#hurt hakoda

[witchering10123]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar), Arnook & Sokka (Avatar), The Gaang & Sokka (Avatar), Azula & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Bato & Sokka (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar) Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Arnook (Avatar), Gilak (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar) Additional Tags: Mind Games, Serious Injuries, Hurt Sokka (Avatar), Hurt Hakoda (Avatar), justifying things that shouldn't be justified, Insecure Sokka (Avatar), Insecure Hakoda (Avatar), the genetics are strong in this family, Protective Katara (Avatar), Katara is a Good Sister (Avatar), pissed as fuck that is not a tag, what has the world come to - Freeform, Whumptober 2023, Day Thirty: Mind Games (Whumptober 2023) Series: Part 30 of a witchering's whumptober 2023 Summary:

He stares, awestruck, as his sister shyly approaches the head of the bed. He can’t help but shift back a little, so his body turns slightly away, and he hates the understanding that flows from her eyes, he hates it. Why are they all being so gentle? Since when did he deserve such kindness?

-----

How can the world be so heartless and yet so gentle?

Day Thirty: Mind Games - can be read as a standalone, but is low-key dependent on the rest of the series

[muffinlance]

The isopuppy rolls! Very happy with how the segment overlap turned out.

My toddler is excitedly playing fetch in the hallway. So: child-approved!

Leg and antenna design are complete, just need to finish making them all and attach them, then see about final adjustments. The pattern is almost complete!

[scamper333]

Azula finally is able to leave the Asylum with hopes to reconcile with her mother only to find out that she recently passed away, Azula loses her ability to fire bend after hearing the news and becomes inconsolable from the loss of her mother (and eventually for her bending). Worried that Azula will relapse, Zuko sends Azula to the South Pole as an Ambassador of the Firenation and to be with Katara (who recently amicably broke up with Aang) hoping they can bond over the loss of their mothers and to have a father figure in Chief Hakoda.

Other events that take place:

Aang helps Azula go to the spirit world to commune with her mother

Azula learns from the Masters

Azula reconciles with Mai and Ty Lee

[thebluemallet]

Me- I wonder how the show will portray Sokka's impostor syndrome and how he feels like a failure.

The show- (has Sokka overhear Hakoda complaining about Sokka after the ice dodging and basically calling him a failure)

Me-

[blancheludis]

Whumptober Day 3: fingerprints

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Characters: Zuko, Hakoda, Gaang Tags: Past Child Abuse, Hurt Zuko, Protective Hakoda, H/C

Summary:

"So, what?" Chief Hakoda asks, a mocking curl to his lips. "You had a change of heart? Just like that?"

- Hakoda does not trust Zuko. Meanwhile, Zuko takes one look at Hakoda's hands and wonders how much damage he could do with them.

They both quickly learn they are wrong, but not without some hiccups along the way.

Begging will not help. Apologies have not ever made anything better. The ground is hot where it digs into Zuko's knees, where it presses against his forehead, as he prostrates himself before his father.

Why does it have to be Father? He never meant to - but he did, did he? What does he know about military strategy and troop movements? Perhaps the 41st division is made up of the worst soldiers the Fire Nation has to offer. Perhaps it is made up of people like Zuko, and the best they can do for their country is to die.

"Stop being a coward and fight," the Fire Lord says, deceptively gentle.

Zuko knows that, if he were to look up, there would be steel in his father's eyes.

"I surrender," Zuko says, as loudly as he can without shouting. They have to hear him. They have to listen. They have to -

Silence, as the Fire Lord stands before him, and Zuko cannot bear being blind to it any longer. He sits up, continues his endless string of apologies - but stops when he sees his father's face. Goosebumps raise on his arms, the skin burning hot and cold in the distinct shape of fingerprints.

No mercy will be had here, Zuko knows with sudden, painful clarity. Whether he fights or not, this was one failure too many. His father looks at him like he does so often during training, wondering not whether he should punish Zuko, but simply how. Where.

This sight of his father's dispassionate face as he reaches out to teach Zuko the meaning of suffering is burned into his memory just like the handprint into the left side of his face.

---

It is probably a stupid thing to do, to categorize threats depending on the size of their hands. Mai has small, delicate hands but is perfectly deadly with her knives. The Avatar is a child and yet supposedly the most powerful bender in the world. Toph is the best earthbender and has crushed people twice her size.

Yet, one look at Chief Hakoda's hands is enough for Zuko to make himself rare. It is polite to let them have a proper reunion on their own and they did just escape a high-security prison. Surely, nobody will mind if he sneaks away, just until his heart has settled and he can look at the Chief without danger of fainting. Surely - who is he trying to kid here? Hakoda is the Chief of an enemy tribe, whose children Zuko hurt numerous times. There is no hiding from this. But, like a coward, he tries.

---

It works for all of a day. He spends his morning meditation in his room and returns there right after training with Aang. It does not have a lock and it is hardly a secret where he could be. Yet, he almost has a heart attack when Chief Hakoda appears in his door and - does not move, blocking the only exit with his broad shoulders. His cold, blue eyes zero in on Zuko, cataloguing every flaw, every way he does not measure up.

Heat gathers in Zuko's palms, but he ruthlessly pushes it down. The last thing he needs is to seem aggressive, dangerous. The group of children might have accepted him into their midst, but Zuko knows that, as a warrior, a leader, Chief Hakoda should rectify that mistake. The Avatar trusts too quickly, and while that worked out in Zuko's favour, their entire world is at stake here.

By the time the Chief moves into the room, Zuko is not sure his body knows how to breathe anymore.

He settles down in front of Zuko within easy grabbing distance, still blocking the door.

"So," Chief Hakoda says, low and knowing, like he has already mapped out everything that makes up Zuko. "You're Prince Zuko."

His former title stings in his ears, brings with it the smell of smoke and the merciless cackling of lighting.

"Yes, sir." Zuko marvels at how calm his voice is, despite how coiled up he is inside, tense and ready to fall apart. He bows his head, briefly. "Well, I was."

Chief Hakoda hums and never once takes his eyes off Zuko. "I heard you attacked our village and then chased my children all across the world."

His hands are in broad view, lightly touching in front of him, and Zuko cannot look away from them. Fine, criss-crossing scars are layered over the knuckles. The small finger on the right hand was clearly broken at some point and healed slightly crooked but moves just as fluidly as the rest. Clearly-defined muscles go all the way up to the shoulder, just waiting to be called into action.

The Chief's hands might not be able to call forth fire, but they can break Zuko just as easily.

"I was wrong." Whatever calm Zuko had earlier is getting almost impossible to hold onto as he tracks every minute movement the Chief does.

Another hum, fingers briefly curling into fists. "My children tell me you've changed."

Perhaps it would be better to just throw himself down to the ground, see whether the Water Tribe Chief deals more graciously with surrender than the Fire Lord. Zuko's limbs are frozen in place, though, as the scars along his arms itch in warning.

"I grew up in the Fire Nation with Fire Nation teachings," he says, wondering when, exactly, explanations become excuses. "I've seen a lot more since then."

Starvation and desperation, families who lost all their children to a senseless war, orphans wandering without anything or anybody to their name, hate that spans the entire world and that has nothing to do with just causes and everything with grief.

"So, what?" Chief Hakoda asks, a mocking curl to his lips. "You had a change of heart? Just like that?"

Just, he says, as if the past three years could be summed up in one word. Three years filled with both loyalty and betrayal, death and realizations. Three years filled with a different kind of pain than Zuko is used to. All he wanted to do was go home. It just took him a while to realize that the home he built in his head was not real. Never would be, either.

Life has not yet beaten all defiance out of him, so he raises his chin and says, "Yes."

He is glad his hands are hidden behind his back so the Chief will not see them shaking. It is the truth, however, and he will not back down from that.

The Avatar still needs a firebending teacher, but he is very much aware that he is not safe. If the Chief takes offence to his presence, his children will not stop him. And why should they oppose their father, their Chief? Nobody in their right mind would.

"I guess we'll see."

---

That evening, Zuko thinks about skipping dinner. He could keep hiding away in his room and no one would probably even notice he was missing, caught up in their reunion. It has already been made clear, though, that his room is not safe. Also, Katara will be annoyed at having to keep the fires going by herself, and Toph, strangely, seems to like her nightly cup of tea.

He gets up and smooths out his clothes as if anybody here cares about wrinkles and, for the first time in a while, falls back into the calming breathing pattern Uncle taught him to use before family dinners at home.

Toph frowns at him as he comes closer, but other than that, everything seems normal. Without a word, he takes over the fires and begins to prepare tea, grounding himself in the ritual of it.

Concentrating on his breathing, Zuko's hands barely shake when he hands a cup to the Chief.

"I didn't think they taught royalty to serve tea."

Zuko inhales, holds, exhales. That is surely meant as an insult, but he can hardly tell the Chief that his time in Ba Sing Se is actually one of his fonder memories. That is not what this is about. He guesses being a tea server should be demeaning for a former prince, but he has had to do much worse things during his banishment.

Thankfully, Sokka chimes in with a story about Ba Sing Se that leaves Zuko with nothing to do but to nod occasionally - and thankfully leaves out his betrayal. That would certainly not go over well.

When he sits back down, Toph nudges him in her usual, bone-jarring way. "You okay, Sparky? Your heart rate is all over the place."

Her voice is too loud and, of course, it catches the Chief's attention, but he says nothing, so Zuko thinks it is safe to look away from him for now.

"I'm fine," he says, despite knowing Toph will spot the lie. It is nothing life-threatening, though. Not yet, at least, not until the Chief has made up his mind.

---

The Chief wants to observe training. It makes sense for a military leader to want to see how the Avatar, their greatest hope, comes along, but Zuko's stomach is doing summersaults at the very thought of having him there, watching, judging.

It is a good thing, then, that Aang must feel the pressure, too, and, for once, trains with due discipline. No complaining, no cheating on the breathing exercises, no bowing out on the fire squats. They move through the katas in synchrony and when they summon fire it is the colourful wonder Zuko has come to love. It is going better than he could have ever hoped. Of course, it could not last.

"What is that on your arms, Prince Zuko?" Hakoda asks halfway through one of the advanced sets of katas.

Zuko promptly loses his balance and does an unflattering amount of flailing to avoid falling to the ground. For a moment, he stares non-plussed at the Chief, then down at his arms. They are bare. He must have pushed up his sleeves sometime during training. Which he never thought twice about before because the group never seemed to notice anything amiss, and at home everybody knew he is a subpar firebender and therefore needed stricter encouragement to do better.

"Nothing," Zuko replies, then immediately bites his tongue. A flippant response like that would have earned him at least another few sets of burns at home. He thinks about adding a sir, but at this point it would surely make things even more disrespectful. Instead, he offers, "They're old. Back from when I was training in the palace."

Now Aang's curiosity is piqued and he bounds over, staring at Zuko's arms with his usual lack of care for personal space. "They look like fingerprints."

Zuko closes his eyes and counts to ten. Or attempts to. He barely makes it to four when the Chief speaks up.

"Should you be teaching the Avatar when you have had so many - accidents?"

"I didn't do them to myself," Zuko snaps, quickly realizing that holding his temper is a lost cause.

Instead, he concentrates on not exhaling smoke, or any other of the dozens of signs that would only prove Hakoda's assessment right. The audacity rankles him, however. What kind of firebenders have they met if they think he would burn himself with his own fire. He might not be good, but he is not that bad either. Too late, he notices that his admission only made things worse.

Next to him, Aang gasps. "Who did them, then?"

Looking at a wide-eyed kid, younger than he was when he was banished, makes Zuko's anger disappear quicker than one of Katara's terrible ice water splashes could have.

"I told you we would do training differently," he reassures in as soft a voice as he is capable of. "Nobody will burn you."

He cannot promise that once they leave the temple, of course, once they enter the palace. The Fire Lord has already proven that he has no reservations to burn children. Zuko will do his best to prepare Aang as much as possible, and when the time comes, he will stand at his side, upright, and do his part.

"But someone burned you, Prince?" the Chief asks, his voice deceptively calm. His eyes, though, are pure ice, piercing into Zuko, not giving an inch.

A terribly selfish part of Zuko's brain wishes they had never found Hakoda in the Boiling Rock.

"Some people need more encouragement to improve than others." He closes his heart against his father's voice invading his mind. Suffering will be your teacher. It worked, though. No matter his feelings about his childhood or training, Zuko did learn.

Something flickers over the Chief's face that Zuko cannot read but surely means nothing good for him.

"Who?" he asks, short and cold. "Who would dare to burn the Crown Prince?"

Who, indeed, could get away with everything he wants, every whim and every urge to be cruel? Zuko smiles blandly.

"I wasn't the Crown Prince when I began training." And later, well, everybody knew the Fire Lord favoured Azula. "Now, do you have any other questions or can we continue?"

Of course, there is more. Of course, he is not allowed to get a break. Of course, it is all right to spread his tapestry of trauma out for everyone to see. Yet, the Chief's next question still hits him like a punch in the gut. Or, well, like a flaming hand to the head.

"How did you get the burn on your face?"

Blood rushes in Zuko's ears and the phantom pain of searing heat creeps across his scarred skin. Distantly, he hears himself say, "The Avatar won't come to harm here." He is proud of himself to make it a promise and not a plea for mercy.

As the world spins, he thinks he sees Sokka jump between himself and the Chief, talking a mile a minute, none of which Zuko can hear over the roaring, and then Toph is in front of him and he lets her lead him away, away from the chaos behind him if not from the maelstrom inside him. There is no escaping that.

---

He comes back to himself with his head between his knees, the sun shining warm and welcoming on his back. Nothing burns. The pain is nothing but a distant memory. Toph is a welcome weight against his side and he barely catches the tail end of a story about some dignitaries who once visited her parents. He is sure there is some joke or moral to the story, but he simply lets her voice wash over him until he feels like he can breathe again without the smell of burning flesh in his nose.

"You back with me?" Toph asks, uncharacteristically quiet. She is knocking on the ground in a slow, evenly paced rhythm, just right to breathe along with.

"Thank you," he croaks, his throat dry and aching as if he screamed himself hoarse. Agni, he hopes he has not screamed. He can only take so much shame in one day.

Firmly settled back in the present, he notices how tense she is, ready to jump up and - do something.

"How can he just ask that?" she blurts out, suddenly, sounding at once younger and angrier than he has ever heard her.

Ah, Zuko thinks. The scar, his face. Now that he is back to himself, he is embarrassed at having a panic attack over that of all things. It is not like it is a secret. Half of the Fire Nation nobility was present when it happened. Zuko's nightmares have nothing to do with who knows about it.

"I mean, it's pretty hard to miss."

Toph hits him but without any real force. "Guess what, for me it's pretty hard to miss that you're terrified of Hakoda and I'm not going around asking you about it."

Great, why does the most perceptive person in their group also has to be the one who does not believe in mincing her words?

"You kind of just did," Zuko points out awkwardly.

She punches him again, and this time it does smart. Then, she turns serious, as much as he has ever seen her.  "Do I need to bury him?"

All Zuko can do is stare at her. It takes him long moments to understand what she means. Who she means.

"What? Toph, no." He reaches out to grab her arm, preferring to be prepared if she decides to run off. "He's Sokka and Katara's father."

"And you're afraid of him," she says as if that is somehow important. As if Zuko being not afraid is somehow a state that is both achievable and desirable. "Did he do something?"

Zuko breathes. Inhale for eight. Exhale for eight. He realizes quickly that it will not work.

"No," he says and means it, knows she can feel his sincerity. "He just -" Zuko swallows. With his voice barely above a whisper, he admits, "His hands are so big."

Toph is quiet for a long moment, then she takes his hand with hers, small and calloused, able to crush a grown man with little more than a flick of her fingers. Objectively, he knows what she is trying to show him, but all he can picture is Hakoda reaching for him, his arms, his face. He would have lost more if -

"Wait," Zuko says, his heart coming to a sudden standstill. "Did I hear Sokka yelling at the Chief?"

Toph looks taken aback at the sudden change of topic. "Yes, but -"

That is all the confirmation he needs. Zuko jumps up and runs back to the training area, heedless of the danger he wanted nothing more than to escape only minutes before. He is glad Toph got him out, of course, but not to let someone else take the fall for him, not at the expense of Sokka.

They are facing off, Sokka and Hakoda, in plain sight of everybody else. It is an eerily familiar sight. Of course, the broken expanse of the temple has nothing on the vast chambers of the Fire Nation palace, and their ragtag team is not the cheering mass of nobles gathered to see him burn. But the gist of it is the same. Zuko knows what a sentencing looks like.

Pushing forwards, Zuko skids to a halt between Sokka and Chief Hakoda, his arms held out in a placating gesture he knows will not be heard. His knees threaten to buckle, but he forces them to hold on a little longer, until Sokka is safely out of the way.

"Don't," he yells and immediately curses himself for his stupidity. Apologies might not make things better, but issuing orders will definitely make it worse. "Sokka's not at fault here. He's - good and we need him. I wronged you and I apologize for that. You can punish me, but I won't let you hurt him."

Silence falls, only punctuated by Zuko's heavy breathing. He keeps his head down, torn between wanting to show respect - too little, too late - and the desperate need to see the first blow coming. But it is not like he is going to dodge it, either way. It will hurt and he will take it, whether he knows when it is coming or not.

"Nobody will be punished," Katara cuts in, her voice shrill in a way he has never heard it. She steps up next to him, too close, and Zuko shifts automatically to put her behind him, too.

Breathless, he says, "I won't let you hurt her, either."

He does look up now and sees the horror on Chief Hakoda's face without comprehending it. He sees Aang wide-eyed and fearful but steady in an airbending stance as if ready to act if he needs to.

Slowly, very intentionally showing his intent in a way that only Uncle has ever done for Zuko, Chief Hakoda turns up his wrists and raises his arms, both a surrender and a promise.

"I won't hurt you, Prince Zuko. And I would never hurt my children. It does not matter what they do, the most important thing in my life is to keep them safe. I am sorry someone made you think otherwise." With that, he takes a step back, still with those same measured, glacially slow movements.

Zuko exhales. The fingertip-shaped scars on his arms burn, the left side of his face is in agony. He smells burnt flesh. He hears the crowd cheering. Yet, all of that is just a figment of his shame.

---

From that moment on, he is never alone. Aang wakes with him at sunrise to meditate with him without complaint. Sokka accompanies him to find firewood or bullies him into sparring sessions. Katara hovers when he minds the fires. Even Suki has taken to standing guard. And always, always, Toph is at his side the very moment his heart does so much as stumble. 

At first, he wants to tell them off, ask them whether they think he is weak. But then he thanks Sokka for handing him their bag of tea leaves and he replies with, "That's what friends are for," with the kind of intent focus that even Zuko understands means they are talking about more than tea.

And he is grateful, really, it is just that he has little experience with friendship. Every day now, he becomes more certain, though, that he wants to change that.

---

Chief Hakoda approaches Zuko in the middle of the day when most of the group is hanging around somewhere close. He makes sure Zuko sees him coming and sits down more than an arm's length away.

"Prince Zuko," he says, his voice open and careful, like one might speak to freshly hatched turtle-ducks to avoid spooking them. "I want to apologize."

And, because he is Zuko, he does his damnedest to make things worse by disrespecting the Chief again. "I'm not a Prince anymore."

Hakoda's lips twitch, but his expression stays otherwise calm. "Well, I don't feel like much of a Chief at the moment, either, considering I made someone under my care terrified of me."

It takes long, breathless seconds for the words to register in Zuko's brain. "I'm - that's not -" He trails off, utterly lost. Terror is familiar. Care is not. 

"I will not pretend to be sorry for being cautious, since you are a prince of the Fire Nation and, while I trust my children, it is my job to be careful." Few people ever explain their reasoning to Zuko when it is much easier to point out his faults. Yet, Hakoda looks at him, never wavering, never looking like what he is doing is unusual. "But I do apologize for ignoring that you are a child and deserving of care and consideration like everybody else in this camp."

This raises Zuko's indignation much quicker than the questionable matter of his royal status. "I'm not a child." 

Finally, some displeasure shows on the Chief's face. He still does not move. "I realize your life must be lacking in adults you can trust, but I swear to you, I will never consciously harm you, but will do my best to protect you as I will my own children."

Zuko wants to point out he has Uncle, but he probably does not, anymore, and perhaps it is time to stop disrespecting the Chief so blatantly, even if he has barely shown a sign that he even noticed. "I - I don't -" he begins and cuts himself off. He has absolutely no idea what is expected of him.

"That's all right, Zuko," the Chief says, dropping the title and instead saying Zuko's name with such warmth that Zuko is getting dizzy. "This is my promise to give. You don't need to do anything. I just hope that, in time, you will believe me." With that, he bows his head and gets up, going back to help Katara prepare lunch as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Zuko keeps sitting where he is, staring off into nothing, clasping his hands around his knees so he will not give into the urge to scratch at the scars on his arms.

"I'm proud of you, dad," Sokka calls, loud and cheerful, not a trace of fear in his voice.

"What a coincidence," Hakoda replies, a low, non-threatening rumble. "I'm proud of you, too, son. In fact, I'm proud of all of you." He looks at them, all of them, in turn, including Zuko.

And, yes, that is too much. With as much dignity as he can muster, Zuko gets to his feet, stammers something about training, and flees. For once, though, the warmth in his chest has nothing to do with shame or with fear. Maybe, he thinks, this is what it feels like to belong.

[erisenyo]

wait you're absolutely right, sokka wouldn't know how to end the relationship with bato when he realised that that's not what he wants

but obvi he's not going to communicate it either because warriors don't feel pain, this is fine

like, it would be so so horrid for bato when he finds out too that sokka doesn't want it, and hasn't for a while

whole thing would end in disaster (oh nooo, not the angst 👀)

I think Sokka would struggle to end *any* relationship, as I think about it, if he were the one ending it.

Taking a knife to the heart by pretending a breakup doesn't totally catch him by surprise and take his knees right out from under him? Promising that they can totally be just friends going forward and absolutely he understands and yeah, he was kind of feeling the distance too and you're right, this is definitely for the best? He's all about that.

But being the one to initiate a breakup? The one to be feeling the distance and lack of intimacy and lack of fulfillment and to break someone's heart by acting on it? He's internalized so many lessons about setting aside personal hurt and discomfort for the good of others, and always putting others first, and he *knows* how much it hurts to be left behind even if he could never acknowledge to himself how and why he knows it.

Bato would feel awful, but so would any of Sokka's other potential partners. And it would take that gut-punch of realizing he's hurt someone even more by trying to pretend he still wanted to be there for him to start to learn that self-sacrificing doesn't only hurt himself.

[sockfus]

bakoda but bato has been in love for hakoda for so long that when hakoda realises he also loves bato he is so angry because he has spent so long longing for someone who only just started loving him back

[chaotic-tired-bastard]

Rozin or Bakoda

And since you mentioned it once in an ask, Pakku/Iroh? >:3

BAKODA. OH MY GODS BAKODA. I L O V E THEM. MY GODS MY GODS MY GODS. I CANNOT SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM. MY SKRUNGLY TRAUMATISED DADS WHO JUST WANT TO BE GOOFY AND HAPPY BUT THE WAR PREVENTS THEM FROM DOING SO AND THEY HAVE TO FIGHT TO SURVIVE IN A DYING WORLD. OH MY GODS.

Not my thing, but those who like it are free to have fun w/ it!

[goldenavenger02]

troubled water running cold

So I kinda got confused while writing this and noticed in my rewatch of this episode that Zuko does not fall during the fight with Azula. That being said, I'm very sick and I don't care to change the plot, so...take it as a creative liberty.

And now, on with the story!

Zuko knew as soon as he had slipped during his fight atop the trolley against his sister and his left side had hit the metal roof hard that his ribs were broken.

Even if he couldn't feel anything but a mild twinge every time he inhaled as they made their way back to the Western Air Temple, he knew. He had become used to such injuries between how rough Azula was when they would fight as children and his fights against Aang and the others.

How he could never really get a full breath in without doubling over, how blood would coat his tongue and stain his teeth when he coughed if he overexerted himself, how he had to keep perfect posture when his chest was bound tightly so they healed correctly. It was practically routine at this point in his life.

Sure enough, after the joyful reunion between Katara, Sokka and Hakoda and the group made their way inside, Zuko felt the familiar spike of pain from the left side of his chest into his nerves that could only be his ribs. He couldn't stop from doubling over in the courtyard as his right hand gripped his left side and he gritted his teeth till the pain slowed with only Appa as a witness.

When the pain subsided, he stood up slowly, his right hand still against his left side; he considered going to Katara for a brief moment, but he stopped himself just as quickly. Even though he helped Sokka save Hakoda and Suki, that didn't mean that everything between him and Katara was okay, not that it should be.

He knew that he had betrayed her many times, that if he so much looked at Aang the wrong way that she was ready to kill him, and he couldn't even blame her. He knew that like always, he had to deal with this on his own because of his own mistakes.

So he removed his hand from his left side, letting it dangle loosely as he walked at a slow pace towards his room so he could mend his wounds in peace without worrying the others or worse, angering Katara.

He could hear the lively discussion coming from the main room, it sounded like Toph and Katara were poking at each other with their comments, so he knew that he wouldn't miss much and no one would be too shocked if he went to his room early. But even in the near silent hallway, a voice hit his ears that made his body stiffen and stopped him from walking instantly.

"You know, for being a crown prince, you have a very readable face."

He knew it was Hakoda even before he turned around, but the tone had been one he had been on the receiving end of from his uncle Iroh. Stern enough to get his attention, but the scolding was light enough to not send him into fight or flight mode.

"I was a pretty lousy crown prince. Sokka and Katara will tell you all about it."

"I'm sure they would, but that's not why I stopped you. Are you injured?" Before Zuko could come up with any excuse or lie to wave the man's concern away, Hakoda added, "I saw you from my window in the courtyard."

And Zuko knew that he was cornered by the man with no escape or excuse to give, so he just let out a long sigh that had the repercussion of a strong surge of agony up into his arm before asking, "you won't tell Katara, right?"

"She could heal you. Her water bending doesn't heal bones, but it would help some of those internal injuries."

"She doesn't trust me, she thinks I'm going to backstab them again and bring Aang to my father. She threatened my life if I stepped out of line."

The hallway went eerily silent except for the light wheeze from Zuko's lungs when he exhaled after he explained his reasoning and he winced as soon as he realized that he had just told Katara's father what she had said to him, but there was no taking it back now.

"Why don't you head to your room," Hakoda spoke at last, resting a soft hand on Zuko's right shoulder for a brief moment, "and I'll get some supplies, see what I can do. I may not be a healer, but I've had my share of war wounds."

Zuko knew that his other option was enlisting Katara, so he agreed and turned back to his room, his hand now resting on his ribs once again as he slowly sat down on the stone bed and forced himself to wait patiently as his chest throbbed.

He was used to cleaning and mending his own wounds. Especially after his banishment, he refused to let anyone help him with the exception of his uncle tending to his burned face in the very early days of his hunt for the Avatar. Despite how much he had changed, he couldn't shake the mindset of having to care for himself away.

Zuko was pulled out of his thoughts by Hakoda's return, looking up to see the man's face was calm and collected as he seemingly inventoried the medical supplies on the small shelf next to his bed before he finally returned the eye contact.

"Do you need help with your shirt?"

It only hit him now that he was still wearing the paper thin prison uniform, but he shook his head and pulled the orange shirt off, wincing when it brushed against his chest and again when he raised his left arm to free it before depositing it onto the floor and laying back on the stone bed.

His forehead was slick with sweat from the struggle and his chest ached painfully with every shallow breath he was able to take. Hakoda hadn't even started to prod at his ribs yet but Zuko already knew that this was a particularly bad blow that he had taken, maybe one of the worst ones at that.

Sure enough, after Hakoda maneuvered the lantern so that his injury was in the light and Zuko felt light but painful fingers grazing his side, he could swear that he heard the man mumble just under his breath, "this is not good."

But he didn't say that to his face. He worked quietly and quickly, not saying a single word as he applied a cooling salve to numb the pain before beginning to wrap his chest tightly. Zuko was okay with Hakoda being quiet as he worked. It meant that he could try his best to ignore the twinges and stare at the stone ceiling instead.

Until he had to sit up so the bandages could be wrapped around his back and that's when Hakoda spoke up, his voice sounding choked slightly, like he had been crying.

"Zuko? Have you broken your ribs before?"

"Why?"

"Your chest is nearly caved in on the left side." He told him as he finished wrapping the bandages.

"Azula played rough, my banishment played harder." Zuko spoke, keeping his voice as emotionless as possible in order to keep his tears to himself. There would be plenty of time for him to do that when Hakoda wasn't looking.

"Zuko, this could be deadly, " Hakoda stopped to stand from where he had been kneeling to tend to Zuko, "I'm going to talk to Katara."

"But-"

"I'll also get her to back down on her threats, at least while you're recovering."

And with that, the man was gone and his door was shut again, leaving the firebender alone in the silence and with his aching chest. So he did the only thing he could do. He pulled his blanket over himself, the movement making his chest ache, before he closed his eyes and forced himself into a restless sleep.

…

He couldn't have been asleep for that long when he felt the blanket being slowly tugged down, followed by the removal of the bandages which were slowly pulled off of his skin so they didn't pull too hard on any of his skin.

"You're right, dad," Katara's voice was unmistakably hers as the familiar sloshing sound of her water bending hit his ears, "this is really bad."

"I know it's a lot, and that you don't trust him, but I don't think it will benefit either side if he dies. He is wanted by the Fire Lord after all and I don't think he'll welcome back his son with open arms."

Zuko cringed at the mention of his father as the sloshing continued, but kept it internal. It was probably for the best if they assumed that he was asleep.

"I don't trust him. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to heal him, especially because he's helping Aang and helped Sokka bring you and Suki back to us."

"Good girl," Hakoda's voice was soft and gentle, "but I think that you should start looking inward as well for a way to forgive Zuko."

"How can I when he tried to kill us? When he tried to kidnap Aang? How can I forgive someone who has betrayed me before?"

"By letting yourself accept what has happened and accept that he is not the same person that he was a year ago. None of us are."

Katara didn't speak again after Hakoda's words. Instead, she bent the water into Zuko's chest and slowly started to heal the years of internal injuries he had received from fighting them and training against Azula.

The tugs and pulls of the cold water, no matter how gentle, made his ribs twinge painfully but he managed to keep his eyes closed, even if that meant that he was biting the inside of his cheek at the same time. He didn't know whether it was the healing itself or the cold water that hurt more.

He had nearly lost consciousness a few times when the cold hit a particularly sensitive area, but he managed to cling tightly to being awake until finally, the water subsided with another slosh and for the first time in a long time, he could breathe just a little bit clearer then when he had broken his ribs in the past.

He stayed limp in Katara's arms as Hakoda wrapped fresh bandages around his chest, his face planted firmly against her shoulder. Even though she hadn't been with the water tribe in a long time, her hair still smelled like sea water; he hoped that he didn't smell like burning garbage.

Before he could ponder on the smell any longer, he was slowly lowered back down where he had been laying and felt an extra pillow propping him up as Katara's footsteps stormed away.

But Hakoda stayed to lay the blanket over his body and to push his sweaty hair off of his forehead before leaving the room and letting the door shut behind him with a soft click.

Zuko couldn't be more grateful as to where he had ended up.

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

ID: greyscale digital art of hakoda hugging a crying child katara to his chest. end ID.

Hakoda remembers running to his home as The Southern Raiders began to fall back. He runs with Katara, having heard from his daughter that there was a soldier in his house.

It wasn't just his own eyes that the image of Kya's burned form were seared into; he had to wade through the shock and horror much too fast for the sake of Katara, whose screams pierced through the tribe; he had to get her (and Sokka) to someone he trusted as tears flowed, as his heart broke; as his tribe brothers both held him up and urged him to stop and mourn.

The Fire Nation hadn't just taken a beloved wife and mother - they'd destroyed a family's memory of her visage, and had permanently scarred his daughter's mind with it, as disfiguring as any physical burn. For countless nights following Kya's death, Hakoda would find himself exhausted as he cradles a weeping Katara after a nightmare; but what is he going to do? He's just as scarred as his little girl.

[witchering10123]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar) Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Katara (Avatar) Additional Tags: Panic Attacks, y'all i did my research, i read so many fics in the panic attacks tag, before i even attempted this, You're Welcome, Good Parent Hakoda (Avatar), Hurt Hakoda (Avatar), Hurt Sokka (Avatar), Sokka Needs a Hug (Avatar), and sokka gets one, Hakoda Cuddles (Avatar), Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied/Referenced Character Death, they've gone through so much, and it's only day eight, poor things, Day Eight: Panic Attacks (Whumptober 2023), Whumptober 2023 Series: Part 8 of a witchering's whumptober 2023 Summary:

Sokka shakes once more, but his Dad doesn’t even groan in his sleep and something’s wrong, something’s seriously wrong because this shouldn’t be happening right now, Dad needs to be ok and awake and well because… ‘cause there’s dinner! Here! And - and it’ll go cold, so he needs to wake up! …Why isn’t he waking up?

-----

They're all a little unsteady on their feet in the aftermath. Funny how it just takes his Dad drowning to death and his lack of CPR knowledge to bring all of Sokka's fears to a head.

Day Eight: Panic Attacks - can be read as a standalone (but like Day Seven, you'll probably want to read Days Six and Seven before this one)

[sokkastyles]

Many people have already discussed the way Zuko and Katara are linked by the loss of their mothers. I and others have also meta'd about the differences in how they interact with their fathers, a comparison the show highlights in "The Awakening," where Zuko faces his father for the first time in years and is forced to repress his emotions, vs Katara being allowed to express her hurt towards her father and being treated with kindness and compassion by Hakoda. But another comparison between Ozai and Hakoda that I have not seen anyone bring up before is this one:

Both Zuko and Katara running to their dads for help upon discovering that something has happened to their mothers. Hakoda immediately stops what he's doing to let Katara take him to Kya, while Ozai does not even acknowledge Zuko. Zuko's angry "where is she?" to Ozai also implies that he knows his father is the cause of her disappearance. There's also an emphasis on the fact that Hakoda is defending the village when Katara comes to him whereas Zuko finds Ozai tending to his own wounds and refusing to acknowledge what his children might be feeling.

The father as protector of the family vs the father who divides the family.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Can you give examples of Aang showing Empathy? Oh wait, you can't.

Actually, I can - because unlike you, I base my opinion of the characters on the actual stuff that happened in the story, not the bad faith takes dumb people on the internet come up with.

Zuko literally only survived past book 1 because Aang was the ONLY person amongst the heroes that gave a single fuck about his well-being. Aang offered to be FRIENDS with him as early as episode 13, even though this dude is trying to kidnap him.

In the first damn episode we see him realize and try to remedy Katara's struggle with no longer being able to act like a kid and have fun. He wants to travel with her so SHE gets to learn waterbending. He willingly lets Zuko take him into his ship because he understood that a conflict could lead to the people of the water tribe getting hurt or killed.

In Warriors of Kyoshi he apologizes to Katara for letting all the praise and admiration go to this head. He makes sure to put out the fires Zuko and his crew started in Suki's village.

He tries to help remedy the Hei-Bai situation, even though he is unsure of himself and even scared, because he knows he is the only one that has any chance of helping - and the thing that allows him to connect with Hei-Bai is the fact that he is ALSO upset about the destruction the Fire Nation has caused AND hopeful that the world would eventually heal.

He thinks Jet is awesome because he wants to help people that are being oppressed by the Fire Nation - and then is horrified when he finds out his intension is to "free" them by killing everyone

He wants to help the two rival groups not only safely cross the Great Divide, but also stop hating each other.

He confesses that he hid the map to Hakoda because Bato, Katara and Sokka are showing how much they appreciate and trust him and he feels unworthy of it after what he did because he knows it'd hurt him if the roles were reversed.

He is so devastated by the fact that he ACCIDENTALLY hurt Katara that he swears to never firebend again. He is also able to recognize the same principle behind his mistake in Zhao's fighting style, allowing him to win the battle against the bastard.

He accepts the fact that the Northern Air Temple is now occupied by people who not only don't belong to his culture but also don't understand it and unknowingly destroyed something sacred to him (and that one of them had been forced to make weapons for the Fire Nation) because these people have nowhere else to go and he doesn't want them to suffer.

He is furious at Pakku for refusing to teach Katara waterbending, because he knows how much it'd mean to her and how unfair it is that she can't learn it just because of her gender.

He is so devastated by the death of the Moon Spirit that the Ocean Spirit latches onto him to avenge it and save the day - and the leve of destruction it causes haunts Aang, even though the violence was against his enemies. And still, he tries to go into the Avatar state again because people are dying and he can't accept that.

After the fall of Omashu, he wants to rescue Bumi, not because he needs a teacher, but because they're friends.

He felt empathy for Toph when she was explaining to her parents how lonely and unappriacted their over-protection made her feel.

He and Katara both feel bad for snapping at Toph during "The Chase" and wanted to apologize for not understanding that being part of a group was a radical change to her, even though she had refused to even try. He also didn't have a problem with fighting alongside Zuko and Iroh against Azula, AND he looked concerned when Iroh was injured.

After Katara comments on the fact he called Toph Sifu but not her, he calls her Sifu while bowing, to show that he respects her both as his master and friend.

The hopelessness and downright depression he was feeling after Appa was stolen only starts healing because he saw a couple being happy with their newborn baby - the same couple he decided to help cross the Serpent's Pass, even though he and his friends had just been allowed to take a much safer route to Ba Sing Se.

His understanding and sympathy towards Jet, even after everything the guy did, was so strong that it freed him from literal brainwashing.

He doesn't want to push his love for Katara aside to gain power because he cares about her too much - and then does it anyway because, even though not making her his main focus 24/7 offers the risk of her being hurt, him neglecting his mission guarantees she'll get hurt.

He is devastated to learn that the world thinks he is dead because he knows he was everyone's last hope - and yet in the end he still accepts the burden of failure because he understood that, at that moment, everyone would be safer if no one else knew he was still alive.

He goes to a Fire Nation school and bonds with the kids, wanting to give them a taste of freedom and joy, as well as trying to understand what the war is like from their perspective. The same episode also has him pull Katara for a dance because he noticed she was feeling left out.

The boy felt empathy for, and understood the mistakes of, both Ruko and Sozin. SOZIN. Aang could see the humanity in the monster that is responsible for him losing his entire culture and everyone he loved.

When Zuko spoke about wanting to control his impulses so he wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone, Aang explicitly connected with that struggle and saw them being teacher and student as fate, and Zuko agreed because that's how deep their connection was.

Aang is not happy about Katara wanting to murder a man, but he still lets her take Appa on her mission and is not disapproving when she ultimately spares the guy but does not forgive him and makes it clear she never will.

He feels empathy for freaking Ozai, to the point that refuses to kill the guy - even as he has the balls to say that Aang's family, his people, deserved to die. He spared that guy - but only after he had a way to do that without it meaning the death of more innocents. Aang, the pacifist, was going to turn his back on everything he believed in just to avoid more human suffering.

So yeah, miss me with your bullshit and don't come back until your brain is developed enough to understand a cartoon aimed at kindergarterners.

[bluespiritshonour]

Water Siblings and Fire Siblings as Foils

Katara and Sokka are peak sibling rep: they bicker, they hurt each other, they take turns being the voice of reason while the other goes batshit crazy—and they'd die for each other.

And very clearly Sokka's daddy's boy and Katara's momma's girl: and for most parts, they seem to be content with that dynamic.

Look, parents have favourites, let's establish that first: don't come at me for it.

But in a healthy environment, where all of the kids’ emotional needs are met irrespective of which kid gets along with which parent, they're less likely to tear themselves apart yearning for parental affection.

Sokka and Katara's family was a normal one, a healthy one—as healthy as one can be in a war ravaged world—and Sokka and Katara are normal siblings. Even after their mother died Katara doesn't seem to care much that Sokka gets more time with their father. And everytime she brings up their mother Sokka gets this weird look on his face, which, I think is later explained by the fact that he feels guilty that he doesn't even remember what their mother looked like. And it's not because Katara seems to know more about their mother despite being younger.

Neither of them grudge the other for having been close to one of the parents—let's call it ‘being close to’ instead of ‘dad/mum loved you/me more’ because that's what would come up with Azula and Zuko.

One can say that Azula's daddy's girl and Zuko's momma's boy... Except it isn't like that.

Azula wasn't loved by her father; neither was she close to him. If anything she had the illusion that she's close to him. But children can sense when they aren't loved, which can explain why she took her mother being close to Zuko so hard. Because she didn't get that from her father and isn't she supposed to be daddy's girl? But dad's good to her; mum... isn't. Dad lets her do what she wants... As long as she obeys him or she'd end up like Zuko.

For Ozai, both his children are pawns. He uses Azula to abuse Zuko, which in turn is to get at Ursa. And honestly, Ursa was a bad mum and an abuse victim and not the villain are takes that can co-exist.

A lot of mums in primarily patriarchal cultures end up abusing their own kids while trying to protect them in an environment where they themselves hold little power.

Ursa and Hakoda can be compared in this.

Katara haters can look away: she isn't whiny. And even if she is, well, she takes responsibility when no one else does so I guess she deserves to complain if that's what it takes. Katara is extremely mature. When she was mad at Hakoda, she still had the critical thinking skills to point out that yes, she understands why he left. He had to! She doesn't blame him for that, it wasn't his fault that there was war going on—but it still hurt!

And what does Hakoda do? He hugs her and apologises. He doesn't defend himself, because he doesn't need to. She understands! She said she does and he doesn't insult her by making excuses. He acknowledges and validates her pain.

Unlike Katara, who grew up in a healthy family with parents and grandparents and a whole community—Azula was isolated and under the influence of Ozai. And she was so young! If you remember being that young, you'd remember thinking that parents are always right. You don't realise that parents make mistakes too—and while her emotional needs weren't being met by Ozai, she turned to Ursa—but Ursa was at her wits end trying to undo the damage of Ozai's abuse on Zuko.

If she had given attention to Azula, Zuko, who thought that Azula was perfect and already had father's approval would have gone off rails—and since she didn't... Azula went off the rails.

Which was exactly how Ozai would want it. I don't like the comics much but it made sense that Ozai would hold both the children as bargaining chips against Ursa. Ursa made her choice, or rather, the illusion of her choice and Azula had to pay for it: the real reason Zuko could turn over a new page while Azula couldn't was because from the very beginning, Zuko had his mum and uncle.

Azula had no one!

Like Hakoda had to go to war and leave his children behind, Ursa had to choose between Azula or Zuko; Ozai orchestrated it as such.

But while there were people to pick up Hakoda's slack, there was no one to guide Azula. Sokka and Katara raised each other and they had Gran Gran.

Zuko and Azula were constantly pitted against each other by a war-mongering father.

I don't like this unrealistic expectations that fandom has of a family where both the siblings not only love each other equally, they also process emotions similarly (see: the Sokka vs Katara debate on how they both react to trauma) and parents who love all the kids equally.

Katara and Sokka are normal and realistic in the way that they are both different people: they process grief differently. Katara takes up responsibly and grows up too fast, it takes a toll on her and she's vocally expressive. She turns her grief into anger. Meanwhile Sokka internalises it in a survivor's guilt kind of way.

There's also gender involved in the way both pair of siblings interact. It's more subtle for the fire siblings than the water sibling. Plus, Suki makes Sokka drink his respect women juice, please y'all don't call Sokka sexist. That was character development for him which was addressed. I could make another post for gender and A:TLA.

And they both love each other dearly and they're okay with the fact that one is daddy's boy and the other is momma's girl. It's okay.

In contrast Zuko yearns for his father's affection and Azula yearns for her mother's. And while Zuko feels inadequate, for Azula it's “behave or you'll end up like your brother.”

She also learns to derive a sick sort of pleasure from watching Zuko suffer—which is entirely her father's doing. Because in rare moments when she doesn't have anything to gain by getting Zuko into trouble...she actually kind of looks out for him. It's extremely rare and sprinkled here and there to show us the Azula that could have been.

And I don't think Zuko really realised that Azula was abused too—not until he lets go of his father. Until the final Agni Kai. What I love about it is that despite portraying Azula as Zuko's tormentor for 3 seasons (and she was his tormentor) they did not frame the Agni Kai as some epic good vs evil shit.

Because from Zuko's point of view Azula was perfect. He's out here vying for his father's affection while she gets it freely. She's so lucky!—until he lets go of his father and realises what a monster he was... And he also realises that father never really loved Azula either...

They didn't say as much in words. But the final Agni Kai is proof enough. Zuko doesn't rejoice bringing Azula down (technically Katara did it). At this point, I guess, he realises that Azula's a kid too. Even younger than him—that their father couldn't care less about either of them.

Okay. I really do think that Zuko suddenly becoming invested in Azula's redemption would make sense after the Agni Kai. I also read this Twitter thread by Aaron Ehasz where he says he had plans for Azula's redemption and it was fantastic.

So yeah. Without being overt, the water siblings and fire siblings are contrasted by each other. Which is why I don't like the comics trying to do this brother-sister thing where they put Sokka and Katara and Zuko and Azula in back-to-back panels like... Even if I'm a huge supporter of Azula-deserves-redemption I didn't like those panels in the comics.

P.S. don't pit Sokka and Katara against each other. You aren't Ozai. They're different people who process trauma and loss differently and hence, react differently.

Adios.

[rifari2037]

16. Do you think Zuko and Katara developed feelings for each other in canon or post-canon?

I think, Zutara developed feelings for each other in both canon and post-canon.

If talk about development feelings in general and not specifically about romantic feelings, I can say that their development feelings had been there since the beginning of the season.

When they first met, neither of them cared about each other's existence. Zuko didn't see Katara as a threat, while Katara only saw Zuko as someone from the Fire Nation. They were enemies, nothing more than that.

After they met a few times, Zuko's impression of Katara changed from an unimportant girl and terrible waterbender, to an enemy that couldn't be underestimated.

It's a development of the relationship.

Then, their conversation in the Crystal Catacomb became a significant development in their relationship.

Their feelings develop from enemies, to someone who can understand each other because they have the same experience, which is losing their mother.

Katara trusted Zuko enough to give him something she was saving for a very important situation. Meanwhile Zuko trusted Katara enough to let her touch his scar.

Katara's expression towards Zuko conveys different meanings, in the first scene she looked annoyed and in the second scene she looked hurt. It showed that after Zuko betrayed her, Katara's feelings for Zuko grew from hatred for an enemy to hatred for being betrayed.

No one would hurt when betrayed by an enemy, unless they already trusted their enemy on different level.

Their relationship development changed drastically after Katara forgave Zuko. Their feelings for each other changed from enemies to friends. And they became yin and yang, opposites but complementing and trusting each other.

When it comes to developing feelings romantically, I feel like the spark was there since their journey in Southern Raider. Moreover, I always had a headcanon that Zuko and Katara had a really deep moment together, until Zuko picked up the rest of the Gaang to Ember Island.

The spark was still so small, they could still deny it.

The spark grew bigger when they saved each other's lives when facing Azula. This moment makes a lot more sense if they were the ones kissing in the final scene.

Or if you follow the canon storyline, then their feelings would develop in post-canon, when they finally realised that their 'canon' partner wasn't a bad person, but not right for them. They could no longer deny their feelings for each other and end up together.

17. How do you think Iroh and Hakoda would react to Zutara?

Iroh and Hakoda are wise men, I feel like they wouldn't have a problem with Zuko and Katara's relationship.

First, Hakoda. He initially had a bad assumption of the Fire Nation royal family until Sokka said that Zuko could be trusted. And Zuko proved it by reuniting him with his daughter.

Not only that, Hakoda must saw when Zuko saved Katara from the rocks. Hakoda certainly could trust his daughter's safety to Zuko no matter what the stakes. And that was proven when he gave up his life to save Katara from Azula's lightning.

If they were together, Hakoda clearly had no worries about his daughter.

In post-canon, Katara couldn't deny her feelings for Zuko but she was hesitant. She thought about her mother who died because of the Fire Nation, how she ends up in a relationship with the Fire Lord?

Hakoda would convince Katara that Fire Lord Zuko wasn't the one who killed her mother, instead he was the one who brought her to her mother killer. And her mother wouldn't be happy to see her daughter kill her own heart because of her, after she sacrificed her life to keep her daughter alive.

Then Iroh. He knew his nephew very well, especially his stubborn nature. Iroh is wise and always sees things from a different perspective, he must felt that Katara was a good influence on Zuko. But still, I'm sure he was surprised when Zuko, without any hesitation, asked Katara to accompany him to facing Azula, rather than insisting on fighting her alone.

If they were together, Iroh must be sure they would complement each other, because he knew there was bond between them since Zuko took the lightening to save her.

In post-canon, Zuko couldn't deny his feelings for Katara but he was hesitant. As a Fire Lord, he was afraid that his people would not accept someone from the water tribe to become First Lady. Moreover, this had never happened before in the history of the Fire Nation royal family.

Iroh will convince Zuko that he has made history by declaring the end of the 100-year war, he as Fire Lord can also make history by marrying someone from the Water Tribe. Their marriage will be a symbol of peace between the Fire Nation and the other nations. Also, Zuko has a lot of responsibilities and Katara could help him to lead their people.

18. How do you think the Gaang would react to Zutara?

When Zuko and Katara surprised the Gaang that they were dating, no one shocked, except for Aang.

They were like, "I knew this day would come."

Zuko and Katara didn't realised that their love on each other was very obvious. The rest of the Gaang knew it from the start, but kept it quiet and gave them a chance to develop their own relationship.

I guess, the Gaang started to get suspicious at this point. They didn't know what their problems, but it seemed very personal.

Imagine after that, Zuko went to Sokka and talked about his sister. Since Zuko interrupted his date with Suki, Sokka must've told her and Suki started to wonder, "Is there something between them?"

After a little field trip with Zuko, they seemed to be very close, but they denied it. But, the more they denied it, the more it became clear there was something between them.

It was weird that during the performance of Ember Island Players, the Gaang always commented on various occasions, but they didn't comment or shocked during Zuko and Katara scene in the Crystal Catacomb.

I mean, the show did exaggerate the facts, but it was still based on reality. No one really knows what was going on between them and the scenes on stage were supposed to be controversial.

I was expecting a comment, maybe from Sokka as her brother, like, "Hey, you guys weren't really flirting, were you?" But no, Suki smiled instead and Sokka looked like it wasn't a surprise.

They denied it again when June teased that they were dating. Did the Gaang notice? Of course!

They held hands before, then they slept back to back, then Katara comforted Zuko before meeting his uncle, then Zuko asked Katara without hesitation to face Azula. And Gaang was there to notice all of that.

As I said before, all of the Gaang members are aware that there is something between Zuko and Katara, except Aang.

It wasn't like Aang didn't realise that, he just denied it because his attraction to Katara. He was still saw her as his 'forever girl'. But later, after Aang matured, he finally realised that his duty as the Avatar was far more important than his crush on Katara. The only way to open his chakra was to let Katara go and he did that.

Aang finally accepted the relationship between Zuko and Katara.

[melzula]

Heyaa, when the requests are open can you maybe do a princess x Zuko where the princess is always clinging to Zuko when she's cold? Just a random thought that came into my mind since Zuko is a firebender hehe :)

pairing: zuko x princess!reader

a/n: this is technically part of the fire lilies series but can also be read as a solo piece independently

summary: princess and zuko go penguin sledding

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

The rush of cold wind against your cheeks is exhilarating as you glide down the snow covered hills. Your delighted laughter carries through the air and brings a smile to Zuko’s face as you enjoy a day penguin sledding out in the palace courtyards.

Being kidnapped by Gilak and having your life threatened once again had been a traumatic experience for both you and your boyfriend, so Hakoda and your mother had advised you take a much needed day off for yourself. He could handle the work of drafting plans for an eco friendly oil rig and the foreign embassies while Pakku and Katara took on the school for the time being. Though you were hesitant to take a day off knowing there was so much to be done, Zuko had been the one to finally convince you that you desperately needed a break.

Today would be his last day in the South before he had to return home, and so you figured the best way to spend your time together would be with a trip through memory lane. You hadn’t been penguin sledding together since you were kids, so it seemed like a good idea to both of you to revisit your favorite pastime from when you were children.

You slow to a stop as you reach the end of the hill and land onto the plush snow below you with a laugh. The chill of the ice sends shivers down your spine but you choose to ignore it. All the back and forth traveling you’ve been doing hasn’t allowed your body the chance to acclimate to the weather of your home yet, but you try not to let it bother you.

“Having fun?” Zuko asks with a laugh as he helps you up off the snow. You immediately cling to his figure in an attempt to steal some of his heat, prompting the Fire Lord to raise a brow as he wraps his arms around your frame. “You’re not getting cold, are you?”

“Of course not,” you scoff indignantly, though your subtle trembling says otherwise.

“Maybe we should head inside-“

“No!” You immediately cry out in protest before he can finish his sentence. “We’ve hardly just begun the day. Don’t you want to keep penguin sledding?”

“Of course I do,” he assures you with a comforting kunik, “but I worry the cold might be too much for you.

“Too much?! I’m Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, I don’t get cold.”

“Alright,” Zuko relents with a chuckle at your adamant rebuttal. For a water bender you’re surprisingly stubborn, but he loves your headstrong nature more than anything. “Let’s keep sledding.”

Your face lights up with glee when he finally relents and allows you to carefully pick up your penguin and carry him back up the hill while showering the creature with praises and pets. He’d forgotten just how much you enjoyed the activity, and it was nice to see that same smile from your childhood again. It had been years since you both went sledding, since you both were just two kids unaware of what the future held in store for you, since you both were free of fear and responsibility and hurt. The war had taken a lot from you, forced you both to grow up too fast, so he was grateful for the fact that you both could just be kids again, even if only for a day.

“Y/n,” Zuko calls as the sun begins to set and the day begins to end, “I think it’s time we head inside for dinner. Your mother said she was making five-flavor soup for us.”

“Just one more time down the hill?” You plead with your best pout, though you know it doesn’t take much to convince Zuko to give in to your requests.

“Alright, but that’s it,” he tells you with a chuckle before following you up the hill. The courtyard lanterns begin to glow beautifully below as the moon starts to overtake the sky, and you exchange playful smiles with one another before beginning your decent down the snow.

Zuko’s hair blows wildly away from his face, his grin the biggest you’ve ever seen it, and you’re so caught up in admiring him that you don’t even notice the large pile of snow you’re about to crash into.

“Princess, look out!” Zuko tries to warn you, but it’s too late. You can do nothing but pull the penguin to your chest and shield it from the impact as you collide into the snowy mound. The Fire Lord winces on your behalf before quickly rushing to your aid. The otter penguin emerges after a moment and shakes the snow off its body before waddling away, but you fail to do the same. Zuko has to dig through the slush to pull you out, and as he lifts you up and into his arms he’s able to feel just how cold to the touch you are.

“Th-Thhere’s s-snow e-every-wh-where,” you complain through chattering teeth as you wrap your arms as tightly around his neck as possible in a desperate attempt to feel his warmth.

“Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death,” he comforts while carrying your trembling figure back inside the palace. If not for Zuko’s body heat, you’d surely already be feeling the effects of hypothermia taking place.

Thankfully, your boyfriend is able to swiftly make it back inside the palace and carry you through the halls towards your room. The heat of Zuko’s embrace melts the ice inside your clothes, but the dampness only seems to worsen the feeling of cold. You shiver incessantly, and he can only look on guiltily as he tries his best to ease your discomfort.

Finally, he swings the door to your bedroom open and carefully sets you back on your feet before helping you remove your heavy coat. He sets the wet material aside to dry before coming up to your trembling figure and rubbing his hands up and down your arms in an attempt to spread heat across your limbs.

“I’ll go find your mother and tell her what happened. You stay here and get out of those clothes before you catch a cold,” he advises you with a meek smile, a red blush tinting his cheeks when he realizes he probably should have phrased his sentence more delicately. Zuko presses a tender kiss to your forehead before leaving to give you your privacy and shutting the door behind him.

Your skin feels like ice as you peel off the rest of your ensemble as quickly as you can. You were so used to beach days at Ember Island and swims in the lakes with your friends that you’d forgotten just how cold the water could be. Considering you grew up in the South, you’re a tad embarrassed to know how easily it gets to you now. You’d been away for so long, and even when you returned home you still found yourself venturing out often, so a part of you wondered if maybe you’d never fully readjust to the climate.

“Y/n?” A voice calls from the other side of the door followed by a gentle knock. “Zuko sent me to check on you. I have the warmest blanket I could find. May I come in?”

“Just a second, Mom,” you reply as you scramble to throw on a fresh set out of clothes and make yourself decent for visitors. After slipping into the warmest dress you can find, you open the door and allow her into your room.

“Someone got a little carried away penguin sledding, I hear,” she says with a teasing smile before draping the blanket around your shoulders. “You’re like ice! Thank spirits Zuko has that natural fire bending warmth to him or you might have frozen out there!”

“Yeah,” you murmur in agreement with a dejected frown, one that your mother notices right away.

“My little koala otter, what’s the matter?”

“I’m just a little embarrassed, I guess,” you admit with a sheepish laugh. “I thought I’d gotten over my aversion to the cold.”

“I think anyone who managed to get snow in their clothes would be cold,” she notes with a faint smile before pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I’m just happy to see you having fun again. You had to grow up very fast, something your father and I should have worked harder to prevent, so it’s nice to hear your laugh again and see you sledding like you did as a little girl.”

You smile at her words before pulling her into a tight hug, hoping the action conveys all your appreciation for her. Zuko walks in then with a tray of steaming five-flavor soup and tea in the hopes it will return some of your warmth to you.

“I’ll let you both enjoy your dinner alone,” she says after removing herself from your embrace. Exiting the room, she pauses to give Zuko’s arm a light squeeze. “Make sure she stays warm.”

“Yes, Kira,” he replies with a nod before returning his attention to you. “Let’s get you settled in.”

Setting the tray aside, Zuko escorts you back to bed and tucks the blanket around your figure as best as he can with you sitting up. Once you’re comfortable, he presses a tender kiss to your forehead before handing you the cup of tea. It’s the same cup from the set Iroh had gifted you some time ago, and the sight of it brings a faint smile to your face as you take in the smell of jasmine.

“You’re already starting to feel warmer,” Zuko notes pleasantly before trading your cup for the bowl of soup. “I should have warned you about that pile of snow sooner.”

“It’s okay, I don’t regret a thing. I had so much fun today, the most I’ve had in a while. I wish you didn’t have to leave tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry,” Zuko assures you as he uses his bending to reheat your tea before it can grow cold, “the day will come where we’ll never have to be apart ever again.”

“I can’t wait,” you confess with a smile only for it to fall at the sudden sneeze that leaves you.

“I think you might be catching a cold, my love,” Zuko notes with a frown.

“Will you stay and keep me warm?” You ask with a pleading look, one that makes it impossible for him to deny your request. How could he say no to your sweet face?

Climbing into bed with you, Zuko envelops himself around your figure and allows you to steal his warmth. He’ll never get tired of being your personal heater, and he’d be happy to spend the rest of his days like this.

You’ll never reacclimatize to the cold, because no matter where you go, Zuko will always be there to bring warmth to your life.

| zuko tags: @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @taeeemin @livelaughlovekuni @lovialy @alexatiu @aerikim246 @heartfully10 @creationcitystreet-em

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