossing her arms over her chest. She frowned, taking a moment to consider what Y/N could possibly ask her. “What is this serious question that you’re deliberating?”

Y/N dropped the arm that was supporting her upper body, allowing herself to fall back onto the soft red carpet. She stretched her arms out, nearly hitting Azula in the process before mimicking her friend’s position.

She let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes tight. Her heartbeat raced in her chest, preparing herself for whatever reaction Azula could possibly have to her curiosity.

“Have you ever been in love?”

Azula nearly choked on air at the sound of Y/N’s words. She had to physically stop herself from bolting upright and leaving the room, before whipping her head around to give her crush a look of confusion.

“Love?” Azula cringed, pushing the thought of the emotion to the very depths of her mind. “That’s what you really wanted to ask me? If I’ve known love?”

The firebender could faintly see Y/N’s head nod in the darkness surrounding them. She lit a single flame from the tip of her pointer finger to get a better glimpse of Y/N’s beautiful face.

She could see the stress in her eyes—spirits, Azula could feel the anxiety rippling off of Y/N’s body in waves. She didn’t know why a question like this could possibly affect her companion in the way it was now. 

She didn’t know why it was affecting her in the exact same way.

“My parents were my only example of love when I was a child.” Azula shared, trusting Y/N with the inner secrets that she’d never verbally spoken before. “My mother left before I knew she even cared for me, and my father..”

Azula trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence. Y/N pursed her lips at the princess’ silence, taking her shaking hand into her own soft palm. She rubbed her fingers against Azula’s, doing her best to comfort her during her confrontation with her past trauma.

“My father was a monster.” Azula grimaced, basking in the feeling of Y/N’s touch. The feeling of being so close, yet so far from the girl she was painfully in love with. “Their love wasn’t real, and I fear I’m so similar to my father that it’ll never be real for me either.”

Y/N gasped in disbelief. “Love is for anyone, ‘Zula. You just need to believe that one day, it’ll find you when you least expect it.”

Azula shook her head, refusing to face the fact that she had her love right in front of her. Someone who would care for her and understand her throughout all of her outbreaks and dilemmas. Someone that would choose her everyday, as long as she’d let her. 

“That’s unfortunate then.” Azula pried her hand from Y/N’s, shivering at the overwhelming feeling of emptiness. “Because I don’t believe in love.”

With that, Y/N was speechless. She’d expected something from Azula. Anything to affirm her suspicions that her crush was in love with her as well—but all she’d gotten in return was an answer even worse than rejection.

Azula groaned, sitting up from the floor and tucking her knees into her chest. “What about you? Have you ever been in love?”

Y/N took a minute to contemplate what she had asked. Azula mentally counted down the seconds of silence that followed her out-of-character question. 

“I think that I have.” Y/N pondered, lacing her own fingers together over her stomach. “But lately I’ve realized that they’ll never feel the same.”

“It’s about time that I move on, isn’t it?”

Azula barely heard the last words Y/N whispered under her breath. Her voice was so faint, it sounded like nothing but an echo in the void. She could tell that Y/N was frowning, but Azula had no idea how to make her smile.

And words couldn’t describe how much Azula loved her smile. There was nothing that she loved more to see. That bright, beaming grin and the gorgeous girl behind it—that girl always being Y/N.

Year three, day eighty-seven.

Azula stretched her arms above her head, the bright sun radiating beams of light around her. She felt a genuine grin spread across her face, brightening her features with honest happiness.

She’d just recently been given the privilege to roam the palace ground freely, and had chosen to spend every single day of the past week in the garden courtyard.

Being surrounded by the tall cherry blossom trees, the whistling birds, and the frail little turtle ducks gave Azula a sense of nostalgia that she never knew she had missed.

She used to shun the memories and longings of her past friends and family members, refusing to accept the fact that she had been the true problem in their relationship troubles. That she had caused all of their strife. 

But now, with the new idea of freedom on Azula’s mind, she finally understood how terrible she’d been. How unfairly she’d treated her peers and the people who had offered her guidance. She vowed to herself to never become that person again, that monster.

“Enjoying the warm weather?” Y/N called from the entrance of the courtyard, a large picnic basket in hand. 

Azula spun to face her friend, laughing at the sight of the mess Y/N had brought with her. She ran over to the girl, instantly taking a hold of the supplies she’d been lugging around with her.

Y/N smiled at Azula, overwhelmed with joy at the sight of her unprovoked helpfulness. She walked with the firebender, taking a seat in their usual spot under the largest pink tree.

She and Azula had grown in indescribable ways in the past years of knowing each other. They’d gone from nothing but strangers, to somewhat friends, and now best friends. 

Azula knew in her heart that Y/N was the only person who was real in her life. The only one who knew her in a way where she didn’t automatically shy away from the boldness and arguably maniacal tendencies Azula had.

She knew that if she ever really had a chance at love, it was with Y/N.

Which was the reason why today was so special for Azula. It was the day that she was planning to finally confess and accept the undeniable love and adoration that she held for Y/N.

“I hope you brought actual food,” Azula ripped off the lid of the basket, peering inside to find all of her favorite desserts made by the kitchen staff. She stuck her hand inside, grabbing a small fruit tart covered in bright red frosting.

“This is so much better than that garbage you gave me the first day we met.”

Y/N bursted out laughing, clutching her chest as her teeth sparkled in the sunlight. She scoffed, stealing the tart out of Azula’s hand, before taking a bite of it herself.

“Sorry, your majesty.” She rolled her eyes in amusement, giggling at Azula’s reaction to her thievery. “I wasn’t exactly allowed to choose what the Princess of the Fire Nation could eat.”

Azula smirked, shooting a short line of fire towards the delicacy in Y/N’s palm, scorching the remainder of the tart and obliterating it to ashes. “Don’t steal my food.”

Y/N blew the dust off of her lap, shaking down her body before smacking Azula’s shoulder. “Well, don’t set my food on fire.”

The two girls glared at each other, refusing to break eye contact in an unspoken staring contest. Y/N struggled to match Azula’s stone cold gaze, blinking hard before being overcome with a fit of giggles. 

Azula felt her cheeks flush red as her crush’s head fell into her lap. She gazed down on the hysterical girl, holding her cheeks between her hands. Before she could speak, Azula saw someone standing in the corner of her eye.

She looked up to find her Fire Lord brother shyly waving at them, one hand raised in the air while the other disappeared in the pockets of his grand robes. 

Her relationship with Zuko had greatly improved since the beginning of their arrangement. While she used to loathe the sight of his scarred face, now she had grown to find comfort in it. They’d finally become the family they should’ve always been.

“Zuzu?” Azula called out, confused as to why her brother was interrupting her time with Y/N. In all the time she’d spent with Zuko, he’d never been around when Y/N was there. “What is it that you need, brother?”

Zuko shrugged, now stuffing both hands into his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He stuttered for a moment before pointing at Y/N, who’d just now noticed the prince standing at the distance.

“I need to speak with Y/N,” Zuko slightly chuckled, biting his lip as he tried to suppress a grin. “I have some business that we need to cover, it’ll only take a second.”

Azula had never seen Y/N move so quickly. Her friend was there for one minute and then the next thing she knew, her lap was empty—barren from the feeling of warmth and belonging she’d felt seconds before.

She watched in confusion as Y/N stood before Zuko. Her brother and her crush spoke at a comfortable distance, not too close, but also not far enough. Azula wrinkled her nose in disgust as she saw him ruffle Y/N’s hair, an act that she thought was only reserved for her.

They continued conversing, their voices too faint for Azula to hear. As the ‘deliberation’ concluded, she sighed seeing Y/N turn away from Zuko—only to see him take ahold of her forearm, pulling her close to his body.

Zuko took one of Y/N’s hands in his, before finally revealing what he’d been hiding beneath his robes the entire time. 

He offered Y/N a rose, a somewhat crumpled rose, but a rose nonetheless. It was a soft shade of orange, the petals oozing the same effect as Zuko’s flames. Even Azula could admit that it was beautiful, more beautiful than any flower she’d ever come across.

Azula frowned at the sight of her crush’s red cheeks. Why doesn’t Y/N have that reaction to her compliments anymore?

The princess internally gagged as Y/n reached up to wrap her arms around Zuko’s neck, pulling him into a tight hug before pressing a light kiss to his cheek. She waved a quick goodbye to him and skipped towards Azula, tripping over countless stones on her way back.

She plopped down onto the ground, delicately holding the large rose in her hands. Azula noticed the smooth stem of the flower, free of thorns and pain.

“I see you and my brother have quite a bit of explaining to do.” Azula deadpanned, dreading to hear what Y/N could possibly have to say about the kiss she shared with Zuko. 

Y/N huffed out a puff of air, pushing away the loose strands of hair that were blowing around her forehead. She sat back against the cherry blossom tree, a lovestruck grin stretched across her face. 

“I’d meant to tell you earlier, ‘Zula.” She explained, twiddling the rose between her fingers. “A lot earlier actually—months ago, even.”

“Zuko and I ran into each other on my way to your room one day, and we just really clicked.”

Y/N felt her heart pounding in her chest, not from nerves but from the love that she felt for the kind Fire Lord. “We’ve been seeing each other since then and I think it’s going really well.”

“I think I’m in love with him.”

Azula felt her heart drop in that moment. She’d been anticipating a confession for the entirety of the day, though that confession was not the one she’d had in mind. 

Heartbreak was an unfamiliar feeling for Azula. Sure, she’d felt loneliness and emptiness before, but never this. She’d never known the true and utter despair of losing the one that you love to someone else. Someone that is undeniably better in every way.

Azula knew she’d never shine in comparison to Zuko in this new world—but she had thought that she was the diamond to Zuko’s rock in Y/N’s eyes.

But perhaps she was nothing more than a friend in the eyes of Y/N.

Year four, day two-hundred and two.

“I have news!” Y/N sprinted down the beach, sand flying everywhere as she giddily ran towards Azula. “Big big news that you’ll love to know!”

Azula raised an eyebrow at Y/N’s natural chaos, she’d never seen her so utterly unruly and dismantled. What could possibly cause her to act this way?

By the time she reached the seashore, Y/N was out of breath. She collapsed onto the sand, shrieking as the tide came in and brushed against her bare feet.

“Calm down, crazy! Don’t get that debris all over my new swimsuit!” Azula shouted, confused by how jumpy she was acting.

The only other time Y/N had come close to acting this way was when she and Azula had gone to see the famous play rights in the Fire Nation colonies, and ended up laughing at all of the ridiculousness they displayed.

“Sorry, sorry!” Y/N laughed, shaking the sand out of her clothes and hair. The state of being she was in reminded her of their early days together. Specifically the day Y/N had given Azula her favorite gift ever.

The budding rose covered in thorns.

“I’m just so excited.” Y/N went on and on describing her joy, her hands were waving in the air dramatically gesturing here and there to absolutely nothing. Azula wasn’t even listening to whatever she was saying, just admiring how pretty she looked in the sun.

“Take a breath, it’s not like we don’t have all day.” Azula chimed in, stopping Y/N from completely combusting with energy. She patted the seat next to her, nodding in approval as the girl she loved gladly took the spot.

Y/N wrapped her arms around Azula’s waist, laying on the towel beside her. She hummed in content at the platonic gesture she was showing her friend. Azula however was racing at Y/N’s touch, confused by the intimacy of it all.

Azula shrugged off her feelings, instead choosing to trace circles over Y/N’s back. Easing the girl out of her excitement and into a state of quietness and relaxation. 

Silence overtook the two girls, the only sound being the splashing waves upon the nation’s coast. Azula stared blankly at the soft currents, seeing them rise and fall over the shoreline. She wished she could come and go like them.

That way she wouldn’t have to witness first hand the love between Y/N and Zuko. The love between the girl she saw as her soulmate and her own brother.

“Zuko proposed.” Y/N whispered, an unintentional smile gracing her lips. The unconditional love she felt for him was so visible, the perfect stranger would be able to pick up on it. “And I said yes.”

Azula swallowed hard, feeling tears prickling the corners of her eyes. She let the waterworks drip down her cheeks, feeling like a run down battery with no energy left to hide her sadness. 

Y/N sat up, startled by the sparse water droplets hitting the back of her neck. She gasped, concerned by Azula’s obviously helpless emotional state. She reached up, taking Azula’s face in her hands while wiping her tears away.

“What’s wrong?” She asked in concern, doing her best to comfort the crying girl. She leaned forward, resting her forehead against Azula’s in an attempt to hold her close. “It’s alright, ‘Zula. You can tell me anything.”

“You know that I’m always here for you.”

In the storm of confusion and sadness that was raging in Azula’s mind, she did the one thing that she had promised herself she’d never do. She followed through with her own selfish wish of jeopardizing Zuko and Y/N’s relationship.

Y/N’s eyes opened wide in shock as Azula’s lips touched her own. 

The firebender poured all of her emotions into the one-sided kiss, not realizing that Y/N was unresponsive. The latter girl was frozen in place, trying her best to process what was exactly happening in the moment.

She’d dreamt of this moment, the time where Azula would finally admit that she had feelings for her too—but she hadn’t had those dreams in years. Those dreams had ended once Azula had said that love wasn’t real.

As Azula pulled away, tears still dripping down her chin, Y/N had a look of bitterness on her face. Her normally beautiful and positive features were overcome with anger and distrust.

“Why would you do that?” She cried, her eyes turning bloodshot red. Y/N stood hastily, backing away from her friend, holding her hands in front of her to show that she didn’t want Azula following her. “You know you shouldn’t have done that.”

Azula screamed in frustration as she watched Y/N storm away back in the direction of the palace. She grabbed fist-fulls of sand, flinging them at the sea and shooting blasts of blue fire in the air. 

She had perhaps ruined the best friendship she’d had in her entire life. All because she couldn’t keep her love to herself. Her true and overwhelming love for Y/N.

Year five, the last day.

“Are you prepared, Princess Azula?”

Azula stared into the mirror in front of her, seeing nothing but a coward in her reflection. She nodded absentmindedly to the servant that was serving her, doing her hair, dressing her, whatever it was that servants do.

She ordered her to leave the room, wishing to be alone for the remainder of the time she had to herself. There was a big event today, the biggest in the entire Fire Nation.

It was the wedding of the Fire Lord and his bride-to-be.

Azula would be lying to herself if she said that she hadn’t been dreading this day ever since Y/N had told her about the engagement that day on the beach—for that was the last day she’d even spoken to Y/N.

The former best friends hadn’t seen each other in months. Not because they were too busy or forgetful, but because Azula was too embarrassed to contact the girl. She was ashamed of her actions and regretted them wholeheartedly.

After all that time in the dark, Azula was shocked that she’d gotten an invitation to their ceremony. She didn’t think they’d want her present after what she’d done.

But here she was, all dolled up to watch the woman she loved marry the man she’d always been jealous of. Zuko had their mother’s love, the honor she’d always wanted, and the person she was supposed to spend her life with.

Sure his life had been nothing but hard since the minute he was born, but in the end Zuko was the better one out of the two of them. He was the one who was truly deserving of all of the power and glory that was their birthright. 

Azula glared at herself in the mirror’s glass, remembering the last time she’d looked at her reflection in such a distraught mood. She shook her head at the memory, choosing instead to pull open the small drawer of her vanity.

Inside was a long and thin wooden box, locked with a golden pad. She took the necklace tucked into her dress and fit the key charm into the socket, twisting it open.

Her hands reached into the keepsake, carefully gripping the decaying rose from its hiding place.

For four years she’d had the gift, and in those four years Azula had managed to find help from the plantbenders of the swamp to discover a way to keep the rose alive. 

However she’d become careless after her falling out with Y/N, forgetting completely about the flower, only remembering its existence in that very moment.

She spun the flower in her palms, wincing at the prickling feeling of the small thorns on the side. The rose still hadn’t bloomed, she’d told the plantbenders that she preferred it that way no matter their interjections.

Azula wanted to have the gift exactly how Y/N had meant it for her, it was more meaningful that way.

Fire raced up the stem of the rose, encasing the wilting petals in flames. Azula watched intensely as the flower turned to nothing more than ash and dust, all that was left was the four thorns she’d chosen to spare.

She poured the little dust she had back into the box, locking it with her necklace before taking the thorns with her and out the door. She was running on a tight schedule and wouldn’t for the life of her, miss the wedding.

The ceremony had begun beautifully. Romantic music surrounded the guests, filling their ears with the selection of tunes that Zuko and Y/N had hand picked. Orange roses erupted from the vases and archways in the courtyard, reminding Azula of her fateful picnic with Y/N.

She clutched the thorns in her palm at the thought of her, telling herself that this was always meant to happen.

Y/N deserved someone like Zuko. Someone good and loving, someone who would never turn their back on her. She was deserving of the entire world, and Azula never would’ve been able to give that to her.

She wasn’t meant to have Y/N’s love. She’d always known that, and now it was just time for her to accept it, move on, and cut her ties. Her future was nearing, and her new sister-in-law was not a part of it. 

Perhaps this was a positive, a truly good thing to come from the constant struggle that she’d faced since childhood.

After all, she could finally leave her prison. Abandon her memories in replace of new ones where she wasn’t the fire princess, where she was simply Azula—just Azula.

TAGS: @practicallylivesonline @cherryskyies @shell-bells-ringding @xapham @mochminnie @lammello​ @bombardia​

[jasmine-iroh]

Reflections

Pairing: Sokka x f!reader

WC: 1.5K

Summary: for the first time ever, Zuko gives his younger sister good advice. Inspired by the song I Wish I Was The Moon by Neko Case

☽ 〇 ☾

(Y/N) sat quietly with one leg dangling over the edge of the main level of the Western Air Temple, her chin propped up on her other knee. She stared up at the growing sliver of moon visible, a sigh falling past her lips for what must’ve been the hundredth time that night.

She heard the sound of a boot scuffing on the gravel littered around an instant before a warm shoulder brushed against her own as her brother joined her. She knew he made noise only so that his sudden appearance didn’t startle her at the edge of the cliff face; after all, they’d both been trained to move around silently from a young age.

“He’s pestering me about why you left in the middle of his epic tale,” Zuko informed his younger sister quietly, his quiet sarcasm about Sokka’s story telling pulling her lips into the briefest of smiles.

“I wish I was the moon sometimes,” (Y/N) replied, not sparing a glance to Zuko. She knew what she’d see on his face; his moon silvered scar pulled taut in a silent question as he turned to observe her.

The weight of his gaze pulled an explanation from her quicker than any pestering Azula put her through could. A humorless laugh slipped past her lips as she shook her head and turned fully to Zuko.

“That’s the reason I left, Zu. We’re firebenders, we’re supposed to reflect the sun. How could I ever compete with the moon when that’s the opposite of who I am?”

“Well, your first mistake was comparing yourself to a space rock,” he hummed in response while trying to scrounge around his brain for scraps of something Uncle would say to bring (Y/N) inner balance.

Balance.

He grunted as he felt the impact of her elbow in his ribs at his stupid reply.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, jerk,” (Y/N) grumbled and turned to leave and find a different, idiot free, place to brood when she felt Zuko’s hand grip her arm and coax her back to her seat.

“You’re so sensitive when you’re being angsty,” Zuko huffed, before bumping her shoulder with his own. “I’ve never seen you so twisted up over a guy and his space rock ex,” he teased and laughed as (Y/N) glared at him and shoved him away.

“Stop being a jerk, or I’ll tell Katara to hose you off this cliff,” she threatened him and smirked as he flushed at the Water Tribe girl’s name. Two could play this game, she thought to herself.

“You’re the one being difficult! You know, it’s a crime to assault your Crown Prince,” Zuko crowed dramatically before dragging (Y/N) to lay down with him and stare at the moon.

“Exiled Crown Prince,” she pointed out spitefully, in true bratty younger sister fashion.

“Whatever, Princess. As I was trying to say before being assaulted by an enemy of the Crown, Uncle used to talk a lot about balance while I was banished.” Zuko told her, speaking slowly to make sure his thoughts were collected properly so she couldn’t mock him for fumbling one of Iroh’s proverbs.

“Banished the first time? Or this time?” (Y/N) snickered, earning a smack from her brother.

“Stop. I’m trying to make you feel better, remember?” He groused, before continuing. “Anyways, Uncle always said that the Sun and Moon are reflections of each other, two sides of the same coin. He always said ‘Without the night, there cannot be a new day. Without the day, there would not be any peace in the night.’ Why would you want to be something that has already played out, when you could be your own fresh start?” Zuko asked, staring up at the sky as a cloud floated in front of the moon, obscuring it’s intoxicating glow from the Temple.

(Y/N) closed her eyes as it’s silver glow fell away from her skin, rolling over and pulling Zuko in for a hug.

“You’re pretty smart for an idiot,” she mumbled into his shoulder before standing and walking back towards the fire where the rest of the group still were.

Zuko sighed, knowing that was as close to a thank you as he’d ever get from (Y/N). The moon reemerged from behind the cloud and he smiled faintly up to it.

“A new day,” he murmured to himself, before standing and brushing himself off as he returned to the campfire to take a seat beside Toph, gazing at Katara from across the circle.

☽ 〇 ☾

“Hey, why’d you leave the fire last night? I thought fires were supposed to be your thing,” Sokka questioned (Y/N) the next morning as they were cleaning up from breakfast, trying to erase the tension souring the air between them from the night before.

“I, uh, I just needed to get some air,” (Y/N) tried lamely, avoiding looking up into his pleading ocean eyes. For someone from such a small village, he had an uncanny ability to read her like a book.

“Uh huh,” he grunted, sparing a vaguely pleading glance to Zuko, who was failing miserably at trying not to look like he was eavesdropping with Katara a few feet away. As they made eye contact, Zuko only shrugged, a thinly veiled look of annoyance in his eyes as his gaze settled on his younger sister.

In the moment it took for their silent exchange to take place, (Y/N) had tried to make a swift exit, only to hear a familiar light tread following her to her quarters. Without turning, she stopped and rested against the threshold.

“What, Sokka?” She asked, only to feel his hand tugging her own to get her to turn and face him. His other hand came up and tilted her chin to force her gaze to meet his, an imploring blue gaze meeting her distant amber stare.

“Talk to me,” he pleaded, his voice low and rough in the small space between them. “I need to know what’s on your mind.”

“I wish I was the moon,” she whispered, her voice faltering at the last word, “but I can’t ever be anything but the sun.”

A single tear made its way down her cheek, slicing a hot trail through a warm blush.

Sokka made a strangled noise low in his throat and pulled her into his chest, his wiry arms wrapping around her shoulders and keeping her close as she cried into his chest.

“I’m so tired. I wish I was the moon,” she sobbed, feeling his fingers tilt her head up and press her heated forehead to his own cool skin.

“How can you be the moon when you’re meant to be the sun in the sky?” He soothed her as he wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “The moon only reflects the sun’s light, y’know; that’s why the moon comes and goes while the sun is constant.”

At his words, (Y/N) sniffled and offered him a watery smile, wrapping her own arms around his body and anchoring them together.

“‘M sorry that me talking about Yue upset you last night. She was the first girl I ever felt strongly about, and I can’t let her story be lost to her sacrifice,” he explained, his nose lightly brushing against (Y/N)’s as he spoke. “But that doesn’t mean my story ends with her. There’s always a day after the night, y’know,” he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him imitating Zuko’s impression of Iroh in his last sentence.

“You heard that?” (Y/N) asked, reeling back a few inches in shock to stare openly at Sokka, who had the audacity to look humored at her reaction.

“Well duh, you ran off without any explanation. I’m no knight, but I know a damsel in distress when I see one,” he joked lamely, laughing when she lightly slapped his shoulder.

“I’m no damsel,” (Y/N) grumbled, letting Sokka pull her back into his chest with a small chuckle.

“Maybe not, but you were in distress,” he pointed out, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear as it fell out of her bun. “And I am nothing if not chivalrous,” Sokka whispered as he bent down to capture her lips with his own.

He felt her laugh against his lips before returning his kiss, her fingers making quick work of his top knot. Burying her fingers in his loose hair, she used it to pull him closer and deepen the kiss, feeling her back press against the wall of the temple. Sokka bit down on her lower lip gently with a quiet groan in response to the feeling of (Y/N)’s fingers in his hair, pressing even closer to her.

Before they could take the kiss any further, they heard a shocked gasp followed by Zuko’s voice ringing down the hallway.

“What the hell? You were supposed to make up, not make out,” he shouted, causing the pair to jump apart.

“Run,” (Y/N) whispered urgently to Sokka, taking his hand and tearing off deeper into the temple with him as their laughter and Zuko’s footsteps sounded behind them.

[beifongsss]

playing with fire pt. 4 [sokka]

Pairing: Sokka x reader

Summary: You’re a Fire Nation citizen who saves Sokka and Katara from some angry villagers. Aang “convinces” you to come along with them, finding your knowledge of the nation useful. Not everything is smooth sailing though as both Water Tribe siblings have their doubts about you.

this will be a series :D this is Toph’s intro!!!

w.c.~5.7k

prologue. one. two. three.

.masterlist.

~

The peacefulness you felt while flying through the air didn’t last long, and soon enough you felt Katara’s gaze burning into you. You glanced up, meeting the pair of narrowed blue eyes that seemed to study your every movement. It was silent for a few more minutes, Aang and Sokka shifting uncomfortably as tension filled the air. When he could no longer take it, Aang opened his mouth, ready to tell some cheesy joke to try and diffuse the situation before it even began.

“So,” Katara spoke first. Aang clamped his mouth shut, looking to Sokka as he tried to get a read on Katara’s tone. “Why is it that literally every single Fire Nation person we run into seems to know you?”

“Sokka didn’t tell you?” you asked quietly, glancing at the boy in question. He shook his head. 

“I didn’t want to tell them your story, (Y/N),” he stated firmly, his tone a stark contrast to the soft stare he was sending your way. “That’s your business, not mine.”

You stared at him for a few seconds before Katara cleared her throat, drawing your attention back to her. Settling against Appa’s saddle, you glanced at Sokka once more before facing Katara and speaking.

“My parents are Fire Nation nobility. They worked with Ozai to plan the conquests of Earth Kingdom towns. As a result of their positions, I spent a lot of time in the palace,” you began, recalling the words you had told Sokka in the Cave of Two Lovers. Katara’s glare lessened, an interested gleam taking its place as she motioned for you to continue. “I grew up alongside Prince Zuko. I was his chosen training partner, even if I wasn’t a bender. I was good with a bow and arrow and I was even better with a sword, which made me useful to Ozai. I joined the army when I was old enough and eventually Ozai realized that I was good at planning invasions and had me revise the generals’ plans. One day I was sent out to battle with my father. When the Earth Kingdom troops surrendered, I took the chance and ran because I had finally realized that the Fire Nation had done so much harm to others. Later on, I found out that they had massacred them either way. I couldn’t go back after deserting so I traveled until I settled into the Fire Nation colony where I met you.”

“So what about the other girls?” Katara asked.

“I told you that I attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls with them,” you said calmly. “Mai and Ty Lee were the daughters of noblemen. Mai is good with knives and Ty Lee’s a chi-blocker, which is why you couldn’t waterbend after her attack.”

“What about the other girl.”

“That’s Princess Azula,” you said, sighing deeply. “Zuko’s younger sister. Firebending prodigy. She can bend lightning. She’s the most dangerous of them all.”

The group went silent at your words, thinking about the way the golden-eyed girl had conjured up blue fire. Sokka was staring at you curiously, something about your words bothering him. When speaking to Katara, you had told her that you found out about the Earth Kingdom soldiers’s death after you ran away. Back in the Cave of Two Lovers, you had told him that you had run away because they had killed the soldiers. He shook his head softly, realizing that he could’ve easily misheard you. But there was something about the way you had spoken, almost if you were uncertain about some of the things you were saying. Sokka huffed slightly before tearing his gaze from you. You couldn’t be lying to them...right?

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Appa dip lower and lower. He looked at Aang, who seemed to be spacing out, and leaned out of the saddle, tapping the Air Nomad’s shoulder. “Hey, you taking us down for a reason? Aang, why are we going down?”

Aang shook his head slightly before looking at Sokka, confused. “What? I didn’t even notice.”

“Are you noticing now?” Sokka asked as Appa dipped even lower. 

“Is something wrong?” Katara asked, moving closer to the front of the saddle as you followed her. 

“Yeah, why are we getting lower?” you added, looking down below. 

“I know this is going to sound weird, but I think the swamp is calling to me,” Aang said softly, looking down at the trees. 

“Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?” Sokka asked, his stomach grumbling on cue. You giggled softly, earning a proud smile from the Water Tribe boy. 

“No,” Aang replied, not acknowledging Sokka’s words. “I...I think it wants us to land down there.”

“No offense to the swamp but I don’t see any land down there to land on,” Sokka said, peering over the saddle. 

“I don't know. Bumi said to learn earthbending I would have to wait and listen, and now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?”

“Yes,” came the reply from you, Katara, and Sokka. Aang scowled. 

“I don’t know,” Katara added, looking uneasy. “There’s something ominous about that place.”

Immediately after Katara’s words, Appa groaned and Momo jumped into your arms, burying his head in your chest. You cradled the flying lemur close to you as he shivered.

“See? Even Appa and Momo don’t like it here!” Sokka exclaimed. Aang patted Appa’s head and turned to look at you and Momo, a conflicted look on his face. You shook your head lightly, causing him to sigh in defeat.

“Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this, bye swamp,” Aang said sadly. “Yip, yip!”

Your eyes grew wide as you caught sight of a tornado, clutching Momo tighter as it got closer. “You better throw in an extra ‘yip’! We gotta move!”

Appa tried to fly faster, eager to avoid the tornado that was catching up to him. Sokka yelped as he was pulled away by the strong winds, causing Katara to grasp his hand. You lunged forward, connecting your hand to Katara’s as well. Aang created an air shield, causing Sokka to fall back down to the saddle. You let out a loud ‘oof’ as he landed on top of you before he rolled off, turning his head to look at you as he landed on the saddle. 

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Katara replied bitterly, causing the two of you to chuckle. All of a sudden, Appa’s leg broke the air shield, sending you all tumbling down below as the tornado swept you up. Screams left your mouths as the ground approached quickly. You looked around frantically, letting out a yelp when you felt the tree leaves hit you. From what you could see, the swamp water was muddy and you reached for a hanging vine to try and avoid landing in it. You managed to grasp the vine just before you reached the ground, swinging roughly as you used it to hold yourself up. Sokka and Katara plopped into the water as Aang used his airbending to land gracefully. 

Standing up, he looked around for you. “Hey where’s-”

You swung in, letting go of the vine once your feet landed on the ground. “Here I am!’

After making sure that no one was hurt, you began to make your way through the swamp, anxiously looking for Appa and Momo. After a long day of searching for your furry companions and occasionally scolding Sokka for disrespecting the swamp, you all decided to set up camp for the night. By this point, you, Aang, and Katara were extremely unsettled and Sokka kept trying to convince you guys that there was nothing supernatural going on. You set up a campfire, huddling up as you all drifted off to sleep. You sat there silently as you tried to drift off to sleep, eyes still wide open. Sokka was snoring softly into your ear, the sound calming you down slightly. Soon enough, you found your eyes closing and you shifted your weight only for your fingers to brush against a vine. A vine that was moving. 

You yelped loudly, waking everyone else up. They were pulled away almost immediately, wrapped up in the same kind of vine you had touched. You jumped up as the vine lunged for you, wasting no time in drawing your sword and running away. The vines trailed after you, occasionally brushing against your skin. You swung your sword behind you as you ran, breathing heavily as you sprinted through the muddy water.  One of the vines managed to wrap itself around your ankle, making you tumble face first into the water. 

A scream escaped you as you rolled over, stabbing your sword into the vine as you did so. The vines all retreated immediately, causing your eyebrows to furrow as you looked after them. A faint glow caught your attention and you scrambled to your feet, quietly approaching the figure.

“Hello?” you called out, keeping your sword ready just in case. In front of you stood a woman, her back facing you. She was wearing Fire Nation red, her long, dark hair styled into a half-up, half-down style. “Who are you?”

She turned silently and you felt the air leave your lungs. She was beautiful; tall and fair with golden eyes, her topknot secured with a royal Fire Nation hairpiece.

“M-Mom,” you gasped, tears welling up in your eyes. Your sword fell to the ground as the woman stepped forward, raising a hand to stroke your cheek before letting it drop suddenly. 

“(Y/N), my beautiful daughter,” her voice sounded the same and you shook your head, knowing that the swamp was playing tricks on you. “I’m sorry for leaving you. I’m sorry for what happened. But it is important that you always remember who you are. Never forget who you are. You will do great things. I am sure of that.”

You let out a choked sob as you threw yourself at her, hugging her tightly. Your sobs only got worse when you realized you were hugging a tree stump. Shakily, you turned around, pressing your back against the tree stump and sliding down until you reached the ground. You brought your knees up to your chest and hugged them close before burying your head in them, finally letting out all your tears. 

That’s how your friends found you; hair disheveled and sword discarded as tears streamed down your face. Aang had asked you multiple times if you were okay but the only response he had received was the word ‘mom’. Katara’s face had softened, realizing that you must have seen your mother in the swamp just like her. Silently, Sokka had picked you up, holding you close as your hand grasped at his shirt. He had looked at Katara pleadingly, tilting his head towards your sword that laid abandoned on the ground. Katara swiftly picked up the sword, a little surprised at the weight of it before trailing behind Aang as he continued to walk. 

Eventually, you had wiggled your way out of Sokka’s hold. You ignored everyone’s words as you took your sword from Katara and silently trailed behind the rest of the group. After a few more minutes of aimlessly trekking through the swamp, you managed to come across a large swamp monster. Fortunately, the fight didn’t last long as Katara realized that there was a waterbender controlling the vines from inside of the “monster”. The bender, Huu, kindly helped you save Appa and Momo. After eating dinner and thanking them, you set off.

Aang proceeded to tell you all about his vision in the swamp, telling you about how a girl had appeared before him and led him on a wild goose chase before he had finally bumped into Katara. Sokka had talked about how he had seen Princess Yue. At the mention of her name, you felt your heart clench. Sokka told you all about how she had appeared to him, saying that you and him had failed her. You had wrapped Sokka up in a hug after that, murmuring in his ear as you told him that her death was not his fault. His arms tightened around you when he realized that you hadn’t included yourself in that statement. 

Katara told you all about how she had seen her mom briefly before realizing that there was no one there with her. Everyone looked at you afterwards, uncertainty clear on their faces. Taking a deep breath, you proceeded to explain your experience. You told them about how your mom had told you that she was sorry for abandoning you and disappearing without a trace and how she had told you to never forget who you are. The group stared at you sadly, but you just brushed off their concern, stating that you were fine now that you had left the swamp behind. 

The whole time, Sokka couldn’t help but mull over your words. You had never mentioned anything about your mom leaving. You had told them that both of your parents worked closely with Ozai. Much like earlier, he brushed off his doubts. Losing a parent wasn’t something easy to talk about; he didn’t blame you for not mentioning it. 

Your attitude seemed to improve over the next few days. After a few more checkups, Aang and Katara began to leave you alone. Sokka, however, was always by your side. He claimed that you couldn’t be left alone while you were in unfamiliar territory but Aang and Katara knew that he was just worried about you. 

After trying to prove Avatar Kyoshi’s innocence and fighting off the Rough Rhinos, no one doubted that you weren’t fine. You seemed to be back to normal, sitting at Appa’s reins and sending snarky remarks at Aang as the sky bison landed in Gaoling. You and Sokka bantered back and forth as he debated whether or not to buy a bag and Katara convinced Aang to try out an earthbending academy, stating that he could find his teacher there. 

After Aang’s failed earthbending attempt, Katara managed to persuade some of the academy’s students into revealing the location of Earth Rumble VI. And that’s how you found yourself in an underground cavern watching fully grown men as they chucked rocks at each other. You couldn’t help but chuckle softly at Sokka’s enthusiasm, your eyes never leaving him as he cheered loudly. 

One of the fighters, The Boulder, managed to defeat all of his opponents and earn himself a place in the finals. Aang was still hesitant about finding his earthbending teacher, telling Katara that although The Boulder was good, he relied too much on his muscles instead of waiting and listening. 

“Now, the moment you've all been waiting for,” Xin Fu, the host, said. “The Boulder versus your champion... the Blind Bandit!”

A girl stood on the platform, black hair obscuring much of her face as she raised a championship belt into the air. She stared blankly ahead before turning and handing her belt to one of the assistants. There was something oddly familiar about her and you found yourself shaking your head before tearing your eyes away from the small girl. 

“She can’t really be blind, can she?” Katara asked, looking at the girl nervously before turning to you and Aang. “It’s just part of her character… right?”

“I think she is,” Aang said quietly. You nodded in agreement.

“I think she is...going down!” Sokka exclaimed, pointing down as he did so. You stared at him, giggling softly as you observed him. Sokka turned to face you, blushing when he realized your attention was on him. He leaned back on the bench, throwing an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into him casually. 

“Hey,” Sokka whispered, looking down at you with a smile.

“Hi,” you whispered back, biting your lip as you tried to hold back a smile. The two of you sat comfortably, watching as The Boulder approached the small girl.

“The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a small girl,” he proclaimed, looking at the young girl uneasily.

“Sounds to me like you’re scared, Boulder,” the girl cried out, cowering in fake fear. The Boulder’s face hardened as he stared as the girl.

“The Boulder is over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-alanche!”

“Whenever you’re ready, The Pebble!” the girl yelled, throwing her head back and cackling.

Aang’s eyes widened at her laugh and he sat up straight, observing the fight. The way the girl fought was different from the rest of the earthbenders and he found himself remembering Bumi’s words. The fight ended with The Boulder getting thrown out of the ring, causing all four of you to look at the girl in surprise. 

“Your winner and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!” Xin Fu exclaimed. The girl raised her hands in victory. 

“How did she do that?” Katara asked.

“She waited,” Aang said, a smile on his face. “And listened.”

Xin Fu offered up a bag of gold for anyone who dared to challenge The Blind Bandit. Aang, of course, couldn’t hold back and took the challenge as an opportunity to try and talk to the girl. It didn’t end well, the girl storming out after Aang managed to airbend her out of the ring. Aang rejoined your group sadly, a stark contrast to the large grin Sokka was wearing as he held the bag of gold and the championship belt. 

“Way to go, champ!”

~

“I’ve got to admit, now I’m really glad I bought this bag,” Sokka said as you all walked down the streets of Gaoling. “It matches the belt perfectly!”

“Well that’s a relief,” you teased, blushing when Sokka rolled his eyes and reached for your hand. 

“If we want to find The Blind Bandit, the earthbending academy is the perfect place to start,” Aang said, leading the group through the streets. You came to a stop when you felt Sokka pull on your hand, letting Aang and Katara leave without you. You turned to face Sokka, completely missing the wide smile and thumbs up that Aang sent him before he turned the corner. 

“What’s up?” you asked, looking at the Water Tribe boy. 

“I just um, well I wanted to give you something,” Sokka said, avoiding your eyes. “Can you just...close your eyes real quick”

You opened your mouth to say something before you decided not to, instead complying with Sokka’s request. You felt him move around you, letting go of your hand as he rifled through his bag. A weight landed in between your collarbones and you felt a chain shifting around your neck. 

“There,” Sokka whispered. “You can open your eyes now.”

Turning around, you opened your eyes to come face-to-face with Sokka. You reached up to touch the necklace, your fingers brushing against the pendant that now rested against your skin. 

“I hope you like it,” he said softly, watching you as you looked at the necklace. 

“I love it,” you whispered back, looking up at him with shining eyes. He grinned goofily, leaning against the building next to him.

“You do?”

You nodded before leaning up and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. You grabbed his hand again, swinging it softly before speaking. “Thank you, Sokka.”

He nodded in reply, speechless because from your kiss. He blushed brightly before guiding you towards the street where Aang had disappeared. “Let’s go catch up to them before they get worried, yeah?”

The two of you walked back hand in hand, locating Aang and Katara at the earthbending academy. They were talking to the same two boys from yesterday, although it seemed like they were getting closer and closer to an argument. You reached them just in time to hear Aang mention something else from his vision. 

“That's because we're asking about the wrong person,” Aang said in realization. “In my vision, I saw a girl, in a white dress, with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?”

“A flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong family,” you said, walking up next to Aang. The familiarity of the girl now made sense. She looked like a Beifong. The entire group shot you a surprised look.

“How do you know that?” Katara asked curiously.

“The Beifongs are some of the richest people to exist,” you said, turning to face Aang. “You should’ve mentioned that earlier.”

“They’re probably the richest people in the world! But the Beifongs don’t have a daughter,” one of the earthbending students said.

“A flying boar is good enough for me,” Aang said, already walking away. “Let’s go check it out.”

As the four of you made your way to the Beifong residence, you noticed Aang eyeing your necklace. When you gave him a questioning glance, he simply looked from you to Sokka before making a kissy face. Your eyes widened before you looked away, a blush spreading across your face as you heard Katara giggle. 

“That’s the flying boar from my vision!” Aang cried suddenly, running towards the house. “Come on!”

All of a sudden, your group was launched into the air. Aang and Katara landed in the bushes and you landed on the lawn. Sokka, unfortunately, landed on the concrete. 

“What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?” the girl asked, now dressed in a fancy gown. 

“How’d you know it was me?” Aang asked, looking up at the girl.

“Don’t answer to ‘Twinkle Toes’,” Sokka groaned from the ground. “It’s not manly!”

“You’re the one whose purse matches his belt,” Katara commented, throwing her brother a teasing smirk. Sokka glared at Katara, his anger fading when he heard your laughter. 

“How did you find me?” the girl demanded.

“Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and-” Aang trailed off as he noticed the girl’s disbelief.

“What Aang is trying to say is, he’s the Avatar,” Katara stepped in, trying to get the point across. “And if he doesn’t master earthbending soon, he won’t be able to defeat the Fire Lord.”

“Not my problem,” the girl replied, causing you to snort as you tried to stifle your laughter. She began to walk away from them. “Now, get out of here or I’ll call the guards.”

“Look,” Sokka said threateningly, taking a step forward. “We all have to do our part to win this war, and yours is to teach Aang earthbending.”

The girl looked towards Sokka angrily before she relaxed and took on a frightened expression. “Guards! Guards, help!”

You raised an eyebrow at the girl as the guards came rushing forwards, a smirk playing at her lips. The four of you scattered to avoid being captured. 

“Toph, what happened?” one of the guards asked, looking around suspiciously. 

“I-I thought I heard someone,” Toph said. “I got scared.”

“You know your father doesn’t want you wandering around without supervision, Toph.”

The voices faded as they walked away. You all emerged, brushing off the dirt and grass that was attached to you. Sokka had a scowl on his face as he stared in the direction Toph had gone, Katara sporting a similar look. 

“Well,” you said, drawing their attention. “You can’t deny she’s a good actress.”

~

Three guards led the four of you into the Beifong residence. It was a beautiful house, decorated in a way that showed just how wealthy the family was.

“Avatar Aang,” Lao Beifong said, bowing down before the young Air Nomad. His wife did the same, eyeing you before nudging her husband. 

Lao’s eyes widened as he glanced at you, dropping into an even lower bow than the one he had given to Aang. “Your e-”

“There’s no need for formalities, Master Beifong,” you quickly cut in, bowing dramatically before turning to his wife and doing the same. “Lady Beifong. Please, just (Y/N) is fine.”

Toph’s eyes narrowed at her father’s actions and your swift interruption. Your name rang a bell in her head and she walked forward slightly. Lao noticed and grasped her shoulders, bringing her to stand in front of him. 

“This is my daughter, Toph,” Lao said. Toph bowed slightly. “Please forgive her manners.”

You waved him off, not missing the suspicious look that lingered on Toph’s face. “It’s quite alright. Some formalities are overrated anyways. There’s no need for her to bow.”

Lao and Poppy’s jaws dropped at your words as they exchanged borderline offended looks with each other. Toph, on the other hand, tried to cover up her snicker with a cough. 

“W-Would you like to stay for dinner?” Lao asked, still bewildered by the words you had said. You all nodded, thanking the Beifongs for their hospitality before joining them in the dining room.

Dinner was a tense affair, culminating in what could only be described as a food fight between Toph and Aang. Dessert was just as uncomfortable and soon enough, the four of you found yourselves in one of the Beifong’s guest rooms. Aang had disappeared a while ago with Toph and you were absentmindedly braiding Sokka’s hair, trying to ignore Katara’s nervous pacing.

“Should we go look for him?” Katara asked, glancing out the window.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Sokka said, waving off Katara’s concerns as he leaned into you. 

“Have either of you seen Toph?” Poppy Beifong’s soft voice floated through the air, catching your attention. You all shook your heads, causing the woman to frown.

“She was with Aang, Lady Beifong,” you replied, tying Sokka’s hair back up in a ponytail. “They were in the garden, I believe.”

“Oh!” Poppy Beifong gasped, turning around to leave. “She’s not allowed out without supervision.”

Katara was the first to follow, you and Sokka trailing closely after her. A few minutes later, you stood outside with the Beifongs and Master Yu, staring at the note that had been left behind. 

“Whoever took Aang and Toph left this,” you said, bending down to pick up the note. Katara took it from your hands, reading it out loud. 

“‘If you want to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena.’ It’s signed Xin Fu and The Boulder,” Katara said out loud.

“I can’t believe it,” Sokka said seriously, taking the note from Katara. “I have The Boulder’s autograph!”

You swatted at his head, wincing at Poppy Beifong’s loud sobs. Lao turned to Master Yu, a pleading look on his face. “Master Yu, I need you to help me get my daughter back.”

“We’re going with you,” Katara stated. You gave a firm nod. 

“Poor Toph,” Poppy murmured, blowing her nose. “She must be so scared!”

You exchanged a skeptical glance with Katara, remembering the way Toph had taunted The Boulder before destroying him.

“Yeah, she must be terrified,” you said dryly. Sokka snorted. 

~

“Toph!” Lao cried out as you entered the arena. Her and Aang were suspended high in the air, trapped in metal cages. 

“Here’s your money,” Sokka said, placing the bag of gold down onto the ground. “Now let them go.”

Master Yu earthbended the bag over to Xin Fu, who quickly grabbed and examined it. Nodding, he motioned for Toph to be freed. The small girl made her way over to Lao before they both exited the arena. 

“What about Aang?” Katara asked, stepping forwards. 

“I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar,” Xin Fu said as he held up a Fire Nation wanted poster. “Now, get out of my ring.”

Many of the other earthbenders who had been fighting earlier popped up out of nowhere, causing you all to exchange panicked looks. 

“Go, I’ll be okay!” Aang called out, smiling encouragingly. 

“We’re not leaving you!” you yelled back, eyeing the earthbenders nervously. 

“Toph, there's too many of them,” Katara pleaded, looking at the small girl. “We need an earthbender. We need you!”

“My daughter is blind!” Lao yelled furiously, tugging Toph farther away from them. “She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you!”

Toph’s face hardened at Lao’s words and she yanked her hand away from him before turning to face your group. “Yes, I can!”

The three of you watched in awe as Toph took on all the pro earthbenders before snapping out of it and scrambling to get to Aang, who had been tossed aside earlier. Katara and Sokka tried all they could to free Aang, with every single attempt being unsuccessful. 

“Hit it harder!” Aang cried, desperation in his voice.

“I’m trying!” Sokka yelled back, hitting the lock to no avail. 

“Let me,” you said, nudging Sokka out of the way before striking the lock with your sword. The lock fell away instantly, a smug smirk making its way onto your face as you looked at Sokka. 

“I loosened it for you,” he said, puffing his chest out. 

“Sure you did big guy,” you replied, causing him to scowl at you. 

Aang popped out of the cage, ready to fight before Sokka held his arm out and shook his head. He pointed at Toph, who had defeated almost all the earthbenders and stood proudly. Xin Fu was the last one standing. She made easy work of him, sending him flying out of the ring as her father and Master Yu looked on in shock. Aang and Katara ran towards her as Sokka collapsed from shock, leaving you to watch over the Water Tribe boy. 

A while later, you found yourselves back in the Beifong manor. Toph stood in front of her father, the rest of you watching the interaction anxiously. 

“Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way. But the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender, and I'm really, really good at it,” Toph said, gaining confidence as the words flowed out. “I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So, now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me.”

“Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph,” Lao proclaimed. “It's made me realize something.”

“It has?” Toph asked hopefully, her face brightening up. 

You swallowed harshly as you watched Lao’s reaction. You had a bad feeling deep in your gut as you glanced at Toph, and your instinct was proven right a second later. 

“Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on you'll be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day.”

“But dad!” Toph yelled, surprised at the words.

“Sir, with all due respect, your daughter is one of the most powerful earthbenders alive,” you said quietly, stepping forwards and dodging Sokka’s hand as he reached for you. “She doesn’t need to be cared for and she definitely doesn’t need guards to protect her.”

Lao looked at you coldly, his lips pressing together into a thin line. 

“We’re doing this for her own good!” Poppy cried, gathering Toph into her arms.

“Guards, please escort Miss (Y/N) out of my house. She and the Avatar are no longer welcome here,” Lao finally said, glaring at you. “Never return. The Fire Nation isn’t welcome here any longer.”

“I’m sorry Toph,” Aang said as you were all led out. You didn’t stop glaring at Lao. 

“I’m sorry too,” Toph replied, tears pricking at her eyes. “Goodbye Aang.”

~

“Don’t worry,” Katara said softly as you all approached Appa. “We’ll find you a teacher. There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there!”

“Not like her,” Aang muttered. Katara looked at you for help but you shook your head, knowing Aang was right. 

You leaned against Appa, narrowing your eyes when you saw a figure sprinting towards you. You made out the person’s features easily enough and you tapped Aang’s shoulder. “Aang, look!”

“Toph! What are you doing here?” Aang asked as the small girl came to a stop in front of them.

“My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world,” Toph explained, trying to catch her breath. You smirked at the girl, knowing that she was lying. 

“Well then, we’d better get out of here,” Sokka said, peering over the edge of Appa’s saddle. “Before your dad changes his mind again.”

“You’re going to be a great teacher Toph,” Aang said, smiling at the girl.

“Speaking of which, I wanted to show you something,” Toph said softly. 

“Okay.”

Without hesitation, Toph stomped her foot, sending Aang flying before he landed in a tree. “Now we’re even. Um, I’ll take the belt back.”

Sokka tossed the belt down, frowning slightly. You stifled a laugh as it hit Toph’s head, knocking her down.

“Ow!”

“Sokka!” you scolded, helping Toph up. He simply shrugged before disappearing back into the saddle. Toph took your hand, standing up before picking up her belt. You looked at her amusedly. “Didn’t think you had the guts to run away from home, Beifong.”

Toph gave you an unreadable look before replying. “That makes two of us, Princess.”

“Don’t call me princess,” you said immediately, glaring half-heartedly at the girl.

“Sure. Whatever you say, Princess,” she said, awkwardly patting Appa. 

You sighed deeply before helping Toph reach the saddle. “I have a feeling you and I are gonna get along wonderfully, shortcake.”

Toph let out a sound of indignation at the nickname before rolling into the saddle, glaring at you as you joined her. “Don’t call me shortcake.”

“Whatever you say, shortcake,” you teased, mocking her earlier statement. Toph looked like she was ready to attack you but was stopped as Sokka took the reins. 

“Alright Team Avatar! Where to now?” he asked, looking at Aang questioningly. Aang looked around uncertainly before shrugging.

“I don’t know, but the faster we leave Gaoling, the better.”

Sokka nodded in agreement before facing forwards once more. “C’mon Appa. Yip yip.”

Toph grabbed onto your arm as Appa began to fly and you looked at her in amusement. You looked around at everyone, knowing that things were about to get more interesting. 

~

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