#ninas 1k event

[dailyhotdgifs]

DAILYHOTDGIFS 1K EVENT: GET TO KNOW THE MEMBERS

FAVORITE CHARACTER PER MEMBER: AEMOND TARGARYEN by Bea @nina-zcnik

[mochinomnoms]

francesca (1K Follower Special Event)

art: “hold me, dear” by raiain

“Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I” — Hozier, Francesca from “Unreal Unearth” Their love for you is so overwhelming, so profuse, their hunger for love is worse than their hunger for food, water, or sleep. They yearn for you and your affections, like a baby yearns for the embrace of their parents. From the gods above, to the demons below, there is no where that can house or comprehend the love you share with them. spotify playlist

A song fic event to celebrate over 1,000 followers!

Requests are closed

Rules

Anyone can use this event and prompts on their own blog! Tag me in so I can read all your stories!

This event will be for TWST on my end, others are free to use for whatever they'd like!

All request will be up to 500 words, with a max of 3 characters per request

Chose one prompt for each request with one song (randomly selected line will be used for the request), and indicate if you want romantic or platonic. You can also indicate if you want fluff, hurt/comfort, suggestive, nsfw etc.

Reader will default to gender-neutral unless asked otherwise

Dialogue Prompts (@mcflymemes: 1/2/3)

“It's funny. Sometimes I think I've already fallen in love with you as much as possible… and then we share a night like this.”

“I'm falling more and more in love with you every day.”

“Do you feel connected to me when we're together like that?”

“You made a few sounds I've never heard before.”

“Can I get you anything? Do you need me to do anything?”

“Touch me like that again.”

“You look so good like this.”

“Tell me when I can move.”

“It's like your body was built for mine.”

“You like that, don't you.”

“You don't know what that does to me.”

“Kiss me again, and don't stop this time.”

“I can't bear the thought of living without you.”

“You complete me.”

“I want all of you. Every piece of you.”

“I won't lose you again.”

“You're the most important person I have ever known.”

“The universe gave you to me.”

“Can I kiss you again? I promise I won't get carried away.”

“Where you go, I follow.”

Song Selection

Hozier, “Unreal Unearth”; “Wasteland, Baby!”; “Nina Cried Power — EP”

De Selby (Part 1)

De Selby (Part 2)

Francesca

Eat Your Young

First Light

Movement

Talk

Be

Sunlight

NFWMB

Moment's Silence (Common Tongue)

Rio Romero, “Good God!”

Inarticulation

Nothing's New

Twice

Eyedress, “Let's Skip to the Wedding”

Romantic Lover

Jealous

Kiss Me Like It's the First Time

Ricky Montgomery, “Montgomery Ricky”

Line Without a Hook

My Heart Is Buried in Venice

Mr. Loverman

Kali Uchis, “Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)”

la luna enamorada

telepatía

Misc. Artists

See You Again (Tyler, The Creator, “Flower Boy”)

Me Gustas Tu (Manu Chao, “Próxima Estación: Esperanza”)

Die For You (The Weeknd, “Starboy”)

🎶 francesca masterlist 🎶

“It ain’t workin’ ‘cause you’re perfect”: jamil viper x gn!reader — #19

“And flew like a moth to you, sunlight, oh, sunlight”: azul ashengrotto x gn!reader — #15

“Be like the love that discovered the sin”; “And I'd be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice”; “If I could hold you for a minute/I'd go through it again”: jade leech, trey clover, ace trappola (separate) x gn!reader — #16

“Y al contemplarla en su mirada”: azul ashengrotto x gn!reader — #4

“I always want your love”: ruggie bucchi x gn!reader — #19

“Oh, was it something I said to make you feel like you're a burden”; “All my emotions feel like explosions when you are around”: leona kingscholar, azul ashengrotto (separate) x gn!reader — #15 [PENDING]

“Si te tuviera de frente, la mente te la volaría”; “You know that I can see right through you”: deuce spade, lilia vanrouge (separate) x gn!reader — #9 [QUEUED]

“'Cause we've found ourselves in quite a situation”: silver x gn!reader — #9

“The sky set to burst, the gold and the rust”; “But after this, I'm never gonna be the same”: jade leech, floyd leech (separate) x gn!reader — #3

“It's got nothing to do with us”: divus crewel x gn!reader — #16

“One look is all it takes”: floyd leech x afab gn!reader — #15

“I'm not always right”; “It's gonna happen sometimes”; “I don't think of giving up”: azul ashengrotto, riddle rosehearts, kalim al-asim (separate) x f!reader — #14

“You know I'm just a flight away”: floyd leech x gn!reader — #7

“I can hear your thoughts like a melody”: kalim al-asim x gn!reader — #19

“I wish I could fall in love with you again”; “I know I can fall in love”; “I can only hope that’s what you are craving too”: jack howl, sebek zigvolt, silver (separate) x gn!reader — #19

“Que se podría hacer el amor por telepatía”: jade leech x gn!reader — #4

“And are you pretty or handsome? My words are on ransom”; “With you by my side is where I wanna stand”: trey clover, ruggie bucchi (separate) x gn!reader — #11

“Honey, I'm put in awe of somethin' so flawed and free”: silver x gn!reader — #15

“La venganza es dulce, ¿sabes? (Dulce, dulce, dulce, dulce, dulce)”: ace trappola, deuce space (poly) x gn!reader — #1

“I am just a line without a—”; “And if I've lost my charm / Apologies due, no harm”; “Forgive me, I'm not naïve”: floyd leech, azul ashengrotto, jade leech (separate) x gn!reader — #19 & #16

“Me gusta volver, me gustas tú”: jack howl x gn!reader — #13

“Nothing fucks with my baby”; “I'd wanna be felled by you”: leona kingscholar, vil schoenheit (separate) x gn!reader — #16

“And I've found hope in a heart attack”: jack howl x gn!reader — #13

Bonus:

“Heaven is not fit to hold a love like you and I”: ace trappola, deuce spade (poly) x gn!reader — #1

“¿Qué horas son, mi corazón?”: grim (platonic) x gn!reader — #20

[usmsgutterson]

okay! It’s that time of the year again! My account anniversary has technically already passed--it was technically two years last month I but didn’t actively start posting until the 27th of this month in 2021, so we’re celebrating in april--and both not passed yet, but I was like “two birds get to eat one scone” so we’re celebrating three weeks early. 

Anyway!! Characters to whom this event applies are the same as normal with a new addition or two: we’ve got Alina, Mal, Zoya, and Nikolai from Shadow and Bone, Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper and Wylan from Six of Crows, Pin Hawthorne from Free Rein because I miss him, Joel Miller from the Last of Us, and because I haven’t written for them in a while and I cannot run two accounts at once for the life of me, Jayce and Viktor from Arcane!

The event, as per usual, is below the cut, and all I ask with this event is that, if you don’t want the reader to be gender neutral--as is my default because I typically write in second person--please let me know!

CONCERT LINEUP

BOYGENIUS

I’ll give everything I’ve got, please take what I can give- blurbs! Fluffy blurbs, to be specific! I’m putting a cap on these at 800 words and I’ll take just about anything, so long as its fluffy!

in another life, we were arsonists- word prompts! Send me any word--it can be the most basic word you’ve ever seen or something specific!--and I’ll write a fic using that word as the inspo

You could absolutely break my heart, that’s how I know that we’re in love- relationship angst! I’ll write nearly anything for this, even if it breaks my heart, makes me rethink life entirely, and ends up being a lot longer than I meant for it to be, any relationship angst is game, the goal here is to sob.

always an angel, never a god- angst prompts! The link for the prompt list is here, and you can send in as many prompts in combination with each other as you want!

NOVO AMOR

so, it’s probably nothing, but it’s been on my mind sometime and I can’t let it go- hug prompts! The link for those is here, and again, you can send in as many combinations as you want!

a dose, a moment to live in- small moments! Give me moments of time that can seem insignificant but are actually very significant to you and I’ll write a fic!

I can’t seem to let myself leave you, but I can’t breathe anymore- longfics! These ones will probably be four or five thousand words in length, and the only thing I ask of you is that requests for this prompt keep to my theme of angst or hurt/comfort with this event!

anchor up to me love- okay! kiss prompts! The link is here, all that’s required for this prompt is that you send along a kiss prompt and whatever else you want to add

CONAN GRAY

it’s not like the novels- titles! Come up with a fic title, provide to me any other specifics you have in mind, and I’ll use whatever you give me to write a fic!

I want a love like the movies- give me a trope/character dynamic from this list, a song (or a specific lyric from a song that you want me to base it off of, or even a poem, anything that is seen as art is acceptable here) and a time of day. I’ll use that to write a fic with a minimum of 1k words. 

maybe we lost all the love that we had, and I can’t pretend it’ll ever come back- give me a one-word emotion (yearning, joy, contentment, anguish, anger, remorse) and a prompt of your choosing (it can be from a list I’ve linked anywhere on my account/this post, or one you come up with!) and i’ll use that to write a fic or make a moodboard!

I wish that you would stay in my memories- give me something mundane and I’ll write a fic of the character you choose doing that thing!

SINGLES

felt like home- ships + moodboards!! Give me a bit about you, an activity you associate with spring, and I’ll ship you with someone from the Grishaverse or Arcane!

am I comfortable in silence? or is it eating me alive?- angst freebie! no prompts or specific angst necessary here, just hit me with your saddest ideas and I’ll probably write anything for this!

something is rotten inside of me. I have to find it and cut it out- go wild here! I’ll accept any combination of prompts, nearly any idea, concepts that you just want to discuss without them turning into a fully fledged fic, or just, if you want to say hi and shoot the shit about something, this prompt isn’t necessary but you’re welcome to use it if you need an excuse :)

mutual tags: @ell0ra-br3kk3r​ @b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r​ @sophierequests-trashblog​

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! March 27 - April 2, 2023

This week’s newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

*NOTE* Fics for the 2023 Bokumono Reverse Big Bang will not be included in this week’s update list. I am putting all submissions in their own post when all the stories are up 💜

The Heart of a Westown Cowboy - by Mya_Stone; WIP, 14/?, 19k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Trio of Towns Relationship: Female Farmer/Wayne; Characters: Frank, Ford, Carrie, Brad, Megan, Hector, Colin, Daryl | Darius, Marlena, Lynn, Wayne Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Guy Falls First, I Wrote This For Me But I'll Share It With You Summary: Wayne is Westown's perpetually single lady's man. He'd like to settle down but he just hasn't found The One and he's fairly certain he's met everyone in town. Then Melody moves in, taking a plot of her uncle's ranch to fulfill her dream of being a rancher. A college-educated business woman, Melody doesn't accept failure - especially not her own. As Wayne falls hard for her, she struggles to return his affections until she has what she came for - and when she continually comes up short at the cow competitions, she begins to wonder if Westown is really the place for her.

Our Story of Seasons: Pete x Claire - by Ry2_Sinheart; WIP, 20/?, 30k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer & Pete | Jack, Claire the Farmer/Pete | Jack; Characters: Pete | Jack, Claire, Thomas, Zack, Dog, Harvest Goddess, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Karen Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Slice of Life, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Developing Relationship, Strangers to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Video Game Mechanics, Game Logic, Male-Female Friendship, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Slow Romance, Digital Art Summary: A story that revolves around the protagonists of Mineral Town. After a series of unfortunate events, Pete and Claire agree they'll have to raise the farm together, whether they like it or not. Through their farming-ventures, they realize that maybe farming together… isn't so bad.

Casual Prompt March 2023 - Sunrise - by Avendesoraa; Complete, 1/1, 1.6k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandoms: Harvest Moon 64 Relationship: Gray/Popuri; Characters: Gray, Popuri Additional Tags: Fluff Summary: Gray brings Popuri somewhere at sunrise for a surprise.

Over The River - by forgetfulfarmer; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warnings: Major Character Death; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life, Harvest Moon: DS Relationship: Nina/Galen; Characters: Old Nina, Galen | Guri, Pete | Jack, Mark the Farmer Additional Tags: Angst, Friendship Summary: Galen was always open to friends, but no one made the effort. But when his beloved wife passes, suddenly they try, and he just won't.

Sugar and Spice - by Chibimiie; WIP, 54/?, 143k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Animal Parade Relationships: Chase/Molly the Farmer, Angela/Luke; Characters: Molly | Hikari, Angela the Farmer, Chase, Luke, Kasey the Farmer Additional Tags: Slow Burn, oh god how do you tag fics, mentions of eating disorders, alternating povs, Friends to Lovers, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, bumped up the rating because i honestly should have a little bit ago, burn so slow it's honestly a simmer Summary: Wanting to get away from past hurts of the city, sisters Molly and Angela decide to respond to a flyer advertising an abandoned farm on the faraway island of Castanet. Leaving behind their closest friends and brother Kasey, the two take a chance and move to the tiny island hoping for a new chance at life.

It's a New Day - by durotos; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen Fandoms: Harvest Moon 64 Characters: Cliff, Cain/Kane the falcon Summary: "I’ve got to get this on my own. I can’t have a repeat of yesterday." After embarrassing himself on his first day in town by begging for food, Cliff contemplates his and Cain's future at Moon Mountain.

Lady Of Grasstrail Farms - by FromADenOfBeasts; WIP, 39/?, 50k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Pioneers of Olive Town Relationship: Female Farmer/Lars; Characters: Original Female Character(s), Female Farmer, Lars, Laura, Angela, Clemens, Damon, Jack, Emilio, Reina, Victor, Gloria, Simon, Jesse Additional Tags: My First AO3 Post, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, Supportive Big Brother, honestly the best big brother ever, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Wish Fulfillment, Mysterious Origins Summary: A young woman named Vallon quits her job and follows her heart to Olive Town, where her family has roots deeper than she ever thought. Now she has to contend with new neighbors, ancient magic, and getting the hang of farming a wild land. Can she cope on her own, or can she at least find someone to share it with?

Remaster: Step Toward the Future - by darkryuu; Complete, 44/44, 846k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: Major Character Death; Category: F/M Fandom: Back To Nature Characters: Cliff, Popuri, Kai, Doctor | Trent, Gray Summary: Jill ("Claire") is struggling to find a goal in life after high school. After her parents boot her off to her late grandfather's farm, everything around her is never quite the same as she struggles to find herself and her future.

Seedlings and Sprouts - by TheBeckster; WIP, 30/?, 24k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: Gen, Multi Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, Story of Seasons (2014), Star Wars - All Media Types, Trio of Towns, The Tale of Two Towns, Harvest Moon 2 GBC, Animal Parade Relationships: Carter/Doctor | Trent, Claire the Farmer/Cliff, Fritz/Raeger, Gotz/Vesta, Female Farmer/Ludus, Holly/Hector, Female Farmer/Ford, Farmer/Hinata, Sara/Will, Sara/Bill, Gill/Angela, Perry/Molly, Rick/Elli, Perry & Gill, Claire the Farmer/Doctor Trent | Torre; Characters: Cliff, Claire, Doctor | Trent, Carter the Pastor, Fritz, Raeger, Gotz | Gotts, Georgia, Iluka, Hector, Holly, Ludus, Henry the Farmer | Haruto, Hinata, Ford, Sara, Will, Bill, Molly the Farmer, Perry, Rick, Elli | Elly Additional Tags: yes this collection includes a star wars crossover, Tumblr Prompt, prompt collection, kiss prompts, Fluff, Angst, Drama, oneshots, Ficlets Summary: A collection of tumblr prompts I've filled over the last couple years based on Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games.

[nadisabug]

Princess

Summary: Y/n is not prepared to find out why she has been picking fights with Zuko. Prompts: 42. Character A: Fuck. Oh, fuck. I’m in love with Character B! Character C: Yeah. A: Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?! C: What?! I thought you knew! 31. "I'm so in love with you it hurts." Fandom: ATLA Pairing: Sokka x reader Warnings: cursing A/N: Ah! Here is my second piece for the @fromthewatertribe‘s event! (also gonna tag @astroninaaa jic!!) I loved writing this, I hope I did the prompts justice! I hope you enjoy guys!

"Why don't you get off your pretty little ostrichhorse and face the fact that we're not going to treat you like royalty," I spat angrily, glaring at Zuko.

We were fighting. Again.

Ever since he joined us after we defeated combustion man we had been getting into it.

A lot.

"Says Princess," Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes.

I felt fire surge up to my face. I opened and closed my mouth, completely unsure of what to say. That was Sokka's nickname for me and only Sokka was allowed to call me that. I was so floored that he would bring that up that the only thing I could shout back at him was, "You are the most despicable person I have ever met!" Fucking lame, I thought to myself.

"Tell me something I don't know," Zuko quipped. His responses were so easy and calm, he wasn't riled up in the least bit. It bothered me that I was so emotional and he wasn’t. It was like he didn't even care.

So I went for a low blow that I knew would set him off.

"Oh poor baby Zuzu, playing the martyr-"

"Don't call me that!" He nearly screamed losing all of his composure. He lunged towards me, flames erupting from his closed fists.

"Okay that's enough!" Sokka strolled in between the both of us, putting his arms up as if that would stop us from tearing each other to pieces. "Zuko, you come with me. We'll go hunting together. Princ- Y/n, you stay here with Toph and cool down."

"I don't need to cool down!" I shouted. I winced when I realized how loud I was. "Fine," I sighed and let my shoulders slump. I watched as Zuko and Sokka walked off to go hunt, leaving me behind with Toph.

It wasn't like I didn't like being with Toph, I loved her, I just... Something was bothering me about that fight.

I turned around and sat next to Toph. She was sitting there, nonchalantly picking her feet. I supposed she had been doing that the entire time we had been fighting.

"What's up with you today, grumpy pants?" Toph asked and elbowed me in the ribcage.

"Ow," I grumbled and rubbed my side. She had good aim for a blind girl. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"When will you people learn that I can tell when you lie," Toph sighed dramatically. She scooted closer to me and whispered in my ear. "Is it a secret? You can tell me, everyone else is gone."

She was right, Aang was training with Katara and now Sokka was off hunting with Zuko. The later part may have been why I was angry. I didn't know why but I felt this intense jealously that Sokka had asked Zuko to go hunting with him instead of me.

I huffed and scooted away from Toph. "I'm just jealous Sokka took Zuko instead of me," I answered truthfully. "I don't know why it bothers me so much though."

"Really?" Toph deadpanned. She paused for a second and when I didn't answer she continued. "Do you even know why you started fighting in the first place?"

I rolled my eyes at her tone. She was probably just trying to make fun of me for being upset over something so trivial, or because I couldn't figure out why it bothered me. "Yes really, I'm jealous. I always go with Sokka when we hunt." I purposefully ignored her second question, though, because I honestly couldn't remember what started the fight.

"I know that, I meant-"

"And why did he take Zuko anyways? He always says that you have to trust you hunting partner with your life, does that mean he trusts Zuko more than me now?"

"I meant-"

"After Boiling Rock they just seem so close, and about that too, I can't believe he took Zuko and not me with him. I knew how important that mission was to him, and he always takes me on his missions."

"Oh whatever," Toph gave up on trying to talk and listened to me rant instead.

"And I guess I am just so upset because usually we sit next to each other during the night around the campfire but now he's sitting with Zuko instead. You remember that time I accidentally fell asleep on him? Do you think that's why he doesn't sit next to me anymore?" I barely paused to get a response before continuing, but it was okay because Toph made no move to answer. "Like I thought that was so nice but what if I snored or something or he just doesn't like me and that was so annoying and-"

I stopped. Something I said had caught my attention.

What if he doesn't like me?

For some reason I felt like it meant more than just like. Like... I wanted him to like me. A lot. Like more than normal. I wanted me to be his favorite person and I wanted him to choose me first and-

"Fuck. Ooooohhhh, fuck. I'm in love with Sokka," I cried out, throwing my head into my hands.

Toph had since begun picking at her feet and didn't even look up when she responded. "Yeah? And?"

"You knew?" I gasped and whirled on her. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"What?! I thought you knew!"

"How was I supposed to know?"

"Are you kidding me? They're your feelings!"

I didn't have a good comeback for that. So, we lapsed into silence and I began to think about my newfound feelings. It actually started to explain a lot. That's why my face burned every time he sparred with Zuko, shirtless. That's why I felt so at home next to him. That's why I was always so angry at Zuko, I was scared that he was replacing me.

"I need to apologize to Zuko," I mumbled softly.

"Yeah you do, grumpy pants."

"Thanks, Toph," I rolled my eyes. I was about to reprimand her for not being a more supportive friend when I spotted Zuko and Sokka coming back. Still embarrassed over my outburst, I pulled my knees to my chest and hid my head under my arms.

"That was quick." Toph said.

"Yeah, flamey-o hotman over here scared everything away with his magic whoosh powers. I'll have to go out later," Sokka replied. "I'm going to fish for now."

I peeked out from behind my arms to see Sokka stalk off, leaving Zuko awkwardly standing in the middle of the clearing.

I sighed. Now was a good a time as any.

I stood up and walked up to Zuko. "Zuko, can we talk?"

"What, want to yell at me more, princess," he sneered angrily.

I sighed. "No, I want to apologize," I reached up and rubbed the back of my neck and looked off to the side. I couldn't meet Zuko's gaze.

"Let's walk," he nodded and began to lead the way. I followed him, leaving Toph behind.

Once we were a good ways away, Zuko looked at me. "Big change from earlier, wanting to apologize."

"Yeah, I did some thinking."

"Cooled down a bit?" Zuko suggested.

"Fuck off," I growled and rolled my eyes. Zuko raised his hands in defense.

"Sorry, you're right you didn't cool off at all."

"You are making it really hard to be nice, you know," I said and shot him a glare.

"Sorry, sorry," he relented waving his hands. "You're right, I'm still in the mindset from earlier. So. Why are you apologizing?"

"Well, I picked the fight. It was kinda my fault."

"True."

"Zuko," I sighed.

"FIne, fine."

"I just want to say I figured out why I am picking out fights with you and I want to say I'm going to try to do it less."

There was a beat of silence. I looked at Zuko to see his response but his gaze was unreadable.

"And?"

"What?" I responded quickly, defensive over my lame apology.

"You're not going to tell me why?"

I flushed red and turned away. "It's personal."

"It's not personal when you're picking fights with me over it," he responded, raising his voice a little. I could hear his frustration, but I really didn't want to tell him.

"Well it's a personal reason I'm not obligated to tell you everything about my life."

"And I just said if it's the reason you're picking fights with me it's not personal anymore."

"That doesn't even make sense," I bit back, matching his volume.

"Just tell me!"

"Fine it's cause I like Sokka!"

"Okay and?"

I blinked. "What do you mean 'and,' I just told you I like Sokka! That's a big deal!"

"Not really," Zuko shrugged. "I mean we all already knew that."

"You did?"

"You didn't?"

"No of course not how could I?"

"Well I mean it was pretty fucking obvious," Zuko scoffed and folded his arms. He was so blase about it it blew my mind.

"It was obvious?" I repeated what he said, still unable to grasp it.

"Yeah, but moving past the fact that you're an oblivious idiot, how does you liking Sokka have anything to do with me?"

"Oh," I said softly, my cheeks reddening. "Um, well I'm kinda jealous. Of how close you two are."

Zuko was silent for a long time so I looked up at him to see what was the matter. When I did, I just saw him staring incredulously at me.

"We're just friends. It's not like I want his tongue in my mouth like you do," he finally said, laughing.

"Zuko!" I shouted, my face growing even more red.

"Well it's true," he shrugged nonchalantly. "So that's why you're so upset at me all the time."

I shrugged meekly, "Pretty much yeah."

Zuko nodded resolutely. "Then let's help you get this boy."

"What?"

"Did I stutter? I'm going to help you confess and start dating Sokka."

"I don't need any help!"

"Obviously you do if you haven't realized your feelings until now," Zuko half snorted in response. He seemed to find this situation so funny.

"Listen, I can confess on my own time okay," I said resolutely.

With that, Zuko shrugged and walked away. I sighed, but let him, knowing I didn't have much more to say anyway. I went back to camp and sat down next to Toph, talking to her about nothing.

Later, when Sokka came back from fishing, he was soaked and shirtless, a bad combination for my heart. Since I realized I liked him, it was like my feelings were magnified. My face burned red and I couldn't bear to look at him.

"Look what Katara did to me!" He whined once he was in earshot.

"What did you do to her?" Zuko responded airily, not even turning to look at him. I wished I could be that easy going around Sokka.

"Doesn't matter," Sokka waved him off. I saw Sokka look at me and the heat in my chest flared. I looked down quickly, breaking eye contact as soon as we made it. "You and Princess make up?"

I heard Zuko rumble an assent then the topic was dropped. Zuko and Sokka eventually wandered off, talking to each other.

"You're lucky he's as dense as you are. I can't even see and you're making it more obvious than a platypusbear in a pottery shop," Toph smirked at me.

"Oh shut up," I mumbled. I looked up to see Sokka walking back towards me. I mentally hoped that he wasn't coming to talk to me, but when he stopped in front of me I knew my worst fears had come true.

"Hey, can we talk, Princess?"

"Uh, I am actually talking to Toph right now-" I nervously began but Toph cut me off.

"Oh, we just finished. Go have your talk, Princess," Toph pitched her voice up at the end of the sentence, obviously mocking me.

Left without any other excuses, I took Sokka's outstretched hand and followed him to go talk.

We walked all the way down to the beach, where no one else was, before he finally broke the silence.

"So, Zuko said you wanted to talk to me," he finally said, looking down and over at me.

"He did?" I was caught off-guard by that. Why would...

"Yeah, he said it was about the reason why you're fighting with him so much."

If thoughts could kill a man then our party would be down one member. "I can't believe he said that," I groaned and threw my head into my hands.

"So... you don't want to talk to me?"

"No!" I looked up quickly and met Sokka's confused gaze. "I do want to talk to you just not about that!"

"But you talked to Zuko about it?" He asked, half a question half a statement.

"Yeah," I agreed slowly. Sokka smiled softly, sending my heart up into my throat.

"While I am a little jealous, I am actually kinda glad. You don't know how hard its been, what with my best friend and my girl not getting along."

I stopped breathing for a second.

"Your girl?" I whispered breathily.

At my statement, Sokka blanched and began to stammer. "I, uh, I mean a girl that I know not specifically my girl I mean because I can't own a girl you know women's rights and everything equality yeah um so yeah I didn't mean my girl yeah of course not."

I smiled softly and began to open my mouth, but Sokka cut me off.

"I just mean its so hard when your two best friends are fighting because that's what you are to me, just a best friend."

At that my smile fell. "Oh," I said softly, turning away. I began to think that he may have actually just misspoke and that was all.

Suddenly, I felt Sokka grab my arms and pull me in, wrapping his arms around my waist. I looked up at him in surprise but his eyes were closed. He rested his forehead against mine.

"Aw man, don't make that face, I'm sorry I'm such an idiot. It's just... I just... I just love you so much it hurts when you look like that... don't hate me," he added the last part on quickly and softly, scrunching his eyes up.

"How could I, when I love you so much it hurts too?" I whispered breathlessly.

And then, I kissed him. He didn't react at first, but after a moment he began kissing me back ferociously. I reciprocated immediately, kissing him with an intensity of months of pent up affection.

We only parted when we both couldn't breathe.

Panting, we leaned into each other. My arms around his neck, his around my lower back.

"I am considerably less mad at Zuko now," I said happily.

"Yeah, what was with all of that?" Sokka replied, pulling his head away to look at me properly.

"Oh," I flushed for what felt like the millionth time this day. "I was maybe a little jealous."

Sokka laughed but stopped quickly when I glared at him.

"Y/n, don't be jealous. You'll always be my Princess."

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

[talas-starlight]

Lover - Percy Jackson x Fem!reader

SUMMARY: You’ve crushed on Percy for years, him on the other hand? It’s more of a recent development. That doesn’t mean he likes you any less.

(Older Percy & reader - they're like 21) ALSO idk perfectly what happens in trials of apollo so let’s just ✨ignore that ✨ & this isn’t sexual despite what the title may suggest

WORD COUNT: 2.7k

A/N: hi friends this is for @fromthewatertribe​ ‘s 1k follower event!! Im sure most of you have but if not definitely check out their work!! Its soooo good I promises and ugh their Leo fic?! *chefs kiss* anyway idk if this is any good oop I tried

PROMPTS USED: 9 & 11. (they’re bolded)

WARNINGS: swearing, mentions of ptsd & anxiety, kissing stuff lol ish eh idk, mentions of percabeth breakup?? Does that count?

MASTERLIST: here!

An obnoxiously red and orange light filters into the motel room, even with the old and tattered curtains closed, the motels’ sign conquers its way through the fabric. Sighing you flop yourself on the faded, probably twenty-year-old bed. Nose scrunching as some dust raises into the air, consequently letting out a sneeze.

“Bless you.”

“Did you just bless yourself?”

You winced at the reminder someone else was in the room, exhausted after the two-day travel to a motel room in the middle of whoop. “Yeah…”

“You really are something, aren’t you?” At the calm amusement evident in his tone, your heart rate began to slow down. He didn’t think you were crazy.

You let out a breathy laugh. Wow, I wonder how those stains got on the ceiling? Lava monster perhaps? Are those even a thing? Probably.

“Yeah… well, someone has to Jackson.” You glance towards him, he’s sitting at the small, poor excuse of a dining table. Heart rate picking up again as he gives you a small smile, already having his eyes on you this entire time.

“If I don’t, who will?” you continue.

“Touché. In that case, I’ll do the blessing from now on; you deserve a break.” Shooting you a wink. Instantly feeling flustered at his action, you fight the urge to cover your face with your hands.

Oh, Percy, if only you knew you’ve already been blessing me for the past six years.

“Even say…. If we’re in a battle?” you muse.

He gets up from the table and walks towards you. Once he reaches your side of the queen bed, he kneels, grabbing the hand closest to him, while putting his other on top of his heart. “Oh, y/n l/n, even with my dying breath.”

With that, you burst into a fit of laughter. This boy and his sarcasm.

You play along. “Hmmm what a great tale that will be. The one and only, Perseus Jackson, spending his final breath on sweet old y/n l/n. How dare you burden me with such a legacy to live up to! They’ll think I’m your lover, you know. Demigods all around the world will come searching for me, just to gawk at the beauty that stole your heart.”

At this point, Percy has fallen from his kneeling position, completely lying on the ground, overcome with laughter.

“This isn’t funny, Percy! How am I supposed to live with the guilt of knowing I don’t live up to their expectations?! I’m hardly a warrior either, oh the disappointment.”

Gasping for breath, he manages to find his words, “Don’t stress it y/n, you’re plenty beautiful. I just know they’ll all be stunned by your beauty. Don’t sell yourself short… trust me, once they see you, they’ll be envious that my lover was so enraptured by me that you’ll never be able to love again.”

Now it was your turn to laugh. Would that be so bad?

Gasping for breath, eventually, both of your laughs die down, leaving you both breathing heavily. “C’mon Percy, let’s get some sleep. Its going to be a long week of scouting for demigods if we’re tired.”

As Percy nods, silently getting up to go to the bathroom to change, but he can’t help but think to himself that he wouldn’t mind if he was stuck in the middle of nowhere with you. No matter how long.

It had been three days since you and Percy arrived in the town you continuously fail to remember the name of. It wasn’t the only thing you were failing at doing either, because it seemed that for some unknown reason, the school that was supposed to arrive here for their camping trip still hadn’t shown up.

“We should send an Iris message to camp. It doesn’t look like they’re showing up any time soon, and by the looks of things, we’re going to need to have them send someone for more supplies.”

Percy sighed, looking out the window. Was this the opportunity he was looking for? Maybe… he knew he’d be a stupid fool to pass it up. Swept up in his new thoughts, he never replied. “Percy?”

Without even looking at you, he nodded, turning to go to the bathroom, “Yeah sure, I’ll go into the bathroom and make the call.”

Humming in acknowledgement as he left the room, you couldn’t help but stare at the spot he was previously standing in from your position on the edge of the bed. He doesn’t look too good.

For such a great hero, you wondered if this quest was doing him any good. After the first day of scouting the campsite, it was obvious he was already antsy to get home. It seemed no matter how light you tried to keep the atmosphere; it was like something was weighing on his mind. Mostly when you were both in the motel room together, you supposed it was because he barely went on quests nowadays. Understandably so, after all, who could blame him for wanting a break and spend time with his family? This made you feel immensely guilty since you could never give him words of truly understanding what he’s gone through. You’d arrived at camp a few days before him, yet over the years you were never sent onto a major quest. It upset you greatly at first, but you grew to appreciate your time at camp.

Before your mind could delve further into its guilt and self-pity, Percy re-entered the room, sitting next to you with a huff. “It’s all good. They’re going to send Leo with some extra supplies, and he’ll help us for the rest of this quest.”

Accidentally getting swept up in how pretty his eyes were, you tensed up, realising he was staring at you expectantly. Quickly nodding and clearing your throat you looked down to your lap, “ahh, okay that sounds good. I guess we’ll have time to sightsee or something…”

Sightsee? Really y/n? There’s nothing in this stupid town!

An awkward silence filled the room. Due to your previous thoughts, you were unsure how to proceed. This was the first time you were alone with him and had nothing else better to do.

Percy on the other hand, found that the obvious swooning look in your eyes was his green light. “Uhhh actually y/n?”

Oh, please don’t ask me why I basically just drooled all over you for NO FUCKING REASON. Snapping your head back up to look at him, you desperately tried to ignore the pounding in your chest that managed to find its way into your ears, “yeah?”

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

Holy shit he knows, doesn’t he? He knows I’ve liked him this entire time, and he’s going to reject me even though I never even said anything!

“I uhm… look I know we’re kind of on a small quest and all but technically we ARE waiting for Leo and the school to arrive before we continue… and you know we kind of have like at least a day or two until then so I was just wondering…”

“Yeah, Percy? You can just say it, you know; I really don’t mind.” I do mind, but please get this over with before I cry. With your heart rate increasing at an alarming rate and face heating up so much, you wanted Zeus to blast you right then and there.

Percy felt like he was about to puke, he’d never felt this nervous before. Yeah, he had his moments growing up with Annabeth, after all, she was his first girlfriend, but this was different. He wanted this to be different. Sure, he never regretted their relationship, and yes, he knew he’d always remember everything they went through- what he went through but… he wanted a clean slate. He desperately just wanted nothing more than to know that there was at least one person in his life that wasn’t constantly fighting for their lives—someone who didn’t have to live with as much trauma as him.

“W- would you maybe... Gods, do you want to have dinner tomorrow night? Maybe at the diner further into the town?”

HOLY FUCK.

He was interested and honestly, you were over the moon. Breathing out the breath you were holding in, you fail to hide the smile on your face, “yeah, I’d like that.”

His face instantly broke out into a wide smile matching yours. “Wait really?”

Unable to hold back a small giggle, you nodded, “yeah, Percy.”

Staring at yourself in the mirror, you admire the blue dress you found in a charity shop this morning while Percy was sleeping. I can’t believe this is happening.

If you had old even more awkward 15-year-old y/n that you were about to go on a date with the boy you admired from your table during meals (when he was there), you would’ve laughed. Mainly because at that point, he didn’t even know you existed, only having your first conversation during the battle of Manhattan when you were helping Will.

Okay… lets do this.

Walking out of the bathroom, Percy is already sitting on the bed in his usual t-shirt, jeans and converse waiting for you.

“Woah… You look uh-” Never finishing his statement, worry bubbled in your chest.

“Oh, uhm… I- I can change if you’d like?

Jumping up from his place on the bed, his head shook quickly. “NO! N-no don’t do that.”

“Ah uhm… okay? Sorry, it’s just I saw it in a store earlier and uhm… it looked nice, and I just thought that maybe it’d be cool to maybe put in a bit more effort? I mean… not that you don’t look good or anything! I love what you wear, you always look nice! but I don’t know… I don’t get to look nice much and… I just wanted it to be kinda special since we don’t get to… well our lives don’t really grant us these opportunities very often. Or at least for me anyway…”

“Hey, no, it’s okay! I totally get it… you look beautiful.” After hearing your small confession and thought to prepare for your date, his heart felt like it was melting. How could someone be so thoughtful when all he was doing was taking you to a rundown diner who probably only served mediocre burgers?

A small wave of guilt washed through him. Feeling like he would never be able to truly sweep you off your feet or give you that sweet, tooth-rotting love and affection, every day, just like you deserved. After everything, he knew he could try his best but even then, he’d never be able to hide the anxiety or PTSD he had acquired over the years.

You looked up to him with a smirk. “Glad to hear it, lover.”

Cheeks heating up at your comment, he laughed trying to play it off as cool as possible. Taking a step closer to you and flattening his shirt as if it would wipe away its wrinkles, he held out his arm. “Shall we, lover?”

Matching his level of fake sophistication, you linked your arm with his, “with pleasure.”

And with that, you both walked out of the motel, with hopeful spirits. To any onlooker, you both looked like normal young adults.  

“Where the fuck are you?!” Percy’s voice boomed from his end of the phone, supposedly made without any monster risks.  

You winced, slowly and cautiously walking your way out of the forest. The once clean dress was now covered in dirt and had few tears. It went perfectly with your dishevelled, twig and leaf infested hair.

“Space doesn’t really exist, so I’m nowhere. Life is built on social constructs and, since there’s no way to know if we’re really alive or if it’s just an illusion, I can’t be anywhere.”

“Y/n.”

Okay, he was concerned, and you couldn’t blame him. After all, how did you expect him to react after getting separated from you as you were chased into the woods by an Empousai after dinner?

Romance at its finest.  

“Yeah, sorry, I got caught up, but I’ll be there soon.”

Ending the call, you couldn’t help but feel guilty as you replayed the events that just occurred in your head. The date was amazing. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was still sweet. Which led you both to go on one of those cliché night walks. That was nice too, until two Empousai came out of the forest and decided to attack you both.

Percy being…. Well Percy, he swiftly got out riptide and didn’t hesitate to defend the two of you. You, on the other hand, were completely caught off guard only just noticing as one of them turned their focus on you while Percy was distracted.

And what did you do like the perfectly trained demigod you were?

You ran like a headless chicken into the forest.

After a few minutes of running, they tackled you into the ground. Trying and failing failed to shove them off, you suddenly remembered the dagger you strapped to your thigh under your dress and stabbed them.

Clearly not your proudest moments.

Finally making it back to the room, you unlocked the door and let out a huff of relief. “Well… that date didn’t go as expected.”

Percy, took in your current state staring at you with wide eyes… but he didn’t say anything. Is he angry at me? Fuck now he’s going to call off whatever this is, all because I’m an incompetent idiot! I knew I should have tried harder in the sparring activities at camp.

Feeling highly intimidated under his intense stare, you began to play with the hem of your dress, voice going quiet. “Look I uh- I know it probably wasn’t the date you were hoping for but I uhm-“

Before you could even finish your poor excuses, your words are soon lost entirely. Percy stalked towards you with a determined look on his face. Reaching you, he firmly placed his hands on either side of your face, smashing his lips onto yours.

You let out a small, muffled squeak of surprise as your eyebrows shot up into Olympus. Yet unlike your fighting skills, this was something you managed to adapt to at a faster pace.

Eyes fluttering closed, you fisted his shirt, pulling him closer.

Please don’t let this be a dream.

Because Gods forbid if this your one chance, you weren’t letting this moment end that easily.  

Moving your lips against his, the urgency he came onto you with slowly began to dissipate, feeling his soft, but slightly chapped lips move against yours. Deepening the kiss, you let go of his shirt, gliding your hands up his tense torso and along his strong arms, eventually placing your hands on his wrists that were on either side of your face. Applying a small amount of pressure to the inside of his wrists with your thumbs, his mind began to drift into a calming haze as you softly stroked them. It was almost as if you were able to brush away the worry that bubbled in him when he got back to the room, only to find you weren’t there. Yet here you were… safe.

It was intoxicating and calming having him so close to you, his entire being overcoming your senses to a point where you fought the urge to let out a small whimper when he pulled away.

Resting his forehead against yours, chest rising and falling heavily flushed against you; he continued to hold you in his warm embrace. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” He whispers, breath fanning against your face.

Because as much as Percy was afraid he’d let you down, he knew no matter what you were worth every single risk.

“…but I’m going to have to teach you a few things when we get back to camp. We can’t have my lover running away in battle all the time, how will I know if you sneeze?”

Letting out a snort, you playfully hit his chest. “Anything for you, lover.”

A soft smile graces his face as he looks at you adoringly as the word takes on a whole new meaning… because you were right. He’d do anything.

A/N: whelp! i hope you all liked it :)) its not perfect but oh well? 

also i dont have a percy jackson taglist but i gotta tag the holy grail of fic writers for this fandon eep @cabinofimagines​   🙈 🙈

Divider credit: @biskit-rising​

[sukifans]

HELP ME // sokka

WARNINGS: language, a Bug

WC: 3.3k

A/N: a little somethin somethin for @fromthewatertribe’s 1k event! i had a lot of fun doing this drabble. i used 2 (“please help me”) and 8 (“i thought you loved me”) for this bad boy that definitely got away from me lmao

⇦ 𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘓𝘐𝘚𝘛

Panic surged through Sokka when he checked his phone and saw he had about twenty missed calls from you over the past ten minutes. Just as he was about to call back, your contact photo popped up on the screen accompanied by the duck quack ringtone you’d set for yourself ages ago.

“I’ll be back,” he mumbled to Zuko, who nodded absently while preparing a customer’s tea. He stepped out the back of the Jasmine Dragon and slid his thumb across the screen. “Hello?”

“SOKKA, THANK FUCK!” You sounded like you were crying on the other end. He frowned, pulling the phone away from his ear in response to your screech.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Where are you?” he demanded over the ruckus of your wails. His hand dropped to his car keys in his pocket, ready to leave if you needed him.

“I’M AT HOME AND THERE’S A R-ROACH IN—“

Sokka groaned. “(Y/N), I’m at work. I cannot come kill a bug for you.”

Your blubbering paused. “B-But... I need help! And no one else will help me! Please help me!”

“As much as I want to help you I can’t right now, princess. I can swing by after we close in about an hour, though.”

You made a strangled sort of screaming sound and hung up. He brought his hand down, staring at his screen in surprise. The line was busy when he tried to call you back, so he pocketed his phone with a sigh and headed back inside.

Zuko was speaking on the store phone with someone when he got back to the front, making a face like he had just eaten something sour or smelled something foul. Sokka shot him a questioning look as he tied his apron back around his waist and Zuko beckoned him over.

“What’s up?” Sokka asked in a low voice.

“Just go,” Zuko huffed. “I can finish closing by myself and she said she won’t stop calling us until you help her.”

“Wh- give me that.” He took the landline receiver from Zuko. “Seriously, (Y/N)?”

“I’M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT, SOKKA!”

“It’s a bug!”

“IT’S FUCKING HUGE AND IT’S IN MY FUCKING ROOM, PLEASE GET OVER HERE! I NEED YOU!”

He made eye contact with Zuko and his friend just shook his head. “Fine, okay, you win. I’m on my way.”

She hiccuped. “You’re the best friend I could ever ask for, Sokka. I love you. Please hurry.”

“Yeah, yeah. Love you, too, princess,” he grumbled before hanging up. Zuko was watching him with raised eyebrows. “Oh, fuck off, dude.”

“I didn’t say anything.” He tried to hide his smirk by turning away to wipe down the counter.

“Don’t look so smug.” He smacked the back of his friend’s head after he threw his apron in the laundry bag.

“Hey!” Zuko punched his shoulder. “It’s not my fault you’re whipped for (Y/N) and too much of a pussy to make a move.”

“You’re fucking lucky I’m whipped and have to go kill a bug for my girl otherwise I’d kick your ass, Zuko.” He flipped him the middle finger as he headed out the door, keys in his other hand.

“Later, princess.” Zuko twiddled his fingers mockingly in goodbye. Sokka scoffed as he left, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. Yeah, he was whipped for you. He was wrapped securely and comfortably around your pinky finger. So what? It wasn’t like he had plans to do anything about it. He was perfectly happy being your friend — your best friend, in your own words. No way in hell would he risk fucking that up and losing you.

When he banged on your apartment door you simply yelled from inside that it was unlocked. It was hard to suppress a laugh at the scene that greeted him. You were curled up on your kitchen counter, hood of your sweatshirt drawn tight around your head so only your nose and eyes were visible and a can of bug spray in your trembling hand. Your tear-streaked face lit up when you saw him and it made his heart clench in his chest.

“Hey, princess.”

“Sokka!” You dropped the can and threw yourself at him. He caught you in his arms with a grunt and you wrapped your legs around his middle, clinging to his neck. His hands supported your back to keep you upright. “God, I’ve never been so happy to see you in my life. I could fucking kiss you right now.”

He had to recover quickly from almost choking on air in order to keep his composure. “Just doing my manly best friend duties.” He gulped when you slid down his body. Your feet hit the floor again but you still held onto him. “Alright, where’s the big bad bug?”

You glared up at him for his teasing. “My room. I was about to go take a shower when it fucking flew at my face! I don’t even know where it came from!”

“Stand by, princess,” he ruffled your hair and pulled off one of his sneakers to wield as a bludgeon, “I’ve got it all under control.” You rolled your eyes a bit when he puffed his chest out and flexed comically. You released him from your vice grip so he could stalk up to the closed door of your bedroom. Of course, you stayed planted firmly in the kitchen and watched from a distance.

“Be careful,” you warned, “it’s literally the biggest roach I’ve ever seen.”

“It may be big, but I’m bigger. And smarter.” He tapped his temple with his finger.

“I don’t know about that second part,” you giggled. He shot you a withering look.

“Do you want me to kill this thing or not?”

“Yes, sorry! You are so very strong and intelligent and handsome, Sokka. Much more strong and intelligent and handsome than the roach.”

“You know what? I’ll take that compliment.” He winked at you, sending your heart into your throat. You stuck your tongue out and made a face to hopefully hide how flustered you were.

“Stop flirting and kill the fucking bug!”

“You started it!”

“Sokka!” Laughing, he pushed open the door to your bedroom and disappeared inside. You watched the doorway with bated breath, listening to Sokka rummaging around to find the vermin.

There was an almighty thud, then a crash and a shriek along with thundering footsteps as your friend dashed out of the room with a massive roach flying behind him. You screamed too when you spotted the bug as it landed on your wall. Before you could react any further, Sokka had grabbed you and yanked you out the front door, slamming it shut behind you both.

“That’s no ordinary roach,” he panted, leaning against the door. He still held you close to his torso with an arm wrapped protectively around your waist. “Fucking military drone or something.”

“Did you think I was fucking joking?” Your stomach churned uneasily thinking about the insect walking all over your walls and prized possessions. A shudder ran down your spine and you buried your face into his chest, grabbing a fistful of the front of his shirt. “What am I supposed to do now? I can’t go back in there with that thing loose!”

“I don’t know.”

“You were supposed to kill it!”

“It charged me!”

“You big chicken!” Looking up, you flicked his forehead and giggled at his incredulous look. “I thought you loved me!”

His face felt like it was on fire. “I do!”

“Then why didn’t you kill it? You were supposed to protect me, Sokka!” Your hands settled on his chest and he hoped you couldn’t feel how fast his heart was beating. “So much for being smarter and stronger!”

“But you admit I’m more handsome still?” Your cheeks burned when his hand slid to your hip, using his thumb to rub circles into your hipbone through the fabric of your clothes.

“More handsome than the roach?” You couldn’t help but laugh at his goofy smile. “I guess you qualify for that.”

“Tough crowd,” he sighed. “I was going to bring you back to mine so you could get out of your roach-infested apartment, but if that’s how you really feel then I’ll leave you with the stronger, smarter organism.”

“The roach?” you squeaked indignantly. He chuckled at your wide eyes. “I’m sorry, I changed my mind. You are the smartest and strongest and handsomest again. Please let me crash at your place?”

“Wow, using me for my sweet crib? And here I was thinking you loved me for me!”

“Pretty please?” You clasped your hands under your chin, pouted, and gave him the best puppy dog eyes you could muster.

He groaned dramatically and rolled his eyes as if he were being greatly put out. “You know I can’t say no to that face. Let’s go, princess.” He disentangled himself from you and started to walk away only to realize you weren’t following. He turned back to you. “(Y/N)?”

You looked down at your socked feet. “I don’t have shoes. Or my keys.”

“I’m not going back in there.”

“Well, I’m not either.”

“Then it seems we’re at a stalemate.”

You pursed your lips thoughtfully. “Do you still have that spare key I gave you when I went out of town?”

“Good thinking, kid.” He shuffled around his key ring until he found yours, easily identifiable by the heart you’d painted onto it with your favorite nail polish. “Way to use your noodle.” He locked your front door and stood in front of you once again.

“Shoes,” you said simply, extending your leg to lift your foot in the air. “I’m not walking around like this. Knowing my luck I’ll step on a used needle and end up with some rare blood disease.” Sokka scratched the back of his neck as he considered this before a wicked grin split across his face. You did not like the looks of that. “Sokka...”

Without warning, he grabbed you around your middle and hoisted you onto his shoulder like a sack of flour. The inversion of your body made you squeal, scrambling to grab something to stabilize yourself. In your panic, you sunk your nails into the flesh of his ass.

“Jesus!” He gripped you tighter to stop you from slipping in his surprise. “I know I have an irresistibly fat ass but you gotta be careful back there, babe. That’s my moneymaker!”

If all your blood hadn’t been already rushing to your head you would’ve flushed. “That’s what you get for picking me up, asshole!” You paused. “What the fuck are you talking about, ‘your moneymaker?’”

“Well, I couldn’t have you stepping on a used needle and ending up with some rare blood disease, now could I?” You could practically hear his smirk as he carried you down to the front of your building.

“Do you derive joy from driving me up a wall?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. You made an indignant noise and pinched his side. He yelped and smacked the back of your bare thighs in response.

“Did you just spank me?” You thrashed in protest, making him stumble a bit.

“No,” he grunted and then brought his hand down on your ass, eliciting a gasp from you. “Now I did.”

“Sokka!”

“That’s ‘Daddy’ to you, princess.” He tried to drop his voice an octave to sound stern but he couldn’t suppress his laughter. You were just glad he couldn’t see your face.

“I’m going to throttle you when you put me down,” you threatened.

“Kinky.”

“You know what? I’ll take my chances with the roach. Bring me back, you fucking deviant.”

He dropped you down to the ground and you leaned back against his car door, looking away from his face. “Aw, you’re hurting my feelings, babe. I seem to remember someone telling me—“

You clapped your hand over his mouth before he could continue. “That’s enough out of you, thanks.” You could feel his smile against your palm at the reference to a highly inappropriate conversation you’d had together when you were both extremely drunk. You recoiled when he licked your hand.

“Alright, alright; let’s go home. I’m exhausted.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” you muttered without any malice as he reached around you to open the passenger door. He simply gave you that same shit-eating grin and closed your door.

Sokka decided to spare your pride and carried you up to his apartment on his back instead of over his shoulder. His hands on your thighs, shifting your position every so often, made your heart race. You could still catch whiffs of the tea from the Jasmine Dragon off his clothes, mingling with the masculine smell of his deodorant. The combination put you at ease after the trauma of dealing with the roach and you sighed happily, setting your chin on his shoulder and pressing your cheek against his. The stubbly scruff along his jaw prickled at your skin but you couldn’t find it in you to care much.

You thought he’d drop you down onto his couch once you’d entered his apartment but instead he carried you into his bedroom and flopped backwards onto his mattress, knocking the wind out of your chest as he squished you under his body. Despite the squeezing weight on your lungs you were laughing uncontrollably, arms still thrown around his shoulders. Sokka wished he could have moments like this with you every night; that he could turn around and kiss you without ruining everything.

“Why so giggly, kid? Are you enjoying this?” he teased, leaning his head back onto your chest.

“Laughter is my panic response. You’re suffocating me, fatass,” you wheezed

“Nah, I think you like it.”

You hummed thoughtfully as the giggles subsided. “Maybe. You’re kinda like one of those weighted blankets.”

“Yeah?” He turned so he faced you, propping himself up on his forearms on either side of your head. “Do I relieve your anxiety?”

You quirked an eyebrow. “The opposite, actually.”

“You wound me, really. I am a calming, peaceful, meditative presence. I am a delight and a joy to be around.” He frowned when you threw your head back in incredulous laughter. You hooked your leg around his hips and flipped him onto his back, pinning him underneath you.

“Maybe you have your moments.” He stared wide-eyed up at your teasing smile and considered closing the space between your mouths. Before he could work up the nerve, you sat back on your haunches out of reach. “I need to shower.”

“Without me?” he pouted. You groaned and shoved his face into the mattress as you stood.

“Don’t wait up, baby.” He flushed at the nickname you used to tease him. He propped himself up on his elbows to see you down the hall.

“I’ll take the couch tonight,” he said. You stopped just outside the bathroom door.

“Sokka, we don’t have to do this every time. I think it’s okay if we just sleep in the same bed without arguing over who gets the couch at this point.”

“If you’re alright with it,” he sighed, dropping his head back down.

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s you.” You gave him a quick smile before disappearing into the bathroom.

You always secretly loved staying over with Sokka. The lather of his soap running down your body into the drain made you feel wrapped in his presence — a great comfort despite your teasing that suggested otherwise. His meticulous organizing even in the shower always made you laugh a little to yourself. His products were neatly organized in the order he used them, likely something he started doing when you’d dragged him to a beauty store after finding out he used 3-in-1 “for efficiency.” Now, to your immense pride and satisfaction, he had a full skincare and haircare routine.

Upon exiting the shower wrapped in a towel, you saw Sokka snoring lightly on his bed next to a pile of clothes he’d left out for you. You pulled on his shirt and quickly wriggled under the covers, propping yourself up on your elbow. You poked your finger into his cheek and he grunted, swatting at you.

“Leave me alone, woman,” he murmured.

“You need to shower.” He cracked an eye open to glare at you.

“You’re awfully demanding for a guest in my bed.”

“Well, you worked today and you stink.”

“That’s just my natural man musk. Pheromones and stuff. Nothing to be done about it.”

“Are you an ant?”

“Only if you’ll be my queen ant.” He sent you a cocky smirk and you simply shook your head.

“You’re fucking weird, dude.” He laughed and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you directly into his armpit as you squealed. Finally you freed yourself and rolled onto your side away from him with a huff. Sokka slid behind you and rested his head on your shoulder, sliding his arm around your waist.

“You know you love me, princess.”

“Whatever,” you grumbled. He chuckled and the sound reverberated against your back, his warm breath on your cheek making goosebumps rise on your skin. His thumb slid absently back and forth across your stomach and the soft touch lulled your heavy eyelids closed.

“Don’t go to bed mad, babe. At least give me my goodnight kiss.”

Enough. It’s now or never.

Before you could start second-guessing yourself, you rolled onto your back underneath him and surged upwards to press your lips to his in an insistent kiss. It lasted only a few moments before you pulled away because he remained frozen against you. His clear blue eyes were wide as he stared down at you and you could feel the heat rising to your cheeks and the tears threatening to spill as you realized what you’d done.

“You shouldn’t flirt if you don’t mean it, Sokka. It gives people the wrong idea,” you whispered, the corners of your mouth pulling into a frown. His gaze darted from your eyes down to your lips and back again.

“Who says I don’t mean it?” And then he was finally, finally kissing you before you could tell him off. You snaked your arm around his shoulders and pulled him down on top of you, desperate to be closer, to feel his body on your own to reassure yourself that yes, this was happening and it was real. His hand trailed up to cup your face, skimming his thumb gently along your cheekbone. You both broke away to gasp for air. Sokka looked down at your flushed cheeks and bright eyes and lips that were just beginning to swell and he thought you were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

“Oh, don’t look so pleased with yourself,” you laughed, swiping your thumb over his satisfied smile on your way to pull the tie from his ponytail. The ends of his loose hair tickled your face as he kissed you again, this time much more gentle.

“And why shouldn’t I be?” Another kiss. “I’m kissing the girl I’ve been in love with for years.” Your eyes widened and you shoved him back onto the bed.

“Years?” you squeaked. “We could’ve been doing this for years?”

“I didn’t know you had feelings for me!”

“Of course I had feelings for you, are you joking?”

“Then why didn’t you do anything before now? I flirt with you constantly!”

“Because I thought you were joking!”

“Well, that’s on you, then. Now c’mere, princess,” he reached out and hugged you close to his body again, “we have a lot of time to make up for.”

“God, you’re such a cornball.” You giggled at the teasing kisses he peppered all over your face. When he finally caught your lips you hummed happily against his mouth. He tasted sweeter than the most tooth-rotting candy and gave you the same sugar high.

“Yeah, but you love it.”

“I do.” You snuggled down under the blanket and rested your head on his chest. “I love you, Sokka.”

He ruffled your hair affectionately. “I love you too, princess.”

“You still need to shower, though.”

“Ugh.”

ATLA TAGS: @hotgirlazula @octophopi

SOKKA/ZUKO TAGS: @fiantomartell

[flameo-firelord-hotman]

(Not So) Complicated — Zuko x Fem!Reader

Genre: angst/fluff

Warnings: none

Words: 2.6k

Summary: you and Zuko had eyes for each other, but Zuko was afraid you wouldn’t return his feelings because of his identity. One day, you ask him on a date.

A/N: this is my contribution to @fromthewatertribe‘s 1k event! I used prompt #23: “I really like having you around.” It was heavily inspired by the date Zuko had with Jin. I didn’t intend for it to be so long, but alas...this always happens whenever I write anything. This is my first fic btw, please go easy on me. Enjoy! :)

Masterlist

The boy noticed. He noticed the girl who always sat in the corner coming in more often. He attributed it to becoming more familiar with frequent customers, but that wasn’t entirely true. How could he not notice her? She was pretty and kind. He wanted to asked her out, but he was afraid to. He wondered how she would react to his true identity.

A banished Fire Nation prince who spent years searching and hunting down the avatar only to become wanted by his country…that’s who he was. She would hate him, turn him into the Dai Li if she found out. It would be too risky, he decided. And so, he pushed his feelings away to focus on his new job: making tea.

“Zuko,” whispered the boy’s uncle.

“What?”

“She’s here!”

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows. “Who?”

“That girl!”

Zuko finished wiping the teapot before turning around. And there she was: the girl who always sat in the corner, who was, of course, sitting at the table in the corner.

“You should take her order, and...maybe have a little chit chat,” uncle Iroh said, nudging Zuko with his elbow.

“Ugh, no,” Zuko grumbled, “I’m not flirting with a customer, uncle.”

“Oh, come on. I see the way you look at her. I also see the way she looks at you.” Uncle Iroh turned to face him. “I think it’s mutual,” he said, bouncing his eyebrows up and down.

“Tch, you’re ridiculous. I’ll take her order, but that’s it!” Zuko hissed.

Secretly, Zuko was a happy to take her order. Another secret was that Zuko didn’t need to take her order. He had it memorized. The girl always ordered a cup of ginger tea. As much as he ignored his feelings, he had to admit that he still enjoyed seeing her.

Zuko grabbed a pad of paper and pencil, though he didn’t need it, and walked up to the girl. “Hello, how can I help you today?”

She looked at him and smiled sweetly. “Hi! Can I have ginger tea?” she asked.

He nodded. “Sure, I’ll bring it to you in a moment,” said Zuko as he (unnecessarily) noted her order. Ignoring the smirk on uncle Iroh’s face, he brewed a pot of ginger tea, poured it into a simple, clay cup, and returned to the girl.

“Here you go,” he said, offering the warm cup. The girl thanked him, took the cup and handed him several coins in exchange. Just as he was about to leave, she asked, “what’s your name?”

Zuko was a little surprised. They never talked beyond greeting each other and ordering tea. It seemed out of the blue, but, then again, it was just a simple question. It didn’t really mean anything, right?

“My name? It’s, uh, Lee,” he replied, giving her his fake name.

Finally, she could put a name to his handsome face. After frequenting the tea shop almost daily for the past couple weeks, the girl thought it was about time she learned his name and introduced herself. “Nice to meet you, Lee. My name is [y/n].”

“Nice to meet you too, [y/n].”

[Y/n] also thought it was about time she made a move. “I know we’ve only just introduced ourselves,” she began, her fingers anxiously tracing the rim of the cup, “but I was wondering if, maybe, you’d like to go out sometime?”

Zuko was very surprised now. Maybe his uncle was right; the feelings were mutual. Still, things were complicated. He was a Fire Nation prince; she was an Earth Kingdom commoner. There was no way [y/n] would be okay with who he was really was: an enemy. But as risky as it would be, he couldn’t say no. He couldn’t break her heart. That would be harsh, he thought, but it would only be one date, one night out…how bad could it be?

“My nephew would love too!”

Zuko snapped back to reality. He didn’t realize it, but he had been standing there, staring at her in shock for quite some time. Uncle Iroh patted him on the back as if to say “you’re welcome.” Zuko looked at his uncle and internally thanked him.

“Uh, yes, sorry about that, yes, I would like to,” Zuko blurted with a blush forming across his cheeks. It made [y/n] giggled.

“Great! I’ll meet you outside the shop at sunset tonight,” she cheered.

[Y/n] was so excited for her date. She spent all afternoon getting ready. After going through her entire closet, she decided on a long, jade green dress with long sleeves. Then, she spent the rest of her free time doing her hair and makeup. Her heart pounded as she made her way to the tea shop. When she rounded the corner, she saw him waiting outside.

“Lee!” she shouted as she jogged up to him. He was wearing a dark green tunic over an olive green shirt and pants. “It’s weird not seeing you in your uniform, but you look great,” she grinned.

Zuko blushed. “Thanks. Um, you look nice too,” he stuttered, scratching the back of his neck. As much as he wanted to tell her that she looked absolutely beautiful, he didn’t want to come off too strong. This was supposed to be a one-time thing, and then he would come up with some excuse to not go out again and forget about his crush.

“Thanks. Come on, let’s get some food,” said [y/n] eagerly. She clutched his hand and led him to one of her favorite restaurants.

Dinner wasn’t too awkward, but it could’ve been better. [Y/n] tried to make conversation, but the two didn’t go beyond small talk. Zuko just didn’t want to talk much, not because he was shy, but because he didn’t enjoy lying about himself, especially to the girl he liked, and feared he might give himself away. Unfortunately, he was not as good of a liar as his sister. Silence was his friend tonight. Despite that, [y/n] was determined to have a good time with him.

“I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city. Come on!” [y/n] said, grabbing his hand. She ran down the empty, cobblestone street, dragging Zuko behind. The street opened up to a large intersection with a stone fountain in the center covered and surrounded by paper lanterns. However, none of the lanterns were lit. [Y/n] frowned. This date was not going well at all.

“I can’t believe it. The lanterns aren’t lit tonight! It’s always so beautiful when they are...” said [y/n] cheerlessly. She looked away from Zuko to hide her watering eyes.

Zuko felt bad. It was his fault that dinner was so awkward, but it was too late to do anything about that now. This, however, was something he could fix. It would be so easy, yet so dangerous. Zuko would be risking everything, but it would be worth making [y/n] happy. Maybe if I’m quick, no one will notice…but what would she think? He pondered for a moment. Then, he decided.

“Close your eyes,” he told [y/n], “and don’t peak!”

[Y/n] did as he said. She closed her eyes and covered them with her hands. Zuko looked around. The area was empty; no one was around. Quickly, he got into a firebending stance and flicked his hands in all directions, aiming small blasts of fire at each of the lanterns. Soon, the soft, golden light from the flames of the lanterns illuminated the space. Water flowing in the fountain appeared to glow and sparkle. It really was beautiful just as [y/n] said it would be.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” said Zuko. And [y/n] did. Her jaw dropped at the sight.

“Wow,” [y/n] said in awe. The fountain looked exactly like it always did when it was lit up, but it never ceased to amaze her. But something wasn’t quite right. “I don’t understand. What happened? How did…” she trailed off, turning to look at Zuko. He gave her a small, nervous smile for an answer. [Y/n] decided not to push it. She knew. There was no other possible explanation.

And she was okay with it, but Zuko wouldn’t know it, because what Zuko didn’t know was that [y/n] was unlike most Earth Kingdom citizens. She never immediately hated someone for being a firebender. Her parents taught her that there are good people and bad people everywhere—even in her home town—and that everyone is capable of change—even our enemies. So, she was determined to prove to him that she was okay with who he was.

Gently, [y/n] moved her hands to take his. They were sweaty, he was obviously nervous, but she didn’t mind. Facing each other, the two locked eyes.

“Now, it’s your turn to close your eyes,” said [y/n].

Zuko did as she said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever was to come. To be honest, he wasn’t sure what it would be. A kiss? A slap to face? He wasn’t sure which one he was more afraid of. His eyelids twitched from the anticipation.

Slowly, [y/n] stood on her toes and leaned in to softly press her lips to his. Zuko impulsively reciprocated, but only for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he realized what was happening, and he pushed himself away from her. [Y/n] was startled and confused. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Zuko paused and looked at the ground in shame. “It’s complicated,” was the only answer he could give her. “I have to go.”

“Wait!” shouted [y/n], grabbing his wrist. “Just tell me. Why is it complicated?”

Zuko didn’t know how to respond. How was he supposed to explain that he was the crowned prince of the Fire Nation, and that he had been banished for years, and that he had been tasked with capturing the avatar, and that he had become wanted, and that he had a huge crush on her, and that she deserved someone better? He didn’t know. Again, he looked at the ground in shame.

“It’s because you’re a firebender, isn’t it?”

Zuko’s snapped his head up in shock. Not necessarily because she figured it out, but because she said it out loud and so plainly. It was a genuine question. He sensed no anger, no fear.

[Y/n] chuckled when he didn’t respond. “Oh, come on, Lee. Those lanterns didn’t light themselves. It’s okay. I’m not afraid of who you are.”

“You’re not?” he asked in disbelief.

[Y/n] shook her head and clasped his hand with hers. “I’m not. Come sit with me.” She led Zuko to the edge of the fountain. Zuko was hesitant, but followed and sat next to her. [Y/n] wanted to be someone he could trust. She wanted Zuko to feel comfortable with her. There was no doubt in her mind that being a firebender in Ba Sing Se made making friends difficult, let alone going on dates.

“There are good people in the Fire Nation. I know it. Just like how there are bad people in the Earth Kingdom. Maybe not as many or as bad, but still…it’s like what my parents used to tell me: there’s good and bad in every person, every group and every nation.”

She sounded like his uncle, and Zuko found it endearing. He also appreciated the fact that she was being so kind and optimistic, but he had to be honest with her. “Well, I’m not a very good person. I’ve actually done some pretty bad things…” he mumbled.

Despite his confession, [y/n] wasn’t scared. Zuko had many chances to hurt her on their date, and he never did. “So why are you here then? Why aren’t you living in the Fire Nation? Why aren’t you burning down villages or attacking people? Why did you come to Ba Sing Se?” she asked persistently.

Zuko thought for a moment. He thought about telling her everything, but it was one thing to be just another enemy and another to be the son of the Firelord. It would be too much for her to handle.

“It’s complicated,” he said, looking at the ground yet again.

“Was it to run away? To have a fresh start?”

“In a way...yes,” Zuko replied.

“Good. There’s no better place to change yourself than here! It’s safe and full of opportunities. Though, it must be hard not being able to be ‘yourself,’ if you know what I mean,” said [y/n].

Zuko sighed and nodded his head in agreement. “It sucks, but it’s not nearly as bad as what others have to experience because of my people.”

“I’m glad you recognize that.”

“How can I not? I feel ashamed of who I am…”

“Don’t be.” Zuko turned to [y/n], curious as to why he shouldn’t be. Any other Earth Kingdom citizen would’ve hissed at him and called him an ash-maker. [Y/n] continued, “we can’t choose where we come from. But every day we have an opportunity to be a better person!”

It was probably another proverb her parents told her, and it was just what he needed to hear. Zuko smiled. For once in his life, he felt okay with his identity. He felt at peace. “You’re right. Thanks,” he said gratefully.

“Of course!” [y/n] cheered. “It’s getting late now. We should go home.”

The two walked hand in hand to [y/n]’s apartment. Neither of them said anything on the way. They didn’t need to. They had done enough talking for tonight and just wanted to enjoy being together.

“I had a good time tonight, even if things got a little…awkward. Um, do you think we could do this again?” asked Zuko, scratching the back of his neck.

[Y/n] beamed. “I’d love to!”

“Really? I mean, great! How about...this weekend?”

[Y/n] nodded, “sure!”

“And please feel free to stop by the tea shop,” Zuko begged, a blush dusting his cheeks. “I really like having you around.”

[Y/n] felt her heart flutter. He didn’t have to tell her to stop by, she already planned on it, but hearing him say that filled her with joy. “I will,” she promised, “good night, Lee!”

“Good night, [y/n]. Oh, by the way, Lee isn’t my real name,” Zuko said, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “it’s Zuko.”

[Y/n] gently cupped his cheek. “Your secret is safe with me, Zuko,” she whispered back reassuringly. She softly pecked his cheek before walking into her apartment. All the while, Zuko watched her, the girl who always sat in the corner, completely lovestruck.

Back at Zuko’s apartment, uncle Iroh was tidying up the place, when Zuko walked in.

“You’re back! How was your date?” his uncle asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Um, it was nice. We’re going out again this weeken—”

“Oh, I’m so happy for you!” his uncle exclaimed, leaping to Zuko and embracing him tightly. “I never thought I’d see the day my dearest nephew would have a lady friend! Tell me about her. Have you kissed yet? When are you inviting her over for dinner? Did you confess your feelings for her?”

“Okay, uncle, that’s enough!”

[hesther-mcg]

fire lady, prequel

pairing: zuko x reader

warnings: explicit language, ~angsty~

a/n: this is for the lovely @fromthewatertribe’s 1k event!! congrats on this major accomplishment love 🥺 i will definitely be writing more for the event, and i really look forward to it!!

fire lady, prequel  fire lady, part one  fire lady, part two

prompts: 

4- i’ve always been in love with you, since the beginning

8- i thought you loved me

25- you have no idea how much you mean to me

44- i’m sorry i’m not good enough for you 

“Miss (y/n), you must understand,” the head of the Royal Council sighed exasperatedly. 

You said nothing. Your hands shook underneath the table of the meeting room you had been summoned to, and you gripped the fabric of your robes tightly. You must understand? 

He’d just told you that you weren’t good enough for Zuko now that he was Fire Lord. 

“What exactly am I supposed to understand?” You asked lowly, looking the man dead in the eyes. You weren’t scared of him, and you weren’t scared to fight the entire Council; they weren’t shit compared to the war you’d just fought in. 

“The Fire Nation is in a very fragile state right now, and will continue to be for quite some time. Fire Lord Zuko has a lot of work ahead of him, and one of the most imperative things is his public image. You’ve been in the Palace for a short while, Miss (y/n), but we’ve seen enough to know that you would not benefit that image,” he huffed. He acted as if this was no big deal, as if every insecurity you’d had since you and Zuko had begun dating wasn’t being thrown in your face. 

“And what has Zuko said about these opinions?” You gritted, body heating up. 

“He has not yet been made aware, and won’t be until you either remove yourself from the Palace grounds, or we have you removed,” he snipped. The stare off you both found yourselves in was intense. He was so sure in himself, like he knew for a fact that as soon as you left everything was going to become so much clearer and simpler for Zuko. It made you doubt yourself, was he right? Were you just not meant to be in such a position alongside the love of your life. 

You stood from you seat, the legs screeching against the floor, and all eyes followed you. You said nothing, though, as you turned and walked towards the door. 

“I suppose you’re dismissed,” the man that you wanted to punch in the face snarked. 

“I would have left regardless,” you called over your shoulder, never faltering. 

“Whatever feelings you and the Fire Lord shared when the stakes were high are besides the point,” he yelled after you, fists banging on the tabled before him as he pushed himself up. “We have a nation to rebuild!” 

Your heart was heavy in your chest his words echoed long after you’d made it to the gardens. You were from the Fire Nation, and you wanted nothing more than for your home to finally have the peace and unity that you’d always longed for. Maybe he was right. You were loud, and rambunctious, and goofy, and improper. 

Not a Fire Lady. 

“And what are you doing out here all by yourself?” A voice interrupted your thoughts. You looked up, and when your eyes landed on Zuko they filled with tears. You averted your gaze and cleared your throat. 

“Just thinking,” you replied softly. 

“(y/n), what’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

“Something’s been made painfully aware to me, Zuko,” you sighed, still not looking at him. “Priorities have shifted, and I’ve been told that I’ve dropped on your list,” you chuckled darkly. 

“What are you talking about?” He asked in complete bewilderment. This was not even close to what he expected when he went searching for you. 

“You’re the Fire Lord now, Zuko! You have obligations, and responsibilities, and this image you have to fit. And whoever you surround yourself with has to benefit your image, and I can’t do that.” The tears finally fell, slowly trailing down your cheeks. “If you stay with me, I’ll have to be somebody, and nobody thinks I can be that somebody; and I believe them!” You shook your head and turned away from him. “I’m sorry I’m not good enough for you.”

Zuko’s heart had dropped to the pit of his stomach when the tears showed up, but after your words registered in his mind it’d fallen to his feet. “(y/n), who told you that?” He whispered as he took a half step closer to you, and in return you jerked away from him. 

“It doesn’t matter who told me! It’s not one person, it’s everyone, Zuko, and you seem to be the only person who doesn’t see it!” You yelled, whipping around to face him. The wind blew slightly, and the ruffling of the leaves filled the silence that followed your outburst. 

“Who you are,” he started, voice low and gravelly. “Is exactly who I want you to be, I don’t want you to do or say or act like anybody but yourself. That’s why it does matter who put these things in your head, (y/n), because here you are, what, breaking up with me? Leaving me? I thought you loved me,” he raised his hands slightly, hurt seeping into his words.

“I’ve always been in love with you, since the beginning.” You cried before pausing to take a deep breath. “I love you so much, Zuko, that I’d be willing to lose you if it meant you got to fulfill your destiny.” 

“If you love me, and I love you, then I can fulfill my destiny!” He exaggerated, walking closer to you. “It shouldn’t matter what anybody else says about you, or me, or us, because we know where we stand. We know who we are, and how much we love one another. I don’t want you to leave me, (y/n),” his voice quivered, and you launched yourself at him. 

He caught you in his arms, and tucked your head under his chin. “I don’t want you to leave me, I actually want you to marry me one day,” he continued. “I want to rebuild this nation with you, I want you to interact with my people and make them happy the way that I know you can. I want you to make this entire place happy, the way that I know you can.” You pulled away and looked him in the eyes. “I want to have kids with you, and drink tea with you every day, and play Pai Sho,” he chuckled and you couldn’t help but join in. He wiped your cheeks and you smiled at him. 

“You have no idea how much you mean to me,” he whispered before placing a kiss on your forehead, then on you cheek, then on your lips. 

The advisor who had spoken with you had been fired, and replaced with someone new. A few people followed, but they were replaced as well; slowly Zuko was forming a council he could actually trust. 

Slowly, things were falling into place. He had noticed a new confidence in you as you strolled through the corridors of the Palace, and you smiled at every guard and servant in a way that shocked them each time, and you went into the villages weekly. These were the very things that Zuko was told you had been reprimanded for, and it had infuriated him. You were being effortlessly you, and that was just how he wanted things. 

[firebendersimp]

matchmaker

summary: maybe Iroh’s meddling in Zuko’s love life wasn’t so bad after all.

a/n: written for the lovely @fromthewatertribe​‘s 1K celebration wirh prompt 19:  “Okay, so, like, I might, well, it’s not that I might, it’s that I do, I, just, shit! Okay, well, you see— I am kind of absolutely in love with you.”

word count: 1.6K

warnings: fluff, swearing, iroh meddling in people’s lives

Feelings were a very strange thing, last year the mere thought of Zuko was enough to make your blood boil with rage and now the mention of his name sent your heart fluttering. You had it bad for the former disgraced fire nation prince and he had no idea.

Or so you thought....

Zuko had been excited to go see his Uncle in Ba Sing Se, however, he was now regretting the decision as Iroh seemed determined to play matchmaker much to the young fire lord’s horror. “Uncle, I am not going on a date with some girl I’ve never met before. I came here to see you, not to waste my time going on dates.” He sighed in exasperation, hiding his face in his hands.

“I see, well what about a girl you have met before?”

He glanced up at Iroh, a feeling of unease flooding his body as he took in the mischievous smile on his Uncle’s face, “If you’re talking about Jin-”

“Oh no no, I was actually talking about a different girl. What’s her name again? The pretty one who travels with the Avatar, you always seemed so taken with her, Zuko.”

Zuko’s face turned red as he realised who Iroh was referring to, “Y/n?”

“Ah yes, that was her name. Why don’t you invite her to come have tea with you at my tea shop?”

“I am not asking Y/n on a date.” He seethed, embarrassed by his Uncle’s suggestion.

“Now nephew, I never said anything about a date. But now that you’ve mentioned it... I’ll just say you could do a lot worse than her. She seems like a nice girl, I think she would be good for you. Just think about it.” And with that he left Zuko in the living room to sit in shocked silence.

Seizing the paper in front of him, he wrote a message addressed to you, rolling the paper up and attaching it to the messenger hawk before he could regret his decision.

There was a fire nation hawk sitting on your window sill when you woke up, sat perfectly still giving you this look like it was appraising you before it let out this awful screeching noise. You moved over to it, gingerly taking out the message it was carrying and unrolling it. You recognised the handwriting as your eyes scanned over the message, he was inviting you to come see him in Ba Sing Se. Your face broke out into a smile and you looked over to see the hawk still staring at you, who knew that an animal could look so judgemental. You waved at it with the letter, “You can go now, if you want.” It didn’t make a move and you nodded, “Or you can stay there and keep creepily staring at me, that’s cool too.” You pulled the suitcase out from under your bed and began packing for your visit to Ba Sing Se.

Zuko tapped his fingers against the wooden window sill impatiently as his golden eyes searched the skies for any sign of the hawk returning. He sighed, his shoulders dropping in disappointment, how stupid could he be? Asking you to come all the way to Ba Sing Se just to see him, of course you wouldn’t respond, after everything he had done in the past to you and your friends. There was a knock at the door and Iroh went to answer it, laughing before calling out to Zuko, “Nephew, I believe it’s for you.” He walked over to the door, expecting to see Jin or some unfamiliar Earth Kingdom girl.

“Hi, I uh got your message.” He froze, eyes slowly lifting from the floor to your face.

“You came.” You let out a laugh at his dumbfounded expression.

“You asked me to, didn’t you?” 

He nodded, still staring at you with wide eyes, flinching when Iroh laid a hand on his shoulder, “Aren’t you going to ask our guest to come in, Zuko?” He turned to you, offering you a kind smile, “You’ll have to forgive my nephew, he’s not very good at talking to beautiful women.” 

Zuko seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, “UNCLE!” His face flushed red, “Um do you wanna come in? Let me take your bag to the guest room.” He reached for your suitcase, his fingers brushing against yours as he did, you let go of the bag feeling the heat rush to your face. Zuko’s face turned even redder as he led you down the hall to the guest room, opening the door and placing your suitcase inside. He turned to you, “I’m sorry about my uncle, he can be a little overbearing sometimes.”

You sent him a soft smile, “Don’t be, he seems nice.”

He nodded awkwardly, “Do you want to go on a walk with me? I could um show you around?”

“Sure, sounds great!”

A smile stretched across his features and you headed outside with him.

Ba Sing Se was beautiful in the autumn, the leaves starting to turn orange and gold. You shivered in the harsh October wind, Zuko noticed this, offering you his arm, “Firebenders tend to emanate heat.” You slipped your arm through his, thankful for having a reason to be close to him.

You leaned your head on his shoulder as you walked, “Why were you so surprised to see me?”

He cleared his throat, “Uh well you know, I just didn’t expect you to actually show up.” He paused, looking down at you, “I’m really glad you’re here.”

It didn’t feel like you’d been out for long but the sky was slowly getting darker and the streetlamps had turned on. You nudged Zuko with your shoulder to get his attention, “We should probably head back, I think it’s getting late and I’ve just realised I have no idea how to get back from here.”

He grinned, taking your hand and lacing your fingers together, leading the way back to the apartment. The walk back to his Uncle’s was shorter than you had expected or maybe it wasn’t and you were too wrapped up in Zuko to notice. Either Way, before you knew it you were standing outside the apartment with him. “Y/n, there’s something I need to tell you.” You stepped closer, rubbing your thumb over the back of his hand.

“I ha-,” But the front door burst open before he could continue, Iroh beaming down at you.

“Ah the lovebirds have returned! Come inside, the food’s getting cold!” 

Zuko’s eyes widened, jumping away from you, “I- we weren’t- we’re not lovebirds, Uncle!” His face growing increasingly redder, following Iroh into the apartment as he spoke.

You kept replaying the moment in your head, wondering what Zuko had been trying to tell you. You had tried to ask him several times but whenever you spoke to him, his face flushed and he found some excuse to not talk to you. “Zuko can I tal-” You were cut off by Zuko exaggeratory yawning, “Oh is that time?” You turned to look at the clock and he dashed off to his room. “I wouldn’t take it personally.” You glanced over to see Iroh staring at you thoughtfully, “My nephew isn’t very good at expressing how he feels. I believe that’s why he finds it so hard to talk to you, he feels a great deal for you.” 

He placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, “Go talk to him.” He stepped away into his own room leaving you alone in the kitchen and you found yourself subconsciously moving towards the room Zuko had disappeared into. 

You raised your hand to knock before thinking better of it but the door swung open before you could duck out of sight. “Y/n?”

You smiled sheepishly at him, moving to walk away down the hallway but before you could leave his hand closed around your wrist, pulling you back to him. “No, stay. I was um just coming to find you.” He bit his bottom lip, thoughtfully before stepping back into the room, pulling you in with him. 

You sat down on the edge of his bed as he started pacing up and down in front of the door, occasionally pausing to look at you. “Okay, so, like, I might, well, it’s not that I might, it’s that I do, I, just, shit! Okay, well, you see— I am kind of absolutely in love with you.” He blurted out, staring at the ceiling, you could practically see the nerves radiating from him.

“You’re in love with me?”

He nodded, still refusing to look at you, “Have been for the past year but I was too much of a coward to tell you.” 

You got up, moving over until you were directly in front of him, “Zuko, will you look at me?”

His eyes flickered down to you for a moment before staring upwards again, “Why does it feel like I’m about to get rejected?” He sighed, before meeting your eyes.

You placed a hand on his cheek and he subconsciously leaned into your touch, “Are you sure that you have feelings for me?” You asked, feeling the knot in your chest tighten.

“The only thing I’ve ever been sure about is you.”

Your hands moved to his neck pulling him against you as your lips slotted against his. He was frozen until you pulled away, “You- you kissed me.” 

“Well yeah, because I love you too.” His lips tugged upwards into a smile as his hands wrapped around your waist pulling you back into him, reconnecting your lips once more.

taglist: @akiris​

[loversamongus]

Friends, Fevers, Family Movies

a/n: first one shot for @fromthewatertribe‘s 1k follower event! This turned out to be A LOT longer than I expected and it was also originally for a whole other prompt??? And then just??? Evolved into this??? I knew I wanted to write something that featured a Sokka friendship (and a Katara one!) but also feature good ol’ Zuko fluff. So here ya go. Word vomit. TO CELEBRATE NINA BEING AWESOME.

Also important: written as a world without covid, but does mention the flu. prompt: go to bed, you idiot.

words: 2k

relationship: Zuko x reader

Sharing an apartment with your best friends has its highs and lows. On the bright side, you truly lucked out between the epic prank wars, overly competitive game nights, and the bureaucratic division of chore responsibilities. However, there’s also the constant paranoia that someone can jump out of your closet in a gorilla costume, the frustrated search for the last blue Sorry piece after a certain sore loser flipped over the coffee table, and Katara’s insistence on hand washing all dishware even though the kitchen has a perfectly good dishwasher. The three of you never experience a dull moment.

And you’re so grateful to be living with them. Sokka and Katara are your best friends but now it’s like having a brother and sister of your own. Due to the smaller size of the apartment, you and Katara share a bedroom but neither of you would have it any other way. Though you both have your own corner of the room, you’ll spend hours laying on the gray shag rug in the middle between your beds just talking.

“Today, at the diner, a man had the AUDACITY to call me ‘pretty girl’ and like, yes I am pretty but I don’t need an old coffee-breathed, wrinkly limp noodle to tell me that so I assumed he was just stating the obvious and that I should also call him by obvious nicknames in order to better communicate with and understand the customer, as my manager puts it.”

“And what did you call him?”

“When I came back with their food, he said, ‘Can the pretty girl also get us some mayonnaise packets?’ And I said, ‘Not a problem, ‘crusty man.’”

Katara tried her darnedest to flash you a severe look but couldn’t help choking on a fit of giggles.

“Suki approves of it and we spent the rest of our shift calling each other different names when we crossed paths!”

The rest of the night would linger on with more work day stories, giggles, and Sokka occasionally pounding on the door for you both to shut up already because he is trying to sleep goddamnnit and can’t do that while the apartment is filled with your shrill girlish squeals.

Finally, when you both struggle to fight off sleep, you wave the white flag and drag yourself into bed. But just before you drift off, you hear Katara whisper your name from across the room. You’re not even sure if she’s awake, you’re both so tired, but you answer anyways.

“Hmm?”

“What do you think of Aang?”

“He adores you (yawn) it’s so sweet. I like him for you.”

There’s a silence and you think you’re free to finally fall into your dreams until Katara speaks again.

“What do you think of Zuko?”

“Hmm? I dunno, he’s our (yawn) friend and I like when he brings over (yawn) fireball for game night (yawn) why?”

Your exhaustion overpowers you before you could hear Katara respond, “Because he adores you, it’s so sweet. I like him for you.”

Although also your best friend, living with Sokka feels much less sweet and much more chaotic. Somehow you’re at each other’s throats more so than he is with his own blood related sister. It may have started when the Sock Battle started, a game in which Sokka made it his mission to hide his stenchiest pair of socks somewhere in your stuff. By now, you’ve found his socks in your pillowcases, in textbooks, in your gym bag, and in a picture frame next to your bed. You deliberately retaliate in any way you can during game night. While these instances often have you second guessing your friendship with him, you and Sokka could both put the bickering aside with a Disney movie and a bucket of buttered popcorn.

You could have killed him though when he gave you the flu. Katara was spared thanks to her daily regimen of vitamins and obsession with cleanliness, and Sokka had even recovered rather quickly. But you were not as lucky. Even though it was only the beginning of October, you had Katara dig out your flannel holiday pajamas to warm you up from the chills. The darling that she is, Katara made you her famous homemade soup and set it by your bedside table before heading out to see Aang. In the meantime, it was time for payback.

“Sokka, I need you to refill my water bottle.”

“Do it yourself.”

“Fine and when I get over to the kitchen I’ll lick every bag of beef jerky you own.”

“Oh my god, fine. Give me your water bottle.”

“Sokka, I need to charge my phone. Give me your charger.”

“No? Yours in your room, go get it.”

“If only my legs weren’t so weak from this terrible flu I’ve contracted from someone I trusted to be more hygienic.”

“Here, take it.”

“Sokka, you need to light a candle in the bathroom. Ooh do the rose petal one.”

“Ugh, no. You know I hate yours and Katara’s girly scented candles.”

“Okay, but then don’t complain about the smell when you go in.”

“It can’t be that bad— OH MY GOD DID SOMETHING CRAWL OUT OF YOU AND DIE?! OH MY GOD IT’S TRAVELLING. IT’S TRAVELLING THROUGH THE APARTMENT.”

By the fourth day of having the flu, Sokka was sick. Not of the flu. Of you. Katara had been spending as much time with Aang as she could to avoid catching anything from you so the responsibility of taking care of you fell on Sokka. And he was finally reaching the breaking point after you left used tissues all over “his side” of the couch. You snuggled into your pile of blankets as you watched your best friend grumble about the living room, every so often glancing at you while muttering incoherently.

After picking up the last of your snot filled, flu infected tissues, Sokka stood in front of you and took a long, exaggerated breath.

“I am leaving this Land of Disgusting to eat at the diner before driving Suki home.”

“Sokka, you had me at ‘I am leaving.’”

“Shut up. You still have a fever so I’ve called in reinforcements to look after you while Katara and I are both out. They’ll be here shortly after I’m gone. Can you handle yourself for 10 minutes?”

“Aye aye, captain.”

Before leaving, Sokka grabbed one more blanket from your room to bring to you on the couch. You realize how lucky you are to be such a pain in the ass and still be so loved by your little family. These happy thoughts, along with the utter amusement over the possibility of Toph being the one taking care of you, lulled you into a short, soft nap.

When you open your eyes next, the living room is dark, save for the small lamp in the corner of the room. As you go to stretch out your legs on the couch, your feet kick into something that wasn’t there before.

“Sokka?” you ask wearily, assuming your friend is back from dropping Suki off home.

“Nope.”

It wasn’t Sokka’s voice. Nor was it Toph’s. Trying your best to sit up under the weight of five blankets, you turn your head to see Zuko’s face illuminated by his phone’s screen as his thumb continued to scroll.

“Oh. Hi.”

He looked over at you. “Hey. Can I get you anything?”

It takes you a moment to get over the fact that Zuko is the reinforcements, the one called to take care of you while your roommates are out of the apartment. But finally you respond, “Actually, my throat is really dry. Can you grab my water bottle for me?”

He reached over to the coffee table to grab your water bottle for you. Then, after handing it you, Zuko went back to looking at his phone.

“Katara says you have to take your medicine once you’ve woken up.”

“Ugh noooooo. I don’t want to.”

Taking pills has never been your been your strong suit. Maybe it’s your irrational fear of choking on them or just your innate ability to be stubborn about everything but you try to put up your best fight.

“You have to. Or else we’ll have to cancel another game night or you just won’t be able to play with us. And then who would kill Sokka first in Among Us.”

“You’ll have to continue my legacy, that’s all.”

“Just take the pills. I already cut them up for you.”

“Fine... thank you.”

After you swallow the last pill, you lay back down on the couch but Zuko gets up.

“Where are you going?”

“Since you’re up now, let’s watch a movie. There’s nothing else you should really be doing in your condition.”

“I have my DVDs on my shelf in my room. Pick me a Disney movie?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh my god, please? I am very sick and frail and only the nostalgic joys of my childhood can cure me.”

“....fine.”

You muster up a squeal that quickly turns into a cough as Zuko leaves the room. After a few minutes he comes back with Toy Story 2, a choice that makes you raise an eyebrow considering its heartbreaking song is not something you’d expect Zuko to want to watch. Nonetheless, you hardly protest as the two of you settle in on the couch for the movie to begin.

To your surprise, the animated movie managed to steal a couple chuckles from Zuko. After all the bickering throughout the week with Sokka, it was a welcome and pleasant sound ringing in your ears. Despite your better judgment, you shift closer to him, especially when you know Jessie’s big song is getting closer. He doesn’t move away though and even wraps an arm around you. When a chill runs down your spine, you wonder if it’s due to the fever.

“Are you crying?”

“It’s just SO sad, how could you not, Zuko?! Somebody needs to LOVE HER AGAIN.”

Grinning, he hands you the tissue box, which you fully accept both for your tears and flu-inflicted runny nose. But once the song ends and you’ve let out a good cry, your eyelids start to feel enormously heavy. Zuko must sense this because he scoots a bit closer to you, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder. You hesitate for a moment, not wanting to pass the flu onto Zuko, but for some reason he feels warmer than the mountains of blankets you’re buried under.

The rest of the movie plays on and you struggle to keep your eyes open, often shifting against Zuko to wake yourself back up. You know there’s more to the movie but Zuko picks up the remote and turns off the tv. Before you could even question what he’s doing, he’s lifting you up and walking you to your room.

“But we didn’t see the end of the movie!”

“You weren’t going to stay up to see the end anyways.”

“But you needed to see Jessie and Bullseye find new homes! With Andy! And Wheezy!! Wheezy gets fixed!!”

He helped you under the covers and sat beside you on your bed for a moment. You still feel enough energy to offer up a few more protests.

“Only the end of the movie can cure me with its pure, unadultered childhood joy! You can use some, too! Disney fixes all things!”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, but before getting up, Zuko leaned in to kiss your forehead lightly.

“Go to bed, you idiot.”

You didn’t even register when he left your side because you were asleep again within minutes. In fact, when the sunlight from the bedroom window wakes you up hours later, you could have sworn it was all just a fever dream anyways. Disney movies cuddled up with Zuko? Definitely sounds fake. However, later on in the morning, you do begin to suspect it was all real when you find your Toy Story 2 DVD still in DVD player and catching Katara and Sokka trying to discreetly give each other a high five.

[dirtyoatmeall]

Love (Sero x Reader)

A/N: Another for @fromthewatertribe‘s 1k event! A little more on the sad side, though a happy ending! I love Sero with my whole heart! I definetley headcanon him as latino, so there are a few spanish names of affection sprinkled in. (The prompts I used are 1,4,17,20,25,49)

Pairing: Sero x reader (No pronouns used, nicknames mean love and little chicken, mention of mascara though!)

Word count: 1250 words

Warnings: None, some insecurities 

You had a problem.

A big problem.

You were in love with your best friend. Very cliché, you were aware. It wasn’t as if you wanted to be in love with the one person, in your eyes, that was off limits. It just happened. You looked at Sero one day, you can of course remember the moment vividly. He was laughing at something Kaminari was doing, you were too, but when you looked over and saw him: shoulders shaking, eyes crinkled, face dusted pink, it hit you. You saw yourself with him, curled up with him on the couch, watching TikToks together, making fun of Kaminari together, cooking meals for the other, holding hands, kissing, you saw an entire life with him, and it terrified you.

After that moment, everything changed. You couldn’t do the things you used to, not anymore. You blushed whenever he got too close, stuttered when you made eye contact, and slowly, you started to distance yourself. You didn’t want to, god no, you wanted to spend every waking moment with him, but that was the problem. You knew he wouldn’t want the same. You may not have had the evidence to support your claim, but you knew, deep down, that when it came down to it, he just wanted to be friends.

So instead of entertaining any idea different, you tried to save yourself the pain and just, remove yourself. You stopped coming to hang out after class, either ate lunch in your dorm room or tried to sit next to someone else, like Ashido or Kirishima. You avoided being alone with him, trying to play it off as needing to study. You started out slowly, trying not to alarm anyone, and as time went on, it become more and more frequent. After a few weeks, they barely saw you outside of class. It of course hurt, they were your friends, but you saw it as a necessary hurt for the long run, if you could just force yourself to get over him, everything would turn out fine. Right?

Wrong.

There was a knock on your dorm door Friday night, a night when you and Sero usually watched movies, of course you had canceled, needing to ‘study’ as you had texted that morning. You tensed as the knock rang out, mentally preparing yourself for who could be behind the door. Taking a deep breath, you open.

You met Sero’s eyes and quickly looked away, deciding your socks were more interesting than your best friend with a hurt expression on his face. There was a moment of silence before he softly spoke. “Can I come in?” You stood for a beat before nodding and stepping away from the door, giving him room to slip past you. You wanted to say no, but you knew, it was time. Time for the years of friendship between the two of you to end.

He sat at the edge of your bed, while you slumped into the chair at your desk, eyes downcast to the carpet, refusing to look at him. You knew if you met his eyes again you’d cry, and the last thing you wanted was to make him feel guilty for something that was entirely your fault. He sighed sadly and edged forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“(Y/N), c’mon, you gotta talk to me. Tell me what I did wrong, I can’t handle not having you around anymore.” His hand twitched, you knew he was itching to touch you, to comfort you. You sniffed, not quite expecting the water works to come so quickly. You spoke softly, knowing he couldn’t hear you, you just needed to say it to yourself first.

“Amor, you’re gonna have to speak up”

You sighed, wiping your eyes with your sleeve, mustering what courage you have left to look him in the eyes.

Big mistake.

You could see the hurt in his features, brows furrowed, lips drawn tight. You felt another wave of inexplicable self-loathing wash over you, you did this to him. You bit your lip before speaking, having to clear your throat of the sob that threatened to spill,

“I think I’m falling in love with you and it terrifies me.”

You know he was taken aback by your statement by the breath he sucks in, and instead of letting him respond, you continue. “That’s why I haven’t been around, I didn’t mean to hurt you guys, I just- I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t just be your best friend anymore. I can’t, it hurts too much. I know you don’t feel the same and I know you deserve so much better than me so I figured I’d make it easy for you.” You were crying by the end, glad you decided against the mascara today. You were glaring blurrily at your hands in your lap, angry at yourself for breaking down that you didn’t notice Sero crouching in front of you until his hands enveloped your own, you flinch at the contact before looking at him.

“Oh (Y/N)-” another sob burst past your lips at sadness dripping from his words, you knew what was coming and even though you spent this time distancing yourself it still hurt as though you never stopped.

“Mi amor, You’re enough. You’re enough, and I love you.” He squeezes your hands at the last 3 words, and your breath hitches as they seep in. Much like you minutes earlier, he continues without allowing you to reply, not that you could’ve anyway.

“I’ve always been in love with you, since the beginning. Ever since you asked me to make you a tape swing on the playground, going on and on about how cool my quirk was, even if I had to wear ugly, oversized shirts because of it.” You snorted at the memory, still trying to put your thoughts into words. You interlaced your hands with his, and he took that as a cue to continue, which you wouldn’t refuse.

“You have no idea how much you mean to me. You make me really, really happy. That’s why I was so hurt when you stopped coming around, and even when you did you avoided me like the plague. I thought I had done something to hurt you, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, to save you all this heartache.” You shook your head at his apology, squeezing his hand tight before you spoke, voice still shaky from all of the emotion coursing through you.

“No, don’t apologize, I should be the one apologizing. I was so sure you wouldn’t feel the same, and I didn’t want to make you deal with it so I figured it’d be best if I just, removed myself I guess. I’m sorry I made you guys worry, I thought what I was doing was saving everyone from hurt, but I was just really hurting everyone.” He leaned up and took you into his arms, guiding your head into the crook of his neck, gently running his fingers through your hair as your tears wet his shirt.

“Pollito, I’d be dumb to not feel the same. C’mere, let's not dwell on the past, we’ve got some movies to catch up on.” You nodded slowly, joining him on your bed, curling yourself into his lap, resting your head on his chest as you opened your laptop, pulling up your movie list.

“Can we watch Howl’s Moving Castle?” He chuckled and tightened his hold on you,

“Anything for you baby.”

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! Week of February 6 - February 12, 2023

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

Garis Awal - by rasyalleva; Complete, 1/1, 1.4k; Language: Bahasa Indonesia

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Gray/Mary the Librarian | Marie; Characters: Gray, Mary the Librarian | Marie, Claire the Farmer Additional Tags: Friendship/Love, Developing Friendships, Slice of Life, General, Self-Acceptance Summary: Sepanjang ingatan Mary tumbuh dan besar di Kota Mineral, setiap penduduknya melalui satu aktivitas ke aktivitas lainnya dengan begitu tenang, runtut, dan sesuai porsinya. Tidak seperti Claire. Bahkan, sebelum ini pun, tidak pernah ada yang seperti Claire.

Gabriel's Baby - by PirateQueen20; Complete, 10/10, 2.6k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Other Fandom: Light of Hope Relationships: Farmer/Gabriel, Farmer/Edmond; Characters: Edmond, Gabriel, Farmer Additional Tags: Cheating, Infertility, Childbirth, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Shameless Smut, no editing we die like men Summary: This is after you complete the main storyline and start a family. This is about marital dissatisfaction and infertility. This is gaining carnal knowledge of both of your best friends. This is being a single mother, with papa in the arm chair. This is trying to be part of a community and feeling more alone than ever.

Our Story of Seasons: Pete x Claire - by Ry2_Sinheart; WIP, 17/20, 26k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer & Pete | Jack, Claire the Farmer/Pete | Jack; Characters: Pete | Jack, Claire, Thomas, Zack, Dog, Harvest Goddess, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Karen Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Slice of Life, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Developing Relationship, Strangers to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Video Game Mechanics, Game Logic, Male-Female Friendship, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Slow Romance, Digital Art Summary: A story that revolves around the protagonists of Mineral Town. After a series of unfortunate events, Pete and Claire agree they'll have to raise the farm together, whether they like it or not. Through their farming-ventures, they realize that maybe farming together… isn't so bad.

The Boys - by juggalombre; WIP, 13/?, 17k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: M/M, Multi Fandoms: Harvest Moon DS/Cute Characters: Original Male Character(s), Carter the Archeologist, Flora, Marlin | Mash, Vesta, Takakura, Galen | Guri, Nina, Griffin | Garfan, Muffy, Witch Princess, Harvest Goddess Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Pining, Forget-Me-Not Valley, Alcohol Summary: Jazzebel (Jazz for short) is a city boy down on his luck and at the end of his rope… and what else is a depressed city slicker to do besides drop out of school, move out of the city, and settle down in a freshly-abandoned farmhouse in a quaint little country valley?

Lebih Tragis dari Mati - by rasyalleva; Complete, 1/1, 1k; Language: Bahasa Indonesia

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Kai/Popuri; Characters: Kai, Popuri, Mary the Librarian | Marie Additional Tags: Romance, Slice of Life, Romeo and Juliet References, Disapproving Family Summary: Setelah bertahun-tahun, Popuri teringat kisah Romeo dan Juliet yang pernah disampaikan Mary kepadanya: kisah asmara yang berakhir tragis dari pertentangan anggota keluarga. Tapi ada yang lebih tragis dari mati, ada.

Flowers For You - by Misfittin; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen Fandoms: A New Beginning Character: Neil Additional Tags: Reflection, Self-Reflection, Internal Monologue Summary: Neil got some flowers for the flower festival.

Living in Color - by rockyroadster95; WIP, 12/?, 23k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Light Angst, Slow Build Summary: At her father's funeral, Aya was given an offer that would take her far from her stale and directionless life to a place she hoped would give her something to live for.

The Heart of a Westown Cowboy - by Mya_Stone; WIP, 8/?, 11k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Trio of Towns Relationship: Female Farmer/Wayne; Characters: Frank, Ford, Carrie, Brad, Megan, Hector, Colin, Daryl | Darius, Marlena, Lynn Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Guy Falls First, I Wrote This For Me But I'll Share It With You Summary: Wayne is Westown's perpetually single lady's man. He'd like to settle down but he just hasn't found The One and he's fairly certain he's met everyone in town. Then Melody moves in, taking a plot of her uncle's ranch to fulfill her dream of being a rancher. A college-educated business woman, Melody doesn't accept failure - especially not her own. As Wayne falls hard for her, she struggles to return his affections until she has what she came for - and when she continually comes up short at the cow competitions, she begins to wonder if Westown is really the place for her.

Remaster: Step Toward the Future - by darkryuu; WIP, 9/25. 78k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: Major Character Death; Category: F/M Fandom: Back To Nature Characters: Cliff, Popuri, Kai, Doctor | Trent, Gray Summary: Set in BTN/MFOMT/DS: Jill ("Claire") is struggling to find a goal in life after high school. After her parents boot her off to her late grandfather's farm, everything around her is never quite the same as she struggles to find herself and her future. Remastered from original 2004 release. Jill/Cliff, minor Jill/Kai, minor Jill/Gray, minor Jill/Doctor. OC/Popuri, OC/Elli.

[nadisabug]

Zuko’s Story

Summary: Y/n is a fan of tea, but she's an even bigger fan of the cute boy who sells it at the Jasmine Dragon. Prompts: 1. “I think I’m falling in love with you, and it scares me.” 4. “I’ve always been in love with you, since the beginning.” 11. “You look beautiful.” 23. "I really like having you around." Fandom: ATLA Pairing: Zuko x reader Warnings: none A/N: This is for @fromthewatertribe‘s 1k event! This was an idea I had before but saw your prompts and knew it would fit perfectly!

I slowly sipped on my tea, eyeing the cute server. I had been gawking at him for who knows how long, but I knew he wouldn't notice. He never noticed.

I knew his name was Lee by hearing it around the shop. I had been coming every single day for the past three weeks during my little brother Cam's bending lessons. I wasn't a bender, but he was, and I was determined for him to learn. Ever since our father had been taken away for bending when the fire nation raided our village, I knew he had to learn. I ran away with him the day I learned he could bend, refusing to let them take him too. As a result, we ended up as refugees in the last safe place there was, Ba Sing Se. And, even though money was so unbearably tight, I insisted that he go to regular lessons to learn how to bend. I was not going to let his talent be wasted.

"Would you like more tea?" I was startled out of my thoughts my a low voice beside me. I looked up quickly and had to fight back a blush. Of course it was Lee.

"No thanks, handsome," I blatantly flirted with him like usual and pressed a coin into his palm. He blinked a couple times before closing his hand around the coin. I got up and left him at the table, exiting the shop. It was about time I picked up Cam anyways.

I began to walk in the general direction of Cam's lessons. I didn't make it far, though. After a few minutes of walking, I was roughly pulled into an alley. I tried to scream, but a hand muffled my attempts. I twisted and thrashed, but my assailant had caught me well off guard so there was not much I could do to free myself. So, I stopped trying to free myself. I decided to wait until I saw an opening and take it. I had a whole plan in motion but it was shattered when I saw who had grabbed me.

"Lee?" I mumbled through his hand. I scrunched my eyebrows together and relaxed in his hold. It was only then that I processed how close we were. He had my wrists clasped behind my back, the rest of his arm pressing his body to mine. He was half a head taller then me, so he was looming over me.

"How to you know my name?" He rasped angrily. He lowered his hand from my mouth, which I appreciated, but when he brought it back he was holding a knife. I guess I preferred being muffled. He held the blade to my throat as a threat.

Well, I guess he finally noticed my staring.

"I heard it around the shop," I answered truthfully. To be honest, I was scared out of my mind. But, I was also a little bit turned on. This guy was really hot and the tough guy act sure wasn't helping my heartbeat. He was a lot cuter up close, I thought, then cursed at myself. That's what I was thinking about when I had a knife to my throat? However, for some reason, I didn't feel like he would hurt me. Be it the result of my crush or intuition, I just couldn't bring myself to be scared.

"Why do you stare at me all the time? What do you know? Do you know who I am?" He paused for a millisecond. "Answer me!" He shouted.

I opened and closed my mouth, I was sure I looked like a koi. "I, uh, don't know how to answer that," I replied carefully. "But I have no idea who you are or anything else pertaining to you for that matter."

"Then why are you always in the shop? And why do you always stare at me?" He asked the same question again and I knew I would have to give him a response. He wasn't going to let this one go.

"I like tea?" I said meekly. He gave me a hard stare in response. I sighed in defeat and slumped a little bit. I broke eye contact and looked off to the side to make sure no one was coming. It would be hard for Lee to explain his way out of that one. "Can you let me go at least?" I finally sighed. "I am not going to hurt you, you are the one with the knife."

Lee frowned but nodded and let me go. I shook out my arms, slightly numb from the awkward angle, and sighed in relief.

"Now tell me," Lee began, raising his knife to my throat again. "What business do you have with me?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed the knife away, no longer really scared. If Lee was a bad guy, he never would have let me go. "None? Listen if you want the truth, here it is. I think you're cute so I like going to the shop and watching you work. Nothing malicious."

"Oh," he said softly, lowering his knife.

"I am really sorry for staring at you all the time, I'll stop coming if that's what you want-well of course it's what you want of course you don't want some freak staring-"

"No." Thankfully, Lee cut off my rambling. "I, uh, well... I don't mind, well it's not that I don't mind but I really like having you around the shop."

"Oh," I breathed, a flush rising to my cheeks.

"Yeah," he muttered quietly and looked away. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and quickly added, "You bring the tea shop a lot of business!"

"Oh," I said again, this time less excited. "Yeah I guess so," I muttered dejectedly.

"Well that's not it," Lee quickly followed up. "I mean I like your presence in the tea shop, you're really nice and tip well and ugh that's not what I mean I am just going to stop talking."

"I think that would be for the best," I chuckled. Then I looked at him again. He was so unbearably cute and I was sure I would never get another opportunity like this again, so I decided to go for it. "Look, I think you're really cute. Want to go out sometime?"

"Uh, I just held a knife to your throat," he responded dumbly. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, now. Date?"

"He would love to!" A voice shouted from the opening of the alley. The old man who ran the tea shop, Iroh, walked towards us.

"Uncle!" Lee called indignantly. "Why are you here?"

"I was worried when you left so abruptly and good thing I came because you almost would have messed up this date with this lovely girl," Iroh shot me a wink.

"How long were you there?" Lee asked, a flush of embarrassment rising to his cheeks.

"Long enough," he quickly responded. "How about tonight at sundown in front of the shop," Iroh asked me.

"Sure," I nodded. "He's gotta make up for this whole endeavor somehow," I smirked and shot Lee a look. With that, I waved goodbye to the two guys and headed off to pick up Cam. This wasn't such a bad day afterall. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Okay Cam, I want you right in bed at sundown, you hear me? No waiting up for me."

"Why, you planning to be out late with your boyfriend?" Cam shot back all too happily. 

"No, because you have your lesson at sunrise," I said quickly, making sure I had everything I needed. Would Lee pay? I wasn't sure but I brought my purse just in case. "I worked hard to get us to the middle ring so that you could have a proper teacher and I will not have you being late!"

I felt Cam roll his eyes and sigh at me. "Yes, mom," he groaned. "At least tell me his name."

I turned to Cam, pursing my lips. I had tried to keep this whole date a secret from him, but having a nosy 12 year old in the house wasn't conducive to secrets. He had found out shortly after I picked him up, asking why I was late and accusing me of being out with a boy. When I flushed and stammered in response, he jumped on the opportunity. That was his go to accusation, it just so happened that this time he was right. Not in the way he thought, of course, but partially I suppose. I mean I did ask Lee out on a date. 

I thought for a moment, then figured Cam would find out at some point who it was, especially if we went on more dates. I tried not to get my hopes up at the thought. 

"It's Lee."

Cam gasped dramatically. "From the tea shop?"

"Yes from the tea shop," I huffed and spun on my heel. I walked over to a mirror hanging on the wall and checked my makeup one more time. I needed to leave soon if I was going to make it on time. 

"To imagine, a love blooming from malicious stalkering-"

"I keep thinking you cannot get more stupid and then you prove me wrong every single time," I sighed. 

Cam gasped dramatically again. "Wounded, by my own sister!" He cried. "Besides, am I wrong that you stalk him? I bet what happened was he confronted you about your stalker-ering and you were all like 'I've always been in love with you, since the beginning of time-'"

"Oh hush." I turned towards the door so that he couldn't see my blush. I mean, he wasn't that wrong. Lee did confront me about the stalk- watching of him, and I did confess in a way. "I am leaving now. When will you be in bed?"

"By sundown," Cam responded in a high pitched voice, obviously mocking me. 

"Okay, bye. Be good," I said as a final goodbye and left. 

My walk to the Jasmine Dragon was uneventful at best. Once I got there, I saw Lee outside. He was wearing a nice suit, his hair parted in the middle and slicked to each side. I whistled as I approached. 

"Nice 'do, hot stuff," I grinned. He turned to face me, and unless I was mistaken, a blush rose to his cheeks. 

"You look beautiful," he blurted, then flushed a bright red that I knew I wasn't imagining. 

I was caught off guard by his blatant confession, and I felt a heat creep up my neck. "Uh, thank you. You don't look to bad yourself, though I do think I like your hair all messy better." 

"Oh." Zuko reached up and ruffled it, messing it all up. "Like that," he smiled. 

"Like that."

"It took my uncle ten minutes to do my hair," he commented. 

"Well it took you a few seconds to mess it up, now come on, let's go. I know a great restaurant that's super cheap but super good," I said and grabbed his hand, tugging him after me. 

Eating was awkward if anything. Lee wasn't the biggest conversationalist, not wanting to talk about anything about himself, and the food was mediocre at best. It was cheap, though.

"Let's split the bill," I said when we were done eating. Lee opened his mouth to argue, but I stopped him. "I picked the place so it is partially my fault the food was so bad."

"I didn't know you were in the kitchen," Lee smirked. 

"You don't know a lot of things about me," I grinned cheekily. At that, Lee's face darkened. He was hiding something big, I knew it. It was probably something about his past, seeing as he was so guarded about it. 

"Come on," I said, breaking the tense silence. "Let's get out of here." 

The waiter arrived and we paid our check. Luckily, they gave us two cups of tea to go. I took mine and Lee took his and we were on our way. 

"Ugh," I groaned, sipping my tea. "This is disgusting, its so cold."

"Here," Lee reached out and took it from me. He held onto it for a second then handed it back. Miraculously, it was hot when he handed it back. 

"What the..." Then it hit me. The only way he could have done that was if he was a firebender. I looked up at him in surprise, ready to make a run for it, but then I took another look at him. It wasn't like a Earth bender gave him that scar, and he was here for a reason, probably to start over. That's why he was so defensive about who he was when he questioned me earlier today. So I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He hadn't hurt me yet, and he didn't hurt me when we thought we were alone in that alley, so I doubted that he'd hurt me now. 

"Thanks," I finally decided on with a smile. I let him walk me back to my place, knowing Cam was probably still awake. When we reached my door, I turned to him. "Thank you for taking me out."

"Thank you for uh, not getting mad I held a knife to your throat," he replied, shyly rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Well, I don't know if I'm still over that," I said with a small smirk. "I might need another date to see if I forgive you."

Lee's eyes darkened. "I don't know if I can do this-"

"Oh come on," I sighed. "I liked spending time with you, I hope you liked spending time with me. It's not like we're going to get married, just hang out a bit more. Come on, one more date and that's it."

Lee sighed. "One more date. And that's it."

"And that's it." I agreed with finality.

After that, we started going out on dates every few days. We went to festivals together, tried out new restaurants, and even went out on picnics. It was on one of those picnics that I finally decided to confess to him. We were up on a hill under the shade of a great tree, looking out over the sprawling city. We had lapsed into silence. 

"I need to tell you something-" We both said at the same time. We both flushed and turned away. 

"You first," I said. 

"No you." I stayed silent, staring at Lee expectantly until he sighed and caved. "Fine. I think... Well look. There's still so much you don't know about me. I've done some pretty horrible things in my past."

"I think people can change," I asserted.

Lee shook his head. "Terrible, horrible things. Things no one should ever dream of doing. But I did them. I thought that I had lost my honor and that somehow my father could restore it to me... but now... now I am not so sure." He turned to me and grabbed my hands. "Ever since I met you I've felt like I was an impostor, a fake pretending to be someone I wasn't. Now I think this is me." He sighed and closed his eyes. "What I'm trying to say it that I think I'm falling in love with you and it scares me."

I leaned up and moved to kiss him, but he pulled away. "Why?" I said, hurt in my voice. 

Lee grasped both of my cheeks and pulled our foreheads together. "Listen, I have to do something before we can be together. I need to make up for my mistakes. I got a message last night inviting my uncle and I to serve tea to the King. I think it's a trap. The Avatar is in the city which means my sister is not far behind."

"Your sister... Who are you?" My voice was barely over a whisper, I was surprised it didn't get lost in the wind. 

"I am Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

I paused, my head reeling. I knew he was a firebender but the prince? The prince of the Fire Nation? It was a lot to take in. Luckily he gave me my time and waited patiently for my next question. "And you think its a trap but you're still going to go?" I asked in bewilderment. 

"Yes. I need to stop running away from my destiny. You helped me realize that I'm not bad, I can be good."

"What is your destiny?" I asked breathlessly. 

"To teach the Avatar firebending."

I pulled my head away from his so that I could get a good look at him. "Then go. And don't you dare not think about coming back for me."

"I will." Lee- no, Zuko looked like he was hesitating, then he pulled me into ferocious kiss, stealing my breath away from me. When we separated,  we placed our foreheads together, gasping for air, our breaths intermingling. 

"You have no idea how long I have been waiting to do that," I gasped, but smiled. 

"I feel the same," Zuko smiled too. "Now come on, let's go."

With that, he walked me home and then walked right out of my life, leaving me to wonder if I would ever see him again. 

[kitchenangst]

Love in space? It’s more likely than you think.

Summary: (Bakugou Katsuki x gender neutral!reader) Fuck space, that shit ain’t easy. Also, listen to the Among Us menu music. 

Warnings: swearing, mutual pining?, dialogue heavy, characters’ deaths (including yours), mild gore, maybe ooc Bakusquad and deku team, last names only, Among Us terms used ((listen, i only played on skeld LOL) and very bad writing in 2nd POV -- lmk if I need more any specific warnings!

Word Count: 4401

Prompts: “I don’t mind if it’s you” + Among Us!BNHA (no quirks)

a/n: hi!! it’s my first time writing for BNHA, second POV, head cannons, angst AND gore,,, No like, I kid you not when I say there’s mild gore . Anyway, this is for @fromthewatertribe ’s 1k event!!!! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I wrote it!! happy reading :))  

Hey just because you’re on the botanical team does not mean you get to skip out on team workouts with the rest of the crew!! For a plant nerd, you sure love making everything in the gym a competition and Kirishima, Mina, Iida, Uraraka, and Deku very much live for it 

(Bakugou says it’s stupid, but joins anyway. He says it’s because he likes to watch everyone’s despair when he wins first place again. 

Kaminari surprisingly gets top 3, while Todoroki, Sero, and Tsuyu join just to humor you and maybe add more fire to the competition; they absolutely don’t care about winning but they love making the others struggle) 

Anyway, you guys have been preparing for Mission Polus for a LONG time now, and the playful tension between the crews on Ships UA, ShKs (Shiketsu), and LoV (League of Villains) was only making you guys more fired up than usual in your workouts and preparation

UA, being the biggest team, was going to launch last--only because Kaminari confidently lost in rock, paper, scissors,,, but no biggie! That just meant when ShKs and LOV land, everything should be prepped for you guys when you arrive!

Except, you find out things don’t come out as planned when UA arrives at the second checkpoint 

“I just got word that Ships ShKs and LoV’s crew is cut in half,” you start off grimly

“Hold on--like, the lower or upper half of their body?” 

You decided against your better judgement about throwing the closest thing at Sero until Kaminari added in, “Left half? Or right half?”

Y’know what? Maybe you’ll just throw him out of the ship. 

Apparently, it was initially thought to be some space flu

“If it’s that bad, then… Why are they still continuing the mission? Shouldn’t they handle it back at base?”

It’s probably the smartest question you’ve ever heard from Kaminari. “If it is some contagious space virus, they don’t want it to spread on Earth.”

“Whatever it is, it must be evolving fast. LoV is halfway to the 5th checkpoint, and ShKs is a quarter way to the 4th checkpoint. If they both received it around checkpoint 3 and they’re down to half their people… I just hope they’re quarantining.”

“Good thing you mention that, Deku. LoV and ShKs are changing course to go straight to Polus, and they’re going through the safety measures and cleaning procedures. Meanwhile, we’ll be skipping the 3rd and 4th checkpoints; we’ll pick up all the supplies and materials at the 5th checkpoint. 

“If the other ships’ flu or whatever started around the 3rd checkpoint, we don’t want to be infected. We’re probably setting everything up ourselves when we get to Polus.” 

Everyone is staring at you as they process this new information and you’d be surprised that Bakugou hasn’t said a word all meeting if it weren’t for the grave news this brought. 

“Which means we’ll have to ration our food supply…” Uraraka is the first to break the silence, and you pass a guilty look as you see the realization fall on the rest

The meeting wouldn’t have ended well if it weren’t for Midoriya reassuring everyone that the growing fruit should last them (assuming it was being rationed as well).

By heading straight to the 5th checkpoint, you’d be saving a lot more time as well

Theoretically, things should have gone smooth sailing if Ship UA was changing course. And it would have if all the information was correct. 

Uraraka found you frozen still near the corner of a bedroom when you didn’t return to the meeting. Having never seen you so shaken up before, all she could do was check whatever you were pointing at. 

You watched with bated breath, hoping Uraraka wouldn’t have the same reaction as you, that this was all a bad dream, that this was a prank; because whatever it was, it wasn’t fucking funny considering that deaths on a ship were now a thing.

A month hasn’t even passed since the terrible news. Ship UA was nowhere near the third checkpoint; there’s no way anyone could have been infected

it was all you could repeatedly think to not spiral 

You didn’t even notice when everyone else had arrive in the bedroom, only focusing on the screams and whispers and curses that continued to echo throughout the room and ring in your ear as everything suddenly turned dark; your hands instinctively grabbing onto whatever was around you

“Hey, it’s okay,” you heard, the familiar scent of pine not quite registering yet. “it’s alright, they’re taking care of it.”

You moved your head back to look at Bakugou, his face masking his fear well if it weren’t for the slight trembling in his hands holding you up. “‘It’?”

“The body. Mina’s body.” He took your hands still clutching onto the front of his suit, his gloved ones briefly squeezing yours to ground you. “C’mon, we’re discussing it in the meeting room.” 

God, you felt your body run cold at the thought of Mina’s corpse being called it, but figured maybe you were looking a little too into details at the moment

You focused on your breathing as he dragged you to the meeting room, where no one knew what had gone wrong. 

The only absurd detail was the hole that covered her palms, which left the rest of her body a sick, wrinkly grey. 

Deku was worried if this was what the space flu was about and Iida suggested a 2 week quarantine where one person goes on deck at a scheduled time, while Uraraka was rubbing circles on your back despite being quite shaken herself. 

“The only person who holds her hand is Kirishima” 

“Whoa, whoa whoa--what does that have to do with-”

“Everything!” and now suddenly Kaminari thinks he’s a detective.

A space flu so dangerous that it could kill you overnight was less threatening compared to what kaminari was suggesting

“Not only that, you’re the only one who goes into her room at night!”

“TMI, but… that’s unusual, isn’t it? Kaminari makes a good point.” and it’s another thing to have Sero agreeing 

“Are you suggesting we lock Kirishima in his room until he confesses his crime?” (What kind of fucking suggestion is that todoroki)

“No, I’m saying we just throw him off ship.” 

Okay, now that fucking took you out of your shock...into a different shock… and it seems everyone had the same reaction at how serious Kaminari was. 

“What the fuck are you suggesting, dunce face? We just lost a crewmate, and now you wanna toss someone out?” 

“I’m being smart for once! What if Kirishima did that to Mina instead of some space slug?”

“First off, what about me suggests that I can even do something like that? To my girlfriend, no less! Do I have to repeat that there was a hole in her hand?” 

Everyone waited for Kaminari’s response, to which he sighed and admitted that he was just thinking irrationally from this panic. 

Iida and Bakugou agreed to install cameras in the hallway with a security room while everyone returned to fulfilling their duties

The mood on the ship went downhill from there with Mina’s passing on everyone’s mind. Especially yours and Kirishima’s. 

Kirishima admitted that while he was hurt at Kaminari’s absurd suggestion, he still couldn’t hold it against him for panicking at the first death on the ship. Didn’t mean he had to talk to him though. 

On the other hand, Bakugou often visited you in the plant room, the plant lab, just… you. Anywhere he could find you. 

He told himself that he was just checking up on you, seeing if you were doing fine since Mina was one of the closest members to you 

Maybe if he had known her death would cause such hurting to you, maybe he would have… no, he shakes his head and reminds himself it’s pointless to cry over spilled milk

You didn’t need to look to know he had brought you lunch; judging from the smell, he picked your favorite too 

“You know we’re not supposed to eat in the plant room, right?”

“You know you’re not supposed to be skipping your stupid meal, right?”

“You know we’re supposed to be rationing our food, right?”

“Whatever, guess you don’t want my portion.” 

Banter like this is what always made you break the rules to eat in peace with Bakugou the last few weeks, like how he pretended to seethe at your obnoxious munching

just the simple act of giving his portion to you was touching enough, and it made you relieved how he never touched on the topic of Mina’s death; only listening whenever you brought it up 

You did, however, become concerned when he started giving you his full portion of lunch. 

“No, I’m not hungry,” he’d say after you left him half his lunch, which, normally, you wouldn’t do! you always ate more than half! 

He didn’t have an appetite, he’d insist. And he seemed uncomfortable talking about it, so you dropped the subject. 

It didn’t stop you from guiltily eating his portions, though. 

Motivation and optimism only went up when Uraraka and Tsuyu came out with decorations and stickers on their suits one day

(Sero had taped the tape roll to his head; Deku and Todoroki both carried a fake flower pot in their chest pocket; 

Iida said his pen was decorative enough but put a car sticker on the side of his arm; Kirishima wore Mina’s bracelet on his ankle; and Kaminari took up bringing a toilet plunger with him everywhere.)

You brought up the cute headband with bear ears for Bakugou, and he gave you a paper crown he “spent 5 seconds making” 

(it was just slightly bigger than your head, but it was in your favorite color)

Everything was fine, everyone was better, nothing bad has happened the past 2 months, and everything was going back to normal!

Until Tsuyu found blood in the drainage 

(no one was on their period at the time either!!)

Bakugou stayed back with you in your restroom while everyone else prepped Sero’s body for discarding 

He heard the heaving from his door, similar to the ones he had after his first meal. He recalls the stench of his being so awful, he could almost taste it bubbling at the back of his throat 

So why did yours smell so sweet? 

He continued rubbing and patting your back, the same way you had done for him awhile back. He kept telling himself it was because he didn’t want you to choke, but he knew it was to distract him from the smell

you slept in his arms the following few months when everyone agreed Sero’s death was done in cold blood, and no one knew who it was 

The irony, he learned to love, was how you were the one who suggested the curfew, the placement of the cameras to be in the bedroom hallway and other places, and the idea that no one should go to each other’s rooms 

yet you still wanted to be in his with him late into the night, to “take your mind off things” as you said, and you two would talk until the other fell asleep first 

he loved that you broke your own rule to be with him 

and he found it oddly comforting to feel the pressure of your head on his chest 

and it was fascinating to him... that he could practically taste your fear when you had a nightmare, how you sought comfort in his arms first before anything else

he was probably enjoying it way more than he should when you trusted him this much to comfort you at night, to hold you, to not break you in more ways than one

his favorite part was having a routine with you

joining you in the lab at x o’clock to watch you take care of the plants, to make observations of you as you made yours on plants, hearing you talk about the progress of growing plants in space, kissing you-

wait, kissing you? that was new. 

The forehead kisses when he left you to do his duties and before either of you fell asleep

the cheek kisses when he brought you lunch (you’re convinced that’s the payment for bringing you food)

the cute little peck you do on the corner of his mouth to stop him messing up the files in the lab 

They were so tiny and often he hadn’t even noticed when they integrated themselves into this routine 

it’s also why he wasn’t surprised when he leaned in to kiss you to stop your rambling 

“there. as long as that’s there,” he gestured vaguely at whatever that was, “you aren’t going to die. not on my watch.” 

“So that’s a thing now?” you raised an eyebrow in amusement 

“What.”

“That.” 

Oh don’t do that, don’t do that fucking grin of yours when you’re mocking his dismissive attitude 

“Y’know. Seal of protection.” 

He is not going to give in-

“You’ll do that when-”

God, who he is to resist when you’re practically asking him to shut you up 

It’s been another few months since Sero’s death, and he had been cautious in taking advantage? of your emotional state? in taking a step further? --either way, he didn’t know what held him back in the first place and he wasn’t sure how to put it in words

He also didn’t know how to explain it to you that he couldn’t kiss you more than the simple peck anymore

not when he felt the sudden surge to take more of you and definitely not when his jaw was starting to hurt 

And he didn’t know why he felt so relieved to have you be so understanding 

Of course, everyone was still on their toes about a possible murderer on ship, but no one expected a sudden electrical outage 

The nice thing about the lab was that it had a backup generator for lights, but it didn’t cover for the use of equipment 

This wouldn’t normally be a problem, not when you still have months to go before reaching the 5th checkpoint, but you weren’t going to be a sitting duck waiting to look a plant cell

With a sigh, you began to make your way to electrical, hand sliding against the walls to make sure you wouldn’t trip over anyth-

honestly what the fuck, you swear you’re going to get Kaminari for leaving a puddle of water around with that plunger of his. 

whatever, it’ll dry eventually. still a hazard though. 

and honestly what the fuck, it’s been ten minutes and no one still hasn’t gotten the lights. the bystander effect is starting to make the crew lazy. 

But no surprises here, only two people had gathered there, and stupidly, no one bothered to use a light to adjust the right switches. 

When the lights got back on, Kirishima jumped at the sight of you. 

“Relax, I just came here to fix the li-”

“No, not-”

“Why do you have blood on you?” 

You turned to Deku, and fuck you haven’t seen him this scared since Mina and Sero’s passing 

You’re about to ask what he means when you feel it

the crunch your gloves give, the stiffness of your suit, and you should’ve known the stickiness from your boots wasn’t from water 

“What the-” it nearly sends you in a panic, to see your suit covered nearly everywhere-

“Whoa, hey, hey, stop!” Kirishima and Deku have to physically restrain you from trying to take your suit off with the way you’re digging at it 

And it’s not too long before Kaminari and Bakugou come rushing in, panting from their sprint 

There’s another four dead bodies. 

And oh, oh, oh shit it looks so bad-

“It wasn’t Y/N.” 

“And how are you so sure?”

“Just ask engine over here. We were watching security together, and there was still light coming from the lab. I only left when Y/N left, and there’s no way 4 fucking bodies could have been killed during that time.”

“Bakugou is, indeed, correct. The infrared cameras seem to have been shut down for some time now, so it’s hard to make out who was in the locations.” 

Right, right. This was no fucking flu--you all confirmed that with Sero’s body. 

It didn’t stop you from feeling sick to your stomach, though: seeing the scratches and marks on your 2 crew mates to the point of no recognition 

even worse when you saw the same sickly grey skin on the other two with holes in their palms as well

Mina’s had happened over night... there was no way a slug or flu killed them within 10 minutes

Kaminari points out Deku’s locations before the lights went out

Iida vouches for Bakugou and you (Bakugou vouches for him, too, of course)

and Deku, Iida, and Bakugou vouch for you

....why couldn’t anyone vouch for Kaminari, Deku, or Kirishima? 

Did it make sense for Deku to immediately leave the lab to fix lights?

Did it make sense for Kirishima to avenge Mina’s death? 

You’re not even sure where to begin thinking of Kaminari-- like with his sudden claim of throwing Kirishima off the ship earlier on

Iida, with the grace of angels and levelheadedness of lions, suggested the best plan to find the killer. 

A group of three, a pairing, and lone wolf 

Of course everyone agreed. 

it was no brainer that you and bakugou would stick together--you two were practically stuck at the hips 

Kaminari was grouped with Deku and Kirishima while Iida volunteered to work on his own. 

Everyone was tense: keeping distances away from each other, keeping tabs on the other... 

whether there was one or two killers, it had to be within the group of 3, and you were bound to catch him at some point. 

And while they stressed on who the murderer was, you and Bakugou... well, you felt a bit bad for enjoying the alone time you two got 

“Hmm,” you drawled out one night. 

Oh yeah, don’t think Bakugou didn’t know where this was going

But, oh, don’t think he’ll play along. 

You pushed the pen and notepad away from his face when he ignored you and flopped onto his chest. 

it was nearing curfew, and you still hadn’t gone back to sleep in your own room after all these months 

(only Kaminari had the balls to call you out for leaving his bedroom early to sneak into yours, and honestly that’s good enough reason for you to suspect him)

“Hmmm...” 

okay how dare Bakugou go back to writing on a tiny notepad the size of his ego 

Even after you cover his eyes, he still continues to write on the notepad 

“C’mon, you know I hate it when I have to ask” 

Big mistake, you should’ve uncovered his eyes and attacked him with your own deathly cute look 

He pauses his writing to jab the pen into the back of your head. 

“Weren’t you the one who said consent was everything?” 

“I also said it was very sexy of you to not swear.” 

“What the fuck am I swearing on?”

He finally drops the pen and notebook to hold onto your back

He loved feeling your breathy laugh sweep over his skin, to feel your body come to life at something he said

and like all those months ago, he removes your loose hands from his eyes 

(”They’re sweaty whenever you leave them there too long,” he once complained, yet he’s always the one holding onto you longer)

and this time you’re able to look into his eyes with clarity, to see all the smiles in the crinkles at the corner of his eyes, to see a spark light up in the reflection of you 

and maybe bad experiences in space brought you closer than the misfortunes on earth did

“Kiss?” 

Who is he to deny you one when you look at him so expectantly and full of love at the moment 

“That’s the bye I’ll see you in two minutes kiss!” you cried when he kissed your forehead. “Neither of us are leaving anytime soon!”

“That’s the I got you lunch kiss...” from the cheek. You giggled stupidly when he kissed your nose. The stop being cute kiss. 

“You’re alllllmost there” 

“Almost where? You just asked for one kiss, and I gave you three.” 

Seriously, he made it so easy, so easy to get mad at him and then you made it so very easy for him to tell you, you weren’t being specific 

“Where’s the wittle shweal of pwotection?” 

and it isn’t the first time you see him roll his eyes this hard 

and yeah, that’s right, you’re going to make him do all the work now as you keep your face in place, your eyes closing in trust 

the only way you knew he was leaning in was when you felt his lips brush yours with the most featherlight touch, making you smile instantly

“you don’t need it when I’m constantly with you though.” 

and the bastard has the audacity to tease you like this!!! are you the only one pulling the weight in this dumb relationship? because you put all that shit into the kiss, including your feelings, frustration, worries, and you both press deeper when Bakugou reciprocates with the same enthusiasm

obviously you punch him when you see him with that dumb smirk after pulling back 

“That’s what you get.” He shrugged. “You’re not going to die on my watch. Stop fucking worrying.” 

You don’t laugh like you usually do, at how he throws in a swear when his voice becomes rough and soft and gentle at the same time

it’s how he knows you’re worried with the unchanging look on your face and yet your eyes continue to search for the answer in his 

“What about you?”

“I’m not going to die.” when you don’t press further, he says, “We’re not going to die.”

“How’re you so sure?”

“Was the shweal of pwotection not enough?” He’s relieved when a grin breaks on your face. 

“You’re right. We didn’t get this far without it, after all.”

It was so silly how a kiss started with a hopeful promise, had made you believe in Bakugou’s words 

But it wasn’t enough

Kirishima had intercepted you two on the way to fix the communications room, panicking and barely able to get his words out

all you made out was “reactor” and “suit”; and the way he said Deku’s name made you latch onto Bakugou’s hand to run in that direction

You gripped his hand to the point of bruising, not even noticing you’d been digging your gloved fingers into your own palm

Honestly, you had no idea what was wrong, but the fact that Kirishima needed to leave the Kaminari with Deku to find someone, anyone, was already concerning

“What’s wrong with-” nothing prepared you for what you saw. 

Kaminari looked up from his spot, surprise defensively taking over his face. “I know it looks bad-”

“Kaminari-” you gasped, taking a step back as he neared you like one would to an animal

“-because it is! Please, Midoriya just looked so vulnerable! How could you resist that?”

God how can he say that as if he was talking about a puppy

He laughed when you backed into a wall; laughed because the way your eyes expressed so much disgust at his admittance would be much more delightful at the big reveal; laughed because he wasn’t even close enough to harm you and yet you still looked so frightened of him

Laughed even more when you cringed upon seeing his gnarly set of teeth

Kaminari started licking the blood off his teeth and lips once he calmed down, and when he stared at you with the most predatory eyes, you nearly mistook the pounding rush of footsteps as the blood in your ears 

“Bakugou!” Kaminari didn’t need to take his eyes off you to know it was him. “Did you tell Kirishima the news?”

You’re a little too relieved at having Bakugou here to comprehend Kaminari’s words. 

“Back off, dunce face.” 

"Where’s Kirishima?” you ask when you notice his absence

“He ran off. Or tried to.”

everything is too still for your liking 

“Then the-the blood on your suit?” 

“His body exploded.” 

And fear washes over your body as you try to comprehend that Kirishima exploded? 

Everything starts to blue as you try to piece everything. 

No, no, no-

“That’s a terrible lie, even coming from you, Bakugou. Off your game?”

-it can’t be-

“It would’ve been cleaner if I weren’t in a rush to cover your ass.”

-you don’t have time-

“Feeling betrayed yet, Y/N? That your boyfriend-”

-there’s nowhere to run-

“Don’t fucking do it, dunce face.”

-what about Iida-

“I promise you, it won’t hurt one bit.”

And honestly, you’re wondering if the other ships had made it past this point.

Iida had heard Kirishima’s distressed panic before making it to the communications room, understanding he would go on his own to fix it 

The Bystander Effect, as you once called it, made him believe you and Bakugou would handle Kirishima’s situation. He wouldn’t be of any help if the radio signal wasn’t up on time to solve this emergency!

He recalled Kirishima mentioned the reactor, and hastily made his way there once he finished fixing 

Some noble class person would call the splatter of deep red across the floors and wall “art”, with how the bits of black and gray nearly bring it to life. 

How ironic that it had cost a life. 

He had to force himself to look away from the mess in the lower engine when he heard Bakugou’s almost feral growl. 

“I don’t mind if it’s you.”

 By the time he arrived, Iida found the reactor in the same mess as the lower engine. 

He couldn’t help but think what an art critic would have to say about this, were it to be a painting. 

Green liquid streaked the room with a pattern similar to the red

The same green dripping from Bakugou’s hands as he cradled what was left of your head

the same green that oozed out of Kaminari’s grayed body that was in equal parts unrecognizable 

He wonders what the art critics would say about the four bodies surrounding the only one alive 

a/n: wow u made it to the end huh,,,,,,,,thank you so much for reading!! I hope the music really set up the mood I was going for. Also, I didn’t want to spoil anything, but I read somewhere that it can be very triggering to write about the reader’s death esp if it was in 2nd pov!! Ik i said it’d be gory but I figured I could skim over it! anyway i love u nina this one was dedicated to all our among us plays 

I dont think i conveyed it very well but bakugou was basically gonna eat u for dinner. But kaminari got to u first and bakugou figured u had to taste as good even tho kaminari already digested u, right?

[flameo-firelord-hotman]

Idiot — Sokka x Fem!Reader

Genre: not sure...crack/fluff?

Warnings: none

Words: 2.1k

Summary: after spotting you in the marketplace, Sokka is head-over-heals for you and makes several foolish attempts to woo you.

A/N: I had to do it. This is yet another contribution to @fromthewatertribe’s 1k event! But this time I decided to write something a little silly with my boy Sokka. I used prompt #16: “you are like sunlight.” Enjoy :)

Masterlist

“Wow this marketplace is huge despite being such a small town,” Katara commented.

“Yeah, and it has so many cool things. Look at those pink lemons!” Aang exclaimed, pointing to one of the fruit stalls.

“And these Earth Kingdom hairpieces!” Katara added.

“And that bag over there!” Sokka said. Then, he saw you. “And her...” he said dreamily. Quickly, he approached your stall. Okay, be cool, Sokka. Be cool! he chanted in his mind.

You were organizing your products and making sure everything looked neat, when you heard someone cough to get your attention.

“Helloooo there!” Sokka greeted you in a lower sounding voice. He gave you a smug look and leaned his elbow on the countertop.

Ugh, not one of these guys again, you thought. It didn’t happen often, but it was still annoying when some customers would try to hit on you. Still, you had a job to do, so you put on your customer service smile and played nice. “Hi! How can I help you?”

“Well, I was just…inquiring what wares you were selling in this boutique here,” Sokka replied, still faking his voice.

Seriously?

Katara overheard her brother and stepped in to save you—and him—from an awkward conversation. “Pardon my idiot brother. He’s just interested in that bag over there,” she said, pointing to one of the bags on display. Sokka glared at her.

“Oh! Ahaha, sure thing. That bag is 10 silver pieces.”

“I’ll take it!” Sokka said enthusiastically. As he handed you the money, he tried to think of something clever to say to you. Come on, Sokka, think! Say something that’ll make her fall for you! When you handed him the bag, he got an idea.

With the bag in his hands, he admired it saying “this bag sure is fine, don’t you think?”

“It’s nice, yes,” you simply replied.

“So fine…just like yo—"

“Ugh, for crying out loud!” Katara suddenly groaned. She grabbed Sokka’s arm and dragged him away. “Quit hitting on her and let’s get going, will ya?” You chuckled as the siblings mocked and grumbled at each other while walking away.

“Why did you do that?” Sokka cried.

“Do what? Save you from embarrassing yourself?”

He scoffed, “if anything you embarrassed me!”

Katara groaned and pinched the bridge of her noise. She couldn’t believe how utterly stupid her brother was.

“She was totally into me!” Sokka continued, “didn’t you see the way she looked at me? We were connecting...and then you ruined it!”

“Or maybe she was looking at you, because you were being a complete weirdo.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Idiot,” Katara muttered.

“I know you are, but what am I?” Sokka jeered.

“Spirits, Sokka!” Katara cried, throwing her hands in the air.

The next day, the trio returned to the marketplace to do some more window shopping. Sokka snuck away from the group to talk to you again. He was determined to impress you and win his heart. As he approached your stall again, he devised a plan. Alright, here’s what you’re going to do, Sokka. You’re going to go up to her, introduce yourself, get her name, and then ask her out. Easy peasy!

Whistling as he walked, Sokka went up to your stall. “Oh heyyyy,” he said with a grin on his face.

“Hey,” you greeted. He leaned on the countertop just like he did yesterday. You noticed he was sporting the bag he had bought from you.

“I don’t know if you remember me, but—”

You giggled. “I do actually. You’re the silly guy who bought that bag from me yesterday,” you remarked, pointing to the bag.

“Yeah! Yeah...uh, the name’s Sokka. I’m from the Southern Water Tribe,” he said, extending his hand. You reluctantly shook it.

“I’m [y/n]. I live here.”

“That makes sense! Uh, you work here; therefore, you live here!” he commented awkwardly. He was trying to make conversation, but was clearly failing at it. You actually found it funny, not his comment, but the fact that he was making such a fool of himself again. None of the guys who hit on you were like this. You decided to play along purely for entertainment.

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve lived here all my life,” you said.

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah! You know what else is amazing?”

“What?”

“You,” he said with a wink.

Okay, that was kind of smooth…but I’m not giving in just yet, you thought. “Why? Because I sell bags every day?” you playfully asked.

“Yeah!” Sokka immediately responded without thinking. Then, he dreadfully realized what you said. “Well, I mean, um…that is interesting, yes. But uh…” Sokka stuttered, trailing off. His plan wasn’t working out so well. You didn’t respond the way he expected you too. By now he should’ve asked you out, but now he was off track, and didn’t know how to recover.

“So, uh, are you here to buy something? Or…” you asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Shoot! I’m losing her. I need to think of something quick! He racked his brain, trying to come up with something witty or funny to say. “No, no...I’m, uh...um...” he scratched his head. Nothing came to mind. It was time to abort mission. “You know what? I forget. Bye!”

And he bolted. You kind of felt bad for him. That Water Tribe boy was trying his best to flirt with you. It was too bad he sucked at it. But at the same time, it was funny.

Sokka ran through the streets of Shí Zhèn. He needed a new plan, but he couldn’t think of anything. He needed help, but he couldn’t ask his sister for advice, because he knew Katara would tell him to leave you alone. That left only one other person: the 12-year-old, very inexperienced Avatar. I’m so screwed! he groaned. But he had no choice; he needed to find Aang.

At last, he spotted him at one of the marketplace stalls.

“Hey, Aang!” he shouted.

“Hi, Sokka! Check out this tiny sweater I found. I think it’s supposed to be for babies, but it fits Momo perfectly!” Aang smiled. He held up Momo to show off the little green sweater wrapped around Momo’s small body. Momo chirped happily.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fantastic,” Sokka quickly said, unimpressed. “Listen, you have no game, but you’re also a wise guy. I need your help.”

“Um, thanks, I guess? What’s up?” asked Aang.

Sokka sighed, lovestruck. “This girl at the marketplace...her name’s [y/n]. Everything about her is stunning: her face, her hair, her voice…so stunning that I keep making a fool of myself in front of her.”

“Aw, that’s so cute Sokka! Isn’t love a wonderful thing?”

“Uh-huh, yeah, so how do I impress her without being an idiot?” Sokka wanted to get straight to the point.

Aang thought for a moment. He had virtually no experience in the dating world. In fact, he was struggling with his own crush on Katara. “Well, the advice you once gave me was to not be too nice and act aloof, but—”

“That’s it! Thanks, Aang!” shouted Sokka as he ran off.

Sokka rushed back to your stall. When he got within sight of it, he slowed to a stroll. Then, he proceeded to walk past your stall multiple times while acting aloof. Every time he did, he would look at you from a safe distance to see if he caught your attention.

To him, it seemed you hadn’t noticed him. The truth was that his new tactic was so painfully obvious and cringey that you pretended not to see him.

Still determined, Sokka approached your stall and pretended to look at the bags on display. Well, if he’s going to play pretend, then I will too, you decided. And so, you put on that customer service smile again and acted oblivious to him.

“Welcome back,” you greeted him.

“Hi,” Sokka said curtly. He didn’t even look up at you.

This’ll be good, you thought. “What brings you here again?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Just looking, I guess,” he stated in a bored tone.

“Okay. Well, I see you’re looking at the wicker bag. That one’s pretty popular.” He merely grunted as a reply. You continued. “It’s made of rattan. Very durable, water resistant, easy to clean, and holds a lot. What do you think?”

“Meh, it seems alright.”

“Just alright? Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

“Eh, nothing really.”

At this point, you were entertained enough. You were done playing around. “You’re funny, you know.”

“Huh?” Sokka was completely caught off guard.

“Yeah! Flirting with me, and then suddenly acting like you don’t have a care in the world. I think it’s funny.”

“Oh...” was all Sokka could say. I’ve screwed myself again, haven’t I? he worried.

You leaned on the countertop, getting closer to Sokka. “Want to know what else I think?”

“Uh...”

“I think you’re trying too hard. I don’t normally let guys hit on me, because they’re usually creepy about it, but you’re actually nice and funny. Instead of pretending to be someone you’re not, I think you should just be yourself when you ask me out.”

“Wow,” Sokka muttered in astonishment, “even when you call me idiot, it’s amazing.”

You burst out laughing. “See? You’re funny! And, yeah, I didn’t want to say that out loud, but...you read my mind.”

“Alright, I’m going to start over!” Sokka decided. Dramatically, he did a jump and spin, then threw his hands in the air and beamed as if he transformed into his true self.

“Hi there! My name’s Sokka,” he said with newfound confidence. “Has anyone ever told you that you are like sunlight?”

You threw your head back and laughed again. He gave you look of confusion.

“You’re so goofy!” you laughed, wiping tears from your eyes. “That’s really sweet though, keep going!” you begged him.

“Okay,” he chuckled, “well, I think you and me should hang out tonight. What do you think? We could walk through the streets, eat dinner, stargaze,” he said, hands waving in the air as he spoke.

You put your finger to your chin, pretending to deeply consider his offer. “Hmm, I don’t know, goofball,” you mumbled sarcastically, while dramatically rolling your eyes.

Sokka smirked knowingly. “Oh, come on, sunshine. You know you can’t resist silly Sokka!” he said playfully. To top it off, he scrunched up his sleeves and flex his arms. When he gave you a cheeky grin and bounced his eyebrows up and down, you cracked up once more.

“Pft, okay, goofball. You’ve won my heart. Meet me here at sunset!” you cheered.

“YES!” Sokka shouted before jumping in the air and clicking his heals victoriously. If he could do a backflip, he probably would’ve done one right then and there. “Uh, I mean...great! I’ll see you then,” he said, pointing finger guns at you as he backed away into the crowds.

Tired from wandering and shopping, Katara and Aang relaxed in their room at the local inn. Suddenly, the door was forcefully kicked opened.

“Guys, I did it!” Sokka announced as he leaped into the room. Katara and Aang stared at him wide-eyed like a startled deer-dog. Then, they glanced at each other, unsure of what he was talking about.

“Did what?” they both asked.

“I have a date with [y/n],” he sighed dreamily. If heart eyes were real, they would be popping up on his face.

“That’s great, Sokka! I’m so glad everything worked out for you,” Aang smiled.

At first, Katara felt out of the loop, then she realized who he must’ve been talking about. “Oh, don’t tell me you harassed and that poor girl again!” she facepalmed.

“Oh, no, no, we chatted for a bit. She thinks I’m hilarious!” Sokka exclaimed.

“She must’ve lied,” Katara concluded.

“Nuh-uh, she was cracking up at my jokes,” Sokka assured. “By the way, Aang, your advice sucked.”

“Actually, it was your own advice...which you gave to me,” Aang carefully explained.

“Well...ugh, whatever! It doesn’t matter anymore. I have a date tonight that I need to get ready for. Later, losers!”

After the door closed, Katara shook her head and sighed, “why is my brother like this?”