#firelord zuk

[malereadermaniac]

Betrothed ~ Alpha FireLord Zuko x Omega male reader

Even after his father had been overruled, Zuko couldn't experience true freedom; bound by his duty as firelord Part of that duty was of course, as an Alpha, to find a mate and continue the lineage of the fire nation But when the firelord is brought a familiar face by the royal matchmaker, he's put at ease word count: 3.1k Sfw & Nsfw / MDNI ~ amab m!reader / FDNI

Zuko felt uncomfortable - both physically and emotionally. Physically, the firelord was uncomfortable from the head to toe firelord get-up; his advisors insisting he wears traditional Alphan fire lord clothing to his matchmaking appointment. He was deemed one of the luckiest men in the world, an Alpha born into not only wealth but royalty, but those blessings came with their own limitations. Zuko wanted to choose his partner, he wouldn't care of their secondary gender or status, the alpha just wanted the real love he had been deprived of all his life - and that was the root of his emotional discomfort. But nonetheless, as FireLord, he had a duty to his people and his honor, so Zuko was willing to go through with whatever was about to come.

As the matchmaker walks into the arranged meeting room, Zuko's nerves turn 10 fold - but he, of course, doesn't let that show, a simple chill running up his spine instead. He watches as the evidently Beta woman places down her folder and a packet of scent patches, sneaking a peak at her notes when she opens her folder; many graphs of scent compatibility catch Zuko's eyes along with his profile, clearly this woman takes her job seriously. After the matchmaker introduces herself, she hands out scent patches to any Alphas or Omegas in the room, allowing for Zuko to only be able to smell his soon-to-be mate and as to not overwhelm the Omega - afterwards, the woman starts to give a brief rundown of what will occur. Zuko listens attentively as he fidgets with his fingers beneath the table: the omega will walk in, she will read his brief information, the two will greet and scent each others wrists, if Zuko accepts the Omega then any advisors and herself will leave the room for the two to talk. It felt like the woman was talking forever, the FireLord's heart beating quicker and quicker by the second, but once she finally stopped, Zuko's head snapped to look at the door as the matchmaker stood up to let his future mate into the room. The last thing Zuko expected to see was his childhood friend - you, (y/n) (l/n).

"(Y/n)?!" Zuko stutters out, going to stand up but his advisors easing him to sit back down

"Ah! Zuk-..." you stopped yourself when you saw the matchmakers face, procedures had to be followed to a tee according to her. You make you way to the table Zuko was sat at and bow with grace

"FireLord Zuko, it's an honor"

Holy shit, your voice had such an immense effect on Zuko, the title of FireLord rolling off of your tongue perfectly. You were dressed in traditional clothing, ridiculously adorned with fire nation accessories, the sleeves of your clothing long enough to cover your hands as you nod and bow - you looked enthralling. Zuko had never seen you in this light, his contact with you having been cut before your secondary gender had shown itself, but man, did you really grow into a full Omega. Your scent was surprisingly the last thing the Alpha had noticed, but once he took a note of it, it was all the man could think of; a soft smell of flowers and cotton, it reminded Zuko of the happy portion of his childhood, but most of all it made his inner Alpha flare up like mad. The matchmaker starts to read off your information as you sit down in front of the royal, the both if you fighting smiles.

"(Y/n) of the affluent fire nation family of (L/n). Overall healthy with a blood type and astrological match with the FireLord. Most importantly, a 98% match between their pheromones. His fire bending is passable, but he passed top of his class in fire-healing. He has etiquette training, cooking, cleaning, and even medicinal skills as well as a fertility of 0.7 - one of the highest in the nation."

You cringed at all of your personal, embarrassing details were read off and watched as Zuko's advisors checked off on their little clipboards - but all of your negative emotions vanish when you catch Zuko's eyes, the warm smile on his face putting you at ease immediately. His scent was not only calming and anything but overwhelming, but it also felt like it was perfect for you, it was like gold was running through your veins every time you took a breath. The two of you snapped out of your infatuated dazes from the matchmaker coughing to draw attention. Zuko's advisors mumbled amongst themselves and then one whispered to Zuko, which resulted in a smile from the handsome Alpha which was followed by a nod - then, the next thing you knew, Zuko was holding out his wrist.

"May I scent you, (y/n)?" Zuko asked, initiating the scenting with his voice smooth like silk. You immediately agree and rub the scent gland on your wrist against Zuko's, your muscles instantly fully relaxing as his scent sticks to your gland. The two of you watch as all surrounding people leave the two of you alone and sit in a brief silence; that is until Zuko softly breaks it. Usual small talk turns into friendly catching up, Zuko interested in your life after the two of you were forced apart by life - you'd both talked about missing and thinking about each other and how you'd even witnessed Zuko's Agni-kai with his father. Over the half an hour that the two of you talked, your hands slowly crept closer together until Zuko's strong hand had its slender fingers intertwined with yours. Just before his advisors interrupted the two of you, Zuko had asked a question that shocked you

"Do you want to be my mate?"

Zuko knew the two of you had no choice in the matter, but because of his history with you, his previous and current soft-spot for you, he would want anything but to keep you in a forced relationship for his own benefit. After a short silence, a soft nod from you put Zuko's heart at ease; but that peace was only shortly lived until his advisors walked in and had you two follow along, the life of royalty barely giving the Alpha a chance to breathe. The two of you walked behind Zuko's head advisor, his other few trailing behind you both - and even they couldn't help but notice how right you two looked walking next to one another. After being escorted to your new shared bedroom, Zuko's advisors planned to take Zuko away to further discuss your relationship; however a wrench had been thrown into their plans when Zuko immediately disagreed, demanding that a discuss that surrounds you should include you. The way that the Alpha stood up for you made you beam internally, a small smile making its way onto your face, and with no room for argument, you left the room with Zuko and his advisors towards the meeting room. Passing by the throne room, the two of you notice some workers build you a throne as they did for Zuko - those advisors work really quick it seems - the both of you take into account how Zuko's is taller and positioned just a little higher than yous...

"We propose that the wedding happens by the end of the month" the lead advisor begins the discussion. The scene isn't necessarily foreign to you, your father having you sit in on meeting with the previous FireLord in this very room, a large table sits in the middle of the room, Zuko is positioned at the head with you next to him (kneeling in the floor) as his advisors sit at the opposite end.

"Isn't that a little too soon? Can't we have it by the end of the year?" Zuko argues, clearly not wanting to rush a delicate process

"One month is quite generous already, Lord Zuko... You must pull your nation together, a royal wedding is the type of celebration you need - the sooner the better, ten months is far too long" another advisor pops up

"One month isn't even enough time for me to properly court (y/n)" Zuko fights back, a calm demeanor on his face as he looks towards you and smiles

"My Lord, the Omega isn't the priority at this point in time, keep in mind you also need to provide an heir" the main advisor explains

"An heir? I understand the wedding, but the throne will receive an heir when the two of us so wish!" Zuko's tone shifts, clearly offended at the suggestion that your purpose in this marriage is to pop out pups

"Why don't we compromise to five months?" You pipe up, fidgeting with your sleeves as you look at the advisors

A short silence fills the room

"Don't speak during meeting, Omega" one of Zuko's advisors says to break the silence. All of then were thinking it, he was just stupid enough to say it

"I beg your pardon? Leave" Zuko demands, his tone devoid of emotion, and when the advisor protests, one look towards his guards has them remove the advisor from Zuko's meeting room.

"U-Uhm- Five months is acceptable, thank you" the lead advisor acknowledges your point, the first time you'd even been looked in the eyes by one of Zuko's trusted men

After the awkward meeting that surrounded your near and far future, the rest of your day reflected the whirlwind prior, sorting out royal duties and meeting Palace staff. But as the sun began to set and you made your way back to your room, Zuko stopped you

"Yes, my Lord?" You ask, looking up into Zuko's eyes with soft, tired eyes

"Y'know you can just call me Zuko..." the alpha blushes, the title really affecting him only when it came from your soft lips

"Haha... sorry, guess my training really did work" you chuckle

"Hmhm... was it really that intense?" Zuko asks as he starts to walk with you to the royal bedroom

"I mean... if you'd say 4 hours of etiquette training and 3 hours of learning how to please an Alpha a day is intense then yeah" you say with a sly smirk, the sarcasm in your voice evident

"Wow... I didn't even know... I've only ever had the regular royalty lessons" Zuko mumbles, closing the door behind you

"Yeah... even if I come from an affluent family, my secondary gender makes me get treated like a mutt" you say with a smile

"Well I promise you... I won't let that happen around here if I can help it." Zuko says sincerely, holding your hand in his firmly. The sweet gesture makes you blush, your words failing to come out of your mouth; your scent glands running rampant from receiving basic respect for once in your life! After a few minuets of silence, looking into each others eyes while blushing and breathing in each other's scents, Zuko suggests the two of you get to bed. You have to rip your eyes away from the Alpha as he let's his hair down, stripping off his heavy attire to his bare chest.

"Ah! Sorry! I'll step into the bathroom if you need" Zuko says with a worried look on his face as your insane scent snaps him out of his thoughts; your blushed face and eyes fixed on his toned body really giving away that your instincts were taking over.

"No! Sorry! Oh my, I'm so sorry!" You shout, tearing your eyes away and turning around embarrassed. Zuko chuckles and continues to change, but the same ordeal repeats when you begin to change - however, it was even more intense as the Alpha was practically drooling at the sight of your bare skin.

Sleep was very needed after such a chaotic day, and after a chaotic week, and a chaotic month. At some point, Zuko asked for your permission to court you, proposing with the crown given to the FireLord's mate; and of course, you agreed. Life started to seem less chaotic after that. Zuko would shower you with gifts every day and ensure to spend at least 4 hours a day with you, taking you out on dates to prestigious restaurants and on smaller dates in the Palace Gardens; it was enjoyable, it was the secondary school experience the two of you never had, having either been in private tutoring or single gender private school. It was also very evident that the two of you had never had your firsts in everything, of course, because of valid reasons; Zuko had been exiled near the time his secondary gender had come through! And you were under strict orders to stay untouched until you were mated, being collared for most of your life. But still, it was very evident that you two were massive virgins.

Point A: When Zuko proposed to court you with the priceless, beautiful artifact of the Royal family, you hugged him. The way that the Alpha turned red within seconds, his pheromones suffocating you, Zuko desperate to keep you in his touch as he scented you. It was clear that the young FireLord had never had even physical contact with an Omega.

Point B: The first kiss that the two of you shared. On a small picnic date in the gardens of the Palace under the moonlight a month into the alpha courting you, Zuko asked to kiss you. And holy shit when he did, the two of you were inseparable. Your lips were stuck to Zuko's for an entire half an hour, his tongue devouring your mouth as Zuko was taken over by his inner Alpha, pushing you gently to the ground and hovering above you. Your pheromones and his were running rampant, mixing in the air to make a stunning aroma, your moans were music to the Alpha's ears as your stomach did flips just from kissing Zuko. You could feel how hard Zuko was as he was grinding against you, desperate to feel you, desperate to have whatever he's been craving since he presented. Luckily, some guards stopped the two of you from doing anything that would get you into trouble.

Point C: Zuko is only 20, jealously is understandable. So when Sokka paid a visit to the Palace and required you healing after doing something stupid, Zuko had never felt what he felt in those few minutes. You, seeing another Alpha naked, touching his body to heal him with your fire, you'd never done that for Zuko! His pheromones were sour and his chest hurt, and once Sokka made his way to the guest room and you and Zuko to your own room, the Alpha demanded to know if you were infatuated by his water tribe friend. It was so evident that even seeing someone else's naked body was a high level of intimacy to Zuko, and even to you, it was at the time. But after kissing for the whole night, the Alpha's hands roaming your body gently, his jealousy faded away.

Eventually, the two of you made it official, Zuko's advisors already scheduling the wedding for the end of that week. The nation was ecstatic, hundreds of thousands of people either showed up or read about your wedding and mating to the FireLord. And that night, after finally getting permission from his advisors, Zuko set his eyes on marking you...

That night was intense, and it went on for ages, so here's a brief recap:

Once the two of you were basically locked in your bedroom by your advisors, Zuko decided to initiate

He held you against the door, and after gaining permission from you, looked down into your fucking sexy eyes, held your chin up to him and quickly started to kiss you

The Alpha held your waist and you chin, his tongue dominating you along with his insanely powerful and attractive scent

The two of you made your way to the king-sized bed without breaking the kiss once - Zuko on top of you as he undresses you

Once the two of you were naked, all hell broke loose

Your legs were placed onto the Alpha's broad shoulders, his two slender fingers immediately going to your slick-leaking hole

Moans filled the grand room along with a rich aroma of your scent mixed with Zuko's

You had cum already just from Zuko's fingers, and once he had licked up all of your sweet, sterile cum, Zuko aimed his huge Alphan cock at the entrance of your hole

The two of you went at it for what felt like hours, your bodies covered in sweat and scent glands releasing so many pheromones that they were beginning to liquefy and pool by your glands

Your hole had been stretched long ago, taking the shape of Zuko's huge, veiny dick

Eventually, Zuko couldn't hold back anymore, knotting you and cumming in unison with his Omega - the two of you taking the opportunity to fulfill your duty and mark each other

With that out of the way, the two of you spent the rest of the night making passionate love to one another, pleasuring each other in so many ways that your combined orgasm count for the night was 17! Luckily you two are literally built to have shit tons of sex!

And after that night, the two of you couldn't get enough of each other after finally tasting what you had been missing

For now, you were on the most expensive birth control - pills made in the earth kingdom using natural herbs and minerals that are almost 99% effective at keeping you and Zuko from providing an heir a little too early

So with the worries of pups out of the way, you two would go at it like... well... Alpha and Omega

Heats were insane but well spent with Zuko, the Alpha eating you out and fingering you for and hour minimum, making you orgasm plenty of times before satisfying the burn in your stomach with his huge cock

Zuko's ruts were when shit really hit the fan, his advisors would have to leave the palace and have it guarded for the week it lasted - luckily they were more rare than your heats

In summary, your Chambers walls have seen many things: from you worshiping the Alphan firelords body to Zuko letting you, the light of his life his Omega, ride him like a toy without permission to touch you

And in the future, once you two are ready for pups, Zuko can't wait to be the father he never had - and he knows that seeing you as a dad and care for his pups will further awaken something within him he never knew he had before meeting you

[gotticalavera]

How do you think Fem! Aang would do as Fire Lady?

No.

I think that every fantasy with Zuko's ships, whether his partner, eventually ends up becoming FireLady or some other political position within the Fire Nation.

But Aang, whether male or female, doesn't have that option in my opinion. I could go the easy way and just be the FireLady, but I like to get complicated and in the lore I have of Zuk♀Aang, Aang never became FireLady, but she managed to have a greater social-political impact within Fire Nation by not be.

The reasons why I justify that ♀Aang wouldn't have the title of Fire Lady are:

The Fire Nation council, nobles, and public opinion would have pressured her to renounce her nationality. Aang is the only survivor of her nation, and the prejudiced culeros of FN would use that argument to take away her identity, since, from the little seen in the series and comics, women married to nobles and royalty had to renounce all their life and everything they are before they get married.

The tension and fear that would be generated in other nations. Aang already has an established role; being the Avatar, the bridge between the two worlds and the person who wields the four elements, and who stopped the 100 year war. Aang's role has to be impartial and focus on solving/mediating current problems between nations, so it would not be well regarded for Aang to have a relationship with Zuko, who is now FireLord. Having the Avatar as another representative of FN (FireLady), since that country was the one that caused the war in the first place, would bring disagreement and tension between the other countries towards FN.

Air nomads probably don't have marriages. This is a hc, but I consider that air nomads do not give importance to marriages or having paper records that say that this couple is together, maybe they do have a ceremony for it, but it's not common. So Zuko and Aang used that to their advantage, and various FN loopholes to be able to marry "unofficially", Zuko didn't marry as FireLord but as a civil person without titles just like Aang. So Aang would be the FireLord's first unofficial wife within FN records.

That Aang was only known as FireLady. Like any heroic story, over time it is romanticized to make it more interesting, and the story of Zuko and Aang as a couple would undoubtedly become a love story like Omashu; Possibly decades later there will be versions of the story saying that they fell in love at first sight and it was a forbidden love. When I think that really everything romantic happened after the war, anyway, if she had become FireLady, she would just be pigeonholed to that description. Aang is a character who, from the canon, has this implicit struggle with the people who dehumanize him; They treat him with this divinity that is being an Avatar and they don't see the person he is. If she were FireLady, it would be another dehumanization on her list, but at least with the title of Avatar I could still have something of her person, with FireLady I don't think so (in the palace, they refer to Aang as Lady Avatar or Avatar Aang).

And although she was not officially named as FireLady (wife of the FireLord) and did not have any power within FN. She would undoubtedly make a social-political impact within society, from not being a beautiful woman by traditional FN standards dating FireLord, to the ambiguity with which she handles international political treaties (whether against or for FN), which due to ZukAang's civil marriage, a dual nationality law began to be formed, raising awareness of environmental and spiritual management, and an entire artistic movement that decided to dedicate itself to retracing their moment or that of the royal family with Aang, are some of the things that come to mind.

All because Zuko is so fucking in love with her and only wants to have Aang as his partner!!

[waterfire1848]

[ Sokka going to comfort Zuko on his coronation day. ]

Sokka: Will Zuko be broody on the biggest day of his life?

Zuko: I’m not brooding. I’m just-I’m thinking. This is my thinking face.

Sokka: Hey, Thinky Face. Look at me. You worked just as hard as all of us to defeat the Firelord. You’re going to be Firelord, Zuk.

Zuko, laughing: Okay, okay, okay. What if they hate me?

Sokka: No one hates a hero. It’ll take some time but the Fire Nation and other nations are going to love you.

[ Takes his hand. ]

Sokka: Like I do.

[buddy-thats-rough]

Thinking about the parallel between Zuko when it comes to asking for forgiveness from his father and Iroh.

This boy made such a small mistake and got burned and banished because he just spoke out of turn. And when he betrayed his uncle, it was something that was a lot more significant rather than speaking out of turn. And immediately we could all see he felt bad about it. Like he KNEW he betrayed his uncle, but of course he somehow was clouded by wanting his honor back and acceptance.

Between the two scenes of him begging for forgiveness, though, he's on his knees and looking up to the person he respects so much, tears in his eyes. Begging for forgiveness.

What's sad is that he was terrified both these times. He was especially more terrified when confronting Iroh, since that was someone he looked up to and had seen as his father instead of Ozai once he recognized his wrongs. But like. Imagine the horrible guilt and sadness you feel knowing you once again have to go and beg for forgiveness, not knowing if he's going to forgive so easily.

And what's even more probably insane for Zuko is just how easily Iroh forgives him because unlike Ozai, Iroh cares for Zuko. He's expecting probably some harsh words and maybe some physical abuse alongside it, but he gets a hug and soft words and its like.. What?? I'm not going to be scolded or harmed or anything?

Like this poor boy is just so used to harsh responses when it comes to making a mistake he even expected Iroh, the one person who's really shown him true kindness since his mom, and its just :(((

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine being Mai’s younger sister and having a reciprocated crush on Zuko ever since you were kids. For obvious reasons, neither of you acted on your feelings but when you reconnect as adults things are different.

Part two here

Part three here

___

You were Mai’s younger sister, only a year younger but that year made a big impact on your life. The age difference meant when Ursa and Ozai were looking for companions for Azula, despite being three years older, Mai was sent as she was the eldest. After a few supervised playdates Mai was selected and you weren’t surprised in the slightest. Mai was everything you wanted to be, responsible, well-behaved, beautiful and respected. Your family adored her because she was the perfect daughter and no matter what you did you couldn’t get out of her shadow.

Mai was so perfect she even started dating the future Firelord when she was 13. You’d seen that coming too. You knew Mai had a crush on Zuko for years and that had always made you wary of Zuko. The truth was being the same age as him you saw a lot of Zuko and you also liked him but learnt early on he was Mai’s.Your sister liked him and you wouldn’t do anything to get in her way. So you just focused on being Zuko’s friend until apparently that was too much as well. Azula informed you one day when you were 12 that Mai was jealous of you and Zuko doing homework together. Azula was ruthless with her insults, she called you cheap, jealous of Mai, desperate for Zuko’s attention and a thousand other things that stuck with you. So from that day you stopped interacting with Zuko when you could help it. You never wanted to cause trouble and were used to putting your wants and feelings to the back of the pile so just did that, no matter how challenging it was. You saw Zuko almost every day at school and sometimes more. He was dating Mai so he was always around and it sometimes led to interactions. He’d ask you to pass Mai a note or give you something Mai had left at his. The worst times were when he’d come over to yours after school. As Mai was in the year above she finished earlier and so Zuko would walk with you to your home. You weren’t sure why he did it, you’d been distant with him for long enough. You refused to speak to him apart from nods if he asked you a direct yes or no question but still he’d walk beside you all the way to your home. It was tense and uncomfortable every step but still the next week Zuko would do the same thing and you could never work out why.

Your crush never faded but you managed to place it in the background where you could ignore it. You never bothered with dating because honestly you didn’t feel that excitement with anyone like you did around Zuko. You didn’t see the point in getting involved with people unless you liked them so you rejected every boy. Which caused great aggravation between you and your parents. By the time you reached 19 and still hadn’t brought home one suitor your parents were at their limit. "We thought Mai would be the one with no prospects but she’s dated two very respectable men" your father frowned "whereas at 19 you haven’t had a single partner". You resisted the eye roll "maybe not but i am very high up in my profession”. Mai didn't even have a job you wanted to add but you refused to tear down your sister just to make yourself feel better. Your accomplishments alone should be enough. You worked at the Boiling Rock prison, your uncle had gotten you the job and you liked it. You wanted to help rehabilitate the prisoners and although many guards didn’t share your affinity you’d been climbing higher and higher and were finally in the position to enact some reforms. It was an impressive feat but of course your parents weren’t that pleased. In their eyes there was one main thing you were failing at and that surpassed anything you had done correctly. "A career is great but what about a family?" your mother asked "you can’t be alone forever". "Why not?" you burst "i can provide for myself, i don’t get lonely and i don’t like anyone enough to waste my time on them". Your father shook his head "it reflects badly on our name if you are not married, Mai at least gave suitors a chance not to mention her and Zuko will inevitably get back together but you are too selfish to try. It’s not just about you, your actions impact us too. What will it look like for us if our daughter is alone forever?".

The argument went round and round with no conclusion. Your parents refused to listen and you refused to sell yourself for the family name. It was like this every time you came home so you avoided it as much as you could but this was a monumental occasion. You had an audience with the Firelord to pitch him your suggested reforms. You waited in the reception for your appointment while your parent’s voices replayed in your head no matter how many times you tried to banish them. This was too important, you wouldn’t let them ruin it no matter how badly the odds were stacked against you. Everyone at work had said your task was impossible, that the Firelord would never care about something as “unimportant” as reforming the prisons. They’d pointed out that Ozai would not have cared so why would his son be any different. You suspected they were correct but you’d gotten this far and at least had to try.

A Kyoshi warrior appeared and told you to follow her. She explained Firelord Zuko was very busy so your meeting had been halved in time. That didn’t ease your anxiety. You were shown into a room and minutes later Zuko entered. You hadn’t seen him in years, not since his break up with Mai, but he hadn’t changed much. Despite knowing him since you were 5 you’d been trained to respond appropriately to royalty and bowed immediately. Zuko told you to rise before he paused "y/n? My meeting is with you?". You nodded meeting his eyes fleetingly "yes i’m the general at boiling rock, i thought you knew....". "I knew you worked there but had no idea you’d risen so high" Zuko smiled "well done i’m sure your family is very proud". You looked away awkwardly and chose not to answer "i understand you don’t have a lot of time so thank you for seeing me". Zuko nodded his head "yes i’m sorry for shortening it, if i’d have known it was you i would’ve pushed my other appointment back instead but i’m afraid now it’s too late". "It’s okay i can condense it down into a 3-minute talk" you said in business mode and launched into your proposal. Just 1 minute in Zuko stopped you and you felt your stomach fill with dread. He wasn’t even going to let you finish before he dismissed your reforms. You sighed sadly when Zuko stood up "i think i can save us both some time, i agree with everything you’ve said and move we pass these reforms". You blinked "what?". "I agree with you" Zuko said simply "i’ve seen how the fire nation punishes people and i don’t like it, i say we start working on these immediately, are you free some time next week to discuss them thoroughly?". You blinked "to discuss them with you?". Zuko nodded "i’d like to help with this as much as i can and support your project fully, i’m free next Wednesday how about we meet and discuss them all in-depth?". You blinked "that’d be amazing thank you Firelord". "Zuko" he said correcting you "come on y/n we’ve known each other since we were kids you don’t have to call me that, at least not when we’re alone". You looked down embarrassed and nodded "thank you...Zuko". Zuko smiled "no problem, now i’m really sorry but i do have to go. So i’ll see you next Wednesday, send my best to Mai and your parents" and Zuko left the room.

You were utterly shocked by your meeting, as was everyone at the prison, and wondered if it would all come crashing down on you. Maybe Zuko would realise Firelords didn’t tend to be so helpful and cancel the whole thing but no such message arrived and so the next week you arrived at the palace. Armed with stacks of your plans you entered still half expecting to be turned away but were led inside. You were taken straight into Zuko’s study where he already sat waiting. "Y/n" he smiled "it’s good to see you again". "You too....Firelord Zuko" you said glancing at the guards in the room. "Dismissed" Zuko said and they left. "I pretty much have all day so don’t worry we don’t have to rush" Zuko told you before he glanced at the table. "Given it’s early i’ve got us some tea and breakfast things if you’d like a cup?" he said gesturing to them. You paused surprised, Zuko was very friendly and not anything like Ozai, it was hard to believe they were related. "Erm yes please but shouldn’t i?" you asked as Zuko went to prepare the tea but he shook his head immediately. "I’m Firelord not dead" he replied and began pouring the tea. He passed you a cup and took a seat across from you "now i promise no interruptions this time, tell me your ideas". 

You and Zuko discussed the reforms all day and you were thrilled how much he agreed to pass. It would be a lot of work but as you finished up you were hopeful and excited, you could do this. You could actually make a long-lasting positive change!

You packed up your belonging in this haze when Zuko paused thoughtfully.  "I have an idea" Zuko said "this is a very delicate and intricate proposal so how about we monitor it closely, we could meet say every week to go over its progress and discuss it?" Zuko asked. You paused "are you sure that’s not too much of your time?". "Of course not, i meant what i said, I like this project. It will do a lot of good, it’s just getting it there". You nodded your head "thank you that sounds great". Zuko smiled "perfect so we will meet every week to discuss this, it will be informal don’t worry and i’ll cover the costs of your travel, would you like to stay in the palace or at your home?". "My home is fine" you said even though the thought of seeing your parents every week pained you. Zuko smiled "great, how is everyone? Mai? Tomtom? Your parents?". "Mai’s good" you smiled "she’s happy" you said awkwardly trying to not mention her boyfriend which Zuko saw right through. Zuko smiled "y/n i know Mai is dating Kei Lo you can talk about it, we broke up almost 2 years ago". "Or course i just didn’t want to upset you". Zuko chuckled "as great as your sister is i am officially over her" Zuko smiled "so how is Tomtom, he must be big now?". You nodded "he’s nearly 7". "No!" Zuko cried and you laughed "i know! I still remember when he was born, it feels like yesterday". Zuko smiled “and your parents?". "They're fine" you said quickly and Zuko noticed how quickly your walls came back up. Something was clearly bothering you relating to your parents however Zuko understood parents were difficult so he didn’t push you. He thanked you for coming and led you to the door hoping whatever it was, one day you’d confide in him about it.

You returned the next week and every week after and found Zuko to be just as friendly and unfirelord-like. You also noticed how with the preparation springing into place these meetings no longer needed to be as intense or frequent but still Zuko scheduled them weekly. You wondered why when it occurred to you, Zuko might be lonely. Growing up his only friend had been Mai but she had also been his girlfriend. Now they’d broken up, his father was in prison, Azula was on the run, his mother & other relatives all lived far away and the avatar and his friends were constantly travelling...Zuko was the same age as you but so alone. You knew how that felt and so you didn’t stop the meetings either.

As time progressed the meetings also changed in their tone. Seeing as you could usually finish the business talk in an hour you and Zuko had taken to doing different tasks. From playing pai sho to feeding his newly hatched dragon Druk but your favourite was the palace gardens. Zuko had put a lot of effort into them and they were more beautiful than you ever remembered. So weekly you and Zuko would spend hours outside in them, talking and sitting together.

Zuko noticed how you were slowly but surely warming to him. You had always been careful and cautious around him in the past and that hadn’t changed but as the weeks went by you smiled more and actually looked him in the eye. You even started asking him questions about himself and his life. Your confidence grew and Zuko couldn’t escape how happy it made him feel to realise you felt safe around him.

One week you and Zuko were inside eating lunch together when his head guard Suki appeared. "Firelord Zuko i’m sorry but we have urgent business". Zuko nodded "what is it?". "Nobleman Rao has appeared unannounced at the palace, he claimed his cart broke down but considering he’s been pestering you for an audience for months that seems convenient. He’s here with his family and he wants to dine with you tonight". Zuko sighed "and if i refuse not only will i look rude but he will just stay longer". Suki nodded her head "as annoying as this is, i think the best thing would be to throw him a nice dinner and get him dealt with". Zuko nodded "tell him he can dine with me later". As soon as Suki left Zuko turned back to you. He tried to smile but you saw the weight this brought on him. "Is this man that bad?" you asked and Zuko nodded sighing. "He’s old fashioned and thinks he deserves respect just because of his family name. He constantly talks and demands a lot, i knew i’d have to see him eventually but i planned on having other people there too to try and balance his demanding nature. His wife is the same so i guess it’ll be two on one" Zuko sighed "i’ll be fine it just won’t be a pleasant evening". You frowned and an idea formed in your head "could i help?". Zuko looked up "what?". "Well perhaps i could help to ease the tension or to distract him from you? I don’t know i just thought if you wanted someone on your side there....". Zuko smiled, like your sister you weren’t known for being social unless you had to be so your offer meant a lot. "You’d do that for me?" he asked and you blushed "i mean i don’t want you to be overworked, you’re already doing so much...i want to help you". Zuko smiled touched "y/n that’d be wonderful, are you sure you don't mind?". You shook your head "not at all".

Hours later outside the royal dining room you regretted your decision. As soon as you’d finished eating you were rushed away by maids to prepare for a formal dinner. You didn’t have any fancy clothes so were made to borrow a royal dress so extravagant and expensive you felt like a peacock. You picked at the dress self consciously when Zuko appeared, also dressed in finery. You noticed him take in your outfit and sighed "i know i look ridiculous! It was the only dress they had on short notice so don’t mock me". "I wasn’t going to, you look beautiful". Zuko stared at you as he said that and you blushed vividly as you realised he wasn’t joking. "Sorry" Zuko said noticing he’d made you blush "but it’s true, you don’t look ridiculous at all". You blinked taking in Zuko’s compliment when he extended an arm to you “we should go in, are you ready?”. Still confused and blushing slightly you took his arm.

Zuko led you to the large dining room and stepped into the room confidently. You were amazed at how easily he could transform like that. He seemed to grow in size and morphed into an impressive confident king. You walked beside him slightly in awe and had trouble taking your eyes off him. Zuko brought you out of your daze as he introduced you to the nobleman. "This is my friend y/n" Zuko explained "she was visiting me too and so i invited her to dine with us". "The more the merrier!" Rao smiled and you smiled back politely but noticed him staring at the dress. Like Zuko he seemed to admire it but his stares made you uncomfortable whereas Zuko’s didn’t. As if sensing this Zuko seated you away from the man and placed himself in between as a buffer. You smiled at Zuko gratefully and took your seat.

The dinner was as Zuko expected. Rao was constantly asking veiled questions and prodding Zuko’s vague answers mercilessly. However as there were more people it was easier to change the subject and Zuko noticed you were particularly good at this. You deftly countered his questions with ones of your own and also quickly befriended Rao’s wife Uyaru and got her talking which left little room for her husband to speak. Zuko smiled at your hidden diplomacy skills and Rao was obviously annoyed at how this evening was turning out. When the dinner was reaching a close he tried to corner Zuko in a last attempt to get support on expanding his territory. You and Uyara were discussing something when Rao rudely interrupted her. “I’m sure the Firelord doesn’t want to hear about your trip to Ba Sing Sei” he said curtly “I’m sure he’d much rather hear about the news from his people. I’ve heard rumours from the northern providences that general Osonu is poorly managing his land and would be better off selling it to someone who can properly manage it. Has your grace given any thought to the matter?”. There it was and so blatant too, had the man no shame trying to steal land from a man who had done nothing wrong. Osonu was a good man who valued his residents more than his profits. His reputation was far better than Rao’s in a moral sense even if it wasn’t from an economic viewpoint but Zuko knew which he preferred. Zuko dodged the question but Rao kept on pushing and you intervened. "I thought your territory was the eastern providence sir?" you asked innocently. Rao paused "it is....". "ow? I was just confused because you have such a keen interest in the northern towns, do you have family there?". "No" he said awkwardly and you paused "I see, so it’s just a hobby then? Keeping track of historic lands that have belonged to the Osonu line forever and will always belong to them" you asked “I also love history” you smiled brightly. Rao paled and looked down “yes me too...so what are the plans for the comet this year?" Rao asked and Zuko smiled. Suddenly Rao didn’t want to talk about the Osonu lands anymore and it was all because of you.

The rest of dinner wrapped up rather quickly after that and as it finished Zuko felt so excited to leave the dining room. Finally with a bow, you and Zuko left and were securely back in his study. As soon as the door shut he spun to you a large smile on his face. "Was i okay?" you asked anxiously and Zuko laughed. An actual laugh escaped him and prevented him from speaking for several seconds which did nothing to help your nerves. Finally he responded "were you okay? Y/n you were perfect!" Zuko cried and you blushed. “You played his wife perfectly and then that feigning innocence with his territories i forgot how smart you are" Zuko smiled "but after tonight i’m sure I’ll never be able to forget again!”. You were a red mess and Zuko paused "y/n are you okay?". You nodded "i just...it’s nice to feel like i’ve helped you". "More than you know" Zuko said softly resting a hand on your shoulder. You glanced at it but didn’t move away, you just looked down with a light smile. “I’m pleased....perhaps next time I visit we should do something to celebrate?”. “Certainly” Zuko beamed and you smiled back feeling happier than you had in a long time.

Zuko watched you for a while longer before he seemed to realise what he was doing and looked down with a blush. “I’ll let you retire now, i’m sure you’re exhuasted from spending all that time smiling and nodding”. You nodded “it was tiring, I don’t know how you do it all the time”. Zuko shrugged “all part of being Firelord I guess”. You nodded “I know but I just wanted to say I recognise how difficult it is and say...well if you ever need anyone to stand by your side and help you get through it, I’m here for you”.

Now Zuko was the blushing mess. He’d felt alone for a while, his friends and family all meant well but they were so far away and he didn’t want to bother them with his problems. However here you were outight offering to help make his life easier no questions asked. Zuko was so pleased you’d come such a long way from the kids who hated one another and was excited about where this was going. He liked you, a lot and now he just needed to work out how to express that to you and make it into something more...but that was for a later time. 

Zuko smiled “thank you y/n that’s very kind. I will be taking you up on that offer a lot I am sure”. “Anytime” you replied, meeting his eyes for a few seconds before looking away. “Goodnight y/n and thank you” Zuko bowed and you bowed back “goodnight Zuko”. Zuko got shivers as you said his name and they didn’t leave him even when he was back in his own room. He collapsed onto his bed and smiled at how well things had gone. Tonight could’ve been a disaster but because of you it’d been one of his favourite nights as Firelord. Zuko couldn’t stop smiling and decided he’d tell you how he felt as soon as he worked out the right way to do it and he knew just the man to talk to. 

____

So i’m definitely planning one more part to this but might also have some ideas to turn this into a longer series! I’ll see how it goes :)  

[wesokkasimp]

general zuko relationship headcanons

-hmm

-so i’m writing these for a post-war relationship

-don’t mind me projecting my crush on firelord!zuko

-this boy def doesn’t ask you out right away

-too nervous for that

-i know i said in my long distance h/c that he would propose right away, but that was for an established relationship

-if y’all aren’t already dating expect to be waiting a lil while

-once things have kinda… settled in the world? like it’s still rather unstable, but at this point most passive aggressiveness between nations is gone

-that’s when zuko would finally take some time for himself and his personal relationships

-if you had left the Fire Nation after the war to do other things, he may have realized he missed you more than the others

-and he missed you in a different way

-with the others he just missed interactions and the good times they had as team avatar

-and he missed that with you too

-but he also just kind of craves your presence

-your scent, your warmth, your touch, your voice

-he could probably sit in a room with you silently all day

-taking in the very essence of you

-because there’s just so much to take in

-when he realizes this, he doesn’t peg it as a crush at first

-zuko’s the guy that can read his friends and loved ones like a book but cannot decode his own feelings for the life of him

-poor kid :(

-he probably just pegs it as knowing you better than the others

-especially if you grew up in the Fire Nation

-ESPECIALLY especially if y’all grew up around each other

-but he starts to question his line of reasoning when you come to visit

-he hasn’t seen you since the southern water tribe drama

-and it’s been two or three years since then

-so you get off… the boat? idk wtf they use for transportation

-he’s waiting at the bottom of the harbor

-he knew when you stepped off the landing and he saw you for the first time in years

-he knew when all it took for him, a very focused person, to become distracted was you paging through a file of things for your work, a furrow in your brow

-when he can normally work through various natural disasters (the Fire Nation is an kind of an archipelago so i assume they get lots of hurricanes/tsunamis and stuff like that)

-THAT was when this boy finally came to his senses and realized he had a thing for you

-but him acting on it? that’s a whooooole different story

-HE’S SO SHY AND NERVOUS OMFG IT’S CUTE

-but it’s also a little annoying at times

-because for years he’s been loud and boisterous with you

-and now that he knows he has a thing for you he doesn’t know how to act

-you don’t catch on tho (thank god for him)

-like you know he’s acting different, but you don’t know why

-he knows you’re gonna figure out what’s going on if he doesn’t fix his behaviour soon

-so he keeps an air of normality around you

-but on the inside he’s still super shy and nervous

-zuko doesn’t have a ton of experience with relationships in general but especially romantic ones

-i don’t think he would’ve gotten with someone after mai broke up with him

-it took him a little bit to get over her, as seen in smoke and shadow

-he’s also a busy guy in general; not tons of time for dates

-iroh may have set up a few dinner dates but nothing substantial has grown from those

-so… in conclusion… king has no idea what the fuck he’s doing

-mai was a pretty special case as she was ridiculously low maintenance and showed zero emotion

-aka exactly like zuko

-i feel like them being so alike was probably one of the reasons their relationship didn’t work out

-like… i’m showing no emotion, you’re showing no emotion, i’m not gonna coax emotions out of you, you’re not gonna coax emotions out of me, we both bottle up anger at each other, ourselves, the world, etc, aaaand cue huge screaming match

-getting off topic whoopz

-since mai was so much like zuko, he had an idea of how to court her

-if he thought something sounded stupid, mai would probably think that too

-but it’s a different story with you

-you might have similarities to zuko but you’re not EXACTLY like him (if you are sorry but i had to make y/ns persona less generic)

-so… romantically? has no clue what the fuck you’re looking for in a relationship

-even if he knows you really well platonically, he thinks that doesn’t translate into romantic relations because he’s clueless ok

-so zuko decides on the subtle approach

-would he confess? no! of course not !!

-but do his touches tend to linger?

-does he let you catch him staring at you?

-is he suddenly very invested in the dating scene wherever you’re living?

-...yes

-and you’re not stupid, you catch on

-and… honestly, there’s no big confession from either of you

-things just sort of evolve on their own

-you end up staying in the Fire Nation a lot longer than you originally planned

-fun excursions that were once platonic turn more and more sensual and flirty

-pats on the back and high fives slowly become back rubs and hand holding

-but... HE STILL HASN’T ASKED YOU OUT

-at this point no one know what the fuck your relationship is

-friends? lovers? fwb? 

-no one can figure it out

-least of all you

-i wish i could make zuko super smooth and have this super romantic confession but that would be so ooc for him

-HE TRIES HIS BEST BUT ROMANCE IS HARD FOR HIM OK >:(

-what probably happened was he took you out to dinner

-and you’re tired of not knowing what you are to him

-so you’re like zuko? what are we to each other?

-and he has been DREADING this question

-he knew it was coming eventually

-and to be honest he’s not quite sure either

-he knows he likes you as more than a friend

-and he’s pretty sure you feel the same way

-so he decides to go out on a limb and speak his mind (finally omfg)

- “More than friends, I think. I mean, I think of you as more than a friend… I think you feel the same way? Or-”

-“Zuko, it’s fine. I like you as more than a friend too, but we don’t have to label ourselves right away.”

-the boy is RELIEVED

-it’s like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders

-he’s not the kind of guy that says “i don’t like labels” as an excuse to fool around

-even though you never really talked about it, it’s a silent agreement that you’re both exclusive

-so… i mean that’s basically dating 

-our boy just has commitment issues ok 😔

-eventually you start kissing him in the cheek

-when i tell you he was FLUSTERED when you did that the first time

-i honestly can’t decide if zuko hates pda or loves it 

-he’s touch starved, so idk if he really craves or is really hesitant to physical contact

-if it’s the former, expect hand holding, cheek/forehead kisses, him wrapping his arm around your waist, etc 

-even if he likes pda he keeps it professional

-if it’s the latter…

-the only consistent pda you’re gonna get is hand holding

-if ANYONE gives you shit for something like your socioeconomic status before you started dating zuko or if you came from somewhere outside the Fire Nation

-he will get annoyed and tell them off as politely as possible 🥰

-as for marriage…

-he wouldn’t really think it out that much if he was trying to decide if he wanted to marry you

-by the time he would be considering marriage, he knows right away that he does in fact want to marry you

-his PROPOSAL, however

-he definitely plans this big thing and then somehow messes it up after practicing it a bunch of times

-you still say yes ofc

-zuko is pretty dedicated to the Fire Nation, so he will most likely follow most traditional aspects of the Fire Lord and Lady’s wedding

-he’d integrate important wedding traditions if your culture if you’re from another nation

-married life would be pretty similar to pre married life

-he just gets to call you his wife now :)))

-so it’s canonical that people try to assassinate zuks

-like ALL the time

-he felt like he could handle it but once you moved in with him he started to become very worried :(

-so he beefed up the security around his quarters. even if you also have training in combat he just wants to sleep a little sounder

-hngh if y’all want kids that can be another post this is already kinda long

-that all folks :)

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AHHHHH HI THESE ARE VERY LATE BUT THEY ARE HERE,,,,, anyways might have to turn off my inbox because,,, uh,,, very angry anti semites and zionists in there rn don’t really feel like getting death threats today

[dragonfiremage]

When We First Met

Author’s Note: I couldn’t get this out of my head last night so I spent all day on this. I wanted to build on Under the Moonlight so I wrote a prequel for it. I hope you enjoy it! 

Summary: With the rise of insurgents and the recent break-in in his room following his coronation as Firelord, Zuko agrees, at Suki's recommendation, to increase security around the palace and hire a Kyoshi warrior guard at him at night. Good thing Suki knows the right person for the job - you.

At first, you weren't sure how you felt when Suki asked you to babysit the Firelord. When she first told you, you scoffed at the idea. Babysitting the firelord? How boriiing. You wanted where the action was! You wanted to chase down people and chi-block them...not watch over some Firelord while he slept.

But after some begging from Suki (and maybe a bribe of extra vacation day or two), you agreed.

The Firelord was a lot more handsome than you first thought when Suki introduces you to him. Zuko stood in front of you with a sheepish smile, before giving a small wave, "Hello, uh, I'm Firelord Zuko, but uh..you can just call me Zuko."

Beside him, Sokka guffaws and elbows Zuko, whispering, “Nice one, sifu hotman. You sounded real smooth there.”

Suki, who stood next to you with some notebooks against her chest, playfully throws a glare at Sokka, “Sokka, be nice."

Zuko turns red as he elbows Sokka back and glares at him before glancing back at you. A small smile tugs at the corner of your lips as you properly bow to him, your gold Kyoshi headband glinting from the oil lamps that were lit around the room.

"Its an honor, Firelord Zuko. I'm (YN) from Kyoshi Island."

Somewhere behind Zuko, Sokka snorts at the word honor. He walks past Zuko, who looks at Sokka with a perplexed gaze, and greets you warmly with a small hug, “Hey, (YN)! Mind if I whisk my girlfriend away now? I have this whole date night planned for tonight and we're on a tight schedule!"

Zuko blinks back in surprise. Sokka knew you? He watches you laugh warmly as you before patting Sokka’s shoulder, “Nice to see you too, Sokka. Have fun Suki, I can take it from here."

"Thank you again, (YN). I owe you one. Bye Zuko!"

Both Suki and Sokka leave the room, ther laughter echoing down the hallway as they talk over their date night plans. You glance back at Zuko who looks like he doesn’t know what to do next and you briefly think he looked rather cute when he was lost. You look over at his attire, his red and gold robes fitting him very well - the chest piece accentuating his shoulders and the gold bringing the color of his eyes.

'Definitely more handsome,' you think.

A beat of silence seem to stretch before Zuko cleared his throat to break it and asks, "So...uh...do...you need anything?"

Zuk mentally kicks himself. Why am I being so awkward?

You grin, one hand on your hip and the other motioned to the room,”No, but…do you mind if I take a look around?" Zuko nods in reply as he watches you slowly make your way around the room.

Zuko decides to lean against his desk and asks, “So.. you know Sokka?"

You were in the midst of inspecting his bookcase that shelved some books, trinkets, scrolls when you hear his question. Touching the at the dusty scroll on the shelf, you looked over your shoulder to meet Zuko’s gaze, wrinkle your nose at him as you replied with an amused tone, “Yes, he's kinda dating our team leader."

Zuko flushes with embarrassment and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, “Right! Suki..."

He watches you disappear outside of his balcony before coming back in to inspect the area around it, moving some of the curtains around that framed the door. His eyes furrow in confusion, “What exactly are you doing...?"

You look over at his direction again and motioned to his balcony, “I’m just checking for any weak areas. Your balcony is high up along the wall which is good, but there are some blind spots below that might be a potential risk. I'll let Suki know to increase security around those areas after my shift."

All he could do was nod at you before you turn around again to look at the rest of his bedroom. You were thorough, Zuko gave you that and, instantly, he felt a little bit more at ease knowing you were doing your best for him.

Zuko quietly admitted that he felt unsure about having a Kyoshi warrior that he didn’t know guard him while he slept. He hoped Suki would take that task, but he knew that he asking too much from her and her busy schedule. But she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and recommended you instead. Praising your strength and loyalty. He agreed hesitantly. However, as he watched you examine his room closely, his concerns vanished. He was actually looking forward in getting to know you better.

Zuko pushes himself off the table and moves over to a shelf containing a tray of tea assortments that his Uncle gave him. While he poured some water into the pot, he wonders what kind of tea you would enjoy before grabbing the Jasmine.

"Would you like a cup of tea?” Zukko offers.

You peek from his walk-in closet and a easy smile tugs at the corner of you lips, “That would be lovely."

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

Your friendship with the Firelord quickly grew after your first night at the palace. And, just like you promised, you had let Suki know about the blind spots by his window the following day and Suki thanked you graciously.

The more time you spent with the Firelord, the less you were thinking of your assignment as babysitting. In fact, you were day dreaming about him more and more, especially during the times when you weren’t working.

Was he safe?

Did he eat lunch yet?

Was his advisors too demanding again?

…Was he thinking of you too?

When you were working, you tried to stay professional but amicable towards him, but you longed to get to know him in a more intimate level. It didn’t help that you would melt in a puddle every time you glanced over at him while he slept peacefully.

Other than that, watching over Zuko was an easy job.

For the most part, Zuko kept to a routine, whether he knew that our not. You would arrive at your post just before sunset, and by that time he was either wrapping up his last meeting with his advisors, or he was already in his room, reading some official documents or signing proclamations before dinner. He would then drink tea, making sure to pour you one as well. Then he would retire for the night as you took your post against a pillar in the balcony.

So when you had arrived for your post that evening, you were surprised when the guards directed you to the palace gardens. And even more surprised when you saw the Firelord leaning over a pond, as he played with the turtleducks. Zuko greets you with a nod and goes back to to observing the ducklings.

You quietly took your post, placing your hands behind you, one hand grabbing the opposite wrist. You made sure you were were far away enough to give Zuko some privacy, but close enough to reach him if danger arose.

The setting sun lit everything with an orange glow, and you couldn’t help but close your eyes at the warmth, the winds picking up briefly and causing your your tassels to sway lightly. You peeped over at Zuko and the gentle curve of his smile makes your heart flutter with fondness. He lightly strokes the head of one of the ducklings as he coos at them sweetly. You couldn't help but let a smile spread across your face as you looked around the grounds for any threat.

When you first agreed to look after the Firelord, you thought it was going to be some boring assignment. However, being his guard gave you a glimpse behind the curtain and see Zuko on a more personal level.

For the past few days, Zuko kept surprising you with his commitment to maintaining peace among the nations, the way he listened to the problems of his people before jumping into action, and the way he stood firm on his convictions and values.  He was a man of honor and it made you that much more loyal to him.

But, as you watch him pet his turtleducks, you realized that you would do anything to protect Zuko. The way his eyes gleamed with affection when he watched the turtleducks, the way he cooed at them so sweetly, and the way he carefully petted them as of if they would break under his touch. Despite the pain and abuse he faced from his father and the personal trials he went through to get where he was now, you concluded that Zuko was just a gentle dragon with a heart of gold. And you would do anything to protect that.

With great interest, you watch him grab some feed from a bag as he approached one of the ducks. However, one of the ducklings accidentally nibbles too hard at Zuko’s finger, mistaking it for feed. He yelps in surprise, scaring the turtleducks away as they scatter and before you could control it, you snort in before turning your head to the side to stifle your laughter.

“You think that’s funny?"

Your eyes widen at Zuko’s voice, embarrassed at being caught you laughing at him. You shift uncomfortably, trying to come up for a excuse while silently thanking the spirits for the white face make up you wore that was currently hiding your red cheeks.

Clearing your throat, you reply, "Uh, it was nothing, your majesty. Just something in my throat." You lie quickly, your face back to it's stoic expression.

Zuko stood and dusted his robes before smirking, "Right, so what I heard was coughing just now? Not laughing?"

Your cheeks burn with embarrassment, “Uh, yes sir.”

Keeping your eyes trained in front of you, you maintained a straight face.

He hums in acknowledgement before adding, “Lying considered a criminal offense in the Kyoshi code, is it not?”

You braved a glance his way, catching his eyes before looking straight ahead. His tone was serious, but his gaze was soft and playful.

A smirk tugs at the corner of your lips as you stood your ground, shoulders rolling back straight before replying, “Yes, Firelord Zuko, that’s correct.”

Zuko crosses his arms as if trying to look intimidating, but you knew better, “So, let me ask you again, (YN), did you think that was funny?”

Your smile at the teasing. Instead of responding to him, however, you break from your post to walk over to him by the edge of the pond. A puzzled look came over his face as he watches you stand near him, his eyes catching yours before crouching down. He watched with curiosity as you bring your hands together and place it in front of you your mouth before releasing air through it and creating a series of sounds resembling that of a turtle duck call.

Zuko’s eyes widened at the sound but gasped when he saw the baby turtleducks swim over with excitement. You playfully twirl your fingers around them as they swam happily before extending your hand out to him. But Zuko just blinks at it with a blank stare, confused.

You laugh lightly at his expression, bringing Zuko’s gaze back to your face. His heart quickened at the slight smirk of your red lips. “Can I have some feed, my lord?”

A flush of embarrassment rushes to his face as he coughs nervously. “Oh! Uh…yes, here some feed.”

You grab some from his hand, trying to not think how your fingers tingled where they touched his warm skin. Bringing it to the pond, the turtleducks quack with delight as they swim closer. You let out a squeal of delight when they pushed their beaks into your hand, tickling the palm of your hand.

A smile breaks across of Zuko's face as he feels his insides flutter at the sound of your laughter. He quietly observes you with a lazy smile as you continued to kneel by pond, the sun setting behind you. The orange glow made you look more radiant that evening and he couldn’t help but feel a tug towards you.

Zuko chest tightened as he observed your more tender side. He honestly thought that you took your job a little too seriously. You were always on edge, as if ready to pounce at danger at any given moment. You were always thinking about his safety. Always checking and double checking the area to make sure it was clear before he could walk in. Always looking through his room in case someone was hiding within the curtains or under his bed. Always making sure he was safe. He hope to see this side of you more in the coming days.

But ever since you took up this job, Zuko noticed his sleep improving, even if they were minor improvements. Just knowing that you were there to protect him was enough to quiet his nightmares and worries. He smiles fondly above you, mentally making a note to thank Suki later. After all, she was the one who recommended you for the job.

As Zuko watches you observe the turtleducks fondly, Zuko realizes that he, too, would do anything to protect you.

[mangoofthesea]

Whumptober day 25 - Hide and seek/escape with Zuko

ao3

The air is cooler as he steps outside onto the stone pathway, sun not yet risen, and the garden shrouded in the pale blue light of early dawn as the sky begins lightening. As he moves off the path, the grass is cool and wet with dew under his bare feet. It wouldn’t normally do for the Firelord to be wandering the halls in just his sleep clothes, but with most of the palace still asleep, even the firebenders, it’s not an issue.

Zuko steps quietly over the cold ground of the silent garden toward the turtleduck pond. Soon the sun will rise and he’ll be needed; by this advisor, that minister, that staffer, by people all vying for his attention even after he has done his best in the last four years to reduce the amount of individual power he holds, delegating as much as possible to reduce the power of his position in little ways. His father had some similar systems, but Zuko’s has been more about giving agency to the people who keep the palace running.

The management of the country, meanwhile, has been a much more hands-on project.

He sighs as he reaches the turtleduck pond. Across the water from him, the small creatures are shuffling slowly out of sleep, the only other beings awake other than him, and it makes him smile. He sits down at the pond’s edge, uncaring of properness or of the overly expensive nature of his silk clothes that he never feels comfortable in getting wet or dirty. No one is here but him, he can do whatever he wants here without judgement. It’s one of the few times a day he has such freedoms and he intends to make the most of it.

Shifting his folded legs to the side, he lifts his hand, reaching out to touch the surface of the water, watching the ripples as they spread outwards from the point of contact. His hair slips over his face, a dark sheet of hair on either side, now down past the top of his shoulders, and obscures his vision slightly. He huffs and uses his other hand to sweep it over the top of his head to push it all to one side and over one shoulder as he tilts his head to the side to watch the wrinkles in the water’s surface.

The day is a mostly normal day. It feels normal. But there’s a weight on his mind that’s bee there since he had been reminded of the date yesterday. He seems to lose track of the days often now, so wrapped up in work and the many problems involved in running a country, not to mention doing his best to rewrite the way it is run at the same time.

Today marks seven years since his banishment. Since his scar was burned into his skin and his life was changed in a moment of tears and heat and searing pain.

He watches the ripples of the water on the pond, both from his touch and that of the ducks now scuttling onto the water, and thinks about the far reaches of the effects of that day.

So much has changed since then, and yet sometimes it feels as though nothing has changed at all. It while at the same time it feels as though he’s ended up right back at the same place where he had been rejected from. He has returned to his home, to the palace he had grown up in, and now, like then, he feels the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. For his duty to his people and the rest of the world - only now he wears a different crown and holds those values in a different light. Now he feels snowed under with the weight of repairing everything that has unfolded in a hundred years that he knows he needs to fix. So much that is his nation’s responsibility to fix.

Zuko sighs and tilts his head up and away from the waters, staring instead at the pale blue sky gradually turning lighter with soft oranges and pinks as Agni begins their ascent.

It all feels too big sometimes, like the expanse of the sky or the sea or the ripples of the pond. His grandfathers’ choices affected every life across the world in the hundred years since they both died. One who chose to start a war, and the other who chose to do nothing, putting him in the position where Zuko had to help a group of other children fix those men’s mistakes. A position where children had to put aside their childhoods to ensure that the next generation after them would be able to keep theirs.

He doesn't regret his choices, nor really his upbringing, as difficult as it was. He knows he wouldn’t be the man he is today without it. Uncle has spent so much time drumming such thoughts into him, pushing him to look forward and not back.

On days like this though, it’s like he is incapable of doing anything watch the past like its a play unfolding on a stage in his mind’s eye.

Uncle was tied up with the tea shop, he had sent letters with his apologies about not being able to visit, and Zuko had sent his own assuring him it was fine, that he was old enough to not be affected by a date when so much time had passed.

He still believes he was telling the truth.

He had been fine. Zuko really hadn’t been that aware of the date, before yesterday the only notable thing about the day was a meeting with one of the ministers for the colonies the fire nation had established, colonies which Zuko had been steadily giving independence to since his reign began. One of the list of things he feels some genuine pride in having accomplished. He knows it will take longer than he has been Firelord to repair the damage his family and his country has caused, but he feels some tiny modicum of satisfaction for what has already been done. The last four years have had almost every decision he put before the council had been a hard won fight, but now he feels comfortable that some of the largest moves, such as sending reparations, reorganizing his council and removing all who had followed his father’s ideology in heart and soul, have been accomplished. He has also ensured trade be reinstated between the fire nation and other nations, and pushed as much legislation as possible to undo the propaganda and improve life for his poorest people. He hired as many lawyers and scholars as he could find to lead the way to move things as quickly as he could to get things onto a solid path where they could focus on moving forward.

He has spent so much of the last four years ensconced in work and papers and fighting with every old general and follower of the old firenation who didn’t want to listen to the new seventeen year old Firelord, even one with the approval and power of the avatar behind him.

One of the smaller turtleducks sidles up to him along the shoreline and quacks at him, biting the fabric of his clothes gently, like it’s trying to figure out what he is and he smiles down at it. They are all comfortable with him now, for how often he spends time here. Though there has been a lapse recently and he feels a small amount of guilt for not visiting his little friends.

Sokka had arrived two weeks ago on the fire nation leg of his most recent pass through the firenation. The watertibesman has spent the last year traveling his way across the map by whatever means he can find. He claimed that after spending more than a year in the south pole helping with rebuilding efforts and another doing some modicum of diplomatic work with Aang and Katara, it had become apparent that he was not at his most valuable in either of those places. So he had decided to go back to the nomadic lifestyle that he had partaken in during the final year of the war as he had traveled with the avatar, but this time with the intention of more quietly traversing amongst the nations, gathering knowledge and skills and working on finding what remained of old cultures prior to the war.

When he had written to Zuko to tell him what he would be doing, Zuko had questioned him why not just continue with Aang full time while he traveled and did his avatar duties, especially as Toph had chosen to do the same for parts of the year since the war’s end. But Sokka had claimed he didn’t want to step on his toes or get bogged down with overly official business as that had been what he had been subjected to for close to two years post the end of the war, including his occasional visits to the fire nation palace, often to act as speaker on behalf of his tribe or part time ambassador for one occasion or another. Things like that were still being worked out between the nations, but progress was being made rapidly. He had thought Sokka would be suited to such a role full time, whether in the fire nation or earth kingdom, but so far he had mostly brushed off Zuko’s commentary on the matter when he had brought it up.

Supposedly, it was Sokka’s need of a break from the ‘political bullshit’, as he had dubbed it, which led him to decide to go gallivanting across the world with a quiet semi diplomatic role for the last year. He had appeared in the palace to stay periodically in that time, each one feeling like a breath of fresh air to Zuko’s stale and tired landscape.

And he would be leaving today. Zuko couldn’t help but feel melancholy at the prospect of going back to wandering the palace alone in his tiny portions of free time. There were the couple Kiyoshi warriors which had remained behind after Suki returned to her island to continue the training of others, and while they had become good friends to him it wasn’t the same as Sokka, or the rest of the ‘gaang’ as they had been dubbed.

He smiles wider to himself, thinking fondly of the months he spent with them before the end of the war. Aang and his persistent optimism and kindness toward him, Toph and her aggressive forms of affection, Katara and her easy conversation once they had mended their burned bridges, and then Suki and her steady presence as well as humour in the evenings around the campfire.

And Sokka.

Sokka and his warm embraces and casual touches, Sokka and his sarcasm and humour and ready ear to listen when Zuko awoke from the nightmares that still plagued him and found him wandering their camp in the middle of the night.

It feels ridiculous to think, but he misses those months like a lost limb or organ some days. They had been scared, and stressed, and plotting how to overthrow an army and a nation that had been in power for a century; but even with all of that, it had been the first time Zuko had felt truly at peace with himself and what he was doing. He yearns for that easy camaraderie when the biggest responsibility he had was teaching Aang firebending and helping Sokka hunt for food.

Now, in the cavernous rooms of the palace and the crowded rooms of officials and ministers and whole hosts of other people who only want pieces of his limited time and energy, who would take tiny pieces of him if they could, he wishes for the time before the war was over and feels absurd for it.

Sometimes, in his private moments after more than a full day without sleep, or a meeting where he had to face down people who thought war crimes and genocide had been a well functioning system, he wishes his uncle had not passed to crown to him so early.

They were thoughts he tried to not dwell on, thoughts which now makes his fingers clench in the fabric of his sleep robe and push his eyes to focus on the happy movements of the turtle ducks splashing merrily in the pond instead of the peculiar feelings in his chest.

Zuko hates the small swell of anger that emerges toward his uncle, especially when he understands his reasons behind everything he had done. At least, he thinks he understands most of them.

He knew he needed to be the Firelord, he needed to be the new change along with the youthful light of the avatar, leading the world back onto a path for stability and balance.

But now, when he sees the visiting children of his staff, or the children playing in the streets of the city and around the palace, it strikes a different chord in him. He sees them, and sees the mirrors of him and his friends, sees how young they had been when they were given that burden. It never fails to make him feel a hot, complicated flash of emotion that he cannot name that never fails to leave a bitter taste in his mouth.

Over the top of the rooftops surrounding the garden a flare of sunlight peeks, and he notices that he’s been here long enough for the colours of the sky to become fully vibrant and the sound of birds to begin filtering through the formerly still air around him. He sighs and looks back to the pond that his hand now rests beside, to the turtle ducks swimming peacefully and unencumbered, and he sighs, feeling the weariness in his bones as he dreads the morning tomorrow when he will again be alone and trapped amongst duty and advisors.

He wants to console himself with the fact it had been his choice to take on this mantle, but a small voice in the back of his mind questions whether it ever really was.

An hour later, Zuko finds himself sitting in fractionally more formal attire at the low breakfast table in his chambers across from Sokka as he recounts another story from his travels. The story in particular involves a scheme concocted between him and Toph on an occasion that she had joined him for part of his journey through a specific agricultural region in the earth kingdom that had lead to nearly having to contact Aang to repair the relationship between a union of ostrich-horse farmers and the nearby village.

“I’m telling you, Zuko, you want to create stuff like these guys had. It was like a country of farmers with an ambassador to help them get on better with the town, and we didn’t even need an avatar to do the negotiations!” Sokka gestures with his chopsticks, waving a hand out, talking rapidly and excitedly in a way that has Zuko’s attention captured thoroughly.

Zuko smiles and nods at him, enjoying the easy company with just the two of them. “I’ll need to add it to the next piece of agricultural legislation. I’m sure it would be beneficial to improving relations between the poorer workers and the more wealthy.”

Sokka points at him with the hand not holding his chopsticks and takes a moment to swallow his current mouthful of breakfast. “See! Yes, exactly Zuko! I knew you’d get it. Honestly you’re like the best person at taking my advice and listening to my stories, I swear. All I get from the rest of the guys is complaints about not bringing better souvenirs.”

Zuko laughs. “Toph, I’m guessing?”

“It’s not my fault nowhere sells good souvenirs that give a good sense of a place through touch! I mean, if I find good stone or earth stuff and she likes that better, but I swear, she tells me she doesn’t like my gifts just to annoy me. I’m sure of it.”

“How is she by the way? I haven’t heard from her in a while, what with her travelling and not being bothered to find someone to write her letters for her.”

Sokka nods, picking up another dumpling with his chopsticks. “She’s good, I think she was heading to meet up with Aang again. Katara’s busy doing some waterbender stuff in our village so Toph agreed to keep him company until she can get back to being the avatar’s girlfriend.”

Zuko uses his chopsticks to nudge a few of the pieces of food on his plate. “Why didn’t you go with her? I’m sure Aang would appreciate your presence too. You’re very good at ‘that diplomatic shit’ as you call it.”

Sokka laughs, low and short. “Nah, I’m taking my time off from that, remember? And anyhow, why would I pass up the chance to come hang out with my favourite firebender in his super comfy palace.”

Zuko smiles at his plate, enjoying the compliment even as he wonders if his ownership of a palace was the more convincing reason for the visit. Even if it was, Zuko doesn’t mind. He’ll happily use the fact he can provide for the comfort of the people he cares about if he gets moments like this out of it.

Sokka places his utensils down and smiles at Zuko, wide and content. It causes an unexpected flare of something in Zuko’s chest. “I swear, every time I’m here I mean to get the recipes from your cooks.”

“You can’t cook though,” Zuko says with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey, I could learn. I am learning! How else do you think I’m surviving travelling on my own?”

Zuko shrugs, abandoning what’s left of his breakfast and focusing on Sokka. Sokka rolls his eyes, but there’s still the same humour there that Zuko loves about talking with his friend. Then Sokka glances out the window, observing the way the sun is climbing higher. He makes a disappointed noise in his throat and raises a hand to fiddle with one of the earrings in his left ear lobe.

“Ah well, I guess I had better be heading off, wouldn’t want the day to get away from me y’know? Schedules and everything…” he trails off, and if Zuko didn’t know any better he’d swear Sokka was reluctant to get back on his brilliant travels.

Then Sokka looks back to him, hand dropping from his fiddling and smiles, startling Zuko out of his staring.

“Thanks for your hospitality, oh great firelord,” Sokka says with that same ribbing tone he uses every time he says ‘flameo hotman’. He unfolds himself from his seated position at the table and stands, throwing in a small bow for good measure that Zuko thinks is only mostly mocking.

When he straightens he looks over Zuko, expression contemplative, and Zuko finds himself feeling far too seen. Then it’s gone and Sokka is gathering up his couple pencils and pieces of paper he had brought to show Zuko his latest ideas over breakfast. As he does, he casually says, “You sure I can’t tempt you to come adventuring to unknown lands with me? Have a change by going on a field trip with less chance of death than our old ones.”

He’s not looking at Zuko as he says it. It’s an invitation Sokka has extended twice before when staying at the palace, on the day he leaves he asks Zuko if he wants to come with him.

The first time he’d offered it with the throw away aside of ‘it’ll be like old times!’. And Zuko had said no, he was busy sadly, running a nation and in the middle of a trade deal.

Last time, he did it again. Said Zuko could use the chance to get some downtime. That was only 5 months ago and Zuko had honestly agreed, but the education act he had been almost done was still weeks away from completion, and he had been sleep deprived beyond belief.

Both times he had watched Sokka walk out of the palace gates wishing he could be beside him. But he had responsibilities, duties of repentance for his family's crimes and work to be done. No matter how much he wanted it, it would be ludicrous to leave and go travelling with Sokka. He had said as much at the time. Too much to do, no time to do it.

This time though, Zuko says something he hadn’t planned to say. Something he doesn’t even realise is out of his mouth until he hears the words, and then takes him another moment more to realise that he means it.

“Yeah, okay.”

It takes a second for the words to register with Sokka as well, and when they do Sokka pauses, holding a sheaf of parchment papers and several pencils, one of which is being held in his teeth, and still bent over beside the table. He looks to the side, and meets Zuko’s eye, blinking once as his brain processes. “What?” he says, sound muffled around the pencil.

“I said okay. Let's go on an adventure.”

Sokka sits back down, and removes the pencil from his mouth. “Wait, seriously? You’re saying yes?”

Zuko swallows, suddenly being faced with the consequences of his impulsivity by being made to question it. Does he want to do this? Leave the job he’s shackled himself to for four years, and was preparing for for most of his life before that, to go on a sudden vacation with Sokka. Drop all of his duties for a few weeks. Maybe months, his mind whispers treacherously and temptingly.

The thought feels like a bright light of warmth, and he’s the poor moth that’s spent years trapped in the dark.

“Yes. Yes, I’m serious. If you were serious too, that is, I mean...”

Sokka’s face lights up, and it makes him look younger, even with the obvious markers of age in the beginnings of stubble trying to grow on his chin and cheeks. “Fuck yeah, Zuko! We’re gonna have the best time, I promise.”

Zuko stands, feeling slightly shaky, but determined in the face of his friend’s easy acceptance. “I just need to go and sort a few things first, so long as you’re alright putting off your departure by a couple of hours, I won’t try to hamper you more than necessary.”

Sokka waves him off, grinning wide and bright, deep blue eyes dancing. “Not at all man, I’m super excited you finally took me up on the offer.” He stands too, and waves a hand towards the direction of the city. “I’ll go do some shopping for the trip, get some extra supplies and we can go this afternoon or tomorrow.”

Zuko feels an enormous swell of gratitude for his friend, especially with how pedantic he knows Sokka tends to be when it comes to his schedules. The fact he’s making an exception for Zuko makes a stupid perculiar flutter appear in his chest unexpectedly. Instead of paying attention to that he focuses on smiling back, feeling like they’re sixteen all over again.

“Thank you, Sokka. I’ll come find you later.”

With that, Zuko sweeps out of the room, walking quickly towards his office. He has a number of letters to send and arrangements to make, but hopefully he can pass it off this trip as a mission to better get to know his people incognito. As well as do so before anyone can appear and question him and his choice to leave.

He doesn’t care if he’ll have to deal with his council and angry ministers when he gets back. As long as his most important members of council and staff are briefed, he realises now that he trusts them to manage in his stead. The fire nation will remain running while he’s gone, and when he comes back he can get back to work with the vigour he’s been missing from the last few months. It’s perfect! And more importantly, he’s going to get to spend that time with one of his best friends.

For now though, he needs to make sure there will be people here he can trust to keep the peace alongside his ministers and council unequivocally. And he knows just who to contact.

[eastofthemoon]

A Paladin in the Fire Nation

Chapter 1

Rating: PG

Series: Voltron Legendary Defender/Avatar the Last Airbender

Summary: After the fight with Zarkon, Shiro accidentally gets tossed into another reality where humans have the ability to bend the elements. His best shot at returning home is with someone called the Avatar, while he waits he might as well take on the job of being the Firelord's bodyguard. 

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

Shiro groaned. Despite his body feeling sore, he forced himself to sit up as he held his head.

“I feel like I got hit by a truck,” he muttered.

Then he recalled. The fight with Zarkon. All of the paladins in Voltron.

And it suddenly dawned that he was not in the Black Lion. His eyes opened wide and panic struck when he saw his armour had been removed and he was in his black bodysuit.

His heart started to race.

Was I captured? No, no, not again!

Frantically, Shiro scrambled to his feet but his fear began to subside as he looked around. He was in a cell, but it was clear it wasn’t a Galra one.

In truth, it seemed like an old fashioned prison cell he had seen in museums on Earth. He frowned as he walked over to the bars and tapped one of them before he gripped it.

It looks like regular iron, Shiro thought.

If that was the case he could probably bend them easily with his cybernetic arm and escape, but it was probably better to wait until he knew exactly where he was.

Could the others be here too? Shiro thought. Did I end up on another planet?

“Hey, I hate to interrupt your deep thinking, but might be wise to look over here.”

Shiro jumped and looked to the right. He spotted a person that assumed to be his guard. The person seemed female, and although he didn’t recognize the red and black armour there was something else that stunned him.

He blinked as he pointed at her. “Are...are you human?”

The woman raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. “Yes, last time I checked.”

Shiro narrowed his eyes. “Are there other humans here?”

At this the woman leaned against the wall and folded her arms. “No, the rest of the palace is operated by moose lions.”

Shiro sighed. “Are you serious or are you joking?”

The woman dropped her arms. “Um..clearly joking?” She stepped forward. “Did you honestly think I was serious?”

“I’ve seen weirder,” Shiro admitted, not that he knew what a moose lion was.

With that said, was it possible he ended up on a planet that also somehow had humans? It seemed unlikely, but a few years ago Shiro also would have said that of giant robot lions.

The woman looked ready to say something else when footsteps approached. The woman stood straight and saluted.

An older man appeared, wearing similar armor to the woman.

“At ease, Ling,” the man said with his hands tucked behind his back. “I merely came to see if the intruder has woke up”

“Yes, sir,” she replied and pointed, “and he has, Sir.”

The man turned and his eyes instantly narrowed upon seeing Shiro.

“I am Admiral Jee,” he stated firmly while keeping his arms behind his back. “Who are you?”[1]

Shiro straightened his own posture. “I’m Takashi Shirogane.”

“We found you unconscious in the royal gardens,” Jee said as Ling was as still as a statue. “Gave the servants quite a fright. Mind telling me what you were doing there?”

“It was just me?” Shiro asked.

“Yes,” Jee said as he stepped closer, “unless you are saying there were supposed to be others with you?”

“No,” Shiro replied quickly.

Last thing he needed was further suspicion, but that did answer one vital question. The other paladins weren’t here as well. He was likely alone.

The man didn’t look convinced, but stepped back.

“In any case I was instructed to bring you to the Firelord once you’ve awoken for questioning.” He sharply turned to Ling. “Go fetch the handcuffs and some robes for him.”

“Yes, Sir,” Ling said as she marched off.

They were left in silence, but thankfully it didn’t last long as Ling returned with the items. Jee took the robes and passed them through the bars.

“I don’t know what kind of clothing you were wearing under your armour but I imagine this grants you some more dignity,” Jee said.

“Um, thanks,” Shiro said as he took it.

The robes were a bit shabby and not exactly high class, but they were still better than his prison uniform the Galra used. He tossed the uniform over his current clothes as Jee unlocked the cell while Ling held out the handcuffs.

Shiro flinched at the sight of them but ignored the stirrings of memories as he let Ling put the cuffs on. Shiro pulled at them slightly and felt relaxed. The cuffs, like the bars, were made out of regular metal. It wouldn’t take Shiro much effort to break free if he had to.

Jee stared at Shiro with narrow eyes. “Don’t try anything funny.”

“Don’t plan to,” Shiro said honestly as Ling escorted him out of the cell. They walked in silence out of the dungeon and into the hallway.

Neither said a word as they three of them walked, but a few more humans who walked by cast Shiro with a curious glance.

Their clothing style was odd. It was both familiar and yet unfamiliar. It was like Shiro was seeing real life pages from his grandfather’s history book, and yet it didn’t quite feel like he was on Earth.

Shiro was forced to stop pondering as they approached a large pair of doors.

“Wait, here,” Jee instructed as he opened and shut it quickly behind him.

Ling kept a tight grip on Shiro until the doors opened again and Jee gestured for them to enter. Ling shoved Shiro forward, and he obeyed.

There were only four other people in the room. Two were guards stationed at the door, and two others were sitting at the far end of the room. One was an older man with a beard, nex to him was a younger man sitting in the centre.

His eyes were glaring at Shiro like a cat waiting to swipe back if need be. Shiro had to assume he was this Firelord. However what really caught Shiro’s attention was the large burn that took up half of his face.

He can’t be much older than Keith, Shiro thought grimly. What kind of accident burned him that badly?

Shiro didn’t have time to ponder as he was forced to halt and kneel on his knees.

“I am Firelord Zuko,” the young man spoke tensely. “Who are you?”

Shiro swallowed as he straightened his posture.

“My name is Takashi Shirogane.”

“We found unconscious inside the royal palace,” Firelord Zuko continued as he leaned forward. “Who sent you?”

“No one sent me,” Shiro replied.

“Then why did you come here?”

“I didn’t mean to.”

Firelord Zuko raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t mean to?” He gave a huff. “You honestly expect to believe you got by my guards and just wandered into my palace by accident?!”

Shiro sweated. Yeah, he had to admit it did look bad.

“Tell me the truth,” the Firelord Lord demanded.

“I am telling the truth,” Shiro repeated.

“Do you think I'm foolish enough to fall for that?!” the Firelord cried looking ready to stand up.

“No I don’t,” Shiro replied.

“Then tell me why you are here!”

“I don’t know,” Shiro shot back, his words echoed in the room.

The Firelord’s eyes, but Shiro noted the older man looked at him with a tight frown.

Shiro took a deep breath to calm himself.  “Listen, this is a misunderstanding.”

“Is it now?” Firelord Zuko asked.

“Yes,” Shiro said as he straightened his posture. “I’m not an enemy, I'm a Paladin of Voltron. I’m sorry for my intrusion, but it was an accident. I mean your people no harm.”

Firelord Zuk blinked and seemed surprised by the answer. “And what exactly is a paladin?”

Shiro frowned. “What?”

“And where is Voltron?” Zuko continued. “It does not sound like a Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom town.”

“It’s not a town,” Shiro began but then stopped himself. They had never heard of Voltron. Did that mean-

“Does the word ‘Galra’ mean anything to you?” Shiro quickly asked.

The Firelord’s eyes twitched. “You just said you were from Voltron? And now you’re saying you’re from ‘Galra’?! Which is it?”

Oh boy, Shiro thought. How do I explain this?

The older man sitting next to the Firelord cleared his throat. “Firelord Zuko, perhaps we should save this interrogation for later.”

The Firelord turned to the man and pointed to Shiro. “Why? We have him right here-”

“And you also have the meeting with the royal treasurer,” the man replied and pointed to Shiro. “You know how she does not like being late and I believe you will need more time to question Mister Shirogane.”

Firelord Zuko frowned and then sighed. “Very well,” he said and looked back at the guards. “Take him back to his cell for now.”

“Yes, my lord,” Jee said with a bow as Ling pulled Shiro up to his feet.

Shiro said nothing as he was escorted out of the room and stole one more glance at the Firelord.

Shiro didn’t know where he was, but he had a feeling it was going to be tricky to get back home.

1 Is this Lieutenant Jee from Zuko's crew during season 1? Yes. Do I think it would have been nice for his crew to reappear in the show at some point? Yes, I do. Did I decided to correct this by making him an Admiral and taking over Zhao's position. Yes, yes I did.

Notes: Normally I wait until I have the full story written, but I couldn't resist posting at least the beginning chapters I have. I can't promise a weekly schedule, but I will try to work and update it as much as I am able.A few notes. 1. This takes place right after season 2 of Voltron and partly during season 3, while on the Avatar side it takes place three years after season 3. 2. I am ignoring the Avatar comics simply because I really didn't care for how they turned out so don't expect any mention of them here. It's just based on the three seasons of the show. 3. Except for some background Sokka/Suki I'm not putting any ships in this. I got enough happening in this story, and I didn't want to be bog down by any romance. The canon ships just decided they were better off as friends for the time being.

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Zuko x Mai’s sister series: Part Two

Zuko gets some good advice about how to deal with his new feelings but will his revelation go to plan?

Part one here

Part three here

___

That weekend Zuko went to see the one man who could help him with his issue. Uncle Iroh.

He hadn’t seen him in a while and the mention of Ba Sing Sei had convinced him to make the trip. So Zuko arrived to find his uncle waiting to sweep him into a tight hug. Iroh hurried Zuko into his shop eager to catch up and soon had a steaming cup of jasmine tea in front of him. As Zuko informed his uncle of all the recent events Iroh noticed a change in him. For one thing his nephew wasn’t spontaneous but he’d hastily arranged a visit for no apparent reason. At first Iroh worried something was wrong, perhaps the pressure was getting to him or his father was causing trouble again but the second Iroh saw him he could tell this visit wasn’t about escaping something bad back home. Zuko had a certain air around him, a happiness, a lightness and Iroh was very pleasantly surprised and desperate to know what had caused this. So he began prying. “Now nephew how have you been? Not the Firelord or the country but you my nephew?". "Good" Zuko smiled "busy but i’ve had help". Iroh smiled "and you've not been locked away working too hard?". Zuko shook his head "no but i do have something I want to discuss with you, i have a dilemma". Iroh nodded "i will help however i can". "Well see there’s this friend...". Iroh smiled, of course how did he not recognise Zuko was smitten with someone!

"Ow?" Iroh asked smiling and Zuko blushed. "Yes and we've actually known each other a while, we’ve recently become close and....i’ve developed feelings for her. Well they've always been there actually but before she never used to like me. She hated me in school but now we’ve been working together and we’re actually friends" Zuko blushed "she smiles at me, offers to help me and stays with me so I don’t have to face things alone...i like her a lot but i’m also grateful for her friendship. I'm worried that i could push her away if I confess my feelings and she doesn’t return them.". Iroh frowned "it seems like you have a lot of history with the girl...." trying not so subtly to work out who she was. "It’s y/n, Mai’s sister" Zuko said awkwardly and Iroh nodded. He didn’t remember you but could imagine being related to Mai you had made your dislike for Zuko known as a child. From how Zuko spoke it sounded like he may’ve liked you since then and Iroh had no doubt his nephew currently had very strong feelings for you. "I think it’s wonderful that you're friends but i’ve also listened to how you speak about her, there’s always a slight smile on your face...am i right in thinking you’ve liked her since childhood?". Zuko nodded "she was the one i noticed first...Mai was around more but y/n was the one who caught my attention from the start. However she made it clear she hated me when we were kids.... so i figured nothing could ever happen but now...". Iroh nodded "i admire your caution but also think you need to consider your options. Zuko i suspect your feelings for her are very strong, perhaps too strong to ignore. If this was some mindless crush i’d tell you not to risk it, but love is worth risking things for". Zuko blushed vividly “is it that obvious?”. His uncle patted his shoulder chuckling “even Toph would be able to see it”.

The next week

You exited the ship excitedly, the anxiety at visiting the palace had fallen away within your first few visits and it was quickly becoming your favourite place in the Fire Nation. Zuko met you off the ship and he smiled fondly but you could sense he was worried about something. You had a pleasant day together, you spent more time with Druk who was growing rapidly and learning how to fly. You watched the small dragon attempt to get airborne and couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable his attempts to fly were. Zuko tried helping, giving him tips but it just ended with the dragon leaping on him to try and use him as a boost. They both ended up tangled on the floor in a heap while you laughed uncontrollably from a safe distance. You noticed Zuko smile seeing you laugh but then his face went serious as it did when he was lost in thought. You frowned wondering what was wrong but just as quickly as it came his face cleared.

All day the same thing would happen and you became more and more convinced something was wrong. Thankfully after dinner Zuko was ready to tell you what it was. "Y/n i have something i need to confess" Zuko said suddenly and you felt the mood of the room shift. You paused taken back at Zuko’s formal tone and managed a small "okay". You were worried Zuko had something awful to tell you and watched him pace anxiously. Finally he sighed and stopped "okay i’m just going to be honest. My uncle suggested i be subtle and test the water but i’m not good at that and I don’t want to trick you or anything". "Okay..." you said again and stared at Zuko. Zuko sighed and looked up "i like you". You blinked as Zuko carried on "and not just as a friend....i like you a lot and was wondering if you by any chance felt the same way?". You breathed rapidly trying to process what Zuko had just said. "Are you sure you like me?" you asked unsure if Zuko was certain "maybe you're just lonely and i’m here?". Zuko shook his head "i know that’s not it but if you...you don’t seem happy, do you not return my affection? If so that’s fine!". "No that’s not the issue" you admitted and Zuko jumped "what? So you do like me? That’s great". "No it’s not" you said your panic rising, taking your breath away with it. Zuko blinked "it’s not? Why on earth isn’t it? This is better than my wildest dream!" Zuko cried and you rushed to show him why this wasn’t a good thing before he got too excited. "It’s not because this doesn’t mean anything Zuko! What I feel doesn’t matter, I don’t get nice things. I don’t get to have the guy i want and even if i do it’s not in the way i want or that i need" you babbled and Zuko frowned "y/n what do you mean?". You began to go into full-blown panic, how could you explain all this to Zuko? He’d never understand. Your fight or flight was triggered and you were about to bolt when Zuko gently touched your arm. “Y/n take deep breaths okay, there’s no need to panic or worry, we can talk about this and I promise I’ll do whatever you feel comfortable with, so just breathe. Take slow breaths with long exhales and don’t panic. You’re not in danger everything is okay”. Zuko continued coaching you through your panic attack and when it subsided you sighed and looked up at him “I’ll try my best to explain but let me know if i’m not making sense. My parents and I recently had a large argument....they told me i have to accept a suitor by the end of the year or they’ll disown me. The problem is i don’t like anyone apart from...well you" you said blushing. Zuko smiled "well i like you too so why can’t we just tell your parents that we...". "Zuko my family want me settled down immediately, this whole campaign to reform the prisons has them worried. They want me married off immediately but I don’t want that and it’s not fair to put that expectation on anyone least of all you...i know this isn’t long term so you don’t have to pretend it is....". Zuko paused "why isn’t it long term?". You hesitated "well i...isn’t this just a rebound? I thought maybe it’s a way to get back at Mai or...i don’t know because we see each other a lot it was for convenience? Either way it can’t be serious". "Who says?" Zuko asked "y/n can i confess something? I’ve had a crush on you since we were kids". Your jaw dropped "but you couldn’t have i....you and Mai!". Zuko lowered his eyes blushing "i guess i have a type...I did like Mai don’t get me wrong I wasn’t lying to her but you were the one who caught my eye first. I dated Mai because she liked me and i was sure you hated me". You stared at the floor "because i stopped speaking to you when we were 12?". Zuko nodded "i was always so unsure what i did to upset you. I tried to make it right but after a while I just accepted you didn’t like me". "Zuko that wasn’t the case..." you started but Zuko shook his head "it’s okay y/n i get i’m not going to get on with everyone, i’m just glad you don’t hate me anymore". "Zuko i never hated you it was more of the opposite...Azula told me i upset Mai by being friends with you. She claimed everyone could tell i liked you and i was horrified because it was true and I was scared i’d been too obvious with that". "You liked me too?" Zuko asked and you nodded "since we were kids but i...i’m used to stepping away from what i want because my family told me to. You were Mai’s and you still are in their eyes. You could never be mine, i don’t get good things". Zuko shook his head "y/n you deserve the best and i’m in no way saying that’s me but i do think you should put yourself first. If what you’ve said is true and you like me more than anyone else then why can’t we...why can’t you go for it? I’ll support you in any way i can and i...". You started breathing rapidly again at what Zuko was offering you "Zuko i’ve never committed to anything before I...". "Then don’t" Zuko said softly taking your hand "it’s okay, i came on too strong. Let’s just focus on this moment okay?". You nodded and looked at him "okay". "Stop thinking about what anyone else will think, your parents, Mai, anyone except for yourself. Stop thinking about what will happen tomorrow or next week or any duties you have. What do you want?". You blinked and felt your heartbeat "what do i want?". Zuko nodded "right now, what do you want?".

You realised Zuko was the first person to ask you that. All your life you’d tried to do what other people wanted. To be the perfect daughter, sister, prison guard...you never acted on your own dreams or desires. You always acted for other people and nobody had ever tried to stop you but here was Zuko telling you the opposite. He was the only person to encourage you to put yourself first and you wondered if that was why you liked him so much.

“Y/n?” Zuko said after you’d been quiet for a while and you smiled slightly “sorry I just...nobodies ever asked me that before and I’m not sure how to answer”. “Well it’s simple” Zuko shrugged “right now what do you feel?”. "I feel overwhelmed as if i’m going to explode. I feel terrified, excited and also bewildered that you felt the same thing I did all those years ago. I’m scared and I can’t shake everyone’s voices from my mind and I’m trying to work out how this will affect every inch of my life and it’s actually laughable because out of all that the one thing I keep thinking about is I really want to kiss you...which I guess tells me what my answer is” you blushed looked down but Zuko gently raised your head back up so you could look him in the eyes. "What a coincidence...." and he leant in to kiss you. The minute he kissed you all those repressed feelings came back. Everything that had been missing with other people was magnified by how kissing Zuko made you feel. You couldn’t believe you were actually kissing him, it didn’t feel real. Overcome with the sensation you gripped Zuko harshly and he smiled against your lips. Zuko picked up the intensity and kissed you harder. You matched his increase and let your hands roam over him as if you weren’t even present in this moment. It felt surreal but that was okay, it gave you the confidence to make the most of it and you did.

You finally separated both gasping for breath and immediately you lowered your eyes but you could still feel Zuko’s eyes glued to you which made you blush. "I can’t believe we...I just kissed you” you whispered and Zuko nodded grinning "I know! This was something child me gave up on a long time ago". "Me too" you agreed and Zuko smiled "y/n you felt that too didn’t you?". You nodded your head "that was the best thing I've ever experienced...i don't want it to go away. I want to be selfish Zuko".  Zuko smiled "it’s not selfish to allow yourself to be with someone you like, you deserve to be happy y/n". You closed your eyes and rested your head against Zuko’s. Nobody had ever told you that and it made you emotional. Sensing this Zuko wrapped his arms around you and hugged you. You let him hold you and ignored the voice in your head about your parents and Mai...you relaxed into Zuko until he pulled away. Zuko wiped away your tears softly and cupped your cheek "i like you, a lot...and i’ve waited over 10 years just to kiss you and it was totally worth it. So i’ll wait however long you need to continue this but we don’t have to go fast. Y/n i’ll wait until you’re ready and you can set the pace". You blinked ”I can?". Zuko nodded "completely, all i want is to be with you". "To date me?" you asked and Zuko blushed "yes, but if you don’t want to use that label...". "No i’d like to...to date you" you smiled "but i don’t want my parents using this to control me". Zuko paused "wait but their proposal...". "I’ve kind of come to terms with them disowning me and honestly i think it’s okay. My parents always had a claim to me as long as I was acknowledged as their daughter but this way they won’t. Sure i’ll have no surname but i also won’t have people who claim to love me just so they can use me...you don’t have to love someone just because they're your parents right?". Zuko knew that better than anyone "not at all, y/n if you want to be disowned then i’ll support you". You smiled "thank you...i’m aware i might lose my job but other than that...". "You won’t lose it' Zuko said firmly and you paused "how?". "I’ll speak to the prison for you". You blushed “Zuko it’s sweet of you to offer but i don’t want to rely on your power to gain things...i don’t want to depend on you". Zuko shook his head "it’s not depending on me, you got that job on your own and you deserve to keep it. You’re good at your job and if they fire you just for separating from your family that would be unjust so i am merely correcting that". You frowned and Zuko sighed "please y/n let me do this. So many injustices happen in this world and now i have the power to stop them. The best perk that comes with being firelord is i get to protect the people i care about...let me do that for you". You sighed "what would you say?". "I’ll be honest. I’ll say how impressed i am with your work, how your mindset is exactly what the Fire Nation needs right now and so you’re too valuable to be let go". You blushed and Zuko smiled "which is all true and exactly how i feel". "I suppose....as long as you’re not threatening them". Zuko nodded "of course not". You smiled "thank you" and Zuko tucked a piece of hair behind your ear "no problem so...does this mean, we should keep us a secret until your parents ultimatum expires?". You nodded "yes please". Zuko smiled "done, it’ll be hard not telling absolutely everyone you like me back but for you i’ll do it". You blushed and Zuko laughed before going serious "i also think you should start staying in the palace". When you looked up Zuko went to explain "i remember weeks ago when you said you’d stay at your parents how worried you looked. Staying with them isn’t helping and you can have your own wing here or can stay at your own apartment nearby...whatever you want just put yourself first" Zuko smiled "start telling your parents no". You nodded your head "you’re right i don’t ever want to go back there". "Then you never have to" Zuko said "you’re always welcome here no matter what". You stared up at Zuko "i..don’t even know what to say you’ve fixed my whole life in 3 minutes". Zuko shook his head "it’s like I said, I have the power to help and I intend to use it. It’s scary how much influence i have but i’ll willing embrace it for you anytime". "This doesn’t feel real" you smiled and Zuko nodded. "I know i still can’t believe you like me...". "Well i do a lot and that kiss..." you blushed and Zuko smiled "i felt it too...but it’s now really late, I can’t keep you to myself the whole night" he said smiling "but please tell me you’ll stay here tonight?". You nodded your head "i will" and he smiled "i’ll have a room prepared for you" and he gave the orders and walked you there. Once inside you turned to him. "Zuko thank you" you smiled and he nodded taking your hands "you don’t gave to thank me”. Zuko stepped away and you hesitated "no kiss goodnight?". Zuko paused and spun around "if you want absolutely anything from me y/n just ask" and he kissed you. It was just as good the second time but that made it harder to pull away. When you did Zuko stared at you breathing deeply "i’ll never get sick of that" he smiled and you blushed "me either". Zuko kissed your cheek and pulled away "as much as I’d love to test that theory it really is late so i should go". “Okay” you nodded and Zuko stared at you “good night y/n, thanks for tonight I know it was hard for you but I’ve never felt happier”. “Me too” you smiled “thanks for everything”. “No problem” Zuko smiled back “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, we could have breakfast together if you wanted?”. “I’d love to” you grinned and Zuko nodded blushing “perfect see you then!” and left the room. You smiled to yourself and jumped on the massive royal bed. You knew you should probably be preoccupied with all the important practical things about today. How your life would change now you were dating the Firelord, how the world would react to you after your parents cast you out, how Mai would react but you didn’t care. At this moment Zuko wasn’t the Firelord just Zuko. The boy you’d liked since childhood and he liked you back. That thought alone made everything else insignificant. No matter what had happened or what the future held you’d finally found each other and you weren’t giving him up without a fight.

____

Wow this was wayyyyy longer than I intended but Zuko’s just such an easy character to get carried away with. If you read allll that and somehow still want more I have some ideas how Mai, the gang etc would all react so could write something along those lines?